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REYNOLDS  HISTORICAL 
GENEALOGY  COLLECTION 


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AN 

ILLUSTRATED  HISTORY 

OF 

Klickitat,  Yakima  and  Kittitas 
Counties 


WITH  AN  OUTLINE  OF  THE  EARLY  HISTORY 


OF  THE 


State  of  Washington 


interstate  publishing  company 

1904 


Copyright,  1904. 

BY 
INTERSTATE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 


/  ?  e~  y 


1714324 


TO  THE  PIONEERS 

OF 

KLICKITAT,  YAKIMA  AND  KITTITAS 
COUNTIES 

THOSE   WHO   HAVE  GONE    AND  THOSE    WHO    REMAIN, 

THIS  WORK  IS  DEDICATED  AS  A  SLIGHT  TOKEN 

OF  APPRECIATION  OF  THEIR  VIRTUES 

AND  THEIR  SACRIFICES. 


PREFATORY. 


JO  PERSONS  without  experience,  the  chronicling  of  events  covering  a  period  of  hardly 
more  than  four  decades  and  all  of  which  is  within  the  memories  of  living  men  may 
seem  an  easy  task,  but  let  the  attempt  be  made  and  quickly  will  the  illusion  be  dis- 
pelled. While  early  pioneer  peoples  possess  remarkably  retentive  memories  and 
recall  events  many  years  past  with  wonderful  vividness  and  fidelity  to  truth,  Mnemosyne 
seldom  takes  notes  of  initials,  dates,  the  spelling  of  names  and  other  minutiae  essential  to  the 
historian's  purpose.  His  chief  reliance  for  these  must  ever  be  the  printed  page.  There  is 
no  way  known  to  the  writer  of  discovering  the  full  truth  in  regard  to  events  which  happened 
years  ago  but  to  find  printed,  contemporaneous  accounts,  and  even  when  this  is  possible  we 
cannot  be  sure  that  we  are  in  possession  of  absolutely  reliable  information,  for  contemporaneous 
writers  often  err  or  view  events  with  eyes  partially  blinded  by  prejudice  or  partisan  bias.  Where 
there  is  a  multiplicity  of  conflicting  authorities  the  task  of  weighing  the  relative  value  to  be 
attached  to  each  and  of  arriving  at  the  truth  or  a  close  approximation  thereto  is  always  a  delicate 
one  and  vexatious  enough ;  but  the  most  trying  situation  in  which  the  historian  finds  himself  is  that 
which  arises  when  no  authorities  whatsoever  are  to  be  found.  Too  often  no  printed  accounts  of  any 
kind  preserve  for  us  the  earliest  history,  and  when  records  do  exist  their  hiding-places  cannot  always 
be  discovered.  The  happenings  of  a  county  are  not  chronicled  in  voluminous  official  reports  as  are  the 
larger  affairs  of  state  and  nation.  The  public  acts  of  county  and  city  officers  are  of  course  matters  of 
record,  but  of  events  occurring  among  the  people  at  large  and  developments  incident  to  restless 
private  enterprise,  we  have  as  a  rule  no  account  except  such  as  is  furnished  by  the  dauntless  pioneer 
newspaper  men  or  can  be  gleaned  from  reminiscences  of  actual  participants.  The  work  of  the  for- 
mer is  often  obliterated  and  ruined  by  fire  or  other  destructive  forces,  while  death  and  human 
frailty  war  against  the  latter  source  of  information.  Such  being  some  of  the  difficulties  under  which 
the  work  herewith  presented  was  prepared,  it  cannot  be  hoped  that  it  is  altogether  free  from 
errors.  It  is,  however,  the  result  of  painstaking  research,  and  we  hope  that  it  will,  in  part,  at  least, 
meet  the  expectations  of  those  who  have  given  it  the  encouragement  of  their  patronage. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  work  we  have  had  occasion  to  interview  many  of  the  prominent  citi- 
zens of  Klickitat,  Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties,  and  it  is  with  feelings  of  gratitude  that  we  testify 
that  these  ladies  and  gentlemen  have  uniformly  treated  us  with  courtesy,  freely  imparting  such 
information  as  they  were  able.  It  is  impossible  to  acknowledge,  except  in  a  general  way,  all  favors 
received,  but  the  thanks  of  the  company  are  due  especially  to  the  committees  of  pioneers  who  have 
read,  or  listened  to  the  reading,  of  manuscript  copies  of  the  various  county  histories,  calling  atten- 
tion to  such  errors  and  omissions  as  their  intimate  personal  experiences  in  the  affairs  of  these  coun- 
ties enabled  them  to  discover.  Special  acknowledgments  are  also  due  to  the  following  newspapers 
for  the  use  of  their  files,  namely:  The  Yakima  Herald,  The  Yakima  Republic,  The  Sunnyside  Sun, 
The  Goldendale  Sentinel,  The  Klickitat  County  Agriculturist,  The  Ellensburg  Dawn,  The  Ellens- 
burg  Localizer,  The  Ellensburg  Capital,  The  Cascade  Miner  and  The  Cle-Elum  Echo.  The  thanks 
of  the  compilers  are  likewise  extended  to  Robert  A.  Turner,  personally,  for  substantial  assistance 
in  many  ways,  to  F.  Dorsey  Schnebly  and  Mrs.  David  J.  Schnebly  for  the  use  of  old  Localizer  files; 
to  Thomas  L.  Gamble  for  his  valuable  diary;  to  the  various  county  and  state  officials  for  numerous 
courtesies;  to  the  United  States  Geological  Survey  for  the  gift  of  many  valuable  publications;  to 
George  N.  Tuesley,  Walter  N.  Granger,  Jay  A.  Lynch,  Alexander  E.  McCredy,  the  various  pho- 
tographers of  the  three  counties,  especially  F.  J.  Tickner  of  North  Yakima,  O.  W.  Pautzke  of 
Ellensburg,  W.  P.  Flanary  of  Goldendale,  H.  B.  Carratt  of  Centerville,  and  to  Kiser  Bros.,  of  Port- 
land, for  photographs  to  use  in  illustrating  the  work. 

THE    INTERSTATE    PUBLISHING   COMPANY. 

John  MacNeil  Henderson,  President. 
Charles  Arthur  Branscombe,    Vice-President. 
William  Sidney  Shiach,  Editor. 
Harrison  B.  Averill,  Associate  Editor. 


ENDORSEMENTS. 


The  undersigned  pioneer  citizens  of  Klickitat  county  hereby  certify  that  they  have,  as  a  com- 
mittee, read  carefully,  while  still  in  manuscript  form,  the  history  of  said  county,  prepared  and  to  be 
published  by  the  Interstate  Publishing  Company,  of  Spokane;  that  they  have  given  its  compilers 
the  benefit  of  such  knowledge  of  the  subject  as  has  come  to  them  by  reason  of  long  residence  in  the 
county  and  active  participation  in  its  development  and  the  events  which  have  happened  within  its 
borders;  also  that  they  have  found  the  said  history  of  Klickitat  county  accurate,  impartial,  compre- 
hensive and  in  every  sense  reliable:  hence  are  prepared  to  give  it  their  unqualified  endorsement  as  a 
standard  work.  S.   H.  Jones. 

E.  W.  Pike. 

Geo.  W.   McCredv. 


We,  the  undersigned,  pioneer  citizens  of  Yakima  county,  Washington,  hereby  certify: 

First. — That  we  have  been  for  many  years  active  participants  in  the  affairs  of  said  county  and  are 
thoroughly  familiar  with  events  that  have  transpired  within  its  borders. 

Second. — That  we  have  carefully  gone  over  the  history  of  said  county,  compiled  by  William 
Sidney  Shiach  and  to  be  published  by  the  Interstate  Publishing  Company,  of  Spokane;  also,  that  we 
have  assisted  its  author  in  making  a  thorough  final  revision  of  the  same. 

Third. — That  we  have  found  the  said  history  a  well-arranged,  well-written,  truthful,  compre- 
hensive and  impartial  record  of  events,  and  we  give  it  our  unqualified  endorsement  as  a  standard 
work  on  the  subject.  Leonard  L.  Thorp. 

David  Longmire. 
J.   P.   Marks. 


The  undersigned  hereby  certify  that  they  are  pioneer  citizens  of  Kittitas  county,  Washington, 
and  that  they  have  been  active  participants  for  many  years  in  the  affairs  of  said  county;  hence 
believe  themselves  familiar  with  the  principal  events  in  its  history.  They  certify  further  that  they 
have  revised  the  manuscript  history  of  said  county,  prepared  and  to  be  published  by  the  Interstate 
Publishing  Company,  of  Spokane,  calling  the  attention  of  its  editor  to  such  slight  errors  and  omis- 
sions as  their  knowledge  of  the  facts  have  enabled  them  to  discover;  also  that  they  have  found  the 
said  history  of  Kittitas  county  evidently  fair  and  impartial  toward  all  interests,  comprehensive  in  its 
scope,  logical  in  arrangement,  pleasing  in  style,  accurate  and  conservative  in  statement  and  in  all 
respects  an  authentic  work.  Tillman  Houser. 

Samuel  T.  Packwood. 

Thomas  L.  Gamble. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


PART    I. 
INTRODUCTORY. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Explorations   by  Water. 

Introductory — Gasper  Cortereal — Juan  de  Fuca — His  Story — Behring's  Explorations — Captain  James  Cook— Inception 
of  Fur  Trade— The  Nootka  Controversy— La  Perouse— Meares— American  Explorations— Discovery  of  the 
Columbia — Vancouver's  Explorations 1 

CHAPTER  II. 

Explorations  by  Land. 

Verendrye—  Moncacht-ape — Alexander  Mackenzie — Thomas  Jefferson — Lewis  and  Clarke  Expedition — Negotiations 
Leading  to  the  Louisiana  Purchase— Details  of  the  Lewis  and  Clarke  Expedition 5 

CHAPTER  III. 

The  Astor  Expedition. 

Profits  of  the  Fur  Trade — John  Jacob  Astor — His  Plan — His  Partners— The  Tonquin — Voyage  of  the  Tonquin — Fate 
of  the  Tonquin — David  Thompson — The  Adventures  of  William  Price  Hunt  and  Party — Failure  of  Astor's  Enter- 
prise— Capture  and  Restoration  of   Astoria 12 

CHAPTER  IV. 

The   Northwest  and  Hudson's  Bay  Companies. 

Joint  Occupation— Early  History  of  the  Northwest  Company— Rivalry  of  the  Northwest  and  Hudson  Bay  Companies 
—Absorption  of  Northwest  Company — Character  of  the  Hudson  Bay  Company — Its  Modus  Operandi — Its  Indian 
Policy— William  H.  Ashley— Jedediah  S.  Smith— Captain  B.  L.  E.  Bonneville— Captain  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth— 
Hudson  Bay  Company  Seeks  a  New  License — The  Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company 18 

CHAPTER  V. 

Period  of  Settlement. 

Jason  Lee  and  Party— The  Reception  by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company's  Employees— The  Political  Effect— The  Flat- 
heads'  Search  fqrThe  Book— Its  Results  to  the  Tribe— Settlers  in  Oregon  in  1832-34— Expedition  of  Dr.  Marcus 
Whitman  and  Dr.  Samuel  Parker— Whitman's  Mission— Whitman's  Work— Gray's  Return  to  the  East— New 
Arrivals— The  Large  Immigration  of  1843— Extract  from  Nesmith's  Lecture,  "The  Early  Pioneer"— Death  of 
Edwin  Young — Attempts  to  Organize  a  Government— Provisional  Government 24 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Oregon  Controversy. 
Claims  of  the  United  States  Stated — Negotiations  of  1826-27 — Evans  on  Effects  of  Joint  Occupation — Interest  of 
Congress  Aroused— Exploration  is  Stimulated— Immigration  of  1843— Negotiations  of  1831— Of  1842— Of  1843— 
Interest  Manifested  All  Over  the  Union — Political  Parties  Take  up  the  Controversy— Negotiations  of  1845 — Polk 
Gives  Great  Britain  a  Year's  Notice  of  Intention  to  Abrogate  Joint  Occupancy  Treaty — Negotiations  of  1846 — 
Great  Britain  Offers  Forty-Ninth  Parallel— Offer  is  Accepted— San  Juan  Controversy— Its  Settlement 35 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Cayuse  War. 
Agent  White's  Warning  to  Emigrants— Cookstock— Indian  Expedition  to  California — The  Indian  Agent's  Difficulties 
— Calamity  Averted — Cause  of  the  Whitman  Massacre — Joe  Lewis— Details  of  the  Massacre — Rev.  Brouillet's 
Statement — His  Interviews  with  Spalding — Peter  Skeen  Ogden — His  Speech — Indian's  Reply — Prisoners  Deliv- 
ered up — Eells  and  Walker — Oregon  Rises  to  the  Occasion — Volunteer  Regiment  Provided  For — Failure  of  Attempt 
to  Negotiate  a  Loan— Appeal  to  Citizens — The  Regiment — Expedition  Starts  from  Portland — Yakimas  Choose 
Peace — Battle  of  Sand  Hollows — Tiloukaikt  Outwits  Gilliam — Gilliam's  Death— Captain  Maxom  Takes  Command 
— Condition  at  Fort  Waters — Women  to  the  Aid  of  the  Suffering — Governor's  Proclamation — Additional  Volun- 
teers—Difficulty of  Collecting  Supplies— Lee  Appointed  Colonel— Resigns  in  Favor  of  Waters— Sets  Out  for  Nez 
Perce  Country— Cayuses  Flee— End  of  Campaign — Results  of  War 42 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Early  Days  in  Washington. 
Early  Agricultural  Progress— Emigrants  from  Fort  Garry — Michael  T.  Simmons — Condition  of  the  Country — Settle- 
ments of  1848— Beginning  of  Commerce  on  Puget  Sound — Settlements  of  1850 — Of  1851 — Convention  at  Cowlitz 
Landing — Washington  Territory  Created— Governor  Stevens— Conditions  Found  by  Him — Territory  Organized — 
Stevens  Goes  to  Washington,  D.  C. — Indian  Council  Convened— Extracts  fromKipp's  Diary— Governor  Stevens' 
Speech — Looking  Glass's  Arrival — Treaty  Signed — Territory  Relinquished 57 

CHAPTER  IX. 
The  Yakima  War. 
Followed  Closely  the  Walla  Walla  Council— Causes  of  the  War— Its  Object  was  to  Blot  Out  Existing  White  Settle- 
ments and  to  Discourage  Further  Immigration  to  the  Northwest— Discovery  of  Gold  near  Fort  Colville— Murder 
of  Sub-agent  Andrew  J.  Bolon — Investigation  by  Acting  Governor  Mason— Major  Haller's  Engagement  with  the 
Yakima  Indians— Report  of  Indian  Agent  Olney  to  Governor  Curry  of  Oregon— The  Oregon  and  Washington 
Volunteers — Major  Rains  and  Colonel  Nesmith  Move  against  the  Indians  with  Regulars  and  Volunteers — Report 
of  Major  Rains  to  Governor  Mason — Engagement  on  the  Yakima  River — Correspondence  between  Chief  Kamia- 
kin  and  Major  Rains — Movements  of  Major  Chinn — Letter  from  Narcisse  Raymond  to  Commander  at  Fort  Walla 
Walla— Arrival  of  General  Wool— Report  of  Colonel  Kelly— Battle  Near  the  Toucher— Killing  of  Peo-peo-mox- 
mox  and  His  Companions— Battle  of  Walla  Walla— Sufferings  of  the  Soldiers— Governor  Stevens'  Report- 
Enmity  between  Governor  Stevens  and  General  Wool— Operations  in  the  Sound  Country,  1856— Indians  Attack 
Seattle— Battle  on  the  White  River— Volunteers  Leave  the  Sound  Country— Operations  of  the  Regulars,  1856— 
Movements  of  Colonel  George  Wright— Conference  at  Vancouver— Expedition  of  Colonel  Steptoe— Continuation 
of  the  War— Battle  of  Steptoe  Butte— Colonel  Wright's  Expedition  into  the  Spokane  Country— Battle  of  Spokane 
Plains— Subjugation  of  the  Indians  and  Close  of  the  War 67 


PART    II. 

HISTORY  OF  KLICKITAT  COUNTY. 

CHAPTER  I. 

General— 1859-1889. 


Fort  Simcoe  Military  Road— Klickitat  Valley— Character  of  Early  Settlers— First  Settlements— Amos  Stark— Jenkins 
Family— John  J.  Golden— John  W.  Burgen—  Other  Early  Settlers— County  Organized— Wood  Industry— First 
Road  to  Columbus— First  County  Election— Change  in  Boundary  Line— The  Hard  Winter  of  1861-62— Efforts  of 
Stockmen  to  Save  Their  Herds— Losses— Ice  in  Columbia— Results  of  the  Winter— First  Grain  in  Vallev— First 


CONTENTS. 


Sawmill— Saloon  Closed  at  Columbus— New  Arrivals  in  the  County — The  Crickets — First  School  in  County — 
The  Chapman  Incident — Reorganization  of  the  County — Boundary  Line  Again  Changed — First  Town — Settlements 
in  the  East  End — Change  of  Boundary  in  1873 — First  Grist  Mill— County  Seat  Located  at  Goldendale— Indian 
Scare  of  1878— Outside  Settlements — New  Courthouse — Winter  of  1880-81 — Final  Change  in  Boundary  Line — 
County  Fair— Construction  of  O.  R.  &  N.  Railroad — Crops  of  1883-84 — Murder  of  Sterling— Timmerman's  Trial 
and  Execution— Sheep  Commissioner's  Report  for  1888— Old  Courthouse  Burned— New  One  Erected— Progress 
of  Cascade  Locks— Assessment  Rolls  for  1889 91 

CHAPTER  II. 

General-1889-1904. 

Beginning  of  Railroad  Agitation— Columbia  Valley  &  Goldendale  Railroad  Company— Hunt's  Proposed  Road— Hard 
Winter  of  1889-90— Assessment  Rolls  for  1890— Taylor's  North  Dalles  Scheme— Killing  of  William  Dunn— Hard 
Times — Low  Price  for  Wheat — Agitation  for  Railroad  Renewed— Cascade  Locks  Completed — Good  Times  of  1897 
— Bickleton  Land  Case — Columbia  &  Southern  Railroad — Paul  Mohr's  Portage  Road— Crops  of  1899 — Trout  Lake 
Tragedy— Columbia  River  &  Northern— Its  Completion— First  Shipment  of  Wheat  by  Rail — Effects  of  the 
Railroad 109 

CHAPTER  III. 

Political. 

Formation  of  Klickitat  County  in  1859— First  Organization  Not  Recognized — Reorganization  in  1867 — First  Session 
of  County  Commissioners'  Court — First  Precincts— Election  1868— Summary  of  Votes — Results  of  Election  1870 
—Official  Returns  of  1872— Of  1874— Returns  for  1876— Results  of  Election  in  1878— Returns  for  Election  of  1880 
—Of  1882— Of  1884— Of  1886— Of  1888— Special  Election  of  1889— Returns  for  1890— Organization  of  People's 
Party— Official  Returns  for  1892-Returns  of  1894— Of  1896— Of  1898-Of  1900— Official  Vote  of  1902 122 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Towns. 

Goldendale — Natural  Advantages — First  Settlement— First  Business  Houses— Becomes  County  Seat — Period  of 
Growth  Begins  in  1878— Incorporated— Business  Houses  in  1880— Fire  of  1888— Rebuilding  of  the  Town— Bank- 
Water  System  Installed — Fire  of  1890 — Board  of  Trade  Organized — Klickitat  Academy — Reincorporation — 
Goldendale  Celebrates  the  Completion  of  the  Columbia  River  &  Northern — Public  Buildings — Business  Directory 
Schools— Churches — Fraternities.  Bickleton— Location— Early  Settlement— First  Business  House— Schools- 
Bank — Business  Directory — Churches — Lodges — Prospects.  Cleveland—  Early  History — Churches  and  Schools 
■  — Fraternal  Orders — Business  Houses.  Centerville — Surroundings— Early  History — Growth  in  1890— Water  Sup- 
ply— School — Churches— Newspaper — Lodges — Prospects.  White  Salmon — Beauty  of  Location — Surrounding 
Country — History— Business  Enterprises — Schools— Churches.  Lyle — Favorable  Location— History — Railroad 
— Surroundings — Water  Power  Available— Klickitat  Canyon — Frederic  H.  Balch— Business  Houses  at  Present..  130 


PART  III. 
HISTORY  OF  YAKIMA  COUNTY. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Current  History.     1860-1877. 

Fur  Traders  Visit  the  Valley— Jesuits— David  Longmire  Visits  the  Region— Fort  Simcoe  Established — F.  Mortimer 
Thorp  Becomes  First  Settler— Other  Settlers  of  1861— Peshastin  Mines— Winter  of  1861-62— First  School- 
Indians  Threaten  Trouble— County  Organized — First  Survey — Gold  Fever  of  1864— Floods  of  1867— First  Experi- 
ments in  Agriculture— First  Irrigation  Canals — Interview  with  Judge  Beck — Railroad  Rumblings — Irrigation 
.  Ditches— Earthquake— Change  in  Boundary  Lines — The  Snoqualmie  Pass  Road 150 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  II. 

The  Perkins  Murder  and  Moses  Demonstration. 

Chief  Joseph— Bannock  and  Piute  War— Its  Causes— Buffalo  Horn— Egan— Effect  on  Settlers  of  Central  Washing- 
ton—Steps Taken  for  Protection— Expedition  to  Natchez  Pass— The  Perkins  Murder— Bodies  Found— Details  of 
the  Murder— Chief  Moses— His  Warlike  Demonstration— Captain  Splawn  and  His  Volunteers— Capture  of  Moses 
—Two  of  the  Murderers  Captured— Moosetonic  Surrenders— The  Klickitat  Rangers— Trial  of  the  Indians— They 
Break  Jail— Pursuit  of  Fugitives— Recaptured— Fate  of  the  Murderers 161 


CHAPTER  III 

Current  History, 

Results  of  the  Indian  War— Yakima  Land  District  Established-  Winter  of  1880-81— Father  Wilbur's  Report— Death  of 
Philander  Kelly— Losses— Kittitas  County  Formed  out  of  Yakima— Courthouse  Built  at  Yakima  City— The 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad— President  Harris's  Report— Citizens  Pass  Resolutions— North  Yakima— Shipments 
East— Irrigation— Land  Appropriated  in  County  During  the  Year  1888— Admission  of  Washington  to  the  Union.  .172 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Current  History.     1889-1904. 

Winter  of  1889-90— Railroad  Projects— Sunnyside  Canal— County  Fair  of  1890— Contest  for  Agricultural  College— 1891 
a  Prosperous  Year — Irrigation  Canals — Railroad  Project  of  1892— Earthquake  Shock — Results  of  Financial 
Depression— Coxey's  Army — They  Give  Trouble  at  North  Yakima — High  Water — Assassination  of  Bagwell — 
Local  Fair  of  1895 — Efforts  to  Secure  Opening  of  Indian  Reservation — The  Rush  to  the  Klondyke — Company  E. 
in  the  Spanish-American  War — Muster  Roll — Service — Reception  on  Return — Sheep  and  Forest  Reserves — Cen- 
sus Returns  for  1900 — Prosser  Tragedy — Proposed  New  County— State  Fair — Railroad  Accidents — Ranier  Forest 
Reserve  Question — County  Division  Again  Proposed — 1902  a  Year  of  Prosperity — Conclusion 181 

CHAPTER  V. 

Political. 

County  Records  Lost— County  Formed— First  Election— Returns  for  1868— Official  Vote  at  Election  of  1870— Of  1872 
—Of  1874— Of  1876— Of  1878— Of  1880— Destruction  of  Records— Divisions  of  County— Official  Vote  of  1882— Can- 
celation of  Land  Grants  the  Issue  of  1884— Returns  of  1884— Of  1886— Special  Election  of  1886— Official  Vote  at 
Election  of  1888— Of  1889— Political  Club  Formed— Issues  of  Election  of  1890— Returns— People's  Party  Organ- 
ized—Official Vote  at  Election  of  1892— Democratic  Platform  of  1894— Returns  of  Election  of  1894— Of  1896- Of 
1898— Of  1900— Of  1902 198 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Cities  and  Towns. 

North  Yakima— Fight  between  Northern  Pacific  and  Yakima  City— New  Town  Planned— Hotel  Removed  to  New 
Site— Other  Business  Houses  Follow — Rivalry — Provisional  Government — Plan  of  City — Contest  for  State  Cap- 
ital—1889  a  Prosperous  Year— Electric  Lighting  System  Installed— Sewerage  System  Built— Fire  of  1890— Busi- 
ness Enterprises  in  1890— Improvements  and  Growth  of  City  to  1898— Building  Boom  of  1899— Professor  Getz's 
Statement— Banks— Churches— Clubs— Schools— Hospital— Fraternities— Present  Conditions— City  Officers. 
Prosser—  Early  History— Irrigation  Ditch  Built — Progress  of  Town— Incorporation — Business  Enterprises — 
Schools— Churches,  Etc.— Reason  of  Rapid  Development— Proposed  Sugar  Factory.  Sunnyside—  Site—  Sunny- 
side  Canal — Pioneer  Settlements — History — Sunnyside  Bridge — Christian  Co-operative  Colony— Incorporation — 
Schools— Churches— Library— Bank— Telephone  System— Stage  Lines— Business  Enterprises.  Kennewick— Cli- 
mate— Fruit  Culture— Early  History— Irrigation— Business  Houses— Churches— Lodges— Schools— Owen's  Col- 
lection of  Curios— Prospects  of  Town.  Mabton— Surroundings— Irrigation  Projects— History— Schools— News- 
paper—Business  Enterprises.  Toppenish— Location— Origin— Growth— School— Business  Directory.  Zillah— 
Surroundings— Origin— Growth— Schools— Churches— Fraternities— Business  Enterprises.  Yakima  City  - 
Reverses  Suffered— Business  Enterprises— Prospects.    Fort  Simcoe— Smaller  Towns 2 


CONTENTS. 


HISTORY  OF  KITTITAS  COUNTY. 
CHAPTER  I. 
Current  Events.    1861-1889. 
Introduction — Senator  A.  J.  Splawn  Writes  of  Early  Days  in  the  Valley — Early  Attempted  Settlements— Frederic 
Ludi  Arrives — Tillman  Houser  Becomes  a  Settler — First  Land  Surveys — Settlers  of  1868-69— First    Store — A 
Secret  Marriage — Hardships  of  Early  Days — Discovery  of  Gold  on  the  Swauk— Rush  to  Gold  Fields— Pioneer 
Agriculturists— Beginnings  of   Irrigation — Indian  Panic  of  1878— Lumbering — Winter  of  1880-81 — County  Sepa- 
rated from  Yakima — Kittitas  Standard — Quotations  from  The  Standard — The  Wilson  Family  Expelled — Mining 
Activities  of  1884—  Cle-Elum  and  Roslyn  Mines  Opened — Northern  Pacific  Built  through  the   County — Work  on 
First  Large   Irrigation   Ditch   Begun— Change   in   Boundary   Lines — Railroad   Accidents  Noted — Roslyn   Coal 
Strike 236 

CHAPTER  II. 
Current  Events.  1889-1904. 
Winter  of  1888-90— Proposed  Division  of  County— Census  of  1890— Irrigation  Project  of  1891-92— Roslyn  Mine  Accident 
— Roslyn  Bank  Robbery— Trial  of  Hale — The  Real  Robbers  Discovered— Arrest  and  Trials  of  Part  of  Gang — 
Jury  Disagrees— Finally  Liberated— Subsequent  Fate  of  Robbers— The  Ben  E.  Snipes  &  Company  Bank  Failure 
— Ellensburg  National  Closes  Its  Doors — Sheepmen  Suffer  from  Panic— Good  Crops  of  1893— Coxey's  Army — 
Railroad  Strike  of  1894— Roslyn  Coal  Miners'  Strike— The  Vinson  Tragedy— Hard  Times  of  1895— High  Water  of 
1896 — Return  of  Prosperity— Donahue  Homicide — Klondyke  Excitement— Spanish-American  War  Calls  Company 
H  to  Arms— Reception  to  the  Volunteers— Prosperity  of  1898— Celebration  of  Victories— Jail  Break— Chelan 
County  Formed— Coal  Mining  Industry  Expands— Census  of  1900— Pioneer  Association  Formed— Assessment 
Rolls  of  1901— The  High  Line  Canal— Other  Irrigation  Projects— Roosevelt's  Visit— His  Address 253 

CHAPTER  III. 
Political. 
County  Created — Commissioners'  First  Meeting — First  Election— Official  Vote  of  1884— Officers   Elected  in  1886 — 
Official  Vote  in  Election  of   1888— Special  Election  of   1889— Official  Returns  of  1890— Contest  of  1892— Of  1894 
—Fusion  Convention  in  1896— Returns  of  1896— Of  1898— Of  1900— Of  1902 276 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Cities  and  Towns. 
Ellensburg—  Situation — Ellensburg  Canal — Town  Platted— Early  History — Business  Houses  in  1883 — Fire  of  1883 — 
Railroad  Rumors — Presbyterian  Academy — Prosperity  of  Early  Eighties— Courthouse  Built — Phenomenal  Growth 
of  1888— The  Great  Fire  of  1889— Hero  of  the  Fire— Failures  Following— Temporary  Decline  of  City— Good 
Times  of  1897-98— Rehmke's  Jewelry  Store  Robbed— City's  Water  System— Fire  Department— Lighting  System- 
Schools— Public  Buildings — Clubs — Churches — Fraternities.  Roslyn— King  Coal — Mines  Opened— Choosing  of 
the  Name — First  Business  Ventures— Fire  of  1888— The  Terrible  Explosion — Bank  Robbery— Business  Houses 
of  1895— Mines  Temporarily  Closed — Dr.  Lyon  Murdered — Smallpox  Epidemic — Incorporation  of  City — Water 
System  Built — Roslyn  Athletic  Club — Schools — Churches — Business  Houses.  Cle-Elum — Location — Founded — 
Walter  J.  Reed— Stores  Established— First  School — The  Fire  of  1891 — Incorporation — Water  System — Schools 
— Churches—Business  Enterprises.  Thorp— Site — Business  Houses — History — Easton — Liberty— Teanaway — 
Other  Stations   and  Villages 286 


PART   V. 

SUPPLEMENTARY. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Yakima,  Kittitas  and  Klickitat  Counties.— Descriptive. 

Location  and  Area— Their  Geological  History— Scenery  in  the  Cascades,  near  Cispus  Pass— Tietan  Park— Kittitas 

Lake   Region — Yakima  Drainage   System— Climate— King   Irrigation— Wenas  Valley  Canals — Naches   River— 

Tietan— Selah  Valley  Canal— Yakima  Valley  Canal — Hubbard   Ditch — Somer  Canal  Schemes — The  Sunnyside 

Canal  Svstem— Ahtanum  Basin— Moxee  Artesian  Basin — Yakima  County  Canal   Statistics  — Alfalfa   Industry — 


CONTENTS. 


Dairy  Industry— Live  Stock  in  Yakima  County — Hops— Potatoes — Fruit  Culture— Profits  in  Farming — Minor 
Industries  in  the  County— Lumbering — Mining — Summit  Mining  District — Yakima  County's  Rich  Resources — 
Kittitas  County — Its  Topography — Kittitas  Valley — Irrigation  Projects— Canals  Constructed— New  Cascade 
Canal — Cattle  Industry— Dairying — Sheep  Raising— Other  Live  Stock— General  Farming — Wheat  Raising  and 
Flour  Manufactories— The  Fruit  Industry — Timber  and  Lumbering— Mining— Roslyn  and  Cle-Elum  Coal 
Mines— The  Cle-Elum  Quartz  District— The  Swauk— Klickitat  County— Columbia  River— The  Klickitat— 
General  Topography — Trout  Lake — County's  Elements  of  Wealth — Camas  Prairie — Their  Pioneer  Association — 
General  Descriptive — Stock  Industry — Sheep  Raising — Grain — Flouring  Mills — Horticulture — White  Salmon 
Valley — Timber  Belt  of  Klickitat  County — Lumbering  Industry 313 

CHAPTER  II. 
Educational. 
Introductory — Klickitat  County's  Pioneer  Schools — Yakima  County's  First  Schools — Kittitas  County  Schools  Founded 
—Early  Teachers'  Examinations— Klickitat  Schools  in  1879— In  1884— Yakima's  Schools  in  1880— In  1883— In 
Early  Nineties— Progress  of  Kittitas  Schools  Up  to  1892— The  Klickitat  Schools  in  1891— Growth  and  Develop- 
ment of  Schools  to  Present  Time — Joshua  Brown  School  Fund — Ellensburg  State  Normal — History — Growth- 
Present  Equipment — Faculty — Woodcock  Academy — History— Growth — St.  Joseph's  Academy— Klickitat 
Academy — Academy  Emmanuel— Conclusion 337 

CHAPTER  III. 
The  Press  of  Central  Washington. 
The  Newspaper's  Force  in  a  Community — Editors  and  Their  Work— Central  Washington's  Pioneer  Newspaper,  The 
Goldendale  Sentinel — Klickitat  County  Agriculturist — Bickleton  News— Centerville  Journal— The  White  Salmon 
Enterprise— Klickitat  Leader— Goldendale  Courier— Yakima  Republic — Yakima  Herald — Yakima  Democrat — 
Northwest  Farm  and  Home— Sunnyside  Sun— Prosser  Record— Columbia  Courier — Mabton  Chronicle— Pioneer 
Papers  in  Yakima— Ellensburg  Localizer— Ellensburg  Capital— Ellensburg  Dawn— Cascade  Miner— Cle-Elum 
Echo — Teanaway  Bugle — Gospel  Preacher,  Kittitas  Wau-Wau — Kittitas  Standard 313 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Yakima  Indians. 
Peculiarity  of  Indian  Nature— Dr.  Kuykendall's  Investigations— Pathetic  Aspect  of  Indian  Situation— Origin  of  the 
Indian— Account  of  Pacific  Coast  Indians— The  Happy  Hunting  Ground— Animal  Gods— The  God  Coyote  and 
His  Marvelous  Powers — His  Rise  and  Downfall — Indian  Mythology— Their  Beliefs  in  Doctrine  of  Soul  and 
Immortality — "Tamanowash" — Its  Terrible  Powers — An  Ahtanum  Valley  Victim — The  Redman's  Lethargy  and 
Impending  Doom— Yakima  Indians'  First  Trouble  with  Whites  in  1855 — The  Klickitats — Wanderings  of  North- 
west Indians— Yakima  Nation— Establishment  of  Fort  Simcoe— Father  Wilbur— His  Great  Work  on  the  Reser- 
vation—His Policies— Yakimas  To-day— Mission  Work  on  Reservation— Different  Denominations  Represented— 
The  Dreamer  and  Troubles  of  1878— Abandonment  of  Scalp  and  War  Dances— Indian  Dances  Described— Agent 
Lynch's  Experience— Partition  of  the  Reservation  and  Present  Status  of  Lands  Owned  by  Yakimas— Fort  Simcoe 
Industrial  School— The  Agency— Statistics  of  Interest 352 

CHAPTER  V. 
Reminiscent. 
Introduction— A  Woman's  Grave— Some  Casual  Remarks  by  George  D.  Virden— A  Pioneer  Justice  Court— A  Pioneer 
Stockman's  Adventure— A  Sheep  Stampede— Anisiche  Bill's  Artificial  Nose— A  Story  of  the  Indian  Scare- 
Romance  of  Pioneer  Klickitat— A  Christmas  Tale— Yakima's  First  Christmas  Celebration— Indian  Scares  in 
Eastern  Klickitat— When  Ellensburg  was  Young— Recollections  of  Chief  Moses— Shot  Mules  at  'Em— An  Odd 
Document— A  Pioneer  Heroine— A  Humorous  Trial  in  Klickitat— Toby  and  Nancy— The  Fair  Moxee— Kittitas 
Valley— Within  a  Hundred  Years— The  Banks  of  the  Klickitat 363 


PART  VI. 
BIOGRAPHICAL. 


Klickitat   County 

Yakima   County 537 

Kittitas   County nan 


GENERAL    ILLUSTRATIONS. 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


PAGE 

Balancing  Head  Rock,   on  the  Columbia  River  (Esti- 
mated Weight  140  Tons) 106 

Bickleton 138 

Bruin  in  the  Shambles — Hunting  Scene  near  Mt.  Adams  138 

Columbia  River  at  Lyle 90 

Court  House  and  Jail,  Goldendale 106 

Goldendale  Academy 106 

Governor  Isaac  Ingalls  Stevens 58 

Hanging  Rock  near  Goldendale  (now  Removed) 120 

Mt.  Adams  from  Trout  Lake  Frontispiece 


PAGE 

Mt.  Adams — Fire  God  of  Long  Ago.     Big  Muddy  in 

the  Foreground 106 

Old  Block  House,  Seven  Miles  West  of  Goldendale, 
Constructed  in  the  Early  Fifties.  A  Relic  of  Pio- 
neer Days 106 

Outlet  Falls 120 

Public  School  Building,  Goldendale 106 

The  Dalles  of  the  Columbia  River 90 

Wheat  Shipping  on  the  Columbia— Mt.  Hood  in  the 
Distance 120 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


PAGE 

A  Block  of  Two-Months-Old  Apple  Buds 657 

A  Field  of  Alfalfa 182 

An  Irrigated  Potato  Field  near  Toppenish 210 

A  Six- Year-Old  Orchard 182 

A  Wild  Indian  on  Picket  Duty  in  Full  War  Costume. .   176 

Chief  Moses 166 

Harvesting  in  the  Horse  Heaven  Country 210 

Hops 182 

Horse  Roundup  near  Kiona 200 

How  the  Peaches  Grow 182 

Potato— A  Meal  for  Ten 182 

Railroad  Bridge  across  the  Columbia  at  Kennewick 176 

Residence  of  John  W.  Brown 761 

Residence  of  Willis  Mercer 769 


Stacking  Alfalfa 182 

Sunnyside  Canal 182 

The  Old  Government  Bridge  across  Toppenish  Creek 

in  the  Yakima  Reservation 176 

Two  Flowing  Wells  near  North  Yakima,  with  Irriga- 
ting Ditches 150 

Vegetables  and  Rye 182 

Wheat  and  Fruit 182 

Wilbur  Spencer  (The   Educated   Son   of    the    Noted 

"Chief  Spencer")  and  Family 176 

Yakima  County  Prize  Fruit  190 

Yakima  Indians  in  War  Costume 210 

Yakima  River  and  Sunnyside  Canal  Intake 182 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


PAGE 

A  Band  of  Sheep 260 

A  Bunch  of  Money-Makers 272 

Agent's  Residence,  Ft.  Simcoe  Agency 358 

A  Gold  Nugget  from  the  Swauk  Mines— Value  $1, 120.00,  284 

A  Herd  of  Cattle 260 

A  Papoose  in  Full  Regalia 284 

A  Pioneer  Homestead 260 

Arrastre— Old-Time  Method  of  Mining 240 

A  System  of  Farm  Corrals 250 

Blind   Toby  and  Wife  Nancy,  Over  100  Years  Old, 

Familiar  Figures  on  the  Streets  of  Ellensburg 284 

Castle  Rock 240 

Chief  Spencer,  Noted  Government  Scout  in  the  Indian 

War  of  1855-56— Now  over  100  Years  Old 342 

Housed  for  the  Night 250 

Hydraulic  Placer  Mining 240 

Indian  and  Civilization 240 

Lake  Cle-Elum 322 

Milking  Time 272 


PAGE 

Old    Blockhouse,    Ft.    Simcoe,    Said   to    Have   Been 

Erected  in  1856 358 

Prosser  School  Building 342 

Pupils  of  Indian  School  at  Ft.  Simcoe,  Marching 358 

Roslyn  School  Buildings 294 

Sam-in-the-Sack  Creek 294 

Sas-we-as,  Wife  of  Chief  Spencer 342 

Sheep  Scene  on  the  Columbia— "Bidding  Farewell  to 

their  Native  Heath" 334 

Some  Prize  Jerseys 272 

Stacking  Alfalfa 260 

State  Normal  School  Building,  Ellensburg,  Washing- 
ton    789 

Summit  Lake,  near  Mt.  Stuart 322 

Upper  Yakima  River 250 

Waptus  Creek 260 

Waptus  Falls 240 

Waptus  Lake 322 

Woodcock  Academy 342 


INDEX. 


KLICKITAT  COUNTY  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


PAGE 

Adams,  Raleigh 519 

Adams,  William  H 424 

Aerni,  Joseph 533 

Aldrich,  Frank 442 

Alexander,  George  W 486 

Alvord,  Charles  C 396 

Anderson,  Christen  V 483 

Andrews,  Edwin  M 424 

Atkinson,  John 416 

Baker,  Albert  L 429 

Baker,  Almon 385 

Baker,  John 482 

Baker,  Walter 475 

Barnes,  Columbus  0 423 

Beck,  Charles  M 491 

Beckett,  Joseph  A 402 

Beeks,  James  H 502 

Binns,  Gastell 507 

Blew,  James  F 523 

Bogart,  Henry  D 399 

Bonebrake,  Dr.  Allen 383 

Brockman,  Albert  F.,  M.  D 407 

Brokaw,  George  C 426 

Brooks,  Hon.  Nelson  B 407 

Brune,  Leo  F 510 

Buckley,  Richard 456 

Bullis,  Samuel  A 487 

Bunnell,  George  M 441 

Byars,  William  F 400 

Byze,  Alfred 478 

Campbell,  Isaiah 475 

Caples,  Luther  C 405 

Carratt,  Henrv  B 447 

Carrell,  Elisha  S 479 

Chamberlain,  Paul  P 503 

Chamberlin,  James  U 501 

Chapman,  Arthur  C 401 

Chappell,  John  E 389 

Childers,  Svlvanus  W 527 

Clanton,  Rev.  Levi 446 

Clark,  Isaac 498 

Coate,  Hon.  William 523 

Coate,  Frank  M 530 

Coffield,  Frank  R 412 

Coffield,  James 411 

Coffield,  John  H 412 

Cole,  Halsey  D 518 

Coleman,  Lysander 459 

Coleman,  John  Calvin 457 

Cook,  Capt.  Howard  C 516 

Copenhef er,  John 484 


PAGE 

Cosens,  Ralph 461 

Courtnay,  Daniel  C 490 

Courtnay,  Isaac  B 495 

Courtway,  Anthony  B 393 

Crider,  Mark 472 

Crofton,  Thomas  N 442 

Crow,  Guy  G , .  .519 

Curtiss,  Alonzo  H 510 

Daffron,  John 514 

Darland,  Isaac  C 399 

Davis,  Samuel  T 430 

Dodson,  Zachary  T.,  M.  D 492 

Dorris,  Sidney  G 469 

Ducey,  John 466 

Duus,  Anton 505 

Dymond,  Bert  C 532 

Egan,  John  P 518 

Eckert,  John  F 529 

Eckhardt,  Conrad 480 

Edmisten,  William  M 430 

Ellis,  George  H 473 

Enderby,  William 403 

Eshelman,  Levi  J 525 

Faulkner,  Will  G 489 

Fenton,  Benj  amin  F 436 

Fenton,  Ralph  W 433 

Ferguson,  Robert  G 414 

Flanary,  William  P 402 

Flannery,  Thomas  C 425 

Finlayson,  Daniel 444 

Flower,  Charles  E 461 

Frazer,  Hough  N 397 

Fuhrman,  Martin 499 

Gadeberg,  Joseph 485 

Gander,  John  Jacob 464 

Gano,  Barnett  J 395 

Garner,  Henry 448 

Gerling,  Fred  W 431 

Golav,  Henrv  477 

Golden,  John  J 387 

Goodnoe,  Chauncey 431 

Gotf redson.  Rasmus 481 

Graham,  John  P 444 

Graham,  Robert  M 470 

Grantly.  George  W 507 

Guler,  Christian 522 

Hackley,  Henry  C 488 

Hamilton,  George  W 485 


•      PAGE 

Hansen,  Thomas 484 

Hart,  William 426 

Harris,  Arthur  G 418 

Harris,  William  L 417 

Hartley,  Arkellas  D 422 

Hartley,  Harvey  H.,  M.  D 390 

Hendrick,  John  M 465 

Hess,  Charles  M 386 

Higby,  Capt.  Albert  T 513 

Hinshaw,  Elmer  E 410 

Hinshaw,  Isaac 395 

Hinshaw,  Tunis  T 416 

Hinshaw,  Vernon  T 411 

Hironimous,  Alexander 496 

Hooker,  Joseph  J 481 

Hooker,  Thomas  H 458 

Hornibrook,  William  E 406 

Hunter,  Abraham  P 439 

Hussey,  Henry  A 471 

Jackel,  Theodore 451 

Jackson,  James  W 393 

Jaekel,  Charles  F 452 

laekel,  John 445 

Jewett,  A.  H 517 

Johnson,  Andrew  J 530 

Jones,  Mordecai 521 

Jones,  Stanton  H 384 

Jordan,  Daniel 440 

Jordan,  George  W 473 

Jory,  Stephen  A 506 

Kelley,  Emery  E 452 

Kure,  John. 513 

Kurtz,  John 428 

Larsen,  Christian 486 

Larsen,  Louis  J 483 

LeFever,  Winfield  S 417 

Leidl,  Wendelin 390 

Lewis,  William  L 504 

Loe,  Kelley 446 

Long,  Gabriel 534 

Long,  William  S 497 

Lyle,  James  0 511 

Lymer,  George  W 493 

Martinet,  Jules 477 

Mason,  Edgar  E 495 

Mason,  Elisha  S 506 

Masters,  David  A 406 

Matsen,  Peter 482 

Matsen,  Stephen 457 


INDEX. 


PAGE 

Mattson,  Lars 443 

Mesecher,  Frank 392 

Miller,  Alcana 460 

Miller,  Capt.  Samuel  H 391 

Miller,  George  472 

Miller,  John  A 449 

Miller,  William  H 435 

Mitty,  William  T 455 

Montgomery,  Allen  W 427 

Moore,  Charles  W 528 

Morehead,  Edgar  J 480 

Morehead,  Joseph  C 396 

Morris,  Edward 494 

M'Adams,  John  A 438 

McBee,  Isaiah 420 

M'Cann,  Martin  L 439 

McClain,  Charles  W 471 

McCredv,  George  W 453 

McCredv,  John  T 455 

McCredv,  Leland 462 

McCredv,  William  A 487 

McDonald,  Murdock 534 

McKiliip,  Robert 449 

Nelson,  James  C 474 

Nelson,  James  Peter 403 

Nye,  Wilbur  C.  S 468 

Overbaugh,  William  H 520 

Parrott,  George 392 

Pearce,  Charles 525 

Pearce,  Edward  J 526 

Pearson,  Charles  A 528 

Perrv,  John 520 

Petersen,  Gotfred 463 

Peterson,  Charles  J 529 

Piendl,  Jacob 462 

Pierce,  Edson  E 414 

Pike,  Col.  Enoch  W 381 


PAGE 

Rafferty,  Richard  M 532 

Rafferty,  William  C 533 

Rhodes,  A.  1 421 

Richardson,  Jacob 420 

Richardson,  James  C 476 

Ricketts,  Roland  L 503 

Roche,  William  and  John 425 

Rust,  W.  C.  and  Albert 419 

Sanders,  Francis  W 478 

Schaefer,  George 468 

Schaefer,  Henrv 484 

Schuster,  William 434 

Shaw,  James  0 531 

Shattuck,  Dickson  P 456 

Shearer,  David  A 418 

Shellady,  Guy 420 

Short,  Meriel  S 432 

Simms,  Richard  A 422 

Sinclair,  Frank 491 

Sinclair,  Samuel 409 

Smith,  Arthur  J 500 

Smith,  George  W 509 

Smith,  James  A 499 

Smith,  Jefferson  D 434 

Smith,  John  H 385 

Smith,  John  R 427 

Smith,  Josiah 479 

Spalding,  Howard  M 398 

Spoon,  Abram  J 454 

Spoon,  Ernest  0 394 

Stacker,  Henrv 450 

Stadelman,  William  F 524 

Stegman,  Dietrich  H 450 

Stith,  William  H 428 

Stone,  Iredell  S 409 

Story,  James  E 459 

Storv,  William  J 403 

Sunderland,  Robert  D 451 

Talbert,  Charles  L 494 

Talbert,  Thomas  M 493 

Teale,  Charles  H 404 


J 


PAGE 

Thompson,  Everett  C 415 

Tranberg,  Hans  C 467 

Trask,  Herbert  P 441 

Trenner,  H  armon 466 

Trumbo,  Uriah  B 453 

Vanhoy,  Oscar 413 

Van  Nostern,  George 467 

Van  Nostern,  James  D 490 

Van  Nostern,  William  O 502 

Van  Vactor,  William 382 

Vincent,  Frank  P 508 

Vunk,  Fred  H 443 

Wade,  George  W 437 

Warner,  Melville  M 398 

Warren,  Simeon  L 496 

Warwick,  Wayne  S 413 

Watson,  Angus  J 419 

Watson,  Elmer  R 426 

Wattenbarger,  Conrad  G 474 

Webb,  Carl  Burton 404 

Wedgwood,  Charles  H 435 

Weer,  John  W 505 

Weld,  Ernest  L 437 

Whitcomb,  John  R 526 

White,  Alfred  O 432 

White,  Richard  D 497 

Wilkins,  Samuel  A 423 

Witt,  D.E 512 

Wolfard,  Clinton  M 515 

Wommack,  Onna  J 476 

Wood,  Isaiah  F 480 

Wood,  Nathan  M 521 

Woods,  Alfred  0 500 

Woods,  William  W 508 

Wren,  Marion  F 438 

Yeackel,  Charles  T 447 

Yeackel,  Conrad  B 440 

Yeackel,  Henry 448 

Young,  Joseph  0 415 

Ziegler,  Samuel  C 514 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY    PORTRAITS. 


PAGE 

Anderson,  C  hristen  V 483 

Baker,  John 483 

Beeks,  James  H 500 

Brockman,  Albert  F.,  M.  D 407 

Brooks,  Nelson  B 407 

Chamberlin,  James  U 500 

Chamberlin,  Timothy  B 500 

Chappell,  John  E 391 

Clark,  Isaac 500 

Coleman,  Lysander 459 

Coleman,  Mrs.  Lvsander 459 

Coate,  Hon.  William 525 

Cook,  Capt.  Howard  C 516 

Copenhefer,  John 483 

Cosens,  Ralph 459 

Courtwav,  Anthony  B 391 

Curtiss,  Alonzo  H 510 

Eshelman,  Levi  J 525 


PAGE 

Flower,  Charles  E 459 

Fuhrman,  Mrs.  Martin 500 

Gadeberg,  Joseph 483 

Hamilton,  George  W 483 

Hansen,  Thomas 483 

Hartley,  Harvev  H.,  M.  D 391 

Hooker,  Thoma's  H 459 

Jackson,  James  W 391 

Jaekel,  John 445 

Larsen,  Louis  J 483 

Leidl,  Wendelin 391 

Matsen,  Peter 483 

Matsen,  Stephen 459 

Mesecher,  Frank 391 

Miller,  Alcana 459 


PAGE 

Miller,  Capt.  Samuel  H 391 

McCredv,  George  W 453 

McCredy,  William  A 487 

Parrott,  George 391 

Pearce,  Charles 525 

Pearce,  Edward  J 525 

Pike,  Col.  Enoch  W 381 

Sinclair,  Samuel 407 

Smith,  Arthur  J 500 

Smith,  James  A 500 

Stadelman,  William  F 525 

Stone,  Iredell  S 407 

Story,  James  E 459 

Whitcomb,  Thomas  Martin 525 

White,  Richard  D 500 

Woods,  Alfred  O 500 


YAKIMA   COUNTY  BIOGRAPHICAL. 


PAGE 

Adair,  Bethenia  Angeline  Owens-. 555 

Adams,  Moses  N 568 

Anion,  Howard  S 777 

Anderson,  Charles  T 581 

Anderson,  Louis,  Jorgen  and  Peter,  749 
Angus,  David  M.,  M.  D 751 

Badger,  William  M 631 

Bainter,  Elias  W 675 

Barge,  Benjamin  F 539 

Barnes,  George  F 704 

Baxter,  John   666 

Beach,  Charles  J 780 

Beck,  James  A 629 

Beck,  Orlando 647 

Beck,  William  D 630 

Beckett,  John  M 764 

Beckner.  Noah  J 721 

Beeks.  William  Wesley 636 

Beilstein,  Albert 723 

Bell,  John  Robson 638 

Bernard,  Bvron  and  Elmer  E 762 

Bernev,  Charles  A 736 

Berne'v,  O.  Frank 726 

Bickle',  Charles  N 765 

Bicknell,  Henry  J 545 

Boardman,  E.  L 572 

Breckenridge,  Charles  H 735 

Brewer,  Milton  W 663 

Brooker,  Fred  W 604 

Brown,  lohn  J 717 

Brown,  John  William 761 

Brown,  Joseph  M   642 

Brown,  Ornia  S 766 

Burr,  Charles  H 587 

Butler,  E.  E 563 

Cameron,  John 630 

Cameron,  John  770 

Cameron,  John  F 630 

Cameron,  Robert  E 630 

Campbell,  Arthur  M 767 

Campbell,  Charles 606 

Campbell,  J.  D.,  M.  D 691 

Campbell,  Peter  N 676 

Carey,  James  W 757 

Carter,  Ira  W 774 

Carter,  Remus  E 748 

Carmichael,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Coch- 
rane)  643 

Chamberlain,  Ervin  L 659 

Chamberlain,  James  B 613 

Chamberlain,  Joseph  F 613 

Chambers,  Andrew  Jackson 585 

Cheney,   Mrs.   Martha  A.   (McAl- 

ister) 641 

Chisholm.  John 763 

Chrestenson,  Andrew 709 

Clark,  Joseph  0 622 

Clark,  William  S 627 

Cleman,  John 555 

Clements",  James  B 753 

Cline,  William  H 6S8 

Cloud,  William  B 687 

Combs,  John  E 674 

Conrad,  James  H 639 

Cook,  James  E 597 

Cook,  William  L 605 

Cooper,  Thomas  S 707 

Cornett,  John  D 541 

Couey,  John  D 701 

Cowan,  John 624 


PAGE 

Cox,  Nelson  D 761 

Crittenden,  Julius  F 682 

Creason,  Henrv  Washington 756 

Cresswell,  Donald  F 784 

Cresswell,  Fred 783 

Crory,  Robert 514 

Crosno,  Eldridge 592 

Crosno,  Horatio  E 730 

Curry,  Flaveius  A 616 

Curry,  Richard  J 566 

Dalton,  Alvin 684 

Daverin,  John  E 591 

Davidson,  Lorenzo 604 

Davidson,  Thomas  W 617 

Davis,  Isaac 635 

Dickev,  Silvius  A 547 

Dickson,  Nelson  J 639 

Dilley.  Abraham  L 734 

Dimmick,  Melvin  U ,.747 

Dodson,  George 780 

Donoho,  James  S 724 

Dorothy,  Robert 735 

Douglass,  Willis  S 678 

Dunn,  Capt.  Robert 550 

Durgan,  Lot 575 

Early,  Joseph  B 722 

Eaton,  George  P 681 

Eby,  David  B 697 

Eidemiller,  Edward  J 730 

Eglin,  Frank 580 

Eglin,  James  M 637 

Elliott,  Archie  J 683 

Eschbach,  Joseph  E 579 

Farris,  Samuel  E 603 

Fear,  Samuel 603 

Felton,  Wallace  W 563 

Ferrell,  John 715 

Ferrell,  Oliver  R 713 

Person,  Elmer  E 696 

Feuerbach,  Casper 566 

Fife,  Robert  D 571 

Finn,  George  L 758 

Fisk,  Andrew  E 715 

Fisk,  Harry  W 766 

Fleming,  Edward  G 658 

Flint,  AsaB 718 

Flint,  Archie  L 546 

Flower,  Samuel  P 728 

Flynn,  William 631 

Foster,  Alex 669 

Fox,  John  P 078 

French,  Ernest  W 577 

Freeman,  Legh  R 572 

Ftttman,  Cornelius  H 681 

Gano,  George  A 564 

Gano,  James  H 640 

Gervais,  Andrew  C 584 

Gibbons,  Charles  W 733 

Giezentanner,  Jacob 741 

Gilbert,  Horace  Mark 665 

Gillett,  Charles  R 771 

Gilson,  Silas  A 593 

Girod,  Leon 657 

Gloyd,  Frank  H 751 

Goodman,  Daniel  G 614 

Goodsell,  Wallace 708 

Graham,  Allen  R 668 

Granger,  Walter  N 537 


Granger,  William 588 

Graves,  Elbert  L 738 

Green,   Andrew 714 

Green,  Henry,  M.  D 548 

Greenwalt,  David  B 593 

Greenwalt,  Lincoln  J 641 

Griffiths,  Walter  G 590 

Gurley,  Arthur 685 

Guthrie,  William  P 552 

Hackett,  Edward  J 591 

Hackett,  William  J 589 

Hadley,  John  J 651 

Hale,  Carpus  S 583 

Hall,  Fred  A 666 

Hare,  Hon.  William  H 599 

Harris,  Charles  R 617 

H  ardison,  J  ames  W 590 

Harvey,  David 607 

Harvey,  James  R.,  M.  D 698 

Harvey,  James 606 

Hart,  Orlin  1 634 

Hawkins,  Zach 594 

Hayden,  William  H 774 

Hedger,  Frank  S.,  M.  D 742 

Helm,  Rev.  James  W 651 

H  enderson,  J  ames  M 584 

Henderson,  James 686 

Herod,  Robert  D 679 

Hibarger,  Oliver 692 

Hildreth,  William  L 618 

Hill,  Ernests 638 

Hinman,  Henry  V 588 

Hitchcock,  William 695 

Hitt,  JohnB..... 624 

Hoisington,  William  D 736 

Holt,  Frank  A 654 

Hover,  Herbert  A 779 

Howard,  Albert  E 572 

Howson,  Thomas 625 

Hubbard,  John  H 571 

Hughs.  Samuel  B 623 

Hull,  Nathan  P 586 

Humphrey,  Joseph  A 722 

Ide,  George  A 708 

Jackson,  Max 552 

Jacot,  Arthur 737 

Jarratt,  James  K 621 

Jellison,  Harvey 672 

Jenks,  Herbert  J 752 

Jones,  Dr.  Frank  C 689 

Jones,  Sidney  E. 699 

Jones.  Hon.  Wesley  L 538 

Jory,  Hon.  Henry  Douglass 702 

Kaler,  Jacob 670 

Kandle,  Franklin  J 544 

Kandle,  Robert  H 631 

Kays,  William  R 758 

Kelly,  Thomas 649 

Kelso,  Edward  E 570 

Kelso,  William  A 720 

Kemp,  Ezra 756 

Kennedy,  John  H 745 

Kincaid,  Newton 628 

Knox,  Henrv 580 

Kuuz,  Joseph  F 729 

Lanch,  Louis 633 

Lannin,  Joseph 697 


PAGE 

Lasswell,  John  L 618 

Laughlin,  Josiah  D 664 

Lape,  Lorenzo  D 750 

Lawrence,  Charles  D 676 

Lawrence,  William  E 659 

Learning,  Edwin  R 569 

Lease,  Jeremiah  L 682 

Lee,  John  H 769 

Lee,  Lawrence  C 760 

Lewis,  Andrew  J 648 

Lindsev,  Edward  A 635 

Linse,  William  A 637 

Lodge,  Samuel  B 738 

Longmire,  Charles 611 

Longmire,  David 542 

Loudon,  John 625 

Lovell,  Levi  C 600 

Lowry,  James  F 719 

Lvnch,  Jav  A 652 

Lynch,  Mrs.  Catherine  F 579 

Lyons,  Richard  F 667 

Mabry,  James  A 648 

Mace,  Eugene  L 734 

Mansfield,  Fred 710 

Marble,  William  Harrison 661 

Marks,  Charles  A 541 

Marks,  Elmer  B 578 

Marks,  John  P 567 

Martin,  Frank  A 718 

Martin,  William  F 785 

Martineau,  Michelle 665 

Masiker,  William  W 785 

Mason,  George  W 679 

Mathews,  William  B 776 

Mattoon,  John  P 573 

Mavenschein,  George  G 715 

Medill,  John  D 572 

Meek,  Charles  H 727 

Mercer,  Willis 769 

Miller,  Clark  725 

Miller,  Christian 732 

Miller,  John  H 576 

Miller,  Ira  S 718 

Millican,  Frank  H 660 

Mideke,  Frederick 731 

Minner,  William  H 582 

Mondor,  Joseph 573 

Morgan,  Jock 723 

Moody,  Marcus  D 675 

Morain,  William  A 782 

Morrisey,  John 645 

Morrison,  Abraham  W 610 

Morrison,  John  Lee 596 

Morrison,  Josiah  H 576 

Mudd,  EddE 685 

Muller,  George  G 693 

Munn,  David 604 

Murchie,  John  M 562 

MacCrimmon,  John  C 547 

McAlpin,  David 742 

McAuliff,  William 656 

McCart,  Isaac  M 680 

McClure,  John  F 623 

McConnon,  James  F 694 

McCov,   Nicholas 565 

McCreadie,  John  G   719 

McCredv,  Alexander  E 671 

McDaniel,  Thomas  J 605 

McOaniel,  William  A.  1 62S 

McDaniels,  Jeff  D 565 

McDonald,  Archie  W 657 

McDonald,  Daniel  A 55] 

McDonald,  Leonard  C 690 

Mcintosh.  James  D 633 

McLeod,  Joseph 658 


PAGE 

McNeill,  Alex  G 757 

McPhee,  John .627 

Nagler,  Frank  X 566 

Natterlund,  John  O 705 

Nelson,  Daniel  W 612 

Nelson,  George  W 619 

Nelson,  John  J 620 

Newcomb,  William  B 545 

Newell,  Charles  H 655 

Noble,  Orbin  F 577 

Norman,  William  H 703 

Norton,  Archie  L 673 

O'Neal,  John 635 

Owen,  DeWitt 781 

Pace,  LaFayette 693 

Palmer,  George  W 743 

Palmer,  Simeon 620 

Parton,  Bert  E 656 

Paulger,  Frank  O 669 

Peck,  Earl  G 545 

Phillips,  Tilton  S 728 

Pierce,  George  E 561 

Ponti.  Joseph 759 

Pratt,  Adoniram  J 598 

Pratt,  Orrin  S 706 

Probach,  Michael 646 

Putnam,  Charles  H 781 

Queen,  Peter 654 

Randier,  Andrew  H 661 

Reed,  Mrs.  Addie 544 

Reed,  Hon   Walter  J 543 

Redman,  W.  H 671 

Reimer,  Carl  C 768 

Remv,  Edward 643 

Reynolds,  Davton  D 626 

Reynolds,  Jesse  W 577 

Richards,  Analdo  H 783 

Richartz,  Joseph 645 

Ritchie,  Charles  T 759 

Roberts,  John  T 740 

Roberts,  Thorpe 773 

Rolph,  Leonard  C 741 

Roraback,  Louis  C 700 

Roundtree,  Eugene 607 

Rowe,  Mrs.  Linnie 621 

Rudow,  Lewis  C 777 

Rudkin,  Judge  Frank  H 538 

Rush,  Joseph  A 701 

Rydholm,  Gustavus  A 774 

Rydholm,  John  Victor 755 

Scott,  James  N 786 

Scott,  Robert 601 

Scott,  Robert  W 633 

Scott,  Walter  W 745 

Sedge,  Henry 627 

See,  MartinX 740 

Shardlow,  Frank  B 647 

Shattuck,  Louis  H 732 

Shannafelt.  Edward  A 581 

Shaw,  Frederick  E 568 

Shaw,  John  W 582 

Shearer,  Milton 624 

Shearer,  William  L 653 

Sheller,  John  B 698 

Sherman,  John  S 778 

Simpson,  Mrs.  Marv 579 

Sisk.   Morris ' 716 

Sinclair,  Alfred 626 

Sinclair,  Daniel 615 

Sinclair,  Hugh  K 553 

Siverly,  Mis.  Elizabeth 587 


PAGE 

Slavin,  Edward 583 

Smallev,  William  A 779 

Smart,   Joseph 768 

Smith,  Albert 765 

Smith,  Abner  I   673 

Smith,  Charles  M 737 

Smith,  Edward  Sterling 673 

Smith,   Hallick  A 746 

Smith,  William  W 764 

Snelling,  Andrew  F 568 

Snively,  Hon.  Henry  J 554 

Splawn,  Hon.  Andrew  J 548 

Splawn,  Capt.  William  L 595 

Splawn,  Mrs.  Mary  A 607 

Spencer,  Lester  R 731 

Spencer,  Wilbur 668 

Stabler,  Webster  L 578 

Stair,  Dean 724 

Steevens,  David  J 584 

Stephens,  Thomas  L 725 

Stevens,  Winfield  S 628 

Stevens,  Capt.  William 667 

Stewart,  John  T 602 

Stewart.  William  T 562 

Stobie,  William  T.,  Sr 711 

Stobie,  William  T.,  Jr 701 

Stringer,  Ephraim 771 

Stuible,  John 782 

Swan,  Felix  T 775 

Symmonds,  Mahlon 650 

Tavlor,  Caleb  W 709 

Tavlor,  Emerv  W.  R 749 

Tavlor,  Emmett  R 700 

Taylor,  George  W 541 

Taylor,  Hon.  George  S 540 

Tavlor,  Harland  J 540 

Terrv.  William 614 

Thompson,  Fred  E 569 

Thompson,  H.  F 650 

Thompson,  Emory 690 

Thomas,  James  fl arrison 598 

Thornton,  William  E 644 

Thorp,  Leonard  Luther 549 

Tickner,  Franke  J 564 

Tieo,  Alex 664 

Timmermann,  August  E 786 

Tompkins,  Charles 754 

Travis,  Botsford  S 748 

Travis,  Lovell  C 746 

Travis,  Warren  C 747 

Trayner.  Jonathan  O 592 

Tucker,  Henry  L 575 

Tueslev,  George  N 571 

Turnel'l,  Ingram  B 601 

Turner,  Harrv  W 689 

Tyler,  John  J". 609 

Van  Buskirk,  Reuben   599 

Varner,  Henry  C 730 

Vansvcle.  Oscar 644 

Vessev,   William  H 610 

Vetter,  Frank  S 711 

Vetter,  George 686 

Vivian,  Sterling  P 602 

Wade,  Stephen 608 

Walden,   Rev.  Freeman 677 

Walker.  Col.  A.  C 683 

Wallace,  Joseph  A 703 

Walters,  John  W 594 

Ward,  Edward  J 760 

Warner,  Charles  A 767 

Wattenbarger,  Adam  F 739 

Webber,  Aubre v  C 714 

Webber,  Clinton  R 695 


INDEX. 


Webber,  Solomon  M 753 

Weed,  Alfred  B 596. 

Wells,  Horatio  W 771 

Wells,  Wallace 727 

Wende,  Henry  H 688 

Wenner,  Charles  S 690 

Wetzel,  John 581 

Whipple,  William  H 612 

White,  Anson  S 597 

White,  Samuel  E 776 

White,  Walter  T 620 


PAGE 

Whitson,  Owen  B 663 

Wilcox,  Charles  Pollok 600 

Wiley,  William 593 

Williams,  James  S 662 

Williams.  Vernon  H 662 

Wilson,  Edward  O 773 

Wilson,  George 609 

Wilson,  John  T 770 

Wimer,  Capt.  Adam  J 744 

Winsor,  Frank 710 

Wolcott,  Alven  E 744 


PAGE 

Wommack,  Cyrus  Oscar 721 

Wommack,   William 739 

Woodcock,  Prof.  Ernest  S 586 

Woolsey,  Silas  H 585 

Woodwell,  David  E 707 

Wright,  William  H 616 

Wright,  William  L 726 

Yakey,  Albert  L 711 

Yeates,  Elijah  S 632 

Young,  Edward  J 705 


YAKIMA    COUNTY    PORTRAITS. 


PAGE 

Adair,  Bethenia  Angeline  Owens-557 

Barge,  Benjamin  F 539 

Beach,  Charles  J 780 

Beach,  Mrs.  Charles  J 780 

Beckner,  Noah  J 720 

Benton,  Horace  M 624 

Bicknell,  Henry  J 545 

Brown,  John  W 761 

Brown,  Mrs.  John  W 761 

Cheney,  Mrs.  Martha  A 641 

Clark,  Joseph  O 624 

Clements,  James  B 755 

Clements,  Mrs.  James  B 755 

Cowan,  John 624 

Creason,  Henry  Washington 755 

Crosno,  Horatio  E 729 

Crosno,  William  P 729 

Davidson,  Lorenzo,  and  Family.. 604 

Eidemiller,  Edward  J 729 


PAGE 

Flower,  Samuel  P 729 

Granger,  Walter  N 537 

Granger,  William 588 

Gurley,  Arthur 685 

Hackett,  William  J 588 

Hardison,  James  W 588 

Harvey,  David 608 

H  arvey ,  James 606 

Hinman,  Henry  V 588 

Hitt,  John  B 624 

Howson,  Thomas 624 

Hubbard,  Hon.  John  H 571 

Hughs,  Samuel  B 624 

Kelly,  Thomas 649 

Kelso,  William  A 720 

Kemp,  Ezra 755 

Kunz,  Joseph  F 729 

Longmire,  David 542 

Loudon,  John 624 


PAGE 

Lowrv,  James  F 720 

Lynch,  Jay  A 652 

Marks,  John  P 567 

Mercer,  Willis 769 

Mercer,  Mrs.  Willis 769 

McClure,  John  F 624 

McCredy,  Alexander  E 671 

McCreadie,  John  G 720 

McDonald,  Daniel  A 551 

Phillips,  Tilton  S 729 

Rydholm,  John  Victor 755 

Shardlow,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  B.647 

Shearer,  Milton 624 

Snively,  Henry  J 554 

Taylor,  Hon.  George  S 540 

Tompkins,  Charles 755 

Webber,  Solomon  M 755 


KITTITAS   COUNTY    BIOGRAPHICAL. 


PAGE 

PAGE 

PAGE 

Ackley,  Henry  C 

....839 

Bradshaw,  George  Robert. . . 

....855 

Craig,  Samuel  E 

...932 

Adam,  William  M 

....919 

Brooks,  Elijah 

....920 

Crocker,  John 

...878 

930 

Bryant,  Henry  M 

Bull,  John 

Cross,  Quinton  E 

....835 

....885 

...858 

Aldrich,  John  G 

Allen,  Asher 

....826 

Bull,  Mrs.  Rebecca  N 

....834 

Curtis,  Clarence  E.,  D.  D.  S.. 

...924 

....927 

Bullard,  Carlos  S 

....810 

Amen,  Middleton  V.,  M.  D... 

....842 

Burch,  John  N /... 

. . . .851 

923 

Ames,  William  O 

....824 

Dehuff,  M.  A 

. . .923 

Andereon,  James 

....884 

Cadwell,  Thomas 

....936 

Dennis,  William 

...888 

....931 

Cahoon,  Marcus  M 

....864 

...861 

....802 

...935 

Bagley,  Peter 

Baker,  Charles  S 

938 

Carey,  Patrick  J 

Carlton,  Isaac  F 

789 

...841 

....819 

....879 

Doughty,  William  F 

...836 

Ball,  James  C 

....917 

....893 

...849 

....  876 

Carothers,  William  H 

....838 

Dysart,  James  S 

...909 

Barnett,   Robert 

....900 

Carter,  William  D 

....875 

Barnhart,  Frank  C 

....888 

Carver,  George  W 

....846 

Ebert,  Howard 

...860 

Barry,  R.  A 

....939 

Cash,  John  H 

....919 

Eidal,  Christen 

...840 

Bates,  Samuel  L 

....916 

Clark,  Joseph  T 

....917 

Ellison,  Mrs.  John  C 

...790 

Becker,  Jacob  P 

....823 

Cleman,  Perry 

....822 

Elwood,  Harry  S 

...803 

....891 

...873 

Benson,  Charles  R 

....915 

Collet,   Matt 

....934 

Enenkel,  Carl 

...936 

Blomquist,  John 

....  938 

Conant,  William  A 

....813 

Erickson,  Edd  A 

...877 

....806 

Connell,  Charles 

....917 

Evans,  Simeon 

...864 

Bowers,  Jacob 

....830 

Cooke,  Susan  E 

....811 

Evens,  Marion  J 

...914 

INDEX. 


PAGE 

Falkner,  James  J 930 

Farrell,  Thomas  W 815 

Farris,  Samuel  W 894 

Felch,  Harvey  J.,  M.  D 792 

Ferguson,  Edward  C   824 

Fielding,  Harrv  S 914 

Ford,  George  E ^828 

Forsyth,  George 928 

Frederick,  Martin .856 

Frederick,  Philip 855 

Gamble,  Thomas  L 901 

Gassman,  Otto 906 

Geddis,  Oliver  R ^871 

German,  John  William 887 

Gilmour.  John  T 849 

Glynn,  Jerry 926 

Goodwin,  Elmer  E 896 

Goodwin,  John  C 896 

Goodwin,  Thomas  B 895 

Gordon,  Martin  A 900 

Graham,  John 931 

Graves,  Carroll  B '793 

Graves,  David  W 915 

Gray,  Christopher  A 817 

Green,  John  Lincoln 858 

Habermann,  August 880 

Halev,    Thomas 832 

Hall,  Arthur  M ."846 

Hanlon,  Joseph  J 854 

H anson,  Benard 863 

Hanson,  John . ..  [913 

Harrison,  Ralph ' ' '  .'903 

Harrison,  William 934 

Hartley,  Joseph  J .'935 

Hasse,  August 911 

Hatfield,  Charles  T .'.'.'897 

Hayes,  James  T 869 

Henseleit,  W.  F 904 

Heron,  Edward  K ' ' .  .  ^937 

Hodder,  Arthur  W ....  ^935 

Hogue,  George  D 883 

Holcomb,  James  A ^879 

Holland.  Edward . . .   932 

Holm,  Christian ....'.  ^848 

Holmes,  John  W .'928 

Houser,  Tillman     813 

Hubbell,  Julius  Caesar ...'.  '801 

ackson,  Frank  S 827 

ackson,  Dr.  Roscoe  N '.  .'923 

acobson,  Chris ..[        869 

ames,  George  P ^867 

ames,  Oscar 902 

arred,  Arthur . .' '  '904 

erizer,  John ..['  '933 

onas,  William 859 

ones,  Charles  W  862 

ustham,  Simon  R '  '921 


Karrer,  Frank  X 

Kautz,  Ira  A 

ellicut,  Lorenzo 

ennedy,  Louis  Cass.. 
i\ermen,  Robert  E..  . 
Kiester,  William  H  . . . . 

Killmore,  John  S 

Killmore,  William  D... 
Klavon,  August. . . 
Knight,  William  H.  H. 
Kohler,  Karl  O 


..825 
..932 
..912 
..832 


Lane,  James 991 

Larsen,  Niels !874 


PAGE 

Lass  well,  William  B 863 

Leverich,  William  B 822 

Liska,  Adolph 929 

Livingston,  Thomas '.  [937 

Ludi,  Frederick 841 

Lyen,  David  H 877 

Lyen,  Leander  F .890 

Maddux,  Alexander 862 

Mason,  Alanson  T 810 

Mason,  Eleazar  B '906 

Maxey,  Simeon  Walker 833 

Meagher,  Thomas  F 801 

Meehan,   Martin 823 

Meek,  Thomas 854 

Menzies,  Joseph  F ."  '924 

Milby,  William 928 

Miller,  Michael  C 907 

Mills,  James  L 898 

Minielly,  George '852 

Mires,  Austin .'  '793 

Moe,  Erick  A 874 

Moffet,  Charles  W .872 

Montague,  Robert 925 

Morgan,  William  P '920 

Morgan,  J.  H 809 

Morrison,  Catherine 876 

Morrison,  William 905 

Mueller,  Nicholas 844 

Murray,  David .'  .804 

McCallum,  Edgar 939 

McCauley,  John  C,  M.  D.  . . .' .' '. .  .799 

McDonald,  Charles  H 865 

McDonald,  James  M 909 

McDowell,  Thomas  G 929 

McLennan,  Malcolm 820 

Nesselhous,  August 887 

Newman,  John  M , ' .'  ^899 

Nicholas,  Carter 934 

Nilson,  Gustaf ..."  '937 

Norling,  Peter  J ^867 

O'Conner,  J.  C 910 

Oldmg,  John  G 814 

Olsen,  Elling 940 

Olsen.  Gust  and  Lasse  . . .  940 

O'Neil,  John  H   !.'.'!  ^925 

Pack  wood,  Samuel  T 798 

Packwood,  William 848 

Pansing,  Charles  W.  C 876 

Park,  Rev.  William 804 

Paton,  James  Y 930 

Patrick,  Archibald  S . .  9-?<> 

Pays,  Felix ""!.";905 

Pease,  Mrs.  Anna  M 884 

Pease,  Burt ;850 

Pease,  Clarence  William  884 

Pease,  Edgar 853 

Peed,  William  J 826 

Peterson,  Ola ^49 

Piland,  Martha  A 913 

Poland,  Jesse  C .'  '858 

Prewitt.  William 881 

Price,  William  B .[  847 

Priest,  George  S !!!!!910 

Pruyn,  Edward ' '  '795 

Purdin,  R.  Lee 798 

Rader,  William  H 880 

Randall,  Amasa  S 829 

Randall,  Thomas  J [836 


Reed,  Briggs  F 795 

Keed,  Casper  E 878 

Rees,  William 926 

Rego,  Jacob  E .'..'..'.'.852 

Rhodes,  Samuel  1 940 

Rice   William  A  873 

Richards,  Charles  M 868 

Robbins,  Dr.  John 830 

Rollinger,  Michael ! ! ! .       843 

Roseburg,  John :....905 

Rugg,  Mary  S 882 

Salladay,  George  W 836 

Sally,  Isaac  M 934 

Sander,  Carl  A .!!!.. 821 

Sandmeyer,  Ernest  T [  885 

Sayles,  George  E .892 

Schnebly,  Frederick  D !       794 

Schnebly,  Philip  H 834 

Schober,  Joseph 908 

Schorman,  Frank 843 

Schormann,  Frederick 890 

Sheldon,  William  T 875 

Short,  G.  P ;9i8 

Shoudy,  Dexter 807 

Shoudy,  John  A.,  Jr 806 

Shoudy,  John  Alden 790 

Sides,  George '.. .  [930 

Sides,  William  B 903 

Simmons,  Edwin  L 926 

Simmons,  Michael  T 886 

Simonton,  Allen  C,  M.  D 922 

Simpson,  Elmer  E 918 

Simpson,  Robert .'916 

Sloan,  George,  M.  D 921 

Smallwood,  Charles  . . ". . '. '. '  908 

Smithson,  John  H 791 

Snyder,  Cary  A .'.'.'.'.' 857 

Sorenson,  Jens 870 

Southern,   Braxton  Duncan 900 

Spier,  H.  H 856 

Splawn.  Charles  A 897 

Steele,  Walter 924 

Sprague,  Melvin  C .'835 

Spurling,  William  W 860 

Steinmau,  Capt.  Alfred  C 802 

Stevens,  Cyrenus  E 894 

Stevens,  W.  A 851 

Stoops,  Charles  F 868 

Storey,  Miles  H ^907 

Straude,  Even  T 872 

Stulfauth,  A.  H 818 

S warm,  Thomas 861 

Taylor,  Edmund 910 

Taylor,  Frank  E 845 

Thomas,  Merton  L 857 

Thomas,  Warren  A 800 

Thomas,  W.   R 881 

Thompson,  James  H 847 

Thorp,  Milford  A  898 

Tjossem,  Albert 890 

Tjossem,  Rasmus  P 838 

Toner,   Henrv 866 

Tubbs,  Emery  L 912 

Turner,  Robert  A 816 

Tuttle,   William  W ^903 

Tweet,  Torkel 938 


Vanderbilt,  Jerry  W. 
Virden,  GeorgeD... 


Wager,  Eugene  E 816 

Walsh,  Richard 911 

Walters,  William .866 


INDEX. 


Wasson,  E.  B 

Watson,  James 

Weaver,  George  W 
Weaver,  John  N . . . 
Weaver,  Dr.  Roy  A 
Willis,  Edwin  A... 
Wilson,  Charles  Herby 


PAGE 

Wilson,  John  S 859 

Wilson,  Prof.  William  E 796 

Wippel,  Frederick 819 

Wippel,  Simon  P 818 

Wold,  Peter  A 840 

Wood,  Martha  A 844 

Wright,  Alfred  M 820 


PAGE 

Wright,  George 837 

Wynegar,  Valentine  C 815 

Younger,  Peter 909 

Zetzsche,  Willis  F 889 

Zwicker,   Barthel 865 


KITTITAS    COUNTY    PORTRAITS. 


PAGE 

Becker,  Jacob  P 823 

Bowers,  Jacob 830 

Carey,  Patrick  J 790 

Conant,  William  A 813 

Cooke,  Hon.  Charles  P 813 

Cooke,  Mrs.  Charles  P 813 

Doty,  Mrs.  Hannah  D 790 

Farrell,  Thomas  W 815 


PAGE 

Gamble,  Thomas  L 901 

Haley,  Thomas 831 

Houser,  Tillman  813 

Houser,  Mrs.  Tillman 813 

Hubbell,  Julius  Cssar 801 

Kiester,  William  H. .  / 813 

Maxey,  Simeon  Walker 833 


PAGE 

Olding,  John  G 813 

Olding,  Mrs.  John  G 813 

Pansing,  Charles  W.  C 876 

Shoudy,  Hon.  John  Alden 790 

Shoudy,  Mrs.  John  Alden 790 

Turner,  Robert  A 816 

Wynegar,  Valentine  C 813 


PART  I. 

NTRODUCTORY 


CHAPTER  I. 


EXPLORATIONS    BY   WATER. 


The  opening  of  a  new  century  is  a  fitting  time 
to  glance  backward  and  reconstruct  to  the  eye  of 
the  present  the  interesting  and  heroic  events 
of  the  past,  that  by  comparison  between  past 
and  present  the  trend  of  progress  may  be  traced 
and  the  future  in  a  measure  forecasted. 

No  matter  what  locality  in  the  Northwest  we 
may  treat  historically,  we  are  compelled  in  our 
search  for  the  beginnings  of  its  story  to  go  back 
to  the  old,  misty  Oregon  territory,  with  its  isola- 
tion, its  pathos,  its  wild  chivalry,  its  freedom  and 
hospitality.  Strange  indeed  is  its  earliest  his- 
tory, when,  shrouded  in  uncertainty  and  misap- 
prehension, it  formed  the  ignis  fatitus  of  the 
explorer,  "luring  him  on  with  that  indescribable 
fascination  which  seems  always  to  have  drawn 
men  to  the  ever  receding  circle  of  the  'westmost 
west.'  " 

Shortly  after  the  time  of  Columbus,  attempts 
began  to  be  made  to  reach  the  western  ocean  and 
solve  the  mystery  of  the  various  passages  sup- 
posed to  lead  to  Asia. 

In  1500  Gasper  Cortereal  conceived  the  idea  of 
finding  a  northern  strait,  to  which  he  gave  the 
name  "Anian,"  and  this  mythical  channel  re- 
ceived much  attention  from  these  early  naviga- 
tors, some  of  whom  even  went  so  far  as  to  claim 
that  they  had  passed  through  it  and  had  reached 
another  ocean.  Among  the  captains  making  this 
bold  claim  was  Juan  de  Fuca.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  a  Greek  of  Cephalonia  whose  real  name  was 
Apostolos  Valerianos,  and  it  is  claimed  that  when 
he  made  his  discovery  he  was  in  the  service  of  the 
Spanish  nation.  Michael  Lock  tells  his  story  in 
the  following  language : 


"He  followed  his  course,  in  that  voyage,  west 
and  northwest  in  the  South  sea,  all  along  the 
coast  of  Nova  Spania  and  California  and  the 
Indies,  now  called  North  America  (all  which 
voyage  he  signified  to  me  in  a  great  map,  and  a 
sea  card  of  my  own,  which  I  laid  before  him), 
until  he  came  to  the  latitude  of  forty-seven 
degrees;  and  that,  there  finding  that  the  land 
trended  north  and  northwest,  with  a  broad  inlet 
of  sea,  between  forty-seven  and  forty-eight 
degrees  of  latitude,  he  entered  thereinto,  sailing 
more  than  twenty  days,  and  found  that  land  still 
trending  northwest,  and  northeast,  and  north, 
and  also  east  and  southeastward,  and  very  much 
broader  sea  than  it  was  at  the  said  entrance,  and 
that  he  passed  by  divers  islands  in  that  sailing; 
and  that,  at  the  entrance  of  said  strait,  there  is, 
on  the  northwest  coast  thereof,  a  great  headland 
or  island,  with  an  exceeding  high  pinnacle  or 
spired  rock,  like  a  pillar,  thereupon.  Also  he 
said  that  he  went  on  land  in  divers  places,  and 
that  he  saw  some  people  on  the  land  clad  in 
beasts'  skins;  and  that  the  land  was  very  fruitful 
and  rich  in  gold,  silver  and  pearls  and  other 
things,  like  Nova  Spania.  Also  he  said  that  he, 
being  entered  thus  far  into  the  said  strait,  and 
being  come  into  the  North  sea  already  and  find- 
ing the  sea  wide  enough  everywhere,  and  to  be 
about  thirty  or  forty  leagues  wide  in  the  mouth  of 
the  straits  where  he  entered,  he  thought  he  had 
now  well  discharged  his  office;  and  that  not 
being  armed  to  resist  the  force  of  savage  people 
that  might  happen,  he  therefore  set  sail  and 
turned  homeward  again  toward  Nova  Spania, 
where  he  arrived  at  Acapulco,  anno  1592,  hoping 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


to  be  rewarded  by  the  viceroy  for  this  service 
done  in  the  said  voyage." 

The  curious  thing  about  this  and  some  of  the 
other  legends  is  the  general  accuracy  of  the 
descriptions  given  by  these  old  mariners.  Pro- 
fessor W.  D.  Lyman  thinks  it  is  not  impossible 
that  they  had  either  visited  the  Pacific  coast  in 
person  or  had  seen  other  pilots  who  had,  and 
that  thus  they  gathered  the  material  from  which 
they  fabricated  their  Munchausen  tales. 

Many  years  passed  after  the  age  of  myth 
before  there  were  authentic  voyages.  During 
the  seventeenth  century  practically  nothing  was 
done  in  the  way  of  Pacific  coast  explorations, 
but  in  the  eighteenth,  as  by  common  consent,  all 
the  nations  of  Europe  became  suddenly  infatu- 
ated again  with  the  thought  that  on  the  western 
shores  of  America  might  be  found  the  gold  and 
silver  and  gems  and  furs  and  precious  woods  for 
which  they  had  been  striving  so  desperately 
upon  the  eastern  coast.  English,  French,  Span- 
ish, Portuguese,  Dutch,  Russians  and  Americans 
entered  their  bold  and  hardy  sailors  into  the  race 
for  the  possession  of  the  land  of  the  Occident. 
The  Russians  were  the  first  in  the  field,  that 
gigantic  power,  which  the  genius  of  Peter  the 
Great,  like  one  of  the  fabled  genii,  had  suddenly 
transformed  from  the  proportions  of  a  grain  of 
sand  to  a  figure  overtopping  the  whole  earth, 
and  which  had  stretched  its  arms  from  the  Baltic 
to  the  Aleutian  archipelago,  and  had  looked 
southward  across  the  frozen  seas  of  Siberia  to 
the  open  Pacific  as  offering  another  opportunity 
of  expansion.  Many  years  passed,  however, 
before  Peter's  designs  could  be  executed.  It  was 
1728  when  Vitus  Behring  entered  upon  his  mar- 
velous life  of  exploration.  Not  until  1741,  how- 
ever, did  he  thread  the  thousand  islands  of  Alaska 
and  gaze  upon  the  glaciated  summit  of  Mount 
Elias.  And  it  was  not  until  thirty  years  later 
that  it  was  known  that  the  Bay  of  Avatscha  in 
Siberia  was  connected  by  open  sea  with  China. 
In  1 77 1  the  first  cargo  of  furs  was  taken  directly 
from  Avatscha,  the  chief  port  of  eastern  Siberia, 
to  Canton.  Then  first  Europe  realized  the  vast- 
ness  of  the  Pacific  ocean.  Then  it  understood 
that  the  same  waters  which  frowned  against  the 
frozen  bulwarks  of  Kamchatka  washed  the 
tropic  islands  of  the  South  seas  and  foamed 
against  the  storm-swept  rocks  of  Cape  Horn. 

Meanwhile,  while  Russia  was  thus  becoming 
established  upon  the  shores  of  Alaska,  Spain  was 
getting  entire  possession  of  California.  These 
two  great  nations  began  to  overlap  each  other, 
Russians  becoming  established  near  San  Fran- 
cisco. To  offset  this  movement  of  Russia,  a 
group  of  Spanish  explorers,  Perez,  Martinez, 
Heceta,  Bodega  and  Maurelle,  swarmed  up  the 
coast  beyond  the  site  of  the  present  Sitka. 

England,  in  alarm  at  the  progress  made  by 
Spain  and  Russia,  sent  out  the  Columbus  of  the 
eighteenth    century,    in    the    person    of   Captain 


James  Cook,  and  he  sailed  up  and  down  the  coast 
of  Alaska  and  of  Washington,  but  failed  to  dis- 
cover either  the  Columbia  river  or  the  Straits  of 
Fuca. 

His  labors,  however,  did  more  to  establish 
true  geographical  notions  than  had  the  combined 
efforts  of  all  the  Spanish  navigators  who  had 
preceded  him.  His  voyages  materially  strength- 
ened England's  claim  to  Oregon,  and  added 
greatly  to  the  luster  of  her  name.  The  great 
captain,  while  temporarily  on  shore,  was  killed 
by  Indians  in  1778,  and  the  command  devolved 
upon  Captain  Clark,  who  sailed  northward,  pass- 
ing through  Behring  strait  to  the  Arctic  ocean. 
The  new  commander  died  before  the  expedition 
had  proceeded  far  on  its  return  journey;  Lieuten- 
ant Gore,  a  Virginian,  assumed  control  and  sailed 
to  Canton,  China,  arriving  late  in  the  year. 

The  main  purposes  of  this  expedition  had  been 
the  discovery  of  a  northern  waterway  between 
the  two  oceans  and  the  extending  of  British  terri- 
tory, but,  as  is  so  often  the  case  in  human  affairs, 
one  of  the  most  important  results  of  the  voyage 
was  entirely  unsuspected  by  the  navigators  and 
practically  the  outcome  of  an  accident.  It  so 
happened  that  the  two  vessels  of  the  expedition, 
the  Revolution  and  the  Discovery,  took  with 
them  to  China  a  small  collection  of  furs  from  the 
northwest  coast  of  America.  These  were  pur- 
chased by  the  Chinese  with  great  avidit)\  the 
people  exhibiting  a  willingness  to  barter  commod- 
ities of  much  value  for  them  and  endeavoring  to 
secure  them  at  almost  any  sacrifice.  The  sailors 
were  not  backward  in  communicating  their  dis- 
coveries of  a  new  and  promising  market  for 
peltries,  and  the  impetus  imparted  to  the  fur 
trade  was  almost  immeasurable  in  its  ultimate 
effects.  An  entirely  new  regime  was  inaugu- 
rated in  Chinese  and  East  Indian  commerce. 
The  northwest  coast  of  America  assumed  a  new 
importance  in  the  eyes  of  Europeans,  and  espe- 
cially of  the  British.  The  "struggle  for  posses- 
sion" soon  began  to  be  foreshadowed. 

One  of  the  principal  harbors  resorted  to  by 
fur- trading  vessels  was  Nootka,  used  as  a  rendez- 
vous and  principal  port  of  departure.  This  port 
became  the  scene  of  a  clash  between  Spanish 
authorities  and  certain  British  vessels,  which 
greatly  strained  the  friendly  relations  existing 
between  the  two  governments  represented.  In 
1779,  the  viceroy  of  Mexico  sent  two  ships,  the 
Princess  and  the  San  Carlos,  to  convey  Martinez 
and  De  Haro  to  the  vicinity  for  the  purpose  of 
anticipating  and  preventing  the  occupancy  of 
Nootka  sound  by  fur  traders  of  other  nations, 
and  that  the  Spanish  title  to  the  territory  might 
be  maintained  and  confirmed.  Martinez  was  to 
base  his  claim  upon  the  discovery  by  Perez  in 
1774.  Courtesy  was  to  be  extended  to  foreign 
vessels,  but  the  establishment  of  any  claim  preju- 
dicial to  the  right  of  the  Spanish  crown  was  to  be 
vigorously  resisted. 


EXPLORATIONS    BY    WATER. 


Upon  the  arrival  of  Martinez  in  the  harbor, 
it  was  discovered  that  the  American  vessel, 
Columbia,  and  the  Iphigenia,  a  British  vessel, 
under  a  Portuguese  flag,  were  lying  in  the  har- 
bor. Martinez  at  once  demanded  the  papers  of 
both  vessels  and  an  explanation  of  their  presence, 
vigorously  asserting  the  claim  of  Spain  that  the 
port  and  contiguous  territory  were  hers.  The 
captain  of  the  Iphigenia  pleaded  stress  of 
weather.  On  finding  that  the  vessel's  papers 
commanded  the  capture,  under  certain  condi- 
tions, of  Russian,  Spanish  or  English  vessels, 
Martinez  seized  the  ship,  but  on  being  advised 
that  the  orders  relating  to  captures  were  intended 
only  to  apply  to  the  defense  of  the  vessel,  the 
Spaniard  released  the  Iphigenia  and  her  cargo. 
The  Northwest  America,  another  vessel  of  the 
same  expedition,  was,  however,  seized  by  Mar- 
tinez a  little  later. 

It  should  be  remembered  that  these  British 
vessels  had,  in  the  inception  of  the  enterprise, 
divested  themselves  of  their  true  national  charac- 
ter and  donned  the  insignia  of  Portugal,  their 
reasons  being:  First,  to  defraud  the  Chinese 
government,  which  made  special  harbor  rates  to 
the  Portuguese,  and,  second,  to  defraud  the  East 
India  Company,  to  whom  had  been  granted  the 
right  of  trading  in  furs  in  northwest  America  to 
the  exclusion  of  all  other  British  subjects,  except 
such  as  should  obtain  the  permission  of  the  com- 
pany. To  maintain  their  Portuguese  nationality 
they  had  placed  the  expedition  nominally  under 
the  control  of  Juan  Cavalho,  a  Portuguese  trader. 
Prior  to  the  time  of  the  trouble  in  Nootka,  how- 
ever, Cavalho  had  become  a  bankrupt  and  new 
arrangements  had  become  necessary.  The 
English  traders  were  compelled  to  unite  their 
interests  with  those  of  King  George's  Sound 
Company,  a  mercantile  association  operating 
under  license  from  the  South  Sea  and  East 
India  companies,  the  Portuguese  colors  had 
been  laid  aside,  and  the  true  national  character 
of  the  expedition  assumed.  Captain  Colnutt  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  enterprise  as  consti- 
tuted under  the  new  regime,  with  instructions, 
among  other  things,  "to  establish  a  factory  to  be 
called  Fort  Pitt,  for  the  purpose  of  permanent  set- 
tlement and  as  a  center  of  trade  around  which 
other  stations  may  be  established." 

One  vessel  of  the  expedition,  the  Princess 
Royal,  entered  Nootka  harbor  without  molesta- 
tion, but  when  the  Argonaut,  under  command  of 
Captain  Colnutt,  arrived,  it  was  thought  best  by 
the  master  not  to  attempt  an  entrance  to  the 
bay,  lest  his  vessel  should  meet  the  same  fate 
which  had  befallen  the  Iphigenia  and  the  North- 
west America.  Later  Colnutt  called  on  Martinez 
and  informed  the  Spanish  governor  of  his  inten- 
tion to  take  possession  of  the  country  in  the 
name  of  Great  Britain  and  to  erect  a  fort.  The 
governor  replied  that  possession  had  already 
been  taken  in  the  name  of  His  Catholic  Majesty 


and  that  such  acts  as  he  (Colnutt)  contemplated 
could  not  be  allowed.  An  altercation  followed 
and  the  next  day  the  Argonaut  was  seized  and 
her  captain  and  crew  placed  under  arrest.  The 
Princess  Royal  was  also  seized,  though  the 
American  vessels  in  the  harbor  were  in  no  way 
molested. 

After  an  extended  and  at  times  heated  con- 
troversy between  Spain  and  Great  Britain  touch- 
ing these  seizures,  the  former  government  con- 
sented to  make  reparation  and  offered  a  suitable 
apology  for  the  indignity  to  the  honor  of  the 
flag.  The  feature  of  this  correspondence  of 
greatest  import  in  the  future  history  of  the  ter- 
ritory affected  is,  that  throughout  the  entire  con- 
troversy and  in  all  the  royal  messages  and 
debates  in  parliament  no  word  was  spoken 
asserting  a  claim  of  Great  Britain  to  any  terri- 
torial rights  or  denying  the  claim  of  sovereignty 
so  positively  and  persistently  avowed  by  Spain, 
neither  was  Spanish  sovereignty  denied  nor  in 
any  way  alienated  by  the  treaty  which  followed. 
Certain  real  property  was  restored  to  British  sub- 
jects, but  a  transfer  of  realty  under  the  circum- 
stances could  not  be  considered  a  transfer  of 
sovereignty. 

We  pass  over  the  voyage  of  the  illustrious 
French  navigator,  La  Perouse,  as  of  more 
importance  from  a  scientific  than  from  a  polit- 
ical view- point;  neither  can  we 'dwell  upon  the 
explorations  of  Captain  Berkley,  to  whom 
belongs  the  honor  of  having  ascertained  the 
existence  of  the  strait  afterwards  denominated 
Juan  de  Fuca.  Of  somewhat  greater  moment 
in  the  later  history  of  the  Northwest  are  the 
voyages  of  Meares,  who  entered  and  described 
the  above  mentioned  strait,  and  who,  in  1788, 
explored  the  coast  at  the  point  where  the  great 
Columbia  mingles  its  crystal  current  with  the 
waters  of  the  sea.  In  the  diplomatic  battle  of 
later  days  it  was  even  claimed  that  he  was  the 
discoverer  of  that  great  "River  of  the  West." 
Howbeit,  nothing  can  be  surer  than  that  the 
existence  of  such  a  river  was  utterly  unknown 
to  him  at  the  time.  Indeed,  his  conviction  of  its 
non-existence  was  thus  stated  in  his  own  account 
of  the  voyage:  "We  can  now  with  safety  assert 
that  there  is  no  such  river  as  the  St.  Roc  (of  the 
Spaniard,  Heceta)  exists  as  laid  down  on  the 
Spanish  charts,"  and  he  gave  a  further  unequiv- 
ocal expression  of  his  opinion  by  naming  the  bay 
in  that  vicinity  Deception  bay  and  the  promon- 
tory north  of  it  Cape  Disappointment.  "Disap- 
pointed and  deceived,"  remarks  Evans  face- 
tiously, "he  continued  his  cruise  southward  to 
latitude  forty-five  degrees  north." 

It  is  not  without  sentiments  of  patriotic  pride 
that  we  now  turn  our  attention  to  a  period  of 
discovery  in  which  the  vessels  of  our  own  nation 
played  a  prominent  part.  The  northern  mys- 
tery, which  had  been  partially  resolved  by  the 
Spanish,      English,      French     and     Portuguese 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


explorations,  was  now  to  be  completely  robbed 
of  its  mystic  charm ;  speculation  and  myth  must 
now  give  place  to  exact  knowledge;  the  game  of 
discovery  must  hereafter  be  played  principally 
between  the  two  branches  of  the  Anglo-Saxon 
race,  and  Anglo-Saxon  energy,  thoroughness 
and  zeal  are  henceforth  to  characterize  opera- 
tions on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  Northwest. 
The  United  States  had  but  recently  won  their 
independence  from  the  British  crown  and  their 
energies  were  finding  a  fit  field  of  activity  in  the 
titanic  task  of  national  organization.  Before  the 
constitution  had  become  the  supreme  law  of  the 
land,  however,  the  alert  mind  of  the  American 
had  begun  projecting  voyages  of  discovery  and 
trade  to  the  Northwest,  and  in  September,  1788, 
two  vessels  with  the  stars  and  stripes  at  their 
mastheads  arrived  at  Nootka  sound.  Their  pres- 
ence in  the  harbor  while  the  events  culminating 
in  the  Nootka  treaty  were  transpiring  has  already 
been  alluded  to.  The  vessels  were  the  ship 
Columbia,  Captain  John  Kendrick,  and  the  sloop 
"Washington,  Captain  Robert  Gray,  and  the  honor 
of  having  sent  them  to  our  shores  belongs  to  one 
Joseph  Barrel,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Boston, 
and  a  man  of  high  social  standing  and  great  influ- 
ence. While  one  of  the  impelling  motives  of 
this  enterprise  had  been  the  desire  of  commercial 
profit,  the  element  of  patriotism  was  not  wholly 
lacking,  and  the"  vessels  were  instructed  to  make 
whatever  explorations  and  discoveries  they 
might. 

After  remaining  a  time  on  the  coast,  Captain 
Kendrick  transferred  the  ship's  property  to  the 
Washington,  with  the  intention  of  taking  a  cruise 
in  that  vessel.  He  placed  Captain  Gray  in  com- 
mand of  the  Columbia  with  instructions  to  return 
to  Boston  by  way  of  the  Sandwich  islands  and 
China.  This  commission  was  successfully  car- 
ried out.  The  vessel  arrived  in  Boston  in  Sep- 
tember, 1790,  was  received  with  great  eclat, 
refitted  by  her  owners  and  again  despatched  to 
the  shores  of  the  Pacific  with  Captain  Gray  in 
command.  In  July,  1791,  the  Columbia,  from 
Boston,  and  the  Washington,  from  China,  met 
not  far  from  the  spot  where  they  had  separated 
nearly  two  years  before.  They  were  not  to 
remain  long  in  company,  for  Captain  Gray  soon 
started  on  a  cruise  southward.  On  April  29, 
1792,  Gray  met  Vancouver  just  below  Cape  Flat- 
tery and  an  interesting  colloquy  took  place. 
Vancouver  communicated  to  the  American  skip- 
per the  fact  that  he  had  not  yet  made  any  impor- 
tant discoveries,  and  Gray,  with  equal  frankness, 
gave  the  eminent  British  explorer  an  account  of 
his  past  discoveries,  "including,"  says  Bancroft, 
"the  fact  that  he  had  not  sailed  through  Fuca 


strait  in  the  Lady  Washington,  as  had  been  sup- 
posed from  Meares'  narrative  and  map."  He 
also  informed  Captain  Vancouver  that  he  had 
been  "off  the  mouth  of  a  river  in  latitude  forty- 
six  degrees,  ten  minutes,  where  the  outset,  or 
reflux,  was  so  strong  as  to  prevent  his  entrance 
for  nine  days." 

The  important  information  conveyed  by  Gray 
seems  to  have  greatly  disturbed  the  equipoise  of 
Vancouver's  mind.  The  entries  in  his  log  show 
that  he  did  not  entirely  credit  the  statement  of 
the  American,  but  that  he  was  considerably  per- 
turbed is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  he  tried  to  con- 
vince himself  by  argument  that  Gray's  statement 
could  not  have  been  correct.  The  latitude  assigned 
by  the  American  is  that  of  Cape  Disappointment, 
and  the  existence  of  a  river  mouth  there,  though 
affirmed  by  Heceta,  had  been  denied  by  Meares; 
Captain  Cook  had  also  failed  to  find  it;  besides, 
had  he  not  himself  passed  that  point  two  days 
before  and  had  he  not  observed  that  "if  any 
inlet  or  river  should  be  found  it  must  be  a  very 
intricate  one  and  inaccessible  to  vessels  of  our 
burden,  owing  to  the  reefs  and  broken  water 
which  then  appeared  in  its  neighborhood. ' '  With 
such  reasoning,  he  dismissed  the  matter  from  his 
mind  for  the  time  being.  He  continued  his  jour- 
ney northward,  passed  through  the  strait  of  Fuca, 
and  engaged  in  a  thorough  and  minute  explora- 
tion of  that  mighty  inland  sea,  to  a  portion  of 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  Puget  sound. 

Meanwhile  Gray  was  proceeding  southward 
"in  the  track  of  destiny  and  glory."  On  May 
7th  he  entered  the  harbor  which  now  bears  his 
name,  and  four  days  later  he  passed  through  the 
breakers  and  over  the  bar,  and  his  vessel's  prow 
plowed  the  waters  of  that  famous  "River  of  the 
West,"  whose  existence  had  been  so  long  sus- 
pected. The  storied  "Oregon"  for  the  first  time 
heard  other  sound  than  "its  own  dashing." 

Shortly  afterward  Vancouver  came  to  Cape 
Disappointment  to  explore  the  Columbia,  of 
which  he  had  heard  indirectly  from  Captain 
Gray.  Lieutenant  Broughton,  of  Vancouver's 
expedition,  sailed  over  the  bar,  ascended  the 
river  a  distance  of  more  than  one  hundred  miles 
to  the  site  of  the  present  Vancouver,  and  with  a 
modesty  truly  remarkable,  took  "possession  of 
the  river  and  the  country  in  its  vicinity  in  His 
Britannic  Majesty's  name,  having  every  reason 
to  believe  that  the  subjects  of  no  other  civilized 
nation  or  state  had  ever  entered  it  before." 
This,  too,  though  he  had  received  a  salute  of  one 
gun  from  an  American  vessel,  the  Jennie,  on  his 
entrance  to  the  bay.  The  lieutenant's  claim  was 
not  to  remain  forever  unchallenged,  as  will 
appear  presently. 


CHAPTER  II. 


EXPLORATIONS    BY   LAND. 


With  the  exploration  of  Puget  sound  and  the 
discovery  of  the  Columbia,  history-making  mari- 
time adventure  practically  ceased.  But  as  the 
fabled  strait  of  Anian  had  drawn  explorers  to 
the  Pacific  shores  in  quest  of  the  mythical  pas- 
sage to  the  treasures  of  Ind,  so  likewise  did  the 
fairy  tales  of  La  Hontan  and  others  stimulate 
inland  exploration.  Furthermore,  the  mystic 
charm  always  possessed  by  a  terra  incognita  was 
becoming  irresistible  to  adventurous  spirits,  and 
the  possibilities  of  discovering  untold  wealth  in 
the  vaults  of  its  "Shining  mountains"  and  in 
the  sands  of  its  crystal  rivers  were  exceedingly 
fascinating  to  the  lover  of  gain. 

The  honor  of  pioneership  in  overland  explora- 
tion belongs  to  one  Verendrye,  who,  under 
authority  of  the  governor-general  of  New  France, 
in  1773  set  out  on  an  expedition  to  the  Rocky 
mountains  from  Canada.  This  explorer  and  his 
brother  and  sons  made  many  important  explora- 
tions, but  as  they  failed  to  find  a  pass  through 
the  Rocky  mountains,  by  which  they  could  come 
to  the  Pacific  side,  their  adventures  do  not  fall 
within  the  purview  of  our  volume.  They  are 
said  to  have  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  present 
city  of  Helena. 

If,  as  seems  highly  probable,  the  events 
chronicled  by  Le  Page  in  his  charming  "Histoire 
de  la  Louisiane, "  published  in  1758,  should  be 
taken  as  authentic,  the  first  man  to  scale  the 
Rocky  mountains  from  the  east  and  'to  make  his 
way  overland  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  was  a 
Yazoo  Indian,  Moncacht-ape,  or  Moncachabe,  by 
name.  But  "the  first  traveler  to  lead  a  party  of 
civilized  men  through  the  territory  of  the  Stony 
mountains  to  the  South  sea"  was  Alexander 
Mackenzie,  who,  in  1793,  reached  the  coast  at 
fifty-two  degrees,  twenty-four  minutes,  forty- 
eight  seconds  north,  leaving  as  a  memorial  of 
his  visit,  inscribed  on  a  rock  with  vermilion  and 
grease,  the  words,  "Alexander  Mackenzie,  from 
Canada  by  land,  July  22,  1793."  His  field  of 
discovery  was  also  without  the  scope  of  our  pur- 
pose, being  too  far  north  to  figure  prominently 
in  the  international  complications  of  later  years. 

Western  exploration  by  land  had,  however, 
elicited  the  interest  of  one  whose  energy  and 
force  were  sufficient  to  bring  to  a  successful  issue 
almost  any  undertaking  worth  the  effort.  While 
the  other  statesmen   and  legislators  of  his  time 


were  fully  engaged  with  the  problems  of  the 
moment,  the  great  mind  of  Thomas  Jefferson, 
endowed  as  it  was  with  a  wider  range  of  vision 
and  more  comprehensive  grasp  of  the  true  situa- 
tion, was  projecting  exploring  expeditions  into 
the  Northwest.  In  1786,  while  serving  as  minis- 
ter to  Paris,  he  had  fallen  in  with  the  ardent 
Ledyard,  who  was  on  fire  with  the  idea  of  open- 
ing a  large  and  profitable  fur  trade  in  the  north 
Pacific  region.  To  this  young  man  he  had  sug- 
gested the  idea  of  journeying  to  Kamchatka,  then 
in  a  Russian  vessel  to  Nootka  sound,  from  which, 
as  a  starting  point,  he  should  make  an  exploring 
expedition  eastward  to  the  United  States.  Led- 
yard acted  on  the  suggestion,  but  was  arrested 
as  a  spy  in  the  spring  of  1787  by  Russian  officials 
and  so  severely  treated  as  to  cause  a  failure  of 
his  health  and  a  consequent  failure  of  his  enter- 
prise. 

The  next  effort  of  Jefferson  was  made  in 
1792,  when  he  proposed  to  the  American  Philo- 
sophical Society  that  it  should  engage  a  compe- 
tent scientist  "to  explore  northwest  America 
from  the  eastward  by  ascending  the  Missouri, 
crossing  the  Rocky  mountains  and  descending 
the  nearest  river  to  the  Pacific  ocean."  The  idea 
was  favorably  received.  Captain  Meriwether 
Lewis,  who  afterward  distinguished  himself  as 
one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Lewis  and  Clarke  expe- 
dition, offered  his  services,  but  for  some  reason 
Andre  Michaux,  a  French  botanist,  was  given 
the  preference.  Michaux  proceeded  as  far  as 
Kentucky,  but  there  received  an  order  from  the 
French  minister,  to  whom,  it  seems,  he  also  owed 
obedience,  that  he  should  relinquish  his  appoint- 
ment and  engage  upon  the  duties  of  another 
commission. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  opening  of  a  new 
century  that  another  opportunity  for  furthering 
his  favorite  project  presented  itself  to  Jefferson. 
An  act  of  congress,  under  which  trading  houses 
had  been  established  for  facilitating  commerce 
with  the  Indians,  was  about  to  expire  by  limita- 
tion, and  President  Jefferson,  in  recommending 
its  continuance,  seized  the  opportunity  to  urge 
upon  congress  the  advisability  of  fitting  out  an 
expedition,  the  object  of  which  should  be  "to 
explore  the  Missouri  river  and  such  principal 
stream  of  it  as,  by  its  course  of  communication 
with  the  waters  of  the  Pacific  ocean,  whether  the 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Columbia,  Oregon,  Colorado  or  any  other  river, 
may  offer  the  most  direct  and  practical  water 
communication  across  the  continent,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  commerce." 

Congress  voted  an  appropriation  for  the  pur- 
pose, and  the  expedition  was  placed  in  charge  of 
Captains  Meriwether  Lewis  and  William  Clarke. 
President  Jefferson  gave  the  explorers  minute 
and  particular  instructions  as  to  investigations 
to  be  made  by  them.  They  were  to  inform 
themselves,  should  they  reach  the  Pacific  ocean, 
"of  the  circumstances  which  may  decide  whether 
the  furs  of  those  parts  may  be  collected  as  advan- 
tageously at  the  head  of  the  Missouri  (convenient 
as  is  supposed  to  the  Colorado  and  Oregon  or 
Columbia)  as  at  Nootka  sound  or  any  other  part 
of  that  coast;  and  the  trade  be  constantly  con- 
ducted through  the  Missouri  and  the  United 
States  more  beneficially  than  by  the  circumnavi- 
gation now  practiced."  In  addition  to  the 
instructions  already  quoted,  these  explorers  were 
directed  to  ascertain  if  possible  on  arriving  at  the 
seaboard  if  there  were  any  ports  within  their 
reach  frequented  by  the  sea  vessels  of  any 
nation,  and  to  send,  if  practicable,  two  of  their 
most  trusted  people  back  by  sea  with  copies  of 
their  notes.  They  were  also,  if  they  deemed  a 
return  by  the  way  they  had  come  imminently 
hazardous,  to  ship  the  entire  party  and  return 
via  Good  Hope  or  Cape  Horn,  as  they  might  be 
able. 

A  few  days  before  the  initial  steps  were  taken 
in  discharge  of  the  instruction  of  President 
Jefferson,  news  reached  the  seat  of  government 
of  a  transaction  which  added  materially  to  the 
significance  of  the  enterprise.  Negotiations  had 
been  successfully  consummated  for  the  purchase 
of  Louisiana  on  April  30,  1803,  but  the  authori- 
ties at  Washington  did  not  hear  of  the  important 
transfer  until  the  first  of  July.  Of  such  tran- 
scendent import  to  the  future  of  our  country  was 
this  transaction  and  of  such  vital  moment  to  the 
section  with  which  our  volume  is  primarily  con- 
cerned, that  we  must  here  interrupt  the  trend  of 
our  narrative  to  give  the  reader  an  idea  of  the 
extent  of  territory  involved,  and,  if  possible,  to 
enable  him  to  appreciate  the  influence  of  the  pur- 
chase. France,  by  her  land  explorations  and  the 
establishment  of  trading  posts  and  forts,  first 
acquired  title  to  the  territory  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi and  east  of  the  Rocky  mountains,  though 
Great  Britain  claimed  the  territory  in  accordance 
with  her  doctrine  of  continuity  and  contiguity, 
most  of  her  colonial  grants  extending  in  express 
terms  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  Spain  also  claimed 
the  country  by  grant  of  Pope  Alexander  VI.  A 
constant  warfare  had  been  waged  between 
France  and  Great  Britain  for  supremacy  in 
America.  The  latter  was  the  winner  in  the  con- 
test, and,  in  1762,  France,  apparently  discour- 
aged, ceded  to  Spain  the  province  of  Louisiana. 
By  the   treaty  of  February   10,  1763,  which  gave 


Great  Britain  the  Canadas,  it  was  agreed  that  the 
western  boundary  between  English  and  Spanish 
possessions  in  America  should  be  the  Mississippi 
river,  Great  Britain  renouncing  all  claims  to  the 
territory  west  of  that  boundary.  In  1800  Spain 
retroceded  Louisiana  to  France  "with  the  same 
extent  it  has  now  in  the  hands  of  Spain  and 
which  it  had  when  France  possessed  it,  and  such 
as  it  should  be  according  to  the  treaties  subse- 
quently made  between  Spain  and  other  states." 

The  order  for  the  formal  delivery  of  the  prov- 
ince to  France  was  issued  by  the  Spanish  king 
on  October  15,  1802,  and,  as  above  stated,  the 
United  States  succeeded  to  the  title  by  treaty  of 
April  30,  1803. 

Exact  boundaries  had  not  been  established  at 
the  time  of  the  Louisiana  purchase,  but  some 
idea  of  the  vastness  of  the  territory  thereby 
acquired  by  the  United  States  may  be  had  when 
we  consider  that  it  extended  from  the  present 
British  line  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  included 
what  are  now  the  states  of  Minnesota,  North 
Dakota,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Nebraska,  Missouri, 
Arkansas  and  Louisiana,  the  territory  of  Okla- 
homa, Indian  territory,  more  than  three-fourths 
of  Montana  and  Wyoming,  and  parts  of  Colorado 
and  New  Mexico. 

And  so  the  Lewis  and  Clarke  expedition,  which 
had  in  its  inception  for  its  chief  object  to  promote 
the  commercial  interests  of  the  United  States, 
acquired  a  new  purpose,  namely,  the  extending  of 
geographical  and  scientific  knowledge  of  our  own 
domain.  Upon  its  members  a  further  duty 
devolved,  that  of  informing  the  natives  that  obe- 
dience was  now  due  to  a  new  great  father. 

The  expedition  of  Lewis  and  Clarke  excited  a 
peculiar  interest  at  the  time  of  its  occurrence, 
and  has  since  occupied  a  unique  place  in  our  his- 
tory. The  description  of  this  expedition  which 
follows  is  condensed  from  the  writings  upon  the 
subject  of  Professor  W.  D.  Lyman,  of  Whitman 
College,  Walla  Walla. 

To  our  colonial  ancestors,  caged  between  the 
sea  and  the  domains  of  hostile  natives  and  rival 
colonies,  afterward  absorbed  in  a  death  struggle 
with  the  mother  country,  all  the  vast  interior 
was  a  sealed  book.  And  when  the  successful 
issue  of  the  Revolutionary  war  permitted  them 
to  turn  around  and  see  where  they  were,  still 
more  when  the  great  purchase  of  Louisiana  from 
France  enabled  them  to  look  toward  the  tops  of 
the  "Shining. mountains"  with  a  sense  of  propri- 
etorship, all  the  romance  and  enthusiasm  and 
excitement  of  exploration,  hitherto  sternly  denied 
them  by  their  narrow  lot,  seized  and  fascinated 
all  classes. 

On  the  14th  day  of  May,  1804,  the  Lewis  and 
Clarke  party  left  St.  Louis  by  boat  upon  the 
muddy  current  of  the  Missouri,  to  search  for  the 
unknown  mountains  and  rivers  between  that 
point  and  the  Pacific.  Their  plan  was  to  ascend 
the  Missouri  to  its  source,  cross  the  divide,  strike 


EXPLORATIONS    BY    LAND. 


the  headwaters  of  the  Columbia,  and,  descending 
it,  reach  the  sea. 

And  what  manner  of  men  were  undertaking 
this  voyage,  fraught  with  both  interest  and  peril? 
Meriwether  Lewis,  the  leader  of  the  party,  was  a 
captain  in  the  United  States  army,  and  in  Jeffer- 
son's judgment  was,  by  reason  of  endurance, 
boldness  and  energy,  the  fittest  man  within  his 
knowledge  for  the  responsible  duties  of  com- 
mander. His  whole  life  had  been  one  of  reck- 
less adventure.  It  appears  that  at  the  tender 
age  of  eight  he  was  already  illustrious  for  suc- 
cessful midnight  forays  upon  the  festive  'coon  and 
the  meditative  'possum.  He  was  lacking  in  scien- 
tific knowledge,  but  when  appointed  captain  of 
the  expedition  had,  with  characteristic  pluck, 
spent  a  few  spare  weeks  in  study  of  some  of  the 
branches  most  essential  to  his  new  work.  Will- 
iam Clarke,  second  in  command,  was  also  a 
United  States  officer,  and  seems  to  have  been 
equally  fitted  with  Lewis  for  his  work.  The 
party  consisted  of  fourteen  United  States  regu- 
lars, nine  Kentucky  volunteers,  two  French  voy- 
ageurs,  a  hunter,  an  interpreter  and  a  negro. 
To  each  of  the  common  soldiers  the  government 
offered  the  munificent  reward  of  retirement  upon 
full  pay  with  a  recommendation  for  a  soldier's 
grant  of  land.  Special  pains  were  taken  to 
encourage  the  party  to  keep  complete  records  of 
all  they  saw  and  heard  and  did.  This  was  done 
with  a  vengeance,  insomuch  that  seven  journals 
besides  those  of  the  leaders  were  carefully  kept, 
and  in  them  was  recorded  nearly  every  event 
from  the  most  important  discoveries  down  to  the 
ingredients  of  their  meals  and  doses  of  medicine. 
They  were  abundantly  provided  with  beads,  mir- 
rors, knives,  etc.,  wherewith  to  woo  the  savage 
hearts  of  the  natives. 

After  an  interesting  and  easy  journey  of  five 
months,  they  reached  the  country  of  the  Man- 
dans,  and  here  they  determined  to  winter.  The 
winter  having  been  profitably  spent  in  making 
the  acquaintance  of  the  Indians  and  in  collecting 
specimens  of  the  natural  history  of  the  plains — 
which  they  now  sent  back  to  the  president  with 
great  care — they  again  embarked  in  a  squad  of 
six  canoes  and  two  pirogues.  June  13th  they 
reached  the  great  falls  of  the  Missouri. 

A  month  was  spent  within  sound  of  the  thun- 
der and  in  sight  of  the  perpetual  mist  cloud 
rising  from  the  abyss,  before  they  could  accom- 
plish the  difficult  portage  of  eighteen  miles,  make 
new  canoes,  mend  their  clothes  and  lay  in  a  new 
stock  of  provisions. 

The  long  bright  days,  the  tingling  air  of  the 
mountains,  the  pleasant  swish  of  the  water  as 
their  canoes  breasted  the  swift  current,  the  vast 
campfires  and  the  nightly  buffalo  roasts — all 
these  must  have  made  this  the  pleasantest  section 
of  their  long  journey. 

The  party  seems  to  have  pretty  nearly 
exhausted  its  supply  of  names,  and  after  having 


made  heavy  drafts  on  their  own  with  various 
permutatory  combinations,  they  were  reduced  to 
the  extremity  of  loading  innocent  creeks  with 
the  ponderous  names  of  Wisdom,  Philosophy  and 
Philanthropy.  Succeeding  generations  have 
relieved  the  unjust  pressure  in  two  of  these  cases 
with  the  sounding  appellations  of  Big  Hole  and 
Stinking  Water. 

On  the  12th  day  of  August  the  explorers 
crossed  the  great  divide,  the  birthplace  of  mighty 
rivers,  and  descending  the  sunset  slope,  found 
themselves  in  the  land  of  the  Shoshones.  They 
had  brought  with  them  a  Shoshone  woman, 
rejoicing  in  the  pleasant  name  of  Sacajawea,  for 
the  express  purpose  of  becoming  acquainted 
with  this  tribe,  through  whom  they  hoped  to  get 
horses  and  valuable  information  as  to  their  proper 
route  to  the  ocean.  But  four  days  were  con- 
sumed in  enticing  the  suspicious  savages  near 
enough  to  hear  the  words  of  their  own  tongue 
proceeding  from  the  camp  of  the  strangers. 
When,  however,  the  fair  interpreter  had  been 
granted  a  hearing,  she  speedily  won  for  the  party 
the  faithful  allegiance  of  her  kinsmen.  They 
innocently  accepted  the  rather  general  intimation 
of  the  explorers  that  this  journey  had  for  its 
primary  object  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of 
the  Shoshone  nation,  and  to  these  evidences  of 
benevolence  on  the  part  of  their  newly  adopted 
great  father  at  Washington,  they  quickly 
responded  by  bringing  plenty  of  horses  and  all 
the  information  in  their  poor  power. 

It  appears  that  the  expedition  was  at  that 
time  on  the  headwaters  of  the  Salmon  river  near 
where  Fort  Lemhi  afterward  stood.  With 
twenty-nine  horses  to  carry  their  abundant  bur- 
dens, they  bade  farewell  to  the  friendly  Sho- 
shones on  the  last  day  of  August,  and  committed 
themselves  to  the  dreary  and  desolate  solitudes 
to  the  westward.  They  soon  became  entangled 
in  the  ridges  and  defiles,  already  spotted  with 
snow,  of  the  Bitter  Root  mountains. 

Having  crossed  several  branches  of  the  great 
river,  named  in  honor  of  Captain  Clarke,  and 
becoming  distressed  at  the  increasing  dangers 
and  delay,  they  turned  to  the  left,  and,  having 
punished  a  brawling  creek  for  its  inhospitality  by 
inflicting  on  it  the  name  Colt  Killed,  commemo- 
rative of  their  extremity  for  food,  they  came 
upon  a  wild  and  beautiful  stream.  Inquiring  the 
name  of  this  from  the  Indians,  they  received  the 
answer  "Kooskooskie. "  This  in  reality  meant 
simply  that  this  was  not  the  stream  for  which 
they  were  searching.  But  not  understanding, 
they  named  the  river  Kooskooskie.  This  was 
afterward  called  the  Clearwater,  and  is  the  most 
beautiful  tributary  of  the  Snake. 

The  country  still  frowned  on  them  with  the 
same  forbidding  rocky  heights  and  snow-storms 
as  before.  It  began  to  seem  as  though  famine 
would  ere  long  stare  them  in  the  face,  and  the 
shaggy  precipices  were  marked  with  almost  daily 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


accidents  to  men  and  beasts.  Their  only  meat 
was  the  flesh  of  their  precious  horses. 

Under  these  circumstances  Clarke  decided  to 
take  six  of  the  most  active  men  and  push  ahead 
in  search  of  game  and  a  more  hospitable  country. 
A  hard  march  of  twenty  miles  rewarded  him 
with  a  view  of  a  vast  open  plain  in  front  of  the 
broken  mountain  chain  across  which  they  had 
been  struggling.  It  was  three  days,  however, 
before  they  fairly  cleared  the  edge  of  the  moun- 
tain and  emerged  on  the  great  prairie  north  and 
east  of  where  Lewiston  now  is.  They  found  no 
game  except  a  stray  horse,  which  they  speedily 
despatched.  Here  the  advance  guard  waited  for 
the  main  body  to  come  up,  and  then  altogether 
they  went  down  to  the  Clearwater,  where  a  large 
number  of  the  Nez  Perce  Indians  gathered  to  see 
and  trade  with  them.  Receiving  from  these 
Indians,  who,  like  all  that  they  had  met,  seemed 
very  amicably  disposed,  the  cheering  news  that 
the  great  river  was  not  very  distant,  and  seeing 
the  Clearwater  to  be  a  fine,  navigable  stream, 
they  determined  to  abandon  the  weary  land 
march  and  make  canoes.  Five  of  these  having 
been  constructed,  they  laid  in  a  stock  of  dog 
meat  and  then  committed  themselves  to  the 
sweeping  current  with  which  all  the  tributaries 
of  the  Columbia  hastened  to  their  destined 
place.  They  left  their  horses  with  the  Nez 
Perces,  and  it  is  worthy  of  special  notice  that 
these  were  remarkably  faithful  to  their  trust. 
Indeed,  it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  the  first 
explorers  of  this  country  almost  uniformly  met 
with  the  kindest  reception. 

On  the  10th  of  October,  having  traveled  sixty 
miles  on  the  Clearwater,  its  pellucid  current 
delivered  them  to  the  turbid,  angry,  sullen,  lava- 
banked  Snake.  This  great  stream  they  called 
Kimooenim,  its  Indian  name.  It  was  in  its  low 
season,  and  it  seems  from  their  account  that  it, 
as  well  as  all  the  other  streams,  must  have  been 
uncommonly  low  that  year. 

Thus  they  say  that  on  October  13th  they 
descended  a  very  bad  rapid  four  miles  in  length, 
at  the  lower  part  of  which  the  whole  river  was 
compressed  into  a  channel  only  twenty-five  yards 
wide.  Immediately  below  they  passed  a  large 
stream  on  the  right,  which  they  called  Drewyer's 
river,  from  one  of  their  men.  This  must  have 
been  the  Palouse  river,  and  certainly  it  is  very 
rare  that  the  mighty  Snake  becomes  attenuated 
at  that  point  to  a  width  of  twenty-five  yards. 
Next  day  as  they  were  descending  the  worst 
rapid  they  had  yet  seen  (probably  the  Monu- 
mental rapid),  it  repelled  their  effrontery  by 
upsetting  one  of  the  boats.  No  lives  were  lost, 
but  the  cargo  of  the  boat  was  badly  water-soaked. 
For  the  purpose  of  drying  it,  they  stopped  a  day, 
and  finding  no  other  timber,  they  were  compelled 
to  use  a  very  appropriate  pile  which  some  Indi- 
ans had  stored  away  and  covered  with  stones. 
This  trifling  circumstance  is  noticed  because  of 


the  explorers'  speaking  in  connection  with  it  of 
their  customary  scrupulousness  in  never  taking 
any  property  of  the  Indians,  and  of  their  deter- 
mination to  repay  the  owner,  if  they  could  find 
him,  on  their  return.  If  all  explorers  had  been 
as  particular,  much  is  the  distress  and  loss  that 
would  have  been  avoided. 

They  found  almost  continuous  rapids  from 
this  point  to  the  mouth  of  the  Snake,  which  they 
reached  on  October  16th.  Here  they  were  met 
by  a  regular  procession  of  nearly  two  hundred 
Indians.  They  had  a  grand  pow-wow,  and  both 
parties  displayed  great  affection,  the  whites 
bestowing  medals,  shirts,  trinkets,  etc.,  in 
accordance  with  the  rank  of  the  recipient,  and 
the  Indians  repaying  the  kindness  with  abundant 
and  prolonged  visits  and  accompanying  gifts  of 
wood  and  fish.  On  the  next  day  they  measured 
the  rivers,  finding  the  Columbia  to  be  nine  hun- 
dred and  sixty  yards  wide  and  the  Snake  five 
hundred  and  seventy-five.  They  indulge  in  no 
poetic  reveries  as  they  stand  by  the  river  which 
has  been  one  principal  object  of  their  search,  but 
they  seem  to  see  pretty  much  everything  of  prac- 
tical value.  In  the  glimmering  haze  of  the  pleas- 
ant October  morning  they  notice  the  vast  bare 
prairie  stretching  southward  until  broken  by  the 
rounded  summits  of  the  Blue  mountains.  They 
find  the  Sohulks,  who  live  at  the  junction  of  the 
rivers,  a  mild  and  happy  people,  the  men  being 
content  with  one  wife  each,  whom  they  actually 
assist  in  family  work. 

Captain  Clarke  ascended  the  Columbia  to  the 
mouth  of  a  large  river  coming  from  the  west, 
which  the  Indians  called  the  Tapteal.  This  was, 
of  course,  the  Yakima.  The  people  living  at  its 
mouth  rejoiced  in  the  liquid  name  of  Chimnapum. 
Here  Captain  Clarke  shot  what  he  called  a  prairie 
cock,  the  first  he  had  seen.  It  was  no  doubt  a 
sage  hen. 

After  two  days  of  rest,  being  well  supplied 
with  fish,  dog,  roots,  etc.,  and  at  peace  with  their 
own  consciences  and  all  the  world,  with  satisfac- 
tion at  the  prospect  of  soon  completing  their 
journey,  they  re-embarked.  Sixteen  miles  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Kimooenim,  which  they  now 
began  to  call  the  Lewis  river,  they  descried,  cut 
clear  against  the  dim  horizon  line  of  the  south- 
west, a  pyramidal  mountain,  covered  with  snow 
— their  first  view  of  Mount  Hood. 

The  next  day,  being  in  the  vicinity  of  Uma- 
tilla, they  saw  another  snowy  peak  at  a  con- 
jectured distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
Near  here  Captain  Clarke,  having  landed,  shot  a 
crane  and  a  duck.  Some  Indians  near  were 
almost  paralyzed  with  terror,  but  at  last  they 
recovered  enough  to  make  the  best  possible  use 
of  their  legs.  Following  them.  Captain  Clarke 
found  a  little  cluster  of  huts.  Pushing  aside  the 
mat  door  of  one  of  them,  he  entered,  and  in  the 
bright  light  of  the  unroofed  hut  discovered 
thirty-two  persons,  all  of    whom    were    in    the 


EXPLORATIONS    BY    LAND. 


greatest  terror,  some  wailing  and  wringing  their 
hands. 

Having  by  kind  looks  and  gestures  soothed 
their  grief,  he  held  up  his  burning-glass  to  catch 
a  stray  sunbeam  with  which  to  light  his  pipe. 
Thereat  the  consternation  of  the  Indians  revived, 
and  they  refused  to  be  comforted.  But  when 
the  rest  of  the  party  arrived  with  the  two  Indian 
guides  who  had  come  with  them  from  the  Clear- 
water, terror  gave  way  to  curiosity  and  pleasure. 
These  Pishquitpaws — such  was  their  name — ■ 
explained  to  the  guides  their  fear  of  Captain 
Clarke  by  saying  that  he  came  from  the  6ky 
accompanied  by  a  terrible  noise,  and  they  knew 
there  was  a  bad  medicine  in  it. 

Being  convinced  now  that  he  was  a  mortal 
after  all,  they  became  very  affectionate,  and 
having  heard  the  music  of  two  violins,  they 
became  so  enamored  of  the  strangers  that  they 
stayed  up  all  night  with  them  and  collected  to 
the  number  of  two  hundred  to  bid  them  good- 
bye in  the  morning.  The  principal  business  of 
these  Indians  seemed  to  be  catching  and  curing 
salmon,  which,  in  the  clear  water  of  the  Colum- 
bia, the  explorers  could  see  swimming  about  in 
large  numbers.  Continuing  with  no  extraordi- 
nary occurrence,  they  passed  the  river  now  called 
the  John  Day,  to  which  they  applied  the  name 
Lapage.  Mount  Hood  was  now  almost  con- 
stantly in  view,  and  since  the  Indians  told  them 
it  was  near  the  great  falls  of  the  Columbia,  they 
called  it  the  Timm  (this  seems  to  be  the  Indian 
word  for  falls)  mountain. 

On  the  next  day  they  reached  a  large  river 
on  the  left,  which  came  thundering  through  a 
narrow  channel  into  the  equally  turbulent 
Columbia.  This  river,  which  Captain  Lewis 
judged  to  contain  one-fourth  as  much  water  as 
the  Columbia  (an  enormous  over-estimate), 
answered  to  the  Indian  name  of  Towahnahiooks. 
It  afterwards  received  from  the  French  the  name 
now  used,  Des  Chutes. 

They  now  perceived  that  they  were  near  the 
place  hinted  at  by  nearly  every  Indian  that  they 
had  talked  with  since  crossing  the  divide — the 
great  falls.  And  a  weird,  savage  place  it  proved 
to  be.  Here  the  clenched  hands  of  trachyte  and 
basalt,  thrust  through  the  soil  from  the  buried 
realm  of  the  volcanoes,  almost  clutch  the  rush- 
ing river.  Only  here  and  there  between  the 
parted  fingers  can  he  make  his  escape. 

After  making  several  portages  they  reached 
that  extraordinary  place  (now  called  The  Dalles) 
where  all  the  waters  gathered  from  half  a  million 
square  miles  of  earth  are  squeezed  into  a  crack 
forty-five  yards  wide.  The  desolation  on  either 
side  of  this  frightful  chasm  is  a  fitting  mar- 
gin. As  one  crawls  to  the  edge  and  peeps 
over,  he  sees  the  waters  to  be  of  inky  black- 
ness. Streaks  of  foam  gridiron  the  blackness. 
There  is  little  noise  compared  with  that  made 
by  the  shallow  rapids  above,  but  rather  a  dis- 


mal sough,  as  though  the  rocks  below  were  rub- 
bing their  black  sides  together  in  a  vain  effort 
to  close  over  the  escaping  river.  The  river  here 
is  "turned  on  edge."  In  fact,  its  depth  has  not 
been  found  to  this  day.  Some  suppose  that  there 
was  once  a  natural  tunnel  here  through  which 
the  river  flowed,  and  that  in  consequence  of  a 
volcanic  convulsion  the  top  of  the  tunnel  fell  in. 
If  there  be  any  truth  in  this,  the  width  of  the 
channel  is  no  doubt  much  greater  at  the  bottom 
than  at  the  top.  Lewis  and  Clarke,  finding  that 
the  roughness  of  the  shore  made  it  almost 
impossible  to  carry  their  boats  over,  and  seeing 
no  evidence  of  rocks  in  the  channel,  boldly 
steered  through  this  "witches'  cauldron." 
Though  no  doubt  hurled  along  with  frightful 
rapidity  and  flung  like  foam  flakes  on  the  crest 
of  the  boiling  surges,  they  reached  the  end  of 
the  "chute"  without  accident,  to  the  amazement 
of  the  Indians  who  had  collected  on  the  bluff  to 
witness  the  daring  experiment.  After  two  more 
portages  the  party  safely  entered  the  broad,  still 
flood  beginning  where  the  town  of  The  Dalles 
now  stands.  Here  they  paused  for  two  days  to 
hunt  and  caulk  their  boats.  They  here  began  to 
see  evidences  of  the  white  traders  below,  in 
blankets,  axes,  brass  kettles,  and  other  articles 
of  civilized  manufacture.  The  Indians,  too,  were 
more  inclined  to  be  saucy  and  suspicious. 

The  Dalles  seemed  to  be  a  dividing  line 
between  the  Indian  tribes.  Those  living  at  the 
falls,  where  Celilo  now  is,  called  the  Eneeshurs, 
understood  and  "fellowshipped"  with  the  up-river 
tribes,  but  at  the  narrows  and  thence  to  The 
Dalles  was  a  tribe  called  the  Escheloots.  These 
were  alien  to  the  Indians  above,  but  on  intimate 
terms  with  those  below  the  Cascades.  Among 
the  Escheloots  the  explorers  first  noticed  the 
peculiar  "cluck"  in  speech  common  to  all  down- 
river tribes.  The  flattening  of  the  head,  which 
above  belonged  to  females  only,  was  now  the 
common  thing. 

The  place  where  Lewis  and  Clarke  camped 
while  at  The  Dalles  was  just  below  Mill  creek 
(called  by  the  natives  Quenett),  on  a  point  of  rock 
near  the  location  of  the  present  car  shops. 

The  next  Indian  tribe,  extending  apparently 
from  the  vicinity  of  Crate's  point  to  the  Cas- 
cades, capped  the  climax  of  tongue-twisting 
names  by  calling  themselves  Chilluckitte- 
quaws. 

Nothing  of  extraordinary  character  seems  to 
have  been  encountered  between  The  Dalles  and 
the  Cascades.  But  the  explorers  had  their  eyes 
wide  open,  and  the  calm  majesty  of  the  river  and 
savage  grandeur  of  its  shores  received  due  notice. 
They  observed  and  named  most  of  the  streams  on 
the  route,  the  first  of  importance  being  the  Cat- 
aract river  (now  the  Klickitat),  then  Labieshe's 
river  (Hood  river),  Canoe  creek  (White  Salmon) 
and  Crusatte's  river.  This  last  must  have  been 
Little  White  Salmon,  though  they  were  greatly 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


deceived  as  to  its  size,  stating  it  to  be  sixty  yards 
wide.  In  this  vicinity  they  were  much  struck 
with  the  sunken  forest,  which,  at  that  low  stage 
of  the  water,  was  very  conspicuous.  They  cor- 
rectly inferred  that  this  indicated  a  damming  up 
of  the  river  at  a  very  recent  time.  Indeed,  they 
judged  that  it  must  have  occurred  within  twenty 
years.  It  is  well  known,  however,  that  sub- 
merged trees  or  piles,  as  indicated  by  remains  of 
old  Roman  wharves  in  Britain,  may  remain  intact 
for  hundreds  of  years;  but  it  is  nevertheless  evi- 
dent that  the  closing  of  the  river  at  the  Cascades 
is  a  very  recent  event.  It  is  also  evident  from 
the  sliding,  sinking  and  grinding  constantly  seen 
there  now  that  a  similar  event  is  liable  to  hap- 
pen at  any  time. 

The  Cascades  having  been  reached,  more 
portages  were  required.  Slow  and  tedious 
though  they  were,  the  explorers  seem  to  have 
endured  them  with  unfailing  patience.  They 
were  cheered  by  the  prospect  of  soon  putting  all 
the  rapids  behind  and  launching  their  canoes  on 
the  unobstructed  vastness  of  the  lower  river. 
This  was  prosperously  accomplished  on  the  2d  of 
November.  They  were  greatly  delighted  with 
the  verdure  which  now  robed  the  gaunt  naked- 
ness of  the  rocks.  The  island  formed  at  the 
lower  cascade  by  Columbia  slough  also  pleased 
them  by  its  fertility  and  its  dense  growth  of 
grass  and  strawberry  vines.  From  this  last  cir- 
cumstance they  named  it  Strawberry  island.  At 
the  lower  part  of  that  cluster  of  islands,  that 
spired  and  turreted  rock  of  the  old  feudal  age  of 
the  river,  when  the  volcano  kings  stormed  each 
other's  castles  with  earthquakes  and  spouts  of 
lava,  riveted  their  attention.  They  named  it 
Beacon  rock,  but  it  is  now  called  Castle  rock. 
They  estimated  its  height  at  eight  hundred  feet 
and  its  circumference  at  four  hundred  yards,  the 
latter  being  only  a  fourth  of  the  reality. 

The  tides  were  now  noticeable.  This  fact 
must  have  struck  a  new  chord  of  reflection  in  the 
minds  of  these  hardy  adventurers,  this  first-felt 
pulse-beat  of  the  dim  vast  of  waters  which  grasps 
half  the  circumference  of  the  earth.  And  so,  as 
this  mighty  heart  throb  of  the  ocean,  rising  and 
falling  in  harmony  with  all  nature,  celestial  and 
terrestrial,  pulsated  through  a  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  of  river,  it  might  have  seemed  one  of  the 
ocean's  multiplied  fingers  outstretched  to  welcome 
them,  the  first  organized  expedition  of  the  new 
republic  to  this  "westmost  west."  It  might  have 
betokened  to  them  the  harmony  and  unity  of 
future  nations  as  exemplified  in  the  vast  extent, 
the  liberty,  the  human  sympathies,  the  diver- 
sified interests,  industries,  and  purposes  of  that 
republic  whose  motto  yet  remains  "One  from 
many." 

The  rest  of  their  journey  was  a  calm  floating 
between  meadows  and  islands  from  whose  shal- 
low ponds  they  obtained  ducks  and  geese  in 
great  numbers.     They  thought  the  "Ouick  Sand 


river" — Sandy — to  be  a  large  and  important 
stream.  They  noticed  the  Washougal  creek, 
which  from  the  great  number  of  seals  around  its 
mouth  they  called  Seal  river.  But  strange  to 
say,  they  missed  the  Willamette  entirely  on  their 
down  trip.  The  Indians  in  this  part  of  the  river 
called  themselves  Skilloots.  Dropping  rapidly 
down  the  calm  but  misty  stream,  past  a  large 
river  called  by  the  Indians  the  Cowaliske — Cow- 
litz— to  the  country  of  the  Wahkiacums,  at  last, 
on  the  7th  of  November,  the  dense  fog  with 
which  morning  had  enshrouded  all  objects 
suddenly  broke  away  and  they  saw  the  bold, 
mountainous  shores  on  either  side  vanish 
away  in  front,  and  through  the  parted  head- 
lands they  looked  into  the  infinite  expanse  of 
the  ocean. 

Overjoyed  at  the  successful  termination  of 
their  journey,  they  sought  the  first  pleasant 
camping  ground  and  made  haste  to  land.  The 
rain,  which  is  sometimes  even  now  observed  to 
characterize  that  part  of  Oregon,  greatly  marred 
the  joy  of  their  first  night's  rest  within  sound  of 
the  Pacific's  billows. 

Six  days  passed  in  moldy  and  dripping  inac- 
tivity at  a  point  a  little  above  the  present  Chi- 
nook. They  then  spent  nine  much  pleasanter 
days  at  Chinook  point.  This,  however,  not 
proving  what  they  wanted  for  a  permanent 
camp,  they  devoted  themselves  to  explorations 
with  a  view  to  discovering  a  more  suitable  loca- 
tion. 

The  party  wintered  in  a  log  building  at  a 
point  named  b)^  them  Fort  Clatsop.  On  the  23d 
of  March,  1806,  they  turned  their  faces  home- 
ward, first,  however,  having  given  to  the  chiefs 
of  the  Clatsops  and  Chinooks  certificate  of  hospit- 
able treatment  and  posted  on  the  fort  the  fol- 
lowing notice:  "The  object  of  this  last  is  that, 
through  the  medium  of  some  civilized  person, 
who  may  see  the  same,  it  may  be  made  known 
to  the  world  that  the  party  consisting  of  the  per- 
sons whose  names  are  hereunto  annexed  and  who 
were  sent  out  by  the  government  of  the  United 
States  to  explore  the  interior  of  the  continent  of 
North  America,  did  penetrate  the  same  by  way 
of  the  Missouri  and  Columbia  rivers,  to  the  dis- 
charge of  the  latter  into  the  Pacific  ocean,  at 
which  they  arrived  on  the  14th  day  of  November, 
1805,  and  departed  on  their  return  to  the  United 
States  by  the.  same  route  by  which  they  had 
come." 

Of  this  notice  several  copies  were  left  among 
the  Indians,  one  of  which  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Captain  Hall,  of  the  brig  Lydia,  and  was  con- 
veyed to  the  United  States. 

The  expedition  made  its  way  with  no  little 
difficulty  up  the  Columbia  river.  They  discov- 
ered on  their  return  a  large  tributary  of  that 
river  (the  Willamette)  which  had  escaped  their 
notice  on  their  outward  journey,  and  made  care- 
ful inquiry  of    the    Indians  concerning   it,   the 


EXPLORATIONS    BY    LAND. 


results  of  which  were  embodied  in  their  map  of 
the  expedition. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  John  Day  river  their 
canoes  were  abandoned,  their  baggage  was 
packed  on  the  backs  of  a  few  horses  they  had 
purchased  from  the  Indians,  and  traveling  in  this 
manner,  they  continued  their  homeward  march, 
arriving  at  the  mouth  of  the  Walla  Walla  river 
April  27th.  The  great  chief  Yellept  was  then 
the  leader  of  the  Walla  Walla  nation,  and  by  him 
the  explorers  were  received  with  such  generous 
hospitality  that  they  yielded  to  the  temptation  to 
linger  a  couple  of  days  before  undertaking  fur- 
ther journeyings  among  the  mountain  fastnesses. 
Such  was  the  treatment  given  them  by  these 
Indians  that  the  journal  of  the  expedition  makes 
this  appreciative  notation  concerning  them:  "We 
may  indeed  justly  affirm  that  of  all  the  Indians 
that  we  have  seen  since  leaving  the  United 
States,  the  Walla  Wallas  are  the  most  hospita- 
ble, honest  and  sincere." 

Of  the  return  journey  for  the  next  hundred 
and  fifty  miles,  that  venerable  pioneer  mission- 
ary, the  late  Dr.  H.  K.  Hines,  writes  as  follows: 
"Leaving  these  hospitable  people  on  the  29th  of 
April,  the  party  passed  eastward  on  the  great 
'Nez  Perce  trail. '  This  trail  was  the  great  high- 
way of  the  Walla  Wallas,  Cayuses  and  Nez 
Perces  to  the  buffalo  ranges,  to  which  they  annu- 
ally resorted  for  game  and  supplies.  It  passed 
up  the  valley  of  the  Touchet,  called  by  Lewis 
and  Clarke  the  'White  Stallion,'  thence  over  the 
high  prairie  ridges  and  down  the  Alpowa  to  the 
crossing  of  the  Snake  river,  then  up  the  north 
bank  of  Clearwater  to  the  village  of  Twisted 
Hair,  where  the  exploring  party  had  left  their 
horses  on  the  way  down  the  previous  autumn.  It 
was  worn  deep  and  broad  by  the  constant  rush 
of  the  Indian  generations  from  time  immemorial, 
and  on  many  stretches  on  the  open  plains  and 
over  the  smooth  hills,  twenty  horsemen  could 
ride  abreast  in  parallel  columns.  The  writer 
has  often  passed  over  it  when  it  lay  exactly  as  it 
did  when  the  tribes  of  Yellept  and  Twisted  Hair 
traced  its  sinuous  courses,  or  when  Lewis  and 
Clarke  and  their  companions  first  marked  it  with 
the  heel  of  civilization.  But  the  plow  has  long 
since  obliterated  it,  and  where  the  monotonous 
song  of  the  Indian  march  was  droningly  chanted 
for  so  many  barbaric  ages,  the  song  of  the  reaper 
thrills  the  clear  air  as  he  comes  to  his  garner 
bringing  in  the  sheaves.  A  more  delightful  ride 
of  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  than  this  that  the 
company  of  Lewis  and  Clarke  made  over  the  swell- 
ing prairie  upland  and  along  the  crystal  streams 
between  Walla  Walla  and  the  village  of  Twisted 
Hair,  in  the  soft  May  days  of  1806,  can  scarcely 
be  found  anywhere  on  earth." 

To  trace  the  journeyings  of  these  explorers 
further  is  not  within  the  province  of  this  work, 
but   in   order  to   convey   a  general  idea    of  the 


labors  and  extent  of  the  voyage,  we  quote 
the  brief  summary  made  by  Captain  Lewis  him- 
self: 

"The  road  by  which  we  went  out  by  the  way 
of  the  Missouri  to  its  head  is  3,096  miles;  thence 
by  land  by  way  of  Lewis  river  over  to  Clarke's 
river  and  down  that  to  the  eutrance  of  Travelers' 
Rest  creek,  where  all  the  roads  from  different 
routes  meet;  thence  across  the  rugged  part  of  the 
Rocky  mountains  to  the  navigable  waters  of  the 
Columbia,  398  miles;  thence  down  the  river  640 
miles  to  the  Pacific  ocean — making  a  total  dis- 
tance of  4,134  miles.  On  our  return  in  1806  we 
came  from  Travelers'  Rest  directly  to  the  falls 
of  the  Missouri  river,  which  shortens  the  distance 
about  579  miles,  and  is  a  much  better  route, 
reducing  the  distance  from  the  Mississippi  to 
the  Pacific  ocean  to  3,555  miles.  Of  this  dis- 
tance 2,575  miles  is  up  the  Missouri  to  the  falls 
of  that  river;  thence  passing  through  the  plains 
and  across  the  Rocky  mountains  to  the  navi- 
gable waters  of  the  Kooskooskie  river,  a  branch 
of  the  Columbia,  340  miles,  200  of  which  is 
good  road,  140  miles  over  a  tremendous  moun- 
tain, steep  and  broken,  60  miles  of  which  is 
covered  several  feet  deep  with  snow,  and  which 
we  passed  on  the  last  of  June;  from  the  naviga- 
ble part  of  the  Kooskooskie  we  descended  that 
rapid  river  73  miles  to  its  entrance  into  Lewis 
river,  and  down  that  river  154  miles  to  the 
Columbia,  and  thence  413  miles  to  its  entrance 
into  the  Pacific  ocean.  About  180  miles  of  this 
distance  is  tide  land.  We  passed  several  'bad 
rapids  and  narrows,  and  one  considerable  fall, 
286  miles  above  the  entrance  of  this  river,  37  feet 
8  inches;  the  total  distance  descending  the 
Columbia  waters  640  miles — making  a  total  of 
3,555  miles,  on  the  most  direct  route  from  the 
Mississippi  at  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  to  the 
Pacific  ocean." 

The  safe  return  of  the  explorers  to  their 
homes  in  the  United  States  naturally  created  a 
sensation  throughout  that  country  and  the  world. 
Leaders  and  men  were  suitably  rewarded,  and 
the  fame  of  the  former  will  live  while  the  rivers 
to  which  their  names  have  been  given  continue 
to  pour  their  waters  into  the  sea.  President 
Jefferson,  the  great  patron  of  the  expedition, 
paying  a  tribute  to  Captain  Lewis  in  1813,  said: 
"Never  did  a  similar  event  excite  more  joy 
throughout  the  United  States.  The  humblest  of 
its  citizens  have  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the 
issue  of  this  journey,  and  looked  with  impatience 
for  the  information  it  would  furnish.  Nothing 
short  of  the  official  journals  of  this  extraordinary 
and  interesting  journey  will  exhibit  the  impor- 
tance of  the  service,  the  courage,  devotion,  zeal 
and  perseverance  under  circumstances  calculated 
to  discourage,  which  animated  this  little  band  of 
heroes,  throughout  the  long,  dangerous  and  tedi- 
ous travel." 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE   ASTOR   EXPEDITION. 


While  the  limits  of  this  volume  render  a  full 
treatment  of  the  early  Northwest  history  impossi- 
ble, it  is  necessary  to  write  briefly  of  those  mam- 
moth forces  of  the  first  ages  of  the  country,  the 
great  fur  companies,  those  gigantic  commercial 
organizations,  whose  plans  were  so  bold,  far- 
reaching  and  comprehensive,  and  whose  theater 
of  action  included  such  vast  areas  of  the  earth's 
surface. 

The  profits  of  the  fur  trade  were  such  as 
might  well  entice  daring  and  avarice  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  icebergs,  of  starvation,  of  ferocious 
savages  and  of  stormy  seas.  The  net  returns 
from  a  single  voyage  might  liquidate  even  the 
enormous  cost  of  the  outfit.  For  instance,  Ross, 
one  of  the  clerks  of  Astor's  company,  and  located 
at  Okanogan,  relates  that  one  morning  before 
breakfast  he  bought  of  Indians  one  hundred  and 
ten  beaver  skins  at  the  rate  of  five  leaves  of 
tobacco  per  skin.  Afterward  a  yard  of  cotton 
cloth,  worth,  say,  ten  cents,  purchased  twenty- 
five  beaver  skins,  the  value  of  which  in  the  New 
York  market  was  five  dollars  a  piece.  For  four 
fathoms  of  blue  beads,  worth,  perhaps,  a  dollar, 
Lewis  and  Clarke  obtained  a  sea  otter's  skin,  the 
market  price  of  which  varied  from  forty- five  to 
sixty  dollars.  Ross  notes  in  another  place  that 
for  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  dollars  in  trinkets, 
cloth,  etc.,  he  purchased  peltries  valued  in  the 
Canton  market  at  eleven  thousand  two  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars.  Indeed,  even  the  ill-fated  voy- 
age of  Mr.  Astor's  partners  proved  that  a  cargo 
worth  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  in  New  York 
might  be  replaced  in  two  years  by  one  worth  a 
quarter  of  a  million,  a  profit  of  a  thousand  per 
cent.  We  can  not  wonder  then  at  the  eager 
enterprise  and  fierce,  sometimes  bloody,  competi- 
tion of  the  fur  traders. 

The  fur-producing  animals  of  especial  value 
in  the  old  Oregon  country  were  three  in  num- 
ber. The  first,  the  beaver,  was  found  in  great 
abundance  in  all  the  interior  valleys,  the  Wil- 
lamette country,  as  was  discovered,  being  pre- 
eminent in  this  respect.  The  two  others,  the  sea 
otter  and  the  seal,  were  found  on  the  coast.  The 
sea  otter  fur  was  the  most  valuable,  its  velvety 
smoothness  and  glossy  blackness  rendering  it 
first  in  the  markets  of  the  world  of  all  furs  from 
the  temperate  zone  of  North  America,  and  infe- 
rior only  to  the  ermine  and  sable,  and  possibly  to 
the  fiery  fox  of  the  far  north. 


Such,  then,  was  the  prospect  which  prompted 
the  formation  of  the  Pacific  Fur  Company,  which 
shall  have  the  first  place  in  our  narrative  as 
being  the  first  to  enter  the  Columbia  river  basin, 
though  it  was  long  antedated  in  organization  by 
several  other  large  fur-trading  corporations.  The 
sole  and  prime  mover  of  this  enterprise  was  that 
famed  commercial  genius,  John  Jacob  Astor,  a 
native  of  Heidelberg,  who  had  come  to  America 
poor,  and  had  amassed  a  large  fortune  in  com- 
mercial transactions.  In  1810  there  was  con- 
ceived in  the  brain  of  this  man  a  scheme  which 
for  magnitude  of  design  and  careful  arrange- 
ment of  detail  was  truly  masterful,  and  in 
every  sense  worthy  of  the  great  e?itrepreneur. 
Even  the  one  grand  mistake  which  wrecked 
the  enterprise  was  the  result  of  a  trait  of  char- 
acter which  "leaned  to  virtue's  side."  Broad- 
minded  and  liberal  himself,  he  did  not  appre- 
ciate the  danger  of  entrusting  his  undertak- 
ing to  the  hands  of  men  whose  national  preju- 
dices were  bitterly  anti-American  and  whose  pre- 
vious connection  with  a  rival  company  might 
affect  their  loyalty  to  this  one.  He  regarded  the 
enterprise  as  a  purely  commercial  one,  and 
selected  its  personnel  accordingly,  hence  the  fail- 
ure of  the  venture. 

Mr.  Astor's  plan  contemplated  the  prosecution 
of  the  fur  trade  in  every  unsettled  territory  of 
America  claimed  by  the  United  States,  the  trade 
with  China  and  the  supply  of  the  Russian  settle- 
ments with  trading  stock  and  provisions,  the 
goods  to  be  paid  for  in  peltries.  A  vessel  was  to 
be  despatched  at  regular  intervals  from  New 
York,  bearing  supplies  of  goods  to  be  traded  to 
the  Indians.  She  was  to  discharge  her  cargo  at 
a  depot  of  trade  to  be  established  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia  river,  then  trade  along  the  coast 
with  Indians  and  at  the  Russian  settlements  until 
another  cargo  had  been  in  part  secured,  return  to 
the  mouth  of  the  river,  complete  her  lading  there, 
sail  thence  to  China,  receive  a  return  cargo  of 
Canton  silks,  nankeen  and  tea,  and  back  to  New 
York.  Two  years  would  pass  in  completing  this 
vast  commercial  "rounding  up.  "  An  important 
part  of  the  plan  was  the  supply  of  the  Russian 
posts  at  New  Archangel,  the  object  being  two- 
fold— first,  to  secure  the  profits  accruing  there- 
from, and,  second,  to  shut  off  competition  in  Mr. 
Astor's  own  territory,  through  the  semi-partner- 
ship with  the  Russians  in   furnishing   them   sup- 


THE    ASTOR    EXPEDITION. 


plies.  Careful  arrangements  had  been  made 
with  the  Russian  government  to  prevent  any 
possible  clash  between  the  vessels  of  the  two 
companies  engaged  in  the  coast  trade.  "It  was," 
says  Brewerton,  "a  colossal  scheme  and  deserved 
to  succeed;  had  it  done  so  it  would  have  advanced 
American  settlement  and  actual  occupancy  on 
the  northwest  coast  by  at  least  a  quarter  of  a 
century,  giving  employment  to  thousands,  and 
transferred  the  enormous  profits  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  and  North  West  British  Fur  Companies  from 
English  to  American  coffers." 

Like  a  prudent  business  man,  Mr.  Astor  antici- 
pated that,  though  the  Northwest  Company  had 
no  trading  posts  in  the  region  west  of  the  Rocky 
mountains  and  south  of  fifty-two  degrees  north, 
its  enmity  and  jealousy  would  be  speedily  aroused 
when  a  new  competitor  entered  the  field.  He 
resolved  to  soften  enmity  by  frankness,  so  wrote 
to  the  directors  of  the  British  company  the  details 
of  his  plan  and  generously  offered  them  a  third 
interest  in  the  enterprise.  This  ingenuousness 
on  his  part  found  no  response  in  the  characters 
of  the  shrewd  and  unscrupulous  men  in  whom  he 
had  so  unwisely  confided.  Nobleness,  in  this 
instance,  failed  to  enkindle  nobleness.  They 
met  candor  with  duplicity,  generosity  with  per- 
fidy. 

Playing  for  time,  they  pretended,  Caesar-like, 
to  take  the  matter  under  advisement,  and  at  once 
despatched  David  Thompson,  the  astronomer  and 
surveyor  of  their  company,  with  instructions  "to 
occupy  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  to  explore  the 
river  to  its  headwaters,  and,  above  all,  to  watch 
the  progress  of  Mr.  Astor's  enterprise."  They 
then  declined  the  proposal. 

But  Mr.  Astor  proceeded  with  his  project 
energetically  and  skillfully.  He  associated  with 
himself  as  partners  in  the  enterprise  (and  here 
was  his  great  mistake)  Donald  Mackenzie,  Alex- 
ander Mackay,  who  had  accompanied  Alexander 
Mackenzie  on  his  voyage  of  discovery,  hence 
possessed  invaluable  experience,  and  Duncan  Mac- 
dougal,  all  late  of  the  Northwest  Company,  and, 
though  men  of  great  skill  and  experience,  schooled 
in  the  prejudices  of  the  association  with  which 
they  had  so  long  maintained  a  connection  and 
able  to  see  only  through  British  eyes.  To  the 
partners  already  enumerated  were  subsequently 
added  Wilson  P.  Hunt  and  Robert  Maclellan, 
Americans;  David  and  Robert  Stuart  and  Ram- 
sey Crooks,  Scotchmen;  John  Clarke,  a  Canadian, 
and  others. 

Wilson  P.  Hunt  was  given  the  post  of  chief 
agent  on  the  Columbia,  his  term  of  office  being 
five  years,  and  when  he  was  obliged  to  be  absent 
temporarily,  a  substitute  was  to  be  elected  by  the 
partners  who  happened  to  be  present,  to  act  in 
his  place.  Each  partner  obligated  himself  in  the 
most  solemn  manner  to  go  where  sent  and  to 
faithfully  execute  the  objects  of  the  company,  but 
before  subscribing  to  this  bond  two  of  the  British 


perfidiously  communicated  to  the  British  minis- 
ter, Mr.  Jackson,  temporarily  in  New  York,  the 
details  of  Mr.  Astor's  plan  and  inquired  of  him 
concerning  their  status  as  British  subjects  trading 
under  the  American  flag  in  the  event  of  war. 
They  were  given  assurance  that  in  case  of  war 
they  would  be  protected  as  English  subjects  and 
merchants.  Their  scruples  thus  put  at  rest,  they 
entered  into  the  compact. 

The  larger  part  of  the  expedition  was  to  go  ' 
via  Cape  Horn  and  the  Sandwich  islands  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  there  to  await  the  arrival 
of  the  Hunt  party,  which  was  sent  out  by  land. 
To  convey  them  thence  the  ship  Tonquin,  a 
vessel  of  two  hundred  and  ninety  tons  burden, 
was  fitted  up  for  sea.  She  was  commanded  by 
Captain  Thome,  a  lieutenant  of  the  United  States 
navy  on  leave,  and  had  on  board  Indian  trading 
goods,  the  frame  timbers  for  a  coasting  schooner, 
supplies  of  all  kinds,  and  in  fact,  everything 
essential  to  comfort. 

Before  the  vessel  had  left  the  harbor,  Mr. 
Astor  was  apprised  that  a  British  war  vessel  was 
cruising  off  the  coast  for  the  purpose  of  inter- 
cepting the  Tonquin,  and  impressing  the  Cana- 
dians and  British  who  were  on  board.  This  was 
a  ruse  of  the  Northwest  Company  to  delay  the 
expedition  so  that  their  emissary,  Thompson, 
should  arrive  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  first. 
But  Mr.  Astor  secured  as  convoy  the  now  famous 
United  States  frigate,  Constitution,  commanded 
by  the  equally  famous  Captain  Isaac  Hull,  and 
the  Tonquin,  thus  protected,  proceeded  safely  on 
her  way.  She  arrived  at  her  destination  March 
22,  1811,  after  a  voyage  the  details  of  which  may 
be  found  in  Irving's  Astoria,  Franchere's  narra- 
tive, or  in  some  of  the  publications  based  upon 
the  latter  work.  On  the  12th  of  the  following 
month  a  part  of  the  crew  crossed  the  river  in  a 
launch  and  established  at  Fort  George  a  settle- 
ment to  which  the  name  Astoria  was  given  in 
honor  of  the  projector  of  the  enterprise.  They 
at  once  addressed  themselves  to  the  task  of  con- 
structing the  schooner,  the  framed  materials  for 
which  had  been  brought  with  them  in  the  Ton- 
quin. An  expedition  also  was  made  by  Mr. 
Mackay  to  determine  the  truth  or  falsity  of  the 
rumor  that  a  party  of  whites  were  establishing  a 
post  at  the  upper  cascades  of  the  river,  but  when 
the  first  rapids  were  reached  the  expedition  had 
to  be  abandoned,  the  Indian  crew  positively 
refusing  to  proceed  further. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  the  ill-fated  Tonquin 
started  north,  Mr.  Mackay  accompanying.  We 
must  now  pursue  her  fortunes  to  their  terrible 
conclusion.  Mr.  Franchere,  a  Frenchman,  one 
of  Mr.  Astor's  clerks,  is  the  chief  authority  for 
the  story.  With  his  account,  Irving  seems  to 
have  taken  some  poetic  license.  According  to 
that  graceful  writer,  with  a  total  force  of  twenty- 
three  and  an  Indian  of  the  Chehalis  tribe  called 
Lamazee,   for  interpreter,   the  Tonquin  entered 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  harbor  of  Neweetee.  Franchere  calls  the 
Indian  Lamanse,  and  the  harbor,  he  says,  the 
Indians  called  Newity.  We  shall  probably  be  safe 
in  following  Bancroft,  who  surmises  that  the 
place  was  Nootka  sound,  where,  in  1803,  the  ship 
Boston  and  all  her  crew  but  two  had  been 
destroyed. 

Captain  Thorne  had  been  repeatedly  and 
urgently  warned  by  Mr.  Astor  against  allowing 
more  than  four  or  five  Indians  on  board  at  once, 
but  the  choleric  skipper  was  not  of  the  kind  to 
listen  to  the  voice  of  caution.  When  Indians 
appeared  with  a  fine  stock  of  sea  otter  skins,  and 
the  indications  were  for  a  profitable  trade,  he 
forgot  everything  in  his  eagerness  to  secure  the 
peltry.  But  long  experience  with  the  whites 
and  the  instructions  of  their  wily  chief,  Ma- 
quinna,  had  rendered  these  tribes  less  pliable 
and  innocent  than  the  captain  expected.  Being 
unable  to  strike  a  bargain  with  any  of  them  and 
losing  patience,  Thorne  ordered  all  to  leave  the 
deck.  They  paid  no  attention,  and  the  captain, 
becoming  violently  enraged,  seized  their  leader 
by  the  hair  and  hurried  him  toward  the  ship's 
ladder,  emphasizing  his  exit  by  a  stroke  with  a 
bundle  of  furs.    The  other  Indians  left  forthwith. 

When  Mr.  Mackay,  who  was  on  shore  at  the 
time,  returned  to  the  ship,  he  became  indignant 
at  Thorne,  and  urged  that  he  set  sail  at  once. 
Lamanse,  the  Chehalis  Indian,  seconded  him, 
asserting  that  all  prospects  of  profitable  trade 
were  destroyed  and  that  a  longer  stay  in  the  har- 
bor was  attended  with  very  great  danger,  but 
advice  and  importunity  were  vain. 

Early  next  morning  a  number  of  Indians, 
demure  and  peaceable,  paddled  over  to  the 
vessel,  holding  aloft  bundles  of  fur  as  an  evi- 
dence of  their  wish  to  trade.  Thorne  called 
Mackay's  attention  to  the  success  of  his  method 
of  dealing  with  the  red  men.  "Just  show  them 
that  you  are  not  afraid,"  said  he,  "and  they  will 
behave  themselves."  The  Indians  exchanged 
their  furs  for  whatever  was  offered,  making  no 
remonstrances  or  demands  for  higher  prices. 

Other  canoe  loads  of  savages  came  aboard  and 
still  others,  the  self-satisfied  Thorne  welcoming 
all  in  his  blandest  manner.  The  more  watchful 
sailors  became  suspicious  and  alarmed,  but  they 
well  knew  that  remonstrance  against  the  course 
of  Captain  Thorne  was  vain.  Soon,  however, 
even  he  noticed  that  the  Indians  had  become 
massed  at  all  the  assailable  points  of  the  vessel. 
He  was  visibly  startled  by  this  discovery,  but 
pretending  not  to  be  aware  that  anything  was 
wrong,  he  ordered  his  men  to  get  ready  for  sail- 
ing, and  the  Indians  to  leave  the  vessel. 

The  latter  started  towards  .the  ladder,  but  as 
they  did  so,  they  drew  from  the  unsold  bundles 
of  furs  the  weapons  therein  concealed. 

"In  an  instant  the  wild  war-yell  broke  the 
awful  silence,  and  then  the  peaceful  deck  of  the 
Tonquin   saw   a    slaughter    grim    and    pitiless. 


Lewis,  the  clerk,  and  Mackay  were  almost  in- 
stantly despatched.  Then  a  crowd,  with  fiendish 
triumph,  set  upon  the  captain,  bent  on  evening  up 
at  once  the  old  score.  The  brawny  frame  and 
iron  will  of  the  brave,  though  foolhardy,  old 
salt  made  him  a  dangerous  object  to  attack,  and 
not  until  half  a  dozen  of  his  assailants  had  meas- 
ured their  bleeding  lengths  on  the  slippery  deck 
did  he  succumb.  Then  he  was  hacked  to  pieces 
with  savage  glee.  Meanwhile  four  sailors,  the 
only  survivors  besides  the  interpreter,  Lamanse, 
by  whom  the  story  was  told,  having  gained  access 
to  the  hold,  began  firing  on  the  triumphant 
Indians;  and  with  such  effect  did  they  work,  that 
the  whole  throng  left  the  ship  in  haste  and 
sought  the  shore.  Lamanse,  meanwhile,  was 
spared,  but  held  in  captivity  for  two  years.  The 
next  day,  the  four  surviving  sailors  attempted  to 
put  to  sea  in  a  small  boat,  but  were  pursued  and 
probably  murdered  by  the  Indians.  And  then, 
like  a  band  of  buzzards  circling  around  a  carcass, 
the  Indian  canoes  began  to  cluster  around  the 
deserted  ship." 

But  an  awful  retribution  was  about  to  over- 
take the  Indians.  Cautiously  at  first,  but  with 
more  boldness  as  they  observed  the  apparent  life- 
lessness  of  everything  on  the  ship,  they  began 
next  day  to  climb  aboard,  and  soon  several  hun- 
dred of  them  were  rifling  the  storehouses,  gloat- 
ing over  the  disfigured  bodies  of  their  victims, 
and  strutting  across  the  deck,  clad  in  gaudy 
blankets,  and  lavishly  adorned  with  beads  and 
tinsels. 

Then  came  a  terrible  boom,  and  the  luckless 
Tonquin,  with  all  on  board,  both  quick  and  dead, 
was  scattered  in  fragments  over  the  face  of  the 
deep.  Her  powder  magazine  had  exploded, 
destroying  the  ship  and  her  enemies  in  one  awful 
ruin.  According  to  Lamanse,  as  quoted  by 
Franchere,  two  hundred  Indians  were  destroyed 
by  this  explosion. 

Franchere  was  unable  to  state  what  caused 
the  ship  to  be  blown  up,  but  surmises  that  the 
four  sailors  attached  a  slow  train  to  the  maga- 
zine before  their  departure.  As  Franchere  is 
the  only  known  authority,  it  seems  certain  that 
Irving  must  have  fabricated  his  account,  which 
is  to  the  effect  that  Lewis,  wounded,  remained 
on  the  ship  after  the  four  sailors  had  gone,  and 
that  he  enticed  the  savages  aboard,  that  he 
might  destroy  himself  and  them  in  one  final  retri- 
bution. 

A  report  that  the  Tonquin  was  destroyed 
reached  Astoria  in  due  time,  the  news  being 
borne  by  Indians.  At  first  the  story  was  entirely 
discredited,  but  as  time  passed  and  no  Tonquin 
appeared,  it  became  more  and  more  evident  that 
there  must  be  some  truth  in  it.  No  details  of 
the  tragedy  were  known,  however,  until  Lamanse 
reappeared  some  two  years  later. 

On  July  15,  181 1,  David  Thompson,  with 
eight  white  men,  arrived  at  Astoria.     His  expe- 


THE    ASTOR    EXPEDITION. 


*5 


dition  had  been  long  delayed  on  the  eastern  side 
of  the  Rocky  mountains,  in  the  search  for  a  pass. 
Desertions  among  his  crew  also  impeded  his 
progress,  and  the  final  result  was  that  he  had  to 
return  to  the  nearest  post  and  remain  over  win- 
ter. In  the  early  spring  he  hurried  forward. 
The  party  distributed  many  small  flags  among 
the  Indians  along  the  Columbia,  built  huts  at  the 
forks  of  the  river  and  took  formal  possession  of 
the  country  drained  by  the  Columbia  and  its 
tributaries  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  Great 
Britain,  and  for  the  company  which  sent  them 
out.  But  the  main  object  of  the  expedition  was 
not  realized.  They  were  unable  to  occupy  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia,  and  the  perfidy  of  the 
Northwest  Company  failed  of  its  reward.  Hos- 
tile though  the  expedition  was,  it  was  received 
at  Astoria  with  open-handed  cordiality,  Mac- 
dougal  furnishing  Thompson  with  supplies  for 
the  return  journey  against  the  urgent  remon- 
strance of  David  Stuart.  Such  generosity  to 
one's  commercial  enemy  is,  to  say  the  least,  a 
little  unusual,  but  the  magnanimity  displayed 
has  for  some  reason  failed  to  call  forth  the 
plaudits  of  historians. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Thompson's  arrival,  David 
Stuart  was  abotit  to  start  for  the  Spokane  coun- 
try to  establish  a  post,  and  he  delayed  his  depar- 
ture for  a  short  time  that  his  and  Mr.  Thompson's 
party  might  travel  together.  At  the  confluence  of 
the  Columbia  and  Okanogan  rivers,  Mr.  Stuart 
erected  Fort  Okanogan,  the  first  interior  post 
west  of  the  Rocky  mountains  within  the  limits 
of  the  present  state  of  Washington. 

January  8,  181 2,  a  part  of  the  Hunt  expedi- 
tion reached  Astoria  in  a  pitiable  condition.  The 
adventures  of  different  members  of  this  party 
form  a  sad  chapter  in  the  history  of  the  fur  trade. 
Hunt  was  met  by  overwhelming  obstacles  from 
the  very  first.  In  his  efforts  to  get  men  for  his 
expedition  he  was  harassed  in  every  way  possi- 
ble by  persons  interested  in  rival  fur  companies, 
and  when,  at  last,  owing  to  his  own  indomitable 
perseverance  and  Astor's  unstinted  purse,  he  got 
a  party  together,'  the  battle  was  by  no  means 
won.  In  April,  181 1,  Hunt  set  his  face  toward 
the  Pacific.  With  him  were  sixty  men,  four  of 
whom,  Crooks,  Mackenzie,  Miller  and  Maclellan, 
were  partners,  and  one,  Reed,  was  a  clerk.  The 
rest  were  free  trappers  and  Canadian  voyageurs, 
except  two  English  naturalists,  Bradbury  and 
Nuttall. 

The  earlier  portions  of  their  journey  afforded 
many  interesting  and  some  exciting  experiences, 
but  all  went  fairly  well  with  them  until  the 
mountains  were  entered,  when  their  troubles 
began.  The  story  of  their  wanderings,  their 
struggles,  hardships  and  starvation  on  that  terri- 
ble winter  trip  through  the  interminable  laby- 
rinths of  the  mountains,  and  on  the  desolate  and 
forbidding  lava  plains  is  heart-rending  in  the 
extreme.     Detachments   under    Mackenzie    and 


Maclellan  passed  through  the  mountains  to 
Snake  river  before  winter  was  fairly  upon  them, 
though  even  they  had  to  endure  extreme  suffer- 
ing. It  was  these  who  reached  Astoria  in  Jan- 
uary as  before  stated.  On  the  15th  of  February 
the  main  party  under  Mr.  Hunt  also  reached  the 
scene.  As  they  drew  near  Astoria,  the  whole 
population  of  that  settlement  came  pouring  down 
to  meet  them,  the  foremost  being  Mackenzie  and 
Maclellan,  who,  having  abandoned  hope  that 
Hunt  and  his  men  could  survive  the  famine 
and  the  rigors  of  winter,  were  the  more  rejoiced 
to  see  them  alive.  "The  Canadians,  with  French 
abandon,  rushed  into  each  other's  arms,  crying 
and  hugging  like  so  many  school  girls,  and  even 
the  hard-visaged  Scotchmen  and  nonchalant 
Americans  gave  themselves  up  to  the  unstinted 
gladness  of  the  occasion."  Crooks  and  John 
Day,  with  four  Canadians,  had  been  left  sick  on 
the  banks  of  the  Snake.  It  was  not  thought 
likely  that  they  would  ever  be  seen  alive  again, 
but  the  next  summer,  Stuart  and  Maclellan,' 
while  journeying  from  Okanogan  to  Astoria', 
found  the  two  leaders,  naked  and  haggard,  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Umatilla.  Their  pitiable  plight 
was  speedily  relieved,  but  poor  John  Day  never 
recovered  and  soon  was  numbered  among  the 
dead.  The  Canadians  were  afterward  found 
alive,  though  destitute,  among  the  Shoshones. 

On  the  5th  of  May,  181 2,  the  Beaver,  another 
of  Astor's  vessels,  reached  Astoria.  Among 
those  on  board  was  Ross  Cox,  author  of  Adven- 
tures on  the  Columbia  River,  a  work  of  great 
historical  value.  About  this  time,  also,  Robert 
Stuart  while  bearing  despatches  by  land  to  Mr. 
Astor,  discovered  the  South  Pass  through  the 
Rocky  mountains,  which  in  later  years  became 
the  great  gateway  to  the  Pacific  for  immigrant 
trains. 

Pity  it  is  that  the  historian  must  record  the 
failure  of  an  enterprise  so  wisely  planned  as  that 
of  Astor,  so  generously  supported  and  in  the 
execution  of  which  so  much  devoted  self-abnega- 
tion was  displayed,  so  many  lives  sacrificed.  But 
the  clouds  were  now  beginning  to  darken  above 
the  little  colony  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  On 
August  4th  the  Beaver  sailed  northward  for 
Sitka,  with  Mr.  Hunt  aboard.  While  there  an 
agreement  was  entered  into  between  that  gen- 
tleman and  the  Russian  governor,  Baranoff,  the 
gist  of  which  was  that  the  Russian  and  Ameri- 
can companies  were  to  forbear  interference  with 
each  other's  territory  and  to  operate  as  allies  in 
expelling  trespassers  on  the  rights  of  either. 
The  Beaver  had  been  instructed  to  return  to 
Astoria  before  sailing  to  Canton,  but  instead  she 
sailed  direct,  so  Mr.  Hunt  was  carried  to  Oahu, 
there  to  await  a  vessel  expected  from  New  York] 
on  which  he  should  obtain  passage  to  Astoria. 
But  he  did  not  arrive  until  too  late  to  avert  the 
calamity  which  befell  the  Pacific  Fur  Company. 
War  was  declared  between  Great  Britain  and  the 


1 6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


United  States.  Mr.  Astor  learned  that  the 
Northwest  Company  was  preparing  a  ship  mount- 
ing twenty  guns,  the  Isaac  Todd,  wherewith  to 
capture  Astoria.  He  appealed  to  the  United 
States  for  aid,  but  his  efforts  were  unavailing. 
Discouragements  were  thickening  around  the 
American  settlement.  Mackenzie  was  unsuc- 
cessful at  his  post  on  the  Shahaptin  river, 
and  had  determined  to  press  for  a  new  post. 
He  visited  Clarke,  and  while  the  two  were 
together,  John  George  MacTavish,  of  the  North- 
west Company,  paid  them  a  visit  and  vaunt- 
ingly  informed  them  of  the  sailing  of  the  Isaac 
Todd,  and  of  her  mission,  the  capture  or  destruc- 
tion of  Astoria.  Mackenzie  returned  at  once 
to  his  post  on  the  Shahaptin,  broke  up  camp, 
cached  his  provisions,  and  set  out  in  haste 
for  Astoria,  at  which  point  he  arrived  January  16, 
1813.  Macdougal  was  agent-in-chief  at  Astoria 
in  the  absence  of  Hunt.  It  was  resolved  by  him 
and  Mackenzie  that  they  should  abandon  Astoria 
in  the  spring  and  recross  the  mountains.  Mac- 
kenzie at  once  set  off  to  recover  his  cached  pro- 
visions and  to  trade  them  for  horses  for  the  jour- 
ney. He  also  carried  despatches  to  Messrs. 
Clarke  and  David  Stuart,  advising  them  of  the 
intention  to  abandon  Astoria  and  directing  them 
to  make  preparations  accordingly.  Mackenzie 
met  a  party  of  the  Northwest  Company,  with 
MacTavish  as  one  of  the  leaders,  and  the  parties 
camped,  as  Irving  says,  "mingled  together  as 
united  by  a  common  interest  instead  of  belonging 
to  rival  companies  trading  under  hostile  flags." 

On  reaching  his  destination,  Mackenzie  found 
his  cache  had  been  robbed  by  Indians.  He  and 
Clarke  and  Stuart  met  at  Walla  Walla  as  per 
arrangement,  and  together  descended  the 
Columbia,  reaching  Astoria  June  12th. 

Stuart  and  Clarke  refused  to  break  up  their 
posts  and  to  provide  horses  or  make  other  prepa- 
rations for  leaving  the  country.  Furthermore, 
Mackenzie's  disappointment  in  finding  his  cache 
broken  into  and  its  contents  stolen  made  it  nec- 
essary that  the  departure  should  be  delayed 
beyond  July  1st,  the  date  set  by  Macdougal  for 
dissolution  of  the  company.  Treason  was  to 
have  time  and  opportunity  to  do  its  worst.  Mac- 
Tavish, who  was  camped  at  the  fort,  began 
negotiations  for  the  purchase  of  trading  goods, 
and  it  was  proposed  by  Macdougal  to  trade  him 
the  post  on  the  Spokane  for  horses  to  be  deliv- 
ered the  next  spring,  which  proposition  was 
eventually  accepted.  An  agreement  for  the  dis- 
solution of  the  company  to  take  effect  the  next 
June  was  signed  by  the  four  partners,  Clarke 
and  Stuart  yielding  to  the  pressure  much  against 
their  wills.  Hunt,  who  arrived  on  the  20th  of 
August,  also  reluctantly  yielded,  the  discourag- 
ing circumstances  having  been  pictured  to  him 
by  Macdougal,  who  pretended  to  be  animated  by 
a  desire  to  save  Mr.  Astor's  interests  before  the 
place   should  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  British, 


whose  war  vessels  were  on  their  way  to  effect  its 
capture.  Hunt  then  sailed  to  secure  a  vessel  to 
convey  the  property  to  the  Russian  settlements 
for  safe  keeping  while  the  war  lasted,  first 
arranging  that  Macdougal  should  be  placed  in 
full  charge  of  the  establishment  after  January  1st 
should  he  fail  to  return. 

While  en  route  to  advise  Messrs.  Clarke  and 
Stuart  of  the  new  arrangement,  Mr.  Mackenzie 
and  party  met  MacTavish  and  J.  Stuart  with  a 
company  of  men  descending  the  river  to  meet 
the  Phcebe  and  the  Isaac  Todd.  Clarke  had 
been  advised  of  the  situation  and  was  accompa- 
nying them  to  Astoria.  Mackenzie  decided  to 
return  also  to  the  fort,  and  with  Clarke  attempted 
to  slip  away  in  the  night  and  so  reach  Astoria 
before  the  members  of  the  Northwest  Company 
arrived,  but  was  discovered  and  followed  by  two 
of  MacTavish's  canoes.  Both  MacTavish  and 
Mackenzie  reached  their  objective  point  on  Octo- 
ber 7th,  and  the  party  of  the  former  camped  at 
the  fort.  Next  day  Macdougal,  by  way  of  prep- 
aration for  his  final  coup,  read  a  letter  announc- 
ing the  sailing  of  the  Phosbe  and  the  Isaac  Todd 
with  orders  "to  take  and  destroy  everything 
American  on  the  Northwest  coast." 

"This  dramatic  scene,"  says  Evans,  "was  fol- 
lowed by  a  proposition  of  MacTavish  to  purchase 
the  interests,  stocks,  establishments,  etc.,  of  the 
Pacific  Fur  Company.  Macdougal  then  assumed 
sole  control  and  agency  because  of  the  non-arrival 
of  Hunt,  and  after  repeated  conference  with 
MacTavish,  in  which  the  presence  of  the  other 
partners  was  ignored,  the  sale  was  concluded  at 
certain  rates.  A  few  days  later  J.  Stuart  arrived 
with  the  remainder  of  the  Northwest  party.  He 
objected  to  MacTavish's  prices,  and  lowered  the 
rates  materially.  Mr.  Stuart's  offer  was  accepted 
by  Macdougal  and  the  agreement  of  transfer  was 
signed  October  16th.  By  it  Duncan  Macdougal, 
for  and  on  behalf  of  himself,  Donald  Mackenzie, 
David  Stuart  and  John  Clarke,  partners  of  the 
Pacific  Fur  Company,  dissolved  July  1st,  pre- 
tended to  sell  to  his  British  confreres  and  co-con- 
spirators of  the  Northwest  Company  'the  whole 
of  the  establishments,  furs  and  present  stock  on 
hand,  on  the  Columbia  and  Thompson's  rivers. '  " 
Speaking  of  the  transaction  in  a  letter  to  John 
Quincy  Adams,  secretary  of  state,  Mr.  Astor 
himself  says: 

"Macdougal  transferred  all  of  my  property  to 
the  Northwest  Company,  who  were  in  possession 
of  it  by  sale,  as  he  called  it,  for  the  sum  of  fifty- 
eight  thousand  dollars,  of  which  he  retained  four- 
teen thousand  dollars  as  wages  said  to  be  due  to 
some  of  the  men.  From  the  price  obtained  for 
the  goods,  etc.,  and  he  having  himself  become 
interested  in  the  purchase  and  made  a  partner  of 
the  Northwest  Company,  some  idea  may  be 
formed  as  to  this  man's  correctness  of  dealing. 
He  sold  to  the  Northwest  Company  eighteen  thou- 
sand one  hundred  and  seventy  pounds  of  beaver 


THE    ASTOR    EXPEDITION. 


at  two  dollars,  which  was  at  that  time  selling  in 
Canton  at  five  and  six  dollars  per  skin.  I  esti- 
mate the  whole  property  to  be  worth  nearer  two 
hundred  thousand  dollars  than  forty  thousand 
dollars,  about  the  sum  I  received  in  bills  on 
Montreal." 

Charitably  disposed  persons  may  suggest  that 
Macdougal's  actions  were  in  a  measure  justifia- 
ble; that  a  British  force  was  actually  en  route  to 
capture  Astoria,  and  that  the  post,  being  without 
adequate  means  of  defense,  must  surely  fall ;  that 
it  was  better  to  save  a  pittance  than  that  all 
should  be  lost.  Macdougal's  conduct  subsequent 
to  the  transfer  of  Mr.  Astor's  property  was, 
however,  "in  studied  and  consistent  obedience  to 
the  interests  of  the  Northwest  Company."  On 
his  return  on  February  28,  1814,  in  the  brig 
Pedler,  which  he  purchased  to  convey  Mr.  Astor's 
property  to  a  place  of  safety,  Mr.  Hunt  found  his 
old  partner,  whom  he  had  left  in  charge  of  the 
fort,  still  presiding  over  it,  but  now  a  dignitary  in 
the  camp  of  the  enemy.  There  was  no  other 
course  open  to  him  than  to  digest  the  venom  of 
his  chagrin  as  best  he  could,  take  his  diminutive 
drafts  on  Montreal,  and  set  sail  in  the  Pedler  for 
New  York.  Macdougal  had  been  given  a  full 
partnership  in  the  Northwest  Company.  What 
was  the  consideration? 

It  is  needless  to  add  that  on  the  arrival  of  the 
British  vessels,  Astoria  became  a  British  posses- 
sion. The  formal  change  of  the  sovereignty  and 
raising  of  the  union  jack  took  place  on  Decem- 
ber 12th,  and  as  if  to  obliterate  all  trace  of  Mr. 
Astor's  operations,  the  name  of  Astoria  was 
changed  to  Fort  George.  The  arrival  of  the 
Isaac  Todd  the  following  spring  with  a  cargo  of 
trading  goods  and  supplies  enabled  the  North- 
west Company  to  enter  vigorously  into  the  pros- 
ecution of  its  trade  in  the  territory  of  its  wronged 
and  outraged  rival. 

"Thus  disgracefully  failed,"  says  Evans,  "a 
magnificent  enterprise,  which  merited  success 
for  sagacity  displayed  in  its  conception,  its 
details,  its  objects;  for  the  liberality  and  munifi- 
cence of  its  projector  in  furnishing  means  ade- 
quate for  its  thorough  execution ;  for  the  results 


it  had  aimed  to  produce.  It  was  inaugurated 
purely  for  commercial  purposes.  Had  it  not 
been  transferred  to  its  enemies,  it  would  have 
pioneered  the  colonization  of  the  northwest  coast 
by  citizens  of  the  United  States;  it  would  have 
furnished  the  natural  and  peaceful  solution  of 
the  question  of  the  right  to  the  territory  drained 
by  the  Columbia  and  its  tributaries. 

******** 

"The  scheme  was  grand  in  its  aim,  magnifi- 
cent in  its  breadth  of  purpose  and  area  of  opera- 
tion. Its  results  were  naturally  feasible,  not 
over-anticipated.  They  were  but  the  logical  and 
necessary  sequence  of  the  pursuit  of  the  plan. 
Mr.  Astor  made  no  miscalculation,  no  omission; 
neither  did  he  permit  a  sanguine  hope  to  lead  him 
into  any  wild  or  imaginary  venture.  He  was 
practical,  generous,  broad.  He  executed  what 
Sir  Alexander  Mackenzie  urged  should  be  adopted 
as  the  policy  of  British  capital  and  enterprise. 
That  one  American  citizen  should  have  individu- 
ally undertaken  what  two  mammoth  British  com- 
panies had  not  the  courage  to  try  was  but  an 
additional  cause  which  had  intensified  national 
prejudice  into  embittered  jealousy  on  the  part  of 
his  British  rivals,  the  Northwest  Company." 

By  the  first  article  of  the  treaty  of  Ghent, 
entered  into  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
United  States,  December  14,  1814,  it  was  agreed 
"that  all  territory,  places  and  possessions  what- 
soever, taken  by  either  party  from  the  other, 
during  or  after  the  war,  should  be  restored." 
Astoria,  therefore,  again  became  the  possession 
of  the  United  States,  and  in  September,  181 7, 
the  government  sent  the  sloop-of-war  Ontario 
"to  assert  the  claim  of  the  United  States  to  the 
sovereignty  of  the  adjacent  country,  and  espe- 
cially to  reoccupy  Astoria  or  Fort  George. "  The 
formal  surrender  of  the  fort  is  dated  October  6, 
1818. 

Mr.  Astor  had  urged  the  United  States  to 
repossess  Astoria,  and  intended  fully  to  resume 
operations  in  the  basin  of  the  Columbia,  but  the 
Pacific  Fur  Company  was  never  reorganized,  and 
never  again  did  the  great  captain  of  industry 
engage  in  trade  on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE    NORTHWEST   AND    HUDSON'S    BAY   COMPANIES. 


It  is  pertinent  now  to  inquire  somewhat  more 
particularly  into  the  fortunes  and  antecedent  his- 
tory of  the  Northwest  and  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
panies, which  are  each  in  turn  to  operate  exclu- 
sively in  the  territory  with  which  our  volume  is 
concerned.  By  the  Joint-Occupancy  treaty  of 
October  20,  1818,  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain,  it  was  mutually  covenanted  "that 
any  country  which  may  be  claimed  by  either 
party  on  the  northwest  coast  of  America,  west- 
ward of  the  Stony  mountains,  shall,  together 
with  its  harbors,  bays  and  creeks,  and  the  navi- 
gation of  all  rivers  within  the  same,  be  free  and 
open,  for  the  term  of  ten  years  from  the  date  of 
the  signature  of  the  present  convention,  to  the 
vessels,  citizens  and  subjects  of  the  two  powers; 
it  being  well  understood  that  this  agreement  is 
not  to  be  construed  to  the  prejudice  of  any  claims 
which  either  of  the  two  high  contracting  parties 
may  have  to  any  part  of  the  said  country;  nor 
shall  it  be  taken  to  affect  the  claims  of  any  other 
power  or  state  to  any  part  of  said  country;  the 
only  object  of  the  high  contracting  parties  in  this 
respect  being  to  prevent  disputes  and  differences 
among  themselves." 

The  Northwest  Company,  whose  members 
were,  of  course,  British  subjects,  was,  therefore, 
permitted  to  operate  freely  in  all  disputed  terri- 
tory, and  it  made  good  use  of  its  privileges.  Its 
operations  extended  far  and  wide  in  all  direc- 
tions; its  emissaries  were  sent  wherever  there 
was  a  prospect  of  profitable  trade ;  it  respected 
no  rights  of  territory;  it  scrupled  at  no  trickery 
or  dissimulation.  When  it  learned  of  the  expe- 
dition of  Lewis  and  Clarke  it  sent  Daniel  W.  Har- 
mon with  a  party,  instructing  him  to  reach  the 
mouth  of  the  Columbia  in  advance  of  the  Amer- 
icans. The  poor  health  of  the  leader  prevented 
this.  Of  its  efforts  to  circumvent  Mr.  Astor's 
occupancy  of  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  we 
have  already  spoken. 

It  showed  also  its  intention  to  confirm  and 
strengthen  British  title  to  all  territories  adversely 
claimed,  and  wherever  a  post  was  established 
the  territory  contiguous  thereto  was  ceremoni- 
ously taken  possession  of  "in  the  name  of  the 
king  of  Great  Britain  for  the  Northwest  Com- 
pany." 

Although  organized  in  1774,  the  Northwest 
Company   did    not  attain   to   high  prestige  until 


the  dawn  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Then, 
however,  it  seemed  to  take  on  new  life,  and 
before  the  first  half  decade  was  passed  it  had 
become  the  successful  rival  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  for  the  fur  trade  of  the  interior  of 
North  America.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
when  originally  chartered  in  1670  was  granted 
in  a  general  way  the  right  to  traffic  in  Hudson's 
bay  and  the  territory  contiguous  thereto,  and  the 
Northwest  Company  began  to  insist  that  the 
grant  should  be  more  strictly  construed.  The 
boundaries  of  Prince  Rupert's  land,  as  the  Hud- 
son's bay  territory  was  named,  had  never  been 
definitely  determined,  and  there  had  long  been 
contention  in  those  regions  which  were  claimed 
by  that  company,  but  denied  to  it  by  the  other 
fur  traders.  Beyond  the  recognized  area  of  the 
Hudson's  bay  territory,  the  old  Northwest  Com- 
pany (a  French  corporation  which  had  fallen  at 
the  time  of  the  fall  of  Canada  into  the  possession 
of  the  British)  had  been  a  competitor  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company.  When  this  French 
association  went  out  of  existence  the  contest  was 
kept  up  by  private  merchants,  but  without  lasting 
success.  The  new  Northwest  Company,  of  Mon- 
treal, united  and  cemented  into  one  organization 
all  these  individuals  for  the  better  discharge  of 
the  common  purpose.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
the  theory  of  trade  of  this  association  as  con- 
trasted with  that  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
From  established  posts  as  centers  of  opera- 
tions, the  Montreal  association  despatched  parties 
in  all  directions  to  visit  the  villages  and  haunts  of 
the  natives  and  secure  furs  from  every  source 
possible.  It  went  to  the  natives  for  their  goods, 
while  the  rival  company  so  arranged  its  posts 
that  these  were  convenient  to  the  whole  Indian 
population,  then  depended  upon  the  aborigines 
to  bring  in  their  peltry  and  exchange  the  same 
for  such  articles  as  might  supply  their  wants  or 
gratify  their  fancies.  Consequently  the  one  com- 
pany required  many  employees,  the  other  com- 
paratively few.  The  clerks  or  traders  of  the 
Montreal  association  were  required  to  serve  an 
apprenticeship  of  seven  years  at  small  wages. 
That  term  successfully  completed,  the  stipend 
was  doubled.  Skill  and  special  aptitude  in  trad- 
ing brought  speedy  promotions,  and  the  chance 
to  become  a  partner  in  the  business  was  an 
unfailing   incentive    to    strenuous    effort.      The 


NORTHWEST    AND    HUDSON'S    BAY    COMPANIES. 


Hudson's  Bay  Company,  on  the  other  hand,  had 
established  fixed  grades  of  compensation.  Pro- 
motion was  slow,  coming  periodically  rather  than 
as  a  reward  for  specially  meritorious  service,  and 
though  faithfulness  to  duty  was  required,  no 
incentive  was  offered  for  special  endeavor.  The 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  based  its  territorial  title 
upon  a  specific  grant  from  the  crown,  while  the 
rival  association  sought  no  other  title  than  such 
as  priority  of  occupancy  and  pre-emption  afforded. 
It  claimed  as  its  field  of  operation  all  unoccupied 
territory  wherever  located. 

Such,  in  general,  were  the  methods  of  the  two 
compaaies  whose  bitter  rivalry  was  carried  to 
such  an  extent  that  both  were  brought  to  the 
verge  of  bankruptcy  and  that  civil  strife  was  at 
one  point  actually  precipitated.  In  1811  Lord 
Selkirk,  a  Scotch  nobleman  of  wealth,  who  had 
become  the  owner  of  a  controlling  interest  in  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  attempted  a  grand  col- 
onization scheme.  His  project  was  to  send  out 
agricultural  colonies  to  the  basin  of  the  Red  River 
of  the  North.  The  enmity  of  the  Northwest 
Company  was  at  once  aroused.  It  fully  realized 
that  Selkirk's  scheme  was  inimical  to  its  business, 
especially  so  because  his  grant  lay  directly  across 
its  pathway  between  Montreal  and  the  interior. 
The  effect  would  be  to  "cut  its  communication, 
interposing  a  hostile  territory  between  its  posts 
and  the  center  of  operations."  The  company 
protested  that  the  grant  was  illegal,  that  it  was 
corruptly  secured,  and  urged  that  suit  be  insti- 
tuted to  test  Lord  Selkirk's  title.  But  the  govern- 
ment favored  the  project  and  refused  to  inter- 
fere. A  colony  was  established  at  Assinaboia. 
Its  governor  prohibited  the  killing  of  animals 
within  the  territory,  and  the  agents  of  the  North- 
west Company  treated  his  proclamation  with  con- 
tempt. Matters  grew  worse  and  worse  until 
hostilities  broke  out,  which  ended  in  a  decisive 
victory  for  the  Northwest  Company  in  a  pitched 
battle  fought  June  19,  1816,  twenty-two  of  the 
colonists  being  killed.  Numerous  arrests  of 
Northwesters  engaged  in  the  conflict  followed, 
but  all  were  acquitted  in  the  Canadian  courts. 
The  British  cabinet  ordered  that  the  governor- 
general  of  Canada  should  "require  the  restitution 
of  all  captured  posts,  buildings  and  trading  sta- 
tions, with  the  property  they  contained,  to  the 
proper  owners,  and  the  removal  of  any  blockade 
or  any  interruption  to  the  free  passage  of  all 
traders  and  British  subjects  with  their  merchan- 
dise, furs,  provisions  and  effects,  through  the 
lakes,  rivers,  roads  and  every  route  of  communi- 
cation used  for  the  purpose  of  the  fur  trade  in 
the  interior  of  North  America,  and  the  full  and 
free  permission  of  all  persons  to  pursue  their 
usual  and  accustomed  trade  without  hindrance 
or  molestation. " 

But  the  competition  between  the  companies 
continued.  Both  were  reduced  to  the  verge  of 
bankruptcy.      Something  had  to  be   done.     The 


governor-general  of  Canada  appointed  a  com- 
mission to  investigate  conditions,  and  that  com- 
mission recommended  a  union  of  the  two  compa- 
nies. Nothing,  however,  of  material  benefit 
resulted.  Eventually,  in  the  winter  of  1819-20, 
Lord  Bathurst,  British  secretary  of  state  for  the 
colonies,  took  up  the  matter,  and  through  his 
mediation  a  union  was  finally  effected.  On 
March  20,  182 1,  it  was  mutually  agreed  that  both 
companies  should  operate  under  the  charter  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  furnishing  equal 
amounts  of  capital  and  sharing  equally  the 
profits,  the  arrangement  to  continue  in  force  for 
twenty-one  years.  By  "an  act  for  regulating  the 
fur  trade  and  establishing  a  criminal  and  civil 
jurisdiction  in  certain  parts  of  North  America," 
passed  in  the  British  parliament  July  2,  182 1,  the 
crown  was  empowered  to  issue  a  license  to  the 
combined  companies  for  exclusive  trade  "as  well 
over  the  country  to  the  east  as  beyond  the  Rocky 
mountains,  and  extending  to  the  Pacific  ocean, 
saving  the  rights  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
over  this  territory."  "That  is  to  say,"  explains 
Evans,  "in  the  territory  granted  to  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  by  their  charter,  this  license  does 
not  operate.  The  company  in  the  Hudson's  bay 
territory  already  enjoyed  exclusive  privileges; 
and  this  license  recognized  that  territory  as  a 
province,  excepting  it  as  a  British  province  from 
the  operation  of  this  license." 

Agreeably  to  the  provisions  of  the  statute  just 
referred  to  a  license  was  granted  to  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  and  to  William  and  Simon  McGil- 
livray  and  Edward  Ellice,  as  representatives  of 
the  shareholders  of  the  Northwest  Company. 
The  license  was  one  of  exclusive  trade  as  far  as 
all  other  British  subjects  were  concerned,  and 
was  to  be  in  force  for  a  period  of  twenty-one 
years.  It  was  to  extend  to  all  "parts  of  North 
America  to  the  northward  and  westward  of  the 
lands  and  territories  belonging  to  the  United 
States  or  to  any  European  government,  state  or 
power,  reserving  no  rent." 

Of  the  grantees  a  bond  was  required  condi- 
tioned upon  the  due  execution  of  civil  process 
where  the  matter  in  controversy  exceeded  two 
hundred  pounds,  and  upon  the  delivery  for  trial 
in  the  Canadian  courts  of  all  persons  charged 
with  crime.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  Ameri- 
cans operating  in  the  Oregon  territory  (which 
was,  by  act  of  the  British  parliament  and  the 
license  issued  under  it,  treated  as  being  outside 
of  "any  legally  defined  civil  government  of  the 
United  States")  were  subject  to  be  taken  when 
accused  of  crime  to  Canada  for  trial.  How  did 
that  comport  with  the  treaty  of  1818,  one  provi- 
sion of  which  was  that  neither  power  should  assert 
rights  of  sovereignty  against  the  other?  The 
fact  that  the  British  government  required  and 
the  company  agreed  to  enforce  British  law  in  the 
"territory  westward  of  the  Stony  mountains" 
shows  clearly  the  wish  of  the  ever  earth-hungry 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


British  lion  to  circumvent  the  treaty  of  1818  and 
make  Oregon  in  fact  and  verity  a  British  posses- 
sion. 

By  1824  all  the  rights  and  interests  of  the 
stockholders  late  of  the  Northwest  Company  had 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany. The  absorption  of  the  one  corporation  by 
the  other  was  complete.  The  treacherous  and 
perfidious  treatment  of  Mr.  Astor  and  the  demor- 
alization of  his  partners  availed  the  greedy 
Northwesters  but  little,  for  they  were  soon  after 
conquered  and  subdued  and  forever  deprived  of 
their  identity  as  a  company  by  their  powerful 
rival  and  enemy. 

The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  now  became  the 
sole  owner  and  proprietor  of  the  trade  west  of  the 
Rocky  mountains,  and  of  all  the  rights  accruing 
under  the  license  of  trade  of  December  5,  182 1. 
An  extended  narration  of  the  methods  and  rules 
of  this  corporation  would  be  very  interesting, 
but,  mindful  of  our  assigned  limits  and  province, 
we  must  be  brief.  The  company  has  been  aptly 
characterized  by  Evans  as  an  "imperium  in  impe- 
rio,"  and  such  it  was,  for  it  was  in  possession  of 
well-nigh  absolute  power  over  its  employees  and 
the  native  races  with  whom  it  traded.  It  was 
constituted  "the  true  and  absolute  lords  and 
proprietors  of  the  territories,  limits  and  places, 
save  always  the  faith,  allegiance  and  sovereign 
dominion  due  to  us  (the  crown),  our  heirs  and 
successors,  for  the  same,  to  hold  as  tenants  in  fee 
and  common  soccage,  and  not  by  knight's  service, 
reserving  as  a  yearly  rent,  two  elks  and  two 
black  beavers."  Power  was  granted,  should 
occasion  arise,  to  "send  ships-of-war,  men  or 
ammunition  to  any  fort,  post  or  place  for  the 
defense  thereof;  to  raise  military  companies,  and 
appoint  their  officers;  to  make  war  or  conclude 
peace  with  any  people  not  Christian,  in  any  of 
their  territories,"  also  "to  seize  the  goods,  estate 
or  people  of  those  countries  for  damage  to  the 
company's  interests,  or  for  the  interruption  of 
trade;  to  erect  and  build  forts,  garrisons,  towns, 
villages;  to  establish  colonies,  and  to  support 
such  establishments  by  expeditions  fitted  out  in 
Great  Britain;  to  seize  all  British  subjects  not 
connected  with  the  company  or  employed  by 
them  or  in  such  territory  by  their  license  and 
send  them  to  England."  Should  one  of  its  fac- 
tors, traders  or  other  employees  "contemn  or 
disobey  an  order,  he  was  liable  to  be  punished 
by  the  president  or  council,  who  were  authorized 
to  prescribe  the  manner  and  measure  of  punish- 
ment. The  offender  had  the  right  to  appeal  to 
the  company  in  England,  or  he  might  be  turned 
over  for  trial  by  the  courts.  For  the  better  dis- 
covery of  abuses  and  injuries  by  servants,  the 
governor  and  company,  and  their  respective  pres- 
ident, chief  agent  or  governor  in  any  of  the  terri- 
tories, were  authorized  to  examine  upon  oath  all 
factors,  masters,  pursers,  supercargoes,  com- 
manders of  castles,   forts,    fortifications,    planta- 


tions, or  colonies,  or  other  persons,  touching  or 
concerning  any  matter  or  thing  sought  to  be 
investigated."  To  further  strengthen  the  hands 
of  the  company  the  charter  concludes  with  a 
royal  mandate  to  all  "admirals,  vice-admirals, 
justices,  mayors,  sheriffs,  constables,  bailiffs, 
and  all  and  singular  other  our  officers,  min- 
isters, liegemen,  subjects  whatsoever,  to  aid, 
favor,  help  and  assist  the  said  governor  and  com- 
pany to  enjoy,  as  well  on  land  as  on  the  seas, 
all  the  premises  in  said  charter  contained,  when- 
soever required." 

"Endowed  with  an  empire  over  which  the 
company  exercised  absolute  dominion,  subject 
only  to  fealty  to  the  crown,  its  membership, 
powerful  nobles  and  citizens  of  wealth  residing 
near  and  at  the  court,  jealously  guarding  its 
every  interest,  and  securing  for  it  a  representa- 
tion in  the  government  itself,  is  it  to  be  won- 
dered," asks  Evans,  "that  this  imperium  in  imperio 
triumphantly  asserted  and  firmly  established 
British  supremacy  in  every  region  in  which  it 
operated?" 

Something  of  the  modus  operandi  of  the  com- 
pany must  now  be  given.  The  chief  factors  and 
chief  traders  were  paid  no  salaries,  but  in  lieu 
thereof  were  given  forty  per  cent,  of  the  profits, 
divided  among  them  on  some  basis  deemed  equi- 
table by  the  company.  The  clerks  received  sal- 
aries varying  from  twenty  to  one  hundred  pounds 
per  annum.  Below  these  again  were  the  serv- 
ants, whose  term  of  enlistment  (for  such  in 
effect  it  was)  was  for  five  years,  and  whose  pay 
was  seventeen  pounds  per  year  without  clothing. 
The  servant  was  bound  by  indentures  to  devote 
his  whole  time  and  labor  to  the  company's  inter- 
ests; to  yield  obedience  to  superior  officers;  to 
defend  the  company's  property;  to  faithfully  obey 
orders,  laws,  etc.  ;  to  defend  officers  and  agents 
to  the  best  of  his  ability;  to  serve  in  the  capacity 
of  a  soldier  whenever  called  upon  so  to  do;  to 
attend  military  drill;  and  never  to  engage  or  be 
interested  in  any  trade  or  occupation  except  in 
accordance  with  the  company's  orders  and  for  its 
benefit.  In  addition  to  the  pittance  paid  him, 
the  servant  was  entitled,  should  he  desire  to 
remain  in  the  country  after  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  enlistment,  to  fifty  acres  of  land,  for 
which  he  was  to  render  twenty-eight  days'  serv- 
ice per  annum  for  seven  years.  If  dismissed 
before  the  expiration  of  his  term,  the  servant,  it 
was  agreed,  should  be  transported  to  his  Euro- 
pean home  free  of  charge.  Desertion  or  neglect 
might  be  punished  by  the  forfeiture  of  even  the 
wretched  pittance  he  was  to  receive.  It  was, 
furthermore,  the  policy  of  the  company  to 
encourage  marriage  with  the  Indian  women, 
its  purpose  being  to  create  family  ties  which 
should  bind  the  poor  slave  to  the  soil.  By  the 
time  the  servant's  term  of  enlistment  had 
expired,  there  was,  therefore,  no  choice  left  him 
but  to  re-enlist  or  accept  the  grant  of  land.     "In 


NORTHWEST    AND    HUDSON'S    BAY    COMPANIES. 


times  of  peace,  laborers  and  operators  were 
ever  on  hand  at  mere  nominal  wages;  in  times 
of  outbreak  they  were  at  once  transformed 
into  soldiers  amenable  to  military  usage  and  dis- 
cipline." 

The  system  was  certainly  a  fine  one,  viewed 
from  the  standpoint  of  the  company,  but  while  it 
may  command  admiration  for  its  ingenuity,  it  is 
certainly  not  to  be  commended  for  magnanimity. 
Its  design  and  purpose  was  to  turn  the  wealth  of 
the  country  into  the  coffers  of  the  English  noble- 
men who  owned  Hudson's  Bay  stock,  though  this 
should  be  done  at  the  expense  of  the  manhood, 
the  self-respect  and  the  independence  of  the 
poor  sons  of  toil  who  foolishly  or  from  necessity 
bound  themselves  to  its  service. 

The  Indian  policy  of  the  company  was  no  less 
politic  than  its  treatment  of  its  employees,  but  it 
had  much  more  in  it  that  was  truly  commenda- 
ble. Its  purpose  did  not  bring  its  employees  into 
conflict  with  the  Indian  nor  require  his  expul- 
sion, neither  was  there  danger  of  the  lands  of  the 
savage  being  appropriated  or  the  graves  of  his 
people  disturbed.  The  sale  of  intoxicants  was 
positively  and  for  the  most  part  successfully  pro- 
hibited. Conciliation  was  the  wisest  policy  of 
the  company,  and  it  governed  itself  accordingly; 
but  when  punishment  was  merited,  it  was  admin- 
istered with  promptness  and  severity.  When 
depredations  were  committed  the  tribe  to  which 
the  malefactor  belonged  was  pursued  by  an 
armed  force  and  compelled  to  deliver  the  guilty 
to  his  fate.  A  certain  amount  of  civilization  was 
introduced,  and  with  it  came  an  increase  of 
wants,  which  wants  could  be  supplied  only  at  the 
company's  forts.  Indians  were  sent  on  hunting 
and  trapping  expeditions  in  all  directions,  so  that 
concentration  of  tribes  became  difficult,  and  if 
attempted,  easily  perceived  in  time  to  prevent 
trouble.  Thus  the  company  secured  an  influence 
over  the  savage  and  a  place  in  his  affections  from 
which  it  could  not  easily  be  dislodged. 

In  their  treatment  of  missionaries,  civil  and 
military  officers  and  others  from  the  United 
States,  the  company's  factors  and  agents  were 
uniformly  courteous  and  kind.  Their  hospitality 
was  in  the  highest  degree  commendable,  merit- 
ing the  gratitude  of  the  earliest  visitors  and  set- 
tlers. The  poor  and  unfortunate  never  asked 
assistance  in  vain.  But  woe  to  the  American 
who  attempted  to  trade  with  the  Indians,  to  trap, 
hunt  or  do  anything  which  brought  him  into 
competition  with  the  British  corporation!  All 
the  resources  of  a  company  supplied  with  an 
abundance  of  cheap  labor,  supported  by  the 
friendship  and  affection  of  the  aboriginal  peo- 
ples, backed  by  almost  unlimited  capital,  and 
fortified  by  the  favor  of  one  of  the  wealthiest 
and  most  powerful  nations  of  the  world,  were  at 
once  turned  to  crush  him.  Counter-establish- 
ments were  formed  in  his  vicinity,  and  he  was 
hampered  in  every  way  possible   and    pursued 


with  the  relentlessness  of  an  evil  fate  until  com- 
pelled to  retire  from  the  field. 

Such  being  the  conditions,  there  was  not 
much  encouragement  for  American  enterprise  in 
the  basin  of  the  Columbia.  It  is  not,  however, 
in  the  American  character  to  yield  a  promising 
prospect  without  a  struggle,  and  several  times 
efforts  were  made  at  competition  in  the  Oregon 
territory.  Of  some  of  these  we  must  speak 
briefly.  The  operations  of  William  H.  Ashley 
west  of  the  Rocky  mountains  did  not  extend  to 
the  Oregon  country  and  are  of  importance  to  our 
purpose  only  because  in  one  of  his  expeditions, 
fitted  out  in  1826,  he  brought  a  six-pounder, 
drawn  by  mules,  across  the  Rocky  mountains, 
thereby  demonstrating  the  feasibility  of  a  wagon 
road.  In  1826  Jedediah  S.  Smith,  of  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Fur  Company,  encouraged  by  some 
previous  successes  in  the  Snake  river  district, 
set  out  for  the  country  west  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake.  He  proceeded  so  far  westward  that  no 
recourse  was  left  him  but  to  push  onward  to  the 
Pacific,  his  stock  of  provisions  being  so  reduced 
and  his  horses  so  exhausted  as  to  render  an 
attempt  to  return  unwise.  He  went  south  to 
San  Diego  for  horses  and  supplies,  and  experi- 
enced no  little  difficulty  on  account  of  the  suspi- 
cions of  the  native  Californians,  who  were  jealous 
of  all  strangers,  especially  those  from  the  United 
States.  Eventually,  however,  he  was  able  to 
proceed  northward  to  the  Rogue  river,  then  along 
the  shore  to  the  Umpqua,  in  which  vicinity  seri- 
ous difficulty  with  Indians  was  experienced. 
Fifteen  of  the  nineteen  who  constituted  the  party 
were  massacred;  indeed,  all  who  happened  to  be 
in  the  camp  at  the  time  except  one  were  killed. 
This  man,  aided  by  friendly  Indians,  reached 
Fort  Vancouver,  and  told  his  story  to  the  mag- 
nanimous chief  factor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, Dr.  John  McLoughlin,  who  offered  the 
Indians  a  liberal  reward  for  the  safe  return  of 
Smith  and  his  two  companions.  A  party  of  forty 
men  was  equipped  at  once  to  go  to  the  Umpqua 
country,  but  before  they  got  started,  Smith  and 
the  men  arrived.  McLoughlin  took  steps  to 
secure  the  property  stolen  from  Smith,  and  so 
successfully  did  he  manage  the  affair  that  peltries 
to  the  value  of  over  three  thousand  dollars  were 
recovered  and  the  murderers  were  severely  pun- 
ished by  other  Indians.  Smith  was  conquered 
by  kindness,  and  at  his  solicitation  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Fur  Company  retired  from  the  terri- 
tory of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 

Of  various  other  expeditions  by  Americans 
into  the  Oregon  country  and  of  the  attempts  by 
American  vessels  to  trade  along  the  coast,  we 
cannot  speak.  Some  reference  must,  however, 
be  made  to  the  work  of  Captain  B.  L.  E.  Bonne- 
ville, who,  in  1831,  applied  for  a  two  years'  leave 
of  absence  from  the  United  States  army  that  he 
might  "explore  the  country  to  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains and  beyond,  with  a  view  to  ascertain  the 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


nature  and  character  of  the  several  tribes  of 
Indians  inhabiting  those  regions;  the  trade  which 
might  profitably  be  carried  on  with  them ;  quality 
of  soil,  productions,  minerals,  natural  history, 
climate,  geography,  topography,  as  well  as  geol- 
ogy of  the  various  parts  of  the  country  within 
the  limits  of  the  territories  of  the  United  States 
between  our  frontier  and  the  Pacific."  The 
request  was  granted.  While  Bonneville  was 
informed  that  the  government  would  be  to  no 
expense  in  fitting  up  the  expedition,  he  was 
instructed  that  he  must  provide  himself  with 
suitable  instruments  and  maps,  and  that  he  was 
to  "note  particularly  the  number  of  warriors  that 
may  be  in  each  tribe  of  natives  that  may  be  met 
with,  their  alliances  with  other  tribes,  and  their 
relative  position  as  to  a  state  of  peace  or  war; 
their  manner  of  making  war,  mode  of  subsisting 
themselves  during  a  state  of  war  and  a  state  of 
peace;  the  arms  and  the  effect  of  them;  whether 
they  act  on  foot  or  on  horseback ;  in  short,  every 
information  useful  to  the  government. ' '  It  would 
seem  that  a  government  which  asked  such  impor- 
tant services  ought  to  have  been  willing  to  make 
some  financial  return,  at  least  to  pay  the  expenses. 
But  Captain  Bonneville  had  to  secure  financial 
aid  elsewhere.  During  the  winter  an  association 
was  formed  in  New  York  which  furnished  the 
necessary  means,  and  on  May  i,  1832,  the  expe- 
dition set  out,  the  party  numbering  one  hundred 
and  ten  men.  They  took  with  them  in  wagons 
a  large  quantity  of  trading  goods  to  be  used  in 
traffic  with  the  Indians  in  the  basins  of  the  Colo- 
rado and  Columbia  rivers.  Bonneville  himself 
went  as  far  west  as  Fort  Walla  Walla.  Members 
of  his  expedition  entered  the  valleys  of  the  Hum- 
boldt, Sacramento  and  Colorado  rivers,  but  they 
were  unable  to  compete  with  the  experienced 
Hudson's  Bay  and  Missouri  Companies,  and  the 
enterprise  proved  a  financial  failure.  The  expe- 
dition derives  its  chief  importance  from  the  fact 
that  it  forms  the  basis  of  one  of  lrving's  most 
fascinating  works,  which,  "in  language  more 
thrilling  and  varied  than  romance,  has  pictured 
the  trapper's  life,  its  dangers,  its  exciting  pleas- 
ures, the  bitter  rivalry  of  competing  traders,  the 
hostility  of  the  savages,"  presenting  a  picture  of 
the  fur  trade  which  will  preserve  to  latest  pos- 
terity something  of  the  charm  and  fascination  of 
that  wild,  weird  traffic. 

Captain  Nathaniel  J.  Wyeth,  of  Massachusetts, 
projected  in  1832  an  enterprise  of  curious  interest 
and  some  historical  importance.  His  plan  was 
to  establish  salmon  fisheries  on  the  Columbia 
river,  to  be  operated  as  an  adjunct  to  and  in  con- 
nection with  the  fur  and  Indian  trade.  He  crossed 
overland  to  Oregon,  despatching  a  vessel  with 
trading  goods  via  Cape  Horn,  but  his  vessel  was 
never  again  heard  from,  so  the  enterprise  met 
defeat.  The  next  year  Captain  Wyeth  returned 
to  Boston,  leaving,  however,  most  of  his  party  in 
the   country.     Many  of  the  men  settled  in  the 


Willamette  valley,  and  one  of  them  found 
employment  as  an  Indian  teacher  for  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company. 

Not  to  be  discouraged  by  one  failure,  Captain 
Wyeth,  in  1834,  fitted  out  another  land  expedition 
and  despatched  to  the  Columbia  another  vessel, 
the  May  Dacre,  laden  with  trading  goods.  On 
reaching  the  confluence  of  the  Snake  and  Port 
Neuf  rivers,  Wyeth  erected  a  trading  post,  to 
which  he  gave  the  name  of  Fort  Hall.  Having 
sent  out  his  hunting  and  trapping  parties,  and 
made  arrangements  for  the  season's  operations, 
he  proceeded  to  Fort  Vancouver,  where,  about 
the  same  time,  the  May  Dacre  arrived.  He 
established  a  trading  house  and  salmon  fishery 
on  Wapato  (now  Sauvie's)  island,  which  became 
known  as  Fort  William.  The  fishery  proved  a 
failure,  and  the  trading  and  trapping  industry 
could  not  stand  the  competition  and  harassing 
tactics  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and  the 
constant  hostility  of  the  Indians.  George  B. 
Roberts,  who  came  to  Oregon  in  1831  as  an 
employee  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  is 
quoted  as  having  accounted  for  the  trouble  with 
the  red  men  in  this  way.  He  said:  "The  island 
was  thickly  inhabited  by  Indians  until  1830,  when 
they  were  nearly  exterminated  by  congestive 
chills  and  fever.  There  were  at  the  time  three 
villages  on  the  island.  So  fatal  were  the  effects 
of  the  disease,  that  Dr.  McLoughlin  sent  a  party 
to  rescue  and  bring  away  the  few  that  were  left, 
and  to  burn  the  villages.  The  Indians  attributed 
the  introduction  of  the  fever  and  ague  to  an 
American  vessel  that  had  visited  the  river  a  year 
or  two  previously.  It  is  not  therefore  a  matter 
of  surprise  to  any  who  understand  Indian  char- 
acter and  their  views  as  to  death  resulting  from 
such  diseases,  that  Wyeth's  attempted  establish- 
ment on  Wapato  island  was  subject  to  continued 
hostility.  He  was  of  a  race  to  whom  they  attrib- 
uted the  cause  of  the  destruction  of  their  people; 
and  his  employees  were  but  the  lawful  compen- 
sation according  to  their  code  for  the  affliction 
they  had  suffered." 

Wyeth  eventually  returned  to  Massachusetts 
disheartened.  Fort  Hall  ultimately  passed  into 
the  hands  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  and 
with  its  acquisition  by  them,  practically  ended 
American  fur  trade  west  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains. But  though  Wyeth's  enterprise  failed  so 
signally,  his  account  of  it,  published  by  order 
of  congress,  attracted  the  attention  of  Ameri- 
cans to  Oregon,  and  did  much  to  stimulate  its 
settlement. 

It  will  readily  be  seen  then  that  whatever 
advantage  the  establishment  of  fur-trading 
enterprises  might  give  in  the  final  settlement  of 
the  Oregon  question  was  with  the  British.  We 
shall  attempt  a  brief  and  succinct  account  of  the 
"struggle  for  possession"  in  a  later  chapter,  but 
it  will  here  be  our  task  to  determine  in  some 
measure  what  the  political  mission  of  the   Hud- 


NORTHWEST    AND    HUDSON'S    BAY    COMPANIES. 


son's  Bay  Company  might  be  and  what  part  that 
association  was  playing  in  international  affairs. 
In  1837  the  company  applied  to  the  home  govern- 
men  for  a  new  license,  granting  enlarged  privi- 
leges. In  enforcing  its  request,  it  pointed  forci- 
bly to  its  efficient  services  in  successfully  crushing 
out  American  enterprise  and  strengthening 
British  title  to  the  territory,  contrary  to  the 
spirit  and  letter  of  the  Joint-Occupancy  treaties 
of  1818  and  1827. 

In  presenting  the  petition,  the  company's 
chief  representative  in  England,  Sir  John  Henry 
Pelly,  called  the  attention  of  the  lords  to  the 
service  rendered  in  securing  to  the  mother 
country  a  branch  of  trade  wrested  from  subjects 
of  Russia  and  the  United  States  of  America;  to 
the  six  permanent  establishments  it  had  on  the 
coast,  and  the  sixteen  in  the  interior,  besides  the 
migratory  and  hunting  parties;  to  its  marine  of 
six  armed  vessels;  to  its  large  pasture  and  grain 
farms,  affording  every  species  of  agricultural 
produce  and  maintaining  large  herds  of  stock. 
He  further  averred  that  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  company  to  still  further  extend  and  increase 
its  farms,  and  to  establish  an  export  trade  in 
wool,  hides,  tallow  and  other  produce  of  the  herd 
and  the  cultivated  field,  also  to  encourage  the 
settlement  of  its  retired  servants  and  other 
emigrants  under  its  protection.  Referring  to  the 
soil,  climate  and  other  circumstances  of  the 
country,  he  said  they  were  such  as  to  make  it  "as 
much  adapted  to  agricultural  pursuits  as  any 
other  spot  in  America;  and,"  said  he,  "with  care 
and  protection,  the  British  dominion  may  not 
only  be  preserved  in  this  country,  which  it  has 
been  so  much  the  wish  of  Russia  and  America  to 
occupy  to  the  exclusion  of  British  subjects,  but 
British  interest  and  British  influence  may  be 
maintained  as  paramount  in  this  interesting  part 
of  the  coast  of  the  Pacific." 

Sir  George  Simpson,  who  was  in  charge  of 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  affairs  in  America, 
in  making  his  plea  for  the  renewal  of  the  license, 
referred  to  the  international  import  of  the  com- 
pany's operations  in  this  language:  "The  posses- 
sion of  that  country  to  Great  Britain  may  be  an 
object  of  very  great  importance;  and  we 
are  strengthening  that  claim  to  it  (inde- 
pendent of  the  claims  of  prior  discovery  and 
occupation  for  the  purpose  of  Indian  trade)  by 
forming  the  nucleus  of  a  colony  through  the 
establishment  of  farms,  and  the  settlement  of 
some  of  our  retired  officers  and  servants  as  agri- 
culturists." 

One  might  almost  expect  that  Great  Britain 
might  utter  some  word  of  reproof  to  a  company 
which  could  have  the  audacity  to  boast  of  violat- 
ing her  treaty  compacts  with  a  friendly  power. 
Not  so,  however.  She  was  a  party  to  the  breach 
of  faith.  Instead  of  administering  merited 
reproof,  she  rewards  the  wrongdoers  by  the 
prompt  issuing  of  a  new  license  to  extend  and  be 


in  force  for  a  period  of  twenty-one  years.  This 
renewed  license,  the  date  of  which  is  May  31, 
1838,  granted  to  the  company  "the  exclusive 
privilege  of  trading  with  the  Indians  in  all  such 
parts  of  North  America,  to  the  northward  and 
westward  of  the  islands  and  territories  belonging 
to  the  United  States  of  America,  as  shall  not 
form  part  of  any  of  our  (British)  provinces  in 
North  America  or  any  lands  or  territories  belong- 
ing to  the  said  United  States  of  America,  or  to 
any  European  government,  state,  or  power. 
Without  rent  for  the  first  five  years,  and  after- 
ward the  yearly  rent  of  five  shillings,  payable  on 
the  first  of  June." 

The  c6mpany  was  again  required  to  furnish  a 
bond  conditioned  on  their  executing,  by  their 
authority  over  the  persons  in  their  employ,  "all 
civil  and  criminal  process  by  the  officers  or  per- 
sons usually  empowered  to  execute  such  process 
within  all  territories  included  in  the  grant,  and 
for  the  producing  or  delivering  into  custody,  for 
the  purpose  of  trial,  all  persons  in  their  employ 
or  acting  under  their  authority  within  the  said 
territories,  who  shall  be  charged  with  any  crim- 
inal offences." 

The  license,  however,  prohibited  the  company 
"from  claiming  or  exercising  any  trade  with  the 
Indians  on  the  northwest  coast  of  America  west- 
ward of  the  Rocky  mountains  to  the  prejudice  or 
exclusion  of  any  of  the  subjects  of  any  foreign 
state,  who,  under  or  by  force  of  any  convention 
for  the  time  being  between  Great"  Britain  and 
such  foreign  states  may  be  entitled  to  and  shall 
be  engaged  in  such  trade."  But  no  provision 
could  be  framed,  nor  was  it  the  wish  of  the 
grantors  to  frame  any,  which  should  prevent  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  from  driving  out  by  har- 
assing tactics  and  fierce  competition  any  Ameri- 
can who  might  enter  the  Oregon  territory  as  a 
trader. 

One  of  the  strangest  ruses  of  this  wonder- 
fully shrewd  and  resourceful  company  must  now 
receive  notice.  It  was  not  in  the  power  of  the 
British  government  to  convey  lands  in  the  Ore- 
gon country,  neither  could  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  in  any  way  acquire  legal  title  to  realty. 
It  therefore  determined  upon  a  bold  artifice.  A 
co-partnership  was  formed  on  the  joint  stock 
principle,  the  personnel  of  the  company  consist- 
ing largely  of  Hudson's  Bay  Company  stock- 
holders. The  name  adopted  for  it  was  the  Puget 
Sound  Agricultural  Company.  The  idea  of  this 
association  was  to  acquire  a  possessory  right  to 
large  tracts  of  rich  tillable  and  grazing  lands, 
use  these  for  agricultural  purposes  and  pasturage 
until  the  Oregon  controversy  was  settled,  then, 
should  the  British  be  successful  in  that  contro- 
versy, apply  at  once  for  articles  of  incorporation 
and  a  grant.  It  was,  of  course,  the  purpose  of 
the  promoters,  from  motives  of  self-interest  as 
well  as  of  patriotism,  to  strengthen  the  claim  of 
the  mother  country  in  every  possible  way.    Great 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Britain  never  acquired  title  to  the  lands  in  ques- 
tion; the  Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company 
never  gained  a  corporate  existence;  it  never  had 
anything  more  than  a  bare  possessory  right  to 
any  lands,  a  right  terminating  on  the  death  or 
withdrawal  from  the  company  of  the  person  seized 
therewith.  Logically,  then,  we  should  expect 
the  absolute  failure  of  the  scheme.  But  it  did 
not  fail.  So  forceful  was  this  legal  figment  and 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  behind  it,  that  they 
had  the  power  to  demand  as  one  of  the  condi- 
tions upon  which  peace  might  be  maintained 
between  the  two  governments  chiefly  concerned 
in  the  Oregon  controversy,  that  "the  farms, 
lands  and  other  property  of  every  description 
belonging  to  the  Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Com- 
pany, on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia  river, 
shall  be  confirmed  to  the  said  company.  In  case, 
however,  the  situation  of  those  lands  and  farms 
should  be  considered  by  the  United  States  to  be 
of  public  and  political  importance,  and  the 
United  States  government  should  signify  a 
desire  to  obtain  possession  of  the  whole  or  a  part 
thereof,  the  property  so  required  shall  be  trans- 


ferred to  the  government  at  a  proper  valuation, 
to  be  agreed  upon  between  the  parties." 

The  Puget  Sound  CompaDy  laid  claim  under 
the  treaty  to  two  tracts — the  tract  of  the  Nis- 
qually,  containing  two  hundred  and  sixty-one 
square  miles,  and  the  Cowlitz  farm,  containing 
three  thousand  five  hundred  and  seventy-two 
acres.  When  the  matter  came  up  for  settlement, 
the  company  asked  five  millions  of  dollars  in 
liquidation  of  its  claims.  So  the  United  States 
was  forced,  in  the  interests  of  peace  and  human- 
ity, into  an  illogical  agreement  to  purchase  lands, 
the  claim  to  which  was  established  in  open  viola- 
tion of  the  Joint-Occupancy  treaties  of  1818  and 
1827.  She  was  forced  by  a  provision  of  the 
treaty  of  1846  to  obligate  herself  to  purchase 
lands  which  the  same  treaty  conceded  as  belong- 
ing to  her.  More  humiliating  still,  she  was  com- 
pelled to  reward  a  company  for  its  acts  of  hostil- 
ity to  her  interests  in  keeping  out  her  citizens 
and  breaking  up  their  establishments.  But  the 
sacrifice  was  made  in  the  interests  of  peace  and 
civilization,  and  who  shall  say  that  in  conserving 
these  it  lacked  an  abundant  justification? 


CHAPTER  V. 


PERIOD   OF    SETTLEMENT. 


Already,  it  is  hoped,  there  has  been  conveyed 
to  the  mind  of  the  reader  as  clear  an  impression 
as  the  limits  of  this  volume  will  permit  of  the 
first  faint  knockings  of  civilization's  standard- 
bearers  upon  our  western  shores,  of  some  of  the 
expeditions  by  which  the  land  so  long  a  terra 
incognita  was  robbed  of  its  mystery  and  the  over- 
land route  to  it  discovered,  and  of  the  regime  of 
the  trapper  and  fur  trader.  It  remains  to  treat 
of  missionary  occupancy,  of  the  advent  of  the 
pioneer  settler,  of  the  diplomatic  struggle  for  the 
possession  of  the  country  and  of  that  second 
struggle  for  possession  which  cost  so  much  hard- 
ship and  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  both  the  white 
and  the  red  race  and  left  so  tragic  a  stain  on  our 
earlier  annals. 

With  Wyeth's  overland  expedition,  previously 
mentioned,  were  Dr.  Nuttall,  a  naturalist,  and 
J.  K.  Townsend,  an  ornithologist,  both  sent  out 
by  a  Boston  scientific  society;  also  Rev.  Jason 
Lee  and  his  nephew,  Rev.  Daniel  Lee,  Cyrus 
Shepherd,  Courtney  M.  Walker  and  P.  L. 
Edwards,   a  missionary   party  sent   out   by  the 


Methodist  Missionary  Board  of  the  United  States. 
This  body  of  unpretentious  evangels  of  gospel 
truth  were  destined  to  exert  an  influence  of 
which  they  little  dreamed  upon  the  imperial 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  the  struggle  for 
sovereignty  in  Oregon.  The  scientific  men  and 
the  missionaries  left  Wyeth,  who  was  delayed  in 
the  construction  of  Fort  Hall,  and  were  guided 
the  remainder  of  the  way  by  A.  R.  McLeod  and 
Thomas  McKay,  Hudson's  Bay  men,  to  old  Fort 
Walla  Walla,  which  they  reached  September  1st. 
The  journey  from  that  point  to  Vancouver  was 
accomplished  in  two  weeks.  Little  did  these 
devoted  servants  of  the  British  fur  monopoly 
realize  that  the  unassuming  missionary  party 
they  so  kindly  piloted  from  Fort  Hall  to  Van- 
couver would  prove  so  potential  in  antagonizing 
their  interests,  and  those  of  the  imperial  power 
whose  patronage  they  enjoyed.  The  missionary 
party,  it  has  been  said,  "was  but  another  Trojan 
horse  within  whose  apparently  guileless  interior 
was  confined  a  hostile  force,  which  would,  within 
a  decade  of  years,  throw  wide  open  the  gates  of 


PERIOD    OF    SETTLEMENT. 


exclusive  privilege  and  introduce  within  the  jeal- 
ously guarded  walls  a  host  of  foes,  to  the  utter 
destruction  of  intrenched  monopoly  and  the  final 
overthrow  of  British  dominion  and  pretention  on 
the  Pacific  coast !  Well  might  Governor  McLough- 
lin,  the  autocrat  of  the  Pacific  Northwest,  when 
he  welcomed  this  modest  party  of  meek  Method- 
ists, and  assigned  them  land  near  Salem,  have 
recalled  the  misgivings  of  the  Trojan  prophetess: 
'Timeo  Danaos  et  dona  ferentes* — 'I  distrust  the 
Greeks,  though  they  offer  gifts. '  The  American 
missionary  was  an  advance  agent  of  Yankee 
invasion." 

About  the  time  Wyeth's  main  party  arrived 
at  Vancouver  came  also  the  ship  on  which  were 
his  goods  for  the  fur  trade,  and  the  furniture  and 
supplies  of  the  missionary  party.  On  October 
6th  the  goods  of  the  missionaries  were  landed  at 
Wheatland,  as  they  named  the  place  where  the 
mission  was  to  be  established.  By  November  3d 
a  log  house  was  advanced  sufficiently  for  occupa- 
tion, but  before  the  roof  was  on  Indian  children 
had  been  admitted  as  pupils,  and  by  December 
14th  twenty-one  persons,  of  whom  seventeen 
were  children,  were  baptized  by  Jason  Lee  at 
Vancouver. 

Wyeth's  enterprise,  as  well  as  all  previous 
efforts  of  a  like  character  inaugurated  by  Ameri- 
cans, was  met  by  crushing  and  ruinous  opposition 
from  the  autocratic  British  monopoly,  but  the 
missionaries  were  assisted  and  encouraged  in 
every  way.  Bonneville,  Wyeth  and  other  Amer- 
ican adventurers  and  traders  had  come  to  Oregon 
to  compete  with  the  British  traders  or  to  colonize 
against  the  interests  of  their  fatherland.  Lee 
and  his  party  were  there  to  Christianize  the  pagan 
inhabitants,  to  instruct  the  ignorant,  to  minister 
to  the  sick  and  the  dying,  and  to  set  a  godly 
example  to  the  irreligious,  the  reckless  and  semi- 
barbarous  employees  and  ex-servants  of  the  cor- 
poration. Hence  the  difference  in  their  recep- 
tion. The  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  shrewd  and 
vigilant  though  it  was,  did  not  and  could  not 
foresee  that  the  attempt  to  convert  the  Indian 
would  fail,  owing  to  causes  over  which  the  mis- 
sionaries had  no  control,  and  that  the  mission 
people  would  form  a  settlement  of  their  own, 
around  which  would  naturally  cluster  all  the  ele- 
ments of  society  independent  of  the  British  cor- 
poration; that  a  social  and  political  force  would 
spring  up  hostile  to  the  commercial  interests 
and  political  ambitions  of  the  company,  potential 
to  destroy  its  autocratic  sway  in  the  land  and 
forceful  to  effect  the  final  wresting  of  the  coun- 
try entirely  from  its  control.  The  coming  of  the 
missionaries  has  been  well  styled  the  entrance  of 
the  wedge  of  American  occupancy. 

The  event  which  prompted  the  outfitting  of 
this  missionary  enterprise  is  one  of  the  strangest 
and  most  romantic  character.  It  shows  how 
affairs  apparently  the  most  trivial  will  deeply 
influence  and  sometimes  greatly  change  the  cur- 


rent of  human  history.  In  one  of  the  former 
historical  works,  in  the  compilation  of  which  the 
writer  has  had  a  part,  the  story  is  told  by  Colonel 
William  Parsons,  of  Pendleton,  Oregon,  substan- 
tially as  follows: 

"Far  up  in  the  mountains  of  Montana,  in 
one  of  the  many  valleys  which  sparkle  like  emer- 
alds on  the  western  slope  of  the  Stony  range,  a 
handful  of  natives,  whom  the  whites  call  by  the 
now  inappropriate  name  of  'Flatheads,'  met  to 
ponder  over  the  unique  tale  repeated  by  some 
passing  mountaineer  of  a  magic  book  possessed 
by  the  white  man,  which  assured  its  owners  of 
peace  and  comfort  in  this  life  and  eternal  bliss  in 
the  world  beyond  the  grave.  The  Flatheads 
were  a  weak  and  unwarlike  people;  they  were 
sorely  beset  by  the  fierce  Blackfeet,  their  hered- 
itary foes,  through  whose  terrible  incursions  the 
Flatheads  had  been  reduced  in  numbers  and 
harassed  so  continuously  that  their  state  was 
most  pitiable.  To  this  remnant  of  a  once  proud 
race  the  trapper's  story  was  a  rainbow  of  prom- 
ise; the  chiefs  resolved  to  seek  this  book,  and 
possess  themselves  of  the  white  man's  treasure. 
They  chose  an  embassy,  of  four  of  their  wisest 
and  bravest  men,  and  sent  them  trustfully  on  the 
tribe's  errand.  The  quest  of  'three  kings  of  the 
orient,'  who,  two  thousand  years  ago,  started  on 
their  holy  pilgrimage  to  the  manger  of  the  lowly 
babe  of  Bethlehem,  was  not  more  weird,  nor  was 
the  search  of  the  knights  of  King  Arthur's  round 
table  for  the  Holy  Grail  more  picturesque  and 
seemingly  more  hopeless.  Though  they  knew 
that  there  were  men  of  the  pale-face  race  on  the 
lower  waters  of  the  Columbia,  and  one  of  these 
doubtless  had  told  them  of  the  book,  they  knew 
that  these  uncouth  trappers,  hunters  and  fishers 
were  ungodly  men  in  the  main  and  not  custo- 
dians of  the  precious  volume  for  which  their  souls 
so  earnestly  longed.  These  were  not  like  the 
fishers  of  old  by  the  sea  of  Galilee,  who  received 
the  gospel  gladly,  and,  following  the  footsteps 
of  the  Master,  themselves  became  fishers  of 
men,  but  were  scoffers,  swearers  and  contemners 
of  holy  things.  So  the  Indians,  like  the  ancient 
wise  men,  turned  their  faces  towards  the  east. 

"They  threaded  their  toilsome  way  by  stealth 
through  the  dreaded  Blackfoot  country,  scaled 
the  perilous  Stony  mountains,  descending  the 
eastern  slope,  followed  the  tributaries  of  the 
Missouri  through  the  dreaded  country  of  the 
Dakotahs,  and  then  pursued  the  windings  of  the 
Missouri  till  they  struck  the  Father  of  Waters, 
arriving  at  St.  Louis  in  the  summer  of  1832. 
Indians  were  no  rarity  in  this  outpost  of  civiliza- 
tion, and  the  friendless  and  forlorn  Flatheads 
soon  discovered  that  the  white  trappers,  hunters, 
flatboat  men,  traders,  teamsters,  and  riff-raff  of 
a  bustling  young  city  were  about  the  last  people 
in  the  world  to  supply  Indians  who  had  no  furs 
to  sell  with  either  spiritual  or  material  solace. 
The  embassy  was  not  only  without  money,  but 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


its  members  could  not  even  speak  the  language 
of  the  pale-faces.  Nor  was  anyone  found  who 
could  serve  as  interpreter.  It  would  have  been 
easy  enough  to  have  obtained  a  Bible,  if  they 
could  have  met  with  a  stray  colporteur,  but  none 
was  in  evidence,  and  the  average  denizen  of  St. 
Louis  was  better  provided  with  cartridge  belts 
and  guns  than  with  literature  of  any  sort.  In 
despair  they  applied  to  Governor  Clarke,  the  offi- 
cial head  of  the  territory,  whose  headquarters 
were  in  the  town — the  same  William  Clarke  who, 
with  Captain  Meriwether  Lewis,  had  led  the 
expedition  to  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  nearly 
thirty  years  before.  It  is  possible  that  they  may 
have  heard  of  Clarke  by  reason  of  his  travels 
through  their  country  a  generation  previous. 
By  means  of  signs  and  such  few  words  of  jargon 
as  they  could  muster  they  attempted  to  explain 
to  Governor  Clarke  the  purpose  of  their  visit  but 
it  is  evident  that  they  succeeded  none  too  well. 
In  response  to  their  prayer  for  spiritual  food,  he 
bestowed  on  them  blankets,  beads  and  tobacco — ■ 
the  routine  gifts  to  importunate  redskins — and 
the  discouraged  Flatheads  abandoned  their  illu- 
sive quest  for  the  magic  book.  Before  leaving 
for  home,  the  Indians  made  a  farewell  call  on 
Governor  Clarke,  during  which  they,  or  one  of 
them,  made  a  speech.  Just  what  the  speaker 
said,  or  tried  to  say,  may  be  a  matter  of  doubt, 
but  the  report  made  of  it  and  given  to  the  press 
is  a  marvel  of  simple  eloquence.     It  is  as  follows : 

"We  came  to  you  over  a  trail  of  many  moons  from  the 
setting  sun.  You  were  the  friend  of  our  fathers,  who  have 
all  gone  the  long  road.  We  came  with  our  eyes  partly 
opened  for  more  light  for  our  people  who  sit  in  darkness. 
We  go  back  with  our  eyes  closed.  How  can  we  go  back 
blind  to  our  blind  people?  We  made  our  way  to  you  with 
strong  arms,  through  many  enemies  and  strange  lands, 
that  we  might  carry  back  much  to  them.  We  go  back  with 
both  arms  broken  and  empty.  The  two  fathers  who  came 
with  us— the  braves  of  many  winters  and  wars — we  leave 
here  asleep  by  your  great  water  and  wigwams.  They 
were  tired  with  their  journey  of  many  moons  and  their 
moccasins  were  worn  out. 

"Our  people  sent  us  to  get  the  white  man's  Book  of 
Heaven.  You  took  us  where  they  worship  the  Great 
Spirit  with  candles,  but  the  Book  was  not  there.  You 
showed  us  the  images  of  good  spirits,  and  pictures  of  the 
good  land  beyond,  but  the  Book  was  not  among  them  to 
tell  us  the  way.  You  made  our  feet  heavy  with  burdens 
of  gifts,  and  our  moccasins  will  grow  old  with  carrying 
them,  but  the  Book  is  not  among  them.  We  are  going 
back  the  long,  sad  trail  to  our  people.  When  we  tell  them, 
after  one  more  snow,  in  the  big  council,  that  we  did  not 
bring  the  Book,  no  word  will  be  spoken  by  our  old  men 
nor  by  our  young  braves.  One  by  one  they  will  rise  up 
and  go  out  in  silence.  Our  people  will  die  in  darkness, 
and  they  will  go  on  the  long  path  to  the  other  hunting 
grounds.  No  white  man  will  go  with  them,  and  no  Book 
of  Heaven  to  make  the  way  plain.  We  have  no  more 
words. 

"The  story  of  the  Flathead  embassy  and  their 
unique  quest  subsequently  reached  George  Catlin 
through  the  medium  of  Governor  Clarke.  Catlin 
was  an  artist  who  had  made  a  special  study  of 
Indian   types  and  dress,   and  had   painted  with 


great  ability  and  fidelity  many  portraits  of  noted 
chiefs.  In  the  national  museum  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  may  be  seen  a  very  extensive  collection 
of  his  Indian  paintings,  supplemented  with 
almost  innumerable  recent  photographs,  among 
which  are  those  of  Chief  Joseph,  the  great  Nez 
Perce  warrior,  and  the  Umatilla  reservation 
chieftains — Homeli,  Peo  and  Paul"  Showeway. 
Mr.  Catlin  was  not  only  a  portrait  painter,  but  a 
gifted  writer.  He  converted  the  plain,  unvar- 
nished tale  of  Governor  Clarke  concerning  the 
Flatheads  into  an  epic  poem  of  thrilling  inter- 
est, and  gave  it  to  the  press.  Its  publication  in 
the  religious  journals  created  a  great  sensation, 
and  steps  were  immediately  taken  to  answer  the 
Macedonian  cry  of  the  Flatheads.  The  sending 
of  Jason  Lee  and  his  party  to  Oregon  was  a 
result. 

"The  quest  of  the  Flatheads,  the  sad  deaths 
of  all  their  ambassadors  save  one  on  the  journey, 
and  the  temporary  failure  of  their  project  seemed 
a  hopeless  defeat,  but  they  'builded  wiser  than 
they  knew,'  for  the  very  fact  of  their  mission 
stirred  mightily  the  hearts  of  the  church  people, 
and  through  that  instrumentality  the  attention 
of  Americans  was  sharply  directed  to  the  enor- 
mous value  of  the  Pacific  Northwest.  The  inter- 
est thus  excited  was  timely — another  decade  of 
supine  lethargy  and  the  entire  Pacific  coast  from 
Mexico  to  the  Russian  possessions  would  have 
passed  irretrievably  under  British  control. 

"The  Flatheads'  search  for  the  magic  book 
was  to  all  appearance  an  ignominious  failure, 
but  their  plaintive  cry,  feeble  though  it  was, 
stirred  the  mountain  heights,  and  precipitated 
an  irresistible  avalanche  of  American  enterprise 
into  the  valley  of  the  Columbia,  overwhelming 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  with  its  swelling 
volume  of  American  immigration. 

"In  a  lesser  way,  also,  their  mission  suc- 
ceeded, though  success  was  long  on  the  road. 
The  western  movement  of  white  population 
engulfed  the  hated  Blackfeet,  thinned  their 
numbers  till  they  were  no  longer  formidable, 
even  to  the  Flatheads,  confined  them  within  the 
narrow  limits  of  a  reservation  in  northern  Mon- 
tana, where  they  were  ordered  about  by  a  con- 
sequential Indian  agent,  and  collared  and  thrust 
into  the  agency  jail  for  every  trifling  misde- 
meanor, by  the  agency  police ;  while  the  one  time 
harassed  and  outraged  Flathead  roams  unvexed 
through  his  emerald  vales,  pursues  without  fear  to 
its  uttermost  retreat  in  the  Rockies  the  lordly 
elk  or  the  elusive  deer,  tempts  the  wily  trout 
from  the  dark  pool  of  the  sequestered  mountain 
torrent  with  the  seductive  fly,  or  lazily  floats  on 
the  surface  of  some  placid  lake,  which  mirrors 
the  evergreen  slopes  of  the  environing  hills, 
peacefully  withdrawing,  now  and  again,  the 
appetizing  salmon  trout  from  its  cool,  transparent 
depths,  to  be  transferred  presently,  in  exchange 
for  gleaming  silver,   to   some   thrifty   pale-face 


PERIOD    OF    SETTLEMENT. 


27 


housewife  or  some  unctuous  Chinese  cook  for  a 
tenderfoot  tourist's  dinner — forgetful  all  and 
fearless  of  Blackfoot  ambush  or  deadly  foray. 
Of  a  verity,  the  childlike  quest  for  the  magic 
book  was  not  without  its  compensation  to  the 
posterity  of  the  Flathead  ambassadors!" 

Of  those  Americans  who  came  to  Oregon  with 
the  early  expeditions,  three  in  1832  and  twenty- 
two  in  1834  became  permanent  settlers.  The 
names  of  these  are  preserved  by  W.  H.  Gray  in 
his  history  of  Oregon  as  follows:  "From  Captain 
Wyeth's  party  of  1832,  there  remained  S.  H. 
Smith,  Sergeant,  and  Tibbets,  a  stonecutter; 
and  from  his  party  of  1834,  James  O'Neil  and 
T.  J.  Hubbard.  From  the  wreck  of  the  William 
and  Ann,  a  survivor  named  Felix  Hathaway 
remained.  With  Ewing  Young  from  California 
in  1834,  a  party  came  who  remained  in  Oregon, 
consisting  of  Joseph  Gale,  who  died  in  Union 
county,  that  state,  in  1882;  John  McCarty,  Car- 
michael,  John  Hauxhurst,  John  Howard,  Kil- 
born,  Brandywine,  and  a  colored  man  named 
George  Winslow.  An  English  sailor  named 
Richard  McCary  reached  the  Willamette  from 
the  Rocky  mountains  that  year,  as  did  also  Cap- 
tain J.  H.  Crouch,  G.  W.  LeBreton,  John  Mc- 
Caddan  and  William  Johnson  from  the  brig 
Maryland.  This  made  (with  the  missionaries 
heretofore  named)  twenty-five  residents  at  the 
close  of  1834,  who  were  not  in  any  way  connected 
with  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  all  of  whom 
were  here  for  other  than  transient  purposes. 
There  were  no  arrivals  in  1835." 

However,  the  year  1836  was,  as  may  be 
gleaned  from  previous  pages,  an  important  one 
for  Oregon.  While,  as  Gray  states,  there  were 
no  permanent  residences  established  in  Oregon 
in  1835,  that  was  the  year  in  which  Rev.  Samuel 
Parker  and  Dr.  Marcus  Whitman  were  sent  out 
by  the  American  Board  to  explore  the  country 
and  report  upon  it  as  a  field  for  missionary 
labors.  These  gentlemen  were  met  at  the  trap- 
pers' rendezvous  on  Green  river  by  the  noted 
Chief  Lawyer,  by  whom  they  were  persuaded 
into  the  plan  of  establishing  their  proposed  mis- 
sion among  his  people,  the  Nez  Perces.  .When 
this  conclusion  was  reached,  Dr.  Whitman 
started  back  to  the  east  accompanied  by  two  Nez 
Perce  boys,  Mr.  Parker  continuing  his  journey 
westward  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific.  It  was 
agreed  that  Parker  should  seek  out  a  suitable 
location  among  the  Nez  Perces  for  the  mission, 
while  Dr.  Whitman  should  make  arrangements 
for  the  westward  journey  of  a  sufficient  force  and 
for  the  establishment  and  outfitting  of  the  post. 
The  results  of  Mr.  Parker's  journeyings  are 
embodied  in  a  work  of  great  historic  value  from 
his  own  pen,  entitled  "Parker's  Exploring  Tour 
Beyond  the  Rocky  Mountains."  From  informa- 
tion conveyed  by  this  volume,  Gilbert  summa- 
rizes the  conditions  in  Oregon  in  1835  as  follows: 

"Fort  Vancouver  on    the    Columbia,   under 


charge  of  Dr.  John  McLoughlin,  was  established 
in  1824,  and  consisted  of  an  enclosure  by  stock- 
ade, thirty-seven  rods  long  by  eighteen  wide, 
that  faced  the  south.  About  one  hundred  per- 
sons were  employed  at  the  place,  and  some  three 
hundred  Indians  lived  in  the  immediate  vicinity. 
There  were  eight  substantial  buildings  within 
the  stockade,  and  a  large  number  of  small  ones 
on  the  outside.  There  were  459  cattle,  100 
horses,  200  sheep,  40  goats  and  300  hogs  belong- 
ing to  the  company  at  this  place;  and  during  the 
season  of  1835  the  crops  produced  in  that  vicinity 
amounted  to  5,000  bushels  of  wheat,  1,300  bushels 
of  potatoes,  1,000  bushels  of  barley,  1,000  bushels 
of  oats,  2,000  bushels  of  peas,  and  garden  vegeta- 
bles in  proportion.  The  garden,  containing  five 
acres,  besides  its  vegetable  products,  included 
apples,  peaches,  grapes  and  strawberries.  A 
grist  mill  with  machinery  propelled  by  oxen 
was  kept  in  constant  use,  while  some  six  miles 
up  the  Columbia  was  a  saw  mill  containing  sev- 
eral saws,  which  supplied  lumber  for  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company.  Within  the  fort  was  a 
bakery  employing  three  men,  also  shops  for 
blacksmiths,  joiners,  carpenters  and  a  tinner. 

"Fort  Williams,  erected  by  N.  J.  Wyeth  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Willamette,  was  nearly 
deserted,  Mr.  Townsend,  the  ornithologist, 
being  about  the  only  occupant  at  the  time. 
Wyeth  had  gone  to  his  Fort  Hall  in  the  interior. 
Of  Astoria,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia,  but 
two  log  houses  and  a  garden  remained,  where 
two  white  men  dragged  out  a  dull  existence,  to 
maintain  possession  of  the  historic  ground.  Its 
ancient,  romantic  grandeur  had  departed  from 
its  walls,  when  dismantled  to  assist  in  the  con- 
struction and  defenses  of  its  rival,  Fort  Vancou- 
ver. Up  the  Willamette  river  was  the  Methodist 
mission,  in  the  condition  already  noted,  while 
between  it  and  the  present  site  of  Oregon  City 
were  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's  French  settle- 
ments of  Gervais  and  McKay,  containing  some 
twenty  families,  whose  children  were  being 
taught  by  young  Americans.  In  one  of  these 
settlements  a  grist  mill  had  just  been  completed. 
East  of  the  Cascade  mountains  Fort  Walla  Walla 
was  situated  at  the  mouth  of  a  river  by  that 
name.  It  was  'built  of  logs  and  was  internally 
arranged  to  answer  the  purposes  of  trade  and 
domestic  comfort,  and  externally  for  defense, 
having  two  bastions,  and  was  surrounded  by  a 
stockade.'  It  was  accidentally  burned  in  1841 
and  rebuilt  of  adobe  within  a  year.  At  this  point 
the  company  had  'horses,  cows,  hogs,  fowls,  and 
they  cultivated  corn,  potatoes  and  a  variety  of 
garden  vegetables.'  This  fort  was  used  for  a 
trading  post,  where  goods  were  stored  for  traffic 
with  the  Indians.  Fort  Colville,  on  the  Colum- 
bia, a  little  above  Kettle  Falls,  near  the  present 
line  of  Washington  territory,  a  strongly  stock- 
aded post,  was  occupied  by  a  half  dozen  men 
with  Indian  families,  and  Mr.  McDonald  was  in 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


charge.  Fort  Okanogan,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  of  that  name,  established  by  David  Stuart 
in  1811,  was,  in  the  absence  of  Mr.  Ogden,  in 
charge  of  a  single  white  man.  Concerning  Fort 
Hall,  nothing  is  said;  but  it  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  in  1836.  It  was 
then  a  stockaded  fort,  but  was  rebuilt  with  adobe 
in  1838.  Mr.  Parker  is  also  silent  in  regard  to 
Fort  Boise,  which  was  constructed  on  Snake 
river  from  poles  in  1834  as  a  rival  establishment 
to  Fort  Hall,  was  occupied  in  1835  by  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  and  later  was  more  sub- 
stantially constructed  from  adobe.  If  there  were 
other  establishments  in  1835,  west  of  the  Rocky 
mountains,  between  the  forty-second  and  forty- 
ninth  parallels,  the  writer  has  failed  to  obtain 
evidences  of  them." 

Meanwhile,  Whitman  was  working  in  the  east 
with  characteristic  energy,  and  he  succeeded  in 
raising  funds  and  securing  associates  for  two 
missions  in  Oregon  territory.  The  population  of 
Oregon  was  accordingly  increased  in  the  year 
1836  by  five  persons,  namely,  Dr.  Marcus  Whit- 
man, Narcissa  (Prentiss)  Whitman,  Rev.  H.  H. 
Spalding  and  wife,  and  W.  H.  Gray.  The  ladies 
mentioned  gained  the  distinction  of  having  been 
the  first  white  women  whose  feet  pressed  the 
soil  of  old  Oregon,  and  whose  blue  and  dark  eyes 
looked  into  the  dusky,  mystic  orbs  of  the 
daughters  of  the  Columbia  basin.  A  few  months 
later  the  Methodist  mission  was  also  blessed  by 
the  purifying  presence  of  noble  womanhood,  but 
the  laurels  of  pioneership  have  ever  rested  upon 
the  worthy  brows  of  Mrs.  Whitman  and  Mrs. 
Spalding,  and  so  far  as  we  know,  no  fair  hand 
has  ever  been  raised  to  pluck  them  thence.  The 
missionary  party  brought  with  them  eight  mules, 
twelve  horses  and  sixteen  cows,  also  three 
wagons  laden  with  farming  utensils,  blacksmiths' 
and  carpenters'  tools,  clothing,  seeds,  etc.,  to 
make  it  possible  for  them  to  support  them- 
selves without  an  entire  dependence  upon  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company  for  supplies.  Two  of 
the  wagons  were  abandoned  at  Fort  Laramie, 
and  heavy  pressure  was  brought  upon  Dr.  Whit- 
man to  leave  the  third  at  the  rendezvous  on 
Green  river,  but  he  refused  to  do  so.  He  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  it  to  Fort  Hall  intact,  then 
reduced  it  to  a  two-wheeled  cart,  which  he 
brought  on  to  Fort  Boise,  thus  demonstrating 
the  feasibility  of  a  wagon  road  over  the  Rocky 
mountains. 

Although  a  reinforcement  for  the  Methodist 
mission  sailed  from  Boston  in  July,  1836,  it 
failed  to  reach  its  destination  on  the  Willamette 
until  May  of  the  following  year,  so  that  the 
American  population  at  the  close  of  1836  num- 
bered not  to  exceed  thirty  persons,  including  the 
two  ladies. 

Until  1836  there  were  no  cattle  in  the 
country  except  those  owned  by  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  and  those  brought  from  the  east 


by  the  Whitman  party.  The  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  wished  to  continue  this  condition  as 
long  as  possible,  well  knowing  that  the  introduc- 
tion of  cattle  or  any  other  means  of  wealth  pro- 
duction among  the  American  population  would 
necessarily  render  the  people  that  much  more 
nearly  independent.  When,  therefore,  it  was 
proposed  by  Ewing  Young  and  Jason  Lee  that  a 
party  should  be  sent  to  California  for  stock,  the 
idea  was  antagonized  by  the  autocratic  Columbia 
river  monopoly.  Thanks  largely  to  the  assist- 
ance of  William  A.  Slacum,  of  the  United  States 
navy,  by  whom  money  was  advanced  and  a  free 
passage  to  California  furnished  to  the  people's 
emissaries,  the  projectors  of  the  enterprise  were 
rendered  independent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany. Ewing  Young  was  captain  of  the  expedi- 
tion; P.  L.  Edwards,  of  the  Willamette  mission, 
was  also  one  of  its  leading  spirits.  The  men 
purchased  seven  hundred  head  of  cattle  at  three 
dollars  per  head  and  set  out  upon  their  return 
journey.  They  succeeded  in  getting  about  six 
hundred  head  to  the  Willamette  country,  not- 
withstanding the  bitter  hostility  of  the  Indians. 
Gilbert  quotes  from  the  diary  of  P.  L.  Edwards, 
which  he  says  was  shown  him  by  the  latter's 
daughter  in  California,  to  prove  that  the  trouble 
with  the  Indians  was  caused  by  the  wanton  and 
cold-blooded  murder  by  members  of  the  party  of 
a  friendly  Indian  who  was  following  the  band. 
The  Indian  hostilities  were  not  incited  by  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  as  some  have  stated, 
but  may  properly  be  laid  at  the  doors  of  the  men 
who  committed  this  barbarous  outrage  in  revenge 
for  wrongs  suffered  by  a  party  to  which  they 
belonged  two  years  before. 

The  arrival  of  neat  cattle  in  the  Willamette 
country  provided  practically  the  first  means  of 
acquiring  wealth  independent  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company.  "This  success  in  opposition  to 
that  interest,"  says  Gilbert,  "was  a  discovery  by 
the  settlers,  both  Americans  and  ex-employees, 
that  they  possessed  the  strength  to  rend  the  bars 
that  held  them  captives  under  a  species  of  peon- 
age. With  this  one  blow,  directed  by  missiona- 
ries, and  dealt  by  ex-American  hunters,  an  inde- 
pendent maintenance  in  Oregon  had  been  ren- 
dered possible  for  immigrants." 

As  before  stated,  the  reinforcements  for  the 
Methodist  mission  arrived  in  May,  1837.  By  it 
the  American  population  was  increased  eight  per- 
sons, namely,  Elijah  White  and  wife,  Alanson 
Beers  and  wife,  W.  H.  Wilson,  the  Misses  Annie 
M.  Pitman,  Susan  Downing  and  Elvina  Johnson. 
In  the  fall  came  another  reinforcement,  the  per- 
sonnel of  which  was  Rev.  David  Leslie,  wife 
and  three  daughters,  the  Rev.  W.  H.  K.  Per- 
kins and  Miss  Margaret  Smith.  Add  to  these 
Dr.  J.  Bailey,  an  English  physician,  George  Gay 
and  John  Turner,  who  also  arrived  this  year,  and 
the  thirty  or  thirty-one  persons  who  settled  pre- 
viously, and  we  have  the  population  of  Oregon 


PERIOD    OF    SETTLEMENT. 


29 


independent  of   the    Hudson's    Bay  Company's 
direct  or  indirect  control  in  the  year  1837. 

In  January  of  that  year,  W.  H.  Gray,  of  the 
American  Board's  mission,  set  out  overland  to 
the  east  for  reinforcements  to  the  missionary 
force  of  which  he  was  a  member.  His  journey 
was  not  an  uneventful  one  as  will  appear  from 
the  following  narrative,  clothed  in  his  own 
words,  which  casts  so  vivid  a  light  upon  transcon- 
tinental travel  during  the  early  days  that  we 
feel  constrained  to  quote  it : 

Our  sketches,  perhaps,  would  not  lose  in  interest  by 
giving  a  short  account  of  a  fight  which  our  Flathead  Indi- 
ans had  at  this  place  with  a  war  party  of  the  Blackfeet. 
It  occurred  near  the  present  location  of  Helena,  in  Mon- 
tana. As  was  the  custom  with  the  Flathead  Indians  in 
traveling  in  the  buffalo  country,  their  hunters  and  warriors 
were  in  advance  of  the  main  camp.  A  party  of  twenty-five 
Blackfeet  warriors  was  discovered  by  some  twelve  of  our 
Flatheads.  To  see  each  other  was  to  fight,  especially  par- 
ties prowling  about  in  this  manner,  and  at  it  they  went. 
The  first  fire  of  the  Flatheads  brought  five  of  the  Blackfeet 
to  the  ground  and  wounded  five  more.  This  was  more 
than  they  expected,  and  the  Blackfeet  made  little  effort  to 
recover  their  dead,  which  were  duly  scalped  and  their 
bodies  left  for  food  for  the  wolves,  and  the  scalps  borne  in 
triumph  to  the  camp.  There  were  but  two  of  the  Flat- 
heads  wounded;  one  had  a  flesh  wound  in  the  thigh,  and 
the  other  had  his  right  arm  broken  by  a  Blackfoot  ball. 

The  victory  was  complete,  and  the  rejoicing  in  camp 
corresponded  to  the  number  of  scalps  taken.  Five  davs 
and  nights  the  usual  scalp  dance  was  performed.  At  the 
appointed  time  the  big  war  drum  was  sounded,  when  the 
warriors  and  braves  made  their  appearance  at  the  appointed 
place  in  the  open  air,  painted  as  warriors.  Those  who  had 
taken  the  scalps  from  the  heads  of  their  enemies  bore  them 
in  their  hands  upon  the  ramrods  of  their  guns. 

They  entered  the  circle,  and  the  war  song,  drums,  rat- 
tles and  noises  all  commenced.  The  scalp-bearers  stood  for 
a  moment  (as  if  to  catch  the  time),  and  then  commenced 
hopping,  jumping  and  yelling  in  concert  with  the  music. 
This  continued  for  a  time,  when  some  old  painted  woman 
took  the  scalps  and  continued  to  dance.  The  performance 
was  gone  through  with  as  many  nights  as  there  were 
scalps  taken. 

Seven  days  after  the  scalps  were  taken,  a  messenger 
arrived  bearing  a  white  flag,  and  a  proposition  to  make 
peace  for  the  purpose  of  trade.  After  the  preliminaries 
had  all  been  completed,  in  which  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany trader  had  the  principal  part  to  perform,  the  time 
was  fixed  for  a  meeting  of  the  two  tribes.  The  Flatheads, 
however,  were  all  careful  to  dig  their  warpits,  make  their 
corrals  and  breastworks,  and,  in  short,  fortify  their  camp 
as  much  as  if  they  expected  a  fight  instead  of  peace. 
Ermatinger,  the  company's  leader,  remarked  that  he  would 
sooner  take  his  chances  of  a  fight  off-hand  than  endure  the 
anxiety  and  suspense  of  the  two  days  we  waited  for  the 
Blackfeet  to  arrive.  Our  scouts  and  warriors  were  all 
ready  and  on  the  watch  for  peace  or  war,  the  latter  of 
which  from  the  recent  fight  they  had  had  was  expected 
most.  At  length  the  Blackfeet  arrived,  bearing  a  red  flag 
with  "H.  B.  C."  in  white  letters  upon  it,  and  advancing  to 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  camp,  were  met  by  Ermat- 
inger and  a  few  Flathead  chiefs,  shook  hands  and  were  con- 
ducted to  the  trader's  lodge— the  largest  one  in  the  camp— 
and  the  principal  chiefs  of  both  tribes,  seated  upon  buffalo 
and  bear  skins,  all  went  through  with  the  ceremony  of 
smoking  a  big  pipe,  having  a  long  handle  or  stem  trimmed 
with  horse  hair  and  porcupine  quills.  The  pipe  was  filled 
with  the  traders'  tobacco  and  the  Indians'  killikinick.  The 
war  chiefs  of  each  tribe  took  a  puff  of  the  pipe,  then  passed 
it  each  to  his  right-hand  man.  and  so  around  till  all  the 
circle  had  smoked  the  big  medicine  pipe,  or  pipe  of  peace, 


which  on  this  occasion  was  made  by  the  Indians  from  a  soft 
stone  which  they  find  in  abundance  in  their  country,  hav- 
ing no  extra  ornamental  work  upon  it.  The  principal  chief 
in  command,  or  great  medicine  man,  went  through  the 
ceremony,  puffed  four  times,  blowing  his  smoke  in  four 
directions.  This  was  considered  a  sign  of  peace  to  all 
around  him,  which  doubtless  included  all  he  knew  any- 
thing about.  The  Blackfeet,  as  a  tribe,  are  a  tall,  well 
formed,  slim  built  and  active  people.  They  travel  princi- 
pally on  foot,  and  are  considered  very  treacherous. 

The  peace  made  with  so  much  formality  was  broken 
two  days  afterward  by  killing  two  of  the  Flatheads  when 
caught  not  far  from  the  mam  camp. 

It  was  from  this  Flathead  tribe  that  the  first  Indian 
delegation  was  sent  to  ask  for  teachers.  Three  of  their 
number  volunteered  to  go  with  Gray  to  the  States  in  1837 
to  urge  their  claim  for  teachers  to  come  among  them.  The 
party  reached  Ash  Hollow,  where  thev  were  attacked  by 
about  three  hundred  Sioux  warriors,  and,  after  fighting 
for  three  hours,  killed  some  fifteen  of  them,  when  the 
Sioux,  by  means  of  a  French  trader  then  among  them, 
obtained  a  parley  with  Gray  and  his  traveling  companions 
— two  young  men  who  had  started  to  go  to  the  United 
States  with  him.  While  the  Frenchman  was  in  conversa- 
tion with  Gray,  the  treacherous  Sioux  made  a  rush  upon 
the  three  Flatheads,  one  Snake  and  one  Iroquois  Indian 
belonging  to  the  party,  and  killed  them.  The  Frenchman 
then  turned  to  Gray  and  told  him  and  his  companions  they 
were  prisoners,  and  must  go  to  the  Sioux  camp,  first 
attempting  to  get  possession  of  their  guns.  Gray  informed 
them  at  once:  "You  have  killed  our  Indians  in  a  cowardly 
manner,  and  you  shall  not  have  our  guns,"  at  the  same 
time  telling  the  young  men  to  watch  the  first  motion  of  the 
Indians  to  take  their  lives,  and  if  we  must  die  to  take  as 
many  Indians  with  us  as  we  could.  The  Sioux  had  found 
in  the  contest  thus  far  that,  notwithstanding  they  had  con- 
quered and  killed  five,  they  had  lost  fifteen,  among  them 
one  of  their  war  chiefs,  besides  several  severely  wounded. 
The  party  was  not  further  molested  till  they  reached  the 
camp,  containing  between  one  and  two  hundred  lodges.  A 
full  explanation  was  had  of  the  whole  affair.  Gray  had  two 
horses  killed  under  him  and  two  balls  passed  through  his 
hat,  both  inflicting  slight  wounds.  The  party  were 
feasted,  and  smoked  the  pipe  of  peace  over  the  dead  body 
of  the  chief's  son.  Next  day  they  were  allowed  to  proceed 
with  nine  of  their  horses;  the  balance,  with  the  property 
of  the  Indians,  the  Sioux  claimed  as  part  pay  for  their 
losses,  doubtless  calculating  to  waylay  and  take  the  bal- 
ance of  the  horses.  Be  that  as  it  may,  Gray  and  his  young 
men  reached  Council  Bluffs  in  twenty-one  days,  traveling 
nights  and  during  storms  to  avoid  the  Indians  on  the 
plains. 

Gray  proceeded  east,  and  with  the  energy  and 
courage  which  ever  characterized  him,  set  about 
the  task  of  securing  the  needed  reinforcements. 
He  succeeded  in  enlisting  Rev.  Gushing  Eells, 
Rev.  E.  Walker  and  Rev.  A.  B.  Smith,  with  their 
wives,  also  a  young  man  named  Cornelius  Rogers. 
He  also  succeeded  in  inducing  a  young  woman  to 
become  his  own  bride  and  to  share  with  him  the 
dangers  and  tedium  of  a  transcontinental  journey 
and  whatever  of  weal  or  woe  the  new  land  might 
have  in  store  for  them.  Mention  should  likewise 
be  made  of  the  noted  John  A.  Sutter,  an  ex-cap- 
tain of  the  Swiss  guard,  who  accompanied  this 
expedition  and  who  afterward  became  an  impor- 
tant character  in  the  early  history  of  California. 

Two  priests,  Rev.  F.  N.  Blanchet  and  Modest 
Demers,  also  came  during  this  year,  so  the  seeds 
of  sectarian  strife,  which  did  so  much  to  neutral- 
ize the  efforts  and  work  of  the   Protestant  mis- 


30 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


sionaries,  then  began  to  be  sown.  The  popula- 
tion of  Oregon,  independent  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company,  must  have  been  about  sixty  at 
the  close  of  the  year  1838. 

In  the  fall  of  1839  came  Rev.  J.  S.  Griffin  and 
Mr.  Munger,  with  their  wives,  Ben  Wright,  Law- 
son,  Keiser  and  Deiger,  also  T.  H.  Farnham, 
author  of  "Early  Days  in  California,"  Sidney 
Smith,  Blair  and  Robert  Shortess.  W.  H.  Gray, 
in  his  history  of  Oregon,  estimates  the  popula- 
tion as  follows:  "Protestant  missionaries,  10; 
Roman  priests,  2;  physicians,  2;  laymen,  6; 
women,  13;  children,  10;  settlers,  20;  settlers 
under  Hudson's  Bay  control  with  Amerian  tend- 
encies, 10;  total,  83." 

In  1838  Jason  Lee  made  a  journey  overland 
to  the  states  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  a  force 
wherewith  to  greatly  extend  his  missionary  oper- 
ations. His  wife  died  during  his  absence  and  the 
sad  news  was  forwarded  to  him  by  Dr.  McLough- 
lin,  Dr.  Whitman  and  a  man  hired  by  Gray.  In 
June,  1840,  Lee  returned  with  a  party  of  forty- 
eight,  of  whom  eight  were  clergymen,  one  was  a 
physician,  fifteen  were  children  and  nineteen 
were  ladies,  five  of  them  unmarried.  Their 
names  are  included  in  Gray's  list  of  arrivals  for 
1840,  which  is  as  follows: 

"In  1840  Mrs.  Lee,  second  wife  of  Rev.  Jason 
Lee;  Rev.  J.  H.  Frost  and  wife;  Rev.  A.  F. 
Waller,  wife  and  two  children ;  Rev.  W.  W.  Kone 
and  wife;  Rev.  G.  Hines,  wife  and  sister;  Rev. 
L.  H.  Judson,  wife  and  two  children;  Rev.  J.  L. 
Parish,  wife  and  three  children ;  Rev.  G.  P.  Rich- 
ards, wife  and  three  children;  Rev.  A.  P.  Olley 
and  wife.  Laymen:  Mr.  George  Abernethy, 
wife  and  two  children;  Mr.  H.  Campbell,  wife 
and  one  child;  Mr.  W.  W.  Raymond  and  wife; 
Mr.  H.  B.  Brewer  and  wife;  Dr.  J.  L.  Babcock, 
wife  and  one  child;  Rev.  Mrs.  Daniel  Lee,  Mrs. 
David  Carter,  Mrs.  Joseph  Holman  and  Mrs.  E. 
Phillips.  Methodist  Episcopal  Protestant  mis- 
sion: Robert  Moore,  James  Cook  and  James 
Fletcher,  settlers.  Jesuit  priest:  P.  J.  De  Smet, 
Flathead  mission.  Rocky  mountain  men  with 
native  wives:  William  Craig,  Robert  or  Dr. 
Newell,  J.  L.  Meek,  George  Ebbetts,  William  M. 
Dougherty,  John  Larison,  George  Wilkinson,  a 
Mr.  Nicholson,  Mr.  Algear,  and  William  John- 
son, author  of  'Leni  Leoti;  or,  The  Prairie 
Flower.'  "  Mr.  Gray  estimates  the  population 
of  all  the  Oregon  territory,  not  including  Hud- 
son's Bay  operatives,  at  about  two  hundred. 

In  1841  eight  young  men  built  and  equipped 
a  vessel,  named  the  Star  of  Oregon,  in  which 
they  made  a  trip  to  San  Francisco.  Joseph  Gale 
served  as  captain  of  the  doughty  little  craft,  of 
which  Felix  Hathaway  had  been  master  builder. 
The  vessel  was  exchanged  at  Yerba  Buena  (San 
Francisco)  for  three  hundred  and  fifty  cows. 
Gale  remained  in  the  Golden  State  through  the 
winter,  then  set  out  overland  to  Oregon  with  a 
party  of  forty-two  immigrants,  who  brought  with 


them,  as  J.  W.  Nesmith  informs  us,  one  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle,  six 
hundred  head  of  mares,  colts,  horses  and  mules, 
and  three  thousand  sheep.  The  incident  forms  the 
theme  of  one  of  Mrs.  Eva  E.  Dye's  most  charm- 
ing descriptions,  but  its  strategic  importance  in 
helping  to  Americanize  Oregon  and  break  up  the 
cattle  monopoly  seems  to  have  been  overlooked 
by  many  other  writers. 

The  Joseph  Gale  who  figured  so  prominently 
in  this  undertaking  was  afterward  a  member  of 
the  first  triumvirate  executive  committee  of  the 
provisional  government.  He  is  affectionately 
remembered  in  eastern  Oregon,  where  he  passed 
the  closing  years  of  his  eventful  life. 

By  the  close  of  the  year  1841  the  independent 
population  of  Oregon  had  reached  two  hundred 
and  fifty-three,  thirty-five  of  whom  are  classed  as 
settlers.  In  1842  came  an  immigration  of  one 
hundred  and  eleven  persons,  two  of  whom,  A.  L. 
Lovejoy  and  A.  M.  Hastings,  were  lawyers.  In 
this  year,  also,  came  the  Red  river  immigration  of 
English  and  Scotch  and  of  French-Canadian  half- 
breeds  to  the  Puget  sound  country.  This  immi- 
gration was  inspired  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany, which  designed  it  as  an  offset  to  the  grow- 
ing American  power  in  the  Oregon  country.  It 
had,  however,  very  little  political  effect,  as  many 
of  its  members  drifted  southward  into  the  Willa- 
mette country  and  became  members  of  the  pro- 
visional government.  The  year  1842  is  also 
memorable  for  the  famous  winter  ride  of  Dr. 
Whitman. 

In  1843  came  the  largest  immigration  the 
Oregon  country  had  yet  known,  piloted  across 
the  plains  and  over  the  mountains  by  Whitman 
himself.  Its  eight  hundred  and  seventy-five  per- 
sons, with  their  wagons  and  thirteen  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  settled  forever  the  question  of  the 
national  character  of  Oregon.  J.  W.  Nesmith 
has  preserved  for  us  the  names  of  all  the  male 
members  of  this  expedition  over  sixteen  years  of 
age,  as  also  of  those  remaining  from  the  immi- 
grations of  the  year  previous.  In  1844  came 
eight  hundred  more  Americans,  and  in  1845  a 
much  larger  number,  estimated  by  some  at  three 
thousand.  The  year  1846  added  another  thou- 
sand to  Oregon's  American  population.  In  it 
the  ownership  of  the  country  was  definitely 
settled  by  treaty  with  Great  Britain,  and  the 
famous  world  problem  was  solved. 

It  is  impossible  here  to  adequately  treat  of 
life  and  conditions  in  the  Northwest  during  those 
early  days  of  American  occupation.  Some  idea 
of  the  inner  life  of  the  first  settlers  of  Oregon 
may  be  gained  from  the  following  excerpt  from 
a  lecture  by  Colonel  J.  W.  Nesmith,  delivered 
before  the  Oregon  Pioneer  Association: 

The  business  of  the  country  was  conducted  entirely  by 
barter.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  imported  and  sold 
many  articles  of  prime  necessity  to  those  who  were  able  to 
purchase.     Wheat  or  beaver  skins  would  buy  anything  the 


PERIOD    OF    SETTLEMENT. 


company  had  for  sale.  But  poor,  wayworn  emigrants, 
just  arriving  in  the  country,  were  as  destitute  of  wheat  and 
beaver  as  they  were  of  coin.  The  skins  purchased  by  the 
company  were  annually  shipped  in  their  own  vessels  to 
London,  while  the  wheat  was  shipped  to  the  Russian  pos- 
sessions on  the  north  and  to  California,  to  fill  a  contract 
that  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  with  the  Russian 
Fur  Company.  A  small  trade  in  lumber,  salt,  salmon, 
shingles  and  hoop-poles  gradually  grew  up  with  the  Sand- 
wich islands,  and  brought  in  return  a  limited  supply  of 
black  and  dirty  sugar  in  grass  sacks,  together  with  some 
salt  and  coffee. 

There  being  no  duty  collected  upon  importations  into 
Oregon  previous  to  1849,  foreign  goods  were  comparatively 
cheap,  though  the  supply  was  always  limited ;  nor  had  the 
people  means  to  purchase  beyond  the  pure  necessities. 
Iron,  steel,  salt,  sugar,  coffee,  tea,  tobacco,  powder  and 
lead,  and  a  little  ready-made  clothing  and  some  calico  and 
domestics,  were  the  principal  articles  purchased  by  the 
settlers.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  in  their  long  inter- 
course with  the  Indians,  had,  from  prudential  motives, 
adopted  the  plan  in  their  trade  of  passing  articles  called 
for  out  through  a  hole  in  the  wall  or  partition.  Persons 
were  not  allowed  inside  among  the  goods  to  make  selec- 
tions, and  the  purchaser  had  to  be  content  with  what  was 
passed  out  to  him  through  the  aperture.  Thus  in  buying 
a  suit  of  clothes,  there  was  often  an  odd  medley  of  color 
and  size.  The  settlers  used  to  say  that  Dr.  McLoughlin, 
who  was  a  very  large  man,  had  sent  his  measure  to  Lon- 
don, and  all  the  clothing  was  made  to  fit  him.  The  hick- 
ory shirts  we  used  to  buy  came  down  to  our  heels  and  the 
wrist-bands  protruded  a  foot  beyond  the  hands;  and  as 
Sancho  Panza  said  of  sleep,  "they  covered  one  all  over  like 
a  mantle."  They  were  no  such  "cutty  sark"  affairs  of 
"Paisley  ham"  as  befuddled  Tam  O'Shanter  saw  when 
peeping  in  upon  the  dancing  warlocks  of  "Alloway's  auld 
haunted  kirk."  A  small  sized  settler,  purchasing  one, 
could,  by  reasonable  curtailment  of  the  extremities,  have 
sufficient  material  to  clothe  one  of  the  children. 

The  pioneer  home  was  a  log  cabin  with  a  puncheon 
floor  and  mud  chimney,  all  constructed  without  sawed 
lumber,  glass  or  nails,  the  boards  being  secured  upon  the 
roof  by  heavy-weight  poles.  Sugar,  coffee,  tea  and  even 
salt  were  not  every-day  luxuries,  and  in  many  cabins  were 
entirely  unknown.  Moccasins  made  of  deer  and  elk  skins 
and  soled  with  rawhide  made  a  substitute  for  shoes,  and 
were  worn  by  both  sexes.  Buckskin  was  the  material 
from  which  the  greater  portion  of  the  male  attire  was 
manufactured,  while  the  cheapest  kind  of  coarse  cotton 
goods  furnished  the  remainder.  A  white  or  boiled  shirt 
was  rarely  seen  and  was  a  sure  indication  of  great  wealth 
and  aristocratic  pretension.  Meat  was  obtained  in  some 
quantities  from  the  wild  game  of  the  forests  or  the  wild 
fowl  with  which  the  country  abounded  at  certain  seasons, 
until  such  time  as  cattle  or  swine  became  sufficiently 
numerous  to  be  slaughtered  for  food.  The  hides  of  both 
wild  and  domestic  animals  were  utilized  in  many  ways. 
Clothing,  moccasins,  saddles  and  their  rigging,  bridles, 
ropes,  harness  and  other  necessary  articles  were  made 
from  them.  A  pair  of  buckskin  pants,  moccasins,  a  hick- 
ory shirt  and  some  sort  of  cheaply  extemporized  hat, 
rendered  a  man  comfortable  as  well  as  presentable  in  the 
best  society,  the  whole  outfit  not  costing  one-tenth  part  of 
the  price  of  the  essential  gewgaws  that  some  of  our  exqui- 
site sons  now  sport  at  the  ends  of  their  watch  chains,  on 
their  shirt-fronts  or  dainty  fingers.  Buckskin  clothing 
answered  wonderfully  well  for  rough-and-tumble  wear, 
particularly  in  dry  weather,  but  I  have  known  them  after 
exposure  to  a  hard  day's  rain  to  contract  in  a  single  night 
by  a  warm  fire  a  foot  in  longitude,  and  after  being  sub- 
jected to  a  webfoot  winter  or  two,  and  a  succeeding  dry 
summer,  they  would  assume  grotesque  and  unfashionable 
shapes,  generally  leaving  from  six  inches  to  a  foot  of  nude 
and  arid  skin  between  the  top  of  the  moccasins  and  the 
lower  end  of  the  breeches;  the  knees  protruded  in  front, 
while  the  rear  started  off  in  the  opposite  direction,  so  that 


when  the  wearer  stood  up  the  breeches  were  in  a  constant 
struggle  to  sit  down  and  vice  versa. 

The  pioneers  brought  garden  seeds  with  them,  and 
much  attention  was  paid  to  the  production  of  vegetables, 
which,  with  milk,  game  and  fish,  went  a  long  way  toward 
the  support  of  the  family.  Reaping  machines,  threshers, 
headers,  mowing  machines,  pleasure  carriages,  silks, 
satins,  laces,  kid  gloves,  plug  hats,  high-heeled  boots, 
crinoline,  bustles,  false  hair,  hair  dye,  jewelry,  patent 
medicines,  railroad  tickets,  postage  stamps,  telegrams, 
pianos  and  organs,  together  with  a  thousand  and  one  other 
articles  to  purchase  which  the  country  is  now  drained  of 
millions  of  dollars  annually,  were  then  unknown  and  con- 
sequently not  wanted.  A  higher  civilization  has  introduced 
us  to  all  these  modern  improvements,  and  apparently  made 
them  necessaries,  together  with  the  rum  mill,  the  jail,  the 
insane  asylum,  the  poor-house,  the  penitentiary  and  the 
gallows. 

Of  the  people  who  lived  in  Oregon  during 
this  period,  Judge  Bennett,  in  his  book  entitled 
"Recollections  of  an  Old  Pioneer,"  says: 

"Among  the  men  who  came  to  Oregon  the 
year  I  did,  some  were  idle,  worthless  young  men, 
too  lazy  to  work  at  home  and  too  gentle  to  steal, 
while  some  were  gamblers,  and  others  reputed 
thieves.  But  when  we  arrived  in  Oregon,  they 
were  compelled  to  work  or  starve.  It  was  a  bare 
necessity.  There  was  no  able  relative  or  indul- 
gent friend  upon  whom  the  idle  could  quarter 
themselves,  and  there  was  little  or  nothing  for 
the  rogues  to  steal.  There  was  no  ready  way  by 
which  they  could  escape  into  another  country, 
and  they  could  not  conceal  themselves  in  Oregon. 
I  never  knew  so  fine  a  population,  as  a  whole 
community,  as  I  saw  in  Oregon  most  of  the  time 
I  was  there.  They  were  all  honest  because 
there  was  nothing  to  steal;  they  were  all  sober 
because  there  was  no  liquor  to  drink;  there  were 
no  misers  because  there  was  nothing  to  hoard; 
they  were  all  industrious  because  it  was  work  or 
starve. ' ' 

Such  was  the  general  character  of  the  early 
pioneer  as  depicted  by  men  who  knew  whereof 
they  spoke.  Another  characteristic  strongly 
appeals  to  the  mind  of  the  historian — his  political 
capabilities.  His  environment  and  isolation  from 
the  rest  of  the  world  compelled  him  to  work  out 
for  himself  many  novel  and  intricate  economic 
problems;  the  uncertainty  as  to  the  ownership  of 
the  Oregon  territory  and  the  diverse  national 
prejudices  and  sympathies  of  its  settlers  made 
the  formation  of  a  government  reasonably  satis- 
factory to  the  whole  population  an  exceedingly 
difficult  task.  There  were,  however,  men  in  the 
new  community  determined  to  make  the  effort, 
and  the  reader  will  be  able  to  judge  from  what 
follows  how  well  they  succeeded. 

As  early  as  1838  some  of  the  functions  of  gov- 
ernment were  exercised  by  members  of  the 
Methodist  mission.  Persons  were  chosen  by  that 
body  to  officiate  as  magistrates  and  judges,  and 
their  findings  were  generally  acquiesced  in  by 
persons  independent  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany because  of  the  unorganized  condition  of  the 
community,  though  there  was  doubtless  a  strong 


3^ 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


sentiment  among  the  independent  settlers  in 
favor  of  trusting  to  the  general  morality  and 
disposition  to  do  right  rather  than  to  any  political 
organization.  The  most  important  act  of  the 
mission  officers  was  the  trial  of  T.  J.  Hubbard 
for  the  killing  of  a  man  who  attempted  to  enter 
his  house  at  night  with  criminal  intent.  Rev. 
David  Leslie  presided  as  judge  during  this  note- 
worthy judicial  proceeding,  which  resulted  in  the 
acquittal  of  the  defendant  on  the  ground  that  his 
act  was  excusable. 

As  early  as  1840  efforts  began  to  be  made  to 
induce  the  United  States  government  to  extend 
to  the  people  of  the  Northwest  its  jurisdiction 
and  laws,  although  to  do  this  was  an  impossibil- 
ity except  by  abrogation  of  the  Joint-Occupancy 
treaty  of  1827  and  the  satisfactory  settlement  of 
the  title — all  which  would  require  at  least  a 
year's  time.  A  petition  was,  nevertheless, 
drafted,  signed  by  David  Leslie  and  a  number 
of  others  and  forwarded  to  congress.  It  was  not 
entirely  free  from  misstatements  and  inaccura- 
cies, but  is  considered,  nevertheless,  an  able  and 
important  state  paper.  Inasmuch  as  the  popula- 
tion of  Oregon,  including  children,  did  not 
exceed  two  hundred  at  this  time,  the  prayer  of 
the  petitioners,  it  need  hardly  be  said,  was  not 
granted.  But  it  must  not  be  supposed  that  the 
document  was  therefore  without  effect.  It  did 
its  part  toward  opening  the  eyes  of  the  people  of 
the  east  and  of  congress  to  the  importance  and 
value  of  Oregon,  and  toward  directing  public 
attention  to  the  domain  west  of  the  Rocky 
mountains. 

Notwithstanding  the  paucity  of  the  white 
people  of  Oregon,  the  various  motives  that 
impelled  them  thither  had  divided  them  into 
four  classes— the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  the 
Catholic  clergy  and  their  following,  the  Methodist 
missions  and  the  settlers.  The  Catholics  and  the 
company  were  practically  a  unit  politically.  The 
settlers  favored  the  missions  only  in  so  far  as  they 
served  the  purpose  of  helping  to  settle  the  coun- 
try, caring  little  about  their  religious  influence 
and  opposing  their  ambitions. 

The  would-be  organizers  of  a  government 
found  their  opportunity  in  the  conditions  pre- 
sented by  the  death  of  Ewing  Young.  This 
audacious  pioneer  left  considerable  property  and 
no  legal  representatives,  and  the  question  was, 
what  should  be  done  with  his  belongings?  Had 
he  been  a  Hudson's  Bay  man  or  a  Catholic,  the 
company  or  the  church  would  have  taken  care  of 
the  property.  Had  he  been  a  missionary,  his 
coadjutors  might  have  administered,  but  being  a 
plain  American  citizen,  there  was  no  functionary 
possessed  of  even  a  colorable  right  to  exercise 
jurisdiction  over  his  estate.  In  the  face  of  this 
emergency,  the  occasion  of  Young's  funeral,  which 
occurred  February  17,  1841,  was  seized  upon  for 
attempting  the  organization  of  some  kind  of  a 
government.     At  an  impromptu  meeting,  it   was 


decided  that  a  committee  should  perform  the 
legislative  functions  and  that  the  other  officers 
of  the  new  government  should  be  a  governor,  a 
supreme  judge  with  probate  jurisdiction,  three 
justices  of  the  peace,  three  constables,  three  road 
commissioners,  an  attorney- general,  a  clerk  of 
the  court  and  public  recorder,  a  treasurer  and  two 
overseers  of  the  poor.  Nominations  were  made 
for  all  these  offices,  and  the  meeting  adjourned 
until  next  day,  when,  it  was  hoped,  a  large  repre- 
sentation of  the  citizens  of  the  valley  would 
assemble  at  the  mission  house. 

The  time  specified  saw  the  various  factions  in 
full  force  at  the  place  of  meeting.  A  legislative 
committee  was  appointed  as  follows:  Revs.  F.  N. 
Blanchet,  Jason  Lee,  Gustavus  Hines  and  Josiah 
L.  Parish;  also  Messrs.  D.  Donpierre,  M.  Char- 
levo,  Robert  Moore,  E.  Lucier  and  William  John- 
son. No  governor  was  chosen;  the  Methodists 
secured  the  judgeship,  and  the  Catholics  the 
clerk  and  recorder.  Had  the  friends  of  the 
organization  been  more  fortunate  in  their  choice 
of  a  chairman  of  the  legislative  committee,  the 
result  of  the  movement  might  have  been  differ- 
ent, but  Rev.  Blanchet  never  called  a  meeting  of 
his  committee,  and  the  people  who  assembled  on 
June  1  st  to  hear  and  vote  upon  proposed  laws, 
found  their  congregating  had  been  in  vain. 
Blanchet  resigned;  Dr.  Bailey  was  chosen  to  fill 
the  vacancy,  and  the  meeting  adjourned  until 
October.  First,  however,  it  ordered  the  commit- 
tee to  confer  with  Commodore  Wilkes,  of  the 
American  squadron,  and  John  McLoughlin,  chief 
factor  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  with  regard 
to  forming  a  constitution  and  code  of  laws. 

Wilkes  discouraged  the  movement,  consider- 
ing it  unnecessary  and  impolitic  to  organize  a 
government  at  the  time.  He  assigned  the  fol- 
lowing reasons: 

"First — On  account  of  their  want  of  right,  as 
those  wishing  for  laws  were,  in  fact,  a  small 
minority  of  the  settlers. 

"Second — That  these  were  not  yet  necessary, 
even  by  their  own  account. 

"Third — That  any  laws  they  might  establish 
would  be  but  a  poor  substitute  for  the  moral  code 
they  all  now  followed,  and  that  evil-doers  would 
not  be  disposed  to  settle  near  a  community 
entirely  opposed  to  their  practices. 

"Fourth — The  great  difficulty  they  would 
have  in  enforcing  any  laws  and  defining  the 
limits  over  which  they  had  control,  and  the  dis- 
cord this  might  occasion  in  their  small  commu- 
nity. 

"Fifth — They  not  being  the  majority  and  the 
larger  portion  of  the  population  Catholics,  the 
latter  would  elect  officers  of  their  party,  and  they 
would  thus  place  themselves  entirely  under  the 
control  of  others. 

"Sixth — The  unfavorable  impression  it  would 
produce  at  home,  from  the  belief  that  the  mis- 
sionaries  had   admitted    that    in   a    community 


PERIOD    OF    SETTLEMENT. 


brought  together  by  themselves,  they  had  not 
enough  of  moral  force  to  control  it  and  prevent 
crime,  and  therefore  must  have  recourse  to  a 
criminal  code." 

The  friends  of  the  movement  could  not  deny 
the  cogency  of  this  reasoning,  and,  it  appears, 
concluded  to  let  the  matter  drop.  The  October 
meeting  was  never  held,  and  thus  the  first 
attempt  at  forming  a  government  ended.  How- 
ever, the  judge  elected  made  a  satisfactory  dis- 
position of  the  Young  estate. 

But  the  question  of  forming  an  independent 
or  provisional  government  continued  to  agitate 
the  public  mind.  During  the  winter  of  1842-3  a 
lyceum  was  organized  at  Willamette  Falls,  now 
Oregon  City,  at  which  the  propriety  of  taking 
steps  in  that  direction  was  warmly  debated.  On 
one  evening  the  subject  for  discussion  was: 
"Resolved,  That  it  is  expedient  for  the  settlers  on 
this  coast  to  establish  an  independent  govern- 
ment." McLoughlin  favored  the  resolution  and 
it  carried.  Mr.  Abernethy,  defeated  in  this 
debate,  skillfully  saved  the  day  by  introducing 
as  the  topic  of  the  next  discussion:  "Resolved, 
That  if  the  United  States  extends  its  jurisdiction 
over  this  country  within  four  years,  it  will  not 
be  expedient  to  form  an  independent  govern- 
ment." This  resolution  was  also  carried  after  a 
spirited  discussion,  destroying  the  effect  of  the 
first  resolution. 

Meanwhile,  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Oregon  Institute  were  skillfully  working  out  a 
plan  whereby  a  provisional  government  might 
be  formed.  They  knew  the  sentiment  of  their 
confreres  at  the  Falls,  the  result  of  the  delibera- 
tions at  that  place  having  been  reported  to  them 
by  Mr.  Le  Breton;  they  knew  also  that  their 
designs  would  meet  with  opposition  from  both 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  the  mission 
people.  The  problem  to  be  solved  was  how  to 
accomplish  their  ends  without  stirring  up  oppo- 
sition which  would  overwhelm  them  at  the  very 
outset.  Their  solution  of  this  problem  is  a  last- 
ing testimony  to  their  astuteness  and  finesse. 

As  a  result  of  the  formation  of  the  Willamette 
Cattle  Company  and  its  success  in  importing 
stock  from  California,  almost  every  settler  was 
the  owner  of  at  least  a  few  head,  and,  of  course, 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and  the  missions  also 
had  their  herds.  The  fact  that  wolves,  bears 
and  panthers  were  destructive  to  the  cattle  of  all 
alike  furnished  one  bond  of  common  interest 
uniting  the  diverse  population  of  Oregon,  and 
this  conference  furnished  the  conspirators  their 
opportunity.  Their  idea  was  that  having  got  an 
object  before  the  people  on  which  all  could  unite, 
they  might  advance  from  the  ostensible  object, 
protection  for  domestic  animals,  to  the  more 
important,  though  hidden  object,  "preservation 
for  both  property  and  person."  The  "wolf 
meeting,"  as  it  is  called,  convened  on  the  2d  of 
February,  1843,  and  was  fully  attended.     It  was 


feared  that  Dr.  I.  L.  Babcock,  the  chairman, 
might  suspect  the  main  object,  but  in  this 
instance  he  was  less  astute  than  some  others. 
The  utmost  harmony  prevailed.  It  was  moved 
that  a  committee  of  six  should  be  appointed  by 
the  chair  to  devise  a  plan  and  report  at  a  future 
meeting,  to  convene,  it  was  decided,  on  the  first 
Monday  in  March  next  at  ten  o'clock  a.  m. 

After  the  meeting  pursuant  to  adjournment 
had  completed  its  business  by  organizing  a  cam- 
paign against  wolves,  bears  and  panthers,  and 
adopting  rules  and  regulations  for  the  govern- 
ment of  all  in  their  united  warfare  upon  pests, 
one  gentleman  arose  and  addressed  the  assem- 
bly, complimenting  it  upon  the  justice  and  pro- 
priety of  the  action  taken  for  the  protection  of 
domestic  animals,  but  "How  is  it,  fellow-citi- 
zens," said  he,  "with  you  and  me  and  our  chil- 
dren and  wives?  Have  we  any  organization  upon 
which  we  can  rely  for  mutual  protection?  Is 
there  any  power  or  influence  in  the  country  suffi- 
cient to  protect  us  and  all  we  hold  dear  on  earth 
from  the  worse  than  wild  beasts  that  threaten 
and  occasionally  destroy  our  cattle?  Who  in  our 
midst  is  authorized  at  this  moment  to  protect 
our  own  and  the  lives  of  our  families?  True,  the 
alarm  may  be  given  as  in  a  recent  case,  and  we 
may  run  who  feel  alarmed,  and  shoot  off  our 
guns,  while  our  enemy  may  be  robbing  our  prop- 
erty, ravishing  our  wives  and  burning  the  houses 
over  our  defenseless  families.  Common  sense, 
prudence  and  justice  to  ourselves  demand  that 
we  act  in  consistency  with  the  principles  we 
commenced.  We  have  mutually  and  unitedly 
agreed  to  defend  and  protect  our  cattle  and 
domestic  animals;  now,  fellow-citizens,  I  submit 
and  move  the  adoption  of  the  two  following 
resolutions,  that  we  may  have  protection  for 
our  persons  and  lives,  as  well  as  our  cattle  and 
herds : 

"  'Resolved,  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to 
take  into  consideration  the  propriety  of  taking 
measures  for  the  civil  and  military  protection  of 
this  colony. 

"  'Resolved,  That  said  committee  consist  of 
twelve  persons.'  " 

If  an  oratorical  effort  is  to  be  judged  by  the 
effect  produced  upon  the  audience,  this  one 
deserves  place  among  the  world's  masterpieces. 
The  resolutions  carried  unanimously.  The  com- 
mittee appointed  consisted  of  I.  L.  Babcock, 
Elijah  White,  James  A.  O'Neil,  Robert  Shor- 
tess,  Robert  Newell,  Etienne  Lucier,  Joseph 
Gervais,  Thomas  Hubbard,  C.  McRoy,  W.  H. 
Gray,  Sidney  Smith  and  George  Gay.  Its  first 
meeting  was  held  before  a  month  had  elapsed, 
the  place  being  Willamette  Falls.  Jason  Lee  and 
George  Abernethy  appeared  and  argued  vehe- 
mently against  the  movement  as  premature. 
When  the  office  of  governor  was  stricken  from 
the  list,  the  committee  unanimously  decided  to 
call  another  meeting  for  the  ensuing  2d  of  May. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


W.  II.  Gray,  in  his  history  of  Oregon,  describes 
this  decisive  occasion  thus: 

"The  2d  of  May,  the  day  fixed  by  the  com- 
mittee of  twelve  to  organize  a  settlers'  govern- 
ment, was  close  at  hand.  The  Indians  had  all 
learned  that  the  'Bostons'  were  going  to  have  a 
big  meeting,  and  they  also  knew  that  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  were  going  to  meet  with  them 
to  oppose  what  the  'Bostons'  were  going  to  do. 
The  Hudson's  Bay  Company  had  drilled  and 
trained  their  voters  for  the  occasion,  under  the 
Rev.  F.  N.  Blanchet  and  his  priests,  and  they 
were  promptly  on  the  ground  in  an  open  field 
near  a  small  house,  and,  to  the  amusement  of 
every  American  present,  trained  to  vote  'No'  to 
every  motion  put;  no  matter  if  to  carry  their 
point  they  should  have  voted  'Yes,'  it  was  'No.' 
Le  Breton  had  informed  the  committee,  and  the 
Americans  generally,  that  this  would  be  the 
course  pursued,  according  to  instructions,  hence 
our  motions  were  made  to  test  their  knowledge 
of  what  they  were  doing,  and  we  found  just 
what  we  expected  was  the  case.  The  priest  was 
not  prepared  for  our  manner  of  meeting  him, 
and,  as  the  record  shows,  'considerable  confusion 
was  existing  in  consequence. '  By  this  time  we 
had  counted  votes.  Says  Le  Breton,  'We  can 
risk  it;  let  us  divide  and  count'  '1  second  the 
motion,'  says  Gray.  'Who's  for  a  divide?'  sang 
out  old  Joe  Meek,  as  he  stepped  out.  'All  for 
the  report  of  the  committee  and  an  organization, 
follow  me.'  This  was  so  sudden  and  unexpected 
that  the  priest  and  his  voters  did  not  know  what 
to  do,  but  every  American  was  soon  in  line. 
Le  Breton  and  Gray  passed  the  line  and  counted 
fifty-two  Americans  and  but  fifty  French  and 
Hudson's  Bay  men.  They  announced  the  count 
— 'Fifty-two  for  and  fifty  against.'  'Three  cheers 
for  our  side!'  sang  out  old  Joe  Meek.  Not  one 
of  those  old  veteran  mountain  voices  was  lack- 
ing in  that  shout  for  liberty.  They  were  given 
with  a  will,  and  in  a  few  seconds  the  chairman, 
Judge  I.  L.  Babcock,  called  the  meeting  to  order, 
and  the  priest  and  his  band  slunk  away  into  the 
corners  of  the  fences  and  in  a  short  time  mounted 
their  horses  and  left." 

After  the  withdrawal  of  the  opponents  of  this 
measure,  the  meeting  became  harmonious,  of 
course.  Its  minutes  show  that  A.  E.  Wilson 
was  chosen  supreme  judge;  G.  W.  Le  Breton, 
clerk  of  the  court  and  recorder;  J.  L.  Meek, 
sheriff;  W.  H.  Willson,  treasurer;  Messrs.  Hill, 
Shortess,  Newell,  Beers,  Hubbard,  Gray,  O'Neil, 
Moore  and  Dougherty,  legislative  committee; 
and  that  constables,  a  major  and  captains  were 
also  chosen.  The  salary  of  the  legislative  com- 
mittee was  fixed  at  $1.25  per  diem  each  mem- 
ber, and  it  was  instructed  to  prepare  a  code  of 
laws  to  be  submitted  to  the  people  at  Champoeg 
on  the  5th  day  of  July. 

On  the  day  preceding  this  date,  the  anniver- 
sary of  America's  birth  was  duly  celebrated. 
Rev.    Gustavus   Hines   delivering    the    oration. 


Quite  a  number  who  had  opposed  organization 
at  the  previous  meeting  were  present  on  the  5th 
and  announced  their  determination  to  acquiesce 
in  the  action  of  the  majority  and  to  yield  obedi- 
ence to  any  government  which  might  be  formed, 
but  representatives  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany even  went  so  far  in  their  opposition  as  to 
address  a  letter  to  the  leaders  of  the  movement 
asserting  their  ability  to  defend  both  themselves 
and  their  political  rights. 

A  review  of  the  "Organic  laws"  adopted  at 
this  meeting  would  be  interesting,  but  such  is 
beyond  the  scope  of  our  volume.  Suffice  it  to 
say  that  they  were  so  liberal  and  just,  so  com- 
plete and  comprehensive,  that  it  has  been  a 
source  of  surprise  to  students  ever  since  that 
untrained  mountaineers  and  settlers,  without 
experience  in  legislative  halls,  could  conceive  a 
system  so  well  adapted  to  the  needs  and  condi- 
tions of  the  country.  The  preamble  runs:  "We, 
the  people  of  Oregon  territory,  for  the  purposes 
of  mutual  protection,  and  to  secure  peace  and 
prosperity  among  ourselves,  agree  to  adopt  the 
following  laws  and  regulations,  until  such  time 
as  the  United  States  of  America  extend  their 
jurisdiction  over  us."  The  two  weaknesses, 
which  were  soonest  felt,  were  the  result  of  the 
opposition  to  the  creation  of  the  office  of  gov- 
ernor and  to  the  levying  of  taxes.  The  former 
difficulty  was  overcome  by  substituting,  in  1844, 
a  gubernatorial  executive  for  the  triumvirate 
which  had  theretofore  discharged  the  executive 
functions,  and  the  latter  by  raising  the  necessary 
funds  by  popular  subscription.  In  1844,  also,  a 
legislature  was  substituted  for  the  legislative 
committee. 

Inasmuch  as  the  first  election  resulted  favora- 
bly to  some  who  owed  allegiance  to  the  British 
government  as  well  as  to  others  who  were  citi- 
zens of  the  United  States,  the  oath  of  office  was 
indited  as  follows:  "I  do  solemnly  swear  that  I 
will  support  the  organic  laws  of  the  provisional 
government  of  Oregon,  so  far  as  the  said  organic 
laws  are  consistent  with  my  duties  as  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  or  a  subject  of  Great  Britain, 
and  faithfully  demean  myself  in  office.  So  help 
me  God." 

Notwithstanding  the  opposition  to  the  provi- 
sional government,  the  diverse  peoples  over  whom 
it  exercised  authority,  and  the  weaknesses  in  it 
resulting  from  the  spirit  of  compromise  of  its 
authors,  it  continued  to  exist  and  discharge  all 
the  necessary  functions  of  sovereignty  until,  on 
August  14,  1848,  in  answer  to  the  numerous  memo- 
rials and  petitions,  and  the  urgent  appeals  of 
Messrs.  Thornton  and  Meek,  congress  at  last 
decided  to  give  to  Oregon  a  territorial  form  of 
government  with  all  the  rights  and  privileges 
usually  accorded  to  territories  of  the  United 
States.  Joseph  Lane,  of  Indiana,  whose  subse- 
quent career  presents  so  many  brilliant  and  so 
many  sad  chapters,  was  appointed  territorial 
governor. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE   OREGON    CONTROVERSY. 


1714324 


The  reader  is  now  in  possession  of  such  facts 
as  will  enable  him  to  approach  intelligently  the 
contemplation  of  the  great  diplomatic  war  of  the 
century,  the  Oregon  controversy.  It  may  be 
safely  asserted  that  never  before  in  the  history  of 
nations  did  diplomacy  triumph  over  such  wide 
differences  of  opinion  and  sentiment  and  effect  a 
peaceable  adjustment  of  such  divergent  interna- 
tional interests.  Twice  actual  conflict  of  arms 
seemed  imminent,  but  the  spirit  of  compromise 
and  mutual  forbearance  ultimately  won,  a  fact 
which  shows  that  the  leaven  of  civilization  was 
working  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  and  gives 
reason  to  hope  that  the  day  when  the  swords  of 
the  nations  shall  be  beaten  into  plowshares  and 
their  spears  into  pruning  hooks  may  not  be  as  far 
in  the  future  as  some  suppose. 

We  need  not  attempt  to  trace  all  the  conflict- 
ing claims  which  were  at  any  time  set  up  by 
different  nations  to  parts  or  the  whole  of  the  old 
Oregon  territory,  nor  to  go  into  the  controversy 
in  all  its  multiform  complications,  but  will  con- 
fine our  inquiry  mainly  to  the  negotiations  after 
Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  became  the 
sole  claimants.  France  early  established  some 
right  to  what  was  denominated  "the  western 
part  of  Louisiana,"  which,  in  1762,  she  conveyed 
to  Spain.  This  was  retroceded  to  France  some 
thirty-eight  years  later,  and  in  1803  was  by  that 
nation  conveyed  with  the  rest  of  Louisiana  to  the 
United  States.  So  France  was  left  out  of  the 
contest.  In  181 9,  by  the  treaty  of  Florida,  Spain 
ceded  to  the  United  States  all  right  and  title 
whatsoever  which  she  might  have  to  the  terri- 
tory on  the  Pacific,  north  of  the  forty-second 
parallel. 

What  then  were  the  claims  of  the  United 
States  to  this  vast  domain?  Naturally,  they 
were  of  a  three-fold  character.  Our  government 
claimed  first  in  its  own  right.  The  Columbia 
river  was  discovered  by  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  and  named  by  him.  The  river  had  been 
subsequently  explored  from  its  sources  to  its 
mouth  by  a  government  expedition  under  Lewis 
and  Clarke.  This  had  been  followed  and  its 
effects  strengthened  by  American  settlements 
upon  the  banks  of  the  river.  While  Astoria,  the 
American  settlement,  had  been  captured  in  the 
war  of  1812-15,  it  had  been  restored  in  accord- 
ance with  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  one  provision  of 


which  was  that  "all  territory,  places  and  posses- 
sions whatsoever,  taken  by  either  party  from  the 
other  during  the  war,  or  which  may  be  taken 
after  the  signing  of  this  treaty,  shall  be  restored 
without  delay." 

It  was  a  well  established  and  universally  rec- 
ognized principle  of  international  law  that  the 
discovery  of  a  river  followed  within  a  reasonable 
time  by  acts  of  occupancy,  conveyed  the  right  to 
the  territory  drained  by  the  river  and  its  tribu- 
tary streams.  This,  it  was  contended,  would 
make  the  territory  between  forty- two  degrees 
and  fifty-one  degrees  north  latitude  the  rightful 
possession  of  the  United  States. 

The  Americans  claimed  secondly  as  the  suc- 
cessors of  France.  By  the  treaty  of  Utrecht,  the 
date  whereof  was  1713,  the  north  line  of  the 
Louisiana  territory  was  established  as  a  dividing 
line  between  the  Hudson's  bay  territory  and  the 
French  provinces  in  Canada.  For  centuries  it 
had  been  a  recognized  principle  of  international 
law  that  "continuity"  was  a  strong  element  of 
territorial  claim.  All  European  powers,  when 
colonizing  the  Atlantic  seaboard,  construed  their 
colonial  grants  to  extend,  whether  expressly  so 
stated  or  otherwise,  entirely  across  the  continent 
to  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  most  of  these  grants 
conveyed  in  express  terms  a  strip  of  territory 
bounded  north  and  south  by  stated  parallels  of 
latitude,  and  east  and  west  by  the  oceans.  Great 
Britain  herself  had  stoutly  maintained  this  prin- 
ciple, even  going  so  far  as  to  wage  with  France  for 
its  integrity  the  war  which  was  ended  by  the 
treaty  of  1763.  By  that  England  acquired  Can- 
ada and  renounced  to  France  all  territory  west  of 
the  Mississippi  river.  It  was  therefore  con- 
tended on  the  part  of  the  United  States  that 
England's  claim  by  continuity  passed  to  France 
and  from  France  by  assignment  to  this  nation. 
This  claim,  of  course,  was  subject  to  any  rights 
which  might  prove  to  belong  to  Spain. 

Thirdly,  the  United  States  claimed  as  the  suc- 
cessor of  Spain  all  the  rights  which  that  nation 
might  have  acquired  by  prior  discovery  or  other- 
wise having  accrued  to  the  United  States  by  the 
treaty  of  Florida. 

In  the  negotiations  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States  which  terminated  in  the  Joint- 
Occupancy  treaty  of  1818,  the  latter  nation 
pressed  the  former  for  a  final  quit-claim  to  all 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


territory  west  of  the  Rocky  mountains.  In  so 
doing  it  asserted  its  intention  "to  be  without  ref- 
erence or  prejudice  to  the  claims  of  any  other 
power,"  but  it  was  contended  on  the  part  of  the 
American  negotiators,  Gallatin  and  Rush,  that 
the  discovery  of  the  Columbia  by  Gray,  its 
exploration  by  Lewis  and  Clarke,  and  the  Amer- 
ican settlement  at  Astoria,  rendered  the  claim  of 
the  United  States  "at  least  good  against  Great 
Britain  to  the  country  through  which  such  river 
flowed,  though  they  did  not  assert  that  the 
United  States  had  a  perfect  right  to  the  coun- 
try." 

When,  however,  the  United  States  succeeded 
to  Spain,  it  was  thought  that  all  clouds  upon  its 
title  were  completely  dispelled,  and  thereafter  it 
was  the  contention  of  this  government  that  its 
right  to  sole  occupancy  was  perfect  and  indis- 
putable. Great  Britain,  however,  did  not  claim 
that  her  title  amounted  to  one  of  sovereignty  or 
exclusive  possession,  but  simply  that  it  was  at 
least  as  good  as  any  other.  Her  theory  was  that 
she  had  a  right  of  occupancy  in  conjunction  with 
other  claimants,  which  by  settlement  and  other- 
wise might  be  so  strengthened  in  a  part  or  the 
whole  of  the  territory  as  to  ultimately  secure  for 
her  the  right  to  be  clothed  with  sovereignty. 

In  the  discussion  of  the  issue,  the  earliest 
explorations  had  to  be  largely  left  out  of  the 
case,  as  they  were  attended  with  too  much  vague- 
ness and  uncertainty  to  bear  any  great  weight. 
The  second  epoch  of  exploration  was,  therefore, 
lifted  to  a  position  of  prominence  it  cculd  not 
otherwise  have  enjoyed.  Perez  and  Heceta,  for 
the  Spaniards,  the  former  in  1774,  the  latter  a 
year  later,  had  explored  the  northwest  coast  to 
the  fifty-fifth  parallel  and  beyond,  Heceta  discov- 
ering the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river.  To  offset 
whatever  rights  might  accrue  from  these  explo- 
rations, England  had  only  the  more  thorough 
but  less  extensive  survey  of  Captain  James  Cook, 
made  in  1778.  The  advantage  in  point  of  prior 
discovery  would,  therefore,  seem  to  be  with  the 
United  States  as  assignee  of  Spain. 

After  the  Joint-Occupancy  treaty  of  1818  had 
been  signed,  negotiations  on  the  subject  were  not 
reopened  until  1824.  In  that  year,  obedient  to 
the  masterly  instructions  addressed  to  him  on 
July  22,  1823,  by  John  Quincy  Adams,  secretary 
of  state,  Richard  Rush,  minister  to  England, 
entered  into  negotiations  with  the  British  minis- 
ters, Canning  and  Huskisson,  for  the  adjustment 
of  the  boundary.  Mr.  Rush  was  instructed  to 
offer  the  forty-ninth  parallel  to  the  sea,  "should 
it  be  earnestly  insisted  upon  by  Great  Britain." 
He  endeavored  with  great  persistency  to  fulfil 
his  mission,  but  his  propositions  were  rejected. 
The  British  negotiators  offered  the  forty-ninth 
parallel  to  the  Columbia,  then  the  middle  of  that 
river  to  the  sea,  with  perpetual  right  to  both 
nations  of  navigating  the  harbor  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river.     This  proposal   Mr.  Rush  rejected,  so 


nothing  was  accomplished.  By  treaty  concluded 
in  February,  1825,  an  agreement  was  entered 
into  between  Great  Britain  and  Russia,  whereby 
the  line  of  fifty-four  degrees,  forty  minutes,  was 
fixed  as  the  boundary-  between  the  territorial 
claims  of  the  two  nations,  a  fact  which  explains 
the  cry  of  "Fifty-four,  forty  or  fight"  that  in 
later  days  became  the  slogan  of  the  Democratic 
party. 

In  1826-7  another  attempt  was  made  to  settle 
the  question  at  issue  between  Great  Britain  and 
the  United  States.  Albert  Gallatin  then  repre- 
sented this  country,  receiving  his  instructions 
from  Henry  Clay,  secretary  of  state,  who  said: 
"It  is  not  thought  necessary  to  add  much  to  the 
argument  advanced  on  this  point  in  the  instruc- 
tions given  to  Mr.  Rush  and  that  which  was 
employed  by  him  in  the  course  of  the  negotia- 
tions to  support  our  title  as  derived  from  prior 
discovery  and  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  river,  and  from  the  treaty  which  Spain 
concluded  on  the  2 2d  of  February,  18 19.  That 
argument  is  believed  to  have  conclusively  estab- 
lished our  title  on  both  grounds.  Nor  is  it  con- 
ceived that  Great  Britain  has  or  can  make  out 
even  a  colorless  title  to  any  portion  of  the  north- 
ern coast."  Referring  to  the  offer  of  the  forty- 
ninth  parallel  in  a  despatch  dated  February  24, 
1827,  Mr.  Clay  said:  "It  is  conceived  in  a  gen- 
uine spirit  of  concession  and  conciliation,  and  it 
is  our  ultimatum  and  you  may  so  announce  it." 
In  order  to  save  the  case  of  his  country  from 
being  prejudiced  in  future  negotiations  by  the 
liberality  of  offers  made  and  rejected,  Mr.  Clay 
instructed  Gallatin  to  declare  "that  the  American 
government  does  not  hold  itself  bound  hereafter, 
in  consequence  of  any  proposal  which  it  has  here- 
tofore made,  to  agree  to  a  line  which  has  been  so 
proposed  and  rejected,  but  will  consider  itself  at 
liberty  to  contend  for  the  full  measure  of  our  just 
claims;  which  declaration  you  must  have  recorded 
in  the  protocol  of  one  of  your  conferences;  and 
to  give  it  more  weight,  have  it  slated  that  it  has 
been  done  by  the  express  direction  of  the  preside?it." 

Mr.  Gallatin  sustained  the  claim  of  the 
United  States  in  this  negotiation  so  powerfully 
that  the  British  plenipotentiaries,  Huskisson, 
Grant  and  Addington,  were  forced  to  the  position 
that  Great  Britain  did  not  assert  any  title  to  the 
country.  They  contented  themselves  with  the 
contention  that  her  claim  was  sufficiently  well 
founded  to  give  her  the  right  to  occupy  the 
country  in  common  with  other  nations,  such 
concessions  having  been  made  to  her  by  the 
Nootka  treaty.  The  British  negotiators  com- 
plained of  the  recommendation  of  President 
Monroe  in  his  message  of  December  7,  1824,  to 
establish  a  military  post  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia  river,  and  of  the  passage  of  a  bill  in 
the  house  providing  for  the  occupancy  of  the 
Oregon  river.  To  this  the  American  replied  by 
calling  attention  to  the  act  of  the  British  parlia- 


THE    OREGON    CONTROVERSY. 


37 


ment  of  1821,  entitled  "An  act  for  regulating  the 
fur  trade  and  establishing  a  criminal  and  civil 
jurisdiction  in  certain  parts  of  North  America." 
He  contended  with  great  ability  and  force  that  the 
recommendation  and  bill  complained  of  did  not 
interfere  with  the  treaty  of  1818  and  that  neither 
a  territorial  government  nor  a  fort  at  the  mouth 
of  the  river  could  be  rightly  complained  of  by  a 
government  which  had  granted  such  wide  privi- 
leges and  comprehensive  powers  to  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company. 

Before  the  conclusion  of  these  negotiations, 
Mr.  Gallatin  had  offered  not  alone  the  forty- 
ninth  parallel,  but  that  "the  navigation  of  the 
Columbia  river  shall  be  perpetually  free  to  sub- 
jects of  Great  Britain  in  common  with  citizens  of 
the  United  States,  provided  that  the  said  line 
should  strike  the  northeasternmost  or  any  other 
branch  of  that  river  at  a  point  at  which  it  was 
navigable  for  boats."  The  British,  on  their  part, 
again  offered  the  Columbia  river,  together  with 
a  large  tract  of  land  between  Admiralty  inlet  and 
the  coast,  protesting  that  this  concession  was 
made  in  the  spirit  of  sacrifice  for  conciliation  and 
not  as  one  of  right.  The  proposition  was 
rejected  and  the  negotiations  ended  in  the  treaty 
of  August  6,  1827,  which  continued  the  Joint- 
Occupancy  treaty  of  1818  indefinitely,  with  the 
proviso  that  it  might  be  abrogated  by  either 
party  on  giving  the  other  a  year's  notice. 

"There  can  be  no  doubt,"  says  Evans,  "that, 
during  the  continuance  of  these  two  treaties, 
British  foothold  was  strengthened  and  the  diffi- 
culty of  the  adjustment  of  boundaries  materially 
enhanced.  Nor  does  this  reflect  in  the  slightest 
degree  upon  those  great  publicists  who  managed 
the  claim  of  the  United  States  in  those  negotia- 
tions. Matchless  ability  and  earnest  patriotism, 
firm  defense  of  the  United  States'  claim,  and 
withal  a  disposition  to  compromise  to  avoid  rup- 
ture with  any  other  nation,  mark  these  negotia- 
tions in  every  line.  The  language  and  intention 
of  these  treaties  are  clear  and  unmistakable. 
Neither  government  was  to  attempt  any  act  in 
derogation  of  the  other's  claim;  nor  could  any 
advantage  inure  to  either;  during  their  continu- 
ance the  territory  should  be  free  and  open  to 
citizens  and  subjects  of  both  nations.  Such  is 
their  plain  purport;  such  the  only  construction 
which  their  language  will  warrant.  Yet  it  can- 
not be  controverted  that  the  United  States  had 
thereby  precluded  itself  from  the  sole  enjoy- 
ment of  the  territory  which  it  claimed  in  sover- 
eignty; nor  that  Great  Britain  acquired  a  peacea- 
ble, recognized  and  uninterrupted  tenancy-in- 
common  in  regions  where  her  title  was  so  imper- 
fect that  she  herself  admitted  that  she  could  not 
successfully  maintain,  nor  did  she  even  assert  it. 
She  could  well  afford  to  wait.  Hers  was  indeed 
the  policy  later  in  the  controversy  styled  masterly 
inactivity:  'Leave  the  title  in  abeyance,  the  set- 
tlement of  the  country  will  ultimately  settle  the 


sovereignty. '  In  no  event  could  her  colorless 
title  lose  color;  while  an  immediate  adjustment 
of  the  boundary  would  have  abridged  the  area  of 
territory  in  which,  through  her  subjects,  she 
already  exercised  exclusive  possession,  and  had 
secured  the  entire  enjoyment  of  its  wealth  and 
resources.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  by 
virtue  of  its  license  of  trade  excluding  all  other 
British  subjects  from  the  territory,  was  Great 
Britain's  trustee  in  possession — an  empire  com- 
pany,omnipotent  to  supplant  enterprises  projected 
by  citizens  of  the  United  States.  Indeed,  the 
territory  had  been  appropriated  by  a  wealthy,  all- 
powerful  monopoly,  with  whom  it  was  ruinous 
to  attempt  to  compete.  Such  is  a  true  exhibit  of 
the  then  condition  of  Oregon,  produced  by  causes 
extrinsic  to  the  treaty,  which  the  United  .States 
government  could  neither  counteract  nor  avoid. 
The  United  States  had  saved-  the  right  for  its 
citizens  to  enter  the  territory,  had  protested  like- 
wise that  no  act  or  omission  on  the  part  of  the 
government  or  its  citizens,  or  any  act  of  commis- 
sion or  omission  by  the  British  government  or 
her  subjects  during  such  Joint-Occupancy  treat- 
ies, should  affect  in  any  way  the  United  States' 
claim  to  the  territory. 

"The  treaties  of  1818  and  1827  have  passed 
into  history  as  conventions  for  joint  occupancy. 
Practically  they  operated  as  grants  of  possession 
to  Great  Britain,  or  rather  to  her  representative, 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who,  after  the 
merger  with  the  Northwest  Company,  had 
become  sole  occupant  of  the  territory.  The  situ- 
ation may  be  briefly  summed  up:  The  United 
States  claimed  title  to  the  territory.  Great 
Britain,  through  its  empire-trading  company, 
occupied  it — enjoyed  all  the  wealth  and  resources 
derivable  from  it." 

But  while  joint  occupation  was  in  reality  non- 
occupation  by  any  but  the  British,  it  must  not 
be  supposed  that  the  case  of  the  United  States 
was  allowed  to  go  entirely  by  default  during  the 
regime  of  the  so-called  joint  occupancy.  In  con- 
gress the  advisability  of  occupying  Oregon  was 
frequently  and  vehemently  discussed.  Ignorance 
and  misconception  with  regard  to  the  real  nature 
of  Oregon,  its  climate,  soil,  products  and  health- 
fulness,  were  being  dispelled.  The  representa- 
tions of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  that  it  was 
a  "miasmatic  wilderness,  uninhabitable  except 
by  wild  beasts  and  more  savage  men,"  were 
being  found  to  be  false.  In  1821  Dr.  John  Floyd, 
a  representative  in  congress  from  Virginia,  and 
Senator  Thomas  H.  Benton,  of  Missouri,  had 
interviews  at  Washington  with  Ramsey  Crooks 
and  Russell  Farnham,  who  had  belonged  to 
Astor's  party.  From  these  gentlemen  they 
learned  something  of  the  value  of  Oregon,  its 
features  of  interest,  and  its  commercial  and 
strategic  importance.  This  information  Dr. 
Floyd  made  public  in  1822,  in  a  speech  in  sup- 


33 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


port  of  a  bill  "to  authorize  the  occupation  of  the 
Columbia  river,  and  to  regulate  trade  and  inter- 
course with  the  Indians  therein."  On  December 
29,  1823,  a  committee  was  appointed  to  inquire 
as  to  the  wisdom  of  occupying  the  mouth  of  the 
Columbia,  and  the  committee's  report,  submitted 
on  April  15th  of  the  following  year,  embodied  a 
communication  from  General  Thomas  S.  Jesup, 
which  asserted  that  the  military  occupancy  of 
the  Columbia  was  a  necessity  for  protecting 
trade  and  securing  the  frontier.  It  recom- 
mended the  despatch  of  a  force  of  two  hundred 
men  across  the  continent  to  establish  a  fort  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  river;  that  at  the 
same  time  two  vessels  with  arms,  ordnance  and 
supplies  be  sent  thither  by  sea.  He  further  pro- 
posed the  establishment  of  a  line  of  posts  across 
the  continent  to  afford  protection  to  our  traders ; 
and  on  the  expiration  of  the  privilege  granted  to 
British  subjects  to  trade  on  the  waters  of  the 
Columbia,  to  enable  us  to  remove  them  from  our 
territory,  and  secure  the  whole  to  our  citizens. 
Those  posts  would  also  assure  the  preservation  of 
peace  among  the  Indians  in  the  event  of  a  for- 
eign war  and  command  their  neutrality  or  assist- 
ance as  we  might  think  advisable.  The  letter 
exposed  Great  Britain's  reasons  for  her  policy  of 
masterly  inactivity,  and  urged  that  some  action 
be  taken  by  the  United  States  to  balance  or  offset 
the  accretion  of  British  title  and  for  preserving 
and  protecting  its  own.  "History,"  says  Evans, 
"will  generously  award  credit  to  the  sagacious 
Jesup  for  indicating  in  1823  the  unerring  way  to 
preserve  the  American  title  to  Oregon  territory. 
Nor  will  it  fail  to  commend  the  earnest  devotion 
of  that  little  Oregon  party  in  congress  for  placing 
on  record  why  the  government  should  assert 
exclusive  jurisdiction  within  its  own  territory." 
In  the  next  congress  the  subject  was  again  dis- 
cussed with  energy  and  ability.  In  1831  formal 
negotiations  with  Great  Britain  were  resumed. 

All  this  discussion  had  a  tendency  to  dispel 
the  idea,  promulgated  as  we  have  seen  by  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  that  the'  territory  was 
worthless  and  uninhabitable,  also  to  excite  inter- 
est in  the  mystic  region  beyond  the  mountains. 

The  United  States  claimed  theoretically  that 
it  was  the  possessor  of  a  vested  right  to  absolute 
sovereignty  over  the  entire  Oregon  territory,  and 
in  all  the  negotiations  after  the  signing  of  the 
treaty  of  Florida,  its  ambassadors  claimed  that 
the  title  of  their  country  was  clearly  established. 
The  fact,  however,  that  joint  occupancy  was 
agreed  to  at  all  after  1828  could  hardly  be  con- 
strued in  any  other  light  than  as  a  confession  of 
weakness  in  our  title,  notwithstanding  the  une- 
quivocal stipulations  that  neither  party  should 
attempt  anything  in  derogation  of  the  other's 
claims,  and  that  the  controversy  should  be  deter- 
mined upon  its  merits  as  they  existed  prior  to 
18 18  If  the  United  States  came  into  possession 
of  an  absolute  title  in  1819,  why  should  it  after- 


ward permit  occupation  by  British  subjects  and 
the  enforcement  of  British  law  in  its  domain? 

The  United  States'  title,  as  before  stated, 
rested  upon  three  foundation  stones — its  own 
discoveries  and  explorations,  the  discoveries  and 
explorations  of  the  Spaniards,  and  the  purchase  of 
Louisiana.  While  it  was  not  contended  that  any 
of  these  conveyed  exclusive  right,  the  position  of 
our  country  was  that  each  supplemented  the 
other;  that,  though-  while  vested  in  different 
nations  they  were  antagonistic,  when  held  by  the 
same  nation,  they,  taken  together,  amounted  to 
a  complete  title.  The  title  was  therefore  cumu- 
lative in  its  nature  and  had  in  it  the  weakness 
which  is  inherent  under  such  conditions.  It  was 
impossible  to  determine  with  definiteness  how 
many  partial  titles,  the  value  of  each  being  a 
matter  of  uncertainty,  would  cumulatively 
amount  to  one  complete  title.  And  however 
clear  the  right  of  the  United  States  might  seem 
to  its  own  statesmen,  it  is  evident  that  the  con- 
viction must  be  produced  in  the  minds  of  the 
British  also  if  war  was  to  be  avoided. 

These  facts  early  came  to  be  appreciated  by  a 
clear-visioned,  well-informed  and  determined 
little  band  in  congress.  The  debates  in  that 
body,  as  well  as  numerous  publications  sent  out 
among  the  people,  stimulated  a  few  daring  spirits 
to  brave  the  dangers  of  Rocky  mountain  travel 
and  to  see  for  themselves  the  truth  with  regard 
to  Oregon.  Reports  from  these  reacted  upon 
congress,  enabling  it  to  reason  and  judge  from 
premises  more  nearly  in  accordance  with  facts. 
Gradually  interest  in  Oregon  became  intensified 
and  the  determination  to  hold  it  for  the  United 
States  deepened.  While  the  country  never 
receded  from  its  conviction  of  the  existence  of 
an  absolute  right  of  sovereignty  in  itself,  the 
people  resolved  to  establish  a  title  which  even 
the  British  could  not  question,  to  win  Oregon 
from  Great  Britain  even  in  accordance  with  the 
tenets  of  her  own  theory.  They  determined  to 
settle  and  Americanize  the  territory.  In  1834, 
and  again  in  1836,  an  element  of  civilization  was 
introduced  of  a  vastly  higher  nature  than  any 
which  accompanied  the  inroads  of  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  employees  and  of  trappers  and 
traders.  We  refer  to  the  American  missionaries 
spoken  of  in  former  chapters.  The  part  which 
these  had  in  stimulating  this  resolution  of  the 
American  people  have  been  and  will  be  suffi- 
ciently treated  elsewhere.  The  results  of  Whit- 
man's midwinter  ride  and  labors  and  of  the 
numerous  other  forces  at  work  among  the  people 
were  crystallized  into  action  in  1843,  when  a 
great,  swelling  tide  of  humanity,  pulsating  with 
the  restless  energy  and  native  daring  so  charac- 
teristic of  the  American,  pushed  across  the  desert 
plains  of  the  continent,  through  the  fastnesses  of 
the  Rocky  mountains,  and  into  the  heart  of  the 
disputed  territory.  Other  immigrations  fol- 
lowed, and  there  was  introduced  into  the  Oregon 


THE    OREGON    CONTROVERSY 


question  a  new  feature,  the  vital  force  and 
import  of  which  could  not  be  denied  by  the 
adverse  claimant.  At  the  same  time  the  Ameri- 
can government  was  placed  under  an  increased 
obligation  to  maintain  its  right  to  the  valley  of 
the  Columbia. 

But  we  must  return  now  to  the  diplomatic 
history  of  the  controversy,  resuming  the  same 
with  the  negotiations  of  183 1.  Martin  Van  Buren 
was  then  minister  at  London.  He  received 
instructions  relative  to  the  controversy  from 
Edward  Livingston,  secretary  of  state,  the  tenor 
of  which  indicated  that  the  United  States  was 
not  averse  to  the  presence  of  the  British  in  the 
territory.  While  they  asserted  confidence  in  the 
American  title  to  the  entire  Oregon  territory, 
they  said:  "This  subject,  then,  is  open  for  dis- 
cussion, and,  until  the  rights  of  the  parties  can 
be  settled  by  negotiations,  ours  can  suffer  noth- 
ing by  delay. "  Under  these  rather  lukewarm 
instructions,  naturally  nothing  was  accomplished. 

In  1S42  efforts  to  adjust  the  boundary  west  of 
the  Rocky  mountains  were  again  resumed,  this 
time  on  motion  of  Great  Britain.  That  power 
requested  on  October  iSth  of  the  year  mentioned 
that  the  United  States  minister  at  London  should 
be  furnished  with  instructions  and  authority  to 
renew  negotiations,  giving  assurance  of  its  will- 
ingness to  proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the 
boundary  subject  "in  a  perfect  spirit  of  fairness, 
and  to  adjust  it  on  a  basis  of  equitable  compro- 
mise."  On  November  25th  Daniel  Webster, 
then  secretary  of  state,  replied  "that  the  presi- 
dent concurred  entirely  in  the  expediency  of 
making  the  question  respecting  the  Oregon  ter- 
ritory a  subject  of  immediate  attention  and  nego- 
tiation between  the  two  governments.  He  had 
already  formed  the  purpose  of  expressing  this 
opinion  in  his  message  to  congress,  and,  at  no 
distant  day,  a  communication  will  be  made  to  the 
minister  of  the  United  States  in  London." 

Negotiations  were  not,  however,  renewed 
until  October,  1843,  when  Secretary  Upshur  sent 
instructions  to  Edward  Everett,  American  min- 
ister to  London,  again  offering  the  forty-ninth 
parallel,  together  with  the  right  of  navigating 
the  Columbia  river  upon  equitable  terms.  In 
February  of  the  ensuing  year,  Hon.  Richard 
Packenham,  British  plenipotentiary,  came  to  the 
American  capital  with  instructions  to  negotiate 
concerning  the  Oregon  territory.  No  sooner 
had  the  discussion  fairly  begun  than  a  melan- 
choly event  happened,  Secretary  Upshur  being 
killed  on  the  United  States  vessel  Princeton  by 
the  explosion  of  a  gun.  A  few  months  later  his 
successor,  John  C.  Calhoun,  continued  the  nego- 
tiations. The  arguments  were  in  a  large  meas- 
ure a  repetition  of  those  already  advanced,  but  a 
greater  aggressiveness  on  the  part  of  the  British 
and  persistency  in  denying  the  claims  of  the 
United  States  were  noticeable.  As  in  former 
negotiations,     the     privilege    accorded    by    the 


Nootka  convention  were  greatly  relied  upon  by 
Great  Britain,  as  proving  that  no  absolute  title 
was  retained  by  Spain  after  the  signing  of  the 
treaty,  hence  none  could  be  assigned.  One  strik- 
ing statement  in  Lord  Packenham's  correspond- 
ence was  to  the  effect  that  "he  did  not  feel 
authorized  to  enter  into  discussion  respecting  the 
territory  north  of  the  forty-ninth  parallel  of  lati- 
tude, which  was  understood  by  the  British  gov- 
ernment to  form  the  basis  of  negotiations  on  the 
side  of  the  United  States,  as  the  line  of  the 
Columbia  formed  that  of  Great  Britain."  He 
thus  showed  all  too  plainly  the  animus  of  his 
government  to  take  advantage  of  the  spirit  of 
compromise  which  prompted  the  offer  of  that 
line  and  to  construe  such  offer  as  an  abandon- 
ment of  the  United  States'  claim  to  an  absolute 
title  to  all  the  Oregon  territory.  It  is  hard  to 
harmonize  her  action  in  this  matter  with  the 
"perfect  spirit  of  fairness"  professed  in  the  note 
of  Lord  Aberdeen  to  Mr.  Webster  asking  for  a 
renewal  of  negotiations.  No  agreement  was 
reached. 

During  the  sessions  of  congress  of  1843-4 
memorials,  resolutions  and  petitions  from  all 
parts  of  the  union  casne  in  in  a  perfect  flood. 
The  people  were  thoroughly  aroused.  In  the 
presidential  election  which  occurred  at  that 
time  the  Oregon  question  was  a  leading  issue. 
"Fifty-four,  forty  or  fight"  became  the  rallying 
cry  of  the  Democratic  party.  The  platform 
framed  in  the  Democratic  national  convention 
declared:  "Our  title  to  the  whole  of  Oregon  is 
clear  and  unquestionable.  No  portion  of  the 
same  ought  to  be  ceded  to  England  or  any  other 
power;  and  the  reoccupation  of  Oregon  at  the 
earliest  practical  period  is  a  great  American 
measure."  The  position  of  the  Whig  party  was 
milder  and  less  arrogant,  but  equally  emphatic 
in  its  assertion  of  belief  in  the  validity  of  the 
United  States'  title.  The  fact  that  the  Demo- 
crats carried  in  the  election,  despite  the  warlike 
tone  of  their  platform  and  campaign,  is  conclu- 
sive evidence  that  the  people  were  determined  to 
hold  their  territory  on  the  Pacific  coast  regard- 
less of  cost.  "Never  was  a  government  more 
signally  advised  by  the  voice  of  a  united  people. 
The  popular  pulse  had  been  felt,  and  it  beat 
strongly  in  favor  of  prompt  and  decisive  meas- 
ures to  secure  the  immediate  reoccupation  of 
Oregon.  It  equally  proclaimed  that  'no  portion 
thereof  ought  to  be"  ceded  to  Great  Britain.'  In 
January,  1845,  Sir  Richard  Packenham,  the  Brit- 
ish minister,  proposed  that  the  matter  in  dispute 
be  left  to  arbitration,  which  proposal  was  respect- 
fully declined.  So  the  administration  of  Presi- 
dent Tyler  terminated  without  adjustment  of  the 
Oregon  difficulty. 

Notwithstanding  the  unequivocal  voice  of  the 
people  in  demand  of  the  whole  of  Oregon,  James 
Buchanan,  secretary  of  state  under  President 
Polk,  in  a  communication  to  Sir  Richard  Packen- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ham,  dated  July  12,  1845,  again  offered  the  forty- 
ninth  parallel,  explaining  at  the  same  time  that 
he  could  not  have  consented  to  do  so  had  he  not 
found  himself  embarrassed,  if  not  committed,  by 
the  acts  of  his  predecessors.  Packenham  rejected 
the  offer.  Buchanan  informed  him  that  he  was 
"instructed  by  the  president  to  say  that  he  owes 
it  to  his  country,  and  a  just  appreciation  of  her 
title  to  the  Oregon  territory,  to  withdraw  the 
proposition  to  the  British  government  which  has 
been  made  under  his  direction;  and  it  is  hereby 
accordingly  withdrawn."  This  formal  with- 
drawal of  the  previous  offers  of  compromise  on 
the  forty-ninth  parallel,  justified  as  it  was  by 
Great  Britain's  repeated  rejections,  left  the  Polk 
administration  free  and  untrammeled.  Appear- 
ances indicated  that  it  was  now  ready  to  give 
execution  to  the  popular  verdict  of  1844.  The 
message  of  the  president  recommended  that  the 
year's  notice,  required  by  the  treaty  of  1827,  be 
immediately  given,  that  measures  be  adopted  for 
maintaining  the  rights  of  the  United  States  to  the 
whole  of  Oregon,  and  that  such  legislation  be 
enacted  as  would  afford  security  and  protection 
to  American  settlers. 

In  harmony  with  these  recommendations,  a 
resolution  was  adopted  April  27th,  1846,  author- 
izing the  president  "at  his  discretion  to  give  to 
the  government  of  Great  Britain  the  notice 
required  by  the  second  article  of  the  said  conven- 
tion of  the  6th  of  August,  1827,  for  the  abroga- 
tion of  the  same." 

Acting  in  accordance  with  the  resolution, 
President  Polk  the  next  day  sent  notice  of  the 
determination  of  the  United  States  "that,  at  the 
end  of  twelve  months  from  and  after  the  deliv- 
ery of  these  presents  by  the  envoy  extraordinary 
and  minister  plenipotentiary  of  the  United  States 
at  London,  to  her  Britannic  Majesty,  or  to  her 
Majesty's  principal  secretary  of  state  for  foreign 
affairs,  the  said  convention  shall  be  entirely 
annulled  and  abrogated." 

On  the  27th  of  December,  1845,  Sir  Richard 
Packenham  had  submitted  another  proposal  to 
arbitrate  the  matter  at  issue  between  the  two 
governments.  The  proposal  was  declined  on  the 
ground  that  to  submit  the  proposition  in  the 
form  stated  would  preclude  the  United  States 
from  making  a  claim  to  the  whole  of  the  terri- 
tory. On  January  17th  of  the  following  year,  a 
modified  proposal  was  made  to  refer  "the  ques- 
tion of  title  in  either  government  to  the  whole 
territory  to  be  decided;  and  if  neither  were 
found  to  possess  a  complete  title  to  the  whole,  it 
was  to  be  divided  between  them  according  to  a 
just  appreciation  of  the  claims  of  each."  The 
answer  of  Mr.  Buchanan  was  clear  and  its  lan- 
guage calculated  to  preclude  any  more  arbitra- 
tion proposals.  He  said:  "If  the  government 
should  consent  to  an  arbitration  upon  such  terms, 
this  would  be  construed  into  an  intimation,  if  not 
a  direct  invitation  to  the  arbitrator  to  divide  the 


territory  between  the  two  parties.  Were  it  pos- 
sible for  this  government,  under  any  circum- 
stances, to  refer  the  question  to  arbitration,  the 
title  and  the  title  alone,  detached  from  every 
other  consideration,  ought  to  be  the  only  ques- 
tion submitted.  The  title  of  the  United  States, 
which  the  president  regards  clear  and  unques- 
tionable, can  never  be  placed  in  jeopardy  by 
referring  it  to  the  decision  of  any  individual, 
whether  sovereign,  citizen  or  subject.  Nor  does 
he  believe  the  territorial  rights  of  this  nation  are 
a  proper  subject  of  arbitration.  " 

But  the  British  government  seems  now  to 
have  become  determined  that  the  question  should 
be  settled  without  further  delay.  The  rejected 
arbitration  proposal  was  followed  on  the  6th  day 
of  June,  1846,  by  a  draft  of  a  proposed  treaty 
submitted  by  Sir  Richard  Packenham  to  Secre- 
tary of  State  Buchanan.  The  provisions  of  this 
were  to  the  effect  that  the  boundary  should  be 
continued  along  the  forty-ninth  parallel  "to  the 
middle  of  the  channel  which  separates  the  conti- 
nent from  Vancouver  island;  and  thence  south- 
erly through  the  middle  of  said  channel  and  of 
Fuca's  strait  to  the  Pacific  ocean."  It  stipu- 
lated that  the  navigation  of  the  Columbia  river 
should  remain  free  and  open  to  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  and  to  all  British  subjects  trading 
with  the  same;  that  the  possessory  right  of  that 
company  and  of  all  British  subjects  south  of  the 
forty-ninth  parallel  should  be  respected,  and  that 
"the  farms,  lands  and  other  properties  of  every 
description  belonging  to  the  Puget  Sound  Agri- 
cultural Company  shall  be  confirmed  to  said 
company.  In  case,  however,  the  situation  of 
these  farms  and  lands  should  be  considered  by 
the  United  States  to  be  of  public  importance,  and 
the  United  States  government  should  signify  a 
desire  to  obtain  possession  of  the  whole,  or  any 
part  thereof,  the  property  so  required  shall  be 
transferred  to  the  said  government  at  a  proper  val- 
uation, to  be  agreed  upon  between  the  parties." 

Upon  receipt  of  the  important  communication 
embodying  this  draft,  the  president  asked  in 
advance  the  advice  of  the  senate,  a  very  unusual, 
though  not  an  unprecedented  procedure.  Though 
the  request  of  the  president  was  dated  June  10th, 
and  the  consideration  of  the  resolution  to  accept 
the  British  proposal  was  not  begun  until  June 
12th,  on  June  13th  it  was  "resolved  (two-thirds 
of  the  senators  present  consenting),  that  the 
president  of  the  United  States  be,  and  is  hereby, 
advised  to  accept  the  proposal  of  the  British  gov- 
ernment, accompanying  his  message  to  the 
senate,  dated  June  10,  1846,  for  a  convention  to 
settle  the  boundaries,  etc.,  between  the  United 
States  and  Great  Britain,  west  of  the  Rocky  or 
Stony  mountains."  The  advice  was,  however, 
"given  under  the  conviction  that,  by  the  true 
construction  of  the  second  article  of  the  project, 
the  rights  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  to 
navigate   the  Columbia  would  expire  with  the 


THE    OREGON    CONTROVERSY. 


termination  of  their  present  license  of  trade  with 
the  Indians,  etc.,  on  the  northwest  coast  of 
America,  on  the  30th  day  of  May,  1859." 

The  wonderful  alacrity  with  which  this  advice 
was  given  and  with  which  five  degrees,  forty 
minutes  of  territory  were  surrendered  to  Great 
Britain,  is  accounted  for  by  some  historians  (and 
no  doubt  they  are  correct)  by  supposing  that  the 
"cession"  was  made  in  the  interests  of  slavery. 
The  friends  of  that  institution  were  unwilling  to 
risk  a  war  with  Great  Britain  which  would  inter- 
fere with  the  war  with  Mexico  and  the  annexa- 
tion of  Texas.  Their  plan  was  to  acquire  as 
much  territory  from  which  slave  states  could  be 
formed  as  possible,  and  they  were  not  overscru- 
pulous about  sacrificing  territory  which  must 
ultimately  develop  into  free  states.  But  for 
unfortunate  diplomacy,  "it  is  quite  probable  that 
British  Columbia  would  be  to-day,  what  many 
would  deem  desirable  in  view  of  its  growing 
importance,  a  part  of  the  United  States." 

Notwithstanding  the  great  sacrifice  made  by 
the  United  States  for  the  sake  of  peace,  it  was 
not  long  until  war  clouds  were  again  darkening 
our  national  skies.  The  determining  of  the  line 
after  it  reached  the  Pacific  ocean  soon  became  a 
matter  of  dispute.  Hardly  had  the  ratifications 
been  exchanged  when  Captain  Prevost,  for  the 
British  government,  set  up  the  claim  that  Rosa- 
rio  was  the  channel  intended  in  the  treaty.  The 
claim  was,  of  course,  denied  by  Mr.  Campbell, 
who  was  representing  the  United  States  in  making 
the  survey  line.  It  was  contended  by  him  that 
the  Canal  de  Haro  was  the  channel  mentioned  in 
the  treaty.  Lord  Russell,  conscious  no  doubt  of 
the  weakness  of  his  case,  proposed  as  a  compro- 
mise President's  channel,  between  Rosario  and 
De  Haro  straits.  The  generosity  of  this  proposal 
is  obvious  when  we  remember  that  San  Juan 
island,  the  principal  bone  of  contention,  would 
be  on  the  British  side  of  this  line.  Indeed,  Lord 
Lyons,  the  British  diplomatic  representative  in 
the  United  States,  was  expressly  instructed  that 
no  line  should  be  accepted  which  did  not  give 
San  Juan  to  the  British.  The  position  of  the 
United  States  was  stated  by  Secretary  of  State 
Lewis  Cass,  with  equal  clearness  and  decisive- 
ness. Efforts  to  settle  the  matter  geographically 
proved  unavailing  and  diplomacy  again  had  to 
undergo  a  severe  test. 

For  a  number  of  years  the  matter  remained 
in  abeyance.  Then  the  pioneer  resolved  to  try 
the  plan  he  had  before  resorted  to  in  the  settle- 
ment of  the  main  question.  He  pushed  into  the 
country  with  wife  and  family.  The  Hudson's 
Bay  Company's  representatives  were  already 
there,  and  the  danger  of  a  clash  of  arms  between 
the  subjects  of  the  queen  and  the  citizens  of  the 
United  States,  resident  in  the  disputed  terri- 
tory, soon  became  imminent.  Such  a  collision 
would  undoubtedly  involve  the  two  countries 
in  war. 


In  the  session  of  the  Oregon  territorial  legis- 
lature of  1852-3,  the  archipelago  to  which  San 
Juan  island  belongs  was  organized  into  a  county. 
Taxes  were  in  due  time  imposed  on  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  property,  and  when  payment  was 
refused,  the  sheriff  promptly  sold  sheep  enough 
to  satisfy  the  levy.  Recriminations  followed  as 
a  matter  of  course  and  local  excitement  ran  high. 
General  Harney,  commander  of  the  department 
of  the  Pacific,  inaugurated  somewhat  summary 
proceedings.  He  landed  over  four  hundred  and 
fifty  troops  on  the  island,  and  instructed  Captain 
Pickett  to  protect  American  citizens  there  at  all 
cost.  English  naval  forces  of  considerable  power 
gathered  about  the  island.  Their  commander 
protested  against  military  occupancy.  Pickett 
replied  that  he  could  not,  under  his  orders,  per- 
mit any  joint  occupancy.  -  General  Harney,  how- 
ever, had  acted  without  instructions  from  the 
seat  of  government,  and  the  president  did  not 
approve  his  measures  officially,  though  it  was 
plainly  evident  that  the  administration  was  not 
averse  to  having  the  matter  forced  to  an  issue. 

At  this  juncture,  the  noted  General  Scott  was 
sent  to  the  scene  of  the  difficulty,  under  instruc- 
tions to  permit  joint  occupancy  until  the  matter 
in  dispute  could  be  settle'd.  Harney  was  with- 
drawn from  command  entirely.  Finally,  an 
agreement  was  reached  between  General  Scott 
and  the  British  governor  at  Vancouver  that  each 
party  should  police  the  territory  with  one  hun- 
dred armed  men. 

Diplomacy  was  again  tried.  Great  Britain 
proposed  that  the  question  at  issue  be  submitted 
to  arbitration,  and  she  suggested  as  arbiter  the 
president  of  the  Swiss  council  or  the  king  of 
Sweden  and  Norway  or  the  king  of  the  Nether- 
lands. The  proposition  was  declined  by  the 
United  States.  For  ten  years  longer  the  dispute 
remained  unsettled.  Eventually,  on  May  8th, 
187 1,  it  was  mutually  agreed  to  submit  the  ques- 
tion, without  appeal,  to  the  arbitrament  of 
Emperor  William,  of  Germany.  George  Ban- 
croft, the  well-known  historian,  was  chosen  to 
present  the  case  of  the  United  States,  and  it  is 
said  that  "his  memorial  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  octavo  pages  is  one  of  the  most  finished 
and  unanswerable  diplomatic  arguments  ever 
produced."  The  British  also  presented  a  memo- 
rial. These  were  interchanged  and  replies  were 
prepared  by  each  contestant.  The  emperor  gave 
the  matter  careful  and  deliberate  attention,  call- 
ing to  his  assistance  three  eminent  jurists.  His 
award  was  as  follows:  "Most  in  accordance  with 
the  true  interpretation  of  the  treaty  concluded 
on  the  15th  of  June,  1846,  between  the  govern- 
ments of  her  Britannic  Majesty  and  the  United 
States  of  America,  is  the  claim  of  the  govern- 
ment of  the  United  States,  that  the  boundary 
line  between  the  territories  of  her  Britannic 
Majesty  and  the  United  States  should  be  drawn 
through  the  Haro  channel.      Authenticated   by 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


our  autograph  signature  and  the  impression  of 
the  Imperial  Great  Seal.  Given  at  Berlin,  Octo- 
ber 21,  1872."  This  brief  and  unequivocal 
decree  ended  forever  the  vexatious  controversy 


which  for  so  many  years  had  disturbed  friendly 
feelings  and  endangered  the  peace  of  two  great 
Anglo-Saxon  peoples.  No  shot  was  fired;  no 
blood  was  shed;  diplomacy  had  triumphed. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE    CAYUSE    WAR. 


Long  before  the  settlement  of  the  Oregon 
question,  signs  of  another  struggle  for  owner- 
ship of  the  country  had  become  distinctly  visible. 
The  Indian  had  begun  to  perceive  what  must 
have  been  fully  apparent  to  the  tutored  mind  of 
the  more  enlightened  race,  that  when  the  sturdy 
American  began  following  the  course  of  empire 
to  westward,  that  harsh,  inexorable  law  of  life, 
the  survival  of  the  fittest,  would  be  brought 
home  to  the  red  man.  He  had  begun  to  feel  the 
approach  of  his  own  sad  fate  and  was  casting 
about  for  the  means  to  avert  the  coming  calamity 
or,  if  that  could  not  be,  to  delay  the  evil  hour  as 
long  as  possible. 

Although  no  large  immigration  had  entered 
the  Oregon  country  prior  to  1843,  that  of  the 
preceding  3'ear  numbering  only  one  hundred  and 
eleven,  the  few  settlers  of  Oregon  had  already 
become  apprehensive  for  the  safety  of  their 
brethren  en  route  to  the  west,  and  Sub-Indian 
Agent  White  had  sent  a  message  to  meet  the 
immigrants  of  1843  at  Fort  Hall,  warning  them 
to  travel  in  companies  of  not  less  than  fifty  and 
to  keep  close  watch  upon  their  property.  The 
reason  for  the  latter  injunction  became  apparent 
to  the  travelers  in  due  time,  for  the  Indians, 
especially  those  who  had  become  accustomed  to 
white  people  by  reason  of  their  residence  near 
the  mission,  were  not  slow  to  help  themselves  to 
clothing,  household  goods,  cattle  or  horses,  when 
an  opportunity  was  offered.  However,  the  fact 
that  none  of  the  immigrants  settled  near  the 
mission  had  a  quieting  effect  upon  the  Indians  of 
that  neighborhood. 

In  1844  an  Indian  named  Cockstock,  with  a 
small  following,  made  hostile  demonstrations  in 
Oregon  City.  Failing  to  provoke  a  quarrel  with 
the  white  residents,  he  retired  to  an  Indian  village 
across  the  river  and  endeavored  to  incite  its  occu- 
pants to  acts  of  hostility.  In  this  he  failed.  It 
appears  that  formerly  Cockstock  had  visited  the 
home  of  Dr.  White,  purposing  to  kill  him  for  a 
real  or  fancied  wrong,  but,  his  intended  victim 


being  absent,  he  had  not  been  able  to  do  greater 
damage  than  to  break  the  windows  of  the  sub- 
agent's  house.  An  unsuccessful  attempt  had 
been  made  to  arrest  him  for  this  offense,  and  he 
was  now  bent  on  calling  the  Americans  to 
account  for  their  audacity  in  pursuing  him  with 
such  intent.  With  am  interpreter  he  returned 
to  the  Oregon  City  side.  He  was  met  at  the 
landing  by  a  number  of  whites,  who  doubtless 
meant  to  arrest  him.  In  the  excitement  firearms 
were  discharged  on  both  sides  and  George  W. 
Le  Breton,  who  had  served  as  clerk  of  the  first 
legislative  committee  of  Oregon,  was  wounded. 
The  other  Indians  withdrew  to  a  position  on  the 
bluffs  above  town  and  began  snooting  at  the 
whites,  who  returned  their  fire  with  such  effect- 
iveness as  soon  to  dislodge  them.  In  the  latter 
part  of  the  fight  two  more  Americans  were 
wounded,  one  of  whom  died,  as  did  also  Le 
Breton,  from  the  effects  of  poison  from  the  arrow 
points.  The  Indian  loss  was  Cockstock  killed 
and  one  warrior  wounded.  Aside  from  this,  there 
was  no  serious  trouble  with  Indians  in  the  Willa- 
mette valley  during  the  earlier  years,  though 
frequently  the  Indian  agent  was  called  upon  to 
settle  disputes  caused  by  the  appropriation  by 
Indians  of  cattle  belonging  to  white  men. 

Prior  to  1842,  a  number  of  indignities  had 
been  offered  to  Dr.  Whitman  at  his  mission  sta- 
tion at  Waiilatpu,  near  where  Walla  Walla  now 
is.  These  he  had  borne  with  Christian  forbear- 
ance. During  the  winter  of  1842  he  went  east. 
Some  of  the  Indians  supposed  that  he  intended 
to  bring  enough  of  his  people  to  punish  them 
for  these  offenses.  He  did  bring  with  him  in 
the  summer  of  1843  nearly  nine  hundred  people, 
none  of  whom,  however,  were  equipped  for 
Indian  warfare  or  of  a  militant  spirit.  As  no 
offense  was  offered  the  Indians  and  not  an  acre 
of  their  lands  was  appropriated  by  these  whites, 
the  quiet  of  the  upper  country  was  not  disturbed. 
But  the  mission  was  thereafter  practically  a  fail- 
ure as  far  as  its  primary  purpose  was  concerned, 


THE    CAYUSE    WAR. 


43 


as  was  also  that  of  Rev.  H.  H.  Spalding  in  the 
Nez  Perce  country. 

After  the  return  of  Whitman,  an  event  hap- 
pened which  boded  no  good  to  the  white  people. 
About  forty  Indians,  mostly  of 'the  Cayuse  and 
Walla  Walla  tribes,  having  decided  to  embark 
extensively  in  the  cattle  business,  formed  a  com- 
pany to  visit  California  for  the  purpose  of  secur- 
ing stock  by  trading  with  the  Spaniards.  Peo- 
peo-mox-mox,  head  chief  of  the  Walla  Wallas,  was 
the  leader  of  the  enterprise.  The  company 
reached  California  in  safety,  had  good  success  for 
a  while  in  accomplishing  their  ends,  but  eventu- 
ally fell  into  difficulty  through  their  unwilling- 
ness to  be  governed  by  the  laws  of  the  land. 
While  on  a  hunting  expedition,  they  met  and 
conquered  a  band  of  robbers,  recovering  a  num- 
ber of  head  of  horses,  stolen  from  Americans  and 
Spaniards.  Some  of  them  were  claimed  by  their 
former  owners,  in  accordance  with  the  law  that 
property  of  this  kind  belonged  to  the  original 
possessors  until  sold  and  marked  with  a  transfer 
mark.  An  incident  of  the  dispute  was  the  kill- 
ing by  an  American  (in  cold  blood  if  the  Indian 
account  be  true)  of  Elijah,  son  of  Peo-peo-mox- 
mox.  This  unfortunate  event  had  its  effect  in 
deepening  the  hatred  of  the  Indians  for  the 
American  people.  Peo-peo-mox-mox  and  his  band 
were  eventually  expelled  from  California  by  the 
Spanish  authorities,  being  pursued  with  such 
vigor  that  they  had  to  leave  their  cattle  behind. 
They  returned  home  in-the  spring  of  1S45.  Dr. 
Whitman  was  deeply  disturbed  by  the  incident, 
fearing  that  the  Indians  would  take  their  revenge 
upon  his  mission,  and  sent  a  hasty  message  to 
the  sub-Indian  agent,  so  stating.  White  was 
visited  about  the  same  time  by  an  Indian  chief, 
Ellis,  who  wished  advice  as  to  what  to  do  in  the 
matter.  White  states  that  he  was  apprehensive 
of  difficulty  in  adjusting  it,  "particularly  as  they 
lay  much  stress  upon  the  restless,  disaffected 
scamps  late  from  Willamette  to  California,  load- 
ing them  with  the  vile  epithets  of 'dogs,  thieves,' 
etc.,  from  which  they  believed  or  affected  to  that 
the  slanderous  reports  of  our  citizens  caused  all 
their  loss  and  disasters,  and  therefore  held  us 
responsible." 

"According  to  Ellis,"  writes  Mrs.  Victor, 
"the  Walla  'Wallas,  Cayuses,  Nez  Perces,  Spo- 
kanes,  Pend  d'Oreilles  and  Snakes  were  on 
terms  of  amity  and  alliance;  and  a  portion  of 
them  were  for  raising  two  thousand  warriors  and 
marching  at  once  to  California  to  take  reprisals 
by  capture  and  plunder,  enriching  themselves  by 
the  spoils  of  the  enemy.  Another  part  were 
more  cautious,  wishing  first  to  take  advice  and  to 
learn  whether  the  white  people  in  Oregon  would 
remain  neutral.  A  third  party  were  for  holding 
the  Oregon  colony  responsible,  because  Elijah 
had  been  killed  by  an  American. 

"There  was  business,  indeed,  for  an  Indian 
agent  with  no  government  at  his  back,   and  no 


money  to  carry  on  either  war  or  diplomacy.  But 
Dr.  White  was  equal  to  it.  He  arranged  a  cor- 
dial reception  for  the  chief  among  the  colonists; 
planned  to  have  Dr.  McLoughlin  divert  his  mind 
by  referring  to  the  tragic  death  of  his  own  son 
by  treachery,  which  enabled  him  to  sympathize 
with  the  father  and  relatives  of  Elijah;  and  on 
his  own  part  took  him  to  visit  the  schools  and  his 
own  library,  and  in  every  way  treated  the  chief 
as  though  he  were  the  first  gentleman  in  the 
land.  Still  further  to  establish  social  equality, 
he  put  on  his  farmer's  garb  and  began  working 
in  his  plantation,  in  which  labor  Ellis  soon  joined 
him,  and  the  two  discussed  the  benefits  already 
enjoyed  by  the  native  population  as  the  result  of 
intelligent  labor. 

"Nothing,  however,  is  so  convincing  to  an 
Indian  as  a  present,  and  here  it  would  seem  Dr. 
White  must  have  failed,  but  not  so.  In  the 
autumn  of  1844,  thinking  to  prevent  trouble  with 
the  immigration  by  enabling  the  chiefs  in  the 
upper  country  to  obtain  cattle  without  violating 
the  laws,  he  had  given  them  some  ten-dollar 
treasury  drafts  to  be  exchanged  with  the  emi- 
grants for  young  stock,  which  drafts  the  emi- 
grants refused  to  accept,  not  knowing  where 
they  should  get  them  cashed.  To  heal  the 
wound  caused  by  this  disappointment,  White 
now  sent  word  by  Ellis  to  these  chiefs  to  come 
down  in  the  autumn  with  Dr.  Whitman  and  Mr. 
Spalding  to  hold  a  council  over  the  California 
affair,  and  to  bring  with  them  their  ten-dollar 
drafts  to  exchange  with  him  for  a  cow  and  a  calf 
each,  out  of  his  own  herds.  He  also  promised 
the"m  that  if  they  would  postpone  their  visit  to 
California  until  the  spring  of  1847,  and  each  chief 
assist  him  to  the  amount  of  two  beaver  skins,  he 
would  establish  a  manual  training  and  literary 
school  for  their  children,  besides  using  every 
means  in  his  power  to  have  the  trouble  with  the 
Californians  adjusted,  and  would  give  them 
from  his  private  funds  five  hundred  dollars  with 
which  to  purchase  young  cows  in  California." 

By  this  means  White  succeeded  in  averting 
an  impending  calamity,  though  he  was  unable 
to  fulfill  all  his  pledges.  Peo-peo-mox-mox  did, 
however,  return  to  California  in  1846  with  forty 
warriors  to  demand  satisfaction  for  the  murder 
of  his  son.  Not  a  little  excitement  resulted,  and 
a  company  was  sent  by  the  California  authori- 
ties to  protect  frontier  settlements.  The  Indians, 
seeing  that  both  Americans  and  Spaniards  were 
prepared  to  defend  themselves,  made  no  hostile 
movement,  but  gave  their  attention  to  trading 
and  other  peaceful  pursuits. 

For  a  few  years  prior  to  the  settlement  of  the 
Oregon  question  in  1S46,  there  was  another 
cause  of  alarm  among  the  colonists,  namely,  the 
possibility  of  war  with  Great  Britain  and  conse- 
quent hostilities  between  the  settlers  and  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company.  It  was  very  certain 
that  in  the  event  of  war    the   Indians  would  side 


44 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


with  the  British  company,  and  the  condition  of 
the  colonists  would  become  truly  deplorable. 
Happily,  this  contingency  was  averted  by  the 
triumph  of  diplomacy. 

But  even  after  the  question  of  sovereignty  had 
been  settled  by  the  treaty  of  peace,  war  clouds 
still  hung  over  the  Northwest.  In  his  message 
to  the  provisional  legislature  of  Oregon,  sent  in 
December  8,  1847,  Governor  Abernethy  referred 
to  the  Indian  situation  in  this  language: 

"Our  relations  with  the  Indians  become  every 
year  more  embarrassing.  They  see  the  white 
man  occupying  their  land,  rapidly  filling  up  the 
country,  and  they  put  in  a  claim  for  pay.  They 
have  been  told  that  a  chief  would  come  out  from 
the  United  States  and  treat  with  them  for  their 
land;  they  have  been  told  this  so  often  that  they 
begin  to  doubt  it;  'at  all  events,'  they  say,  'he 
will  not  come  till  we  are  all  dead,  and  then  what 
good  will  blankets  do  us?  We  want  something 
now.'  This  leads  to  trouble  between  the  settler 
and  the  Indians  about  him.  Some  plan  should 
be  devised  by  which  a  fund  can  be  raised  and 
presents  made  to  the  Indians  to  keep  them  quiet 
until  an  agent  arrives  from  the  United  States. 
A  number  of  robberies  have  been  committed  by 
the  Indians  in  the  upper  country  upon  emigrants 
as  they  were  passing  through  their  territory. 
This  should  not  be  allowed  to  pass.  An  appro- 
priation should  be  made  by  you  sufficient  to  ena- 
ble the  superintendent  of  Indian  affairs  to  take  a 
small  party  in  the  spring  and  demand  restitution 
of  the  property,  or  its  equivalent  in  horses." 

As  heretofore  stated,  this  message  reached 
the  legislature  December  8,  1847.  The  same 
day  another  was  sent  with  communications  from 
William  McBean  and  Sir  James  Douglas,  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  giving  details  of  a  hor- 
rible massacre  in  the  upper  country.  The  calam- 
ity so  long  expected  had  come  at  last.  With 
savage  whoops  and  fiendish  yells,  the  Cayuse 
Indians  had  fallen  upon  the  helpless  inhabitants 
of  the  Waiilatpu  mission,  enacting  the  most 
awful  tragedy  which  has  stained  the  pages  of 
northwest  history,  a  history  presenting  many 
dark  and  dreadful  chapters,  written  in  the  blood 
of  the  Argonauts  who  bore  the  stars  and  stripes 
o'er  plain  and  mountain  and  through  the  track- 
less forest  to  a  resting-place  on  the  Pacific  shore. 

There  were  several  causes  in  addition  to  the 
general  ones  heretofore  recited  which  impelled 
the  Indians  to  strike  their  first  blow  when  and 
where  they  did.  A  short  time  before  the  fatal 
29th  of  November,  Bishop  A.  M.  A.  Blanchet, 
of  the  Catholic  Society  of  Jesus,  Rev.  J.  B.  A. 
Brouillet,  and  other  priests,  made  their  appear- 
ance in  the  vicinity  of  the  Whitman  mission. 
Whitman  met  Blanchet  at  Fort  Walla  Walla  and 
told  him  frankly  that  he  was  not  pleased  at  his 
coming  and  would  do  nothing  to  help  him  estab- 
lish his  mission.  The  priests,  however,  eventu- 
ally took  up  their  abode  in  the  house  of  an  Indian 


named  Tauitowe,  on  the  Umatilla  river,  having 
failed  to  secure  a  site  near  Whitman  from  Tilou- 
kaikt.  The  later  intercourse  between  Whitman 
and  Blanchet  seems  to  have  been  more  friendly 
than  their  first  interview,  and  there  is  no  evi- 
dence of  any  bitter  sectarian  quarrel  between 
them.  But  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  priests 
encouraged  the  Indians  in  the  belief  that  the 
Americans  would  eventually  take  all  their  lands. 
Many  of  the  earlier  Protestant  writers  accused 
the  priests,  or  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  or 
both,  of  having  incited  the  Indian  murderers  to 
their  devilish  deeds,  but  most  of  the  historians  of 
later  date  refuse  to  accept  any  such  theory. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  boldest  of  the  early  secta- 
rian writers  was  W.  H.  Gray,  whose  history  of 
Oregon  is  so  palpably  and  bitterly  partisan  and 
shows  such  a  disposition  to  magnify  "trifles  light 
as  air"  that  it  fails  to  carry  conviction  to  the 
mind  of  the  unprejudiced  reader. 

The  proximate  cause  of  the  massacre,  assigned 
by  the  Indians  themselves,  was  a  belief  that  Dr. 
Whitman  was  administering  poison  instead  of 
wholesome  medicines  to  such  of  their  number  as 
were  sick  and  required  his  professional  services. 
The  large  immigration  of  1847  had  been  the  vic- 
tim of  a  terrible  pestilence,  and  by  the  time  it 
reached  the  vicinity  of  Whitman's  station  was 
suffering  from  measles  in  a  form  so  virulent  as 
to  cause  the  death  of  many.  Of  course,  the  dis- 
ease was  communicated  to  the  Indians,  who 
hung  about  the  wagons  parleying  or  pilfering. 
The  condition  of  the  diseased  Indians  became 
pitiful.  "It  was  most  distressing,"  said  Spald- 
ing, "to  go  into  a  lodge  of  some  ten  or  twenty 
fires,  and  count  twenty  or  twenty-five,  some  in 
the  midst  of  measles,  others  in  the  last  stage  of 
dysentery,  in  the  midst  of  every  kind  of  filth,  of 
itself  sufficient  to  cause  sickness,  with  no  suita- 
ble means  to  alleviate  their  inconceivable  suffer- 
ings, with  perhaps  one  well  person  to  look  after 
the  wants  of  two  sick  ones.  They  were  dying 
every  day,  one,  two,  and  sometimes  five  in  a  day, 
with  the  dysentery  which  generally  followed  the 
measles.  Everywhere  the  sick  and  dying  were 
pointed  to  Jesus  and  the  well  were  urged  to  pre- 
pare for  death." 

Six  were  sick  with  measles  in. the  doctor's 
household,  and  furthermore,  Mrs.  Osborn  was 
weakly  from  a  recent  confinement  and  her  baby 
was  in  ill-health.  Dr.  Whitman  had  the  care  of 
all  these,  and  besides  was  acting  as  ph3rsician  to 
the  entire  white  and  Indian  population  of  the 
surrounding  country.  He  was  unremitting  in 
his  attentions  to  those  who  needed  him,  but  no 
skill  could  avail  to  stay  the  ravages  of  the  dread 
scourge. 

This  terrible  condition  of  things  furnished  an 
opportunity  to  Whitman's  two  principal  enemies 
— Joe  Lewis,  a  half-breed,  of  his  own  household, 
and  Chief  Tiloukaikt — both  of  whom  had  been 
many  times  the  beneficiaries  of  his  benevolence. 


THE    CAYUSE    WAR. 


45 


The  cause  of  Lewis'  spite  is  not  known,  but 
"with  the  iniquity  which  seemed  inherent  in  his 
detestable  nature,"  he  began  circulating  the 
report  that  Whitman  was  poisoning  the  Indians, 
for  the  purpose  of  securing  their  lands  and 
horses.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  state  that  he 
(Lewis)  had  heard  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman  and 
Mr.  Spalding  discussing  the  matter  among  them- 
selves. 

"The  mission  buildings,"  says  Gray,  "occu- 
pied a  triangular  space  of  ground  fronting  the 
north  in  a  straight  line,  about  four  hundred  feet 
in  length.  The  doctor's  house,  standing  on  the 
west  end  and  fronting  west,  was  eighteen  by 
sixty-two  feet,  adobe  walls ;  library  and  bedroom 
on  south  end;  dining  and  sitting-room  in  the 
middle,  eighteen  by  twenty-four;  Indian  room 
on  north  end,  eighteen  by  twenty-six;  kitchen  on 
east  side  of  the  house,  eighteen  by  twenty-six; 
fireplace  in  the  middle  and  bedroom  in  the  rear; 
school-room  joining  on  the  east  of  the  kitchen, 
eighteen  by  thirty;  blacksmith  shop,  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  feet  east;  the  house  called  the 
mansion  on  the  east  end  of  the  angle,  thirty-two 
by  forty  feet,  one  and  one-half  stories;  the  mill 
made  of  wood,  standing  upon  the  old  site,  about 
four  hundred  feet  from  either  house.  The  east 
and  south  space  of  ground  was  protected  by  the 
mill  pond  and  Walla  Walla  creek — north  front  by 
a  ditch  that  discharged  the  waste  water  from  the 
mill,  and  served  to  irrigate  the  farm  in  front  of 
the  doctor's  house,  which  overlooked  the  whole. 
To  the  north  and  east  is  a  high  knoll,  less  than 
one-fourth  of  a  mile  distant  and  directly  to  the 
north,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  distant  is  Mill 
creek. ' ' 

Referring  to  the  disposition  of  different  per- 
sons about  these  premises  at  the  time  of  the  out- 
break, the  same  writer  says: 

"Joseph  Stanfield  had  brought  in  an  ox  from 
the  plains,  and  it  had  been  shot  by  Francis  Sager. 
Messrs.  Kimball,  Canfield  and  Hoffman  were 
dressing  it  between  the  two  houses;  Mr.  Sanders 
was  in  the  school,  which  had  just  called  in  for 
the  afternoon;  Mr.  Marsh  was  grinding  at  the 
mill;  Mr.  Gillan  was  on  his  tailor's  bench  in  the 
large  adobe  house,  a  short  distance  from  the  doc- 
tor's; Mr.  Hall  was  at  work  laying  a  floor  to  a 
room  adjoining  the  doctor's  house;  Mr.  Rogers 
was  in  the  garden ;  Mr.  Osborn  and  family  were 
in  the  Indian  room  adjoining  the  doctor's  sitting- 
room  ;  young  Mr.  Sales  was  lying  sick  in  the 
family  of  Mr.  Canfield,  who  was  living  in  the 
blacksmith  shop;  young  Mr.  Bewley  was  sick  in 
the  doctor's  house;  John  Sager  was  sitting  in  the 
kitchen  but  partially  recovered  from  the  measles; 
the  doctor  and  Mrs.  Whitman,  with  three  sick 
children,  and  Mrs.  Osborn  and  her  sick  child 
were  in  the  dining  or  sitting-room." 

Dr.  Whitman  had  attended  an  Indian  funeral 
on  the  morning  of  the  fatal  29th  of  November. 
After  his  return   he  remained  about  the  house, 


and  is  said  to  have  been  reading  in  his  Bible 
when  some  one  called  him  to  the  kitchen,  where 
John  Sager  was.  His  voice  was  heard  in  conver- 
sation with  an  Indian,  and  soon  after  the  work 
of  slaughter  began.  Whitman  was  tomahawked 
and  shot.  John  Sager  was  overpowered,  cut  and 
gashed  with  knives;  his  throat  cut  and  his  body 
pierced  with  several  balls  from  short  Hudson's 
Bay  muskets.  Mrs.  Whitman,  who  was  in  the 
dining-room,  hearing  the  tumult,  began  wringing 
her  hands  in  anguish  and  exclaiming,  "O,  the 
Indians!  the  Indians!"  The  Osborn  family  hid 
themselves  under  the  floor  of  the  Indian  room. 
Having  done  their  dreadful  work  in  the  kitchen, 
the  Indians  engaged  in  it  joined  others  in  the 
work  of  despatching  such  of  the  American  men 
and  boys  as  they  could  find  on  the  outside.  Mrs. 
Whitman  ran  to  the  assistance  of  her  husband  in 
the  kitchen.  Women  from  the  mansion  house 
came  to  her  aid,  as  did  also  Mr.  Rogers,  who  had 
been  twice  wounded,  but  the  noble  doctor,  though 
still  breathing,  was  past  all  human  assistance. 
Mr.  Kimball,  with  a  broken  arm,  came  into  the 
house,  and  all  engaged  in  fastening  the  doors  and 
removing  the  sick  children  up-stairs. 

Without  all  was  din  and  turmoil  and  fury. 
Retreating  women  and  children  screaming  in 
dreadful  anguish,  the  groans  of  the  dying,  the 
roar  of  musketry,  the  unearthly  yells  of  frenzied 
savages,  maddened  with  a  diabolical  thirst  for 
human  blood,  the  furious  riding  of  naked,  dusky 
horsemen,  insane  with  excitement,  the  cries  of 
despair  and  the  fierce,  exultant  shouts  of  infuri- 
ated fiends  mingled  together  to  create  a  scene 
which  for  terror  and  despair  on  the  one  side  and 
devilish  atrocity  on  the  other  has  few  parallels  in 
human  history.  No  pen  has  power  to  describe  it 
adequately  and  no  imagination  is  equal  to  its  full 
reconstruction. 

Having  killed  all  the  male  representatives  of 
the  hated  American  race  to  be  found  without,  the 
Indians  turned  again  to  the  doctor's  house.  Mrs. 
Whitman,  venturing  too  near  a  window,  was  shot 
through  the  breast.  The  doors  were  battered 
down  and  the  window  smashed.  By  the  time 
the  Indians  had  gained  an  entrance  to  the  build- 
ing, Mrs.  Whitman,  Mrs.  Hays,  Miss  Bewley, 
Catherine  Sager  and  Messrs.  Kimball  and  Rogers 
and  the  three  sick  children  had  taken  refuge  in 
an  up-stairs  room,  whence  Mrs.  Whitman  and 
Mr.  Rogers  were  soon  summoned  by  the  Indians. 
As  they  did  not  comply  with  the  request  to  come 
down,  Tamsucky  started  up-stairs  after  them,  but 
seeing  a  gun  so  placed  (by  Miss  Bewley)  as  to 
command  the  stairway,  he  became  frightened  and 
advanced  no  further.  He,  however,  urged  Mrs. 
Whitman  to  come  down,  assuring  her  that  she 
would  not  be  hurt.  On  learning  that  she  had 
been  shot,  he  expressed  great  sorrow,  and  upon 
being  assured  that  there  were  no  Americans  in 
the  room  waiting  to  kill  him,  Tamsucky  at  last 
went  up-stairs  and  engaged  in  conversation  with 


46 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  people  there,  in  the  course  of  which  he  reit- 
erated expressions  of  sorrow  for  what  had  hap- 
pened and  desired  the  white  men  and  women  to 
retire  to  the  mansion  house,  as  the  building  they 
then  occupied  might  soon  be  destroyed  by  fire. 
Eventually,  Mrs.  Whitman  started  down,  assisted 
by  Mr.  Rogers  and  Mrs.  Hays.  Her  wound,  or 
the  sight  of  her  mangled  and  dying  husband,  or 
both,  caused  a  faintness  to  come  over  her,  and 
she  was  laid  on  the  settee.  As  this  was  borne 
out  of  the  door,  a  volley  was  fired  into  it  and 
those  who  bore  it,  killing  or  fatally  wounding 
Mr.  Rogers,  Mrs.  Whitman  and  Francis  Sager, 
the  last-named,  according  to  Gray,  being  shot  by 
Joe  Lewis. 

Not  content  with  destroying  the  lives  of  their 
victims,  the  Indians  gave  vent  to  their  savage 
spleen  by  heaping  upon  the  dead  and  dying  such 
indignities  as  they  could.  The  noble  face  of  the 
good  doctor,  a  face  that  had  expressed  no  senti- 
ments but  those  of  kindness  toward  the  dusky 
savages,  was  hacked  beyond  recognition,  while 
the  doctor  still  breathed,  by  the  tomahawk  of 
Tilbukaikt;  the  matronly  features  of  Mrs.  Whit- 
man were  lashed  unmercifully  with  whips,  and 
her  body  was  rolled  contemptuously  in  the  mud; 
John  Sager  was  terribly  gashed  with  knives,  and 
the  remains  of  other  victims  were  treated  with 
similar  indignities. 

Joe  Lewis,  the  darkest  demon  of  the  tragedy, 
went  to  the  school-room,  sought  out  the  innocent 
children,  who,  terrified,  had  hidden  themselves 
in  the  loft  above,  and  brought  them  down  to  the 
kitchen  to  be  shot.  For  a  time  they  stood  hud- 
dled together,  guns  pointed  at  them  from  almost 
every  direction,  expecting  the  order  to  be  given 
at  any  moment  which  should  occasion  their 
death.  Eliza,  daughter  of  Rev.  H.  H.  Spalding, 
was  among  them.  Being  acquainted  with  the 
Indian  language,  she  understood  every  word  that 
was  said  regarding  the  fate  of  herself  and  the 
other  children,  and  her  feelings,  as  she  heard  the 
Indians  beseeching  their  chief  to  give  the  order 
to  shoot,  may  be  imagined.  That  order  was 
never  given,  thanks,  it  is  claimed,  to  the  inter- 
position of  Joseph  Stanfield,  and  the  children 
were  led  away  by  two  friendly  Walla  Wallas  to  a 
place  of  seclusion  and  temporary  safety. 

When  night  closed  down  upon  this  scene  of 
savage  cruelty  and  destruction,  the  Indians  with- 
drew to  the  lodge  of  Tiloukaikt  to  review  the 
day's  proceedings  and  consult  as  to  future  opera- 
tions. The  killed  on  this  first  day  of  the  mas- 
sacre were  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Whitman,  Mr.  Rogers, 
John  and  Francis  Sager,  Messrs.  Gilliland  (Gray 
calls  him  Gillan),  Marsh,  Sanders  and  Hoffman. 
Mr.  Osborn  and  family  had  taken  refuge  under 
the  floor  of  the  Indian  room  at  the  first  outbreak. 
There  they  remained  until  night,  when  they  stole 
out  and  sought  safety  in  the  brush.  Eventually, 
after  enduring  terrible  hardships,  they  reached 
Fort  Walla  Walla,  where  McBean,  yielding  to 


their  importunity,  reluctantly  furnished  them  a 
blanket  or  two  and  enough  victuals  to  sustain 
life.  Mr.  Canfield,  wounded,  fled  to  the  black- 
smith shop,  thence  to  the  mansion  house,  where 
he  secreted  himself  until  the  coming  of  darkness, 
when  he  stole  away  to  Lapwai.  Mr.  Hall  escaped 
by  snatching  a  gun  which  had  missed  fire  from 
an  Indian  and  protecting  himself  with  it  till  he 
reached  the  cover  of  the  brush,  whence  he 
escaped  to  Fort  Walla  Walla.  He  was  put  across 
the  Columbia  river  by  Mr.  McBean,  and  started 
for  the  Willamette  valley,  but  was  never  after- 
ward heard  of.  Mr.  Kimball  and  the  four  sick 
children,  who  remained  in  the  attic  which  Mrs. 
Whitman  and  Mr.  Rogers  were  induced  by  the 
treachery  of  Tamsucky  to  leave,  were  forgotten 
by  the  Indians  in  their  excitement  and  were  left 
unharmed  the  first  day.  Crocket  Bewley  and 
Amos  Sales,  both  sick,  were  spared  for  reasons 
unknown  until  Tuesday,  December  7th,  when 
they  were  cruelly  butchered  in  their  beds. 

The  morning  of  November  30th,  Mr.  Kim- 
ball, induced  by  the  suffering  of  himself  and  the 
sick  children  to  seek  water,  was  discovered  and 
shot.  The  same  fate  overtook  James  Young, 
who,  ignorant  of  the  massacre,  had  come  from 
the  saw-mill  with  a  load  of  lumber.  On  this 
day,  also,  two  sons  of  Donald  Munson,  'of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company,  who  were  attending 
school  at  the  station,  also  a  Spanish  half-breed 
boy,  whom  Dr.  Whitman  had  raised,  were-  sent 
to  Fort  Walla  Walla,  for  the  Indians  had  no  quar- 
rel with  any  but  Americans. 

Wednesday,  December  1st,  Rev.  J.  B.  A. 
Brouillet,  one  of  the  Catholic  priests  before-men- 
tioned, arrived  at  the  scene  of  desolation.  He 
assisted  Joseph  Stanfield  in  the  work  of  prepar- 
ing the  dead  for  burial.  In  his  "Authentic 
Account  of  the  Murder  of  Dr.  Whitman,"  this 
priest  makes  this  statement  concerning  his  visit: 

"After  having  finished  baptizing  the  infants 
and  dying  adults  of  my  mission,  I  left  Tuesday, 
the  30th  of  November,  late  in  the  afternoon,  for 
Tiloukaikt's  camp,  where  I  arrived  between 
seven  and  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  It  is 
impossible  to  conceive  my  surprise  and  conster- 
nation when  upon  my  arrival  I  learned  that  the 
Indians  the  day  before  had  massacred  the  doctor 
and  his  wife,  with  the  greater  part  of  the  Ameri- 
cans at  the  mission.  I  passed  the  night  without 
scarcely  closing  my  eyes.  Early  the  next  morn- 
ing I  baptized  three  sick  children,  two  of  whom 
died  soon  after,  and  then  hastened  to  the  scene 
of  death  to  offer  to  the  widows  and  orphans  all 
the  assistance  in  my  power.  I  found  five  or  six 
women  and  over  thirty  children  in  a  condition 
deplorable  beyond  description.  Some  had  just 
lost  their  husbands,  and  the  others  their  fathers, 
whom  they  had  seen  massacred  before  their  eyes, 
and  were  expecting  every  minute  to  share  the 
same  fate.  The  sight  of  these  persons  caused 
me  to  shed  tears,  which,  however,  I  was  obliged 


THE    CAYUSE    WAR. 


to  conceal,  for  I  was  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
in  the  presence  of  the  murderers,  and  closely 
watched  by  them,  and  if  I  had  shown  too  marked 
an  interest  in  behalf  of  the  sufferers,  it  would 
have  endangered  their  lives  and  mine;  these, 
therefore,  entreated  me  to  be  on  my  guard. 
After  the  first  few  words  that  could  be  exchanged 
under  those  circumstances,  I  inquired  after  the 
victims,  and  was  told  that  they  were  yet  un- 
buried.  Joseph  Stanfield,  a  Frenchman,  who 
was  in  the  service  of  Dr.  Whitman,  and  had  been 
spared  by  the  Indians,  was  engaged  in  washing 
the  corpses,  but  being  alone,  was  unable  to  bury 
them.  I  resolved  to  go  and  assist  him,  so  as  to 
render  to  those  unfortunate  victims  the  last  ser- 
vice in  my  power  to  offer  them.  What  a  sight 
did  I  then  behold!  Ten  dead  bodies  lying  here 
and  there  covered  with  blood  and  bearing  the 
marks  of  the  most  atrocious  cruelty,  some  pierced 
with  balls,  others  more  or  less  gashed  by  the 
hatchet." 

It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  the  lives  of  the 
women  and  children  of  the  mission  were  more 
than  once  in  jeopardy.  How  near  they  came  to 
being  sacrificed  at  one  time  appears  from  the  fol- 
lowing language  of  Brouillet,  who  was  writing  in 
defense  of  Joseph  Stanfield: 

It  was  on  the  morning  ot  the  day  that  followed  the 
massacre.  There  were  several  Indians  scattered  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  mission  buildings,  but  especially  a 
crowd  of  Indian  women  was  standing  near  the  door  ot  the 
house  in  which  all  the  white  women  and  children  were  liv- 
ing. Stanfield,  being  then  at  a  short  distance  from  the 
house,  Tiloukaikt,  the  chief  of  the  place,  came  up  and 
asked  him  if  he  had  something  in  the  house.  "Yes,"  said 
Stanfield,  '1  have  all  my  things  there."  "Take  them 
away,"  said  the  Indian  to  him.  "Why  should  I  take  them 
away?  They  are  well  there."  "Take  them  off,"  he 
insisted,  a  second  time.  "But  I  have  not  only  my  things 
there;  I  have  also  my  wife  and  children."  "Yes,"  replied 
Tiloukaikt,  who  appeared  a  little  surprised;  "you,  have  a 
wife  and  children  in  the  house!  Will  you  take  them  off?" 
"No,"  replied  Stanfield,  "I  will  not  take  them  away,  and 
I  will  go  and  stay  myself  in  the  house.  I  see  that  you 
have  bad  designs;  you  intend  to  kill  the  women  and  chil- 
dren ;  well,  you  will  kill  me  with  them.  Are  you  not 
ashamed  ?  Are  you  not  satisfied  with  what  you  have  done? 
Do  you  want  still  to  kill  poor,  innocent  children  that  have 
never  done  you  any  harm  ?"  "I  am- ashamed,"  replied 
Tiloukaikt,  after  a  moment's  hesitation.  "It  is  true,  those 
women  and  children  do  not  deserve  death ;  they  did  not 
harm  us;  they  shall  not  die."  And,  turning  to  the  Indian 
women  who  were  standing  near  the  door  of  the  house 
waiting  with  a  visible  impatience  for  the  order  to  enter 
and  slaughter  the  people  inside,  he  ordered  them  to  go 
off.  The  Indian  women  then  became  enraged,  and,  show- 
ing the  knives  that  they  took  from  beneath  their  blankets, 
they  insulted  him  in  many  different  ways,  calling  him  a 
coward,  a  woman  who  would  consent  to  be  governed  by  a 
Frenchman;  and  they  retired,  apparently  in  great  anger 
for  not  having  been  allowed  to  imbrue  their  hands  in  the 
blood  of  new  victims.  The  above  circumstance  was 
related  at  Fort  Walla  Walla  to  Mr.  Ogden,  by  Stanfield 
himself,  under  great  emotion,  and  in  presence  of  the  wid- 
ows, none  of  whom  contradicted  him. 

But  though  the  lives  of  all  the  women  of  the 
mission  except  Mrs.  Whitman  were  spared,  some 
of  these  unfortunates  were  overtaken  by  a  fate 


worse  than  death.  The  excitement  of  the  mas- 
sacre kept  the  minds  of  the  Indians  distracted 
from  thoughts  of  other  crimes  until  Saturday 
following  the  outbreak,  when  Tamsucky  seized 
upon  one  of  the  girls  and  compelled  her  to  be 
subject  unto  him.  The  fifteen-year-old  daughter 
of  Joseph  Smith,  from  the  saw-mill,  was  appro- 
priated by  the  two  sons  of  Tiloukaikt,  her  father, 
it  is  said,  being  so  terrified  by  the  danger  he  was 
in  as  to  yield  consent;  and  Susan  Kimball  was 
taken  to  the  lodge  of  Tintinmitsi,  or  Frank  Esca- 
loom,  the  Indian  who  had  killed  her  father.  It 
is  said  that  by  claiming  Mrs.  Hays  as  his  wife, 
Joseph  Stanfield  saved  her  from  violation.  The 
names  of  other,  possible  victims  of  this  reign  of 
terror  have  never  come  to  light,  though  it  has 
been  stated  that  even  little  girls  were  subjected 
to  outrage.  In  order  to  involve  Five  Crows  in 
their  guilt  and  so  secure  his  assistance  in  case  of 
war,  he  was  offered  his  choice  of  the  American 
girls  for  a  wife.  He  picked  on  Miss  Bewley; 
sent  a  horse  and  an  escort  for  her  and  had  her 
brought  to  his  home  on  the  Umatilla.  The 
bishop  and  his  priests  there  have  been  severely 
criticized  for  refusing  her  protection  from  the 
embraces  of  Five  Crows,  and  their  failure  to 
shield  her  has  been  made  to  argue  their  complic- 
ity in  the  massacre.  It  is  likely,  however,  that 
fear  for  their  lives  overcame  their  better  natures. 
The  same  charity  which  condoned  in  a  measure 
at  least  the  cowardice  of  Smith  in  consenting  to 
the  violation  of  his  own  daughter,  and  of  other 
captives  in  assenting  to  the  slanderous  reports 
about  Dr.  Whitman's  poisoning  the  Indians, 
should  be  extended  to  these  priests  also. 

At  the  time  of  the  massacre,  Rev.  H.  H. 
Spalding  was  in  the  country  of  the  Cayuses. 
He  took  supper  with  Brouillet  on  the  evening  of 
the  fatal  29th.  The  next  day  was  spent  by  him  in 
concluding  his  visits  to  the  sick  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, and  on  Wednesday,  December  1st,  he  set 
out  on  horseback  for  Whitman's  station.  When 
near  Waiilatpu,  he  met  Brouillet  returning  after 
having  assisted  Stanfield  in  burying  the  dead; 
also  his  interpreter  and  Edward  Tiloukaikt. 
Speaking  of  their  interview,  Brouillet  says: 

Fortunately,  a  few  minutes  after  crossing  the  river 
(Walla  Walla),  the  interpreter  asked  Tiloukaikt's  son  for  a 
smoke.  They  proposed  the  calumet,  but  when  the  moment 
came  for  lighting  it,  there  was  nothing  to  make  a  fire. 
"You  have  a  pistol,"  said  the  interpreter;  "fire  it  and  we 
will  light."  Accordingly,  without  stopping,  he  fired  his 
pistol,  reloaded  it  and  fired  again.  He  then  commenced 
smoking  with  the  interpreter  without  thinking  of  reload- 
ing his  pistol.  A  few  minutes  after,  while  they  were  thus 
engaged  in  smoking,  I  saw  Mr.  Spalding  come  galloping 
towards  me.  In  a  moment  he  was  at  my  side,  taking  me 
by  the  hand,  and  asking  for  news.  "Have  you  been  to  the 
doctor's?"  he  inquired.  "Yes,"  1  replied.  "What  news?" 
"Sad  news."  "Is  any  person  dead?"  "Yes,  sir."  "Who 
is  dead?  Is  it  one  of  the  doctor's  children?"  (He  had  left 
two  of  them  very  sick.)  "No,"  I  replied.  "Who  then  is 
dead?"  I  hesitated  to  tell  him.  "Wait  a  moment,"  said  I; 
"I  cannot  tell  you  now."  While  Mr.  Spalding  was  asking 
me  these  different  questions,  I  had  spoken  to  my  inter- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


preter,  telling  him  to  entreat  the  Indians  in  my  name  not 
to  kill  Mr.  Spalding,  which  I  begged  of  him  as  a  special 
favor,  and  hoped  that  he  would  not  refuse  me.  I  was 
waiting  for  his  answer,  and  did  not  wish  to  relate  the  dis- 
aster to  Mr.  Spalding  before  getting  it,  for  fear  that  he 
might,  by  his  manner,  discover  to  the  Indian  what  I  had 
told  him,  for  the  least  motion  like  flight  would  have  cost 
him  his  life,  and  probably  exposed  mine  also.  The  son 
of  Tiloukaikt,  after  hesitating  some  moments,  replied  that 
he  could  not  take  it  upon  himself  to  save  Mr,  Spalding, 
but  that  he  would  go  back  and  consult  with  the  other 
Indians ;  and  so  he  started  back  immediately  to  his  camp. 
I  then  availed  myself  of  his  absence  to  satisfy  the  anxiety 
of  Mr.  Spalding. 

The  news  completely  paralyzed  Mr.  Spalding 
for  a  moment.  "Is  it  possible?  Is  it  possible?" 
he  exclaimed.  "They  will  certainly  kill  me." 
"I  felt  the  world  all  go  out  at  once,"  he  told 
Mrs.  Victor  in  referring  to  the  incident  eighteen 
years  later,  "and  sat  on  my  horse  as  rigid  as  a 
stone,  not  knowing  or  feeling  anything."  Brou- 
illet  urged  him  to  arouse  himself  and  decide 
quickly  what  to  do.  He  determined  to  seek 
safety  in  flight,  and  receiving  a  little  food  from 
the  priest,  started  post-haste  for  Lapwai.  Trav- 
eling most  of  the  way  on  foot,  his  horse  having 
been  lost,  he  reached  the  home  of  Colonel 
William  Craig  about  a  week  later.  There  he 
found  Mrs.  Spalding,  who,  receiving  from  Mr. 
Canfield  word  of  the  massacre,  of  her  daughter's 
captivity  and  of  the  probable  death  of  her  hus- 
band, had  removed  from  the  mission  to  Craig's 
home. 

Spalding  encouraged  the  Nez  Perces  to 
remain  neutral,  for  Cayuse  emissaries  were 
already  seeking  their  friendship  and  support. 
He  wrote  a  letter  to  the  priests  informing  them 
of  his  safe  arrival,  expressing  a  wish  for  peace 
and  promising  to  endeavor  to  secure  it.  This 
was  conveyed  by  two  Nez  Perces — Inimilpip  and 
Tipialanahkeit — to  the  Catholic  mission,  the 
Indian  couriers  encouraged  the  Cayuses  to  sue 
for  peace,  and  the  bishop  advised  a  meeting  of 
the  chiefs  to  decide  upon  some  course  of  action. 
Accordingly,  on  the  20th  of  December,  Tilou- 
kaikt, Five  Crows,  Camaspelo  and  a  number  of 
others  met  in  council  at  the  mission,  Bishop 
Blanchet  and  Revs.  Brouillet,  Rosseau  and  Le 
Claire  being  also  present. 

The  result  of  their  deliberations  was  the  fol- 
lowing manifesto,  dictated  to  the  bishop: 

The  principal  chiefs  of  the  Cayuses  in  council  assem- 
bled state :  That  a  young  Indian  who  understands  English 
and  who  slept  in  Dr.  Whitman's  room,  heard  the  doctor, 
his  wife  and  Mr.  Spalding  express  their  desire  of  possess- 
ing the  lands  and  animals  of  the  Indians;  that  he  stated 
also  that  Mr.  Spalding  said  to  the  doctor:  "Hurry  giving 
medicines  to  the  Indians  that  they  may  soon  die;"  that 
the  same  Indian  told  the  Cayuses:  "If  you  do  not  kill  the 
doctor  soon,  you  will  all  be  dead  before  spring;"  that  they 
buried  six  Cayuses  on  Sunday,  November  28th,  and  three 
the  next  day;  that  the  schoolmaster,  Mr.  Rogers,  stated  to 
them  before  he  died  that  the  doctor,  his  wife  and  Mr. 
Spalding  poisoned  the  Indians;  that  for  several  years  past 
they  had  to  deplore  the  death  of  their  children ;  and  that 
according  to  these  reports,  they  were  led  to  believe  that 


the  whites  had  undertaken  to  kill  them  all;  and  that  these 
were  the  motives  which  led  them  to  kill  the  Americans. 

The  same  chiefs  ask  at  present: 

First,  that  the  Americans  may  not  go  to  war  with  the 
Cayuses. 

Second,  that  they  may  forget  the  lately  committed 
murders  as  the  Cayuses  will  forget  the  murder  of  the  son 
of  the  great  chief  of  the  Walla  Wallas,  committed  in  Cali- 
fornia. 

Third,  that  two  or  three  great^men  may  come  up  to 
conclude  peace. 

Fourth,  that  as  soon  as  these  great  men  have  arrived 
and  concluded  peace,  they  may  take  with  them  all  the 
women  and  children. 

Fifth,  they  give  assurance  that  they  will  not  harm  the 
Americans  before  the  arrival  of  these  two  or  three  great 
men. 

Sixth,  they  ask  that  'Americans  may  not  travel  any 
more  through  their  country,  as  their  young  men  might  do 
them  harm. 

Place  of  Tauitowe,  Youmatilla,  20th  December,  1847. 
Signed:  Tiloukaikt, 

Camaspelo, 
Tauitowe, 
Achekaia. 

Meanwhile,  forces  were  at  work  for  the  relief 
of  the  captive  men,  women  and  children.  Peter 
Skeen  Ogden,  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company, 
had  heard  of  the  massacre  and  had  set  out  from 
Fort  Vancouver  for  the  purpose  of  ransoming 
the  helpless  Americans.  He  arrived  at  Fort 
Walla  Walla  on  the  evening  of  the  19th  of  Decem- 
ber, and  by  the  23d  had  arranged  a  council, 
which  was  attended  by  Chiefs  Tauitowe  and 
Tiloukaikt,  with  a  number  of  the  young  Cayuses, 
also  by  Blanchet  and  Brouillet.  Ogden's  speech 
on  this  occasion  is  a  marvel  of  mingled  boldness 
and  diplomacy.     He  said: 

I  regret  to  observe  that  all  the  chiefs  whom  I  asked 
for  are  not  present — two  being  absent  I  expect  the  words 
I  am  about  to  address  to  you  to  be  repeated  to  them  and 
your  young  men  on  your  return  to  your  camps.  It  is  now 
thirty  years  since  we  have  been  among  you.  During  this 
long  period  we  have  never  had  any  instance  of  blood  being 
spilt,  until  the  inhuman  massacre,  which  has  so  recently 
taken  place.  We  are  traders  and  a  different  nation  from 
the  Americans.  But  recollect,  we  supply  you  with  ammu- 
nition not  to  kill  the  Americans.  They  are  of  the  same 
color  as  ourselves,  speak  the  same  language,  are  children 
of  the  same  God,  and  humanity  makes  our  hearts  bleed 
when  we  behold  you  using  them  so  cruelly.  Besides  this 
revolting  butchery,  have  not  the  Indians  pillaged,  ill- 
treated  the  Americans,  and  insulted  their  women,  when 
peacefully  making  their  way  to  the  Willamette?  As 
chiefs,  ought  you  to  have  connived  at  such  conduct  on  the 
part  of  your  young  men?  You  tell  me  your  young  men 
committed  the  deeds  without  your  knowledge.  Why  do 
we  make  you  chiefs,  if  you  have  no  control  over  your 
young  men?  You  are  a  set  of  hermaphrodites,  and 
unworthy  of  the  appellation  of  men  as  chiefs.  You  young 
hot-headed  men,  I  know  that  you  pride  yourselves  upon 
your  bravery,  and  think  no  one  can  match  you.  Do  not 
deceive  yourselves.  If  you  get  the  Americans  to  com- 
mence once,  you  will  repent  it,  and  war  will  not  end  until 
every  one  of  you  is  cut  off  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  I 
am  aware  that  a  good  many  of  your  friends  and  relatives 
have  died  through  sickness.  The  Indians  of  other  places 
have  shared  the  same  fate.  It  is  not  Dr.  Whitman  that 
poisoned  them,  but  God  has  commanded  that  they  should 
die.  We  are  weak  mortals  and  must  submit,  and  I  trust  you 
will  avail  yourself  of  the  opportunity  to  make  some  repara- 
tion.    By  so  doing  it  may  be  advantageous  to  you,  but  at 


THE   CAYUSE   WAR. 


the  same  time  remember  that  you  alone  will  be  responsible 
for  the  consequences.  It  is  merely  advice  that  I  give  you. 
We  have  nothing  to  do  with  it.  I  have  not  come  here  to 
make  promises  or  hold  out  assistance.'  We  have  nothing 
to  do  with  your  quarrels;  we  remain  neutral.  On  my 
return,  if  you  wish  it,  I  shall  do  all  1  can  for  you,  but  I  do 
not  promise  you  to  prevent  war. 

If  you  deliver  me  up  all  the  prisoners,  I  shall  pay  you 
for  them  on  their  being  delivered,  but  let  it  not  be  said 
among  you  afterward  that  I  deceived  you.  I  and  Mr. 
Douglas  represent  the  company,  but  I  tell  you  once  more 
we  promise  you  nothing.  We  sympathize  with  these  poor 
people  and  wish  to  return  them  to  their  friends  and  rela- 
tions by  paying  you  for  them.  My  request  in  behalf  of  the 
families  concerns  you ;  so  decide  for  the  best. 

By  this  happily  worded  speech  the  Indians 
were  placed  in  a  trap.  They  must  yield  to 
Ogden's  wishes  or  forfeit  the  regard  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  while  at  the  same  time 
Ogden  made  no  promises  which  would  embarrass 
the  Americans  in  their  future  dealings  with  the 
tribe  or  the  murderers. 

To  this  speech  the  Indians  made  reply  as  fol- 
lows: 

Tauitowe:  "I  rise  to  thank  you  for  your 
words.  You  white  chiefs  command  obedience 
with  those  that  have  to  do  with  you.  It  is  not 
so  with  us.  Our  young  men  are  strong-headed 
and  foolish.  Formerly  we  had  experienced,  good 
chiefs.  These  are  laid  in  the  dust.  The 
descendants  of  my  father  were  the  only  good 
chiefs.  Though  we  made  war  with  the  other 
tribes,  yet  we  always  looked  and  ever  will  look 
upon  the  whites  as  our  brothers.  Our  blood  is 
mixed  with  yours.  My  heart  bleeds  for  so  many 
good  chiefs  I  had  known.  For  the  demand  made 
by  you,  the  old  chief,  Tiloukaikt,  is  here. 
Speak  to  him.  As  regards  myself,  I  am  willing 
to  give  up  the  families." 

Tiloukaikt:  "I  have  listened  to  your  words. 
Young  men  do  not  forget  them.  As  for  war,  we 
have  seen  little  of  it.  We  know  the  whites  to  be 
our  best  friends,  who  have  all  along  prevented 
us  from  killing  each  other.  That  is  the  reason 
why  we  avoid  getting  into  war  with  them,  and 
why  we  do  not  wish  to  be  separated  from  them. 
Besides  the  tie  of  blood,  the  whites  have  shown 
us  a  convincing  proof  of  their  attachment  to  us 
by  burying  their  dead  'longside  with  ours. 
Chief,  your  words  are  weighty.  Your  hairs  are 
gray.  We  have  known  you  a  long  time.  You 
have  had  an  unpleasant  trip  to  this  place.  I  can 
not,  therefore,  keep  these  families  back.  I  make 
them  over  to  you,  which  I  would  not  do  to 
another  younger  than  yourself." 

Peo-peo-mox-mox:  "I  have  nothing  to  say.  I 
know  the  Americans  to  be  changeable;  still  I  am 
of  the  opinion  as  the  Young  Chief.  The  whites 
are  our  friends,  and  we  follow  your  advice.  I 
consent  to  your  taking  the  families." 

Mr.  Ogden  then  addressed  two  Nez  Perce 
chiefs  at  length,  in  behalf  of  the  Rev.  H.  H. 
Spalding  and  party,  promising  he  would  pay  for 
their  safe  delivery  to  him.      The  result  was  that 


both  chiefs,  James  and  Itimimipelp,  promised  to 
bring  them,  provided  they  were  willing  to  come, 
and  immediately  started  to  Clearwater  with  that 
purpose,  bearing  a  letter  from  Chief  Factor 
Ogden  to  Mr.  Spalding.  The  result  of  that  con- 
ference was  the  delivery,  on  the  29th  of  Decem- 
ber, to  Mr.  Ogden  (for  which  he  paid  the  Cayuse 
Indians  five  blankets,  fifty  shirts,  ten  fathoms  of 
tobacco,  ten  handkerchiefs,  ten  guns  and  one 
hundred  rounds  of  ammunition)  of  the  following 
captives: 

Missionary  children  adopted  by  Dr.  Whitman 
— Miss  Mary  A.  Bridger;  Catherine  Sager,  aged 
thirteen  years;  Elizabeth  Sager,  ten;  Martha  J. 
Sager,  eight;  Henrietta  N.  Sager,  four;  Hanna  L. 
Sager,  Helen  M.  Meek. 

From  Du  Page  county,  Illinois — Joseph  Smith, 
Mrs.  Hannah  Smith;  Mary  Smith,  aged  fifteen 
years;  Edwin  Smith,  thirteen;  Charles  Smith, 
eleven;  Nelson  Smith,  six;  Mortimer  Smith, 
four. 

From  Fulton  county,  Illinois — Mrs.  Eliza 
Hall;  Jane  Hall,  aged  ten  years;  Mary  C.  Hall, 
eight;  Ann  E.  Hall,  six;  Rebecca  Hall,  three; 
Rachel  M.  Hall,  one. 

From  Osage  county,  Mississippi — Elan  Young, 
Mrs.  Irene  Young;  Daniel  Young,  aged  twenty- 
one  years;  John  Young,  nineteen. 

From  La  Porte  county,  Indiana — Mrs.  Harriet 
Kimball;  Susan  M.  Kimball,  aged  sixteen  years; 
Nathan  M.  Kimball,  thirteen;  Byron  M.  Kim- 
ball, eight;  Sarah  S.  Kimball,  six;  Mince  A. 
Kimball,  one. 

From  Iowa — Mrs.  Mary  Sanders;  Helen  M. 
Sanders,  aged  fourteen  years;  Phoebe  L.  San- 
ders, ten;  Alfred  W.  Sanders,  six;  Nancy  L. 
Sanders,  four;  Mary  A.  Sanders,  two;  Mrs.  Sally 
A.  Canfield-  Ellen  Canfield,  sixteen;  Oscar  Can- 
field,  nine;  Clarissa  Canfield,  seven;  Sylvia  A. 
Canfield,  five;  Albert  Canfield,  three. 

From  Illinois — Mrs.  Rebecca  Hays;  Henry  C. 
Hays,  aged  four  years.  Eliza  Spalding,  Nancy 
E.  Marsh  and  Lorrinda  Bewley  were  also  among 
the  captives. 

On  New  Year's  day,  1848,  Rev.  H.  H.  Spald- 
ing, with  ten  others,  being  all  the  Americans 
from  his  mission,  arrived  at  Walla  Walla  fort 
under  escort  of  fifty  Nez  Perce  Indians,  to  whom 
Mr.  Ogden  paid  for  their  safe  delivery  twelve 
blankets,  twelve  shirts,  twelve  handkerchiefs, 
five  fathoms  of  tobacco,  two  guns,  two  hundred 
rounds  of  ammunition  and  some  knives. 

Three  days  later  Mr.  Ogden  started  to  Fort 
Vancouver  with  the  captives  in  boats.  Shortly 
after  he  had  left  the  fort  at  Walla  Walla,  fifty 
Cayuse  warriors  dashed  up  to  the  place  and 
demanded  the  surrender  of  Mr.  Spalding,  to  be 
killed,  as  word  had  reached  them  of  the  arrival 
of  American  volunteers  at  The  Dalles,  to  make 
war  upon  them,  and  they  held  him  responsible 
for  that  fact. 

The   ransomed  captives   from  Waiilatpu   and 


50 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  missionaries  from  Lapwai  reached  the  Willa- 
mette valley  in  safety.  Concerning  the  experi- 
ences of  the  people  of  the  Tchimakain  mission, 
Professor  W.  D.  Lyman  says: 

"Few  things  more  thrilling  ever  came  under 
the  observation  of  the  writer  than  the  narration, 
by  Fathers  Eells  and  Walker,  of  the  council  of 
the  Spokanes  at  Tchimakain,  to  decide  whether 
or  not  to  join  the  Cayuses.  The  lives  of  the  mis- 
sionaries hung  on  the  decision.  Imagine  their 
emotions  as  they  waited  with  bated  breath  in 
their  mission  house  to  know  the  result.  After 
hours  of  excited  discussion  with  the  Cayuse 
emissaries,  the  Spokanes  announced  their  deci- 
sion: 'Go  tell  the  Cayuses  that  the  missionaries 
are  our  friends  and  we  will  defend  them  with 
our  lives.'  "  This  being  the  decision  of  the 
Indians,  the  Tchimakain  missionaries,  Revs. 
Eells  and  Walker,  remained  at  their  post  of  duty 
until  the  volunteers  began  active  operations 
against  the  Cayuses,  when  they  retired  to  Fort 
Colville.  They  were  escorted  thence,  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  by  a  detachment  of  Americans 
under  command  of  Major  Magone. 

The  massacre  put  the  people  of  Oregon  and 
their  provisional  government  to  a  severe  trial. 
That  they  both  nobly  stood  the  test  speaks  vol- 
umes for  the  patriotism  of  the  one  and  the  inher- 
ent strength  of  the  other.  Truly,  every  son  of 
Oregon  and  the  Northwest  has  cause  for  pride  in 
the  sterling  qualities  of  the  men  and  women  who 
planted  the  seed  of  American  civilization  and 
American  institutions  in  the  soil  of  the  north 
Pacific  states. 

"While  the  hearts  of  the  legislators  were 
bursting,"  says  Mrs.  Victor,  "with  pain  and 
indignation  for  the  crime  they  were  called  upon 
to  mourn,  and  perhaps  to  avenge,  •  there  was 
something  almost  farcical  in  the  situation. 
Funds!  Funds  to  prosecute  a  possible  war! 
There  was  in  the  treasury  of  Oregon  the  sum  of 
forty-three  dollars  and  seventy-two  cents,  with 
an  outstanding  indebtedness  of  four  thousand 
and  seventy-nine  dollars  and  seventy-four  cents. 
Money!  Money,  indeed!  Where  was  money  to 
come  from  in  Oregon?  The  governor's  first 
thought  had  been  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company. 
It  was  always  the  company  the  colonists  thought 
of  first  when  they  were  in  trouble.  But  there 
might  be  some  difficulty  about  a  loan  from  that 
source.  Had  not  the  board  of  London  managers 
warnedtheOregon  officers  to  'stick  to  their  beaver 
skins?'  And  had  not  Dr.  McLoughlin  resigned 
from  his  position  as  head  of  the  company  in 
Oregon  because  the  London  board  reproved  him 
for  assisting  immigrants,  and  thereby  encourag- 
ing the  American  occupation  of  the  country? 
And  now  there  was  an  Indian  war  impending, 
with  only  these  gentlemen  who  had  been  ordered 
to  'stick  to  their  beaver  skins'  to  turn  to.  There 
were  the  merchants  of  Oregon  City,  to  be  sure;  a 
few  hundred  might  be  raised  among  them.      And 


there  was  the  Methodist  mission — 'the  governor  had 
not  mentioned  that;  but — well,  they  could  try  it!" 
The  colonial*  legislature  does  not  seem  to 
have  wasted  much  time  in  bewailing  its  helpless 
condition.  It  acted.  No  sooner  were  read  the 
brief  message  of  the  governor  relative  to  the 
massacre  and  its  accompanying  documents,  than 
a  resolution  was  offered  that  the  governor  be 
instructed  to  raise,  arm  and  equip  a  company  of 
fifty  riflemen  to  proceed  forthwith  to  the  mission 
station  at  The  Dalles  and  hold  the  same.  That 
day,  December  8th,  the  company  was  enlisted. 
Next  day  it  was  officered,  presented  with  a  flag 
by  the  ladies  of  Oregon  City  and  sent  by  boats 
to  its  destination. 

December  10th  a  bill  was  passed  authorizing 
and  requiring  the  governor  to  raise  a  regiment 
of  riflemen  by  volunteer  enlistment,  not  to 
exceed  five  hundred  men;  this  regiment  was  to 
"rendezvous  at  Oregon  City  on  the  25th  of 
December,  A.  D.  1847,  and  proceed  thence  with 
all  possible  despatch  to  the  Walla  Walla  valley 
for  the  purpose  of  punishing  the  Indians,  to 
what  tribe  or  tribes  soever  they  may  belong, 
who  may  have  aided  or  abetted  the  massacre  of 
Dr.  Whitman  and  his  wife,  and  others  at  Waii- 
latpu. "  The  bill  also  provided  that  "Jesse 
Applegate,  A.  L.  Lovejoy  and  George  L.  Curry 
be  and  are  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to 
negotiate  a  loan  not  to  exceed  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  for  the  purpose  of  carrying  out  the 
provisions  of  this  act;  and  that  said  commis- 
sioners be  and  are  authorized  to  pledge  the  faith 
of  the  territory  for  the  payment  of  such  sum  as 
may  be  negotiated  for  by  the  said  commission- 
ers, on  the  most  practicable  terms,  payable 
within  three  years  from  date  of  said  loan,  unless 
sooner  discharged  by  the  government  of  the 
United  States." 

The  governor  and  the  loan  commissioners 
set  out,  as  soon  as  the  bill  became  a  law,  for 
Vancouver,  to  negotiate,  if  possible,  a  loan  from 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company.  Formal  applica- 
tion was  made  to  Sir  James  Douglas,  December 
nth,  the  commissioners  pledging  the  faith  and 
means  of  the  provisional  government  for  the 
reimbursement  of  the  company,  and  stating  that 
they  did  not  consider  this  pledge  the  only  secur- 
ity their  creditors  would  have.  "Without  claim- 
ing," said  they,  "any  special  authority  from  the 
government  of  the  United  States  to  contract  a 
debt  to  be  liquidated  by  that  power,  yet  from  all 
precedents  of  like  character  in  the  history  of  our 
country,  the  undersigned  feel  confident  that  the 
United  States  government  will  regard  the  mur- 
der of  the  late  Dr.  Whitman  and  his  lady  as  a 
national  wrong,  and  will  fully  justify  the  people 
of  Oregon  in  taking  active  measures  to  obtain 
redress  for  that  outrage  and  for  their  protection 
from  further  aggression." 

As  was  expected,  the  chief  factor  declined  to 
grant  the  loan,  for  the  reason  already  outlined. 


THE    CAYUSE    WAR. 


Governor  Abernethy,  Jesse  Applegate  and  A.  L. 
Lovejoy  pledged  their  personal  credit  for  the 
supplies  needful  to  equip  the  company  of  rifle- 
men already  en  route  to  The  Dalles,  and  the 
immediate  necessities  of  the  government  were 
thus  relieved. 

Returning  to  Oregon  City,  the  committee 
addressed  a  circular  to  the  merchants  and  citi- 
zens of  Oregon,  asking  loans  from  all  such  as 
were  able  to  contribute,  either  money  or  sup- 
plies. Its  closing  paragraphs  are  here  quoted  as 
showing  the  necessity  for  prompt  action  then 
existing  or  supposed  to  exist: 

Though  the  Indians  of  the  Columbia  have  committed 
a  great  outrage  upon  our  fellow-citizens  passing  through 
their  country,  and  residing  among  them,  and  their  punish- 
ment for  these  murders  may,  and  ought  to  be,  a  prime 
object  with  every  citizen  of  Oregon,  yet,  as  that  duty  more 
particularly  devolves  upon  the  government  of  the  United 
States,  and  admits  of  delay,  we  do  not  make  this  the 
strongest  ground  upon  which  to  found  our  earnest  appeal 
to  you  for  pecuniary  assistance.  It  is  a  fact  well  known 
to  every  person  acquainted  with  Indian  character,  that,  by 
passing  silently  over  their  repeated  thefts,  robberies,  and 
murders  of  our  fellow-citizens,  they  have  been  emboldened 
to  the  commission  of  the  appalling  massacre  at  Waiilatpu. 
They  call  us  "women,"  destitute  of  the  hearts  and  courage 
of  men,  and  if  we  allow  this  wholesale  murder  to  pass  by, 
as  former  aggressions,  who  can  tell  how  long  either  life  or 
property  will  be  secure  in  any  part  of  this  country,  or  at 
what  moment  the  Willamette  will  be  the  scene  of  blood 
and  carnage? 

The  officers  of  our  provisional  government  have  nobly 
performed  their  duty.  None  can  doubt  the  readiness  of 
the  patriotic  sons  of  the  west  to  offer  their  personal  serv- 
ices in  defense  of  a  cause  so  righteous.  So  it  rests  with 
you,  gentlemen,  to  say  whether  our  rights  and  our  firesides 
shall  be  defended  or  not.  Hoping  that  none  will  be  found 
to  falter  in  so  high  and  so  sacred  a  duty,  we  beg  leave, 
gentlemen,  to  subscribe  ourselves  your  servants  and 
fellow-citizens. 

A  specific  letter  to  the  Oregon  mission  was 
likewise  prepared  and  sent.  The  result  of  the 
labors  of  the  committee  was  such  that  on  Decem- 
ber 14th  they  were  able  to  report,  besides  the 
loan  of  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  dollars, 
negotiated  on  the  personal  credit  of  two  of  the 
commissioners,  with  the  governor,  a  loan  of  one 
thousand  dollars  subscribed  at  a  citizens'  meet- 
ing in  Oregon  City;  sixteen  hundred  dollars 
from  the  merchants  of  Oregon  City,  and  the 
probability  that  a  loan  of  one  thousand  dollars 
would  be  secured  from  the  mission. 

The  first  committee  then  resigned,  and  on 
December  20th  another  was  appointed  consisting 
of  A.  L.  Lovejoy,  Hugh  Burns  and  W.  H.  Will- 
son.  These  gentlemen  continued  in  office  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  engaged  in  the  expensive 
and  vexatious  task  of  negotiating  small  loans  of 
wheat,  provisions,  clothing,  leather  and  all  arti- 
cles of  use  to  the  men  in  the  field. 

Of  the  regiment  to  be  called  into  existence 
by  the  governor  in  accordance  with  legislative 
enactment,  Cornelius  Gilliam  was  elected  colo- 
nel; James  Waters,  lieutenant-colonel;  H.  A.  G. 
Lee,  major,   and  Joel   Palmer,    commissary-gen- 


eral. The  purpose  of  this  military  organization 
was  to  secure  for  punishment  the  Whitman  mur- 
derers and  all  those  who  had  taken  an  important 
part  in  the  massacre.  It  was  not  intended  that 
aggressive  warfare  should  be  waged  against  the 
Cayuse  tribe  as  a  whole,  or,  a  fortiore,  against  any 
other  tribe,  as  a  matter  of  retribution,  but  it  was 
intended  that  the  murderers  should  be  procured  at 
all  cost  and  that  war  should  be  waged  against  all 
who  harbored  them,  until  the  desired  end  was 
achieved.  Accordingly,  a  peace  commission  was 
sent  a  long  with  the  army,  the  personnel  of  which 
was  Joel  Palmer,  Robert  Newell  and  H.  A.  G.  Lee, 
that  the  olive  branch  might  be  offered  before  re- 
sort to  the  sword  should  be  had.  Joseph  L.  Meek, 
who  had  been  appointed  to  carry  a  memorial  to 
congress,  also  purposed  to  accompany  the  army. 
A  base  of  supplies  was  established  during  the 
last  days  of  December  at  the  upper  cascades  of  the 
Columbia.  A  few  rude  structures  were  erected 
and  denominated  Fort  Gilliam,  though  they  were 
more  frequently  referred  to  as  "The  Cabins." 

"The  history  of  this  little  post  in  the  heart  of 
the  great  Oregon  Sierras  became  a  most  inter- 
esting one,"  says  Mrs.  Victor.  "It  was  here 
that  the  hardest  struggle  of  the  war  was  carried 
on — not  in  fighting  Indians,  but  in  keeping  the 
men  in  the  field  that  had  undertaken  to  do  the 
fighting.  In  point  of  fact,  the  commissary 
department  was  charged  with  the  principal 
burden  of  the  war,  and  the  title  of  'General,' 
which  Palmer  acquired  through  being  at  the  head 
of  this  department,  might  well  have  been 
bestowed  upon  him  for  his  services  in  sustaining 
the  organization  of  the  army  under  conditions 
such  as  existed  in  Oregon  in  1847-8.  Without 
arms,  without  roads,  without  transportation 
other  than  small  boats  and  pack  horses,  without 
comfortable  winter  clothing  and  with  scanty 
food,  the  war  was  to  be  carried  on  at  a  distance 
of  nearly  three  hundred  miles  from  the  settle- 
ments. And  if  the  volunteer  soldiers  were  called 
upon  to  endure  these  hardships,  which  General 
Palmer  was  doing  his  best  to  overcome,  the  com- 
missioned officers  were  no  less  embarrassed  by 
the  want  of  the  most  ordinary  appliances  of  their 
rank  or  position — even  to  the  want  of  a  proper 
field-glass." 

Early  in  January,  1S4S,  Colonel  Gilliam 
started  up  the  river  from  the  rendezvous  at  Port- 
land, arriving  at  Vancouver  the  first  day.  He 
did  not  do  as  he  was  said  to  have  threatened, 
attempt  to  levy  on  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
goods  to  supply  his  troops.  On  the  contrary,  he 
purchased  such  supplies  as  he  stood  in  urgent 
necessity  of,  pledging  his  own  credit  and  that  of 
Commissary-General  Palmer,  who  accompanied 
him,  for  the  payment.  Having  reached  the 
cascades,  he  left  there  one  company  to  construct 
a  road  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  portage,  him- 
self and  the  balance  of  his  command  proceeding 
to  Fort  Gilliam,  where   he   received   a   dispatch 


5- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


from  Major  Lee,  at  The  Dalles.  By  this  he  was 
informed  that  the  major  had  had  a  fight  with 
Indians,  January  8th,  brought  on  by  an  attempt 
of  the  latter  to  round  up  and  drive  away  stock 
left  at  the  mission  by  immigrants.  The  skirmish 
lasted  two  hours  and  resulted  in  a  loss  to  the 
enemy  of  three  killed  and  one  injured,  while  the 
white  loss  was  one  man  wounded.  The  Indians, 
however,  secured  three  hundred  head  of  beef 
cattle.  The  next  day  sixty  horses  belonging  to 
the  hostiles  were  captured. 

The  receipt  of  this  information  determined 
Gilliam  to  push  on  with  all  speed  to  The  Dalles. 
As  soon  as  the  governor  heard  of  the  fight  he 
directed  the  colonel  to  select  some  of  his  best 
men  and  scour  the  Des  Chutes  river  country, 
being  careful  to  distinguish  between  friendly  and 
hostile  Indians,  but  vigorous  in  his  treatment  of 
the  latter. 

About  the  last  of  January,  Colonel  Gilliam  set 
out  with  one  hundred  and  thirty  men  for  the 
Des  Chutes  river.  Arrived  there,  he  sent  Major 
Lee  to  the  supposed  position  of  the  hostiles  on 
the  east  side  of  the  river.  He  struck  the  Indians 
in  full  retreat  towards  the  mountains  and  killed 
one  of  their  number,  but  while  returning  to  camp 
was  attacked  in  a  ravine  by  a  considerable  force. 
His  command  were  compelled  to  dismount  and 
seek  the  shelter  of  rocks  and  bushes,  where  they 
remained,  annoyed  but  uninjured  by  the  enemy, 
until  night.  Next  day  the  Indians  were  attacked 
with  vigor  and  driven  to  their  village,  then  out 
of  it  again,  leaving  it  at  the  mercy  of  the  whites. 
It  was  destroyed,  as  was  also  much  cached  prop- 
erty which  could  not  be  carried  away. 

Returning  to  Fort  Lee  at  The  Dalles,  the 
officers  held  there  a  council  on  the  nth  of  Feb- 
ruary with  the  peace  commissioners,  who  had 
arrived  in  the  meantime,  to  formulate  a  plan  of 
action.  It  was  agreed  that  the  commissioners 
should  precede  the  army,  and  the  date  fixed  for 
them  to  start  was  the  14th,  but  word  having  been 
received  on  the  13th  that  a  combination  of  hostile 
tribes  had  been  effected,  Gilliam  decided  to 
march  at  once  with  three  hundred  men.  The 
commissioners  were  displeased  but  had  to 
acquiesce,  so  the  forces  of  war  and  the  bearers 
of  the  olive  branch  journeyed  together  toward 
the  scene  of  the  massacre. 

On  the  23d  an  understanding  was  effected  with 
the  Des  Chutes  Indians  and  the  next  day  two 
messengers  arrived  from  the  Yakima  country 
stating  that  the  Yakimas  had  taken  the  advice 
of  the  peace  commissioners  and  decided  not  to 
join  the  Cayuses  in  a  war  against  the  Americans. 
A  letter  brought  by  one  of  them  read  as  follows: 

Camp  of  Ciaies,  February  16,  1848. 
M.   Commander: 

The  Yakima  chiefs,  Ciaies  and  Skloom,  have  just  pre- 
sented me  a  letter  signed  by  Messrs.  Joel  Palmer,  Robert 
Newell  and  H.  A.  G.  Lee,  which  I  have  read,  and  a  young 
Indian,  son  of  one  of  the  chiefs,  translated  it  to  them  in 
Yakima  language.     The  chiefs  above  mentioned  charged 


me  to  say  to  you  in  their  name,  in  those  of  Carnaiareum 
and  of  Chananaie,  that  they  accept,  with  acknowledg- 
ments, the  tobacco  and  the  banner  which  you  sent  them. 
They  have  resolved  to  follow  your  counsel,  and  not  unite 
themselves  with  the  Cayuses,  but  to  remain  at  rest  upon 
their  lands.  On  my  arrival  at  the  camp  of  Ciaies,  that 
chief  assured  me  that  he  would  not  join  the  Cayuses.  I 
could  but  see,  with  the  greatest  of  pleasure,  dispositions 
which  will  prevent  the  spilling  of  blood  and  which  will 
facilitate  the  means  of  instructing  those  Indians. 
Your  humble  servant, 

G.  Blanchet. 

During  the  forenoon  of  the  24th  the  march 
was  resumed,  the  peace  commissioners  in  front 
with  a  white  flag.  Their  friendly  advances  to 
the  Indians  were  repelled  and  at  noon  a  large 
number  of  hostiles  were  seen  on  the  hill  signaling 
for  a  fight.  They  collected  quickly  in  the  path 
of  the  advancing  army  and  soon  their  desire  for 
battle  was  gratified.  The  battle  of  Sand 
Hollows,  as  it  is  called,  began  on  a  plain  where 
depressions  in  the  sand  formed  natural  rifle  pits. 
The  baggage  train,  protected  by  the  company  of 
Captain  Laurence  Hall,  formed  the  center  of  the 
white  forces.  The  left  flank,  consisting  of  the 
companies  of  Captain  Philip  F.  Thompson  and 
Captain  H.  J.  G.  Maxon,  were  on  the  north  side 
of  the  road,  and  the  companies  of  Levi  N. 
English  and  Thomas  McKay  constituted  the  right 
of  the  command. 

The  principal  leaders  of  the  Indians  were  Five 
Crows  and  War  Eagle,  both  Cayuses.  They  had 
assured  their  followers  that  they  were  both  "big 
medicine"  men,  invulnerable  to  bullets;  indeed, 
War  Eagle  went  so  far  as  to  claim  that  he  could 
swallow  all  the  bullets  the  whites  could  shoot  at 
him.  They  attempted  to  prove  their  prowess  by 
riding  up  close  to  the  white  lines  and  acting  in 
an  insolent  manner.  The  whites  had  been 
ordered  to  hold  fire  in  order  to  give  the  peace 
commissioners  a  fair  chance,  but  Captain  McKay, 
angered  by  their  insults,  shot  War  Eagle,  killing 
him  instantly.  Five  Crows  was  seriously 
wounded  by  a  shot  from  another  soldier,  so 
seriously  that  he  had  to  resign  his  command  of 
the  Indian  forces.  Several  severe  attacks  were 
made  on  the  soldiers  during  the  day,  but  the 
Indians  were  everywhere  beaten  and  eventually 
fled,  leaving  their  dead  and  wounded  on  the  field. 
It  is  stated  that  the  Indian  loss  was  thirteen 
killed  and  wounded,  and  the  American  five  men 
wounded. 

The  volunteers  passed  the  ensuing  night  at  a 
place  where  neither  wood  nor  water  could  be 
obtained.  Next  day  they  were  asked  to  meet 
some  of  the  Cayuses  in  council,  but  refused  to 
halt  until  they  reached  a  place  where  their  thirst 
could  be  slaked.  The  night  of  the  25th  was 
passed  on  the  banks  of  the  Umatilla,  which  was 
crossed  next  day.  After  the  army  had  encamped, 
Sticcas  and  other  Cayuses  made  overtures  for 
peace  and  were  told  to  meet  the  commissioners 
at  Waiilatpu.  The  reluctance  of  the  whites  to 
treat  arose  out  of  the  fact  that  they  had  not  heard 


THE     CAYUSE    WAR. 


S3 


from  William  McBean,  at  Fort  Walla  Walla,  as 
they  expected.  The  truth  was  that  their  com- 
munications to  him  had  been  intercepted  by 
Tauitowe,  who,  however,  delivered  the  letters, 
but  destroyed  McBean's  reply.  Were  it  not  for 
this  an  arrangement  might  have  been  effected  on 
the  Umatilla  by  which  the  murderers  would  be 
delivered  up  and  the  war  terminated,  but  the 
delay  proved  fatal  to  such  a  consummation. 

February  28th  the  troops  reached  Walla 
Walla,  where  the  foregoing  facts  were  ascertained 
by  them  in  personal  conference  with  McBean. 
Moving  to  the  site  of  the  Whitman  mission,  the 
troops  busied  themselves  on  the  3d  of  March  in 
reinterring  the  bodies  of  the  dead,  which  had 
been  exhumed  and  partly  devoured  by  coyotes. 
The  sight  of  the  numerous  evidences  of  savage 
malevolence  aroused  the  military  spirit  of  com- 
mander and  men,  and  the  commissioners  saw  that 
the  ardor  of  both  for  fight  might  embarrass  them 
in  their  efforts  to  conclude  a  peace.  A  fortifica- 
tion was  commenced  at  once  and  its  construction 
continued  on  the  4th  and  5th,  though  the  latter 
date  fell  on  Sunday.  On  the  6th  two  hundred  and 
fifty  friendly  Nez  Perces  and  Cayuses  came  into 
camp  and  held  a  council  with  the  volunteers,  ex- 
pressing themselves  as  disposed  to  maintain 
peaceful  relations  with  their  white  brethren. 

In  this  council,  "Gilliam  could  not  avoid  act- 
ing his  part:  but  as  commander  of  the  army  he 
was  ill  at  ease.  He  saw  the  Cayuses  passing  by 
unharmed,  going  to  the  Nez  Perce  country  in 
the  hope  of  inducing  their  relatives  and  former 
allies  to  join  them  against  the  Americans,  while 
just  enough  of  them  lingered  behind  to  pick  up 
the  news  about  camp  and  act  as  go-betweens. 
Still,  the  influence  of  the  superintendent  (Palmer) 
was  such  that  on  the  8th  the  Nez  Perce  chiefs 
were  encouraged  to  go  to  the  Cayuse  camp,  then 
twenty-five  miles  distant,  to  endeavor  to  pur- 
suade  the  nation  to  give  up  the  murderers,  the 
army  to  follow  on  the  next  day,  two  of  the  com- 
missioners accompanying  it." 

The  army  did  move  in  that  direction  on  the 
9th,  but  had  scarcely  started  when  Sticcas  came, 
bringing  in  some  property  stolen  from  the  mission 
and  asking  for  a  talk.  Gilliam  reluctantly  called 
a  halt.  Sticcas  announced  the  refusal  of  the 
Cayuses  to  surrender  Tauitowe  or  Tamsucky, 
and  Gilliam  made  a  most  remarkable  proposal  to 
withdraw  demands  for  five  of  the  murderers  if 
Joe  Lewis  should  be  surrendered,  a  proposition  to 
which  the  other  commissioners  would  not  agree. 

After  this  council,  Palmer,  Lee  and  Newell, 
with  Captain  McKay,  who  was  in  bad  health,  left 
for  the  Willamette,  and  Gilliam,  with  a  hundred 
and  fifty-eight  men,  proceeded  toward  Snake 
river.  The  first  day  out  he  was  met  by  three 
Indians  who  reported  that  Sticcas  had  captured 
Joe  Lewis,  but  that  the  prisoner  had  been 
rescued. 

On   the    13th   he   received   a    message   from 


Tauitowe  asserting  the  friendship  of  that  chief 
and  stating  that  Tamsucky  had  gone  to  the  camp 
of  Red  Wolf,  on  Snake  river,  while  Tiloukaikt 
was  proceeding  down  the  Tucanon,  bound  for 
the  Palouse  country.  Gilliam  made  a  night 
march  to  the  camp  of  Tiloukaikt  and  surprised  it, 
but  suffered  himself  to  be  outwitted  by  this  wily 
Cayuse.  The  latter  sent  out  an  aged  Indian, 
who  assured  the  colonel  that  he  was  mistaken, 
that  this  was  not  Tiloukaikt's,  but  Peo-peo-mox- 
mox's  camp,  and  that  Tiloukaikt  had  gone,  leav- 
ing his  cattle  on  the  hills  beyond.  Completely 
deluded,  Gilliam  refrained  from  attacking  the 
camp,  but  crossed  the  river  and  climbed  up  the 
precipitous  farther  bank,  arriving  in  time  to  see 
the  last  of  the  cattle  swimming  the  Snake.  The 
volunteers,  who  might  have  won  a  decisive 
victory,  collected  a  large  band  of  Indian  horses 
and  set  out  on  the  return  to  the  Touchet.  They 
were  attacked  in  the  rear  by  the  Palouses,  who 
annoyed  them  exceedingly  that  day  and  the  next 
night,  compelling  them  to  turn  loose  the  captured 
animals.  The  following  morning,  after  two 
sleepless  nights,  they  started  on  again  and  were 
again  attacked.  In  the  battle  which  followed, 
a  sort  of  a  running  fight,  the  volunteers  gained 
the  victory,  inflicting  a  loss  on  the  Indians  of 
four  killed  and  fourteen  wounded.  "Their  yells 
and  battle  cries  were  changed  to  wailing;  the 
sharp  war  rattle  and  crack  and  ping  of  musketry 
were  followed  by  the  nerve- thrilling  death  song. " 

Arriving  at  Fort  Waters  (Waiilatpu)  on  the 
i6th,  a  council  of  officers  was  held  there  two 
days  later,  at  which  it  was  decided  that  half  the 
force  should  proceed  to  The  Dalles  to  escort  a 
supply  train,  Gilliam  himself  accompanying. 
They  started  on  this  mission  the  20th.  That 
night,  while  in  camp  beyond  the  Umatilla,  a  mel- 
ancholy accident  occurred.  While  Colonel  Gill- 
iam was  drawing  a  rope  from  the  wagon  with 
which  to  tether  his  horse,  a  gun  in  the  vehicle 
was  discharged,  causing  his  immediate  death. 
"Thus,"  says  Evans,  "by  an  ignoble  accident, 
was  sacrificed  the  life  of  the  idol  of  the  Oregon 
troops,  a  zealous,  impetuous  soldier,  a  natural 
born  leader,  a  brave  and  thorough  patriot,  a 
generous  friend,  a  good  citizen."  There  was, 
however,  evidence  that  the  volunteers  were 
divided  in  their  allegiance  to  the  colonel. 

Captain  Maxon  took  command  and  proceeded 
to  The  Dalles,  where  he  found  a  reinforcement 
of  one  company  under  Joseph  M.  Garrison  await- 
ing him.  His  report  to  the  adjutant-general 
gave  a  melancholy  picture  of  conditions  at  Waii- 
latpu, stating  that  Fort  Waters  was  nothing  but 
an  adobe  enclosure,  that  it  was  defended  by  only 
one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  that  these  were 
almost  destitute  of  clothing  and  ammunition  and 
wholly  without  bread.  Fortunately,  the  men 
discovered  caches  of  wheat  and  peas  a  little 
later,  but  their  good  fortune  was  not  then  known 
to  Maxon. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


The  publication  of  these  accounts  of  destitu- 
tion and  of  stirring  appeals  for  help  did  not  go 
unheeded.  A  "Christian  commission"  on  a  small 
scale  was  organized  at  Oregon  City  to  provide 
clothing  and  comforts  for  the  soldiers.  An 
address  accompanying  one  shipment  of  goods  is 
here  reproduced  as  vividly  reflecting  the  temper 
of  the  pioneer  women  of  the  Northwest: 

Oregon  City,  April  12,  1848. 

The  volunteers  of  the  first  regiment  of  Oregon  rifle- 
men will  please  accept  from  the  ladies  of  Oregon  City  and 
vicinity  the  articles  herewith  forwarded  to  them.  The 
intelligence  which  convinces  us  of  your  many  hardships, 
excessive  fatigues,  and  your  chivalrous  bearing  also  satis- 
fies us  of  your  urgent  wants. 

These  articles  are  not  tendered  for  acceptance  as  a 
compensation  for  your  services  rendered ;  we  know  that  a 
soldier's  heart  would  spurn  with  contempt  any  boon  ten- 
dered by  us  with  such  an  object;  accept  them  as  a  brother 
does,  and  may,  accept  a  sister's  tribute  of  remembrance — 
as  a  token,  an  evidence,  that  our  best  wishes  have  gone  to, 
and  will  remain  with,  you  in  your  privations,  your 
marches,  your  battles  and  your  victories. 

Your  fathers  and  ours,  as  soldiers,  have  endured  priva- 
tions and  sufferings,  and  poured  out  their  blood  as  water, 
to  establish  undisturbed  freedom  east  of  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains; your  and  our  mothers  evinced  the  purity  of  their 
love  of  country,  upon  those  occasions,  by  efforts  to  miti- 
gate the  horrors  of  war,  in  making  and  providing  clothing 
for  the  soldiers.  Accept  this  trifling  present  as  an  indorse- 
ment of  an  approval  of  the  justice  of  the  cause  in  which  you 
have  volunteered,  and  of  your  bearing  in  the  service  of 
our  common  country  as  manly,  brave  and  patriotic. 

The  war  which  you  have  generously  volunteered  to 
wage  was  challenged  by  acts  the  most  ungrateful,  bloody, 
barbarous  and  brutal. 

Perhaps  the  kindness  which  the  natives  have  received 
at  the  hands  of  American  citizens  on  their  way  hither,  has, 
to  some  extent,  induced  belief  on  the  part  of  the  natives, 
that  all  the  Americans  are  "women"  and  dare  not  resent 
an  outrage,  however  shameful,  bloody  or  wicked.  Your 
unflinching  bravery  has  struck  this  foolish  error  from  the 
minds  of  your  enemies,  and  impressed  them  with  terror, 
and  it  is  for  you,  and  a  brotherhood  who  will  join  you,  to 
follow  up  the  victories  so  gloriously  commenced  until  a 
succession  of  victories  shall  compel  an  honorable  peace, 
and  insure  respect  for  the  American  arms  and  name. 

We  have  not  forgotten  that  the  soul- sickening  massa- 
cres and  the  enormities  at  Waiilatpu  were  committed  in 
part  upon  our  sex.  We  know  that  your  hardships  and  pri- 
vations are  great ;  but  may  we  not  hope  that  through  you 
these  wrongs  shall  not  only  be  amply  avenged,  but  also 
that  you  will  inscribe  upon  the  hearts  of  our  savage  ene- 
mies a  conviction  never  to  be  erased  that  the  virtue  and 
lives  of  American  women  will  be  protected,  defended  and 
avenged  by  American  men. 

The  cause  which  you  have  espoused  is  a  holy  cause. 
We  believe  that  the  God  of  battles  will  so  direct  the  desti- 
nies of  this  infant  settlement,  that  she  will  come  out  of  this 
contest  clothed  in  honor,  and  her  brave  volunteers  covered 
with  glory. 

******* 

The  younger  ladies  of  Oregon  also  showed 
their  sympathy  with  the  war  and  its  objects  by 
preparing  the  following: 

"response  by  young   ladies  to  the  call  of  cap- 
tain MAXON  FOR  YOUNG  MEN  IN  THE  ARMY. 

"We  have  read  with  much  interest  the  late 
report  from  the  army,  and  feel  ourselves  under 
obligation  to  reply  to  the  appeal  made  to  us  in 
that  report.     We  are  asked  to  evince  our  influ- 


ence for  our  country's  good  by  withholding  our 
hand  from  any  young  man  who  refuses  to  turn 
out  in  defense  of  our  honor  and  our  country's 
right. 

"In  reply,  we  hereby,  one  and  all,  of  our  own 
free  good-will,  solemnly  pledge  ourselves  to  com- 
ply with  that  request,  and  to  evince  on  all  suita- 
ble occasions  our  detestation  and  contempt  for 
any  and  all  young  men  who  can,  but  will  not, 
take  up  arms  and  march  at  once  to  the  seat  of 
war,  to  punish  the  Indians  who  have  not  only 
murdered  our  friends,  but  have  grossly  insulted 
our  sex.  We  never  can,  and  never  will,  bestow 
our  confidence  upon  a  man  who  has  neither 
patriotism  nor  courage  enough  to  defend  his 
country  and  the  girls — such  a  one  would  never 
have  sufficient  sense  of  obligation  to  defend  and 
protect  a  wife. 

"Do  not  be  uneasy  about  your  claims  and 
your  rights  in  the  valley;  while  you  are  defend- 
ing the  rights  of  your  country,  she  is  watching 
yours.  You  must  not  be  discouraged.  Fight  on, 
be  brave,  obey  your  officers,  and  never  quit  your 
posts  till  the  enemy  is  conquered;  and  when  you 
return  in  triumph  to  the  valley,  you  shall  find  us 
as  ready  to  rejoice  with  you  as  we  now  are  to 
sympathize  with  you  in  your  sufferings  and 
dangers." 

(Signed  by  fifteen  young  ladies. ) 

The  same  report  impelled  the  government  to 
issue  the  following  proclamation: 

Recent  accounts  from  the  seat  of  war  show  that  the 
Indians  are  in  pretty  strong  force,  and  determined  to 
fight.  Many  of  the  tribes  have  expressed  a  desire  to 
remain  peaceful,  but  there  can  be  no  question  that  the 
slightest  defeat  on  our  part  will  encourage  portions  of 
them  to  unite  against  us,  and  if  they  should  unfortunately 
succeed  in  cutting  off  or  crippling  our  army,  it  would  be  a 
signal  for  a  general  union  among  them ;  fear  is  the  only 
thing  that  will  restrain  them.  It  is  necessary  at  the  pres- 
ent moment  to  keep  a  strong  force  in  the  field  to  keep  those 
friendly  that  have  manifested  a  desire  for  peace,  and  to 
keep  the  hostile  Indians  busy  in  their  own  country,  for  the 
war  must  now  either  be  carried  on  there,  or  in  our  valley. 
The  question  is  not  now  a  matter  of  dollars  and  cents  only ; 
but  whether  exertions  will  be  made  on  the  part  of  citizens 
of  the  territory  to  reinforce  and  sustain  the  army  in  the 
upper  country,  and  keep  down  the  Indians  (which  our  men 
are  able  and  willing  to  do  if  supported),  or  disband  the 
army  and  fight  them  in  the  valley.  One  of  the  two  must 
be  done.  If  the  army  is  disbanded,  before  two  months 
roll  around  we  will  hear  of  depredations  on  our  frontiers, 
families  will  be  cut  off,  and  the  murderers  on  their  fleet 
horses  out  of  our  reach  in  some  mountain  pass  before  we 
hear  of  the  massacre. 

Many  young  men  are  willing  to  enlist  and  proceed  to 
the  seat  of  war,  but  are  unable  to  furnish  an  outfit;  let 
their  neighbors  assist  them,  fit  them  out  well  and  send 
them  on.  As  a  people  we  must  assist  and  carry  on  the 
war.  I  hope  sincerely  that  the  government  of  the  United 
States  will  speedily  extend  its  protecting  care  over  us,  but 
in  the  meantime  we  must  protect  ourselves,  and  now  is  the 
time.  I  therefore  call  on  all  citizens  of  this  territory  to 
furnish  three  hundred  men  in  addition  to  the  number  now 
in  the  field.  Three  new  companies  will  be  organized  and 
attached  to  the  regiment  commanded  by  Colonel  H.  A.  G. 
Lee;  each  company  to  consist  of  eighty- five  men,  rank  and 
file ;  the  remainder  will  be  distributed  among  the  compa- 
nies already   organized;    the    enlistments  to  be    for   six 


THE    CAYUSE    WAR. 


55 


months,  unless  sooner  discharged  bv  proclamation  or 
relieved  by  the  troops  of  the  United  States.  Each  man 
will  furnish  his  own  horse,  arms,  clothing  and  blankets. 
The  companies  will  bring  all  the  ammunition,  percussion 
caps  and  camp  equipments  they  can,  for  which  they  will 
receive  a  receipt  from  the  commissary-general. 

All  citizens  willing  to  enlist  will  form  themselves  into 
detachments  in  their  several  counties  and  be  ready  to 
march  to  Portland,  so  as  to  arrive  there  on  the  18th  day  of 
April,  on  which  day  Colonel  Lee  will  be  there  to  organize 
the  new  companies;  after  which  the  line  of  march  will  be 
taken  up  for  Waiilatpu.  If  a  sufficient  number  of  men  to 
form  a  foot  company  appear  on  the  ground,  they  will  be 
received  as  one  of  the  above  companies. 

In  witness  whereof  I  have  signed  my  name  and  affixed 
the  seal  of  the  territory. 

Done  at  Oregon  City  this  first  day  of  April,  1848. 

An  appeal  was  also  made  in  vigorous  language 
by  one  of  the  officers,  supposed  to  be  Lee, 
designed  to  stimulate  enlistment.  The  heart  of 
old  Oregon  was  not  steeled  against  such  appeals, 
and  though  she  had  drawn  heavily  upon  her 
resources  in  raising,  arming  and  equipping,  with- 
out help  from  any  power  outside  herself,  the  men 
already  in  the  field,  she  now  made  still  greater 
exertions  that  the  campaign  might  be  prosecuted 
with  even  greater  vigor.  Polk  and  Clackamas 
counties  came  forward  with  one  company,  Linn 
with  one,  Yamhill  and  Tualatin  with  one,  and 
Clatsop  with  a  few  volunteers,  numbering  in  all 
about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men. 

The  amount  of  exertion  this  required  can 
hardly  be  realized  at  this  date.  "Popular  as  was 
the  war,"  writes  Mrs.  Victor,  "it  was  a  difficult 
matter  putting  another  battalion  in  the  field. 
The  commissariat  had  at  no  time  been  main- 
tained without  great  exertion  on  the  part  of  its 
officers,  and  often  great  sacrifice  on  the  part  of 
the  people.  The  commissary-general's  sworn 
and  bonded  agents  in  every  county  had  from  the 
beginning  strained  every  nerve  to  collect  arms, 
ammunition  and  clothing,  for  which  they  paid  in 
government  bonds  or  loan  commissioner's  scrip. 
As  there  was  very  little  cash  in  circulation,  and 
as  the  common  currency  of  Oregon  had  been 
wheat,  it  had  come  to  pass  that 'wheat  notes'  had 
been  received  in  place  of  cash  as  contributions  to 
th  war  fund.  The  wheat  thus  collected  could  be 
sold  for  cash  or  its  equivalent  at  Vancouver,  and 
thus,  after  passing  through  the  circumlocution 
office,  this  awkward  currency,  which  had  to  be 
gathered  up,  stored  in  warehouses,  hauled  to  boat 
landings,  set  adrift  upon  the  Willamette,  hauled 
around  the  falls  at  Oregon  City,  and  there 
reloaded  for  Vancouver,  was  there  at  length 
exchanged  for  real  money  or  goods.  The  collec- 
tion of  provisions  for  the  consumption  of  the 
army  was  another  matter,  and  not  less  burden- 
some. The  agents  could  refuse  no  lot  of  provi- 
sions because  it  was  small  or  miscellaneous,  nor 
reject  any  articles  of  use  to  soldiers  because  they 
were  not  of  the  best.  Lead  was  purchased  in 
any  quantities  from  one  to  several  pounds,  and 
was    hard   to    find,  all    that   was  in   the  country 


being  that  which  was  brought  across  the  plains 
by  the  immigrants  for  use  upon  the  road.  Pow- 
der and  percussion  caps  were  obtained  in  the 
same  way,  or  purchased  with  wheat  notes  at 
Vancouver." 

H.  A.  G.  Lee  was  appointed  colonel,  vice 
Cornelius  Gilliam,  deceased.  His  appointment 
was  unsatisfactory  to  some,  as  Captain  Waters 
was  the  man  to  whom,  in  the  natural  order  of 
promotion,  the  honor  belonged.  Accordingly, 
there  were  some  resignations  of  inferior  officers, 
causing  annoyance  and  delay  to  the  new  com- 
mander, who  had  also  been  entrusted  with  the 
duties  of  Indian  superintendent,  Joel  Palmer 
having  resigned.  But  these  difficulties  were  in 
due  time  overcome,  and  on  May  3d  Lee  set  out 
for  Fort  Waters.  He  had  learned  from  Maxon  at 
The  Dalles  that  the  Yakimas  were  friendly. 
Some  of  the  chiefs  had  visited  the  major  and 
expressed  themselves  in  this  language: 

"We  do  not  want  to  fight  the  Americans  nor 
the  French;  neither  do  the  Spokanes,  a  neigh- 
boring tribe  to  us.  Last  fall  the  Cayuses  told  us 
they  were  about  to  kill  the  whites  at  Dr.  Whit- 
man's. We  told  them  that  was  wrong,  which 
made  them  mad  at  us,  and  when  they  killed  them 
they  came  to  us  and  wished  us  to  fight  the 
whites,  which  we  refused.  We  love  the  whites; 
but  they  say,  'If  you  do  not  help  us  to  fight  the 
whites,  when  we  have  killed  them  we  will  come 
and  kill  you.'  This  made  us  cry,  but  we  told 
them  we  would  not  fight,  but  if  they  desired  to 
kill  us  they  might.  We  should  feel  happy  to 
know  that  we  died  innocently." 

Upon  arriving  in  the  Cayuse  country,  Lee,  in 
his  capacity  as  superintendent,  held  a  council  of 
Nez  Perces  and  others,  on  request  of  the  Indians. 
Peo-peo-mox-mox,  whose  friendship  had  been 
alienated  by  the  act  of  the  legislature  withhold- 
ing ammunition  from  all  Indians,  again  took  a 
friendly  attitude  toward  the  whites,  and  it  was 
evident  that  reinforcements  from  the  Willamette 
and  the  expectation  that  a  regiment  of  mounted 
riflemen  would  soon  arrive  from  the  United 
States  were  bringing  the  Indians  to  a  humble 
and  peaceable  frame  of  mind.  The  red  men  in 
council  were  informed  that  the  whites  were  deter- 
mined to  hold  the  country  until  the  murderers 
were  punished  and  the  stolen  property  re- 
turned. 

When  Lee  reached  Waiilatpu,  about  the  9th  of 
May,  he  reviewed  the  situation  and  determined 
that  it  were  best  he  should  resign  the  colonelcy 
in  favor  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Waters.  "I  have 
great  confidence  in  him,  "he  wrote,  "and  doubt 
not  the  troops  will  find  him  competent  to  the 
task  before  him.  To  prevent  any  discord  or 
rupture  in  the  regiment,  at  the  request  of  the 
officers  and  men,  I  have  consented  to  act  as  lieu- 
tenant-colonel during  the  approaching  cam- 
paign." This  act  of  self-abnegation  and  patriot- 
ism at  a  critical    juncture    restored    harmony  in 


56 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  ranks  and  put  the  volunteers  in  condition  for 
a  vigorous  campaign. 

On  the  17th  of  May  more  than  four  hundred 
men  started  for  the  Nez  Perce  country,  whither, 
it  was  reported,  the  murderers  had  gone.  At  the 
Coppei  river  the  forces  divided,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-one  men  under  Lee  going  to  Red 
Wolf's  camp  to  prevent  the  fugitives  escaping  to 
the  mountains;  the  remainder  of  the  volunteers 
going  to  the  mouth  of  the  Palouse  to  cut  off 
their  retreat  down  the  Columbia.  Lee  learned, 
on  reaching  Red  Wolf's  camp,  that  Tiloukaikt's 
band,  two  days  before,  had  escaped  from  the 
country  with  everything  they  owned  except 
some  stock  at  Lapwai.  There  he  went,  arriving 
on  the  21st  and  taking  charge  of  the  abandoned 
cattle.  By  aid  of  the  friendly  Nez  Perces,  he 
was  enabled  to  drive  back  to  Waters'  camp  one 
hundred  and  eighteen  head  of  horses  and  forty 
head  of  cattle. 

The  main  command,  under  Colonel  Waters, 
had  succeeded,  after  considerable  delay,  in  cross- 
ing the  Snake  river,  and  had  also  pushed  on 
toward  Lapwai.  On  the  2  2d  a  letter  was 
received  from  Rev.  Cushing  Eells  stating  that 
the  Spokanes  were  divided  in  their  sentiments 
toward  the  Americans  and  the  war,  though  all 
condemned  the  massacre.  The  messengers  who 
brought  the  letter  volunteered  to  bring  in  a 
number  of  Tiloukaikt's  cattle  and  succeeded  in 
doing  so,  bringing  in  also  two  Nez  Perces,  who 
informed  the  colonel  that  the  main  band  was 
near  Snake  river.  They  also  stated  that  Tilou- 
kaikt  himself  had  fled  to  the  mountains.  Major 
Magone,  with  a  hundred  men,  was  sent  to  bring 
in  the  stock  belonging  to  the  hostiles  and  to  cap- 
ture any  Indians  suspected  of  acting  with  the 
fugitives.  The  stock  was  brought  in,  according 
to  orders,  but  the  only  suspect  encountered  was 
run  down  and  killed,  contrary  to  orders. 

It  became  evident  that  nothing  could  be 
accomplished  by  a  regiment  in  the  Nez  Perce 
country,  as  the  Cayuses  had  fled.  Even  the 
capture  and  confiscation  of  property  was  unsatis- 
factory, as  it  was  sure  to  be  claimed  by  some 
professedly  friendly  Indian,  and  the  volunteers 
could  hardly  choose  but  return  it.  The  governor 
and  military  officers,  therefore,  determined  to 
close  the  campaign,  notwithstanding  the  mur- 
derers had  not  been  captured.  A  detachment  of 
fifty-five  men  under  Major  Magone  went  to  Fort 
Colville  to  give  Missionaries  Eells  and  Walker, 
who  had  sought  protection  there  when  the  war 
broke  out,  safe  conduct  to  The  Dalles.  The 
remainder  of   the  command  returned    to   Waii- 


latpu.  There  a  council  of  war  was  held  to  deter- 
mine whether  to  abandon  or  to  hold  Fort  Waters. 
The  majority  favored  abandonment,  but  Lee 
was  determined  that  the  advantages  gained  by 
the  war  should  not  be  lost  by  a  complete  with- 
drawal from  the  country.  By  interesting  some 
responsible  men  in  a  scheme  of  colonization,  and 
promising  to  secure  them  as  far  as  was  in  his 
power  against  treaty  stipulations  prejudicial  to 
their  interests,  he  succeeded  in  inducing  fifty-five 
volunteers  to  remain  in  the  fort  with  Captain 
William  Martin  until  September,  when,  it  was 
expected,  Captain  Thompson  would  return  with 
a  colony  of  intending  settlers.  The  immigrant 
road  was  thus  kept  in  a  condition  of  comparative 
safety,  so  that  the  immigration  of  1848,  number- 
ing about  eight  hundred  souls,  experienced  no 
trouble  with  Indians. 

The  results  of  the  war  may  be  summed  up 
briefly.  While  the  murderers  were  not  captured 
and  hanged,  they  were  severely  punished  by 
being  despoiled  of  their  property  and  made  wan- 
derers and  vagabonds  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
The  power  and  prestige  of  the  Cayuse  tribe 
were  broken  forever.  The  other  tribes  of  the 
interior,  who  had  been  led  by  the  non-resistance 
and  reluctance  to  fight  displayed  by  immigrants 
passing  through  their  country  with  families  and 
herds  to  consider  the  Americans  a  race  of  cow- 
ards, were  effectually  taught  their  error,  and 
while  the  race  struggle  was  not  ended,  it  was 
delayed  until  the  whites  were  much  better  able 
to  contest  successfully  against  the  savages 
arrayed  in  the  pathway  of  progress. 

Negotiations  were  kept  up  constantly  with 
the  tribes  of  the  interior  for  the  peaceful  surren- 
der of  the  murderers  after  the  provisional  gov- 
ernment was  eventually  superseded  by  a  territo- 
rial form.  The  Cayuses,  though  war  was  no 
longer  waged  against  them,  saw  that  their  case 
was  becoming  more  and  more  hopeless  by  reason 
of  the  fact  that  the  United  States  government 
had  at  last  extended  protecting  arms  to  Oregon 
and  the  American  power  in  the  west  was  rapidly 
increasing.  At  last,  despairing  of  their  ability 
to  longer  protect  the  murderers,  they  compelled  or 
induced  five  of  them  to  surrender  for  trial. 
These  were  Tiloukaikt,  Tamahas,  Klokamas, 
Isaiachalakis  and  Kiamasumpkin.  They  were 
given  a  fair  trial,  convicted,  and  on  the  3d  of 
June,  1S50,  executed,  all  of  them,  at  Oregon  City. 
Thus  ignobly  perished  probably  the  last  of  those 
immediately  concerned  in  the  massacre,  though 
the  fate  of  Joe  Lewis  and  others  may  not  be  cer- 
tainly known. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


EARLY    DAYS    IN   WASHINGTON. 


The  territory  north  of  the  Columbia  river  did 
not  share  in  the  benefits  derived  from  the  earli- 
est immigrations  into  the  Northwest.  In  the 
diplomatic  contest  for  the  country,  it  had  been 
steadfastly  claimed  by  Great  Britain,  whose  pro- 
posal, several  times  reiterated,  was  that  the 
Columbia  should  form  the  boundary.  Perhaps 
on  account  of  the  industrious  inculcation  on  the 
part  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  of  the  belief 
that  northern  Oregon  would  be  conceded  to 
Great  Britain,  the  benefits  of  the  provisional 
government  were  not  expressly  extended  to  the 
territory  now  forming  Washington  state,  and  for 
several  years  after  the  Americanization  of  the 
Willamette  valley  began,  the  fur  company  held 
undisputed  sway  over  the  trans- Columbia  region. 
In  order  to  further  strengthen  the  hands  of  the 
British  government  in  its  territorial  claims  that 
company  had  organized  the  Puget  Sound  Agri- 
cultural Company,  through  which  considerable 
progress  was  made  in  farming  and  stock-raising, 
as  is  shown  by  the  following  description  of  the 
Cowlitz  and  Nisqually  tracts,  written  in  1S41 
by  the  pen  of  Sir  George  Simpson : 

"Between  the  Cowlitz  river  and  Puget  sound, 
a  distance  of  about  sixty  miles,  the  country, 
which  is  watered  by  many  streams  and  lakes, 
consists  of  an  alternation  of  plains  and  belts  of 
wood.  It  is  well  adapted  both  for  tillage  and 
pasturage,  possessing  a  genial  climate,  good  soil, 
excellent  timber,  water  power,  natural  clearings 
and  a  seaport,  and  that,  too,  within  reach  of 
more  than  one  advantageous  market.  When  this 
tract  was  explored,  a  few  years  ago,  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  established  two  farms  upon 
it,  which  were  subsequently  transferred  to  the 
Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company,  formed 
under  the  company's  auspices,  with  the  view  of 
producing  wheat,  wool,  hides,  and  tallow  for 
exportation.  On  the  Cowlitz  farm  there  were 
already  about  a  thousand  acres  of  land  under  the 
plow,  besides  a  large  dairy,  and  an  extensive 
park  for  horses  and  stock ;  and  the  crop  this  sea- 
son amounted  to  eight  or  nine  thousand  bushels 
of  wheat,  four  thousand  of  oats,  with  a  due  pro- 
portion of  barley,  potatoes, etc.  The  other  farm 
was  on  the  shores  of  Puget  sound  (Nisqually 
plains),  and,  as  its  soil  was  found  to  be  better 
fitted  for  pasturage  than  tillage,  it  had  been 
appropriated  almost  exclusively  to  the  flocks  and 


herds.  So  that  now,  with  only  two  hundred  acres 
of  cultivated  land,  it  possessed  six  thousand  sheep, 
twelve  hundred  cattle,  besides  horses,  pigs,  etc. 
In  addition  to  these  two  farms,  there  was  a  Cath- 
olic mission,  with  about  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  under  the  plow.  There  were  also  a  few 
Canadian  settlers,  retired  servants  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company,  and  it  was  to  the  same 
neighborhood  that  the  emigrants  from  Red  river 
were  wending  their  way." 

To  still  further  strengthen  British  claim  to 
northern  Oregon,  as  the  country  was  then  called, 
the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  undertook  the  task 
of  settling  the  still  unoccupied  lands,  or  some  of 
them,  with  British  subjects  from  the  Red  river 
country  of  Canada.  As  an  inducement  to  such 
to  make  the  tedious  journey  over  the  many  weary 
leagues  which  intervened  between  the  Red  River 
of  the  North  and  Puget  sound,  the  company 
offered  to  each  head  of  a  family,  upon  arrival, 
the  use  and  increase  of  fifteen  cows,  fifteen  ewes, 
all  needful  work  oxen  or  horses  and  the  use  of 
house  and  barns.  In  answer  to  this  call,  an  emi- 
gration left  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Garry  on  the 
15th  of  June,  1841.  They  were  overtaken  by  the 
party  of  Sir  George  Simpson,  who  described 
them  as  consisting  of  agriculturists  and  others, 
principally  natives  of  Red  river  settlement. 
"There  were  twenty-three  families,"  says  he, 
"the  heads  being  young  and  active,  though  a  few 
of  them  were  advanced  in  life,  more  particularly 
one  poor  woman,  upwards  of  seventy-five  years 
of  age,  who  was  following  after  her  son  to  his 
new  home.  As  a  contrast  to  this  superannuated 
daughter  of  the  Saskatchewan,  the  band  con- 
tained several  young  travelers,  who  had,  in  fact, 
made  their  appearance  in  this  world  since  the 
commencement  of  the  journey.  Beyond  the 
inevitable  detention,  which  seldom  exceeded  a 
few  hours,  these  interesting  events  had  never 
interfered  with  the  progress  of  the  brigade;  and 
both  mother  and  child  used  to  jog  on,  as  if  jog- 
ging on  were  the  condition  of  human  existence. 
Each  family  had  two  or  three  carts,  together 
with  bands  of  horses,  cattle  and  dogs.  The  men 
and  lads  traveled  in  the  saddle,  while  the  vehi- 
cles, which  were  covered  with  awnings  against 
the  sun  and  rain,  carried  the  women  and  young 
children.  As  they  marched  in  single  file,  their 
cavalcade  extended  above  a  mile  in  length ;  and 


57 


58 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


we  increased  the  length  of  the  column  by  march- 
ing in  company.  The  emigrants  were  all  healthy 
and  happy,  living  in  the  greatest  abundance  and 
enjoying  the  journey  with  the  highest  relish. 
Before  coming  up  to  these  people,  we  had  seen 
evidence  of  the  comfortable  state  of  their  com- 
missariat in  the  shape  of  two  or  three  still  warm 
buffaloes,  from  which  only  the  tongue  and  a  few 
other  choice  bits  had  been  taken." 

The  company  crossed  the  Rocky  mountains 
early  in  August,  reached  Fort  Walla  Walla  on 
the  4th  of  October,  assisted  in  removing  valua- 
bles from  that  fort,  which  burned  that  night  or 
the  next  morning,  and  finally  arrived,  after  the 
loss  of  two  or  three  members  who  changed  their 
destination  while  en  route,  in  the  Sound  country. 
Some  of  the  families  remained  at  the  Cowlitz 
farm  over  winter  and  some  at  Fort  Nisqually.  It 
was  claimed  by  them  that  the  company  acted  in 
bad  faith  in  the  matter  of  fulfilling  its  pledges. 
Whether  or  not  this  be  true,  not  many  of  the 
families  located  permanently  in  the  country,  and 
the  colonization  scheme  may  be  considered  a 
failure. 

The  honor  of  having  made  the  initial  attempt 
to  colonize  northern  Oregon  in  American  inter- 
ests is  universally  conceded  to  one  Michael  T. 
Simmons,  the  "Daniel  Boone  of  Washington." 
Simmons  is  described  as  a  stalwart  Kentuckian, 
endowed  with  the  splendid  physique  and  indom- 
itable courage  for  which  the  sons  of  that  state 
are  famous.  Arriving  at  Vancouver  in  1844,  he 
spent  most  of  the  winter  there,  and  doubtless 
learned  from  the  chance  expressions  of  Hudson's 
Bay  men  something  of  the  value  of  the  country 
to  the  northward.  At  any  rate,  he  gave  up  his 
former  intentions  of  going  to  southern  Oregon, 
as  the  company  wished  him  to  do,  and  deter- 
mined to  explore  the  forests  of  the  north,  as  the 
company  very  much  opposed  his  doing.  He  is 
credited  with  having  patriotic  as  well  as  personal 
motives  for  undertaking  this  spying-out  of  the 
land.  He  started  on  his  exploring  expedition 
with  five  companions  during  the  winter  of  1844-5, 
purposing  to  find  or  make  a  pathway  to  Puget 
sound.  But  the  inclemencies  of  the  season 
necessitated  his  temporary  abandonment  of  the 
enterprise,  and  having  ascended  the  Cowlitz 
river  about  fifty  miles,  he  returned  to  Vancou- 
ver. In  July  he  set  out  again  with  eight  com- 
panions. Reaching  the  sound  in  due  season,  he 
made  some  explorations  of  its  shores  in  canoes 
and  informed  himself  of  its  resources  and  value. 
He  chose  as  a  site  for  his  colony  a  picturesque 
spot  near  the  falls  of  the  Des  Chutes  river,  made 
a  return  trip  to  Vancouver,  and  soon  was  back 
on  the  sound  with  James  McAllister,  Gabriel 
Jones,  David  Kindred  and  George  W.  Bush  and 
their  families,  also  S.  B.  Crockett  and  Jesse  Fer- 
guson. Such  is  the  personnel  of  the  first  Ameri- 
can colony  in  Washington. 

"Not  one  entering  the  region  at  the  present 


time,"  wrote  the  late  H.  K.  Hines,  "can  form 
any  idea  of  the  difficulty  attending  the  enter- 
prise of  these  people.  The  forests  of  the  country 
were  almost  impenetrable,  and  they  covered 
nearly  all  its  space.  To  open  a  trail  from  the 
Cowlitz  river  northward  was  the  hard  work  of 
weeks,  and  then  to  make  such  an  inroad  upon 
the  forest  as  to  give  any  hope  of  future  support 
for  their  families  was  a  task  that  only  brave  and 
manly  men  would  dare  to  undertake.  But 
empire  and  destiny  were  in  these  men's  hands 
and  hearts,  and  they  were  equal  to  the  work 
they  had  undertaken.  But  as  we  now  think  of 
it,  after  fifty  years,  we  wonder  how  these  seven 
men,  isolated  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from 
any  who  could  aid  them,  and  surrounded  by  the 
savages  of  Puget  sound,  who  were  watching  with 
evil  eye  the  inroads  of  the  whites,  succeeded  in 
establishing  themselves  and  their  families  in  this 
then  most  inhospitable  region.  That  they  did 
marks  them  as  heroes." 

The  next  year,  1846,  added  a  very  few  more 
to  the  American  population  of  Washington, 
among  them  Edward  Sylvester,  upon  whose  land 
claim  Olympia  was  afterward  built,  and  the 
well-known  men,  A.  B.  Robbeson  and  S.  S. 
Ford.  A  small  number  settled  in  1847,  but  these 
few  "were  of  the  same  sterling  stuff  as  those 
who  had  preceded  them  and  added  much  to  the 
moral  and  intellectual  fiber  of  the  infant  settle- 
ment." 

"This  year  was  also  signalized,"  says  Hines, 
"by  the  erection  of  a  saw-mill  at  the  falls  of  the 
Des  Chutes,  since  called  Tumwater,  on  the  land 
claim  of  M.  T.  Simmons.  A  small  flouring  mill 
had  before  been  erected  at  the  same  place,  with 
buhrs  hewn  out  of  some  granite  rock  found  on 
the  beach  of  Budd's  inlet,  which  afforded  some 
unbolted  flour  as  a  change  from  boiled  wheat  for 
bread." 

A  somewhat  larger  settlement  was  effected 
during  1848,  many  of  the  new-comers  taking 
claims  along  the  Cowlitz  river.  One  man, 
Thomas  W.  Glasgow,  attempted  settlement  on 
Whidby's  island.  A  few  others  started  to  estab- 
lish homes  in  his  vicinity  during  the  summer, 
but  all  were  compelled  to  withdraw,  the  Indians 
at  a  council  called  by  Patkanim,  chief  of  the 
Snoqualmies,  having  decided  not  to  allow  them 
to  remain  on  the  island.  The  next  two  years 
were  years  of  apparent  retrogression  rather  than 
progress,  for  the  adult  male  population  was 
induced  away  by  the  discovery  of  gold  in  Cali- 
fornia, leaving  none  but  women  and  boys  to  sow 
and  reap,  or  plan  and  execute  new  enterprises. 
Later,  however,  the  spray  from  the  tidal  wave  of 
population  attracted  to  the  Golden  State  by  the 
discovery  of  the  precious  metal,  spread  over 
Puget  sound,  bringing  activity  and  progress. 

Mr.  Simmons,  the  advance  agent  of  American 
occupancy,  gained  further  distinction  in  1850  by 
giving  inception  to  American  commerce  on  the 


GOVERNOR  ISAAC  INGALLS  STEVENS 
(First  Governor  of  Washington  Territory). 


EARLY    DAYS    IN    WASHINGTON. 


59 


sound.  A  brig  had  reached  these  waters  during 
the  year,  having  been  purchased  by  several  of 
the  sound  residents  from  certain  gold  seekers 
from  Maine.  Simmons  bought  her,  loaded  her 
with  piles,  and  taking  these  to  San  Francisco, 
exchanged  them  for  general  merchandise.  The 
goods  were  exposed  for  sale  in  a  small  building 
in  Smithfield,  the  town  which  later  became 
known  as  Olympia. 

"This  initial  stake  of  business  having  been 
thus  successfully  set  at  Olympia,"  says  Hines, 
"the  lines  of  settlement  began  to  extend  from  it 
in  every  direction.  Steilacoom,  occupying  a 
point  on  the  sound  below  Olympia  and  abreast 
of  the  Nisqually  plains,  was  settled  and  a  large 
business  house  erected  there,  f  Port  Townsend 
was  settled  by  H.  C.  Wilson.  I.  N.  Ebey,  late 
in  the  fall  of  1850,  occupied  the  claim  on  Whid- 
by's  island,  from  which  Glasgow  had  been  driven 
by  the  hostilities  of  Patkanim,  and  R.  H.  Lans- 
dale  took  a  claim  at  the  head  of  Penn's  cove. 
These  were  among  the  first,  if  not  the  first,  who 
established  themselves  above  the  lower  portions 
of  the  sound,  but  they  were  soon  followed  by 
Petty  grove  and  Hastings.  A  town  was  laid  out 
on  the  west  side  of  Port  Townsend  bay,  called 
after  the  bay  itself,  Port  Townsend,  and  so  the 
year  1850  closed,  having  registered  a  somewhat 
substantial  advancement  in  the  country  of  Puget 
sound.  Still,  the  settlements  were  only  a  frayed 
and  fretted  fringe  of  white  on  the  edge  of  the 
dark  forests,  and  darker  humanity,  of  the  vast 
region  encompassing  the  waters  of  the  great 
inland  sea.  But  the  time  had  come  for  a  more 
appreciable  advance." 

The  year  185 1  brought  not  a  few  immigrants 
who  wished  to  seek  their  fortunes  on  the  shores 
of  the  sound.  Of  these,  some  were  ambitious  to 
build  homes  for  themselves  wherever  the  agri- 
cultural possibilities  of  the  country  were  greatest 
and  most  easily  developed;  others  to  find  a  spot 
which  must  eventually  become  a  trade  center 
and  become  rich  through  "unearned  increment" 
in  the  value  of  their  holdings.  Among  the  latter 
class  were  C.  C.  Terry,  A.  A.  and  D.  T.  Denny, 
W.  N.  Bell,  C.  T.  Boren,  John  C.  Holgate  and 
John  Low,  who  selected  claims  on  Elliott  bay 
and  became  prominent  in  the  founding  and 
building  of  Seattle.  It  is  stated  that  in  four 
years  this  town  had  a  population  of  three  hun- 
dred. 

Contemporaneous  with,  or  within  a  year  or 
two  after  the  settlement  already  adverted  to, 
was  the  settlement  of  Whidby's  island,  New 
Dungeness,  Bellingham  bay,  the  north  bank  of 
the  Columbia  river  from  the  Cascade  mountains 
to  its  mouth,  Baker's  bay,  Shoalwater  bay, 
Gray's  harbor  and  other  places.  The  coal  and 
timber  resources  of  the  country  began  attracting 
attention  at  this  time,  resulting  in  the  building 
up  of  immense  milling  enterprises  at  different 
points  on  the  sound. 


The  ambition  of  these  pioneers  to  become  the 
founders  of  a  new  commonwealth,  to  add  a  new 
star  to  the  American  constellation,  had  co-oper- 
ated with  the  natural  advantages  of  the  country 
from  the  first  to  induce  them  into  and  hold  them 
in  the  sound  basin.  That  ambition  began  its 
struggle  for  accomplishment  as  early  as  the  4th 
of  July,  185 1,  when  J.  B.  Chapman  addressed  all 
those  who  met  in  Olympia  to  celebrate  the 
nation's  birthday,  upon  the  subject,  "The  Future 
State  of  Columbia.  "  So  great  were  his  enthusi- 
asm and  eloquence  that  they  inspired  the  people 
to  immediate  activity.  They  held  a  meeting 
forthwith  and  decided  that  a  convention  should 
be  held  at  Cowlitz  landing,  said  convention  to  be 
composed  of  delegates  from  all  the  election  dis- 
tricts north  of  the  Columbia.  Its  purpose  was 
"to  take  into  careful  consideration  the  peculiar 
position  of  the  northern  portion  of  the  territory, 
its  wants,  the  best  methods  of  supplying  those 
wants,  and  the  propriety  of  an  early  appeal  to 
congress  for  a  division  of  the  territory." 

On  the  day  appointed  the  convention  met.  It 
adopted  a  memorial  to  congress  praying  for  the 
division  of  the  territory;  for  a  territorial  road 
from  Puget  sound  over  the  Cascades 'to  Walla 
Walla;  for  a  plank  road  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Cowlitz  river  to  the  sound,  and  that  the  provi- 
sions of  the  Oregon  Land  Law  shodld  be  contin- 
ued, provided  the  division  prayed  for  should  be 
granted. 

No  action  was  had  by  congress  on  the  memo- 
rial, and  enthusiasm  for  segregation  for  a  time 
waned.  However,  it  was  not  suffered  to  die  out 
entirely,  for  a  paper  named  the  Columbian  was 
established  at  Olympia  with  the  keeping  alive  of 
the  new  territory  project  as  its  main  purpose. 
The  first  issue  of  this  pioneer  publication  appeared 
September  11,  1852. 

This  journal  was  successful  in  compassing  the 
convention  of  another  body  of  men  on  organiza- 
tion bent.  They  met  at  Monticello,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Cowlitz,  and  prepared  a  memorial 
to  congress  pleading  most  eloquently  the  cause 
of  segregation  from  Oregon.  The  efforts  of  this 
convention  were  supplemented  by  the  legislature 
of  Oregon  territory,  a  few  members  of  which, 
however,  favored  a  project  to  make  the  Cascade 
range  the  boundary  between  the  territory  of 
Oregon  and  the  territory  of  Columbia.  The 
scheme  of  these  contemplated  the  bounding  of 
Oregon,  north,  south  and  west,  by  the  British  line, 
the  California  line  and  the  ocean  respectively, 
and  east  by  Columbia  territory,  the  Cascade 
range  being  the  boundary  line. 

But  the  majority  of  the  representatives  and 
the  majority  of  the  people  both  north  and  south  of 
the  Columbia,  favored  that  river  as  the  line  of  di- 
vision. General  Lee,  Oregon's  delegate,  brought 
the  matter  before  congress.  That  body  could  not 
turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  almost  unanimous  voice  of 
the   peopte    directly    affected    by   the  proposed 


6o 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


legislation,  and  on  March  2d,  1853,  the  territory 
was  organized  as  prayed  for,  the  name  "Wash- 
ington" being  substituted  for  "Columbia,"  how- 
ever. A  full  quota  of  officers  was  appointed  for 
the  new  territory,  namely:  Governor,  Isaac 
Ingall  Stevens;  secretary,  C.  H.  Mason;  chief 
justice,  Edward  Lander;  associate  justices,  John 
R.  Miller  and  Victor  Monroe;  district  attorney, 
J.  S.  Clendenin;  United  States  marshal,  J.  Pat- 
ton  Anderson.  Miller  refused  the  appointment 
and  O.  B.  McFadden,  of  Oregon,  became  asso- 
ciate justice  in  his  stead.  While  all  of  these 
officers  were  capable  and  efficient,  the  choice  for 
governor  was  especially  felicitous,  Stevens  being 
just  the  man  to  guide  the  newly-built  ship  of 
state  through  the  stormy  seas  it  was  so  soon  to 
sail. 

Governor  Stevens  began  bestowing  blessings 
upon  the  new  territory  long  before  he  reached 
its  borders,  for  ere  he  left  Washington  he 
obtained  charge  of  the  survey  of  the  northern 
route  for  the  proposed  trans-continental  railway 
— one  of  the  first  grand  schemes  of  the  American 
government  for  the  subjugation  and  development 
of  its  vast  territorial  possessions.  This  circum- 
stance gave  to  the  northern  route  a  zealous,  able 
and  well-informed  advocate.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  full  and  accurate  reports  of  Gov- 
ernor Stevens  and  his  zeal  for  the  route  which  he 
believed  the  most  expedient,  did  more  than  any- 
thing else  to  fix  the  general  location  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  railroad,  and  to  give  to  the 
young  commonwealth  over  which  Stevens  pre- 
sided that  most  potential  factor  in  its  subsequent 
development. 

Having  arrived  at  length  in  the  young  com- 
monwealth of  which  he  had  been  called  to  assume 
executive  control,  Governor  Stevens  at  once 
addressed  himself  to  the  mastery  of  the  difficult 
problems  presenting  themselves.  He  found  a 
field  of  labor  presenting  a  splendid  opportunity 
for  the  exercise  of  his  extraordinary  abilities. 
Of  the  conditions  as  he  found  them,  his  son. 
Hazard,  in  his  excellent  life  of  Washington's  first 
governor,  thus  writes: 

"It  was  indeed  a  wild  country,  untouched  by 
civilization,  and  a  scanty  white  population, 
sparsely  sprinkled  over  the  immense  area,  that 
were  awaiting  the  arrival  of  Governor  Stevens 
to  organize  civil  government,  and  shape  the 
destinies  of  the  future.  A  mere  handful  of 
settlers,  three  thousand  nine  hundred  and  sixty- 
five  all  told,  were  widely  scattered  over  western 
Washington,  between  the  lower  Columbia  and  the 
straits  of  Fuca.  A  small  hamlet  clustered 
around  the  military  post  at  Vancouver.  A  few 
settlers  were  spread  widely  apart  along  the 
Columbia,  among  whom  were  Columbia  Lan- 
caster, on  Lewis  river;  Seth  Catlin,  Dr.  Nathaniel 
Ostrander  and  the  Huntingtons  about  the  mouth 
of  the  Cowlitz;  Alexander  S.  Abernethv  at  Oak 
Point  and  Judge  William  Strong  at  Cathlamet. 


Some  oystermen^in  Shoalwater  bay  were  taking 
shellfish  for  the  San  Francisco  market.  At 
Cowlitz  landing,  thirty  miles  up  that  river,  were 
extensive  prairies,  where  farms  had  been  culti- 
vated by  the  Hudson  Bay  Company,  under  the 
name  of  the  Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Company, 
for  fifteen  years;  and  here  were  a  few  Americans, 
a  number  of  Scotch  and  Canadians,  former 
employees  of  that  company,  and  now  looking  for- 
ward to  becoming  American  citizens  and  settling 
down  upon  their  own  claims  under  the  Donation 
Act,  which  gave  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
to  every  settler  and  as  much  more  to  his  wife. 
A  score  of  hardy  pioneers  had  settled  upon  the 
scattered  prairies  between  the  Cowlitz  farms 
and  the  sound;  among  them  were  John  R.  Jack- 
son, typical  English  yeoman,  on  his  prairie  ten 
miles  from  the  Cowlitz;  S.  S.  Saunders,  on 
Saunders  bottom,  where  now  stands  the  town  of 
Chehalis;  George  Washington,  a  colored  man,  on 
the  next  prairie,  the  site  of  Centralia;  Judge 
Sidney  S.  Ford,  on  his  prairie  on  the  Chehalis 
river  below  the  mouth  of  Skookumchuck  creek; 
W.  B.  Goodell,  B.  L.  Henness  and  Stephen 
Hodgdon  on  Grand  Mound  prairie;  A.  B. 
Robbeson  and  W.  W.  Plumb,  on  Mound  prairie. 
A  number  of  settlers  had  taken  up  the  prairies 
about  Olympia,  the  principal  of  whom  were  W. 
O.  Bush,  Gabriel  Jones,  William  Rutledge  and 
David  Kendrick  on  Bush  prairie;  J.  N.  Low, 
Andrew  J.  Chambers,  Nathan  Eaton,  Stephen 
D.  Ruddell  and  Urban  E.  Hicks  on  Chambers' 
prairie;  David  J.  Chambers  on  the  prairie  of  his 
name.  James  McAlister  and  William  Packwood 
were  on  the  Nisqually  bottom,  at  the  mouth  of 
the  river  just  north  of  which,  on  the  verge  of  the 
Nisqually  plains,  was  situated  the  Hudson  Bay 
Company  post,  Fort  Nisqually,  a  parallelogram 
of  log  buildings  and  stockade  under  charge  of 
Dr.  W.  F.  Tolmie,  a  warm-hearted  and  true  Scot. 
Great  herds  of  Spanish  cattle,  the  property  of  the 
company,  roamed  over  the  Nisqually  plains,  little 
cared  for  and  more  than  half  wild,  and,  it  is  to 
be  feared,  occasionally  fell  prey  to  the  rifles  of 
hungry  American  emigrants.  Two  miles  below 
Olympia,  on  the  east  side  of  the  bay,  was  located 
a  Catholic  mission  under  Fathers  Richard  and 
Blanchet,  where  were  a  large  building,  an 
orchard  and  a  garden.  They  had  made  a  number 
of  converts  among  the  Indians. 

"Towns,  each  as  yet  little  more  than  a  claim 
and  a  name,  but  each  in  the  hope  and  firm  belief 
of  its  founders  destined  to  future  greatness,  were 
just  started  at  Steilacoom,  by  Lafayette  Balch; 
at  Seattle,  by  Dr.  E.  S.  Maynard,  H.  L.  Yesler 
and  the  Dennys;  at  Port  Townsead,  by  F.  W. 
Pettygrove  and  L.  B.  Hastings,  and  at  Belling- 
ham  bay,  by  Henry  Roder  and  Edward  Eld- 
ridge. 

"Save  the  muddy  track  from  the  Cowlitz  to  the 
Olympia  and  thence  to  Steilacoom,  and  a  few 
local  trails,  roads  there  were  none.     Communi- 


EARLY    DAYS    IN    WASHINGTON. 


cation  was  chiefly  by  water,  almost  wholly  in 
canoes  manned  by  Indians.  The  monthly 
steamer  from  San  Francisco  and  a  little  river 
steamboat  plying  daily  between  Vancouver  and 
Portland  alone  vexed  with  their  keels  the  mighty 
Columbia;  while  it  was  not  until  the  next  year 
that  reckless,  harum-scarum  Captain  Jack 
Scranton  ran  the  Major  Tompkins,  a  small  black 
steamer,  once  a  week  around  the  sound,  and  had 
no  rival.  Here  was  this  great  wooded  country 
without  roads,  the  unrivaled  waterways  without 
steamers,  the  adventurous,  vigorous,  white 
population  without  laws,  numerous  tribes  of 
Indians  without  treaties,  and  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company's  rights  and  possessions  without  settle- 
ment. To  add  to  the  difficulties  and  confusion 
of  the  situation,  congress,  by  the  Donation  acts, 
held  out  a  standing  invitation  to  the  American 
settlers  to  seize  and  settle  upon  any  land,  sur- 
veyed or  unsurveyed,  without  waiting  to  extin- 
guish the  Indian  title  or  define  the  lands 
guaranteed  by  solemn  treaty  to  the  foreign  com- 
pany, and  already  the  Indians  and  the  Hudson's 
Bay  Company  were  growing  more  and  more 
restless  and  indignant  at  the  encroachments  of 
the  pushing  settlers  upon  their  choice  spots. 
Truly,  a  situation  fraught  with  difficulties  and 
dangers,  where  everything  was  to  be  done  and 
nothing  yet  begun. 

"  It  is  a  great  but  common  mistake  to  suppose 
that  the  early  American  settlers  of  Washington 
were  a  set  of  lawless,  rough  and  ignorant 
borderers.  In  fact  they  compare  favorably  with 
the  early  settlers  of  any  of  the  states.  As  a  rule 
they  were  men  of  more  than  average  force  of 
character,  vigorous,  honest,  intelligent,  law- 
abiding  and  patriotic — men  who  had  brought 
their  families  to  carve  out  homes  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  many  of  them  men  of  education  and  of 
standing  in  their  former  abodes.  Among  them 
could  be  found  the  best  blood  of  New  England, 
the  sturdy  and  kindly  yeomanry  of  Virginia  and 
Kentucky,  and  men  from  all  the  states  of  the 
middle  west  from  Ohio  to  Arkansas.  Most  of 
them  had  slowly  wended  their  way  across  the 
great  plains,  overcoming  every  obstacle  and 
suffering  untold  privation;  others  had  come  by 
sea  around  Cape  Horn,  or  across  the  isthmus. 
They  were  all  true  Americans,  patriotic  and 
brave,  and  filled  with  sanguine  hope  of,  and  firm 
faith  in,  the  future  growth  and  greatness  of  the 
new  country  which  they  had  come  to  make 
blossom  like  the  rose." 

Governor  Stevens,  in  the  proclamation  by 
which  he  gave  inception  to  the  work  of  organiz- 
ing the  territory,  designated  January  30,  1854, 
as  the  day  for  electing  a  delegate  to  congress  and 
a  local  legislature.  Columbia  Lancaster  was  the 
choice  of  the  people  for  the  difficult  task  of  repre- 
senting the  young  commonwealth  in  Washington. 
The  legislature  chosen  at  the  same  time  convened, 
pursuant  to  the  governor's  proclamation,  on  the 


27th  of  February  ensuing,  and  proceeded  to 
transact  such  business  and  enact  such  laws  as 
were  necessary  to  put  the  territory  on  fairly 
sound  footing.  The  message  of  the  governor  was 
an  able  and  statesmanlike  paper.  It  gave  a 
glowing  description  of  the  undeveloped  resources 
and  commercial  importance  of  the  territory; 
referred  to  the  unfortunate  status  of  the  public 
lands,  arising  out  of  the  fact  that  Indian  titles 
had  not  yet  been  extinguished,  and  advised  the 
memorializing  of  congress  concerning  the  con- 
struction of  needed  public  highways,  the  survey- 
ing of  lands,  certain  amendments  to  the  land  law, 
the  early  settlement  of  the  San  Juan  dispute  and 
the  extinguishment  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  and 
Puget  Sound  Agricultural  Companies'  titles  to 
certain  lands  claimed  by  them  under  the  Treaty 
of  Limits.  The  message  also  called  the  attention 
of  the  legislature  to  the  necessity  of  providing  a 
public  school  system  and  an  efficient  militia 
organization. 

Soon  after  the  adjournment  of  the  legislature, 
which  acted  in  harmony  with  the  foregoing 
suggestions  from  the  executive,  Governor 
Stevens  set  out  for  Washington  city  that  he 
might  report  in  person  on  the  survey  of  the 
northern  route  and  press  upon  the  attention  of 
congress  certain  matters  relating  to  Indian 
affairs,  the  northern  boundary  and  the  quieting 
of  the  government  title  to  lands.  He,  with  the 
help  of  Lancaster  and  Delegate  Lane,  of  Oregon, 
secured  "an  appropriation  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars  for  the  construction  of  what  was  known 
as  the  Mullan  road  from  the  Great  Falls  of  the 
Missouri  via  Coeur  d'Alene  lake  to  Walla  Walla; 
of  twenty-five  thousand  dollars  for  the  construc- 
tion of  a  military  road  from  the  dalles  of  the 
Columbia  to  Fort  Vancouver;  of  thirty  thousand 
dollars  for  a  road  from  Fort  Vancouver  to  Fort 
Steilacoom;  and  eighty-nine  thousand  dollars  for 
lighthouses  at  various  points  on  the  coast.  Lib- 
eral provision  was  made  for  the  Indian  service, 
in  which  was  included  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars  to  enable  Governor  Stevens  to 
treat  with  the  Blackfeet  and  other  tribes  in  the 
north  and  east  portions  of  the  territory." 

Governor  Stevens  lost  no  time  after  his  return 
to  Washington  territory,  in  using  the  funds  and 
authority  bestowed  on  him  for  the  purpose  of 
accomplishing  one  of  the  main  features  of  his 
Indian  policy— the  extinguishment  of  the  Indian 
title  to  lands.  Without  pausing  to  narrate  the 
story  of  his  negotiations  with  the  Sound  tribes, 
let  us  follow  him  in  his  trips  to  the  Walla  Walla 
valley,  undertaken  for  the  purpose  of  inducing, 
if  possible,  the  vigorous  and  independent  tribes 
of  the  interior  to  treat.  He  had  sent  runners  to 
these  various  bands,  apprising  them  of  the 
intended  council  and  inviting  all  to  be  present. 
At  the  suggestion  of  Kamiakin,  head  chief  of  the 
Yakimas,  a  spot  in  the  Walla  Walla  valley,  which 
had  been  used  by  the  Indians  as  a  council  ground 


62 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


from  time  immemorial,  was  chosen  as  the  site  of 
this  conference  also. 

Early  in  May  the  governor  set  out  for  the 
appointed  rendezvous.  At  The  Dalles  he  found 
General  Joel  Palmer,  who  was  to  represent  Ore- 
gon in  the  negotiations,  awaiting  him.  The 
general  was  faithless  of  a  successful  issue  of  the 
undertaking.  "So  doubtful,"  wrote  Governor 
Stevens,  in  his  diary,  "did  General  Palmer  con- 
sider the  whole  matter  of  the  council,  that  it  was 
only  the  circumstance  of  a  military  force  being 
despatched  which  determined  him  to  send  to  the 
treaty  ground  presents  to  the  Indians.  He 
stated  to  me  that  he  had  concluded  to  send  up 
no  goods;  but,  the  escort  having  been  ordered, 
he  would  send  up  his  goods.  At  this  time  the 
Oregon  officers  expected  little  from  the  council, 
and  evidently  believed  that  the  whole  thing  was 
premature  and  ill-advised." 

The  escort  referred  to  was  sent  by  Major 
G.  J.  Rains,  and  consisted  of  a  detachment  of 
forty  soldiers  under  Lieutenant  Archibald 
Gracie.  With  the  command  was  Lawrence  Kip, 
whose  diary  presents  an  interesting  account  of 
the  external  and  some  of  the  internal  happenings 
of  this  strange  convention  in  the  wilderness. 

Stevens  reached  the  council  grounds  May 
21st.  Two  days  later  came  Lieutenant  Gracie 
with  his  soldiers.  At  that  time  no  Indians  were 
in  sight,  but  the  next  day  came  the  Nez  Perces, 
rushing  to  the  rendezvous  with  impetuous 
speed,  decked  out  in  gorgeous  attire  and  rid- 
ing ponies  painted  and  caparisoned  in  accord 
with  their  savage  notions  of  style.  Upon  their 
arrival  and  appearance,  Kip  thus  comments  in 
his  diary: 

Thursday,  May  24th.  This  has  been  an  exceedingly 
interesting  day,  as  about  twenty-five  hundred  of  the  Nez 
Perce  tribe  have  arrived.  It  was  our  first  specimen  of  this 
prairie  chivalry,  and  it  certainly  realized  all  our  concep- 
tions of  these  wild  warriors  of  the  plains.  Their  coming 
was  announced  about  ten  o'clock,  and  going  out  on  the 
plains  to  where  a  flagstaff  had  been  erected,  we  saw  them 
approaching  on  horseback  in  one  long  line.  They  were 
almost  entirely  raked,  gaudilv  painted  and  decorated  with 
their  wild  trappings.  Their  plumes  fluttered  about  them, 
while  below,  skins  and  trinkets  of  all  kinds  of  fantastic 
embellishments  flaunted  in  the  sunshine.  Trained  from 
early  childhood,  almost  to  live  upon  horseback,  they  sat 
upon  their  fine  animals  as  if  they  were  centaurs.  Their 
horses,  too,  were  arrayed  in  the  most  glaring  finery. 
They  were  painted  with  such  colors  as  formed  the  greatest 
contrast;  the  white  being  smeared  with  crimson  in  fantas- 
tic figures,  and  the  dark  colored  streaked  with  white  clay. 
Beads  and  fringes  of  gaudy  colors  were  hanging  from  the 
bridles,  while  the  plumes  of  eagle  feathers  interwoven 
with  the  mane  and  tail,  fluttered  as  the  breeze  swept  over 
them,  and  completed  their  wild  and  fantastic  appearance. 

When  about  a  mile  distant  they  halted,  and  half  a 
dozen  chiefs  rode  forward  and  were  introduced  to  Gov- 
ernor Stevens  and  General  Palmer,  in  order  of  their  rank. 
Then  on  came  the  rest  of  the  wild  horsemen  in  single  file, 
clashing  their  shields,  singing  and  beating  their  drums  as 
they  marched  past  us.  Then  I  hey  formed  a  circle  and 
dashed  around  us.  while  our  little  group  stood  there,  the 
center  of  their  wild  evolutions.  They  would  gallop  up  as 
if  about  to  make  a  charge,  then  wheel  round  and  round. 


sounding  their  loud  whoops  until  they  had  apparently 
worked  themselves  up  into  an  intense  excitement.  Then 
some  score  or  two  dismounted,  and  forming  a  ring,  danced 
for  about  twenty  minutes,  while  those  surrounding  them 
beat  time  on  their  drums.  After  these  performances, 
more  than  twenty  of  the  chiefs  went  over  to  the  tent  of 
Governor  Stevens,  where  they  sat  for  some  time,  smoking 
the  pipe  of  peace,  in  token  of  good  fellowship,  and  then 
returned  to  their  camping  ground. 

Saturday,  May  26th,  came  the  Cayuses,  about 
three  hundred  in  number,  according  to  Kip. 
"They  came  in  whooping  and  singing  in  the 
Indian  fashion,  and  after  circling  round  the  camp 
of  the  Nez  Perces  two  or  three  times,  they  retired 
to  form  their  own  at  some  little  distance."  Next 
day  being  Sunday,  a  religious  meeting  was  held 
by  the  Nez  Perces,  Timothy  preaching.  Stevens 
attended.  "Timothy,"  observed  he,  "has  a 
natural  and  graceful  delivery,  and  his  words  were 
repeated  by  a  prompter.  The  Nez  Perces  have 
evidently  profited  much  from  the  labors  of  Mr. 
Spalding,  who  was  with  them  ten  years,  and 
their  whole  deportment  throughout  the  service 
was  devout." 

Monday,  March  28th,  the  governor  sent  A.  J. 
Bolon  to  meet  the  Yakimas,  and  from  this  emis- 
sary, who  soon  returned,  he  learned  that  Peo-peo- 
mox-mox  was  professedly  friendly.  That  chief, 
together  with  Kamiakin  and  two  sub-chiefs  of 
the  Yakimas,  with  a  following  of  their  men,  soon 
came  up  and  shook  hands  cordially  with  the 
commissioners,  refusing,  however,  to  receive 
tobacco  from  the  whites. 

At  two  o'clock  on  the  following  afternoon  the 
council  opened,  but  nothing  was  done  further 
than  to  organize  and  swear  in  the  interpreters. 
The  council  convened  again  on  the  30th  at  one 
p.  m.  "It  was  a  striking  scene,"  wrote  Kip. 
"Directly  in  front  of  Governor  Stevens'  tent,  a 
small  arbor  had  been  erected,  in  which,  at  a 
table,  sat  several  of  his  party  taking  notes  of 
everything  said.  In  front  of  the  arbor  on  a 
bench  sat  Governor-  Stevens  and  General  Palmer, 
and  before  them,  in  the  open  air,  in  concentric 
semi-circles  were  arranged  the  Indians,  the 
chiefs  in  the  front  ranks  in  the  order  of  their 
dignity,  while  the  background  was  filled  with 
women  and  children.  The  Indians  sat  on  the 
ground  (in  their  own  words),  'reposing  on  the 
bosom  of  their  great  mother.'  There  were 
probably  one  thousand  present  at  a  time.  After 
smoking  for  half  an  hour  (a  ceremony  which 
with  them  precedes  all  business),  the  council 
was  opened  by  a  short  address  by  General 
Palmer.  Governor  Stevens  then  rose  and  made 
a  long  speech,  setting  forth  the  object  of  the 
council  and  what  was  desired  of  them.  As  he 
finished  each  sentence,  the  interpreter  repeated 
it  to  two  of  the  Indians  who  announced  it  in  a 
loud  voice  to  the  rest — one  in  the  Nez  Perce  and 
the  other  in  the  Walla  Walla  language.  This 
process  necessarily  caused  business  to  move 
slowly. ' ' 


EARLY    DAYS    IN    WASHINGTON. 


63 


In  such  tedious  manner  the  patient  and  pains- 
taking Stevens  explained  the  treaties  he  wished 
the  Indians  to  sign,  clause  by  clause  and  item  by 
item.  At  this  stage  of  the  negotiations  the  com- 
missioners contemplated  two  reservations — one 
in  the  Nez  Perce  country  for  the  Nez  Perces, 
Walla  Wallas,  Cayuses,  Umatillas  and  Spokanes; 
one  on  Yakima  river  for  the  Yakimas,  Palouses, 
Klickitats  and  other  bands.  Two  days  were  con- 
sumed by  the  long  speeches  of  the  commissioners 
upon  the  various  provisions  of  the  treaty  and  the 
price  offered  by  the  government.  The  third 
(Friday)  was  at  the  request  of  Young  Chief, 
given  up  for  a  holiday,  but  the  Indians  who 
theretofore  had  indulged  freely,  every  evening 
after  adjournment  of  the  council  in  sports  of  all 
kinds,  remained  quiet  all  that  day,  no  doubt 
deliberating  upon  the  proposals  of  the  commis- 
sioners, and  in  the  case  of  the  Cayuses  at  least, 
planning  mischief. 

The  next  day  they  met  as  usual.  After  some 
further  talk  upon  the  treaties,  the  commissioners 
urged  the  Indians  to  speak  their  minds  freely, 
and  some  short  speeches  were  made  in  opposition 
to  parting  with  the  lands.  The  speech  of  Peo- 
peo-mox-mox  was  especially  noteworthy  as  a  sar- 
castic arraignment  of  the  whites,  a  delicate  inti- 
mation of  his  distrust  of  the  commissioners  and 
an  expression  of  reluctance  to  accept  goods  in 
payment  for  the  earth. 

That  evening,  Lawyer,  head  chief  of  the  Nez 
Perces,  came  to  Governor  Stevens  with  informa- 
tion of  a  vile  plot  and  a  suggestion  as  to  how  it 
should  be  averted.  Having  become  suspicious 
that  mischief  was  brewing  in  the  camp  of  the 
Cayuses,  he  sent  a  spy  to  discover  their  plot,  and 
by  this  means  found  that  for  several  nights  the 
Cayuses  had  been  considering  the  advisability  of 
falling  upon  and  massacring  all  the  whites  on 
the  council  ground.  They  had,  on  the  day 
Young  Chief  had  secured  for  a  holiday,  definitely 
determined  to  strike  as  soon  as  the  consent  of 
the  Yakimas  and  Walla  Wallas  could  be  ob- 
tained. The  massacre  was  to  form  the  initial 
blow  of  a  war  of  extermination  against  the  white 
race,  the  second  act  of  hostility  planned  being 
the  surprise  and  capture  of  the  post  at  The 
Dalles.  "I  will  come  with  my  family,"  said 
Lawyer,  "and  pitch  my  lodge  in  the  midst  of 
your  camp,  that  those  Cayuses  may  see  that  you 
and  your  party  are  under  the  protection  of  the 
head  chief  of  the  Nez  Perces."  By  so  doing, 
Lawyer  averted  the  danger  to  Stevens,  his 
party  and  guard,  for  the  treacherous  plotters 
were  well  aware  that  an  attack  on  the  whites 
could  hardly  be  made  without  the  killing  of  one 
or  more  of  the  Nez  Perce  defenders,  and  a  con- 
sequent war  with  that  numerous  and  powerful 
tribe.  Having  quietly  caused  the  arms  of  the 
whites  to  be  put  in  readiness  against  a  possible 
attack,  Governor  Stevens  proceeded  with  his 
council.     Monday,  June  30th,  was  consumed  for 


the  most  part  in  Indian  speech-making,  but  dur- 
ing the  next  two  days  the  commissioners  were 
again  the  principal  orators.  Steachus,  the 
friendly  Cayuse,  in  a  short  speech,  declared  his 
unwillingness  to  be  removed  wholly  from  his 
own  country,  and  stated  that  his  heart  was  in 
one  of  three  places — the  Grand  Ronde,  the 
Touchet  and  the  Tucanon. 

As  affording  a  glimpse  of  the  inner  workings 
of  the  council,  Kip's  report  of  the  proceedings  of 
Thursday,  June  7th,  is  here  reproduced: 

Thursday,  June  7th.  Mr.  McKay  took  breakfast  with 
us.  He  is  the  son  of  the  old  Indian  hunter  so  often  men- 
tioned in  Irving's  "Astoria,"  and  whose  name  is  identified 
with  pioneer  life  in  this  region.  The  council  met  to-day 
at  twelve,  and  I  went  into  the  arbor,  and  taking  my  seat 
at  the  reporter's  table,  wrote  some  of  the  speeches  deliv- 
ered. There  is,  of  course,  in  those  of  the  Indians,  too 
much  repetition  to  give  them  fully,  but  a  few,  extracts  may 
show  the  manner  in  which  those  wearisome  meetings  were 
conducted  day  after  day. 

Governor  Stevens. — "My  brothers,  we  expect  to  have 
your  hearts  to-day.    Let  us  have  your  hearts  straight  out. ' ' 

Lawyer,  the  old  Nez  Perce  chief. — The  first  part  of  his 
speech  was  historical,  relating  to  the  discovery  of  this 
country  by  the  Spaniards,  which  is  a  favorite  topic  with 
the  Indian  orators.  In  course  of  it  he  thus  narrates  the 
story  of  Columbus  and  the  egg,  which  he  had  heard  from 
some  of  the  missionaries: 

"One  of  the  head  of  the  court  said,  'I  knew  there  was 
such  a  country.'  Columbus,  who  had  discovered  it,  said, 
'Can  you  make  an  egg  stand  on  its  end?'  He  tried  to  make 
the  egg  stand,  but  could  not  do  it.  He  did  not  understand 
how.  It  fell  over.  Columbus  then  showed  them  all  that  he 
could  make  it  stand.  He  sat  it  down  and  it  stood.  He 
knew  how,  and  after  they  saw  it  done,  they  could  do  it." 

He  thus  described  the  manner  in  which  the  tribes  of 
the  east  receded  at  the  approach  of  the  whites: 

"The  red  man  traveled  away  farther,  and  from  that 
time  they  kept  traveling  away  further,  as  the  white  people 
came  up  with  them.  And  this  man's  people  (pointing  to  a 
Delaware  Indian  who  was  one  of  the  interpreters)  are 
from  that  people.  They  have  come  on  from  the  Great 
Lake,  where  the  sun  rises,  until  they  are  near  us  now  at 
the  setting  sun.  And  from  that  country,  somewhere  from 
the  center,  came  Lewis  and  Clarke,  and  that  is  the  way  the 
white  people  traveled,  and  came  on  here  to  my  forefathers. 
Thev  passed  through  our  country,  they  became  acquainted 
with  our  country  and  all  our  streams,  and  our  forefathers 
used  them  well,  as  well  as  they  could,  and  from  the  time 
of  Columbus,  from  the  time  of  Lewis  and  Clarke,  we  have 
known  you,  my  friends;  we  poor  people  have  known  you 
as  brothers." 

He  concluded  by  expressing  his  approval  of  the  treaty, 
only  urging  that  the  whites  should  act  toward  them  in 
good  faith. 

Governor  Stevens. — "We  have  now  the  hearts  of  the 
Nez  Perces  through  their  chief.  Their  hearts  and  our 
hearts  are  one.  We  want  the  hearts  of  the  other  tribes 
through  their  chiefs." 

Young  Chief,  of  the  Cayuses.— (He  was  evidently 
opposed  to  the  treaty,  but  grounded  his  objections  on  two 
arguments.  The  first  was,  they  had  no  right  to  sell  the 
ground  which  God  had  given  for  their  support  unless  for 
some  good  reason.)  "I  wonder  if  the  ground  has  anything 
to  say.  I  wonder  if  the  ground  is  listening  to  what  is  said. 
I  wonder  if  the  ground  would  come  alive  and  what  is  on  it. 
Though  I  hear  what  the  ground  says.  The  ground  says, 
•It  is  the  Great  Spirit  that  placed  me  here.  The  Great 
Spirit  tells  me  to  take  care  of  the  Indians,  to  feed  them 
aright.  The  Great  Spirit  appointed  the  roots  to  feed  the 
Indians  on.'  The  water  says  the  same  thing.  'The  Great 
Spirit   directs  me.     Feed   the   Indians  well.'     The  grass 


64 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


says  the  same  thing.  'Feed  the  horses  and  cattle.'  The 
ground,  water  and  grass  say,  'The  Great  Spirit  has  given 
us  our  names.  We  have  these  names  and  hold  these 
names.  Neither  the  Indians  nor  whites  have  a  right  to 
change  these  names.'  The  ground  says,  'The  Great  Spirit 
has  placed  me  here  to  produce  all  that  grows  on  me,  trees 
and  fruit. '  The  same  way  the  ground  says,  'It  was  from  me 
man  was  made.'  The  Great  Spirit,  in  placing  men  on  the 
earth,  desired  them  to  take  good  care  of  the  ground  and 
to  do  each  other  no  harm.  The  Great  Spirit  said,  'You 
Indians  who  take  care  of  certain  portions  of  the  country 
should  not  trade  it  off  except  you  get  a  fair  price.'  " 

The  other  argument  was  that  he  could  not  understand 
clearly  what  they  were  to  receive. 

"The  Indians  are  blind.  This  is  the  reason  we  do  not 
see  the  country  well.  Lawyer  sees  clear.  This  is  the 
reason  why  I  don't  know  anything  about  this  country.  I 
do  not  see  the  offer  you  have  made  to  us  yet.  If  I  had  the 
money  in  my  hand  I  should  see.  I  am,  as  it  were,  blind. 
I  am  blind  and  ignorant.  I  have  a  heart,  but  cannot  say 
much.  This  is  the  reason  why  the  chiefs  do  not  under- 
stand each  other  right  and  stand  apart.  Although  I  see 
your  offer  before  me,  I  do  not  understand  it  and  I  do  not 
yet  take  it.  I  walk  as  it  were  in  the  dark,  and  cannot 
therefore  take  hold  of  what  I  do  not  see.  Lawyer  sees 
and  he  takes  hold.  When  I  come  to  understand  your 
propositions  I  will  take  hold.  I  do  not  know  when.  This 
is  all  I  have  to  say." 

Five  Crows,  of  the  Walla  Wallas.— "I  will  speak  a  few 
words.     My  heart  is  the  same  as  Young  Chief's." 

General  Palmer. — "We  know  no  chief  among  the 
Walla  Wallas  but  Peo-peo-mox-mox.  If  he  has  anything  to 
say  we  will  be  pleased  to  hear  it." 

Peo-peo-mox-mox. — "I  do  not  know  what  is  straight.  I 
do  not  see  the  offer  you  have  made  to  the  Indians.  I  never 
saw  these  things  which  are  offered  by  my  great  father. 
My  heart  cried  when  you  first  spoke  to  me.  I  felt  as  if 
I  was  blown  away  like  a  feather.  Let  your  heart  be.  to 
separate  as  we  are  and  appoint  some  other  time.  We  shall 
have  no  bad  minds.  Stop  the  whites  from  coming  up  here 
until  we  have  this  talk.  Let  them  not  bring  their  axes 
with  them.  The  whites  may  travel  in  all  directions 
through  our  country,  we  will  have  nothing  to  say  to  them, 
provided  they  do  not  build  houses  on  our  lands.  Now  I 
wish  to  speak  about  Lawver.  I  think  he  has  given  his 
lands.  That  is  what  I  think  from  his  words.  I  request 
another  ^meeting.  It  is  not  in  one  meeting  only  that  we 
can  come  to  a  decision.  If  you  come  again  with  a  friendly 
message  from  our  great  father,  I  shall  see  you  again  at 
this  place.  To-morrow  I  shall  see  you  again,  and  to-morrow 
evening  I  shall  go  home.     This  is  all  1  have  to  say." 

General  Palmer. — "I  want  to  say  a  few  words  to  these 
people,  but  before  I  do,  if  Kamiakin  wants  to  speak,  I 
would  be  glad  to  hear  him." 

Kamiakin,  Yakima  chief. — "I  have  nothing  to  say." 
General  Palmer. — "I   would  inquire  whether  Peo-peo- 
mox-mox  or  Young  Chief  has  spoken  for  the  Umatillas.     I 
wish  to  know  further,  whether  the  Umatillas  are  of  the 
same  heart." 

Owhi,  Umatilla  chief.— "We  are  together  and  the 
Great  Spirit  hears  all  that  we  say  to-day.  The  Great 
Spirit  gave  us  the  land  and  measured  the  land  to  us  this 
is  the  reason  I  am  afraid  to  say  anything  about  the  land. 
I  am  afraid  of  the  laws  of  the  Great  Spirit.  This  is  the 
reason  of  my  heart  being  sad.  This  is  the  reason  I  cannot 
give  you  an  answer.  I  am  afraid  of  the  Great  Spirit. 
Shall  I  steal  this  land  and  sell  it?  or  what  shall  I  do?  This 
is  the  reason  why  my  heart  is  sad.  The  Great  Spirit  made 
our  friends,  but  the  Great  Spirit  made  our  bodies  from  the 
earth,  as  if  they  were  different  from  the  whites.  What 
shall  I  do?  Shall  I  give  the  land  which  is  a  part  of  my 
body  and  leave  myself  poor  and  destitute?  Shall  I  say  I 
will  give  you  my  lands?  I  cannot  say  so.  I  am  afraid  of 
the  Great  Spirit.  1  love  my  life.  The  reason  why  I  do 
not  give  my  land  away  is,  1  am  afraid  I  will  be  sent  to 
hell.  I  love  my  friends.  I  love  my  life.  This  is  the  rea- 
son why  I  do  not  give  my  land  away.     I  have  one  word 


more  to  say.  My  people  are  far  away.  They  do  not  know 
your  words.  This  is  the  reason  I  cannot  give  you  an 
answer.  I  show  you  my  heart.  This  is  all  I  have  to 
say." 

Governor  Stevens. — "How  will  Kamiakin  of  Schoom 
speak?" 

Kamiakin. — "What  have  I  to  be  talking  about?" 
General  Palmer. — "We  have  listened  and  heard  our 
chiefs  speak.  The  hearts  of  the  Nez  Perces  and  ours  are 
one.  The  Cayuses,  the  Walla  Wallas  and  the  other  tribes 
say  they  do  not  understand  us.  We  were  in  hopes  we 
should  have  but  one  heart.  Why  should  we  have  more 
than  one  heart?  Young  Chief  says  he  does  not  know  what 
we  propose  to  him.  Peo-peo-mox-mox  says  the  same.  Can 
we  bring  these  saw-mills  and  these  grist-mills  on  our  backs 
to  show  these  people?  Can  we  bring  these  blacksmith 
shops,  these  wagons  and  tents  on  our  backs  to  show  them 
at  this  time?  Can  we  cause  fields  of  wheat  and  corn  to 
spring  up  in  a  day  that  we  may  see  them?  Can  we  build 
these  schoolhouses  and  these  dwellings  in  a  day?  Can  we 
bring  all  the  money  that  these  things  will  cost,  that  they 
may  see  it?  It  would  be  more  than  all  the  horses  of  any 
one  of  these  tribes  could  carry.  It  takes  time  to  do  these 
things.  We  come  first  to  see  you  and  make  a  bargain. 
We  brought  but  few  goods  with  us.  But  whatever  we 
promise  to  give  you,  you  will  get. 

"How  long  will  these  people  remain  blind?  We  come 
to  try  to  open  their  eyes.  They  refuse  the  light.  I  have 
a  wife  and  children.  My  brother  here  has  the  same.  I 
have  a  good  house,  fields  of  wheat,  potatoes  and  peas. 
Why  should  1  wish  to  leave  them  and  come  so  far  to  see 
you?  It  was  to  try  to  do  you  good,  but  you  throw  it  away. 
Why  is  it  that  you  do  so?  We  all  sometimes  do  wrong. 
Sometimes  because  our  hearts  are  bad,  and  sometimes 
because  we  have  bad  counsel.  Your  people  have  some- 
times done  wrong.  Our  hearts  have  cried.  Our  hearts 
still  cry.  But  if  you  will  try  to  do  right,  we  will  try  to 
forget  it.  How  long  will  you  listen  to  this  bad  counsel 
and  refuse  to  receive  the  light?  I,  too,  like  the  ground 
where  I  was  born.  I  left  it  because  it  was  for  my  good.  I 
have  come  a  long  way.  We  ask  you  to  go  but  a  short  dis- 
tance. We  do  not  come  to  steal  your  land.  We  pay  you 
more  than  it  is  worth.  There  is  the  Umatilla  valley,  that 
affords  a  little  good  land  between  two  streams  and  all 
around  it  is  a  parched  up  plain.  What  is  it  worth  to  you? 
What  is  it  worth  to  us?  Not  half  what  we  have  offered 
you  for  it.  Why  do  we  offer  so  much?  Because  our  great 
father  told  us  to  take  care  of  this  red  people.  We  come  to 
you  with  his  message  to  try  to  do  you  good,"  etc.,  etc. 

These  extracts  will  give  a  specimen  of  the  kind  of 
"talk"  which  went  on  day  after  day.  All  but  the  Nez 
Perces  were  evidently  disinclined  to  the  treaty,  and  it  was 
melancholy  to  see  their  reluctance  to  abandon  the  old 
hunting  grounds  of  their  fathers  and  their  impotent  strug- 
gle against  the  overpowering  influences  of  the  whites. 
The  meeting  closed  to-day  with  an  affecting  speech  by 
Governor  Stevens,  addressed  to  the  chiefs  who  had  argued 
against  the  treaty.     I  give  it  in  part: 

"I  must  say  a  few  words.  My  brother  and  I  have 
talked  straight.  Have  all  of  you  talked  straight?  Lawyer 
has  and  his  people  have,  and  their  business  will  be  finished 
to-morrow.  Young  Chief  says  he  is  blind  and  does  not 
understand.  What  is  it  that  he  wants?  Steachus  says  his 
heart  is  in  one  of  these  places — the  Grand  Ronde,  the 
Touchet  and  the  Tucanon.  Where  is  the  heart  of  Young 
Chief?  Peo-peo-mox-mox  cannot  be  watted  off  like  a 
feather.  Does  he  prefer  the  Yakima  to  the  Nez  Perce 
reservation?  We  have  asked  him  before.  We  ask  him 
now.  Where  is  his  heart?  Kamiakin.  the  great  chief  of 
the  Yakimas,  has  not  spoken  at  all;  his  people  have  no 
voice  here  to-day.  He  is  not  ashamed  to  speak?  He  is 
not  afraid  to  speak?  Then  speak  out.  Owhi  is  afraid  to, 
lest  God  be  angry  at  his  selling  his  land.  Owhi,  my 
brother,  I  do  not  think  God  will  be  angry  with  you  if  you 
do  your  best  for  yourself  and  your  children.  Ask  yourself 
this  question  to-night:  Will  not  God  be  angry  with  me  if 
I  neglect  this  opportunity  to  do  them  good?    But  Owhi 


EARLY    DAYS    IN    WASHINGTON. 


says  his  people  are  not  here.  Why,  then,  did  he  tell  us, 
come  hear  our  talk?  I  do  not  want  to  be  ashamed  of  him. 
Owhi  has  the  heart  of  his  people.  We  expect  him  to  speak 
out.  We  expect  to  hear  from  Kamiakm  and  from  Schoom. 
The  treaty  will  have  to  be  drawn  up  to-night.  You  can 
see  it  to-morrow  The  Nez  Perces  must  not  be  put  off 
any  longer.  This  business  must  De  despatched.  1  hope 
that  all  the  other  hearts  and  our  hearts  will  agree.  They 
have  asked  us  to  speak  straight.  We  have  spoken  straight. 
We  have  asked  you  to  speak  straight;  but  we  have  yet  to 
hear  from  you." 

The  council  then  adjourned  till  six  o'clock.  In  the 
evening  I  rode  over  as  usual  to  the  Nez  Perces  camp  and 
found  many  of  them  playing  cards  in  their  lodges.  They 
are  the  most  inveterate  gamblers,  and  a  warrior  will  some- 
times stake  on  successive  games,  his  arms  and  horses  and 
even  his  wives,  so  that  in  a  single  night  he  is  reduced  to  a 
state  of  primitive  poverty  and  obliged  to  trust  to  charity  to 
be  remounted  for  a  hunt.  In  the  other  camps  everything 
seemed  to  be  in  violent  confusion.  The  Cayuse  and  other 
tribes  were  very  much  incensed  against  the  Nez  Perces  for 
agreeing  to  the  terms  of  the  treatv.  but  fortunatelv  for 
them,  and  probably  for  us,  the  Nez  Perces  are  as  numer- 
ous as  the  others  united. 

Perceiving  that  the  only  hope  of  overcoming 
the  opposition  of  the  recusant  Indians  lay  in 
acting  upon  the  suggestion  of  Steachus,  the  com- 
missioners decided  to  offer  a  third  reservation  for 
the  Cayuses,  Umatillas  and  Walla  Wallas  in 
their  own  country.  The  offer  was  made  in  coun- 
cil Friday,  June  Sth,  and  explained  in  a  lengthy 
speech  by  General  Palmer.  Some  other  conces- 
sions of  less  moment  were  also  made  to  the 
Indians,  and  the  result  was  quite  satisfactory. 
All  the  chiefs  gave  their  assent  to  the  treaties  as 
modified,  except  Kamiakin,  who  had  maintained 
an  attitude  of  sullen  silence  throughout  the 
entire  council  and  still  obstinately  refused  to 
give  the  commissioners  the  slightest  encourage- 
ment. 

Just  at  the  moment  when  the  hopes  of  Ste- 
vens and  Palmer  were  at  their  height  and  a  suc- 
cessful termination  of  the  business  in  hand 
seemed  visible  in  the  near  prospect,  a  new  ele- 
ment of  difficulty  was  brought  into  the  negotia- 
tions. A  small  party  was  seen  approaching  with 
much  pomp  and  circumstance,  painted,  armed, 
singing  a  war  song  and  flourishing  at  the  end 'of 
a  pole  a  horrible  trophy  of  a  recent  combat.  The 
leader  was  found  to  be  none  other  than  Looking 
Glass,  war  chief  of  the  Nez  Perces,  who  had  long 
been  absent  in  the  buffalo  country.  He  was  not 
effusive  in  his  greeting  of  the  friends  that  gath- 
ered round  him,  and  soon  manifested  his  anger 
at  their  doings  in  a  fierce  little  speech  delivered 
from  the  saddle.  "My  people,"  said  he,  "what 
have  you  done?  While  I  was  gone  you  have  sold 
my  country.  I  have  come  home  and  there  is  not 
left  for  me  a  place  on  which  to  pitch  my  lodge. 
Go  home  to  your  lodges.      I  will  talk  with  you." 

Next  day  in  council,  the  evil  influence  of  this 
pettish  old  man  was  keenly  felt.  After  Stevens 
had  again  explained  the  proposed  treaties  for  his 
especial  benefit,  he  made  a  violent  speech  against 
the  sale  of  the  lands.  The  Cayuses,  ready  to 
withdraw  their  assent,   strongly  supported  him. 


So  emphatic  were  their  and  his  assertions  that  he 
(Looking  Glass)  was  head  chief  of  the  Nez 
Perces,  that  Lawyer,  apparently  angry,  abruptly 
left  the  council  and  retired  to  his  lodge. 

After  adjournment  the  Nez  Perces  convened 
in  their  camp  and  held  a  council  among  them- 
selves. The  Cayuses  did  likewise.  An  exciting 
debate  was  indulged  in  in  the  former  camp,  and 
their  council  waxed  warm,  but  in  its  outcome 
Lawyer  was  confirmed  as  head  chief  and  Look- 
ing Glass  was  declared  to  be  second  in  authority. 
A  paper  was  prepared  and  sent  to  General 
Stevens  affirming  that  the  faith  of  the  Nez  Perces 
had  been  pledged  and  the  treaty  must  be 
signed. 

Peo-peo-mox-mox  and  Kamiakin  had  signed 
their  respective  treaties  at  the  close  of  the  council 
session  of  June  9th.  Stevens  states  that  the  latter 
was  no  doubt  influenced  by  the  former  to  do  so, 
but  subsequent  events  go  to  show  that  both 
signed  the  treaty  as  an  act  of  treachery,  their 
purpose  being  to  create  in  the  breasts  of  the 
whites  a  feeling  of  security,  while  they  were 
perfecting  their  Indian  confederacy  for  a  fell 
swoop  upon  the  hated  race.  Little  remained  to 
be  done  except  to  secure  the  signatures  of  the 
Cayuses  and  Nez  Perces,  and  when  council  con- 
vened on  Monday,  June  nth,  Governor  Stevens 
said  simply:  "We  meet  for  the  last  time.  Your 
words  are  pledged  to  sign  the  treat)'.  The  tribes 
have  spoken  through  their  head  chiefs,  Joseph, 
Red  Wolf,  the  Eagle,  lpsemaleecon,  all  declar- 
ing Lawyer  was  the  head  chief.  I  call  upon 
Lawyer  to  sign  first."  Lawyer  did  so,  then 
Looking  Glass,  then  Joseph  and  finally  the 
signatures  were  obtained  of  all  the  subchiefs  and 
principal  men  of  both  tribes,  after  which  presents 
were  made  to  the  different  bands. 

"Thus  ended  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner," 
says  .Governor  Stevens'  journal,  "this  great 
council,  prolonged  through  so  many  days — a 
council  which,  in  the  number  of  Indians  assembled 
and  the  different  tribes,  old  difficulties  and 
troitbles  between  them  and  the  whites,  a  deep- 
seated  dislike  to  and  determination  against  giv- 
ing up  their  lands  and  the  great  importance,  nay, 
absolute  necessity,  of  opening  this  land  by  treaty 
to  occupation  by  the  whites,  that  bloodshed  and 
the  enormous  expense  of  Indian  wars  might  be 
avoided,  and  in  its  general  issuance  and  difficulty, 
has  never  been  equalled  by  any  council  held  with 
the  Indian  tribes  of  the  United  States. 

"It  was  so  considered  by  all  present,  and  a 
final  relief  from  the  intense  anxiety  and  vexa- 
tion of  the  last  month  was  especially  grateful  to 
all  concerned." 

The  treaties  negotiated  as  the  result  of  the 
great  Walla  Walla  council  of  1855  provided  for 
the  surrender  by  the  Yakimas  of  an  area  some 
twenty-nine  thousand  square  miles  in  extent, 
being  substantially  that  embraced  in  Chelan, 
Yakima,   Kittitass,    Franklin    and    Adams,   with 


66 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


large  portions  of  Douglas  and  Klickitat  counties. 
From  it,  however,  was  to  be  excepted  and 
reserved  the  princely  domain  known  as  the 
Yakima  reservation.  The  Nez  Perces  relin- 
quished the  territory  out  of  which  were  formed 
in  large  part  the  counties  of  Whitman,  Garfield, 
Columbia  and  Asotin,  in  Washington;  Union  and 
Wallowa,  in  Oregon,  and  Washington,  Nez 
Perces  and  Idaho,  in  Idaho,  retaining  therefrom 
a  very  large  reservation.  This  included  not  only 
the  Nez  Perce  reserve  as  it  was  prior  to  its  open- 
ing a  few  years  ago,  but  in  addition  large  tracts 
between  the  Alpowa  and  Snake  rivers  and  the 
Wallowa  valley.  That  the  Wallowa  was  origi- 
nally included  in  the  reservation  was  due  to  old 
Chief  Joseph,  and  the  surrender  of  it  in  1863, 
against  the  wishes  and  advice  of  Chief  Joseph, 
Jr.,  was  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  the  Nez 
Perce  war  in  1877.  The  Umatillas,  Cayuses  and 
Walla  Wallas,  by  their  treaty,  gave  up  the 
territory  embraced  substantially  in  Walla  Walla 
county,  in  Washington;  Umatilla  and  Morrow 
counties,  Oregon,  also  parts  of  Union  and 
Gilliam  counties  in  the  latter  state.  Their 
original  reservation  was  but  little  larger  than 
that  now  known  as  the  Umatilla  reserve. 

For   the   whole   vast  area  ceded,  the  Indians 
were    to   receive    about    six    hundred    and    fifty 


thousand  dollars,  of  which  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  were  to  be  paid  the  Yakimas  in  the  form 
of  annuities,  with  salaries  for  the  head  chiefs  of 
five  hundred  dollars  per  annum  for  twenty  years, 
and  some  special  concessions  in  the  way  of 
houses,  implements,,  tools,  etc.  The  compensa- 
tion of  the  Nez  Perces  was  the  same.  The 
Umatillas,  Cayuses  and  Walla  Wallas  were  to 
receive  one  hundred  thousand  dollars;  each  of  the 
head  chiefs  to  have  an  annuity  of  five  hundred 
dollars  for  twenty  years,  and  special  compensa- 
tion in  the  form  of  houses,  tools,  etc.  Peo-peo- 
mox-mox,  who  was  wily  enough  to  drive  a  hard 
bargain,  was  granted  the  privilege  of  drawing 
his  salary  at  once  without  waiting  for  the  treaties 
to  be  formally  ratified,  and  was  given  special 
concessions  in  the  form  of  a  yearly  salary  of  one 
hundred  dollars  with  a  house  and  five  acres  of 
land  for  his  son;  also  three  yoke  of  oxen,  three 
yokes  and  chains,  one  wagon,  two  plows,  twelve 
hoes,  twelve  axes,  two  shovels,  a  saddle  and 
bridle,  a  set  of  wagon  harness  and  a  set  of  plow 
harness.  Thus  for  a  mere  pittance,  in  compari- 
son with  its  present  value,  was  secured  from  the 
Indians  their  possessory  right  to  a  large  portion 
of  eastern  Oregon  and  Washington  and  northern 
Idaho,  a  region  rich  in  wealth  already  acquired 
and  still  richer  in  its  possibilities. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


The  Walla  Walla  council  successfully  termi- 
nated, Governor  Stevens  passed  on  to  the  north 
and  east  to  continue  the  same  kind  of  negotia- 
tions. He  had  not  long  departed  before  the 
great  Yakima  war  burst  suddenly  over  the 
Columbia  plains;  and  to  regions  as  far  remote 
as  Puget  sound,  Walla  Walla  and  Rogue  river, 
the  horrors  of  war  were  simultaneously  brought. 
The  country  was  face  to  face  with  a  widespread 
conspiracy  to  overthrow  white  occupancy  and 
re-establish  the  uninterrupted  reign  of  Indian 
barbarism  over  the  entire  Northwest. 

This  was  the  primary  cause  and  purpose  of 
that  widespread  and  pervading  outbreak. 
"While,"  says  Evans,  "many  causes  might  be 
suggested  as  affecting  the  Indian  mind  and 
provoking  hostility  to  American  occupancy  of 
the  country;  while  it  was  precipitated  by  the 
perfidy  of  Indians  who  just  before  had  joined  in 


treaties  to  allure  the  white  race  into  a  belief  in 
their  security;  while  those  very  Indians  went  to 
that  council  to  begin  war  there  by  the  murder 
of  the  commissioners — yet  that  war,  so  far  as  the 
Indians  were  concerned,  was  made  on  their  part, 
not  because  of  any  personal  outrages  committed 
by  the  whites,  not  because  of  any  injustice 
sought  to  be  inflicted  by  virtue  of  those  treaties, 
not  because  the  terms  of  the  treaties  were  unsat- 
isfactory, but  solely  because  it  was  the  Indian 
purpose  to  exterminate  the  white  settlement,  to 
force  the  white  race  to  abandon  the  territory. 
That  war  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  is  perhaps 
sanctioned  by  what  may  be  called  patriotism.  If 
merit  it  had,  then  is  that  merit  obliterated  by 
the  perfidious  cruelty  which  marked  its  declara- 
tion and  commencement  by  them.  On  the  part 
of  the  people  and  authorities  of  the  territory,  the 
Oregon-Washington    Indian   war   resulted   from 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


67 


repeated  and  unprovoked  outrages  which  were 
committed  by  savages  upon  unoffending  and 
defenseless  white  men,  women  and  children. 
*****  In  no  respect  were  any  citizens 
of  those  territories  the  aggressors.  No  act  of 
their  citizens  nor  of  their  officials  provoked 
hostilities.  There  was  no  cause  of  complaint  by 
the  Indians,  nor  were  they  afforded  a  shadow  of 
justification  for  that  outbreak  of  perfidy  and  hate 
during  the  summer  and  fall  of  1855.  The  only 
offense  of  the  Oregon-Washington  pioneers  in 
the  Indian  estimation  was  that  as  American 
citizens  they  were  in  the  country.  That  presence, 
lawful  in  itself,  was  to  the  Indians  a  standing 
menace  that  others  of  that  race  would  follow 
them.  The  war  was  initiated  by  the  native  popu- 
lation to  discourage  immigration  or  American 
occupancy.  Forced  upon  our  people,  it  was 
prosecuted  by  them  solely  to  hold  the  country  for 
our  race,  to  protect  the  settlements,  and  to  effect 
a  peace  which  would  be  lasting  and  enable  the 
white  population  then  in  the  country,  and  those 
who  sboiild  come  thereafter,  to  remain  in  safety. 
This  conflict,  so  unexpected  to  the  American 
settlers  and  for  which  they  we're  so  ill  prepared, 
may  have  been  hastened  by  the  negotiating  of 
the  treaties  and  the  events  which  so  quickly 
followed — events  which  could  not  have  been 
anticipated  by  any,  either  Indian  or  white,  who 
participated  in  these  negotiations.  In  no  sense, 
however,  were  these  treaties  the  cause  of  those 
hostile  feelings  which  brought  about  the  war." 

The  argumentative  tone  of  the  foregoing 
quotation  was  inspired  by  the  persistent  efforts 
of  the  United  States  army  officials,  with  Major- 
General  Wool,  chief  in  command  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  the  Pacific,  at  their  head,  to  make 
Governor  Stevens  and  the  citizens  of  Oregon  and 
Washington  in  some  way  responsible  for  the  war. 
General  Wool  lost  no  opportunity  to  slander  the 
people  of  the  two  territories  and  it  has  been 
stated  that  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  he 
proved  himself  a  more  bitter  enemy  of  Oregon  and 
Washington  than  any  of  the  Indian  savages  in 
arms.  The  enmity  between  the  general  and 
Governor  Stevens  is  unsurpassed  for  venom  in 
the  annals  of  the  Northwest. 

Just  prior  to  the  outbreak  of  the  war  an  event 
occurred  which  brought  joy  to  many  hearts.  A 
discovery  of  gold  was  reported  to  have  been  made 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
Fort  Colville  and  not  a  little  excitement  had  been 
aroused  in  consequence.  It  was  hoped  that  this 
would  cause  the  long-looked-for  large  immigra- 
tion of  people  into  the  territory  and  its  more  com- 
plete settlement  and  subjugation.  Instead,  it 
furnished  the  immediate  occasion  for  the  melan- 
choly war,  which  did  so  much  to  retard  develop- 
ment and  delay  settlement.  The  young  com- 
monwealth was  fated  to  pass  through  a  period  of 
trials,  dissimilar  in  many  respects  to  that  expe- 
rienced by  Oregon  in  the  dark  days  of  the  Cayuse 


war,  yet  similar  in  that  it  stirred  the  hearts  of 
the  people  to  their  most  profound  depths  and 
tried  their  metal  as  with  fire. 

So  great  was  the  feeling  of  security  engen- 
dered by  the  successful  negotiation  of  the  treaties 
at  Walla  Walla — treaties  which  incorporated  as 
one  of  their  provisions  pledges  of  good  will  on 
the  part  of  the  Indians  toward  the  white  race — 
that  persons  traveling  from  Puget  sound  to  the 
Colville  gold  fields  hesitated  not  to  pass  through 
the  Indian  country  singly  or  in  small  squads,  ill 
equipped  to  repel  attack.  Soon  rumors  reached 
the  settlements  that  many  such  had  been 
murdered  by  Indians,  and  that  the  Yakimas  had 
taken  an  attitude  of  hostility  toward  white  men. 
The  rumors  in  the  cases  of  Mattice,  Jamison, 
Walker,  Eaton,  Cummings,  Huffman,  Fanjoy 
and  others  being  partially  confirmed,  Sub-agent 
Andrew  J.  Bolon,  then  en  route  to  the  Spokane 
country  to  meet  Governor  Stevens,  turned  aside 
into  the  Yakima  country  to  ascertain  from 
Kamiakin  himself  the  truth  or  falsity  of  the 
statements.  He  never  returned  to  tell  the  story 
of  his  adventures,  and  as  no  white  man  accom- 
panied him,  only  Indian  evidence  could  be 
obtained  as  to  what  transpired.  According  to 
this  the  chief  received  Bolon  in  a  haughty  and 
insolent  manner,  whereupon  the  sub-agent  made 
some  threats.  Kamiakin  must  have  been  deeply 
angered,  for  it  is  said  he  directed  that  Bolon 
should  be  killed.  At  any  rate  the  sub-agent  was 
murdered  in  a  perfidious  and  brutal  manner,  by 
a  son  of  Owhi,  half  brother  of  Kamiakin.  Bolon's 
horse  was  also  killed  and  the  bodies  of  both  were 
burned. 

When  the  news  of  this  melancholy  event 
became  known  to  the  whites,  Acting-Governor 
Mason,  of  Washington  territory,  made  a  requisi- 
tion upon  the  military  for  a  force  to  protect  the 
route  of  the  returning  Colville  miners.  Major 
Rains,  in  charge  at  Vancouver,  ordered  Brevet- 
Major  G.  O.  Haller,  with  one  hundred  men  and 
a  howitzer,  to  proceed  from  The  Dalles  into  the 
Yakima  country,  there  to  co-operate  with  fifty 
men  under  Lieutenant  W.  A.  Slaughter,  for  the 
purpose  of  inquiring  into  the  difficulties.  The 
Indians  were  abundantly  prepared  to  meet  him, 
not  in  council  but  on  the  battle-field.  Ever  since 
the  signing  of  the  Walla  Walla  treaty,  the 
Yakimas  had  thought  of  nothing  but  war.  The 
organizers  of  the  hostile  confederacy  had  steadily 
pointed  out  to  those  inclined  to  be  peaceable 
that  for  fifteen  years  the  whites  had  been  pour- 
ing through  their  country  into  the  Willamette; 
that  their  purpose  not  only  to  hold  the  country 
but  to  keep  open  the  routes  of  travel  for  more  to 
follow  was  plainly  manifest;  that  a  settlement  in 
the  Colville  country  and  an  open  road  thereto 
was  an  entering  wedge  by  which  the  whites 
would  gain  possession  of  the  interior,  and  that  if 
anything  was  to  be  done  to  prevent  white 
supremacy    and    the    total    subjugation    of   the 


68 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Indian  race,  it  must  be  done  quickly.  In  con- 
firmation of  their  statements  that  the  whites  were 
determined  to  keep  open  the  route  by  which 
should  come  uncounted  hordes  of  their  race,  they 
pointed  to  the  fact  that  but  recently  United 
States  troops  had  passed  through  their  country 
going  to  the  Snake  river  with  intent  to  protect 
the  immigrant  road  from  Fort  Hall  westward. 
A  horrible  massacre  had  taken  place  there  during 
August,  1854,  in  which  all  the  members  of  an 
immigrant  train,  except  one  boy,  were  murdered 
and  outraged  in  the  most  brutal  manner,  one 
woman  being  compelled  to  witness  the  torturing 
of  her  children  over  a  slow  fire.  To  prevent  the 
recurrence  of  such  acts,  Major  Haller  had  gone 
in  May,  1855,  to  the  scene  of  the  carnival  of 
slaughter.  This  natural  and  praiseworthy  act 
had  furnished  the  Indian  demagogues  with  an 
effective  argument  in  their  philippics  against  the 
white  race.  And  indeed,  though  he  succeeded 
in  his  expedition,  capturing  and  hanging  many 
of  the  perpetrators  of  this  horrible  crime,  the 
Indian  orators  did  not  hesitate  to  publish 
assiduously  a  rumor  to  the  effect  that  he  had 
been  cut  off  by  the  Snakes  and  his  men  all  killed. 
By  such  false  reports  and  appeals  to  their  jealousy 
and  prejudices,  the  Yakimas  were  wrought  up  to 
the  fighting  point  and  made  ready  to  bear  their 
part  in  the  general  outbreak.  Similar  argu- 
ments were  used  to  inspire  other  Indians  from 
California's  northern  boundary  to  the  British 
line  with  similar  passions,  and  a  like  eagerness 
to  engage  in  acts  of  hostility. 

Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  Haller  with  his 
handful  of  men  met  a  determined  foe,  well 
equipped  for  battle.  Leaving  The  Dalles  on 
October  3,  1855,  he  fell  in  with  the  enemy  three 
days  later.  The  Indians  were  defeated  in  the 
first  engagement,  but  on  .Sunday,  the  7th,  com- 
pletely turned  the  tables  upon  the  whites,  who 
were  surrounded  by  a  large  and  constantly 
increasing  force  of  Indians.  These  were  kept  off 
by  bayonet  charges  until  nightfall,  when  a 
retreat  back  to  The  Dalles  was  decided  upon.  A 
running  fight  was  maintained  during  the  next 
day,  but  that  night  the  Indians  suffered  a 
repulse,  after  which  the  whites  were  permitted 
to  complete  their  journey  without  further  moles- 
tation. The  fighting  on  the  retreat  was  all  done 
by  the  advance  guard,  the  rear  guard  having 
taken  another  trail,  by  which  it  reached  The 
Dalles  in  safety.  The  loss  on  the  expedition  was 
five  killed  and  seventeen  wounded,  though  much 
property  had  to  be  abandoned  or.  destroyed. 
Lieutenant  Slaughter,  as  soon  as  he  became 
aware  of  the  defeat  of  Haller,  prudently  recrossed 
the  Cascades  to  the  White  river  country. 

Under   date  of   October    12th,    1855,    United 

States    Indian  Agent    Olney  wrote   from   Walla 

Walla  to  Governor  Curry,  of  Oregon,  as  follows: 

"I  beg  to  draw  your  attention  to  the  fact  that 

all  the  Indians  north  and  south  of  the  Columbia, 


this  side  of  the  Nez  Perces  and  Spokanes,  have 
either  commenced  open  hostilities  upon  the 
whites,  or  are  concentrating  their  forces  for  that 
purpose.  I  just  arrived  at  this  place  this  morn- 
ing from  The  Dalles,  and  find  the  most  alarming 
state  of  affairs  as  to  the  friendly  relations  hereto- 
fore existing  between  the  Americans  and  the 
Walla  Wallas,  Palouses,  Umatillas  and  Cayuses. 
I  am  doing  all  in  my  power  to  check  the  gather- 
ing storm ;  but  I  fear  nothing  but  a  large  military 
force  will  do  any  good  towards  keeping  them  in 
check.  The  regular  force  now  in  the  country  I 
do  not  consider  sufficient  for  the  protection  of  the 
settlers  and  the  chastisement  of  the  Indians. 
One  thousand  volunteers  should  be  raised  imme- 
diately and  sent  into  this  part  of  Oregon  and 
Washington  territories.  Delay  is  ruinous. 
Decisive  steps  must  be  immediately  taken. 
The)'  must  be  humbled;  and  in  all  conscience 
send  a  force  that  can  do  it  effectually  and  with- 
out delay.  These  Indians  must  be  taught  our 
power.     The  winter  is  the  very  time  to  do  it." 

It  would  seem  that  Major  Rains  took  the 
same  view  of  the  emergency  and  of  the  inade- 
quacy of  the  regular  force  to  meet  it  as  did  Mr. 
Olney,  for  he  called  upon  Acting-Governor 
Mason,  of  Washington  territory,  for  two  compa- 
nies of  volunteers,  and  upon  Governor  Curry,  of 
Oregon,  for  four.  Both  the  Washington  compa- 
nies, when  organized,  were  mustered  into  the 
service  of  the  United  States,  though  it  was 
understood  that  one  of  them  should  be  sent  upon 
the  mission  for  which  it  was  raised,  namely,  the 
relief  of  Governor  Stevens.  The  Oregon  gov- 
ernor refused  to  have  the  men  who  volunteered 
in  response  to  his  call  mustered  into  the  regular 
service,  so  the  identity  of  the  Oregon  volunteers 
was  maintained  throughout  the  war,  though 
their  leaders  at  all  times  expressed  a  willingness 
to  act  in  harmony  with  the  United  States  troops 
for  the  vigorous  prosecution  of  aggressive  war- 
fare. 

October  30th  Major  Rains  set  out  from  The 
Dalles  with  a  force  of  three  hundred  and  fifty 
regulars.  November  1st  Colonel  Nesmith  fol- 
lowed with  a  force  which  a  few  days  later  was 
increased  to  five  hundred  and  fifty-three  men. 
The  experiences  of  both  regulars  and  volunteers 
up  to  November  12th,  when  both  were  in  camp 
at  the  Ahtanum  mission,  were  summarized  thus 
in  a  despatch  of  that  date  from  Major  Rains  to 
Governor  Mason: 

"Here  we  are  without  a  battle,  except  a  skir- 
mish four  days  since  with  some  forty  Indians 
who  defied  us  as  we  approached  the  Yakima 
river.  We  thought  it.  was  the  prelude  to  the  big 
battle  with  the  whole  of  their  force,  and  forded 
the  stream  to  an  island  with  our  mounted  troops, 
eighteen  dragoons  and  eight  prisoners.  Here 
we  commenced  the  action,  firing  on  the  enemy, 
and  ordering  up  our  artillery  and  infantry  to  ford 
the    stream.     Our  troops  made  a  rush   into   the 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


69 


water,  but,  being  or  foot,  tried  again  and  again 
to  cross  the  river,  but  failed,  the  rapid  current 
sweeping  away  two  of  our  best  men,  who  were 
thus  drowned;  whereupon  I  sent  back  to  Colonel 
Nesmith  for  two  companies  of  volunteers,  who, 
with  our  dragoons,  drove  headlong  into  the 
foaming  current,  and  reaching  the  opposite 
shore,  charged  the  enemy,  who  fled  away  over 
the  hills,  one  of  their  balls  striking,  but  fortu- 
nately not  wounding,  Colonel  Nesmith's  horse. 

"Late  in  the  afternoon,  after  recalling  all  our 
forces  to  the  south  bank  of  the  Yakima  river,  we 
heard,  some  distance  on  the  plain,  the  reports  of 
small  arms  (indication  of  a  fight),  and,  taking 
two  companies,  we  proceeded  in  that  direction 
until  some  time  after  night,  when,  the  firing 
having  ceased,  we  returned  to  the.  edge  of  the 
timber  and  bivouacked  for  the  night.  Next  day 
we  found  a  number  of  Indians  around  us  on 
swift  horses,  who  were  driven  off  by  our  mounted 
volunteer  companies.  As  we  approached  the 
mountain  gorge,  we  found  the  Indians,  about 
three  hundred  in  number,  on  the  hilltops  beating 
their  drums  atfd  shouting  defiance.  These  were 
soon  driven  from  their  position  and  scattered  by 
discharges  from  our  howitzers.  We  cut  off  some 
of  them  by  a  proper  disposition  of  our  troops; 
and  two  or  more  were  killed.  We  continued  our 
march  to  this  place,  sweeping  the  plains  with  our 
cavalry,  dispersing,  killing  and  wounding  all  the 
enemy  we  saw,  and  found  the  mission  aban- 
doned. Captain  Maloney  not  having  arrived  in 
conjunction  with  Colonel  Nesmith  (who  himself 
went  in  command),  we  despatched  one  hundred 
and  sixty-eight  volunteers  and  regulars,  on  our 
best  horses,  to  proceed  in  the  direction  of  the 
Naches  pass,  and  ascertain  his  whereabouts.  We 
are  awaiting  their  report;  for  we  cannot  tell 
where  the  large  body  of  the  enemy  is,  unless 
they  have  gone  that  way  to  attack  Captain  Malo- 
ney's  command." 

The  same  incidents  and  those  immediately 
following  them  are  narrated  in  greater  detail  in 
an  article  in  the  Portland  Daily  Standard  of  the 


In  the  engagement  at  the  Yakima  river  (mentioned  in 
Major  Rains'  despatch).  Captain  Bennett's  company  (Com- 
pany F)and  part  of  the  Clackamas  company  (Company  C) 
took  part  and  were  the  first  to  cross  the  river  and  charge 
the  enemy,  who  fled  with  great  rapidity,  so  much  so  that 
the  disabled  state  of  the  horses  of  the  volunteers  rendered 
pursuit  unsuccessful.  Captain  Cornelius'  company  (Com- 
pany D)  having  become  separated  from  the  main  body  of 
the  volunteers  in  the  engagement  at  the  river,  encountered 
a  superior  force  of  Indians  and  fought  them  nearly  a  half 
day.  He  kept  them  at  bay  and  succeeded  in  taking  some 
cattle  and  driving  them  into  camp  that  night.  Two  of  his 
men  were  severely  wounded.  The  damage  inflicted  upon 
the  Indians  was  not  known.  In  the  attack  the  next  day  at 
the  mountain  gorge  spoken  of  by  Major  Rains,  otherwise 
called  the  Two  Buttes.  the  number  of  Indians  was  not  less 
than  five  hundred.  About  one  hundred,  and  fifty  were 
counted  upon  the  top  of  the  hill,  and  the' remainder  were 
in  the  brush.  By  some  misunderstanding  of  the  orders 
given  to  surround  them,  a  gap  was  left  open;  and  those 


made  their  escape.     Two  only  were  killed.     Pursuit  was 
of  no  avail. 

The  regulars  and  volunteers  encamped  near  the  mis- 
sion, which,  having  been  abandoned,  it  was  conjectured 
that  the  main  force  of  the  Indians  had  either  gone  to  the 
Naches  pass  to  attack  Captain  Malonev,  or  up  the  Colum- 
bia to  Priests'  rapids.  Colonel  Nesmith,  with  a  command 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men,  proceeded  toward  the  pass,  • 
and  after  an  absence  of  three  days  returned  without  hav- 
ing seen  the  enemy.  He  found  the  snow  so  deep  as  to 
prevent  the  forage  of  his  animals,  and  was  compelled  to 
return.  He  found  caches  of  Indian  provisions,  which  he 
destroyed,  and  several  Indian  mares  and  colts,  which  were 
killed,  as  they  would  be  of  no  service  to  the  volunteers. 
Some  wild  Indian  cattle  were  also  found  and  killed,  which 
furnished  subsistence  for  the  troops.  In  and  about  the 
mission  were  found  vegetables  and  a  variety  of  useful 
articles. 

On  Colonel  Nesmith's  return,  a  council  of  officers  was 
held,  by  which  it  was  deemed  inexpedient  to  proceed  to 
Walla  Walla,  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  forage,  the  weak 
condition  of  the  animals,  and  the  difficulty  of  crossing  the 
Columbia  with  the  sick  and  wounded.  It  was  decided  to 
return  to  The  Dalles  and  recruit.  After  burning  the  mis- 
sion and  a  house  owned  by  Kamiakin,  the  whole  force, 
regulars  and  volunteers,  took  up  their  line  of  march  for 
The  Dalles.  On  their  way  they  met  Captain  Wilson's 
command  (Company  A)  with  the  pack  train  of  supplies, 
which  train  had  suffered  great  loss  of  animals  and  supplies 
by  reason  of  the  snows  in  the  mountains,  which  in  some 
places  were  four  or  five  feet  in  depth.  The  expedition 
reached  the  Klickitat  river,  about  twenty-five  miles  distant 
from  The  Dalles,  on  the  17th,  and  there  encamped.  The 
most  cordial  co-operation  had  existed  between  the  regular 
and  volunteer  officers.  All  seemed  animated  with  a  com- 
mon interest  in  accomplishing  the  ends  and  objects  of  the 
campaign. 

Mention  should  be  made  of  the  fact  that  while 
Major  Rains  was  at  the  Ahtanum  mission  he 
received  a  letter  from  Kamiakin,  head  chief  of 
the  Yakimas,  making  overtures  of  peace  and 
friendship  on  certain  terms.  The  reply  of  Rains 
was  certainly  vigorous  enough  and  gave  the 
chief  an  unequivocal  statement  of  his  position 
and  intentions.      It  read  as  follows: 

Headquarters  Yakima  Expedition, 
Roman  Catholic  Mission,  November  13,  1855. 
Kamiakin,  Hvas  Tyee  of  the  Yakima  Indians: 

Your  talk  by  Padre  Pandozy  is  just  received.  You 
know  me  and  I  know  you.  You  came  among  the  white 
people  and  to  my  house  at  The  Dalles  with  Padre  Pandozy 
and  gave  me  a  horse,  which  I  did  not  take,  as  Panawok 
had  given  Lieutenant  Wood  another  horse  for  him.  You 
came  in  peace — we  come  in  war.  And  why?  Because 
your  land  has  drunk  the  blood  of  the  white  man,  and  the 
Great  Spirit  requires  it  at  your  hand. 

You  make  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  pray  to  the  God 
of  truth  for  mercy,  and  yet  you  lie  when  you  say  you 
"were  very  quiet,  the  Americans  were  our  friends;  our 
hearts  were  not  for  war."  until  Governor  Stevens  changed 
your  feelings;  for  long  before  the  treaty,  which  you  agreed 
to,  you  proposed  to  the  Walla  Walla  chief,  Peo-peo-mox- 
mox,  to  go  to  war,  and  kill  off  all  the  whites.  He  told  us  so. 
You  have  been  preparing  for  this  purpose  a  very  long 
time;  and  your  people  agreed  with  the  Cayuses,  at  the 
Walla  Walla  council,  before  the  treaty  was  made,  to  mur- 
der all  the  whites  there,  which  was  only  prevented  by  the 
Nez  Perces  disagreeing. 

You  know  that  you  murdered  white  men  going  to  the 
mines  who  had  done  you  no  injury,  and  you  murdered  all 
persons,  though  no  white  man  had  trespassed  upon  your 
lands.  You  sent  me  a  delegation  to  stop  Hamilton  and 
Pierce  from   settling  in  your  country.      I   wrote  them  a 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


letter  and  they  left.  You  murdered  your  agent  Bolon  for 
telling  you  the  truth— that  the  troops  would  come  upon 
you  for  these  murders.  Has  his  death  prevented  their 
coming?  I  sent  a  handful  of  soldiers  into  your  country  to 
inquire  into  the  facts.  It  was  not  expected  that  they 
should  fight  you,  and  they  did  right  to  return  back.  Your 
foul  deeds  were  seen  by  the  eye  of  the  Great  Spirit,  who 
saw  Cain  when  he  killed  his  brother,  Abel,  and  cursed  him 
for  it.  Fugitives  and  vagabonds  shall  you  also  be,  all  that 
remain  of  you,  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  well  as  all 
who  aid  or  assist  you,  until  you  are  gone. 

You  say  now,  "If  we  will  be  quiet  and  make  friendship, 
you  will  not  war  with  us,  but  give  a  piece  of  land  to  all  the 
tribes."  We  will  not  be  quiet,  but  war  forever,  until  not  a 
Yakima  breathes  in  the  land  he  calls  his  own.  The  river 
only  will  we  let  retain  this  name  to  show  to  all  people  that 
here  the  Yakimas  once  lived. 

You  say  that  you  will  fight  us  with  thousands,  and  if 
vanquished',  those  of  you  that  remain  will  kill  all  your 
women  and  children,  and  then  the  country  will  be  ours. 
The  country  is  ours  already,  as  you  must  see  from  our 
assembled  army;  for  we  intend  to  occupy  it,  and  make  it 
too  hot  to  hold  you.  VVe  are  braves,  and  no  brave  makes 
war  with  women  and  children.  You  may  kill  them  as  you 
say,  but  we  will  not;  yet  we  are  thirsting  for  your  blood, 
and  want  your  warriors  to  meet  us,  and  the  warriors  of  all 
tribes  wishing  to  help  you,  at  once  to  come.  The  snow  is 
on  the  ground,  and  the  crows  are  hungry  for  food.  Your 
men  we  have  killed;  your  horses  and  your  cattle  do  not 
afford  them  enough  to  eat.  Your  people  shall  not  catch 
salmon  hereafter  for  you,  for  I  will  send  soldiers  to  occupy 
your  fisheries,  and  fire  upon  you.  Your  cattle  and  your 
horses,  which  you  got  from  the  white  man,  we  will  hunt 
up,  and  kill  and  take  them  from  you.  The  earth,  which 
drank  the  blood  of  the  white  man,  shed  by  your  hands, 
shall  grow  no  more  wheat  nor  roots  for  you,  for  we  will 
destroy  it.  When  the  cloth  that  makes  your  clothing,  your 
guns  and  your  powder  are  gone,  the  white  man  will  make 
you  no  more.  Wre  looked  upon  you  as  our  children  and 
tried  to  do  you  good.  We  would  not  have  cheated  you. 
The.  treaty  which  you  complain  of,  though  signed  by  you, 
gave  you  too  much  for  your  lands,  which  are  most  all 
worthless  to  the  white  man;  but  we  are  not  sorry,  for  we 
are  able  to  give,  and  it  would  have  benefited  you.  After 
you  signed  the  treaty  with  Governor  Stevens  and  General 
Palmer,  had  you  told  us  that  you  did  not  wish  to  abide  by 
it,  it  would  have  been  listened  to.  We  wanted  to  instruct 
you  in  all  our  learning;  to  make  axes,  plows  and  hoes  to 
cultivate  the  ground;  blankets  to  keep  you  from  the  cold; 
steamboats  and  steam  wagons  which  fly  along  swifter  than 
the  birds  fly.  and  to  use  the  lightning  which  makes  the 
thunder  in  heavens  to  carry  talk  and  serve  as  a  servant. 
William  Chinook,  at  The  Dalles;  Lawyer,  chief  of  the  Nez 
Perces;  Steachus,  and  Weattinattitimine,  hyas  tyee  of  the 
Cayuses,  and  many  others  of  their  people,  can  tell  you 
what  I  say  is  true.  You,  a  few  people,  we  can  see  with  our 
glasses  a  long  way  off,  while  the  whites  are  as  the  stars  in 
the  heavens,  or  leaves  of  the  trees  in  summer  time.  Our 
warriors  in  the  field  are  many,  as  you  must  see;  but  if  not 
enough,  a  thousand  for  every  one  more  will  be  sent  to 
hunt  you,  and  to  kill  you;  and  my  advice  to  you,  as  you 
will  see,  is  to  scatter  yourselves  among  the  Indian  tribes 
more  peaceable,  and  there  forget  you  ever  were  Yakimas. 

(Signed)  G.  J.  Rains, 
Major  U.  S.  A.,   Brigadier-General   W.   T.,  Commanding 
Troops  in  the  Field. 

While  these  events  were  transpiring  in  the 
Yakima  country,  a  movement  had  been  made  by 
Major  Mark  A.  Chinn,  who,  with  Company  B, 
Oregon  volunteers,  proceeded  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Des  Chutes,  where  Company  H,  under  com- 
mand of  Captain  Taylor,  was  encamped.  Pro- 
ceeding toward  the  Walla  Walla  country  with 
both  companies,  he  arrived  at  Wells  Springs  on 


the  17th  of  November.  Here  he  was  met  by  a 
messenger  from  Narcisse  Raymond,  a  French 
settler  in  Walla  Walla  valley,  with  the  following 
communication  addressed  to  the  commander  in 
charge  of  the  forces  en  route  to  Walla  Walla: 

November  14,  1855. 

Sir:  However  urgent  and  important  the  news  I  have 
to  communicate,  I  almost  despaired  to  despatch  any  from 
want  of  hands  who  were  willing  to  risk  life  at  this  critical 
time;  but  Mr.  McBean  came  to  my  assistance  and  offered 
the  services  of  his  son,  John,  who,  in  company  with  another 
man,  will  be  the  bearer  of  this.  The  news  is  gloomy  and 
very  different  from  what  I  had  reason  to  expect  when  I  left 
The  Dalles  on  my  way  hither.  Serpent  jaune  (Peo-peo- 
mox-mox)  has  shown  his  colors,  and  is  a  declared  foe  to  the 
Americans.  He  has  taken  possession  of  the  fort  and  pil- 
laged it,  government  as  well  as  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 
property;  has  placed  himself  on  the  south  side  of  the  Walla 
Walla  river,  on  the  hills,  guarding  the  road  with  a  force,  it 
is  said,  of  a  thousand. 

The  young  men  on  the  Umatilla  river  are  disposed  for 
war,  and  John  Whitford  and  Tolman  instigate  them  to  it. 
The  chiefs  of  that  place,  at  least  the  majority  of  them,  are 
on  the  balance,  and  have  not  yet  decided;  but  Stockalah 
and  Walattelekt,  with  their  people,  have  joined  the  Cay- 
uses, and  are  doing  all  in  their  power  to  have  them  join 
against  the  Americans.  The  chiefs  of#this  valley  have 
remained  firm  and  will  not  join  the  unfriendly  Indians. 
Their  conduct  since  Mr.  Olney's  departure  has  been  praise- 
worthy, and  they  did  all  they  could  to  prevent  Mr.  Brooks' 
house  from  being  burned  and  pillaged,  but  in  vain.  The 
chief,  Howlish  Wampool,  did  it  at  the  risk  of  his  life. 

Two  Nez  Perce  chiefs  now  here,  Joseph  and  Red  Wolf, 
desire  me  to  tell  you  that  all  their  tribe  is  for  peace;  that 
they  will  suffer  no  hostile  Indians  to  remain  among  them. 
In  justice  to  Pierre  (Walla  Walla  chief),  I  beg  to  say  that 
he  stuck  to  his  charge  until  forced  away  by  Serpent  Jaune 
and  his  people,  but  not  until  they  had  robbed  three  differ- 
ent times  out  of  the  fort.  He  was  alone,  and,  of  course, 
could  not  prevent  them.  As  affairs  stand,  it  is  my  humble 
opinion  that  it  might  not  be  prudent  to  make  your  way 
hither  with  the  force  at  your  command  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  men.  I  have  requested  the  bearers  of  this 
despatch  to  proceed  to  The  Dalles  with  the  letters  to  tne 
respective  addresses  of  Messrs.  Olney  and  Noble ;  and 
placed  as  we  are,  a  mere  handful  of  men,  destitute  of 
ammunition,  the  sooner  assistance  is  tendered  to  us  the 
better,  for  Serpent  Jaune  daily  threatens  to  burn  our 
houses  and  to  kill  us,  and  he  is  not  the  only  enemy  we 
have  to  dread. 

In  haste.  I  remain,  sir, 

Respectfully,  your  obedient  humble  servant, 
Narcisse  Raymond. 
The  Commander-in-charge  coming  to  Fort  Walla  Walla. 

Mr.  Raymond  and  all  the  other  settlers  of  the 
Walla  Walla  and  Umatilla  valleys  had  been 
directed  by  Indian  Agent  Nathan  Olney  to  » 
withdraw  from  the  country  as  soon  as  a  sufficient 
escort  should  arrive  for  them,  and  it  was  with 
intent  to  furnish  this  escort  that  Major  Chinn 
was  marching  when  he  received  the  startling 
intelligence  contained  in  the  letter  just  quoted. 
This  information  determined  him  to  delay  his 
march  until  he  had  received  reinforcements  and 
artillery,  so  he  moved  next  day  to  the  Umatilla 
and  established  there  a  station  which  became 
known  as  Fort  Henrietta.  It  was  situated 
where  plenty  of  water  and  timber  could  be 
obtained,  as  well  as  sufficient  grass  for  horses, 
and   it   consisted   of  a   tract   one   hundred    feet 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


square,  picketed  in  with  large,  split  timber,  with 
bastions  of  round  logs  in  two  of  the  angles,  also 
two  corrals  for  horses  and  cattle.  Major  Chinn 
sent  at  once  to  Colonel  Nesmith  for  the  requisite 
reinforcements  and  artillery.  On  the  19th  and 
20th  of  November,  the  colonel  sent  forward  three 
companies  consisting  of  one  hundred  and  seventy 
men.  He  endeavored  to  procure  the  howitzers 
from  the  regular  army,  but  General  Wool  had 
just  arrived  on  the  scene  and  his  advent  brought 
to  an  abrupt  termination  all  hope  of  further  co- 
operation between  regulars  and  volunteers.  The 
howitzers  were,  of  course,  refused. 

"The  arrival  of  General  Wool,"  says  Evans, 
"defeated  every  project  which  looked  to  a  winter 
campaign  against  the  Indians.  He  even  sug- 
gested that  the  combination  of  the  commands  of 
Rains  and  Nesmith,  in  the  Yakima  country,  had 
been  injurious  to  the  service  because  the  Indians 
were  so  overawed  by  such  a  force,  seven 
hundred  men,  that  they  fled  upon  the  approach 
of  the  troops.  General  Wool  ordered  the  reg- 
ulars from  Fort  Dalles  to  Fort  Vancouver,  except 
a  small  garrison.  He  cerfsured  Major  Rains  for 
calling  for  volunteers,  and  also  for  going  into  the 
Yakima  country  to  make  war  against  the  hostiles. 
He  accused  the  territorial  authorities  of  sinister 
and  dishonest  motives.  While  not  accusing  the 
whites  in  Washington  territory  of  murdering 
Indians,  as  he  did  charge  the  whites  with  in  the 
Rogue  river  country,  yet  he  maintained  that  the 
war  should  only  be  carried  on  upon  the  defensive. 
To  any  proposition  of  the  territorial  authorities  to 
chastise  the  Indians  for  past  misdeeds,  he  was 
opposed,  and  should  use  his  efforts  to  defeat 
them.  In  fact,  he  was  so  bitterly  prejudiced 
against  the  two  territories,  their  official  author- 
ities, their  volunteers  and  their  people,  that  his 
sympathies  were  entirely  with  that  savage  race 
which  it  was  his  highest  duty  to  keep  in  subjec- 
tion. For  the  people  who  had  the  right  to  rely 
upon  him  for  protection,  he  had  no  word  of 
encouragement,  no  disposition  to  assist.  At  that 
time  he  was  a  greater  marplot  to  the  regaining 
of  peace,  and  a  more  bitter  foe  to  the  Oregon  and 
Washington  people,  than  any  hostile  chief  bear- 
ing arms  against  them." 

However,  such  succor  as  was  in  the  power 
of  Nesmith  was,  as  before  stated,  promptly 
despatched  to  Fort  Henrietta.  The  three  com- 
panies joined  Major  Chinn  on  the  29th  of  Novem- 
ber, but  the  command  was  at  once  assumed  by 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Kelly,  who  accompanied  the 
reinforcements.  December  2d,  Kelly  took  the 
field  with  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
designing  to  make  a  swift  march  to  Fort  Walla 
Walla  and  surprise  the  Indians  who  were 
supposed  to  be  in  possession  of  it.  Kelly  found 
"it  had  been  pillaged  by  Indians,  the  buildings 
much  defaced  and  the  furniture  destroyed."  Of 
his  subsequent  movements  Colonel  Kelly  thus 
writes  in  his  official  report:     ^ 


On  the  morning  of  the  5th,  I  despatched  Second  Major 
Chinn,  with  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  to  escort  the  bag- 
gage and  pack  trains  to  the  mouth  of  the  Touchet,  there  to 
await  my  return  with  the  remainder  of  the  forces  under 
my  command.  On  the  same  morning  I  marched  with 
about  two  hundred  men  to  a  point  on  the  Touchet  river 
about  twelve  miles  from  its  mouth,  with  the  view  of 
attacking  the  Walla  Walla  Indians,  who  were  supposed  to 
be  encamped  there.  When  I  was  near  to  and  making  to- 
wards the  village,  Peo-peo-mox-mox,  the  chief  of  the  tribe, 
with  five  other  Indians,  made  their  appearance  under  a  flag 
of  truce.  He  stated  that  he  did  not  wish  to  fight;  that  his 
people  did  not  wish  to  fight;  that  on  the  following  day  he 
would  come  and  have  a  talk  and  make  a  treaty  of 
peace.  On  consultation  with  Hon.  Nathan  Olney,  Indian ' 
Agent,  we  concluded  that  this  was  simply  a  ruse  to  gain- 
time  for  removing  his  village  and  preparing  for  battle.  I 
stated  to  him  that  we  had  come  to  chastise  him  for  the 
wrongs  he  had  done  to  our  people,  and  that  we  would  not 
defer  making  an  attack  on  his  people  unless  he  and  his  five 
followers  would  consent  to  accompany  and  remain  with  us 
until  all  difficulties  were  settled.  I  told  him  that  he  might 
go  away  under  his  flag  of  truce  if  he  chose;  but,  if  he  did 
so,  we  would  forthwith  attack  his  village.  The  alternative 
was  distinctly  made  known  to  him ;  and,  to  save  his  people, 
he  chose  to  remain  with  us  as  a  hostage  for  the  fulfillment 
of  his  promise,  as  did  also  those  who  accompanied  him. 
He  at  the  same  time  said  that  on  the  following  day  he 
would  accompany  us  to  his  village;  that  he  would  then 
assemble  his  people  and  make  them  deliver  up  all  their  arms 
and  ammunition,  restore  the  property  which  had  been 
taken  from  the  white  settlers,  or  pay  the  full  value  of  that 
which  could  not  be  restored;  and  that  he  would  furnish 
fresh  horses  to  remount  my  command,  and  cattle  to  supply 
them  with  provisions,  to  enable  us  to  wage  war  against 
other  hostile  tribes  who  were  leagued  with  them.  Having 
made  these  promises,  we  refrained  from  making  the  attack, 
thinking  we  had  him  in  our  power,  and  that  on  the  next 
day  his  promises  would  be  fulfilled.  I  also  permitted  him 
to  send  one  of  the  men  who  accompanied  him  to  his  village 
to  apprise  the  tribes  of  the  terms  of  the  expected  treaty,  so 
that  they  might  be  prepared  to  fulfill  it. 

On  the  6th,  we  marched  to  the  village  and  found  it 
entirely  deserted,  but  saw  the  Indians  in  considerable  force 
on  the  distant  hills,  and  watching  our  movements.  I  sent 
out  a  messenger  to  induce  them  to  come  in,  but  could  not 
do  so.  And  I  will  here  observe  that  I  have  since  learned, 
from  a  Nez  Perce  boy,  who  was  taken  at  the  same  time 
with  Peo-peo-mox-mox,  that,  instead  of  sending  word  to  his 
people  to  make  a  treaty  of  peace,  he  sent  an  order  for  them 
to  remove  their  women  and  children  and  prepare  for  battle. 
From  all  I  heve  since  learned,  I  am  well  persuaded  that  he 
was  acting  with  duplicity,  and  that  he  expected  to  entrap 
my  command  in  the  deep  ravine  in  which  his  camp  was 
situated,  and  make  his  escape  from  us.  We  remained  at 
the  deserted  village  until  about  one  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon; and,  seeing  no  hope  of  coming  to  any  terms,  we 
proceeded  to  the  mouth  of  the  Touchet  with  a  view  of 
going  from  thence  to  some  spot  near  Whitman's  station, 
where  I  had  intended  to  form  a  permanent  camp  for  the 
winter. 

On  the  morning  of  the  7th,  the  command  set 
out  early  for  Whitman's  station,  Peo-peo-mox-mox 
and  the  other  Indian  hostages  being  still  with 
the  white  men.  Soon  after  a  crossing  of  the 
Touchet  had  been  effected,  the  battle  began. 
There  is  difference  of  opinion  as  to  who  fired  the 
first  shot.  Kelly's  report  states  that  the  Indians 
did,  but  Gilbert  quotes  A.  P.  Woodward  as 
asserting  that  to  his  knowledge  one  Jont,  of 
Company  B,  committed  the  first  hostile  act. 
The  question  is  of  importance  only  as  it  bears 
upon  the  larger  one  of  whether  or  not  Peo-peo- 


7- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


mox-moxand  his  people  were  acting  in  good  faith 
in  negotiating  for  peace.  At  any  rate  the  firing 
soon  became  general,  and  all  the  companies 
except  A  and  F,  which  were  ordered  to  remain 
with  the  baggage,  began  chasing  the  Indians 
eagerly.  "A  running  fight  was  the  consequence, 
the  force  of  the  Indians  increasing  every  mile. 
Several  of  the  enemy  were  killed  in  the  chase 
before  reaching  the  farm  of  LaRocque,  which  is 
about  twelve  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Touchet.  At  this  point  they  made  a  stand,  their 
left  resting  on  the  river  covered  with  trees  and 
'  underbrush,  their  center  occupying  the  flat  at 
this  place,  covered  with  clumps  of  sage  brush 
and  small  sand  knolls,  their  right  on  the  high 
ridge  of  hills  which  skirt  the  river  bottom. " 

The  few  white  men  who  outran  their  com- 
panions and  reached  this  vicinity  first  were  com- 
pelled by  the  murderous  fire  from  savage  guns  to 
fall  back,  but  soon  rallied  and  made  a  charge 
upon  the  Indians  in  the  brush,  in  which  charge 
Lieutenant  Burrows,  of  Company  H,  was  killed, 
and  Captain  Munson,  Sergeant-Major  Isaac 
Miller  and  Private  G.  W.  Smith  were  wounded. 
Reinforcements  of  whites  arriving,  the  Indians 
were  compelled  to  fall  back  two  miles  to  a  farm- 
house, in  attempting  to  carry  which  Captain 
Bennett,  of  Company  F,  and  Private  Kelso,  of 
Company  A,  were  killed. 

Continuing  the  narrative  of  the  engagement, 
Colonel  Kelly  says  in  his  report:  "Howitzer 
found  at  Fort  Walla  Walla,  under  charge  of 
Captain  Wilson,  by  this  time  was  brought  to  bear 
upon  the  enemy.  Four  rounds  were  fired  when 
the  piece  burst,  wounding  Captain  Wilson.  The 
Indians  then  gave  way  at  all  points;  and  the 
house  and  fence  were  seized  and  held  by  the 
volunteers,  and  bodies  of  our  men  were  recovered. 
These  positions  were  held  by  us  until  nightfall. 
when  the  volunteers  fell  slowly  back  and  returned 
unmolested  to  camp." 

During  the  first  day's  engagement,  at  about 
the  hottest  part  of  the  action,  an  event  occurred 
which,  though  not  mentioned  in  Kelly's  official 
report,  has  been  the  theme  of  much  discussion. 
Peo-peo-mox-mox  and  his  companions  in  captivity 
were,  with  one  exception,  killed  by  the  guards 
and  volunteers  surrounding  them,  and  whether 
this  action  was  justifiable  from  the  fact  that  the 
prisoners  attempted  to  escape,  or  was  wholly 
unwarranted,  will  never  be  ascertained  with 
certainty.  The  eye  witnesses  of  the  affair  are 
not  in  accord  as  to  the  facts.  Indeed,  it  is  quite 
probable  that  no  one  of  them  is  able  to  give  an 
absolutely  correct  and  detailed  statement  of  all 
that  transpired,  such  was  the  confusion  and 
excitement  prevailing  at  the  time.  Of  this 
affair,  Gilbert  says: 

"The  following  is  an  account  of  it  as  given  to 
the  writer  by  Lewis  McMorris,  who  was  present 
at  the  time  and  saw  what  he  narrated.  The 
hospital  supplies  were  packed  on  mules  in  charge 


of  McMorris,  and  had  just  reached  the  LaRocque 
cabin,  where  the  first  engagement  had  taken 
place.  The  surgeon  in  charge  had  decided  to 
use  it  as  a  hospital  in  which  to  place  those 
wounded  in  the  battle  and  McMorris  was  unpack- 
ing the  mules.  Near  it  the  unfortunate  J.  M. 
Burrows  lay  dead,  and  several  wounded  were 
being  attended  to.  The  combatants  had  passed 
on  up  the  valley,  and  the  distant  detonations  of 
their  guns  could  be  heard.  The  flag  of  truce 
prisoners  were  there  under  guard  and  every  one 
seemed  electrified  with  suppressed  excitement. 
A  wounded  man  came  in  with  a  shattered  arm 
dangling  at  his  side  and  reported  Captain  Bennett 
killed  at  the  front.  This  added  to  the  excite- 
ment, and  the  attention  of  all  was  more  or  less 
attracted  to  the  wounded  man,  when  some  one 
said:  'Look  out,  or  the  Indians  will  get  away!' 
At  this  seemingly  everyone  yelled,  'Shoot  'em! 
Shoot  'em!'  and  on  the  instant  there  was  a  rattle 
of  musketry  on  all  sides. 

"What  followed  was  so  quick,  and  there  were 
so  many  acting,  that  McMorris  could  not  see  it  in 
detail,  though  all  was  transpiring  within  a  few 
yards  of  and  around  him.  It  was  over  in  a 
minute,  and  three  of  the  five  prisoners  were  dead, 
another  was  wounded,  knocked  senseless  and 
supposed  to  be  dead,  who  afterwards  recovered 
consciousness,  and  was  shot  to  put  him  out  of 
misery,  while  the  fifth  was  spared  because  he 
was  a  Nez  Perce.  McMorris  remembers  some  of 
the  events  that  marked  the  tragedy,  however, 
such  as  an  impression  on  his  mind  of  an  attempt 
by  the  prisoners  to  escape,  that  started  the 
shooting;  that  everybody  was  firing  because  they 
were  excited,  and  the  target  was  an  Indian;  that 
he  saw  no  evidence  of  an  attempt  to  escape, 
except  from  being  murdered;  that  they  were 
killed  while  surrounded  by  and  mingled  among 
the  whites;  and  that  but  one  Indian  offered  to 
defend  his  life.  The  prisoner  offering  resistance 
was  a  powerful  Willamette  Indian  called  'Jim'  or 
'Wolf  Skin,'  who,  having  a  knife  secreted  upon 
his  person,  drew  it  and  fought  desperately.  'I 
could  hear  that  knife  whistling  in  the  air,'  said 
McMorris,  'as  he  brandished  it,  or  struck  at  the 
soldier  with  whom  he  was  struggling.'  It  lasted 
but  a  moment,  when  another  soldier,  approach- 
ing from  behind,  dealt  him  a  blow  on  the  head 
with  a  gun  that  broke  his  skull  and  stretched  him 
apparently  lifeless  upon  the  ground.  All  were 
scalped  in  a  few  minutes,  and  later  the  body  of 
Yellow  Bird,  the  great  Walla  Walla  chief,  was 
mutilated  in  a  way  that  should  entitle  those  who 
did  it  to  a  prominent  niche  in  the  ghoulish  temple 
erected  to  commemorate  the  infamous  acts  of 
soulless  men." 

Gilbert  also  states  that  McMorris'  account 
was  confirmed  by  G.  W.  Miller  and  William 
Nixon,  both  of  whom  were  present. 

A.  P.  Woodward,  now  living  at  Athena,  and 
who  was  near  by  when  the  chief  was  killed,  tells 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


us  that  the  facts,  briefly  stated,  were  these: 
When  asked  what  should  be  done  with  the 
prisoners,  Colonel  Kelly  had  told  the  guard  he 
"didn't  care  a  damn."  The  prisoners  were 
neither  tied  nor  in  any  way  confined,  but  were 
mingled  with  the  volunteers.  When  the  firing 
became  warm,  and  several  wounded  had  been 
brought  back  to  where  the  guard  and  prisoners 
were,  some  of  the  troops  became  badly  excited 
and  called  out,  "Shoot  the  damned  Indians  and 
kill  them!"  Several  shots  were  fired  and  two  or 
three  of  the  Indians  fell,  though  they  were  not 
attempting  to  escape.  Then  Peo-peo-mox-mox 
sprang  off  his  horse,  and  walking  towards  those 
who  were  firing,  said:  "You  don't  need  to  kill 
me — I  am  not  Jesus  Christ!"  and  with  these 
words  he  fell.  The  biting  sarcasm  of  the  dying 
words  of  Peo-peo-mox-mox,  if  these  were  his 
words,  can  only  be  appreciated  when  we  remem- 
ber that  they  were  uttered  by  a  savage  who  could 
not  be  made  to  understand  why  the  white  men 
had,  according  to  their  own  account,  killed  their 
own  God.  It  should  be  stated,  however,  that  in 
answer  to  a  direct  question  as  to  whether  any 
such  language  was  used,  Samuel  Warfield,  the 
slayer  of  Peo-peo-mox-mox,  stated  that  the  only 
foundation  for  the  story  was  something  that 
occurred  on  the  evening  previous.  Wolf  Skin, 
he  says,  attempted  to  escape.  He  was  imme- 
diately recaptured  and  while  being  tied  to  prevent 
a  repetition  of  this  attempt,  said:  "That  is  as 
much  as  could  be  expected  of  yon.  Christ  died 
for  his  people,  and  1  can  die  for  mine,"  where- 
upon one  of  the  volunteers  rejoined,  "Christ  did 
not  run,"  raising  a  general  laugh. 

.  It  is  but  fair  to  add  the  account  of  the  killing 
given  by  Mr.  Warfield,  the  man  who  actually 
took  the  life  of  the  Walla  Walla  chieftain.  At 
the  request  of  the  writer,  he  furnished  the  fol- 
lowing statement: 

"Amos  Underwood  and  I  were  guards  over  the 
six  Indian  prisoners,  Peo-peo-mox-mox,  Klick- 
itat Jimmy,  or  Wolf  Skin,  Nez  Perce  Billy  and 
three  others.  About  four  o'clock  in  the  evening 
there  were  a  number  of  soldiers  around  the 
guard  and  prisoners  Word  was  sent  two  or 
three  times  for  those  soldiers  to  come  to  the 
front;  but  they  did  not  go.  Finally,  Colonel 
Kelly  came  and  ordered  them  to  the  front.  I 
said  to  the  Colonel,  'I  want  to  go  to  the  front. 
What  will  we  do  with  these  prisoners?'  He 
replied,  'Tie  them  and  put  them  in  the  house,  if 
they  will  submit  to  you;  if  not,  put  them  in  any- 
how.' Major  Miller  was  there  present  among 
the  wounded,  having  been  shot  in  the  arm.  Just 
at  that  time  Wolf  Skin  pulled  his  knife  from  his 
legging  and  struck  at  Major  Miller,  cutting  his 
arm  as  it  was  thrown  up  to  ward  off  the  blow. 
In  an  instant  some  one  broke  a  musket  over  the 
Indian"s  head,  killing  him.  Then  the  fight 
began.  Five  of  the  Indian  prisoners  were  killed, 
either  being  shot  or  struck  over  the  head  with 


the  guns,  Peo-peo-mox-mox  being  the  last  one.  I 
showed  him  how  to  cross  his  hands  so  that  1 
could  tie  him  and  put  him  in  the  house  as  the 
colonel  had  told  us,  when  he  grabbed  my  gun 
and  tried  to  wrench  it  around  so  as  to  shoot  me. 
I  jumped  back  and  grabbed  him  by  the  collar 
and  threw  him  down,  still  keeping  hold  of  my 
gun.  I  also  shot  at  him,  but  missed,  he  being 
too  close.  He  caught  me  by  the  breeches  leg 
and  tried  to  regain  his  feet.  I  again  jumped 
back  from  him  as  he  tried  to  get  up,  struck  him 
over  the  head  with  my  gun,  settling  him  for  all 
time." 

This  account  of  Mr.  Warfield  is  probably  sub- 
stantially correct  as  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  leaves 
open  the  question  as  to  what  incited  Wolf  Skin 
to  draw  his  knife.  One  of  the  volunteers  con- 
fessed that  he  became  so  excited  by  the  fact  that 
the  whites  at  the  front  were  being  hard  pressed 
and  that  some  of  them  were  killed  and  wounded 
that  he  completely  lost  his  head  and  rushed  back, 
shouting,  "Shoot  the  Indians  and  kill  them!" 
This  and  the  attempted  tying  of  their  hands 
inspired  the  Indians  with  a  belief  that  they 
would  certainly  be  murdered,  causing  them  to 
offer  resistance,  with  the  melancholy  results 
heretofore  given.  If  this  surmise  is  correct, 
neither  the  Indians  nor  their  guards  could  be 
very  much  blamed,  the  real  cause  of  the  tragedy 
being  the  hare-brained  man  whose  wild  shout- 
ings alarmed  the  Indian  prisoners.  It  is  hard  to 
understand  how  the  officers  could  justify  their 
conduct  in  retaining  the  Indians  at  all  any  longer 
than  they  wished  to  stay.  They  came  under  flag 
of  truce,  and  if  Colonel  Kelly's  report  is  true, 
remained  voluntarily  as  hostages,  and  when  they 
were  no  longer  willing  to  stay  they  should  have 
been  set  at  liberty.  Nathan  Olney,  the  Indian 
agent,  is  quoted  as  having  said:  "If  you  let  Peo- 
peo-mox-mox  escape,  our  hides  will  not  hold 
shucks."  Whether  this  was  true  or  not,  the 
whites  were  not  justified  in  retaining  any  advan- 
tage gained  by  disrespect  of  a  flag  of  truce  and 
the  honors  of  war,  and  the  officers  cannot  there- 
fore escape  censure  as  being  ultimately  responsi- 
ble for  the  massacre  of  the  Indians. 

Next  day  the  battle  was  renewed.  No  better 
narration  of  its  subsequent  events  can  be  given 
than  that  furnished  by  Kelly's  report,  which  is 
therefore  reproduced  in  cxtaiso. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  8th  the  Indians  appeared 
with  increased  forces,  amounting  to  fully  six  hundred  war- 
riors. They  were  posted  as  usual  in  the  thick  brush  by 
the  river — among  the  sage  bushes  and  sand  knolls  and  on 
the  surrounding  hills.  This  day  Lieutenant  Pillow,  with 
Company  A.  and  Lieutenant  Hannon.  with  Company  H, 
were  ordered  to  take  and  hold  the  brush  skirting  the  river 
and  the  sage  bushes  on  the  plain.  Lieutenant  Fellows, 
with  Company  F,  was  directed  to  take  and  keep  posses- 
sion of  the  point  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  Lieutenant 
Jeffries,  with  Company  B,  Lieutenant  Hand,  wilh  Com- 
pany I,  and  Captain  Cornoyer,  with  Company  K,  were 
posted  on  three  several  points  on  the  hills,  with  orders  to 
maintain  them  and  to  assail  the  enemy  on  other  points  of 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  same  hills.  As  usual,  the  Indians  were  driven  from 
their  position,  although  they  fought  with  skill  and 
bravery. 

On  the  gth  they  did  not  make  their  appearance  until 
about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  then  in  somewhat 
diminished  numbers.  As  I  had  sent  to  Fort  Henrietta  for 
Companies  D  and  E  and  expected  them  on  the  ioth,  1 
thought  it  best  to  act  on  the  defensive  and  hold  our  posi- 
tions, which  were  the  same  as  on  the  8th,  until  we  could 
get  an  accession  to  our  forces  sufficient  to  enable  us  to 
assail  their  rear  and  cut  off  their  retreat.  An  attack  was 
made  during  the  day  on  Companies  A  and  H,  in  the  brush- 
wood, and  upon  B  on  the  hill,  both  of  which  were  repulsed 
with  great  gallantry  by  those  companies  with  considerable 
loss  to  the  enemy.  Companies  F,  I  and  K  also  did  great 
honor  to  themselves  in  repelling  all  approaches  to  their 
positions,  although  in  doing  so  one  man  in  Company  F 
and  one  in  Company  I  were  severely  wounded.  Darkness 
as  usual  closed  the  combat  by  the  enemy  withdrawing 
from  the  field.  Owing  to  the  inclemency  of  the  night,  the 
companies  on  the  hill  were  withdrawn  from  their  several 
positions,  Company  B  abandoning  its  rifle  pits  which  were 
made  by  the  men  of  that  company  for  its  protection.  At 
early  dawn  of  the  next  day  the  Indians  were  observed  from 
our  camp  to  be  in  possession  of  all  points  held  by  us  on 
the  preceding  day.  Upon  seeing  them,  Lieutenant 
MoAuliff,  of  Company  B.  gallantly  observed  that  his  com- 
pany had  dug  those  holes,  and  after  breakfast  they  would 
have  them  again;  and  well  was  his  declaration  fulfilled, 
for  in  less  than  an  hour  the  enemy  was  driven  from  the 
pits  and  fled  to  an  adjoining  hill  which  they  had  occupied 
the  day  before.  This  position  was  at  once  assailed,  Cap- 
tain Cornoyer,  with  Company  K  and  a  portion  of  Com- 
pany I,  being  mounted,  gallantly  charged  the  enemy  on 
his  right  flank,  while  Lieutenant  McAuiiff,  with  Company 
B,  dismounted,  rushed  up  the  hill  in  the  face  of  a  heavy 
fire  and  scattered  them  in  all  directions.  They  at  once 
fled,  to  return  to  this  battle-field  no  more,  and  thus  ended 
our  long  contested  fight. 

The  winter  following  the  battle  of  the  Walla 
Walla  was  an  exceedingly  severe  one,  and  the 
suffering  of  the  soldiers  was  sometimes  extreme. 
The  late  W.  C.  Painter,  of  Walla  Walla,  was 
wont  to  describe  his  experience  of  trying  to  sleep 
with  scant  shelter  and  scantier  covering  and  the 
thermometer  at  twenty  below  zero.  Mrs.  Victor 
quotes  one  of  the  volunteers,  whose  name  she 
does  not  reveal,  as  having  said: 

"On  the  night  of  December  21st  the  snow  fell 
from  six  to  eight  inches  deep,  and  the  mercury 
stood  about  twenty  degrees  below  zero.  Next 
morning  it  fell  to  my  lot  to  go  on  guard.  My 
raiment  consisted  of  an  old  slouch  hat,  an  old 
coat,  a  flannel  shirt,  a  threadbare  pair  of  pants, 
and  an  old  pair  of  shoes  without  socks.  I  had 
run  through  my  shoes  during  the  battle,  but 
found  an  old  pair  in  a  cache  which  answered  the 
purpose.  I  donned  my  raiment,  tied  a  string 
around  my  pants  to  keep  them  from  slipping 
above  my  knees,  and  at  six  o'clock  was  ready  for 
duty.  My  beat  being  one  mile  from  camp,  I 
trudged  along  through  the  snow  until  I  reached 
my  station,  and  then  passed  off  the  time  as  best 
I  could.  *  *  *  When  I  examined  my  feet, 
strange  to  say,  they  were  not  very  badly  frozen, 
only  the  tops  and  sides  were  raised  up  in  blisters. 
Several  of  the  boys  who  had  no  shoes  took  raw- 
hide and  sewed  it  up  in  shape  something  like  a 
moccasin.     This  beat  bare  feet  to  wade  through 


the  snow  with.  But  the  boys  seemed  to  be  con- 
tent. Our  tents  were  small  and  thin;  our  blank- 
ets were  smaller  and  thinner.  1  had  two  of  those 
long,  narrow,  thin  blankets,  one  blue  and  one 
green,  that  were  not  long  enough  to  reach  from 
my  nose  down  to  my  feet,  and  a  saddle  blanket; 
this  constituted  my  bed." 

But  it  is  now  time  to  return  to  Governor  Ste- 
vens, who,  as  hitherto  stated,  had  set  out  for  the 
Blackfoot  country  upon  completing  his  negotia- 
tions at  the  Walla  Walla  council.  Having  suc- 
ceeded in  inducing  the  dreaded  Blackfeet  to 
treat  for  the  sale  of  their  lands  and  started  upon 
his  return  to  Olympia,  he  had  reached  Hellgate 
in  the  present  Montana,  when  a  detachment  of 
Nez  Perces  met  him  and  gave  him  information 
of  the  war  and  his  own  isolated  and  imperiled 
position.  It  would  require  all  the  tact,  ingenuity 
and  daring  of  this  eminent  man  to  run  the  gaunt- 
let of  these  multiplied  dangers  in  safety,  but  the 
doughty  governor  was  equal  to  the  task.  How 
he  acted  under  these  trying  circumstances  may 
best  be  told  in  his  own  language: 

The  result  of  our  conference  (with  the  Nez  Perces)  was 
most  satisfactory.  The  whole  party,  numbering  fourteen 
men,  among  whom  were  Spotted  Eagle,  Looking  Glass 
and  Three  Feathers,  principal  chiefs  among  the  Nez 
Perces,  expressed  their  determination  to  accompany  me 
and  share  any  danger  to  be  encountered.  They  expressed 
a  desire  that  after  crossing  the  mountains,  I  should  go  to 
their  country,  where  a  large  force  of  their  young  men 
would  accompany  me  to  The  Dalles  and  protect  us  with 
their  lives  against  any  enemy. 

Having  replenished  my  train  with  all  the  animals  to 
be  had,  on  November  14th  we  pushed  forward,  crossed 
the  Bitter  Root  mountains  the  20th,  in  snow  two  and  a  half 
to  three  feet  deep,  and  reached  the  Coeur  d'Alene  mission 
the  25th,  taking  the  Coeur  d'Alenes  entirely  by  surprise. 
They  had  not  thought  it  possible  that  we  could  cross  the 
mountains  so  late  in  the  season. 

With  the  Coeur  d'Alenes  I  held  a  council,  and  found 
them  much  excited,  on  a  balance  for  peace  or  war,  and  a 
chance  word  might  turn  them  either  way.  Rumors  of  all 
kinds  met  us  here:  that  the  troops  had  fought  a  battle  with 
the  Yakimas  and  drove  them  across  the  Columbia  towards 
the  Spokanes,  and  that  the  Walla  Wallas,  Cayuses  and 
Umatillas  were  in  arms,  and  that  they  had  been  joined  by 
a  party  of  Nez  Perces.  The  accounts  were  of  so  contra- 
dictory a  nature  that  nothing  certain  could  be  ascertained 
from  them,  excepting  that  the  several  tribes  below  were  in 
arms,  blocking  up  our  road,  and  had  threatened  to  cut  off 
ray  party  in  any  event.  However,  I  determined  to  push 
on  to  the  Spokanes. 

The  Spokanes  were  even  more  surprised  than  the  Coeur 
d'Alenes  on  seeing  us.  Three  hours  before  my  arrival 
they  had  heard  that  1  was  going  to  the  settlements  by  way 
of  New  York.  I  immediately  called  a  council ;  sent  to  Fort 
Colvilie  for  Mr.  McDonald,  in  charge  of  that  post  of  the 
Hudson's  Bay  Company;  sent  also  for  the  Jesuit  fathers  at 
that  point.  They  arrived.  A  council  was  held,  at  which 
the  whole  Spokane  nation  was  represented.  The  Coeur 
d'Alenes  and  Colvilie  Indians  also  were  present. 

The  Spokanes  and  Colvilie  Indians  evinced  extreme 
hostility  of  feeling;  spoke  of  the  war  below;  wanted  it 
stopped  ;  said  the  whites  were  wrong.  The  belief  was  cur- 
rent that  Peo-peo-mox-mox  would  cut  off  my  party  as  he  had 
repeatedly  threatened.  They  had  not  jo'ined  in  the  war, 
but  yet  would  make  no  promise  to  remain  neutral.  If  the 
Indians  now  at  war  were  driven  into  their  country,  they 
would  not  answer  for  the  consequences;  probably  many  of 
the  Spokanes  would  join  them.     After  a  stormy  council  of 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


several  days,  the  Spokanes,  Coeur  d'Alenes  and  Colvilles 
were  entirely  conciliated  and  promised  they  would  reject 
all  overtures  of  the  hostile  Indians  and  continue  the  firm 
friends  of  the  whites. 

Having  added  to  my  party  and  organized,  etc.,  we 
thence  made  a  forced  march  to  the  Nez  Perce  country. 
Mr.  Craig  had  received  letters  which  informed  me  that  the 
whole  Walla  Walla  valley  was  blocked  up  with  hostile 
Indians,  and  the  Nez  Perces  said  it  would  be  impossible  to 
go  through. 

I  called  a  council  and  proposed  to  them  that  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  their  young  men  should  accompany  me 
to  The  Dalles.  Without  hesitation,  they  agreed  to  go. 
Whilst  in  the  council  making  arrangements  for  our  move- 
ments, news  came  that  a  force  of  gallant  Oregon  volun- 
teers, four  hundred  strong,  had  met  the  Indians  in  the 
Walla  Walla  valley,  and  after  four  days'  hard  fighting, 
having  a  number  of  officers  and  men  killed  and  wounded, 
had  completely  routed  the  enemy,  driving  them  across 
Snake  river  and  toward  the  Nez  Perce  country.  The  next 
day  I  pushed  forward,  accompanied  by  sixty-nine  Nez 
Perces,  well  armed,  and  reached  Walla  Walla  without 
encountering  any  hostile  Indians.  They  had  all  been 
driven  across  Snake  river  below  us  by  the  Oregon  troops. 

It  is  now  proper  to  inquire  what  would  have  been  the 
condition  of  my  party  had  not  the  Oregon  troops  vigor- 
ously  pushed   into   the   field   and   gallantly   defeated  the 

The  country  between  the  Blue  mountains  and  the 
Columbia  was  overrun  with  Indians,  numbering  one  thou- 
sand to  twelve  hundred  warriors,  including  the  force  at 
Priests'  rapids  under  Kamiakin,  who  had  sworn  to  cut  me 
off;  it  was  completely  blocked  up.  One  effect  of  the  cam- 
paign of  the  regulars  and  volunteers  in  the  Yakima  country 
under  Brigadier-General  Rains  was  to  drive  Kamiakin  and 
his  people  on  our  side  of  the  Columbia  river,  and  thus 
endanger  our  movement  from  the  Spokane  to  the  Nez 
Perce  country.  Thus  we  had  been  hemmed  in  by  a  body 
of  hostile  Indians  through  whom  we  could  have  only  forced 
our  way  with  extreme  difficulty  and  at  great  loss  of  life. 
We  might  all  have  been  sacrificed  in  the  attempt.  For  the 
opening  of  the  way  to  my  party  I  am  solely  indebted  to 
the  Oregon  volunteers.  Peo-peo-mox-mox,  the  celebrated 
chief  of  the  Walla  Wallas,  entertained  an  extreme  hostility 
toward  myself  and  party,  owing  to  imaginary  wrongs  he 
supposed  to  have  been  inflicted  upon  him  in  the  treaty 
concluded  with  the  Cayuses  and  Walla  Wallas  last  June, 
and  had  been  known  repeatedly  to  threaten  that  I  never 
should  reach  The  Dalles.  He  was  the  first  to  commence 
hostilities  by  plundering  Fort  Walla  Walla  and  destroying 
a  large  amount  of  property  belonging  to  the  United  States 
Indian  department. 

At  Walla  Walla  I  found  some  twenty-five  settlers— the 
remainder  having  fled  to  The  Dalles  for  protection.  With 
these  were  one  hundred  friendly  Indians.  Special  Indian 
Agent  B.  F.  Shaw,  colonel  in  the  Washington  territory 
militia,  was  on  the  ground,  and  I  at  once  organized  the 
district,  placed  him  in  command  and  directed  him,  if  nec- 
essary, to  fortify,  at  all  events  to  maintain  his  ground 
should  the  Oregon  troops  be  disbanded  before  another 
force  should  take  the  field.  The  Nez  Perce  auxiliaries 
were  disbanded  and  returned  home. 

Thus  we  had  reached  a  place  of  safety  unaided,  except- 
ing by  the  fortunate  movements  of  the  Oregon  troops. 
Not  a  single  man  had  been  pushed  forward  to  meet  us, 
and  though  it  was  well  known  we  should  cross  the  moun- 
tains about  a  certain  time,  and  arrive  at  Walla  Walla  about 
the  time  we  did.  Why  was  this?  Arrangements  had  been 
made  with  Major  Rains  by  Acting- Govern  or  Mason  to 
push  forward  a  force  under  Colonel  Shaw  to  meet  me  at 
Spokane  about  the  time  of  my  arrival  there.  A  company 
had  been  enlisted,  organized  and  marched  to  Fort  Vancou- 
ver to  obtain  equipments,  rations  and  transportation, 
which  Major  Rains  had  promised  both  Governor  Mason 
and  Colonel  Shaw  should  be  promptly  furnished  them. 
Some   little   delay   ensued,  and  in   the   meantime   Major- 


General  Wool  arrived,  who  immediately  declined  equip- 
ping the  company,  as  promised  by  Major  Rains,  and  stated 
that  he  could  not  in  any  manner  recognize  volunteers  or 
furnish  them  equipments  or  transportation,  and  declined  to 
supply  their  places  with  regular  troops,  of  whom,  at  Van- 
couver alone,  were  some  three  hundred  and  fifty  men. 

The  report  then  goes  on  to  make  grave 
accusations  against  General  Wool.  "All  history," 
says  Professor  Lyman,  "abounds  in  instances  of 
intense  personal  feuds  and  disagreements,  but 
our  Pacific  coast  history  seems  to  have  been 
especially  fruitful  of  them.  That  between 
General  Wool,  with  some  of  the  officers  who 
echoed  his  opinions,  the  regulars,  in  short,  on 
one  side  and  Governor  Stevens,  supported  by  the 
volunteers  and  the  nearly  united  people  of  the 
territory  on  the  other,  was  particularly  acrimo- 
nious. ' '  The  following  is  an  extract  from  Stevens' 
report  showing  the  ground  of  his  complaint 
against  Wool: 

"When  remonstrated  with  by  Captain  William 
McKay,  in  command  of  the  company  to  push 
forward  to  my  assistance,  when  informed  of  the 
object  for  which  the  company  was  enlisted,  and 
that  if  it  was  not  pressed  forward  at  once,  or  if 
some  other  force  was  not  sent,  Governor  Stevens 
and  his  party  would  be  in  the  most  imminent 
danger,  the  general  replied  that  in  his  opinion 
the  danger  was  greatly  exaggerated.  That  prob- 
ably Governor  Stevens  would  be  able  to  protect 
himself,  but  if  he  could  not,  then  Governor 
Stevens  could  obtain  an  escort  from  General 
Harney. 

"What  a  reply  was  that!  A  moiety  of  the 
Indians  now  in  arms  had  defeated  a  detachment 
of  one  hundred  United  States  regulars;  Major 
Rains  had  placed  on  record  his  opinion  that  an 
insufficient  force  would  be  defeated  by  these 
Indians,  and  my  party  was  supposed  to  number 
no  more  than  twenty-five  men.  Yet  Major- 
General  Wool  very  coolly  says,  'Governor 
Stevens  can  take  care  of  himself.'  So,  too,  in 
the  remark  that  I  could  obtain  aid  from  General 
Harney.  Did  General  Wool  know  that  the 
distance  from  Fort  Benton  to  the  supposed  posi- 
tion of  General  Harney  was  greater  than  the 
distance  from  Fort  Benton  to  The  Dalles,  and 
that  to  obtain  aid  from  him  would  require  not 
less  than  six  months,  and  that  an  express  to  reach 
him  must  pass  through  the  entire  breadth  of  the 
Sioux?  Such  ignorance  shows  great  incapacity 
and  is  inexcusable. 

"Mr.  Secretary,  Major-General  Wool,  com- 
manding the  Pacific  Division,  neglected  and 
refused  to  send  a  force  to  the  relief  of  myself  and 
party  when  known  to  be  in  imminent  danger, 
and  believed  by  those  who  were  less  capable  of 
judging  to  be  coming  on  to  certain  death,  and 
this,  when  he  had  at  his  command  an  efficient 
force  of  regular  troops.  He  refused  to  sanction 
the  agreement  made  between  Governor  Mason 
and    Major    Rains   for   troops  to  be  sent  to  my 


76 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


assistance  and  ordered  them  to  disband.  It  was 
reserved  for  the  Oregon  troops  to  rescue  us. 

"The  only  demonstration  made  by  Major 
Rains  resulted  in  showing  his  utter  incapacity  to 
command  in  the  field.  As  has  heretofore  been 
said,  his  expedition  against  the  Yakimas  effected 
nothing  but  driving  the  Indians  into  the  very 
country  through  which  I  must  pass  to  reach  the 
settlements. 

"I  therefore  prefer  charges  against  General 
Wool.  I  accuse  him  of  utter  and  signal  inca- 
pacity, of  criminal  neglect  of  my  safety.  I  ask 
for  an  investigation  into  the  matter  and  for  his 
removal  from  command." 

In  January,  1856,  Governor  Stevens  reached 
his  capital  at  Olympia  and  found  that  the  storm 
of  war  was  raging  on  the  west  as  on  the  east  side 
of  the  Cascade  range.  A  full  history  of  opera- 
tions in  the  sound  country  need  not  here  be 
attempted,  but  a  brief  outline  is  essential  to  the 
complete  narration  of  the  second  great  struggle 
for  the  possession  of  Washington  territory.  In 
October,  1855,  the  Indian  situation  became 
threatening,  so  much  so  that  Acting-Governor 
Mason  called  for  the  organization  of  four 
additional  companies,  to  be  considered  as  a 
reserve  force,  their  members  a  species  of  minute 
men,  ready  for  immediate  action  in  case  of 
necessity.  Blockhouses  were  erected  by  the 
settlers  and  other  defensive  measures  adopted. 
The  war  was  given  inception  in  the  manner 
usual  to  savages,  namely,  by  the  indiscriminate 
massacre  of  defenseless  settlers.  In  a  letter 
dated  November  5th,  Christopher  C.  Hewitt 
thus  describes  the  dire  results  of  the  outbreak  to 
the  unoffending  people  of  White  river,  upon 
whom  the  first  blow  fell. 

"We  started  Monday  morning  (October  29th) 
for  the  scene  of  action.  After  two  days'  hard 
work  we  made  the  house  of  Mr.  Cox,  which  we 
found  robbed.  We  next  went  to  Mr.  Jones', 
whose  house  had  been  burnt  to  the  ground;  and 
Mr.  Jones,  being  sick  at  the  time,  was  burnt  in 
it.  The  body  of  Mrs.  Jones  was  found  some 
thirty  yards  from  the  house,  shot  through  the 
lower  part  of  the  lungs,  her  face  and  jaws 
horribly  broken  and  mutilated,  apparently  with 
the  head  of  an  axe.  The  bones  of  Mr.  Jones 
were  found,  the  flesh  having  been  roasted  and 
eaten  off  by  hogs.  Mr.  Cooper,  who  lived  with 
Mr.  Jones,  was  found  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  from  the  house,  shot  through  the 
lungs.  After  burying  the  bodies,  we  proceeded 
to  the  house  of  W.  H.  Brown,  a  mile  distant. 
Mrs.  Brown  and  her  infant,  apparently  ten 
months  old,  we  found  in  the  well,  the  mother 
stabbed  in  the  back  and  head  and  also  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  left  breast,  the  child  not  dressed 
but  no  marks  of  violence  noticeable  upon  it  Mr. 
Brown  was  found  in  the  house,  literally  cut  to 
pieces.  We  next  went  to  the  house  of  Mr.  King, 
or  to  the   site   of  it,  for  it  had  been  burnt  to  the 


ground.  Mr. "King  and  the  two  little  children 
were  burnt  in  the  house,  and  the  body  of  Mr. 
King,  after  being  roasted,  had  been  almost  eaten 
up  by  hogs.  Mrs.  King  was  some  thirty  yards 
from  the  house.  She  had  been  shot  through  the 
heart  and  was  horribly  mutilated.  Three  chil- 
dren were  saved,  one  the  son  of  Mr.  King  and 
two  of  Mr.  Jones. ' ' 

On  hearing  of  the  outbreak,  General  Wool 
sent  additional  troops  and  the  regulars  and 
volunteers  carried  on  such  warfare  with  the  wily 
Indians  as  the  nature  of  the  country  would 
permit.  But  the  winter  season,  which  is  very 
rainy  on  the  sound,  and  the  dense  primeval  forest 
that  covered  the  land,  rendered  campaigning 
against  an  elusive  enemy  exceedingly  difficult 
and  unsatisfactory.  In  the  desultory  fighting 
which  followed  the  outbreak,  a  number  of  reg- 
ulars lost  their  lives,  among  them  the  gallant  and 
manly  Lieutenant  William  A.  Slaughter,  and, 
though  losses  were  also  inflicted  upon  the 
Indians,  little  was  accomplished  toward  the  win- 
ning of  a  permanent  peace. 

Upon  his  arrival,  Governor  Stevens,  with  his 
usual  vigor  and  resourcefulness,  set  about  the 
onerous  task  of  placing  the  territory  on  a  satis- 
factory war  footing.  He  contended  that  the 
volunteers  who  had  been  mustered  into  the 
service  of  the  United  States  had  been  treated 
badly,  so  that  it  was  proper  that  volunteers  there- 
after enlisted  should  be  under  the  direction  of  the 
territorial  authorities  alone.  As  the  term  of 
enlistment  of  those  volunteers  called  out  by 
Acting-Governor  Mason  was  about  to  expire,  he 
issued  a  proclamation  calling  for  six  companies, 
reciting  as  the  occasion  for  his  so  doing  that 
"during  the  past  three  months  a  band  of  hostile 
Indians  had  been  spreading  alarm  amongst  the 
settlers  residing  on  Puget  sound,  murdering  the 
families,  destroying  property,  causing  claims  to 
be  abandoned,  and  preventing  the  usual  avoca- 
tions of  the  farmer,  whereby  a  large  portion  of 
the  territory  had  become  deserted ;  and  positive 
want,  if  not  starvation,  stares  us  in  the  face  dur- 
ing the  coming  year." 

Three  days  after  this  proclamation  was 
issued,  an  event  happened  which  effectually 
proved  that  the  call  of  the  executive  was  not 
unwarranted.  It  had  been  impossible  for  the 
hostile  Indians  to  secure  the  co-operation  and 
support  of  all  their  race  residing  upon  the  sound, 
biit  many  remained  friendly  to  the  whites.  In 
order  to  win  over  to  hostility  these  friendly  and 
neutral  tribes,  a  bold  move  was  determined  upon 
by  the  red  men  in  arms,  one  "utterly  inexpli- 
cable, considering  their  usual  mode  of  warfare." 
At  8:30  o'clock  in  the  morning  an  attack  was 
made  on  the  town  of  Seattle,  notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  an  American  armed  vessel  was  lying 
at  anchor  in  the  harbor.  All  day  long  the  firing 
continued.  Two  white  men  were  killed  and  a 
number  of  Indians,  just  how  many  could  not  be 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


ascertained,  though  a  shell  from  the  United 
States  ship  (the  Decatur)  is  said  to  have  killed 
five.  The  Indians  were  not  successful  in  their 
attempt  to  seize  the  town.  Had  they  been, 
"thereby  would  have  been  settled  the  question 
by  the  great  number  of  Indians  upon  the  reser- 
vations who  yet  doubted  as  to  which  party  should 
have  their  allegiance." 

The  defeat  on  White  river  of  the  hostile  chief, 
Leschi,  by  a  force  of  friendly  Indians  under 
Patkanim  on  February  15th,  brought  the  war 
practically  to  a  close  in  the  vicinity  of  Seattle 
and  the  White,  Green  and  Snoqualmie  rivers. 
Thereafter  the  scene  of  hostilities  shifted  to  the 
Nisqually  country,  where  Quiemuth  and  Stehi 
were  in  command  of  the  Indian  enemy.  Colonel 
Casey,  of  the  regulars,  was  opposed  to  them  and 
Major  G.  Hays,  with  a  battalion  of  volunteers, 
was  ordered  to  the  scene  to  co-operate  with  him. 
March  10th  the  volunteers  had  a  battle  with  the 
red  men  on  Connell's  prairie,  the  details  of  which 
were  reported  by  Hays  as  follows: 

At  about  eight  o'clock  this  morning,  Captain  White 
with  his  company  was  ordered  to  the  White  river  to  build 
a  blockhouse  and  ferry,  supported  by  Captain  Swindal  and 
ten  privates.  He  had"  not  proceeded  more  than  half  a  mile 
from  the  camp  when  he  was  attacked  by  a  large  Indian 
force,  supposed  to  be  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty 
warriors  and  a  large  number  of  squaws.  I  immediately 
ordered  Captain  Henness  to  his  support  with  twenty  men. 
Captain  Henness  moved  with  great  rapidity,  a  tremendous 
volley  of  guns  announcing  his  arrival.  I  became  satisfied 
that  an  additional  force  was  necessary,  and  despatched 
Lieutenant  Martin,  of  Company  B,  with  fifteen  additional 
men.  The  Indians  by  this  time  were  seen  extending  their 
flank  to  the  left  with  great  rapidity.  I  then  ordered  Lieu- 
tenant Van  O.^le,  Company  B,  with  fifteen  men  to  check 
their  flank  movement,  but  before  he  could  gain  a  position 
they  had  so  extended  their  line  as  to  make  it  necessary  to 
send  another  party  of  twelve  men  under  command  of 
Captain  Rabbeson,  who  succeeded  in  checking  them. 
The  fight  by  this  time  extended  the  whole  length  of  our 
line,  and  one  continuous  volley  could  be  heard  from  the 
Indian  guns  on  the  hill  ani  those  of  our  men  in  the  bottom. 
This  firing  continued  some  two  hours.  I  saw  the  advantage 
which  the  Indians  had  in  position,  and  determined  to 
charge  them.  I  ordered  Captain  Swindal  to  charge  them 
from  his  position,  which  was  central,  and  Captain  Rabbe- 
son to  make  a  simultaneous  move  against  their  extreme 
left,  while  Captain  Henness  and  Captain  White  were 
ordered  to  hold  the  position  which  they  occupied. 

This  order  was  promptly  obeyed  and  the  charge  made 
in  the  most  gallant  stvle  by  Captain  Swindal  against  their 
center,  and  Captain  Rabbeson  against  their  left,  through 
a  deep  slough,  driving  the  enemy  from  their  position  and 
pursuing  them  some  distance  in  their  flight.  Captain 
Rabbeson  returned  to  camp,  while  Captain  Swindal 
occupied  a  high  ridge  in  the  rear  of  the  main  body  of  the 
Indians.  I  ordered  Captain  Rabbeson  to  join  Captains 
Henness  and  White,  and  directed  Captain  Henness  to 
charge  the  Indians  if  he  deemed  it  advisable.  The  Indians 
in  front  of  Captains  White  and  Henness  were  in  strong 
position  behind  logs  and  trees  and  upon  an  elevation.  It 
was  deemed  too  dangerous  to  charge  them  in  front. 
Captain  Rabbeson  was  ordered  to  join  Captain  Swindal, 
make  a  flank  movement  to  the  right,  and  charge  the  enemy 
in  their  rear.  This  order  was  gallantly  obeyed.  Simul- 
taneously with  this  movement,  Captains  Henness  and 
White  charged  them  in  front.  The  Indians  were  routed 
and  were  pursued  for  a  mile  or  more  along  a  trail  covered 
with  blood.     It  is  believed  that  not  less  than  twenty-five 


or  thirty  were  killed  and  as  many  wounded.  They  had 
been  seen  carrying  off  their  wounded  'and  dead  from  the 
time  the  fight  commenced  until  it  terminated.  Withes  and 
ropes  were  found  on  the  ground  they  occupied,  which  had 
been  used  in  dragging  off  their  deadinto  the  brush.  Hats, 
blankets  and  shirts  were  picked  up  with  bullet  holes  in 
them  stained  with  blood.  They  were  forced  to  give  up 
their  drum,  which  they  abandoned  in  their  retreat.  But 
two  Indians  were  found  dead  on  the  field,  one  of  whom  was 
recognized  as  Chehalis  John.  The  other  was  placed  under 
a  log.  and  has  not  vet  been  examined.  The  Indians  had 
together  their  whole  force  They  picked  their  own 
ground.  They  brought  on  the  attack  without  being  seen 
by  our  troops.  I  regard  the  victory  of  this  day  as  com- 
plete— a  grand  triumph.  They  exceeded  us  in  numbers 
nearly  if  not  quite  two  to  one,  and  we  whipped  and  drove 
them  before  us.  We  had  four  men  wounded,  all  of  whom 
will  soon  get  well. 

After  this  battle  the  Indians  were  never  again 
brought  to  a  general  engagement,  though  there 
was  some  desultory  fighting.  On  the  23d  of 
May,  Lieutenant-Colonel  B.  F.  Shaw,  who  was 
then  in  command  of  the  volunteers,  called  a 
council  of  his  officers  to  consider  the  advisability 
of  withdrawing  from  the  sound,  leaving  the 
regulars  to  maintain  peace,  and  making  an  expe- 
dition into  the  Inland  Empire.  The  council 
unanimously  decided  in  favor  of  the  expedition, 
giving  the  following  reasons  for  such  decision: 

"The  mounted  volunteers  having  crossed  the 
mountains,  the  necessity  of  protecting  the  settle- 
ments west  of  the  mountains  devolved  upon  the 
United  States  infantry  commanded  by  Lieuten- 
ant-Colonel Casey.  Should  the  volunteers  remain 
west  of  the  mountains,  they  assumed  that  Lieu- 
tenant-Colonel Casey  would  be  obliged  to  go  east 
of  the  mountains  and  to  join  Colonel  Wright,  and 
that,  while  infantry  were  best  adapted  to  the 
service  west  of  the  Cascades,  the  mounted  volun- 
teers could  operate  in  the  regions  east.  The 
Yakimas  were  the  leading  element  of  the  hostile 
party.  Their  main  strength  must  be  broken 
before  pursuing  individuals  or  small  parties. 
They  asserted  that.if  Colonel  Wright  did  whip  the 
hostiles  with  infantry,  he  could  not  follow  them 
after  a  fight.  If  the  volunteers  remained  west 
of  the  mountains,  they  were  powerless  to  check 
an  enemy  over  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  off. 
The  volunteers  must  make  a  fight  before  going 
out  of  service.  Sufficient  troops  would  still 
remain  west  of  the  mountains  to  protect  the  set- 
tlements. It  was  necessary  that  depots  of  provi- 
sions should  be  established  in  the  Yakima 
country  before  the  winter.  The  Indians  west  of 
the  mountains  had  been  repeatedly  defeated; 
whilst  those  east  of  the  mountains  had  never 
been  checked." 

In  conformity  with  this  decision,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Shaw  set  out  over  the  Cascades,  via  the 
Naches  pass.  But  before  tracing  his  operations 
on  the  east  side  it  will  be  necessary  to  return  to 
the  Oregon  volunteers  whom  we  left  in  the  Walla 
Walla  country  and  review  their  further  fortunes 
and  movements,  as  also  those  of  Colonel  Wright 
and  the  regulars  under  his  command.      Details  of 


78 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  winter  campaign  of  the  Oregon  volunteer 
regiment  need  not  be  given.  Much  effort  was 
expended  in  discovering  caches  of  provisions  and 
otherwise  foraging  for  supplies.  The  Indians  in 
December  withdrew  across  Snake  river,  whither 
the  volunteers  could  not  follow  them  for  want  of 
boats.  But  in  February  six  were  constructed  of 
whip-sawed  lumber  and  caulked  with  pine  pitch, 
and  in  these,  transported  in  wagons  to  the  place 
where  needed,  the  regiment  crossed  the  Snake 
twenty-five  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Palouse,  dispersing  a  small  band  of  hostiles  that 
opposed  their  crossing,  and  capturing  their 
horses.  An  extensive  survey  of  the  country 
between  the  Palouse  and  Columbia  rivers  was 
made,  then  a  part  of  the  command  returned  to 
Walla  Walla,  but  the  main  body  under  Colonel 
Thomas  R.  Cornelius,  who  in  December  had 
succeeded  Colonel  Nesmith,  resigned,  moved  to 
a  point  on  the  Columbia  opposite  the  mouth  of 
the  Yakima  river.  Cornelius  was  delayed  some- 
what in  his  contemplated  march  into  the  Yakima 
country  by  lack  of  supplies,  but  on  April  5th, 
with  two  hundred  and  forty-one  efficient  men,  he 
started.  Next  day  on  Canyon  creek  the  hostiles 
were  met.  No  engagement  took  place  that  night. 
The  following  morning,  however,  Captain  Hem- 
bree  with  a  small  detachment  was  attacked  while 
reconnoitering,  and  Hembree  was  killed,  after 
having  despatched  two  Indians,  the  rest  of  the 
squad  escaping  back  to  camp  and  giving  the 
alarm.  Major  Cornoyer  pursued  the  enemy, 
came  upon  them  toward  evening  in  a  fortified 
position,  charged  them  and  killed  six  of  their 
number.  Thus  by  a  loss  of  eight  did  the  red 
men  atone  for  the  killing  and  subsequent  mutila- 
tion of  Hembree. 

On  the  8th  the  command  set  out  towards 
The  Dalles.  While  encamped  in  the  Klickitat 
valley  they  lost  a  number  of  their  horses,  but 
further  than  that  experienced  no  reverses  en 
route  and  inflicted  no  damage  upon  the  Indians 
except  the  killing  of  two.  In  May  the  regi- 
ment was  disbanded,  but  from  it  was  formed 
companies,  which,  however,  were'  also  mustered 
out  in  August. 

We  turn  now  to  the  operations  of  the  regular 
troops  east  of  the  mountains,  during  the  year 
1856.  In  instructions  to  Colonel  George  Wright, 
issued  in  January,  General  Wool  directed  that 
two  movements  should  be  inaugurated  as  soon 
as  climatic  conditions  should  permit.  "Expedi- 
tions should  be  prepared,"  said  he,  "at  the  earli- 
est possible  moment;  that  is,  as  soon  as  grass  can 
be  obtained,  for  Walla  Walla  and  the  Selah  fish- 
eries. As  the  snow  will  not  allow  the  expedition 
to  the  latter  so  early  by  three  or  four  weeks,  the 
one  to  the  former  will  be  taken  as  soon  as  the 
season  will  permit,  with  four  or  five  companies 
and  three  howitzers.  It  is  desirable  that  the 
expedition  should  be  conducted  with  reference  to 
selecting   a   proper   position   for  a  post,  and  to 


ascertain  the  feelings  and  dispositions  of  the  sev- 
eral tribes  in  that  section  of  the  country.  I  do 
not  believe  they  will  continue  the  war  a  great 
while.  The  occupation  of  the  country  between 
the  Walla  Walla,  Touchet  and  Snake  rivers,  and 
the  opposite  side  of  the  Columbia,  will  very  soon 
bring  those  tribes  to  terms.  The  occupation  at 
the  proper  time  of  the  Yakima  country  from  the 
Ahtanum  mission,  and  that  on  the  river  above 
and  below  the  Selah  fishery,  will  compel  the 
Yakimas,  I  think,  to  sue  for  peace  or  abandon 
their  country." 

It  was  such  instructions  as  these  that  occa- 
sioned the  unfriendly  criticism  of  the  people  of 
the  Northwest.  "Not  a  word,"  observed  Evans, 
"as  to  chastising  the  perfidious  murderers  of  our 
citizens,  nor  the  enforcement  of  the  treaties,  nor 
for  the  punishment  of  hostile  acts  which  had 
destroyed  the  business  of  the  country  and 
retarded  its  settlement — not  a  word  as  to  check- 
ing raids  and  depredations  on  isolated  settlers." 
It  was  such  insulting  instructions  as  that  sent  to 
Colonel  Wright  at  a  later  date — "Should  you 
find,  on  the  arrival  of  the  troops  in  the  Cayuse 
country,  that  a  company  is  necessary  to  give  pro- 
tection to  the  Cayuse  Indians  from  the  volun- 
teers, you  will  leave  a  company  there  with  a 
howitzer" — that  incited  the  positive  hostility  of 
feeling  of  the  people  towards  Wool. 

March  nth  Colonel  Wright  arrived  at  Fort 
Dalles.  By  the  26th,  he  was  ready  to,  and  on 
that  date  he  did,  start  for  the  Walla  Walla  coun- 
try. The  folly  of  General  Wool's  orders  became 
at  once  apparent.  Had  Wright  made  a  vigor- 
ous movement  against  the  ablest  leader  of  the 
hostiles,  Kamiakin,  as  he  doubtless  would  have 
done  if  he  had  been  instructed  to  reduce  the 
belligerent  Indians  to  submission,  the  Cascades 
tragedy  would  not  have  occurred.  But  the  forces 
on  the  Columbia  had  been  diminished  by  Wool's 
directions,  two  of  the  three  companies  at  Fort 
Vancouver  having  been  sent  to  Steilacoom  about 
the  middle  of  March,  and  on  the  24th  the  com- 
pany at  the  Cascades  having  been  sent  away. 
The  movement  of  Wright  up  the  Columbia  to 
The  Dalles  had  brought  it  about  that  a  large 
amount  of  stores  and  supplies  were  temporarily 
at  the  Cascades,  and  for  them  there  was  no  other 
protection  than  a  detachment  of  eight  men  under 
Sergeant  Matthew  Kelly.  The  watchful  Kamia- 
kin was  fully  aware  of  the  conditions,  and  had 
made  preparations  accordingly. 

The  settlements  were  on  a  narrow  strip  of 
bottom  land  on  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  The 
south  bank  was  precipitous,  affording  no  opportu- 
nity for  settlement.  A  saw-mill  stood  near  the 
upper  end  of  the  portage;  a  little  below  were  a 
number  of  houses  and  shops,  among  which  was 
the  store  of  Bradford  &  Company.  Directly  in 
front  of  this  building's  site  is  an  island,  and  a 
bridge  to  connect  it  with  the  mainland  was  then 
in  process  of  construction.     The  Bradford  Broth- 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


ers  had  been  for  some  time  building  a  tramway 
or  species  of  wooden  railroad  between  the  upper 
and  lower  cascades.  Upon  this  workmen  were 
engaged  building  another  bridge.  There  was 
considerable  activity  in  the  little  village,  whose 
importance  the  Indian  war  operations  had  greatly 
increased.  Two  steamers,  the  Mary  and  the 
Wasco,  lay  at  anchor  in  the  river  on  that  event- 
ful March  morning,  the  quiet  industry  of  which 
was  to  be  so  rudely  disturbed. 

The  usual  activities  had  just  begun  when  the 
blood-curdling  savage  war  whoop  awoke  the 
echoes.  Then  came  the  sharp  reports  of  many 
rifles  all  along  the  line  of  the  settlements.  For- 
tunately an  extended  account  of  the  attack  on 
and  defense  of  the  Bradford  store  by  one  who 
was  present  and  saw  what  he  narrated  has  been 
preserved  for  later  generations.  It  was  embodied 
in  a  letter  by  Lawrence  W.  Coe,  a  partner  of  the 
Bradford  Brothers  in  their  store,  to  Putnam  T. 
Bradford,  who  was  east  at  the  time:  ■»*!£■ 

On  Wednesday,  March  26th,  at  about  8:30  A.  M.,  after 
the  men  had  gone  to  their  work  on  the  two  bridges  of  the 
new  railway,  most  of  them  on  the  bridge  near  Bush's 
house,  the  Yakimas  came  down  on  us.  There  was  a  line 
about  us  from  Mill  creek  to  the  big  point  at  the  head  of  the 
falls,  firing  simultaneously  at  the  men  ;  and  the  first  notice 
we  had  of  them  was  the  firing  and  crack  of  their  guns.  At 
the  first  fire,  one  of  our  men  was  killed  and  several  were 
wounded.  Our  men,  on  seeing  the  Indians,  all  ran  to  our 
store  through  a  shower  of  bullets,  except  three,  who  started 
down  the  stream  for  the  middle  blockhouse,  distant  one 
and  a  half  miles.  Bush  and  his  family  ran  to  our  store, 
leaving  his  own  house  vacant.  The  Watkins  family  came 
into  our  store,  after  a  Dutch  boy  (brother  of  Mrs.  Watkins) 
had  been  shot  in  the  house.  Watkins,  Finlay  and  Bailey 
were  at  work  on  the  new  warehouse  on  the  island,  around 
which  the  water  was  now  high  enough  to  run  about  three 
feet  deep  under  the  bridges.  There  was  grand  confusion 
in  the  store  at  first;  and  Sinclair,  of  Walla  Walla,  going  to 
the  door  to  look  out,  was  shot  in  the  head  and  instantly 
killed.  Some  of  us  commenced  getting  guns  and  rifles, 
which  were  ready  loaded,  from  behind  the  counter.  For- 
tunately, about  an  hour  before,  there  had  been  left  with  us 
for  shipment  below  nine  government  muskets,  with  car- 
tridge boxes  and  ammunition.  These  saved  us.  As  the 
upper  story  of  the  house  was  abandoned,  Smith,  the  cook, 
having  come  below,  and  as  the  stairway  was  outside, 
where  we  dare  not  go,  the  stovepipe  was  hauled  down,  the 
hole  enlarged  with  axes,  and  a  party  of  men  crawled  up; 
and  the  upper  part  of  the  house  was  secured. 

Our  men  soon  got  shots  at  the  Indians  on  the  bank 
above  us.  I  saw  Bush  shoot  an  Indian,  the  first  one  killed, 
who  was  drawing  a  bead  on  Mrs.  Watkins,  as  she  was  run- 
ning for  our  store.  He  dropped  instantly.  Alexander  and 
others  mounted  into  the  gable  under  our  roof;  and  from 
there  was  done  the  most  of  our  firing,  as  it  was  the  best 
place  for  observation.  In  the  meantime,  we  were  barri- 
cading the  store,  making  loopholes  and  firing  when  oppor- 
tunity presented  itself.  I  took  charge  of  the  store,  Dan 
Bradford  of  the  second  floor,  and  Alexander  of  the  garret 
and  roof.    • 

The  steamer  Mary  was  lying  in  Mill  creek;  the  wind 
was  blowing  hard  down  stream.  Then  we  saw  Indians 
running  towards  her  and  heard  shots.  I  will  give  you  an 
account  of  the  attack  on  her  hereafter.  The  Indians  now 
returned  in  force  to  us ;  and  we  gave  everyone  a  shot  who 
showed  himself.  They  were  nearly  naked,  painted  red 
and  had  guns  and  bows  and  arrows.  After  a  while,  Finlay 
came  creeping  around  the  lower  point  of  the  island  towards 
our  house.     We  halloed  to  him  to  lie  down  behind  a  rock  ; 


and  he  did  so.  He  called  that  he  could  not  get  to  the  store, 
as  the  bank  above  us  was  covered  with  Indians.  He  saw 
Watkins'  house  burn  while  there.  The  Indians  first  took 
out  everything  they  wanted, — blankets,  clothes,  guns,  etc. 
By  this  time  the  Indians  had  crossed  in  canoes  to  the 
island ;  and  we  saw  them  coming,  as  we  supposed,  after 
Finlay.  We  then  saw  Watkins  and  Bailey  running  around 
the  river  side  towards  the  place  where  Finlay  was,  and  the 
Indians  in  full  chase  after  them.  As  our  men  came  around 
the  point  in  full  view,  Bailey  was  shot  through  the  arm  and 
leg.  He  continued  on  and  plunging  into  the  river  swam 
to  the  front  of  our  store  and  came  in  safely,  except  for  his 
wounds.  Fmlay  also  swam  across  and  got  in  unharmed, 
which  was  wonderful,  as  there  was  a  shower  of  bullets 
around  him. 

Watkins  came  next,  running  around  the  point;  and  we 
called  to  him  to  lie  down  behind  the  rocks;  but  before  he 
could  do  so  he  was  shot  through  the  wrist,  the  ball  going 
up  the  arm  and  out  above  the  elbow.  He  dropped  behind 
a  rock  just  as  the  pursuing  Indians  came  around  the  point; 
but  we  gave  them  so  hot  a  reception  from  our  house  that 
they  backed  out  and  left  poor  Watkins  where  he  lay.  We 
called  to  him  to  lie  still,  and  we  would  get  him  off;  but  we 
were  not  able  to  do  so  until  the  arrival  of  the  troops — two 
days  and  nights  afterwards.  During  this  time  he  fainted 
several  times  from  cold  and  exposure,  the  weather  being 
very  cold;  and  he  was  stripped  down  to  the  underclothes 
for  swimming.  When  he  fainted  he  would  roll  down  the 
steep  bank  into  the  river;  and,  the  ice-cold  water  reviving 
him,  he  would  crawl  back  under  fire  to  his  retreat  behind 
the  rock.  Meantime  his  wife  and  children  were  in  the  store 
in  full  view,  and  moaning  piteously  at  his  situation.  He 
died  from  exhaustion  two  days  after  he  was  rescued. 

The  Indians  were  now  pitching  into  us  "right  smart." 
They  tried  to  burn  us  out — threw  rocks  and  fire  brands, 
hot  irons,  pitch  wood—  everything  onto  the  roof  that  would 
burn.  But  as  the  bank  for  a  short  distance  back  of  the 
store  inclined  towards  us,  we  could  see  and  shoot  the 
Indians  who  appeared  there.  So  they  had  to  throw  for 
such  a  distance  that  the  largest  rocks  and  bundles  of  fire 
did  not  quite  reach  us;  and  what  did  generally  rolled  off 
the  roof.  Sometimes  the  roof  caught  on  fire;  and  we  cut 
it  out,  or  with  cups  of  brine  drawn  from  pork  barrels  put 
it  out,  or  with  long  sticks  shoved  off  the  fire-ball.  The 
kitchen  roof  troubled  us  the  most.  How  they  did  pepper 
us  with  rocks !  Some  of  the  biggest  ones  would  shake  the 
house  all  over. 

There  were  now  forty  men,  women  and  children  in 
the  house — four  women  and  eighteen  men  who  could  fight, 
and  eighteen  children  and  wounded  men.  The  steamer 
Wasco  was  on  the  Oregon  side  of  the  river.  We  saw  her 
steam  up  and  leave  for  The  Dalles.  Shortly  after  the 
steamer  Mary  also  left.  She  had  to  take  Atwell's  fence 
rails  for  wood.  So  passed  the  day,  during  which  the 
Indians  had  burned  Inman's  two  houses,  Bradford's  saw- 
mill and  houses,  and  the  lumber  yards  at  the  mouth  of 
Mill  creek.  At  daylight  they  set  fire  to  Bradford's  new 
warehouse  on  the  island,  making  it  as  light  as  day  around 
us.  They  did  not  attack  us  at  night,  but  on  the  second 
morning  commenced  again  lively  as  ever.  We  had  no 
water,  but  did  have  about  two  dozen  of  ale  and  a  few  bot- 
tles of  whiskey.  These  gave  out  during  the  day.  During 
the  night,  a  Spokane  Indian,  who  was  traveling  with  Sin- 
clair and  was  in  the  store  with  us,  volunteered  to  get  a  pail 
of  water  from  the  river.  I  consented,  and  he  stripped 
himself  naked,  jumped  out  and  down  the  bank,  and  was 
back  in  no  time.  We  weathered  it  out  during  the  day, 
every  man  keeping  his  post,  and  never  relaxing  his  vigi- 
lance. Every  moving  object,  bush,  shadow  or  suspicious 
thing  on  the  hillside  received  a  shot.  Night  came  again  ; 
we  saw  Sheppard's  house  burn.  Bush's  house  was  also 
fired,  and  kept  us  in  light  until  four  A.  M. ,  when,  darkness 
returning,  I  sent  the  Spokane  Indian  for  water  from  the 
river;  he  filled  four  barrels.  He  went  to  and  fro  like  light- 
ning. He  also  slipped  poor  James  Sinclair's  body  down 
the  slide  outside,  as  the  corpse  was  quite  offensive. 

The  two  steamers  having  exceeded  the  length  of  time 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


which  we  gave  them  to  return  from  The  Dalles,  we  made 
up  our  minds  for  a  long  siege,  until  relief  came  from 
below.  The  third  morning  dawned;  and  lo!  the  Mary 
and  the  Wasco,  blue  with  soldiers,  and  towing  a  flalboat 
loaded  with  dragoon  horses,  hove  in  sight.  Such  a  halloa 
as  we  gave!  As  the  steamers  landed,  the  Indians  fired 
twenty  or  thirty  shots  into  ihem;  but  we  could  not  ascer- 
tain with  what  effect.  The  soldiers  as  they  got  ashore 
could  not  be  restrained,  and  plunged  into  the  woods  in 
every  direction;  while  the  howitzers  sent  grape  after  the 
retreating  redskins.  The  soldiers  were  soon  at  our  doors; 
and  we  experienced  quite  a  feeling  of  relief  in  opening 
them. 

Now  as  to  the  attack  on  the  steamer  Mary  on  the  first 
day  of  the  fight.  She  lay  in  Mill  creek,  and  no  fires,  and 
wind  blowing  hard  ashore.  Jim  Thompson,  John  Woodard 
and  Jim  Herman  were  just  going  up  to  her  from  our  store 
when  they  were  fired  upon.  Herman  asked  if  they  had 
any  guns.  No.  He  went  on  up  to  Inman's  house,  the  rest 
stayed  to  help  get  the  steamer  out.  Captain  Dan  Baugb- 
man  and  Thompson  were  on  shore,  hauling  on  lines  in  the 
upper  side  of  the  creek,  when  the  firing  of  the  Indians 
became  so  hot  that  they  ran  for  the  woods  past  Inman's 
house.  The  fireman,  James  Lindsay,  was  shot  through 
the  shoulder.  Engineer  Buckminster  shot  an  Indian  with 
his  revolver  on  the  gang  plank,  and  little  Johnny  Chance 
went  climbing  up  on  the  hurricane  deck,  and  killed  his 
Indian  with  an  old  dragoon  pistol;  but  he  was  shot  through 
the  leg  in  doing  so.  Dick  Turpra,  half  crazy,  probably, 
taking  the  only  gun  on  the  steamer,  jumped  into  a  flatboat 
alongside,  was  shot,  and  jumped  overboard  and  was 
drowned.  Fires  were  soon  started  under  the  boiler  and 
steam  was  rising.  About  this  time,  Jesse  Kempton,  shot 
while  driving  an  ox  team  from  the  mill,  got  on  board;  also 
a  halfbreed  named  Bourbon,  who  was  shot  through  the 
body.  After  sufficient  steam  to  move  was. raised,  Hardin 
Chenoweth  ran  up  into  the  pilot  house,  and,  lying  on  the 
floor,  turned  the  wheel  as  he  was  directed  from  the  lower 
deck.  It  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  the  pilot  house  was 
a  target  for  the  Indians.  The  steamer  picked  up  Herman 
on  the  bank  above.  Inman's  family,  Sheppard  and  Van- 
derpool  all  got  across  the  river  in  skiffs,  and  boarding  the 
Mary  were  taken  to  The  Dalles. 

In  the  same  letter  Mr.  Coe  thus  narrates  the 
incidents  of  the  attack  which  was  made  on  the 
Lower  Cascades  simultaneously  with  that  on  the 
store : 

George  Johnson  was  about  to  get  a  boat's  crew  of 
Indians,  when  Indian  Jack  came  running  to  him,  saying 
that  the  Yakimas  had  attacked  the  blockhouse.  He  did 
not  believe 'it,  although  he  heard  the  cannon.  He  went  up 
to  the  Indian  village  on  the  sandbar  to  get  his  crew,  and 
saw  some  ot  the  Cascade  Indians,  who  said  they  thought 
the  Yakimas  had  come;  and  George,  now  hearing  the 
muskets,  ran  for  home.  E.  W.  Baughman  was  with  him. 
Bill  Murphy  had  left  the  blockhouse  early  for  the  Indian 
camp,  and  had  nearly  returned  before  he  saw  the  Indians 
or  was  shot  at.  He  returned,  two  others  with  him,  and 
ran  for  George  Johnson's,  with  about  thirty  Indians  in 
chase.  After  reaching  Johnson's,  Murphy  continued  on 
and  gave  Hamilton  and  all  below  warning;  and  the  fami- 
lies embarked  in  small  boats  for  Vancouver.  The  men 
would  have  barricaded  in  the  warehouse,  but  for  want  of 
ammunition.  There  was  considerable  government  freight 
in  the  wharf  boat.  They  stayed  about  the  wharf  boat  and 
schooner  nearly  all  day.  and  until  the  Indians  commenced 
firing  upon  them  from' the  zinc-house  on  the  bank.  They 
then  shoved  out.  Tommy  Pierce  was  shot  through  the  leg 
in  getting  the  boats  into  the  stream.  Floating  down,  they 
met  the  steamer  Belle  with  Sheridan  and  forty  men,  sent  up 
on  report  of  an  express  carried  down  by  Indian  Simpson  in 
the  morning.  George  and  those  with  him  went  on  board 
the  steamer  and  volunteered  to  serve  under  Sheridan,  who 
landed  at  George's  place  and  found  everything  burned. 


The  timely  warning  by  Indian  Jack  enabled 
all  the  people  to  escape  with  their  lives,  though 
the  houses  were  burned  and  much  government 
property  destroyed. 

But  how  fared  the  middle  blockhouse,  com- 
monly known  as  Fort  Rains?  As  heretofore 
stated  there  were  at  this  place  eight  soldiers 
under  Sergeant  Kelly.  The  commander  of  this 
squad  had  been  warned  the  day  previous  that 
Indians  in  the  vicinity  were  acting  suspiciously 
but  gave  the  matter  no  serious  attention.  When 
the  attack  came,  the  members  of  the  detachment 
were  quite  widely  scattered  and  one  of  the  num- 
ber, Frederick  Bernaur,  had  gone  to  the  Upper 
Cascades  for  a  canteen  of  whiskey.  This  mau, 
on  attempting  to  return,  was  shot  through  both 
legs,  but  managed  to  keep  himself  concealed, 
supporting  his  failing  strength  with  the  whiskey 
until  night,  when  he  stole  into  the  blockhouse. 
The  others,  as  soon  as  the  truth  became  known, 
rushed  for  the  protection  of  the  fortification, 
and  all  reached  it  except  Lawrence  Rooney,  who 
was  captured  by  the  Indians.  The  few  families 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  blockhouse  also  sought  its 
protection,  but  were  not  so  fortunate,  several  of 
their  number  being  severely  wounded  in  crossing 
the  line  of  Indian  fire.  "We  had,"  said  Ser- 
geant Robert  Williams  in  his  narrative  of  the 
attack,  "seven  wounded  and  three  killed. 
Among  the  latter  was  Mr.  Griswold,  who  might 
have  escaped  his  death  but  for  his  overconfidence 
in  the  friendliness  of  the  Indians  toward  him. 
The  German  boy,  Kyle,  mentioned  in  Mr.  Coe's 
narrative,  was  killed  while  riding  on  horseback 
clown  the  road  on  the  hill  in  front  of  us.  The 
Indian  that  shot  him  stood  by  the  side  of  a  tree 
close  to  the  road,  his  gun  almost  reaching  to  the 
poor  boy,  who  fell  instantly  upon  being  shot. 

"Tom  McDowell  and  Jehu  Switzler  and 
another  man  to  me  before  unknown,  were  on 
their  way  from  the  Upper  to  the  Lower  Cascades, 
but  before  they  had  proceeded  far  they  discovered 
hostile  Indians.  Being  themselves  unarmed,  they 
made  a  desperate  effort  to  reach  the  blockhouse, 
which  they  did  in  safety.  They  proved  to  our 
small  force  a  valuable  acquisition.  The  three 
gallantly  aided  us  during  the  defense.  After 
they  had  got  in,  the  door  was  made  secure  by  a 
bolt,  and  then  a  strong  chain  was  drawn  tight 
across.  That  being  completed,  we  gave  our 
savage  enemy  a  treat  of  canister  shot,  fourteen 
rounds  in  all,  from  our  six-pounder  gun,  after 
which  they  precipitately  retired.  But  we  still, 
while  in  reach,  presented  them  with  a  few  shells. 
They  retired  back  of  the  hills,  out  of  range  of 
our  guns,  to  torture  and  put  to  a  horrible  death 
our  unfortunate  comrade  (Lawrence  Rooney), 
whom  they  had  captured.  We  could  not  see 
them  at  it,  but  we  heard  his  piercing  screams. 
After  they  had  accomplished  this  last  inhuman 
and  diabolical  cruelty,  the  main  portion  left  and 
went  to  the  lower  landing." 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


The  second  day  the  Indians  returned  to  the 
siege.  The  men  in  the  blockhouse  were  thus  pre- 
vented from  getting  water,  of  which  the  wounded 
especially  were  in  dire  need.  Their  necessities 
were  relieved  by  the  gallantry  of  Sergeant 
Williams  and  William  Houser,  who  made  their 
way  to  a  saloon  near  by  and  succeeded  in  procur- 
ing some  potables,  but  no  water,  also  a  small 
box  of  crackers.  Next  morning,  the  third  day 
after  the  attack,  relief  came. 

The  movements  by  which  the  horrible  siege  at 
the  Cascades  was  raised  must  now  receive  brief 
treatment.  The  beleaguered  people  managed  to 
send  an  express  to  Colonel  Wright,  who  had 
proceeded  a  few  miles  on  his  way  to  the  Walla 
Walla  country,  apprising  him  of  what  was  trans- 
piring in  the  rear.  He  forthwith  turned  back. 
Word  also  reached  Vancouver,  conveyed  by  fugi- 
tives from  the  Lower  Cascades,  and  soon  Lieuten- 
ant Philip  Sheridan,  who  later  immortalized  his 
name  in  the  Civil  war,  was  sent  to  the  rescue 
with  forty  men.  He  descended  the  river  in  the 
steamer  Belle,  reached  the  Lower  Cascades  early 
in  the  morning  of  the  27th,  disembarked  the  men 
at  a  convenient  place  and  sent  the  steamer  back 
for  volunteer  assistance.  It  is  worthy  of  mention 
that  two  volunteer  companies  were  equipped  in 
Portland  and  Vancouver  and  came  to  the  scene, 
but  were  unable  to  engage  actively  in  any  con- 
flict. Sheridan's  position,  after  landing,  was 
such  that  he  could  not  advance  upon  the  Indians 
in  his  front  without  crossing  over  a  narrow  neck 
of  ground.  He  soon  learned  that  the  foe  was  on 
this  narrow  strip  also. 

"After  getting  well  in  hand  everything  con- 
nected with  my  little  command,"  says  Sheridan, 
"1  advanced  with  five  or  six  men  to  the  edge  of 
a  growth  of  underbrush  to  make  a  reconnois- 
sance.  We  stole  along  under  cover  of  this  under- 
brush until  we  reached  the  open  ground  leading 
over  the  causeway  or  narrow  neck  before  men- 
tioned, when  the  enemy  opened  fire  and  killed  a 
soldier  near  my  side  by  a  shot  which  just  grazed 
the  bridge  of  my  nose,  struck  him  in  the  neck, 
opening  an  artery  and  breaking  the  spinal  cord. 
He  died  instantly.  The  Indians  at  once  made  a 
rush  for  the  body,  but  my  men  in  the  rear,  com- 
ing quickly  to  the  rescue,  drove  them  back;  and 
Captain  Dall's  gun  (a  cannon  borrowed  from  an 
ocean  steamer)  being  now  brought  into  play, 
many  solid  shot  were  thrown  into  the  jungle 
where  they  lay  concealed,  with  the  effect  of  con- 
siderably moderating  their  impetuosity.  Further 
skirmishing  at  long  range  took  place  at  intervals 
during  the  day,  but  with  little  gain  or  loss,  how- 
ever, to  either  side,  for  both  parties  held  positions 
which  could  not  be  assailed  in  flank,  and  only  the 
extreme  of  rashness  in  either  could  prompt  a 
front  attack.  My  left  was  protected  by  the  back- 
water driven  into  the  slough  by  the  high  stage  of 
the  river,  and  my  right  rested  securely  on  the 
main  stream.      Between  us  was  the  narrow  neck 


of  land,  to  cross  which  would  be  certain  death. 
The  position  of  the  Indians  was  almost  the 
counterpart  of  ours." 

Both  belligerents  remained  in  their  respective 
positions  all  day  and  all  night,  but  Sheridan  had 
in  the  meantime  conceived  the  plan  of  crossing 
the  command  in  a  bateau,  which  he  had  brought 
with  him,  to  the  south  side  of  the  Columbia, 
make  his  way  up  the  mountain's  base  to  a  point 
opposite  the  middle  blockhouse,  cross  there  to 
the  north  bank  and  endeavor  to  get  to  the  rear 
of  the  Indian  position.  How  this  hazardous 
plan  was  executed  is  best  told  in  Sheridan's  own 
language: 

"On  the  morning  of  the  28th  the  savages 
were  still  in  my  front,  and,  after  giving  them 
some  solid  shot  from  Captain  Dall's  gun,  we 
slipped  down  to  the  river  bank  and  the  detach- 
ment crossed  by  means  of  the  Hudson's  Bay 
boat,  making  a  landing  on  the  opposite  shore  at 
a  point  where  the  south  channel  of  the  river, 
after  flowing  around  Bradford's  island,  joins  the 
main  stream.  It  was  then  about  nine  o'clock 
and  everything  thus  far  proceeded  favorably. 
But  an  examination  of  the  channel  showed  that 
it  would  be  impossible  to  get  the  boat  up  the 
rapids  along  the  mainland,  and  that  success 
could  only  be  assured  by  crossing  the  south 
channel  just  below  the  rapids  to  the  island,  along 
the  shore  of  which  there  was  every  probability 
we  could  pull  the  boat  through  the  rocks  and 
swift  water  until  the  head  of  the  rapids  was 
reached,  from  which  point  to  the  blockhouse 
there  was  swift  water. 

"Telling  the  men  of  the  embarrassment  in 
which  I  found  myself,  and  that,  if  I  could  get 
enough  of  them  to  man  the  boat  and  pull  it  up 
the  stream  by  a  rope  to  the  shore,  we  would  cross 
to  the  island  and  make  the  attempt,  all  volun- 
teered to  go,  but  as  ten  men  seemed  sufficient,  I 
selected  that  number  to  accompany  me.  Before 
starting,  however,  I  deemed  it  prudent  to  find 
out  if  possible  what  was  engaging  the  attention 
of  the  Indians,  who  had  not  yet  discovered  that 
we  had  left  their  front.  I  therefore  climbed  up 
the  abrupt  mountain  side  which  skirted  the 
water's  edge,  until  I  could  see  across  the  island. 
From  this  point  I  observed  the  Indians  running 
horse-races  and  otherwise  enjoying  themselves 
behind  the  line  they  had  held  against  me  the  day 
before.  The  squaws  decked  out  in  gay  colors, 
and  the  men  gaudily  dressed  in  war  bonnets, 
made  the  scene  very  attractive,  but,  as  every- 
thing looked  propitious  for  the  dangerous  enter- 
prise in  hand,  1  spent  but  little  time  in  watching 
them  and  quickly  returning  to  the  boat,  I  crossed 
to  the  island  with  my  ten  men,  threw  ashore  the 
rope  attached  to  the  bow  and  commenced  the 
difficult  task  of  pulling  her  up  the  rapids.  We 
got  along  slowly  at  first,  but  soon  striking  a 
camp  of  old  squaws,  who  had  been  left  on  the 
island   for  safety  and  had  not  gone  over  to  the 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


mainland  to  see  the  races,  we  utilized  them  to 
our  advantage.  With  unmistakable  threats  and 
signs,  we  made  them  not  only  keep  quiet,  but 
also  give  us  much  needed  assistance  in  pulling 
vigorously  on  the  tow-rope  of  our  boat. 

"I  was  laboring  under  a  dreadful  strain  of 
mental  anxiety  during  all  this  time,  for  had  the 
Indians  discovered  what  we  were  about,  they 
could  easily  have  come  over  to  the  island  in  their 
canoes,  and,  by  forcing  us  to  take  up  our  arms 
to  repel  their  attack,  doubtless  would  have 
obliged  the  abandonment  of  the  boat,  and  that 
essential  adjunct  to  the  final  success  of  my  plan 
would  have  gone  down  the  rapids.  Indeed, 
under  such  circumstances,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  for  ten  men  to  hold  out  against  the 
two  or  three  hundred  Indians;  but  the  island 
forming  an  excellent  screen  to  our  movements, 
we  were  not  discovered,  and  when  we  reached 
the  smooth  water  at  the  upper  end  of  the  rapids, 
we  quickly  crossed  over  and  joined  the  rest  of 
the  men  who  in  the  meantime  had  worked  their 
way  along  the  south  bank  of  the  river  parallel 
with  us.  I  felt  very  grateful  to  our  old  squaws 
for  the  assistance  they  rendered.  They  worked 
well  under  compulsion  and  manifested  no  dis- 
position to  strike  for  higher  wages.  Indeed,  I 
was  so  much  relieved  when  we  had  crossed  over 
from  the  island  and  joined  the  rest  of  the  party, 
that  I  mentally  thanked  the  squaws,  one  and  all. 
I  had  much  difficulty  in  keeping  the  men  on  the 
main  shore  from  cheering  at  our  success,  but 
hurriedly  taking  into  the  bateau  all  of  them  it 
would  carry,  I  sent  the  balance  along  the  south 
bank,  where  the  railroad  is  now  built,  until  both 
detachments  arrived  at  a  point  opposite  the 
blockhouse,  when,  crossing  to  the  north  bank,  I 
landed  below  the  blockhouse  some  little  distance 
and  returned  the  boat  for  the  balance  of  the  men, 
who  joined  me  in  a  few  minutes." 

Hardly  had  Sheridan  landed  and  effected  com- 
munication with  the  beleaguered  blockhouse, 
when  the  advance  of  Wright's  returning  command 
under  Lieutenant-Colonel  Edward  J.  Steptoe 
arrived.  A  conference  between  Sheridan  and 
Steptoe  resulted  in  the  former's  being  sent  with 
a  reinforcement  to  the  island  he  had  just  left  to 
capture  the  Cascade  Indians,  who,  it  was  thought, 
would  flee  to  the  island,  while  the  Yakimas 
would  retreat  into  the  interior  of  their  own 
country.  As  expected,  the  Yakimas  and  Klicki- 
tats  fled  precipitately  on  the  approach  of  Steptoe's 
command,  and  the  Cascades,  deserted  by  their 
quondam  allies,  fell  into  the  power  of  Sheridan. 
Some  of  them  were  tried  by  military  commis- 
sion. Being  under  treaty,  they  were  adjudged 
guilty  of  treason  in  fighting  and  nine  were 
summarily  hanged.  The  remainder  of  the 
Cascades  were  kept  on  the  island  under  military 
surveillance. 

April  28th  Colonel  Wright  with  five  com- 
panies   started    into    the    Yakima   country,  and 


camping  on  the  Naches  river  on  the  18th  of  May, 
he  remained  there  about  a  month.  He  was 
visited  at  intervals  by  chiefs  professing  a  desire 
for  peace,  but  the  Indian  plan  was  to  affect  to 
have  two  parties,  one  wishing  hostilities  to  cease, 
the  other  advocating  the  continuance  of  the  war. 
Their  strategy  consisted  in  the  use  of  dilatory 
tactics,  playing  one  party  in  their  own  ranks 
against  another  and  making  representations, 
true  or  false,  which  would  stay  the  hand  of  their 
opponent  until  they  could  collect  supplies.  In 
this  they  succeeded  admirably. 

"The  history  of  Wright's  operations,  as  given 
in  his  reports,"  writes  Mrs.  Victor,  "shows  a 
summer  spent  in  trailing  Indians  from  place  to 
place,  from  fishery  to  fishery,  and  over  moun- 
tains before  thought  impassable  for  troops, 
dragging  after  them  their  season's  supplies  and 
accomplishing  nothing  but  to  collect  the  noncom- 
batants  of  the  disaffected  tribes  upon  a  reserva- 
tion in  Oregon,  where  they  were  secure  from  the 
turmoil  of  war  and  at  liberty  to  spy  on  either 
side." 

As  before  stated,  Lieutenant-Colonel  Shaw, 
of  the  Washington  volunteers,  started  for  the 
Walla  Walla  country  early  in  June.  Arriving  at 
the  Yakima  country  while  Wright  was  there,  he 
offered  to  co-operate  with  the  regulars,  which 
offer  was  declined.  He  therefore  continued  his 
march  to  the  Columbia  at  a  point  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  Umatilla  river.  Seventy-five  men 
of  his  command,  under  Captain  Goff,  had  been 
sent  to  co-operate  with  Major  Layton,  of  the 
Oregon  volunteers,  in  raiding  the  John  Day 
country.  By  capturing  horses  and  supplies, 
these  forces  compelled  many  Indians,  some  of 
whom  were  supposed  to  be  hostile  and  some  who 
might  at  any  time  be  induced  to  become  so, 
to  seek  the  protection  of  the  Warm  Springs 
reservation. 

Acting  upon  Governor  Stevens'  instructions 
to  "spare  no  exertion  to  reduce  to  unconditional 
submission  any  hostiles  within  reach,"  Colonel 
Shaw  determined  to  attack  a  force  of  the  enemy 
whom  he  ascertained  to  be  encamped  in  the 
Grand  Ronde  valley.  Pushing  rapidly  over  the 
mountains,  he  encountered  the  hostiles  July  17th, 
and  in  a  decisive  battle  drove  them  as  fugitives 
in  every  direction.  The  story  of  this  fight  is 
vividly  told  by  the  Colonel  himself  in  the  follow- 
ing language: 

We  arrived  in  the  Grande  Ronde  valley  on  the  even- 
ing of  the  16th  and  camped  on  a  branch  of  the  Grande 
Ronde  river  in  the  timber,  sending  spies  in  advance,  who 
returned  and  reported  no  fresh  signs.  On  the  morning  of 
the  17th,  leaving  Major  Blankenship.  of  the  central,  and 
Captain  Miller,  of  the  southern  battalion,  assisted  by  Cap- 
tain DeLacy,  to  take  up  the  line  of  march  for  the  main 
valley,  I  proceeded  ahead  to  reconnoiter,  accompanied  by 
Major  Maxon,  Michael  Marchmean,  Captain  John  and 
Doctor  Burns.  After  proceeding  about  five  miles  we 
ascended  a  knoll  in  the  valley,  from  which  we  discovered 
dust  rising  along  the  timber  of  the  river.  I  immediately 
sent  Major  Maxon  and  Captain  John   forward  to  recon- 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


83 


noiter  and  returned  to  hurry  up  the  command,  which  was 
not  far  distant.  The  command  was  instantly  formed  in 
order;  Captain  Miller's  company  in  advance,  supported  by 
Maxon's,  Henness'  and  Powell's  companies,  leaving  the 
pack  train  in  charge  of  the  guard  under  Lieutenant  Good- 
man, with  a  detachment  ot  Goff's  company,  under  Lieu- 
tenant Wait,  and  Lieutenant  Williams'  company  in  reserve 
with  orders  to  follow  on  after  the  command. 

The  whole  command  moved  on  quietly  in  this  order 
until  within  one-half  mile  of  the  Indian  village,  when  we 
discovered  that  the  pack  train  had  moved  to  the  left,  down 
the  Grande  Ronde  river.  At  this  moment  a  large  body 
of  warriors  came  forward  singing  and  whooping,  and  one 
of  them  waving  a  white  man's  scalp  on  a  pole.  One  of 
them  signified  a  desire  to  speak,  whereupon  I  sent  Cap- 
tain John  to  meet  him,  and  formed  the  command  in  line  of 
battle.  When  Captain  John  came  up  to  the  Indians  they 
cried  out  to  one  another  to  shoot  him,  whereupon  he 
retreated  to  the  command  and  I  ordered  the  four  compa- 
nies to  charge. 

The  design  of  the  enemy  evidently  was  to  draw  us 
into  the  brush  along  the  river,  where  from  our  exposed 
position  they  would  have  the  advantage,  they  no  doubt 
having  placed  an  ambush  there.  To  avoid  this  I  charged 
down  the  river  toward  the  pack  train.  The  warriors  then 
split,  part  going  across  the  river  and  part  down  toward  the 
pack  train.  These  were  soon  overtaken  and  engaged.  The 
charge  was  vigorous  and  so  well  sustained  that  they  were 
broken,  dispersed  and  slain  before  us.  After  a  short  time 
I  sent  Captain  Miller  to  the  left  and  Major  Maxon  to  the 
right;  the  latter  to  cross  the  stream  and  to  cut  them  off 
from  a  point  near  which  a  large  body  of  warriors  had  col- 
lected, apparently  to  fight,  while  I  moved  forward  with  the 
commands  of  Captain  Henness  and  Lieutenant  Powell  to 
attack  them  in  front.  The  major  could  not  cross  the  river, 
and  on  our  moving  forward  the  enemy  fled  after  firing  a 
few  guns,  part  taking  to  the  left  and  part  continuing  for- 
ward. 

Those  who  took  to  the  left  fell  in  with  Captain  Miller's 
company,  who  killed  five  on  the  spot,  and  the  rest  were 
not  less  successful  in  the  pursuit,  which  was  continued  to 
the  crossing  of  the  river,  where  the  enemy  had  taken  a 
stand  to  defend  the  ford.  Being  here  rejoined  by  Captain 
Miller  and  bj'  Lieutenant  Curtis,  with  part  of  Maxon's  com- 
pany, we  fired  a  volley  and  I  ordered  a  charge  across  the 
river,  which  was  gallantly  executed.  In  doing  this  Pri- 
vate Shirley,  ensign  of  Henness'  company,  who  was  in 
front,  was  wounded  in  the  face.  Several  of  the  enemy 
were  killed  at  this  point.  We  continued  the  pursuit  until 
the  enemy  had  reached  the  rocky  canyons  leading  toward 
the  Powder  river,  and  commenced  scattering  in  every 
direction,  when,  finding  that  I  had  but  five  men  with  me 
and  the  rest  of  the  command  scattered  in  the  rear,  most  of 
the  horses  being  completely  exhausted,  I  called  a  halt  and 
fell  back,  calculating  to  remount  the  men  on  the  captured 
horses  and  continue  the  pursuit  after  night. 

I  found  the  pack  train,  guard  and  reserve  encamped  on 
a  small  creek  not  far  from  the  crossing,  as  I  had  previously 
ordered,  and  learned  that  a  body  of  the  enemy  had  fol- 
lowed them  up  all  day  and  annoyed  them  but  had  inflicted 
no  damage  beyond  capturing  many  of  the  animals  which 
we  had  taken  in  charge  and  left  behind. 

I  learned  also  that  Major  Maxon  had  crossed  the  river 
with  a  small  party  and  was  engaged  with  the  enemy  and 
wanted  assistance.  I  immediately  despatched  a  detach- 
ment under  Lieutenants  Williams  and  Wait,  sending  the 
man  who  brought  the  information  back  with  them  as  a 
guide.  They  returned  after  dark  without  finding  the 
major,  but  brought  in  one  of  his  men  whom  they  found  in 
the  brush  and  who  stated  that  one  of  the  major's  men  was 
killed  and  that  the  last  he  saw  of  them  thev  were  fighting 
with  the  Indians.  At  daylight  I  sent  out  Captain 'Miller 
with  seventy  men,  who  scouted  around  the  whole  valley 
without  finding  him,  but  who  unfortunately  had  one  man 
killed  and  another  wounded  whilst  pursuing  some  Indians. 
I  resolved  to  remove  camp  the  next  dav  to  the  head  of  the 
valley,  where  the  emigrant  trail   crosses  it,  and  continue 


the  search  until  we  became  certain  of  their  fate.  The 
same  evening  I  took  sixty  men,  under  Captain  Henness,  and 
struck  upon  the  mountains  and  crossed  the  heads  of  the 
canyons  to  see  if  I  could  not  strike  his  trail.  Finding  no 
sign,  1  returned  to  the  place  where  the  major  had  last 
been  seen,  and  there  made  search  in  different  directions 
and  finally  found  the  body  of  one  of  his  men  (Tooley)  and 
where  the  major  had  encamped  in  the  brush.  From  other 
signs  it  became  evident  to  me  that  the  major  had  returned 
to  this  post  by  the  same  trail  by  which  we  first  entered  the 
valley. 

Being  nearly  out  of  provisions,  and  unable  to  follow 
the  Indians  from  this  delay,  I  concluded  to  return  to  camp, 
recruit  for  another  expedition  in  conjunction  with  Captain 
Goff.  who  had,  I  presumed,  returned  from  his  expedition 
to  the  John  Day's  river. 

I  should  have  mentioned  previously  that  in  the  charge 
the  command  captured  and  afterward  destroyed  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  horse  loads  of  lacamas,  dried  beef,  tents, 
some  flour,  coffee,  sugar  and  about  one  hundred  pounds  of 
ammunition  and  a  great  quantity  of  tools  and  kitchen  fur- 
niture. We  took  also  about  two  hundred  horses,  most  of 
which  were  shot,  there  being  about  one  hundred  servicea- 
ble animals. 

There  was  present  on  the  ground  from  what  I  saw, 
and  from  information  received  from  two  squaws  taken 
prisoner,  about  three  hundred  warriors  of  the  Cayuse, 
Walla  Walla,  Umatilla,  Tyh,  John  Day  and  Des  Chutes 
tribes,  commanded  by  the  following  chiefs:  Stock  Whitley 
and  Simmistastas,  Des  Chutes  and  Tyh;  Chickiah,  Plyon, 
Wicecai,  Watahstuartih,  Winmiswot.  Cayuses;  Tahkin, 
Cayuse,  the  son  of  Peopeomoxmox ;  Walla  Walla  and  other 
chiefs  of  less  note. 

The  whole  command,  officers  and  men,  behaved  well. 
The  enemy  was  run  on  the  gallop  fifteen  miles,  and  most 
of  those  who  fell  were  shot  with  a  revolver.  It  is  impossi- 
ble to  state  how  many  of  the  enemy  were  killed.  Twenty- 
seven  bodies  were  counted  by  one  individual,  and  many 
others  were  known  to  have  fallen  and  been  left,  but  were 
so  scattered  about  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  count  of 
them.  When  to  these  we  add  those  killed  by  Major 
Maxon's  command  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  we  may 
safely  conclude  that  at  least  forty  of  the  enemy  were  slain 
and  many  went  off  wounded.  When  we  left  the  valley 
there  was  not  an  Indian  in  it  and  all  signs  went  to  show 
that  they  had  gone  a  great  distance  from  it. 

On  the  21st  instant  we  left  the  valley  by  the  emigrant 
road  and  commenced  our  return  to  camp.  During  the 
night  Lieutenant  Hunter,  of  the  Washington  territorv 
volunteers,  car"e  into  camp  with  an  express  from 
Captain  Goff.  I  learned  to  my  surprise  that  the  captain 
and  Major  Layton  had  seen  Indians  on  John  Day's  river, 
had  followed  them  over  to  Burnt  river  and  had  a  fight 
with  them,  in  which  Lieutenant  Eustus  and  one  private  were 
killed,  and  some  seven  Indians.  They  were  shaping  their 
course  for  the  Grande  Ronde  valley,  and  had  sent  for 
provisions  and  fresh  horses.  I  immediately  sent  Lieuten- 
ant Williams  back  with  all  my  spare  provisions  and  horses 
and  continued  my  march.  On  Wild  Horse  creek  I  came 
across  Mr.  Fites,  a  pack  master  who  had  been  left  in  camp, 
who  informed  me,  to  my  extreme  satisfaction,  that  Major 
Maxon  and  his  command  had  arrived  safe  in  camp  and 
were  then  near  us  with  provisions  and  ammunition.  These 
1  sent  on  immediately  to  Captain  Goff.  I  learned  that 
Major  Maxon  had  been  attacked  in  the  valley  by  a  large 
force  of  Indians  on  the  day  of  the  fight;  had  gained  the 
brush  and  killed  many  of  them;  that  at  night  he  tried  to 
find  our  camp,  and  hearing  a  noise  like  a  child  crying, 
probably  one  of  the  captured  squaws,  had  concluded  that 
my  command  had  gone  on  to  Powder  river  and  that  the 
Indians  had  returned  to  the  valley  by  another  canyon.  He 
moved  his  position  that  night  and  the  next  day  saw  the 
scout  looking  for  him,  but  in  the  distance  thought  that  it 
was  a  band  of  Indians  hunting  his  trail.  Conceiving  him- 
self cut  off  from  the  command,  he  thought  it  best  to  return 
to  this  camp,  thinking  that  we  would  be  on  our  way  back 
to  Grande  Ronde  with  provisions  and  ammunition. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Meanwhile  Governor  Stevens  was  making 
every  effort  to  sustain  the  friendly  faction  of  the 
Nez  Perces  under  Lawyer,  and  in  this  he  was 
receiving-  the  hearty  co-operation  of  William 
Craig,  a  white  man  who  had  been  adopted  into 
the  tribe.  In  Governor  Stevens'  opinion  an 
important  incident  in  preserving  the  friendship 
of  the  Nez  Perces  was  the  holding  of  the  Walla 
Walla  valley.  He  seems  to  have  determined  to 
follow  up  the  moral  advantage  gained  by  Shaw's 
victory  by  holding  a  council  with  all  the  Indians, 
friendly,  neutral  and  hostile,  whom  he  could 
induce  to  meet  him  in  the  Walla  Walla  country. 
Wishing  to  present  a  solid  front  against  the 
Indians  he  endeavored  strenuously  to  secure  the 
hearty  co-operation  of  the  regulars.  He  accord- 
ingly held  a  conference  with  Wright  at  Vancou- 
ver, at  which  he  learned  that  the  colonel  could 
not  be  present  in  person  at  the  council  but  would 
send  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe  with  four  com- 
panies to  reach  the  scene  in  time.  Everything 
seemed  propitious  for  a  friendly  co-operation. 
The  regular  officers  were,  however,  acting  with 
duplicity,  for  they  had  received  orders  from  Gen- 
eral Wool  such  as  would  prevent  any  real  co-oper- 
ation with  Stevens. 

At  the  close  of  his  pow-wow  campaign  in  the 
Yakima  country,  Wright,  having  failed  to  find 
any  enemy  to  oppose,  had  reported  to  General 
Wool  that  the  war  was  at  an  end.  The  latter 
had,  on  the  2d  of  August,  issued  an  order  to 
Wright  in  which  he  said: 

"The  general  congratulates  you  on  3'our  suc- 
cessful termination  of  the  war  with  the  Yakimas 
and  Klickitats.  *  *  *  With  the  least  possible 
delay  you  will  conduct  an  expedition  into  the 
Walla  Walla  country.  No  emigrants  or  other 
whites,  except  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  or 
persons  having  ceded  rights  from  the  Indians, 
will  be  permitted  to  settle  or  remain  in  the 
Indian  country,  or  on  land  not  ceded  by  treaty, 
confirmed  by  the  senate  and  approved  by  the 
president  of  the  United  States,  excepting  the 
miners  at  the  Colville  mines.  Those  will  be 
notified,  however,  that,  if  they  interfere  with  the 
Indians,  or  their  squaws,  they  will  be  punished 
and  Sent  out  of  the  country.  It  appears  that 
Colonel  Shaw,  from  Puget  sound,  with  his  volun- 
teers, has  gone  to  the  Walla  Walla  country. 
Colonel  Wright  will  order  them  out  of  the  country 
by  way  of  Fort  Dalles.  If  they  do  not  go 
immediately,  they  will  be  arrested,  disarmed 
and  sent  out." 

Had  Stevens  known  of  this  order,  he  would 
not  have  relied  on  the  regulars  for  assistance. 
But  being  ignorant  of  it,  he  proceeded  into  the 
heart  of  the  Indian  country  without  hesitation. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe  left  The  Dalles  with 
four  companies  August  20th,  and  on  the  5th  of 
the  following  month  he  established  a  camp  five 
miles  below  the  council  ground.  Stevens  had 
made  arrangements  for  "sending  home  the  volun- 


teers, to  be  mustered  out  of  the  service  on  the 
arrival  in  the  valley  of  the  regular  troops,"  and 
thus  unconsciously  saved  Steptoe  one  task 
enjoined  upon  him  by  Wool's  order. 

On  the  evening  of  September  10th,  Governor 
Stevens,  now  ready  for  the  council,  requested 
two  of  Steptoe's  companies  of  troops  and  some 
mountain  howitzers.  Steptoe  refused  on  the 
ground  that  he  could  not  do  so  in  consistency 
with  the  directions  of  his  superior,  and  Stevens 
retained  Captain  Goff's  company  of  volunteers  as 
guards.  The  council  opened  on  the  nth.  It 
was  decidedly  stormy  from  the  beginning,  and 
by  the  13th  conditions  became  so  alarming  that 
Governor  Stevens  again  addressed  Steptoe, 
advising  him  that  half  the  Nez  Perces  were 
hostile,  as  were  practically  all  the  other  tribes, 
and  stating  that  he  deemed  a  company  of  regu- 
lars essential  to  his  safety.  Steptoe  again  refused 
and  advised  the  governor  to  adjourn  council  to 
his  (Steptoe's)  camp.  This  under  the  circum- 
stances Stevens  could  not  help  but  do.  While 
en  route  he  met  Kamiakin,  who,  he  thought, 
would  surely  have  attacked  him  had  he  known 
in  time  of  his  intended  march.  "Kamiakin," 
wrote  he  to  the  secretary  of  war,  "had  unques- 
tionably an  understanding,  as  subsequent  events 
showed,  with  all  the  Indians  except  the  friendly 
Nez  Perces  (about  one-half  the  nation)  and  a  small 
number  of  friendly  Indians  of  other  tribes,  to 
make  an  attack  that  day  or  evening  upon  my 
camp.  He  found  me  on  the  road,  to  his  great 
surprise,  and  had  no  time  to  perfect  his  arrange- 
ments. I  had  learned  in  the  night  that  Kami- 
akin had  camped  on  the  Touchet  the  night 
before,  and  that  he  would  be  in  this  day.  The 
council  opened  on  the  10th.  All  the  Indians 
were  camped  near.  Kamiakin  and  his  band 
were  only  separated  from  the  council  grounds 
by  a  narrow  skirt  of  woods  in  the  bottom  of  Mill 
creek." 

For  several  days  more  Governor  Stevens 
labored  in  vain  to  get  the  Indians  to  accept  his 
terms  of  peace,  namely,  that  they  must  throw 
aside  their  guns  and  submit  to  the  justice  and 
mercy  of  the  government,  surrendering  all  mur- 
derers for  trial.  The  Indians  would  conclude  no 
peace  on  other  terms  than  that  they  should  be 
left  in  possession  of  their  territory  as  before  the 
treaties.  On  the  19th  Governor  Stevens  directed 
his  march  westward.  His  battle  with  the  Indians 
on  that  date  and  the  incidents  of  his  return  were 
thus  summarized  in  his  official  report: 

"So  satisfied  was  I  that  the  Indians  would 
carry  into  effect  their  determination,  avowed  in 
the  councils  in  their  own  camps  for  several 
nights  previously,  to  attack  me,  that,  in  starting, 
I  formed  my  whole  party  and  moved  in  order  of 
battle.  I  moved  on  under  fire  one  mile  to  water, 
when,  forming  a  corral  of  the  wagons  and  hold- 
ing the  adjacent  hills  and  the  brush  on  •  the 
stream  by  pickets,  I  made  my  arrangements  to 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


defend  my  position  and  fight  the  Indians.  Our 
position  in  a  low  open  basin  five  or  six  hundred 
yards  across  [he  was  attacked  on  what  is  known 
as  Charles  Russell's  ranch]  was  good,  and  with 
the  aid  of  our  corral,  we  could  defend  ourselves 
against  a  vastly  superior  force  of  the  enemy. 

The  fight  continued  till  late  in  the  night. 
Two  charges  were  made  to  disperse  the  Indians 
the  last  led  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Shaw  in  per- 
son, with  twenty-four  men;  but,  whilst  driving 
before  him  some  hundred  and  fifty  Indians,  an 
equal  number  pushed  into  his  rear,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  cut  his  way  through  them  towards 
the  camp,  when,  drawing  up  his  men,  and  aided 
by  the  teamsters  and  pickets  who  gallantly 
sprang  forward,  he  drove  the  Indians  back  in 
full  charge  upon  the  corral.  Just  before  the 
charge  the  friendly  Nez  Perces,  fifty  in  number, 
who  had  been  assigned  to  hold  the  ridge  on  the 
south  side  of  the  corral,  were  told  by  the  enemy 
they  came  not  to  fight  the  Nez  Perces  but  the 
whites.  'Go  to  your  camp,'  said  they,  'or  we 
will  wipe  it  out. '  Their  camp,  with  the  women 
and  children,  was  on  a  stream  about  a  mile  dis- 
tant, and  I  directed  them  to  retire,  as  I  did  not 
require  their  assistance  and  was  fearful  that  my 
men  might  not  be  able  to  distinguish  them  from 
hostiles,  and  thus  friendly  Indians  be  killed. 

"Towards  night  I  notified  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Steptoe  that  I  was  fighting  the  Indians,  that  I 
should  move  the  next  morning  and  expressed 
the  opinion  that  a  company  of  his  troops  would 
be  of  service.  In  his  reply  he  stated  that  the 
Indians  had  burned  up  his  grass  and  suggested 
that  I  should  return  to  his  camp  and  place  at  his 
disposal  my  wagons  in  order  that  he  might  move 
his  whole  command  and  his  supplies  to  the 
Umatilla  or  some  other  point,  where  sustenance 
could  be  found  for  his  animals.  To  this  arrange- 
ment I  assented  and  Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe 
sent  to  my  camp  Lieutenant  Davidson,  with 
detachments  from  the  companies  of  dragoons  and 
artillery  with  a  mounted  howitzer.  They  reached 
my  camp  about  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
everything  in  good  order  and  most  of  the  men 
at  the  corral  asleep.  A  picket  had  been  driven 
in  by  the  enemy  an  hour  and  a  half  before,  that 
on  the  hill  south  of  the  corral,  but  the  enemy 
was  immediately  dislodged,  and  ground  pits  being 
dug,  all  points  were  held.  The  howitzer  having 
been  fired  on  the  way  out,  it  was  believed  noth- 
ing would  be  gained  by  waiting  until  morning 
and  the  whole  force  immediately  returned  to 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe's  camp. 

"Soon  after  sunrise  the  enemy  attacked  the 
camp  but  was  soon  dislodged  by  the  howitzer 
and  a  charge  by  a  detachment  from  Steptoe's  com- 
mand. On  my  arrival  at  the  camp,  I  urged 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Steptoe  to  build  a  blockhotise 
immediately,  to  leave  one  company  to  defend  it 
with  all  his  supplies,  then  to  march  below  and 
return   with    an    additional  force  and  additional 


supplies,  and  by  a  vigorous  winter  campaign  to 
whip  the  Indians  into  submission.  I  placed  at 
his  disposal  for  the  building,  my  teams  and 
Indian  employes.  The  blockhouse  and  stockade 
were  built  in  a  little  more  than  ten  days.  My 
Indian  storeroom  was  rebuilt  at  one  corner  of 
the  stockade. 

"On  the  23d  day  of  September  we  started  for 
The  Dalles,  which  were  reached  on  the  2d  of 
October.  Nothing  of  interest  occurred  on  the 
road. 

"In  the  action  of  the  19th  my  whole  force 
consisted  of  Goff's  company  of  sixty-nine,  rank 
and  file,  the  teamsters,  herders,  and  Indian 
employes  numbering  about  fifty  men.  Our  train 
consisted  of  about  five  hundred  animals,  not  one 
of  which  was  captured  by  the  enemy.  We 
fought  four  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  and  had 
one  man  mortally,  one  dangerously  and  two 
slightly  wounded.  We  killed  and  wounded 
thirteen  Indians.  One-half  of  the  Nez  Perces, 
one  hundred  and  twenty  warriors;  all  of  the 
Yakimas  and  Palouses,  two  hundred  warriors; 
the  great  bulk  of  the  Cayuses  and  Umatillas,  and 
an  unknown  number  of  the  Walla  Wallas  and 
Indians  from  other  bands  were  in  the  fight.  The 
principal  war  chiefs  were  the  son  of  Owhi, 
Isle  de  Pere  and  Chief  Quoltonee;  the  latter  of 
whom  had  two  horses  shot  under  him,  and 
showed  me  a  letter  from  Colonel  Wright  acknowl- 
edging his  valuable  services  in  bringing  about 
the  peace  of  the  Yakimas. 

"I  have  failed,  therefore,  in  making  the 
desired  arrangements  with  the  Indians  in  the 
Walla  Walla,  and  the  failure,  to  be  attributed  in 
part  to  the  want  of  co-operation  with  me,  as 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  on  the  part  of 
the  regular  troops,  has  its  causes  also  in  the 
whole  plan  of  operations  of  the  troops  since 
Colonel  Wright  assumed  command. 

"The  Nez  Perces,  entirely  friendly  last 
December  and  January,  became  first  disaffected 
in  consequence  of  the  then  chief  of  the  Cayuses, 
Ume-howlish,  and  the  friendly  Cayuses  going 
into  the  Nez  Perce  country  contrary  to  my  posi- 
tive orders.  I  refused  to  allow  them  to  go  there 
in  December  last,  saying  to  them,  T  have  ordered 
the  Nez  Perces  to  keep  hostiles  out  of  the 
country.  If  you  go  there  your  friends  in  the  war 
party  will  come;  they  can  not  be  kept  out. 
Through  them  disaffection  will  spread  among  a 
portion  of  the  Nez  Perces.'  Ume-howlish,  my 
prisoner,  was  sent  into  the  Nez  Perce  country  by 
Colonel  Wright,  and  from  the  time  of  his  arrival 
there  all  the  efforts  made  by  Agent  Craig  to  pre- 
vent the  spread  of  disaffection  were  aborted. 
What  I  apprehended  and  predicted  had  already 
come  to  pass.  Looking  Glass,  the  prominent 
man  of  the  lower  Nez  Perces,  endeavored  to 
betray  me  on  the  Spokane  as  1  was  coming  in 
from  the  Blackfoot  council,  and  I  was  satisfied 
from    that    time    that   he    was   only    awaiting  a 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


favorable  moment  to  join  bands  with  Kamiakin 
in  a  war  upon  the  whites,  and  Colonel  Wright's 
management  of  affairs  in  the  Yakima  furnished 
the  opportunity. 

"The  war  was  commenced  in  the  Yakima  on 
our  part  in  consequence  of  the  attempt,  first,  to 
seize  the  murderers  of  the  agent,  Bolon,  and 
miners  who  had  passed  through  their  country; 
and,  second,  to  punish  the  tribe  for  making  com- 
mon cause  with  Ihem  and  driving  Major  Haller 
out  of  the  country.  It  is  greatly  to  be  deplored 
that  Colonel  Wright  had  not  first  severely 
chastised  the  Indians,  and  insisted  not  only  upon 
the  rendition  of  the  murderers,  but  upon  the 
absolute  and  unconditional  submission  of  the 
whole  tribe-  to  the  justice  and  mercy  of  the 
government.  The  long  delays  which  occurred  in 
the  Yakima,  the  talking  and  not  fighting,  this 
attempt  to  pacify  the  Indians  and  not  reducing 
them  to  submission,  thus  giving  safe  conduct  to 
murderers  and  assassins,  and  not  seizing  them 
for  summary  and  exemplary  punishment,  gave 
to  Kamiakin  the  whole  field  of  the  interior,  and 
by  threats,  lies  and  promises  he  has  brought 
into  the  combination  one-half  of  the  Nez  Perce 
nation  and  the  least  thing  may  cause  the  Spo- 
kanes,  Coeur  d'Alenes,  Colvilles  and  Okanogans 
to  join  them. 

"I  state  boldly  that  the  cause  of  the  Nez 
Perces  becoming  disaffected  and  finally  going  into 
war,  is  the  operations  of  Colonel  Wright  east  of 
the  Cascades — operations  so  feeble,  so  procras- 
tinating, so  entirely  unequal  to  the  emergency, 
that  not  only  has  a  severe  blow  been  struck  at 
the  credit  of  the  government  and  the  prosperity 
and  character  of  this  remote  section  of  the 
country,  but  the  impression  has  been  made  upon 
the  Indians  that  the  people  and  the  soldiers  were 
a  different  people.  I  repeat  to  you  officially  that 
when  the  Indians  attacked  me  they  expected 
Colonel  Steptoe  would  not  assist  me,  and  when 
they  awoke  from  their  delusion  Kamiakin  said, 
'I  will  now  let  these  people  know  who  Kamiakin 
is. '  One  of  the  good  effects  of  the  fight  is  that  the 
Indians  have  learned  that  we  are  one  people,  a  fact 
which  had  not  been  previously  made  apparent  to 
them  by  the  operations  of  the  regular  troops. 

"Is,  sir,  the  army  sent  here  to  protect  our 
people  and  punish  Indian  tribes  who,  without 
cause  and  in  cold  blood  and  in  spite  of  solemn 
treaties,  murder  our  people,  burn  our  houses  and 
wipe  out  entire  settlements?  Is  it  the  duty  of 
General  Wool  and  his  officers  to  refuse  to  co- 
operate with  me  in  my  appropriate  duties  as 
superintendent  of  Indian  affairs,  and  thus  prac- 
tically assume  those  duties  themselves?  Is  it  the 
duty  of  General  Wool,  in  his  schemes  of  pacify- 
ing the  Indians,  to  trample  down  the  laws  of 
congress;  to  issue  edicts  prohibiting  settlers 
returning  to  their  claims  and  thus  for  at  least  one 
county,  the  Walla  Walla,  make  himself  dictator 
over  the  country?" 


From  the  refusal  of  the  Indians  to  treat  with 
Stevens,  and  their  attack  upon  the  party  return- 
ing from  the  council,  it  would  naturally  seem 
that  the  end  of  the  war  was  still  far  in  the  future. 
Not  so,  however.  Colonel  Wright  proved  more 
successful,  and  yet  not  more  successful,  in  the 
efforts  he  soon  after  inaugurated  to  pacify  the 
Indians  than  had  Stevens.  The  man  who  pursues 
the  policy  of  conceding  to  the  adverse  party  all 
he  can  ask  can  hardly  fail  to  be  successful  in 
negotiations. 

October  19th  Wright  was  instructed  by 
General  Wool  to  proceed  in  person  at  the  earliest 
possible  date  to  the  Walla  Walla  country  and  to 
attend  to  the  establishing  of  a  post  there.  In 
the  order  Wool  used  the  following  significant 
language: 

"It  is  also  of  the  highest  importance  that  you, 
the  senior  officer  (the  chief  man),  should  see 
and  talk  with  all  the  tribes  in  that  region  in  order 
to  ascertain  their  wants,  feelings  and  disposition 
towards  the  whites.  Warned  by  what  has 
occurred,  the  general  trusts  you  will  be  on  your 
guard  against  the  whites  and  adopt  the  most 
prompt  and  vigorous  measures  to  crush  the  enemy 
before  they  have  time  to  combine  for  resistance, 
also  check  the  war  and  prevent  further  trouble 
by  keeping  the  whites  out  of  the  Indian  coun- 
try." 

As  to  the  post  above  referred  to,  the  site 
selected  for  it  was  a  point  on  the  bank  of  Mill 
creek,  six  miles  above  its  junction  with  the  Walla 
Walla  river.  The  rest  of  the  order  was  duly 
complied  with.  A  council  was  called  and  forty 
Indians  condescended  to  attend,  practically  all 
of  whom  denounced  the  treaty  of  1855  and  Chief 
Lawyer,  of  the  Nez  Perces,  as  the  one  by  whom, 
mainly,  the  Indians  were  induced  to  sign  it. 
Wright  seemed  more  than  willing  to  condone  the 
perfidious  wretches  who  signed  the  treaty  as  a 
deliberate  act  of  treachery,  and  then  when  they 
had  lulled  the  whites  into  a  feeling  of  security, 
began  assiduously  the  work  of  disseminating  hos- 
tile feeling  and  of  organizing  a  general  war,  for 
the  purpose  of  exterminating  or  expelling  the 
white  race.  His  assurance  to  the  Indians  was: 
"The  bloody  cloth  should  be  washed,  and  not  a 
spot  should  be  left  upon  it.  The  Great  Spirit, 
who  created  both  the  whites  and  the  red  men, 
commanded  us  to  love  one  another.  All  past  dif- 
ferences must  be  thrown  behind  us.  The  hatchet 
must  be  buried  and  for  the  future  perpetual 
friendship  must  exist  between  us.  The  good  talk 
we  have  this  day  listened  to  should  be  planted 
and  grow  up  in  our  hearts  and  drive  away  all 
bad  feelings  and  preserve  peace  and  friendship 
between  us  forever.  Put  what  I  say  in  your 
hearts  and  when  you  return  to  your  homes,  re- 
peat it  to  all  your  friends."  In  his  letter  to 
General  Wool  reporting  the  proceedings  of  his 
council,  Wright  laid  all  the  blame  of  the  war 
upon  the  Waila  Walla  treaties.     "Give  them  back 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


87 


those  treaties,"  said  he,  "and  no  cause  of  war 
exists." 

Such  maudlin  sentimentality,  such  shameful 
truckling  with  the  enemies  of  those  it  was 
Wright's  duty  to  defend,  seemed  akin  to  treason. 
Indignant  and  hurt,  Governor  Stevens  wrote  to 
the  secretary  of  war:  "It  seems  to  me  that  we 
have  in  this  territory  fallen  upon  evil  times.  1 
hope  and  trust  that  some  energetic  action  may  be 
taken  to  stop  this  trifling  with  great  public  inter- 
ests, and  to  make  our  flag  respected  by  the 
Indians  of  the  interior.  They  scorn  our  people 
and  our  flag.  They  feel  that  they  can  kill  and 
plunder  with  impunity.  They  denominate  us  a 
nation  of  old  women.  They  did  not  do  this  when 
the  volunteers  were  in  the  field.  I  now  make  the 
direct  issue  with  Colonel  Wright,  that  he  has 
made  a  concession  to  the  Indians  which  he  had  no 
authority  to  make;  that  by  so  doing  he  has  done 
nothing  but  get  a  semblance  of  peace;  and  that 
by  his  acts,  he  has  in  a  measure  weakened  the 
influence  of  the  service  having  the  authority  to 
make  treaties  and  having  charge  of  the  friendly 
Indians  He  has,  in  my  judgment,  abandoned 
his  own  duty,  which  was  to  reduce  the  Indians  to 
submission,  and  has  trenched  upon  and  usurped  a 
portion  of  mine." 

The  citizens  of  the  two  territories,  Oregon  and 
Washington,  were  thrown  into  a  furor  of  indig- 
nation by  the  conclusion  of  his  shameful  peace. 
The  sacrifice  of  money  and  effort  in  equipping 
the  volunteers,  the  sacrifices  of  the  volunteers 
themselves,  the  traversing  of  dusty  plains,  the 
scaling  of  lofty  and  forbidding  mountains,  the 
sufferings  of  that  dread  winter  campaign  in  the 
Walla  Walla  valley,  the  loss  of  life  and  limb,  the 
brilliant  and  well-deserved  victories  of  the  vol- 
unteer arms — all  these  were  for  nothing.  The 
regular  officers  step  in  and  rob  the  country  of  all 
the  fruits  of  victory,  concede  to  the  Indians  every- 
thing they  couJd  ask,  and  then,  to  add  insult  to 
injury,  General  Wool  says  he  hopes  that  Wright 
"warned  by  what  has  occurred,  will  be  on  his 
guard  against  the  whites  and  prevent  trouble  by 
keeping  the  whites  out  of  the  Indian  country," 
and  that  under  the  existing  arrangements  he 
doesn't  "believe  that  the  war  can  be  renewed  by 
the  whites." 

Elwood  Evans,  who  was  himself  a  citizen  of 
Washington  territory  at  the  time  and  a  participant 
in  some  of  its  public  events,  may  be  assumed  to 
have  correctly  summarized  the  general  opinion  of 
the  people  in  the  following  paragraphs  from  his 
history  of  the  Northwest: 

"That  quasi  peace  was  but  the  proclaimed 
continuance  of  the  assurance  by  the  United 
States  army  officers  to  the  hostile  Indians,  'we 
came  not  into  your  country  to  fight,  but  merely 
to  establish  posts.'  It  now  officially  announced 
the  close  of  a  war  by  General  Wool,  which  he  had 
never  commenced  to  prosecute  as  war.  It  was 
but    the    unblushing    publication    of     a    policy 


inspired  alone  by  him,  and  executed  under  his 
orders  by  officers  whom  he  had  handicapped  in 
the  enemy's  country  by  instructions,  the  obser- 
vance of  which  was  but  the  triumph  of  Kamia- 
kin.  It  was  the  official,  humiliating  concession  to 
the  hostiles  of  everything  that  they  had  de- 
manded, or  had  inaugurated  a  war  to  accom- 
plish, viz.,  the  keeping  of  white  settlers  out  of 
their  country — save  alone  the  isolated  fact,  that 
the  Indians  had  made  no  resistance  to  or  protest 
against  the  establishment  of  military  posts  within 
their  territory.  That  failure  to  protest  against 
the  erection  of  posts  was  the  only  evidence  of 
passive  submission  by  the  hostiles;  yet  with  what 
avidity  was  the  fact  seized  by  General  Wool  to 
assure  him  that  he  was  occupying  the  Indian 
territory  by  his  troops,  and  that  those  troops 
were  remaining  there  in  peaceable  possession! 
What  a  naked  and  barren  victory,  which  proved 
too  much;  for  it  meant  nothing  except  that 
armed  troops  within  fortified  posts  were  the  only 
white  men  who  could  occupy  such  country.  It 
too  palpably  demonstrated  a  suspension  of  hostil- 
ities patched  up  by  appealing  to  the  Indian:  'Let 
my  troops  stay  here ;  and  I  will  protect  you  and 
keep  out  the  white  settler.' 

"General  Wool,  in  the  execution  of  this  plan 
of  campaign  by  his  army  of  occupation,  not  for 
making  war,  had  effectually  accomplished  the 
aim  of  Kamiakin  in  the  instigation  of  the  out- 
break. The  commanding  general  had  avowed 
upon  several  occasions  his  policy  of  protecting 
the  hostile  Indians  against  the  whites,  and  of 
expelling  them  from  and  keeping  them  out  of 
the  country.  In  fact,  there  appears  to  have 
been  a  common  object  actuating  both  Kamiakin 
and  General  Wool :  Both  were  equally  deter- 
mined that  the  whites  should  not  settle  in  nor 
occupy  the  country  of  Kamiakin  or  Peo-peo-mox- 
mox;  both  were  equally  hostile  to  the  volunteers 
of  the  two  territories,  who  sought  to  save  the 
country  for  white  settlement;  both  were  averse 
to  any  hostile  demonstrations  against  the 
Indians;  both  were  willing  that  Governor 
Stevens  should  be  cut  off  and  his  party  sacri- 
ficed, when  official  duty  compelled  his  pres- 
ence in  the  Indian  territory;  both  alike  cordially 
hated  the  people  of  the  two  territories.  Could 
Kamiakin  have  asked  more  than  the  performance 
of  Wool's  orders? — 'Leave  a  company  and  a  how- 
itzer to  protect  the  Cayuse  Indians  against  the 
volunteers.'  *  *  *  'Warn  Colonel  Shaw  and 
his  volunteers  to  leave  the  country;  and  should 
they  fail  to  comply,  arrest,  disarm  and  send  them 
out.'  How  it  must  have  delighted  old  Kamiakin 
when  he  had  interpreted  to  him  that  interdict 
against  white  settlement:  'No  emigrant  or  other 
white  person  will  be  permitted  to  settle  or 
remain  in  the  Indian  country.'  Glorious  duty 
for  American  troops  to  protect  the  blood-stained 
murderers  of  our  people,  to  stand  guard  that  the 
spirit  of  treaties  shall  be  violated,  that  Ameri- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


cans  may  not  occupy  America  and  every  part  of 
its  domain!" 

The  regulars  soon  discovered  that  they  had 
been  crying  "peace,  peace,  when  there  was  no 
peace, "for  it  was  not  long  until  there  began  to 
be  apprehensions  of  a  renewed  outbreak.  These 
conditions  obtained  throughout  the  entire  year 
1857  and  during  the  winter  of  that  year  the  Cath- 
olic fathers  reported  that  they  feared  an  uprising 
in  the  spring.  The  Spokanes  and  Coeurd'Alenes, 
among  whom  the  emissaries  of  Kamiakin  had 
been  spreading  disaffection  ever  since  the  peace 
had  been  patched  up  in  1856,  announced  that  the 
soldiers  must  not  show  themselves  in  their  coun- 
try. It  was  the  scheme  of  the  wily  Kamiakin  to 
first  unite  the  tribes  in  opposition  to  the  whites, 
then  draw  a  detachment  of  soldiers  into  the 
country  and  treat  them  as  he  treated  Haller  in 
the  Yakima  valley. 

The  plan  worked  admirably.  He  culti- 
vated the  friendship  of  Tilcoax,  a  skilled  Palouse 
horse-thief,  and  induced  him  to  organize  a  pillag- 
ing expedition  against  the  stock  belonging  to 
Fort  Walla  Walla,  well  knowing  that  sooner  or 
later  a  counter  expedition  must  be  made  by  the 
soldiers  to  recover  the  lost  animals.  He  also 
caused  the  murder  of  Colville  miners,  hoping 
that  the  whites  there  would  ask  for  troops  They 
did  call  for  troops.  Their  petition  could  not  be 
disregarded,  and  in  May,  185S,  Colonel  E.  J. 
Steptoe  set  out  to  the'  Colville  country,  disre- 
garding the  warnings  of  the  Indians  that  no 
whites  would  be  allowed  to  travel  through  their 
lands.  Steptoe,  or  more  strictly  speaking,  his 
subordinates,  committed  a  most  egregious  and 
incomprehensible  blunder  in  starting  from  Walla 
Walla.  On  account  of  the  great  weight  of  pro- 
visions and  baggage,  a  brilliant  quartermaster 
conceived  the  idea  of  leaving  behind  the  greater 
part  of  the  ammunition,  by  way  of  lightening  the 
load.  As  Joseph  McEvoy  expresses  it,  the  force 
was  beaten  before  it  left  Walla  Walla. 

The  expedition  was  made  in  May.  The  wild 
torrent  of  Snake  river  was  running  bank  full 
from  the  floods  of  summer  as  the  command 
crossed.  Timothy,  a  chief  of  the  Nez  Perces, 
with  a  few  followers,  was  living  then  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Alpowa,  and  by  his  efficient  aid  the 
soldiers  crossed  the  stream  in  good  order  and 
good  time,  and  continued  on  their  way,  the 
brave  old  chief  accompanying  them. 

On  May  16th  the  force  reached  a  place  which 
George  F.  Canis,  on  the  authority  of  Thomas  B. 
Beall,  chief  government  packer  of  the  expedi- 
tion, describes  as  low  and  marshy,  with  big 
swales  and  thickets  of  quaking  asp  abounding, 
and  surrounded  by  hills  without  timber.  Mr. 
Beall  locates  the  place  as  near  the  present  town 
of  Spangle.  There  is,  however,  much  differ- 
ence of  opinion  among  the  survivors  as  to  where 
all  this  happened.  But  wherever  it  was,  there 
the    Indians    gathered    with    hostile    intention. 


Steptoe,  realizing  the  dangerous  odds,  decided  to 
return. 

The  next  day,  as  the  soldiers  were  descending 
a  canyon  to  Pine  creek,  not  far  from  where 
Rosalia  is  now  located,  Salteese,  sub-chief  of  the 
Coeur  d'Alenes,  came  up  with  an  interpreter  for 
a  conference  with  Steptoe.  The  chief  was  mak- 
ing great  professions  of  friendship,  when  one  of 
the  friendly  Nez  Perces  struck  him  over  the  head 
with  a  whip,  nearly  knocking  him  from  his  horse. 
"What  do  you  mean  by  speaking  with  a  forked 
tongue  to  the  white  chief?"  demanded  the  Nez 
Perce  brave.  Salteese,  very  angry,  rode  away 
in  defiant  mood.  No  sooner  were  the  retreating 
forces  well  in  the  canyon  than  the  attack  was 
made.  Second-Lieutenant  William  Gaston's 
forces  were  the  first  to  draw  the  fire  of  the 
enemy.  Steptoe  ordered  Gaston  to  hold  fire. 
When  again  asked  for  orders  he  gave  the  same 
command,  but  Gaston  disobeyed  and  soon  the 
firing  became  general.  Gaston  and  Captain 
O.  H.  P.  Taylor"  were  in  command  of  the  rear 
guard,  and,  with  amazing  courage  and  devotion, 
kept  the  line  intact,  foiling  all  efforts  of  the  Indi- 
ans to  rush  through.  They  sent  word  to  Steptoe 
to  halt  and  give  them  a  chance  to  secure  more 
ammunition.  But  Steptoe  deemed  it  safer  to 
make  no  pause,  and  soon  after  those  gallant 
heroes  fell.  A  fierce  fight  raged  for  possession 
of  their  bodies.  The  Indians  secured  that  of 
Gaston,  but  a  small  band  of  heroes,  fighting  like 
demons,  got  the  body  of  the  noble  Taylor.  One 
notable  figure  in  this  death  grapple  was  De  May, 
a  Frenchman,  who  had  been  trained  in  the 
Crimea  and  in  Algeria,  and  who  made  havoc 
among  the  Indians  with  his  gun-barrel  used  as  a 
saber,  but  at  last  he,  too,  went  down  before 
numbers,  crying,  "Oh,  my  God,  for  a  saber!" 

At  nightfall  they  had  reached  a  point  as  to 
the  eKact  location  of  which  there  is  much  differ- 
ence of  opinion.  Here  the  disorganized  and 
suffering  force  made  camp,  threw  out  a  picket 
line  for  defense,  and  buried  such  dead  as  they 
had  not  been  forced  to  leave.  In  order  to  divert 
the  Indians  they  determined,  having  buried  their 
•howitzers,  to  leave  the  balance  of  their  stores. 
They  hoped  that  if  the  Indians  made  an  attack  in 
the  night  they  might  succeed  in  stealing  away. 
The  Indians,  however,  feeling  sure  that  they  had 
the  soldiers  at  their  mercy,  made  no  effort  at  a 
night  attack.  But  it  is  stated  that  Kamiakin, 
head  chief  of  the  Yakimas,  urged  them  to  do  so. 
Had  he  carried  his  point,  the  night  of  May  17, 
1858,  would  have  been  one  of  melancholy  mem- 
ory. Another  massacre  would  have  been  added 
to  the  series  of  frontier  outrages  which  have 
darkened  our  earlier  annals. 

There  was  but  one  chance  of  salvation,  and 
this  was  by  means  of  a  difficult  trail  which  the 
Indians  had  left  unguarded,  as  the  Nez  Perce 
chief,  Timothy,  discovered  by  reconnoitering, 
the  savages  rightly  supposing  it  to  be  entirely 


THE    YAKIMA    WAR. 


89 


unknown  to  the  whites.  But  by  the  good  favor 
of  fortune  or  Providence,  Timothy  knew  this 
pass.  But  for  him  the  next  day  would  doubtless 
have  witnessed  a  grim  and  ghastly  massacre. 
During  the  dark  and  cloudy  night,  the  soldiers, 
mounted  and  in  silence,  followed  Timothy  over 
the  wretched  trail.  Michael  Kinney,  a  well- 
known  resident  of  Walla  Walla,  was  in  charge  of 
the  rear  guard,  and  is  our  chief  authority  for 
some  portions  of  this  narrative. 

The  horrors  of  that  night  retreat  were  proba- 
bly never  surpassed  in  the  history  of  Indian  war- 
fare in  the  Northwest.  Several  of  the  wounded 
were  lashed  to  pack  animals,  and  were  thus  led 
away  on  that  dreadful  ride.  Their  sufferings 
were  intense,  and  two  of  them,  McCrossen  and 
Williams,  suffered  so  unendurably  that  they 
writhed  themselves  loose  from  their  lashings  and 
fell  to  the  ground,  begging  their  comrades  to 
leave  some  weapons  with  which  the}'  might  kill 
themselves.  But  the  poor  wretches  were  left 
lying  there  in  the  darkness.  During  the  night 
the  troops  followed,  generally  at  a  gallop,  the 
faithful  Timothy,  on  whose  keen  eyes  and  mind 
their  lives  depended.  The  wounded  and  a  few 
whose  horses  gave  out  were  scattered  at  inter- 
vals along  the  trail.  Some  of  these  finally  reap- 
peared, but  most  were  lost.  After  twenty-four 
hours  the  troops  found  that  they  had  reached 
Snake  river.  Here  the  unwearied  Timothy 
threw  out  his  own  people  as  guards  against  the 
pursuing  enemy  and  set  the  women  of  his  tribe 
to  ferry  the  force  across  the  turbulent  river. 
This  was  safely  accomplished,  and  thus  the 
greater  portion  of  the  command  reached  Walla 
Walla  in  safety  from   that   ill-starred  expedition. 

A  dramatic  incident  which  occurred  on  the 
evening  of  May  20th  merits  a  brief  narration. 
While  the  horses  were  being  picketed  and  prep- 
arations were  in  progress  for  the  night,  the 
guards  noticed  a  cloud  of  dust  in  the  distance. 
In  a  short  time  a  band  of  mounted  Indians, 
approaching  at  full  gallop,  came  into  view, 
and  the  clattering  of  the  hoofs  of  their  horses 
and  the  thick  dust  enveloping  them  gave  the 
impression  that  the  little  band  of  soldiers,  which 
had  had  such  trying  experiences  and  now  seemed 
within  reach  of  safety,  was  to  be  literally  wiped 
from  the  face  of  the  earth.  Excitement  ran 
high.  The  soldiers  became  greatly  agitated, 
and  orders  to  prepare  for  battle  were  about  to  be 
issued  when  the  standard  bearer  of  the  oncom- 
ing horde,  noting  the  confusion  and  mistrusting 
its  cause,  flung  the  stars  and  stripes  to  the  breeze 
in  token  of  friendly  intentions.  When  the  Indi- 
ans swarmed  into  camp  it  was  found  that  the 
banner  was  borne  by  none  other  than  the  ever- 
faithful  Chief  Lawyer.  In  the  party  were  some 
of  the  sub-chiefs  from  Kamiah  and  noted  mem- 
bers of  the  Nez  Perce  tribe.  Steptoe  declined  to 
return  to  the  contest  with  the  hostiles,  much  to 
the     disappointment    of    Lawyer,     who    clearly 


pointed  out  how  Indian  allies  could  be  secured 
and  an  easy  victory  won  over  the  confident  and 
exulting  Indians  of  the  Palouse  country.  The 
Nez  Perces  had,  no  doubt,  learned  of  the  defeat 
of  Steptoe  by  means  of  the  wonderful  system  of 
signaling  in  vogue  among  the  aborigines. 

The  sequel  of  Steptoe's  defeat  furnished  a 
more  creditable  chapter  in  the  history  of  our 
Indian  warfare.  General  Clarke  at  once  ordered 
Colonel  Wright  to  equip  a  force  of  six  hundred 
men,  proceed  to  the  Spokane  country  and  casti- 
gate the  Indians  with  sufficient  severity  to  settle 
the  question  of  sovereignty  forever.  On  August 
15th  Colonel  Wright  left  Walla  Walla  on  his 
northern  campaign.  In  the  battle  of  Four 
Lakes,  fought  on  September  1st,  and  in  the 
battle  of  Spokane  Plains,  September  5th,  he  broke 
forever  the  spirit  and  power  of  the  northern 
Indians.  Lieutenant  Kip's  description  of  the 
former  fight  is  so  picturesque  that  we  cannot 
resist  the  temptation  to  reproduce  it.      He   says: 

"On  the  plain  below  us  we  saw  the  enemy. 
Every  spot  seemed  alive  with  the  wild  warriors 
we  had  come  so  far  to  meet.  They  were  in  the 
pines  at  the  edge  of  the  lakes,  in  the  ravines  and 
gullies,  on  the  opposite  hillsides  and  swarming 
over  the  plains.  They  seemed  to  cover  the 
country  for  two  miles.  Mounted  on  their  fleet, 
hardy  horses,  the  crowd  swept  back  and  forth, 
brandishing  their  weapons,  shouting  their  war 
cries  and  keeping  up  a  song  of  defiance.  Most  of 
them  were  armed  with  Hudson's  Bay  muskets, 
while  others  had  bows  and  arrows  and  long 
lances.  They  were  in  all  the  bravery  of  their 
war  array,  gaudily  painted  and  decorated  with 
their  wild  trappings.  Their  plumes  fluttered 
above  them,  while  beneath  skins  and  trinkets 
and  all  kinds  of  fantastic  embellishments  flaunted 
in  the  sunshine.  Their  horses,  too,  were  arrayed 
in  the  most  gorgeous  finery.  Some  of  them  were 
even  painted  with  colors  to  form  the  greatest 
contrast,  the  white  being  smeared  with  crimson 
in  fantastic  figures,  and  the  dark-colored  streaked 
with  white  clay.  Beads  and  fringes  of  gaudy 
colors  were  hanging  from  their  bridles,  while  the 
plumes  of  eagles'  feathers,  interwoven  with  the 
mane  and  tail,  fluttered  as  the  breeze  floated  over 
them,  and  completed  their  wild  and  fantastic 
appearance. 

"  'By  Heavens!  it  was  a  glorious  sight  to  see 
The  gay  array'of  their  wild  chivalry.' 

"As  ordered,  the  troops  moved  down  the  hill 
toward  the  plain.  As  the  line  of  advance  came 
within  range  of  the  Minie  rifles,  now  for  the  first 
time  used  in  Indian  warfare,  the  firing  began. 
The  firing  grew  heavier  as  the  line  advanced, 
and,  astonished  at  the  range  and  effectiveness  of 
the  fire,  the  entire  array  of  dusky  warriors  broke 
and  fled  toward  the  plain.  The  dragoons  were 
now  ordered  to  charge,  and  rode  through  the 
company    at    intervals    to    the    front,    and    then 


go 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


dashed  down  upon  the  foe  with  headlong  speed. 
Taylor's  and  Gaston's  companies  were  there  and 
soon  they  reaped  a  red  revenge  for  their  slain 
heroes.  The  flying  warriors  streamed  out  of  the 
glens  and  ravines  and  over  the  open  plains  until 
they  could  find  a  refuge  from  the  flashing  sabers 
of  the  dragoons.  When  they  had  found  the 
refuge  of  the  wooded  hills,  the  line  of  foot  once 
more  passed  the  dragoons  and  renewed  the  fire, 
driving  the  Indians  over  the  hills  for  about  two 
miles,  where  a  halt  was  called,  as  the  troops 
were  nearly  exhausted.  The  Indians  had  almost 
all  disappeared,  only  a  small  group  remaining, 
apparently  to  watch  the  whites.  A  shell  sent 
from  the  howitzer,  bursting  over  their  heads, 
sent  them  also  to  the  shelter  of  the  ravines. 
Thus  the  battle  ended." 

In  the  battle  four  days  later  on  Spokane 
Plains  quite  a  number  of  the  Indians  were  killed, 
and  Kamiakin,  the  war  chief  of  the  Yakimas, 
was  wounded.  After  resting  a  day  the  forces 
moved  on  up  the  river  and  encamped  above  the 
falls.  While  there  they  were  visited  by  Chief 
Gearry,  a  fairly  well  educated,  rather  bright 
Indian,  who  professed  to  be  against  the  war. 
There  is  reason  to  doubt  the  sincerity  of  these 
representations,  however.  Colonel  Wright 
talked  plainly  to  him,  saying  that  if  he  and  the 
other  Indians  wanted  peace  they  could  have  it 
by  complete  and  unconditional  surrender.  On 
the  8th  the  march  was  resumed.  About  ten 
miles  east  of  Spokane,  Indians  were  seen  in  the 
act  of  driving  their  horses  to  the  mountains. 
The  horses  were  captured  and  shot,  with  the 
exception  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  picked  ones, 
which  were  kept  for  the  use  of  the  troops. 
Defeat  in  battle,  the  loss  of  their  horses  and  the 
execution  of  a  few  Indians  who  had  participated 
in  murders  completely  humiliated  the  hostile 
tribes.  Councils  were  held  by  Colonel  Wright  at 
the  Coeur  d'Alene  mission  and  with  the  Spo- 
kanes,  at  which  it  was  found  that  the  Indians 
were  prepared  to  enter  a  treaty  of  entire  submis- 
sion to  the  whites. 

In  closing  his  extensive  report  of  this  cam- 
paign, Colonel  Wright  summarized  its  results  as 
follows: 

"The  war  is  closed.  Peace  is  restored  with 
the  Spokanes,  Coeur  d'Alenes  and  Palouses. 
After  a  vigorous  campaign,  the  Indians  have 
been  entirely  subdued,  and  were  most  happy  to 
accept  such  terms  of  peace  as  I  might  dictate. 
Results:    (i)    Two    battles   were    fought    by    the 


troops  under  my  command,  against  the  combined 
forces  of  the  Spokanes,  Coeur  d'Alenes  and 
Palouses,  in  both  of  which  the  Indians  were  sig- 
nally defeated,  with  a  severe  loss  of  chiefs  and 
warriors,  either  killed  or  wounded.  (2)  One 
thousand  horses  and  a  large  number  of  cattle 
were  captured  from  the  hostile  Indians,  all  of 
which  were  either  killed  or  appropriated  to  the 
service  of  the  United  States.  (3)  Many  barns 
filled  with  wheat  or  oats,  also  several  fields  of 
grain,  with  numerous  caches  of  vegetables,  dried 
berries  and  camas,  were  destroyed,  or  used  by 
the  troops.  (4)  The  Yakima  chief,  Owhi,  is  in 
irons,  and  the  notorious  war  chief,  Qalchen,  was 
hanged.  The  murderers  of  the  miners,  the  cattle 
stealers,  etc.  (in  all,  eleven  Indians),  were 
hanged.  (5)  The  Spokanes,  Coeur  d'Alenes  and 
Palouses  have  been  entirely  subdued,  and  have 
sued  most  abjectly  for  peace  on  any  terms.  (6) 
Treaties  have  been  made  with  the  above-named 
nations.  They  have  restored  all  property  which 
was  in  their  possession,  belonging  either  to  the 
United  States  or  to  individuals.  They  have 
promised  that  all  white  people  can  travel  through 
their  country  unmolested,  and  that  no  hostile 
Indians  shall  be  allowed  to  pass  through  or 
remain  among  them.  (7)  The  Indians  who  com- 
menced the  battle  with  Lieutenant-Colonel  Step- 
toe  contrary  to  the  orders  of  their  chief  have 
been  delivered  to  the  officer  in  command  of  the 
United  States  troops.  (8)  One  chief  and  four 
men,  with  their  families,  from  each  of  the  above 
named  tribes,  have  been  delivered  to  the  officer 
in  command  of  the  United  States  troops,  to  be 
taken  to  Fort  Walla  Walla  and  held  as  hostages 
for  the  future  good  conduct  of  their  respective 
nations.  (9)  The  two  mounted  howitzers,  aban- 
doned by  the  troops  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Steptoe,  have  been  recovered." 

Thus  ended  the  Indian  wars  of  the  fifties  in 
Oregon  and  Washington.  The  era  of  robberies, 
depredations,  murders  and  warfare  was  by  this 
campaign  effectually  brought  to  a  close  in  the 
Yakima  and  Walla  Walla  countries,  making  the 
opening  of  both  to  settlement  possible.  General 
Newman  S.  Clarke,  who  had  succeeded  General 
Wool  in  the  command  of  the  Department  of  the 
Pacific,  and  who,  in  the  earlier  days  of  his  admin- 
istration, had  shown  a  disposition  to  inaugurate 
a  similar  policy,  had  completely  changed  front, 
even  going  so  far  as  to  recommend  the  confirma- 
tion of  Governor  Stevens'  Walla  Walla  treaties. 
These  treaties  were  confirmed. 


THE  DALLES  OF  THE  COLUMBIA  RIVER. 
COLUMBIA  RIVER  AT  LVLE. 


PART  II. 
HISTORY  OF  KLICKITAT  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  I. 


GENERAL— 1859- 


Although  the  territory  now  known  as  Klickitat 
seems  to  have  been  equal  in  the  favorableness 
of  its  situation  to  the  Oregon  country  across  the 
river,  no  permanent  settlers  came  into  it  for  a 
number  of  years  after  the  first  pioneers  had  taken 
possession  of  the  south  shore  of  the  Columbia. 
The  centers  of  settlement  had  been  established 
during  the  days  of  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company  and 
the  missionaries,  and  naturally  the  later  comers 
gathered  around  them,  seeking  new  fields  to  con- 
quer only  when  the  older  ones  had  become  par- 
tially subdued.  The  original  settlement  in  what 
is  now  Washington  state,  aside  from  Hudson's 
Bay  Company's  posts,  had  been  blotted  out  by 
the  terrible  Whitman  massacre  and  the  war  grow- 
ing out  of  it,  and  when  the  Walla  Walla  country 
began  to  recover  from  the  shock  of  this  dreadful 
tragedy,  the  war  of  1855-56  came  on,  furnishing 
an  excuse  for  General  Wool's  military  order 
remanding  to  barbarism  all  of  eastern  Washing- 
ton. The  order  remained  in  force  until  the  fall 
of  1858,  when  Wool's  successor,  General  Clarke, 
rescinded  it. 

In  1856  the  government  commenced  the  con- 
struction of  a  military  road  across  the  Simcoe 
range  to  Fort  Simcoe,  on  the  Yakima  reservation, 
and  during  the  summer  of  that  year  a  small  forti- 
fication was  erected  on  Spring  creek,  seven  miles 
northwest  of  Goldendale,  and  garrisoned  with  a 
troop  of  United  States  cavalry.  This  little  fort, 
known  as  the  blockhouse,  was  a  log  structure 
surrounded  by  an  eight-foot  stockade.  The 
building  still  stands  to  mark  the  location  but  the 
stockade  has  long  since  been  removed.  The  early 
settlers  say  that  this  building  when  first  seen  by 


them  showed  plainly  the  marks  of  bullets  fired  by 
the  Indians  in  skirmishes  with  the  soldiers.  In 
i860  the  troops  were  removed. 

The  first  immigrants  began  to  arrive  in  the 
valley  late  in  the  fifties.  It  was  a  beautiful  coun- 
try then,  covered  everywhere  with  rich,  luxuri- 
ant bunch  grass,  a  cattleman's  paradise.  From 
the  hills  along  the  Columbia  to  the  foot  of  the 
timber-covered  Simcoe  range  stretched  one 
immense  undivided  pasture  field.  Now  a  thous- 
and fences  separate  that  same  area  into  numerous 
fine  grain  farms  which  furnish  homes  for  many 
prosperous  people.  The  pioneer's  judgment  in 
selecting  Klickitat  as  a  home  has  surely  been 
justified  by  the  subsequent  development.  It  pos- 
sesses all  the  advantages  an  agricultural  country 
needs  and  few  drawbacks. 

The  surrounding  country  was  as  yet  unsettled 
and  there  was  no  demand  for  farm  produce  and 
no  means  of  transporting  the  same  to  market. 
Anyway  the  pioneer  settlers  were  stockmen.  The 
country  was  by  nature  suited  to  this  enterprise, 
as  abundance  of  natural  grass  grew  everywhere, 
furnishing  feed  sufficient  for  winter  and  summer 
alike,  unless  the  winters  proved  unusually  severe. 
As  a  general  rule  the  winters  were  so  mild  that 
the  cattle  did  well  without  any  other  feed  than 
the  native  grass,  which  grew  rich  and  abundant 
everywhere  in  the  valley  and  on  the  hillsides. 
As  large  herds  of  cattle  could  be  raised  and  fat- 
tened ready  for  slaughter  at  almost  nominal 
expense,  the  rearing  of  stock  was  a  decidedly 
profitable  business.  Another  advantage  in  the 
enterprise  was  that  stock  could  be  transported 
readily  overland  to  the  market,  while  any  other 


92 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


.  commodity  required  a  conveyance,  a  thing  which 
is  difficult  to  furnish  in  a  newly  settled  country. 

Most  of  the  early  settlers  came  from  the  Wil- 
lamette valley,  to  which  they  had  come  across  the 
plains  at  an  earlier  date.  Some  had  grown  dis- 
satisfied with  the  damp  climate  of  western  Oregon 
and  had  moved  in  search  of  a  drier  country, 
others  came  to  seek  more  extensive  pastures  for 
their  increasing  herds.  To  these  Klickitat 
offered  both  a  dry,  healthful  climate  and  a  most 
magnificent  stretch  of  rich  grazing  land  for  stock, 
where  each  might  extend  his  lines  as  widely  as  he 
pleased  without  fear  of  encroaching  on  his  neigh- 
bor's right. 

By  nature  and  past  experience  these  early 
settlers  were  suited  to  pioneer  life.  Hardihood 
was  to  them  a  birthright.  Their  fathers  and 
grandfathers  had  also  been  pioneers  and  had 
spent  their  lives  on  the  border  of  the  wilderness. 
They,  in  their  turn,  were  born  and  raised  on  the 
frontier  and  the  hardships  and  inconveniences  of 
that  sort  of  life  held  no  terrors  for  them.  They 
were  possessed  of  an  experience  indispensable  to 
the  successful  pioneer.  Next  to  our  soldiers,  who 
won  our  liberties  and  maintained  by  their  cour- 
age and  sacrifice  our  integrity  as  a  nation,  this 
country,  should  honor  her  pioneers,  that  brave 
and  hardy  class  of  citizens  who  penetrated  the 
wilderness  and  blazed  the  way  for  the  civilization 
which  was  to  follow.  To  them  is  due  much  of 
the  credit  for  the  national  greatness  of  which  we 
boast  to-day.  They  had  to  forego  all  such  com- 
forts and  pleasures  of  life  as  are  possible  only  in 
thickly  settled  regions.  The  benefits  of  church 
and  school  were  denied  them.  Neighbors  were 
few  and  far  apart.  For  all  these  advantages  they 
must  be  content  to  wait  patiently.  Theirs  were 
all  the  hardships,  while  it  was  left  to  those  who 
followed  after  them  to  enjoy  much  of  the  fruits 
of  their  toil. 

The  faith  of  the  common  people  in  the  west- 
ern country  was  really  remarkable,  notwithstand- 
ing the  fact  that  it  has  been  justified  by  subse- 
quent development.  Whether  the  American 
pioneer  in  his  settlement  of  the  west  has  been 
guided  by  blind  instinct  or  a  foresight  that  has 
transcended  the  wisdom  of  sages,  is  difficult  to 
determine.  They  held  the  Northwest  for  the 
United  States  when  our  greatest  statesmen  were 
troubled  lest  they  could  not  get  rid  of  it.  That 
theirs  was  the  real  statesmanship  has  been  abun- 
dantly proven  by  subsequent  developments. 

Any  settlement  in  the  county  previous  to  1859 
is  scarcely  worthy  of  notice.  Sometime  previous 
to  the  Indian  war,  probably  as  early  as  1852, 
Erastus  S.  Joslyn,  just  out  from  Massachusetts, 
crossed  the  Columbia  river  to  a  point  opposite 
the  mouth  of  the  Hood  river  and  settled  on  a 
place  now  owned  by  Judge  Byrkett.  This  farm 
lies  in  the  Columbia  valley,  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  east  of  the  town  of  White  Salmon.  Joslyn 
built  a  cabin,  set  out  a  small  orchard,  placed  a 


tract  of  land  in  cultivation  and  acquired  a  con- 
siderable herd  of  stock.  When  the  Indian  war  of 
1855-56  broke  out,  friendly  Indians  warned  Joslyn 
that  he  would  be  attacked.  To  avoid  the  danger, 
he  hastily  fled  across  the  river  with  his  family, 
where  from  a  place  of  concealment  he  watched 
the  Indians  burn  his  dwelling,  destroy  his 
orchard  and  drive  off  his  stock.  The  following 
day  soldiers  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  Joslyn 
family  and  saved  them  from  falling  into  the 
hands  of  the  savages.  At  the  close  of  the  war, 
Joslyn  returned  to  his  ranch  and  lived  there 
until  the  fall  of  1874. 

The  Joslyn  place  is  thought  to  be  the  oldest 
ranch  in  the  county  with  the  possible  exception 
of  the  Curtis  farm  near  The  Dalles.  An  army 
officer  named  Jordan  fenced  in  several  hundred 
acres  of  land  on  Rockland  Flats,  across  from  The 
Dalles,  and  at  a  very  early  date  several  others 
had  settled  for  a  time  on  the  north  side  of  the 
river,  but  most  of  them  went  back  and  forth, 
spending  part  of  their  time  on  the  Klickitat  side 
of  the  river  and  part  at  The  Dalles.  Several  men 
with  squaw  wives  located  at  different  points 
along  the  Columbia  during  the  ante-bellum  days. 
Egbert  French,  who  afterward  kept  a  store  above 
Goldendale,  had  a  place  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Klickitat,  and  J.  H.  Alexander,  also  in  after  years 
a  settler  of  the  Klickitat  valley,  lived  at  Rock- 
land. Both  French  and  Alexander  had  squaw 
wives. 

Some  time  in  the  spring  of  1859*  Amos  Stark 
came  to  the  valley  and  built  a  log  house.  There 
was  no  settler  then  in  all  that  country.  Save  for 
the  soldiers  at  the  blockhouse  and  a  few  roving 
Indians,  the  entire  district  to  the  north  of  the 
Columbia  was  unpopulated.  Mr.  Stark  was 
obliged  to  build  his  cabin  alone,  as  there  was  no 
one  to  whom  he  could  apply  for  aid,  but  he  man- 
aged to  raise  the  logs  by  sliding  them  up  inclined 
skids.  First  he  would  pull  one  end  up  a  distance 
with  a  rope,  then  fasten  it  and  work  the  other  end 
up  a  little  way.  By  this  means  he  managed  to 
raise  the  logs  although  the  process  was  tediously 
slow.  He  finally  by  this  method  completed  the 
walls  without  assistance,  then  covered  the  struc- 
ture with  a  roof.     He  thereupon  went  back    to 


•'The  year  1859  is  given  by  all  the  first  settlers  of  Klick- 
itat county,  who  now  reside  there,  as  the  date  of  their  settle- 
ment. L.  L.  Thorp,  of  North  Yakima,  is,  however,  positive 
that  his  father,  F.  Mortimer  Thorp,  and  family,  also 
considerable  party  of  others  from  western  Oregon,  came  in 
during  the  summer  of  185S.  Charles  Splawn  also  gives  that 
year  as  the  date  of  settlement.  Mr.  Thorp  does  not  claim 
that  his  father's  family  were  the  first  to  settle  in  Klickitat 
county,  but  that  they  belonged  to  the  first  party  of  settlers, 
all  of  whom  came  together  to  The  Dalles.  The  Thorps 
were  delayed  a  few  days  at  that  point,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  their  cattle  did  not  arrive  promptly  by  boat,  while 
others  of  the  party  went  direct  to  the  Klickitat  valley,  pre- 
ceding them  a  few  days.  As  the  memories  of  men  are 
fallible,  especially  as  to  the  dates  of  events  which  occurred 
many  years  ago,  all  dates  which  like  this  one  can  not  be 
fixed  by  contemporaneous  documents  are  of  necessity  given 
tentatively. 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


California,  where  he  met  Stanton  H.  Jones,  whose 
acquaintance  he  had  previously  made.  They 
planned  to  return  to  Klickitat  county  together, 
but  Mr.  Jones  was  delayed  for  a  few  weeks  in 
California  by  business  affairs,  so  Stark  came  back 
alone,  Jones  following  a  little  later. 

During  Stark's  absence  in  California  a  num- 
ber of  settlers  had  arrived  in  the  valley.  Among 
the  first  of  these  were  Willis  Jenkins  and  family. 
Willis  Jenkins  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in 
Oregon.  He  had  brought  his  family  across  the 
plains  as  early  as  1844  and  had  settled  in  Polk 
county,  near  the  present  town  of  Dallas.  In 
1849  lie  moved  to  California  to  the  newly  discov- 
ered gold  fields.  During  the  first  winter  there 
he  washed  out  about  seven  thousand  dollars  in 
gold  dust,  most  of  which  he  invested'  in  mer- 
chandise. The  following  spring  he  returned  with 
his  goods  to  Oregon,  where  he  started  a  store.  As 
most  of  his  neighbors  had  likewise  sought  their 
fortunes  in  the  new  El  Dorado,  money  was  about 
the  only  thing  that  was  plentiful  and  Mr.  Jenkins 
disposed  of  his  merchandise  at  a  good  profit. 
From  Polk  county  he  moved  to  Wilbur,  a  small 
settlement  in  southern  Oregon  named  for  Father 
Wilbur,  and  there  he  also  kept  a  store  and  a  way- 
side lodging  house.  He  lived  at  Wilbur  during 
the  Rogue  River  war.  Later  the  family  moved 
to  Forest  Grove,  in  Washington  county,  and 
finally  in  the  summer  of  1859  they  came  to  Klicki- 
tat. They  settled  near  the  blockhouse,  where  the 
garrison  was  stationed,  and  when,  in  1S60,  the 
soldiers  were  removed  Jenkins  filed  on  the  claim. 
They  brought  with  them  to  Klickitat  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  a  few  horses. 

The  Jenkins  family  were  not  yet  settled  in  the 
valley  when  Lewis  S.  Parrott  and  his  son-in-law, 
John  J.  Golden,  came.  With  the  Parrotts  and 
Goldens  came  the  Tarter  family,  also  from  the 
Willamette.  Mr.  Golden  preceded  the  party 
into  the  valley,  arriving  with  a  large  herd  of 
cattle  July  9th,  1859,  to  the  best  of  his  recollec- 
tion. He  says  the  others  joined  him  in  August 
following.  They  settled  on  the  Swale,  a  few 
miles  southwest  of  the  site  of  Goldendale;  John 
Golden  afterward  moved  to  Columbus  and  lived 
there  for  a  time.  The  party  brought  with  them 
herds  of  stock,  as  did  most  of  the  early  settlers. 
While  living  at  Columbus,  Mr.  Golden  took  a 
contract  to  deliver  one  thousand  cords  of  wood 
to  the  boats  and  wood  hauling  soon  after  became 
one  of  the  chief  industries  of  the  county. 

A  little  later  John  W.  Burgen  and  his  brother 
Thomas  came,  also  bringing  a  large  herd  of  cattle 
and  horses.  In  i860  John  Burgen  settled  on 
the  Columbus  road,  near  Swale  creek,  about  four 
miles  south  of  the  site  of  Goldendale.  His  fam- 
ily have  ever  since  occupied  this  place,  to  which 
forty-four  years  ago  he  purchased  the  prior  right 
of  a  young  man  for  a  twenty-dollar  greenback. 
Here,  in  the  following  year,  his  son  Newton, 
to  whom  belongs  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 


white  child  born  in  Klickitat,  was  born.  The 
first  house  built  on  the  place,  a  substantial  log 
one,  is  still  standing,  although  it  has  long  ago 
been  replaced  as  a  residence  by  a  more  comfort- 
able dwelling.  Thomas  Burgen  also  settled  in 
the  valley  for  a  time,  but  in  1864  moved  to  Cham- 
berlain Flats,  where  his  family  still  live. 

Among  the  others  who  came  into  the  valley 
during  the  first  year  was  Mortimer  Thorp,  who 
settled  on  the  site  of  Goldendale.  His  house 
stood  just  north  of  the  lot  on  which  the  Methodist 
church  now  is.  Alfred  Henson  settled  just 
below  Thorp,  building  a  cabin,  and  Charles 
Splawn  settled  near  what  is  known  as  the  Alex- 
ander place.  Just  above  him  was  Calvin  Pell. 
John  Nelson  and  Robert  Carter  lived  farther 
down  the  Swale,  Alfred  Allen  and  A.  H  Curtis 
lived  at  Rockland  Flats  across  from  The  Dalles. 
Besides  those  mentioned  there  were  also  Jacob 
Halstead,  James  Clark.  Nelson  Whitney,  William 
Murphy,  Captain  McFarland  and  his  son  Neil; 
Francis  Venables,  Marion  Stafford,  Jacob  Gulli- 
ford, Waters  and  sons,  and  Tim  Chamber- 
lain, who  came  to  Chamberlain  Flats  some  time 
during  the  year.  In  all  about  fifteen  families 
passed  the  winter  of  1859-60  in  Klickitat  county. 

The  Klickitat  country  was  so  thinly  settled  in 
1S59  that  it  was  generally  considered  by  the  citi- 
zens of  the  new  district  that  the  necessity  for 
county  organizaton  had  not  yet  arisen.  Few 
people  are  anxious  to  hasten  the  time  when  they 
will  be  required  to  pay  taxes,  especially  when  no 
apparent  benefit  is  to  be  derived  from  their  pay- 
ment. The  territorial  government,  however, 
insisted  that  the  settlers  must  organize  and  pay 
taxes.  As  early  as  December  20,  1859,  it 
passed  an  act  setting  off  Klickitat  as  a  separate 
county  and  naming  officers  for  the  new  organiza- 
tion. As  this  act  is  of  interest  as  being  the  first 
reference  in  the  statutes  to  Klickitat  county,  it 
is  given  verbatim  below: 

AN  ACT 
To  Create  and  Organize  the  County  of  Clicatat. 
Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Territory 
of  Washington: 

Section  1.  That  all  that  portion  of  Washington  Terri- 
tory embraced  within  the  following  boundaries,  to-wit: 
Commencing  in  the  middle  of  the  Columbia  river,  five 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Clicatat  river;  thence  north 
to  the  summit  of  the  mountains,  the  divide  between  the 
waters  of  the  Clicatat  and  Yakima  rivers;  thence  east, 
along  said  divide,  to  a  point  north  of  the  mouth  of  Rock 
creek;  thence  south  to  the  middle  of  the  Columbia  river; 
thence  along  the  channel  of  said  river  to  the  place  of 
beginning.  The  same  is  hereby  constituted  into  a  sepa- 
rate county,  to  be  known  and  called  Clicatat  county. 

Section  2.  The  said  territory  shall  compose  a  county 
for  civil  and  military  purposes,  and  shall  be  under  the 
same  laws,  rules,  regulations  and  restrictions,  as  all  other 
counties  in  the  Territory  of  Washington,  and  entitled  to 
elect  the  same  officers  as  other  counties  are  entitled  to 
elect. 

Section  3.  That  the  county  seat  of  said  county  be, 
and  the  same  is  hereby,  temporarily  located  on  the  land 
claim  of  Alfred  Allen. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Section  4.  That  Alfred  Allen,  Robert  Tartar  and 
Jacob  Halstead  be,  and  the  same  are  hereby,  appointed  a 
board  of  county  commissioners;  and  that  Willis  Jenkins 
be,  and  he  is  hereby,  appointed  probate  judge;  that  James 
Clark  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  appointed  sheriff;  that  Nelson 
Whitney  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  appointed  county  auditor; 
that  Edwin  Grant  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  appointed  assessor; 
that  William  Murphy  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  appointed 
treasurer;  that  John  Nelson  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  ap- 
pointed a  justice  of  the  peace. 

Section  5.  That  the  persons  hereby  constituted  officers 
by  the  fourlh  section  of  this  act,  shall,  before  entering 
upon  the  duties  of  their  respective  offices,  qualify  in  the 
same  manner,  and  with  like  restrictions,  as  those  elected 
at  an  annual  or  general  election. 

Passed  December  20,  1S59. 

By  this  act  Klickitat  county  (it  was  spelled 
Clickitat  previous  to  1869)  was  organized  and  its 
boundaries  outlined  in  a  general  way.  But  the 
early  settlers  gave  little  thought  to  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  county.  The  government  at  Olympia 
could  appoint  county  officers,  but  it  could  not 
compel  them  to  qualify,  and  this  the  majority  of 
the  new  officers  refused  or  neglected  to  do. 
Without  having  qualified,  they  could  not  act  in 
the  capacity  to  which  they  were  appointed,  so  no 
efficient  county  organization  was  effected,  no 
assessment  rolls  were  made,  and  no  taxes  were 
levied.  The  Klickitat  country  was,  therefore,  in 
much  the  same  condition  as  before  it  had  been 
organized. 

The  absorbing  problems  of  the  time  were  not 
governmental,  but  industrial,  as  they  must  needs 
be  in  a  new  and  sparsely  settled  community.  As 
early  as  i860  the  people  of  Klickitat  began  tak- 
ing contracts  for  the  delivery  of  wood  to  boats 
on  the  Columbia  river.  These  boats  ran  only  to 
Wallula  at  this  time,  but  the  discovery  that  win- 
ter of  gold  in  the  Clearwater  country  of  Idaho 
caused  an  effort  to  navigate  the  Snakeand  Clear- 
water rivers.  The  first  boat  to  attempt  this  got 
as  far  up  the  latter  stream  as  the  Big  Eddy,  but 
no  later  efforts  were  made  to  penetrate  the  coun- 
try with  steamboats  beyond  Lewiston.  The 
subsequent  discoveries  in  other  parts  of  North 
Idaho,  in  the  Boise  and  Powder  river  basins  and 
elsewhere,  gave  a  tremendous  impetus  to  naviga- 
tion on  the  Columbia,  creating  a  great  demand 
for  fuel.  A  wood-yard  was  established  at  Colum- 
bus and  placed  in  charge  of  a  man  named  Had- 
ley,  and  at  Chamberlain  Flats,  about  thirteen 
miles  further  up  the  river,  another  wood-yard 
was  put  in  operation  by  Tim  Chamberlain.  At 
both  these  points  large  contracts  were  let  by 
steamboat  companies  for  the  cutting  and  hauling 
of  wood. 

In  this  way  remunerative  employment  was 
furnished  for  all  the  men  who  had  not  brought 
into  the  valley  sufficient  stock  to  require  their 
whole  attention.  The  first  contract  price  was  ten 
dollars  a  cord  for  wood  delivered  at  the  landing. 
After  that  the  price  was  cut  to  eight  dollars.  At 
this  rate  the  business  was  only  moderately  profit- 
able, for  all  the  wood  had  to  be  hauled  across  the 


Swale  from  the  hills  beyond  where  Goldendale 
now  stands,  a  distance  of  twelve  miles,  as  no 
timber  grew  in  the  valley  or  on  the  hills  along 
the  Columbia.  The  first  settlers  brought  very 
few  American  horses  with  them  to  Klickitat,  and 
what  few  they  had  were  considered  very  valua- 
ble, so  all  the  hauling  was  done  with  ox  teams, 
which,  because  of  their  slowness,  made  two  days 
necessary  for  the  round  trip.  One  day  they 
would  go  to  the  woods  and  load;  the  next  they 
would  make  the  return  trip  to  the  river.  With 
six  yoke  of  cattle  to  each  wagon  it  was  possible 
to  haul  about  five  cords  at  a  load.  The  cost  of 
feeding  the  ox  teams  amounted  to  nothing,  as 
they  could  be  turned  out  at  night,  and  the  luxu- 
riant bunch  grass,  which  grew  everywhere  plen- 
tifully then,  was  sufficiently  nutritious  and  rich 
to  keep  them  in  good  working  order. 

The  furnishing  of  employment  through  the 
wood  contracts  was  only  one  of  the  advantages 
accruing  to  the  people  of  the  valley  through  the 
mines,  which  also  furnished  a  uniformly  good 
market  for  their  stock.  The  demand  for  beef  in 
the  upper  country  kept  cattle  at  a  high  price  and 
made  stock-raising  a  profitable  business.  Ponies, 
being  in  demand  for  pack  animals,  and  saddle 
horses  also  sold  readily  at  a  good  figure.  These 
different  industries  made  money  plentiful  in  the 
valley  during  the  first  few  years  and  greatly 
aided  the  rapid  development  of  Klickitat  county. 

During  the  summer  of  i860  the  first  road  to 
Columbus  was  opened  by  private  subscription. 
That  year  witnessed  also  the  first  efforts  to  test 
the  value  of  the  soil  for  agricultural  purposes,  a 
little  grain  having  been  sown  for  hay  and  a  few 
feeble  efforts  having  been  made  at  gardening. 
The  results  of  these  early  attempts  were  not  so 
flattering  as  to  inspire  further  efforts  in  the  same 
direction,  for  the  first  settlers  did  not  as  yet 
understand  the  soil  and  climate  sufficiently  to 
enable  them  to  get  the  best  results.  It  was  only 
after  some  years  of  experimenting  that  they 
learned  the  lands  best  suited  to  the  different 
crops,  and  for  the  first  years  even  the  vegetables 
they  used  were  brought  to  the  valley  on  pack 
horses.  Most  of  the  clothing  they  wore  was 
hand-spun  and  hand-woven. 

The  first  county  election  was  held  in  i860. 
Conventions  were  held  and  the  nominations 
were  made  on  strictly  party  lines.  Complete 
Democratic  and  Republican  tickets  were  placed 
in  the  field,  although  the  Republicans,  being 
very  much  in  the  minority  in  those  days,  experi- 
enced some  little  difficulty  in  finding  enough 
men  for  all  the  offices.  The  result  of  the  elec- 
tion was  a  complete  victory  for  the  Democrats. 
The  county  was  divided  into  three  precincts, 
the  polls  being  at  Rockland,  the  site  of  Golden- 
dale,  and  the  blockhouse.  All  were  Demo- 
cratic. The  most  of  the  officers  elected  again 
failed  to  qualify.  A  general  understanding 
existed  among  the  settlers  that  the  men  elected 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


95 


were  not  to  qualify  and  thus  to  set  at  naught  the 
organization  of  the  county.  The  government  at 
Olyrapia  was  persistent,  however,  and  passed  an 
act,  January  24,  1861,  appointing  the  following 
officers  to  fill  vacancies:  John  Nelson,  probate 
judge;  Willis  Jenkins,  treasurer;  G.  W.  Phillips, 
auditor;  William  T.  Waters,  sheriff;  James  H. 
Herman,  A.  Waters,  A.  G.  Davis,  county  com- 
missioners; C.  J.  McFarland,  S.  Peasley  and 
W.  T.  Murphy,  justices  of  the  peace. 

Another  act  was  passed  by  the  territorial  leg- 
islature on  the  31st  of  January  of  the  same  year, 
extending  the  northern  boundary  line  of  Klicki- 
tat county  as  far  north  as  the  northeast  corner  of 
Skamania  county,  from  which  place  it  was  to 
run  due  east  to  a  point  from  which,  by  running 
due  south,  it  would  strike  the  northeast  corner  of 
the  previous  boundary  of  Klickitat.  At  that 
time  the  longest  dimension  of  the  county  was 
from  north  to  south,  embracing  a  large  body  of 
territory  that  is  now  embraced  in  Yakima 
county.  By  the  same  act  the  northern  boundary 
of  Walla  Walla  county  was  extended  north  to 
British  Columbia. 

During  the  first  two  years  of  white  settle- 
ment in  Klickitat  everything  seemed  to  promise 
well  for  the  stockmen.  So  far  they  had  been 
favored  by  circumstances.  The  grass  grew  in 
luxuriant  abundance.  The  weather  was  favor- 
able, and  so  far  as  their  experience  went  there 
was  no  reason  to  expect  anything  different.  Not 
all  the  seasons,  however,  were  to  be  like  those  of 
their  experience.  Not  only  was  the  winter  of 
1861-62  more  severe  than  the  two  previous  ones; 
it  was  the  coldest  and  longest  ever  experienced 
by  the  white  inhabitants  of  Klickitat.  The  sum- 
mer of  1 86 1  was  unusual.  Heavy  frosts  occurred 
in  some  parts  of  the  valley  every  month  through- 
out the  entire  season.  Cold  weather  came  early 
in  the  fall.  Snow  fell  in  the  hills  on  the  10th  of 
October  and  November  3d  several  inches  fell  in 
the  valley.  All  through  the  month  of  November 
regular  snows  occurred,  some  days  as  much  as 
ten  inches  falling,  then  the  weather  would  turn 
warmer  and  all  the  snow  would  go.  Cold,  disa- 
greeable fogs  hung  continually  over  the  valley. 

For  the  first  four  or  five  days  of  December  it 
snowed  and  rained  every  day,  and  the  excep- 
tional precipitation  caused  the  streams  and  rivers 
to  rise  higher  than  was  ever  known  at  that  sea- 
son of  the  year.  Klickitat  creek  flooded  all  the 
flat  below  the  site  of  the  town  of  Goldendale,  the 
water  standing  eighteen  inches  deep  in  a  house 
in  the  hollow,  while  the  Columbia  river  almost 
reached  the  high-water  mark  for  June  freshets. 

By  the  22d  of  December  there  was  no  snow 
lying  on  the  ground,  although  it  was  estimated 
by  men  who  kept  track  of  the  different  falls,  that 
at  least  six  feet  had  fallen  previous  to  that  date. 
Already  cattle  were  dying.  They  were  suffer- 
ing from  cold  and  hunger  and  their  lowing  was 
something    terrible  to  hear.      Had    the    weather 


been  dry,  they  would  not  have  suffered  so  much, 
but  cattle  seem  to  perish  more  quickly  in  a  damp, 
chilly  atmosphere  than  in  an  extremely  cold,  dry 
one.  Beginning  with  the  night  of  December 
22d,  it  continued  to  snow  daily  up  to  the  new 
year,  by  which  time  fully  thirty  inches  lay  along 
the  Columbia,  while  at  the  blockhouse  the  snow 
came  within  a  couple  of  inches  of  the  top  of  a 
four-foot  fence  and  was  so  soft  as  to  make  travel 
extremely  inconvenient.  Coyotes  were  very 
numerous  in  the  valley  at  that  time  as  were  also 
all  kinds  of  game.  The  settlers  from  their  snow- 
blocked  cabins  would  see  a  couple  of  ears  moving 
along  above  the  snow,  the  remainder  of  the  lank 
coyote  being  buried  in  the  drifts  that  yielded 
beneath  the  weight  of  his  body  like  eiderdown. 
Sometimes  they  would  amuse  themselves  by  pur- 
suing on  horseback  these  silent-footed  thieves  of 
the  night,  and  killing  them  with  clubs.  It  was 
easy  to  overtake  them  in  the  deep,  soft  snow,  and 
the  slinking  creatures,  when  they  found  they 
could  not  escape  their  pursuers,  would  crouch 
down  in  their  tracks  and  allow  themselves  to  be 
clubbed  to  death. 

The  1st,  2d,  3d  and  4th  of  January  it  sleeted, 
the  snow  and  rain  being  attended  with  lightning 
and  heavy  thunder.  This  is  the  only  time  on 
record  when  heavy  thunder  accompanied  a  winter 
storm  in  this  locality.  The  sleet  falling  on  the 
top  of  the  soft  snow  packed  it  down  hard  and 
thoroughly  saturated  it  with  water.  Such  was 
the  condition  existing  on  the  4th  of  January, 
1862.  On  the  evening  of  the  4th  the  weather 
changed  suddenly  and  the  chinook  wind  began  to 
blow.  The  change  from  a  damp,  penetrating 
cold  to  summer  warmth  was  speedy,  and  soon 
the  snow  began  to  disappear  very  rapidly.  The 
water  dripped  from  the  roofs  of  the  houses  as  if 
they  were  under  a  water-spout.  The  cattlemen 
were  wild  with  joy  and  hailed  this  change  in  the 
weather  as  their  salvation,  for  they  thought  that 
if  the  warm  wind  prevailed  for  a  few  days  their 
deliverance  was  at  hand.  Hope  took  the  place  of 
dejection,  every  one  feeling  sure  that  the  ruin 
and  disaster  with  which  they  were  threatened 
had  been  averted.  They  went  to  bed  that  night 
expecting  that  the  morning  would  show  great 
improvement  in  conditions. 

During  the  night,  however,  another  change 
occurred.  The  wind  had  suddenly  veered  to  the 
northeast  and  the  thermometer  had  fallen  to 
zero.  On  the  top  of  the  snow  was  one  vast  sheet 
of  ice  which  would  everywhere  bear  the  weight 
of  a  man.  On  that  morning  the  despair  of  the 
cattlemen  was  as  complete  as  had  been  their 
elation  the  previous  evening.  The  loss  of  the 
cattle  was  discouraging  enough,  but  to  witness 
the  hunger  and  suffering  of  the  poor,  starving 
brutes  without  any  means  of  relieving  their  dis- 
tress, was  most  uncomfortable. 

This  condition  remained  without  change  for 
six  weeks,  the  thermometer  ranging  all  the  time 


96 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


from  fourteen  to  thirty  degrees  below  zero. 
People  could  now  travel  anywhere  on  the  top  of 
the  snow  crust,  but  large  animals  would  break 
through  and  the  sharp  crust  would  cut  their  limbs 
to  the  bone.  Unable  to  move  in  search  of  fodder, 
they  stood  there  in  the  snow  until  they  fell  from 
weakness  and  died.  One  cow  near  the  Waldron 
place,  four  miles  south  of  Goldendale,  survived 
forty-three  days  without  food  or  water  except 
what  she  could  obtain  from  licking  the  snow. 
She  became  so  savage  from  hunger  that  no  per- 
son dared  to  approach  within  her  reach.  She 
survived  until  the  warm  weather  softened  the 
snow  crust  and  set  her  free,  then  went  to  the 
water  and  drank  copiously.  After  that  she  lived 
only  a  short  time. 

It  the  cattle  had  been  left  in  the  valley  it  is 
doubtful  if  a  single  head  would  have  survived 
this  terrible  winter,  but  down  along  the  hills  that 
flank  the  Columbia  it  was  more  sheltered  and  the 
snow  was  less  deep  upon  the  ground.  Besides, 
it  was  not  so  difficult  for  the  animals  to  dig  away 
the  snow  on  the  hillsides.  They  would  turn 
their  heads  up  the  hill,  always  pawing  the  snow 
downward.  The  great  problem  was  how  to  get 
the  cattle  there  without  their  being  all  lacerated 
by  the  cruel  sharpness  of  the  snow  crust.  The 
way  the  settlers  accomplished  this  was  to  bind 
up  their  horses'  legs  with  the  tops  of  old  boots 
or  with  rawhide  and  drive  them  ahead  to  break 
the  way.  This  was  very  tiresome  on  the  horses 
that  led  and  they  had  to  be  changed  frequently. 
Finally,  after  two  days  of  this  kind  of  work  they 
reached  the  hills  along  the  river,  where  the 
horses  could  dig  away  the  snow  and  get  at  the 
grass,  while  the  cattle  could  manage  to  live  by 
following  up  the  horses  and  eating  what  they 
left.  Where  the  rye  grass  grew  the  stock  could 
feed  with  less  trouble,  as  it  was  very  tall  and 
protruded  above  the  snow.  The  bunch  grass, 
however,  was  entirely  covered  and  it  was  only 
after  much  digging  and  pawing  that  the  animals 
could  reach  it.  After  the  cattle  got  down  to  the 
hills  along  the  river  most  of  them  would  have 
survived  had  it  not  been  for  the  numerous  holes 
into  which  they  were  continually  falling  as  they 
wallowed  about  in  the  deep  snow,  and  in  their 
weak  and  helpless  condition  they  were  unable  to 
get  out  once  they  fell  in.  The  owners,  when 
they  found  them  in  these  holes,  generally  ended 
their  misery  with  a  rifle  ball. 

February  ioth  the  snow  started  to  go  awav 
and  by  March  ist  cattle  could  feed.  They  had 
just  started  to  gain  strength  again  when,  on 
March  15th,  there  came  another  snowfall  afoot 
deep,  remaining  until  April  ist.  Many  of  the 
cattle  that  had  survived  the  long,  cold'  winter 
were  still  too  weak  from  starvation  and  exposure 
to  weather  another  storm  and  the  result  was  that 
many  of  the  remaining  cattle  died.  Fully  three- 
fourths  of  all  the  stock  in  the  country  perished 
that  year.       The    largest   cattle   owners    in    the 


county  at  that  time  were  Willis  Jenkins,  William 
Murphy,  Ben  E.  Snipes,  John  and  Thomas 
Burgen,  Lewis  Parrott,  John  Golden  and  Joseph 
Knott,  of  Portland. 

Willis  Jenkins  had  close  to  two  hundred  head 
of  cattle  out  of  which  he  saved  about  fifty,  most 
of  them  steers.  Ben  E.  Snipes  lost  practically 
all  he  had  in  Klickitat  county.  He  had,  how- 
ever, about  two  hundred  head  in  the  Okanogan 
country  and  these  wintered  all  right.  The  fol- 
lowing summer  he  drove  them  with  some  others 
he  bought  to  British  Columbia,  where  he  disposed 
of  them  at  a  very  high  price.  Beef  sold  that 
summer  at  the  Caribou  mines  as  high  as  a 
dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  pound.  In  the  spring, 
because  of  his  heavy  losses,  he  had  been  generally 
considered  a  broken  stockman,  but  by  fall  he  had 
cleared  over  forty  thousand  dollars. 

The  losses  of  other  stockmen  were  proportion- 
ately heavy.  M.  S.  Short,  on  Chamberlain  Flats, 
succeeded  in  saving  ten  head  out  of  the  sixty- 
five  he  brought  to  the  county  the  previous  year. 
These  also  would  have  perished  if  he  had  not 
driven  them  to  the  mouth  of  Ten-mile  creek, 
where  they  were  in  a  measure  sheltered  and 
could  get  sufficient  grass  to  sustain  life  The 
journey  over  a  rough  trail  through  the  deep 
snow,  Mr.  Short  informs  us,  was  attended  with 
trials  and  hardships  never  to  be  forgotten.  At 
the  same  time  he  moved  his  family  to  The  Dalles, 
where  they  spent  the  remainder  of  the  winter. 
It  was  the  23d  of  January  when  he  started  with 
his  wife  and  one  small  child  to  make  this  journey 
down  the  Columbia  to  The  Dalles.  The  weather 
was  cold,  the  coldest  of  that  unusual  winter. 
The  trail  was  rough,  as  a  train  of  pack  mules  had 
gone  over  it  just  before  the  heavy  frosts  had 
hardened  the  snow,  leaving  it  very  uneven  and 
full  of  holes.  This  unevenness  made  walking 
extremely  difficult,  as  the  trail  was  narrow.  The 
distance  'from  Chamberlain  Flats  to  The  Dalles 
is  in  the  neighborhood  of  thirty-five  miles  and 
two  days  were  required  to  make  the  journey. 
Mr.  Short  was  forced  to  camp  one  night  with  his 
family  in  an  open  cabin  without  blankets,  and 
the  discomforts  of  that  night  may  be  readily 
imagined,  but  the  following  day  they  arrived  at 
The  Dalles  without  accident. 

By  Tanuary  ist  the  water  in  the  Columbia 
was  very  high  and  the  snow  and  sleet  falling  in 
the  river  formed  a  slush  ice,  which  increased  in 
the  cold  weather  to  a  thickness  of  about  fifteen 
feet,  as  nearly  as  could  be  determined.  At  one 
point  a  crack  formed  in  the  ice,  which,  though 
almost  closed  at  night,  expanded  during  the  day 
to  nearly  a  yard  in  width.  At  this  place  it  was 
possible  to  look  down  probably  fifteen  feet  and 
no  open  water  was  to  be  seen.  When  the  ice 
broke  up  in  the  spring  and  floated  out  of  the 
river,  the  ice  press  was  tremendous.  The  high 
water  crowded  huge  blocks  of  ice  well  out  on  the 
sandbars,    where  they  remained  until  April  1st. 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


Should  a  bridge  be  built  across  the  lower  Col- 
umbia, the  ice  is  a  mighty  force  that  would  have 
to  be  reckoned  with.  Some  winters  there  is  no 
floating  ice  in  the  river;  others  there  is  very- 
little,  but  should  such  a  condition  as  has  just 
been  described  ever  again  occur,  the  structure 
must  be  strong  and  the  foundations  secure 
indeed  that  would  withstand  the  heavy  ice  floe 
brought  down  upon  it  with  the  current  when  the 
ice  should  break  up  and  float  out  of  the  channel. 
Before  the  cold  winter  there  were  thousands 
of  jack  rabbits  and  prairie  chickens  in  the  valley, 
but  the  severe  winter  left  hundreds  of  them  dead 
on  the  plains.  The  prairie  chickens,  in  accord- 
ance with  their  custom,  allowed  themselves  to  be 
covered  in  the  snow,  and  when  the  crust  formed 
on  the  top  they  were  unable  to  get  out,  and  per- 
ished in  great  numbers  from  starvation.  After 
it  got  warm  in  the  spring  and  a  man's  weight 
would  break  through  the  snow  crust,  it  was  not 
uncommon  to  see  birds  that  had  survived  escape 
through  the  holes  made  by  the  feet  of  pedes- 
trians. The  rabbits  were  not  able  to  get  enough 
food  to  keep  them  alive  and  many  starved  to 
death. 

The  very  unusual  winter  of  1861-62  was  to  say 
the  least  most  discouraging  to  the  cattlemen. 
In  one  year  they  had  seen  the  herds,  which  had 
taken  them  years  to  accumulate,  worse  than  dec- 
imated. A  few  were  entirely  disheartened  and 
left  the  valley,  but  most  of  the  settlers  remained 
and  went  bravely  to  work  to  build  anew  their 
shattered  fortunes.  It  speaks  volumes  for  the 
fortitude  of  these  early  settlers  that  they  were 
sufficiently  courageous  to  take  up  the  struggle 
again  in  the  face  of  such  disasters.  Had  such  a 
winter  as  has  been  described  occurred  a  little 
later  in  the  history  of  the  county,  it  is  doubtful 
if  the-  losses  would  have  been  so  great,  for  with 
each  succeeding  year  an  increased  amount  of 
winter  feed  has  been  provided  in  the  valley  while 
improved  transportation  facilities  early  made  it 
possible  to  secure  assistance  from  outside  sources 
in  case  of  need. 

There  are  few  disasters  so  complete  that  they 
do  not  bring  a  certain  measure  of  compensation, 
and  in  one  respect  the  severe  winter  was  a  for- 
tunate circumstance  for  the  settlers  of  the  valley. 
It  is  believed  that  the  Indians  had  planned  a  gen- 
eral uprising  for  the  summer  of  1862  with  the 
intention  of  ridding  the  whole  country  of  white 
settlers.  As  the  Indian  population  far  outnum- 
bered the  whites  at  that  time,  they  would  prob- 
ably have  experienced  little  difficulty  in  executing 
their  plan  had  it  not  been  for  their  loss  of  ponies 
during  the  previous  winter.  But  the  Indians 
lost  nearly  all  their  horses,  and  as  they  will  not 
make  war  on  foot  the  white  people  were  left 
unmolested. 

The  cattle  losses  also  had  a  tendency  indi- 
rectly to  encourage  agriculture.  The  importance 
of  providing  some  winter  feed  for  stock  could  no 


longer  be  denied  and  some  of  the  settlers  turned 
their  attention  to  raising  grain  for  fodder.  It 
was  with  reluctance  at  first  that  the  cattlemen 
countenanced  any  attempt  at  farming,  for  they 
watched  with  a  jealous  eye  experiments  that 
might,  if  successful,  result  in  their  being  finally 
deprived  of  the  valley  for  a  stock  range.  It  was 
a  good  cattle  country  and  they,  as  cattlemen,  did 
not  wish  to  see  it  devoted  to  any  other  use.  They 
were  inclined  to  discourage  all  experiments 
in  agriculture,  maintaining  that  the  valley 
was  more  valuable  as  a  stock  range  than  it  would 
ever  be  for  anything  else,  and  there  are  still  peo- 
ple in  the  district  who  maintain  that  when  they 
plowed  down  the  bunch  grass  they  destroyed  a 
better  crop  than  can  ever  be  raised  in  its  place. 
But  the  time  was  nevertheless  fast  approaching 
when  agriculture  would  supersede  all  other  pur- 
suits in  the  county. 

As  early  as  1861  some  grain  was  sown  in 
the  valley.  This,  because  of  the  exceptional  win- 
ter that  followed,  was  valued  very  highly  for 
horse  feed.  In  1862  a  little  more  grain  was 
grown.  As  there  were  no  threshing  machines'or 
mills  in  the  valley  for  a  number  of  years  after- 
ward, it  was  used  for  fodder  only,  but  these 
experiments  were  useful  in  that  they  showed 
what  the  country  was  capable  of  doing. 

The  people  also  began  to  branch  out  into 
other  industrial  pursuits.  At  first  all  lumber 
used  in  the  county  had  been  manufactured  by  the 
use  of  the  whipsaw,  a  slow  and  unsatisfactory 
implement.  There  was  no  lack  of  first-class  tim- 
ber in  the  county  to  supply  any  number  of  mills, 
but  no  little  difficulty  attended  the  bringing  of 
the  necessary  machinery  to  the  valley  over  poor 
roads  and  with  poor  transportation  facilities.  A 
company  of  men  was  found,  however,  who  were 
willing  to  undertake  the  difficult  task,  and  during 
the  year  i860  Jacob  Halstead,  David  Kitson, 
Benjamin  Alverson  and  his  brother  Isaac,  built  a 
mill  on  Mill  creek  and  furnished  it  with  the 
necessary  equipment  for  sawing  timber.  This 
first  little  mill  was  of  small  capacity  and  made  no 
pretense  of  furnishing  anything  but  rough  lum- 
ber, but  it  was  the  beginning  of  an  important 
industry  in  Klickitat  county.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  county  contains  seven  hundred  and  forty- 
three  million  feet  of  standing  timber,  and  al- 
though much  of  this  is  not  yet  opened  up,  the 
lumbering  business  has  since  assumed  important 
proportions  and  now  furnishes  labor  to  a  small 
army  of  men  throughout  the  county. 

The  furnishing  of  wood  for  the  boats  was 
still  an  important  business.  Columbus  had 
become  quite  a  center  of  activity.  One  man 
opened  a  shop  where  he  furnished  fresh  meat  to 
the  boats,  and  A.  G.  Davis  started  a  store  there. 
A  couple  of  years  later,  however,  he  sold  the 
building  to  a  man  who  utilized  it  as  a  saloon. 
As  the  man  had  no  license  to  sell  liquor,  his 
business  was   illegal,    but    if  he  had    proceeded 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


quietly  in  the  business  and  had  not  sold  whiskey 
to  the  Indians,  it  is  doubtful  if  anyone  would 
have  molested  him.  But  he  persisted  in  dispens- 
ing his  bad  whiskey  to  the  red  men  and  they 
became  very  noisy  and  troublesome;  indeed, 
conditions  soon  became  so  bad  that  men's  lives 
were  scarcely  safe.  There  was  no  satisfactory 
manner  of  proceeding  against  the  man  by  law,  as 
the  county  had  no  effective  organization  of  its 
own.  An  appeal  to  the  courts  would  have  to  be 
made  at  Vancouver  and  the  people  of  the  valley 
were  in  no  way  sure  that  any  redress  could  be 
obtained  from  that  source.  Thomas  Jenkins, 
who  at  that  time  was  loading  wood  for  the  boats, 
lived  with  his  family  at  Columbus.  As  he  had 
a  sick  child,  these  night  orgies  were  especially 
annoying  to  him,  and  he  asked  the  owner  of  the 
saloon  to  desist  from  selling  whiskey  to  the 
Indians,  as  it  made  the  town  an  unsafe  place  to 
live  in.  This  the  saloonkeeper  refused  to  do, 
saying  that  he  would  sell  whiskey  to  the  Indians 
as  long  as  he  pleased.  Exasperated  beyond 
further  endurance,  a  number  of  the  citizens  of 
the  valley  eventually  decided  to  put  an  end  to 
the  whole  matter.  It  was  agreed  by  a  company 
of  men,  among  whom  were  Thomas  Jenkins, 
Nelson  Whitney,  Lewis  Parrott,  Stanton  H. 
Jones  and  William  Hicinbotham,  that  they  would 
enter  the  saloon  and  empty  out  all  the  liquor. 
As  the  members  of  the  party  were  respected  cit- 
izens and  no  mob,  they  chose  the  daylight  in 
which  to  execute  their  designs.  It  was  known 
that  the  owner  of  the  saloon  kept  a  loaded  gun 
always  in  readiness  on  the  counter;  also  that  he 
was  a  desperate  man  and  liable  to  use  it.  He 
was  a  good  customer  at  his  own  bar  and  very 
often  rendered  harmless  by  over-intoxication, 
but  it  was  nevertheless  thought  a  wise  precau- 
tion to  dispose  of  the  shotgun  before  anything 
else  was  attempted.  Jenkins  walked  into  the 
saloon  alone  and  taking  the  gun  from  the  coun- 
ter, discharged  both  barrels  into  the  air.  Then 
the  others  entered,  each  of  whom  took  a  keg  or 
demijohn  out  to  an  old  hole  where  once  had  stood 
an  Indian  hut,  and  emptied  out  its  contents. 
They  kept  this  up  as  long  as  there  was  any 
liquor  left  in  the  building.  When  the  saloon- 
keeper, who  had  been  in  a  drunken  stupor  while 
the  operation  was  going  on,  came  to  his  senses 
and  found  his  shop  empty,  he  made  all  manner 
of  dire  threats  of  what  he  would  do,  but  in  the  end 
he  did  nothing.  The  saloon  has  never  since 
been  reopened  nor  was  there  ever  another  estab- 
lished at  Columbus. 

Although  some  of  the  settlers  became  dis- 
couraged because  of  the  hard  winter  and  heavy 
loss  of  stock  and  left  the  valley,  others  came  in 
to  take  their  places  and  the  county  slowly  in- 
creased in  population.  The  country  was'  still 
very  attractive  to  the  stockmen  and  during  the 
summer  of  1862  a  number  of  extensive  stock- 
raisers  moved  their  herds  to  Klickitat.     William 


Connell  and  William  Hicinbotham  settled  at 
Rockland  and  went  into  partnership  in  the  cattle 
business.  Thomas  Johnson,  a  nephew  of  Con- 
nell, also  came  to  the  county  that  year  and  was 
also  associated  with  his  uncle  and  Mr.  Hicin- 
botham in  the  business.  They  bought  stock 
from  the  settlers  and  drove  them  overland  to 
British  Columbia,  where  they  disposed  of  them 
at  the  mining  camps.  Watson  Helm  also 
brought  a  band  of  cattle  to  the  county  from  Wil- 
lamette valley  during  the  year  and  sold  them  to 
Ben  E.  Snipes  at  thirty  dollars  a  head.  These 
Snipes  atterward  took  to  British  Columbia  with 
a  herd  of  his  own  and  sold  at  a  high  figure. 

By  January,  1863,  there  were  two  ferries  con- 
necting different  points  in  the  country  with  the 
Oregon  shore,  one  running  between  Rockland 
and  The  Dalles  and  the  other  connecting  the 
Rock  creek  wagon  road  with  the  road  on  the 
Oregon  side.  These  were  operated  under  restric- 
tions and  limits  prescribed  by  law.  The  follow- 
ing rates  were  established  by  an  act  of  the  legis- 
lature: Wagon  and  span,  three  dollars;  each 
additional  span,  one  dollar;  man  and  horse  or 
horse  with  pack,  one  dollar;  loose  animals,  fifty 
cents  each;  sheep  and  hogs,  fifteen  cents  each. 
The  ferry  connecting  Rockland  and  The  Dalles 
was  established  by  James  Herman  in  1859,  and 
when  it  made  its  first  trip,  July  9th  of  that  year, 
John  J.  Golden,  who  was  then  on  his  way  to 
Klickitat,  was  aboard.  A  second  ferry  was  put 
in  operation  at  Umatilla  in  1863,  and  in  1868 
William  Hicinbotham  established  a  third  at 
Columbus. 

As  if  to  lend  credit  to  the  view  of  the  stock- 
men that  Klickitat  was  not  for  the  agriculturists, 
a  new  enemy  of  the  farm  products  appeared  in 
the  valley  at  an  early  date.  This  was  a  tiny 
black  cricket.  When  the  first  settlers  came  to 
the  valley,  and  no  one  can  tell  how  long  before, 
there  were  crickets  along  the  south  side  of  the 
mountain  that  flanks  the  Columbia,  but  it  was 
not  until  1864  that  they  crossed  into  the  valley. 
It  is  claimed  by  some  that  the  significance  of  the 
word  Klickitat  is  cricket,  but  there  is  a  differ- 
ence of  opinion  on  this  matter,  and  as  few  Indi- 
ans can  any  longer  talk  the  language  of  the 
Klickitats,  it  is  difficult  to  determine  what  is  the 
correct  English  translation  of  the  word.  These 
insects  were  small  in  size  and  in  color  about  like 
a  housefly.  During  the  summer  season  they 
traveled  in  bands  and  after  depositing  their  mil- 
lions of  tiny  eggs,  they  died  off.  One  peculiar 
habit  of  these  insects  was  that  they  always  trav- 
eled in  straight  lines.  When  the  young  were 
hatched  in  the  spring  they  were  as  apt  to  start 
out  in  one  direction  as  another,  but  whatever 
direction  they  took  in  the  first  place,  they  never 
varied  from  it  afterwards.  They  would  hop  right 
into  a  stream  of  water  or  a  ditch  nor  would  they 
ever  make  any  effort  to  avoid  them.  If  they  came 
to  a  wall  or  a  tree,  repeated  attempts  were  made 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


to  climb  over  but  none  to  find  a  way  around. 
Whatever  crops  or  gardens  their  course  brought 
them  to  they  utterly  destroyed.  In  the  morning 
they  would  attack  a  green  field  and  by  evening 
it  would  be  as  bare  as  the  streets. 

Ingenious  methods  were  devised  by  the  set- 
tlers to  protect  their  crops  and  gardens.  They 
nailed  boards  around  the  bottoms  of  their  fences 
so  close  to  the  ground  that  none  of  the  insects 
could  crawl  under,  and  on  top  of  this  they  nailed 
a  strip  at  right  angles  so  as  to  protrude  a  short 
distance  outward  beyond  the  vertical  boards,  so 
that  when  the  insects  attempted  to  climb  over 
the  top  board  they  would  fall  back.  To  destroy 
the  pests  they  dug  trenches  along  the  edges  of 
the  fences  in  such  a  way  that  the  insects  would 
fall  in  and  could  not  climb  out.  It  is  claimed 
that  as  soon  as  the  crickets  fell  into  the  pit  dug 
for  them  they  would  fall  each  upon  the  other, 
tearing  off  all  their  limbs  as  if  their  neighbors  in 
distress  had  been  responsible  for  their  own 
trouble.  When  the  trenches  were  filled  with  the 
insects,  the  farmers  would  cover  them  up  with 
dirt  to  prevent  stench.  Some  built  fires  across 
the  line  of  travel  of  the  pests,  into  which  they 
would  jump  and  be  consumed,  and  by  these  and 
other  methods  a  few  saved  their  grain  and  gar- 
dens from  being  entirely  destroyed.  The  crick- 
ets made  their  appearance  each  successive  year 
until  1870,  and  by  the  1st  of  March  of  that  year 
the  hillsides  and  valleys  were  almost  black  with 
the  little  insects,  but  ten  days  later  a  heavy  fall 
of  snow  covered  the  ground  and  before  it  melted 
away  the  crickets  were  all  dead.  This  species 
has  never  given  any  serious  trouble  since. 

Up  to  this  time,  1864,  the  whole  Alder  creek 
and  Camas  prairie  country  was  an  unsettled 
wilderness,  nor  were  there  many  settlers  on  Rock 
creek  or  Chamberlain  Flats.  In  1861  Joseph 
Chapman  settled  and  put  out  an  orchard  on  a 
place  along  the  Columbia  beyond  Rock  creek. 
The  same  year  Merrill  S.  Short  came  to  Chamber- 
lain Flats,  where  Tim  Chamberlain  and  his 
brother  had  a  wood-yard  and  were  engaged  in 
hauling  wood  for  the  boats.  Mr.  Short  moved 
away  the  following  winter  and  did  not  return  for 
some  years.  The  Chamberlain  brothers  lost  all 
their  oxen  during  the  severe  winter  and  had  to 
abandon  the  wood  business.  In  1863  Chancey 
Goodnoe  first  came  to  the  Flats  and  remained  a 
short  time,  but  he  did  not  become  a  permanent 
settler  until  the  following  year.  Thomas  Bur- 
gen  moved  to  Chamberlain  Flats  in  1864,  settled 
on  the  place  where  his  family  still  live,  and  spent 
there  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

A  few  years  after  the  Indian  war,  Neil  and  A. 
Girdon  Palmer,  brothers,  became  the  second  per- 
manent white  settlers  in  the  White  Salmon  coun- 
try, locating  on  land  just  below  the  Joslyn  place. 
Rev.  E.  P.  Roberts,  a  retired  missionary,  and 
his  wife  were  the  next  to  enter  that  region. 
They  came  in  i860  or  1861,  and  settled  upon  the 


claim  adjoining  Joslyn  on  the  east.  Roberts 
sold  out  to  J.  R.  Warner  in  1864.  A  year  or  two 
later  John  Perry  and  his  Indian  wife  settled  on 
the  river  near  Lyle.  E.  S.  Tanner  came  to 
White  Salmon  in  1865,  and  in  the  early  sixties, 
also,  David  Street,  a  bachelor,  settled  in  the 
valley  about  four  miles  above  White  Salmon 
river. 

The  first  schoolhouse  in  the  Klickitat  valley 
was  built  in  the  year  1866  by  private  donations 
of  the  settlers.  The  building  was  afterward 
moved  to  its  present  location  on  the  Columbus 
road,  about  four  miles  south  of  Goldendale,  as  a 
more  central  site  than  the  one  it  originally  occu- 
pied. It  has  since  given  place  to  a  more  com- 
fortable and  commodious  structure  erected  across 
the  road.  A  private  school  supported  by  sub- 
scriptions of  the  settlers  had  been  established 
several  years  before  on  the  Swale.  Nelson 
Whitney  taught  the  first  term  in  the  private 
school,  and  Miss  Jennie  Chamberlain,  afterward 
Mrs.  Nelson  Whitney,  taught  the  first  public 
school.  No  particular  system  of  text-books  was 
used,  each  pupil  making  use  of  the  books  he  hap- 
pened to  possess,  whether  they  were  purchased 
for  his  special  benefit  or  came  to  him  as  the 
abandoned  text-books  of  his  parents.  These 
irregularities  would  be  demoralizing  to  a  school 
of  this  day,  but  it  was  surprising  how  much  the 
children  learned  then,  notwithstanding  such  dis- 
advantages. 

The  only  Indian  trouble  in  Klickitat  during 
the  early  years  which  gave  evidence  of  develop- 
ing into  anything  of  a  serious  nature  happened 
in  1866,  and  this  could  scarcely  be  considered 
anything  more  serious  than  a  family  quarrel. 
The  quarrel  occurred  at  Joseph  Chapman's  place, 
on  Rock  creek,  now  known  as  the  W.  B.  Walker 
ranch.  The  Chapmans  had  a  little  Indian  boy 
staying  with  them,  and  they  were  in  the  habit  of 
sending  him  out  every  evening  to  drive  up  the 
horses.  They  also  had  a  boy  of  their  own  who 
was  about  equal  in  age  to  the  Indian.  The 
young  "Siwash"  did  not  consider  it  fair  that  he 
should  be  sent  for  the  horses  every  night  while 
the  other  boy  remained  comfortably  at  home,  so 
he  made  complaint  to  the  boy's  sister,  Jane.  All 
the  satisfaction  she  gave  him  was  a  sound  cuffing 
upon  the  ears,  a  treatment  which  probably  did 
not  hurt  the  young  brave  very  much,  but  thor- 
oughly ruffled  his  temper.  He  went  forthwith 
to  the  other  Indians  with  his  tale  of  woe  and 
stirred  them  into  a  violent  passion.  Being  deter- 
mined to  slaughter  the  whole  Chapman  family, 
they  went  with  loaded  guns  directly  to  Chap- 
man's and  made  an  attack  on  them.  In  the  fight 
that  ensued  one  of  the  Indians  shot  Jane  Chap- 
man in  the  head,  but  the  bullet  failed  to  pene- 
trate the  skull,  and  after  its  removal  the  girl 
soon  recovered.  One  of  the  Indians,  called  Chief 
George,  was  shot  through  the  body  and  also 
badly  slashed  with  a  sword.     The  Civil  war  was 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


closed  then  only  a  short  time;  soldiers  were  con- 
tinually passing  back  and  forth  through  the 
country,  one  of  whom  had  left  an  old  sword 
at  the  Chapman  place,  and  when  the  Indians 
made  their  attack,  a  man  stopping  at  Chap- 
man's, familiarly  known  as  "Alabama  Joe," 
made  at  the  old  chief  with  the  sword  and  slashed 
him  so  severely  that  he  was  left  for  dead,  though 
he  subsequently  regained  consciousness  and 
crawled  away.      He  lived  a  year. 

It  was  thought  this  was  liable  to  cause  a  gen- 
eral outbreak  of  the  Indians,  and  a  runner  was 
immediately  despatched  to  warn  the  settlers  and 
summon  aid.  As  the  Indians  still  far  outnum- 
bered the  whites,  a  war  would  have  been  fraught 
with  great  danger  to  the  settlement  The  real 
danger  of  war  was  greatly  magnified  because  the 
circumstances  of  the  trouble  were  unknown  to 
the  people  and  there  was  danger  that  some  indis- 
creet act  on  their  part  might  incense  the  Indians 
not  already  disaffected  by  the  Chapman  incident. 
Many  of  the  settlers  collected  as  much  as  they 
could  of  their  effects  and  left  the  country.  Some, 
thoroughly  panic-stricken,  fled  in  wild  disorder, 
racing  their  horses  across  the  plains  in  their  mad 
rush  to  get  away,  but  most  of  the  people  took  the 
matter  more  calmly.  A  number  went  to  the 
assistance  of  the  Chapman  family  and  a  guard 
was  maintained  during  that  night,  which  was  so 
dark  that  the  watchers  could  see  very  little,  but 
the  Indians  never  molested  them,  although  the 
dense  darkness  seemed  to  favor  a  night  attack. 
The  four  or  five  hundred  Indians  seemed  to  be 
afraid  of  a  handful  of  white  men. 

Father  Wilbur  was  then  Indian  agent  at  the 
Yakima  reservation,  and  when  any  serious  trouble 
occurred  it  was  customary  to  send  for  him.  This 
great,  powerful,  fearless  man  seemed  to  under- 
stand thoroughly  Indian  character  and  could 
manage  the  Indians  as  if  they  were  children. 
When  he  went  to  the  Yakima  reservation,  the 
government  thought  it  necessary  to  maintain  a 
large  force  of  soldiers  as  an  inducement  to  peace 
to  the  red  men,  but  shortly  after  his  arrival  the 
soldiers  were  removed  at  his  request,  and  it  was 
never  found  necessary  to  replace  them.  He 
would  go  right  into  the  midst  of  the  armed  and 
angry  Indians,  arrest  the  leaders  and  compel  the 
others  to  desist  from  their  hostile  acts. 

Although  many  of  the  early  settlers  opposed 
county  organization,  on  account  of  the  taxation 
which  was  its  necessary  concomitant,  it  soon 
became  evident  that  there  were  some  advantages 
which  could  not  be  obtained  without  some  form 
of  local  government.  The  county  had  no  public 
school  system,  no  roads,  no  bridges  and  no 
method  by  which  these  desiderata  could  be  pro- 
vided. Those  who  were  opposed  to  organization 
in  the  first  place  because  of  the  paucity  of  set- 
tlers in  the  county,  now  began  to  favor  it.  Pre- 
vious to  this  time  the  county  had  been  organized 
and  officers  elected,  as  has  been   said,  but  very 


little  attention  was  given  to  the  county  govern- 
ment. Some  paid  their  taxes,  others  did  not, 
most  of  the  officers  never  qualified,  and  nothing 
was  ever  done  with  the  taxes  collected,  that  is, 
nothing  to  the  advantage  of  the  county. 

We  are  informed  by  a  settler  of  that  time  that 
it  was  customary  for  the  officials  to  divide  the 
spoil  and  spend  it  for  their  own  purposes.  At 
that  time  the  sheriff  collected  the  taxes  and 
turned  over  the  money  to  the  treasurer.  In  1865 
Sheriff  Reuben  Booten  collected  from  all  who 
were  willing  to  pay  and  left  the  county,  and  the 
following  year  no  attempt  whatever  was  made  to 
collect  taxes.  Very  early  in  1867,  however,  the 
county  was  reorganized,  and  the  following  offi- 
cers were  appointed  by  the  territorial  govern- 
ment: Commissioners,  Amos  Stark,  August 
Schuster  and  H.  M.  McNary;  auditor,  Thomas 
Johnson;  treasurer,  William  Connell;  assessor, 
Stanton  H.  Jones;  probate  judge,  James  Taylor. 
August  Schuster  resigned  and  was  appointed 
sheriff.  John  Burgen  was  appointed  superintend- 
ent of  schools.  This  was  the  first  really  effective 
organization  that  had  ever  been  accomplished  in 
the  county.  The  courthouse  was  a  building  at 
Rockland,  rented  from  William  Connell  at  the 
rate  of  eight  dollars  per  month.  It  is  still  stand- 
ing. 

These  officers  were  appointed  to  hold  office 
only  until  the  general  election  of  June  30,  1867. 
The  officers  elected  were:  Amos  Stark,  H.  M. 
McNary  and  T.  J.  Chambers,  commissioners; 
August  Schuster,  sheriff;  A.  H.  Simmons,  pro- 
bate judge;  Martin  Harper,  auditor;  John  Bur- 
gen-, superintendent  of  schools.  Most  of  the 
officers  were  then  paid  fees  or  wages  by  the  day 
for  the  time  spent  in  the  service  of  the  county, 
but  the  superintendent  of  schools  was  granted 
the  special  dignity  of  drawing  an  annual  salary. 
He  received  twenty-five  dollars  a  year. 

No  records  were  preserved  of  any  business 
transacted  during  the  former  organization  of  the 
county,  and  Klickitat  may  be  said,  without  great 
inaccuracy,  to  have  begun  its  existence  as  a  polit- 
ical organization  in  1867.  A  number  of  years 
afterward  an  attempt  was  made  by  the  territorial 
attorney  to  collect  sixty-seven  dollars  taxes 
levied  by  the  state  against  the  county  prior  to 
January  28,  1867,  but  as  no  records  could  be 
produced  and  many  of  the  officers  elected  during 
that  time  had  left  the  county,  the  attempt  failed. 

By  an  act  passed  in  the  territorial  legislature 
and  approved  January  iS,  1868,  the  boundary 
lines  of  the  county  were  changed  so  that  com- 
mencing at  a  point  in  the  mid-channel  of  the 
Columbia,  opposite  Mimaluse  island,  above  five 
miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Klickitat,  the  line 
ran  north  to  the  summit  of  the  mountains  and 
the  headwaters  of  the  Ahtanum,  thence  follow- 
ing the  channel  of  the  Ahtanum  and  Yakima 
rivers  to  the  Columbia,  and  down  the  Columbia 
to  the  place  of  beginning.     The  following  year 


KLICKITAT  ■  COUNTY. 


the  country  lying  north  of  the  Toppenish  was 
added  to  Yakima  county. 

Although  the  population  of  Klickitat  could 
yet  be  numbered  in  three  places  of  figures,  the 
number  of  business  enterprises  in  which  the 
people  had  already  embarked  was  sufficient  to 
indicate  the  industrious  nature  of  the  few  scat- 
tered settlers  that  had  remained  permanently  in 
the  valley.  Stock-raising  had  from  the  first 
claimed  a  larger  measure  of  attention  than  any 
other  business,  and,  although  the  severe  winter 
of  1861-62  had  given  a  hard  blow  to  the  enterprise, 
it  was  still  the  chief  occupation  of  the  people. 
Ben  E.  Snipes,  William  Connell,  the  Burgen 
brothers,  Watson  Helm  and  a  large  number  of 
others,  were  carrying  on  an  extensive  trade  in 
cattle  in  the  county,  and  sold  each  year  large 
herds  to  the  mines  of  British  Columbia  and 
Idaho.  The  wood  business  had  also  become  an 
important  industry.  Abundance  of  material  was 
at  hand,  as  the  mountains  were  covered  with  a 
thick  growth  of  timber,  and  as  the  boats  were 
entirely  dependent  upon  wood  for  fuel,  wood- 
hauling  soon  developed  into  an  important  indus- 
try. Stanton  H.  Jones,  who  himself  was  engaged 
in  the  enterprise,  states  that  at  one  time  for  a 
period  of  two  years  ten  large  teams  and  a  num- 
ber of  small  ones  were  engaged  in  hauling  and 
furnishing  wood  to  the  Oregon  Steam  Naviga- 
tion Company  at  Columbus,  at  that  time  the  only 
place  with  any  business  pretensions  in  the 
county.  A  hotel,  store,  butcher  shop  and  sev- 
eral other  small  business  houses  were  established 
there. 

The  lumber  business  also  made  a  good  begin- 
ning early  in  the  history  of  the  county.  As  has 
been  previously  stated,  the  first  saw-mill  was 
erected  by  a  company  of  men  in  i860.  This  was 
followed  by  another  a  few  years  later  on  Klicki- 
tat creek,  above  the  site  of  Goldendale,  and  soon 
the  lumber  trade  became  an  important  source  of 
revenue  to  the  county.  From  an  early  publica- 
tion we  glean  the  information  that  Klickitat  pine 
was  considered  even  at  an  early  date  very  valua- 
ble for  the  making  of  patterns  for  foundry  work. 
It  has  no  hard  grain  like  the  fir,  but  is  uniformly 
soft,  and  for  that  reason  is  peculiarly  adapted  to 
this  purpose. 

A  few  advance  steps  had  also  been  made  in 
agriculture,  but  not  sufficient  as  yet  to  show  what 
the  county  was  capable  of  doing  as  a  farming 
country.  No  one  had  as  yet  dreamed  that  Klick- 
itat was  to  become  one  of  the  great  grain-raising 
counties  of  the  territory.  In  1870  John  W.  Bur- 
gen raised  a  small  crop  of  wheat,  and  to  him  is 
given  the  credit  of  being  the  pioneer  farmer  of 
Klickitat.  The  following  year  a  number  of 
farmers  in  different  parts  of  the  valley  sowed 
wheat  and  were  rewarded  with  a  very  fair  yield, 
the  crops  along  the  Swale  averaging  forty  bush- 
els to  the  acre.  During  the  year  a  grist-mill  was 
built  at  The  Dalles  and  a  part  of  the  wheat  crop 


was  carried  to  that  point  and  manufactured  into 
flour  for  home  consumption.  Previous  to  that 
year  all  flour  had  been  brought  to  the  valley 
from  Portland,  and  with  the  facilities  for  trans- 
portation then  in  use,  it  was  both  a  difficult  and 
expensive  method  of  getting  supplies.  It  was 
not  to  be  many  years,  however,  until  the  prob- 
lem was  not  how  to  get  flour  up  the  river,  but 
how  to  reach  a  market  outside  for  the  surplus  at 
home.  Now  that  a  beginning  had  been  made  in 
agriculture  and  it  had  been  demonstrated  that  the 
valley  was  a  good  grain  country,  the  progress  in 
farming  was  rapid. 

Up  to  1872  there   was  not  a  town  in  all  the 

county,   and    Klickitat   then    embraced    a   much 

larger    area    than  at    present;    as    its    northern 

boundary  followed  the  mid-channel  of  the  Top- 

I  penish    and    Yakima    rivers    to    the   Columbia. 

!  J.  L.  Henderson  had  laid  out  a  town  and  built  a 

1  store  at  the  point  where  the  military  road  crossed 

I  the  Little  Klickitat,  but,  although  he  offered  lots 

I  to    any    person    who    would    build  on  them,  the 

town    never   materialized    and    was    abandoned. 

September  5,  1871,  John  J.  Golden  bought  from 

L    J.  Kimberland  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 

Goldendale,  and  the  following  year  he   platted  a 

town  site    and    gave    it   the    name    Goldendale. 

That  year  Thomas  Johnson  built  a  house  in  the 

new  town,  the  front  room  of  which  he  used  as  a 

store.     There    was   then    no    other   store   in  the 

county,  although  several  had  been  opened  previ- 

I  ous  to  this  time. 

As  the  location  of  the  county  seat  at  Rock- 
land was  only  temporary,  it  was  decided  by  the 
commissioners.  May  8,  1872,  that  the  question  of 
permanently  locating  the  county  seat  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  voters  of  the  county  at  the  next 
regular  election  to  be  held  November  8,  1872. 
From  the  first,  Goldendale,  being  in  the  midst  of 
one  of  the  best  agricultural  sections  of  the  county, 
was  considered  to  represent  the  farming  interest 
of  the  district  and  was  strongly  opposed  by  the 
stockmen.  Although  the  largest  number  of  the 
voting  population  was  in  the  valley,  and  it  would 
have  been  to  their  own  immediate  interests  to 
have  Goldendale  the  county  seat,  still  the  influ- 
ence of  the  cattlemen  was  sufficiently  strong  to 
defeat  it.  although  by  a  narrow  margin.  The 
vote  stood  seventy-seven  for  Goldendale  and  sev- 
enty-eight for  Rockland. 

Up  to  this  time  the  county  had  increased  in 
population  very  slowly.  In  1872  there  were  not 
more  than  five  or  six  hundred  people  in  the 
county,  but  this  is  not  surprising  when  we  con- 
sider that  the  population  of  the  entire  territory 
in  1870  was  less  than  twenty-four  thousand.  The 
time  had  now  arrived,  however,  for  a  more  rapid 
growth  in  the  Klickitat  valley.  A  start  had 
been  made  in  wheat-raising.  People  had  also 
given  some  attention  to  fruit  culture,  though  up 
to  this  time  there  were  few,  if  any,  bearing 
orchards.      Some    of    the    first    settlers    brought 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


trees  with  them  from  Oregon,  but  the  varieties 
were  poor  and  the  trees  did  not  thrive.  The  first 
orchards  of  any  importance  were  planted  in  1870, 
and  fruit-raising  soon  after  became  an  important 
industry  in  the  new  county.  The  development 
of  these  various  enterprises  made  it  possible  for 
a  much  larger  population  to  subsist  in  the  coun- 
try than  could  have  done  so  in  the  live-stock  in- 
dustry alone. 

While  settlement  in  the  western  part  of  the 
county  had  been  fairly  rapid  during  the  early 
seventies,  few  had  either  the  desire  or  courage 
to  risk  their  fortunes  upon  the  vast  prairie  east 
of  Rock  creek.  That  great  region  was  presumed 
to  be  fitted  only  for  stock-raising,  and  upon  its 
broad  expanse  roamed  thousands  of  cattle,  horses 
and  sheep.  Stockmen  alone  claimed  the  vast 
range  for  more  than  two  decades  after  the  com- 
ing of  the  whites  into  southern  Washington. 
Prior  to  1871  Joseph  Chapman,  heretofore 
referred  to,  was  the  only  permanent  settler  east 
of  Rock  creek,  his  ranch  and  wood-yard  being 
situated  near  the  mouth  of  the  small  stream 
which  bears  his  name.  In  187 1  L.  J.  Kimber- 
land  left  Klickitat  valley  and  settled  upon  the 
east  fork  of  Rock  creek.  The  following  May 
Benjamin  D.  Butler,  Robert  M.  Graham,  H.  A. 
South  and  L.  J.  Bailey  pushed  still  further  east 
and  began  the  building  of  homes  near  the  head- 
waters of  Alder  creek.  They  were  twenty  miles 
from  any  settlement,  but  with  brave  hearts  they 
faced  the  rigors  of  the  higher  altitude  and  the 
difficulties  which  beset  the  path  of  the  pioneer. 
They  were  discouraged  in  every  possible  way  by 
the  stockmen,  who  knew  from  experience  what 
would  result  if  a  permanent  settlement  were 
effected,  but  they  stayed,  broke  ground  and  built 
their  rude  log  cabins.  Mr.  Butler  filed  the  first 
homestead  entry  in  this  region,  and  Robert  M. 
Graham  the  second.  Others  followed  during  the 
succeeding  two  years  until,  in  1874,  the  district 
had  sufficient  settlers  to  warrant  the  establish- 
ment of  Alder  creek  precinct. 

In  November,  1873,  the  northern  boundary  of 
the  county  was  again  changed.  Instead  of  fol- 
lowing the  Toppenish  and  Yakima  rivers  to  the 
confluence  of  the  latter  with  the  Columbia,  it  was 
made  to  correspond  with  the  following  official 
description:  "Commencing  at  the  northern 
corner  of  township  six  north,  range  twelve 
east;  thence  east  along  the  northern  boundarv  of 
township  six  north,  to  the  point  where  that  line 
intersects  the  Columbia  river."  This  boundary 
line  has  since  remained  unchanged,  although  the 
western  line  was  afterward  moved.  This  change 
in  the  boundary  of  Klickitat  decreased  the  area 
almost  one-half,  but  as  most  of  the  territory 
added  to  Yakima  county  lay  within  the  limits  of 
the  Indian  reservation,  it  was  not  open  to  white 
settlement. 

In  1873  a  much  large  acreage  of  wheat  was 
sown  than  on  any  previous  year,  and  the  neces- 


sity for  some  method  for  home  manufacture  of 
the  product  began  to  be  strongly  felt.  The 
closest  point  at  which  flour  could  be  obtained 
was  The  Dalles.  An  immense  amount  of  time 
and  energy  was  expended  each  year  in  the  trans- 
portation of  the  wheat  to  the  mill  and  the  flour 
back  to  the  consumer,  all  which  it  was  possible 
to  save  by  erecting  a  grist-mill  at  home,  a  task 
simple  enough  if  the  capital  could  only  be  pro- 
cured. A  movement  was  set  on  foot  the  follow- 
ing year  by  John  Graham,  Martin  V.  Harper, 
T.  J.  Harper,  John  W.  Burgen,  Egbert  French 
and  J.  H.  Alexander,  to  procure  by  private  sub- 
scription the  necessary  funds  to  build  a  grist- 
mill, but  the  faith  of  the  settlers  was  not  yet 
sufficiently  strong  in  the  future  prospects  of  the 
county  to  incline  them  to  aid  the  enterprise. 
They  felt  certain  it  would  be  a  losing  proposi- 
tion. A  few  years  later,  however,  the  demand 
for  a  grist-mill  became  imperative,  and  Messrs. 
Chatfield,  Smith,  Marble  and  Nelson,  in  1878, 
built  at  .Goldendale  what  was  afterward  known 
as  the  Klickitat  mill.  Almost  simultaneously, 
Thomas  Johnson  built  the  Goldendale  mills, 
giving  inception  to  an  era  of  rapid  progress  and 
prosperity  in  the  county. 

The  manufacture  of  flour  at  home  did  not 
delay  transportation  of  wheat  abroad,  as  the 
amount  of  wheat  grown  in  the  valley  was  by  this 
time  sufficient  to  supply  the  home  market  and 
leave  a  margin  for  shipment.  In  1876  the  first 
export  of  wheat  to  an  outside  market  was  made, 
in  round  numbers  about  one  thousand  bushels. 
The  following  year  the  amount  of  wheat  ex- 
ported increased  to  fourteen  thousand;  in  1878, 
it  was  forty-six  thousand;  in  1879,  one  hundred 
thousand.  The  wheat  product  for  .the  entire  state 
in  1879  was  less  than  two  million  bushels. 

The  city  of  Goldendale  for  a  long  time  met 
with  the  most  bitter  opposition  from  the  stock- 
men So  strong  was  their  influence  against  the 
town  that,  although  Goldendale  was  more  cen- 
trally and  more  conveniently  located  to  accom- 
modate a  majority  of  the  people,  a  determined 
effort  was  made  to  prevent  its  being  made  the 
county  seat.  As  it  was  known  that  in  a  fair 
vote  Goldendale  would  obtain  a  substantial 
majority,  influence  was  brought  to  bear  by  the 
friends  of  the  town  on  the  legislature  to  induce 
it  to  refer  the  question  to  a  popular  vote.  Those 
who  were  interested  in  the  advancement  of  the 
interests  of  Goldendale,  were  sufficiently  far- 
sighted  to  perceive  that  the  best  way  to  build  up 
the  town  was  to  lay  out  as  many  county  roads 
leading  into  it  as  possible,  thus  making  it  an 
important  center.  This  was  accomplished  with- 
out the  opposition's  even  suspecting  its  object, 
and  Goldendale,  being  made  easily  accessible  from 
almost  all  parts  of  the  county,  soon  became  quite 
an  important  business  point.  When  finally  Rep- 
resentative Nelson  Whitney  succeeded  in  getting 
a  bill  through  the  legislature   allowing  a  three- 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


103 


fifths  vote  to  settle  the  question,  Goldendale  had 
very  much  the  best  ot  it.  At  the  general  elec- 
tion in  November,  1878,  about  five-sixths  of  the 
votes  were  cast  for  Goldendale.  In  February  of 
the  following  year  the  commissioners  ordered  the 
sheriff  to  move  the  county  property  to  the  site 
chosen  for  it  by  the  ballots  of  the  people.  This 
proved  a  rather  difficult  undertaking,  as  the 
roads  were  blockaded  with  snow,  about  thirty 
inches  having  fallen  just  previously,  but  it  was 
accomplished  nevertheless,  and  in  Goldendale 
the  county  offices  and  records  have  ever  since 
remained. 

During  the  year  the  people  were  again  panic- 
stricken  by  a  report  that  the  Indians  had  broken 
out  and  were  about  to  begin  a  war  of  extermina- 
tion on  the  white  people.  To  the  Bannock  and 
Piute  marauding  expedition  of  1878  more  exten- 
sive reference  will  be  made  in  another  chapter, 
that  on  the  Perkins  affair,  but  it  may  be  stated 
here  that  in  June  the  disaffected  tribes  left  Fort 
Hall,  Idaho,  with  intent  to  form  a  junction  with 
the  tribes  on  the  Umatilla  reservation,  then  sweep 
northward  to  join  the  Yakimas,  Spokanes,  Coeur 
d'Alenes  and  other  northern  Indians  in  a  grand 
effort  to  rid  the  country  of  whites  and  re-estab- 
lish the  primitive  condition  of  barbarism.  But 
the  bungling  of  the  Indian  leaders  and  timely 
and  decisive  action  on  the  part  of  the  government 
in  hurrying  troops  to  the  scene,  circumvented 
their  plans  and  compelled  them  to  abandon  the 
expedition  before  they  effected  a  crossing  of  the 
Columbia. 

Many  of  the  people,  however,  were  thor- 
oughly frightened.  Not  a  few  of  the  settlers  had 
come  from  Minnesota,  where  they  had  been  dur- 
ing the  Sioux  troubles,  and  the  memory  of  the 
horrors  of  those  dreadful  campaigns  were  fresh 
in  their  minds.  They  had  no  desire  to  see 
such  a  condition  again.  The  result  was  very 
similar  to  that  of  1866,  many  settlers  hastily 
gathering  what  they  could  of  their  effects  and 
leaving  the  valley  precipitately.  In  one  family 
a  child  died  during  the  day  on  which  they  heard 
the  report.  Their  terror  was  so  great  that  they 
at  once  constructed  a  rude  coffin,  buried  the 
remains  without  funeral  service  and  left  the 
valley  the  same  night.  Numerous  other  stories 
might  be  told  of  ridiculous  things  done  by  persons 
almost  crazed  with  fear  of  the  dread  savage  on 
the  warpath,  but  the  greater  portion  of  the  set- 
tlers were  not  so  violently  disturbed.  Many  had 
been  in  previous  Indian  wars  and  knew  better 
the  character  of  the  red  man,  hence  took  a  saner 
view  of  the  difficulties  and  set  to  work  to  provide 
some  sort  of  protection  for  themselves  and  their 
property.  A  company  of  mounted  riflemen  was 
hastily  organized,  with  Enoch  W.  Pike  as  cap- 
tain. These  were  furnished  with  arms  by  the 
government,  thoroughly  drilled  and  otherwise 
placed  in  readiness  for  active  service,  should 
occasion    demand   it.       A    movement    was    also 


started  to  build  a  fort  at  Goldendale,  where  most 
of  the  surrounding  settlers  had  gathered  for  pro- 
tection, but  timely  interference  of  the  United 
States  troops  quelled  the  trouble  before  the  set- 
tlers had  time  to  carry  out  their  intentions.  The 
Klickitat  Rangers,  as  Captain  Pike's  men  were 
known,  were  not  called  into  active  service  against 
the  Bannocks  in  1878,  but  participated  in  the 
Moses  campaign  of  the  following  year.  An 
account  of  their  movements  at  that  time  is  given 
in  the  chapter  which  treats  of  the  Moses  demon- 
stration and  the  Perkins  affair. 

Although  the  people  of  Klickitat  have  three 
times  been  threatened  by  the  Indians,  the  day  of 
the  red  man  has  passed  and  not  a  single  life  has 
been  taken  by  an  Indian  since  the  war  of  1855-56. 

By  this  time  the  valley  of  the  Klickitat  had 
become  almost  entirely  settled,  and  the  more 
remote  districts  of  the  country  began  to  attract 
the  attention  of  the  immigrant.  In  1878  Samuel 
P.  Flower  came  to  eastern  Klickitat,  together 
with  his  brother,  Charles  E.  Flower,  also  George 
Lawman  and  David  Sprinkle,  and  settled  on  Pine 
creek,  ten  miles  south  of  the  site  of  Bickleton. 
Two  families,  those  of  Joseph  Nixon  and  William 
Fadden,  farmers,  had  preceded  the  Flower  party. 
Mr.  Flower  informs  us  that  he  found  Ben  Butler 
and  sons,  James  and  Marion,  stockmen,  and 
Dixon  Gaunt,  located  on  Six  Prong  creek ;  Milton 
Imbrie,  a  farmer,  on  Pine  creek,  just  above  But- 
ler's; while  up  toward  Bickleton,  near  Alder 
creek,  were  Robert  M.  and  John  Graham,  L.  J. 
Bailey,  George  W.  McCredy,  Angus  Forbus, 
Gotfried  Peterson,  Martin  Holbrook,  Charles  N. 
Bickle,  Rasmus  Gotfredson,  and  a  few  others 
whose  names  he  has  forgotten.  Near  Cleve- 
land's site  were  Ripley  Dodge,  Isaac  Cousins, 
Ralph  Cousins  and  Samuel  Martin,  who  came  in 
1877,  and  Edward  D.  Morris,  whose  residence 
dated  from  June,  1878.  Among  the  arrivals  of 
the  next  two  years  were  Simeon  E.  Warren,  John 
Baker,  George  Alexander,  Alcana  Miller,  Henry 
C.  Hackley,  Dickson  P.  Shattuck,  in  1879; 
William  A.  McCredy  and  sons,  Lycander  I.  Cole- 
man and  sons,  William  J.  Story,  Josiah  Smith 
and  George  H.  Ellis.  In  1879  Ephraim  McFar- 
land  built  a  saw-mill  at  the  point  where  the  pres- 
ent wagon  road  crosses  the  creek  west  of  Bickle- 
ton. In  later  years  several  other  mills  were 
erected  on  the  east  end  of  Simcoe  mountain. 

The  only  serious  setback  the  settlement  in 
eastern  Klickitat  received  in  those  early  years 
was  occasioned  by  the  Indian  scare  of  1878  which 
resulted  in  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  fleeing  to 
Goldendale.  They  made  no  attempt  to  prepare 
defenses  near  their  homes.  After  the  return  of 
the  people  to  their  farms  and  stock,  steady 
growth  was  resumed.  As  told  elsewhere,  two 
towns  were  soon  established,  Bickleton  and 
Cleveland,  and  during  the  next  few  years  settle- 
ment was  rapid.  According  to  a  directory  of 
Goldendale    and    Klickitat    county  published    in 


1 04 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1880,  there  were  not  to  exceed  one  hundred 
claims  taken  at  that  time  east  of  Rock  creek. 

Groups  of  settlers  had  also  located  at  Pleasant 
Valley,  Chamberlain  Flats,  Camas  Prairie  and 
other  points  throughout  the  county,  but  outside 
of  these  settlements,  very  few  claims  were 
taken.  The  first  settlers  were  looking  for  the 
valleys  as  the  most  suitable  locations,  and  the 
less  desirable  land' lying  between  the}'  left  to  the 
later  immigrants.  By  1879,  according  to  the 
Spokane  Times,  there  were  six  postoffices  in 
the  county  representing  as  many  different  settle- 
ments— Goldendale,  Columbus,  Block  House, 
Klickitat  Landing,  White  Salmon  and  Fulda. 

In  1879  the  assessed  valuation  of  real  estate 
for  the  entire  county  was  only  one  hundred  and 
fifty-two  thousand  three  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  dollars.  As  yet  but  a  small  proportion  of 
the  land  was  deeded,  the  major  portion  being 
still  in  the  hands  of  the  government,  and  for 
that  reason  most  of  the  assessable  property  in 
the  count}'  was  personal.  The  population  had 
by  this  time  grown  to  more  than  three  thousand, 
an  increase  of  about  four  hundred  per  cent,  in 
six  years. 

When  the  vote  to  move  the  county  seat  to 
Goldendale  carried,  there  was  no  courthouse  in 
the  county,  court  having  been  held  in  a  rented 
building,  but  as  soon  as  it  was  decided  that  Gold- 
endale was  to  be  the  county  seat,  the  settlers  in 
the  valley  determined  to  erect  a  courthouse.  As 
the  county  was  still  but  sparsely  populated,  the 
taxpayers  had  no  desire  to  settle  any  large 
indebtedness  upon  the  county,  and  it  was  there- 
fore decided  to  do  the  work  by  private  subscrip- 
tion of  money,  materials  and  labor.  The  work 
was  enthusiastically  taken  hold  of  by  private 
individuals,  and  in  due  time  a  building  valued 
at  thirty-five  hundred  dollars  was  erected  with- 
out a  single  dollar  of  expense  to  the  county  in 
the  way  of  taxation ;  a  small  jail  of  two  cells  was 
also  built.  The  buildings  were  at  that  time 
among  the  best  in  Washington  territory,  which 
had  not  yet  experienced  its  period  of  phenomenal 
development. 

By  1880  grain-raising  had  become  the  master 
industry  of  the  county,  wheat,  oats  and  barley 
being  produced  in  abundance  everywhere 
throughout  the  valley.  Fruit  culture  also  had 
become  an  important  enterprise,  although  many 
of  the  orchards  were  still  too  young  to  bear. 
There  were,  however,  some  fine  apple  and  peach 
orchards  at  Columbus,  White  Salmon  and  other 
points  along  the  Columbia.  It  had  also  been 
demonstrated  that  all  kinds  of  vegetables  could 
be  raised  to  advantage,  as  soil  and  climate  and 
the  fortunate  absence  of  diseases  and  destructive 
pests  united  to  make  the  valley  especially  suited 
to  the  growth  and  development  of  such  products. 

The  winter  of  1880-81  was  unusually  severe, 
causing  large  losses  to  the  stockmen.  Up  to 
January   1st  the   weather   was   not  unusual,   but 


during  that  month  thirtj-  inches  of  snow  fell  on 
the  level,  and  because  of  sudden  changes  in  the 
weather,  became  crusted  over  in  such  a  manner 
as  to  prevent  the  stock  from  successfully  forag- 
ing. The  losses  sustained  by  the  sheepmen  were 
especially  severe.  It  is  estimated  that  fully  one- 
half  of  the  sheep  died,  one  man  being  left  with 
only  seventy  out  of  a  herd  of  five  thousand.  The 
cattle  losses  were  also  great,  but  as  most  of  the 
stock  for  which  winter  feed  was  not  provided 
were  wintered  in  the  Yakima  valley  at  that  time, 
the  cattle  that  perished  in  Klickitat  were  few  in 
comparison  to  the  numbers  that  were  lost  in  the 
surrounding  country.  The  heaviest  losses  fell 
upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  eastern  end  of  the 
county. 

The  final  change  in  the  boundary  lines  of 
Klickitat  county  was  made  by  an  act  approved 
November  29,  1881,  by  which  the  line  between 
Klickitat  and  Skamania  was  established  as  fol- 
lows: "Commencing  at  a  point  in  the  mid-chan- 
nel of  the  Columbia  river,  directly  opposite  the 
mouth  of  the  White  Salmon  river;  thence  up  the 
said  channel  of  White  Salmon  river  as  far  north 
as  to  the  southern  boundary  of  township  four 
north,  of  range  ten  east  of  Willamette  meridian; 
thence  due  west  on  said  township  line  to  range 
nine  east  of  Willamette  meridian;  thence  north 
following  said  range  line  till  it  intersects  the 
southern  boundary  of  Yakima  county.  " 

The  people  of  Klickitat  valley  were  slow  in 
learning  the  value  of  their  county  as  an  agricul- 
tural district.  It  was  with  much  doubt  as  to 
their  success  that  they  made  the  first  experi- 
ments in  farming.  Nor  were  the  results  obtained 
altogether  satisfactory.  The  nature  of  the  soil 
was  so  different  from  that  to  which  they  had 
been  accustomed  that  it  was  necessary  to  test  the 
value  of  the  land  by  a  series  of  experiments  before 
they  were  able  to  determine  the  crops  for  which 
it  was  best  adapted.  Previous  to  1870  the  crick- 
ets had  been  so  numerous  as  to  discourage  all 
efforts  at  agriculture,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
it  seemed  that  the  stockmen,  who  claimed  that 
Klickitat  was  intended  for  stock  alone,  had  the 
best  of  the  argument,  but  some  there  were  who 
never  lost  confidence  that  the  valley  was  a  good 
farming  region,  and  the  results  have  ultimately 
justified  their  faith.  By  1881  the  wide  stretch 
of  valley  land  lying  between  the  Columbia  hills 
and  the  Simcoe  range  was  for  the  most  part 
given  over  to  the  agriculturist.  During  that 
year  the  farmers  and  business  men  of  the  county 
formed  an  agricultural  society,  the  chief  object 
of  which  was  to  hold  an  annual  county  fair  for 
the  benefit  of  the  farming  interests  of  the  county. 
Grounds  were  procured  and  suitably  laid  out 
about  a  mile  from  the  town  of  Goldendale.  A 
pavilion  was  built  sufficient  in  size  for  extensive 
exhibits;  stalls  were  provided  for  stock ;  a  race- 
course was  laid  out;  a  grand-stand  built  for  spec- 
tators, and  all  was  surrounded  bv  a  close,  high 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


105 


board  fence.  The  exhibit  in  the  fall  was  of 
such  a  nature  as  to  show  that  the  farmers  of  the 
county  were  possessed  of  enterprise  and  energy, 
and  that  the  county  had  justified  their  faith  in  it. 
Another  important  feature  of  the  fair  was  the 
fruit  exhibit.  The  settlers  of  the  valley  had 
their  attention  called  for  the  first  time  to  the 
importance  of  their  county  as  a  fruit  country, 
when  they  saw  displayed  not  only  the  hardy  vari- 
eties, but  even  the  more  delicate  semi-tropical 
fruits,  all  perfect  in  form  and  development. 

Already  the  necessity  for  better  methods  of 
outside  communication  was  beginning-  to  be  felt 
by  the  citizens  of  Klickitat  valley.  Hitherto, 
the  local  demand  had  been  sufficient  for  all  the 
products  of  the  county  except  the  stock,  which 
was  readily  transported  overland,  but  the  .wheat 
fields  were  increasing  year  by  year  and  it  was 
evident  that  an  outside  market  would  soon  be  a 
necessity.  A  number  of  years  before  the  gov- 
ernment had  turned  its  attention  to  the  opening 
of  the  Columbia  river  for  navigation,  but  govern- 
ment methods  are  necessarily  slow  and  the  Cas- 
cade locks  were  not  to  be  opened  to  navigation 
for  fifteen  years  yet.  During  the  year  1S81  the 
Oregon  Railroad  &  Navigation  Company  had 
secured  a  right  of  way  down  the  south  bank  of 
the  Columbia  river  and  was  rapidly  pushing  to 
completion  a  new  line  of  railroad  to  Portland. 
The  following  year  this  road  was  ready  for  traffic, 
opening  a  new  outlet  for  the  wheat  crops  of  the 
valley,  although  it  did  not  dispense  with  the 
necessity  of  crossing  the  Columbia  by  ferry. 

The  year  1882  was  a  year  of  drought,  and  it 
witnessed  the  nearest  approach  to  a  crop  failure 
that  has  ever  been  known  in  the  valley.  The 
west  winds  are  always  laden  with  moisture  from 
the  wet  district  beyond  the  Cascades  and  act  like 
a  rain  to  the  growing  crops,  but  when  the  winds 
continue  long  from  the  east,  all  vegetation  be- 
comes scorched  and  shriveled  as  if  struck  by  a 
blast  from  a  heated  furnace.  When  these  east 
winds  strike  the  crops  before  they  have  matured 
the  result  is  disastrous.  As  a  general  rule  the 
west  wind  prevails  in  the  growing  season,  but  the 
year  under  consideration  was  an  exceptional  one 
and  the  crops  suffered  much  damage  from 
drought. 

This  year  of  short  crops  was  especially  dis- 
couraging as  agriculture  had  only  recently  taken 
hold  in  the  county  and  many  of  the  farmers  were 
not  yet  well  established.  Some  were  still  in  debt 
for  necessary  improvements,  and  consequently 
were  left  in  straitened  circumstances.  That 
they  were  not  disheartened,  however,  is  shown 
by  the  energetic  manner  in  which  they  set  about 
repairing  their  fortunes  the  succeeding  year.  A 
much  increased  acreage  was  sown  and  substantial 
improvements  were  made  everywhere.  Another 
indication  that  the  people  had  not  lost  confidence 
was  the  fact  that  the  records  of  the  proceedings 
of  the  spring  term  of  court  showed  comparatively 


few  suits  brought  for  the  collection  of  debt  in  the 
county  and  not  a  single  one  against  a  farmer. 
Another  creditable  feature  indicated  by  the  court 
docket  was  the  remarkably  few  crimes  committed 
in  the  county.  The  records  show  for  the  term 
before  mentioned  that  only  two  persons  were 
indicted  for  crime  by  the  grand  jury  and  that 
there  was  but  one  trial  by  the  petit  jury  and  that 
that  one  resulted  in  acquittal.  Nor  was  this 
peculiar  to  that  particular  term  of  court;  a  sim- 
ilar condition  has  obtained  throughout  the  whole 
history  of  the  county.  The  pages  of  its  past  are 
blotted  with  few  records  of  crime.  The  people 
who  came  as  settlers  were  industrious  and  pro- 
gressive, and  the  country  being  remote  from  the 
regular  routes  of  travel,  there  was  little  to  attract 
any  other  class  within  its  borders. 

It  was  the  intention  of  the  Agricultural  Soci- 
ety when  first  organized  to  hold  a  fair  annually 
and  for  a  number  of  years  it  followed  this  plan. 
The  second  of  the  series  was  held  in  October, 
18S2,  a  very  creditable  one,  considering  the  un- 
favorableness  of  the  year.  The  following  season 
was  much  more  favorable  for  the  farmer,  and  the 
Sentinel  of  October  nth  informs  us  that  the  dis- 
play that  year  was  far  the  best  that  had  yet  been 
made.  The  population  of  the  county  was  still 
small  and  their  means  limited,  so  that  it  was  not 
possible  to  accomplish  as  much  as  might  be  de- 
sired, but  these  exhibitions  had  the  beneficial 
effect  of  keeping  before  the  people  the  natural 
resources  of  the  county  and  the  great  elements 
of  wealth  and  prosperity  which  it  contained. 

Klickitat  had  now  become  essentially  an  agri- 
cultural county.  Wheat-raising  was  no  longer 
an  experiment,  it  having  been  satisfactorily 
demonstrated  that  cereals  yielded  a  sure  and 
profitable  crop.  In  1884  most  of  the  valley  land 
was  planted  to  grain  and  as  the  year  proved  a 
favorable  one,  with  sufficient  rains  to  mature 
properly  the  crop,  the  result  was  a  harvest  un- 
equaled  in  quantity  and  quality  by  any  previous 
yield  in  the  history  of  the  county.  The  farmers 
were  agreeably  surprised  by  crops  far  in  advance 
of  their  most  sanguine  expectations.  The  home 
flouring  mills  were  crowded  to  their  full  capacity 
and  a  large  margin  was  left  for  shipment  abroad. 

While  the  harvest  of  the  season  was  all  that 
could  be  desired,  the  price  of  grain  was  excep- 
tionally low.  Wheat  ranged  throughout  the  year 
at  from  forty  to  fifty  cents  a  bushel,  and  as  it  is 
generally  estimated  that  the  cost  per  bushel  of 
raising  wheat  is  close  to  thirty-two  cents,  the 
margin  of  profit  was  small.  It  was  a  time  of 
financial  depression  throughout  the  entire  coun- 
try. These  times  of  business  stagnation  have 
occurred  at  intervals  in  our  history  so  regular  as 
almost  to  indicate  that  their  recurrence  is  periodic. 
They  can  be  accounted  for  on  no  general  hy- 
pothesis unless  it  be  excessive  speculation  and 
lack  of  business  confidence.  The  agricultural 
sections,   however,    seem  to    suffer  less   at   such 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


times  than  any  other  part  of  the  country.  The 
farmers  are  more  independent  than  any  other 
class  because  they  raise  more  of  the  actual  neces- 
sities of  life  and  in  consequence  are  able  to  cur- 
tail expenses  with  less  inconvenience.  For  this 
reason,  Klickitat,  being  essentially  an  agricul- 
tural district,  felt  the  season  of  hard  times  less 
than  most  of  the  surrounding  counties.  The 
lack  of  money  in  circulation,  however,  always 
seriously  retards  the  progress  of  a  section,  de- 
laying improvement,  and  in  this  respect  Klickitat 
was  no  better  off  than  the  rest  of  the  country. 
The  Sentinel  makes  the  rather  extravagant  state- 
ment that  there  was  not  "money  enough  in  the 
county  that  fall  to  set  a  hen.  " 

Although  the  people  of  Klickitat  depended  as 
yet  largely  on  agriculture  and  stock-raising  for 
their  main  sources  of  wealth,  they  were  not  the 
only  industries  that  had  gained  a  foothold  in  the 
county.  We  have  already  noted  that  as  early  as 
i860  a  saw-mill  was  brought  into  the  county. 
From  this  single  small  mill  of  limited  capacity, 
the  number  had  increased  to  five  in  1884,  each 
with  a  daily  capacity  of  from  twelve  thousand  to 
fifteen  thousand  feet.  Besides,  .three  shingle 
mills  were  in  operation  with  an  average  daily 
output  of  from  eight  thousand  to  ten  thousand 
shingles.  These  mills  furnished  labor  to  a  small 
army  of  woodmen  and  lumbermen,  though  the 
industry  was  only  in  its  infancy.  The  outside 
world  had  yet  to  learn  that  the  pine  of  Klickitat 
county  was  of  superior  excellence  for  box  and  all 
kinds  of  finishing  lumber. 

The  year  closed  with  unusual  snowstorms. 
By  the  15th  of  December  it  was  estimated  that  at 
least  six  feet  of  snow  had  fallen  at  Goldendale, 
while  in  the  hills  and  along  the  Columbia  river 
the  snow  was  considerably  deeper.  Because  of 
the  excessive  amount  of  moisture  it  contained,  it 
had  settled  down  to  about  four  feet  on  the  level. 
All  the  trains  were  blockaded  in  the  drifts  and 
Goldendale  was  shut  off  from  communication 
with  the  outside  world  for  almost  three  weeks. 
Finally,  on  January  4th,  the  letter  mail  was  hauled 
around  the  blockades  on  sleighs  and  a  short  time 
afterwards  the  road  was  again  opened  for  regular 
trains.  The  soft,  wet  snow  for  some  time  made 
travel  very  inconvenient,  and  when  finally  the 
snow  went  away  the  roads  were  left  in  a  very 
muddy  condition,  so  that  considerable  time 
elapsed  before  they  were  again  passable  for 
freight  teams. 

During  the  year  1885  Company  B,  Washing- 
ton National  Guards,  was  organized  at  Golden- 
dale with  the  following  officers:  Captain,  Enoch 
W.  Pike;  first-lieutenant,  A.  L.  Miller;  second- 
lieutenant,  G.  W.  Stapleton.  However,  this  was 
not  the  first  militia  company  organized  in  the 
county,  that  honor  belonging  to  Captain  Pike's 
Rangers,  heretofore  mentioned,  who  also  have  the 
distinction  of  having  been  the  territory's  pioneer 
militia  company.     Company  B  was  disbanded  by 


order  of  the  governor  in  1895,  '*  having  been 
decided  to  reduce  the  militia  strength  of  the 
state. 

The  annals  of  a  happy  and  prosperous  people 
are  naturally  short,  for  the  story  of  progress  and 
improvement  is  quickly  told  while  records  of 
disaster  are  prolonged  through  many  pages.  An 
examination  of  the  year  1885  shows  little  worthy 
of  notice  except  a  steady  progress  in  spite  of  low 
prices  for  products  and  little  money  in  circulation. 
That  the  people  of  Klickitat  were  suffering  less 
than  their  neighbors  from  the  existing  financial 
distress,  is  plainly  evident  from  a  comparison  of 
the  delinquent  tax  lists  published  by  the  differ- 
ent counties  throughout  the  territory  for  the 
year.  The  lists  of  Klickitat  county  show  only  a 
very  few  delinquencies  while  in  many  of  the  other 
counties  of  no  greater  population  the  lists  are 
several  times  as  long. 

Although  Klickitat  has  been  settled  for  more 
than  two  score  years,  few  deeds  of  violence  stain 
the  pages  of  its  history.  The  people  of  the 
county  were  shocked,  however,  during  the  year 
1886  by  a  crime  of  a  most  foul  and  revolting 
nature  which  occurred  in  the  eastern  end  or  what 
is  know  as  the  Horse  Heaven  region.  The 
crime,  for  which  the  perpetrator  finally  paid  the 
penalty  which  his  deed  merited,  was  committed 
on  October  4,  1886.  The  facts  in  the  case  were 
as  follows:  William  Sterling  and  Jochin  Henry 
Timmerman,  alias  Beamer,  left  Ellensburg, 
where  Sterling  had  been  freighting  during  the 
summer,  and  started  to  drive  with  their  teams 
and  wagons  across  country  to  Oregon.  They 
were  seen  together  and  recognized  at  different 
points  on  the  road  by  a  number  of  people  who 
knew  both  parties.  Up  to  the  evening  of  October 
3d  they  were  known  to  be  traveling  in  each 
other's  company,  but  in  the  afternoon  of  the  fol- 
lowing day  Timmerman  came  to  the  Arlington 
ferry  alone.  He  was  driving  four  horses  hitched 
to  a  wagon  with  another  trailing  behind.  One 
span  of  the  horses  was  afterward  recognized  as 
belonging  to  Sterling.  About  fifteen  days  later 
the  body  of  a  man  was  found,  lacerated  beyond 
recognition,  but  everything  seemed  to  indicate 
that  it  was  the  body  of  the  missing  William 
Sterling.  There  was  evidence  that  it  had  been 
pierced  by  two  bullets,  one  in  the  breast  and  one 
in  the  head.  The  body  was  buried  by  the  dis- 
coverers and  the  facts  reported  to  the  authorities. 
After  some  time  had  elapsed  Timmerman  was 
arrested  and  given  a  preliminary  hearing,  which 
resulted  in  his  being  bound  over  for  trial  at  the 
October  term  of  court  for  the  year  1S87.  The 
case  was  called  on  the  25th  of  October,  Hon. 
George  Turner  presiding  at  the  trial.  The  prose- 
cution was  conducted  by  County  Attorney  Hiram 
Dustin,  assisted  by  Messrs.  Smith  and  Dutubar, 
while  Hon.  D.  P.  Ballard,  of  Vancouver,  ap- 
peared for  the  defense. 

Wallace  Hughes,  the  first  witness  called  by  the 


Copyrighted  by  I  'arratt,  photograph. 

THE  BALANCING  HEAD  ROCK. 
On  the  Columbia  River.    Estimated  weight  140  toi 


Copyrighted  by  Carratt,  Photographer. 
MOUNT  ADAMS. 
Known  in  Indian  legend  as  "The  Fire  God,"  with  the  "Big  Muddy"  in  the 
foreground. 


GOLDENDALE  ACADEMY. 

COURT  HOUSE  AND  JAIL  AT  GOLDENDALE 


I  NEW  PUBLIC  SCHOOL  BUILDINGI"AT 

OLD    BLOCKHOUSE.      Seven   miles  west 

Constructed  in  the  early  '50s 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


prosecution,  testified  that  he  had  accompanied 
Timmerman  and  Sterling  from  Ellensburg  to 
North  Yakima.  He  described  Sterling  as  a  tall 
man  with  dark  hair  and  dark  complexion;  he 
further  stated  that  Sterling  wore  a  dark  felt  hat 
while  Timmerman  wore  a  white  one,  decorated 
with  tobacco  tags.  He  said  they  arrived  at  North 
Yakima  on  the  last  day  of  September,  1886,  and 
spent  the  night  at  S.  V.  Hughes'  place. 

S.  V.  Hughes  was  next  called  and  testified 
that  Sterling  and  defendant  had  spent  the  night 
at  his  home  in  North  Yakima  and  that  they  left 
together  on  the  following  morning.  Both  wit- 
nesses claimed  that  Timmerman  was  then  going 
under  the  name  of  Beamer.  W.  B.  Crow,  a 
resident  of  Milton,  Oregon,  testified  that  he  had 
accompanied  Sterling  and  the  accused  for  some 
distance  and  camped  with  them  one  night  on  the 
Yakima  river.  From  that  point  he  took  the 
Wallula  road  while  they  proceeded  through  the 
Horse  Heaven  country.  He  also  had  noticed 
that  Sterling  wore  a  black  hat  and  Timmerman 
a  white  one.  H.  F.  Williams  and  A.  C.  Ketcham 
both  testified  that  they  had  seen  the  men  together 
on  the  3d  of  October  and  had  noticed  the  team 
each  drove. 

The  4th  of  October,  Timmerman  was  seen  by 
W.  H.  Boyd,  Archie  Miller  and  George  B.  Kintz- 
ley,  driving  four  horses  and  trailing  one  wagon. 
The  horses,  as  described  by  them,  corresponded 
to  the  animals  driven  by  the  accused  and  Ster- 
ling on  the  preceding  day.  Kintzley  had  been 
watching  for  horse  thieves  and  he  attached  the 
property  of  Timmerman  on  suspicion.  Many  of 
the  articles  found  in  the  wagon  were  identified  as 
belonging  to  Sterling,  among  them  a  dark  felt 
hat,  and  the  bottom  of  one  wagon  was  found  to 
be  stained  with  blood.  Kintzley  further  testified 
of  the  manner  in  which  he  and  Forwood  had  dis- 
covered the  body  of  the  murdered  man.  They 
were  looking  for  stolen  horses  about  October 
20th  and  as  they  followed  up  the  road  over  which 
Timmerman  had  traveled,  they  noticed  where 
the  track  of  two  wagons  led  out  to  one  side  of  the 
road  and  again  where  they  had  returned,  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  beyond.  They 
were  moved  through  curiosity  to  follow  the 
wagon  tracks  back  through  the  sand.  After 
they  had  gone  about  sixty  yards  from  the  road 
they  found  a  body  all  lacerated  and  torn  by  wild 
animals  until  unrecognizable,  though  an  examina- 
tion resulted  in  the  discovery  of  indications  that 
the  body  had  been  pierced  by  two  bullets. 

Two  shots  were  heard  by  a  sheep  herder 
named  Martin  Peck  in  the  direction  in  which  the 
body  was  found,  and  Peck  afterward  saw  a  man 
with  a  four-horse  team  coming  from  the  direction 
in  which  the  sound  of  the  shots  had  come.  Many 
of  the  articles  found  on  the  wagon  were  identi- 
fied by  Mrs.  Sterling  as  belonging  to  her  hus- 
band. Her  description  of  the  latter's  height  and 
general    appearance    conformed    closely    to    the 


dimensions  of  the  body  found,  while  a  pistol  and 
pocketbook  discovered  in  the  pockets  of  the  mur- 
dered man  were  identified  as  belonging  to  Ster- 
ling. 

The  strange  story  told  by  Timmerman  to 
account  for  the  strong  circumstantial  evidence 
against  him  was  that  while  he  and  Sterling  were  ■ 
traveling  together,  they  had  been  attacked  by 
armed  men  who  fired  upon  them.  In  the  shoot- 
ing which  ensued,  he  had  killed  in  self-defense 
one  of  the  party  that  attacked  them.  He  con- 
tended that  the  body  discovered  by  Kintzley  and 
Forwood  was  that  of  the  man  so  killed  and  that 
William  Sterling  was  still  living.  Sterling,  he 
said,  had  run  away  to  escape  arrest  when  he  dis- 
covered that  they  had  killed  a  man  This  story 
failed  to  account  for  the  fact  that  the  body  found 
had  neither  boots  nor  hat,  while  Sterling's  boots 
and  hat  were  in  the  possession  of  the  defendant. 

Timmerman  was  convicted  and  sentenced  to 
be  hanged  on  the  15th  day  of  December,  1887. 
The  case  was  carried  to  the  supreme  court  on  a 
writ  of  error,  but  the  decision  of  tne  lower  court 
was  sustained,  and  the  day  of  execution  was  set 
this  time  for  April  6,  1888.  To  the  end  Timmer- 
man persisted  in  the  truth  of  his  very  improba- 
ble story.  He  told  Sheriff  Blakely,  of  Gilliam 
county,  that  the  body  identified  as  Sterling's  was 
really  that  of  a  man  named  George  Lester,  whom 
he  had  shot  in  self-defense  in  a  quarrel  over  a 
horse. 

Timmerman  went  through  the  ordeal  of  the 
trial  and  execution  with  fortitude,  never  showing 
a  tremor  of  emotion.  When  offered  a  cigar  by 
the  sheriff,  he  took  it,  declaring  that  he  would 
smoke  it  with  the  rope  around  his  neck.  The 
hanging  took  place  in  the  open,  just  north  of 
Goldenclale,  across  the  road  from  the  graveyard. 
The  victim  rode  to  his  execution  on  his  own 
coffin  and  literally  fulfilled  his  statement  by 
smoking  the  cigar  as  he  ascended  the  scaffold. 
Sheriff  "William  VanVactor  was  in  charge  of  the 
execution. 

Two  years  afterward  some  malicious  persons, 
for  an  unknown  reason,  removed  the  remains  of 
Timmerman  from  the  place  where  they  had  been 
deposited  in  the  graveyard,  and  placing  them  in 
a  sack,  emptied  them  into  the  Little  Klickitat. 
Here  they  were  afterward  found,  and  at  the 
direction  of  the  coroner  returned  to  their  former 
resting-place  in  the  cemetery.  The  people  were 
very  much  incensed  at  this  act  of  brutality,  and 
had  the  perpetrators  of  the  deed  been  found, 
they  would  have  been  severely  punished. 

A  glance  at  some  figures  exhibited  in  the 
report  of  the  sheep  commissioner  for  the  year 
1888  shows  some  surprising  facts  regarding  the 
proportions  to  which  the  sheep  industry  had 
grown  at  this  time.  According  to  this  report, 
there  were  at  that  time  S6,o6o  sheep  in  the 
county,  without  taking  into  account  the  63,000 
head  brought  in  from  Oregon  for  summer  pas- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ture.  During  the  year  20,000  head  of  mutton 
sheep  were  disposed  of  at  an  average  price  of  $2 
per  head,  netting  $40,000,  and  688,480  pounds 
of  wool  were  marketed  at  ten  cents  per  pound. 
In  all,  the  sheep  men  of  the  county  had  received 
$118,480  for  their  year's  product.  This  was  an 
■excellent  showing,  considering  the  fact  that 
because  of  a  measure  passed  by  congress  reduc- 
ing the  tariff  on  wool,  that  commodity  had 
depreciated  in  price  eight  cents  a  pound  as  com- 
pared with  the  previous  year. 

During  the  year  a  destructive  fire  swept  Gold- 
endale,  wiping  almost  the  entire  business  portion 
of  the  city  out  of  existence,  and  leaving  the. 
county  without  any  courthouse.  The  one  that 
had  been  constructed  by  private  subscription  was 
consumed  in  the  fire.  This  laid  upon  the  county 
the  necessity  of  constructing  a  new  building  as 
soon  as  possible.  The  proposition  to  bond  the 
county  for  the  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  dol- 
lars to  build  a  new  courthouse  and  jail  was 
referred  to  a  vote  of  the  people  at  the  November 
election,  but  failed  to  carry  by  ten  votes.  The 
commissioners,  therefore,  the  following  year,  let 
a  contract  for  the  construction  of  the  present 
building,  and  since  that  time  a  jail  has  been 
erected  at  a  cost  approximating  five  thousand 
dollars.  The  county  now  has  a  commodious 
brick  structure  with  courtroom  and  offices  for 
the  county  officials,  while  under  a  separate  roof 
is  a  neat,  substantial  jail.  The  two  buildings 
cost,  with  furnishings,  approximately  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars. 

One  encouraging  feature  of  the  year  1888  was 
the  voting  by  the  national  congress  of  a  new 
appropriation  for  the  Cascade  locks.  Work  had 
been  going  slowly  forward  for  close  to  twelve 
years,  and  the  locks  were  still  incomplete.  The 
grain  raised  in  Klickitat  county  had  increased 
from  year  to  year  until  the  revenue  gained  from 
that  source  had  now  become  a  very  important 
element  in  the  wealth  of  the  country,  but  for 
lack  of  transportation  facilities  they  had  been 
placed  at  a  disadvantage.  The  people  of  the 
valley  had  hoped  that  the  completion  of  the 
O.  R.  &  N.  railroad  line  would  furnish  them  a 
measure  of  relief,  but  they  soon  found  that  when 
placed  at  the  mercy  of  any  single  line  of  trans- 
portation, they  need  expect  little  benefit,  as  the 
line  could  set  its  freight  charges  as  high  as  its 
officials  saw  fit,  and  the  people  had  no  appeal 
from  the  exorbitant  rates  demanded,  which 
were  always  a  large  measure  of  the  crop  value. 


The  settlers  of  the  valley  had  been  hopefully 
looking  forward  to  the  opening  of  the  river  as  a 
means  of  relief  from  excessive  freight  rates,  but 
the  government  work  had  progressed  so  slowly 
that  they  were  growing  impatient,  as  just  stated. 
The  friends  of  the  enterprise  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing an  appropriation  during  the  year  1888  which 
it  was  hoped  would  prove  sufficient  for  the 
completion  of  the  work,  and  the  Klickitat 
farmers  were  again  rejoiced  with  the  prospect 
of  an  open  river  to  The  Dalles  for  the  follow- 
ing year.  They  naturally  could  not  foresee  that 
the  locks  were  not  to  be  finished  for  nearly  a 
decade  yet. 

But  the  country  was  growing  in  population 
and  wealth,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  it  was 
placed  at  a  great  disadvantage  for  want  of 
speedy  and  cheap  transportation.  From  the 
assessment  rolls  for  the  year  1889,  it  is  observa- 
ble that  the  following  taxpayers  of  the  county 
each  paid  taxes  on  the  sum  immediately  succeed- 
ing his  name:  J.  Scammon,  $5,238;  Sig.  Sichel, 
$8,365;  G.  W.  Smith,  $12,991;  B.  E.  Snipes, 
$8,000;  Amos  Stark,  $5,000;  Jehu  Switz- 
ler,  $8,986;  Switzler  Bros.,  $9,490;  E.  M. 
Thomas  &  Son,  $8,700;  O.  D.  and  Rose  Taylor, 
$5,498;  G.  W.  Waldron,  $6,250;  W.  B.  Walker, 
$8,060;  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company, 
$268,812. 

It  is  surprising  when  one  comes  to  consider 
the  vast  elements  of  wealth  and  prosperity,  the 
abundant  natural  resources  which  the  state  of 
Washington  contains,  that  it  was  so  long  coming 
into  public  notice.  Its  magnificent  harbors, 
extensive  belts  of  the  finest  quality  of  timber,  its 
rich  mineral  districts  and  fertile  farm  regions 
could  not  but  proclaim  a  magnificent  destiny  for 
it.  In  1889  an  act  was  signed  by  the  president 
which  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new  era  for  the 
territory.  The  passage  of  the  act  admitting 
Washington  to  statehood  gave  inception  to  an 
epoch  of  rapid  progress  which  has  done  much 
indeed  in  the  development  of  the  state's  magnifi- 
cent resources.  Klickitat  county,  for  a  number 
of  years,  did  not  enjoy  quite  as  rapid  a  develop- 
ment as  did  some  of  its  sister  counties,  not 
because  of  any  lack  of  resources,  for  it  had 
already  proven  its  power  in  grain  and  fruit  pro- 
duction, but  because  of  its  isolation  and  lack  of 
railroads.  The  struggle  of  its  citizens  to  over- 
come this  obstacle  and  to  find  an  outlet  for  their 
products  will  receive  due  notice  in  the  next 
chapter. 


CHAPTER   II. 


GENERAL— 1889-1904. 


Anticipated  and  eventually  realized  statehood 
and  all  other  public  considerations  were  tran- 
scended in  the  interest  they  awakened  in  Klickitat 
county  during  the  year  1S89,  by  a  determined 
movement  among  the  people  for  railroad  facili- 
ties. Though  the  O.  R.  &  N.  was  separated 
from  the  county's  southern  territory  only  by  the 
Columbia  river,  and  the  Northern  Pacific 
approached  it  so  closely  on  the  north,  both  were 
too  far  away  to  be  directly  beneficial  to  the 
richest  portions  of  this  naturally  favored  region, 
and  neither  had  seen  fit  to  construct  a  branch 
road  into  it.  Thus,  an  enlightened  and  progres- 
sive people  had  the  mortification  of  finding  the 
much-desired  steel  pathways  of  commerce  and 
communication  "so  near  and  yet  so  far."  Early 
in  1889  they  evidently  concluded  that  this  condi- 
tion of  affairs  could  be  endured  no  longer.  If 
help  from  without  they  could  not  have,  they 
must  depend  upon  themselves.  Accordingly, 
the  leading  men  of  the  community  joined  hands 
in  a  tremendous  effort  to  construct  unitedly  a 
road  from  Goldendale  to  some  point  on  the 
Northern  Pacific.  In  issuing  a  call  for  the  initial 
citizens'  meeting  with  this  end  in  view,  the  Sen- 
tinel used  the  following  language,  which  is  here 
quoted  as  showing  the  general  sentiment  of  the 
people  at  this  time: 

"It  has  become  evident  that  if  the  people  of 
the  county  expect  a  railroad  in  the  next  few 
years,  they  must  bestir  themselves  and  do  some- 
thing toward  inducing  outside  capital  to  take 
hold  of  it,  or  what  might  be  better,  organize, 
survey  a  route  to  a  connection  with  the  Northern 
Pacific  east  of  here,  secure  the  right  of  way,  and 
proceed  to  the  construction  of  the  road  ourselves. 
When  it  becomes  evident  that  we  mean  business 
and  will  contribute  liberally  for  the  purpose  of  a 
railroad,  we  will  have  little  difficulty  in  securing 
assistance  from  the  outside.  The  whole  upper 
country  is  becoming  a  network  of  railroads,  and 
it  is  not  because  of  the  extraordinary  amount  of 
traffic  that  is  assured,  but  the  citizens  have  gone 
down  into  their  pockets  and  have  contributed 
liberal  subsidies  for  the  purpose,  and  the  result 
is  that  property  everywhere  is  advancing;  it  is 
even  affecting  us  here  in  Goldendale. 

"There  is  probably  not  a  locality  in  the  terri- 
tory capable  of  producing  a  greater  amount  of 
traffic  than  would  one  through  this  country,  and 


it  only  remains  for  us  to  set  the  ball  rolling. 
Every  man  who  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
north  of  the  brow  of  the  Columbia  hills  could 
well  afford  to  give  two  hundred  dollars,  and 
there  are  man}'  who  could  afford  to  give  one 
thousand  dollars  simply  as  a  bonus  or  double 
that  amount  in  labor. 

"From  conversation  with  different  ones  of 
our  citizens,  we  are  satisfied  now  that  all  are 
ready  for  action  in  this  direction,  and  to  the  end 
that  we  may  put  the  most  plausible  scheme  in 
motion  that  may  be  suggested,  we  recommend 
that  a  meeting  of  all  hands  be  called  at  the 
armory  hall  in  this  city  on  Tuesday,  March  1, 
1889,  at  the  hour  of  one  P.  M.  We  want  every- 
body to  come,  and  to  come  with  some  fixed  plan 
of  action  to  suggest  and  to  come  with  a  determi- 
nation to  do  his  entire  part." 

On  the  day  previous  to  that  set  for  the  meet- 
ing, viz.,  on  February  28th,  about  twenty  of  the 
leading  citizens  of  Goldendale  met  in  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.  hall  and  adopted  articles  of  incor- 
poration, their  purpose  being  to  construct  and 
operate  a  railroad  commencing  at  a  point  on  the 
Columbia  river  between  Kalama  and  Columbus 
and  running  in  an  easterly  direction,  crossing 
the  Northern  Pacific  between  North  Yakima  and 
Pasco;  thence  in  a  northeasterly  direction  to  the 
vicinity  of  Colville.  The  capital  stock  was  fixed 
at  ten  million  dollars,  divided  into  one  hundred 
thousand  shares,  and  most  of  those  present  sub- 
scribed according  to  the  means  at  their  com- 
mand. The  directors  elected  were  D.  W.  Pierce, 
E.  B.  Wise,  Sol.  Smith,  H.  D.  Young,  R.  O. 
Dunbar,  William  Cummings,  J.  J.  Golden, 
Joseph  Nesbitt  and  C.  S.  Reinhart,  and  the  offi- 
cers named  by  these  were:  R.  O.  Dunbar,  presi- 
dent; E.  B.  Wise,  vice-president;  William  Cum- 
mings, treasurer,  and   C.  S.  Reinhart,  secretary. 

At  the  popular  meeting  held  next  day  an 
unusual  amount  of  interest  was  manifested  in 
the  project,  almost  all  subscribing  to  the  capital 
stock  of  the  new  corporation,  which  was  known 
as  the  Columbia  Valley  &  Goldendale  Railroad 
Company.  A  committee  of  directors  addressed 
itself  forthwith  to  securing  the  right  of  way  and 
receiving  subscriptions  to  the  capital  stock. 

The  work  was  pushed  with  energy.  R.  A. 
Habersham  was  given  charge  of  the  survey,  and 
soon  had  made  a  preliminary  reconnoissance  of 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  line  as  far  as  Pasco.  He  reported  having 
found  no  serious  obstructions  and  that  on  no  part 
of  the  road,  as  far  as  his  survey  extended,  would 
there  be  a  grade  of  more  than  one  hundred  feet 
to  the  mile,  the  maximum  being  at  the  head  of 
Rock  creek.  On  April  8th  the  Columbia  Valley 
&  Goldendale  railroad  effected  a  consolidation 
with  a  similar  company  which  was  being  formed 
in  Pasco  by  filing  supplementary  articles  of 
incorporation.  The  name  of  the  road  was 
changed  to  the  Pasco,  Goldendale  &  Columbia 
Valley  Railroad  Company,  and  it  was  decided  to 
push  forward  the  further  survey  necessary  at 
once.  Commenting  on  the  commencement  of 
this  work,  the  Oregonian  of  April  15th  said: 
"Mr.  R.  A.  Habersham  leaves  this  morning  to 
locate  the  line  of  the  Columbia  Valley  &  Golden- 
dale railroad  from  Goldendale  eastward  to  a 
junction  with  the  Northern  Pacific  at  Pasco,  a 
distance  of  one  hundred  and  ten  miles.  This 
section  of  the  road  passes  through  a  belt  of 
wheat  lands,  containing  about  fourteen  hundred 
square  miles,  second  to  none  on  the  northwest 
coast,  and  will  also  furnish  an  outlet  to  market 
for  one  hundred  and  twenty  square  miles  of  fine 
timber  land  on  the  ridge  between  the  Columbia 
river  and  Yakima  valleys.  The  extension  of  the 
road  through  that  magnificent  timber  and  min- 
eral belt  north  of  the  Columbia,  as  contemplated 
by  its  projectors,  makes  it  an  enterprise  of  great 
importance.  It  is  intended  to  begin  the  work  of 
constructing  the  road  as  soon  as  the  line  is 
located  and  other  preparations  completed,  as 
funds  for  the  construction  are  already  assured." 

As  laid  out  by  Engineer  Habersham,  the 
route  of  the  proposed  road  lay  through  a  fine 
agricultural  section  for  the  first  ten  miles,  then 
through  an  open  yellow-pine  forest  to  Bickleton 
via  Cleveland,  thirty  miles;  thence  down  the 
Glade  into  the  Horse  Heaven  country,  and  from 
that  through  the  branches  of  what  is  known  as 
Badger  canyon,  through  the  Kennewick  country 
and  over  the  Northern  Pacific  bridge  to  Pasco. 

But  though  the  Pasco,  Goldendale  &  Colum- 
bia Valley  Railroad  Company  maintained  its 
existence  for  some  time  and  exerted  itself  to 
interest  outside  capital  in  its  enterprise,  making 
surveys  and  compiling  statistics  for  the  purpose, 
its  road  failed  to  materialize.  The  facts  were 
that  the  undertaking  was  too  large  for  local  cap- 
italists, and  that  it  was  impossible  to  convince 
outside  men  that  the  country  was  sufficiently 
developed  to  justify  investment  in  the  project. 
The  people  did  not,  however,  abandon  their 
efforts  to  secure  a  road,  and  hardly  a  year  passed 
between  that  date  and  the  building  of  the 
Columbia  River  &  Northern  without  some  rail- 
way project  to  keep  up  the  hopes  of  the  isolated 
inhabitants. 

The  pioneers  of  Klickitat  county  were 
doomed  for  more  than  the  usual  number  of  years 
to  the  usual  struggle  of  pioneer  peoples  to  secure 


the  building  of  railroads  and  the  larger  develop- 
ments incident  thereto.  Indeed,  the-  country  is 
yet  without  adequate  facilities,  though  there 
seems  to  be  no  good  reason  why  this  condition 
should  last  much  longer. 

The  railway  proposition  of  1890  was  that  of 
extending  G.  W.  Hunt's  Oregon  &  Washington 
railroad  from  its  western  terminus  at  Hunt's 
Junction  to  Portland.  Mr.  Hunt  required,  as  a 
condition  precedent  to  this,  that  the  citizens 
along  the  route  or  in  its  terminal  city  should 
take  at  par  two  million  dollars  of  the  first  mort- 
gage bonds  of  the  road,  which  were  made  paya- 
ble January  1,  1930,  and  bore  interest  at  six  per 
cent,  per  annum.  These  bonds  were  to  be  taken 
and  paid  for  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars  immediately  on  the  completion  of  each 
ten  miles  of  the  extension,  work  to  begin  at 
Portland  and  proceed  eastward.  Should  the 
people  comply  with  the  terms  of  this  proposal, 
Mr.  Hunt  undertook  to  have  the  road  completed 
and  in  operation  on  or  before  December  13, 
1 891. 

Of  course,  this  proposed  extension  of  the 
Hunt  system  was  of  great  interest  to  the  Klicki- 
tat residents,  as  it  would  traverse  their  country 
from  east  to  west.  They  were,  therefore, 
greatly  rejoiced  when  a  despatch  was  received 
from  Portland,  dated  April  8,  1890,  stating  that 
the  Hunt  subsidy  was  completed  and  that  Mr. 
Hunt  had  been  notified  to  go  ahead  with  his  road 
at  once.  Mr.  Hunt  did  go  ahead.  Considerable 
surveying  and  preliminary  work  was  done,  but 
there  the  matter  rested,  and  eventually  the 
entire  Hunt  system  passed  into  the  hands  of  the 
Northern  Pacific.  Once  more  the  hopes  of  the 
Klickitat  people  were  disappointed,  for  though 
the  assignees  were  expected  to  carry  out  the 
plans  of  Mr.  Hunt,  they  have  not  thus  far  seen 
fit  to  do  so. 

The  season  of  1889  was  one  of  very  moderate 
harvests  in  Klickitat  county,  and  the  winter 
following  it  was  so  severe  as  to  cause  a  heavy 
loss  of  both  cattle  and  sheep.  In  its  issue  of 
March  6,  1890,  the  Sentinel  remarked  that  the 
winter  was  still  holding  out  in  the  Bickleton  coun- 
try and  that  the  supply  of  hay  was  growing 
small,  but  that  those  who  had  some  on  hand 
were  dividing  with  those  who  had  none  in  an 
effort  to  reduce  the  loss  to  a  minimum.  As  is 
usual,  however,  the  stockman's  misfortune  was 
the  agriculturist's  gain,  for  the  heavy  snows  of 
winter  caused  unusual  crops  of  cereals  next 
season.  "One  year  ago,"  says  the  Courier  of 
August  15,  1890,  "the  Klickitaters  were  groaning 
in  sorrow;  to-day  they  are  singing  paeans  of  joy. 
And  why  this  great  change?  From  a  very  light 
crop  to  the  finest  the  world  has  ever  seen!  The 
crop  of  eastern  Klickitat  to-day  beats  the  record 
ten-fold  and  the  granger  is  again  on  top." 

An  incident  of  the  fall  of  1890,  of  some 
importance,  was  the  exodus  of  citizens  of  Klicki- 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


tat  county  to  the  vicinity  of  Mount  Adams, 
caused  by  the  finding  of  some  rock  in  that  region 
which  assayed  over  three  hundred  and  sixty  dol- 
lars to  the  ton.  J.  J.  Golden  was  the  owner  of 
the  ore.  As  it  was  claimed  that  an  abundance 
of  the  same  kind  of  rock  was  obtainable,  natur- 
ally considerable  excitement  resulted  from  it, 
especially  as  the  region  was  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  line  surveyed  by  Hunt's  engineers. 
But  like  many  another  excitement  in  the  North- 
west, it  did  not  result  in  the  discovery  of  any- 
thing of  importance. 

Of  more  vital  moment  to  the  future  of  Klicki- 
tat as  of  other  parts  of  the  country  was  the  pass- 
age of  a  bill  in  congress  declaring  that  "there  is 
forfeited  to  the  United  States,  and  the  United 
States  hereby  resumes  title  to  all  lands  hereto- 
fore granted  to  any  state  or  corporation  to  aid  in 
the  construction  of  a  railroad,"  where  such  road 
was  not  then  constructed  and  in  operation.  This 
act  threw  open  for  settlement  and  development 
thousands  of  acres  in  western  Klickitat,  though 
there  was,  of  course,  some  earned  railroad  land  in 
the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  owing  to  the 
proximity  of  the  Northern  Pacific's  main  line  to 
that  section. 

Perhaps  a  copy  of  the  assessor's  summary  for 
the  year  1890  may  be  of  interest  as  furnishing  a 
general  idea  of  the  country's  development  at 
that  time,  and  a  basis  of  comparison  with  the 
present.  It  shows:  Horses,  mules  and  asses, 
IO)13S.  valued  at  $217,159;  cattle,  9,755,  valued 
at  $128,478;  sheep,  32,466,  $62,983;  hogs,  4,789, 
$9,383;  wagons  and  carriages,  982,  $28,374;  sew 
ing  machines,  320,  $3,197;  watches,  clocks,  154 
$1,405;  melodeons,  organs,  etc.,  113,  $3,820 
piano  fortes,  4,  $240;  agricultural  implements 
valued  at  $19,870;  goods,  merchandise  and  lum 
ber,  valued  at  $32,595;  improvements  on  public 
lands,  $92,453;  real  estate  assessed  to  individu 
als,  124,063  acres,  valued  at  $2.96  per  acre 
assessed  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Com 
pany,  345,592,  valued  at  50  cents  per  acre. 
According  to  the  United  States  census,  the  pop- 
ulation of  the  county  at  this  time  was  5,167. 

The  season  of  1891  appears  to  have  been 
another  prosperous  one  for  farmers  and  fruit 
raisers.  Notwithstanding  the  somewhat  backward 
spring,  crops  and  prices  and  general  conditions 
were  good.  Abundant  rain  in  the  early  part  of 
July  caused  the  wheat  to  fill  well,  improving  its 
quality  and  enhancing  its  value  to  the  purchaser 
and  the  price  received  by  the  farmer. 

The  year  was  one  of  quiet  development. 
Little  happened  of  a  sensational  character, 
except  the  exploitation  of  the  celebrated  North 
Dalles  scheme  which  most  of  those  who  were 
residents  of  the  Pacific  coast  states  at  the  time 
will  well  remember.  Briefly  stated,  the  history 
of  the  case,  compiled  from  official  documents  and 
other  information  furnished  by  J.  T.  Rorick,  is 
as  follows: 


Rev.  Orson  D.  Taylor  was  the  originator  and 
moving  spirit  of  the  scheme.  He  had  come  to 
The  Dalles  about  1880  as  a  Baptist  missionary, 
and  had  taken  charge  of  the  church  at  that  place. 
He  soon  came  to  be  recognized  as  a  man  of  unus- 
ual shrewdness  and  business  talent.  Late  in  the 
eighties  he  conceived  his  town-site  project  and 
began  the  acquisition  of  land  lying  opposite  The 
Dalles,  in  the  bend  of  the  Columbia  river.  Here 
there  is  a  tract  of  thousands  of  acres  of  low  land, 
rocky  in  parts,  excellent  for  grazing  purposes  in 
other  portions,  and  in  a  few  places  arable. 
Across  it  and  in  the  path  of  the  strong  winds 
blowing  up  the  river,  is  a  wide  strip  covered 
with  sand  dunes,  eternally  drifting.  A  town  site 
in  this  territory  would  not  be  a  natural  outlet  for 
any  country  except  that  in  the  immediate  vicin- 
ity, a  region  perhaps  ten  by  ten  miles,  some  of 
it  worthless  and  little  of  it  valuable  for  anything 
but  grazing. 

Taylor  first  homesteaded  a  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  at  the  Big  Eddy,  the  foot  of  the  rapids. 
He  then  bought  seven  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
from  Frank  P.  Taylor,  of  The  Dalles,  paying 
therefor  ten  dollars  an  acre;  then  he  purchased 
one  thousand  and  fifty  acres  from  George  B. 
Rowland  for  ten  thousand  five  hundred  dollars. 
By  picking  up  three  or  four  small  tracts,  he 
became,  by  1890,  the  owner  of  over  two  thou- 
sand acres,  lying  in  an  irregular  body  east  of  the 
Rockland  ferry  landing.  This  land  was  heavily 
mortgaged  to  banks  in  The  Dalles  and  to  other 
money  lenders. 

July  5th,  1890,  Taylor  organized  the  Inter- 
state Investment  Company,  capitalized  at  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  divided  into 
shares  of  the  par  value  of  five  thousand  dollars 
each.  He  retained  half  of  the  stock  himself. 
The  remainder  he  sold  in  lots  of  one  and  two 
shares  each,  principally  to  Oregonians,  though 
some  of  it  was  disposed  of  in  the  east.  The 
Investment  Company,  of  which  Taylor  was 
elected  president  and  general  manager,  pur- 
chased the  property  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  for 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  one-third 
cash,  the  remainder  in  two  notes  for  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars  each.  Then  they  platted  the  town 
of  North  Dalles  and  began  operations.  During 
the  next  four  months  the  company  sold  about 
forty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  lots  to  people 
living  in  Oregon  and  Washington;  over  nine 
thousand  dollars  were  realized  from  sales  to  per- 
sons in  the  vicinity  of  The  Dalles  and  in  Klicki- 
tat county.  The  plats  of  the  property  on  exhibi- 
tion at  The  Dalles  and  elsewhere  were  beauti- 
fully executed  and  showed  a  town  site  half  by 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  in  extent.  A  fine  boule- 
vard was  pictured  as  extending  along  the  river, 
and  trolley  lines  traversed  the  principal  streets 
and  avenues  of  this  city  on  paper.  A  beautiful 
park  was  also  shown,  the  site  of  which  is  to-day 
marked  by  three  desolate-looking   trees.     Three 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


railroads  were  shown  as  actually  constructed,  the 
Hunt  system  down  to  Vancouver,  the  Northern 
Pacific  along  the  north  bank,  and  The  Dalles, 
Klickitat  &  Northern,  whose  southern  terminus 
was  North  Dalles.  The  line  of  the  last-men- 
tioned road  followed  the  Klickitat  river,  the 
trifling  circumstance  that  no  road  could  both  fol- 
low the  river  and  terminate  at  North  Dalles,  the 
mouth  of  the  stream  being  some  nine  miles  from 
the  town,  apparently  having  been  entirely  over- 
looked by  the  map-makers.  The  plat  also 
showed  the  proposed  steamboat  portage  road 
terminating  at  North  Dalles. 

The  pamphlet  issued  by  the  company  vouch- 
safed the  information  that  North  Dalles  was 
eighty  miles  from  Portland  and  could  be  reached 
either  by  rail  or  by  water,  that  it  was  self-evident 
that  North  Dalles  was  destined  to  rival  its  sister 
cities,  Spokane,  Tacoma  and  Seattle;  that  it 
"surpassed  in  natural  products  and  location," 
and  finally,  that  it  was  the  "outlet  of  the  wealthy 
Klickitat,  Yakima  and  Kittitas  country." 

In  March,  1891,  the  company  watered  its  stock 
by  organizing  the  Interstate  Improvement 
Company,  to  which  the  Investment  Company 
transferred  its  bond  for  a  deed  given  by  Taylor 
and  wife,  in  consideration  of  notes  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  stock  in  the 
new  company.  Four  thousand  five  hundred 
shares  of  Improvement  Company  stock,  of  the 
par  value  of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  were 
issued  and  placed  on  the  eastern  market.  Tay- 
lor held  three  thousand  shares  as  trustee  and  one 
in  his  own  right,  besides  the  notes  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  name  of 
the  town  was  changed  to  Grand  Dalles.  Taylor 
became  general  manager,  also  special  sales  agent, 
with  a  commission  of  twenty-five  per  cent,  on 
lots  sold  and  ten  per  cent,  on  stock.  He  secured 
as  his  confidential  clerk  and  assistant  salesman  a 
Californian  named  S.  L.  Skeels,  whom  he  had 
met  in  Spokane.  Offices  were  opened  at  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  Saginaw, 
Michigan,  and  within  two  years  the  sales  of  lots 
and  Improvement  Company  stock  aggregated 
one  hundred  and  ninety  thousand  dollars. 
Skeels  reported  directly  to  Taylor,  who  himself 
made  no  reports  for  a  long  time,  and  when  at 
last  he  was  compelled  to  do  so,  submitted  very 
unsatisfactory  ones. 

The  Improvement  Company,  of  which  Rev. 
J.  F.  Ellis  was  president,  issued  a  handsome 
descriptive  pamphlet  in  1891,  the  title  page  of 
which  read:  "Grand  Dalles,  the  Imperial  Gate- 
way of  Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho,  Head  of 
Ocean  Navigation  on  the  Columbia  River." 

"This  booklet,"  said  the  preface,  "is  issued 
to  answer  such  questions  as  naturally  arise  where 
investment  is  proposed. 

"That  the  answer  should  be  truthful  and 
trustworthy,  the  company  owning  Grand  Dalles 
hired    a   gentleman  of    ability    to   go   upon    the 


grounds  and  examine  carefully  the  condition  and 
surroundings,  charging  him  particularly  to  write 
nothing  that  he  could  not  verify  either  by  his 
own  observation,  the  testimony  of  witnesses  or 
official  facts  and  figures." 

The  old  story  of  the  town's  greatness  was 
retold,  though  the  wording  was  carefully  studied 
and  displayed  much  ingenuity  in  arranging 
statements  in  themselves  not  far  from  the  truth 
in  such  a  way  as  to  create  a  wholly  false  impres- 
sion. When  this  could  not  be  done,  false  state- 
ments were  made  without  scruple.  The  Oregon 
&  Washington  Railroad  Company  was  down  on 
the  map  accompanying  for  a  line  along  the 
Columbia.  The  Dalles,  Goldendale  &  Northern 
went  north  over  the  Columbia  river  divide, 
which  a  mountain  goat  could  hardly  climb  on 
the  grade  indicated;  the  Hunt  railroad  was  still 
pictured,  and  the  Portage  road  was  also  noted. 
A  beautiful  painting  had  been  made  of  the  coun- 
try at  that  point,  a  fac-siniile  of  which  was 
shown  in  the  booklet.  In  the  picture  a  suspen- 
sion bridge,  proposed,  was  shown  connecting 
The  Dalles,  Oregon,  with  Grand  Dalles,  though 
the  only  one  who  ever  proposed  such  a  structure 
was  Taylor  himself  or  his  associates. 

In  1891  Taylor  organized  a  shoe  company. 
The  Improvement  Company  subscribed  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  very  little  of  which  was  ever  paid, 
while  the  of  hers,  citizens  of  Wasco  and  Klickitat 
counties,  subscribed  ten  or  twelve  thousand  dol- 
lars more,  and  an  imposing  three-story  frame 
building  with  a  high  tower  was  erected  on  a  lofty 
promontory  facing  the  Columbia.  Machinery 
was  installed ;  for  two  or  three  weeks  forty  or 
fifty  men  were  employed,  and  some  good  shoes 
were  manufactured;  then  the  creditors  closed 
the  business  down.  The  lumber  that  went  into 
the  building  was  never  paid  for;  neither  was  the 
machinery,  and  only  a  small  part  of  the  laborers' 
wages  was  ever  paid.  The  experiment  cost  the 
people  about  fourteen  thousand  dollars.  Its 
monument  is  a  weather-beaten,  empty  old  shell 
in  Grand  Dalles.  A  box  factory  was  also  erected 
at  this  time,  which  never  produced  anything  of 
moment,  and  the  building  is  now  in  use  as 
barn.  But,  notwithstanding  the  complete  fiasco 
of  the  two  enterprises,  they  resulted  in  the  exten- 
sive advertising  of  the  town  and  the  sale  of  many 
lots.  Taylor  was  a  past  master  in  the  art  of 
advertising. 

In  Saginaw,  Taylor  sold  two  shares  of 
Investment  Company  stock  to  the  man  who  ulti- 
mately caused  his  downfall  and  nearly  landed 
him  in  prison.  This  man  was  Dr.  Daniel  B. 
Cornell,  a  well-known  physician.  Taylor  also 
entered  into  a  contract  with  Cornell  for  the  sale 
to  him  of  three  hundred  and  fifteen  lots  for 
thirty-two  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty  dol- 
lars, the  agreement  being  that  on  payment  of 
one-third  the  price,  Cornell  was  to  receive  bonds 
for  deeds,  and  upon  payment  of  eighty-five  per 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


>i3 


cent.,  full  possession.  Cornell  was  aiming  to 
sell  at  an  advance,  but  before  he  completed  pre- 
liminaries and  began  operations,  he  discovered 
things  concerning  Taylor  which  caused  him  to 
draw  back  and  the  contract  was  never  carried 
out 

In  December,  1892,  J.  T.  Rorick,  of  Michi- 
gan, the  purchaser  of  one  five  thousand  dollar- 
share  of  stock,  came  out  to  start  a  paper  at 
Grand  Dalles.  Cornell  also  came  out  to  investi- 
gate, and  he  and  Rorick  together  began  an 
inquiry.  Finding  that  Taylor  had  made  no 
reports,  they  cornered  Skeels  at  Buffalo,  put  him 
in  the  "sweat  box"  and  forced  from  him  damag- 
ing confessions.  Skeels  blamed  Taylor  for  every- 
thing that  was  wrong,  excusing  himself  on  the 
ground  that  he  was  only  an  employee,  and 
turned  over  all  the  evidence  he  possessed.  Later 
Skeels  addressed  the  directors  of  the  company 
and  did  all  he  could  to  straighten  matters,  claim- 
ing that  formerly  he  had  simply  been  following 
directions  of  his  employer. 

Cornell  and  Rorick  succeeded  in  getting  Tay- 
lor deposed  from  office  in  June,  1893.  Going 
before  the  Multnomah  county  grand  jury,  they 
secured  his  indictment  on  about  sixty  different 
counts,  charging  embezzlement  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  However,  after  two  years  of  waiting, 
the  prosecuting  attorney  entered  a  nolle  prosequi 
in  the  case,  the  only  thing  he  could  do  because 
of  a  peculiar  Oregon  statute  relating  to  embez- 
zlement known  as  the  "mingling  fund"  law. 

Dr.  Cornell,  S.  H.  Blakely  and  Joseph  Sea- 
man, all  well  known  Saginaw  men  who  had 
subscribed  Investment  Company  stock,  there- 
upon made  complaint  in  the  circuit  court  of  Sag- 
inaw county,  charging  Taylor  with  obtaining 
money  under  false  pretenses.  This  was  in  1895. 
At  the  same  time  the  two  companies  began  civil 
action  to  force  Taylor  to  give  an  accounting, 
instituting  litigation  which  did  not  terminate 
until  January,  1902. 

Taylor  was  arrested  at  The  Dalles  in  July, 

1895,  by  Detective  Parker  Owen,  of  the  Saginaw 
police  force,  who,  after  a  series  of  adventures, 
succeeded  in  landing  his  prisoner  at  Saginaw.  In 
December,  1895,  the  case  in  which  Cornell  was 
complaining  witness  came  up  for  trial  before 
Judge  Snow.  Taylor's  attorney  raised  technical 
objections  touching  the  legality  of  the  statute 
upon  which  the  prosecution  was  based,  and  the 
matter  had  to  go  to  the  supreme  court.  Defend- 
ant's counsel  secured  an  agreement  on  the  part 
of  all  concerned  to  rest  the  Cornell  case  and 
carry  up  the  Seaman  case.  This  was  done,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  supreme  court  ordered  the 
circuit   court    to    try   the    case.       In   December, 

1896,  by  consent  of  all  arties,  the  Cornell  case 
was  taken  up,  and  Taylor  was  found  guilty  and 
sentenced  to  six  years'  imprisonment.  An 
appeal  was  taken  to  the  supreme  court,  to  which 
body  the    appellants    somehow  made    it    appear 


that  Taylor  was  a  second  time  in  jeopardy  for 
the  same  offense  when  the  conviction  was 
secured,  hence  the  court  ordered  the  prisoner 
released.  The  prosecution,  knowing  that  the 
other  cases  were  much  weaker  than  Cornell's, 
dropped  everything,  and  Taylor  went  forth  a 
free  man.  He  beat  his  lawyers  out  of  their  fees 
and  out  of  money  borrowed  from  them,  and  they 
bitterly  and  unequivocally  denounced  him  in  the 
press  as  a  criminal  of  the  first  water. 

Between  trials  Taylor  was  liberated  on  a  cash 
bond  furnished  by  George  H.  Williams,  of  Ore- 
gon, his  western  attorney.  After  his  first  trial 
on  the  Cornell  case,  Taylor  borrowed  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  giving  as  security  a  property 
on  Mill  creek,  in  Oregon,  which  was  mortgaged 
to  Williams  for  its  full  value.  The  man  who 
loaned  the  money  had  been  present  at  the  trial 
and  heard  all  the  evidence,  yet  he  could  not 
resist  the  subtle  power  of»  the  gifted  promoter. 
This  mortgage  was,  however,  discharged  recently. 

The  only  business  building  in  the  famous 
town  of  Grand  Dalles  at  the  present  time  is  a 
postoffice.  A  drearier,  more  desolate-looking 
array  of  shacks  and  rock  piles  and  sand  cannot 
be  found  in  the  Northwest,  though  further  back 
from  the  river  is  some  fine  grazing  land.  Per- 
haps not  more  than  a  score  of  people  live  in  the 
immediate  vicinity. 

The  year  1892  appears  to  have  been  one  of 
activity  and  prosperity  among  the  farmers  and 
stockmen  of  the  country.  That  those  engaged 
in  the  lumber  industry  were  not  idle  is  evident 
from  statistics  compiled  by  the  Puget  Sound 
Lumberman,  showing  the  output  of  Klickitat  for 
the  year  as  follows:  D.  W.  Pierce  &  Son,  1,000,- 
000  feet;  John  Hoggard  &  Son,  1,000,000;  Lever- 
ett  &  Company,  500,000;  O.  P.  Shurtz,  800,000; 
Warren  &  Company,  500,000;  Beaverstock  & 
Jones,  500,000;  N.  C.  Norton,  400,000;  Oto  Saw- 
mill Company,  4,000,000;  Cameron  &  Company, 
500,000;  total,  9,600,000  feet.  The  same  author- 
ity estimated  the  output  of  shingles  as  follows: 
M.  S.  Bishop,  2,000,000;  Hale  &  Son,  1,300,000; 
Thompson  Brothers,  1,550,000;  Flekinger  & 
Buckley,  2,100,000;  Leverett  &  Company, 
1,400,000;  total,  8,350,000. 

The  most  sensational  occurrence  of  the  year 
was  the  killing  of  William  Dunn  by  John  Green 
and  the  trial  which  grew  out  of  it.  The  scene  of 
the  homicide  was  the  Blockhouse  settlement, 
seven  miles  northwest  of  Goldendale,  and  the 
date  June  25th.  It  appears  that  the  victim  and 
his  slaver  had  had  a  quarrel  previously  over 
some  cattle  which  Dunn  claimed  that  Green  had 
stolen  from  him,  and  of  course  there  was  ill- 
feeling  between  them  in  consequence.  On  the 
fatal  day  Green  and  a  companion  named  William 
Mehan  were  at  John  Cleaves'  hotel  at  Blockhouse 
when  Dunn  rode  up  and  began  tying  his  horses 
to  the  hitching  post  just  west  of  the  house. 
Green,    who    was    within,    came    out    and    said, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


railroads  were  shown  as  actually  constructed,  the 
Hunt  system  down  to  Vancouver,  the  Northern 
Pacific  along  the  north  bank,  and  The  Dalles, 
Klickitat  &  Northern,  whose  southern  terminus 
was  North  Dalles.  The  line  of  the  last-men- 
tioned road  followed  the  Klickitat  river,  the 
trifling  circumstance  that  no  road  could  both  fol- 
low the  river  and  terminate  at  North  Dalles,  the 
mouth  of  the  stream  being  some  nine  miles  from 
the  town,  apparently  having  been  entirel}'  over- 
looked by  the  map-makers.  The  plat  also 
showed  the  proposed  steamboat  portage  road 
terminating  at  North  Dalles. 

The  pamphlet  issued  by  the  company  vouch- 
safed the  information  that  North  Dalles  was 
eighty  miles  from  Portland  and  could  be  reached 
either  by  rail  or  by  water,  that  it  was  self-evident 
that  North  Dalles  was  destined  to  rival  its  sister 
cities,  Spokane,  Tacoma  and  Seattle;  that  it 
"surpassed  in  natural  products  and  location," 
and  finally,  that  it  was  the  "outlet  of  the  wealthy 
Klickitat,  Yakima  and  Kittitas  country." 

In  March,  1S91,  the  company  watered  its  stock 
by  organizing  the  Interstate  Improvement 
Company,  to  which  the  Investment  Company 
transferred  its  bond  for  a  deed  given  by  Taylor 
and  wife,  in  consideration  of  notes  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  and  stock  in  the 
new  company.  Four  thousand  five  hundred 
shares  of  Improvement  Company  stock,  of  the 
par  value  of  one  hundred  dollars  each,  were 
issued  and  placed  on  the  eastern  market.  Tay- 
lor held  three  thousand  shares  as  trustee  and  one 
in  his  own  right,  besides  the  notes  for  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars.  The  name  of 
the  town  was  changed  to  Grand  Dalles.  Taylor 
became  general  manager,  also  special  sales  agent, 
with  a  commission  of  twenty-five  per  cent,  on 
lots  sold  and  ten  per  cent,  on  stock.  He  secured 
as  his  confidential  clerk  and  assistant  salesman  a 
Californian  named  S.  L.  Skeels,  whom  he  had 
met  in  Spokane.  Offices  were  opened  at  Cleve- 
land, Ohio;  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  Saginaw, 
Michigan,  and  within  two  years  the  sales  of  lots 
and  Improvement  Company  stock  aggregated 
one  hundred  and  ninety  thousand  dollars. 
Skeels  reported  directly  to  Taylor,  who  himself 
made  no  reports  for  a  long  time,  and  when  at 
last  he  was  compelled  to  do  so,  submitted  very 
unsatisfactory  ones. 

The  Improvement  Company,  of  which  Rev. 
J.  F.  Ellis  was  president,  issued  a  handsome 
descriptive  pamphlet  in  1891,  the  title  page  of 
which  read:  "Grand  Dalles,  the  Imperial  Gate- 
way of  Oregon,  Washington  and  Idaho,  Head  of 
Ocean  Navigation  on  the  Columbia  River." 

"This  booklet,"  said  the  preface,  "is  issued 
to  answer  such  questions  as  naturally  arise  where 
investment  is  proposed. 

"That  the  answer  should  be  truthful  and 
trustworthy,  the  company  owning  Grand  Dalles 
hired    a   gentleman  of    ability    to    go   upon    the 


grounds  and  examine  carefully  the  condition  and 
surroundings,  charging  him  particularly  to  write 
nothing  that  he  could  not  verify  either  by  his 
own  observation,  the  testimony  of  witnesses  or 
official  facts  and  figures." 

The  old  story  of  the  town's  greatness  was 
retold,  though  the  wording  was  carefully  studied 
and  displayed  much  ingenuity  in  arranging 
statements  in  themselves  not  far  from  the  truth 
in  such  a  way  as  to  create  a  wholly  false  impres- 
sion. When  this  could  not  be  done,  false  state- 
ments were  made  without  scruple.  The  Oregon 
&  Washington  Railroad  Company  was  down  on 
the  map  accompanying  for  a  line  along  the 
Columbia.  The  Dalles,  Goldendale  &  Northern 
went  north  over  the  Columbia  river  divide, 
which  a  mountain  goat  could  hardly  climb  on 
the  grade  indicated;  the  Hunt  railroad  was  still 
pictured,  and  the  Portage  road  was  also  noted. 
A  beautiful  painting  had  been  made  of  the  coun- 
try at  that  point,  a  fac-simile  of  which  was 
shown  in  the  booklet.  In  the  picture  a  suspen- 
sion bridge,  proposed,  was  shown  connecting 
The  Dalles,  Oregon,  with  Grand  Dalles,  though 
the  only  one  who  ever  proposed  such  a  structure 
was  Taylor  himself  or  his  associates. 

In  1S91  Taylor  organized  a  shoe  company. 
The  Improvement  Company  subscribed  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  very  little  of  which  was  ever  paid, 
while  the  others,  citizens  of  Wasco  and  Klickitat 
counties,  subscribed  ten  or  twelve  thousand  dol- 
lars more,  and  an  imposing  three-story  frame 
building  with  a  high  tower  was  erected  on  a  lofty 
promontory  facing  the  Columbia.  Machinery 
was  installed ;  for  two  or  three  weeks  forty  or 
fifty  men  were  employed,  and  some  good  shoes 
were  manufactured:  then  the  creditors  closed 
the  business  down.  The  lumber  that  went  into 
the  building  was  never  paid  for;  neither  was  the 
machinery,  and  only  a  small  part  of  the  laborers' 
wages  was  ever  paid.  The  experiment  cost  the 
people  about  fourteen  thousand  dollars.  Its 
monument  is  a  weather-beaten,  empty  old  shell 
in  Grand  Dalles.  A  box  factory  was  also  erected 
at  this  time,  which  never  produced  anything  of 
moment,  and  the  building  is  now  in  use  as  a 
barn.  But,  notwithstanding  the  complete  fiasco 
of  the  two  enterprises,  they  resulted  in  the  exten- 
sive advertising  of  the  town  and  the  sale  of  many 
lots.  Taylor  was  a  past  master  in  the  art  of 
advertising. 

In  Saginaw,  Taylor  sold  two  shares  of 
Investment  Company  stock  to  the  man  who  ulti- 
mately caused  his  downfall  and  nearly  landed 
him  in  prison.  This  man  was  Dr.  Daniel  B. 
Cornell,  a  well-known  physician.  Taylor  also 
entered  into  a  contract  with  Cornell  for  the  sale 
to  him  of  three  hundred  and  fifteen  lots  for 
thirty-two  thousand  one  hundred  and  sixty  dol- 
lars, the  agreement  being  that  on  payment  of 
one-third  the  price,  Cornell  was  to  receive  bonds 
for  deeds,  and  upon  payment  of  eighty-five  per 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


cent.,  full  possession.  Cornell  was  aiming  to 
sell  at  an  advance,  but  before  he  completed  pre- 
liminaries and  began  operations,  he  discovered 
things  concerning  Taylor  which  caused  him  to 
draw  back  and  the  contract  was  never  carried 
out 

In  December,  1892,  J.  T.  Rorick,  of  Michi- 
gan, the  purchaser  of  one  five  thousand  dollar- 
share  of  stock,  came  out  to  start  a  paper  at 
Grand  Dalles.  Cornell  also  came  out  to  investi- 
gate, and  he  and  Rorick  together  began  an 
inquiry.  Finding  that  Taylor  had  made  no 
reports,  they  cornered  Skeels  at  Buffalo,  put  him 
in  the  "sweat  box"  and  forced  from  him  damag- 
ing confessions.  Skeels  blamed  Taylor  for  every- 
thing that  was  wrong,  excusing  himself  on  the 
ground  that  he  was  only  an  employee,  and 
turned  over  all  the  evidence  he  possessed.  Later 
Skeels  addressed  the  directors  of  the  company 
and  did  all  he  could  to  straighten  matters,  claim- 
ing that  formerly  he  had  simply  been  following 
directions  of  his  employer. 

Cornell  and  Rorick  succeeded  in  getting  Tay- 
lor deposed  from  office  in  June,  1893.  Going 
before  the  Multnomah  county  grand  jury,  they 
secured  his  indictment  on  about  sixty  different 
counts,  charging  embezzlement  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars.  However,  after  two  years  of  waiting, 
the  prosecuting  attorney  entered  a  nolle  prosequi 
in  the  case,  the  only  thing  he  could  do  because 
of  a  peculiar  Oregon  statute  relating  to  embez- 
zlement known  as  the  "mingling  fund"  law. 

Dr.  Cornell,  S.  H.  Blakely  and  Joseph  Sea- 
man, all  well  known  Saginaw  men  who  had 
subscribed  Investment  Company  stock,  there- 
upon made  complaint  in  the  circuit  court  of  Sag- 
inaw county,  charging  Taylor  with  obtaining 
money  under  false  pretenses.  This  was  in  1895. 
At  the  same  time  the  two  companies  began  civil 
action  to  force  Taylor  to  give  an  accounting, 
instituting  litigation  which  did  not  terminate 
until  January,  1902. 

Taylor   was  arrested  at  The  Dalles  in  July, 

1895,  by  Detective  Parker  Owen,  of  the  Saginaw 
police  force,  who,  after  a  series  of  adventures, 
succeeded  in  landing  his  prisoner  at  Saginaw.  In 
December,  1895,  the  case  in  which  Cornell  was 
complaining  witness  came  up  for  trial  before 
Judge  Snow.  Taylor's  attorney  raised  technical 
objections  touching  the  legality  of  the  statute 
upon  which  the  prosecution  was  based,  and  the 
matter  had  to  go  to  the  supreme  court.  Defend- 
ant's counsel  secured  an  agreement  on  the  part 
of  all  concerned  to  rest  the  Cornell  case  and 
carry  up  the  Seaman  case.  This  was  done,  and 
in  a  short  time  the  supreme  court  ordered  the 
circuit   court    to    try   the    case.       In   December, 

1896,  by  consent  of  all  arties,  the  Cornell  case 
was  taken  up,  and  Taylor  was  found  guilty  and 
sentenced  to  six  years'  imprisonment.  An 
appeal  was  taken  to  the  supreme  court,  to  which 
body  the    appellants    somehow   made    it    appear 


that  Taylor  was  a  second  time  in  jeopardy  for 
the  same  offense  when  the  conviction  was 
secured,  hence  the  court  ordered  the  prisoner 
released.  The  prosecution,  knowing  that  the 
other  cases  were  much  weaker  than  Cornell's, 
dropped  everything,  and  Taylor  went  forth  a 
free  man.  He  beat  his  lawyers  out  of  their  fees 
and  out  of  money  borrowed  from  them,  and  they 
bitterly  and  unequivocally  denounced  him  in  the 
press  as  a  criminal  of  the  first  water. 

Between  trials  Taylor  was  liberated  on  a  cash 
bond  furnished  by  George  H.  Williams,  of  Ore- 
gon, his  western  attorney.  After  his  first  trial 
on  the  Cornell  case,  Taylor  borrowed  twenty 
thousand  dollars,  giving  as  security  a  property 
on  Mill  creek,  in  Oregon,  which  was  mortgaged 
to  Williams  for  its  full  value.  The  man  who 
loaned  the  money  had  been  present  at  the  trial 
and  heard  all  the  evidence,  yet  he  could  not 
resist  the  subtle  power  of*  the  gifted  promoter. 
This  mortgage  was,  however,  discharged  recently. 

The  only  business  building  in  the  famous 
town  of  Grand  Dalles  at  the  present  time  is  a 
postoffice.  A  drearier,  more  desolate-looking 
array  of  shacks  and  rock  piles  and  sand  cannot 
be  found  in  the  Northwest,  though  further  back 
from  the  river  is  some  fine  grazing  land.  Per- 
haps not  more  than  a  score  of  people  live  in  the 
immediate  vicinity. 

The  year  1892  appears  to  have  been  one  of 
activity  and  prosperity  among  the  farmers  and 
stockmen  of  the  country.  That  those  engaged 
in  the  lumber  industry  were  not  idle  is  evident 
from  statistics  compiled  by  the  Puget  Sound 
Lumberman,  showing  the  output  of  Klickitat  for 
the  year  as  follows:  D.  W.  Pierce  &  Son,  1,000,- 
000  feet;  John  Hoggard  &  Son,  1,000,000;  Lever- 
ett  &  Company,  500,000;  O.  P.  Shurtz,  800,000; 
Warren  &  Company,  500,000;  Beaverstock  & 
Jones,  500,000;  N.  C.  Norton,  400,000;  Oto  Saw- 
mill Company,  4,000,000;  Cameron  &  Company, 
500,000;  total,  9,600,000  feet.  The  same  author- 
ity estimated  the  output  of  shingles  as  follows: 
M.  S.  Bishop,  2,000,000;  Hale  &  Son,  1,300,000; 
Thompson  Brothers,  1,550,000;  Flekinger  & 
Buckley,  2,100,000;  Leverett  &  Company, 
1,400,000;  total,  8,350,000. 

The  most  sensational  occurrence  of  the  year 
was  the  killing  of  William  Dunn  by  John  Green 
and  the  trial  which  grew  out  of  it.  The  scene  of 
the  homicide  was  the  Blockhouse  settlement, 
seven  miles  northwest  of  Goldendale,  and  the 
date  June  25th.  It  appears  that  the  victim  and 
his  slayer  had  had  a  quarrel  previously  over 
some  cattle  which  Dunn  claimed  that  Green  had 
stolen  from  him,  and  of  course  there  was  ill- 
feeling  between  them  in  consequence.  On  the 
fatal  day  Green  and  a  companion  named  William 
Mehan  were  at  John  Cleaves'  hotel  at  Blockhouse 
when  Dunn  rode  up  and  began  tying  his  horses 
to  the  hitching  post  just  west  of  the  house. 
Green,    who    was    within,    came    out    and    said, 


n6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


from  Goldendale,  a  specimen  was  found  which 
assayed  one  hundred  and  ten  dollars  in  the  pre- 
cious metals.  Soon  the  whole  mountain  was 
located  by  Goldendale  people,  and  as  there  were 
many  other  mountains  in  the  vicinity  of  similar 
formation,  it  was  hoped  that  something  of  great 
value  might  be  found.  Several  men  worked  for 
a  time  on  the  VanVactor,  Baker,  Tenderfoot  and 
other  claims,  but  during  the  early  days  of  March 
it  was  found  that  while  an  occasional  rich  piece 
of  ore  could  be  found,  the  average  of  value  was 
low,  too  low  to  pay,  and  operations  were  soon 
suspended. 

The  promise  of  better  times  given  by  the 
upward  tendency  of  wheat  during  the  fall  of 
1896  was  fully  realized  the  following  year.  Dur- 
ing the  hard  times  many  farmers  had  become 
involved  to  such  an  extent  that  they  were  about 
to  lose  their  places.  Not  a  few  of  them  were 
comparatively  new  settlers  and  ill-prepared  for  a 
period  of  low  prices  and  dull  markets,  hence 
their  serious  financial  embarrassment.  The 
stimulating  effect  of  the  combined  good  crops 
and  good  prices  during  1897  may  well  be  imag- 
ined. Early  in  July  reports  began  coming  in 
from  the  No.  6  country,  the  country  above  Hart- 
land,  the  Centerville  country,  the  Bickleton 
country  and  all  other  parts  of  Klickitat  county 
where  wheat  was  raised,  stating  that  larger 
yields  would  be  had  than  for  years  before.  The 
price  at  that  time  was  sixty  cents,  and  as  time 
went  on  it  rose  rapidly.  It  is  said  that  the 
wheat  yield  in  some  instances  sold  for  as  much 
as  the  land  upon  which  it  was  raised  was  consid- 
ered to  be  worth.  "Klickitat  farmers,  sheep- 
men, merchants  and  everybody,"  says  the  Agri- 
culturist of  November  13th,  "are  enjoying  the 
wave  of  prosperity.  Men  who  one  year  ago  were 
gloomj'-  and  morose  and  who  saw  no  prospect  of 
saving  their  homes,  are  now  jubilant  and  can 
now  see  their  way  clear  to  get  out  of  debt  and 
have  something  left.  There  has  been  more  build- 
ing done  this  fall  than  for  a  long  time  before. 
New  houses,  new  barns  and  other  substantial 
improvements  are  to  be  seen  in  every  part  of 
the  country,  and  instead  of  mortgages  being 
recorded,  they  are  being  cancelled.  Sixteen 
have  been  cancelled  during  October." 

The  farmers  also  realized  not  a  little  revenue 
from  potatoes  and  other  vegetables,  the  prices 
for  which  were  much  in  advance  of  those  quoted 
the  previous  year.  Sheep  went  from  one  dollar 
a  head  in  1896  to  three  dollars  in  1897,  and  the 
price  of  cattle  also  materially  increased.  All 
other  classes  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  the  farmers' 
and  stockmen's  good  fortunes;  indeed,  the  east- 
ern country  was  suddenly  lifted  from  the  depths 
of  depression  and  despondency  to  the  heights  of 
prosperity. 

In  the  year  1897  a  cause  of  unusual  impor- 
tance came  on  for  trial  in  the  superior  court  of 
Klickitat  county.     Upon  the  decision  finally  ren- 


dered depended  the  title  to  some  two  hundred 
and  thirty  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Oregon  and 
Washington,  so  that  the  progress  of  the  trial 
elicited  not  a  little  general  interest.  The  case 
was  that  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany vs.  Alcana  Miller,  George  Miller,  C.  N. 
Bickle  and  J.  C.  Sigler  for  the  ejectment  of  the 
defendants  from  lands  held  by  them  under 
United  States  patents.  June  2,  1864,  an  act  of 
congress  was  passed  "granting  lands  to  aid  in 
the  construction  of  a  railroad  and  telegraph  line 
from  Lake  Superior  to  Puget  Sound,  by  the 
northern  route."  June  26,  1870,  the  company 
filed  maps  of  general  location  with  the  secretary  of 
the  interior  showing  two  proposed  roads  extend- 
ing westward  from  Pasco,  a  main  line  through 
Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties  and  on  to  the 
sound,  and  a  branch  down  the  Columbia  to  Port- 
land. In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the 
granting  act,  withdrawals  of  alternate  sections 
for  a  distance  of  forty  miles  on  each  side  of  the 
proposed  roads  from  settlement  were  made  by 
the  secretary  of  the  interior,  but  the  roads  for  a 
part  of  their  course  being  less  than  eighty  miles 
apart,  the  grants  necessarily  overlapped  each 
other. 

September  29,  1890,  a  forfeiture  act  was 
passed  providing  that  all  the  land  to  which  the 
company  had  not  made  good  its  title  by  the  con- 
struction of  the  roads  in  aid  of  which  such  land 
was  granted  should  revert  to  the  government. 
The  Northern  Pacific  had  completed  its  line  to 
the  sound,  but  had  failed  utterly  to  construct 
the  line  down  the  Columbia  river,  hence  all  lands 

"  contiguous  to  the  latter  road  were  lost  to  it  by 
operation  of  the  forfeiture  law.  Naturally,  the 
question  arose  whether  the  alternate  sections 
which  were  within  forty  miles  of  both  roads 
should  be  considered  earned  by  the  building  of 
the  Puget  sound  l'ine  or  forfeited  on  account  of 
the  failure  to  build  the  Columbia  river  line.  It 
was  understood  by  the  department  of  the  inte- 
rior that  as  the  two  grants  were  made  simultane- 

i  ously,  the  territory  where  they  overlapped  was 
covered  equally  by  both  grants  and  the  title  to 
all  of  it  could  not  be  perfected  without  the  build- 
ing of  both  lines.  Half  the  odd  numbered  sec- 
tions of  land  was  therefore  thrown  open  for  set- 
tlement, and  the  four  defendants  in  the  case 
under  consideration  filed  upon  and  eventually 
received  their  patents  for  a  section  of  it.  Then 
came  the  railroad  company  and  sought  to  have 

j  the  owners  of  the  land  ejected,  notwithstanding 
their  patents,  claiming  that  the  land  was  its 
property,    earned   by    the  building  of   the    road 

\  through  the  Yakima  valley,  and  that  the  United 

;  States  had  no  right  to  grant  patents  thereto.      In 

j  the  trial  the  company  was  represented  by  Stall, 
Stephens,    Bunn  &  McDonald,    while   Nelson    B. 

j   Brooks,  of  Goldendale,  appeared  for  the  defense. 
The  land  in  dispute,  though  at  present  a  por- 

I  tion  of  the  town  site  of  Bickleton,  was  not  then  of 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


sufficient  value  to  admit  of  a  trial  of  the  cause  in 
the  federal  courts,  so  the  superior  court  of  Klick- 
itat county  was  resorted  to.  Attorney  Brooks, 
on  behalf  of  the  defendants,  contended  for  the 
correctness  of  the  view  of  the  department  of  the 
interior  that  only  half  of  the  odd  sections  of  right 
belonged  to  the  railroad  company.  He  was  suc- 
cessful in  the  lower  court,  Judge  Miller  render- 
ing a  decision  in  his  favor  September  5,  1897. 
The  case  was  appealed  to  the  supreme  court  of 
the  state.  On  the  4th  of  October,  1898,  an  opin- 
ion was  handed  down  by  Justice  J.  B.  Reavis  and 
concurred  in  by  Justices  Elmon  Scott,  R.  O. 
Dunbar,  T.  J.  Anders  and  M.  J.  Gordon,  affirm- 
ing the  decision  of  the  lower  court  and  sustaining 
Attorney  Brooks.  The  railroad  company  accepted 
this  decision  as  final,  and  never  attempted  to 
establish  its  claim  to  the  remainder  of  the  two 
hundred  and  thirty  thousand  acres  similarly  situ- 
ated with  reference  to  its  constructed  and 
projected  lines  or  any  part  of  it. 

For  the  immense  service  rendered  the  people  of 
Oregon  and  Washington,  Attorney  Brooks  never 
received  any  compensation  whatever,  not  even 
all  of  his  expenses,  as  the  persons  immediately 
concerned  were  not  financially  able  to  pay  a  rea- 
sonable fee.  His  only  reward  for  the  months  of 
labor  expended  on  the  case  was  the  approval  of 
his  fellow-citizens  and  the  consciousness  of  a  good 
work  well  done. 

The  events  in  our  nation's  history  which 
made  the  year  1898  one  of  transcendent  impor- 
tance in  the  affairs  of  this  land  and  the  world 
were  watched  with  intense  interest  in  Klickitat 
county  as  elsewhere.  In  no  section  of  the  state 
were  the  youth  more  ready  to  take  part  in  the 
war,  and  that  the  county  was  not  represented  by 
an  enthusiastic  and  courageous  military  company 
was  in  no  wise  due  to  a  lack  of  patriotism. 
Unfortunately,  old  Company  B  had  been  mus- 
tered out  and  abandoned  long  before  the  out- 
break of  hostilities,  and  as  the  first  call  was  for 
militiamen  alone,  there  was  no  show  under  it  for 
the  Klickitat  boys.  But  on  Wednesday,  May 
1 8th,  instructions  were  received  by  Captain 
H.  C.  Phillips  to  enlist  a  company  of  volunteers 
and  have  them  in  readiness  for  response  to  the 
next  call.  Thursday,  June  2d,  the  organization 
of  this  company  was  effected  by  the  election  of 
H.  C.  Phillips,  captain,  and  Nelson  B.  Brooks  and 
H.  C.  Hodgson,  first  and  second  lieutenants, 
respectively.  This  done,  a  petition  was  sent 
forthwith  requesting  that  the  company  be  mus- 
tered into  service  in  response  to  the  call  which 
had  just  been  issued.  It  was  thought  that  inas- 
much as  the  company  was  made  up  of  ex-militia- 
men, it  would  be  accepted  among  the  first,  but 
for  some  reason  it  was  never  given  a  place  in  the 
Washington  regiment  and  had  no  part  in  the  war. 
During  its  earliest  months  the  year  1899 
promised  greater  things  for  Klickitat  county 
than   any  in   its   previous   history.      A  despatch 


sent  to  the  Seattle  Times  in  the  latter  part  of 
January  said:  "The  hope  of  a  coming  boom 
looms  high  before  the  vision  of  all  Klickitat  resi- 
dents in  the  beginning  of  this  gracious  year. 
The  expectation  that  a  railroad  will  soon  be  built 
through  this  country  is  arousing  activity  in  all 
lines  of  business.  There  are  to  be  four  new 
business  firms  established  in  this  town  as  soon 
as  store-room  can  be  prepared  for  them,  and  all 
the  businesses  already  operating  are  increasing 
their  efforts  along  all  lines.  Many  new  settlers 
are  coming  into  the  county  in  search  of  homes, 
and  farms  that  are  changing  owners  are  bringing 
good  figures. " 

The  cause  of  all  this  activity  was  the  opera- 
tions of  the  Columbia  &  Southern  railway,  which 
had  taken  hold  with  apparent  earnestness  of  the 
project  of  building  a  road  from  Lyle  to  Golden- 
dale.  The  terms  upon  which  this  company 
offered  to  build  the  road  were  explicitly  set  forth 
in  a  letter  from  its  president,  indited  as  follows: 

Wasco,  Oregon",  January  21,  1899. 
Mr.  W.  F.  Byars,  Goldendale,  Washington. 

Dear  Sir:  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  17th  inst,  beg 
to  say  that  it  is  our  intention  to  commence  work  on  the 
Columbia  &  Klickitat  railroad  as  soon  as  the  survey  is 
completed,  provided,  however,  that  the  estimates  we  have 
already  made  as  to  cost  of  construction  are  not  exceeded  as 
shown  by  the  survey,  as  the  statistics  of  your  country  now 
in  my  possession  will  not  admit  of  a  greater  outlay  than 
our  present  estimate  of  cost  of  construction.  Reports 
already  received  from  our  engineer  would  indicate  that  our 
estimate  would  not  be  exceeded,  in  which  case  the  only 
donation  I  will  ask  from  your  people  will  be  the  right  of 
way  a  hundred  feet  wide  along  the  survey  line  with  suffi- 
cient ground  at  each  end  of  the  road  for  terminal  facilities, 
as  well  as  two  hundred  feet  wide  by  fifteen  hundred  fet  t 
long  for  side  tracks  and  depot  purposes  wherever  we  might 
find  it  necessary  to  erect  the  same.  This  I  believe  is  not 
asking  too  much  at  the  hands  of  your  people,  considering 
the  great  advantages  and  enhanced  valuation  to  be  derived 
from  the  completion  of  such  a  line  as  we  expect  to  give 
you. 

It  is  my  intention,  if  possible,  to  complete  the  line  for 
this  year's  crops.      I  am    pleased  to  know  that   you  are 
interested  in  the  enterprise,  and  any  assistance  you  can 
give  us  will  be  highly  appreciated  and  reciprocated  by 
Yours  truly, 

E.  E.  Lytle. 

Before  the  first  of  April  the  engineers  were 
in  the  field,  two  parties  of  them,  one  operating 
between  Lyle  and  the  old  Happy  Home  stage 
station;  the  other  between  that  point  and  Gold- 
endale. According  to  report  of  the  Agriculturist 
of  May  27th,  ensuing,  the  surveying  was  ap- 
proaching completion  at  that  time.  "The  right 
of  way,"  says  the  paper  referred  to,  "is  being 
given  free  in  most  cases,  but  it  will  be  necessary 
to  raise  from  five  to  eight  thousand  dollars  before 
a  free  right  of  way  can  be  furnished  the  com- 
pany, as' it  will  require  this  much  to  pay  for  lands 
for  which  the  owners  require  compensation. 
Parties  are  now  in  the  field  soliciting  contribu- 
tions and  report  progress." 

Little  doubt  was  entertained  that  the  rich 
Klickitat  valley  was  to  have  a  road  this  time,  but 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  long- suffering  citizens  were  to  be  disap- 
pointed again,  notwithstanding  they  did,  or 
showed  a  willingness  to  do,  everything  that 
President  Lytle,  of  the  Columbia  &  Southern 
railroad,  demanded.  The  good  faith  of  the  com- 
pany is  not  doubted,  but  it  was  prevented  from 
carrying  out  its  plans  by  the  Northern  Pacific, 
which  claimed  the  territory  north  of  the  Colum- 
bia and  was  unwilling  to  have  it  invaded  by 
another  company.  The  failure  of  the  Columbia 
&  Southern  did  not  greatly  depress  the  Klickitat 
valley  citizens,  as  all  felt  certain  that  the  day 
was  not  far  distant  when  the  steel  gladiators 
should  be  journeying  up  and  down  over  their 
pathway  of  steel.  Too  many  in  different  parts 
of  the  country  had  become  interested  in  the  pro- 
posed road  to  admit  of  its  construction  being 
much  longer  delayed. 

But  there  was  one  railway  project  that  did 
materialize  in  1899,  after  many  years  of  waiting. 
The  story  of  Paul  Mohr's  famous  portage  railway 
at  the  Celilo  rapids  of  the  Columbia  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  chapters  of  Klickitat  county's 
history  and  extends  over  more  than  two  decades 
of  time. 

Those  familiar  with  Northwest  history  will 
remember,  as  heretofore  stated  on  a  preceding 
page,  that  in  1864  the  government  gave  an 
immense  land  grant  to  any  company  that  would 
build  a  railway  from  the  mouth  of  Snake  river 
down  the  Columbia  to  the  sea,  this  line  to  be  a 
section  of  a  transcontinental  road.  However,  it 
was  not  until  1870  that  the  Northern  Pacific  filed 
its  map  of  general  location  for  the  transconti- 
nental road,  and  not  until  1881  that  this  corpora- 
tion gave  substantial  evidence  of  its  intention  to 
build  the  Columbia  river  line.  Work  was  begun 
at  a  point  one  mile  below  the  village  of  Colum- 
bus on  the  north  bank  of  the  river.  By  reason 
of  its  rough  topography,  that  point  is  a  strategic 
one  in  railroad  building,  a  fact  which  strength- 
ened the  Northern  Pacific's  desire  to  occupy  it  at 
once.  The  work  of  building  the  Oregon  Rail- 
road &  Navigation  Company's  line  down  the 
southern  bank  of  the  river  was  then  in  progress, 
and  no  doubt  this  was  still  another  strong  incen- 
tive to  the  Northern  Pacific. 

At  a  cost  of  several  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
the  Northern  Pacific  graded  two  miles  of  road- 
bed west  of  Columbus.  One  rock  cut  alone  cost 
the  company  approximately  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars.  However,  no  steel  was 
ever  laid,  and  after  six  months'  work  the  com- 
pany decided  to  abandon,  at  least  temporarily, 
the  Columbia  river  branch  and  throw  its  energies 
into  the  construction  of  the  Yakima  line. 

After  the  abandonment  of  the  works  at 
Columbus,  they  lay  neglected  until  the  year 
1883,  when  Paul  F.  Mohr  conceived  his  well- 
known  scheme  of  building  a  portage  railway 
alongside  the  Celilo  rapids.  He  purposed  build- 
ing a   line  twenty-two  miles  long,  utilizing   the 


Northern  Pacific's  old  right  of  way.  Accord- 
ingly, he  organized  the  Farmers'  Railway,  Navi- 
gation &  Steamboat  Portage  Company,  com- 
monly called  the  Farmers'  Transportation  Com- 
pany, composed  principally  of  Spokane,  Walla 
Walla  and  Portland  capitalists.  The  corporation 
was  capitalized  at  one  million  dollars.  By  opera- 
tion of  a  statute  forfeiting  rights  of  way  through 
government  domain  after  their  abandonment  for 
a  period  of  five  years,  the  Northern  Pacific's 
claim  had  lapsed,  and  the  Farmers'  Transporta- 
tion Company  soon  secured  possession  of  its  old 
roadbed  by  filing  location  maps  with  the  secre- 
tary of  the  interior,  a  thing  permitted  by  act  of 
congress  approved  March  3,  1875,  entitled  "An  I 
act  granting  to  railroads  the  right  of  way  through 
the  public  lands  of  the  United  States." 

The  Mohr  company  succeeded,  in  1891,  after 
many  years  of  effort,  in  floating  a  small  loan.  It 
had  in  the  meanwhile  sold  considerable  stock  and 
made  several  surveys.  April  16,  1891,  a  mort- 
gage in  the  sum  of  one  million  dollars  was  given 
the  State  Trust  Company  of  New  York,  trustee, 
to  cover  a  bond  issue  of  the  same  amount.  Presi- 
dent A.  M.  Cannon  and  Secretary  J..  R.  Allen 
signed  the  papers  in  behalf  of  the  Transportation 
Company.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  President  Can- 
non, of  Spokane,  also  pledged  himself  personally 
to  secure  this  loan.  Although  the  mortgage 
called  for  a  million  dollars,  only  three  hundred 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  bonds  were  taken  up; 
subsequently,  the  remainder  were  turned  over  to 
Mohr,  who  in  turn  transferred  them  to  another 
as  security.  Perhaps,  in  all,  the  company  real- 
ized between  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  and 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars  by  the  sale  of  its 
bonds  and  stock.  Still  but  little  was  done  toward 
building  the  road,  except  to  survey  and  resurvey, 
grade  a  few  miles,  pay  salaries  and  other  minor 
expenses. 

A  reorganization  of  the  company  was  effected 
July  5,  1899,  by  which  the  corporation's  name 
was  changed  to  the  Columbia  Railway  &  Navi- 
gation Company.  The  stockholders  remained 
practically  the  same  as  formerly.  The  objects 
of  the  new  corporation  were  set  forth  as 
being  to  build,  operate  and  maintain  a  rail- 
road from  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  along 
the  north  bank  to  a  point  near  the  mouth  of 
the  Yakima  river,  thence  by  the  most  conve- 
nient and  eligible  route  to  a  point  at  or  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Okanogan  river;  also  to  build 
branch  lines,  a  portage  railway  at  Celilo  rapids, 
telegraph  lines,  etc.  The  right  of  way  for  the 
portage  road,  the  main  objective  of  the  com- 
pany's energies,  as  approved  by  the  secretary  of 
the  interior,  was  one  hundred  feet  in  width,  and 
extended  from  a  point  in  section  twenty-eight, 
township  two  north,  range  thirteen  east,  in  a  ] 
generally  easterly  direction  to  a  point  in  section 
four,  township  two  north,  range  sixteen  east,  a 
distance  of  about  twenty-two  miles. 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


About  the  same  time  that  this  reorganization 
was  effected,  the  stockholders  also  formed 
another  corporation  known  as  the  Central  Navi- 
gation &  Construction  Company,  in  both  of 
which  concerns  Mohr  had  a  controlling  interest. 
November  25th  of  the  year  1899,  the  construction 
company  began  active  work  upon  the  long- 
delayed  project  by  letting  a  contract  to  Winters 
&  Chapman,  of  Spokane,  for  the  remainder  of 
the  grading.  That  firm  immediately  placed  a 
large  force  at  work,  and  by  June  1,  1900,  had 
graded  nearly  ten  miles  of  the  route,  or  to  the 
Big  Eddy,  about  three  miles  above  The  Dalles. 
This,  with  what  had  already  been  done  at  the 
eastern  end,  made  a  completed  roadbed  eighteen 
miles  in  length.  W.  D.  Hofius  &  Company  fur- 
nished the  steel.  Thus  the  portage  railway  was 
practically  finished  in  the  summer  of  1900. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  company  built  two 
steamers — the  Billings,  above  the  rapids,  the 
Klickitat,  on  the  river  below.  The  hull  of  the 
Billings  was  formerly  the  old  Northern  Pacific 
ferryboat  at  Ainsworth,  which  was  fitted  up  in 
excellent  condition  at  a  cost  of  about  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars.  The  Billings,  unfortunately, 
struck  a  rock  while  running  between  Arlington 
and  Columbus  and  was  wrecked.  Subsequently 
the  boat's  machinery  was  placed  in  the  Charles 
R.  Spencer.  The  Klickitat  was  a  little  smaller 
than  the  Billings  and  cost  twenty  thousand 
dollars. 

But,  alas  for  human  hopes!  The  Mohr  portage 
railroad,  so  well  conceived,  so  slow  in  growth,  so 
promising  in  results,  came  to  an  untimely  end  in 
August,  1900,  when  liens  were  filed  upon  the 
property  to  collect  material  and  labor  debts 
aggregating  fifty  thousand  dollars.  Sixteen  par- 
ties were  represented  in  the  suits,  Winters  & 
Chapman  being  the  principal  creditors.  Two 
years  later  William  Burgen,  sheriff  of  Klickitat 
county,  sold  the  property,  into  which  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  dollars  had  been  placed,  for  the 
paltry  sum  of  thirty-six  thousand  five  hundred 
and  ninety-two  dollars  and  eighty-eight  cents, 
Winters  &  Chapman  being  compelled  to  take  it 
to  satisfy  the  judgment  given  them. 

Subsequently  they  transferred  the  road  to  a 
Spokane  man,  whose  name  is  withheld,  but  who 
is  said  by  those  informed  to  represent  the  North- 
ern Pacific.  Hofius  &  Company  were  allowed  by 
the  court  to  remove  the  rails.  A  dreary-looking, 
torn-up  roadbed,  shut  in  by  rocks  and  covered 
with  drifting  sands,  alone  marks  the  course  of  the 
now  historic  Paul  Mohr  portage  railway  on  the 
Columbia. 

It  may  be  asserted  with  safety  that  the  year 
1899  was  at  least  an  average  one  in  general  con- 
ditions. For  some  reason  the  wheat  crop  did  not 
appear  good  before  harvest,  but  most  farmers 
were  happily  surprised  when  their  grain  was 
threshed.  Some  who  did  not  expect  more  than 
thirteen  or  fourteen  bushels  to  the  acre  received 


twenty-one,  and  in  many  parts  the  yield  exceeded 
expectations  by  about  a  third.  "One  reason  for 
not  anticipating  a  usual  yield,"  said  the  Agricul- 
turist of  September  22,  1899,  "was  that  much  of 
the  grain  was  wilted  at  the  tops  of  the  heads. 
As  it  turned  out,  however,  the  averag  e  per  acre 
of  grain  in  the  valley  will  be  larger  than  for 
many  years  past." 

But  the  year  was  not  quite  so  kind  to  sheep- 
men, whose  interests  were  threatened  by  the  sec- 
retary of  the  interior  in  cancelling  the  permits 
that  had  been  granted  for  the  pasturing  of  two 
hundred  and  sixty  thousand  head  of  sheep  upon 
the  Cascade  forest  reserve.  The  order  came  as 
a  startling  surprise  to  all  sheepmen,  who  thought 
the  matter  definitely  settled  by  the  authorities. 
As  the  range  outside  the  reserve  was  limited  in 
extent  and  almost  destroyed,  the  order  of  the 
secretary  seemed  like  a  death-blow  to  the  sheep 
industry,  and  many  began  preparing  to  go  out  of 
it,  but  fortunately,  an  effort  to  have  the  order 
rescinded  had  a  successful  issue.  Sheepmen  are 
still  enjoying  the  splendid  pasturage  furnished 
by  the  reserve,  though  the  matter  of  withdraw- 
ing the  permits  is  discussed  almost  every  year, 
and  stockmen  can  have  no  assurance  that  their 
privileges  will  long  continue. 

The  winter  of  1899-1900  was  an  exceedingly 
mild  one,  and  the  grass  grew  green  on  the 
upland  pastures  most  of  the  time.  In  February 
it  was  reported  that  fall  wheat  was  so  far  for- 
ward that  some  farmers  were  preparing  to  mow 
it  to  prevent  its  jointing,  but  this  was  probably 
an  exaggeration.  Buyers  were  vainly  offering 
four  dollars  and  fifty  cents  a  head  for  mutton 
sheep,  and  wool-growers  were  steadily  refusing 
to  contract  their  spring  clip  at  prices  offered, 
nineteen  to  twenty-eight  cents  a  pound,  nor 
would  the  farmers  and  stockmen  accept  offers  of 
twenty  dollars  each  for  calves  not  yet  a  year  old. 
All  classes  were  prosperous.  Money  was  plenti- 
ful, and  the  year  1900,  with  good  crops,  good 
prices  and  ready  markets,  was  in  every  way 
suited  to  add  to  the  general  cheer. 

But  the  year's  record  was  marred  by  a  serious 
tragedy  in  Klickitat  county— a  murder  and 
suicide  at  Trout  Lake.  The  cause  of  this  unfor- 
tunate affair  was  the  old,  old  one  of  unrecipro- 
cated love.  The  principals  were  Ida  Foss,  a 
school  teacher,  the  victim  of  the  murler,  and 
Benjamin  Wagnitz,  the  murderer  and  suicide. 
Coroner  Hart,  who  was  called  to  the  scene, 
reported  the  facts,  or  supposed  facts,  of  the  case 
substantially  as  follows:  Miss  Foss,  who  was 
teacher  of  the  district  school,  was  boarding  in  the 
Wagnitz  house,  in  which  were  Mrs.  Wagnitz, 
whose  husband  lived  in  Portland,  and  her  two 
sons,  Benjamin  and  August.  On  the  evening  of 
the  fatal  day,  Sunday,  May  22d,  County  Super- 
intendent C.  L.  Colburn  and  his  wife  met  Benja- 
min Wagnitz  and  Miss  Foss  near  the  bridge 
crossing  the  outlet  of  Trout  lake,  and  had  a  few 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


minutes'  conversation  with  them.  They  said 
that  the  young  people  both  seemed  happy  and 
cheerful.  After  this  meeting,  Wagnitz  and  the 
young  lady  returned  home.  At  the  time  of  their 
arrival,  the  mother  and  son  August  were  milking 
a  short  distance  from  the  house.  Hearing  a  loud 
scream  and  the  report  of  a  gun,  they  rushed 
home  and  soon  saw  Benjamin  Wagnitz,  gun  in 
hand,  leaning  over  the  prostrate  form  of  Miss 
Foss.  The  murderer  called  to  his  mother  to  come 
with  water,  but  she  was  afraid  to  do  so  and  went 
rather  to  a  neighbor's  house  for  assistance.  As 
she  left,  she  heard  him  exclaim:  "Oh,  what  have 
1  done!  what  have  I  done!"  A  few  moments 
later  a  second  shot  was  heard,  and  it  was  found 
on  examination  that  both  Wagnitz  and  his  victim 
were  dead.  Miss  Foss  was  shot  in  the  back,  the 
bullet  passing  through  her  right  lung  and  entirely 
out  of  her  body.  Wagnitz  had  killed  himself  by 
placing  the  stock  of  his  rifle  on  the  ground  and 
the  muzzle  against  his  heart,  then  touching  the 
trigger  with  a  small  foot-rule.  He  was  twenty- 
seven  years  old ;  his  victim  twenty-five.  It  is 
said  that  several  times  he  had  threatened  the 
lives  of  his  mother  and  brother,  and  that  that 
was  the  reason  why  they  were  afraid  to  go  near 
the  prostrate  girl  at  his  solicitation. 

Miss  Foss  was  a  very  estimable  young  lady, 
highly  accomplished  and  unusually  proficient  in 
her  profession.  Her  home  was  in  Hood  River, 
Oregon.  There  is  no  likelihood  that  she  ever 
reciprocated  in  the  least  the  affections  of  Wag- 
nitz, in  whose  company,  however,  she  had  been 
seen  frequently,  and  it  is  known  that  she  had 
returned  the  day  before  her  death  a  number  of 
letters  written  to  her  by  Wagnitz  during  her 
absence  from  Trout  Lake.  Of  the  quarrel, 
which  proved  the  immediate  cause  of  her  un- 
timely taking  off,  nothing  can  be  known,  but  it 
is  surmised  that  an  offer  of  marriage  on  his  part 
had  excited  a  declaration  on  her  part  that  she 
would  have  nothing  further  to  do  with  him. 

While  1900  was  in  general  a  good  year  for  the 
residents  of  Klickitat  county,  it  was  much  sur- 
passed by  the  succeeding  twelvemonth.  A  splen- 
did wheat  crop  caused  much  interest  to  center  in 
the  Horse  Heaven  country,  partly  in  Klickitat 
and  partly  in  Yakima  county.  One  scheme  for 
its  exploitation  that  was  in  the  air  during  the 
year  190^  was  the  old  project  of  carrying  the 
waters  ot  the  Klickitat  river  over  it  and  thus 
increasing  many  fold  by  irrigation  its  productive 
capacity.  A  survey  had  been  made  with  this  for 
its  object  in  1892,  and,  it  is  claimed,  the  practi- 
cability of  the  scheme  was  then  fully  demon- 
strated. One  of  the  moving  forces  in  creating  a 
desire  for  water  for  irrigation  was  the  dry  placer 
gold  deposits  above  Cleveland,  which  had  long 
been  neglected  on  account  of  the  absence  of 
water  wherewith  to  wash  the  rich  gravels.  The 
canal  did  not  materialize,  doubtless  because  of 
the  immense  amount  of  capital  required,  but  it 


is  still  in  project,  and  many  think  that  some  day 
it  will  be  an  accomplished  fact.  Its  effect, 
should  it  ever  be  successfully  completed,  can 
hardly  be  even  dimly  foreseen  at  this  date. 

The  great  enterprise  of  the  year  1902  was  the 
building  of  the  Columbia  River  &  Northern  rail- 
road, connecting  Goldendale  with  Lyle  on  the 
Columbia.  As  heretofore  stated,  the  securing  of 
this  road  had  been  a  favorite  project  of  the 
Klickitat  people  for  many  years,  and  when  a 
company  organized  in  Portland  for  the  purpose 
of  supplying  the  great  desideratum,  it  found 
them  more  than  willing  to  co-operate  with  it. 
From  the  inception  of  the  enterprise  to  its  con- 
clusion, the  Klickitat  residents  manifested  a  deep 
interest,  as  did  also  many  of  the  Portland  people 
and  the  newspapers  of  that  city.  Klickitat 
valley  was  undoubtedly  indebted  for  the  securing 
of  her  road  to  the  earnest  wish  of  Portland  to 
draw  the  trade  of  this  rich  region  unto  itself. 

The  Columbia  River  &  Northern  began  sur- 
veying in  March,  1902,  placing  two  parties  of 
engineers  in  the  field.  Lytle  Simmons,  superin- 
tendent of  construction,  announced  that  it  was 
his  intention  to  push  operations  with  vigor  and 
to  have  the  road  in  shape,  if  at  all  possible,  to 
handle  a  large  part  of  the  fall  traffic.  During  the 
latter  part  of  May,  Axtel  Anderson  was  awarded 
the  contract  for  the  construction  of  the  first  fif- 
teen miles  out  from  Goldendale,  and  on  the  10th 
of  June,  Corey  Brothers  &  Alden  entered  into  a 
contract  with  the  railroad  company  to  build  the 
road  between  Lyle  and  Swale  canyon.  On  that 
day  also  Axtel  Anderson's  bid  for  constructing 
the  two  and  a  half  miles  between  the  terminus  of 
his  fifteen-mile  section  and  the  head  of  Swale 
canyon  was  accepted,  so  that  the  building  of  the 
entire  road  was  provided  for.  The  contracts 
required  the  completion  of  the  work  by  Decem- 
ber 1st.  There  was  no  vexatious  delay,  no  hope 
deferred.  In  the  latter  part  of  September  the 
Oregonian  reported  that  of  the  entire  forty-two 
miles,  twenty-five  had  been  graded  and  consid- 
erable of  the  remainder  was  graded  in  part, 
requiring  only  some  finishing  touches.  "Rock 
work  in  cuts  and  fills,"  continued  the  paper,  "is 
now  keeping  the  construction  gangs  busy.  A 
large  shipment  of  rails  has  been  received  from 
Hamburg,  Germany,  and  the  work  of  track- 
laying  will  be  commenced  in  a  few  days.  Gen- 
eral Manager  H.  C.  Campbell  yesterday  received 
information  that  the  equipment  for  the  road  will 
leave  Chicago  this  week.  The  equipment  will 
consist  of  two  locomotives,  two  passenger  coaches, 
fifty-five  freight  cars,  which  will  be  sufficient  for 
the  needs  of  the  road  for  the  next  few  years. 
Mr.  Campbell  is  also  informed  that  three  grain 
warehouses,  sixty  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
have  been  constructed  along  the  line  of  the  rail- 
road, and  that  one  of  these  will  be  enlarged  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  business  tributary  to  it. 

The  7th  of  December,  1902,  is  a  day  long  to 


npvn^lit.-tl    l»\    CiuTntr,  l'li«,.jtrrfip]i..- 


the  distance. 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


be  remembered  in  Klickitat  county,  for  upon  it 
the  first  locomotive  ever  landed  within  the 
borders  of  the  county  began  its  work.  It  had 
just  been  transferred  across  the  Columbia  along 
with  a  steam  shovel  and  thirty-two  cars.  As  the 
river  was  rising  rapidly  and  endangering  the 
rolling  stock  close  to  its  edge,  it  was  thought 
best  by  Manager  Campbell  to  get  the  cars  out  of 
harm's  way  at  once.  Accordingly,  the  engine 
crew  were  instructed  to  steam  up,  and  soon  the 
hills  resounded  with  the  unwonted  music  of  a 
locomotive  whistle.  It  must  have  been  a  heart- 
ening sound  to  the  Klickitat  people  who  heard 
it,  for  it  conveyed  to  their  ears  in  eloquent  lan- 
guage the  promise  of  a  larger  development,  a 
higher  and  more  modern  civilization  for  the  fail- 
land  in  which  they  had  cast  their  lot.  At  this 
time,  only  two  miles  of  track  had  been  laid,  but 
it  was  the  intention  to  push  to  a  rapid  comple- 
tion the  work  of  placing  the  remaining  steel 
rails.  By  the  middle  of  April  the  road  was  fin- 
ished to  Centerville,  and  on  the  25th  it  reached 
Goldendale,  its  present  terminus. 

"At  10:30  this  morning,"  wrote  an  Oregonian 
correspondent,  "the  last  spike  in  the  main  line 
of  the  Columbia  River  &  Northern  railroad  was 
driven.  This  honor  did  not  fall  to  John  J. 
Golden,  whose  turn  will  come  later,  but  instead 
a  swarthy  son  of  Italy  with  a  few  sharp  blows 
put  the  spike  in  position.  While  the  construc- 
tion train  had  reached  the  city  limits  yesterday, 
the  crew  was  not  able  to  complete  the  work  that 
day  owing  to  the  lack  of  material. 

"To-day  the  last  mile  of  track  was  laid,  and 
laid  quickly,  as  by  the  middle  of  the  forenoon 
the  track  was  finished.  A  vast  crowd  of  sight- 
seers was  on  hand  early,  and  by  ten  o'clock  fully 
half  the  population  of  the  city  was  present.  It 
was  a  spectacle  never  to  be  forgotten  by  the  resi- 
dents of  Goldendale,  after  years  of  patient  wait- 
ing, during  which  time  many  railroad  schemes 
have  been  industriously  worked  only  to  end  in 
dismal  failure.  A  full-fledged  railroad  was  now 
complete  to  the  city  and  Goldendale  placed  in 
easy  communication  with  the  outside  world. 

"No  regular  train  service  can  be  established 
as  yet,  as  for  some  weeks  to  come  it  will  be  in 
the  hands  of  the  construction  department. 
There  is  a  vast  amount  of  labor  yet  in  sight. 
The  major  portion  of  the  track  has  yet  to  be 
ballasted,  leveled  and  adjusted  for  fast  and 
heavy  traffic.  There  are  no  terminal  buildings 
erected  here  as  yet,  nor  at  any  other  point  on 
the  line  except  at  Lyle.  It  will  probably  be  two 
months  before  a  reular  passenger  schedule  can 
be  put  in  operation. 

"Official  advices  to  Honorable  N.  B.  Brooks, 
the  local  attorney  of  the  company,  are  to  the 
effect  that  on  or  about  June  1st  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Columbia  River  &  Northern  railroad 


will  run  an  excursion  train  to  this  city,  at  which 
time  the  big  jubilee  celebration  over  the  com- 
pletion of  the  road  will  come  off.  Local  parties 
here  are  going  to  make  it  the  greatest  time  in 
the  history  of  Klickitat  county.  There  will  be 
something  doing  on  that  occasion  sure. 

"Immediately  after  the  workmen  had  com- 
pleted their  labors,  they  were  royally  enter- 
tained with  a  fine  luncheon  and  plenty  of  refresh- 
ments. The  city's  hospitality  was  open-handed 
and  nothing  was  considered  too  good  for  a  hard- 
working construction  gang. 

"So,  on  the  25th  day  of  April,  1903,  a  new  era 
opened  up  in  the  history  of  this  county.  The 
citizens  of  Goldendale  are  in  joyous  mood  to- 
night, and  congratulations  are  the  order  of  the 
hour.  The  greatest  meed  of  praise  is  extended 
to  the  Portland  capitalists  who  financed  the 
enterprise,  and  above  all  are  highly  flatter- 
ing encomiums  showered  upon  Manager  H.  C. 
Campbell,  who  promised  a  railroad  here  on  the 
day  of  his  first  entrance  into  Klickitat,  and  has 
labored  incessantly  toward  that  purpose  from 
that  day  forward.  Nor  was  the  Oregonian 
ignored,  for  to  its  valuable  and  timely  co-opera- 
tion is  due  a  large  measure  of  the  success." 

Thursday,  April  30th,  the  first  shipment  of 
wheat  by  rail  was  made  from  the  Klickitat 
valley,  the  consignment  being  four  large  carloads 
from  the  Centerville  station.  It  was  the  begin- 
ning of  much  activity  in  this  direction,  for  for- 
tune had  been  smiling  upon  the  farmers  of  the 
county,  and  the  warehouses  were  bursting  with 
grain  for  export.  Wheat  buyers  estimated  that 
there  were  between  eight  and  ten  thousand  tons 
of  grain  stored  along  the  new  road,  and  a  large 
amount  of  other  traffic  was  eagerly  awaiting  the 
completion  of  the  ballasting,  which,  in  April, 
1903,  was  being  pushed  with  zeal. 

The  effect  of  the  railroad  in  inducing  immi- 
gration may  be  seen  in  the  appropriation  of  pub- 
lic lands  within  the  county  by  homeseekers. 
From  1900  to  1901  only  13,306  acres  were  taken 
for  homes  under  the  United  States  land  laws. 
From  1901  to  1902,  19,629  acres  were  home- 
steaded,  and  in  the  succeeding  year  the  acreage 
claimed  by  homeseekers  jumped  to  60,160.  The 
population  of  the  county  in  1900,  according  to 
the  United  States  census,  was  6,407.  The  count 
by  precincts  was:  Bickleton,  4S2;  Camas  Prairie, 
396;  Canyon,  46;  Cedar  Valley,  76;  Centerville, 
621;  Cleveland,  350;  Columbus,  212;  Dot,  305; 
Gaunt,  29;  Goldendale,  co-extensive  with  Gold- 
endale City,  738;  Lyle,  159;  No.  4,  553;  No.  6, 
258;  Pine  Forest,  337;  Pleasant  Valley,  169; 
Rockland,  161;  Sand  Springs,  in;  Spring  Creek, 
377;  Timber  Valley,  118;  Troat  Lake,  152;  White 
Salmon,  458.  In  1903  the  population  of  the 
county  was  reported  by  the  bulletin  of  the  state 
bureau  of  statistics  as  8,788. 


CHAPTER  III. 


POLITICAL. 


Although  the  territorial  assembly  ofaWashing- 
ton  created  Klickitat  county  as  early  as  the  year 
1859,  yet  for  many  years  a  majority  of  the^people 
living  within  the  prescribed  boundaries  were 
opposed  to  the  acceptance  of  the  privilege 
granted  them.  The  result  was  that  all  attempts 
at  effective  organization  of  the  county's  govern- 
ment previous  to  1867  were  unsuccessful.  The 
first  real,  permanent,  recognized  organization 
came  through  the  legislative  act  of  January  28th 
of  that  year.  The  temporary  officers  appointed 
by  the  legislative  assembly  to  serve  until  the 
first  succeeding  election  were:  Commissioners, 
August  Schuster,  Amos  Stark  and  H.  M.  Mc- 
Nary;  auditor,  Thomas  Johnson;  treasurer, 
William  Connell ;   probate   judge,  James  Taylor. 

The  board  of  commissioners  held  its  first  ses- 
sion, a  special  one,  March  8,  1867,  in  William 
Connell's  house  at  Rockland,  the  temporary 
county  seat.  At  this  meeting  Stanton  H.  Jones 
was  appointed  assessor.  As  required  by  the 
provisions  of  the  act,  the  board  convened  at  the 
same  place  in  first  regular  session,  May  6,  1867, 
and  formally  organized  by  electing  Amos  Stark 
chairman.  Arrangements  were  at  once  entered 
into  between  tne  commissioners  and  Connell  for 
the  use  of  his  building  as  a  courthouse,  the  rent 
being  fixed  at  practically  twenty-five  dollars  a 
quarter;  this  building  was  used  as  Klickitat 
county's  courthouse  until  the  county  seat  was 
removed  to  Goldendale.  After  making  a  tax 
levy  of  fourteen  and  a  half  mills,  eight  of  which 
were  for  county,  three  and  a  half  for  territorial, 
and  three  for  school  purposes,  the  board  pro- 
ceeded to  prepare  for  the  county's  first  election. 

Three  precincts  were  laid  out  as  follows: 
"No.  i,  Rockland — Commencing  on  the  Colum- 
bia at  the  beginning  of  the  western  boundary; 
thence  north  six  miles  along  said  line;  thence 
east  along  the  summit  of  The  Dalles  and  Klicki- 
tat mountains  to  a  point  north  of  Celilo;  thence 
south  to  the  middle  of  the  Columbia  river  and 
down  said  river  channel  to  place  of  beginning; 
No.  2,  Klickitat  Creek — Includes  the  Klickitat 
valley;  No.  3,  Columbus — All  that  portion' above 
the  landing  opposite  Celilo  between  the  Colum- 
bia river  and  Klickitat  mountains."  S.  Peasley 
and  August  Schuster  were  appointed  judges  of 
Rockland  precinct  to  serve  at  the  June  election; 
A.  F.  Curtis,  inspector;  J.  C.  Mason's  house  was 


designated  as  the  polling-place  in  Klickitat  Creek 
precinct,  G.  W.  Helm  and  J.  C.  Mason  were 
appointed  judges,  and  J.  R.  Bennett  inspector; 
while  T.  Johnson  and  R.  Wallace  were  appointed 
judges,  and  W.  Helm  inspector,  for  Columbus 
precinct.  Just  previous  to  election  day.  Com- 
missioner Schuster  resigned  to  accept  the 
appointment  of  sheriff — an  office  whose  duties 
he  administered  with  commendable  zeal  and 
fidelity  until  1880.  His  service  dated  from  May 
6,   1867. 

The  county's  first  regular  election  was  held 
in  June,  1867,  and  herewith  are  presented  the 
official  returns,  obtained  from  the  original  records 
on  file  in  the  office  of  the  secretary  of  state  at 
Olympia. 

Delegate  to  congress,  Alvin  Flanders,  38 
votes,  Frank  Clark,  13;  joint  councilman,  A.  G. 
Tripp,  39,  representing  Yakima,  Klickitat, 
Clarke  and  Skamania  counties;  joint  representa- 
tive for  Yakima  and  Klickitat  counties,  William 
Taylor  (elected),  59,  F.  Mortimer  Thorp,  27; 
district  attorney,  H.  G.  Struve,  38;  probate 
judge,  J.  C.  Murdy,  38;  county  commissioners, 
Thomas  J.  Chambers,  45,  Amos  Stark,  38,  H.  M. 
McNary,  39;  auditor,  Thomas  Johnson,  38; 
sheriff,  August  Schuster,  43;  assessor,  S.  H. 
Jones,  38;  treasurer,  William  Connell,  38;  school 
superintendent,  John  Burgen,  14,  Watson  Helm, 
13,  Walter  Helm,  13;  coroner,  A.  M.  Bunnell, 
28. 

In  those  early  years  county  organization  was 
regarded  more  in  a  humorous  than  in  a  serious 
light.  Men  who  would  serve  the  county  as  offi- 
cials were  rare  enough,  and  when  any  were 
found  willing  to  do  so,  little  attention  was  paid 
to  their  party  affiliations.  As  a  general  rule, 
however,  Klickitat's  pioneer  officeholders  were 
Democrats. 

The  records  show  that  May  4,  1868,  T.  J. 
Chambers,  commissioner,  resigned;  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  J.  R.  Bennett.  The  same  day  A.  H. 
Simmons  was  appointed  by  the  board  as  probate 
judge,  vice  J.  C.  Murdy,  resigned.  Another 
interesting  feature  of  this  meeting  was  the 
action  taken  on  the  establishment  of  the  pioneer 
county  road.  Up  to  that  time  there  had  been  no 
effort  made  as  a  county  looking  to  the  building 
of  roads,  what  few  highways  there  were  having 
been  constructed  by  individuals  or  the  govern- 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


i-3 


ment.  There  were,  however,  two  good  roads, 
one  down  to  the  Cascades  and  the  other  the 
Simcoe  military  road.  But  the  desire  for  a  good 
transportation  route  into  the  Yakima  valley, 
whose  people  were  in  early  years  so  intimately 
connected  with  those  of  Klickitat,  became  so 
strong  that  upon  the  date  heretofore  mentioned 
the  board  appointed  William  Taylor,  John  Bur- 
gen  and  John  Johnson  as  commissioners  to  locate 
two  territorial  roads.  Both  were  to  terminate  at 
Rockland,  opposite  The  Dalles.  One  was  to  fol- 
low the  northern  shore  of  the  Columbia  to  a 
point  opposite  Umatilla,  Oregon;  the  other  was 
to  extend  to  Cock's  ferry,  in  the  Yakima  valley, 
by  way  of  the  canyon.  The  following  August 
the  roads  were  officially  established.  The  next 
county  road  to  be  established  was  a  branch  one, 
located  in  1869,  from  Columbus  to  an  intersec- 
tion with  the  Yakima  road.  Josh  Brown,  A.  M. 
Bunnell  and  William  Dunn  located  this  road. 

It  is  also  interesting  to  note  the  granting  of 
the  first  ferry  license.  February  1,  1869,  the 
board  granted  to  Thomas  J.  and  James  Jenkins, 
brothers,  the  privilege  of  operating  a  ferry  on 
the  Columbia  at  a  point  one  and  a  half  miles 
above  Columbus.  The  board  fixed  the  follow- 
ing rates:  Footman,  25  cents;  man  and  horse, 
$1 ;  loose  animals,  50  cents  each ;  wagon  and  span 
of  horses  or  yoke  of  cattle,  $3 ;  each  additional 
span,  $1;  sheep  and  hogs,  each  15  cents;  freight, 
per  ton,  $1.25;  wood,  per  cord,  $1.25;  lumber, 
per  thousand  feet,  $1.50. 

Previous  to  holding  the  next  election,  June  7, 
1869,  two  new  precincts  were  formed — Yakima 
and  Simcoe — the  latter  including  the  reservation. 
At  that  date  there  seems  to  have  been  an  under- 
standing prevalent  in  this  county  that  the  whole 
Yakima  reservation  was  embraced  in  Klickitat's 
boundaries.  An  attempt  was  even  made  to  col- 
lect taxes  of  the  whites  living  at  the  agency. 
For  a  time  there  was  a  hot  dispute  between 
Yakima  and  Klickitat  as  to  which  county  pos- 
sessed the  agency  at  Fort  Simcoe.  A  year  later 
the  petition  of  E.  S.  Joslyn  and  twelve  others 
for  the  erection  of  a  precinct  on  the  river  below 
Rockland  was  granted,  and  in  May,  1870,  Fif- 
teen-Mile or  White  Salmon  precinct,  with  polls  at 
William  Gilmore's  home,  came  into  existence. 

There  are  no  records  on  file  in  Klickitat  county 
showing  the  returns  for  any  election  previous  to 
that  of  1902.  This  condition  of  affairs  has 
necessitated  the  gathering  of  nost  of  the  infor- 
mation desired  about  the  early  elections  from 
the  state  offices,  and  about  the  later  ones  from  the 
newspapers.  The  results  of  the  earliest  elections 
are  herewith  given  in  their  chronological  order, 
in  as  complete  form  as  possible  to  obtain. 

June  7,  1869:  For  delegate,  Salucius  Garfield, 
59,  M.  F.  Moore,  18;  joint  representative,  H.  D. 
Cooke,  57,  F.  M.  Thorp,  n,  scattering,  2;  dis- 
trict attorney,  A.  G.  Cook,  57,  Richard  Lane,  15; 
joint    councilman,    Chancy  Goodnoe,    60,    H.  M. 


McNary,  44,  John  Burgen,  41,  J.  H.  Alexander, 
28,  Thomas  Johnson,  22,  E.  S.  Joslyn,  5;  probate 
judge,  William  Taylor,  59,  G.  Chamberlin,  1; 
auditor,  M.  V.  Harper,  71;  sheriff,  A.  Schuster, 
52,   George  Rowland,    1;   assessor,   A.    Schuster, 

50,  Levi  Armsworthy,  4;  treasurer,  William 
Hicinbotham,  45 ;  superintendent  of  schools, 
Thomas  Johnson,  39,  J.  H.  Wilbur,  1;  coroner, 
John  Bartol,  1,  Joshua  Brown,  1.  J.  H.  Alex- 
ander was  appointed  probate  judge  by  the  com- 
missioners June  20,  1870. 

June  6,  1870:  For  delegate,  L.  D.  Mix,  32, 
Salucius  Garfield,  65;  joint  councilman,  E.  S. 
Joslyn,  55,  S.  R.  Curtis,  32;  joint  representative, 
Henry  D.  Cooke,  52,  M.  V.  Harper,  34;  district 
attorney,  A.  G.  Cook,  62,  Richard  Lane,  30; 
probate  judge,  William  Taylor,  48,  L.  J.  Kimber- 
land,  30;  county  commissioners,  James  O.  Lyle, 

51,  John  Burgen,  49,  Amos  Stark,  46,  Bolivar 
Walker,  34,  Washington  Ward,  32,  Henry  Allen, 
32;  auditor,  Thomas  Johnson,  41,  M.  V.  Harper, 
32;  sheriff,  August  Schuster,  41,  G.  W.  Rowland, 
41  (Schuster  secured  the  office  in  a  cut-drawing 
contest);  assessor,  August  Schuster,  41,  G.  W. 
Rowland,  36,  C.  A.  Schuster,  1 ;  treasurer, 
Thomas  Connell,  49,  C.  A.  Schuster,  30;  school 
superintendent,   G.  W.  Helm,  52. 

November  3,  1872:  For  delegate,  Salucius 
Garfield,  120,  O.  B.  McFadden,  45;  joint  council- 
man, R.  O.  Dunbar,  121,  B.  F.  Shaw,  41;  repre- 
sentative, J.  C.  Cartwright,  56,  N.  Whitney,  69, 
C.  P.  Cooke,  35 ;  district  attorney,  J.  M.  Fletcher, 
120,  W.  S.  Dodge,  33,  C.  C.  Hewett,  S;  probate 
judge,  S.  Gardner,  68,  Merrill  Short,  39,  William 
Miller,  29;  county  commissioners,  Stanton  H. 
Jones,  98,  J.  O.  Lyle,  69,  J.  A.  Stout,  51,  R.  C. 
Wallace,  57,  C.  A.  Schuster,  32,  J.  H.  Alexan- 
der, 79,  William  Willits,  55,  N.  Newton,  32; 
sheriff,  R.  J.  Gilmore,  51,  August  Schuster,  79, 
j.  C.  Story,  27;  auditor,  William  Miller,  50, 
H.  T.  Levins,  70,  M.  V.  Harper,  34;  treasurer, 
A.  C.  Helm,  75,  J.  W.  Parker,  70,  E.  Snipes,  12; 
school  superintendent,  J.  A.  Balch,  64,  J.  A. 
Burgen,  96;  surveyor,  E.  Richardson,  79,  F.  M. 
Shick,  43.  At  this  election  the  permanent  loca- 
tion of  the  county  seat  was  voted  upon.  Rock- 
land received  78  votes;  the  new  town  of  Golden- 
dale  77.  John  J.  Golden,  of  Goldendale,  insti- 
tuted a  contest,  through  his  attorney,  J.  C.  Cart- 
wright,  over  the  vote  on  the  county  seat  ques- 
tion, but  at  the  February  session  of  the  county 
court,  the  case  was  dismissed  on  the  grounds  of 
no  jurisdiction.  Mr.  Golden  never  carried  the 
contest  to  a  higher  court.  At  this  session,  also, 
J.  A.  Balch  was  appointed  probate  judge  to  suc- 
ceed Gardner. 

November  3,  1874:  For  delegate,  Orange 
Jacobs,  125,  B.  L.  Sharpstein,  49;  prosecuting 
attorney,  second  district,  A.  C.  Bloomfield,  121, 
J.  B.  Judson,  46;  joint  councilman,  S.  P.  McDon- 
ald, 117,  B.  F.  Shaw,  43,  F.  D.  Maxon,  6;  joint 
representative,    E.    Richardson,    128,    J.  W.  Bra- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


zee,  39;  county  commissioners,  George  Miller,  161, 
M.  V.  Harper,  48,  S.  M.  Gilmore,  81,  Nelson 
Whitney,  114,  A.  H.  Curtis,  84;  sheriff  and 
assessor,  R.  W.  Helm,  76,  August  Schuster,  87; 
probate  judge,  James  A.  Balch,  73,  M.  V.  Har- 
per, 80,  scattering,  3;  auditor,  H.  T.  Levins,  in, 
W.  H.  Mahan,  50;  treasurer,  Thomas  Connell, 
161;  superintendent  of  schools,  P.  E.  Michell, 
138-,  scattering,  14;  coroner,  John  Graham,  165; 
surveyor,  M.  V.  Harper,  151,  R.  M.  Graham,  6, 
John  Meir,  2.  Commissioner  Miller  removed 
from  his  district  in  the  summer  of  1875,  and 
John  Graham  was  appointed  in  his  stead. 

November  7,  1876:  For  delegate,  Orange 
Jacobs,  144,  J.  P.  Judson,  68;  prosecuting  attor- 
ney, second  judicial  district,  N.  H.  Bloomfield, 
144,  C.  Lancaster,  52;  joint  councilman,  M.  R. 
Hathaway,  145,  H.  M.  Knapp,  35,  scattering,  16; 
joint  representative,  Nelson  Whitney,  150,  J. 
W.  Brazee,  43;  county  commissioners,  W.  B. 
Walker,  174,  John  Graham,  130,  A.  H.  Curtis, 
197,  JohnReavis,  78,  scattering,  2;  probate  judge, 
S.  M.  Gilmore,  no,  M.  V.  Harper,  85;  sheriff,  A. 
Schuster,  141,  T.  T.  Foster,  63;  auditor,  H.  T. 
Levins,  114,  J.  Nesbitt,  85;  treasurer,  Thomas 
Connell,  137,  W.  H.  Mahan,  60;  assessor,  R.  D. 
White,  109,  J.  C.  Story,  88;  surveyor,  J.  P. 
Crocker,  138,  M.  V.  Harper,  7;  coroner,  John 
Keates,  78,  John  Graham,  60,  M.  V.  Harper,  19, 
Ed.  Snipes,  17,  scattering,  6;  superintendent  of 
schools,  P.  E.  Michell,  189;  in  favor  of  holding  a 
constitutional  convention,  24,  against,  105. 
Thomas  Connell  left  the  county  before  his  term 
expired,  and  the  commissioners  appointed  W.  A. 
McFarland  to  serve  out  the  term. 

By  1878  the  rapid  growth  of  the  county  had 
necessitated  the  formation  of  seven  precincts — 
Rockland,  Klickitat,  Columbus,  White  Salmon, 
Spring  Creek,  Alder  Creek  and  Camas  Prairie. 
The  rapid  development  of  the  Klickitat  valley 
had  caused  the  friends  of  Goldendale  to  aspire 
again  to  county  seat  honors,  and  they  secured 
the  passage  of  a  bill  through  the  legislature 
enabling  them  to  test  their  strength.  The  bill 
was  approved  November  9,  1877,  and  provided 
for  the  submission  of  the  question  to  the  people 
at  the  next  general  election.  Goldendale  carried 
off  the  honors  easily,  securing  far  more  than  the 
necessary  three-fifths  vote  required  by  law;  the 
figures  are  not  obtainable.  Election  day  fell  on 
November  5,  1S78.     The  returns  follow: 

For  delegate  to  congress,  Thomas  H.  Brents, 

394,  N.  T.  Caton,  206;  adjutant-general,  A. 
Storer,  397,  J.  R.  O'Dell,  196;  brigadier-general, 
J.  H.  Smith,  394,  George  W.  Hunter,  195;  com- 
missary-general, F.  W.  Sparling,  399,  C.  D. 
Emery,  129,  O.  F.  Gerrish,  61 ;  prosecuting  attor- 
ney,  second  judicial  district,    N.  H.  Bloomfield, 

395,  J.  P.  Judson,  199;  joint  councilman,  R.  O. 
Dunbar,  350,  Hiram  Dustin,  255  ;  joint  representa- 
tive, G.  W.  Waldron,  256,  M.  V.  Harper,  315; 
county  commissioners,   A.  H.  Curtis,    177,   J.  R. 


Short,  368,  W.  H.  Mahan,  335,  Noah  Chapman, 
410,  D.  D.  McFall,  254,  Hugh  Adams,  216;  probate 
judge,  R.  O.  Dunbar,  381,  William  Barr,  205; 
sheriff,  August  Schuster,  296,  I.  Darland,  289; 
superintendent  of  schools,  Sidney  Brown,  422,  H. 
Caldwell,  170;  auditor,  H.  T.  Levins,  416,  C.  J. 
Google,  170;  treasurer,  W.  A.  McFarland,  579; 
assessor,  E.  W.  Pike,  307,  Levi  Darland,  278; 
surveyor,  J.  P.  Crocker,  398,  L.  McAllister,  177; 
coroner,  S.  H.  Miller,  380,  Peter  Cushen,  198; 
for  the  adoption  of  the  Walla  Walla  constitution, 
229,  opposed,  101.  McFarland  failed  to  qualify  as 
treasurer,  and  his  place  was  filled,  January  6, 
1879,  by  the  appointment  of  Thomas  Johnson.  In 
March,  1879,  Auditor  Levins  died;  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  J.  A.  Stout.  That  spring,  also,  the 
records  were  removed  from  Rockland  to  the  new 
courthouse  in  Goldendale,  where  the  commis- 
sioners held  their  first  meeting  March  17th. 

Until  the  establishment  of  the  county  seat  at 
Goldendale  and  the  erection  of  a  courthouse 
there  in  1879,  all  district  court  business  was 
transacted  at  Vancouver,  which  was  in  the  same 
judicial  district.  Be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  pio- 
neer Klickitat  that  there  was  little  court  business 
to  transact— so  little  that  it  was  deemed  not 
worth  while  to  bring  judge  and  lawyers  to  the 
county.  But  with  the  rapid  growth  of  the  region 
during  the  later  seventies,  court  sessions  in  the 
county  became  imperative,  and  May  10,  1880, 
Klickitat  county's  first  term  of  court  began  at 
Goldendale.  Judge  John  P.  Hoyt,  Clerk  J.  A, 
Stout,  Prosecuting  Attorney  N.  H.  Bloomfield, 
Sheriff  August  Schuster  and  Bailiffs  William  H. 
Miller,  A.  P.  Ward  and  W.  C.  Boyd  were  in 
attendance.  James  B.  Reavis,  at  present  justice 
of  the  state  supreme  court,  was  the  first  attorney 
to  be  admitted  to  the  county  bar.  The  session 
was  only  three  days  in  length  and  devoid  of  espe- 
cial interest. 

When  court  was  held  in  Vancouver,  Klickitat 
county  was  accustomed  to  send  two  citizens  there 
to  serve  as  petit  jurors  and  two  as  grand  jurors, 
though  very  often  there  was  no  representation 
from  here.  Among  those  who  served  in  the 
later  sixties  may  be  mentioned  A.  M.  Bunnell 
and  G.  E.  Cook,  grand  jurors,  William  Gilmore 
and  Chancy  Goodnoe,  petit  jurors,  in  1868;  John 
J.  Golden  and  James  O.  Lyle,  grand  jurors, 
George  W.  Chapman  and  T.  J.  Chambers,  petit 
jurors,  in  1869.  For  many  years  it  was  cus- 
tomary to  draw  as  jurors  men  who  were  com- 
pelled or  wished  to  visit  Vancouver  on  business. 
However,  this  was  all  done  away  with  by  the 
holding  of  court  in  the  county. 

The  returns  for  the  election  held  November 
2,  1880,  are  incomplete,  only  the  following  being 
given:  For  delegate  to  congress,  Thomas  H. 
Brents,  Republican,  492,  Thomas  Burke,  Demo- 
crat, 360;  adjutant-general,  M.  R.  Hathaway, 
Republican,  544,  Frank  Guttenberg,  Democrat, 
302;      brigadier-general,      George     W.    Tibbits, 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY 


Republican,  546,  James  McAuliff,  Democrat,  300; 
commissary-general,  A.  K.  Bush,  Republican, 
544,  J.  M.  Hunt,  Democrat,  305;  quartermaster- 
general,  R.  G.  O'Brien,  Republican,  543,  J.  W. 
Bomer,  Democrat,  320;  district  attorney,  N.  H. 
Bloomfield,  Republican,  318,  Hiram  Dustin, 
Democrat,  513;  probate  judge,  Thomas  Johnson, 
Independent,  334,  R.  O.  Dunbar,  Republican, 
309,  J.  B.  Reavis,  Democrat,  191.  The  other 
county  officers  elected  were:  Auditor,  George 
W.  Filloon,  Democrat;  treasurer,  George  W. 
Miller;  assessor,  John  Ostrander;  sheriff,  M.  G. 
Wills;  superintendent  of  schools,  J.  T.  Eshelman, 
Democrat;  surveyor,  E.  C.  Richardson,  Demo- 
crat; sheep  commissioner,  J.  T.  Butler,  Demo- 
crat; county  commissioners,  R.  M.  Graham, 
Republican,  S.  W.  Gardner. 

The  first  Republican  county  convention,  of 
which  there  is  any  newspaper  record,  was  held 
in  Goldendale,  September  9,  1882.  S.  M.  Gil- 
more  presided,  Sig.  Sichell  acted  as  secretary, 
and  Nelson  Brooks  as  assistant  secretary. 
W.  L.  Ames,  F.  P.  Taylor,  R.  O.  Dunbar,  S.  W. 
Gardner,  S.  Witkowski  and  S.  M.  Gilmore  were 
chosen  as  delegates  to  the  territorial  convention. 
The  platform  adopted  concerned  itself  princi- 
pally with  national  issues.  The  Democrats  met 
on  the  30th  of  September.  The  vote  cast  at  the 
election  ensuing  was  as  follows: 

For  delegate,  Thomas  H.  Brents,  Republi- 
can, 570,  Thomas  Burke,  Democrat,  299;  briga- 
dier-general, Samuel  Vinson,  Democrat,  314,  M. 
McPherson,  Republican,  552;  adjutant-general, 
L.  L.  Debeau,  Democrat,  316,  R.  G.  O'Brien, 
Republican,  550;  quartermaster-general,  J.  W. 
Bomer,  Democrat,  317,  J.  H.  Smith,  Republi- 
can, 548 ;  commissary-general,  W.  A.  Wash, 
Democrat,  296,  C.  B.  Hopkins,  Republican,  546; 
joint  councilman,  Clarke,  Skamania  and  Klicki- 
tat, P.  H.  Harper,  Democrat,  330  (elected),  T. 
Moffatt,  Republican,  509;  joint  representative, 
same  counties,  J.  B.  Landrum,  Democrat.  612, 
N.  H.  Bloomfield,  236;  representative,  W.  D. 
Smith,  Democrat,  291,  Nelson  B.  Brooks,  Repub- 
lican, 494,  J.  M.  Marble,  Independent,  60;  pros- 
ecuting attorney.  R.  O  Dunbar,  Republican,  721 
(elected),  D.  P.  Ballard.  113;  sheriff,  E.  B.  Wise, 
Republican,  379,  R.  D.  White,  Democrat,  313, 
August  Schuster,  Independent,  175;  treasurer, 
Sig.  Sichell,  Republican,  383,  J.  T.  Eshelman, 
Democrat,  469;  auditor,  W.  L.  Ames,  Republi- 
can. 250,  G  W.  Filloon,  Democrat,  610;  probate 
judge,  W.  R.  Dunbar,  Republican.  572;  commis- 
sioners, first  district,  J.  T.  Lucas,  Republican, 
445,  M.  Thompson,  Democrat,  407;  third  dis- 
trict, J.  A.  Stout,  Republican,  479,  D.  B.  Gaunt, 
Democrat,  373;  sheep  commisioner,  ].  W.  Jack- 
son, Republican,  513,  J.  T.  Butler, "  Democrat, 
348;  superintendent  of  schools,  Mrs.  Corwin  K. 
Seitz,  Republican,  340,  W.  R.  Neal,  Democrat, 
500;  surveyor,  S.  B.  Stone,  Republican,  498, 
E.  C.  Richardson,  Democrat,  337;  coroner,  S.  H. 


Miller,  Republican,  506,  Dr.  William  Lee,  Dem- 
ocrat, 348. 

In  1884  the  Republicans  held  their  county 
convention  October  16th,  while  the  Democrats 
met  two  days  later.  The  result  in  Klickitat  of 
the  election  ensuing  may  be  seen  from  the  can- 
vass of  votes  given  below : 

For  delegate  to  congress,  J.  M.  Armstrong, 
Republican,  537,  C.  S.  Voorhees,  Democrat,  781; 
brigadier-general,  W.  M.  Peel,  Republican,  812, 
James  McAuliff,  Democrat,  517;  adjutant-gen- 
eral, R.  G.  O'Brien.  Republican,  816,  William  E. 
Anderson,  516;  quartermaster- general,  D.  B. 
Jocksol,  Republican,  813,  Frank  Hons,  Demo- 
crat, 519;  commissary-general,  H.  W.  Living- 
ston, Republican,  800,  Simon  Berg,  Democrat, 
538;  prosecuting  attorney,  Sol  Smith,  Republi- 
can, 464,  Hiram  Dustin,  Democrat,  838;  joint 
councilman,  Robert  M.  Graham,  Republican, 
480,  W.  R.  Neal,  Democrat,  813;  joint  repre- 
sentative, A.  A.  Lindsay,  Republican,  802,  D.  E. 
Russell,  Democrat,  524;  representative,  R.  O. 
Dunbar,  Republican,.  716,  A.  J.  Pitman,  Demo- 
crat; 591;  sheriff,  E.  B.  Wise,  Republican,  771, 
William  Van  Vactor,  Democrat,  542;  auditor, 
R.  W.  Helm,  Republican,  567,  G.  W.  Filloon, 
Democrat,  753;  probate  judge,  W.  R.  Dunbar, 
Republican,  895,  C.  A.  Clausen,  Democrat,  417; 
treasurer,  Sig.  Sichell,  Republican,  510,  J.  T. 
Eshelman,  Democrat,  782;  assessor,  Howard 
Averett,  Republican,  743,  Richard  Chillcott, 
Democrat,  578;  commissioners,  first  district, 
Jacob  Hunsaker,  Republican,  775,  Marcus  Van- 
bibber,  Democrat,  542 ;  second  district,  A.  O. 
Wood,  Republican,  865,  Jarvis  Emigh,  Demo- 
crat, 446;  superintendent  of  schools,  Mrs.  A.  E. 
Rodman,  Republican,  691,  Dudley  Eshelman, 
Democrat,  624;  surveyor,  Jacob  Richardson, 
Republican,  764,  S.  B.  Stone,  Democrat,  214; 
sheep  commissioner,  J.  W.  Jackson,  Republican, 
696,  Thomas  Butler,  Democrat,  638;  coroner, 
August  Schuster,  Republican,  797,  D.  E.  Ver- 
non, Democrat,  505. 

The  official  returns  for  the  election  held 
November  2,  1886,  are  as  given  below: 

For  delegate  to  congress,  Charles  M.  Brad- 
shaw,  Republican,  997,  Charles  S.  Voorhees, 
Democrat,  729,  W.  A.  Newell,  9;  brigadier-gen- 
eral, George  D.  Hill,  Republican,  1,065;  adjutant- 
general,  Ross  G.  O'Brien,  Republican,  1,064; 
quartermaster-general,  D.  G  Lovell,  Republi- 
can, 1,064;  commissary-general,  W.  C.  Ellsworth, 
Republican,  1,065;  prosecuting  attorney,  N.  H. 
Bloomfield,  Republican,  911,  Hiram  Dustin, 
Democrat.  794;  joint  councilman,  R.  T.  Hawley, 
Republican,  1,054,  J.  H.  Alexander,  Democrat, 
683;  representative,  R.  W.  Helm,  Republican, 
1,028,  W.  R.  Neal,  Democrat,  704,  scattering.  2; 
auditor,  Joseph  Nesbitt,  Republican  947,  J.  M. 
Pitman.  "Democrat,  791;  sheriff,  J.  C.  Moffatt, 
Republican,  658.  William  Van  Vactor.  Demo- 
crat, 1,071;  treasurer,  Justin  Scammon,  Republi- 


126 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


can,  871,  J.  T.  Eshelman,  Democrat,  866;  pro- 
bate judge,  W.  R.  Dunbar,  Republican,  1,209, 
W.  D.  Smith,  Democrat,  521;  commissioners, 
second  district,  A.  J.  Spoon,  Republican,  979, 
D.  G.  Van  Nostern,  Democrat,  746 ;  third  dis- 
trict, Charles  Curtis,  Republican,  980,  J.  C. 
Jameson,  Democrat,  762;  school  superintendent, 
Mrs.  A.  E.  Rodman,  Republican,  1,034,  Miss 
Nellie  E.  Lyon,  Democrat,  693;  assessor,  A. 
Howard,  Republican,  995,  J.  T.  Butler,  Demo- 
crat, 731;  surveyor,  Jacob  Richardson,  Republi- 
can, 1,080,  Stone,  Democrat,  n;  coroner,  S.  H. 
Miller,  Republican,  1,044,  Josiah  Beal,  Demo- 
crat, 680. 

Democrats  met  October  6th,  in  1888;  the 
Republican  convention  was  held  September 
29th.  The  official  vote  cast  at  the  election  was  as 
follows: 

Delegate  to  congress,  John  B.  Allen,  Repub- 
lican, 706,  Charles  S.  Voorhees,  Democrat,  365 ; 
brigadier- general,  A.  P.  Curry,  Republican,  695, 
H.  S.  Butler,  Democrat,  391;  adjutant-general, 
R.  G.  O'Brien,  Republican,  695,  J.  F.  Mea, 
Democrat,  391;  prosecuting  attorney,  A".  L. 
Miller,  Republican,  708,  F.  M.  Geoghegan, 
Democrat,  392  ;  joint  councilman,  Charles  Brown, 
Republican,  639,  George  W.  Stapleton,  Demo- 
crat, 394;  representative,  C.  S.  Reinhart,  Repub- 
lican, 591,  A.  J.  Pitman,  Democrat,  503;  auditor, 
Joseph  Nesbitt,  Republican,  750,  W.  J.  Story, 
Democrat,  341;  sheriff,  A.  L.  Anderson,  Repub- 
lican, 520,  William  Van  Vactor,  Democrat,  571 ; 
treasurer,  John  Cummings,  Republican,  577, 
W.  H.  Ward,  Democrat,  524;  probate  judge, 
W.  R.  Dunbar,  Republican,  734,  W.  R.  Laidler, 
Democrat,  363;  county  commissioners,  first  dis- 
trict, G.  W.  French,  Republican,  695,  A.  Bert- 
schid,  Democrat,  402;  third  district,  D.  Jorden, 
Republican,  534,  B.  N.  Snover,  Democrat,  246; 
superintendent  of  schools,  N.  B.  Brooks,  Repub- 
lican, 674,  W.  R.  Neal,  Democrat,  427;  assessor, 
Simon  Bolton,  Republican,  613,  R.  D.  White, 
Democrat,  485;  surveyor,  Jacob  Richardson, 
Republican,  675 ;  coroner,  Dr.  A.  Bonebrake, 
Republican,    739,   W.  H.  Mears,    Democrat,  344. 

The  entrance  of  Washington  into  statehood 
made  necessary  an  extra  election  in  1889.  It 
was  held  October  1st,  and  at  it  Klickitat  cast  the 
following  vote: 

For  representative  in  congress,  John  L.  Wil- 
son, Republican,  689,  T.  C.  Griffits,  Democrat, 
375 ;  governor,  E.  P.  Ferry,  Republican,  686, 
Eugene  Semple,  Democrat,  382  ;  lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, Charles  E.  Laughton,  Republican,  687, 
L.  H.  Plattor,  Democrat,  379;  secretary  of  state, 
Allen  Weir,  Republican,  691,  W.  H.  Whittlesey, 
Democrat,  377;  treasurer,  A.  A.  Lindsley, 
Republican,  690,  M.  Kaufman,  Democrat,  378; 
auditor,  T.  M.  Reed,  Republican,  689.  J.'  M. 
Murphy.  Democrat,  378 ;  attorney-general,  W.  C. 
Jones,  Republican,  690,  H.  J.  Snively.  Demo- 
crat,   377;  superintendent  of  public  instruction, 


R.  B.  Bryan,  Republican,  690,  J.  H.  Morgan, 
Democrat,  378;  commissioner  of  public  lands, 
W.  T.  Forrest,  Republican,  691,  M.  Z.  Goodell, 
Democrat,  377;  justices  supreme  court,  R.  O. 
Dunbar,  T.  C.  Stiles,  T.  J.  Anders,  Elmon  Scott, 
J.  P.  Hoyt,  Republicans,  672,  630,  682,  684  and 
685  votes  respectively,  W.  H.  White,  B.  L. 
Sharpstein,  J.  B.  Reavis,  John  P.  Judson  and 
Frank  Ganahl,  Democrats,  384,  399.  410,  373  and 
361  votes  respectively;  superior  judge,  Carroll  B. 
Graves,  Republican,  632  (elected),  Hiram  Dustin, 
Democrat,  431;  state  senator,  Jacob  Hunsaker, 
Republican,  661,  G.  W.  Stapleton,  Democrat, 
387 ;  state  representatives,  Bruce  F.  Purdy,  Dr. 
H.  Blair,  Republicans,  700  and  600  votes  respec- 
tively, G.  W.  McCredy  and  Peter  Gunn,  Demo- 
crats, 367  and  387  votes  respectively;  county 
clerk,  R.  E.  Jackson,  Republican,  684,  W.  R. 
Laidler,  Democrat,  381;  for  the  adoption  of  the 
constitution,  806,  against  adoption,  217;  for 
woman  suffrage,  483,  against,  530;  for  prohibi- 
tion, 554,  against,  448;  location  state  capital, 
North  Yakima,  757,  Olympia,  124,  Ellensburg, 
102,  Yakima,  21. 

The  next  year  the  Prohibitionists  entered  the 
local  field  of  politics  and  made  an  excellent 
showing  against  the  two  older  parties.  The 
Republicans  held  their  county  convention  Octo- 
ber 4th,  the  Democrats  met  the  same  day;  the 
Prohibitionists  convened  September  20th.  The 
official  canvass  shows  the  following  vote  at  the 
election : 

Congressman,  John  L.  Wilson,  Republican, 
591,  Thomas  Carroll,  Democrat,  387,  Robert 
Abernathy,  Prohibitionist,  92;  state  representa- 
tive, Jacob  Hunsaker,  Republican,  591,  M.  W. 
Wristen,  Democrat,  396,  Carlos  Spalding,  Prohi- 
bitionist, 127;  state  senator,  twelfth  district, 
D.  W.  Pierce,  Republican,  592,  Jacob  Eshelman, 
Democrat,  490;  county  attorney,  W.  B.  Presby, 
Republican,  488,  Hiram  Dustin,  Democrat,  597; 
clerk,  Rollo  E.  Jackson,  Republican,  670,  Peter 
Gunn,  Democratic  and  Prohibitionist  nominee, 
407;  auditor,  Simon  Bolton,  Republican,  617, 
John  W.  Snover,  Democrat,  375,  Newton  Norris, 
Prohibitionist,  98;  sheriff,  Frank  R.  Stimson, 
Republican,  569,  William  Van  Vactor,  Demo- 
cratic and  Prohibitionist  nominee,  517;  treasurer, 
John  Cummings,  Republican,  540,  W.  H.  Ward, 
Democrat,  503,  William  Millican,  Prohibitionist, 
61;  county  commissioners,  first  district,  Halsey 
D.  Cole,  Republican,  525,  P.  Plummer,  Demo- 
crat, 333,  G.  W.  French,  Prohibitionist,  173;  sec- 
ond district,  A.  J.  Spoon,  Republican,  502.  R.  D. 
White,  Democrat,  387,  A.  M.  Wilie,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 148;  third  district,  Daniel  Jorden,  Repub- 
lican, 561,  T.  B.  Stapleton,  Democrat,  370,  S. 
Hornibrook.  Prohibitionist,  112:  superintendent 
of  schools,  N.  B.  Brooks,  Republican,  545,  W.  R. 
Neal,  Democrat,  420,  William  Gilmore,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 98:  assessor,  Thomas  Talbert,  Republi- 
can,   4S0,    W.    H.    Hale,    Democrat,    48T,    H.   C. 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


Clark,  Prohibitionist,  112;  surveyor,  Jacob  Rich- 
ardson, Republican,  772,  J.  H.  Hill,  Prohibition- 
ist, 199;  coroner,  Carl  D.  Wilcox,  Republican, 
687,  O.  J.  Glover,  Prohibitionist,  241 ;  location 
state  capital,  North  Yakima,  626,  Olympia  and 
Ellensburg,  109  votes  each. 

In  1892  the  People's  party  was  organized  in 
Klickitat  county,  at  a  meeting  held  at  Golden- 
dale  April  8th.  Later  a  fusion  was  effected 
between  the  People's  party  and  the  Democrats  in 
a  convention  held  September  10th.  The  Repub- 
licans held  their  county  convention  July  30th. 
As  this  campaign  was  the  first  national  campaign 
Washington  had  taken  part  in  as  a  state,  the 
greater  struggle  largely  influenced  local  elec- 
tions. A  summary  of  Klickitat's  vote  is  herewith 
presented: 

For  presidential  electors,  Republican,  614 
votes,  People's  party,  367,  Democratic,  281,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 52;  congressmen,  John  L.  Wilson, 
W.  H.  Doolittle,  Republicans,  589  and  586  votes 
respectively,  Van  Patten,  M.  F.  Knox,  People's 
party,  404  and  396  votes  respectively,  J.  A. 
Munday,  Thomas  Carroll,  Democrats,  248  and 
245  votes  respectively,  C.  E.  Newberry,  A.  C. 
Dickinson,  Prohibitionists,  49  and  50  votes 
respectively;  governor,  John  McGraw,  Republi- 
can, 557,  C.  W.  Young,  People's  party,  411, 
Henry  J.  Snively,  Democrat,  264,  R.  S.  Greene, 
Prohibitionist,  72;  lieutenant-governor,  F.  H. 
Luce,  Republican,  573,  C.  P.  Twiss,  People's 
party,  406,  H.  C.  Willison,  Democrat,  252,  D.  G. 
Strong,  Prohibitionist,  62;  secretary  of  state, 
J.  H.  Price,  Republican,  584,  Lyman  Wood, 
People's  party,  412,  J.  McReavy,  Democrat,  241, 
W.  H.  Gilstrop,  Prohibitionist,  54;  treasurer, 
O.  A.  Bowen,  Republican,  583,  W.  C.  P.  Adams, 
People's  party,  420,  H.  Clothier,  Democrat,  237, 
G.  W.  Stewart,  Prohibitionist,  53;  auditor,  L.  R. 
Grimes,  Republican,  584,  C.  C.  Rodolf,  People's 
party,  410,  Samuel  Bass,  Democrat,  235,  C.  Carl- 
son, Prohibitionist,  53;  attorney-general,  W.  C. 
Jones,  Republican,  580,  G.  Teats,  People's  party, 
408,  R.  W.  Starr,  Democrat,  238,  E.  Smith,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 54;  superintendent  public  instruction, 
C.  W.  Bean,  Republican,  578,  J.  M.  Smith,  Peo- 
ple's party,  413,  J.  H.  Morgan,  Democrat,  236, 
W.  M.  Heiney,  Prohibitionist,  25;  commissioner 
public  lands,  W.  T.  Forrest,  Republican,  502, 
T.  M.  Callaway,  People's  party,  431,  F.  S.  Lewis, 
Democrat,  226,  R.  M.  Gibson,  Prohibitionist,  51; 
state  printer,  O.  C.  White,  Republican,  567,  A.  J. 
Murphy,  People's  party,  457,  J.  A.  Borden,  Dem- 
ocrat, 215,  W.  H.  Boothroyd,  Prohibitionist,  48; 
supreme  judges,  Elmon  Scott,  T.  J.  Anders, 
Republicans,  582  and  588  votes  respectively, 
G.  W.  Gardiner,  F.  T.  Reid,  People's  party,  392 
and  402  votes  respectively,  E.  K.  Hanna,  W.  H. 
Brinker,  Democrats,  258  and  242  votes  respect- 
ively; superior  judge,  Solomon  Smith,  Republi- 
can, 592,  Hiram  Dustin,  Democrat,  541;  state 
representative,    D.  W.   Pierce,    Republican,    623, 


A.  H.  Jewett,  Fusionist,  5S2;  county  attorney, 
W.  B.  Presby,  Republican,  599;  clerk,  G.  F. 
McKinney,  Republican,  634,  D.  E.  Brooks, 
Fusionist,  631;  auditor,  S.  Bolton,  Republican, 
669,  John  Demsey,  Fusionist,  633;  sheriff,  D.  C. 
Macy,  Republican,  638,  D.  W.  Collins,  Fusionist, 
647  (contested  and  decision  rendered  in  favor  of 
Macy) ;  commissioners,  first  district,  H.  D.  Cole, 
Republican,  600,  H.  M.  Trenner,  Fusionist,  665 ; 
second  district,  I.  B.  Courtney,  Republican,  597, 
J.  J.  Callaway,  Fusionist,  645;  third  district, 
McD.  Pierce,  Republican,  625,  E.  E.  Hinshaw, 
Fusionist,  634  (contested  and  decision  given  in 
favor  of  Pierce) ;  treasurer,  John  Konig,  Repub- 
lican, 634,  C.  E.  Morris,  Fusionist,  645 ;  assessor, 
J.  T.  Lucas,  Republican,  607,  John  Smith, 
"Fusionist,  679;  superintendent  of  schools,  C.  M. 
Ryman,  Republican,  681,  Mrs.  S.  S.  Long, 
Fusionist,  574;  surveyor,  Jacob  Richardson, 
Republican,  684,  E.  C.  Richardson,  Fusionist, 
589;  coroner;  C.  D.  Wilcox,  Republican,  624, 
H.  D.  Young,  635. 

During  the  succeeding  two  years  the  fusion 
movement  made  such  slow  progress  that  in  1894 
the  People's  and  the  Democratic  parties  discon- 
tinued their  alliance.  One  of  the  most  interest- 
ing features  of  the  '94  election  was  the  bonding 
question.  The  Republicans  favored  the  refund- 
ing of  the  county's  indebtedness;  the  adherents 
of  the  People's  party  element  strongly  opposed 
such  action.  When  the  votes  were  counted  it 
was  found  that  bonding  had  carried  by  a  vote  of 
496  to  353.  The  Republicans  met  in  convention* 
September  8th.  A  week  later  the  People's  or 
Populist  party  held  its  convention,  at  which  a 
platform  was  adopted  containing  this  plank: 
"We  condemn  in  unmeasured  terms  the  incom- 
petent and  dishonest  superior  court  of  Klickitat 
county  which  has  made  a  travesty  on  justice  in 
blocking  the  wheels  of  economy  and  crushing  the 
will  of  the  people  as  expressed  through  the  ballot. 
We  pledge  our  candidates,  if  elected,  to  require 
no  deputies  at  the  county's  expense  so  long  as  the 
salaries  remain  at  their  present  standard; 
although  this  shall  not  be  considered  to  refer  to 
the  necessary  incidental  expenses  of  the  sheriff's 
office."  The  vote  cast  at  the  election  is  given 
below: 

For  congressmen,  W.  H.  Doolittle,  S.  C. 
Hyde,  Republicans,  746  and  719  votes  respect- 
ively, B.  F.  Heuston,  N.  T.  Caton,  Democrats, 
299  and  272  votes  respectively,  J.  C.  Van  Patten, 
W.  P.  C.  Adams,  Populists,  238  and  221  votes 
respectively;  justices  supreme  court,  R.  O.  Dun- 
bar, N.  J.  Gordon.  Republicans,  758  and  68S  votes 
respectively,  B.  L.  Sharpstein,  W.  T.  Forrest, 
Democrats,  282  and  230  votes  respectively, 
Thomas  N.  Allen,  J.  M.  Ready,  Populists,  302 
and  213  votes  respectively;  state  senator,  twelfth 
district,  D.  E.  Lesh,  Republican,  753,  G.  Taplor, 
Democrat,  432;  representatives,  L.  W.  Curtis, 
Republican,    723,    W.  R.    Neil,    Democrat,    331, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


S.  T.  Shell,  Populist,  261;  sheriff,  F.  B.  Stimson, 
Republican,  841,  I.  H.  Ely,  Democrat,  240; 
treasurer,  A.  ■  C.  Chapman,  Republican,  611, 
W.  H.Ward,  Democrat,  516,  D.  F.  Hartley,  Pop- 
ulist, 196:  auditor,  H.  C.  Phillips,  Republican, 
696,  William  Van  Vactor,  Democrat,  401,  S.  H. 
Mason,  Populist,  221;  clerk,  G.  F.  McKinney, 
Republican,  731,  G.  Hause,  Democrat,  343,  T.  D. 
Adams,  Populist,  232;  county  attorney,  C.  H. 
Spalding,  Republican,  687,  G.  W.  Maddock, 
Democrat,  484;  assessor,  J.  E.  Beeks,  Republi- 
can, 591,  J.  K.  Jarratt,  Democrat,  510,  A.  Wil- 
lard,  Populist,  208;  commissioners,  second  dis- 
trict, A.  O.  Woods,  Republican,  203,  C.  Wherry, 
Democrat,  113,  A.  J.  Long,  85;  third  district, 
Joseph  Nesbitt,  Republican,  302,  J.  M.  Hess, 
Democrat,  197;  superintendent  of  schools,  C.  M. 
Ryman,  Republican,  698,  C.  S.  Baker,  Demo- 
crat, 339,  Mrs.  M,  Reynolds,  Populist,  265 ;  sur- 
veyor, W.  Jones,  Republican,  735,  C.  Schutz, 
Democrat,  330,  E.  Y.  Stone,  Populist,  206;  coro- 
ner, J.  P.  Nelson,  Republican,  766,  C.  A.  Schro- 
der, Democrat,  221,  H.  D.  Young,  Populist,  294. 

The  campaign  of  1896  was  fully  as  exciting  in 
Klickitat  county  as  elsewhere  in  the  state.  The 
silver  issue  predominated,  concentrating  all 
believers  in  free  silver,  irrespective  of  former 
party  affiliations,  into  a  fusion  organization. 
This  organization  held  its  county  convention 
Saturday,  September  5th,  and  nominated  a 
strong  ticket  upon  a  platform  closely  following 
that  adopted  by  the  Chicago  convention.  The 
•Republicans  held  their  county  convention  August 
22d.  A  feature  of  local  interest  in  their  platform 
was  a  plank  demanding  a  close  quarantine  of  all 
sheep  coming  into  the  county  in  order  that  the 
spread  of  disease  might  be  prevented.  A  sum- 
mary of  the  county's  vote  at  the  election  follows: 

For  presidential  electors,  Republican,  878, 
Fusionist,  664,  Gold  Democratic,  44,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 14;  congressmen,  Samuel  C.  Hyde,  W.  H. 
Doolittle,  Republicans,  871  and  870  votes  respect- 
ively, James  Hamilton  Lewis,  W.  C.  Jones, 
Fusionist,  669  and  665  votes  respectively,  C.  A. 
Salyer,  Martin  Olsen,  Prohibitionists,  10:  gov- 
ernor, P.  C.  Sullivan,  Republican,  864,  John  R. 
Rogers,  Fusionist,  678,  R.  E.  Dunlap,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 8;  lieutenant-governor,  John  W.  Arras- 
mith,  Republican,  869,  Thurston  Daniels,  Fusion- 
ist, 670,  T.  A.  Shorthill,  Prohibitionist,  13;  secre- 
tary of  state,  J.  H.  Price,  Republican,  867,  W.  D. 
Jenkins,  Fusionist,  678,  C.  L.  Haggard,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 11 ;  state  treasurer,  J.  A.  Kellogg,  Repub- 
lican, 867,  C.  W.  Young,  Fusionist,  673,  John 
Robins,  Prohibitionist,  12;  state  auditor,  J.  E. 
Frost,  Republican,  869,  N.  Cheetham,  Fusionist, 
572,  C.  C.  Gridley,  Prohibitionist,  12;  attorney- 
general,  E.  W.  Ross,  Republican,  866,  P.  H. 
Winston,  Fusionist,  674,  Everett  Smith,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 11 ;  supreme  judge,  John  P.  Hoyt,  Repub- 
lican, 871,  James  B.  Reavis,  Fusionist,  667, 
E.   N.   Livermore,    Prohibitionist,    14;    commis- 


sioner of  public  lands,  W.  T.  Forrest,  Republi- 
can, 867,  Robert  Bridges,  Fusionist,  670,  A.  E. 
Flagg,  Prohibitionist,  16;  superintendent  of 
public  instruction,  E.  L.  Brunton,  Republican, 
870,  F.  J.  Brown,  Fusionist,  668,  C.  E.  New- 
berry, Prohibitionist,  12;  state  printer,  O.  C. 
White,  Republican,  870,  Gwin  Hicks,  Fusionist, 
660,  H.  L.  Bull,  Prohibitionist,  16;  state  repre- 
sentative, George  H.  Baker,  Republican,  892, 
C.  E.  Rusk,  Fusionist,  670;  superior  judge,  A.  L. 
Miller,  Republican,  899,  J.  N.  Pearcy,  Fusionist, 
654;  sheriff,  Frank  B.  Stimson,  Republican,  938, 
A.  B.  Courtway,  Fusionist,  627;  clerk,  H.  C. 
Jackson,  Republican,  897,  R.  E.  Jackson,  Fusion- 
ist, 670;  auditor,  Hugh  C.  Phillips,  Republican, 
876,  J.  E.  Chappell,  Fusionist,  692;  treasurer, 
A.  C.  Chapman,  Republican,  973,  D.  E.  Brooks, 
Fusionist,  585 ;  county  attorney,  C.  H.  Spalding, 
Republican,  815,  N.  B.  Brooks,  Fusionist,  740; 
assessor.  J.  W.  Butler,  Republican  854,  W.  H. 
Ward,  Fusionist,  708;  superintendent  of  schools, 
C.  L.  Colburn,  Republican,  874,  W.  R.  Neal, 
Fusionist,  634;  surveyor,  Jacob  Richardson, 
Republican,  915,  A.  W.  Mohr,  Fusionist,  634; 
coroner,  Peter  Nelson,  Republican,  911,  S.  H. 
Miller,  Fusionist,  643;  commissioners,  first  dis- 
trict, J.  R.  Rankin,  Republican,  880.  Jacob 
Hunsaker,  Fusionist,  673;  second  district,  J. 
Copenhefer,  Republican,  887,  J.  N.  Chamberlain, 
Fusionist,  667;  third  district,  Joseph  Nesbitt, 
Republican,  867,  Peter  Gunn,  Fusionist,  684. 

Again  in  1898  national  questions  predomi- 
nated in  the  county  election.  The  Republican 
county  convention  was  held  September  17th;  the 
Silverites  and  Anti-Expansionists,  forming  the 
Fusion  party,  met  October  8th.  That  Klickitat 
still  remained  in  the  Republican  ranks  may  be 
seen  from  the  vote  cast: 

For  congressmen,  Wesley  L.  Jones,  F.  W. 
Cushman,  Republicans,  824  and  800  votes  respect- 
ively, James  H.  Lewis,  William  C.  Jones,  Fusion- 
ists,  396  and  371  votes  respectively;  supreme 
judges,  Mark  W.  Fullerton,  Thomas  J.  Anders, 
Republicans.  828  and  842  votes  respectively, 
Benjamin  F.  Heuston,  Melvin  M.  Goodman, 
Fusionists,  378  and  371  votes  respectively;  joint 
state  senator,  twelfth  district,  George  H.  Baker, 
Republican,  826,  Nelson  B.  Brooks,  Fusionist, 
435;  representative.  L.W.Curtis,  Republican, 
801,  Newton  Norris,  Fusionist,  466;  auditor, 
James  W  Butler,  Republican,  961,  no  opposition; 
sheriff.  William  C.  Burgen,  Republican,  817, 
O.  H.  Rich,  Fusionist,  440;  clerk,  H.  C.  Jackson, 
Republican,  887,  William  Olson,  Fusionist,  372; 
treasurer,  A.  J.  Ahola,  Republican,  768,  W.  H. 
Ward,  Fusionist,  492;  attorney,  William  T. 
Darch,  Republican,  681,  Hiram  Dustin.  Fusion- 
ist, 565;  assessor,  J.  R.  Rankin,  Republican,  738, 
Elmer  Hinshaw.  Fusionist,  512;  commissioners, 
first  district.  William  Coate,  Republican,  838, 
Albert  Bertschi,  Fusionist,  390;  second  district, 
A.    E.    Coley,     Republican,    8 10,    R.    D.    White, 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


Fusionist,  428;  superintendent  of  schools,  C.  L. 
Colburn,  Republican,  907,  Mary  J.  Reynolds, 
Fusionist,  339;  surveyor,  Jacob  Richardson, 
Republican,  976,  no  opposition;  coroner,  William 
Hart,  Republican,  840,  G.  W.  Stackhouse, 
Fusionist,  391.     A  small  Prohibition  vote  was  cast. 

With  the  campaign  of  1898  the  Fusion  party 
passed  away,  leaving  again  but  two  important 
political  parties  in  the  field.  Klickitat  still  con- 
tinued to  roll  up  its  usual  large  Republican 
majority.  The  Republican  convention  was  held 
August  nth;  the  Democrats  met  September 
1 6th.  The  official  vote  cast  November  6,  1900, 
is  herewith  given,  excepting  that  on  minor  state 
officers: 

For  presidential  electors,  Republican,  900, 
Democratic,  495,  Prohibitionist,  50;  congress- 
men, F.  W.  Cushman,  Wesley  L.  Jones,  Repub- 
licans, 893  and  898  votes  respectively,  F.  C.  Rob- 
ertson, J.  T.  Ronald,  Democrats,  492  and  486 
votes  respectively;  governor,  J.  M.  Frink, 
Republican,  850,  J.  R.  Rogers,  Democrat,  544; 
superior  judge,  A.  L.  Miller,  Republican,  1,009, 
James  A.  Munday,  Democrat,  425;  state  repre- 
sentative, Joseph  Nesbitt,  Republican,  900,  I.  C. 
Darland,  Democrat,  596;  commissioners,  William 
McEwen,  Republican,  831,  Elmer  Hinshaw, 
Democrat,  626;  third  district,  A.  J.  Spoon, 
Republican,  865,  L.  Coleman,  Democrat,  575; 
sheriff,  W.  C.  Burgen,  Republican,  981,  John  A. 
Niemeia,  Democrat,  558;  clerk,  A.  E.  Coley, 
Republican,  773,  John  H.  Smith,  Democrat,  694; 
auditor,  J.  W.  Butler,  Republican,  977,  John  H. 
Bratton,  Democrat,  473;  treasurer,  A.  J.  Ahola, 
Republican,  966,  Thomas  Turner,  Democrat,  491 ; 
attorney,  William  T.  Darch,  Republican,  804, 
Hiram  Dustin,  Democrat,  634;  assessor,  J.  R. 
Rankin,  Republican,  S29,  William  Cahill,  Dem- 
ocrat, 620;  superintendent  of  schools,  C.  M. 
Ryman,  Republican,  991;  surveyor,  Arthur 
Richardson,  Republican,  895,  A.  R.  Collins, 
Democrat,  544  (Richardson  did  not  qualify,  W.  F. 
Byars  was  appointed  to  the  office  "and  served  a 
full  term) ;  coroner,  William  Hart,  Republican, 
889,  Charles  L.  Pierce,  Democrat,  554. 


The  campaign  of  1902  is  of  too  recent  a  date  to 
require  a  discussion  of  the  issues  involved.  The 
Democrats  secured  two  important  offices,  how- 
ever, notwithstanding  the  overwhelming  Repub- 
lican majority  in  control  of  the  county,  William 
VanVactor  and  John  H.  Smith  being  elected  by 
small  majorities.     The  official  returns  follow: 

For  representatives  in  congress,  Wesley  L. 
Jones,  Francis  W.  Cushman,  William  E.  Hum- 
phrey, Republicans,  925,  902  and  905  votes 
respectively,  George  F.  Cotterill,  O.  R.  Hol- 
comb,  Frank  B.  Cole,  Democrats,  386,  378  and 
387  votes  respectively,  A.  H.  Sherwood,  W.  J. 
McKean,  O.  L.  Fowler,  Prohibitionists,  17,  18 
and  17  votes  respectively,  J.  H.  C.  Scurlock,  D. 
Burgess,  George  W.  Scott,  Socialists,  30  votes 
each,  Jense  C.  Martin,  William  McCormick, 
Hans  P.  Jorgensen,  Socialist-Laborites,  13,  13  and 
12  votes  respectively;  justices  supreme  court, 
Hiram  E.  Hadley,  Republican,  913,  James  Brad- 
ley Reavis,  Democrat,  394,  Thomas  Neill,  Social- 
ist, 30,  William  J.  Hoag,  Socialist-Laborite,  9; 
state  senator,  sixteenth  district,  George  H. 
Baker,  Republican,  938,  C.  J.  Moore,  Democrat, 
410;  state  representative,  William  Coate,  Repub- 
lican, 853,  Hiram  Dustin,  Democrat,  494;  treas- 
urer, T.  B.  Montgomery,  Republican,  1,001,  no 
opposition;  auditor,  Ivan  M.  Macy,  Republican, 
608,  John  H.  Smith,  Democrat,  758;  sheriff, 
William  McEwen,  Republican,  671,  William  Van 
Vactor,  Democrat,  697;  assessor,  Charles  F. 
Kayser,  Republican,  889,  William  Niva,  Demo- 
crat, 463;  clerk,  Amos  E.  Coley,  Republican, 
993,  no  opposition;  school  superintendent,  Emma 
C.  Clanton,  Republican,  858,  C.  E.  Rusk,  Demo- 
crat, 493;  surveyor,  A.  L.  Richardson,  Republi- 
can, 885,  A.  W.  Mohr,  Democrat,  461;  prosecut- 
ing attorney,  E.  C.  Ward,  Republican,  794,  J.  W. 
Snover,  Democrat,  564;  coroner,  Frank  Sanders, 
Republican,  904,  S.  H.  Miller,  Democrat,  429; 
commissioner,  first  district,  B.  C.  Dymond,  Re- 
publican, 911,  Thomas  Lantry,  Democrat,  418; 
commissioner,  second  district,  W.  E.  Horni- 
brook,  Republican,  865,  T.  B.  Stapleton,  Demo- 
crat, 484. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


GOLDENDALE. 

It  is  interesting  in  tracing  the  history  of 
towns  to  observe  the  different  elements  directly 
responsible  for  their  origin,  growth  and  develop- 
ment. Some  are  favored  with  special  natural 
advantages  of  harbor  or  waterway;  some  have 
been  fostered  by  railroads  and  corporations; 
some  have  suddenly  sprung  up  mushroom-like 
because  of  a  great  mining  or  other  excitement; 
a  few,  like  the  city  of  Goldendale,  lack  the  stim- 
ulus of  all  such  advantages  and  owe  their  exist- 
ence entirely  to  the  presence  of  a  good  tributary 
country  and  the  energy  and  labor  of  a  group  of 
enterprising  citizens.  Goldendale  until  a  year 
ago  had  no  closer  railroad  communication  than 
Grant's  Station,  on  the  O.  R.  &  N.,  twelve  miles 
away,  while  the  nearest  point  on  the  Columbia 
from  which  there  was  unobstructed  navigation  to 
Portland  was  at  The  Dalles,  thirty-two  miles 
distant. 

But,  although  deprived  of  the  conveniences 
of  modern  rapid  transportation,  the  town  was  not 
without  many  natural  advantages.  It  is  located 
on  an  almost  perfectly  level  tract  of  land  sur- 
rounded by  one  of  the  richest  farming  sections 
in  the  state,  a  valley  about  thirty  miles  long  and 
ten  wide  and  easily  capable  of  giving  support  to 
twenty  thousand  inhabitants.  It  comprises  the 
great  wheat-growing  area  of  western  Klickitat. 
The  hills  to  the  northward,  whose  bases  reach 
almost  to  the  town,  furnish  not  only  an  abun- 
dance of  pine  timber,  but  also  an  excellent  sum- 
mer range  for  stock;  furthermore,  they  have 
proven  capable,  when  cleared,  of  timber,  of  pro- 
ducing in  abundance  all  the  hardier  varieties  of 
fruit.  The  city  is  afforded  thorough  drainage 
through  a  large  stream  of  water  that  flows  along 
its  lower  side,  carrying  off  all  seepage.  This 
stream  will  also  furnish  an  abundance  of  water- 
power  for  an  electric  plant  whenever  the  capital 
is  forthcoming  to  harness  it.  In  the  matter  of  a 
city  water  supply,  Goldendale  is  also  specially 
favored,  as  there  will  always  be  plenty  of  pure 
water  within  easy  reach,  no  matter  how  large  the 
town  of  the  future  may  be.  On  account  of  the 
pure  water  and  good  drainage,  typhoid  and 
malarial  fever  are  almost  unknown,  and  the 
city  has  a  very  enviable  reputation  for  health- 
fulness. 


The  site  of  the  present  city  of  Goldendale 
was  first  settled  by  Mortimer  Thorp  in  the  later 
fifties.  Mr.  Thorp  built  a  house  and  fenced  in 
a  tract  of  land  close  to  where  the  Methodist 
church  now  stands.  He  was  a  stockman,  how- 
ever, and  gave  more  thought  to  finding  a  favora- 
ble place  for  cattle-raising  than  to  the  possibili- 
ties of  his  location  as  a  town  site.  Later  he 
packed  his  possessions  and  moved  over  into  the 
Yakima  valley  without  ever  having  acquired  title 
to  the  land.  After  Mr.  Thorp  abandoned  the 
claim,  it  came  into  the  hands  of  L.  J.  Kimber- 
land,  who  sold  out,  September  5,  1871,  to  John  J. 
Golden.  It  was  Mr.  Golden's  plan  when  he 
bought  the  property  to  lay  it  out  as  a  town  site 
and  give  to  the  rich  Klickitat  valley  a  suitable 
trade  center  and  supply  point.  Accordingly,  he 
sent  the  next  spring  to  The  Dalles  for  a  surveyor 
(he  was  unable  to  procure  one  here),  and  had 
the  town  site  platted.  The  original  Goldendale 
was  located  along  Klickitat  creek  on  the  flat 
where  the  steam  laundry  and  planer  now  stand. 
Most  of  the  business  portion  of  the  present  town 
lies  in  Golden's  first  and  second  additions  and  in 
the  Chatfield  addition. 

The  first  move  on  the  part  of  the  founder  of 
the  new  town  was  toward  the  establishment  of  a 
church  within  its  borders.  In  the  fall  of  1871  a 
large  and  successful  camp-meeting  was  held,  as 
the  result  of  which  a  Methodist  church  was  ' 
organized  in  the  settlement.  Mr.  Golden 
donated  to  it  twelve  lots  as  a  building  site,  and 
four  more  were  given  to  the  minister. 

A  short  time  afterward  Rev.  J.  H.  B.  Royal, 
with  the  co-operation  of  the  people  of  the  settle- 
ment, built  a  parsonage.  When  the  new  build- 
ing was  completed  the  subject  of  naming  the 
town  was  broached  to  a  party  of  settlers,  and  the 
minister,  noticing  the  numerous  willows  that 
grew  in  the  flat  along  the  bank  of  the  creek,  pro- 
posed Willowdale,  but  a  suggestion  that  it  be 
named  Goldendale,  after  its  founder  met  with 
general  approval,  and  the  town  was  named 
accordingly. 

Mr.  Golden  offered  to  donate  eight  lots  to  the 
man  building  the  first  store  in  Goldendale.  In 
the  fall  of  1872  Thomas  Johnson  accepted  the 
proposition  and  erected  a  building,  the  front  part 
of  which  he  used  as  a  store,  the  rear  as  a  dwell- 
ing.    In  1874  he  erected  a  separate  building  for 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


131 


store  purposes,  and  by  the  end  of  that  year  the 
new  city  contained  seven  houses. 

In  drawing  up  the  plat  of  the  town,  the  sur- 
veyor numbered  the  lots  in  the  same  order  that 
is  always  followed  in  numbering  the  sections  in 
a  township,  but  a  mistake  was  made  in  recording 
the  plat,  the  reverse  order  being  followed.  The 
deeds,  however,  were  made  out  according  to  the 
surveyor's  plat,  which  Mr.  Golden  had  in  his 
possession.  This  caused  considerable  confusion, 
as  all  the  first  deeds  had  to  be  changed  to  corre- 
spond to  the  recorded  plat.  The  lots  in  the  first 
addition  to  Goldendale  were  numbered  in  a  simi- 
lar manner,  but  the  second  was  platted  according 
to  the  usual  custom. 

When  John  J.  Golden  bought  the  town  site, 
L.  J.  Kimberland  was  postmaster  and  the  post- 
office  passed  to  the  purchaser  along  with  the 
property.  It  appears  to  have  been  discontinued 
for  a  time  afterward,  but  Goldendale  was  again 
granted  a  daily  mail  in  1873.  Altogether  there 
were  not  more  than  a  "hatful  of  letters"  to  come 
or  go  at  any  one  time,  and  no  papers  then  had  a 
circulation  in  the  community.  We  are  informed 
that  the  postmaster  was  able  to  carry  the  entire 
mail  for  the  community  in  his  saddle-bags. 

Up  to  1878  the  growth  of  the  town  of  Golden- 
dale was  exceedingly  slow,  only  one  store,  that 
of  Willis  Jenkins,  having  come  in  to  compete 
with  the  pioneer  establishment,  but  that  fall 
occurred  an  event  which  gave  a  new  impetus  to 
the  growth  of  the  town.  In  1872  the  question 
of  locating  the  county  seat  was  referred  to  a  pop- 
ular vote.  The  two  places  then  desiring  the 
honor  were  Goldendale  in  the  valley  and  Rock- 
land on  the  Columbia,  across  from  The  Dalles. 
Although  it  seemed  evident  that  Goldendale  would 
be  the  point  chosen,  as  most  of  the  settlers  were 
in  the  valley,  Rockland  managed  to  urge  its 
claims  so  strongly  that  a  majority  of  the  people 
cast  their  ballots  in  favor  of  that  place.  John  J. 
Golden,  to  whom  the  city  of  Goldendale  has 
always  been  as  a  favorite  child,  was  not  discour- 
aged because  of  this  defeat,  but  set  to  work  with 
renewed  vigor  to  advance  the  interests  of  the 
prospective  city.  Soon  he  and  his  coadjutors  had 
caused  Goldendale  to  become  the  center  from 
which  well-traveled  county  roads  radiated  in  all 
directions.  In  1877  stage  connections  were  estab- 
lished with  the  Dalles,  and  shortly  afterward  the 
line  was  extended  to  Yakima  and  Ellensburg.  It 
was  only  after  a  long,  severe  struggle  that  Mr. 
Golden  and  the  other  friends  of  the  town  were 
able  to  bring  again  to  an  issue  the  question  of  the 
location  of  the  county  seat,  as  the  cattlemen  were 
from  the  first  opposed  to  Goldendale  and  their 
influence  was  strong  not  only  in  the  county,  but 
also  in  the  territorial  legislature.  Pressure  was 
brought  to  bear  by  their  representatives  to  pre- 
vent the  question  from  being  again  referred  to 
the  voters  of  the  county,  but  finally,  in  1878, 
Nelson  Whitney  succeeded  in  having  a  bill  passed 


providing  that  a  three-fifths  majority  of  the  elec- 
tors of  the  county  should  decide  the  matter.  At 
the  general  election  held  in  the  fall  of  1878,  the 
question  was  given  to  the  people  for  final  settle- 
ment, and  nearly  five-sixths  of  the  votes  cast 
were  for  Goldendale. 

The  following  year  the  county  property  was 
removed  in  accordance  with  the  will  of  the  peo- 
ple as  expressed  by  their  suffrages,  and  Golden- 
dale has  ever  since  remained  the  county  seat. 
At  that  time  there  was  no  courthouse  in  Klickitat, 
and  as  the  business  of  the  county  had  assumed 
sufficient  proportions  to  necessitate  a  building, 
the  people  in  Goldendale  and  vicinity  took  the 
matter  in  hand  and  built  by  private  subscription 
a  substantial  wooden  structure  which  they  gave 
to  the  county  free  of  cost  to  the  taxpayers. 

With  the  year  1S78  a  period  of  growth  and 
prosperity  for  Goldendale  began.  By  the  follow- 
ing year  the  town  had  sufficient  population  to 
entitle  it  under  the  existing  laws  to  corporate 
powers,  and  an  act  was  passed  by  the  territorial 
legislature  and  approved  November  14,  1879, 
incorporating  Goldendale  with  the  following 
described  territory:  "That  portion  of  land 
known  and  designated  upon  the  surveys  of  the 
United  States  in  the  Territory  of  Washington,  as 
the  south  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
sixteen,  and  the  south  half  of  the  southeast  quar- 
ter of  section  seventeen,  and  the  northeast 
quarter  of  section  twenty,  and  the  northwest 
quarter  of  section  twenty-one,  township  four 
north,  range  sixteen  east  of  the  Willamette 
meridian." 

The  following  temporary  officers  were  ap- 
pointed to  serve  until  the  first  election,  to  take 
place  the  first  Monday  in  April,  1880:  Mayor, 
Thomas  Johnson:  recorder,  and  ex-officio  city 
assessor  and  clerk,  W.  F.  Ames;  councilmen, 
Homer  Sears,  John  J.  Golden,  W.  B.  Chatfield, 
Justin  Scammon  and  D.  B.  Gaunt.  By  1880  the 
following  business  houses  had  been  established 
in  the  city  of  Goldendale :  General  merchandise, 
Lowengart  &  Sichel,  S.  Lowenberg  &  Company; 
flouring  mills,  Klickitat  Flouring  Mills.  D.  Scam- 
mon, proprietor,  Goldendale  Flouring  Mills,  Nes- 
bitt,  Jones  &  Company,  proprietors;  planing 
mills,  Klickitat  Planing  Company,  Mitchell  & 
Helm,  proprietors,  Thomas  Johnson;  hardware, 
J.  H.  McCulloch,  Graff  &  Filloon;  furniture, 
Adolph  Plahte ;  drug  stores,  City  Drug  and  Book 
Store,  W.  L.  Ames  &  Company,  proprietors,  City 
Drug  Store,  Savior  &  Company,  proprietors;  gro- 
cery, William  Barnett;  harness  shop,  California, 
M.  T.  Shannon,  proprietor:  blacksmith  shops, 
S.  W.  Gardiner  &  Son,  A.  C.  Hall,  J.  C.  Marble 
and  Philip  S.  Caldwell;  jewelry  stores,  L.  B. 
Royal,  Victor  Gobat;  hotels,  Occidental,  T.  E. 
Caley,  proprietor,  Palace,  W.  H.  Chappell,  M.  V. 
Harper  and  Joseph  Verden ;  barber  shop,  Charles 
Gibbons,  proprietor;  job  printing,  John  T.  Har- 
sell,    The  Sentinel,   C.  K.  and  K.  A.  Seitz,   pro- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


prietors;  livery  stables,  Thomas  Johnson,  Miller 
&  Gaunt;  millinery,  Mrs.  J.  Ingersoll;  contract- 
ors, Robert  Jones,  Tomlinson  &  Mowlds,  C.  M. 
Phillips;  real  estate,  John  J.  Golden,  John  R. 
Chatfield,  M.  V.  Harper;  attorneys-at-law,  Dus- 
tin  &  Lamdrum,  Dunbar  &  Reavis;  physicians, 
W.  T.  McCauley,  Dr.  Houghton,  N.  Henton, 
D.  P.  Hewitt,  G.  Hill  and  P.  Laurendeau;  post- 
master, Justin  Scammon. 

There  was  by  this  time  a  daily  stage  line  to 
The  Dalles,  and  three  times  weekly  a  stage  made 
the  trip  to  Ellensburg  and  Yakima.  Four 
churches  had  organizations  in  the  town — the 
Baptist,  Christian,  Methodist  and  Presbyterian. 
There  was  also  a  private  academy  with  an  attend- 
ance of  one  hundred  and  sixty  students,  presided 
over  by  Captain  W.  A.  Wash.  The  mail  service 
had  been  increased  to  a  tri-weekly,  and  a  weekly 
newspaper,  the  Klickitat  Sentinel,  C.  K.  Seitz, 
editor,  had  been  established. 

The  growth  of  the  town  was  continuous  and 
uninterrupted  until  the  year  t888,  when,  on  May 
13th,  a  destructive  fire  swept  almost  the  entire 
business  portion  of  the  city  out  of  existence. 
After  the  fire  there  remained  only  E.  W.  Pike's 
livery  barn  and  Philip  Caldwell's  blacksmith 
shop. 

The  fire  broke  out  in  James  Dickson's  liv- 
ery stable  about  two  o'clock  Sunday  afternoon 
while  many  of  the  citizens  were  out  of  town. 
Mr.  Dickson,  who  was  in  the  office  of  the 
stable,  being  alarmed  by  a  roaring  noise,  went 
to  investigate  the  cause  and  found  the  barn  on 
fire.  It  is  probable  that  if  he  had  had  a  supply 
of  water  handy,  he  could  have  extinguished  the 
flames  before  they  had  done  much  damage,  for 
he  almost  succeeded  in  doing  so  with  a  single 
pail  of  water  which  stood  near.  But  while  he 
was  gone  for  more  water,  the  flames  climbed  to 
the  roof  of  the  building,  igniting  the  hay  and 
making  it  impossible  with  the  inadequate  supply 
of  water  to  save  the  barn  and  prevent  the  spread 
of  the  flames. 

An  alarm  was  instantly  sounded.  People 
rushed  to  the  scene  with  all  promptness  and  the 
fight  began.  It  was  immediately  perceived  that 
the  barn  was  doomed  and  that  the  whole  town 
was  in  danger,  so  the  workers  gave  their  atten- 
tion to  removing  valuables  from  the  houses  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  burning  building.  This  was 
about  all  that  could  be  done,  as  Goldendale  had 
no  water  system  at  the  time  and  it  was  not  possi- 
ble to  approach  close  enough  to  throw  water  on 
the  flames  with  buckets.  Everybody  labored  to 
save  what  he  could,  and  before  those  who  had 
gone  to  the  country,  bejng  warned  by  the  smoke, 
could  return  to  town,  those  who  had  stayed  at 
home  were  nearly  exhausted.  The  country 
people  and  their  wagons  were  pressed  into  serv- 
ice and  much  valuable  property  was  saved  from 
the  ravages  of  the  fire.  In  some  instances  the 
property  taken  from  the  burning  buildings  was 


not  removed  beyond  danger,  and  as  the  flames 
spread,  it  caught  and  burned  with  the  rest.  For 
four  hours  the  fire  held  high  carnival,  entirely 
consuming  seven  blocks  in  the  heart  of  the 
town.  All  the  district  between  Broadway  and 
Court  streets  and  between  Chatfield  and  Golden 
avenues  was  left  desolate,  and,  besides  almost 
the  entire  business  portion,  the  houses  of  twenty- 
five  families  were  destroyed,  also  much  valuable 
personal  property.  The  following  list  of  esti- 
mated losses  will  give  an  idea  of  the  magnitude 
of  the  disaster: 

Bold  &  Fenton,  blacksmiths,  $700;  James 
Starfield,  dwelling,  $300;  D.  W.  Pierce  &  Com- 
pany, house  and  lumber,  $900;  W.  H.  Chappell, 
hotel,  $3,000;  Jacob  Hess,  building,  $2,500;  Cum- 
mings  &  Cram,  merchandise,  $25,000;  Sig.  Sichel, 
$25,000;  J.  M.  Hess,  druggist,  $6,000;  Frank  Pat- 
ton,  barber,  $500;  C.  R.  Van  Allstyn,  grocery, 
$3,000;  Bennett  &  Harvey,  building,  $600; 
August  Schuster,  meat  market,  $400;  R.  D. 
McCulley,  $300;  E.  D.  McFall,  $6,000;  Victor 
Gobat,  jeweler,  $2,000;  Mrs.  L.  Hall,  household 
goods,  $300;  Hiram  Wing,  merchandise,  $2,500; 
Peter  Nelson,  dwelling,  $1,200;  T.  L.  Masters, 
dwelling,  $400;  John  Lear,  house,  $400;  W.  R. 
Dunbar,  $500;  Justin  Scammon,  dwelling,  $700; 
Dr.  Boyd,  dwelling,  $700;  Occidental  Hotel, 
$900;  B.  Snover,  store,  $1,300;  O.  D.  Sturgis, 
merchandise,  $200;  J.  T.  Eshelman,  $950;  Dr. 
Stowell,  household  goods,  $500;  William  Mini- 
can,  merchandise,  $2,500;  Masters  &  Benson, 
$11,000;  Mrs.  Whitney,  $500:  James  Coffield, 
building,  $1,000:  J.  W.  Washburn,  building, 
$400;  A.  O.  U.  W.  fixtures,  $200;  French  &  Mc- 
Farland,  $600;  Isaac  Goodnoe,  currency,  $400; 
M.  Wigal,  building,  $700;  Rev.  John  Uren,  $200; 
I.  O.  O.  F.  fixtures,  $600:  Klickitat  county, 
courthouse  and  furnishings,  etc.,  $6,000;  Hiram 
Dustin,  books,  $100;  Tribune  office,  $600;  Frank 
Lee,  household  goods,  $200;  Chinese  laundry, 
$200;  Dudley  Eshelman,  $200;  Smith  &  Dunbar, 
buildings,  $900;  Sentinel  office,  press,  etc., 
$3,500:  Dickson's  stables,  $3,000;  Hotling  Com- 
pany, building,  $600;  Dr.  L.  M.  Willard,  sundries, 
$1,500;  W.  H.  Ward,  building,  $1,200;  H.  D. 
Young,  building  and  furniture,  $7,000;  D.  Cram, 
building,  $600;  Downer  &  Sloper,  machinery, 
$900;  Samuel  Lear,  dwelling,  $500:  I.  B.  Court- 
ney, dwelling,  $600;  Charles  Marshall,  dwelling, 
$600:  Methodist  Episcopal  church  building, 
$1,500;  Methodist  Episcopal  church  parsonage, 
$500;  Presbyterian  church,  $1,000:  John  Hess, 
building,  $300;  W.  A.  Wash,  building,  $200; 
Hugh  Sutherland,  $100;  Thomas  Butler,  $200; 
the  Misses  McLin  &  Phillips,  millinery,  $100; 
Mrs.  M.  E.  Van  Allstyn,  stock  and  building, 
$2,000;  John  Keats,  stock  and  building,  $250; 
Joseph  Blanchard,  furniture,  $150;  James  Bur- 
nett, furniture,  $700;  R.  D.  McCulley,  $600; 
1.  S.  Bonchard,  shoe  shop,  $200;  H.  C.  Jackson, 
lumber,    $250;     E.  W.  Pike,    machinery,   $1,000. 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


133 


In  all,  about  $250,000  worth  of  property  was 
destroyed. 

It  was  prophesied  by  some  that  the  town 
would  never  be  rebuilt,  but  it  soon  became  evi- 
dent that  such  prophets  greatly  underestimated 
the  pluck  and  energy  of  the  citizens  of  Golden- 
dale.  Scarcely  had  the  smoke  ceased  to  rise 
from  the  ruins  when  plans  were  under  way  to 
rebuild  in  a  safer  and  more  substantial  manner. 
Previous  to  this  time  not  a  single  brick  building 
had  been  erected  in  Goldendale,  but  the  lessons 
of  the  fire  were  well  learned.  The  people  were 
made  to  realize  the  true  economy  of  fireproof 
buildings,  and  out  of  the  ruins  rose  a  more  sub- 
stantial city  than  had  ever  before  existed  in  the 
Klickitat  valley.  The  Sentinel  of  July  1,  1888, 
tells  of  the  laying  of  the  first  brick  in  the  first 
brick  building  erected  in  the  city.  By  August 
2d  Hiram  Wing  had  rebuilt  his  store;  V.  E. 
Gobat  had  a  brick  building  almost  completed  on 
Main  street;  John  Coffield  had  a  corrugated  iron 
building  in  course  of  construction;  the  Palace 
Hotel  building  had  been  rebuilt  on  the  site  of 
the  old  hotel  of  that  name;  beside  the  hotel, 
Pierce  had  an  office  for  his  lumber  yard;  oppo- 
site the  Red  Barn,  Bold  &  Bold  had  built  a  black- 
smith shop;  on  the  site  of  the  Occidental,  Snover 
had  a  building  forty  by  forty  feet  almost  com- 
pleted; Sol  Smith  had  an  office;  John  Keats  a 
shoeshop;  William  Millican  had  a  two-story 
building  opposite  the  Palace  Hotel;  G.  W.  Mc- 
Kinney  had  a  hardware  store;  the  Sentinel  had  a 
printing  office ;  W.  H.  Ward  a  small  temporary 
building;  W.  B.  Presby  a  law  office;  J.  M.  Hess  a 
store  in  course  of  construction ;  Samuel  Lear  had 
a  residence;  an  armory  hall,  fifty  by  one  hundred 
feet,  had  taken  the  place  of  the  old  one ;  the 
Methodist  church  was  in  course  of  construction, 
and  a  contract  had  been  let  for  the  Presbyterian 
church:  all  this  within  three  months  from  the 
date  of  the  fire. 

The  rapidity  with  which  the  new  Goldendale 
arose  out  of  the  ashes  is  all  the  more  remarkable 
when  it  is  remembered  that  the  city  was  without 
railroad  connection  and  therefore  unable  to 
obtain  readily  building  materials  from  outside 
sources;  neither  were  there  home  facilities  in 
readiness  for  supplying  immediately  the  increased 
demands. 

Goldendale  had,  however,  been  accustomed 
from  the  beginning  to  depend  entirely  on  its  own 
resources,  and  the  unusual  situation  caused  by 
the  fire  developed  new  activity  and  new  enter- 
prise. The  brick  and  lumber  for  the  reconstruc- 
tion were  from  necessity  manufactured  at  home. 
There  was  fortunately  abundance  of  timber 
within  easy  reach  of  the  town,  also  plenty  of 
clay  from  which  to  manufacture  the  needed 
brick,  and  both  were  made  use  of  by  an  ener- 
getic and  determined  people. 

For  a  long  time  the  city  had  been  handi- 
capped in  the  transaction  of  its  business  because 


of  the  absence  of  a  banking  house  in  the  town, 
but  in  1889  this  desideratum  was  supplied,  a 
company  being  formed  with  a  capital  of  fifty 
thousand  dollars  and  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Goldendale  established.  The  first  officers  of 
this  institution  were:  J.  G.  Maddock,  president; 
Hugh  Fields,  vice-president;  Hugh  Fields,  E.  W. 
Pike,  J.  G.  Maddock,  F.  W.  Patterson  and  O.  D. 
Sturgess,  directors.  The  enterprise  flourished 
from  the  beginning. 

The  havoc  wrought  by  the  fire  caused  many 
of  the  leading  citizens  to  urge  persistently  upon 
the  people  the  necessity  of  an  adequate  water 
supply.  The  result  of  this  agitation  was  that 
the  city  council  was  induced  to  submit  to  the 
voters  of  the  town,  at  an  election  held  June  19, 
1890,  a  proposition  to  bond  the  taxable  property 
of  the  city  for  five  per  cent,  of  its  assessed  valu- 
ation for  the  purpose  of  constructing  a  city  water 
system.  The  bonds  amounted  to  twelve  thou- 
sand five  hundred  dollars  and  were  to  run  twenty 
years  at  six  per  cent.  The  vote  stood  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  for  the  bonds  and  seven 
against.  Steps  were,  therefore,  immediately 
taken  to  build  and  put  into  operation  the  new 
system,  which  was  to  take  its  water,  by  the 
gravity  system,  from  three  mountain  springs 
some  thirteen  miles  distant.  For  the  first  two 
years,  however,  the  water  was  pumped  from  the 
Little  Klickitat.  A  large  reservoir  was  con- 
structed about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above 
the  town  and  mains  were  laid  throughout  the 
city.  Goldendale  lies  at  the  foot  of  the  hills 
that  flank  the  Simcoe  range,  and  in  the  moun- 
tains snow  lies  on  the  ground  the  greater  part  of 
the  year.  From  these  melting  snows  the  water 
comes  cool  and  fresh  and  pure  the  whole  year 
through.  The  pipe  line  and  water  supply  was 
owned,  however,  by  a  private  company,  and  it 
was  not  until  recently  that  the  system  came 
entirely  into  the  hands  of  the  city. 

While  the  water  system  was  being  completed, 
an  object  lesson  was  given  to  the  people  of  the 
wisdom  of  the  enterprise  and  the  necessity  of 
hastening  the  work  as  much  as  possible.  On 
the  evening  of  September  4,  1890,  a  fire  broke 
out  near  the  west  end  of  Main  street  in  a  stable 
owned  by  Mr.  Allen.  The  wind  was  blowing 
from  the  southwest  and  the  flames  spread  to  the 
north  and  east.  The  residence  of  William  Milli- 
can, valued  at  twenty-five  hundred  dollars,  was 
totally  destroyed:  the  property  was  uninsured. 
S.  P.  Leverett's  residence  was  also  destroyed;  its 
value  was  two  thousand  dollars,  insurance  one 
thousand  dollars.  The  barn  where-the  fire  broke 
out  was  valued  at  five  hundred  dollars  and  was 
not  insured.  It  was  feared  at  the  time  that, 
with  the  meager  facilities  then  at  hand  for  fight- 
ing the  fire,  the  disaster  of  two  years  previous 
would  be  repeated.  There  was  no  method  by 
which  water  could  be  thrown  on  the  flames  save 
with  buckets,  and  the  water  supply  was  limited, 


■34 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


but  the  people  fought  with  energy  and  courage 
and  succeeded  in  saving  the  city.  A  suspicion 
gained  foothold  among  the  citizens  of  Goldendale 
that  this  fire  was  of  incendiary  origin,  and  the 
mayor  authorized  the  city  marshal  to  provide 
patrolmen  and  guards  as  a  precaution  against 
further  attempts  to  destroy  the  town.  The 
result  was  that  through  the  vigilance  of  Charles 
Alvord,  the  miscreant  was  caught  in  a  second 
attempt.  Mr.  Alvord  saw  a  suspicious-looking 
individual  enter  a  barn  back  of  the  Palace  Hotel 
and  followed  him.  Just  as  the  pursuer  came  up, 
he  met  one  Jesse  Allen  coming  out  of  the  build- 
ing. When  the  latter  saw  Mr.  Alvord,  he  rushed 
back  into  the  barn  and  attempted  to  put  out  the 
fire  he  had  already  started  in  a  pile  of  straw. 
Alvord  readily  extinguished  the  flames,  then 
arrested  the  man  and  turned  him  over  to  the 
county  authorities.  It  is  generally  believed  that 
he  was  also  responsible  for  the  other  fire,  which, 
indeed,  started  in  his  father's  barn. 

Allen  was  given  a  preliminary  hearing  on  a 
charge  of  arson  and  bound  over  to  appear  at  the 
November  term  of  court.  When  his  case  was 
called,  he  entered  a  plea  of  not  guilty,  but  the 
circumstances  were  so  strongly  against  him  that 
he  was  convicted  and  sentenced  to  three  years  in 
the  penitentiary. 

Although  Goldendale  was  handicapped  in  its 
growth  by  a  lack  of  transportation  facilities  for  a 
longer  period  than  most  of  its  sister  cities 
throughout  the  state  and  thereby  suffered  much 
inconvenience,  the  people  were  not  so  far  dis- 
couraged because  of  this  drawback  as  to  neglect 
any  effort  on  their  part  which  might  count  in  the 
development  and  upbuilding  of  the  city.  In  the 
early  part  of  March,  1890,  a  mass-meeting  was 
held  at  the  courthouse  for  the  purpose  of  estab- 
lishing a  board  of  trade  to  foster  the  interests  of 
the  growing  town.  A  temporary  organization 
was  formed  which,  the  following  week,  was 
transformed  into  a  permanent  one.  A  constitu- 
tion was  adopted  and  officers  elected  as  follows: 
N.  B.  Brooks,  president;  R.  E.  Jackson,  first 
vice-president;  Joseph  Nesbitt,  second  vice-pres- 
ident; George  H.  Baker,  third  vice-president; 
C.  S.  Reinhart,  secretary;  D.  Cram,  treasurer. 
Previous  to  this  time  the  action  of  Goldendale's 
citizens  on  its  behalf  had  been  along  separate 
lines;  now  by  this  organization  they  were  pre- 
pared to  act  together. 

The  best  energies  of  Goldendale's  citizens 
were  now  directed  toward  the  establishment  of  a 
railroad  connection  for  the  town.  That  they 
were  in  earnest  in  this  effort  is  amply  demon- 
strated by  the  fact  that  they  raised  a  subsidy  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars  in  1890,  as  an  induce- 
ment to  any  road  to  build  into  the  city.  Their 
labors  in  this  direction  and  their  final  triumph  in 
recent  years  arc  of  interest  not  alone  to  the  city 
of  Goldendale,  but  to  the  entire  county,  and, 
therefore,  have  been  fully  detailed  elsewhere. 


At  no  time  in  the  history  of  the  town  were  its 
educational  interests  neglected ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  importance  of  education  for  the  youth  was 
always  recognized  and  a  high  standard  of  excel- 
lence was  maintained  in  the  schools.  As  early 
as  1880  an  academy  had  been  established,  but 
when  the  public  school  system  became  well 
enough  developed,  this  institution  was  aban- 
doned and  for  many  years  it  was  necessary  for 
students  desiring  advanced  education  to  go  out- 
side the  county  for  it.  It  had  long  been  the  wish 
of  many  Goldendale  citizens  to  provide  educa- 
tional facilities  at  home,  thus  obviating,  in  part 
at  least,  the  necessity  of  sending  their  sons  and 
daughters  elsewhere  for  higher  learning. 

A  meeting  was  held  in  February,  1896,  with 
this  end  in  view,  and  such  a  lively  interest  was 
manifested  that  those  who  had  the  enterprise  in 
contemplation  felt  encouraged  to  proceed.  The 
services  of  Professor  Charles  Timblin  were 
secured,  and  by  the  fall  of  1896  an  academy  was 
established  and  ready  to  receive  students.  Since 
that  time  Klickitat  Academy  has  been  doing  a 
good  work  and  has  been  an  important  adjunct  to 
the  educational  facilities  of  the  county.  Recently, 
however,  the  institution  has  been  converted  into 
a  high  school. 

Goldendale  was  first  incorporated  in  1879 
under  the  territorial  laws.  At  the  city  election 
of  1902  the  question  of  re-incorporation  under 
the  state  laws  was  submitted  to  a  popular  vote, 
and  the  result  was  one  hundred  and  five  for  and 
five  against.  The  new  incorporation,  by  the 
provisions  of  which  Goldendale  is  classed  as  a 
city  of  the  fourth  class,  took  effect  April  15, 
1902.  Since  that  time  Goldendale  has  purchased 
from  Hess  &  Cooper,  for  the  sum  of  six  thousand 
dollars,  the  water  system  from  which  the  city  got 
its  water  supply.  The  present  city  administra- 
tion, elected  in  December,  1903,  is  composed  of 
the  following  officers:  Mayor,  Dr.  Allen  Bone- 
brake;  councilmen.  Nelson  B.  Brooks,  Winthrop 
B.  Presby,  A.  E.  Coley,  William  McGuire,  Sam- 
uel Waters;  treasurer,  George  Hyatt;  secretary, 
J.  R.  Putnam;  attorney,  Edgar  C.  Ward;  mar- 
shal, G.  W.  Stackhouse.  R.  D.  McCulley  is  the 
chief  of  the  city's  volunteer  fire  department, 
which  is  a  creditable  organization  in  every 
respect. 

The  transportation  question  has  been  the 
most  difficult  to  solve  of  the  many  problems 
which  in  the  past  have  perplexed  the  founders 
and  builders  of  Goldendale.  Several  times  in 
the  history  of  the  town  a  railroad  seemed  assured, 
but  as  often  some  obstruction  prevented  the  final 
consummation  of  the  project,  until  1903,  when  at 
last  the  energies  and  efforts  of  the  people  of  the 
county  and  town  were  fitly  rewarded.  The  line 
completed,  Goldendale's  citizens  justly  felt  that 
a  celebration  was  in  order,  so  June  18,  1903,  was 
set  apart  as  a  day  of  jubilee  and  general  rejoic- 
ing.   In  their  celebration  the  people  were  ; 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


■35 


by  business  men  from  The  Dalles  and  Portland, 
the  party  arriving  in  time  for  dinner  at  the  Cen- 
tral Hotel,  which  had  just  been  finished.  They 
spent  the  afternoon  in  exploring  the  surrounding 
country,  with  which  they  expressed  themselves 
as  delighted,  while  the  evening  was  given  over 
to  speech-making  in  the  armory.  Prominent 
men  among  the  visitors  and  citizens  delivered 
enthusiastic  addresses.  The  meeting  was  opened 
by  Attorney  Nelson  B.  Brooks  with  a  few  well- 
chosen  remarks;  then  Harvey  W.  Scott,  of  the 
Oregonian,  spoke;  also  Judge  Ballinger  and 
H.  C.  Campbell.  Later  a  banquet  was  tendered 
the  visitors  at  the  Central  Hotel,  Winthrop  B. 
Presby  acting  as  toastmaster. 

In  response  to  the  toast  "  Portland, "  Attorney 
John  M.  Gearin  said:  "Now  that  this  country 
has  been  opened  up  by  this  railroad  and  given 
communication  with  the  markets  of  the  commer- 
cial world,  your  products  will  take  on  a  new 
value  and  the  number  of  your  homes  will  be 
increased,  your  lands  will  be  settled  more  gener- 
ally, and  your  wealth  will  accumulate  more  rap- 
idly. At  Goldendale  you  have  the  metropolis  of 
one  of  the  richest  valleys  in  the  Northwest,  and 
as  this  road  is  extended  and  possibly  brought 
into  connection  with  some  great  transcontinental 
system,  your  prestige  will  grow.  You  stand 
here  living  examples  of  what  men  can  do  by 
their  own  endeavors.  You  came  into  an  unset- 
tled country  without  railroads  and  without  even 
wagon  roads,  and  have  built  up  a  rich  and  pros- 
perous community." 

Other  speeches  were  made  in  the  same  strain 
by  experienced  business  men  from  other  parts, 
showing  that  the  natural  advantages  of  Golden- 
dale  and  the  riches  of  her  surrounding  country 
were  duly  appreciated  by  all.  It  is  yet  too  soon 
to  judge  of  the  results  of  this  great  enterprise  on 
Goldendale,  for  scarcely  a  year  has  passed  since 
the  railroad's  arrival,  but  the  city  has  already 
shown  a  marked  increase  in  business  activity. 
The  growth  of  Goldendale  has  been  steady  and 
sure.  At  no  time  in  its  history  has  it  suffered 
from  over-booming,  but  a  comparison  of  census 
returns  shows  that  a  steady  growth  in  population 
has  ever  been  maintained.  In  the  past  few 
years  this  increase  has  been  much  more  rapid 
than  formerly.  The  census  for  1900  shows  a 
population  of  seven  hundred  and  thirty-eight, 
not  including  the  thickly-settled  districts  which 
He  just  without  the  limits  of  the  corporation. 
In  1903  the  population,  as  estimated  by  the  state 
bureau  of  statistics,  was  one  thousand  six  hundred 
and  ninety,  a  gain  of  more  than  one  hundred  per 
cent,  in  three  years. 

An  increase  in  building  activity  is  also  to  be 
noticed.  Substantial  brick  buildings  are  taking 
the  place  of  old  wooden  ones,  and  the  new  struc- 
tures are  invariably  much  larger  than  those  they 
replace,  showing  that  the  business  of  the  town  is 
increasing   and   demanding    more    room.       The 


residence  part  of  the  city  is  being  materially 
extended  by  the  addition  of  new  buildings,  made 
necessary  by  the  arrival  of  new  families,  for 
during  the  spring  just  past  almost  every  train 
has  been  bringing  home-seekers  and  home-build- 
ers to  the  valley  and  city. 

Goldendale  now  has  a  large  sixty-room  hotel, 
covering  a  ground  space  of  sixty  by  one  hundred 
feet.  The  building  is  three  stories  high  and  is 
elegantly  furnished,  using  electric  lights,  steam 
heat,  call  bells  and  all  the  necessary  equipment 
of  a  modern  hotel.  The  hotel  owns  its  own 
light  plant  and  is  the  only  building  in  the  city 
with  electric  lights.  The  hotel  is  owned  and 
operated  by  Alvord  &  Ahola,  who  provide  excel- 
lent service  for  their  patrons. 

Although  the  National  Bank  of  Goldendale 
terminated  its  operations  when  hard  times  made 
business  slack,  Goldendale  was  not  left  long 
without  a  bank.  In  1899  Moore  Brothers,  of 
Moro,  Oregon,  established  the  Bank  of  Golden- 
dale. A.  Melgard,  formerly  of  Minnesota, 
bought  the  property  in  May,  1902,  and  is  at 
present  its  owner.  The  bank  is  a  private  insti- 
tution and  occupies  its  own  building.  Mr.  Mel- 
gard has  had  many  years  of  experience  in  bank- 
ing, and  before  coming  to  this  city  was  cashier 
of  the  State  Bank  of  Warren,  Minnesota.  He  is 
well  known  in  financial  circles. 

The  city  has  two  weekly  newspapers,  both  of 
which  have  been  and  are  no  small  factors  in  the 
growth  of  the  community  and  county  at  large. 
The  Sentinel,  in  its  twenty-fifth  volume,  is  under 
the  management  of  W.  F.  Byars,  who  owns  most 
of  the  company's  stock.  The  Agriculturist,  in 
its  fourteenth  year,  is  owned  and  edited  by  W.  J. 
Story.  Both  papers  are  provided  with  improved 
printing  plants  and  well  equipped  job  offices. 
These  newspapers  will  be  more  fully  treated  of 
in  the  press  chapter. 

The  manufacturing  interests  of  the  city  are 
still  in  their  infancy,  yet  a  good  beginning  has 
been  made  in  this  line.  There  are  two  flouring 
mills — the  Goldendale  Milling  Company's  mill, 
with  a  capacity  of  one  hundred  barrels  a  day, 
under  the  management  of  Phillips  &  Aldrich, 
and  the  Klickitat  mill,  owned  by  J.  M.  Hess  & 
Son;  its  capacity  is  seventy  barrels.  Besides 
these  mills,  there  are  two  planing  mills,  that  of 
the  Klickitat  White  Pine  Company,  D.  W.  Pierce, 
manager,  capacity,  twenty  thousand  feet  a  day, 
employing  between  fifteen  and  twenty  men,  and 
the  Goldendale  planing  mill,  of  which  J.  A. 
Beckett  is  manager,  handling  about  one  million 
feet  a  year.  A  well-equipped  foundry  is  also 
among  the  city's  industrial  institutions. 

Goldendale's  mercantile  houses,  business  and 
professional  men,  other  than  those  heretofore 
mentioned,  may  be  listed  as  follows: 

General  merchandise,  Baker  Brothers,  John  E. 
Chappell,  Samuel  Waters,  A.  M.  McLeod  & 
Company;  clothing  store,    Rust  Brothers;   book 


=36 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


store,  Rankin  &  Frisbie;  drug  stores,  C.  M.  Shel- 
ton  &  Company,  Chester  Pike,  McKee  &  McKee, 
H.  S.  Goddard;  hardware,  W.  A.  McKenzie, 
H.  N.  Frazer;  furniture,  A.  C.  Chapman,  A.  I. 
Webb  &  Son ;  second-hand  store,  P.  D.  Presher ; 
groceries,  Bartlett  &  Sons;  meat  market,  Shelton 
&  McCrow;  jewelers,  Wendelin  Leidl,  V.  E. 
Campbell;  bakery,  W.  F.  Stiner;  restaurants, 
Thomas  Kennedy,  J.  J.  O'Rourke,  Ryan  &  Swee- 
ney; racket  store,  Cochran  &  Holland;  flour  and 
feed,  William  Van  Vactor  &  Son;  implements, 
wagons,  etc.,  E.  W.  Pike,  C.  E.  Marshall,  Wil- 
liam Enderby;  harness  shop,  W.  H.  Ward; 
foundry,  the  Goldendale,  Leonard  &  Leverett, 
proprietors;  millinery  stores,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Taylor, 
Miss  Helen  Campbell,  Miss  Alice  Coffield:  bar- 
ber shops,  Southern  &  Van  Hook,  Blagdon  & 
Smith;  confectionery,  notions,  O.  S.  Ebi,  C.  M. 
Shelton  &  Company;  fish  and  fruit  market, 
Francis  McGregor;  blacksmith  shops,  George  H. 
Wood,  Julius  Plett,  M.  M.  Warner;  tailor  shop, 
The  Toggery  (B.  E.)  Crawford  &  (Thomas) 
Hill;  livery  stables,  William  Van  Vactor,  A.  B. 
Courtway,  Charles  Alvord,  John  Washburn ; 
lodging-house,  The  Chicago,  J.  Lacost,  propri- 
etor; restaurant  and  lodging-house,  J.  P.  Harris; 
shoemaker,  S.  Odrowski;  real  estate,  loans, 
insurance,  Klickitat  County  Land  &  Loan  Com- 
pany, J.  J.  Reid,  manager,  Phillips  &  Aldrich, 
Brooks  &  Stringfellow,  Hiram  Dustin,  Stevens  & 
Hause;  abstract  and  real  estate,  Smith  &  Spoon; 
farms,  loans,  etc.,  E.  W.  Pike:  undertaker, 
Frank  Sanders;  lawyers,  Winthrop  B.  Presby, 
Hiram  Dustin,  Nelson  B.  Brooks,  E.  C.  Ward, 
W.  T.  Darch;  physicians,  Drs.  Allen  Bonebrake, 
W.  M.  Hamilton,  H.  H.  Hartley,  H.  S.  Goddard, 
J.  M.  Reeder;  dentists.  Dr.  N.  R.  Norris,  R.  D. 
McCulley;  veterinary  dentist,  H.  S.  Anderson; 
architect  and  builder,  W.  J.  Andrews;  contractors 
and  builders,  N.  B.  Brooks,  A.  R.  Ketch  &  Sons; 
painters  and  paper  hangers,  C.  H.  Carter,  E.  C. 
Partridge;  transfer  business,  Bunnell  &  Carter, 
Waldo  Glover. 

It  is  characteristic  of  the  American  commu- 
nity that  the  schoolhouse  and  the  church  are 
always  among  the  oldest  buildings  in  the  settle- 
ment. The  town  of  Goldendale  was  yet  only  a 
pile  of  rails  when  the  first  move  was  made  to 
establish  a  school  within  its  precincts.  In  1873 
John  J.  Golden  gave  two  lots  in  the  newly  platted 
town  as  a  site  for  a  schoolhouse  in  the  district, 
which  was  first  known  as  the  E.  A.  Hopkins  dis- 
trict. The  district  is  now  officially  known  as 
No.  7.  Its  first  directors  were  I.  I.  Lancaster, 
E.  A.  Hopkins  and  M.  V.  Harper.  They  erected 
a  building  on  the  grounds  donated  by  Mr.  Golden, 
and  for  a  number  of  years  this  was  the  only 
schoolhouse  in  the  town.  The  entire  furniture 
consisted  of  rough  benches  for  the  children  and 
the  customary  teacher's  desk  and  chair. 

The  rapid  growth  which  followed  the  removal 
of  the  county  seat  to  Goldendale  rendered  this 


building  inadequate,  and  as  the  people  were 
scarcely  prepared  to  undergo  the  expense  of 
erecting  a  larger  schoolhouse,  it  was  taken  up  as 
a  private  enterprise  by  Captain  W.  A.  Wash  in 
1879.  Again  the  public  spirit  of  Mr.  Golden 
was  brought  into  evidence  by  his  donation  of  a 
suitable  location  for  the  new  building.  Captain 
Wash  organized  a  joint  stock  company  and  built 
the  main  part  of  the  present  west  end  school- 
house.  An  academy  was  conducted  by  Mr.  Wash 
in  this  building,  which  was  in  reality  a  public 
institution,  as  the  academy  drew  the  school 
funds  and  taught  the  children  of  the  Goldendale 
district.  A  year  and  a  half  later  Mr.  Wash  sold 
the  building  to  the  district.  In  a  short  time  this 
building  also  became  too  small,' and  about  1884 
a  wing  was  added.  After  purchasing  the  new 
building,  the  district  sold  the  old  one  to  the 
Predestinarian  Baptist  church.  By  1900  the 
enlarged  building  was  also  overcrowded,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  rent  the  old  schoolhouse  to 
accommodate  the  extra  numbers.  Two  years 
later  it  was  decided  to  bond  the  district  and 
build  a  new  schoolhouse.  Bonds  were  issued  in 
the  sum  of  seven  thousand  dollars  by  vote  of  the 
people  and  the  new  building  was  completed  for 
the  fall  term  of  1902.  It  is  a  sightly  two-story, 
eight- room,  frame  structure  occupying  a  fine  site 
in  the  eastern  end  of  the  city. 

The  district  owns  a  well-selected  library  of 
several  hundred  volumes,  besides  a  large  num- 
ber of  current  magazines.  The  school  census  of 
1904  shows  that  it  contains  four  hundred  and 
sixty-eight  children  of  school  age;  the  enroll- 
ment for  the  past  year  was  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five.  The  faculty  for  the  year  1904-5 
will  be  as  follows:  Charles  Boyd,  principal: 
C.  M.  Ryman,  O.  B.  Frisbie,  Miss  Lorena  Glea- 
son,  Miss  Hulda  Rankin,  Miss  Jessie  Look,  Miss 
Kate  Moore,  Miss  Mary  Hutton,  besides  the 
high  school  faculty,  of  which  Professor  Charles 
Timblin  will  be  principal.  The  school  board  is 
composed  of  Dr.  Allen  Bonebrake,  Wendelin 
Leidl  and  W.  H.  Ward. 

The  church  history  of  Goldendale  reaches 
even  farther  back  than  that  of  the  public  schools. 
The  Goldendale  Directory,  published  in  1SS0, 
furnishes  the  information  that: 

"The  M.  E.  church  circuit  of  Klickitat  county 
was  organized  by  the  Rev.  J.  W.  Turner,  of 
Walla  Walla  district,  Oregon  annual  confer- 
ence, in  the  year  1S69-70.  The  first  class  was 
formed  by  the  Rev.  G.  Hines,  then  in  charge  of 
The  Dalles  district.  In  August,  1871,  the  Rev. 
J.  H.  B.  Royal  was  appointed  to  the  Klickitat 
circuit.  Twelve  lots  were  donated  at  that  time 
for  a  Methodist  parsonage  by  John  J.  Golden  and 
a  building  was  erected  thereon." 

In  1875  the  church  purchased  the  present 
location  from  John  R.  Chatfield  for  the  sum  of 
twenty  dollars,  and  three  years  later  erected  a 
church    building.       By    1880    the    church    had    a 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


137 


membership  of  two  hundred  and  twenty  with 
thirty-three  probationers.  The  disastrous  fire 
that  swept  Goldendale  in  18SS  consumed  the 
building,  but  it  was  immediately  rebuilt.  At 
present  the  church  has  a  membership  of  two 
hundred  and  thirty,  including  probationers. 
They  have  a  fine  building  with  a  large  seating 
capacity  and  a  wing  for  league  room  and  confer- 
ence. Following  is  a  list  of  the  pastors  who 
have  served  since  1880:  Revs.  W.  T.  Koontz, 
succeeded  in  August,  1SS1,  by  G.  E.  Wilcox: 
S.  W.  Richards,  August  14,  1882,  to  September 
8,  1884;  C.  M.  Bryan,  September  8,  1884,  to  July 
3i,  1885;  John  Uren,  July  21,  1885,  to  Septem- 
ber  24,    1888;    L.    J.  Whitcomb,    September   24, 

1888,  to  August,  18S9;   G.  G.   Ferguson,  August, 

1889,  to  August  30,  1890;  Edward  McEvers, 
August  30,  1890,  to  September  6,  1892;  J.  M. 
McDonald,  September  13,  1S92,  to  December  24, 
1894;  U.  F.  Hawk,  January  2,  1895,  to  Septem- 
ber 1,  1S97;  N.  Evans,  September  1,  1897,  to 
March  1,  1901 ;  C.  D.  Nickelson,  March  1,  1901, 
to  August  15,  1902;  H.  B.  Ellsworthy,  September 
1,  1902,  serving  at  present. 

In  1879  the  Christian  denomination  organized 
and  built  a  church.  This  is  now  the  oldest 
church  building  in  the  city,  as  the  Methodist 
church  built  the  previous  year  was  afterward 
destroyed  by  fire.  Among  the  earliest  pastors 
in  charge  of  the  Christian  church  were  Revs. 
Esherman,  McCorkel  and  Ross.  For  a  period  of 
years,  however,  the  church  had  no  resident  pas- 
tor, the  pulpit  being  filled  from  outside  sources. 
The  present  pastor,  Rev.  C.  M.  Himes,  who  was 
called  to  the  church  February  22,  1904,  is  the 
first  resident  minister  in  a  number  of  years. 
The  present  membership  is  about  seventy-eight. 

The  Baptist  church  of  Goldendale  was  organ- 
ized in  1879  by  Rev.  T.  H.  Harper  with  nine 
constituent  members.  The  following  year  the 
present  house  of  worship  was  erected  on  a  lot 
donated  to  the^society  by  John  J.  Golden.  By 
the  end  of  the"  }^ear  1879  the  membership  had 
increased  to  thirty.  At  this  writing  the  church 
is  without  a  resident  pastor,  though  it  has  a  fair- 
sized  membership. 

The  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  in 
Goldendale  July  26,  1S79.  The  following  is  a 
partial  list  of  its  charter  members:  I.  B.  Court- 
ney, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Luark,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  G. 
Downey,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  B.  White,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mahen,  Mrs.  Waldo  Glover  and  Mrs.  Peter 
Gunn.  As  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  first 
church  building  was  erected  in  18S3.  This 
building  was  destroyed  by  the  great  fire  of  188S, 
but  in  August  of  the  same  year  the  society  let  a 
contract  for  the  rebuilding  of  the  church  at  a 
cost  of  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty 
dollars.  A  very  sightly  and  commodious  struc- 
ture was  erected  on  the  corner  opposite  the  Cen- 
tral Hotel.  A  year  ago  Rev.  D.  F.  Giles  assumed 
charge  of  the  church,  and  he  is  still  its  pastor. 


Owing  to  incomplete  records,  it  is  impossible  to 
give  a  list  of  the  church "s  former  pastors. 

There  are  sixteen  fraternal  organizations  rep- 
resented in  the  city,  indicating  the  presence  of 
an  unusually  strong  fraternal  spirit  among  the 
inhabitants.  Herewith  is  given  a  short  sketch 
of  each: 

Masonic,  Goldendale  Lodge  No.  31,  A.  F. 
and  A.  M. ,  chartered  June  4,  1880,  with  the  fol- 
lowing officers:  Worshipful  master,  McDonald 
Pierce:  senior  warden,  John  C.  Story;  junior 
warden,  Joseph  Sanders.  Its  present  officers  are  : 
Master  mason,  A.  E.  Coley;  senior  warden,  W.  F. 
Byars;  junior  warden,  N.  B.  Brooks;  secretary, 
M.  M.  Warner.      Membership,  seventy-five. 

Order  Eastern  Star,  Evergreen  Chapter  No. 
1,  present  charter  granted  in  June,  1889,  on  peti- 
tion of  the  following:  Eliza  Landrum,  Eliza 
Oldham,  Sophrona  Oldham,  Mary  J.  Morehead, 
Anna  Johnson,  Lizzie  M.  Nesbitt,  L.  J.  Savior, 
Rose  De  Moss,  Sistastia  Clark,  Jane  Mitchell, 
Carrie  Gunn,  E.  J.  Crawford,  James  B.  Lan- 
drum, William  Oldham,  J.  C.  Morehead,  Mason 
D.  Clark.  Philip  E.  Mitchell,  W.  A.  Crawford, 
Joseph  Nesbitt,  B.  F..  Saylor,  T.  M.  De  Moss. 
The  original  charter,  granted  many  years  previ- 
ously, was  destroyed  by  the  great  fire  of  1888. 
Present  officers:  W.  M.,  Mrs.  Powell;  A.  M., 
Lititia  Bonebrake;  F.  K.,  Mary  Coley;  R.  K., 
Mrs.  Warner. 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Alimus 
Lodge  No.  15,  established  April,  1887,  by  the 
following  charter  members:  D.  P.  Hewett, 
W.  H.  Miller,  E.  C.  Richardson,  Joseph  Sanders, 
August  Schuster,  A.  Ward,  Jr.,  and  Thomas 
Tathan.  Present  officers:  N.  G.,  S.  S.  Thomas; 
V.  G.,  A.  Lamroux;  recording  secretary,  C.  M. 
Ryman;  treasurer,  Wendelin  Leidl ;  financial 
secretary,  N.  L.  Ward.  Membership,  eighty- 
three. 

Order  of  Rebekahs,  Leah  Rebekah  Lodge 
No.  22,  established  December,  1896,  with  the 
following  charter  members:  D.  Cram,  P.  G. , 
Ophelia  Cram,  William  Cummings,  P.  G. ,  J. 
Cummings,  W.  J.  White,  Mary  W.  White,  W.  R. 
Dunbar,  P.  G.,  M.  Susie  Dunbar,  W.  S.  War- 
wick, P.  G,  Lottie  M.  Goodnoe,  Betty  Chappell, 
S.  Lucas,  John  Konig,  Ed.  Snipes  and  O.  D. 
Sturgess,  P.  G.  Present  officers:  N.  G.,  Jennie 
N.  Darch ;  V.  G. ,  Jessie  Leonardo :  recording 
secretary,  Molly  Hutton;  financial  secretary, 
L.  A.  Duncan;  treasurer,  Gertrude  Duncan. 

Knights  of  Pythias,  Friendship  Lodge  No. 
37,  chartered  May  21,  1S90,  with  the  following 
members:  L.  J.  Whitcombe,  J.  W.  Snover, 
Mark  Patton,  B.  N.  Snover.  O.  D.  Sturgess, 
G.  W.  Stapleton.  A.  L.  Miller.  G.  W.  Billington. 
C.  B.  Johnson.  David  Beckett.  John  Cummings. 
W.  L.  Millar.  W.  H.  Leverett.  Jr..  James  Cof- 
field.  W.  H.  Ward.  R.  D.  McCuliey,  R.  E.  Jack- 
son. George  T.  McKinney,  John  A.  Benson, 
C.  R.  Van  Allstyn.    Fay   Fenton.  Will    H.    Hod- 


[38 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


son,  E.  F.  Pattern,  William  P.  Flanary,  W.  B. 
Presby,  A.  Hale,  C.  M.  Shelton  and  Joseph 
Stultz.  The  present  officers  are:  C.  C,  Mur- 
ten  Darland;  V.  C,  Clare  Wilcox;  K.  R.,  W.  F. 
Byars;  M.  F.,  Samuel  Waters;  M.  E.,  William  P. 
Flanary.     Membership,  about  one  hundred. 

Rathbone  Sisters,  Purity  Temple  No.  39, 
established  January  28,  1904,  by  the  following 
chafter  members:  Jane  Warner,  Delia  Richard- 
son, Lulu  Leverett,  Louisa  A.hola,  Molly  Ward, 
Bessie  M.  Goddard  and  Julia  Darland.  Present 
officers:  Most  excellent  chief,  Delia  Richardson  : 
secretary,  Edna  Darland:  treasurer,  Bessie  M. 
Goddard.      Membership,  fifty. 

Ancient  Order  United  Workmen,  Goldendale 
Lodge  No.  21,  established  November  1,  1893, 
with  charter  membership  as  follows:  J.  C.  Dar- 
land, C.  E.  Morris,  D.  C.  Caines,  W.  Helm,  J.  W. 
Reeder,  Daniel  Cram,  W.  R  Dunbar,  F.  C. 
Bowers  and  W.  A.  Van  Hoy.  Present  officers: 
M.  W.,  V.  M.  Van  Hook;  recorder,  D.  L.  Han- 
son; receiver,  W.  H.  Ward;  financier,  Dr.  Allen 
Bonebrake.     Membership,  thirty-four. 

Degree  of  Honor,  Temple  Lodge  No.  55, 
established  April  12,  1902,  with  following  charter 
membership:  Clara  R.  Bowers,  Jennie  Van 
Hoy,  Ella  Van  Hoy,  .Oliver  Carter,  Walter 
Glover,  Lititia  Bonebrake,  Mary  O'Neil,  Laura 
Carter,  Jessie  O'Neil  and  S.  S.  Wilson. 

Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Goldendale  Throne 
Tent  No.  19,  established  August,  1895,  with  fol- 
lowing charter  members:  G.  M.  Slocum,  W.  J. 
White,  O.  D.  Sturgess,  A.  C.  Chapman,  M.  S. 
Bishop,  I.  C.  Flanary,  J.  W.  Reeder,  M.  B.  Pot- 
ter, A.  W.  Shorter,  Wendelin  Leidl,  N.  McLeod 
and  Joseph  Beeks.  Present  officers:  P.  C,  A.  E. 
Coley;  C,  George  Hyatt;  F.  K.,  Wendelin  Leidl; 
record'keeper,  George  Hause;  L.  C,  Guy  Hause; 
S.,  Guy  Spalding. 

Ladies  of  the  Maccabees,  Goldendale  Hive 
No.  30,  established  January,  1898,  with  follow- 
ing charter  members:  Mary  Potter,  Calista  E. 
Marshall,  Mary  A.  Burgen,  Toinette  McLeod, 
Mary  L.  Darland,  Mary  B.  Shorter,  Mary  E. 
O'Neil,  H.  S.  Goddard,  Jessie  A.  Bennett, 
Lizette  Leidl  and  Mary  E.  Fuhrman.  Present 
officers:  P.  C,  Lizette  Leidl;  commander,  Nellie 
Powers;  record  keeper,  Ada  Lear;  finance 
keeper,  Mary  Coley.      Membership,  twenty. 

Woodmen  of  the  World,  Klickitat  Lodge  No. 
127,  established  January,  1893,  with  following 
charter  members:  Frank  Aldrich,  James  M. 
Van  Hoy,  Hugh  Jackson,  Frank  Sanders,  D.  W. 
Pierce,  Lewis  Johnson,  W.  J.  White,  William 
Schuster,  J.  M.  Reeder,  J.  Hopkins  and  M.  B. 
Potter.  Present  officers:  C.  C,  Dr.  Bennett; 
advisor,  William  Harris;  banker,  W.  H.  Ward; 
clerk,  W.  J.  Reeder;  P.  C,  D.  O.  Lear.  Mem- 
bership, one  hundred  and  sixty-four. 

Women  of  Woodcraft,  Ahola  Lodge  No.  246, 
established  quite  recently,  with  the  following 
charter  members:     Louvenia  P.  Hause,  Toinette 


McLeod,  Hattie  L.  Wade,  Laura  Gaunt,  Sarah 
A.  Beckett,  Ella  Sloper,  Harriett  Sunderland, 
Wilma  Nelson,  Louvenia  Carratt,  Adelia  L. 
Nelson,  J.  W.  Reeder,  W.  M.  Sloper,  Abbie  V. 
Nelson  and  Henry  Blarratt.  Present  officers: 
P.  G.  N.,  Ella  Thomas;  G.  N.,  Deede  Nelson; 
advisor,  Mary  Harris;  magician,  Louvenia  P. 
Hause;  clerk,  Mary  Chappell;  attendant,  Sadie 
Harris;  banker,  George  Hause.  Membership, 
one  hundred  and  twenty. 

United  Artisans,  Goldendale  Assembly  No. 
33,  chartered  May  16,  1896,  with  the  following 
charter  members:  N.  B.  Brooks,  O.  D.  Stur- 
gess, Rosa  A.  Brooks,  Frank  Aldrich,  Clara  J. 
Aldrich,  Lulu  B.  Leverett,  Charles  H.  Newell, 
Estella  I.  Phillips,  Mehitable  McKinney,  H.  S. 
Goddard,  John  G.  Maddock,  Mary  E.  Newell, 
K.  C.  Phillips,  Delia  L.  McCulley,  Ida  Maddock, 
Katie  Pierce,  K.  G.  Marshall,  Lizzie  B.  Alvord 
and  D.  W.  Pierce.  Present  officers:  P.  M., 
E.  O.  Spoon;  M.  A.,  Samuel  Waters;  superin- 
tendent, Mrs.  Rosa  Brooks;  inspector,  Jennie 
Darch;  secretary,  Helen  Campbell;  treasurer, 
Frank  Aldrich.  Membership,  one  hundred  and 
two. 

Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Lodge  No. 
5,899,  established  August  12,  1903,  with  the  fol- 
lowing charter  members:  William  J.  Andrews, 
Gus  Burns,  Charles  S.  Craig,  Alfred  R.  Cun- 
ningham, Lewis  Days,  Spencer  A.  Elmer,  Daniel 
Fahey,  John  L.  Hamlick,  John  O.  Harding,  John 
R.  Hill,  Uriah  H.  Myres,  Willis  B.  McLaughlin, 
Walter  C.  Oldham,  Andrew  J.  Sanders,  Albert 
O.  White,  Charles  E.  Sirton,  John  A.  White, 
Francis  H.  Smith  and  Luther  Steele.  Present 
officers:  V.  C,  J.  O.  Harding;  advisor,  W.  J. 
Andrews;  banker,  C.  S.  Craig;  clerk,  William 
Enderby.  Membership,  seventy-five.  An  aux- 
iliary lodge  of  Royal  Neighbors  is  soon  to  be 
organized. 

Order  of  Washington,  Simcoe  Union  No.  125, 
established  December  26,  1901,  with  the  follow- 
ing charter  membership:  Allen  Bonebrake, 
C.  M.  Ryman,  W.  J.  White,  E.  W.  Pike,  T.  B. 
Montgomery,  G.  H.  Roush,  A.  E.  Coley,  William 
Van  Vactor,  W.  A.  McKenzie,  Oscar  Van  Hoy, 
W.  J.  McKenzie,  W.  F.  Denniston,  C.  A.  Holder, 
T.  H.  Hill,  Fred  Nesbitt,  Elmer  Morehead,  S. 
Waters,  Mrs.  T.  B.  Montgomery,  J.  E.  Chappell, 
Mrs.  Emma  Van  Hoy,  ^G.  W.  Lawler,  W.  P. 
Rauch,  Mrs.  L.  E.  Rauch,  Fred  Bridgefarmer, 
Mrs.  Alice  Brown,  W.  L.  Harrington,  Mrs. 
Edythe  Harrington,  Mrs.  Anna  McLeod,  A. 
McLeod,  Mrs  Clara  L.  Pike,  Mrs.  Emma  Van 
Vactor,  Mrs.  Mary  McKenzie,  and  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Coley.  Present  officers:  President,  W.  A. 
McKenzie;  past  president,  T.  B.  Montgomery; 
vice-president,  A.  C.  Chapman;  chaplain,  Mrs. 
Mary  McKenzie;  secretary,  C.  M.  Ryman;  treas- 
urer, John  Smith.      Membership,  sixty. 

Besides  these  organizations,  the  city  has  one 
G.  A.  R.  post,  Baker  Post  No.  20.     There  are  at 


THE  TOWN   OF   BICKLETl 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


present  only  eighteen  members,  whose  officers 
are  as  follows:  Commander,  J.  R.  Putman; 
adjutant,  J.  A.  Stout;  quartermaster,  E.  W.  Pike; 
officer  of  the  day,  F.  B.  Stimson;  chaplain,  John 
Kurtz. 

BICKLETON. 

The  central  town  of  eastern  Klickitat  county 
is  Bickleton.  It  enjoys  an  unusually  favored 
location  in  one  of  the  finest  wheat-growing 
regions  of  Washington.  The  same  cereals  which 
bring  wealth  and  prosperity  to  its  citizens  also 
add  a  charm  to  the  landscape  in  their  season, 
presenting  an  almost  unbroken  sea  of  verdure 
during  the  spring  and  early  summer  and  a  sea 
of  gold  in  the  fall.  The  natural  beauty  of  the 
country  is  likely  to  be  the  first  thing  to  appeal 
to  him  who  visits  it  for  the  first  time,  but  it  has 
other  characteristics  which  present  themselves 
even  to  the  superficial  observer.  The  broad, 
regular  areas  of  farming  land,  green  with  the 
growing  crops  or  brown  from  the  action  of  the 
plow  and  cultivator,  the  miles  of  well-kept 
fences,  neat  farm  buildings,  and  here  and  there 
a  schoolhouse  or  a  church,  all  bear  eloquent  testi- 
mony to  the  energy  of  the  people,  and  proclaim 
that,  rich  though  the  country  may  be  in  natural 
resources,  the  prosperity  apparent  on  every  hand 
did  not  come  gratuitously,  but  is  the  result  of 
thrift  and  well-directed  effort. 

The  town,  in  its  characteristics,  is  akin  to  the 
country.  As  one  enters  it,  the  fresh-looking, 
substantial,  well-painted  buildings  make  a  favor- 
able impression  upon  his  mind,  an  impression 
which  further  investigation  tends  only  to  deepen 
and  confirm.  The  people  will  be  found  alert  and 
progressive,  and  to  possess  a  certain  geniality  of 
disposition  which,  combined  with  brightness  and 
intelligence,  makes  them  companionable  indeed. 

The  town  is  situated  upon  the  upper  edge  of 
the  prairie  at  its  junction  with  the  pine  timber 
belt  of  Simcoe  mountain.  Its  altitude  is  approx- 
imately three  thousand  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty feet.  It  is  about  twenty-five  hundred  feet 
higher  than  the  valley  of  the  Yakima  at  Mabton, 
twenty-three  miles  northeast,  and  three  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  Columbia  at  Arlington,  an 
equal  distance  almost  due  south.  While  this 
height  above  the  sea  renders  the  region  subject 
to  a  much  severer  winter  climate  than  is  found 
in  the  lower  altitudes,  it  makes  the  summers 
pleasanter  and  gives  healthfulness  and  innervat- 
ing power  to  the  atmosphere. 

From  the  timber's  edge  the  famed  wheat  pla- 
teau, at  this  point  thirty-five  miles  in  width, 
sweeps  northeastward  seventy  miles  to  the  bend 
of  the  Columbia  river.  At  Bickleton  the  view  is 
a  commanding  one.  To  the  south,  beyond  the 
Columbia,  the  shadowy  outlines  of  the  rugged 
Blue  mountain  range  in  Oregon  is  an  ever 
attractive  sight;  from  a  point  a  little  higher  up 
the  mountain  west  of  town,  the  distant  peaks  of 


Mts.  Jefferson  and  Hood  in  Oregon  may  be  seen, 
while  the  nearer  prospect  has  a  beauty  and  a 
charm  of  its  own. 

Upon  the  prepossessing  site  of  Bickleton, 
Charles  N.  Bickle,  from  whom  the  town  derives 
its  name,  settled  in  the  month  of  May,  1879,  and 
soon  he  had  built  the  first  store  in  the  county 
east  of  Rock  creek.  Le  Roy  Weaver  assisted 
him  in  the  enterprise.  Mr.  Bickle  had  come  to 
Alder  Creek  in  1878,  but  on  account  of  the 
Indian  troubles  had  returned  temporarily  to 
Goldendale.  Owing  to  the  laws  in  force  at  that 
time,  Mr.  Bickle  was  unable  to  secure  title  to  his 
claim,  so  his  brother-in-law,  John  Skiller,  took 
the  land  as  a  homestead,  and  from  him  at  an 
early  date  Mr.  Bickle  acquired  the  property. 

Time  soon  proved  that  Mr.  Bickle  had  exer- 
cised good  judgment  in  selecting  a  site  for  his 
trading  post,  for  the  settlers  of  that  region  heart- 
ily welcomed  him  and  his  business.  The  little 
store,  which  stood  on  the  corner  near  where  the 
town  well  now  is,  soon  became  the  trading  point 
of  the  region  for  miles  around,  while  the  Bickle 
home  furnished  shelter  and  temporary  accommo- 
dations to  many  a  traveler.  The  store  also 
became  a  species  of  rendezvous  for  the  Indians, 
who  were  wont  to  come  either  on  business  or  to 
lounge  and  engage  in  sports.  In  October,  1880, 
Samuel  P.  Flower,  an  Alder  Creek  pioneer  of 
1878,  joined  Mr.  Bickle  in  his  enterprise,  organ- 
izing the  firm  of  Bickle  &  Flower.  The  same  fall 
Mr.  Flower  built  a  blacksmith  shop  near  the 
store,  which  four  years  later  he  sold  to  James  C. 
Sigler.  About  the  same  time  William  Twitchell 
opened  a  like  business,  but  he  shortly  afterward 
removed  it  to  the  newly  organized  village  of 
Cleveland.  Charles  E.  Flower  erected  a  drug 
store  in  1882,  increasing  the  business  houses  of 
Bickleton  to  four,  namely,  a  general  store,  a 
hotel,  a  blacksmith  shop  and  a  pharmacy.  That 
year  also  Mr.  Bickle  formally  platted  his  town, 
while  the  government  did  what  it  could  to  help 
along  by  granting  the  settlers'  petition  for  a 
postoffice.      C.  N.  Bickle  was  its  first  postmaster. 

Bickleton's  second  general  store  was  erected 
by  J.  C.  Chamberlain  in  1883.  He  sold  out  to 
Robert  M.  Graham  some  two  years  later.  In 
1885  Dr.  Hamilton  Blair,  the  pioneer  physician, 
came  to  the  hamlet,  and  the  next  year  Harvey 
Emigh  opened  the  pioneer  meat  market. 

April  27,  1887,  the  town  of  Bickleton  experi- 
enced its  first  great  disaster.  About  noon  of  that 
day  fire  broke  out  in  Samuel  Flower's  new  dwell- 
ing, and  before  the  flames  were  extinguished, 
every  business  house  in  the  town  except  the 
blacksmith  shop  and  nearly  every  dwelling  were 
burned.  The  aggregate  loss  was  not  less  than 
twenty  five  thousand  dollars,  of  which  Flower  & 
Bickle's  loss  was  fifteen  thousand  dollars  with 
six  thousand  dollars  insurance,  and  R.  M.  Gra- 
ham's, six  thousand  dollars  with  twenty-five 
hundred  dollars  insurance. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


But  the  set-back  given  the  town  was  only 
temporary  in  its  effect.  Ten  days  after  the  fire 
Bickle  &  Flower  were  doing  business  in  a  tent. 
Soon  Mr.  Bickle  began  the  construction  of  a 
commodious  hotel,  while  Charles  Flower  rebuilt 
his  drug  store,  and  several  others  erected  new 
buildings,  all  better  than  those  destroyed.  In 
1892  Charles  W.  Chapman  opened  a  second  gen- 
eral store,  but  the  next  year  the  village  lost  Sam- 
uel P.  Flower,  who  removed  to  Mabton.  How- 
ever, his  brother  took  his  place  in  the  firm  of 
Bickle  &  Flower. 

Since  the  hard  times  Bickleton  has  grown 
very  rapidly,  the  principal  development  being 
during  the  past  five  years.  It  is  said  that  the 
population  has  doubled  during  the  last  two.  This 
growth  has  not  resulted  from  any  booming,  but 
has  been  abundantly  justified  by  development  in 
the  surrounding  country. 

Mr.  Bickle  has  long  since  disposed  of  his 
interests  in  Bickleton  and  is  now  residing  in  the 
lower  Yakima  valley.  The  principal  portion  of 
the  town  site,  which  consists  of  about  seventy 
blocks  surrounding  the  intersection  of  sections 
fifteen,  sixteen,  twenty-one  and  twenty-two, 
township  six  north,  range  twenty  east  of  the 
Willamette  meridian,  is  now  owned  by  George 
W.  McCredy.  Last  fall  the  property  owners 
replatted  the  site,  renamed  the  streets,  and  other- 
wise prepared  for  incorporation  in  the  near 
future,  and  it  is  expected  that  the  town  will  very 
soon  be  granted  corporate  powers. 

In  the  year  1880  the  settlers  around  Bickleton 
organized  school  district  No.  28  and  built,  by  vol- 
untary subscription,  a  small  box  schoolhouse,  in 
which,  during  the  winter  of  1880-81,  about  a 
dozen  pupils  were  instructed  by  H.  C.  Hackley. 
A  widow,  Mrs.  Osborne,  taught  the  second  term. 
About  this  time  the  settlers  formed  a  stock  com- 
pany and  built  a  public  hall,  twenty  by  forty 
feet  in  size,  across  from  Bickle's  store.  In  the 
course  of  the  next  two  or  three  years,  all  the 
stock  came  into  the  possession  of  C.  N.  Bickle  and 
S.  P.  Flower,  who,  in  1884,  very  generously 
donated  the  building  to  the  school  district.  At 
the  same  time  Mr.  Bickle  gave  an  acre  of  land 
for  school  site  purposes.  Another  site  was  also 
offered  by  J.  C.  Sigler,  but  not  accepted. 

To  the  Bickle  site,  a  commanding  knoll  on 
the  eastern  edge  of  the  town,  the  old  hall  was 
removed,  and  there  it  was  converted  into  a 
schoolhouse.  It  served  the  district  until  1S97, 
then  the  building  was  moved  off  the  land  to  make 
room  for  the  present  sightly,  two-story  frame 
structure.  The  contract  for  this  building  was 
let  for  thirteen  hundred  dollars,  but  a  much  bet- 
ter building  was  constructed  than  can  usually  be 
secured  for  that  amount.  Eight  grades  are 
taught,  seventy  pupils  in  all  being  enrolled. 
T.  C.  Anderson  is  principal ;  Miss  Jessie  Forker, 
assistant. 

By   no  means   an   unimportant   factor  in  the 


town's  recent  rapid  development  has  been  the 
Bickleton  News,  established  August  2,  1902,  by 
its  present  proprietor  and  editor,  S.  G.  Dorris, 
formerly  of  Oregon.  The  first  few  issues  were 
only  in  part  printed  in  the  town,  but  gradually 
the  "patent"  portion  has  been  reduced,  and 
finally  it  was  discarded  altogether.  The  News 
occupies  a  two-story  building  especially  erected 
for  its  use,  has  one  of  the  best  equipped  country 
offices  in  southern  Washington,  and  is  an  able, 
progressive,  influential  paper. 

The  only  bank  in  the  eastern  part  of  Klickitat 
county  is  the  Bank  of  Bickleton.  This  invaluable 
institution  was  organized  by  eastern  Klickitat's 
most  substantial  business  men,  farmers  and  stock- 
men, August  9,  1903,  with  a  capital  of  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars,  and  at  the  end  of  a  year's 
growth  its  affairs  are  in  a  highly,  satisfactory 
condition.  The  bank  occupies  a  fine  home,  cost- 
ing three  thousand  dollars,  on  Market  (or  Main) 
street,  and  is  equipped  with  modern  fixtures,  a 
vault,  safety  deposit  lockers,  etc.  Its  business 
connections  are  excellent.  George  W.  McCredy, 
the  well-known  Bickleton  pioneer,  is  president  of 
the  bank ;  Stephen  Matsen,  another  well-known 
pioneer,  is  vice-president,  and  Samuel  A.  Ros- 
sier,  a  man  of  successful  experience  in  the  bank- 
ing business,  is  cashier. 

The  town's  other  business  men  and  institu- 
tions are:  General  store,  Clanton,  Mitty  &  Com- 
pany, composed  of  George  W.  McCredy,  W.  T. 
Mitty,  A.  F.  Brockman  and  John  McCredy, 
carrying  the  largest  stock  in  eastern  Klickitat; 
drug  store,  Dr.  A.  F.  Brockman;  hotel,  The 
Grand,  Wilbur  C.  S.  Nye,  proprietor;  livery 
stables,  Wilbur  C.  Nye;  paints,  oils,  etc.,  E.  B. 
Pyle;  meat  market,  Flower  &  Coleman;  black- 
smith shops,  Miller  &  McLean,  Richardson  & 
Wommack;  harness  shop,  Walter  Baker;  billiard 
hall,  H.  A.  Hussey;  lumber  yard,  George  W. 
McCredy;  physicians,  Dr.  A.  F.  Brockman,  Dr. 
P.  C.  West;  veterinary  surgeon,  A.  D.  Robbins; 
barber  shop,  E.  M.  Wristen;  contractors,  Philip 
McCully,  George  W,-  Jordan,  W.  F.  Keyes;  saw- 
mill (on  head  of  Pine  creek),  George  W.  Mc- 
Credy, proprietor;  real  estate,  insurance,  Samuel 
A.  Rossier;  photographer,  John  Lodge;  stock 
dealers,  Flower  &  Coleman;  postmaster,  W.  T. 
Mitty;  stage  lines,  Arlington-Bickleton,  daily, 
operated  by  George  Van  Nostern,  Mabton-Bick- 
leton,  tri-weekly,  C.  O.  Wommack,  Cleveland- 
Bickleton,  daily,  George  Van  Nostern,  connect- 
ing with  the  Goldendale  line. 

April  15,  1904,  rural  free  delivery  postal  route 
No.  1  was  established  with  headquarters  at 
Bickleton,  Roy  McMurray.  carrier.  This  route 
is  twenty-nine  and  one-quarter  miles  in  length 
and  distributes  a  daily  mail  to  the  region  lying 
immediately  east,  north  and  west  of  Bickleton. 
Other  routes  have  been  asked  for  and  will  proba- 
bly be  created  in  the  near  future. 

The  first  Methodist  sermon  preached  in  east- 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


ern  Klickitat  county,  R.  M.  Graham  tells  us,  was 
preached  at  his  ranch  on  Alder  creek  in  1876  by 
Rev.  J.  H.  Allyn.  In  the  fall  of  1880  Mr.  Allyn 
became  the  first  pastor  of  the  Methodist  society 
which  was  that  year  organized  at  Bickleton. 
The  records  show  that  the  first  church  service 
held  was  the  quarterly  meeting,  September  18 
and  19,  1SS0,  at  which  Rev.  G.  C.  Roe,  presid- 
ing elder,  officiated,  the  meeting  taking  place  in 
the  schoolhouse.  Robert  M.  Graham  was 
appointed  class  leader;  Simeon  Bolton  and  H.  C. 
Clark,  stewards.  Rev.  Allyn  was  succeeded  in 
1882  by  Rev.  Richard  Barrett,  and  the  latter's 
place  on  the  circuit  was  taken  in  1884  by  Rev. 
John  Ostrander,  under  whose  pastorate  the  pres- 
ent comfortable,  substantial  church  was  erected 
in  1884.  Mr.  Bickle  donated  as  a  building  site 
four  lots  in  the  heart  of  the  town.  Rev.  J.  W. 
Helm  came  to  the  Bickleton  circuit  in  1885  (he 
and  Rev.  F.  R.  Spalding  held  the  first  revival 
services  that  year  which  resulted  in  twenty  addi- 
tions to  the  church) ;  the  next  year  Rev.  H.  F. 
Williams  came;  in  1887  Mr.  Helm  returned, 
remaining  two  years,  and  in  1889  the  society 
built  the  parsonage.  Rev.  A.  S.  Mulligan  came 
to  the  church  in  1889,  Rev.  T.  W.  Atkinson  in 
1892,  Rev.  Brannon  in  1893,  Rev.  J.  W.  Rigby 
in  1894,  Rev.  G.  R.  Moorhead  in  1895,  succeeded 
for  a  short  period  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Helm,  Rev.  C. 
Ellery  in  1897,  Rev.  H.  Moys  in  1898,  Rev. 
F.  L.  Johns  in  1900,  Rev.  G.  W.  White  in  1901, 
and  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  S.  E.  Hornibrook, 
in  September,  1903.  Until  recently  the  Bickle- 
ton minister  had  charge  of  services  at  Bickleton, 
the  Glade,  Enterprise  and  Pleasant  Ridge. 
Since  Mr.  Hornibrook  assumed  charge  of  the 
Bickleton  church,  the  membership  has  increased 
from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five.  They  have  just  raised  a  hundred  dollars 
with  which  to  improve  the  parsonage. 

Bickleton's  other  church  organization,  the 
First  Presbyterian,  came  into  existence  April 
19,  1903,  with  the  following  members:  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  L.  I.  Coleman,  Mrs.  Emma  McCredy, 
Arthur  Trenner,  Mrs.  Sarah  Trenner,  H.  I. 
Coleman,  Mrs.  Lavell  Coleman,  Mrs.  Florence 
Coleman,  W.  T.  Mitty  and  W.  T.  Lingo.  The 
society  was  organized  by  Rev.  James  M.  Thomp- 
son, of  North  Yakima.  Last  fall  (1903)  the 
Bickleton  society  erected  one  of  the  handsomest 
and  most  substantial  church  buildings  in  the 
county,  the  structure  costing  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars.  Rev.  William  Douglass  assumed  the 
'  pastorate  April  1,  1904,  succeeding  Rev.  J.  G. 
Hodges.     The  church  has  thirty-three  members. 

Seven  thriving  lodges  represent  Bickleton  in 
the  fraternal  world,  quite  a  strong  showing  for 
a  place  of  its  size.  Their  names,  officers,  dates 
of  establishment  and  other  data  concerning  them 
are  given  below: 

Excelsior  Lodge  No.  m,  I.  O.  O.  F. ,  was 
instituted  January  1,  1892,  by  McDonald  Pierce, 


D.  D.  G.  M.,  with  eighteen  charter  •  members. 
Since  its  establishment  the  lodge  has  been  served 
by  the  following  past  grands:  C.  N.  Bickle, 
A.  H.  Bromley,  A.  F.  Brockman,   J.  S.  Donoho, 

C.  E.  Flowers,  George  W.  McCredy,  W.  F.  Mitty, 
J.  C.  Nelson,  J.  C.  Sigler,  C.  E.  Skiller,  Guy 
Walling,     C.    G.    Wattenbarger,     E.    O.    Spoon, 

E.  F.  Flower,  H.  I.  Coleman,  H.  Jepson,  W.  T. 
Coleman,  J.  N.  Jensen,  J.  F  Coleman,  L.  J. 
Larsen,  Chris.  Larsen,  W.  T.  Lingo,  A.  J. 
Adams,  V.  W.  Harshbarger,  Delbert  Gunning, 
John  Lodge  and  Dvvight  Belknap.  At  present 
Excelsior  Lodge  has  forty-seven  members,  whose 
officers  are:  N.  G.,  I.  S.  Stone;  V.  G.,  Chris 
Ward,  Jr.  ;  financial  secretary,  A.  F.  Brockman; 
recording  secretary,  Delbert  Gunning;  treasurer, 
George  W.  McCredy;  trustees,  A.  F.  Brockman, 
J.    C.    Nelson,    A.    Sharrard;    A.    F.    Brockman, 

D.  D.  G.  M. 

Alder  Rebekah  Lodge  No.  80,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  is 
the  only  auxiliary  lodge  in  town.  It  was  insti- 
tuted March  8,  1898,  byG.  H.  Baker,  D.  D.  G.  M., 
with  twenty-two  charter  members,  of  whom  the 
following  were  the  first  officers:  Anna  E.  Brock- 
man, N.  G. ;  Eliza  A.  Bromley,  V.  G. ;  Alice  G. 
Skiller,  treasurer;  Lizzie  C.  Donoho,  secretary. 
Since  then  Eliza  A.  Bromley,  Alice  G.  Skiller, 
Alice  M.  Flower  and  Belle  Cooley  have  served 
as  noble  grands;  Mrs.  Anna  E.  Brockman  has 
also  served  as  D.  D.  G.  P.  The  lodge  now  has 
forty-two  members;  its  present  officers  are: 
N.  G.,  Ella  D.  Mitty;  V.  G.,  Lulu  Sharrard; 
treasurer,  A.  W.  Sharrard,  and  secretary,  D. 
Gunning. 

Bickleton  Camp  No.  6,249,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  was  instituted  with  nineteen  charter 
members,  March  30,  1899.  Its  first  officers  were  : 
A.  F.  Brockman,  V.  C. ;  J.  E.  Story,  W.  A. ; 
W.  H.  Bierwell,    banker;    H.   H.  Flower,    clerk; 

E.  O.  Spoon,  escort;  Ezra  Miller,  watchman; 
E.  E.  Collins,  sentry;  J.  E.  Story,  D.  S.  Jordan, 
R.  Dorothy,  managers;  examiner.  Dr.  A.  F. 
Brockman.  Since  then  D.  S.  Jordan  and  O.  J. 
Wommack  have  served  as  consuls.  This  camp 
now  as  a  membership  of  fifty;  its  officers  are: 
V.  C,  A.  F.  Brockman;  W.  A.,  D.  S.  Jordan; 
banker,  W.  D.  Hoisington;  clerk,  S.  G.  Dorris; 
escort,  J.  G.  Hoisington;  watchman,  J.  C.  Rich- 
ardson; sentry,  P.  P.  Chamberlain;  managers, 
R.  Dorothy,  E.  Gleason  and  G.  W.  Jordan;  exam- 
iner, A.  F.  Brockman. 

Bickleton  Homestead  No.  420,  Brotherhood 
of  American  Yeomen,  was  instituted  by  W.  J. 
Lippord,  December  27,  1899,  with  sixteen  char- 
ter members,  of  whom  the  following  were  chosen 
as  the  first  officers:  A.  F.  Brockman,  foreman; 
R.  Cousin,  overseer;  E.  E.  Collins,  correspond- 
ent; P.  Matsen,  M.  C.  .  J.  N.  Jensen,  M.  A. ,  A. 
Hansen,  guard;  R.  Peterson,  watchman.  The 
present  corps  of  officers  is:  Foreman,  A.  F. 
Brockman,  who  has  served  continuously  since 
1899;  overseer,  J.  Piendl;  correspondent,  Robert 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


M.  Graham;  M.  C,  P.  Matsen;  M.  A.,  J.  N.  Jen- 
sen; guard,  Dule  Shattuck;  watchman,  R.  Peter- 
son.    The  lodge  has  twenty-three  members. 

Simcoe  Lodge  No.  113,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
with  fourteen  charter  members,  was  instituted 
by  Nelson  B.  Brooks,  D.  D.  G.  C,  January  2, 
1899,  and  the  following  chosen  as  its  first  officers: 
Richard  Buckley,  P.  P.  C. ;  E.  Clanton,  C.  C. ;  S. 
Cooley,  V.  C. ;  E.  Demond,  P. ;  Isaac  Van  Nos- 
tern,  M.  of  W. :  J.  Noblet,  K.  R.  S. ;  T.  H. 
Hooker,   M.  of   E.  ;   George  Van  Nostern,  M.  of 

F.  ;  F.  W.  Sanders,  M.  of  A.  ;  E.  Hooker,  I.  G.  ; 
J.  Hooker,  O.  G.  The  roll  of  past  chancellors 
includes  Richard  Buckley,  Edward  Clanton,  S. 
Cooley,  T.  H.  Hooker,  Joseph  Noblet,  F.  W. 
Sanders,  A.  F.  Brockman,  George  Van  Nostern 
and  H.  H.  Faulkner.  At  present  Simcoe  Lodge 
has  twenty-seven  members,  and  its  officers  are 
as  follows:  C.  C,  A.  F.  Brockman;  V.  C,  J.  G. 
Hoisington;  P.,  J.  E.  Shoveland;  M.  of  W., 
Isaac  Van  Nostern;  K.  R.  S.,  Richard  Buckley; 
M.  of  E.,  T.  H.  Hooker;  M.  of  F.,  F.  W.  San- 
ders; M.  of  A.,  George  Van  Nostern;  I.  G,  O.  J. 
Wommack;  O.  G.,  C.  A.  Zyph;  trustees,  Richard 
Buckley,    O.   J.    Wommack,    C.   A.   Zyph;   D.  D. 

G.  C,  F.  W.  Sanders. 

Bunchgrass  Lodge  No.  81,  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  was  established  in  February, 
1897,  with  a  charter  membership  of  twenty-four. 
J.  W.  Rogers  became  the  lodge's  first  master 
workman:  James  Nelson,  its  second.  The  lodge 
now  has  twenty-six  members.  Its  officers  are: 
Past  master  workman,  James  Story;  master 
workman,  Stephen  Matsen:  foreman,  T.  H. 
Hooker;  financier,  E.  F.  Flower;  recorder,  J.  W. 
Rogers;  overseer,  Chris.  Larsen;  receiver,  J.  N. 
Jensen. 

Wheatland  Union  No.  175,  Order  of  Wash- 
ington, was  instituted  January  14,  1903,  by  Cap- 
tain Leonard,  its  charter  roll  containing  the 
names  of  eighteen  members.  The  lodge  has 
twenty-three  members  at  present.  Its  first  and 
present  corps  of  officers  is  as  follows:  Presi- 
dent, A.  F.  Brockman;  vice-president,  J.  Piendl; 
treasurer,  Anna  E.  Brockman ;  secretary,  S.  G. 
Dorris;  chaplain,  Emma  Piendl;  escort,  F. 
Markel;  guard,  Paul  Sholtz;  examiner,  Dr.  A.  F. 
Brockman. 

It  is  estimated  by  reliable  authorities  that  in 
1903  the  region  within  a  radius  of  ten  miles  of 
Bickleton  raised  five  hundred  thousand  bushels 
of  wheat,  besides  a  large  amount  of  barley  and 
oats  and  some  hay.  The  wheat  sold  at  an  aver- 
age price  of  between  sixty-five  and  seventy  cents 
a  bushel,  from  which  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
grain  product  alone  brought  the  farmers  of  the 
wheat  region  more  than  three  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  The  crop  was  only 
an  average  one.  Fully  fifty  thousand  head  of  sheep 
are  owned  by  Bickleton  residents  and  grazed  in 
this  region;    also  hundreds  of  neat  cattle. 

The    business    men  of    Bickleton    may   feel 


secure  in  the  knowledge  that,  with  a  surround- 
ing country  of  such  capabilities,  their  town  will 
never  lack  an  abundant  support.  Its  growth  in 
future  may  be  slow,  as  it  has  been  in  the  past, 
but  it  can  hardly  fail  to  be  steady  and  substan- 
tial. Although  the  town  will  probably  never 
gain,  unless  something  unforeseen  happens,  a 
rank  among  the  larger  cities  of  the  state,  it  will, 
at  no  distant  day,  hold  a  place  among  the  best  of 
the  secondary  cities  of  Washington.  Let  us  hope 
that  as  its  wealth  and  its  population  increase,  it 
will  lose  none  of  the  geniality  and  good-fellow- 
ship which  to-day  appeal  so  strongly  to  the 
sojourner  within  its  bounds. 

CLEVELAND. 

The  second  town  founded  in  eastern  Klickitat 
and  one  of  that  section's  present  important  trad- 
ing centers  is  Cleveland,  situated  near  the  head 
of  Wood  gulch.  Bickleton  lies  three  miles  east; 
Goldendale,  thirty  miles  southwest.  With  both 
these  places  Cleveland  has  stage  connections,  as 
also  with  Arlington,  Oregon.  Arthur  Hale 
operates  the  tri-weekly  stage  to  Goldendale; 
George  Van  Nostern,  the  daily  stage  between 
Bickleton  and  Cleveland  and  between  Cleveland 
and  Arlington. 

Cleveland  has  a  pretty  location  in  a  sort  of 
basin  on  the  lower  border  of  the  pine  forest  of 
the  Simcoe  mountains,  with  an  open  plateau 
stretching  to  the  southward.  Comfortable  farm 
buildings  and  well-cultivated  fields  cover  the 
prairie,  evincing  the  presence  of  a -thrifty  farm- 
ing population,  the  source  of  Cleveland's  pros- 
perity. As  elsewhere  in  the  eastern  end  of  the 
county,  wheat-growing  is  the  principal  industry, 
stock-raising  coming  next  in  importance. 

The  town  of  Cleveland  had  its  first  feeble 
beginnings  in  1880  or  1881  (the  date  cannot  be 
certainly  determined),  when  S.  Lowenberg,  a 
Goldendale  merchant,  established  a  branch  store 
upon  the  site  of  the  present  town.  The  land 
was  then  held  as  a  homestead  by  a  man  named 
Ripley  Dodge,  who  settled  upon  it  about  the 
year  1879.  It  is  officially  described  as  the  south- 
east quarter  of  section  thirty,  township  six 
north,  range  twenty  east.  Mr.  Dodge  opened  a 
hotel  soon  after,  and  later,  in  the  same  year, 
Frank  Remington  opened  another  store  near 
Lowenberg's,  but  he  abandoned  the  field  the  fol- 
lowing fall,  going  to  Arlington.  In  the  spring 
of  1881,  if  Edward  Morris'  memory  of  the  date  is 
correct,  a  blacksmith  shop  was  opened  on 
Dodge's  farm  by  William  Twitchell. 

Mr.  Lowenberg  had  not  been  long  in  the 
town  before  he  had  secured  the  establishment  of 
a  postoffice  and  an  appointment  as  the  first  post- 
master. But  he  stayed  in  Cleveland  only  a  year, 
selling  out  at  the  end  of  that  time  to  James  L. 
Chamberlain,  who  also  succeeded  to  the  office  of 
postmaster.  ^      j^'^ 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


'45 


About  this  time  Mr.  Dodge  formally  laid  out 
the  town,  naming  it  Cleveland,  in  honor  of 
Ohio's  great  city,  Mr.  Dodge  having  been  a 
native  of  that  state.  Before  this  time  the  settle- 
ment had  been  called  Dodgetown.  In  1895,  just 
previous  to  his  death,  Mr.  Dodge  sold  the  site  to 
William  A.  McCredy,  who  still  owns  it.  Mr. 
Chamberlain  remained  at  Cleveland  a  short  time, 
then  sold  out  his  interests,  moved  to  Prosser,  and 
became  the  pioneer  merchant  of  that  town. 
Another  of  Cleveland's  early  business  men  was 
David  Mason,  who  kept  a  drug  store  there  for  a 
short  time  during  the  eighties;  still  another  was 
George  Merton,  the  founder  of  a  small  general 
store.  The  latter  sold  out  subsequently  to 
Millard  Hackley,  who  in  turn  sold  to  Hiram 
Bloome.  Archibald  Dodge,  whose  store  was 
opened  about  1882;  J.  J.  Purviance,  who  erected 
a  furniture  store  in  1883,  and  Charles  McLean, 
who  started  the  blacksmith  shop  that  subse- 
quently became  the  property  of  George  Merton, 
are  also  to  be  mentioned  among  Cleveland's  pio- 
neer business  men. 

The  thrifty  little  town  suffered  a  disastrous 
misfortune,  Thursday  morning,  September  24, 
1896,  when  fire  swept  nearly  the  whole  business 
portion  out  of  existence.  About  daybreak  the 
fire  started  in  Bloome's  livery  barn,  and,  fanned 
by  a  strong  wind,  it  was  soon  beyond  control. 
The  business  houses  destroyed  were:  Hiram 
Bloome's  general  store,  livery  barn,  warehouse 
and  blacksmith  shop,  loss  five  thousand  dollars; 
Will  G.  Faulkner's  furniture  store,  loss  five  hun- 
dred dollars;  Paul  Beck's  hall,  and  Sherman 
Cooley's  blacksmith  shop.  Little  insurance  was 
carried.  A  general  belief  prevails  that  this 
appalling  fire  was  of  incendiary  origin.  Court- 
nay's  store  was  saved;  also  the  grist-mill,  which 
had  been  built  by  Henry  C.  Hackley  in  1890  and 
had  added  greatly  to  the  town's  prosperity. 

Many  fires  of  less  magnitude  have  visited  the 
place  at  different  times,  the  last  one,  which 
occurred  April  9,  1904,  destroying  W.  A.  Mc- 
Credy's  hotel.  John  Van  Nostern,  a  boy  asleep 
in  the  hotel  when  the  fire  started,  had  a  narrow 
escape  from  the  flames.  So  rapidly  did  the  fire 
progress  that  within  thirty  minutes  from  the 
beginning  the  building  and  its  contents  were  a 
mass  of  ruins.  The  loss  was  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars,  covered  by  five  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
insurance. 

Notwithstanding  the  terrible  blow  received 
by  the  town  in  1896,  Cleveland  was  quickly 
rebuilt  and  soon  regained  its  former  prosperity. 
Since  then  its  progress  has  been  steady,  though 
slow.  At  present  its  business  enterprises  are  as 
follows:  The  Cleveland  roller  mills,  owned  by 
Samuel  St.  Clair,  a  new  thirty-barrel,  roller  sys- 
tem plant,  operated  by  steam,  manufacturing 
several  brands  of  flour,  feed.  etc. ;  general  stores, 
Van  Nostern  Brothers,  James  and  Isaac;  drugs, 
T.  Z.  Dodson ;  harness  and  groceries,  Charles  M. 


Beck  &  Son  (C.  A.);  meat  market,  Charles  A. 
Beck;  hotels,  The  McCredy,  William  A.  McCredy, 
proprietor,  The  Cottage,  Mrs.  Ida  Eddy,  propri- 
etress; hardware,  furniture,  Will  G.  Faulkner; 
livery,  William  A.  McCredy;  blacksmith  shop, 
S.  A.  Jory;  jewelry  store,  Leonard  Jenkins; 
physician,  Dr.  T.  Z.  Dodson;  contractor,  George 
Faulkner;  postmaster,  James  Van  Nostern; 
United  States  commissioner,  Will  G.  Faulkner; 
two  public  halls. 

The  town  possesses  an  excellent  school 
taught  at  present  by  Theodore  Rolf.  Next 
winter  the  district  expects  to  employ  two  teach- 
ers, as  more  than  fifty  pupils  are  enrolled.  The 
pioneers  of  Cleveland  organized  district  No.  30  in 
the  year  1882,  erecting  a  commodious  frame 
schoolhouse,  in  which  Miss  Sadie  Murphy  taught 
the  first  school  that  fall.  This  old  building  was 
replaced  in  1898  by  a  fine  structure  costing  twelve 
hundred  dollars.  The  site  chosen  is  a  pretty 
and  commanding  one  upon  the  pine-clad  hillside 
north  of  the  business  district.  The  officers  of 
Cleveland  school  district  are  Thomas  N.  Talbert, 
J.  W.  Weer,  Will  G.  Faulkner,  directors;  Will 
G.  Faulkner,  clerk. 

The  Cleveland  Presbyterian  church  society 
was  organized  in  1884,  through  the  efforts  of 
Rev.  L.  J.  Thompson,  with  the  following  orig- 
inal members:  Rev.  L.  J.  Thompson,  Mrs. 
Nettie  Twitchell,  Mrs.  A.  A.  Faulkner,  Mrs. 
Isaac  Clark,  Mrs.  Mary  Baker,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  J.  Purviance,  and  one  or  two  others  whose 
names  could  not  be  learned.  The  manse  was 
immediately  built,  and  two  years  later  a  church 
was  erected  at  a  cost  of  perhaps  eight  hundred 
dollars,  Ripley  Dodge  donating  a  block  to  the 
society  for  building  purposes.  Revs.  Samuel 
Meyer,  B.  F.  Harper,  A.  J.  Adams,  J.  C.  Tem- 
pleton,  John  Day,  R.  B.  Hodge,  J.  G.  Hodges, 
and  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  William  Douglass, 
who  came  April  1,  1904,  have  successively  served 
the  church.  There  are  eighteen  members  con- 
nected with  the  Cleveland  church.  The  Bickle- 
ton  and  Dot  churches  are  also  presided  over  by 
Mr.  Douglass. 

Two  fraternal  orders  have  lodges  at  Cleve- 
land, the  Order  of  Washington  and  Knights  of 
the  Loyal  Guard.  Klickitat  Union  No.  185,  O. 
of  W.,  was  organized  in  December,  1902,  with 
sixteen  charter  members.  Its  principal  officers 
are:  Past  president,  Henry  Hackley;  president, 
Will  G.  Faulkner;  recording  secretary,  Joseph 
Noblet,  and  treasurer,  James  Van  Nostern.  The 
Knights  of  the  Loyal  Guard  lodge  is  three  years 
old  and  has  a  large  membership.  Both  lodges 
are  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

CENTERVILLE. 

Situated  in  the  richest  section  of  the  rich 
Klickitat  valley  and  encompassed  by  picturesque 
scenes  of  grandeur  is  the  little  town  of  Center- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ville.  It  is  located  on  a  slight  elevation  along- 
side of  what  is  known  as  the  Swale,  a  tract  of 
rich  bottom  land  about  five  by  ten  miles  in  area, 
and  for  miles  in  every  direction  it  is  surrounded 
by  the  rolling  farm  lands  of  the  Klickitat  valley. 
Centerville  is  on  the  line  of  the  Columbia  River 
&  Northern  railroad,  about  thirty-two  miles 
from  the  terminus  at  Lyle  and  seven  miles  from 
Goldendale.  A  stranger  in  this  town  is  first 
attracted  by  the  beauty  of  its  surroundings. 
The  low-lying  valley  with  its  fields  of  golden 
grain,  the  rugged  Columbia  hills  to  the  south- 
ward, the  timber-covered  Simcoe  range  to  the 
north,  away  to  the  west  the  Cascades  with  their 
giant  snow-capped  peaks,  all  unite  to  form  a 
picture  of  marvelous  beauty. 

The  site  of  the  present  town  was  taken  as  a 
pre-emption  by  Albert  J.  Brown  in  1877.  Two 
years  later  Charles  Pomeroy  built  a  blacksmith 
shop  there,  and  in  1882  Mr.  Brown  secured  the 
location  of  a  postoffice  at  that  point  and  named 
the  place  Centerville.  During  the  fall  of  the 
next  year  J.  B.  Golden  and  W.  T.  Wallace  each 
built  a  general  merchandise  store  there,  and 
Levi  Clanton  started  a  blacksmith  shop.  In  1884 
Albert  J.  Brown  sold  out  the  town  site  to  J.  B. 
Golden.  As  early  as  1878  a  Methodist  church' 
was  erected  on"  the  town  site,  and  in  1884  the 
Catholics  built  a  small  chapel.  A  livery  stable 
and  a  small  shoe  store  were  also  added  that  year, 
then  for  more  than  half  a  decade  there  was  little 
change  in  the  town. 

In  1890,  however,  Curtis,  Buford  &  Company 
added  another  general  merchandise  store,  and 
on  August  3d  of  the  same  year,  Frank  Lee  started 
an  independent  weekly  newspaper,  the  Klickitat 
Leader. 

About  this  time  the  town  began  to  take  on  a 
thrifty  appearance,  as  a  short  extract  from  the 
newly-founded  Leader  shows:  "Centerville,  in 
the  central  part  of  the  county,  is  a  prosperous, 
thriving  little  city,  whose  citizens  are  noted  for 
their  enterprise  and  push.  They  now  have 
three  churches,  a  large  schoolhouse,  several 
stores,  blacksmith  shops  and  other  places  neces- 
sary to  draw  a  large  share  of  trade  to  the  city. 
The  sales  of  several  merchants  have  run  as  high 
as  seven  hundred  dollars  a  day." 

A  few  years  ago  a  disastrous  fire  broke  out  in 
J.  R.  Harvey's  blacksmith  shop  and  destroyed 
most  of  the  business  houses  on  the  south  side  of 
the  main  street.  Besides  the  shop,  two  hotels 
and  two  stores  were  consumed  in  the  flames, 
and  only  the  brave  fight  of  the  townsmen  pre- 
vented the  destruction  of  the  entire  town,  as 
there  was  no  water  supply  in  the  place.  But  the 
town  soon  recovered  from  the  fire,  and  it  has 
enjoyed  a  steady  growth  ever  since. 

The  necessity  of  a  water  supply  has  been  con- 
tinually upon  the  minds  of  the  people.  To  pro- 
vide a  water  system  in  an  unincorporated  town 
is  a  rather  difficult  thing,  as  there  is  no  provision 


by  which  taxes  can  be  levied  to  secure  the  funds 
necessary  to  defray  the  expense.  Few  towns 
have  been  so  fortunate  in  this  respect  as  was  the 
little  city  of  Centerville.  By  a  combination  of 
circumstances,  a  forty-acre  tract  of  government 
land  was  left  unclaimed,  although  it  lay  on  the 
very  borders  of  the  town.  The  tract  naturally 
became  valuable.  Finally,  the  government  sold 
it  at  auction  to  the  highest  bidder  and  turned 
the  money  over  to  the  town,  in  all  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  forty  dollars.  It  was  decided 
at  a  meeting  of  citizens  that  this  money  could 
not  be  expended  for  a  better  purpose  than  for 
providing  a  water  supply,  and  work  upon  a  sys- 
tem was  in  due  time  commenced.  The  plant  is 
not  completed  at  this  writing,  but  a  well  has 
been  dug,  a  tank  built  and  the  necessary  pump- 
ing outfit  provided.  All  that  now  remains  to  be 
done  is  the  laying  of  water  mains  and  the  neces- 
sary plumbing. 

Before  the  establishment  of  the  town  there 
was  a  school  in  the  community,  and  as  early  as 
1884  the  census  enumeration  for  the  district 
showed  eighty-two  children,  with  a  school  attend- 
ance of  sixty-four.  There  is  now  a  large,  two- 
room,  graded  school  in  the  district,  and  two 
teachers  are  employed.  The  directors  are  T.  N. 
Crofton,  Kelly  Loe  and  U.  F.  Abshier.  The 
schoolhouse  was  erected  about  thirteen  years 
ago.     . 

A  Methodist  church  was  built  in  the  commu- 
nity as  early  as  1878,  and  a  Catholic  church  in 
18S4.  Since  that  time  the  Christian  denomina- 
tion has  been  organized  and  has  erected  a  church 
building.  The  only  organization  that  has  a  resi- 
dent pastor  is  the  Methodist,  of  which  Rev.  Ira 
E.  Webster  is  in  charge.  The  pulpits  of  the 
other  churches  are  filled  by  outside  ministers. 

Not  quite  two  years  ago  a  weekly  newspaper 
was  established  in  the  town.  As  previously 
stated,  a  paper  had  been  published  in  Centerville 
as  early  as  1S90,  but  it  suspended  publication 
after  a  few  years.  When  it  became  evident  that 
the  railroad  through  the  valley  was  a  certainty, 
Kelly  Loe  was  induced  to  undertake  the  publica- 
tion of  a  newspaper,  the  Journal.  There  is  also 
a  race-track  association  organized,  and  grounds 
have  been  laid  out  adjoining  the  town  on  the 
south  side  with  a  half-mile  track  and  a  baseball 
ground.  There  is  a  large  public  hall  in  the 
town,  owned  by  an  incorporated  company,  known 
as  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Company.  Previous  to  the 
suspension  of  the  militia  company  in  1895,  this 
was  used  as  a  drill  room;  now  it  is  utilized  as  a 
meeting-place  for  the  fraternal  organizations  and 
as  a  public  hall. 

There  are  five  fraternities  represented  in 
Centerville,  of  which  Klickitat  Lodge  No.  34, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  established  in  January,  1891,  is 
the  oldest.  The  following  are  the  names  of  its 
charter  members: 

F.  L.  Hulery,    D.  B.  Gaunt,   Ed.  Judy,  E.  S. 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


M5 


Smith,  John  Shoemaker,  A.  G.  Ward,  G.  B.  St. 
Lawrence,  C.  M.  Curtis,  Sherman  Cooley,  Peter 
Shoemaker,  G.  F.  Martin,  G.  M.  Smith,  E.  E. 
Brooks,  R.  M.  Merryman,  James  Wheelhouse, 
N.  M.  Brownlie,  George  E.  Stoughton,  Henry 
Layman,  James  Douphney  and  J.  H.  Wilder. 

The  Knights  of  Pythias  have  a  local  organiza- 
tion known  as  Mt.  Adams  Lodge  No.  95,  estab- 
lished May,  1893,  with  the  following  charter 
members:  Will  H.  Hodson,  A.  R.  Graham, 
Fred  V.  Vunk,  W.  T.  Rhodes,  Otis  Campbell, 
A.  L.  Bunnell,  Charles  F.  Jackal,  Ed.  Clanton, 
Fred  Lucas,  Fred  T.  Axtell,  Charles  S.  Baker, 
A.  C.  Short,  W.  Smith,  Thomas  Crofton,  J.  H. 
Smith,  C.  McKillip,  William  B.  Campbell,  Milo 
Moser,  J.  H.  Wagner,  G.  W.  Billington,  Robert 
McKillip,  George  Crofton,  Cyrus  Guy. 

The  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Bonanza 
Camp  No.  9,374,  was  established  March  14,  1901, 
with  the  following  charter  members:  Peter 
Ahola,  Fred  W.  Bold,  J.  T.  Carpenter,  John  W. 
Hagan,  Frank  W.  Johnson,  John  C.  Kidra, 
Henry  Lauhouse,  August  L.  Matsen,  John  M. 
Mulligan,  Singleton  D.  Smith,  John  F.  Thomp- 
son, Edward  M.  Tobin,  John  B.  Watson,  William 
Wallman,  Charles  Wiedaner,  I.  A.  Gilmore, 
Elias  Hamlin,  H.  H.  Hartley. 

The  Woodmen  of  the  World  order  is  repre- 
sented by  Centerville  Camp  No.  143.  Jacob 
Crocker,  C.  C.  ;  W.  B.  Hayden,  clerk.  This 
lodge  has  an  auxiliary,  Woodmen  of  Woodcraft, 
Ambera  Circle  No.  156.  Cora  Smith,  G.  N.  ; 
W.  B.  Hayden,  clerk. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  business  houses 
and  business  men  of  the  town: 

General  merchandise,  T.  N.  Crofton,  W.  B. 
Havden;  hardware,  U.  F.  Abshier;  hotels,  Klon- 
dyke,  T.  N.  Crofton,  proprietor,  Royal,  T.  A. 
Finch,  proprietor;  feed  store,  C.  B.  Runyan; 
clothing  store,  Joseph  Cohen;  butcher  shop,  D.  C. 
Smith;  livery  stables,  T.  N.  Crofton,  Elias 
Hamlin;  blacksmith  shops,  Levi  Clanton,  J.  R. 
Harvey;  planing  mill,  Peter  Ahola;  telegraph 
and  express  office. 

Surrounded  as  it  is  by  a  rich  and  prosperous 
farming  district,  and  now  enjoying  a  line  of  rapid 
transportation  to  the  coast,  Centerville  seems  to 
possess  certain  sure  elements  of  growth.  It 
already  has  a  population  of  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  inhabitants,  and  as  the  surrounding 
valley  is  built  up,  the  town  cannot  help  but 
increase  in  population.  Much  of  the  wheat  that 
once  went  to  The  Dalles  is  now  hauled  to  the 
railroad  at  Centerville,  whose  warehouses  con- 
tained at  one  time  as  much  as  eighty  thousand 
bushels  awaiting  shipment.  It  will  always  be  an 
important  shipping  point  of  the  Klickitat  valley. 

WHITE    SALMON, 

The  most  striking  features  of  Klickitat's 
extreme   western   river    settlement,    White    Sal- 


mon, are  its  surpassing  beauty  of  location,  its 
healthfulness  and  the  special  adaptability  of  its 
soil  and  climate  to  horticulture.  Although  the 
oldest  settlement  in  the  county  is  at  this  point, 
the  district's  development  has  been  very  slow, 
and  only  in  recent  years  have  its  rich  natural 
advantages  been  really  appreciated  by  home- 
seekers.  However,  White  Salmon  is  now  rapidly 
forging  to  the  front.  It  is  the  county's  banner 
fruit  district,  and  is  rapidly  winning  a  reputa- 
tion as  at  least  the  equal  of  Hood  River,  Oregon, 
in  the  high  quality  of  its  horticultural   products. 

Nowhere  along  the  great  river  is  the  scenery 
more  strikingly  impressive  than  at  White  Salmon, 
almost  directly  north  of  Mount  Hood  and  oppo- 
site Hood  River.  It  is  said  by  those  acquainted 
with  Balch,  that  he  drew  much  of  his  inspiration 
while  writing  the  "Bridge  of  the  Gods"  from  the 
region  surrounding  White  Salmon  and  Hood 
River,  in  which  settlements  he  served  several 
years  as  a  Congregational  minister.  At  any 
rate,  it  is  generally  conceded  that  the  scenery  at 
this  point  surpasses  that  at  any  other  along  the 
Columbia. 

The  town  of  White  Salmon  is  situated  upon 
the  high  basaltic  bluff  that  leaves  the  river  bot- 
tom a  few  rods  from  the  water's  edge  and  reaches 
upward  almost  perpendicularly  six  hundred  feet. 
From  the  river  these  gently-sloping  timbered 
heights  to  the  southward  are  indeed  picturesque. 
The  village  nestles  among  the  oaks  near  the 
edge  of  the  bluff,  and  numerous  farm  buildings 
are  to  be  seen  around  it,  while  lower  down,  upon 
the  lowlands  bordering  the  shore,  the  extensive 
strawberry  and  orchard  tracts  are  a  no  less  pleas- 
ing sight. 

At  the  boat  landing  one  is  perhaps  a  mile 
east  of  the  mouth  of  White  Salmon  river,  the 
county's  western  boundary.  Leaving  the  land- 
ing, one  may  follow  the  road  back  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  to  the  foot  of  the  towering  cliff,  then  up  a 
long  though  easy  ascent  to  the  plateau  above,  or, 
if  he  choose,  he  may  save  a  considerable  walk, 
or  ride,  by  climbing  a  flight  of  four  hundred  and 
fifty  steps,  built  recently  by  the  citizens  of  the 
town.  By  either  route,  however,  the  hill  is  soon 
scaled  and  the  little  village  reached. 

As  he  mounts  upward  and  looks  out  upon  the 
grand  panorama  spread  before  him,  the  climber 
is  recompensed  a  hundred-fold  for  his  unusual 
physical  exertion,  for  the  Columbia  at  this  point 
in  the  month  of  June,  when  the  green  of  earth, 
the  blue  of  cloudless  sky  and  the  white  of  snow-clad 
mountain  peaks  appear  to  best  advantage,  forms, 
with  its  environs,  one  of  the  grandest  scenes  in 
America.  Here  the  famed  banks  of  the  Hudson 
are  equaled  in  their  quiet,  restful  beauty,  and 
greatly  surpassed  in  grandeur.  Hundreds  of 
feet  below  the  view- point  flows  the  majestic  river 
through  its  wide  canyon — for  a  valley  can  scarcely 
be  said  to  exist.  The  blue-green  tinted  waters 
under  the  rays  of  the  sun  appear  at  times  like  a 


146 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


great  lake  of  molten  glass,  at  times  they  sparkle 
like  gems  or  quiver  in  the  wind,  or  are  lashed 
into  white-capped  billows  by  the  stiffening 
breeze,  but  they  are  ever  majestic,  ever  beauti- 
ful. More  than  twenty-five  miles  of  shore  line 
may  be  seen,  from  historic  Mimaluse  island 
above  one's  view-point  to  the  Cascade  locks, 
twenty  miles  below. 

Just  across  the  river  lies  the  noted  town  of 
Hood  River,  Oregon,  and  behind  it  upon  much 
higher  ground  the  valley  which  bears  the  same 
name,  dotted  with  homes  and  farm  buildings. 
A  dozen  river  towns  may  be  seen  along  the  line 
of  the  O.  R.  &  N.  railroad  on  the  Oregon  bank, 
while  the  hillsides  on  either  shore,  both  up  and 
down  the  river,  are  sprinkled  with  smaller  settle- 
ments and  individual  homes.  To  the  west  the 
forest-covered  summit  of  the  Cascades  rises  in 
ragged  lines,  dividing  two  states,  each  into  two 
distinct  physical  divisions.  But  the  crowning 
glory  of  the  region  is  Mount  Hood,  thirty  miles 
southeast  of  White  Salmon,  yet  appearing  almost 
at  hand,  so  vividly  does  it  loom  up  against  the 
sky.  Its  magnificent  proportions  are  awe-inspir- 
ing, its  coloring  is  grand,  its  glistening,  change- 
less peak,  eleven  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty 
feet  above  the  Columbia,  never  loses  its  power 
to  enthrall. 

Directly  north  of  White  Salmon,  shut  out 
from  sight  by  the  foothills,  is  Mount  Adams,  fifty 
miles  away.  Between  it  and  the  river  is  a  con- 
siderable farming  and  stock-raising  country,  all 
of  which  is  reached  most  conveniently  from 
White  Salmon.  These  settlements  include 
Camas  Prairie,  Glenwood,  Trout  Lake,  Fulda, 
Gilmer  and  Pine  Flat.  Two  lines  of  stages  are 
operated  between  White  Salmon  and  these 
points;  in  fact.  White  Salmon  is  the  gateway  to 
the  whole  interior  region.  The  Bingen  settle- 
ment lies  on  the  river  just  east  of  White  Salmon 
and  is  closely  affiliated  with  the  latter  commer- 
cially and  socially. 

Practically  all  the  cultivated  region  in  and 
around  the  town  is  devoted  to  horticulture,  prin- 
cipally to  the  production  of  strawberries.  A 
careful  estimate  places  the  number  of  acres  in 
the  White  Salmon  district  devoted  to  strawber- 
ries at  nearly  two  hundred,  while  as  great  an 
area  is  producing  apples,  cherries,  peaches, 
grapes  and  other  fruits.  Steamboat  Agent 
Gladden  estimates  that  White  Salmon  ships 
annually  10,000  crates  of  strawberries,  10,000 
cases  of  tomatoes,  full  half  as  many  boxes  of 
apples,  between  2,000  and  3,000  sacks  of  pota- 
toes, and  1,000  boxes  of  peaches,  besides  large 
amounts  of  other  products.  Trout  Lake  is  at 
present  shipping  through  White  Salmon  1,800 
pounds  of  cheese  and  1,000  pounds  of  butter  a 
week.  In  December,  1903,  the  freight  receipts 
at  this  point  were  $160;  in  May,  1904,  the  amount 
reached  $900.  These  figures  are  more  elo- 
quent   than    a   volume  of   description   in    show- 


ing the  wealth  and  productiveness  of  the  region, 
which  is  a  comparatively  small  one  in  tillable 
area. 

Because  of  its  location  in  the  mountains  amid 
groves  of  pine  and  oak  and  beside  the  great 
stream  of  swiftly -moving  water,  the  region  is  one 
of  the  healthiest  that  can  be  imagined.  Pure 
water,  pure  air,  sunshine  and  cooling  breezes 
and  a  comparatively  even  temperature  are  all 
characteristic  of  the  place  and  really  fit  it  for  a 
health  resort.  The  winters  are  mild  and  short, 
owing  to  the  low  altitude;  the  summers  delight- 
ful in  every  respect. 

White  Salmon,  the  town,  is  of  recent  origin, 
though  the  settlement  is  the  oldest  in  the  county, 
Erastus  S.  Joslyn  and  his  wife  having  come  to 
what  is  now  known  as  the  Byrkett  ranch  in  1852. 
However,  the  growth  of  the  community  was 
slow,  largely  due  to  the  absence  of  transportation 
facilities.  About  1868,  as  near  as  can  be  learned, 
the  few  settlers  there  obtained  a  postoffice,  J.  R. 
Warner  becoming  the  first  postmaster.  He  lived 
two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  town,  or  at  what  is 
now  Bingen  Landing,  then  called  Warner's 
Landing.  The  postoffice  was  maintained  there, 
according  to  the  statement  of  A.  H.  Jewett,  a 
pioneer  of  the  year  1874,  until  1880,  when  Jacob 
H.  Hunsaker  established  the  community's  pio- 
neer store  and  succeeded  Douglass  Suksdorf  as 
postmaster.  Hunsaker  built  his  store  upon  the 
site  now  occupied  by  C.  M.  Wolfard's  store  in 
the  town  of.  White  Salmon,  and  with  it  the  pres- 
ent town  had  its  beginning. 

In  1891  G.  A.  Thomas  opened  a  store  on  the 
Camas  Prairie  road,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above 
Hunsaker's  place.  Thomas  conducted  his  store 
until  1903,  when  it  was  consolidated  with  Wol- 
fard's. A.  S.  Blowers  succeeded  Hunsaker  in 
1892,  Rudolph  Lauterbach  succeeded  Blowers 
two  years  later,  then  L.  C.  Morse  became  store- 
keeper and  postmaster.  Subsequently  Wolfard 
&  Bone  bought  out  Morse,  and  finally  the  prop- 
erty and  postmastership  passed  into  the  hands  of 
C.  M.  Wolfard.  Mr.  Wolfard  is  still  the  town's 
postmaster.     He  also  keeps  a  general  store. 

With  the  development  of  the  district's  straw- 
berry industry,  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
nineties,  came  a  rapid  settlement,  creating  a 
strong  demand  for  a  town  upon  the  Washington 
shore.  So  in  the  fall  of  1901  A.  H.  Jewett  pur- 
chased the  old  Cameron  farm  of  Ward  Brothers 
and  platted  the  present  town  of  White  Salmon. 
The  land  was  originally  a  portion  of  a  railroad 
section,  but  was  acquired  by  R.  Hanson  in  the 
seventies.  He  later  transferred  the  claim  to 
Ronald  D.  Cameron.  After  platting  the  town, 
Mr.  Jewett  at  once  began  the  installation  of  a 
fine  water  system  which  is  now  nearly  completed. 
He  uses  a  Rife  hydraulic  pump  capable  of  rais- 
ing ten  gallons  a  minute,  two  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  high  through  a  half  mile  of  pipe. 
The  water  is  pumped  from  a  large   spring,  north 


KLICKITAT    COUNTY. 


147 


of   the   church,   and  distributed   by  a  system  of 
wooden  and  iron  mains. 

In  the  fall  of  1902  Frank  Broshong  opened  a 
blacksmith  shop  on  the  townsite;  Crow  &  Gear- 
hart  built  a  drug  store  in  SeptemDer,  1903;  A.  J. 
Rath  next  established  a  variety  store,  and  then 
the  hotel  and  other  business  nouses  at  present 
constituting  the  town  were  erected  and  opened 
for  trade  in  rapid  succession.  The  town's  busi- 
ness houses  are,  therefore,  all  new  and,  be  it 
said  to  the  people's  credit,  substantial  and  well 
equipped.     They  may  be  listed  as  follows: 

Two  general  stores,  C.  M.  Wolfard  and  Bal 
siger  Brothers;  hotel,  Hyting  Brothers;  clothing, 
men's  furnishings,  J.  A.  Fanning;  drugs,  L.  J 
Wolfard:  brickyard,  A.  H.  Jewett,  proprietor, 
capacity,  eight  thousand  a  day:  meat  market. 
C.  S.  Bancroft;  dry  goods,  notions,  Mrs.  Jennie 
Green ;  jewelry  store,  E.  H.  Dreske ;  confection- 
ery, M.  C.  Fox;  blacksmiths,  Frank  Broshong. 
James  Hancock;  real  estate  dealers,  J.  W.  Eber- 
hart,  Harlan  &  Crow;  contractors,  (F.  L.)  Rose- 
grant  &  (O.  W.)  Eberhart.  Dr.  J.  W.  Gearhart 
is  the  town's  physician;  Dr.  M.  A.  Jones,  its 
dentist. 

The  White  Salmon  Enterprise,  a  neatly 
printed  weekly,  was  established  by  Thomas 
Harlan,  May  8,  1903,  and  in  its  existence  of  a 
little  more  than  a  year  it  has  met  with  a  gratify- 
ing success. 

This  summer  J.  W.  Lauterbach  is  erecting  in 
White  Salmon  a  modern  hotel,  to  be  complete  in 
all  its  appointments  and  to  cost  at  least  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  The  hotel  cannot  but  lend  a  con- 
siderable impetus  to  the  community's  growth. 

The  attractive  Jewett  resort,  situated  on  the 
heights  half  a  mile  east  of  town,  is  certainly  wor- 
thy of  mention.  Here  Mr.  Jewett,  pioneer  and 
owner  of  the  town  site,  has  laid  out  grounds  and 
gardens  surrounding  his  home  that  surely  rival  any 
to  be  found  on  the  Columbia,  and  when  the  natural 
forest  on  the  farm  is  transformed  into  parks  and 
his  new  building  is  erected,  both  of  which 
improvements  are  contemplated,  Jewett  resort 
will  be  a  much  frequented  place. 

White  Salmon  landing  was  built  eight  years 
ago  at  a  cost  of  two  thousand  dollars,  subscribed 
in  labor  and  money  by  the  settlers  on  the  Wash- 
ington shore.  In  March,  1903,  they  gave  the 
improvements  to  The  Dalles,  Portland  & 
Astoria  Navigation  Company,  with  the  under- 
standing that  the  corporation  was  to  maintain 
them.  This  company,  better  known  as  the 
Regular  company,  operates  four  passenger  steam- 
ers, the  Bailey  Gatzert,  Regulator,  Dalles  City 
and  Sadie  B.,  and  three  other  freight  and  passen- 
ger boats,  the  Hercules.  Tahoma  and  the  Met- 
lako,  all  of  which  call  regularly  at  White  Salmon, 
giving  the  town  a  daily  service.  The  Charles  R. 
Spencer  also  calls  daily  at  White  Salmon,  besides 
which  there  is  a  ferry  plying  between  there  and 
Hood   River.     To   The   Dalles,   the   distance  by 


river  is  twenty-one  and  a  half  miles;  to  Portland, 
ninety-three.  J.  R.  Gladden  took  charge  of  the 
White  Salmon  office  for  the  Regular  line  last 
December. .  To  him  acknowledgments  are  due 
for  much  information  and  many  courtesies. 

As  nearly  as  can  be  learned,  the  White  Sal- 
mon school  district  was  organized  about  1876. 
Two  schoolhouses  were  built,  one  near  Salmon 
falls,  the  other  on  the  present  townsite.  An  old 
German  named  Levison  was  the  pioneer  school 
teacher,  teaching  first  at  the  falls,  then  at  the 
other  building.  The  next  school  was  held  in  a 
cabin  on  Jewett's  place.  The  district  was 
divided  in  1880,  and  that  year  the  White  Salmon 
district  proper  built  a  new  schoolhouse  at  a  cost 
of  five  hundred  dollars.  This  building  is  now 
being  replaced  by  a  four-room  structure,  having 
a  stone  basement  and  furnace.  To  erect  it  the 
district  issued  eighteen  hundred  dollars  in  bonds 
last  spring.  Professor  C.  L.  Colburn  and  Miss 
Georgia  Johnson  constitute  the  staff  of  teachers; 
the  school  board  is  composed  of  S.  C.  Ziegler, 
S.  W.  Condon  and  J.  P.  Jensen. 

White  Salmon  has  one  church,  Bethel  Con- 
gregational, the  only  Congregational  church  in 
the  county.  Bethel  church  was  organized  May 
7,  1879,  by  Rev.  George  H.  Atkinson,  with  Mrs. 
J.  R  Warner,  Mrs.  Cynthia  E.  Warner,  Mrs. 
Arabella  Jewett,  A.  J.  Thompson,  John  Purser, 
Mrs.  Mary  Purser,  George  Swan,  Mrs.  Mary 
Anne  Swan  and  Mrs.  Martha  Purser,  as  its  first 
members.  The  following  September  a  site  was 
chosen  within  the  present  town  limits,  and  the 
commodious  edifice  still  in  use  was  erected. 
Dr.  Atkinson  dedicated  the  building  October 
26,  1879,  in  the  presence  of  forty-six  people. 
Rev.  U.  Lyman  came  to  the  church  from  Forest 
Grove  in  1880,  then  Rev.  E.  P.  Roberts  supplied 
the  pulpit  for  a  short  time,  and  the  next  fall  Rev. 
U.  S.  Lyman,  of  Oberlin,  Ohio,  assumed  the  pas- 
torate. Rev.  F.  H.  Balch,  who  later  became  widely 
known  as  the  author  of  ' '  The  Bridge  of  the  Gods, 
occupied  the  pulpit  of  Bethel  church  during  the 
years  1884  and  1885,  at  the  same  time  serving 
Congregational  churches  at  Lyle  and  Hood 
River.  Bethel  church  was  reorganiezd  in 
March,  1901,  since  which  time  Revs.  U.  S. 
Drake  and  L.  Cone  Garrison,  the  present  pastor, 
have  been  resident  ministers.  During  the  past 
year,  under  Mr.  Garrison's  leadership,  the  church 
has  erected  a  fine  parsonage  costing  eight  hun- 
dred dollars. 


""'' There  are  few  small  towns  more  favorably 
located  both  from  a  natural  ant  a  business  stand- 
point than  the  little  village  of  Lyle  at  the  termi- 
nus of  the  Columbia  River  &  Northern  railroad. 
Situated  as  it  is,  at  the  point  where  the  Klickitat 
river  adds  its  waters  to  the  Columbia,  it  is  the 
natural  railroad  outlet  for  the  whole  Klickitat 
valley.      It  is  also   the  only  port  of  any  impor- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


tance  in  the  county,  with  the  one  exception  of 
White  Salmon,  that  has  unobstructed  navigation 
to  Portland.  With  these  points  of  advantage  in 
its  favor,  Lyle  will  naturally  develop  in  a  very 
few  years  into  a  city  of  considerable  importance. 

At  an  early  date  James  O.  Lyle  perceived 
that  this  location  had  advantages  which  would 
some  day  lead  to  its  development  into  an  impor- 
tant trade  center,  and  in  May,  1878,  he  pur- 
chased the  site  of  the  present  town  from  J.  M. 
Williamson.  Two  years  later  he  laid  off  the 
town  and  named  it  Lyle.  In  1878  a  postoffice 
had  been  established  at  that  place,  known  as 
Klickitat  Landing,  but  after  the  town  was 
platted,  the  postoffice  also  took  the  name  of 
Lyle.  James  O.  Lyle  built  a  store  on  the  new 
townsite,  and  Joseph  Clark  also  started  a  store 
there  and  ran  it  about  two  years.  The  next 
store  was  started  upon  the  hill  about  two  miles 
northwest  of  town  by  Mrs.  Hensen.  The  third 
store  in  the  town  proper  was  that  of  Collins 
Elkins,  who  built  in  1897.  He  sold  out  recently. 
In  1898  John  Kure  erected  the  Riverside  hotel; 
two  years  later  another  store  was  built  by 
Mclnnis  McLeod,  and  shortly  afterward  another 
hotel  by  John  Daffron. 

As  soon  as  work  on  the  Columbia  River  & 
Northern  railroad  was  commenced  in  1902,  the 
town  received  a  new  impetus,  and  it  has  been 
steadily  growing  ever  since.  The  chief  draw- 
back to  its  growth  has  been  the  fact  that  until 
recently  it  was  impossible  to  buy  a  building  site, 
as  the  town  property  was  withheld  from  sale  by 
the  Balfours,  who  bought  out  Mr.  Lyle  in  1892. 
These  gentlemen  sold  all  the  land  lying  between 
the  river  and  the  railroad  to  the  Columbia  River 
&  Northern  Railroad  Company,  a  short  time  ago, 
however,  for  twenty-two  thousand  dollars,  and 
this  tract  has  been  placed  on  the  market  at  from 
two  hundred  and  fifty  to  five  hundred  dollars  a 
lot,  so  that  the  greatest  obstacle  to  progress  has 
been  removed.  The  Balfours  still  own  all  the 
land  along  the  north  side  of  the  track. 

Adjoining  the  town  on  the  north  is  the  large 
stock  farm  of  Balfour  &  Magan,  embracing  about 
twelve  hundred  acres  of  land,  much  of  which  is 
valuable  only  as  a  cattle  range.  About  ten  acres 
are  devoted  to  a  prune  and  pear  orchard,  and  the 
farm  is  provided  with  a  drier  where  the  prunes 
are  prepared  for  shipment.  On  the  place  are 
also  about  sixty-five  acres  of  alfalfa  which  yields 
well,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  ground  is 
not  irrigated. 

Owing  to  its  location  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Klickitat  river,  the  town  of  Lyle  has  an  abun- 
dance of  water  and  unused  power,  the  falls  of 
the  Klickitat  being  only  three  miles  away.  Here 
a  large  volume  of  water  is  forced  through  a  nar- 
row chasm,  furnishing  an  abundance  of  unhar- 
nessed power.  It  is  probable  that  in  past  ages 
the  water  at  this  point  fell  sheer  over  the  face  of 
the  rock  for  some   distance,  but  as  years  went  by 


the  rock  was  worn  away  until  little  more  than 
a  rapids  remains.  With  a  reasonable  outlay  this 
power,  now  allowed  to  go  to  waste,  can  be  util- 
ized either  in  operating  the  Columbia  River  & 
Northern  railroad  or  for  turning  the  wheels  of 
industry  in  the  town  of  Lyle,  or  both. 

The  canyon  of  the  Klickitat  is  one  of  the 
grandest  and  most  picturesque  along  the  Colum- 
bia. On  either  side  the  grass-clad  hills  rise  a 
thousand  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river,  along 
which  the  railroad  winds  in  graceful  curves.  At 
times  the  scene  changes  and  a  magnificent 
thicket  of  green  scrub  oaks  crowns  the  hills  with 
verdure,  while  below  the  rushing  stream  dashes 
madly  down  the  canyon.  This  stream,  notwith- 
standing the  swift  current,  is  the  home  of  many 
fine  fish,  a  fact  which,  combined  with  many 
other  advantages  of  the  region,  may  cause  Lyle 
to  become  in  the  near  future  a  popular  summer 
resort. 

The  principal  exports  from  the  town  of  Lyle 
are  grain,  cattle,  sheep,  lumber,  fruit,  both 
green  and  dried,  vegetables  and  dairy  products. 
Since  the  building  of  the  Columbia  River  & 
Northern  railroad  practically  all  goods  brought 
into  the  Klickitat  valley  and  all  products  taken 
out  of  it  are  shipped  through  Lyle. 

An  interesting  fact  about  the  town  of  Lyle  is 
that  F.  H.  Balch,  the  author  of  that  famous  story, 
based  on  Indian  tradition,  "The  Bridge  of  the 
Gods,"  was  born  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the 
town.  Many  of  the  people  now  living  in  that 
neighborhood  knew  him  well  during  his  youth 
and  early  manhood.  They  describe  him  as  a  man 
of  slight  frame  and  delicate  constitution ;  alto- 
gether a  very  ordinary  person,  in  whom  they 
could  detect  very  few  indications  of  genius. 
They  are  inclined  to  believe  that  he  is  very  much 
over-estimated  and  that  the  popularity  he  has 
received  is  for  the  most  part  due  to  the  local 
color  of  the  book.  It  is  generally  conceded,  how- 
ever, that  he  was  well  informed  on  the  traditions 
and  legends  of  the  Indian.  Those  were  his 
favorite  theme  in  conversation,  and  he  spent 
much  time  in  reading  and  studying  Indian  cus- 
toms and  habits.  As  most  of  his  life  was  spent 
along  the  Columbia  river,  he  had  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  study  the  country  of  which  he 
wrote.  The  island  burial-place  of  the  red  men 
lies  just  beyond  Lyle,  and  only  a  few  miles  fur- 
ther down  the  river  is  the  site  of  the  supposed 
natural  bridge,  which  was  the  chief  subject  of 
Balch's  romance.  After  his  death,  F.  H.  Balch 
was  brought  back  to  Lyle  and  his  remains  are 
buried  in  the  old  cemetery  near  the  home  of  his 
youth. 

Three  years  ago  a  school  was  organized  in 
Lyle,  but  no  building  has  as  yet  been  erected. 
Plans  are  now  under  consideration,  however,  for 
the  building  of  a  schoolhouse,  and  there  is  also  a 
movement  on  foot  to  organize  and  build  a  Meth- 
odist church,    grounds  for  which    the   company 


KLICKITAT     COUNTY. 


(49 


that  owns  the  townsite  has  already  donated. 
The  only  fraternity  represented  in  the  town  is  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  of  which  Estes 
Lodge  No.  9,502  was  established  in  April,    1901. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  business  houses 
in  Lyle:  General  merchandise,  Collins  Elkins 
and  the  Lyle  Trading  Company,  Mclnnis 
McLeod.  proprietor;  hotel,  the  Lyle,  John 
Daffron,  proprietor;  livery  stable,  John  Daffron ; 
blacksmith  shop,  Albert  B.  French. 

There  are  few  towns  on  the  upper  Columbia 
that  have  brighter  prospects  for  future  growth 
than  this  interesting  little  settlement  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Klickitat,  and  if  ever  a  railroad  is 
built  down  the  north  bank  of  the  river,  so  that 
Lyle  will  have  direct  communication  by  rail  with 
the  outside  world,  the  development  of  the  little 


town  on  the  banks  of  the  Columbia  will  surely 
be  great  indeed. 

POSTOFFICES. 

The  Postal  Guide  of  1903  gives  the  postoffices 
in  Klickitat  as  follows:  Bickleton,  Bingen, 
Blockhouse,  Centerville,  Cleveland,  Columbus, 
Expansion,  Firwood,  Fulda,  Furman,  Glenwood, 
Goldendale,  Grand  Dalles,  Guler,  Hartland,  Huit, 
Husum,  Jersey,  Lucus,  Lyle,  Patterson,  Pleas- 
ant, Snowden,  Teller  and  White  Salmon.  At 
most  of  them  are  a  general  store  and  a  black- 
smith shop,  around  which  has  grown  up  a  thickly 
settled  community.  Many  of  them  have  excel- 
lent sites  and  may  some  day  develop  into  thriv- 
ing towns. 


PART   III. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY 


PART  III. 
HISTORY  OF  YAKIMA  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  I. 


CURRENT    HISTORY— 1860-1877. 


No  attempt  shall  here  be  made  to  determine 
who  first  of  the  trappers  and  fur  traders  whose 
operations  have  been  briefly  outlined  in  previous 
pages  visited  the  Yakima  country.  Neither  is  it 
practicable  to  detail  the  wanderings  and  vicissi- 
tudes of  these  nomadic  traffickers  within  the 
limits  of  the  territory  forming  the  subject-matter 
of  this  volume,  for  at  the  time  of  their  opera- 
tions territorial,  state  or  county  lines  had  not 
been  drawn,  and  there  is  a  haziness  about  such 
meager  accounts  as  have  come  down  to  us,  which 
makes  it  difficult  at  times  to  determine  with  cer- 
tainty just  where  a  given  event  took  place.  So 
far  as  known  no  sectional  history  of  the  fur  trade 
has  ever  been  attempted,  and  it  is  doubtful 
whether  any  such  could  be  successfully  compiled. 
The  historian  of  the  fur  trade,  to  produce  a  read- 
able work,  must  do  as  did  Washington  Irving  in 
describing  the  adventures  of  Bonneville,  follow 
in  his  narrative  the  wanderings  of  his  nomadic 
hero  wheresoever  they  may  lead  him. 

All  sojournings  by  these  nomadic  merchants 
were  of  a  temporary  character,  and  though  a 
small  fort  was  built  by  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany on  the  banks  of  the  upper  Columbia,  the 
purpose  of  it  and  of  every  other  establishment 
made  by  them  was  to  drain  the  country  of  its 
wealth  of  peltry,  not  to  develop  its  latent 
resources. 

More  noble  in  the  motives  which  impelled 
them  hither,  though  not  more  potent  to  effect 
anything  like  an  industrial  development  of  the 
country  or  any  part  of  it,  were  the  zealous  Jesuit 
priests  who  first  made  their  appearance  among 
the  aborigines  of  central  Washington.      In  recent 


years  a  contest  was  had  affecting  the  title  to  four 
hundred  and  forty-seven  acres  of  land  in  Yakima 
county  adjoining  the  present  Yakima  Indian 
reservation,  which  tract  was  claimed  by  Catholics 
by  virtue  of  their  having  a  mission  established 
upon  it  prior  to  the  organization  of  Washington 
territory  and  the  passage  of  the  Organic  Act 
containing  a  proviso  that  title  to  lands  not 
exceeding  six  hundred  and  forty  acres,  occupied 
at  that  date  (March  2,  1853)  for  mission  purposes, 
should  be  confirmed  to  the  religious  society  to 
which  said  missionary  station  belonged.  The 
testimony  in  this  contest  showed  that  a  mission 
was  established  in  the  spring  of  1852  by  Fathers 
Chironse  and  Herlomez.  The  Ahtanum  mis- 
sion, as  it  came  to  be  called,  was  maintained 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  war  of  1855,  the  prog- 
ress of  which  forced  its  abandonment.  The  mis- 
sion house  was  burned  in  November  of  that  year 
by  the  regulars  under  Major  Rains  and  volun- 
teers under  Colonel  Nesmith,  the  reason  for  this 
destruction  of  property,  it  is  said,  being  that  the 
Catholic  missionaries  were  supposed  to  have 
sympathized  with  and  aided  the  Indians.  Father 
Pandozy  is  mentioned  as  one  of  the  priests  who 
was  in  the  country  at  the  time  of  the  war. 

There  is  one  man  now  living  within  the  limits 
of  Yakima  county  who  looked  upon  its  crystal 
streams,  sage  brush  hills  and  beauti.ul  moun- 
tains as  early  as  1853.  It  is  believed  that  to  him 
belongs  the  honor  of  having  passed  through  it  at 
an  earlier  date  than  any  other  white  man  now 
living  in  the  county.  The  gentleman  who  has 
this  splendid  distinction  is  the  veteran  pioneer  of 
the  west,  David  Longmire.      During  those  Octo- 


FLOWING   WELLS    NEAR    NORTH    YAKIMA. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


ber  days  of  so  long  ago,  and  now  of  necessity  so 
misty  in  his  memory,  he  passed  up  the  Yakima 
valley  and  over  the  Cascade  mountains  by  the 
Naches  gap.  He  was  then  but  nine  years  old. 
He  found  on  the  site  of  his  present  home  a  sub- 
chief  of  the  Klickitats  by  the  name  of  Owhi, 
from  whom  the  party  to  which  he  belonged  pur- 
chased a  quantity  of  potatoes  that  had  been 
grown  on  the  land.  Some  of  the  details  of  his 
transcontinental  trip  were  thus  narrated  by  him 
to  a  reporter  of  the  Seattle  Times  and  later  to 
the  writer: 

"In  the  month  of  March,  1853,  my  father  and 
mother,  in  company  with  thirty  other  families, 
left  Franklin  county,  Indiana,  for  Portland,  Ore- 
gon, traveling  across  the  country  by  ox  teams. 
November  16th  of  that  same  year  we  reached 
Olympia. 

"We  followed  the  old  Oregon  trail  down  the 
Snake  river,  crossed  the  Blue  mountains  into  the 
Umatilla  country,  then  journeyed  to  the  north- 
ward, passing  over  the  waters  of  the  Columbia 
at  Wallula.  Walla  Walla  had  not  at  that  time 
been  thought  of.  At  Wallula  the  Hudson's  Bay 
Company  had  its  fort,  an  old  adobe  building. 

"An  old  Indian  chief  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Yakima  river  killed  one  of  his  best  and  fattest 
steers  for  us  and  sold  the  meat  at  fifteen  cents  a 
pound.  Father  was  made  weigh-master.  Peo- 
peo-mox-mox,  for  such  was  the  Indian's  name, 
was  a  kind  chief.  He  did  not  want  us  to  cross 
the  Cascades,  and  with  other  Indians  tried  to 
persuade  us  to  go  to  the  Colville  reservation. 

"But  we  did  not  let  them  dissuade  us  from 
executing  our  original  plans.  We  crossed  the 
Yakima  at  its  mouth  and  came  up  on  the  east 
side,  Indians  following  us  all  the  way  by  thou- 
sands. There  were  thousands  of  them  at  that 
time  in  the  Yakima  country.  Our  wagons  were 
great  curiosities,  for  they  were  the  first  they  had 
ever  seen  and  the  first  to  be  brought  up  the 
Yakima  valley  and  over  the  Cascade  range. 

"Not  a  white  man  lived  in  the  valley  at  the 
time,  save  two  Catholic  priests,  one  at  Tampico 
and  the  other  on  the  ground  taken  by  George 
Taylor  in  1865  as  a  homestead.  It  is  opposite  the 
present  George  Hall  ranch. 

"In  October  we  wended  our  way  up  toward 
the  head  of  the  Wenas  creek,  and  in  due  time 
we  began  the  ascent  of  the  Naches  river,  the 
Indian  name  for  which  was  Noch-cheese,  mean- 
ing swift  water.  There  were  no  wagon  roads  in 
either  the  Yakima  or  the  Naches  country,  so  we 
were  pioneers  in  the  matter  of  road-making. 
We  had  to  ford  the  Naches  something  like  forty 
times  before  we  entered  the  mountains.  The 
Indian  trail  was  all  right  for  single  horses,  but 
hauling  wagons  over  it,  even  after  the  trees  had 
been  cut  down  to  make  it  wider,  was  simply  out 
of  the  question.  We  could  not  follow  the  trail 
at  all,  only  in  a  general  way.  General  George  B. 
McClellan,   who   was   located   at    Steilacoom    in 


that  year,  was  sent  over  the  trail  to  examine  it 
relative  to  the  feasibility  of  making  it  passable 
for  wagons,  but  we  had  made  the  road  before 
the  government  got  around  to  it. 

"In  1854  the  government  made  an  appropria- 
tion for  the  improvement  of  the  road,  but  after 
the  outbreak  of  the  Indian  war  it  fell  into  disuse 
and  became  so  overgrown  with  brush  and  clogged 
with  fallen  logs  that  it  had  to  be  abandoned 
entirely. 

"We  reached  the  top  of  the  mountain  all 
right,  taking  our  outfit  with  us,  and  then  the 
question  was  how  to  get  down  the  other  side. 
We  found  it  necessary  to  use  ropes  to  lower  the 
wagons.  After  ten  days  of  the  hardest  toil,  we 
managed  to  overcome  the  obstacles  presented  by 
the  almost  impenetrable  forest  and  sharp  decliv- 
ities of  the  west  side,  and  at  length  we  reached 
Olympia  in  safety. 

"The  Indians  of  those  days  were  not  treated 
altogether  right  by  the  white  men  who  came  in 
to  take  their  lands.  I  remember  well  the  two 
Nisqually  chiefs,  Leschi  and  Quiemuth,  coming 
from  a  treaty-making  meeting  with  Governor 
Stevens.  They  stopped  in  front  of  our  house  on 
Yelm  prairie.  I  remember  when  Leschi  was 
hanged.  After  this  affair,  Quiemuth  gave  him- 
self up.  He  came  to  our  house  and  asked  father 
to  deliver  him  over  to  Governor  Stevens  so  the 
white  men  would  not  kill  him.  Father  and  the 
Indian  went  to  Governor  Stevens'  office  in 
Olympia.  Both  men  stayed  at  the  governor's 
home  that  night,  sleeping  in  the  same  room. 
Some  time  during  the  hours  of  darkness,  my 
father  was  suddenly  awakened  by  the  sound  of  a 
gunshot  in  the  room.  The  Indian  had  been  shot 
in  the  arm  by  some  person  from  the  outside,  and 
moving  toward  the  door,  he  was  shortly  after- 
ward stabbed  through  the  heart  by  the  same  mid- 
night assassin.  This  made  the  governor  very 
angry,  and  also  made  Indian  affairs  more  difficult 
to  handle." 

Of  course,  the  great  Yakima  war  of  1855-6 
made  it  impossible  for  white  men,  other  than 
those  banded  together  in  military  companies,  to 
remain  in  or  even  pass  through  the  valley  of  the 
Yakima  river,  but  it  is  quite  probable  that  those 
who  came  as  soldiers  or  volunteers  retained  recol- 
lections of  the  pastoral  wealth  of  the  country, 
and  that  many  of  them,  or  persons  interested  by 
their  representations,  were  induced  to  visit  cen- 
tral Washington  and  perchance  make  homes  in  it 
in  later  years.  Indeed,  it  is  certainly  known  that 
a  discovery  made  by  one  of  the  soldiers  of  this  war 
had  a  very  considerable  effect  upon  the  subse- 
quent history  of  Yakima  county,  namely,  the 
discovery  of  placer  gold  by  Captain  Ingalls,  the 
sequel  to  which  will  receive  due  notice  presently. 

In  another  way  also  the  Indians,  by  their  hos- 
tility, hastened  the  occupancy  of  the  country  by 
white  men,  the  very  thing  they  sought  by  force 
of  arms  to  prevent.      One  of  the  results  of  the 


152 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


war  was  the  establishment  of  Fort  Simcoe,  which, 
though  a  military  post,  occasioned  the  presence 
of  white  men  and  furnished  encouragement  for 
the  entrance  of  stock  raisers  into  the  country  by 
offering  them  at  once  protection  from  predatory 
Indians  and  a  trading  point. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  the  establish- 
ment of  Fort  Simcoe  had  much  to  do  with  render- 
ing the  home  of  the  Yakimas,  who  were  partially 
subdued  in  the  war  of  1855-6  and  more  completely 
overawed  by  the  brilliant  campaign  of  Colonel 
Wright  in  the  .Spokane  country,  a  safe  place  for 
white  men.  At  any  rate,  in  the  late  fifties  it 
began  to  be  visited  by  cattle  raisers  from  the  out- 
side country.  George  Nelson  tells  us  that  in 
1859  William  Murphy  and  Benjamin  E.  Snipes, 
partners,  drove  cattle  from  the  Klickitat  valley 
onto  the  Yakima  range,  as  did  also  John  B.  Nel- 
son and  Fred  Allen,  with  the  latter's  two  sons, 
Bart  and  Jacob.  They  remained  with  their  herds 
on  the  Yakima  river  during  the  winter  of  1859-60, 
but  did  not  effect  a  permanent  settlement.  Mr. 
Nelson  names  also  John  E.  Murphy,  James  Mur- 
phy, William  Henderson, Preston,  Wil- 
liam Connell  and  John  Jeffrey  and  his  brother  as 
among  the  Klickitat  stockmen,  who  used  the 
Yakima  ranges  at  a  very  early  date.  During  this 
period,  the  only  whites,  aside  from  these  intrepid 
stockmen,  who  visited  the  country  were  the  no 
less  intrepid  and  even  more  mercurial  packers 
engaged  in  transporting  goods  to  the  upper  Col- 
umbia river. 

It  seems  to  be  a  conceded  fact  that  the  first 
permanent  settler  within  the  limits  of  the  present 
Yakima  country  was  F.  Mortimer  Thorp,  who 
had  likewise  made  journeys  into  it  from  Klickitat 
county  and  to  whom  its  rich  pastures  and  utter 
lack  of  civilization  appealed  with  a  peculiar 
potency.  Mr.  Thorp  belonged  to  that  old  school 
of  stockmen  who  considered  solitude  and  primeval 
conditions  essential  to  the  success  of  their  busi- 
ness. Utterly  indifferent  to  the  advantages  of 
society  and  the  luxuries  which  can  be  enjoyed 
only  where  a  considerable  number  of  people  are 
united  together  in  communities,  he  wished  always 
to  be  so  situated  that  his  herds  might  multiply 
indefinitely  and  find  an  abundant  pasture.  His 
great  desideratum  was  an  unbounded  country 
without  farms  and  fences,  where  cattle  might 
roam  at  will,  nor  ever,  by  any  chance,  involve 
their  owner  in  bickerings  and  quarrels  and  litiga- 
tion. Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  Mr.  Thorp  had 
sought  earnestly  the  heart  of  the  wilderness  since 
1844,  when  first  he  had  set  his  face  resolutely 
westward,  making  the  long  journey  over  plain 
and  mountain  to  the  land  laved  by  the  Pacific's 
billows.  This  desire  of  solitude  and  isolation  had 
more  than  once  impelled  him  to  pull  up  stakes 
and  move  on,  for  the  country  at  the  time  was 
being  appropriated  and  subjugated  with  consid- 
erable rapidity.  In  July,  1858,  he  settled  near 
the  site  of  the  present  Goldendale;  indeed,  a  part 


of  the  land  on  which  that  town  is  built  served 
him  as  a  calf  pasture  at  this  early  period.  Soon 
the  progress  of  civilization  drove  him  thence  also, 
as  it  had  driven  him  just  before  from  Benton 
county,  Oregon,  and  in  his  quest  for  more  elbow 
room  he  turned  naturally  to  the  Yakima  country. 
And  so  it  happened  that  October,  1S60,  found 
him  once  more  on  the  move.  Ben  Snelling,  John 
Zumwalt  and  A.  C.  Myers  accompanied,  assisting 
with  the  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  fine  Dur- 
ham stock.  Establishing  himself  in  the  now 
famous  Moxee  valley,  Mr.  Thorp  spent  there  the 
winter  of  1860-61,  his  family  remaining  at  their 
home  in  Klickitat  county.  The  season  was  mild, 
and  those  with  the  cattle  were  able  to  make  trips 
between  the  two  places  as  often  as  occasion  might 
arise. 

In  February,  1861,  this  pioneer  stockman 
brought  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife,  Mar- 
garet, and  a  number  of  children,  of  whom  the 
oldest  was  only  eighteen,  to  the  new  place  of 
abode  he  had  picked  out  for  them.  The  accom- 
modations prepared  for  their  use  and  comfort 
were  necessarily  of  the  rudest  kind,  consisting 
mainly  of  a  small  cabin  with  a  dirt  roof;  the 
furnishings  few  and  of  home  manufacture.  As 
culinary  utensils'  had  to  be  packed  over  a  long 
rough  trail,  it  may  be  assumed  that  only  the  most 
essential  articles  found  their  way  into  Mrs. 
Thorp's  kitchen.  Certainly  this  pioneer  lady 
purchased  at  a  cost  of  not  a  little  inconvenience, 
privation  and  loneliness,  the  honor  of  having 
been  the  first  white  woman  to  make  her  home  in 
the  Yakima  country.  In  company  with  the  fam- 
ily came  the  now  widely  known  Charles  Splawn, 
who  was  engaged  in  packing  to  the  mines  during 
the  winter  of  i860. 

In  the  fall  of  1861  Mr.  Thorp  succeeded  in  get- 
ting through  from  his  old  home  in  Klickitat 
county  a.  wagon,  the  first  to  enter  the  Yakima 
valley  from  that  direction,  and  thereafter  his 
worthy  helpmate  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  a  cook 
stove.  A  supply  of  vegetables  was  obtained  that 
fall  from  a  garden  of  five  or  six  acres  planted  in 
the  spring. 

"At  that  time,"  says  Leonard  L.  Thorp,  from 
whom  our  information  concerning  the  first  family 
to  settle  in  the  Yakima  country  was  obtained, 
"the  bottom  lands  were  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  rye  grass  twelve  feet  high  in  many 
places,  while  a  luxuriant  carpet  of  nutritious 
bunch  grass  made  the  sage  brush  hills  a  veritable 
paradise  to  cattle  and  horses.  Within  five  min- 
utes after  turning  loose  the  animals,  they  would 
be  completely  lost  sight  of  in  the  tall  grass  and 
could  be  found  only  by  trailing.  Fortunately, 
the  Indians  were  disposed  to  be  friendly,  and 
except  by  the  occasional  theft  of  an  animal, 
never  seriously  troubled  the  early  settlers. 
Indeed,  they  rendered  us  valuable  service  during 
the  late  fall  of  1861,  by  bringing  great  quantities 
of  salmon,  which  could  be  procured  from  them  at 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


153 


trifling  cost.  A  string  of  beads,  costing  ten 
cents,  would  purchase  a  thirty-pound  fish." 

With  the  Thorp  family  when  they  came  iDto 
the  Moxee  valley  in  February,  1S61,  besides  Mr. 
Splawn,  before  mentioned,  were  Alfred  Henson 
and  family,  George  Bearfield  and  John  Grub- 
sher,  en  route  to  the  Peshastin  mines.  As  the 
discovery  of  this  district  was  an  important  event 
of  the  early  days  and  doubtless  exerted  some  in- 
fluence upon  the  history  of  central  Washington, 
it  is  thought  fitting  that  a  brief  account  of  it 
should  here  be  given. 

One  Captain  Ingalls,  the  discoverer  of  the 
Coos  Bay  mines,  in  Oregon,  and  a  typical  repre- 
sentative of  the  nomadic  prospecting  class  which 
formed  so  important  a  part  of  the  early  popula- 
tion of  the  West,  may  perhaps  be  considered  the 
original  discoverer  of  the  Peshastin  district. 
During  the  Indian  war  of  1855-6  he  served  as  a 
scout,  and  in  company  with  other  scouts  from  the 
ranks  of  the  friendly  Indians,  reconnoitered  the 
eastern  slope  of  the  Cascade  range.  While  on 
the  Wenatchee  river,  so  the  story  is  told,  he  and 
an  Indian  named  Colawash  found,  in  one  of  the 
tributary  canyons,  several  gold  nuggets  and  other 
substantial  indications  of  the  existence  of  placer 
deposits.  They  dare  not  tarry  for  close  investi- 
gation, however,  for  should  they  be  discovered 
by  the  hostiles,  their  lives  would  not  be  a  worth 
a  copper  cent.  Ingalls  was,  therefore,  compelled 
to  abandon  his  find  for  the  time  being. 

When  at  length  the  Indian  troubles  were  at 
an  end  and  the  intrepid  prospector  might  with 
safety  attempt  a  further  reconnoissance  of  the 
gold-bearing  region,  he  again  entered  the  coun- 
try, but  with  all  his  experience  in  finding  his  way 
in  the  wilderness  by  landmarks,  he  was  unable  to 
rediscover  the  gold-bearing  gravels  or  the  creek 
whose  bed  and  banks  they  formed.  Eventually, 
in  i860,  he  went  to  the  home  of  Colawash  in  the 
Klickitat  valley,  hoping  to  induce  the  red  man  to 
guide  him  to  the  spot.  Vain  were  his  efforts. 
Colawash  could  not  be  induced  by  the  most 
tempting  offer  to  make  the  journey,  and  all  hope 
of  help  from  this  source  had  to  be  abandoned. 

Nothing  daunted,  Ingalls  associated  himself 
with  Levi  and  Andrew  Jackson  Knott,  Robert 
Ladd  and  one  or  two  others,  with  intent  to  make 
a  more  extended  and  thorough  search  for  the  lost 
placers.  Their  expedition  was  destined  to  be 
brought  to  an  abrupt  and  melancholy  termina- 
tion. While  the  company  was  in  camp  in  the 
upper  country,  Ingalls  was  accidentally  shot  and 
killed  by  A.  J.  Knott,  so  the  rest  of  the  party, 
left  without  a  guide,  were  compelled  to  return 
with  sad  hearts  to  the  settlements. 

The  next  effort  to  discover  the  lost  placer 
ground  was  made  by  Charles  A.  Splawn,  then 
living  near  the  site  of  Goldendale.  In  the  spring 
of  i860  he  had  gone  to  try  his  fortunes  in  the 
Similkameen  mines,  having  first  talked  with 
Colawash,  with  whom  he  was  on  friendly  terms, 


regarding  the  Ingalls  discovery.  Colawash 
refused  to  guide  him  or  anybody  else  to  the  spot, 
but  told  Mr.  Splawn  that  the  name  of  the  creek 
was  Peshastin;  also  drew  a  rough  map  for  his 
further  information. 

While  returning  from  the  Similkameen  district 
in  the  fall  of  i860,  Mr.  Splawn  fell  in  with  four 
other  returning  miners,  whom  he  readily  induced 
to  join  him  in  a  search  for  the  Peshastin  prospect. 
The  party  proceeded  forthwith  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Wenatchee  river,  where  an  Indian  guide  was 
procured.  As  they  proceeded  up  the  Wenatchee, 
the  Indian  named  the  different  tributary  streams 
as  he  came  to  them.  When  the  prospectors  had 
reached  a  place  between  fifteen  and  twenty  miles 
from  the  river's  mouth,  the  guide  pointed  out  a 
considerable  creek  flowing  in  from  the  south  and 
stated  that  it  was  the  Peshastin,  of  which  they 
were  in  search. 

Mr.  Splawn,  who  is  our  authority  for  the  story, 
states  that  he  himself  started  up  the  stream  while 
the  rest  of  the  party  took  a  hill  trail,  the  agree- 
ment being  that  all  should  meet  at  the  summit  of 
the  divide.  In  the  first  narrow  canyon  after  leav- 
ing the  mouth  of  the  creek,  Mr.  Splawn  dug  out 
a  promising  crevice  and  panned  from  its  contents 
a  dollar  in  gold.     The  bed-rock  was  slate. 

With  the  evidence  of  his  find  safe  in  his 
pocket,  Mr.  Splawn  eagerly  pushed  on  to  the 
appointed  rendezvous,  where  he  found  his  com- 
panions in  waiting.  They  had  accidentally  fallen 
in  with  a  young  man  named  Russell,  who  joined 
their  ranks.  Russell  was  the  messenger  who 
had  been  entrusted  to  carry  the  news  of  Lincoln's 
election  to  the  northern  mines,  and  was  on  his 
return  to  the  sound  when  he  met  Splawn 's  party. 
He  became  enthusiastic  over  the  discovery,  and 
having  begged  the  gold  from  its  rightful  owner, 
proceeded  with  it  to  Seattle.  Its  exhibition  there 
caused  not  a  little  excitement.  The  few  news- 
papers then  in  the  Northwest  published  exagger- 
ated accounts  of  the  discovery,  and  some  of  them 
indulged  in  useless  prophesying  as  to  the  future 
extensive  development  of  the  region.  Numerous 
parties  at  once  outfitted  and  started  for  the  new 
diggings,  and  Mr.  Splawn  estimated  that  seventy- 
five  miners  spent  the  winter  on  the  Peshastin. 
But  the  gold  fields,  though  they  produced  nuggets 
weighing  as  high  as  twelve  dollars,  were  of  small 
extent.  They  were  soon  overshadowed  in  public 
interest  by  the  more  important  discoveries  made 
in  Idaho  and  British  Columbia  about  this  time,  and 
eventually  ceased  entirely  to  be  the  center  of  ex- 
citement, though  gold  was  found  there  for  several 
years,  and  in  later  days  quartz  ledges  have  been 
uncovered  in  the  district.  The  principal  branch 
of  Peshastin  creek  is  known  today  as  Ingalls 
creek,  having  been  so  named  in  honor  of  the  man 
who  first  discovered,  but  did  not  live  to  open  the 
mines. 

As  before  stated,  Mr.  Henson  and  family 
were   among  those   who  went  into  the  Peshastin 


54 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


country  in  February,  1861.  During  the  ensuing 
October  they  returned  disgusted  to  the  Moxee 
valley.  Mr.  Henson  took  a  claim  in  that  region, 
intending  to  plant  there  his  vine  and  fig  tree,  but 
after  a  residence  of  two  weeks,  he  decided  that 
the  danger  to  himself  and  family  from  Indians 
was  too  great  and  that  prudence  required  him 
to  give  up  the  idea  of  establishing  a  home  in  the 
Yakima  country  just  then. 

The  Thorps  were,  therefore,  left  the  sole 
permanent  settlers  of  the  valley  with  none  to 
bear  them  company  except  the  savages  and  such 
travelers,  packers  and  stockmen  as  might  occa- 
sionally pass  their  way.  Neither  did  they  have 
a  large  force  of  employees  to  help  beguile  the 
lonely  hours.  The  work  of  caring  for  the  cattle 
was  done  entirely  by  Mr.  Thorp,  his  sons  and 
Charles  A.  Splawn,  who  had  married  the  oldest 
girl. 

But  during  the  winter  of  1861-2  the  men  at 
least  had  no  time  to  think  of  their  loneliness  and 
isolation.  That  winter  is  known  in  local  history 
as  the  severest  ever  experienced  by  white  men  in 
the  Northwest,  and  the  Yakima  country  was  not 
more  favored  than  were  other  parts.  On  the  10th 
of  November,  Mr.  Thorp  informs  us,  snow  began 
falling,  and  it  did  not  cease  until  it  had  attained 
a  depth  of  eight  inches.  This  settled  down  to 
four  inches  of  hard,  icy  snow,  upon  which  came 
successive  falls,  until  by  December  20th,  the  earth 
had  a  compact  blanket  two  feet  thick.  Through- 
out the  whole  of  the  22d  and  the  succeeding  night 
rain  came  down  in  torrents,  settling  the  snow  to 
a  depth  of  eighteen  inches.  A  hard  frost  on  the 
night  of  the  23d  converted  this  into  a  vast  sheet 
of  ice,  the  last  of  which  did  not  disappear  from 
the  face  of  the  country  until  after  the  middle  of 
the  following  March.  There  was  no  thermome- 
ter in  the  valley  at  the  time,  but  some  idea  of  the 
cold  may  be  obtained  from  the  fact  that  the 
Yakima  and  Naches  rivers  very  early  froze  to  the 
bottom,  swift  mountain  streams  though  they 
were.  Their  waters  covered  a  large  scope  of  low- 
lands, which,  with  the  beds  of  the  rivers,  were 
supplied  all  winter  with  a  thick,  unyielding  coat 
of  mail.  In  the  spring  the  ice  marks  were  eight 
feet  high  on  the  trees  in  Moxee  bottom,  and  when 
the  center  of  the  vast  glacier  began  to  move  out, 
side  walls  of  ice  in  some  places  more  than  twelve 
feet  high  were  left. 

Strange  to  say,  the  stock  loss  of  the  one  fam- 
ily in  the  country  was  slight,  notwithstanding  this 
extreme  cold.  Their  three  hundred  cattle  and 
sixty  horses  were  in  prime  condition  when  the 
cold  weather  set  in,  an  important  point  in  their 
favor,  and  those  in  charge  of  the  animals  made 
heroic  efforts  to  secure  forage  for  them.  An 
unlimited  range  of  nutritious  bunch  grass,  cured 
while  standing,  after  the  manner  of  this  peculiar 
plant  of  the  desert,  was  concealed  under  the  ice 
and  snow.  The  only  chance  of  saving  the  herds 
lay  in  breaking  the  crusts  so  that  the  cattle  and 


horses  might  reach  this  excellent  fodder,  and  for 
forty  successive  days  the  Thorps  wrought  with 
great  energy,  despite  the  extreme  cold,  assisting 
the  animals  to  dig  down  for  sustenance.  The 
legs  and  arms  of  the  men  were  at  times  so  badly 
cut  and  frozen  as  almost  to  incapacitate  them  for 
further  work,  but  still  they  toiled  on  and  their 
labors  and  sacrifices  were  rewarded,  for  only 
seven  of  the  neat  cattle  perished,  while  the  horse 
band  remained  entire.  About  the  15th  of  Febru- 
ary a  Chinook  began  blowing,  and  soon  the  snow 
on  the  south  hillsides  cleared  away,  making  it 
possible  for  the  animals  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves. During  the  summer  of  1861  several  out- 
buildings were  erected  for  the  shelter  of  stock 
and  the  next  summer  Mr.  Thorp  built  a  perma- 
nent home  for  his  family  at  the  lower  spring  in 
the  Moxee  valley,  a  two-story  hewed-log  struc- 
ture, much  superior  to  the  pioneer  cabin  of  round 
cottonwood  logs.  The  original  home  was,  how- 
ever, allowed  to  stand  for  many  years  as  a  monu- 
ment of  the  early  days. 

The  year  1862  brought  a  few  additions  to  the 
population  of  Yakima  county,  perhaps  the  first  of 
whom  was  William  Parker,  a  Columbia  river 
packer  who  had  passed  through  the  valley  in 
1861.  He  took  a  homestead  on  the  bottom  that 
has  ever  since  borne  his  name,  but  being  not  yet 
ready  to  give  up  the  trail,  he  left  the  place  in 
charge  of  another  arrival  of  the  year,  Andrew  C. 
Gervais,  who  had  heard  of  the  Thorp  settlement 
and  had  come  over  from  Walla  Walla  to  visit  it. 
Mr.  Gervais  says  John  Allen  and  John  Jeffrey, 
the  former  of  whom,  like  Parker,  was  married  to 
an  Indian  wife,  were  partners  in  this  homestead 
venture.  Gervais  harvested  a  small  crop  of  veg- 
etables and  cereals  for  his  employers,  then  left 
the  place  in  charge  of  its  proprietors  and  entered 
the  service  of  Mr.  Thorp,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained that  winter.  Albert  Haines  also  came  to 
the  country  in  1862,  locating  with  his  wife  and 
little  daughter  in  the  Moxee,  a  mile  and  a  half 
north  of  the  Thorp  place. 

An  event  of  the  winter  of  1862  deserving  of  at 
least  a  passing  notice  was  the  establishment  of 
the  first  school  in  the  valley,  a  private  one.  The 
home  of  this  pioneer  institution  was  the  upper 
story  of  Mr.  Thorp's  house;  the  teacher  was 
Lutitia,  wife  of  Albert  Haines,  a  well  educated 
young  woman,  equipped  for  her  duties  by  a  little 
former  experience  in  teaching,  and  the  pupils 
were  the  Thorp  children,  the  only  ones  in  the 
valley  at  the'time  save  the  little  Haines  girl.  It 
is  said  that  Mrs.  Haines  proved  very  efficient  and 
accomplished  not  a  little  in  her  three-month  term, 
despite  the  many  difficulties  she  had  to  encounter 
in  the  way  of  dissimilar  text-books,  lack  of  equip- 
ment, etc. 

No  serious  trouble  with  Indians  was  experi- 
enced by  the  earliest  settlers,  though  occasion- 
ally the  thievish  red  men  would  appropriate  to 
their   own   use    some    animal    belonging    to    the 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


■55 


whites.  During  the  summer  of  1862  a  very  fine 
horse  disappeared  from  Mr.  Thorp's  band.  The 
owner  took  up  the  trail  of  the  animal,  and  after  a 
long,  hard  chase,  succeeded  in  overtaking  him 
and  the  Indian  who  had  appropriated  him.  The 
thief  was  captured,  treated  to  a  sound  rib-roast- 
ing, and  turned  loose  with  the  injunction  to 
spread  the  news  of  his  misfortunes  among  his 
brethren.  Whether  or  not  the  miscreant  obeyed 
Mr.  Thorp's  instructions  and  held  himself  up  to 
his  tribesmen  as  an  example  of  the  ills  that  are 
likely  to  befall  the  horse-thief,  we  are  unable  to 
state. 

During  the  summer  of  1863,  Mr.  Thorp  and 
his  family  were  given  reason  to  believe  that  a 
serious  difficulty  with  Indians  was  about  to  be 
experienced.  One  day  the  father  and  his  son 
Leonard  descried  a  band  of  Indians,  mounted  and 
in  full  war  paint,  approaching  their  home. 
Seized  with  a  sudden  alarm,  they,  with  Charles 
Splawn,  and  Mr.  Thorp's  other  sons,  Willis  and 
Bayless,  hastily  hid  the  women  and  children  and 
prepared  to  make  as  stubborn  a  defense  as  pos- 
sible, taking  their  stand  behind  a  yard  fence. 
The  Indians  rode  up  rapidly  without  sign  of 
enmity  or  hatred.  The  white  men  saw  when  the 
advancing  band  came  near  enough  that  they  were 
no  other  than  Smohollah,  the  dreamer,  and  his 
following. 

Just  as  the  head  of  the  column  reached  the 
fence,  the  older  Thorp  sprang  over,  revolver  in 
hand,  seized  the  chief's  horse  by  the  bridle  and 
demanded  the  reason  for  such  a  warlike  approach. 
The  dreamer  smiled  affably,  proffering  his  hand, 
and  stated  as  the  reason  for  his  conduct  that  he 
had  heard  of  a  report  current  among  the  whites 
to  the  effect  that  he  was  about  to  overwhelm 
their  settlements  with  a  thousand  warriors  and 
had  come  to  reassure  them  by  exhibiting  the 
smallness  of  his  following.  After  a  friendly  talk, 
the  chief  rode  away,  bowing  and  smiling,  but 
Mr.  Thorp  always  believed  that  the  ugly-looking 
revolver  was  really  responsible  for  his  apparent 
friendliness. 

There  being  no  newspapers  or  other  printed 
or  written  records  of  general  events  during  the 
earliest  days,  it  is  practically  impossible  to  write 
with  certainty  regarding  the  pioneer  settlers  and 
the  dates  of  their  settlements.  The  average 
memory  is  hardly  equal  to  the  task  of  accurately 
retaining  such  minutiae  of  forty  years  ago  as 
initials,  the  correct  orthography  of  proper  names, 
dates  of  personal  incidents,  etc.,  and  a  work 
treating  of  events  which  occurred  prior  to  the 
advent  of  the  printing  press  must  needs  be  more 
or  less  inaccurate  and  deficient  in  detail.  For 
these  reasons  it  may  be  impossible  to  enumerate 
all  those  who  settled  in  the  county  before  1865  or 
during  that  year,  but  a  list  would  include,  besides 
those  already  mentioned,  William  Ish,  John 
Hailey  and  a  man  named  King,  who  had  formed 
themselves  into  a  copartnership  to  cut  wild  hay 


from  the  Columbia  plains  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Yakima  and  ship  it  down  the  former  river.  Mr. 
Hailey  later  entered  into  the  stage  business  and 
became  very  widely  known  throughout  the 
Northwest.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
celebrated  Northwest  Stage  Company,  whose 
operations  extended  from  Washington  to  Utah. 
Then  there  was  J.  T.  Hicklin,  to  whom,  on  Jan- 
uary 13,  1863,  the  legislature  granted  the  right  to 
operate  a  ferry  across  the  Yakima  at  a  location 
somewhere  between  the  mouth  of  the  Wenas 
river  and  a  point  three  miles  below  the  debouch- 
ment of  the  Naches,  the  tolls  fixed  by  the  act 
being :  For  a  wagon  drawn  by  two  animals,  $2  ; 
hack  or  sulkey,  one  horse,  $1.50;  man  and  horse, 
75  cents;  animal  packed,  50  cents;  footman,  25 
cents;  horses,  mules  or  cattle,  loose,  25  cents 
each ;  sheep,  goats  or  hogs,  8  cents.  There  were 
also  in  the  valley  Gilbert  Pell,  appointed  sheriff 
by  the  act  organizing  the  county;  and  William 
Wright,  appointed  county  auditor;  and  Elisha 
McDaniel,  who  settled  on  a  place  near  the  Jock 
Morgan  home  ;  and  J.  B.  Nelson,  who  later  served 
as  probate  judge  of  the  county;  and  Augustan 
Cleman,  who  settled  first  on  the  south  fork  of  the 
Cowiche,  but  moved  a  year  later  to  the  Wenas, 
becoming  the  first  permanent  settler  there;  and 
McAllister  and  George  Taylor,  the  pioneers  of 
the  Selah  valley;  and  Walter  Lindsey,  with  his 
sons,  except  William,  who  was  in  the  Civil  war, 
daughters  and  daughter-in-law,  and  Dr.  L.  H. 
Goodwin,  with  his  brothers  Thomas  and  Benton, 
his  sons,  George  W.,  Christopher  Columbus  and 
Flavius,  and  his  stepdaughter;  also  John  Rozelle, 
wife  and  three  sons,  and  his  son-in-law,  William 
Harrington,  and  wife.  The  Rozelles  and  Har- 
ringtons soon  moved  to  and  settled  in  the  Kittitas 
valley,  then  a  part  of  Yakima  county,  where  they 
suffered  much  the  first  winter  from  want  and  cold 
until  brought  back  to  the  Yakima  valley  in  Feb- 
ruary by  the  benevolent  F.  M.  Thorp,  who  sent 
Andrew  Gervais  to  their  rescue.  Here,  also, 
was  J.  W.  Copeland,  who  settled  on  the  Ahtanum  ; 
Nathan  Olney,  Perry  and  Jacob  Cleman,  and,  no 
doubt,  others.  According  to  John  Mattoon,  who 
entered  the  employ  of  the  government  in  March, 
1864,  as  an  attache  of  the  Indian  agency  at  Fort 
Simcoe,  the  persons  living  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
fort  besides  himself,  or  as  many  of  them  as  he 
can  recall,  were:  Indian  Agent  Bancroft,  Rev. 
James  H.  Wilbur,  school  superintendent  and 
Methodist  missionary ;  James  McGue,  blacksmith ; 
Foster,  wagon-maker;  Praspex,  gunsmith;  Hall, 
carpenter;  Wright,  harness-maker;  Carman, 
miller;  Thompson,  superintendent  of  farming; 
Dr.  Miller,  physician,  and  Sumner  Barker,  post 
trader. 

The  entire  population  of  what  are  now  Yakima 
and  Kittitas  counties  probably  did  not  exceed  two 
hundred  in  1865.  Almost  all  except  the  agency 
people  were  in  the  cattle  business.  This  seems 
like  a  small  number  indeed  to  bear  the  burdens 


[56 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


of  county  organization,  nevertheless  in  that  year 
they  were  intrusted  with  the  responsibilities  and 
granted  the  benefits  of  a  local  government.  In- 
deed, as  early  as  1863,  the  territorial  legislature 
had  showed  its  willingness  to  bestow  upon  the 
people  of  central  Washington  as  large  a  degree  of 
autonomy  as  possible  by  creating  the  county  of 
Ferguson.  The  extent  of  this  political  subdivi- 
sion of  the  territory  was  thus  described  by  sec- 
tion one  of  the  act:  "All  that  portion  of  Wash- 
ington territory  lying  north  of  the  summit  of  the 
Simcoe  range  of  mountains,  bounded  on  the  west 
by  the  summit  of  the  Cascade  range,  and  the 
counties  of  Walla  Walla  and  Spokane  on  the  east, 
and  the  Wenatchee  river  on  the  north. ' '  Section 
two  enacted  that  James  H.  Wilbur,  Alfred  Hall 
and Place  be  appointed  county  commission- 
ers; W.    Shaugh,  justice  of  the  peace,   and 

Thorp,  sheriff.  The  act  was  passed  January  23, 
1863.  But  the  few  families  then  in  the  district 
took  no  interest  in  the  new  county ;  the  appointees 
were  so  little  elated  over  the  honors  bestowed 
upon  them  that  they  never  performed  their 
respective  duties,  probably  never  qualified,  and, 
in  brief,  the  county  gained  no  existence  except 
on  the  statute  book.  The  creating  act  was  re- 
pealed January  18,  1S65. 

This  step  was,  however,  taken  by  the  legisla- 
ture only  for  the  purpose  of  clearing  the  way  for 
other  and  more  appropriate  legislation.  January 
21,  1865,  another  act  was  passed  directly  affecting 
the  section  with  which  this  work  is  concerned. 
Its  text  in  full  is  as  follows : 

AN  ACT 
Establishing  and  Organizing  the  County  of  Yakima. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Ter- 
ritory of  Washington : 

Section  1.  That  the  territory  heretofore  embraced  in 
the  county  of  Ferguson,  lying  and  being  south  of  a  line 
running  due  west  from  a  point  two  miles  above  the  lower 
steamboat  landing  at  Priest's  rapids,  on  the  Columbia 
river,  to  the  summit  of  the  Cascade  mountains,  be,  and  the 
same  is  hereby,  constituted  and  organized  into  a  separate 
county,  to  be  known  as  and  called  Yakima  county. 

Section  2.  That  said  territory  shall  compose  a  county 
for  civil  and  military  purposes,  and  be  subject  to  all  the 
laws  relating  to  counties,  and  be  entitled  to  elect  the  same, 
officers  as  other  counties  are  entitled  to  elect. 

Section  3.  That,  until  the  next  general  election. 
William  Parker,  J.  H.  Wilbur  and  Charles  Splawn  be  and 
are  hereby  appointed  county  commissioners;  that  William 
Wright  be  and  is  hereby  appointed  county  auditor ;  that 

Thorp  be  and  is  hereby  appointed  county  treasurer, 

and  Gilbert  Pell  be  and  is  hereby  appointed  sheriff,  who 
shall,  before  entering  upon  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
their  respective  offices,  qualify  in  the  manner  as  is  now 
required  by  law  for  county  officers. 

Section  4.  The  county  seat  of  said  county  of  Yakima 
is  temporarily  located  at  the  house  of  William  Wright. 

Section  5.  That  the  said  county  of  Yakima  is  attached 
for  judicial  purposes  and  for  the  election  of  members  of 
the  legislative  assembly,  to  the  county  of  Stevens. 

Section  6.  This  act  to  take  effect  and  be  in  force  from 
and  after  its  passage. 

Approved  January  21,  1865. 

In  1866  the  county  seat  was  removed  to  the 
home  of  F.   Mortimer  Thorp.       For  three  years, 


or  until  that  worthy  pioneer  moved  away,  it  found 
lodgment  in  his  house;  then,  it  is  thought,  the 
officers  met  for  a  short  time  at  Charles  P.  Cooke's, 
but  about  1870,  Yakima  City,  a  small  village  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Ahtanum,  became  the  seat  of 
local  government.  The  courthouse  stood  on  a 
block  of  ground  donated  by  the  Earker  Brothers, 
near  their  store.  We  are  informed  by  Andrew 
C.  Gervais  that  it  was  a  story  and  a  half  box 
structure,  and  that  the  lower  floor  was  used  for  a 
jail  and  sheriff's  office,  while  the  upper  floor 
served  as  a  court  room  and  recorder's  office.  The 
records  were  moved  to  another  building  in  1S80. 

Throughout  all  the  later  sixties  the  country 
continued  to  settle  up  slowly,  and  gradually  to 
take  on  the  characteristics  of  a  civilized  com- 
munity. According  to  records  in  the  local  land 
office,  the  first  surveys  in  Yakima  valley  were 
made  by  Charles  A.  White.  The  third  standard 
parallel,  runing  between  Yakima  City  and  North 
Yakima,  Leonard  Thorp  tells  us,  was  the  basis 
of  this  survey  and  the  first  township  surveyed 
was  township  thirteen  north,  range  eighteen  east. 
The  survey  was  extended  in  later  years  as  the 
development  and  settlement  of  the  county  de- 
manded. 

An  incident  of  the  early  times  which  aroused 
considerable  interest  then  and  later  was  the  ex- 
hibition at  Fort  Simcoe,  by  an  old  Indian  named 
Zokeseye,  of  some  silver-bearing  rock.  This  was 
about  1862  or  1863.  Zokeseye  gave  the  quartz 
to  the  agency  secretary,  whose  name  was  Walker, 
and  about  a  week  or  ten  days  later  Walker  took 
it  with  him  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  where  he 
showed  it,  while  intoxicated,  to  a  California 
assayer,  Blachley  by  name.  Fully  appreciating 
its  richness,  the  Californian  at  once  assayed  the 
rock  and  found  it  to  be  nearly  two-thirds  silver. 
He  questioned  Walker  regarding  the  place  where 
it  was  discovered,  and  was  sent  to  F.  M.  Thorp 
as  the  one  who  could  most  likely  find  the  ledge 
on  account  of  his  friendliness  with  the  Indians. 
Thorp  joined  him  in  a  prospecting  tour,  taking 
along'  some  Indian  guides,  of  whom,  unfortun- 
ately, Zokeseye  could  not  be  one,  as  the  old  red 
man  had  died  shortly  after  giving  Walker  the 
rock. 

The  party  prospected  for  more  than  a  month, 
going  up  the  Tietan  to  the  summit  of  the  Cas- 
cades, thence  northwest  to  the  headwaters  of 
Bumping  river,  exploring  numerous  streams,  but 
finding  nothing. 

After  returning  from  this  trip,  Blachley  went 
back  to  California,  but  the  next  summer  he  was 
again  in  the  Yakima  country,  ready  for  another 
search.  With  Thorp  and  Indian  guides  and  part 
of  the  time  Charles  Splawn,  he  explored  the 
Wenatchee  country,  the  upper  Yakima  and 
towards  Mount  Baker,  going  wherever  the  Indians 
reported  the  existence  of  the  precious  metals. 
The  search  was  bootless. 

For  several  years  afterward  F.   M.  Thorp  and 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


Charles  Splawn  gave  a  portion  of  each  summer 
to  prospecting.  Numerous  other  parties  and. 
individuals  sought  earnestly  for  the  Zokeseye 
lode  during  the  sixties  and  seventies,  and  the 
story  has  been  revived  frequently  in  more  re- 
cent times,  but,  despite  every  effort,  the  ledge 
from  which  the  old  Indian  took  his  rich  specimen 
is  still  a  lost  one. 

About  the  fall  of  1864  a  discovery  of  placer 
gold  was  made  on  what  is  known  as  Ringold 
bar  on  the  west  side  of  the  Columbia  river,  twenty 
miles  north  of  Goldendale,  by  a  party  of  which 
a  surveyor  named  Hall  was  one.  Quite  a  large 
number  of  men  flocked  to  the  diggings,  which 
were  worked  with  water  from  the  Columbia  river. 
L.  L.  Thorp  spent  three  months  there  and  re- 
ceived as  recompense  for  his  labors  only  a 
twenty-dollar  clean  up,  but  White  &  Black,  four 
claims  below  him,  took  out  twenty-five  hundred 
dollars  in  less  than  six  weeks,  while  a  French 
company  did  even  better.  The  bar  yielded  some 
thirty  thousand  or  forty  thousand  dollars  in  all 
to  white  miners,  and  an  unknown  sum  to  the 
Chinamen  who  washed  its  gravels  intermittently 
for  several  years  afterward. 

Persons  who  were  here  at  the  time  speak  of 
the  year  1867  as  a  particularly  mild  and  prosper- 
ous one,  though  its  closing  month  brought  some 
disaster  to  lowland  settlers.  A  snowfall  of  six 
or  eight  inches  was  followed  by  three  days  of 
rain,  causing  all  the  streams  and  rivers  to  rise  to 
high  water  mark.  The  Naches  was  especially 
high  and  the  old  Nelson  farm,  situated  on  a  low 
flat  close  to  the  river,  was  greatly  damaged.  A 
rapid  erosion  followed  the  flood,  threatening  to 
undermine  even  the  house  and  farm  buildings. 
The  family  were  compelled  to  leave  their  house 
at  midnight,  but  though  their  place  was  greatly 
damaged,  the  house  still  stood  when  the  waters 
subsided.  The  farm  of  James  Allen,  near  by, 
was  also  seriously  injured,  and  other  lowland 
settlers  suffered,  though  in  a  less  degree.  Next 
season  the  Nelsons  moved  to  a  spot  a  little  higher 
up  the  Naches,  where  they  located  the  home- 
steads now  known  by  their  names. 

Although  the  earliest  settlers  were  practically 
all  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  the  great  in- 
dustry of  the  country,  yet  some  experiments  had 
been  made  in  agriculture  from  the  first;  small 
ones,  however,  owing  to  the  erroneous  impression 
which  prevailed  as  to  the  capabilities  of  the  sage 
brush  lands,  and  confined  to  the  areas  of  sub- 
irrigation,  near  the  streams.  But  the  facts  being 
as  they  were  subsequently  discovered  to  be,  such 
experiments  could  tend  in  only  one  direction, 
namely,  toward  the  ushering  out  of  cattle  raising 
on  an  extensive  scale,  and  the  ushering  in  of  the 
era  of  irrigation,  farming,  horticulture  and  the 
like.  The  first  attempts  at  fruit  raising  were  ridi- 
culed by  stockmen  in  general,  who  scouted  the 
idea  of  planting  trees  in  the  desert.  They  lived 
to  see  their  error,  though  the  initial  experiments 


were  calculated  to  confirm  them  partially  in  their 
preconceived  ideas. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  attempt  to  determine  who 
first  set  out  fruit  trees  within  the  limits  of  the 
county.  No  doubt  many  of  the  settlers  planted  a 
few  in  the  late  sixties  and  early  seventies. 
Alfred  Henson  is  said  to  have  planted  an  orchard 
on  river  bottom  lands  in  1S66  which  did  not  begin 
to  bear  until  nine  years  old.  N.  T.  Goodwin 
states  that  in  1868  he  set  out  an  orchard  of  one 
hundred  and  fifty  trees  on  his  homestead  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Yakima  near  the  Moxee  bridge. 
Being,  like  other  pioneers,  of  the  opinion  that  the 
sage  brush  land  was  worthless,  he  chose  for  his 
orchard  a  location  on  the  bottom  next  to  the 
river.  The  result  was  that  the  trees  were  washed 
away  by  high  water.  George  Hinkle  stated  to 
the  editor  of  the  Herald  that  he  planted  an  or- 
chard about  1868,  and  that  his  experiments  seemed 
a  failure  at  first,  the  tender  limbs  of  the  trees 
being  destroyed  by  frost  during  the  winter  sea- 
son, but  that  the  trees  eventually  got  a  start  and 
bore  bountifully.  Mr.  Goodwin  states  that  in 
1870  a  man  named  Vaughn  made  a  successful 
attempt  at  fruit  tree  culture,  and  it  is  known  that 
during  that  year  the  late  Judge  John  Wilson  Beck 
set  out  fifty  apple  and  the  same  number  of  peach 
trees  on  his  homestead  above  Yakima  City. 
These  and  other  like  experiments  in  time  dem- 
onstrated the  adaptability  of  the  country  to  fruit 
raising. 

The  culture  of  some  kinds  of  vegetables  was 
contemporaneous  with  the  coming  of  the  earliest 
settlers;  indeed,  had  been  tried  in  a  small  way  by 
Indians  before  the  cattlemen  came  in  to  spy  out 
the  land.  Small  quantities  of  cereals  were  also 
raised;  always,  however,  on  the  bottoms  near  the 
streams.  Perhaps  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  first, 
to  demonstrate  that  the  sage  brush  land  farther 
back  contained  elements  of  fertility  was  the  N. 
T.  Goodwin  heretofore  mentioned.  He  pre- 
empted land  near  the  Moxee  bridge  in  the  spring 
of  1866.  A  year  later  he  cleared  the  sage  brush 
from  a  five-acre  tract,  and  seeded  it  with  wheat, 
obtained  from  the  Walla  Walla  country.  That 
fall  he  harvested  a  crop,  averaging  forty  bushels 
to  the  acre.  The  result  of  this  success  and  the 
practical  demonstration  it  gave  of  the  fertility  of 
sage  brush  land  was  the  starting  of  an  irrigation 
enterprise,  by  a  species  of  farmers'  cooperative 
company.  The  promoters  were  Messrs.  Good- 
win, Stollcop,  Vaughn,  Maybury  and  Simmons. 
Work  was  begun  by  these  men  during  the  spring 
of  1868,  the  intake  of  their  canal  being  located 
about  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the  Naches 
river.  The  ditch  was  a  small  one.  It  had  to  be 
constructed  under  difficulties  by  men  who  were 
not  blessed  with  an  abundance  of  capital,  and  its 
progress  was  slow.  By  the  early  seventies, 
however,  it  was  turned  to  good  account  by  farm- 
ers near  its  head,  though  it  was  not  completed  to 
Mr.    Goodwin's    place  until  several  years  after- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ward.  In  later  times  it  was  greatly  enlarged  and 
improved,  becoming  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Union  canal.  Judge  John  Wilson  Beck  stated  to 
a  Herald  reporter  some  time  before  his  death  that 
he  constructed  an  irrigation  ditch  in  1872,  "be- 
fore Charles  Schanno  built  his  ditch,"  taking  the 
water  out  of  the  Yakima  half  a  mile  above  the 
Moxee  bridge,  and  conveying  it  in  a  rudely  con- 
structed aqueduct  to  his  homestead  above  Yaki- 
ma City. 

Simultaneous  with  or  shortly  after  the  con- 
struction of  these  simple  and  primitive  irrigation 
canals,  a  number  of  others  were  put  in,  all  small, 
each  being  used  only  by  one  or  a  few  farmers. 
The  era  of  extensive  irrigation  did  not  dawn 
until  some  years  later. 

The  interview  with  Judge  Beck  just  referred 
to  gives  us  a  glimpse  of  conditions  as  they  were 
when  he  came  to  the  country  in  1869.  Among 
other  things,  he  said: 

"After  the  close  of  the  war  I  got  the  western 
fever,  like  a  great  many  other  people  of  the  East. 
On  June  1,  1865,  our  band  of  two  hundred  pio- 
neers met  at  Fort  Kearney,  Nebraska,  according 
to  agreement  and  started  across  the  plains  by  ox 
teams.  We  followed  the  old  Oregon  trail  and 
experienced  the  usual  hardships  of  such  a  long 
journey  by  land.  We  had  no  trouble  with  the 
Indians,  for  they  were  well  under  subjection  by 
that  time.  We  landed  in  Walla  Walla  Septem- 
ber iS,  1865.  That  was  a  small  place  then  with 
perhaps  five  hundred  population. 

"I  remained  there  four  years,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1869  left  for  the  Yakima  valley.  This 
was  a  memorable  journey,  and  when  I  look  back 
I  marvel  at  the  development  that  has  taken  place 
in  a  few  short  years.  We  crossed  the  Columbia 
at  Umatilla  and  followed  up  its  west  bank  to  the 
Yakima,  and  thence  to  the  present  site  of  Pros- 
ser,  where  we  crossed  the  Yakima.  The  first 
family  we  met  was  at  the  Henry  Cock  place,  ten 
or  fifteen  miles  above  Prosser.  Then  came  Ben 
Snipes'  ranch  at  Snipes  mountain.  Our  next 
stop  was  Sam.  Chapell's  place  near  the  present 
site  of  Zillah.  He  lived  one-half  mile  northeast 
of  this  city  (North  Yakima).  George  Taylor  and 
Alfred  Henson  lived  in  the  Selah  valley.  A  man 
named  Mauldin  lived  near  the  Naches  bridge;  a 
bachelor  named  Bell  lived  on  the  John  Cleman 
place  in  theWenas;  Alfred  Miller  and  A.  Cleman, 
the  father  of  John  Cleman,  also  lived  on  the 
Wenas. 

"On  the  Ahtanum  there  were  Andrew  Ger- 
vais,  James  Allen,  H.  M.  Benton,  'Judge'  Olney, 
Joseph  Bowser,  Joseph  Robbins  and  a  man  named 
Honsacker.  Father  Santosh  was  the  priest  at  the 
time  at  the  mission  on  the  upper  Ahtanum.  As 
far  as  I  can  remember  these  were  the  families 
living  in  the  valley  when  I  came  here,  and  for  a 
short  time  afterward.  [Judge  Beck  overlooked  a 
considerable  settlement  in  the  Moxee  valley.] 
While    I    enjoyed    the     isolation,    we     had     to 


put   up    with    a  great  many  hardships  and  pri- 
vations. 


"The  only  store  in  the  county  when  I  came 
was  kept  by  O.  D.  and  Sumner  Barker,  under 
the  firm  name  of  Barker  Brothers.  Their  place 
of  business  was  at  Fort  Simcoe,  where  we  went 
to  buy  our  necessaries  of  life  and  other  things. 
Store  goods  of  all  kinds  were  high  then.  The 
freight  from  The  Dalles  over  the  mountains  was 
two  dollars  a  hundred  pounds.  Sugar  sold  at 
twenty  cents;  muslin,  twenty  cents;  oil  was  five 
dollars  a  can  or  one  dollar  a  gallon ;  coffee,  fifty 
cents;  nails,  ten  cents;  but  meat  was  cheap  be- 
cause this  was  the  chief  product  of  the  valley  at 
the  time.  We  got  our  lumber  and  grist  at  Fort 
Simcoe." 

The  gentleman  who  is  responsible  for  the 
foregoing  quoted  statements  received  his  title  of 
judge  from  his  having  served  as  justice  of  the 
peace  for  twenty  years  continuously.  He  was 
the  first  to  hold  that  office  in  the  county,  having 
been  appointed  in  1870.  The  Indians  who  took 
part  in  the  massacre  of  Lorenzo  Perkins  and 
wife  had  their  preliminary  hearing  before  him, 
and  Kipe,  Salusakin,  Tommy  Hop-Towne, 
Tewowney,  Wyanticat  and  Moosetonic  were  by 
him  bound  over  to  appear  before  the  superior 
court  for  trial.  It  is  stated  that  in  all  the  years 
of  his  service  as  justice,  and  very  many  cases 
were  tried  before  him,  he  rendered  just  one  de- 
cision that  was  reversed  by  a  higher  tribunal. 

Mr.  Beck's  statement  that  there  was  only  one 
store  in  the  county  in  1869  seems  to  be  a  little 
inaccurate.  Wallace  Wiley,  who  settled  on  the 
Ahtanum  in  early  days,  states  that  Joseph  Bowser 
kept  at  his  home,  two  miles  east  of  the  mission,  a 
miniature  trading  post.  The  store  room  was  a 
small  addition  to  the  cabin  in  which  Mr.  Bowser 
resided,  and  it  could  only  be  entered  by  the  resi- 
dence part.  When  a  customer  appeared,  the 
worthy  merchant  would  retire  to  the  store  and 
attend  to  the  wants  of  his  patron  (who  was  com- 
pelled to  remain  without),  exhibiting  the  goods 
and  receiving  the  price  through  a  small  window, 
the  only  aperture  by  which  direct  communication 
with  the  outside  could  be  had  from  the  store. 
The  Indians  soon  dubbed  this  window  the  "pot- 
latch  hole,"  and  by  that  expressive  sobriquet  it 
became  widely  known  among  both  races.  It  is 
stated,  too,  that  a  kind  of  general  store  was  kept 
by  a  squaw  man  named  French  in  Parker  bottom. 
Mr.  French  was  afterward  killed  in  Klickitat 
county  by  a  vicious  horse. 

During  the  early  seventies,  the  process  of 
settling  and  subjugating  the  country,  already 
begun  in  the  preceding  decade,  was  carried  on 
quietly  and  slowly.  August  13,  1870,  the  pioneer 
settlers  were  given  the  first  substantial  intimation 
that  their  isolation  from  the  rest  of  the  world 
and  the  inconvenience  of  getting  their  products 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


'59 


to  trade  centers  and  their  supplies  back  might 
some  day  be  things  of  the  past.  On  that  date 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  filed  its 
map  of  preliminary  location  in  the  United  States 
general  land  office.  The  map  showed  that  the 
railroad,  if  built  according  to  the  then  existing 
plans,  would  traverse  Yakima  and  Kittitas  val- 
leys, and  to  those  of  astuteness  and  prevision 
the  future  of  the  region  began  to  reveal  itself. 
Every  step  made  by  the  Northern  Pacific  com- 
pany in  promotion  of  its  great  scheme  to  span 
the  continent  by  a  mighty  highway  of  steel  gave 
an  impetus  to  the  general  progress  of  Washing- 
ton territory,  a  progress  in  which  every  part  of 
that  commonwealth  must  necessarily  have  its 
share.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  prospect 
of  the  transcontinental  railway  hastened  on  the 
work  of  settlement  in  Yakima  county,  though  its 
influence  was  not  specially  marked  at  first.  Time 
was  required  to  demonstrate  the  value  of  the  soil, 
the  effect  of  irrigation  and  the  practicability  of 
agriculture;  and  when  all  of  these  were  known, 
time  was  required  to  project  and  construct  the 
great  canal  systems,  without  which  farming, 
fruit  raising  or  horticulture  on  a  considerable 
scale  was  an  impossibility. 

Then,  too,  in  accordance  with  the  laws  of 
agricultural  development  which  have  obtained 
among  all  peoples,  the  wealth  of  pasturage  the 
country  afforded  must  show  signs  of  coming 
exhaustion  before  sufficient  incentive  could  exist 
for  seeking  the  treasures  it  might  hold  as  a 
reward  for  the  husbandman's  toil. 

But  as  already  stated,  there  were  premonitory 
signs  of  the  larger  and  fuller  development  for 
central  Washington  very  soon  after  the  country 
was  invaded  by  whites,  and  these  signs  did  not 
disappear  as  time  went  on.  Thus,  in  1872, 
Sebastian  Lauber  and  Charles  and  Joseph  Schan- 
no  began  their  efforts  to  get  water  upon  their 
land  at  Yakima  City.  The  first  ditch  was  a 
small  one,  taking  its  water  out  of  Wide  Hollow 
creek.  It  did  not  prove  satisfactory,  as  a  suffi- 
cient water  supply  was  available  only  while  the 
snow  lay  on  the  foothills,  so  its  proprietors  de- 
cided to  construct  a  large  ditch,  conveying  water 
from  the  Naches  river.  Operations  were  begun 
in  1873.  The  surveys  followed  the  path  of  least 
resistance,  utilizing  natural  draws  as  much  as 
possible.  When  completed,  the  ditch  was  eight- 
een feet  wide  on  the  bottom  and  carried  a  body 
of  water  eighteen  inches  deep  under  normal  con- 
ditions, with  a  fall  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  the 
rod.  Its  length  exceeded  eight  miles.  Plows 
and  scrapers  were  used  in  its  construction,  and  at 
times  as  many  as  fifteen  or  twenty  men  were 
employed  in  its  deepest  cuts.  Water  did  not 
reach  the  old  town  of  Yakima  until  1875,  the  rea- 
son being  that  the  bed  of  the  canal  was  very  po- 
rous, necessitating  a  great  deal  of  puddling. 
This  was  the  first  ditch  of  large  size  and  public 
utility  to  be  constructed  in  the  country.     While 


the  ditch  later  known  as  the  Union  canal  was 
sooner  started,  it  was  of  slower  growth  and  did 
not  develop  into  an  important  factor  in  the  agri- 
cultural progress  of  the  county  until  some  time 
afterwards.  Of  course,  the  number  of  small, 
private  ditches  constructed  for  the  use  of  one  or 
a  few  farmers  increased  with  the  passage  of  time. 

Those  who  were  residents  of  the  Yakima 
country  at  the  time  will  remember  that  a  very 
noticeable  earthquake  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1872. 
No  newspapers  of  that  date  are  available  and  the 
memories  of  the  old  pioneers  do  not  seem  ade- 
quate to  the  task  of  fixing  the  day  of  the  month 
upon  which  the  seismic  disturbance  was  experi- 
enced, but  perhaps  we  are  justified  in  supposing 
that  the  earthquake  was  the  same  as  that  noticed 
in  many  parts  of  the  Inland  Empire.  If  it  was, 
it  occurred  on  the  evening  of  December  14th. 
The  old  north  Idaho  newspapers  mention  such  a 
phenomenon  at  that  time,  as  did  the  Baker  City, 
Union  and  Walla  Walla  publications.  Speaking 
of  the  shock  in  Yakima  county,  Wallace  Wiley 
stated  that  the  house  on  the  Ahtanum  in  which 
his  family  lived  was  rocked  with  such  violence  as 
to  scare  the  inmates.  A  Congregational  minister, 
he  said,  was  staying  at  his  home  with  two  chil- 
dren, and  when  the  earth  began  its  strange  mo- 
tions he  lost  his  head  and  ran  out,  taking  one  of 
the  children  with  him,  but  temporarily  forget- 
ting the  other.  At  the  mouth  of  Nasty  creek,  a 
small  branch  of  the  upper  Ahtanum,  Frank  A. 
Splawn  was  then  operating  a  small  sash  sawmill 
(said  to  be  the  first  erected  in  the  county).  He 
was  living  alone  in  a  little  box  house  that  he  had 
built  for  temporary  use.  When  the  earthquake 
came  his  first  thought  was  that  mischievous  boys 
were  playing  pranks  on  him,  and  wishing  to  give 
the  practical  jokers  a  scare,  he  rushed  out,  half- 
naked,  gun  in  hand.  The  shock  is  described  as 
consisting  of  two  disturbances,  the  first  being  of 
considerable  force  and  lasting  several  seconds, 
the  second  milder  and  of  shorter  duration.  It 
did  no  damage.  The  time  of  its  occurrence  here 
is  stated  as  late  in  the  evening,  and  the  eastern 
Oregon  newspapers  fixed  the  hour  of  the  disturb- 
ance in  those  parts  as  10:21  p.  m. 

It  is  claimed  that  the  summer  of  1874  was 
rendered  memorable  by  a  remarkable  series  of 
earthquakes  in  central  Washington,  some  of  them 
of  unusual  severity.  Indeed,  it  has  been  asserted 
that  as  many  as  sixty-four  distinct  shocks  were 
counted.  The  Yakima  Herald  of  March  4,  1892, 
states  that  not  since  Washington  was  known  to 
white  men  had  so  great  an  earthquake  been 
experienced  within  its  confines.  "The  indica- 
tions of  its  force,"-  continues  the  publication 
referred  to,  "are  still  seen  in  great  crevices,  huge 
stone  monuments  of  queer  shapes  and  broken 
trails.  A  great  mountain  at  Chief  Wapato  John's 
ranch,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Chelan  river,  was 
rocked  into  the  Columbia,  damming  that  huge 
stream,  flooding  the  chief's  ranch,  carrying  away 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


his  house,  and  forcing  him  to  fly  for  his  life. 
It  was  a  number  of  days  before  the  waters  washed 
away  a  portion  of  the  rocks  and  receded  to  any- 
where near  their  original  level.  Chief  John  was 
so  thoroughly  scared  that  he  never  returned  to 
his  ranch.  "  It  is  thought  by  some  that  the  flood- 
ing of  Wapato  John's  ranch  was  an  incident  of 
the  earthquake  of  1872. 

Leonard  Thorp  tells  us  that  in  1874  a  slide 
took  place  on  the  west  side  of  Yakima  river  a  few 
miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Satus,  opposite 
Snipes  mountain.  A  slice  of  rock  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  wide  and  of  still  greater  length  broke  away 
from  its  fastening,  forming  an  interesting  monu- 
ment to  the  force  of  the  internal  convulsions  in 
that  region.  In  other  parts  of  Yakima  county 
great  cracks  were  made  in  solid  rocks,  and  con- 
siderable excitement,  sometimes  feelings  of  appre- 
hension and  terror,  were  aroused,  but  no  damage 
was  done. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  at  this  point  that  by  leg- 
islative enactment  approved  November  14,  1873, 
the  boundaries  of  Yakima  county,  as  defined  in 
the  creating  act  heretofore  quoted,  were  changed 
somewhat,  the  new  boundary  on  the  south  and  a 
part  of  that  on  the  east  being  thus  described: 
"Commencing  at  the  northwest  corner  of  town- 
ship number  six  north  of  rar»ge  number  twelve 
east;  thence  east  along  the  north  boundary  of 
township  number  six  north,  until  said  line  inter- 
sects the  Columbia  river,  thence  north  up  the 
mid-channel  of  said  river  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Yakima  river." 

In  1875  the  interests  of  Yakima  and  other 
counties  of  central  Washington  received  due 
attention  from  the  territorial  legislature,  as 
appears  from  the  fact  that  a  memorial  to  congress 
was  that  year  passed  asking  for  an  appropriation 
from  the  national  treasury  of  fifty  thousand  dol- 
lars for  the  construction  of  a  wagon  road  to  con- 
nect King  and  Yakima  counties,  said  road  to  lead 
through  the  Snoqualmie  pass.  The  memorial 
also  petitioned  that  E.  P.  Boyles,  George  Taylor, 
F.  R.  Geddis,  Jeremiah  W.  Borst  and  Rufus 
Sterns  be  constituted  a  board  of  commissioners  to 
disburse  said  appropriation.  Its  initial  paragraph 
reads: 

"Your  memorialists,  the  Legislative  Assembly 
of  the  Territory  of  Washington,  would  respect- 
fully represent  to  your  honorable  body,  that  the 
Cascade  range  of  mountains  divides  the  territory 
into  western  and  eastern  Washington ;  that  east- 
ern Washington  Territory  is  almost  exclusively  a 
grazing  and  agricultural  country;  that  in  the 
western  country  the  lumbering  and  mining  in- 
dustries largely  predominate;  and  that  the  west- 
ern is  largely  dependent  upon  Oregon  and  the 
eastern  portion  for  its  supply  of  beef  and  bread- 
stuffs;  that  even  in  the  present  undeveloped  con- 
dition of  the  western,  $200,000  in  gold  is  taken 
annually  from  the  Puget  Sound  district  to  the 
eastern   portion   for  beef    cattle,    which   sum    is 


expended  by  the  cattle  raiser  of  the  eastern  sec- 
tion without  this  territory  to  the  great  detriment 
of  the  western  and  the  whole  territory;  that  the 
wheat,  breadstuffs  and  dairy  products  of  eastern 
Washington  have  to  seek  a  market  without  this 
territory  to  the  great  detriment  of  both  sections; 
that  Puget  sound  is  the  safest  and  most  accessible 
harbor  known  and  affords  facilities  for  commerce 
superior  to  any  other  body  of  water  in  the  world ; 
that  a  connection  of  the  material  interests  of  the 
eastern  and  western  sections  of  the  territory 
would  insure  a  rapid  increase  of  population  and 
wealth ;  that  direct  mail  facilities  by  said  pass  are 
of  great  necessity;  that  a  semi-weekly  mail  and 
stage  line  could  run  on  such  road  with  very  little 
interruption  from  snow,  and  accommodate  the 
traveling  public  many  times  when  they  could  not 
be  accommodated  by  way  of  the  Columbia  river 
on  account  of  ice.  The  unity  and  ultimate  pros- 
perity of  both  sections  of  the  territory  require 
that  every  means  be  fostered  to  protect  and  pro- 
mote the  material  interests  of  both  sections." 

For  some  reason  the  national  government  did 
not  see  fit  to  make  the  appropriation  petitioned 
for  or  any  appropriation,  and  the  much  desired 
aid  to  communication  with  Puget  sound  was  not 
secured  at  this  time. 

The  same  legislature  memorialized  the  post- 
master-general of  the  United  States  relative  to 
the  establishment  of  a  mail  route  from  Seattle  to 
Wallula.  As  giving  an  idea  of  conditions  obtain- 
ing during  the  period,  its  language  is  here  repro- 
duced : 

To  the  Honorable  Postmaster-General  of  the  United  States. 

Your  memorialists,  the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the 
Territory  of  Washington,  would  respectfully  represent  that 
there  are  over  2,000  inhabitants  in  the  valley  of  the  Yak- 
ima river  in  Yakima  county  in  this  Territory,  and  the  num- 
ber is  very  rapidly  increasing  in  consequence  of  recently 
discovered  gold  mines  in  said  valley,  as  well  as  the  rich 
and  extensive  agricultural  and  grazing  lands  in  that  sec- 
tion; that  a  large  portion  of  the  people  of  said  valley  are 
entirely  without  mail  service,  and  that  what  service  there 
is  in  said  valley  is  by  very  circuitous  routes,  namely,  to 
Wallula  via  Umatilla  on  the  Columbia  river,  over  the 
foothills  of  the  Blue  mountains,  and  to  Puget  sound  via 
the  Columbia  river.  Also  that  there  is  no  postoffjce  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Yakima  river,  where  one  is  very  much 
needed  to  accommodate  a  large  settlement  at  that  point. 
Therefore, 

Your  memorialists  prav  that  a  mail  route  may  be  estab- 
lished from  Seattle,  in  'King  county,  via  the  Snoqualmie 
pass  to  Ellensburg,  thence  to  Yakima  City,  thence  to  Smith 
Barnum's  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima  river,  and  thence  to 
Wallula  on  the  Columbia  river;  that  a  postoffice  be  estab- 
lished at  Smith  Barnum's,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima 
river,  and  that  Smith  Barnum  be  appointed  postmaster  of 
said  postoffice  Also  that  a  semi-weekly  mail  service  be 
immediately  established  on  such  route. 

Passed  the  House  of  Representatives  October  12,  1875. 
Elwood  Evans, 
Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Passed  the  Council  October  12,  1875. 

B.  F.  Shaw, 
President  of  the  Council. 

Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  early  settlers, 
though  their  major  industry  was  such  as  thrives 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


in  isolated  communities,  were  somewhat  restive 
under  the  inconveniences  and  privations  of  their 
lonely  life,  and  occasionally  attempted  to  tear 
down  the  barriers  which  separated  them  so  com- 
pletely from  the  rest  of  mankind.  The  social 
instincts  were  strong  within  them.  They  pos- 
sessed as  broad  a  public  spirit  as  did  the  residents 
of  any  other  portion  of  the  territory,  and  were 
willing  to  co-operate  with  others  in  an  effort  to 
build  up  a  harmonious  commonwealth,  whose 
people  should  be  drawn  together  by  the  ties  of 
mutual  interdependence  and  trade  relationships. 
Furthermore,  the  pioneer  stockmen  were  alert 
to  secure  from  time  to  time  new  and  more  conve- 
nient markets  for  the  products  of  their  vast  herds. 
During  the  first  decade  of  the  industry  their  beef 
found  sale  in  the  mines  of  British  Columbia, 
Idaho  and  Montana.  The  annual  drives  would 
start  from  Yakima  in  the  spring  and  would  last 
for  several  months,  in  the  course  of  which  the 
value  of  each  animal  would  increase  from  forty 
dollars  at  Yakima  to  from  seventy-five  to  one 
hundred  at  the  mines,  but  the  danger  of  loss  en 
route  was  great,  not  a  few  cattle  perishing  in 
attempts  to  cross  the  swift  streams  or  being  ap- 
propriated by  the  predacious  savages  and  cattle 
rustlers.  In  1869  the  attention  of  central  Wash- 
ington stockmen  was  attracted  toward  the  sound 
country  as  likely  to  furnish  a  promising  market. 
About  that  time  Joseph  Borst,  of  Booth,  Foss  & 
Borst,  butchers,  of  Seattle,   came  to  the  country 


by  way  of  the  Snoqualmie  pass,  purchased  a  num- 
ber of  steers  and  drove  them  over  the  Cascades. 
Having  found  these  animals  larger,  fatter  and 
better  than  those  produced  on  the  west  side,  they 
continued  to  seek  a  supply  of  beef  in  the  Yakima 
valley.  Other  sound  buyers  followed  their  ex- 
ample, and  a  trade  grew  up  between  the  two  sec- 
tions of  the  state  which  has  continued  to  increase 
in  importance,  though  changing  in  character  with 
the  change  of  conditions. 

Notwithstanding  the  development  of  new 
markets,  the  cattle  industry  outgrew  the  require- 
ments of  the  country,  and  the  result  was  a  decided 
slump  in  prices.  For  a  number  of  years  fine  beef 
animals  could  be  purchased  for  eighteen  and 
twenty  dollars  per  head,  but  about  the  middle 
seventies,  eastern  men  began  stocking  the 
Wyoming  ranges,  thereby  increasing  the  demand 
for,  and  enhancing  the  value  of,  neat  cattle. 
However,  the  impetus  thus  given  to  the  industry 
was  nullified  completely  by  the  severe  winter  of 
1880-81 ;  the  business  was  further  curtailed  by  the 
introduction  of  sheep  and  consequent  injury  to 
the  range,  as  also  by  the  development  of  other 
antagonistic  industries,  and  in  the  later  eighties 
it  began  its  long  decline.  While  cattle  are  still 
an  important  factor  in  the  wealth  production  of 
Yakima  county,  the  industry  is  very  unlike  that 
of  the  earlier  days,  when  countless  thousands 
roamed  freely  over  the  hills,  and  the  cowboy  was 
a  power  in  the  land. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE    PERKINS    MURDER    AND    MOSES    DEMONSTRATION. 


The  years  1877  aQd  1878  were  characterized 
by  not  a  little  Indian  difficulty  throughout  the 
whole  Northwest.  During  the  former  twelve 
months  the  non-treaty  Nez  Perces  and  other 
disaffected  Indians  took  the  warpath  under  the 
leadership  of  Chief  Joseph,  and  during  the 
latter  the  Piutes  and  Bannocks  started,  with 
Chiefs  Buffalo  Horn  and  Egan  at  their  head,  on 
a  marauding  expedition.  The  war  of  1877  had 
its  seat  at  too  great  a  distance  from  the  central 
Washington  country  to  seriously  affect  this  sec- 
tion, though  an  Indian  war  always  causes 
uneasiness  and  excitement  among  the  tribes  any- 
where within  hundreds  of  miles  of  the  scene  of 
hostilities.  There  were  several  leaders  among 
the    Columbia    river    Indians  known  to   be   dis- 


affected. Naturally,  then,  some  apprehension 
was  felt  by  the  settlers  and  agency  people  and  a 
close  watch  was  maintained  upon  the  movements 
of  the  Indians,  lest  some  hot-heads  among  them 
should  start  on  a  career  of  murder  and  pillage. 
But  the  war  of  1877  was  fought  to  a  conclusion 
without  bringing  any  disaster  to  this  part  of  the 
country. 

Much  more  direct  and  important  was  the 
influence  of  the  war  of  1878.  The  actual  fighting 
in  this  conflict  was  likewise  without  the  territory 
with  which  oui*  history  purposes  to  deal,  but  that 
the  plans  of  the  belligerent  red  men  contem- 
plated a  campaign  of  slaughter  in  the  Yakima 
valley  there  could  be  no  doubt.  During  the  con- 
tinuance  of  hostilities,    the  people  were  on  the 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


verge  of  a  volcano  that  might  break  forth  in 
furious,  destructive  eruption  at  any  moment.  A 
brief  outline  of  the  hostile  expedition  which 
occasioned  so  much  apprehension  in  Yakima 
and  Kittitas  counties  is  necessary  to  a  correct 
understanding  of  conditions  at  this  period. 

The  causes  of  the  Bannock  and  Piute  outbreak 
of  1878  are  not  definitely  known.  Gilbert,  in  his 
"Historical  Sketches,"  says:  "Buffalo  Horn 
was  a  celebrated  warrior  who  had  the  year  before 
aided  the  government  against  Chief  Joseph  and 
his  hostile  band  of  Nez  Perces.  His  reward 
for  such  service  was  not  in  keeping  with  his 
estimate  of  its  value  and  importance.  He  saw 
Chief  Joseph  honored  and  made  the  recipient  of 
presents  and  flattering  attentions,  while  the 
great  Buffalo  Horn  was  practically  ignored.  His 
philosophical  mind  at  once  led  him  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  more  favors  could  be  wrung  from  the 
government  by  hostility  than  by  fighting  its 
battles." 

Colonel  William  Parsons,  of  Pendleton,  who 
has  given  the  subject  considerable  study,  thinks 
this  surmise  very  wide  of  the  truth.  "From 
time  immemorial,"  says  he,  "the  Bannocks  have 
been  hereditary  enemies  of  the  Oregon  and  Idaho 
Indians,  including  the  Cayuses,  Umatillas,  Walla 
Wallas  and  Nez  Perces,  and  more  than  once  they 
crossed  the  Blue  mountains  and  inflicted  bitter 
injuries  upon  the  Cayuses  and  their  allies. 
Therefore,  when  Chief  Joseph  and  his  band  of 
non-treaty  Nez  Perces  took  up  arms  in  1877,  and 
began  their  famous  retreat  through  the  Lolo 
pass  and  the  Yellowstone  park  to  the  British 
possessions,  the  Bannocks  furnished  nearly  a 
hundred  warriors  to  harass  the  fleeing  Nez 
Perces.  They  saw  the  whole  of  that  remarkable 
campaign;  they  saw  Joseph,  with  less  than  four 
hundred  warriors  and  encumbered  with  one 
thousand  women  and  children,  carry  on  a  run- 
ning fight  for  fourteen  hundred  miles,  eluding 
Howard  again  and  again,  recapturing  his  camp 
at  Big  Hole  Basin  from  General  Gibbon  and 
pursuing  the  latter  so  fiercely  that  nothing  but 
his  reserve  artillery  saved  him  from  annihilation, 
and  finally  surrendering  with  the  honors  of  war 
to  General  Miles  at  Bear  Paw  mountain,  near 
the  British  line.  He  saw  Joseph  captured,  but 
not  dishonored,  and  became  jealous  of  the  Nez 
Perce  chieftain's  military  fame;  he  also  realized, 
when  it  was  too  late,  that  he  had  made  a  serious 
mistake  in  joining  his  forces  to  those  of  the 
whites  in  the  pursuit  and  capture  of  the  brave 
Nez  Perces,  and  that  in  gratifying  a  tribal 
grudge,  he  had  dealt  a  deadly  blow  at  the  Indian 
race;  he  saw  the  whites  crowding  into  Montana 
and  Idaho,  his  people  ordered  within  the  confines 
of  the  Fort  Hall  reservation,  and  it  finally 
dawned  upon  his  benighted  mind  that  the  same 
chains  which  had  been  fastened  to  the  ankles  of 
Joseph  were  already  forged  for  his  and  were 
about   to  be  riveted  upon  them.     Buffalo  Horn 


was  something  of  a  statesman  but  no  general. 
He  came  to  the  conclusion  that  if  he  could  unite 
all  the  Indians  west  of  the  Missouri  into  a  con- 
federacy, the  whites  could  be  wiped  out.  There- 
fore he  visited  the  various  bands  of  the  Utes, 
Shoshones,  Umatillas,  Cayuses  and  Walla  Wallas  . 
and  sent  runners  to  the  Columbias,  Spokanes, 
I  Chief  Moses'  band  and  other  northern  Indians, 
requesting  them  to  unite  with  him  in  a  final 
effort  to  drive  the  whites  out  of  the  Inland 
Empire." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  Buffalo  Horn's 
acts  of  hostility  were  inspired  by  jealousy  and 
ambition.  His  ■  schemes  were  comprehensive, 
well  conceived,  seemingly  feasible,  and  could  he 
have  combined  Joseph's  ability  to  execute  with 
his  own  ability  to  plan,  the  result  would  have 
been  serious  indeed  for  the  whites.  But  no 
Joseph  arose  to  lead  on  the  Indian  hordes,  and  the 
scheme  failed. 

Buffalo  Horn's  overtures  to  the  other  bands 
of  Indians  being  received  with  favor,  he  set  out 
from  Fort  Hall  on  his  marauding  and  pillaging 
expedition  early  in  June,  1878.  The  Bannocks 
and  a  number  of  Shoshones  were  joined  by  large 
bands  of  Piutes  under  the  command  of  their  war 
chief,  Egan.  The  confederated  force  numbered 
perhaps  five  hundred  warriors  and  about  fifteen 
hundred  women  and  children.  Their  plan  was 
to  move  west  and  north  from  Pocatello,  past 
Boise,  until  a  junction  was  formed  with  the 
Umatillas,  Cayuses,  Walla  Wallas  and  Colum- 
bias, on  the  Umatilla  reservation;  then,  devastat- 
ing the  country,  to  move  north,  uniting  with  the 
Spokanes  and  other  Indians  in  northern  Wash- 
ington, there  to  make  a  stand,  but  if  hard  pressed 
to  retire  across  the  British  line. 

Going  around  Boise,  where  there  was  a  con- 
siderable military  force,  and  keeping  in  the  lava 
beds,  timber  and  thinly  settled  portions  of  the 
country,  they  encountered  during  the  first  part 
of  their  march  but  little  opposition.  But  they 
could  not  desist  from  murdering  the  few  whites 
or  Chinamen  whom  they  met,  and  the  result 
was  that  alarm  was  taken  and  opposing  forces 
were  put  into  the  field  before  the  execution  of 
their  plans  could  be  well  begun.  They  received 
at  Silver  creek,  Idaho,  a  severe  check  from 
Colonels  Robbins  and  Bernard,  the  former  of 
whom  had  a  fierce  hand-to-hand  encounter  with 
Egan,  which  resulted  in  some  very  bad  wounds 
for  the  red  man. 

Upon  Egan,  however,  wounded  though  he 
was  and  incompetent  at  best,  soon  devolved  the 
command  of  the  united  forces,  for  Buffalo  Horn 
was  killed  in  a  skirmish  before  reaching  the  Blue 
mountains.  The  consternation  in  eastern 
Oregon,  on  the  approach  of  the  hostiles,  can 
hardly  be  imagined.  "In  wagons,  on  horseback 
and  on  foot,  the  settlers  hastened  to  the  nearest 
towns  for  protection.  Pendleton,  Umatilla, 
Wallula,  Milton  and  Walla  Walla  were  crowded 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


with  refugees.  Homes  were  abandoned  so 
hastily  that  neither  provisions  nor  extra  clothing 
were  provided.  All  settlements  within  reach  of 
the  warning  voice  were  deserted  in  a  day.  Cattle 
and  sheep  men  in  the  mountains  were  in  a  pre- 
carious situation,  and  many  were  killed  before 
they  could  reach  places  of  safety.  Major  Corn- 
oyer,  the  Indian  agent,  gathered  in  all  the 
Indians  possible,  including  the  Columbia  river 
and  Warm  Spring  Indians,  amounting  to  about 
two  thousand,  the  loyalty  of  many  of  whom  was 
seriously  doubted.  But  while  most  of  the 
settlers  escaped  to  towns,  it  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  the  towns  themselves  were  scarcely  able  to 
make  any  defense.  Pendleton  had  not  more  than 
one  hundred  and  fifty  inhabitants.  Heppner, 
Wallula,  Weston  and  Milton  were  mere  hamlets. 
They  were  widely  separated — too  far  for  mutual 
support — and  fifteen  hundred  savage  warriors 
were  supposed  to  be  about  to  fall  upon  them. 
Pendleton  was  to  receive  the  first  assault.  " 

Had  Egan  marched  upon  Pendleton  without 
delay  during  the  early  days  of  July,  he  could 
have  captured  the  town  almost  without  an  effort. 
But  instead  of  striking  a  decisive  blow  before  the 
troops  from  Walla  Walla  and  the  volunteers 
from  Weston,  Milton  and  other  points  could  con- 
centrate, he  frittered  away  the  time  in  killing  a 
few  sheep  herders  and  skirmishing  with  Captain 
Wilson's  handful  of  thirty  men.  "So  small  was 
the  force  of  the  whites  at  Pendleton,"  says 
Parsons,  "and  so  badly  was  it  provided  with 
arms  and  competent  officers,  to  say  nothing  of 
its  utter  demoralization  through  rumors  and 
reports  of  the  overwhelming  strength  of  the 
Indians,  that  men  who  were  present  affirm  that 
if  one  hundred  Indians  had  made  a  sharp  attack 
on  the  4th,  5th  or  6th  of  July,  the  town  would 
have  fallen.  If  Egan's  whole  force  of  five 
hundred  warriors  had  made  the  assault  the 
valley  of  the  Umatilla  from  the  Blue  mountains 
to  the  Columbia  would  have  been  swept  clear  of 
the  whites.  The  Umatilla  reservation  Indians 
would  have  been  forced  to  unite  with  the 
hostiles;  the  Columbias  and  the  Washington 
Indians  would  have  followed  their  example  and 
Buffalo  Horn's  confederacy  would  have  been 
consummated,  to  the  enormous  damage  of  white 
interests  throughout  the  whole  Inland  Empire." 

But  Egan  hesitated  until  the  forces  of  Howard 
and  Throckmorton  had  formed  a  junction  to 
oppose  their  progress.  The  Umatilla  reservation 
Indians  were  confirmed  in  their  loyalty,  even 
converted  into  allies  of  the  whites,  and  some  of 
their  number  decoyed  Egan  into  a  trap  and 
killed  him.  The  triumphal  advance  of  the 
Indian  hordes  was  rapidly  changed  into  a  dis- 
orderly retreat.  Eventually,  in  Harney  county, 
Oregon,  they  were  captured  by  the  United  States 
forces,  who  placed  them  under  guard  on  the 
Yakima  reservation. 

Had  the  Indians  achieved  the  success  which 


might  easily  have  been  theirs  had  they  been  led 
by  able  chieftains,  the  conditions  in  the  Yakima 
country  would  have  been  indeed  appalling. 
Many  of  the  Indians  in  this  locality  were  undoubt- 
edly hostile  in  feeling.  Their  unfriendliness 
had  been  noticed  early  in  the  spring  of  1878. 
They  were  quarrelsome  and  sulky;  camp  fires 
and  signal  lights  blazed  at  night  upon  the  hill 
tops,  and  small  bands  rode  rapidly  through  the 
valleys  without  the  usual  friendly  demonstra- 
tions or  visits.  In  May  the  Deatons  and  Nelsons 
learned  that  the  Piutes  had  despatched  runners 
to  the  Yakimas  and  had  made  arrangements  in 
accordance  with  which  the  latter  were  to  sweep 
down  the  valley,  form  a  junction  with  the  other 
hostiles  at  the  Columbia  and  proceed  northward 
with  them  on  a  career  of  devastation  and 
slaughter. 

George  Nelson  tells  us  that  one  day  in  the 
early  summer  while  the  men  were  at  work  on  his 
father's  farm  on  the  Naches,  Yallup,  a  well- 
known  young  Indian,  came  along  and  suggested 
to  the  proprietor  of  the  place  that  he  need  make 
no  preparations  for  cutting  his  wheat.  "Why?" 
asked  the  man  addressed,  in  astonishment. 
"Because  the  Indians  will  attend  to  that  for 
you."  This  reply  so  incensed  Judge  Nelson  that 
he  ordered  the  immediate  arrest  of  the  brazen- 
faced redskin.  Procuring  his  gun,  he  made 
demonstrations  as  if  about  to  hang  and  shoot 
Yallup,  but  eventually  released  the  thoroughly 
frightened  Indian,  protesting,  however,  that  he 
was  guilty  of  dereliction  to  duty  in  so  doing. 

The  details  of  the  plan  the  Indians  were 
endeavoring  to  execute  were  revealed  to  General 
Howard  by  a  friendly  squaw  named  Sarah 
Winnemucca.  The  information  received  from 
this  woman  enabled  the  troops  to  checkmate  the 
hostiles  and  bring  them  to  submission  much 
more  rapidly  and  effectually  than  could  have 
been  done  otherwise.  It  was  understood  by  the 
citizens  of  the  Yakima  valley  that  according  to 
Indian  plans,  Moses  was  to  occupy  a  position 
between  the  Wenatchee  and  Kittitas  valleys; 
Smohollah  was  to  station  himself  on  the  upper 
Naches  and  all  were  to  await  the  crossing  of  the 
Columbia  by  the  Fort  Hall  Indians.  When 
signal  fires  should  announce  that  the  Piutes  and 
their  allies  were  safely  over  the  big  river,  a 
general  slaughter  was  to  commence.  Moses  was 
to  clean  out  the  Kittitas  valley,  cross  the 
Umptanum  mountains  and  sweep  the  Wenas; 
Smohollah  was  to  murder  the  settlers  in  the 
Naches  and  Cowiche  valleys;  the  Piutes  were  to 
raid  the  lower  Yakima  country  and  Parker 
bottom,  and  all  were  to  unite  for  a  grand  car- 
nival of  slaughter  at  Yakima  City  and  the  Ahta- 
num  valley.  Fortunately,  the  Piutes  and  Ban- 
nocks never  got  across  the  Columbia  in  force;  the 
dreadful  signal  fires  were  never  lighted  and  the 
hands  of  the  lecherous,  blood-thirsty  savages 
were  stayed. 


1 64 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


But  the  settlers  of  central  Washington  could 
not  foresee  that«the  Indian  campaign  would  mis- 
carry as  it  did,  and  their  condition  of  mind  in  the 
summer  of  1878  was  one  of  extreme  anxiety, 
sometimes  of  terror.  War,  especially  war  with 
Indians,  is  a  game  always  played  in  the  dark,  and 
in  the  dark  strange  terrors  possess  the  imagina- 
tive which  can  never  exist  in  the  garish  day. 
Uncertainty  as  to  the  position  of  the  Indians, 
uncertainty  as  to  the  state  of  mind  of  those  in 
their  own  midst,  wild  rumors  flying  everywhere 
and  losing  nothing  in  their  flight,  the  knowledge 
of  their  lack  of  arms  and  ammunition,  author- 
ized leaders  and  concert  of  action,  and  the  sicken- 
ing certainty  of  their  fate  if  they  should  be  over- 
come by  the  savages — all  these  made  the  hearts 
*  and  minds  of  the  settlers  a  perfect  maelstrom  of 
anxiety.  There  was  no  supineness  among  them, 
however.  They  had  been  habituated  by  long 
practice  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation,  and 
they  did  so  in  this  instance. 

Though  not  a  little  alarm  had  existed  among 
the  people  from  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  its 
terrors  were  not  brought  home  to  them  directly 
until  the  Fourth  of  July.  Then  came  a  runner, 
carrying  the  dreadful  intelligence  that  the 
Indians  had  at  last  arrived.  Other  runners 
started  out  in  other  directions  with  the  message, 
and  soon  the  whole  country  was  in  the  throes  of 
a  wild  excitement.  Nearly  all  in  the  lower 
Yakima  valley  flocked  to  Yakima  City,  taking 
refuge  in  the  Centennial  and  Schanno  halls 
there.  Later  a  sod  fort  was  built  on  the  J.  B. 
Dickerson  meadow  about  a  mile  southeast  of  the 
spot  now  occupied  by  Woodcock  Academy.  The 
walls  were  of  mud,  piled  up  to  a  height  of  eight 
feet,  and  were  three  feet  thick  on  the  average. 
A  trench  was  dug  around  the  fortification  on  the 
outside,  the  plan  being  that  supplies  and  other 
property  and  all  non-combatants  should  find 
protection  within  this  structure,  while  the  men 
should  defend  it  from  the  shelter  of  the  intrench- 
ments.  Tunnels  were  dug  at  intervals  to  provide 
communication  between  the  trench  and  interior 
of  the  fort,  and  wells  were  sunk  at  convenient 
places,  that  the  refugees  might  be  able  to  with- 
stand a  long  siege.  A  report  that  a  number  of 
hostiles  had  crossed  the  Columbia  sent  most  of 
the  farmers  for  many  miles  around  from  their 
harvesting  to  the  protection  of  this  fortification. 
For  more  than  a  week  they  remained  in  the  fort 
or  its  vicinity,  but  their  scouting  parties  failed 
to  find  any  hostile  bands,  and  in  time  they 
ventured  back  to  their  deserted  crops.  A  few 
Indians  had  indeed  succeeded  in  crossing  the 
Columbia,  despite  the  vigilance  of  the  two  armed 
boats  which  were  patrolling  it,  but,  as  the  scouts 
.      learned,  they  had  gone  toward  White  Bluffs. 

After  the  return  of  these  settlers  to  their 
homes,  a  petition  was  sent  to  the  governor  for 
arms  and  ammunition,  and  the  chief  executive 
responded  with  three  hundred  stand  of  Reming- 


ton needle-guns  and  a  supply  of  cartridges. 
These  were  shipped  by  river  to  The  Dalles, 
where  they  were  secured  by  a  party  of  thirty 
volunteers,  among  them  William  Wylie.  The 
rifles  were  brought  over  the  old  military  road  to 
Yakima  City,  and  there  distributed  among  the 
citizens.  These  arms  have  never  been  collected, 
and  it  is  presumed  that  they  are  still  in  the  homes 
of  the  old  residents  of  Yakima  and  Kittitas 
counties. 

When  the  Indian  scare  of  the  Fourth  of 
July  reached  the  people  of  the  Selah  and 
Wenas  valleys,  they  built  a  fortification  on  the 
homestead  of  John  Cleman.  It  consisted  of  a 
dirt  breastwork  two  or  three  feet  high  surround- 
ing Mr.  Cleman's  cabin  and  of  a  trench  outside 
the  wall.  Settlers  from  the  upper  Naches,  the 
Selah  and  the  Wenas  valleys  congregated  here 
to  the  number  of  eighty,  a  quarter  of  whom  were 
able-bodied  men,  fairly  well  armed  and  equipped 
for  military  operations.  Among  the  families 
gathered  here  were  those  of  Leonard  Thorp, 
George  S.  Taylor,  Alfred  Miller,  Thomas  Taylor, 
Thomas  Kelly,  Doc.  McLaughlin,  Robert 
Kandle,  David  Longmire,  Richard  and  Hiram 
Perkins,  brothers  of  the  Lorenzo  D.  Perkins 
who  later  perished  at  the  hands  of  Indians; 
Anson  and  William  White,  Clifford  Cleman,  John 
Cleman,  Charles  Longmire,  John  Brice,  Allen 
Rice,  Elijah  Denton, Kincaid  and  a  clergy- 
man named  Capps.  There  were  also  two  bache- 
lors, James  Henson  and  Thomas  Pierce. 

At  this  time  it  was  believed  by  the  settlers 
that  they  were  entrapped  and  must  prepare  to 
fight  their  way  through  the  ranks  of  the  hostiles. 
Rumor  had  it  that  Chief  Colawash,  with  his 
Klickitats,  was  encamped  in  the  Naches  pass; 
that  Smohollah,  with  his  band  of  Columbia 
Rivers,  was  guarding  the  Snoqualmie  pass,  while 
the  advancing  Bannocks  and  the  Okanogans 
would  prevent  egress  toward  the  eastward  or 
southward.  The  situation,  if  as  believed,  would 
have  been  indeed  serious. 

Upon  the  return  of  a  party  from  Cottonwood 
gulch  bringing  the  information  that  no  Indi 
were  to  be  seen  in  that  direction,  Leonard  Thorp 
proposed  an  expedition  to  the  Naches  pass  to 
ascertain  the  truth  concerning  its  reported 
blockade.  To  many  of  the  settlers  it  seemed  like 
unwarranted  temerity  to  thus  ride  into  a  camp  of 
hostiles,  but  there  were  those  among  them  who 
shrank  not  from  the  dangerous  undertaking. 
The  personnel  of  the  company,  as  finally  made 
up,  was  Leonard  Thorp,  David  Longmire, 
Thomas  Pierce  and  James  Henson.  They  set 
out  at  daylight,  all  well  mounted  and  armed, 
with  a  professedly  friendly  Indian  as  scout. 
Ascending  the  Wenas  to  the  old  sawmill,  they 
followed  the  trail  thence  over  the  high  divide 
between  that  stream  and  the  Naches  to  a  position 
just  above  the  mouth  of  Nile  creek.  The  party 
determined    to    make    a    reconnoissance    of    this 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


.65 


locality,  and  proceeded  to  the  banks  of  the  Nile. 
At  its  junction  with  the  Naches  they  found  many 
tracks  of  Indian  women  and  children.  They 
noticed  also  that  their  Indian  scout  displayed 
signs  of  uneasiness.  Finally  he  tried  to  separate 
himself  from  the  whites,  giving  as  an  excuse 
that  he  wished  to  look  for  lost  horses,  but  his 
companions  would  not  permit  his  departure. 
Mr.  Longmire  took  upon  himself  the  duty  of 
keeping  an  eye  on  the  Indian,  of  whose  good  faith 
doubts  were  beginning  to  be  seriously  enter- 
tained. 

In  time  the  party  came  upon  a  company  of  old 
squaws;  also  caught  a  glimpse  of  a  young  buck 
in  war  regalia  riding  through  the  brush  at  full 
speed.  The  attention  of  the  men  was  attracted 
by  the  beating  of  a  tom-tom  drum  lpwer  down 
the  Naches,  and  proceeding  in  the  direction 
whence  the  sound  came,  they  soon  discovered 
several  tepees  and  tents  across  the  river.  There 
was  now  no  retreat.  Their  presence  was  known 
to  the  savages,  and  to  escape  them  by  flight,  if 
they  chose  to  pursue,  was  an  impossibility. 
Anyhow,  the  party  had  come  for  information,  and 
was  determined  to  get  it  if  possible,  at  whatever 
personal  risk,  so  they  crossed  the  river  and  boldly 
rode  into  the  midst  of  the  camp.  Mr.  Thorp 
walked  up  to  the  largest  tent,  the  one  whence  the 
tom-tom  noise  was  issuing,  and  boldly  entered 
it,  gun  in  hand.  Inquiring  of  old  Sharlow,  the 
first  Indian  he  encountered,  what  the  Indians 
were  doing  on  the  Naches,  he  received  no  reply 
except  a  grunt.  Other  questions  elicited  like 
responses,  the  ancient  redskin  being  in  too  ill  a 
humor  "to  bear  catechising  graciously.  Mean- 
while the  other  savages  continued  to  pound  the 
logs,  which  they  were  using  as  drums,  leading 
the  whites  to  believe  that  a  war  dance  was  in 
progress. 

At  last  Sharlow  demanded  what  the  white 
men  were  doing  in  the  Indian  camp  and  why 
they  had  guns.  He  was  told  that  a  few  days 
previously  four  government  horses  had  been 
stolen  from  the  reservation  either  by  whites  or 
Indians;  that  the  party  was  in  search  of  the  prop- 
erty and  that  the  guns  were  for  use  in  case  the 
thieves,  when  found,  resisted  arrest.  Sharlow, 
apparently  mollified  by  this  explanation,  assured 
the  white  men  that  there  were  no  stolen  horses 
in  the  camp,  and  continued  to  talk  while  they 
reconnoitered  the  situation,  making  cautious 
inquiries  betimes  as  to  whether  the  red  men  were 
disposed  to  be  friendly  or  hostile.  Sharlow  pro- 
tested that  not  only  he  but  all  the  Indians  there 
encamped  were  most  cordial  in  their  feelings  of 
amity  toward  the  "Bostons." 

The  object  of  the  scouting  party's  mission 
accomplished,  and  expressions  of  mutual  good- 
will interchanged,  the  whites  withdrew  from  the 
Indian  camp,  glad  to  get  away  unscathed,  yet 
having  seen  no  cause  of  alarm.  A  long,  hard 
ride    brought    them    back    to    the    fort    by  dark. 


Their  report  so  far  restored  the  confidence  of  the 
people  that  many  returned  to  their  homes  next 
day,  though  the  majority  were  still  apprehensive 
of  danger.  These  moved  seven  miles  farther  up 
the  creek  and  built  a  rude  plank  fortification, 
known  as  Fort  Union,  on  the  Allen  Rice  place. 
It  was,  however,  never  much  used,  as  the  settlers, 
their  fears  quieted  by  the  fact  that  no  depreda- 
tions of  Indians  were  reported,  soon  resumed 
their  usual  vocations. 

But  it  does  not  follow  from  the  fact  that  the 
main  body  of  the  settlers  escaped  so  well  that 
their  apprehensions  were  wholly  unfounded  and 
that  the  local  Indians  were  unanimous  in  their 
sentiments  toward  the  whites.  Indeed,  the  val- 
leys of  central  Washington  were  by  no  means 
safe  places  for  small  parties  during  the  troublous 
summer  of  1878.  The  Indians  led  by  Moses  and 
the  old  dreamer,  Smohollah,  were  undoubtedly 
hostile  in  feeling,  and  some  of  them,  excited  by 
reports  of  the  war  which  were  constantly  reach- 
ing them  from  the  scene  of  action,  were  ready  to 
commit  depredations  should  opportunity  offer. 
Opportunity  did  offer  before  the  summer  was 
over,  and  Lorenzo  D.  Perkins  and  his  wife  lost 
their  lives  as  a  result. 

Mr.  Perkins  was  a  successful  stock  raiser 
about  thirty-five  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  sad 
fate.  He  had  come  to  the  country  with  his 
brothers  and  settled  on  the  Wenas  several  years 
before,  and  had  been  married  the  year  previous". 
His  wife,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph 
Bunting,  was  much  younger  than  he.  Early  in 
the  summer  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins,  in  company 
with  Harry  Burbanks,  his  son,  Walter,  his 
nephew,  Albert  Burbanks,  and  John  M.  Edwards, 
had  made  a  trip  into  the  Spokane  country  in 
quest  of  range.  Before  the  first  of  July  they 
were  back  to  White  Bluffs,  on  the  Columbia  river, 
where  the  married  couple  separated  from  their 
companions,  going  to  their  cabin  ten  miles  below. 
The  rest  of  the  company  came  on  to  Yakima 
City.  A  few  days  later,  when  startling  reports 
of  invading  hostiles  reached  the  people  of  the 
valley,  the  elder  Burbanks  sent  Walter  and  his 
cousin,  Albert,  over  to  the  Columbia  river  slope 
to  gather  up  his  horses,  lest  they  fall  into  the 
hands  of  Indians.  The  young  men  proceeded  on 
their  way  without  adventure  until  they  reached 
Big  Willows,  now  known  as  the  hog  ranch. 
There,  however,  they  encountered  eight  Indians, 
who  attacked  them  fiercely,  forcing  them  to  re- 
treat hastily.  Before  they  could  get  out  of  range, 
Walter's  coat  and  vest  were  punctured  by  a  bul- 
let. For  more  than  four  miles  the  Indians  fol- 
lowed him  closely,  firing  occasionally,  but  with- 
out success.  At  length  he  escaped  through  the 
superior  speed  and  endurance  of  his  horse.  His 
companion  escaped,  not  only  the  rifles  of  the 
attacking  party  but  a  stern  chase,  by  leaping  his 
horse  over  a  precipice,  and  remaining  off  the  road 
for  a  distance.      He  at  length  rejoined  his  cousin 


1 66 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  both  returned  to  Yakima  City,  where  the 
relation  of  their  experience  caused  not  a  little 
excitement.  Walter  Burbanks  returned  at  once 
to  the  scene  with  William  Splawn,  Edward  Lind- 
sey,  John  M.  Edwards  and  two  or  three  others  to 
reconnoiter  and  bring  in  whatever  stock  they 
could  find.  They  discovered  the  desired  band  of 
horses,  but  no  Indians. 

About  this  time  the  inquiry  was  made  of  a 
number  of  stockmen  who  visited  Yakima  City 
from  the  White  Bluffs  country  concerning  the 
Perkins  couple.  The  men  stated  that  Perkins 
and  his  wife  had  left  for  Yakima  City  several 
days  before,  and  one  of  their  number,  a  man 
named  King,  said  he  had  ferried  them  across  the 
Columbia  a"t  White  Bluffs  July  9th.  Agent  Wil- 
bur sought  to  calm  the  fears  of  relatives  by 
reporting  to  them  the  statement  of  Indians  that 
the  missing  people  were  safe  at  Wallula,  but  the 
Indian  reports  were  not  considered  worthy  of  full 
confidence,  and,  no  word  coming  from  trustworthy 
sources,  John  McAllister,  uncle  of  Mrs.  Perkins, 
and  Adam  Duncan  made  a  trip  to  White  Bluffs 
to  investigate.  They  found  no  traces.  Another 
trip  was  made  by  the  same  persons  for  the  same 
purpose,  and  this  time,  at  Rattlesnake  springs, 
a  piece  of  quilt  and  a  broken  dish,  which  were 
subsequently  identified  by  friends  as  the  property 
of  the  missing  couple,  were  unearthed.  Rev. 
J.  H.  Wilbur,  agent  in  charge  of  the  Yakima 
reservation,  was  now  appealed  to  for  Indian 
scouts,  and  he  sent  three,  Stick  Joe,  Joe  Ennius 
and  a  California  Indian  known  as  Dick.  These, 
with  six  white  men,  namely,  John  M.  Edwards, 
Andrew  J.  Chambers,  John  Splawn,  J.  H.  Con- 
rad, Adam  Duncan  and  John  McAllister,  pro- 
ceeded direct  to  Rattlesnake  springs,  thirty-eight 
miles  east  of  Yakima  City,  where  they  engaged 
in  a  diligent  search.  Clues  to  the  missing  were 
soon  discovered,  and  in  due  time  the  bodies  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins  were  found  by  Stick  Joe 
in  the  bottom  of  a  shallow  ravine  a  mile  below 
the  upper  springs.  A  heavy  flood  had  passed 
down  this  draw  at  some  time,  creating  a  washout 
several  yards  in  width.  The  rushing  waters  had 
been  separated  at  one  point  in  their  career  into  two 
streams,  which,  reuniting  lower  down,  had  formed 
a  miniature  island.  On  one  side  of  this  island  the 
body  of  Perkins  was  interred,  and  on  the  other 
that  of  his  wife,  both  being  covered  with  rocks 
and  cobble  stones.  The  remains  of  the  unfor- 
tunate lady  gave  strong  evidence  that  her  spirit 
had  not  yet  deserted  its  prison  house  of  clay  when 
she  was  laid  to  rest,  for  one  knee  protruded 
through  the  rocks  as  if  raised  in  spite  of  the  heavy 
burden  upon  it,  while  one  arm  was  thrust  outward 
and  above  her  head.  It  was  impossible  to  exam- 
ine the  corpses  with  much  minuteness,  as  decom- 
position was  in  an  advanced  stage,  but  it  was 
observed  that  the  clothing  of  the  man  had  been 
pierced  by  many  bullets. 

Such    parts  of  the   story  of  the  unfortunate 


affair  as  could  not  be  learned  by  observation  were 
disclosed  later  by  the  confession  and  state's  evi- 
dence of  Moosetonic,  one  of  the  Indian  miscreants 
responsible  for  the  awful  deed.  Unfortunately, 
the  court  records  of  the  trial  were  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  no  printed  reports  of  the  celebrated  case 
are  at  hand,  if  any  exist,  but  the  facts  disclosed 
by  the  testimony  as  nearly  as  can  be  recalled  by 
those  who  followed  the  case  closely  at  the  time 
are  as  follows: 

The  Indians  who  perpetrated  the  foul  crime 
numbered  seven  in  all.  Wyanticat,  their  leader, 
together  with  Salusakin,  Tewowney,  Moosetonic, 
Tommy  Hop-Towne  and  Chuck  Chuck,  belonged 
on  the  Yakima  reservation;  the  seventh,  named 
Kipe,  lived  on  the  Columbia,  near  The  Dalles. 
They  had  joined  the  hostile  Bannock  and  Piute 
hordes  south  of  the  Columbia,  had  been  among 
the  number  who  attempted  to  effect  a  crossing  at 
Long  Island,  but  had  been  prevented  from  so 
doing  by  the  forces  under  Howard  and  Ferry; 
had  later  separated  themselves  from  their  cojifreres 
and  crossed  to  the  north  side  of  the  river,  despite 
the  vigilance  of  the  armed  boats,  and  were  on 
their  way  northward  to  join  Moses  when  they 
met  Perkins  and  his  wife.  Both  the  doomed  pair 
and  the  murderers  camped  that  fatal  day  at 
Rattlesnake  springs.  Disappointed  that  they 
had  been  foiled  in  their  military  plans  and  burn- 
ing with  hatred  toward  the  superior  race,  the 
Indians  resolved  to  get  what  revenge  they  could 
by  attacking  the  two  non-combatants  in  their 
power.  First,  however,  they  desired  to  learn 
whether  or  not  they  were  armed,  so  two  of  their 
number,  of  whom  the  leader  was  one,  came  up  to 
the  Perkins  camp  and  requested  food.  Mr.  Per- 
kins gave  them  nearly  all  he  had,  saying  the 
necessity  of  the  Indians  was  greater  than  that  of 
himself  and  wife,  and  that  anyway  the  distance 
to  Yakima  City,  where  plenty  could  be  obtained,  . 
was  not  great. 

This  evidence  of  good-will  toward  them  and 
solicitude  for  their  comfort  would  surely  have 
touched  a  tender  spot  in  the  hearts  of  the  savages, 
had  there  been  any  there  to  touch,  but  with  a 
malevolence  and  hate  which  nothing  but  blood 
could  appease,  the  dastardly  Wyanticat  threw 
aside  his  mask  of  friendship  and  drew  his  gun. 
Tommy  Hop-Towne  did  likewise.  Mrs.  Perkins 
began  pleading  for  mercy,  while  her  husband 
addressed  himself  to  the  task  of  saddling  up. 
Prayers  and  tears  were  as  unavailing  as  charity 
had  been.  Mr.  Perkins  received  a  shot  which 
crippled  him,  but  managed,  nevertheless,  to  get 
his  wife  and  himself  on  the  horses.  Then  began 
the  race  for  life.  A  second  shot  took  effect  on 
the  body  of  Mr.  Perkins,  inflicting  a  mortal 
wound,  and,  of  course,  putting  escape  for  him  out 
of  the  question.  Time  had  not  been  given  to 
saddle  the  horse  on  which  Mrs.  Perkins  was 
mounted,  but  she  was  an  excellent  rider  and  could 
guide    her   animal    accurately    by    the    tethering 


CHIEF    MUSES. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


.67 


rope.  Escape  by  the  road  was  cut  off  by  Moose- 
tonic,  so  she  was  forced  to  take  to  the  sage 
brush.  She  rode  a  horse  abundantly  capable  of 
distancing  the  fleetest  of  the  Indian  ponies,  and 
might  have  got  away  safely  were  it  not  for  an 
accident.  Though  a  deep,  wide  draw  lay  in  front 
of  her,  she  shrank  not  from  the  dangerous  leap. 
The  horse,  however,  instead  of  gathering  his 
forces  for  the  jump,  hesitated,  thereby  losing  the 
momentum  necessary  to  carry  him  safely  over. 
As  a  result,  he  fell  short  of  the  opposite  bank, 
threw  his  rider  and  crippled  her.  The  Indians 
came  up,  forced  her  back  to  her  expiring  hus- 
band, and,  notwithstanding  her  pleadings  and  the 
offer  of  all  that  she  and  her  husband  possessed 
as  a  ransom  for  their  lives,  put  an  end  to  the 
earthly  career  of  both.  There  is  some  doubt  as 
to  how  Mrs.  Perkins  came  to  her  death.  Her 
mother,  Mrs.  Cheney,  formerly  Mrs.  Bunting, 
claims  that  she  was  shot,  but  some  of  those  who 
found  the  bodies  think  she  was  stunned  in  some 
way  and  buried  even  before  the  light  of  her  life 
had  gone  out. 

During  the  summer  and  fall  every  effort  was 
made  to  find  the  murderers,  but  the  most  definite 
information  that  could  be  obtained  was  that  they 
had  joined  Chief  Moses,  who  was  himself  giving 
trouble  to  the  authorities  by  refusing  to  go  with 
his  followers  upon  the  Yakima  reservation.  Both 
he  and  Smohollah,  the  dreamer,  were  thought  to 
have  been  implicated,  directly  or  indirectly,  in 
the  Perkins  affair.  At  this  time  John  M.  Edwards 
and  an  Indian  boy  named  Jim  Nelson  were 
engaged  in  herding  and  looking  after  William 
Splawn's  cattle  on  the  east  side  of  the  Columbia. 
One  day  an  Indian  known  as  Warnateer  came  to 
Mr.  Edwards  and  told  him  the  murderers  so  much 
desired  by  the  citizens  were  at  White  Bluffs, 
engaged  in  a  great  gambling  game.  "If  you  will 
go  with  me,"  said  he,  "I  will  point  out  the  guilty 
ones  by  moving  around  the  circle  and  extending 
my  foot  towards  each  of  them  in  succession." 
Edwardsdecided  to  accompany  Warnateer,  despite 
the  risk  involved,  so  he  and  his  dusky  companion 
crossed  the  river  together  and  walked  boldly 
into  the  midst  of  the  gamblers.  Warnateer  kept 
his  word,  and  Edwards  noted  carefully  the  fea- 
tures of  the  seven  men  indicated,  who,  being  in 
blissful  ignorance  of  the  significance  of  the  visit 
their  band  had  received,  continued  in  play  all 
night  long. 

Mr.  Edwards  returned  to  the  eastern  side  of 
the  Columbia,  crossing  at  the  Indian  camp  and 
going  some  distance  in  the  direction  in  which 
his  Indian  boy,  Jim,  was.  This  he  did  to  disarm 
suspicion,  for  his  real  intention  was  to  proceed 
alone  to  Yakima  City  and  arouse  the  people 
there  to  a  pursuit  of  the  murderers.  He  accord- 
ingly made  a  detour  back  to  the  river,  hunted  up 
a  rickety  canoe,  recrossed  to  the  west  side  at  great 
risk,  for  his  craft  was  badly  disabled,  secured  a 
mount  and  rode  rapidly  up  the  valley.     Arriving 


at  Yakima  City,  he  communicated  to  William 
Splawn  the  information  he  had  gained.  The  call 
for  a  party  of  volunteers  to  go  out  and  bring  in 
the  Indian  murderers  went  forth  at  once,  but 
for  some  reason  it  did  not  meet  with  a  hearty 
response.  Finally,  Splawn,  Edwards  and  a  man 
named  Denny  started  for  White  Bluffs,  intending 
to  make  the  arrest  themselves  if  opportunity 
offered,  otherwise  to  turn  their  attention  to  their 
cattle  on  the  range.  Upon  arriving  at  the  Indian 
camping  place,  they  found  their  birds  had  flown, 
but  the  adventure  of  Mr.  Edwards  and  such 
information  as  had  been  gained  by  the  subse- 
quent expedition  were  communicated  to  the 
officers  at  the  agency. 

About  December  1st,  Agent  Wilbur  sent  an 
invitation  to  Chief  Moses,  requesting  that  worthy 
to  meet  him  in  Yakima  City  for  the  purpose  of 
holding  a  friendly  council.  Moses  accepted,  and 
appeared  at  the  appointed  time.  An  anxious 
crowd,  large  enough  to  thoroughly  pack  old  Cen- 
tennial hall,  congregated  to  hear  what  the 
dreaded  chieftain  might  have  to  say.  Father 
Wilbur  opened  the  council  with  an  address  in 
which  he  dwelt  upon  the  wrong  committed  when 
one  man  takes  the  life  of  another.  Coming  to 
the  Perkins  murder,  he  said  Moses  was  chief  over 
the  tribe  whose  members  committed  the  deed,  and 
could,  if  he  would,  assist  in  the  capture.  When 
called  upon  for  a  speech,  Moses  stepped  forward. 
He  was  attired  "in  a  long  coat,  Prince  Albert 
style,  black  trousers,  buckskin  leggings,  wore  a 
white  handerchief  about  his  neck  and  a  wide- 
brimmed  Spanish  hat."  For  two  or  three  hours 
he  talked,  dwelling  considerably  upon  his  own 
greatness,  denying  complicity  in  the  murders  and 
finally  agreeing  to  assist  in  capturing  the  mur- 
derers. 

It  was  arranged  that  Moses  should  proceed  to 
a  point  ten  miles  above  the  head  of  Priest  rapids, 
on  the  Columbia  river,  that  later  the  whites  should 
rejoin  him  there  in  sufficient  force  and  that  both 
should  proceed  together  to  the  camp  of  the  Indi- 
ans wanted  by  the  civil  authorities. 

Accordingly,  thirty  determined  white  men 
and  as  many  Yakima  Indian  police,  the  latter 
under  the  leadership  of  Captain  Ennius,  organ- 
ized and  set  out  upon  this  unpleasant  and  dan- 
gerous mission.  The  party  was  in  the  nature 
of  a  posse,  as  Deputy  Sheriff  John  Splawn  car- 
ried warrants  for  the  arrest  of  the  Indian  sus- 
pects. Contrary  to  the  original  design,  the 
combined  white  and  Indian  force  proceeded 
direct  to  Priest  rapids,  doing  so  on  the  advice 
of  Ennius,  who  was  fearful  lest  Moses  might  be 
meditating  treachery.  At  Priest  rapids,  the 
whites  held  a  military  election,  which  resulted 
in  the  choice  of  William  Splawn  as  captain,  and 
George  Taylor  as  lieutenant.  What  caused 
Ennius  to  be  so  suspicious  is  unknown,  but  he 
was  unremitting  in  his  warnings  to  Captain 
Splawn   to   guard    against    treachery,     and    the 


168 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


latter  was  inclined  to  pay  good  heed  to  his 
advice,  believing  that  an  Indian  was  best  quali- 
fied to  understand  an  Indian. 

The  party  had  been  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Columbia  about  an  hour  when  Ennius  started  on 
a  reconnoissance  toward  the  supposed  position  of 
Chief  Moses.  Presently  the  scout  reappeared  in 
an  excited  frame  of  mind,  and  advised  Captain 
Splawn  to  prepare  for  action  forthwith,  as  he  had 
seen  Moses  approaching  rapidly  with  a  hundred 
warriors.  Immediately  the  order  was  given  to 
take  a  position  behind  some  driftwood  near  the 
shore,  but  the  men,  not  being  trained  to  execute 
movements  with  military  precision,  fumbled 
around  some,  and  when  Moses  appeared  a  short 
distance  from  camp  were  in  anything  but  readi- 
ness for  a  charge.  Seeing  that  time  must  be 
gained  at  all  hazards,  Captain  Splawn  mounted 
his  horse  rapidly  and  rode  forward  to  meet  the 
oncoming  chieftain. 

According  to  the  reports  of  eye-witnesses,  the 
scene  presented  by  Moses  and  his  warriors  was 
one  of  entrancing  picturesqueness.  As  the  hun- 
dred dusky  riders  swept  rapidly  across  the  plains 
in  full  martial  array  with  Chief  Moses  and  In- 
meseka  Bill  in  the  lead,  the  whites  failed  not  to 
notice  the  perfect  order  of  their  wild,  swift  move- 
ments or  their  gay  array  of  savage  war  toggery. 
Though  the  air  was  crisp  and  frosty,  they  were 
clad  in  the  garb  that  nature  gave  them,  with  no 
additions  thereto  save  moccasins  for  the  feet  and 
small  breech-clouts  for  their  loins.  Some  also 
wore  feathered  hoods,  some  nothing  but  plumage 
stuck  in  their  heavy  black  hair,  while  most  had 
smeared  their  heads  fantastically  with  a  peculiar 
blue  clay.  All  were  in  full  war  paint  and  fully 
armed. 

No  awful  war  whoop  rent  the  air  as  they  ap- 
proached. Silently,  except  for  the  measured  hoof- 
beats,  they  bore  down  upon  the  solitary  white 
man  a  few  hundred  feet  from  his  command.  He 
sat  quietly  awaiting  them.  Soon  he  found  him- 
self in  an  awkward  position  between  the  two  Indi- 
an leaders,  but  putting  on  a  bold  front,  he, revolver 
in  hand,  hailed  the  chief  in  an  authoritative  tone, 
demanding  the  reason  for  his  approach  in  such  a 
hostile  manner.  <  Moses  replied  that  he  did  so 
"just for  fun;"  that  he  always  approached  Howard 
in  that  way.  Captain  Splawn  reminded  the  chief- 
tain that  he  had  promised  to  send  ten  guides  with 
the  whites  to  ferret  out  the  Perkins  murderers 
and  asked  if  he  thought  it  in  keeping  with  the 
spirit  of  that  agreement  to  meet  the  whites  with 
a  hundred  warriors  prepared  for  battle  at  a 
moment's  notice.  "We  have  come  for  the  mur- 
derers," said  he,  "and  do  not  desire  war  with  the 
Columbia  river  tribes,  but  if  you  wish  to  fight,  all 
you  have  to  do  is  to  open  the  attack. " 

Moses  turned  in  his  saddle  and  uttered  a  word 
in  his  native  tongue.  Instantly  the  warriors 
executed  a  well-ordered  movement  which  placed 
them  two  columns  deep  in  a  line  directly  facing 


the  whites.  At  the  same  time  a  score  of  Indian 
weapons  went  to  the  shoulders  of  their  owners. 
The  whites  and  reservation  police,  who  had  by 
this  time  formed  in  some  kind  of  order,  also  lev- 
eled their  guns. 

Thus  the  flower  of  the  Columbia  river  warriors 
stood  facing  the  handful  of  pioneers.  The  Indian 
gleam  of  hatred  and  defiance  was  answered  by 
the  unflinching,  calm  gaze  of  a  band  of  men 
picked  for  their  acknowledged  courage  and  iron 
resolution.  The  situation  was  indeed  a  critical 
one.  A  single  spasmodic  movement  of  any  one 
of  the  many  fingers  which  that  moment  touched 
the  triggers  of  as  many  rifles,  and  a  battery  of 
suppressed  race  hatred  would  have  gone  off  in 
one  tremendous,  death-dealing  explosion.  But 
the  self-control  of  both  white  and  Indian  was 
equal  to  the  strain  to  which  it  was  subjected,  and 
the  key  to  the  situation  was  left  in  possession  of 
the  two  leaders. 

Once  again  Captain  Splawn  spoke.  "Moses," 
said  he,  "if  you  want  to  fight,  cut  loose.  For  you 
and  me  there  can  be  but  one  result — death. 
We'll  die.  If  you  don't  want  to  fight,  pull  your 
men  off."  Truly,  the  famed  chieftain  of  the  Col- 
umbia had  the  gauntlet  at  his  feet,  while  at  his 
back  was  a  force  sufficient  to  justify  his  picking  it 
up  had  he  felt  so  disposed.  Instead,  however, 
he  gave  a  word  of  command  which  placed  his 
warriors  in  marching  order,  then  without  formal 
leave-taking,  advanced  with  his  sub-chief  to  a 
position  in  front  of  the  column  and  rode  away  to 
the  eastward. 

After  the  departure  of  Moses,  Splawn  ordered 
his  command  to  the  saddle  and  pushed  on  down 
the  river  to  Smohollah's  camp,  twelve  miles 
below.  Arriving  there  early  in  the  evening,  the 
whites  surrounded  the  seventy-five  or  eighty 
lodges  constituting  the  village  and  sent  in  a 
searching  squad  to  look  for  the  murderers.  The 
quest  proved  vain.  Smohollah  and  his  warriors 
had  joined  Moses,  leaving  none  in  the  encamp- 
ment but  the  women,  children  and  old  men. 
The  squad,  however,  gained  the  information  that 
Moses  was  camped  among  the  rocks  at  the  mouth 
of  Crab  creek.  Next  day  Splawn's  company 
came  to  a  halt  at  White  Bluffs,  whence  they  sent 
George  Goodwin  back  to  Yakima  City  for  rein- 
j  forcements.  In  three  days  he  was  again  on  the 
]  river  with  some  fifty  or  sixt3r  recruits,  also  addi- 
tional supplies.  Leaving  a  force  to  protect  the 
boats  and  baggage.  Captain  Splawn  set  out  with 
the  rest  of  the  citizens  and  Indian  allies  for  a 
search  of  the  interior  country.  As  Crab  creek  is 
the  principal  stream  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood of  the  bluffs,  and  as  Moses  was  upon  its 
banks  according  to  last  reports,  it  was  natural 
that  it  should  be  first  explored. 

The  company  had  not  proceeded  far  when  it 
fell  in  with  Dorsey  Schnebly,  of  Ellensburg,  and 
a  small  company  of  men.  Mr.  Schnebly  had  been 
elected  sheriff  during  the  fall  of  1878  and  was,  of 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


169 


course,  notified  of  the  Moses  meeting  in  Yakima 
and  of  the  arrangement  entered  into  there  by 
which  the  chieftain  was  to  co-operate  with  the 
whites  and  agency  police  in  an  effort  to  capture 
the  murderers.  As  requested,  the  sheriff  col- 
lected a  small  company  and  proceeded  to  Moses' 
camp  on  the  Columbia  near  Crab  creek.  Those 
with  him  were  Charles  Kenneth,  Charles  Schneb- 
ly,  Charles  B.  Reed,  John  Catlin  and  Willie 
Baker.  The  last  named,  who  was  only  a  boy,  re- 
turned home  as  soon  as  they  reached  the  Columbia, 
while  Schnebly,  Reed  and  Catlin  crossed  over  and 
entered  the  camp  of  Moses.  The  chief  received 
them  in  an  apathetic  manner,  told  them  of  his 
meeting  with  Splawn  and  that  he  had  frightened 
the  Yakima  party  so  thoroughly  that  they  had 
crossed  the  Columbia  and  gone  home,  and  advised 
them  against  going  any  farther  without  an  Indian 
escort.  When  Schnebly  refused  the  proffered 
guard,  Moses  said  that  he  could  render  him  no 
further  assistance  than  to  put  him  over  the  Col- 
umbia again.  This  the  Indian  canoemen  did. 
Schnebly  and  party  then  proceeded  down  the  river 
to  Nick  McCoy's  ferry,  crossed  the  river  there 
and  proceeded  thence  to  Crab  creek,  camping 
where  the  White  Bluffs  road  crosses  that  stream. 
By  reconnoitering,  Schnebly  and  Catlin  found  a 
trail  which  they  followed  five  or  six  miles.  They 
then  turned  back  to  camp,  however,  as  they  had 
become  apprehensive  of  an  ambuscade.  At  dark 
the  party  decided  to  go  to  White  Bluffs  and  find 
out  whether  or  not  the  Yakima  men  had  returned, 
as  Moses  said.  About'ten  o'clock  they  met  and 
joined  Splawn's  company,  and  from  that  time  on 
they  shared  its  adventures. 

Meanwhile,  a  scouting  detachment  had  ascend- 
ed to  the  summit  of  the  divide  between  Crab  creek 
and  the  Columbia  river,  and  had  thence  descried 
a  fire  near  the  upper  crossing  of  the  creek.  Be- 
lieving this  to  be  in  the  camp  of  the  murderers, 
who  were  supposed  to  be  dressing  a  beef,  the 
entire  party  approached  the  spot  rapidly,  but  with 
great  caution.  A  little  before  reaching  the  scene 
the  company  separated  into  two  divisions,  one  of 
which  was  led  by  Captain  Splawn,  the  other  by 
Lieutenant  Taylor.  The  former  dashed  in  above 
the  encampment,  while  the  latter  threw  his  force 
below,  so  as  to  cut  off  retreat.  Great  was  the 
surprise  of  the  besiegers  when  they  heard  the 
familiar  voice  of  Chief  Moses  calling  to  them  not 
to  shoot.  Immediately  Splawn  ordered  his  men 
to  make  no  attack,  but  to  surround  the  camp; 
which  done,  Moses  and  the  nine  or  ten  warriors 
with  him  were  quickly  disarmed.  It  is  stated 
that  some  of  the  whites  were  so  furious  that  it 
was  with  difficulty  they  restrained  themselves 
from  ending  the  life  of  the  wily  chieftain.  Moses 
offered  as  an  explanation  of  his  presence  so  far 
away  from  camp  that  he  was  searching  for  the 
volunteers  with  intent  to  join  them.  He  also 
stated  that  he  had  located  the  murderers  and  was 
willing  to  guide  the  whites  to  them. 


About  daylight,  the  party  started  for  Crab 
creek,  and  by  seven  o'clock  they  reached  a  de- 
serted camping  ground.  Thereupon,  according 
to  Captain  Splawn's  statement,  Moses  suggested 
that  it  would  be  well  for  himself  and  Splawn  to 
make  a  preliminary  reconnoissance,  that  the 
exact  location  of  the  murderers  might  be  ascer- 
tained before  a  general  assault  should  be  at- 
tempted. Accordingly,  the  two  men,  accompa- 
nied by  Indian  Jim,  went  out  on  a  scouting  expedi- 
tion. They  found  by  the  trail  made  in  the  fresh 
snow  (for  there  had  been  a  light  snowfall  during 
the  night)  that  the  fugitives  had  gone  away  to 
the  northward.  Some  of  those  who  were  present 
fail  to  remember  this  reconnoissance  of  Moses 
and  Splawn  and  contend  that  Moses,  after  his  cap- 
ture, never  left  the  main  body  of  volunteers  and 
police,  but  it  is  possible  that  the  two  men  and 
their  Indian  companion  may  have  slipped  out 
while  the  rest  of  the  men  were  busy  preparing 
breakfast. 

Upon  returning  to  camp,  Splawn  communi- 
cated to  Ennius  the  information  he  had  obtained 
on  his  reconnoissance.  He  found  his  Indian  ally 
as  suspicious  of  Moses  as  ever,  and  firm  in  the 
belief  that  the  men  who  had  left  the  smouldering 
camp  fire  and  made  the  track  were  acting  as  a 
decoy  to  lead  the  whites  into  a  trap;  indeed,  he 
was  so  certain  of  this  that  he  threatened  to  with- 
draw his  entire  force,  should  Splawn  carry  out 
his  determination  to  follow  the  trail.  Moses' 
actions  had  certainly  been  such  as  to  furnish 
grounds  for  suspiciou,  and  the  white  leader, 
thinking  that  one  Indian's  views  regarding  the 
intentions  of  another  were  worthy  of  due  consider- 
ation, determined  to  change  his  plan  of  action 
somewhat.  So,  instead  of  taking  up  the  trail 
with  all  his  force,  he  sent  several  of  Moses'  men 
in  pursuit,  holding  Moses  himself  as  a  hostage 
for  their  correct  behavior.  The  pursuers  acted 
in  good  faith,  overtaking  the  fugitives  fifty  miles 
up  the  Columbia,  capturing  one  and  pressing  the 
other  so  hard  that  he  had  to  kill  himself  to  avoid 
being  taken.  The  name  of  their  captive  was 
Tommy  Hop-Towne  and  of  the  suicide  Chuck 
Chuck. 

Meanwhile  the  volunteers  and  agency  police 
had  returned  to  White  Bluffs.  There  they  found 
Moosetonic,  who  surrendered  himself  to  them, 
realizing  that  he  could  not  hope  to  permanently 
retain  his  freedom  and  that  he  might  as  well  give 
up  the  effort  first  as  last.  At  this  point,  also, 
they  received  a  request  from  Agent  Wilbur  that 
they  assist  in  putting  all  the  Columbia  river 
tribes,  except  Moses'  Indians,  upon  the  reserva- 
tion. To  this  they  assented,  so  that  several  days 
were  devoted  to  ranging  the  shores  of  the  river 
and  sending  the  scattered  bands  to  the  home  the 
government  had  provided  for  them.  A  portion 
of  the  command  under  Lieutenant  Taylor  had 
been  sent  to  Yakima  City  with  the  prisoners,  and 
these  on  returning  reported  that  the  reservation 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


police  had  captured  the  remaining  members  of 
the  murderous  band,  or  part  of  them,  so  the  vol- 
unteers, their  mission  accomplished,  returned  to 
their  homes  after  a  lively  campaign  of  two  weeks' 
duration. 

The  Yakima  people,  alarmed  at  Chief  Moses' 
hostile  attitude,  had  despatched  a  runner  for  aid 
to  Goldendale,  where  was  stationed  the  only  mili- 
tia company  in  the  territory  at  that  time.  When 
the  country  was  threatened  by  the  Bannock  and 
Piute  Indians,  this  company  had  been  organized 
and  armed  for  home  defense,  with  Enoch  W.  Pike 
as  its  captain,  George  Latimer  its  first  lieutenant, 
and  C.  J.  Google  its  second  lieutenant.  It  had  on 
its  muster  roll  sixty-six  names.  The  messenger 
arrived  on  Christmas  eve  and  reported  immedi- 
ately to  R.  O.  Dunbar,  who  in  turn  referred  him 
to  Captain  Pike.  The  captain  issued  an  immedi- 
ate call  to  his  company,  and  that  very  day  as 
many  of  them  as  could  be  gathered  together  set 
out  to  the  assistance  of  their  neighboring  county. 
Many  of  the  men  were  unable  to  procure  horses 
on  such  short  notice,  so  they  loaded  their  saddles 
on  the  supply  wagons  and  set  out  on  foot.  Arriv- 
ing at  the  Yakima  reservation,  they  appropriated 
as  many  horses  as  were  necessary  to  mount  the 
command  and  pushed  with  all  possible  speed  to 
the  assistance  of  Captain  Splawn. 

Before  they  arrived  at  Yakima  City,  however, 
the  Indian  murderers  had  already  been  appre- 
hended and  brought  to  that  place.  The  services 
bf  the  Klickitat  meii  were  nevertheless  called  into 
requisition  in  guarding  the  jail,  for  it  was  feared 
that  some  of  the  enraged  white  population  might 
take  the  Indian  murderers  from  the  authorities 
and  hang  them  without  waiting  for  due  process  of 
law.  All  night  long  the  Klickitat  Rangers,  as 
they  came  to  be  called,  stood  guard  around  the 
jail.  At  the  request  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Wilbur,  they 
also  escorted  Chief  Moses  from  Yakima  City  to 
the  reservation.  The  feeling  against  the  murder- 
ous Indians  was  strong,  but  the  vigilance  of  the 
Klickitat  company  and  the  precautions  of  its  cap- 
tain, who  lacked  neither  the  experience  nor  the 
soldierly  qualities  necessary  to  a  successful  mili- 
tary commander,  prevented  an  attack  from  with- 
out, if  any  such  was  indeed  designed.  To  guard 
against  possible  shots  from  ambush,  Captain  Pike 
formed  his  company  into  a  hollow  square  about 
the  chief,  wherever  the  natural  features  of  the 
country  were  favorable  to  such  an  attack.  In- 
deed, one  member  of  the  Klickitat  Rangers  proved 
that  he  was  not  above  treachery  by  making  an 
attempt  on  the  life  of  the  old  chieftain,  but  the 
attention  of  the  commander  was  attracted  by  the 
click  of  the  gun  as  he  cocked  it  to  shoot  Moses. 
Captain  Pike  was  upon  him  in  an  instant,  and 
he  was  easily  overpowered  and  rendered  harm- 
less. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  over  Moses' 
actions  in  this  whole  affair,  some  contending  that 
the  white  men  must  bear  the  blame   for  his   un- 


friendly demonstrations  at  the  first  meeting  on 
the  Columbia.  These  critics  aver  that  the  un- 
warranted suspicion  of  the  whites  and  their  failure 
to  meet  Moses  at  the  place  appointed  were  suffi- 
cient provocation  to  justify  his  manifestations  of 
hostile  feeling.  Those  members  of  the  expedition 
who  have  been  interviewed  are  nearly  unanimous 
in  declaring  their  belief  that  Moses  was  in  league 
with  the  murderers  and  did  his  best  to  shield 
them;  that  his  actions  at  the  first  meeting  were 
dictated  by  a  policy  of  hostility  to  the  enforcement 
of  the  law,  and  that  his  appearance  on  upper  Crab 
creek  when  he  was  supposed  to  be  at  its  mouth 
was  due  to  his  efforts  to  warn  the  murderers  of 
their  peril.  His  failure  to  so  warn  them,  they 
claim,  was  owing  to  his  inability  to  find  them  in 
the  dark.  Mr.  Schnebly  thinks  he  was  searching 
for  the  Kittitas  valley  party  to  murder  them. 
Whether  or  not  the  chieftain  acted  in  good  faith 
is  a  question  upon  which  there  will  always  be  two 
opinions. 

Moses  remained  on  the  Yakima  reservation 
until  called  to  Washington,  February  12,  1879, 
when  he  was  permitted  to  return  to  the  Columbia, 
that  he  might  make  necessary  preparations  for 
the  trip.  F.  Dorsey  Schnebly,  who  was  then 
sheriff  of  Yakima  county,  states  that  he  and  his 
deputy,  Conrad,  arrested  Moses  on  the  Yakima 
river  on  a  warrant  charging  him  with  being  acces- 
sory to  the  Perkins  murder,  that  he  was  given  a 
preliminary  hearing  at  Yakima  City,  was  finally 
released  on  bonds  furnished  by  Agent  Wilbur, 
conditioned  on  his  appearance  at  the  next  term  of 
court,  and  allowed  to  proceed  to  Washington. 
There  he  succeeded  in  securing  a  reservation, 
adjoining  the  Colville  reservation  on  the  west. 

"Asa  matter  of  fact,  "says  Mr.  Schnebly,  "sev- 
eral of  the  murderers  were  still  at  large  when  the 
Yakima  expedition  returned  from  its  labors.  A 
little  later  I  was  informed  by  Willis  Thorp  that 
he  was  certain  that  some  of  them  were  in  the 
Okanogan  region.  I  learned  that  Thorp  was  ready 
to  return  to  his  works  in  those  parts,  so  deputized 
him  to  arrest  any  of  the  murderers  he  might  find. ' ' 

Upon  reaching  the  Okanogan  country,  Thorp 
and  two  companions,  Martin  Rozelle  and  Pleasant 
Bounds,  entered  an  Indian  camp  for  the  purpose 
of  arresting  some  of  the  red  men,  Bounds  says  for 
cattle  stealing.  They  succeeded  in  taking  a  num- 
ber into  custody,  but  a  rescue  was  attempted  by 
friends  of  the  prisoners  and  a  fierce  fight  ensued, 
in  the  course  of  which  shots  were  fired.  Two  or 
three  Indians  were  killed,  and  one  white  man, 
Rozelle,  had  an  arm  shattered.  The  Indian  pris- 
oners escaped.  Mr.  Schnebly  thinks  it  might  have 
gone  hard  with  the  whites  in  this  fight,  were  it 
not  for  the  timely  arrival  upon  the  scene  of  Wil- 
liam Condon,  a  squaw  man,  who  joined  forces 
with  the  other  whites  and  helped  them  to  put  the 
redskins  to  rout.  Whether  or  not  any  of  the 
arrested  Indians  were  members  of  the  gang  that 
murdered  the  Perkins  family  may  not  be  certainly 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


known.  Mr.  Bounds  thinks  that  some  of  them 
were  probably  of  the  gang  that  chased  the  Bur- 
banks  boys. 

One  of  the  Perkins  murderers  committed  sui- 
cide, one  was  captured  through  the  efforts  of  the, 
Yakima  expedition,  one  surrendered,  two  were 
captured  by  agency  police,  and  two  were  captured 
at  Colville  and  brought  thence,  one  at  a  time,  by 
Sheriff  Schnebly,  whomade  the  two  trips  for  them 
without  incident,  though  in  doing  so  he  had  to 
pass  through  a  country  occupied  by  Indians,  well 
known  to  be  disaffected  and  ugly. 

All  the  Indians  accused  of  actually  killing  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Perkins,  except  Moosetonic,  who  turned 
state's  evidence  and  thereby  saved  his  worthless 
neck,  were  held  to  appear  before  the  district 
court,  which  met  in  October,  1879.  Samuel  G. 
Wingard,  federal  judge  for  the  eastern  district  of 
Washington  territory,  presided  at  the  trial.  T.  J. 
Anders  prosecuted  the  case,  while  J.  W.  Hamilton 
and  Edward  Whitson  appeared  for  the  defense. 
Wyanticat,  Salusakin,  Tewowney,  Tommy  Hop- 
Towne  and  Kipe  were  convicted  and  sentenced  to 
the  death  penalty. 

But  a  series  of  stirring  events  were  to  trans- 
pire before  the  last  of  the  condemned  murderers 
should  render  up  his  life  in  expiation  of  his  awful 
crime.  A  very  few  days  after  the  close  of  the 
trial  all  of  the  Indians  escaped  from  the  jail  yard 
and  got  as  far  as  Union  gap  before  being  recap- 
tured. A  little  later  a  second  escape  was  effected. 
This  time  they  were  gone  several  days  before  their 
whereabouts  could  be  learned  by  the  authorities, 
but  at  length  a  message  came  to  Yakima  City 
from  Deputy  Sheriff  York  saying  that  the  fugi- 
tives had  been  discovered  in  the  river  bottom 
near  the  Toppenish,  and  asking  assistance. 

The  request  brought  an  immediate  response 
from  John  and  William  Splawn  and  Deputy  Sheriff 
James  H.  Conrad,  who  were  joined  on  the  road 
by  William  Nash.  As  the  four  men  were  alight- 
ing from  their- rig  at  an  Indian  house  in  the 
neighborhood  in  which  the  fugitives  were  sup- 
posed to  be  hiding,  two  dripping  and  mud-be- 
daubed Indians  were  brought  there  by  the  reserva- 
tion police  and  turned  over  to  Conrad.  A  little 
sweating  drew  from  these  Indians  the  information 
that  they  had  visited  and  taken  food  to  the 
refugees  and  had  jumped  into  the  river  to  escape 
the  officers. 

A  consultation  as  to  the  best  mode  of  procedure 
was  now  had,  in  the  course  of  which  Deputy 
Sheriff  Conrad  turned  the  management  of  the 
proposed  night  expedition  to  the  haunts  of  the 
fugitives  over  to  William  Splawn,  believing  that 
the  former  experience  of  that  gentleman  across 
the  Columbia  had  made  him  the  fittest  man  for 
this  undertaking.  When  darkness  came  on  the 
party  set  out.  With  the  white  men  went  the 
younger  of  the  two  captured  Indians,  who  was 
compelled  by  his  captors  to  act  as  a  guide  and 
decoy,    and   was    instructed   to   stop  just  before 


reaching  the  spot  where  the  refugees  were  con- 
cealed. Cautiously  and  with  as  little  noise  as 
possible,  the  little  squad  followed  their  guide 
through  the  tall  grass  and  brush,  their  indistinct 
trail  lighted  only  by  the  silver  rays  of  the  moon. 
At  length  the  Indian  gave  the  signal  agreed 
upon,  and  the  party  came  to  a  halt  to  arrange 
the  details  of  the  final  coup.  When  all  was  in 
readiness,  the  leader  and  the  decoy  led  on  to  the 
edge  of  an  opening,  where  the  Indian  built  a 
small  fire,  John  Splawn  and  Conrad  meanwhile 
taking  convenient  positions  in  the  company. 
Then  the  young  Indian  (any  hesitancy  he  may 
have  had  about  betraying  his  friends  being  over- 
come by  the  three  ugly-looking  rifles  that  were 
pointed  in  his  direction,  and  all  thoughts  of  warn- 
ing the  fugitives  being  banished  by  the  same  dire 
instruments  of  death)  halloed  several  times  in  a 
subdued  voice.  The  reply  was  long  in  coming, 
but  it  came  at  last.  A  request  by  the  decoy  to 
come  out  by  the  fire  was  followed  by  another  long 
silence,  but  eventually  Tommy  Hop-Towne 
emerged  from  the  dense  shadows  and  cautiously 
approached  the  fire. 

Wyanticat  joined  him  presently;  then  two 
others  arose  .from  behind  a  nearby  knoll,  with 
intent  to  join  their  companions,  but  at  this  junc- 
ture came  a  turn  in  events  which  interfered  with 
the  success  of  the  expedition.  Voices  of  an  ap- 
proaching party  of  white  men  broke  in  upon  the 
stillness  of  the  evening  air  and  soon  the  tones  of 
Deputy  Sheriff  York  were  recognized  by  Splawn. 
Though  the  Indians  were  slow  to  take  alarm, 
Splawn  well  knew  that  his  birds  would  escape 
him  unless  immediate  action  were  taken,  so  he 
shouted  a  summons  to  the  Indians  to  surrender, 
at  the  same  time  rising  from  his  hiding-place  in 
the  grass.  With  a  cry  like  that  of  a  fell  beast 
startled  by  the  huntsman  Wyanticat  made  a 
break  for  liberty,  but  his  flight  was  cut  short  by 
a  bullet  from  the  rifle  of  Captain  Splawn,  and  a 
second  shot  brought  to  a  close  his  earthly  career. 
Tommy  Hop-Towne  and  the  other  refugees 
gained  the  denser  brush  and  tules,  the  former 
escaping  the  rifles  of  the  whites  by  shaping  his 
course  so  as  to  keep  Captain  Splawn  between 
himself  and  them. 

Diligent  search  failed  to  discover  the  fugitives 
that  night,  but  the  next  morning  Kipe  and  Salus- 
akin were  apprehended,  and  later  Tewowney  was 
captured  on  the  reservation.  Again  they  were 
placed  in  custody  and  again  they  attempted  to 
regain  their  freedom,  this  time  just  a  few  days 
before  the  date  set  for  their  execution.  This  final 
struggle  against  fate  was  made  by  means  of  a 
moccasin  containing  a  stone  handed  them  by  con- 
federates on  the  outside.  At  the  time  chosen  for 
the  desperate  undertaking,  Jailer  York,  as  soon 
as  he  got  within  the  prisoners'  cell,  was  struck 
over  the  head  with  the  weapon.  The  blow 
knocked  him  down;  indeed,  inflicted  such  injury 
as  to  almost  cost  him  his  life  at  a  later  date,  but 


, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


he  quickly  rallied  from  its  first  effects  and  began 
shooting  at  his  assailants.  Captain  Brooks,  the 
probate  judge,  who  was  at  the  time  in  the  sheriff's 
office  reading  a  paper,  heard  the  commotion, 
divined  its  cause,  snatched  up  a  loaded  Winches- 
ter, hastened  to  the  scene  and  began  taking  a 
hand  in  the  fight.  The  Indians  secured  guns 
from  the  sheriff's  office,  into  which  the  jail  door 
opened,  but  were  overpowered  before  they  could 
do  any  damage  with  them,  a  considerable  force 
of  white  men  having  quickly  gathered.  In  the 
fracas  Tewowney  was  wounded,  so  that  he  died 
before  the  day  set  for  the  execution,  and  Salusa- 
kin's  arm  was  shattered.  No  later  attempts  were 
made  to  escape,  and  the  two  remaining  prisoners, 
Kipe  and  Salusakin,  died  the  murderer's  shame- 
ful death. 

All  the  seven  except  Hop-Towne  had  now 
been  disposed  of;  one  having  been  allowed  his 
liberty  on  account  of  having  turned  state's  wit- 
ness; one  having  committed  suicide;  one  having 
been  killed  in  an  effort  to  escape  arrest,  and  one 
in  an  attempt  to  break  jail,  two  having  been 
hanged.  The  seventh  miscreant  was  still  at  lib- 
erty, but  the  avenger  of  blood  was  on  his  track. 


In  July,  1880,  James  Taggart  and  Robert  Bunt- 
ing, the  latter  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Perkins,  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  Tommy  Hop-Towne  into  cus- 
tody, though  in  order  to  do  so  they  found  it 
necessary  to  disable  the  Indian  and  his  squaw. 
The  following  November  the  death  sentence  pro- 
nounced upon  him  so  long  before  was  carried  into 
execution  and  the  curtain  dropped  on  the  last  act 
of  this  sanguinary  tragedy. 

The  foregoing  narrative  is  the  result  of  not  a 
little  interviewing  and  research.  Captain  Wil- 
liam vSplawn,  John  Edwards,  Mrs.  Cheney,  A.  J. 
Chambers,  J.  H.  Conrad,  F.  Dorsey  Schnebly, 
Mrs.  J.  P.  Beck,  Edward  Whitson,  Mrs.  Louisa 
H.  Cary  and  others  have  been  seen  for  informa- 
tion, and  have  very  kindly  related  to  us  the  de- 
tails, as  nearly  as  they  could  recall  them,  of  the 
unfortunate  Perkins  murder  and  the  trial  grow- 
ing out  of  it.  It  is  believed  that  the  statements 
hereinbefore  made  are  substantially  correct, 
though  the  dearth  of  printed  contemporaneous  ac- 
counts and  official  recordshas  madeit  impossible  to 
be  as  accurate  in  statement,  as  certain  of  the  cor- 
rect sequence  of  events,  as  definite  in  fixing  dates 
and  as  full  in  other  minutia;  as  could  be  wished. 


CHAPTER  III. 


CURRENT    HISTORY- 


While  the  stirring  events  narrated  in  the  last 
chapter  naturally  awakened  deep  interest  among 
the  people  of  the  county,  they  cannot  be  said  to 
have  given  pause  to  the  progress  of  internal 
development,  though  they  could  not  fail  to  check 
the  speed  of  'such  development  in  at  least  a 
limited  degree.  It  is  possible  that  the  Indian 
troubles  of  1877  and  1878,  coming  as  the  culmi- 
nation of  a  long  series  of  disturbances  and  annoy- 
ances from  disaffected  Indians,  may  have  fright- 
ened away  from  our  territory  some  who  might 
otherwise  have  sought  homes  within  it.  The 
same  cause,  combined  with  the  fact  that  much 
damage  was  done  to  fruit  trees,  growing  wheat 
and  other  crops  by  heavy  frosts  in  May,  1878, 
induced  a  few  to  remove  from  the  county  who 
had  intended  to  make  permanent  settlement 
therein,  but  forces  were  at  work  to  more  than 
neutralize  these  disadvantages  and  to  cause  the 
settlement  of  the  valley  at  a  more  rapid  rate  than 
ever  before.  The  effect  of  the  Indian  war  upon 
some  of  the  oldest  residents  was  rather  to  con- 
firm them  in  their  determination  to  commit  their 


fortunes  unreservedly  and  for  all  time  to  the 
section  in  which  they  had  cast  their  lot.  They 
perceived  that  the  failure  of  the  Bannock  con- 
federacy meant  the  overthrow  of  the  last  Indian 
hope  that  the  Northwest  could  be  reduced  to  its 
primitive  condition  of  barbarism,  and  they 
reasoned  that  the  vigorous  pursuit  and  final 
punishment  of  the  Perkins  murderers  would 
tend  to  put  a  quietus  upon  attempts  at  such 
depredations  in  future.  Indeed,  it  was  an  earnest 
desire  to  teach  the  savages  a  lesson  never  to  be 
forgotten  that  lent  energy  to  their  efforts  to 
bring  the  miscreants  to  justice.  The  correctness 
of  their  reasoning  has  been  abundantly  mani- 
fested by  their  subsequent  peaceful  and  friendly 
relations  with  the  Indian  tribes  in  their  midst. 

As  we  learn  from  the  Spokane  Times  of 
November  27,  1879,  the  hay  crop  that  season  was 
unusually  large  and  the  cattlemen  were  happy 
in  the  certainty  that,  whether  the  coming  winter 
should  be  long  or  short,  severe  or  mild,  their 
herds  were  secure.  The  same  paper  states  on 
the   authority  of  the   Yakima  paper  that   there 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


1 73 


were  abundant  data  upon  which  to  base  the  state- 
ment that  the  wheat  crop  of  the  county  would 
aggregate  two  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
bushels.  This  estimate,  if  accurate,  gives  a  very 
fair  idea  of  the  progress  agriculture  had  made  at 
the  close  of  the  seventies. 

An  event  of  the  year  1880  of  considerable 
importance  was  the  establishment  of  the  United 
States  land  district  of  Yakima  by  order  of 
President  Hayes.  It  embraced  the  counties  of 
Yakima,  Klickitat,  Okanogan  and  Douglas, 
extending  from  the  Columbia  river  on  the  south 
to  the  British  line  on  the  north.  It  was  set  off 
from  the  Walla  Walla  district.  R.  B.  Kinne  was 
the  first  register  and  J.  M.  Adams  the  first 
receiver.  The  office  opened  its  doors  for  busi- 
ness October  18,  1880,  in  Yakima  City,  and  the 
first  homestead  filing  recorded  is  that  of  John 
Blomquist,  on  the  north  half  of  the  northeast 
quarter  and  the  southeast  quarter  of  the  north- 
east quarter,  section  eight,  township  eighteen 
north,  range  nineteen  east.  Next  day  Isaac  M. 
Thomas  filed  a  homestead  claim,  and  during  the 
month  of  October  sixteen  entries  were  made,  ten 
of  which  were  later  annulled.  May  1,  1885,  the 
office  was  removed  from  Yakima  City  to  North 
Yakima,  and  in  that  year  also  Captain  J.  H. 
Thomas  became  register  and  Luther  S.  Howlett 
succeeded  to  the  receivership.  The  district  was 
later  cut  down  in  area  by  the  formation  of  the 
Waterville  land  district,  and  at  present  it  includes 
only  portions  of  Yakima,  Kittitas  and  Douglas 
counties. 

The  winter  of  1880-81  was,  next  to  that  of 
1861-62,  the  most  severe  ever  witnessed  by  white 
people  in  Yakima  county,  and,  for  the  percentage 
of  stock  loss,  it  enjoys  a  bad  eminence  over  all 
seasons  since  settlement  began.  It  is  stated 
that  fully  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  cattle  perished, 
while  the  death  rate  of  horses  was  between  ten 
and  twenty  per  cent.  The  severe  cold  was  not 
confined  to  the  Yakima  country,  but  extended 
widely  over  the  entire  Northwest.  William 
Splawn,  who  was  that  year  wintering  twelve 
hundred  head  on  the  Crab  creek  range  in  Doug- 
las county,  found  himself  with  only  two  hundred 
and  fifty  extremely  weak  and  thin  animals  in  the 
spring.  The  cattle  of  Snipes  &  Allen  died  by 
thousands,  and  Wesley  C.  Jones  states  that  his 
own  loss  aggregated  twenty  thousand  dollars. 
Many  stockmen  were  compelled  to  go  out  of  busi- 
ness entirely,  and  of  these  a  large  percentage 
turned  their  attention  to  other  industries  and 
never  again  ventured  into  cattle  raising.  The 
official  report  of  Father  Wilbur  gives  us  an  idea 
of  the  effect  of  the  severe  cold  upon  the  reserva- 
tion. Referring  to  the  climatic  conditions  and 
their  results,  he  says: 

"The  unusual  severity  of  the  past  winter 
proved  a  severe  blow  to  our  Indians.  In  obedi- 
ence to  my  instructions  they  have  been  in  the 
habit  of  providing  forage  for  the  stock  during  the 


winter,  which  has  usually  proved  more  than 
sufficient.  But  last  winter  was  one  of  unusual 
severity.  From  December  1st  till  nearly  the 
31st  of  March  the  earth  was  covered  with  a 
depth  of  from  eight  to  thirty-six  inches  of  snow, 
with  a  heavy  crust  most  of  the  time,  so  that 
animals  were  unable  to  move  outside  the  beaten 
paths;  consequently,  when  the  supply  of  forage 
was  exhausted,  cattle  and  horses  were  unable  to 
reach  the  creek  bottoms,  where  they  might 
browse  on  bushes,  but  for  the  most  part  perished 
where  they  were.  Nor  did  much  success  attend 
the  efforts  of  many  of  the  Indians  who  tried  to 
save  a  portion  of  their  stock  by  breaking  roads  to 
the  creek  bottoms,  though  some  were  saved  in 
that  way.  Probably  ninety  per  cent,  of  the 
Indian  horses  perished  and  eighty  per  cent,  of 
their  cattle.  Many  families  formerly  in  com- 
paratively good  circumstances  were  reduced  to 
poverty  and  the  means  of  all  seriously  impaired. 
The  effect  has  been  that  some  have  been  stimu- 
lated to  greater  effort  and  now  look  to  the  culti- 
vation of  the  soil  for  a  support  instead  of  depend- 
ing, as  formerly,  on  the  sale  of  ponies." 

"In  the  Yakima  valley,"  says  Wesley  C. 
Jones,  "snow  commenced  falling  just  before 
Christmas,  and  it  continued  to  fall  until  the  entire 
country  had  a  blanket  eighteen  inches  thick. 
Then  came  a  chinook.  After  it  had  melted  part 
of  the  snow  and  caused  the  rest  to  pack  closely, 
it  ceased  and  the  temperature  fell  rapidly,  result- 
ing in  the  formation  of  a  hard  crust.  About 
Christmas  there  came  another  snow  storm,  which 
increased  the  depth  of  the  hoary  covering  to 
three  feet.  Another  chinook  succeeded,  then 
another  freeze;  then  came  another  large  snow 
fall,  another  chinook  and  more  cold  weather. 
The  result  was  that  the  succulent  bunch  grass 
was  placed  beyond  reach  of  cattle  by  three  hard 
crusts,  the  top  one  being  in  many  places  strong 
enough  to  bear  up  the  weight  of  a  horse. 

"By  pawing  through  the  successive  crusts 
wherever  they  were  soft  enough,  many  horses 
succeeded  in  getting  sufficient  grass  to  preserve 
their  lives,  but  the  cattle,  not  being  gifted  with 
as  much  intelligence  and  energy,  lay  down  on  the 
frozen  snow  and  perished  in  large  numbers. 
The  cold  was  intense  at  times,  the  mercury  fall- 
ing to  thirty-two  degrees  below  zero." 

On  the  Cowiche,  the  severe  winter  caused  the 
loss  of  one  human  life.  The  snow  on  the  north 
and  south  fork  bottom  lands  lay  four  feet  deep 
and  was  crusted  from  the  six-inch  level  upward, 
the  top  crust  being  more  like  ice  than  snow. 
The  result  was  that  even  the  horses  perished  in 
large  numbers.  John  Polly  had  about  two  hun- 
dred head  on  the  north  and  south  forks  of  the 
Cowiche,  half  of  which  were  imprisoned  among 
the  hills  of  the  north  fork  and  could  not  get  to 
the  camp.  In  February,  Mr.  Polly  offered  to 
Philander  Kelly,  a  bachelor  about  thirty-five  years 
old,  a  reward  of  five  dollars  for  each  animal  he 


•74 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


would  bring  in  in  safety.  After  a  short  search 
Kelly  found  a  band  of  forty  confined  to  a  small 
sheltered  spot  by  the  deep  snow  of  the  surround- 
ing hills.  As  appeared  from  subsequent  observa- 
tion, he  tried  many  times  to  drive  them  out,  but 
was  unable  to  overcome  the  obstacles  to  their 
escape  or  force  the  horses  to  do  so. 

Perceiving  at  length  that  he  could  accomplish 
nothing,  he  started  back  to  the  settlements, 
presumably  for  assistance.  At  a  point  four  miles 
above  Mr.  Polly's  horse  camp  he  abandoned  his 
snow  shoes,  no  one  can  guess  why,  and  started 
on.  Days  and  weeks  passed  and  no  word  of 
Kelly  reached  the  settlements.  At  last  a  search 
party  was  organized  consisting  of  William  Oneal 
and  three  or  four  others.  These  set  out  about 
the  last  of  February.  They  patiently  trailed 
Kelly  by  his  camping  places  to  the  place  on  the 
divide  between  the  north  and  south  forks  where 
the  horses  were;  then  back  to  the  abandoned 
snow  shoes  and  beyond  until  eventually  they 
discovered  his  frozen  body  half  buried  in  the 
snow.  They  interred  him  near  the  scene  of  his 
unhappy  fate. 

The  horses  were  found  in  an  exceedingly 
pitiable  condition.  They  had  eaten  off  each 
others'  tails  and  manes  and  were  in  the  last 
extremities  of  starvation  when  help  reached 
them,  but  strange  to  say,  were  all  alive.  They 
were  driven  to  the  camp,  where  food  and  shelter 
could  be  provided  for  them. 

John  Oneal,  who  is  our  informant  regarding 
the  melancholy  fate  of  the  unfortunate  Philander 
Kelly,  tells  also  of  a  sorrowful  sight  witnessed  in 
the  spring  of  1881  by  some  stockmen  who  were 
riding  over  the  range.  They  found  five  dead 
horses  near  a  small  stand  of  scrub  brush  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  creek  from  the  place  where 
the  ill-starred  Kelly  had  discovered  the  forty. 
The  tails  and  manes  were  all  eaten  off;  the  bark 
was  gnawed  from  the  rank  sage  brush  and  all  the 
surroundings  told  a  plain  story  of  how  the 
animals  had  suffered  from  the  pangs  of  hunger 
and  how  they  had  succumbed  one  by  one  until 
the  last  of  the  little  band  had  fallen  a  victim  to 
starvation. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  the  loss  in  cattle 
and  horses  in  this  dread  winter  aggregated  one 
million  five  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Snipes  & 
Allen  are  said  to  have  owned  between  twenty 
thousand  and  thirty  thousand  head  and  G.  B. 
Huntington  ten  thousand,  a  very  large  per  cent, 
of  which  perished.  It  is  interesting  to  note  how 
the  genius  of  Ben  Snipes  enabled  him  to  rise 
superior  to  misfortune  and  by  taking  advantage  of 
the  conditions  resulting  from  the  general  collapse  j 
of  the  cattle  business  to  lay  the  foundation  for  a 
speedy  recovery.  When  spring  at  last  came,  the 
cattlemen  were  all  depressed  and  anxious  to  dis- 
pose of  their  herds.  There  were  many  venders 
and  few  purchasers,  so  the  price  dropped  until  a 
steer  of  large  size  could  be  bought  for  sixteen  | 


dollars  and  a  cow  and  calf  for  six.  Realizing  the 
opportunity,  Mr.  Snipes  hurried  to  Portland,  laid 
the  situation  before  W.  S.  Ladd  and  negotiated 
with  him  for  an  ample  credit.  He  then  returned 
and  bought  up  all  the  stock  on  the  market. 
Now,  a  hard  winter  with  plenty  of  snow  is  sure 
to  be  followed  by  an  abundant  growth  of  nutri- 
tious grass,  so  Snipes  soon  had  large  herds  of  fat 
and  thrifty  cattle  and  in  a  comparatively  short 
time  he  was  again  the  richest  man  in  central 
Washington. 

At  about  this  period  in  Yakima  county's  his- 
tory an  agitation  arose  for  the  relief  of  persons 
resident  in  the  Kittitas  valley.  The  settlement 
and  development  of  this  region  have  been 
reserved  for  treatment  in  later  chapters.  It  is 
sufficient  for  our  present  purpose  that  the  country 
had  been  settled  and  its  resources  pre-empted 
by  a  progressive  population  and  that  these,  in 
the  year  1883,  succeeded  in  getting  their  terri- 
tory segregated  from  the  mother  county  and 
formed  into  a   new  political  organization. 

March  31,  1882,  while  the  agitation  was  still 
in  progress,  fire  destroyed  the  county  buildings 
and  records  at  Yakima  City.  Friends  of  the 
new  county  movement  charged  that  the  county 
commissioners  acted  with  undue  haste  in  the 
matter  of  erecting  a  new  courthouse  and  jail 
and  that  they  did  so  for  the  direct  purpose  of 
defeating  any  attempt  to  move  the  county  seat 
to  Ellensburg,  as  some  advocated,  or  to  delay  the 
erection  of  the  new  county.  At  any  rate,  the 
board  consisting  of  David  Longmire,  J.  P.  Sharp 
and  A.  McDaniel,  in  special  session  assembled, 
passed  on  the  4th  day  of  April  following  the  fire, 
the  ensuing  order: 

"In  the  matter  of  building  a  court  house  for 
Yakima  county. 

"Whereas,  by  reason  of  the  fire  of  the  31st  of 
March,  1882,  the  auditor's  office  of  Yakima 
county  and  the  county  records  were  destroyed ; 
and  whereas,  the  best  interests  of  the  county 
require  a  safe  and  commodious  place  for  the  safe 
keeping  of  all  records  and  for  court  and  other 
purposes: 

"It  is  therefore  ordered  by  the  board  that  the 
county  auditor  advertise  in  the  Yakima  Record, 
a  weekly  newspaper  published  in  Yakima  City, 
for  sealed  proposals  to  furnish  the  lumber  and 
material  necessary  to  construct  a  building  suit- 
able for  a  courthouse,  the  plans  and  specifica- 
tions of  which  may  be  seen  at  the  auditor's  office 
on  application.  Also  for  proposals  to  erect  the 
said  building,  all  bids  to  be  presented  and  filed 
with  the  auditor  on  or  before  the  first  Monday 
in  May,  the  board  reserving  the  right  to  reject 
any  and  all  bids." 

The  erection  of  the  courthouse  was  delayed 
somewhat  by  hostile  litigation,  but  after  the 
creation  of  Kittitas  county  there  was  no  further 
reason  for  opposition,  and  by  consent  of  the 
parties  this  litigation  was  dropped. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY 


175 


One  of  the  first  acts  of  the  board  of  county 
commissioners  at  its  regular  session  for  the  year 
1882  was  to  establish  toll  rates  as  follows:  For 
crossing  the  Yakima  river,  wagon  and  six-horse 
team,  $1.25;  wagon  and  four-horse  team,  $1.00; 
wagon  and  two-horse  team,  75  cents;  man  and 
horse,  37^  cents;  pack  and  horse,  \2%  cents; 
loose  cattle  and  horses,  12%  cents  each  ;  footman, 
25  cents;  sheep  and  hogs,  5  cents  each;  for  cross- 
ing toll  bridges,  wagon  and  six-horse  team,  $1.25  ; 
wagon  and  four-horse  team,  $1.00;  wagon  and 
two-horse  team,  75  cents;  man  and  horse,  25 
cents;  footman,  i2l/2  cents;  packhorse,  12J2  cents; 
loose  horses  and  cattle,  10  cents;  swine  and 
sheep,  3  cents.  At  the  same  session  the  county 
was  divided  into  twenty-two  road  districts;  also 
into  the  following  election  precincts:  Horn, 
Parker,  Yakima  City,  Ahtanum,  Cowiche, 
Wenas,  West  Kittitas,  East  Kittitas,  Alder  and 
Simcoe. 

The  early  eighties  were  very  important  years 
for  Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties,  as  for  all  other 
parts  of  "Washington  territory.  It  was  then  that 
the  light  of  another  day  began  to  illuminate  the 
horizon,  the  day  of  the  railway,  the  telegraph, 
rapid  transportation,  rapid  communication  and 
modern  civilization.  The  wealth  of  pasturage  of 
the  broad  valleys  and  wide  expanse  of  undulat- 
ing uplands  had  drawn  the  first  scattering  popu- 
lation to  central  Washington;  experimentation 
had  proved  its  agricultural  possibilities  when 
artificially  supplied  with  water,  and  it  needed 
now  naught  but  the  stimulus  which  could  come 
only  with  the  railway  and  its  concomitants  to 
inaugurate  a  period  of  intensive  development;  a 
period  in  which  large  things  should  be  attempted 
and  accomplished;  a  period  when,  by  the  magic 
of  well  directed  industry,  the  dry  ground  should 
be  made  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 

The  history  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway 
Company,  its  inception,  organization,  its  strug- 
gles before  congress,  its  financial  embarrass- 
ments and  its  operations  in  the  mammoth  under- 
taking of  spanning  a  continent,  developing  a  vast 
wilderness  and  securing  to  itself  a  mammoth 
grant  of  public  land — would  form  the  theme  for 
a  work  of  more  than  one  ponderous  volume. 
For  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  this  com- 
pany was  conspicuous  in  the  public  eye.  Though 
it  began  its  efforts  before  the  close  of  the  Civil 
war,  and  though  its  survivors  were  making 
reconnoissances  of  the  Yakima  country  as  early 
as  1867,  not  until  1883  was  any  construction  work 
done  within  the  limits  of  the  territory  constitut- 
ing Yakima  county.  In  the  fall  of  that  year, 
however,  the  first  twenty-five  miles  of  the 
Cascade  division^  were  built,  extending  from  the 
banks  of  the  Columbia  to  a  point  about  three 
miles  to  the  westward  of  Kiona.  Late  in  the 
year  1884,  it  had  been  extended  to  Yakima  City 
and  shortly  afterward  the  steel  rails  were  laid 
into    North    Yakima.       Here    the    march    of  the 


giant  was  stayed  for  nearly  two  years,  owing  to 
difficulties  presented  by  the  canyon  of  the  Yakima 
river  and  to  the  still  greater  difficulties  arising 
out  of  the  Villard  crash  and  the  subsequent 
financial  stringency. 

The  period  of  railroad  building  was  one  of 
great  intellectual  as  well  as  industrial  activity 
for  the  people  of  the  Yakima  and  Kittitas  valleys, 
in  common  with  other  residents  of  the  territory 
of  Washington.  Many  problems  of  great 
moment  were  engaging  the  attention  of  the 
general  public,  and  certain  questions  arising  out 
of  the  land  grant  had  a  personal  interest  for  not 
a  few,  in  addition  to  the  interests  which  such 
persons  felt  as  citizens.  It  is  hard  to  realize  at 
this  time  the  anxiety  of  men  who  had  settled  in 
good  faith  upon  land  which  was  afterward 
claimed  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Company,  they 
of  course,  being  in  doubt  as  to  how  the  company 
would  deal  with  them  in  the  adjustment  of  con- 
flicting claims.  The  members  of  the  United 
States  congress  were  also  perplexed,  and  on  the 
whole  the  period  was  one  of  uncertainty,  political 
discussion,  bitter  denunciations  and  general 
excitement  and  unrest.  The  railroad  company 
was  persistent  in  its  protestations  of  an  intention 
to  deal  fairly  by  all  bona  fide  settlers,  and  it  may 
be  asserted  with  assurance  that  it  was  as  liberal 
and  just  as  a  corporation  could  be  reasonably 
expected  to  be  under  the  circumstances.  Early 
in  1883,  President  Villard  made  the  following 
statement  regarding  the  purposes  and  intentions 
of  his  company: 

"In  cases  where  in  past  years  a  settler  has 
gone  on  railroad  land  and  in  good  faith  resided 
on  and  improved  it  for  a  home,  the  company 
proposes  to  allow  such  actual  settler  the  privilege 
of  purchasing  the  quarter  section  of  land  on 
which  his  buildings  and  improvements  have  been 
made  at  the  minimum  price  of  two  dollars  and 
sixty  cents  per  acre  cash,  or  four  dollars  per  acre 
on  time.  It  is  intended  that  the  privilege  to 
make  purchase  at  these  minimum  prices  shall  so 
far  as  practicable  be  confirmed  by  the  company 
to  the  actual  settler  whether  any  application  for 
the  purchase  of  the  land  may  have  been  made  by 
him  or  not." 

It  is  hardly  possible  in  a  reasonable  space  to 
adequately  represent  the  spirit  of  this  interesting 
epoch  in  local  and  territorial  history.  The  com- 
pany was  busy  not  alone  in  a  tremendous  effort 
to  conserve  its  interests  in  congress  and  to  keep 
public  opinion  as  favorable  toward  it  as  possible, 
but  to  overcome  its  financial  difficulties  and  to 
solve  perplexing  problems  about  the  best  routes, 
the  means  of  surmounting  natural  obstacles  and 
the  like.  One  of  the  questions  at  issue  was  how 
to  get  over  the  Cascade  range  of  mountains. 
Concerning  this  problem  President  Harris,  in 
October,  18S4,  said: 

Until  the  most  careful  examination  of  the  several 
passes  through  the  Cascade  range  has  been  made,  it  was 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


thought  not  desirable  to  file  in  the  Interior  Department 
the  map  of  definite  location  of  that  part  of  the  Cascade 
division  from  Tacoma  eastward,  although  the  road  was 
completed  to  Wilkeson  in  November,  1877,  because  the 
precise  point  at  which  the  second  section  would  commence 
could  not  be  determined  until  the  best  mountain  pass  had 
been  found. 

The  search  for  this  pass  has  been  one  of  great  diffi- 
culty, requiring  the  highest  skill  and  perseverance.  That 
known  as  the  "Stampede,"  about  midway  between 
Natcheez  and  Snoqualmie  passes,  has  been  adopted  by  the 
company  as  the  place  for  crossing  the  range. 

This  selection  determined  the  point  of  connection  with 
the  first  section  east  from  Tacoma  and  the  map  of  definite 
line  of  location  from  Tacoma  to  South  Prairie  was  filed  in 
the  Interior  Department  and  the  commissioners  appointed 
by  the  President  of  the  United  States  to  examine  this  sec- 
tion have  recommended  its  acceptance. 

The  line  of  definite  location  from  South  Prairie  twenty- 
five  miles  to  a  point  in  the  canyon  of  the  Green  river  has 
been  determined,  and  the  grading  has  been  let;  and  on 
the  east  side  of  the  Cascade  range,  from  Yakima  City  to  a 
point  twenty-five  miles  west  of  the  Columbia  river  has 
been  adopted  and  maps  of  the  same  have  been  filed  in  the 
Interior  Department. 

Surveys  are  in  progress  for  the  definite  location  of  the 
rest  of  the  line  across  the  summit  of  the  Cascade  moun- 
tains, a  distance  of  about  seventy-four  and  one-half  miles. 
A  tunnel  two  miles  long  will  be  required.  The  highest 
elevation  of  the  tunnel  above  sea  level  will  be  two  thou- 
sand eight  hundred  and  eighty- five  feet.  The  summit  of 
the  pass  is  three  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety-three 
feet  above  the  sea.  The  mountain  is  supposed  to  be  hard 
basaltic  rock,  and  the  construction  of  the  tunnel  may 
require  from  two  to  three  years. 

It  was  the  necessity  for  this  tunnel,  the  diffi- 
culties of  the  Yakima  canyon  and  the  financial 
stringency  which  caused  the  long  delay  in  build- 
ing westward  from  Yakima.  The  company  had 
already  exceeded  the  time  in  which  the  road 
should  have  been  completed  in  order  to  secure 
the  benefit  of  the  land  grant,  and  in  all  parts  a 
considerable  proportion  of  the  people  were 
demanding  that  congress  should  declare  the 
grant  forfeited.  There  was,  however,  a  large 
class  of  people  who,  while  recognizing  the  fact 
that  the  company  had  failed  to  comply  with  the 
terms  of  the  grant  and  had  no  legal  rights  in  the 
premises,  argued  that  the  best  interests  of  the 
country  required  that  the  government  should  be 
lenient  with  the  railway  company  and  should 
allow  a  reasonable  extension  of  the  time  limit. 
In  Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties  the  discussion 
waxed  warm,  and  bitter  personalities  were  at 
times  made  use  of.  In  no  way  can  an  idea  of  the 
opinions  and  reasoning  of  the  two  parties  be 
better  conveyed  than  by  quoting  in  extenso,  reso- 
lutions passed  by  two  different  popular  assem 
blages  within  the  territory  of  the  counties  named 

On  March  22,  1884,  at  Elliott's  hall  in  Ellens- 
burg,  a  mass  meeting  of  citizens  adopted  the  fol 
lowing  as  the  sentiments  of  the  majority: 

Whereas.  By  an  act  of  congress  in  1864  half  of  a  strip 
of  land  eighty  miles  in  width  was  granted  to  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  Company  to  aid'in  the  construction  of  a 
railroad  from  Lake  Superior  to  Puget  Sound;  and 

Whereas,  The  original  grant  was  large  and  valuable 
enough  in  itself  to  build  the  road  within  the  time  specified 


in  the  granting  act  without  further  aid,  and  now  that  eight 
years  have  elapsed  since  the  grant  has  expired ;  and 

Whereas,  The  original  intent  of  the  granting  act  was 
to  open  up  what  was  then  a  wild  and  uniuhabited  region 
of  our  country — to  act  as  the  forerunner  of  civilization — 
whilst  now  thrifty  and  intelligent  communities  have  sprung 
up  in  advance  of  construction,  making  the  traffic  alone 
highly  remunerative  for  a  railroad,  consequently  the 
original  intent  has  ceased  and  become  null  and  void;  and 

Whereas,  By  subsidizing  newspapers,  sending  agents 
out  to  misrepresent  the  true  sentiments  of  the  people  by 
making  a  show  of  work  before  the  assembling  of  each 
session  of  congress ;  and 

Whereas,  By  forming  the  blind  pool  and  buying  the 
Seattle  &  Walla  Walla  railroad,  with  their  grant  in  the 
way,  they  have  forestalled  action  on  the  part  of  other 
companies;  and 

Whereas,  By  one-half  of  the  land  being  withdrawn 
from  settlement,  the  growth  of  the  country  has  been 
retarded,  immigration  checked,  business  stagnated,  lands 
from  which  no  revenue  could  be  collected  and  settlers  on 
such  lands  handicapped;  therefore 

Resolved,  That  the  lands  lying  along  the  Cascade 
division  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  have  unjustly 
been  withheld  from  settlement  for  a  period  of  twenty  years, 
thereby  filling  the  coffers  of  a  predaceous  monopoly  at  the 
expense  of  the  poor  frontiersman. 

Resolved,  That  these  lands  belong,  and  of  right  ought 
to  belong,  to  the  people,  and  that  we  most  emphatically 
condemn  the  policy  of  congress  in  taking  away  the  poor 
man's  heritage  and  giving  it  to  stock  gamblers  and  rail- 
road sharks. 

Resolved,  That  the  actions  of  the  several  boards  of 
trade  of  Seattle,  Walla  Walla  and  Tacoma,  praying  for 
congress  to  extend  the  grant,  would  shine  out  far  more 
brilliantly  had  they  shown  their  zeal  for  their  masters  in 
giving  something  they  had  a  shadow  of  right  to  give. 
These  boards  of  trade  have  already  a  railroad  and  they  can 
well  be  magnanimous  in  giving  away  other  people's 
property. 

Resolved,  That  we  are  opposed  to  any  further  time 
being  extended  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  or  to 
congress'  fixing  any  price  per  acre  on  railroad  lands. 

Resolved  That  we,  the  settlers  of  Kittitas  county,  in 
mass  meeting  assembled,  are  in  favor  of  an  unconditional 
and  absolute  forfeiture  of  all  the  lands  along  the  Cascade 
division  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad. 

Resolved,  That  we  learn  from  our  present  delegate  in 
congress  that  the  only  knowledge  he  has  of  our  present 
situation  is  through  "  the  action  of  our  late  legislative 
assembly.  Therefore,  we  view  with  surprise  and  indigna- 
tion the  action  of  our  late  representative,  John  A.  Shoudy, 
in  refusing  to  memorialize  congress  to  forfeit  the  land 
grant  of  the  Cascade  division  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road and  in  exempting  their  property  from  taxation. 

Resolved.  That  we  heartily  and  unequivocally  endorse 
the  course  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  M.  Adams,  of  the  Yakima 
Signal,  in  advocating  and  championing  the  cause  of  the 
poor  man  and  in  standing  by  the  rights  of  the  people  in 
their  fight  with  a  vast  corporate  power,  in  refusing  all 
their  overtures  of  place  and  preferment,  and  that  v% 
recommend  the  Signal  as  the  best  family  paper  in  our 
midst  and  that  we  will  do  all  in  our  power  to  sustain  the 
Signal  in  its  efforts  for  right. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  for- 
warded to  the  chairman  of  each  committee  on  public  lands 
of  both  houses  of  congress;  also  Judge  Payson,  Hons. 
William  S.  Holman,  Cobb,  Slater,  Scales  and  Henley,  and 
be  published  in  both  county  newspapers,  the  Yakima 
Signal  and  Klickitat  Sentinel,  the  Dalla's  Mountaineer  and 
the  Post  Intelligencer. 

F.  S.  Thorp. 

F.   D.  SCHNEBLV, 

S.  T.  Sterling,  Secretary.  B.  E.  Craig, 

Ellensburg,  W.  T.  March  22,  1884.  Committee. 

A  few  days  before  this,  a  similar  meeting  was 


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Copyrighted  by  Rutter. 
A  WILD  INDIAN  ON   PICKET  DUTY 
IN  FULL  WAR  COSTUME. 


RAILROAD  BRIDGE  ACROSS  THE  COLUMBIA  AT 
KENNEWICK 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


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held  at  Yakima  City,  called  on  account  of  the 
fact  that  certain  persons,  under  the  influence  of 
powerful  excitement  and  bitter  prejudice,  had 
expressed  indignation  against  their  opponents  in 
a  too  forceful  manner.  This  assemblage  adopted 
(it  is  claimed  with  few  dissenting  votes)  resolu- 
tions very  different  from  those  adopted  by  the 
Ellensburg  meeting.  As  reported  to  the  Kittitas 
Standard  by  one  of  its  correspondents,  they  were: 

We,  the  citizens  of  Yakima  county,  would  most  respect- 
fully represent  that: 

Whereas,  congress  did  grant  to  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  a  certain  piece  of  land  along  either  side 
of  said  proposed  railway  from  Duluth  to  Puget  Sound,  in 
aid  of  the  construction  of  said  road,  and 

Whereas,  Said  railway  company  was  organized  upon 
the  basis  of  said  grant,  and 

Whereas,  Said  company  did  in  1869  in  good  faith  com- 
mence and  prosecute  the  survey  of  said  road  and  com- 
mence construction  thereof  in  good  faith,  and  with  the 
intent  of  completing  the  same  at  the  earliest  practicable 
time,  as  their  work  will  show  as  follows:  From  the  year 
1869  to  1873  they  made  continued  surveys  from  the  eastern 
end  to  the  point  designated  by  congress  as  the  western 
end,  through  a  wilderness  and  desert  entirely  unknown  to 
either  railway  engineers  or  other  intelligent  people,  but  a 
country  given  up  to  savages  from  whom  it  was  impossible  to 
procure  information  of  a  valuable  nature.  The  results  of 
said  surveys  were  compiled  at  great  expense  and  time,  and 
the  maps  and  profiles  filed  and  the  withdrawals  made.  The 
company  also  prior  to  1S73  constructed  what  is  known  as 
the  Pacific  division  from  Kalama  to  Tacoma,  also  about 
five  hundred  miles  of  the  eastern  end  of  said  road,  and  were 
at  the  time  of  the  great  panic  of  1873  pushing  their  work 
to  the  utmost,  and 

Whereas,  At  or  about  this  time  our  government  did 
resolve  to  or  agitate  the  question  of  a  return  to  specie  pay- 
ment, and  by  its  action  threw  the  country  into  a  financial 
panic  which  extended  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  coast 
and  from  Maine  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  thereby  at  once  put- 
ting an  end  to  the  prosecution  of  all  public  works,  and  more 
particularly  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  then  in  its 
infancy,  and 

Whereas,  By  said  action  they  forced  said  company  to 
suspend  work  and  into  insolvency,  and 

Whereas,  It  was  not  until  the  year  1879  that  confidence 
was  so  restored  in  the  finances  of  the  country  that  the  rail- 
way construction  of  the  country  could  be  resumed,  and 

Whereas.  The  said  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  did  in 
that  year  reorganize  and  get  into  working  condition  and 
did  immediately  commence  work  and  have  prosecuted  the 
same  from  that  time  to  the  present  with  the  greatest 
energy,  at  an  enormous  expense  and  under  the  greatest 
difficulties,  working  through  snow  and  ice.  heat  and  cold, 
and  have  succeeded  in  giving  us  a  continental  line  of  rail- 
road from  a  point  on  the  Columbia  river  to  the  Atlantic 
coast,  and 

Whereas,  There  remains  an  uncompleted  portion  of 
said  road  from  the  Columbia  river  to  Puget  sound,  the 
western  terminus,  which  was  contemplated  by  the  grant 
and  which  is  of  the  greatest  importance  to  Washington  ter- 
ritory, and  more  particularly  to  the  citizens  of  Yakima 
county  and  others  settled  along  the  line,  as  well  as  to  said 
company,  who  cannot  have  a  continuous  line  as  intended  by 
the  grant  unless  said  line  is  constructed,  and 

Whereas,  There  seem  to  be  rival  interests  which  are 
favoring  the  forfeiture  of  said  land  grant,  to  the  great  detri- 
ment of  the  whole  of  Washington  territory,  and  more  par- 
ticularly to  Yakima  county  and  the  sections  of  country  said 
Cascade  division  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  traverses, 
be  it 

Resolved,  That  we,  the  citizens  of  Yakima  and  vicinity, 
assembled,  do  most  respectfully  petition  congress  to  take 
such  action  as  will  insure  to   the  Northern  Pacific   Rail- 


road  Company   their  land  grant  and  to   the  people  the 
speedy  completion  of  said  road;  and  be  it  further 

Resolved.  That  we  cordially  endorse  the  bill  introduced 
by  our  delegate  in  congress,  the  Hon.  Thomas  H.  Brents, 
in  reference  to  the  Cascade  division,  to-wit:  That  the  time 
for  construction  be  extended  two  years  from  January  1, 
1 8S4 ;  that  the  odd  sections  granted  them  be  sold  at  the  rate 
of  $2.60  per  acre  ($4  on  time),  and  we  earnestly  request  our 
delegate  to  use  all  means  in  his  power  to  have  said  bill 
passed  by  congress. 

Congress,  it  appears,  was  disposed  to  shape  its 
course  in  accord  with  the  latter  set  of  resolutions. 
It  bore  with  the  Northern  Pacific  very  patiently 
in  all  its  delays  and  failures,  showing  no  disposi- 
tion to  forfeit  the  grant  on  technical  grounds,  and 
the  result  was  that  in  the  course  of  a  long  time, 
after  many  tedious  and  vexatious  lapses  into  com- 
parative inactivity,  the  company  was  enabled  to 
complete  the  Cascade  division,  tunnel  and  all. 
Whether  the  advantages  accruing  from  the  road 
are  or  are  not  sufficient  to  justify  the  enormous 
subsidy  which  the  government  bestowed  upon  the 
company  is  a  matter  of  opinion,  but  certain  it  is 
that  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  has  been  a  most 
potent  factor  in  the  development  of  Washington, 
and  that  to  its  constritction  so  early  in  the  history 
of  the  territory  must  be  largely  attributed  the 
phenomena]  progress  of  this  now  prosperous 
state. 

The  tariffs  exacted  on  the  uncompleted  Cas- 
cade division  were  very  high  compared  with  what 
they  are  over  the  same  road  to-day.  From  a 
schedule  issued  in  February,  1885,  we  learn  that 
the  fares  then  exacted  were  as  follows:  Pasco  to 
Melton,  1%  miles,  10  cents;  Pasco  to  Kennewick, 
2.3  miles,  55  cents:  Paso  to  Badger,  17^ 
miles,  $1.65;  Pasco  to  Kiona,  27  miles,  $2.30; 
Pasco  to  Prosser,  41  miles,  $3.15;  Pasco  to  North 
Yakima,  86r40-  miles,  $6.10. 

An  incident  of  the  construction  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  through  Yakima  county  was 
the  inception  of  the  important  town  of  North 
Yakima.  Prior  to  the  advent  of  the  steel  rails, 
Yakima  City  was  the  metropolis  of  the  valley, 
but  its  youthful  rival,  under  the  patronage  of 
the  railway  company,  gained  prestige  very  rap- 
idly. Many  of  the  old  town  residents  and'  busi- 
ness men,  realizing  the  hopelessness  of  maintain- 
ing two  prosperous  and  thrifty  towns  so  close 
together,  and  believing  it  good  policy  to  accept 
the  liberal  offers  of  the  new  town's  promoters, 
moved  their  establishments  over.  In  a  very 
short  time  North  Yakima  had  a  thousand  inhab- 
itants. It  was  laid  out  on  a  plan  similar  to  that 
of  Salt  Lake  City,  with  wide  streets  and  alleys, 
artificial  streams  of  water,  rows  of  shade  trees, 
and  abundant  provision  for  parks  and  public 
buildings.  Its  promoters  were  evidently  per- 
suaded that  it  would  one  day  be  the  capital  of  the 
commonwealth  and  kept  the  possibility  of  its 
securing  this  honor  in  mind  while  making  the 
original  plats.  By  an  act  approved  by  Governor 
Squire   January  9,     1886,   it  was   provided   that 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


North  Yakima  should  thenceforth  be  the  county 
seat  instead  of  Yakima  City,  and  ordered  that  the 
county  commissioners  should  remove  the  court- 
house and  all  other  county  buildings  or  property 
by  them  considered  of  sufficient  value  to  justify 
the  expense.  The  courthouse  was  moved  in  due 
time;  a  jail  was  built  under  it,  and  all  the  ma- 
chinery of  local  government  properly  installed  in 
fitting  quarters  at  North  Yakima,  where  it  has 
ever  since  remained. 

During  the  period  that  the  western  terminus 
of  the  railway  remained  at  North  Yakima, 
important  developments  took  place  in  the  sur- 
rounding country.  Naturally,  the  products  of 
the  region  found  a  market  to  the  eastward,  that 
being  at  the  time  the  path  of  least  resistance.  It 
is  stated  that  during  the  season  of  1885,  "from 
April  to  October  31st,  there  were  shipped  by  rail 
out  of  the  Yakima  valley  to  Montana  and  Chi- 
cago 37,477  head  of  cattle.  There  were  also  in 
the  same  period  shipped  out  of  the  Yakima  valley 
4,228  head  of  horses  and  29,823  sheep.  This 
necessitated  the  use  for  cattle  of  1,647  cars;  for 
horses,  of  235  cars,  and  for  sheep,  of  397  cars. 
This  was  bone,  muscle,  fat,  wool  and  hide  of 
bunch-grass." 

But  the  completion  of  the  Cascade  division 
through  to  the  coast  was  destined  to  exert  a  much 
more  powerful  influence  upon  the  course  and 
momentum  of  development  in  central  Washing- 
ton. It  rendered  easily  accessible  the  markets 
of  the  sound  country  and  the  ocean,  and  even 
before  the  Cascade  tunnel  was  in  use  there  had 
begun  the  decline  of  the  cattle  industry,  which 
must  needs  give  way  before  the  advance  of  an 
army  of  settlement.  A.  J.  Splawn  fixes  the  date 
at  which  the  business  of  stockraising  commenced 
to  contract  rapidly  as  the  year  1887.  It  had  long 
been  apparent  that  the  higher  development  for 
Yakima  county  must  take  the  direction  of  canal 
construction  and  the  irrigation  of  arid  lands. 
Experiment  had  proven  the  practicability  of 
making  the  desert  to  bloom  and  bring  forth ;  the 
railway  furnished  the  incentive,  and  very  soon  a 
progressive  people  was  actively  engaged  in  multi- 
plying by  this  means  the  productive  capability  of 
the  central  Washington  valleys. 

Some  of  the  earlier  irrigation  enterprises  have 
already  been  mentioned  in  these  chapters.  A 
summary  of  the  later  ones  undertaken  prior  to  or 
during  1888  was  furnished  by  the  Seattle  Post 
Intelligencer  early  in  1889  in  the  following 
language: 

A  short  account  of  some  of  the  principal  irrigation 
schemes  in  Yakima  may  be  of  interest,  which  we  attempt, 
giving  them  not  chronologically,  but  topographically. 

The  city  of  North  Yakima  is  situated  at  the  confluence 
of  the  Naches  and  Yakima  rivers.  There  are  several  minor 
irrigation  ditches  taken  out  of  the  Naches.  The  only  ex- 
tensive one  is  the  canal  of  the  Selah  Valley  Ditch  Com- 
pany, of  which  B.  F.  Young,  of  Pierce  county,  is  the  able 
superintendent.  This  company,  going  up  the  Naches  river 
some  thirty  miles,  posted  their  notices  of  appropriation  and 


took  out  a  canal  twenty-four  feet  on  the  bottom,  carrying- 
three  feet  and  a  half  of  water  in  depth.  Excavating  around 
the  foothills  on  the  north  of  the  Naches  valley,  they  have 
conducted  their  canal  over  into  the  Selah  valley  just  north 
of  the  city  of  North  Yakima.  This  valley  contains  about 
twenty  thousand  acres  of  beautiful  land,  which,  now  under 
the  impetus  given  by  the  Selah  company,  is  being  rapidly 
settled  and  brought  under  the  dominion  of  the  plow  and 
harrow.  This  same  company,  branching  off  with  a  side 
cut,  where  their  main  line  crosses  the  divide  between  the 
Naches  and  the  Selah  by  means  of  flumes  and  conduits,  are 
conveying  a  portion  of  this  pure,  fresh,  ice-cold  water  to 
the  top  of  the  high  bluff  just  north  of  the  city  of  North 
Yakima,  and  here  is  being  constructed  a  reservoir  forty  feet 
in  depth  and  with  a  surface  of  five  acres,  in  the  head  of  a 
ravine.  From  this  point  the  company  purposes  conduct- 
ing the  water  down  the  bluff,  across  the  Naches  in  iron 
pipes,  to  supply  their  mains  in  the  city,  thus  affording  the 
inhabitants  of  that  favored  place  a  sufficiency  of  pure,  fresh 
water  under  a  four-hundred-and-twenty-foot  pressure. 

Just  across  the  Yakima  river  from  the  city  are  the  head- 
gates  of  the  Moxee  Company's  ditch.  This  company,  of 
which  Gardiner  G.  Hubbard,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and 
William  Ker,  Esq  ,  of  Moxee,  are  the  principal  owners, 
under  the  intelligent  supervision  of  President  Ker,  has  car- 
ried the  science  of  irrigation  to  a  higher  degree  of  perfec- 
tion than  any  other  canal  company  in  the  country.  This 
company's  main  ditch  is  eighteen  feet  on  the  bottom  and 
calculated  to  carry  a  depth  of  three  feet  of  water,  winds 
around  the  foothills  of  the  beautiful  Moxee  valley,  and 
supplies  all  of  those  thousands  of  broad  acres  with  a  suffi- 
ciency of  water  for  irrigation,  domestic  and  stock  purposes. 
The  Moxee  Company  uses  a  portion  of  this  supply  on  two 
thousand  acres  of  its  own  land.     *    *    * 

On  the  west  and  around  North  Yakima,  the  Union, 
Hubbard,  Schanno,  City  and  different  Ahtanum  ditches, 
all  small,  supply  the  farmers  and  city  with  an  abundance 
of  water.  Just  opposite  the  site  of  old  Yakima  is  the  initial 
point  of  the  proposed  canal  of  the  Sunnyside  Ditch  Com- 
pany which  will  be  constructed  next  spring.  The  waters 
will  be  conducted  on  to  the  rich  plains  back  of  Prosser. 
If  done,  eighty  thousand  acres  of  good  farming  land  will 
thus  be  thrown  open.  The  Sears  Brothers,  of  Tacoma,  and 
St.  Paul  capitalists  are  backing  the  scheme.  Thus  far 
nothing  has  been  done  other  than  the  preliminary  surveys, 
which  have  demonstrated  the  feasibility  of  the  scheme. 

Just  above  Kiona,  still  lower  down  the  Yakima,  the 
Yakima  Improvement  and  Irrigation  Company  are  going 
right  ahead  constructing  a  canal  for  irrigation  and  com- 
mercial purposes.  This  canal  is  intended  to  cover  some 
nineteen  thousand  acres  of  the  company's  own  lands  and 
twice  as  much  more  open  to  the  pre-emptor  and  home- 
steader. The  location  surveys  have  been  made  and  the 
company  is  going  ahead  with  the  construction  work.  This 
canal  is  to  be  built  of  sufficient  size  and  depth  for  canal 
boats  to  transfer  freight  to  and  from  the  shipping  point  at 
Kiona  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and  when  com- 
pleted will  be  a  large  addition  to  the  constantly  increas- 
ing resources  of  Yakima  county. 

An  idea  of  the  rapidity  with  which  the  central 
Washington  country  was  being  appropriated  by 
the  settler  at  this  period  may  be  gained  from  the 
following  from  the  pen  of  Luther  S.  Howlett, 
receiver  of  the  United  States  land  office: 

"During  the  year  1888,  207,360  acres  of  land 
have  been  filed  upon  at  the  United  States  land 
office  in  North  Yakima  (including  Yakima,  Kit- 
titas, Douglas  and  Okanogan  counties).  This 
has  been  taken  under  the  various  acts  of  congress 
giving  away  lands,  as  follows:  Pre-emption,  644 
entries;  homesteads,  305;  timber  cultures,  290: 
desert  land,  19;  coal  pre-emptions,  5;  coal  land 
purchases,  3;  mineral  land,  2. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


"Besides  this  showing  there  have  been  appli- 
cations to  enter  under  the  desert  land  act,  which 
are  now  before  the  secretary  of  the  interior  on 
the  question  of  price  per  acre — whether  it  shall 
be  $1.25,  as  formerly  held,  or  $2.50,  as  required 
under  the  Sparks  ruling.  These  applications 
cover  some  50,000  acres  along  the  left  bank  of 
the  Yakima  river.  One  hundred  pre-emptors 
have  proven  up,  fifty-one  homesteaders  and 
eleven  desert  land  claimants. 

"The  best  and  most  extensive  agricultural 
region  in  the  district  (and  in  the  territory)  lies 
around  the  city  of  North  Yakima  and  is  known  as 
the  Yakima  valley,  though  it  really  includes  sev- 
eral valleys.  Here  you  will  find  fruits  and  vege- 
tables in  abundance.  The  land  is  too  valuable  to 
be  given  up  to  grain,  which  should  be  left  to  the 
Big  Bend,  Walla  Walla  and  Klickittat  regions. 
The  railroads  take  the  garden  stuff  raised  in  the 
Yakima  valley  to  the  coast  cities  in  a  day,  and 
there  is  never  a  time  from  the  middle  of  June  to 
the  end  of  October  when  the  market  is  slow.  In 
fact,  the  sound  cities  are  coming  to  rely  more  and 
more  upon  the  Yakima  valley  for  those  fruits  and 
vegetables  which  formerly  came  from  California. 
Many  of  the  new-comers  prefer  to  stop  in  this 
valley  and  take  land  rather  than  go  farther  away 
from  the  railroads  and  city  schools.  Here  ten 
acres  will  give  a  family  as  good  support  as  a  mar- 
ket garden  near  an  eastern  city,  with  a  surer 
thing  of  it  year  in  and  year  out  on  account  of  the 
irrigation.  While  all  this  is  true,  it  is  also  true 
that  the  resources  of  the  valley  are  not  yet  one- 
twentieth  part  developed.  The  t6o-acre  ranches 
are  gradually  subsiding  into  small  farms  as  the 
original  owners  prove  up." 

The  general  condition  of  Yakima  county  at 
the  close  of  1888  was  excellent.  Its  total  indebt- 
edness was  only  one  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
contracted,  it  is  said,  chiefly  for  the  construction 
of  bridges  to  replace  those  carried  away  by  the 
oft-recurring  freshets.  The  total  taxation  was 
thirteen  and  three-fifths  mills,  claimed  to  be  the 
lowest  from  Minnesota  to  California,  both  inclu- 
sive; not  over  half  the  average  taxation  of  Da- 
kota; five  mills  less  than  the  average  of  Washing- 
ton territory,  and  seven  less  than  that  of  Mon- 
tana. The  total  assessed  valuation  of  the 
property  was  two  millions,  very  much  less  than 
the  real  value,  and  the  population  was  estimated 
all  the  way  from  four  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  fifty  to  six  thousand. 

One  of  the  most  important  movements  before 
the  people  of  Washington  territory  at  this  period 
was  that  for  admission  to  the  Federal  Union.  It 
was  not  a  new  movement.  A  Walla  Walla  stu- 
dent of  local  history  is  quoted  as  stating  that  "the 
proposition  for  calling  a  convention  to  frame  a 
state  constitution,  preliminary  to  asking  for  the 
admission  of  Washington  territory  to  the  Union, 
was  first  submitted  to  the  voters  by  an  act  of  the 
legislature,    session   of    1868-9,    providing    for   a 


ballot  upon  the  question  at  the  June  election  of 
1869.  Failing  to  meet  the  favorable  considera- 
tion of  the  people  at  that  time,  it  was  again  sub- 
mitted at  the  general  elections  of  1872  and  1874 
and  each  time  defeated.  In  1876  the  question 
was  again  submitted,  and,  the  people  declaring  in 
favor  of  such  action,  delegates  were  chosen  and 
the  convention  met  at  Walla  Walla  the  second 
Tuesday  of  June,  1878.  After  a  session  of  forty 
days,  a  constitution  was  framed,  which  received 
the  indorsement  of  the  people  at  the  general  elec- 
tion of  that  year,  the  vote  being  6,462  for  and 
3,231  against — a  total  of  nearly  3,000  less  than 
the  vote  cast  for  delegate." 

From  the  year  1878  until  the  year  1889  the 
admission  of  Washington  to  the  Union  never 
wholly  ceased  to  be  a  living  issue.  At  one  time 
a  bill  passed  both  houses  of  congress  admitting 
the  territory  with  the  northern  counties  of  Idaho 
added  to  the  federal  sisterhood,  but  it  was  pocket- 
vetoed  by  President  Cleveland.  The  measure 
was  insisted  upon,  however,  and  on  February  22, 
18S9,  the  celebrated  omnibus  bill,  enabling  North 
and  South  Dakota, Montana  andWashington  with- 
out the  North  Idaho  counties  to  become  states, 
was  signed  by  the  president  of  the  United  States. 

Among  the  most  important  provisions  of  the 
enabling  act  relating  to  this  territory  were  the 
following:  That  the  election  for  the  purpose  of 
choosing  delegates  to  a  constitutional  convention 
to  be  held  at  Olympia  should  be  held  on  the 
Tuesday  after  the  second  Monday  in  May,  1889; 
that  seventy-five  delegates  should  be  chosen, 
should  meet  on  the  Fourth  of  July,  and  having 
organized  and  adopted  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  should  proceed  to  form  a  state 
government  republican  in  form  and  to  frame  a 
constitution  which  should  make  no  distinction  in 
civil  or  political  rights  on  account  of  race  or 
color,  except  as  to  Indians  not  taxed,  and  should 
be  in  consonance  with  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States  and  the  principles  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence.  The  constitution  must 
also  provide  for  perfect  toleration  of  religious 
sentiment,  disclaim  all  right  and  title  to  the 
unappropriated  public  lands  lying  within  the 
boundaries  of  the  state  and  to  all  Indian  tribal 
lands;  provide  for  the  assumption  and  payment 
of  the  debts  and  liabilities  of  the  territory,  also 
for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a  sys- 
tem of  public  schools  open  to  all  children  of  the 
state  and  free  from  sectarian  control.  The  act 
also  provided  that  the  constitution  should  be  sub- 
mitted to  the  qualified  electors  of  said  state  for 
their  approval  or  rejection  at  an  election  to  be 
held  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  October;  that  if  said 
constitution  should  be  in  compliance  with  the 
form  provided  and  be  adopted,  the  same,  together 
with  the  vote  thereon,  should  be  forwarded  to 
the  president  of  the  United  States,  who  should 
issue  a  proclamation  announcing  the  result  of  the 
election   and   thereupon  the  said  state  should  be 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


deemed  admitted  into  the  Union;  that  until  the 
next  general  election,  or  until  otherwise  provided 
by  law,  the  state  should  be  entitled  to  one  repre- 
sentative in  the  national  house  of  representatives; 
that  the  representatives  to  the  fifty-first  con- 
gress, together  with  the  governor  and  other 
officers  provided  for  in  the  constitution,  might  be 
elected  on  the  day  of  the  election  for  the  ratifica- 
tion or  rejection  of  the  constitution,  and  until  the 
said  state  officers  were  elected  and  qualified  and 
the  state  admitted  into  the  Union  the  terri- 
torial officers  should  continue  to  discharge  the 
duties  of  their  respective  offices  in  the  said  terri- 
tory; it  provided  for  the  customary  gift  of  sec- 
tions sixteen  and  thir.ty-six  in  each  township  of 
all  unappropriated  public  lands  to  the  state  for 
common-school  purposes;  gave  fifty  sections  of 
unappropriated  lands  for  erecting  public  build- 
ings at  the  capital  for  legislative,  executive  and 
judicial  purposes;  provided  that  five  per  centum 
of  the  proceeds  of  the  sales  of  public  lands  lying 
within  the  state,  which  should  be  sold  by  the 
United  States  subsequent  to  the  admission  of  the 
state  into  the  Union,  after  deducting  all  the  ex- 
penses incident  to  the  same,  should  be  paid  to  the 
state  for  use  as  a  permanent  fund,  the  interest  of 
which  only  should  be  expended  for  the  support 
of  the  common  schools  within  the  state;  reserved 
such  quantity  of  lands  authorized  by  the  fourth 
section  of  the  act  of  July  17,  1854,  for  university 
purposes,  as,  together  with  the  lands  confirmed 
to  the  vendees  of  the  territory  by  the  act  of  March 
14,  1S64,  should  make  the  full  quantity  seventy- 
two  entire  sections;  provided  that  all  lands 
granted  the  state  for  educational  purposes  should 
be  disposed  of  only  at  public  sale  at  a  price  of  not 
less  than  ten  dollars  per  acre,  the  proceeds  to 
constitute  a  permanent  school  fund,  the  interest 
on  which  only  should  be  expended  in  the  support 
of  said  schools;  that  said  school  lands  might,  ] 
however,  under  such  regulations  as  the  legisla-  | 
ture  might  prescribe,  be  leased  for  periods  of  not 
more  than  five  years  in  quantities  not  exceeding 
one  section  to  any  one  person  or  company; 
granted  Washington  lands  equal  in  quantity  to 
those  granted  Dakota,  March  2,  1SS1,  for  peni- 
tentiary purposes;  gave  the  state  ninety  thousand 
acres  for  the  use  and  support  of  agricultural  col- 
leges in  said  state,  and  in  lieu  of  land  grants  for 
internal  improvements  made  to  new  states  by  an 
act  passed  September  4,  1841,  and  of  swamp  and 
overflowed  lands  under  the  act  of  September  28, 
1850,  the  following  grants:  for  the  establishment 
and  maintenance  of  a  scientific  school,  one  hun- 
dred thousand  acres;  state  normal  school,  one 
hundred   thousand   acres;  for  public  buildings  at 


the  state  capital,  in  addition  to  the  grant  here- 
inbefore made  for  that  purpose,  one  hundred 
thousand  acres;  state  charitable,  educational, 
penal  and  reformatory  institutions,  two  hundred 
thousand  acres;  it  also  provided  that  all  mineral 
lands  should  be  exempted  from  grants  made  by 
the  admission  act,  mineral  school  lands  to  be 
exchanged  for  lieu  land;  allowed  the  state  an 
appropriation  from  the  national  treasury  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars  for  defraying  the  ex- 
penses of  the  constitutional  convention;  made  the 
state  a  separate  judicial  district;  arranged  for  the 
regular  and  easy  transfer  of  all  territorial  judicial 
matters  from  the  territorial  courts  into  the  state 
courts,  etc. 

The  constitutional  convention  met  as  provided 
by  the  enabling  act.  Those  chosen  to  represent 
Yakima  and  Klickitat  counties  were  Colonel  Wil- 
liam F.  Prosser,  of  North  Yakima,  and  R.  O. 
Dunbar,  of  Goldendale,  republicans,  arid  J.  T. 
Eshelman,  of  North  Yakima,  democrat;  while 
the  fifth  district,  consisting  of  Kittitas  and  a  part 
of  Douglas  counties,  was  represented  in  the  con- 
vention by  J.  A.  Shoudy  and  A.  Mires,  of  Ellens- 
burg,  republicans,  and  J.  T.  McDonald,  of 
Ellensburg,  democrat.  These  gentlemen  and 
sixty-nine  others  continued  their  labors  until  the 
22d  of  August,  by  which  time  they  had  completed 
a  document  of  not  a  little  merit  and  containing  a 
considerable  number  of  progressive  features. 
Two  separate  articles,  one  providing  for  female 
suffrage  and  one  prohibiting  the  sale  of  intoxicat- 
ing liquors,  except  for  medicinal,  sacramental  or 
scientific  uses,  were  submitted  to  the  people  to 
become  a  part  of  the  state  constitution,  provided 
a  majority  of  the  male  voters  should  favor  them. 
The  election  for  the  adoption  or  rejection  of  the 
constitution  was  held  on  the  first  Tuesday  in 
October,  as  provided  by  the  enabling  act.  It 
resulted  in  the  adoption  of  the  constitution  as 
prepared  by  the  convention,  the  vote  being  38,394 
for  and  11,895  against.  The  vote  in  Yakima 
county  was  845  for  and  115  against.  Both  the 
separate  articles  were  defeated. 

At  5:27  o'clock  p.  m. ,  on  the  nth  day  of 
November,  1889,  President  Harrison  signed  and 
issued  his  proclamation  declaring  the  territory  of 
Washington  a  state  of  the  Federal  Union.  His 
name  and  that  of  Secretary  James  G.  Blaine  were 
affixed  with  a  pen  of  gold  from  Washington  mines 
in  a  holder  of  ebonized  laurel,  from  the  same 
section,  both  made  specially  within  the  limits  of 
Washington,  for  this  purpose.  Thus  the  new 
ship  of  state  was  fairly  launched  for  what  we 
may  hope  will  prove  a  long  and  prosperous  voy- 
age in  the  peerless  federal  fleet. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


CURRENT    HISTORY 


:9°4- 


Unfortunately,  the  first  months  of  Yakima 
county's  history  as  a  political  division  of  the  state 
were  not  entirely  free  from  disaster.  The  open- 
ing of  the  winter  was  somewhat  unpropitious, 
the  cattle  being  poor  and  ill  prepared  to  with- 
stand the  rigors  of  a  possible  cold  season.  This 
was  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  previous  winter 
had  brought  but  little  snow,  causing  the  grass  of 
the  ensuing  summer  and  fall  to  be  short 
and  lacking  in  succulence.  So  it  happened 
that  when  the  weather  became  severe,  as 
it  did  January  2d,  the  death  rate  among 
range  stock  ran  up  to  an  unusual  height.  In 
its  issue  of  January  30th,  the  Yakima  Herald 
said: 

"There  is  no  question  but  that  the  cattle  have 
suffered  greatly  this  winter  and  that  the  loss  is 
heavy.  It  was  not  the  cold  nor  the  snow  but 
the  poor  condition  in  which  they  had  entered 
upon  the  winter.  Had  the  grass  been  good  dur- 
ing the  summer  the  loss  would  have  been  light, 
but  with  no  snow  during  the  winter  of  1888-9, 
the  range  has  never  been  known  to  be  so  poor 
before.  The  chinook  which  has  been  blowing 
most  of  the  week  cleared  away  much  of  the  snow 
but  still  left  a  coating  sufficient  to  make  feeding 
necessary.  Joseph  Baxter  believes  that  ten  per 
cent,  have  thus  far  been  lost." 

In  its  issue  of  February  27th,  the  same  paper 
tells  us  that  not  only  had  the  loss  among  cattle 
been  great,  but  that  of  horses  was  depressingly 
heavy;  that  the  range  riders  were  still  bringing 
in  gloomy  reports  and  that  Joseph  Baxter  then 
estimated  the  loss  of  cattle  in  the  county  at  fifty 
per  cent,  and  of  horses  twenty-five  per  cent. 

A  single  additional  quotation  from  the 
Herald  will  give  the  reader  a  sufficiently  clear 
idea  of  the  cattle  losses  of  the  winter  of  18S9-90. 
In  its  issue  of  March  6th,  it  said: 

"The  backbone  of  the  winter  has  at  last  been 
broken.  The  winter  has  been  a  hard  one  on 
stock,  and  many  of  the  largest  cattlemen  have 
received  a  blow  from  which  it  will  take  a  num- 
ber of  seasons  to  recover.  To  estimate  the  per- 
centage of  loss  is  difficult.  Snipes  &  Allen,  P. 
J.  Flint,  Baxter  &  Sharkey  and  other  large  cattle 
raisers  will  lose  more  than  fifty  per  cent,  of  their 
bands,  while  the  loss  of  the  Moxee  Company  and 
many  of  those  with  a  few  hundred  head,  who  had 
plenty  of  feed,  will  be  comparatively  light.     The 


loss  on  different  ranges  varied.  The  cattle  on 
the  Moxee  range  doubtless  suffered  the  least, 
while  the  mortality  on  the  Cowiche,  Lower 
Yakima  and  Horse  Heaven  ranges  was  the 
greatest.  In  the  Naches,  Wenas  and  Ahtanum 
valleys  the  cattlemen  generally  had  sufficient 
feed,  but  had  the  severe  weather  lasted  a  week 
or  ten  days  longer,  all  the  hay  in  the  country 
would  have  been  exhausted.  The  loss  falls 
principally  on  a  few,  as  the  farmers  with  barn- 
yard stock  or  small  herds  of  range  cattle  had,  for 
the  most  part,  ample  provision  for  caring  for  the 
stock,  and  their  losses  are  slight.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  winter  the  estimate  of  range  cattle 
in  the  county  was  twenty  thousand.  Roughly 
stated,  half  of  these  are  now  dead,  and  two-thirds 
of  this  loss  will  fall  on  less  than  a  dozen  men. 
It  was  the  longest  and  most  trying  winter  since 
the  memorable  one  of  1880-81." 

But  the  time  had  gone  by  when  a  blow  to  the 
cattle  industry  was  sufficient  to  paralyze  even 
temporarily  the  entire  progressiveness  of  the 
county,  and  the  loss  of  the  winter  of  18S9-90, 
though  severe  on  those  whom  it  directly  affected, 
caused  no  halt  in  the  march  of  the  county's 
industrial  development.  Besides  the  stimulus 
which  its  admission  to  the  Union  had  given  to 
the  state  at  large,  a  stimulus  which  could  not  fail 
to  make  itself  felt  in  every  part  of  the  common- 
wealth, there  were  progressive  forces  specially  af- 
fecting central  Washington  at  this  time.  The 
reasonable  contention  of  both  Ellensburg  and 
North  Yakima  for  the  honors  and  benefits  of  be- 
coming the  state  capital  was  advertising  the  re- 
sources of  the  country  contiguous  to.  each  and 
directing  public  attention  thither.  The  attention 
of  capital  had  been  at  length  attracted  by  the 
splendid  opportunities  for  profitable  investment 
the  Yakima  and  Kittitas  valleys  offered,  and 
large  irrigation  enterprises  were  being  inaugu- 
rated. Furthermore,  there  was  much  activity 
among  railway  companies  and  many  reasons 
were  given  the  people  to  hope  that  their  section 
would  soon  be  traversed  by  more  than  one  iron 
pathway  of  commerce.  Were  it  not  for  the  panic 
of  1893,  which  prevented  the  consummation  of 
some  of  these  schemes,  the  development  of 
Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties  would  have  been 
marvelously  rapid.  As  it  was,  the  railways  failed 
to    materialize,    though     the     oldest     irrigation 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


scheme  has  since  eventuated  in  the  mammoth 
Sunnyside  canal,  and  some  of  the  less  preten- 
tious projects  have  been  carried  to  a  successful 
consummation. 

Notwithstanding  their  failure,  a  short  discus- 
sion of  the  railway  projects  of  the  time  may 
throw  an  important  side-light  upon  this  period 
of  the  country's  history.  One  of  these  was  a 
road  from  Portland,  Oregon,  across  the  Cascades 
to  tap  the  wheat  fields,  mining  districts  and 
gardens  of  central  and  eastern  Washington. 
The  aggregation  of  New  York  and  English 
capitalists  which  projected  the  road  styled  them- 
selves the  Portland,  Lower  Columbia  and  Eastern 
Washington  Railroad  Company.  A  committee 
of  this  corporation  was  met  at  Portland  in 
December,  1889,  by  Hon.  J.  B.  Reavis,  George 
W.  Jones  and  Edward  Whitson,  from  North 
Yakima,  to  whom  through  its  committee,  the  com- 
pany stated  in  writing  the  following  proposals: 
In  consideration  of  Yakima's  subscribing  a  bonus 
of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  the  company 
agreed  to  build  a  road  from  some  point  on  the 
Columbia  river  in  Clarke  county  to  North  Yakima 
and  have  the  same  equipped  and  in  operation 
within  two  years.  The  bonus  was  not  to  be 
paid  until  the  completion  of  the  road  but  was  to 
draw  interest  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent,  per 
annum.  North  Yakima  was  to  be  given  depot 
facilities  within  the  corporate  limits  and  for  a 
time  at  least  was  to  be  made  the  terminus  of  the 
road,  although  the  plans  contemplated  its  exten- 
sion to  a  connection  with  the  Canadian  Pacific, 
which  would  give  North  Yakima  another  trans- 
continental road. 

On  December  20th,  an  enthusiastic  meeting 
was  held  at  the  council  chambers.  It  resulted  in 
the  appointment  of  G.  W.  Jones,  Captain  J.  H. 
Thomas,  William  Ker,  J.  C.  MacCrimmon,  John 
Bartholet,  S.  J.  Lowe  and  W.  A.  Cox  a  com- 
mittee to  canvass  the  town  for  the  purpose  of 
receiving  the  subscriptions.  These  gentlemen 
began  at  once  their  herculean  labors  and  con- 
tinued them  with  such  success  that  by  January 
16,  1890,  more  than  the  required  sum  was  sub- 
scribed, as  appears  from  the  following  peal  of 
triumph  in  the  Herald  of  that  date: 

"Yakima  aspired  to  raise  one  hundred  thou- 
sand dollars  bonus.  She  has  not  only  raised  that 
amount  but  three  thousand  dollars  over.  She 
has  done  that  which  Walla  Walla  and  Ellensburg 
failed  in,  and  which  has  only  been  equaled  in  this 
great  state  by  rich  and  prosperous  Spokane  Falls. 
The  latter  raised  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
as  a  bonus  to  secure  the  building  of  the  Spokane 
and  Northern  railroad,  and  now  plucky  Yakima, 
which  claims  a  population  only  one-eighth  as  great 
as  that  of  the  Empire  City,  comes  proudly  to  the 
front  with  a  like  amount  for  the  Portland,  Lower 
Columbia  and  Eastern  Washington  Railroad 
Company.  *  *  *  Edward  Whitson  heads  the 
list  with  six  thousand  dollars;  J.  H.  Thomas  and 


William  Ker  follow  with  four  thousand  dollars 
each." 

The  central  Washington  country  also  had 
another  railway  prospect  at  this  time.  It  was 
furnished  by  the  Illinois  Central,  one  of  the 
richest  railroad  corporations,  which  sent  in  May, 
1889,  a  party  of  engineers  from  Sioux  Falls  to 
seek  out  a  feasible  route  to  the  sound.  The 
party  arrived  at  North  Yakima  September  16th 
ensuing.  From  their  leader,  George  M.  Nix; 
who  was  the  general  manager  of  the  Midland 
Pacific  Railroad  Company,  it  was  learned  that 
the  party  had  traveled  westerly  up  the  Lugen- 
bee  river,  thence  through  the  Big  Horn  and  Wind 
River  mountains;  thence  across  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains and  down  the  Salmon  and  Snake  rivers  to 
Lewiston;  thence  down  the  Snake,  crossing  the 
Northern  Pacific  at  Palouse  Junction,  thence 
westerly  via  Crab  creek  coulee  to  Priest  Rapids 
of  the  Columbia,  from  which  point  they  pro- 
ceeded through  the  Moxee  coulee  to  North 
Yakima.  To  a  press  reporter  Mr.  Nix  made  the 
statement  that  the  line  was  not  only  feasible  but 
that  its  grades  were  economic,  that  the  road 
would  traverse  a  splendid  country  yet  untapped 
by  railroads  and  that  fewer  difficulties  would  be 
encountered  in  its  construction  than  have  been 
surmounted  by  the  other  transcontinental  lines. 
He  also  claimed  the  route  was  three  hundred 
miles  shorter  from  Chicago  to  Puget  Sound  than 
that  of  the  Northern  Pacific,  and  advanced  the 
opinion  that  if  the  rest  of  the  country  presented 
no  greater  obstacles  than  had  that  already  tra- 
versed, engineering  parties  would  be  in  the  field 
in  the  early  months  of  1890  permanently  locating 
the  road. 

All  these  projects  naturally  had  the  effect  of 
encouraging  home-seekers  to  come  to  the  country, 
even  though  there  was  no  assurance  that  they 
would  ever  materialize;. but  the  local  project,  that 
of  constructing  the  large  irrigating  ditch,  was 
much  more  direct  and  immediate  in  its  effects. 
The  history  of  the  Sunnyside  canal  scheme  takes 
us  back  to  about  1885,  when  the  first  survey  was 
made.  However,  the  enterprise  was  not  taken 
up  in  good  earnest  until  1889,  when  a  number  of 
persons  experienced  in  irrigation  conceived  the 
idea  of  buying  up  the  lands  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Company  to  the  southward  of  North 
Yakima  and  constructing  a  canal  to  water  them 
and  alternate  sections  belonging  to  the  govern- 
ment. With  this  end  in  view  they  began  again 
the  work  of  surveying  for  a  practicable  route. 
The  result  of  the  investigations  of  their  corps  of 
engineers  is  embodied  in  a  report  of  Chief  En- 
gineer J.  D.  Mclntyre,  the  most  of  which  is  here 
reproduced : 

I  completed  the  surveys  of  the  Yakima  canal  Novem- 
ber 2,  i88g.  after  having  been  engaged  with  an  assistant 
engineer  and  a  force  of  men  for  about  three  months.  Four 
hundred  and  seventy-one  miles  of  grade  line  in  all  were 
run  and  six  different  routes  investigated. 


THE   SECRET   OF   YAKIMA   COUNTY'S   COMMERCIAL   GREATNESS. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


183 


The  plan  at  first  proposed  was  to  build  an  irrigating 
canal  from  Union  Gap  onto  what  is  known  as  the  "Sunny- 
side"  lands  along  the  Yakima  river  in  Yakima  county, 
Washington,  which  lie  on  the  easterly  side  of  the  Yakima 
river  between  Union  Gap  and  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima 
river.  Six  other  engineers  had  preceded  me  at  various 
times  during  the  past  four  years,  and  they  had  all  reported 
that  the  Sunnyside  line  which  begins  at  Union  Gap  was 
the  only  practicable  route.  I  found  this  line  to  be  a  favor- 
able one,  but  too  low  to  cover  more  than  forty-seven  thou- 
sand acres  of  railroad  land;  the  estimated  cost  for  eighty 
miles  of  canal  about  four  hundred  and  seventy  thousand 
dollars,  and  it  was  decided  that  unless  a  higher  line  cover- 
ing more  land  could  be  found  it  would  be  better  to  abandon 
the  enterprise.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  in  detail 
the  various  routes  surveyed  and  abandoned,  but  will  con- 
fine my  description  to  the  one  adopted,  which  I  call  the 
"Natcheez  line." 

The  Natcheez  line  begins  at  the  Natcheez  river,  about 
two  miles  above  where  that  stream  mingles  with  the  waters 
of  the  Yakima,  and  runs  in  a  southerly  direction  around 
and  to  the  west  of  the  Ahtanum  basin,  crosses  the  Athanum 
creek  about  five  miles  to  the  west  of  its  confluence  with 
the  Yakima  river;  follows  along  the  steep  hillside  south  of 
Ahtanum  creek  to  Union  Gap,  a  distance  of  about  eighteen 
miles;  thence  across  the  Yakima  river  by  a  pipe  line  to  the 
easterly  side  of  the  river,  at  which  point  the  elevation  ob- 
tained above  the  Yakima  river  and  above  the  Sunnyside 
line  is  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine  feet;  thence  along  the 
foot  of  the  Rattlesnake  range  in  a  southeasterly  direction 
to  a  point  about  north  of  the  town  of  Prosser.  a  distance  of 
about  eighty  miles,  making  in  all  a  length  of  ninety-eight 
miles  of  canal.  By  the  adoption  of  this  route  the  great 
objection  of  all  lines  heretofore  run  by  us  or  by  the  en- 
gineers of  the  Northern  Pacific  Land  Department  to  cover 
the  Sunnyside  lands  is  fully  overcome.  It  is  one  hundred 
and  ninety-nine  feet  higher;  its  course  heads  many  of  the 
deep  ravines  encountered  by  the  other  lines  and  covers 
more  than  twice  as  much  land  as  any  of  them.  I  estimated 
the  water  in  Natcheez  river  in  September  last,  at  a  time 
when  great  drouth  was  prevailing,  and  found  twenty-nine 
thousand  miner's  inches  of  water  in  the  stream.  There  is 
probably  from  five  to  ten  times  as  much  water  as  this  in  the 
stream  during  the  irrigating  season.  It  has  its  source  in 
the  perennial  snows  of  the  Cascade  mountains,  and  in  my 
opinion  the  water  supply  is  abundant  and  permanent  and 
the  title  undisputed. 

I  took  no  cross-section  of  slopes,  and  my  estimate  is 
based  simply  upon  the  grade  line.  The  estimated  cost  is 
five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  the  canal  ninety-eight 
miles  long.  Storage  reservoirs  may  be  built  at  a  cost" of 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  will  double  the 
capacity  of  the  canal.  In  order  to  successfully  irrigate  the 
whole  tract  of  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  a  lower 
line  of  canal  should  be  built  at  some  future  time  after  the 
settlement  will  justify  it,  to  be  taken  from  Yakima  river 
five  miles  above  Union  Gap  and  extended  around  Moxee 
valley,  and  thence  parallel  "with  the  old  Sunnyside  line,  a 
distance  of  about  eighty  miles,  which,  with  a  proper  sys- 
tem of  storage  reservoirs,  would  cost  approximately  four 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  making  in  all  the  total  estimate 
of  cost  one  million  dollars.  These  estimates  are  based 
upon  a  canal  twenty  feet  wide  on  the  bottom,  thirty  feet 
wide  on  top,  and  capable  of  carrying  four  feet  of  water  for 
one-half  the  length  of  each  canal,  and  fourteen  feet  wide 
on  the  bottom  and  twenty-four  feet  wide  on  top,  and  capa- 
ble of  carrying  three  feet  of  water  for  the  lower  half  of 
each  canal. 

By  reference  to  the  general  map  herewith,  the  locality 
of  the  lands  is  shown.  *  *  *  The  surface  or  contour  of 
the  ground  is  rolling  and  broken  by  occasional  ravines. 
The  soil  is  sandy — a  loam — having  its  origin  in  the  sedi- 
ments of  a  great  inland  lake,  varying  in  depth  from  five  to 
fifty  feet  and  resting  upon  a  bed  of  basaltic  rock.  No 
bowlders  or  gravel  channels  are  found  in  the  tract.  The 
basaltic  rock  comes  to  the  surface  at  rare  intervals,  but  does 
not  reduce  materially  the  amount  of  available  agricultural 


land.  The  slope  is  generally  to  the  south  and  the  surface 
is  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  sage  brush,  varying  in 
height  from  two  to  five  feet. 

The  productions  of  the  Yakima  valley  are  very  much 
the  same  as  those  of  Fresno  county,  California,  omitting, 
of  course,  the  oranges.  The  cereals  all  do  well,  but  the 
character  of  the  products,  such  as  fruits,  hops,  tobacco  and 
alfalfa,  are  such  as  will  make  the  lands  too  high-priced  to 
be  used  for  the  production  of  cereals.  I  have  made  a  close 
examination  of  the  products  of  the  basin  with  a  view  to 
finding  out  what  kinds  of  fruits,  vines  and  plants  are  best 
adapted  to  the  soils  and  climate.  I  find  that  the  staples 
are  grapes,  apples,  pears,  peaches,  plums,  prunes,  sorghum, 
melons,  tobacco,  hops,  alfalfa  or  lucerne,  sweet  potatoes, 
peanuts  and  all  the  small  fruits.  Wheat  produces  with 
irrigation  about  thirty-five  bushels  per  acre,  oats  fifty 
bushels,  barley  forty  bushels,  rye  thirty-five  bushels.  I 
saw  eleven  different  kinds  of  shade  trees  growing  in  one 
yard;  the  butternut,  walnut,  maple,  mountain  oak,  ash, 
weeping  willow  and  cypress  growing  side  by  side.  Those 
who  are  said  to  be  experts  in  grape  culture  claim  that  the 
finest  varieties  of  wine  grapes  are  grown  here.  The  tobacco 
raised  from  Havana  seed  upon  the  Moxee  farm  near  North 
Yakima  and  there  made  into  cigars  is  said  to  possess  a 
flavor  not  excelled  in  this  country.  The  Yakima  basin 
must  at  no  distant  day  become  famous  for  its  productions 
of  many  of  the  fruits,  vines  and  plants  mentioned  above. 

The  climate  may  be  regarded  as  semi-tropical  about 
ten  and  one-half  months  of  the  year  and  the  products  are 
semi-tropical.  Here  may  be  found  a  latitude  of  forty-nine 
degrees  north  with  a  mean  temperature  about  the  same  as 
San  Francisco.  This  unusual  feature  of  climate  may  be 
accounted  for  by  the  warm  winds  of  the  Japan  current, 
which  follow  up  the  Columbia  river  through  the  rift  in  the 
Cascade  mountains  and  deflect  into  the  Yakima  basin, 
so  that  when  residents  both  north  and  south,  during  the 
months  of  the  winter  solstice,  are  suffering  from  cold,  those 
of  this  region  are  enjoying  bright  suns  and  warm  winds. 

The  result  of  this  surveying  was  that  on  the 
4th  of  December,  1889,  the  Yakima  Canal  and 
Land  Company  was  organized  with  a  capital  stock 
of  one  million  dollars  divided  into  two  hundred 
thousand  shares.  The  officers  of  the  company 
for  the  first  three  months  were  Walter  N.  Gran- 
ger, of  St.  Paul,  president;  James  Millisch,  secre- 
tary, and  Albert  Kleinschmidt,  of  Helena,  treas- 
urer. Previous  to  making  the  surveys,  this  com- 
pany had  obtained  from  the  Northern  Pacific 
Company  an  option  for  the  purchase  of  all  rail- 
road lands  in  the  Sunnyside  region.  The  success 
of  Mclntyre's  survey  and  the  substantial  evi- 
dences presented  that  the  enterprise  was  about 
to  be  consummated  induced  the  Northern  Pacific 
Company  to  make  advances  to  the  irrigation 
company  looking  toward  an  amalgamation  of 
interests,  with  the  result  that  the  Northern  Pacific 
took  two-thirds  of  the  stock  and  lent  its  mighty 
force  to  the  undertaking.  Upon  the  entrance  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  into  the  company,  Paul 
Schultze,  of  the  land  department,  succeeded  Mr. 
Granger  as  president,  the  latter  taking  the  posi- 
tion of  vice-president  and  general  manager,  and 
upon  his  shoulders  fell  the  greater  part  of  the 
burden  of  making  a  success  of  this  gigantic  indus- 
trial scheme.  The  name  chosen  for  the  new  cor- 
poration was  the  Northern  Pacific,  Yakima  and 
Kittitas  Irrigation  Company.  It  purposed  to  con- 
struct seven  reservoirs  in  the  mountains  and  to 


i84 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


build  one  irrigation  canal  in  Kittitas  and  two  in 
Yakima  county.  In  order  that  no  mistake  might 
be  made,  the  services  of  William  Hamilton  Hall, 
a  famous  irrigation  engineer  of  California,  were 
procured  to  verify  the  work  of  Mr.  Mclntyre  and 
to  make  further  surveys.  His  report  on  the 
practicability  of  the  enterprise  was  favorable,  and 
early  in  the  year  1891  work  on  the  great  irriga- 
tion system  was  in  progress.  The  company 
began  operations  on  the  lower  of  their  two  pro- 
jected ditches  in  Yakima  county,  one  which  "left 
the  Yakima  river  just  below  a  gap  where  the  river 
pinches  itself  between  two  high  hills.  Nature 
seemed  to  have  designed  it  as  a  place  for  an 
intake  of  a  great  canal.  At  once  an  agreement 
was  made  with  the  farmers  by  which  their  ditch, 
known  as  the  Konnewock,  was  to  be  owned  by 
the  company  and  enlarged  and  extended,  so  as  to 
carry  one  thousand  cubic  feet  of  water  per  second 
of  time  and  serve  sixty-eight  thousand  acres  of 
land."  Work  was  continued  in  the  prosecution 
of  this  design  until  the  main  canal  was  con- 
structed nearly  to  the  forty-second  mile-post, 
and  many  laterals  were  put  in  and  land  sales 
made.  The  first  water  was  taken  by  the  new 
settlers  from  the  main  canal  in  April,  1892.  The 
next  year  operations  had  to  be  suspended,  owing 
to  the  widespread  financial  depression,  and  a 
period  of  not  a  little  distress  among  the  settlers 
followed.  But  "they  had  before  them  what  the 
farmers  had  accomplished  under  the  Konnewock 
ditch,  and  they  did  not  lose  faith.  They  cleared 
their  land  of  the  sage  brush ;  they  leveled  it ;  they 
placed  water  upon  it;  they  planted  fields  of 
alfalfa,  clover,  timothy,  corn  and  potatoes;  they 
set  out  orchards  of  peaches,  prunes,  pears,  apri- 
cots, cherries  and  apples,"  and  with  the  advent 
of  prosperity  came  also  an  abundant  reward  for 
their  labors. 

The  stockmen  of  the  Yakima  valley  were,  in 
no  wise  dismayed  by  the  approach  of  winter  in 
the  year  1890,  as  their  cattle  were  in  good  condi- 
tion and  they  had  plenty  of  feed.  Prices,  how- 
ever, were  very  low,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the 
hard  winter  of  1889-90  had  discouraged  many 
stockmen,  causing  them  to  rush  to  the  markets 
with  their  cattle.  Indeed,  it  seems  that  there  was 
a  species  of  reaction  at  this  time  from  the  great 
prosperity  which  ensued  upon  the  building  of  the 
railroad,  and  a  stringency  of  money  was  com- 
plained of  throughout  the  entire  Northwest. 
The  Herald  informs  us  that  in  the  spring  of  1890 
the  deposits  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  North 
Yakima  touched  the  low-water  mark  of  about 
thirty  thousand  dollars.  By  May,  however,  they 
rose  to  an  aggregate  of  more  than  eighty  thou- 
sand, and  it  was  thought  that  with  the  harvesting 
of  bountiful  crops  in  the  fall  all  signs  of  depres- 
sion would  disappear.  They  did  disappear,  and 
there  was  no  permanent  financial  stringency  until 
the  total  eclipse  of  the  sun  of  general  prosperity 
in  1893. 


During  the  fall  of  1890  a  very  successful 
county  fair  was  held  at  North  Yakima  of  three 
days'  duration.  It  is  stated  that  the  display  of 
fruits  and  vegetables  was  excellent  and  that  sev- 
eral hundred  dollars  were  distributed  as  prizes 
among  the  exhibitors  of  stock,  garden  produce, 
dairy  products,  vegetables,  fruits,  cereals,  poultry, 
mechanical  devices,  fine  art  work,  fancy  work, 
etc.  The  executive  committee  in  charge  of  this 
fair  was  composed  of  Captain  J.  H.  Thomas, 
Edward  Whitson  and  Joseph  M.  Baxter. 

An  incident  growing  out  of  the  inception  and 
organization  of  the  Washington  state  govern- 
ment was  the  contest  among  several  different 
counties  of  the  state  over  the  agricultural  col- 
lege, each  county  contending  for  the  location  of 
the  institution  within  its  own  borders.  As  the 
college  had  an  endowment  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety  thousand  acres  of  land  and  an  annual 
appropriation  of  thirty  thousand  dollars  from  the 
general  government  in  addition  to  state  aid,  be- 
sides an  appropriation  by  the  preceding  session 
of  the  legislature  of  sixty  thousand  dollars  for 
building  purposes,  it  was  considered  a  valuable 
acquisition  and  well  worth  striving  for.  Of  course, 
Yakima  county  wished  it,  and  was  ready  to  offer 
any  reasonable  inducements  to  secure  it.  On 
petition  of  men  representing  more  than  half  the 
taxable  property  of  the  county,  the  commission- 
ers, in  special  session  assembled,  on  April  7, 
1891,  appropriated  fifteen  thousand  dollars  out  of 
the  general  fund  for  the  purpose  of  buying  a  site 
for  the  college  should  it  decide  to  come  to  North 
Yakima. 

Those  appointed  to  decide  upon  the  location 
of  the  coveted  institution  were  George  A.  Black, 
S.  B.  Conover  and  Andrew  H.  Smith.  About 
the  last  of  April  they  rendered  a  decision  in  favor 
of  Pullman,  Conover  and  Black  voting  for  that 
town,  while  Smith,  of  Tacoma,  cast  his  ballot  for 
North  Yakima.  It  was  thought  that  certain  citi- 
zens of  Pullman  used  improper  influences  to 
secure  the  college;  indeed,  some  of  them  inti- 
mated as  much  to  the  writer  a  few  years  ago. 
The  residents  of  North  Yakima  felt  certain  that 
the  Palouse  town  had  not  won  the  prize  fairly, 
also  that  there  were  irregularities  in  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  three  commissioners,  so  they  insti- 
tuted a  suit  to  test  the  validity  of  the  award. 
Messrs.  Crowley,  Sullivan  and  Snively  were 
retained  to  represent  North  Yakima  in  this  litiga- 
tion. 

The  case  was  tried  before  Hon.  Fremont 
Campbell,  judge  of  the  superior  court  of  Pierce 
county,  who  on  May  20th  granted  the  following 
temporary  restraining  order: 

In  the  Superior  Court  of  Pierce  County,  State  of  Wash- 
ington. 
W.  L.  Jones,  plaintiff,  versus  T.  M.  Reed,  auditor  of 
the  State  of  Washington ;  A.  A.  Lindsey,  treasurer  of  the 
State  of  Washington;  George  A.  Black,  S.  B.  Conover  and 
Andrew  H.  Smith,  claiming  to  be  commissioners,  and  S.  B. 
Conover,   J.    H.    Bellinger,    Eugene   Fellows,   Andrew  H. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


[85 


Smith  and  George  W.  Hoppe,  claiming  to  be  regents  of  the 
agricultural  college,  school  of  science  and  experimental 
station  of  the  State  of  Washington. 

In  this  case  a  temporary  restraining  order  is  granted  to 
restrain  the  defendant,  T.  M.  Reed,  auditor  of  the  State  of 
Washington,  from  issuing  any  order  or  warrant  upon  the 
treasurer  of  the  State  of  Washington,  for  any  money  upon 
the  order  of  George  A.  BUck,  S.  B.  Conover  and  Andrew 
H.  Smith,  claiming  to  be  commissioners  appointed  to  locate 
the  agricultural  college,  school  of  science  and  experimental 
station  of  the  State  of  Washington,  or  upon  any  order  or 
request  made  by  S.  B.  Conover,  Eugene  Fellows,  Andrew 
H.  Smith,  J.  H.  Bellinger  and  George  W.  Hoppe,  claiming 
to  be  regents  of  the  above  named  institution. 

And  the  defendant,  A.  A.  Lindsey,  treasurer  of  the 
State  of  Washington,  is  hereby  restrained  and  inhibited 
from  paying  any  money  upon  orders  drawn  by  said  per- 
sons claiming  to  be  commissioners,  or  said  persons  claim- 
ing to  be  regents  aforesaid.  And  the  said  S.  B.  Conover, 
George  A.  Black  and  Andrew  H.  Smith  are  restrained  from 
acting  in  any  manner  or  attempting  to  act  in  any  manner 
as  commissioners,  claiming  to  be  appointed  to  locate  an 
agricultural  college,  experimental  station  and  school  of 
science  of  the  State  of  Washington. 

And  the  said  S.  B.  Conover.  Eugene  Fellows,  J.  H. 
Bellinger,  Andrew  H.  Smith  and  George  W.  Hoppe,  claim- 
ing to  be  regents  of  the  agricultural  college,  experimental 
station  and  school  of  science  of  the  State  of  Washington, 
are  restrained  and  inhibited  from  doing  any  act  whatever 
of  any  kind  or  character  as  such  regents,  or  relating  to  the 
establishment,  organization  or  conducting  of  said  institu- 
tion, to  be  in  force  until  this  application  for  a  temporary 
injunction  asked  for  by  the  complainant  can  be  heard  and 
determined,  the  hearing  of  which  is  set  for  the  29th  of  May, 
A.  D.  iSgi,  at  ten  o'clock  a.  m. ,  before  Judge  Fremont 
Campbell  at  Tacoma,  Washington. 

The  plaintiff  to  give  an  undertaking,  with  sufficient 
surety,  with  approval  of  the  clerk  of  this  court,  for  the  sum 
of  one  thousand  ($1,000)  dollars. 

Dated  this  20th  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1801. 

Fremont  Campbell, 
Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Pierce  County. 
June  12th  Judge  Campbell  granted  a  perma- 
nent injunction  against  the  parties  named  in  the 
foregoing  order.  He  filed  a  lengthy  opinion  hold- 
ing that  the  agricultural  college  commissioners 
were  never  legally  appointed,  hence  their  pro- 
ceedings were  illegal  and  void,  and  any  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  board  of  regents  to  appropri- 
ate the  money  of  the  state  for  the  erection  of 
buildings  at  Pullman,  being  based  on  the  illegal 
and  void  acts  of  the  commission,  would  therefore 
be  illegal  and  a  court  of  equity  would  have  the 
power  to  restrain  them  from  appropriating  or 
paying  out  the  money  of  the  state  in  the  carrying 
out  of  an  illegal  and  unlawful  purpose. 

The  case  was  of  course  appealed  to  the  supreme 
court.  It  came  on  for  hearing  October  23d  and 
was  argued  by  Attorney-General  Jones  and  Judge 
Turner  for  appellants,  and  D.  J.  Crowley  and 
H.  J.  Snively  for  respondents.  The  chief  ques- 
tions at  issue  were:  (1)  Was  the  act  of  the  com- 
missioners in  locating  the  college  the  act  of  an 
authorized  body?  (2)  Can  a  taxpayer  institute  a 
suit  to  restrain  the  illegal  disbursement  of  public 
money?  (3)  Does  the  allegation  of  the  complaint 
stating  that  Acting  Governor  Laughtpn  and  Com- 
missioners Black  and  Conover  entered  into  a  cor- 
rupt conspiracy  to  fraudulently  locate  the  college 
at  Pullman,  the  fact  of  locating  being  admitted, 


constitute  a  cause  for  canceling  the  findings  of 
the  commission?  In  due  time  the  supreme  court 
handed  down  a  decision  adverse  to  those  at  whose 
instance  the  restraining  order  was  granted,  and 
reversing  the  findings  of  Judge  Campbell.  Thus, 
Yakima  county  was  defeated  in  the  contest  it 
waged  with  so  much  vigor  and  the  erection  of 
college  buildings  at  Pullman  was  allowed  to  pro- 
ceed. 

It  would  appear  from  the  local  press  that  the 
summer  of  1891  was  an  unusually  rainy  season. 
We  are  informed  that  on  May  26th  there  was  a 
cloudburst  on  the  divide  between  the  Moxee  and 
the  Konnewock,  breaking  the  Konnewock  ditch 
in  several  places,  flooding  a  number  of  fields  and 
threatening  to  carry  away  travelers,  but  doing  no 
serious  damage.  Nealy  a  month  later  the  Her- 
ald states  that  the  rain  of  June  22d  "from  Union 
Gap  bridge  down  was  the  hardest  of  the  season, 
and  above  the  place  of  M.  B.  Curtis  and  as  far  as 
the  timber  land  of  Peter  Gervais  it  was  a  genuine 
waterspout.  The  road  was  gullied  out  in  places, 
while  tons  of  rock  were  piled  up  in  others.  The 
Konnewock  ditch  was  broken  in  several  places, 
and  great  quantities  of  mud  and  rock  washed  into 
the  channel.  At  one  place  the  ditch  was  com- 
pletely filled  up.  A  severe  hailstorm  accompa- 
nied the  rain,  and  at  one  place  there  must  have 
been  a  wagon  load  of  hail  stones  washed  into  a 
heap  in  a  canyon.  The  berries  have  been  badly 
injured  by  the  continued  rain,  and  corn  is  also 
damaged." 

Yet  it  is  safe  to  assert  that  1891  was  neverthe- 
less a  prosperous  year  in  the  county.  Stockmen 
were  jubilant  over  excellent  range  and  high 
prices,  and  that  other  producers  were  reaping 
abundant  harvests  is  apparent  from  the  ship- 
ments at  North  Yakima,  one  of  the  nine  shipping 
points  of  the  county,  which  shipments  according 
to  the  statement  of  Agent  Humphrey  were  as  fol- 
lows: Hops,  45  cars,  containing  2,746  bales; 
mineral  water,  245  packages,  weighing  39,200 
pounds;  hay,  155  cars,  weighing  3, 100  tons;  sheep, 
86  cars,  containing  16, 779  head;  hogs,  4  cars,  con- 
taining 191  head;  cattle,  128  cars,  containing 
2,816  head:  horses,  12  cars,  containing  26S  head; 
hides,  934  packages,  weighing  52,000  pounds; 
eggs>  80  packages,  weighing  4,000  pounds; 
onions,  2  cars,  containing  475  sacks,  weighing 
42,750  pounds;  vegetables,  4  cars,  weighing  96,000 
pounds;  fruit,  6,615  packages,  weighing  190.300 
pounds;  flour,  99  cars,  weighing  1,911,850  pounds; 
wool,  82  packages,  weighing  27,000  pounds;  pota- 
toes, 92  cars,  weighing  1,822,200  pounds;  melons, 
59  cars,  weighing  1,416,000  pounds:  estimated 
total  value,  $291,500. 

•  With  the  opening  of  the  year  1892  came  re- 
newed activity  in  the  great  work  of  redeeming 
the  soil  by  irrigation.  In  January,  arrangements 
were  made'  for  the  construction  of  a  canal  from 
Horn  Rapids  of  the  Yakima  river  to  the  Colum- 
bia.      The  ditch  was  to  extend  along  the  south 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


side  of  the  Yakima,  but  it  was  also  proposed  to 
redeem  several  thousand  acres  on  the  north  side, 
conveying  the  water  across  the  river  by  means  of 
conduits.  This  work  was  undertaken  by  a  cor- 
poration known  as  the  Yakima  Irrigation  and 
Improvement  Company.  Their  operations  made 
things  lively  in  the  vicinity  of  Kennewick 
throughout  the  whole  of  1892  and  a  portion  of 
the  succeeding  year.  The  ditch  they  constructed 
was,  however,  inadequate,  but  it  has  been 
recently  enlarged  and  improved  until  it  is  now 
claimed  to  be  the  finest  canal  of  its  kind  in  the 
state. 

The  Cowiche  and  Wide  Hollow  irrigation  dis- 
trict, on  January  9,  1892,  held  an  election  at 
which  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  fifty-two  to  fifteen 
the  proposition  to  bond  the  district  for  a  half  mil- 
lion dollars  for  the  construction  of  an  irrigating 
canal.  The  plan  was  to  take  water  out  of  the 
Tietan  river  by  a  canal  ten  and  a  half  miles  long 
and  to  distribute  the  same  by  three  laterals,  one 
to  cover  the  Naches  and  Cowiche  ridge,  one  the 
Cowiche  valley  and  one  to  skirt  the  foothills.  It 
was  proposed  to  irrigate  in  all  about  forty-six 
thousand  acres. 

The  interest  of  the  people  in  irrigation  was 
manifested  March  26th  on  the  occasion  of  the 
completion  of  the  first  twenty-five-mile  section  of 
the  Northern  Pacific,  Yakima  and  Kittitas  Irriga- 
tion Company's  canal.  "The  announcement  of 
the  date  of  the  ceremonies,"  says  the  Herald, 
"was  very  brief,  but  sufficient  to  attract  a  large 
throng  of  people,  who,  early  in  the  morning, 
could  be  seen  wending  their  way  down  the  river 
road  by  every  means  of  conveyance  that  could 
possibly  be  secured.  Paul  Schultze,  president  of 
the  company,  arrived  in  his  special  car  on  the 
eight  o'clock  train  from  Tacoma,  accompanied  by 
a  number  of  distinguished  guests,  including 
T.  B.  Wallace,  president  of  the  Fidelity  bank; 
Theodore  Hosmer,  president  of  the  Tacoma  Light 
and  Water  Company;  George  Brown,  of  the 
Tacoma  Lumber  Company;  I.  W.  Anderson, 
president  of  the  Tacoma  Land  Company;  Presi- 
dent Strong,  of  the  Eastman  Kodak  Company, 
and  Architect  Pickles,  who  were  desirous  of  wit- 
nessing the  ceremonies  and  inspecting  the  great 
work,  which  is  but  the  beginning  of  the  most 
important  system  of  irrigation  canals  in  America. 
The  intake  of  the  canal,  where  the  dams  and 
head-gates  are  located,  is  seven  miles  from  North 
Yakima  and  within  sight  of  the  Two  Buttes,  the 
historic  Indian  battle-ground.  There  a  platform 
had  been  built,  and  at  ten  o'clock  Hon.  R.  K. 
Nichols,  as  master  of  ceremonies,  called  the 
assembled  people  to  order.  *  *  *  Hon.  Ed- 
ward Whitson,  Hon.  J.  B.  Reavis,  Hon.  Gardner 
C.  Hubbard  (of  Washington,  D.  C.)  and  Paul 
Schultze  made  speeches  appropriate  to  the  occa- 
sion. Miss  Dora"  Allen  broke  a  bottle  of  cham- 
pagne over  the  head-gates  as  the  waters  swirled 
into   the  new  canal  and  the  band  played  lively 


airs."  The  whole  country  celebrated,  and  the 
Herald  considered  the  occasion  sufficiently  im- 
portant to  call  for  an  illustrated  special  edition. 

An  event  of  the  year  1892,  which  evinces  the 
faith  of  the  leading  citizens  in  the  present  pros- 
perity and  future  prospects  of  their  county,  was 
the  incorporation  on  April  19th  of  the  Yakima, 
Natcheez  and  Eastern  Railway  Company.  Its 
capitalization  was  five  hundred  thousand  dollars, 
divided  into  five  thousand  shares,  and  the  objects 
it  purposed  to  accomplish  were  to  construct, 
maintain  and  operate  a  system  of  railways,  tele- 
graph and  telephone  lines  upon  the  following 
routes:  A  line  commencing  at  North  Yakima 
and  running  through  the  Moxee  valley  and  the 
Moxee  pass  to  a  point  on  the  Columbia  river  at 
or  near  Priest  rapids;  a  line  commencing  at  North 
Yakima  and  running  thence  up  the  Naches  river 
to  the  mouth  of  Bumping  river,  thence  to  Bump- 
ing lake,  thence  to  certain  coal  fields  at  or  near 
Fish  lake,  known  as  the  Yakima  coal  fields;  a 
line  commencing  at  North  Yakima  and  running 
in  a  general  southeasterly  direction  into  and 
through  that  portion  of  Yakima  county  known  as 
the  Konnewock  valley  and  Sunnyside;  a  line 
commencing  at  North  Yakima  and  running  by 
the  most  convenient  route  up  the  Ahtanum  valley 
to  the  Yakima  mineral  springs,  and  thence  up 
the  north  fork  of  the  Ahtanum  for  a  distance  of 
twenty  miles;  a  line  commencing  at  North  Yaki- 
ma and  running  in  a  southerly  direction  to  Satus 
creek,  and  thence  by  the  most  practicable  route 
through  Satus  canyon  to  Goldendale ;  all  the  roads 
to  be  narrow  gauge. 

The  company,  of  which  George  Donald  was 
president  and  Edward  Whitson  vice-president, 
asked  a  bonus  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars 
and  the  various  rights  of  way.  This  the  people 
of  North  Yakima  and  the  county  were  willing  to 
furnish,  but  the  hard  times  came  on  before  all 
preliminary  arrangements  could  be  made  and  the 
enterprise  was  of  necessity  abandoned. 

A  single  other  event  of  the  very  busy  and 
prosperous  year  1892  can  receive  notice  in  this 
review.  On  the  morning  of  March  2d  an  earth- 
quake shock  was  experienced  from  Santa  Ana, 
California,  to  North  Yakima.  The  disturbances 
were  felt  by  numerous  persons  in  different  parts 
of  this  county,  but  no  damage  resulted.  At  Fort 
Simcoe  the  peculiar  rockings  of  the  earth  were 
somewhat  more  violent  than  elsewhere  in  central 
Washington,  the  shocks  numbering  three,  as  they 
did  also  in  Portland  and  The  Dalles.  Charles 
Lombard,  clerk  at  the  Yakima  agency,  stated 
that  a  very  light  shock  was  felt  there  at  2:45 
a.  m.  and  two  heavy  ones  at  3  and  3:20  respect- 
ively. "The  latter,"  said  he,  "frightened  the 
inhabitants,  made  the  houses  rock  and  shook 
down  a  portion  of  the  plastering  in  the  new 
boarding-house.  It  also  wrenched  the  office  suffi- 
ciently to  tear  away  the  light  wire  fencing 
attached  to  the  front.      Mrs.  George  L.  Mattoon 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


187 


was  frightened  into  sickness  and  has  not  yet  been 
able  to  recover  from  the  dizziness  with  which  she 
was  attacked." 

An  important  point  was  scored  for  Yakima 
county  in  the  state  legislature  during  the  earliest 
months  of  the  year  1893.  Representative  Webb, 
of  King  county,  introduced  a  bill  for  the  organ- 
ization of  a  state  agricultural  fair  for  the  advance- 
ment of  agriculture,  stock  raising,  horticulture, 
mining,  mechanical  and  industrial  pursuits,  etc. 
The  bill  also  provided  that  exhibitions  should  be 
given  at  or  near  North  Yakima,  beginning  the 
last  Monday  in  September  each  year  and  contin- 
uing five  days.  It  authorized  the  seven  com- 
missioners, to  whom  its  management  was  to  be 
entrusted,  to  purchase  not  less  than  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  as  near  North  Yakima  as  possible, 
for  state  fair  buildings  and  grounds,  appropriat- 
ing forty  thousand  dollars  to  be  expended  in  1893 
and  ten  thousand  dollars  in  1894.  The  bill, 
amended  to  provide  that  Yakima  county  should 
donate  the  groundsto  the  state,  also  amended  to  re- 
duce greatly  the  appropriation,  was  passed  earlyin 
March.  In  November  the  county  deeded  the  state 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  near  North  Yak- 
ima, and  the  work  of  clearing  off  the  sage  brush 
and  preparing  it  for  occupancy  began  at  once. 
Buildings  were  erected  during  the  ensuing  sum- 
mer, and  the  next  fall  the  first  fair  was  held. 

It  may  be  asserted  without  fear  of  doing  vio- 
lence to  truth  that  the  impetus  given  Yakima 
county  by  the  developments  of  the  preceding  two 
or  three  years  rendered  it  in  large  measure  im- 
mune to  the  deadly  blight  of  financial  stress 
which  had  attacked  the  rest  of  the  country,  at 
least  for  a  considerable  time.  In  its  issue  of  June 
29th,  the  Herald,  commenting  on  the  fact  that 
the  first  half  of  a  very  unprofitable  year  had 
passed,  says:  "This  community  has  probably 
suffered  less  from  the  general  business  stagnation 
than  any  other  on  the  coast,  and  with  the  vast 
amount  of  money  which  will  soon  be  available  for 
the  prosecution  of  work  on  our  irrigation  systems, 
and  the  flattering  outlook  for  the  crops,  Yakima 
may  confidently  hope  for  prosperity  and  plenty 
this  fall.  The  population  of  this  county  has 
increased  over  fifty  per  cent,  in  the  last  eighteen 
months;  county  warrants  are  being  discounted 
again,  to  be  sure,  but  this  is  not  due  to  any 
depreciation  in  their  value;  rather  to  the  fact 
that  the  banks  are  not  buying  securities,  as  they 
realize  that  it  will  require  a  vast  amount  of  money 
to  pick  and  prepare  the  hops  for  market  and  to 
harvest  the  other  crops." 

The  same  paper  also  tells  us  that  Selah  val- 
ley, where  a  year  previous  there  was  scarcely  any- 
thing but  sage  brush,  had  witnessed  a  remarkable 
settlement  during  the  twelvemonth;  over  thirty- 
six  thousand  fruit  trees  had  been  set  out,  and  the 
country  was  green  with  grain,  alfalfa,  hops  ar.d 
trees;  also  that  the  whole  country  was  rapidly 
settling  and  developing. 


When  hop-picking  commenced,  however,  the 
results  of  the  depression  were  made  apparent  in 
the  army  of  tramps  and  vagabonds  which  entered 
the  country  and  persuaded  charitably  disposed 
persons  to  supply  them  food  until  they  could 
obtain  employment,  then  began  rioting  and  inter- 
fering with  those  who  were  more  industrious 
than  they.  Their  hostilities  were  directed  more 
particularly  against  the  Chinamen,  who  in  several 
instances  were  driven  from  their  work.  In  some 
cases  also  the  employers  of  the  Chinamen  were 
threatened  and  their  property  made  the  object  of 
outrageous  vandalism.  Some  of  the  vagabonds 
attempted  to  turn  a  dishonest  penny  by  selling 
liquor  to  the  hundreds  of  Indian  hop  pickers  con- 
gregated on  Sundays  in  North  Yakima,  but 
Deputy  United  States  Marshal  Frank  Maguire 
and  his  assistants  were  too  vigilant.  Twenty- 
two  of  the  would-be  law-breakers  were  arrested 
and  twelve  of  them  sent  to  Walla  Walla  for  trial. 
Even  this  did  not  break  up  the  nefarious  traffic, 
and  later  in  the  fall  the  people  became  so  incensed 
that  some  of  them  talked  of  organizing  a  popular 
tribunal  to  deal  with  the  offending  "bootleggers." 
It  was  said  that  from  Yakima  City  to  Zillah  the 
brush  and  foothills  were  full  of  the  dastardly 
law-breakers  and  their  degraded  and  debauched 
patrons;  also  that  the  latter  were  becoming  a 
menace  to  travelers  and  an  annoyance  to  all 
lovers  of  peace  and  order.  The  United  States 
officials  were  active  and  efficient.  As  a  result  of 
their  labors,  a  novel  procession  filed  down  to  the 
depot  on  December  4th.  It  consisted  of  forty- 
four  men  accused  of  selling  liquor  to  Indians, 
about  sixty  witnesses  and  fourteen  United  States 
marshals  and  deputies,  all  bound  for  Walla  Walla, 
where  the  trials  were  to  be  had.  The  departure 
of  the  forty-four  supposed  offenders  was  hailed 
with  delight  by  long-suffering  citizens. 

Of  a  much  more  serious  nature  was  the  trouble 
of  May,  1894,  when  the  peaceful  Yakima  valley 
was  made  the  scene  of  turmoil  and  violence,  and 
even  bloodshed.  It  will  be  remembered  that  in 
those  troublesome  times  a  considerable  army  of 
the  unemployed  were  induced,  by  the  preaching 
of  a  demagogue  named  Coxey,  to  think  that  they 
could  in  some  way  better  their  condition  by 
migrating  to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  appearing 
in  person  before  the  president  and  members  of 
congress.  Being  without  means  to  procure  trans- 
portation on  the  railroads  or  to  subsist  themselves 
while  en  route,  they  had  no  other  alternative 
than  to  beat  their  way  after  the  fashion  of  the 
tramp  and  to  eat  the  bread  of  charity,  or  the 
booty  of  pillaging  forays.  About  the  first  follow- 
ers of  Coxey  to  arrive  in  North  Yakima  came  on 
May  3d,  but  they  did  not  come  in  considerable 
numbers  until  the  night  of  the  8th,  when  a  large 
delegation  entered  the  town  and  encamped  by  the 
city  pound.  Next  morning  the  freight  from  the 
west  brought  in  another  delegation,  and  still 
others  came  afoot,  on  a  hand  car,  and   by   a  raft 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


of  ties  wherewith  they  managed  to  descend  the 
Yakima  river.  They  said  their  intention  was  to 
take  the  eleven  o'clock  freight  for  Spokane, 
whither  their  brilliant  soi  disant  "general"  had 
gone  before  them  in  a  Pullman  car.  There  were 
also  a  dozen  United  States  deputy  marshals  in 
North  Yakima  that  morning,  they  having  been 
sent  to  town  in  response  to  a  requisition  by  the 
mayor. 

The  eleven  o'clock  freight  was  very  reluctant 
to  furnish  free  transportation  to  the  regiment  of 
vagabonds.  It  made  one  or  two  feints,  but  after 
running  a  couple  of  miles  or  so  with  the  tops  of 
the  cars  covered  by  self-styled  industrials,  it 
steamed  back  to  the  yards.  The  deputies  and 
Sheriff  Simmons  urged  the  men  to  get  off,  show- 
ing them  dispatches  from  headquarters  directing 
that  the  train  should  be  side-tracked  unless  they 
should  do  so,  but  they  refused. 

During  the  afternoon  it  became  evident  that 
serious  trouble  was  to  be  anticipated.  The  Cox- 
eyites,  angered  on  account  of  an  encounter 
between  a  marshal  and  one  of  their  number, 
began  arming  themselves  with  clubs.  More 
deputies  were  sent  for,  and  about  five  o'clock 
eleven  arrived  from  the  east.  Two  hours  later 
more  marshals  were  brought  from  Ellensburg  and 
put  off  at  the  mill,  the  freight  on  which  they 
arrived  passing  through  the  city  at  full  speed. 
Then  the  train  on  which  the  Coxeyites  were 
backed  to  the  place  where  the  deputy  marshals 
had  alighted  and  the  latter  climbed  aboard. 
Again  the  train  backed.  It  is  said  that  the  real 
reason  for  this  movement  was  to  get  the  indus- 
trials away  from  the  influence  of  their  local  sym- 
pathizers, but  the  vagabonds  on  the  car  tops 
thought  they  were  to  be  taken  back  to  Tacoma, 
and,  being  determined  not  to  go  westward,  they 
rushed  to  the  brakes.  Then  the  fight  commenced. 
It  were  vain  to  attempt  detailed  narration  of  what 
happened  during  the  next  few  minutes  or  to  try 
to  fix  responsibility  for  the  tragedy  that  followed. 
The  stories  of  spectators  could  not  be  harmo- 
nized, but  it  appears  that  a  marshal  on  one  of  the 
cars  attempted  to  force  a  Coxeyite  away  from 
the  brake;  that  the  other  Coxeyites  rushed  to  his 
assistance  with  clubs;  that  a  marshal  who  was 
being  overcome  fired  his  revolver,  and  that  sev- 
eral shots  followed.  Thereupon  the  train  backed 
again  and  the  Coxeyites  jumped  off  or  were 
clubbed  off,  leaving  the  train  in  possession  of  the 
marshals. 

When  the  train  was  gone  and  the  exctement 
had  cooled,  it  was  found  that  three  "industrials" 
had  received  slight  flesh  wounds  and  that  one 
other  had  broken  an  arm  in  his  leap  from  the  car, 
and  still  another  an  ankle;  also  that  quite  a  num- 
ber were  battered  up  with  clubs.  The  casualties 
suffered  by  the  marshals  were  a  flesh  wound  in 
Chidester's  leg  and  a  severe  wound  in  the  person 
of  Jolly,  the  bullet  in  the  case  of  the  latter  enter- 
ing at  the  back  and  lodging  among  the  intestines. 


Deputy  Marshal  W.  C.  Chidester  has  left  on 
record  an  account  of  the  unfortunate  affair  in- 
dited as  follows: 

On  the  arrival  of  Mr.  Minsch  I  explained  matters  to 
him,  telling  him  the  first  thing  we  should  do  was  to  loosen 
the  brakes  which  the  'wealers  had  set  up  in  order  to  carry 
out  our  original  intentions,  namely,  to  back  up  ihe  train  to 
the  bridge  and  theie  clear  it.  He  instructed  all  the  depu- 
ties to  mount  the  cars  and  to  see  that  the  brakes  were  all 
cleared.  In  the  meantime  the  citizens  had  congregated 
and  were  urging  the  men  to  resist  the  deputies  in  loosening 
the  brakes.  Deputy  Palmer,  of  South  Prairie,  assisted  by 
several  other  deputies,  freed  three  brakes,  when  one  was 
recaptured  and  was  again  set  by  the  'wealers.  About  this 
time  fifteen  of  the  deputies  were  in  the  midst  of  the  'weal- 
ers, and  on  releasing  the  fourth  brake  they  attacked  Mr. 
Palmer  and  knocked  him  down.  At  the  same  time  they 
attacked  Mr.  Jolly  by  striking  him  a  vicious  blow  on  the 
shoulders.  I  then  jumped  over  on  the  car  and  tried  to  free 
Mr'.  Palmer  by  pulling  the  men  off.  I  finally  succeeded  in 
doing  so  by  striking  one  or  two  of  them  with  a  cane.  1 
was  then  set  upon  by  three  of  them,  was  thrown  down  and 
struck  twice  on  the  head  while  they  endeavored  to  choke 
me.  Mr.  Palmer  in  the  meantime  had  gone  forward  to  the 
next  car.  At  this  time  I  saw  several  hand-to-hand  fights 
with  'wealers  who  were  using  their  clubs  and  slung-shots. 
Some  of  the  citizens  were  stoning  the  deputies  on  the 
lower  end  of  the  train.  In  falling  I  caught  one  of  my 
antagonists  under  me.  He  was  a  big  Swede.  The  man  on 
top  of  me  caught  my  cane,  at  the  same  time  secured  my 
left  hand,  which  enabled  the  man  under  me  to  work  loose. 
As  he  arose  to  his  knees,  he  dropped  his  club  and  pulled 
his  pistol,  seeing  which  I  succeeded  in  raising  upon  my 
right  knee  with  these  men  still  on  me.  I  then  drew  my 
pistol  with  my  left  hand,  knocked  up  my  opponent's  gun, 
but  before  I  could  recover  myself  he  had"  fired.  The  ball 
passed  to  my  left  and  struck  Jolly  who  was  behind  me.  1 
then  tried  to  shoot  the  Swede,  but  as  I  pulled  the  trigger 
the  men  who  were  still  on  top  of  me  pulled  my  arm,  knock- 
ing my  hand  down,  sending  the  bullet  through  my  left 
thigh.  The  Swede  then  jumped  off  the  top  of  the  car  and 
the  two  men  who  had  me  down  jumped  off  on  the  other 
side.  The  Swede's  shot  was  not  the  first  fired.  He  was 
between  me  and  the  citizens  who  were  on  the  ground,  and 
before  he  fired  I  saw  the  flash  of  a  gun  from  a  party  either 
in  a  buggy  or  standing  very  close  to  it.  There  were  in  the 
neighborhood  of  fifteen  shots  fired,  and  upon  investigation 
afterward  it  was  found  that  not  more  than  five  shots  were 
fired  by  the  marshals,  and  I  have  reason  to  believe  that 
they  followed  instructions  given  them  before  the  engage- 
ment, which  were  that  "no  marshal  was  to  use  his  pistol 
under  any  circumstances  except  when  attacked,  and  then 
only  when  he  saw  his  life  was  in  danger."  The  whole 
affair  did  not  last  more  than  five  minutes.  Immediately  on 
the  firing  of  the  first  gun  the  commonwealers  commenced 
dropping  off  the  train  in  a  haphazard  manner.  At  this 
juncture  the  train  began  backing  up.  followed  by  the  citi- 
zens and  'wealers,  who  were  stoning  the  train  and  firing  an 
occasional  shot.  But  no  shots  were  fired  by  the  marshals 
from  this  time  on.  Mr.  Jolly  then  exclaimed  :  "I'm  shot," 
and  I  felt  for  the  first  time  the  blood  trickling  down  my 
own  leg. 

On  the  night  of  May  ioth  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  "industrials"  took  possession  of 
two  freight  cars  at  Ellensburg  and  started  down 
the  railway  toward  North  Yakima.  They  were 
met  by  a  large  force  of  armed  deputies,  who 
brought  them  to  a  halt  by  placing  a  rail  across 
the  track.  The  "industrials"  started  to  run. 
They  were  fired  upon  by  the  marshals  (who  in 
doing  so  disobeyed  orders),  and  were  soon  brought 
to  a  stand.     The  marshals  claimed  that  the  Cox- 


YAKIMA     COUNTY. 


eyites  also  fired,  a  contention  which  was  substan- 
tiated by  the  finding  of  two  revolvers  on  the 
arrested  men,  one  of  which  had  evidently  been 
used  recently.  Two  of  the  men  on  the  cars  were 
wounded  and  had  to  be  taken  to  the  hospital, 
while  the  remainder,  one  hundred  and  twenty  in 
number,  were  locked  in  the  county  jail. 

These  very  regrettable  encounters  between 
the  marshals  and  the  misguided  unfortunates  and 
vagabonds  who  were  following  Coxey  on  his 
meaningless  crusade  caused  great  excitement  and 
some  bitterness  of  feeling  in  Yakima  county.  As 
a  result  of  the  first  conflict  forty-nine  of  the  com- 
monwealers  were  arrested  and  locked  in  the  city 
jail,  and  warrants  were  issued  for  a  large  num- 
ber of  citizens  who  were  charged  with  inciting 
the  men  to  resist  the  law  officers.  All  the 
accused  were  taken  to  Seattle  for  trial.  After  a 
tedious  delay  they  were  at  length  given  a  hear- 
ing, as  a  result  of  which  the  citizens,  except  two, 
were  discharged.  Twenty-nine  of  the  Coxeyites 
were  sentenced  to  serve  sixty  days  each  on  the 
island. 

The  immediate  effects  of  this  trouble  had  only 
begun  to  wear  off  when  misfortune  of  a  radically 
different  nature  came  to  the  people  of  the  county. 
During  the  latter  days  of  May  the  waters  in  the 
channels  of  river  and  stream  rose  to  an  unwonted 
height,  causing  much  apprehension  of  impending 
damage  on  the  part  of  everybody  and  occasioning 
considerable  loss  to  those  on  the  lowlands.  Old 
settlers,  and  even  the  oldest  Indians,  claimed  that 
the  water  had  never  been  so  high  within  the 
memory  of  living  men.  About  fifty  feet  of  piling 
at  the  north  end  of  the  Union  Gap  bridge  was 
swept  away;  the  Nelson  bridge  was  damaged,  and 
some  smaller  bridges  and  culverts  were  carried 
away. 

"In  the  Selah  valley  and  farther  north,"  says 
the  Herald,  "there  was  much  land  submerged, 
and  those  living  on  the  lowlands  along  the  Yaki- 
ma were  forced  to  abandon  their  homes.  Along 
the  Naches  the  damage  to  farms  and  gardens 
was  severe,  although  the  extent  cannot  now  be 
told.  William  Lee,  Jr.,  with  one  of  the  prettiest 
market  gardens  in  Yakima,  had  his  hopes  for  the 
season  blotted  out.  Some  fifteen  or  eighteen 
acres  of  garden  at  Fruitvale  are  under  water,  and 
there  is  no  telling  what  damage  was  done  to  the 
young  orchard  until  the  waters  recede.  This  is 
the  same  story  that  can  be  told  of  all  the  gardens 
from  the  county  bridge  for  some  miles  up  the 
Naches.  It  was  a  hard  blow  to  a  number  who 
have  been  struggling  to  keep  their  heads  above 
water,  and  now  to  have  them  ruthlessly  pulled 
under  again  calls  forth  the  sympathy  of  the  com- 
munity. 

"Freight  train  No.  54,  which  passed  this  point 
at  six  o'clock  Sunday  morning,  May  27th,  going 
east,  met  with  an  accident  near  Toppenish  station 
which  resulted  in  the  death  of  Fireman  Edward 
Morrell  and  injury  to  Engineer  Charles  Wirth. 


About  three  miles  west  of  Toppenish  is  a  trestle 
crossing  a  slough,  and  while  it  appeared  perfectly 
safe  to  the  eye,  the  piling,  which  had  been 
undermined  by  the  backwater  from  the  Yakima 
river,  gave  way  as  soon  as  it  felt  the  weight  of  the 
train.  Engineer  Wirth  was  standing  at  the  door 
of  the  cab,  and  when  he  realized  that  the  struc- 
ture was  giving  way,  he  shouted  to  the  fireman 
and  jumped  into  the  slough.  How  Wirth 
escaped  is  a  mystery,  as  he  must  have  struck  one 
of  the  timbers,  his  back  being  seriously  injured, 
and  after  the  first  excitement  he  could  not  move 
without  great  pain.  The  engine  and  a  couple  of 
cars  dropped  a  distance  of  fifteen  feet,  pinning 
poor  Morrell  against  the  boiler  head.  His  death 
must  have  been  almost  instantaneous,  but  it  was 
several  hours  before  the  body  was  recovered.  A 
wrecking  train  was  brought  down  from  Ellens- 
burg  and  is  now  engaged  in  clearing  the  wreck. 
Wirth  is  recovering." 

During  the  early  hours  of  the  31st  of  May  it 
seemed  that  the  worst  from  the  freshets  was  over, 
but  before  night  word  reached  North  Yakima 
that  the  Moxee  bridge  was  in  danger.  Men  and 
teams  were  hastily  gathered  and  put  to  work  to 
save  the  structure  if  possible.  Night  and  day 
they  toiled  until  June  5th,  seemingly  fighting  a 
losing  battle,  but  at  last  the  river  gave  up  the 
struggle  and  the  bridge  was  safe. 

A  memorable  incident  of  this  troublous  time 
was  the  terrible  storm  of  June  2d.  It  was  con- 
temporaneous with  an  exceedingly  destructive 
cyclone,  which  swept  over  several  counties  of 
eastern  Oregon,  causing  the  loss  of  a  number  of 
lives.  Upon  the  storm  in  Yakima  county,  the 
Herald  commented  as  follows: 

Yakima  doesn't  mind  a  little  wind ;  she  isn't  averse  to 
an  occasional  shower,  and  thunder  and  lightning  are  nov- 
elties which  are  so  rarely  experienced  as  to  have  an  attrac- 
tion; but  the  good  Lord  "deliver  us  from  the  combination  of 
them  all  that  swept  down  on  us  Saturday  evening  last, 
June  2d.  No  great  amount  of  damage  was  done,  but  how 
we  escaped  so  luckily  is  somewhat  puzzling.  The  day  had 
been  warm  and  pleasant,  and  the  first  intimation  of  the 
coming  storm  was'  an  immense  whirlwind  at  the  lower  end 
of  the  Moxee.  It  gathered  up  leaves,  paper  and  weeds  in 
its  capacious  maw.  Next  a  big,  black  cloud  seemed  to 
force  itself  through  Union  Gap,  and  before  we  were  well 
aware  what  was  coming,  it  broke  upon  us  in  all  its  virulent 
fury.  It  didn't  come,  as  is  usual  with  such  storms,  in  little 
cupfuls  and  puffs  of  wind,  but  it  shot  out  with  a  broadside 
that  s waved  and  strained  everything  that  offered  an  impedi- 
ment to  its  freedom  of  course.  Great  brick  buildings  stag- 
gered and  shook,  while  some  of  the  wooden  houses  took  on 
a  swaying  motion  and  groaned  as  if  in  physical  pain, 
Many  of  the  balm  trees,  weakened  by  the  boring  of  grubs, 
snapped  in  two  like  seasoned  oat  straws,  while  giant  pop- 
lars of  sturdy  trunk  were  torn  up  by  their  roots  and  hurled 
across  the  streets.  A  couple  of  barns  of  indifferent  con- 
struction were  flattened  to  the  ground,  and  two  or  three 
hop  houses  were  moved  from  their  foundations.  Other 
damages  were  of  a  minor  nature,  and,  best  of  all,  no  one 
was  hurt.  A  little  girl  was  blown  head  foremost  into  an 
irrigation  ditch,  but  was  pulled  out  by  the  feet. 

After  the  first  fury  had  been  spent,  the  rain  descended 
in  sheets,  the  thunder  sounded  like  heavy  cannonading, 
and  the  lightning  played  all  sorts  of  devilish  pranks,  mak- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ing  an  electrical  display  as  fascinating  as  it  was  fearful. 
Along  the  Northern  Pacific  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Cascade 
tunnel  the  engineers  were  blinded  by  the  almost  continu- 
ous flash  of  empyrean  flame,  and  every  train  was  stopped 
for  half  an  hour,  not  an  engineer  daring  to  move  his  engine, 
being  unable  to  see  and  fearing  to  go  sightlessly  ahead. 
It  was  a  grand  and  awful  storm,  but  enough  is  as  satisfying 
as  a  feast. 

Any  damage  sustained  by  the  crops  was  more  than  off- 
set by  the  benefits  of  the  soaking  rain.  Some  of  the  fruit, 
mostly  that  which  was  blighted,  was  blown  down,  but  the 
thinning  process  was  a  good  thing,  as  there  is  all  the  fruit 
left  that  the  trees  can  well  bear  up  under,  and  the  quality 
will  be  better  in  consequence.  In  the  hop  yards  the  damage 
was  slight.  Several  barns  in  the  country  were  blown 
down  and  the  dwelling  of  Ross  Mars,  in  Selah  valley,  was 
shifted  from  its  foundation  a  few  feet. 

The  storm  Saturday  was  followed  by  one  Sunday  even- 
ing which,  if  not  so  severe  or  of  so  long  duration,  was  cer- 
tainly a  hummer  for  a  time,  and  it  is  reported  to  have  done 
some  damage  in  the  orchards  along  the  Naches.  Its  most 
disagreeable  feature  was  the  accompanying  hail  which 
pelted  down  in  a  lively  manner,  cutting  the  hop  leaves  and 
knocking  off  the  fruit.  Again,  the  scare  was  greater  than 
the  harm  done.     Moxee  valley  suffered  some. 

In  Yakima  considerable  work  will  be  required  to  put 
the  bridges  in  condition  for  use.  The  one  across  the  Naches 
is  the  only  one  that  will  need  extensive  repairs,  and  its  safe- 
tyw  as  due  to  the  splendid  cribbing  work  performed  by  the 
railroad  company.  The  smaller  bridges  will  generally  re- 
quire new  approaches.  Under  the  farther  span  of  the 
Union  Gap  bridge  but  two  piles  remain.  The  Moxee 
bridge  is  practically  out  of  danger,  but  it  vibrates  length- 
wise very  perceptibly.  The  channel  of  the  river  has 
changed  materially,  and  at  the  bridge  it  has  shifted  about 
two  hundred  feet  to  the  east.  The  river  is  now  falling 
rapidly.  The  storm  was  general  throughout  the  Northwest, 
and  millions  of  dollars'  worth  of  damage  has  been  done 
along  the  Columbia  river. 

One  other  unfortunate  occurrence  of  the  year 
1894  must  be  chronicled  in  these  pages.  About 
one  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  June  1 8th  a  das- 
tardly tragedy  was  enacted  in  North  Yakima,  the 
victim  being  Nathan  S.  Bagwell,  a  sporting  man 
and  gambler,  said  to  have  been  one  of  the  best 
of  his  class.  The  report  of  the  gun  and  a  groan 
from  the  victim  brought  W.  S.  Davidson  to  the 
scene.  Davidson  was  soon  joined  by  D.  E. 
Smith,  Matthew  Bartholet  and  others,  who  found 
on  investigation  that  Bagwell  had  not  been  robbed 
and  that  his  revolver  had  no  empty  shells  in  it. 
The  officers  present  concluded  that  the  man  had 
been  murdered,  and  in  this  opinion  the  coroner's 
jury  concurred. 

Late  in  August,  Bagwell's  concubine,  Mrs. 
Philomene  Brassard,  also  Omar  Harvey,  Frank 
La  Vergne  and  son  Louis,  J.  H.  King,  a  colored 
man,  and  L.  D.  Joslyn  were  arrested  and  charged 
with  complicity  in  the  murder  either  as  principals 
or  accessories.  Louis  La  Vergne  and  J.  H.  King 
were  discharged  without  trial,  but  the  others 
were  held  without  bonds  to  appear  at  the  next 
term  of  the  superior  court. 

The  case  came  on  in  October,  La  Vergne 
being  first  placed  in  jeopardy.  The  testimony  of 
one  witness  at  least  was  quite  sensational.  Omar 
Harvey,  an  inoffensive-looking  boy  of  nineteen, 
swore  that  he  had  himself  fired  the  fatal  shot! 
but  had  been  coerced  to  do  so  bv  La  Vergne,  who 


threatened  to  kill  him  if  he  refused.  A  portion 
of  this  boy's  direct  testimony  was  thus  outlined  in 
a  local  paper  of  the  time: 

Witness  continued:  Prior  to  June  17th  he  had  worked 
with  La  Vergne  on  the  Moxee  bridge.  He  had  talked  with 
La  Vergne  regarding  the  killing  of  Bagwell.  The  first 
conversation  was  about  the  middle  of  May.  when  he  was 
living  on  the  north  side  of  Third  street  and  the  east  side  of 
the  railroad  track.  La  Vergne  then  said  that  he  had  a  plan 
to  make  some  money;  that  he  had  been  watching  a  man  for 
some  time  who  carried  considerable  money  and  jewelry. 
Afterward  at  the  bridge  they  had  a  further  talk,  and  wit- 
ness then  learned  that  the  man  was  "Tex"  Bagwell.  La 
Vergne  said  that  Mrs.  Bagwell's  former  husband  had 
offered  him  $2,000  if  he  would  put  Tex  out  of  the  way,  and 
that  if  witness  would  do  the  work  he  should  have  half  that 
amount.  La  Vergne  further  said  that  he  had  done  the 
same  kind  of  work  before  and  could  get  away  with  it  all 
right.  Afterward  La  Vergne  and  witness,  with  La 
Vergne's  brother-in-law,  went  hunting,  when  the  same  line 
of  conversation  was  continued.  Witness  saw  La  Vergne 
Sunday  afternoon,  when  the  latter  said:  "Be  ready  to- 
night." Witness  told  him  that  if  he  wanted  any  work  of 
that  kind  done  he  had  better  do  it  himself.  Afterward 
they  talked  about  a  hay  contract.  He  stayed  down  town 
a  while  and  then  went  home.  La  Vergne  came  after  him 
about  nine  o'clock  and  they  went  down  town.  Spent  con- 
siderable time  around  and  took  several  drinks  at  Dooley's 
and  Shardlow  &  McDaniel's.  Saw  Bagwell  at  the  corner 
saloon  ;  he  was  playing  billiards ;  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes 
afterwards  witness  started  for  home,  but  was  stopped  near 
Luther's  store  by  La  Vergne,  who  had  a  bottle.  They  took 
a  dnnk  and  then  went  east  in  the  alley  by  the  side  of  the 
Hotel  Atherton  and  Mason's  Opera  House,  coming  out  on 
Second  street,  then  going  south  to  Coffin  Brothers'  store 
and  then  to  the  alley  in  the  rear  and  entered  Lee's  gate. 
They  then  went  to  the  place  of  concealment  in  the  shadow 
next  to  Lee's  store,  and  La  Vergne  left  and  brought  back  a 
gun  and  handed  it  to  witness.  La  Vergne  then  left,  going 
north.  "When  he  placed  me  there  in  the  corner  of  the  lot  he 
told  me  not  to  leave.  Feared  that  if  Ididn't  do  as  he  told  me 
and  made  a  failure  of  the  shooting,  I  would  lose  my  own 
life."  Witness  waited  about  twenty  minutes  or  half  an 
hour,  when  Bagwell  came  along  and  he  fired.  Witness  then 
ran  away  and  hid  the  gun  under  the  sidewalk  near  Coffin's 
store.  Then  went  home.  Admitted  that  he  was  intoxi- 
cated to  some  extent  on  the  night  of  the  murder.  Never 
asked  La  Vergne  for  any  money  as  promised  and  was  fully 
aware  that  he  had  committed  a  crime  for  which  he  would 
probably  hang. 

Of  course,  the  defendant  flatly  denied  the  truth 
of  these  statements,  but  the  evidence  was  too 
strong,  and  La  Vergne  was  found  guilty  of  man- 
slaughter. He  was  sentenced  to  twenty  years, 
the  judge  in  passing  sentence  virtually  censuring 
the  jury  for  not  finding  a  verdict  of  murder  in  the 
first  degree. 

Omar  Harvey  remained  in  jail  for  several 
weeks,  then  pleaded  guilty  of  manslaughter.  An 
arrest  of  judgment  in  his  case  being  entered,  he 
was  granted  his  liberty  and  forthwith  left  the 
town.  The  other  accused  persons  were  never 
brought  to  trial. 

But  1894  was  not  a  j'ear  of  unmixed  disaster 
in  Yakima  county,  notwithstanding  hard  times 
and  floods  and  tragedies.  A  very  successful 
state  fair  was  held,  the  first  of  a  series;  the  Wide 
Hollow  ditch  was  completed  by  the  Yakima  Val- 
ley Canal  Company,  abundant  crops  were  raised, 
and  altogether  the  people  were  better  off  than 


i'V^fTT  •*  t  %-TM 


YAKIMA   COUNTY   PRIZE   FRUIT. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


those  in  most  other  parts  of  the  Northwest.  It 
must  be  admitted,  however,  that  the  exceedingly 
dull  times  obtaining  everywhere  put  a  tight  brake 
upon  the  wheels  of  progress  in  the  Yakima  valley. 

A  striking  illustration  of  the  general  financial 
depression  in  the  state  in  1895  was  furnished  by 
the  action  of  the  fair  commissioners  in  deciding 
to  hold  no  state  fair  that  year.  The  appropria- 
tion was  meager,  only  twenty-five  hundred  dol- 
lars, and  the  dates  were  in  coincidence  with  those 
of  the  Oregon  state  and  Spokane  expositions. 
The  commissioners  believed  that  these  facts, 
coupled  with  the  prevailing  depression,  would 
render  it  impossible  to  hold  a  creditable  exposi- 
tion. 

The  sequel  to  this  decision  of  the  commission- 
ers illustrates  the  courage  of  the  Yakima  people 
and  their  determination  to  conquer  the  tendency 
to  stagnation  then  obtaining.  They  took  up  at 
once  the  matter  of  holding  an  agricultural  exposi- 
tion of  a  more  local  character  and  soon  had  their 
preparations  under  way.  "The  times  are  very 
hard,"  they  said,  "and  money  is  scarce,  but  little 
money  is  required,  and  there  is  all  the  more  rea- 
son in  the  depressed  condition  of  business  why 
we  should  make  a  mighty  effort  to  show  the  peo- 
ple of  the  state  that  Yakima  is  not  dead  yet." 
Their  labors  were  abundantly  rewarded.  The 
fair  was  held  October  7th  to  12th,  inclusive,  and 
besides  its  advertising  effect  and  the  pleasure  and 
profit  it  furnished  the  people,  it  paid  all  expenses 
and  left  a  balance  of  eight  hundred  and  fifty  dol- 
lars in  the  treasury.  One  of  its  principal  attrac- 
tions was  the  Indian  celebration  of  October  9th, 
at  which  were  present  Okanogans,  Colvilles, 
Umatillas,  Nez  Perces,  Cayuses,  Yakimas,  Puyal- 
lups,  Klickitats,  British  Columbia  Indians,  etc., 
in  large  numbers.  Chiefs  Moses,  Peo  and  White 
Swan  were  in  attendance.  Credit  for  the  success 
of  this  exhibition  is  due  to  all  the  people,  but  more 
especially  to  the  following  officers:  O.  A. 
Fechter,  president;  G.  G.  Brownell,  secretary; 
H.  K.  Sinclair,  treasurer;  Edward  Whitson,  A.  B. 
Wyckoff,  J.  G.  Lawrence,  E.  F.  Benson,  W.  H. 
Redman,  Frank  Horsley,  F.  E.  Thompson,  A.  L. 
Aiken,  M.  Stanton,  Nelson  Rich  and  Robert 
McCook. 

In  the  closing  month  of  the  year  1895,  the 
North  Yakima  Commercial  Club  decided  to  act  in 
the  matter  of  endeavoring  to  secure  the  opening 
by  congress  of  the  Yakima  Indian  reservation. 
By  a  committee  of  its  members  the  following 
memorial  was  prepared  and  forwarded  to  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.  : 

To  the  Honorable  Senators  and  Representatives  of  the 
Fifty-fourth  Congress. 

Your  petitioner,  the  Yakima  Commercial  Club,  embrac- 
ing among  its  members  over  one  hundred  of  the  leading 
citizens  and  largest  property  holders  of  this  county,  re- 
spectfully requests  that  the  Yakima  Indian  reservation  may- 
be thrown  open  to  settlement  at  the  earliest  practicable 
moment,  for  the  following  reasons: 

This  reservation  embraces  B8 7, 040  acres  and  lies  nearly 


in  the  center  of  Yakima  county.  The  lands  along  the  river 
are  level  plains  and  rise  gently  to  the  mountains  twenty- 
five  miles  distant.  About  200,000  acres  of  these  lower 
lands,  having  the  finest  of  crop  soils,  are  now  desert  and 
covered  with  sage  brush,  but  can  readily  be  put  under  irri- 
gation ditches  at  moderate  cost,  when  10,000  families  could 
make  prosperous  homes  upon  them.  There  are  about  1,900 
Indians  on  the  reservation  who  have  all  accepted  their 
all&tment  of  lands  in  severalty  from  the  government.  They 
have  made  considerable  progress  in  civilization,  farm 
about  15,000  acres  of  sub-irrigated  lands,  are  virtually  self- 
supporting,  and  are  good  neighbors  to  the  whites.  If  their 
surplus  lands  were  purchased,  10,000  industrious  white 
families  would  speedily  redeem  the  irrigable  sage  brush 
lands  now  of  no  use  whatever  to  the  Indians,  and  turn  them 
into  fruitful  orchards  and  gardens.  There  is,  perhaps,  no 
other  body  of  land  in  the  United  States  of  the  same  dimen- 
sions which  will  give  permanent  prosperity  to  an  equal 
number  of  intelligent  agriculturalists,  and  without  working' 
any  injury  to  the  Indians.  On  the  contrary,  they  will  be 
enabled  with  the  proceeds  of  the  sale  of  their  surplus  lands 
to  build  comfortable  houses  and  develop  their  own  farms, 
while  the  bunch-grass  hilltops  and  forest-covered  mountain 
sides  will  remain  the  grazing  ranges  for  their  flocks  and 
herds. 

Whatever  action  may  be  taken  regarding  the  entire 
reservation,  your  petitioner  feels  assured  that  the  wisdom 
of  congress  will  prompt  instant  legislation  to  purchase  the 
desert  sage  brush  lands  of  the  Indians,  and  offer  them  for 
sale  in  small  tracts.  In  this  manner  the  government  would 
be  reimbursed  for  the  purchase  money,  the  land  would  be 
reclaimed  and  thousands  of  industrious  inhabitants  be 
added  to  the  population  of  this  bountiful  valley. 

Commissioners  were  sent  in  1S97  to  negotiate 
with  the  Indians  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing 
their  tribal  lands.  Several  conferences  were  held, 
the  most  important  of  which  was  that  of  July 
20th  and  2 1  st,  but  though  the  government  offered 
unusually  liberal  terms,  the  Indians  could  not  be 
induced  to  sell.  The  commissioners  stated  that 
two  hundred  thousand  acres  would  be  required 
for  the  allotments  made  and  to  be  made,  and  that 
for  the  rest  of  the  reservation,  they  were  author- 
ized to  offer  one  million  four  hundred  thousand 
dollars,  deferred  payments  to  bear  four  per  cent, 
interest. 

The  year  1896  was  not  superior  in  general 
conditions  to  its  predecessor,  and  though  a  state 
fair  was  held,  it  was  not  as  successful  as  had  been 
the  citizens'  fair  of  the  year  previous.  The 
Yakima  country,  though  it  probably  never  experi- 
enced as  much  distress  during  the  hard  times  as 
did  many  other  parts  of  the  Northwest,  was  some- 
what slow  in  rallying,  owing  to  local  causes,  and 
1897  could  not  be  classed  as  a  prosperous  year. 
Many  of  the  citizens  sought  to  better  their  for- 
tunes in  the  Klondyke,  among  them  R.  B.  Milroy, 
H.  A.  Griffin,  Owen  T.  Stratton,  Lester  Coffin, 
Fred  Jungst,  Peter  Norby,  George  Guilland,  W. 
Cameron,      Dan      Simmons,     Samuel       Failing, 

Henry  Fry,  Condon,  William  Bounds,  John 

Bartholet,  Anthony  Krober  and  Dick  McDaniels. 
These  men  started  in  July  and  August.  Other 
parties  followed,  among  them  one  on  the  25th  of 
October,  which  required  for  the  transportation 
of  its  stock  and  baggage  a  special  train  of  twelve 
cars.  The  members  of  this  expedition  purposed 
to  pick  up  two  hundred  head  of  cattle  at  Victoria 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  to  drive  these  and  the  horses,  most  of  them 
under  pack,,  as  far  inland  as  they  could,  then  to 
slaughter  all  the  animals  and  transport  the  best 
to  the  interior  by  dog-trains,  using  the  horse  flesh 
as  food  for  the  dogs.  The  Yakima  men  who 
joined  in  this  venture  were:  Charles  Lillie, 
George  Weikel,  C.  J.  Anderson,  E.  L.  Bogart, 
J.  H.  Bogart,  Herman  Frank,  R.  Granville, 
A.  E.  Newlist,  E.  S.  Hackley,  T.  P.  Stubblefield, 
George  Stubblefield,-  F.  Willing,  H.  H.  Fry,  E. 
C.  Elgin,  Warren  Walters,  John  Powers,  Bogus 
Henderson  and  James  Hanson. 

By  the  spring  of  1898,  all  signs  of  commercial 
stagnation  and  business  depression  had  com- 
pletely disappeared.  When  the  march  of  progress 
was  once  more*resumed,  it  was  resumed  in  good 
earnest,  and  the  country  experienced  a  rapid 
development  and  increase  in  population.  The 
return  of  prosperity,  the  bright  prospects  for 
good  crops  and  the  fact  that  the  war  with  Spain 
was  progressing  as  well  as  heart  could  wish, 
caused  a  cheerful  spirit  among  the  people,  a  spirit 
which  manifested  itself  in  rousing  celebrations 
on  the  nation's  birthday. 

When  the  war  with  Spain  was  declared  there 
was  one  military  organization  here,  Troop  A, 
First  Washington  Cavalry,  which  certainly  de- 
served the  favorable  consideration  of  the  governor 
for  a  place  in  the  Washington  regiment  of  volun- 
teers. Some  two  years  before  Company  E  and 
Troop  C  had  been  abandoned  by  legislative  enact- 
ment, and  Troop  A  had  then  come  into  being  as 
an  independent  organization.  Since  that  time 
it  had  maintained  itself  without  the  slightest 
assistance  from  the  state,  and  now  it  wished  to 
participate  in  the  war  as  an  infantry  company. 
Governor  Rogers  wisely  decided  to  give  it  a 
chance.  Soon  it  was  recruited  to  full  numbers, 
and  at  Tacoma  it  was  mustered  into  the  regiment 
as  Company  E,  officered  as  follows:  Captain, 
M.  S.  Scudder;  first  lieutenant,  F.  T.  Briggs; 
second  lieutenant,  W.  L.  Lemon.  The  names  on 
its  muster  roll,  a  few  facts  concerning  some  of  its 
members,  and  an  outline  of  its  adventures  as  a 
part  of  the  forces  of  the  United  States,  are  here 
given  for  reference: 

Company  E,  Second  Battalion,  First  Washing- 
ton Volunteers. 

Organized  at  North  Yakima,  Washington. 

Captain — Marshall  S.  Scudder. 

First  Lieutenant— Fred  T.  Briggs,  later  Reg- 
imental Adjutant.  Died  after  the  war  from  its 
effects. 

Second  Lieutenant — William  L.  Lemon,  later 
Regimental  Quartermaster. 

First  Sergeant— E.  J.  Young,  subsequently 
promoted  to  First  Lieutenant. 

Second  Sergeant— J.  F.  Alderson,  later  pro- 
moted Second  Lieutenant.  Died  in  January, 
1900. 

Sergeants— J.  H.  Wright,  J.  N.  Scott,  T-  L. 
Druse,  C.  K.  Brown,  Clyde  Stewart. 


Corporals — A.  N.  Ross,  H.  L.  Leeper,  J.  M. 
McCleary,  Harry  F.  Coombs,  James  Spahr,  Wil- 
liam Washburn,  George  S.  Sexton,  E.  E.  Grover, 
Frank  Rodes,  F.  H.  Millican,  Dean  D.  Stair, 
N.  G.  Bunce,  Walter  P.  Fox. 

Cook — Paul  W.  Mathieson. 

Musician — Frank  E.  Dillon. 

Artificer — Allen  Converse. 

Wagoner — Horatio  R.  Jennings. 

Privates — F.  H.  Avlworth,  Paul  K.  Boyer, 
Henry  R.  Brasselle,  Walter  J.  Brick,  John  Cam- 
eron, Charles  C.  Coombs,  William  T.  Corder, 
Edwin  Dane,  Charles  L.  Dowell,  Oral  F.  Gibson, 
Charles  Gosling,  Curtis  S.  Greene,  Henry  H. 
Hagendorn,  Harry  O  Hawley,  Howard  D. 
Hazard,  Christian  O.  Horn,  William  A.  Kelsay, 
George  T.  Lahar,  Gerrit  Leeuwrick  (now  dead), 
F.  B.  Lippincott,  Leo  McDonald,  Joseph  J. 
Mitchell,  George  W.  Nunally,  Raymond  W. 
Orkey,  George  S.  Palmer,  John  J.  Sandmever, 
William  G.  Schaefer,  William  Schoenhals,  Fred 
T.  Sherwood,  Cecil  M.  Smith,  E.  C.  Spaulding, 
William  C  Stephens,  Herbert  E.  Stowe,  John  E. 
Tomberlin,  James  G.  Triplett,  Mart  Trov,  E.  W. 
Waddington.  A.  H.  Waddington,  David  B.  Wall, 
Peter  P.  Walker,  Oliver  A.  Westfall,  C.  T.  Gray 
Wilgus,  Harry  A.  Williams,   Frank  W.  Woolsey. 

Death  Roll  — Privates,  Frank  Smith,  February 
5,  1899,  at  Artillery  Knoll;  Mathias  H.  Cherry, 
February  5,  1899,  at  Artillery  Knoll ;  George  B. 
Reichert,  February  5,  Santa  Ana;  Ralph  E. 
Shearer,  February  6,  1899,  Artillery  Knoll ;  Ralph 
E.  Van  Bushkirk,  March  14,  Pateros;  Spencer 
Swain,  Presidio,  California,  October  27,  1899; 
John  C.  Baggott,  Presidio,  California,  1899. 

Wounded — Sergeant  Henry  Leach,  February 
5th,  Fortson's  Knoll;  privates,  John  Cameron, 
February  22,  1899,  Guadaloupe;  Walter  P.  Fox, 
February  5,  1899,  Fortson's  Knoll;  Oral  F.  Gib- 
son, Santa  Ana,  February  5,  1899;  Christian  E. 
Horn,  February  5,  1899,  Guadaloupe;  Herbert  L- 
Osborn,  February  3,  1899,  Guadaloupe;  William 
C.  Stephens,  Santa  Ana,  February  5,  1899;  A.  H. 
Waddington,  February  22d,  Guadaloupe. 

Company  E  was  mustered  into  service  May  9, 
1898,  at  Tacoma  as  part  of  the  First  Battalion. 
With  the  First  Washington  Infantry  it  went  to 
San  Francisco  and  was  there  quartered  in  the 
famous  Presidio  garrison  until  the  regiment  de- 
parted for  the  Orient.  During  the  early  days  at 
Manila  it  was  quarterd  in  the  "tobacco  factory," 
and  on  the  morning  of  February  5th  formed  a 
part  of  the  now  famous  "Fortson's  Batallion," 
which  covered  itself  with  glory  by  a  desperate 
charge  on  Bloody  Knoll,  held  by  a  force  number- 
ing twice  that  of  the  attacking  party.  Immedi- 
ately after  this  battle  the  company  quarters  were 
transferred  to  Santa  Ana,  while  the  company 
itself  went  into  the  trenches  in  front  of  San  Pedro. 
It  participated  in  the  operations  of  the  provi- 
sional brigade,  March  13th  to  19th,  and  from  that 
time  was  stationed  at  Pasig,  participating  in  the 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


skirmishes  about  that  point,  including  Tay-Tay 
and  Morong,  up  to  Calamba.  This  company  was 
one  of  the  heaviest  losers  in  the  regiment,  having 
five  men  killed  in  action.  Of  the  original  officers, 
the  two  lieutenants  became  regimental  officers. 
Pateros,  San  Pedro  Macati,  Guadaloupe,  Pasig, 
Tay-Tay,  Santa  Cruz,  Santa  Ana  and  Calamba 
are  all  names  of  importance  in  the  company's 
history. 

In  response  to  the  request  of  Colonel  Wholley 
to  make  special  mention  of  men  who  had  signal- 
ized themselves  by  bravery  in  the  field.  Captain 
Scudder  presented  the  following  names  from 
Company  E:  First  Lieutenant  E.  J.  Young, 
First  Sergeant  Henry  H.  Leach,  Second  Lieuten- 
ant John  F.  Anderson,  William  Stephens,  Ser- 
geant John  H.  Wright,  Corporal  William  Wash- 
burn, Corporal  D.  D.  Stair,  James  J.  Mitchell, 
George  Palmer  and  Edward  C.  Spaulding. 

The  arrival  of  the  Washington  volunteers 
upon  American  soil  was  made  the  occasion  of 
noisy  demonstrations  in  North  Yakima.  By  a 
preconcerted  plan  the  welcoming  committee  had 
arranged  that  cannonading  should  be  begun  as 
soon  as  the  news  should  be  received.  The  news 
came  at  11:40  a.  m.,  October  1st,  in  the  form  of 
a  dispatch  stating  that  the  Pennsylvania,  with  the 
First  Washington  aboard,  had  been  sighted  enter- 
ing the  Golden  Gate;  and  forthwith  guns  were 
fired,  whistles  sounded,  bells  rang,  and  the  entire 
town  was  thrown  into  a  commotion.  The  en- 
thusiasm was  only  surpassed  by  that  of  Novem- 
ber 7th,  when  the  boys  of  Company  E  reached 
North  Yakima.  The  Herald's  account  of  this 
event  is  as  follows: 

About  nine  o'clock  Tuesday  night,  the  home-coming  of 
Company  E  was  heralded  by  the  firing  of  cannon  and  other 
martial  noises.  The  famous  "Terrors  of  Pasig"  were 
accompanied  by  thirty-five  of  the  Walla  Walla  company 
and  fifty-six  of  the  Waitsburg  boys.  An  informal  reception 
was  held  at  the  depot.  It  was  a  glorious  sight  to  see  the 
avenue  ablaze  with  lights  and  gaily  caparisoned  with  bunt- 
ing. The  mothers  and  sisters  of  the  boys  vied  with  each 
other  and  the  sweethearts  in  welcoming  them  with  the 
affection  that  passes  all  description.  The  visiting  troops 
were  banqueted  in  fitting  style  at  Switzer's  Opera  House, 
but  Company  E  fled  to  domestic  quiet  and  avoided  any 
public  display.  No  parade  was  attempted,  that  part  of  the 
programme  being  dtferred  until  the  next  day. 

The  joy  of  the  greeting  of  friends  of  the  returned  vol- 
unteers was  next  in  heartiness  to  the  welcome  by  the  im- 
mediate relatives  of  the  soldiers  Lieutenant  Briggs  was 
literally  crushed  by  the  reception  extended  him  by  his  old 
Northern  Pacific  associates.  Lieutenant  Lemon  was  like- 
wise greeted.  As  for  Captain  Scudder,  it  is  almost  needless 
to  say  that  he  was  the  hero  of  the  hour.  Company  E 
brought  with  it  a  mascot  in  the  person  of  Pedro,  a  Filipino, 
the  protege  of  Lieutenant  Lemon.  No  untoward  incident 
marred  the  general  rejoicing,  and  taps  were  not  sounded 
until  at  least  three  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

•  At  ten  o'clock  Wednesday  morning,  under  the  direction 
of  Marshal  Fred  Parker,  a  procession  was  formed  on  Yaki- 
ma avenue,  and  Company  E,  marching  in  the  lead,  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Yakima  Hotel.  Following  them  came  the 
G.  A.  R.,  the  Uniformed  Rank,  K.  of  P.,  and  Company 
F,  W.  N.  G.,    successor  to  Company  E. 

The  band,  under  the  leadership  of  Professor  Nagler, 
rendered   patriotic   airs,    and    in    the    intervals    eloquent 
13 


speeches  were  made  by  Post  Commander  Druse,  of  the 
G.  A.  R. ;  H.  J.  Snively,  E.  B.  Preble,  L.  S.  Howlett  and 
H.  M.  Bartlett.  The  benediction  was  pronounced  by  Rev. 
A.  H.  Lyons.  Captain  Scudder  also  spoke.  In  the  after- 
noon a  banquet  was  served  to  the  soldiers  at  Switzer's 
Opera  House  by  the  ladies  of  the  Red  Cross  Society  and 
others.  Everywhere  business  houses  and  private  residences 
were  aflame  with  bunting  and  flags,  and  the  day,  in  accord- 
ance with  the  proclamation  of  Mayor  Fechter,  was  a  gen- 
eral holiday. 

A  subject  of  considerable  general  comment 
during  the  year  1899,  and  one  which  excited  not 
a  little  the  passions  of  those  immediately  inter- 
ested, was  the  action  of  the  Interior  Department 
regarding  the  pasturing  of  sheep  on  the  Ranier 
forest  reserve.  In  March,  Dr.  Cloes,  the  super- 
intendent, received  instructions  regarding  the 
boundaries  of  the  sheep  lands,  and  was  informed 
that  a  limited  number  might  enter  the  rest  of  the 
reserve  provided  no  reservoir  supply  or  public 
resort  should  be  encroached  upon,  and  that  the 
grazing  season  should  be  from  June  20th  to  Sep- 
tember 20th. 

A  few  months  later,  upon  recommendation  of 
Professor  Lawson  Schribner,  chief  of  graminol- 
ogyof  the  Interior  Department,  Secretary  Hitch- 
cock canceled  the  sixty-eight  permits  that  had 
been  granted  sheepmen  within  the  reserve. 
This  action  took  away  the  customary  summer 
range  from  two  hundred  and  sixty  thousand 
sheep  and  dealt  a  severe  blow  to  the  wool-grow- 
ing industry  of  Yakima  county.  Indignation 
meetings  were  held  by  the  local  sheepmen,  who 
framed  forceful  protests  "against  the  order,  and 
promptly  subscribed  a  fund  to  send  representa- 
tives to  look  after  their  interests  in  congress. 

During  the  earliest  days  of  1900  the  sheepmen 
of  Yakima  valley,  in  compliance  with  a  request 
from  Congressman  Jones  that  they  should  furnish 
him  with  such  information  as  would  enable  him 
to  best  look  out  for  their  interests,  sent  an  open 
letter  to  congress  containing  some  valuable  data. 
After  reciting  a  circular  of  the  Interior  Depart- 
ment, bearing  date  June  30,  1897,  which  set  forth 
that  the  pasturing  of  sheep  on  the  reserve  would 
not  be  interfered  with  if  it  could  be  shown  that 
no  injury  would  result  therefrom  to  young  trees 
or  to  the  water  supply,  the  sheepmen's  letter 
argued  in  substance  "that  in  the  counties  of 
Klickitat,  Yakima  and  Kittitas  the  lower  range 
where  sheep  are  pastured  in  the  winter  months 
are  semi-arid  and  therefore  not  suited  to  sum- 
mer pasturage.  It  is  then  necessary  to  drive  the 
sheep  to  the  mountains  on  the  east  side  of  the 
Cascades,  on  the  higher  altitudes  where  it  is 
impossible  for  sheep  to  eat  trees  or  destroy  the 
water  supply.  Here  the  sheep  have  been  pas- 
tured for  twenty  years,  and  their  feet  are  golden 
in  the  way  of  improving  and  enriching  the  soil. 
There  is  no  grazing  or  grass  for  obvious  reasons 
where  the  trees  and  undergrowth  are  thick.  It 
has  been  the  constant  effort  of  sheepmen  to  pre- 
vent forest  fires,  and  on  the  range  reserve  there 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


were  practically  no  fires  last  season.  The  charge 
that  sheepmen  are  nomadic,  with  no  fixed  place 
of  abode,  is  combated,  and  it  is  pointed  out  that 
sheepmen  pay  a  larger  proportion  of  taxes  than 
the  representatives  of  any  other  branch  of  indus- 
try. In  Yakima  county  there  were  assessed  for 
1899  168,745  head  of  sheep,  valued  at  $299,921, 
or  a  fourth  of  the  personal  property  valuation  of 
the  county.  Besides  owning  large  quantities  of 
land,  the  sheepmen  have  leased  from  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Company  318,550  acres.  If  the 
reservation  ruling  is  enforced  all  this  land  will 
be  practically  valueless.  '• 

The  letter  recommended  that  the  existing  sys- 
tem of  leasing  should  be  continued  until  the 
geological  surveys  could  be  extended  on  to  the 
Ranier  and  Washington  reserves,  that  the  tree- 
less areas  and  agricultural  lands  might  be  ex- 
cluded from  them;  also  that  sheep  should  be 
grazed  under  the  following  conditions: 

"Limit  the  sheep  to  the  number  constantly 
grazing  there,  with  five-year  permits,  each  owner 
to  have  a  specified  tract.  Require  as  a  condition 
of  each  permit  that  the  owner  use  every  effort  to 
prevent  fires  and  to  report  their  causes.  Secure 
the  co-operation  of  the  Wool  Growers'  Associa- 
tion, through  a  committee  of  three  stockmen, 
who  shall  assist  the  government  officers  and  the 
department  in  controlling  and  looking  after  the 
reservation." 

The  interior  department  issued  an  order 
allowing  grazing  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the 
reserve,  and  the  secretary  authorized  the  grant- 
ing of  permits  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand sheep  to  enter  not  earlier  than  July  1st  and 
continue  not  later  than  September  25th.  Cattle 
and  horses  in  the  same  numbers  that  had  usually 
grazed  on  the  reserve  were  permitted  to  continue 
doing  so  on  certain  conditions. 

April  25th  the  cattle  and  wool  growers'  asso- 
ciations held  meetings  in  North  Yakima  to  ar- 
range for  a  division  of  the  grazing  lands.  The 
following  sheepmen,  namely,  John  Cleman,  S.  J. 
Cameron,  Dan  Goodman,  Alexander  McAllister 
and  W.  H.  Vessey,  were  appointed  to  confer  with 
a  committee  of  cattlemen  consisting  of  Daniel 
Sinclair,  P.  A.  Bounds,  Elmer  Marks,  Milton 
Burge  and  A.  J.  Splawn.  These  men  agreed 
with  each  other  in  the  division  of  all  the  ranges 
except  those  in  the  Ahtanum  and  Klickitat  dis- 
tricts, claims  to  which  had  to  be  submitted  to 
Superintendent  Sheller  for  adjustmeat. 

The  United  States  census  returns  for  1900 
show  that  Yakima  county  has  made  a  greater 
percentage  of  gain  in  population  than  any  other 
in  the  state.  In  1870  our  county,  which  then 
embraced  Kittitas,  was  credited  with  a  popula- 
tion of  432 ;  in  18S0,  2,81 1 ;  in  1890,  4,429,  and  in 
1900,  13,462.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  gain  in  the 
decade  was  over  200  per  cent,  and  in  the  previ- 
ous twenty  years  nearly  380  per  cent.  In  1850 
the  population  of  Washington  was  1,201 ;  in  i860, 


18S0,  76,116; 


1S90, 


11,594;  in  1870,  23,955;  ln 
349,390;  in  1900,  518,103. 

A  single  serious  crime  darkened  the  record  of 
the  year  1900  in  Yakima  county.  It  occurred  at 
Prosser  on  the  afternoon  of  September  30th. 
According  to  the  best  information  obtainable, 
the  story  of  the  tragedy  is  about  as  follows: 
Three  men  who  had  been  picking  hops  boarded 
an  empty  car  at  Mabton,  intending  to  beat  their 
way  east.  At  Prosser  in  came  two  other  men 
who  forthwith  covered  the  three  with  firearms 
and  robbed  them  of  all  their  belongings,  consist- 
ing of  about  forty-five  dollars  in  money  and  a  sil- 
ver watch.  The  robbers  jumped  off  the  car  at  a 
siding  beyond  Prosser,  and  at  Kiona  the  hop 
pickers  also  left  the  train.  They  notified  the  sta- 
tion agent  at  once.  The  latter  was  about  to  tele- 
graph to  Prosser  for  the  arrest  of  the  men,  when 
W.  W.  Scott,  formerly  a  telegraph  operator, 
invited  the  hop  pickers  to  go  back  with  him  on  a 
west-bound  freight  to  identify  the  robbers.  Upon 
arriving  at  Prosser,  they  discovered  five  men 
boarding  a  freight  car.  Scott  ordered  these  to 
alight;  then  demanded  that  one  of  the  hop  pick- 
ers should  identify  the  robbers  if  in  the  crowd. 
The  hop  pickers  pointed  out  a  large  and  a  small 
man  as  the  persons  wanted.  When  Scott  took 
his  eyes  off  the  large  man  and  turned  his  atten- 
tion to  the  small  one,  the  former  miscreant  fired 
twice  at  him.  One  of  the  bullets  penetrated  the 
body  of  the  unfortunate  Scott  just  above  the 
heart,  the  other  passed  through  his  head,  killing 
him  instantly.  The  murderer  fired  again,  seri- 
ously wounding  one  of  the  hop  pickers  in  the 
side ;  then  murderer  and  witnesses  all  fled  precip- 
itately from  the  spot.  An  arrest  of  the  supposed 
guilty  man  was  made  at  La  Grande,  Oregon, 
early  the  following  November,  but  the  accused. 
when  brought  to  North  Yakima,  could  not  be 
satisfactorily  identified,  and  no  one  was  punished 
for  the  dastardly  homicide. 

The  first  matter  to  agitate  the  people  of  Yaki- 
ma county  in  1901  was  a  scheme  for  the  segrega- 
tion of  some  of  their  territory  into  a  separate 
political  organization.  The  proposal  was  not 
altogether  a  new  one,  but  its  friends  had  not 
theretofore  been  numerous  enough  to  cause  their 
opponents  much  apprehension.  In  January  of 
that  year,  however,  the  question  became  one  of 
no  little  concern.  There  seemed  to  be  small  rea- 
son to  doubt  that  Representative  Rich  would 
introduce  in  the  state  legislature  a  bill  creating 
the  county  of  Riverside,  with  the  dividing  bound- 
ary running  north  and  south  through  a  point 
three  miles  west  of  Mabton.  The  opposition  got 
to  work  in  good  earnest,  circulating  petitions, 
circular  letters,  etc.  In  its  issue  of  February 
14th,  the  Herald  said:  "It  is  quite  probable  that 
those  agitating  for  a  division  of  the  count}' — 
namely,  those  interested  in  making  Prosser  a 
county  seat — will  meet  with  but  poor  success, 
for  remonstrances  are  pouring  in  from  all  quar- 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


195 


ters  and  thus  far  Representative  Rich  has  been 
persuaded  not  to  introduce  his  bill.  It  is  claimed 
that  taxes  will  be  increased  considerably  just  at 
the  time  when  new  settlers  are  wanted.  The  new 
county  would  be  obliged  to  assume  its  share  of 
the  old  county  indebtedness,  which  share  will 
amount  to  $66,000;  then  there  will  be  required 
new  buildings,  abstracts  of  books,  printing  and 
other  expenses  amounting  to  $100,000,  making 
a  total  debt  of  $166,000  to  start  with.  This  is 
too  much  for  the  southern  and  eastern  portion 
to  swallow.  Besides,  Klickitat  is  fighting  the 
scheme,  as  the  plans  embrace  the  cutting  off  of 
several  precincts  of  the  Horse  Heaven  country 
to  add  to  Riverside  county.  The  scheme  is 
doomed  to  defeat." 

Nevertheless,  a  bill  was  introduced  by  Repre- 
sentative Rich  and  became  known  as  House  Bill 
No.  120.  It  provided  that  the  boundaries  of  the 
new  county  should  be  as  follows:  Beginning  at 
the  point  of  intersection  of  the  middle  of  the 
main  channel  of  the  Columbia  river  with  the 
township  line  which  divides  ranges  twenty-one 
and  twenty-two  east  of  Willamette  meridian; 
thence  running  north  along  said  township  line 
to  the  point  where  it  intersects  the  township 
line  dividing  ranges  twenty  and  twenty-one 
east  of  Willamette  meridian;  thence  north 
along  said  last  named  township  line  to  bound- 
ary line  between  the  said  counties  of  Yaki- 
ma and  Klickitat;  thence  west  along  said  bound- 
ary line  to  where  said  boundary  line  inter- 
sects the  south  boundary  line  of  the  Simcoe 
Indian  reservation ;  thence  along  the  said  bound- 
ary line  of  the  Simcoe  Indian  reservation  in  a 
general  northeasterly  direction  to  where  the 
boundary  line  intersects  the  township  line  divid- 
ing ranges  twenty-one  and  twenty-two  east  of 
the  Willamette  meridian;  thence  north  along  said 
last  named  township  line  to  where  it  intersects 
the  township  line  which  divides  townships  eleven 
and  twelve  north:  thence  east  along  said  last 
named  township  line  to  where  it  intersects  the 
township  line  dividing  ranges  twenty-three  and 
twenty-four  east  of  the  Willamette  meridian ; 
thence  north  along  said  last  named  township  line 
to  where  it  intersects  the  middle  of  the  main 
channel  of  the  Columbia  river;  thence  down  the 
middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Columbia  river 
to  the  point  of  beginning."  The  bill  was  never 
voted  upon. 

As  the  year  1901  advanced,  it  brought  many 
blessings.  It  witnessed  the  completion  of  the 
Selah-Moxee  canal,  the  construction  of  which 
had  begun  in  December  of  the  preceding  year. 
The  formal  dedication  of  this  important  aque- 
duct took  place  June  8th,  though  the  water  had 
been  flowing  through  it  for  nearly  a  month. 
Those  who  witnessed  the  ceremonies  were  dele- 
gations of  business  men  from  Tacoma,  Seattle 
and  Spokane,  besides  many  noted  in  local  circles. 
By  these  gentlemen  the  canal  and  lands  watered 


by  it  were  inspected  that  afternoon,  and  in  the 
evening  a  banquet  was  tendered  them  at  the 
Hotel  Yakima  at  which,  it  is  said,  J.  W.  Clise, 
W.  T.  Clark  and  G.  S.  Rankin  were  the  guests 
of  honor.  The  original  officers  of  the  Selah- 
Moxee  Canal  Company  were:  President,  George 
S.  Rankin;  vice-president,  Edward  Whitson ; 
treasurer,  J.  D.  Cornett;  secretary,  W.  T.  Clark. 

The  year  under  review  also  witnessed  a  very 
successful  state  fair,  one  that  is  said  to  have 
beaten  the  record  of  all  preceding  exhibitions  of 
the  kind.  It  brought  also  bountiful  harvests  and 
good  prices.  The  fruit  grower,  the  hay  raiser, 
the  cattle  man,  the  sheep  man,  the  hop  grower 
and  every  person  whose  business  was  the  tilling 
of  the  soil  was  made  happy  by  an  abundant 
reward  for  his  labors.  The  Herald  tells  us  that, 
at  a  low  and  safe  estimate,  the  productions  of  the 
county  could  not  have  been  less  than  $3,000,000, 
and  that  of  this  sum  over  $2,000,000  represent 
the  value  of  hay,  potatoes,  hops,  fruit  and  grain. 
It  distributes  the  production  among  the  different 
crops  as  follows:  170,000  tons  of  hay  at  $4.50, 
$765,000;  2,000  cars  of  potatoes,  $620,000;  1,400 
bales  of  hops,  $280,000;  fruit,  $260,000;  wheat, 
$70,000;  barley,  $20,000;  oats,  $ro,ooo;  total, 
$2,025,000.  The  remainder  of  the  $3,000,000 
represents  its  estimate  on  the  production  of 
cattle,  sheep  and  horses. 

But  the  year  brought  also  some  disasters,  two 
of  which,  both  railway  accidents,  are  thought 
worthy  of  being  briefly  set  forth  here.  One  took 
place  Sunday  morning,  the  13th  of  January,  on 
Selah  creek,  seven  miles  north  of  North  Yakima. 
When  the  Northern  Pacific  passenger  train  left 
the  last  named  point,  it  was  an  hour  late,  and  of 
course  it  traveled  at  a  high  rate  of  speed  to  make 
up  what  it  could.  When  it  approached  the  cul- 
vert at  Squaw  or  Selah  creek,  the  engineer, 
Charles  Wirth,  of  Ellensburg,  noticed  that  some- 
thing was  wrong  ahead.  The  culvert  had  been 
undermined  and  a  wreck  was  inevitable.  The 
engine  passed  over  in  safety,  but  the  tender  sank, 
and  Mr.  Wirth  threw  the  throttle  wide  open  to 
prevent  the  cars  from  piling  one  on  top  of 
another.  His  presence  of  mind  doubtless  saved 
many  lives.  The  cars  were  held  up  and  kept  in 
motion  until  all  were  over,  though  without  some 
of  their  trucks,  except  the  rear  sleeper,  which 
remained  safe  on  the  track.  A  steel  rail  passed 
through  the  body  of  one  coach  and  penetrated  the 
roof.  There  were  many  narrow  escapes,  but  no 
lives  were  lost  and  only  three  persons  were 
wounded,  the  unfortunate  ones  being  Hugh  P. 
Ball,  knee  bruised;  P.  McEwell,  mail  clerk, 
elbow  dislocated;  G.  W.  Turner,  Seattle,  colored 
porter,  knee  cap  broken.  That  the  damage  to 
passengers  was  not  greater  seems  miraculous. 

The  second  train  wreck,  a  much  more  serious 
one,  occurred  at  11 130  p.  m.,  December  8th.  The 
scene  was  the  gap  about  two  miles  north  of  North 
Yakima,   and   the  cause   a  head-end  collision  of 


rg6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


two  freights,  each  running  at  a  high  rate  of  speed. 
The  accident  was  the  result  of  a  misunderstand- 
ing on  the  part  of  the  engineer  and  conductor  of 
the  east-bound  train,  second  No.  54,  which  left 
Roza  with  orders  to  pass  No.  1,302  at  Wenas. 
The  latter  train  was  sent  out  of  North  Yakima  in 
charge  of  Conductor  Anderson  and  Engineer  Dan 
Smith,  with  orders  to  side-track  at  Wenas  until 
second  No.  54  had  gone  by.  Before  this,  extra 
No.  164  had  been  sent  out  of  North  Yakima  and 
had  taken  the  siding  at  Wenas.  Of  the  existence 
of  this  special,  Conductor  Chase  and  Engineer 
Cooper,  so  the  former  claimed,  had  no  knowledge 
whatsoever. 

The  second  section  of  No.  54  consisted  of  two 
engines,  and  one  loaded  and  fifty  empty  cars. 
Upon  its  arrival  at  Wenas,  it  slowed  down  to 
ascertain  whether  or  not  the  train  on  the  siding 
was  No.  1,302.  Both  the  engineer  and  conductor 
took  the  extra  to  be  that  train,  so  they  resumed 
their  journey  at  the  usual  high  speed.  Their 
mistake  was  discovered  when  at  the  first  sharp 
curve  north  of  the  Naches  bridge,  they  crashed 
into  No.  1,302  with  terrific  force.  The  effect  is 
more  easily  imagined  than  described.  The  head 
engine  of  the  east-bound  exploded;  the  engine 
behind  plowed  through  its  tender,  converting  it 
into  a  mass  of  splinters  and  twisted  iron,  and 
finally  coming  to  rest  with  its  nose  on  top  of  its 
fellow  ahead ;  cars  were  piled  on  each  other  in  the 
utmost  confusion,  the  whole  occupying  a  space 
only  about  three  hundred  feet  long.  The  engine 
of  the  west-bound  was  partly  telescoped  and  had 
its  cab  smashed  into  splinters. 

The  dead  were  T.  R.  Cooper,  engineer  of 
second  No.  54;  Fred  L.  Cantonwine,  fireman; 
the  wounded,  Joseph  J.  Case,  conductor,  left 
wrist  scalded,  head  cut  and  bruised;  B.  B.  Stodd, 
brakeman,  right  leg  broken  in  two  places,  also 
badly  crushed  and  burned;  John  J.  Peters,  brake- 
man,  right  arm  crushed  so  as  to  necessitate 
amputation ;  Matthew  Darcy,  brakeman,  burned 
and  scalded  about  head  and  hands;  Alfred 
Schanno,  fireman,  cut  about  head  and  bruised; 
Budd  Anderson,  cut  about  head  and  bruised. 
Conductor  Chase,  of  the  east-bound,  was  seen 
by  a  newspaper  reporter  and  made  the  following 
statement:  "When  we  came  to  Wenas,  Engineer 
Cooper  looked  out  and  said,  'That's  1,302;  we're 
all  right,'  and  then  pulled  open  the  throttle  and 
let  her  go.  Train  No.  164  signaled  us  the  way 
was  clear  and  we  did  not  stop.  I  suppose  they 
meant  the  way  for  them  was  clear.  Anyhow,  we 
came  on  at  a  thirty-mile  gait,  and  when  the  col- 
lision came,  I  felt  myself  going  through  the  cab. 
That  is  all  I  remember  until  I  found  myself  in 
bed  here.  Who's  to  blame,  I  do  not  know.  We 
had  not  been  notified  that  extra  164  was  on  the 
siding.  If  we  had,  no  doubt  the  collision  would 
have  been  averted."  Conductor  Chase  died  as  a 
result  of  the  accident  while  en  route  to  Missoula, 
Montana.       At    the  investigation,   responsibility 


for  the  accident  was  fixed  upon  him  and  upon 
Engineer  Cooper. 

The  question  of  grazing  sheep  and  cattle  on 
the  Ranier  Forest  Reserve,  a  question  which  had 
recurred  for  several  years  with  each  returning 
season,  was  up  again  in  1902.  Locally  consid- 
ered, this  agitation  might  almost  be  styled  a 
three-cornered  fight,  the  cattle  interests,  the 
sheep  interests  and  the  agricultural  interests 
being  by  the  nature  of  the  case  more  or  less  at 
variance.  In  the  meeting  of  the  North  Yakima 
Commercial  Club  on  the  evening  of  March  4th, 
the  agricultural  interests  asserted  themselves. 
A.  J.  Splawn,  chairman  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee of  the  Yakima  Husbandry  Association, 
who  is  both  a  cattleman  and  a  farmer,  read  a 
lengthy  paper,  in  which  he  argued  that  the  graz- 
ing of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  sheep  on  the 
headwaters  of  the  streams  was  materially  affect- 
ing the  water  supply,  and  that  this  condition  of 
affairs  ought  not  to  continue,  as  the  agricultural 
were  ten-fold  greater  than  the  stock  interests. 
He  offered  a  resolution  asking  the  department  to 
make  a  special  investigation  of  the  matter  and  to 
act  in  accordance  with  the  report  of  a  competent 
expert  in  such  matters.  But  the  body  of  the 
meeting  was  prepared  for  more  radical  action, 
and  by  a  vote  of  eighteen  to  thirteen  it  adopted 
the  following  resolution: 

"Resolved,  That  the  secretary  of  this  club  be 
instructed  to  address  the  secretary  of  the  interior, 
setting  forth  in  his  letter  that  it  is  the  sense  of 
the  Commercial  Club  of  North  Yakima  that  the 
watershed  of  the  Ranier  Forest  Reserve  is  being 
materially  and  permanently  injured  by  the  graz- 
ing of  sheep  and  other  live  stock  in  said  reserve: 
that  such  injury  has  had  and  is  having  the  effect 
of  diminishing  the  flow  of  water  in  the  streams 
which  are  being  used  for  the  purpose  of  irrigat- 
ing the  arid  lands  tributary  to  such  streams  to 
the  permanent  injury  of  the  agricultural  inter- 
ests of  this  section,  and  to  petition  the  secretary 
to  prohibit  the  further  grazing  of  sheep  and 
other  live  stock  in  the  reserve,  and  be  it  resolved 
that  this  resolution  shall  not  apply  or  refer  to 
stock  grazing  in  said  reserve  for  or  during  the 
year  1902,  which  is  not  protested  against." 

Probably  before  knowledge  of  the  action  of 
the  Commercial  Club  reached  the  department  of 
agriculture,  which  by  act  of  congress  had  suc- 
ceeded the  interior  department  in  control  of  some 
matters  connected  with  forest  reservations,  that 
department  sent  out  notice  that  the  number  of 
sheep  to  graze  on  the  reserve  should  not  exceed 
one  hundred  and  seventy-two  thousand.  Super- 
intendent D.  B.  Sheller  met  the  sheepmen  of 
Yakima,  Kittitas  and  Klickitat  counties  on  the 
15th  and  16th  days  of  May  and  adjusted  with 
them  the  apportionment  of  the  grazing  priv- 
ileges. 

In  the  summer  of  1902,  the  county  division 
project  once  more  began   to  be   agitated.       July 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


30th  a  mass-meeting;  was  held  at  Rich's  Hall  in 
Prosser  for  the  purpose  of  considering  the  new- 
county  scheme,  at  which  were  delegations  from 
Mabton,  Sunnyside,  Kiona,  Rattlesnake  and 
Prosser,  the  entire  assemblage  numbering  about 
a  hundred.  Hon.  Nelson  Rich  presided.  A  com- 
mittee, consisting  of  one  delegate  from  each  pre- 
cinct, was  appointed  to  define  the  boundary  lines 
of  the  proposed  new  political  entity,  and  after 
conference,  it  reported  that  the  said  boundaries 
should  be  as  follows: 

Beginning  at  a  point  in  the  middle  of  the 
Columbia  river,  where  the  range  line  between 
twenty-one  and  twenty-two  crosses  the  river; 
thence  north  six  miles  to  the  first  standard  par- 
allel; west  on  first  standard  parallel  to  the  range 
line;  thence  north  on  range  line  between  twenty 
and  twenty-one  to  the  north  line  of  five-twenty ; 
thence  west  on  said  line  to  Pine  creek;  thence 
following  Pine  creek  for  a  natural  boundary  to  a 
point  where  said  Pine  creek  crosses  the  range 
line  between  nineteen  and  twenty;  thence  north 
on  said  line  to  the  south  line  of  the  Yakima 
Indian  reservation;  thence  east  along  said  line  to 
the  range  line  between  twenty  and  twenty-one; 
thence  north  twelve  miles ;  thence  east  two  miles ; 
thence  north  eighteen  miles  to  the  northwest 
corner  of  section  four,  township  eleven,  range 
twenty-one';  thence  east  on  township  line  to  sec- 
tion one,  township  eleven,  range  twenty-three 
east;  thence  north  on  said  line  to  the  Columbia 
river;  thence  down  the  middle  of  the  main  chan- 
nel of  the  Columbia  to  the  point  of  beginning. 

The  committee's  report  was  adopted  with  but 
three  dissenting  votes. 

December  18th  another  county  division  meet- 
ing was  held  at  Odd  Fellows  Hall,  Sunnyside,  of 
which  F.  H.  Gloyd  and  H.  E.  Perrin  were  elected 
president  and  secretary,  respectively.  Forty 
delegates  were  present,  representing  Sunnyside, 
Prosser,  Zillah,  Kiona,  Mabton,  Alder  Creek, 
Rattlesnake,  Patterson  and  Klickitat.  A  com- 
mittee of  attorneys  was  appointed  to  draft  a  bill 
creating  a  new  county  with  boundaries  as  out- 
lined at  the  Prosser  convention,  and  forward  the 
same  to  the  legislature.  A  committee  of  five 
persons  was  also  named  to  prepare  and  circulate 
petitions. 

At  the  last  session  of  the  legislature,  that  of 
1903,  Representative  S.  A.  Wells,  of  Spokane 
county,  chairman  of  the  house  committee  on 
county  organization,  introduced  a  bill  whose 
object  was  the  creation  of  McKinley  county  out 
of  the  eastern  portion  of  Yakima  and  Klickitat 
counties.     The  western  boundary  line  of  the  new 


county  passed  within  three  miles  of  Zillah,  an 
arrangement  that  did  not  meet  the  universal 
approval  of  those  in  the  Sunnyside  country,  who 
wished  to  see  that  section  preserved  intact. 
Therefore,  a  serious  dissension  among  the  new 
county  builders  occurred,  which  aided  the  old 
county  in  its  struggle  against  division  at  this 
time.     The  bill  was  defeated  in  the  house. 

The  year  1902  was  one  of  unqualified  prosper- 
ity and  progress  for  all  classes.  The  hop  crop 
especially  was  excellent,  the  prices  were  high, 
and,  on  the  whole,  the  season  was  more  favorable 
for  this  species  of  agriculture  than  any  in  a  great 
number  of  years.  The  succeeding  twelvemonth 
has  also  been  one  freighted  with  blessings  for  the 
people  of  Yakima  county,  but  it  is  not  necessary 
to  narrate  its  story  in  any  detail.  Already  the 
current  of  this  review  has  been  followed  until  it 
has  led  us  out  of  the  realm  of  history  and  into 
that  of  current  events,  and  the  happenings  of 
recent  months  are  too  fresh  in  the  memory  to 
require  narration  here.  From  the  time  when  the 
first  adventurous  cattle  drovers  entered  its  broad 
valleys  until  the  present  moment,  the  county's 
people  have  moved  with  unresting  feet  in  the 
direction  of  progress.  Misfortunes,  hard  times 
and  isolation  have  been  encountered,  but  their 
effect  has  been  only  to  retard  the  speed  of  the 
forward  march,  never  to  call  a  halt.  The  suc- 
cess of  the  past  gives  earnest  of  the  future,  and 
the  conviction   can   hardly   be   escaped   that  the 

I  Yakima  county  historian  of  a  quarter  of  a  century 
hence  will  have  a  tale  to  tell  immeasurably  more 
marvelous  than  can  be  written  with  truth  at  this 
date.  Great  as  have  been  the  achievements  of 
the  irrigation  promoter  and  "intensive"  farmer, 
the  ambitions  of  the  people  have  not  yet  begun 
to  be  satisfied.  Splendid  canals,  miles  in  length 
and  carrying  fertility  and  verdure  to  thousands 
of  acres  of  the  quondam  sun-scorched  and  sage- 
clad  desert,  are  already  accomplished  facts,  but 
they  are  small  compared  with  those  which  the 
ambitions  of  the  people  have  led  them  to  project; 
the  railroad  is  here,  but  it  has  not  completely 
overcome  the  primeval  isolation,  and  schemes  for 
networking  this  and  neighboring  counties  with 
electric  and  steam  railways  are  in  the  air.  The 
people  have  proven  that  they  possess  the  ability 
to  perform  as  well  as  to  plan,  and  we  may  rea- 
sonably expect  that  a  sufficient  numer  of  their 
bold  projects  will  materialize  to  insure  to  the  most 
populous  county  of  central  Washington  and  to 
its  neighbors  on  every  side  a  development  com- 
prehensive in  scope,  many-sided  in  character  and 

]  high  indeed  in  degree. 


CHAPTER  V. 


POLITICAL. 


The  early  political  history  of  Yakima  county 
is  in  a  great  degree  veiled  in  obscurity,  owing  to 
the  total  loss  of  the  county  records  for  the  years 
preceding  1882  through  fire  in  that  year.  Con- 
sequently a  table  of  election  returns,  nearly  com- 
plete, compiled  at  the  secretary  of  state's  office, 
together  with  a  few  notes  relating  to  early  polit- 
ical events,  is  all  that  can  be  here  given  of  the 
political  history  of  that  period.  The  vote  in  all 
instances  has  been  copied  directly  from  the 
records  or  published  official  proceedings. 

Yakima  county  was  called  into  existence  as  a 
political  body  by  an  act  of  the  territorial  legisla- 
ture approved  January  21,  1S65.  By  this  act, 
Charles  Splawn,  William  Parker  and  J.  H.  Wil- 
bur were  appointed  county  commissioners;  Gil- 
bert Pell,  sheriff;  William  Wright,  auditor,  and 
F.  M.  Thorp,  treasurer.  The  county  seat  was 
temporarily  located  at  the  home  of  Auditor 
Wright.  For  judicial  and  legislative  purposes 
the  new  county  was  attached  to  Stevens  county. 
There  is  hardly  a  precinct  to-day  that  does  not 
contain  more  voters  than  did  the  county  in  1865, 
at  the  time  it  was  organized,  but  so  isolated  was 
the  little  Yakima  river  settlement  from  its  seat 
of  local  government  that  the  formation  of  a  new 
and  more  convenient  government  was  impera- 
tive. So  far  as  can  be  learned,  the  officers 
named  in  the  creating  act  accomplished  little  or 
nothing,  being  succeeded  almost  immediately  by 
a  new  set  of  officers  appointed  by  the  governor, 
who  visited  Yakima  in  person.  Charles  A. 
Splawn  became  sheriff;  J.  W.  Grant,  auditor; 
E.  W.  Lyons*,  treasurer,  and  F.  M.  Thorp,  C.  P. 
Cooke  and  Alfred  Henson,  commissioners.  All 
were  Democrats,  as  were  in  fact  a  majority  of  the 
population.  The  county  was  too  poor  to  erect  a 
courthouse,  so  all  official  business  was  transacted 
at  the  home  of  Mr.  Thorp  in  the  Moxee.  When 
it  was  necessary  to  hold  court,  the  judge  sat  in 
the  little  log  schoolhouse  on  the  Thorp  place. 

June  3,  1867,  was  the  date  of  the  first  election 
held  in  the  county.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  highest  vote  cast,  that  for  delegate,  was  only 
forty-four,  while  the  average  was  much  lower. 
John  P.  Mattoon,  then  employed  at  the  Yakima 
agency  at  Fort  Simcoe,  says  that  in  1867  he  and 
seven  others  came  down '  from  the  agency  to 
James  H.  Henderson's  place  on  the  Ahtanum  to 
vote.     There  were  only  nine  or  ten  voters  in  the 


precinct.  However,  at  the  polls  the  reservation 
men  were  stopped  by  the  election  officers,  who 
refused  to  allow  them  to  vote  for  any  officer  ex- 
cept delegate  on  the  ground  that  the  reservation 
was  in  Klickitat  county.  Subsequently,  says 
Mr.  Mattoon,  the  sheiiff-assessor  attempted  to 
collect  taxes  at  the  agency,  whereupon  those  who 
were  refused  the  privilege  of  voting  for  county 
officers  refused  the  county  their  assistance  in  a 
financial  way. 

The  vote  was  as  follows:  For  delegate  to 
congress,  Frank  Clark,  Democrat,  25,  Alvin 
Flanders,  Republican,  19;  joint  councilman,  A.  G. 
Tripp,  Republican,  17;  joint  representative,  with 
Klickitat,  F.  M.  Thorp,  Democrat,  21,  William 
Taylor,  Republican,  1 7 ;  district  attorney,  Frank 
Dugan,  Democrat,  21,  Sheldon  Fargo,  Republi- 
can, 8;  probate  judge,  John  Davis,  Democrat,  27; 
county  commissioners,  Alfred  Henson,  G.  W.  L. 
Allen  and  Thomas  Goodwin,  Democrats,  23,  24 
and  26  votes  respectively;  auditor,  J.  W.  Grant, 
Democrat,  24;  sheriff,  Charles  A.  Splawn,  Dem- 
ocrat, 22,  Joseph  Bowser,  Independent,  2;  as- 
sessor, John  Lindsey,  Democrat,  24;  treasurer, 
E.  W.  Lyons,  Democrat,  23;  school  superintend- 
ent, S.  C.  Taylor,  Democrat,  23;  coroner,  Henry 
Davis,  Democrat,  23. 

The  Democrats  retained  their  control  at  the 
succeeding  election,  placing  in  office  whomsoever 
they  chose.  Unfortunately,  not  a  written  record 
concerning  this  election  can  be  found  in  either 
the  county  or  state  archives,  except  the  canvass 
of  the  votes  cast  for  delegate,  which  shows  that 
Yakima  county  gave  M.  F.  Moore,  Democrat,  45 
votes,  and  S.  Garfield,  Republican,  25  votes. 

In  the  spring  of  1868  F.  M.  Thorp  and  his 
family  followed  C.  A.  Splawn  into  the  Kittitas 
valley.  One  of  the  results  of  Mr.  Thorp's  change 
of  residence  was  the  removal  of  the  count}'  seat 
to  the  home  of  C.  P.  Cooke,  also  living  in  the 
Moxee.  There  it  remained  until  the  election  of 
1870,  when  it  was  permanently  located,  at  least 
for  sixteen  years,  at  Yakima  City.  There  were 
four  aspirants  for  the  honor,  namely,  Selah, 
Flint's  store,  Kittitas  valley  and  a  place  desig- 
nated in  the  state  records  as  "Mount  Ottawa. " 
How  this  name  got  into  the  records  is  unknown, 
as  the  oldest  pioneers  do  not  remember  that 
Yakima  City  or  any  other  point  was  ever  known 
by  this  appellation.       Mount  Ottawa,  or  Yakima 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


199 


City,  received  89  votes,  Flint's  store  20,  Selah 
18  and  Kittitas  valley  3.  That  residents  of  this 
county  were  not  favorably  disposed  toward  early 
statehood  for  the  territory  may  be  inferred  from 
the  fact  that  the  proposition  to  hold  a  constitu- 
tional convention  received  only  5  votes,  while  97 
were  cast  against  it. 

The  vote  cast  at  the  election  held  June  6, 
1S70,  is  given  below: 

Delegate  to  congress,  James  D.  Mix,  Demo- 
crat, 71,  S.  Garfield,  Republican,  60;  prosecuting 
attorney,  N.  T.  Caton,  Democrat,  69;  joint  coun- 
cilman, S.  B.  Curtis,  Republican,  64,  E.  S. 
Joslyn,  Democrat,  56;  joint  representative,  with 
Klickitat,  H.  V.  Harper,  Democrat,  69,  Henry 
D.  Cock,  Republican,  55;  probate  judge,  Alfred 
Henson,  Democrat,  65,  A.  M.  Miller,  Republican, 
57;  county  commissioners,  John  Beck,  George 
Taylor,  C.  P.  Cooke,  Democrats,  57,  68  and  75 
votes  respectively,  P.  S.  Flint,  A.  W.  Bull,  J.  B. 
Nelson,  Republicans,  59,  64  and  48  votes  respect- 
ively; auditor,  G.  W.  Parish,  Democrat,  58, 
H.  M.  Benton,  Republican,  64;  sheriff,  G.  W. 
Goodwin,  Democrat,  58,  Thomas  Pierce,  Repub- 
lican 67;  treasurer,  E.  W.  Lyons,  Democrat,  65, 
J.  P.  Mattoon,  Republican,  52;  assessor,  William 
Lindsey,  Democrat,  65,  Charles  Harper,  Repub- 
lican, 60;  surveyor,  C.  S.  Irby,  Democrat,  63; 
school  superintendent,  C.  P.  Cooke,  Democrat, 
66,  Charles  Reed,  Republican,  55 ;  coroner,  P. 
Crosno,  Democrat,  64,  David  Heaton,  Republi- 
can,  56. 

The  election  records  for  1872  are  also  incom- 
plete, the  only  returns  found  being  as  follows: 
Delegate  to  congress,  S.  Garfield,  Republican, 
129,  O.  B.  McFadden,  Democrat,  122;  joint  coun- 
cilman, R.  O.  Dunbar,  Republican,  154,  B.  F. 
Shaw,  Democrat,  74,  G.  Wyche,  9;  joint  repre- 
sentative, with  Klickitat,  C.  P.  Cooke,  Democrat, 
170,  R.  Whitney,  Republican,  73,  Cooke  being 
elected;  district  attorney,  T.  J.  Anders,  Republi- 
can, 139,  J.  D.  Mix,  Democrat,  108.  Of  the 
county  officers  elected,  it  is  reasonably  certain 
that  Charles  Eaton,  George  S.  Taylor  and  A.  W. 
Bull  were  chosen  commissioners,  Thomas  Pierce, 
sheriff,  and  J.  P.  Marks,   school  superintendent. 

The  first  campaign  of  more  than  ordinary 
interest  in  Yakima  county  was  that  of  1S74.  In 
that  year  the  struggle  centered  around  the  office 
of  auditor,  for  which  there  were  two  candidates, 
H.  M.  Benton  and  Edward  Whitson.  Both  were 
Republicans,  Benton  being  the  regular  party 
nominee.  The  other  faction  of  the  Republican 
party,  at  the  county  convention  held  at  Yakima 
City,  avowed  that  segregation  was  the  only 
means  of  escaping  ring  domination,  and  accord- 
ingly nominated  a  partial  ticket,  including 
Edward  Whitson,  a  rising  young  lawyer  whose 
home  was  in  the  Kittitas  valley,  for  auditor.  The 
new  party  called  itself  the  People's  party,  which, 
however,  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  the  Pop- 
ulist organization  of  later  years.       Many  Demo- 


crats allied  themselves  with  the  People's  party 
during  this  election.     The  vote  was  as  follows: 

For  delegate  to  congress,  Orange  Jacobs, 
Republican,  203,  B.  L.  Sharpstein,  Democrat, 
82;  joint  councilman,  B.  F.  Shaw,  Democrat, 
127,  S.  P.  McDonald,  Republican,  84,  J.  V. 
Odell,  1 ;  representative,  C.  P.  Cooke,  Democrat, 

186,  D.  J.  Schnebly,  Republican,  100;  district 
attorney,  J.  Y.  Odell,  Democrat,  129,  T.  J.  An- 
ders, Republican,  109;  county  commissioners, 
J.  A.  Flint,  R.  Wallace,  People's  party,  24  and 
72  votes  respecively,  James  Simmons,  J.  B.  Dic- 
kerson,  Republicans,  95  and  181  respectively, 
Charles  Walker,  P.  J.  Flint  and  C.  H.  Eaton, 
Democrats,  224,  209  and  3S  votes  respectively ; 
sheriff,  William  Lewis,  Republican,  127,  L.  L. 
Thorp,  Democrat,  119;  assessor,  J.  J.  Burch, 
Democrat,  154;  treasurer,  T.  M.  Anslan,  Repub- 
lican, 89,  E.  P.  Boyls,  Democrat,  199;  auditor, 
Edward  Whitson,  People's  party,  179,  H.  M. 
Benton,  Republican,  109;  school  superintendent, 
J.  O.  Clark,  Republican,  167,  T.  S.  Meade,  Dem- 
ocrat, 113;  probate  judge,  J.  R.  Filkin,  Democrat, 

187,  J.  W.  Stevenson,  People's  party,  45,  J.  B. 
Nelson,  Republican,  45 ;  coroner,  J.  W.  Allen, 
Republican,  271;  surveyor,  C.  A.  Wilcox,  Demo- 
crat, 195;  for  constitutional  convention,  22; 
against,  41. 

From  the  following  official  summary  of  the 
election  returns  in  1876,  the  date  of  the  election 
being  Novemer  7th,  the  candidates  successful  in 
the  county  may  be  determined: 

For  delegate  to  congress,  Orange  Jacobs, 
Republican,  169,  John  P.  Judson,  Democrat, 
109;  joint  councilman,  Levi  Farnsworth,  Repub- 
lican, 212,  H.  Knapp,  Democrat,  21,  M.  R.  Hath- 
away, 10;  prosecuting  attorney,  T.  J.  Anders, 
Republican,  140,  N.  T.  Caton,  Democrat,  83; 
representative,  Edward  Whitson,  Republican, 
133,  S.  T.  Sterling,  Democrat,  114,  T.  B.  Barnes, 
22;  county  commissioners,  J.  P.  Sharp,  S.  Chap- 
pell,  J.  E.  Bates,  J.  J.  Lewis,  Republicans,  146, 
127,  88  and  124  votes  respectively,  David  Long- 
mire,  Charles  Eaton,  A.  J.  McDaniel  and  C.  P. 
Cooke,  Democrats,  122,  42,  23  and  45  votes 
respectively,  E.  Bird,  94,  scattering,  7;  sheriff 
and  assessor,  J.  J.  Burch,  Democrat,  119,  George 
Carpenter,  Republican,  9,  J.  K.  Milligan,  Inde- 
pendent, 133;  auditor,  J.  W.  Masters,  Republi- 
can, 151,  G.  W.  Parish,  Democrat,  no,  J.  A. 
Splawn,  17;  treasurer,  A.  J.  Pratt,  Republican, 
125,  G.  W.  Carey,  Democrat,  117,  W.  Lyons,  13; 
probate  judge,  James  Kesling,  Republican,  126, 
I.  H.  Brooks,  Democrat,  100,  Charles  Splawn, 
39;  school  superintendent,  J.  P.  Marks,  Republi- 
can, 133,  J.  W.  Beck,  Democrat,  104,  Charles 
O'Neal,  2S;  surveyor,  C.  A.  Wilcox,  Democrat, 
149,  R.  Beck,  Republican,  115;  coroner,  James 
W.  Allen,  Republican,  224;  for  the  constitution, 
44;  against,  r.  At  this  election  C.  P.  Headley, 
Joseph  Schanno,  John  R.  Filkin,  James  Bates 
and    I.    B.    Brush    were    elected    justices   of   the 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


peace,  and  W.  P.  Crosno,  John  Tigard,  G.  W. 
McGlothlen,  David  Roland  and  J.  Houser,  con- 
stables. 

November  5th  was  the  date  of  the  187S  elec- 
tion, the  vote  being  as  follows: 

For  delegate  to  congress,  Thomas  H.  Brents, 
Republican,  212,  N.  T.  Caton,  Democrat,  20S, 
showing  that  in  national  politics  the  county's 
population  was  quite  evenly  divided;  brigadier- 
general,  John  H.  Smith,  Republican,  201,  George 
W.  Hunter,  Democrat,  100;  adjutant-general,  A. 
Glovah,  Republican,  201,  J.  R.  Odell,  Democrat, 
99;  commissary-general,  D.  W.  Smith,  Republi- 
can, 198,  J.  S.  Walker,  Democrat,  101 ;  quar.ter- 
master-general,  F.  W.  Sparling,  Repulican,  201, 
C.  D.  Emery,  Democrat,  49,  O.  F.  Gerrish,  27; 
prosecuting  attorney,  W.  G.  Langford,  Republi- 
can, 220,  R.  F.  Sturdevant,  Democrat,  192;  joint 
councilman,  R.  O.  Dunbar,  Republican,  209, 
Hiram  Dustin,  Democrat,  201  (elected);  repre- 
sentative, Captain  Levi  Farnsworth,  Republican, 
222,  C.  P.  Cooke,  Democrat,  183;  probate  judge, 
James  Kesling,  Republican,  99,  L.  H.  Brooks, 
Democrat,  160,  Joseph  Schanno,  Independent, 
149;  auditor,  J.  W.  Masters,  Republican,  245, 
G.  J.  Gervais,  Democrat,  160;  sheriff  and  assessor; 
J.  O.  Clark,  Republican,  119,  F.  D.  Schnebty, 
Democrat,  221,  Moses  Splawn,  70;  commission- 
ers, first  district,  J.  R.  Filkin,  Republican,  131, 
David  Longmire,  Democrat,  276,  second  district, 
R.  N.  Cannady,  Republican,  168,  A.  A.  Meade, 
Democrat,  244,  third  district,  S.  Chappell,  Repub- 
lican, 186,  A.  J.  McDaniel,  Democrat,  215;  treas- 
urer, A.  J.  Pratt,  Republican,  237,  J.  A.  Splawn, 
Democrat,  172;  school  superintendent,  William 
Caps,  Republican,  198,  G.  W.  Parish,  Democrat, 
205;  coroner,  C.  J.  Taft,  Republican,  194,  A.  J. 
McKinsey,  Democrat,  210;  surveyor,  Levi  Farns- 
worth, Republican,  302,  scattering,  8;  for  consti- 
tution, 210,  against,  90.  J.  W.  Beck  was  elected 
justice  of  the  peace  in  Yakima  precinct,  G.  W. 
McGlothlen  in  Selah  precinct,  George  Parish  in 
West  Kittitas,  and  F.  M.  Streamer  in  East  Kit- 
titas. 

Beginning  with  187S  the  growth  of  the  coun- 
ty's population  was  very  rapid,  as  will  be  seen 
from  the  votes  cast.  In  1878  there  were  420 
votes  cast  for  delegate;  in  1880  there  were  595,  a 
gain  of  nearly  30  per  cent,  in  two  years.  No 
unusual  incidents  marked  the  latter  election, 
national  issues  overshadowing,  even  though  the 
voters  were  denied  a  voice  in  national  govern- 
ment. November  5th,  the  election  was  held, 
the  vote  cast  on  that  day  being  as  follows: 

For  delegate,  Thomas  Burke,  Democrat,  284, 
Thomas  H.  Brents,  Republican,  311 ;  brigadier- 
general,  James  McAuliff,  Democrat,  274,  G.  W. 
Tibbitts,  Republican,  320;  quartermaster-gen- 
eral, J.  W.Bomer,  Democrat.  274,  R.  G.  O'Brien, 
Republican,  315;  commissary-general,  James 
W.  Hunt,  Democrat,  279.  A.  K.  Bush,  Republi- 
can, 317;  adjutant-general,  F.  Guttenberg,  Dem- 


ocrat, 281,  M.  R.  Hathaway,  Republican,  313; 
member  board  of  equalization,  first  district, 
George  W.  Goodwin,  Democrat,  326,  F.  C.  Frary, 
Republican,  260;  joint  councilman,  William 
Bigham,  Democrat,  270,  J.  W.  Greden,  Republi- 
can, 308;  representative,  George  S.  Taylor,  Dem- 
ocrat, 315,  John  A.  Shoudy,  Republican,  259; 
prosecuting  attorney,  E.  P.  Boyls,  Democrat. 
234,  D.  P.  Ballard,  Republican,  332;  probate 
judge,  L.  H.  Brooks,  Democrat,  298,  D.  W.  Stair, 
Republican,  2S8;  auditor,  W.  M.  Ross,  Democrat, 
238,  S.  T.  Munson,  Republican,  354;  sheriff  and 
assessor,  F.  D.  Schnebly,  Democrat,  297,  David 
Lesh,  Republican,  284;  treasurer,  G.  J.  Gervais, 
Democrat,  296,  G.  W.  Carey,  Democrat,  284; 
commissioners,  second  district,  F.  M.  Thorp, 
Democrat,  118,  W.  G.  Douglass,  Republican,  196, 
Robert  Dunn,  Republican,  127,  A.  J.  McDaniel, 
Democrat,  103,  third  district,  F.  M.  Thorp,  94, 
W.  G.  Douglass,  145,  Robert  Dunn,  177,  A.  J. 
McDaniel,  180;  school  superintendent,  W.  H. 
Peterson,  Democrat,  351,  J.  O.  Clark,  Republi- 
can, 236;  surveyor,  J.  L.  McGinnis,  Democrat, 
217,  J.  A.  Navarre,  Republican,  365;  sheep  com- 
missioner, Charles  Longmire,  Democrat,  278,  M. 
Beeker,  Republican,  311;  coroner,  C.  Schnebly, 
Democrat,  266,  C.  J.  Taft,  Republican,  318. 

On  March  31,  1882,  the  county  building  at 
Yakima  City  was  destroyed  by  fire,  burning  the 
archives  which  had  been  accumulating  there  for 
a  decade  and  a  half.  Except  a  few  odd  and 
unimportant  reports,  every  record  was  devoured 
by  the  flames,  entailing  a  loss  upon  the  county 
which  can  never  be  repaired.  The  county  im- 
mediately began  work  upon  a  new  and  larger 
courthouse,  which  was  completed  in  due  time  and 
which  does  service  to-day. 

At  their  meeting  August  9,  1882,  the  county 
commissioners  laid  out  the  county  into  three 
commissioners'  districts,  as  follows: 

No.  1. — Commencing  at  a  point  at  the  mouth 
of  the  Ahtanum  creek;  thence  running  up  said 
creek  to  its  head,  thence  in  a  westerly  course  to 
the  county  line,  thence  north  along  said  county 
line  to  a  point  due  west  from  the  summit  of  the 
dividing  ridge  between  Wenas  and  Umptanum 
creeks,  thence  easterly  to  said  dividing  ridge, 
thence  along  said  ridge  in  an  easterly  direction 
to  the  Yakima  river,  thence  down  said  river  to 
the  place  of  beginning. 

No.  2. — Commencing  at  a  point  where  the 
north  line  of  district  No.  1  intersects  the  Yakima 
river  near  Squaw  creek,  thence  up  said  creek  to 
the  summit  of  the  mountain,  thence  in  an  easterly 
course  to  the  head  of  Priest  rapids  on  the  Colum- 
bia river,  thence  up  said  river  to  the  north  bound- 
ary of  Yakima  county,  thence  west  along  said 
boundary  line  to  a  point  due  west  of  the  dividing 
ridge  between  Wenas  and  Umptanum  creeks, 
thence  easterly  to  said  dividing  ridge,  thence 
along  said  dividing  ridge  in  an  easterly  course 
to  the  place  of  beginning. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


No.  3.— All  of  the  county  not  included  in  dis- 
tricts No.  1   and  No.  2. 

At  this  same  session  of  the  county  court  grand 
jurors  and  petit  jurors  were  drawn  as  follows: 
Grand,  A.  D.  Eglin,  J.  C.  Ellison,  Daniel  Fish, 
Robert  Fleming,  P.  J.  Flint,  S.  R.  Geddis,  Fish 
Canthorn,  C.  P.  Cooke,  L.  L.  Thorp,  William 
Masters,  David  Murry,  G.  S.  Taylor,.  William 
Liptrap,  Joseph  Bartholet,  Joseph  Bowser,  T. 
Haley,  J.  H.  Carpenter,  R.  M.  Canady,  L.  Pool, 
Charles  Harper,  H.  M.  Bryant,  J.  Jenson,  J.  P. 
Mattoon,  W.  M.  Ross;  petit,  C.  B.  Reed,  K. 
Bales,  Mat.  Bartholet,  G.  W.  Cary,  C.  C.  Cole- 
man, C.  M.  Duncan,  James  Eglin,  S.  S.  Foster, 
T.  B.  Goodwin,  D.  Heaton,  A.  J.  Hodges,  John 
Miller,  Jock  Morgan,  John  Nelson,  Thomas 
Kelly,  Charles  McGlothlen,  Charles  Longmire, 
A.  J.  Burge,  E.  E.  Burge,  E.  E.  Butler,  N. 
Hecox,  D.  Sinclair,  J.  P.  Marks,  W.  L.  Stabler, 
Josiah  Wiley,  J.  W.  Masters. 

In  1882  the  county  was  divided  into  twelve 
precincts,  which,  together  with  the  name  of  the 
voting  place  in  each,  are  herewith  given:  Horn, 
James  Baxster's  residence;  Parker,  schoolhouse; 
Yakima  City,  courthouse;  Ahtanum,  Marks' 
schoolhouse;  Cowiche,  old  schoolhouse;  Wenas, 
schoolhouse;  West  Kittitas,  Packwood  school- 
house;  East  Kittitas,  Ellensburg;  Peshastin, 
Lockwood  &  Cooper's;  Simcoe,  agency;  Alder 
creek,  Beckner's  schoolhouse;  Moxee,  Charles 
Splawn's  house.  The  only  record  of  the  election 
of  1882  which  we  have  found  shows  only  the  vote 
for  territorial  officers.  By  these  returns  Thomas 
Burke,  Democratic  candidate  for  delegate,  is 
credited  with  301  votes,  Thomas  H.  Brents, 
Republican,  with  478;  Samuel  Vinson,  Democrat, 
for  brigadier-general,  358,  M.  A.  McPherson, 
Republican,  400;  W.  A.  Wash,  Democrat,  for 
commissary-general,  350,  C.  B.  Hopkins,  Repub- 
lican, 447 ;  D.  W.  Bomer,  Democrat,  for  quarter- 
master-general, 327,  J.  H.  Smith,  Republican, 
459;  L.  S.  Debeau,  Democrat,  for  adjutant-gen- 
eral, 322,  R.  G.  O'Brien,  Republican,  457;  D.  P. 
Ballard,  Democrat,  for  district  attorney,  264,  R. 
O.  Dunbar,  Republican,  430.  The  legislative 
campaign  was  waged  on  the  issue  of  division,  the 
Kittitas  valley  deeming  itself  now  strong  enough 
to  support  a  local  government  and  demanding 
segregation.  John  A.  Shoudy,  of  Ellensburg, 
received .  the  Republican  nomination  and  was 
elected.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  carried  out  his 
pledge  and  succeeded  in  securing  the  creation  of 
Kittitas  county.  The  county  officers  elected  to 
serve  Yakima  in  1S82  were:  Commissioners, 
J.  W.  Masters,  David  Murray,  S.  R.  Geddis, 
Republicans;  sheriff-assessor,  J.  J.  Tyler,  Re- 
publican; treasurer,  John  A.  Splawn,  Democrat; 
probate  judge,  1.  A.  Navarre,  Republican;  audi- 
tor, S.  T.  Munson,  Republican;  surveyor,  T.  H. 
Look,  Republican;  sheep  commissioner,  A.  D. 
Eglin,  Republican. 

Commissioner    Goodwin    resigned    his    office 


February  7,  1884,  and  S.  R.  Geddis  was  taken 
outside  of  Yakima  county  by  the  creation  of  Kit- 
titas county.  They  were  succeeded  by  M.  M. 
Adams  and  H.  H.  Allen. 

The  whole  territory  was  aroused  in  1884  by 
an  agitation  of  no  small  proportions  which  had 
for  its  purpose  the  cancellation  of  unearned 
Northern  Pacific  land  grants.  After  a  vexatious 
delay  of  many  years  the  Northern  Pacific  had,  in 
1883,  commenced  work  upon  its  Cascade  branch, 
but  there  were  still  many  hundreds  of  miles  of 
unbuilt  road  for  which  an  imperial  domain  had 
been  granted  the  company.  Stirred  by  thoughts 
that  a  monstrous  wrong  was  being  inflicted  upon 
the  people  by  the  Northern  Pacific  corporation, 
a  powerful  anti-railroad  party  sprang  up,  which 
seriously  upset  party  lines  in  1884  and  in  1886 
also.  In  Yakima  county  J.  M.  Adams,  editor  of 
the  Signal  and  afterwards  editor  of  the  Spokane 
Review,  led  the  Anti- Monopoly  party.  Upon 
the  occasion  of  the  Republican  county  convention, 
held  August  23d  at  Yakima  City,  for  the  purpose 
of  nominating  delegates  to  the  territorial  conven- 
tion, a  bloody  affray  was  narrowly  averted.  One 
wing  of  the  party  wished  to  nominate  Anti-Mon- 
opolist delegates;  the  other  refused,  whereupon 
hot  words  ensued.  The  prompt  services  of 
Sheriff  Tyler  prevented  a  physical  collision,  and 
the  two  factions  finally  agreed  to  occupy  the  hall 
in  peace  and  each  nominate  a  ticket.  At  the  ter- 
ritorial convention  contests  were  inaugurated  by 
the  two  factions  for  seats,  which  resulted  in  the 
defeat  of  the  Anti-Monopolist  delegates.  The 
Democrats  nominated  Voorhees  upon  an  Anti- 
Monopolist  ticket.  Of  the  41,858  votes  cast  for 
delegate  that  fall,  Voorhees,  Democrat,  received 
20,995,  Armstrong,  Republican,  20,747,  scatter- 
ing, 16,  giving  the  office  to  Voorhees.  Of  this 
vote,  fully  10,000  were  cast  by  women.  In  Yaki- 
ma county  the  vote  cast  was  as  follows: 

For  delegate,  J.  M.  Armstrong,  Republican, 
448,  C.  S.  Voorhees,  Democrat,  582;  brigadier- 
general,  W.  M.  Peel,  Republican,  489,  J.  Mc- 
Auliff,  Democrat,  541;  adjutant-general,  R.  G. 
O'Brien,  Republican,  496,  William  E.  Anderson, 
Democrat,  536;  quartermaster-general,  D.  B. 
Jackson,  Republican, -491,  Frank  Harris,  Demo- 
crat, 540;  commissary-general,  H.  W.  Living- 
ston, Republican,  488,  Simon  Berg,  Democrat, 
540;  prosecuting  attorney,  S.  Smith,  Republican, 
326,  Hiram  Dustin,  Democrat,  694;  joint  council- 
man, John  A.  Shoudy,  of  Kittitas,  Republican, 
316,  J.  B.  Reavis,  of  Yakima,  Democrat,  682, 
Reavis  being  elected;  joint  representative,  W.  L. 
Stabler,  Yakima,  Republican,  466,  C.  P.  Cooke, 
Kittitas,  Democrat,  567,  Cooke  being  elected; 
sheriff,  J.  J.  Tyler,  Republican,  521,  J.  H.  Conrad, 
Democrat.  485;  auditor,  S.  T.  Munson,  Republi- 
can, 560,  J-  H.  Morrison,  Democrat,  461;  treas- 
urer, Charles  E.  McEwen,  Republican,  370,  J.  A. 
Splawn,  Democrat,  648;  probate  judge,  Edward 
Pruyn,  Republican,  455,  L.  H.  Brooks,  Democrat, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


566;  school  superintendent,  Ella  S.  Stair,  Repub- 
lican, 505,  W.  F.  Jones,  Democrat,  508;  surveyor, 
I.  A.  Navarre,  Republican,  389,  C.  F.  Reardon, 
Democrat,  619.  Mr.  Munson,  auditor-elect,  died 
before  taking  office,  and  the  vacancy  was  filled 
by  Kate  W.  Feuerbach,  appointed  by  the  board 
of  county  commissioners.  John  Cowan  was 
appointed  sheep  commissioner  by  the  board  in 
February,  1885.  The  vote  for  county  commis- 
sioners is  missing,  but  the  records  show  that  John 
M.  Young,  L.  N.  Rice  and  P.  J.  Flint  were 
elected.  Young  resigned  in  May,  18S5,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Ira  Van  Ant  Werp;  Rice  resigned 
in  August,  1886,  and  was  succeeded  by  John 
W.  Brice.  In  1886,  also,  Sheriff  Tyler,  resigned, 
was  succeeded  by  F.  T.  Parker,  and  Ross  Elliot 
was  appointed  surveyor  to  fill  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  resignation  of  Navarre. 

By  18S6  the  anti-railroad  agitation  had  nearly 
died  out,  though  the  effect  of  it  upon  Yakima 
county  politics  was  very  noticeable  for  many 
years  afterward,  owing  principally  to  the  fact 
that  it  was  here  the  movement  really  started  and 
here  it  was  the  strongest.  Local  politics  were 
considerably  stirred  by  the  entrance  into  the  field 
of  a  number  of  independent  or  factional  candi- 
dates; also  by  the  hard  feelings  engendered  by 
the  removal  of  the  county  seat  from  Yakima  City 
to  North  Yakima  in  that  year.  The  removal 
was  accomplished  by  an  act  of  the  legislature, 
approved  by  Governor  Squires  January  9th.  The 
official  vote  was  as  follows: 

For  delegate  to  congress,  C.  M.  Bradshaw, 
Republican,  359,  C.  S.  Voorhees,  Democrat,  667; 
brigadier-general,  George  D.  Hill,  Republican, 
417;  adjutant-general,  R.  G.  O'Brien,  Republi- 
can, 414;  quartermaster-general,  D.  G.  Lovell, 
Republican,  417;  commissary-general,  W.  C.  Ells- 
worth, Republican,  417;  joint  councilman,  S.  A. 
Wells,  Republican,  386,  C.  P.  Cooke,  Democrat, 
633,  elected;  representative,  T.  J.  V.  Clarke, 
Republican,  405,  G.  W.  Goodwin,  Democrat,  590; 
prosecuting  attorney,  C.  B.  Graves,  Republican, 
408,  H.  J.  Snively,  Democrat,  615:  sheriff,  D.  E. 
Lesh,  Republican,  471,  J.  H.  Conrad,  Democrat, 
418,  F.  T.  Parker,  Independent,  130;  auditor, 
W.  F.  Prosser,  Republican,  549,  Oscar  Van- 
syckle,  Democrat,  465 ;  treasurer,  W.  C.  Chap- 
man, Republican,  294,  J.  A.  Splawn,  Democrat, 
675,  J.  C.  McCrimmon,  independent,  55;  probate 
judge,  S.  C.  Morford,  Republican,  451,  J.  G. 
Evans,  Democrat,  435,  J.  W.  Beck,  Independent, 
132;  school  superintendent,  Mrs.  M.  B.  Curtis, 
Republican,  547,  Annie  Mattoon,  Democrat,  446; 
surveyor,  J.  A.  Leach,  Republican,  547,  P.  D. 
Brooke,  Democrat,  474,  scattering,  17;  coroner, 
C.  J.  Taft,  Republican,  482,  Thomas  McCaus- 
land,  Democrat,  509;  commissioners,  first  dis- 
trict, W.  H.  Lipstrap,  Democrat,  615,  J.  F. 
Sinclair,  Republican,  403,  second  district,  Fenn 
B.  Woodcock,  Republican,  491,  J.  A.  Stephen- 
son,  Democrat,  522;  third  district*    F.  K.  Beard, 


Democrat,  512,  A.  C.  Ketchum,  Republican, 
5°9- 

An  election  held  June  2S,  1886,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  deciding  for  or  against  local  prohibition, 
resulted  in  a  large  affirmative  vote  being  given 
in  the  precincts  of  North  Yakima,  Yakima, 
Wenas  and  White.  No  returns  from  other  pre- 
cincts are  given. 

There  were  no  local  issues  of  importance  in 
1S88,  national  issues  predominating  in  view  of 
the  fact  that  earl)'-  statehood  was  expected  and 
the  territory  wished  to  make  a  strong  showing 
for  the  benefit  of  the  national  parties.  The  terri- 
tory went  Republican  by  a  large  majority.  The 
officers  elected  to  serve  Yakima  county  may  be 
seen  from  the  election  returns  which  follow : 

For  delegate,  John  B.  Allen,  Republican,  461, 
C.  S.  Voorhees,  Democrat,  398,  Roger  S.  Greene, 
Prohibitionist,  51;  brigadier-general,  A.  P. 
Curry,  Republican,  442,  J.  J.  Hunt,  Democrat, 
405,  S.  B.  Voorman,  Prohibitionist,  64:  adjutant- 
general,  R.  G.  O'Brien,  Republican,  439,  H. 
Butler,  Democrat,  405,  H.  Brown,  Prohibitionist, 
65 ;  prosecuting  attorney,  W.  J.  Milroy,  Repub- 
lican, 390,  H.  J.  Snively,  Democrat,  483;  joint 
councilman,  J.  M.  Snow,  Republican,  439 
(elected),  Clay  Fruit,  Democrat,  40S,  H.  C. 
Walters,  Independent,  60;  representative,  I.  A. 
Power,  Republican,  398,  Daniel  Gabe,  Democrat, 
352,  John  W.  Brice,  Independent,  15S; ;  probate 
judge,  D.  W.  Stair,  Republican,  425,  L.  C.  Par- 
rish.  Democrat,  397,  J.  W.  Beck,  Independent, 
87;  sheriff,  D.  E.  Lesh,  Republican,  472,  Joseph 
Stephenson,  Democrat,  377,  F.  T.  Parker,  Inde- 
pendent, 60;  auditor,  Mat.  Bartholet,  Democrat, 
456,  W.  F.  Prosser,  Republican,  3S6,  J.  B.  Chap- 
man, Independent,  67 ;  treasurer,  George  W. 
Cary,  Democrat,  441,  Robert  Dunn,  Republican, 
313,  James  Stewart,  Independent,  155;  surveyor, 
James  Hall,  Republican,  4S3,  T.  H.  Look,  Dem- 
ocrat, 413;  superintendent  of  schools,  Hilda  Eng- 
dahl,  Democrat,  434,  O.  Vaughn,  Republican, 
429;  sheep  commissioner,  Walter  Griffith,  Repub- 
lican, 502,  John  Witzel,  Democrat,  406;  coroner, 
J.  O.  Clark,  Republican,  432,  Thomas  McCaus- 
land,  Democrat,  404;  commissioners,  first  district, 
John  Cleman,  Republican,  437,  E.  W.  R.  Taylor, 
Democrat,  394,  G.  S.  Taylor,  Independent,  79; 
second  district,  H.  D.  Winchester,  Republican, 
425,  opposition  candidate  and  vote  not  given; 
third  district,  J.  M.  Brown,  Republican  415,  H. 
W.  Creason,  Democrat,  415,  M.  B.  Curtis,  Inde- 
pendent, 78.  Brown  was  awarded  the  office  of 
commissioner. 

With  statehood  in  1S89  came  an  additional 
election,  which  was  of  especial  interest  to  resi- 
dents of  Yakima  county  because  of  the  candidacy 
of  their  metropolis  for  the  honor  of  being  state 
capital.  As  this  matter  is  discussed  fully  else- 
where, it  will  not  be  necessary  to  take  it  up  in 
this  chapter.  One  of  Yakima's  honored  citizens, 
Colonel   L.    S.    Howlett,    was  a  very   prominent 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


203 


candidate  before  the  Republican  state  convention 
at  Walla  Walla  for  governor.  He  was  offered 
the  nomination  for  lieutenant-governor,  but 
declined.  The  state  went  Republican  by  from 
9,000  to  11,000  majority.  The  vote  in  this  county 
follows: 

For  congressman,  J.  L.  Wilson,  Republican, 
581,  Thomas  Griffits,  Democrat,  494;  governor, 
E.  P.  Ferry,  Republican,  537,  Eugene  Semple, 
Democrat,  519;  lieutenant-governor,  Charles  E. 
Laughton,  Republican.  558,  L.  H.  Plattor,  Dem- 
ocrat, 485  ;  secretary  of  state,  Allen  Weir,  Repub- 
lican, 539,  W.  H.  Whittlesey,  Democrat,  530; 
auditor,  Thomas  M.  Reed,  Republican,  578,  J.  M. 
Murphy,  Democrat,  485 ;  treasurer,  A.  A.  Lind- 
sey,  Republican,  575,  M.  Kaufman,  Democrat, 
494;  attorney-general,  W.  C.  Jones,  Republican, 
518,  H.  J.  Snively,  Democrat,  547 ;  superintend- 
ent of  public  instruction,  R.  B.  Bryan,  Republi- 
can, 558,  J.  H.  Morgan,  Democrat,  510;  land 
commissioner,   W.    F.    Forrest,   Republican,   583, 

Goodell,   Democrat,    487 ;   supreme   judges, 

R.  O.  Dunbar,  Republican,  584,  W.  D.  White, 
Democrat,  481,  T.  L.  Stiles,  Republican,  503, 
J.  L.  Sharpstein,  Democrat,  492,  E.  P.  Hoyt, 
Republican,  563,  J.  P.  Judson,  Democrat,  482, 
T.  J.  Anders,  Republican,  577,  J.  B.  Reavis, 
Democrat,  483,  E.  D.  Scott,  Republican,  568, 
Frank  Ganahl,  Democrat,  482;  superior  judge, 
C.  B.  Graves,  Republican,  620,  Hiram  Dustin, 
Democrat,  425 ;  joint  senator,  J.  M.  Snow, 
Republican  (elected),  538,  R.  M.  Starr,  Demo- 
crat, 523;  representative,  John  Cleman,  Repub- 
lican, 544,  David  Longmire,  Democrat,  523: 
clerk  of  the  court,  Richard  Strobach,  Democrat, 
491,  Dudley  Eshelman,  Republican,  552;  consti- 
tution, for,  845,  against,  115;  woman  suffrage, 
for,  356,  against,  585;  prohibition,  for,  337, 
against,  589;  state  capital,  North  Yakima,  1,045, 
scattering,  27.  The  total  state  vote  received  by 
North  Yakima  was  14,707,  by  Ellensburg,  12,833, 
and  by  Olympia,  25,488.  The  constitution  was 
adopted  by  a  vote  of  38,394  to  11,895.  The 
woman  suffrage  article  received  16,855  affirma- 
tive votes  and  34,342  negative  votes.  Prohibi- 
tion  was  defeated  by  a  vote  of  31,881  to  19,241. 

The  first  political  club  organized  in  the  county 
of  which  we  have  any  record  was  formed  at  the 
city  hall  in  North  Yakima,  August  19,  1S90,  the 
following  officers  being  chosen:  President,  B.  F. 
Young;  vice-presidents,  W.  L.  Jones,  J.  K. 
Ward,  J.  J.  Chambers,  C.  W.  Henry  and  Wallace 
Wiley;  secretary,  M.  H.  Ellis;  treasurer,  F.  B. 
Lippincott:  executive  committee,  F.  M.  Spain, 
R.  B.  Milroy  and  John  Reed.  The  club  was 
Republican  in  political  faith. 

The  Republican  county  convention  met  at 
North  Yakima,  in  the  courthouse,  September 
20th  following.  A  week  later  the  Democrats  met 
at  the  same  place.  In  strong  contrast  to  the 
platform  of  the  Republicans,  the  Democrats 
adopted   a  platform   favoring  the  making  of  all 


money  issued  full  legal  tender  for  all  debts ;  favor- 
ing the  proposition  that  the  government  loan 
money  at  a  rate  not  exceeding  two  per  centum 
per  annum;  condemning  the  donation  of  large 
tracts  of  public  territory  to  private  corporations; 
favoring  the  choosing  of  president,  vice-presi- 
dent, senators  and  all  other  federal  officers,  where 
practicable,  by  direct  vote  of  the  people;  demand- 
ing that  old  soldiers  be  paid  the  difference 
between  the  depreciated  currency  paid  them  and 
the  price  of  gold  when  so  paid;  upholding  the 
doctrine  of  government  ownership  of  all  public 
utilities,  and  asking  for  a  readjustment  of  rail- 
road rates  in  the  state  of  Washington.  The  cap- 
ital question  not  having  been  decided  in  1S89, 
the  voters  again  voted  for  their  favorite  cities  in 

1890,  Olympia  being  chosen  by  a  vote  of  37,413 
as  against  7, 722.  for  Ellensburg,  and  6,276  for 
North  Yakima.  The  vote  cast  in  this  county  in 
1890  was: 

For  congressman,  Robert  Abernathy,  Prohi- 
bitionist, 40,  John  L.  Wilson,  Republican,  455, 
Thomas  Carroll,  Democrat,  43S;  joint  senator, 
with  Klickitat,  J.  T.  Eshelman,  Democrat,  574, 
D.  W.  Pierce,  Republican,  468,  Eshelman  being 
elected;  representative,  H.'J.  Snively,  Democrat, 
544,  B.  F.  Young,  Republican,  515;  auditor, 
Matthew  Bartholet,  Democrat,  526,  Myron  H. 
Ellis,  Republican,  529;  sheriff,  David  Longmire, 
Democrat,  417,  D.  W.  Simmons,  Republican, 
644;  clerk,  F.  D.  Eshelman,  Democrat,  579, 
D.  W.  Stair,  Republican,  466;  treasurer,  G.  W. 
Cary,  Democral,  475,  G.  O.  Nevin,  Republican, 
561;  assessor,  George  Hull,  Democrat,  495,  E.  A. 
Shannafelt,  Republican,  548;  attorney,  L.  C. 
Parrish,  Democrat,  478,  J.  A.  Rochford,  Repub- 
lican, 566;  superintendent  of  schools,  J.  G.  Law- 
rence, Republican,  647,  Hilda  Engdahl-Meystre, 
Democrat,  3Q2;  surveyor,  J.  T.  Kingsbury,  Dem- 
ocrat, 425,  W.  H.  Redman,  Republican,  620;  cor- 
oner, J.  Jay  Chambers,  Republican,  538,  S.  W. 
Rodman,  Democrat,  490;  commissioners,  first 
district,  H.  W.  Creason,  Democrat,  494,  F. 
Kandle,  Republican,  536,  second  district,  John 
McPhee,  Democrat,  430,  John  Reed,  Republican, 
44S,  third  district,  Nelson  Rich,  Republican,  464, 
Joseph  Stephenson,  Democrat,  539;  sheep  com- 
missioner, S.  J.  Cameron,  Republican,  523,  John" 
Cowan,  Democrat,  471;  state  capital,  North 
Yakima,  949,  Olympia,  30,  Ellensburg,  14. 

A  state  organization  of  the  Knights  of  Labor 
was  effected  at  North  Yakima,   Friday,  July  17, 

1891.  Besides  the  members  of  this  order,  there 
had  gathered  in  the  city  representatives  of  the 
Farmers'  Alliance,  Good  Templars,  trade  unions 
and  kindred  associations,  who  assembled  the  fol- 
lowing afternoon  with  the  Knights  at  Switzer's 
Hall  and  organized  the  People's  party  of  Wash- 
ington. Forty-one  delegates  presented  creden- 
tials. Con  Lynch,  of  King  county,  was  chosen 
chairman,  and  R.  Bridges,  secretary.  The  Cin- 
cinnati   platform    was  indorsed   in   the  platform 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


adopted  by  the  party.  E.  B.  Sutton,  represent- 
ing the  state  Temperance  Alliance,  endeavored 
to  secure  the  adoption  of  woman  suffrage  and 
prohibition  planks,  but  failed.  Thus  was  given 
formal  birth  to  the  powerful  third  party  in  this 
state — -a  party  that  was  destined  to  give  its  two 
older  rivals  a  battle  royal  for  supremacy. 

The  People's  party  was  formally  organized  in 
Yakima  county,  Wednesday,  July  13th,  by  dele- 
gates representing  the  Farmers'  Alliance,  the 
Industrial  Union,  the  Progressive  Alliance  and 
the  Knights  of  Labor.  The  county  convention 
'was  held  at  the  same  time.  In  its  platform,  the 
party  indorsed  and  adopted  the  Omaha  platform, 
and,  among  other  things,  protested  against  the 
"frivolous  and  false  protests  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Land  Company  in  its  efforts  to  defraud 
bona  fide  settlers  out  of  their  rights. "  The  Re- 
publicans held  their  county  convention  Saturday, 
July  30th,  and  the  Democrats  theirs  August  13th. 
The  Democratic  nominee  for  governor  this  year 
was  Honorable  H.  J.  Snively,  one  of  Yakima's 
most  highly  respected  and  popular  citizens,  whose 
nomination  and  campaign  were  an  honor  both  to 
his  home  and  to  himself.  But  the  Republican 
majority  in  the  state  was  too  great  to  be  over- 
come by  any  Democrat,  and  Yakima's  candidate 
went  down  to  defeat  with  his  associates.  The 
official  canvass  of  votes  in  this  county  shows  the 
returns  to  be  as  follows: 

For  president,  Harrison,  630,  Cleveland,  502, 
Weaver,  375;  members  of  congress,  John  L. 
Wilson,  William  H.  Doolittle,  Republicans,  602 
and  601  respectively,  Thomas  Carroll,  James  A. 
Munday,  Democrats,  539  and  518  votes  respect- 
ively, J.  C.  Van  Patton,  M.  F.  Knox,  Populists, 
368  and  361  votes  respectively;  governor,  John 
H.  McGraw,  Republican,  504,  Henry  J.  Snively, 
Democrat,  604,  C.  W.  Young,  Populist,  405, 
Roger  S.  Greene,  Prohibitionist,  23 ;  lieutenant- 
governor,  Frank  H.  Luce,  Republican,  571, 
Henry  C.  Willison,  Democrat,  513,  C.  P.  Twiss, 
Populist,  365,  D.  G.  Strong,  Prohibitionist,  21; 
secretary  of  state,  James  H.  Price,  Republican, 

605,  John  McReavy,  Democrat,  489,  Lyman 
Wood,  Populist,  366,  W.  H.  Gilstrap,  Prohibition- 
ist, 16;  auditor,   Laban   R.    Grimes,   Republican, 

606,  Samuel  Bass,  Democrat,  482,  Charles  C. 
Rudolph,  Populist,  361,  Christian  Carlson,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 14;  treasurer,  O.  A.  Bowen,  Repub- 
lican, 605,  Harrison  Clothier,  Democrat,  485, 
W.  C.  P.  Adams,  Populist,  368,  G.  W.  Stewart, 
Prohibitionist,  16;  attorney-general,  William  C. 
Jones,  Republican,  563,  Richmond  H.  Starr, 
Democrat,  524,  Govnor  Teats,  Populist,  356, 
Everett  Smith,  Prohibitionist,  21;  supreme 
judges,  Thomas  J.  Anders,  Elmon  Scott,  Repub- 
licans, 619  and  593  votes  respectively,  Eugene  K. 
Hanna,  William  H.  Brinker,  Democrats,  494  and 
47 2  votes  respectively,  G.  W.  Gardiner,  Frank  T. 
Reid,  Populists,  341  and  349  votes  respectively ; 
superintendent  of  public  instruction,  Charles  W. 


Bean,  Republican,  592,  John  H.  Morgan,  Demo- 
crat, 495,  John  M.  Smith,  Populist,  350,  W.  M. 
Heiney,  Prohibitionist,  24;  commissioner  of  pub- 
lic lands,  William  T.  Forrest,  Republican,  595, 
Freeborn  S.  Lewis,  Democrat,  483,  T.  M.  Calla- 
way, Populist,  359,  R.  M.  Gibson,  Prohibitionist, 
14;  state  printer,  Oliver  C.  White,  Republican, 
600,  Joseph  A.  Bordon,  Republican,  471,  A.  J. 
Murphy,  Populist,  355,  W.  H.  Boothroyd,  Pro- 
hibitionist, iS;  superior  court  judge,  Carroll  B. 
Graves,  Republican,  6S3,  Frank  H.  Rudkin, 
Democrat,  448,  Lawrence  A.  Vincent,  Populist, 
327;  representative,  A.  B.  Weed,  Republican, 
577,  T.  M.  Vance,  Democrat,  463,  John  W.  Brice, 
Populist,  464;  county  attorney,  J.  A.  Rochford, 
Republican,  801,  John  G.  Boyle,  Populist,  437; 
clerk,  J.  M.  Brown,  Republican,  590,  J.  R.  Coe, 
Democrat,  465,  Robert  L.  Fraker,  Populist,  396; 
auditor,  Myron  H.  Ellis,  Republican,  794,  F.  D. 
Eshelman,  Democrat,  435,  L.  C.  Read,  Populist, 
251;  treasurer,  George  O.  Nevin,  Republican, 
769,  W.  A.  Cox,  Democrat,  494,  Leonard  L. 
Thorp,  Populist,  259;  sheriff,  Daniel  W.  Sim- 
mons, Republican,  949,  J.  T.  Foster,  Democrat, 
263,  Tobias  Beckner,  Populist,  323;  assessor, 
O.  V.  Carpenter,  Republican,  662,  J.  W.  Mor- 
rison, Democrat,  453,  C.  L.  Gano,  Populist,  365  ; 
sheep  commissioner,  Richard  Sisk,  Republican, 
634,  M.  L.  Weston,  Democrat,  467,  Frank  Lafay- 
ette, Populist,  339;  surveyor,  William  H.  Red- 
man, Republican,  759,  Samuel  Storrow,  Demo- 
crat, 397;  superintendent  of  schools,  J.  G.  Law- 
rence, Republican,  711,  William  D.  Ingalls, 
Populist,  31S,  E.  P.  Greene,  Democrat,  452; 
commissioners,  first  district,  Frank  J.  Kandle, 
Republican,  653,  John  McPhee,  Democrat,  466, 
Holt  Calvert,  Populist,  310,  second  district,  J.  H. 
Hubbard,  Republican,  575,  Joseph  Stephenson, 
Democrat,  560,  J.  P.  Marks,  Populist,  338,  third 
district,  W.  A.  Kelso,  Republican,  565,  H.  W. 
Creason,  Democrat,  551,  William  B.  Matthews, 
Populist,  317;  coroner,  W.  G.  Coe,  Democrat, 
561,  Dr.  W.  W.  McCormick,  Populist,  372,  scat- 
tering, 36. 

Two  years  later  the  Republicans  maintained 
their  lead  in  county  and  state  politics,  electing 
every  officer  in  the  county  but  two.  Although 
the  Populists  made  a  strong  fight,  they  failed  to 
elect  a  single  one  of  their  nominees.  North 
Yakima  was  honored  by  the  holding  of  two  state 
conventions  at  that  place,  the  People's  party  con- 
vention on  June  28th,  and  the  Democratic  con- 
vention September  20th.  Colonel  L.  S.  Howlett, 
of  North  Yakima,  was  a  much-talked-of  candi- 
date for  the  Republican  nomination  for  congress- 
man in  the  eastern  district  and  was  very  strongly 
supported  by  a  host  of  admirers.  The  nomina- 
tion, however,  went  to  another  section,  Samuel 
Hyde,  of  Spokane,  capturing  the  prize. 

The  Republican  county  convention  was  held 
September  1st  and  was  a  harmonious  gathering 
throughout.       Nine    days    later    the    Populists 


YAKIMA    COUNTY 


assembled  and  placed  a  ticket  in  the  field.  The 
Democrats  met  September  2 2d.  As  sounding  the 
keynote  of  the  local  campaign  the  following  ex- 
cerpt is  taken  from  the  platform  adopted  by  the 
Democratic  party: 

"We  denounce  the  Republican  officials  of 
Yakima  county  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest  for 
their  lavish  and  profligate  expenditure  of  the 
people's  money.  When  the  present  Republican 
officials  came  into  power  there  was  sufficient 
money  in  the  treasury  to  redeem  all  outstanding 
warrants,  leaving  a  considerable  surplus  to  be 
drawn  on  in  case  of  emergency.  That  emergency 
soon  came  in  the  form  of  a  Republican  landslide 
at  the  last  election,  and  with  it  the  greatest  curse 
that  ever  befell  the  people  of  Yakima  county. 
Notwithstanding  the  surplus  left  by  a  Democratic 
board  of  county  commissioners  and  notwithstand- 
ing there  became  delinquent  on  April  1,  1894, 
one  of  the  most  enormous  tax  levies  ever  im- 
posed on  a  free  people  in  a  free  country  in  a  time 
of  peace,  there  are  to-day  warrants  outstanding 
against  the  county  aggregating  approximately 
$70,000.  The  county  is  in  debt  in  excess  of  five 
per  cent,  of  the  assessed  valuation  of  all  its  prop- 
erty for  county  purposes  alone,  and  that  debt  is 
still  increasing.  When  the  taxpayer  assumes  his 
portion  of  the  indebtedness  of  the  state  and  of 
the  municipality  and  school  district  in  which  he 
may  reside,  in  all  of  his  property  he  has  scarcely 
an  equity  of  redemption  left." 

The  Democrats  promised  a  reform  if  allowed 
to  control  the  county's  affairs. 

The  vote :  For  congressman,  W.  H.  Doolittle, 
Republican,  860,  Benjamin  F.  Heuston,  Demo- 
crat, 484,  Samuel  Hyde,  Republican,  849,  N.  T. 
Caton,  Democrat,  487,  W.  P.  C.  Adams,  Popu- 
list, 619,  J.  C.  Van  Patton,  Populist,  611;  su- 
preme judges,  R.  O  Dunbar,  M.  J.  Gordon, 
Republicans,  933  and  900  votes  respectively, 
John  L.  Sharpstein,  Thomas  N.  Allen,  Demo- 
crats, 515  and  534  votes  respectively,  H.  L.  For- 
rest, J.  M.  Ready,  Populists,  603  and  595  votes 
respectively;  joint  senator,  Yakima  and  Klickitat 
counties,  D.  E.  Lesh,  Republican,  918,  George 
S.  Taylor,  Democrat,  913,  Lesh  being  elected; 
representative,  Robert  B.  Milroy,  Republican, 
776,  E.  F.  Benson,  Democrat,  684,  J.  W.  Brice, 
Populist,  677;  prosecuting  attorney.  Glen  G. 
Dudley,  Republican,  885,  Thomas  M.  Vance, 
Democrat,  557,  C.  D.  Hurane,  Populist,  710; 
clerk,  J.  M.  Brown,  Republican,  S63,  Henry  W. 
Creason,  Democrat,  622,  A.  E.  Larson,  Populist, 
639;  auditor,  F.  C.  Hall,  Republican,  838,  W.  J. 
Roaf,  Democrat,  713,  J.  H.  Needham,  Populist, 
508;  treasurer,  J.  J.  Carpenter,  Republican,  771, 
Matthew  Bartholet,  Democrat,  895,  William 
Lee,  Sr.,  Populist,  513:  sheriff,  Lincoln  Dilley, 
Republican,  83S,  H.  H.  Allen,  Democrat,  804, 
James  Stuart,  Populist,  587;  assessor,  O.  V.  Car- 
penter, Republican,  989,  George  H.  Hull,  Dem- 
ocrat, 569,    James  A.  Beck,  Populist,  585;  super- 


intendent of  schools,  J.  F.  Brown,  Republican, 
799,  E.  P.  Greene.  Democrat,  677,  B.  Ingram, 
Populist,  65S;  surveyor,  George  Mills,  Republi- 
can, 834,  W.  A.  Warren,  Democrat,  688 ;  sheep 
commissioner,  Richard  Sisk,  Republican,  975, 
Andrew  Slavin,  Democrat,  517,  James  White, 
Populist,  615;  commissioners,  second  district, 
H.  D.  Winchester,  Republican,  261,  Joseph 
Stephenson,  Democrat,  290,  Walter  Griffith, 
Populist,  224,  third  district,  Nelson  Rich,  Repub- 
lican, 363,  E.  W.  R.  Taylor,  Democrat,  184,  D. 
M.  Angus,  Populist,  166;  coroner,  Dr.  E.  E. 
Heg,  Republican,  858,  Dr.  G.  P.  Wintermute, 
Democrat,  534,  Dr.  W.  W.  McCormick,  Populist, 
7°3- 

The  silver  movement  reached  Yakima  county 
in  strong  force  in  1895,  resulting  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  a  bimetallic  league  at  Mason's  Opera 
House,  North  Yakima,  March  23d.  Fully  one 
hundred  Democrats,  Republicans  and  Populists 
answered  the  call  for  a  mass-meeting.  O.  A. 
Fechter  was  elected  chairman  and  William  Ker 
secretary.  A  set  of  resolutions  was  adopted,  the 
principal  one  of  which  reads  as  follows:  "Fifth, 
without  forsaking  our  political  convictions  on 
subjects  other  than  the  money  question,  we 
pledge  ourselves  to'  subordinate  these  for  the 
time  being,  to  fight  the  battle  for  the  remonetiza- 
tion  of  silver;  and  to  vote  for  no  candidate  for 
the  federal  legislature  who  is  not  clearly  pledged 
to  such  remonetization  ;  and  should  the  National 
Bimetallic  party  be  formed,  nominate  its  candi- 
date and  enter  on  a  campaign,  we  pledge  ourselves 
to  support  such  candidates." 

The  brilliant  campaign  of  1896  took  Washing- 
ton from  the  Republican  column  and  placed  it 
by  a  majority  of  more  than  12,000  votes  in  the 
Silver  ranks,  a  fusion  of  all  the  white  metal  sup- 
porters being  effected.  Bryan  received  51,857 
votes,  McKinley,  39,244,  Palmer,  1,446,  and 
Levering,  737.  Rogers,  Fusionist,  was  elected 
over  Sullian,  by  a  majority  of  12,800,  to  the  gov- 
ernorship. There  is  no  need  to  go  into  the 
details  of  this  historic  campaign,  as  they  have 
been  impressed  indelibly  upon  the  minds  of  the 
American  people.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  local 
issues  were  almost  entirely  lost  sight  of,  that  a 
host  of  the  country's  most  eloquent  orators  held 
vast  audiences  spellbound  by  their  pleadings, 
that  even  the  school  children  carried  the  great 
issues  into  schoolroom  and  lyceum  and  there 
debated  them  with  the  earnestness  of  veterans, 
that  party  affiliations  were  dissolved  when  it  came 
to  the  currency  question,  that  political  literature 
was  made  use  of  to  an  extent  not  theretofore 
even  approximated,  and  that  not  only  all  Amer- 
ica, but  the  whole  world,  became  intensely  inter- 
ested in  the  spectacle  of  seventy  millions  of  free 
people  striving  to  successfully  solve  a  vexatious 
and  momentous  problem  of  government. 

In  Yakima  county  the  Fusionists,  composed 
of  the  Democrats,   Silver  Republicans  and  Pop- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ulists,  carried  everything.  Their  convention 
was  held  Monday,  August  ioth,  at  North  Yaki- 
ma, where,  in  fact,  the  other  parties  held  their 
conventions  also.  The  Republicans  met  Satur- 
day, August  22d;  the  Prohibitionists  assembled 
about  the  same  time  and  placed  a  ticket  in  the 
field.  From  the  vote  given  herewith,  an  idea  of 
the  relative  strength  of  the  different  parties  may 
be  gained: 

For  president,  McKinley,  931,  Bryan,  1,197, 
Palmer,  45 ;  congressman,  S.  C.  Hyde,  W.  H. 
Doolittle,  Republicans,  925  and  918  votes  respect- 
ively, James  H.  Lewis,  William  C.  Jones,  Fu- 
sionists,  1,236  each,  C.  A.  Salyer,  Martin  Olsen, 
Prohibitionists,  21  and  15  votes  respectively, 
Charles  E.  Mix,  Nationalist,  2 ;  governor,  P.  C. 
Sullivan,  Republican,  908,  John  R.  Rogers, 
Fusionist,  1,246,  R.  E.  Dunlap,  Prohibitionist, 
25 ;  lieutenant-governor,  John  W.  Arasmith, 
Republican,  930,  Thurston  Daniels,  Fusionist, 
1,219,  T-  A-  Shorthill,  Prohibitionist,  24;  su- 
preme judge,  John  P.  Hoyt,  Republican,  913, 
James  B.  Reavis,  Fusionist,  1,243,  E.  M.  Liver- 
more,  Prohibitionist,  23;  secretary  of  state, 
James  H.  Price,  Republican,  946,  Will  D.  Jen- 
kins, Fusionist,  1,210,  C.  L.  Haggard,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 22;  treasurer,  J.  A.  Kellogg,  Republican, 
935,  C.  W.  Young,  Fusionist,  1,222,  John  Robin, 
Prohibitionist,  22;  auditor,  J.  E.  Frost,  Repub- 
lican, 942,  Neal  Cheetham,  Fusionist,  1,215,  C.  C. 
Gridley,  Prohibitionist,  19;  attorney-general, 
E.  W.  Ross,  Republican,  929,  Patrick  Henry 
Winston,  Fusionist,  1,226,  Everett  Smith,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 21;  superintendent  of  public  instruc- 
tion, C.  L.  Brunton,  Republican,  933,  Frank  J. 
Browne,  Fusionist,  1,221,  C.  E.  Newberry,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 21 ;  state  printer,  O.  C.  White,  Repub- 
lican, 940,  Groin  Hicks,  Fusionist,  1,211,  Horner 
L.  Bull,  Prohibitionist,  25;  superior  judge,  Car- 
roll B.  Graves,  Republican,  927,  John  B.  David- 
son, Fusionist,  1,234;  representative,  D.  W.  Sim- 
mons, Republican,  944,  H.  D.  Jory,  Fusionist, 
1,190,  Robert  Perry,  Prohibitionist,  29;  sheriff, 
H.  L.  Tucker,  Republican,  1,049,  A.  J.  Shaw, 
Fusionist,  1,139,  George  H.  Glazier,  Prohibition- 
ist, 13;  clerk,  William  Burgess.  Republican,  895, 
J.  R.  Coe,  Fusionist,  1,264,  Charles  W.  Benson, 
Prohibitionist,  21;  auditor,  F.  C.  Hall,  Republi- 
can, 962,  A.  B.  Flint,  Fusionist,  1,214;  treasurer, 
James  J.  Wiley,  Republican,  930,  Matthew  Bar- 
tholet,  Fusionist,  1,244,  W.  H.  H.  Corey,  Prohi- 
bitionist 17;  prosecuting  attorney,  Ira  P.  Engle- 
hart,  Republican,  1,022,  Vestal  Snyder,  Fusionist, 
2,157;  assessor,  A.  C.  Walker,  Republican,  939, 
J.  L.  Lasswell,  Fusionist,  1,220,  Prohibitionist, 
14;  superintendent  of  schools,  E.  M.  Douglass, 
Republican,  986,  F.  H.  Plumb,  Fusionist,  1,184; 
commissioners,  first  district,  William  Rowe, 
Republican,  913,  Charles  Carpenter,  Fusionist. 
1.244,  Charles  R.  Harris,  Prohibitionist,  20,  third 
district,  Nelson  Rich,  Republican,  997,  W.  B. 
Mathews,     Fusionist,     1,171;    surveyor,    Sydney 


Arnold,  Republican,  950,  H.  F.  Marble,  Fusion- 
ist, 1,193,  John  L.  Stackhouse,  Prohibitionist, 
29;  coroner,  J.  A.  Taggard,  Republican,  956, 
Lewis  Ker,  Fusionist,  1,193,  Nathan  W.  Blood, 
Prohibitionist,  25 ;  sheep  commissioner,  Charles 
Porter,  Republican,  946,  R.  Marrs,  Fusion- 
ist, 1,200,  Myron  N.  Knuppenberg,  Prohibition- 
ist,  27. 

Silver  was  again  the  main  issue  in  189S,  the 
bimetallic  forces  still  remaining  together  under 
the  name  of  the  People's  party  as  in  1S96.  In 
contrast  to  the  previous  campaign,  however,  both 
state  and  county  went  strongly  Republican,  the 
Fusionists  securing  but  one  office  in  the  county, 
that  of  superintendent  of  schools.  The  Fusion 
convention  was  held  at  Mason's  Opera  House, 
North  Yakima,  September  3d;  the  Republicans 
assembled  at  the  courthouse  a  week  later.  The 
election  passed  off  quietly,  the  following  vote 
being  cast: 

For  congressman,  Wesley  L.  Jones,  North 
Yakima,  Francis  W.  Cushman,  Republicans,  1,096 
and  978  votes  respectively,  James  Hamilton 
Lewis,  William  C.  Jones,  Fusionists,  927  and  857 
votes  respectively,  Walter  Walker,  M.  A.  Hamil- 
ton, Socialist  Labor,  9  and  12  votes  respectively, 
A.  C.  Dicknison,  C.  L.  Haggard,  Prohibitionists, 
25  and  22  votes  respectively;  justices  supreme 
court,  T.  J.  Anders,  Mark  A.  Fullerton,  Repub- 
licans, 1,019  and  1,005  votes  respectively,  Benja- 
min F.  Heuston,  Melvin  M.  Godman,  Fusionists. 
897  and  888  votes  respectively,  Thomas  Young. 
Thomas  Lowry,  Socialists,  15  and  8  votes  respect- 
ively; joint  senator,  with  Klickitat,  George  H. 
Baker.  Republican,  1,024  (elected),  N.  B.  Brooks, 
Fusionist,  905 ;  representative,  Ira  P.  Englehart, 
Republican,  1,105,  F.  H.  Colby,  Fusionist,  826; 
sheriff,  H.  L.  Tucker,  Republican  985,  A.  J. 
Shaw,  Fusionist,  913,  Jock  Morgan,  Independent, 
75;  clerk,  George  Allen.  Republican,  975,  James 
R.  Coe,  Fusionist,  969;  auditor,  E.  E.  Kelso, 
Republican,  982,  A.  B.  Flint,  Fusionist,  970; 
treasurer,  W.  B.  Dudley,  Republican,  990,  C.  R. 
Donovan,  Fusionist,  957;  prosecuting  attorney. 
John  J.  Rudkin,  Republican,  1.025,  Vestal 
Snyder,  Fusionist,  910;  assessor,  Robert  Scott, 
Republican,  1,054,  J.  L.  Lasswell,  Fusionist, 
893  ;  commissioners,  first  district,  Frank  Horsley, 
Republican,  1,075,  J-  P-  McCafferty,  Fusionist, 
S64,  second  district,  A.  D.  Eglin,  Republican, 
994,  Stephen  Schreiner,  Fusionist,  916;  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  J.  M.  Richardson,  Republican, 
954,  F.  H.  Plumb,  Fusionist,  9S7;  surveyor, 
Sydney  Arnold,  Republican,  992,  H.  F.  Marble, 
Fusionist,  939;  coroner,  David  Rosser,  Republi- 
can, 1,069,  Lewis  Ker,  Fusionist,  864;  single 
tax  amendment  to  constitution,  yes,  347,  no, 
724;  woman  suffrage  amendment,  yes,  532,  no, 
542- 

As  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing,  Wesley 
L.  Jones,  of  North  Yakima,  was  elected  as  one 
of  Washington's  representatives  in  congress.     Mr 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


Jones'  election  to  such  an  eminent  position  and 
his  re-election  in  1900  and  1902  may  justly  be 
considered  a  high  testimonial  to  the  man  and  a 
most  pleasing  recognition  of  his  home  county 
and  city.  In  private  life  Mr.  Jones  is  a  success- 
ful attorney-at-law. 

Although  the  campaign  of  1900  was  a  most 
important  as  well  as  interesting  one,  it  did  not 
become  so  completely  absorbing  as  that  of  1896. 
The  silver  question  was  relegated  to  a  secondary 
place,  the  first  being  given  to  our  foreign  policy. 
As  is  usually  the  case,  local  issues  were  driven 
into  the  background  by  national  issues.  The 
Republicans  held  their  county  convention  at 
North  Yakima  August  nth.  A  week  later  the 
Fusionists  held  theirs.  The  vote  cast  on  Novem- 
ber 6th  was  as  follows: 

For  president,  McKinley,  1,487,  Bryan,  1,051, 
Woolley,  37;  congressmen,  Wesley  L.  Jones, 
Francis  W.  Cushman,  Republicans,  1,565  and 
1,482  votes  respectively,  F.  C.  Robertson,  J.  T. 
Ronald,  Fusionists,  1,036  and  1,024  votes  respect- 
ively, Guy  Posson,  J.  A.  Adams,  Prohibitionists, 
41  and  37  votes  respectively,  Walter  Walker, 
Christian  F.  Larsen,  Socialist  Laborites,  12  and 
10  votes  respectively,  William  Hogan,  Hermon 
F.  Titus,  Social  Democrats,  61  votes  each;  su- 
preme judges,  Wallace  Mount,  R.  O.  Dunbar, 
Republicans,  1,482  and  1,504  votes  respectively, 
E.  C.  Million,  Richard  Winsor,  Fusionists,  1,041 
and  1,036  votes  respectively,  Everett  Smith, 
Prohibitionist,  50,  Thomas  Young,  Frank  Mar- 
tin, Socialist  Laborites,  n  and  12  votes  respect- 
ively, D.  M.  Angus,  J.  H.  May,  Social  Demo- 
crats, 68  and  63  votes  respectively,  William  H. 
White,  Democrat,  1,150,  no  opposition  (elected  to 
fill  the  unexpired  term  of  Justice  Merritt  J.  Gor- 
don);  governor,  J.  M.  Frink,  Republican,  1,364, 
John  R.  Rogers,  Fusionist,  1,200,  R.  E.  Dunlap, 
"Prohibitionist,  40,  William  McCormick,  Socialist 
Laborite,  13,  W.  C.  B.  Randolph,  Social  Demo- 
crat, 55 :  lieutenant-governor,  Henry  McBride, 
Republican,  1,436,  William  E.  McCroskey, 
Fusionist,  1,100,  C.  I.  Hall,  Prohibitionist,  46, 
Matthew  Matson,  Socialist  Laborite,  15,  E.  S. 
Reinert,  Social  Democrat,  62;  secretary  of  state, 
Samuel  H.  Nichols,  Republican,  1,463,  James 
Brady,  Fusionist,  1,074,  J.  W.  McCoy,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 45,  William  J.  Hoag,  Socialist  Laborite, 
13,  James  H.  Ross,  Social  Democrat,  68;  state 
treasurer,  C.  W.  Maynard,  Republican,  1,464, 
W.  E.  Reimer,  Fusionist,  1,070,  C.  C.  Gridley, 
Prohibitionist,  46,  Eric  Nobling,  Socialist  Labor- 
ite, 14,  J.  J.  Fraser,  Social  Democrat,  64;  state 
auditor,  John  D.  Atkinson,  Republican,  1,466, 
L.  J.  Silverthorn,  Fusionist,  1,066,  A.  W.  Steers, 
Prohibitionist,  44,  F.  B.  Graves,  Socialist  Labor- 
ite, 21,  Charles  S.  Wallace,  Social  Democrat,  65: 
attorney-general,  W.  B.  Stratton,  Republican, 
1,411,  Thomas  M.  Vance,  Fusionist,  1,128,  Ovid 
A.  Byers,  Prohibitionist,  44,  John  Ellis,  Socialist 
Laborite,  14,  David  W.  Phipps,  Social  Democrat, 


63:  superintendent  of  public  instruction,  R.  B. 
Bryan,  Republican,  1,444,  Frank  J.  Browne, 
Fusionist,  1,062,  A.  H.  Sherwood,  Prohibitionist, 
51,  Raymond  Bland,  Socialist  Laborite,  17,  John 

A.  Kingsbury,  Social  Democrat,  86:  commis- 
sioner of  public  lands,  Stephen  A.  Callvert, 
Republican,  1,455,  O.  R.  Holcomb,  Fusionist, 
1,069,  J-  C.  McKinley,  Prohibitionist,  50,  W.  L. 
Noon,  Socialist  Laborite,  17,  Jerome  S.  Austin, 
Social  Democrat,  64;  representative  nineteenth 
district,  Nelson  Rich,  Republican,  1,400,  A.  J. 
Splawn,  Fusionist,  1,216;  judge  superior  court, 
Yakima,  Kittitas  and  Franklin  counties,  Frank 
H.  Rudkin,  Republican,  1,474,  John  B.  David- 
son, Fusionist,  1,120;  sheriff,  H.  L.  Tucker, 
Republican,  1,415,  A.  J.  Shaw,  Fusionist,  1,223; 
clerk,  G.  L.  Allen,  Republican,  1,538,  A.  F. 
Snelling,  Fusionist,  1,054;  auditor,  E.  E.  Kelso, 
Republican,  1,557,  D.  L.  Druse,  Fusionist,  1,057; 
treasurer,  W.  B.  Dudley,  Republican,  1,493,  E. 
W.  R.  Taylor,  Fusionist,  1,122;  prosecuting 
attorney,  W.    P.   Guthrie,   Republican,    1,484,  E. 

B.  Preble,  Fusionist,  1,130;  assessor,  Robert 
Scott,  Republican,  1,521,  I.  B.  Taylor,  Fusionist, 
1,086;  superintendent  of  schools,  S.  A.  Dickey, 
Republican,  1,324,  Carrie  S.  Young,  Fusionist, 
1,299:  commissioners,  second  district,  W.  I. 
Lince,  Republican,  1,428,  H.  D.  Winchester, 
Fusionist,  1,176,  third  district,  W.  L.  Dimmick, 
Republican,  1,489,  W.  B.  Mathews,  Fusionist, 
1,112;  surveyor,  J.  M.  Hall,  Republican,  1,651, 
scattering,  3;  coroner,  David  Rosser,  Republican, 
1,453,  C.  T.  Dulin,  Fusionist,  1,143;  county 
bonds,  for  issuing,  770,  against,  575. 

A  feature  of  the  last  campaign,  that  of  1902, 
was  the  strength  the  Socialist  party  developed 
in  this  county,  though  they  neither  defeated  nor 
elected  any  one.  The  office  of  state  senator  was 
the  center  of  the  struggle,  the  Democrats  con- 
centrating their  strength  upon  that  office  and  the 
office  of  sheriff,  with  successful  results  in  each 
instance.  As  was  to  be  expected,  the  two  great 
parties  almost  completely  absorbed  the  old  Popu- 
list party,  whose  brilliant  career  is  now  a  matter 
of  history.  Although  passed  away  in  name,  this 
party  has  left  an  impression  upon  the  present 
political  condition  of  the  nation  which  can  be 
easily  discerned,  notably  in  the  increasing  demand 
for  public  ownership  and  control  of  public  util- 
ities. Washington  is  considered  a  Republican 
state,  and  Yakima  county,  judging  by  the  vote 
in  1902,  is  certainly  strongly  Republican  where 
national  policies  are  concerned. 

The  Republicans  held  their  county  conven- 
tion August  23d  at  North  Yakima,  being  followed 
a  week  later  by  the  Socialists,  who  nominated  a 
full  ticket.  The  Democrats  met  September  13th 
at  the  same  place.  A  feature  of  their  platform 
was  an  unqualified  declaration  opposing  the  pas- 
turage of  sheep  in  the  forest  reserves  situated  in 
the  watershed  of  the  Yakima  river,  or  the  leasing 
of  any  part  of  said  reserves  to  sheep  men.      The 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Prohibitionists  held  their  convention  October  ist. 
Below  is  given  the  official  canvass  of  the  vote 
cast  in  the  county: 

For  congressmen,  Wesley  L.  Jones,  of  North 
Yakima,  Francis  W.  Cushman,  William  E.  Hum- 
phrey, Republicans,  1,919,  1,772  and  1,748  votes 
respectively,  George  F.  Cotterill,  O.  R.  Holcomb, 
Frank  B.  Cole,  Democrats,  932,  942  and  943  votes 
respectively,  A.  H.  Sherwood,  W.  J.  McKean, 
O.  L.  Fowler,  Prohibitionists,  60,  61  and  64  votes 
respectively,  J.  H.  C.  Scurlock,  D.  Burgess, 
George  W.  Scott,  Socialists,  173,  178  and  180 
votes  respectively;  supreme  court  judges,  Hiram 
E.  Hadley,  Republican,  1,705,  James  B.  Reavis, 
Democrat,  1,010,  Thomas  Neill,  Socialist,  181; 
state  senator,  Ira  P.  Englehart,  Republican, 
1,369,  A.  J.  Splawn,  Democrat,  1,411,  James  L. 
Courtwright,  Prohibitionist,  69,  H.  D.  Jory, 
vSocialist,  167;  representatives,  W.  H.  Hare, 
Robert  Dunn,  Republicans,  1,458  and  1,499  votes 
respectively,  F.  S.  Hedger,  J.  P.  Marks,  Demo- 
crats, 1,267  and  1,199,  A.  H.  Lyons,  Dr.  I.  N. 
Richardson,  Prohibitionists,  83  and  So,  Charles 
Richey,  F.  A.  Hatfield,  Socialists,  179  and  180 
votes;  sheriff,  A.  L.  Dilley,  Republican,  1,153, 
R.  A.  Grant,  Democrat,  1.693,  William  I.  Hux- 
table,  Prohibitionist,  80,  Hugh  Stuart,  Socialist, 
143;  clerk,  J.  W.  Day.    Republican,  1,729,  W.  J. 


Purdin,  Democrat,  1,022,  John  A,  Adams,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 74,  C.  F.  Bowman,  Socialist,  181; 
auditor,  W.  B.  Newcomb,  Republican,  1,723, 
A.  J.  Snelling,  Democrat,  1,002,  Merton  L.  Mat- 
terson,  Prohibitionist,  69,  A.  B.  Flint,  Socialist, 
195;  treasurer,  E.  G.  Peck,  Republican,  1632, 
H.  H.  Allen,  Democrat,  1,125,  Jonn  Druse,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 76;  prosecuting  attorney,  W.  P. 
Guthrie,  Republican,  1,695,  E-  B-  Preble,  Demo- 
crat, 1,078,  C.  E.  Wood,  Socialist,  9;  assessor, 
Harry  Coonse,  Republican,  1,739,  J-  A.  Orchard, 
Democrat,  997,  Robert  A.  Wise,  Prohibitionist, 
73,  P.  Gildea,  Socialist,  178;  superintendent  of 
schools,  S.  A.  Dickey,  Republican,  1,417,  F.  H. 
Plumb,  Democrat,  1,401,  Jennie  J.  Sherwood, 
Prohibitionist,  1,  John  Dempsey,  Socialist,  10; 
commissioners,  first  district,  F.  J.  Kandle, 
Republican,  1,640,  V.  D.  Ritler,  Democrat, 
1,027,  Leroy  V.  Slasor,  Prohibitionist,  75,  Peter 
Bach,  Socialist,  178;  second  district,  Lafayette 
Pace,  Republican,  1,598,  W.  B.  Mathews,  Demo- 
crat, 1,092,  Simon  P.  Westfield,  Prohibitionist, 
72,  E.  L.  Stewart,  Socialist,  168;  surveyor  W.  F. 
Meloy,  Republican,  1,711,  J.  A.  Kingsbury, 
Socialist,  191;  coroner,  E.  P.  Heliker,  Republi- 
can, 1,627,  C.  T.  Dulin,  Democrat,  1,048,  Dr. 
James  R.  Harvey,  Prohibitionist,  7S,  James 
Kesling,  Socialist,   179. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


CITIES    AND    TOWNS. 


NORTH    YAKIMA. 

While  there  is  always  rejoicing  when  a  rail- 
road, that  great  adjunct  to  advancement  in  civil- 
ization and  material  progress,  enters  an  isolated 
region,  yet  a  period  of  railroad  building  is  one  of 
not  a  little  anxiety,  oftentimes,  to  citizens  of 
towns  already  long  established.  The  ability  of  a 
powerful  corporation,  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  nat- 
ural monopoly,  to  ruin  some  towns  and  build 
others  is  well  known;  indeed,  it  has  been  all  too 
frequently  manifested.  Sometimes  the  contour 
of  the  country  compels  the  location  of  the  iron 
pathway  a  few  miles  to  one  side  or  the  other  of 
an  existing  town;  sometimes  the  company 
attempts  to  use  its  power  to  extort  advantages  or 
a  large  bonus  from  the  citizens,  and  failing  in 
this,  revenges  itself  by  virtually  taking  the  life  of 
the  obdurate  community;  sometimes  it  becomes 
even  more  arbitrary   in  its  action,   and  wrecks  a 


structure  representing  the  patient  labor,  careful 
planning  and  fond  hopes  of  years,  to  gratify  the 
private  pique  or  advance  the  interests  of  persons 
high  in  authority  in  its  counsels. 

This  power  of  a  railway  company  was  strik- 
ingly manifested  in  the  dealings  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  with  Yakima  City.  The  reason  why  this 
company  should  have  administered  a  deadly  blow 
to  the  honored  old  pioneer  town  is  a  matter  of 
dispute,  some  claiming  that  it  did  so  because  it 
failed  to  secure  satisfactory  terms  from  some  of 
the  principal  property  holders,  who,  lacking  in 
public  spirit,  demanded  exorbitant  figures  for 
their  holdings;  some  that  the  platting  of  a  new 
town  was  the'  result  of  a  deliberate  purpose  to 
advance  the  interests  of  certain  railway  officials 
and  other  townsite  promoters  at  the  expense  of 
the  people  of  Yakima  City;  some  that  the  action 
of  the  company  was  dictated  by  a  pure  and  en- 
lightened public  policy.     Among  those  who  hold 


YAKIMA    COUNTY 


the  last  mentioned  theory  is  Edward  Whitson. 
"It  has  been  asserted,"  says  he,  "that  a  new 
city  was  planned  by  promoters  without  reference 
to  the  old  town  and  its  advantages,  and  that  the 
quarrel  which  resulted  when  the  new  town  was 
laid  out  was  deliberately  planned  to  obscure  the 
real  causes.  The  tacts  are  that  there  were  good 
and  sufficient  reasons  for  the  establishment  of  a 
new  town.  First,  there  were  three  or  four  town- 
sites  at  Yakima  City  and  numerous  additions 
without  uniformity;  second,  the  townsite  propri- 
etors refused  to'give  the  railroad  company  the 
necessary  grounds  and  other  facilities,  asking 
heavy  damages;  third,  the  old  town  had  not  a 
convenient  water  and  power  supply;  in  short,  the 
company  recognized  the  immense  natural  re- 
sources of  the  territory,  and  desired  for  its  me- 
tropolis a  city  with  uniform  streets,  with  shade 
trees,  ditches,  power,  etc.  It  decided  that  con- 
ditions in  the  old  town  were  against  the  consum- 
mation of  this  comprehensive  plan,  hence  that  a 
new  town  was  a  necessity." 

When,  in  1884,  the  Northern  Pacific  was  build- 
ing towards  Yakima  City,  it  was  generally 
assumed  that  this  would  be  the  metropolis  of  the 
valley,  and  for  several  months  people  flocked  in 
in  considerable  numbers;  but  before  the  tracks 
were  laid  through  Union  Gap.  a  suspicion  arose 
that  a  new  town  scheme  was  in  the  air,  and 
instability  and  uncertainty  in  business  circles 
resulted.  As  time  passed,  suspicion  gave  place 
to  certain  knowledge.  A  month  or  more  before 
the  filing  of  the  official  plat,  building  must  have 
commenced  on  the  new  townsite,  which  was  near^ 
Captain  W.  D.  Inverarity's  homestead,  four* 
miles  from  old  Yakima.  The  plat  bears  date 
February  4,  1885,  and  in  its  issue  of  January  17th 
preceding,  the  Ellensburg  Standard  publishes 
the  substance  of  a  private  letter  from  Yakima 
City  stating  that  no  work  was  going  on  there  and 
but  little  in  the  new  town;  that  New  Yakima 
consisted  of  Lillie  &  Schaer's  two-story  restaurant 
with  a  lean-to  saloon  ;  a  small  building  adjoining ; 
then  Tucker  &  Cumming's  livery  stable,  thirty' 
by  thirty,  and  another  saloon.  "Adjoining  the 
restaurant  on  the  other  side,"  said  the  letter,  "is 
Shull's  boarding-house  tent  with  sixteen  guests. 
Across  the  tracks  are  the  company  buildings— a 
small  office  and  a  very  good  restaurant.  The 
company  has  shipped  a  lot  of  lumber  to  New 
Yakima,  said  to  be  for  depot  purposes.  *  *  *  The 
sidetracks  at  Union  Gap  and  Old  Yakima  have 
been  taken  up.  Boarding  cars  and  everything 
have  been  removed  to  new  town.  Everything 
and  everybody  is  unsettled,  and  will  be  for  some 
time  to  come." 

After  planning  the  new  town,  the  Northern 
Pacific  offered  lots  to  all  who  would  build  and 
move  buildings  upon  them.  The  first  to  move 
from  Yakima  City  was  David  Guilland,  one  of  the 
leading  hotel  men  of  that  point.  His  hotel  build- 
ing  was  started   on   its  four-mile  journey   some 


time  in  February,  evidently  before  the  17th,  as 
the  Yakima  Sun  of  that  date,  the  only  number 
ever  issued,  stated  that  while  the  Guilland  House 
was  being  moved,  Doctor  C.  J.  Taft  was  making 
arrangements  for  the  erection  of  a  three-story, 
fifty  by  seventy,  modern  hotel  building  to  take 
its  place.  That  the  people  of  old  town  were 
greatly  incensed  at  what  they  called  the  North 
Yakima  "outrage"  was  also  evinced  by  this 
paper,  which  contained  statements  from  P.  J. 
Flint,  E.  W.  Dixon,  D.  W.  Stair.  F.  T.  Parker, 
Hoscheid,  Bartholet  &  Company,  and  others  con- 
demning the  railroad  company  and  arguing  the 
folly  of  leaving  beautified  Yakima  City  for  a  dusty 
barren  waste. 

But  Guilland  paused  not  in  the  work  of  mov- 
ing his  hotel.  It  is  stated  that  he  had  to  employ 
two  men  to  guard  his  property  from  destruction 
during  the  month  that  it  was  en  route,  and  that 
twice  he  had  to  make  a  threatening  flourish  of 
weapons,  but  that  his  guests  all  staid  with  him 
and  received  their  meals  regularly. 

Practically  no  printed  records  being  available 
and  the  testimony  of  those  who  were  here  at  the 
time  being  very  confused  in  the  matter  of  dates, 
it  were  vain  to  attempt  to  fix  the  order  in  which 
buildings  were  moved  to  or  built  in  North  Yakima. 
A.  B.  Weed  tells  us  that  he  and  his  partner,  Mr. 
Rowe,  started  shortly  after  the  filing  of  the  plat 
to  erect  a  business  building  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Yakima  National  Bank,  and  that  by  dint 
of  favorable  weather  and  energetic  work,  they 
were  ready  for  business  by  April  1st.  Allen  & 
Chapman  opened  a  drug  store  about  the  same 
time  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Yakima  avenue 
and  Second  street,  and  there  were  doubtless  sev- 
eral other  business  establishments  in  the  place 
besides  those  mentioned,  though  Mr.  Weed  says 
that  the  major  portion  of  the  population  prior  to 
May  1st  consisted  of  the  railway  construction 
crews  encamped  there. 

But  the  bank  at  old  town  had  agreed  to  move 
to  North  Yakima,  and  other  business  houses  were 
preparing  to  accept  a  new  home.  On  the  whole, 
things  looked  bright  for  the  new  town  and  exceed- 
ingly dark  for  the  old  one.  About  the  1st  of 
May  a  meeting  was  held  at  the  latter  point,  at 
which  the  people  agreed  to  stand  by  each  other  in 
a  determined  fight  against  the  new  town  and  the 
railroad  company  and  all  the  disintegrating  forces 
at  work  in  their  midst.  A  little  later,  however, 
a  mass-meeting  was  held,  apparently  somewhat 
milder  in  sentiment,  for  it  elected  J.  B.  Reavis 
to  join  with  two  other  men  chosen  at  a  similar 
meeting  in  North  Yakima  to  proceed  to  New 
York  city  and  lay  the  entire  matter  before  the 
directors  of  the  railway  company.  The  repre- 
sentatives of  the  new  town  in  this  commission 
were  A.  B.  Weed  and  J.  M.  Adams.  The  three 
went  at  once  to  New  York  as  requested.  Before 
waiting  upon  the  board  of  directors  of  the  com- 
pany, they  held  a  species  of  caucus  among  them- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


selves,  in  the  course  of  which  they  all  stated  their 
conviction  that  two  towns  so  close  together  could 
not  both  flourish ;  that  two  stations  were  unneces- 
sary at  the  time,  and  that  the  station  ought  to  be 
located  at  North  Yakima.  However,  they  also 
agreed  that  if  the  company  wished  to  make  North 
Yakima  the  principal  point  it  should  bear  the 
expense  of  moving  the  business  houses  and  resi- 
dences from  the  old  town,  else  the  project  would 
fail,  as  Yakima  City  would  never  acquiesce  and 
there  would  always  be  war.  To  accept  the  terms 
of  the  commission  meant  the  expenditure  on  the 
part  of  the  railway  company  of  a  small  fortune, 
but,  strange  to  say,  they  acquiesced  cheerfully 
and  telegraphed  their  decision  to  Paul  Schulze. 
The  meeting  between  the  board  and  the  com- 
mission, Mr.  Weed  says,  took  place  about  the 
middle  of  May. 

During  the  stay  of  the  commission  in  New 
York  an  event  transpired  which  illustrates  how 
bitter  was  the  fight  between  the  two  towns  at 
this  period  and  how  wrought  up  were  the  feelings 
of  the  people.  J.  M.  Adams  was  then  owner  and 
editor  of  the  Yakima  Signal,  which  in  his  absence 
was  left  in  charge  of  E.  M.  Reed.  The  building 
was  on  jacks  preparatory  to  being  removed  to 
North  Yakima,  but  some  one  determined  that  it 
should  never  swell  the  ranks  of  the  adversary  or 
increase  the  size  of  the  rival  town.  Entering  the 
building  at  night,  this  unknown  person  exploded 
a  charge  of  dynamite  on  the  forms,  thereby  badly 
damaging  the  type  and  other  materials  and  com- 
pletely wrecking  the  building.  But  whatever 
material  was  left  uninjured  was  speedily  gathered 
together  and  installed  in  a  building  on  the  corner 
of  Front  and  Walnut  streets,  North  Yakima, 
whence  the  next  number  of  the  paper  issued  on 
time. 

No  sooner  was  the  result  of  the  New  York 
conference  known,  than  the  leading  business  men 
of  old  Yakima  gave  up  hope  of  saving  their  town 
and  commenced  active  preparations  for  moving. 
The  months  of  May,  June  and  July  were  very 
busy  ones.  Hyman  Harris  opened  a  general 
merchandise  store;  MacCrimmon,  Needham  & 
Masters,  another;  Schisthl  &  Schorn,  a  black- 
smith shop;  J.  S.  Lowe,  a  hardware;  T.  J.  V. 
Clark,  a  general  merchandise  store;  Ward 
Brothers,  a  grocery  and  shoe  store;  Henry  Ditter 
&  Sons  and  W.  G.  Cary,  general  merchandise 
stores,  all  in  buildings  either  erected  for  the  pur- 
pose that  summer  or  moved  from  the  old  town. 
Many  other  business  enterprises  were  also  estab- 
lished during  the  summer  and  fall.  The  North- 
ern Pacific  Company  made  the  town  a  terminus 
throughout  1885  and  a  part  of  the  succeeding 
year,  thus  giving  a  tremendous  impetus  to  its 
growth..  Mr.  Weed  says  that  by  January  1,  1886, 
there  were  not  fewer  than  twelve  hundred  peo- 
ple in  the  town. 

North  Yakima  was  an  exceedingly  lively  place 
during  the  first  year  or  so  of  its  existence,  but  its 


site  was  not  very  attractive  at  first.  Everything, 
says  the  Herald,  was  bustle  and  confusion.  The 
railroad  track  had  been  built  to  this  point,  but 
there  was  no  depot  (that  is,  during  the  early  part 
of  the  year),  unless  you  could  so  denominate  a 
box  car  that  had  been  taken  from  its  wheels. 
Here  Agent  Cooper  reigned  supreme.  The  only 
train  by  which  one  could  go  or  come  was  of 
mixed  character,  passenger,  freight  and  construc- 
tion, with  Laughlin  MacLean,  who  was  later 
associated  with  Fred  R.  Reed  in  the  real  estate 
business,  officiating  as  conductor.  The  spring 
was  one  of  continued  and  turbulent  winds.  They 
may  not  have  been  so  strong  as  they  now  seem, 
but  the  streets  were  all  new  and  ground  into  powder 
by  the  freighting  and  the  moving  of  housesfrom  the 
old  town.  A  man  named  Payton  Hatch  was  here 
from  Portland  with  an  extensive  moving  outfit, 
and  when  he  would  put  twenty-four  or  forty-eight 
horses  onto  a  building  like  S.  J.  Lowe's  hardware 
store,  the  First  National  Bank,  the  Oddfellows' 
building  or  Sam  Chapell's  store,  it  would  move 
right  along  over  the  four  miles,  but  the  way  the 
dust  would  fly  was  a  caution.  There  were  other 
moving  outfits,  including  those  of  A.  Forbis  and 
a  man  named  Jones.  "Add  to  this,"  continues 
the  paper,  "the  din  made  by  hundreds  of  carpen- 
ters, the  banging  of  pianos  and  the  tooting  or 
twanging  of  wind  and  stringed  instruments  in  the 
numerous  saloons,  the  rolling  of  the  rondo  and 
roulette  balls  and  the  betting  cries,  and  you  have 
a  medley  of  sounds  that  it  is  difficult  accurately 
to  describe." 

In  a  town  which  sprang  into  existence  so  sud- 
denly and  where  so  many  saloons  maintained  the 
open-door  policy  day  and  night,  there  was  need 
for  a  strong  government.  Such  could  not  be 
legally  secured  as  speedily  as  the  emergency 
demanded,  and  the  people  themselves  came  to 
the  rescue  by  calling  a  mass-meeting  and  organ- 
izing a  provisional  government.  The  funds 
necessary  to  equip  and  maintain  this  were  fur- 
nished by  voluntary  contributions,  as  appears  from 
the  following  subscription  list,  which  was  discov- 
ered by  Colonel  L.  S.  Howlett  among  his  old 
papers,  and  published  by  the  Herald  in  Novem- 
ber,   1895: 

"For  the  support  of  the  provisional  govern- 
ment of  North  Yakima,  W.  T. 

"We,  the  undersigned  citizens  and  property 
holders  of  said  town,  do  hereby  subscribe  the 
sums  set  opposite  our  respective  names;  said  sum 
to  be  payable  at  the  present  and  each  succeeding 
month  until  the  town  is  legally  organized: 
Northern  Pacific  Land  Department,  $151;  T.  J. 
V.  Clark,  $10;  Cummings  &  Tucker,  $10;  Nelson 
Bennett,  $10;  Weed  &  Rowe,  $5;  Churchill, 
Shardlow  &  Company,  $5  ;  Mitchell  &  Powell,  $5  ; 
Barth  &  Wheeler,  $5;  William  Steigler,  $5;  Mike 
Farrell,  $1 ;  Joseph  Bartholet,  $10;  Bush  &  Mach- 
ison,  $5." 

It  is  said  that  Colonel  Henry  D.   Cock,   the 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


marshal  and  consequently  the  most  important 
officer  of  the  provisional  government,  was  very- 
efficient  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  He  main- 
tained law  and  order  as  best  he  could  until  a 
charter  could  be  secured  and  a  town  government 
organized  in  legal  form.  The  first  step  in  this 
direction  was  taken  at  a  popular  assembly  in  the 
fall  of  1SS5,  when  Judge  Graves  and  Edward 
Whitson  were  appointed  to  draft  a  suitable  char- 
ter. The  work  was  successfully  accomplished ; 
the  instrument  thus  prepared  was  introduced 
into  the  legislature  by  Councilman  J.  B.  Reavis, 
was  passed  by  both  houses,  signed  by  the  gov- 
ernor, and  given  the  force  and  authority  of  law. 
It  remained  in  operation  for  several  years,  being 
superseded  eventually  by  a  charter  framed  in 
accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  state  con- 
stitution and  the  laws  enacted  under  it. 

While  North  Yakima  was  the  terminus  of  the 
railway  and  during  the  period  of  construction 
between  it  and  Ellensburg,  its  growth  was  rapid 
and  times  were  excellent.  According  to  official 
statements,  the  money  spent  by  the  company  at 
this  period  aggregated  forty  thousand  dollars  a 
day.  But  after  the  work  was  completed  to 
Ellensburg,  the  reaction  came  in  good  earnest, 
threatening  to  overwhelm  some  in  financial  ruin. 
There  was  a  reaction  also  against  the  extreme 
freedom  of  the  earliest  times,  the  people  revert- 
ing to  absolute  prohibition  of  all  sorts  of  gam- 
bling and  liquor  selling.  Fortunately,  the  finan- 
cial pressure  did  not  last  long.  From  the  nature 
of  the  case  it  could  not,  for  the  building  of  the 
transcontinental  road  was  bringing  prosperity  to 
the  territory  at  large;  indeed,  it  was  causing  a 
realty  boom ;  and  no  town  so  favorably  situated 
as  North  Yakima  could  long  fail  of  a  share  in  the 
general  cheer.  Concomitant  with  the  passing  of 
1887  was  the  passing  also  of  the  financial  depres- 
sion, and  with  the  advent  of  188S  came  a  revival 
of  the  old-time  prosperity.  Mr.  Weed  tells  us 
that  the  population  jumped  to  twenty-five  hun- 
dred during  that  year,  causing  property  valuations 
to  soar  upward  and  numerous  additions  to  be 
platted,  among  the  latter  the  Syndicate  and  Cap- 
itol. Business  establishments  spread  to  the  west 
side  of  the  track  and  to  many  other  parts  of  the 
town;  brick  buildings  began  to  multiply  and  an 
appearance  of  substantiality  to  be  assumed. 

For  years  Yakima  City  had  been  looked  upon 
as  being  especially  well  suited,  by  reason  of  its 
central  location,  for  the  seat  of  the  state  govern- 
ment, and  no  doubt  the  prospect  that  this  honor 
would  come  to  the  Yakima  valley  gave  vitality  to 
the  new  town  from  its  very  inception,  even  the 
plat  being  influenced  by  this  political  ambition 
of  its  promoters. 

As  the  Washington  Farmer  expressed  it: 
"North  Yakima  was  modeled  after  Salt  Lake 
City,  with  wide  streets,  wide  alleys,  running 
streams  of  water  and  rows  of  shade  trees  on  both 
sides  of  every  street.       Liberal  reserves  for  pub- 


lic parks,  walks  and  capitol  grounds  had  been 
made  and  were  being  adorned  in  a  manner  pleas- 
ing to  the  eye."  Nothing  could  be  more  natural, 
then,  than  that  when  the  question  of  locating  the 
state  capital  came  up.  North  Yakima  should  enter 
the  political  ranks  with  a  firm  determination  to 
win.  It  was  encouraged  by  a  strong  following. 
All  over  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  and  in 
some  portions  of  the  western,  the  newspapers 
were  championing  its  cause,  though  some  favored 
Ellensburg.  A  quotation  from  the  Vancouver 
Independent  will  serve  to  illustrate  the  general 
tone  of  these  press  comments: 

"At  the  approaching  election  among  the  most 
important  questions  to  be  decided  is  the  location 
of  the  state  capital.  By  the  observant  it  is  con- 
ceded that  only  three  places  are  seriously  consid- 
ered. North  Yakima,  Ellensburg  and  Olympia 
are  the  only  towns  that  will  receive  more  than  a 
local  support.  If  no  town  receives  a  majority  of 
all  the  votes  cast,  and  another  vote  thereby  be- 
comes necessary,  these  three  towns  will  then,  no 
doubt,  be  the  only  contestants,  since  only  the 
three  names  securing  the  highest  vote  at  the  first 
can  be  submitted  at  the  second  election.  It  there- 
fore behooves  the  people  Of  this  region  to  con- 
sider thoughtfully  which  of  these  towns  should  be 
chosen.  Thirty-five  years  ago,  when  the  present 
capital  was  located,  the  settlements  were  all  on 
the  west  side  of  the  territory.  At  that  time 
Olympia  served  at  least  reasonably  well,  though 
radical  objections  might  then  have  been  urged. 
But  now  an  entirely  different  situation  is  pre- 
sented. A  great  and  growing  population  throngs 
the  country  east  of  the  Cascades.  These  barriers 
have  been  pierced  by  railroads  and  others  are 
coming  to  transport  products  and  people  over 
lines  then  unimagined.  The  large  population  on 
the  sunny  slope  of  the  Cascades  and  away  to  the 
east  of  the  great  Columbia  are  now  to  be  heard 
from  on  this  question,  and  will  certainly  speak  in 
unmistakable  terms  for  some  place  on  that  side 
of  the  mountains.  It  is  fortunate  for  Yakima 
that  the  most  westerly  town  at  all  satisfactory  to 
that  already  potent  section  promises  in  the  near 
future  to  be  closely  allied  to  Vancouver  by  new 
lines  of  communication.  We  refer,  of  course,  to 
North  Yakima.  Her  natural  advantages  in  cli- 
mate, in  central  location,  in  accessibility,  in 
healthfulness,  etc.,  are  considerations  which  ad- 
dress themselves  strongly  to  all  the  voters  of  the 
state."  *  *  * 

Sprague,  Wilbur,  Spokane,  Spangle,  Colfax, 
PalouseCity,  Garfield,  Dayton,  Ritzville  and,  in 
fact,  all  eastern  Washington  supported  North 
Yakima  in  the  campaign,  as  did  also  Puyallup  and 
a  few  other  points  in  the  western  part.  North 
Yakima  and  its  citizens  did  all  in  their  power  to 
bring  the  capital  to  themselves,  and  had  it  come, 
it  would  doubtless  have  received  fitting  gifts  from 
the  town  as  a  corporate  body  and  from  individu- 
als.     In  the  Herald  of  September  26th  there  was 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


published   a  receipt  for  a  deed,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  a  copy: 

Tacoma,  September  i8,  1889. 
Received  from  Chester  A.  Congdon  a  deed  from  him- 
self and  wife  to  the  slate  of  Washington  of  certain  lands 
in  North  Yakima,  Washington,  to  be  delivered  to  said  state 
in  the  event  that  the  seat  of  government  is  permanently 
located  at  North  Yakima  at  the  election  held  in  October, 
1889,  and  also  in  the  event  that  said  state  accepts  said  land 
as  the  site  of  its  capitol  buildings,  at  the  first  session  of  the 
said  legislature;  otherwise  said  deed  is  to  be  returned  to 
the  said  Chester  A.  Congdon. 

L.  R.  Manning, 
Cashier  Pacific  National  Bank,  Tacoma. 

North  Yakima  did  not  win  in  the  contest, 
though  it  gained  second  place,  the  vote  being: 
Olympia,  25,488;  North  Yakima,  14,707;  Ellens- 
burg,  12,833.  No  town  receiving  a  majority  of 
all  the  votes  cast,  the  capital  question  was  up 
again  in  the  general  election  of  1890,  and  this 
time  Olympia  received  a  clear  majority. 

A  general  review  of  North  Yakima's  com- 
mercial development  in  1889  may  not  be  uninter- 
esting. According  to  the  statement  of  an  Ore- 
gonian  correspondent,  there  were  then  sixty-two 
business  houses  in  the  city,  all  usually  occupied; 
that  the  range  of  business  establishments  included 
almost  everything  from  a  national  bank  to  a 
hand  laundry;  that  the  sales  for  1888,  including 
lumber,  coal  and  the  products  of  the  two  flouring 
mills,  aggregated  about  two  and  one-half  million 
dollars;  that  a  handsome,  two-story,  brick  school- 
house  had  been  erected,  a  modern  structure, 
which,  when  all  complete, would  cost  fifteen  thou- 
sand dollars. 

The  Herald's  directory  of  the  city  in  Febru- 
ary, 1889,  was  as  follows:  Attorneys:  W.  H. 
White,  H.  G.  Snively,  L.  C.  Parrish,  John  G. 
Boyle,  J  B.  Reavis,  A.  Mires,  C.  B.  Graves, 
Edward  Whitson  and  Fred  Parker.  Physicians: 
David  Rosser,  T.  B.  Gunn,  — —  Savage.  For- 
warding and  commission  merchant:  J.  M.  Stout. 
Wood  and  drayage:  John  Reed.  North  Yakima 
nursery:  E.  R.  Learning,  proprietor.  Saloons: 
Joseph  J.  Appel,  A.  Churchill,  Shardlow  &  Mc- 
Daniel.  Meat  market :  Field  &  Meyer.  Lumber: 
G.  O.  Nevin.  Candy  factory  and  restaurant: 
P.  J.  Herke.  Banks:  First  National,  J.  R. 
Lewis,  president:  Edward  Whitson,  vice-presi- 
dent; W.  L.  Steinweg,  cashier;  also  the  Yakima 
National.  Harness  stores:  C.  E.  McEwen,  W.  F. 
Jones.  Drug  stores:  C.  B.  Bushnell,  Allen  & 
Chapman.  Real  estate:  Fechter  &  Law,  Rod- 
man &  Eshelman,  Goodwin,  Strobach  &  Pugsley, 
McLean  &  Reed.  Hardware:  A.  B.  Weed,  Vin- 
ing  &  Bilger,  S.  J.  Lowe.  Hotels:  Guilland, 
Steiner's,  Bartholet,  Yakima.  General  mer- 
chandise: I.  X.  L.,  Fawcett  Brothers,  J.  [.  Arm- 
strong, Bartholet  Brothers,  G.  W.  Cary.  Tailor: 
HugoSigmund.  Gents'  furnishing  house:  I.  H. 
Bills  &  Company.  Dry  goods  and  furnishings: 
Henry  Ditter.     A  board  of  trade. 

The  year  1889  was  an  exceedingly  prosperous 


one  for  North  Yakima.  Miles  of  sidewalk  were 
built,  thousands  of  shade  trees  planted,  huge 
cisterns  for  fire  purposes  constructed,  fire  engines 
purchased,  a  movement  for  electric  lights  and 
waterworks  started,  and  telephone  wires  strung 
all  over  the  city.  Besides  numerous  residences 
and  small  buildings,  the  following  important 
structures,  according  to  the  Seattle  Post-Intelli- 
gencer, were  erected  during  the  year:  Hotel 
Yakima,  two  stories,  estimated  cost,  $30,000; 
Bartholet  Hotel,  three  stories,  $20,000;  Syndicate 
block,  three  stories,  $20,000;  Lewis  &  Ingle 
block,  three  stories,  $28,000;  Cadwell  &  Lloyd 
block,  two  stories,  $18,000;  Cadwell  &  Lloyd 
block,  two  stories,  $12,000;  Lowe  building,  three 
stories,  $22,000;  Vining  Brothers'  building,  two 
stories,  $9,000:  Howlett  block,  two  stories,  $7,000; 
city  hall,  two  stories,  $10,000;  Sinclair  building, 
two  stories,  $5,000. 

This  progressive  impulse  continued  its  influ- 
ence throughout  1890.  On  January  6th  of  that 
year,  the  town  passed  an  ordinance  which  was 
signed  by  Mayor  Reynolds  seven  days  later, 
granting  to  Edward  Whitson  the  privilege  of 
installing  a  water  system  and  maintaining  the 
same  for  twenty-five  years,  providing,  among 
other  things,  that  not  less  than  four  miles  of 
water  mains  should  be  laid  and  that  the  city 
should  have  the  right  to  maintain  as  many 
hydrants  as  it  might  choose  not  exceeding  one  at 
each  intersection,  excepting  on  Yakima  avenue, 
where  two  might  be  maintained  at  each -street 
intersection.  The  same  day,  January  13th,  the 
mayor  also  affixed  his  signature  to  an  ordinance, 
passed  by  the  council  December  3,  1889,  granting 
Edward  Whitson  the  right  to  erect  and  maintain 
an  electric  light  system  in  the  city,  the  life  of  the 
franchise  being  likewise  twenty-five  years.  The 
plant  was  to  be  completed  by  June  15,  1890. 
For  ten  years,  the  city  was,  by  the  terms  of  the 
ordinance,  to  use  at  least  seven  arc  lights  at  a 
cost  to  it  of  one  hundred  and  forty-four  dollars 
each  per  annum. 

Mr.  Whitson  organized  two  companies,  both 
having  the  same  officers,  namely:  Edward  Whit- 
son, president;  J.  B.  Reavis,  vice-president;  W. 
L.  Steinweg,  treasurer;  F.  B.  Woodward,  secre- 
tary and  superintendent.  Operations  were  begun 
as  speedily  as  possible,  and  by  November  the  two 
plants  were  completed.  Their  combined  cost 
was  about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  thousand 
dollars.  The  water  was  taken  from  the  Naches 
river,  four  miles  and  a  quarter  from  Front  street, 
and  carried  thence  by  ditch  and  flume  to  a  reser- 
voir three  miles  from  the  intake,  where  it  was 
subjected  to  a  process  of  filtration  and  purifica- 
tion. From  the  reservoir  the  water  had  an 
abrupt  fall  of  thirty-six  feet  to  two  pair  of  hori- 
zontal turbine  wheels,  the  power  of  which  was 
figured  at  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  horse. 
Gravity  gave  a  hydraulic  pressure  of  thirty-one 
pounds  to  the  square  inch  at  North  Yakima,  and 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


213 


it  was  claimed  that  a  much  higher  pressure  could 
be  developed.  In  the  power  houses  were  two 
pumps  with  a  capacity  of  one  million  five  hun- 
dred thousand  gallons  each,  also  two  dynamos 
for  generating  electricity  for  the  arc  and  incan- 
descent lights. 

Another  important  improvement  of  the  year 
was  a  sewerage  system,  put  in  by  the  city,  the 
ordinance  providing  for  which  passed  April  2d. 
The  district  was  to  include  "all  blocks  lying  be- 
tween E  and  Spruce  streets  and  between  Front 
street  and  Naches  avenue;  also  all  those  blocks 
lying  between  West  Chestnut  street  and  West  C 
street  and  between  Moxee  avenue  and  the  North- 
ern Pacific's  right  of  way,  at  least  two  sides  of 
said  blocks  to  have  sewer  lines  extending  along 
them. ' '  May  1 7th,  the  proposition  of  issuing  forty 
thousand  dollars'  worth  of  six  percent,  bonds,  pay- 
able in  not  less  than  fifteen  or  more  than  thirty 
years,  for  the  construction  of  the  system  was  sub- 
mitted to  vote  of  the  people,  who  authorized  the 
issue  by  a  vote  of  two  hundred  and  eight  to  thir- 
teen. The  bonds  found  a  ready  sale,  and  before 
the  year  was  over,  the  sewerage  system  was  an 
accomplished  fact. 

It  was  in  1890  that  the  Yakima  Club  was 
organized,  which  later  merged  into  the  Com- 
mercial Club.  Its  first  governing  board  consisted 
of  William  Ker,  Edward  Whitson,  Fred  R.  Reed, 
Doctor  Elmer  E.  Heg  and  T.  M.  Vance. 

This  year  also  Company  A  of  North  Yakima 
was  mustered  into  the  service  of  the  state  by  Cap- 
tain C.  B.  Johnson,  of  Cavalry  Troop  A  of  Sprague. 
The  officers  of  this  company  at  this  time  were: 
J.  C.  MacCrimmon,  captain;  Dudley  Eshelman, 
first  lieutenant;  Matthew  Bartholet,  second  lieu- 
tenant; F.  B.  Lippincott,  first  sergeant. 

The  only  serious  disaster  of  1890,  and  the  first 
of  its  kind  to  visit  the  town,  occurred  on  May 
25th,  when  all  the  frame  buildings  on  Yakima 
avenue  from  Lowe's  block,  Front  street  and  from 
the  corner  to  the  new  city  hall  building  were 
destroyed  by  fire.  The  fire  started  in  the  restau- 
rant of  S.  Harris  at  about  8:30  in  the  evening 
and  soon  a  dozen  buildings  were  in  flames. 

"Fortunately,"  says  the  Herald,  "the  night 
was  very  quiet,  there  being  hardly  a  breath  of 
wind,  and  to  this  is  largely  due  the  fact  that  such 
a  small  area  was  burned.  There  were  two  other 
factors  prominent  in  staying  the  spread  of  the 
flames,  one  being  S.  J.  Lowe's  splendid  three- 
story  brick;  the  other,  the  shade  trees  which  lined 
the  streets.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  latter,  there 
is  no  question  but  that  Shardlow  &  McDaniel's, 
Steiner's  and,  in  fact,  the  whole  block  would 
have  gone,  and  it  is  doubtful  if  it  could  have 
been  confined  even  in  that  space.  The  row  of 
frame  buildings  on  the  south  side  of  Yakima 
avenue  was  badly  scorched  and  most  of  the  win- 
dow glass  broken  by  the  heat.  It  seemed  at  one 
time  as  though  nothing  could  save  that  quarter, 
and    a    number   of   the  merchants  moved    their 


goods  from  the  stores  to  the  street  beyond. 
Lewis,  Shardlow  &  McDaniel  and  Kirkman 
refused  to  permit  the  removal  of  their  stocks. 

"It  is  a  little  bit  uncertain  how  the  fire  started, 
whether  the  lamp  in  the  kitchen  of  Harris'  res- 
taurant exploded  or  was  knocked  from  its  bracket 
and  broken.  Mrs.  Harris  heard  something  pop, 
but  paid  no  attention  to  it  until  she  went  into 
the  kitchen  and  saw  the  burning  oil  on  the  table. 
She  called  for  help  and  commenced  beating  out 
the  flames  with  some  towels,  when  her  customer 
rushed  in  with  a  bucket  of  water  which  he  dashed 
over  the  flames.  That  settled  it.  The  water 
spread  the  oil  everywhere  and  the  inmates  had 
hardly  time  to  reach  the  street  before  the  build- 
ing was  enveloped  and  the  flames  were  forcing 
their  way  into  Al.  Churchill's  billiard  hall  and 
saloon." 

The  losses  by  the  fire  were  estimated  at  the 
time  as  follows:  Carpenter  Brothers,  goods  lost  or 
stolen  in  being  moved,  $500  to  $1,000;  Lowe's 
block,  scorched,  $500;  W.  F.  Jones,  $1,200,  insur- 
ance, $500;  M.  G.  Wills,  $1,200;  J.  T.  Foster,  loss, 
$1,300,  insurance,  $650;  J.  P.  and  E.  Wheeler, 
owners  of  the  Star  Coffee  House,  $800;  H.  Keuch- 
ler,  jeweler,  $2,000 ;'S.  Harris,  $300  or  $400;  A. 
Churchill,  $9,000,  insurance,  $3,000;  Theodore 
Steiner,  $1,500;  William  Shearer,  $1,100,  insur- 
ance $500;  J.  W.  Walters,  $800:  T.  J.  V.  Clark, 
$3,500,  insurance,  $1,000;  Shardlow  &  McDaniel, 
$300;  J.  A.  Taggard,  $200;  Jacob  Vernier,  $150; 
M.  B.  Kirkman,  $500;  A.  J.  Kraudelt,  $100;  T.  J. 
Redfield,  $400.  To  these  losses  must  be  added 
buildings  to  the  value  of  several  thousand  dollars, 
owned  by  non-residents  or  practically  covered  by 
insurance,  which  were  not  included  in  the  esti- 
mate; also  a  number  of  small  losses  incident  to 
the  moving  of  goods.  The  newspapers  of  the 
time  commend  the  fire  company  for  efficient  work 
and  the  militia  for  vigilance  in  guarding  property. 

Another  fire  of  much  less  magnitude  occurred 
in  the  city  on  the  morning  of  November  5, 
1892.  It  is  supposed  to  have  started  in  the  store 
of  Mrs.  W.  H.  Jeffers,  but  the  truth  concerning 
its  origin  will  never  be  definitely  known.  It 
spread  rapidly  to  neighboring  buildings,  all  on  the 
corner  of  A  and  First  streets,  and  fanned  by  the 
high  wind  then  blowing,  rapidly  demolished  them. 
The  fire  company  were  handicapped  at  first  by 
the  fact  that  only  the  usual  household  pressure 
from  the  waterworks  was  on  when  the  alarm 
sounded  and  that  the  young  man  who  went  to 
telephone  for  greater  pressure,  becoming  excited, 
snapped  the  bell  cord,  making  it  necessary  to 
send  word  to  the  power  house  by  a  mounted 
messenger.  Despite  this  delay,  the  company 
managed  to  confine  the  flames  within  reasonable 
bounds  andprevent  a  general  conflagration.  The 
losses  and  insurance  according  to  estimates  made 
by  the  local  press  at  the  time  were.:  H.  L.  Walen, 
dealer  in  boots  and  shoes,  loss  $1,200,  iubuidiice 
$500;    Mrs.    L.    J.    May,    merchandise,    $500,    no 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


insurance;  Fred  Drury,  jewelry,  $1,000,  no  insur- 
ance; Herke  &  Gammon,  candies,  $350,  fully 
insured;  Charles ,  merchandise,  $3,000,  in- 
surance $1,500;  Mrs.  W.  H.  Jeffers,  millinery, 
§1,400,  insurance  $950;  MacCrimmon,  Needham 
&  Masters,  building,  $1,000,  insurance,  $5oo; 
MacCrimmon,  Needham  &  Bingswanger,  build- 
ing, $1,800,  insurance  $900;  R.  Strobach,  build- 
ing, $800,  insurance  $450. 

Notwithstanding  the  losses  occasioned  by 
these  two  fires,  North  Yakima  forged  ahead  with 
unresting  feet,  throughout  all  the  years  1889, 
'90,  '91,  '92,  nor  was  its  march  entirely  stayed  by 
the  general  depression  commencing  in  1893.  At 
the  opening  of  the  hard  times  North  Yakima  had 
a  fine  water  and  electric  light  plant,  a  telephone 
system,  a  United  States  land  office,  two  or  three 
newspapers,  a  box  factory,  a  flouring  mill  with 
an  annual  business  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand dollars,  lumber  yards,  two  banks  (the  First 
National  and  the  Yakima  National),  four  large 
hotels,  four  grocery  stores,  seven  general  mer- 
chandise establishments,  two  butcher  shops,  three 
hardware  stores,  a  carriage  factory,  an  agricul- 
tural implement  and  seed  depot,  two  shoe  stores, 
half  a  dozen  blacksmith  shops,  a  steam  laundry, 
three  livery  stables,  three  jewelry  stores,  four 
drug  stores,  two  millinery  stores,  a  bakery,  a  gun 
store,  two  photograph  galleries,  two  opera  houses, 
two  notion  stores,  a  large  number  of  restaurants, 
plenty  of  saloons,  real  estate  and  insurance  firms 
in  abundance,  twelve  professional  firms  or  indi- 
viduals, lodges  of  the  Masons,  Odd  Fellows, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Catholic 
Knights  of  America,  G.  A.  R.,  Sons  of  Veterans, 
Daughters  of  Rebekah  and  others.  To  these 
business  establishments  probably  not  many  were 
added  during  the  continuance  of  financial  depres- 
sion, yet  the  town  held  its  own  well,  experiencing 
few  important  failures  and  little  of  the  inconve- 
nience that  came  to  other  towns.  In  September, 
the  Herald  informed  its  readers  that  "lack  of 
confidence"  had  not  yet  closed  a  door  in  North 
Yakima;  that  the  city  was  without  an  unoccupied 
house  and  was  not  troubled  with  crowds  of 
unemployed.  Later  a  few  small  houses  sus- 
pended business,  but  it  was  not  until  March, 
1895,  that  the  first  important  failure  took  place, 
the  unfortunate  man  in  this  instance  being  John 
C.  MacCrimmon,  of  the  Modern  store.  The  two 
banks  were  on  a  firm  footing,  having  on  deposit, 
according  to  their  quarterly  statement  published 
in  March,  $250,088.85,  or  an  amount  equal  to 
about  $62.50  per  capita  of  the  county's  popula- 
tion. 

The  people  of  North  Yakima  are  certainly  to 
be  congratulated  on  the  courage  with  which  they 
battled  against  adverse  conditions,  and  the  bold- 
ness they  displayed  in  undertaking  new  enter- 
prises despite  the  hard  times  in  their  midst  and 
all  around  them.  In  1894  they  bonded  their 
school  district  for  twenty  thousand  dollars  to  pay 


off  the  floating  indebtedness,  purchase  a  site  for 
a  new  schoolhouse  and  build  an  addition  to  Cen- 
tral school.  During  the  winter  of  1894-95  several 
buildings  were  erected,  including  the  two-story 
brick  residence  of  W.  H.  Kershaw  and  the  brick 
block  of  Taft  &  Son.  In  the  spring  of  1S95  a 
number  of  contracts  for  buildings  were  let,  and 
even  in  1896,  which  was  probably  the  year  of 
greatest  financial  embarrassment  in  North  Yak- 
ima, some  improvements  were  undertaken, 
among  them  the  splendid  house  of  worship  of  the 
Congregational  society,  which  was  dedicated,  free 
of  debt,  the  following  year. 

With  a  record  so  well  maintained  during  a 
period  of  depression,  the  town  might  be  expected 
to  continue  growing  when  the  sun  of  prosperity 
again  began  to  shine,  and  it  did  so.  Reviewing 
1897,  Mrs.  Hulda  Kinsey  said  through  the 
columns  of  the  Herald: 

"The  growth  of  North  Yakima  during  the 
past  year  has  not  been  marvelous,  but  steady  and 
sure.  Numerous  improvements  have  been  made, 
and  premises  on  every  street  give  evidence  of 
prosperity  and  thrift. 

"Among  the  improvements  worthy  of  note  is 
the  James  creamery,  a  convenient  establishment, 
equipped  with  the  most  modern  machinery,  and 
having  a  daily  capacity  of  one  thousand  pounds 
of  butter.  Its  product  is  not  excelled  by  any  like 
institution  in  the  state. 

"Another  improvement  has  been  the  beauti- 
fying of  the  State  Fair  grounds,  which  have  been 
leveled  and  seeded.  The  buildings  have  been 
painted,  and  a  permanent  water  right  has  been 
secured  for  the  grounds.  The  fruit  and  vege- 
table evaporator  recently  put  into  operation  was 
a  badly  needed  improvement  and  speaks  much 
to  the  credit  of  those  who  were  instrumental  in 
securing  the  plant.   *  *  * 

"A  number  of  minor  improvements  have  been 
made  in  the  building  of  some  very  neat  cottages 
and  fine  residences.  Other  homes  have  been 
artistically  improved. 

"Commercial  and  financial  conditions  show  a 
marked  improvement  over  the  years  1895  and 
1896.  Beneath  all  the  confusion  that  prevailed 
and  all  the  uncertainty  as  to  the  legislative  out- 
come, there  are  numerous  good  indications.  Our 
merchants  have  enjoyed  a  good  trade.  The  bank 
deposits  during  the  closing  months  of  the  year 
showed  an  increase  of  fifty  per  cent,  over  the 
previous  year.  The  once  vacant  store  buildings 
are  now  all  occupied,  and  the  same  can  be  said  of 
the  residences  in  and  about  town.  The  prosper- 
ity of  the  town  has  depended  upon  the  prosperity 
of  the  farmers,  who  have  had  a  very  encouraging 
year,  and  many  of  whom  are  living  on  Easy 
avenue,  with  mortgages  paid  and  a  good  amount 
of  grain,  hay,  potatoes  and  fruit  on  hand." 

It  was  not,  however,  until  the  year  1899  that 
North  Yakima  experienced  anything  which  could 
be   properly  denominated   a  building  boom,  but 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


during  that  twelvemonth  over  one  hundred  build- 
ings were  erected.  One  of  the  principal  of  these 
was  the  new  Northern  Pacific  depot,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  long  by  forty  wide,  an 
excellent  building  in  every  respect.  A  concrete 
walk  seven  hundred  feet  long  was  put  in  around 
it,  and  on  each  end  a  beautiful  park,  occupying 
an  entire  block,  was  created.  The  old  depot  was 
removed  across  the  track  and  increased  in  size  by 
the  building  of  a  sixty-foot  addition  so  as  to  serve 
the  purpose  of  a  freight  depot.  Larson's  ten- 
thousand-dollar  theater  was  begun  during  the 
year,  and  the  following  men  constructed  business 
buildings  costing  the  sums  immediately  succeed- 
ing their  names:  A.  E.  Larson,  $2,500;  P.  Y. 
Heckman,  $2,000;  Thomas  Lund,  $4,000;  A.  B. 
Munchie,  $4,000;  the  Fashion  stables,  $4,000; 
Lombard  &  Horsley,  warehouse,  $1,000. 

In  an  interview  in  the  Post-Intelligencer  of 
Seattle  given  early  in  the  year,  Professor  Getz, 
of  the  state  university,  said  concerning  North 
Yakima: 

"I  saw  the  most  wonderful  transformation 
through  the  Yakima  valley.  The  bankers  told 
me  that  the  deposits  in  the  two  banks  of  the  city 
amounted  to  five  hundred  thousand  dollars,  a 
vast  increase  over  the  deposits  of  one  or  two  years 
ago.  There  are  no  vacant  houses  in  Yakima,  and 
it  is  difficult  to  find  a  residence  to  rent.  The 
merchants  have  large  stocks  of  goods,  the  cattle 
men  are  bringing  in  their  cattle  to  sell  at  good 
prices  and  the  hay  grown  in  the  valley  finds  a 
ready  sale  at  a  good  price.  The  people  are  ex- 
ceedingly prosperous.  I  think  the  chief  explana- 
tion of  it  can  be  found  in  the  variety  of  resources. 
Yakima  has  fruit,  cattle,  grain  and  other  crops 
upon  which  it  may  depend.  The  same  may  be 
said  of  the  Kittitas  valley,  for  this  condition  of 
affairs  extends  on  up  to  Ellensburg. " 

But  there  is  one  small  disaster  chargeable  to 
1S99,  that  of  November  9th,  when  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  flames  were  discovered  bursting 
from  the  gable  ends  of  the  old  Rosenfeldt  build- 
ing, then  occupied  by  the  Lion  clothing  store. 
Despite  heroic  efforts  of  the  fire  department,  the 
structure  was  soon  totally  consumed.  Another 
building  caught  and  was  gutted,  nothing  being 
left  but  a  shell;  then  the  progress  of  the  devour- 
ing element  was  stayed.  The  latter  building  was 
occupied  on  the  ground  floor  by  Samuel  Arendt's 
novelty,  toy  and  cigar  store  and  by  Ditter  & 
Mechtel's  grocery  and  crockery  store,  while  the 
second  story  furnished  quarters  to  M.  Probach, 
the  tailor,  and  to  three  other  persons.  The  losses 
aggregated  several  thousands  of  dollars,  partly 
covered  by  insurance.  One  lady  was  rendered 
destitute  by  the  fire,  but  a  generous  public  came 
to  her  assistance  with  a  goodly  subscription. 

The  year  1900  was  not  specially  fruitful  of 
events  such  as  add  interest  to  history's  page,  but 
it  brought  progress  and  development  all  along 
the  line,    one   of  the  improvements  to  its  credit 


being  a  free  carrier  delivery.  In  this  year,  also, 
Larson's  theater  was  opened  to  the  public.  The 
first  performance,  consisting  of  a  rendition  of 
Charles  H.  Yale's  play,  "The  Evil  Eye,"  was 
given  on  the  evening  of  July  nth,  and  the  people 
manifested  their  joy  and  pride  in  the  new  theater 
by  packing  it  from  parquet  to  gallery. 

The  growth  of  the  city  of  North  Yakima  in 
the  past  three  or  four  years  has  been  steady  and 
rapid.  Seven  business  houses  were  built  in  1901. 
In  1902  there  were  twice  as  many,  among  them 
the  Odd  Fellows'  temple,  costing$is,ooo;  thenew 
Ditter  building,  costing  $6,000;  O.  A.  Fechter's 
building,  $6,000;  Frank  Shardlow's,  $12,000; 
C.  P.  Wilcox's,  $12,000;  B.  F.  Pickett,  $4,000; 
T.  E.  Mollette,  $6,000;  A.  D.  Sloan,  $14,000;  N. 
H.  Johnson,  addition  to  hotel  and  improvements, 
$15,000;  George  Glazier's,  $3,500;  Thomas 
Lund's,  $3,500;  Andrew  Johnson,  $3,000;  three 
uncompleted  improvements  and  buildings,  name- 
ly, George  Wilson's  building,  to  cost  $15,000;  im- 
provements to  W.  B.  Dudley's  building,  $2,000; 
the  new  Presbyterian  church,  $12,000.  A  great 
number  of  residences  were  also  built,  one,  it  is 
said,  costing  as  high  as  $9,000. 

The  Yakima  valley  is  favored  with  three  sub- 
stantial banking  institutions,  located  in  North 
Yakima.  In  the  order  of  their  establishment 
they  are:  The  First  National  Bank  of  North 
Yakima,  incorporated  1885;  capital,  $50,000; 
surplus  and  undivided  profits,  $51,569. 17  ;  presi- 
dent, W.  M.  Ladd;  vice-president,  Charles  Car- 
penter; cashier,  W.  L.  Steinweg.  Yakima 
National  Bank,  incorporated  1888;  capital,  $50,- 
000;  surplus,  $22,500;  president,  George  Donald; 
vice-president,  H.  K.  Sinclair;  cashier,  J.  D. 
Cornett.  The  Yakima  Valley  National,  incor- 
porated 1902;  capital,  $75,000;  president,  Miles 
Cannon ;  first  vice-president,  A.  W.  Coffin ;  sec- 
ond vice-president,  J.  S.  Baker;  cashier,  H.  S. 
Coffin.      The  deposits  in  each  are  unusually  large. 

The  church  societies  of  the  city  may  be 
enumerated  as  follows: 

First  Baptist,  Rev.  J.  J.  Tickner,  pastor; 
Christian,  Rev.  Arthur  C.  Vail,  pastor;  Congre- 
gational, Rev.  H.  P.  James,  pastor;  St.  Michael's 
Episcopal,  Rev.  Hamilton  M.  Bartlett,  rector; 
First  Methodist  Episcopal,  Dr.  Henry,  pastor; 
Lutheran,  St.  Paul's  German  Evangelical,  Rev. 
Johannes  Gihring,  pastor;  Presbyterian,  Rev. 
F.  L.  Hayden,  pastor;  St.  Joseph's  Roman 
Catholic,  Rev.  Father  B.  Feusi,  S.  J.,  pastor; 
Dunkard,  Rev.  G.  E.  Wise,  elder;  Mennonite, 
Rev.  J.  A.  Persell,  pastor;  besides  which  the 
Christian  Scientists  have  a  flourishing  society, 
and  the  Salvation  Army  has  a  barracks  here. 
All  of  the  above  mentioned  societies  own  sub- 
stantial and,  in  many  cases,  unusually  fine  houses 
of  worship.  The  Presbyterian  and  the  Episco- 
palian church  edifices  are  handsome  stone  build- 
ings. 

The  city  has  four  prominent  clubs,  organized 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


for  different  purposes.  The  Commercial  Club, 
which  has  been  maintained,  though  at  times 
irregularly,  since  the  establishment  of  the  city, 
is  a  thrifty  organization  whose  membership  em- 
braces the  leading  citizens  and  business  men  of 
the  community.  At  present  its  rooms  are  in  the 
Clogg  block.  Its  officers  are:  President,  J.  D. 
Cornett;  first  vice-president,  F.  C.  Hall;  second 
vice-president,  W.  A.  Bell;  treasurer,  Frank 
Bartholet;  secretary,  Fred  Chandler;  governing 
board,  C.  E.  White,  Ira  P.  Englehart,  A.  E. 
Larson,  J.  J.  Macdonald,  C.  T.  Dulin,  Frank 
Horsley;  trustees,  H.  H.  Lombard,  A.  Schindeler, 
O.  A.  Fechter,  A.  B.  Weed  and  George  Donald. 
The  Commercal  Club  has  done  much  valuable 
advertising  of  the  Yakima  country,  and  North 
Yakima  in  particular. 

The  Twentieth  Century  Club  is  a  woman's 
organization,  which  meets  at  the  homes  of  its 
members  twice  each  month.  Its  officers  are: 
Rebecca  J.  Rigg,  president;  Jennie  Harader 
Bell,  vice-president;  Edna  Haines  Miller,  record- 
ing secretary;  Carrie  Duval  Krutz,  corresponding 
secretary;  Esther  C.  Miller,  treasurer;  Annie 
Highfill  Walker,  auditor;  Rose  B.  Larson,  parlia- 
mentary critic;  Edith  Moore  Coleman,  pronunci- 
ation critic.  The  Woman's  Club  of  North  Yak- 
ima also  meets  bi-monthly.  Its  officers  are: 
President,  Mrs.  Vestal  Snyder;  vice-president, 
Sue  M.  Lombard;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  Miles 
Cannon;  corresponding  secretary,  Lucy  Nichols; 
treasurer,  Mrs.  J.  D.  Cornett. 

The  Yakima  Rod  and  Gun  Club  has  the  fol- 
lowing officers:  T.  R.  Fisher,  president;  W.  A. 
Bell,  secretary:  George  Stacy,  treasurer.  The 
club's  grounds  are  at  the  south  end  of  Third 
street. 

North  Yakima  is  justly  proud  of  her  schools, 
for  they  have  attained  a  high  standard  of  excel- 
lence. The  city  board  of  education  is  composed 
of  Benjamin  F.  Barge,  ex-superintendent  of  the 
Ellensburg  Normal,  president;  Ralph  K.  Nichols, 
Miles  Cannon;  George  S.  Hough,  clerk.  A.  R. 
Jolly,  A.  M. ,  is  superintendent.  The  district  has 
three  fine  brick  schoolhouses,  all  modern  in  de- 
sign, construction  and  equipment — the  High 
school,  also  known  as  the  Lincoln  school,  on  North 
Third  street  between  D  and  E  streets ;  the  Central, 
South  Second  street  between  Walnut  and  Spruce 
streets,  and  the  Columbia,  North  Kittitas  avenue 
between  B  and  C  streets;  besides  which  there  are 
the  Lincoln  school  annex  and  the  Fairview,  the 
last  named  being  suburban.  The  corps  of  teach- 
ers in  charge  of  the  schools  last  year  were: 
High,  Mrs.  Ella  S.  Stair,  principal, '  Luther  M. 
Seroggs,  Eva  C.  May,  Berdina  M.  Hale,  Grace 
Shannon,  M.  Kate  McKinney,  Elizabeth  Prior, 
Albertina  Rodman;  Central,  A.  W.  Schwartze, 
principal,  Clara  E.  Bullan,  Beulah  G.  Gilman, 
Maude  L.  Patterson,  Carrie  Young,  Anna  Jungst, 
Charlotte  Lum,  Minnie  Larsen ;  Columbia,  Lulu 
Meeds,    principal,    Bessie   M.   Ballinger,   Lois  B. 


Whittle,  Mary  A.  Young,  Bessie  Aumiller, 
Avanelle  Gans,  Ethel  M.  Burns,  Airs.  Edna  Mil- 
ler, Jennie  J.  Sherwood;  High,  or  Lincoln,  An- 
nex, Mrs.  Ella  Needham,  Ella  Howland,  Berde 
Moore;  Fairview,  Florence  McWain,  teacher. 

Beside  the  public  schools,  North  Yakima  has 
several  private  ones,  treated  of  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  These  are:  St.  Joseph's  Academy,  con- 
ducted by  the  Sisters  of  Providence;  Miss 
Wright's  private  school,  Miss  Annie  C.  Wright, 
principal;  private  kindergarten,  Miss  Alice  B. 
Scudder,  principal;  Burrows'  musical  kindergar- 
ten, Mrs.  Carrie  Fox,  principal;  and  the  Seventh 
Day  Adventist  school,  H.  Gillis,  principal. 

Among  North  Yakima's  other  noteworthy 
institutions  are:  St.  Elizabeth's  hospital,  con- 
ducted by  the  Sisters  of  Charity;  a  public  library, 
which  is  soon  to  occupy  an  elegant  home  donated 
by  Andrew  Carnegie,  the  city  having  bound  itself 
to  appropriate  at  least  one  thousand  dollars 
annually  for  the  library's  support;  a  Deaconess 
Home,  established  in  1902,  Mary  Venema.  dea- 
coness and  superintendent,  Mary  Murphy,  dea- 
coness, Matilda  Anderson,  nurse;  four  weekly 
newspapers,  the  Yakima  Democrat,  Yakima  Her- 
ald, Yakima  Republic  and  Northwest  Farm  and 
Home,  and  one  daily,  the  Daily  Republic,  fully 
described  in  the  press  chapter;  and  the  Washing- 
ton State  Fair  grounds,  located  on  the  outskirts 
of  the  city.  The  city  also  supports  one  company 
of  militia,  Company  E,  First  Regiment,  W.  N. 
G.,  of  which  C.  T.  Dulin  is  captain;  John  M. 
Curry,  first  lieutenant;  J.  Howard  Wright,  sec- 
ond lieutenant. 

The  list  of  secret  and  fraternal  societies  of 
North  Yakima  is  a  long  one;  it  is  herewith  pre- 
sented, together  with  the  principal  officers  of  each 
lodge : 

Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  North 
Yakima  Lodge  No.  29— J.  J.  Tyler,  M.  W. ; 
M.  S.  Liggett,  foreman;  E.  Hamilton,  overseer; 
F.  M.  Sain,  recorder;  George  N.  Tuesley,  finan- 
cier; Sam  Arendt,  receiver. 

Degree  of  Honor,  North  Star  Lodge  No.  52 — 
Fannie  M.  Scott,  P.  C.  of  H. ;  Daisy  Wylie,  L. 
of  C.  ;  Belle  Arendt,  C.  of  C. ;  J.  J.  Tyler, 
recorder;  M.  S.  Liggett,  financier;  E.  P.  Taylor, 
receiver. 

Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen,  Homestead 
363 — J.  C.  Varker,  honorable  foreman;  Mrs. 
Emma  Allen,  master  of  ceremonies;  Miss  Anna 
Jungst,  secretary. 

Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
North  Yakima  Lodge  No.  318 — Z.  Y.  Coleman, 
E.  R.  ;  W.  P.  Guthrie,  E.  L.  K.  ;  A.  J.  Shaw, 
E.  L.  K  ;  John  Cleman,  E.  L.  K.  ;  Dr.  P.  Frank, 
secretary;  C.  E.  Meyer,  treasurer. 

Foresters  of  America,  Court  Florine  No.  50— 
J.  B.  Cooper,  C.  R. ;  Bert  Fletcher,  F.  S. 

Fraternal  Aid  Association,  Yakima  Council 
No.  149 — Frank  Fry,  president;  Mrs.  Minnie 
Fletcher,  secretary;  E.  E.  James,  treasurer. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


Fraternal  Brotherhood,  North  Yakima  Lodge 
No.  266 — Paul  G.  Kruger,  president;  Mary  E 
Martin,  vice-president;  Carl  Pusch,  secretary 
Emma  B.  Farmer,  treasurer;  R.  N.  Gordon,  J.  B 
Burns,  physicians;  Olive  Borth,  chaplain;  M.  W 
Porter,  sergeant;  Gertrude  Lyon,  M.  at  A. 
Wade  Shockley,  I.  D.  K.  ;  Arthur  G.  Bunce,  O 
D.  K. 

Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles,  North  Yakima 
Aerie  No.  289— W.  E.  Thomas,  P.  W.  P.  ;  Z.  Y. 
Coleman,  president;  F.  B.  Shardlow,  vice-presi- 
dent; J.  E.  Merwin,  chaplain;  G.  B.  Hunt,  sec- 
retary; E.  G.  Tennant,  treasurer;  Dr.  G.  J.  Hill, 
physician;  Frank  Kremer,  inside  guardian;  Fred 
Dunbar,  outside  guardian. 

Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  Meade  Post  No. 
9 — W.  J.  Reed,  commander;  C.  H.  Hoffman, 
senior  vice-commander;  A.  S.  Paul,  Jr.,  vice- 
commander;  Enoch  Boyle,  chaplain;  D.  L. 
Druse,  adjutant;  E.  R.  Learning,  quartermaster. 

Women's  Relief  Corps,  Meade  Corps  No.  9 — 
Susie  Kussmaul,  president;  Anna  Oliver,  senior 
vice-president;  Emma  Farmer,  secretary;  Louise 
Henderson,   treasurer;  Anna  Tuesley,   chaplain. 

Improved  Order  of  Red  Men,  Yakima  Tribe 
No.  24— L.  Durgin,  P.  C.  ;  D.  Crowder,  S.  ;  D. 
Ferguson,  S.  S. ;  G.  Jewell,  J.  S.  ;  L.  Durgin, 
P. ;  H.  Roedler,  K.  R. ;  F.  Cook,  K.  W. 

Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  North 
Yakima  Encampment  No.  7 — Herman  Hager- 
dorn,  C.  P.  ;  Frank  Winchell,  H.  P.  ;  J.  G.  Hil- 
liard,  S.  W.  ;  J.  M.  Kussmaul.  J.  W.  ;  P.  Frank, 
scribe;  A.  S.  Dam,  treasurer;  C.  E.  Lum,  trustee. 
Yakima  Lodge  No.  22— F.  T.  Liggett,  N.  G.  ;  H. 

D.  Hagedorn,  V.  G. ;  A.  L.  Flint,  secretary; 
Charles  Carpenter,  treasurer;  John  Kussmaul, 
trustee.  Isabel  Rebekah  No.  22 — Mrs.  Van 
Norman,  N.  G. ;  Minnie  Himbaugh,  V.  G. ;  Min- 
nie Hinman,  secretary;  Walter  White,  financial 
secretary;    Mrs.    Mariam   Whitehouse,  treasurer. 

Knights  of  Pythias,  North  Yakima  No.  53  — 
W.  T.  Stewart,  C.  C. ;  W.  E.  Herd,  V.  C.  ;  L.  D. 
S.  Patton,  prelate;  C.  M.  Houser,  K.  of  R.  and 
S. ;  B.  F.  Kumler,  M.  of  W.  ;  J.  C.  Liggett,  M. 
of  F.  ;  Frank  Horsley,  M.  of  Ex.  ;  Arthur  Pierce, 
M.  at  A. 

Rathbone  Sisters,  North  Yakima  Temple  No. 
31— Mrs.  Anna  R.  Stewart,  P.  C.  of  T.  ;  Mrs. 
Lizzie    Badger,   M.    E.    C.  ;    Mrs.    Mary   L.   Coe, 

E.  S.  of  T. ;  Mrs.  M.  A.  Murchie,  E.  J.  of  T. ; 
Mrs.  Dora  Short,  M.  of  T.  ;  Mrs.  Linna  E.  Kum- 
ler, M.  of  R.  and  C.  ;  Mrs.  Ruth  Herd,  M.  of  F. ; 
Mrs.  Florence  Lince,  P.  of  T.  ;  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Hamilton,  G.  of  O.  T. 

Uniform  Rank,  K.  of  P.,  North  Yakima  Com- 
pany No  9— C.  T.  Dulin,  captain;  C.  M.  Houser, 
first  lieutenant;  J.  M.  Curry,  second  lieuten- 
ant. 

Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  Yakima  Tent  No. 
26— H.  L.  Tucker,  P.  C  :  A.  E.  Knerr,  com- 
mander; Charles  GleesoD,  lieutenant-commander; 
J.  A.  Adams,  Rec.  K.  and  Fin.  K.  ;  E.  L.  Sessions, 


chaplain;  Dr.  W.  H.  Carver,  physician ;  W.  W. 
Doty,  sergeant. 

Ladies  of  the  Maccabees,  Yakima  Hive  No. 
24— Mrs.  Margaret  Nevin,  P.  L.  C. ;  Mrs.  Mary 
L.  Donovan,  L.  C.  ;  Mrs.  Nora  L.  Knerr,  L.  L. 
C.  ;  Mrs.  Anna  Innes,  R.  K.  ;  Mrs.  Mary  C.  Bar- 
tholet,  F.  K.  ;  Mrs.  Julia  H.  Sessions,  chap- 
lain. 

Masonic,  Yakima  Chapter  No.  21,  Royal  Arch 
Masons— R.  K.  Nichols,  E.  H.  P.  ;  P.  Y.  Heck- 
man,  K. ;  James  Greene,  scribe;  Walter  J.  Reed, 
treasurer;  Marcus  M.  Graves,  secretary.  Yak- 
ima Lodge  No.  24,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.—  W.  L. 
Lemon,  W.  M.  ;  B.  F.  McCurdy,  S.  W.  ;  H.  E. 
Scott,  J.  W.  ;  J.  D.  Cornett,  treasurer;  M.  S. 
Scudder,  secretary. 

Eastern  Star,  Syringa  Chapter  No.  38,  O.  E. 
S.  — Lucy  Nichold,  W.  M.  ;  B.  F.  McCurdy,  W. 
P.  ;  Mrs.  Edna  Miller,  Assoc.  M. ;  Mrs.  Anna 
Lauderdale,  secretary;  Mrs.  Nellie  Niles,  treas- 
urer; Mrs.  Mary  Cleman,  conductress. 

Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  North  Yakima 
Camp  No.  5,550- Orlando  Beck.  V.  C. ;  E.  E. 
Knowles,  banker;  E.  L.  McComb,  W.  A.;  F.  L. 
Janeck,  clerk;  G.  W.  Bissell,  E. ;  Drs.  Gordon, 
Wells  and  Fletcher,  physicians. 

Royal  Neighbors,  Sunshine  Camp  No.  1,520 — 
Mrs.  Temab  Truitt,  oracle;  Mrs.  Jennie  Lisle, 
V.  O. ;  Mrs.  Corranna  Beck,  P.  O. ;  Mrs.  Abbie 
E.  Badger,  recorder;  Mrs.  Emma  Mattoon, 
receiver. 

Order  of  Pendo,  North  Yakima  Lodge  No. 
192 — Mrs.  Helen  Van  Norman,  councilor;  Mrs. 
Dora  Coombs,  P.  C. ;  Mrs.  Theodore  Smith,  sec- 
retary; Mrs.  Annie  J.  Elmer,  treasurer;  Theo- 
dore Smith,  chaplain;  William  Van  Norman, 
V.  C. 

Order  of  Washington,  Electic  Union  No.  80 — 
Dr.  Burns,  president;  Agnes  C.  Curry,  vice-presi- 
dent; Mrs.  S.  M.  Ballinger,  secretary;  Mrs.  Kuss- 
maul, chaplain. 

Royal  Tribe  of  Joseph,  North  Yakima  Lodge 
No.  7— George  Grist,  W.  P.  :  Mrs.  T.  Truitt, 
V.  P.;  Mrs.  Alice  Wilgus,  president;  Mrs.  Ger- 
trude Zook,  scribe;  Mrs.  F.  M.  Scott,  treasurer; 
Tom  Larson,  escort;  Mrs.  Nora  Bedker,  inner 
guard;  Harry  Jacobs,  outer  guard;  May  Zook, 
organist. 

Woodmen  of  the  World,  Yakima  Camp  No. 
89— A.  A.  Smith,  C.  C.  ;  W.  W.  Pettijohn,  A.  L.  ; 
J.  J.  Sandmeyer,  escort;  C.  Gleeson,  banker; 
W.  V.    Holden,  manager;  F.  D.  Clemmer,  clerk. 

Women  of  Woodcraft,  Rustle  Circle  No.  268 — 
Mrs.  Anna  Howard,  P.  G.  X.  ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Chambers,  G.  N. ;  Mrs.  Annie  Thacker,  clerk; 
Effie  Murchie,  banker;  Mrs.  D.  Cleaver,  musician; 
Mrs.  F.  Fear,  advisor. 

Other  miscellaneous  societies  of  the  city  are: 
Deaconess'  Home  Association,  International  Sun- 
shine Society,  Minnesota  Society,  North  Yakima 
Ball  Park  Association,  North  Yakima  Baseball 
Club   (the    Hop   Pickers),    North  Yakima  Horse- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


shoers'  and  Blacksmiths'  Protective  Association, 
North  Yakima  National  Union  No.  727,  North- 
western Home  Finding  Association,  State  Irriga- 
tion Association,  Washington  State  Fair  Commis- 
sion, Yakima  Armory  Association,  Yakima  Cattle 
and  Husbandry  Association,  Yakima  County  Bar 
Association,  Yakima  County  Horticultural  Union, 
Yakima  County  Medical  Society,  Yakima  County 
Teachers'  Association,  Willard  Young  Women's 
Christian  Temperance  Union,  of  which  Mrs. 
B.  A.  Wylie  is  superintendent,  Mrs.  B.  Ballinger 
president,  Emma  Parshall  secretary  and  Miss 
Chambers  treasurer;  the  North  Yakima  Women's 
Christian  Temperance  Union,  of  which  Mrs. 
Oliver  is  president,  Mrs.  Hoffman  is  secretary 
and  Mrs.  Julia  Wilkinson  treasurer;  Nagler's 
orchestra  and  band,  F.  X.  Nagler,  director; 
Ladies'  Musical  Club,  Mrs.  H.  M.  Bartlett,  pres- 
ident, Mrs.  Guy  McL.  Richards,  vice-president, 
Blanche  Reed,  secretary,  Bessie  Hall,  correspond- 
ing secretary,  Mrs.  A.  E.  Poole,  treasurer,  and 
Mrs.  Marshall  Scudder,  chairman  musical  com- 
mittee; and  the  Junior  orchestra.  Clarence 
Farmer,  director  and  manager. 

Few  cities  in  the  west  are  growing  more  rap- 
idly or  substantially  than  North  Yakima.  The 
federal  census  of  1900  gave  the  city  credit  for 
3,154  people,  but  this  number  is  now  far  too 
small.  Says  R.  L.  Polk  &  Company's  1903-4 
city  directory  regarding  this  point: 

"Based  on  the  number  of  names  of  individual 
persons  only  contained  in  the  Directory  of  North 
Yakima,  and  using  the  usual  multiplier,  two  and 
a  half,  the  city,  at  present,  has  a  population  of 
6,940,  and  is  growing  rapidly.  Some  idea  of  the 
rapidity  of  its  growth  and  its  business  develop- 
ment may  be  gained  from  the  fact  that  during 
the  year  1902,  over  $125,000  was  expended  in  the 
erection  of  business  blocks,  and  during  the  same 
time  about  $175,000  was  expended  in  other  build- 
ing operations.  At  the  present  time  there  is 
scarcely  a  vacant  store-room  or  residence  in  the 
city.  To  supply  the  immense  demand,  the  four 
leading  lumber  companies  shipped  on  856  cars  of 
lumber  and  building  material  during  the  year 
1902,  of  the  value  of  fully  $375,000.  " 

Speaking  further  of  North  Yakima's  business 
enterprises  and  outlook,  the  writer  says: 

"North  Yakima  is  rapidly  assuming  impor- 
tance as  an  industrial  center  and  in  manufactur- 
ing and  kindred  industries.  One  of  the  largest 
and  best  appointed  sawmills  and  sash,  door  and 
box  factories  in  the  west  is  just  being  completed. 
There  is  a  large  and  well  equipped  flouring  mill 
with  a  capacity  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  barrels 
of  flour  per  day.  Several  creameries  are  in  opera- 
tion in  and  near  the  city  as  a  result  of  the  rapidly 
growing  interest  in  dairying  throughout  the 
country.  The  large  amount  of  fruit  and  vege- 
tables raised  nearby  is  attracting  canning  and  pre- 
serving industries,  and  such  works  have  already 
passed   the   experimental   stage  and    promise  to 


assume  great  importance.  The  wholesale  and 
commission  business  is  well  represented,  and 
many  other  interests,  including  a  fine  new  ice 
factory,  are  well  established.  There  is  also  a 
large  and  well  equipped  electric  light  and  water- 
works plant.  The  various  mercantile  establish- 
ments would  do  credit  to  a  much  larger  city. 
They  carry,  as  a  rule,  larger  stocks  and  a  higher 
class  of  goods  than  is  ordinarily  found  in  a  city 
of  this  size  supported  by  a  farming  community. 
This  is  necessary  to  meet  the  peculiar  demands 
of  its  inhabitants  and  of  a  thickly  populated  com- 
munity of  intelligent  and  well-to-do  people,  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  diversified  and  intensive 
agriculture.  The  three  banks  of  the  city  held  in 
deposits,  January  1,  1903,  approximately  $1,500,- 
000,  and  transact  an  average  daily  deposit  and 
exchange  business  of  about  $150,000,  which  cer- 
tainly speaks  well  for  the  business  enterprise  and 
general  prosperity  of  the  city  and  surrounding 
country." 

The  city  is  divided  into  between  thirty  and 
thirty-five  additions  and  sub-divisions,  besides 
which  practically  all  of  the  land  for  three  or  four 
miles  on  all  sides  has  been  subdivided  and  platted 
into  small  tracts  of  from  one  to  ten  acres.  These 
suburban  lands  sell  at  from  one  hundred  to  one 
thousand  dollars  an  acre,  depending  upon  their 
location,  the  character  of  the  soil  and  the  state 
of  improvement  and  cultivation.  The  city  is  in 
easy  and  quick  communication  with  all  parts  of 
the  surrounding  valleys  by  means  of  rural  free 
delivery  mail  routes  and  telephone  systems. 
Telegraphic  service,  locally  and  with  the  outside 
world,  is  furnished  by  the  Western  Union  Com- 
pany, and  telephone  service  by  the  Pacific  States 
Telephone  and  Telegraph  Company. 

The  city  is  symmetrically  laid  out  with  streets 
one  hundred  feet  wide  running  north  and  south 
and  eighty  feet  wide  running  east  and  west,  with 
two  exceptions,  Yakima  avenue,  the  main  busi- 
ness street,  which  runs  east  and  west,  and  Natches 
avenue,  running  north  and  south,  which  is  one 
of  the  prettiest  boulevards  in  eastern  Washing- 
ton. Each  street,  except  Yakima  avenue,  is 
fringed  on  both  sides  with  rows  of  beautiful  shade 
trees  of  at  least  a  score  of  varieties,  watered  by 
small  irrigating  ditches.  This  gives  a  pleasing 
and  refreshing  appearance  to  the  city  and  speaks 
highly  for  the  wisdom  and  aesthetic  nature  of  its 
founders  and  people.  In  fact,  it  would  seem  as 
though  the  corporation  had  done  or  was  doing 
everything  in  its  power  to  promote  the  healthful- 
ness,  safety,  comfort,  stability  and  beauty  of  the 
metropolis. 

The  old  city  charter,  granted  by  the  terri- 
torial legislature,  remained  in  force  until  the 
city  was  incorporated  under  the  general  state 
law  as  a  city  of  the  third  class.  This  charter  at 
present  governs  the  corporation.  The  city's 
boundaries  are  as  follows: 

Commencing  at  the  northeast  corner  section 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


thirty,  township  thirteen  north,  range  nineteen 
east;  thence  north  one-half  mile  on  section  line 
to  northeast  corner  southeast  quarter  section  nine- 
teen, township  thirteen,  range  nineteen;  thence 
west  one-quarter  mile  to  northeast  corner  of 
northwest  quarter  southeast  quarter  section  nine- 
teen, township  thirteen,  range  nineteen;  thence 
north  three-quarters  mile  to  northeast  corner 
southwest  quarter  of  southeast  quarter,  section 
eighteen,  township  thirteen,  range  nineteen; 
thence  west  one-quarter  mile  to  northeast  corner 
of  southeast  quarter  of  southwest  quarter  section 
eighteen,  township  thirteen,  range  nineteen; 
thence  north  one-quarter  mile  to  center  section 
eighteen,  township  thirteen,  range  nineteen; 
thence  west  one  mile  to  center  of  section  thirteen, 
township  thirteen,  range  eighteen;  thence  south 
seven-eighths  of  a  mile  to  northeast  corner  of 
south  one-half  of  southeast  quarter  of  northwest 
quarter  of  section  twenty-four,  township  thirteen, 
range  eighteen;  thence  west  one-quarter  mile  to 
northwest  corner  of  south  one-half  of  southeast 
quarter  of  northwest  quarter  of  section  twenty- 
four,  township  thirteen,  range  eighteen;  thence 
south  five-eighths  of  a  mile  to  southeast  corner, 
southwest  quarter  of  southwest  quarter  of  section 
twenty-four,  township  thirteen,  range  eighteen; 
thence  east  on  section  line  one  and  three-quar- 
ters miles  to  point  of  beginning. 

The  municipal  government  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  following  officers,  whose  terms  expire  Janu- 
ary i,  1904:  Mayor,  A.  J.  Shaw;  city  attorney, 
Vestal  Snyder;  city  engineer,  C.  G.  Wands;  city 
clerk,  H.  B.  Doust;  city  treasurer,  Charles  R. 
Donovan;  city  marshal,  J.  N.  Mull;  police  judge, 
J.  A.  Taggard;  city  physician,  J.  B.  Burns;  coun- 
cilmen,  first  ward,  Harry  E.  Moran,  A.  L.  Aikins: 
second  ward,  E.  J.  Wyman,  Thomas  R.  Fisher; 
third  ward,  J.  C.  Liggett,  A.  F.  Switzer;  at  large, 
E.  O.  Keck  (elected  for  two  years,  the  terms  of 
four  expiring  each  year).  The  fire  department, 
with  headquarters  at  the  city  hall  on  Front  street, 
is  composed  of  C.  M.  Hauser,  chief:  hose  com- 
pany (volunteers  paid  for  service  at  fires),  F.  T. 
Liggett,  captain,  S.  E.  Bunce,  driver;  engine 
company,  W.  D.  Walker,  engineer;  hook  and  lad- 
der company,  Ernest  Hamilton,  captain.  The 
police  department,  also  with  headquarters  in  the 
city  hall,  is  in  charge  of  Marshal  Mull  and  Police- 
men G.  C.  Hunter,  A.  J.  Yillaume  and  James 
Curran. 


Second  in  size  of  the  towns  of  Yakima  county, 
but  second  to  none  in  the  brightness  of  its  pros- 
pects for  future  development  is  Prosser,  situated 
at  Prosser  falls  of  the  Yakima  river,  on  the  main 
line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad.  Like  many 
other  towns  of  central  Washington,  it  owes  its 
development  to  the  magic  power  of  irrigation  in 
the  reclamation  of  desert  land.  Its  history, 
therefore,    may,    without    great    inaccuracy,     be 


said  to  have  had  its  inception  with  that  of  the 
irrigating  era  in  Yakima  county. 

A  small  village  was,  however,  called  into 
existence  at  Prosser  falls  nearly  twenty  years 
ago  by  the  necessities  of  farmers  and  stockmen 
in  the  vicinity,  and  of  construction  crews  at 
work  on  the  railroad.  The  land  was  located  by 
the  well-known  Colonel  William  Prosser  in  1883, 
and  that  same  year,  the  first  two  business  houses 
were  put  up  by  that  esteemed  pioneer  of  the 
place,  Nelson  Rich,  and  a  man  named  Chamber- 
lain. -Both  were  stocked  with  general  merchan- 
dise. The  town  consisted  of  little  more  than  two 
stores,  a  blacksmith  shop,  a  saloon  and  five  or 
six  dwelling-houses  until  1890,  when  it  began  to 
move  forward  at  a  quickened  pace.  The  Yakima 
Herald  of  January  2d  of  that  year,  after  briefly 
reviewing  the  previous  history  of  the  town,  and 
noting  its  slow  growth  and  small  population,  says: 

"Brighter  prospects  are  in  the  air  for  this 
little  hamlet,  however,  and  capitalists  who  have 
in  the  last  few  months  obtained  large  holdings 
in  and  adjoining  the  townsite  propose  to  make 
things  hum  this  coming  season.  M.  Y.  B.  Stacy, 
Mr.  Alexander,  of  Tacoma,  and  Eugene  Canfield 
are  interested  in  the  booming  scheme,  and  it  is 
said  that  Robert  Harris,  late  president  of  the 
Northern  Pacific,  will  have  a  hand  in  the  pie. 
Electric  lights  and  waterworks  are  to  be  estab- 
lished with  power  taken  from  the  falls,  and  other 
improvements  and  enterprises  inaugurated.  The 
big  ditch  to  be  built  by  the  Yakima  Irrigation 
and  Land  Company  will  open  up  much  tributary 
farming  land,  which  will  be  a  stimulus  to  the 
building  of  the  town." 

From  the  issue  of  the  same  paper  bearing  date 
of  April  19,  1S94,  we  learn  of  the  completion  of 
the  enterprises  referred  to  in  the  above  quota- 
tion. It  tells  us  that  the  happy  event  was  cele- 
brated three  days  before  by  appropriate  exer- 
cises, including  speeches  by  Colonel  W.  F.  Pros- 
ser, W.  L.  Jones,  G.  L.  Homes,  president 
Tacoma  Chamber  of  Commerce;  W.  D.  Tyler, 
receiver  of  the  Hunt  system  of  railroads;  D.  E. 
Lesh,  president  Moxee  Company;  Dr.  N.  Fred 
Essig,  of  Spokane,  and  James  F.  Kinney.  It 
likewise  states  that  the  officers  of  the  company 
which  had  accomplished  the  important  and  mer- 
itorious enterprise  were:  President,  J.  G.  Van 
Marter;  vice-president,  G.  B.  Hayes;  secretary 
and  treasurer,  W.  B.  Dudley;  manager,  Fred 
R.  Reed;  superintendent  of  buildings,  Frank 
McCartie;  engineer  of  construction,  Frank  Bart- 
lett.  From  the  pen  of  the  last  named,  we  obtain 
the  following  description  of  the  work: 

"A  pumping  plant  has  lately  been  put  in  at 
this  place  to  irrigate  four  thousand  acres,  and 
arrangements  have  been  made  to  furnish  water 
power  for  different  factories  soon  to  be  erected. 
*  *  *  The  Prosser  Falls  Irrigation  Company  con- 
trol the  south  side  of  the  river.  The  land  on 
this  side  of  the  river  is  too  high  to  be  covered  by 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


any  gravity  system,  and  though  it  is  as  produc- 
tive as  any  in  the  state,  without  water  it  would 
be  worthless.  The  power  of  the  falls  is  utilized 
to  raise  water  one  hundred  feet  high  to  cover 
this  land.  The  water  power  here  is  the  best  on 
the  Yakima  river,  the  fall  being  twenty  feet  in 
half  a  mile,  and  during  the  dry  season  in  October, 
1893,  the  river  discharged  2,662  second  feet, 
equivalent  to  6,050  horse  power. 

"The  headgates  are  placed  in  the  rock  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river.  The  headgate  frame  is 
made  of  sixteen  by  sixteen  timbers;  is  twenty- 
two  feet  high  and  thirty-six  feet  wide,  and  has 
six  openings  for  gates,  each  four  feet  in  the 
clear.  In  front  of  the  headgate  frame  is  a  rack 
frame  made  of  twelve  by  twelve  timbers,  on 
which  rest  the  racks  which  will  keep  floating  tim- 
ber and  ice  out  of  the  wheels.  A  wing  dam  has 
been  built  from  the  headgates  out  into  the  river 
to  direct  the  current  toward  the  flume. 

"The  headgates  supply  two  flume?,  each  ten 
feet  deep  and  twelve  feet  wide  in  the  clear,  and 
the  water  will  be  six  feet  deep  in  the  flumes 
when  the  river  is  lowest.  One  of  these  flumes 
will  supply  water  to  the  factories;  the  other  fur- 
nishes water  for  the  irrigation  canal,  and  the 
power  to  raise  that  water  one  hundred  feet,  also 
water  to  supply  the  town.  From  the  headgate 
to  the  power  house  is  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 
Part  of  this  fall  is  lost  during  high  water,  and 
the  machinery  has  been  designed  for  a  twelve- 
foot  fall.  The  flume  connecting  the  headgate  and 
power  house  is  made  of  two-inch  tongued  and 
grooved  planks  with  bents  every  two  feet,  made 
of  six  by  ten  timber.  The  water  from  the  flume 
enters  a  forebay  ten  feet  wide,  seventeen  feet 
deep  and  sixty-five  feet  long,  and  from  the  fore- 
bay  enters  three  penstocks,  from  which  it  is  dis- 
charged through  the  turbines. 

"The  turbines  are  forty-eight-inch,  special 
Victors,  and  develop  one  hundred  and  thirty-five 
horse  power  each,  under  twelve-foot  head.  Each 
turbine  drives  a  duplex  power  pump,  twenty-five- 
inch  cylinder,  twenty-four-inch  stroke.  Each 
pump  has  a  capacity  of  four  thousand  gallons  per 
minute.  This  is  the  discharge  of  an  eighty-foot 
per  minute  piston  speed,  and  the  pumps,  when 
necessary,  can  be  run  at  a  one-hundred-foot  "pis- 
ton speed.  Two  pumps  and  two  turbines  are 
now  in  successful  operation,  and  when  the  third 
pump  is  in,  the  plant  will  have  a  daily  capacity 
of  seventeen  million  two  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  gallons. 

"From  the  pumps  this  water  will  pass  through 
twenty-eight  hundred  feet  of  twenty-eight-inch 
steel  pipe  to  the  penstock  at  the  head  of  the  com- 
pany's canal.  Three  hundred  feet  from  the  pen- 
stock the  canal  divides  into  two  branches — the 
western  one  being  nine  miles  long,  the  eastern 
now  only  three  miles  long,  but  with  a  proposed 
extension.  The  water  supplied  to  the  canal  is 
twenty-seven  second  feet,  which,  at  a  duty  of  one 


hundred  and  fifty  acres  to  the  second  foot,  will 
irrigate  four  thousand  acres." 

The  inauguration  of  this  irrigation  system 
resulted  in  the  starting  of  a  newspaper,  the  Pros- 
ser  Falls  American,  in  the  town,  the  opening  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Prosser  Falls,  and  the 
establishment  of  a  number  of  other  enterprises, 
with  the  natural  increase  of  population  attending 
such  development.  But  the  era  of  financial 
depression  soon  dawned,  giving  a  quietus  to  any- 
thing like  rapid  progress  for  the  time  being. 
The  Prosser  Falls  Irrigation  Company  became 
involved  in  financial  difficulty,  and  with  them 
the  country  suffered.  After  a  pause  of  three 
years,  the  town  and  its  environing  country 
resumed  their  onward  march,  but  the  irrigation 
company,  unfortunately,  was  not  able  to  recover 
itself,  and  its  property  eventually  passed  into 
other  hands.  Some  conception  of  the  rapidity 
with  which  the  country  picked  up  may  be  gained 
from  a  comparison  of  the  volume  of  Prosser's 
shipping  business  in  1898  with  that  of  the  pre- 
ceding year.  In  1897  there  were  transported 
from  the  town  two  cars  of  wheat,  four  of  flour, 
fifteen  of  wool,  three  of  hay,  seven  of  melons, 
forty  of  cattle  and  four  of  sheep;  total,  seventy- 
five  cars.  In  1898  there  were  shipped  twenty- 
nine  cars  of  wheat,  twelve  of  flour,  twenty-four 
of  wool,  twenty  of  hay,  twelve  of  melons,  twenty- 
two  of  cattle  and  four  of  sheep;  total,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-three  cars. 

February  11,  1899,  a  city  election  was  held  in 
Prosser,  at  which  the  question  of  incorporating 
was  at  issue  and  a  corps  of  officers  were  to  be 
chosen  for  the  new  city  should  the  friends  of 
incorporation  carry.  The  result  was:  For  incor- 
poration, forty;  against,  eighteen;  mayor,  E.  W. 
R.  Taylor;  councilmen,  James  Whiting,  G.  W. 
Anderson,  Joseph  Ponti,  Fred  Brandt,  C.  H. 
Denley;  treasurer,  C.  A.  Jensen. 

Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  in  1899  the  sale 
by  the  receiver  of  the  Prosser  Falls  Irrigation 
Company's  property  became  necessary,  there  is 
no  evidence  that  any  stagnation  existed  in  the 
town  during  that  year  or  the  ensuing  two.  It  is, 
however,  plainly  evident  to  the  most  superficial 
observer  that  the  Prosser  of  to-day  is  largely  a 
product  of  more  recent  growth.  The  United 
States  census  of  1900  gives  to  the  town  a  popula- 
tion of  only  two  hundred  and  twenty-nine.  The 
census  may  have  been  incomplete,  but  is  surely 
to  be  taken  as  an  approximation  to  the  truth  as 
it  then  existed.  But  if  the  actual  population  was 
four  hundred,  it  has  almost,  if  not  altogether, 
tripled  in  the  three  years  that  have  since  elapsed. 
No  statistics  from  which  the  present  population 
may  be  estimated  are  at  hand.  Men  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  town  have,  however,  stated  to 
the  writer  that  there  must  surely  be  at  least  a 
thousand  people  in  Prosser,  and  some  have  ex- 
pressed the  opinion  that  an  enumeration  would 
show  an  even  greater  number. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


An  idea  of  the  present  business  development 
of  Prosser  may  be  gained  from  the  following 
register  of  its  business  men  and  establishments, 
which  is  thought  to  be  very  nearly,  if  not  quite, 
complete:  General  merchandise,  the  Prosser 
Mercantile  Company,  Nelson  Rich,  E.  W.  R. 
Taylor,  D.  S.  Sprinkle,  Coffin  Brothers;  hard- 
ware, Cheshire  &  Sovern;  hardware  and  furni- 
ture, Harper  &  Sons;  furniture,  the  Prosser  Fur- 
niture Company;  groceries,  Reider  &  Kuhnley, 
E.  C.  Johnson;  undertaking,  William  Guernsey; 
livery,  Lee  &  Miller,  Bandy  &  Smith;  blacksmith, 
W.  W.  Smith;  drugs,  Elkins  Drug  Company, 
the  Angus  Drug  Company,  which  also  carries 
paints,  etc.  ;  paint  and  wall  paper,  Kuhnley 
Brothers;  millinery  and  fancy  dry  goods,  Wil- 
liamson Brothers;  meat  market,  Ed.  Wilson, 
1.  J.  Croufutt;  candy  and  confectionery,  Finn  & 
Hinsling;  hotel,  the  Lape;  restaurant  and  bakery, 
Kuhne  &  Allgaier;  three  Chinese  restaurants; 
lodging  house,  S.  H.  Mason  ;  photograph  gallery, 
Horace  C.  Deitz;  barber  shops',  Ethan  R.  Allen 
and  E.  Burk ;  banks,  Prosser  State  Bank,  J.  D. 
Bassett,  of  Ritzville,  president,  and  the  Prosser 
Commercial  Bank,  established  and  soon,  to  be 
opened  for  business;  harness  and  saddlery,  Hinkle 
&  Castor;  the  Prosser  Steam  Laundry,  A.  W. 
Baker,  proprietor;  flour  mill,  Taylor  &  Kemp; 
warehouse,  Ezra  Kemp;  jewelry,  Elmore T.  Hen- 
sler;  saloons,  Ward  &  McFarland,  James  H. 
Bailey  and  Joseph  Ponti ;  postmaster,  Nelson 
Rich;  the  Prosser  Lumber  Company,  St.  Paul& 
Tacoma  Lumber  Company ;  contractors  and  build- 
ers, Creason  &  Barandt,  J.  H.  McKevitt;  brick- 
maker  and  contractor,  Theodore  Wright;  a  num- 
ber of  dressmakers;  dealer  in  coal  and  wood, 
H.  W.  Creason ;  draying  and  hauling,  Railsback 
Brothers;  newspapers,  Prosser  Falls  Bulletin  and 
Prosser  Record ;  city  waterworks,  the  Prosser  Falls 
Irrigation  Company;  electric  light,  Thompson  & 
Pratt;  tin  shop  and  plumbing,  J.  W.  Jett;  milk- 
man, G.  W.  Krippner;  real  estate  dealers,  A.  J. 
Bussen,  A.  G.  McNeill,  W.  H.  Hill,  Ashley-Burn- 
ham  Land  Company,  H.  J.  Jenks,  Williamson 
Brothers,  L.  A.  Clarke,  C.  A.  Jenson  and  G.  W. 
Krippner;  dentist,  R.  A.  Calkins;  physicians, 
Charles  C  McCown,  D.  M.  Angus;  lawyers,  G. 
A.  Lane,  S.  H.  Mason  and  McGregor. 

Prosser  has  a  fine  public  .school  of  eleven 
grades,  and  six  teachers — two  men  and  four 
women — labor  during  nine  months  of  each  year 
for  the  intellectual  and  moral  betterment  of  the 
juvenile  population.  The  number  of  children  of 
school  age  in  1903  was  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  males  and  one  hundred  and  twelve  females, 
and  the  average  daily  attendance  was  seventy-five 
male  and  seventy-eight  female  children.  There 
are  two  church  edifices  in  the  town,  the  Presby- 
terian and  the  Catholic,  but  services  are  held  by 
several  other  denominations  of  Christians.  Not 
a  little  interest  is  manifested  in  fraternal  organ- 
izations,   flourishing  lodges  of  the  Masons,  I.  O. 


O.  F.,  M.  W.  A.,  Yeomen,  R.  N.  A.,  Rebekahs 
and  Women  of  Woodcraft  being  maintained. 
The  water  system  before  referred  to  as  owned 
and  operated  by  the  Irrigation  Company,  fur- 
nishes, besides  a  supply  for  domestic  purposes 
and  for  the  beautifying  of  yards  and  lawns,  an 
abundant  protection  against  fire,  while  an  elec- 
tric light  plant  gives  to  the  town  an  up-to-date 
appearance  at  night. 

The  rapid  development  of  Prosser  during  the 
past  year  or  two  is  not  the  result  of  over-adver- 
tising or  the  efforts  of  the  professional  bqomer, 
but  is  the  legitimate  outcome  of  an  extensive 
development  in  the  surrounding  country,  a  coun- 
try whose  natural  capabilities  for  wealth  produc- 
tion cannot  easily  be  over-estimated.  Nor  is  this 
era  of  progress  approaching  its  end.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  is  believed  to  be  just  beginning  and  that 
nothing  short  of  a  general  financial  stringency 
can  bring  it  to  a  speedy  end.  It  is  stated  that  at 
least  thirty  thousand  acres  of  land  under  the 
Sunnyside  ditch  are  tributary  to  Prosser,  and  the 
projected  extension  of  that  canal  will,  if  carried 
into  execution,  result  in  the  population  of 
another  large  tract  whose  trade  will  naturally 
flow  to  that  town.  Of  the  farmers  on  the  exten- 
sive Rattlesnake  wheat  plateau  to  the  north  and 
the  still  more  extensive  Horse  Heaven  country 
to  the  south,  a  very  large  proportion  make  Pros- 
ser their  trading  point.  The  possession  of  this 
vast  extent  of  rich  tributary  territory,  of  a  splen- 
did water  power  and  of  an  unexcelled  climate  has 
inspired  in  the  people  an  abiding  faith  in  their 
future,  a  faith  which  in  itself  is  the  best  possible 
earnest  one  could  seek  of  what  that  future  will 
be.  It  impels  the  citizens  to  strive  most  zealously 
for  the  encouragement  of  enterprise,  cheerfully 
making  whatever  of  personal  sacrifice  may  be 
necessary  for  the  attainment  of  the  general 
good. 

This  public  spirit  has  recently  manifested 
itself  most  emphatically  in  efforts  to  secure  the 
erection  of  a  five-hundred-ton  sugar  factory  at 
Prosser  and  the  building  of  a  branch  road  to 
Sunnyside  to  bring  the  sugar  beets  of  that  rich 
irrigated  section  to  the  factory.  A  mighty  effort 
has  resulted  in  the  raising  of  the  required  subsidy 
for  the  beet  sugar  company,  which  is  the  same 
that  has.  done  "so  much  for  the  people  of  the 
Grande  Ronde  valley  of  Oregon,  and  if  a  satis- 
factory adjustment  can  be  effected  of  certain  diffi- 
culties at  present  existing  between  the  citizens 
and  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company  rela- 
tive to  the  subsidy  required  by  the  latter  for  the 
construction  of  the  Sunnyside  spur,  the  factory 
will  soon  be  an  established  fact.  There  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  last  slight  obstacle 
in  the  way  of  this  great  desideratum  will  be 
speedily  removed,  and  that  the  town  and 
country  will  receive  the  impetus  which  must 
result  from  the  inauguration  of  such  a  splendid 
industry. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


SUNNYSIDE. 

The  Sunnyside  irrigation  region  of  Yakima 
county  enjoys  a  fame  that  is  widespread  and  de- 
served. It  has  come  to  be  thought  of  by  multi- 
tudes as  a  sort  of  Utopia,  a  land  of  sunshine  and 
warmth  and  good  cheer,  the  birthplace  of  fatness 
and  plenty,  the  home  of  industry,  morality  and 
thrift.  The  evangels  of  its  fame  have  been  the 
products  of  its  soil,  which,  borne  by  the  arteries 
of  commerce,  have  penetrated  all  parts  of  the 
west  and  crossed  a  continent  and  an  ocean.  Its 
succulent  alfalfa  is  in  demand  in  the  orient,  while 
the  lusciousness  of  its  fruits  has  appealed  most 
powerfully  to  the  palates  of  the  denizens  of  the 
eastern  states. 

This  renowned  valley  is  situated  on  the  north- 
eastern side  of  the  Yakima  river  between  it  and 
the  high  Columbia  divide,  and  extends  from 
Union  Gap  to  below  the  town  of  Prosser.  A 
short  distance  back  from  the  river,  an  irregular, 
long,  high  basaltic  ridge,  named  Snipes  mountain 
in  memory  of  a  pioneer  cattle  king  of  the  county, 
gives  boundary  to  the  gently  rising  slope  and 
shuts  in  the  greater  part  of  the  valley.  The 
main  canal  winds  along  the  base  of  the  Columbia 
river  divide,  perhaps  ten  miles  north  of  the  river 
in  places,  sending  forth  its  hundreds  of  miles  of 
laterals  to  water  the  hillsides  and  plains  consti- 
tuting the  farming  section.  Wherever  the 
canal's  vitalizing  fluid  has  gone,  orchard,  field 
and  garden  have  sprung  into  being,  comfortable 
homes  and  buildings  have  taken  the  place  of  the 
sage  brush  waste,  and  a  prosperous  people  have 
expelled  the  coyote  and  the  jack  rabbit.  The 
luxuriant  foliage,  the  bloom  of  orchard  and  gar- 
den, the  emerald  hay  fields,  the  comfortable 
homes  are  indeed  a  gladsome  sight  to  the  summer 
visitor — and  summer  on  the  Yakima  is  a  long 
season.  Tens  of  thousands  of  acres  are  here  in 
cultivation,  generally  intensively  farmed,  produc- 
ing hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars  each  year, 
bringing  the  blessings  of  abundance  to  multi- 
tudes of  homes  and  challenging  the  admiration 
and  wonder  of  the  vsitor  from  less  favored 
regions. 

The  city  of  Sunnyside,  the  commercial  center 
of  the  valley,  is  situated  at  the  eastern  end  of 
Snipes  mountain.  It  is  surrounded  for  miles  in 
all  directions  except  toward  the  ridge  by  a  rich, 
irrigated  region.  The  townsite  forms  the  cen- 
ter of  a  circle  embracing  a  solid  area  of  cultivated 
land,  broken  only  by  the  projection  into  it  of  the 
narrow  end  of  Snipes  mountain.  Twelve  miles 
to  the  north  rises  the  sharp  crest  of  the  barren 
divide  separating  the  watersheds  of  the  Columbia 
and  the  Yakima;  seven  miles  south  is  the  Yakima 
river  at  Mabton ;  while  the  broad  valley  stretches 
eastward  and  westward  at  least  twenty  miles  in 
each  direction. 

Says  Walter  N.  Granger,  organizer  and  present 
general  superintendent  of  the  Sunnyside  Canal 


company:  "At  the  instance  of  friends,  in  18S9, 
I  had  come  from  Montana  to  look  over  the  irriga- 
tion project  presented  by  that  portion  of  the 
lower  Yakima  valley,  locally  called  the  Sunny- 
side section.  So  one  June  morning,  accompanied 
by  a  guide,  I  left  North  Yakima.  We  soon 
passed  through  the  gap,  Parker  bottom  and  out 
into  the  valley.  A  few  miles  farther  down  we 
ascended  Snipes  mountain  and  traveled  along  its 
summit,  the  better  to  view  the  country  on  either 
side.  When  we  reached  the  lower  end  of  the 
bridge,  the  vast  area  of  practically  level  land 
below  us  plainly  indicated  that  we  were  in  the 
heart  of  the  region.  As  I  gazed  on  the  scene  I 
then  and  there  resolved  that  a  city  should  some 
day  be  built  at  the  base  of  the  mountain,  for  the 
site  was  ideal.  My  mind  had  been  made  up 
regarding  the  feasibility  of  the  canal  project,  and 
next  day  we  rode  to  the  nearest  telegraph  station, 
where  I  wired  for  my  crew  of  engineers.  The 
rest  of  the  story  has  been  told  so  often  that  it 
need  not  be  repeated.  " 

The  canal  was  built  and  two  townsites  laid 
out  in  the  region  to  be  irrigated,  Sunnyside  and 
Zillah.  Mr.  Granger  became  the  president  of 
each  townsite  company,  the  stockholders  being 
canal  company  officials.  True  to  his  resolve, 
President  Granger  platted  the  town  of  Sunny- 
side, named  after  the  great  canal,  on  the  site  he 
chose  that  June  evening.  The  land  was  acquired 
from  the  railroad  company,  being  section  twenty- 
five,  of  township  ten  north,  range  twenty-two 
east.  The  canal  passed  the  site  in  1893,  and  in 
December  of  that  year  the  engineers  surveyed 
the  town. 

In  the  meanwhile,  through  Paul  Schultze,  the 
townsite  company  offered  William  H.  Cline,  of 
Tacoma,  a  business  and  a  residence  lot  in  Sunny- 
side if  he  would  open  a  store  there.  Mr.  Cline 
accepted  the  offer,  shipped  his  goods  and  lumber 
to  Mabton,  and  during  December,  1893,  built 
Sunnyside's  pioneer  store,  on  Mayhew  street,  just 
west  of  Sixth,  or  Main  street.  The  grocery  was 
opened  for  trade  about  January  1,  1894.  The 
prospect  was  not  an  inviting  one,  as  there  were 
then  not  a  dozen  families  in  the  vicinity,  the  usual 
troubles  of  placing  a  light  soil  under  cultivation 
were  experienced  and  the  hard  times  were  just 
beginning  to  be  felt. 

Perhaps  a  few  words  may  here  be  said  regard- 
ing the  early  settlement  of  the  region  surround- 
ing Sunnyside.  The  pioneer  families  in  the  dis- 
trict were  those  of  Jock  Morgan  and  John  Ferrell, 
who  lived  five  or  six  miles  from  Sunnyside 
toward  Mabton.  They  were  not  there  as  farm- 
ers or  fruit  growers,  but  as  cattle  and  horse 
raisers,  for  at  one  time  that  vast  area  was  cov- 
ered with  the  succulent  bunch-grass.  The  first 
real  settlers  as  farmers  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
town  were  Joseph  Kunz,  who  located  with  his 
family  in  1890  on  a  homestead  a  mile  northeast  of 
town;    John    Chisholm,    Nat    Stone,   William  T. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


Stobie,  Sr.,  George  A.  Mathieson,  Robert  Mains, 

Abner    Kirk, Taylor, Hendricks  and 

one  or  two  others.  The  honor  of  pioneership 
belongs  to  the  first  mentioned  gentleman,  who 
came  before  work  on  the  canal  was  begun.  To 
this  list  may  be  added  the  following  who  settled 
at  an  early  date  in  the  Outlook  district,  a  few 
miles  west  of  Sunnyside:  W.  H.  Norman,  P.  S. 
Wood,  B.  H.  Nichols,  William  Finn,  A.  Croon- 
quist,  T.  J.  Cooper,  B.  F.  Brooks,  A.  Christen- 
son,  Fred  Mansfield,  Jack  Williams  and  George 
Clark.  These  pioneers  either  settled  upon  gov- 
ernment land  or  purchased  land  from  the  North- 
ern Pacific  &  Yakima  Irrigation  Company.  The 
waters  reached  them  in  the  year  1893. 

"During  the  spring  of  1894,"  says  Joseph  L. 
Lannin,  who  came  at  that  time,  "there  was  a 
large  influx  of  people  who  bought  land,  settled 
down  and  began  preparing  homes  for  themselves. 
Of  those  I  may  mention  G.  W.  Wentworth,  J.  J. 
Brown,  James  Henderson,  Emory  Thompson,  L. 
Pace,  G.  G.  Mayenschein,  C.  E.  Johnson,  Andrew 
Green,  P.  S.  Bacon,  R.  D.  Young,  M.  Webber, 
F.  C.  Gorton,  D.  R.  and  J.  W.  McGinnis,  E.  E. 
Ferson,  I.  H.  Rhodes,  J.  W.  Day,  M.  D.  Clarke 
and  L.  P.  Vandermark.  When  I  arrived  in  Sun- 
nyside there  were  nine  acres  of  alfalfa  all  told,  of 
which  Mr.  Bacon  and  Mr.  Mayenschein  had  three 
each.  In  those  early  years  we  had  to  do  some- 
thing for  amusement,  so  we  organized  a  literary 
and  a  dramatic  society,  both  of  which  met  first 
in  the  Gillis  building  and  subsequently  in  the 
schoolhouse.  (Mr.  Lannin  was  elected  president 
of  the  literary  and  Mrs.  Lannin  president  of  the 
dramatic  society.)  We  had  good  times,  you  may 
be  sure,  and  derived  no  little  benefit  from  our 
associations.  The  foundation  was  laid  then  and 
there  for  the  good  fellowship  which  is  now  so 
characteristic  of  our  people. " 

Late  in  1S93,  Joseph  Miller  had  established  a 
stage  to  Mabton,  and  in  January,  1894,  the  town 
secured  a  postoffice,  D.  R.  McGinnis  becoming 
postmaster.  He  was  local  sales  agent  of  the 
townsite  company.  In  January,  also,  Reuben 
Hatch  built  a  commodious  hotel,  jocularly  known 
as  the  "Incubator."  A  little  later  a  man  named 
Garland  established  a  lumber  yard  and  erected 
two  small  frame  buildings  on  Sixth  street,  now 
occupied  by  George's  mercantile  house.  In 
April,  Miles  Cannon  opened  the  town's  second 
store  in  one  of  these  buildings,  and  about  the 
same  time  B.  M.  Brewer  occupied  the  other  with 
a  hardware  business.  D.  C.  Gillis,  also,  erected 
three  buildings  on  Sixth  street,  which  were  soon 
in  use  by  Crabb's  restaurant,  Gillis  &  Farrell's 
real  estate  firm,  and  as  a  schoolhouse  and  public 
hall  respectively.  Before  the  close  of  the  year 
1894,  the  town  had,  besides  the  establishments 
mentioned,  another  hotel,  the  Globe,  built  by 
Nathan  H.  Morris,  which  is  still  in  operation;  a 
drug  store,  opened  by  James  Henderson  in  the 
fall;  a  livery  stable,   put  upon  Mayhew  avenue 


by  W.  T.  Stobie;  a  furniture  store  belonging  to 
Frank  Pelre;  and  a  blacksmith  shop,  owned  by 
Nathan  Morris. 

Withal,  the  year  1894,  the  first  year  of  Sunny- 
side's  existence,  was  a  prosperous  one  and  pro- 
ductive of  a  rapid  growth  in  the  new  town.  By 
January  1,  1895,  there  were  probably  a  hundred 
people  in  Sunnyside,  but  the  widespread  finan- 
cial depression  was  soon  severely  felt.  Scores 
were  obliged  during  1S95  to  leave  their  farms  in 
the  Sunnyside  valley.  Many  had  sold  land  in  the 
east,  and  made  a  payment  upon  their  Washington 
farms,  but  being  unable  now  to  secure  the  bal- 
ance due  them,  they  were  obliged  to  return  and 
take  back  the  old  property.  The  valley  was 
almost  deserted  for  a  period.  In  Sunnyside 
every  business  house  but  one,  namely,  William 
H.  Cline's  store,  closed  its  doors. 

But  with  the  return  of  prosperity  late  in  1897 
times  in  Sunnyside  began  to  improve.  The  next 
spring  J.  B.  George  came  to  the  town  with 
another  store;  old  lines  of  business  were  re- 
established and  new  ones  founded,  settlers  began 
flocking  into  the  country  and  a  general  industrial 
revival  was  experienced.  Among  the  many  new 
buildings  of  importance  that  were  erected  that 
spring  was  the  Odd  Fellows'  hall,  a  two-story 
structure,  of  which  the  lower  floor  is  fitted  up  as 
an  opera  house  and  public  hall.  It  is  a  very  cred- 
itable building  to  a  town  of  Sunnyside's  size. 

During  the  early  years  of  Sunnyside's  history 
travelers  crossed  the  Yakima  river  at  Mabton, 
the  nearest  railroad  station,  on  a  scow  ferry 
operated  by  Jock  Morgan.  At  times  the  old  scow 
was  dangerous,  and  anyway  the  people  desired 
something  better  than  a  ferry  of  any  kind,  so  in 
the  summer  of  1S97  a  public  meeting  was  held  in 
Sunnyside  for  the  purpose  of  taking  steps  to 
secure  an  improvement  of  conditions  at  the  river 
crossing,  of  which  meeting  Joseph  L.  Lannin  was 
president.  A  committee  consisting  of  H.  D. 
Jory,  Tobias  Beckner  and  Hugh  Gray  was  ap- 
pointed to  look  after  the  matter  of  building  a 
bridge  across  the  river.  They  laid  the  proposi- 
tion before  the  board  of  county  commissioners 
and  secured  an  appropriation  from  the  county, 
which,  together  with  the  generous  donations  of 
labor  and  money  made  by  farmers  and  business 
men.  including  seven  hundred  dollars  in  cash  and 
labor  by  the  residents  of  Sunnyside,  made  pos- 
sible, in  189S,  the  construction  of  the  present 
substantial  bridge. 

About  this  time  what  is  known  as  the  Chris- 
tian Co-operative  movement  was  organized  by 
Messrs.  S.  J.  Harrison,  Christian  Rowland  and 
H.  M.  Lichty  for  the  purpose  of  colonizing  the 
Sunnyside  region.  These  three  men  had  been 
associated  for  a  number  of  years  in  church  work, 
as  members  of  the  Dunkard,  also  known  as  the 
Brethren  and  German  Baptist,  religious  sect. 
The  gentlemen  named  met  from  year  to  year  in 
the  national   conventions  of   their   people.       At 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


one  of  these  meetings,  Mr.  Harrison  was  chosen 
editor  of  the  Evangelist,  the  denominational 
paper.  For  several  years  he  and  Mr.  Lichty  had 
considered  the  question  of  colonizing  their  people 
in  some  favored  section  of  the  west,  and  in  the 
course  of  their  investigations,  Mr.  Harrison  spent 
a  year  in  California.  While  looking  over  that 
section,  Mr.  Rowland  was  asked  to  join  them, 
and  did  so.  The  party  came  very  near  agreeing 
on  a  point  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  but  Mr. 
Rowland  saw  a  promising  field  in  Texas,  and  five 
or  six  investigating  trips  followed. 

Mr.  Lichty  then  drew  the  attention  of  his 
associates  to  the  Sunnyside  region.  He  had  acted 
as  bookkeeper  in  the  Yakima  National  Bank  for 
a  short  period,  and  by  reason  of  his  residence  in 
the  county  was  somewhat  acquainted  wilh  its 
resources.  Albert  Saylor,  his  old  friend  and  a 
former  partner,  who  had  lived  ten  years  at  North 
Yakima,  urged  Lichty  to  take  advantage  of  the 
reduction  that  was  made  in  1897  in  the  price  of 
Sunnyside  lands.  Messrs.  Harrison,  Rowland 
and  Lichty  looked  upon  the  matter  favorably 
and  at  once  organized  to  carry  out  their  long 
cherished  project.  They  were  members  of  the 
Brethren  or  Progressive  division  of  the  Dunkard 
church,  but  had  many  warm  friends  in  the  Ger- 
man Baptist,  or  Conservative,  branch;  so  had 
little  trouble  in  securing  the  enthusiastic  indorse- 
ment of  their  scheme  by  D.  L.  Miller,  a  promi- 
nent colonizer  of  the  latter  branch. 

Under  the  name  of  the  Christian  Co-operative 
Colony,  the  firm  began  work  in  1897,  bringing 
about  twenty  people  into  the  district  that  year. 
Instead  of  colonizing  their  own  people  exclu- 
sively, they  determined  to  embrace  all  Christian 
workers  and  secure,  so  far  as  possible,  their  co- 
operation in  building  up  a  Christian  community. 
In  their  efforts  they  have  been  unusually  success- 
ful. During  the  first  six  years  of  their  work,  Mr. 
Harrison  estimates  that  they  brought  directly 
more  than  three  hundred  people  into  the  Sunny- 
side region,  besides  exerting  a  powerful  and  ever 
increasing  indirect  influence.  The  Christian 
Co-operative  Colony  has  done  a  great  work  in  the 
Sunnyside  valley.  Its  influence  has  ever  been 
exerted  for  the  substantial  development  of  this 
noted  irrigation  district  and  the  highest  good  of 
its  citizens.  Largely  through  the  efforts  of  this 
firm  the  Christian  Co-operative  Telephone  Asso- 
ciation was  organized,  and  many  other  public 
projects  have  been  carried  to  success.  Messrs 
Harrison,  Rowland  and  Lichty  are  still  engaged 
in  their  work  of  colonizing.  Mr.  Rowland  resides 
in  Lanark,  Illinois,  the  others  in  Sunnyside. 

In  the  fall  of  1899  Messrs.  Harrison,  Rowland 
and  Lichty  purchased  the  holdings  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Securities  Company  in  the  Sunnyside 
townsite.  That  corporation  had  acquired  the 
property  from  the  original  owners  through  a 
mortgage.  They  still  own  about  two  hundred 
lots,   the  remainder  having   been  disposed  of  to 


various  individuals.  The  title  is  in  Mr.  Harri- 
son's name.  All  deeds  issued  contain  a  forfeit- 
ure clause  designed  to  keep  out  of  the  city 
saloons,  gambling  resorts  and  houses  of  ill-fame. 
At  present  Sunnyside  is  without  any  of  these 
demoralizing  institutions,  and  there  is  but  one 
saloon  in  the  entire  valley. 

So  rapidly  did  the  town  grow  after  its  resur- 
rection in  1898,  that  by  1902  the  citizens  were  able 
to  incorporate  under  the  state  laws  as  a  city  of 
the  fourth  class.  Attorney  Henry  H.  Wende 
had  charge  of  the  matter.  The  town  became  a 
municipal  corporation  September  2d.  Its  first 
officers  were:  Mayor,  James  Henderson;  coun- 
cilmen,  Joseph  L.  Lannin,  W.  B.  Cloud,  William 
Hitchcock,  C.  W.  Taylor  and  George  Vetter; 
treasurer,  J.  B.  George;  attorney,  Henry  H. 
Wende.  Mr.  Vetter  became  the  city's  second 
mayor,  and  Henry  H.  Wende  its  third.  The  lat- 
ter is  serving  at  present.  The  remaining  city 
officials  at  present  are:  Councilmen,  Elza  Lean, 
W.  B.  Cloud,  G.  W.  Reece,  L.  C.  McDonald, 
E.  J.  Young;  treasurer,  L.  E.  Johnson;  clerk, 
H.  W.  Turner;  attorney,  C.  E.  Woods;  marshal, 
B.  F.  James.  At  the  last  city  election  one  hun- 
dred' and  thirty-five  votes  were  polled.  Conserv- 
ative estimates  place  the  population  of  the  city 
now  at  not  less  than  seven  hundred. 

In  educational  and  religious  facilities,  Sunny- 
side is  especially  blest,  the  development  along 
these  lines  being  abnormal  for  a  young  western 
town.  As  early  as  the  spring  of  1894,  Mrs. 
Anna  Williams,  subsequently  Mrs.  Albert 
Wright,  taught  a  private  school  in  her  own 
home  to  accommodate  the  few  children  then  in 
the  community.  Later  in  the  summer  the  pioneer 
public  school  was  established  in  the  Gillis  build- 
ing with  Professor  H.  G.  Rousch  as  teacher. 
He  instructed  between  thirty  and  thirty-five 
pupils.  In  the  fall  the  district  built  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Emerson  school.  This  building 
originally  cost  twenty-two  hundred  dollars,  but 
a  fifteen  hundred-dollar  addition  was  added  in 
1901.  The  same  year,  1894,  another  school- 
house,  now  known  as  the  Washington  school, 
was  erected,  under  the  supervision  of  P.  C.  Bacon, 
two  miles  east  of  the  village.  It  cost  fifteen 
hundred  dollars. 

February  1,  1903,  the  districts  numbered 
forty-four  and  forty-eight,  embracing  sixteen- 
square  miles  around  Sunnyside,  were  merged 
into  a  union  school  district  for  the  purpose  of 
building  and  maintaining  a  high  school.  The 
Washington  Irrigation  Company  donated  to  this 
district  forty  acres  of  land  which  netted  it  four- 
teen hundred  dollars,  while  S.  J.  Harrison  and 
H.  M.  Lichty  gave  two  lots  worth  five  hundred 
dollars.  Then  the  district  issued  twenty  thou- 
sand dollars  in  five  per  cent,  bonds  for  the  pay- 
ment of  its  indebtedness  and  the  erection  on  a 
fine  five-acre  tract  in  the  northwestern  part  of 
the    town    of  an    eleven-thousand-dollar   school- 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


225 


house.  The  building  is  a  handsome  frame  struc- 
ture of  modern  design,  resting  on  a  stone  founda- 
tion and  very  prettily  located.  It  will  be  used 
this  fall  for  the  first  time. 

The  school  board  of  the  Sunnyside  union  dis- 
trict maintaining  the  Emerson  and  Washington 
schools,  before  mentioned,  and  the  high  school, 
is  now  composed  of  Lee  A.  Johnson,  J.  B.  George 
and  F.  W.  Noble.  More  than  four  hundred  and 
fifty  pupils  are  enrolled  in  these  schools.  The 
corps  of  teachers  in  charge  is  as  follows :  Superin- 
tendent, Miss  K.  L.  Brown;  principal  high 
school,  Miss  Maude  M.  Corson  ;  assistant  principal 
high  school,  J.  C.  Oliphant;  commercial  depart- 
ment, Mrs.  W.  B.  Bridgman;  Emerson  school, 
eighth  grade,  E.  M.  Douglass;  seventh  grade. 
Miss  Fannie  Freeland;  sixth  grade,  J.  D.  Marsh; 
fifth  grade,  Miss  A.  E.  Rodman;  fourth  grade, 
Miss  G.  P.  Searle;  third  grade,  Miss  M.  A. 
Jacobs,  principal  Emerson  school  building;  sec- 
ond and  first  grades,  teachers  not  selected  ;  Wash- 
ington school,  primary  room,  Miss  H.  G*  Snyder, 
principal  of  the  building;  grammar  room,  Miss 
E.  J.  Jacobs.  The  high  school  courses  are  broad, 
including  practically  everything  taught  in  any 
high  school  in  the  country. 

Perhaps  no  town  of  like  size  in  the  state  can 
boast  of  more  or  better  churches  than  Sunnyside. 
The  first  church  service  in  the  city  was  held  in 
Gillis'  office  in  February,  1894,  by  Bishop  Wells, 
of  the  Episcopal  faith,  and  throughout  all  the 
early  years  the  Episcopalians,  Methodists  and 
Congregationalists  held  services  alternately,  and 
a  union  Sunday  school  was  maintained.  Now 
there  are  ten  religous  bodies  represented.  The 
Sunnyside  Sun,  in  its  special  issue  last  February, 
listed  these  and  their  membership  as  follows: 
Brethren,  92;  Christian,  35;  Baptist,  47;  Congre- 
gational, 45;  Episcopal,  40;  Free  Methodists,  60; 
German  Baptist  Brethren,  75;  Methodists,  170; 
Presbyterian,  75,  besides  a  society  of  Christian 
Scientists. 

The  Episcopal,  German  Baptist  and  Federated 
church  buildings  were  all  erected  in  the  summer 
of  1901,  and  are  substantial,  handsome  edifices. 
The  Free  Methodists  completed  a  neat  little 
church  last  winter.  Rev.  Edward  J.  Baird  is 
rector  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Rev.  Rollins  E. 
Blackman  has  charge  of  the  Presbyterian,  Rev. 
B.  J.  Hoadley  of  the  Methodist,  Rev.  Whitmore 
of  the  Congregational,  Rev.  Slosser  of  the  Bap- 
tist, Rev.  S.  P.  Westfield  of  the  Free  Methodist, 
S.  J.  Harrison  of  the  Dunkards,  and  Rev.  S.  H. 
Miller  and  D.  B.  Eby  of  the  German  Baptist. 

The  Federated  church  is  so  named  because  it 
was  erected  by  the  Sunnyside  Church  Federation, 
an  incorporated  body  consisting  of  six  different 
denominations,  as  follows:  Baptist,  Brethren 
(Progressive  Dunkard),  Methodist.  Presbyterian, 
Christian  and  Congregational.  This  federated 
movement  has  been  a  grand  success,  and  there  is 
probably  not  a  single  denomination  in  the  feder- 


ation which  is  not  numerically  stronger  to-day 
than  it  would  have  been  if  each  had  undertaken 
to  go  it  alone.  The  expense  of  keeping  up  five 
or  six  separate  establishments  is  obviated.  Its 
growth  has  been  unprecedented  and  the  news  of 
its  success  has  been  widely  published. 

The  fraternal  spirit  is  strong  in  Sunnyside,  as 
is  evinced  by  the  presence  of  nine  thriving 
lodges — Sunnyside  Lodge,  No.  49,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
its  auxiliary,  Rebekah  Lodge,  Sunnyside  Camp, 
No.  561,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  with  its 
auxiliary,  the  Royal  Neighbors;  Edith  Lee  Lodge, 
No.  73,  A.  O.  U.  W. ;  a  Masonic  lodge  just  being 
chartered,  and  lodges  of  the  Fraternal  Brother- 
hood of  America,  Order  of  Washington  and  Yeo- 
men. The  city  churches  also  maintain  various 
organizations  for  charitable  and  religious  work, 
including  a  home-finding  society. 

Quite  recently  the  city  established  a  public 
library.  To  Mrs.  Joseph  L.  Lannin  belongs  the 
credit  of  originating  this  enterprise  and  doing 
more  than  any  other  to  carry  it  to  a  successful 
issue.  Through  her  individual  efforts  a  subscrip- 
tion of  five  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  was  raised 
in  the  town,  a  donation  of  town  lots  valued  at 
five  hundred  dollars  secured  from  the  owners  of 
the  townsite,  and  a  promise  of  twelve  hundred 
dollars'  worth  of  land  obtained  from  the  Wash- 
ington Irrigation  Company.  An  organization 
was  effected  in  October,  1902,  with  Mrs.  Geneva 
Lannin  as  president;  Rev.  Lee  Johnson,  vice- 
president;  H.  Perin,  secretary;  S.  J.  Stewart, 
Mrs.  J.  R.  Harvey,  Henry  Wende,  J.  W.  Sanger 
and  E.  C.  Taylor  as  trustees.  However,  before 
this  administration  was  able  to  complete  all 
arrangements,  a  new  one  was  elected  with  Wil- 
liam B.  Bridgman  as  president,  and  a  short  time 
ago  the  library  was  purchased.  Temporarily  it 
occupies  a  rented  building. 

The  Sunnyside  Bank  was  organized  April  15, 
1902,  by  well-known  Yakima  county  business 
men,  with  an  authorized  capital  of  twenty-five 
thousand  dollars.  A  general  banking  and  ex-  - 
change  business  is  transacted.  This  institution 
is  fortunate  in  having  for  its  stockholders  and 
directors  men  of  known  business  ability  and 
experience.  The  directors  and  other  officers 
are:  S.  J.  Harrison,  president;  N.  Woodin,  vice- 
president;  L.  E.  Johnson,  cashier;  P.  J.  Lichty, 
of  Sunnyside,  George  Donald,  president  of  the 
Yakima  National  Bank,  and  Miles  Cannon,  pres- 
ident of  the  Yakima  Valley  Bank. 

Sunnyside  has  two  telephone  systems,  a  long 
distance  system  whose  wires  extend  all  over  the 
Northwest,  and  a  local  line.  What  is  now  the 
Christian  Co-operative  Telephone  Association, 
with  its  nearly  two  hundred  telephones  and  its 
seventy-five  miles  of  main  line,  connecting  Pros- 
ser,  Belma,  Mabton,  Outlook,  Zillah,  Toppenish, 
Parker  and  Wapato  with  each  other  and  Sunny- 
side— its  base  and  headquarters— was  first  con- 
ceived  by   Homer   L.    Brown,   its  former  electri- 


226 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


cian,  now  deceased,  and  S.  J.  Harrison.  Mr. 
Brown  furnished  the  knowledge  of  the  business, 
and  Mr.  Harrison  and  three  associates  the  money 
to  connect  their  own  residences  and  run  a  line  to 
Mabton,  thus  giving  them  connection  with  the 
railroad.  This  was  in  April,  1900.  The  original 
plan  was  simply  to  give  a  few  neighbors  and 
merchants  in  Sunnyside  a  telephone  connection 
with  the  depot,  seven  miles  away,  but  these 
gentlemen  built  better  than  they  knew.  They 
had  started  what  those  farmers,  who  were  not 
neighbors  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word,  saw 
that  they  wanted  and  must  have.  New  members 
were  added.  New  lines  had  to  be  built.  An 
exchange  had  to  be  put  in  at  Sunnyside.  The 
benefit  of  the  telephone  spread  from  house  to 
house.  Mr.  S.  J.  Harrison  had  up  to  this  time 
assumed  the  responsibility  of  this  growth,  both 
financial  and  otherwise.  The  present  association 
was  incorporated  at  that  time  with  a  capital  stock 
of  fifty  thousand  dollars,  one  thousand  shares  at 
fifty  dollars  each,  with  the  following  officers: 
S.  J.  Harrison,  president;  William  LeMay, 
'vice-president;  R.  D.  Young,  secretary  and 
treasurer.  At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  stock- 
holders the  price  of  stock  was  advanced  to  sev- 
enty-five dollars  per  share,  or  twenty-five  dollars 
above  the  par  value. 

The  city  is  connected  with  Mabton  and  Zillah 
by  stage  lines,  now  owned  by  Allen  &  Mathieson 
Bros.  The  Zillah  stage  makes  daily  trips;  the 
Mabton  stage  makes  three  round  trips  daily  ex- 
cept Sundays,  when  only  two  round  trips  are 
made.  This  excellent  transportation  system 
gives  the  city  as  many  mails  as  any  town  on  the 
railroad  possesses.  However,  the  historic  stage 
bids  fair  to  cease  soon  its  labors  in  the  Sunnyside 
valley,  as  there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  the 
Northern  Pacific  will  soon  build  a  belt  line  from 
Prosser  to  Toppenish,  via  Sunnyside,  directly 
tapping  one  of  the  richest  sections  on  its  entire 
route. 

One  of  the  important  enterprises  of  the  Sunny- 
side valley  and  of  the  town  is  the  Mountain 
View  Creamery,  established  and  owned  by  E.  E. 
Ferson.  For  the  year  ending  December  31, 
1903,  this  institution  gathered  137,474  pounds  of 
cream.  It  made  last  year  39,307  pounds  of  but- 
ter, for  which  it  received  an  average  price  of  22J3 
cents,  and  paid  out  to  its  patrons  the  sum  of 
$8,858.82,  an  average  per  month  of  $738.24. 
The  concern  is  in  a  highly  prosperous  condition. 

One  of  the  real  forces  at  work  in  the  commu- 
nity— and  one  of  no  mean  strength— is  the  Sunny- 
side Sun,  to  whose  courtesy  we  are  indebted  for 
much  information  concerning  the  field  in  which 
it  circulates.  The  first  issue  appeared  May  24, 
1901,  and  since  that  date  the  paper  has  steadily 
improved  in  every  respect  until  it  has  become 
one  of  central  Washington's  leading  weeklies. 
The  Sun's  founder,  editor  and  proprietor  is  Wil- 
liam Hitchcock. 


A  summary  of  the  city's  business  houses  and 
professional   men  would    include   the   following: 

The  Sunnyside  Sun,  published  every  Friday; 
the  Bank  of  Sunnyside;  the  Mountain  View 
Creamery;  general  stores,  J.  B.  George,  Boutell 
Bros.  &  Company,  Coffin  Bros.,  C.  S.  Wenner, 
manager;  hotels,  the  Sunnyside,  G.  G.  Muller, 
proprietor,  the  Globe,  S.  E.  Jones,  proprietor, 
the  Vetter,  Frank  Vetter,  proprietor;  livery 
stables,  Allen  &  Mathieson  Bros. ;  clothing. 
Valley  Clothing  store,  W.  B.  Cloud,  proprietor; 
hardware  and  furniture,  Lee  A.  Johnson  &  Com- 
pany; drug  store,  James  Henderson;  lumber 
yards,  Sunnyside  Lumber  Company,  R.  L. 
Reese,  manager,  St.  Paul  &  Tacoma  Lumber 
Company,  E.  A.  Hamilton,  manager;  jewelry 
stores,  Frank  L.  Maxham,  R.  S.  Calkin ;  harness 
store,  J.  E.  Fisher;  restaurants,  Frank  Vetter. 
Rev.  M.  P.  Westfield;  grocery,  C.  F.  Wheeler; 
meat  markets,  G.  F.  Barnes,  Farmers'  Market. 
W.  C.  Smith  and  L.  L.  Higgins,  proprietors; 
confectionery  and  bakery,  Frank  Vetter;  milli- 
nery, Mrs.  A.  H.  Lyons;  book  store,  Rev.  A.  H. 
Lyons;  blacksmith  shops,  John  Couey,  Nathan 
Morris;  undertaking  parlors,  M.  D.  Clarke; 
attorneys,  Henry  H.  Wende,  C.  E.  Woods,  Wil- 
liam B.  Bridgman;  physicians,  Dr.  J.  R.  Harvey. 
Dr.  J.  D.  Campbell,  Dr.  F.  C.  Jones,  osteopath; 
dentist,  Dr.  M.  R.  Kinner;  real  estate,  Sunny- 
side Land  &  Investment  Company,  Elza  Dean, 
general  salesman,  C.  E.  Woods,  local  manager . 
and  attorney,  Milton  &  Meacham,  William  B. 
Bridgman,  Frank  H.  McCoy;  insurance,  Rev. 
A.  H.  Lyons,  L.  C.  Johnson,  Dean  Woods;  photog- 
rapher, William  P.  Jackson,  A.  K.  Black;  bar- 
ber shops,  two,  owned  by  Brown  &  Fisk ;  tailor, 
L.  B.  Caple;  contractors,  Oliver  Hibarger,  J.  B. 
Streiff,  H.  W.  Holloway,  Ira  D.  Martin,  Caleb 
W.  Taylor;  painters,  F.  E.  Lampkin,  A.  D. 
Cafferty,  W.  E.  Lemming ;  plumbing,  Sunnyside 
Plumbing  &  Heating  Company,  Frank  Rodman ; 
stove  repairing,  Robert  Plant;  billiard  hall, 
bowling  alley,  etc.,  Pace  Brothers;  well  drillers. 
Huston  &  Cabell  Brothers,  West  Well  Company: 
fine  poultry  breeder,  H.  W.  Turner;  Sunnyside 
Cemetery  Association,  William  Hitchcock,  presi- 
dent; M.  D.  Clarke,  secretary;  S.  J.  Harrison, 
treasurer. 

The  Sunnyside  postoffice,  George  Vetter,  post- 
master, was  advanced  to  the  presidential  class, 
January  1,  1904.  The  business  of  this  office  in- 
creased forty  per  cent,  last  year.  There  are  now 
two  rural  free  deliver)'  routes  connected  with  it. 

Tributary  to  the  city  of  Sunnyside  is  an  area 
of  thirty-five  thousand  acres  of  tillable  land,  of 
which  at  present  nearly  twenty  thousand  are  in 
cultivation.  It  is  estimated  that  fifteen  thousand 
are  in  alfalfa,  which  last  year  yielded  seventy- 
five  thousand  tons,  selling  at  an  average  price  of 
five  dollars.  One  firm  of  stockmen,  Courtney  & 
Wright,  bought  thirty  thousand  tons  of  Sunny- 
side hay  last  season.      Although  there  are  several 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


227 


hundred  acres  of  orchard  and  vineyards  surround- 
ing the  city,  this  district  is  surpassed  in  horti- 
culture by  the  upper  canal  district  near  Zillah. 
But  berries,  vegetables,  etc.,  are  produced  abun- 
dantly, and  it  seems  to  be  the  general  opinion 
among  those  competent  to  judge  that  Sunnyside 
will  in  the  future  be  famous  for  its  market  gar- 
dening. Experts  claim  that  the  soil  is  especially 
adapted  to  this  kind  of  intensive  farming.  One 
gardener  last  summer  raised  over  five  hundred 
dollars'  worth  of  vegetables  on  half  an  acre  of 
land  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town.  He 
marketed  radishes,  lettuce,  onions,  cabbage, 
cauliflower,  beets,  parsnips,  carrots,  turnips, 
lima  beans,  bush  beans,  peas,  cucumbers,  melons, 
celery,  eggplant  and  tomatoes.  Celery  proved 
to  be  the  best  crop  raised. 

The  healthfulness  of  Sunnyside  may  truth- 
fully be  said  to  be  much  greater  than  that  usually 
found  in  irrigated  districts.  Dr.  J.  R.  Harvey, 
one  of  Sunnyside's  prominent  physicians,  states 
that  during  the  past  year  there  have  been  about 
fifteen  cases  of  typhoid  fever,  of  which  only  one 
proved  fatal.  Of  pneumonia,  in  this  same  period, 
there  were  only  two  cases  reported,  neither  of 
which  terminated  fatally.  Sunnyside  has  not  lost 
a  case  of  pneumonia  during  the  past  three  years. 
Although  the  people  do  not  desire  to  advertise 
their  section  as  a  health  resort,  they  feel  that 
much  injustice  has  been  done  them  in  the  matter 
of  health  reports  and  claim  to  live  in  a  section 
whose  sanitary  conditions  are  above  the  average. 

KENNEWICK. 

In  the  southeastern  part  of  Yakima  county, 
and  eighty-seven  miles  from  its  seat  of  justice 
and  local  government,  is  the  thriving  town  of 
Kennewick.  It  enjoys  an  exceedingly  fortunate 
location,  being  about  midway  between  Spokane 
and  Puget  sound,  while  its  low  elevation,  three 
hundred  and  sixty-five  feet  above  sea  level,  gives 
to  it  and  the  country  immediately  surrounding 
the  advantage  of  a  semi-tropical  climate.  Cer- 
tainly no  town  in  the  state  surpasses  it  in  the 
brevity  and  mildness  of  its  winter  seasons. 
"Here  smiling  spring  its  earliest  visit  pays," 
while  autumn's  delightful  charm  lingers  long 
after  winter  has  enfolded  most  of  the  other  towns 
of  the  state  in  its  chill  embrace. 

The  advantage  of  a  warm,  genial  climate  to  a 
town  depending  in  large  measure  upon  fruit  cul- 
ture for  its  support  is  fully  apparent.  A  high 
price  always  rewards  the  men  who  can  first  get 
their  fruit  products  on  the  market.  The  earliest 
strawberries  often  command  prices  several  times 
greater  than  those  which  often  obtain  even  a 
week  or  two  afterwards,  and  the  same  is  true  of 
other  small  fruits.  Kennewick  growers  are  in  a 
position  to  outdo  practically  all  competitors  in 
the  matter  of  early  berries,  for  they  enjoy  a  sea- 
son earlier  by  two  or  three   weeks  than  do  grow- 


ers in  most  other  parts  of  their  own  county,  one 
of  the  warmest  in  the  state.  Indeed,  it  is  claimed 
that  they  can  even  antedate  with  their  products 
the  horticulturists  of  the  famed  Hood  River  val- 
ley of  Oregon. 

Inasmuch  as  Kennewick  is  located  in  an  arid 
plain  of  great  extent,  one  would  hardly  expect  it 
to  be  favored  with  an  environment  specially 
pleasing  to  the  eye,  but  the  surrounding  country 
is  not  without  scenic  beauty.  Far  to  the  east, 
the  wondrous  Blue  mountains  rear  skyward  their 
lofty  crests;  on  the  south  the  general  level  finds 
at  length  a  boundary  in  the  hillsides  which  form 
the  stairway  to  the  prodigious  Horse  Heaven 
wheat  plateau ;  away  to  the  northward  shadowy 
uplands,  clad  in  the  beautiful  hue  which  nature 
delights  to  give  to  all  distant  objects,  stand  pro- 
jected against  the  paler  blue  of  the  sky;  while 
right  at  one's  feet  is  the  great  Columbia,  world- 
famed  for  its  beauty.  A  trip  to  the  center  of  the 
railway  bridge  which  spans  at  Kennewick  this 
mighty  river  places  one  in  a  position  to  view  its 
pellucid  waters,  and  soon  the  beholder  is  con- 
vinced that  it  needs  not  the  embellishment  of 
verdure-clad  banks  to  give  it  a  divine  charm. 
Though  its  currents  are  not  of  crystal  clearness, 
a  greenish  blue  cast  has  been  imparted  to  them 
which,  while  it  takes  away  transparency,  adds  a 
touch  which  appeals  most  strongly  to  the  aesthetic 
eye.  At  times  the  Columbia,  as  seen  from  the 
bridge,  suggests  to  one  the  river  of  Addison's 
vision,  which  appeared  to  emerge  from  a  deep 
mist  at  one  end  of  the  valley  and  to  lose  itself  in 
a  deep  mist  at  the  other. 

On  the  Columbia  plains  contiguous  to  Kenne- 
wick may  be  observed  the  exceeding  gorgeous- 
ness  of  coloring  which  is  wont  to  characterize  the 
advent  and  departure  of  the  sun  in  desert  places 
— a  gorgeousness  never  equaled  in  more  favored 
localities — while  here  and  there  a  wealth  of  ver- 
dure contrasts  strongly  with  the  sandy,  sage 
brush  plains,  and  gives  earnest  of  the  beauty 
which  shall  here  develop,  when  irrigation  shall 
have  done  its  perfect  work. 

The  history  of  Kennewick  for  many  years  is 
one  of  long  waiting  and  hope  deferred.  When 
the  railroad  made  its  way  into  the  country  in 
1883,  and  it  was  known  that  eventually  a  bridge 
would  span  the  great  Columbia  at  this  point,  the 
fact  that  a  town  would  one  day  be  built  became 
apparent  to  some  of  the  men  engaged  in  con- 
struction work.  C.  J.  Beach,  who  was  at  that 
time  in  the  company's  employ,  filed  upon  govern- 
ment land  in  the  vicinity,  and  his  homestead  is  a 
part  of  the  townsite.  The  other  part  was  railroad 
land.  The  first  building  in  town  was  Beach's 
house,  which  still  stands,  but  the  honor  of  having 
erected  the  first  structure  for  business  purposes 
belongs  to  one  Joseph  Diamond.  It  was  built  in 
1884  and  filled  with  a  small  stock  of  general 
merchandise.  Mr.  Diamond  catered  to  the  trade 
of  the  railway  employees,   during  the  period  of 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Toad  building,  then  to  the  needs  of  settlers  in  the 
vicinity,  until  about  1890,  when  he  removed  to 
Walla  Walla.  Several  merchants  had  stores  in 
Kennewick  at  different  times,  and  blacksmith 
shops  and  saloons  were  opened — perhaps  a  few 
other  business  establishments  also,  but  the 
growth  of  the  place  was  slight  until  1892,  when 
an  attempt  was  made  to  irrigate  the  arid  lands 
contiguous.  It  was  then  that  the  town  was  reg- 
ularly platted.  Mr.  Beach  tells  us  that  the  vil- 
lage received  its  rather  peculiar  name  in  this  way: 
The  railway  company,  desiring  to  name  the  town 
to  be  after  the  first  white  man  to  visit  its  site, 
aside  from  those  of  Lewis  and  Clarke's  party, 
made  some  inquiry  among  the  Indians  as  to  who 
of  the  pale-face  race  first  came  among  them. 
The  simple  natives  tried  to  say  "Chenoweth, " 
referring  to  an  early  trapper,  but  corrupted  the 
name  into  something  which  sounded  like  "Ken- 
newick," and  Kennewick  the  town  was  chris- 
tened. 

The  Yakima  Irrigation  and  Improvement 
Company,  for  such  was  the  name  of  the  aggrega- 
tion of  progressive  individuals  who  first  sought  to 
redeem  the  Kennewick  country,  did  not  meet 
with  complete  success,  though  it  spent  much 
money  in  the  construction  of  a  lengthy  canal  from 
the  Horn  rapids  of  the  Yakima  river,  some  seven 
miles  below  Kiona.  The  work  of  this  company 
gave  a  temporary  impetus  to  Kennewick,  and  in 
the  years  1892  and  1893  there  was  a  very  consid- 
erable influx  of  people.  It  was  then  that  the 
magnificent  Columbia  Hotel  building  was  erected. 
But  the  ditch  was  too  small  and  totally  inade- 
quate; the  irrigation  company  was  unable  to 
enlarge  it,  owing  to  the  hard  times  which  began 
to  oppress  all  classes  in  1894;  so  the  town  sus- 
pended developments  and  soon  relapsed  into 
much  the  same  condition  it  was  in  before  the 
quickening  resulting  from  this  enterprise. 

The  return  of  prosperity  brought  renewed 
activity  to  the  Columbia  plains,  as  to  other  parts 
of  the  state  and  nation,  but  it  was  not  until  1902 
that  the  work  of  town  building  was  resumed  at 
Kennewick  in  good  earnest.  The  ditch,  water 
right  and  realty  holdings  of  the  old  irrigation 
company  passed  at  length  into  the  hands  of  what 
is  known  as  the  Northern  Pacific  Irrigation  Com- 
pany, which  in  February  of  the  year  designated 
began  the  work  of  enlarging  the  ditch.  This 
undertaking  was  intrusted  to  Superintendent 
John  Russell,  a  comptent  and  careful  man,  who, 
supplied  with  abundant  means  and  instructed  to 
do  a  good  job  at  all  cost,  has  built  what  is 
claimed  to  be  the  finest  irrigation  canal  in  the 
state.  At  Kennewick,  twenty-one  miles  from  the 
head-gate,  it  is  five  feet  deep,  eighteen  feet  wide 
on  the  bottom  and  twenty-eight  on  top.  The 
ditch  is  thirty  miles  long  and  so  situated  that 
about  fifteen  thousand  acres  can  be  irrigated 
from  it.  A  perpetual  water  right  costs  the 
farmer  or  horticulturist  about  thirty-five  dollars 


an  acre,  and  a  maintenance  fee  of  a  dollar  an  acre 
a  year  is  thereafter  charged. 

Though  the  ditch  was  not  completed  in  time 
for  use  in  1902,  it  has  already  produced  a  won- 
derful effect  in  the  development  of  Kennewick. 
The  population  of  the  town  a  year  ago  last  May 
was  fifty.  In  May,  1903,  it  was  estimated  at  four 
hundred,  and  conservative  men  now  claim  for 
Kennewick  a  population  of  five  hundred.  Almost 
all  the  present  business  houses  have  been  opened 
in  the  past  eighteen  months,  so  a  simple  enumer- 
ation of  them  gives  a  good  idea  of  the  'commer- 
cial development  wrought  in  that  brief  period. 
They  are:  Dry  goods  and  furnishings,  Scott  & 
Company;  general  merchandise,  Johnson  &  Ful- 
lerton,  Robert  Geary,  Coffin  Brothers,  L.  S. 
Erley;  hardware,  Rudow  &  Schweikert;  hard- 
ware and  furniture,  H.  A.  Bier;  Exchange  Bank 
of  Kennewick,  S  H.  Amon,  president,  John 
Sherman,  vice-president,  J.  R.  Amon,  cashier; 
shoe  and  second-hand  store,  T.  S.  Cantrill;  drug 
store,  H.  R.  Haynes;  blacksmith  shop,  Charles 
E.  Reed;  carpenter  shop,  Schroeder  &  Callahan; 
real  estate,  C.  J.  Beach,  C.  A.  Lundy,  Cosgrove 
&  Hanson,  C.  F.  Freithaupt,  H.  A.  Hover; 
shaving  parlors,  J.  F.  Shafer  and  B.  F.  Nye; 
livery  and  feed  stables,  H.  E.  Beach  and  C.  M. 
Lloyd ;  lumber  yards,  St.  Paul  &  Tacoma  Lumber 
Company  and  Frank  Emigh;  saloons,  N.  R. 
Sylvester,  Hawkins  &  Wilkie;  hotels,  the  Antlers, 
William  Keefer,  proprietor,  the  Hotel  Hover, 
H.  A.  Hover,  proprietor,  the  Hampshire  House, 
C.  P.  Stanyan,  proprietor,  and  the  Hotel  Kenne- 
wick (the  last  named  of  which  was  built  by  C.  J. 
Beach  in  1892) ;  Japanese  restaurant;  confection- 
ery, etc.,  W.  A.  Morain;  postmistress,  Ida  M. 
Morain  ;  confectionery  and  ice-cream,  B.  F.  Nye; 
wall  paper  and  paint,  M.  P.  Fuller;  attorneys, 
Daniel  Boyd  and  Fay  Dean,  the  latter  being  also 
an  abstractor;  physicians,  Drs.  William  Pallister 
and  J.  W.  Hewitson:  music  teacher,  Mabel 
Haney;  newspaper,  the  Columbia  Courier,  C.  A. 
Anderson,  editor. 

There  are  two  churches  in  Kennewick — the 
Presbyterian  and  one  used  by  the  Congregation- 
alists  and  Methodists  jointly.  The  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  have  a  flourishing  local 
camp,  and  a  camp  of  their  auxiliary  society,  the 
Royal  Neighbors  of  America,  has  also  been 
established.  The  Kennewick  public  school  dis- 
trict was  organized  in  1884.  At  that  time  it  was 
twelve  miles  square  and  contained  fifty-four  chil- 
dren of  school  age.  The  present  schoolhouse, 
which  was  erected  in  1893,  is  a  two-room  struc- 
ture in  which  a  graded  school  is  maintained  dur- 
ing nine  months  of  each  year.  An  addition  the 
importance  of  which  can  hardly  be  estimated  has 
recently  been  made  to  the  educational  facilities 
of  the  town  by  the  establishment  there  of  the 
Academy  Emanuel.     The  superb  building*  orig- 

*Since  this  was  written  the  Academy  building  has 
burned. 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


229 


inally  erected  by  the  Yakima  Irrigation  and 
Improvement  Company  for  hotel  purposes  has 
been  purchased  by  Matinas  O.  and  Mrs.  Carolina 
Klitten,  and  is  now  being  renovated  and  fitted 
for  the  use  of  the  academy  at  a  cost  of  about 
seven  thousand  dollars.  The  people  of  Kenne- 
wick  take  great  pride  in  this  institution,  but  as  it 
is  described  in  some  detail  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume, extended  reference  to  it  here  is  unneces- 
sary. 

An  enumeration  of  the  attractive  features  of 
Kennewick  would  surely  include  notice  of  the 
very  extensive  and  superb  collection  of  curios 
belonging  to  D.  W.  Owen.  Though  it  is  a 
strictly  private  collection,  it  has  attracted  not  a 
little  notice  from  government  naturalists  and 
curio  hunters  far  and  near.  Mr.  Owen  receives 
many  letters  of  inquiry  from  persons  in  all  parts 
of  the  United  Staes,  while  an  occasional  com- 
munication reaches  him  from  some  point  in  the 
British  Isles.  A  man  of  seventy-three  summers, 
he  has  been  an  enthusiastic  collector  from  his 
earliest  years,  and  the  result  is  a  miniature 
museum.  It  includes  mounted  animals  and 
birds,  petrified  objects,  fossil  remains,  rare  pot- 
tery, heirlooms,  buffalo  robes  and  other  skins, 
specimens  of  Indian  handiwork,  arrow  heads, 
ancient  pottery,  pictures  of  monstrosities,  a 
Buddhist  idol,  portions  of  papyrus  with  Greek 
characters  inscribed  thereon,  curios  from  Pompeii, 
the  holy  land,  the  far  north  and  the  far  south, 
pieces  of  wood  from  the  steamer  Beaver,  the 
Charter  Oak  and  other  historic  structures,  speci- 
mens of  the  continental  and  other  paper  money 
of  two  centuries  or  more  ago,  ancient  American 
coins,  rare  foreign  coins,  shells,  beautiful  agates, 
opals  and  other  precious  stones  and  many  things 
rare  and  interesting.  The  collection  and  the 
kind  hospitality  of  the  enthusiastic  curio  lover 
who  owns  it  have  made  a  deep  and  lasting  im- 
pression upon  the  mind  of  the  writer. 

It  is  hoped  that  the  foregoing  paragraphs  of 
this  sketch  have  conveyed  to  the  reader  some 
idea  of  the  town  of  Kennewick  and  the  country 
contiguous  to  it,  past  and  present.  One  of  the 
most  hopeful  portents  of  its  future  is  the  faith 
and  courage  of  its  inhabitants.  These  are  not 
backward  in  pointing  out  to  the  visitor  that  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company  believes  in 
and  is  partial  to  their  town,  and  some  of  them 
infer  that  the  recent  building  of  a  five-thousand- 
dollar  passenger  depot  and  the  expressed  inten- 
tion of  the  company  to  build  a  freight  depot  of 
like  cost,  together  with  other  unmistakable  signs, 
indicate  an  intention  to  build  down  the  north 
bank  of  the  Columbia  at  no  distant  date,  thus 
making  Kennewick  an  important  distributing 
center  and  railway  point.  "At  any  rate,"  say 
they,  "the  state  of  Oregon  will  build  a  portage 
road  around  The  Dalles,  has  appropriated  money 
for  that  purpose  already — and  soon  the  cheery 
whistle   of  the  steamboat   will   greet  our  ears." 


These  people  are  firm  in  the  belief  that  the 
warm,  dry,  healthful  climate  of  their  section,  its 
excellent  drainage  to  the  Columbia  river,  its  rich, 
volcanic  soil,  the  superb  system  of  irrigation  with 
which  it  is  supplied,  its  early  seasons,  its  splendid 
location,  its  excellent  railway  facilities  and  its 
inexhaustible  markets  must  secure  for  their  town 
and   country  a  high  and  abundant  development. 


Mabton,  a  bustling  village  on  the  Northern 
Pacific  railroad  thirty-eight  miles  southeast  of 
North  Yakima,  lies  at  the  extreme  eastern  edge 
of  the  Yakima  Indian  reservation  in  the  lower 
valley  of  the  Yakima.  It  is  the  shipping  point 
of  the  rich  Sunnyside  district  and  considerable  of 
the  fertile  Horse  Heaven  and  Bickleton  wheat 
belt,  a  fact  in  itself  sufficient  to  give  more  than 
ordinary  importance  to  the  station.  A  few  years 
ago  Mabton  was  but  a  telegraph  point  with  a  side 
track  and  a  store:  to-day  it  is  a  lively,  rapidly 
growing  place  of  probably  one  hundred  and  fifty 
people  with  exceedingly  bright  prospects  for  the 
future. 

Thousands  of  acres  of  rich,  arid  sage  brush 
soil  surround  Mabton  on  every  side.  The  great 
stretches  of  dull  gray  plains,  for  the  most  part 
practically  level  or  slightly  undulating,  extend 
for  miles  up  and  down  the  valley,  which  winds 
three  or  four  miles  wide  between  Snipes  moun- 
tain and  the  Columbia  river  divide.  Across 
the  river  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  Mabton, 
green  fields  and  foliage  mark  the  beginning  of 
the  Sunnyside  irrigated  district,  which  extends 
back  many  miles,  reaching  far  up  the  slope  of  the 
Rattlesnake  range  and  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see 
up  and  down  the  river.  Through  a  low  gap  in 
the  high  basaltic  wall  to  the  north,  a  glimpse 
may  be  had  at  this  writing  of  a  verdant  wheat 
field,  betokening  the  lower  edge  of  Yakima's 
cereal  region,  but  not  one  green  spot  is  to  be  seen 
on  the  vast  plain  below;  only  the  promise  of  a 
great  future,  when  irrigation  shall  have  begun 
its  transforming  task. 

The  reason  for  the  present  condition  of  this 
valley  land  is  that  the  lower  end  of  the  reserva- 
tion 'is  still  without  water,  and  the  presence  of 
the  large  reserve  makes  it  almost  impossible  to 
carry  out  any  canal  project  which  has  for  its 
object  the  irrigation  of  the  valley  below  the 
reservation.  It  is  quite  probable  that  the  new 
government  ditch  will  be  extended  so  as  to  cover 
most  of  the  reservation,  and  some  of  the  Mabton 
region,  but  it  is  though.t  that  in  order  to  bring 
water  upon  all  the  land  in  the  vicinity  of  and 
beyond  Mabton,  a  canal  will  have  to  be  taken  out 
of  the  Naches  river.  This  would  be  an  expen- 
sive undertaking,  but  enterprising  men  have 
nevertheless  applied  for  permission  to  build  an 
aqueduct  across  the  reservation,  and  are  now 
preparing  plans  for  its  construction.     The  open- 


230 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ing  of  the  reservation  which  is  expected  to  take 
place  in  the  near  future,  will  greatly  simplify  the 
water  problem,  and,  owing  to  Mabton's  fine 
natural  location,  will  give  a  mighty  impetus  to 
the  life  of  that  town. 

When  Samuel  P.  Flower,  formerly  of  Bickle- 
ton,  erected  a  warehouse  and  store  building  at 
Mabton  in  June,  1892,  the  only  other  structures 
there  were  a  section  house  and  a  water  tank. 
They  stood  on  the  reservation  a  few  yards  west 
of  the  line.  Mr.  Flower's  building  was  placed 
on  the  company's  right  of  way  just  west  of  the 
section  house.  His  small  stock  of  general  mer- 
chandise occupied  one  end  of  the  little  ware- 
house, and  his  customers  were  the  few  home- 
steaders in  the  region  and  those  who  occasionally 
came  to  Mabton  siding  to  ship  stock.  The  next 
year  the  railway  company  built  a  station  and 
installed  T.  W.  Howell  as  telegraph  operator. 
That  year  also  Edward  F.  Flower  became  the 
pioneer  postmaster  of  theMabton  settlement.  In 
1S94  Tobias  Beckner  established  his  present  gen- 
eral store,  just  off  the  reservation;  in  1895  Frank 
Martin  opened  the  Hotel  Mabton  on  its  present 
site;  school  district  No.  36  was  also  organized  and 
a  little  frame  schoolhouse  built  a  mile  and  a  half 
southeast  of  Mabton,  in  which  Miss  Lima  Piatt 
taught  the  pioneer  school  during  the  winter  of 
1895-96.  The  year  following  a  substantial  depot 
building  took  the  place  of  the  telegraph  station. 

The  next  business  to  be  established  at  Mabton 
was  Tilton  F.  Phillips'  general  store,  which  came 
in  1898.  A  year  later  George  Miller  opened  a 
blacksmith  shop;  then  came  J.  L.  Brewer's  har- 
ness shop,  and  in  1901  the  Hub  Mercantile  Com- 
pany's store,  the  North  Yakima  Milling  Com- 
pany's warehouse,  the  Birk  Hotel,  built  by  Fer- 
dinand Selle,  and  other  business  concerns. 
Mabton's  greatest  development,  however,  came 
in  1903,  and  at  the  present  writing  it  is  rapidly 
expanding  along  all  lines;  nor  is  its  growth  un- 
natural or  in  any  degree  the  result  of  an  effort 
to  boom  the  place  for  purposes  of  speculation. 

The  original  townsite  lies  in  section  one,  town- 
ship eight  north,  range  twenty-two  east,  being 
upon  railroad  land.  Of  this  section,  one  hundred 
and  eighty-eight  acres  are  within  the  reservation. 
So  strong  was  the  demand  made  for  a  townsite 
that  about  the  first  of  the  year  1901  the  railway 
company  platted  eight  acres  of  this  section 
adjoining  the  depot  grounds.  The  lots  were  all 
soon  sold,  and  May  16,  1902,  Joseph  A.  Hum- 
phrey and  Mrs.  Amy  M.  Flower  purchased  the 
remainder  of  section  one — four  hundred  and  forty- 
four  acres.  They  incorporated  the  Mabton  Town- 
site  Company,  which  has  platted  one  hundred 
acres  into  town  lots,  practically  all  of  the  property 
being  south  of  the  railroad.  Northeast  of  this 
and  the  original  townsite  and  adjoining  the  res- 
ervation, lies  Phillips'  addition  of  forty  acres, 
which  is  a  portion  of  the  southeast  quarter  of 
section  thirty-one,  township  nine,  range  twenty- 


three,  originally  the  Dalton  Mansfield  homestead, 
filed  upon  in  the  early  nineties.  Fred  Phillips 
subsequently  acquired  the  homestead  through 
relinquishment.  The  reservation  line  passes 
through  the  center  of  the  town  as  now  built  up, 
those  living  on  Indian  land  leasing  it;  but  it  is 
quite  probable  that  this  condition  of  affairs  will 
not  long  continue.  The  town  is  as  yet  unincor- 
porated. 

District  No.  36  held  a  special  election  May 
28,  1904,  at  which,  by  a  vote  of  fifty-three  to  five, 
the  taxpayers  voted  to  issue  bonds  in  the  sum  of 
four  thousand  dollars  for  the  purpose  of  building 
a  new  brick  schoolhouse.  The  site  selected  is  on 
the  Mabton  Townsite  Company's  addition  south 
of  the  tracks;  the  building  will  be  erected  this 
summer.  The  old  schoolhouse  southeast  of  town 
was  abandoned  after  the  first  year's  use,  the  dis- 
trict accepting  the  offer  of  the  Methodists  to  use 
their  church  at  Mabton.  This  comfortable  little 
building  has  served  as  both  church  and  school- 
house  since  that  time.  It  was  built  in  1894.  At 
present  the  Presbyterian  society  also  uses  the 
building.  Rev.  H.  E.  Hoadley  conducts  the 
Methodist  services.  The  Mabton  school  board 
is  composed  of  Tilton  F.  Phillips,  E.  J.  Eide- 
miller  and  Ewald  Selle.  Miss  Mary  McKay  and 
Miss  A.  M.  Cone  will  have  charge  of  the  school 
next  year. 

An  interesting  enterprise  is  now  under  way 
at  Mabton,  namely,  the  drilling  of  an  artesian 
well,  the  Mabton  Townsite  Company  being  en- 
gaged in  this  laudable  undertaking.  At  this 
writing  the  drill  is  down  eight  hundred  and  forty 
feet. 

Mabton's  business  interests  are  much  larger 
than  a  casual  observer  would  judge.  Last  Decem- 
ber ( 1904)  the  freight  receipts  at  this  station  are 
reliably  reported  to  have  been  between  thirty 
thousand  and  thirty-five  thousand  dollars,  and 
December  was  not  an  unusual  business  month. 
Some  days  as  high  as  twenty  cars  are  loaded 
with  wheat,  hay  and  fruit  from  the  Bickleton, 
Horse  Heaven  and  Sunnyside  districts. 

The  Mabton  Chronicle  was  established  by 
Bernard  J.  Pacius,  May  12,  1904,  and  is  a  cred- 
itable weekly,  a  six-column  folio,  independent  in 
politics.  It  occupies  a  cozy,  well-equipped  office. 
A  directory  of  the  town's  other  business  men  and 
establishments  follows:  General  stores,  Tilton 
F.  Phillips  &  Company,  the  Hub  Mercantile 
Company,  of  which  Charles  Bilger  is  manager, 
and  The  Spot,  owned  by  N.  J.  Beckner;  lumber, 
lime,  cement,  etc..  Samuel  P.  Flower  &  Com- 
pany, St.  Paul  &  Tacoma  Lumber  Company,  Dean 
D.  Stair,  manager,  and  the  Cascade  Lumber  Com- 
pany; hotels,  The  Mabton.  Frank  Martin,  propri- 
etor, East  Side  Hotel,  C.  M  Christy,  proprietor; 
livery,  Cyrus  O.  Wommack ;  restaurants,  J.  B. 
Early,  Roy  Glaze;  warehouses,  Interior  Ware- 
house Company,  Balfour  Guthrie  &  Co.,  propri- 
etors, Tacoma  Grain  Company,  James  Skirving, 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


manager;  feed, flour,  grain,  North  Yakima  Milling 
Company,  Edward  Eidemiller,  manager;  black- 
smith shop,  A.  Safstrom;  drug  store,  Mabton 
Drug  Company,  Alexander  Angus,  proprietor; 
barber  shop,  J.  S.  McArthur;  temperance  hall, 
Herbert  Kenyon:  boots  and  shoes,  Frank  M. 
Nelson :  real  estate,  Mabton  Townsite  Company, 
Samuel  P.  Flower,  manager,  Fred  Phillips,  W. 
L.  Leonard,  Fred  Selle,  J.  B.  Early;  lawyer, 
George  W.  Paswater;  physician  and  dentist,  Dr. 
James  E.  Stephenson;  plumber,  house-moving, 
Swald  Selle;  carpenters  and  contractors,  Ernest 
A.  Colby,  A.  W.  McKinney,  N.  E.  Litherland. 

A  thrice-day  line  of  stages  is  operated  by  Allen 
&  Mathieson  between  Sunnyside  and  Mabton, 
and  a  tri-weekly  line  between  Mabton  and  Bickle- 
ton  by  C.  O.  Wommack.  The  Pacific  States  and 
the  Christian  Co-operative  Telephone  Companies 
have  lines  extending  into  the  town. 

TOPPENISH. 

Situated  about  the  center  of  a  large,  fertile 
valley  on  the  main  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railway,  nineteen  miles  southeast  of  North  Yaki- 
ma, is  Toppenish,  the  principal  trading  and  ship- 
ping point  on  the  Yakima  Indian  reservation. 
At  present  it  has  perhaps  a  hundred  inhabitants, 
but  the  volume  of  its  business  transactions  would 
do  credit  to  a  place  of  much  larger  population. 

Toppenish  is  an  Indian  word,  applied  also  to  a 
creek  whose  source  is  in  the  Simcoe  mountains, 
the  valley's  western  boundary.  In  the  Yakima 
tongue,  "toppenish"  is  said  to  mean  "sloping," 
and  in  the  Klickitat,  "the  main  or  highest  trail." 

The  valley  in  which  Toppenish  lies  is  similar 
in  shape,  except  that  it  is  longer,  to  the  valley 
surrounding  North  Yakima.  It  is  bounded  on 
the  north  by  the  Columbia  river  divide,  on  the 
south  by  the  Simcoe  range,  and  on  the  east  and 
■west  by  low  hills  pierced  by  the  river.  The  Top- 
penish and  Satus  creeks,  whose  sources  are  in  the 
Simcoe  range,  flow  through  the  reservation.  As 
the  valley  reaches  the  foothills,  the  lands  become 
very  broken  and  rough,  except  in  these  creek  val- 
leys, where  the  principal  Indian  settlements  are. 

When  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  was  built 
through  the  reservation,  in  the  middle  eighties,  a 
section  house,  water  tank  and  telegraph  station 
were  established  there.  The  point  was  desig- 
nated Toppenish.  Some  years  later  stock  yards 
were  built  by  the  company,  side  tracks  were  put 
in  and  a  station  agent  was  appointed.  W.  J.  Jor- 
dan in  1888  became  the  station's  second  agent, 
and  with  his  advent  the  shipping  business  began 
at  once  to  increase  materially. 

Thomas  Stalen,  late  in  the  eighties,  opened  a 
trading  post  on  the  reservation  about  three  miles 
below  Toppenish,  but  conducted  it  only  a  short 
time.  In  1890  N.  H.  Lillie  secured  a  post-trad- 
er's license  from  the  government  and  opened  the 
first  business  house  in   Toppenish,  his  building 


being  erected  on  the  south  side  of  the  track.  A 
postoffice  was  also  established  in  1890,  Mr.  Lillie 
becoming  the  first  postmaster. 

George  Harvey  in  1895  succeeded  Lillie  as  post- 
trader  at  Toppenish,  but  in  the  fall  of  1896  sold 
out  his  business  to  J.  B.  George,  who  erected  the 
building  now  forming  the  rear  portion  of  the 
Hotel  Toppenish.  This  same  year  William  L. 
Shearer  became  station  agent,  relieving  Mr.  Jor- 
dan. Two  years  later,  in  August,  1898,  another 
mercantile  establishment  entered  the  community, 
the  Toppenish  Trading  Company,  of  which  F.  A. 
Williams  was  the  manager  and  principal  owner. 
This  concern  soon  became  the  official  trading 
post,  which  resulted  in  its  becoming  master  of  the 
business  situation.  In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Carrie 
Staten  secured  George's  old  building  and  opened 
a  hotel,  but  she  soon  after  sold  to  Mrs.  S.  E. 
Stone,  who  leased  the  place  to  her  son,  Harry 
Stone.  The  station  also  had  a  blacksmith  shop 
at  this  time,  established  by  Lillie,  for  whom  John 
Palmer  conducted  it  at  first. 

About  1898,  also,  white  men  began  leasing  large 
areas  of  the  reservation,  inaugurating  the  present 
universal  method  of  farming  the  valley  lands. 
The  first  government  canal  on  the  reservation 
was  built  during  1896-7,  covering  an  area  of 
twenty  thousand  acres.  This  aqueduct  diverts 
water  from  the  Yakima  river  near  Wapato,  flows 
for  twelve  miles  in  an  easterly  direction  across 
the  valley  and  empties  into  Toppenish  creek. 
From  the  first,  the  agricultural  experiments  on 
the  reservation  proved  highly  successful,  with 
the  result  that  white  settlers  flocked  into  the 
region  by  the  score,  rapidly  placing  the  Indian 
lands  under  cultivation.  This  year  more  than 
five  thousand  acres  of  this  area  will  be  farmed.  A 
larger  area  would  be  cultivated  if  leasing  condi- 
tions were  more  favorable. 

From  the  inception  of  the  leasing  regime  and 
the  revival  of  the  Sunnyside  canal  region  after 
the  hard  times,  Toppenish  has  grown  steadily 
and  rapidly,  especially  as  a  shipping  and  receiv- 
ing point.  One  by  one  new  business  houses  have 
been  established,  large  warehouses  erected,  old 
businesses  enlarged  and  trade  facilities  increased 
and  improved.  Among  the  new  institutions  may 
be  particularly  mentioned  the  Hotel  Toppenish, 
begun  two  years  ago  by  Ira  Pearsoll,  and  com- 
pleted by  the  present  owners,  Charles  H.  Newell 
and  A.  N.  Sarjent;  they  opened  it  for  business 
June  3,  1902.  This  hotel  is  three  stories  high, 
built  of  wood,  and  is  quite  a  pretentious  struc- 
ture for  a  small  town.  Another  business  institu- 
tion of  especial  importance  is  the  Washington 
nursery,  established  two  years  ago  by  former  resi- 
dents of  Salem,  Oregon.  This  nursery  is  one  of 
the  best  in  central  Washington  and  is  doing  a 
rapidly  increasing  business.  J.  P.  McDonald  is 
manager. 

As  a  shipping  point  Toppenish  is  one  of  Yaki- 
ma county's  wonders.      Last  year  (1903)  between 


232 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


thirteen  hundred  and  fourteen  hundred  cars  were 
required  to  ship  the  immense  quantities  of  hay, 
fruits,  potatoes,  hops  and  live  stock  raised  in  the 
tributary  region.  To  dispose  of  the  1904  crop  a 
much  greater  number  of  cars  will  be  required. 
Five  miles  of  the  new  government  canal,  which 
is  designed  to  irrigate  fully  fifty  thousand  acres, 
have  already  been  completed,  and  by  the  utiliza- 
tion of  its  magic  life-giving  power,  more  than 
three  thousand  acres  are  thisyear  being  converted 
from  sage  brush  prairie  into  thrifty  farms.  Work 
on  the  canal  was  begun  last  fall.  Each  year  the 
government  will  appropriate  money  for  its  exten- 
sion until  the  proposed  twenty  miles  are  finished. 
The  project  is  of  gigantic  importance  to  the 
county.  The  government's  two  canals  will  place 
practically  all  the  valley  under  irrigation,  f tar- 
nishing homes  for  thousands  of  people,  although 
a  general  settlement  will  not  be  effected  so  long 
as  the  present  Indian  department  rules  remain  in 
force.  Five  commission  houses  handle  the  ship- 
ping interests. 

One  of  the  signs  of  progressiveness  at  once 
noticed  in  this  thrifty  community  is  its  excellent 
educational  advantages.  The  fact  that  every 
white  inhabitant  of  the  district,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  those  living  upon  the  railroad's  right  of 
way,  is  there  purely  by  Indian  sufferance  has  not 
in  the  least  prevented  Toppenish  from  having 
one  of  the  best  schools  in  the  county.  Mrs. 
Powell  taught  the  pioneer  school  in  1898.  In 
1901  district  No.  49  leased  a  small  tract  of  land 
from  T.  P.  Robbins  for  ten  years  and  erected 
thereon  a  two-room  building.  Last  year  the 
capacity  of  the  building  was  doubled,  bringing 
the  aggregate  cost  up  to  forty-two  hundred  dol- 
lars, which  was  raised  by  special  tax.  The 
schoolhouse  is  supplied  with  the  most  approved 
equipment  of  all  kinds,  and  has  been  so  built  that 
if  necessary  it  may  be  moved  at  small  cost.  The 
district  has  purchased  a  library  valued  at  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  to  which  it  is  constantly 
adding,  and  owns  two  organs.  Two  high  school 
grades  are  maintained,  and  next  year  a  drawing 
and  music  teacher  will  be  added  to  the  corps. 
Last  year  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  pupils  en- 
rolled were  under  the  instruction  of  Principal 
Halbert  Lawrence,  Miss  Alice  Clark  and  Miss 
Kate  Hitz.  The  school  board  of  this  unusually 
progressive  district  is  composed  of  William  L. 
Shearer,  William  McAuliff  and  W.  R.  Laidler. 

The  town  has  one  church  (the  Methodist),  of 
which  Rev.  J.  J.  CaHaway  is  resident  pastor. 
This  society  erected  its  cozy,  substantial  house  of 
worship  in  1898  upon  a  tract  of  leased  land  which 
the  society  has  the  prior  privilege  of  purchasing 
when  offered  for  sale. 

Toppenish  labors  under  one  unfortunate  dis- 
advantage in  that  it  occupies  leased  land,  with 
the  exception  of  a  strip  five  hundred  and  ninety 
feet  wide  owned  by  the  railroad  company.  The 
remainder  of   the  site    east  of  the  track  is  land 


leased  to  the  whites  by  Mrs.  S.  E.  Stone,  of 
Indian  and  white  parentage.  Lancaster  Spencer, 
an  Indian,  owns  the  rest  of  the  site  lying  west  of 
the  railroad.  This  land,  under  the  law,  cannot 
be  sold  at  the  present  time.  Should  serious 
trouble  arise  between  lessees  and  lessors,  it  is 
possible  that  the  town  would  be  removed  to  an 
eighty-acre  tract  adjoining  the  eastern  side  of 
the  railway  grant  half  a  mile  above  the  station, 
as  F.  A.  Williams  purchased  this  land  from  the 
government  last  December  at  a  price  of  one  hun- 
dred and  one  dollars  and  fifty  cents  an  acre. 
Mr.  Williams  is  the  principal  stockholder  of  the 
Toppenish  Trading  Company. 

However,  despite  the  unfortunate  condition 
of  the  townsite,  the  inhabitants  of  Toppenish 
appear  to  regard  the  matter  as  merely  an  impedi- 
ment and  not  a  menace  to  their  town's  growth. 
Substantial  buildings  are  constantly  going  up, 
including  the  new  stone  warehouse  of  Richey  & 
Gilbert.  When  finished,  this  structure  will  have 
a  total  length  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  and 
a  width  of  eighty  feet.  A  directory  of  the  town's 
business  houses  would  include  the  following: 

General  merchandise,  Toppenish  Trading 
Company,  Coffin  Brothers;  lumber,  the  St.  Paul 
&  Tacoma  Lumber  Company,  carrying  approxi- 
mately nine  hundred  thousand  feet  of  lumber, 
besides  lime,  cement,  laths,  shingles,  etc.,  W.  H. 
Holt,  manager;  commission  firms,  Richey  &  Gil- 
bert, Coffin  Brothers,  Toppenish  Trading  Com- 
pany, John  L.  Craib,  J.  M.  Perry  &  Company; 
hotels,  The  Toppenish,  Charles  H.  Newell  and 
A.  M.  Sarjent,  proprietors,  The  Staten,  Frank 
Snipes,  proprietor;  nursery,  Washington  Nursery 
Company,  J.  D.  McDonald,  manager;  bakery, 
confectionery,  Adolphus  Gaunt;  blacksmith 
shops,  Cantrell  &  Gibson,  Lancaster  Spencer; 
meat  markets,  T.  P.  Robbins  (established  in 
1901),  Casey  &  Bond;  barber  shop,  Adolphus 
Gaunt;  cigars  and  confectionery,  Stephenson 
Brothers;  station  agent,  express  agent  and  post- 
master, W.  L.    Shearer. 

Toppenish  is  well  located  and  is  fortunate  in 
possessing  broad-minded,  progressive  business 
men  who  will  make  the  most  of  the  advantages 
which  their  town  possesses  in  situation  and  nat- 
ural resources. 


The  town  that  bears  this  pretty  name  lies  on 
the  high  northern  bluff  of  the  Yakima  river  four 
miles  northeast  of  Toppenish,  the  nearest  railway 
point,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  fruit-growing  sec- 
tion of  the  Yakima  valley  irrigated  by  the  Sunny- 
side  canal.  Fully  one  hundred  and  fifty  people 
make  their  homes  in  the  village. 

Nature  has  dealt  most  generously  with  the 
region  surrounding  and  tributary  to  Zillah.  Its 
beauty  is  truly  surpassing.  The  swift  waters  of 
the  Yakima  course  noisily  through  their  wood- 
fringed  channels   eighty  feet  below  the  level  of 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


the  town,  then  wind  prettily  down  the  valley, 
presenting  an  entrancing  water  scene.  Off  to 
the  south  and  west,  across  the  Indian  reservation, 
the  horizon  is  converted  into  a  broken  line  by  the 
Cascade  and  Simcoe  ranges,  from  which  the 
whitened  dome  of  Mount  Adams  and  the  sharp 
peaksof  Mount  Ranier  rise  into  conspicuous  prom- 
inence. To  the  north  lies  the  high  rocky  divide 
separating  the  Columbia  and  Yakima  watersheds; 
but  by  far  the  most  fascinating  sight,  for  many 
reasons,  is  that  of  the  country  reclaimed  by  the 
great  life-giving  canal  and  its  hundreds  of  miles 
of  small  arteries.  The  course  of  the  Sunnyside 
canal  is  plainly  marked  upon  the  dull  gray  land- 
scape by  a  wide  strip  of  verdant  hay  and  grain 
fields,  innumerable  orchard  tracts,  pretty  farm 
buildings  and  rows  of  stately,  waving  poplars. 
Dale  and  hillside  alike  have  responded  to  the 
efforts  of  the  husbandman.  The  verdure  and 
luxuriance  of  their  new  life  are  fairly  dazzling. 
The  object-lesson  of  irrigation  is  here  over- 
whelming in  its  vividness  and  force.  If  ever  the 
desert  has  "blossomed  as  the  rose,"  it  is  in  the 
region  around  Zillah.  What  is  of  probably 
greater  importance  in  this  commercial  age,  this 
quondam  desert  is  now  producing  the  necessities 
and  luxuries  of  life  in  quantities  that  are  rapidly 
enriching  the  fortunate  owners  of  the  land. 

The  head-gates  of  the  canal  are  twelve  miles 
above  the  town,  but,  owing  to  the  topography  of 
the  country,  the  cultivated  strip  between  the 
aqueduct  and  river  is  quite  narrow  for  the  entire 
distance,  and  even  a  few  miles  farther;  but  the 
region  is  all  intensively  farmed  and  supports  a 
large  population,  most  of  whom  are  engaged  in 
fruit-growing.  The  soil  consists  of  decomposed 
lava,  volcanic  ash  and  alluvial  wash  from  the  sur- 
rounding mountains,  from  twenty-five  to  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  feet  in  depth  and  won- 
derfully rich  in  all  the  elements  of  fertility.  The 
rolling  topography  of  the  region  watered  by  the 
upper  portion  of  the  canal  adapts  it  particularly 
to  horticulture;  hence  it  is  that  we  find  that 
industry  the  principal  one,  apples  being  the  chief 
fruit  raised.  The  next  crop  of  importance  is 
alfalfa.  Just  what  amount  the  Zillah  region  pro- 
duces it  is  impossible  to  estimate  with  any  degree 
of  accuracy,  but  the  region  furnished  most  of  the 
twelve  hundred  cars  of  produce  shipped  from 
Toppenish  last  year.  The  climate  is  very  favor- 
able, and  an  altitude  of  eight  hundred  feet  and 
good  drainage  contribute  to  the  healthfulness  of 
the  locality.  With  such  a  region  from  which  to 
draw  its  support,  Zillah  can  hardly  fail  to  prove 
a  permanent  commercial  center,  and  when  the 
Yakima  reservation,  embracing  the  rich  lowlands 
across  the  river,  is  placed  under  cultivation,  the 
town  will  draw  support  from  it  also. 

As  might  be  supposed,  Zillah  came  into  being 
with  the  construction  of  the  Sunnyside  canal  in 
the  early  nineties,  and  its  growth  has  been  con- 
temporaneous with  that  of  the  surrounding  coun- 


try. Walter  N.  Granger,  the  promoter  of  the 
great  canal  and  its  only  general  superintendent, 
selected  the  townsite  in  the  spring  of  1892,  acting 
for  the  Zillah  Townsite  Company.  Of  this  cor- 
poration he  was  president,  while  Paul  Schultze, 
Thomas  F.  Oakes,  William  Hamilton  Hall  and 
C.  A.  Spofford,  the  last  named  acting  for  Henry 
Villard,  were  trustees.  Seventy  acres  of  railroad 
and  state  land  were  platted  for  the  new  town. 

Some  time  in  April,  shortly  after  the  selection 
of  the  townsite,  a  party  of  railroad  and  canal 
officials,  including  President  Oakes,  his  wife  and 
daughter,  visited  the  place  in  charge  of  Mr. 
Granger.  The  question  of  naming  the  town 
arose,  and,  after  some  discussion,  Mr.  Schultze 
suggested  Zillah,  in  honor  of  Miss  Zillah  Oakes. 
Then  and  there  the  party  adopted  this  pleasing 
and  rather  striking  name,  and  by  it  the  town  has 
ever  since  been  known. 

The  next  step  in  the  town's  growth  was  the 
establishment  some  weeks  later  of  its  first  busi- 
ness house,  the  Zillah  Hotel,  built  by  Reuben 
Hatch.  This  commodious  building  is  still  in  use. 
At  the  same  time  the  Northern  Pacific  &  Yakima 
Irrigation  Company  erected  its  present  hand- 
some, substantial  offices.  A  little  later  E.  J. 
Jaeger  and  George  Harvey,  partners,  opened  a 
general  store  opposite  the  irrigation  company's 
building,  and  Col.  R.  C.  Walker  was  appointed 
postmaster.  Then  came  the  Puyallup  Drug 
Company's  store,  in  charge  of  C.  H.  Williams;  a 
hardware  store,  owned  by  the  present  stockhold- 
ers of  the  Yakima  Hardware  Company,  and  man- 
aged by  Arthur  Knowles,  and  Blagdon's  black- 
smith shop.  By  the  first  of  the  year  1893  Zillah 
had  a  population  of  perhaps  fifty  people. 

The  year  1S93  was  an  important  one  in  the 
town's  history.  The  mercantile  firm  of  Jaeger  & 
Harvey  was  dissolved  and  a  new  one  formed  by 
Jaeger  and  J.  B.  George.  J.  P.  Fox  succeeded 
Blagdon  in  the  blacksmith  shop;  C.  S.  Hale 
opened  a  livery  barn  and  a  meat  market;  Dr. 
Andrew  McCracken  and  Harry  Armitage  pur- 
chased the  drug  store,  and  a  few  new  business 
enterprises  were  started.  An  unusually  heavy 
spring  flood  of  the  river  washed  out  fully  ten 
acres  of  the  townsite,  resulting,  however,  only  in 
the  loss  of  the  land.  The  town  has  suffered  one 
further  loss  of  this  kind,  the  spring  flood  of  1904 
having  been  attended  by  similar  consequences; 
but  it  is  thought  that  the  channel  is  now  perma- 
nently fixed,  as  it  is  straight.  In  1893  also  the 
hardware  and  drug  stores  were  burned.  Both 
were  rebuilt.  E.  W.  Dooley  opened  a  saloon 
about  this  time  which  was  subsequently  destroyed 
by  fire. 

School  district  No.  32  was  organized  in  1894 
and  a  comfortable  frame  schoolhouse  built.  With 
improvements  since  added,  this  building  has  cost 
twenty-two  hundred  dollars.  It  is  indeed  one  in 
which  the  district  has  reason  to  take  pride. 
Edna    Haines    taught   the   first   two   terms  in  it. 


234 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and   Fred   Haines,    Joseph    Lucas*and Gale 

comprised  the  first  school  board.  At  present  this 
school  is  taught  by  Principal  S.  S.  Busch,  assisted 
by  Grace  and  Ossie  Laughlin. 

Zillah  has  grown  steadily,  though  slowly,  since 
its  establishment,  always  keeping  pace  with  the 
surrounding  country,  but  never  experiencing  a 
convulsive  boom.  It  is  now  on  a  more  substan- 
tial basis  than  ever  before.  Until  a  railroad 
reaches  it,  Zillah  cannot  excel  as  a  business  point, 
but  as  a  residence  town  and  country  commercial 
center,  it  stands  high. 

The  Episcopal,  Christian  and  Methodist 
churches  have  organized  in  Zillah,  and  three  years 
ago  the  first  named  society  erected  a  fine  stone 
church,  costing  twenty-five  hundred  dollars. 
Rev.  E.  J.  Baird  is  the  present  rector.  The  two 
other  societies  occupy  the  Modern  Woodmen  hall, 
a  substantial  frame  building  erected  by  Zillah 
Lodge,  No  5577,  M.  W.  A.,  which  has  a  large 
membership.  The  lodge  also  has.  a  thriving 
auxiliary,  the  local  organization  of  the  Royal 
Neighbors.  The  community  has  three  other 
lodges — Zillah  Lodge,  No.  175,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and 
its  auxiliary,  and  a  lodge  of  the  Order  of  Wash- 
ington. 

The  most  important  business  institution  of  the 
place  is  the  headquarters  of  the  Washington  Irri- 
gation Company,  in  charge  of  Superintendent 
Walter  N.  Granger  and  a  large  staff  of  other 
canal  company  officials  The  offices  are  in  a 
handsome  frame  building,  erected  upon  a  beau- 
tiful site  and  so  situated  as  to  at  once  attract  the 
attention  of  the  passing  visitor. 

Two  stage  lines  and  two  telephone  (local  and 
long  distance)  lines  give  Zillah  intimate  connec- 
tion with  the  outside  world.  A  twice-a-day  stage 
is  operated  by  C.  H.  Furman  between  Zillah  and 
Toppenish,  while  Allen  &  Mathieson  run  a  daily 
stage  between  Zillah  and  Sunnyside. 

Zillah's  other  business  men  and  establishments 
are:  The  Zillah  Hotel,  Cornelius  H.  Furman, 
proprietor;  general  store,  Edward  J.  Jaeger; 
hardware,  groceries,  undertaking,  Edward  L. 
Lawrence;  meats  and  groceries,  Henry  Ran- 
dolph; bakery  and  feed  store,  Mrs.  M.  Jennie 
McCleery;  drug  stores,  Dr.  Andrew  McCracken 
and  Dr.  James  H.  Barthley.  the  proprietors  being 
general  practitioners  of  medicine;  jewelry,  John 
Bergman;  blacksmiths,  Archie  J.  Elliott,  W.  R. 
Newell  &  Bro.  (David  A. ) ;  millinery.  Mrs  Ida 
E.  Clute;  real  estate,  Dell  A.  Fox,  C.  H.  Fur- 
man; postmaster,  John  P.  Fox;  barber  shop, 
Frank  J.  Sprague;  a  saloon. 

Zillah  is  as  yet  unincorporated. 

YAKIMA  CITY. 

The  early  history  of  Yakima  City,  the  first 
town  to  be  established  in  the  Yakima  country,  is 
so  intimately  interwoven  with  the  general  history 
of  Yakima  county  that   it  has  been  treated  of  in 


that  connection.  To  tell  again  the  story  of  the 
founding  of  this  business  center,  to  trace  its 
growth  from  a  mere  hamlet  to  a  thriving  county 
seat  of  nearly  two  thousand  population,  to  de- 
scribe the  numerous  stirring  events  of  which  it 
was  the  scene,  to  detail  the  interesting  story-  of 
its  struggle  against  the  rise  of  North  Yakima,  its 
loss  of  the  county  seat  to  the  rival  town  and  its 
subsequent  decline  for  many  years,  would  be  use- 
less repetition.  Yakima  City  has  experienced  its 
share  of  the  vicissitudes  of  fickle  fortune,  but  to- 
day its  people  rejoice  in  the  stability  and  pros- 
perity of  their  town  and  are  firm  in  their  belief 
that  a  bright  future  is  before  them. 

Yakima  City  is  situated  on  the  western  bank 
of  the  Yakima  river,  four  miles  south  of  North 
Yakima,  on  the  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
way. Its  location  is  both  pleasing  and  conve- 
nient. The  presence  of  an  abundance  of  shade 
trees  and  other  foliage  and  the  fine  view  of  the 
river  and  the  surrounding  country  give  their 
charm  to  the  place.  Two  passenger  trains  stop 
daily  to  accommodate  the  traffic,  while  a  mail 
stage  operates  daily  (except  Sunday)  between  the 
town  and  Fort  Simcoe.  A  mile  south  of  the 
town  is  Union  Gap,  which  is  the  northern  gate- 
way into  the  rich  Toppenish  valley  and  Parker 
bottom  region,  much  of  whose  trade  comes  to 
Yakima  City. 

The  town  has  always  been  an  important  trad- 
ing post,  and  to-day  the  business  interests  are 
well  represented  by  prosperous  establishments. 
Edwin  H.  Taylor,  who  is  also  postmaster,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Carmichael  and  Herman  Kampmeier 
have  general  stores;  W.  Z.  York  has  a  feed,  sec- 
ond-hand, saddlery  and  notion  store  combined 
with  a  wood  yard;  Albert  Piche  and  Milton  Hil- 
dreth  own  meat  markets;  Charles  Campbell  and 
Joseph  Brownlow  maintain  hotels;  Charles 
Campbell  has  a  livery  stable;  Captain  J.  H. 
Thomas,  owner  of  most  of  the  townsite,  and 
Cowles  &  Butler  are  in  the  real  estate  business; 
there  are  two  saloons;  B.  H.  McNeel  is  station 
agent,  and  there  are  a  telephone  exchange,  ex- 
press office  and  a  telegraph  station  in  the  town. 
Besides  these  establishments,  Yakima  City  pos- 
sesses two  important  manufacturing  concerns — a 
flouring  mill  and  a  creamery.  The  mill,  which 
is  the  old  Schanno  property,  has  a  capacity  of 
thirty  barrels  a  day  and  is  operated  most  of  the 
year  by  its  owner,  Edward  Goins.  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Carmichael  owns  the  Yakima  City  creamery, 
a  fair-sized  plant,  built  two  years  ago,  while 
Thomas  H.  Wheeler  is  the  proprietor  of  the  Yaki- 
ma dairy,  a  large  concern.  Three  church  soci- 
eties are  established  in  the  town — the  Roman 
Catholic,  the  Methodist  Episcopal  and  the  Chris- 
tian, the  last  two  occupying  a  union  church. 
Rev.  A.  C.  Williamson,  of  the  Methodist  church, 
is  the  only  resident  pastor.  A  four-room  school 
is  taught  by  C.  M.  Beardsley,  principal,  W.  A. 
Bowers  and  Miss  Rubv  Yertner.     There  are  two 


YAKIMA    COUNTY. 


235 


secret  organizations — Yakima  Camp,  No.  10,228, 
M.  W.  A.,   and  its  auxiliary. 

It  is  not  at  all  improbable  that  Yakima  City 
will  in  the  near  future  possess  a  fine  beet  sugar 
factory.  The  whole  Yakima  valley  is  supporting 
the  town  in  its  efforts  to  secure  this  concern, 
which  seems  sure  to  locate  somewhere  in  the 
Yakima  country.  It  is  said  that  one  man  alone 
has  guaranteed  half  the  necessary  capital  for  a 
four-hundred-thousand-dollar  plant,  and  the  deal 
is  now  being  closed  for  the  granting  of  an  eighty- 
acre  tract  of  land  requested  by  the  company. 
Such  a  manufactory,  together  with  the  opening 
of  the  Indian  reservation,  the  boundary  of 
which  is  only  a  mile  distant  from  Yakima 
City,  cannot  fail  to  give  the  pioneer  town  a  great 
impetus. 

The  town  is  incorporated  under  the  general 
state  laws,  its  present  corps  of  officers  being: 
Ma)'or,  John  L.  Baker;  councilmen,  John  L. 
Druse,  Marshall  Oliver,  William  Loudon,  Reuben 
U.  Underwood,  Edward  Goins;  clerk,  Edwin 
H.  Taylor;  treasurer,  James  A.  Loudon;  mar- 
shal, Walter  Lindsey. 


This  thriving  little  hamlet  is  situated  sixty-six 
miles  southeast  of  North  Yakima,  on  the  Yakima 
river;  also  on  the  main  line  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad.  Like  all  the  business  points  in 
the  lower  Yakima  valley,  it  depends  for  its  exist- 
ence and  growth  upon  the  development  by  irri- 
gation of  the  rich  sage  brush  land  surrounding  it. 
The  country  immediately  tributary  is  under  the 
recently  completed  Northern  Pacific  canal,  while 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  famed  Horse 
Heaven  prairie  is  only  two  miles  south  of  Kiona. 
Experience  has  demonstrated  that  tender  fruits, 
such  as  strawberries,  apricots,  peaches  and  nec- 
tarines, grown  in  the  lower  Yakima  valley  can  be 
placed  on  the  market  from  ten  days  to  two  weeks 
ea.rlier  than  those  produced  in  any  other  portion 
of  the  entire  Northwest,  all  of  which  tends  to  the 
rapid  development  of  the  region,  and  gives  the 
towns  their  hope  for  future  development.  One 
acre  of  melons  on  the  Kennedy  ranch  netted  the 
g'-ower  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars;  Ezra  Hill 
harvested  fifty-five  tons  of  potatoes  from  four 
acres,  selling  the  entire  crop  at  twenty-two  dollars 
per  ton;  raspberries  on  the  Ralph  fruit  farm 
yielded  at  the  rate  of  four  hundred  dollars  per 
acre,  while  equally  valuable  crops  of  other  small 
fruits  and  berries  are  reported  from  the  district 
immediately  surrounding  Kiona. 

The  townsite  is  now  owned  by  Kelso  Brothers 
and  Mrs.  Kennedy.  The  former  conduct  a  hotel 
and  livery  stable,  and  Mrs.  Tina  Scott  has  a  gen- 


eral store,  besides  which  there  are  a  blacksmith 
shop  and  a  lumber  yard.  The  Episcopalians, 
Methodists  and  Presbyterians  maintain  church 
organizations,  though  as  yet  there  are  no  build- 
ings especially  dedicated  to  public  worship.  Rev. 
E.  H.  Rubicam,  of  the  Methodist  church,  is  the 
only  resident  pastor.  There  is  a  two-room  school- 
house  in  the  village,  presided  over  by  Mrs.  H.  H. 
Nagle  and  Miss  N.  N.  Williams,  and  the  town 
also  has  a  flourishing  Modern  Woodmen  lodge,  a 
Western  Union  telegraph  office,  a  postoffice  in 
charge  of  J.  Giezentanner,  and  one  physician, 
Dr.  F.  S.  Hedger. 

FORT    S1MCOE. 

Thirty-one  miles  southwest  of  North  Yakima 
is  Fort  Simcoe,  the  oldest  permanent  settlement 
in  the  county,  and  for  several  decades  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Yakima  Indian  agency.  At  that 
point  are  situated  the  agency  buildings,  schools, 
etc.,  occupying  one  of  the  prettiest  nooks  in  the 
whole  Yakima  region.  A  postoffice,  of  which 
Mrs.  J.  D.  Coburn  is  postmistress,  and  Cline  & 
Coburn's  general  store  constitute  the  business 
portion  of  the  village,  aside  from  the  agency  and 
the  school.  Fort  Simcoe  was  established  immedi- 
ately after  the  Indian  wars  of  1855-56.  When- 
ever the  surrounding  country  is  all  placed  under 
cultivation  it  is  quite  probable  that  the  village 
will  be  converted  into  a  large  town,  its  location 
being  so  favorable. 

Other  business  points  in  Yakima  county  are: 
Ahtanum,  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  which  is  the 
home  of  Woodcock  Academy,  and  has,  besides  a 
general  store  kept  by  A.  J.  Chambers,  a  creamery 
and  a  public  hall;  Belma,  consisting  of  a  post- 
office,  of  which  O.  Bergeron  is  postmaster,  a 
general  store  kept  by  O.  Bergeron,  and  a  black- 
smith shop,  owned  by  O.  Brunette;  Bluelight,  a 
settlement  midway  between  Mabton  and  Bickle- 
ton;  Cowiche,  a  trading  point  and  postoffice  of  the 
Cowiche  valley,  sixteen  miles  northwest  of  North 
Yakima,  with  which  it  is  connected  by  tri-weekly 
stage,  W.  H.  Schenck,  postmaster;  Nile,  a  post- 
office  on  the  Naches  river,  thirty-four  miles 
northwest  of  North  Yakima,  James  Beck,  post- 
master; Outlook,  a  postoffice  in  the  Sunnyside 
region;  Tampico,  a  postoffice  and  trading  point 
on  the  upper  Ahtanum,  twenty  miles  southwest 
of  North  Yakima,  H.  J.  Knox,  postmaster; 
Wenas,  a  station  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway 
in  the  Selah  valley;  Wenas,  the  postoffice,  on 
Wenas  creek,  Ida  R.  Kandle,  postmistress;  and 
Wapato,  formerly  Simcoe,  a  flag  station  and  trad- 
ing point  on  the  Yakima  Indian  reservation. 
Alexander  E.  McCredy  has  a  general  store  there, 
and  Mrs.  McCredy  is  postmistress. 


PART  IV. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY 


PART  IV. 

HISTORY  OF  KITTITAS  COUNTY 


CHAPTER  I. 


CURRENT    EVENTS. 


To  determine  who  first  discovered  the  Kittitas 
valley  would  be  a  difficult  problem.  No  doubt  some 
of  the  emissaries  of  the  great  fur  companies,  the 
real  pathfinders  of  the  northwest,  were  the  first  to 
feast  their  eyes  upon  this  beautiful  gem  of  the 
Cascades.  These  strange  merchants  pushed  their 
operations  in  all  directions,  following  every  high- 
way of  Indian  migration  and  especially  every 
stream  in  their  trapping  and  fur  purchasing  excur- 
sions. It  is  therefore  likely  that,  by  ascending  the 
Yakima,  they  were  led  into  Kittitas  valley  at  a 
very  early  date,  possibly  during  the  regime  of 
Astor's  Pacific  Fur  Company,  or  soon  after  that 
of  its  successor,  the  Northwest  Company,  began. 
One  man,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Kittitas  valley, 
passed  through  it  in  1855.  This  man  is  Charles  A. 
Splawn.  He  tells  us  that  he  found  a  small  Catholic 
mission  on  what  is  now  the  Pet  Barnes  place, 
known  as  the  Mission  farm,  situated  on  the  Man- 
astash.  There  was  a  priest  in  charge  whose  name 
he  does  not  remember.  The  mission  was  probably 
abandoned  during  the  Indian  war  and  never  repos- 
sessed. 

It  is  certain,  however,  that  when  the  actual 
settlement  of  south  central  Washington  commenced, 
there  were  practically  no  traces  of  previous  settle- 
ments in  the  valley  and  that  the  reign  of  savagery 
showed  few  signs  of  having  ever  been  disturbed, 
except  by  the  operations  of  troops  and  volunteers 
in  the  Indian  war  of  1855-6.  The  occupation  of 
this  region  by  whites  began  in  Klickitat  county  in 
1858,  reached  Moxee  basin  in  i860  and  the  Kittitas 
a  few  years  later.  Of  course,  after  the  first  settle- 
ments were  established  in  the  country  near  by, 
Kittitas   valley,   which   for  years  had   been    seldom 


visited  by  whites,  was  more  frequently  traversed 
and  the  day  when  it,  too,  should  be  appropriated 
by  the  dominant  race  and  made  to  yield  up  its 
wealth  for  the  support  and  comfort  of  civilized 
man  was  not  far  distant. 

State  Senator  A.  J.  Splawn,  in  describing  a  trip 
with  cattle  to  the  British  Columbia  mines,  made 
by  himself  and  others  in  August,  1861,  says: 

"It  was  the  fourth  day  out  that  we  came  to  the 
beautiful  Kittitas  valley.  This  vallev  as  it  looked 
that  day  to  me,  a  boy  of  sixteen,  was  the  loveliest 
spot  I  had  ever  seen.  To  the  west  stood  the  great 
Cascade  range;  to  the  north  rose  the  snow  capped 
peaks  of  the  Peshastin,  standing  as  mighty  sentinels 
to  guard  the  beautiful  valley  below,  where  the 
Yakima  river  wound  its  way  full  length,  while 
from  the  mountains  on  the  north  flowed  numerous 
small  streams,  and  the  whole  plain  was  covered 
with  a  thick  coat  of  grass.  Sage  hens  and  prairie 
chickens  and  jack  rabbits  were  on  all  sides.  The 
song  birds  were  singing  a  sweet  lullaby  to  the 
departing  day  and  the  howl  of  the  coyote  was 
borne  on  the  evening  breeze.  As  we  gazed  on 
this  lovely  sight,  I  wondered  how  long  it  would 
be  before  the  smoke  would  be  curling  from  pioneer 
homes,  for  here  the  settler  would  find  a  paradise." 

Mr.  Splawn  tells  us  that  he  visited  the  valley 
again  in  May,  1863,  with  a  pack  train  of  forty 
horses,  enroute  to  the  Caribou  mines,  and  that  he 
found  the  whole  flat  covered  with  Indian  lodges. 
The  red  men  were  there  that  their  women  might 
gather  the  kous  for  winter  provision,  while  the 
warriors  of  the  different  tribes  should  hold  councils, 
and  engage  in  sports  of  all  kinds,  gambling,  danc- 
,ing,  horse  racing,  etc.     It  was  a  grand  gala  occa- 


236 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


sion,  and  the  savage  shouts,  the  barking  of  dogs, 
the  neighing  of  horses,  the  noise  of  the  drums  and 
the  dance  produced  a  medley  of  sounds  such  as  not 
many  at  the  present  time  are  privileged  to  hear. 

A.  J.  Splawn  says  that  for  a  few  months  during 
i860,  Hald  &  Meigs,  of  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  main- 
tained a  trading  post  at  Manastash  ford,  Kittitas 
county,  for  the  accommodation  of  travel  to  the 
Similkameen  mines.  In  the  fall  of  1865,  John 
Rozelle,  with  his  wife  and  three  sons,  and  his  son- 
in-law,  William  Harrington  and  wife,  entered 
Kittitas  valley  with  intent  to  form  a  permanent 
settlement,  but  that  winter  they  ran  out  of  provi- 
sions and  the  cold  being  very  severe,  their  suffer- 
ings were  great.  Hearing  of  their  distress,  F. 
Mortimer  Thorp,  of  the  Moxee  valley,  sent  Andrew 
Gervais  to  the  rescue.  The  latter  persuaded  them 
to  return  to  Moxee  with  him,  so  the  Kittitas  valley 
was  again  left  without  a  white  resident.  There 
may  have  been  a  few  in  the  mining  region  of  what 
is  now  Chelan  county. 

The  first  actual  settler  in  the  valley  was  a  Swiss 
named  Frederick  Ludi,  who,  in  company  with  John 
Goller,  better  known  as  "Dutch  John,"  came  in 
from  Montana  in  the  summer  of  1867.  Mr.  Ludi 
says  that  while  mining  in  Montana  he  fell  in  with 
an  old  German  sailor  who  talked  incessantly  of 
the  Sound  country.  So  eloquent  were  this  man's 
descriptions,  that  he  and  Goller  were  finally  per- 
suaded to  seek  their  fortunes  in  the  supposed  earthly 
paradise.  Ludi  had  a  thousand  dollars,  his  com- 
panion nothing.  They  came  via  the  Mullan  road 
to  Walla  Walla,  thence  to  Wallula  and  up  the 
Yakima  river,  traveling  with  a  saddle  horse  each 
and  a  pack  animal.  They  bore  notes  of  introduction 
to  F.  M.  Thorp,  James  Allen  and  Alfred  Henson, 
the  first  mentioned  of  whom  advised  them  to  go  to 
the  Kittitas  valley,  which  they  did.  When  Ludi 
got  his  first  view  of  the  country  to  the  northward 
of  the  Umptanum  divide,  the  beautiful  valley,  with 
its  tree-bordered  streams,  appealed  to  him  so  power- 
fully that  he  resolved  to  go  no  further,  but  to  seek 
within  its  confines  the  home  he  so  ardently  desired. 
It  was  now  September.  Descending  into  the  valley, 
he  found  a  pleasant  place  in  a  well  watered  basin 
half  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  the  Manastash,  and 
there  he  decided  to  make  his  home.  The  Indians 
raised  no  objection  to  the  building  of  his  little 
cottonwood  cabin ;  indeed  they  said  they  rather 
desired  the  presence  of  one  or  two  white  men  among 
them,  but  they  asked  Ludi  to  discourage  his  white 
brethren  from  coming.  "Snow  fall  Injun  deep; 
awful  cold ;  whites  can't  stand  it,"  they  said.  There 
were  two  principal  bands  of  red  men  in  the  valley, 
one  under  Shushuskin  and  one  under  Alex,  the 
latter  occupying  territory  near  where  Thorp  now 
is.  Besides  these  there  were  numerous  parties  pass- 
ing through,  berry  picking  and  hunting  and  fishing 
at  certain  seasons  of  the  year,  or  gathering  kous 
and  camas.  All  were  very  friendly  to  the  two 
pioneer  settlers,  and  Mr.  Ludi  says  he  found  them 


quite  trustworthy.  He  says  there  was  one  white 
man  among  these  Indians,  a  worthless  fellow  named 
Wilson,  who  probably  came  to  the  valley  in  1866 
or  the  spring  of  the  following  year.  He  lived  with 
Chief  Shushuskin  near  the  mouth  of  a  stream  which 
Mr.  Ludi  named  Wilson  creek. 

Finding  that  the  snow  was  much  deeper  on  the 
west  side  of  the  Yakima  river,  where  he  was,  than 
on  the  east  side,  and  that  it  stayed  on  much  later, 
Mr.  Ludi  determined  to  change  his  place  of  abode. 
Accordingly,  the  last  of  April  found  him  on  a  claim 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  site  of  the  present  Ellens- 
burg.  Here  he  began  farming  in  a  small  way, 
raising  peas,  beans,  cabbage  and  other  vegetables 
and  in  a  measure  demonstrating  the  incorrectness 
of  the  general  impression  that  the  valley  was  too 
cold  for  garden  products  or  fruit. 

June  16,  1868,  the  white  population  of  the  valley 
was  increased  by  the  arrival  from  Renton,  Wash- 
ington, of  Tillman  Houser,  a  stockman.  He  took 
as  a  pre-emption,  the  place  now  known  as  the  Bull 
ranch,  ten  miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg  on  Cole- 
man creek.  He  states  that  the  settlers  at  the  time 
of  his  arrival  were  as  heretofore  named,  that  is  to 
say,  Ludi,  Goller  and  William  Wilson.  The  last 
mentioned,  Mr.  Houser  tells  us,  was  drowned  in 
the  Snake  river  in  1869  while  endeavoring  to  escape 
with  a  band  of  stolen  horses. 

After  erecting  a  little  cabin  on  his  pre-emption, 
Mr.  Houser  returned  to  the  Sound,  from  which, 
with  the  aid  of  a  man  named  Stewart,  he  brought 
a  band  of  some  fifteen  head  of  cattle.  Having  put 
up  a  quantity  of  wild  hay  for  winter  feed,  and 
erected  a  more  commodious  cabin,  he  went  to  tne 
Sound  once  more ;  but  October  22d  found  him 
again  in  the  Kittitas  country,  this  time  with  his 
wife  and  three  children,  Sarah,  Harrison  and  Clar- 
ence ;  so  Mrs.  Houser  gained  the  distinction  of 
being  the  second  white  lady  to  effect  a  permanent 
settlement  in  Kittitas  valley,  Mrs.  Charles  Splawn 
being  the  first,  though  Mrs.  Rozelle  and  Mrs.  Har- 
rington had  come  in  before  them  with  the  intention 
of  making  homes  there.  Mr.  Splawn  had  come  in 
August  and  settled  on  what  is  now  the  Thorp  est;itc 
on  Tanum  creek.  His  family  soon  joined  him  and 
wintered  there  that  season.  The  white  population 
of  the  valley  was  now  two  families  and  three  bache- 
lors. The  valley  also  had  a  small  trading  post,  one 
having  been  established  by  Mr.  Splawn  on  his 
ranch,  primarily  to  trade  with  the  Indians. 

The  first  part  of  the  winter  was  mild,  but  later 
considerable  snow  fell  and  toward  spring  the  ground 
was  covered  to  a  depth  of  fourteen  inches.  But 
though  there  was  a  heavy  crust  on  the  snow,  cattle 
ranged  all  winter j  nor  was  the  death  rate  among 
them  high.  Mr.  Houser  lost  quite  a  number  of  his 
three  hundred  sheep,  however,  but  owing  to  the 
fact  that  disease  had  got  among  them  and  not 
because  of  cold  and  snow,  for  they  were  well  cared 
for  and  fed. 

The  first  survey  of  land  in  what  is  now  Kittitas 


23S 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


county  was  made  in  1867  by  Page  Beach,  but  was 
not  accepted.  In  1868  he  resurveyed  it,  this  time 
with  more  success;  and  so  townships  seventeen  and 
eighteen  in  range  nineteen  and  townships  seventeen 
and  eighteen  in  range  twenty  east  of  the  Willamette 
meridian,  were  prepared  for  entry  under  the  United 
States  land  laws.  The  first  filing  was  made  by 
Tillman  Houser  at  Seattle  in  the  spring  of  1869. 

The  time  had  now  arrived  for  the  Kittitas  valley 
to  experience  a  comparatively  rapid  development. 
It  was  during  the  year  1868  that  the  Union  Pacific 
was  completed,  leaving  a  great  many  without  em- 
ployment. Large  numbers  of  these  started  to  seek 
homes  and  fortunes  on  Puget  sound,  and  some  of 
them,  on  beholding  the  Kittitas  valley  in  its  pri- 
meval luxuriance,  resolved  to  go  no  further,  but  to 
cast  in  their  lot  with  the  few  pioneers  already 
there.  Some  also  came  from  the  Sound,  and  not  a 
few  with  cattle  from  the  Yakima  country.  The 
latter,  however,  had  no  intention  of  establishing 
permanent  homes,  wishing  to  remain  only  during 
the  summer,  then  return  with  their  herds  to  the 
lower  and  warmer  levels. 

Among  the  arrivals  of  the  year  1869  were  the 
following:  Walter  A.  Bull,  a  bachelor,  who  located 
on  the  old  Bull  ranch  on  the  Nanum  not  far  from 
its  confluence  with  the  Yakima;  Thomas  Haley, 
a  bachelor,  who  came  with  Bull  and  took  a  place 
adjoining  him ;  Patrick  Lynch,  likewise  a  bachelor, 
who  settled  on  what  is  now  the  Geddis  ranch  east 
of  Bull's  place;  Charles  Reed,  who  brought  his 
family  from  Deer  Lodge,  Montana,  and  made  his 
home  on  what  later  became  known  as  the  McEwen 
ranch  on  Cooke  creek  in  the  southeastern  part  of 
the  valley;  he  subsequently  located  on  the  Manas- 
tash ;  Martin  Davern  and  family,  who  came  with 
the  Reeds,  and  who  located  on  the  present  Carver 
place,  three  miles  southeast  of  Ellensburg;  William 
(or  as  he  was  more  frequently  styled  "Windy") 
Johnson,  a  bachelor,  who  took  up  his  abode  on 
Wilson  creek,  near  the  river ;  George  Hull,  who  set- 
tled on  Warm  Spring  creek  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  valley  ;  F.  Mortimer  Thorp,  a  Yakima  stockman  ; 
George  Gillespie,  who  settled  below  Bull's  place  and 
engaged  in  stockraising ;  Matthias  Becker  and  fam- 
ily, who  settled  on  the  Fogarty  ranch  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river;  John  Schmidt,  a  bachelor,  who 
settled  on  the  east  side  of  the  river  two  miles  east 
of  Ellensburg  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Andrew 
Olson  (he  was  drowned  in  the  winter  of  1869-70, 
in  an  attempt  to  ford  the  river,  and  his  body  was 
never  recovered)  ;  William  H.  Kiester,  a  bachelor, 
who  had  come  in  with  Christian  Clymer's  sheep  to 
Houser's  in  1868,  but  had  gone  away  again  leaving 
the  sheep  with  Houser  on  shares ;  S.  R.  Geddis,  a 
married  man,  who  settled  on  the  present  Widow 
Prater  place;  John  L.  Vaughn,  also  married,  who 
settled  at  Pleasant  Grove,  two  miles  southwest  of 
Ellensburg ;  George  and  Jefferson  Smith,  the  former 
a  hachelor,  the  latter  a  squaw  man,  who  took  a  ranch 
>ix    miles    northeast    of    Ellensburg;    William    H. 


Crockett,  who  settled  on  the  Mission  ranch,  Manas- 
tash  creek;  and  Andrew  Jackson  Splawn  and  his 
brother  Moses,  formerly  of  the  Moxee. 

Other  early  pioneers  of  Kittitas  valley  who 
settled  during  that  year  or  within  a  year  or  two 
afterward  were:  Thomas  and  Benton  Goodwin; 
W.  H.  Beck,  six  miles  east  of  Ellensburg;  F.  M. 
Frisbee,  bachelor,  on  the  Manastash;  A.  B.  Whitson 
and  sons,  Edward  and  Albert,  stockmen,  East  Kit- 
titas; John  A.  Shoudy  and  family,  at  Ellensburg; 
John  Brush,  married,  Cooke  creek;  J.  D.  Olmstead, 
married,  on  what  became  known  as  the  Newland 
ranch  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the  valley  (he 
afterward  established  a  store  and  conducted  it  sev- 
eral years)  ,  Charles  P.  Cooke  and  family,  includ- 
ing Edward,  Mode,  Rufus  and  George,  sons ;  Wil- 
liam Taylor,  bachelor,  six  miles  northeast  of 
Ellensburg;  Jacob  Becker,  a  blacksmith,  at  Ellens- 
burg; Elias  Messerly,  bachelor,  eleven  miles  north- 
east of  Ellensburg;  Harry  M.  Bryant,  also  a  bach- 
elor, who  settled  near  Messerly ;  George  W.  Parrish, 
a  bachelor  stockman,  who  located  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  valley  in  the  "Park,"  so  named  by  "Windy" 
Johnson  in  early  days ;  D.  J.  Schnebly,  sons  Henry 
and  Charles  and  their  cousin,  Frederick  Dorsey 
Schnebly,  all  of  whom  settled  about  twelve  miles 
north  of  Ellensburg  and  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness; E.  E.  Erickson.  married,  a  stockman,  who 
located  just  north  of  the  Smith  ranch  in  East 
Kittitas ;  George  Wheeler,  eight  miles  northeast  of 
Ellensburg;  August  Nesselhouse,  Cooke  creek; 
"Nigger"  Johnson,  a  bachelor,  who  came  over  from 
the  Sound  and  made  his  home  on  the  Tjossem 
ranch,  just  south  of  Ellensburg;  J.  G.  Olding  and 
family,  East  Kittitas;  William  Lewis,  J.  M.  Perry, 
Hugh  Perry,  Charles  A.  Sanders  and  family,  two 
miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg;  William  Dennis,  a 
partner  of  John  A.  Shoudy ;  Robert  Wallace ;  J.  D. 
Dysart ;  M.  M.  Dammon ;  James  H.  McDonald ;  C. 
B.  Walker;  Fenton  McDonald;  J.  H.  McEwen; 
David  Murray,  a  nomadic  stockman;  Humboldt 
Packwood,  who  remained  but  a  few  weeks,  although 
a  few  years  later  he  returned  to  Ellensburg  and 
became  a  permanent  settler;  Jesse  W.  McDonald, 
East  Kittitas;  Anthony  A.  Meade. 

Practically  all  of  those  named  engaged  in  the 
stock  business.  They  sought  a  market  for  their 
cattle  on  the  Sound,  where,  it  is  said,  a  two-year- 
old  steer  would  bring  from  $35  to  $40;  a  cow, 
$40  to  $50;  and  a  yearling,  $20.  The  cattle  were 
driven  over  the  Snoqualmie  trail  to  Seattle,  which, 
though  a  town  of  small  population,  was  even  then 
an  important  shipping  point. 

Another  event  of  the  year  1869  was  the  birth, 
late  in  March,  of  Viola  V.,  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Charles  Splawn,  the  first  white  child  born 
in  the  valley.  In  August  of  the  same  year,  twin 
children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  were  born  of  Mrs. 
Martin  Davern,  under  a  thorn  bush  in  South  Ellens- 
burg, and  on  the  24th  of  the  following  December, 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


239 


Mrs.  Houser  gave  birth  to  a  daughter,  who  is  now 
Mrs.  William  German. 

During  the  spring  of  1869  several  bands  of 
cattle  from  the  Yakima  country  were  driven  into 
Kittitas  valley  for  the  summer,  giving  inception  to 
a  custom  which  remained  in  vogue  for  a  few  years 
afterward.  "While  there  with  cattle  during  the  sum- 
mer of  1870,  A.  J.  Splawn  noticed  the  rapidity  with 
which  the  region  was  settling  up  and  concluded  to 
start  a  store  right  on  the  camping  ground.  "After 
making  arrangements  fpr  a  huge  log  house,"  says 
he,  "I  went  to  The  Dalles  and  bought  my  goods, 
and  on  November  20,  1870,  my  outfit  of  two  four- 
horse  teams  and  thirty  pack  animals  was  unloaded 
and  I  had  my  stock  in  order  and  was  ready  to  do 
business  with  all  comers.  One  evening  my  friend, 
John  Gillespie,  rode  by  and  remarked,  'Jack,  you 
want  a  sign;  I  will  make  one  for  you.'  A  few 
mornings  after  that  I  looked  up  over  the  door  and 
there  was  a  sign,  sure  enough;  it  read  'Robbers' 
Roost.'     .     .     . 

"I  settled  down  for  the  winter,  which  was  a  lone- 
some one,  with  my  brother  Moses  as  a  companion, 
who  found  employment  in  quarreling  with  old  Joe 
Ferrier  and  Fred  Bennett  over  a  certain  passage 
in  the  Bible.  ...  I  had  bought  three  hundred 
steel  traps  and  given  them  out  to  the  Indians  in 
various  parts  of  the  country,  thinking  by  that  means 
they  could  be  induced  to  trap  for  furs.  It  proved 
a  wise  move  as  the  fur  trade  was  my  principal 
business.  Indians  would  bring  furs  for  hundreds 
of  miles,  and  I  was  always  ready  to  entertain  them 
at  any  kind  of  games  they  were  looking  for.  I  kept 
race  horses  to  run  them  from  one  jump  to  ten  miles  ; 
had  a  race  track  of  my  own  and  here  the  Indians 
would  come  for  their  jubilee.  Having  never  dealt 
in  furs  I  knew  nothing  of  their  value,  so  I  just 
traded  by  guess,  but  I  never  overlooked  the  price 
on  my  goods.  One  thing  in  favor  of  the  Indian 
that  traded  with  me,  he  never  needed  a  pack  horse 
to  carry  away  what  his  furs  brought." 

In  the  same  article  from  which  the  above  is 
quoted,  Mr.  Splawn  tells  an  amusing  story  of  the 
early  days,  which  is  here  reproduced  in  his  own 
language : 

"In  November  of  that  year  I  was  passing  from 
Yakima  to  Kittitas,  and  fell  in  about  noon  at 
Matthias  Becker's,  whose  wife  was  a  jewel,  with  a 
heart  full  of  goodness.  Riding  up  near  the  door  I 
dismounted  and  went  in  thinking  they  would  be 
glad  to  see  me.  There  sat  the  whole  family  and 
my  friend,  John  Gillespie,  and  the  young  lady  sister, 
Miss  Caroline  Gerlick.  We  all  called  her  Linnie. 
They  gave  me  a  cold  stare  for  which  I  could  not 
account.  I  wondered  what  I  had  done  to  lose  their 
friendship  and  made  up  my  mind  to  vacate  the 
premises  as  soon  as  possible  and  ride  on.  which  I 
proceeded  to  do.  When  I  got  outside  my  boy  friend, 
Willie,  was  standing  by  my  horse,  and  he  said : 
'Mr.  Splawn,  don't  go ;  John  and  Linnie  is  going 
to  get  married  and  don't  want   anybody  to  know 


it.'  I  said,  'All  right,  Willie,  I'll  stay,'  and  returned 
to  the  house.  I  remarked  that  the  atmosphere 
seemed  chilly,  as  if  pointing  to  some  catastrophe 
that  hovered  over  the  premises.  'It  surely  bodes 
no  good  to  this  family,'  said  I,  'and  I  have  con- 
cluded to  remain  and  see  if  I  can  do  anything  to 
bring  a  ray  of  light  from  out  the  gloom.' 

"Mrs.  Becker  began  to  laugh,  saying:  'We 
can't  fool  Jack  and  might  as  well  tell  him  that  there 
is  going  to  be  a  wedding  here  as  soon  as  the  justice 
of  peace  can  arrive.'  Just  then  the  Hon.  Frederick- 
Bennett  showed  up,  dressed  to  a  finish.  He  had 
on  Ben  Burch's  old  pants,  the  legs  of  which  reached 
to  just  below  the  knee,  and  it  must  have  cost  him 
a  great  effort  to  get  into  my  coat  which  fit  him  as 
well  as  the  pants  did.  My  shirt,  with  a  large  striped 
paper  collar,  set  him  off  in  shape  for  most  any  kind 
of  ceremony.  John  and  Linnie  were  on  their  feet 
and  Frederick  Bennett,  J.  P.,  proceeded  at  once  to 
tie  the  knot.  These  were  his  words:  'Shoin  your 
right  hands.  By  this  you  signify  you  love '  one 
anuder.  By  de  laws  of  our  country  and  de  power 
in  me,  I  pronounce  you  vife  und  vife.'  He  was 
almost  exhausted.  Catching  his  eye,  I  shook  my 
head  and  he  recalled  the  mistake  and  said:  "I 
don't  mean  dot,  I  means  'usband  und  vife.'  Thus 
was  the  first  marriage  ceremony  in  Kittitas  valley 
ended,  and  John  and  Linnie  were  one.  They  were 
both  the  salt  of  the  earth  and  I  count  them  as  among 
my  early  friends." 

During  all  the  earliest  years,  the  pioneers  of 
Kittitas  valley  had  many  hardships  to  endure.  The 
few  residents  were  almost  completely  isolated,  and 
as  they  had  not  much  to  sell,  there  was  little  money 
in  circulation.  Mr.  Houser  tells  of  using  roasted 
peas  for  coffee  and  drinking  the  infusion  with  little 
or  no  sugar,  also  of  living  throughout  the  winter 
of  1869-70  on  eight  bushels  of  corn  that  he  had 
carried  up  from  old  Yakima  City  and  ground  into 
meal  in  a  coffee  mill.  Other  pioneers  subsisted 
themselves  and  families  in  much  the  same  way 
until  they  could  take  small  ditches  out  of  the  streams 
and  get  little  patches  of  land  under  cultivation  and 
irrigation.  Of  course  beef  was  plentiful,  that  being 
the  chief  product  of  the  valley.  At  first  these 
pioneers  were  almost  cut  off  from  mail  communica- 
tion with  the  outside  world.  Charles  Splawn  tells 
us  that  he  and  Mortimer  Thorp  established  the  first 
postal  and  express  system,  a  private  one,  late  in 
1868,  employing  a  friendly  Indian  named  Wash- 
ington to  make  weekly  trips  to  Seattle.  For  tlii< 
service  they  paid  him  ten  dollars  a  trip.  Mr.  Splawn 
says  that  this  service  was  the  only  regularly  estab- 
lished one  in  the  valley  until  thev  created  Tanum 
postoffice  at  F.  M.  Thorp's  place  on  Tanum  creek 
in  the  fall  of  1869,  Mr.  Thorp  becoming  the  first 
postmaster.  The  mails  came  in  and  went  out 
through  Yakima  City,  weekly  at  first,  then  oftener. 
The  next  postoffice  was  established  at  Walter  A. 
Bull's  place ;  then  a  little  later  moved  to  J.  D.  Olm- 
stead's  ranch,  near  the  Bull  place  in  the  southeastern 


240 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


part  of  the  valley,  where  also  Mr.  Olmstead  early 
opened  a  small  store.  The  name  this  postoffice 
bore  is  not  recalled.  About  1870  the  Tanum  post- 
office  was  discontinued  and  in  its  stead,  one  was 
established  at  Pleasant  Grove,  West  Kittitas,  with 
John  L.  Vaughn  in  charge.  Finally,  along  in  the 
early  'seventies,  the  Olmstead  office  was  abandoned 
and  one  established  at  Ellensburg,  with  John  A. 
Shoudy  as  postmaster.  Pleasant  Grove  postoffice 
remained  in  existence  many  years.  As  might  be 
expected,  during  the  first  few  years  the  Kittitas 
mail  service  was  an  irregular  one,  ofttimes  many 
weeks  of  the  winter  passing  without  any  mail  what- 
ever, except  what  some  one  who  was  forced  to  travel 
might  bring  up  from  Yakima  City.  Elisha  Tell  was 
one  of  the  early  carriers.  The  mail  came  in  and 
went  out  by  way  of  Yakima  City  and  Umatilla, 
Henry  D.  Cock  having  the  contract  for  its  convey- 
ance between  the  two  points.  In  time  the  stage 
coach  succeeded  the  saddle  horse  or  mule  in  the 
important  service  of  carrying  the  United  States 
mail  between  the  different  points  in  central  Wash- 
ington. 

During  1873*  occurred  an  event  of  great  mo- 
ment in  the  settlement  of  the  future  Kittitas  county, 
namely,  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Swauk  region. 
As  early  as  1867  a  prospecting  party,  of  which  N. 
Thomas  Goodwin,  Benton  Goodwin  and  Edward 
Towner  were  members,  had  passed  through  this 
country,  and  while  following  one  of  the  many  In- 
dian trails,  namely,  that  leading  to  the  Peshastin 
district,  had  made  a  discovery,  the  importance  of 
which  they  did  not  realize  at  the  time.  While 
camped  for  their  midday  meal  near  Swauk  creek, 
Benton  Goodwin  busied  himself  in  panning  one  of 
the  bars  of  the  stream.  He  was  ignorant  of  the 
appearance  of  native  gold,  but  suspecting  that  some 
yellow  particles  he  found  in  the  bottom  of  his  pan 
might  be  the  precious  metal,  he  showed  them  to 
Towner,  the  only  experienced  prospector  in  the 
party.  The  latter  pronounced  the  find  gold.  His 
statements  were  received  with  considerable  doubt 
by  the  party  in  general,  which  passed  on,  having 
first  jocularly  named  the  place  where  the  gold  was 
found  Discovery  bar. 

During  the  ensuing  two  or  three  years  the  region 
was  prospected  occasionally,  but  no  Qne  found 
enough  gold  to  warrant  the  establishment  of  a 
camp.  In  the  fall  of  1873,  however,  a  party  of 
men  met  with  better  success  than  had  any  of  their 
predecessors.  In  this  fortunate  company  were 
Newton  Thomas  Goodwin  and  Benton  Goodwin, 
who  had  been  in  the  party  that  made  the  discovery 
six  years  previous,  also  W.  H.  Beck,  George 
My  cock,  whose  name  was  later  changed  by  the  leg- 
islature to  Starr,  and  a  young  Kentuckian  named 
D.  Y.  Borden.    The  men  were  very  much  dispirited, 

*Some  difference  of  opinion  exists  as  to  the  date  of 
the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Swauk,  a  few  claiming  that 
1871  is  correct. 


having  been  unsuccessful  in  their  quest  of  fortune 
and  being  exhausted  and  nearly  out  of  provisions, 
but  Benton  and  N.  T.  Goodwin  accepted  the  pro- 
posal of  the  Kentuckian  to  prospect  Swauk  creek. 
Benton  Goodwin  soon  discovered  a  small  nugget. 
He  called  the  others  to  him,  who  soon  found  a  pot 
hole  in  the  center  of  the  stream.  To  dig  down  to 
bedrock  was  the  work  of  but  a  short  time,  as  there 
was  nothing  in  the  cavity  but  wash  gravel.  From 
a  panful  of  dirt  taken  out  of  the  bottom  of  the  hole, 
Borden  washed  a  small  nugget  worth  about  fifteen 
cents.  The  rest  of  the  men  were  summoned.  Leav- 
ing their  sizzling  supper  to  take  care  of  itself,  they 
set  to  work  panning  the  gravel  from  the  pot  hole, 
and  within  an  hour  they  had  over  five  dollars'  worth 
of  coarse  dust  and  nuggets,  one  of  the  latter  weigh- 
ing a  dollar. 

Next  day  the  party  divided  its  forces,  Starr  and 
Beck  going  below  and  the  rest  above  the  camp. 
Those  who  ascended  the  creek  found  a  spot  where, 
as  evidenced  by  the  protruding  roots  of  a  large  fir 
tree,  the  bedrock  was  close  to  the  surface.  Digging 
here,  Borden  took  out  a  nugget  weighing  over  an 
ounce,  and  worth  about  $16.  He  also  found  gravel 
that  yielded  thirty  to  forty  cents  to  the  pan. 

The  five  prospectors  now  prepared  for  system- 
atic work,  staking  out  claims  in  the  regular  way  and 
sending  to  John  L.  Vaughn's  place  for  provisions. 
Great  pains  were  taken  to  keep  the  discovery  a 
secret,  but  in  about  two  weeks,  rumors  of  it  reached 
the  outside  world  through  the  Indians.  In  that  time, 
however,  the  party  had  secured  between  $500  and 
$600,  even  with  the  crude  equipments  at  hand.  One 
day,  it  is  said,  they  dug  out  $150  with  a  butcher" 
knife. 

News  of  the  discovery  soon  precipitated  a  rush 
of  miners  and  others  and  ere  long  there  were  many 
hundreds  on  the  ground.  That  fall  the  Swauk 
creek  mining  district  was  organized  with  D.  Y. 
Borden  as  the  first  recorder.  It  was  agreed  that 
claims  should  be  200  feet  long  and  from  rimrock 
to  rimrock.  Soon  the  creek  was  located  from  its 
mouth,  five  miles  below  Discovery  bar,  to  the  forks 
fifteen  miles  up  the  stream,  but  the  miners  were 
unable  to  find  gold  in  paying  quantities  except  on 
and  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  bar.  As  a 
result  most  of  the  people  left  as  speedily  as  they 
had  come,  and  that  winter  less  than  fifty  were  there. 
These  consisted  of  the  Discovery  Company  (then 
increased  to  twelve  bv  the  addition  of  John  P. 
Beck,  G.  W.  Goodwin,'Al.  Churchill,  David  Munn. 
James  and  Samuel  Bates  and  another),  and  three 
other  companies,  namely  Walter  A.  Bull  &  Com- 
pany, on  Starr  bar,  a  French  association  led  by 
Joseph  Superneau,  operating  on  Williams  creek, 
and  a  co-operative  company  at  the  mouth  of  that 
stream.  The  Williams  creek  miners  met  with  little 
success  that  winter,  though  subsequently  some  rich 
ground  was  discovered  there.  Indeed  the  explora- 
tions and  operations  of  the  first  three  years  failed 
to  bring  to  light  the  wealth  of  the  region,  e*  "ept 


CASTLE  ROCK. 

INDIAN  AXD  CIVILIZATION. 

ARRASTRE-OId-Time  Mining  Method 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


241 


(Hi  Discovery  bar,  where,  in  the  spring  of  1874, 
sluices  were  built  of  whipsawed  lumber  and  where 
an  ounce  a  day  to  the  man  was  averaged  that  season. 
But  the  next  year  the  lead  played  out  and  in  1876 
the  mines  were  abandoned.  In  the  late  'seventies, 
activity  was  renewed  in  the  Swauk  district;  lost 
leads  were  discovered ;  the  region  became  a  promi- 
nent producer  and  ever  since  it  has  continued  to 
yield  considerable  quantities  of  gold.  Many  who 
were  attracted  to  the  country  by  the  first  discover- 
ies remained  to  assist  in  the  development  of  Kittitas 
county's  latent  resources,  so  the  finding  of  the  yel- 
low metal  may  be  considered  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant events  of  the  early  days,  not  alone  in  its 
direct  but  in  its  indirect  effects. 

Meanwhile  the  agricultural  development  of  Kit- 
titas valley  was  progressing  slowly  but  surely. 
Every  year  brought  a  few  additions  to  the  laborers 
at  work  in  the  task  of  subjugating  the  rich  country 
and  winning  from  it  its  stores  of  natural  wealth, 
but  all  were  handicapped  by  lack  of  means  to  oper- 
ate on  anything  like  an  extensive  scale.  The  first 
irrigation  ditch  of  considerable  size  constructed  in 
the  county  was  the  Manastash  canal,  built  about 
1874  by  farmers  on  the  creek  from  which  it  took 
its  name.  Though  a  comparatively  small  ditch,  its 
importance  was  great,  serving  to  demonstrate  the 
practicability  of  irrigation  under  the  conditions  of 
climate  and  soil  obtaining  in  the  valley.  After  all 
these  years  of  usefulness,  it  still  continues  to  render 
valuable  service. 

This  canal  antedated  but  little,  perhaps  not  more 
than  a  year,  the  Tanum  ditch,  which  took  its  water 
out  of  the  creek  of  the  same  name.  Though  nine 
miles  long,  it  carried  only  a  small  amount  of  water. 
As  yet,  however,  it  has  not  been  superseded  by  any 
more  capacious  canal,  though  its  own  capacity  has 
been  increased  somewhat.  It  now  carries  five 
thousand  inches.  It  was  put  in  by  the  Tanum  Ditch 
Company,  a  local  association  of  which  J.  E.  Bates 
was  the  first  president.  Though  the  Manastash 
and  Tanum  canals  were  not  large  in  comparison 
with  the  huge  aqueducts  of  later  years,  they  were 
the  work  of  pioneer  farmers  without  adequate  cap- 
ital, and  their  construction  is  a  credit  to  the  energy 
and  persistence  of  the  indomitable  men  who  opened 
the  way  for  the  subjugation  and  settlement  of  the 
Kittitas  valley. 

Important  though  the  first  decade  of  white 
occupancy  of  the  Kittitas  was.  it  is  not  fruitful  of 
events  such  as  illumine  and  add  interest  to  history's 
page.  It  was  the  time  of  small  things,  when  men 
struggled  with  poverty,  with  isolation,  and  with 
a  dearth  of  almost  everything  essential  to  comfort. 
It  was  a  period  of  unromantic  wrestling  with  the 
problem  of  existence,  when,  as  George  D.  Yirden 
expresses  it,  men  were  concerned  with  the  vital 
question  of  "how  they  were  to  cover  up  their  out- 
sides  and  fill  up  their  insides,"  a  problem  serious 
enough  for  the  majority  of  people  in  all  lands  and 
at  all  times.     But  the  Kittitas  pioneers  were  fortu- 


nate in  that  they  were  working  out  their  destiny 
in  a  land  well  favored  by  Nature.  In  every  direc- 
tion was  an  abundance  of  succulent  bunch  grass  for 
the  sustenance  of  flocks  and  herds,  while  the  tall 
rye  grass  along  the  streams  furnished  food  for  them 
during  the  winter  months,  greatly  reducing  the 
quantity  of  hay  it  was  necessary  to  put  up  during 
the  summer  seasons.  The  early  settlers  well  knew 
that  in  a  land  where  stock  may  be  allowed  to  mul- 
tiply almost  indefinitely,  there  is  no  danger  of  per- 
manent poverty  and  that  an  abundance  of  every- 
thing was  likely  to  be  theirs,  if  they  could  but 
worry  along  for  a  few  years.  That  they  knew  the 
time  would  come  when  these  conditions  would  no 
longer  exist  is,  however,  evident  from  the  energy 
and  zeal  displayed  by  them  almost  from  the  first 
in  the  development  of  agriculture  by  irrigation. 

Another  favorable  -circumstance  was  the  general 
friendliness  of  the  Indian  tribes.  That  the  red  men 
would  have  preferred  that  the  whites  remain  out 
of  their  country  was  evinced  by  their  continually 
magnifying  the  drawbacks  of  the  valley,  its  cold 
climate,  deep  snows,  etc.,  but  they  never  offered 
armed  resistance  to  white  occupancy,  neither  was 
reasonable  ground  for  apprehension  as  to  the  safety 
of  the  white  families  presented  at  any  time  prior 
to  1878.  That  year  was,  however,  one  of  not  a 
little  anxiety  throughout  the  whole  of  central 
Washington.  The  unfortunate  Perkins  affair  and 
the  events  which  grew  out  of  it  have  been  treated 
at  some  length  in  connection  with  Yakima  county, 
of  which  the  Kittatis  valley  was  then  a  part.  In 
the  apprehension  and  punishment  of  the  dastardly 
murderers,  the  citizens  of  the  northern  section  were 
no  less  active  and  interested  than  were  their  neigh- 
bors to  the  southward.  Nor  were  the  Kittitas  resi- 
dents less  vigilant  than  the  Yakima  people  during 
the  continuance  of  danger  from  the  Bannock  and 
Piute  war.  The  first  intimation  they  had  that 
trouble  might  be   anticipated  came   in   July,    1878. 

Rumors  of  danger  caused  G.  W.  Shaser  and  

Gillam  to  start  for  the  range  after  their  cattle,  lest 
these  should  fall  into  the  hands  of  predatory 
Indians.  When  they  got  as  far  on  their  journey 
as  Selah  springs  they  met  the  Burbank  boys,  who, 
as  elsewhere  narrated,  had  been  fired  upon  by  the 
red  men.  These  of  course  told  their  story,  and 
immediately  upon  hearing  it,  Messrs.  Shaser  and 
Gillam  set  out  post  haste  for  home.  Reaching 
Ellensburg  about  eight  o'clock  that  evening,  they 
at  once  gave  the  alarm.  The  result  was  electrical. 
Messengers  departed  forthwith  for  all  the  outlying 
districts,  while  those  who  remained  at  home  began 
active  preparations  for  quartering  and  defending 
the  people  who  should  flock  to  their  town,  as  well 
as  themselves.  Many  of  the  country  people  were 
slow  to  take  alarm,  but  a  majority  preferred  to  run 
just  as  few  risks  as  possible,  so  flocked  to  the  sev- 
eral places  of  defense  without  delay.  Of  these  the 
principal  were  at  Ellensburg,  on  the  old  Parson 
Hawn  homestead  adjoining  Samuel  T.  Packwood's 


242 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


farm  in  West  Kittitas,  and  on  the  A.  B.  Whitson 
place,  but  besides  these  blockhouses  were  built  by 
Charles  Wheeler,  George  Shaser  and  Robert  Wal- 
lace, each  erecting  one  on  his  own  homestead.  The 
stockade  at  Hawn's  was  largest  of  all,  enclosing 
about  three  acres  and  being  between  fifteen  and 
twenty  feet  in  height.  That  on  the  Whitson  place 
covered  an  area  of  not  more  than  half  an  acre,  but, 
it  is  said,  was  a  cleverly  designed,  strong  fortifica- 
tion, enclosing  a  blockhouse.  The  stockade  at 
Ellensburg  occupied  most  of  the  block  bounded  by 
Pearl,  Main,  Third  and  Fourth  streets. 

It  is  stated  that  these  several  fortifications, 
though  thrown  up  with  great  rapidity  by  the  set- 
tlers, were  really  quite  substantial  and  capable  of 
withstanding  a  considerable  force  supplied  only 
with  small  arms.  To  them,  during  the  early  days 
of  July,  nearly  all  the  white  inhabitants  of  the 
valley,  some  three  or  four  hundred,  repaired  with 
cooking  utensils  and  supplies  and  what  few  fire- 
arms they  could  muster.  Of  the  last  there  was 
certainly  no  great  abundance  at  first. 

Upon  the  assembling  of  the  settlers,  the  forma- 
tion of  a  military  company  for  home  protection 
was  one  of  the  first  measures  thought  of.  There 
were  in  the  valley  several  men  who  had  seen  serv- 
ice in  the  Civil  war,  among  them  Samuel  T. 
Packwood,  a  resident  of  West  Kittitas.  To  him 
was  assigned  the  duty  of  organizing  the  company. 
The  muster  rolls,  which  unfortunately  cannot  now 
be  found,  were  signed  by  about  fifty  men.  Mr. 
Packwood  was  of  course  captain  and  F.  D. 
Schnebly,  William  Morrison  and  Tillman  Houser 
were  chosen  for  the  offices  of  first  lieutenant,  second 
lieutenant  and  orderly  sergeant,  respectively. 

Soon  after  the  people  had  gathered  into  stock- 
ades, the  officials  of  Yakima  county  had  received 
from  the  government  through  the  chief  executive 
of  the  territory,  a  supply  of  needle  guns  and  ammu- 
nition, which  were  brought  from  The  Dalles  to  Yak- 
ima City  by  a  detachment  of  men  from  the  Yakima 
country.  Of  course,  Kittitas  valley  was  entitled 
to  a  just  share  of  these,  and  to  secure  the  same 
Captain  Packwood,  with  a  detachment  of  ten  or 
twelve  men,  proceeded  in  a  four-horse  wagon  to 
the  county  seat.  It  was  feared  that  there  might  be 
some  technical  difficulty  in  the  way  of  their  obtain- 
mgthe  guns,  and  as  the  urgencv  of  the  case  seemed 
to  justify  a  rather  high  handed  policy,  the  captain 
resolved  to  secure  the  weapons  and  ammunition 
first  and  to  ask  for  them  afterward.  In  the  execu- 
tion of  this  plan  he  succeeded  admirably.  Not 
before  fifty  stand  of  arms  and  ammunition  therefor 
were  in  possession  of  his  men  did  he  mention  his 
errand  to  County  Auditor  Masters,  and  when  at 
last  he  broached  the  subject  to  that  official,  the  re- 
sult was  as  expected.  "I  have  no  authoritv  from 
the  commissioners  to  distribute  the  guns,"  he  said. 
When,  however,  he  learned  that  the  arms  and  am- 
munition were  already  on  the  way  to  Ellensburg, 
lie  raised  no  serious  objection,  ami   seems  to  have 


concluded  that  the  wisest  policy  was  to  overlook 
the  illegality  of  the  proceeding  entirely. 

As  soon  as  the  military  supplies  reached  Ellens- 
burg, the  work  of  drilling  the  company  was  begun, 
Lieutenant  Morrison  serving  as  drill  master.  Much 
attention  was  paid  not  alone  to  drilling  and  ma- 
neuvering during  the  early  part  of  the  Indian  war, 
but  also  to  the  maintenance  of  a  strict  guard  at 
night.  But  as  time  passed  and  no  enemy  appeared, 
the  irksome  sentinel  duty  was  neglected,  and  soon 
the  families  returned  to  their  homes  and  regular 
occupations.  The  military  organization  was,  how- 
ever, maintained  for  over  two  years.  The  guns 
were  never  called  in  and,  it  is  presumed,  are  still 
in  possession  of  the  home  guardsmen  or  their 
descendants. 

While  some  of  the  tribes  of  central  Washington 
were  undoubtedly  hostile  in  feeling,  the  Indian; 
who  made  their  homes  in  the  Kittitas  valley  were 
very  friendly.  Indeed  they  seemed  to  fear  an  in- 
vasion of  their  red  brethren  in  arms  as  mush  as  did 
any  of  the  white  men. 

Another  Indian  scarce  was  occasioned  by  Chief 
Moses'  demonstration  on  the  Columbia  river,  the 
story  of  which  has  been  told  elsewhere.  Many  of 
the  settlers  again  sought  the  protection  of '  the 
stockades,  but  careful  defensive  precautions  were 
not  observed  as  on  the  former  occasion.  Captain 
Packwood  states  that  quite  a  large  number  gathered 
at  his  home  during  these  times  of  uncertainty  and 
trouble,  also  several  friendly  Indians,  all  of  whom 
were  as  well  taken  care  of  as  conditions  would 
permit. 

These  Indian  scares  and  the  prospect  that  trouble 
with  the  aborigines  might  last  indefinitely,  caused 
a  few  settlers  to  conclude  that  the  climate  of  the 
country  was  unendurable  and  to  go  elsewhere  in 
search  of  Fortune's  favors.  It  is  probable,  too. 
that  some  intending  settlers  were  deterred  from 
coming  by  the  unsettled  Indian  situation.  How- 
ever, the  vigor  displayed  by  the  whites  in  prepar- 
ing for  defense  and  their  energy  and  courage  in 
capturing  and  punishing  the  Perkins  murderers 
effectually  put  an  end  to  all  danger  of  an  Indian 
uprising  in  future,  and  whatever  scares  there  may 
have  been  since  were  absolutely  without  foundation. 
The  promptness,  determination  and  vigor  displayed 
in  the  years  1878  and  1879  are  certainly  deserving 
of  the  highest  commendation ;  and  the  wisdom  of 
the  course  pursued  by  the  settlers  in  bringing  the 
perpetrators  of  atrocities  to  summary  punishment 
has  been  abundantly  justified  by  the  subsequent 
history  of  central  Washington. 

The  winter  of  1878-9  was  a  mild  one.  and  the 
season  following  it  brought  some  encouragement 
to  the  struggling  pioneers  of  the  Kittitas  country. 
It  was  about  that  time  that  Dr.  Dorsey  S.  Baker, 
of  Walla  Walla,  began  preparations  for  the  build- 
ing of  his  celebrated  wooden  railroad  from  Walla 
Walla  to  Wallula,  creating  a  big  demand  for  tie? 
and  other  timbers.     Throughout  the  whole  of  the 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


-43 


winter  of  1879,  W.  J.  Harkness  operated  a  tie  and 
lumber  camp  near  Cle-Elum,  employing  a  consid- 
erable crew  of  men  and,  of  course,  greatly  improv- 
ing the  local  market  for  farm  products.  Next 
spring  an  enormous  drive  of  logs  and  tie  timber 
was  sent  down  the  Yakima  to  the  Northern  Pacific 
Company's  sawmill  at  Ainsworth.  It  was  during 
that  year,  also,  that  the  railway  began  building 
eastward  from  Ainsworth,  inspiring  the  hope  that 
the  day  of  isolation  from  the  outside  world  must 
soon  pass,  and  creating  a  demand  for  the  timber 
on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Cascades.  It  furnished 
encouragement  for  an  industry  which  had  its  first 
feeble  beginnings  as  early,  it  is  thought,  as  1876, 
when  James  S.  Dysart  established  a  sawmill  near 
the  site  of  the  present  Cle-Elum.  Even  this  was  not 
the  first  manufacturing  plant  if  Houser's  dates  are 
correct,  for  he  says  that  in  1875  a  grist  mill  was 
built  in  the  county  by  Robert  Canady.  It  stood  on 
Wilson  creek,  five  miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg, 
where  the  brick  mill  now  is.  At  first  it  was  a  small 
water  power  mill,  but  later  Mr.  Canady  took  in  his 
brother  as  a  partner  and  enlarged  and  improved  the 
plant.  Other  flour  mills  were  soon  after  built  by 
Charles  A.  Sanders  and  Jerry  D.  Dammon.  Thus 
it  will  be  seen  that  even  during  the  earliest  days, 
when  the  people  were  few  and  for  the  most  part 
poor  in  worldly  possessions,  the  resources  of  the 
Kittitas  country  began  to  be  developed,  and  promise 
was  given  of  a  time  when  it  should  be  taking  prizes 
at  state  fairs  for  the  variety  of  its  industries  and 
products.  Before  the  first  decade  had  passed,  it 
had  begun  to  yield  besides  agricultural  products  and 
cattle  and  horses,  considerable  outputs  of  lumber 
and  gold,  and  some  manufactured  articles. 

The  first  time,  and  at  least  during  the  early, 
years  the  only  time,  that  troops  were  stationed  in 
the  Kittitas  valley  was  in  the  spring  of  1879,  when 
about  two  hundred  cavalrymen  took  station  near 
George  Cooke's  present  place  about  a  mile  above  the 
old  Olding  ranch.  The  troops  came  by  order  of 
Department  Commander  O.  O.  Howard  for  the 
purpose  of  watching  the  Columbia  River  Indians, 
who  were  then  showing  signs  of  restiveness.  They 
remained  several  monthe. 

As  in  all  other  parts  of  the  central  Washington 
country  and  the  northwest,  the  winter  of  1 880-1 
was  exceedingly  severe  in  the  Kittitas  country.  The 
first  weeks  of  the  winter  were  not  unusually  cold, 
nor  did  they  bring  much  snow,  but  at  Christmas  the 
trouble  commenced.  Then  the  earth  was  wrapped 
in  a  downy  coverlet  nearlv  a  foot  thick.  Soon  this 
melted  somewhat  and  crusted.  Several  lighter 
snowfalls  succeeded,  each  one  crusting,  until,  in 
January,  there  were  twenty  inches  of  solid  ice  and 
snow.  Then  came  a  fall  of  eight  inches,  followed 
by  a  terrific  blizzard,  the  first,  and  indeed  the  only 
one,  occurring  since  the  advent  of  the  whites. 
When  at  length  the  storm  subsided,  the  canvons 
were  drifted  full  of  snow  and  all  roads  were  effect- 
ually blocked.     The  effect  upon   range  stock  may 


be  imagined.  Entire  bands  were  imprisoned  where 
sustenance  could  not  be  secured  and  some  of 
them  perished  utterly  before  the  snow  melted 
or  help  came,  while  others  were  in  the  last  stages 
of  starvation,  eating  each  other's  hair  and  tails, 
when  discovered. 

At  this  time  there  were  few  large  bands  of  cat- 
tle in  the  valley,  but  many  had  from  ten  or  fifteen 
to  two  hundred  head;  Smith  Brothers  had  more 
than  two  hundred.  The  losses  amounted  to  fully 
fifty  per  cent.,  the  heaviest  losers,  proportionately 
to  their  entire  herds,  being  the  owners  of  small 
bands,  for  the  large  stock  owners  had  made  greater 
provision  for  feeding,  hence  were  able  to  tide  a 
greater  percentage  of  their  animals  over  the  severe 
weather. 

Fortunately,  the  blizzard  occasioned  the  loss  of 
no  human  lives  in  Kittitas  valley,  though  one  man, 
a  Swede  named  Honson,  was  unlucky  enough  to 
be  caught  by  it  in  the  Yakima  canyon,  north  of 
Squaw  creek.  He  saved  his  life  by  lying  down  and 
allowing  the  snow  to  drift  over  him,  covering  him 
completely.  When  the  fury  of  the  elements  had  at 
last  spent  itself,  he  dug  his  way  out  and  resumed 
his  journey  unharmed. 

The  stock  loss  sustained  by  the  Kittitas  farmers 
was  partly  compensated  by  the  increase  in  prices 
following  upon  the  hard  winter.  In  1880,  a  two- 
year-old  steer  was  worth  about  $15;  in  the  spring 
of  1881  the  same  animal  would  bring  $20,  ami  a 
year  later  $30.  A  further  compensation  was  had 
in  the  immense  crops  the  heavy  snowfall  produced 
the  next  spring.  The  snow  lay  on  the  ground  till 
after  the  1st  of  March,  then  started  to  go  away 
quite  rapidly  before  the  warm  breath  of  a  Chinook, 
but  fortunately  the  balmy  wind  did  not  last  long, 
and  most  of  the  snow  disappeared  gradually,  caus- 
ing no  destructive  floods.  The  abundance  of  moist- 
ure in  the  ground  caused  everything  sown  or 
planted  by  the  agriculturist  to  grow  and  produce 
bountifully.  Mr.  Houser  tells  us  that  forty  acres 
of  his  farm  which  was  not  plowed  on  account  of 
being  too  wet,  yielded  thirty  bushels  to  the  acre  of 
volunteer  wheat,  worth  from  fifty  to  seventy-five 
cents  a  bushel  that  season. 

Although  the  population  of  the  Kittitas  valley 
in  1880  was  still  small  and  scattering,  yet  even  at 
that  early  date,  the  people  began  to  have  political 
ambitions.  They  had  from  the  first  experienced 
much  inconvenience  on  account  of  the  distance  to 
Yakima  City,  their  county  seat.  Enough  of  their 
time  was  consumed  in  making  long,  periodical  trips 
to  The  Dalles  for  the  purpose  of  disposing  of  their 
products  and  laying  in  stocks  of  supplies,  without 
other  long  trips  to  Yakima  City,  whenever  county 
or  court  business  had  to  be  attended  to.  The  people 
desired  one  of  two  things,  that  the  county  seat  be 
removed  to  Ellensburg  or  that  a  new  county  be 
organized.  Of  course  the  people  of  the  Yakima 
valley  were  opposed  to  both  projects,  especially  the 
former,  for  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  would 


244 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


work  a  hardship  upon  all  the  residents  of  Yakima 
valley  from  Naches  gap  to  the  Columbia  river.  The 
matter  was  in  issue  in  the  election  of  1880.  Its 
effect  was  seen  in  the  election  of  George  S.  Taylor, 
a  Democrat,  to  the  legislature  by  a  majority  of 
fifty-six  over  John  A.  Shoudy,  the  Republican  can- 
didate, although  the  county  was  Republican  at  the 
time.  The  reason  was  that  many  Yakima  valley 
Republicans  supported  the  Democratic  nominee, 
fearing  that  Shoudy,  if  elected,  would  attempt  to 
divide  the  county  or  remove  the  county  seat. 

At  the  next  election,  that  in  the  fall  of  1882.  the 
same  men  were  candidates  for  the  same  office.  This 
time  the  Kittitas  valley  Democrats,  or  many  of 
them,  supported  Shoudy  and  the  result  was  that  he 
was  elected  over  Taylor  by  exactlv  the  same  major- 
ity that  the  latter  had  received  two  years  earlier, 
fifty-six. 

"Between  these  two  elections,"  says  W.  H.  Peter- 
son, "several  things  had  occurred  to  arouse  and 
solidify  the  taxpayers  of  Kittitas  valley  in  favor  of 
county  division.  The  small  building,  or  courthouse, 
occupied  by  the  county  officers,  was,  with  all  its 
contents,  totally  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  had  to  provide  some  place 
for  the  use  of  the  county  officers.  There  was  no 
doubt  that  a  large  majority  of  the  taxpayers  of  the 
county  were  in  favor  of  renting  offices,  but  the 
board,  then  as  now  consisting  of  three  members, 
two  living  in  Yakima  and  one  in  Kittitas  valley,  in 
their  wisdom  saw  fit  to  proceed  at  once  to  erect  a 
new  courthouse.  To  get  them  to  take  this  step 
great  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  on  them  by  the 
residents  of  old  Yakima.  It  was  a  subject  of  re- 
mark at  the  time  and  of  no  little  adverse  criticism 
among  the  people  of  Kittitas  valley,  that  the  two 
commissioners  from  Yakima  valley  were  divided  on 
the  proposition,  while  the  vote  of  the  one  from  Kit- 
titas, which  if  in  the  negative  would  have  defeated 
it.  was  cast  for  it.  Of  course  the  people  of  old 
Yakima  were  jubilant  over  the  action  of  the  board. 
They  felt  sure  that  once  the  new  courthouse  was 
built  there  would  be  no  possibility  of  the  removal 
of  the  county  seat  to  Ellensburg,  and  that  it  would 
have  the  effect  of  postponing  for  a  long  period  the 
division  of  the  county.  But  'the  best  laid  plans  of 
men  and  mice  gang  aft  aglee.'    • 

"S.  T.  Packwood  brought  an  action  in  the  dis- 
trict court  attacking  the  right  of  the  board  to  build  a 
courthouse  without  having  first  submitted  the  ques- 
tion to  a  vote  of  the  people.  In  connection  with 
this  he  also  secured  an  injunction  from  the  court 
restraining  the  county  treasurer  from  paying  any 
orders  issued  in  payment  for  the  courthouse  or  any 
part  thereof  pending  the  final  determination  of  the 
case.  Judge  J.  R.  Lewis,  a  resident  of  Seattle  and 
president  of  the  Yakima  National  Bank,  was  the 
holder  of  these  orders.  He  was  too  good  a  lawyer 
not  to  know  that  upon  a  final  determination  of  the 
case  the  temporary  restraining  order  would  be  made 
permanent.     It  was  apparent  to  him   that   in  case 


the  county  was  not  divided  he  could  not  hope  to 
realize  on  his  warrants,  as  Packwood  was  deter- 
mined to  fight  his  legal  battle  to  a  finish,  but  that 
should  it  be  divided,  the  terms  of  division  would  no 
doubt  be  such  as  to  virtually  indemnify  Kittitas 
for  the  payment  of  its  proportionate  part  of  his  war- 
rants and  in  that  case  he  could  (as  he  afterward 
did)  get  Packwood  to  have  the  case  dismissed  by 
reimbursing  him  for  his  expenses.  And  so  it  came 
about  that  the  influence  of  Judge  Lewis  and  the 
bank  instead  of  being  wielded  against  county  divis- 
ion, was  exerted  in  favor  of  it." 

When  Shoudy's  bill  for  the  creation  of  Kittitas 
county  came  up  before  the  territorial  legislature,  it 
met  with  practically  no  opposition.  The  mother 
county  was  vigilant  to  protect  her  every  interest, 
but  as  the  bill  was  a  liberal  one  and  fair  to  the  old 
county  in  every  respect,  there  was  no  cause  for  a 
fight.  The  language  of  the  creating  act  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

AN  ACT 

To  create  and  locate  the  county  of  Kittitass  and  to  define 
the  boundaries  thereof. 

Section  1.  Be  it  enacted  by  the  Legislative  Assembly 
of  the  Territory  of  Washington :  That  all  that  portion  of 
Yakima  county  situated  within  Washington  Territory  and 
included  within  the  following  limits  be,  and  the  same  shall 
be  known  as,  the  county  of  Kittitass,  viz :  Commencing 
at  a  point  where  the  main  channel  of  the  Columbia  river 
crosses  the  township  line  between  township  fourteen  and 
fifteen  north,  range  twenty-three  east,  Willamette  meri- 
dian, and  running  west  on  said  township  to  the  range  line 
between  townships  eighteen  and  nineteen  east ;  thence 
north  on  said  line  six  miles  to  the  township  line  between 
townships  fifteen  and  sixteen  north ;  thence  west  on  said 
township  line  to  the  Naches  river;  thence  northerly  along 
the  main  channel  of  said  river,  to  the  summit  of  the  Cas- 
cade mountains,  or  southeast  corner  of  Pierce  county; 
thence  north  along  the  eastern  boundaries  of  Pierce,  King 
and  Snohomish  counties  to  the  main  channel  of  the 
Wenachee  river ;  thence  down  said  river  to  the  Columbia 
•  river ;  thence  down  the  main  channel  of  the  Columbia  to 
the  place  of  beginning. 

Section  2.  That  Robert  N.  Canaday,  Samuel  T.  Pack- 
wood  and  C.  P.  Cooke  are  hereby  appointed  a  board  of 
county  commissioners  for  the  county  of  Kittitass,  with  all 
the  powers  as  if  regularly  elected,  who  shall  hold  their 
offices  until  the  next  general  election  and  until  their  suc- 
cessors are  elected  and  qualified ;  and  said  board  of  com- 
missioners shall  have  power  to  select  and  appoint  the  re- 
maining county  officers,  who  shall  serve  until  the  next 
general  election  and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and 
qualified,-  for  which  purpose  the  county  commissioners 
herein  appointed  shall  meet  at  the  county  seat  of  Kittitass 
county,  within  forty  days  after  the  approval  of  this  act, 
and  appoint  the  necessary  officers  for  said  county,  and 
perform  such  other  duties  and  things  necessary  for  a  com- 
plete organization  of  the  county  of  Kittitass. 

Section  3.  That  the  justices  of  the  peace  and  con- 
stables who  are  now  elected  as  such  in  the  precincts  of 
the  county  of  Kittitass  be,  and  the  same  are  hereby,  de- 
clared justices  of  the  peace  and  constables  of  and  for  the 
said  county  of   Kittitass. 

Section  4.  That  the  county  seat  of  said  county  of 
Kittitass  is  hereby  temporarily  located  at  Ellensburg,  at 
which  place  it  shall  remain  until  located  permanently  else- 
where in  said  county  by  a  majority  of  qualified  electors 
thereof,  and  for  which  purpose  a  vote  shall  be  taken  at  the 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


245 


next  general  election  provided  for  by  statute;  and  the 
officers  of  election  shall  receive  said  vote  and  make  return 
thereof,  to  the  commissioners,  who  shall  canvass  the  same 
and  announce  the  result  in  like  manner  as  the  result  of  the 
vote  for  county  officers ;  Provided,  That  if  there  be  not  a 
majority  vote  in  favor  of  such  location  of  county  seat  at 
any  one  place  at  such  general  election,  the  qualified  elec- 
tors of  the  county  shall  continue  to  vote  on  that  question 
at  the  next  and  each  subsequent  general  election  until 
some  place  receive  such  majority,  and  the  place  so  receiv- 
ing a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast  shall  be  declared  the 
permanent  county  seat  of  said  Kittitass  county. 

Section  5.  That  all  laws  applicable  to  the  county  of 
Yakima  shall  be  applicable  to  the  county  of  Kittitass. 

Section  6.  That  all  taxes  levied  and  assessed  by  the 
board  of  county  commissioners  of  the  county  of  Yakima 
for  the  year  A.  D.  1883,  upon  persons  or  property  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  said  county  of  Kittitass,  and  all  de- 
linquent taxes  heretofore  due  said  county  of  Yakima  shall 
be  collected  by  its  proper  officers  and  paid  into  the  treas- 
ury of  said  Yakima  county,  for  the  use  of  said  county  of 
Yakima ;  Provided,  That  the  said  county  of  Yakima  shall 
pay  all  the  just  indebtedness  of  said  Yakima  county;  and 
Provided  further,  That  the  county  of  Kittitass  shall  pay 
to  the  county  of  Yakima  a  just  proportion  of  the  net 
indebtedness  of  said  Yakima  county,  the  same  to  be  de-< 
termined  as  hereinafter  provided. 

Section  7.  That  the  auditors  of  the  counties  of  Kit- 
titass and  Yakima  are  hereby  constituted  a  board  of  ap- 
praisers and  adjusters  of  the  real  estate  and  other  property 
of  Yakima  county,  and  if  they  cannot  agree,  the  auditor 
of  Klickitat  county  shall  act  as  umpire,  and  for  this  pur- 
pose shall  meet  at  Yakima  City  on  the  second  Tuesday 
in  January,  A.  D.  1884 ;  then  and  there  they  shall  appraise 
the  value  of  all  public  property,  both  real  and  personal, 
belonging  to  the  county  of  Yakima,  and  said  board  of 
appraisers  and  adjusters  shall  then  proceed  to  ascertain 
the  net  indebtedness  of  said  county  of  Yakima,  which  shall 
be  done  as  follows,  viz.:  Ascertain  all  the  county  justly 
owes  in  warrants,  scrip  or  other  just  debts,  which  amount 
shall  constitute  the  gross  indebtedness  of  said  county, 
from  which  deduct  the  amount  of  the  unpaid  portion  of  the 
assessment  roll  of  1883  and  the  amount  of  all  delinquent 
assessment  rolls  which  are  considered  collectible  up  to 
that  date,  and  the  amount  of  all  moneys  and  other  credits 
due  the  county,  also  the  value  of  all  public  property  be- 
longing to  the  said  county  of  Yakima,  and  the  balance 
so  found  shall  constitute  the  net  indebtedness  of  said 
county  of  Yakima;  Provided,  The  real  estate  and  personal 
property  thus  deducted  shall  be  the  property  of  Yakima 
county  after  division. 

Section  8.  That  the  net  indebtedness  of  the  said 
ceunty  of  Yakima  as  found  above,  be  divided  equally  be- 
tween the  counties  of  Yakima  and  Kittitass  in  proportion 
to  the  taxable  property  of  said  counties  as  it  legally  ap- 
pears on  the  assessment  roll  for  the  year  1883,  and  the 
said  county  of  Kittitass  shall  cause  a  warrant  or  warrants 
to  be  drawn  upon  its  treasurer,  payable  to  the  county  of 
Yakima  out  of  any  funds  not  otherwise  appropriated,  for 
its  full  share  of  such  indebtedness;  Provided,  That  if  from 
any  cause  either  or  both  of  the  above  mentioned  adjusters 
and  appraisers  fail  or  refuse  to  act  as  such,  then,  and  in 
that  case,  the  county  auditors  of  the  respective  counties 
shall  constitute  a  board  of  arbitrators  and  appraisers,  and 
shall  proceed  as  herein  directed. 

Section  9.  That  if  the  board  of  appraisers  and  adjust- 
ers as  herein  appointed  shall  not  agree  on  any  subject  of 
value  or  settlement  as  herein  stated,  they  shall  choose  a 
third  man  from  an  adjoining  county  to  settle  their  differ- 
ences, and  their  decision  shall  be  final. 

Section  10.  That  the  compensation  of  the  said  board 
of  appraisers  and  adjusters  shall  be  four  dollars  per  day 
each,  for  each  and  every  day  necessarily  employed  therein, 
and  the  counties  of  Yakima  and  Kittitass  shall  pay  the 
same  equally. 


Section  11.  That  the  county  auditor  of  Kittitass 
county  shall  have  access  to  the  records  of  Yakima  county, 
without  cost,  for  the  purpose  of  transcribing  and  indexing 
such  portion  of  the  records  of  property  as  belongs  to  the 
county  of  Kittitass,  and  his  certificate  of  the  correctness 
thereof  shall  have  the  same  force  and  effect  as  if  made  by 
the  auditor  of  Yakima  county;  it  is  hereby  provided,  how- 
ever, that  nothing  in  this  section  shall  permit  the  record 
books  of  Yakima  county  to  be  removed  from  the  office  of 
its  auditor. 

Section  12.  That  the  county  auditor,  for  transcribing 
and  indexing  the  records  of  Kittitass  county,  shall  receive 
the  sum  of  three  dollars  per  day  for  each  and  every  day 
so  employed,  to  be  paid  by  the  county  of  Kittitass,  and  in 
addition  to  his  yearly  salary  as  hereinafter  provided. 

Section  13.  That  the  county  of  Kittitass  shall  be  at- 
tached to  the  county  of  Yakima  for  legislative  purposes 
and  to  the  second   judicial   district   for  judicial  purposes. 

Section  14.  That  the  county  commissioners  of  the 
•county  of  Kittitass  shall  receive  the  sum  of  four  dollars 
per  day  each  for  each  and  every  day  necessarily  employed 
in  the  service  of  said  county,  and  ten  cents  per  mile  for 
each  mile  necessarily  traveled  to  attend  said  county  business. 
The  auditor  shall  receive  a  yearly  salary  of  three  hundred 
dollars  per  year,  payable  quarterly.  The  treasurer  shall 
receive  a  yearly  salary  of  $150  a  year,  payable  quarterly. 
The  sheriff  shall  receive  the  same  fees  as  are  allowed  to 
sheriffs  of  other  counties  by  the  statutes  of  Washington 
Territory.  The  probate  judge  shall  receive  the  regular 
fees  of  his  office  as  prescribed  by  the  laws  of  Washington 
Territory.  The  superintendent  of  public  schools  shall  re- 
ceive a  yearly  salary  of  forty  dollars  per  annum,  payable 
quarterly,  and  all  other  officers  of  the  county  shall  receive 
the  regular  fees  of  their  respective  offices  as  prescribed  by 
statute. 

Section  15.  That  nothing  in  this  act  shall  be  so  con- 
strued as  to  effect  the  just  proportion  of  the  school  fund 
of  the  said  county  of  Kittitass. 

Section  16.  That  all  acts  or  parts  of  acts  in  conflict 
with  the  provisions  of  this  act  are  hereby  repealed. 

Section  17.  This  act  shall  take  effect  and  be  in  force 
from  and  after  its  passage  and  approval  by  the  governor. 

Approved  November  24,  1883. 

At  its  first  meeting,  held  in  December,  1883,  the 
board  of  county  commissioners,  in  harmony  with 
the  provisions  of  the  creating  act,  named  the  follow- 
ing officers  for  the  countv :  Probate  judge,  W.  A. 
Bull ;  sheriff,  J.  C.  Goodwin ;  auditor,  W.  H.  Peter- 
son ;  treasurer,  Thomas  Johnson ;  surveyor,  John  R. 
Wallace ;  superintendent  of  schools,  Irene  Cumber- 
lin ;  coroner,  M.  V.  Amen,  M.  D. ;  sheep  commis- 
sioner, E.  W.  Lyen. 

"The  act  creating  the  county,"  says  Auditor 
Peterson,  "provided  that  the  auditor  of  Kittitas 
county  should  make  a  copy,  of  all  that  part  of  the 
Yakima  records  required  to  be  kept  in  Kittitas 
county.  It  also  provided  that  the  settlement  be- 
tween the  counties  should  be  made  by  the  auditors 
of  the  same  and  went  on  to  designate  how  it  should 
be  made.  In  case  they  failed  to  agree  they  were  to 
call  to  their  assistance  the  auditor  of  Klickitat 
county. 

"For  his  services  in  transcribing  the  records  and 
making  the  settlement  the  auditor  was  to  receive 
three  dollars  a  day.  After  paying  stage  fare  back 
and  forth  from  Yakima  several  times  in  the  dead  of 
winter  through  fierce  snow  storms  (one  of  which 
I  think  my  old  friend,  M.  M.  Dammon,  has  not  yet 


246 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


forgotten)  and  paying  my  hotel  bills,  I  had,  as  may 
readily  be  inferred,  not  much  of  my  per  diem  left 
to  pay  for  cocktails  and  cigars.  Fortunately  for  me, 
however,  I  could  do  without  these  luxuries,  and 
buoyed  up  by  the  knowledge  that  I  was  entering 
upon  the  discharge  of  the  onerous  duties  of  an  office 
for  which  I  was  to  receive  the  princely  salary  of 
three  hundred  dollars  a  year,  I  faced  the  storms 
and  rushed  my  work.     .    .    . 

"The  first  instrument  filed  for  record  in  Kittitas 
county  was  filed  on  the  22d  of  December,  1883. 
The  first  marriage  license  was  issued  on  the  9th  of 
January,  1884,  to  John  C.  Ellison,  now  deceased, 
and  Amy  A.  Childs ;  Dr.  I.  N.  Power,  now  residing 
at  Cle-Elum,  was  the  first  physician  who  registered 
in  the  county.     . 

"'When  a  Republican  legislature,  at  the  instance 
of  Mr.  Shoudy,  himself  a  Republican,  created  the 
county  of  Kittitas  and  appointed  a  county  board 
consisting  of  two  Democrats  and  one  Republican, 
and  vested  in  it  the  power  to  appoint  all  the  county 
officers,  who  were  to  hold  their  offices  until  after  the 
next  general  election,  the  Democrats  had  the  laugh' 
on  the  Republicans,  but  when  the  same  board  ap- 
pointed more  Republicans  to  office  than  Democrats, 
the  laugh  was  on  the  Democrats.  When,  at  the 
first  general  election,  held  in  November,  1884,  there 
was  only  one  Republican  elected  in  the  county,  it 
was  the  Democrats'  turn  to  laugh." 

The  local  government  was  not  maintained  with- 
out some  inconvenience  and  sacrifice  on  the  part  of 
the  early  officers,  who  were  of  necessity  very  poorly 
paid.  The  county  had  no  courthouse  or  other  suit- 
able building  for  the  keeping  of  its  records  and  for 
offices,  etc.,  neither  was  it  deemed  expedient  at 
first  to  erect  such  a  building,  so  that  for  several 
years  the  machinery  of  government  was  moved 
from  one  rented  place  to  another,  bank  vaults  being 
used  as  receptacles  for  the  record  books  and  valua- 
bles. But  the  local  political  power  was  in  good 
hands  during  the  earliest  years,  and  the  result  was 
that  the  county's  warrants  did  not  fall  so  far  below 
their  face  value  as  did  those  of  the  mother  county, 
nor  did  they  go  begging  in  the  market  as  some 
prophesied  that  they  would.  The  officials  practiced 
due  economy  in  the  expenditure  of  public  moneys, 
thereby  maintaining  the  credit  of  the  county  and 
enabling  it  to  pay  off,  with  reasonable  rapidity,  the 
sum  it  was  adjudged  to  owe  to  Yakima.  It  may 
be  safely  asserted  that  notwithstanding  the  sparse- 
ness  of  its  population,  Kittitas  county  got  a  very 
fair  start  as  one  of  the  political  divisions  of  the 
territory. 

The  year  that  the  county  of  Kittitas  was  created 
was  one  of  great  activity  in  the  territory  which  was 
included  in  its  confines.  While  not  much  money 
was  in  circulation,  an  abundance  was  enjoyed  by  all 
the  people,  who  traded  much  with  each  other  by 
direct  barter  of  commodities,  thus  obviating  the 
necessity  for  a  large  circulating  medium.  The  rail- 
way  was   in   course   of   construction,   and   the  cer- 


tainty that  it  would  soon  traverse  the  valley,  caused 
an  influx  of  homeseekers.  The  necessity  of  coal  for 
the  consumption  of  the  railway  had  given  an 
impetus  to  prospecting,  and  it  was  during  this  year 
that  discoveries  were  made  which  led  to  the  opening 
of  the  Roslyn  mines.  The  Seattle  &  Walla  Walla 
Trail  &  Wagon  Road  Company,  of  which  Walter 
A.  Bull  was  president  and  George  H.  Smith,  secre- 
tary, were  at  work  on  a  road  over  the  mountains 
and  everywhere  the  wheels  of  industry  were  in 
motion. 

June  16th  of  this  year  appeared  the  initial  issue 
of  the  Kittitas  Standard,  a  weekly  newspaper,  with 
headquarters  at  Ellensburg.  This  pioneer  journal 
tells  of  numerous  parties  of  land  hunters  seeking 
homes  in  the  Kittitas  valley  in  anticipation  of  the 
railroad,  of  a  bright  outlook  for  abundant  crops, 
and  of  the  fact  that  one  hundred  men  had  just  been 
added  to  the  railroad  force  in  the  canyon  of  the 
Yakima.  It  states  that  a  mail  route  would  be 
opened  July  1st  from  Ellensburg  to  Wenatchee  via 
Peshastin ;  that  J.  Blomquist  had  opened  a  brewery 
on  his  place  on  Wilson  creek  and  that  George  H. 
Smith  had  completed  thirteen  miles  of  his  Cascade 
wagon  road  between  Ellensburg  and  the  summit. 
A  few  quotations  from  some  of  its  later  numbers 
will  illustrate  the  spirit  of  this  strategic  period  in 
the  county's  history  as  no  pen  of  the  present  could. 

In  its  issue  of  June  30,  1883.  it  said  : 

Cattle  are  now  as  good  as  gold,  and  owners,  in  our 
opinion,  need  not  fear  a  decline  in  prices.  A  variety  of 
causes  has  operated  to  bring  about  this  state  of  affairs, 
but  probably  the  greatest  cause  for  advance  in  prices  lies 
in  the  rapid  development  of  the  Northwest.  The  thou- 
sands now  pouring  into  our  territory  require  to  be  fed. 
Eastern  buyers  have  also  in  a  measure  depleted  our  large 
herds  and  hence  a  scarcity  of  good  marketable  cattle 
exists  and  those  we  do  have  for  sale  are  bringing  from 
$50  to  $60  a  head  in  many  instances. 

The  same  number  contains  the  following: 

We  learn  that  matters  in  general  throughout  the 
Peshastin  mining  district  are  lively  and  encouraging.  The 
Summit,  Pocket,  Polepick,  Bobtail,  old  Polepick.  Schaffer, 
Tiptop  and  other  mines  are  being  worked.  Upon  the 
creek  two  arrastres  and  the  Schaffer  Mining  Company's 
six-stamp  mill  are  busily  engaged  in  crushing  quartz ;  and 
the  prevailing  complaint  is  lack  of  sufficient  crushing 
machinery  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  camp.  This  want 
will  be  filled  in  a  measure  by  the  erection  of  a  mill  upon 
the  old  Polepick  property,  recently  purchased  by  Thomas 
Johnson,  Esq.  .  .  .  Upon  a  recent  run  of  twenty-one 
days,  upon  culled  hard  quartz,  the  Schaffer  Company's  little 
mill  yielded  $1,800  in  free  gold,  while  the  new  concentra- 
tor saved  four  tons  of  sulphurets  worth  $300  per  ton  and 
upwards.  During  the  past  six  years,  the  Schaffer  Com- 
pany property  has  yielded  $36,000,  the  Tiptop  mine  over 
$1,100  in  thirty  days  and  other  mines  in  like  proportion. 
As  yet  the  mines  are  still  in  the  grass  roots.  Twenty-five 
men  are  working  in  the  camp,  many  of  whom  are  prospect- 
ing or  developing  upon  their  own  account.     .     .     . 

The  issue  of  August  18th  contains  the  follow- 


Sheep  raising  is  ever  a  large  as  well  as  an  increasing 
industry  in  our  section.     There  are  large  portions  of  our 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


county  which  arc  not  tit  for  agricultural  purposes,  but  as 
grazing  grounds  for  sheep  and  cattle  they  cannot  be  ex- 
celled. Among  those  who  have  profitably  followed  this 
industry  in  this  section  we  may  note :  Messrs.  Coleman, 
Meade,  Lyons,  Schnebly,  McCleary,  McDonald  and  Hanna. 
Of  the  above,  Meade  and  "McCleary,  Lyons  and  Schnebly 
and  McDonald  and  Hanna  are  partners,  while  Mr.  Cole- 
man is  alone.  The  latter  has  about  1,800  head,  McDonald 
&  Hanna,  1,000;  Meade  &  McCleary,  1,500,  and  Lyons  & 
Schnebly,  700.  The  summer  range  of  these  flocks  extends 
from  the  east  dividing  ridge  of  the  valley  to  the  Columbia. 
In  winter  they  are  taken  to  more  sheltered  localities — John- 
son's gulch  and  Whiskey  creek.  We  learn  that  the  clip 
this,  season  was  unusually  good,  and  as  far  as  sold  has 
averaged  fair  prices.  Lyons  sold  in  San  Francisco  and 
cleared  19  cents  a  pound  over  all  expenses.  McDonald 
sold  at  The  Dalles  for  15}^  cents.  From  the  others  we 
have  no  report.  The  sheep  of  this  section  are  healthy, 
free  from  scab  and  thrifty. 

A  quotation  from  the  writings  of  one  of  its  cor- 
respondents follows: 

Lake  Cle-Elum,  August  22,  1883. 
Editor  Standard:— 

For  a  pleasant  and  profitable  mountain  excursion 
commend  us  to  the  section  of  country  in  and  about  the 
headwaters  of  the  Wenatchee,  Peshastin,  Cle-Elum  and 
Teanaway  rivers.  Three  years  ago,  by  panning  gravel  in 
and  along  the  Cle-Elum,  S.  S.  Hawkins  was  enabled  to 
discover  gold  and  silver  bearing  ledges,  well  up  on  the 
west  slope  of  the  mountain  which  bears  his  name  and 
marks  the  divide  between  the  south  fork  of  the  Teanaway 
and  Fortune  creek  (since  named  Good  Fortune  creek). 
Being  pleased  with  the  character  of  the  quartz  found,  as 
also  with  a  description  of  the  locality  given  by  Mr.  Haw- 
kins, Messrs.  Boyls,  Stevenson,  P.  J.  Flint,  Morrison,  Wil- 
son, Splawn  and  others  subsequently  visited  the  new  camp 
and  made  locations  covering  the  claims  known  as  the 
I-I-yas,  Cle-Elum,  Hawk,  Foster,  Ida  Elmore,  Red  Jacket, 
Madeline  and  Silver  King,  all  of  which  by  numerous 
reliable  assays  yield  from  $17  to  $400  per  ton.  From  the 
presence  of  copper  and  the  fact  that  in  almost  every  case 
the  amount  of  gold  and  silver  yielded  by  assays  is  equal, 
and  from  the  general  appearance  of  the  formation  in  which 
serpentine,  horn  blende  and  slate  predominate,  the  general 
impression  prevalent  is  that  with  depth  the  mines  in  ques- 
tion will  yield  large  returns  in  silver  bearing  ore.  Several 
desirable  claims  have  been  grouped  and  sold  to  Tacoma 
mining  people,  who  are  making  preparations  to  prospect 
their   property   thoroughly   during   the   coming   winter. 

East  of  the  Cle-Elum  mining  camp,  and  upon  the 
Teanaway  slope  of  the  Hawkins  mountain,  lies  the  greater 
part  of  the  recently  discovered  copper  mines.  The  honor 
of  this  discovery  lies  between  Messrs.  E.  P.  Boyls,  York, 
Hawkins  and  A.  J.  Splawn,  but  to  share  in  the  profit  there- 
of come  with  the  discoverers,  Messrs.  Wilson,  Flint,  Mor- 
rison, Stevenson.  Foster  and  others  of  Yakima  City  and 
Walter  A.  Bull  &  Company  of  this  place.  The  property 
located  is  about  180  acres  by  each  party  or  360  acres  in 
all,  which  is  about  the  known  extent  of  what  is  known  as 
the  Copperhead  and  Copper  King  lodes,  which  assay 
>eventy-six  to  eighty  per  cent,  copper  with  several  dollars 
of  silver  to  the  ton;  also  a  little  gold.     .     .     . 

Another  correspondent  in  the  issue  of  Septem- 
ber 1st  says  : 

.  .  .  Going  up  Dry  creek  with  a  feeling  that  you 
have  passed  the  edge  of  civilization  and  that  nothing  but 
dense  forest,  unbroken,  save  by  an  occasional  mining 
camp,  lies  beyond  until  the  settlements  upon  the  west  side 
of  the  Cascades  shall  have  been  reached,  it  is  quite  a  relief 
when    the    foundations    of   several    pretty   homes   are   first 


sighted  111  Horse  canyon,  and  later  the  picturesque  farm 
of  Mr.  Virden  is  found  nestling  down  on  the  Swauk,  while 
a  great  and  agreeable  surprise  is  felt  when  a  continuous 
line  of  settlement,  in  every  degree  of  development,  from 
the  well  fenced  and  otherwise  well  improved  farms  of 
Messrs.  Giles,  Seatcn  Senior,  and  Masterson,  to  the 
"tomahawk  improvements"  of  the  last  comer,  is  found 
all  along  the  Teanaway  and  skirting  the  southern  margin 
of  Lake  Cle-Elum.  Several  thousand  acres  of  agricultural 
lands  have  been  located  in  this  region  during  the  present 
season  and  thousands  of  acres  of  mixed  timber  and  open 
lands  yet  remain  open  for  settlement.  A  large  mill  race 
has  been  taken  out  of  the  Teanaway  and  two  sawmills  and 
a  gristmill  are  now  under  construction.  The  principal 
settlement  lies  along  and  one  to  four  miles  away  from  the 
Seattle  and  Walla  Walla  wagon  road,  as  also  of  the  pro- 
posed Cascade  division  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad,  the 
100-mile  tree  from  salt  water  being  located  at  a  point  just 
opposite  the  mount  of  Teanaway  creek.  At  no  distant  day 
this  must  be  a  large  and  prosperous  settlement,  and  will 
add  not  a  little  to  the  traffic  of  both  wagon  road  and  rail- 
road. The  heavy  snowfall,  averaging  perhaps  three  and 
a  half  feet,  and  the  supposed  prevalence  of  destructive 
frosts,  have  done  much  to  retard  the  settlement  of  the 
Teanaway  country,  but  hardy  Minnesotans  are  filling  up 
the  region  and  are  well  satisfied. 

Passing  through  miles  of  open  country  in  which  berry 
and  hazel  nut  bushes  occasionally  vie  with  each  other  in 
blocking  the  way,  the  whirr,  whirr  of  the  grouse,  and  the 
deer  and  bear  signs  seen  quite  often,  very  quickly  explain 
the  great  attachment  our  dusky  population  feel  toward  this 
section.  Sighting  the  magnificent  waters  of  Lake  Cle- 
Elum.  bounded  upon  one  side  by  high,  craggy,  treeless 
peaks  and  upon  the  other  by  gently  sloping,  forest-covered 
hills,  free  from  underbrush,  one  can  readily  understand 
what  a  magnificent  sight  must  have  been  presented  when, 
in  days  agone.  the  lake  was  dotted  with  gaudily  decked 
Indian  canoes,  or  its  ice-environed  surface  was  illuminated 
by  hundreds  of  torches  of  the  piscatorially  inclined  chil- 
dren of  the  forest.  Nor  is  any  great  stretch  of  the  imagi- 
nation required  to  enable  one  to  see  that  at  no  distant  day 
the  waters  of  this  beautiful  lake  must  attract  to  its  shores 
many  persons  upon  health  or  pleasure  bent. 

Again  on  December  8th  the  Standard  quotes 
from  a  communication  of  Charles  B.  Reed,  in  the 
following  language : 

We  are  not  ashamed  of  the  following  statement  con- 
cerning our  town,  valley  and  surroundings,  sent  by  Post- 
master Reed  to  Charles  S.  Fee,  Assistant  Superintendent 
of  Traffic.  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  in  response 
to  a  request : 

"First.  Ellensburg  is  located  about  one  mile  north  of 
the  Yakima  river;  second,  population,  450.  an  increase  in 
two  years  of  400;  third,  water  power  abundant:  fourth, 
has  two  hotels,  capacity  150  guests:  one  National  bank, 
capital  $50,000;  two  public  halls,  also  an  Odd  Fellows  and 
A.  O.  U.  W.  hall  combined  and  a  Masonic  hall:  four 
general  merchandise  stores,  carrying  $50,000  in  stocks ;  six 
retail  stores  and  sundry  minor  establishments,  shops,  etc.; 
two  newspapers,  two  livery  stables,  and  a  fine  two-story  pub- 
lic school  building  erected  entirely  by  public  subscription; 
fifth,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  are  five  gristmills  of  from 
ten  to  twenty  barrels  capacity,  and  excellent  equipment: 
also  three  sawmills  with  capacities  of  from  eight  to  twenty 
thousand  feet  per  day:  sixth,  in  adjacent  mountains  $75,000 
in  placer  and  $100,000  in  quartz  gold  have  been  taken  out 
by  primitive  processes  and  during  the  past  season  an  ex- 
tensive field  bearing  copper  ore  assaying  from  fifty  to 
eighty  per  cent,  copper  and  carrying  $15  to  $t.ooo  in  silver 
per  ton.  has  been  discovered ;  also  a  belt  of  bituminous 
coal  lying  in  veins  of  from  five  to  eight  feet  adjoining  the 
copper  and   iron    fields;     .     .     .     ninth,   our  shipments  are. 


248 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


live  stock  to  the  amount  of  $500,000  per  annum,  driven 
chiefly  over  the  Snoqualmie  Pass  wagon  road  to  Puget 
Sound  markets,  and  wool  hauled  150  miles  by  wagon  and 
shipped  to  Portland,  Oregon :  tenth,  in  game  we  have  deer, 
bear,  grouse,  prairie  and  sage  chickens,  ducks  and  geese, 
while  in  fish,  every  stream  carries  fine  salmon  and  speckled 
trout;  eleventh,  our  neighboring  towns  are  Yakima  City, 
fifty  miles,  stage  fare,  $5;  Ainsworth,  125  miles,  $15  fare; 
The  Dalles,  150  miles,  $15,  daily  stages,  and  Seattle,  125 
miles.  To  reach  the  later  the  Snoqualmie  Pass  wagon 
road  is  being  constructed,  upon  which  mail  service  has 
been  ordered  and  by  which  stage  fare  will  be  $12." 

An  event  of  the  year  1883  deserving,  perhaps, 
of  a  passing  notice,  was  the  expulsion  of  a  family 
named  Wilson  from  the  valley  as  a  result  of  a  sen- 
sational criminal  trial  in  which  one  of  them  ap- 
peared as  prosecuting  witness.  It  seems  that  about 
1S81,  the  Wilsons  settled  on  the  school  section, 
along  the  Nanum  creek,  eight  miles  northeast  of 
Ellensburg.  Two  years  later,  Elsie  Wilson,  one  of 
the  young  women  of  the  family,  laid  a  complaint 
against  one  William  Clark,  a  cowboy,  charging  him 
with,  the  crime  of  seduction.  Clark  was  arrested 
and  placed  under  bond,  but  later  the  case  was  com- 
promised in  some  way.  The  defendant  was  re- 
arrested, however,  and  a  sensational  hearing  before 
Justice  Ford,  who  resided  a  mile  and  a  half  south- 
east of  Ellensburg,  resulted  in  his  discharge. 

The  young  man  had  many  staunch  friends  who 
made  open  accusations  against  the  Wilson  girl,  and 
who  expressed  their  indignation,  at  the  time  of  the 
hearing,  by  repairing  to  Ford's  court  in  force,  load- 
ing the  family  into  a  wagon  and  taking  them  down 
the  canyon  to  Squaw  creek,  where  they  were  re- 
leased with  a  warning  that  they  should  never  again 
set  foot  on  Kittitas  soil. 

Upon  reaching  Yakima  City,  Mrs.  Angie  Wil- 
son immediately  commenced  civil  proceedings 
against  George  O'Hare  and  others,  retaining  Allen  & 
Whitson  and  Reavis  &  Pruyn  as  her  attorneys.  The 
defendants  employed  Mires  &  Hill  and  Hiram  Dus- 
tin,  so  that  both  parties  to  the  battle  were  well  rep- 
resented by  legal  talent.  After  a  hard  contest  in 
Judge  Turner's  court  in  Yakima  City,  the  case  was 
concluded  June  2,  1885,  by  a  verdict  of  $5,000  dam- 
ages against  five  or  six  of  the  leading  defendants. 
The  collection  of  the  judgments  greatly  crippled 
several  well  known  Kittitas  citizens  and  caused 
quite  a  number  to  leave  the  valley. 

Great  activity  continued  throughout  the  year 
1884.  notwithstanding  the  scarcity  of  money  which 
no  doubt  operated  as  a  brake  upon  the  wheels  of 
industry.  The  mountains  were  scoured  by  pros- 
pectors, though,  it  is  said,  the  already  discovered 
properties  were  not  developed  so  energetically  and 
persistently  as  during  the  previous  twelvemonth. 
There  was,  however,  much  activity  in  the  Swauk 
district,  which  was  reorganized  and  had  new  laws 
enacted  for  it  at  a  meeting  held  at  John  Black's 
cabin,  May  7,  1884.  The  limits  of  the  district  were 
described  as  follows :  "Beginning  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Teanaway  and  running  along  the  east  bank  of 


the  same  to  the  Swauk  trail ;  thence  to  and  along 
the  summit  of  the  Swauk  and  Teanaway  divide; 
thence  to  and  along  the  summit  to  the  Peshastin 
and  Swauk  divide;  thence  to  and  along  the  summit 
of  Wilson  creek  and  Swauk  divide;  thence  along 
and  down  the  same  to  the  'Nineteen-mile  post'  on 
Dry  creek;  thence  westerly  to  and  across  the  Yak- 
ima river;  thence  up  the  same  to  a  point  opposite 
the  mouth  of  Teanaway  river  and  across  the 
Yakima  river  to  place  of  beginning."  A  feature  of 
the  laws  enacted  was  that  by  them  all  Chinamen 
were  forbidden  to  come  into,  mine  or  hold  property 
in  the  camp.  The  notice  to  the  Chinese  by  this 
legislation  was  signed  by  the  following:  Luke 
McDermott,  T.  Lloyd  Williams,  S.  Bandy,  James 
A.  Gilmour,  Zeb.  Keller,  Moses  M.  Emerson,  lames 
Boall,  Daniel  May,  J.  C.  Pike,  W.  H.  Elliott.  T. 
F.  Meagher,  L.  McClure,  A.  J.  Wintz,  Louis 
Ouietsch,  John  Black,  G.  S.  Howard  and  D.  L. 
Evans. 

In  an  article  in  the  Northwest  Magazine  bear- 
ing date  of  September  29,  1884,  H.  C.  Walters 
spoke  of  this  mining  district  as  follows : 

"Fifteen  miles  south  of  Peshastin  and  twenty- 
five  miles  from  Ellensburg  is  located  the  Swauk 
district,  chiefly  noted  for  its  placer  deposits  from 
which  $50,000  to  $75,000  have  been  extracted  in 
nugget  gold.  The  pay  is  found  in  an  old  channel 
which  cannot  be  traced  above  the  mouth  of  Becker 
creek,  yet  much  of  the  gold  has  the  appearance  of 
having  been  washed  a  long  distance.  Nuggets  have 
been  found  weighing  from  $100  to  upwards  of  $750 
each ;  and  a  perplexing  feature  in  the  matter  of 
arriving  at  a  satisfactory  conclusion  as  to  the 
source  of  the  placer  deposits  is  found  in  the  fact  that 
many  of  the  nuggets,  mixed  with  a  sort  of  porphy- 
ritic  quartz  or  'spar,'  appear  to  have  been  freshly 
broken  from  veins  of  that  character  occurring  in 
the  mountain  beyond  which -the  older  channel  is  not 
higher  traceable.  The  gravel  deposit  in  and  about 
the  discovery  is  deep,  the  pay  spotted  and  water  for 
extensive  working  difficult  to  procure.  Hence  placer 
mining  has  thus  far  been  confined  to  drifting  and 
ground  sluicing  in  a  limited  way  simplv  for  the 
bedrock  gold.  Beautiful  wire  gold  specimens  in 
every  imaginable  shape  and  design  are  found  in 
these  placers.  As  much  as  $1,100  in  spiral  and 
other  curious  wires  have  been  taken  from  a  single 
crevice.  The  bedrock,  alternately  slate  and  sand- 
stone, occasionally  carries  small  seams  of  coal,  and 
here  the  strange  anomaly  has  been  presented  of 
bituminous  coal  and  native  gold  in  the  same  crevice. 
Hydraulic  mining  has  recently  been  undertaken 
upon  a  small  scale  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  in 
the  near  future  water  sufficient  for  extensive  work- 
ing will  be  carried  by  ditch  and  flume  upon  an 
immense  auriferous  gravel  deposit,  appearing  to 
mark  the  point  at  which  the  ancient  stream  empties 
into  the  lake  or  other  body  of  water  once  covering 
Kittitas  valley.    This  deposit  is  fully  one-half  town- 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


249 


ship  in  extent  and  its  greatest  depth  is  one  hundred 
feet.     .      .      . 

"Gold  bearing  quartz,  assaying  from  $10  to 
$300  and  remarkably  free  in  character,  has  been 
discovered  in  the  Swauk  district.  Considerable 
money  has  "been  expended  in  an  effort  to  develop 
the  Homestake  Company's  property,  but  here,  as 
in  fact  in  almost  every  other  mining  enterprise  un- 
dertaken in  this  rgion,  the  amateur  mania  for  tun- 
neling upon  undeveloped  quartz  prospects  pre- 
vailed and  in  consequence  nothing  beyond  the  value 
and  extent  of  highly  promising  top  croppings  is 
known." 

But  the  precious  metals  and  copper  do  not  con- 
stitute the  only  minerals  of  Kittitas  county.  Even 
in  1884  the  existence  was  known  of  a  mineral  which 
has  since  surpassed  all  others  in  importance  and 
wealth  producing  power,  namely  coal.  The  discov- 
ery of  "'float"  had  caused  some  desultory  prospect- 
ing at  a  very  early  period  and  its  presence  was 
responsible  for  the  interest  taken  in  the  Lake  Cle- 
Elum  country  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Company, 
long  before  the  rails  were  laid  through  Kittitas 
valley.  At  any  rate  about  the  year  1881,  they  sent 
into  the  region  a  prospecting  party  in  charge  of  a 
man  named  Taylor.  The  party  failed  to  discover 
the  desired  commodity,  and  had  the  assurance  to 
report  the  utter  absence  of  it  in  the  country. 

•  Two  years  later  the  Lake  Cle-Elum  region  be- 
gan to  settle  up.  April  28,  1883,  Thomas  L  Gamble 
came  and  staked  off  as  a  homestead  the  southeast 
quarter  of  section  twenty-six,  township  twenty 
north,  range  fifteen  east,  which  is  now  a  portion 
of  the  townsite  of  Cle-Elum.  By  him  Walter  J. 
Reed  was  induced  to  come  in  and  take  the  claim 
adjoining  on  the  west.  These  two  men  were  the 
first  permanent  settlers  in  the  township,  but  later 
that  same  summer  came  C.  P.  Brosious,  a  pros- 
pector, and  located  on  a  claim  between  Cle-Elum 
lake  and  the  site  of  Roslyn.  He  was  soon  followed 
by  Chris.  Anderson,  John  East  and  John  Stone  and 
perhaps  one  or  two  others.  The  land  proved  very 
productive,  yielding  as  a  reward  for  the  labor  and 
faith  of  Mr!  Gamble  a  large  crop  of  potatoes  and 
other  vegetables  the  first  season.  Another  arrival 
of  the  year  1883  was  H.  Witters,  who  built  a  saw- 
mill at  "the  mouth  of  Teanaway  creek,  operating  the 
same  by  a  turbine  water  wheel. 

Hardiv  had  Mr.  Gamble  completed  his  cabin 
when  his' attention  was  called  by  Mr.  Brosious  to 
the  float  coal  found  in  the  vicinity.  As  he  had  for- 
merly been  a  resident  of  the  Pennsylvania  coal 
fields,  Mr.  Gamble  was  familiar  with  the  mineral 
and  competent  to  judge  of  its  quality.  The  speci- 
mens exhibited  by  Brosious  he  found  to  be  good, 
but  he  nevertheless  took  but  little  interest,  giving 
his  energies  rather  to  the  task  of  building  a  home 
in  the  wilderness.  There  were  others,  however. 
who  gave  the  matter  more  attention,  among  them 
George  D.  Virden  and  William  Branam.  the  former 
of  whom,  it  is  claimed,  opened  up  what  was  prob- 


ably the  first  deposit  of  any  size  found  in  the 
county,  a  portion  of  what  afterward  became  Mine 
No.  3,  situated  at  Ronald.  But  little  development 
work  was  done  the  first  summer.  The  discoveries, 
or  supposed  discoveries  of  the  year  were  summed 
up  in  a  newspaper  of  the  time  as  follows : 

"In  reference  to  the  recent  coal  discoveries  in 
this  county,  we  learn  from  Messrs.  Gamble  and 
Masterson  that  the  present  limits  of  the  coal  field 
are  the  Masterson  gulch,  left  fork  of  the  Teanaway 
and  Lake  Cle-Elum.  Thirteen  locations  have  been 
made  by  Seattle  and  Renton  people  and  six  quarter 
sections  by  Messrs.  Schnebly,  Smith,  Bull,  Walters 
and  others  of  this  place  (Ellensburg).  Mr.  Gamble 
an  experienced  operator,  states  that  three  likely 
discoveries  have  been  made,  one  a  five-foot  vein  of 
bituminous  coal  of  excellent  quality  being  undoubt- 
edly in  place.  Coming  upon  the  heels  of  the  suc- 
cessful season's  campaign  among  the  copper,  silver, 
iron  and  other  smelting  ores  of  the  Cle-Elum  and 
lying  upon  the  proposed  line  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad,  in  the  very  gateway  of  the  Cle- 
Elum  district,  these  coal  discoveries  are  of  great 
importance  to  our  whole  people." 

The  same  publication  in  its  issue  of  November 
17th  says :  "Now  comes  John  Stone  forward  with 
tidings  of  the  finding  of  no  less '  than  four  well 
defined  veins,  though  from  what  is  told  us  we  are 
of  the  opinion  that  this  latest  find  is  on  the  same 
belt  as  those  of  the  Teanaway.  Mr.  Stone's  find  is 
four  miles  and  a  half  northwest  of  the  Preston 
ranch,  and  on  the  east  side  of  the  Yakima  river. 
Among  those  who  have  located  are:  John  Stone. 
C.  P.  Brosious,  J.  R.  Tucker,  William  and  K. 
Branam  and  'Auntie'  Maynard." 

To  George  D.  Virden  and  "Nez"  Jensen  belong 
the  honor  of  exporting  the  first  coal  from  the 
Roslvn  mines.  The  former  took  his  out  in  a  sack 
and  tried  it  in  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Ellensburg. 
June  24,  1884,  Jensen  started  with  his  first  load, 
and  throughout  the  whole  summer  he  made  fort- 
nightly trips  with  team  and  wagon,  supplying  the 
Ellensburg  blacksmiths.  This  ore  was  taken  from 
what  became  known  as  the  "Dirty"  vein,  opened 
by  Jensen,  Brosious,  Branam  and  others. 

Throughout  the  season  of  i88j.  much  prospect- 
ing was  done.  Among  the  seekers  for  hidden  treas- 
ure were  Brosious  and  Reed,  who  together  had 
the  previous  year  discovered  the  vein  on  which 
Mine  No.  3  was  later  located.  They  met  with  lit- 
tle success  in  1884.  finding  only  occasional  speci- 
mens or  broken  ledges  of  poor  quality,  but  during 
the  spring  of  188;,  in  company  with  Judge  I.  A. 
Navarre. "of  Lake  Chelan,  they  discovered  the 
famous  Roslyn  vein  in  upper  Smith  creek  canyon. 
The  original  prospect  was  a  large  cropping  on  a 
hillside  a  little  west  of  Aline  No.  3.  It  was  covered 
with  earth  originally,  but  this  the  prospectors 
scraped  away,  bringing  to  light  a  considerable  body 
of  coil.      Smith   creek   is   a   small   stream   draining 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


into  the  Yakima,  a  narrow,  short,  irregular  and 
densely   timbered  canyon  heading  above  Roslyn. 

Judge  Navarre  called  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road Company's  attention  to  the  discovery  of  the 
Roslyn  vein,  which  promised  better  than  any  pros- 
pect previously  found,  and  he  succeeded  in  induc- 
ing the  company  to  send  experts  to  locate  the  prop- 
erty and  look  over  the  field.  None  of  the  original 
discoverers  were  ever  directly  recompensed  for  the 
valuable  information  furnished  the  railway  officials. 
They  could  not  locate  the  find  themselves  as  it  was 
upon  railroad  land. 

In  May,  1886,  the  Northern  Pacific  Company's 
party  made  its  appearance  in  Kittitas  county.  Its 
personnel  was  H.  E.  Graham,  Harry  Cottle,  Thomas 
Flemming,  Archibald  Patrick,  William  Thompson, 
Archie  Anderson  and  William  Anderson,  and  it  was 
equipped  with  diamond  drills  and  everything  else 
that  could  facilitate  the  search.  At  Masterson's 
ranch,  four  miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  it  sank  its  first 
prospect  hole,  and  found  the  mineral  of  which  it 
was  in  search,  after  which  the  drill  was  moved  to  a 
point  north  of  Cle-Elum.  In  a  comparatively  short 
time  a  number  of  splendid  mines  were  discovered 
and  located. 

August  12,  1886,  active  development  work  was 
begun  by  a  force- of  eighteen  men  under  the  super- 
vision of  James  Anderson.  Simultaneously  with 
the  prospecting  party  came  also  a  company  of  en- 
gineers, surveying  for  a  practicable  route  from  the 
main  line  at  Cle-Elum  to  the  coal  fields,  and  in 
June  construction  crews  reached  Cle-Elum  and  be- 
gan work  on  the  Roslyn  branch.  By  November 
or  December  the  road  to  the  mines  was  completed. 
The  shipment  of  coal  commenced  at  once  and  the 
rapid  development  of  the  region"  began.  It  is 
claimed  that  the  discovery  of  the  Roslyn  coal  beds 
was  what  definitely  decided  the  railway  company  in 
favor  of  the  Stampede  pass,  rather  than  the  Naches 
or  any  other. 

Unfortunately,  the  opening  of  the  mines  gave 
rise  to  much  litigation  between  the  railroad  com- 
pany and  the  settlers.  The  company  began  at  once 
an  effort  to  secure  possession  of  the  entire  district, 
buying  the  claims  of  settlers  and  carrying  them  for- 
ward to  patent  as  rapidly  as  the  law  would  allow. 
Many  persons  took  advantage  of  the  situation  by 
acquiring  an  inchoative  right  to  land,  in  order  to 
sell  to  the  railway  at  a  good  price.  Some  claims 
netted  their  owners  as  high  as  $3,000.  Many  bona 
fide  settlers  were  forced  to  sell  as  they  could  not 
prove  up  under  either  the  homestead  or  pre-emption 
laws,  when  the  land  was  shown  to  be  mineral  in 
character,  and  to  patent  the  claims  under  the  stat- 
utes governing  the  disposal  of  such  lands  cost  $20 
an  acre  in  cash,  besides  a  specified  amount  of  devel- 
opment work. 

Of  course,  the  railway  company  could  not  ac- 
quire the  whole  district  peaceably,  and  in  August, 
1886,  it  contested  the  claims  of  twenty-six  settlers 
on  the  ground  that  the  land  was  mineral  and  not 


agricultural  in  character,  offering  as  evidence  to 
sustain  its  contention  the  affidavits  of  H.  E.  Gra- 
ham and  Archie  Anderson,  two  of  the  prospecting 
party  sent  out  the  previous  spring.  In  order  to  oust 
the  settlers  the  coal  company  must  prove  that  at 
the  time  of  filing  on  the  claims  the  settler -knew  of 
the  existence  of  mineral  thereon,  certainly  a  difficult 
task.  The  case  was  taken  directly  to  the  General 
Land  office  and  two  years  later  was  decided  by  the 
secretary  of  the  interior  in  favor  of  the  settlers. 

Meanwhile  the  main  line  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  was  in  course  of  construction  through  Kit- 
titas county,  giving  employment  to  all  who  wished 
it,  furnishing  a  market  for  the  products  of  the  agri- 
culturists, distributing  thousands  of  dollars  in  a 
county  that  had  theretofore  suffered  through  lack 
of  a  sufficient  circulating  medium  and  otherwise 
contributing  almost  immeasurably  to  the  develop- 
ment and  settlement  of  the  whole  of  south  central 
Washington.  Throughout  the  entire  year,  1886,  the 
company  was  active  in  the  Kittitas  country  and  the 
mountains  to  westward,  pushing  to  completion  the 
connection  between  the  two  parts  of  the  Cascade 
division.  During  the  fall  of  that  year,  the  efforts 
to  fill  in  the  gap  become  especially  strenuous.  Says 
the  Yakima  Signal  of  October  13,  1886 :  "A  recent 
trip  along  the  road  from  Tacoma  to  Ellensburg 
demonstrates  to  the  satisfaction  of  a  Signal  repre- 
sentative that,  if  the  present  favorable  weather  does 
not  break,  through  trains  will  be  running  early  in 
January.  On  the  west  side  (of  the  Cascade  moun- 
tains) the  track  is  laid  nearly  to  Hot  Springs,  a 
distance  of  thirteen  miles  east  of  Eagle  Gorge,  and 
on  this  side  the  track  has  reached  McGinnis's, 
twelve  miles  from  the  mail  tunnel.  The  grade  is 
nearly  if  not  quite  completed  to  the  east  face  of 
the  main  tunnel,  barring  the  trestles  and  the  minor 
tunnels,  which  will  be  finished  in  time  to  allow  of 
the  track's  reaching  the  switchback  by  the  1st  of 
December.  Hunt's  grade  work  on  the  east  side  will 
be  completed  to-day  and  between  five  and  six  hun- 
dred laborers  will  be  let  out,  some  of  whom  have 
been  secured  to  push  the  work  on  the  west  side. 
The  grading  on  the  switchback  is  approaching  the 
finish,  and  will  be  delayed  only  for  the  trestling. 
Leonhard's  mill,  having  exhausted  the  suitable  tim- 
ber at  Tunnel  City,  has  moved  to  a  point  two  miles 
west  of  Cle-Elum,  where  it  will  be  utilized  in  saw- 
ing trestle  timbers,  which  will  be  fitted  at  the  mill 
and  moved  by  car  to  the  switchback,  ready  to  be 
swung  into  place  and  bolted.  On  the  west  side  the 
work  is  not  so  far  forward.  A  reduction  of  wages 
on  October  6th  to  two  dollars  a  day  lessened  the 
forces  considerably,  but  the  old  wages  are  to  be 
reinstated  and  the  work  hurried  forward.  Engineer 
P.ogue  is  desirous  of  having  the  connection  made  by 
the  1st  day  of  January,  1887,  and  is  exerting  every 
energy  to  that  end,  and  should  the  weather  hold 
good  his  desires  will  be  fulfilled." 

When  at  last  the  gap  was  bridged  and  trains 
began    laboriously    working  their    way    back    and 


THREE   FEATURES   OF    KITTITAS    COUNTY    RURAL    LIFE. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


forth  over  the  interminable  windings  of  the  switch- 
back, the  country  enjoyed  not  only  the  blessings  of 
a  transcontinental  railway  but  likewise  a  continua- 
tion of  the  period  of  construction,  for  the  great 
Cascade  tunnel  kept  men  at  work  constantly  for 
Sears.  The  impetus  given  to  the  territory  at  large, 
bv  the  completion  of  the  iron  pathway  connecting  it 
with  the  east,  soon  enabled  it  to  knock  successfully 
at  the  doors  of  the  federal  union,  and  Kittitas 
county,  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  the  bars  of  its 
isolation  were  broken  forever  and  owing  to  the  de- 
velopment of  its  mineral  as  well  as  its  agricultural 
and  timber  resources,  was  ready  to  take  a  promi- 
nent place  among  the  political  divisions  of  the  larger 
Washington. 

It  is  necessary  to  record  but  a  few  more  events 
happening  in  the  countv  during  its  life  as  a  part  of 
the  territory.  In  1885  was  incorporated  the  Ellens- 
burg  Water  Company  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$40,000,  subscribed  by  the  farmers  and  real  estate 
owners  of  the  Kittitas  valley.  It  proposed  to  itself 
the  task  of  constructing  the  first  large  ditch  ever 
undertaken  in  the  county.  The  canal  took  its  water 
out  of  the  Yakima  river  and  carried  it  in  a  south- 
easterly direction  across  the  valley,  covering  at  first 
several'  thousand  acres,  and  subsequently  a  much 
larger  territory.  The  people  were  rather  slow  in 
carrying  forward  the  enterprise  and  after  about  ten 
mile's  of  the  ditch  were  completed,  work  was  sus- 
pended until  1891,  when  it  was  extended  seven 
miles  further.  One  of  the  moving  spirits  in  this 
important  enterprise,  which  gave  a  great  impetus 
to  Ellensburg,  was  S.  T.  Packwood.  For  several 
terms  he  served  as  president  of  the  company  of 
which  he  was  the  largest  stockholder  at  the  time 
he  disposed  of  his  interests. 

The  territorial  legislature  of  1885-6  passed  an 
act  slightly  changing  the  boundary  between  Yakima 
and  Kittitas  counties  and  correcting  an  error  in  the 
wording  of  the  act  creating  the  latter.  By  this 
change  of  boundaries,  Yakima  county  gained  nearly 
four  townships  on  the  upper  Wenas,  while  Kittitas 
gained  a  township  embracing  in  part  the  Yakima 
canyon.  The  language  of  section  one  of  the  bill 
follows : 

"That  the  boundary  line  between  Kittitass  and 
Yakima  counties,  in  Washington  Territory,  be  and 
the  same  is  hereby  changed  and  shall  hereafter  be 
as  fi  illows,  viz. :  Commencing  at  a  point  where  the 
main  channel  of  the  Columbia  river  crosses  the 
township  line  between  townships  fourteen  (14)  and 
fifteen  (15)  north,  of  range  number  twenty-three 
1  23  )  east  of  the  Willamette  meridian,  and  running 
thence  west  on  the  said  township  line  to  the 
range  line  between  ranges  eighteen  and  nine- 
teen east,  thence  north  on  said  range  line  six 
miles,  or  to  the  township  line  between  the 
townships  fifteen  (15)  and  sixteen  (16)  north. 
thence  west  on  the  said  township  line  to 
the  range  line  between  ranges  seventeen  (17) 
and  eighteen   (18)   east,  thence  north  to  the  town- 


ship line  between  townships  sixteen  (  16)  and  sev- 
enteen (17)  north,  thence  west  along  said  town- 
ship line  and  a  line  prolonged  due  west  to  the 
Nachess  river,  and  thence  northerly  along  the  main 
channel  of  the  Nachess  river  to  the  summit  of  the 
Cascade  mountains,  or  the  eastern  boundary  of 
Pierce  county."  Governor  Squire  approved  the 
bill  February  4,  1886.  No  further  changes  have 
since  been  made  in  the  county's  boundary  lines. 

The  first  serious  railroad  accident  in  the  county 
occurred,  according  to  Thomas  L.  Gamble's  valu- 
able diary  of  events,  on  March  31,  1887.  A  loco- 
motive working  on  the  divide  above  Easton  became 
unmanageable  and  started  down  the  track  at  a  ter- 
rific speed.  The  fireman  jumped  early  and  escaped 
injurw  As  the  engine  rounded  a  sharp  curve,  the 
engineer  also  jumped.  He  struck  against  a  high 
bank,  rebounded  onto  the  track  and  was  seriously 
though  not  fatally  bruised.  A  little  below  this 
point  and  beyond  another  sharp  curve,  four  men 
were  at  work  on  a  high  trestle,  spanning  a  canyon. 
One  of  these  men  was  struck  and  killed  instantly ; 
another  jumped  to  the  ground,  seventy  feet  below, 
and  was  badly  injured,  though  he  recovered ;  a 
third  threw  himself  flat  between  the  rails  and  es- 
caped owing  to  the  fact  that  the  engine  was  run- 
ning on  one  rail  at  that  point  in  its  mad  career, 
while  the  engine  left  the  tracks  before  it  reached 
the  fourth  man,  who  watched  the  steel  monster  leap 
through  the  air,  down  to  a  snow  bank  many  feet 
below.  It  was  hauled  out  of  its  restin?  place,  re- 
paired and  placed  in  service  again.  The  inquest 
over  the  body  of  the  unfortunate  man  killed  by  this 
accident  was  held  by  Air.  Gamble. 

April  21,  1887,  less  than  a  month  later,  another 
and  more  serious  accident  occurred,  the  scene  this 
time  being  the  vicinity  of  Cle-Elum.  A  large  con- 
struction crew  was  being  taken  back  from  dinner  on 
a  flat  car  pushed  by  an  engine.  A  drunken  engi- 
neer was  in  charge,  a  man  who  took  great  delight  in 
throwing  the  throttle  wide  open  whenever  he  felt  so 
disposed.  On  the  flat  car  were  twenty  men,  sitting  in 
front  and  on  the  sides  with  their  legs  dangling  over 
the  edges,  when  the  train  pulled  out  from  Cle-Elum 
to  a  place  were  the  men  were  employed  some  dis- 
tance up  the  line.  A  mile  and  a  half  above  town  the 
train  rounded  a  curve  at  a  rapid  rate  of  speed  and 
crashed  into  the  tender  of  a  disabled  engine  in 
front,  which  was  slowly  descending  the  grade,  flat 
car  and  tender  coming  together.  Five  men  were 
killed  instantly,  their  remains  being  frightfully 
mangled :  three  more  were  mortally  wounded  and 
all  the  rest  were  injured  more  or  less  seriously. 

At  an  inquest  heid  before  Justice  Gamble  at  Cle- 
Elum.  the  crews  of  both  engines  were  bound  over 
to  appear  before  the  grand  jury  at  its  next  session. 
Before  the  next  term  of  court  the  train  crews  de- 
parted for  parts  unknown,  and  as  the  grand  jury 
failed  to  find  true  bills  against  any  of  them,  no 
attempt  was  made  to  mete  out  punishment  to  those 


252 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


guilty  of  this  awful  disregard  of  human  safety  and 
life. 

An  event,  long  to  be  remembered  by  those  who 
were  residents  of  Kittitas  county  at  the  time  was 
the  great  Roslyn  strike  commencing  in  August,  1888. 
It  was  instigated,  so  it  is  claimed,  by  the  Knights 
of  Labor,  then  a  new  organization.  The  strikers 
demanded  that  the  hours  of  labor  be  reduced  from 
ten  to  eight  and  that  other  concessions  be  granted, 
but  their  principal  contention,  and  the  one  which 
was  most  strenuously  objected  to  by  the  adverse 
party,  was  that  all  employees  not  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Labor  should  be  summarily  dismissed. 
Upon  the  refusal  of  the  superintendent  to  accede  to 
their  demands,  the  strike  was  ordered  at  once,  the 
strikers  calling  upon  all  workingmen  to  give  them 
a  moral  support.  Indeed,  Mr.  Gamble  tells  us  that 
a  virtual  reign  of  terror  was  inaugurated,  and  that 
the  chief  victims  were  those  toilers  who  refused  to 
go  out  in  sympathetic  strike  when  so  ordered.  He 
states  that  about  the  middle  of  August,  the  em- 
ployees of  Thomas  Johnson's  mill  at  Cle-Elum  were 
directed  to  cease  work  forthwith ;  that  upon  hearing 
of  it,  Mr.  Johnson  called  his  men  together  and 
asked  if  they  had  any  grievances ;  that  on  their  re- 
plying in  the  negative  he  asked  them  if  they  would 
remain  at  work  and  they  said  yes ;  that  the  men 
were  armed  and  placed  in  a  position  to  defy  the 
strikers,  when  at  length  the  latter  appeared.  Upon 
being  told  to  go  about  their  own  business,  he  says, 
the  strikers  threatened  to  burn  the  sawmill.  They 
failed,  however,  to  carry  their  threats  into  execu- 
tion, as  the  mill  was  vigilantly  and  efficiently 
guarded. 

It  is  also  related  that  Superintendent  Alexander 
Ronald  was  captured  by  the  mob,  severely  beaten 
and  then  placed  between  the  Roslyn  branch  railway 
tracks  to  meet  death  from  an  oncoming  train.  For- 
tunately, the  train  crew  saw  the  man  in  time.  They 
did  not  dare  to  stop,  but  slowed  down  considerably 
that  the  fireman  might  pick  Mr.  Ronald  up,  a  feat 
which  he  successfully  accomplished,  the  angry  mob 
hooting  and  jeering  the  while.  The  train  brought 
the  outraged  man  to  Cle-Elum  and  placed  him  in 


the  Reed  hotel  where  he  and  others  who  had  in- 
curred the  enmity  of  the  strikers  were  closely 
guarded  by  citizens.  An  attempt  to  capture  certain 
persons  within  this  place  of  refuge  on  August  28th 
was  frustrated  by  the  courageous  opposition  of 
Sheriff  Packwood,  Judge  Gamble,  Walter  J.  Reed, 
1  heodore  Steiner  and  a  number  of  other  defenders. 
The  next  day  there  came  at  the  request  of  the  miners 
Governor  Semple  and  staff.  The  chief  executive 
went  to  Roslyn,  accompanied  by  Sheriff  Packwood 
and  addressed  the  citizens  of  that  place.  He  de- 
clined to  interfere  in  the  situation,  stating  that  such 
action  could  not  be  taken  unless  at  the  request  of 
the  sheriff,  who  had  as  yet  said  nothing  to  indicate 
that  he  and  his  deputies  were  unable  to  cope  with 
matters.  So  Governor  Semple  returned  to  Olym- 
pia  without  having  interfered  with  the  county's 
affairs.  The  trouble  continued  in  a  desultory  way, 
however,  although  Sheriff  Packwood  and  his  large 
force  of  deputies  in  the  mining  region  warded  off 
serious  complications,  and  Governor  Semple,  Janu- 
ary 22,  1889,  again  visited  Cle-Elum  in  an  effort  to 
settle  the  strike.  Sheriff  Packwood  remained  in 
office  until  the  following  March,  keeping  such  a 
firm  hand  upon  the  situation  that  the  operation  of 
the  mines  was  continued  uninterruptedly  and  after 
the  first  few  outbreaks,  there  was  no  more  trouble 
of  a  serious  nature,  though  some  few  indulged  in 
petty  acts  of  a  malignant  and  contemptible  kind. 
Mr.  Gamble  claims  that  to  his  personal  knowledge, 
three  different  men  were  beaten  into  helplessness 
and  then  permanently  maimed  by  having  each  an 
eye  kicked  out. 

The  company  filled  the  places  of  its  striking 
employees  with  negroes  .  imported  from  Illinois. 
Two  shipments  were  brought  out,  special  trains 
guarded  by  deputies  being  run  to  convey  them  to 
their  new  homes  in  the  west.  For  two  years  after- 
ward the  black  population  of  the  district  outnum- 
bered the  white,  but  the  first  negroes  imported 
were  a  corrupt  lot,  and  the  company  filled  their 
places  by  whites  as  rapidly  as  possible.  There  are, 
however,  still  quite  a  large  number  of  negroes  at 
Roslyn. 


CHAPTER  II. 


CURRENT    EVENTS.— 1889-1904. 


The  early  months  of  the  first  year  of  statehood 
were  not  specially  prosperous  ones  in  Kittitas 
county.  There  was  a  great  scarcity  of  snow  in  the 
mountains  throughout  the  winter  of  1888-9,  and 
the  result  was  a  shortage  of  water  for  agricultural 
purposes.  The  grass  also  was  affected  by  the 
drouth  and  cattle  were  left  in  poor  condition  to 
withstand  the  hardships  of  the  following  winter. 
The  farmers  having  very  little  produce  to  sell  ex- 
perienced a  scarcity  of  ready  cash  that  was  in  many 
instances  embarrassing.  They,  of  course,  contracted 
as  few  debts  as  possible,  doing  without  everything 
they  could  and  unloading  nearly  all  their  surplus 
produce  right  after  the  Ellensburg  fire  when  the 
demand  was  extraordinary.  They  did  compara- 
tively little  business  with  the  merchants  and  the 
result  was  dull  times. 

The  fall  of  snow  in  the  winter  of  1889-90  made 
the  farmers  jubilant  over  the  prospect  of  good 
crops  and  plenty  of  water  the  following  season. 
But  the  snow  lay  on  the  ground  so  long  that  much 
hardship  was  experienced,  especially  among  the 
stockmen.  Even  as  late  as  February  26th,  the 
mercury  recorded  thirty-four  degrees  below  zero. 

'The  winter  of  1889-90,"  says  the  Capital  in  its 
issue  of  April  10th,  "has  been  one  long  to  be  re- 
membered by  the  people  of  Ellensburg  and  Kittitas 
valley.  It  followed  on  the  heels  of  a  dry  summer 
which  had  caused  short  crops,  and  although  the 
heavy  snowfall  brought  joy  to  the  hearts  of  the 
farmers,  it  lay  so  long  on  the  ground  that  it  brought 
dismav  to  stockmen,  for  the  ranges  were  covered 
to  a  depth  which  made  it  difficult  for  stock,  espe- 
cially cattle  and  sheep,  to  reach  the  bunch  grass 
underneath.  As  a  consequence  the  loss  was  un- 
usually great,  and  for  a  while  a  feeling  of  discour- 
agement was  plainly  visible.  Now,  however,  spir- 
its are  rising  and  both  farmers  and  business  men 
are  putting  their  shoulders  to  the  wheel." 

The  dry  season  had  at  least  one  beneficial  result 
for  it  led  the  people  of  the  valley  to  redouble  their 
efforts  to  provide  a  sufficient  supply  of  water,  so 
that  by  August  of  the  year  1889  they  had  almost 
completed  the  ditch  known  as  the  West  Side  canal, 
which  would  furnish  water  for  about  ten  thousand 
acres  of  arid  land  besides  supplying  the  shortage  on 
farms  theretofore  partially  irrigated.  They  thus 
added  many  thousands  to  the  value  of  property  on 
the  west  side  of  the  river,  augmenting  very  mater- 
ially the  productive  capacity  of  the  land. 


During  the  year  1890  a  petition  was  presented 
to  the  legislature,  asking  for  a  division  of  Kitti- 
tas county  and  for  the  formation  of  a  new  county 
to  be  known  as  Grant.  The  boundaries  of  the  pro- 
posed new  political  entity  were  to  be  as  follows : 
Commencing  at  a  point  where  the  township  line  be- 
tween townships  twenty-three  and  twenty-four 
crosses  the  range  line  between  eighteen  and  nine- 
teen east,  Willamette  meridian,  and  extending 
thence  south  on  said  line  to  the  township  line  be- 
tween townships  nineteen  and  twenty;  thence  west 
on  said  line  between  townships  nineteen  and  twen- 
ty to  the  range  line  between  ranges  seventeen  and 
eighteen ;.  thence  south  on  said  range  line  to  the 
township  line  between  townships  sixteen  and  seven- 
teen ;  thence  west  along  said  line  to  the  Naches  river ; 
thence  northerly  along  the  main  channel  of  said  river 
to  the  summit  of  the  Cascade  mountains  or  south- 
west corner  of  Pierce  county ;  thence  north  along  the 
eastern  boundaries  of  Pierce,  King  and  Snohomish 
counties  to  the  main  channel  of  the  Wenatchee 
river :  thence  down  said  river  to  where  said  river 
crosses  the  township  line  between  townships  twenty- 
three  and  twenty-four;  thence  south  on  said  town- 
ship line  to  the  point  of  beginning. 

The  principal  opposition  to  the  division,  it  is 
stated,  came  from  the  merchants,  bankers  and  real 
estate  men  of  Ellensburg  who  feared  the  building 
of  a  town  of  importance  in  the  proposed  county, 
which  with  its  rich  mining  interests  would  rival 
Ellensburg  and  take  therefrom  much  of  the  trade 
now  received  from  the  western  portion  of  the 
county.  The  farmers  and  taxpayers  aside  from 
the  class  named  were  generally  favorable  to  the 
division  because  they  claimed  that  the  extra  ex- 
pense of  preserving  law  and  order  in  the  mining 
districts  had  increased  their  burden  of  taxation. 
But  the  proposal  failed  to  receive  the  favorable 
attention  of  the  legislature. 

Notwithstanding  the  partial  failure  of  crops  in 
Kittitas  valley  in  1889  and  the  losses  to  the  stock- 
men due  to  the  hard  winter  following,  the  next  year 
found  the  valley  in  a  flourishing  and  prosperous 
condition.  Indeed,  the  time  was  past  when  small 
losses  would  affect  the  county  or  retard  its  growth. 
The  propertv  values  according  to  the  assessment 
rolls   were   increasing   steadily   from  year   to   year. 

The  United  States  census  for  1890  credited 
Washington  with  a  population  of  349,496,  and  Kit- 
titas county  with  a  population  of  8.761.  placing  it 


254 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


twelfth  among  the  counties  in  point  of  population. 
This  was,  by  comparison  with  the  state  auditor's 
report,  a  gain  of  more  than  2,000  in  three  years. 
By  precincts,  the  county's  population  is  officially 
given  as  follows:  Easton,  172;  Ellensburg,  2,758; 
Martin,  "j-j;  No.  17,  504;  No.  18,  992;  No.  19,  411 ; 
Rosa,  12;  township  fifteen,  15;  township  sixteen, 
21 ;  township  seventeen,  288 ;  township  eighteen, 
328,  township  nineteen,  117;  township  twenty,  45; 
Cle-Elum,  337;  Deerlick  Swamp,  2;  Fish  Lake,  17; 
Lake  Katches,  2;  Mission  Creek,  185;  McCallum, 
8;  Ryepatch,  3;  Ronald,  409;  Roslyn,  1,481;  Sea- 
ton's  mill,  28 ;  Silver  Dump,  99 ;  Swauk,  34 ;  Tean- 
away,  14;  Wenatche,  81;  unsurveyed  lands,  38; 
Wenatche  Point,  203;  total  8,761. 

The  fourth  annual  county  fair  was  successfully 
held  on  the  Kittitas  County  Agricultural  Associa- 
tion's grounds  at  Ellensburg,  September  8th  to 
12th  inclusive,  and  proved  to  be  a  very  congenial 
and  profitable  gathering.  At  the  Northwest  Indus- 
trial exposition,  held  at  Spokane  during  the  closing 
days  of  October,  1890,  Kittitas  county  was  awarded 
a  gold  medal,  a  silk  banner  and  a  superb  mountain 
goat  head  for  the  best  combined  mineral  and  agri- 
cultural display  and  for  the  greatest  variety  of 
natural  products.  H.  C.  Walters  was  in  charge  of 
the  exposition. 

It  was  at  this  time  becoming  more  and  more 
aj  parent  to  the  farmers  of  the  valley  that  a  larger 
supply  of  water  must  be  secured  for  utilization  in 
the  agricultural  development  of  the  valley,  and  dur- 
ing the  years  1891  and  1892,  a  movement  was  set 
on  foot  for  the  construction  of  a  canal  that  would 
furnish  water  to  at  least  eighty  thousand  acres  in 
addition  to  that  already  irrigated.  A  corporation 
was  formed  known  as  the  Kittitas  Valley  Irrigation 
Canal  Company,  the  following  named  gentlemen 
being  the  incorporators :  W.  H.  File,  W.  J.  Magee, 
Willard  S.  Sargent  and  J.  H.  Wells.  The  capital 
stock  was  one  million  dollars ;  the  object  the  con- 
struction of  the  upper  ditch  previously  projected 
and  the  irrigation  of  the  land  of  Kittitas  valley. 
The  men  promoting  this  scheme  were  possessed  of 
ample  means  and  courage  to  carry  through  any 
feasible  undertaking,  and  it  was  generally  believed 
they  would  achieve  an  excellent  success.  Com- 
menting upon  the  scheme  and  its  reception  by  the 
farmers  and  merchants,  the  Register,  in  its  issue 
of  June  14,  1892,  says: 

"The  business  men  of  Ellensburg  and  the  farm- 
ers of  Kittitas  valley,  who  have  withstood  the 
great  fire  of  1889  and  the  short  crops  for  the  past 
three  years,  which  latter  were  caused  by  a  scarcity 
of  water  for  irrigation  purposes,  must  certainly 
feel  proud  to  know  that  an  immense  crop  is  assured 
for  this  year,  and  that  the  long-talked-of  water 
canal  is  an  assured  thing.  Ellensburg  is  in  the  cen- 
ter of  a  valley  containing  two  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  as  fine  land  as  can  be  found.  Our  farmers 
have  pledged  thirteen  thousand  acres  and  twenty 
of  our  business  men  seven  thousand  acres  to  Mr. 


J.  H.  Wells,  the  promoter  of  the  high  line  ditch. 
This  land  will  be  put  under  water  this  year,  as  Mr. 
Wells  has  gone  east  to  secure  the  capital  required 
for  the  entetrprise  and  promises  quick  action.  Be- 
sides payment  for  the  water  right  on  these  twenty 
thousand  acres,  the  company  will  receive  a  dollar 
an  acre  per  year  maintenance  fee." 

In  October  of  the  same  year  contracts  were  let 
to  J.  A.  McDonald  for  the  construction  of  the 
canal.  Thirty  miles  of  clearing  contract  were  sub- 
let to  Messrs.  Matthewson  and  Charles  Dickson, 
of  Tacoma,  between  Easton  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Swauk.  In  November  eleven  hundred  men  were 
reported  at  work  on  the  right  of  way.  In  all  about 
twenty  thousand  dollars  were  spent  in  surveys  and 
clearing;  then  unfortunately  the  undertaking  had  to 
be  abandoned  because  of  the  advent  of  financial 
stringency   and   wide   spread  industrial    stagnation. 

Early  in  the  year  1892  occurred  one  of  those 
heartrending  accidents  such  as  occasionally  happen 
in  the  course  of  human  activities.  About  two 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  May  9th  there  was  an 
explosion  in  the  Roslyn  mines  causing  the  death  of 
forty-five  men.  Two  boys  coming  from  the  mine 
with  a  donkey  and  a  car  of  coal  were  forcibly 
expelled  from  its  mouth  and  after  them  came  a 
cloud  of  smoke  and  gas.  As  soon  as  the  nature  of 
the  accident  was  surmised  a  party  of  twelve  men 
under  Foreman  Harrison  were  sent  into  the  mine  in 
search  of  those  within.  They  found  little  trouble  in 
descending.  When  passing  between  the  third  and 
fourth  levels  they  discovered  the  bodies  of  Harry 
Campbell  and  Leslie  Pollard  (colored),  both  of 
which  were  with  difficulty  borne  by  them  to  the 
surface,  where  the  reappearance  of  the  rescuers  was 
awaited  with  not  a  little  anxiety.  It  was  hoped  that 
many  of  the  imprisoned  miners  might  escape,  but 
when  the  first  bodies  were  examined,  despair  and 
gloom  possessed  the  hearts  of  all. 

By  12  o'clock  fourteen  bodies  had  been  removed, 
all  more  or  less  bruised  and  burned,  and  nearly  all 
so  disfigured  that  they  could  not  be  identified.  Then 
the  gas  in  the  mines  became  so  oppressive  as  to 
compel  the  search  party  to  suspend  operations 
until  the  mine  could  be  repaired.  Thursday,  the 
1 2th.  the  work  of  bringing  out  the  dead  was  re- 
sumed, and  by  Friday  night  forty-five  bodies  had 
been   recovered. 

Relative  to  this  melancholy  disaster,  George 
Harrison,  foreman  of  the  mine,  expressed  himself 
thus  in  an  interview  with  a  reporter  of  the  Seattle 
Press-Times : 

"I  was  at  the  office  when  the  explosion  occur- 
red. I  went  to  the  mines  at  once  and  called  for 
volunteers.  The  men  responded  nobly  and  worked 
unceasingly.  At  noon  yesterday  there  was  no  fire 
damp  in  the  mine,  as  is  demonstrated  by  every 
man  working  with  a  naked  lamrj ;  no  safety  lamps. 
There  must  have  been  a  sudden  outburst  of  gas. 
No  expense  was  spared  by  the  company  to  prevent 
accidents.     The  mine  is  considered  a  model  mine. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


255 


The  stoppings  are  built  of  cement  and  rock.  New 
fans  and  air  courses  were  recently  put  in.  The  men 
are  satisfied  that  everything  possible  was  done.  The 
company  has  nothing  to  conceal  and  desires  this 
to  be  known." 

Justice  Thomas  L.  Gamble,  of  Cle-Elum,  held 
the  coronor's  inquest  over  the  dead,  the  local  jus- 
tice, Henry  Smith,  being  disqualified  because  of 
his  close  connection  with  the  miners.  The  inquest 
was  held  at  Roslyn.  The  testimony  brought  out  the 
fact  that  the  rooms  in  the  slope  were  examined 
regularly  by  competent  fire  bosses  and  that  as  they 
found  the  mine  somewhat  disposed  to  give  forth 
heavy  gases,  they  repeatedly  warned  the  miners 
to  be  careful.  From  the  evidence  submitted,  Mr 
Gamble  says  it  is  quite  clear  to  him  how  the  explo- 
sion occurred,  though  the  jury  did  not  fix  the  indi- 
vidual responsibility  for  the  affair.  Among  the 
miners  working  on  the  seventh  level  near  the  main 
entry  was  one  who  was  inclined  to  be  careless,  and 
in  his  efforts  to  effect  a  junction  between  the 
room  and  the  entry,  over  zealous.  This  junction 
was  nearing  completion  at  the  time  the  explosion 
occurred  and  there  remained  but  a  narrow  wall  to 
be  pierced.  The  fire  boss  cautioned  the  men  against 
shooting  this  breast  as  there  was  great  danger 
from  gas.  However,  the  miner  in  question  showed 
by  his  manner  and  remarks  that  he  intended  to 
"shoot"  the  wall  anyhow.  Again  the  fire  boss 
warned  him.  A  little  later  the  explosion  occurred. 
When  the  coronor's  jury  visited  this  particular 
room  they  found  drill  holes  in  the  wall  and  around 
them  indications  of  exploded  powder.  The  miner 
to  whom  reference  is  made  was  discovered  sitting 
on  the  floor  with  his  back  against  the  wall,  some  dis- 
tance from  the  drill  holes.  He  was  undoubtedly 
killed  by  the  concussion  which  resulted  from  the 
explosion.  It  is  Judge  Gamble's  belief  that  he  "shot" 
the  wall  contrary  to  good  judgment  and  repeated 
warnings  and  that  the  great  disaster  resulted  there- 
from. The  jury  was  composed  of  four  business 
men  and  two  miners ;  it  sat  eight  or  ten  days  in  the 
Roslyn  town  hall.    Its  verdict  was  as  follows : 

"We.  the  undersigned,  summoned  to  inquire  into 
the  cause  of  the  death  of  the  persons  whose  bodies 
were  found  in  coal  mine  No.  1,  Roslyn,  having  been 
duly  sworn  according  to  law  and  having  made  such 
inquisitions,  after  inspecting  the  bodies  and  hearing 
the  evidence  adduced,  upon  our  oath,  each  and  all 
say  that  we  find  the  deceased  (naming  the  dead) 
came  to  their  death  by  the  explosion  of  fire  damp 
in  mine  No.  1.  We  further  find  that  said  explosion 
was  caused,  in  our  opinion,  by  deficient  ventilation, 
all  of  which  we  duly  certify." 

The  Northern  Pacific  Coal  Company  finally 
agreed  upon  a  compromise  with  those  who  in- 
stituted suits  for  damages  whereby  the  surviving 
relatives  were  paid  varying  sums  of  money  and  the 
suits  dropped. 

In  September  of  the  same  year,  came  news 
from  the  mining  district  that  set  the  whole  western 


country  ablaze  with  excitement.  A  bold  and  suc- 
cessful attempt  at  robbery  had  been  made  on  the 
bank  of  Ben  E.  Snipes  &  Company,  at  Roslyn.  The 
manner  in  which  the  robbery  was  conducted  as  can 
be  gathered  from  the  newspapers  of  the  time  was 
as  follows : 

Five  armed  men  rode  up  to  the  door  of  the  bank, 
which  three  of  them  entered  while  the  two  others 
stood  guard  outside.  Cashier  Abernethy  was  writ- 
ing when  the  first  robber  entered,  and  turning  to 
wait  upon  the  supposed  customer,  found  himself 
facing  a  forty-five  Colts  revolver.  Dr.  Lyon,  who 
had  just  entered,  turned  to  go  out,  but  was  brought 
to  a  halt  by  a  pair  of  Colts  revolvers  in  the  hands  of 
the  second  robber.  The  third  desperado  picked  up  a 
pistol  belonging  to  Cashier  Abernethy  and  knocked 
him  down  with  it.  The  cashier  arose,  his  head 
streaming  with  blood,  and  was  told  to  keep  quiet 
if  he  wanted  to  live.  The  third  robber  then  walked 
to  the  safe,  which  happened  to  be  open,  and  taking 
out  the  coin  and  bills,  shoved  them  into  a  canvas 
bag,  which  he  then  threw  over  his  shoulder.  The 
three  men  thereupon  departed,  joining  the  two  who 
had  remained  without  to  guard  the  approaches  to 
the   bank. 

Just  before  the  robbers  had  made  their  sudden  ap- 
pearance, F.  A.  Frasier,  assistant  cashier,  had  step- 
ped out.  As  soon  as  he  perceived  what  was  trans- 
piring he  came  with  a  shot  gun,  but  a  ball  from  the 
rifle  of  one  of  the  robbers,  wounding  him  in  the  hip, 
prevented  his  interference.  A  colored  man  also  was 
shot  in  the  leg,  and  several  others  narrowly  escaped 
injury  or  death  at  the  hands  of  the  murderous  gang. 
The  robbery  successfully  consummated,  the  five  des- 
peradoes mounted  as  many  fleet  horses,  which  had 
been  held  in  readiness  by  one  of  their  number,  and 
speedily  disappeared  via  the  trail  which  leads  over 
the  mountains  to  the  northward  of  Roslyn. 

The  sheriff  was  notified  forthwith,  and  speedily 
organizing  a  large  posse,  started  in  hot  pursuit. 
Manager  W.  R.  Abrams,  of  the  firm  of  Snipes  & 
Company,  offered  a  reward  of  one  thousand  dollars 
for  the  apprehension  of  the  robbers.  This  was  sup- 
plemented by  an  offer  of  an  equal  amount  by 
Cashier  Abernethy  and  of  five  hundred  dollars  by 
Governor  Terry. 

The  robbers  were  dressed  as  cowboys  and  showed 
themselves  to  be  expert  in  horsemanship  and 
the  use  of  weapons,  executing  their  plans  in  a 
manner  that  would  have  done  credit  to  the  James 
gang.  As  Saturday  was  pay  day  at  the  Roslyn 
mine.  $40,000  arrived  from  Tacoma  that  morning. 
It  was  this  the  robbers  were  after.  They  presumed 
it  was  on  deposit  in  the  hank  for  distribution,  but 
fortunately  it  had  been  taken  to  the  company's 
office.  What  are  supposed  to  have  been  three  of 
the  gang  were  noticed  by  coal  company  officials  at 
the  depot  in  Cle-Elum  at  five  o'clock  Saturday 
morning  when  the  money  was  transferred  from  the 
Northern  Pacific  car  to  the  coach  on  the  Roslyn 
branch. 


256 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


By  seven  o'clock  of  the  day  on  which  the  robbery 
took  place,  thirteen  of  the  pursuing  posse  came  in 
contact  with  three  of  the  desperadoes,  and  a  few 
shots  were  exchanged  but,  owing  to  the  darkness, 
it  was  impossible  to  tell  with  what  effect  to  the  fug- 
itives. None  of  the  posse  was  hurt.  The  next 
morning  three  horses  were  found  on  the  trail  taken 
by  the  robbers,  and  marks  on  them  evinced  that 
they  had  been  hard  ridden.  Later  in  the  day  two 
of  them  were  identified  as  having  been  among  the 
animals  ridden  by  the  desperadoes  Saturday.  The 
other  horse  was  a  pack  animal  laden  with  provisions 
and  clothing.  Two  of  these  animals  were  retained 
in  the  hope  that  their  original  owners  might  be 
found  by  the  brands. 

The  sheriff's  posse  returned  after  a  search  of 
several  days'  duration,  having  failed  to  find  any 
new  trail  of  the  gang.  The  same  day  another  Ros- 
lyn  party  also  returned,  reporting  that  they  had  fol- 
lowed the  trail  of  the  robbers  along  the  high  ridges 
to  a  point  east  of  Mount  Stuart,  where  was  found 
the  remains  of  a  fire  where  clothing  had  been 
burnt.     The  ashes  were  still  warm. 

A  detective  named  M.  C.  Sullivan  was  placed  on 
the  trail  of  the  desperadoes  and  toward  the  end  of 
November  he  arrested  Cal  Hale,  Tom  Kimzie  and 
George  Zachary  in  eastern  Oregon  on  a  warrant 
issued  upon  the  affidavit  of  F.  A.  Abernethy,  the 
cashier  of  the  bank,  charging  these  men  and  others 
with  being  the  perpetrators  of  the  crime.  The  war- 
rant called  for  the  arrest  of  Byron  Barnard  in  ad- 
dition to  the  men  named,  but  for  some  reason  he 
was  not  taken  into  custody,  though  he  telegraphed 
his  address  to  the  chief  of  police  at  Portland,  Ore- 
gon, on  learning  that  he  was  wanted. 

Hale,  Kimzie  and  Zachary  were  given  a  prelimi- 
nary trial  Monday,  November  28th.  before  Justice 
Boyle.  The  defendants  were  without  counsel.  They 
asked  time  to  summon  witnesses  in  their  behalf,  but 
it  was  unnecessary  that  testimony  for  the  defense 
should  be  heard  in  the  preliminary  hearing,  and 
the  request  was  denied.  Cashier  Abernethy  posi- 
tively identified  Hale  as  the  one  who  had  assaulted 
him  with  a  revolver,  afterwards  taking  $5,000  in 
money  from  the  safe,  while  Doctor  Lyon  asserted 
that  Kimzie  was  the  man  who  held  him  up  while 
the  robbery  was  being  committed.  Other  witnesses 
also  identified  the  three  as  members  of  the  gang 
and  the  bond  of  each  was  fixed  at  $10,000.  Two 
others  were  arrested  later  but  both  were  discharged 
after  preliminary  hearing- 

A  large  reward  had  been  offered  for  the  appre- 
hension of  the  robbers,  and  it  was  the  intention  of 
the  state  to  spare  no  expense  in  its  efforts  to  capture 
and  convict  the  responsible  parties.  Attorney  Henry 
J.  Snively,  of  North  Yakima,  was  retained  by  the 
state  to  assist  Prosecuting  Attorney  McFall.  The 
trial  was  first  set  for  January  3d,  but  had  to  be 
postponed  twenty-seven  days,  an  important  witness 
for  the  state  being  sick.  Meanwhile  E.  E.  Wager 
had  become  prosecuting  attorney,  and  he  with  Mr. 


Snively  conducted  the  state's  case.  The  attorneys 
for  the  defense  were  Frost  &  Warner  and  A.  Mires. 
As  may  be  imagined  the  interest  in  the  trial  was 
intense.  That  it  was  not  local  merely  is  evinced  by 
the  fact  that  a  special  correspondent  was  sent  by  the 
New  York  World  to  report  the  proceedings  for  that 
paper.  About  thirty-five  witnesses  were  summoned 
from  eastern  Oregon  to  testify  in  behalf  of  the  ac- 
cused, while  the  state  called  about  fifteen,  two  or 
three  of  whom  were  from  that  section  and  the  re- 
mainder from  Kittitas  county. 

On  request  the  defendants  were  granted  separate 
trials,  Cal  Hale's -being  called  first.  A  jury  was  se- 
cured with  little  trouble,  the  members  of  which 
were  E.  B.  Mason,  J.  K.  Morrill,  Isaac  Burns,  J. 
F.  Leclerc,  L  Raskins,  D.  R.  Richards,  Harrison 
Houser,  E.  S.  Coleman,  D.  Hannon,  T.  M.  Mc- 
Candless,  W.  A.  Rice  and  S.  T.  Packwood.  The 
taking  of  testimony  occupied  three  days,  twelve 
witnesses  for  the  state  and  seventeen  for  the  defense 
leing  examined.  The  story  of  the  robbery,  as  told 
by  K  A.  Abernethy,  Dr.  J.  H.  Lyon,  George  M. 
Jenkins,  Mrs.  Clemens  and  Mrs.  Veach,  all  of  Ros- 
lyn,  was  in  accord  with  the  statement  of  facts 
already  made.  They  fixed  the  date  as  between  two 
and  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  September  24, 
1892.  According  to  the  review  of  their  testimony 
made  by  the  press  of  the  time,  it  was  substantially 
as  follows :  While  Cashier  Abernethy  was  alone 
at  work  two  men  and  Dr.  J.  H.  Lyon,  a  resident 
physician,  entered.  Both  the  cashier  and  the  doctor 
were  ordered  to  throw  up  their  hands.  One  of  the 
robbers  immediately  walked  over  to  where  Air. 
Abernethy  was  standing  and  dealt  him  a  stunning 
blow  on  the  head  with  a  gun.  A  third  man  entered, 
and  covering  Professor  George  M.  Jenkins  and  a 
colored  man  named  Smith,  who  were  joined  by  a 
boy  named  Hewitson,  he  compelled  them  all  to 
hold  up  their  hands  and  watch  the  robbery.  Their 
two  confederates  stood  outside,  one  holding-  the 
fine  saddle  horses  ridden  by  the  gang,  while  the 
other  guarded  the  street.  The  vault  was  open  and 
it  took  but  a  few  minutes  for  one  of  the  men  to 
secure  the  money,  which  amounted  to  over  $5,000 
in  gold,  silver  and  paper,  besides  which  some  checks 
were  taken.  This  man.  the  apparent  leader  of  the 
gang,  was  identified  as  the  defendant  by  Abernethy, 
Lvon  and  Jenkins ;  Mrs.  Clemens  also  identified 
Hale  as  one  of  the  gang  that  rode  away  from  the 
bank.  Attempts  to  further  identify  Hale  only  re- 
sulted in  eliciting  the  information  that  the  prisoner 
closely  resembled  the  man  connected  with  the  rob- 
bery. The  testimony  of  George  M.  Jenkins  brought 
nut  the  fact  that  ten  of  the  pursuing  posse  tracked 
the  robbers  from  Roslyn  to  the  Teanaway  trail 
crossing,  where  several  shots  were  exchanged  with 
the  posse  by  three  of  the  desperadoes  without  effect ; 
that  the  trail  led  toward  the  river  and  that  the 
nnss"  withdrew  unsuccessful  on  the  afternoon  of 
September  25th. 

The  main   efforts  of  the  defense  were  directed 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


257 


to  establishing  the  good  character  which  Hale  bore 
among  his  neighbors.  An  attempt  was  also  made  to 
establish  an  alibi.  The  evidence  bearing  on  Hale's 
reputation  in  Oregon  was  especially  favorable  to 
him,  but  the  positive  testimony  of  those  who  said 
they  saw  the  defendant  commit  the  crime  made  a 
stronger  impression  upon  the  minds  of  the  twelve 
jurors,  for  after  five  hours'  deliberation,  they  re- 
turned, a  verdict  of  guilty  as  charged. 

The  case  against  Thomas  A.  Kimzie  was  called 
February  7th.  The  same  attorneys  appeared  as 
in  the  Hale  trial.  A  .special  venire  of  jurors  was 
issued  and  returned,  and  after  nearly  forty  had  been 
rejected,  the  following  were  chosen :  F.  D.  Schnebly, 
A.  C.  Steinman,  John  Olding,  A.  Welty,  James 
Hornbeck,  Chris.  Johnson,  John  F.  Denton,  F.  G. 
Hume,  John  Gilmour,  William  Beers,  David  Mur- 
ray  and   Frank   Martin. 

The  general  character  of  the  testimony  was 
similar  to  that  given  in  the  Hale  case,  the  prosecu- 
tion seeking  to  establish  the  identity  of  the  defend- 
ant as  one  of  the  robbers,  and  the  defense  setting  up 
an  alibi  and  offering  proof  of  the  good  character 
of  the  accused  at  home.  Dr.  Lyon,  George  Jenkins, 
John  Hewitson,  Mrs.  Yeach  and  E.  G.  Hanlon 
swore  positively  that  Kimzie  was  one  of  the  men 
engaged  in  the  robbery.  Marshal  Beal  testified 
that  a  man  closely  resembling  Kimzie  drove  him 
back  when  the  shooting  began,  but  was  not  posi- 
tive that  Kimzie  was  the  man.  Cashier  Abernethy 
failed  to  identify  Kimzie  as  the  man  who  assaulted 
him,  on  the  contrary  claimed  that  he  was  not  the 
man.  Johnny  Hewitson  testified  that  Kimzie  was 
the  man  who  ordered  Professor  Jenkins  and  himself 
inside  the  bank  during  the  robbery.  Several  wit- 
nesses for  the  defense  testified  as  to  Kimzie's  repu- 
tation and  whereabouts  on  September  24th.  The 
case  was  given  to  the  jury  on  the  8th,  without 
argument.  As  might  be  expected  from  the  con- 
tradictory nature  of  the  testimony,  the  jury  failed 
to  come  to  any  agreement ;  seven  standing  out  for 
acquittal  and  five  for  conviction.  The  charge 
against  George  Zachary  was  dismissed  on  the 
ground  of  insufficient  evidence  and  later  the  two 
others  were  discharged  on  account  of  strange  de- 
velopments in  the  case,  for  while  these  trials  were 
in  progress,  some  new  and  exceedinglv  interesting 
complications  had  arisen.  From  a  woman  in  Salt 
I  ake  City  word  was  received  by  the  authorities  to 
the  effect  that  the  wrong  men  were  being  held  for 
the  crime.  She  offered  to  give  information  as  to 
who  the  guilty  ones  were,  if  she  could  be  assured 
that  she  would  be  protected  from  their  assaults. 
Deputy  Sheriff  Ranks  and  F.  A.  Abernethy  made 
a  trip  to  Salt  Lake  to  interview  the  woman.  Upon 
her  statements  a  warrant  was  secured  for  the  ar- 
rest of  George,  William  and  Thomas  McCarty, 
of  Baker  City,  Oregon,  one  Ras.  Lewis,  alias  Chris- 
tiansien,  and  two  others.  Deputy  Sheriff  Banks 
started  for  Baker  City,  Oregon,  with  a  requisition 
for  the   three   McCarty   brothers.      Arriving   April 


2d,  he  found  Chief  Farley,  of  Denver,  there  in 
quest  of  Tom  McCarty,  who  was,  it  appears,  also 
charged  with  having  committed  robbery  in  Colora- 
do, and  together  they  started  for  their  men. 

The  warrants  were  turned  over  to  Sheriff  Conde, 
of  Baker  City,  for  service  as  the  law  required.  It 
was  ascertained  that  George  McCarty  was  on 
Cracker  creek,  about  forty-five  miles  from  town 
and  that  William  .was  at  Haines.  Deputy  Kinison 
was  despatched  with  a  party  to  arrest  George,  an 
undertaking  which  was  accomplished  without  diffi- 
culty. It  was  agreed  that  Banks  and  Farley  should 
arrange  with  Sheriff  Conde  for  the  arrest  of  Wil- 
liam. Sheriff  Conde  consented  to  start  immedi- 
ately, but  insisted  that  it  was  unnecessary  to  take 
assistance;  that  if  William  McCarty  knew  he  was 
wanted  he  would  come  in  and  give  himself  up. 
Banks  and  Farley  protested  and  Conde  finally  con- 
sented to  call  for  them  at  ten  o'clock  that  morning, 
April  3d.  They  waited  until  eleven  in  the  evening 
but  no  Conde  appeared,  though  when  they  inquired 
as  to  the  cause  of  his  delay  they  were  assured  that 
he  would  soon  come.  He  failed  utterly  to  do  so, 
however,  and  at  eleven  o'clock  next  day,  April  4th, 
it  was  ascertained  that  he  had  started  for  Haines 
alone.  Farley  immediately  set  out  after  him,  and 
overtaking  him,  rode  into  town  in  his  company. 

Upon  arriving  at  the  McCarty  place,  the  officers 
were  informed  by  a  boy  that  William  was  out  on 
the  ranch,  from  which,  however,  he  was  expected 
to  return  soon.  They  then  drove  away,  each  in 'his 
own  direction,  having  first  agreed  to  meet  later  and 
make  the  arrest  together.  When  Farley  met  Conde 
an  hour  afterward,  the  latter  was  much  excited 
and  said  that  William  and  Tom  McCarty  had  held 
him  up  and  made  their  escape.  The  story  he  told 
was  that  he  saw  William  coming  in  on  a  horse, 
went  out  to  meet  him,  and  told  him  that  he  had  a 
warrant  for  his  arrest  on  a  charge  of  complicity  in 
the  Roslvn  bank  robbery.  William  agreed  to  go 
with -the  sheriff  if  he  would  accompany  him  to  the 
house.  Conde  did  so.  Just  as  they  arrived  at  the 
door,  Tom  McCarty  came  out  with  a  Winchester 
and  getting  behind  the  officer,  compelled  him  to  go 
into  the  house  where  he  was  disarmed  and  held  a 
prisoner  by  Eck.  McCarty  until  William  and  Tom 
had  made  good  their  escape.  When  Tom  drew  his 
gun  on  Conde  he  exclaimed :  "You  want  to  arrest 
Rill,  do  you?  Well,  you  can't  do  it.  I  am  the  one 
that  is  responsible  for  this  business,  hut  you  will 
never  take  me  alive." 

A  message  was  sent  to  Raker  City  to  raise  a 
posse  at  once  to  scour  the  country  for  the  escaped 
men.  This  message  was  the  first  intimation  Mr. 
Banks  had  that  the  arrest  had  been  attempted  and 
he  was  greatly  puzzled  at  the  action  of  Sheriff 
Conde.  A  posse  was  quickly  raised  and  started  in 
pursuit  of  the  McCarties.  Their  horses  were  found 
about  ten  miles  out  from  town,  but  the  where- 
abouts of  the  men  could  not  be  discovered  although 
it   was   thought   that  they  were  hiding  somewhere 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


near.  Thus  by  the  false  confidence  and  bungling 
of  the  Baker  county  officer  was  the  one  chance  of 
arresting  the  McCarties  lost.  Deputy  Banks  re- 
turned home  April  7th,  accompanied  by  Chief 
Farley,  who,  as  before  stated,  had  come  from  Den- 
ver in  search  of  Tom  McCarty,  wanted  in  that 
town  for  holding  up  M.  V.  Moffatt  on  the  street 
a  few  years  previous  and  taking  $21,000  from  his 
person. 

Meanwhile  Marshal  McGrath,  in  company  with 
Officers  Wallace  and  Hart,  had  proceeded  to 
Douglas  county,  Washington,  in  quest  of  Ras. 
Lewis  and  the  other  suspects.  The  different  print- 
ed accounts  of  their  adventure  are  slightly  at  vari- 
ance, but  no  doubt  that  given  by  the  Yakima  Her- 
ald is  substantially  correct.  That  paper  said: 
"The  arrest  took  place  at  a  cabin  occupied  by 
Christiansien,  where  the  officers  in  the  garb  of  min- 
ers applied  for  something  to  eat.  When  Chris- 
tiansien was  returning  from  a  neighboring  spring 
with  a  bucket  of  water  he  was  covered  with  three 
guns  and  ordered  to  throw  up  his  hands.  Instead 
of  obeying  the  command  he  laughed,  dropped  the 
bucket  and  reached  for  two  guns  which  he  carried 
in  his  breast  pocket.  The  officers  overpowered 
him  before  he  could  draw,  and  brought  him  and 
his  two  companions  to  this  city  (North  Yakima), 
where  they  were  held  in  jail  until  taken  to  Ellens- 
burg,  on  the  5th." 

George  McCarty  and  R.  Lewis  were  brought 
before  Judge  Boyle  for  examination.  The  state 
was  represented  by  E.  E.  Wager  and  the  defend- 
ants by  Pruyn  and  Ready  and  by  Judge  C.  A. 
Johns,  of  Baker  City.  By  stipulation,  the  exam- 
ination was  continued  until  Monday,  April  17th. 
Bail  was  fixed  at  $10,000  each,  in  default  of 
which  the  defendants  were  remanded  to  jail. 

Attorney  H.  J.  Snively  about  this  time  received 
a  letter  bearing  date  May  1st,  from  Rose  Lewis, 
wife  of  Ras.  Lewis,  alias  Christiansien,  who,  from 
the  time  of  her  husband's  arrest,  had  been  stopping 
with  her  mother  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah.  In  this 
epistle  she  declared  that  she  was  tired  of  Lewis's 
criminality  and  that  she  was  willing  to  assist  the 
authorities  in  capturing  and  punishing  the  lawless 
garig.  She  stated  on  oath  that  Ras.  Lewis,  her 
husband,  George,  Bill,  Tom.  Fred  and  Nellie  Mc- 
Carty were  the  only  persons  who  took  a  hand  in 
the  bank  raid.  The  plans  for  the  robbery  were 
laid  at  Ephrata,  Douglas  county,  Washington,  in 
Ras.  Lewis's  home,  and  after  the  robbery  a  part 
of  the  gang:  returned  to  that  point. 

The  following  is  a  verbatim  copy  of  a  part  of 
the  letter:  "I  am  the  living  witness  that  George 
McCarty,  Bill  McCarty,  Ras.  Lewis,  alias  Ras. 
Christiansien.  Tom  McCarty.  alias  Williams,  Fred 
McCarty  and  Nellie  McCarty  are  the  only  indi- 
viduals interested  in  the  above  robbery.  This, 
your  honor,  judge  and  gentlemen  of  the  jury.  I 
swear  by  the  powers  of  all  heaven  and  the  right 
of  our  government,  as  an  honest  citizen,  the  wife 


of  Ras.  Lewis,  alias  Christiansien.  Now  as  for 
dates,  as  near  as  I  can  remember,  about  the  10th 
of  September,  they  just  met  to  our  house  planning 
the  robbery,  they  left  about  the  12th.  In  about 
two  weeks  Ras.  Lewis  went  to  them  and  returned 
either  the  1st  or  2d  of  October.  That  was  the  last 
I  saw  of  them  until  November  12th,  1892,  when 
Billy,  Tom  and  Fred  McCarty  came  there  to  plan 
tor  another  robbery  and  would  have  gone  but  for 
my  interference.  I  swear  to  what  my  sister,  Sarah 
Jane  Morgan,  has  said,  that  it  is  the  truth  only,  so 
help  me  God.  Rosa  Willard  is  my  marriage  name, 
Christiansien  in  Oregon,  Lewis  in  Washington. 
Am  also  witness  for  five  other  robberies,  train, 
bank,  and  store. 

"Their  secret  names  :  Tom  McCarty,  Walluke ; 
Billy  McCarty,  Fire-Foot;  George  McCarty, 
Craps;  Fred  McCarty,  Kid;  Ras.  Lewis,  Dia- 
mond Dick;  Nellie  McCarty,  Sparta,  Queen  of 
the  Forest." 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  May  21st,  the  day  be- 
fore the  trial,  George  McCarty  'and  Ras.  Lewis 
made  a  bold  break  for  liberty.  It  was  customary 
to  allow  the  prisoners  the  freedom  of  the  corridors 
between  the  hours  of  nine  and  four.  McCarty  and 
Lewis  were  given  their  dinner  at  the  customary 
hour,  shortly  after  one  o'clock,  and  everything 
seemed  as  usual,  but  the  highwaymen  had  their 
plans  made  and  were  only  waiting  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  put  them  into  execution.  By  means  of 
a  crowbar,  a  hole  was  quickly  made  in  the  brick 
wall,  and  through  this  the  robbers  crawled.  They 
then  ran  acrpss  the  yard  and  jumped  the  fence  to 
the  street.  Under  the  sidewalk  they  found  two 
revolvers  secreted  there  by  some  of  their  confed- 
erates, and  these  they  took  with  them.  They  start- 
ed down  Sixth  street.  Soon  they  were  discovered 
by  a  couple  of  men  who  gave  the  alarm  and  started 
in  pursuit.  At  Water  street  the  fugitives  turned 
north  toward  the -Catholic  church,  shooting  at  their 
pursuers  as  they  turned  and  hitting  a  man  named 
Hayes  in  the  arm.  At  this  critical  juncture,  Mose 
Bollman  and  O.  B.  Castle  appeared  in  front  of  the 
robbers,  coming  in  a  buggy  from  a  hunting  trip. 
Mr.  Bollman,  quickly  taking  in  the  situation,  pro- 
ceeded to  use  his  shot  gun,  and  soon  both  fugi- 
tives were  wounded  with  fine  shot.  Being  thus 
attacked  from  the  front,  the  fleeing  men  ran  across 
a  residence  block  to  Mr.  Clymer's  house,  where 
they  hid  behind  a  projection.  Here  they  were  dis- 
covered by  Charles  Pond,  whom  they  drove  back 
with  their  revolvers.  Mr.  Helm  sought  to  per- 
suade them  that  their  course  was  a  foolish  one, 
but  arguments  were  answered  effectually  by  two 
ugly  looking  weapons  shoved  in  his  face.  Soon 
the  officers  and  a  large  force  of  men  arrived  on  the 
scene  and  the  prisoners  withdrew  to  Clymer's 
house,  where  were  Mrs.  Qymer  and  her  son  alone, 
neither  of  whom  the  fugitives  offered  to  harm. 
Presently  the  escaped  prisoners  found  themselves 
confronted   with   two  shot  guns  loaded  with  buck 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


259 


shot  and  concluding  that  further  resistance  was 
useless,  they  allowed  themselves  to  be  led  back  to 
jail  by  Marshal  McGrath  and  Deputy  Sheriff 
Banks. 

A  Winchester  rifle  and  belt  of  cartridges  were 
found  under  the  sidewalk,  where  the  prisoners  had 
taken  the  revolvers,  and  a  further  search  of  the 
jail  and  prisoners  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  two 
small  saw  frames  and  eighteen  blades,  an  inch 
drill  and  a  one-half  inch  bit  and  brace.  The  escape 
was  certainly  well  planned  and  failed  of  success 
only  because  of  the  prompt  action  of  officers  and 
by-standers.  It  is  supposed  that  the  prisoners 
were  to  meet  two  men,  who  were  seen  approach- 
ing town  on  horses  without  saddles,  but  miscalcu- 
lated the  time. 

On  the  following  day,  May  22d,  the  case  of 
Lewis  was  called.  In  selecting  a  jury  the  regular 
panel  was  exhausted  as  were  also  special  venires 
of  one  hundred  and  forty-six  before  the  following 
were  secured:  Elmer  Goodwin,  William  McMil- 
lan, George  P.  Bradley,  A.  Anderson,  Joseph 
Preece,  Edgar  Pease,  R.  M.  Osborne,  John  Ben- 
son, A.  Jensen,  W.  A.  Scnbner,  Stanley  Ames, 
and  Jones. 

The  first  witness  called  was  Cashier  Aber- 
nethy,  who  testified  to  the  facts  heretofore  nar- 
rated concerning  the  manner  in  which  the  robbery 
was  accomplished.  Then  Mrs.  S.  J.  Morgan,  sis- 
ter-in-law of  Lewis,  was  called.  She  testified  that 
in  September,  1892,  she  was  living  with  the  Lewis 
family  at  Ephrata,  Douglas  county,  Washington, 
where  they  were  keeping  a  restaurant;  that  about 
the  middle  of  September  Lewis  went  away  and 
was  gone  three  weeks;  that  before  going  he  had 
told  his  wife  he  was  about  to  rob  a  bank ;  that 
upon  his  return  he  told  her  he  had  robbed  the  Ros- 
lyn  bank,  and  had  brought  back  the  proceeds  in  a 
belt  made  for  the  purpose  at  Coulee  City ;  that  she 
helped  count  the  money,  which  amounted  to  about 
$1,100.  She  testified  that  before  he  went  away 
three  of  the  McCarty  boys  had  visited  him,  and 
that  he  rode  a  gray  horse  belonging  to  a  neighbor 
on  the  trip,  telling  the  owner  he  was  going  to 
Rock  Island  on  a  real  estate  deal.  The  horse  was 
wounded  in  the  jaw,  a  fact  which  Lewis  explained 
as  having  been  caused  by  cutting  out  glanders. 
She  said  she  was  sent  to  Waterville  for  papers  giv- 
ing the  news  of  the  robbery. 

Ole  Hanson  testified  that  on  the  night  of  Sep- 
tember 24,  1892,  Lewis,  in  company  with  four 
others,  came  to  his  cabin  on  the  Teanaway  inquir- 
ing for  the  trail.  They  offered  him  ten  dollars  for 
his  lantern,  which  he  refused.  They  then  offered 
him  ten  dollars  to  guide  them  to  the  trail.  This 
he  did.  They  went  to  a  log  cabin  where  they  had 
left  their  horses  a  few  days  before.  Thev  told 
Hanson  of  the  robbery,  and  threatened  to  kill  him 
if  he  informed  on  them.  After  giving  him  the  ten 
dollars  as  agreed  they  struck  him  in  the  face  with 
a  revolver  and  left  him. 


Joe  Brooks,  a  former  partner  of  Lewis,  testi- 
fied that  the  defendant  left  home  about  the  middle 
of  September,  1892 ;  that  he  borrowed  a  horse  be- 
longing to  witness  saying  he  was  going  to  Rock 
Island ;  that  he  returned  about  ten  days  later,  both 
horse  and  man  being  in  an  exhausted  condition. 
He  said  that  the  McCarty  boys  came  to  the  house 
and  held  secret  conferences  both  before  and  after 
the  bank  robbery :  that  he  heard  them  counting 
money  in  the  bedroom ;  that  Lewis  wanted  him  to 
aid  in  the  robbery  of  the  banks;  that  he  had  vis- 
ited George  McCarty  and  wife  at  Iron  Mountain 
in  company  with  Lewis.  He  identified  the  horses 
as  belonging  to  the  McCarty  boys. 

Doctor  W.  H.  Harris,  of  Roslyn,  testified  that 
there  were  footprints  of  a  woman  among  those  of 
the  men  wherever  the  pursuers  found  tracks  of  the 
robbers  afoot,  and  another  witness  identified  the 
horses  in  the  possession  of  the  officers  as  the  prop- 
erty of  the  McCarties. 

The  principal  effort  of  the  defense  was  directed 
toward  discrediting  the  identification  of  Lewis. 
The  lawyer  who  defended  Cal  Hale  in  the  first  trial 
of  the  Roslyn  bank  robbery  case  testified  that  Cash- 
ier Abernethy  swore  Hale  was  the  man  who  took 
the"  money  in  the  bank,  and  that  on  cross  examina- 
tion he  was  the  only  witness  who  admitted  he 
might  be  mistaken.  The  stenographer  at  the  same 
trial  gave  evidence  that  Abernethy  said  he  was 
satisfied  in  his  own  mind  that  Hale  was  the  man, 
though  admitting  the  possibility  of  his  being  in 
error.  It  was  also  shown  that  other  witnesses  had 
sworn  that  men  other  than  the  defendant  were  the 
men  who  committed  the  crime.  At  one  P.  M. 
Thursday.  May  25th,  the  jury  retired  and  on  the 
following  day  they  reported  that  it  was  impossible 
for  them,  to  come  to  an  agreement,  eight  standing 
out  for  conviction  and  four  for  acquittal.  They 
were  discharged. 

The  case  of  George  McCarty  was  then  taken 
up,  and  to  trv  him  the  following  jurors  were  se- 
lected:  W.  M.  Stenson,  T.  M.  Pease,  W.  H.  Mc- 
Kee.  C.  D.  Rhodes,  B.  A.  Maxev,  Ole  Tohnson, 
William  Cutcheon,  A.  O.  Fowler.  William  Nor- 
ton. F.  M.  Leslie,  Nick  Blazen  and  W.  W.  Spur- 
ling. 

The  first  witnesses  called  were  those  in  the 
Lewis  trial  and  their  testimony  was  about  the 
same.  James  Masterson  identified  the  prisoner  as 
the  man  he  had  seen  at  his  house,  eight  miles 
from  Roslyn  the  September  before,  and  A.  L. 
Bridgeman  testified  that  he  had  seen  McCarty  on 
September  12th  about  twelve  miles  from  Roslyn, 
accompanied  by  a  woman  and  another  man.  J.  M. 
McDorfald  identified  the  defendant  as  the  man  who 
held  the  horses  in  front  of  the  Roslyn  bank  at  the 
time  of  the  robbery.  He  also  testified  that  he  saw 
three  horses  next  morning  and  that  they  were  the 
same  as  those  held  by  the  officers,  and  that  he  had 
found  cooking  utensils  and  footprints,  including 
those  of  a  woman,  on  the  trail. 


200 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


William  Fisher,  of  Baker  City,  testified  to  hav- 
ing sold  McCarty  a  horse  before  he  left  the  valley. 
Mrs.  Morgan,  on  being  recalled,  related  that  one 
of  the  robbers  was  shot  by  his  own  revolver  on  the 
retreat  from  Roslyn ;  that  they  crossed  the  river 
in  an  old  boat  for  which  they  made  oars ;  that  they 
separated  after  getting  ashore,  and  that  they  had 
deserted  the  horses  after  being  fired  upon  by  the 
posse  from  Roslyn.  She  also  repeated  the  story  of 
the  cartridge  belt  and  the  counting  of  the  stolen 
money  in  the  cabin.  She  told  about  Sheriff  Sim- 
mons, of  Yakima,  coming  to  Ephrata  in  search  of 
the  robbers;  that  Lewis  sent  her  to  the  house  to 
ascertain  his  (Simmons')  errand,  which  she  did. 
She  explained  that  her  hatred  for  Lewis  was  occa- 
sioned by  his  cruel  and  inhuman  treatment  of  her 
sister  (his  wife),  relating  that  on  one  occasion  he 
had  compelled  her  to  dance  at  the  point  of  a  gun, 
and  that  on  another  occasion  he  drew  a  revolver 
on  the  witness,  telling  her  that  if  she  ever  divulged 
any  of  his  secrets  he  would  cut  off  her  ears  and" 
nose  and  otherwise  disfigure  her  so  that  the  dog 
would  not  look  at  her.  Lewis  also  told  the  witness 
that  Billie,  Fred,  George  and  Nellie  McCarty  went 
with  him  to  rob  the  bank. 

Joe  Brooks  testified  that  he  saw  Billie,  Fred 
and  Tom  McCarty  at  Lewis'  house  September  12, 
1892,  and  noticed  their  horses,  the  same  ones  now 
in  Ellensburg  in  the  hands  of  the  officers. 

The  defense  was  opened  by  the  calling  of  sev- 
eial  witnesses  to  testify  to  the  good  character  the 
accused  bore  at  Baker  City,  and  William  McMil- 
lan, juror  in  the  Lewis  trial,  testified  that  while 
giving  testimony  in  it,  Sarah  J.  Morgan  had  as- 
serted her  intention  to  send  Lewis  to  the  peniten- 
tiary and  that  now  was  the  opportunity.  J.  Ad- 
kins  testified  that  on  September  24,  1892,  the  day 
of  the  robbery,  he  had  ridden  with  Lewis  from 
Crab  Creek  to  Rock  Island. 

George  McCarty,  the  defendant,  being  placed 
on  the  stand,  said  he  lived  at  Baker  City,  Oregon, 
and  had  been  prospecting  since  1884.  He  left 
Sumpter  valley  accompanied  by  Ras.  Lewis,  Tom 
McCarty,  Mrs.  Lewis  and  his  own  wife.  He  pros- 
pected through  the  Peshastin  and  Swauk  during 
the  summer,  going  back  to  Baker  City  in  Septem- 
ber. He  denied  any  connection  with  the  Roslyn 
bank  robbery  in  any  way.  He  also  denied  that  he 
bad  ever  acknowledged  that  he  had  robbed  the 
bank  or  that  he  had  seen  his  brothers  and  Lewis 
after  he  bad  left  the  Columbia  river.  The  last  of 
September  he  and  his  wife  and  a  man  named  Jones, 
whose  whereabouts  were  not  known,  were  in  the 
Swauk  and  Peshastin  prospecting.  Mrs.  Nellie 
McCarty.  wife  of  the  accused  and  known 'as  the 
"Queen,"  substantiated  her  husband's  testimony. 
She  thought  that  they  were  camped  on  Tarpestan 
creek  in  September. 

The  jury  again  disagreed,  seven  voting  for  ac- 
quittal and  five  for  conviction.  Lewis  and  Mc- 
Carty were  both  held  for  another  trial,  but  at  the 


September  term  of  court  they  were  dismissed  by 
Judge  Graves  because  of  the  inability  of  the  state 
to  procure  the  attendance  of  witnesses. 

September  7th  they  were  brought  before  Jus- 
tice Boyle  for  preliminary  hearing  on  a  charge  of 
shooting  with  intent  to  kill  on  the  occasion  of  their 
breaking  jail  in  the  spring,  but  the  evidence  against 
them  was  held  to  be  insufficient  to  warrant  their 
being  bound  over,  and  they  were  accordingly  dis- 
charged from  custody. 

Regarding  the  fate  of  the  other  McCarties  be- 
lieved to  have  been  connected  with  the  robbery, 
the  Register  of  September  16,  1893,  gives  the 
following  information : 

"The  two  men  killed  at  Delta,  Colorado,  on 
Thursday  last  (September  14th)  while  attempting 
to  escape  after  robbing  the  Farmers'  &  Merchants' 
Bank  and  killing  its  cashier,  have  been  positively 
identified  as  Tom  and  Fred  McCarty,  father  and 
son.  The  third  man,  who  escaped,  is  Billy  Mc- 
Carty. These  men  are  undoubtedly  a  part  of  the 
gang  who  robbed  the  Roslyn  bank  last  fall,  and 
for  whom  a  reward  of  ten  thousand  dollars  is 
offered  on  account  of  their  having  robbed  stages 
and  United  States  mail. 

"Chief  of  Police  Farley,  of  Denver,  says  that 
Tom  McCarty  is  the  man  who  robbed  President 
Moffitt  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  that  city 
about  four  years  ago  of  $21,000.  Ras.  Christian- 
sien,  recently  turned  loose  from  the  Kittitas  count}' 
jail,  was  with  Tom  McCarty  when  he  robbed 
Moffitt.  George  McCarty,  another  brother,  and 
his  brother  Bill  are  the  only  members  of  the  gang 
at  large,  but  Tom  being  dead  the  country  may 
breathe  easier.  Christiansien  is  a  Dane  and  the 
most  dangerous  of  any  of  them.  Billy  is  addicted 
to  the  habit  of  excessive  drinking  and  for  that  rea- 
son has  never  been  entrusted  with  the  carrying  out 
of  any  plans. 

"Jobs  beside  that  at  Roslyn  with  which  the  Mc- 
Carty boys  are  positively  identified,  are  the  rob- 
bery of  the  San  Miguel  County  Bank  at  Teluride, 
Colorado,  in  June,  1889,  $22,000;  Wallowa  Na- 
tional Bank,  Wallowa,  Oregon,  October  8th,  1891, 
$3,450;  Farmers'  Mortgage  and  Savings  Bank, 
Somerville,  Oregon,  November  3d,  1891,  $5,000." 
This  is  the  story  of  the  Roslyn  bank  robbery, 
which  in  connection  with  a  combination  of  circum- 
stances was  responsible  for  the  failure  of  the  bank- 
ing house  of  Ben  E.  Snipes  &  Company,  of  which 
the  Roslyn  Bank  was  a  branch.  The  Yakima  Her- 
ald of  June  15,  1893,  contained  the  following  item: 
"The  banking  nouses  of  Ben  E.  Snipes  &  Com- 
pany at  Ellensburg  and  Roslyn  closed  their  doors 
on  Friday  last,  June  9th,  being  unable  to  weather  a 
run  made  on  the  Roslyn  Bank.  The  Ellensburg 
fire,  business  depression,  a  heavy  judgment  against 
Mr.  Snipes  in  the  Bunner-May  case,  extensive  pur- 
chases of  Seattle  real  estate  on  a  dull  market,  loss 
of  cattle  and  low  prices  of  beef,  the  Roslyn  bank 
robbery  and  cost  of  prosecution,  together  with  ina- 


KITTITAS  COUNTY  SCENES. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


bility  to  realize  on  securities,  all  contributed  to 
bring  about  the  suspension.  The  liabilities  of  the 
Roslyn  and  Ellensburg  banks  are  $192,000,  while 
the  assets  are  estimated  as  $310,000.  Much  sym- 
pathy is  expressed  here  for  Mr.  Snipes." 

When  the  Ellensburg  Bank  failed  to  open  its 
doors  the  company  posted  the  following  notice: 

"This  bank  is  temporarily  suspended  owing  to 
other  bank  failures.  Deposits  have  been  steadily 
decreasing  and  money  is  so  scarce  that  it  is  impos- 
sible to  realize  on  anything  at  present.  No  deposi- 
tor will  lose  a  dollar  by  our  suspension  as  we  have 
ample  resources  to  cover  all. 

"We  hope  to  resume  in  a  short  time. 

"Ben  E.  Snipes  &  Company." 

Mr.  Abrams,  junior  member  of  the  firm,  made 
the  following  statement  about  the  failure: 

"The  story  is  a  long  one  and  goes  back  to  the 
beginning  of  the  hard  times  which  in  this  locality 
was  precipitated  by  the  big  fire  of  1889.  The  main 
cause  which  has  led  to  the  climax  is  the  strin- 
gency of  the  money  market,  which  is  similar  to 
that  of  1873.  Were  the  times  ordinarily  good,  the 
present  condition  of  the  bank  would  be  considered 
sound  and  business  could  proceed  without  embar- 
rassment. We  have  had  a  series  of  misfortunes 
that  aided  in  precipitating  the  suspension.  First, 
the  loss  by  robbery  to  the  Roslyn  branch  bank, 
which  was  no  greater  than  the  effect  it  had  on  the 
credit  of  the  bank  as  a  depository.  To  this  add 
$8,000  expense  in  the  prosecution  of  the  robbers. 
Second,  an  ugly  rumor  was  circulated  last  winter, 
seriously  affecting  the  standing  of  the  firm  in  this 
city,  which  at  that  time  was  gilt  edge.  Yet  the 
story  had  its  effect.  Deposits  have  been  steadily 
and  constantly  withdrawn,  while  but  two  small 
ones  were  made.  I  have  felt  for  some  time  that 
there  was  an  undermining,  pernicious  influence  at 
work  against  us,  but  whether  it  is  of  a  local  nature 
or  from  elsewhere  I  am  unable  to  say;  neither  do 
I  understand  the  nature  of  it.  Yet  it  has  existed 
and  has  made  the  struggle  all  the  harder  to  bear. 
Lastly,  a  run  on  the  branch  bank  at  Roslyn  began 
Wednesday  (June  7th)  and  culminated  yesterday 
in  drawing  our  funds  from  this  bank  to  meet  the 
demands  there.  I  have  no  idea  what  caused  the 
run,  but  it  came  and  crippled  us.  The  affairs  of 
the  bank  are  such  that  all  the  depositors  will  be  paid 
in  full,  and  is  expected  will  resume  business  in  a 
week  or  ten  days  at  the  outset." 

Early  in  December,  1893.  I.  N.  Powers,  of  El- 
lensburg, was  appointed  receiver  by  Judge  Graves, 
of  the  Superior  court,  and  he  took  charge  about 
the  19th  of  that  month.  His  annual  report,  dated 
March  20,  1894,  shows  the  total  assets  of  the  estate 
of  Ben  E.  Snipes  and  Ben  E.  Snipes  &  Company 
to  be  $354,805.43.  and  the  total  liabilities.  $280.- 
054.89.  From  this  it  would  seem  that  the  cred- 
itors in  course  of  time  would  surely  receive  all 
that  was  due  them,  and  that  some  would  be  left 
for   Sniper    and    bis    partners.      Not    so.    however. 


In  his  report  dated  December  31,  1896,  Receiver 
Power  estimated  the  total  assets  at  that  time  at 
$310,189.35  and  the  total  liabilities  $246,463.54. 
March  1,  1898,  Dr.  P.  P.  Gray,  also  of  Ellensburg, 
succeeded  to  the  receivership,  Dr.  Power  having 
resigned.  March  29,  1900,  Gray  reported  that,  act- 
ing under  orders  of  the  court,  he  made  repeated 
efforts  to  dispose  of  all  the  assets  in  his  possession 
at  both  public  and  private  sale,  that  on  a  portion  of 
the  real  estate  he  could  get  no  bid  whatever  above 
the  taxes  then  due;  that  $9,962  of  warrants  and 
$19,957.10  of  asset  notes,  shown  as  credit  balances 
on  the  books  of  Receiver  Power  were  in  the  hands 
of  the  Merchants'  National  Bank  of  Seattle,  and 
never  came  into  his  possession;  and  that  $8,147.34 
in  notes  reported  in  possession  of  the  Washington 
National  Bank  of  Seattle  proved  a  total  loss  to  the 
receivership,  as  did  some  rents  due.  "The  results, " 
said  Gray,  "of  the  efforts  to  sell  the  asset  judg- 
ments, overdrafts  Ellensburg,  overdrafts  Roslyn, 
cash  items,  Roslyn,  and  bills  receivable,  Ellens- 
burg, proved  very  unsatisfactory  in  the  amount  ob- 
tained for  the  receivership.  Where  any  bid  could 
be  secured  it  was  for  a  very  small  fraction  of  the 
listed  values  and  for  a  great  portion  the  only  bid 
obtained  was  one  of  two  dollars  for  the  unsold  lot." 

The  Ellensburg  bank  property,  listed  at  $22,500, 
was  sold  by  Gray  for  $10,350;  the  balance  of  the 
May  ranch  and  North  Yakima  lots,  listed  at  $9,830, 
sold  for  $1,500:  a  number  of  pay  checks  drawn  on 
Railroad  Contractor  G.  W.  Hunt,  listed  at  $2,015.40, 
sold  for  $1.50;  asset  judgments,  Ellensburg  bank 
overdrafts,  Roslyn  bank  overdrafts,  Ellensburg 
bank  bills  receivable  and  other  items  amounting  in 
all  to  $140,815.07,  were  disposed  of  for  $564.41. 
March  1,  1900,  according  to  official  figures,  the  ag- 
gregate liabilities  were  $234,062.72,  while  the  re- 
sources had  dwindled  to  $42,369.93,  of  which 
$33,568.98  were  in  real  estate.  None  of  the  cred- 
itors received  more  than  9.55  per  cent,  of  their 
claims. 

While  it  is  said  that  the  Snipes  banks  loaned 
money  recklessly,  it  is  still  hard  to  understand  why 
assets  of  such  great  apparent  value  should,  in  such 
good  times  as  prevailed  for  years  before  the  receiv- 
ership ended,  return  so  little  in  actual  cash.  The 
failure  caused  much  distress  in  Kittitas  county, 
probably  a  majority  of  whose  citizens  were  directly 
affected  bv  it.  Many  have  severely  criticised  the 
judges,  receivers  and  all  others  connected  with  the 
management  of  the  estate. 

Unfortunately  the  failure  of  these  banks  was 
but  the  beginning  of  financial  disaster  and  busi- 
ness depression,  which  was  general  throughout  the 
country,  and  from  the  effects  of  which  no  section 
wholly  escaped.  The  next  bank  to  close  its  doors 
in  the  county  was  the  Ellensburg  National.  Thurs- 
day morning.  July  27th,  H.  W.  Thielsen  drew  the 
curtains  and  posted  the  following  notice  on  the 
door : 

"Owing  to  continued  shrinkage  in  our  deposits. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  our  inability  to  realize  on  our  securities,  this 
bank  is  obliged  to  temporarily  suspend  payment. 
Our  resources  are  ample  and  no  depositor  will 
lose  a  dollar." 

As  a  result  of  the  business  energy  of  the  bank 
officers,  the  Ellensburg  National  was  able  to  re- 
sume business  by  October  23,  1893.  The  manner  in 
which  it  recovered  its  standing  in  the  face  of 
financial  depression  of  the  time  reflects  great  credit 
on  the  management.  We  are  informed  that  at  the 
time  of  suspension  the  bank  stood  a  drain  of  sev- 
enty-five per  cent,  of  the  deposits,  having  paid 
$140,000  in  cash  within  that  year. 

It  was  not  alone  the  financial  interests  of  the 
county  that  suffered  from  the  panic  of  1893  and 
the  hard  times  ensuing.  The  farmers  and  stock- 
men were  also  greatly  affected  by  the  low  prices 
and  poor  market  for  their  products.  Especially 
did  the  sheep  industry  suffer  during  this  year  of 
unprecedented  financial  depression.  The  Wilson 
bill,  practically  placing  wool  on  the  free  list,  had 
struck  a  blow  at  the  sheep  raising  business  from 
which  it  would  take  years  to  recover.  The  Capi- 
tal, of  November  30,  1893,  gives  the  following  in- 
terview with  J.  H.  Smithson  : 

"Speaking  of  my  own  case,  and  every  sheep 
man's  experience  has  been  the  same,  last  year  I 
sold  my  clip  for  $3,600  without  any  trouble.  This 
year  the  clip  from  the  same  band  netted  $1,260.  Be- 
sides this  the  price  of  mutton  is  extremely  low  now ; 
in  fact,  it  can  scarcely  be  sold  at  any  price.  Con- 
trast the  price  of  wool  last  year,  15  cents,  with  the 
present  price  of  5  cents,  and  you  can  easily  see 
the  sheep  men  cannot  afford  to  feed,  because, 
cheap  as  feed  is,  it  does  not  take  a  sheep  long  to 
eat  its  head  off.  The  sheep  men  will  naturally  take 
chances  and  turn  the  animals  into  the  hills.  If  the 
snow  is  not  too  deep,  they  will  come  out  all  right ; 
but  a  deep,  lasting  snow  will  practically  wipe  them 
out." 

The  crops  for  the  year  were  exceptionally. 
good,  a  fact  which  in  pa^rt  compensated  for  the  ex- 
ceptionally low  prices.  "The  Register  of  July  29, 
1893,  informs  us  that:  "Kittitas  county  will  har- 
vest this  year  the  biggest  crop  ever  raised  within 
its  confines.  Wheat  is  headed  out  in  larsre  full 
heads  and  upon  good  stocks.  Never  in  the  history 
of  this  valley  has  vegetation  been  so  rank.  The 
yield  per  acre  in  hay  and  all  cereals  promises  to  be 
phenomenal,  and  it  will  require  every  moment  of 
time  until  winter  sets  in  to  handle  the  crop.  The 
snowfall  last  winter,  the  late  spring  with  consider- 
able rain  are  conditions  that  have  proven  what 
water  will  do  in  Kittitas  county,  and  although  the 
natural  supply  has  not  quite  met  requirements,  the 
result  is  the  biggest  crop  ever  known  here." 

That  the  people  elsewhere  were  feeling  the 
condition  of  financial  depression  was  impressed 
upon  the  minds  of  the  settlers  of  Kittitas  valley 
early  in  the  spring  of  1804.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  about  this  time  a  man  named  Coxev  had  con- 


ceived the  idea  of  making  a  personal  appeal  to 
congress  for  help  for  the  unemployed.  He 
thought  to  back  up  his  appeal  by  an  organized 
army  of  petitioners  who  should  accompany  him  to 
Washington  and  personally  second  his  demand. 
The  people  of  Ellensburg  and  the  surrounding 
country  made  their  first  acquaintance  with  this 
army  of  unemployed  on  their  march  to  the  Na- 
tional capital,  on  Friday,  May  4th,  when  a  few 
straggling  members  of  the  advance  guard  reached 
town.  Saturday  increased  the  number  materially 
and  by  Sunday  about  two  hundred  had  arrived. 
Among  these  was  "Jumbo"  Cantwell,  the  com- 
mander of  the  Tacoma  legion.  The  men  were 
without  supplies,  or  any  means  of  providing  them, 
except  by  begging,  tramp  fashion,  as  they  went 
along. 

Donations  were  made  by  the  meat  markets  and 
bakery;  farmers  and  business  men  gave  flour  and 
vegetables  and  a  dinner  was  served  on  Sunday, 
May  6th,  to  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  men.  On 
each  day  following  they  were  similarly  fed  by  the 
townspeople  and  farmers.  For  about  ten  days  they 
continued  to  arrive  and  depart,  although  they  ex- 
perienced some  difficulty  in  boarding  outgoing 
trains,  as  the  railway  officials  took  to  running  their 
freight  cars  through  at  a  high  rate  of  speed  to  pre- 
vent the  men  from  stealing  rides.  A  great  many, 
notwithstanding,  managed  to  get  out  on  the  trains, 
and  some  probably  walked  to  Yakima. 

Finally,  to  get  rid  of  the  remainder,  the  council 
in  special  session  apportioned  seventy-five  dollars' 
worth  of  provisions  for  the  Industrial  Army,  and 
with  these  the  last  of  them  departed,  some  drifting 
down  the  river  on  rafts  and  in  boats. 

One  boat,  containing  eighteen  men,  was  upset 
and  four  of  its  occupants  were  drowned,  three 
swam  ashore,  and  eleven  were  rescued  from  a  log 
on  which  they  found  lodgment.  One  of  the  bodies 
was  washed  ashore  below  the  scene  of  the  wreck. 
On  the  following  day  it  was  recovered  and  interred 
by  the  county.  The  remains  were  identified  as 
those  of  J.  Werner,  of  Spokane,  who  had  joined 
the  army  at  Ellensburg. 

"It  has  been  estimated,"  says  the  Capital,  "by 
those  who  watched  the  army  closely,  that  from 
1,200  to  1,500  men  passed  through  Ellensburg  in 
ten  days.  While  here  they  lived  as  well  as,  if  not 
better  than,  many  of  our  workingmen,  and  of 
course  their  sustenance  was  a  heavy  drain  on  the 
community,  and  their  departure  caused  no  regret. 
As  a  body  they  conducted  themselves  in  a  very 
orderly  and  lawful  manner- and  our  people  have  no 
cause  for  complaint  on  that  score.  We  are  well  rid 
of  them  and  should  be  thankful  for  our  fortune." 

In  June  of  the  disastrous  year  1894  occurred  the 
great  railroad  strike,  which  was  called  through 
sympathy  with  the  strikers  in  the  Pullman  Car 
Company's  works.  This  tie-up  was  so  far  reaching 
in  its  results  as  to  almost  completely  block  all  land 
traffic   throughout  the   country.     The    strike    took 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


263 


effect  at  Ellensburg  June  28th.  Every  train  was 
deserted  by  its  crew  and  both  passenger  and  freight 
transportation  was  brought  to  a  standstill.  Among 
the  delayed  trains  was  a  special  of  thirteen  Pull- 
man tourist  sleeping  cars,  containing  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Curry  and  staff  and  eleven  companies  of  state 
militia  en  route  to  Olympia  to  attend  the  state  en- 
campment. No  trains  were  moved  until  July  30th, 
on  which  date  a  crew  to  man  one  was  obtained. 

For  the  most  part  the  strike  in  the  Kittitas  sec- 
tion was  conducted  in  an  orderly  manner  and  few 
deeds  of  violence  were  committed.  After  the  strike 
had  continued  about  fifteen  days,  however,  it  was 
found  that  some  of  the  more  lawless  had  burned 
a  bridge  near  Thorp.  To  this  act  the  Yakima  Her- 
ald of  July  nth  made  the  following  reference: 

"The  great  railway  strike  now  raging  through- 
out the  nation  is  making  itself  felt  in  Kittitas  county. 
Another  outrage  perpetrated  by  the  strikers  was  the 
wanton  burning  of  the  costly  bridge  at  Thorp  Mon- 
day night,  July  9th.  The  structure  was  one  known 
as  a  combination  bridge,  wood  and  iron,  the  span 
of  which  was  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long. 
It  will  take  weeks  to  replace  it,  although  it  is 
thought  that  a  crossing  may  be  effected  in  a  few 
days  by  means  of  false  work.  The  disturbance  of 
traffic  is  working  a  hardship  on  farmers  and  busi- 
ness men  all  along  the  line  of  the  road." 

On  the  13th  of  July,  traffic  began  to  move  again. 
In  the  evening  two  passenger  trains  that  had  been 
laying  at  Ellensburg  pulled  out  for  the  west  and 
that  night  the  special  with  the  militia  left.  At  the 
same  time  a  passenger  started  east. 

Two  companies,  A  and  D,  of  the  Fourteenth  in- 
fantry from  Vancouver  were  stationed  at  Ellensburg 
during  the  strike.  Detachments  of  these  went  east 
and  west  on  the  trains  as  a  guard,  getting  off  at 
Hope  or  Tacoma,  and  coming  back  on  the  return 
trains.  Every  train  was  guarded  and  a  sufficient 
reserve  was  left  in  camp  to  provide  against  emer- 
gencies. The  troops  were  withdrawn  July  29th, 
after  three  weeks'  stay. 

By  degrees  the  strikers  resumed  work,  and  those 
that  still  held  out  were  replaced  by  others,  until 
finally  about  the  last  of  July,  conditions  became 
normal  once  more.  Those  going  into  the  service 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  were  required  to  take 
pledges  binding  them  to  support  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States  and  to  obey  all  orders  of  the 
United  States  courts. 

Later  in  the  year  a  strike  was  instituted  in  the 
coal  mining  regions.  It  resulted  from  an  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Coal  Company 
to  reduce  the  scale  of  prices  for  mining  coal  at  the 
Roslyn  mine  twenty  per  cent.  Tbe  proposition 
submitted  by  the  company  was  that  they  would  pay 
eighty  cents  instead  of  a  dollar  a  ton,  with  one  dol- 
lar for  hand  picked  coal,  and  in  turn  they  would 
agree  to  furnish  five  days'  work  a  week  instead  of 
two.  They  stated  as  a  reason  for  the  proposed 
reduction  that  if  accepted  they  would  be  enabled  to 


close  a  contract  with  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
Company  for  five  hundred  tons  a  day.  The  miners 
held  a  conference  at  which  it  was  decided  to  offer 
a  compromise.  This  offer  being  refused  by  the 
company,  another  conference  was  had  at  which  it 
was  voted  to  strike.  The  company  allowed  a  certain 
time  for  the  men  to  agree  to  their  terms,  at  the  end 
of  which  time,  they  said,  they  were  determined  to  fill 
the  places  of  the  strikers  from  without,  if  such  a 
course  became  necessary.  The  miners  were  stead- 
fast in  their  demands.  In  its  issue  of  July  26,  1894, 
the  Capital  said : 

"Last  Saturday  (21st)  was  the  time  limit  for 
signing  the  coal  company's  agreement  at  Roslyn, 
but  not  a  miner  signed.  General  Manager  Kang- 
ley  is  now  in  Seattle  consulting.  The  company 
states  that  the  places  of  the  strikers  will  be  filled 
at  once,  as  it  intends  to  operate  the  mines  before 
August  15th.  A  detachment  of  regulars  was  sent 
up  to  Cle-Elum  from  the  camp  here  on  the  24th. 
The  miners  have  been  drilling  at  Roslyn  for  several 
weeks  past ;  and  as  they  have  not  been  in  an  amia- 
ble mood,  trouble  is  expected." 

When  it  was  announced  by  Manager  Kangley 
that  new  men  would  be  put  in  the  Roslyn  mines, 
a  number  of  the  old  miners  declared  themselves  in 
favor  of  accepting  the  company's  terms  and  return- 
ing to  work.  At  a  meeting  held  August  6th,  ninety- 
four  of  them  voted  for  a  resumption  of  work  at  the 
wages  offered.  They  were  outnumbered,  however, 
one  hundred  and  seventy  votes  being  cast  against 
the  proposed  resumption,  but  on  the  following  day 
another  meeting  was  held  at  which  a  decidedly  dif- 
ferent conclusion  was  reached.  This  time  only 
twelve  out  of  a  total  of  five  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  expressed  themselves  in  favor  of  continuing  the 
strike.  As  a  result  hundreds  of  applications  for 
work  were  filed  and  on  Wednesday,  August  8th, 
operations  were  resumed  after  a  suspension  of  three 
months'  duration. 

During  the  following  year  (1895)  occurred  in 
Kittitas  one  of  those  tragic  and  now  rather  rare 
outbreaks  of  the  mob  spirit  which  once  was  so  ram- 
pant in  western  life.  The  two  homicides  which  led 
to  the  sensational  lynching  of  Sam  and  Charles  Vin- 
son, father  and  son,  occurred  in  the  Teutonia  saloon, 
August  nth.  About  six  o'clock  in  the  evening 
Samuel  Vinson,  who  was  without  doubt  under  the 
influence  of  liquor,  followed  John  Buerglin  into  the 
saloon  and  tried  to  compel  him  to  treat.  Buerglin 
refused  with  the  words,  "I  loaned  you  two  dollars 
and  you  have  not  paid  it.  You  cannot  drink  with 
me."  A  quarrel  ensued  which  resulted  in  Buerglin's 
being  stabbed  and  Vinson's  being  severely  beaten 
over  the  head. 

While  Vinson,  the  father,  was  quarreling  with 
Buerglin  in  an  effort  to  get  him  to  treat,  Vinson,  the 
son,  looked  in  at  the  saloon  door.  Seeing  the  bar- 
tender come  around  in  front  of  the  bar,  he  walked 
in  and  with  drawn  revolver  compelled  him  to  retire. 
Then  Michael  Kohlhepp,  one  of  the  proprietors  of 


264 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  saloon,  took  a  club  and  attempted  to  drive  the 
young  Vinson  out,  but  when  Kohlhepp  got  within 
four  feet  of  him,  he  fired,  shooting  Kohlhepp 
through  the  lung.  The  latter,  however,  retained 
sufficient  strength  to  throw  and  hold  his  assailant 
until  the  city  officers  arrived  and  took  both  Vinsons 
into  custody.  Michael  Kohlhepp  was  shot  a  few 
minutes  after  six  o'clock  and  died  before  eight. 
John  Buerglin  walked  to  the  office  of  Dr.  Newland, 
who  after  an  examination  •  of  the  wound,  found 
reason  to  hope  for  his  recovery.  He  died,  however, 
on  Tuesday  afternoon,  August  13th. 

After  the  demise  of  Buerglin  there  was  strong 
talk  of  a  lynching,  but  the  prevailing  opinion 
among  the  law  abiding  citizens  was  that  such  ex- 
treme measures  would  not  be  resorted  to.  As  the 
evening  advanced,  however,  matters  began  to  as- 
sume a  serious  aspect,  and  by  ten  o'clock  the  streets 
were  crowded  with  men.  Sheriff  Stinson  placed  six 
guards  on  duty,  remaining  with  them  himself,  while 
Deputy  F.  D.  Schnebly,  after  locking  the  steel  cage, 
took  the  keys  and  went  away.  It  was  believed  that 
the  sheriff  and  guards  could  keep  off  any  ordinary 
crowd  and  it  was  thought  that  even  if  a  mob  should 
get  possession  of  the  jail,  they  would  not  be  able  to 
break  in  through  the  steel  bars  of  the  cage,  which 
were  warranted  to  be  proof  against  tools. 

Contrary  to  the  general  impression  among  the 
citizens  that  the  agitation  would  end  in  talk,  a  de- 
termined mob  had  collected  by  eleven  P.  M.,  at  the 
jail.  About  forty  in  number,  all  fully  armed  with 
guns,  revolvers,  sledge  hammers  and  railroad  iron, 
they  appeared  before  the  door  of  the  sheriff's  office 
at  the  courthouse.  On  being  refused  admission 
they  smashed  in  the  door,  whereupon  the  officers 
were  covered  by  the  guns  of  the  mob  and  compelled 
to  surrender.  The  crowd  demanded  the  keys  of  the 
cage.  On  being  told  that  Schnebly  had  taken  them 
with  him  one  of  the  men  remarked  that  it  was  un- 
kind of  him  to  be  away  with  the  keys  when  the  peo- 
ple wanted  them,  but  that  they  could  get  in  just  the 
same.  Two  men  were  sent  with  Sheriff  Stinson  for 
the  keys  but  failed  to  find  Schnebly ;  consequently 
it  was  determined  by  those  in  charge  to  break  in. 
This  was  no  small  job,  as  it  was  necessary  to  des- 
troy the  jail  lock  which  was  protected  by  a  small 
iron  box.  The  mob,  however,  divided  the  work 
among  themselves  and  for  two  hours  wrought  en- 
ergetically. Inside  the  doomed  men  took  matters 
calmly  considering  the  circumstances.  Young  Vin- 
son maintained  his  reputation  for  bravado,  swearing 
occasionally  at  his  "blood  hunters,"  as  he  styled 
them,  and  fanning  out  the  flickering  candle  flame 
with  his  hat  whenever  he  felt  like  doing  so.  appar- 
ently enjoying  the  annoyance  which  he,  in  this  way, 
caused  the  men  at  work.  The  father  seemed  more 
keenly  to  appreciate  what  was  coming  and  for  the 
most  part  maintained  a  sullen  silence. 

At  last  about  one  o'clock  the  bars  surrounding 
the  main  lock  were  cut,  the  so-called  chisel  proof 
steel  being  in  fact  of  poor  quality;    the    door    was 


broken  down  and  the  prisoners  secured  after  a  short 
struggle  in  which  the  old  man's  head  was  severeh  cut 
and  bruised.  Meanwhile  efforts  had  been  repeatedly 
made  on  the  part  of  several  citizens,  to  disperse  the 
mob  but  without  avail.  Judge  Graves  came  from 
his  home  in  answer  to  a  summons  and  vainly  en- 
deavored to  induce  the  men  to  retire,  and  other 
attempts  of  similar  character  were  likewise  futile. 

The  cell  door  being  at  last  forced  open,  ropes 
were  speedily  passed  around  the  necks  of  the  doomed 
men,  who,  surrounded  by  their  guards,  were  led 
away  to  the  residence  lot  of  Ed.  Dickson  on  the 
corner  of  Seventh  and  Pearl  streets,  where  the  mob 
intended  to  hang  them  to  an  electric  light  pole. 
Mr.  Dickson  strenuously  objected,  however,  plead- 
ing the  enfeebled  and  nervous  condition  of  his  wife, 
and  presently  the  crowd  moved  one  block  farther 
east  to  Pine  street.  Here  a  small  Cottonwood  tree 
was  found,  to  the  lower  limbs  of  which  the  unfor- 
tunate father  and  son  were  soon  hanging. 

The  street  was  so  dark  that  only  the  vague  out- 
lines of  the  crowd  could  be  distinguished,  and  al- 
though all  but  the  leaders  were  unmasked,  it  was 
not  possible  to  recognize  any  of  them.  Only  a  part 
of  the  city  was  aware  of  what  was  going  on.  and 
even  some  of  the  people  who  lived  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  jail  and  the  tree  did  not  hear 
of  what  had  happened  until  next  morning. 

Sam  Vinson  was  fifty-five  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  the  lynching  and  Charles  was  twenty-nine. 
They  were  a  worthless  pair.  The  father  when  sober 
was  no  worse  than  many  other  citizens  who  would 
not  be  classed  as  criminals,  but  the  son  was  a  thor- 
oughly desperate  man  and  had  been  arrested  several 
times  for  stock  stealing.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
they  were  guilty  of  killing  the  two  men  in  the 
Teutonia  saloon,  but  it  is  not  certain  that  a  jury 
would  have  found  either  guilty  of  a  capital  offense. 

"The  lynching."  says  the  Yakima  Herald  of 
August  22,  1895,  "was  no  doubt  largely  due  to  the 
fiasco  in  which  the  trials  of  the  Roslyn  bank"  robbers 
resulted.  The  first  trial  terminated  in  a  conviction, 
but  it  was  subsequently  proven  that  the  convicted 
men  were  innocent,  and  they  were  given  their  lib- 
erty. Then'  the  real  criminals  were  arrested  and  a 
disagreement  of  the  jury  resulted.  By  this  time  the 
county  was  nearly  bankrupt  and  there  being  no 
money  with  which  another  trial  could  be  had.  Judge 
Graves  ordered  the  prisoners  turned  loose." 

An  attempt  was  made  to  overtake  and  punish  the 
parties  responsible  for  this  outbreak  of  mob  violence. 
Eight  persons  were  arrested  by  Sheriff  Stinson  on 
evidence  furnished  by  the  prosecuting  attorney, 
namely.  William  Kennedy,  Mike  Linder.  ex-deputy 
treasurer:  John  Bush,  a  wagon  maker;  Frank  Ue- 
bclacher.  partner  of  Kohlhepp,  who  was  killed  by 
Charles  Vinson  ;  Frank  Feigle,  and  Frank  Groger, 
brewers ;  Robert  Linke  and  Patrick  Desmond,  farm- 
ers. Bush,  Desmond  and  Groger  were  discharged 
for  lack  of  evidence.  The  five  others  were  held  for 
trial    on    information    filed    by    Eugene    E.    Wager. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


265 


prosecuting  Attorney,  charging  them  with  murder 
in  the  first  degree,  committed  August  14,  1895,  when 
in  the  language  of  the  information,  "they  did  pur- 
posely and  of  their  deliberate  and  premeditated  mal- 
ice kill  Samuel  Vinson  by  means  of  a  rope  placed 
and  tightly  drawn  around  the  neck  of  the  said  Sam- 
uel Vinson."  Judge  Graves  being  disqualified  be- 
cause of  having  witnessed  a  part  of  the  affair,  the 
accused  were  given  a  trial  before  Judge  T.  J. 
Humes,  of  King  county.  The  case  went  to  the  jury 
September  20th,  and  on  the  21st  the  matter  was  ter- 
minated as  far  as  the  judiciary  was  concerned  by  the 
rendering  of  a  verdict  of  not  guilty,  contrary  to 
what  would  have  been  expected  from  the  evidence 
and  the  judge's  charge. 

The  year  1895  was  a  year  of  small  profits  to 
both  farmers  and  business  men.  Although  crops 
were  good  in  the  valley,  prices  were  extremely  low. 
Barley  sold  at  seventeen  cents  a  bushel,  the  lowest 
price  ever  recorded  in  the  history  of  Kittitas  county, 
and  on  account  of  the  exceptionally  low  price  of 
wool,  the  sheep  industry  was  badly  demoralized. 
Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  many  of  the  farmers 
and  merchants  found  themselves  in  straitened  cir- 
cumstances. Dairy  products,  however,  brought  uni- 
formly good  prices  throughout  the  year  and  indeed 
throughout  all  the  hard  times  proved  one  of  the 
main  reliances  of  the  farmers. 

The  winter  of  1895-6  was  unusually  long,  cold 
and  disagreeable.  Snow  fell  to  the  depth  of  twenty 
feet  at  the  Stampede  tunnel  and  to  an  exceptional 
depth  throughout  the  valley.  A  late  cold  and  frosty 
spring  followed  in  which  considerable  damage 
was  done  to  fruit.  However,  the  early  summer 
months  were  warm  and  favorable  and  in  a  great 
measure  atoned  for  the  severe  winter  and  backward 
spring.  Nevertheless,  as  the  result  of  a  hot,  dry  per- 
iod in  July,  1896,  water  for  irrigation  was  scarce 
during  the  late  summer,  and  in  consequence,  the 
cereal  crop  for  the  year  was  somewhat  short  as  com- 
pared with  former  more  favorable  seasons.  The 
loss  on  this  account  was  mostly  confined  to  the  late 
sowing,  however,  as  the  fall  grain  was  pretty  well 
matured  before  the  hot  weather  commenced  and  was 
much  less  affected  by  the  drouth.  In  this  respect 
Kittitas  valley  suffered  less  than  many  other  sections 
of  the  country.  The  hav  crop  of  the  valley  was  ex- 
ceptionally heavy  and  was  harvested  without  any 
deterioration  from  rain.  The  prices  of  cereals 
reached  a  point  much  in  advance  of  the  previous  sea- 
son, wheat  going  up  to  seventy  cents,  and  so  the 
farmers  were  compensated  in  some  measure  for  loss 
sustained  by  them  through  deficiency  in  yields. 

The  period  between  the  13th  and  the  18th  of 
November,  1896,  was  one  of  exceedingly  high  water 
in  the  Kittitas  valley.  It  began  raining  on  Friday, 
November  13th,  and  continued  with  increasing  force 
during  Saturday  and  Sunday.  On  Monday  it 
snowed  all  afternoon  and  most  of  the  night.  Such 
was  the  condition  of  affairs  at  Ellensburg  and  in  the 
mountains  the  storm  was  no  doubt  much  worse.  Not 


a  little  snow  was  on  the  ground  at  the  time,  and 
when  the  heavy  rains  came,  speedily  melting  it,  a 
flood  was  the  inevitable  result.  Throughout  the 
whole  of  Saturday  night,  the  river  rose  at  a  mar- 
velously  rapid  rate  and  by  Sunday  morning  it  was 
over  its  banks  in  many  places.  All  day  Sunday  it 
continued  to  rise.  Many  people  in  the  vicinity  of 
Thorp  had  to  leave  their  homes  for  higher  ground ; 
all  the  lower  levels  were  covered  with  water  and  the 
railroad  track  was  threatened  in  many  places.  El- 
lensburg was  cut  off  from  all  railroad  com- 
munication for  several  days,  bridges  being  washed 
out  both  above  and  below  the  town.  Tuesday  morn- 
ing brought  cooler  weather  and  a  consequently 
speedy  amelioration  of  conditions.  The  water  fell 
as  rapidly  as  it  had  risen  and  in  the  afternoon  traffic 
began  to  be  resumed.  This  flood  was  regarded  by 
many  as  phenomenal  though  it  had  its  counterpart, 
according  to  the  statement  of  an  early  settler, 
about  twenty  years  previous,  when  under  similar 
conditions  a  still  harder  rush  of  waters  occurred. 

The  unusual  flood  of  1896  was  followed  by  an 
exceedingly  cold  period  of  about  ten  days'  duration. 
Eight  inches  of  snow  fell  in  the  Kittitas  valley  and 
at  other  points  much  heavier  falls  were  reported. 
The  snow  in  the  hills  was  so  deep  as  to  cause  stock 
men  much  apprehension  for  the  safety  of  their  cat- 
tle. November  28th,  the  thermometer  registered 
twenty-eight  degrees  below  zero,  indicating  the 
coldest  weather  for  that  season  of  the  year  since  the 
advent  of  white  men  into  the  valley.  The  weather 
during  the  whole  month  was  very  unusual. 

Early  in  the  year  1897  evidences  of  the  return  of 
prosperity  to  the  country  began  to  be  everywhere 
manifested,  and  the  Kittitas  people  were  among  the 
first  to  feel  the  effect  of  the  new  and  improved  con- 
ditions. The  crops  for  the  season  were  excellent  and 
that  coupled  with  the  advanced  prices  due  to  the 
improved  financial  condition  of  the  country  gave  a 
new  impetus  to  business  and  brought  prosperity  to 
all  classes. 

The  hay  crop  of  the  season  was  exceptionally 
heavy,  in  fact  surpassed  that  of  all  previous  years, 
and  it  sold  readily  in  the  local  market  for  nine  dol-  ' 
Iars  and  upwards  a  ton.  Wheat  also  was  a  good 
crop,  and  early  in  the  season  reached  the  seventy 
cent  mark.  Oats,  barley  and  other  cereals  were  also 
a  splendid  yield  and  sold  readily  for  fair  prices.  The 
wool  clip  of  the  county  for  the  year,  estimated  at 
about  600,000  pounds,  sold  at  seven  and  eight  cents 
a  pound,  and  remunerative  prices,  abundant  crops 
and  ready  markets  soon  restored  commercial  fai tin 
and  prosperity. 

And  it  was  not  alone  in  the  farming  districts  that 
good  times  were  working  out  their  beneficent  results. 
In  August.  [896,  reports  show  that  the  Roslvn  coal 
mines  were  working  only  one  and  a  half  and  two 
days  a  week,  and  that  all  operations  were  confined 
to  level  No.  2,  no  coal  being  taken  out  below,  al- 
though much  money  had  been  spent  in  opening  up 
the  shaft  and  preparing  for  work.    In  August,  1897, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  mines  were  being  operated  to  their  fullest  ca- 
pacity and  the  railroad  was  being  sorely  taxed  to 
haul  away  their  product.  The  output  for  the  month 
of  November  was  48,365  tons  and  the  December 
product  was  close  to  60,000  tons.  All  the  miners 
were  kept  steadily  employed;  indeed,  it  was  even 
found  necessary  to  work  overtime,  that  the  de- 
mands might  all  be  supplied. 

Considerable  excitement  was  occasioned  during 
the  early  months  of  the  year  by  the  trial  of  Thomas 
Johnson  for  the  murder  of  George  Donahue,  a  hom- 
icide which  had  occurred  in  June  of  the  preceding 
year.  Briefly  stated  the  facts  in  the  case  are  these : 
111  feeling  of  long  standing  had  existed  between  the 
two  men.  This  eventually  led  to  a  quarrel,  the  final 
result  of  which  was  the  shooting.  The  tragedy  oc- 
curred in  Peshastin  mining  district.  Donahue  was 
shot  three  times,  two  bullets  entering  his  leg,  one 
above  and  one  below  the  knee;  the  third  passed 
through  his  body  killing  him.  Johnson  immediately 
gave  himself  up,  and  at  the  preliminary  examination 
before  Judge  Boyle,  in  Ellensburg,  was  bound  over 
to  appear  at  the  next  session  of  the  Superior  court  in 
January.  The  trial  was  postponed,  however,  on 
account  of  the  serious  illness  of  one  of  the  jurors, 
until  the  3d  of  the  following  March,  when  the  case 
was  again  called.  Some  forty  or  fifty  witnesses 
were  examined  during  the  trial.  The  crime  charged 
was  murder  in  the  first  degree.  The  defense  ad- 
mitted the  shooting  of  Donahue  but  entered  a  plea 
of  self  defense.  From  a  legal  standpoint  this  trial 
was  one  of  the  hardest  fought  battles  that  ever  took 
place  in  the  Kittitas  county  courts.  Much  interest 
was  manifested  by  the  general  public  and  during  its 
progress  the  courtroom  was  each  day  filled  with  a 
crowd  of  interested  spectators.  While  the  attor- 
neys were  making  their  arguments,  all  available 
standing  room  was  occupied  and  the  court  judging 
the  building  unsafe  for  such  an  assembly  ordered  the 
aisles  cleared.  The  arguments  of  counsel  lasted 
from  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  Saturday, 
March  13th,  until  ten  in  the  evening,  each  attorney 
being  allowed  two  and  a  half  hours.  On  the  morn- 
ing of  the  14th,  after  six  or  seven  hours'  delibera- 
tion, the  jury  returned  a  verdict  of  not  guilty. 

July  19th,  1897,  an  event  occurred  which  threw 
the  entire  northwest  and  many  other  parts  of 
the  United  States  and  the  world  into  the  tem- 
porary madness  of  a  mining  excitement.  On 
that  date  the  steamer  Portland  drew  quietly  up 
to  an  anchorage  in  Seattle  with  over  seven 
hundred  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  gold  from 
the  far  north  safely  stowed  away  in  her  hold. 
This  was  the  first  large  shipment  of  treasure 
from  the  rich  Klondyke  gold  fields,  while  stories 
of  fabulous  wealth  together  with  this  substantial 
earnest  of  the  richness  of  the  north  land  occasioned 
an  excitement  throughout  the  entire  northwest  un- 
equaled  since  the  days  of  the  Idaho  placers.  The 
result  was  an  immediate  rush  for  the  land  of  treas- 
ure, where  according  to  reports  from  fifty  to  two 


hundred  dollars  had  been  taken  out  to  the  pan.  Some 
of  the  people  mentioned  by  the  press  as  among  those 
who  returned  with  fortunes  were  from  this  valley, 
and  that  made  the  local  interest  all  the  greater. 
Within  a  week  a  large  company  of  Kittitas  citizens 
had  set  out  for  the  rich  Eldorado.  But  this  was  not 
the  only  effect  of  the  gold  strike,  for  it  was  soon 
found  that  to  get  supplies  across  the  mountain 
passes  on  the  road  to  the  new  gold  fields  pack  horses 
were  necessary.  Thus  a  new  market  was  created  for 
all  the  small  horses  of  the  valley,  which  sold  readily 
for  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  dollars  a  head. 

While  the  Klondyke  was  attracting  the  attention 
at  home  and  abroad,  the  local  mining  interests 
were  not  being  neglected  entirely.  For  some  time 
the  Swauk  country  had  been  coming  to  the  front 
as  a  gold  producer,  and  according  to  the  report  of 
the  director  of  the  mint,  Kittitas  county  had  taken 
the  lead  in  1895  m  mineral  production  in  the  state 
of  Washington,  having  furnished  one-third  of  all 
the  gold  mined  in  the  state  that  year.  One  week 
in  September,  1897,  four  bonds  for  deeds  for  min- 
ing properties  in  the  Swauk  country  were  filed. 
Clean-ups  of  one  hundred  dollars  a  week  were  com- 
mon ;  some  as  high  as  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars 
to  the  man  were  reported,  and  throughout  the  en- 
tire year  the  district  yielded  a  goodly  output  of 
gold.' 

Great  as  was  the  excitement  over  the  discoveries 
in  the  Klondyke,  it  was  almost  lost  sight  of  in  the 
stirring  events  which  took  place  the  following  year. 
As  soon  as  the  news  had  reached  Kittitas  valley  that 
the  United  States  had  taken  up  the  cause  of  the 
struggling  Cuban  people  and  was  resolved  to  pun- 
ish Spain  for  her  inhumanity,  the  whole  county  was 
aroused  to  a  sudden  burst  of  patriotic  enthusiasm. 
The  Capital  of  April  23,  1898,  says  :  "The  effect  was 
like  a  fire  alarm  and  the  throng  was  soon  surging 
around  the  Capital  bulletin  window.  In  less  time  than 
it  takes  to  tell  it,  flags  and  bunting  were  fluttering 
in  the  air;  patriotic  excitement  ran  high,  and  for 
the  rest  of  the  afternoon  little  besides  the  war  pros- 
pect was  discussed." 

At  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  Kittitas  county  had 
but  one  military  organization,  Company  A,  officered 
as  follows :  Captain,  A.  C.  Steinman ;  first  lieuten- 
ant, S.  C.  Davidson ;  second  lieutenant,  E.  E.  South- 
ern; sergeants,  T-  T-  Charlton,  L.  L.  Seely,  Robert 
Murray,  Ralph  Brown,  W.  O.  McDowell,  Holly  V. 
Hill:  musician,  Whit  Church;  corporals,  C.  A. 
Swift,  Willis  Gott,  James  Shaw,  G.  M.  Hunter, 
John  Hoskins,  J.  J.  Putman ;  wagoner,  Edwin  Bar- 
ker :  artificer.  Charles  P.  Morgan. 

The  company  offered  its  services  to  the  governor, 
who  promptly  accepted  them,  and  early  in  the  morn- 
ing of  the  30th  of  April,  Captain  Steinman  received 
orders  to  have  his  company  ready  to  take  the  train 
for  the  west  at  ten-twenty-five  that  evening.  From 
Ellensburg  the  company  proceeded  to  Camp  Rogers 
where  it  was  mustered  in  May  nth  as  Company  H, 
First  Washington  Volunteers.     Seventy-five  of  the 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


267 


company,  including-  the  officers,  were  taken  from 
Kittitas  county ;  the  remainder  were  recruited  at  Ta- 
coma  and  Seattle  from  all  parts  of  the  state.  The 
personnel  of  this  company  was  as  follows : 

Colonel,  John  H.  Wholley,  commanding;  major, 
John  J.  Wesienburger ;  major,  W.  J.  Canton;  cap- 
tain, Alfred  C.  Steinman;  first  lieutenant,  Edward 
E.  Southern,  promoted  December  9,  1898;  wounded 
in  action  April  11,  1899;  second  lieutenant,  John  J. 
Charlton,  promoted  September  3,  1899;  wounded  in 
action  April  13,  1899;  sergeants,  first,  Robert  Mur- 
ray; quartermaster,  Luke  L.  Seely;  Ralph  Brown, 
William  O.  McDowell,  James  Shaw,  John  R.  Hos- 
kins ;  corporals,  Caddy  Morrison,  Carstens  H. 
Junge,  George  M.  Burlingham,  wounded  April  20, 
1899;  John  Brustad,  William  M.  Pearson,  William 
George,  George  S.  Smith,  James  A.  Harris,  Burrel 
B.  \\  right,  Charles  H.  Eiselstein,  William  Cham- 
bers, Charles  Hagenson,  Bert  Gordanier  (cook)  ; 
artificer,  Arthur  E.  Snyder;  wagoner,  William 
Craig;  privates,  John  A.  Aim,  Fred  L.  Ballou, 
wounded  July  25,  1899;  Edwin  Barker,  George  A. 
Clark,  wounded  by  gun  explosion  July  27,  1899; 
John  R.  Clark,  James  Cross,  Clark  E.  Davis,  Sidney 
O.  Dickinson,  wounded  March  7th  and  April  27, 
1899;  Arthur  H.  Ells,  wounded  April  27,  1899; 
Alexander  Fraser,  Steven  A.  Griffin,  Robert  Hovey, 
wounded  April  2-j,  1899;  Philip  W.  Harner,  William 
T.  Hill,  Ralph  Hepler,  Edward  T.  Johnson,  Francis 
B.  Jones,  Thomas  P.  Kenvin,  John  Lundy,  Arno 
PI.  Moeckel,  wounded  February  5,  1899;  Vanran- 
celar  Martin,  George  C.  McCarthy,  Lee  M.  Putman, 
Albert  J.  Paulist,  Byars  E.  Ro'mane,  William  F. 
Ritchey,  Solomon  Russell,  wounded  March  6.  1899 ; 
Arthur  F.  Ridge,  Wiiliam  Ridley,  Joseph  Vomacka, 
Thomas  Williams,  Robert  C.  Wenzel :  transferred, 
privates,  George  W.  Fitzhenry,  to  company  B ;  Mar- 
tin Forrest,  to  hospital  corps;  Paul  Roberts,  to  10th 
Pennsylvania ;  died,  Corporal  George  W.  Hovey, 
wounded  April  27,  1899,  died  April  28,  1899;  P"~ 
vates,  Albert  J.  Ruppert,  killed  February  22,  1899; 
Joseph  Eno,  killed  April  27,  1899;  Clyde  Z.  Woods, 
wounded  April  27,  died  April  28,  1899;  Sherman 
T.  Shepard,  wounded  April  27,  1899,  died  June  i8v 
1899;  discharged.  First  Lieutenant,  Samuel  C.  Dav- 
idson, October  29,  1898;  Second  Lieutenant  Joseph 
Smith,  wounded  February  5,  1899,  resigned  Sep- 
tember 2,  1899;  Sergeant  Holly  V.  Hill,  resigned  to 
accept  commission  in  nth  U.  S.  Cavalry:  Sergeant 
Willis  L.  Gott,  re-enlisted ;  Corporals.  George  M. 
Hunter,  Robert  Bruce.  James  J.  Putman.  Charles  A. 
Swiff,  William  B.  Tucker,  wounded  February  22, 
1899;  Corporal  Israel  F.  Costello.  re-enlisted:  Mu- 
sicians John  L.  Grandin  and  Louis  G.  Frenette,  re- 
enlisted  ;  Musician  Joseph  R.  Whitchurch;  Artifi- 
cers Charles  A.  Morgan  and  Stephen  S.  Blanken- 
ship;  Privates  William  II.  Adkins,  wounded  June  5. 
i8r;9;  William  S.  Bullock.  Frederick  Bollman.  re- 
enlisted;  Henrv  H.  Cassriel,  Clinton  H.  Campbell, 
John  S.  Ellis, "Edward  Friel,  re-enlisted:  Otto  N. 
Gustavson,  re-enlisted;  Bvron   E.   Hersev.  William 


E.  Howard,  wounded  April  27,  1899;  William  W. 
McCabe,  Emmett  C.  Mitchell,  Roland  D.  McCombs, 
re-enlisted;  Fred  Nelson,  Abel  Nilsson,  wounded 
April  27,  1899;  Frank  E.  O'Harrow,  Frank  Roth- 
lisberger,  Thomas  Richardson,  Arthur  J.  Stoddart, 
Victor  E.  Sigler,  re-enlisted ;  Winford  E.  Thorp, 
Harvey  R.  Van  Alstine,  William  Ward,  re-enlisted ; 
James  W.  Walsh. 

The  company  was  organized  as  Company  A  at 
Ellensburg,  October,  1890.  They  were  mustered 
into  the  United  States  service  as  Company  H,  at 
Camp  Rogers,  Washington,  May  n,  1898;  did 
garrison  duty  from  that  time  until  October  28,  1898, 
when  the  company  embarked  on  the  United  States 
transport  Ohio,  arriving  at  Manila  November  26th. 
The  company  went  ashore  November  30th,  and  did 
outpost  duty  until  the  outbreak  of  hostilities  with 
the  Filipino  insurgents.  While  in  the  Philippines 
they  took  part  in  the  following  engagements :  En- 
gagements with  the  insurgents,  1899,  around  Ma- 
nila ;  at  Santa  Ana,  February  4-5 ;  Pateros,  Febru- 
ary 15th;  San  Pedro  Macati,  February  17th;  Guad- 
aloupe,  February  19-22  and  March  13th;  in  trenches 
at  San  Pedro  Macati,  February  15th  to  March  13th; 
Taguig,  March  18th;  Bay  Lake,  March  19th;  Ta- 
guig,  April  9th,  16th,  20th,  and  27th,  May  19th  and 
June  12th;  Calamba,  June  26th,  27th  and  30th  (ex- 
pedition) ;  a  detachment  of  scouts  took  part  in  an 
expedition  to  Santa  Cruz,  April  8th  and  in  engage- 
ments at  Santa  Cruz,  April  9th  and  10th;  at  Pag- 
sanyan,  April  nth;  at  Lamba,  April  12th,  and  at 
Paete,  April  13th.  Detachments  also  took  part  in 
engagements  at  Cainti,  Tayti  and  Morong. 

They  embarked  for  San  Francisco  on  the  United 
States  transport  Pennsylvania,  September  4,  1899. 
They  sailed  September  5th  by  way  of  Nagasaki, 
the  Inland  Sea  and  Yokohama,  arriving  in  San 
Francisco  bay  October  9th.  They  were  mustered 
out  at  the  Presidio,  California,  November  1,  1899, 
after  almost  a  year  and  a  half  of  service.  On  being 
mustered  out,  Colonel  Wholley  presented  the  com- 
pany with  the  sights  of  the  Krupp  gun  captured  in 
the  big  battle  of  February  5th. 

Meanwhile,  all  necessary  preparations  were  be- 
ing made  for  receiving  the  returning  soldiers  at 
home  with  a  formal  welcome.  The  Capital,  Septem- 
ber 23,  1899,  sa>'s  : 

"At  a  special  mass  meeting  held  Monday  night, 
September  iSth.  the  following  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  act  in  conjunction  with  the  Red  Cross  so- 
ciety in  welcoming  our  soldier  boys:  J.  B.Davidson. 
W.  H.  Talbott.  Austin  Mires,  E.  H.  Snowden  and 
H.  S.  Elwood.  The  soldiers  left  Nagasaki,  Japan. 
September  16'h  and  should  arrive  at  San  Francisco 
about  October  8th.  The  following  sub-committees 
were  appointed:  Finance,  G.  E.  Dickson,  chairman: 
program,  J.  B.  Davidson,  chairman:  decoration,  S. 
P.  Fogarty,  chairman:  speaking.  Ralph  Kauffman. 
chairman ;  music,  C.  V.  Warner,  chairman :  recep- 
tion. Dr.  I.  W.  Bean,  chairman;  print  and  press,  A. 
IT.  Stulfauth,  chairman;  house  and  hall,  E.  T.  Bar- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


den,  chairman;  banquet,  Mrs.  P.  P.  Gray,  chairman; 
hospital  and  memorial,  Rev.  J  P.  Smith,  chairman; 
ma.shal  of  the  day,  J.  E.  Frost." 

A  later  issue  of  the  Capital,  November  nth, 
gives  this  further  information  about  the  arrival  and 
reception  of  the  returning  soldiers : 

"On  a  train  of  fourteen  coaches,  Company  H, 
and  other  eastern  'Washington  soldiers  rolled  into 
the  depot  at  5  :5c)  Tuesday  evening,  the  "th.  The 
time  of  arrival  had  been  spread  broadcast  and  the 
result  was  that  such  a  crowd  as  gathered  to  wel- 
come them  has  never  been  seen  in  Ellensburg.  It 
is  safe  to  say  that  between  the  depot  and  armory 
from  4,000  to  5,000  people  were  lined  up  and  scat- 
tered, each  trying  to  outdo  the  other  in  noisy  dem- 
onstration. It  was  unfortunate  that  the  train  did  not 
arrive  in  daylight  as  the  demonstration  could  have 
been  seen  and  better  appreciated  by  the  soldiers; 
ne\ertheless  it  was  a  magnificent  affair  and  the  re- 
ception was  a  success  from  every  point  of  view. 

''The  public  and  private  decorations  were  beau- 
tiful and  the  soldiers  passed  many  compliments 
on  the  display.  The  evergreen  arch  on  Fourth 
and  Pearl  was  a  beautiful  structure,  both  by  day 
and  night,  and  was  a  handsome  tribute  to  the  good 
taste  and  industry  of  the  decoration  committee.  The 
business  men  vied  with  each  other  in  beautifying 
their  windows  and  the  result  was  creditable  to  all. 

"'All  the  efforts  above  referred  to  were  good — ■ 
above  criticism,  but  to  the  women  of  Ellensburg  and 
Kittitas  valley,  working  under  the  direction  of  the 
Red  Cross  society,  must  the  greatest  credit  be  given. 
\\  hen  the  troops  left  the  train  Marshal  Frost  quickly 
formed  the  parade  and  the  march  to  the  armory, 
with  the  volunteers  in  the  place  of  honor,  began.  Be- 
sides the  returning  soldiers  there  were  several  com- 
panies of  militia  and  cadets,  making  in  all  about  300 
men  who  were  to  partake  of  the  ladies'  hospitalitv. 
On  reaching  the  armory,  the  volunteers,  amid  the 
playing  of  bands  and  a  gorgeous  display  of  fire- 
works, were  admitted  to  the  banquet  hall ;  after  them 
the  militia  and  cadets  went  in. 

'The  sight  that  met  their  gaze  as  they  entered 
the  vast  hall  was  a  beautiful  one.  The  long  tables 
beautifully  decorated  and  loaded  with  the  choicest 
delicacies,  presented  an  inviting  appearance,  under 
the  brilliant  electric  lights  and  without  a  moment's 
confusion  the  soldiers  were  seated  by  companies  and 
were  soon  enjoying  the  good  things  prepared  for 
them.  After  they  had  been  seated," the  crowd  was 
admitted  and  soon  filled  every  inch  of  standing- 
room.  Large  delegations  were  in  town  from  Cle- 
Flum  and  Roslvn  and  the  band  from  the  latter  place 
contributed  no  small  amount  to  the  enjoyment  of 
the  occasion." 

While  the  country  had  been  vigorouslv  conduct- 
ing the  war  abroad,  the  pursuits  of  peace  had  not 
been  neglected  at  home.  It  has  alwavs  been  char- 
acteristic of  the  American  Republic  that  it  emerges 
from  a  foreign  war  stronger,  more  vigorous,  more 
wealthy,  more  prosperous  than  at  the  beginning  of 


hostilities.  This  was  especially  true  of  the  Spanish- 
American  conflict.  The  condition  of  prosperity 
which  had  its  inception  in  1897  continued  unabated 
throughout  the  following  year  and  the  local  pros- 
perity was  great.  By  April,  1898,  wheat  had  reached 
the  eighty  cent  mark,  a  price  not  before  recorded  in 
five  years.  In  May  of  the  same  year  it  went  up  to 
eighty-four  cents.  All  through  the  winter  of  '97-98 
the  Klondyke  country  had  continued  to  make  levies 
upon  the  young  men  of  Kittitas  county.  Roslvn 
especially  lost  many.  But  at  the  same  time  the  min- 
ing interests  of  the  county  at  home  were  continuing 
to  attract  a  proportionately  large  measure  of  at- 
tention. The  Capital  of  May  28,  1898,  informs  us 
that :  "The  largest  sale  in  the  mining  history  of  the 
county  has  been  consummated  by  L.  H.  Jansen,  who 
sold  to  T.  P.  Carson,  who  in  turn  transferred  the 
property  to  the  Cascade  Mining  Company  of  which 
he  is  manager.  The  syndicate  is  made  up  of  Wis- 
consin parties.  The  following  named  properties 
were  conveyed  to  the  syndicate :  The  Becker,  Ritz, 
Eureka,  Pat  Hurley,  Tenderfoot,  Swauk  and  Wil- 
liams Creek  High  Bar  placers,  Black,  Halvor  Nel- 
son, Gustaf  Nilson,  Mascotte,  High  Stump,  Lillie, 
Klondyke,  Sunnyside,  Bloomer,  Why  Not,  Gold 
Channel,  Fremont,  Discovery  and  Theresa.  Water 
rights,  also  a  reservoir  site,  are  sold  with  these. 
Some  of  the  claims,  notably  the  Black,  Meagher  and 
Nilson  properties,  have  been  among  the  greatest 
producers  in  the  camp." 

Although  the  numbers  withdrawn  to  the  gold 
fields  and  the  war  left  a  larger  measure  of  labor 
to  be  performed  by  those  remaining  at  home,  never 
at  any  time  did  the  people  of  the  valley  become  so 
absorbed  in  business  affairs  that  they  could  not 
pause  for  a  few  hours  to  celebrate  the  successes 
of  our  arms  on  land  and  sea.  As  the  news  of  the 
victories  came,  each  more  overwhelming  than  the 
la?t.  if  such  a  thing  were  possible,  it  was  met  by 
spontaneous  outbursts  of  enthusiasm  throughout  the 
whole  county.  A  current  newspaper  gives  the  fol- 
lowing account  of  the  manner  in  which  the  news  of 
Dewey's  victory  was  received: 

"Never  have  our  people  witnessed  such  a  demon- 
stration in  the  town  (Ellensburg)  as  took  place  last 
Monday  night.  May  2d,  after  the  news  of  Dewey's 
victory  in  the  Philippines  had  been  received.  It  was 
a  spontaneous  affair,  there  being  no  fixed  program 
arranged.  The  ball  opened  with  a  parade  of  the 
drum  corps,  composed  of  boys,  including  Austin 
Mires,  the  standard  bearer.  Soon  fire  crackers  be- 
gan to  pop,  followed  by  the  roar  of  bombs  and  an- 
vils, and  from  all  parts  of  the  city  came  the  people. 
Tie  crowd  entered  on  Pearl  street  between  Ford's 
cigar  store  and  Weed  &  Parker's  market,  and  there 
they  turned  themselves  loose.  Fire  crackers  were' 
burned  by  the  armful,  rockets  were  sent  up,  bombs 
n  ared.  whistles  were  blown,  and  the  ladies  formed 
themselves  into  a  large  choir,  singing  patriotic  songs 
in  which  the  crowd  joined.  For  three  hours  the 
racket  lasted  and  the  patriotic  smoke  curled  high 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


269 


above  the  celebrators;  indeed  the  revelry  continued 
all  night  long,  though  with  diminishing  Tervor.  A 
feature  of  the  demonstration  was  the  active  parti- 
cipation of  the  ladies." 

In  similar  manner  was  the  news  of  Admiral 
Schley's  victory  at  Santiago  received.  A  telegram 
dated  July  3d  from  the  Seattle  Times,  conveying  the 
misinformation  that  the  Santiago  fight  was  another 
''Bull  Run"  caused  a  general  depression  among  all 
;he  people,  but  when  in  the  evening  the  true  result 
was  reported,  the  news  was  electrical  in  its  effect. 
Few  slept  that  night.  The  din  was  too  great  to  per- 
mit of  sleep,  even  had  anyone  thought  of  such  a 
thing. 

February  10,  1899,  the  county  was  aroused  to 
a  high  pitch  of  excitement  by  a  daring  and  ingen- 
ious jail  break.  The  three  men  responsible  for  the 
successful  attempt  were  Arthur  Harris,  Charles 
Kay  and  Frank  Thomas.  The  men  were  held  for 
highway  robbery,  and  were  recognized  as  desperate 
characters,  being  allowed  only  a  few  hours'  freedom 
a  day  during  which  time  they  were  always  closely 
guarded.  The  Capital  of  February  18th  gives  the 
following  account  of  their  escape : 

"About  8:30  the  janitor,  W.  J.  Boyd,  who  sleeps 
in  a  room  off  the  sheriff's  office,  heard  the  men  in  the 
cells  call  for  more  fire.  He  responded  at  once.  As 
he  stepped  inside  of  the  jail  proper  two  of  the  men 
jumped  upon  him  and  quickly  had  him  tied  and  gag- 
ged, using  a  towel  with  a  stick  as  a  gag.  He  was 
taken  completely  by  surprise. 

"As  they  were  binding  him,  Charles  Ray,  the 
'b'g  one',  appeared  on  the  scene.  The  two  others 
wanted  to  kill  Boyd  and  one  of  them  had  an  open 
knife  in  his  hand,  but  Ray  forbade  it.  After  inspect- 
ing the  helpless  man,  he  thrust  a  piece  of  paper  into 
Boyd's  pocket ;  then  the  three  walked  out  of  doors. 
They  took  nothing  from  him. 

"Boyd  soon  managed  to  get  free  and  to  give  an 
alarm.  The  note  left  in  his  pocket  was  to  Attorney 
C.  V.  Warner,  who  was  appointed  by  the  court  to" 
defend  them  during  the  trial  last  month,  when  the 
jury  disagreed.  Charles  Ray,  in  it,  informs  Warner 
that  he  shall  be  paid  for  his  good  services. 

"On  investigation  it  was  found  that  the  criminals 
had  sawed  off  eight  plates  two  and  a  half  by  one  and 
a  half  inches  in  size,  leaving  an  opening  about  twelve 
inches  square,  through  which  they  all  crawled,  al- 
though Ray  weighs  190  pounds.  These  plates  are 
fastened  with  heavy  rivets,  so  that  the  section  came 
out  in  one  solid  piece.  The  steel  is  guaranteed  to  be 
hardened  so  it  is  tool  proof,  yet  the  bars  were 
sawed  off  as  smooth  as  wood.  So  neatly  was  it  done 
that  when  put  back  in  place  five  men  were  over  five 
minutes  locating  the  section.  How  they  did  the 
work  is  a  mystery  as  they  left  no  tools  behind.  The 
section  sawed  out  was  at  the  bottom  of  the  cage  be- 
hind the  bunk."  The  men  were  never  caught  de- 
spite a  most  thorough  search. 

In  compliance  with  the  prayer  of  a  large  body  of 
petitioners  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  locality  di- 


rectly affected,  an  act  was  passed  February  27,  1899, 
by  the  state  house  of  representatives,  creating  the 
new  county  of  Chelan.  The  same  bill  passed  the 
senate  March  8th,  and  it  having  met  with  the  ap- 
proval of  the  chief  executive,  Kittitas  county's  ter- 
ritory was  curtailed  by  the  cutting  off  of  the  Wen- 
atche  valley.  The  portion  of  the  act  establishing 
the  boundaries  is  as  follows : 

"Section  1.  All  these  portions  of  the  counties  of 
Kittitas  and  Okanogan  described  as  follows,  to- 
wit :  Beginning  at  the  point  of  intersection  of 
the  middle  of  the  main  channel  of  the  Columbia 
river  with  the  fifth  standard  parallel  north,  thence 
running  west  along  said  fifth  standard  parallel  north 
to  the  point  where  said  fifth  standard  parallel  north 
intersects  the  summit  of  the  main  divide  between 
the  waters  flowing  northerly  and  easterly  into  the 
Wenatchee  and  Columbia  rivers,  and  the  waters 
flowing  southerly  and  westerly  into  the  Yakima 
river,  thence  in  a  general  northwesterly  direction 
along  the  summit  of  said  main  divide  between  the 
waters  flowing  northerly  and  easterly  into  the  We- 
natchee and  Columbia  rivers  and  the  waters  flowing- 
southerly  and  westerly  into  the  Yakima  river,  fol- 
lowing the  course  of  the  center  of  the  summit  of  the 
watersheds  dividing  the  said  respective  waters,  to 
the  center  of  the  summit  of  the  Cascade  mountains 
at  the  eastern  boundary  of  King  county ;  thence 
north  along  the  eastern  boundary  of  King,  Snohom- 
ish and  Skagit  counties  to  the  point  on  the  said  east- 
ern boundary  of  Skagit  county  where  said  boundary 
is  intersected  by  the  watershed  between  the  waters 
flowing  northerly  and  easterly  into  the  Methow  river 
and  the  waters  flowing  southerly  and  westerly  into 
Lake  Chelan  ;  thence  in  a  general  southeasterly  direc- 
tion along  the  summit  of  the  main  divide  between  the 
waters  flowing  northerly  and  easterly  into  the  Me- 
thow river  and  the  waters  flowing  westerly  and 
southerly  into  Lake  Chelan  and  its  tributaries ;  fol- 
lowing the  course  of  the  center  of  the  summit  of  the 
shed  dividing  said  respective  waters  to  the  point 
where  the  seventh  standard  parallel  north  intersects 
said  center  of  the  summit  of  said  watershed :  thence 
cast  along  the  said  seventh  standard  parallel  north 
to  the  point  of  intersection  of  the  middle  of  the 
main  channel  of  the  Columbia  river  with  said  sev- 
enth standard  parallel  north ;  thence  down  the  mid- 
dle of  the  main  channel  of  the  Columbia  to  the  be- 
ginning." 

Some  events  that  took  place  during  the  year  go 
far  to  show  the  degree  of  importance  to  which  the 
coal  mining  industry  had  developed  in  the  county. 
In  April  the  Cle-Elum  coal  mines  passed  under  the 
control  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Coal  Company,  that 
corporation  obtaining  the  forty-year  lease  granted 
by  Thomas  L.  Gamble  in  1804  to  Oscar  James. 
James  Smith,  Isaac  Davis  and  Charles  Hamer. 
These  men,  it  is  understood,  had  transferred  their 
rights  to  the  Spokane  Gas  Company  and  from  this 
corporation  the  coal  company  in  its  turn  obtained 
them.    The  Northern  Pacific  Coal  Company  already 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


owned  the  Roslyn  mines ;  therefore,  by  this  transfer, 
the  coal  mining  industry  of  the  county  was  united 
under  one  management.  In  1898  about  thirty  men 
were  employed  in  the  mine  and  the  output  was  be- 
tween 10,000  and  15,000  tons  a  month.  Again,  in 
September,  by  a  double  transfer,  the  property  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Coal  Company  was  conveyed  to  the 
Northwestern  Improvement  Company,  a  corporation 
organized  under  the  laws  of  New  Jersey.  The  con- 
sideration named  was  $109,532.26.  The  object  of 
this  reorganization  was  to  enlarge  the  field  of  opera- 
tions and  deal  in  other  industries  connected  with  the 
production  of  fuel.  This  new  company  had  a  capi- 
tal of  $4,000,000,  and  was  prepared  to  operate  on 
a  new  and  more  extensive  basis. 

Within  a  month  or  so  it  concluded  a  contract 
with  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Company  to  fur- 
nish that  road  with  110,000  tons  of  coal  from  the 
Roslyn  mines.  The  demands  upon  these  mines  had 
never  before  been  so  great  and  it  is  said  that  the 
company  was  compelled  to  refuse  a  50,000  ton  order 
from  Honolulu.  The  output  was  4,000  tons  per  day 
and  the  whole  Northern  Pacific  system  from  Liv- 
ingston, Montana,  to  Portland,  was  using  Roslyn 
coal. 

In  concluding  the  annals  of  the  year  1899,  it  is 
safe  to  state  that  the  whole  year  was  a  period  of 
continuous  prosperity  for  the  valley.  Good  crops 
and  good  prices  were  together  responsible  for  this 
condition.  "To  the  people  of  Kittitas  valley,"  says 
the  Capital  of  January  6,  1900,  "the  year  just  passed 
will  be  a  pleasant  memory.  Under  its  benign  rule 
prosperity  came  to  the  homes,  bringing  a  cheer  that 
dispelled  the  gloom  which  came  with  the  panic. 
Good  times  are  now  with  us ;  our  people  are  all  em- 
ployed and  the  jingle  of  the  dollar  makes  music  on 
all  sides ;  good  prices  are  realized  for  the  products 
of  the  farm,  and  all  have  some  to  sell;  nature  has 
invited  an  abundant  crop ;  the  seasons  have  been  con- 
genial and  success  has  crowned  our  efforts." 

When  Austin  Mires,  supervisor  of  the  census  for 
1900  in  the  district  of  eastern  Washington,  made 
out  his  list  of  appointments  of  enumerators,  the 
following  were  named  for  Kittitas  county :  John 
Lindley,  M.  Hull,  Agnes  M.  Hinman,  Alonzo  E. 
Emerson,  Louis  L.  Sharp,  James  A.  Piland,  Hoyt 
F.  Blair,  Joseph  L.  Chisholm,  William  Adam,  John 
Donivan,  Byars  E.  Romane,  and  James  S.  Dickson. 
The  official  census  enumeration  for  Kittitas  showed 
the  population  as  9,708  as  compared  with  8,761  in 
1890,  an  increase  of  ten  per  cent,  in  the  decade.  The 
creation  of  Chelan  county  accounts  for  the  small 
gain. 

The  crop  of  hay  in  the  valley  for  the  season  of 
1900  was  estimated  by  R.  P.  Tjossem  to  be  50,000 
tons.  Timothy  was  worth  eleven  dollars  and  alfalfa 
five  dollars  in  the  stack.  He  further  estimated  that 
15,000  tons  would  be  required  for  home  consump- 
tion. This  estimate  would  allow  35,000  tons  for  ex- 
port, which  at  an  average  price  of  eight  dollars  a  ton 
would  bring  the  substantial  sum  of  $280,000  to  the 


valley  for  hay  alone.  Certainly  no  other  county  in 
the  state  co*uld  make  as  good  a  showing. 

The  first  event  that  occurred  in  this  county  in 
1 901  of  sufficient  general  importance  to  be  noted 
in  our  review  was  of  a  criminal  nature.  As  nearly 
as  can  be  ascertained,  the  remote  cause  of  the  trou- 
ble which  led  to  the  shooting  and  fatally  wounding 
of  G.  Huhn  by  W.  R.  Crawford  was  an  old  feud 
over  a  line  fence,  but  the  immediate  cause,  it  is 
claimed,  was  an  effort  on  the  part  of  Huhn  to  drive 
over  Crawford  with  a  load  of  hay.  Crawford,  it 
is  said,  warned  Huhn,  who  was  continually  abusing 
him,  to  cease.  The  latter  paid  no  attention,  and  after 
enduring  insult  and  contumely  as  long  as  he  could, 
Crawford  fired.  Huhn  was  shot  on  the  1  ith  of  Jan- 
uary and  died  three  days  later.  All  contempora- 
neous reports  of  the  affair  seem  to  indicate  that  pub- 
lic sympathy  was  very  generally  with  Crawford, 
who  had  been  a  resident  of  the  valley  for  about 
twenty  years.  He  was  tried,  however,  convicted  of 
manslaughter,  and  sentenced  to  a  year  in  the  peni- 
tentiary. Upon  appeal  he  secured  a  new  trial  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1903,  but  it  had  exactly  the  same  outcome  as 
the  first  one  and  the  defendant  was  compelled  to  go 
to  the  penitentiary  for  a  twelvemonth. 

A  pleasant  event  of  the  year  1901  was  a  pio- 
neers' picnic,  held  at  Sliger's  grove,  about  four  miles 
east  of  Ellensburg,  August  22d.  About  one  thous- 
and people,  it  is  estimated,  were  present.  Edward 
Whitson,  a  resident  of  North  Yakima,  but  a  pio- 
neer of  Kittitas  county,  addressed  the  assembly  on 
events  of  early  days,  after  which  a  register  of  those 
coming  to  the  county  previous  to  1886  was  prepared. 
A  pioneer  association  was  organized  by  the  election 
of  the  following  officers :  President,  J.  F.  LeClerc ; 
vice-president,  Tillman  Houser;  secretary,  Robert 
A.  Turner;  directors,  A.  J.  Sliger,  Matthew  Bar- 
tholet,  M.  M.  Dammon,  W.  L.  German,  J.  W.  Mc- 
Donald, John  Packwood,  Frank  Bossong,  and  J.  G. 
Olding.  The  membership  roll  is  here  reproduced 
from  the  secretary's  record  book  that  as  many  as 
possible  of  the  names  of  those  who  fought  the  first 
battles  in  the  subjugation  of  the  county  and  the  de- 
velopment of  its  resources  may  be  preserved.  Some 
of  these  people  did  not  become  permanent  settlers 
during  their  respective  years: 

i860 — Louis  Queitsch. 

1867— Mrs.  Eliza  Schnebly,  Milford  A.  Thorp, 
and  Mode  Cooke. 

1868 — Tillman  Houser,  Mrs.  Louisa  Houser, 
Harrison  Houser  and  C.  J.  Houser. 

1870 — William  Lewis,  Harry  M.  Bryant,  Elias 
Messerly,  George  Wheeler,  William  Taylor,  Mrs. 
Carrie  Erickson,  Edward  H.  Whitson. 

1871— Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  G.  Olding,  J.  M.  Perry, 

C.  A.  Sanders,  Milton  Kertlev,  Airs.  N.  J.  Durgan, 
F.  D.  Schnebly,  Mrs.  William'L.  German,"  J.  H.  Mc- 
Ewen,  Catherine  Morrison,  Emma  T-  Bartholet,  J. 

D.  Dysart. 

1872 — Mrs.  T-  D.  Dammon,  M.  M.  Dammon,  J. 
P.  Becker,  P.  H.  Schnebly,  Jesse  McDonald,  Olive 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


F.  Montgomery,  Jennie  Ford,  C  B.  Walker,  Mary 
Erickson  Burroughs,  James  H.  McDonald,  Martha 
D.  McDonald. 

^74 — Samuel  T.  Packwood,  M.  F.  Packwood, 
Collie  Bradshaw,  John  I.  Packwood,  Lora  Erickson 
Shirrell,  E.  A.  Murray. 

1875— Eva  Olding  Shaw,  R.  Lee  Purdin,  Wil- 
liam B.  Price. 

1876 — Phil.  Olmstead,  Amelia  Houser  Church- 
ill, Louis  L.  Sharp,  Rose  Carver,  Maude  Voice 
Gault,  Mara  Voice  Yocom. 

1877 — Burt  Pease,  George  W.  Smith,  Mrs.  G. 
M.  Burlingham,  Mrs.  V.  S.  Pease,  A.  T.  Mason. 

1878—  E.  B.  Pease,  Mrs.  A.  M.  Pease,  C.  M.  C. 
Pansing,  M.  V.  Amen,  Mrs.  Ellen  B.  Rader,  Matt 
Bartholet,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Jones,  G.  B.  Robbins,  Charles 
Bull. 

1879—  Mrs.  R.  N.  Bull,  Rose  Rader  Huss,  J. 
M.  Prater,  Jennie  Rader  Bailes,  W.  H.  Rader. 

1880 — W.  J.  McCausland,  J.  F.  Montgomery, 
A.  Welty,  T.  M.  McCandless,  W'illiam  T.  Montgom- 
ery, Melissa  M.  Welty,  Virginia  Gilmour,  Lottie  H. 
Becker. 

1881— L.  F.  Ellison,  R.  H.  Drew,  J.  A.  Davis,  C. 
F.  Wilson,  T.  T.  Wilson,  Maria  Davis,  Mrs.  Susan 
A.  Montgomery. 

1882— Isaac  B.  Taylor,  Mrs.  Cox,  M.  D.  Cox, 
Martha  E.  McCausland,  Moses  Peffer. 

1883— L.  P.  Burk,  Horton  Crandall,  John  W. 
Dixon,  George  W.  Weaver,  Mrs.  E.  E.  Weaver, 
Mrs.  S.  S.  Kiester,  James  Irwin. 

1884— Mrs.  Ella  Wilson,  Mrs.  N.  E.  Smith,  Mrs. 
Mary  Phelps,  Belle  Cooke,  C.  S.  Palmer,  Phil.  A. 
Ditter,  Sven  Pearson,  Howard  Ebert,  Agnes  Dam- 
mon,  Mrs.  William  L.  German,  Jerrv  Pattenaude, 
Carrie  McDowell,  J.  G.  McDowell,  Edwin  A.  Car- 
penter. 

1885— John  Voice,  E.  A.  Willis,  Lucetta  E. 
Garrison. 

1886— A.  O.  Wishard,  Simon  P.  Fogarty. 

1890 — Robert  A.  Turner,  by  special  permission. 

The  following  figures  from  the  assessor's  rolls 
for  1901  will  show  something  of  the  extent  and  value 
to  which  the  property  interests  of  the  county  had 
grown  at  that  time:  Horses,  4,840,  valued  at 
$120,000;  cattle,  14,290,  valued  at  $262,835;  sheep, 
52,496,  valued  at  $104,969;  hogs,  2,398,  valued  at 
$9,881;  vehicles,  1,540,  valued  at  $41,450:  sewing 
machines,  999,  valued  at  $9,212;  merchandise,  val- 
ued at  $143,783  ;  farm  products,  valued  at  $484,850; 
Northern  Pacific  property,  rolling  stock  and  per- 
sonal, valued  at  $155,676;  Northern  Pacific  track, 
93  miles,  valued  at  $603,800;  429,040  acres  of  land, 
valued  at  $1,862,541  ;  total  value  of  city  property, 
$316,302;  yy  miles  of  telephone  wires,  valued  at 
$8,085 !  total  assessed  value  of  personal  property, 
$1,303,064. 

As  irrigation  became  more  common  in  the  valley 
it  is  noticeable  that  the  cereal  crops  were  more  and 
more  abandoned  to  the  less  fertile  districts,  and  crops 
that  yielded  a  larger  revenue  per  acre  took  their 


places.  In  1901  only  one-eighth  as  much  wheat  was 
sown  in  Kittitas  county  as  in  1896.  For  the  most 
part  hay  had  taken  the  place  of  the  grain  crop,  be- 
cause of  the  immense  returns  derived  from  this  prod- 
uct in  the  rich  valley.  Good  crops  and  good  prices 
prevailed  throughout  the  year,  although  times  were 
quieter  than  during  the  preceding  twelvemonth. 

Early  in  1902,  a  movement  was  set  on  foot  to 
again  bring  before  the  people  a  proposition  to  con- 
struct the  high  line  ditch.  Several  times  before  this 
enterprise  had  been  under  consideration  but  some- 
thing occurred  each  time  to  prevent  it  from  ma- 
terializing. With  the  advent  of  the  new  year  agita- 
tion of  the  matter  was  resumed  and  on  January  9, 
1902,  a  mass  meeting  was  held  in  the  courthouse,  at 
which  Austin  Mires  was  chosen  president  and  Frank 
N.  McCandless  secretary.  A  permanent  organiza- 
tion was  effected,  the  officers  being:  President, 
Austin  Mires ;  secretary,  Frank  N.  McCandless ;  as- 
sistant secretary,  Harry  W.  Hale ;  treasurer,  James 
Ramsay.  The  association  chose  as  a  name  the  In- 
termountain  Irrigation  Association.  A  committee 
on  wavs  and  means  was  appointed,  namely,  J.  E. 
Frost,  W.  D.  Bruton,  J.  L.  Mills,  J.  E.  Burke,  W. 
T.  Morrison,  Herman  Schwingler,  Jacob  Bowers, 
Sherman  Smith,  S.  T.  Packwood,  and  Frank  N. 
McCandless.  After  organizing,  the  association  ad- 
journed until  January  18th. 

On  that  date  another  large  mass  meeting  assem- 
bled at  the  courthouse  and  listened  to  reports.  The 
committee  appointed  to  appropriate  water  rights  re- 
ported that  it  had  secured  50,000  inches,  at  or  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Cle-Elum  river  and  25,000  at 
Easton.  Further  time  was  requested  in  which  to 
perfect  the  plans. 

Again  on  March  4th,  a  meeting  of  the  Inter- 
mountain  Irrigation  Association  was  held  at  the 
courthouse,  and  Ralph  Kauffman,  chairman  of  the 
ways  and  means  committee,  made  a  written  report 
which  declared  against  the  practicability  of  con- 
structing a  canal  along  either  of  the  so-called  high 
line  or  district  routes,  proposing  instead  the  old  Bur- 
lingame  line,  surveyed  in  1892.  The  report  also 
urged  that  the  county  look  for  outside  capital  to 
take  up  the  proposition,  thus  declaring  against  the 
co-operative  scheme  advocated  by  the  editor  of  the 
Dawn  and  by  many  others. 

About  this  time  a  number  of  local  business  men 
met  in  Kauffman  &  Frost's  office  and  organized  a 
ditch  corporation  .with  a  capital  of  $250,000.  The 
company  was  composed  of  S.  T.  Packwood.  John 
H.  Smithson,  Ralph  H.  Kauffman,  J.  C.  Hubbell 
and  John  E.  Frost,  and  was  called  the  Cascade 
Canal  Company ;  officers  were  elected  as  follows : 
President,  Samuel  T.  Packwood:  vice  president,  J. 
H.  Smithson ;  treasurer,  J.  C.  Hubbell :  secretary,  J, 
E.  Frost.  It  was  resolved  to  follow  the  old  Bur- 
lingame  route  except  that  instead  of  following  that 
survey  down  the  east  side  of  the  river  from  Cle- 
Elum,  the  ditch  should  come  down  the  west  side  to 
a  point  above  Thorp,  on  John  Yearwood's  ranch. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


This  plan  would  give  water  for  about  6,000  acres 
on  the  west  side  and  about  20,000  on  the  east  side 
of  the  valley.  At  a  meeting  of  the  Intermountain 
Association  held  March  15th,  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee on  ways  and  means  recommending  the  Bur- 
lingame  route,  if  any,  was  adopted  and  the  meeting 
resolved  to  support  the  Cascade  Canal  Company-  in 
its  effort  to  construct  the  ditch,  although  many  con- 
demned the  abandonment  of  the  scheme  which  would 
allow  all  to  take  a  part  in  the  enterprise. 

The  Dawn  informs  us  that  during  the  following 
year  contracts  were  let  by  the  Cascade  Canal  Com- 
pany for  the  construction  outline  work  and  excava- 
tion of  the  canal.  The  contract  for  fluming  was 
awarded  to  George  Milton  Savage  &  Company,  of 
Tacoma,  and  the  contract  for  excavation  was  given 
to  Nelson  &  Heavey,  also  of  Tacoma,  the  work 
to  be  completed  by  April  1,  1904. 

Meanwhile  another  plan  for  the  construction  of 
the  high  line  ditch  was  being  brought  to  the  con- 
sideration of  the  people  of, the  valley.  At  the  re- 
quest of  Messrs.  Wells  and  Lee  a  meeting  of  the 
In;ermountain  Irrigation  Association  was  called  by 
the  president,  Mr.  Austin  Mires,  at  the  courthouse. 
The  object  of  the  meeting  was  to  listen  to  a  propo- 
sition of  Wells  and  Lee  looking  to  the  construc- 
tion of  a  high  line  ditch.  Mr.  J.  H.  Wells  had 
hitherto  been  connected  with  a  plan  for  the  con- 
struction of  such  a  canal,  but  the  proposition  had 
la  led  because  of  the  financial  crash.  Mr.  Wells' 
pn  ipo-al  was  as  follows  : 

"I  may  state  at  the  outset  that  the  building  of  a 
high  line  ditch  is  of  vast  importance  to  this  valley. 
I  shall  not  enter  into  any  elaborate  statement.  This 
meeting  is  for  the  purpose  of  hearing  what  we  may 
have  to  say  and  for  you  to  accept  or  reject  our  prop- 
osition. In  the  first  place  in  promoting  any  propo- 
sition of  large  dimensions  you  must  first  look  to  its 
finances  and  I  will  now  ask  Mr.  Lee  to  present  them 
to  you." 

Mr.  Lee  said:  "Mr.  Chairman  and  gentlemen. 
About  five  or  six  months  ago  while  in  New  York 
Mr.  Wells  and  myself  took  up  the  question  of  build- 
ing the  high  line  canal.  We  could  not  make  any 
satisfactory  arrangements  at  that  time  for  we  had 
to  have  certain  securities  before  we  could  place  the 
bonds.  On  presentation  of  the  enterprise  we  were 
told  that  under  certain  conditions  the  money  would 
be  forthcoming  to  carry  our  enterprise  to  a  success- 
ful issue.  Our  next  step  is  to  raise  the  necessary 
securities  to  protect  and  get  the  capitalist  to  take 
hold.  We  have  the  capital.  We  also  have  a  con- 
tractor who  stands  ready  and  willing  to  build  the 
canal  and  give  the  necessary  bonds  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  the  work  as  soon  as  the  necessary 
securities  have  been  raised." 

Mr.  Lee  then  handed  the  chairman  the  following 
Ic'.ters  which  were  read  by  the  secretary : 

James  D.  Hoge  Jr..  Esq.. 

First   National   Bank,   Seattle,  Wash. 
Dear   Sir:     Would  you  be   so  kind   as   to  give  me  all 


the  information  you  have  as  to  the  responsibility  of  Tur- 
ner A.  Beal,  Banker,  No.  16  Broadway,  New  York.  We 
are  informed  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Wells  that  he  has  disposed  of 
all  the  bonds  necessary  to  build  the  irrigation  canal  in 
our  county,  providing  Mr.  Wells  secures  certain  contracts 
and  concessions  from  our  people.  We  wish  to  be  in  a 
position  to  recommend  the  enterprise.  A  letter  from 
you  would  be  accepted  as  authority. 

Very  respectfully, 

E.   H.    Snowden. 
Ellensburg,  July  17,  1902. 

E.  H.  Snowden,  Esq., 

President  Bank  Ellensburg,  Ellensburg,  Wash. 

Dear  Sir:  I  acknowledge  receipt  of  your  favor  17th 
inst.,  and  will  say  that  my  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Turner 
A.  Beal,  No.  26  Broadway,  New  York,  has  been  of  short 
duration  and  but  slight.  He  is  known  to  be  identified 
with  many  strong  institutions  and  from  all  that  I  have 
heard  believe  him  to  be  absolutely  reliable.  He  wrote 
me  about  the  proposition  you  refer  to  and  I  gave  him  all 
the  information  I  could  obtain.  I  think  that  you  can 
safely  feel  that  you  are  taking  no  chances  in  dealing 
with  him,  but  if  you  want  absolute  information  let  me 
know  and  I  shall  be  pleased  to  take  it  up  for  you. 
Yours  truly, 

James  Hoge  Jr. 

Seattle,  July  18,  1902. 

"Now,  Mr.  Chairman,"  then  continued  Mr. 
Lee,  "a  few  words  in  regard  to  floating  bonds  in 
the  eastern  market.  There  is  not  a  purchaser 
east  of  the  Mississippi  river  who  will  buy  a  bond 
until  the  canal  is  built.  After  the  enterprise  is 
completed  the  bonds  have  then  a  financial  stand- 
ing and  the  banks  will  then  take  them  off  our 
hands.  However,  we  stand  here  ready  to  give 
you  the  high  line  canal." 

Mr.  Wells  then  said:  "Mr.  Lee  spoke  of  se- 
curities. Securities  placed  in  banks  are  not 
worth  anything  until  you  create  a  value  for  them. 
When  you  go  to  create  a  value  for  securities  the 
capitalist  or  banker  always  Wants  something  for 
it.  Now  I  think  we  have  satisfied  you  in  regard 
to  our  financial  standing.  As  Mr.  Lee  has  said 
we  have  sold  our  bonds.  We  have  also  made 
arrangements  with  the  contractor  to  build  this 
canal  and  now  we  are  ready  to  hear  from  you. 
I  came  here  in  1892  and  made  you  a  proposition 
and  raised  all  the  necessary  money  to  complete 
this  canal  but  the  panic  of  1893  knocked  me  out. 

"On  unimproved  property,  such  as  govern- 
ment land,  etc.,  we  want  half  of  the  property  or  its 
equivalent  in  a  mortgage.  On  partly  improved 
land  we  want  one-third  of  the  land  or  its  equiv- 
alent in  a  mortgage.  .We  propose  to  place  these 
mortgages  in  a  bank,  and  when  we  have  com- 
pleted our  canal  they  become  our  property.  We 
propose  to  classify  the  land.  If  we  cannot  come 
to  terms  as  to  valuation  we  will  arbitrate  the 
matter.  The  mortgages  will  run  from  five  to 
twenty-five  years,  redeemable  at  any  time  and 
the  interest  will  be  seven  per  cent.  We  will 
charge  $1.50  per  acre  for  the  water, — half-inch 
to  the  acre  measured  in  your  own  lateral.  I 
have  maps,  profiles,  etc.,  that  will  convince  the 


A  BUNCH  OF  MONEY- 
SOME  PRIZE  JERSEYS 
MILKING  TIME. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


273 


most  incredulous  as  to  the  possibility  of  the 
work.    The  high  line  canal  covers  110,000  acres. 

"Mr.  William  Ham  Hall,  state  engineer,  gave 
us  a  very  favorable  report.  Engineer  Anderson, 
of  Campbell  &  Anderson,  then  of  Denver,  Colo- 
rado, who  was  at  the  head  of  the  engineering 
irrigation  bureau,  and  who  passed  on  all  irriga- 
tion bonds  sold  to  foreign  buyers,  gave  us  a 
thirty-four  page  report  in  which  he  spoke  in  the 
highest  terms  of  our  Chief  Engineer  Owens' 
work,  extracts  from  which  are  as  follows: 

"With  more  than  the  ordinary  difficulty  met 
with  from  the  engineering  point  of  view  in  en- 
terprises of  this  character,  it  is  more  than  satis- 
factory to  find  upon  examination  that  the  sur- 
veys now  made  have  exhausted  the  possibilities 
and  present  the  best  possible  proportions  in  a 
thorough  and  comprehensive  manner.  With  the 
difficulties  surrounding  the  location  of  a  suitable 
canal,  that  is,  to  the  river  crossing,  it  reflects 
great  credit  upon  the  engineering  force  to  be  as- 
sured at  this  early  stage  of  the  operations  that 
the  best  line  has  been  secured,  as  I  believe  it 
has,  and  it  is  still  more  creditable  that  the  data 
affecting  the  cost,  etc.,  of  such  a  line  have  been 
carefully  prepared  so  that  reasonable  accuracy 
may  be  secured  in  the  estimation  of  cost." 

The  scheme  proposed  by  Wells  was  a  mam- 
moth one.  The  Kittitas  Irrigation  Company,  of 
which  he  was  manager  and  promoter,  contem- 
plated the  construction  of  a  canal  which  was 
to  be  twenty-four  feet  wide  on  the  bottom,  forty- 
eight  feet  on  top  and  ten  feet  deep  near  the  in- 
take, and  approximately  1 10  miles  in  length. 
Nearly  $1,500,000,  it  was  estimated,  would  be  re- 
quired to  build  the  great  ditch.  The  Ellensburg 
Commercial  Club  endorsed  the  company's  plan 
and  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Frank 
Bossong,  chairman,  James  Burke,  Thomas  Ha- 
ley, W.  J.  Peed,  and  Clarence  Palmer,  to  assist 
in  carrying  out  the  work  of  securing  the  desired 
support.  The  company  appropriated  1,000  sec- 
ond-inches from  the  Yakima  river,  to  be  taken 
from  the  river  just  below  Easton,  but  the  road 
of  the  promoter  is  usually  beset  with  obstruc- 
tions and  the  pathway  of  this  one  was  by  no 
means  smooth.  Strong  local  opposition  devel- 
oped during  the  fall  and  winter  which  finally 
gained  strength  enough  to  practically  kill  the 
project,  though  many  contracts  for  water  rights 
&ad  been  secured.  This  opposition  was  mainly 
of  a  personal  nature. 

Apathy  was  rapidly  gaining  a  firm  hold  on  the 
people  of  the  county  when  a  new  promoter  ap- 
peared with  a  plan  that  seemed  certain  of  success. 
A.  S.  Black,  a  Colorado  irrigation  expert  of  pre- 
eminent ability  and  a  practical  builder,  is  the 
man  referred  to.  At  the  National  Irrigation  Con- 
gress held  in  Colorado  Springs  early  in  1903,  Mr. 
Black  had  become  interested  in  the  Kittitas 
project  through  the  representations  of  Delegate 


P.  A.  Getz,  of  Ellensburg.  In  April  he  appeared 
before  the  citizens  of  this  county  and  late  in  the 
same  month  the  Ellensburg  Commercial  Club  ap- 
pointed a  committee  consisting  of  Chairman 
Briggs  F.  Reed,  W.  J.  Peed,  Dr.  J.  A.  Mahan, 
Andrew  Olson  and  C.  H.  Flummerfelt,  to  inves- 
tigate the  scheme.  A  citizens'  committee,  of 
which  Dr.  J.  C.  McCauley  was  chairman  and  C. 
R.  Hovey  secretary,  was  also  appointed  at  a 
mass  meeting. 

Both  committees  recommended  a  general  in- 
dorsement of  the  enterprise  as  feasible,  timely 
and  substantially  backed.  Mr.  Black's  proposi- 
tion appeared  to  contain  all  the  elements  neces- 
sary to  immediate  success.  In  brief  it  was  as 
follows : 

For  a  consideration  of  $35  per  acre,  payable 
in  ten  annual  installments  without  interest  or 
other  charges,  provided  contracts  were  signed 
for  not  less  than  30,000  acres  of  irrigable  land, 
he  would  build  a  satisfactory  canal  within  a 
reasonable  length  of  time.  Upon  the  expiration 
of  ten  years,  the  water  right  owners  should  have 
the  privilege  of  purchasing  the  canal  and  its 
franchises  at  cost  with  ten  per  cent,  added,  and 
thereafter  maintain  it  themselves.  If  not  so  pur- 
chased at  that  time,  the  contracts  to  remain  in 
force  as  formerly  except  that  an  annual  main- 
tenance fee  of  $1.50  per  acre  should  be  paid. 
The  legal  standard  of  water  measurement  in 
Washington,  the  second  foot  or  one  cubic  foot 
per  second  of  time,  was  to  be  used  and  rights 
were  to  be  sold  on  the  basis  of  one  cubic  foot 
per  second  of  time  for  each  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land.  As  customary  in  all  such 
cases,  Mr.  Black  was  to  have  a  legal  first  lien  on 
the  lands  supplied  with  water,  and  purchasers 
of  water  rights  were  to  furnish  abstracts  of  title 
to  their  lands.  Mr.  Black  covenanted  that  when 
contracts  for  30,000  acres  were  ready  for  record, 
he  would  furnish  written  evidence  from  some 
reputable  bank  in  Colorado  that  he  had  had  prac- 
tical experience  in  the  construction  and  mainte- 
nance of  irrigation  canals  and  that  he  and  his 
associates  had  the  necessary  financial  backing  to 
complete  the  works  proposed.  He  agreed  fur- 
ther that  within  thirty  days  after  the  abstracts 
were  furnished  and  duly  prepared  for  record  that 
work  should  be  commenced  on  the  canal  and 
carried  to  completion  within  a  specified  time. 

An  appeal  went  forth  from  the  committees 
the  last  of  April  asking  the  people  of  the  valley 
to  accept  the  offer  at  once,  and  within  a  few  days 
persons  holding  more  than  5,000  acres  in  the  ag- 
gregate had  entered  into  the  required  agreement. 
The  Commercial  Club  committee,  whose  mem- 
bers were  among  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
county,  opened  headquarters  in  the  office  of  P. 
A.  Getz  for  the  receiving  of  land  pledges.  The 
time  limit  fixed  by  Mr.  Black  for  securing  the 
necessary  30.000  acres  was  thirty  days  from  May 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1st.  All  interested  in  the  project  labored  with 
unusual  energy.  Many  gave  days  of  their  time 
to  securing  the  desired  contracts,  and  Palmer 
Brothers'  livery  stable,  of  Ellensburg,  furnished 
free  transportation  to  all  who  would  take  up  the 
matter  with  land  owners.  The  newspapers  ac- 
corded considerable  space  to  furthering  the  pro- 
posal; in  fact,  never  before  in  the  county's  his- 
tory was  so  much  interest  manifested  in  irriga- 
tion matters. 

But  the  hopes  of  all  were  to  receive  a  sudden 
setback.  Friday  afternoon,  May  29th,  all  busi- 
ness houses  were  closed  and  business  generallv 
suspended  that  all  might  attend  a  mass  meeting 
called  by  Mr.  Black  in  the  opera  house  of  Ellens- 
burg. Several  hundred  citizens  gathered,  believ- 
ing that  the  long-sought  high  line  ditch  was  now  an 
assured  fact  and  that  at  the  meeting  Mr.  Black 
would  set  in  motion  the  plan  outlined.  Instead, 
he  stated  that  he  was  unable  to  do  anything  for 
them  and  so  far  as  he  was  concerned,  the  matter 
was  ended.  His  explanations  were  plainly  with- 
out substantial  foundation ;  the  true  reason  of  his 
action  lay  deeper. 

A  more  astonished  and  crestfallen  audience 
than  his  was  after  this  unexpected  announcement 
probably  never  confronted  a  public  speaker. 
The  committees  of  citizens,  which  had  so  proudly 
taken  their  seats  upon  the  platform  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  victorious  ending  of  their  work — and 
better  work  was  never  before  done  in  Kittitas 
county  by  committees — were  utterly  crushed  by 
the  turn  events  had  taken.  Indignation  blazed 
from  every  eye.  A  few  denunciatory  speeches 
by  wrathy  citizens  followed,  Prosecuting  Attor- 
ney Warner  taking  the  lead,  after  which  the 
meeting  adjourned  amid  confusion. 

While  Black  withheld  the  real  explanation 
of  his  remarkable  action  from  the  general  public, 
he  subsequently  made  the  matter  clear  to  at  least 
two  reliable,  interested  citizens.  The  man  from 
Colorado,  it  seems,  had  attempted  to  carry  out 
a  scheme  of  unusual  boldness.  He  never  for  a 
moment  intended  to  desert  his  irrigation  project 
in  this  county,  but  was  simply  playing  to  secure 
better  terms  than  his  original  proposition  gave 
him.  He  thought  that  when  he  had  thrown  the 
people  into  the  slough  of  Despond  by  his  sudden 
and  radical  coup,  they  would  be  ready  to  accept 
any  proposition  he  might  make.  The  result 
showed  that  he  had  completely  mistaken  the  tem- 
per and  spirit  of  the  Kittitas  citizens. 

The  people  rallied  forthwith  from  the  confu- 
sion into  which  Black's  shameful  conduct  had 
thrown  them,  reconvened  and  chose  M.  E.  Flynn 
and  S.  C.  Boedcher  chairman  and  secretary  re- 
spectively of  their  meeting.  A  committee' was 
appointed  consisting  of  A.  L.  Slemmons,  Jerry 
Vanderbilt.  W.  M.  Kennev,  James  Burke  and 
C.  V.  Warner  to  confer  with  Mr.  Wells  or  others 
regarding  canal  matters.     This  committee,  how- 


ever, never  received  any  substantial  encourage- 
ment and  the  high  line  ditch  still  exists  in  pros- 
pect only. 

Whatever  help  has  since  come  to  the  people 
of  Kittitas  valley  in  the  way  of  irrigation  canal 
construction  has  resulted  from  the  efforts  of 
Samuel  T.  Packwood  and  his  co-laborers  of  the 
Cascade  Canal  Company,  heretofore  mentioned. 
They  are  just  completing  a  ditch  to  cover  15,000 
acres.  The  same  company  is  now  considering 
the  matter  of  constructing  a  high  line  canal 
somewhat  lower  than  the  proposed  Wells  ditch, 
and  as  this  corporation  and  its  president,  Mr. 
Packwood,  have  invariably  carried  through  ev- 
erything they  have  undertaken,  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  if  the  construction  of  the 
proposed  canal  is  found  practicable  under  exist- 
ing conditions,  it  will  soon  be  undertaken  and 
pushed  to  a  successful  issue. 

One  melancholy  event  of  the  year  1902  may 
perhaps  be  noticed  briefly.  On  May  10th,  Oscar 
Rentzsche's  saloon,  Ellensburg,  became  the  scene 
of  a  sensational  tragedy,  in  which  John  B.  Stan- 
ley lost  his  life.  His  slayer,  John  W.  Ellis, 
walked  through  the  front  door  opening  on  Third 
street,  and  called  Stanley  to  him,  presumably  to 
speak  to  him.  Stanley  came  out  from  behind 
the  screen  and  was  shot  down  without  warning 
by  Ellis  in  the  presence  of  a  score  of  people. 
The  latter  immediately  gave  himself  over  to  the 
authorities.  Both  men  were  gamblers  and  well 
known  in  sporting  circles.  Each  had  a  sangui- 
nary record  and  the  testimony  showed  that  a 
long  standing  feud  existed  between  the  men; 
also  that  Stanley  had  repeatedly  said  that  he 
and  Ellis  must  separate  or  one  of  them  must 
die.  A  few  days  previous  to  the  shooting  the 
men  met  on  the  ball  grounds  near  Ellensburg 
and  a  shooting  affray  in  the  presence  of  several 
hundred  people  was  narrowly  averted. 

Ellis  was  at  once  tried  in  the  superior  court 
for  the  murder  of  Stanley,  convicted  of  man- 
slaughter and  sentenced  by  Judge  Rudkin  to 
eleven  years  in  the  penitentiary.  On  appeal 
Ellis  secured  a  new  trial  and  in  May,  1903,  was 
acquitted  and  discharged  from  custody. 

Events  of  the  last  year  or  two  are  too  fresh 
in  the  memories  of  all  to  require  detailed  narra- 
tion here.  Crops  were  excellent  in  1903,  prices 
good,  conditions  propitious,  prosperity  univer- 
sal and  progress  the  watchword  everywhere ;  and 
the  current  year  gives  promise  of  being  superior 
even  to  its  predecessor.  The  development  of 
Kittitas  county,  begun  under  unfavorable  con- 
ditions and  carried  on  in  the  face  of  obstacles 
and  discouragements,  continues  to  go  forward 
with  ever  increasing  momentum,  keeping  pace 
with  the  advance  of  this  great  commonwealth  of 
Washington  and  the  rapidly  expanding  Pacific. 

Perhaps  the  most  pleasant,  inspiring  and  uni- 
versally   interesting   of   recent   occurrences    was 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


275 


the  President  Roosevelt  reception.  May  25,  1903. 
The  president's  train  pulled  into  the  station  at 
nine  o'clock  A.  M.,  amid  the  wildest  demonstra- 
tions of  the  thousands  of  people  who  had  gath- 
ered from  the  stores  and  shops  and  homes  of 
Ellensburg,  from  other  towns  of  mountain  and 
valley,  and  from  farms  far  and  near.  The  school 
children,  the  band,  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 
public and  the  Spanish  war  veterans  were  all  in 
evidence  and  aglow  with  his  reception.  He  ad- 
dressed to  the  assembled  multitudes  the  fol- 
lowing words  of  greeting  and  sound  wisdom : 

Mr.  Mayor,  my  fellow  citizens,  my  fellow  Americans : 
It  is  the  greatest  pleasure  to  be  with  you  today.  First 
of  all  let  me  greet  those  whom  I  know.  Others  will  not 
specially  grudge  my  specially  greeting  the  men  of  the 
Grand  Army  and  representatives  of  those  who  did  even 
more  than  the  men  of  the  Civil  war,  the  women.  (Cheers 
and  applause).  For  while  the  men  went  to  battle,  to  the 
women  fell  the  harder  task  of  seeing  husband  or  lover, 
father  or  brother,  going  to  war,  and  she  herself  having 
to  stay  behind  with  the  load  of  doubt,  anxiety,  uncer- 
tainty, and  often  the  hard  difficulty  of  making  both  ends 
meet  in  the  household  while  the  bread  winner  was  away. 
In  a  state  like  Washington  with  its  record  of  active,  vig- 
orous life,  its  representatives  of  the  men  who  fought,  I 
do  not  wonder  that  her  sons  did  so  well  in  the  Philip- 
pines. I  am  not  surprised  that  you  here  should  have  sent 
a  company  which,  as  I  understand,  lost  more  than  almost 
any  other  company  of  all  the  troops  in  the  Philippines. 
They  were  my  brethren,  my  comrades  in  our  war,  which 
was  a  very  little  war  compared  to  yours,  but  still  we  had 
a  job  to  do.  and  we  did  it.      (Applause). 

Let  me  say  a  special  word  of  greeting  to  those  at 
the  other  end,  the  children.  I  have  greeted  the  veterans ; 
now  I  want  to  greet  the  children  specially.  I  am  very, 
very  glad  to  see  you.  I  have  just  one  word  to  say  to 
you.  It  applies  almost  as  well  to  your  elders.  I  believe 
in  play.  I  believe  in  work.  Play  hard  while  you  play, 
when  you  work  do  not  play  at  all.      (Applause). 

In  congratulating  you  of  Washington  upon  your  lum- 
ber, your  commerce,  upon  your  great  coal  fields,  upon 
cattle  upon  a  thousand  hills,  in  congratulating  you  upon 
all  your  products  I  congratulate  you  most  upon  the  chil- 
dren. They  seem  all  right  in  quality  and  in  quantity. 
I  believe  in  your  stock,  and  I  am  glad  it  is  being  kept 
up.      (Applause). 

It  has  pleased  me  particularly,  coming  through  this 
mighty  state  with  its  extraordinary  capacity  for  industrial 
development,  to  see  you,  men  and  women,  who  are  de- 
veloping it,  and  at  the  same  time  that  you  are  taking  the 
fullest  advantage  of  your  material  resources,  are  taking 
care  to  build  upon  those  as  a  foundation  for  a  higher 
life,  that  you  are  taking  thought  for  the  next  generation, 
taking  thought  for  the  country,  and  for  the  people  that 
are  to  come  after  you. 

No  men  do  their  duty  if  they  simply  think  of  their 
own  interests,  if  they  do  not  shape  governmental  policy, 
their  social  policy  for  the  country  as  a  whole,  the  country 
that  is  to  come  after  them.  Exactly  as  every  man  worth 
his  salt  or  woman  worth  her  salt,  will  care  even  more 
for  their  own  children's  well  being,  so  in  this  nation  we 
are  bound  in  honor  to  shape  our  present  policy  with  a 
view  to  the  nation's  future  needs,  to  do  as  you  did  in 
the  Civil  war.  You  went  to  war.  you  faced  four  years 
of  conflict  that  generations  that  come  after  you  for  cen- 
turies to  come  should  live  in  union,  in  peace  within  our 
borders.  (Applause).  So  when  you  provide  for  train- 
ing, upbuilding  of  children,  when  you  provide  for  schools 
— high  schools,  normal  schools,  academy,  college — you  are 
building  firm,  wide,  deep  foundations  for  right  and  great- 
ness  of  the   future;    for,   after  all,   important   though  ma- 


terial resources  are,  important  though  your  wheat,  your 
lumber,  your  fisheries,  your  cattle,  your  mines,  your  com- 
merce, your  factories  are,  most  important  of  all  is  the 
standard   of  good  citizenship  which  you  produce. 

I  congratulate  Washington  upon  its  school  system, 
upon  all  its  schools  from  the  simplest  to  the  highest ;  I 
say  a  word  of  special  greeting  to  those  engaged  in  teach- 
ing. No  other  body  of  men  or  women  in  time  of  peace 
does  a  more  important  -work  than  those  upon  whose 
teaching  the  example  of  sympathy,  self  abnegation,  en- 
thusiasm, so  much  for  the  future  generations  depends. 

Yet  men  and  women  must  remember  that  you  can- 
not put  off  upon  teachers  the  whole  duty  of  educating 
the  next  generation.  Fathers,  mothers,  must  educate  their 
children  in  their  own  homes  by  precept,  by  example. 
Just  let  me  say  this,  that  if  your  precepts  and  your  ex- 
amples differ  you  cannot  expect  good  results  for  children. 
There  is  no  use  preaching  unselfishness  if  father  consist- 
ently leads  a  selfish  life.  There  is  no  use  preaching  the 
gospel  of  work  if  the  father  or  mother  shirks  work. 
There  is  no  use  preaching  the  gospel  of  duty  if  there  is 
no  attempt  to  perform  duty  on  the  part  of  those  who 
preach  it.  A  father  and  mother  have  a  duty  in  educating 
their  children  of  which  no  one  can  relieve  them.  Teach- 
ers can  do  much,  but,  after  all,  it  is  the  help  in  the  home 
which  can  do  most. 

I  also  want  to  say  a  word  upon  the  kinds  of  quality 
which  we  need  in  citizenship,  for  we  need  more  than  one 
kind.  In  the  first  place  you  need  decency,  honesty,  the 
spirit  of  fair  dealing,  the  spirit  that  makes  a  man  a  good 
neighbor,  a  good  friend,  the  spirit  that  makes  a  man 
do  his  duty  by  the  state.  If  you  have  not  the  foundation 
for  clean  living  and  fair  dealing  in  you,  then  the  greater 
a  man's  ability  is,  the  worse  he  is  for  the  community. 
It  is  just  as  it  was  in  the  Civil  war;  if  a  man  had  not 
the  spirit  of  loyalty,  of  obedience,  of  faith  to  the  flag,  of 
faith  to  the  nation,  then  the  stronger,  abler,  more  cun- 
ning he  was,  the  more  dangerous  he  was.  In  his  regi- 
ment he  was  the  cause  of  disturbance ;  outside  the  regi- 
ment he  would  come  very  near  being  a  traitor  to  the 
nation. 

So  in  civic  life,  exactly  as  bodily  strength  if  unac- 
companied by  spirit  of  self  restraint,  makes  a  man  a  dan- 
gerous brute,  while  at  the  same  time  if  guided  in  the 
right,  it  makes  him  a  most  valuable  citizen,  so  mere  in- 
tellectual ability,  power  that  makes  a  man  able  to  rise 
in  the  world,  his  smartness,  his  business  capacity,  his 
shrewdness,  if  there  is  not  a  backing  of  moral  sense  be- 
hind it,  make  him  more  dangerous. 

In  this  country  we  urgently  need  to  have  it  estab- 
lished that  weight  of  public  opinion  shall  be  felt  just  as 
heavily  against  the  scoundrel  who  succeeds  as  against  the 
scoundrel  who  fails.  (Applause).  But  that  is  not 
enough.  Exactly  as  in  the  Civil  war,  you  need  patriot- 
ism first,  but  patriotism  did  not  count  if  the  men  ran 
away.  So  it  is  in  civil  life.  In  addition  to  the  spirit  of 
decency,  of  fair  dealing,  of  honesty,  you  must  have  strong 
virile  virtues ;  virtues  that  make  a  man  able  to  hold  his 
own  in  the  world;  to  make  his  weight  felt  as  of  moment 
in  the  larger  life  of  the  nation.  It  is  not  enough  to  mean 
well  when  you  sit  at  home.  You  have  to  be  able  to  do 
well  when  you  get  out  into  the  actual  field.  You  have 
to  be  able  to  do  well  in  your  trade,  in  business,  to  keep 
your  family,  to  make  yourself  felt ;  to  bring  up  your 
children  so  that  they  shall  go  upward  a  little,  to  make 
yourself  count,  whatever  your  part. 

Virtue  that  sits  at  home  in  its  parlor  and  bemoans 
how  bad  the  world  is  never  yet  benefited  anyone.  What 
we  need  is  a  type  of  decent  man  who  can  go  out,  hold 
his  own  against  all  comers ;  who,  without  losing  his  sense 
of  decency,  can  make  himself  felt  as  a  man  of  weight 
wherever  he  is  put.  That  applies  in  the  education  of 
children. 

Let  me  come  back  to  that  for  just  one  moment.  One 
thing  that  always  makes  me  feel  a  little  melancholy  is 
to   see  fathers  and  mothers  who  themselves  have  worked 


276 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


hard,  led  useful  lives,  but  who,  in  a  queer,  misguided 
spirit  of  foolish  affection,  try  to  save  their  children  from 
trouble  by  also  saving  them  from  being  of  any  earthly 
use  in  the  world.     That  is  not  affection ;  that  is  folly. 

You  all  know,  among  your  own  neighbors,  the  man, 
I  am  sorry  to  say,  who  will  say,  "Well,  I  have  worked 
hard:  my  boys  shall  enjoy  themselves;"  or  if  a  woman, 
she  will  say,  "I  have  had  to  work  hard;  my  girls  shall 
be  ladies."  under  the  foolish  belief  that  to  be  a  lady 
means  that  you  are  not  to  work,  not  to  do,  not  to  be  of 
any  use  in  the  world.  Those  parents  are  preparing  for 
their  children  a  life  of  misery,  a  life  of  uselessness ;  be- 
cause of  all  form  of  life,  that  which  on  the  whole  is  least 
attractive,  which  has  least  real  joy  in  it,  is  the  life  con- 
sciously devoted  to  nothing  but  the  pursuit  of  pleasure. 
It  is  the  meanest  type  of  life  that  there  is  to  lead. 

In  '61  there  were  lots  of  people  in  the  country  who 
were  too  fond  of  ease  to  go  into  the  war ;  the  easy  thing 
to  do  was  to  stay  at  home  and  say  the  country  could  not 
be  saved;  the  hard  thing  to  do  was  to  get  out  and  save 
it.  Those  men  stayed  at  home;  they  walked  delicately; 
they  lived  on  the  earth's  soft  places  while  you  had  what 
you  could  carry  on  your  back,  and  lay  where  night  over- 
took you,  marched  until  you  were  so  footsore  and  weary 


that  you  thought  you  could  not  keep  up  any  longer.  You 
found  the  blanket  so  heavy  that  if  you  were  a  recruit, 
you  threw  it  away  and  at  midnight  wished  you  had  two. 
You  did  that  for  four  years  while  others  lived  at  ease. 
Which  had  the  real  life — had  the  life  that  was  worth  liv- 
ing; which  is  proud  now  to  stand  on  the  heritage  of 
what  was  done?  The  man  that  risked,  fought,  labored, 
shed  his  blood — he  is  the  man  who  counts ;  he  is  the  man 
who  had  a   good   time  in  life. 

I  do  not  pity  any  man  because  he  has  had  to  work 
at  something  worth  doing  and  did  it  well.  I  admire  him; 
so  it  is  in  civil  life.  Train  your  children,  not  how  to 
avoid  difficulties,  but  how  to  overcome  them ;  train  your 
children  not  to  shirk  what  is  hard,  disagreeable,  but  to 
do  it  well.  I  believe  in  this  country;  I  believe  in  you 
and  those  like  you,  because  I  know  that  in  this  country 
the  average  citizen  has  in  him  or  her  the  power  to  lead 
just  that  kind  of  a  life;  has  worth  in  his  soul;  the  spirit 
that  drives  him  on  to  work  for  worthy  ends  and  to  win 
triumph  as   a   result. 

My  fellow  citizens,  I  have  enjoyed  to  the  full  coming 
here  to  greet  you  this  morning — the  men,  the  women,  the 
children.  It  has  done  me  good  to  see  you.  (Cheers  and 
applause). 


CHAPTER  III. 


POLITICAL. 


As  told  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  Kittitas 
county  came  into  existence  late  in  the  fall  of 
1883,  the  creating  act  being  approved  by  the 
governor  November  28th.  Upon  that  memora- 
ble day  in  local  history  Yakima  county  lost 
nearly  3,000  square  miles  or  more  than  a  third 
of  its  territory,  several  hundred  of  its  popula- 
tion, and  dominion  over  one  of  the  largest  and 
fairest  valleys  in  the  Northwest.  The  new  po- 
litical division  thus  erected  was  a  strong  one 
from  the  beginning  and  capable  of  sustaining 
a  much  greater  population.  So  rapid  was  its 
development  during  the  first  years  of  its  life 
that  it  soon  attained  to  a  more  prominent  posi- 
tion in  territorial  affairs  than  did  the  mother 
county  itself.  The  two  campaigns  preceding  the 
organization  of  the  new  county  were  lively  ones 
for  the  citizens  of  this  region,  the  overshadow- 
ing issue  being  whether  or  not  the  people  of  the 
Kittitas  should  be  citizens  of  a  new  political  di- 
vision or  remain  citizens  of  Yakima  county. 
John  A.  Shoudy,  the  father  of  Ellensburg,  was 
elected  territorial  representative  in  1882  and  at 
the  next  session  of  the  legislature  succeeded  in 
securing  the  passage  of  his  countv  bill. 

By  virtue  of  section  two  of  the  creating  act, 
the  board  of  commissioners  of  Kittitas  county, 


consisting  of  Robert  N.  Canaday,  Republican, 
Samuel  T.  Packwood  and  Charles  P.  Cooke, 
Democrats,  met  in  called  session  in  Ellensburg, 
December  17,  1883,  for  the  purpose  of  organizing 
the  county  government.  Commissioner  Canaday 
was  elected  chairman  of  the  board.  The  board 
then  proceeded  to  appoint  the  following  officials, 
all  of  whom  qualified  and  entered  upon  the  ad- 
ministration of  their  offices :  Auditor,  W.  H. 
Peterson,  Democrat;  probate  judge,  Walter  A. 
Bull,  Republican;  treasurer,  Thomas  Johnson, 
Republican;  sheriff  and  assessor,  John  C.  Good- 
win, Republican;  superintendent  of  schools,  Miss 
Irene  Cumberlin,  Democrat;  surveyor,  John  R. 
Wallace,  Republican ;  sheep  commissioner,  E. 
W.  Lyen,  Democrat:  and  Dr.  Newton  Henton, 
Republican,  coroner.  The  following  day  the 
board  authorized  the  auditor  to  purchase  the 
necessary  office  supplies  for  county  purposes, 
and  adjourned  sine  die. 

The  board  met  in  first  regular  session,  Mon- 
day, February  4.  1884.  all  being  present.  B.  D. 
Southern  and  others  presented  a  petition  pray- 
ing for  the  resurvey  and  establishment  of  the 
Durr  bridge  and  Tanum  creek  county  road  with 
the  following  changes,  to-wit :  "Leaving  the  line 
of    the    countv    road    some    fortv    or    fiftv    rods 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


V7 


west  of  the  Robinson  schoolhouse,  to  run 
in  a  northwesterly  course  to  the  north  side 
of  a  grove  on  S.  T.  Packwood's  land  claim; 
thence  to  continue  and  run  due  west  until 
it  intersects  the  county  road ;  and  that  the  road 
be  located  as  it  is  now  traveled  through  Mr. 
Hayworth's  land  claim,  B.  D.  Southern's  claim, 
thence  within  thirty  feet  of  Seward  Southern's 
pre-emption  claim  and  thence  north  to  the  afore- 
said road."  J.  H.  Stevens  and  J.  L.  Vaughn 
were  appointed  viewers  and  J.  R.  Wallace  sur- 
veyor of  the  proposed  road.  The  road  was  offi- 
cially accepted  by  the  county  at  the  May  term. 
Although  not  the  first  road  established  within 
the  county's  boundaries,  this  road  was  the  first 
one  established  by  Kittitas  county  officials. 

The  same  day  the  board  appointed  F.  M. 
Thorp  and  O.  Hutchinson  as  viewers  for  a  new 
county  road  to  run  from  George  Ellison's  place 
to  Mat.  Becker's  old  sawmill  site.  This  road 
was  known  as  the  Watt  canyon  road ;  it  was 
duly  established  in  Ma}'.  On  the  following  day 
the  board  acted  on  still  another  road  petition, 
one  presented  by  F.  Leon  hard  and  others  for  a 
road  beginning  at  the  south  end  of  Pearl  street, 
Ellensburg,  and  terminating  at  or  near  the 
southeast  quarter  of  the  northeast  quarter  of 
section  twenty-two,  all  in  township  seventeen 
north,  range  eighteen  east.  E.  R.  Yocum  and 
B.  W.  Frisbie  were  appointed  viewers.  This 
road  and  a  relocation  of  the  old  Nanum  creek 
road  were  also  established  at  the  May  term. 

The  board  next  directed  its  attention  to  a 
division  of  the  county  into  twelve  road  districts, 
the  names  of  the  first  supervisors,  in  the  numer- 
ical order  of  the  districts,  being  as  follows :  Till- 
man Houser,  T.  T.  Wilson,  Thomas  Haley,  Ja- 
cob Bowers,  W.  H.  Stoddard  (elected),  J.  J.  Su- 
ver,  David  Freer,  Elmer  Lockwood,  Joseph  Ste- 
vens, J.  Jostes,  William  Briggs  (elected),  and 
W.  A.  Stevens. 

On  February  7th  the  board  divided  the  county 
into  three  commissioners'  districts: 

"No.  1.  Commencing  on  the  Yakima  river  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Nanum  creek ;  thence  up  said 
creek  to  the  head  of  same;  thence  in  a  northerly 
direction  to  the  mouth  of  Nigger  creek  on  the 
Wenachie  river;  thence  down  the  Columbia 
river  to  the  south  line  of  Kittitas  county;  thence 
west  on  said  line  to  the  Yakima  river;  thence  up 
said  river  to  the.  place  of  beginning. 

"No.  2.  Commencing  on  the  Yakima  river  at 
the  mouth  of  Nanum  creek ;  thence  up  said  creek 
to  its  head ;  thence  northerly  to  the  mouth  of 
Nigger  creek  on  the  Wenachie  river;  thence  up 
the  Wenachie  river  to  the  summit  of  the  Cascade 
mountains ;  thence  westerly  to  the  headwaters 
of  the  Yakima  river ;  thence  down  said  river  t© 
the  place  of  beginning. 

"No.  3.     Shall  be  and  comprise  all  that  part 


of  Kittitas  county  on  the  west  side  of  Yakima 
river." 

At  the  May  term  the  board  authorized  Au- 
ditor Peterson  to  enter  into  a  contract  with  A. 
W.  Engle,  cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Ellensburg,  for  the  rent  of  rooms  adjoining  the 
office  room  and  vault  of  that  bank  as  offices  for 
the  auditor  and  sheriff;  the  auditor  was  also  au- 
thorized to  rent  a  portion  of  the  bank's  vault. 
Accordingly  a  six  months'  lease  at  $25  a  month 
was  entered  into  between  the  bank  and  the 
county  and  the  latter's  officials  at  once  occupied 
their  temporary  courthouse. 

The  August  term  was  a  busy  and  an  impor- 
tant one.  The  first  business  of  consequence  to 
come  before  the  board  was  the  laying  out  of  six 
election  precincts,  which  was  done  August  5th  as 
follows :  Whitson  or  East  Kittitas,  with  voting 
place  at  the  Grange  schoolhouse;  Ellensburg; 
Wenas,  with  voting  place  at  Henson's  sawmill ; 
West  Kittitas,  with  voting  place  at  the  Bond 
school ;  Swauk,  voting  place  at  the  Virden 
schoolhouse ;  and  Wenatchee,  voting  place  in 
Miller  &  Greer's  store.  Then  grand  and  petit 
jurors  were  drawn  for  service  at  the  county's 
first  term  of  court,  and  principally  that  the  names 
of  as  many  pioneers  as  possible  may  be  preserved 
we  give  the  list  of  those  drawn  :  Grand  jury, 
A.  Burge,  William  Briggs,  C.  C.  Coleman,  G.  W. 
Carver,  H.  M.  Cooper,  John  Davis,  B.  W.  Fris- 
bie, J.  F.  LeClerc,  David  Freer,  R.  F.  Mont- 
gomery, J.  L.  Mills,  and  J.  H.  Stevens ;  petit 
jurors,  John  Amlin,  John  Catlin,  J.  S.  Dysart, 
William  Grim,  O.  Hutchinson,  Henry  Knight, 
T.  D.  Quinn,  T.  O.  Stepp,  Braxton  D.  Southern, 
J.  P.  Sharp,  David  Wheaton,  J.  L.  Vaughn, 
Jacob  Bowers,  James  Curtis,  Tom  Doke,  James 
Ferguson,  E.  G.  Grindrod,  John  Haley,  William 
J.  McCausland,  B.  S.  Pease,  S.  T.  Sterling,  Wil- 
liam Taylor,  V.  C.  Wynegar,  and  J.  R.  Van  Al- 
stine.  The  contract  for  county  printing  was 
awarded  D.  J.  Schnebly,  proprietor  of  the  Lo- 
calizer. The  application  of  the  Seattle  and  Walla 
Walla  Trail  and  Wagon  Road  Company  for  the 
privilege  of  maintaining  a  toll  road  from  the 
summit  of  the  Cascades  down  to  Tanum  creek 
over  their  old  route  was  favorably  acted  upon  at 
this  same  session.  Before  adjourning  the  board 
rented,  for  $15  a  day,  Elliott's  hall,  in  the  First 
National  Bank  building,  for  use  as  a  courtroom  : 
agreed  upon  and  levied  the  following  tax  assess- 
ment: territorial  two  and  a  half  mills,  peniten- 
tiary one-quarter  mill,  county  eight  mills,  school 
three  mills,  road  and  bridge  one  mill,  property 
road  one  mill  and  poll  four  dollars ;  and  author- 
ized the  issuance  of  warrants  to  the  amount  of 
$15,407.62,  payable  to  Yakima  county  as  Kit- 
titas county's  share  of  the  mother  county's  in- 
debtedness, agreed  upon  by  the  respective 
auditors. 

Sheriff   Goodwin    presented    his    resignation    to 


278 


CENTRAL     WASHINGTON. 


the  board  November  7,  1884,  whereupon  Com- 
missioner Packwood,  having  also  resigned,  was 
appointed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  the 
former. 

Kittitas  county's  first  general  election  was 
held  in  November,  1884,  and  was  an  event  of 
great  importance  in  local  history.  There  were 
no  local  issues  of  special  importance  involved, 
the  contest  being  overshadowed  by  the  presiden- 
tial struggle,  though  Washington  as  a  territory 
could  take  no  deciding  part  in  the  greater  cam- 
paign. The  Republicans  gathered  in  county  con- 
vention at  Elliott's  hall,  Saturday  afternoon, 
August  23d.  Dr.  I.  N.  Power  was  chosen  chair- 
man;  R.  Price,  secretary.  The  following  dele- 
gates were  seated :  Nanum,  B.  \V.  Lewis, 
Thomas  Haley,  James  Dysart  and  S.  T.  Sterling; 
Wenas,  Charles  Pressey;  West  Kittitas,  J.  P. 
Sharp,  R.  G.  Hawn,  B.  D.  Southern  and  W.  A. 
Stevens ;  Ellensburg,  Austin  Mires,  I.  N.  Power, 
Thomas  Johnson  and  S.  C.  Davidson ;  Swauk, 
M.  C.  Giles,  R.  Price  and  T.  Caster;  Wenatchee, 
unrepresented.  The  convention  adopted  the 
short  but  strong  platform  given  below: 

"Resolved,  That  we  indorse  the  platform  of 
the  National  Republican  convention,  adopted  at 
Chicago  in  1884,  and  the  nominees  thereof  for 
president  and  vice-president,  James  G.  Blaine 
and  John  A.  Logan. 

"Resolved,  That  we  demand  an  economical 
administration  of  all  public  offices,  both  terri- 
torial and  county. 

"Resolved,  That  we  favor  the  speedy  admis- 
sion of  our  territory  into  the  union." 

Dr.  I.  N.  Power,  S.  T.  Sterling,  R.  Price  and 
Thomas  Haley  were  chosen  as  delegates  to  the 
territorial  convention,  while  the  county  ticket 
was  selected  as  follows :  Probate  judge,  W.  A. 
Bull ;  auditor,  J.  R.  Wallace :  sheriff-assessor, 
J.  J.  Imbrie;  treasurer,  E.  Dickson;  commis- 
sioners, W.  A.  Stevens,  Thomas  Haley  and  J.  S. 
Dysart;  surveyor,  B.  E.  Craig;  superintendent  of 
schools,  Rev.  J.  A.  Laurie ;  coroner,  Dr.  T.  J. 
Newland ;  sheep  commissioner,  Mat.  Becker. 

The  Democrats  met  in  the  same  hall,  Au- 
gust 30th,  the  officers  of  the  convention  being 
John  Amlin,  chairman,  and  G.  W.  Seaton,  secre- 
tary. The  delegates  present  were:  Ellensburg, 
James  J.  Hart,  Nick  Rollinger,  John  Cato,  Harry 
Simpson,  M.  C.  Sprague,  L.  Pool,  G.  W.  Seaton ; 
Whitson,  A.  A.  Meade,  John  Davis,  R.  F.  Mont- 
gomery, W.  Taylor,  John  Thompson,  Daniel 
Gaby,  Jesse  McDonald;  West  Kittitas,  S.  T. 
Packwood,  J.  M.  Shelton,  O.  Hutchinson,  John 
Amlin,  P.  Barnes,  John  Neuman,  James  Brooks ; 
Wenas.  Jacob  Somers;  Teanawav,  S.  S.  Bates, 
James  Stevens,  B.  K.  May,  Peter  McCallum. 
The  platform  adopted  read: 

"Resolved,  That  we  approve  the  platform  of 
the  Democratic  National  convention  and  indorse 


the  nomination  of  Grover  Cleveland  and  Thomas 
A.  Hendricks  for  president  and  vice-president. 

"Resolved,  That  to  insure  an  economical  ad- 
ministration of  public  affairs  in  all  public  offices 
it  is  necessary  to  put  Democrats  into  office. 

"Resolved,  That  we  favor  the  regulation  of 
railroad  traffic  to  avoid  discrimination  in  favor 
of  Portland,  and  against  the  people  east  of  the 
Cascades." 

The  county  ticket  placed  in  the  field  by  this 
convention  consisted  of  John  Davis  for  probate 
judge;  W.  H.  Peterson  for  auditor;  Samuel  T. 
Packwood  for  sheriff;  J.  J.  Mueller  for  treasurer; 
Miss  Irene  Cumberlin  for  superintendent  of 
schools ;  George  W.  Seaton  for  surveyor ;  C.  C. 
Coleman  for  sheep  commissioner;  Dr.  M.  V. 
Amen  for  coroner;  and  C.  P.  Cooke,  J.  R.  Van 
Alstine  and  J.  M.  Shelton  for  county  commis- 
sioners. 

There  were  some  dissatisfied  Democrats  and 
Independents,  however,  and  these  met  Septem- 
ber 29th  in  Elliott's  hall.  They  nominated  E. 
N.  Cooke  for  sheriff;  A.  Whitson  for  commis- 
sioner from  district  No.  1 ;  and  B.  E.  Craig  for 
surveyor;  the  Democratic  nominees  for  the  other 
offices  were  indorsed. 

From  the  official  vote,  given  below,  the  rest 
of  the  story  may  be  read: 

Delegate  to  congress,  Voorhees,  Democrat, 
551,  Armstrong,  Republican,  34^;  adjutant  gen- 
eral, Anderson,  Democrat,  485,  O'Brien,  Repub- 
lican, 412;  brigadier  general,  McAuliff,  Demo- 
crat, 485,  Peel,  Republican,  411;  commissary 
general,  Berg,  Democrat,  466,  Livingston,  Re- 
publican, 410;  quartermaster  general,  Hand, 
Democrat,  485,  Jackson,  Republican,  411;  prose- 
cuting attorney,  Dustin,  Democrat,  520,  Smith, 
Republican,  458;  joint  councilman,  J.  B.  Reavis 
(elected),  Democrat,  451,  John  A.  Shoudy,  Re- 
publican, 410;  joint  representative,  Yakima  and 
Kittitas,  C.  P.  Cooke  (elected),  Democrat,  639, 
W.  L.  Stabler,  Republican,  336;  sheriff,  Samuel 
T.  Packwood,  Democrat,  441,  J.  J.  Imbrie,  Re- 
publican, 318,  Ed.  Cooke,  Independent,  52,  Till- 
man, also  an  Independent,  50;  auditor,  W.  H. 
Peterson,  Democrat,  722,  J.  R.  Wallace,  Repub- 
lican. 145 ;  treasurer,  J.  J.  Mueller,  Democrat, 
604,  E.  Dickson,  Republican,  267;  probate  judge, 
John  Davis,  Democrat,  482,  W.  A.  Bull,  Repub- 
lican, 382 ;  commissioners,  R.  F.  Montgomery, 
Democrat.  466,  J.  S.  Dysart,  Republican,  505, 
J.  R.  VanAlstine,  Democrat,  498.  Thomas  Haley, 
Republican,  405.  J.  M.  Shelton,  Democrat,  475, 
W.  A.  Stevens,  Republican,  397 ;  surveyor,  G.  W. 
Seaton.  Democrat,  339,  B.  E.  Craig,  Republican, 
240,  J.  R.  Wallace,  Independent,  278;  superin- 
tendent public  schools,  Miss  Irene  Cumberlin, 
Democrat,  606,  J.  A.  Laurie,  Republican,  265; 
coroner.  Dr.  M.  V.  Amen,  Democrat,  479,  T.  J. 
Newland,  Republican,  397;  sheep  commissioner, 
C.  C.  Coleman,  Democrat,  477,  Mat.  Becker,  379; 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


church  property  tax,  yes  438,  no  256.  Of  course, 
the  electors  were  asked  to  permanently  locate 
the  county  seat.  Ellensburg,  being  practically 
the  only  candidate  in  the  field,  easily  carried  off 
the  prize,  receiving  630  votes  out  of  a  total  of 
760.  The  proposition  submitted  by  the  commis- 
sioners to  spend  $4,000  in  the  erection  of  a  small 
county  building  and  vault  was  received  with  gen- 
eral disfavor,  the  vote  standing  only  133  affirm- 
atively, while  489  voted  negatively.  So  the 
county  remained  without  a  courthouse  three 
years  longer. 

During  the  ensuing  two  years  Kittitas  county 
enjoyed  a  wonderful  growth,  which  resulted  in  a 
general  shaking  up  of  county  affairs.  In  March, 
1886,  Miss  Cumberlin  and  J.  J.  Mueller  resigned 
their  respective  offices.  The  board  appointed 
D.  G.  C.  Baker  as  superintendent  of  schools  and 
Henry  Rehmke  to  succeed  Mueller  as  treasurer. 
June  28th  local  option  elections  were  held  in  sev- 
eral precincts.  Whitson  precinct  alone  refused 
the  saloon  admittance  to  its  territory,  Ellens- 
burg, West  Kittitas  and  Swauk  defeating  the 
prohibition  movement  by  large  majorities.  J.  R. 
Wallace,  who  had  become  surveyor  in  the  mean- 
time, resigned  his  office  in  November,  1886,  and 
the  office  remained  vacant  until  the  first  of  the 
year  1887.  The  general  election  was  held  No- 
vember 2,  1886,  seven  precincts  participating, 
Whitson,  Ellensburg,  West  Kittitas,  Tunnel 
City,  Wenatchee,  Mission  Creek  and  Teanaway. 
No  local  issues  of  special  importance  distin- 
guished the  campaign.  As  a  thorough  search 
through  the  records  fails  to  discover  those  re- 
lating to  the  election  of  1886,  we  are  unable  to 
present  other  than  a  list  of  the  county  officers 
elected : 

Joint  councilman,  Charles  P.  Cooke,  Demo- 
crat; representative,  T.  J.  V.  Clark,  Republican; 
county  commissioners,  James  S.  Dysart,  A.  T. 
Mason,  Republicans,  S.  L.  Bates,  Democrat; 
sheriff-assessor,  Samuel  T.  Packwood,  Demo- 
crat; treasurer,  Henry  Rehmke,  Democrat;  sur- 
veyor, E.  J.  Rector,  who  failed  to  qualify  and 
was  succeeded  by  C.  R.  Smith,  appointed  in 
March,  1887;  auditor,  W.  H.  Peterson,  Demo- 
crat; probate  judge,  John  Davis,  Democrat; 
superintendent  of  schools,  Clara  V.  Peterson, 
Democrat ;  sheep  inspector,  E.  W.  Lyen,  Demo- 
crat;  coroner.  Dr.  N.  Henton,  Republican.  Thus 
it  will  be  seen  that  the  county  was  still  in  the 
Democratic  column.  The  unofficial  returns  from 
Kittitas  on  territorial  officers  shows  that  Charles 
S.  Voorhees,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  dele- 
gate, received  888,  while  his  Republican  oppo- 
nent, C.  M.  Bradshaw,  received  567  votes.  These 
figures  give  us  some  idea  of  the  enormous  gain 
in  population  that  the  county  experienced  in  the 
years  1885  and  1886. 

National  issues  predominated  in  1888  in  view 
of  the  fact  that  early  statehood  was  expected  by 


Washington ians  and  each  party  in  the  territory 
wished  to  make  as  imposing  a  showing  as  pos- 
sible. The  territory  went  Republican  by  a  large 
majority.  "Tuesday,  November  6th,  election 
day,"  says  the  Ellensburg  Localizer  in  its  issue 
of  November  10,  1888,  "opened  fine,  but  a  light 
rain  set  in  and  made  the  weather  disagreeable  for 
a  short  time,  after  which  it  cleared  up.  Voting 
commenced  as  soon  as  the  polls  opened.  The 
election  was  a  very  quiet  one,  there  being  no 
fighting,  no  boisterous  talking,  everybody  being 
on  his  good  behavior.  There  was  considerable 
scratching  done.  The  vote  in  the  Ellensburg 
precinct  reached  648.  Considerable  money  was 
staked  on  the  results  of  the  election  this  year. 
C.  S.  Voorhees,  Democrat,  was  beaten  in  this 
county  by  a  majority  of  sixteen,  and  Allen  car- 
ried almost  every  other  county  in  the  territory, 
being  elected  by  a  majority  of  between  5,000  and 
7,000.  In  Kittitas  the  Republicans  elected  the 
auditor,  sheriff,  and  two  commissioners,  and 
gave  a  majority  for  Snow  as  joint  councilman, 
as  did  Yakima  and  Douglas  also.  Fruit  carried 
Franklin,  but  Lincoln  will  have  to  give  him  a 
plurality  or  he  is  defeated.  Dr.  Power  is  elected 
joint  representative  of  Yakima  and  Kittitas  coun- 
ties." Saturday  night,  the  17th,  the  Republicans 
■of  Ellensburg  and  surrounding  country  made  a 
memorable  one  for  that  city.  The  demonstra- 
tion was  in  honor  of  the  election  of  General  Har- 
rison and  Levi  P.  Morton.  The  torch  light  pro- 
cession was  introduced  for  the  first  time  to  the 
people  of  this  region,  while  the  blowing  of  horns, 
cheering  and  the  firing  of  anvils  intermittently 
gave  the  city  a  sensation  that  it  had  never  before 
witnessed.  Speeches  followed  the  parading.  The 
official  vote  cast  in  this  county  follows : 

For  delegate,  John  B.  Allen,  Republican,  792, 
majority  in  the  territory  7,371 ;  Charles  S.  Voor- 
hees, Democrat,  776,  Roger  S.  Greene,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 51 ;  brigadier  general,  A.  P.  Curry,  Re- 
publican, 778,  J.  J.  Hunt,  Democrat,  778,  S.  B. 
Vrooman,  Prohibitionist,  66;  adjutant  general, 
R.  G.  O'Brien,  Republican,  772,  Hillory  Butler, 
Democrat,  yyj,  Henry  M.  Brown,  70;  joint  coun- 
cilman, Lincoln,  Douglas,  Franklin,  Adams,  Yak- 
ima and  Kittitas  counties,  J.  M.  Snow,  Repub- 
lican, 831,  majority  over  Fruit  in  the  district  161  ; 
Clay  Fruit,  Democrat,  696,  H.  C.  Walters,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 86;  joint  representative,  Yakima  and 
Kittitas,  Dr.  I.  N.  Power,  Republican,  771,  ma- 
jority in  district  57 ;  Daniel  Gaby,  Democrat,  760, 
J.  W.  Brice,  Prohibitionist,  69;  prosecuting  attor- 
ney, W.  J.  Milroy,  Republican,  612,  H.  J.  Snively, 
Democrat  (elected),  958;  sheriff,  J.  L.  Brown. 
Republican,  707,  A.  A.  Meade,  Democrat,  701, 
S.  T.  Packwood,  Independent,  159,  L.  L.  Palmen- 
teer,  Prohibitionist,  46;  auditor,  H.  M.  Bryant, 
Republican,  848,  Charles  Miller,  Democrat,  661, 
W.  R.  Newland,  Prohibitionist,  102 ;  treasurer, 
P.  C.  Williams,  Republican,  723,  Henry  Rehmke, 


280 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Democrat,  823,  R.  Breese,  Prohibitionist,  57 ;  pro- 
bate judge,  F.  S.  Thorp,  Republican,  620,  John 
Davis,  Democrat,  895,  D.  G.  C.  Baker,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 61 ;  commissioners,  1st  district,  W.  J. 
Gray,  Republican,  746,  J.  W.  McDonald,  Demo- 
crat. 807,  A.  T-  Rader,  Prohibitionist,  61 ;  2d  dis- 
trict, T.  L.  Gamble,  Republican,  762,  J.  W.  Wil- 
mot,  Democrat,  716,  T.  T.  Wilson,  Prohibitionist, 
92;  3d  district,  J.  N.  Hatfield,  Republican,  788, 
John  L.  Amlin,  Democrat,  739,  J.  L.  Mills,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 80;  surveyor,  B.  C.  Bonnell,  Demo- 
crat, 692,  A.  F.  York,  Republican,  870;  coroner, 
Dr.  N.  Henton,  Democrat,  751,  Dr.  W.  H.  Har- 
ris, Republican,  817;  superintendent  of  schools, 
J.  L.  McDowell,  Republican,  766,  George  W. 
Parrish,  Democrat,  754,  J.  E.  Denton,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 89. 

Again,  for  the  year  1889,  the  year  that 
brought  statehood  to  the  territory,  and  with  that 
dignity  a  special  election  in  October,  the  election 
records  in  this  county  are  missing.  This  elec- 
tion was  of  especial  interest  to  North  Yakima 
and  Ellensburg,  because  of  their  candidacy  for 
the  honor  of  being  the  state's  capital.  Had  El- 
lensburg received  the  united  support  of  the 
region  east  of  the  Cascades,  there  is  little  doubt 
but  that  today  Kittitas  county  would  possess  the 
capital,  but  the  candidacy  of  North  Yakima  and 
the  political  deal  made  by  the  southeastern  por- 
tion of  the  state  with  the  Sound  region,  threw  the 
prize  to  Olympia.  Of  course,  Kittitas  county, 
almost  as  a  unit,  voted  for  Ellensburg.  The  total 
vote  received  throughout  the  state  by  the  three 
leading  candidates  was:  Olympia,  25,488,  North 
Yakima,  14.707,  Ellensburg,  12,833.  E.  T.  Wil- 
son, Republican,  was  elected  state  senator  from 
Kittitas  county ;  I.  N.  Power  and  J.  P.  Sharp 
were  elected  representatives ;  all  three  were  Re- 
publicans. Carroll  B.  Graves,  of  Ellensburg,  a 
Republican,  was  chosen  district  judge,  Hiram 
Dustin,  Democrat,  of  Goldendale,  being  his  op- 
ponent. The  county  went  strongly  Republican ; 
no  county  officers  were  elected  at  this  election. 

Both  the  Republican  and  Democratic  parties 
held  their  state  conventions  the  week  beginning 
September  8,  1889,  the  former  meeting  in  Walla 
Walla,  the  latter  in  Ellensburg.  The  Ellensburg 
convention  placed  in  nomination  the  following 
ticket :  Member  of  congress,  T.  C.  Griffitts,  Spo- 
kane ;  governor,  Eugene  Semple,  Pierce;  lieu- 
tenant governor,  L.  H.  Plattor,  Whitman ;  secre- 
tary of  state.  W.  H.  Whittlesey,  Jefferson ; 
auditor,  John  Miller  Murphy,  Thurston ;  treas- 
urer, M.  Kauffman,  Pierce;  attorney  general, 
H.  J.  Snively,  Yakima ;  commissioner  public 
lands,  M.  Z.  Goodell.  Chehalis;  superintendent 
public  instruction,  J.  H.  Morgan,  Kittitas;  su- 
preme judges,  W.  H.  White,  King,  J.  L.  Sharp- 
stein.  Walla  Walla,  John  P.  Judson,  Pierce, 
John  B.  Reavis,  Yakima,  Frank  Ganahl,  Spo- 
kane;    superior    judge,     Kittitas.     Yakima     and 


Klickitat  counties,  Hiram  Dustin,  Klickitat.  The 
Walla  Walla  convention  nominated  the  follow- 
ing candidates:  Member  congress,. John  L.  Wil- 
son, Spokane;  governor,  E.  P.  Ferry,  King;  lieu- 
tenant governor,  C.  E.  Laughton,  Okanogan ; 
secretary  of  state,  Allen  Weir,  Jefferson ;  treas- 
urer, A.  Lindsey,  Clark;  auditor,  T.  M.  Reed. 
Thurston ;  attorney  general,  W.  C.  Jones,  Spo- 
kane; superintendent  of  public  instruction,  R.  B. 
Bryan,  Chehalis;  commissioner  public  lands. 
W.  L.  Forrest,  Lewis;  supreme  judges,  R.  O. 
Dunbar.  Klickitat,  Theodore  L.  Stiles,  Pierce, 
John  P.  Hoyt,  King,  T.  J.  Anders,  Walla  Walla. 
Elmer  Scott,  Garfield;  superior  judge,  Kittitas. 
Yakima  and  Klickitat  counties,  Carroll  B. 
Graves.  In  the  election  the  Republicans  secured 
majorities  for  all  their  nominees. 

In  1890  the  Republican  county  convention 
was  held  in  Ellensburg,  September  21st;  the 
Democrats  convened  at  the  same  place  Septem- 
ber 2th.  Both  conventions  adopted  resolutions 
indorsing  the  national  policies  of  the  parties  they 
represented,  and  it  was  along  these  general  lines 
that  the  campaign  was  waged.  The  second  and 
final  capital  election  took  place  at  this  time, 
Olympia  being  victorious.  Hopeless  disorgan- 
ization in  eastern  Washington  and  a  well- 
planned,  energetic  campaign  on  the  western  slope 
decided  the  result.  Olympia  secured  37,413. 
votes,  Ellensburg  7,722,  and  North  Yakima 
6,276.  The  vote  cast  in  this  county  election  day, 
November  4th,  was  as  follows : 

Permanent  location  of  the  state  capital,  El- 
lensburg, 1,319,  North  Yakima  160,  Olympia  91 ;. 
issuing  bonds  to  fund  the  county  debt,  yes  924. 
no  521 /congressman,  John  L.  Wilson,  Repub- 
lican, 878,  Thomas  Carroll,  Democrat,  791,  Rob- 
ert P.  Abernathy,  68;  representatives  in  legisla- 
ture, Nineteenth  district,  John  Davis,  Democrat. 
940,  J.  M.  Ready,  Republican,  878,  W.  H.  Hare.. 
Republican,  762,  A.  L.  Slemmons,  Democrat. 
736;  county  attorney.  D.  H.  McFalls,  Repub- 
lican, 974,  C.  V.  Warner,  Democrat,  829;  countv 
clerk,  T.  B.  Wright,  Republican,  1,009,  E-  J- 
Mathews,  Democrat,  813;  county  auditor,  J.  E. 
Frost,  Republican,  1,050,  Martin  J.  Maloney. 
Democrat,  781  ;  sheriff,  Anthony  A.  Meade,  Dem- 
ocrat, 990,  J.  L.  Brown,  Republican,  868;  treas- 
urer, John  F.  Travers,  Democrat,  947,  O.  Peter- 
son, Republican,  839;  commissioners,  1st  district. 
M.  Haran,  Republican,.  909,  Martin  Michels. 
Democrat.  798;  2d  district,  J.  W.  Richards,  Re- 
publican, 835,  James  Heron,  Democrat,  732;  3d 
district,  J.  C.  Goodwin,  Republican.  893,  A.  M. 
Stevens.  Democrat,  744;  assessor,  P.  M.  Mor- 
rison, Republican,  897,  John  Foster,  Democrat, 
828:  superintendent  of  schools,  J.  H.  Morgan. 
Democrat,  959,  W.  T.  Haley,  Republican,  817: 
surveyor,  E.  I.  Anderson,  Republican,  918,  A.  F. 
York,  Democrat,  890;  coroner,  J.  H.  Lyons,  Re- 
publican. 950,  A.  F.  Fox,  Democrat,  816. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


A  special  election  was  held  in  this  legislative 
district,  February  7,  1891,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Representative  John 
Davis,  who  died  January  17th  preceding.  It  was 
estimated  that  only  half  the  normal  vote  was  cast, 
W.  H.  Peterson,  Democrat,  being  elected  by  a 
vote  of  545  to  405  for  J.  P.  Sharp,  the  Republican. 
Both  candidates  were  placed  in  nomination  by 
the  county  central  committees. 

It  is  said  by  those  competent  to  judge  that 
the  campaign  of  1892  was  the  hottest,  not  except- 
ing that  of  1896,  ever  witnessed  in  Washington. 
Many  circumstances  combined  to  make  this  so. 
First,  it  was  a  presidential  year,  and  Washington 
was  taking  its  first  part  in  a  national  campaign; 
second,  Populism  swept  into  Washington  that 
year  with  a  tremendous  impetus  that  shook  the 
very  foundations  upon  which  the  old  parties 
rested,  and  immediately  attained  such  growth  as 
-to  give  it  rank  with  its  older  opponents;  third, 
the  gubernatorial  fight  between  Snively  of  North 
Yakima  and  McGraw  of  the  Sound  reached  fever 
heat  through  the  bitterness  of  the  personalities 
indulged  in;  and  fourth,  the  election  of  a  United 
States  senator  was  scheduled  for  an  early  date. 
The  campaign  was  a  spectacular  one  and  no  one 
who  passed  through  it  has  any  difficulty  in  re- 
calling it  to  mind.  The  Populist  party  that  year 
received  the  largest  vote  cast  by  any  third  party 
in  a  quarter  of  a  century. 

The  People's  party  was  organized  in  Kittitas 
valley  early  in  the  year,  and  June  8th  held  its 
first  county  convention,  nominating  a  full  county 
ticket.  On  the  25th  of  the  month  following  the 
state  convention  was  held  in  the  Ellensburg 
armory,  and  a  state  ticket  nominated.  The  con- 
vention adopted  an  exceedingly  strongly  worded, 
scathing  platform,  demanding  a  host  of  reforms 
in  both  state  and  nation.  The  Kittitas  county 
Democrats  met  August  20th,  the  Republicans 
July  30th,  both  convening  in  Ellensburg  as  usual. 
The  official  canvass  of  the  vote  cast  follows : 

For  presidential  electors,  Republican,  855, 
Democratic,  789,  Populist,  569;  members  national 
house  of  representatives,  Thomas  Carroll,  James 
A.  Munday,  Democrats,  771  and  719  votes  re- 
spectively ;  John  L.  Wilson,  William  H.  Doo- 
little.  Republicans,  873  and  828  votes  respec- 
tively; M.  F.  Knox,  J.  C.  VanPatten,  Populists, 
593  and  586  votes  respectively;  justices  state  su- 
preme court,  William  H.  Rrinker,  Eugene  K. 
Hanna,  Democrats,  723  and  717  votes  respec- 
tively ;  Thomas  J.  Anders,  Elmon  Scott,  Repub- 
licans, 849  and  821  votes  respectively;  G.  W. 
Gardiner,  Frank  T.  Reid.  Populists,  584  and  486 
votes  respectively;  governor,  Henry  J.  Snively, 
Democrat,  783,  John  H.  McGraw,  Republican, 
774,  C.  W.  Young,  Populist.  724;  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor, Henry  Willison,  Democrat.  743,  Frank  H. 
Luce,  Republican,  813,  C.  P.  Twiss,  Populist, 
631 ;   secretary  of  state,  John   McReavv.   Demo- 


crat, 743,  James  H.  Price,  Republican,  868,  Ly- 
man Wood,  Populist,  607;  treasurer,  Harrison 
Clothier,  Democrat,  728,  Orno  A.  Bowen,  Re- 
publican, 854,  W.  C.  P.  Adams,  Populist,  601 ; 
auditor,  Samuel  Bass,  Democrat,  631,  Laban  R. 
Grimes,  Republican,  723,  Charles  C.  Rodolf,  Pop- 
ulist, 591 ;  attorney  general,  Richmond  W.  Starr, 
Democrat,  725,  William  C.  Jones,  Republican, 
853,  Govnor  Teats,  Populist,  597;  superintendent 
of  public,  instruction,  John  H.  Morgan,  of  Ellens- 
burg, Democrat,  921,  Charles  W.  Bean,  Repub- 
lican, 742,  James  M.  Smith,  Populist,  641  ;  com- 
missioner public  lands,  Freeborn  S.  Lewis,  Dem- 
ocrat, 732,  William  T.  Forrest,  Republican,  858, 
T.  M.  Callaway,  Populist,  689;  state  printer,  Jo- 
seph A.  Borden,  Democrat,  721,  Oliver  C.  White, 
Republican,  841,  A.  J.  Murphy,  Populist,  576; 
superior  judge,  Frank  H.  Rudkin.  Democrat,  515, 
Carroll  B.  Graves,  Republican,  1,018,  Lawrence 
A.  Vincent,  Populist,  677;  state  senator,  eleventh 
district,  W.  H.  Peterson,  Democrat,  803,  Charles 
I.  Helm,  Republican,  807,  John  T.  Greenwood, 
Populist,  582 ;  representatives,  Samuel  T.  Pack- 
wood,  George  W.  Kline,  Democrats,  665  and  718 
respectively;  John  H.  Smithson,  F.  E.  Madigan, 
Republicans,  862  and  666  respectively,  J.  F.  Le- 
Clerc,  John  Catlin,  Populists,  643  and  683  respec- 
tively; sheriff,  Anthony  A.  Meade,  Democrat, 
931,  P.  M.  Morrison,  Republican,  785.  W.  M. 
Stinson,  Populist,  575 ;  auditor,  Elmer  E.  Sala- 
day,  Democrat,  652,  J.  E.  Frost,  Republican, 
1,067,  C.  W.  Dibble,  Populist,  505;  clerk,  Alonzo 
L.  Sowers,  Democrat,  846,  Martin  Cameron,  Re- 
publican, 887,  Robert  A.  Turner,  Populist,  504; 
treasurer,  John  F.  Travers,  Democrat,  986,  J.  H. 
Dixon,  Republican,  760,  J.  M.  Montgomery,  Pop- 
ulist, 495;  county  attorney,  Eugene  E.  Wager, 
Democrat,  945,  D.  H.  McFalls,  Republican,  818; 
superintendent  schools,  Fred  O.  Seaton,  Demo- 
crat, 565,  G.  M.  Jenkins,  Republican,  959,  J.  M. 
Traughber,  Populist,  615;  assessor,  Perry  Cle- 
man,  Democrat,  738,  W.  A.  Stevens,  Republican, 
907,  C.  J.  Tennant,  Populist,  526;  surveyor,  An- 
drew Foldin,  Democrat,  703,  E.  I.  Anderson,  Re- 
publican, 929,  L.  F.  Ellison,  Populist,  543;  cor- 
oner, George  W.  Hoxie,  Democrat,  704,  I.  N. 
Power,  Republican,  913,  I.  S.  McGuire,  Populist, 
547;  commissioners,  1st  district,  George  S.  Mil- 
ler, Democrat,  696,  Alexander  Pitcher,  Repub- 
lican, 705,  George  Charlton,  Populist,  584;  2d  dis- 
trict, Pe\er  McCallam.  Democrat.  768.  II.  L. 
Mack,  Republican,  734,  H.  P.  Fogh,  Populist. 
5.y>'-  3'1  district,  Adam  M.  Stevens,  Democrat. 
748.  Herman  Page,  Republican,  746,  William  F. 
Lewis,  Populist,  583.  •  The  Republicans  carried 
the  state  by  a  majoritv  averaging  2.500. 

By  1894  the  Populist  party  in  Kittitas  county 
had  so  gained  in  strength  that  it  was  able  to  cap- 
ture three  important  county  offices  and  one  legis- 
lative office,  distancing  the  Democratic  party  and 
running   neck  and   neck    with    the    Republican. 


282 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Compared  with  the  previous  and  the  succeeding 
campaigns,  that  of  1894  was  of  only  ordinary  in- 
terest, its  one  phase  of  special  interest  being  the 
rapid  ascendancy  of  the  People's  party.  The 
People's  party  held  its  county  convention  Sep- 
tember 8th ;  the  Republicans  convened  next,  Sep- 
tember 13th,  and  the  Democrats  met  September 
22d,  all  in  Ellensburg.  November  6th  was  elec- 
tion day.     The  vote  was  as  follows : 

For  representatives  to  congress,  William  H. 
Doolittle,  Samuel  C.  Hyde,  Republicans,  851  and 
820  votes  respectively,  N.  T.  Caton,  B.  F.  Heus- 
ton,  Democrats,  383  and  394  votes  respectively, 
W.  P.  C.  Adams,  J.  C.  VanPatten,  Populists,  794 
and  780  votes  respectively ;  supreme  court  jus- 
tices, Ralph  O.  Dunbar,  M.  J.  Gordon,  Repub- 
licans, 859  and  816  votes,  respectively,  Thomas 
N.  Allen,  John  L.  Sharpstein,  Democrats,  439 
and  462  respectively,  H.  L.  Forrest.  J.  M. 
Ready,  Populists,  745  and  697  votes  respectively; 
state  representatives,  B.  F.  Barge,  F.  M.  Scheb'le, 
Republicans,  882  and  801  votes  respectively,  John 
J.  Jones,  Clyde  V.  Warner,  Democrats,  395  and 
600  votes  respectively,  John  Catlin,  UA.  Leavis, 
Populists,  820  and  656  votes  respectively ;  sheriff, 
P.  C.  McGrath,  Republican,  687,  C.  S.  Palmer, 
Democrat,  706,  W.  M.  Stinson.  Populist,  811; 
treasurer,  Dexter  Shoudy,  Republican.  893,  Mi- 
chael Linder,  Democrat,  619,  John  C.  Ellison, 
Populist,  643;  auditor,  J.  M.  Baird,  Republican, 
908,  John  J.  Suver,  Democrat,  479,  S.  T.  Sterling, 
Populist,  736;  clerk,  Martin  Cameron,  Repub- 
lican, 821,  L.  F.  McConihe,  Democrat,  555,  H.  W. 
Eldred,  Populist,  TJJ;  attorney,  Edward  Pruyn, 
Republican,  645,  Eugene  E.  Wager,  Democrat, 
766,  L.  A.  Vincent,  Populist,  721  ;  superintendent 
of  schools,  G.  M.  Jenkins,  Republican,  956,  Mrs. 
S.  F.  Montgomery,  Fusionist,  813;  assessor,  W. 
A.  Stevens,  Republican,  877,  Charles  Kenneth, 
Democrat,  409,  I.  E.  Curtis,  Populist,  766;  sur- 
veyor, A.  F.  York,  Republican,  894,  Andrew 
Flodin,  Democrat,  365,  L.  F.  Ellison,  Populist, 
751 ;  commissioners,  2d  district,  L.  W.  Kribs,  Re- 
publican, 172,  Peter  McCallum,  Democrat,  241, 
J.  F.  Brown,  Populist,  333;  3d  district,  John  C. 
Goodwin,  Republican,  306,  Adam  Stevens,  Demo- 
crat, 214,  S.  T.  Packwood,  Populist,  301 ;  coroner, 
I.  N.  Power,  Republican,  j-j,  Charles  E.  Finberg, 
Democrat,  459,  Theron  Stafford,  Populist,  780. 

There  have  been  few  more  exciting  or  spec- 
tacular campaigns  in  the  United  States  than  that 
of  1896.  For  the  first  and  only  time  in  its  history 
as  a  state,  Washington  went  out  of  the  Repub- 
lican column ;  Kittitas  county  went  completely 
under  the  control  of  the  Fwsionists.  they  electing 
every  candidate  and  carrying  the  county  for  the 
state  and  national  tickets  by  majorities  varying 
from  200  to  300.  The  state  gave  Bryan  '50,643 
votes,  as  against  38,573  for  McKinley,  and 
elected  both  Fusion  candidates  for  congress. 

The  opening  note  in  the  local   campaign  was 


sounded  by  the  Republicans  May  9,  1896.  On 
that  day  they  organized  the  Lincoln  Republican 
club,  electing  as  officers:  Dr.  Bean,  president; 
C.  R.  Hovey,  vice-president ;  J.  G.  Boyle,  secre- 
tary; Albert  Tjossem,  treasurer;  there  were 
twenty-nine  charter  members.  The  Republicans 
held  their  county  convention  at  the  courthouse 
Friday,  August  21st;  the  ticket  was  nominated 
upon  a  platform  indorsing  the  national  one  adopted' 
at  St.  Louis. 

The  silver  forces,  as  had  been  expected,  united, 
forming  a  fusion  party  composed  of  Populists, 
Democrats  and  Silver  Republicans.  Each  party 
elected  delegates  to  a  county  convention,  the 
three  meeting  in  Ellensburg,  Monday,  August 
10th.  After  a  two  days'  session,  prolonged  by  a 
disagreement  regarding  a  division  of  the  offices, 
the  conference  report  was  accepted  and  the  inter- 
ests of  all  merged.  According  to  this  agreement 
the  joint  convention  nominated  Populists  for  one 
representative,  sheriff,  auditor,  clerk,  a  commis- 
sioner, county  attorney  and  assessor;  the  Silver 
Republicans  received  the  nominations  for  su- 
perior judge  and  state  senator;  and  the  Demo- 
crats were  represented  by  one  candidate  each  for 
representative  and  commissioner,  and  candidates 
for  treasurer,  surveyor  and  coroner.  The  latter 
party  held  a  ratification  convention  Septem- 
ber 12th. 

But  the  great  event  in  Kittitas  political  his- 
tory in  1896  was  the  fusion  convention  held  in 
the  city  of  Ellensburg.  This  convention  was 
composed  of  more  than  1,200  delegates  alone, 
divided  into  three  sub-conventions,  those  of  the 
Populists,  the  Democrats  and  the  Silver  Repub- 
licans, meeting  in  the  armory,  the  opera-house 
and  the  courthouse  respectively.  The  city  was 
taxed  to  its  utmost  to  entertain  this  great  host  of 
delegates  and  their  friends,  but  nevertheless  a 
citizens'  coTnmittee  was  appointed  to  look  after 
accommodations  and  did  its  work  well.  The  con- 
ventions met  Wednesday,  August  12th.  C.  E. 
Cline  was  elected  chairman  of  the  Populist  gath- 
ering, Steve  Judson  presided  over  the  Democrats 
and  George  W.  Thompson  held  the  gavel  at  the 
courthouse.  Of  course  such  an  enormous  body 
as  the  combined  delegations  made  could  not  be 
easily  handled,  so  each  convention  appointed  a 
conference  committee  consisting  of  one  delegate 
from  each  county,  and  this  committee  did  the 
real  work  of  the  convention.  The  Fusionists 
adopted  the  name  of  the  People's  party.  As  to 
be  expected,  the  most  serious  proposition  before 
the  delegates  was  a  harmonious  fusion  with  an 
agreeable  division  of  the  offices.  There  were 
those  in  the  Populist  party  who  foresaw  the. be- 
ginning of  the  end,  the  moment  fusion  with  the 
Democrats  should  be  completed,  and  these  men, 
termed  "Middle-of-the-Roaders,"  persistently 
fought  the  movement.  Four  days  they  fought 
successfully,  then  yielded  to  overwhelming  odds, 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


283 


accepted  the  slate  and  within  a  short  time  the 
great  convention,  in  mass  meeting,  ratified  the 
nominations  and  adjourned.  The  Populists  re- 
ceived eight  offices,  including  the  governorship, 
the  Democrats  five  offices,  including  the  con- 
gressman, and  the  Silver  Republicans,  two 
offices,  including  the  remaining  congressman. 
The  memory  of  this  convention  will  live  long  in 
the  minds  of  the  Kittitas  people. 

Kittitas  county's  official  vote  : 

For  presidential  electors,  Republican,  1,044, 
Fusionist,  1,296,  Prohibition,  40,  Gold  Democrat, 
23,  Nationalist,  3 ;  representatives  to  congress, 
James  Hamilton  Lewis,  William  C.  Jones,  Fu- 
sionists,  1,304  and  1,280  votes  respectively, 
Samuel  C.  Hyde,  William  H.  Doolittle,  Repub- 
licans, 1,003  and  1)012  respectively,  C.  A.  Saylor, 
Martin  Olsen,  Prohibitionists,  23  and  22  votes 
respectively,  and  Charles  E.  Mix,  Nationalist.  3; 
justices  supreme  court,  James  B.  Reavis,  Fu- 
sionist, 1,310,  E.  N.  Livermore,  Prohibitionist, 
29,  John  P.  Hoyt,  Republican,  1,000;  governor, 
P.  C.  Sullivan,  Republican,  988,  John  Rogers, 
Fusionist,  1,287,  R.  E.  Dunlap,  Prohibitionist, 
J7;  lieutenant  governor,  Thurston  Daniels,  Fu- 
sionist, 1,274,  John  W.  Arrasmith,  Republican, 
1,013,  T.  A.  Shorthill,  Prohibitionist,  36;  secre- 
tary of  state,  Will  D.  Jenkins,  Fusionist,  1,271, 
James  H.  Price,  Republican,  1,029.  C.  L.  Hag- 
gard, Prohibitionist,  32 ;  treasurer,  C.  W.  Young, 
Fusionist,  1,275,  J-  A.  Kellogg,  Republican,  1,026, 
John  Robin,  Prohibitionist,  30;  auditor,  Neal 
Cheetham,  Fusionist,  1,231,  J.  E.  Frost,  Repub- 
lican, 1,089,  C.  C.  Gridley,  Prohibitionist,  21  ;  at- 
torney general,  Patrick  H.  Winston,  Fusionist, 
1,250,  E.  W.  Ross,  Republican,  1,041,  Everett 
Smith,  Prohibitionist,  37 ;  superintendent  of  pub- 
lic instruction,  Frank  J.  Browne,  Fusionist,  1,286, 
E.  L.  Brunton,  Republican,  1,013,  C.  E.  New- 
berry, Prohibitionist,  36;  commissioner  of  public 
lands,  Robert  Bridges,  Fusionist,  1,287,  William 
T.  Forrest,  Republican,  1,023,  A.  E.  Flagg,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 27;  state  printer,  Gwin  Hicks,  Fu- 
sionist, 1,269,  O-  C.  White,  Republican,  1,024, 
Homer  L.  Bull,  Prohibitionist,  31  ;  superior 
judge,  Yakima,  Kittitas  and  Franklin  counties, 
John  B.  Davidson,  Fusionist,  1,284,  Carroll  B. 
Graves,  Republican,  1,033;  state  senator.  Elev- 
enth district,  Daniel  Paul,  Fusionist,  1,278,  Hol- 
lis  L.  Stowell,  Republican,  1,036;  representatives, 

B.  S.  Scott,  Fusionist,  1,270,  Theron  Stafford, 
Fusionist,   1,294.  J.  P.  Sharp,  Republican,   1,041, 

C.  B.  Reed,  Republican,  964:  sheriff,  Isaac 
Brown,  Republican,  1,077,  W.  M.  Stinson,  Fu- 
sionist, 1,260;  clerk,  Frank  Martin,  Republican, 
1,053,  E.  L.  Evens,  Fusionist,  1,276;  auditor,  S. 
T.  Sterling,  Fusionist,  1,166,  J.  M.  Baird,  Repub- 
lican, 1,163;  treasurer.  C.  H.  Flummerfelt,  Fu- 
sionist, 1,297,  Dexter  Shoudy,  Republican,  1,041  ; 
county  attorney,  Kirk  Whited,  Fusionist,  1,218, 
Edward   Pruyn,   Republican,    1,103;   assessor,   J. 


C.  Ellison,  Fusionist,  1,220,  James  Lane,  Repub- 
lican, 1,095;  superintendent  of  public  schools,  W. 
A.  Thomas,  Fusionist,  1,223,  C.  H.  Hinman,  Re- 
publican, 1,107;  surveyor,  Andrew  Flodine,  Fu- 
sionist, 1,226,  E.  I.  Anderson,  Republican,  1,095; 
coroner,  William  Edwards,  Fusionist,  1,242,  J. 
C.  McCauley,  Republican,  1,081 ;  commissioners, 
First  district.  R.  S.  McClemans,  Fusionist,  1,206, 
O.  C.  McManus,  Republican,  1,040;  Second  dis- 
trict, John  M.  Newman,  Fusionist,  1,262,  J.  C. 
Goodwin,  Republican,  991.  The  office  of  auditor 
was  contested  by  Mr.  Baird,  he  alleging  mis- 
counts in  the  precincts  of  South  Ellensburg,  Lib- 
erty, South  Kittitas,  East  Kittitas,  North  Kitti- 
tas and  West  Kittitas,  all  of  which  gave  Popu- 
list majorities,  with  the  exception  of  Liberty. 
Several  votes  were  thrown  out  on  both  sides  by 
the  court,  some  slight  changes  in  the  figure's 
made,  but  the  result  still  gave  Sterling  a  ma- 
jority of  three.  The  costs  amounted  to  $100, 
which  were  assessed  to  the  contestant.  The 
court's  decision  was  given  in  December,  1896. 

Sheriff  Stinson  died  at  his  old  home  in  Roch- 
ester, Inetiana,  August  28,  1897.  The  vacancy 
thus  left  was  filled  by  the  appointment,  Septem- 
ber 15th,  of  L.  C.  Wynegar,  of  Ellensburg.  As- 
sessor Ellison  died  Monday,  February  21,  1898, 
leaving  another  vacancy  in  the  county's  corps 
of  officers;  G.  C.  Poland  was  selected  by  the 
commissioners  as  his  successor.  In  1898,  Com- 
missioner Brown  went  to  the  Klondyke,  and 
April  nth  of  that  year  John  Surrell,  of  Cle- 
Elum,  was  appointed  to  succeed  him. 

Washington  experienced  a  change  of  political 
heart  after  the  inauguration  of  President  Mc- 
Kinley;  in  fact,  so  great  was  the  change  that 
in  the  election  of  1898  the  state  went  Republican 
by  majorities  ranging  from  5,000  upwards.  Kit- 
titas likewise  experienced  this  change  and  in 
1898  placed  the  Republicans  in  almost  complete 
power  locally.  Fusion  was  again  used  to  cement 
together  the  Populists,  Democrats  and  Silver  Re- 
publicans, though  it  was  not  so  easy  a  task  as 
in  1896.  These  parties  held  their  state  conven- 
tions in  Ellensburg  September  7th.  The  confer- 
ence committee's  report  was  adopted  only  after 
a  long,  hard  contest.  The  Democrats  secured 
one  congressman,  J.  H.  Lewis,  and  one  supreme 
judge,  M.  M.  Goodman ;  the  Populists  were 
awarded  one  supreme  judge,  B.  F.  Heuston ; 
while  the  Silver  Republicans  named  W.  C.  Jones, 
of  Spokane,  as  the  other  congressman.  At  the 
county  convention  of  the  Fusionists,  held  Mon- 
day and  Tuesday,  September  5th  and  6th,  the 
Democrats  secured  only  four  offices.  The  Re- 
publicans held  their  county  convention  Septem- 
ber 16th  in  Ellensburg  and  nominated  all  its  can- 
didates, except  those  for  legislative  offices,  by 
acclamation.  A  week  later  the  state  convention 
met  at  Tacoma  and  placed  a  ticket  in  the  field, 
which  proved  successful  at  the  polls. 


284 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


The  vote  cast  November  8,  1898,  in  this 
county  is  officially  given  as  follows : 

For  members  congress,  Wesley  L.  Jones, 
Francis  W.  Cushman,  Republicans,  1,037  and  9§3 
votes  respectively,  James  H.  Lewis,  William  C. 
Jones,  Fusionists,  943  and  848  votes  respectively, 
A.  C.  Dickinson,  C.  L.  Haggard,  Prohibitionists, 
19  and  23  votes  respectively,  Walter  Walker,  M. 
A.  Hamilton,  Socialists,  8  and  11  votes  respect- 
ively; justices  of  the  state  supreme  court,  T.  J. 
Anders,  M.  A.  Fullerton,  Republicans,  1,022  and 
1,016  votes  respectively,  B.  F.  Heuston,  M.  M. 
Goodman,  Fusionists,  842  and  841  votes  re- 
spectively, Thomas  Young,  Thomas  Lowry, 
Prohibitionists,  12  and  9  votes  respectively; 
state  representatives,  Eighteenth  district.  J.  P. 
Sharp,  R.  B.  Wilson,  Republicans,  1,092  and 
1,047  votes  respectively.  R.  P.  Edgington,  J. 
F.  LeClerc,  Fusionists,  806  and  813  votes  re- 
spectively ;  commissioners,  First  district,  Dennis 
Strong,  Republican,  1,060,  R.  S.  McClemans,  Fu- 
sionist,  824;  Second  district,  William  Mack,  Re- 
publican, 1,037,  H.  P.  Fogh,  Fusionist,  847; 
sheriff,  Isaac  Brown,  Republican,  1,044,  W.  F. 
Patterson,  Fusionist.  889;  clerk,  Harry  W.  Hale, 
Republican.  1,014,  E.  L.  Evens,  Fusionist,  916; 
auditor,  L.  V.  Wells,  Republican,  946,  Simon  P. 
Fogarty,  Fusionist,  988;  treasurer,  W.  A.  Ste- 
vens, Republican,  895,  C.  H.  Flummerfelt,  Fu- 
sionist. 1,031 ;  prosecuting  attorney,  C.  R.  Hovey, 
Republican,  989,  W.  J.  Welsh,  Fusionist,  940; 
assessor,  John  W.  Richards,  Republican,  961,  G. 
C.  Poland,  Fusionist,  951;  superintendent  of 
schools,  C.  H.  Hinman,  Republican,  1,058,  W. 
A.  Thomas,  Fusionist,  856;  surveyor,  E.  I.  An- 
derson, Republican,  1,324;  coroner,  J.  C.  Mc- 
Cauley,  Republican,  1,095,  J.  B.  Price,  Fusionist, 
806;  woman  suffrage  amendment  to  constitution, 
yes  452,  no  792.  This  amendment  was  defeated 
in  the  state  by  a  vote  of  33,866  to  15,969.  LTpon 
the  creation  of  Chelan  county,  J.  E.  Burke  was 
appointed  to  succeed  Dennis  Strong  as  commis- 
sioner, the  latter  becoming  a  citizen  of  the  new 
county. 

Kittitas  valley  residents  were  given  an  oppor- 
tunity, Sunday  morning,  April  1,  1900,  of  seeing 
and  hearing  the  country's  great  silver  apostle, 
William  Jennings  Bryan,  for  on  that  day  the  dis- 
tinguished gentleman  passed  through  the  valley 
onroute  westward.  At  Ellensburg,  Governor 
Rogers  introduced  his  guest  to  the  crowd  assem- 
bled, and  after  a  short  speech  Mr.  Bryan  held  a 
reception.  The  campaign  of  that  year  was  as 
interesting  as  most  presidential  campaigns  are, 
nothing  of  especial  local  importance  marking  the 
contest.  National  issues  predominated.  Presi- 
dent McKinley's  administration  was  indorsed  in 
Washington  by  a  majority  of  nearly  13,000  ami 
the  re-election  of  Congressmen  Jones  and  Cush- 
man by  majorities  of  over  10,000.  As  had  been 
predicted  by  many,  the  year  1900  witnessed  the 


dissolution  of  the  Populist  party,  the  Demo- 
cratic party  absorbing  the  greater  portion  of  its 
strength.  However,  a  fusion  convention  was 
held  in  this  county  August  25th  and  a  ticket 
placed  in  the  field  under  the  name  Democratic. 
The  Republicans  held  their  county  convention 
August  nth. 

From  the  official  teturns  given  below,  the  vic- 
tors in  the  local  contest  may  be  seen.  It  will  be 
noticed  that  the  majorities  are  small. 

For  presidential  electors,  Republican,  1,139, 
Fusionist,  934,  Prohibitionist,  52,  Socialist  La- 
bor, 9,  Social  Democrat,  22;  congressmen,  Fran- 
cis W.  Cushman,  Wesley  L.  Jones,  Republicans, 
1,098  and  1,110  votes  respectively,  F.  C.  Robert- 
son, J.  T.  Ronald,  Democrats,  924  and  934  votes 
respectively,  Guy  Posson,  J.  A.  Adams,  Prohibi- 
tionists, 45  and  41  votes  respectively,  Walter 
Wralker,  Christian  F.  Larsen,  Socialist  Labor- 
ites,  n  and  9  votes  respectively,  William  Hagan, 
Herman  F.  Titus,  Social  Democrats,  18  and  20 
votes  respectively;  justices  supreme  court,  Wal- 
lace Mount,  R.  O.  Dunbar,  Republicans,  1,091, 
1,101  respectively,  E.  C.  Million,  Richard  Win- 
sor,  Democrats,  937  and  918  votes  respectively, 
Everett  Smith,  Prohibitionist,  48;  Thomas 
Young,  Frank  Martin,  Social  Laborites,  13  each, 
D.  M.  Angus,  J.  H.  Hay,  Social  Democrats,  19 
and  23  votes  respectively;  supreme  court  justice, 
unexpired  term,  William  H.  White,  Democrat, 
989,  no  opposition ;  governor,  J.  M.  Frink,  Re- 
publican, 946,  John  R.  Rogers,  Democrat,  1,125 
(elected),  R.  E.  Dunlap,  Prohibitionist,  34.  Wil- 
liam McCormick,  Social  Laborite,  10,  W.  C.  B. 
Randolph,  Social  Democrat,  13;  lieutenant  gov- 
ernor. Henry  McBride,  Republican,  1.055,  Wil- 
liam E.  McCroskey,  Democrat,  981,  C.  I.  Hall, 
Prohibitionist,  40,  Matt  Matson,  Social  Laborite, 
13,  E.  S.-Remert,  Social  Democrat,  16;  secretary 
of  state,  Samuel  H.  Nichols,  Republican,  1,073, 
James  Brady,  Democrat,  964,  J.  W.  McCoy,  Pro- 
hibitionist, 40,  William  J.  Hoag,  Social  Laborite, 
n,  James  H.  Ross,  Social  Democrat,  18;  treas- 
urer, C.  W.  Maynard.  Republican,  1,080,  W.  E. 
Runner,  Democrat,  954,  C.  C.  Gridley,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 42,  Eric  Norling,  Social  Laborite,  12,  J. 
J.  Fraser,  Social  Democrat,  18 ;  auditor,  John  D. 
Atkinson,  Republican,  1,076,  L.  J.  Silverthorn. 
Democrat,  954,  A.  W.  Steers.  Prohibitionist,  42, 
F.  B.  Graves,  Social  Laborite,  24.  Charles  S. 
Wallace,  Social  Democrat.  16 ;  attorney  general. 
W.  B.  Stratton,  Republican,  1,062.  Thomas  M. 
Vance.  Democrat,  967,  Avid  A.  Byers,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 40,  John  Ellis,  Social  Laborite,  14,  David 
W.  Phipps.  Social  Democrat,  18;  superintendent 
of  public  instruction,  R.  B.  Bryan,  Republican, 
1,064,  Frank  J.  Browne,  Democrat,  969,  A.  H. 
Sherwood,  Prohibitionist,  47.  Raymond  Bland. 
Social  Laborite,  13,  John  A.  Kingsbury,  Social 
Democrat.  18;  commissioner  public  lands,  Ste- 
phen  A.  Callvert,  Republican,  1,078,  O.  R.  Hoi-. 


BLIND  TOBY  AND  WIFE.  NANCY.  YAKIMA  INDIAN'S  OYER  ONE  IU'NDKED  YEARS  OE  AGE. 


\    I'  \l'i  ii  iSE.   IX   IEEE  Rl.ilAEIA 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


285 


comb,  Democrat,  951,  J.  C.  McKinley,  Prohibi- 
tionist, 47,  W.  L.  Noon,  Social  Laborite,  14,  Je- 
rome S.  Austin,  Social  Democrat,  18;  state  sen- 
ator, J.  P.  Sharp,  Republican,  1,207,  Samuel  T. 
Packwood,  Democrat,  876;  state  representatives. 
Eighteenth  district,  R.  B.  Wilson,  G.  E.  Dick- 
son, Republicans,  1,068  and  981  respectively,  T. 
B.  Goodwin,  J.  E.  Yeach,  Democrats,  1,002  and 
998  respectively;  superior  court  judge,  Frank  H. 
Rudkin,  Republican,  1,009,  Jonn  B.  Davidson, 
Democrat,  1,066;  auditor,  Everett  E.  Southern, 
Republican,  953,  Simon  P.  Fogarty,  Democrat, 
1,139;  sheriff,  Isaac  Brown,  Republican,  1,242, 
Charles  F.  Wurtz,  Democrat,  857;  clerk,  H.  W. 
Hale,  Republican,  1,174.  J.  W.  Thomas,  Demo- 
crat, 912:  treasurer,  A.  C.  Steinman,  Republican, 
1,004,  R.  Lee  Purdin,  Democrat,  1,088;  county 
attorney,  C.  R.  Hovey,  Republican,  964,  C.  V.  War- 
ner, Democrat,  1,137;  assessor,  John  W.  Richards, 
Republican,  1,048,  A.  J.  Dammon,  Democrat,  1,- 
039;  superintendent  of  schools,  C.  H.  Hinman, 
Republican,  1,045,  W.  A.  Thomas,  Democrat,  1,- 
053;  surveyor,  E.  I.  Anderson,  Democrat,  1,447; 
coroner,  J.  W.  Bean,  Republican,  1,186,  William 
Dulin,  Democrat,  888;  commissioners.  First  dis- 
trict, James  E.  Burke,  Republican,  1,064,  G.  C. 
Poland,  Democrat,  974;  Second  district,  W.  M. 
Mack,  Republican,  1,001,  W.  E.  Crowley,  Demo- 
crat, 1,045;  Third  district,  Jacob  Bowers,  Repub- 
lican, 1,030,  F.  H.  Bradshavv.  Democrat,  951. 

The  election  of  1902  is  still  fresh  in  the  mem- 
ory of  those  residing  here  at  that  time.  It 
marked  the  advent  into  the  political  life  of  the 
state  of  the  present  widespread  agitation  for  a 
railway  commission  and  anti-pass  legislation. 
Aside  from  this  issue  and  national  issues,  the  cit- 
izens merely  recorded  their  personal  preferences 
when  they  went  to  the  polls,  November  4th,  the 
election  being  a  comparatively  quiet  one.  The 
county  is  divided  into  eighteen  precincts.  The 
largest  vote  cast  in  1902  in  this  county  was  that 
cast  for  state  representative,  Wilson  receiving 
1,021  and  Flynn  996,  a  total  of  2,017.  This  com- 
pared with  the  highest  vote  cast  in  1884,  978 
votes  for  district  attorney,  and  considering  the 
fact  that  in  the  creation  of  Chelan  county  Kitti- 
tas lost  a  populous  slice  of  territory,  indicates  the 
growth  of  the  county  in  eighteen  years.  This 
year,  1904,  a  much  larger  vote  will  be  polled.  So 
evenly  is  party  strength  divided  that  it  would 
be  difficult,  impossible,  to  classify  the  county  as 
either  Democratic  or  Republican,  though  un- 
doubtedly there  is  a  slight  leaning  toward  Re- 
publicanism. 


The  Republicans  were  the  first  to  hold  a 
county  convention  in  1902,  theirs  taking  place 
August  16th  in  the  convention  city,  Ellensburg. 
A  notable  plank  in  their  platform  was  one  in- 
dorsing McBride's  stand  for  a  railway  commis- 
sion and  anti-pass  legislation.  Fusion  was  no 
more,  the  Populist  and  Silver  Republican  parties 
having  been  abandoned  after  1900  and  their  mem- 
bers having  attached  themselves  to  other  parties. 
The  old  fusion  party,  now  completely  absorbed 
by  the  Democrats,  met  September  nth  and 
placed  an  opposition  ticket  in  the  field.  The 
nominees  of  both  parties  together  with  the  vote 
each  received  may  be  found  in  the  official  figures 
as  taken  from  the  records : 

For  congressmen,  Francis  W.  Cushman,  Wes- 
ley L.  Jones,  William  E.  Humphrey,  Republi- 
cans, 1,106,  1,102  and  1,068  votes  respectively, 
George  F.  Cotterill,  O.  R.  Holcomb,  Frank  B. 
Cole,  Democrats,  793,  752  and  776  votes  respect- 
ively, Jense  C.  Martin,  William  McCormick, 
Hans  P.  Jorgensen,  Social  Laborites,  17,  16  and 
17  votes  respectively,  J.  H.  C.  Scurlock,  D.  Bur- 
gess, George  W.  Scott,  Socialists,  35,  33,  and  34 
votes  respectively,  A.  H.  Sherwood,  W.  J.  Mc- 
Kean,  O.  L.  Fowler,  Prohibitionists,  13,  12  and 
13  votes  respectively;  justice  supreme  court,  Hi- 
ram E.  Hadley,  Republican,  1,070,  James  Bradly 
Reavis,  Democrat,  770,  William  J.  Hoag,  Social- 
ist Laborite,  18,  Thomas  Neill,  Socialist,  34; 
state  representative,  Nineteenth  district,  G.  E. 
Dickson,  R.  B.  Wilson,  Republicans,  1,016  and 
1,021  votes  respectively,  Matt.  Flynn,  Michael 
McColgan,  Democrats,  996  and  842  votes  respect- 
ively; auditor,  Guilford  Wilson,  Republican,  947, 
H.  M.  Baldwin,  Democrat,  1,017;  sheriff.  Wil- 
liam Freyburger,  Republican,  873.  Robert  L. 
Thomas,  Democrat,  1,132;  clerk,  A.  E.  Emerson. 
Republican.  1,050,  John  Hoskins,  Democrat,  909; 
treasurer,  C.  E.  Wheeler,  Republican.  867,  R. 
Lee  Purdin,  Democrat,  1,095;  attorney,  Edward 
Pruyn,  Republican,  798.  C.  V.  Warner,  Demo- 
crat, 1,184;  assessor,  W.  M.  Kenney.  Republican, 
992,  W.  P.  Hiddleson,  Democrat,  962;  superin- 
tendent of  schools,  H.  F.  Blair,  Republican,  1.013, 
W.  A.  Thomas,  Democrat.  956;  surveyor,  M.  M. 
Emerson,  Republican,  1,162;  no  opposition;  cor- 
oner, H.  J.  Felch,  Republican,  1,173,  John  Catlin, 
Democrat,  749;  commissioners.  First  district,  J. 
ocrat,  835;  Third  district.  Edgar  Pease,  Republi- 
E.  Burke,  Republican,  1,076,  Rufus  Cooke,  Dem- 
ean, 1,034,  John  M.  Newman,  Democrat,  879. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


TOWNS  AND  CITIES. 


ELLENSBURG. 

This  thriving  business  and  educational  center 
enjoys  an  exceedingly  happy  location  on  Wilson 
creek  some  three  miles  from  its  confluence  with  the 
Yakima  river,  west  of  the  center  of  the  magnificent 
Kittitas  valley.  "It  would  be  difficult  for  an  artist 
to  picture  a  more  placid,  peaceful,  homelike  city,  or 
imagine  more  congenial  and  diversified  environ- 
ments." The  beautiful  shade  trees  and  the  buildings 
of  stone,  brick 'and  wood  shut  off  most  of  the  view 
from  persons  within  the  town,  but  the  lover  of  Na- 
ture's divinest  handiwork  may  have  his  passion  for 
the  sublime  and  the  picturesque  fully  satisfied  by 
taking  a  ten-minute  walk  to  the  top  of  Craig's  hill 
just  east  of  the  city.  Here  he  obtains  a  grand  view 
of  that  wondrous  gem  of  the  Cascades,  the  Kittitas 
basin,  though  its  farthest  limits  are  hazy  and  indis- 
tinct in  the  distance.  The  valley  is  picturesque  in 
itself  considered ;  with  its  environing  hills  and 
mountains  it  forms  a  scenic  poem  of  indescribable 
sublimity.  To  the  north  the  majestic  Peshastins 
rear  skyward  their  serrated  crest,  the  highest  peak 
of  which  is  the  sharp,  towering  crag,  known  as 
Mount  Stuart.  On  the  west  are  the  great  Cascades, 
and  Mount  Ranier,  that  magnificent  monument  of 
the  supreme  effort  of  Nature  to  pierce  the  heavens 
with  a  tower  of  Babel ;  while  the  rolling  hills  to  the 
south  and  east,  though  less  picturesque  and  inspir- 
ing, are  yet  most  pleasing  to  the  artistic  sense. 

One  might  easily  imagine  the  valley  as  designed 
for  the  habitation  of  a  race  of  giants.  That  there 
are  giants  in  these  days,  giants  in  achievement  if 
not  in  stature,  appears  from  the  transformations 
that  have  been  wrought  in  the  aspect  of  nature.  At 
your  feet,  carried  by  tunnel  through  the  very  hill 
upon  which  you  are  standing,  are  the  waters  of  the, 
famous  Ellensburg  canal,  waters  which  have  fol- 
lowed this  artificial  channel  for  miles  and  which  will 
continue  to  flow  on  for  miles  more,  carrying  life  and 
verdure  and  fertility  to  the  land.  Prosperous  look- 
ing rural  homes  dot  the  valley  under  this  and  other 
canals  and  even  where  the  vitalizing  water  has  not 
yet  gone.  The  prolific  acres  which  surround  these 
homes  are  the  forces  which  have  made  possible  the 
building  of  the  thriving  little  city  and  upon  which 
its  future  mainly  depends. 

The  site  of  Ellensburg  was  the  natural  place  for 
cowboys  to  congregate  in  early  davs.     Here    was 


an  abundance  of  water,  shelter  for  their  camp  and  a 
convenient  eminence  from  which  to  scan  with  their 
field  glasses  the  wide  range  over  which  their  cattle 
and  horses  roamed.  It  was  but  natural  also  that  the 
cowboy  camp  should  become  the  site  of  a  primitive 
mercantile  establishment,  when  the  settlement  of  the 
country  should  create  a  demand  for  such,  and  that 
other  establishments  should  spring  up  in  the  vicinity 
as  time  passed  and  the  country  developed.  Thus  it 
happened  that  by  purely  natural  causes  the  trading 
center  of  the  valley  was  located.  That  its  site  was 
decreed  as  wisely  as  it  could  have  been  by  the  de- 
liberate judgment  of  a  company  of  savants,  subse- 
quent history  has  abundantly  proven. 

The  story  of  Andrew  Jackson  Splawn's  log  cabin 
store  has  been  heretofore  told.  It  passed  in  1871 
into  the  hands  of  John  A.  Shoudy  and  William 
Dennis,  the  former  of  whom  was  the  real  author 
and  founder  of  Ellensburg.  Splawn's  place  had  in 
some  way  come  to  be  called  "Robbers'  Roost;" 
just  how  is  uncertain  as  the  stories  told  differ  wide- 
ly. Mr.  Shoudy  named  it  Ellensburgh  in  honor  of 
his  wife,  but  in  the  year  1894  the  final  h  was 
dropped,  through  action  of  the  postal  department. 

All  the  energy  and  ability  of  this  unusually  en- 
ergetic and  able  pioneer  were  devoted  to  the  up- 
building of  Ellensburg.  Its  growth  was  neverthe- 
less exceedingly  slow  at  first.  About  1872,  the  sec- 
ond log  cabin,  a  two-story  structure,  was  erected  by 
Mr.  Shoudy,  and  that  year  a  blacksmith  shop  was 
started  by  Jacob  Becker.  The  store  and  shop,  ac- 
cording to  the  statement  of  William  B.  Price,  who 
came  through  Ellensburg  in  1875,  constituted  the 
only  business  establishments  of  the  town  at  that 
time.  There  were,  perhaps,  a  half  dozen  resi- 
dences. 

July  20,  1875,  tne  first  plat  0I  Ellensburg  was 
recorded,  at  the  instance  of  John  A.  and  Mary 
Ellen  Shoudy,  the  townsite  proprietors.  It  cov- 
ered twenty-four  blocks  in  the  west  half  of  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  two,  township  seven- 
teen north,  range  eighteen  east  of  the  Willamette 
meridian.  Block  eight  was  reserved  for  courthouse 
purposes  and  block  fourteen  for  a  public  square. 
The  streets  running  north  and  south  were  Water, 
Main,  Pearl  and  Pine,  and  those  running  east  and 
west  were  numbered  one  to  seven.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shoudy 's  first  addition  was  recorded  January  13, 
1882,  and  October  3,  1883,  an  addition  was  record- 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


287 


ed  at  the  instance  of  George  F.  Smith  and  wife  and 
Jefferson  Smith.  Later  additions  to  the  original 
townsite  are :  Shoudy's  second  addition,  recorded 
August  ii,  1885;  Homestead,  recorded  December 
22.  1887;  Hick's,  March  22,  1888;  Elliott's,  1888; 
Shoudy's  third,  June  13,  1888;  Sunnyside,  June 
13,  1888;  South  Ellensburg,  June  21,  1888;  Ta- 
coma,  June  24,  1888;  Depot,  July  27,  1888;  Rail- 
road second,  October  5,  1888 :  Railroad  first,  No- 
vember 21,  1888;  Sunny  Slope,  January  7,  1889; 
Grand  View,  January  15,  1889;  Michell's  first, 
February  14,  1889;  Michell's  .second,  February  23, 
1889;  Santa  Ana,  February  6,  1889;  Smithson's, 
February  27,  1889;  Central,  March  21,  1889;  Elec- 
tric, April  10,  1889;  Shoudy's  Subdivision,  April 
15,  1889;  Columbia,  June  3,  1889;  Becker's,  Au- 
gust 31,  1889;  Lapointe's  first,  April  9,  1890; 
Ames,  May  26,  1890;  Knox  &  Mclntyre's,  No- 
vember 12,  1890;  Lee's  Subdivision.  August  28, 
1891  ;    Iron  Works  Annex,  October  3,  1891. 

An  idea  of  the  growth  of  the  town  in  the  three 
years  subsequent  to  1875  may  be  gathered  from  Dr. 
Middleton  Amen's  description  of  it  as  he  saw  it  in 
1878,  the  date  of  his  location  in  the  town  as  its 
first  permanent  physician.  He  states  that,  to  the 
best  of  his  recollection,  Ellensburg  then  consisted 
of  one  store,  kept  by  Shoudy  &  Stewart,  J.  W. 
Jewett's  saloon  across  the  street  from  Shoudy's; 
Jacob  P.  Becker's  blacksmith  shop ;  an  assembly 
hall  in  Shoudy's  new  frame  building,  over  the 
store ;  a  post-office,  also  in  Shoudy's  store ;  a  small, 
two-story  frame  hotel,  kept  by  Mrs.  James  Master- 
son,  and  possibly  one  or  two  other  establishments. 
These  buildings  were  grouped  at  and  near  the  cor- 
ner of  Main  and  Third  streets. 

In  1879,  Henry  M.  Bryant  and  Austin  A.  Bell 
opened  the  second  trading  post  in  Ellensburg.  It 
was  located  in  the  old  stockade  building,  erected 
during  the  Indian  trouble  of  1878,  hence  was  called 
the  Stockade  store.  The  same  year,  Leopold  Blu- 
mauer  started  a  general  store,  on  the  southwest 
corner  of  Main  and  Fourth  streets  and  Thomas  F. 
Meagher  and  John  H.  Smithson  a  butcher  shop. 
Blumauer's  building  still  stands,  being  one  of  the 
few  business  structures  which  escaped  the  great 
fire  of  1889. 

The  growth  of  Ellensburg  during  the  early 
'eighties  was  steady  and  substantial,  a  considerable 
number  of  business  houses  being  established.  In 
the  first  three  or  four  numbers  of  the  Standard,  a 
newspaper  which  made  its  appearance  June  16. 
1883,  tne  following  individuals  and  firms  inserted 
advertisements :  Harness  and  saddles,  E.  F.  Church  ; 
general  merchandise,  The  San  Francisco,  L.  Blu- 
mauer,  proprietor;  Smith  Brothers  &  Company; 
the  Pioneer  store,  Shoudy  &  Stewart,  proprietors ; 
hotel,  the  Valley  (which  had  succeeded  the  Master- 
son  house),  Smith  Brothers  &  Company,  propri- 
etors; meat  market,  Smithson  &  Meagher;  the 
Post-office  drug  store,  Charles  B.  Reed,  proprietor ; 
the  Blue  restaurant,  William  B.  Price,  proprietor; 


hardware,  W.  S.  Crouch;  blacksmith  shops,  Beck- 
er &  Seaton,  successors  to  J.  Becker  &  Son,  James 
G.  McGrath,  (J.  T.)  Gilmour  &  (George)  Johnson; 
saloons,  Board  of  Trade,  H.  D.  Merwin,  proprietor, 
Our  Corner,  J.  T.  McDonald,  proprietor,  the  Hum- 
boldt, Smith  &  Shaser,  proprietors;  barber  shop, 
the  Ellensburg,  Alfred  Woods,  proprietor,  A.  E. 
Dietzel's;  jewelry,  Henry  Rehmke  &  Brothers; 
manufacturers  doors,  sash,  etc.,  Pressey  &  Sprague; 
real  estate,  Naylor,  Mires  &  Company;  millinery, 
Mrs.  W.  D.  Ogden;  flour  mills,  C.  A.  Sanders,  a 
mile  and  a  half  northeast  of  town,  Canady  Bros., 
three  miles  northeast  of  town,  R.  P.  Tjossem, 
three  miles  southeast;  brewery,  Theodore  Hess, 
proprietor,  situated  three  miles  west  of  town ;  pho- 
tograph gallery,  B.  W.  Frisbie;  John  Hegle's 
brickyard ;  livery,  M.  Barnett ;  furniture,  Thomas 
Howe;  attorneys,  Daniel  Gaby,  (J.  H.)  Naylor  & 
(Austin)  Mires,  Samuel  C.  Davidson,  F.  S.  Thorp; 
physicians,  Drs.  Newton  Henton,  M.  V.  Amen  and 
George  Stuart ;  newspaper,  the  Standard,  Richard 
Y.  Chadd,  editor  and  proprietor. 

The  year  1883  was  an  especially  prosperous  one 
for  Ellensburg.  In  real  estate  there  was  quite  a 
boom.  It  was  the  year  in  which  the  First  National 
Bank  was  established,  Ellensburg  Hook  &  Ladder 
Company  No.  1  organized,  and  the  town  made  the 
temporary  county  seat  of  Kittitas  county,  which  was 
created  that  year.  Ellensburg  was  also  incorporated 
in  1883,  though  the  act  did  not  come  into  effect  un- 
til January  1,  1884.  Upon  A,  Lawrence  was  be- 
stowed the  honor  of  first  serving  as  mayor,  and 
upon  John  T.  McDonald,  C.  B.  Reed,  S.  C.  David- 
son and  S.  L.  Blumauer  that  of  constituting  the  first 
city  council. 

But  there  is  one  misfortune  chargeable  to  the 
account  of  1883.  August  29th  of  that  year,  early 
in  the  morning,  the  fire  fiend  made  his  first  serious 
assault  upon  the  town.  The  alarm  was  sounded  at 
one  A.  M.,  and  the  crowds  that  responded  soon 
perceived  that  Thomas  Johnson's  store  was  on  fire. 
Seeing  that  the  building  was  doomed,  the  people 
gave  their  best  efforts  to  preventing  the  spread  of 
the  fire,  and  their  energy  and  toil,  aided  by  favor- 
able weather  conditions,  resulted  in  the  averting  of 
a  general  conflagration,  though  Johnson's  and 
Couch's  stores  and  a  house  belonging  to  Mrs.  Da- 
vidson, but  occupied  at  the  time  by  Jacob  Becker, 
were  completely  destroyed.  Johnson's  loss  was 
$45,000,  partly  covered  by  insurance ;  Couch's  not 
less  than  $6,000,  with  about  $1,800  insurance;  Mrs. 
Davidson's,  $600;  Becker's,  $200;  Dr.  N.  Hen- 
ton's.  $200;  that  of  I.  Burnett,  agent  for  the  Sin- 
ger Sewing  Machine  Company,  $580.  The  fire  was 
thought  to  be  of  incendiary  origin. 

Late  in  1884,  General  C.  B.  Lamborn,  Land 
Commissioner  for  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  accompanied  by  Engineers  Bogue  & 
Huson,  visited  Kittitas  county  for  the  purpose  of 
deciding  upon  the  location  of  a  railway  center  and 
shipping  point  for  the  valley.     After  some  investi- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


gation  of  Ellensburg  and  its  surroundings,  Mr. 
Lamborn  decided  that  it  would  not  be  necessary  to 
build  a  new  town,  as  was  done  in  the  Yakima  valley, 
but  that  Ellensburg  was  in  the  important  matter  of 
situation  and  in  all  other  respects  suited  to  the  pur- 
pose. Amicable  arrangements  were  made  with 
John  A.  Shoudy,  F.  U.  Schnebly,  Mrs.  McDonald, 
Smith  Brothers  and  other  large  property  owners  by 
which  a  very  substantial  subsidy  of  real  estate  was 
to  be  given  the  company  in  consideration  of  its 
building  a  depot  on  an  extension  of  Third  street, 
within  half  a  mile  of  Main.  The  town,  already 
prosperous,  gained  materially  through  the  certainty 
that  the  railway  was  coming  and  was  sure  not  to 
pass  it  by  on  the  other  side. 

In  December,  1884,  the  Standard  fired  the  first 
gun  in  Ellensburg's  campaign  for  the  location  with- 
in its  limits,  when  the  territory  should  have  gained 
admission  to  the  Federal  union,  of  the  state  capi- 
tal. The  editor  argued  vehemently  the  city's  claim 
to  this  honor,  basing  it  chiefly  on  the  healthy,  cen- 
tral location  of  Ellensburg  in  the  "most  strikingly 
beautiful,  unsurpassedly  healthy,  admirably  watered 
and  immeasurably  fertile,  compact  body  of  agricul- 
tural land  of  any  extent  on  the  North  Pacific  slope." 
The  campaign  begun  then  was  maintained  with 
great  spirit  and  ability,  as  the  people  thought  their 
location,  with  all  the  other  advantages  possessed  by 
them  ought  to  give  them  the  prize.  Had  it  not  been 
for  the  opposition  of  North  Yakima,  they  might 
have  won  in  the  fall  of  1889,  but  l°ca'  rivalry  and 
the  great  fire  ruined  their  chances  of  success. 

During  1884,  also,  Ellensburg  took  an  impor- 
tant step  in  the  direction  of  becoming  an  educational 
center,  by  sustaining  Rev.  James  A.  Laurie  and 
Presbyterians  generally  in  their  efforts  to  establish 
an  academy  here.  The  cause  of  education  was 
young  in  the  town  at  this  time.  The  first  public 
school  had  been  taught  by  William  O.  Ames  in  the 
winter  of  1881-2  in  an  old  dwelling  house,  though 
at  least  one  private  school  had  been  maintained  in 
the  district  previously,  that  of  D.  G.  C.  Baker.  Mr. 
Ames  says  he  found  pupils  in  need  of  instruction 
in  everything  from  the  alphabet  to  algebra,  and  sup- 
plied the  demand  the  best  he  could,  teaching  the 
higher  branches  out  of  school  hours.  About  1882. 
the  district  built  a  30  by  70  schoolhouse  at  a  cost  of 
$2,500.  It  seems,  however,  that  money  for  the 
payment  of  teachers,  etc.,  was  scarce ;  that  the  pub- 
lic instruction  even  after  the  building  of  this  school 
was  insufficient  for  the  needs  of  the  people  and  that 
private  schools  were  organized  occasionally. 

Such  being  the  conditions,  it  may  be  assumed 
that  the  Presbyterian  academy  was  welcomed  by  the 
citizens.  At  a  mass  meeting  held  June  23.  1884, 
thirteen  hundred  dollars  were  subscribed  for  the 
new  enterprise,  eight  hundred  of  this  sum  coming, 
however,  from  the  Presbyterian  board.  With  the 
money,  the  Presbyterians  purchased  the  public 
school  building  and  equipped  it  for  their  own  pur- 
poses, allowing  the  district  to  retain  for  a  time  the 


free  use  of  the  upper  story.  The  first  term  of  aca- 
demic instruction  commenced  September  10,  1884. 
For  some  years  Ellensburg  Academy  was  a  force  in 
the  education  of  the  youth  of  town  and  county,  but  j 

the  development  of  the  public  school  system  event- 
ually rendered  it  unnecessary,  and  the  building  was 
remodeled  for  a  church. 

The  spring  of  1885  brought  one  disaster  to  the 
thriving  town  of  Ellensburg.  At  one  o'clock  A.  M., 
March  13th,  fire  broke  out  in  the  kitchen  of  the  Val- 
ley hotel  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Third  streets. 
Before  the  flames  cotild  be  conquered  that  building, 
Walter  Keys'  saloon,  Blomquist's  beer  hall,  the  New 
England  hotel  building  and  John  Lyon's  saloon  and 
dwelling  were  totally  destroyed.  The  city  was 
without  water  works  and  without  a  fire  department 
at  the  time,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  de- 
stroying element  was  confined  to  the  buildings  men- 
tioned. The  loss  was  probably  between  $12,000  and 
$15,000,  with  slight  insurance.  It  is  supposed  that 
the  fire  was  of  incendiary  origin.  The  fire  resulted 
in  the  loss  of  one  human  life,  that  of  John  Harbin, 
who  was  seen  the  evening  previous  in  an  intoxicated 
condition  and  taken  to  the  hotel.  Several  small  fires 
occurred  later,  one  of  them  destroying  the  Oriental 
hotel,  but  no  general  conflagration  until  the  great 
one  of  1889. 

The  year  1885  was  a  period  of  great  activity  in 
Ellensburg  and  vicinity,  as  the  railroad  was  being 
constructed  westward  from  North  Yakima,  thou- 
sands of  dollars  were  being  expended  daily  in  wages 
and  the  entire  country  was  feeling  the  impulse  al- 
ways given  by  large  pay  rolls  and  coming  railways. 
The  first  train  of  cars,  it  is  said,  pulled  into  Ellens- 
burg, March  31,  1886,  conveying  both  passengers 
and  freight.  Its  advent  marked  the  beginning  of  a 
career  of  phenomenal  development  for  the  town, 
which  did  not  end  until  after  the  big  fire  of  1889. 

The  momentum  of  this  progressive  movement 
increased  rapidly  as  time  went  by.  In  October, 
1885,  the  population  was  estimated  at  600;  in  Oc- 
tober, 1886,  800;  in  October.  1887,  1,200,  and  one 
year  later,  3,000.  Perhaps  the  year  1887  was  the 
first  one  during  which  the  growth  was  really  re- 
markable. In  it,  according  to  Mayor  Austin  Mires' 
report,  there  were  erected  seventy-three  dwelling 
louses,  one  three-story  flouring  mill  with  manufac- 
turing capacity  of  100  barrels  a  day,  one  two-story 
brick  bank  building,  the  Northern  Pacific,  round- 
house and  machine  shops,  besides  some  half  dozen 
frame  business  buildings. 

''To  be  specific."  continues  the  report,  "our  city 
contains  the  following:  One  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  dwelling  houses,  forty-five  private  barns,  three 
livery  stables,  one  feed  stable,  three  hotels,  five  res- 
taurants, three  lodging  houses,  two  boarding  and 
lodging  houses,  twelve  saloons,  seven  breweries, 
seven  general  merchandise  stores,  five  dry  goods 
and  variety  stores,  one  second  hand  and  variety 
store,  six  fruit  and  candy  stores,  one  candy  fac- 
tory, one  bakery,  three  grocery  stores,  three  hard- 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


289 


ware  stores,  two  tin  shops,  three  agricultural  imple- 
ment stores,  two  photograph  galleries,  one  gun- 
smith shop,  two  jewelry  stores,  two  harness  and 
saddlery  stores,  two  millinery  stores,  one  boot  and 
shoe  store,  three  cobbler  stores,  two  tailor  shops, 
one  sash  and  door  factory,  three  furniture  stores, 
nine  ice  houses,  five  blacksmith  shops,  three  wagon 
making  shops,  two  printing  offices  (hand  power), 
one  printing  office  (steam  power),  three  job  print- 
ing offices,  one  fire  engine  house,  one  brick  court- 
house, one  public  library,  one  coal  yard,  two  wood 
yards,  three  carpenter  shops,  two  paint  shops,,  two 
butcher  shops,  one  fish  market,  one  bank  in  opera- 
tion, one  bank  to  begin  operation  January  1,  1888, 
one  express  office,  one  telegraph  office,  one  rail- 
road depot,  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  roundhouse 
and  machine  shops,  one  flouring  mill,  three  lumber 
yards,  two  sewing  machine  agents'  offices,  two  Chi- 
nese stores,  seven  Chinese  laundries,  one  real  estate 
and  mining  office,  one  real  estate  and  insurance 
office,  six  doctors'  offices,  ten  lawyers'  offices,  four 
dressmakers,  one  loan  and  trust  company's  office, 
three  express  wagons,  three  drays,  seven  fire  insur- 
ance agents,  two  hospitals,  two  billiard  halls,  one 
dental  office,  one  Masonic  hall,  one  Odd  Fellows' 
hall,  one  Presbyterian  church  building  and  acad- 
emy, one  M.  E.  church  building,  one  Christian  and 
one  Catholic  church  building,  one  public  school. 

"There  are  seventy  pupils  in  attendance  at  the 
academy ;  250  children  of  school  age  in  the  city, 
and  150  in  attendance  at  the  public  graded  school. 

"The  following  churches  and  fraternal  organi- 
zations are  represented  in  the  city :  Methodist 
church,  membership  25;  Presbyterian,  50;  Chris- 
tian, 60;  Catholic,  173;  Masonic  lodge,  47;  chap- 
ter Royal  Arch  Masons,  22 ;  Odd  Fellows,  43 ;  G. 
A.  R.,  45;  A.  O.  U.  W.,  11;  United  Order  of 
Honor,  21 

"Among  the  most  important  improvements  of 
the  year  may  be  mentioned  the  water  ditch,  three 
miles  in  length,  constructed  by  Messrs.  Shoudy  & 
Tjossem  to  furnish  water  power  for  their  new  flour- 
ing mill.  This  ditch  is  supplied  from  the  Yakima 
river,  and  affords,  a  motive  force  of  300-horse 
power,  80-horse  power  only  being  necessary  for 
running  the  mill.  The  remaining  220-horse  power 
can  be  easily  applied  to  various  beneficial  city  pur- 
poses. This,  taken  in  connection  with  Wilson 
creek,  running  directly  through  our  city,  and  the 
large  Ellensburg  ditch,  taken  from  the  Yakima  river 
and  passing  within  less  than  half  a  mile  above  our 
town,  constitute  resources  of  water  supply  excelled 
by  few  if  any  cities  in  our  territory." 

It  was  during  the  second  month  of  the  year 
1887  that  the  present  brick  courthouse  was  finished. 
The  work  was  done  by  Contractor  John  Nash  for 
a  consideration  of  $15,000,  and  was  accepted  by  the 
county  February  28th. 

The  achievements  of  1887  were,  however, 
dwarfed  by  those  of  1888.  During  the  latter  year 
the  population  more  than  doubled.     The  real  estate 


transfers  for  the  first  ten  months  aggregated  $560,- 
000.  The  number  of  houses  erected  in  the  same 
period  were  213  and  it  was  thought  that  twenty 
more  would  be  added  to  the  list  during  the  fall. 
Nine  brick  blocks  and  one  of  cut  stone  were  erected, 
namely,  the  Ellensburg  National  Bank  building, 
two  stories,  costing  $8,000;  Shoudy  &  Cadwell's, 
60  by  120  feet,  $2,000 ;  E.  P.  Cadwell's  brick  store- 
room, west  of  the  Johnson  house,  $5,000;  E.  R. 
Cadwell's  brick  hotel,  three  stories,  60  by  120  feet, 
$25,000;  Ben  E.  Snipes  &  Company's  stone  build- 
ing, two  and  a  half  stories,  30  by  70,  cost  $20,000 ; 
the  Masonic  temple,  35  by  70,  to  cost $10,000;  the 
Odd  Fellows'  brick  block,  60  by  70,  to  cost  $12,000; 
Mrs.  Durgen's  building,  32  by  62,  cost  $6,000;  the 
Lynch  block,  60  by  120,  $20,000:  the  new  opera 
house,  three  stories,  60  by  120,  $25,000.  The 
amount  expended  for  dwelling  houses  during  the 
same  period  was  estimated  at  $175,000. 

But  Ellensburg's  career  of  rapid  development 
suffered  a  sudden  and  terrible  check  during  the 
summer  of  1889,  the  same  year  in  which  Seattle 
and  Spokane  had  their  awful  baptisms  of  flame. 
At  10:30  P.  M.,  July  4th,  the  dread  tones  of  the 
fire  bell  called  the  attention  of  all  to  the  fact  that 
J.  S.  Anthony's  grocery  store  on  the  east  side  of 
Main  street,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth,  was  on  fire. 
Forthwith  the  people  began  the  unequal  battle,  but 
as  a  furious  gale  was  blowing  at  the  time  and  water 
was  scarce,  the  fight  was  hopeless  from  the  start. 
The  store  melted  like  wax ;  the  adjoining  build- 
ings, all  frame  structures  and  as  dry  as  tinder,  soon 
caught  and  shared  a  similar  fate.  Nothing  with- 
stood the  progress  of  the  flames  toward  the  north, 
until  they  reached  Nash's  brick  building,  which 
effectually  stayed  their  progress  in  that  direction. 
The  buildings  to  the  southward  and  eastward  of 
the  starting  place  did  not  escape,  however.  By  the 
time  the  fire  had  reached  the  brick  and  stone  build- 
ings, it  was  hot  enough  to  consume  these  like  so 
much  straw.  "On  the  south  side  of  Main  it  soon 
swept  over  Armstrong's  and  Imbrie's  offices  to  O. 
B.  Castle's  keg  house ;  thence  across  Fourth  to  the 
Localizer  office,  carrying  everything  along  Main  on 
either  side  of  the  street  with  the  exception  of  Blu- 
mauer  &  Son's  stofe,  Spencer's  lodging  house,  Gass 
&  Ramsey's  and  the  saddlery  store.  Main  street 
was  swept  to  First,  but  the  gale  being  from  the 
northwest,  the  fire  spread  more  rapidly  to  the  south- 
east. All  the  saloons  on  the  north  side  of  Fourth 
above  the  keg  house  crumbled  before  it  like  tgg 
shells,  as  did  Gross's  and  Davidson's  offices,  Louis 
Herman's  store,  the  old  Johnson  house  and  the 
Ashler.  Here  the  fire  was  terrific,  the  roar  of  the 
flames  being  as  deafening  as  a  storm  at  sea."  The 
Geddis  block,  Snipes  &  Company's  bank  and  the 
Davidson  block  all  melted  away  before  the  fury  of 
the  devouring  element,  and  the  only  hope  of  the 
buildings  south  and  east  was  gone.  They  soon  be- 
came enveloped  in  a  sea  of  fire. 

''By  superhuman  effort,"  says  a  paper  of  the  time, 


290 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


"the  Lynch  block,  the  Ellensburg  National  Bank, 
the  old  City  hotel  and  all  that  portion  of  the  city 
between  Pearl  and  Fifth  and  the  Presbyterian 
Academy  was  saved  from  destruction.  The  great- 
est effort  was  made  to  save  the  City  hotel,  directly 
opposite  the  Masonic  temple,  on  Fourth  and  Pine. 
The  water  supply,  meager  enough  at  first,  was  now 
almost  exhausted,  but  men  got  on  top  of  the  build- 
ing with  hose  and  a  constant  stream  was  kept  flow- 
ing over  the  roof  and  down  the  sides  until  the  Tem- 
ple fire  had  ceased  and  danger  from  that  direction 
no  longer  threatened.  This  effort  saved  the  north 
side  of  Fourth  street,  the  Baptist  church,  the  pub- 
lic school  building  and  at  least  fifty  other  build- 
ings." 

While  it  is  hardly  possible  to  compile  a  complete 
list  of  the  buildings  destroyed,  such  a  list  would 
certainly  include  the  following: 

The  Ashlar  brick  block,  old  Johnson  house,  Ged- 
dis  block,  Odd  Fellows'  hall,  Masonic  hall,  Snipes 
&  Company's  bank,  Willis  &  Bryant's  store,  Oak 
Hall  restaurant,  Becker  &  Cox's  meat  market,  Kit- 
titas meat  market,  Ames  drug  store,  Bull  block, 
Ifstiger  house,  Shurer's  blacksmith  shop,  Meagh- 
er's house,  former  residence  and  office  of  Dr.  Hen- 
ton,  Leonard  &  Ross's  real  estate  office,  City  bakery, 
the  old  post-office,  the  Oriental,  Kreidel's  store,  Ad- 
ler's  barber  shop,  Stevenson's  gun  store,  Davidson's 
block,  Davidson  &  McFalls  block,  Davis  &  Adams's 
meat  market,  Anthony's  store,  Elliott's  residence, 
Imbrie's  real  estate  office,  Armstrong's  office,  the 
keg  house,  Localizer  office,  Ramos  &  Meagher's 
office,  Caro's  clothing  house,  Round's  barber  shop, 
DeBord's  barber  shop,  grocery  store,  Capital  res- 
taurant, Lyon's  saloon,  New  Corner,  Old  Corner, 
Shoudy's  block,  Chinatown,  Capital  drug  store, 
Perry's  drug  store,  Lapointe's  real  estate  office, 
John  Geiger's  tailor  shop,  Wood's  barber  shop, 
Wynmann's  confectionery,  Rehmke's  jewelry  store, 
Bushnell's  photograph  gallery,  Peed's  harness  shop, 
Peterson's  saloon,  Cascade  saloon,  Gross's  insur- 
ance and  real  estate  office,  Davidson's  law  office, 
Louis  Herman's  clothing  store,  Davidson  &  Mc- 
Falls' law  offices,  Board  of  Trade  rooms,  Walter  & 
Company's  offices,  Stewart,  Wilkins  &  Company, 
Dr.  Richardson's,  Dr.  Newland's,  Dr.  Gray's,  Hare 
&  Wallace's,  Dr.  Musser's,  Dyer's  agricultural 
warehouse,  Fish  block,  new  post-office,  Johnson's 
stables,  Tacoma  lodging  house,  four  small  dwell- 
ings belonging  to  W.  W.  Fish,  Isabella  block, 
Fogarty"s  store,  Bennett's  store  and  warehouse,  D. 
G.  C.  Baker's  two  residences.  Oldham's  blacksmith 
shop,  the  Beebe  residence,  Lloyd  Mercantile  Com- 
pany block,  Mrs.  Schnebly's  residence,  Holbrook 
boarding  house,  four  Chinese  wash  houses,  Chaf- 
fee's residence,  Thompson's  residence,  Crawford's 
cigar  factory,  Harmon's  dry  goods  store,  Klein- 
berg's  clothing  store,  Travers  Brothers'  hardware 
establishment,  Pearson's  place,  the  old  Senate,  the 
Tivoli,  Delmonico  restaurant,  Dexter  stables,  Cali- 
fornia stables,  three  houses  of  Walters  &  Company, 


one  stable  of  Walters  &  Company,  the  county  super- 
intendent of  schools'  office  with  all  records  and 
papers. 

A  partial  list  of  the  various  losses  by  individ- 
uals and  companies,  with  the  insurance  in  each 
case,  was  compiled  by  the  Ellensburg  Capital  at  the 
time,  as  follows : 

E.  C.  Price,  $500.  insurance  $500;  S.  Pearson, 
$4,000,  insurance  $2,100;  Dr.  Bean,  $600;  D. 
Dammon,  $100;  Alsip  &  Son,  $250;  W.  H.  Old- 
ing,  $1,000;  Henry  Weinmann,  $1,500;  W.  W. 
Fish,  $2,000;  A.  J.  Gaumer,  $200;  M.  E.  church, 
$6,coo,  insurance  $1,500;   Rev.  Maxwell,  $500;   M: 

Sautter,  $4,000,  insurance    $1,000;    Chaffee, 

$2,500;  J.  E.  Donney,  $1,500;  Mrs.  McMillan, 
$1,500,  insurance  light;  Bossong  &  Company, 
$3,500,  insurance  $1,500;  D.  W.  Morgan,  $2,500, 
insurance  $1,500;  post-office,  $500;  Patrick  Lynch, 
$1,200;  Thornton  &  Canfield,  $1,200,  insurance 
$600;  M.  C.  Sprague,  $1,000;  W.  H.  Kanouse, 
$1,000,  insurance  $500;  Ramos  &  Meagher,  $300; 
Eaves  &  Company,  $1,000:  Mrs.  DuFault,  $400; 
Welty  &  Brown,  C.  W.  Rhig,  $3,000;  O.  Cote, 
$500;  O.  Croup,  $400;  Ames  &  McCarthy,  $800; 
Hobdy  Bros.,  $2,500,  insurance  $1,000;  J.  P. 
Flynn,  $5,000,  insurance  $1,500;  Henry  Shuk, 
$1,000,  insurance  $500;  John  Burmaster,  $500; 
Andrew  Jenson,  $800;  T.  Wilson,  $2,500;  W. 
Hall,  $200;  The  Corner,  $8,500;  Delmonico  res- 
taurant, $2,000;  John  Geiger,  $5,000,  insurance 
$2,000;  Tivoli  Theatre,  $2,000;  Dr.  Musser,  $150; 
Dr.  P.  P.  Gray,  $500;  Odd  Fellows,  $15,000,  in- 
surance $8,500;  A.  Wood,  $2,000;  Pruyn  & 
Ready,  $500;  Willis  &  Bryant,  $8,000,  insurance 
$2,500;  Price  &  Rhoads,  $1,200;  W.  J.  Dyer, 
$150:  C.  A.  Bushnell,  $1,000,  insurance  $400; 
Henry  Rehmke,  $16,000,  insurance  $8,000;  C.  F. 
Schroeder,  $550,  insurance  $300;  Dr.  Hare,  $600; 
J.  E.  Ryan,  $3,000;  W.  A.  Bull,  $8,000;  Mires  & 
Graves,  $3,000,  insurance  light ;  Waterworks, 
Si. 000;  L.  W.  Nestell,  $550,  insurance  $500;  L.  A. 
Vincent,  $200;  Dr.  I.  N.  Power,  $400;  L.  Har- 
mon, $25,000,  insurance  $12,000;  J.  Estep,  $400; 
Tacoma  House,  $1,000,  insurance  $400;  Chinese 
houses,  $2,000;  I.  C.  Helm,  $500;  John  Parrott, 
$4,000,  insurance  $3,000;  Harry  King,  $500; 
Lyons  &  McCarthy,  $8,000,  insurance  $2,500 ;  Born- 
stein  &  Company,  $3,000;  Soda  Works,  $300;  S. 
Caro,  $9,000,  insurance  $2,500;  O.  B.  Castle, 
$6,000,  insurance  $3,000;  O'Meare  &  Williams, 
$3,000,  insurance  $1,200;  G.  A.  Bailey,  $200;  W. 
L.  Webb,    $8,500,    insurance    $3,500;"  M.  Weber, 

$1,000;      Carruthers.     $2,000;      Dau, 

$8,000,  insurance  $2,000;  D.  G.  C.  Baker,  $3,000, 
insurance  $1,500;  Mrs.  F.  A.  Baker,  $200;  S.  C. 
Davidson,  $1,100,  insurance  $900;  Gem  restaurant, 
$2,500,  insurance  $1,000;  S.  L.  Ames  &  Company, 
$5,000,  insurance  $2,000;  R.  Gowan,  $1,200;  j. 
T.  Armstrong,  $500;  Judge  Frank  Rudkin,  $200; 
J.  B.  Coleman,  $14,000,  insurance  $7,500;  J.  S. 
Anthony,  $6,000,  insurance  $4,000;    Davis  &  Ad- 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


291 


ams,  $i,ooo;  Sullivan  &  Smith,  $1,500,  insurance 
$800;  Joseph  Adler,  $1,000;  John  H.  Smithson, 
$1,750;  Jack  Lyons,  $5,000,  insurance  $1,500;  A. 
Reustle,  $800;  Dan  Richards,  $300;  L„  Herman, 
$15,000,  insurance  $5,000;  D.  S.  Crawford,  $500; 
G.  B.  Henton  &  Company,  $28,000,  insurance 
$12,000;  Field  &  Meyer,  $1,000;  S.  R.  Geddis, 
$30,000,  insurance  $16,000;  Peterson  &  Company, 
$7,000,  insurance  $1,000;  A.  Stevenson,  $2,000,  in- 
surance $500;  John  Scott,  $600;  J.  E.  Belyea, 
$35,000,  insurance  $10,000;  Jackson  &  Maloney, 
$1,000;  McNeil  &  Wallace,  $1,000;  F.  W.  Ewing, 
$2,500;  Dr.  Croup,  $400;  J.  B.  Fogarty,  $25,000, 
insurance  $20,000 ;  N.  N.  Brown,  $5,000,  insurance 
$1,300 ;  Dr.  E.  L.  Perry,  $4,500,  insurance  $3,000 ; 
Sfmms  &  Boyle,  $700 ;  S.  Creger,  $10,000,  insurance 
$5,000;  Sig.  Stencel,  $i  1,000,  insurance  $5,500;  P. 
Peterson,  $5,000,  insurance  $2,000;  J.  J.  Imbrie, 
$200;  William  Peed,  $5,000,  insurance  $1,000; 
Mrs.  Westfall,  $700;  Williams  &  McGuire, 
$10,000,  insurance  $5,000;  Alfred  Wood,  $1,200, 
insurance  $500;  Capital  band,  $250;  A.  Long, 
$13,000,  insurance  $7,500;  Charles  L.  Collins, 
$3,000,  insurance  $2,000;  J.  R.  Love,  $10,000,  in- 
surance $2,000;  W.  G.  Porter,  $800,  insurance 
$200;  M.  Gilliam,  $1,000,  insurance  $500;  G.  E. 
Dixon,  $2,000;  Hinman  &  Geddis,  $24,000,  insur- 
ance $12,000;  N.  Todtman,  $4,000,  insurance 
$2,000;  S.  Kreidel,  $25,000,  insurance  $18,000; 
Dr.  T.  J.  Newland,  $1,000;  Benjamin  E.  Snipes, 
$35,000,  insurance  $10,000;  Walters  &  Company, 
$7,500;  Nelson  Bennett,  $38,000,  insurance  $15,000; 
Fred  Agatz  &  Mrs.  Wilson,  $2,000,  insurance  $650; 
Fred  Leonard,  $7,000,  insurance  $3,000;  Travers 
Brothers,  $6,000,  insurance  $2,000 ;  M.  A.  Schnebly, 
$15,000;  Friend  &  Flynn,  $5,000;  Davidson  &  Mc- 
Falls,  $500;  J.  B.  Davidson,  $4,500,  insurance 
$2,500;  Kleinberg  Brothers,  $20,000,  insurance 
$15,000;  Lloyd  Mercantile  Company,  $40,000,  in- 
surance $35,000;  G.  W.  Hornbeck,  $600;  John  A. 
Shoudy,  $40,000,  insurance  $15,000;  Electric 
Light  Company,  $3,000;  J.  Carter.  $200;  J.  H. 
Grider,  $500;  J.  Zounger,  $200;  W.  H.  Elliott, 
$1,500;  A.  S.  Gross,  $5,000,  insurance  $3,500; 
Localizer  office,  $2,500,  insurance  $1,000;  E.  P. 
Cadwell,  $50,000,  insurance  $32,000;  Spencer 
saloon,  $1,500:  Mrs.  Schnebly,  $4,000;  Suver  & 
Shingby,  $1,500;  J.  T.  McDonald,  $2,000 ;  Ifstiger 
House,  $3,000;  Mrs.  Dr.  Henton,  $2,700;  Dr. 
Beebe's  dwelling,  $3,000;  Mr.  Scow,  $1,000:  Wil- 
liam McGuire,  $1,000,  insurance  $250;  W.  C.  Bry- 
ant, $800;  Mrs.  Durgan,  $300;  'MacMasters  & 
Company,  $1,800;  W.  W.  Wolf,  $2,600,  insur- 
ance $1,500. 

It  has  been  estimated  that  the  two  hundred 
houses  and  ten  brick  blocks  with  their  contents  and 
all  the  other  property  destroyed  by  the  fire  were  of 
an  aggregate  value  of  not  less  than  two  million  dol- 
lars. Of  course  the  distressed  city  was  the  recipi- 
ent of  much  sympathy  and  substantial  assistance  in 
the    form   of   money,    provisions,    etc.,  from  other 


towns  of  the  territory,  so  that  actual  want  of  the 
necessities  of  life  did  not  exist. 

Every  disaster  has  its  hero.  The  hero  of  the 
Ellensburg  fire  was  D.  A.  Holbrook,  who  at  the 
imminent  risk  of  his  life  climbed  to  the  third  story 
of  the  Ashler  block,  while  it  was  a  mass  of  flames, 
for  the  purpose  of  rescuing  a  stranger  supposed  to 
be  sick  in  one  of  the  rooms.  Holbrook  escaped  by 
descending  a  burning  electric  light  pole,  though  not 
without  serious  injury  to  arms  and  face.  But  the 
Ellensburg  fire  developed  more  than  one  hero.  In- 
deed one  would  almost  conclude  that  the  town  pos- 
sessed a  citizenship  of  heroes  from  the  fortitude 
and  courage  with  which  all  received  the  blow  and 
set  about  recuperating  from  it.  July  6th,  the  peo- 
ple held  a  rousing  street  meeting,  at  which  several 
enthusiastic  speeches  were  made,  strongly  urging 
the  rebuilding  of  the  city  at  once.  By  the  10th, 
carpenters,  bricklayers,  graders  and  laborers  were 
busy  in  the  burnt  district  clearing  away  the  debris 
and  laying  the  foundation  for  new  blocks.  Within 
ten  days  after  the  fire,  work  either  on  the  plans  or 
the  actual  construction  of  forty-three  business 
blocks,  averaging  in  cost  $12,000  each,  was  under 
way,  and  the  resurrection  of  Ellensburg  had  fairly 
begun. 

It  would  seem  that  the  courage  and  energy 
which  would  prompt  a  people  to  attempt  the  task 
of  bringing  a  healthier,  handsomer,  more  substan- 
tial city  out  of  the  wreck  and  ruins  of  past  achieve- 
ments ought  to  meet  with  an  abundant  reward. 
Unfortunately,  however,  conditions  are  not  always 
just  in  their  treatment  of  individuals  or  communi- 
ties. For  some  time  previous  to  the  fire,  Ellens- 
burg business  men  had  been  eagerly  reaching  out 
for  the  trade  of  the  Big  Bend  country  and  the  Con- 
connully  region.  While  they  were  rebuilding  and 
re-establishing  their  trading  houses,  their  patrons 
to  the  north  and  east  had  to  seek  elsewhere  for  sup- 
plies and  trade  relationships  were  thus  created  which 
could  not  easily  be  broken  up.  But  the  fire  occurred 
during  a  period  of  prosperity  and  overspeculation 
throughout  the  west.  All  over  the  state  men  were 
borrowing  money  freely  and  boldlv  banking  on  the 
future.  The  business  men  of  Ellensburg  naturally 
fell  in  with  the  spirit  of  the  age,  and  erected  costly 
buildings,  filling  them  with  heavy  stocks  for  which, 
as  time  proved,  there  was  no  adequate  demand. 
The  result  was  commercial  disaster  and  hard  times. 

Thursday,  December  26,  1889,  the  large  whole- 
sale and  retail  mercantile  house  of  Lloyd  Brothers 
closed  its  doors.  Immediately  afterward  came  the 
failure  of  a  small  confectionery  business  owned  by 
Shaver  &  Brown.  February  13,  1890,  the  doors  of 
George  B.  Henton  &  Company,  dealers  in  general 
merchandise,  were  closed,  and  early  in  April  two 
more  failures  occurred.  Nor  was  there  cessation 
of  losses  by  accident  in  the  town.  February  24th 
the  public  school  building  was  burned  to  the 
ground,  entailing  a  loss  of  about  $4,000,  $2,500  of 
which  was,  however,    covered    by     insurance.     On 


2Q2 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


April  14th,  the  roundhouse  and  machine  shops 
caught  fire  and  before  the  department  could  reach 
the  scene  the  flames  had  gained  such  an  advantage 
that  nothing  could  be  done  but  to  wet  down  the 
surrounding  buildings  and  prevent  the  spread  of  the 
fire.  Throughout  all  these  multiplied  disasters  the 
people  battled  bravely  against  depression  and  busi- 
ness stagnation.  The  railway  company  rebuilt  the 
roundhouse  and  the  city  at  once  sold  its  bonds 
for  money  to  build  a  new  schoolhouse.  It  also 
boldly  purchased  the  electric  light  plant  for  $34,000, 
and  voted  the  issue  of  $200,000  worth  of  municipal 
bonds  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  water  works, 
a  sewerage  system,  etc.  By  this  activity,  the  erec- 
tion of  new  buildings  by  lodges  and  individuals, 
the  organized  efforts  of  the  board  of  trade  and 
everything  that  could  be  done  by  the  friends  of 
Ellensburg  were  insufficient  to  stem  the  tide  which 
was  setting  in  against  them,  and  throughout  the 
year  1891  dull  times  prevailed. 

The  year  1892  was  no  better;  indeed,  the  con- 
ditions were  far  from  good  in  the  valley  generally. 
The  assertion  has  been  made  and  frequently  reiter- 
ated that  in  1892  there  were  only  twelve  pieces  of 
deeded  land  in  the  county  that  were  free  from  mort- 
gage. The  year  1893,  as  everybody  knows,  brought 
widespread  distress  and  disaster  and  financial  strin- 
gency. Ellensburg  was  especially  ill  prepared  for 
the  hard  times  and  suffered  perhaps  more  th%n  most 
other  towns  of  the  state,  the  Snipes  failure,  hereto- 
fore referred  to,  adding  immeasurably  to  the  gen- 
eral gloom.  Progress  of  any  kind  was  out  of  the 
question ;  indeed  the  four  years  of  hard  times  were 
a  period  of  retrogression  rather,  in  Ellensburg,  as 
in  most  other  towns  of  the  west. 

With  the  general  business  revival  in  1897  came 
a  commercial  quickening  in  Ellensburg  also.  Crops 
and  prices  were  good  that,  year  and  of  course  the 
business  men  of  the  town  came  in  for  a  share  of 
the  benefit.  They  showed  their  readiness  to  join 
the  forward  march  in  good  earnest  by  organizing 
a  commercial  club  to  look  after  the  local  interests. 
The  officers  of  this  body  were  as  follows:  Presi- 
dent, R.  B.  Wilson;  first  vice  president,  E.  C. 
Wheeler;  second  vice  president,  W.  H.  Talbott; 
treasurer,  H.  S.  Elwood;  directors,  G.  E.  Dickson, 
T.  W.  Farrell,  F.  Hart,  J.  Van  Dyk,  O.  M.  Lati- 
mer, C.  V.  Warner,  E.  T.  Barden,  M.  R.  Weed,  P. 
H.  W.  Ross,  I.  N.  Power. 

The  record  of  1898  was  still  better  than  that  of 
its  predecessor,  though  its  advent  found  the 
juvenile  population  of  the  town  and  some  of  the 
older  people  suffering  from  an  epidemic  of  measles. 
In  February  a  chinook  wind  blowing  over  the  foot 
and  a  half  of  snow  which  covered  the  valley  caused 
a  sudden  flood  which  occasioned  much  inconveni- 
ence to  residents  on  the  flat  between  Water  street 
and  the  depot,  but  nothing  of  serious  consequence 
occurred  to  mar  the  happiness  of  the  people  or 
cause  a  halt  in  the  progressive  march.  During  the 
fall  of  1898  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company 


did  a  larger  volume  of  business  from  the  Ellens- 
burg depot  than  ever  before,  the  shipments  aggre- 
gating 257  cars  in  October  as  against  107  for  the 
same  month  of  the  preceding  year. 

A  memorable  event  of  1899  was  the  robbing  on 
November  1st  of  the  jewelry  store  of  Henry 
Rehmke  &  Brother  on  Fourth  street.  At  12:20 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  William  Rehmke  locked  the  store 
and  started  to  dinner.  Fifteen  minutes  later,  his 
brother  Henry  returned  and  discovered  that  in  the 
interim  a  robber  had  effected  an  entrance  and  car- 
ried away  some  valuable  jewelry.  Investigation 
showed  that  he  had  bored  three  auger  holes  near 
the  knob  of  the  outside  back  door  with  intent  to 
reach  in  and  slip  the  bolt,  but  failing  in  this,  had 
pried  off  the  casing.  Thus  he  entered  the  room  m 
the  rear  of  the  store,  whence,  by  similar  means,  he 
made  his  way  to  where  the  valuables  were.  Having 
helped  himself  to  the  high  priced  goods  in  the  front 
of  the  store,  he  departed  without  molesting  the 
cheaper  articles  in  the  least.  A  few  solid  gold 
watches  were  also  left  and  a  small  number  of 
charms  and  lockets  set  with  diamonds,  also  the 
cash  in  the  drawers.  The  gold,  silver  and  gold 
filled  watches,  the  watch  movements,  the  diamond 
and  plain  gold  rings,  with  all  the  other  jewelry 
taken,  aggregated  in  value  about  $3,000. 

Sheriff  Brown  was  immediately  notified  and 
soon  vigorous  efforts  to  capture  the  midday  burglar 
were  inaugurated.  Next  day  at  Cle-Elum,  the 
sheriff  arrested  a  man  who  was  pointed  out  to  him 
as  having  pawned  two  watches  and  some  rings. 
Having  landed  the  suspect  in  jail  at  Roslyn,  he  sent 
for  Mr.  Rehmke,  who  soon  arrived.  After  a  vig- 
orous cross-examination  by  the  jeweler  and  the 
sheriff,  the  man  finally  admitted  the  crime,  telling 
where  the  plunder  was  hidden  in  a  sack.  It  was 
found,  identified  by  Rehmke,  and  brought  back  to 
Ellensburg. 

The  burglar,  who  gave  his  name  as  John  Her- 
man, was  in  due  time  arraigned  before  the  superior 
court,  pleaded  guilty,  and  was  sentenced  to  ten 
years'  imprisonment. 

The  second  month  of  the  year  1900  was  fruit- 
ful of  one  serious  disaster  to  Ellensburg.  The 
evening  of  the  13th,  Tjossem  &  Son's  flouring  mill, 
an  excellent,  well-equipped  plant,  was  completely 
destroyed  by  fire.  Nothing  was  saved  except  the 
books  and  a  few  other  articles  that  were  in  the 
office,  but  by  heroic  efforts  the  fire  was  prevented 
from  spreading  to  the  warehouse  or  to  the  several 
cars  loaded  with  hay  which  were  standing  near. 
In  the  mill  at  the  time  of  its  destruction  were  1,300 
barrels  of  flour,  and  between  six  and  seven  thou- 
sand bushels  of  grain.  The  total  loss  was  esti- 
mated at  $17,000,  insurance  $5,000.  The  mill  had 
been  entered  on  the  17th  of  the  preceding  month 
and  robbed  of  about  $300  in  cash,  besides  some  val- 
uable papers. 

This  was  the  last  serious  conflagration  in  the 
town,  though  during  the  night  of   July    10,    1901, 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


293 


there  was  a  fire  of  some  magnitude  in  the  furniture 
store  of  Trip  &  Jackson,  in  the  Honolulu  block, 
which  did  considerable  damage  to  the  stock  and  the 
building.  At  one  time  during  1902  apprehension 
was  felt  lest  the  railway  should  strike  a  serious  blow 
at  the  town  by  making  Cle-Elum  the  division  ter- 
minus in  its  stead,  but  the  company  on  mature  de- 
liberation concluded  to  let  things  remain  as  they 
were.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  Ellensburg  has  been 
making  the  most  of  the  good  times  of  the  past  few 
years.  Its  growth  has  been  steady  and  substantial, 
though  not  phenomenal.  The  country  around  it  has 
enjoyed  many  blessings,  in  the  way  of  splendid 
crops  and  high  prices,  and  the  effect  on  the  town's 
prosperity  has  been  immediate  and  pervading.  It 
would  seem  that  Ellensburg  has  conquered  the  evil 
fate  with  which  it  at  one  time  seemed  to  be  strug- 
gling, and  that  it  is  now  ready  to  enjoy  in  peace  the 
development  and  prosperity  which  belong  to  it  as 
the  central  city  of  so  rich,  extensive  and  well  favored 
a  valley. 

The  Ellensburg  of  to-day  is  a  substantial,  pros- 
perous, modern  metropolis,  with  approximately 
3,000  inhabitants,  within  whose  gates  progress  and 
stability  are  at  once  strikingly  apparent.  The  city 
is  favored  with  the  same  healthy  climate  which 
blesses  the  remainder  of  the  county.  According  to 
the  report  of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey, 
it  is  1570  feet  above  sea  level. 

Perhaps  no  two  things  contribute  so  much  to  a 
community's  healthfulness  as  an  abundant  supply  of 
pure  water  and  good  drainage,  and  in  possessing 
these  Ellensburg  is  fortunate.  In  1889  the  first 
water  system  was  installed  by  the  Capitol  Hill 
Water  Works  Company,  consisting  of  B.  E.  Craig, 
president;  C.  A.  Sanders,  vice  president;  W.  R. 
Abrams,  treasurer;  and  P.  H.  Ross,  secretary. 
This  company  was  succeeded  in  1892  by  the  Ellens- 
burg Water  Supply  Company,  which  at  present 
owns  the  system,  supplying  the  city  with  most  of 
its  water.  The  gravity  system  is  in  use.  Water  is 
taken  directly  from  Wilson  creek,  two  and  a  half 
miles  northeast  of  town,  though  the  company  has 
three  reserve  reservoirs  on  Craig's  hill,  capable  of 
storing  between  three  and  four  million  gallons, 
which  water  is  conveyed  into  the  city  through 
twenty-inch  wooden  mains.  An  average  fire  press- 
ure of  65  pounds  to  the  square  inch  is  obtained  at 
the  corner  of  Pearl  and  Fourth  streets.  The  com- 
pany receives  no  pay  from  the  city  for  the  privi- 
leges granted.  Julius  C.  Hubbell  is  manager  of  the 
water  company.  In  the  year  1889,  also,  City  Engi- 
neer W.  P.  Mason  began  installing  the  fine  sewer 
system  which  thoroughly  drains  the  city.  This  sys- 
tem is  modeled  after  that  adopted  by  the  city  of 
Memphis,  Tennessee,  after  the  yellow  fever  scourge 
.  of  1877,  which  converted  that  city  from  one  of  the 
unhealthiest  into  one  of  the  healthiest  cities  in  the 
world.  Ellensburg  is  said  to  have  been  one  of  the 
first  cities  in  Washington  to  adopt  a  sewer  system. 

The  city  maintains  a  well-equipped  fire  depart- 


ment, with  headquarters  in  the  city  building,  on 
Pine  street.  The  apparatus  consists  of  one  third 
class  Silsby  steam  fire  engine,  two  hand  hose  carts, 
2,250  feet  of  hose,  hook  and  ladder  truck,  etc.  A 
volunteer  fire  company  handles  this  equipment,  only 
two  officers  being  paid,  the  chief,  Peter  Garvey, 
and  the  engineer,  B.  A.  Maxey,  both  of  whom  sleep 
at  the  fire  station. 

The  city  owns  its  electric  lighting:  system,  hav- 
ing purchased  the  private  plant  of  John  A.  Shoudy 
in  July,  1890.  Mr.  Shoudy  received  $34,000  for  the 
property.  From  time  to  time  improvements  have 
been  made,  including  the  building  of  a  $10,000 
power  canal  in  1897,  making  the  plant  a  very  valu- 
able asset  of  the  municipality.  January  28,  1904, 
the  citizens  voted  to  again  improve  this  property  by 
constructing  a  power  plant  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river,  two  and  a  half  miles  northwest  of  the  city, 
which  will  develop  640-horse  power.  The  power 
not  used  for  running  the  city  lighting  plant  will  be 
used  in  the  valley  and,  it  is  expected,  in  furnishing 
motive  power  for  a  suburban  line  between  Ellens- 
burg and  Thorp.  The  canal  used  in  furnishing  this 
power  will  be  three  and  five-sixths  miles  in  length, 
carrying  fifty  second  feet  of  water.  The  appropria- 
tion was  $22,000.  All  the  contracts  have  been  let, 
and  it  is  thought  that  the  work  will  be  completed 
in  October. 

The  old  charter,  granted  in  November,  1883,  to 
take  effect  January  1,  1884,  has  been  amended 
many  times  through  general  and  specific  acts,  but 
still  governs  the  city.  The  corps  of  officers  now  ad- 
ministering municipal  affairs  was  elected  in  De- 
cember, 1903,  and  is  as  follows : 

Mayor — M.  E.  Flynn. 

Councilmen — A.  M.  Wright,  Andrew  Olsen,  C. 
S.  Palmer,  William  Peed,  George  Hornbeck, 
Thomas  F.  Meagher  and  R.  Lee  Purdin. 

Treasurer — Charles  Stewart. 

Clerk — George  Sayles. 

Attorney — Austin  Mires. 

Physician — Dr.  J.  A.  Mahan. 

Marshals — William  Harold,  William  Freyburger. 

Engineer — John  Scott. 

Chief  Fire  Department — Peter  Garvey. 

Superintendent  of  Streets — B.  A.  Maxey. 

Ellensburg  is  justly  proud  of  its  standing  as  an 
educational  center.  Here  are  situated  the  State 
Normal  school  and  one  of  the  finest  public  school 
buildings  in  the  state,  both  of  which  are  in  charge 
of  faculties  of  acknowledged  high  standing  in  the 
teaching  profession.  The  Washington  State  Nor- 
mal school  was  established  by  the  legislature  in 
1890,  was  opened  to  the  public  in  1891,  and  entered 
its  present  commodious  and  beautiful  home  in  Sep- 
tember, 1893,  occupying  a  building  which  cost 
$60,000.  A  detailed  history  and  description  of  this 
well  known  institution,  which  has  added  not  a  little 
to  the  city's  educational  standing,  will  be  found  in 
the  chapter  dealing  with  the  educational  interests  of 
this  section. 


294 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


The  public  school  building  was  erected  in  1890 
at  a  cost  of  $40,000  to  replace  one  destroyed  by  fire. 
W.  H.  Ritchie,  of  Seattle,  is  its  architect,  and  John 
Scott,  its  builder.  To  build  this  magnificent  brick 
and  stone  structure,  the  district  issued  $50,000 
thirty-year,  six  per  cent,  bonds.  The  city  traded 
what  was  then  known  as  the  City  Park  block  to  the 
district  for  the  latter's  property  in  the  First  Rail- 
road addition,  and  upon  the  first  named  land  on 
Fifth  street,  the  school  was  built.  It  is  almost 
needless  to  say  that  every  effort  has  been  made  to 
completely  equip  this  school  in  the  most  modern 
manner,  with  satisfactory  results.  The  city  clock 
occupies  the  high  tower  of  the  building,  thus  add- 
ing materially  to  its  appearance  and  universally  at- 
tracting the  attention  of  strangers  to  it.  The  corps 
of  teachers  in  charge  of  the  public  school  during  the 
year  1903-1904  was:  Principal,  F.  L.  Calkins;  teach- 
ers, George  M.  Jenkins,  Opal  Heller,  Edna  M. 
Dennis,  Florence  Wilson,  Mrs.  E.  U.  Saunders, 
Jennie  Sprague,  Anna  Wampler,  Agnes  Hinman, 
Franc  Charlton,  Cora  Weaver,  Anna  Quigley,  Lil- 
lian Carothers  and  Clara  M.  Greening.  The  district 
is  obliged  to  use  temporarily  an  abandoned  church 
building  in  addition  to  the  main  schoolhouse.  The 
last  school  report  made  to  the  county  superintend- 
ent's office  showed  that  the  Ellensburg  district,  No. 
3,  had  809  pupils  enrolled,  of  whom  435  were  girls. 
Last  year  the  expenditures  of  the  district  were 
$15,325.97,  of  which  $8,722.50  went  for  salaries 
alone.  The  value  of  school  property  was  then  esti- 
mated at  $57,650;  the  assessed  valuation  of  the 
district,  $1,028,810. 

The  city  possesses,  among  other  public  build- 
ings, a  fine  opera  house,  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
of  its  kind  in  the  interior  of  the  state.  The  build- 
ing is  a  two-story  brick  block,  the  old  Lloyd  block, 
corner  of  Third  and  Pine  streets.  In  it  Ellens- 
burg's  first  ODera  house  was  established  by  the 
Lloyds  in  1890,  but  after  their  failure,  several  dif- 
ferent buildings  were  used  for  opera  purposes  un- 
til 1900,  when  the  city's  business  men  organized  the 
Ellensburg  Theatre  Company  and  purchased  the 
old  opera  house  for  about'  $8,000.  In  all  about 
$19,000  has  been  spent  in  remodeling  the  building 
and  fitting  it  up  as  a  first-class  small  theatre.  As 
one  of  the  theatres  attached  to  the  Northwestern  cir- 
cuit, the  Ellensburg  Theatre  is  favored  by  many 
high  grade  entertainment  companies  and  financially 
as  well  as  socially,  is  a  success.  Julius  C.  Hubbell 
is  president  of  the  company,  James  Ramsay  is  vice 
president,  T.  W.  Farrell,  secretary,  and  Harry  S. 
Elwood,  manager. 

Two  banks,  one  national  and  one  private,  handle 
the  general  banking  business  of  the  citv  and  Kit- 
titas valley,  there  being  only  one  other  in  the 
county.  The  older  of  these  institutions  is  the  Bank 
of  Ellensburg,  capital  $25,000,  owned  by  E.  H. 
Snowden  and  P.  H.  W.  Ross.  This  bank  was 
established  in  1897  bv  two  Spokane  men,  H.  C. 
Barrol  and  W.  E.  Bell,  and  at  the  time  of  its  or- 


ganization was  the  only  institution  of  the  kind  in 
the  city,  the  Kittitas  Valley  National  and  Ben  E. 
Snipes  &  Company  having  failed  during  the  hard 
times  and  having  never  been  re-established.  The 
former  paid  its  creditors  43.7  per  cent.,  under  the 
receivership  of  J.  C.  Hubbell ;  the  creditors  of  the 
latter  received  only  9.55  per  cent,  of  their  claims. 
The  city's  other  financial  institution  is  the  Washing- 
ton State  Bank;  its  capital  is  $25,000,  and  officers, 
J.  H.  Smithson,  president;  C.  H.  Stewart,  vice 
president;   C.  W.  Johnsone,  cashier. 

Three  weekly  newspapers  are  published  in 
Ellensburg:  The  Dawn,  edited  and  published  by 
Robert  A.  Turner;  the  Localizer,  published  by  the 
Cascade  Printing  and  Publishing  Company,  Ran- 
dall Bros.,  proprietors ;  and  the  Ellensburg  Capital, 
edited  and  published  by  A.  H.  Stulfauth.  Fuller 
mention  of  these  journals  will  be  found  in  the  press 
chapter.  While  there  are  a  number  of  boarding 
houses  and  small  hotels,  the  two  leading  hotels  in 
the  city  are  the  Grand  Pacific,  William  B.  Price, 
proprietor,  and  the  Hotel  Vanderbilt,  Aldrich  & 
Jackson,  proprietors,  both  of  which  are  modern  in 
equipment  and  well  managed.  Aside  from  the 
large  retail  and  wholesale  mercantile  and  commis- 
sion business  houses  in  the  city,  there  are  a  few  other 
enterprises  that  deserve  special  mention :  the  North- 
ern Pacific  division  shops  and  yards ;  the  Ellensburg 
Lumber  Company's  sawmill;  three  creameries,  the 
Ellensburg,  B.  F.  Reed,  manager;  the  Kittitas,  S. 
P.  Wippel,  manager,  and  the  Alberta,  A.  E.  Shaw, 
manager ;  two  flour  mills,  the  City  Milling  &  Realty 
Company's  and  R.  P.  Tjossem  &  Son's,  both  having 
a  capacity  of  100  barrels  a  day  and  operating  nearly 
the  whole  year;  Coble  &  Sackett's  brickyard.  The 
mining,  stock-raising  and  farming  industries  of  the 
county  find  in  Ellensburg  their  most  convenient 
trade  center  and  few  if  any  lines  of  legitimate 
business  are  unrepresented.  The  local  field  for  pro- 
fessional men  is  also  fully  occupied. 

As  might  be  expected  the  business  men  maintain 
a  live  commercial  club,  known  as  the  Ellensburg 
Club,  which  for  many  years  has  taken  an  active 
part  in  upbuilding  the  city.  This  organization 
is  at  present  managed  by  the  following  officers: 
President,  M.  E.  Flynn;  vice  president,  Martin 
Cameron ;  secretary,  S.  C.  Boedcher ;  treasurer,  E. 
H.  Snowden.  Well  furnished  club  rooms  are  main- 
tained on  Fourth  street  over  the  Warwick  saloon. 

In  July,  1903,  the  young  men  of  Ellensburg 
and  the  surrounding  country  organized  Company 
C,  W.  N.  G.,  to  take  the  place  of  the  old  company 
which  served  in  the  Spanish-American  war.  The 
muster  rolls  are  nearly  filled  and  in  every  way  the 
organization  bids  fair  to  be  a  worthy  successor  to 
Company  H.  A.  C.  Steinman  is  captain  of  Com- 
pany C,  as  he  was  of  Company  H ;  G.  M.  Burling- 
ham  is  first  lieutenant ;  Robert  Murray,  second  lieu- 
tenant; William  O.  McDowell,  orderly  sergeant; 
and  Allen  R.  Dennis,  quartermaster  sergeant. 

The  Friday   Club  of   Ellensburg   is   the   city's 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


295 


oldest  women's  literary  association.  This  club  was 
organized  in  the  fall  of  1895,  when  ten  ladies  met 
and  took  up  the  study  of  Spanish  history  together 
with  Washington  Irving's  books  bearing  on  that 
subject.  A  formal  organization  was  not  effected 
however,  until  1897,  then  the  club  was  admitted 
to  the  state  federation.  A  literary  program  is  car- 
ried out  each  year,  and  the  social  features  of  club 
life  are  not  neglected.  Mrs.  A.  H.  Stulfauth  is 
the  present  president  of  the  Friday  Club. 

The  Gallina  Club,  composed  of  twenty-one  mem- 
bers, whose  object  is  social  and  intellectual  develop- 
ment, was  organized  in  March,  1900,  and  federated- 
the  following  May.  Mrs.  S.  B.  Weed  was  its  first 
president,  Mrs.  J.  A.  Mahan  its  second,  Mrs.  A.  C. 
Steinman  its  third.  The  present  officers  are:  Pres- 
ident, Mrs.  C.  E.  Wheeler;  vice  president,  Mrs.  C. 
S.  Bullard;  recording  secretary,  Mrs.  F.  A.  Home; 
corresponding  secretary,  Mrs.  J.  H.  Morgan ;  treas- 
urer, Mrs.  G.  E.  Campbell;  critic,  Mrs.  A.  C. 
Spaulding. 

The  Ellensburg  Art  Club  was  organized  by  six 
ladies  of  the  city  four  years  ago  and,  although  small, 
is  very  well  known  for  its  exhaustive  and  success- 
ful work  along  art  lines.  Membership  is  limited  to 
six,  the  members  at  present  being :  Mrs.  J.  B.  Dav- 
idson, president;  Mrs.  C.  V.  Warner,  secretary; 
Mrs.  P.  P.  Gray,  Mrs.  James  Ramsey,  and  Mrs.  H. 
L.  Stowell.  A  Ladies'  Municipal  Society,  whose 
purpose  is  to  improve  municipal  affairs,  is  also 
among  the  active  associations  of  Ellensburg. 

The  Methodists  are  among  the  earliest  pioneers 
in  Ellensburg  church  work.  Rev.  J.  S.  Smith,  pas- 
tor of  the  Ellensburg  church  in  1899,  prepared  at 
the  request  of  the  district  conference,  a  history  of 
his  church,  in  which  he  used  the  following  lan- 
guage : 

"The  first  Methodist  sermon  was  preached  in  El- 
lensburg in  the  schoolhouse  by  Rev.  Robert  Hat- 
field, some  time  in  the  spring  of  1880.  He  contin- 
ued to  preach  occasionally,  until  the  fall  conference. 
The  first  class  was  organized  by  Rev.  D.  L.  Spauld- 
ing in  September,  1880,  Dr.  Newton  Henton  being 
the  first  class  leader.  The  first  church  building  was 
erected  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  S.  W.  Richards, 
completed  under  Rev.  Ira  Wakefield  and  enlarged 
under  Rev.  J.  W.  Maxwell.  This  structure  was 
destroyed  by  fire  July  4,  1889.  The  present  church 
building  was  erected  in  the  summer  and  fall  of  1889 
under  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Maxwell  and  has  been 
improved  and  completed  by  succeeding  pastors.  The 
great  fire  also  destroyed  the  parsonage  built  by  Rev. 
D.  L.  Spaulding.  The  trustees  of  the  church  at  the 
time  the  church  and  parsonage  were  rebuilt  were  S. 
Thompson,  S.  W.  Maxey,  H.  C.  Walters,  L.  A.  Vin- 
cent, J.  E.  McDowell,  Dr.  J.  W.  Bean  and  C.  I. 
Helm.  Mr.  Spaulding  organized  the  pioneer  Sun- 
day school  in  1880,  becoming  its  first  superintendent. 
Several  of  our  pastors  have  been  members  of  the 
general  conference  and  several  have  become  presid- 
ing elders." 


The  charter  members  of  the  church  were :  Sarah 
E.  Butler,  J.  L.  Mills,  M.  L.  Mills,  John  McDowell, 
Thomas  G.  McDowell,  Sarah  Meade,  Mary  A.  Mc- 
Dowell, Rachael  Page,  L.  M.  Rhodes,  D.  L.  Spauld- 
ing and  wife,  David  Wood  and  Juda  Wood.  Those 
who  have  served  the  church  as  pastors  are:  Revs. 
D.  L.  Spaulding,  S.  W.  Richards,  January  1,  1884, 
to  September,  1884;  Ira  Wakefield,  September  25, 
1884,  to  July,  1885;  Henry  Brown,  one  year;  Henry 
Mays,  one  year;  C.  C.  Culmer,  one  year;  John  W. 
Maxwell,  September,  1888,  to  September,  1890; 
R.  H.  Minner,  one  year;  M.  R.  Brown,  one  year; 
M.  S.  Anderson,  one  year;  N.  Evans,  January  21, 
1893,  to  September,  1895 !  Robert  Warner,  one  year; 
M.  H.  Marvin,  two  years ;  J.  S.  Smith,  two  years ; 
John  Hanks,  two  years.  The  present  pastor,  Rev. 
William  Park,  came  to  the  church  in  March,  1902. 
The  membership  of  the  society  is  now  135.  Fully 
1,500  members  have  been  received  into  this  church 
since  its  organization.  The  church  property,  which 
stands  at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Ruby  streets,  is 
worth  about  $8,000. 

The  Presbyterian  church  was  organized  July  20, 
1879,  with  six  members.  Rev.  John  R.  Thompson 
was  pastor.  In  the  year  1884  the  church  purchased 
the  public  school  building  and  ten  lots  at  a  cost  of 
$1,300,  having  incorporated  with  J.  Salladay,  E.  R. 
Learning,  I.  N.  Power,  David  Ford  and  S.  C.  David- 
son as  trustees.  The  building  purchased  served  as 
church  and  academy  for  a  number  of  years  after 
which  the  present  commodious  house  of  worship  was 
erected  on  the  property  at  the  corner  of  Fifth  and 
Sprague  streets,  the  building  costing  about  $6,500. 
Since  organization  fully  400  members  have  been  re- 
ceived into  the  church,  the  membership  at  present 
numbering  about  160.  The  following  pastors  have 
served  the  church :  J.  R.  Thompson,  1 879-1 88 1 ; 
James  A.  Laurie,  1884-1889;  K.  J.  Dunkan,  1890- 
1892;  F.  D.  V.  Garetson,  1892-1893;  Albert  M. 
Crawford,  1893-1895;  J.  F.  B.  Stevenson,  1895- 
J897;  J.  V.  Milligan,  1898-1901.  The  present  pas- 
tor, Rev.  A.  F.  McLean,  began  his  pastorate  in  May, 
1901. 

Father  Aloysius  Parrodi.  now  of  North  Yakima, 
says  that  he  held  the  first  Roman  Catholic  church 
services  in  Kittitas  county,  the  date  being  1880.  In 
that  year  he  built  a  small  frame  church  two  miles 
south  of  Ellensburg.  This  church  was  attended 
alike  by  whites  and  Indians.  Father  Parrodi  held 
mission  services  in  the  county  until  1885  when  he 
built  the  present  commodious  church  building  in  the 
city  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,200.  Since  then  the  build- 
ing has  been  much  improved  and  enlarged.  In  1887 
Father  Custer  succeeded  Father  Parrodi,  remaining 
in  charge  of  the  church  interests  in  this  county  until 
1895  when  the  present  priest,  Father  J.  Sweens  took 
charge.     The  church  is  in  a  thriving  condition. 

The  next  church  society  to  occupy  the  local  field 
was  undoubtedly  the  Christian.  This  society,  known 
as  the  First  Christian  church  of  Ellensburg,  was  or- 
ganized April  12,  1886,  by  Rev.  J.  P.  McCorkle  with 


296 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  following  charter  members :  A.  C.  Dawes,  Mrs. 
Mary  M.  Tripe,  Ella  Tucker,  W.  M.  Trisson,  J.  R. 
Tucker,  W.  A.  Rader,  Ellen  Rader,  N.  Stone,  J.  M. 
Grissom,  Mrs.  E.  Grissom,  Mrs.  P.  C.  Grissom,  Mrs. 
N.  Davidson,  Mrs.  M.  Gibbs,  Mrs.  A.  M.  Church, 
Mrs.  C.  E.  Pool,  Mrs.  A.  Stone,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Stone, 
Mrs.  F.  F.  Packwood.  By  the  end  of  the  month 
fully  fifty  persons  were  numbered  among  the  mem- 
bers. The  congregation  at  once  secured  lots  and 
built  the  present  sightly  church  at  the  corner  of 
Ruby  and  Fourth  streets,  at  a  cost  of  about  $1,500. 
In  1887  Rev.  J.  E.  Denton,  of  Iowa,  became  the 
church's  pastor  and  since  that  time  the  following 
have  served :  Revs.  Finch,  Sanderson,  Norris,  Wal- 
den,  Hoyt,  Kinney,  Thomquist  and  McCallum.  Rev. 
C.  H.  Hilton  assumed  charge  March  27,  1904,  com- 
ing from  Blackwell,  Oklahoma.  The  society  has  ap- 
proximately 100  active  members. 

In  1887  a  clergyman  named  Reese  organized  the 
First  Baptist  church  of  Ellensburg.  The  following 
year  under  the  supervision  of  Rev.  A.  M.  Allyn,  the 
present  church  building  was  erected  on  Sprague 
street,  at  a  cost  of  about  $3,000.  Succeeding  Rev. 
A.  M.  Allyn  came  J.  T.  Hoyt,  F.  L.  Sullivan, 
Charles  Davis,  Thomas  B.  Hughes,  Bernard  H. 
Moore,  U.  R.  King,  Frederick  A.  Agar,  W.  A.  Mc- 
Call,  and,  in  January,  1901,  the  present  pastor,  Rev. 
Willis  E.  Pettibone,  a  graduate  of  Rochester  Sem- 
inary, New  York.  The  church  now  has  sixty-three 
members.  Its  officers  are:  Trustees,  William 
Woodham,  H.  L.  Stowell,  W.  J.  Payne,  Dr.  H.  J. 
Felch,  William  McEwen;  deacons,  D.  W.  Morgan, 
L.  Charlton ;  treasurer,  H.  L.  Stowell ;  clerk,  Lydia 
Charlton ;  superintendent  Sunday  school,  W.  J. 
Payne,  the  above  named  also  constituting  the  advis- 
ory board  of  the  church. 

Grace  Episcopal  church,  of  which  Rev.  Alfred 
Lockwood  is  the  present  rector,  was  established 
about  1894  by  Bishop  Wells.  Rev.  Andreas  Bard 
look  charge  of  the  society  in  the  fall  of  1896  and 
remained  until  the  following  May,  when  Mr.  Lock- 
wood  came  from  one  of  the  New  England  states. 
The  pretty,  substantial,  little  church  building  was 
erected  in  1897  at  a  cost  °f  about  $2,500,  and  stands 
on  the  corner  of  Fourth  and  Sprague  streets.  Sev- 
enty-five members  constitute  the  church  body,  be- 
sides which  there  is  a  guild  of  fifteen  members. 

The  Central  Christian  church  of  Ellensburg  was 
organized  March  18,  1900,  as  a  result  of  long  and 
continued  dissensions  in  the  First  church,  which  cul- 
minated on  that  day  by  the  following  members, 
forming  eighty  per  cent,  of  the  parent  church,  tak- 
ing fellowship  with  the  new  society :  Robert  A.  Tur- 
ner, Thomas  F.  Barton,  William  T.  Francis,  Charles 
Van  Buskirk,  Mrs.  Louis  Sharp,  A.  J.  Hodges,  Mrs. 
A.  J.  Hodges,  Mary  E.  Drew.  Elizabeth  Elliott,  Cor- 
nelia Sharp,  Emma  Sharp,  Mrs.  W.  M.  Kingore, 
Maude  Bunker,  Emma  Clymer,  Mollie  Van  Alstine, 
Elizabeth  Grissom.  Marv  M.  Tripp,  Mrs.  S.  U. 
Cannon,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Wilgus.  Mrs.  Minerva  C.  Tur- 
ner, Mrs.  Lottie  Voice,  Mrs.  Tillie  Post,  Mrs.  M. 


B.  Linder,  Mrs.  Nancy  C.  Barton,  A.  S.  Randall, 
Mrs.  A.  S.  Randall,  Mrs.  Charles  Robinson,  Eva 
Stewart,  J.  T.  Brownfield,  Mrs.  Celia  J.  Brownfield, 
Hester  Thomas,  Mrs.  Bernice  Millikin,  Mildred  Van 
Buskirk,  Thomas  K.  Hodges,  T.  J.  Randall,  Mrs. 
Etta  Fiancis,  Mrs.  T.  J.  Randall,  Atwell  Martin, 
Mrs.  R.  A.  Hodges,  Mrs.  Lillian  Kenney,  Mrs.  A. 

C.  Miller,  J.  M.  Brockman,  Mrs.  Martha  E.  Brock- 
man,  Mrs.  Lucy  Hicks,  Pearl  R.  Gage,  Hazel  Swa- 
sey,  Mrs.  John  I.  Packwood,  M.  E.  Reigel,  Mrs. 
Nancy  J.  Sharp,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Randall,  Mrs.  James 
H.  Thompson,  Mrs.  Dot  Kahler,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Darby, 
and  Alexander  Gage.  Officers  were  elected  as  fol- 
lows :  Elders,  T.  J.  Randall,  Atwell  Martin,  Rob- 
ert A.  Turner  and  William  T.  Francis ;  deacons, 
Thomas  F.  Barton,  J.  T.  Brownfield,  Thomas  K. 
Hodges ;  deaconesses,  Mrs.  Jessie  Cannon,  Mrs.  Lot- 
tie Voice,  Mrs.  M.  B.  Linder;  clerk,  Charles  Van 
Buskirk,  assistant,  J.  T.  Brownfield;  treasurer, 
Thomas  F.  Barton;  trustees,  Robert  A.  Turner, 
William  T.  Francis  and  Mrs.  W.  M.  Kilgore;  alt 
of  whom  are  still  serving  except  the  last,  whom 
W.  H.  Randolph  succeeded.  April  14,  1900,  Rev. 
William  M.  Kenney  was  called  to  the  pastorate  of 
the  church,  the  society  having  been  duly  incorpo- 
rated by  a  committee  consisting  of  Robert  A.  Turner 
and  W.  T.  Francis.  The  congregation  met  suc- 
cessively in  the  old  Congregational  church,  the 
Masonic  temple  and  the  G.  A.  R.  hall,  but 
in  September,  1903,  purchased  the  Mennonite 
church  building  on  Ruby  street,  which  is  the 
church's  present  home.  Rev.  Joseph  Deathridge 
succeeded  Rev.  W.  M.  Kenney  as  pastor  in  1902, 
but  was  forced  to  resign  last  fall  on  account  of  sick- 
ness in  his  family.  At  present  the  congregation  has 
no  pastor,  though  arrangements  have  been  made  for 
calling  one. 

Besides  the  above  mentioned  church  organiza- 
tions, the  Free  Methodists  and  Mennonites  are  rep- 
resented by  small  societies,  which  have  held  joint 
services  for  some  time  past. 

The  Ellensburg  W.  C.  T.  U.  was  organized  in 
1887,  Mrs.  Emily  Hornbeck  becoming  its  first  pres- 
ident. At  present  there  are  forty  members,  whose 
officers  are:  President,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Fleming; 
vice  presidents,  Mrs.  William  Park,  Mrs.  W.  E. 
Pettibone  and  Mrs.  N.  M.  Helves ;  secretaries,  Mrs. 
Edith  A.  Taylor  and  Miss  Susan  D.  Howard ;  treas- 
urer, Mrs.  A.  J.  Bonney.  Several  years  ago  the 
union  established  a  reading  room  in  the  Geddis 
block  but  the  necessary  support  was  lacking  and  the 
enterprise  had  to  be  abandoned.  Recently  through 
the  efforts  of  the  union  and  by  the  aid  of  city  and 
county,  a  handsome  drinking  fountain,  costing  be- 
tween $200  and  $250,  has  been  erected  in  the  center 
of  the  road,  corner  Pearl  and  Fifth  streets. 

The  Masonic  fraternity  in  Ellensburg  is  repre- 
sented by  three  lodges,  Ellensburg  Lodge  No.  39, 
A.  F.  &'A.  M.;  Ellensburg  Chapter  No.  11,  R.  A. 
M.,  and  Temple  Commanderv,  No.  5,  K.  T.  Of 
the  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  lodge,  J.  H.  Scott  is  Worshipful 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


297 


Master;  W.  A.  Fishman  is  High  Priest  of  the  R. 
A.  M.,  and  Oliver  Hinrhan  is  Eminent  Commander 
of  the  Commandery,  W.  N.  Westfall  being  secre- 
tary of  all  three  branches.  As  is  generally  the  case, 
the  Masons  were  the  first  to  organize  a  fraternal  so- 
ciety" in  the  Kittitas  valley,  the  date  being  about  1879. 
An  effort  was  made  to  obtain  data  concerning  the 
early  history  of  this  lodge  from  at  least  two  of  its 
charter  members  and  from  others,  but  without  suc- 
cess. In  1886,  the  date  of  the  establishment  of  the 
chapter  and  the  commandery,  the  lodges  occupied 
rented  quarters  in  a  wooden  building  on  the  site  of 
the  Hotel  Vanderbilt,  but  two  years  later  a  fine, 
two-story  brick  temple  was  erected  on  the  corner  of 
Pine  and  Fourth  streets  at  a  cost  of  several  thous- 
and dollars.  This  the  great  fire  of  1889  completely 
destroyed,  only  a  few  current  records  being  saved 
by  H.  M.  Baldwin,  who  was  then  secretary.  The 
Masons  sold  the  land  in  1889  and  the  following 
year  built  a  new  temple  at  a  cost  of  $10,000,  on  Sixth 
street,  between  Main  and  Pearl,  furnishing  it  sump- 
tuously". But  again  adversity  overtook  the  frater- 
nity, the  property  being  lost  on  a  mortgage  during 
the  hard  times.  At  present  Masonic  headquarters 
are  established  temporarily  in  the  Club  building. 

Ellensburg  Lodge  No.  20,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  in- 
stituted by  G.  T.  McConnell,  Grand  Master  of 
Washington,  April  9,  1881,  with  the  following  char- 
ter members:  Peter  McCleary,  W.  J.  Robbins, 
Joseph  M.  Stout,  John  Goodwin,  S.  L.  Bates,  Ma- 
thias  Becker  and  Benjamin  Ellenwood.  The  first 
home  of  this  lodge  was  a  two-story  frame  building 
situated  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Pearl  and  Third 
streets,  occupying  the  site  of  the  old  stockade  fort. 
Hon.  John  A.  Shoudy  and  his  wife  donated  the  Odd 
Fellows  a  parcel  of  land  120  feet  square  in  consid- 
eration of  their  erecting  a  building-  thereon,  which 
they  did  in  1885.  The  fire  of  1889  destroyed  the 
building,  and  when  the  mortgage  was  paid  off  and 
other  debts  had  been  canceled,  the  Odd  Fellows 
found  themselves  with  just  $500  in  the  treasury. 
Then  came  the  general  business  depression,  but  the 
lodge  was  nevertheless  able  in  1901  to  purchase  the 
Maxey  block,  situated  on  Pine  street  in  the  busi- 
ness portion  of  the  town.  Since  then  it  has  ac- 
quired title  to  an  additional  lot  adjoining  the  hall 
on  the  south,  giving  the  lodge  a  tract  60x120  feet 
in  s:ze;  this  property  is  now  worth  about  $10,000. 
In  1884  the  lodge  bought  of  C.  A.  Sanders  the  beau- 
tiful cemetery  site  on  Craig's  hill,  the  only  cemetery 
in  or  near  the  city  except  that  belonging  to  the 
Catholics.  Ellensburg  Encampment  No.  16,  was  in- 
stituted March  31,  1890,  by  J.  M.  Swan,  Grand  Pa- 
triarch, with  the  following  charter  members  :  Wal- 
ter J.  Robbins,  John  J.  Suver,  A.  C.  Billings,  Wil- 
liam A.  Stevens  and  Claude  M.  Morris.  The  next 
day  Miriam  Rebekah  Lodge  No.  25  was  instituted, 
its  charter  membership  being  composed  of  W.  A. 
Stevens.  J.  J.  Suver,  W.  J.  Robbins,  Amos  Smith, 
R.  G.  McKay,  G.  W.  Carver,  Rosa  Carver,  J.  G. 
Olding,  Mary  J.  Jackson,  Kate  B.  Rego,  L.  A.  Vin- 


cent, S.  C.  Billings,  Emma  R.  Stevens,  Asenath  P. 
Smith,  John  B.  Rego,  O.  P.  Jackson,  Elizabeth  Old- 
ing, L.  C.  Wynegar,  Carrie  A.  Galliac  and  E.  P. 
Galliac.  At  present  the  principal  officers  of  these 
lodges  are :  Ellensburg  No.  20,  with  eighty-five 
members,  Noble  Grand,  F.  H.  Butcher ;  Vice  Grand, 
G.  W.  Tagg;  recording  and  financial  secretary. 
W.  P.  Hiddleson ;  treasurer,  C.  H.  Stewart ;  Ellens- 
burg Encampment,  with  fifty-two  members,  C.  P., 
B.  E.  Romane ;  H.  P.,  P.  W.  Stenger ;  S.  W.,  Peter 
Garner;  J.  W.,  George  Manners;  Scribe,  W.  J. 
Robbins ;  treasurer,  R.  B.  Wilson  ;  Miriam  Rebekah, 
with  sixty-five  members,  N.  G,  Miss  Cecil  Mack; 
V.  G,  Miss  Amy  Schindler;  recording  secretary, 
Miss  Maud  Gilmour;  financial  secretary,  G.  W. 
Tagg;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Atha  Becker. 

Ellensburg  Camp,  No.  5,714,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  was  established  September  24,  1898, 
with  the  following  charter  members :  C.  H.  Chris- 
tensen,  W.  P.  Dewees,  John  Hoffman,  William  A. 
Hale,  C.  W.  Ihrig,  T.  E.  Jones,  C.  T.  Kineth, 
Henry  Kleinberg,  W.  B.  Laswell,  W.  H.  Offield, 
O.  W.  Pautzke,  J.  A.  Richards,  H.  F.  Ruthven  and 
Arthur  Wells.  Now  the  camp  has  115  members. 
Its  officers  are :  Venerable  Consul,  O.  W.  Pautzke ; 
Worthy  Advisor,  Edward  C.  Fleck;  clerk,  S.  C. 
Boedcher;  banker,  H.  C.  Ackley;  escort,  J.  W. 
Maler';  chief  forester,  E.  E.  Baxter;  sentry,  H.  C. 
Frost;  watchman,  W.  H.  Lewis,  and  physician, 
J.  A.  Mahan.  Harmony  Lodge  No.  3,001,  Royal 
Ne'ghbors,  was  instituted  March  24,  1902,  with 
twenty-two  members. 

Fraternal  Lodge  No.  70,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  was  insti- 
tuted in  1896  with  the  following  charter  members : 
E.  T.  Wilson,  H.  M.  Baldwin,  Daniel  Carver,  J. 
H.  Dixon,  J.  A.  Mahan,  Philip  Lewis,  Henry  Klein- 
berg, J.  P.  Becker,  F.  W.  Pearce  and  T.  J.  Bissel. 
The  lodge  now  has  about  sixty  members.  The  offi- 
cers at  present  are:  P.  M.  W.,  W.  F.  Wallace;  M. 
W.,  Odelon  Caron ;  overseer,  F.  P.  Hardwick ;  fore- 
man, R.  M.  Shumacke;  receiver,  C.  M.  Morris; 
financier,  H.  M.  Baldwin ;  recorder,  James  Laughlin. 
Cascade  Lodge  No.  37,  Degree  of  Honor,  was 
granted  a  charter  by  the  grand  lodge  June  19,  1901, 
its  charter  membership  comprising  Mrs.  Perry  Cle- 
man.  Mrs.  P.  G.  Fitterer,  Mrs.  Lillie  M.  Wirth,  P. 
G.  Fitterer,  John  Hoffman,  Mrs.  Rose  Cummins, 
Mrs.  Kate  Coughlin,  Mrs.  Lottie  Ackley,  Mrs.  M. 
M.  Welty  and  Mrs.  R.  Shumacke. 

A  charter  was  granted  Ellensburg  Camp,  No.  88, 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  September  30,  1891,  the 
petition  for  such  being  signed  by  W.  J.  Robbins,  O. 
J.  Croup,  C.  A.  Rousch,  C.  D.  Rhodes,  John  C.  Mc- 
Cauley,  Charles  J.  Wilbur  and  S.  Y.  Shipman.  The 
camp  now  has  sixtv-three  members;  its  officers  are: 
P.  C.  C,  L.  L.  Seelev ;  C.  C,  Tames  G.  Boyle ;  A. 
L.,  W.  J.  Payne;  clerk,  W.  J.  Robbins;  banker,  T. 
J.  Collier ;  escort,  L.  Raskins ;  watchman,  R.  L.  Pur- 
din  ;  sentry,  G.  T.  Atwood ;  physicians,  J.  C.  Mc- 
Caulev.  J.  A.  Mahan  and  H.  J.  Felch;  managers, 
Lambert  Raskins,  W.     O.    Ames    and    Fred     H. 


298 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Butcher.  Alki  Circle,  No.  272,  Women  of  Wood- 
craft, was  organized  in  May,  1900.  It  has  thirty 
members  whose  officers  are:  P.  G.  M.,  Mrs.  J.  A. 
Mahan;  G.  N.,  Mrs.  Ida  S.  Robbins;  advisor,  Mrs. 
Frank  Fitterer;  clerk,  Mrs.  Margaret  E.  Clymer; 
banker,  R.  Lee  Purdin ;  magician,  Mrs.  B.  A.  Gault ; 
and  attendant,  Mrs.  Estella  Edwards. 

Ellensburg  Aerie,  No.  120,  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles,  was  organized  February  10,  1901,  by  Grand 
Organizer  E.  P.  Edsen,  with  fifty  charter  members. 
Its  present  officers  are :  P.  W.  P.,  W.  C.  Reece ;  W. 
P.,  M.  E.  Flynn ;  W.  V.  P.,  W.  L.  Smith ;  chaplain, 
Austin  Mires;  treasurer,  Sam  Pearson;  physician, 
J.  C.  McCauley ;  secretary,  Thomas  F.  Liddell ;  trus- 
tees, Austin  Mires,  W.  C.  Reece  and  E.  J.  Merry- 
man. 

Kittitas  Lodge  No.  923,  Modern  Brotherhood  of 
America,  is  three  years  old ;  it  was  organized  by  F. 
Stanton,  state  organizer.  The  lodge  is  in  a  thriving 
condition,  having  an  active  membership  of  twenty- 
three  with  the  following  officers :  President,  W.  A. 
Thomas;  vice  president,  Mary  E.  Hill;  secretary- 
treasurer,  W.  J.  Boyd;  chaplain,  Marie  E.  Seal; 
doorkeeper,  John  E.  Moen ;  sentinel,  Levi  Fortney ; 
conductor,  George  Champie. 

The  Yeomen  also  have  a  new  lodge  in  the  city,  its 
officers  being:  Foreman,  O.  Carson;  M.  of  C,  Ed- 
ward Fleck ;  Corn,  S.  D.  Boedcher ;  physician,  Mrs. 
M.  H.  Shatswell ;  M.  of  A.,  F.  G.  Shakwell.  Quite 
recently  still  another  order  organized  a  branch  in 
Ellensburg,  viz :  the  Improved  Order  of  Red  Men, 
Kittitas  Tribe  No.  26  being  the  name  of  the  lodge 
instituted.  A  strong  local  organization  also  is  main- 
tained by  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  regarding  which 
no  data  is  at  hand. 

Friday  evening,  April  25,  1884,  Ellensburg  Post 
No.  11,  G.  A.  R.,  came  into  existence  with  eighteen 
members.  The  ceremonies  were  conducted  by  Capt. 
C.  M.  Holton,  of  Yakima  City.  The  first  officers 
and  members  of  the  post  are  given  as  follows  in  a 
newspaper  of  the  period :  Commander,  J.  L. 
Brown;  senior  vice  commander,  H.  D.  Merwin;  jun- 
ior vice  commander,  Samuel  T.  Packwood ;  surgeon, 
A.  T.  Mason ;  chaplain,  J.  D.  Dammon ;  quartermas- 
ter, D.  Ford;  officer  of  the  day,  William  Tillman; 
officer  of  the  guard,  B.  Lewis;  inside  sentinel,  J.  J. 
Swett;  sergeant  major,  H.  H.  Swasey;  quartermas- 
ter sergeant,  G.  W.  Carver;  adjutant,  J.  C.  Good- 
win; John  A.  Shoudy,  E.  H.  Love,  J.  W.  Dixon, 
H.  H.  Davies,  J.  Wilson  and  J.  B.  Swett.  This  post 
adopted,  as  is  the  custom,  the  name  of  a  well  known 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  the  official  title  of  the  post 
becoming  James  Parsons  Post  No.  11.  In  1898  a 
reorganization  took  place  and  the  name  was  changed 
to  David  Farel  Post.  The  present  commander  is 
W.  H.  O.  Rear,  and  the  adjutant,  Amos  Smith. 
One  of  the  first  fruits  of  the  organization  of  a  post 
in  Ellensburg  is  thus  recorded  in  the  Kittitas  Stand- 
ard, June  7,  1884: 

"For  the  first  time  in  the  history  of  the  town, 
Decoration  Day  was  observed  here  on  Friday  of  last 


week.  About  noon  all  the  stores  in  town  closed 
and  in  the  evening  an  entertainment  was  given 
under  the  auspices  of  the  newly  organized  post  of 
the  G.  A.  R.  at  Elliott's  hall.  This  was  largely  at- 
tended by  our  citizens.  The  oration  delivered  by 
Rev.  James  A.  Laurie  was  replete  with  patriotic 
allusions  and  in  keeping  with  the  occasion.  Sam 
Blumauer's  recitation  of  'Wounded  to  Death'  was 
excellently  rendered,  while  the  same  can  be  said  of 
the  various  songs  sung  by  the  choir." 


The  black  diamond  is  king  in  Roslyn.  It  is 
more  than  king;  it  is  life  itself.  Around  its  discov- 
ery and  exploitation  is  centered  the  history  of  the 
city's  establishment  and  growth.  Roslyn's  future 
development  appears  to  be  wholly  dependent  upon 
the  mining  industry,  but  from  all  indications  that 
support  is  by  no  means  uncertain  or  temporary. 
Roslyn  coal  is  known  throughout  the  west  as  one 
of  the  best  commodities  of  its  kind  on  the  market; 
for  steaming  purposes  it  has  no  superior  and 
wherever  it  goes,  it  advertises  the  town,  making  the 
name  Roslyn  almost  a  household  word. 

The  trip  up  Smith  creek  canyon,  by  the  four 
miles  of  branch  railway  connecting  Roslyn  with  the 
main  line  of  the  Northern  Pacific  at  Cle-Elum,  is 
made  in  a  passenger  car  attached  usually  to  a  freight 
train.  The  roadbed  follows  the  creek  closely,  tra- 
versing what  was  once  a  heavily  timbered  region. 
The  train  follows  no  regular  schedule  but  comes  and 
goes  as  best  suits  the  convenience  of  the  freight 
traffic, — a  most  aggravating  arrangement  at  times. 

The  Roslyn  coal  fields  were  opened  to  the  com- 
mercial world  in  the  fall  of  1886,  though  their  dis- 
covery antedates  that  time  by  perhaps  a  few  years, 
and  small  quantities  of  coal  were  taken  out  by 
pack  horse  and  wagon  during  the  early  'eighties. 
As  related  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  a  corps  of 
Northern  Pacific  coal  experts  visited  the  Smith  creek 
region  in  May,  1886,  and  thoroughly  prospected  the 
uncovered  ledges  with  a  diamond  drill.  The  results 
of  their  work  were  so  encouraging  that  the  same 
month  a  party  of  railway  engineers  surveyed  a 
branch  line  from  Cle-Elum  to  the  scene,  and  active 
preparations  were  begun  for  installing  a  plant  at 
the  mines.  Within  a  few  weeks  more  than  a  hun- 
dred men  were  at  work  developing  the  veins. 

Through  operation  of  an  act  of  congress,  the 
railroad  company  already  owned  every  alternate 
section  of  land  in  the  region  embracing  the  min- 
ing district,  and  by  various  means  the  company  ac- 
quired the  major  portion  of  the  remaining  lands 
surrounding  the  mines.  Included  among  the  rail- 
road lands  was  section  seventeen,  township  twenty 
north,  range  fifteen  east,  upon  the  south  half  of 
which,  at  the  very  mouth  of  the  mines,  Logan  M. 
Bullitt  platted  the  site  of  Roslyn.  The  dedication 
and  filing  papers  were  signed  in  Minnesota,  Septem- 
ber 22,  1886,  and  filed  for  record  in  Kittitas  county 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


299 


eight  days  later.  At  that  time  Mr.  Bullitt  was  the 
vice  president  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Coal  Com- 
pany and  there  is  but  little  doubt  that  in  platting 
the  town  he  was  acting  for  that  corporation.  The 
site,  which  was  surveyed  by  E.  J.  Rector,  C.  E., 
was  composed  of  eleven  blocks;  the  width  of  the 
streets  was  fixed  at  sixty  feet,  except  in  the 
case  of  Pennsylvania  avenue,  which  was  made  eighty 
feet  wide,  and  Utah  and  Montana  avenues  and  Third 
street,  which  were  made  half  the  regular  width. 
December  13th  following,  Mr.  Bullitt  platted  Brook- 
side  addition,  a  small  tract  of  three  blocks  lying 
northeast  of  the  original  townsite  and  in  the  same 
township.  Only  one  other  addition  was  ever  laid 
out,  the  Dale  addition,  a  small  one  adjoining  the 
original  townsite  on  the  southwest;  it  was  platted 
by  Mr.  Bullitt  August  20,  1887. 

Regarding  the  christening  of  Roslyn,  the  follow- 
ing rather  romantic  and  facetious  account  appeared 
in  the  Roslyn  Sentinel  issued  March  1,  1895 : 

"A  very  pretty, 'if  not  exciting,  little  romance," 
reads  the  story,  "is  associated  with  the  early  his- 
tory of  this  camp,  and  in  fact  it  was  through  this 
circumstance  that  this  promising  little  city  received 
its  name.  On  the  far  away  Delaware's  shores,  midst 
the  sand  hills,  peach  orchards  and  blue-blooded 
'skeeters,'  nestles  a  little  hamlet  which  was  chris- 
tened Roslyn  over  a  century  ago.  The  inhabitants 
were  of  primitive  stock,  high-bred  and  gilt-edged, 
and  the  cultured  daughters  of  these  ancient  house- 
holds were  the  special  objects  of  the  adoration  of 
numerous  enterprising  young  men  in  the  neighbor- 
ing cities.  In  this  aristocratic  retreat  there  dwelt  a 
bright,  handsome  and  vivacious  maiden  who  was 
particularly  dear  to  the  heart  of  a  brave  and  sturdy 
young  man  who  was  penetrating  this  wild  North- 
west in  1886  in  search  of  fame  and  fortune.  This 
gentleman  was  Logan  M.  Bullitt,  one  of  our  earliest 
pioneers.  It  fell  to  the  lot  of  Mr.  Bullitt  to  name 
this  camp,  and  it  was  an  opportunity  that  he  had 
longed  for.  After  mature  deliberation,  he  chris- 
tened the  town  Roslyn,  August  10,  1886,  after  the 
town  in  which  his  loved  one  dwelled.  The  event 
was  duly  celebrated  and  the  decision  made  public 
by  a  bulletin  in  the  shape  of  a  board  on  which  the 
name  had  been  inscribed  with  a  pine  coal.  The 
bulletin  was  nailed  to  a  large  pine  tree  which  stood 
on  the  site  of  Patrick's  business  property.  Whether 
Mr.  Bullitt  afterward  realized  the  delicate  hopes 
he  fondly  entertained  in  the  early  days  of  Roslyn 
we  know  not,  but  if  his  fortunes  in  love  were  as 
fickle  as  Roslyn's  career  has  been  checkered,  he  has 
certainly  had  a  very  interesting  time. 

"Some  little  doubt  exists,  however,  as  to  the 
manner  in  which  Roslyn  gained  its  name,  and  it  may 
be  well  to  state  that  another  report  credits  Mr.  Bul- 
litt with  christening  the  camp  after  a  country  seat 
belonging  to  an  intimate  New  York  friend.  In 
either  event  the  name  is  appropriate,  and,  if  in  the 
future  the  same  measure  of  success  attends   it  as 


has  been  meted  out  to  its  founders,  peace,  happi- 
ness and  prosperity  will  be  its  portion." 

Of  course  the  opening  of  the  mines  attracted 
great  numbers  of  business  men,  promoters  and  la- 
borers, though  the  powerful  influence  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  Coal  Company,  directed  as  it  was 
toward  the  upbuilding  of  a  substantial  industrial 
center,  was  wielded  with  fairly  satisfying  results 
against  the  parasitic,  reckless  class  which  usually 
infest  a  new  mining  camp.  The  camp  has  had  its 
rough  elements,  to  be  sure,  and  has  from  time  to 
time  suffered  from  disturbances  of  a  more  or  less 
serious  nature,  but  it  was  not  until  years  after  its 
founding  that  the  turbulent  spirits  gained  a  tem- 
porary sway. 

The  first  business  buildings  to  be  erected  in  the 
new  business  center  were  a  general  store  and  a  sa- 
loon, built  and  opened  by  the  Coal  Company  in  Au- 
gust. These  frame  buildings  stood  at  the  corner  of 
Pennsylvania  avenue  and  First  street,  diagonally 
across  from  each  other,  the  store  occupying  the  site 
of  the  present  company  building.  A  desire  to  reg- 
ulate the  liquor  traffic  induced  the  company  to  es- 
tablish the  saloon,  which  was  the  only  one  allowed  in 
the  town.  All  deeds  to  city  property  contain  a 
clause  prohibiting  the  manufacture  or  sale  of  in- 
toxicating liquors  thereon.  For  several  years  the 
company's  saloon  was  maintained  without  outside 
interference  or  competition,  but  at  last  some  individ- 
ual opened  a  drinking  house  on  private  land  near 
the  city.  The  result  was  the  downfall  of  the  cor- 
poration saloon.  Other  drinking  places  were  soon 
opened  in  the  surrounding  woods,  creating  so  great 
a  nuisance  that  eventually  the  company  was  forced 
to  permit  the  liquor  interests  to  enter  the  town, 
where  they  could  be  in  some  measure  regulated. 

The  company  also  erected  a  large  hotel  on  the 
corner  opposite  the  store.  This  pioneer  hostelry, 
which  was  subsequently  destroyed  by  fire  together 
with  the  store  and  most  of  the  other  pioneer  build- 
ings, was  capable  of  accommodating  one  hundred 
men. 

The  next  business  to  be  established,  says  Isaac 
Brown,  a  pioneer  of  1886,  was  W.  M.  Atwood's 
general  store,  which  stood  on  Pennsylvania  avenue 
near  First  street.  Then  a  boarding  house  was  open- 
ed a  little  further  up  the  avenue,  John  Clemer  estab- 
lished a  notion  and  clothing  store  on  the  site  now 
occupied  by  Berg's  saloon,  and  two  livery  barns  were 
built,  one  on  Pennsylvania  avenue  west  of  Second 
street  by  Patrick  Henry,  and  one  on  Second  street 
by  Knuppenberg  &  Kennedy.  All  of  these  build- 
ings, together  with  a  great  number  of  rude  dwell- 
ing houses,  were  built  of  lumber  sawed  by  the  com- 
pany's mill.  These  business  enterprises,  the  mine 
and  its  surface  works,  a  few  professional  men  in- 
cluding Dr.  W.  H.  Harris,  the  coal  company's  offi- 
cers and  employees,  and  a  large  transient  population 
formed  the  hustling  community  which,  about  the  1st 
of  December,  1886,  welcomed  the  iron  horse.  Some- 
time in  the  fall  a  train    load    of     Italian     miners 


300 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


reached  camp  and  fully  400  men  spent  the  winter  of 
1886-7  there. 

Among  the  prominent  arrivals  of  1887  were  Bon- 
sel  Bros.,  Swain  &  Haight  and  William  Lombar- 
adini,  general  merchants ;  and  L.  W.  Kribs,  who 
built  and  conducted  the  Cascade  hotel.  Within  nine 
months  from  the  time  of  its  founding,  the  town  had 
a  population  of  more  than  500. 

Roslyn  entered  the  year  1888,  one  of  the  most 
memorable  of  its  history,  with  a  population  of  be- 
tween 1,000  and  1,200  people  and  in  a  highly 
flourishing  condition.  The  city's  first  calamity  was 
experienced  that  year,  June  22,  1888.  From  some 
unknown  cause,  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
fire  broke  out  in  the  block  between  First  and  Sec- 
ond streets,  above  the  railroad,  and  within  a  very 
short  time  the  entire  business  portion  of  the  town 
was  in  ashes.  The  loss  was  a  heavy  one,  estimated 
at  $100,000,  with  little  insurance,  owing  to  the  fact 
that  insurance  companies  were  asking  a  ten  per  cent, 
premium  at  the  time.  The  fire  worked  a  great 
hardship  upon  many  struggling  merchants,  who  lost 
their  all.  But  new  business  houses  immediately 
arose  over  the  charred  remains  of  their  predecessors 
and  in  a  comparatively  short  period  business  had 
resumed  the  even  tenor  of  its  way.  As  work  was 
abundant  and  wages  above  the  average,  the  early 
years  of  Roslyn  were  exceedingly  prosperous  ones. 
But  the  fall  of  1888  brought  a  serious  setback  to 
the  town.  In  August  of  that  year  the  Knights  of 
Labor,  who  had  been  inaugurating  a  series  of  strikes 
in  various  parts  of  the  country,  organized  a  strike 
in  the  Roslyn  camp  also.  To  give  details  here  of 
this  conflict  between  organized  labor  and  the  coal 
company  would  be  to  repeat  needlessly,  but  the 
effects,  though  felt  in  other  parts  of  the  county, 
were  naturally  more  immediate  and  pervading  in 
Roslyn  than  anywhere  else.  One  noticeable  result, 
even  at  this  date,  is  the  presence  of  a  large  number 
of  negroes  in  the  camp,  caused  by  the  importation 
of  representatives  of  the  colored  race  to  fill  the  places 
of  the  striking  miners.  Of  course  all  citizens  of  Ros- 
lyn suffered,  during  the  pendency  of  the  strike,  from 
the  interruption  of  business  and  the  general  uncer- 
tainty, even  peril,  of  the  situation.  At  one  time  mar- 
tial law  was  threatened. 

Temporarily  passing  the  details  connected  with 
the  incorporation  of  Roslyn  as  a  city  in  1889,  we 
may  say  that  the  early  'nineties  were  not  on  the 
whole  particularly  prosperous  ones  in  Roslyn,  though 
from  a  newspaper  of  the  time  we  learn  that  the 
pay  roll  for  December,  1890,  was  $84,000,  the 
miners  working  full  time.  The  succeeding  month 
this  roll  fell  to  $63,000,  and  in  March,  1891,  by- 
reason  of  the  loss  of  the  Union  Pacific  contracts, 
the  company  was  able  to  operate  the  mines  only 
four  days  each  week.  This  unsatisfactory  condi- 
tion prevailed  most  of  the  time  until  November, 
1892,  when  mine  No.  3  was  re-opened.  Then  the 
monthly  pay  roll  speedily  reached  $54,000  and  all 
winter  it  steadilv  increased. 


Meanwhile,  however,  the  community  suffered 
from  two  memorable  disasters  which  will  live  long 
in  state  history.  The  first  in  time  and  importance 
was  the  terrible  mine  explosion  in  the  slope  by 
which  the  lives  of  forty-five  of  the  city's  best 
known  citizens  were  suddenly  blotted  out.  This 
dire  catastrophe,  which  spread  sadness  and  deso- 
lation throughout  the  region,  occurred  about  noon 
May  9,  1892.  Its  story  has  been  quite  fully  told 
in  another  chapter,  but  a  few  details  may  here  be 
added.  For  a  time  the  shock  of  the  disaster  was 
overwhelming,  but  the  sufferers  rallied  quickly  and 
made  the  best  of  their  bad  situation.  Nobly  was 
their  appeal  for  aid  responded  to  by  a  sympathetic 
populace.  A  relief  committee  was  organized  and 
within  a  few  days  collected  in  cash  $7,000  from 
abroad  and  more  than  $2,000  in  Roslyn,  besides 
supplies  of  various  kinds.  The  Knights  of  Py- 
thias alone  raised  several  hundred  dollars.  Early 
in  June,  $8,000  was  distributed  among  the  sur- 
viving relatives  of  the  dead,  sixty-four  per  cent, 
going  to  the  orphans  and  thirty-six  per  cent,  to 
the  widows.  Subsequently  another  smaller  dis- 
bursement was  made.  Suits  instituted  against  the 
coal  company  were  compromised  by  the  payment  of 
an  immense  sum  of  money  to  relatives  of  the  de- 
ceased. 

Hardly  had  the  excitement  caused  by  the  explo- 
sion subsided  before  the  citizens  were  again  in- 
tensely aroused  by  a  bank  robbery  in  their  midst — 
one  of  the  boldest  and  most  successful  ever  con- 
summated in  the  state.  Its  complete  history  is 
also  told  elsewhere  in  this  volume.     September  24, 

1892,  was  the  date  of  this  exciting  event.  The 
responsibility  for  this  crime  was  never  absolutely 
fixed  upon  anyone,  though  a  small  fortune  was 
spent  in  searching  for  the  robbers  and  two  famous 
trials  in  the  Kittitas  county  courts  of  suspected 
persons  resulted. 

As  elsewhere  stated,  this  robbery  and  the  finan- 
cial stringency  combined  with  misfortunes  of  one 
kind  and  another  so  weakened  Ben  E.  Snipes  & 
Company's   bank   at   Roslyn   that   Friday,   June   9, 

1893,  the  institution  closed  its  doors.  The  failure 
carried  away  nearly  $100,000  belonging  to  Ros- 
lyn citizens,  almost  the  entire  monetary  accumula- 
tions of  the  camp.  The  blow  was  a  heavy  one  and 
affected  the  community's  financial  condition  more 
than  any  disaster  that  has  befallen  it  before  or  since. 
Creditors'  certificates  of  indebtedness  are  practi- 
cally all  the  depositors  ever  received  in  lieu  of 
their    savings. 

Scarcely  had  the  immediate  shock  of  this  col- 
lapse passed  ere  the  city  arrived  at  another  crit- 
ical period  in  its  history.  May  1,  1894,  the  com- 
pany's miners  and  drivers  showed  their  disapproval 
of  a  reduced  wage  scale  by  the  inauguration  of 
a  strike,  which  lasted  several  months,  greatly  de- 
pressing all  business  and  working  innumerable 
hardships  upon  the  community. 

The    leading  business   of   Roslyn    in    1895,   ac- 


KITTITAS   COUNTY. 


301 


cording  to  the  Roslyn  Sentinel  of  March  1st,  were 
the  following: 

Charles  Adam,  mayor,  building  contractor,  who 
established  the  Roslyn  planing  mill  in  1889;  Arch- 
ibald Patrick,  mine  owner  and  contractor;  Ros- 
lyn Mercantile  Company,  Melvin  Marx  and  Davis 
Strauss  proprietors;  W.  M.  Atwood,  general  mer- 
chandise; H.  P.  Fogh,  general  merchandise; 
Greenberg  Brothers,  dry  goods;  Mossop  Kitchen, 
livery;  Swain  &  Haight,  general  merchandise; 
Schlotfeldt  Brothers  &  Sides,  meat  market;  Sides 
&  Hartman,  L.  F.  McConihe  and  John  Corgiat, 
restaurants;  Roslyn  Brewing  Company,  composed 
of  A.  F.  Kuhl,  Ernest  and  Charles  D.  Duerr- 
wachter  and  Schlotfeldt  Brothers;  W.  A.  Mohr,  of 
the  general  merchandise  firm  of  Bonsel  Brothers  & 
Mohr,  postmaster;  Carrollo  &  Genasci,  general 
merchandise;  Henry  Rachor,  cigar  factory;  Joseph 
Denny,  barber;  Fosberg  &  Duerrwachter,  suc- 
cessors to  Thomas  Lund,  merchants;  L.  W.  Kribs, 
building  contractor,  postmaster  from  1888  to  1892; 
Dr.  \Y.  H.  Harris,  Dr.  J.  H.  Lyon,  physicians;  E. 
E.  Wager,  city  attorney;  Henry  Smith,  justice  of 
the  peace;  superintendent  of  schools,  Prof.  J.  J. 
Charlton ;  Louis  D.  Campbell,  Samuel  Mills, 
Brown  Brothers,  Henry  Brothers,  William  Van 
Buren  &  Son,  A.  Perona,  Steven  Pothecary, 
Thomas  Cadwell,  M.  Jorogeson,  Mrs.  Boyd,  Mrs. 
Bryant,  Louis  Grossmiller,  Samuel  Isaac,  T.  M. 
Jones,  George  Koppen,  Daniel  Hannah,  Robert 
Scobie,  Christopher  Meneghel,  Edward  J.  Hanlan, 
Giovanni  &  Buffo,  and  Berg  Brothers ;  besides 
whom  the  Sentinel  gives  us  the  list  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Coal  Company's  officials :  General  mana- 
ger, John  Kangley;  assistant  general  manager, 
Thomas  Cooper,  successor  to  H.  C.  Lytle;  super- 
intendent at  Roslyn,  George  Harrison,  who  suc- 
ceeded Alexander  Ronald  in  1888 ;  assistant  super- 
intendents, Robert  Pettigrew,  John  Shaw ;  super- 
intendents at  mine  No.  3,  Ronald,  George  Forsythe ; 
clerk  and  paymaster,  John  L.  Taggard,  serving 
since  1888;  assistant,  Walter  S.  Lytle;  manager 
supply  house,  A.  L.  Sowers ;  traffic  manager,  W. 
P.  Morgan ;  assistant,  John  D.  Clemmer ;  veterinary 
surgeon,  William  Thompson ;  check  weighmen, 
James  Heron  and  John  Donovan. 

In  August  and  as  late  as  December,  1896,  the 
Roslyn  mines  were  being  operated  only  one  and 
a  half  or  two  days  a  week,  but  during  the  closing 
days  of  that  year  the  clouds  of  trouble  and  depres- 
sion which  had  overhung  the  city  for  so  long  a 
time  were  dispelled,  and  the  sun  of  prosperity 
was  once  more  permitted  to  shine.  The  period  of 
good  times,  which  had  its  inception  then,  still  lasts, 
making  it  possible  for  the  mining  region  and  the 
town  to  enjoy  an  uninterrupted  development.  It 
was  during  1896  that  B.  F.  Bush  came  to  Roslyn 
as  manager  of  the  coal  company's  operations.  He 
at  once  began  planning  larger  things  for  the  coal 
region,  and  the  town  and  country  have  enjoyed 
the  fruits  of  his  liberal  policy  and  well  directed  ac- 


tivity in  the  management  ■  of  their  great  and  only 
industry.  Soon  after  entering  upon  his  duties,  Mr. 
Bush  increased  the  number  of  working  days  to  six 
in  each  week  and  still  the  productive  power  of  the 
plant  was  severely  taxed  to  fill  the  orders  that  came 
in.  From  that  time  until  the  present,  with  but  a 
few  insignificant  intervals,  Roslyn  has  resounded 
with  the  hum  of  industry,  and  the  magnificent 
monthly  pay  roll  has  brought  prosperity  and  plenty 
to  the  toilers  and  their  families.  The  full  dinner 
pail,  the  fat  pocketbook,  and  the  comfortable  home 
have  been  the  Roslyn  miner's  companions  for  the 
past    seven   years. 

However,  this  long,  prosperous  period  has  not 
been  without  some  shadows  which  have  cast  their 
depressing  gloom  over  the  community.  The  most 
notable  tragedy  during  the  past  eight  years  was  the 
brutal  murder,  within  a  few  feet  of  his  own  door- 
step, on  Thursday  night,  March  19,  1896,  of  Dr 
J.  H.  Lyon.  The  victim  of  this  foul  deed  was 
among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  camp,  was  com- 
pany physician  there  for  many  years,  and  one  of  the 
county's  most  prominent  and  popular  citizens.  Rain 
clouds  made  the  night  one  of  unusual  darkness 
and  the  murderers  must  have  lain  in  wait  for  the 
doctor,  as  his  body  was  found  shortly  after  he  had 
parted  from  Samuel  Isaacs,  a  merchant,  with  whom 
Dr.  Lyon  had  walked  home.  Death  resulted  from 
a  fractured  skull,  the  deceased  having  been  struck 
twice  at  the  base  of  the  brain  with  a  blunt  weapon 
resembling  a  table  leg,  which  was  found  near  the 
scene  of  the  crime  covered  with  blood  and  hair. 
Robbery  was  not  the  object  of  the  murder,  as  Dr. 
Lyon's  pocketbook  and  jewelry  were  found  undis- 
turbed upon  his  person. 

The  news  of  the  murder  created  intense  excite- 
ment at  home  and  horror  throughout  the  state,  as 
the  deceased  had  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances and  was  prominent  in  society  and  in 
political  affairs.  The  citizens  of  Roslyn  at  once 
offered  a  reward  of.  $400  for  the  arrest  and  con- 
viction of  the  murderer,  the  city  offered  $300,  the 
governor  of  the  state  $500,  and  Kittitas  county, 
$300,  making  in  all  a  total  reward  of  $1,500.  A 
most  determined  effort  was  made  by  the  authorities 
to  apprehend  the  thug,  or  thugs.  Suspicion  fell 
upon  two  miners,  brothers,  who  were  known  to 
have  made  threats  against  Dr.  Lyon,  charging  him 
with  having  been  responsible  for  the  death  of  a 
third  brother.  On  the  strength  of  slight  evidence 
and  against  the  advice  of  Detective  D.  W.  Sim- 
mons, the  Roslyn  authorities  arrested  the  men. 
They  were  discharged  at  a  preliminary  examination 
held  March  25th.  The  cunning  of  the  criminal 
baffled  all  efforts  to  discover  him,  and  no  further 
arrests  were  ever  made,  so  the  mystery  enshrouding 
one  of  the  blackest  crimes  in  the  state's  history 
still   remains  unsolved. 

In  1896,  also,  during  the  month  of  December, 
diphtheria  laid  its  clutch  on  Roslyn's  population  and 
by  the  23d  there  had  been  three  deaths  out  of  eight 


302 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


cases  reported.  The  schools  were  closed,  church 
services  discontinued  and  all  public  assemblages 
prohibited  for  a  considerable  length  of  time.  In- 
clement weather  aided  the  disease  in  obtaining  a 
foothold  and  only  by  the  most  persistent,  skillful 
efforts  was  it  finally  conquered.  Fortunately,  the 
number  of  fatal  cases  was  very  small. 

Again,  late  in  the  fall  of  1900,  Roslyn  experi- 
enced an  invasion  by  contagious  disease.  This 
time  the  inhabitants  were  attacked  by  that  light 
form  of  smallpox  which  swept  the  country  upon  the 
return  or  our  troops  from  the  Orient.  The  city 
council,  November  4th,  called  Dr.  Bean,  of  Ellens- 
burg,  two  Seattle  and  two  Spokane  physicians  for 
consultation.  They  concurred  in  pronouncing  the 
disease  smallpox.  Subsequently  Drs.  Simonton, 
Sloan  and  Porter,  of  Roslyn,  disagreed  with  the 
other  physicians  and  Dr.  Mohrman,  also  a  resident 
physician,  upheld  the  report  of  the  foreign  physi- 
cians. However,  all  agreed  that  the  disease  re- 
sembled smallpox,  was  contagious  and  that  strin- 
gent measures  should  be  adopted  to  prevent  its 
spread.  Two  pest  houses  were  erected,  a  large 
supply  of  disinfectants  was  ordered  and  Dr.  Por- 
ter, city  health  officer,  and  Marshal  Frank  Haight 
were  instructed  to  enforce  a  quarantine.  Twelve 
special  officers  were  placed  on  the  police  force.  The 
schools  were  closed  and  public  meetings  sup- 
pressed. In  all  there  were  several  hundred  cases  re- 
ported, the  large  number  being  principally  due  to 
the  unusually  poor  sanitary  condition  of  the  city, 
but  fortunately  the  death  rate  was  exceedingly  small. 
The  year  1899  was  a  year  of  extensive  building 
operations  in  Roslyn.  Fully  150  residences  were 
erected  within  six  months;  also  a  handsome  Pres- 
byterian church.  The  Northwestern  Improvement 
Company,  which  succeeded  the  Northern  Pacific 
Coal  Company,  1898,  laid  new  side  tracks  and  im- 
proved the  mine  works  with  the  result  that  in 
August,  1899,  twenty  cars  of  coal  daily  were  being 
taken  out  of  the  main  shaft. 

The  city  of  Roslyn  has  been  incorporated  twice 
— once  in  territorial  days  and  again  since  Wash- 
ington has  been  a  state.  The  first  incorporation 
took  place  in  the  spring  of  i88q  and  was  occa- 
sioned by  the  community's  desire  to  install  a  water 
system.  Under  the  terms  of  a  general  territorial 
act  approved  by  the  governor,  February  2,  1888, 
providing  for  the  incorporation  of  towns  and  vil- 
lages, a  petition  signed  by  B.  P.  Shefflette,  J.  E. 
Thomas,  Isaac  Brown,  George  H.  Brown,  Henry 
Smith,  John  Abrams,  C.  R.  Bonsel,  I.  Bonsel, 
P.  Laurendeau,  Isaac  Harris,  John  Berg  and 
115  other  taxpayers  residing  in  section  seven- 
teen, township  twenty  north,  range  fifteen  east, 
was  presented  to  Judge  L.  B.  Nash  of  the 
fourth  district,  asking  for  the  incorporation  of 
section  seventeen.  The  judge  considered  the 
validity  of  the  petition,  as  required  by  law,  deter- 
mined that  it  was  signed  by  a  majority  of  tax- 
payers in  the  district  and  on  the  same  day  thaf  it 


was  presented,  February  4,  1889,  proclaimed  Ros- 
lyn an  incorporated  town.  He  named  the  following 
trustees:  Isaac  Brown,  chairman;  William  A. 
Moore,  James  Graham,  John  Dalton  and  Charles 
Miller.  Immediately  the  machinery  of  local  govern- 
men  was  put  into  motion.  Subsequently  Mr.  Brown 
resigned  from  the  board  to  become  the  town's  first 
marshal.  However,  the  validity  of  the  law  dele- 
gating incorporating  power  to  any  branch  of  the 
government  except  the  legislative  was  contested 
about  this  time  and  the  act  decided  to  be  uncon- 
stitutional. This  decree  nullified  Roslyn's  incor- 
poration and  prevented  the  sale  of  the  bond  issue. 

The  organization  of  the  state  in  1889  resulted 
in  the  adoption  by  the  legislature  of  a  general  in- 
corporation law  under  which  Roslyn  was  re-incor- 
porated in  April,  1890,  as  a  city  of  the  third  class. 

Meanwhile,  the  water  proposition  demanded 
immediate  solution,  for  the  lack  of  an  abundance 
of  pure  water  was  resulting  in  a  scourge  of  typhoid 
fever,  as  many  as  a  dozen  cases  in  a  single  house 
being  reported.  The  town  was  also  without  ade- 
quate fire  protection.  To  improve  the  situation 
somewhat  Road  Supervisor  Kennedy  used  the  dis- 
trict's poll  tax  to  pay  for  making  an  excavation 
for  a  pipe  line  and  by  special  taxation  and  the 
securing  of  credit,  the  townspeople  procured  the 
necessary  pipe  and  other  material.  The  springs  at 
the  head  of  Smith  creek  were  tapped  and  a  press- 
ure of  eighty  pounds  to  the  square  inch  secured. 
This  system  did  faithful  duty  until  1898,  when  a 
pump  was  installed  on  the  Cle-Elum  river,  two 
miles  southwest  of  the  city,  and  a  six-inch  pipe 
line  laid  to  convey  the  water  to  a  reservoir  on 
Smith  creek,  just  north  of  the  city.  This  reser- 
voir has  a  capacity  of  two  million  gallons  and  is 
built  of  logs,  masonry  and  earth.  An  additional 
pump  was  placed  on  the  river  in  1901,  and  last  fall 
an  eight-inch  pipe  line  was  laid  to  the  reservoir, 
these  improvements  costing  at  least  $7,000.  Steel 
pipe  is  used.  During  the  summer  months  the  res- 
ervoir is  kept  full  by  the  springs,  and  the  opera- 
tion of  the  pumps  is  unnecessary.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  whole  system  cost  $12,000. 

A  city  building  was  erected  on  Pennsylvania 
avenue  in  1890,  which  is  still  used  for  office  and 
fire  department  purposes.  The  fire  equipment, 
consisting  of  hose  carts  and  hook  and  ladder  truck, 
is  manned  by  a  company  of  forty-five  volunteer 
firemen.  Be  it  said  to  the  city's  credit  that,  aside 
from  outstanding  current  expense  warrants,  it  has 
no  indebtedness.  The  present  corps  of  officers  are: 
Mayor,  William  Adams ;  clerk,  Thomas  Ray ; 
treasurer,  Anthony  Stoves;  councilmen,  George 
K.  Sides.  Edward  Berg.  Joseph  Hancock,  S.  C.  K. 
Graves,  William  Harts,  Adolph  Peterson  and 
William  Craig;  attorney,  W.  J.  Welsh:  health 
officer,  John  Meyers;  chief  fire  department, 
Andrew  Attleson ;  day  marshal,  William  Gallo- 
way; night  marshal,  James  Wright;  police  judges, 
J.  S.  Simon,  R.  Justham.     There  are  two  justices 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


303 


of  the  peace  in  the  precinct,  Henry  Smith  and 
John  Briggs. 

The  city's  present  population  is  approximately 
4,000  people,  a  majority  of  whom  are  Slavs,  Ital- 
ians, negroes  and  Germans,  though  the  native 
American  race  is  dominant.  Of  this  number  the 
coal  company  employs  1,500  in  mining  and  hand- 
ling its  90,000-ton  output  of  coal  a  month. 

The  city's  most  prominent  social  institution  is 
the  Roslyn  Athletic  Club,  which  has  a  membership 
of  200  ladies  and  gentlemen.  This  association  owes 
its  establishment  to  the  generosity  of  Manager  B. 
F.  Bush,  of  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Com- 
pany, who  sought  thus  to  provide  the  young  men 
with  an  attractive,  moral  place  of  recreation.  In 
the  fall  of  1902  he  made  his  employees  the  proposi- 
tion that  he  would  build  and  equip  a  club  house 
if  they  would  incorporate  an  association,  take 
charge  of  the  building,  and  as  soon  as  possible 
repay  him,  without  interest.  The  men,  under  the 
leadership  of  Storekeeper  D.  S.  Kinney,  accepted 
the  offer.  Mr.  Bush  erected  on  First  street  a 
handsome,  two-story  building,  costing  at  least 
$3,000,  and  equipped  it  with  a  bowling  alley, 
gymnasium  apparatus,  etc.,  at  a  further  expense 
of  approximately  $2,000.  At  first  only  company 
men  were  admitted  to  membership,  but  this  restric- 
tion has  been  generously  removed  and  now  all 
whose  presence  is  approved  by  the  club  may  enjoy 
the  privileges  at  a  nominal  annual  fee.  The  club 
has  decided  to  rent  the  building  of  Mr.  Bush,  who 
was  called  away  in  1903  to  assume  the  general 
management  of  the  Missouri  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany, instead  of  purchasing  it,  and  as  this  plan  is 
acceptable  to  the  owner,  it  will  be  carried  out  for 
the  present.     Only  a  nominal  rent  is  asked. 

The  first  school  ever  held  in  Roslyn  was  taught 
by  D.  G.  C.  Baker,  in  the  spring  of  1887.  A  vacant 
dwelling  on  Dakota  street  was  placed  at  the  dis- 
trict's disposal  by  the  Coal  company  and  in  this 
schoolhouse,  fairly  equipped,  a  spring  term  was 
taught  successfully,  between  forty  and  fifty  pupils 
attending.  A  man  named  Gallagher  is  also'  said  to 
have  taught  a  small  school  in  1887.  F°r  a  con- 
siderable time  the  money  for  school  purposes  was 
obtained  principally  by  subscriptions  from  the  mi- 
ners, who  never  failed  to  contribute  generously  each 
pay  day.  Isaac  Brown  was  chairman  of  the  first 
school  board.  In  1888  the  district  built  a  small 
frame  schoolhouse  on  the  hill  near  the  Catholic 
church,  the  building  being  30  bv  50  feet  and  divided 
into  two  rooms.  This  propertv  is  now  occupied 
by  Judge  Henry  Smith  as  a  dwelling.  The 
school  rapidly  outgrew  the  building,  necessitating 
the  erection  in  1800  of  a  four-room  schoolhouse 
costing  $6,000.  This  building  was  subsequently 
enlarged  by  the  addition  of  two  rooms.  But  still 
the  school  grew.  Another  handsome,  six-room 
building  was  erected  alongside  the  old  one  in  1899 
and  these  two  schoolhouses.  together  with  the  old 
Presbyterian  church,  are  even  now  taxed  to  their 


utmost  to  accommodate  the  boys  and  girls  of  Ros- 
lyn. The  two  schoolhouses,  costing  perhaps 
$13,000,  are  well  equipped  and  substantial  and  an 
ornament  to  the  city.  A  nine  months'  school  is 
taught,  which  has.  an  average  attendance  of  470 
pupils,  the  actual  enrollment  being  634  last  year. 
The  personnel  of  the  present  teaching  force  is  as 
follows:  Superintendent,  W.  D.  Burton;  princi- 
pal high  school,  G.  I.  Wilson;  principal  grammar 
school,  O.  H.  Kerns;  Elizabeth  Wills,  Agnes 
Norby,  Elizabeth  Jones,  Mary  Pihl,  Carrie  Mitch- 
ell, lone  Grindrod,  Emma  Shull,  Josephine  Pihl, 
May  Mills  and  Inez  Webber. 

There  are  eight  church  organizations  in  Ros- 
lyn— the  Presbyterian,  Rev.  William  Smith,  pas- 
tor; Baptist,  no  pastor  at  present;  colored  Bap- 
tist, Rev.  J.  P.  Brown,  pastor;  Catholic,  Father 
Kornke;  the  Methodist  and  colored  Methodist, 
without  pastors,  at  present;  Episcopal,  also  with- 
out a  rector ;  and  the  Latter  Day  Saints,  also  with- 
out a  pastor.  Some  of  the  churches  without  min- 
isters now  expect  to  fill  the  vacancies  in  the  near 
future.  The  Presbyterians  own  the  finest  building, 
a  new  one  built  last  year  at  a  cost  of  several  thou- 
sand dollars.  This  church  has  also  the  only  pipe 
organ  in  the  county.  The  Episcopal  church  was 
established  by  Bishop  Wells  in  1895.  The  society 
purchased  the  old  Baptist  (colored)  church  build- 
ing in  the  spring  of  1898  and  removed  it  to  its  pres- 
ent location.  A  rectory  was  built  that  same  fall, 
both  buildings  being  situatel  on  lots  donated  by  the 
coal  company.  The  whole  property  is  probably 
worth  $2,500.  At  present  there  are  about  forty- 
five  members,  nearly  all  of  whom  are  English  mi- 
ners. The  Rev.  Alfred  Lockwood,  of  Ellensburg, 
has  been  in  charge  of  the  Roslyn  church  for  six 
years  and  occasionally  holds  services  there.  A 
thriving  guild  is  maintained.  The  Catholics  built 
their  church  in  1887. 

Roslyn  is  2,222  feet  above  the  sea  level,  in  the 
very  heart  of  the  foothills,  which  give  the  region 
beautiful  surroundings  and  one  of  the  healthiest 
climates  to  be  found  anywhere  in  the  state.  The 
great  Cle-Elum  precious  mineral  district  lies  within 
easy  reach  of  the  city,  connected  with  it  by  a  good 
wagon  road.  When  this  rich  region  is  thoroughly 
opened  the  city  of  Roslyn  will  be  among  the  first 
communities  to  be  benefited,  for  it  is  very  closely 
allied  with  the  surrounding  mining  districts,  with 
which  it  has  stage  connection  during  the  summer 
months. 

Of  half  a  dozen  newspapers  established  at  dif- 
ferent times  in  Roslyn  only  one  survives,  the  Cas- 
cade Miner,  a  weekly  owned  and  edited  by  Randall 
Brothers.  The  Miner  is  an  eight-page  quarto, 
ably  edited,  tastily  printed,  and  in  every  respect  a 
credit  to  the  community. 

Roslyn's  business  interests  are  of  course  very 
great,  the  yearly  volume  running  well  into  the 
millions,  if  we  include  the  value  of  the  coal.  The 
city's  pay  roll  alone  exceeds  $1,000,000  per  annum. 


304 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


The  coal  company  maintains  a  general  store,  occu- 
pying the  largest  and  most  substantial  building  in 
the  city,  which  carries  a  stock  exceeding  in  value 
$125,000.  D.  S.  Kinney  is  in  charge  of  this  mam- 
moth establishment.     Other  business  houses  are: 

General  merchandise,  D.  A.  Brown  &  Company; 
meat  markets,  Sides  Brothers  &  Hartman,  Roslyn 
Meat  market;  drugs,  Roslyn  pharmacy,  A.  Stoves, 
proprietor;  hardware,  paints,  etc.,  William  Rees; 
dry  goods,  notions,  W.  J.  Saxley;  clothing,  Gus 
Lindstrom;  millinery,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bostock, 
Miss  Anna  Kuhl;  groceries,  Carrollo  &  Genasci, 
Klarich  &  Miller;  brewery,  Roslyn  Brewing  Com- 
pany: sawmill,  Northwestern  Improvement  Com- 
pany; candies,  Wilfred  Ward;  undertaking,  Adam 
&  Stoves;  cigars,  Simon  Justham,  John  Briggs, 
John  Pope,  John  Buffo;  bakery,  German,  John 
Bardesono,  proprietor;  hotels,  Halstead,  Mrs. 
Charles  Jones,  proprietress,  the  Roslyn,  Nicholas 
Rees,  proprietor;  lodging  houses,  the  California, 
Mrs.  DeNato,  proprietress,  Stephen  Pothecary, 
James  Lane;  boarding  house,  Mrs.  Weatherly; 
blacksmith  shop,  Williams  Brothers;  contractors, 
Banister  Brothers,  William  Adam,  R.  P.  Lumsden 
&  Company,  J.  Feigle;  jewelry,  T.  J.  Thomas, 
Leonard  Gabler;  restaurants,  the' Gem,  Mrs.  Wes- 
ley, proprietress,  Mrs.  Ellen  Scott,  John  Buffo; 
photograph  gallery,  I.  A.  Kautz ;  attorneys  at  law, 
Daniel  B.  Payne,  Welsh  &  Moore ;  physicians,  Drs. 
George  Sloan,  L.  L.  Porter,  A.  C.  Simonton,  and 
E.  Mohrmann;  postmaster,  James  Lane;  North- 
ern Pacific  agent,  W.  P.  Morgan ;  eighteen  saloons ; 
local  organizations  of  all  the  leading  fraternities. 


The  thriving  little  city  situated  on  the  upper 
Yakima  river  at  the  junction  of  the  main  line  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  railway  with  its  Roslyn 
branch  bears  the  musical  name  Cle-Elum,  and 
is  the  third  town  in  size  and  importance  within 
the  boundaries  of  Kittitas  county.  Four  years 
ago  it  had  less  than  300  inhabitants;  today  it 
boasts  a  population  of  1,500,  and  surely  there  is 
no  more  prosperous  community  in  the  whole 
Evergreen  state. 

Few  towns  in  Washington  are  more  advan- 
tageously situated  with  reference  to  rich  nat- 
ural resources,  accessibility,  climate  and  beauti- 
ful scenery  than  Cle-Elum.  It  lies  on  the  north- 
ern bank  of  the  river  at  the  base  of  the  foothills. 
The  townsite  is  rectangular  in  form,  perhaps  a 
third  of  a  mile  wide  and  a  mile  and  a  half  in 
length,  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  by  pretty,  refresh- 
ing groves  of  pine  and  fir  which  ultimately  blend 
into  the  great  forest  areas  of  the  Cascade  range. 
The  valley  winds  between  high,  timbered  hills 
on  the  north  and  east  and  a  ragged,  pine-clad 
flank  of  the  main  range  on  the  south  and  west, 
snow-crested  during  most  of  the  year.  At  Cle- 
Elum  the  valley  swells  out  into  a  sort  of  wooded 


amphitheater,  on  the  northern  side  of  which  lies 
the  town.  In  the  poetic  language  of  the  red 
man,  who  long  since  bade  the  region  a  fond  fare- 
well, Cle-Elum,  or  "Tle-el-lum,"  as  they  pro- 
nounce it,  signifies  "swift  water."  Cle-Elum 
river,  from  which  the  town's  name  is  derived, 
debouches  into  the  Yakima  about  three  miles 
above  the  city.  The  Indian  name  has  been  ap- 
propriately bestowed,  for  the  Cle-Elum  is  a  typ- 
ical mountain  stream,  rushing  seaward  with  a 
current  that  none  but  the  dauntless  trout  could 
hope  to  stem.  And  neither  is  it  inappropriate 
to  remark  here  that  the  upper  Yakima  water 
courses  in  season  are  alive  with  millions  of  the 
speckled  beauties,  furnishing  unexcelled  fishing 
facilities  to  Walton's  patient  disciples.  The  pur- 
est of  mountain  water,  good  drainage  and  a  dry, 
clear,  ozone-freighted  atmosphere  combine  to 
make  the  locality  one  of  the  healthiest  spots  in 
the  country.  The  climate  at  Cle-Elum  is  what 
might  be  expected  at  the  base  of  the  range- 
rather  long  winter  seasons  and  delightful  sum- 
mers, but  the  temperature  is  even  and  the  suc- 
cess of  an  immense  rosary  near  the  town  is  a 
sufficient  proof  of  the  presence  of  an  unusually 
large  number  of  sunshiny'  days. 

The  fertile  valley  lands,  as  yet  only  partly 
developed  into  farms  and  gardens,  and  the  foot- 
hills, as  is  well  known,  are  underlaid  with  the 
greatest  bituminous  coal  deposits  yet  discovered 
in  the  west,  while  within  easy  distance  is  an  ex- 
tensive mineral  district  where  gold,  copper,  iron 
and  other  metals  are  found.  The  whole  region 
in  its  primeval  condition  was  mantled  by  a  som- 
bre covering  of  forest.  Traversing  the  upper 
Yakima  to  its  source  on  the  summit  is  the  North- 
ern Pacific's  transcontinental  railway  system, 
tapping  this  immense  mineral  storehouse.  Over 
this  steel  highway  pass  six  regular  passenger  and 
a  dozen  freight  trains  daily.  Cle-Elum  is  also 
the  gateway  of  the  Roslyn  traffic.  An  hour's 
travel  westward  from  Cle-Elum  carries  the  pas- 
senger across  the  summit  of  the  range  into  the 
luxuriant  timber  stretches  of  the  Pacific  slope; 
fifty  minutes'  travel  southeastward  takes  the 
traveler  to  Ellensburg  in  the  heart  of  the  re- 
nowned Kittitas  valley.  Truly,  Cle-Elum  en- 
joys a  convenient  and  favored  location. 

When  all  the  upper  region  was  an  unbroken 
wilderness,  pierced  only  by  the  trails  of  the  no- 
madic Indian  and  the  roving  prospector,  when 
Kittitas  county  was  yet  an  unconsummated 
scheme,  when  the  Northern  Pacific  had  barely 
started  on  its  journey  coastward  from  the  Co- 
lumbia river,  the  corner-stone  of  Cle-Elum  was 
laid  by  Thomas  L.  Gamble.  Judge  Gamble,  who 
still  resides  in  Cle-Elum  and  still  takes  an  active 
interest  in  its  municipal  affairs,  visited  the  upper 
valley  in  April,  1883,  searching  for  desirable  gov- 
ernment land,  and  on  the  28th  of  that  month 
staked  out  the  quarter-section  which  now  forms 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


305 


the  eastern  portion  of  Cle-Elum's  site.  The  ha- 
zel brush  grew  dense;  massive  pines  and  firs  in 
dark  thickets  reared  skyward  their  stately  heads ; 
the  nearest  settlers  were  miles  away,  but  the 
doughty  veteran  and  pioneer  blazed  out  his  lines 
and  commenced  the  clearing  of  Hazel-Dell  farm. 
His  claim  is  recorded  as  the  southeast  quarter 
of  section  twenty-six,  township  twenty  north, 
range  fifteen  east,  and  was  the  first  one  taken 
in  that  township.  By  hard  work  he  succeeded 
in  breaking  a  small  patch  of  land  that  summer 
and  getting  it  planted  to  vegetables.  This  gar- 
den spot  returned  him  enough  to  supply  his 
own  wants  and  those  of  the  few  travelers  who 
passed  his  cabin,  which  primitive  structure  stood 
in  what  is  now  Third  street,  just  below  Judge 
Gamble's  present  fine  home.  It  remained  in  ex- 
istence until  three  years  ago,  a  monument  to 
pioneer  days. 

The  second  character  in  the  history  of  Cle- 
Elum  and  the  man  who  is  responsible  more  than 
anyone  else  for  the  existence  of  the  town  is  Wal- 
ter J.  Reed,  an  old  Pennsylvania  friend  of  Mr. 
Gamble  and  one  of  North  Yakima's  founders. 
These  old  friends  accidentally  met  at  the  Yak- 
ima land  office  in  April,  1883.  There  they  en- 
tered into  an  agreement  that  each  should  assist 
the  other  in  obtaining  land.  Accordingly  Mr. 
Gamble  notified  his  friend  at  once  of  the  exist- 
ence of  an  excellent  tract  just  west  of  the  pio- 
neer homestead.  June  4,  1883,  Mr.  Reed  filed  a 
pre-emption  claim  to  this  quarter  section,  and 
became  the  second  settler  in  the  township.  The 
Reed  cabin,  which  stood  on  Third  street  near 
Pennsylvania  avenue,  was  erected  in  the  early 
days  of  September. 

The  ensuing  year  brought  considerable  travel 
into  the  region,  due  to  the  discovery  of  large  out- 
croppings  of  coal,  which  made  it  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  there  were  extensive  deposits  some- 
where in  the  vicinity.  Gamble's  snug  little  cabin 
served  most  of  these  travelers  as  a  place  for 
refreshment  and  rest.  The  railroad  engineers 
reached  Cle-Elum's  site  in  August,  so  his  diary 
records,  and  during  their  stay  in  the  vicinity 
boarded  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reed  in  their  prim- 
itive pioneer  home.  Late  in  the  year  an  unusual 
number  of  homesteaders  and  speculators  reached 
the  settlement  and  commenced  acquiring  posses- 
sion of  the  surrounding  country,  but  still  there 
was  no  town  when  the  new  year  dawned. 

The  year  1886,  which  was  in  so  many  respects 
a  vitally  important  one  for  the  upper  Yakima 
valley,  witnessed  the  formal  establishment  of 
the  town,  however.  It  was  then  that  the  exist- 
ence of  a  rich,  bituminous  coal  field  was  defi- 
nitely proven  and  that  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  entered  upon  the  exploita- 
tion of  the  same.  The  discovery  of  these  mines 
undoubtedly  led  to  the  immediate  acceptance  of 
the  Stampede  pass  route  across  the  Cascades, 
20 


and  early  in  the  spring  hundreds  of  men  were 
at  work  grading  the  road  bed  up  the  Yakima 
river.  By  April  the  crews  reached  the  mouth 
of  Smith  creek — a  small  stream  heading  above 
Roslyn  and  in  early  days  flowing  through  the 
Reed  claim.  A  corps  of  engineers  also  began 
work  surveying  a  branch  line  up  Smith  creek  to 
the  new  mining  camp. 

The  point  of  junction  of  the  two  roads  was 
the  natural  place  for  a  town,  and  Mr.  Reed, 
quickly  realizing  this,  on  July  26th,  platted  and 
dedicated  sixty-five  acres  of  his  pre-emption 
claim  as  a  townsite.  Thomas  Johnson  was  in 
partnership  with  Reed  in  this  venture.  They 
adopted  the  name  Cle-Elum.  by  which  the  set- 
tlement had  already  come  to  be  known.  June 
20th  Mr.  Johnson  had  brought  up  his  large  saw- 
mill from  Wilson  creek,  and  set  it  on  the  river 
above  the  townsite,  thereby  increasing  the  pop- 
ulation  of   the   neighborhood   by   forty   or   fifty. 

The  mill  was  engaged  principally  in  manu- 
facturing lumber  for  the  railroad  company.  It 
produced  as  high  as  40,000  feet  a  day,  and  fur- 
nished nearly  all  the  timber  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Columbia  river  bridge  at  Pasco. 

By  the  terms  of  his  agreement  with  Mr.  Reed, 
Mr.  Johnson  obligated  himself  to  secure  the  es- 
tablishment upon  the  former's  land  of  a  railway 
depot.  This  he  was  enabled  to  do  easily  on  ac- 
count of  his  influence  with  Northern  Pacific 
officials,  and  in  due  time  the  depot  building  was 
erected.  Mr.  Reed  anticipated  the  rush  of  tran- 
sients by  erecting,  in  July,  on  the  corner  of  Rail- 
road street  and  Pennsylvania  avenue,  the  hotel 
which  bears  his  name,  and  which,  though  now 
greatly  enlarged  and  improved,  is  still  accommo- 
dating the  traveling  public.  It  was  even  at  that 
time  a  well  furnished  frame  structure,  two  and 
a  half  stories  in  height  and  sixty  by  thirty-two 
feet  in  floor  dimensions. 

Under  the  terms  of  the  Reed-Johnson  agree- 
ment, U.  G.  Bogue  and  H.  S.  Huson,  Northern 
Pacific  locating  engineers,  were  given  half  the 
proceeds  from  the  sale  of  lots  during  the  first 
year;  Logan  M.  Bullitt,  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Coal  Company,  also  came  in  for  a  small  share. 
October  11,  1886,  the  long  expected  railroad  train 
reached  Cle-Elum  and  in  November  the  iron 
horse  began  its  journey  over  the  Roslyn  branch 
toward  the  bustling  mining  center  at  its  termi- 
nus.' 

Late  in  the  summer  of  1886,  two  general 
stores  were  established  at  Cle-Elum— those  of 
Thomas  Johnson  and  Theron  Stafford.  John- 
son's store,  the  pioneer,  was  housed  in  a  large 
frame  building  on  Pennsylvania  avenue  opposite 
the  Reed  hotel,  while  Theron  Stafford,  a  former 
merchant  of  Teanaway  City,  removed  his  stock 
into  the  frame  building  now  occupied  by  Kel- 
logg's  bank,  Pennsylvania  avenue.  In  Septem- 
ber, F.  J.  Cummings  opened  a  blacksmith  shop 


306 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  a  livery  stable,  the  latter  of  which  was  sub- 
sequently occupied  by  Thomas  Brothers.  In  Oc- 
tober, a  third  general  store  was  established,  that 
of  Wakefield  &  Tillman.  It  stood  at  the  corner 
of  Pennsylvania  avenue  and  First  street.  Oscar 
Cash  also  opened  a  blacksmith  shop  some  time  in 
the  fall,  and  before  Christmas  several  saloons, 
restaurants  and  other  accessory  business  institu- 
tions were  likewise  opened  to  the  public.  It  is 
almost  needless  to  remark  that  at  this  period  in 
Cle-Elum's  history  its  population  was  decidedly 
typical  of  a  western  boom  town  and  the  daily 
and  nightly  life  of  its  people  a  strenuous  one. 
There  are,  however,  no  serious  crimes  chargeable 
to  the  account  of  the  town  during  its  earliest  his- 
tory. 

With  the  growth  of  the  region's  population, 
came  a  demand  for  a  school.  In  order  to  secure 
the  formation  of  a  district,  it  was  necessary  that 
cwelve  families  should  reside  within  the  limits 
of  the  proposed  district.  Now  at  this  time  fam- 
ilies were  rather  scarce  in  eastern  Kittitas  but 
by  extending  the  boundaries  sufficiently  the  re- 
quired dozen  could  be  secured.  The  county  com- 
missioners on  recommendation  of  D.  G.  C.  Baker, 
decided  to  overcome  legal  obstacles,  so,  on  Au- 
gust 2,  1886,  established  the  desired  district  with 
the  following  boundaries : 

"Commencing  at  the  southeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion twenty-five,  township  twenty,  range  fifteen 
east,  running  south  to  the  Yakima  river,  follow- 
ing said  river  west  and  northerly  as  a  boundary 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Cle-Elum  river,  taking  the 
top  of  the  dividing  ridge  between  the  Yakima 
and  Cle-Elum  rivers  and  following  the  said  di- 
vide northerly  to  the  township  line;  thence  along 
said  township  line  to  the  divide  between  the  Cle- 
Elum  lake  or  river  and  Teanaway  river;  thence 
easterly  and  south  on  said  township  line  to  the 
southeast  corner  of  section  twenty-five,  town- 
ship twenty  north,  range  fifteen  east,  the  place 
of  beginning." 

Messrs.  Reed  and  Gamble,  who  were  ap- 
pointed directors,  immediately  transformed  the 
old  Reed  cabin  into  a  schoolhouse  and  furnished 
it  with  benches,  blackboard,  etc.  The  district 
had  no  taxpayers  at  that  time,  but  Mr.  Reed  fur- 
nished board  to  the  teacher  at  his  hotel,  while 
the  salary  of  the  pedagogue  was  paid  by  sub- 
scription. The  attendance  ranged  from  half  a 
dozen  to  thirty.  The  Reed  cabin  continued  to 
serve  as  a  schoolhouse  until  1890,  when  a  more 
commodious  building  was  erected. 

November  2,  1886,  Cle-Elum  precinct,  which 
then  included  Roslyn,  held  its  first  local  elec- 
tion, choosing  G.  W.  Campfield  as  constable  and 
H.  C.  Witters  as  justice  of  the  peace.  Witters 
was  later  succeeded  by  T.  L.  Gamble,  who  for 
ten  years  faithfully  discharged  the  duties  of  that 
important  though  comparatively  humble  judicial 
office. 


It  is  estimated  that  by  the  first  of  the  year, 
1887,  fully  400  people  were  living  upon  the  town- 
site,  engaged  in  railroad  work,  mining  and  ca- 
tering in  various  ways  to  the  wants  of  the  public. 
Among  the  permanent  stores  established  during 
the  year  was  the  confectionery  of  D.  B.  Burcham. 
The  year  was  a  prosperous  one  for  Cle-Elum 
and  marks  the  period  of  transition  from  a  boom 
town  into  a  staple  community.  In  1887  twenty- 
five  feet  of  frontage  on  Pennsylvania  avenue  sold 
readily  for  $350  to  $400. 

The  government  designated  Cle-Elum  as  a 
postoffice  in  1888,  Dr.  Wheelock  taking  charge 
as  postmaster  Tuesday,  January  3d.  His  office 
occupied  the  ground  upon  which  Kahler's  drug 
store  now  stands.  In  April  W.  J.  Reed  platted 
his  first  addition  to  the  town  and  May  24,  1888, 
Judge  Gamble  laid  out  100  acres  of  his  farm 
into  a  town  which  he  called  Hazelwood,  not 
deeming  it  wise  to  plat  it  at  that  time  as  an  addi- 
tion to  Cle-Elum,  though  such  in  effect  it  was. 
The  principal  buildings  erected  during  the  year 
were  Thomas  Johnson's  new  store  and  an  addi- 
tion to  the  Reed  hotel,  built  of  Cle-Elum  brick. 
Among  the  arrivals  of  the  year  was  John  Roth- 
lesberger,  who  opened  a  meat  market. 

Late  in  the  year  1888  Cle-Elum  felt  the  ef- 
fects of  the  great  Roslyn  strike,  becoming  the 
scene  of  violence  which  nearly  led  to  bloodshed. 
Johnson's  mill  was  threatened  by  angered 
Knights  of  Labor,  and  at  one  time  a  noisy  dem- 
onstration was  made  against  the  Reed  hotel,  but 
for  a  detailed  account  of  these  troubles  the 
reader  is  referred  to  former  pages. 

Cle-Elum  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  being  the 
headquarters  of  the  Cascade  division  until  the 
Stampede  tunnel  was  completed,  and  owing  to 
its  proximity  to  the  tunnel  derived  no  small  ben- 
efit from  that  great  work.  But  the  completion 
of  that  tunnel,  the  transfer  of  division  headquar- 
ters, the  Roslyn  mine  troubles  and  the  removal 
of  Johnson's  sawmill  to  Puget  sound  withdrew 
the  bulk  of  Cle-Elum's  resources,  and  beginning 
with  1889  the  town  experienced  only  fair  pros- 
perity and  a  slow  growth  for  several  years. 

Like  all  communities  situated  in  a  timbered 
region,  Cle-Elum  has  always  stood  in  more  or 
less  danger  from  forest  fires,  though  each  year 
this  danger  grows  less.  One  of  these  fires, 
sweeping  up  the  valley,  suddenly  menaced  the 
little  town  July  23,  1891.  The  citizens  battled 
manfully  with  the  flames  until  three  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  when  it  was  thought  the  fire  was 
practically  out  and  the  workers  retired  for  rest. 
Three  hours  later,  however,  flames  were  seen 
issuing  from  Theron  Stafford's  general  store  on 
Pennsylvania  avenue,  and  before  the  weary  cit- 
izens could  stay  their  progress  the  entire  block 
of  business  buildings  was  a  heap  of  smouldering 
debris.  The  losses  aggregated  between  $40,000 
and  $50,000,  covered  by  perhaps  $3,000  insurance. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


307 


Stafford's  loss  alone  was  $14,000,  with  only  $1,- 
OOO  insurance.  William  Lindsey's  grocery, 
Thomas  Johnson's  building,  occupied  at  the  time 
by  Edward  Connell's  general  store,  the  building 
and  merchandise  stock  of  F.  M.  Cox  and  about 
ten  other  frame  buildings  were  destroyed  with 
their  contents.  Connell's  loss  was  estimated  at 
$9,000  with  $2,000  insurance,  and  Cox's  loss  at 
$2,600.  The  Cle-Elum  Tribune,  the  town's  pio- 
neer newspaper,  established  March  26,  1891,  by 
C.  R.  Martin,  also  suffered  a  loss  amounting  to 
at  least  $700. 

One  man,  while  under  the  influence  of  liquor 
and  unmanageable,  approached  the  Stafford 
building  too  closely  and  was  caught  by  the  fall- 
ing structure  and  mortally  injured.  Mr.  Stafford 
also  received  a  severe  burn  in  an  attempt  to  re- 
move goods  from  his  store.    • 

Several  times  during  the  progress  of  the  fire 
it  was  thought  the  entire  town  was  lost,  but  per- 
severance and  energy  won  the  battle  at  last. 
Early  in  the  struggle  the  Ellensburg  fire  depart- 
ment was  appealed  to  and  within  twenty  minutes 
after  the  call  was  received  the  engine  and  crew 
were  on  a  flat  car  and  speeding  up  the  valley.  At 
Thorp,  however,  the  train  was  intercepted  by  a 
dispatch  stating  that  the  fire  was  under  control 
and  that  assistance  was  not  needed.  Only  a  few 
business  houses  were  left  by  the  fire.  These 
were  the  Reed  House,  W.  J.  Reed,  proprietor; 
the  Cascade  House,  August  Sasse,  proprietor; 
Branam  &  Thomas's  livery,  William  Branam  and 
L.  R.  Thomas,  proprietors ;  D.  B.  Burcham's  barber 
shop;  B.  C.  Richardson's  livery;  Oscar  Cash's 
blacksmith  shop;  Frank  Rothlesberger's  restau- 
rant and  several  saloons. 

This  dire  calamity,  closely  followed  by  the 
memorable  financial  stringency,  greatly  reduced 
the  town's  prosperity  and  population  ;  in  fact  a 
town  with  fewer  resources  and  a  less  determined 
citizenship  might  have  given  up  the  struggle  for 
existence  entirely.  But  certain  forces  were  at 
work  destined  to  dispel  the  gloom  and  usher  in 
a  glorious  and  lasting  prosperity. 

Deposits  of  coal  were  known  to  exist  in  the 
Cle-Elum  neighborhood  long  before  any  attempt 
at  mining  was  undertaken.  The  first  determined 
and  well  directed  effort  to  uncover  these  veins 
was  made  in  1894  by  Oscar  James,  James  Smith, 
Isaac  Davis  and  Charles  Hamer,  practical  min- 
ers, who  arranged  with  Judge  Gamble  to  sink  a 
shaft  on  his  farm.  The  enterprise  had  a  success- 
ful issue,  for  at  a  depth  of  240  feet  the  vein  was 
struck.  Soon  after  machinery  was  installed  by 
the  Cle-Elum  Coal  Company,  as  the  discoverers 
above  mentioned  styled  their  organization,  for 
the  purpose  of  placing  the  black  diamonds  on 
the  market.  They  obtained  a  forty  years'  lease 
from  Mr.  Gamble  and  set  a  large  force  of  miners 
at  work,  also  induced  the  railway  company  to 
build  side  tracks  for  their  accommodation. 


Of  course  the  Gamble  mine  proved  a  most 
welcome  boon  to  the  town,  although  until  1900 
it  was  worked  only  on  a  comparatively  small 
scale.  An  event  of  the  year  1896  which  might 
have  proven  a  very  melancholy  one  was  the  col- 
lapse, from  an  overweight  of  snow  on  its  roof, 
of  the  Cle-Elum,  formerly  known  as  Tillman, 
hall.  It  fell  to  the  ground  at  three  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  January  2d.  New  Year's  eve 
there  had  been  a  largely  attended  dance  in  the 
hall  and  the  strain  on  the  building  at  that  time 
must  have  been  great.  The  following  evening  a 
crowd  of  thirty  young  people  drove  to  the  Coo- 
ley  mill  as  a  surprise  party,  agreeing,  however, 
that  if  the  mill  people  had  retired  they  would 
return  to  the  hall  for  their  merrymaking.  As  it 
happened,  one  family  at  the  mill  was  found 
awake  and  the  young  people  remained — a  circum- 
stance to  which  they  undoubtedly  owed  their 
lives.  J.  J.  Lewis  and  his  mother,  who  occupied 
rooms  in  the  rear  end  of  the  building,  barely  es- 
caped death. 

Cle-Elum,  the  new,  the  present  bustling  little 
city,  came  into  existence  with  the  dawn  of  the 
twentieth  century.  The  remarkable  transforma- 
tion which  took  place  about  that  time  is  due  to 
several  causes,  principal  of  which  was  the  ac- 
quirement of  the  Gamble  lease  in  1900  by  the 
Northwestern  Improvement  Company.  Imme- 
diately upon  taking  charge,  Manager  Bush  com- 
menced operations  on  a  large  scale,  enlarging  the 
plant  from  time  to  time  and  increasing  the  work- 
ing force  until  at  present  more  than  400  men  are 
employed  under  Superintendent  G.  M.  Green. 
The  mine  is  worked  by  the  pillar  and  room  sys- 
tem, uses  double  entries,  is  well  ventilated  and 
timbered  and  is  producing  30,000  long  tons  of 
coal  a  month.  It  is  obvious  that  with  such  an 
industry  within  its  limits,  steadily  in  operation 
six  days  in  a  week,  any  town  has  the  foundation 
of  prosperity  and  substantial  growth. 

From  the  time  the  Cle-Elum  mine  came  under 
the  control  of  its  present  operators,  Cle-Elum 
has  rapidly  advanced  in  population  and  impor- 
tance, property  has  steadily  enhanced  in  value, 
buildings  of  a"  substantial  character  have  taken 
the  place  of  the  old  ones  and  scores  of  other 
improvements  have  been  inaugurated.  Within 
three  years  the  population  has  increased  500  per 
cent. 

In  1900  Mr.  Gamble  attached  his  property 
to  Cle-Elum  proper  under  the  name  of  the  Ha- 
zelwood  addition.  This  action  paved  the  way 
for  the  organization  of  Cle-Elum  as  a  city  of  the 
fourth  class,  and  Wednesday,  February  12,  1902, 
the  following  corps  of  officers  were  elected : 
Mayor — Thomas  L.  Gamble;  councilmen — Mi- 
chael C.  Miller,  Robert  L.  Thomas,  R.  Elijah 
Kermeen,  D.  B.  Burcham  and  M.  P.  Kay;  treas- 
urer— A.  E.  Emerson;  clerk  and  attorney,  G.  P. 


308 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Short;  city  marshal — Frank  Haight;  police  judge 
— Theron  M.  Stafford. 

At  the  last  election,  the  proposition  to  incor- 
porate as  a  city  of  the  third  class  was  carried 
by  a  practically  unanimous  vote  and  January  I, 
1905,  the  town  will  advance  a  step  among  the 
municipal  corporations  of  the  state.  The  pres- 
ent city  officials  were  elected  in  December,  1903 : 
Mayor,  E.  E.  Simpson;  city  clerk  and  attorney, 
G.  P.  Short;  treasurer,  L.  S.  Brown;  marshals, 
Frank  Haight  and  Peter  McCallum;  city  engi- 
neer, H.  F.  Marble;  health  officer,  Dr.  I.  N. 
Power;  aldermen,  D.  B.  Perrow,  R.  E.  Kermen, 
M.  C.  Miller,  Isaac  Davies,  William  F.  Lewis; 
chief  fire  department,  C.  S.  Haines ;  captain  Com- 
pany No.  1,  James  A.  Thomas;  captain  Company 
No.  2,  Robert  Simpson. 

The  city  has  just  reason  to  feel  proud  of  its 
new  gravity  water  system,  installed  during  the 
past  twelve  months  at  a  cost  of  approximately 
$19,000.  The  water  is  taken  from  springs  located 
three  miles  southwest  of  town  on  a  quarter  sec- 
tion formerly  owned  by  Oscar  Cash.  From  him 
the  city  purchased  the  land  last  year,  paying 
therefor  $2,000.  The  reservoir  of  400,000  gal- 
lons' capacity  lies  180  feet  above  Pennsylvania 
avenue,  affording  a  pressure  in  the  business  part 
of  ninety  pounds  to  the  square  inch.  In  all  there 
are  three  miles  of  six  and  four  inch  mains.  The 
pipe  used  was  made  by  the  Pacific  Coast  Pipe 
Company  and  is  built  of  Washington  or  Douglas 
fir,  wrapped  with  No.  4  double  galvanized  steel  tele- 
graph wire,  and  dipped  in  a  hot  bath  of  tar  and 
asphalt.  The  patent  cast  iron  couplings  are 
guaranteed  to  be  water  tight.  To  help  pay  the 
cost  of  this  system  the  city  issued  $10,000  worth 
of  six  per  cent,  bonds.  The  system  is  soon  to 
be  improved  by  the  construction  of  a  large  res- 
ervoir for  fire  purposes  solely. 

A  volunteer  fire  department,  composed  of  two 
companies  of  the  city's  public-spirited  young 
men,  was  organized  in  October  last.  Upon  the 
completion  of  the  water  works  the  council  in- 
vested $1,500  in  hose  carts  and  hose,  which,  with 
the  hydrant  facilities  and  well  organized  depart- 
ment, place  the  town  in  a  position  to  make  a 
strong  fight  against  fire.  In  1903,  also,  the  town 
erected  a  municipal  building,  costing  $1,400,  ar- 
ranged to  house  fire  apparatus  on  the  ground 
floor,  while  the  second  story  is  fitted  up  to  ac- 
commodate the  council,  public  gatherings, 
lodges,  etc. 

It  is  estimated  that  fully  four  miles  of  sub- 
stantial sidewalks  and  crosswalks  have  been  con- 
structed in  Cle-Elum.  The  work  of  grading 
streets  is  going  on  constantly  and  will  be  con- 
tinued until  the  city's  thoroughfares  are  in  a  sat- 
isfactory condition. 

The  old  schoolhouse  was  replaced  in  1800  by 
a  commodious  frame  structure  costing  $1,500, 
built  on  a   tract  of  land  donated  by   Mr.   Reed. 


Two  years  ago  another  building  containing  two 
rooms  was  added  to  the  old  schoolhouse  and  it 
was  thought  that  room  sufficient  for  years  to 
come  had  been  provided.  However,  these  quar- 
ters have  been  already  outgrown  and  the  ground 
is  now  broken  for  the  erection  of  a  new  frame 
schoolhouse  to  cost  at  least  $10,000.  This  build- 
ing will  be  two  stories  high  and  will  contain 
eight  rooms  besides  the  principal's  office,  library 
and  basement.  It  will  be  equipped  with  a  steam 
heating  plant,  electric  lights  and  other  modern 
improvements,  making  it  one  of  the  handsomest 
and  most  comfortable  school  buildings  in  the 
county.  The  site  lies  near  the  old  schoolhouse 
between  Second  and  Third  streets.  At  present 
there  is  an  average  enrollment  of  275  pupils  in 
the  Cle-Elum  schools,  under  the  instruction  of 
the  following  corps-  of  teachers :  J.  M.  Richard- 
son, principal ;  Mrs.  Daisy  Fish,  Miss  Kate  Lan- 
igan,  Mrs.  Baker,  Miss  Irene  Brain  and  Miss 
Anna  Bolen.  Two  grades  of  high  school  work 
have  recently  been  added  to  the  curriculum  of 
study.  The  school  board  consists  of  Frank  Mar- 
tin, Samuel  Willis  and  E.  W.  Rinehart,  Samuel 
Willis  being  clerk. 

There  are  five  churches  established  in  Cle- 
Elum,  though  only  two  at  present  have  pastors, 
the  Baptist  and  the  Methodist.  The  other  de- 
nominations possessing  churches  are  the  Pres- 
byterian, the  Catholic  and  the  Free  Methodist. 

We  have  spoken  of  a  rosary  as  being  among 
the  city's  notable  institutions.  So  unique  is  the 
establishment  that  a  short  mention  of  it  seems 
appropriate.  The  plant,  consisting  of  about  18,- 
000  feet  of  glass,  is  located  at  the  northeast  cor- 
ner of  the  town  and  has  been  .established  four 
years.  The  proprietor,  J.  A.  Balmer,  was  for- 
merly professor  of  horticulture  and  station  hor- 
ticulturist in  the  State  Agricultural  College  and 
School  of  Science,  Pullman,  Washington.  When 
Mr.  Balmer  decided  to  establish  a  plant  for  the 
production  of  cut  flowers,  he  looked  the  state 
thoroughly  over  for  a  suitable  location,  and 
finally  decided  upon  Cle-Elum  as  the  best  place 
for  the  business.  Here  he  found  cheap  land, 
cheap  fuel,  excellent  shipping  facilities  and  a 
soil  suited  to  the  production  of  high  class  roses. 
The  plant  consists  of  three  glass  structures  each 
200  feet  long  by  23  feet  wide,  steam  heated  and 
thoroughly  modern  in  construction.  Over  a 
mile  and  a  half  of  one  and  a  quarter-inch  pipe  are 
used  in  heating  the  houses,  which  are  main- 
•tained  at  an  even  temperature  even  in  the  coldest 
weather.  Only  roses  and  carnations  are  pro- 
duced. The  large  and  growing  cities  on  the 
Sound  afford  an  excellent  market  for  the  prod- 
uct of  the  place,  and  Cle-Elum  roses  are  well 
known  and  in  demand  wherever  fine  flowers  are 
needed.  About  6,000  roses  and  3,000  carnations 
are  growing  on  the  benches,  and  the  annual  out- 
put   amounts   to    nearly    100,000   flowers.      The 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


309 


flowers  are  cut  every  morning  and  shipped  every 
evening,  thus  putting  them  fresh  on  the  market 
every  morning. 

September  1,  1903,  James  A.  Kellogg,  a  gen- 
tleman of  recognized  integrity  and  ability  and 
a  Minneapolis  business  man  for  sixteen  years, 
opened  a  private  bank  in  Cle-Elum.  The  insti- 
tution, the  only  one  of  its  kind  in  the  county 
outside  of  Ellensburg,  occupies  a  commodious 
building  on  Pennsylvania  avenue.  Among  its 
equipments  is  a  manganese  safe  of  the  latest  con- 
struction. The  business  of  this  institution  is  steadily 
growing. 

Other  business  and  public  enterprises  worthy 
of  special  mention  are  the  city's  newspaper  and 
brass  band.  The  Cle-Elum  Echo,  established  by 
Randall  Brothers  three  years  ago,  is  a  very 
creditable  weekly  newspaper,  both  editorially 
and  typographically,  the  peer  of  most  journals 
published  in  towns  thrice  Cle-Elum's  size. 
Charles  S.  Fell,  an  experienced  and  genial  news- 
paper man,  is  its  editor  and  proprietor.  The  Cle- 
Elum  City  band  was  organized  in  May,  1902,  and 
is  an  association  of  twenty  skilled  musicians. 
Teasdale  L.  Wilkeson  is  the  band's  manager  and 
musical  director;  R.  H.  Connell  is  treasurer;  and 
Charles  Connell,  secretary.  The  members  are 
equipped  with  tasty  uniforms  and  high  grade 
instruments. 

A  directory  of  Cle-Elum's  business  concerns 
and  professional  men  would  include,  beside  those 
mentioned,  the  following: 

General  merchandise,  the  Northwestern  Im- 
provement Company,  Frank  Martin  manager; 
T.  M.  Jones,  A.  E.  Flower;  clothing,  boots  and 
shoes,  Dills,  Brown  &  Lodge;  groceries,  Ken- 
nedy Brothers,  Daniel  Gaydon ;  hotels,  the  Reed 
House,  Theodore  Steiner  proprietor;  the  Cen- 
tral, August  Sasse  proprietor;  the  Vendome, 
Albert  Harting  proprietor;  the  Piemonte,  J.  B. 
Farnelli  proprietor;  meat  markets,  the  Cle- 
Elum,  George  Rothlesberger  proprietor;  Sides 
Brothers  &  Hartman ;  George  Bounds;  drug 
store,  Earle  Kahler;  hardware,  Haines  &  Spratt; 
sawmill,  Wright  Brothers  &  Miller ;  house  fur- 
nishers, J.  S.  Werlich  &  Son ;  second  hand  store, 
C.  J.  Trucano;  millinery,  ladies'  furnishings, 
Mrs.  L.  L.  James,  Clara  Kuhl ;  bakery,  groceries, 
the  Hazelwood,  Giacomini  &  Schaber  proprie- 
tors; livery  stables,  the  Cle-Elum,  Hugh  Fish 
proprietor ;  Crocker  Brothers,  John  H.  and  Wal- 
ter W. ;  blacksmith  shops,  Gongaware,  Fish  & 
Comstock,  William  Oldham ;  jeweler,  H.  C.  Bil- 
ger;  confectionery,  cigars,  etc.,  D.  B.  Burcham, 
C.  W.  Badger,  Henry  Horstman,  Fred  Zenter; 
harness  store,  Lorenzo  Garlick ;  barber  shops, 
Frank  Moore,  Clement  &  Oversby ;  shoes,  C. 
Morganti;  sausage  factory,  Modoni  &  Pugiant; 
restaurants,  Bowden  &  Bowden,  the  California 
and  the  Oregon ;  transfer  company,  W.  W.  Tut- 
tle  proprietor;   contractors,    Daniel   B.    Perrow, 


A.  S.  Paul;  physicians,  Dr.  I.  N.  Power,  Dr.  F. 
W.  Nagler;  attorney-at-law,  G.  P.  Short;  insur- 
ance, real  estate,  land  office  business,  Hon.  Wal- 
ter J.  Reed ;  telegraph  office,  express  office,  in- 
surance, Charles  S.  Fell ;  postmaster,  Harry  C. 
Bilger;  stages,  to  Liberty  and  Fish  Lake;  sev- 
eral saloons. 

Several  years  ago  the  railroad  company,  in 
order  to  facilitate  telegraphing,  substituted  an 
"a"  for  the  "E"  in  the  second  syllable  of  the 
word  Cle-Elum,  changing  the  name  of  the  rail- 
road station  to  correspond.  More  recently  the 
postoffice  department  changed  the  name  of  the 
postoffice  to  Clealum.  This  action  aroused  a 
storm  of  indignation  among  the  town's  residents 
and  friends,  for  by  the  change  the  old  name  was 
destroyed  and  its  significance  entirely  lost;  be- 
sides, the  new  spelling  was  not  in  accord  with 
the  city's  corporate  name.  Moreover,  considerable 
Cle-Elum  mail  found  its  way  to  Clallam,  across  the 
range.  At  this  writing  the  matter  is  before  the 
national  board  of  geographical  names  for  decision, 
on  an  appeal  raised  by  Congressman  Jones. 


Thorp  is  a  substantial  and  prettily  situated 
farming  town  of  perhaps  two  hundred  inhabitants, 
located  nine  miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg  on  the 
western  bank  of  the  Yakima  river.  The  main  line 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad  passes  through  the 
town,  affording  excellent  transportation  facilities 
and  making  it  an  important  shipping  point  for  the 
upper  Kittitas  valley.  Thorp  also  has  the  advan- 
tage of  being  a  small  manufacturing  center,  for  it 
boasts  a  flour  mill,  two  sawmills  and  a  creamery. 
Smith  J.  Kendall  and  Joseph  D.  Mack  own  and 
operate  the  flour  mill,  which  is  a  well  equipped 
plant  of  moderate  capacity  whose  products  are 
shipped  to  the  Pacific  for  use  there  and  for  export. 
Louis  Ellison  and  J.  L.  Mills  &  Son  are  the  own- 
ers of  the  sawmills,  and  Wipple  Brothers  own  the 
large  creamery. 

Other  business  establishments  and  business  men 
in  Thorp  are:  Fred  C.  Porter,  Everett  E.  South- 
ern, general  merchandise;  James  F.  Duncan,  Alfred 
St.  John,  proprietors  of  two  hotels;  blacksmith 
shop,  J.  Otis  Newman ;  feed  stables,  John  New- 
man ;  Nellie  Gordon,  stationery  and  notions ;  phy- 
sician, Dr.  Charles  H.  Reed ;  barber,  A.  J.  Scheie ; 
surveyors,  Harry  Riddell,  Fred  Ross ;  A.  L.  Hol- 
lingsworth,  Fred  P.  Newman,  painters;  Frank 
Hutchison.  Fred  Lowe  and  Alfred  Clyborne,  car- 
penters ;  postmaster,  Sarah  E.  Gordon ;  one  saloon. 
James  M.  Finley  is  station  agent. 

The  town  maintains  a  graded  school  which  is 
in  charge  of  Principal  W.  C.  Thomas  and  Mary 
Peaslee;  also  two  church  societies,  both  of  which 
have  buildingfs,  the  Methodist  and  Christian.  Tele- 
graph and  telephone  facilities  are  likewise  afforded. 
The  postoffice  was  established  in  1890. 


3io 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


The  records  show  that  the  first  plat  of  the 
townsite  was  filed  July  9,  1895,  by  John  M.  New- 
man and  his  wife,  Sarah  Isabel  Newman,  the  own- 
ers. E.  I.  Anderson  surveyed  a  little  more  than 
five  and  a  half  acres  lying  in  township  eighteen 
north,  range  seventeen  east,  which  was  platted  into 
blocks.  May  1,  1900,  Milford  A.  and  Amanda 
Thorp  dedicated  Thorp's  addition  to  the  town. 
From  the  Thorp  family  the  town  receives  its 
name.  Milford  A.  Thorp,  the  son  of  Alvin  A. 
Thorp,  a  Moxee  pioneer  of  1866  and  a  Kittitas 
pioneer  of  1870,  permanently  settled  in  the  Kittitas 
valley  in  1879.  In  1885  he  bought  James  McMur- 
ray's  claim  and  on  this  land  the  town  stands.  For 
many  years  previous  to  the  formal  dedication  of  the 
townsite,  there  was  a  considerable  settlement  at 
Thorp.  The  future  prospects  of  the  town  are 
bright. 

EASTON. 

The  thriving  village  and  station  bearing  the 
name  of  Easton  is  situated  on  the  Yakima  river 
and  the  Northern  Pacific  railway,  thirty-eight 
miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg  and  thirteen  miles 
northwest  of  Cle-Elum.  The  town  has  about  156 
inhabitants,  most  of  whom  are  engaged  in  lumber- 
ing, railroad  work  and  kindred  occupations. 

Easton  was  platted  by  A.  O.  and  W.  W.  John- 
son, June  24,  1902,  three  acres  lying  on  the  north 
side  of  the  river  in  township  twenty  north,  range 
thirteen  east,  being  surveyed  into  blocks  by  County 
Surveyor  Moses  M.  Emerson.  In  August  follow- 
ing H.  S.  Pelton  platted  an  addition  of  five  blocks, 
and  the  Erkenbrack  addition  was  platted.  For 
many  years  previous  to  1902  Easton  was  a  well 
known  sawmill  point. 

A  directory  of  the  town's  business  houses  would 
include  the  general  store  of  Johnson  Brothers, 
Albert  O.  and  William  W.,  the  latter  being  post- 
master ;  the  grocery  of  Joseph  Erkenbrack  &  Son ; 
one  hotel,  the  Railroad  House,  Edward  Ohort,  pro- 
prietor ;  a  restaurant  and  meat  market,  conducted 
by  George  R.  Pelton;  George  M.  Snyder's  barber 
shop;  and  a  saloon.  The  village  has  a  good 
school,  taught  by  R.  A.  Wilcox,  an  express  office, 
and  telegraph  station.  Easton  is  a  growing  com- 
munity. The  great  highland  irrigating  canal, 
which  is  now  being  surveyed  and  which  is  to  far 
surpass  in  size  any  other  canal  in  the  state,  will 
take  its  waters  out  of  the  river  near  Easton.  Near 
the  town  are  the  Easton  falls  of  the  Yakima,  which 
furnish  a  fine  water  power  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses. Just  north  of  the  town  is  the  beautiful  Kit- 
titas lake  region. 

LIBERTY. 

The  trading  point  of  upper  Swauk  creek  valley 
is  Liberty,  a  hamlet  near  the  mouth  of  Williams 
creek.  P.  T.  Carson  is  postmaster  and  A.  F.  York 
conducts  a  general  store,  besides  which  there  is  a 
hotel.     A  daily  stage  is  operated  between  Liberty 


and  Cle-Elum,  fifteen  miles  southwest,  which  is 
the  Swauk  valley's  shipping,  banking,  telegraph 
and  express  point.  The  well  known  Swauk  placer 
mines  are  in  this  neighborhood,  while  the  whole 
region  abounds  in  silver,  lead,  copper  and  iron.  A 
rich,  though  small,  farming  and  stock  settlement, 
more  than  two  decades  old,  is  also  tributary  to 
Liberty.  The  natural  scenery  in  this  bit  of  Kittitas 
county  is  surpassingly  beautiful  and  a  healthier 
place  would  be  hard  to  find.  Liberty  is  the  smallest 
of  the  six  postoffice  towns  in  the  county,  the  others 
being  Ellensburg,  Roslyn,  Cle-Elum,  Thorp,  and 
Easton. 

TEANAWAY    CITY. 

Teanaway  City  is  a  discontinued  postoffice  on 
the  Northern  Pacific  railway  at  the  junction  of  the 
Teanaway  and  Yakima  rivers,  nineteen  miles  north- 
west of  Ellensburg  and  four  miles  southeast  of 
Cle-Elum,  the  banking  and  postoffice  point.  At 
one  time  Teanaway  City  was  a  thriving  business 
center.  It  was  platted  on  section  four,  township 
nineteen  north,  range  sixteen  east,  July  30,  1885, 
by  Henry  F.  Ortley,  through  his  attorney,  George 
N.  Bowen.  Ortley  secured  the  tract  by  means  of 
scrip  and  laid  out  sixteen  blocks.  The  construc- 
tion of  the  railroad'  gave  the  place  a  temporary  ex- 
istence as  a  village,  about  thirty  buildings  being 
erected  and  a  store  established  by  Theron  Stafford. 
However,  in  the  fall  of  1886  Stafford  removed  his 
store  to  Cle-Elum  and  the  decadence  of  Teanaway 
began.  The  postoffice  was  discontinued  the  fol- 
lowing year.  Gold,  silver  and  coal  are  found  in  the 
vicinity  of  Teanaway.  About  fifty  people  reside 
there  now. 


Roza  is  a  flag  station  on  the  Northern  Pacific 
railway,  twenty-one  miles  south  of  Ellensburg  and 
sixteen  north  of  North  Yakima,  the  nearest  post- 
office.    The  station  is  the  Yakima  canyon. 


Martin  is  another  flag  station  on  the  railway, 
forty-nine  miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg  at  the 
eastern  end  of  the  Stampede  tunnel.  Easton  is  the 
nearest  postoffice. 


Thrall,  another  flag  station  on  the  railway,  is 
five  miles  southeast  of  Ellensburg,  the  nearest  post- 
office.  Considerable  shipping  is  done  from  this 
station. 


Umtanum,  also  a  Northern  Pacific  station,  lies 
thirteen  miles  southeast  of  Ellensburg,  at  the 
mouth  of  Umtanum  creek,  in  the  Yakima  canyon. 


KITTITAS    COUNTY. 


311 


BRISTOL. 

Bristol,  another  small  railway  station  and 
trading  point,  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  Swauk 
creek.  The  community  gets  its  mail  and  express 
at  Cle-Elum,  a  few  miles  northwest. 

m'callum. 

A  discontinued  postoffice  ten  miles  northeast  of 
Teanaway  on  the  Northern  Pacific  railway.  Mail 
is  received  at  Liberty. 


A  siding  on  the  Pacific  division  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  railway,  thirty-one  miles  northwest  of 
Ellensburg.     Cle-Elum  is  the  postoffice. 


Ronald  is  now  a  discontinued  postoffice  and 
contains  no  business  establishments.  It  lies  at  the 
mouth  of  mine  No.  3,  Roslyn  coal  district,  two 
miles  above  the  city  of  Roslyn,  and  at  one  time 
contained  probably  200  inhabitants.  The  closing 
down  of  this  mine  naturally  removed  the  town's 
support.  It  was  named  in  honor  of  Alexander 
Ronald,  one  of  the  early  superintendents  of  the 
Roslyn  mines. 

DUDLEY. 

A  flag  station  on  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad 
between  Thorp  and  Bristol. 


Twelve  miles  by  stage  from  Cle-Elum  is  a 
small  settlement  bearing  the  name  of  Swauk.  It 
lies  on  Swauk  prairie. 

GALENA. 

This  townsite  was  platted  by  County  Surveyor 
A.  F.  York  in  May,  1890,  on  land  at  the  junction 
of  Camp  creek  with  Cle-Elum  river,  in  the  Cle- 
Elum  mineral  district.  Galena  was  intended  to  be 
the  metropolis  of  the  upper  Cle-Elum  region  and 
is  the  terminus  of  an  old  Northern  Pacific  survey 
into  the  mining  country.  Thirty-five  blocks  were 
surveyed  and  a  great  number  of  them  sold,  but  as 
yet  Galena  exists  in  name  only.  It  is  a  govern- 
ment townsite. 


was  platted  in  April,  1884,  on  land  near  Ellens- 
burg by  the  Kittitas  Improvement  Company,  of 
which  J.  D.  Dammon  was  president  and  Austin 
Mires  secretary.     The  project  was  abandoned. 

TUNNEL    CITY 

is  another  townsite  project  which  did  not  mature. 
J.  S.  Wisner,  in  March,  1886,  laid  out  Tunnel  City 
at  the  eastern  end  of  the  Stampede  tunnel. 


PART  V. 


SUPPLEMENTARY 


PART   V. 

SUPPLEMENTARY 


CHAPTER  I. 


YAKIMA,   KITTITAS   AND    KLICKITAT    COUNTIES— DESCRIPTIVE. 


The  three  counties  whose  history  forms  the  sub- 
ject matter  of  this  volume  occupy  a  position  in 
south  central  Washington  between  the  Columbia 
river  on  the  south  and  east,  the  majestic  Cascades 
on  the  west  and  a  spur  of  that  rangt,  known  as  the 
Wenatchee  mountains,  on  the  north.  The  area  of 
this  territory  is  9,300  square  miles,  divided  among 
the  three  counties,  as  follows :  Yakima  5,500  square 
miles,  Klickitat  1,800,  Kittitas  2,000.  In  local  cir- 
cles the  region  is  often  loosely  referred  to  as  cen- 
tral Washington,  and  the  term  has  been  adopted 
by  the  writer  for  convenience,  though  it  is  admit- 
tedly inaccurate  because  it  may  properly  be  and 
doubtless  frequently  is  used  to  include  several 
counties  in  addition  to  the  three  under  considera- 
tion. 

The  topography  of  the  region  presents  many 
interesting  features.  The  man  of  a  scientific  turn 
is  impelled  after  surveying  it  even  superficially  to 
inquire  into  its  geological  history,  and  fortunately 
the  record  has  been  at  least  partially  prepared  for 
him  by  scientific  parties  in  the  employ  of  the  United 
States  government.  According  to  the  report  of 
Messrs.  Jensen  and  Olshausen  on  their  soil  survey 
of  the  Yakima  area,  the  whole  of  central  Washing- 
ton and  perhaps  much  of  Oregon  and  Idaho  were 
once  covered  by  an  immense  inland  sea,  known  as 
Lake  John  Day. 

"Into  this  lake,"  say  they,  "streams  carried  the 
land  and  mud  held  in  suspension  in  their  waters, 
while  volcanoes  in  times  of  violent  eruption  threw 
into  it  vast  quantities  of  volcanic  dust,  ashes  and 
lapilli.  The  lake  beds  are  hence  composed  of  alter- 
nating strata  of  volcanic    dust,    gravel,    sand  and 


finer  soils,  and  are  also  interstratified  with  a  widely 
spread  sheet  of  basalt,  as  well  as  a  number  of  mere 
local  sheets.  This  formation  is  known  as  the  John 
Day  system.  The  same  formation  is  found  on  John 
Day  river,  in  Oregon,  and  was  studied  there. 

"Since  the  deposition  of  the  beds  above  men- 
tioned the  underlying  Columbia  lava,  together  with 
the  superimposed  John  Day  beds,  has  been  raised 
and  broken  in  various  places,  giving  rise  to  the 
present  relief  of  the  area.  Most  of  the  soft  beds 
have  been  removed  from  the  tops  of  the  ridges  and 
hills  by  erosion,  bringing  into  bold  relief  in  many 

places  the  underlying  basalt 

"On  the  invasion  of  the  icebergs  from  the 
north,  long  after  the  John  Day  beds  had  been 
raised,  the  lake  drained  into  the  Pacific  and  the 
present  physiography  established,  another  lake  was 
formed  in  the  central  and  eastern  portion  of  Wash- 
ington, known  as  Lake  Lewis.  This  was  not  so 
extensive  as  the  Tertiary  lake  and  was  probably 
not  of  long  duration,  as  very  little  lake  sediment 
accumulated  during  its  existence  and  the  lake 
shores  are  not  generally  well  marked,  although 
one  may  be  quite  plainly  seen  from  the  ridge  form- 
ing the  north  boundary  of  the  Ahtanum  valley, 
near  the  western  limit  of  the  area." 

It  appears,  then,  that  four  ages  in  the  geolog- 
ical history  of  central  Washington  have  been  dis- 
covered. First,  the  age  of  fire,  when  "flood  after 
flood  of  molten  rock,  which  covered  the  vast  area 
between  what  is  now  the  crest  of  the  Cascade 
mountains  on  the  west  and  the  mountains  of  Idaho 
on  the  east,  and  between  the  mountains  of  north- 
eastern   Washington    on    the    north  and  the  Blue 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


mountains  of  Oregon  on  the  south,"  was  poured 
out;  second,  the  age  of  the  John  Day  lake,  when 
all  central  Washington  and  vast  areas  beside  were 
covered  with  water;  third,  the  glacial  age,  when 
that  tremendous  flow  of  ice,  thousands  of  feet  in 
depth,  moved  over  the  face  of  the  land,  materially 
influencing  its  general  physiography,  and,  fourth, 
the  Lewis  lake  age,  when  an  inland  sea  of  great 
extent,  though  small  in  comparison  with  its  prede- 
cessor, spread  its  waters  over  the  area  of  which  our 
section  is  topographically  a  part. 

We  should  expect  to  find  in  a  country  with  such 
a  geological  history  a  soil  rich  in  the  elements  of 
crop  production.  Plenty  of  basalt,  plenty  of  vol- 
canic ash,  plenty  of  ice  and  water  for  pulverizing 
and  erosion,  broad  lake  areas  over  which  the  ashes 
and  basalt  dust  might  be  precipitated,  plenty  of 
streams  to  supply  alluvium  to  be  mixed  with  the 
volcanic  sediment — all  these  forces  ought  to  pro- 
duce a  soil  of  unexcelled  richness,  and  the  experi- 
ence of  the  agriculturist  is  that  they  have  not  failed 
to  do  so  in  this  instance. 

But  from  the  geological  history  of  central  Wash- 
ington we  should  expect  also  to  find  a  topography 
less  rugged  and  sublime  than  in  those  localities 
where  the  work  of  the  volcano  has  not  been  so  rad- 
ically metamorphosed  by  the  gentler  agencies  of 
later  days.  This  too  we  find  to  hold  in  the  present 
instance.  Many  parts  of  the  area  in  their  natural 
condition  are  not  specially  charming  to  the  aesthetic 
eye.  There  are  large  stretches  of  almost  level  land, 
which  by  reason  of  aridity  of  climate  support  no 
vegetation  save  bunch-grass  and  sage-brush  and 
greasewood.  The  great  plains  of  the  Columbia 
certainly  have  a  somewhat  monotonous  topography, 
yet  by  a  mysterious  touch  of  her  artistic  hand,  Na- 
ture has  added  a  certain  charm  to  the  most  cheer- 
less and  uninviting  scenes  in  this  enchanted  region. 
Here  are  the  glorious  sunrises  and  gorgeous  sun- 
sets always  beheld  in  desert  lands,  while  the  distant 
scene  is  ever  clad  in  a  robe  of  deepest  blue,  the 
color  of  beauty  and  of  mystery.  In  many  places 
the  dearth  of  vegetation,  which  results  from  the 
drouth  alone  and  not  from  any  barrenness  of  soil, 
has  been  overcome  by  art,  nor  will  the  work  of  the 
irrigation  engineer  and  agriculturist  be  discontin- 
ued until  every  irrigable  acre  of  desert  in  central 
Washington  shall  have  broken  into  verdure. 
Nowhere  in  the  wide  world,  perhaps,  do  the  labors 
of  such  men  accomplish  more  in  the  way  of  beauti- 
fying as  well  as  fertilizing  the  country. 

And  indeed  it  must  not  be  assumed  that  the  ter- 
ritory embraced  in  Yakima,  Kittitas  and  Klickitat 
counties  ever  was  an  unbroken  and  unrelieved  des- 
ert. In  no  part  of  the  area  are  hills  and  uplands 
and  rolling  plateaus  very  far  distant,  while  along 
its  western  border  extends  one  of  the  most  sub- 
limely grand  mountain  ranges  on  the  continent, 
many  spurs  of  which  penetrate  far  into  the  region 
to  the  eastward.  It  has  never  been  the  writer's 
privilege  to  explore  this  wonderland  of  giant  peaks, 


and  colossal  crags  and  huge  glaciers  and  deep  ver- 
dure clad  depressions;  nor  has  he  ever  been  privi- 
leged to  even  visit  its  most  sublime  retreats;  but 
those  whom  fortune  has  treated  more  kindly  in  this 
respect  are  not  slow  to  compare  the  scenery  they 
beheld  in  the  heart  of  the  Cascades  with  the  most 
famous  pictures  in  the  great  gallery  of  Nature. 
After  an  outing  in  this  majestic  mountain  range, 
the  editor  of  the  Yakima  Herald,  writing  in  the 
summer  of  1889,  said  in  substance: 

The  coast  papers  are  often  filled  with  glowing  ac- 
counts of  the  beauties  of  the  Yosemite,  or  the  natural 
wonders  of  the  National  park.  We  hope  that  some  com- 
petent, inspired  pen  may  be  found  to  suitably  portray  the 
sublime  wonders  of  nature  almost  at  our  very  doors. 
Within  fifty  miles  of  North  Yakima,  easily  accessible,  at 
the  heads  of  the  north  and  south  forks  of  the  Tietan, 
near  the  icy  crest  of  Mount  Kaye,  are  scenes  and  natural 
wonders  that  rival  Yosemite  or  the  Yellowstone  park. 

A  trip  from  North  Yakima  to  that  Bethesda  of  central 
Washington,  the  Yakima  Soda  Springs,  thence  on  horse- 
back over  a  romantic  ridge,  by  a  pathway  leading  through 
forests  of  fragrant  fir  and  pine  trees,  brings  the  tourist 
to  the  crest  of  Darland  mountain.  Immediately  before 
him  lies  a  scene  of  unparalleled  grandeur.  Apparently 
almost  at  hand  are  the  mighty  mountain  peaks,  Ranier, 
St.  Helens,  Hood,  Adams  and  the  older  Mount  Kave,  all 
glistening  in  the  summer  sun,  whose  noonday  rays  are 
reflected  back  from  their  burnished  glaciers.  Streams  of 
water  are  to  be  seen  resembling  silver  threads  as  they 
dash  down  the  mountain  sides  from  their  source  in  the 
ice  fields.  We  may  mark  also  the  course  of  the  avalanche 
as  in  the  winter  storms  it  has  torn  down  the  precipices, 
sweeping  away  hundreds  of  acres  of  forests  in  its  mad 
career,  while  almost  beneath  us,  but  miles  away,  is  Wiley's 
beautiful  valley  which  is  to  be  our  camp  for  the  night, 
and  where  we  shall  arrive  after  a  few  hours'  ride  down 
a  safe  and  comfortable  mountain  trail.  Here  almost  at 
the  head  of  the  south  fork  of  the  Tietan  is  one  of  the 
most  charming  spots  imaginable  for  a  summer  resort, — 
a  large,  wide  valley,  rich  in  luscious  grasses  and  dotted 
with  groves  of  fir  trees,  giving  it  a  parklike  appearance; 
a  valley  full  of  babbling  brooks  and  gushing  streams, 
chiefest  of  which  is  the  joyous,  rollicking  Tietan;  its 
beauties  walled  in  by  the  mighty  monarchs  of  the  Cas- 
cades and  old  Mount  Kaye,  with  its  eternal  glaciers  stand- 
ing at  its  head  like  a  stern,  silent  sentinel. 

A  short  ride  the  next  morning  through  this  valley 
and  up  a  sharp,  backbone  ridge  that  again  divides  the 
south  fork,  then  up  the  branch  on  the  right,  the  branch 
on  the  left  leading  to  the  well  known  Cispus  pass,  and 
we  come  at  last  to  the  very  feet  of  the  glaciers.  Here 
are  innumerable  grassy  camps,  supplied  with  living  ice  cold 
water,  for  strange  as  it  may  seem,  in  the  summer  we 
find  rich,  succulent  grasses  in  these  mountains,  far  above 
the  timber  line,  flourishing  and  growing  luxuriantly  by 
the  side  of  the  rivers  of  ice.  Turning  the  horses  loose 
to  graze  and  taking  up  iron-shod  staves  we  can  now  have 
Alpine  climbing  to  a  surfeit.  Around  the  sightseer  are 
thousands  and  thousands  of  acres  of  ice.  You  can  find, 
along  the  edges  of  this  glaciated  area,  icy  caves  in  which 
a  whole  train  of  saddle  horses  and  riders  might  camp. 
You  can  travel  over  the  ice  fields,  jumping  mighty  crev- 
ices, throw  rocks  down  into  the  dark,  impenetrable 
depths,  listen  to  the  rush  of  streams  far  below  the  range 
of  human  vision,  study  the  effects  of  the  grinding  ice  ort 
peak,  hillside  and  ledge,  look  upon  the  thousand  tons  of 
rock  that  have  tumbled  from  the  towering  ledges  above 
to  the  bosoms  of  the  glaciers,  crawl  along  the  sharp, 
two-foot  ridge  dividing  the  summits  where  a  single  mis- 
step or  a  giddy  head  will  precipitate  you  downward 
through  a  thousand  feet  of  space,  walk  over  on  the  glacier 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


315 


to  the  north  fork  and  view  the  entrancing  falls  of  the 
"White  Swan,"  where  the  water  dashes  into  an  abyss 
fifteen  hundred  feet  deep;  or  if  sufficiently  venturesome 
you  may  climb  high  above  the  snow  on  to  the  sharp,  rocky 
peak  of  Mount  Kaye,  where  one  false  step  will  send  you 
into  eternity.  If  the  thirst  for  the  hunt  is  in  you,  you 
may  pursue  the  mountain  goats  that  inhabit  these  soli- 
tudes of  ice,  snow  and  rock,  and  test  your  skill  and  nerve 
in  an  attempt  to  take  one.  You  may,  also,  if  you  wish, 
visit  on  your  return  Lion  falls,  where  the  waters  of  the 
Tietan  leap  over  huge  columns  of  basalt,  or  the  Devil's 
Head,  where  earth  seems  determined  to  pierce  the  clouds 
with  'a  rocky  pillar,  or  the  wonderful  Tietan  chalybeate 
spring,  reputed  to  possess  great  curative  powers.  All 
this  and  more  one  may  do  if  he  will  but  take  the  trouble 
to  pay   a  visit  to  this  gigantic  region. 

The  task  of  describing  the  wonderland  above 
referred  to  once  also  engaged  the  pen  of  the  late 
J.  M.  Adams.  In  a  masterly  monograph  in  the  Spo- 
kane Falls  Review  he  endeavored  to  construct  a 
vivid  pen  picture  of  the  Tietan  park.  A  paragraph 
or  two  from  his  article  may  add  to  the  reader's 
appreciation  of  the  scenery  of  the  Cascades.  He 
says : 

"Clambering  up  the  side  of  some  great,  tower- 
ing crag  and  looking  down  over  this  wonderful 
region,  one  gets  a  view  that  is  grand  and  appall- 
ing beyond  all  description.  Far  as  the  eye  can  see, 
this  rugged  rim  on  which  he  stands  may  be  traced 
by  the  tourist  circling  around  the  basin  or  park  that 
lies  thousands  of  feet  below.  The  whole  region  is 
heavily  timbered  and  the  great  moss  grown  rocks 
rising  here  and  there  in  wild  confusion,  one  above 
the  other,  suggest  the  castles  and  towers  and  de- 
serted cathedrals  of  some  enchanted  fairy  land. 

"Surely  no  earthly  scene  could  be  fraught  with 
more  awful  grandeur  than  the  sunset  of  a  summer's 
day  when  viewed  from  one  of  those  towering  crags. 
Winding  through  the  great  expanse  of  woods  be- 
low, the  Tietan  river  and  numerous  small  streams 
appear  at  such  depths  as  to  resemble  so  many  shin- 
ing threads  of  silver  on  a  dark  blue  background, 
while  the  little  spots  of  wild  meadow  here  and  there 
seem  like  tiny  points  of  gold.  The  sombre  shades 
of  towering  peaks  fall  in  deepening  black  across 
the  forest,  and  the  rugged  rocks  on  the  heights 
above  suggest  a  troop  of  monster  shapes  stealing 
down  into  the  valley.  The  sun  itself,  suspended  in 
a  sea  of  golden  clouds,  presents  a  scene  of  monar- 
chial  glory  and  gorgeousness  such  as  no  brush  or 
pen  cou'd  picture." 

That  part  of  the  Cascade  range  contiguous  to 
Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties  doubtless  presents 
many  scenic  poems  scarcely  inferior  in  sublime 
power  and  wild  picturesque  grandeur  to  the  Tietan 
basin  and  its  environs,  but  the  value  of  the  moun- 
tain range  does  not  begin  and  end  in  its  attractive- 
ness to  the  tourist  and  pleasure  seeker.  Besides 
their  effect  upon  the  climate  of  our  section  and 
their  vast  utility  in  furnishing  summer  range  for 
thousands  of  head  of  cattle  and  sheep,  the  Cascades 
are  of  vital  importance  to  the  agriculturist  for 
they  form  the  brewing  place    of    that    life-giving 


fluid  which  fertilizes  his  desert  acres,  causing  them 
to  bring  forth  in  their  season  with  lavish  abundance. 
In  the  western  part  of  Kittitas  county  are  three 
magnificent  mountain  lakes,  Kitchelos,  Kachees, 
and  Cle-Elum,  all  of  which  receive  tribute  from 
streams  having  their  source  in  the  Cascades  near 
the  angle  formed  by  that  range  with  the  Wenatchee 
mountains.  In  Kitchelos  lake  heads  the  Yakima, 
the  master  stream  of  this  entire  area,  into  which 
the  two  other  lakes  soon  pour  their  waters  through 
the  Kachees  and  Cle-Elum  rivers.  In  its  southeast- 
erly course  to  the  majestic  Columbia,  the  Yakima 
receives  many  other  tributaries,  among  them  the 
Teanaway  river,  and  the  Swauk,  Reeser,  Tanum, 
Manastash,  Wilson,  Nanum  and  Cherry  creeks, 
from  the  north;  and  Boston,  Tansum,  Umptanum, 
and  Wenas  creeks,  Naches  river,  Atanum  river, 
Simcoe  creek  and  Satas  river,  many  of  which  are 
themselves  fed  by  numerous  tributaries  from  the 
east.  The  area  drained  by  the  Yakima  river  sys- 
tem forms  the  major  part  of  the  entire  territory 
under  consideration,  but  there  is  another  well 
defined  watershed  in  the  territory  separated  from 
that  of  the  Yakima  by  a  narrow  divide,  namely, 
that  emptying  its  waters  through  southerly  flowing 
streams  into  the  Columbia.  Chiefest  among  these 
is  the  Klickitat  river,  which  rises  in  the  Cascades, 
and  takes  a- comparatively  straight  course  to  the 
Columbia,  receiving  a  great  many  tributaries  from 
both  east  and  west.  White  Salmon  river  west  of 
the  Klickitat,  also  traverses  Klickitat  county  for  a 
portion  of  its  course  though  it  belongs  in  part  to 
Skamania  county.  Between  it  and  the  Klickitat 
river  is  Mayor  creek,  while  to  the  further  east  are 
Rock,  Wood,  Pine,  Alder  and  other  streams,  all 
rising  near  the  divide  and  flowing  directly  into  the 
Columbia,  which  lordly  and  beautiful  river  conveys 
all  the  water  of  the  region  and  that  from  hundreds 
of  thousands  of  square  miles  besides  to  the  bosom 
of  old  ocean. 

The  Cascades  also  exert  an  important  influence 
on  the  climate  of  central  and  eastern  Washington, 
by  obstructing  the  passage  of  rain  clouds  from  the 
Pacific  and  precipitating  their  moisture  upon  west- 
ern Washington.  Thus  it  happens  that  the  coun- 
try between  the  mountains  and  the  sea  is  covered 
with  dense  forests,  while  that  to  the  eastward  is  in 
many  parts  a  desert  of  sand  and  sage  brush.  But 
the  influence  of  the  warm  ocean  currents  cannot 
be  so  readily  confined.  It  reaches  to  every  part  of 
central  Washington  and  far  beyond,  giving  a  mild- 
ness and  brevity  to  the  winter  seasons  which,  un- 
der other  circumstances,  we  should  not  find  in  so 
high  a  latitude.  Indeed  some  of  the  valleys  of 
Yakima  county  are  blessed  with  a  semi-tropical  cli- 
mate, and  in  no  part  of  the  area  embraced  in  our 
three  counties,  except  perhaps  high  in  the  environ- 
ing Cascades,  will  one  ordinarily  experience  much 
inconvenience  from  extremes  of  heat  and  cold. 
While  the  thermometer  may,  in  some  parts  of  the 
country,  occasionally  show  a  below  zero  tempera- 


316 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ture  and  while  its  indicator  may  rise  above  the 
hundred  mark  in  summer,  yet  the  cold  weather  is 
usually  of  short  duration  and  the  warm  never 
causes  sunstroke  or  the  extreme  inconvenience  with 
which  a  like  temperature  would  be  attended  in 
many  parts  of  the  east.  "At  Sunnyside,"  wrote 
George  X.  Salisbury,  United  States  Weather  Bu- 
reau official,  "the  mean  annual  temperature  of  Jan- 
uary is  30.3  degrees,  that  of  July  is  71.7  degrees. 
The  highest  recorded  temperature  is  108  degrees  in 
August,  1898;  the  lowest,  23  degrees  below  zero  m 
November,  1896.  At  North  Yakima  ....  the 
average  number  of  days  with  rain  or  snow  is  sixty- 
two  per  annum.  The  mean  January  temperature 
is  29,9  degrees,  and  that  of  July  70.9  degrees.  The 
highest  recorded  temperature  is  108  degrees  in  Au- 
gust. 1897,  the  lowest,  22  degrees  below  zero  in 
November,  1896.  At  Ellensburg,  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  valley,  eight  hundred  feet  higher  than  Sun- 
nyside, the  mean  annual  precipitation  is  9.52  inches, 
and  the  mean  annual  temperature  is  46.4  degrees. 
.  .  .  .  the  average  number  of  days  with  rain 
or  snow  is  fifty-three  per  annum.  The  mean  Jan- 
uary temperature  is  25  degrees,  and  that  of  August, 
66  "degrees.  Highest,  102  degrees,  August,  1895 ; 
lowest,  29  degrees  below  zero,  November,  1896." 

YAKIMA  COUNTY. 

Whatsover  may  have  been  the  chief  source 
of  wealth  in  Yakima  county  when  the  wild  In- 
dian was  lord  of  the  land  or  when  the  hardy  fron- 
tiersman first  entered  it  with  his  flocks,  it  is  clear 
that  its  present  greatness  and  hope  for  the  future 
are  centered  in  the  utilization  of  the  drainage 
system  of  which  mention  was  made  in  the  foregoing 
pages.  As  the  people  express  it,  "irrigation  is 
king."  Logic  therefore  demands  that  any  dis- 
cussion of  its  various  industrial  activities  and  its 
contribution  to  the  wealth  of  the  country  should  be 
prefaced  by  a  brief  resume  of  its  irrigation  sys- 
tems. The  history  of  some  of  these  has  been 
touched  upon  already.  It  remains  but  to  outline 
the  present  status  of  irrigation,  and  in  doing  so, 
free  use  will  be  made  of  the  government  reports 
upon  the  subject. 

Had  some  of  the  earliest  irrigation  schemes 
materialized  in  the  form  and  to  the  extent  pro- 
posed, they  would  have  embraced  both  Yakima  and 
Kittitas  counties  in  one  immense  system.  In  the 
early  nineties  the  Northern  Pacific,  Yakima  & 
Kittitas  Irrigation  Company  undertook  to  dam 
the  outlets  of  lakes  Kitchelos,  Kachees  and  Cle- 
Elum,  and  so  create  immense  storage  reservoirs 
wherewith  to  swell  the  volume  of  the  Yakima 
during  the  irrigation  season.  This  company 
went  to  far  as  to  prepare  timbers  and  pile  them 
at  the  mouth  of  Kitchelos  lake,  but  the  plan  was 
not  carried  out.  and  the  irrigation  of  Kittitas  val- 
ley was  never  linked  with  that  of  the  Yakima.     As 


it  is  the  former  valley  is  irrigated  by  local  ditches, 
of  which  more  anon. 

The  first  irrigation  stream  in  Yakima  county  as 
we  travel  eastward  is  Wenas  creek,  which  drains  an 
area  south  of  the  Manastash  drainage.  It  pursues 
a  general  southeasterly  course  to  the  Yakima,  which 
it  enters  about  two  miles  above  the  city  of  North 
Yakima,  watering  a  broad,  fertile  valley,  which  was 
early  settled  on  account  of  its  being  on  the  old 
stage  road  from  The  Dalles  to  Ellensburg  and  be- 
yond. "Irrigation  along  the  stream  has,  therefore, 
been  developed  to  a  considerable  extent,  and  the 
ditches  built  effected  so  complete  a  diversion  of  the 
water  during  the  dry  seasons  that  lawsuits  have 
been  brought  to  determine  a  proper  division  of  the 
water.  The  courts  have  ordered  a  more  or  less 
equitable  division,  but  this  solution  of  the  problem 
is  not  wholly  satisfactory,  and  attempts  have  been 
made  to  devise  a  system  of  storage."  These  at- 
tempts took  the  form  of  examining  and  surveying 
for  reservoirs  the  natural  basin  in  sections  2  and  3, 
township  15  north,  range  17  east,  and  the  so-called 
O'Neill  reservoir  site.  Efforts  were  also  made  to 
divert  waters  tributary  to  Naches  river  around  the 
southern  slope  of  Bald -mountain  to  the  north  fork 
of  Wenas  creek. 

Of  much  greater  importance  is  the  Naches  river, 
which,  indeed,  is  said  to  be  the  most  important 
stream  for  irrigation  purposes  in  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington.   Says  George  Otis  Smith: 

It  reaches  Yakima  valley  at  a  point  where  its  waters 
are  immediately  available  for  irrigating  extensive  areas 
of  the  best  agricultural  land.  Already  a  number  of  irri- 
gation systems  take  water  from  this  river,  and  in  view 
of  new  irrigation  projects  its  storage  possibilities  have 
been  investigated  by  the  hydrographic  division  of  the  geo- 
logical survey. 

In  the  summer  of  1897  Mr.  Cyrus  C.  Babb  made  a 
survey  of  a  reservoir  site  at  Bumping  lake  on  Bumping 
river.  This  lake,  which  is  in  the  Mount  Ranier  forest 
reserve,  lies  close  to  the  crest  of  the  Cascade  range  and 
is  surrounded  by  high  peaks.  Its  shores  are  covered  with 
dense  forests.  On  August  26.  1897,  a  measurement  of 
the  discharge  at  the  outlet  was  made,  giving  eighty-three 
second-feet.  At  that  time  the  water  surface  was  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  feet  wide.  The  water  marks  around 
the  lake  show  an  annual  fluctuation  of  about  three  feet. 
Its  height  may  reach  seven  feet  during  exceptionally  wet 
seasons  or  after  a  winter  of  heavy  snowfalls.  At  a  height 
of  ten  feet  the  water  surface  would  be  about  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  wide.  The  length  of  the  proposed  dams 
at  a  height  of  twenty-five  feet  above  the  bed  of  the  river 
would  be  four  hundred  and  eighty  feet.  The  area  of  the 
lake  is  six  hundred  and  thirty-one  acres;  the  area  of  the 
twenty-five-foot  contour,  the  height  of  the  proposed  dam, 
is  one  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  acres,  giving 
a  reservoir  capacity  of  twenty-two  thousand  three  hun- 
dred acre-feet.  The  Northern  Pacific,  Yakima  &  Kittitas 
Irrigation  Company  surveyed  the  site  in  September,  1894, 
and  prepared  for  construction  by  hewing  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity,  tamarack  timbers  for  the  dam.  These  are 
now  piled  up  at  the  outlet  of  the  lake. 

Tietan  river,  which  enters  the  Naches  about  fifteen 
miles  above  its  mouth,  is  an  important  stream,  and  being 
in  greater  part  fed  by  glacier  streams  it  maintains  a 
large  discharge  during  the  hot  months  of  summer,  when 
its  waters  are  most  needed  for  irrigation  purposes. 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


317 


The  North  Yakima  region  is  the  most  extensively 
irrigated  of  any  district  in  the  state  of  Washington,  and 
the  importance  of  Naches  river  is  shown  by  the  canals 
which  take  water  from  it.  Some  of  the  principal  of 
them  may  be  here  mentioned. 

The  Selah  Valley  irrigation  canal  is  on  the  north 
side  of  Naches  river,  its  intake  being  just  above  the 
mouth  of  Tietan  river.  It  is  about  thirty  miles  in  length 
and  irrigates  (1901)  about  three  thousand  acres,  under 
cultivation  in  the  Naches  and  Selah  valleys.  Below  this, 
on  the  north  side,  head  the  Wapatuck  and  Naches  canals, 
seventeen  and  seven  miles  long,  respectively,  which  irri- 
gate the  bottom  lands  of  Naches  valley. 

On  the  south  "side  the  Yakima  valley  canal  heads 
about  twelve  miles  from  North  Yakima.  For  the  first 
ten  miles  of  its  course  it  is  in  a  flume.  At  the  high  point 
known  as  Pictured  Rocks,  it  is  carried  around  on  a 
trestle  about  seventy-five  feet  high,  and  then  crosses 
Cowiche  canyon  in  an  inverted  siphon,  thence  it  con- 
tinues in  flume  and  canal  around  into  Wide  Hollow,  but 
it  has  not  been  found  expedient  to  extend  it  farther 
into  Ahtanum  valley,  for  the  reason  that  the  canal  is  not 
high  enough  to  cover  much  of  the  valley,  and  because 
it  carries  hardly  sufficient  water  for  the  land  now  under 
it  for  which  water  rights  have  been  sold.  The  length  of 
the  canal  is  sixteen  miles,  and  it  irrigates  three  thousand 
acres. 

The  Hubbard  ditch  heads  close  to  Pictured  Rocks 
on  the  south  side  of  Naches  river,  just  below  the  bridge 
crossing  that  stream.  This  ditch,  with  the  Yakima  Water, 
Light  and  Power  Company's  canal,  and  the  Schanno, 
Broadgauge.  Union  and  Town  ditches,  which  head  be- 
tween the  Hubbard  ditch  and  the  lower  highway  bridge, 
in  the  order  named,  serve  to  water  the  land  in  the  im- 
mediate vicinity  of  North  Yakima.  The  Yakima  Water, 
Light  and  Power  Company's  canal  discharges  into  the 
reservoir,  whence  a  drop  of  twenty  feet  is  obtained,  de- 
veloping sufficient  power  for  the  city  pumping  plant  and 
the    electric   lights. 

In  1895  the  survey  for  a  large  canal,  called  the 
Naches  and  Columbia  River  irrigation  canal,  was  made 
under  the  direction  of  the  state  arid  land  commission, 
formed  after  the  passage  of  the  Carey  act.  The  intake 
of  this  canal  was  to  be  at  the  north  side  of  Naches  river, 
three  miles  below  the  head  of  the  Selah  Valley  canal. 
The  canal  was  to  cross  Yakima  river  a  short  distance 
above  the  mouth  of  Naches  river,  by  means  of  an  im- 
mense inverted  siphon,  circle  Moxee  valley,  pass  through 
the  ridge  east  of  Union  Gap  by  a  tunnel  six  thousand  one 
hundred  feet  long,  and  continue  down  Yakima  valley  to 
Rattlesnake  mountain,  around  which  it  was  to  pass  to 
lands  overlooking  Columbia  river.  It  was  to  be  a  hun- 
dred and  forty  miles  long  and  to  carry  at  its  head  two 
thousand  second-feet  of  water.  The  intention  was  to 
use  the  Bumping  lake  storage  reservoir.  No  work  has 
been   done  on  the  canal. 

A  few  years  ago  a  survey  was  made  for  a  canal 
called  the  Burlingame  canal,  which  was  to  take  water 
from  the  south  side  of  Naches  river  just  below  the  mouth 
of  Tietan  river,  and  carry  it  around  into  Ahtanum  valley, 
thence  around  Ahtanum  ridge,  to  the  bench  lands  op- 
posite Toppenish  creek  on  the  Yakima  Indian  reserva- 
tion. About  three  miles  of  construction  work  was  done 
on  this  canal  near  its  head.  The  canal  as  far  down  as 
Pictured  Rocks  would  be  expensive  to  construct  on  ac- 
count of  the  andesitic  formation  through  which  it  would 
pass,  and  doubtless  would  be  very  expensive  to  maintain. 

Mention  may  here  be  made  of  four  canals  which 
take  water  from  the  Yakima  river  nearly  opposite  the 
mouth  of  Naches  river  and  constitute  irrigation  supplies 
for  the  lower  part  of  Moxee  valley,  just  southeast  of  the 
city  of  North  Yakima.  These  are  the  Selah-Moxee  canal 
recently  constructed,  the  Moxee  Company's  canal,  the 
Hubbard    ditch    and    the    Fowler    ditch.      The    last    three 


irrigate   about   three    thousand    acres;    the    Selah-Moxee 
irrigates  about  five  thousand  acres. 

Much  larger  than  any  of  these  canals  is  that 
of  the  Washington  Irrigation  Company,  known  as 
the  Sunnyside  ditch.  It  is  claimed  by  Walter  N. 
Granger  to  be  the  fourth  largest  irrigation  system 
in  the  United  States  and  the  largest  in  the  North- 
west. Up  to  the  present  time  approximately  in 
figures  $1,700,000  have  been  expended  upon  it.  The 
canal  has  its  intake  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Yak- 
ima river,  seven  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of 
North  Yakima,  where  at  an  expenditure  of  $40,000, 
head-gates  of  stone  and  concrete,  supporting  what 
is  known  as  a  falling  steel  dam,  have  been  con- 
structed. From  this  point  the  main  canal  follows 
the  side  of  the  Columbia  river  divide  fifty  miles  in 
a  southeasterly  direction  to  a  place  opposite  Pros- 
ser.  The  lower  altitudes  are  covered  by  a  system 
of  laterals  and  smaller  branches  aggregating  be- 
tween 600  and  700  miles  in  length.  One  of  the 
largest  of  these  laterals  winds  around  Snipes  moun- 
tain, irrigating  its  lower  or  southern  slope.  The 
dimensions  of  the  main  canal  at  its  upper  end  are : 
Top  width,  sixty-two  and  a  half  feet;  bottom 
width,  thirty  feet ;  banks,  eight  feet  in  height,  de- 
signed to  carry  a  depth  of  six  feet ;  initial  capacity, 
eight  hundred  second-feet.  The  canal  covers  an 
area  of  64,000  acres  of  irrigable  land,  of  which  per- 
haps 32,000  are  now  in  cultivation.  The  water 
duty  in  the  Sunnyside  region  is  estimated  to  one 
second- foot  the  quarter  section,  or  an  aggregate 
depth  during  the  season  of  thirty-five  vertical 
inches.  This  amount  with  the  annual  rainfall  of 
from  six  to  eight  inches  gives  sufficient  water  to 
raise  any  crop  that  can  be  grown  in  this  latitude. 
It  is  said  that  the  soil  is  remarkably  free  from 
alkali ;  also  that  over  a  very  large  area  it  will  aver- 
age more  than  a  hundred  feet  in  depth.  From  time 
to  time  the  canal  has  been  improved  until  now  it 
has  practically  no  fluming  along  its  entire  length, 
though  of  course  there  are  scores  of  miles  of  flume 
work  in  its  laterals.  A  feature  of  the  construction 
work  is  its  unexcelled  pattern  of  head-gates.  The 
company  proposes  to  enlarge  and  extend  the  canal 
to  cover  an  additional  area  of  150,000  acres  lying 
along  the  Yakima,  the  slope  of  Rattlesnake  range 
and  the  Columbia  river  slope.  As  yet,  however,  no 
plans  have  been  matured.  The  annual  maintenance 
fee  charged  is  one  dollar  per  acre,  one  of  the  lowest 
rates  in  force  anywhere  in  the  west.  The  com- 
pany's offices  are  situated  at  Zillah,  some  twelve 
miles  down  the  canal  from  the  head-gates,  and  its 
present  officers  are :  President,  William  L.  Ladd, 
Portland ;  Vice-President,  George  Donald,  North 
Yakima :  Treasurer,  R.  H.  Denny,  Seattle ;  Secre- 
tary, John  S.  Bleecker,  Seattle;  Attorney,  E.  F. 
Blaine,  Seattle ;  General  Superintendent,  Walter  N. 
Granger,  Zillah;  Cashier,  Charles  F.  Bailey,  Zillah; 
Chief  Engineer,  R.  K.  Tiffany,  Zillah ;  Water 
Superintendent,  W.  S.  Douglass,  Zillah. 


318 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


The  valley  between  the  forks  of  Cowiche  creek 
has  the  distinction  of  being  watered  by  the  first  con- 
structed and  probably  the  only  actually  completed 
storage  reservoir  in  the  state.  The  construction  of 
this  was  rendered  necessary  by  the  fact  that  the 
forks  mentioned  do  not  head  far  enough  back 
towards  the  mountain  to  supply  sufficient  water  for 
the  extensive  areas  of  alluvial  land  between  them. 
Unfortunately  the  reservoir,  which  is  situated  on 
the  plateau  between  Cowiche  creek  and  Naches 
river,  has  not  sufficient  capacity  to  irrigate  more 
than  a  small  part  of  the  lands  under  it. 

The  next  irrigation  stream  as  we  pass  down  the 
Yakima  valley  is  Ahtanum  creek,  traversing  a  rich 
and  fertile  valley  that  furnishes  homes  to  scores  of 
well-to-do  farmers.  The  Ahtanum  basin  was  one 
of  the  earliest  settled  portions  of  the  county. 
Though  its  soil  is  not  specially  bibacious  and  re- 
quires less  water  than  many  other  soils  in  central 
Washington,  yet  the  summer  flow  is  completely 
utilized  for  irrigation  purposes.  Indeed  there  is  a 
scarcity  of  water,  and  as  is  usually  the  case  under 
such  conditions,  some  litigation  has  resulted.  A 
number  of  attempts  have  been  made  to  find  means 
to  increase  the  water  supply  of  the  valley.  In  the 
fall  of  1898,  Cyrus  C.  Babb  made  a  thorough  ex- 
ploration of  the  upper  basin  of  Ahtanum  creek  in 
quest  of  reservoir  sites,  hoping  that  the  water  which 
passes  down  during  the  spring  freshet  might  be 
conserved  for  the  use  of  the  farmer,  but  his  recon- 
noissance  failed  to  reveal  the  existence  of  any  such 
that  were  really  suitable.  Two  years  later  Sidney 
Arnold  sought  a  solution  of  the  Ahtanum  irrigation 
problem  by  reconnoitering  the  Klickitat  basin  to  as- 
certain whether  or  not  the  waters  of  some  of  the 
tributaries  of  Klickitat  river  might  be  led  across  the 
divide  into  Ahtanum  valley.  His  investigation 
"showed  the  futility  of  any.  diversion  from  the 
Klickitat  basin  into  the  Ahtanum  basin.  Gold  Fork 
is  lower  by  at  least  a  thousand  feet  than  the  lowest 
elevation  of  the  divide  between  it  and  Ahtanum 
creek.  The  lowest  point  of  the  divide  between  the 
Tietan  and  Gold  Fork,  as  shown  by  leveling,  is 
lower  by  several  hundred  feet  than  any  point  on  the 
Ahtanum-Klickitat  divide,  so  that  none  of  the 
waters  of  Gold  creek  can  be  carried  over  to 
Ahtanum  creek." 

Lower  down  the  valley  on  the  west  side  of  the 
Yakima  river  is  the  reservoir  system  of  canals  which 
according  to  report  of  the  State  Bureau  of  Statistics 
covered  51,000  acres  of  land,  and  below  this  again 
is  the  recently  constructed  Kennewick  ditch,  a  splen- 
did canal,  covering  between  12,000  and  15,000 
acres  of  the  lower  Yakima  valley. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  if  not  one  of  the 
most  extensive  and  important  irrigation  areas  in 
Yakima  county  is  the  artesian  well  basin  of  the 
Moxee  valley.  The  principal  wells  are  shown  by  a 
government  plat  to  be  within  an  extent  of  territory 
a&gregat'ng  not  more  than  six  square  miles.  In  this 
limited  area  over  thirty  wells   have  been   sunk   in 


the  past  ten  or  twelve  years,  varying  from  about  six 
hundred  to  twelve  or  thirteen  hundred  feet  in  depth. 
According  to  a  government  report  the  Deeringhoff 
well,  the  most  important  in  the  basin,  was  credited 
at  the  time  of  its  completion  in  1900  with  a  flow  of 
fifty-six  cubic  inches.  The  lands  irrigated  by  all 
the  wells  of  the  basin  are  shown  by  the  report  of 
the  State  Bureau  of  Statistics  to  have  aggregated 
2,900,015  acres  in  1903. 

A  general  idea  of  the  extent  of  irrigation  in 
Yakima  county,  actually  accomplished  and  projected, 
is  furnished  by  a  table  in  the  publication  last  cited. 
It  shows  canals  constructed  in  the  upper  Yakima 
valley,  as  follows:  Moxee  ditches  covering  3,000 
acres;  Congdon  ditch  covering  3,000  acres;  Selah 
valley  ditch,  5,000  acres ;  Wenas  creek,  10,000  acres ; 
Naches  and  Cowiche,  3,000;  Ahtanum  valley, 
13,500;  Naches  valley,  15,000;  Washington  Irriga- 
tion Company's  canal,  6,500;  artesian  wells,  2,915; 
proposed  ditches  with  the  acreage  they  would  cover 
in  the  upper  valley:  Congdon  ditch  extension,  1,200 
acres;  .Selah  valley  ditch  extension,  1,000;  Selah 
valley  high  line  ditch,  20,000;  Sunnyside  high  line 
ditch,  5,000;  Tietan  and  Cowiche  ditch,  30,000.  Of 
the  74,915  under  ditch  in  the  upper  valley,  63,115 
are  shown  by  the  report  as  under  cultivation.  The 
ditches  in  operation  in  the  lower  valley,  with  the 
acreage  covered  by  each,  are,  according  to  this 
authority  as  follows:  Reservation  systems,  51,000 
acres;  sub-irrigated  lands  on  reservation,  15,000 
acres ;  Sunnyside  canal,  64,000  acres ;  Prosser  Falls 
ditch,  2,000  acres ;  Kiona  ditch,  3,500  acres ;  Ken- 
newick ditch,  12,000  acres;  lower  Yakima  ditch, 
8,000  acres;  total,  150,500  acres,  of  which  approxi- 
mately 47,600  acres  are  in  cultivation.  The  proposed 
ditches  in  this  part  are :  High  line  Sunnyside  ditch 
covering  285,000  acres;  Prosser  Falls  extension 
1,000  acres;  on  the  reservation:  High  line  from 
Union  Gap  (in  course  of  construction  at  present) 
100,000  acres;  Simcoe  and  Toppenish,  7,000  acres; 
other  proposed  ditches,  10,000  acres. 

From  the  foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that,  should 
all  the  proposed  canals  be  completed,  690,615  acres 
of  land  in  Yakima  county  could  be  irrigated.  It  ap- 
pears from  the  report  that  of  this  extensive  area 
only  230,415  acres  are  under  ditch  at  present,  and 
that  only  about  110,715  acres  are  actually  in  culti- 
vation. It  is  very  evident  that  the  development  of 
the  possibilities  of  irrigation  in  Yakima  county  has 
not  more  than  well  begun,  and  that  splendid  as  are 
the  achievements  of  the  past,  they  will  be  dwarfed  by 
those  of  the  future.  All  these  proposed  ditches  are 
considered  feasible  by  competent  engineers  and  fur- 
ther reconnoissances  may  bring  to  light  practical 
routes  for  other  canals  not  thought  of  at  trie  pres- 
ent time.  The  water  supply  is  abundant,  if  the  diffi- 
culties in  the  way  of  its  distribution  can  be  over- 
come. "There  is  more  than  enough  water  flowing 
through  Yakima  county,"  says  Major  J.  A.  Powell, 
director  of  the  United  States  geological  survey,  "to 
irrigate  every  acre  of  arable  land,  and  in  this  re- 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


319 


spect  the  Yakima  valley  is  exceptionally  and  es- 
pecially favored,  as  its  water  supply  is  superior  to 
that  of  any  other  region  in  the  west,  with  but  one 
exception,  Boise,  Idaho.  People  can  appreciate  what 
this  blessing  means  when  they  realize  the  fact  that 
in  states  like  Arizona  and  Nevada  if  every  drop  of 
running  surface  water  was  utilized  during  the  irri- 
gation season,  there  would  not  be  sufficient  to  re- 
claim more  than  one-half  of  one  per  cent  of  the  arid 
land  of  those  states." 

An  interesting  feature  of  irrigation  work  in  the 
Yakima  country  is  the  reclamation  by  the  govern- 
ment of  a  tract  of  alkali  land,  lying  two  and  a  half 
miles  south  of  North  Yakima.  In  this  tract  are 
twenty-two  acres  that  two  years  ago  were  consid- 
ered fit  only  for  grazing,  but  by  means  of  the 
methods  used  by  the  Bureau  of  Soils,  Department 
of  Agriculture,  fully  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the 
deadly  alkali  salts  have  now  been  removed  and  be- 
fore the  close  of  this  year  (1904)  the  land  will  be 
practically  restored  to  its  normal  condition  at  a 
reasonable  cost.  This  result,  so  important  in  its 
lesson  to  the  people  of  all  irrigated  regions,  where 
the  alkali  problem  sooner  or  later  must  be  met  and 
solved,  has  been  accomplished  by  a  thorough  sys- 
tem of  drainage  and  by  constant  leaching  of  the 
soil.  The  reclamation  of  alkali  lands  is  a  branch  of 
work  still  in  its  infancy,  the  Yakima  country  being 
one  of  the  first  sections  to  be  favored  by  a  govern- 
ment experiment  station.  L.  Carl  Holmes,  of  the 
reclamation  service,  has  been  in  charge  of  the 
Yakima  experiment  since  its  beginning  and  to  his 
untiring  efforts  much  of  its  success  is  due. 

The  capabilities  of  this  favored  section  of  our 
state  for  human  sustenance  and  wealth  production, 
when  all  its  resources  shall  have  been  developed, 
may  be  estimated  from  its  productive  power  under 
present  conditions.  One  of  the  most  important  of 
irrigated  crops  in  the  county  is  alfalfa,  which,  ac- 
cording to  reports  of  the  department  of  agriculture, 
reaches  its  highest  perfection  here,  the  tonnage  per 
acre  of  the  first  crop  being  3.4  as  against  one  ton 
in  Rhode  Island.  Three  crops  are  regularly  cut  in 
the  county,  though  four  may  be  obtained  in  the 
warmest  sections,  and  perhaps  not  more  than  two  in 
some  of  the  colder  valleys.  It  is  claimed  that  the 
ordinary  annual  yield  is  seven  to  nine  tons  per  acre, 
and  that  as  high  as  ten  and  a  half  have  been  cut. 
The  county  is  a  heavy  exporter  of  alfalfa  and  tim- 
othy, but  much  of  its  product  is  utilized  at  home 
in  the  feeding  of  sheep,  cattle,  hogs  and  horses.  To 
it  must  the  farmer  look  for  the  keeping  alive  of 
those  master  industries  of  primeval  Yakima,  cattle 
and  sheep  raising,  and  for  the  rendering  available 
under  present  conditions  of  the  wealth  of  pasturage 
still  existing  in  hill  and  mountain.  The  remaining 
range  lands  form  a  splendid  supplement  to  the  culti- 
vated grasses  in  the  feeding  of  stock,  but  the  day 
when  the  gratuitous  bounties  of  nature  can  be  de- 
pended upon  unaided  or  almost  so  for  the  suste- 
nance of  domestic  animals  is  now  far  in  the  past.    In 


order  to  make  the  cattle  business  pay  the  stockman 
must  realize  a  greater  return  from  each  animal  than 
was  necessary  under  the  old  regime,  and  this  he 
is  doing  by  keeping  finer  and  more  profitable  breeds 
of  beef  cattle  and  in  many  instances  by  elaborating 
the  products  of  his  herd  by  making  butter  and 
cheese,  or  by  selling  the  milk.  The  state  food  com- 
missioner, E.  O.  McDonald,  is  authority  for  the 
statement  that  on  December  1,  1903,  there  were  six 
individual,  one  farm  and  two  co-operative  cream- 
eries in  the  county,  and  that  their  aggregate  prod- 
uct was  415,425  pounds  of  butter.  No  statistics 
of  the  manufacture  of  cheese  in  the  county  are  at 
hand,  neither  are  data  available  for  estimating  its 
product  of  butter  other  than  made  in  the  creameries, 
but  the  amount  of  ranch  butter  produced  is  very 
considerable. 

''Yakima  is  the  banner  county  for  sheep  raising 
in  the  state,"  says  the  report  of  the  Bureau  of  Sta- 
tistics, Agriculture  and  Irrigation,  "it  having  ac- 
cording to  the  last  assessment  153,228  of  these 
animals."  The  sheep  industry  so  far  has  not  un- 
dergone much  change  since  its  first  introduction  into 
the  county  over  three  decades  ago.  Of  course,  the 
sheep  range  has  been  continually  narrowing  by  the 
settlement  and  development  of  the  country,  as  has 
the  range  for  cattle,  but  the  only  result  of  this  dimi- 
nution of  the  open  areas  has  been  the  curtailment  of 
the  industry  and  the  necessity  for  the  feeding  of 
more  alfalfa.  The  Cascade  range  has  so  far  fur- 
nished pasture  for  these  thousands  of  wool  bearers 
but  the  difficulty  of  securing  summer  feed  is  increas- 
ing every  year,  owing  largely  to  restrictions  im- 
posed by  our  government  upon  ranging  in  forest 
reserves ;  and  perhaps  the  day  is  not  far  distant 
when  wool  growing  must  cease  to  be  an  important 
industry  of  the  county.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  the 
raising  of  the  mutton  breeds  upon  alfalfa  hay  and 
enclosed  alfalfa  pastures  will  be  found  profitable, 
as  the  price  of  mutton  is  always  remunerative  to 
the  producer  and  the  market  good.  The  number 
and  value  of  different  species  of  live  stock  in  the 
county  as  shown  by  the  latest  assessment  roll  is  as 
follows:  Horses  and  mules,  7,441,  valued  at  $148,- 
820;  cattle,  19,388,  valued  at  $309,408;  sheep,  153,- 
288,  valued  at  $306,456;  hogs,  2,065,  valued  at 
$6,195. 

flops  are  a  very  important  crop  of  Yakima 
county's  irrigated  acres.  The  product  is  of  superior 
quality,  being  rich  in  lupulin,  and  the  yield  is  pro- 
lific. It  is  estimated  that  about  2.000  acres  are  de- 
voted to  hop  raising  in  the  county,  yielding  1,400 
tons  annually.  The  average  selling  price  of  last 
year's  crop  was  perhaps  in  excess  of  twenty  cents  a 
pound ;  so  that  the  income  of  the  hop  raisers  for  the 
season  may  be  estimated  at  more  than  $600,000.  It 
may  be  admitted,  however,  that  the  prices  received 
by  the  growers  fluctuate  greatly  from  year  to  year 
and  that  the  industry  is  sometimes  not  very  profita- 
ble. The  cost  of  setting  out  an  acre  of  hops,  includ- 
ing the  value  of  the  land  and  the  cost  of  the  neces- 


320 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


sary  dry  kilns,  etc.,  is  said  to  be  about  $200  and  the 
expense  of  putting  the  hops  in  the  bale  will  amount 
to  eight  cents  a  pound.  The  hop  picking  season  is 
a  semi-holiday  time  in  Yakima  county,  as  elsewhere 
in  the  state,  furnishing  a  healthful  and  pleasurable 
outing  as  well  as  considerable  profit  to  those  who 
can  spend  a  month  or  two  among  the  beautiful 
vines.  The  Indians  enjoy  the  season  immensely, 
making  it  the  occasion  of  much  sport  and  gambling 
and  the  display  of  savage  finery.  A  more  pictur- 
esque scene  can  hardly  be  imagined  than  is  fur- 
nished by  the  streets  of  North  Yakima  every  Sunday 
during  this  period  of  the  year. 

"The  quality  of  the  Yakima  hop,"  says  a  North 
Yakima  commercial  club  publication,  "is  acknowl- 
edged to  be  the  equal  of  any  produced  in  America, 
and  there  is,  therefore,  a  large  demand  for  them  in 
foreign  as  well  as  in  home  markets.  Large  ship- 
ments are  made  to  London,  but  by  far  the  larger 
part  of  the  crop  finds  a  market  in  the  cities  of  the 
east. 

"It  has  never  been  necessary  to  resort  to  spray- 
ing to  rid  the  vines  of  the  vermin  that  infest  them ; 
this  eliminates  a  considerable  item  of  the  cost  of  pro- 
duction. The  average  yield  is  about  1,700  pounds 
per  acre;  that  of  the  state  of  New  York  is  about  800 
pounds  per  acre  and  that  of  England  still  less;  it 
is  therefore  confidently  predicted  that  the  Pacific 
coast  will  soon  produce  all  of  the  hops  grown  in 
the  United  States ;  and  if  this  prediction  comes  true, 
the  production  of  Yakima  county  will  be  largely 
increased." 

At  the  prices  which  obtained  last  year,  the  aver- 
age profits  per  acre  of  Yakima  hop  lands  must  have 
exceeded  two  hundred  dollars. 

Another  staple  product  of  the  irrigated  lands  of 
Yakima  county  is  the  potato.  The  yield  is  said  to 
average  two  hundred  and  sixty  bushels  per  acre 
but  in  a  number  of  instances,  between  five  and  six 
hundred  bushels  have  been  harvested.  While  the 
price  last  year  was  low,  from  seven  to  ten  dollars 
per  ton,  and  the  profits  of  course  much  reduced 
in  consequence,  it  is  claimed  that  the  average  price 
is  twelve  to  thirteen  dollars  per  ton,  and  that  splen- 
did profits  can  be  secured  at  these  figures.  In  1901 
the  price  ranged  from  twenty-two  to  twenty-seven 
dollars  per  ton.  In  the  warm  portion  of  Yakima 
county,  the  raising  of  sweet  potatoes  is  receiving 
considerable  attention,  and  not  a  little  success  is  at- 
tending efforts  to  produce  profitably  this  semi-tropi- 
cal plant. 

But  one  of  the  most  important  industries  of  the 
county  and  the  one  which,  perhaps,  has  the  greatest 
promise  for  the  future  is  horticulture.  "In  central 
Washington,"  says  the  last  report  of  the  State  Bu- 
reau of  Statistics,  Agriculture  and  Irrigation,  "we 
find  five  special  centers  of  horticultural  industry. 
They  may  be  named  in  order  of  amount  of  output 
as  follows:  1.  Yakima  valley  and  lateral  branches 
from  Wenas  to  Kennewick.  2.  The  Wenatchee  in 
Chelan  county.    3.  The  portions  of  Klickitat  county 


bordering  on  the  Columbia  river.     4.  Lake  Chelan. 

5.  The    Kittitas    valley Yakima 

valley  far  exceeds  any  of  the  others,  in  fact  all  com- 
bined, in  acreage  and  in  amount  of  value  of  prod- 
ucts." The  leading  fruit  regions  of  the  county  are 
Sunnyside,  Zillah  and  Parker  Bottom  and  the  arte- 
sian area  of  the  Moxee.  The  profits  of  fruit  culture 
are  enormous,  in  some  instances  almost  incredible. 
In  the  winters  of  1900,  1901  and  1902  the  Wash- 
ington Irrigation  Company  sent  out  a  number  of  re- 
quests for  information  as  to  the  profits  of  individual 
farms  under  their  canal.  The  replies  they  received 
were  in  many  instances  astonishing.  One  letter  read 
as   follows : 

^  "Zillah,  Washington,  February  7,  1902. 
"tvashington  Irrigation  Company, 
"Zillah,  Washington. 
"Gentlemen : — Ten  years  ago  last  August  I  bought 
eighty  acres  of  land  under  the  Sunnyside  canal.  I 
paid  twenty-five  dollars  per  acre  for  the  land  with 
the  water  right.  My  purpose  was  to  go  into  the  fruit 
growing  business.  Accordingly  I  set  out  twelve 
hundred  peach  trees  in  the  spring  of  1892.  I  put 
my  sons  on  the  land  and  furnished  the  capital  to 
start  a  small  nursery.  WTe  raised  our  own  trees, 
except  the  peach  trees  mentioned  above.  Have  now 
three  thousand  apple  trees,  some  pears,  cherries, 
plums,  prunes  and  apricots,  in  all  about  five  thou- 
sand trees.  I  would  not  take  two  hundred  dollars 
an  acre  for  the  land  now,  for  the  amount,  $16,000 
at  ten  per  cent,  would  not  pay  as  much  as  the  farm. 

"Some  years  are  more  profitable  than  others,  but 
the  average  is  high.  The  past  year  was  one  of  the 
most  favorable  in  the  history  of  the  valley.  If  I 
knew  I  could  have  such  a  year  once  in  five  years, 
and  make  expenses  the  other  four  years,  I  should 
consider  the  fruit  business  a  profitable  one;  but  I 
know  from  experience  that  I  can  do  far  better  than 
that. 

"My  peach  crop  was  light  the  past  season,  but 
the  apple  crop  heavy.  I  keep  an  accurate  account  of 
all  receipts  for  fruit  sold,  and  find  that  I  received 
in  cash,  so  far  this  year,  $5,070.73.  I  have  two 
cars  of  apples  sent  out  and  not  reported  upon  that 
will  bring  at  least  a  thousand  dollars ;  then  I  have 
about  7,000  boxes  of  apples  on  hand  that  will  bring 
me  about  $8,000.  The  total  receipts  will  be  about 
$14,000.  All  expenses  can  be  paid  for  $4,000; 
leaving  me  net  $10,000.  My  fruit  ranch  is  not 
for  sale  at  any  price. 

"Yours  respectfullv, 

F.  Walden." 

When  such  profits  are  to  be  had  in  the  industry, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  the  acreage  devoted  to  hor- 
ticulture is  increasing  rapidly.  Already  Yakima 
county  leads  the  state  in  the  amount  of  horticul- 
'.ural  products  shipped  out,  having  surpassed  Walla 
Walla  and  Whitman  counties  during  the  year  1902. 
Vegetables  are  produced  in  large  quantities,  quite 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


extensive  areas  in  the  Indian  reservation  being 
leased  by  whites  and  devoted  to  the  culture  of  po- 
tatoes, onions,  tomatoes,  melons,  etc.  The  small 
fruits  are  a  success,  but  statistics  of  yields  and 
profits  are  not  available.  The  Kennewick  country 
which  has  recently  come  into  special  prominence 
by  reason  of  the  completion  of  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific Irrigation  Company's  canal,  bids  fair  to  lead 
all  other  sections  of  the  Northwest  in  the  matter 
of  early  strawberries,  its  warm  climate  and  the 
brevity  of  its  winter  season  giving  it  a  great  ad- 
vantage. Its  people  claim  that  it  can  outdo  even 
the  famous  Hood  River  region,  of  Oregon,  in  the 
race  to  be  first  in  the  market  with  strawberries. 

While  cattle,  sheep,  horses,  hogs,  hay,  hops,  po- 
tatoes, fruit  and  vegetables  are  the  staple  products 
of  Yakima  county,  several  minor  industries  swell 
considerably  the  profits  of  the  farmer  and  add  to  his 
large  balance  in  the  overflowing  local  banks.  Many 
of  the  smaller  agriculturists  and  horticulturists  are 
keeping  bees  to  sip  the  honey  from  alfalfa,  fruit 
blossoms,  sage  and  such  other  flowering  plants  as 
grow  in  the  region.  Barnyard  fowls  are  as  common 
here  as  in  other  fanning  communities.  The  local 
markets  offer  splendid  inducements  for  the  rearing 
of  chickens,  geese,  ducks,  and  turkeys,  the  first 
mentioned  being  especially  profitable  both  for  their 
meat  and  their  eggs.  The  local  demand  is  not  sup- 
plied at  present  and  during  the  winter  season  it 
is  impossible  sometimes  to  secure  fresh  ranch  eggs 
at  any  price.  The  possibilities  of  the  poultry  bus- 
iness in  the  Yakima  valley  have  hardly  begun  to  be 
developed,  and  to  the  extension  of  the  industry  the 
farmer  is  impelled  by  the  same  incentives  furnished 
by  all  other  agricultural  pursuits,  namely,  unlimited 
demand   at   good  prices. 

As  before  stated,  the  unirrigated  sections  of  the 
county  are  useful  for  the  pasture  they  still  furnish, 
after  having  fed  thousands  of  sheep,  cattle  and 
horses  for  four  decades.  Some  of  them  have 
proved  themselves  worthy  of  cultivation,  and  are 
rewarding  the  industry  of  the  plowman  by  pouring 
into  his  garners  thousands  of  bushels  of  wheat  an- 
nually. The  areas  devoted  to  wheat  are  the  upper 
portions  of  some  of  the  small  valleys,  the  plateau 
known  as  the  Rattlesnake  hills  and  the  Horse  Heaven 
country.  The  last  mentioned  is  by  far  the  most 
extensive  and  important  wheat  belt  constituting  the 
southeastern  part  of  the  county  and  extending  into 
Klickitat.  While  the  soil  is  rich  and  well  adapted 
to  wheat  raising,  the  annual  precipitation  is  not 
sufficient  to  insure  a  large  yield.  Indeed  in  many 
parts  water  has  to  be  hauled  for  domestic  purposes. 
But  by  supplying  themselves  with  the  most  im- 
proved labor  saving  machinery  and  getting  control 
of  larsre  tracts  to  each  individual,  the  Horse  Heaven 
farmers  are  making  the  production  of  wheat  profit- 
able. It  is  said  that  the  methods  of  plowing,  seed- 
ing and  harvesting  are  such  that  the  farmer  can  re- 
alize a  handsome  profit  on  a  crop  of  ten  bushels  to 
the  acre.    Of  course  he  must  own  several  hundred 


acres  of  land  in  order  to  do  this,  and  must  have  the 
equipment  and  the  skill  to  perform  all  the  work 
with  the  best  economy. 

Another  natural  resource  of  the  county  of  some 
importance  is  its  timber.  While  the  eastern  side 
of  the  Cascades  is  not  covered  with  a  forest  growth 
comparable  with  that  which  extends  from  their 
summits  to  the  shores  of  the  Pacific,  yet  there  is  a 
very  valuable  stand  on  their  sunrise  slope  and  east- 
ern spurs,  a  considerable  portion  of  which  is  in 
Yakima  county.  Part  of  this  timber  is,  to  be  sure, 
within  the  Ranier  forest  reserve,  but  the  area  thus 
placed  beyond  the  reach  of  the  lumberman  of  this 
generation  is  small,  only  one  hundred  and  thirteen 
square  miles,  as  compared  with  that  not  included 
in  the  reserve,  seven  hundred  and  twenty-three 
square  miles.  Of  the  latter  area  only  ninety-five 
square  miles  had  been  logged  in  1900  and  thirty-three 
square  miles  had  been  burnt,  leaving  the  total  area 
covered  with  standing  timber  at  that  time  five  hun- 
dred and  ninety-five  square  miles.  According  to 
United  States  geological  reports  prepared  diree  or 
four  years  ago,  the  amount  of  timber  in  the  county 
then  was  as  follows :  Fir,  434,838,000  board  feet ; 
pine,  320,900,000;  hemlock,  77,100,000;  cedar,  60,- 
000,000;  total,  893,438,000.  A  number  of  modern 
sawmills  of  large  capacity  and  some  smaller  ones 
are  engaged  in  cutting  up  this  timber. 

While  Yakima  has  never  been  a  mining  county, 
its  citizens  have  always  manifested  considerable  in- 
terest in  searching  for  mineral  wealth.  Even  in  the 
earliest  days,  pioneer  stockmen  and  prospectors 
sought  among  its  sage  brush  hills  and  bordering 
mountains  for  traces  of  gold,  silver  and  other  metals, 
nor  was  their  search  always  wholly  unrewarded. 
But  the  mining  interests  of  the  county  have  always 
remained  insignificant  compared  with  agriculture, 
horticulture  and  stock  raising.  However,  Yakima 
county  shares  with  her  neighbors,  King,  Pierce 
and  Kittitas,  the  extensive  and  important  Sum- 
mit mining  district,  situated  at  the  head  of  Moore's 
creek,  a  tributary  of  American  river.  The  district 
is  approximately  twenty  miles  square,  half  on  the 
eastern  and  half  on  the  western  slope  of  the  Cascade 
range,  but  the  greater  part  of  the  mining  is  carried 
on  on  Gold  hill,  an  eastern  spur  of  the  great  divide. 
Moore's  creek,  Union  creek,  Ranier  fork  and  Amer- 
ican river  furnish  the  district  with  an  abundant 
water  supply,  and  though  it  is  within  the  Ranier 
forest  reserve,  the  government  permits  the  taking 
for  mining  purposes  of  necessary  timber.  Silver 
creek,  a  tributary  of  White  river,  is  the  principal 
mining  stream  of  the  western  slope. 

According  to  the  sworn  statement  of  H.  V.  Bon- 
niwell,  the  properties  in  Summit  mining  district, 
with  the  amount  or  value  or  both  of  work  done  on 
each,  January  21,  1903,  were  as  follows  :  Two  claims 
(on  Silver  creek),  owned  by  Thomas  Farrell,  of 
South  Tacoma,  three  hundred  dollars ;  five  claims 
(on  Silver  creek),  James  Forrest  and  L.  Height, 
of  South    Tacoma,    two    thousand    dollars ;    three 


322 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


claims  (on  Silver  creek),  owned  by  William  Far- 
rell,  South  Tacoma,  forty-five  feet  of  timbering, 
six  hundred  dollars;  six  claims,  on  head  of  Silver 
creek,  owned  by  Forrest  &  Farrell,  South  Tacoma, 
sixty-two  feet  of  shaft,  one  hundred  and  four  feet 
of  tunneling,  seventy  feet  of  open  cuts,  six  thousand 
dollars;  one  claim  (on  Silver  creek),  owned  by 
Forrest  &  Farrell,  thirty-eight  feet  of  tunneling, 
twenty  feet  of  open  cuts,  five  hundred  and  eighty 
dollars;  five  claims  (on  Silver  creek),  owned  by 
Forrest  &  Farrell,  one  hundred  and  five  feet  of  tun- 
neling, seventy  feet  of  open  cuts,  one  thousand  dol- 
lars; six  claims  (part  of  them  on  American  river 
and  the  rest  on  Moore's  creek),  owned  by  the  Dia- 
mond Hitch  Company  of  Tacoma,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  of  tunneling,  one  hundred  feet  of  open 
cuts,  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars;  twelve 
claims  (on  Gold  hill  and  Silver  creek),  owned  by 
Addison,  Hill  &  Brown,  South  Tacoma,  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  feet  of  tunneling,  fifteen  miles 
of  trail,  five  thousand  dollars;  sixteen  claims  (on 
Silver  creek),  owned  by  the  Medina  Gold  Mining 
Company,  of  South  Tacoma,  (data  furnished  by 
James  Addison,  manager),  seven  hundred  feet  of 
tunneling,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  shaft,  one 
mill,  five  stamps,  one  hundred  feet  of  flume,  cook 
house  and  store  house,  $46,000;  ten  claims  (on  the 
east  side  of  Silver  creek),  owned  by  the  Florence 
Mining  and  Reduction  Company,  South  Tacoma 
(data  furnished  by  Ben  Frazier,  treasurer),  five 
hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet  of  cuts,  seventy  feet 
of  shafting,  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  tunnel  and 
unexpired  contract  for  fifty  feet  of  tunnel,  two 
blacksmith  shops,  powder  house,  ore  cars  and  three 
hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  of  track,  $21,000;  six 
claims  (located  by  Thomas  Fife),  owned  by  the 
Blue  Bell  Mining  Company,  of  North  Yakima 
(data  furnished  by  John  Sawbridge,  treasurer), 
one  hundred  feet  of  open  cuts,  six  hundred  feet  of 
tunneling,  one  Jackson  machine  drill,  eight  thou- 
sand dollars ;  six  claims  owned  by  Fife  Mining  Com- 
pany, North  Yakima  (data  furnished  by  John  Saw- 
bridge,  secretary),  two  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  of  tunneling,  four  thousand  dollars;  eight 
claims  (on  Silver  creek),  owned  by  J.  G.  Campbell, 
North  Yakima,  four  hundred  and  eighty  feet  of 
tunneling,  six  thousand  dollars ;  fifteen  claims  (on 
Gold  hill)  owned  by  the  Coronation  Mining  Com- 
pany, North  Yakima,  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  of 
tunnel,  one  cabin,  five  thousand  dollars  (data  con- 
cerning the  last  two  properties  furnished  by  John 
Sawbridge)  :  six  claims  on  Moore's  creek  (located 
in  1902  by  Joseph  Fife),  owned  by  the  Rob  Roy 
Consolidated  Mining  Company  of  North  Yakima, 
George  Collins,  secretary,  three  hundred  dollars; 
five  claims  (on  Moore's  creek),  owned  by  the  Fidel- 
ity Mining  &  Milling  Company,  Seattle  (data  fur- 
nished by  G.  H.  Hill,  vice  president),  two  hundred 
foot  tunnel,  several  open  cuts,  eight  thousand  dol- 
lars ;  seven  claims  owned  by  Elizabeth  Gold  '  Hill 
Mining  Company,  North   Yakima,   seven   hundred 


and  twenty  feet  of  tunneling,  one  hundred  feet  of 
open  cuts,  one  ditch  quarter  of  a  mile  long,  one 
undershot  water  wheel,  one  No.  1  Sturdevant 
blower,  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  track,  ore  cars, 
fifty  feet  of  trestle  to  ore  dump,  three  buildings,  two 
thousand  tons  of  ore  on  the  dump,  twenty-five  thou- 
sand tons  blocked  out,  plans  under  way  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  100-ton  reduction  plant  during  1903,  ex- 
penditure to  date  $18,000  (data  furnished  by  Frank 
X.  Nagler,  North  Yakima)  ;  twelve  claims  owned 
by  the  Summit  Mining  &  Reduction  Company,  Ta- 
coma, three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of  tunneling, 
thirty  feet  of  shafting,  expenditures,  eight  thousand 
dollars. 

"In  regard  to- the  size  of  the  veins  and  character 
of  the  ore,"  says  Mr.  Bonniwell,  "the  Elizabeth 
Mining  Company's  property  may  be  taken  as  char- 
acteristic of  the  district.  The  matrix  of  the  ore 
is  porphyry,  magnesia  and  lime,  carrying  values 
in  gold,  silver  and  copper;  is  amenable  to  concen- 
tration in  the  proportion  of  five  to  one;  the  size  of 
the  ledges  varies  from  a  few  inches  to  twenty  feet ; 
the  Elizabeth  ledge  in  one  four  hundred  foot  tunnel 
has  varied  from  forty-two  inches  to  fourteen  feet; 
the  width  averages  seven  and  a  half  feet."  It  is 
stated  that  the  ore  in  the  mine  assays  from  $14  to 
$346.42  a  ton,  the  values  being  in  gold,  silver,  cop- 
per and  lead. 

Of  course,  it  must  be  remembered  that  these 
figures  are  now  a  year  old  and  that  during  the  busy 
mining  season  of  1903,  the  various  companies  have 
been  at  work  increasing  their  excavations  and  de- 
velopment. Thus  the  Elizabeth  Gold  Hill  Mining 
Company  has  since  run  two  new  tunnels  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy  feet  and  fifty  feet  in  length,  re- 
spectively. It  is  now  preparing  to  install  a  reduction 
plant  capable  of  handling  its  own  output  and  that 
of  other  mines  of  the  district.  The  great  need  of 
this  mineral  bearing  region  is  a  road  to  some  point 
on  the  railway.  Legislative  assistance  is  being 
sought  for  the  construction  of  such  a  highway  and 
it  is  hoped  that  an  outlet  for  the  ore  of  the  dis- 
trict will  soon  be  secured. 

In  the  foregoing  paragraphs  an  attempt  has  been 
made  to  present  a  brief  outline  of  the  resources  of 
Yakima  county.  It  is  not  claimed  to  be  an  ex- 
haustive one,  far  from  it,  but  sufficient  to  show 
something  of  the  present  status  of  industrial  de- 
velopment and  the  possibilities  of  the  future.  The 
population  in  1900,  according  to  the  United  States 
census,  was  13,462.  To  say  that  it  is  at  least  half 
as  great  again  at  this  writing,  is  to  estimate  the 
increase  very  conservatively  indeed;  and  the  trains 
are  bringing  in  more  homeseekers  every  day.  There 
is  room  for  all  who  have  the  energy  to  grapple 
with  the  situation  and  win  a  competence  from  it  for 
themselves.  If  it  is  true  that  at  least  690,615  acres 
of  land  in  Yakima  county  can  be  irrigated  and  are  in 
fact  under  proposed  irrigation  canals,  as  stated  by 
the  last  report  of  the  Bureau  of  Statistics,  and  if 
every  twenty  acres  under  canal  can,  by  intensive 


IN  THE  MOUNTAIN  REGIONS  OF  KITTITAS  COUNTY. 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


323 


cultivation,  be  made  to  support  a  family  of  five,  it 
will  be  seen  that  the  county  has  a  potentiality  of  sup- 
porting an  agricultural  population  of  172,650,  be- 
sides the  mechanics,  laborers,  merchants,  profes- 
sional men,  etc.,  etc.,  who,  with  their  families,  would 
be  required  to  build  their  houses  and  barns,  assist 
them  with  their  work,  educate  their  children,  treat 
their  sick,  supply  them  with  dry  goods  and  groceries 
and  otherwise  minister  to  their  wants.  Is  it  sur- 
prising that  in  a  county  with  such  wonderful  pos- 
sibilities, a  present  population  of  perhaps  fewer 
than  20,000  should  enjoy  an  unbounded  prosperity? 
Is  it  surprising  that  the  farmers  are  nearly  all  well 
to  do  and  many  of  them  wealthy;  that  the  mer- 
chants are  rapidly  accumulating  fortunes,  that  the 
banks  are  filled  with  money  and  that  prosperity 
abounds  on  every  hand? 

KITTITAS*  COUNTY. 

The  most  northerly  of  the  three  counties  of  our 
group  is  Kittitas,  in  the  central  part  of  the  state, 
hemmed  in  between  the  Cascade  and  Wenatchee 
mountains  on  the  west  and  northwest  respectively, 
the  Columbia  on  the  east  and  an  artificial  boundary 
following,  during  a  part  of  its  course,  the  Ump- 
tanum  ridge  on  the  south.  As  heretofore  stated,  it 
contains  2,414  square  miles.  The  surface  of  the 
western  part  is  very  rugged,  possessing  a  wild 
beauty  greatly  enhanced  by  the  presence  of  four 
considerable  lakes,  Kitchelos,  Kachees  and  Cle- 
Elum  and  one  smaller  than  any  of  these,  Goose  lake. 
The  Yakima  river  forms  the  main  channel  of  its 
drainage,  and  into  it  flow  numerous  tributaries,  es- 
pecially from  the  north.  The  basins  of  this  river 
system,  chiefest  among  which  is  the  celebrated  Kit- 
titas valley,  furnish  practically  all  the  agricultural 
land  of  the  county,  but  they  are  of  sufficient  extent 
and  richness  to  enable  it  to  figure  prominently  in 
the  agricultural  production  of  the  state,  while  the 
presence  of  timber,  coal,  gold,  copper  and  other 
minerals  gives  it  distinction  for  the  variety  of  its  re- 
sources. The  presence  of  the  large  mining  popula- 
tion furnishes  the  farmer  with  one  great  incentive 
to  exertion,  a  splendid  local  market  for  his  products, 
while  the  Northern  Pacific  railway,  crossing  the 
county  in  its  richest  part,  gives  him  ready  access  to 
the  larger  markets  east  and  west. 

In  a  discussion  of  agriculture  in  Kittitas  county, 
the  Kittitas  valley  naturally  claims  a  large  share  of 
attention.  It  is  oval  in  shape  and  approximately 
twenty-five  miles  long,  while  its  greatest  width  is 
about  twenty  miles.     On  all  sides,  it  is  hemmed  in 

*Charles  A.  Splawn,  who  is  considered  an  authority  on 
local  Indian  dialects,  says  that  the  word  "Kittitas,"  conies 
from  "kittit,"  meaning  white  chalk,  and  "tash,"  place  of 
existence.  He  states  that  at  the  Manastash  ford  on  the 
Yakima  river,  below  Ellensburg,  there  is  a  bank  of  such 
chalk.  The  Indians  used  this  for  painting  themselves  and 
their  horses.  The  name  Kittitash  came  to  be  applied  by 
the  Indians  to  the  entire  valley,  and  was  later  corrupted 
by  the  whites  to  Kittitas. 


by  foothills  and  mountains.  It  possesses  a  rich  soil, 
well  adapted  to  agriculture,  and  capable  of  produc- 
ing almost  any  of  the  products  of  the  temperate 
zone,  and  while  its  climate  is  such  as  to  permit  the 
raising  of  all  the  hardier  fruits.  The  upper  valley 
of  the  Yakima,  which  is  farmed  for  several  miles 
above  Cle-Elum,  likewise  brings  forth  a  variety  of 
crops,  as  do  also  the  valleys  of  all  the  smaller 
streams,  though  of  course  the  altitude  increases 
rapidly  as  they  are  ascended,  with  the  natural  effect 
on  climate  and  character  of  production. 

While  the  Kittitas  country  is  not  so  completely 
dependent  upon  irrigation  as  are  many  parts  of  the 
Yakima,  yet  artificial  watering  of  the  soil  is  essen- 
tial to  its  highest  and  most  profitable  handling,  and 
its  inception  was  almost  coeval  with  the  settlement 
of  the  country.  The  profusion  of  small  streams  ren- 
dered a  certain  amount  of  irrigation  comparatively 
easy,  and  made  it  possible  for  a  considerable  acreage 
to  be  redeemed  by  individual  farmers  or  several  of 
them  co-operating  together.  The  history  of  some 
of  these  canals  has  already  found  place  in  these 
pages.  From  time  to  time  larger  projects  came  up, 
one  of  them  being  that  of  the  Northern  Pacific,  Yak- 
ima &  Kittitas  Irrigation  Company,  which  in  1892 
made  some  surveys  looking  toward  the  construction 
of  crib  dams  at  the  outlets  of  Lakes  Kitchelos, 
Kachees  and  Cle-Elum  and  of  large  canals  covering 
extensive  areas  in  Kittitas  and  Yakima  counties,  but 
the  scheme  was  not  carried  into  execution.  "Sev- 
eral years  ago,"  says  George  Otis  Smith,  "a  canal 
was  proposed  to  take  water  from  Yakima  river  at 
Easton,  and  portions  of  it  were  constructed.  It  is 
known  as  the  Kittitas  Valley  Irrigation  canal,  and 
if  completed  would  have  irrigated  a  large  portion  of 
that  valley.  At  present  (1901)  the  valley,  which 
comprises"  a  large  amount  of  arable  land  well  adapt- 
ed to  the  cultivation  of  alfalfa  and  the  cereals,  is 
irrigated  solely  by  local  ditches,  which  use  the  water 
from  the  creeks  already  mentioned  (Swauk,  Reeser, 
Tanum,  Manastash,  Wilson  and  Nanum).  One  of 
these,  Reeser  creek,  receives  some  water  which  has 
been  diverted  into  its  channel  from  First  creek,  one 
of  the  tributaries  of  Swauk  creek.  This  diversion  is 
interesting,  as  the  water  is  made  to  follow  the  old, 
abandoned  waterway  through  Green  canyon.  Some 
attempt  has  been  made  to  improve  the  water  supply 
of  Manastash  creek,  a  small  dam  having  been  built 
at  the  mouth  of  Manastash  lake,  so  that  a  small 
amount  of  water  is  stored  at  that  point." 

But  the  day  of  large  irrigation  enterprises  has 
dawned  for  Kittitas  county  since  Mr.  Smith  made 
his  report.  In  1902  the  Cascade  Canal  Company  was 
organized  to  succeed  the  Inter-Mountain  Irrigation 
Association.  Its  capital  stock  was  $150,000  and  the 
object  it  proposed  to  itself  was  the  construction  of 
two  large  canals  to  irrigate,  one  15,000  and  one 
30,000  acres  of  Kittitas  valley  lands.  The  officers 
of  this  association  are :  President,  Samuel  T.  Pack- 
wood;  vice  president,  J.  Ff.  Smithson;  secretary, 
Ralph  Kauffman;  treasurer,  J.  C.  Hubbell;  manager, 


324 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


J.  E.  Frost.  The  company  decided  to  build  the 
lower  canal  first  and  on  August  29,  1903,  began  its 
construction.  Its  intake  is  on  the  north  bank  of 
the  Yakima  river  five  miles  west  of  Thorp.  It  fol- 
lows down  the  north  side  to  Kittitas  valley  proper, 
then  takes  a  southeasterly  course  through  it  to  a 
point  about  ten  miles  southeast  of  Ellensburg,  where 
its  terminus  is.  At  the  intake  it  is  ten  feet  wide 
on  the  bottom,  has  a  one  and  a  half  to  one  slope,  is 
five  feet  deep  and  has  a  capacity  of  170  cubic  feet 
per  second.  Between  five  and  six  miles  ofLfluming 
have  been  constructed,  necessitating  the  use  of  more 
than  two  million  feet  of  lumber.  In  the  eighth  mile 
of  its  course,  a  six  hundred  foot  tunnel  was  re- 
quired, and  directly  north  of  Ellensburg  there  is 
another  tunnel  three  hundred  and  eighty-eight  feet 
long.  The  company  has  also  built  a  dam  at  Lake 
Kachess,  capable  of  storing  a  body  of  water  twelve 
feet  deep,  covering  an  area  of  twenty-one  square 
miles.  The  Cascade  canal,  into  which  water  was 
turned  May  13,  1904,  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
constructed  aqueducts  in  the  state  and  a  credit  to 
Manager  J.  E.  Frost,  upon  whose  shoulders  has 
rested  the  responsibility  of  personally  supervising 
the  work.  Plans  are  not  yet  matured  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  high  line  ditch,  which  will  cover 
30,000  acres  or  practically  all  the  irrigable  land  in 
the  valley  except  such  as  could  be  redeemed  only  by 
a  very  expensive  canal. 

"The  Lower  Cascade  canal,"  says  the  Pacific 
Northwest,  "is  strictly  a  Kittitas  county  project, 
and  the  capital  stock  of  the  company  is  held  en- 
tirely in  Kittitas  county.  The  president  of  the  cor- 
poration is  Mr.  Packwood,  a  large  land  owner  and 
stock  raiser  of  the  Kittitas  valley.  The  officers  of 
the  Washington  State  Bank,  of  Ellensburg,  hold  a 
large  amount  of  stock  in  it,  and  farmers  along  the 
line  of  the  proposed  canal  are  also  stockholders." 

The  completion  of  this  large  canal  will  cause 
material  changes  in  the  general  character  and 
quantity  of  the  agricultural  production  of  Kittitas 
county,  but  its  past  achievements  have  already  given 
it  a  prominent  place  among  the  political  divisions 
of  the  state.  Its  oldest  industry  is  stock  raising, 
which  here  as  elsewhere  has  undergone  various 
changes  with  the  development  of  the  country,  the 
trend  of  the  industry  being  toward  the  substitution 
of  well  bred  dairy  cattle  for  the  old  range  stock  so 
that  a  greater  percentage  of  profit  may  be  secured. 
The  limiting  of  the  open  range  by  the  settlement  of 
the  country  and  other  causes  have  made  this  neces- 
sary. 

P.  Henry  Schnebly,  a  pioneer  of  1872,  and  one 
of  central  Washington's  leading  cattlemen  and 
wealthiest  citizens,  estimates  the  number  of  neat 
cattle  in  the  county  at  15,000  or  16,000,  three-fifths 
of  which  are  dairy  stock.  The  remainder  are  Here- 
fords  and  Shorthorns  with  some  Polled  Angus  and 
Galloways,  all  grade  cattle.  Among  the  largest 
owners  are  George  B.  Cooke  and  Charles  Bull, 
partners,  who  are  pioneers  of  the  valley  of  the  early 


seventies.  They  have  between  1,300  and  1,400  head 
on  their  Quilameen  farm  twenty  miles  east  of  El- 
lensburg and  on  their  thirty  or  forty  sections  of 
grazing  land  in  the  foothills  and  on  the  Columbia. 

P.  H.  Schnebly,  whose  large  ranches  lie  east  of 
Ellensburg,  the  first  being  eight  miles  out,  has  1,200 
head  and  twenty  sections  of  grazing  land.  His  home 
place,  the  old  Smith  ranch,  is  eleven  miles  from  El- 
lensburg. 

M.  D.  Cooke,  owner  of  the  Fairview  ranch, 
comes  next  with  eight  hundred  head  and  the  re- 
maining beef  cattle  of  the  county  are  owned  mostly 
by  Nels  Cragness,  William  Erickson,  Frank  Hart- 
man  and  fifty  or  seventy-five  others  in  herds  rang- 
ing from  fifty  to  three  hundred  in  number.  The 
annual  sale  of  beef  cattle  in  Kittitas  county  is  ap- 
proximately 3,000  head,  worth  at  present  prices 
about  $38  each  on  the  average. 

"The  cattle  industry  has  maintained  an  even 
course  for  many  years,"  says  Mr.  Schnebly,  "and 
there  is  probably  as  much  invested  in.  it  now  by  Kit- 
titas citizens  as  ever  before.  In  early  days  the  cat- 
tle were  low  grade  and  herded  in  great  bands ;  now 
the  majority  of  the  stock  is  better  than  the  average 
and  considerable  is  high  grade. 

"In  early  times  the  Kittitas  was  the  great  summer 
range  for  Yakima  stockmen  and  so  was  occupied 
almost  exclusively  by  a  class  of  men  whose  home 
was  constantly  changing.  F.  Mortimer  Thorp  was 
perhaps  the  first  large  cattle  owner  who  made  his 
home  in  the  valley  and  Benjamin  Snipes,  the  cat- 
tle king,  also  lived  here  many  years.  It  is  difficult 
to  estimate  the  largest  number  of  cattle  ever  gath- 
eied  in  the  county,  but  it  would  probably  be  written 
in  six  figures,  as  Kittitas  was  an  excellent  and  pop- 
ular summer  range. 

"As  the  range  has  been  fenced  in,  the  stockmen 
have  bought  railroad  land  and  otherwise  obtained 
possession  of  vast  tracts  upon  which  to  pasture 
their  herds.  The  whole  Columbia  river  slope  is  now 
in  the  hands  of  these  stockmen,  and  there  the  only 
range  in  the  county  exists,  except  that  found  in  the 
foothills.  The  feeding  season  usually  lasts  about 
three  and  a  half  months." 

But  the  greater  number  of  Kittitas  county's 
herds  are  maintained  for  the  sake  of  butter  and 
cheese,  rather  than  for  their  beef.  Kittitas  ranks 
second  in  the  state  in  the  dairy  industry,  King  county 
surpassing  it  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  great  quan- 
tities of  Kittitas  cream  are  shipped  there.  No  good 
and  permanent  reason  exists  why  this  county 
should  not  lead  in  the  state,  as  for  several  years  it 
did,  for  it  is  by  nature  better  adapted  to  the  industry 
than  its  principal  competitor. 

While  more  or  less  butter  has  been  manufactured 
from  the  first,  the  dairy  business  did  not  begin  to 
assume  a  place  among  the  most  important  industries 
of  the  county  until  1891,  when  James  Gass  brought 
in  the  first  cream  separator,  erected  a  small  cream- 
ery, the  Bourbon,  just  north  of  Ellensburg  and  es- 
tablished skimming  stations  throughout  the  valley. 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


325 


The  inauguration  of  this  enterprise  was  most  op- 
portune, as  the  dairy  industry  proved  to  many  of 
the  farmers  the  means  of  salvation  from  financial 
shipwreck  during  the  hard  times.  The  industry 
soon  enlisted  the  attention  and  energies  of  the  force- 
ful and  enterprising  Briggs  F.  Reed,  the  present 
president  of  the  State  Dairymen's  Association,  who 
had  been  for  years  engaged  in  cattle  and  horse 
raising  in  the  valley.  He  investigated  the  matter 
thoroughly,  and  upon  becoming  convinced  of  the 
splendid  field  for  such  an  enterprise  in  his  home 
county,  formed  a  local  company  in  1894  for  the  pur- 
chase and  operation  of  the  Bourbon  plant.  This 
his  association,  the  Ellensburg  Creamery  Company, 
rebuilt  on  a  larger  scale.  As  illustrating  the  growth 
of  the  business,  it  may  be  said  that  the  product  of 
the  creamery  the  first  year  was  40,000  pounds  of 
butter,  in  1895,  90,000;  in  1896,  126,000;  in  1897, 
200.000;  in  1900,  485,000. 

The  Cloverdale  Creamery,  at  Thorp,  was  the 
second  in  the  county,  erected  by  John  Goodwin  in 
1893.  It  was  conducted  successfully  under  his  man- 
agement until  1900,  when  it  was  absorbed  by  the 
Kittitas  Creamery. 

The  Cloverdale  Creamery  did  not  long  antedate 
the  Spring  Creek  Creamery,  established  by  J.  P. 
Sharp  in  West  Kittitas.  Its  production  had  reached 
125,000  pounds  of  butter  in  1899,  when  it  was  ab- 
sorbed by  the  Ellensburg  Company,  by  which  it 
is  still  operated. 

In  1898  the  Hazelwood  Company,  of  Spokane, 
established  a  creamery  near  Ellensburg,  installing 
what  is  perhaps  the  best  plant  ever  built  in  the 
county.  It  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  Ellens- 
burg Creamery  Company  a  year  or  two  later.  Many 
smaller  plants  have  been  started  from  time  to  time, 
all  of  which  eventually  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Reed  and  his  company,  which  in  1900  con- 
trolled the  entire  industry  in  this  county.  Soon, 
however,  the  Kittitas  Company  was  organized  and 
began  building  up  a  large  business.  Its  officers 
at  present  are  Simon  P.  Wippel,  president  and  man- 
ager; Fred  Wippel,  vice  president.  It  has  a  plant 
on  West  Fifth  street,  Ellensburg,  and  one  at  Thorp. 

A  third  company,  the  Alberta  Co-operative 
Creamery  Association,  of  which  W.  T.  Morrison  is 
president  and  A.  E.  Shaw,  secretary  and  manager, 
was  organized  a  year  ago  last  March  by  about 
seventy-five  farmers.  Its  main  plant  is  situated 
about  five  miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg  and  it  has 
one  skimming  station  the  same  distance  southeast 
of  town.     It  ships  most  of  its  butter  to  the  Sound. 

The  dairying  industry  of  the  county  has  declined 
considerably  in  recent  years,  owing  to  the  high  price 
obtaining  for  hay,  which  has  caused  many  farmers 
to  reduce  their  herds  of  milch  cows  or  to  go  out  of 
the  business  entirely.  But  that  the  production  of 
creamery  butter  is  still  large  may  be  seen  from  the 
following  statistics,  furnished  the  state  dairy  com- 
missioner: 

Kittitas  creamery,   from  December   I,    1902,  to 


December  1,  1903:  pounds  of  milk  received,  3,  971,- 
780;  pounds  of  cream  received,  106,900;  paid  to 
patrons  for  same,  $54,144.10;  pounds  of  butter 
made,  239,522. 

Alberta  creamery,  from  April  10,  1903,  to  De- 
cember 1,  1903:  pounds  of  milk  received,  1,745,827; 
pounds  of  cream  received,  9,425 ;  paid  to  patrons  for 
same,  $17,793.89;  pounds  of  butter  made,  83,128.50. 

Ellensburg  creamery,  from  December  1,  IQ02,  to 
December  1,  1903:  pounds  of  milk  received,  6,335,- 
000;  pounds  of  cream  received,  94,326;  paid  to 
patrons  for  same,  $94,622.63;  pounds  of  butter 
made,  332,711. 

Kittitas  county  butter  has  for  many  years  taken 
a  higher  rank  than  any  other  in  the  Seattle  market 
in  point  of  quality.  It  is  claimed  that  it  commands 
a  higher  price  than  is  obtained  for  butter  in  any 
other  section  of  the  United  States. 

The  sheep  industry,  like  cattle  raising,  is  an  old 
business  in  Kittitas  county  and  one  which,  in  its 
original  form,  has  seen  its  best  days.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  number  of  wool  bearing  quadrupeds  owned 
by  Kittitas  residents  at  present  is  between  35,000 
and  40,000,  though  there  are  four  or  five  times  as 
many  in  the  county  during  the  summer  seasons, 
as  numerous  outside  sheepmen  seek  the  ranges  of 
the  Wenatchee  .mountains  and  the  forest  reserve 
during  the  warm  months.  The  annual  production 
of  wool  by  Kittitas  growers  is  estimated  at  340,000 
pounds.  The  leading  producers  at  present  are  Mal- 
colm McLennan,  whose  bands  aggregate  7,000 
head ;  John  Smithson,  who  has  6,000  or  7,000 ;  J.  C. 
Lloyd,  with  6.500 ;  and  O.  K.  Kohler,  Robert  Scam- 
mon,  William  Dunsworth,  Henry  Toner  and  Ben 
Hicks,  with  from  2,500  to  3,000  head  each. 

Of  course,  the  same  conditions  which  encourage 
the  rearing  of  cattle  and  sheep  make  the  raising  of 
horses  and  mules  also  profitable,  while  the  hog  is  a 
necessity  to  the  dairy  man  who  would  get  the 
largest  profit  out  of  his  business.  According  to  the 
last  report  of  the  county  assessor,  Kittitas  has 
4.584  horses  and  mules,  valued  at  $115,475;  16,000 
cattle,  valued  at  $292,000;  59,000  sheep,  valued  at 
$119,000;  2,000  hogs,  valued  at  $6,920;  the  aggre- 
gate value  of  lands  and  improvements  was  fixed  at 
$1,788,115;  the  assessment  of  personal  property, 
$1,520,552;  total  assessment  of  the  county,  $4.336»_ 
542. 

An  agricultural  industry  which  has  grown  enor- 
mously during  the  past  few  years  under  the  stimu- 
lus furnished  it  by  a  strong  demand  and  high  price 
is  the  culture  of  hay.  The  Kleinberg  Brothers,  who 
are  large  shippers  of  this  commodity,  estimate  the 
product  of  the  valley  at  60,000  tons,  all  harvested 
from  irrigated  acres,  except  a  small  amount  pro- 
duced on  bottom  lands.  Timothy,  clover  and  al- 
falfa are  all  raised,  though  the  first  mentioned  is 
the  principal  crop  for  export.  It  is  in  great  demand 
in  the  Alaska  market,  and  not  a  little  of  it  goes  to 
the  Philippine  Islands,  and  to  China  and  Japan. 
The  Kittitas  product  is  considered  excellent  in  qual- 


326 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ity  and  commands  the  highest  price.  At  this  writ- 
ing it  is  quoted  at  twenty  dollars  a  ton,  F.  O.  B.,  at 
Ellensburg. 

The  high  price  of  hay  has  not  only  caused  a 
decline  in  the  dairy  industry,  but  it  has  doubtless 
affected  also  the  production  of  wheat  and  other 
cereals.  The  Kittitas  valley  lands  long  since  demon- 
strated their  power  to  produce  the  cereals  in  great 
abundance.  In  the  Spokane  Times  of  May  22,  1880, 
is  an  article  by  D.  Thomas  in  which  he  said : 

"The  largest  and  richest  body  of  vacant  land  is 
near  Kittitas  postoffice,  in  the  southeast  part  of  the 
valley.  It  would  have  all  been  occupied  before  this 
time  "but  for  the  lack  of  water  to  irrigate  it,  but  the 
postmaster  at  the  above  place,  an  experienced 
farmer,  raised  there  last  year  a  good  crop  without 
irrigation.  .  .  .  Wheat  averaged  last  year 
about  forty  bushels  to  the  acre  and  some  went  up 
even  as  high  as  eighty  bushels  to  the  acre." 

The  raising  of  cereal  crops  increased  as  time 
went  on  until  in  1899,  according  to  the  statement  of 
the  Ellensburg  Dawn,  "fully  20.000  acres  of  wheat 
were  harvested  in  the  county,  which  averaged  (by 
estimate)  thirty  bushels  per  acre.  There  were  3,200 
acres  of  oats  harvested,  which  was  estimated  at  for- 
ty-five bushels  per  acre."  No  statistics  of  the  pro- 
ductions of  recent  years  are  available,  but  it  is 
quite  probable  that  if  such  were  at  hand,  they  would 
show  a  marked  decline  in  cereal  raising,  owing  to 
the  development  of  other  and  more  profitable  in- 
dustries. 

There  are,  however,  four  flouring  mills  in  the 
county.  Of  these  perhaps  the  largest  and  best 
equipped  is  that  of  R.  P.  Tjossem  &  Son,  at  Holmes 
Siding,  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  Ellensburg 
on  Wilson  creek.  It  was  built  in  1900  to  take  the 
place  of  a  very  old  one  of  about  the  same  capacity, 
one  hundred  barrels,  which  was  burned.  The  mill  is 
operated  by  water  power  from  an  immense  reservoir 
and  dam.  The  City  Mills,  Ellensburg,  owned  by 
the  City  Milling  &  Realty  Company,  are  likewise 
capable  of  producing  a  hundred  barrels  daily,  but 
they  are  not  in  operation  more  than  three-fourths 
of  the  time.  The  mill,  which  is  also  run  by  water 
power,  was  built  during  the  years  1887  and  1888. 
Kendall  &  Mack  are  owners  of  a  forty-barrel  water 
power  mill  at  Thorp,  built  during  the  seventies.  It 
runs  about  half  the  year.  The  Spring  Brook  Mills, 
of  which  W.  T.  Morrison  is  proprietor,  have  been 
shut  down  for  the  past  twelvemonth.  When  in  oper- 
ation, they  utilize  the  water  of  Wilson  creek  to 
generate  power  and  manufacture  a  brand  of  flour 
known  as  the  "Valley  Patent." 

These  mills  use  annually  about  300,000  bushels 
of  wheat,  three-fourths  of  which,  however,  is  im- 
ported, as  the  Kittitas  product  gives  a  yellowish 
flour,  fit  only  for  the  Oriental  trade.  They  also 
use  600  tons  of  barley,  half  of  it  being  the  product 
of  Kittitas  farms.  Of  the  $200,000  received  annu- 
ally by  these  mill  owners,  one-fourth  comes  from 


resident  consumers  and  the  rest  from  China,  Japan, 
and  Puget  sound  points. 

The  climate  and  soil  of  Kittitas  valley  render  it 
especially  adapted  to  the  raising  of  all  kinds  of 
hardy  vegetables.  Potatoes,  onions,  turnips,  beets, 
etc.,  all  prove  wonderfully  prolific,  and  usually  com- 
mand prices  which  give  their  cultivator  an  abundant 
reward  for  his  labor.  The  potato  is  especially 
profitable  at  present,  the  current  quotation  being 
twenty  dollars  a  ton,  though  of  course  this  is  greatly 
in  excess  of  the  usual  price.  It  has  been  claimed 
that  during  the  year  1902,  the  shipments  of  pota- 
toes by  the  three  principal  shippers  of  Ellensburg 
returned  more  than  $161,000  to  the  pockets  of  the 
producers. 

Fruit  tree  culture  in  the  Kittitas  valley  is  al- 
most coeval  with  settlement,  but  though  its  practi- 
cability has  long  since  been  established,  it  has  not 
been  carried  on  extensively  heretofore,  owing  to  the 
dominance  of  other  industries.  One  of  the  first  or- 
chards, perhaps  the  first,  in  the  valley  was  that  of 
Charles  P.  Cooke,  who  transplanted  twelve  or  fif- 
teen trees  from  the  Moxee  valley  to  his  Kittitas 
farm  twelve  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Ellens- 
burg, when  he  first  came  there  in  1870.  These 
trees  are  still  bearing.  Another  orchard  was 
planted  by  William  Lyen  in  187 1  and  about  that 
time  or  a  little  later  F.  M.  Thorp  set  out  a  few 
trees.  In  1874  Thomas  Goodwin  set  out  between 
two  and  three  acres  of  apple  and  peach  trees  on  his 
place  six  miles  west  of  Ellensburg,  and  there  were 
a  number  of  other  orchards  planted  during  the 
early  seventies.  But  no  fruit  was  raised  for  ex- 
port until  recent  years,  and  then  very  little.  How- 
ever, the  success  of  experimenters  has  led  to  the  set- 
ting out  of  larger  orchards,  and  we  may  safely  as- 
sume that  the  acreage  devoted  to  fruit  culture  will 
rapidly  extend.  The  construction  of  large  irriga- 
tion ditches  will  surely  have  a  tendency  to  cause  an 
expansion  in  this  industry,  as  in  all  other  forms  of 
intensive  agriculture. 

S.  W.  Maxey  estimates  the  number  of  fruit  trees 
in  full  bearing  in  Kittitas  county  at  present  at  about 
50,000,  eighty  per  cent,  of  them  being  apple  trees, 
the  rest  pear,  cherry,  plum  and  prune,  with  a  few 
early  peach  trees.  Many  of  the  bearing  orchards 
are  still  young,  but  Kittitas  county  has  nevertheless 
made  a  few  shipments  of  their  products,  perhaps  the 
largest  being  in  1902,  when  three  cars  of  Tran- 
scendent crab  apples  were  sent  to  Montreal.  This 
fruit  proved  perfectly  satisfactory  to  its  consumers. 

Mr.  Maxey  tells  us  that  Washington's  fruit  ex- 
hibit at  the  World's  Fair  in  1893,  of  which  he  was 
in  charge,  was  contiguous  to  that  of  Canada,  and 
that  fruit  men  who  compared  the  late  keepers 
grown  in  Washington  with  those  from  Ontario  were 
unanimous  in  the  opinion  that  the  former  were  fully 
the  equal  of  the  latter  in  every  respect,  and  much 
superior  in  point  of  size.  The  significance  of  this 
is  apparent  when  we  remember  that  Ontario  has  a 
world-wide  reputation  for  hardy  apples,  capable  of 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


327 


being  shipped  to  great  distances  from  their  native 
soil. 

As  a  result  of  the  success  of  experiments  many 
Kittitas  people  are  beginning  to  take  a  deep  interest 
in  fruit  culture.  Two  large  fruit  enterprises  are  now 
under  way  in  the  county,  one  a  100-acre  apple  or- 
chard east  of  Ellensburg ;  the  other  a  forty-acre  or- 
chard, likewise  devoted  exclusively  to  apples.  It 
seems  to  the  writer  that  the  people  of  Kittitas  are 
to  be  congratulated  on  the  fact  that  the  adaptability 
of  their  section  in  soil  and  climate  to  the  production 
of  fruits  and  vegetables  has  been  demonstrated.  It 
means  that  when  the  time  shall  come,  the  division  of 
the  land  into  small  tracts  for  intensive  cultivation 
and  the  support  of  a  large  population  will  prove 
entirely  feasible  and  that  therefore  their  county  is 
in  a  position  to  enjoy  an  almost  limitless  develop- 
ment as  the  increasing  needs  of  the  expanding  west, 
with  its  ever  widening  trade  relationships,  shall  call 
for  it. 

Another  important  resource  of  Kittitas  county 
is  its  timber.  According  to  the  report  of  Henry 
Gannet,  of  the  United  States  geological  survey,  the 
merchantable  timber  area  of  the  county  is  2,000 
square  miles;  the  logged  area  sixty-seven,  and  the 
burned  area  ten.  His  estimate  of  timber  on  these 
forest  lands  is  as  follows :  Yellow  pine,  504,000,- 
000  board  feet ;  fir,  504,000,000 ;  larch,  252,000,000 ; 
total,  1,260,000,000.  The  logged  area,  Mr.  Gannet 
informs  us,  is  west  of  Ellensburg  and  in  patches 
in  the  mountains  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  railway.  Of  course,  much  of  this  timber 
is  in  the  reserve. 

At  present  there  are  nine  sawmills  in  the  county. 
Those  of  Fred  Musser,  Wright  Brothers  and 
Wright  Brothers  &  Miller  are  in  and  around  Cle- 
Elum.  They  are  said  to  have  daily  capacities  of 
8,000  feet,  10,000  feet  and  10,000  feet  respectively. 
The  Northwestern  Improvement  Company's  mill 
at  Roslyn  has  a  capacity  of  20,000  feet  per  day,  but 
its  output  is  for  the  exclusive  use  of  its  own- 
ers in  their  mining  operations.  At  Thorp  are  the 
mills  of  Louis  Ellison  and  J.  L.  Mills  &  Son,  each 
having  a  capacity  of  8,000  feet  per  day,  while  in  El- 
lensburg is  the  mill  of  the  Ellensburg  Lumber  Com- 
pany, of  which  Orrin  W.  Sinclair  is  manager.  Its 
capacity  is  15,000  feet.  Albert  Emerson's  mill  in 
the  valley  is  not  in  operation  at  present  and  that  of 
John  Blomquist,  on  Swauk  creek,  runs  only  part  of 
the  time,  but  each  is  capable  of  turning  out  8,000 
feet  per  diem.  All  the  sawmills  of  Kittitas  county 
use  steam  power. 

The  progress  of  our  review  of  the  Kittitas 
county  of  today  has  brought  us  now  to  one  of  its 
major  industries,  and  one  which  directly  lends  sup- 
port to  all  the  others,  namely,  mining.  The  search 
for  the  buried  treasures  of  the  earth  was  begun  early 
and  has  been  prosecuted  with  considerable  persis- 
tency and  zeal  and  not  without  substantial  results, 
chiefest  among  which  so  far  is  the  uncovering  and 
development  of  a  vast  coal  bearing  area.  The  early 


history  of  the  coal  mines  may  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  but  a  few  words  are  here  in  place  re- 
garding the  mines  in  their  present  state  of  develop- 
ment. Mention  has  been  made  of  the  interest  taken 
by  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company  in  the 
prospecting  of  the  Roslyn  country  during  the  eight- 
ies. Later  exploration  and  development  have  estab- 
lished the  fact  that  the  coal  field  then  discovered 
is  the  most  extensive  and  valuable  in  the  state.  It 
occupies  the  valley  of  the  Yakima  near  the  conflu- 
ence of  that  river  with  the  Cle-Elum.  Its  two  most 
important  veins  are  known  as  the  Roslyn  and  Cle- 
Elum.  "It  is  still  an  open  question,"  says  the  an- 
nual report  of  the  state  geologist  for  1902,  "whether 
or  not  the  two  veins  are  identical,  and  this  problem 
has  a  most  important  bearing  on  the  future  of  the 
field.  It  is  generally  believed,  however,  that  the 
Cle-Elum  vein  is  a  different  one  from  the  Roslyn  and 
lies  several  hundred  feet  higher  in  the  series.  The 
strata  dip  to  the  southwest  at  an  angle  varying  from 
ten  to  fifteen  degrees.  The  outcrop  of  the  Roslyn  vein 
makes  an  exceedingly  tortuous  line  along  the  moun- 
tain side  northeast  of  the  two  towns  of  Roslyn  and 
Cle-Elum.  Its  general  direction,  however,  is  south- 
east and  northwest.  The  rocks  have  not  been  greatly 
folded  or  faulted  and  the  coal  has  been  but  little 
disturbed.  It  is  quite  hard  and  compact  and  nearly 
all  of  it  reaches  the  market  as  lump  coal.  It  is  used 
very  largely  as  a  steam  coal  for  locomotives  and 
steamships  and  supplies  very  much  of  the  market 
of  eastern  Washington,  Idaho  and  Oregon  for  steam 
and  domestic  coal.  Large  quantities  are  shipped  to 
Puget  sound,  Portland,  San  Francisco  and  even 
Honolulu.  The  Northern  Pacific  Railway  uses  it 
exclusively  in  its  locomotives  as  far  east  as  Helena, 
Montana.  The  Great  Northern  Railway  heretofore 
has  had  a  large  standing  order  for  Roslyn  coal,  but 
within  the  past  few  months  it  has  completed  a  line 
of  its  own  to  the  Crow's  Nest  coal  field,  of  British 
Columbia,  and  is  now  using  that  coal  chiefly  on  all 
its   lines   in   Washington,    Idaho  and   Montana." 

Practically  the  entire  coal  basin  of  Kittitas 
county  is  under  the  control  of  the  Northwestern  Im- 
provement Company,  successors  to  the  Northern 
Pacific  Coal  Company,  which  owns  the  Roslyn 
mine  and  has  the  Cle-Elum  under  lease.  There 
are,  however,  several  small,  independent  companies 
in  the  area,  one  of  which,  the  Ellensburg  Coal  Com- 
pany, supplies,  in  part  at  least,  the  local  market. 

The  Roslyn  mine,  the  king  of  the  district,  em- 
ploys approximately  1,500  men  and  produces  at 
present  90,000  tons  a  month.  Slavs  and  Italians 
form  the  majority  of  the  miners,  receiving  for  their 
labor  eighty-five  cents  per  long  ton.  Drivers  re- 
ceive $2.35  to  $2.50  a  day  of  ten  hours,  and  timber- 
men,  $3.00.  Five  mines  exist  on  the  Roslyn  vein : 
No.  1,  abandoned;  No.  2,  the  principal  one  worked; 
No.  3,  at  Ronald,  abandoned;  No.  4,  in  operation; 
No.  5.  between  Cle-Elum  and  Roslyn,  now  being 
opened. 

The  pillar  and  room  system  of  extracting  the 


328 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


coal  is  in  use.  According  to  C.  F.  Brenn,  chief 
civil  engineer,  there  are  now  about  seven  miles  of 
mule  haul,  four  of  electric  haul  and  three  of  wire 
rope  haul,  and  the  latest  improvements  are  used  in 
all  the  mines.  Three  electric  and  two  steam  fans, 
with  what  is  known  as  the  "double  entry"  system, 
make  them  the  best  ventilated  in  the  state.  The 
output  of  the  Roslyn  mines  from  December  I,  1902, 
to  December  1,   1903,  was   1,032,070  tons. 

At  the  Cle-Elum  mine,  four  hundred  men  are 
employed  and  the  output  at  present  approximates 
30,000  tons  a  month.  From  December  1,  1902,  to 
December  1,  1903,  it  produced  320,726  tons.  Being 
under  the  same  management  as  the  Roslyn  mine,  it 
is  operated  on  the  same  general  principles.  Speak- 
ing of  it  and  its  situation  in  1902,  Henry  Landes, 
state  geologist,  said : 

"The  town  of  Cle-Elum  is  on  the  main  line  of 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  and  has  an  elevation 
of  1,900  feet  above  sea  level.  A  branch  line  three 
and  a  half  miles  long  runs  to  Roslyn,  which  is 
about  300  feet  higher  than  Cle-Elum.  On  the  north 
side  of  the  valley  a  ridge  of  sandstone  parallels 
the  river  and  rises  about  1,900  feet  above  the 
stream.  On  the  south  side  of  the  valley  a  ridge  of 
basalt  rises  2,500  feet  above  the  valley  floor.  Several 
clearly  marked  gravel  terraces  occur  on  each  side 
of  the  river,  rising  by  steps  to  the  base  of  the  moun- 
tains. These  heavy  gravel  deposits  cover  the  coal 
bearing  rocks  and  serve  to  obscure  the  outlines  of 
the  coal  basin. 

"The  Cle-Elum  mine  is  opened  by  a  shaft  and 
a  tunnel  at  the  base  of  the  mountain  on  the  north- 
ern outskirts  of  the  town.  The  shaft  is  250  feet 
deep.  The  vein  is  four  feet  six  inches  wide  and  is 
practically  all  clean  coal.  The  dip  of  the  vein  varies 
from  twelve  to  twenty-three  degrees  to  the  south- 
ward. From  the  bottom  of  the  slope  four  levels 
have  been  run,  the  longest  of  which  is  about  5,000 
feet.  Only  one  fault  has  been  encountered  in  the 
mine,  a  small  overthrust  between  the  first  and  second 
levels.  The  daily  production  at  present  is  seven  or 
eight  hundred  tons,  and  the  mine  is  rapidly  being 
put  in  shape  for  a  more  extensive  output.  The 
mine  was  opened  in  1896.  In  1902  the  amount  of 
coal  mined  was  212,584  tons." 

Naturally  the  question  of  the  permanence  of  the 
mines  of  the  Roslyn-Cle-Elum  district  is  fraught 
with  great  interest  to  the  people  of  Kittitas  county 
and,  indeed,  of  central  Washington  generally.  Upon 
this  subject  C.  F.  Brenn,  chief  civil  engineer  for  the 
Northwestern  Improvement  Company,  wrote  as  fol- 
lows in  the  Ellensburg  Dawn  of  December  27,  1902 : 

The  only  veins  that  are  considered  valuable,  at  pres- 
ent, are  the  Roslyn  vein,  which  is  about  five  feet  thick, 
and  a  vein  which  is  known  as  the  "Big  Dirty,"  nineteen 
feet  thick.  The  "Big  Dirty"  is  not  mined  at  present,  on 
account  of  the  cheaper  Roslyn  vein,  but  before  the 
Roslyn  vein  is  exhausted  washeries  will  be  installed 
which  will  make  the  "Big  Dirty"  vein  an  exceedingly 
valuable  one.  The  Luhrig  coal  washers  on  the  market 
at   the   present   day   are   wonderful   machines   and   are   al- 


most perfect  in  operation,  removing  over  ninety  per  cent, 
of  rock,  bone  and  dirt,  without  losing  a  particle  of  coal 
and  at  an  almost  insignificant  cost  per  ton  of  coal  washed. 

As  the  price  of  coal  rises,  other  of  the  five  remain- 
ing veins  may  be  worked  but  they  are  disregarded  as 
valuable  now  only  because  there  is  such  a  great  quantity 
in  sight  in  the  other  two  veins.  The  five  remaining  veins 
aggregate  about  fifteen  feet  of  coal,  three  veins  of  about 
three  feet  each,  one  of  two  and  one  of  four  feet  of  coal. 
The  total  thickness  of  coal  bearing  formation  is  two 
thousand  five  hundred  feet,  with  all  the  known  valuable 
veins  in  the  upper  one  thousand  feet. 

In  order  to  estimate  the  value  and  importance  of 
Kittitas  county  as  a  coal  producer,  we  will  consider  only 
the  two  veins  mentioned  above,  i.  e.,  the  Roslyn  vein 
and  the  Big  Dirty  vein.  The  total  thickness  of  coal  in 
these  two  veins  is  twenty-four  feet,  and,  assuming  this 
thickness  over  one  hundred  square  miles  of  country,  will 
give  us  one  billion  five  hundred  million  tons  as  available 
for  the  market.  This  amount,  at  the  present  rate  of  ex- 
tracting five  thousand  tons  per  day  or  one  million  five 
hundred  thousand  tons  per  year  of  three  hundred  work- 
ing days,  will  last  one  thousand  years.  The  work  that 
has  been  done  in  this  field  in  the  last  sixteen  years,  since 
systematic  operation  was  in  force,  is  but  a  scratch  in  this 
immense  storage  house,  for  the  total  number  of  tons 
mined  since  it  was  discovered  amounts  to  but  six  million 
six  hundred  thousand  tons  in  round  numbers.  This  tre- 
mendous supply  of  coal  places  the  Roslyn  coal  field,  and 
therefore  Kittitas  county,  easily  in  front  rank  of  rich  and 
permanent  coal  producers.  The  lay  of  the  measures  with 
its  moderate  pitch  makes  every  ton  available,  as  the  veins 
probably  will  nowhere  be  deeper  than  fifteen  hundred  or 
two  thousand  feet,  which  combined  with  the  light  pitch, 
of  only  about  sixteen  degrees,  will  make  it  possible  to 
reclaim  every  ton  of  coal. 

The  firm  hold  this  coal  has  in  the  markets  of  the 
world  will  assure  Kittitas  county  a  permanent  place  in 
the  industrial  activity  of  the  state.  A  county  that  has  a 
coal  supply  which  will  last  a  thousand  years  and  which 
ships  its  coal  to  almost  every  city  on  the  coast  and  to  the 
Hawaiian  Islands,  as  well  as  supplying  almost  all  of  the 
large  Asiatic  and  coastwise  steamers,  besides  many  of 
our  war  vessels,  will  of  necessity  take  a  leading  place 
in   the    state. 

CLE-ELUM    DISTRICT. 

The  greater  portion  of  the  county's  mineral 
region  is  embraced  in  the  Cle-Elum  district,  wherein 
discoveries  of  gold,  silver,  copper  and  iron  ledges 
have  been  made  that  must  lead  to  the  conclusion 
that  this  district  is  one  of  the  richest  in  the  Cascade 
range.  Owing  to  its  refractory  ores  and  its  lack 
of  good  transportation  facilities,  however,  the  mines 
of  this  region  are  nearly  all  in  a  prospective  condi- 
tion. The  presence  of  superior  ore  bodies  has  been 
indisputably  proven,  but  their  exploitation  has 
hardly  yet  commenced.  This  year  it  is  expected  that 
more  will  be  done  than  ever  before  toward  uncov- 
ering these  rich  ledges  to  the  world  and  organizing 
for  their  development. 

For  more  than  two  decades  prospecting  and  de- 
velopment work  on  a  small  scale  has  been  going  on 
in  the  Cle-Elum  region.  Of  course,  the  discovery 
of  coal  in  the  region  for  a  long  time  absorbed  all 
interest,  but  its  ultimate  effect  was  to  encourage 
rather  than  discourage  the  search  for  other  minerals. 

The  district  lies  within  easy  reach  of  both  Cle- 
Elum  and  Roslyn,  good  wagon  roads  leading  from 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


329 


both  cities  into  it.  Regarding  this  district  "Mining 
in  the  Pacific  Northwest,"  edited  by  L.  K.  Hodges 
of  Seattle  and  issued  in  1897,  says : 

"The  great  belt  of  copper  and  gold  ledges 
which  runs  through  the  backbone  of  the  Cascade 
range  crops  with  great  strength  on  the  mountains 
drained  by  the  Cle-Elum  river  and  extends  north- 
eastward across  the  Teanaway  to  the  base  of  Mount 
Stuart  and  west  to  Lake  Kachess.  In  the  same  belt 
are  many  ledges  of  quartz  carrying  free  gold  and 
sulphurets,  with  galena  in  its  various  forms.  Far- 
ther southeast,  down  the  course  of  the  river,  is  a 
belt  of  pyrites  ledges  capped  with  hematite  and  mag- 
netic iron,  which  have  caused  them  for  years  to  be 
miscalled  the  Cle-Elum  iron  mines.  The  district  has 
been  legally  organized  and  extends  from  the  head- 
waters of  the  river  to  Cle-Elum  lake  and  from  Lake 
Kachess  on  the  west  to  the  Teanaway  divide  on  the 
east.  Recent  discoveries  have,  however,  extended 
beyond  the  latter  line  to  a  connection  with  the  Negro 
Creek  unorganized  district  among  the  foothills  of 
Mount  Stuart. 

"The  country  rock  of  the  district  is  granite,  sye- 
nite, porphyry  and  slate,  with  dykes  of  serpentine, 
and  the  mineral  ledges  cut  in  a  generally  northwest 
and  southeast  direction,  with  some  cross  ledges  run- 
ning east  and  west.  Discoveries  in  this  district 
began  about  1881,  when  A.  P.  Boyls,  the  present 
venerable  but  vigorous  mining  recorder,  in  com- 
pany with  S.  S.  Hawkins  and  Moses  Splawn,  trav- 
eled up  Camp  creek  and  on  Hawkins  mountain 
traced  three  parallel  ledges  carrying  iron  sul- 
phurets. From  that  time  forward  prospecting  traced 
the  belt  twenty  miles  down  the  Cle-Elum  from  its 
head  and  east  and  west  for  fifteen  miles,  as  already 
outlined." 

Undoubtedly  the  best  developed  property  in  the 
district  is  the  Aurora  group  of  five  claims  on 
Mammoth  mountain,  owned  by  John  and  Timothy 
Lynch,  which  carry  high-grade  gold  and  silver 
ore.  Mammoth  mountain  is  composed  mainly  of 
metamorphic  rock,  cut  diagonally  by  dikes  of  gran- 
ite in  which  are  fissure  ledges  of  quartz  running  east 
and  west.  Lynch  Brothers,  in  1896,  erected  a  mill 
of  four  320-pound  stamps  and  one  four-foot  con- 
centrator. This  mill  is  used  principally  for  sam- 
pling purposes.  A  1,000-foot  tunnel  has  been  driven 
to  strike  the  ledge  under  an  old  shaft,  which  will 
give  the  mine  a  depth  of  600  feet  and  is  expected  to 
tap  some  very  rich  ore.  A  crew  of  men  is  working 
upon  the  property  continually. 

The  King  Solomon  is  another  valuable  property 
upon  which  steady  development  is  taking  place. 
This  mine  lies  on  a  sharp  granite  peak  at  the  head 
of  one  of  the  forks  of  the  Icicle,  but  is  reached  by  a 
trail  branching  off  for  three  miles  from  the  Cle- 
Elum  road,  and  is  owned  by  James  Grieve,  K.  W. 
Dunlap  and  August  Sasse.  The  ledge  cuts  through 
this  peak  in  a  north  and  south  course  and  is  of 
white  quartz,  fully  eight  feet  wide.  It  carries  ga- 
lena, antimonial  silver  and  gold  with  a  trace  of  cop- 


per and  will  assay  an  average  of  more  that  $125  in 
gold.  A  water  jacket  smelter  was  erected  on  this 
property  several  years  ago,  but  failed  in  its  object. 
The  King  Solomon  has  been  well  developed  by 
several  hundred  feet  of  tunnel  and  many  open  cuts 
and  this  year  will  be  further  developed. 

Another  company  in  the  district  that  is  bending 
its  energies  toward  placing  the  mines  upon  a  work- 
ing basis  is  the  Fortune  Mining  &  Smelting  Com- 
pany of  Spokane,  organized  April  5,  1899,  with  a 
capitalization  of  2,100,000  shares  of  which  2,000,- 
000  are  being  sold  for  development  purposes.  The 
company's  officers  are  all  well  known  Spokane  bus- 
iness and  professional  men :  President,  Dr.  R.  N. 
Jackson ;  vice  president,  Judge  William  E.  Rich- 
ardson ;  secretary,  M.  A.  Dehuff ;  treasurer  and  gen- 
eral manager,  George  W.  Daines.  The  company 
owns  three  large  mines,  two  of  which  are  in  eastern 
Oregon  and  the  other,  consisting  of  nineteen  claims, 
in  the  Cle-Elum  and  Leavenworth  Mining  districts, 
Kittitas  and  Chelan  counties,  Washington.  The 
property  lies  on  the  divide  at  the  head  of  Fortune 
creek.  The  mineral  zone  in  which  it  lies  is  from 
five  to  twelve  miles  wide  and  extends  through  the 
Index  country  up  into  British  Columbia;  in  this 
zone  are  some  of  the  best  prospects  in  the  state.  The 
company's  mine  will  be  opened  by  tunnels,  good  tun- 
nel sites  being  the  rule  rather  than  the  exception  in 
the  region,  owing  to  the  precipitous  mountains  there, 
and  water  power  will  be  used,  of  which  there  is  an 
almost  inexhaustible  supply.  To  the  east  of  this 
mineral  zone  is  Mount  Stuart  and  to  the  west  the 
Goat  mountains,  between  which  the  general  forma- 
tion seems  to  be  a  Laurentian  granite.  There  are 
eleven  distinct  veins  on  the  Fortune  property,  sev- 
eral of  which  are  from  one  to  three  hundred  feet 
wide,  and  have  the  appearance  of  true  fissure  or 
contact  veins.  The  Fortune  lode  is  an  immense 
quartz  cropping  fully  5,000  feet  long  and  from  100 
to  300  feet  wide,  carrying  values  in  gold,  silver  and 
copper;  the  Golden  Chariot's  croppings  are  over 
3,000  feet  long  and  from  40  to  150  feet  in  width; 
the  Jackson  lode  has  been  traced  for  nearly  2,800 
feet,  and  is  exceedingly  rich  in  copper  and  gold ; 
the  Silver  Tip  is  from  four  to  eight  feet  wide  and 
500  feet  long.  Besides  numerous  prospect  tunnels 
to  prove  the  value  of  the  ledges,  the  company  has 
run  a  tunnel  1,400  feet  long,  which  cuts  the  For- 
tune lode  at  a  depth  of  between  700  and  800  feet. 
In  its  course  this  tunnel  cuts  seven  distinct  veins 
from  two  to  thirty  feet  wide,  one  of  which  is 
exceedingly  rich  in  gold,  assaying  as  high  as  $1,750 
per  ton.  Stoping  levels  in  this  tunnel  have  been 
run  on  the  sixteen  and  thirty  foot  ledges.  The 
Jackson  lode  has  been  opened  by  five  different  tun- 
nels for  a  distance  of  600  feet,  and  wherever  cut 
the  same  rich  ore  body  has  been  found,  averaging 
from  $10  to  $88  in  gold  and  copper.  On  the  Silver 
Tip  led^e  a  tunnel  has  been  run  650  feet  in  length, 
reaching  a  depth  of  between  300  and  400  feet  and 
giving  values  from  $3  to  $60  per  ton.     The  com- 


330 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


pany  has  sufficient  ore  blocked  out  to  keep  a  smelter 
busy  for  years  to  come  and  is  now  devoting  its 
energies  to  the  erection  of  reduction  works.  Good 
cabins  have  been  erected  on  the  property,  a  fine 
shaft  house  has  been  built  and  a  first-class  hoisting 
plant  is  in  operation.  The  Fortune  property  is 
without  doubt  a  leading  property  in  the  district. 

The  Yanemps  property,  owned  by  Leavenworth 
and  Seattle  capitalists,  is  another  Fortune  creek 
mine  that  is  being  rapidly  and  thoroughly  devel- 
oped. The  company  expects  to  reach  the  ledge,  for 
which  they  are  driving  a  tunnel,  within  the  next 
500  or  600  feet.  This  tunnel,  when  completed,  will 
be  1,000  feet  long.  The  mine  lies  just  over  the. 
Fortune  creek  divide  on  the  Mount  Stuart,  or  west, 
side.  A  force  of  twelve  men  is  engaged  in  develop- 
ing the  property. 

The  H.  O.  Helm  syndicate,  formed  a  year  ago 
by  eastern  capitalists,  also  has  a  force  of  men  at 
work  on  its  properties,  known  as  the  Grizzly  Bear 
group,  in  which  are  about  fifteen  claims,  carrying 
the  same  grade  of  ore  which  is  characteristic  of  the 
district. 

One  of  the  wonders  of  the  district  is  a  quick- 
silver mine,  recently  uncovered.  At  the  head  of 
Boulder  creek  on  the  summit  of  the  ridge  between 
Teanaway  and  Cle-Elum  rivers  is  a  great  porphyry 
dike,  carrying  this  cinnabar  ore,  running  east  and 
west.  It  is  fully  one  hundred  feet  wide  and  on  the 
west  side  spreads  to  a  width  of  not  less  than  no 
feet  on  the  Keystone  claim.  This  great  dike  is 
crosscut  by  quartz  ledges  from  four  feet  upwards 
in  width,  carrying  copper,  gold,  silver  and  nickel. 
The  Keystone  group,  consisting  of  six  claims,  is 
owned  by  the  Washington  Quicksilver  Mining 
Company,  of  Ellensburg,  incorporated  in  December, 
1903,  with  the  following  officers,  all  substantial  Kit- 
titas business  men :  John'  Somers,  president ; 
Adolph  Eisner,  vice-president;  Gerrit  dAblaing, 
secretary  and  manager;  Charles  H.  Flummerfelt, 
treasurer;  John  Somers,  Adolph  Eisner,  Cornelius 
J.  Vanderbilt,  Charles  H.  Flummerfelt  and  Gerrit 
dAblaing,  trustees;  capital,  $1,500,000.  The 
property  consists  of  the  following  claims :  the  Key- 
stone, Nickel,  Cottontail,  Keystone  Fraction,  the 
Clawson  and  the  Green  Bear  claims.  The  main 
ledge  is  from  20  to  no  feet  in  width  and  carries 
cinnabar  assaying  from  8  to  23.50  per  cent,  of 
quicksilver,  and  from  $2.40  to  $15  in  gold.  A 
recent  assay  by  Thomas  Price  &  Son,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, showed  23.53  per  cent,  of  quicksilver,  which 
is  equivalent  to  470.6  pounds  per  ton  of  ore.  The 
property  is  as  yet  developed  only  by  open  cuts  and 
short  tunnels,  but  upon  each  claim  a  showing  has 
been  made  which  gives  promise  of  immense  rich- 
ness. The  current  year  will  witness  a  great  amount 
of  development  work  upon  this  unique  mine. 

Among  other  prominent  mines  and  prospects  of 
the  district  upon  which  sufficient  work  has  been 
done  to  prove  the  existence  of  rich  ore  bodies  are 
the  following  groups  and  single  claims :  The  Dutch 


Miller,  Tip  Top,  Mountain  Chief,  Queen  of  the 
Hills,  Ruby  King,  Mary,  Gamblers,  Dream,  Snow 
Camp,  Eureka,  Ida  Elmore,  Sure  Thing,  Grand 
View,  Epha,  Cascade,  Silver  Dump,  Maud  O., 
Beaver,  Wright,  Cinnabar,  Huckleberry,  Gallaher's- 
group  of  twenty  claims  upon  which  a  small  smelter 
will  probably  be  erected  this  summer,  Washington 
Copper  Preferred  Company's  group,  H.  Robbin's 
property,  the  W'estfall,  Currency,  the  Cle-Elum 
Hawk,  Groundhog,  Copper  King,  Vidette,  the 
Paddy-Go-Easy,  Golden  Rule,  American  Eagle, 
Early  Bird,  Ella,  and  many  others. 

Each  year  sees  a  greater  development  of  the 
district,  the  discovery  of  more  rich  prospects  and 
a  steady  advance  in  installing  machinery,  erecting 
buildings,  etc.  The  erection  of  a  smelter  at  some 
point  on  or  near  the  railroad  is  expected,  for  the 
presence  of  large  and  exceedingly  rich  bodies  of 
refractory  ores  has  been  proven  beyond  a  doubt. 

By  the  creation  of  Chelan  county,  Kittitas  lost 
several  small  mining  districts,  the  most  prominent 
of  which  was  the  well  known  Peshastin,  lying  on 
the  Wenatchee  slope.  This  old  district  has  been 
a  producer  for  more  than  forty  years,  first  of  placer 
gold,  then  of  quartz  and  the  base  metals.  The 
rich  Mount  Stuart  copper  district,  as  yet  in  a  pro- 
spective stage,  is  also  practically  all  located  in 
Chelan  county. 

THE    SWAUK. 

Kittitas  county's  noted  gold  camp,  the  Swauk 
district,  lies  in  the  foothills  of  the  Cascade  range, 
twenty-five  miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg,  upon 
the  stream  whose  name  it  bears.  The  district  is 
easily  accessible,  either  from  Cle-Elum  by  a  good 
wagon  road  sixteen  miles  to  Liberty,  the  center  of 
the  district,  or  by  an  equally  good  wagon  road  from 
Ellensburg,  a  distance  of  thirty-six  miles  from  Lib- 
erty. From  Liberty  roads  radiate  to  the  several 
small  creeks,  and  so  open  are  the  valley  and  hill- 
side lands  that  in  many  places  a  buggy  may  be 
driven  through  the  woods.  The  whole  region  is 
strikingly  beautiful  with  its  magnificent  pine  and  fir 
groves,  grassy  plains,  sloping  uplands  and  low 
divides,  while  it  is  noted  far  and  wide  for  its  pure 
water  and  healthy,  invigorating  climate.  Liberty  is 
the  district's  business  point  and  postoffice,  a  village 
of  perhaps  a  hundred  inhabitants. 

As  the  history  of  this  old  mining  camp  has  been 
given  full  attention  in  the  general  chapters  of  the 
county's  history  wherein  is  told  the  story  of  dis- 
covery and  early  exploitation,  it  is  necessary  to 
touch  but  lightly  upon  that  period.  Gold  was  dis- 
covered on  Swauk  creek  in  the  fall  of  1867  by 
Benton  Goodwin,  a  deaf  mute.  However,  its  impor- 
tance was  not  then  realized  even  by  the  discoverer. 
In  1873  Mr.  Goodwin  again  found  gold  on  Dis- 
covery bar  and  from  this  the  real  development  of 
Swauk  dates.  For  a  few  years  a  small  though 
extremely  successful  and  lively  camp  resulted ;  then 
the  placer  leads  were  lost  and  for  a  decade  the  dis- 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


531 


trict  was  all  but  abandoned.  The  present  pros- 
perity of  the  camp  dates  from  the  middle  eighties. 
The  present  district  was  organized  at  a  meeting 
held  in  John  Black's  cabin,  May  7,  1884,  attended 
by  the  following  pioneer  miners :  D.  L.  Evans, 
chairman;  G.  L.  Howard,  secretary;  John  Black, 
Luke  McDermott,  T.  Lloyd  Williams,  S.  Bandy, 
James  A.  Gilmour,  Zeb  Keller,  Moses  M.  Emerson, 
James  Boxall,  Daniel  May,  J.  C.  Pike,  W.  H.  El- 
liott, Thomas  F.  Meagher,  L.  McClure,  A.  J. 
Wintz,  Louis  Quietsch. 

One  of  the  incidents  that  led  to  the  rejuvena- 
tion of  the  district  was  the  discovery  in  1884  of 
the  old  channel  on  Williams  creek  by  Thomas  F. 
Meagher,  Louis  Quietsch  and  J.  C.  Pike,  who 
had  spent  considerable  time  prospecting  for  it. 
This  old  channel  runs  a  little  south  of  west  and 
north  of  east  and  is  cut  diagonally  by  the  present 
channel  about  a  mile  from  the  mouth  of  Wil- 
liams creek.  The  gold  is  all  coarse,  and  in  flat, 
smooth  nuggets,  one  of  which  is  said  to  have 
weighed  17^/2  ounces.  The  discovery  of  this  old 
channel  was  made  on  Discovery  claim.  Edward 
and  William  Taylor  and  H.  M.  Cooper  also  made 
important  early  discoveries  along  this  old  channel 
on  Williams  creek. 

Meaghersville  was  established  on  the  Frac- 
tion claim  at  the  mouth  of  Lyons  gulch  in  1892 
by  T.  F.  Meagher,  and  although  the  town  was 
never  formally  platted,  quite  a  little  trading  cen- 
ter was  maintained  there  for  several  years.  H.  M. 
Bryant  erected  the  first  store  and  Mr.  Meagher 
also  had  a  mercantile  establishment.  For  a  long 
time  Meaghersville  was  the  distributing  point 
for  the  Williams  creek  mines,  but  it  is  now  aban- 
doned. 

In  1892  a  plan  was  proposed  for  the  construc- 
tion of  a  bedrock  flume  to  furnish  water  for  the 
whole  district.  The  Swauk  Bedrock  Flume  Com- 
pany, composed  of  John  A.  Shoudy,  Lewis  H. 
Jenson  and  George  O.  Kelly,  was  organized 
with  a  capital  of  $500,000,  but  the  financial  strin- 
gency killed  the  project.  Since  the  era  of  good 
times  dawned  in  the  late  nineties,  the  Swauk  has 
enjoyed  steady  prosperity  and  development,  the 
consolidation  of  property  and  the  exploitation  of 
the  quartz  ledges  being  the  principal  features. 
In  other  sections  of  the  state  placer  mining  has 
quickly  become  secondary  to  quartz  mining,  but 
on  the  Swauk  and  its  tributaries  placer  mining 
still  holds  first  place.  Quartz  has  only  very  re- 
cently begun  to  distract  attention  from  the  rich 
placers. 

"The  gold  of  the  Swauk  placers,"  says  a  re- 
liable authority,  "is  believed  to  have  come  from 
Table  mountain  on  the  east  and  the  Teanaway 
range  on  the  west,  and  is  found  in  the  bars  which 
cover  old  creek  channels  along  the  banks  of  Wil- 
liams, Bowlder  and  Baker  creeks,  and  of  Swauk 
creek  between  Baker  and  First  creeks,  a  distance 
of  three   miles  north  and   south  and   about  the 


same  east  and  west.  The  country  rock  is  sand- 
stone and  slate,  with  dikes  of  basalt  and  por- 
phyry, the  bedrock  of  the  old  channels  being 
slate,  with  occasional  dikes  of  sandstone  and 
basalt,  carrying  from  two  to  three  per  cent,  of 
iron.  One  theory  is  that  the  gold  in  Williams 
creek  and  in  the  Swauk  below  that  creek  came 
from  the  summit  of  Table  mountain,  for  on  this 
level  plateau  there  is  said  to  be  good  pay  dirt, 
and  all  its  drainage  runs  into  the  Swauk,  and  all 
the  valleys  and  gulches  carry  more  or  less  placer 
gold.  However,  the  fact  that  little  gold  has  been 
found  in  the  Swauk  above  Baker  creek,  and  that 
all  the  coarse  gold  is  found  on  the  bedrock  of  old 
channels  between  this  stream  and  First  creek, 
leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  gold  deposits  in 
the  Swauk  itself  were  not  washed  down  by  that 
stream,  but  by  its  tributaries,  Baker,  Williams 
and  Bowlder  creeks.  The  upper  dirt  carries  only 
fine  gold  in  most  instances,  and  the  miners  do 
not  take  the  trouble  to  attempt  to  save  it,  but  in 
the  old  channel  big  nuggets  are  found.  The  char- 
acter of  the  ground  above  Baker  creek  is  also 
different,  for  it  is  all  hill  wash,  while  below  that 
stream  it  is  evidently  channel  wash,  with  boul- 
ders of  a  different  character.  The  nuggets  range 
in  size  from  a  pinhead  up,  the  larger  ones  being 
generally  rough,  flat  pieces  about  three-quarters 
of  an  inch  thick,  or  in  the  shape  of  a  network  of 
wires,  mashed  together  by  the  action  of  the 
water.  They  are  found  in  the  three  or  four  feet 
of  dirt  next  to  the  bedrock.  The  product  of  Wil- 
liams creek  is  worth  $1.50  to  $2  an  ounce  more 
than  that  of  Swauk  and  Baker  creeks,  as  the 
latter  carries  considerable  silver.  The  Swauk 
gold  is  worth  $13.50  an  ounce,  and  that  of  Wil- 
liams cfeek  $14.50  to  $15. 

"The  good  pay  in  coarse  gold  has  led  the 
miners  to  despise  fine  gold  as  not  worth  the 
trouble  of  saving,  yet  it  has  been  proven  by  pan- 
ning the  dumps  that  they  will  pay  well  for  work- 
ing over,  and  that  more  careful  and  systematic 
work  would  bring  good  results.  Experience  has 
shown  that  the  gold"  is  finer  toward  the_  mouth  of 
a  stream,  and  thus  it  is  that  the  nugget  hunters 
have  worked  only  the  bars  for  two  miles  below 
Liberty.  That  there  is  good  pay  in  the  gravel 
beyond  that  point  is  proven  by  the  fact  that 
Chinamen  who  worked  there  many  years  ago 
earned  from  two  to  three  dollars  a  day  to  the 
man,  and  that  shafts  sunk  deeper  than  their 
workings  showed  dirt  carrying  twenty  dollars 
to  the  pan." 

Nuggets  worth  $1,120,  $700,  $450,  $440,  $320 
and  on  down  to  $20  have  been  taken  from  the 
Swauk  creek  placers.  The  largest,  which  is 
known  as  the  "Miser's  Face,"  was  taken  out  two 
years  ago  by  the  Elliott  Mining  Company,  com- 
posed of  Dr.  J.  C.  McCauley  and  George  B.  Hen- 
ton,  while  developing  the  Elliott  claim.  Benton 
Goodwin  says  that  in  the  early  days  of  the  camp 


332 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


an  unknown  Chinaman  stole  a  $700  nugget  from 
his  claim. 

The  first  important  step  toward  the  consolida- 
tion of  the  placers  and  their  working  upon  one 
systematic,  general  plan  was  taken  in  May,  1898, 
when  The  Cascade  Mining  Company,  a  syndicate 
of  Wisconsin  capitalists,  acquired  the  following 
well-known  properties:  The  Becker,  Ritz,  Eu- 
reka, Pat  Hurley,  Tenderfoot,  Swauk  and  Wil- 
liams High  Bar  placers,  Black,  Halvor  Nelson, 
Gustaf  Nilson,  Mascotte,  High  Stump,  Lillie, 
Klondyke,  Sunnyside,  Bloomer,  Why  Not,  Gold 
Channel,  Fremont,  Discovery  and  Theresa.  This 
syndicate  now  owns  the  present  channel  of  Wil- 
liams creek  from  its  mouth  to  Lyons  gulch  and 
is  now  engaged  in  drifting  and  hydraulicking  with 
a  large  force  of  men.  Piping  is  going  on  in 
Deer  gulch.  Water  is  taken  out  of  both  Williams 
and  Swauk  creeks,  between  5,000  and  10,000 
inches  being  used  by  the  pipes  and  an  elevator. 
T.  P.  Carson  is  superintendent  of  this  company. 
Mr.  Meagher  says  that  the  Discovery  and 
Theresa  group  of  placers  have  produced  at  least 
$80,000. 

Just  above  the  Cascade  Company's  property 
on  Williams  creek  lies  the  Bigney  claim,  now 
owned  and  operated  by  Miss  Alice  Barber,  of 
Puget  sound.  This  claim  has  produced,  since  its 
discovery  in  1886,  nearly  $70,000.  A  force  is 
drifting  in  on  the  old  channel  at  this  writing. 

The  Elliott  claim,  owned  by  Dr.  J.  C.  Mc- 
Cauley,  William  Elliott  and  George  B.  Henton, 
is  at  the  mouth  of  Bowlder  creek.  This  is  one  of 
the  richest  claims  in  the  district  and  has  produced 
steadily  for  fifteen  years.  The  Elliott  Mining 
Company  is  now  drifting. 

On  Bowlder  creek  the  Bowlder  Mining  Com- 
pany, of  Philadelphia,  Carl  Ennakole  manager,  is 
operating.  Their  properties  comprise  the  Suther- 
land, Little  May,  Bowlder,  No.  1  and  No.  2  and 
a  few  other  claims,  all  placers,  besides  which  they 
have  five  or  six  quartz  claims,  now  being  opened. 
These  properties  were  opened  about  eight  years 
ago  by  James  Sutherland  and  Gus  Siegel.  In 
1902  a  $320  nugget  was  taken  out  by  the  Bowlder 
Company. 

No  values  of  importance  have  ever  been  taken 
out  on  Williams  creek  above  the  mouth  of 
Bowlder  creek,  except  by  Samuel  Pearson,  who 
owns  four  claims.  Edward  Minkel  and  Louis 
Ouietsch,  the  latter  being  one  of  the  oldest  pio- 
neers in  the  camp,  if  not  the  oldest,  own  claims 
on  upper  Williams  creek. 

The  Livingston  claims,  six  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  Swauk  creek,  are  the  lowest  claims 
mined  on  that  stream.  There  are  three  in  the 
group.  Thence  north  to  the  district's  limits  is 
practically  all  controlled  or  owned  by  the  Cas- 
cade Company.  This  corporation  purchased  the 
old  Green  Tree  claims  in  1898.  Afterward  it  was 
found  that  the  title  to  this  valuable  property  was 


clouded  and  before  the  matter  could  be  arranged 
the  claims  were  filed  upon  by  other  parties,  who, 
it  is  understood,  still  retain  possession.  Costly 
litigation  is  expected. 

Hitherto  the  miners  of  the  Swauk  have  shown 
a  decided  aversion  to  outside  capital,  which  would 
work  the  placers  on  a  large  .scale  by  modern  meth- 
ods and  therefore  more  economically,  but  this  spirit 
is  being  rapidly  overcome  and  the  Swauk  placers 
bid  fair  to  produce  more  lavishly  in  the  future  than 
in  the  past.  The  ground  has  been  worked  only 
enough  to  prove  its  value,  only  about  one-tenth  of 
the  gravel  having  been  worked.  It  is  impossible  to 
estimate  with  any  degree  of  accuracy  the  amount 
of  gold  that  has  been  taken  from  the  Swauk  mines, 
but  without  a  doubt  seven  figures  would  be  required 
to  express  it.  As  time  passes  more  and  more  atten- 
tion will  be  paid  to  quartz  prospecting  and  mining, 
for  fabulously  rich  ledges  must  exist  somewhere 
in  the  region  to  have  thrown  off  such  nuggets  as 
have  been  found. 

The  principal  quartz  mining  company  operating 
in  the  district  now  is  the  Home  Mining  Company, 
of  which  Thomas  Johnson,  of  Cle-Elum,  is  man- 
ager, and  W.  T.  Burcham  president.  This  com- 
pany owns  five  claims  on  the  north  fork  of  the 
Teanaway  river  near  its  head,  discovered  as  late 
as  1900,  by  N.  S.  Snow.  The  ores  carry  gold,  with 
a  small  amount  of  copper  and  silver.  The  main 
ledge,  which  is  fourteen  and  a  half  feet  wide,  is 
said  to  carry  values  of  from  $28  up.  This  ledge  is 
now  being  thoroughly  developed  on  the  Surprise 
claim,  where  a  Huntington  mill  was  installed  in 
1902,  though  it  was  not  operated  until  last  fall. 
Besides  this  mill  the  company  has  two  concen- 
trators, a  Standard  and  a  Frue  Vanner.  In  1902, 
also,  the  company  built  sixteen  miles  of  road,  con- 
necting the  mine  with  Ryopatch  settlement  on  the 
Teanaway. 

KLICKITAT  COUNTY. 

Of  the  three  counties  of  our  group,  Klickitat  Is, 
perhaps,  the  most  picturesque.  Its  entire  southern 
and  southeastern  boundary  is  formed  by  the  ma- 
jestic Columbia,  which  for  the  sublimity  and 
grandeur  of  its  scenery  takes  rank  with  the  world's 
greatest  rivers.  Travelers  have  compared  it  very 
favorably  with  the  Rhine,  the  Hudson  and  the  St. 
Lawrence  and  some  have  even  asserted  its  superior- 
ity to  any  of  these  in  point  of  beauty  and  variety. 
"Nowhere,"  said  a  newspaper  man  of  Fort  Worth, 
Texas,  who  had  gone  wherever  the  people  claimed 
they  had  something  novel  and  pretty  or  grand  and 
inspiring,  ''nowhere  have  I  seen  anything  that  is 
entitled  to  be  placed  in  the  same  category  with  the 
Columbia  river.  It  is  a  scene  of  beauty  from  the 
time  one  boards  the  steamer  at  The  Dalles  until  he 
passes  out  over  the  bar  to  sea.  It  has  all  the  ele- 
ments of  natural  beaut}-.  It  brings  one  to  pretty 
bits  of  scenery  such  as  poets  are  prone  to  write  of; 
and  then  perhaps  the  very  next  moment  one  turns 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


333 


about  on  the  deck  of  the  steamer  to  gaze  at  a  mass 
of  ragged,  jagged  rocks  that  rise  thousands  of  feet 
in  the  air  and  impress  one  with  majesty  and  enor- 
mity." It  is  doubtful  if  persons  thoroughly  familiar 
with  the  Columbia  by  reason  of  long  residence  in 
the  vicinity  fully  appreciate  the  wondrous  beauty 
of  its  sublime  scenes  or  the  effect  they  have  upon 
the  tourist  who  beholds  them  for  the  first  time. 

The  Klickitat  river,  which  belongs  entirely  to 
Klickitat  county,  is  somewhat  similar  in  the  forma- 
tion of  its  banks  to  the  great  stream  of  which  it  is 
a  tributary.  The  construction  of  the  Columbia 
River  &  Northern  railroad  has  introduced  it  to  the 
attention  of  the  public  and  caused  its  charms,  to 
be  quite  widely  advertised.  It  is  a  constantly  chang- 
ing source  of  interest  to  the  passenger,  at  times 
flowing  languidly,  and  again  with  the  impetuosity 
of  a  mountain  torrent,  forming  small  cascades  or 
sometimes  miniature  falls.  Two  and  a  half  miles 
above  Lyle  it  makes  a  very  considerable  leap,  devel- 
oping a  water  power  which  will  not  always  go 
unharnessed.  Just  below  the  falls  the  railroad 
crosses  the  river  for  the  first  time.  The  spot  is 
a  very  entrancing  one.  Far  below  the  tracks  is  the 
rushing  river,  speeding  between  its  rocky  banks  and 
over  its  rocky  bed.  Narrow  and  deep  is  the  channel 
it  has  made  for  itself  and  long  were  the  ages  that 
the  river  was  engaged  in  performing  this  mighty 
feat  of  erosion.  As  the  train  journeys  inland 
numerous  other  scenes  of  rare  beauty  are  presented 
to  the  gaze  of  the  tourist,  and  the  view  is  none  the 
less  picturesque  when  it  has  traversed  the  canyons 
of  the  Big  Klickitat  and  Swale  creek  and  has  come 
up  among  the  farms  and  homes  of  the  famous  Klick- 
itat valley. 

Indeed  there  is  hardly  a  spot  in  the  county  that 
is  lacking  in  scenic  charms  unless  it  be  in  the  heart 
of  the  forest,  where  one's  view  is  cut  off  by  the  tall 
conifers  on  every  hand.  The  gently  rolling  wheat 
fields  of  the  Bickleton  country  and  the  Klickitat 
valley  everywhere  present  scenes  that  are  pleasing 
and  inspiring  and  he  who  will  take  the  trouble  to 
climb  in  midsummer  to  the  peak  of  some  lofty  emi- 
nence will  be  rewarded  by  a  wondrous  birdseye 
view  of  wheat  fields,  rank  and  green,  or  ripening  for 
the  harvest,  and  the  deep  black  of  the  summer  fal- 
lowed lands,  while  in  the  distance  are  lofty  hills 
and  timber  clad  mountains  and  far  beyond  the 
whole,  the  still  loftier  crests  of  the  famous  ranges 
of  Oregon  and  Washington  with  their  renowned 
snow  capped  peaks.  From  some  points  on  the 
Columbia  river  divide  a  view  may  be  had  of  almost 
the  entire  fairyland  of  the  Northwest,  with  Hood,  St. 
Helens,  Adams,  Jefferson  and  the  Three  Sisters  all 
visible,  some  of  them  hundreds  of  miles  away. 

The  beauty  of  the  scenery,  the  purity  and  whole- 
someness  of  the  water,  the  balmy,  bracing  air,  the 
mildness  of  the  summer  sun,  the  abundance  of  the 
fish  in  the  streams  and  the  presence  of  game  in  the 
more  remote  regions  have  caused  the  Klickitat 
country  to  be  visited  by  pleasure  seekers  annually 


for  many  years,  and  it  is  thought  that  the  number 
cf  those  who  come  here  for  their  summer  outing 
will  increase  rapidly  as  the  varied  charms  of  the 
region  become  more  widely  known.  The  popular 
pleasure  resort  of  the  county  at  present  is  Trout 
Lake,  which  is  easily  accessible  by  stage  or  private 
conveyance  from  White  Salmon  or  Bingen  on  the 
Columbia  river.  At  low  water  the  lake  covers  only 
about  sixty  acres,  though  during  the  winter  season 
it  spreads  over  an  entire  section.  "Its  bottom  is 
generally  covered  with  mossy  grass,  affording  good 
teed  for  fish,  while  rushes  thickly  border  it.  The 
stream  above  the  lake  is  called  the  inlet  and  below 
it  the  outlet.  Thousands  of  fish  have  been  caught 
in  the  lake  and  streams  each  season,  but  the  supply 
is  seemingly  undiminished ;  yet  it  has  been  thought 
necessary  to  replenish  the  waters,  and  in  1901  there 
were  planted  15,000  trout,  hatched  at  Leadville, 
Colorado,  and  in  1902,  about  20,000,  hatched  from 
eggs  obtained  at  the  same  place." 

"Although  people  have  been  coming  here  for 
outings  in  summer  since  1884,"  continues  the  writer 
from  whom  the  foregoing  quotation  was  made,  "yet 
if  the  advantages  were  better  known  the  number 
would  be  increased  five  or  ten  fold.  In  the  season 
of  1884  only  forty  or  fifty  people  came,  while  this 
season  (1903)  the.  number  will  reach  1,000.  Tents 
of  campers  are  scattered  along  the  beautiful  creek, 
and  the  one  hotel  (Guler's)  has  its  accommodation 
taxed  to  the  limit.  So  far  campers  have  not  been 
required  to  pay  any  rental  and  supplies  are  readily 
obtainable  at  cheap  prices.  Rates  for  room  and 
board  at  the  hotel  are  only  six  dollars  per  week. 
Trout  are  so  plentiful  that  many  complain  of  being 
surfeited  with  them.  Deer,  bears,  grouse  and  pheas- 
ants are  found  in  the  woods  which  on  all  sides  sur- 
round the  clearings  of  the  ranches,  while  the  lake 
is  a  great  resort  for  anglers.  Boats  are  obtained  at 
a  nominal  rental,  and  the  sportsmen  anchor  out  in 
the  shallow  water  and  generally  make  a  fine  catch. 
The  inlet  is  a  succession  of  pools  varying  from  four 
to  sixteen  feet  in  depth  and  ten  to  twenty-five  feet 
in  width.  The  water  is  clear  as  crystal,  and  its 
limpid  depths  teem  with  trout.  Overhanging 
branches  from  the  cottonwoods  give  shade  which 
always  brings  coolness.  Trout  creek  is  a  brawling 
mountain  stream,  in  which  are  many  riffles  and 
small  waterfalls.  It  is  somewhat  wider  but  shal- 
lower than  the  inlet  and  everywhere  yields  fish." 

On  all  sides  of  the  cleared  farms  is  dense  timber 
and  a  few  miles  to  the  northward  is  that  grand  peak, 
Mount  Adams,  contributing  immeasurably  to  the  im- 
pressiveness  of  the  scenery.  Another  attraction  of 
the  region  is  the  series  of  wonderful  caves,  situated 
about  seven  miles  from  Guler's  hotel;  chiefest 
among  which  is  the  ice  cave,  so  named  from  the 
fact  that  huge  icicles  are  present  within  it  at  all 
seasons  of  the  year.  Entrance  is  gained  to  it 
through  a  hole  about  fifteen  feet  in  diameter. 
Dense  darkness  within  makes  it  necessary  for  ex- 
plorers to  provide  themselves  with  torches  and  the 


334 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


light,  reflected  from  the  surfaces  of  thousands  of 
icicles,  gives  the  cave  the  appearance  of  a  fairy, 
crystal  palace.  The  cave  is  reported  to  be  parti- 
tioned off  into  great  chambers  of  which  the  walls 
and  floor  are  of  ice,  the  dome  of  ice,  adorned  every- 
where with  pendant  icicles,  and  the  pillars  of  ice. 

But  Klickitat  county's  scenery  and  its  charm  for 
the  sportsman  and  the  tourist  are  not  the  only 
things,  nor  yet  the  principal  things,  in  its  favor. 
While  that  which  appeals  to  the  aesthetic  is  always 
grateful  to  an  intelligent  people,  the  conditions  of 
human  existence  are  such  as  to  render  the  wealth 
producing  powers  of  the  country  paramount  in  im- 
portance and  one  of  the  first  considerations  of  the 
homeseeker.  Klickitat  county  is  like  most  other 
portions  of  the  state  of  Washington  in  having  a 
great  abundance  and  variety  of  only  partially  appro- 
priated elements  of  wealth.  Almost  every  acre  has 
a  value  for  the  timber  or  bunch-grass  that  is  upon 
it,  or  the  hay,  wheat  or  fruit  it  can  produce.  There 
is  wealth  everywhere  and  that  which  has  been 
appropriated  is  slight  compared  with  that  which 
remains  to  be  garnered  when  conditions  are  more 
favorable  and  the  population  is  greater  and  time 
shall  have  done  its  perfect  work.  In  the  Trout 
Lake  country  already  referred  to  Stoller  and  Stad- 
elman  and  Pierson  and  other  pioneers  have  proved 
that  the  soil  is  capable  of  producing  hay  and  tame 
grass  in  abundance,  also  the  hardy  vegetables, 
wheat,  oats,  rye  and  other  cereals  and  such  fruits 
as  apples,  prunes,  plums  and  cherries.  As  a  result 
the  country  has  become  one  of  the  leading  dairy 
sections  of  the  Klickitat;  a  number  of  capacious 
sawmills  have  been  built  and  put  in  operation,  a  vil- 
lage has  sprung  up,  and  the  wilderness  has  been 
converted  into  homes  for  a  thrifty,  progressive  and 
prosperous  people.  A  creamery  and  cheese  factory 
lend  encouragement  to  the  dairy  industry,  making 
it  abundantly  remunerative. 

Another  little  community  in  the  western  part  of 
Klickitat  county  and  not  far  from  Trout  lake  is  that 
occupying  Camas  Prairie  and  vicinity.  The  home 
of  the  people  is  a  small,  grass  clad  mountain  valley 
and  they  get  their  mail  at  Glenwood  postofnce, 
where  are  also  an  excellent  general  store  and  hotel. 
The  principal  occupation  of  the  people  is  stock 
raising  and  dairying,  the  latter  industry  having  had 
its  inception  in  May,  1898,  when  the  Camas  Prairie 
Cheese  Factory  began  operations.  It  was  installed 
in  a  building  put  up  by  Oliver  Kreps,  though  the 
machinery  was  furnished  by  T.  S.  Townsend,  who 
was  manager  of  the  enterprise.  The  plant,  aside 
from  the  building,  has  recently  passed  into  the 
hands  of  Oscar  Brown,  by  whom  cheese  will  be 
manufactured  for  patrons  at  a  given  rate  per  pound. 
The  plan  of  the  former  management  was  to  buy 
the  butter  fat  from  the  farmers  at  a  price  of  two 
and  a  half  cents  per  pound  below  Portland  quota- 
tions, a  plan  which  was  not  generally  satisfactory. 

A  unique  organization  among  the'  citizens  of  the 
valley   is   the    Camas    Prairie   Pioneer   Association, 


instituted  September  27,  1900.  The  orginal  roll 
had  fifty-five  names  upon  it.  The  constitution  pro- 
vides that  a  residence  of  twenty  years  in  the  valley 
shall  entitle  a  person  to  membership,  so  the  number 
of  eligibles  is  constantly  increasing.  The  persons 
who  have  completed  their  second  decade  in  the  set- 
tlement and  who  have  availed  themselves  of  the 
privilege  of  joining  the  society  now  aggregate 
eighty-four.  The  association  holds  a  meeting  for  a 
barbecue  and  election  of  officers  on  the  second  Fri- 
day in  June  of  each  year,  and  its  custom  is  to 
render  a  literary  program  and  give  a  dance  and 
supper  annually  on  the  first  of  January. 

The  two  communities  just  referred  to  are  in  the 
western  part  of  the  county  and  notwithstanding 
their  charms  for  the  tourist  are  less  widely  known 
than  many  other  portions.  The  regions  which  have 
nade  the  county  famous  are  the  fruit  and  berry 
lands  of  the  Columbia  flats,  the  rich  Klickitat  valley, 
of  which  the  Swale  is  a  part,  the  Bickleton  wheat 
country,  the  timber  belt  of  the  Simcoe  mountains 
and  the  stock  ranges  of  the  uplands  in  all  parts  of 
the  county.  A  splendid  panoramic  view  of  much 
of  the  wheat  lands,  the  timber  areas  and  the  Colum- 
bia divide  may  be  had  from  the  top  of  one  of  the 
buttes  near  Goldendale.  The  scene  is  an  entrancing 
one  in  both  foreground  and  background,  and  will 
abundantly  repay  the  labors  of  the  ascent. 

Without  attempting  a  minute  description  of  the 
different  topographical  divisions  and  communities, 
we  shall  review  briefly  the  principal  industries  and 
products  of  the  county  taken  as  a  whole.  While 
Klickitat  county  is  no  longer  exclusively  a  stock 
raising  section  as  it  was  in  the  sixties,  and  while 
that  industry  can  no  longer  claim  predominance 
over  all  others  as  it  did  in  the  seventies  and  eight- 
ies, the  livestock  of  the  county  are  still  an  impor- 
tant source  of  revenue.  Among  those  who  still  keep 
considerable  herds  of  cattle  the  country  assessor 
names  the  following:  Franzen  Brothers,  100  head; 
Leon  W.  Curtiss,  350;  George  Smith,  100;  Cof- 
field  &  Sons,  150;  Wheelhouse  Brothers,  150;  Dan 
Jordan,  100;  William  Garner,  125 ;  D.  E.  Witt,  150; 
Rudolph  Hyting,  150;  Richard  Kelly,  175;  Robert 
Barker,  75;  O.  P.  Kreps,  100;  George  Kreps,  100; 
Claude  Steak,  125;  Chris.  Christenson,  150;  J.  B. 
Clatterbos,  75 ;  J.  L.  Henderson,  100 ;  Collarey 
Brothers,  150;  Christ.  Ling,  75;  Theodore  Parsons, 
80;  Mason  Brothers,  125;  A.  R.  Burkett,  150; 
Coate  Brothers,  150.;  W.  F.  Stadelman,  75;  G.  A. 
Snider,  75;  George  B.  Lyle,  75;  Henry  Stacker, 
1  So ;  John  Wires,  50 ;  John  Ferry,  75  ;  Jasper  Gun- 
ning, 50;  Fred  Storer,  50;  S.  P.  Kreps,  100;  Leon- 
ard Stump,  100;  J.  H.  Buschenshut,  50;  H.  John- 
son, 50;  H.  C.  Von  Ladiges,  100;  A.  M.  Balfour, 
150;  Herman  Bertschi,  150;  A.  Margraff,  100; 
Albert  Bertschi,  75 ;  Nettie  Barker,  50 ;  Peter  Staak, 
75;  Dyamond  Brothers,  150;  Henry  Restarf,  75; 
Nelson  Anderson,  150;  H.  R.  Murray,  50;  Peter 
Conboy,  50:  Peter  Hoult,  50;  J.  K.  Lewis,  50; 
Jacob  Powell,  50 :  Kuhnhausen  Brothers,  100 ; .  N. 


DESCRIPTIVE. 


335 


O.  Crevuling,  125  ^William  Frasier,  75;  Ed.  Snipes, 
50;  Flower  &  Coleman,  300. 

At  the  time  that  these  figures  were  given  out 
by  the  assessor  he  had  not  yet  listed  a  number  of 
bands  in  eastern  Klickitat.  The  total  number  of 
cattle  assessed  in  the  county  in  1903  was  13,002,  and 
their  value,  $209,877. 

The  rearing  of  horses  is  another  industry  that 
has  declined  with  the  plowing  up  of  the  bunch 
grass.  The  number  of  these  animals  in  the  county 
in  1903  was  6,241,  or  1,311  less  than  the  year  pre- 
vious. The  assessed  valuation  of  horses  in  1903 
was,  however,  nearly  $20,000  greater  than  in  1902, 
showing  that  the  quality  of  the  animals  is  increas- 
ing as  their  number  diminishes. 

Sheep  raising  is  another  industry  that  has  of 
necessity  contracted  in  magnitude  since  the  early 
days,  on  account  of  the  steady  narrowing  of  the 
public  range.  It  is,  nevertheless,  an  important 
enterprise,  the  number  of  sheep  assessed  in  the 
county  in  1903  being  93,765.  It  is  said  that  these 
animals  produce  from  nine  to  eleven  pounds  of  wool 
each,  which  sells  at  present  for  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  a  pound  and  upward.  The  sheep  are  ranged 
on  the  Columbia  slope  and  on  the  Simcoe  mountains 
and  some  of  them,  by  permit,  on  the  Ranier  forest 
reserve.  From  30,000  to  40,000  foreign  sheep  were 
ranged  last  year  within  the  limits  of  Klickitat 
county.  Among  the  principal  sheep  owners  of  the 
county,  as  shown  by  the  assessor's  rolls  so  far  as 
completed,  with  the  number  of  sheep  assessed  to 
each,  are :  F.  B.  Stimson,  275 ;  S.  W.  Childers, 
2,000;  L.  O'Brian,  1,100;  H.  W.  Crawford,  800; 
J.  C.  Crawford,  800;  V.  T.  Cook,  900;  G.  W. 
Smith,  1,900;  Henry  Brune,  1,000;  William  Brune, 
1,400;  E.  H.  Stegman,  1,600;  Hanson  Brothers, 
1,800;  A.  L.  Bunnell,  1,900;  James  Bunnell,  1,900; 
Montgomery  &  Wealthy,  1,400;  Presby  &  Nelson, 
460;  Keel  &  Son,  1,100;  John  Jackel,  2,500;  Phil- 
lips &  Aldrich,  6,000;  Clawsen  &  Burgen,  1,200; 
A.  O.  White,  700;  Chamberlain  Brothers,  2,400; 
J.  H.  Smith  &  Short,  1,000;  H.  W.  Wells,  3,000; 
Stone  Brothers,  1,500;  Fred  Fuhrman,  1,300;  G.  H. 
Taylor,  1,800;  Chancy  Goodnoe,  630;  Fred  Dee, 
3,500;  W.  O.  Hays,  800;  W.  A.  Imbrie,  250;  Smith 
&  Montgomery,  2,300;  J.  C.  Cummings  &  Willard, 
1,200;  Sam_  Sinclair,  2,500;  Hamilton  Conlee, 
1.800;  Sinclair  &  McAlister,  1,500;  H.  B.  Trask, 
1,000;  William  Mulligan,  2,500;  A.  L.  Harding, 
1,100;  Franzen  Brothers,  3,000;  Charles  Powell, 
2,500;  Henry  Matzen,  900;  M.  S.  Leonardo,  1,500; 
Stegerman  &  Son,  3,000;  John  McCredy,  10,000; 
Mason  Brothers,  1,500;  Riley  Kase,  1,000;  Isaac 
Clark,  2,000;  Murdock  McDonald,  3,000;  C.  W. 
Peters,  800;  Smyth  &  Son,  3,000';  R.  D.  White, 
2,000;  Thomas  White,  2,000;  E.  Lughinbull,  1,800; 
John  Copenheifer,  1,700;  F.  P.  Vincent,  2,000;  John 
Rassmussen,  1,100;  Joseph  Gadeburg,  1,200;  A.  O. 
Woods,  1,200;  and  John  Rosine,  1,200. 

The  raising  of  hogs  has  been  a  profitable  in- 
dustry in  Klickitat  as  elsewhere  in  the  west  during 


the  past  few  years,  owing  to  the  high  price  of  pork ; 
but  for  some  reason  the  number  of  hogs  in  the 
county  is  not  great.  Those  assessed  in  1903  aggre- 
gated 4,049 ;  in  1902,  6,479.  Frank  Aldrich,  of  the 
firm  of  Phillips  &  Aldrich,  estimates  that  the  farm- 
ers realized  $40,000  from  the  sale  of  hogs  in  1902 
and  $30,000  the  year  following. 

The  same  gentleman  says  that  an  average  crop 
of  approximately  600,000  bushels  of  grain  is  raised 
annually  in  that  part  of  Klickitat  county  which  lies 
west  of  Rock  creek,  while  that  east  produces  per- 
haps half  a  million  bushels.  Most  of  this  is  wheat, 
though  some  barley  is  grown  and  a  small  quantity 
of  oats.  The  wheat  yields  a  very  superior  quality 
of  flour.  Three  flour  mills  have  been  erected  within 
the  wheat  area,  two  in  Goldendale  and  one  at  Cleve- 
land. The  Goldendale  Milling  Company's  plant  was 
built  with  the  burr  system  in  1886,  but  later  re- 
modeled and  fitted  up  with  rollers  by  S.  H.  Jones 
and  Joseph  Nesbitt.  At  present  it  is  owned  by 
E.  S.  Hamlin  and  John  Korkish,  and  operated  by 
Phillips  &  Aldrich.  It  has  a  daily  capacity  of  100 
barrels.  It  manufactures  some  60,000  bushels  of 
wheat  into  flour  yearly,  a  third  of  which  only  is 
exported,  the  remainder  being  consumed  in  the 
countv. 

The  Klickitat  Roller  mill,  owned  by  C.  M.  Hess 
&  Son,  was  built  in  1878  and  remodeled  in  1892. 
Its  daily  capacity  is  about  70  barrels,  its  yearly  out- 
put the  product  of  some  70,000  bushels  of  wheat. 
It  also  grinds  perhaps  seventy-five  tons  of  barley. 
The  Cleveland  mill  is  of  small  capacity,  but  it  is 
expected  that  a  large  mill  will  soon  be  erected  and 
in  operation  at  Bickleton  for  the  handling  of  east 
side  wheat.  This  industry  has  received  a  powerful 
impetus  from  the  building  of  the  railroad  to  Golden- 
dale, and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  beneficent  influ- 
ence of  the  road  will  soon  reach  to  the  Bickleton 
country  and  beyond.  The  first  shipment  of  wheat 
by  rail  from  Klickitat  county  was  made,  it  is  re- 
ported, on  April  30,  1903. 

An  important  industry,  more  in  its  possibilities 
than  in  its  present  development,  is  fruit  raising. 
The  Columbia  valley,  by  reason  of  its  low  altitude 
and  warm  climate,  is  especially  adapted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  the  tender  varieties,  such  as  peaches, 
cherries,  apricots,  nectarines,  grapes,  etc.,  and  these 
are  being  cultivated  with  profit.  This  part  of  the 
county  is  not  so  well  adapted  to  apples  as  the  more 
elevated  section,  owing  to  the  presence  of  insect 
pests,  but  the  foothills  next  to  the  timbered  area, 
which  in  their  wild  state  are  covered  with  scrub 
oaks,  are  in  every  respect  suited  to  the  production 
of  beautifully  colored,  finely  flavored,  long  keeping 
apples.  Such  lands,  when  cleared  and  plowed,  sell 
at  $75  an  acre. 

Of  the  Columbia  fruit  basin,  the  State  Bureau 
of  Statistics,  Agriculture  and  Irrigation,  says: 

"Southern  Klickitat  county  has  a  number  of 
very  productive  fruit  belts,  the  oldest  and  best 
developed   being   the   White    Salmon    valley.     The 


336 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


conditions  here  are  also  at  their  best.  Owing  to 
their  proximity  to  the  great  snow  peaks,  Adams 
and  Hood,  and  the  Cascade  range,  there  is  a  much 
larger  rainfall  here  than  in  the  regions  last  de- 
scribed. (Yakima  and  the  Wenatche  valleys.) 
Most  of  the  section  has  natural  foreets,  which  must 
be  removed  to  fit  the  land  for  cultivation.  White 
Salmon  is  opposite  Hood  River  on  the  Oregon  side 
and  the  two  localities  have  established  a  wide  rep- 
utation for  their  strawberries.*  The  Hood  River 
berry  was  developed  here.  It  is  now  known  every- 
where as  the  best  shipping  berry  in  existence.  The 
output  of  the  White  Salmon  valley  cannot  be  accu- 
rately stated,  as  it  is  transported  both  by  rail  and 
boat  and  less  regularly  than  in  some  other  districts, 
but  probably  it  might  be  safely  estimated  at  about 
ioo  carloads  of  fruit  and  vegetables  annually.  The 
Columbia  district  of  Klickitat  county  has  some  of 
the  oldest  and  finest  peach  orchards  in  the  state. 
This  is  east  of  White  Salmon  and  water  is  required 
by  reason  of  the  scanty  rainfall.  Blalock  Island  is 
on  the  Washington  side  of  the  Columbia  and 
embraces  about  four  thousand  acres  of  land  which 
it  is  the  intention  of  its  owner  to  devote  entirely  to 
fruit  raising.  A  pumping  station  raises  water  from 
the  river  for  irrigation  and  the  entire  island  is 
rapidly  being  transformed  into  a  scene  of  verdure. 
By  reason  of  its  location  this  island  is  the  next 
thing  to  tropical,  peach  and  apricot  trees  blossoming 
in  February  and  strawberries  being  ripe  in  April. 
Tomatoes  and  green  corn  are  ready  for  use  by  the 
first  of  July.  For  peaches,  nectarines,  grapes,  ber- 
ries, tomatoes,  melons,  sweet  potatoes  and  peanuts, 
Blalock  Island  will,  without  question,  become  one 
of  the  most  notable  sections  of  the  state." 

As  almost  all  the  arable  parts  of  Klickitat 
county  are  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of  fruits  and 
vegetables,  there  is  no  doubt  that  "intensive" 
farming  can  be  carried  on  successfully  whenever  the 
development  of  the  county  and  surrounding  country 
shall  have  progressed  far  enough  to  demand  it.  So 
far,  artificial  watering  of  crops  has  not  gained  much 
of  a  foothold  in  Klickitat,  the  number  of  irrigators 
in  1899  beino-  only  151  and  of  irrigated  acres  only 
1,235.  However,  the  project  of  constructing  canals 
on  a  large  scale  has  been  receiving  considerable 
attention  of  late  and  the  dawn  of  the  era  of  mam- 
moth irrigation  enterprises  may  not  be  so  far  in 
the  future  as  some  suppose. 

*As  the  White  Salmon  berries  are  usually  shipped 
from  Hood  River,  the  latter  community  has  been  getting 
all  the  credit  for  the  products  of  the  fruit  districts  on 
both  sides  of  the  Columbia.  Hood  River  has  become 
famous  for  its  products  in  all  parts  of  the  west,  while 
White  Salmon  is  little  known.  This  is  hardly  fair,  as 
the  fruit  and  berry  lands  of  the  Washington  side  are 
fully  equal  in  all   respects  to  those  on  the  Oregon  shore. 


The  timber  belt  of  Klickitat  county  is  quite  ex- 
tensive, covering,  according  to  report  of  Henry  Gan- 
nett, of  the  United  States  Geological  Survey,  840 
square  miles  of  territory.  It  extends  from  the 
western  boundary  of  the  county  to  Bickleton,  a  dis- 
tance of  about  no  miles,  along  the  Simcoe  range. 
Mr.  Gannett's  estimate  of  timber  on  this  area  is  as 
follows:  Red  fir,  336,300,000  feet,  board  measure; 
pine,  321,100,000;  hemlock,  71,400,000;  larch,  10,- 
500,000;  oak,  3,700,000.  It  is  claimed  that  the  pine 
is  of  excellent  quality  and  of  two  principal  kinds, 
a  white  and  a  yellow  of  peculiar  variety,  commonly 
known  as  "Klickitat  pine."  Lumber  from  both  is 
in  demand  in  the  east  for  finishing  purposes  and 
some  is  exported  to  the  Orient.  But  the  greater 
part  of  the  lumber  product  is  consumed  at  home  and 
in  the  Yakima  country,  considerable  being  hauled 
to  the  latter  section  from  Cedar  valley  via  the  Sim- 
coe agency. 

For  many  years  the  manufacture  of  this  timber 
into  lumber  has  been  carried  on,  yet  the  area  logged 
in  1900,  according  to  government  reports,  was  only 
twenty-three  square  miles.  Daniel  W.  Pierce,  man- 
ager of  the  White  Pine  Lumber  Company,  estimates 
that  the  present  output  of  the  county  is  12,000,000 
feet  annually  and  that  this  output  lias  been  main- 
tained for  a  number  of  years  past.  The  assessor's 
rolls  show  the  sawmills  of  Klickitat  with  their  loca- 
tions and  capacity  per  diem  to  be  as  follows : 

White  Pine  Lumber  Company,  Bowman  creek, 
35,000  feetj  Sinclair  &  McCredy,  Pine  creek, 
30,000 ;  O.  P.  Shurtz  &  Sons,  Mill  creek,  two  mills, 
25,000  each ;  George  W.  Vanhoy,  Bowman  creek, 
15,000;  Charles  Woods,  Bowman  creek,  12,000;  Gus 
Jacraux,  Cedar  valley,  10,000;  D.  D.  Hopper,  Cedar 
valley,  10,000;  Enoch  Hays,  Cedar  valley,  14,000; 
Polish  Co-operative,  Cedar  valley,  15,000;  Baldwin, 
Cedar  valley,  10,000 ;  L.  E.  Hottman,  Gilmer, 
15,000;  F  C.  Smith,  Glenwood,  10,000;  Joseph 
Silva,  eight  miles  north  of  Lyle,  10,000;  Pine  Forest 
Lumber  Company,  five  miles  northwest  of  Golden- 
dale,  15,000;  Miller  Brothers,  twelve  miles  northeast 
of  Goldendale,  10,000 ;  Fox,  ten  miles  northwest  of 
Goldendale,  10,000;  Dubrosky,  twelve  miles  north- 
west of  Goldendale,  10,000;  Cameron,  White 
Salmon,  15,000;  Emmons  &  Emmons,  Pine  Flat, 
15,000;  Thomas  Jenkins,  Little  Klickitat,  7,000;  two 
in  Trout  Lake  region,  10,000  each;  shingle  mills, 
J.  H.  Allen's,  Little  Klickitat,  10,000  shingles; 
Daniel  E.  Robinson's,  Little  Klickitat,  10,000; 
George  W.  Vanhoy's,  Bowman  creek,  10,000;  M.  S. 
Bishop's,  Spring  creek,  10,000 ;  tie  mill,  one  on 
White  Salmon,  io.coo  feet  capacity;  sash  and  door, 
planing,  etc.,  White  Pine  Lumber  Company's  and 
Joseph  Beckett's,  both  of  Goldendale. 


CHAPTER  II. 


EDUCATIONAL. 


Could  all  the  details  of  the  establishment  of  the 
public  schools  in  the  three  counties  treated  of  in  this 
work  be  fully  recorded,  many  facts  of  great  his- 
torical interest  would  doubtless  be  presented.  The 
story  would  not  be  without  its  heroes — heroes,  too, 
whose  self-sacrifice  and  devotion  were  all  the  more 
commendable  because  they  were  certainly  aware 
when  they  gave  themselves  to  the  work  that  their 
labors  would  never  be  fully  appreciated  and  that  no 
future  historian  would  ever  be  able  to  place  the 
crown  of  heroism  upon  their  brows.  No  one  of  this 
group  of  counties  is  so  old  but  that  many  persons 
now  living  remember  the  establishment  of  the  first 
school  districts,  but  to  glean  the  facts  concerning 
these  from  such  an  uncertain  source  as  the  mem- 
ories of  men  would  be  an  endless  and  unprofitable 
task.  Of  the  struggles  and  persistent  efforts  which 
resulted  in  the  formation  of  districts  in  pioneer 
neighborhoods,  of  the  volunteer  labor  by  which  the 
first  rude  schoolhouses  were  built,  of  the  difficulties 
encountered  in  raising  sufficient  funds  to  maintain 
the  schools  for  a  few  months  each  year,  and  of  the 
pioneer  teachers  who  wrought  without  apparatus, 
without  supplementary  help  of  any  kind  and  with- 
out adequate  compensation,  no  full  account  can  here 
be  given.  The  official  records  of  schools  for  the 
first  years  are  not  available,  so  that  all  articles 
touching  this  subject  must  of  necessity  be  somewhat 
inaccurate  and  incomplete. 

The  American  pioneer  voluntarily  foregoes 
many  advantages  which  are  enjoyed  by  those  who 
remain  always  within  the  confines  of  established 
civilization,  but  the  invariable  tendency  is  to  build 
up  in  the  new  country  as  quickly  as  possible  institu- 
tions similar  to  those  left  behind.  One  of  the  dear- 
est of  these  institutions  to  the  American  heart  is 
the  public  school,  and  it  is  always  one  of  the  first 
to  spring  up  in  the  heart  of  a  newly  appropriated 
wilderness. 

The  pioneer  educational  institution  in  Klickitat 
county  was  a  private  school  organized  about  1862 
and  maintained  by  subscriptions  of  settlers.  Its 
first  teacher  was  Nelson  Whitney.  From  time  to 
time  thereafter  short  terms  of  school  were  taught 
in  the  valley,  the  money  for  their  maintenance 
coming  always  as  a  free  will  offering  from  the 
pockets  of  the  people.  After  the  permanent  organ- 
ization of  the  county  in  1867,  John  Burgen  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  schools  and  the  county 


was  divided  into  two  districts,  No.  1  at  Rockland, 
and  No.  2  on  the  Swale,  south  of  Goldendale.  John 
Jeffrey  was  the  first  teacher  in  the  Rockland  school 
and  Mrs.  Nelson  Whitney,  nee  Chamberlin,  the  first 
in  No.  2. 

Of  the  first  school  in  Yakima  county,  that  taught 
in  the  loft  of  the  Thorp  home  by  Mrs.  Lutitia 
Haines,  mention  has  been  made  heretofore.  About 
1864  a  little  log  schoolhouse  was  built  by  F.  M. 
Thorp  and  others  on  the  Thorp  place  in  the  Moxee 
valley.  Its  first  teacher  was  J.  W.  Grant,  who 
received  a  salary  of  fifty  dollars  a  month,  paid  per- 
haps entirely  by  Thorp.  Mr.  Grant  taught  school 
in  the  building  for  two  or  three  winters,  the  school 
being  maintained  .by  voluntary  subscriptions.  The 
next  schoolhouse  was  built  on  Charles  A.  Splawn's 
place,  just  northwest  of  Thorp's  ranch.  It  was  also 
a  log  building  of  small  dimensions.  Joseph  Law- 
rence taught  one  term  there,  then  the  school  was 
moved  back  to  the  Thorp  place.  A  man  named 
Lang  taught  this  school  during  the  winter  of 
1867-8,  after  which  it  was  abandoned,  the  Thorps 
moving  to  the  Kittitas  valley  and  Lang  accompany- 
ing them. 

Judge  John  Nelson  on  the  Naches  also  started 
a  private  school  for  the  benefit  of  his  familv,  in 
1867-8. 

Mrs.  Martha  (Goodwin)  Beck,  widow  of  the 
late  John  W.  Beck,  claims  to  have  taught  the  first 
public  school  in  what  is  now  Yakima  county,  the 
date  of  this  pioneer  school  being  the  fall  of  1871. 
Mrs.  Beck  received  a  salary  of  $30  a  month  for  her 
services,  she  to  furnish  and  maintain  a  schoolroom 
at  her  own  expense.  She  fitted  up  a  large  room  in 
her  own  home  near  the  site  of  Yakima  City. 
Benches  and  desks,  constructed  of  whipsawed 
lumber,  were  placed  three  rows  deep  on  the  sides 
of  the  room,  leaving  a  place  in  the  center  for  a  stove 
and  at  one  side  of  the  room  for  entrance.  Mr.  Beck 
constructed  a  fairly  serviceable  blackboard  out  of 
whipsawed  lumber,  planed  by  hand,  and  a  table 
and  teacher's  chair  completed  the  furniture  of  the 
room.  The  difficulties  Mrs.  Beck  experienced  in 
teaching  this  school  were  similar  to  those  of  all 
pioneer  teachers.  Too  large  a  variety  of  text  books 
and  a  great  difference  in  the  ages  and  previous 
training  of  her  pupils  made  the  school  very  difficult 
to  classify  and  to  handle  successfully. 

The  first  school  district  in  Kittitas  valley  was 


333 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


organized  in  1870  by  Charles  P.  Cooke,  then  county 
superintendent  of  Yakima  county.  Charles  A. 
Splawn  says  the  first  schoolhouse  in  the  valley  was 
a  rough  log  one  which  he  himself  constructed,  and 
in  which  he  taught  the  first  term  of  school. 
Although  the  school  was  organized  as  a  public  one, 
the  expenses  of  its  maintenance  were  subscribed  by 
the  people  in  the  district.  The  pupils,  twelve  in 
number,  were  mostly  Indians.  The  second  term 
was  taught  by  Mrs.  Yocum,  the  third  by  her 
daughter  Louisa,  afterwards  Mrs.  Edward  Cooke, 
and  the  fourth  by  Mr.  Splawn. 

By  1872,  there  were  seven  districts  in  Klickitat, 
five  in  Yakima  and  two  in  Kittitas  county.  J.  P. 
Marks,  county  superintendent  for  Yakima  county, 
1872-4,  tells  us  that  it  was  then  customary  to  hold 
a  teachers'  examination  whenever  application  was- 
made,  and  that  these  examinations  were  on  funda- 
mentals only,  such  as  orthography,  reading,  arith- 
metic, etc.  They  were  confined  to  the  commonest 
branches  of  learning  and  were  usually  very  easy. 
Mr.  Marks  tells  of  examining  one  candidate  while 
sitting  on  a  fence.  As  the  candidate  rolled  and 
smoked  a  cigarette  during  the  examination  and  as 
he  was  known  to  be  a  rather  idle  fellow  who  usually 
sought  the  shade  whenever  hard  work  was  to  be 
done  and  as  he  was  no  scholar,  he  was  not  granted 
a  certificate. 

Owing  to  lack  of  early  records  it  is  impossible 
to  trace  the  gradual  development  of  the  public 
school  systems  in  the  three  counties  of  our  group. 
The  same  causes  which  led  to  the  establishment  of 
the  schools  of  which  mention  has  been  already  made 
resulted  in  the  institution  of  others  as  the  country 
was  settled.  The  first  duplicate  report  now  in  the 
office  of  the  superintendent  of  Klickitat  county,  that 
for  the  year  1879,  shows  1,180  children  of  school 
age  in  the  county,  and  the  average  attendance  of 
children  during  the  year  792.  There  were  then 
twenty-nine  school  districts,  fourteen  of  which  were 
supplied  with  schoolhouses,  and  the  average  number 
of  months  taught  during  the  year  was  four.  No 
graded  schools  were  reported. 

The  report  for  the  year  1884  shows  an  increase 
of  the  juvenile  population  of  the  county  to  1,699 
and  of  school  districts  to  thirty-six,  thirty  of  which 
were  provided  with  schoolhouses.  Thirty-four 
teachers  were  employed  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
county,  of  whom  seven  held  first  grade  certificates, 
fourteen  second  grade  and  thirteen  third  grade. 
The  average  salaries  paid  were,  to  males,  $44  a 
month,  to  females,  $31.50.  The  estimated  value  of 
schoolhouses  and  grounds  was  $8,945,  of  furniture 
$803,  of  apparatus  $178.  The  average  number  of 
months  schools  were  taught  had  increased  to  five 
and  in  every  way  a  decided  advance  was  shown 
since  the  submission  of  the  report  of  1879. 

By  1880  the  number  of  schools  in  Yakima  and 
Kittitas  counties,  which  were  as  yet  united,  had  in- 
creased to  twenty-three  with  an  enrollment  of  517 
pupils.    By  1883,  when  Kittitas  county  was  created, 


this  number  had  increased  to  thirty-two.  That 
Yakima  county  soon  made  good  the  number  lost  by 
the  curtailment  of  its  territory  is  shown  by  the 
annual  report  of  County  Superintendent  J.  G.  Law- 
rence for  the  year  ending  June  30,  1891,  which 
shows  841  males  and  764  females  of  school  age  in 
Yakima,  of  whom  577  males  and  532  females  were 
enrolled.  The  number  of  school  districts  was 
twenty-six  and  the  average  length  of  school  terms 
was  4.25  months.  There  were  twenty-five  frame 
and  three  brick  schoolhouses.  Forty-four  teachers 
were  employed  in  the  school  at  this  time.  Four  state 
or  territorial  certificates  were  in  force  in  the  county, 
also  eleven  first  grade,  twenty-three  second  grade 
and  nine  third  grade  county  certificates.  The 
average  salary  of  the  teachers  employed  was  $52.31 
to  males,  and  $44.10  to  females.  The  expenditures 
during  the  year  were  $27,033.17,  of  which  $9,979.83 
went  to  teachers  and  $14,331.79  for  sites,  buildings 
and  equipments. 

A  paper  prepared  by  Prof.  Lawrence  and  pub- 
lished in  the  Yakima  Herald  of  March  7,  1895, 
describes  well  the  rapid  progress  of  the  school  in- 
terests in  the  county  for  the  four  years  preceding 
its  date : 

"Perhaps,"  says  Prof.  Lawrence,  "there  is  no 
more  certain  indication  of  real  and  substantial 
growth  of  a  country  than  the  advancement  of  its 
schools.  A  little  over  four  years  ago  the  school 
census  of  the  county  showed  scarcely  a  thousand 
names.  The  last  census  shows  nearly  three  thou- 
sand and  more  than  half  of  this  increase  has  been 
within  the  past  two  years. 

"In  June,  1890,  there  were  six  substantial  school 
buildings  in  the  county  outside  of  North  Yakima. 
Of  those  only  three  were  new  and  two  of  the  others 
had  been  so  remodeled  and  improved  that  they 
would  not  be  recognized  as  the  same  buildings.  In 
June,  1890,  five  school  buildings  had  been  supplied 
with  patent  desks  and  there  was  little  apparatus. 
School  was  held  for  about  three  months  each  year. 
This  was  not  from  lack  of  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  but 
the  scattered  population  rendered  it  difficult  to  get 
enough  children  in  one  locality  to  hold  a  school.  At 
that  time  there  were  but  twenty-six  districts  in  the 
county,  but  the  stream  of  immigration  has  poured 
in  steadily  and  the  measure  of  the  people  we  have 
been  receiving  is  shown  by  the  public  spirit  they 
have  manifested. 

"On  January  1,  1895,  the  school  districts  of 
Yakima  county  numbered  forty-six,  and  the  number 
of  teachers  required  was  sixty.  Besides  there  are 
two  sectarian  academies,  both  of  which  are  well 
attended.  In  May,  1892,  there  were  one  schoolhouse 
and  about  forty-five  children  on  the  lands  under 
the  Sunnyside  canal.  To-day  there  are  nine  dis- 
tricts and  more  than  500  children  there. 

"In  June,  1890,  the  valuation  of  schoolhouses 
and  grounds  in  the  county  was  about  $20,000;  to- 
day it  is  nearly  $100,000.  Twenty-five  new  school- 
houses  of  the  most  modern  stvle  of  architecture  have 


EDUCATIONAL. 


339 


been  built  and  school  is  conducted  from  five  to  nine 
months  a  year  in  each.  No  one  need  hesitate  about 
locating  in  this  county  through  fear  of  inferior 
educational  advantages." 

Meanwhile,  the  educational  progress  in  the 
two  other  counties  had  been  proportionately  rapid. 
According  to  Superintendent  J.  H.  Morgan's  report 
for  1891,  the  school  population  of  Kittitas  county 
was  2,419,  of  whom  1,231  were  males  and  1,188 
females.  The  number  of  these  who  availed  them- 
selves of  school  privileges  was,  males  909,  females 
861.  The  number  of  school  districts  in  the  county 
was  thirty-six  and  of  teachers  employed  forty-four. 
Of  these  four  held  state  or  territorial  certificates, 
six  first  grade  county  certificates;  twenty  second 
grade,  thirteen  third  grade  and  one  was  not  re- 
ported. The  average  salary  paid  was,  to  males 
$57.90;  to  females,  $49.70.  The  expenditures  for 
the  year  were  $69,924.52,  of  which  the  teachers 
received  $14,595.31 ;  the  remainder  was  utilized  for 
the  purchase  of  new  sites  and  the  erection  of  new 
buildings.  Two  graded  schools  were  maintained 
in  the  county. 

The  report  of  Superintendent  N.  B.  Brooks  of 
Klickitat  county,  for  the  year  1891,  shows  the 
number  of  children  of  school  age  in  that  county 
to  have  been  2,141,  of  whom  1,142  were  males  and 
999  females.  Of  these  1,632  were  enrolled.  The 
number  of  school  districts  in  the  county  had  in- 
creased to  51 ;  of  teachers  to  59,  30  of  whom  were 
males,  and  29  females.  The  average  wages  paid 
were,  to  males  $43.75  a  month;  to  females  $39.50. 

Since  1891  there  has  been  steady  improvement 
in  the  public  school  system  along  many  lines.  A 
comparison  of  the  foregoing  reports  with  those  sub- 
mitted for  the  year  1903  will  reveal  much  cause  for 
congratulation.  The  report  of  Supt.  S.  A.  Dickey 
of  Yakima  county  for  that  year  shows  6,566  chil- 
dren between  the  ages  of  five  and  twenty-one,  of 
whom  5,331  availed  themselves  of  school  privileges, 
an  increase  in  the  enrollment  of  forty  per  cent,  over 
the  previous  year.  The  average  number  of  months 
school  was  maintained  had  increased  to  six  and  the 
total  days  attendance  aggregated  496,916.  The 
services  of  131  teachers  were  required.  Of  these 
three  held  state  or  territorial  diplomas,  fourteen  held 
elementary  state  normal  diplomas,  two  advanced 
course  diplomas,  twenty-two  first  grade  certificates, 
fifty-three  second  grade  and  twenty-two  third  grade. 
The  standing  of  the  remaining  teachers  is  not  shown 
in  the  reports.  During  the  year  ten  new  school 
buildings  were  erected,  making  in  all  sixty-five. 
The  number  of  districts  had  increased  to  sixty-eight, 
twenty-one  of  which  maintained  graded  schools  and 
four  maintained  high  schools.  The  total  expendi- 
tures for  school  purposes  during  the  year  were 
$107,673.82;  $45,098.38  for  teachers'  salaries;  $16,- 
596.72  for  rents,  fuel,  repairs,  etc.;  $28,857.74  for 
buildings,  sites,  and  equipment;  balance  on  hand, 
$31,053.10.  The  assessed  valuation  of  the  districts 
was  $7,444,588.     The  high   schools   are   in   North 


Yakima,  Zillah,  Sunnyside,  and  Prosser,  and  it  is 
expected  that  high  school  grades  will  be  introduced 
this  year  at  Simcoe  and  Toppenish.  North  Yakima 
has  a  complete  high  school  course;  the  others  three 
year  courses. 

The  educational  progress  in  Kittitas  has  also 
been  rapid,  a  fact  which  is  shown  by  an  examina- 
tion of  Superintendent  W.  A.  Thomas's  report  for 
the  year  ending  June  30,  1903.  The  population  of 
the  county  of  school  age  had  increased  to  3,120,  of 
whom  2,975  were  enrolled  in  the  schools.  The 
average  number  of  months  school  was  maintained 
had  increased  to  6.4.  There  were  thirty-seven 
school  districts,  in  which  seventy-two  teachers 
found  employment.  Of  the  teachers  of  the  county, 
one  had  a  state  certificate,  thirteen  held  life  diplomas 
from  the  state  normal  school ;  seven  elementary 
normal  diplomas ;  seven  advanced  diplomas ;  fifteen 
first  grade  certificates ;  twenty-five  second  grade ; 
and  five  third  grade.  The  estimated  value  of  all 
school  property  had  increased  to  $100,665,  ar,d  the 
total  assessed  valuation  of  the  county  property  had 
grown  to  $4,201,108.  The  good  work  accomplished 
in  the  schools  of  Kittitas  is  no  doubt  in  large 
measure  due  to  the  liberal  salaries  paid  by  the  dif- 
ferent districts.  The  average  salary  for  the  year 
1902-3  was  to  males  $71.13,  to  females  $55.20. 
The  ability  of  the  districts  to  pay  fair  wages  makes 
it  possible  for  them  to  demand  proficiency  in  their 
teachers,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that  Kittitas 
county's  force  of  educators  will  compare  very 
favorably,  both  in  educational  qualifications  and 
professional  skill,  with  any  similar  body  in  the  state. 
Advanced  grade  schools  are  maintained  at  Ellens- 
burg,  Roslyn  and  Cle-Elum.  The  Ellensburg  school 
system  includes  eleven  grades,  and  it  is  expected 
that  a  twelfth  will  be  added  next  year;  the  Roslyn 
school  has  had  ten  grades  for  several  years;  Cle- 
Elum,  which  four  years  ago  had  only  one  teacher, 
this  year  employed  six,  and  had  nine  grades ;  Thorp 
has  an  eight-grade  school  and  two  teachers. 

Similar  progress  is  noticeable  in  the  educational 
system  of  Klickitat  county.  The  report  of  Super- 
intendent C.  M.  Ryman  for  the  year  ending  August 
6,  1903,  shows  2,511  children  of  school  age,  2,140 
of  whom  are  enrolled  in  the  public  schools.  The 
average  number  of  months  for  which  school  is  held 
is  comparatively  low,  being  only  4.6,  but  we  are  in- 
formed that  the  report  for  the  present  year  will 
show  a  marked  improvement  in  this  respect.  If  it 
is  not  possible  to  increase  the  length  of  term  by 
any  other  method,  some  of  the  districts  in  the  thinly 
settled  regions  will  be  consolidated.  There  are  sev- 
enty school  districts  in  the  county,  in  which  ninety- 
six  teachers  were  employed  last  year.  Of  this 
number,  six  have  first  grade  certificates;  thirty-two 
second  grade,  and  twelve  third  grade.  There  are 
five  schools  in  the  county  of  more  than  one  depart- 
ment. Goldendale  has  two  school  buildings,  one 
with   six   and   one   with   eight   rooms;   Centerville, 


340 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Bickleton,  White  Salmon,  and  Trout  Lake  each 
have  two-room  schoolhouses. 

A  fact  of  unusual  interest  with  regard  to  the 
public  school  system  of  Klickitat  is  that  it  possesses 
as  a  source  of  revenue  a  special  endowment  known 
as  the  "Joshua  Brown  School  Fund."  This  was 
founded  by  Joshua  Brown,  who  at  his  death  be- 
queathed all  his  property  to  the  common  schools  of 
the  county.  Mr.  Brown  came  to  Klickitat  in  the 
later  sixties  and  was  engaged  in  the  occupation  of 
raising  stock  for  a  number  of  years.  When  finally 
he  fell  sick  and  became  apprehensive  that  the  time 
of  his  departure  was  at  hand,  he  made  a  will  leaving 
all  his  property  as  an  endowment  fund  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  public  schools  of  the  county  in  which, 
although  he  had  no  family  of  his  own,  he  seemed  to 
take  a  great  interest.  Joshua  Brown  died  December 
13,  1870,  leaving  his  estate  in  the  hands  of  John 
Burgen,  then  county  superintendent  of  schools,  for 
settlement.  The  property  was  appraised  at  $3,- 
041.62,  and  brought  at  actual  sale  $3,287.11,  of 
which,  after  paying  the  expenses  of  settling  the 
estate,  there  remained  as  a  permanent  fund  $2,- 
554.93.  As  this  form  of  benevolence  had  been  with- 
out precedent  in  the  history  of  the  territory  it  was 
necessary,  before  the  money  could  be  used  for  the 
purpose  to  which  it  had  been  devoted  by  Mr. 
Brown,  to  pass  an  act  of  the  legislature  making 
special  provision  for  its  maintenance  and  use.  This 
was  not  done  until  May,  1875.  Since  that  time  the 
fund  has  been  preserved  intact  and  yields  a  con- 
siderable revenue  each  year  to  the  schools  of  the 
county. 

That  the  people  in  the  counties  to  which  this 
work  is  devoted  are  interested  in  higher  education 
is  conclusively  demonstrated  by  the  fact  that  not 
one  of  the  group  is  without  an  institution  of  higher 
learning.  Chief  in  importance  among  these  institu- 
tions is  the  state  normal  school  located  at  Ellens- 
burg  in  Kittitas  county  and  maintained  by  the  state. 
We  are  fortunate  in  having  a  historical  sketch  of 
this  school,  together  with  an  outline  of  its  plans  of 
work  prepared  for  us  by  Prof.  J.  H.  Morgan  and 
Principal  W.  E.  Wilson. 

THE   ELLENSBURG   STATE    NORMAL. 

The  Washington  State  Normal  school,  located  at 
Ellensburg,  was  established  by  an  act  of  the  first  state 
legislature,  approved  by  Governor  Elisha  P.  Ferry,  March 
28,  1890.  The  directors  of  the  Ellensburg  public  schools 
tendered  the  use  of  the  assembly  room  and  four  large 
class  rooms  on  the  second  floor  of  their  building  to  the 
state  to  be  used  until  a  state  building  could  be  erected. 
This  tender  was  accepted,  and  the  legislature  made  a 
small  appropriation  for  the  maintenance  of  the  school  for 
a  period  of  two  years.  The  school  was  accordingly 
opened   September  6,   1891. 

Benjamin  F.  Barge,  as  principal,  with  W.  N.  Hull, 
Fannie  C.  Norris  and  Rose  M.  Rice,  constituted  the 
first  faculty.  One  room  on  the  ground  floor  of  the  pub- 
lic school  building  was  used  as  a  model  room  with  Rose 
M.  Rice  in  charge.  This  was  filled  with  first  and  second 
grade  children,  and  members  of  the  senior  class  first  ob- 
served and  later  taught  under  Miss  Rice's  supervision. 


There  were  enrolled  during  the  first  year  eighty-six 
students,  and  the  following  eleven  of  them  were  grad- 
uated at  its  close:  Ella  M.  Buriff,  U.  Grant  Edwards, 
N.  L.  Gardner,  Susie  Alice  Gilbert,  Lottie  E.  Milham, 
Anna  Murray,  Malcolm  W.  Odell,  Lulu  M.  Oliver,  Maud 
M.  Painter,  Laura  M.  Rudio  and  Esther  M.  Thomas. 
Most  of  these  were  graduates  of  high  schools  before  en- 
tering the  normal  and  some  were  teachers  of  experience. 

The  first  two  years  of  the  school  were  sufficiently 
successful  in  the  eyes  of  the  legislature  to  justify  an  in- 
creased appropriation  for  its  maintenance  and  an  appro- 
priation of  $60,000  for  the  erection  of  a  building. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  third  year  the  faculty  was 
increased  to  seven  members  and  departments  were  estab- 
lished. The  training  school  also  was  increased  to  four 
rooms,  covering  the  first  four  grades.  In  the  meanwhile 
the  new  building  was  in  process  of  construction  on  a 
sightly  block  three  hundred  by  four  hundred  feet  in  di- 
mensions, donated  by  the  city  of  Ellensburg. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  fourth  year,  P.  A.  Getz  suc- 
ceeded B.  F.  Barge  as  principal,  the  latter  having  resigned 
at  the  close  of  the  third  year,  and  the  school  was  opened 
in  its  own  building  September  4,  1894,  with  a  faculty  of 
nine  members.  The  training  school  was  increased  to  six 
grades   and   the   course   of  study  was   somewhat   changed. 

Prof.  Barge  had  allowed  the  school  the  use  of  his 
private  library  during  his  principalship,  and  the  trustees 
had  in  the  meantime  purchased  as  many  books  as  the  lim- 
ited funds  at  their  command  would  allow.  They  also 
purchased  a  portion  of  Prof.  Barge's  library  upon  his  re- 
tirement, so  that  when  the  school  was  housed  in  its  own 
quarters  in  September,  1894,  it  owned  a  small  library. 

During  the  next  four  years  the  school  gradually  de- 
veloped, the  course  of  study  being  made  more  professional 
and  less  academic,  the  equipment  and  facilities  being  in- 
creased, the  library  growing,  etc. 

In  the  summer  of  1898  P.  A.  Getz  resigned  as  prin- 
cipal and  W.  E.  Wilson,  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
was  elected  to  succeed  him.  Since  that  time  the  develop- 
ment of  the   school   has  been  continuous. 

The  building  contains  an  assembly  room,  seated  with 
opera  chairs  with  book  pocket  attachments ;  a  gymnasium, 
fairly  well  equipped ;  sixteen  class  rooms ;  four  office 
rooms,  two  music  rooms,  ladies'  dressing  room  furnished 
with  individual  lockers,  and  a  similar  one  for  the  men. 

An  up-to-date  kindergarten  department  is  main- 
tained and  is  to  be  more  completely  equipped. 

The  library  contains  from  three  thousand  to  four 
thousand  volumes  of  carefully  selected  books,  in  addition 
to  text  books,  reports  and  pamphlets.  One  hundred  dol- 
lars are  spent  annually  in  supplying  the  reading  room 
with  the  leading  magazines,  school  publications  and  news- 
papers. Two  pleasant  rooms,  well  lighted  and  ventilated, 
connected  by  an  archway,  are  used  for  the  library  and 
reading  room.  The  text  book  room  is  also  adjacent  to 
the    reading   room. 

The  school  is  supplied  with  five  pianos,  one  being 
in  the  assembly,  one  in  the  gymnasium,  one  in  the  music 
teacher's  room,  one-  in  the  practice  room  and  one  in  the 
kindergarten. 

The  art  department  is  furnished  with  twentieth  cen- 
tury drawing  tables  and  models  for  drawing  and  mould- 
ing. 

The  scope  and  advantages  of  the  training  school 
have  kept  pace  with  the  development  of  the  school  in 
other  respects.  There  are  now  nine  grades  maintained 
above  the  kindergarten.  The  class  rooms  are  furnished 
with  desks,  except  the  kindergarten  department  and  the 
first  grade  room.  These  are  furnished  with  tables  and 
chairs.  The  walls  are  in  part  decorated  with  the  handi- 
work of  the  pupils.  There  is  also  a  training  school 
library. 

The  biological  department  occupies  a  recitation  room 
and   a   laboratory   accommodating   about   twenty   students. 


EDUCATIONAL. 


There  is  a  convenient  private  laboratory  provided  with 
work  table,  re-agent  cases,  an  excellent  slide  cabinet  hold- 
ing about  one  thousand  slides,  besides  a  large  private  col- 
lection of  microscopic  slides,  chiefly  of  histological  and 
cytological  preparations ;  a  considerable  collection  of  pri- 
vate zoological  material ;  a  good  supply  of  standard  re- 
agents ;  a  first-class  Bausch  &  Lomb  continental  micro- 
scope, with  a  camera  lucida  and  all  modern  accessories. 

The  main  laboratory  provides  desks  of  the  most  con- 
venient make  with  double  drawers  and  microscope  cage 
for  about  twenty  students.  It  is  fitted  up  with  convenient 
herbarium  cases,  convenient  cases  for  zoological  materials 
and  other  laboratory  accessories;  a  sink,  five  glass  aquaria 
and  a  vivarium  with  running  water.  The  laboratory  is 
provided  with  twenty-two  very  good  compound  micro- 
scopes and  with  the  same  number  of  dissecting  micro- 
scopes, a  large  paraffine  bath  and  a  Minot  microtome  of 
the  latest  design.  There  are  twelve  convenient  re-agent 
cases  provided  with  bell  jars  besides  the  usual  laboratory 
equipment  of  tools  and  glassware  for  each  desk.  There 
are  also  several  museum  cases  with  mounted  botanical  and 
zoological   specimens. 

The  department  of  chemistry  contains  equipment  for 
twenty-four  individual  laboratory  sets,  including  apparatus 
and  chemicals  for  a  full  course  in  inorganic  chemistry. 
The  laboratory  has  just  been  rearranged  and  equipped 
with  a  good  fume  cupboard. 

The  physics  department  contains  a  good  set  of  ap- 
paratus .for  the  illustration  of  all  the  experiments  in  the 
elementary  text  books.  The  equipment  for  the  study  of 
electricity  is  especially  full.  The  school  has  not  the  most 
costly  apparatus  that  could  be  obtained,  but  has  enough 
to  explain   all   the  different  topics   studied. 

For  the  geological,  geographical  and  astronomical 
work  there  is  a  collection  of  rocks,  minerals,  and  fossils, 
the  large  relief  map  of  the  United  States  by  Edwin  E. 
Howell  on  a  section  of  a  globe  sixteen  and  a  half  feet 
in  diameter  and  numerous,  small  relief  maps,  wall  maps, 
globes,  etc.  For  practical  work  in  astronomy  there  was 
recently  purchased  of  Bardou  &  Son,  of  Paris,  a  forty- 
eight-inch  telescope  with  a  three  and  a  half-inch  lens, 
the  instrument  being  valued  at  $250,  This  and  a  set  of 
astronomical  charts  aid  greatly  in  the  teaching  of  astron- 
omy and  astronomical   geography. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  present  faculty 
with  a  few  remarks  about  the  education  and  former 
experience  of  each : 

William  Edward  Wilson,  A.  M.,  principal  and 
professor  of  History  and  Philosophy  of  Education, 
since  1898.  A  normal  school  teacher  and  principal 
of  successful  experience  and  a  well  known  lecturer 
before  teachers'  institutes.  Professor  Wilson's 
biography  will  be  found  elsewhere  in  these  pages. 

John  Henry  Morgan,  A.  M.,  vice  principal  and 
Professor  of  Mathematics  since  1893,  a  graduate 
of  Furman  University,  South  Carolina,  ex-terri- 
torial superintendent  of  schools  and  a  well  known 
educator  in  the  Northwest.  Professor  Morgan  is 
also  given  representation  in  the  biographical  records 
of  this  work. 

J.  P.  Munson,  M.  S.,  Ph.  D.,  Department  of 
Biology;  B.  S.  Wisconsin  University,  1887;  Ph.  B., 
Yale  University ;  Ph.  D.  Chicago  University.  Pro- 
fessor Munson  has  held  his  present  position  since 
1899. 

Edwin  James  Saunders,  B.  A.,  Professor  of 
Physics,  Chemistry,  Geology  and  Geography;  grad- 


uated from  Petrolia  (Ontario)  High  school  in  1889, 
from  the  Toronto  Normal  school  in  1892,  and  To- 
ronto University,  1896;  has  held  present  position 
since  1898. 

Miss  Ella  Isabel  Harris,  Ph.  D.,  Professor  of 
English  Language  and  Literature;  B.  A.,  Waynes- 
burg  College,  Waynesburg,  Pennsylvania,  1890; 
M.  A.  in  1892;  fellow  of  Yale  College,  1898-9; 
Ph.  D.  Yale,  1899;  substitute  in  English  department 
of  Parker  Collegiate  Institute,  1899-1900;  instructor 
in  English  department  of  Vassar  College,  1900-01 ; 
head  of  English  department  of  Washington  State 
Normal  school  since  February,  1902;  published  in 

1900,  "Two  Tragedies  of  Seneca"  (Houghton,  Mif- 
flin &  Company,  Boston),  and  in  1904,  a  translation 
of  the  Two  Tragedies  of  Seneca  (Oxford  Univer- 
sity Press,  London). 

Miss  Jessie  B.  Wilcox,  Professor  of  History, 
graduated  from  the  Oswego  State  Normal  school 
in  1898,  since  which  time  she  has  held  her  present 
position. 

Miss  Evelyn  A.  Thomas,  Professor  Physical 
Training  and  Reading,  graduated  with  honors  from 
the  Emerson  School  of  Oratory,  1901,  and  did  post- 
graduate work,  1902-3. 

Miss  Mary  A.  Grupe,  Principal  Training  De- 
partment, Professor  of  Pedagogy,  graduated  from 
Dayton,  Washington,  High  school,  the  Oswego 
Normal  Training  school,  New  York ;  spent  two  and 
a  half  years  at  Chicago  University ;  has  been  con- 
nected with  Washington  State  Normal  since  1897. 

Miss  Ruth  C.  Hoffman,  Principal  Primary 
Training  department;  graduated  from  the  kinder- 
garten and  English  courses  of  the  Oswego  State 
Normal ;  taught  in  the  Detroit  Home  and  Day 
school;  has  been  principal  of  the  primary  training 
department  of  the  Washington  State  Normal  since 
1902. 

Miss  Mary  A.  Proudfoot,  Kindergarten  Direc- 
tor and  Art  Instructor ;  graduated  in  1893  from 
Monticello  Seminary,  Godfrey,  Illinois,  and  from 
Chicago  Kindergarten  Institute  in  1895 ;  director  of 
Longwood  kindergarten,  Chicago,  1895-98;  post- 
graduate student  at  Pestalozzi-Froebel  House,  1899- 

1901,  since  which  time  she  has  been  with  the 
Washington  State  Normal. 

Miss  Annette  V.  Bruce,  Instructor  in  Vocal  and 
Instrumental  Music;  graduated  from  piano  depart- 
ment of  South  Dakota  University  under  Franz 
Ballasegus  of  Berlin ;  studied  under  Bruno  Zroint- 
scher  of  Leipsic;  taught  two  years  in  University 
of  South  Dakota,  three  years  in  the  Oregon  State 
Normal  at  Monmouth  and  has  been  in  the  Wash- 
ington State  Normal  since  1897. 

Bethesda  I.  Beals,  Ph.  B.,  Instructor  in  Latin 
and  English ;  graduated  with  Ph.  B.  and  Ped.  B., 
University  of  Washington,  1808;  student  at  grad- 
uate school  of  Yale  College,  1898-1900;  principal 
of  Union  High  school,  Sedro-Woolley,  1900-1901 ; 
instructor   in    English,    University  of   Washington, 


342 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


1901-1902;  instructor  in  Latin,  State  Normal  school 
since  1902. 

Miss  Margaret  Steinbach,  Assistant  in  Training 
School;  graduated  by  Washington  State  Normal 
school  in  1898;  taught  three  years  in  North  Yak- 
ima and  three  years  in  Everett  public  schools ;  came 
back  to  her  alma  mater  in  1903. 

Mrs.  C.  V.  Warner  acts  as  librarian,  Miss  Anna 
L.  Frost  as  secretary  and  Mrs.  E.  J.  Arthur  as 
matron  of  the  girls'  dormitory.  The  present  board 
of  trustees  is  composed  of  Dr.  J.  A.  Mahan,  presi- 
dent, Ellensburg;  Stanton  Warburton,  Tacoma, 
and  H.  M.  Baldwin,  also  of  Ellensburg;  Prof.  J. 
H.  Morgan  acts  as  secretary  of  the  board. 

A  complete  list  of  the  teachers  that  have  been 
employed  by  the  Normal  since  its  establishment  is 
as  follows: 

Benjamin  F.  Barge,  principal,  1891-1894;  W. 
N.  Hull,  1891-1893;  Fannie  C.  Norris,  1891-1892; 
Rose  M.  Rice,  model  teacher,  1891-1892;  Elvira 
Marquis,  English,  1892-1897;  Christiana  S.  Hyatt, 
principal  training  school,  1892-1894;  J.  A.  Mahan, 
sciences,  1893-1897;  J.  H.  Morgan,  vice-principal, 
mathematics,  1893- ;  Elizabeth  A.  Cartwright,  elo- 
cution, physical  training,  1893- ;  Anna  L.  Steward, 
critic  teacher,  1893-1898:  C.  H.  Knapp,  history  and 
geography,  1893- 1896;  Fanny  A.  Ayres,  music, 
1 894- 1 897;  P.  A.  Getz,  principal,  1894- 1898;  Ruth 
A.  Turner,  drawing,  1894-1897;  George  E.  St 
John,  geography,  history,  pedagogics,  1896- 1897; 
Annie  Klingensmith,  principal  training  school, 
1896-1898;  W.  L.  German,  physical  sciences,  1897- 
1898;  Blanche  Page,  geography,  history  and  peda- 
gogics, 1 897- 1 898;  Lillian  J.  Throop,  music,  1897- 
1898;  Lucy  J.  Anderson,  physical  training,  1897- 
1899;  Agnes  Stowell,  literature  and  rhetoric,  1897- 
1899;  Mary  A.  Grupe,  drawing,  principal  training 
school,  1897- ;  W.  E.  Wilson,  principal,  1898- ;  E. 
J.  Saunders,  physical  sciences,  1898-;  Jessie  B.Wil- 
cox, geography,  history,  1898- ;  Annette  V.  Bruce, 
music,  1898- ;  Colema  Dickey,  model  teacher,  1898- 
1902;  J.  P.  Munson,  biology,  sociology,  1899- ; 
Laura  G.  Riddell,  English,  1899-1902;  Ida  M. 
Remmele,  physical  training,  reading,  1 899-1 903  ; 
Charlotte  Sanford,  assistant,  1899-1902;  Lucinda 
P.  Boggs,  principal  primary  training  school,  1901- 
1902;  Mary  A.  Proudfoot,  art,  kindergarten,  1901-; 
Ella  I.  Harris,  English  language  and  literature, 
1902- ;  Ruth  C.  Hoffman,  principal  primary  train- 
ing school,  1902- ;  Jennie  H.  Evans,  music  (sub- 
stitute), 1902-1903;  Bethesda  I.  Beals,  Latin,  Eng- 
lish, 1902- ;  Margaret  Steinbach,  assistant,  1903-. 

The  following  gentlemen  have  served  on  the 
board  of  trustees:  W.  R.  Abrams,.  1891-1893;  Dr. 
T.  J.  Newland,  1891-1896:  Fred  W.  Agatz,  1891- 
1893;  Ralph  Kauffman,  1893-1898;  S.  W.  Barnes, 
1893-1898;  B.  S.  Scott,  1896-1898;  C.  V.  Warner, 
1898-1904;  Johnson  Nickens,  1898-1900;  Eugene 
Wager,  1898-1902;  Stanton  Warburton,  1900; 
Dr.  J.  A.  Mahan,  1902- ;  and  H.  M.  Baldwin,  1904-. 


Woodcock  academy. 

Woodcock  Academy,  situated  in  the  Ahtanum 
valley,  eight  miles  northwest  of  North  Yakima,  is 
an  institution  that,  for  a  number  of  years,  has  been 
doing  a  good  educational  work  in  Yakima  county. 
Following  out  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  G.  H.  Atkin- 
son, the  Yakima  Association  of  Congregational 
churches,  in  the  fall  of  1889,  appointed  a  committee 
to  receive  offers  of  money  and  land  for  an  academy 
to  be  located  within  the  bounds  of  the  association 
at  the  point  giving  the  most  financial  encourage- 
ment. Sixty  acres  of  valuable  land  was  offered  by 
Fen  B.  Woodcock  and  wife  and  a  subscription  in 
money  and  labor  amounting  to  about  $3,000  ac- 
companied the  offer  of  the  land.  The  association 
voted  its  hearty  approval  of  the  proposition  to 
found  such  an  institution  and  approved  of  its  loca- 
tion in  the  Ahtanum  valley.  The  following  board 
of  trustees  was  secured  and  incorporated  in  June, 
1890,  namely,  Hon.  R.  K.  Nichols,  president;  Rev. 
S.  H.  Cheadle,  secretary;  Fen  B.  Woodcock,  treas- 
urer; Rev.  Samuel  Greene,  Rev.  Frank  T.  Mc- 
Conaughy,  Hon.  D.  W.  Stair,  John  Cowan,  Cap- 
tain J.  H.  Thomas  and  Daniel  W.  Nelson,  trustees. 
In  1891-92  a  building  was  erected  and  furnished 
at  a  cost  of  $8,000,  and,  on  September  26th,  the 
school  was  opened.  After  the  death  of  Fen  B. 
Woodcock  in  January,  1897,  the  trustees  voted  to 
change  the  corporate  name  of  the  academy  from 
Ahtanum  Academy  to  Woodcock  Academy.  The 
academy  has  the  support  not  only  of  the  association 
but  of  the  whole  Congregational  body  in  the  state 
of  Washington.  Whitman  College  and  the  Univer- 
sity of  Washington  admit  graduates  without  exam- 
ination and  similar  arrangements  are  to  be  made 
with  other  colleges. 

st.  Joseph's  academy 

was  established  at  Yakima  City  in  November,  1875, 
by  Sister  Superior  Blandina,  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  society  of  St.  Joseph  at  Vancouver,  Wash- 
ington, in  1856.  In  1885  the  institution  was  re- 
moved to  North  Yakima,  where  the  present  com- 
modious and  substantial  building  was  erected  for 
the  use  of  the  academy.  Last  year  280  pupils  were 
enrolled  and  the  services  of  eight  teachers  were  re- 
quired besides  those  of  the  sister  superior. 

KLICKITAT   ACADEMY, 

located  at  Goldendale,  the  early  history  of  which 
has  been  outlined  elsewhere,  is  a  well  equipped  and 
flourishing  institution  with  an  enrollment  of  about 
160  students.  The  academy  has  been  conducted 
for  seven  successive  years  and  in  its  progress  and 
achievements  has  abundantly  justified  the  expecta- 
tions of  its  founders  and  early  supporters.  Three 
courses  of  study  are  offered  to  students,  the  Clas- 
sical, for  students,  who  look  forward  to  a  profes- 


PROSSLR  SCHOOL. 


SAS-WE-AS, 

Wife  of  Chief  Spencer. 


THE    PRESS. 


343 


sional  life;  the  Normal,  for  teachers;  and  the 
Commercial,  for  those  who  expect  to  engage  in 
business.  The  founders  of  the  institution  were  for- 
tunate in  securing  the  services  of  Prof.  Charles 
Timblin,  who  has  been  principal  of  the  academy 
since  its  beginning  and  has  earnestly  labored  for 
its  success.  Within  the  last  few  weeks  it  has  been 
decided  to  change  the  academy  into  a  public  high 
school,  and  as  such  it  will  be  opened  in  September, 
1904.  It  will,  however,  be  under  the  same  efficient 
management  as  in  former  years  and  there  is  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  same  high  standard  of 
work  will  be  maintained. 

ACADEMY  EMMANUEL. 

An  attempt  was  made  by  Martinus  O.  Klitten 
and  Mrs.  Caroline  Klitten  to  found  a  private  acad- 
emy at  Kennewick  to  be  known  as  the  Academy 
Emmanuel.  An  excellent  building,  formerly  erected 
in  the  town  for  other  purposes,  was  purchased  and 
remodeled  for  a  school  building.  Arrangements 
were  made  to  give  general  academic  instruction, 
also  preparatory  and  business  courses.  Before  the 
school   was   ready  to  open,   the  building  took   fire 


and  burned  down,  in  December,  1903,  preventing 
the  plans  from  being  carried  out  as  intended.  It  is, 
however,  said  to  be  the  purpose  of  those  interested 
in  the  academy  to  rebuild  at  an  early  date  and  to 
open  the  school  as  soon  as  circumstances  will  per- 
mit. 

The  development  of  this  section  of  the  country 
has  been  so  rapid  as  to  have  rendered  it  difficult,  at 
times,  for  its  educational  systems  to  keep  pace  with 
its  growth.  The  building  of  new  railroads,  the  con- 
struction of  irrigation  systems  and  the  development 
of  mining  districts  have  caused  such  large  influxes 
of  population  to  this  group  of  counties  that  the  re- 
sourcefulness of  the  people  has  been  taxed  to  the 
utmost  to  keep  pace  with  the  growing  demand  for 
the  extension  of  educational  advantages.  For  this 
reason  at  times  the  most  expedient  rather  than  the 
best  methods  have  been  resorted  to,  and  the  results 
have  not  always  been  the  best  that  could  be  hoped 
for,  but  the  successes  of  the  past  give  earnest 
of  still  greater  ones  to  be  achieved  in  the  future, 
and  we  may  rest  assured  that  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  those  who  established  the  educational  sys- 
tems of  this  district  will  carry  them  on  to  full 
maturity  of  development. 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  PRESS  OF  CENTRAL  WASHINGTON. 


Among  the  forces  which  figure  in  the  upbuild- 
ing of  a  community  none,  perhaps,  is  more  poten- 
tial than  a  lively,  up-to-date  newspaper.  The  news- 
paper man,  however,  like  others  who  labor  for  the 
general  good  of  humanity,  is  usually  but  poorly 
compensated  for  his  toil  and  effort,  and  unless  he 
can  find  a  large  part  of  his  reward  in  the  conscious- 
ness of  having  been  a  blessing  to  his  neighborhood, 
he  must  forever  remain  in  a  large  measure  unre- 
munerated  for  his  long  hours  of  labor.  Very  many 
times  the  pioneer  newspaper  man  is  editor,  compos- 
itor, reporter  and  pressman  combined  into  one. 
His  paper  must  appear  each  week,  must  appear  on 
time,  if  the  overburdened  editor  has  to  work  twenty- 
four  hours  out  of  the  day.  He  is  expected  to  keep 
the  advantages  of  his  town  and  county'  constantly 
before  the  public  eye.  He  must  not  fail  to  give 
praise  where  praise  is  due,  and  if  he  fearlessly  ad- 
ministers rebuke,  when  rebuke  is  merited,  he  is  li- 
able to  be  confronted  by  an  injured  innocent  armed 
with  a  horsewhip  or  a  revolver. 

Then,  too,  the  editor  and  his  work  seem  never 


to  be  fully  appreciated.  Even  the  most  sagacious 
and  public-spirited  men  of  most  communities  fail 
to  rightly  estimate  the  value  of  a  local  newspaper 
as  an  agent  in  advancing  the  business  interests  of 
the  town  or  city  in  which  it  is  published  and  in 
augmenting  its  importance.  In  every  town  are  to 
be  found  a  very  considerable  proportion  of  business 
men  who  willingly  give  time  and  effort  to  the  or- 
ganization and  maintenance  of  boards  of  trade  and 
to  other  movements  for  the  attraction  of  outside 
enterprise  and  capital.  These  men  may  subscribe 
liberally  for  the  establishment  of  promising  enter- 
prises, though  they  contribute  little  or  nothing  to  a 
means  of  greater  importance  and  efficiency  in  the 
upbuilding"  of  the  town,  the  support  of  their  local 
paper.  Seldom  does  one  find  a  newspaper  that  does 
not  flatteringly  portray  the  actual  character  of  the 
town  or  community  in  which  it  is  established.  Into 
many  a  home  does  it  each  week  come  as  a  constant 
reminder  of  the  town  and  its  resources  and  many 
a  sample  copy  finds  its  way  into  the  far  distant 
homes  of  persons  contemplating  a  change  of  resi- 


344 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


dence,  doing  what  it  can  to  attract  immigration  and 
outside  capital.  Persons  desiring  to  learn  of  condi- 
tions in  a  new  country  almost  invariably  write  to 
the  newspaper  editor,  feeling  certain  to  receive  a 
reply,  for  the  newspaper  man  is  invariably  public- 
spirited,  though  the  advantages  to  be  reaped  by  him 
from  the  development  of  the  community  are  slight 
compared  to  those  accruing  to  other  business  men. 
We  will  not  attempt  the  almost  impossible  task 
of  exhaustively  tracing  the  history  of  the  numerous 
journals  which  have  gone  out  of  existence.  The 
newspaper  business  is  a  precarious  one  everywhere 
and  the  mortality  among  aspiring  local  journals  is 
always  very  great,  and  in  this  respect  central  Wash- 
ington has  been  no  exception.  Of  course  some  of 
the  papers  now  deceased  were  started  for  special 
purposes  and  were  not  designed  to  outlive  the  cause 
which  produced  them,  while  others  set  out  hope- 
fully, expecting  a  long  life,  but  sooner  or  later  suc- 
cumbed to  the  pressure  of  accumulating  liabilities, 
to  meet  which  the  earnings  of  the  business  proved 
inadequate.  The  oldest  newspaper  in  this  group  of 
counties  still  in  existence  is  published  in  the  oldest 
county,  Klickitat.     It  is  known  as 

THE    GOLDENDALE    SENTINEL, 

and  is  published  in  Goklendale  every  Wednesday, 
W.  F.  Byars,  editor  and  manager.  The  Sentinel 
has  the  distinction  of  being  the  oldest  newspaper 
in  eastern  Washington  outside  the  Walla  Walla 
country  and  perhaps  the  Colville  section,  being  now 
in  its  twenty-seventh  volume.  The  pioneer  paper 
of  this  county  was  the  Sun,  published  for  about 
six  months  in  1877  and  1878  by  a  man  who  is  said 
to  have  become  demented.  The  plant  passed  into 
the  hands  of  Joseph  Verden,  who  sold  it  to  C.  K. 
and  K.  A.  Seitz.  They  founded  the  Klickitat  Sen- 
tinel, the  first  number  appearing  in  May,  1878, 
since  which  time  the  Sentinel  has  appeared  unin- 
terruptedly. In  January,  1881,  Captain  W.  A. 
Wash,  who  had  come  to  Goldendale  in  1879  ar"J 
had  founded  a  private  academy  there,  commenced 
the  publication  of  a  rival  newspaper,  the  Golden- 
dale  Gazette.  These  papers  alone  occupied  the  local 
field  during  the  early  eighties. 

In  1885,  however,  both  papers  passed  into  the 
hands  of  a  stock  company  which  united  them  un- 
der one  management.  The  new  journal  took  its 
name  from  each  of  the  old  publications,  being 
called  the  Goldendale  Sentinel,  and  under  that 
name  it  is  still  issued.  This  stock  company  was 
made  up  of  business  men  of  the  town  and  county 
and  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  stock  of  $3,500, 
divided  into  thirty-five  shares.  Two  directors  were 
elected  annually  by  the  shareholders,  and  one  of 
their  number  was  to  be  selected  as  manager  to  take 
full  charge  of  the  company's  affairs.  The  first  an- 
nual meeting  of  the  stockholders  was  held  the  first 
Monday  in  August,  1885,  at  which  R.  O.  Dunbar 
and  J.  T.   Eshelman   were   elected   directors.     Mr. 


Dunbar  was  then  chosen  as  the  new  company's 
first  manager  and  editor,  although  he  had  been  act- 
ing in  that  capacity  since  the  merger  went  into  ef- 
fect, May  21,  1885. 

The  original  shareholders  together  with  the  re- 
spective number  of  shares  each  held,  were:  W.  H. 
Boyd,  1 ;  William  Cumming,  1 ;  W.  R.  Dunbar,  5 ; 
J.  T.  Eshelman,  5 ;  J.  M.  Hess,  2 ;  Ophelia  Cram, 
1  ;  T.  L.  Masters,  1 ;  Joseph  Nesbitt,  1 ;  C.  S.  Rein- 
hart,  6 ;  E.  B.  Wise,  2 ;  R.  O.  Dunbar,  4 ;  William 
VanVactor,  1 ;  Frederick  Eshelman,  1 ;  G.  W. 
Stapleton,  1 ;  J.  M.  Luark,  1 ;  W.  J.  Story,  1. 

The  shareholders  of  the  company  at  the  time 
of  organization  were  drawn  from  the  ranks  of 
both  parties,  with  the  understanding  that  the  Sen- 
tinel was  to  be  published  as  an  independent  paper. 
To  publish  a  neutral  paper  is,  however,  almost  an 
impossibility,  as  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  find  a 
person  to  take  charge  who  is  entirely  non-partisan. 
For  a  while  the  Sentinel  maintained  its  attitude  of 
strict  neutrality,  but  in  a  few  years  it  became  Re- 
publican in  its  sympathies  and  has  ever  since  been 
unswerving  in  its  fidelity  to  that  party. 

The  Sentinel  is  still  under  the  control  of  the 
stock  company,  but  most  of  the  stock  has  now 
passed  into  the  hands  of  the  present  editor  and  busi- 
ness manager.  Mr.  Byars,  a  man  of  long  and  suc- 
cessful experience  in  the  newspaper  business,  has 
been  associated  with  the  Sentinel  at  intervals  for 
eleven  years,  and  for  the  last  five  years  the  manage- 
ment of  the  business  has  been  exclusively  in  his 
hands. 

The  columns  of  the  Sentinel  are  filled  each  week 
with  city,  county  and  state  news,  interestingly 
written;  its  editorial  columns  have  always  borne  a 
high  reputation.  It  has  always  devoted  itself  un- 
sparingly to  the  advertisement  of  the  county's  re- 
sources and  the  advancement  of  its  best  interests, 
with  the  result  that  the  Sentinel  has  been  no  small 
factor  in  the  region's  growth.  Its  popularity  is 
attested  by  a  circulation  of  over  1,000  paid  up  sub- 
scriptions.    It  is  a  six-page  seven-column  paper. 

It  is  a  task  that  would  hardly  give  adequate  re- 
sults for  the  time  expended,  to  compile  a  complete 
list  of  the  editors  and  managers  who  have  served 
the  Sentinel.  The  changes  in  those  departments 
have  been  extremely  frequent.  But  to  show  that 
the  Sentinel  has  been  ably  managed  and  edited  it 
is  only  necessary  to  mention  some  of  the  men  who 
were  from  time  to  time  associated  with  it.  Among 
the  names  we  find  the  following,  who  have  achieved 
eminent  success  and  are  known  throughout  the 
state  of  Washington:  R.  O.  Dunbar,  associate  jus- 
tice of  the  supreme  court  of  the  state ;  W.  R.  Dun- 
bar, formerly  register  at  the  Vancouver  land  office; 
C.  S.  Reinhart,  clerk  of  the  state  supreme  court; 
FI.  C.  Phillips,  present  register  of  the  United  States 
land  office  at  Vancouver;  State  Senator  George  H. 
Baker,  Honorable  Joseph  Nesbitt  (deceased),  and 
others. 

The  old  office  of  the  Sentinel  was  destroyed  by 


THE    PRESS. 


345 


fire  in  1888  and  with  the  building  almost  the  entire 
plant,  entailing  a  great  loss  to  the  company.  Re- 
cently the  company  erected  an  exceptionally  fine, 
commodious  building  on  Court  street,  which  is  oc- 
cupied exclusively  by  the  Sentinel  Publishing  Com- 
pany. The  equipment  for  both  newspaper  publish- 
ing and  job  printing  is  also  very  complete. 

THE   KLICKITAT   COUNTY   AGRICULTURIST 

was  established  in  1893  by  W.  J.  Story,  its  pres- 
ent editor  and  proprietor,  and  step  by  step  has 
grown  in  force  and  influence  until  it  has  become 
one  of  the  leading  journals  of  Klickitat  county  and 
has  attained  to  a  prominent  place  among  the  strong 
newspapers  of  the  state.  Politically,  it  is  Republi- 
can. In  size  the  Agriculturist  varies  from  six  to 
eight  pages,  six  columns  wide.  It  is  printed  upon 
an  unusually  good  grade  of  paper  and  typograph- 
ically is  creditable  to  its  mechanical  department. 
Its  equipment  is  among  the  best  to  be  found  in  the 
country  offices  of  the  state.  The  circulation  at 
present  exceeds  1,000.  Editor  Story  and  his  paper 
have  ever  stood  for  progress  and  for  more  than  a 
decade  have  been  in  the  forefront  in  advertising  the 
rich  and  varied  advantages  of  Goldendale  and  the 
great  county  of  which  it  is  the  county  seat.  Due 
credit  is  cheerfully  given  by  Klickitat's  citizens  for 
the  good  work  done.  The  office  of  the  Agricultur- 
ist is  located  on  Main  street  in  the  city  of  Golden- 
dale. 

BICKLETON    NEWS. 

Less  than  two  years  have  elapsed  since  S.  G. 
Dorris,  an  Oregonian,  installed  a  plant  at  Bickleton 
and  began  the  publication  of  the  News,  but  even  in 
that  short  period  eastern  Klickitat  has  experienced 
a  wonderful  development  and  the  News  has  kept 
pace  with  this  rapid  progress.  The  first  issue  of 
the  News  appeared  August  2,  1902,  and  consisted 
of  only  two  small  pages ;  today  four  pages  of  five 
columns  each,  all  printed  at  home,  are  published 
weekly.  The  equipment  of  the  News  office  consists 
of  a  14  by  20-inch  Peerless  jobber,  a  Fairbanks- 
Morse  gasoline  engine  with  electric  attachment ; 
paper  cutter,  and  several  hundred  dollars'  worth  of 
new  modern  type.  The  paper  occupies  its  own 
building,  erected  by  Mr.  Dorris  for  that  special  pur- 
pose. It  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  Republican  doc- 
trines and  a  vigorous  advocate  of  the  interests  of 
its  town  and  the  surrounding  country. 

CENTERVILLE  JOURNAL. 

The  Centerville  Journal  is  a  ten-page,  four-col- 
umn weekly  published  by  the  Journal  Publishing 
Company,  Klickitat  county.  It  is  independent  po- 
litically. The  Journal  has  been  edited  and  man- 
aged by  Kelley  Loe  since  it  made  its  appearance, 
August  8,  1902.  Mr.  Loe  has  had  some  former 
experience   in    editorial   work,   having   published   a 


newspaper  in  the  state  of  Missouri.  The  Journal  is 
a  meritorious  publication,  neatly  printed,  and  al- 
ways filled  with  interesting  matter,  and  it  is  con- 
stantly enlarging  the  circle  of  its  influence  in  the 
community. 

THE   ENTERPRISE, 

published  as  a  weekly  at  White  Salmon,  Klickitat 
county,  by  Thomas  Harlan,  editor  and  proprietor, 
is  the  county's  youngest  newspaper,  having  come 
into  existence  May  8,  1903.  It  is  a  six-column  folio, 
meritorious  in  mechanical  execution  and  in  its  edi- 
torial and  news  columns.  The  plant  is  small  but 
new  and  complete  and  the  paper  is  Republican  in 
politics. 

KLICKITAT    LEADER. 

The  year  1890  seems  to  have  been  propitious  for 
the  beginning  of  newspaper  enterprises  in  Klickitat 
county.  July  19th  of  that  year  there  appeared  the 
first  issue  of  the  Klickitat  Leader,  published  in 
Centerville.  It  was  under  the  management  of 
Frank  Lee  and  announced  itself  as  "principally 
owned  and  controlled  by  farmers,  edited  by  a  farm- 
er and  run  in  the  interests  of  farmers;  down 
on  all  rings,  monopolies  and  tricksters."  It  was 
issued  by  a  joint  stock  company,  capitalized  at  $4,- 
000,  known  as  the  Farmers'  Publishing  Company. 
For  a  few  years  the  Leader  struggled  to  exist,  but 
finally  expired  June  6,  1893. 

GOLDENDALE  COURIER. 

Beginning  March  7,  1890,  a  weekly  newspaper, 
known  as  the  Goldendale  Courier,  was  published 
at  Goldendale  for  several  vears.  The  first  manager 
of  the  paper  was  J.  M.  Cummings,  who  made  the 
following  announcement  to  the  public :  "After  ex- 
amining the  field  thoroughly  we  feel  convinced  that 
the  people  of  Klickitat  county  stand  in  need  of  a 
people's  advocate,  a  paper  that  will  at  all  times 
advocate  the  interests  of  the  people,  and  this  the 
Courier  will  ever  be  ready  to  do."  The  Courier 
started,  as  did  most  of  the  publications  of  the 
county,  as  an  independent  sheet,  but  afterward  be- 
came identified  with  the  People's  party.  About 
1896.  the  Courier  ceased  publication. 

THE    YAKIMA    REPUBLIC 

is  one  of  the  oldest  papers  in  central  Washington. 
It  was  established  in  1879  in  Yakima  City,  but 
when  the  new  town  of  North  Yakima  was  started 
it  was  moved  to  that  place,  where  it  has  since  been 
published.  The  publication  was  known  as  the 
Record  until  it  came  into  the  hands  of  Captain 
Charles  M.  Holton,  who  changed  the  name  to  the 
Yakima  Republican.  Again,  in  1889,  it  experi- 
enced a  change  of  name,  becoming  the  Yakima  Re- 
public. The  paper  has  always  supported  the  prin- 
ciples advocated  by  the  Republican  party.     In  Oc- 


346 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


tober,  1903,  a  daily  edition  was  added  which  has 
been  very  successful  and  has  given  North  Yakima 
its  first  permanent  daily.  It  is  a  six-column  folio, 
and,  being  a  member  of  the  Associated  Press,  re- 
ceives reports  from  that  standard  service.  The  Re- 
public office  is  supplied  with  up-to-date  equipments, 
including  a  Mergenthaler  typesetting  machine, 
Babcock  news  press,  folder,  etc. 

Both  the  Daily  and  Weekly  Republic  are  pub- 
lished by  the  Republic  Publishing  Company.  W. 
W.  Robertson,  who  owns  practically  all  the  stock 
in  the  company,  is  the  editor  of  the  two  papers. 
Mr.  Robertson  has  been  conducting  the  Republic 
since  1898.  He  is  recognized  as  a  newspaper  man 
of  ability  and  has  gained  for  the  Republic  an  hon- 
ored place  among  the  state's  journals. 

THE  YAKIMA  HERALD. 

The  Herald,  after  fifteen  years  of  successful  ex- 
istence, having  been  established  in  February,  1889, 
still  remains  one  of  North  Yakima's  strongest  jour- 
nals. As  is  usually  the  case  with  newspaper  ven- 
tures, it  came  "to  fill  a  long  felt  want,"  but  con- 
trary to  the  usual  experience  of  such  enterprises,  it 
sprang  at  once  into  popularity  and  has  been  liber- 
ally patronized  ever  since  its  initial  issue  appeared, 
February  2,  1889.  The  original  publishers  of  the 
paper  were  E.  M.  Reed  and  James  R.  Coe,  the  lat- 
ter of  whom  had  started  the  Democrat  in  the  fall 
of  1888.  In  1892  Mr.  Coe  sold  his  interest  in  the 
paper  to  his  partner,  and  Mr.  Reed  continued  the 
publication,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  months  in 
1893,  when  it  was  leased  to  Watson  &  Coe,  until 
September,  1897,  when  Charles  F.  Bailey  and 
George  N.  Tuesley  acquired  control  of  the  journal. 
A  year  later  Robert  McComb  purchased  an  inter- 
est and  Mr.  Tuesley  assumed  the  active  management 
of  the  enterprise.  February  1,  1904,  L.  E.  Board- 
man  bought  a  half  interest  in  the  Herald  and  with 
George  X.  Tuesley  is  now  publishing  the  paper,  the 
former  being  its  editor  and  the  latter  its  business 
manager.  Such  in  brief  is  the  history  of  the  busi- 
ness career  of  the  Herald,  though,  as  is  stated  in 
its  issue  of  January  6,  1904 :  "An  interesting  story 
could  be  written  of  its  trials  and  triumphs."  . 

"The  hard  times  from  1894  to  1898,"  says  the 
article  referred  to,  "could  tell  a  tragic  tale  of  the 
struggle  for  existence,  not  only  of  the  paper,  but 
of  numerous  of  its  loyal  patrons  in  business  cir- 
cles here,  all  of  whom  fortunately  stemmed  the 
tide  of  adversity  and  came  out  of  the  blasting  ef- 
fects of  financial  depression  in  living  shape,  but  vis- 
ibly racked  by  the  contact. 

"From  its  first  issue  the  Herald  has  had  the  con- 
fidence and  support  of  the  people,  not  only  of  this 
city,  but  of  the  entire  county;  and  from  its  files 
can  be  gleaned  all  the  important  history  of  the  sec- 
tion. The  material  advancements  and  disappoint- 
ments; the  joys  and  sorrows  of  the  people;  mar- 


riages, births  and  deaths,  all,  if  told  in  chronolog- 
ical order,  would  tell  the  complete  story  of  the 
growth  of  this  modern  little  city  from  a  dull, 
dwarfed  sagebrush  village,  tell  of  the  development 
of  thousands  of  acres  of  apparently  worthless,  idle 
and  unprofitable  arid  lands  to  the  most  productive 
and  valuable  in  the  inland  empire,  tell  of  the  in- 
crease in  population  of  from  less  than  a  thousand 
in  1888  to  7,000  or  8,000  in  1904,  and  a  correspond- 
ingly large  increase  throughout  the  county,  and  of 
the  growth  in  values  multiplied  by  the  number  of 
years  since  the  time  that  enterprise  and  development 
joined  hands  in  the  valley." 

The  facilities  of  the  Herald  are  among  the  best 
in  central  Washington.  It  has  a  fine  cylinder  book 
press,  two  jobbers  and  a  stitcher,  all  operated  by 
gasoline  power.  Its  job  business  is  an  extensive 
one  and  many  neat  and  attractive  pieces  of  work, 
which  would  have  been  considered  a  credit  to  offices 
of  greater  pretensions,  have  been  turned  out. 

THE  YAKIMA   DEMOCRAT. 

The  Yakima  Democrat  is  a  weekly  publication, 
of  which  J.  D.  Medill  is  editor  and  proprietor,  is- 
sued every  Saturday  at  North  Yakima.  The  Dem- 
ocrat is  a  six-column,  eight-page  paper,  with  an 
extensive  circulation  throughout  Yakima  county 
and  central  Washington.  It  is  now  in  its  eleventh 
volume,  having  been  established  in  1893,  its  first 
number  appearing  September  26th  of  that  year, 
bearing  the  name  of  the  Weekly  Epigram.  J.  T. 
Harsell  was  the  publisher  of  the  little  sheet,  which 
was  issued  from  a  job  press.  It  was  diminutive  in 
size,  being  but  little  larger  than  a  handbill,  but 
what  it  lacked  in  quantity  it  made  up  in  the  qual- 
ity and  sprightliness  of  its  news  items. 

Mr.  Harsell  continued  to  issue  the  paper  as  an 
adjunct  of  his  job  office  until  September,  1897, 
when  J.  D.  Medill,  who  owned  the  plant  of  the  de- 
funct Daily  Times,  purchased  the  Epigram  office, 
consolidating  the  two  and  placing  Mr.  Harsell  in 
charge.  This  arrangement  remained  in  force  until 
May,  1898,  when  Mr.  Medill  himself  assumed 
charge  of  the  paper  and  he  has  since  continued  to 
edit  and  publish  it. 

January  1,  1899,  Mr.  Medill  changed  the  name 
of  the  publication  to  the  Yakima  Democrat  and  its 
policy  from  independent  to  Democratic.  Under  his 
management  the  paper  gradually  grew  to  its  pres- 
ent size.  The  Democrat  is  now  the  only  Democratic 
journal  published  in  central  Washington,  and  is  one 
of  the  most  influential  weekly  papers  in  the  state. 
January  1,  1904,  the  publishers  of  the  Democrat 
purchased  the  plant  and  good  will  of  the  Yakima 
Washingtonian  and  consolidated  the  two  under  the 
name  of  the  former,  by  this  means  largely  increas- 
ing its  circulation.  The  Democrat  is  the  city's  of- 
ficial paper  and  stands  in  high  repute  among  its 
contemporary  newspapers. 


THE     PRESS. 


347 


NORTHWEST  FARM  AND  HOME. 

A  paper  of  entirely  different  character  from  the 
other  publications  of  North  Yakima  is  the  North- 
west Farm  and  Home,  owned  by  the  Washington 
Farmer  Publishing  Company  and  edited  by  Leigh 
R.  Freeman,  Mrs.  Freeman  being  associate  editor. 
This  paper  was  established  in  1847,  near  F°rt 
Kearney,  Nebraska,  by  Joseph  E.  Johnson,  who 
sold  the  plant  and  business  to  Mr.  Freeman  in  1859. 
Mr.  Freeman  then  moved  westward  and  published 
the  paper  in  twenty-five  places  before  he  finally  set- 
tled in  North  Yakima.  He  reached  Yakima  county 
in  1884,  where  he  absorbed  the  Yakima  Record 
and  later  the  Pacific  Coast  Dairyman.  In  addi- 
tion to  being  a  farm  and  stock  paper,  the  Farm  and 
Home  is  a  descriptive  magazine  and  advertises  the 
west  in  the  east,  where  many  papers  are  sold. 

The  Northwest  Farm  and  Home  maintains 
branch  offices  at  Seattle,  Portland  and  Vancouver 
and  is  widely  circulated  throughout  the  United 
States. 

THE    SUNNYSIDE    SUN. 

In  April,  1901,  William  Hitchcock  made  a  pre- 
liminary canvass  in  Sunnyside  to  see  what  the  pros- 
pects were  for  a  venture  in  the  newspaper  business. 
As  a  result  of  his  efforts,  he  secured  200  subscrib- 
ers, not  a  very  promising  number,  but  he  neverthe- 
less went  ahead  and  purchased  a  small  outfit.  The 
first  issue  of  the  Sun  appeared  May  24,  1901.  Many 
well  disposed  people  thought  the  undertaking  un- 
wise, but  the  editor  lacked  neither  the  necessary 
courage  nor  force  to  succeed  and  the  auxiliary 
country  promised  well  for  future  growth. 

When  the  paper  was  started  the  office  was  fitted 
out  with  one  small  press  and  a  few  fonts  of  type; 
now  it  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  offices  in  the 
county,  being  fitted  wth  a  Monona  cylinder  job  and 
book  press,  gasoline  engine,  eight  by  twelve  Chan- 
dler &  Price  gordon  press,  paper  cutter,  stapling 
machine  and  up-to-date  type,  body  and  display. 
The  very  excellent  special  edition  published  in 
February  of  this  year  is  a  good  sample  of  the  class 
of  work  done  in  that  office.  From  that  issue  we 
quote  the  following  paragraph : 

"There  is  probably  not  another  paper  in  the 
Northwest,  published  in  a  town  no  larger  than  Sun- 
nyside, that  would  attempt  such  a  thing.  Four 
thousand  copies  of  this  issue  will  be  circulated. 
They  will  go  into  hundreds  of  homes  in  the  middle 
west  and  will,  no  doubt,  influence  many  people  to 
come  to  Sunnyside.  To  such,  the  Sun  extends  its 
cordial  welcome." 

THE  PROSSER   RECORD. 

Among  the  representative  papers  of  Yakima 
county  is  the  Prosser  Record,  published  at  Prosser, 
by  G.  E.  Boomer.  The  Record  is  a  well  edited, 
neatly  printed   journal   devoted  to  the  interests  of 


Prosser  and  the  surrounding  country.  It  came  into 
existence  about  four  years  ago  as  the  successor  of 
the  American,  which  had  been  established  in  Prosser 
as  early  as  1894,  but  had  ceased  publication  in  1896. 
The  first  owner  of  the  Record  was  A.  W.  Maxwell, 
who  sold  out  to  August  &  Brownlow,  after  con- 
ducting the  paper  a  year.  The  present  owner,  Mr. 
G.  E.  Boomer,  obtained  possession  of  the  paper  only 
a  few  months  ago,  but  in  that  short  time  has  made 
himself  a  force  in  this  section.  The  Record  is  an 
eight-page,  six  column  weekly,  Socialistic  in  poli- 
tics. In  connection  with  the  paper,  a  well  equipped 
job  office  is  operated. 

THE    COLUMBIA    COURIER 

made  its  bow  to  the  public  at  Kennewick  in  1892, 
its  publisher  then  being  E.  P.  Green.  It  was  a 
four-page,  four-column  paper,  using  a  patent  inside. 
There  were  at  that  time  not  half  a  dozen  families 
in  Kennewick  and  vicinity.  The  size  of  the  paper 
was  increased  three  different  times  until  it  became 
a  twelve-page  sheet.  It  was  purchased  March  2, 
1903,  by  C.  O.  Anderson,  the  present  owner  and 
editor.  A  well  equipped  jobbing  office  is  main- 
tained in  connection.  The  Courier  is  a  creditable 
little  paper,  devoted  to  Kennewick  and  the  sur- 
rounding country. 

THE   MABTON  CHRONICLE, 

a  six-page  paper,  was  established  by  Bernard  J. 
Pacius,  March  12,  1904,  in  the  thriving  little  vil- 
lage of  Mabton,  as  an  independent  weekly.  The 
property  is  owned  by  the  Chronicle  Publishing 
Companv,  of  which  Mr.  Pacius  is  a  stockholder. 
At  this  writing  (June,  1904),  Mabton  is  about  to 
secure  another  paper,  the  Enterprise. 

A  comprehensive  history  of  all  the  publications 
of  the  past  in  Yakima  county  would  include  men- 
tion of  a  number  that  have  long  found  repose  in 
the  journalistic  graveyard.  It  would  be  an  almost 
impossible  task  to  fully  treat  of  the  history  of  the 
numerous  publications  which  have  failed  to  survive 
the  storms  of  time.  Among  the  pioneer  newspapers 
which  flourished  for  a  time  and  then  passed  into 
oblivion  may  be  mentioned:  The  Yakima  Signal, 
started  in  Yakima  City  in  1883  and  published  for  a 
number  of  years;  the  Yakima  Sun,  a  short-lived 
paper  which  made  its  first  appearance  in  Yakima 
City  in  1885.  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  fighting 
"New  Yakima,"  as  North  Yakima  was  then  called; 
the  Yakima  Argus,  first  published  in  1884;  the 
Times,  which  made  its  bow  to  the  public  the  fol- 
lowing year ;  the  Prosser  Falls  American ;  and  nu- 
merous others. 

THE  ELLENSBURG  LOCALIZER. 

The  oldest  newspaper  published  in  Kittitas 
county  is  the  Ellensburg  Localizer,  formerly 
known   as  the   Kittitas  Localizer,  established  in 


348 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1883  by  David  J.  Schnebly,  one  of  the  veteran 
newspaper  men  of  the  Pacific  Northwest.  This 
pioneer  of  pioneer  editors  many  years  later  said 
regarding  his  experience  in  journalism: 

"Today  (February  6,  1893)  the  editor  and 
proprietor  of  this  paper  (The  Localizer)  begins 
his  seventy-fifth  year.  It  is  forty-seven  years 
since  he  entered  the  field  of  journalism  in  Mer- 
cersburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  he  has  been  in  the 
business  the  major  part  of  the  time  since.  He 
was  born  in  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  February  6, 
1818,  went  to  Peoria,  Illinois,  in  1835,  but  soon 
thereafter  took  up  his  abode  in  Mercersburg, 
where  he  went  through  Marshall's  College. 
While  in  Alercersburg  he  bought  the  Visitor,  now 
the  Journal,  but  in  1848  returned  to  Peoria  and 
worked  on  the  Transcript.  Having  immigrated 
to  Oregon  in  1850,  he  took  charge  of  the  Oregon 
Spectator,  the  only  paper  in  Oregon  at  that  time, 
and  indeed  the  only  one  in  the  Northwest.  This 
paper  was  established  at  Oregon  City,  in  1845,  by 
the  missionaries,  Rev.  Jason  Lee  being  the  prime 
mover  in  its  establishment.  It  was  conducted  for 
five  years  with  different  editors — Col.  William  T. 
Nault,  Judge  Aaron  E.  Wait,  Gen.  George  L. 
Curry  and  the  Rev.  Wilson  Blain.  The  latter 
handed  the  editorial  shears  over  to  us.  The  plant 
became  the  property  of  Hon.  Robert  Moore,  who 
employed  us  to  manage  it  for  him  one  year.  At 
the  end  of  the  year  we  purchased  it.  In  1854  the 
plant  was  sold  to  Dr.  William  L.  Adams,  who 
changed  its  name  to  the  Argus.  The  old  press, 
a  Washington,  is  still  in  Oregon.  The  Spectator 
had  a  fine  time  clipping  the  news  from  exchanges, 
which  came  around  the  Horn  and  arrived  here 
twice  a  year.  There  was  no  editorial  piracy 
charged  against  the  editor  of  the  Spectator.  The 
papers  came  by  sailing  vessels.  The  New  York 
Tribune  and  Herald  were  among  our  exchanges. 
After  we  got  through  with  them  they  were 
loaned  to  anxious  parties  who  wanted  to  get  the 
news." 

,  To  narrate  a  little  more  of  his  life  story :  Mr. 
Schnebly,  after  leaving  the  Spectator,  removed  to 
a  donation  claim  eight  miles  from  Oregon  City 
and  there  lived  until  1861,  when  he  removed  to 
Walla  Walla.  In  the  meantime  he  had  married 
Margaretta  Ann  Painter,  a  daughter  of  Col.  and 
Mrs.  W.  C.  Painter,  among  Walla  Walla's  best 
known  pioneers.  During  the  next  decade  Mr. 
Schnebly  was  engaged  in  newspaper  work  on  the 
Walla  Walla  Union  and  Statesman,  built  a  toll 
bridge  across  the  Spokane  river  above  the  falls, 
erected  the  Eureka  mills  on  that  river,  farmed 
and  raised  stock.  In  1871  he  came  with  his  sons, 
Henry  and  Charles,  to  the  Kittitas  Valley  and 
followed  husbandry  until  1883,  at  which  time  he 
founded  the  Localizer. 

The  first  number  of  this  journal  made  its  ap- 
pearance Thursday,  July  12,  1883.  It  was  a  four- 
page   sheet,   with   "patent''  outside,   presented   a 


neat,  tidy  appearance  and  as  might  be  expected, 
achieved  success  and  reputation  immediately. 
Even  at  that  time  its  editor  was  approaching  the 
allotted  three  score  and  ten  years.  At  that  time 
the  agitation  over  a  division  of  Yakima  county 
was  at  its  height  and,  judging  from  the  tenor  of 
the  editorials,  the  Localizer  considered  the  move- 
ment premature  though  inevitable.  The  plant 
suffered  a  serious  disaster  July  4,  1889,  the  great 
fire  of  that  date  almost  completely  destroying  the 
office  and  contents.  As  some  one  expressed  it 
"everything  from  shears  to  files  was  swept 
away."  Notwithstanding;  the  energetic  publisher 
and  editor  immediately  contracted  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  office,  ordered  new  equipment  and 
in  a  short  time  had  the  business  running  as 
smoothly  as  before  the  fire.  Not  a  number  was 
missed,  though  for  a  time  the  Localizer  appeared 
considerably  reduced  in  size.  At  this  time  Editor 
Schnebly  changed  its  name  from  the  Kittitas  to 
the  Ellensburg  Localizer  and  instituted  various 
other  changes  and  reforms,  all  of  which  bettered 
the  paper's  condition.  The  paper  was  installed 
after  the  fire  in  a  commodious  brick  block  situ- 
ated on  the  west  side  of  Main  street  between 
Third  and  Fourth  streets,  where  it  is  still  pub- 
lished. 

During  the  strenuous  campaign  of  1896,  J.  M. 
Cummins,  who  had  been  for  some  time  past  an 
attache  of  the  office,  temporarily  assumed  the 
business  and  editorial  management  of  the  paper, 
which  became  at  this  time  a  silver  instead  of  a 
gold  advocate.  While  the  venerable  owner  was 
making  brave  attempts  to  personally  manage  the 
business,  he  realized  that  the  burdens  of  old  age 
were  upon  him  and  that  the  enterprise  required 
more  strength  and  attention  than  he  could  pos- 
sibly give  to  it,  so  April  9,  1898,  the  plant  passed 
into  the  hands  of  his  cousin,  F.  Dorsey  Schnebly, 
also  a  '71  pioneer  of  Kittitas.  In  his  valedictory, 
the  aged  editor,  says: 

"Looking  back  through  .the  years  that  are 
past,  I  can  but  note  the  many  changes  of  the  last 
half  century.  Forests  have  been  leveled,  cities 
grown  up,  political  parties  risen  and  fallen,  and 
wars  changed  the  geography  of  the  world.  All 
these  have  been  noted  in  their  turn  and  now  on 
account  of  failing  eyesight  and  declining  years,  I 
take  leave  of  the  Localizer.  I  have  labored  to 
benefit  Ellensburg  and  our  county  and  I  hope 
have  been  successful.  Having  attained  four 
score  years  and  two  months,  I  now  lay  down  my 
pen  and  leave  the  work  to  younger  hands." 

Not  many  more  years  did  he,  whom  the  Ta- 
coma  Ledger  termed  "the  patriarch  of  journalism 
in  the  Pacific  Northwest,"  live,  for  early  in  Jan- 
uary, 1901,  he  was  stricken  with  la  grippe  and 
never  rallied  from  the  shock,  his  death  occurring 
January  5th.  Only  a  few  days  before  his  death 
he  did  some  work  in  the  Localizer  office  and  after 
his   retirement   in    1898  often   contributed  to  its 


THE    PRESS. 


349 


columns  and  aided  the  force.  His  demise  re- 
moved one  of  the  last  of  the  old  school  of  North- 
western editors,  an  able,  aggressive  writer,  and 
one  skilled  in  all  branches  of  his  work  and  de- 
voted to  his  profession. 

Under  the  ownership  and  management  of  F. 
D.  Schnebly  the  Localizer  continued  to  maintain 
its  high  standing  and  success.  However,  he,  too, 
soon  turned  over  the  business  to  still  younger 
hands,  the  property  passing  into  possession  of 
the  Cascade  Printing  &  Publishing  Company, 
April  15,  1903.  This  firm  is  composed  of  Amasa 
S.  and  U.  M.  Randall,  the  former  being  manager. 
Besides  conducting  the  Localizer,  it  also  owns 
and  conducts  the  Cascade  Miner  at  Roslyn.  The 
company  has  spent  several  hundred  dollars  dur- 
ing the  past  year  for  new  equipment.  Randall 
Brothers  changed  the  politics  of  the  Localizer 
from  Democratic,  which  it  had  been  since  1898, 
to  independent.  The  paper  was  Republican  from 
1883  to  1896,  when  it  became  Silver  Republican. 
The  Localizer  occupies  commodious  quarters  in 
the  Schnebly  block  on  Main  street.  This  neatly 
printed  and  well  edited  eight-page  journal  is  still 
issued  once  a  week,  Saturdays,  and,  with  its  con- 
temporaries, is  energetically  and  persistently  en- 
gaged in  upbuilding  and  reflecting  the  life  of  the 
community. 

THE    ELLENSBURG   CAPITAL, 

A.  H.  Stulfauth,  editor  and  proprietor,  is  now  in 
its  seventeenth  year.  It  is  Kittitas  county's  sec- 
ond oldest  paper,  having  been  founded  Thursday, 
October  11,  1887,  by  A.  N.  Hamilton,  an  experi- 
enced newspaper  man  who  now  resides  in  west- 
ern Washington.  The  Capital  has  been  a  credit 
to  its  publisher  and  the  thriving  little  city  from 
the  beginning.  The  newspaper's  first  home  was 
in  the  Capital  block,  corner  of  Pearl  and  Fifth 
streets,  where  it  remained  until  October,  1890, 
when  the  plant  was  installed  in  the  Bath  block, 
its  present  location.  At  the  time  of  its  establish- 
ment, Ellensburg  was  a  very  prominent  candidate 
for  the  location  of  the  state's  capital ;  hence  the 
significant  name  adopted  by  Publisher  Hamilton 
for  his  paper. 

In  June,  1889,  A-  H.  Stulfauth,  formerly  tele- 
graph editor  of  the  Evening  Post,  and  connected 
with  the  Chronicle  and  Examiner  of  San  Fran- 
cisco, was  so  strongly  attracted  by  the  advantages 
of  Ellensburg  that  he  purchased  a  half  interest 
in  the  Capital  and  removed  to  the  Kittitas  valley. 
A  few  months  later,  October  10,  1889,  he  assumed 
full  charge  of  the  business,  editorial  and  mechan- 
ical departments  and  by  skillful,  conscientious 
work  soon  brought  the  Capital  into  prominence. 
Ten  years  later  Mr.  Stulfauth  obtained  full  con- 
trol of  the  business  and  he  has  since  continued 
sole  proprietor  and  editor  of  the  publication, 
which  ranks  among  the  most  successful  and  best 


country  weeklies  in  eastern  Washington.  Orig- 
inally the  Capital  was  an  independent  sheet,  but 
under  Mr.  Stulfauth's  management,  it  became  in 
1892  a  stanch  supporter  of  Republican  principles. 
Its  political  faith  remains  unaltered. 

The  Capital  plant  is  modern  and  quite  com- 
plete, including  besides  full  lines  of  type,  a  news 
press,  two  jobbers,  an  Advance  paper  cutter,  etc. 
The  presses  are  operated  by  water  power.  It  is 
comfortably  located  in  the  Bath  brick  block  on 
Fourth  street  between  Pearl  and  Pine  streets,  op- 
posite the  Hotel  Vanderbilt.  The  mechanical  force 
is  under  foreman  H.  W.  Rodman.  The  Capital 
is  a  neat  seven-column,  four  page  paper. 

THE   ELLENSBURG  DAWN. 

Third  in  point  of  age  among  Ellensburg's  rep- 
resentatives of  journalism,  though  second  to  none 
in  the  qualities  that  go  to  make  a  first-class 
newspaper,  is  the  Dawn,  now  in  its  eleventh  year. 
From  a  little  six-page  monthly  magazine,  six  by 
nine  inches  in  size,  first  issued  in  November, 
1893,  it  has  steadily  grown  and  improved. 

The  Reformers'  Dawn,  as  it  was  first  called, 
was  established  by  Robert  A.  Turner,  who  had 
been  connected  with  reform  work  since  1876,  to 
advocate  the  principles  of  the  People's  party  as 
promulgated  at  Omaha,  July  4,  1892.  The  paper 
was  offered  to  the  reading  public  for  the  insig- 
nificant sum  of  twenty-five  cents  a  year.  At  that 
time  the  Populistic  movement  was  sweeping 
westward  with  wonderful  strength  and  had  just 
reached  Kittitas  county  in  force.  The  result  was 
that  the  little  reform  paper  was  so  cordially  re- 
ceived that  after  the  fourth  issue,  the  size  of  the 
paper  was  doubled,  and  in  May,  1894,  1,250  sub- 
scribers were  claimed  by  its  publisher.  The  fol- 
lowing August  it  was  again  enlarged  and  with 
the  campaign  of  that  year  really  obtained  its  per- 
manent footing  as  a  newspaper.  The  publication 
of  the  weekly  Dawn  was  begun  in  August.  It 
was  eleven  by  fifteen  inches  in  size  and  contained 
only  four  pages.  Much  skill  and  energy  were  re- 
quired to  pilot  the  journalistic  craft  safely  by 
the  shoals  and  reefs  of  the  hard  times,  but  tbe 
feat  was  accomplished  and  when  prosperity  again 
came  the  paper  forged  ahead  rapidly. 

To  enumerate  all  the  changes  and  improve- 
ments made  in  the  course  of  the  Dawn's  growth 
would  be  an  endless  task  and  not  of  general  in- 
terest. At  present  the  Dawn  occupies  quarters 
in  the  Albany  block,  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city, 
into  which  the  plant  was  recently  moved  from  its 
old  location  on  Main  street.  Previous  to  that  the 
office  was  in  the  Geddis  annex,  from  1897  to 
August,  1902.  The  first  office  was  in  the  Cad- 
well  block,  but  this  becoming  too  small,  the  pa- 
per was  removed  in  1805  to  tne  Geddis  block  and 
thence  to  the  annex.  The  Dawn  was  printed  for 
the  first  two  years  on  an  old  fashioned  Cottage 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


hand  press.  Then  a  Rose  hand  cylinder  was  in- 
stalled, but  this,  too,  was  insufficient  and  too  old 
fashioned,  so  in  the  spring  of  1902,  the  present 
fine  Challenge  cylinder  book  and  news  press  was 
purchased.  This  has  a  capacity  of  about  1,500 
per  hour  and  is  an  up  to  date  machine  in  every 
respect.  Other  mechanical  equipment  has  been 
added  from  time  to  time  until  the  Dawn  printing 
office  has  become  one  of  the  most  complete  in 
the  county.  The  mechanical  department  is  in 
charge  of  J.  Mark  Martin,  a  thoroughly  compe- 
tent workman. 

Politically,  the  Dawn  is  strictly  independent, 
though  at  one  time  it  was  an  ardent  champion 
of  Populism.  Since  the  passing  of  the  People's 
party,  however,  Editor  Turner  has  devoted  him- 
self rigidly  to  the  task  of  promoting  the  general 
welfare  regardless  of  party  doctrine,  and  if  there 
is  one  thing  more  than  another  that  the  Dawn  is 
noted  for,  it  is  this  independence.  The  columns 
are  well  filled  with  news  and  editorial  matter, 
carefully  and  accurately  written,  and  the  presence 
of  a  goodly  local  advertising  patronage  indicates 
the  popularity  of  the  Dawn  as  an  advertising 
medium. 

THE  CASCADE  MINER. 

The  Miner  alone,  of  half  a  dozen  newspapers 
established  in  the  city  of  Roslyn,  has  survived 
and  today  it  is  the  sole  representative  of  jour- 
nalism in  the  Roslyn  district,  with  the  one  excep- 
tion of  the  Echo,  published  at  Cle-Elum.  The 
Roslyn  Miner,  as  it  was  originally  called,  was  es- 
tablished by  the  Republicans  in  1896  as  a  cam- 
paign paper,  John  B.  Armstrong  becoming  its 
first  editor  and  publisher.  The  first  number  ap- 
peared September  14th.  The  paper's  first  home 
was  on  First  street  between  Pennsylvania  and 
Dakota  avenues.  The  plant  was  originally  a 
small,  inexpensive  one,  costing  but  a  few  hun- 
dred dollars,  and  for  a  time  only  a  four  column 
folio  was  published,  but  this  was  soon  changed 
to  a  seven-column  folio  with  "patent"  inside.  Be- 
fore going  to  Roslyn,  Mr.  Armstrong  had  been 
connected  with  a  newspaper  in  Ellensburg  and 
being  an  experienced,  capable  man  he  issued  a 
good  paper. 

Amasa  S.  Randall,  also  a  former  Ellensburg 
newspaper  man,  purchased  the  Miner,  December 
26,  1898,  taking  charge  the  first  of  the  new  year. 
The  following  April  he  associated  with  himself 
as  a  full  partner,  his  brother,  Urellis  M.  Randall, 
and  together  they  organized  the  present  Cascade 
Printing  &  Publishing  Company.  The  next  May 
they  purchased  a  portion  of  the  defunct  Ellens- 
burg Register  plant,  and  in  December,  1899,  in- 
stalled a  Cottrell  cylinder,  the  largest  press  ever 
brought  to  Roslyn.  The  press  complete  weighs 
six  thousand  five  hundred  pounds,  occupies 
ninety-six  square  feet  of  floor  space,  and  stands 
over  six  feet  high.     The  big  cylinder  alone  weighs 


over  a  ton.  Upon  assuming  charge  of  the  Miner, 
the  new  proprietors  changed  its  name  to  .the  Cas- 
cade Miner,  the  name  which  it  now  bears.  Amasa 
S.  Randall  continues  to  act  as  manager  of  the 
company.  The  firm  added  the  Cle-Elum  Echo  to 
its  holdings  in  1902,  and  in  the  spring  of  1903 
bought  the  Ellensburg  Localizer.  At  present 
only  the  Localizer  and  the  Miner  are  owned  by 
the  company,  the  Echo  having  been  sold. 

The  Miner  now  has  a  well  equipped  plant  oc- 
cupying apartments  on  First  street  and  in  con- 
nection is  run  an  excellent  jobbing  department. 
The  machinery  is  operated  by  water  power.  As 
the  city's  official  paper,  a  well  edited,  cleanly 
printed  and  public-spirited  journal,  the  Miner  en- 
joys the  esteem  of  the  community  and  a  position 
of  credit  among  the  weeklies  of  the  state.  U.  M. 
Randall,  assisted  by  L.  L.  Warner,  is  in  charge. 
The  paper  continues  to  be  an  ardent  advocate  of 
Republican  doctrine.  In  size,  it  is  now  an  eight- 
page,  six-column  sheet. 

THE    CLE-ELUM    ECHO. 

Cle-Elum  is  fortunate  in  possessing  such  a 
wide-awake,  able  weekly  as  the  Echo.  The  paper 
is  much  above  the  average  and  cannot  help  but 
aid  materially  in  strengthening  and  upbuilding 
the  community  around  it.  Between  the  years 
1891  and  1902  Cle-Elum  was  without  a  newspa- 
per, but  in  January  of  the  latter  year,  Randall 
Brothers,  of  Roslyn,  determined  to  enter  the  un- 
occupied field  and  began  preparations  for  the 
publication  of  a  paper.  A  very  good  small  equip- 
ment was  at  once  installed  and  a  six-column  folio 
commenced  telling  the  local  news.  Charles  S. 
Freeman  first  had  charge  of  the  business,  but  was 
later  succeeded  by  Charles  S.  Fell.  The  latter 
purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  business  in  No- 
vember, 1903,  from  Randall  Brothers;  the  bal- 
ance is  owned  by  Walter  J.  Reed.  The  Echo  is 
printed  in  a  convenient  office  on  Pennsylvania 
avenue.  It  is  now  a  seven-column  folio,  all  home 
print;  politically,  it  is  Republican. 

THE  TEANAWAY  BUGLE. 

Among  Kittitas  county's  pioneer  journals  that 
have  long  since  become  a  memorv  was  the  Tean- 
away  Bugle,  published  by  G.  W.  and  Fred  Sea- 
ton,  who  dabbled  in  journalism  as  amateurs.  Be- 
ginning some  time  in  1884,  the  little  sheet,  four 
pages  nine  by  twelve  inches  in  size,  appeared  at 
irregular  intervals  for  about  a  year.  Fred  Seaton 
was  the  practical  printer  of  the  firm.  Of  this 
unique  publication,  the  Cle-Elum  Tribune,  in 
1891,  gives  the  following  interesting  description: 

"One  of  the  earliest  enterprises  in  Kittitas 
county  that  partook  of  the  character  of  a  news- 
paper was  a  little  two-column  folio  which  bore 
the  title  of  The  Teanaway  Bugle.  Its  editor  was 
Fred  O.  Seaton,  and  the  office  of  the  publication 


THE    PRESS. 


35i 


was  a  little  old  shack,  located  on  the  west  bank 
of  the  beautiful  Teanaway.  In  its  initial  number, 
an  editorial  announcement  appears  to  the  effect 
that  the  sheet  would  appear  quarterly,  but  from 
a  careful  perusal  of  the  files  of  the  paper,  it  was 
made  manifest  that  its  editor,  with  conscious  dis- 
regard, had  twisted  the  'quarterly'  into  broader 
'periodically,'  and  made  the  periods  conform  to  his 
unqualified  convenience. 

"The  Bugle  was  a  very  newsy  little  paper, 
however,  and  it  served  its  purpose.  It  dwelt 
'freely  and  fearlessly'  on  the  public  and  private 
life  of  the  Teanaway  valley,  its  varied  resources, 
picturesque  location,  scenic  beauty,  and  other  at- 
tractive features,  and  regularly  presented  a  very 
roseate  word  picture  of  its  prospective  future. 

"Just  about  the  time  the  Bugle  was  at  the 
zenith  of  its  prosperity  there  was  a  marked  ab- 
sence of  petticoats  in  the  upper  Kittitas  country 
and,  presuming  from  the  tenor  of  an  advertise- 
ment that  appeared  in  several  issues  of  the  paper, 
it  was  evident  that  the  sons  of  Adam,  who  were 
scattered  throughout  this  region,  in  their  solitary 
and  hermit-like  life,  longed  for  the  companion- 
ship and  the  civilizing  influences  of  at  least  a  few 
sympathetic  daughters  of  Eve.  'PARTNERS 
WANTED!  MUST  BE  FEMALES! !  BEAUTY 
NO  OBJECT!!!'  were  the  attractive  headlines  to 
the  announcement  in  bold  type,  which  read  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  'After  roaming  around  this  cold,  cheerless  and 
unsympathetic  world  for  many  years,  with  nothing 
to  love,  no  one  to  caress  us,  we,  the  undersigned 
old  bachelors,  have  at  last  settled  down  on  lovely 
ranches  in  the  charming  valley  of  the  peerless  Tean- 
away. All  that  is  wanting  to  complete  our  happi- 
ness is  partners  of  the  female  persuasion.  No  cap- 
ital required  and  but  few  questions  asked.  Women 
of  uncertain  age  and  questionable  beauty  accept- 
able, provided  they  can  otherwise  pass  examination. 
Sound  teeth  and  strong  constitutions  are  the  essen- 
tial requisites.  Address  either  S.  L.  Bates,  J.  B. 
Stevens,  A.  Helmer,  A.  Haas,  S.  L.  Taylor,  J.  H. 
Moore,  C.  M.  Giles,  Colonel  Mason,  Ephraim  Allyn, 
T.  L.  Gamble,  Gus  Pletat,  N.  Plaisted,  H.  Board- 
well,  S.  A.  Bacon.' 

"The  proposition  courted  investigation  and  the 
postmaster  at  Teanaway  was  given  as  a  reference. 
It  is  not  known  to  the  Tribune  whether  the  an- 
nouncement was  made  at  the  request  of  the  men 
whose  names  are  affixed,  but  some  inquiry  devel- 
oped the  information  that  two  or  three  of  the  above 
named  gentlemen  are  now  enjoying  the  complete 
happiness  sought,  and  that  the  little  proclamation  in 
the  Bugle  opened  the  way  to  the  matrimonial  en- 
tanglements. In  this  respect  at  least  it  is  hoped 
that  the  paper  served  a  good  purpose.     ..." 

THE    GOSPEL    PREACHER. 

This  journal  was  issued  monthly  in  magazine 
iform,  beginning    with  May,   1893,  for  about    two 


years,  in  Ellensburg,  the  Rev.  W.  W.  Stone  being 
editor  and  publisher.  It  was  the  official  state  or- 
gan of  the  Christian  church,  and  really  a  very  ably 
edited  little  sheet.  The  Gospel  Preacher  went  out 
of  existence  when  Rev.  and  Mrs.  Stone  were  com- 
pelled to  go  south  for  the  health  of  the  latter  in 
1895.     They  were  pioneers  of  the  Kittitas  valley. 

THE   KITTITAS  WAU-WAU. 

The  distinction  of  having  been  the  first  news- 
paper published  in  the  region  now  embraced  by 
Kittitas  county  unquestionably  belongs  to  the  Kit- 
titas Wau-Wau,  a  small  amateur  paper  published  in 
1879  by  Austin  A.  Bell  and  Harry  M.  Bryant,  con- 
ducting a  general  store  at  Ellensburg  under  the 
firm  name  of  Austin  A.  Bell  &  Co.  Number  one, 
volume  one,  appeared  July  4th,  1879,  and  one 
other  issue  ended  the  career  of  this  venturesome  lit- 
tle journal. 

THE   KITTITAS  STANDARD 

next  entered  the  Kittitas  journalistic  field  and  im- 
mediately became  one  of  Ellensburg's  substantial 
and  popular  business  enterprises.  With  the  Stand- 
ard the  name  of  its  founder,  publisher  and  editor 
is  inseparably  connected,  for  Richard  V.  Chadd's 
strong  personality  made  it  what  it  was  and  gave  it 
a  territorial  reputation.  Before  coming  to  Ellens- 
burg in  1883,  Mr.  Chadd  had  established  and  pub- 
lished for  some  time  the  Yakima  Record,  a  paper 
that  all  old  pioneers  of  central  Washington  will 
vividly  remember.  From  an  excerpt  taken  from 
Editor  Chadd's  salutatory,  appearing  in  No.  1,  Vol- 
ume 1,  of  the  Standard,  June  16,  1883,  we  may 
fairly  judge  the  character  of  the  man : 

"Hence,  we  simply  announce  our  presence  and 
simply  make  the  promise  that  we  shall  publish  an 
independent  paper.  It  will  be  tied  to  no  man's 
collar,  in  the  interest  of  no  clique,  or  ring,  and  is 
not  a  'branch'  establishment.  Its  publisher  has  in- 
vested solely  his  own  means  as  a  business  venture. 
His  well  known  independence  is  a  guarantee  of  the 
truth  of  this  assertion.  Our  aim  shall  be  to  pub- 
lish a  local  paper  devoted  exclusively  to  the  inter- 
ests and  development  of  Kittitas  valley  and  vicinity. 
This  is  all  the  promise  we  make.  People  of  Kit- 
titas, how  like  you  the  platform  ?" 

However,  it  is  not  unlikely,  indeed  it  is  gener- 
ally understood  to  be  a  fact,  that  John  A.  Shoudy 
gave  the  Standard  his  personal  support.  This  was 
considerable,  as  Mr.  Shoudy  owned  the  townsite, 
conducted  an  immense  business  and  was  otherwise 
publicly  interested  in  the  progress  and  welfare  of 
the  valley.  At  any  rate,  the  Standard  prospered  and 
experienced  a  healthy  growth  for  a  number  of 
years. 

Editor.  Chadd  was  an  able  newspaper  man  and, 
true  to  his  promise,  gave  the  people  an  excellent 
journal,  fearlessly  independent,  public-spirited  and 
clean. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Thursday  evening,  September  10,  1885,  Charles 
Voorhees,  the  Democratic  candidate  for  territorial 
delegate,  addressed  the  people  of  Ellensburg  upon 
the  political  issues  of  the  day.  Mr.  Chadd,  who 
had  not  been  in  good  health  for  some  time,  at- 
tended the  meeting,  afterwards  returning  to  his 
little  office  on  Pearl  street,  near  Third,  to  work. 
A  noisy  demonstration,  with  booming  of  anvils,  fol- 
lowed the  meeting.  But  Editor  Chadd  was  not 
well  and  kept  within.  When  citizens  visited  the 
office  a  little  later,  they  found  him  at  his  desk,  dead. 
Evidently  his  weak  heart  had  been  unable  to  with- 


stand the  shock  occasioned  by  some  unusually  loud 
explosion  and  the  cord  of  life  had  snapped.  With 
his  death,  the  publication  of  the  Standard  ceased 
and  the  plant  was  shipped  to  do  duty  elsewhere. 
Robert  A.  Turner,  proprietor  of  the  Dawn,  possesses 
an  incomplete  file  of  the  old  Standard,  which  has 
been  freely  used  in  the  compilation  of  the  county's 
history.  There  are  several  other  newspapers  in 
the  Kittitas  journalistic  graveyard  but  we  will  not 
trouble  the  reader  with  the  inscriptions  on  their 
tombstones.     Pace  quiescant. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  YAKIMA  INDIANS. 


Such  are  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of  him  who 
would  search  deeply  into  the  inner  character  and 
life  of  the  Indian  that  they  can  be  overcome  only 
in  a  limited  measure.  The  Indian  is  by  nature 
reticent.  To  none  but  his  true  and  tried  friends 
will  he  unbosom  himself  at  all,  and  even  the  man 
who  has  won  his  confidence  must  exercise  much 
tact  to  gain  from  him  an  insight  into  his  tradi- 
tions, folk-lore,  religion  and  aspirations.  "His 
language,"  says  Dr.  G.  P.  Kuykendall,  "is  difficult 
to  comprehend ;  its  idioms  are  peculiar,  and  his 
manner  of  thought  is  widely  different  from  ours. 
In  his  heart  the  Indian  sincerely  believes  the  tra- 
ditions and  myths  of  his  fathers ;  but  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  get  him  to  open  his  mind  and  communi- 
cate them  to  the  whites.  In  their  zeal  to  correct 
the  erroneous  beliefs  of  the  Indians,  the  white 
people  usually  laugh  at  his  stories ;  and  then  he 
becomes  silent.  These  things  are  sacred  to  him, 
and  he  cannot  complacently  bear  to  have  them 
ridiculed.  They  are  his  bible,  his  code  of  laws, 
his  system  of  philosophy  and  his  religion.  From 
him  infancy  he  has  heard  these  things  related  by 
his  father  as  facts — sacred  facts;  and  to  him  they 
are  sacred." 

It  would  seem,  however,  that  Dr.  Kuykendall 
has  been  quite  successful  in  his  efforts  to  reach 
the  sanctum  sanctorum  of  the  Indian  heart  and 
to  win  from  it  its  treasure  of  tradition  and  legend. 
Having  been  for  years  engaged  as  agency  phy- 
sician on  the  Yakima  reservation,  he  enjov'ed  un- 
usual opportunities  for  the  study  of  Indian  char- 
acteristics, and  much  of  the  material  for  his  ex- 
cellent article  on  the  Indians  of  the  Pacific  North- 


west was  doubtless  compiled  at  this  time.  Very 
few  writers  have  ever  been  so  intimately  asso- 
ciated with  Indians  in  their  every-day  life  as  to 
admit  of  personal  investigations  into  their  char- 
acter and  habits.  The  writer  cheerfully  acknowl- 
edges himself  indebted  to  the  researches  of  the  doc- 
tor and  to  information  furnished  him  by  Indian 
Agent  Jay  Lynch  for  material  assistance  in  the 
preparation  of  this  chapter. 

The  commonly  accepted  estimate  of  the  In- 
dian is  a  symposium  of  impressions  formed  of 
him  while  at  war  with  the  whites.  At  such  times 
all  that  is  basest,  most  savage,  cruel  and  deceitful 
in  his  nature  is  uppermost;  the  side  of  his  char- 
acter brought  into  bold  relief  is  the  worst  side, 
and  an  impression  decidedly  unfavorable  to  him 
is  the  natural  consequence.  So  it  happened  that 
the  Pacific  coast  pioneers  came  to  believe  the  only 
good  Indian  was  a  dead  Indian.  But  now  that 
the  conquest  of  the  red  man  is  complete,  that 
there  is  no  longer  a  chance  of  his  waging  success- 
ful warfare  against  the  white  men,  a  reaction  has 
set  in  and  many  are  coming  to  look  more  kindly 
upon  the  vanquished  race,  and  to  contemplate 
with  feelings  of  sympathy  the  Indian's  impend- 
ing doom.  Men  are  beginning-  to  realize  the 
pathetic  aspect  of  the  Indian's  situation;  how 
that  his  race  has  wrestled  without  guiding  star 
for  ages  with  the  problem  of  destiny;  yielding 
at  last  its  native  land  to  strangers  and  going  out 
of  existence  as  a  race,  leaving  not  even  so  much 
as  a  history  behind.  "Almost  all  that  is  known," 
says  Kuykendall,  "of  the  past  hopes,  fears,  loves, 
battles,  intellectual,  physical  and  moral  life  of  un- 


THE    YAKIMA    INDIANS. 


353 


counted  millions  of  human  beings  could  be  writ- 
ten on  a  single  page.  All  the  rest  is  silent  and 
forever  lost  in  oblivion.  That  the  Indian  race 
was  capable  of  a  great  degree  of  civilization  is 
evident  from  the  ruins  of  magnificent  cities  found 
in  the  southern  part  of  the  continent.  That  this 
country  is  very  ancient  and  has  known  a  high 
degree  of  civilization  is  certain.  Whether  the 
North  American  Indians  worked  out  their  own 
destiny  without  any  extraneous  influence  will 
probably  never  be  known.  Our  Northwest  Pacific 
country  has  a  wonderful  past  as  well  as  a  grand 
future.  As  having  some  bearing  on  the  past  his- 
tory of  our  tribes,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  while 
boring  an  artesian  well  in  Nampa,  Idaho,  Mr.  M. 
A.  Kurtz  found,  July  24,  1889,  a  pottery  image  of 
a  human  form,  almost  perfect  in  every  detail,  at 
a  depth  of  nearly  three  hundred  feet.  The  well 
went  first  through  the  natural  soil,  gravel,  etc., 
about  sixty-five  feet;  then  through  a  lava  flow  of 
about  fifteen  feet ;  and  the  rest  of  the  distance  was 
through  layers  of  sand,  quicksand,  clay  and  peb- 
bles. The  image  was  found  in  sand  underneath 
all  these.  It  was  of  burnt  clay  and  about  one  inch 
long.  Who  made  it,  where  it  came  from,  how  it 
came  where  it  was  found  and  how  long  it  had 
lain  there  are  mysteries  that  will  never  be  un- 
veiled. This  curious  find  would  go  to  indicate 
that,  at  some  remote  age  back  of  all  written  his- 
tory, there  were  in  this  country,  somewhere,  peo- 
ple who  were  well  advanced  in  civilization  and 
art." 

The  origin  of  the  Indian  is  another  unsolved 
problem.  Possibly  the  most  feasible  explanation 
of  his  presence  is  that  his  race  is  identical  with 
the  Mongolian  and  that  his  ancestors  drifted 
across  the  Pacific  ocean,  probably  where  the  two 
continents,  Asia  and  America,  approach  each 
other  most  nearly.  There  are,  perhaps,  no  physi- 
cal differences  between  the  Chinese  and  the  In- 
dians that  cannot  be  accounted  for  by  the  effect 
of  climate  and  environment.  The  war  spirit  is 
much  more  dominant  in  the  American  than  in 
the  Asiatic  race,  but  this  may  have  resulted  from 
the  physical  conditions  of  the  country  in  which 
the  ancestral  Indian  found  himself,  being  devel- 
oped first  by  his  warfare  with  the  animal  crea- 
tion for  subsistence  and  later  by  intertribal  bellig- 
erence incident  to  chieftainship  and  a  tribal  form 
of  government.  Indeed,  the  recent  Japanese- 
Chinese  war  furnished  abundant  proof  that  at 
least  one  branch  of  the  original  Mongolian  stock 
was  not  deficient  in  martial  spirit.  Whether 
differences  of  environment  and  conditions  are 
sufficient  to  cause  the  Asiatic  Mongolians  to  be 
noted  for  their  patient  industry,  while  the  Amer- 
ican Indian  is  noted  for  his  utter  shiftlessness  and 
contempt  for  anything  like  drudgery,  is  a  matter 
of  opinion. 

The  account  of  their  origin  given  by  the  Pa- 
cific coast  Indians  themselves  is  of  interest  pri- 


marily as  a  part  of  their  religion  and  mythology 
and  incidentally  from  the  fact  that  it  presup- 
poses a  condition  of  physical  features  such  as 
geological  science  teaches  to  have  existed  in  past 
ages.  The  observations  of  the  Indian  led  him  to 
think  that  much  that  is  now  dry  land  was  for- 
merly covered  with  water,  and  the  geologist's 
•research  has  led  him  to  the  same  conclusion.  The 
legends  of  the  different  tribes  regarding  their 
creation,  though  not  in  perfect  accord,  are  simi- 
lar in  all  their  essential  features.  The  version  of 
the  eastern  Washington  Indians  is  thus  given  by 
Dr.  Kuykendall: 

A  great  while  ago,  in  the  wonderful  age  of  the  an- 
cients, when  all  kinds  of  animals  spoke  and  reasoned,  and 
before  the  present  race  of  Indians  existed,  there  was  a 
mighty  beaver,  Wishpoosh,  that  lived  in  Lake  Cle-Elum. 
This  beaver  was  god  of  the  lake,  owning  it,  and  claim- 
ing property  in  all  the  fish,  wood,  and  everything  in  and 
about  its  waters.  He  lived  in  the  bottom  of  the  lake ; 
his  eyes  were  like  living  fire ;  his  eyebrows  bright  red ; 
and  his  immense  nails  or  claws  shone  and  glistened  like 
burnished  silver.  Like  so  many  others  of  the  Indians' 
animal  gods,  he  was  a  bad  character,  and  was  very  de- 
structive to  life.  He  had  made  the  lake  and  its  sur- 
roundings a  place  of  terror;  for  he  destroyed  and  de- 
voured every  living  thing  that  came  in  his  way.  To  those 
he  could  not  kill,  he  denied  the  privilege  of  taking  fish, 
of  which  there  were  plenty  in  the  water.  All  about  in 
the  country  the  (animal)  people  were  hungry  for  fish; 
and,  with  plenty  near  by.  it  seemed  hard  that  they  must 
starve.  Coyote,  in  his  journeyings,  found  the  (animal) 
people  in  this  sad  plight,  and  their  condition  moved  him 
to  do  something  for  their  relief.  As  many  unsuccessful 
attempts  had  been  made  to  destroy  the  monster,  Coyote 
knew  he  had  a  big  job  on  hand,  and  so  made  elaborate 
preparations  for  the  encounter.  He  armed  himself  with 
a  powerful  spear  with  a  long  and  strong  handle.  This 
spear  he  bound  to  his  wrist  with  strong  cords  of  twisted 
ta-hoosh  (Indian  flax).  Thus  equipped,  he  went  up  to 
the  lake,  and  finding  old  Wishpoosh,  drove  his  spear  into 
him.  The  wounded  and  enraged  water  god  plunged  into 
the  lake  and  down  to  the  bottom.  The  cord  of  the  spear 
handle  being  fast  to  Coyote's  wrist,  he  was  dragged  along 
by  the  infuriated  beast ;  so  that  now  the  two  went  plung- 
ing and  tearing  along  through  the  lake.  A  fearful  strug- 
gle ensued,  in  which  they  tore  a  gap  through  the  moun- 
tain, and  came  wallowing  and  swimming  into  the  lake 
that  then  covered  Kittitas  valley.  On  across  that  they 
came,  and  thrashed  through  the  ridge  forming  the  Naches 
gap.  and  entered  the  lake  that  then  stood  over  the  Yakima 
valley.  Still  the  mighty  beaver  god  struggled:  Coyote 
hung  on,  and  they  struck  the  ridge  below  the  Ahtanum, 
and  tore  through,  forming  Union  gap;  and  then  they 
went  floundering  on  down,  tearing  the  channel  of  the 
Yakima  river.  Poor  Coyote  was  getting  badly  worsted, 
and  was  almost  strangled,  and  was  clutching  at  trees 
along  the  bank,  trying  to  stop  his  wild  career  down  the 
stream.  He  caught  hold  of  the  large  cottonwoods,  but 
they  broke  off  or  pulled  up;  he  tried  the  firs,  but  they 
tore  out  by  the  roots ;  he  clawed  at  the  rocks,  but  they 
crumbled  off.  Nothing  could  stand  before  the  irresist- 
ible power  of  the  mighty  Wishpoosh.  Exhausted  and  al- 
most drowned,  he  found  himself  wallowing  in  the  mouth 
of  the  Columbia  among  the  breakers.  The  muskrat  was 
standing  on  the  shore  laughing  at  him. 

By  this  time  the  beaver  god  was  dead:  and  the  now 
half  drowned  Coyote  came  out,  dragging  his  game  with 
him.  When  he  came  out.  he  wiped  the  water  from  his 
face  and  eyes,  and  proceeded  to  cut  up  the  beaver's  car- 
cass.    As  lie  cut  the  different  parts,  he  made  of  them  the 


354 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Indian  tribes.  Of  the  belly  he  made  the  lower  Columbia 
and  Coast  Indians  saying,  "You  shall  always  be  short 
and  fat,  and  have  great  bellies."  Of  the  legs  he  made 
the  Cayuses,  saying,  "You  shall  be  fleet  of  foot  and 
strong  of  limb."  Of  the  head  he  made  the  northern  tribes, 
saying,  "You  will  be  men  of  brains,  and  strong  in  war." 
Of  the  ribs  he  made  the  Yakimas  or  Peshwan-wa-pams. 
The  various  tribes  had  characteristics  derived  from  the 
parts  from  which  they  were  taken.  Last  of  all  there 
was  a  lot  of  blood,  pieces  of  entrails  and  filth,  which 
Coyote  gathered  up  and  flung  off  towards  the  country 
of  the  Sioux  and  the  Snakes,  saying,  "You  shall  always 
be  people  of  blood  and  violence."  Having  peopled  the 
country  with  tribes  of  Indians,  he  started  up  the  Colum- 
bia, and,  reaching  the  point  where  the  Columbia  and 
Snake  unite  their  waters,  the  mighty  maker  of  the  red 
men  paused.  Standing  there,  at  the  meeting  place  of  the 
waters,  with  hands  outstretched  like  the  arms  of  a  bal- 
ance, first  towards  the  east  and  west,  then  toward  the 
north  and  south,  he  said:  "Earth  is  full  of  inhabitants; 
there  is  no  longer  place  here  for  me."  Then  he  ascended 
to  the  sky. 

The  god  "Coyote,"  who  figures  so  prominently 
in  the  foregoing  legend,  was,  in  the  Indian  mythol- 
ogy, the  chiefest  of  a  large  number  of  animal 
deities.  It  seems  to  be  generally  believed  by  In- 
dians that  the  animals  as  they  now  exist  are  degen- 
erate sons  and  daughters  of  an  ancestry  endowed 
with  the  power  of  speech  and  a  large  degree  of  in- 
telligence. Indeed  it  is  stated  that  even  inanimate 
objects  were  thought  to  have  possessed,  in  that 
wonderful  ancient  time,  the  ability  to  speak  and  to 
perform  marvels.  The  Indians  belieye  that  a  spirit 
essence  still  exists  in  material  blankets,  beads  and 
other  articles  of  comfort  and  adornment,  attesting 
their  faith  in  the  doctrine  by  burying  such  articles 
with  their  dead.  They  think  that  the  soul  of  the 
blanket,  pipe  or  other  object  attaches  itself  to  the 
spirit  of  the  departed  and  in  some  mysterious  way 
ministers  to  his  comfort  in  the  undiscovered  coun- 
try. They  believe,  a  fortiore,  in  the  existence  of 
animal  souls,  and  some  of  them  are  in  the  habit 
of  slaying  a  horse  over  the  grave  of  his  master, 
that  the  spirit  of  the  animal  may  bear  the  spirit  of 
the  man  in  its  journey  to  that  good  land  to  which 
the  grave  is  the  only  portal. 

The  Indian's  animal  gods  are  a  strange  crea- 
tion of  his  imagination.  They  are  grotesque 
creatures  possessed  of  magical  powers  to  defy  the 
laws  of  nature;  cunning,  deceitful,  treacherous,  re- 
flecting with  fidelity  the  moral  character  of  the  race 
that  fabricated  them.  In  their  magical  powers  they 
were  akin  to  the  divine;  in  physique  they  were 
gigantic  animals:  in  ethical  standards  they  were 
ordinary  Indians. 

To  Coyote,  their  great  deity,  are  attributed  won- 
derful powers.  He  could  change  the  aspect  of 
nature,  convert  beings  to  stone,  transform  himself 
into  any  form  he  wished.  While  he  was  not  alto- 
gether good,  and  seems  to  have  been  a  believer 
in  the  doctrine  that  a  benevolent  end  might  justifv 
almost  any  means  necessary  to  its  accomplishment, 
yet  he  was  for  the  most  part  the  friend  of  the  In- 


dian and  the  enemy  of  the  tyrant  gods  who  would 
do  him  harm.  With  all  his  powers,  he  sometimes 
suffered  from  hunger  and  thirst,  often  found  him- 
self in  ludicrous  and  absurd  positions,  was  frequent- 
ly guilty  of  folly  and  frivolity,  and  wise  though  he 
sometimes  was,  was  forced  more  than  once  to  take 
counsel  of  his  three  little  sisters  who  lived  in  his 
stomach  and  were,  in  bodily  form,  like  a  species 
of  berry.  It  is  said  that  whenever  these  knowing 
females  had  given  him  advice,  he  would  say  "Yes, 
that  is  just  what  I  thought,"  taking  all  the  credit  to 
himself.  In  order  to  rid  the  world  of  a  troublesome 
one-horned  dog,  he  created  a  two-homed  canine 
out  of  clay  which  vanquished  the  hated  animal  in 
various  feats.  He  thereupon  traded  for  the  hated 
dog  and  took  him  out  of  the  country.  Then,  the 
two-horned  creature,  having  accomplished  the  pur- 
pose of  his  creation,  turned  back  to  the  vile  clay 
whence  he  sprung. 

But  this  was  by  no  means  the  most  wonderful 
of  the  deeds  of  the  famed  Coyote.  He  destroyed 
malevolent  water  gods;  slew  Amash,  the  owl; 
fought  with  Eenumtla,  the  thunder,  beat  him  un- 
mercifully and  so  broke  his  power  that  he  is  now 
seldom  able  to  kill  anyone,  though  he  often  frights ; 
outwitted  certain  beaver  women,  who  were  in  the 
habit  of  preventing  salmon  from  ascending  the 
rivers,  and  brought  it  about  that  the  salmon  might 
swim  to  the  waters  of  the  interior  without  hin- 
drance ;  transformed  the  female  aspirants  for  the 
favor  of  his  son  into  rocks;  cursed  the  monstrous 
tick  god,  who  thereafter  became  small,  feeble,  in- 
significant and  vile;  slew  by  treachery  the  giant 
mosquito  god,  forming  from  his  head  the  race  of 
diminutive  insects  which  now  annoy  mankind;  at- 
tempted with  Eagle  to  bring  the  dead  back  from 
spirit  land  and  did  many  other  wonderful  things. 

But  the  mighty  Coyote  at  length  overleaped 
himself.  In  a  climax  of  audacity  he  ascended  to 
heaven.  This  boldness  proved  his  utter  undoing, 
for  on  account  of  his  presumption,  or  the  sinfulness 
and  deceit  of  his  past  life,  he  was  fated  to  experi- 
ence a  tremendous  fall,  not  only  from  his  elevated 
position  in  space  but  from  all  the  exaltation  of  at- 
tribute and  magical  power  which  were  formerly 
his.  There  are  several  different  versions  among 
the  Indian  tribes  of  this  fall  of  Coyote.  One  of 
them  is  as  follows : 

Coyote,  in  the  course  of  his  checkered  career, 
had  at  one  time  occasion  to  mourn  the  death  of  his 
five  daughters,  or,  according  to  some,  sisters. 
While  wandering  about  disconsolate,  he  was  di- 
rected to  a  rope  reaching  up  to  heaven,  having 
found  which  he  began  the  ascent.  Encouraged  by 
a  voice  from  above,  he  climbed  higher  and  higher, 
until  at  last  the  strains  of  music  reached  his  ear  and 
looking  up  he  saw  grass  and  trees,  and  streams 
of  water.  He  had  paused  to  listen  and  when  he 
again  attempted  to  move  upward,  he  discovered, 
to  his  consternation,  that  his  paws  had  become 


THE    YAKIMA    INDIANS. 


355 


fastened  to  the  rope,  so  that  he  could  neither  as- 
cend nor  descend.  While  in  this  ridiculous  posi- 
tion between  earth  and  heaven,  he  heard  a  voice 
saying,  "You  cannot  come  up;  your  heart  has 
been  very  bad;  you  have  been  fork-tongued  and 
deceitful,  and  have  practiced  evil.  You  are  unfit 
for  the  heavenly  country.  You  never  can  come  up 
until  you  have  confessed  your  wrongs  and  put 
away  your  evil  spirit." 

A  long  time  Coyote  hung  there  before  he  could 
bring  himself  to  make  this  humiliating  confession, 
for  he  was  a  great  god  and  not  a  little  proud  of 
his  achievements.  At  length,  however,  he  made 
a  clean  breast  of  all  his  iniquities,  and  was  drawn 
up  through  a  trap  door  into  the  sky  country.  Four 
of  his  daughters  received  him  joyfully,  but  the  fifth 
upbraided  him  for  his  sinfulness  and  presumption 
in  coming  to  the  heavenly  land.  She  ended  up  by 
giving  him  a  shove  through  the  trap  door.  Coyote 
sought  the  rope  but  it  had  been  drawn  up  into 
heaven,  so  there  was  nothing  to  hold  onto  and  he 
fell  precipitate.  For  more  than  "nine  days," — a 
whole  year — he  fell  and  fell.  When  at  last  he 
struck  the  earth  he  was  mashed  as  flat  as  a  tule 
mat;  nor  was  there  consolation  in  the  voice  which 
spoke  to  him  from  heaven,  for  it  pronounced  a 
curse  upon  him,  saying:  "You  shall  be  a  vagabond 
and  wanderer,  and  shall  be  a  common  contemptible 
coyote,  and  shall  forever  cry  and  howl  for  your 
sins."  Thus  it  came  to  pass  that  the  coyote  is  a 
most  ignoble  animal,  whining  and  crying  of  nights  ; 
wandering  about  continually  in  its  destitution  and 
friendlessness. 

Referring  to  the  strange  admixture  of  conflict- 
ing characteristics  attributed  to  this  fantastic  ani- 
mal deity.  Dr.  Kuykendall  says :  "In  the  incon- 
gruities of  the  Indian  god  we  see  the  incongruities 
of  the  Indian  mind;  for  his  god  was  the  product  of 
his  own  imagination  and  he  clothed  him  with  such 
attributes  as  were  in  harmony  with  his  own  intelli- 
gence, feelings  and  moral  nature.  Since  these 
myths  and  traditions  have  been  handed  down  for 
centuries,  they  convey  to  us  a  picture  of  the  Indian 
character  for  ages  back,  more  correct,  perhaps, 
than  any  written  history  could  give  us.  The  myth- 
makers  had  no  desire  to  flatter  or  traduce:  but  un- 
consciously, while  telling  of  the  doings  of  the  gods, 
they  told  their  own  natures,  feelings  and  impulses, 
and  without  knowing  it  gave  us  their  own  standard 
of  morality." 

A  noticeable  feature  of  the  Indian  mythology 
is  that  the  death  of  a  gigantic  animal  deity  almost 
invariably  resulted  in  the  formation  of  a  race  simi- 
lar in  some  respects  to  the  slain  god,  but  smaller 
in  size,  vastly  inferior  in  power  and  dignity  and 
degenerate  in  every  way.  Thus  the  death  of 
Amash,  the  owl  god,  gave  to  the  world  the  hooting 
bird  of  the  night;  the  death  of  the  mosquito  god 
resulted  in  the  blood-sucking  pest  of  modern  times, 
and  even  the  fall  of  Coyote  himself  was  fruitful  in 
the  creation  of  a  race  of  animals.    It  was  natural  that 


the  mythology  of  the  Indian  should  take  its  form 
and  substance  from  the  animal  creation.  The  ear- 
liest and  the  latest  associations  of  the  primitive  red 
man  were  with  the  wild  beasts  of  nature,  and  by 
the  simplest  psychological  law  he  was  constrained 
to  weave  them  into  his  day-dreaming.  The  myth- 
ology of  the  Indian  is  the  result  of  his  efforts  to 
solve  the  problem  of  origin,  to  explain  nature  as 
he  saw  it,  a  problem  with  which  the  mind  of  man 
has  wrestled  in  all  ages,  and  many  times  with  as 
little  success  as  has  attended  the  philosophizing  of 
the  ancestral  red  man. 

The  Indian  myth-maker  did  not  pause  when  he 
had  constructed  a  cosmogony  of  animal  life.  He 
sought  also  to  explain  by  imaginative  accounts 
many  other  phenomena  of  nature.  The  result  is 
numerous  myths  concerning  the  origin  of  fire,  the 
warm  and  cold  winds,  the  existence  of  rocks  in  dif- 
ferent places,  etc.,  etc.  Lakes  and  streams  and 
springs  were  peopled  with  mythological  inhabitants 
of  various  shapes  and  characters,  and  even  the  re- 
mains of  extinct  mammalia  yielded  suggestions  to 
the  story  teller.  A  sunken  place  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Naches  river  near  a  small  lake  is  supposed 
to  be  the  place  where  the  famed  Coyote  used  to 
have  a  sweathouse ;  and  a  depression  in  a  south 
hillside  near  the  mouth  of  the  Satus  is  pointed  out 
as  the  spot  where  the  warm  wind  rested  over  night 
when  on  his  way  to  avenge  the  killing  by  the  cold 
wind  brothers  of  his  father  and  uncles. 

From  the  character  of  myths  heretofore  referred 
to,  it  may  be  seen  that  the  Indians,  in  common 
with  practically  all  other  races  of  men,  believe  in 
a  future  existence.  In  reference  to  the  peculiar 
features  of  the  Indian's  belief  in  the  doctrine  of 
the  soul  and  immortality,  we  find  this  language 
in  Dr.  Kuykendall's  excellent  article : 

As  has  been  mentioned,  the  Indians  believe  that  all 
objects  are  of  a  dual  nature,  having  a  soul  or  spirit-like 
existence  independent  of  the  material  form.  It  is  said 
that  some  of  the  Oregon  tribes  formerly  held  that  the 
various  organs  of  the  body  were  each  endowed  with  sep- 
arate souls.  Among  all  the  tribes  the  idea  seemed  to  be 
that  there  were  really  two  persons,  the  spirit  or  soul  and 
the  body  with  its  animal  life,  and  that  the  body  could 
exist  for  some  time  while  the  soul  was  absent.  This 
ghost-like  self  had  the  same  form  and  visage  as  the  body. 
While  they  believed  in  a  spirit  or  soul,  they  do  not  ap- 
pear to  have  thought  it  was  as  much  a  reality  as  the 
body.  There  was  a  vague,  misty  unsubstantiality  about 
it  that  must  have  been  very  unsatisfying  to  their  minds. 
The  soul  could  leave  the  body  and  go  away  in  dreams 
and  trances,  and  could  appear  as  an  apparition  in  places 
far  from  the  body,  with  form  and  features  recognizable. 
In  their  languages,  life  and  breath  or  spirit  and  breath 
meant  the  same  thing. 

A  good  many  if  not  all  of  the  Indians  believed  that 
there  were  certain  shamans  or  conjurers  that  could  rob 
them  of  their  souls,  and  that  the  body  would  continue  to 
live  on  for  a  longer  or  shorter  time,  but  that  it  must  soon 
die.  In  their  so-called  doctoring  pow-wows,  the  doctors 
professed  to  restore  the  absent  soul  to  its  owner,  and 
thus  make  his  recovery  to  health  possible.  Another  idea 
quite  prevalent  among  the  tribes  of  northern  Oregon  and 
Washington  was  that  the  soul  could  come  back  and  in- 


356 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


habit  some  other  body.  The  most  northerly  tribes  bor- 
dering upon  and  reaching  into  British  Columbia  thought 
the  soul  came  back  and  entered  certain  birds,  fish,  or  deer 
or  elk.  Others  held  that  the  soul  came  back  in  the  body 
of  infants  born  to  near  relatives.  It  entered  the  body 
of  a  female  and  appeared  in  her  child.  If  the  child 
strongly  resembled  the  deceased,  then  there  was  no  doubt 
but  that  he  had  appeared  again ;  and  his  name  was  sooner 
oir  later  conferred  upon  it.  Some  of  the  tribes  in  the 
Northwest  held  that  the  deceased  could  choose  into  what 
family  he  would  be  born  again ;  and,  among  the  poor  and 
sick  and  suffering,  life  was  laid  down  with  little  regret, 
believing  they  might  after  a  while  be  born  into  wealthy 
or  honorable  families.  It  was  generally  believed  that  the 
spirits  of  the  dead  are  out  around  the  world  very  active 
and  busy  during  the  night,  but  that  in  the  daytime  they 
stay  about  graveyards  and  lonely,  dark  places.  Some  held 
that  the  dead  go  into  a  state  of  insensibility  as  soon  as 
the  light  of  day  comes  on ;  and  that,  when  darkness  broods 
over  the  world,  their  spirits  come  forth  rehabilimented 
and  happy,  dancing,  feasting  and  engaging  in  all  kinds 
of  pleasures  during  the  hours  of  darkness. 

Whatever  happiness  or  bliss  was  attributed  to  those 
in  the  spirit  land,  there  seems  to  have  been  a  sort  of 
vague  dread  and  much  misgiving  in  regard  to  it ;  and 
their  legends  show  clearly  enough  that  it  was  the  general 
belief  that  it  would  be  desirable  to  have  the  souls  of  the 
deceased  return  to  earth ;  and  that  the  existence  here  is 
really  more  substantial  and  desirable  than  that  in  the  spirit 
land.  Everything  goes  to  show  that  for  some  cause  there 
had  been  a  great  deal  of  change  going  on  in  the  belief 
of  the  tribes  for  some  time  before  the  advent  of  the 
whites.  Their  traditions  indicate  that  the  Indians  had 
been  travelling  and  visiting  more  together  than  formerly. 
There  is  every  indication  that,  at  some  period  back  only 
a  few  hundred  years,  the  tribes  had  no  horses,  and  their 
excursions  were  limited,  and  there  were  greater  provin- 
cialisms in  customs  and  beliefs  than  in  later  times.  For- 
merly each  little  tribe  had  its  own  grounds,  lived  and 
died  near  their  birthplaces,  and  seldom  traveled  to  any 
extent.  Under  these  circumstances,  each  had  its  own 
legends  and  myths,  and  its  own  particular  belief  as  to  the 
future.  Now  and  for  some  years  back  there  are  found 
traces  of  several  beliefs  mixed  in  with  all  the  tribes. 
There  was  much  more  independence  in  thought  and  dif- 
ference in  religious  belief  than  we  have  been  prone  to 
imagine.  There  was  much  more  scepticism  and  tendency 
to  unbelief  than  we  have  been  taught  to  look  for.  Many 
individuals,  when  asked  about  the  future  state,  will  say, 
"I  don't  know."  Some  express  a  doubt  as  to  the  immor- 
tality of  the  soul ;  and  some  utterly  deny  it. 

Among  most  of  the  tribes,  there  seems  to  have  been 
a  pretty  distinct  idea  of  rewards  and  punishments  based 
on  the  Indian's  idea  of  right  and  wrong.  In  nearly  all 
cases,  there  was  hope  held  out  for  relief  and  final  entrance 
into  the  happy  land.  Generally,  after  an  uncertain  length 
of  time  spent  in  banishment,  the  sins  of  the  offender  were 
expiated,  and  he  was  permitted  to  pass  in  among  the 
good,  or  was  even  assisted  in.  Among  no  tribes  do  we 
find  anything  like  the  orthodox  fire  and  brimstone  hell; 
but  there  are  very  close  representations  to  the  condition 
of  the  ancient  Tantalus,  forever  tortured  with  images  of 
everything  pleasing  to  the  senses,  but  which  he  was  utterly 
unable  to  grasp.  The  Chinooks  and  Klickitats  believed 
in  a  bright,  happy  land  not  very  definitely  located,  where 
the  good  were  permitted  to  enjoy  themselves  in  hunting, 
fishing  and  every  pleasure  conceivable  to  the  Indian 
mind;  while  the  wicked  were  condemned  to  wander  away 
in  a  land  of  cold  and  darkness  to  starve  and  freeze  un- 
ceasingly. Some  of  the  northern  tribes  say  that  in  the 
other  world  there  is  a  dark,  mysterious  lake  or  ocean; 
and  that  out  of  this  lake  there  flow  two  rivers.  Up  one 
on  the  shores  there  is  a  beautiful  country  filled  with  all 
manner  of  berries  and  game,  while  the  stream  abounds  in 
fish.     Here  the  good  Indian  lives  in  happiness  and  com- 


fort forever.  Up  the  other  river  there  is  a  land  of  frost 
and  darkness,  a  stony,  barren  waste,  a  land  of  briars  and 
brambles,  where  the  sunlight  never  comes  and  where  the 
wicked  wander  forever  in  cold,  hunger  and  despair. 

The  Okanogans  have  an  Indian  heaven  and  a  pecul- 
iar kind  of  hell.  Instead  of  the  orthodox  cloven-footed, 
barbed-tailed  devil,  there  is  a  being  in  human  form  with 
ears  and  tail  of  a  horse.  This  fantastic  being  lives  in  the 
pine  trees,  and  jumps  about  from  tree  to  tree,  and  with 
a  stick  beats  and  prods  the  poor  souls  consigned  to  his 
dominions.  If  among  the  tribes  of  the  Northwest  there 
is  any  idea  of  a  heaven  in  the  sky  or  in  some  elevated 
spot  in  space,  it  probably  was  derived  from  priests  or 
missionaries.  In  the  extreme  southern  part  of  Oregon, 
the  Indians  represent  the  happy  hunting  grounds  as  be- 
yond a  deep,  dark  gulf  or  chasm  across  which  all  must 
pass— some  say  on  a  slippery  pole.  The  good  manage  to 
get  over,  but  the  evil  fall  in  and  reappear  upon  earth  in 
the  form  of  beasts,  insects  or  birds.  One  of  the  most 
common  ideas  among  the  interior  tribes  was  that  the 
spirit  land  is  situated  far  away  towards  the  south  or  west. 
In  its  journey  the  soul  meets  far  out  on  the  way  a  spirit 
being  who  understands  his  life,  and  weighs  all  his  con- 
duct and  actions.  If  he  has  been  bad,  he  is  sent  on  to  a 
crooked,  wandering  road  that  leads  to  a  land  of  misty 
darkness,  where  the  soul,  forlorn,  cold  and  hungry,  for- 
ever wanders  in  despair;  while  the  good  are  directed 
along  a  straight  road  leading  to  a  country  that  is  very 
beautiful,  and  abounding  in  everything  the  Indian  can 
desire. 

These  various  shades  of  belief  all  give  expression  to 
that  unutterable  longing,  characteristic  of  humanity  in  all 
ages,  to  look  into  the  future,  to  unravel  the  mystery  of 
death,  and  to  solve  the  problem  of  man's  destiny  after 
he  quits  this  mortal  body.  In  his  vain  attempts  to  satisfy 
the  yearnings  of  his  soul  after  immortality  and  happiness 
beyond  the  grave,  man  in  all  lands  has  invented  mythic 
stories.  Death,  silence  and  darkness  fill  the  savage  mind 
with  superstitious  dread.  The  most  profound  and  philo- 
sophical stand  silent  in  the  presence  of  death.  Each  tribe 
or  nation  of  people  has  its  own  ideas  of  heaven ;  and  each 
pictures  what  from  its  standpoint  would  seem  the  most 
happy  and  desirable  condition.  No  people  can  picture  a 
heaven  superior  to  the  powers  of  their  conception  to  origi- 
nate. The  Indian's  heavenly  mansion  was  a  mat  house ; 
because  he  had  never  seen  nor  thought  of  anything  supe- 
rior or  better.  Drumming,  dancing,  gaming  and  feasting 
were  the  highest  conceptions  of  felicity  possible  to  the 
Indian  mind.  Hence  he  pictured  for  himself  a  heaven  in 
which  these  are  the  chief  pleasures.  The  river  and  coast 
tribes,  being  accustomed  to  water  and  boats,  located  their 
heaven  on  a  far  away  island ;  and  the  spirits  were  con- 
veyed to  the  Indian  paradise  in  boats.  The  prairie  tribes, 
being  accustomed  to  horses  as  the  speediest  and  best  mode 
of  conveyance,   sent   their  dead  to  heaven   on   horseback. 

We  thus  see  that  the  habits  of  life  and  the  surround- 
ings of  a  people  have  much  to  do  in  their  heaven  building. 
The  Indian  prophet  harangues  the  children  of  the  prairie 
and  forest  about  a  heaven  where  drumming,  dancing  and 
various  plays  and  sports  are  conducted  in  a  great  mat 
house.  The  Mohammedan  priest  tells  the  followers  of 
Islam  of  a  land  of  palaces,  fountains  and  delicate  per- 
fumes, where  beautiful  houris  and  genii  are  found;  and 
where  the  soul  revels  in  sensual  pleasures.  The  early 
Christian  fathers  preached  about  a  heaven  with  golden 
streets,  jasper  walls,  seas  of  glass  and  fountains  and 
rivers  of  life.  A  higher  authority  says,  "Eye  hath  not 
seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart 
of  man  to  conceive,"  what  heaven  is  like;  and  this  is  in 
consonance  with  reason  and  philosophy. 

One  of  the  strangest  developments  of  the  In- 
dian doctrine  of  spirit,  and  the  one  having  the 
most  marked  influence  in  enslaving  the  untutored 


THE    YAKIMA    INDIANS. 


357 


reel  man,  is  a  belief  in  what  they  term  "tamano- 
wash."  The  word  is  hard  to  define;  an  Indian 
can  convey  an  idea  of  its  meaning  only  by  citing 
illustrative  examples;  but  it  seems  to  be  a  species 
of  spirit  power,  working  through  a  mortal  and 
exercising  an  influence  in  the  affairs  of  individ- 
uals. Persons  through  whose  mediumship  this 
power  acts  are  known  as  medicine-men  or  doc- 
tors. The  method  of  initiation  into  their  frater- 
nity is  this :  A  hoy  under  the  age  of  puberty 
goes  out  alone  into  a  lonely  place  and  there  re- 
mains until  a  message  comes  to  him.  Some  wild 
animal  or  bird  gives  forth  the  sound  peculiar  to 
its  kind  and  in  an  unaccountable  way  intelligence 
from  the  realm  of  spirit  is  conveyed  to  the  ex- 
cited mind  of  the  candidate.  If  he  remembers  the 
words  of  this  supernatural  communication  to 
maturity  he  is  a  medicine  man,  having  power  to 
use  for  the  blighting  or  healing  of  any  individual 
of  his  race  the  resources  of  his  patron  spirit.  This 
supposed  league  with  the  supernatural  gives  the 
reputed  possessor  of  it  great  influence  over  his 
less  favored  brethren,  for  who  of  them  would  not 
fear  a  man  who  has  power  to  bewitch,  to  cast 
spells  and  even  to  take  life  by  an  effort  of  the 
will?  True,  this  power  may  be  exercised  for  the 
benefit  as  well  as  to  the  detriment  of  an  individ- 
ual, and  indeed  it  is  invoked  whenever  the  Indian 
is  sick  with  an  internal  malady,  but  as  diseases 
of  this  character  are  supposed  to  be  the  effect  of 
a  malevolent  use  of  the  tamanowash  power,  it 
can,  after  all,  at  best  accomplish  nothing  more, 
even  in  the  hands  of  its  most  benevolent  possess- 
or than  to  undo  the  mischief  which,  differently 
applied,  it  has  itself  wrought.  This  belief  in 
tamanowash  is  also  baneful  to  the  Indian  in  that 
it  makes  him  too  much  the  slave  of  the  wizard 
doctor,  who  is  many  times  the  veriest  charlatan. 
But  if  tamanowash  is  a  curse  to  the  common 
Indian,  it  does  not  always  prove  an  unmixed 
blessing  to  the  doctor  himself,  for  he  is  likely  at 
any  time  to  be  accused  of  causing  the  death  of 
some  tribesman,  who  has  fallen  a  victim  to  dis- 
ease. When  so  accused,  his  charlatanry  comes 
to  the  rescue,  prompting  him  to  lay  the  blame  on 
some  distant  practitioner  of  sorcery.  Occasion- 
ally he  is  unable  to  escape  responsibility  in  this 
way,  and  dies  at  the  hands  of  an  enraged  relative 
of  the  person  he  is  thought  to  have  murdered 
with  his  deadly  spell. 

Indeed  a  case  of  this  kind  occurred  as  recently 
as  September  of  the  year  1903  on  the  Ahtanum 
river,  twelve  miles  west  of  North  Yakima.  The 
matter  was  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  civil 
authorities  and  a  deputy  coroner,  having  repaired 
to  the  scene,  found  the  headless  trunk  of  an  old 
woman  known  as  Tisanaway  in  the  wickiup  of 
her  son-in-law,  Yallup.  The  victim  was  a  witch- 
doctor and  had  incurred  the  enmity  of  a  number 
of  her  tribesmen  by  giving,  as  they    would     ex- 


press it,  "bad  medicine"  to  their  kindred.  It  is 
thought  that  this  was  the  cause  of  her  death. 

Such  were  some  of  the  superstitions  which 
held  the  Indian  mind  in  bondage  when  benevo- 
lent white  men  began  the  work  of  evangelization 
and  education  among  the  Yakima  tribes,  and 
such  are  some  of  the  superstitions  which  are  still 
enthralling  a  majority  of  those  tribes,  despite  the 
efforts  of  the  government  and  the  missionary. 
The  Indian  has  everywhere  manifested  a  con- 
servatism truly  astonishing.  With  the  fruits  of 
civilization  all  around  him,  so  that  he  cannot  fail 
to  observe  the  blessings  which  flow  from  intelli- 
gent industry,  he  still  clings  with  pertinacity  to 
his  ancient  habits  and  philosophy.  Even  the  cer- 
tainty that  his  doom  is  sealed  unless  he  shall 
yield  to  civilizing  influences,  and  that  quickly, 
has  failed  to  arouse  him  from  his  lethargy.  His 
race  must  soon  go  out  of  existence  as  a  separate 
and  distinct  branch  of  the  human  family,  with- 
out a  history,  with  no  monument  in  the  way  of 
art  or  architecture  save  a  few  insignificant  trink- 
ets— "unwept,  un honored  and  unsung." 

The  Yakima  nation  first  came  into  conflict 
with  the  American  settlers  shortly  after  the  nego- 
tiation of  the  Stevens  treaty  of  1855.  The  story 
of  that  treaty  and  that  war  has  already  found 
place  in  these  pages.  None  can  follow  the  great 
Kamiakin  in  his  efforts  to  form  an  Indian  con- 
federacy and  in  his  conduct  of  the  Yakima  war 
without  feeling  that  he  deserves  rank  among  the 
ablest  diplomats  and  warriors  of  the  western 
aborigines,  and  the  nation  of  which  he  was  head 
chief  certainly  embraced  more  than  one  tribe 
that  might  compare  favorably  in  general  intelli- 
gence and  spirit  with  any  other  band  in  the 
Northwest,  though  the  palm  for  integrity,  sincer- 
ity, peaceful  disposition  and  capacity  for  civiliza- 
tion is  usually  accorded  to  the  Nez  Perces.  Ac- 
cording to  Kuykendall,  "of  all  the  Indians  of  the 
Northwest,  the  Klickitats  were  the  most  power- 
ful, extending  their  excursions  the  farthest  into 
the  surrounding  country.  It  is  said  that  the  word 
Klickitat  signifies  robber  or  marauder.  It  was 
characteristic  of  the  people  of  that  tribe  to  go 
almost  everywhere  and  make  themselves  at  home 
anywhere.  Their  language  impressed  itself  upon 
a  greater  number  of  people  than  any  other  native 
language  of  the  Northwest.  They  were  the  trav- 
eling traders,  the  'Yankee  peddlers'  of  the  tribes 
in  the  Northwest.  The  Chinooks  were  also  great 
traders  in  the  Indian  way;  but  finding  nearly 
everything  they  needed  to  supply  their  wants  in 
their  own  country,  they  seldom  made  extensive 
excursions  among  the  surrounding  tribes.  Their 
habits  of  life,  their  climate  and  methods  of  travel 
created  a  greater  affinity  between  themselves  and 
the  coast  and  Puget  Sound  clans.  The  Klicki- 
tats were  quite  nomadic  in  their  habits ;  and  the 
summer  time  found  numerous  bands  of  them 
making    long   journeys     among     distant    tribes. 


358 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Every  year  some  of  them  would  go  east,  beyond 
the  head  of  the  Missouri  river  over  into  Dakota. 
They  frequently  met  the  Shoshones  in  Grande 
Ronde  valley  and  traveled  as  far  south  as  north- 
ern California.  In  fact,  occasional  trips  were 
made  as  far  south  as  the  lower  Sacramento  val- 
ley. On  the  north  they  ranged  far  into  British 
Columbia.  The  objects  of  these  excursions  were 
traffic,  gambling,  horse-racing  and  sometimes 
theft  and  pillage.  These  Indians  were  well  sup- 
plied with  buffalo  robes,  most  of  which  they  ob- 
tained from  the  tribes  in  Montana  and  Dakota, 
exchanging  for  them  horses,  shells,  beads,  knives, 
guns  and  articles  of  clothing  which  they  had 
bought  of  the  whites  or  traded  for  with  other  In- 
dians. In  many  places  in  eastern  Oregon  and 
Washington  there  are  yet  to  be  seen  old  trails  on 
the  lines  of  commerce  and  communication  be- 
tween the  tribes.  These  trails  are  sometimes  as 
many  as  ten  or  fifteen  in  number,  running  paral- 
lel and  close  together;  in  many  instances  they 
are  worn  deep  into  the  soil." 

Besides  the  Klickitats  there  were  some  thir- 
teen other  tribes  and  bands,  whose  chiefs  signed 
the  Stevens  treaty.  All  together  constituted  the 
Yakima  nation,  and  occupied  a  territory  extend- 
ing over  many  hundreds  of  square  miles  of  what 
is  now  known  as  the  Inland  Empire. 

After  the  war  of  1855-6,  the  United  States 
government  determined  to  establish  a  fort  in  the 
territory  of  these  people,  and  in  the  fall  of  1856 
the  construction  of  the  post  was  begun.  The  site 
chosen  was  a  place  known  among  the  Indians  by 
the  name  "Mool  Mool,"  referring,  it  is  claimed, 
to  the  bubbling  springs  which  there  abound.  The 
timbers  for  practically  all  the  buildings  were 
framed  in  the  east,  conveyed  around  Cape  Horn 
on  shipboard,  thence  up  the  Columbia  river  to 
The  Dalles,  from  which  point  they  were  packed 
on  the  backs  of  mules  over  the  mountains  via  the 
old  military  trail  to  the  site  chosen.  It  is  said 
that  the  building  now  occupied  by  Agent  Jay 
Lynch  cost  $60,000,  and  that  the  total  amount 
expended  by  the  government  in  the  construction 
of  the  original  Fort  Simcoe  buildings  was  $300,- 
000.  The  work  was  so  well  and  thoroughly  done 
that  most  of  the  buildings  have  stood  the  test  of 
time  and  are  still  giving  service.  They  are  quaint, 
old-fashioned  structures,  interesting  relics  of  the 
days  gone  by.  The  ancient  blockhouses  are  small 
low  buildings  constructed  of  timbers  squared 
with  the  broad  axe  and  laid  one  above  another. 
It  is  not  difficult  to  discern  where  the  port  holes 
originally  were,  though  they  are  now  filled  up, 
and  it  is  pleasant  to  remember  that  never  once 
was  it  necessary  to  send  a  bullet  through  any  of 
them  to  the  heart  of  an  attacking  enemy.  The 
blockhouses  have  long  since  been  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  uses  far  remote  from  those  for  which 
they  were  originally  designed,  as  have  also  all 


the  other  buildings,  for  Fort  Simcoe  has  for  more 
than  four  decades  been  a  fort  in  name  only. 

The  establishment  of  an  agency  among  the 
Yakimas  was  one  of  the  provisions  of  the  treaty 
of  1855,  without  the  fulfillment  of  which  none  of 
the  other  pledges  of  the  government  could  be 
redeemed.  Old  residents  assert  that  some  of  the 
earliest  agents  were  frequently  accused  of  fraud 
and  inefficiency.  All  this  ceased  when  the  Rev. 
James  H.  Wilbur  was  appointed  to  the  general 
charge  of  the  agency.  This  worthy  representa- 
tive of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  clergy  is  known 
among  the  Indians  as  Father  Wilbur,  and  they 
do  well  to  honor  him  with  this  reverent  and  affec- 
tionate title,  for  he  deserves  a  very  large  share 
of  the  credit  for  whatever  progress  the  Yakimas 
have  made  in  education  and  civilization.  Speak- 
ing of  him,  John  P.  Mattoon  stated  to  the  writer 
that  he  was  a  very  large  man,  weighing  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  well  proportioned  and 
powerful,  dark  complexioned  and  fine  looking. 
He  had  a  Roman  nose  and  wore  burnsides.  He 
was  quick  to  think  and  act,  good  natured,  sensi- 
tive, slow  to  anger,  but  passionate,  resolute  and 
of  great  courage  when  aroused ;  had  a  command- 
ing eye  and  voice  and  was  seldom  disobeyed  by 
anyone.  He  was  an  excellent  preacher.  His 
wife  was  a  small  woman,  of  a  retiring  disposi- 
tion, popular  with  all  classes  and  a  great  favorite 
with  the  Indian  women. 

Wilbur  was  appointed  superintendent  of 
teaching  September  1,  i860.  With  characteristic 
energy  he  began,  immediately  upon  going  to  the 
agency,  to  prepare  for  opening  a  boarding  school 
for  the  children  of  the  agency. 

"I  pledged  the  department,"  wrote  he  in  his 
official  report  of  1878,  "if  they  would  feed  the 
children  for  a  time,  until  the  wild  steers  could  be 
made  oxen  and  the  Indian  children  could  be 
tamed  to  drive  them,  and  seed  planted  and  sowed, 
and  time  given  for  it  to  come  to  maturity,  the 
school  would  raise  enough  for  its  own  subsist- 
ence. Provision  was  made  to  subsist  the  children 
of  the  school  for  eight  months.  I  immediately 
gathered  in  the  larger  boys  for  school  and  com- 
menced my  instruction  in  yoking  the  cattle,  hitch- 
ing them  to  the  plow,  and  with  the  wild  team 
and  wild  boys  began  making  crooked  furrows  on 
the  land  chosen  for  a  school  farm.  In  starting 
out  with  unbroken  team  and  unbroken  drivers,  I 
needed  and  had  a  boy  or  two  for  every  ox  in  the 
team,  and  then  it  was  difficult  to  keep  them  on  an 
area  of  eighty  acres.  Patience  and  perseverance 
in  the  work  soon  tamed  the  cattle  and  instructed 
the  boys  in  driving;  so  good  work  was  done  in 
opening  a  school  farm.  We  plowed  in  the  fall 
about  twenty  acres  and  sowed  wheat,  and  in  the 
spring  plowed  ten  acres  more,  that  was  planted 
in  corn,  potatoes  and  garden  vegetables.  We 
fenced  eighty  acres.  When  the  crops  were  ma- 
tured we  had  300  bushels  of  wheat,  500  bushels 


AGENT'S  RESIDENCE.  FORT  SIMCOE  AGENCY 
PUPILS  OF  INDIAN  SCHOOL  MARCHING 
OLD  BLOCKHOUSE    FORT  SIMCOE      built  1856 


THE    YAKIMA    INDIANS. 


359 


of  potatoes,  40  bushels  of  corn,  with  peas,  turnips 
and  garden  vegetables  sufficient  for  the  subsist- 
ence of  the  school  and  seed  in  the  spring  to  assist 
the  parents  of  the  children  in  beginning  the  work 
of  farming.  The  work  was  done  wholly  by  the 
boys  of  the  school  and  superintendent  of  teach- 
ing." 

The  general  policy  of  this  efficient  worker  in 
the  civilization  of  the  Indian,  together  with  some 
of  his  views  on  the  Indian  question,  are  set  forth 
with  great  perspicuity  and  vigor  in  another  part 
of  the  same  report.     He  says : 

"I  have  no  affinity  for  the  custom  and  prac- 
tice now  pursued  in  many  of  the  agencies  of  this 
nation — feeding  the  Indians  in  idleness  and  pre- 
paring them,  when  their  treaties  are  run  out,  to 
fight  the  whites  and  get  a  new  treaty,  and  then 
from  year  to  year  and  generation  to  generation 
be  a  tax  on  the  industry  of  the  whites.  What 
we  want  in  the  Indian  service  is  not  more  money, 
but  a  consolidation  of  the  agencies  on  good  res- 
ervations, where  the  land,  if  properly  cultivated, 
will  be  remunerative,  where  white  men  could  live 
and  prosper;  where  the  Indians  are  remote  from 
the  pestiferous  influence  of  degraded  whites ;  re- 
mote from  towns,  cities  and  the  great  thorough- 
fares of  the  country.  They  want  and  must  have 
men  of  God,  full  of  business  enterprise,  capable 
of  managing  their  own  business  and  making  it 
thrifty;  men  who  are  awake  to  the  interests  of 
this  and  the  world  to  come ;  instructors  to  edu- 
cate them  by  precept  and  example.  Give  the  In- 
dian agencies  through  the  nation  such  men  as 
agents,  and  the  muscle  and  heart  of  the  Indian 
would  be  educated,  not  for  the  use  of  the  bow 
and  arrow,  not  for  the  war  dance  and  scalping 
knife,  but  for  the  plow,  for  the  habits  and  prac- 
tices of  civilized  life  ;  for  mental,  moral  and  physi- 
cal culture,  for  the  knowledge  of  the  Bible,  of 
God  and  heaven." 

But  the  labors  of  Father  Wilbur  and  his 
worthy  successors  have  not  yet  succeeded  in 
converting  the  Yakimas  into  an  industrious,  in- 
telligent community  of  citizens.  Though  most 
of  them  are  self-supporting,  they  get  their  living 
more  by  renting  their  allotments  to  the  whites 
than  by  their  own  toil.  They  do,  however,  spend  a 
portion  of  each  year  in  the  hop  fields,  but  even 
at  this  season  most  of  the  work  is  done  by  the 
squaws,  it  being,  seemingly,  next  to  impossible  to 
disabuse  the  minds  of  the  men  of  the  idea  that 
labor  is  beneath  their  dignity  and  to  present  any 
incentive  to  them  strong  enough  to  induce  them 
to  overcome  their  natural  indolence. 

The  Yakimas  have,  however,  made  some 
progress  toward  civilization.  Some  of  them  have 
donned  the  habits  of  white  men  and  a  consider- 
able proportion  are  professors  of  the  Christian 
religion  in  one  form  or  another.  The  Indian 
Methodist  church,  seven  miles  nearly  due  east  of 
Fort  Simcoe,  has  a  membership  of  fifty-two,  and 


its  worthy  pastor,  Rev.  J.  H.  Helm,  has  in  many 
ways  received  token  that  his  labors  and  those  of 
his  predecessors  have  not  been  in  vain.  This 
church  is  supported  by  the  missionary  society 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  denomination.  Its 
property  consists  of  an  edifice  built  in  1879,  a 
parsonage  erected  by  Father  Wilbur  for  church 
purposes  and  so  used  until  the  present  building 
could  be  provided,  and  twelve  acres  of  land,  irri- 
gated in  part.  There  are  two  other  Methodist 
Episcopal  churches  on  the  reservation,  one  at 
Toppenish,  the  membership  of  which  consists 
mostly  of  white  renters,  and  one  on  the  Satus. 
There  is  also  a  Roman  Catholic  church,  a  very 
good  building,  situated  near  the  Fort  Simcoe 
Methodist  church.     Its  pastor  is  Father  Parrodi. 

Besides  the  Methodist  and  Catholic  Indians, 
who  unitedly  number  a  few  hundred,  there  is  a 
considerable  representation  of  a  sect  known  as 
the  Shakers.  This  form  of  religion  is  of  purely 
Indian  origin.  Just  what  the  creed  of  its  devo- 
tees is  the  writer  does  not  profess  to  know,  but 
it  seems  to  mingle  some  of  the  doctrines  and 
teachings  of  Catholicism  with  Indian  supersti- 
tions and  the  emotionalism  of  the  Salvation 
army.  It  is  claimed  by  members  of  this  sect  that 
the  desire  for  liquor  and  gambling, — two  of  the 
cardinal  vices  of  Indians, — has,  as  a  result  of 
their  religion,  been  miraculously  taken  away  from 
them,  and  Messrs.  Helm  and  Lynch  both  stated 
to  the  writer  that  this  seemed  to  be  indeed  true. 
These  gentlemen  are  inclined  to  look  with  favor 
upon  the  strange  sect,  inasmuch  as  it  appears  to 
be  bearing  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  among  its  mem- 
bers. It  is  highly  probable  that  even  the  most 
nearly  orthodox  of  the  Catholic  and  Methodist 
Indians  are  far  from  free  from  the  superstitions 
of  their  forefathers  and  that  their  theology,  if  it 
could  be  formulated  into  a  creed,  would  present 
some  startling  divergences  from  the  doctrines  of 
their  white  brethren. 

The  Shakers  are  not  the  only  sect  that  has 
arisen  among  Indians  in  comparatively  recent 
years.  In  the  seventies  the  famed  Smohollah  be- 
gan preaching  his  celebrated  "Dreamer"  relig- 
ion, a  development  of  the  old  Indian  idea  of  spirit. 
It  borrowed  nothing  from  Christianity;  indeed 
it  had  its  root  in  bitter  enmity  toward  the  white 
race.  Smohollah  lived  on  the  Columbia  at  least 
part  of  the  time  with  a  small  following  of  his 
own,  a  branch,  it  is  said,  of  the  Spokane  tribe. 
He  held  religious  dances,  presiding  over  the  cere- 
monies as  medicine  man,  and  dwelling  persist- 
ently in  his  harangues  upon  a  revelation  he 
claimed  to  have  received  from  spirit  land  to  the 
effect  that  in  the  near  future  all  the  deceased  In- 
dians were  coming  out  of  their  graves  with  physi- 
cal bodies  and  were  going  to  unite  with  their' 
quick  brethren  in  a  tremendous  effort  to  drive 
the  whites  from  the  country.  The  Indians  of  the 
east  were  to  do  likewise,  and  from  the  Atlantic 


360 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


to  the  Pacific  a  high  carnival  of  war  was  to  be 
held.  When  the  white  men  were  all  killed  or 
driven  out  the  barbarism  of  the  ancient  days  was 
to  be  once  more  established  and  the  Indian  was 
to  revel  and  hunt  and  roam  as  in  the  glorious, 
golden  past.  This  religion  was  certainly  well 
calculated  to  appeal  to  the  Indian  imagination, 
the  only  objection  to  it — its  utter  lack  of  truth — 
being  a  small  one  to  the  minds  of  men  long  in- 
ured to  the  thraldom  of  superstition.  The  preach- 
ing of  Smohollah  was  not  in  vain.  Considerable 
excitement  was  stirred  up  among  the  Indians  of 
the  Northwest  and  these  "Dreamer"  doctrines  no 
doubt  incited  some  to  take  part  in  the  wars  of 
1877  and  1878  who  might  otherwise  have  re- 
mained at  peace. 

That  a  religion  so  manifestly  absurd  should 
have  gained  a  hearing  and  a  following  as  recently 
as  the  later  seventies  is  good  evidence  of  the 
hold  which  the  ancient  barbarism  still  had  upon 
the  savage  mind  and  heart.  Neither  can  it  be 
claimed  that  this  hold  has  yet  been  loosened, 
though  it  is  certain  that  constant  contact  with 
the  whites  is  slowly  breaking  down  the  power  of 
superstition  among  the  Indians  of  the  Yakima 
reservation.  This  is  resulting  not  so  much  from 
direct  instruction  as  from  the  fact  that  the  two 
races  are  fusing  their  blood,  so  that  the  number 
of  half-breeds  and  quarter-breeds  is  increasing 
and  the  number  of  pure  Indians  suffering  a  cor- 
responding diminution.  Of  course  the  more  white 
there  is  in  any  individual,  the  greater  his  affinity 
for  the  customs  and  habits  of  the  white  race. 
Naturally,  then,  the  ancient  code  of  laws,  the 
ancient  religion,  with  its  feasts  and  dancing,  and 
all  the  ancient  observances  and  customs  must 
soon  go  into  oblivion.  The  new  environment 
and  conditions  have  already  forced  great  muta- 
tions in  the  life  of  the  Indians,  and  with  change 
of  habits  must  come  the  decline  of  the  related 
ceremonials.  Thus  it  happens  that  the  war  dance 
and  the  scalp  dance  have  lost  their  significance, 
and  when  indulged  in  at  all  are  merely  spectac- 
ular performances;  indeed  the  end  of  Indian  wars 
must  soon  mean  the  end  of  the  pow-wows,  and 
dances  and  drills  and  savage  chivalry,  which  are 
concomitants  of  Indian  belligerence.  Other 
changes  in  the  red  man's  mode  of  life  are  alike 
inimical  to  his  savage  ceremonies.  The  policy 
of  gathering  Indians  upon  reservations  has  in  it- 
self, aside  from  direct  efforts  to  civilize  and  Chris- 
tianize them,  had  a  marked  effect  in  destroying 
the  ancient  usages;  the  policy  now  in  vogue  of 
inducing  the  red  man  to  accept  lands  in  severalty 
and  dispose  of  the  surplus  to  the  government 
will  go  a  long  way  further  in  the  same  direction ; 
yet  such  is  the  conservatism  of  the  Indian  that 
we  may  expect  some  vestiges  of  his  ancient  be- 
liefs, ceremonial  observances  and  superstitions 
to  persist  until  he  shall  have  drawn  his  latest 
breath. 


No  attempt  will  here  be  made  to  describe  the 
different  dances,  religious,  remedial  and  social, 
the  methods  of  courtship,  the  marriage  customs, 
the  mode  of  sepulture,  or  the  criminal  codes  once 
in  vogue  among  the  tribes  now  on  the  Yakima 
reservation.  Neither  can  a  complete  picture  of 
their  present  habits  be  essayed ;  but  it  is  thought 
that  the  narration  of  the  observations  and  ex- 
periences of  one  or  two  white  men  will  add  some- 
thing to  the  interest  of  the  chapter  and  perhaps 
to  the  volume  of  general  knowledge  regarding 
the  Indians.  Walter  Scott  Elliott,  speaking  of 
Indian  dances,  says: 

"The  medicine  man  executes  many  weird  in- 
cantations to  awe  the  ignorant  savages  into  sub- 
jection to  his  rule.  Their  religious  dances,  called 
'Kulla  Kulla'  or  bird  dances,  sometimes  last  for 
weeks  at  a  time,  during  which  the  medicine  man 
offers  up  supplications  to  their  high  'tyee'  for  the 
sick  and  distressed.  'Chinook'  dances  for  the 
early  coming  of  spring  are  engaged  in  toward  the 
close  of  winter.  Their  dancing  is  merely  jump- 
ing up  and  down  and  'howling'  in  a  sort  of  sing- 
song. 

"White  men  are  not  allowed  usually  to  attend 
their  dances,  but  the  writer  started  out  one  night 
determined  on  seeing  the  performance.  The 
chanting  of  a  hundred  voices  could  be  distinctly 
heard  over  a  mile  away,  getting  louder  and  louder 
as  I  neared  the  camp.  When  I  got  within  forty 
yards  of  the  tepees,  several  dozen  dogs  an- 
nounced my  arrival,  but  the  uproar  inside  pre- 
vented their  alarm  from  being  heard.  I  pro- 
ceeded up  to  the  'curtain'  door,  and  seeing  noth- 
ing dangerous,  slowly  raised  the  flap  and  crawled 
into  the  hallway  or  'chute'  which  led  into  the 
main  room  of  the  tepee,  then,  plucking  up  a  little 
courage,  walked  boldly  in. 

"The  sight  which  met  my  eyes  defies  accurate 
description.  I  was  in  a  room  about  fifty  by 
twenty  feet;  two  campfires  were  burning  some 
distance  apart,  the  dim  light  casting  a  lurid  glare 
over  the  vast  assembly  of  painted  faces.  The 
dancers  were  formed  in  two  lines  facing  each 
other  with  alternate  men  and  women.  Each  of 
the  men  carried  a  bow  and  arrow  in  his  left  hand 
and  in  his  right  a  single  arrow  with  point  up- 
ward. The  women  were  in  their  gayest  dresses, 
but  carried  nothing  in  their  hands.  No  one  ap- 
parently noticed  me  at  first,  so  deeply  were  they 
interested  in  the  dance.  Finally,  however,  a  big 
savage-looking  Indian  motioned  me  inside  and 
compelled  me  to  take  off  my  hat  and  dance,  which 
I  did,  much  to  the  general  amusement. 

"Very  soon  the  medicine  man  made  his  ap- 
pearance with  solemn  tread,  going  up  and  down 
between  the  lines  of  dancers,  uttering  the  most 
heart-rending  cries  and  pulling  at  his  hair,  as  if 
he  were  in  the  greatest  agony,  finally  stopping 
over  the  campfire  and  leaning  on  a  wand,  his  head 
being  bent  downward,  he  chanted  away  at  regu- 


THE    YAKIMA    INDIANS. 


36i 


lar  intervals,  between  which  the  dance  proceeded 
as  before.  Then  a  little,  old,  dried-up  man  hopped 
around  the  room,  handing  each  one  a  little  camas 
root,  which  he  carried  in  a  buckskin  sack.  At 
this  juncture  the  savage-looking  Indian  turned  to 
me  and  said,  'Go  home  now,'  which  order  was 
promptly  obeyed." 

An  interesting  incident  of  personal  experi- 
ence was  related  by  Agent  Jay  Lynch  in  a  recent 
conversation  with  the  writer.  Mr.  Lynch  had 
always  lived  on  terms  of  amity  with  Chief  Tea- 
nana,  who  was  later  killed  by  one  of  his  dusky 
brethren,  and  about  the  year  1893  the  chieftain 
manifested  his  good  will  by  inviting  his  white 
friend  to  attend  certain  festivities  which  were 
then  in  progress  on  the  Yakima  river.  Teanana 
said  he  wished  to  make  an  Indian  of  Mr.  Lynch, 
and  requested  that  he  present  himself  for  initia- 
tion on  a  fixed  date.  Mr.  Lynch  appeared  at  the 
time  and  place  appointed,  and  found  a  large  tepee 
covering  a  space  perhaps  thirty  by  one  hundred 
feet  in  dimensions,  in  the  center  of  a  cleared  and 
leveled  tract  of  two  or  three  acres.  When  he  got 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  the  spot  he  was 
halted  by  the  two  Indians  that  had  been  deputed 
to  await  him.  One  of  these  remained  with  him, 
while  the  other  went  to  announce  his  arrival  to 
the  Indians  at  the  big  tepee.  Presently  four 
horsemen  made  their  appearance,  dressed  in  full 
regalia  and  on  the  backs  of  steeds  gaily  capari- 
soned and  decorated.  These  escorted  him  to  the 
tent,  one  riding  in  front,  one  on  each  side  of  his 
team  and  buggy  and  one  behind.  When  he  ar- 
rived at  the  clearing,  drums  began  to  sound  in- 
side the  tent  and  the  crowd  started  to  chant,  but 
the  leader  paused  not  in  his  march.  He  took 
Mr.  Lynch  in  a  circle  around  the  tent,  the  horses 
walking.  A  second  revolution  was  made  in  a  full 
trot  and  then  a  third  at  a  still  higher  speed,  the 
movements  of  the  marchers  apparently  increas- 
ing with  the  tempo  of  the  drum  beats  and  chant- 
ing within.  This  final  revolution  completed,  the 
music  stopped;  the  leader  came  to  a  halt  and  Mr. 
Lynch  was  invited  to  alight  from  his  buggy  and 
follow  the  directions  of  two  guides  who  now  took 
charge  of  him,  and  conducted  him  to  the  door  of 
the  tepee,  where  the  sentry  was  alarmed  by  a 
series  of  raps.  Some  conversation  in  the  Indian 
tongue  was  now  held  between  the  escort  without 
and  the  watchman  within,  after  which  the  door 
opened  and  Mr.  Lynch  was  led  inside.  He  made 
a  swift  reconnoisance  of  the  premises.  Indians 
were  standing  in  four  elliptical  rows  around  the 
tepee,  the  men  on  one  side  and  the  women  on  the 
other,  while  in  the  center  was  a  space  of  bare 
ground,  smooth  and  clean  as  a  tennis  court.  At 
the  west  end  of  the  tepee  stood  Chief  Teanana, 
gorgeously  arrayed  in  all  the  finery  the  Indian 
taste  could  command,  with  drummers  on  his 
right  and  left.  Behind  him  on  the  wall,  painted 
on  tanned,  white  skins,  were    crude    representa- 


tions of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars;  also  other  pic- 
tures whose  signification  could  not  be  surmised 
by  the  uninitiated.  In  front  of  the  chief  some 
six  or  eight  feet  a  small  fagot  fire  was  burning. 

Three  times  Mr.  Lynch  was  paraded  around 
the  fire  and  in  front  of  the  assembled  red  men; 
then  he  was  stationed  before  the  chieftain,  who 
addressed  him  in  language  which,  being  inter- 
preted, signified  that  he  now  recognized  him  as 
a  brother  and  should  always  consider  him  one  of 
the  Indian  people.  The  drum  beating  and  chant- 
ing which  had  accompanied  the  inarching  al- 
ways, had,  of  course,  ceased  when  the  chief  be- 
gan to  speak. 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  brief  remarks  to  Mr. 
Lynch,  Teanana  addressed  at  some  length  the 
general  assembly,  referring  to  the  tepee  in  which 
they  were  and  comparing  it  unfavorably  with  the 
houses  in  which  their  wealthier  forefathers  were 
wont  to  meet,  houses  many  times  constructed  of 
stone.  He  gave  a  'fanciful  account  of  the  cre- 
ation, spoke  of  the  earth  as  the  Indian's  mother, 
referred  to  a  flood  which  destroyed  nearly  all 
the  people;  stated  that  what  they  then  and  there 
did  had  been  done  by  their  forefathers  from  time 
immemorial;  referred  to  the  Creator  as  the  father 
who  lived  beyond  the  sun ;  asserted  that  in  olden 
times  there  were  many  prophets  among  the  In- 
dians who  lived  in  such  close  touch  with  this 
great  father  that  they  were  able  to  foretell  the 
future;  that  they  had  long  foreseen  the  coming 
of  the  whites  and  had  advised  the  Indians  to 
treat  them  as  brothers,  inasmuch  as  all  were 
children  of  the  same  father.  At  one  point  in  his 
discourse  the  chieftain  enumerated  in  a  kind  of 
prayer  of  thanksgiving  the  different  foods  used 
and  blessings  enjoyed  by  the  red  man,  the  people 
repeating  each  sentence  after  him  in  a  sort  of 
chant.  Then  the  chief  would  sav  something  like 
"We  thank  thee,  O  God,  for  the  fish  in  the 
river,"  and  when  the  words  had  been  sung  by 
the  other  Indians,  he  would  say:  "We  thank 
thee,  O  God,  for  the  bright,  clear  water,"  the  re- 
sponse to  which  was  a  repetition  of  the  same 
language  in  chant.  In  this  way  the  whole  cate- 
gory of  blessings  was  enumerated  and  thanks 
offered  for  each,  first  by  the  chief  speaking  and 
then  by  the  people  singing. 

At  the  close  of  Teanana's  address  the  Indians 
engaged  in  a  series  of  songs  and  dances,  the  lat- 
ter consisting  mostly  in  a  simple  swaying  mo- 
tion of  the  body.  This  part  of  the  program 
ended,  Mr.  Lynch's  conductor  turned  to  him  and 
said:  "I  will  now  shake  hands  with  you,  Indian 
fashion."  He  placed  his  hand  over  his  heart,  di- 
recting the  white  man  to  do  the  same,  then  ex- 
tended it  palm  upward.  Mr.  Lynch  also  extended 
his  hand  in  the  same  manner.  The  Indian  clasped 
it  and  three  times  elevated  it  as  high  as  possible, 
then  unclasped  and  both  men  returned  their 
hands  to  their  hearts.    The  Indian  then  explained 


362 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


that  the  placing  of  the  first  position  of  the  hand 
signified  "good  heart,"  while  its  extension  palm 
upward  and  subsequent  inversion  above  the  hand 
of  the  other  man  meant  a  willingness  to  give 
whenever  occasion  required.  The  next  day, 
which  was  Sunday,  was  given  up  to  songs, 
prayer,  exhortation  and  feasting.  The  method  of 
cooking  the  salmon  was  described  by  Mr.  Lynch. 
He  said  that  fagot  fires  were  made  all  around  the 
large  tepee  and  before  these  a  row  of  Indians 
stationed  themselves,  each  holding  a  whole  fish 
by  means  of  a  forked  stick,  within  roasting  dis- 
tance of  the  flame. 

Most  of  the  Indians  on  the  Yakima  reserva- 
tion have  accepted  land  in  severalty,  but  they 
have  not  yet  seen  fit  to  accept  any  of  the  pro- 
posals of  the  United  States  government  for  the 
sale  of  the  lands  remaining  after  all  allotments 
have  been  made.  The  government  is  still  exer- 
cising its  guardianship  over  them  and  still  mak- 
ing efforts  to  educate  and  civilize  them.  It  main- 
tains an  industrial  school  at  Fort  Simcoe,  in 
which  at  the  time  of  the  writer's  visit  were  about 
one  hundred  and  seventy  pupils  ranging  in  ages 
from  six  to  sixteen  years,  though  most  of  them 
were  under  twelve.  The  day  is  divided  between 
the  study  of  the  common  branches  and  those 
things  calculated  to  render  the  pupil  industrious 
and  capable  of  earning  a  respectable  livelihood. 
The  boys  are  taught  agriculture  and  gardening 
and  the  handicraft  of  the  blacksmith  or  the  car- 
penter, while  the  girls  receive  instruction  in  mak- 
ing clothing,  cooking,  dish  washing,  laundry 
work  and  everything  a  good  housekeeper  should 
know.  The  regular  teachers  in  the  literary  de- 
partment of  the  school  at  present  are  W.  H.  Em- 
bree  and  Mrs.  Venesia  Kampmeir;  the  industrial 
teacher  is  Joe  Sam,  an  Indian,  occupying  the 
position  temporarily ;  the  carpenter,  James  S. 
Anglea;  the  blacksmith,  Charles  Barnaby,  a  half 
breed ;  the  girls'  matron,  Mrs.  W.  L.  Shawk ; 
the  boys'  matron,  Miss  Ethel  Frizell ;  the  cook, 
Miss  Anna  Steinman ;  the  laundress,  Miss  Lydia 
Spencer,  an  Indian  lady.  Hon.  Jay  Lynch  is 
agent  and  superintendent  of  the  industrial  school ; 
G.  Dawe  McQuesten,  clerk;  Charles  E.  Roblin, 
assistant  clerk,  and  Dr.  W.  L.  Shawk,  agency 
and  school  physician.  The  government  property 
at  Fort  Simcoe  consists  of  the  school  with  four 
class  rooms  and  a  general  assembly  room,  the 
boys'    and    girls'     dormitories,     eight     dwelling 


houses,  two  commissary  buildings,  the  agent's 
office,  the  doctor's  office  and  government  medical 
dispensary,  and  some  buildings  originally  de- 
signed as  barracks  for  the  soldiers  but  now  used 
for  store  rooms  and  shops.  There  is  a  general 
merchandise  store  across  the  street  from  the 
school  buildings,  but  it  belongs  to  J.  D.  Coburn, 
the  postmaster  and  post  trader. 

The  agency  and  school  buildings  are  taste- 
fully arranged  in  a  beautiful  cove  in  the  foothills 
of  a  spur  of  the  Cascades,  known  locally  as  the 
Simcoe  range.  Beautiful  oak  groves  add  to  the 
attractiveness  of  the  spot,  while  the  view  it  com- 
mands of  the  valley  stretching  away  to  the  Yak- 
ima river  is  simply  magnificent.  As  indicated 
by  its  old  Indian  name,  the  place  is  well  supplied 
with  springs,  but  for  the  convenience  of  all  con- 
cerned a  water  system  has  been  installed,  of 
which  Superintendent  Lynch,  in  his  report  for 
1901,  said :  "The  water  system  is  a  gravity  sys- 
tem and  water  is  conducted  through  four-inch 
mains,  from  a  distance  of  about  two  miles  up  the 
canyon  to  an  elevated  reservoir  on  a  hill  near  the 
school.  This  furnishes  a  fine  pressure  through- 
out the  buildings  and  an  excellent  pressure  for 
fire  protection  for  the  buildings  of  the  school 
and  agency.  The  fire  hydrants  are  conveniently 
located  for  the  protection  of  all  the  school  build- 
ings and  the  agency  buildings,  except  the  barn." 

A  general  idea  of  the  entire  reservation  may 
be  gathered  from  what  is  said  of  it  in  the  super- 
intendent's report  for  the  year  1902:  "The  res- 
ervation contains  about  800,000  acres,  of  which 
about  300,000  acres  have  been  allotted.  All  of 
the  land  that  there  was  any  practical  way  of  irri- 
gating was  allotted  to  the  Indians  some  time 
ago,  when  the  last  allotting  agent  was  here,  con- 
sequently the  remaining  portion  of  the  reserva- 
tion is  very  poor  land  and  is  practically  worth- 
less for  farming  purposes  and  remains  tribal 
lands,  where  water  cannot  be  secured  for  ir- 
rigation. A  great  portion  of  the  unallotted 
lands  is  in  the  mountains,  part  of  which  is  tim- 
bered. I  estimate  that  there  are  about  75,000 
acres  of  good  price  timber  lands  distant  from 
forty  to  sixty  miles  from  the  railroad  and  inacces- 
sible at  present.  These  tribal  lands  afford  or 
produce  only  a  small  amount  of  vegetation  dur- 
ing a  short  portion  of  the  early  summer,  and  on 
account  of  the  lack  of  rains  dry  up  and  supply 
but  a  very  limited  grazing  for  stock." 


CHAPTER  V. 


REMINISCENT. 


Driven  by  stern  necessity,  the  early  pioneers 
often  accomplished  tasks  which  would  be  considered 
next  to  impossible  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
Accustomed  from  their  youth  up  to  toil  and  danger 
and  the  hardships  of  the  strenuous  life  they  led, 
they  came  to  treat  as  commonplace  deeds  of  daring 
and  heroism  that  would  now  be  heralded  on  the 
front  page  of  the  modern  daily.  It  is  to  be  lamented 
that  the  scope  of  this  volume  and  the  limitations  of 
its  authors  will  not  permit  the  publication  of  all  the 
incidents  of  thrilling  interest,  the  anecdotes  and 
stories  which  might  be  told  concerning  the  early 
days  of  these  three  counties.  Certain  it  is  that  such 
a  collection  carefully  compiled  would  make  a  volume 
of  surpassing  interest.  The  long,  tedious  journeys 
across  the  Plains  with  ox-teams  and  pack-trains,  the 
frequent  brushes  with  the  Indians,  the  hardships 
and  struggles  which  attended  efforts  to  establish 
pioneer  settlements,  have  surrounded  those  early 
days  with  a  host  of  delightful  recollections  both  of 
an  adventurous  and  humorous  nature.  No  attempt 
will  be  made  to  incorporate  here  any  extensive  col- 
lection of  these,  but  realizing  that  a  few  incidents 
and  stories  of  early  days  may  help  to  interpret  the 
spirit  of  the  times  and  to  add  interest  to  these  pages, 
we  have  given  space  to  a  limited  number. 

a  woman's  crave. 

The  tall  grass  waves  on  the  sandhill's  side — 

A  coyote  crosses  the  sand  flat  wide 

With  hungry  eyes  on  his  destined  prey — 

A  prairie  dog  on  his  porch  at   play — 

Crosses  and  scatters  beneath  his  feet 

The  wind-blown  folds  of  a  winding-sheet. 

I  stopped  to  study  with  curious  air 

The  lonely  grave  that  was  hidden  there; 

A  headstone,  scarred  by  sand  and  flame, 

Still  recorded  a  woman's  name 

And  the  legend  carved  in  rude  design — 

"Died,  April,   1849, 

"Aged  five  and  twenty  years; 

"To  the  Mount  of  Life  from  the  plains  of  tears." 

Was  she  a  wife?    It  does  not  tell. 

A  mother?     Perhaps.     We  know   as  well. 

For  on  the  gravestone  above  the  mould 

Simply  a  woman's  name  is  told. 

— A  woman's  name,  but  let  it  rest — 

'Tis  better  not  to  be  here  exprest; 

Let  the  desert  claim  her  for  his  bride, 

Sleeping  softly  upon  his  side. 


Long  I  paused  in  the  evening  dim 
And  gazed  at  the  headstone  black  and  dim- 
Black  with  the  fires  of  many  a  year, 
Sweeping  the  sandhills  far  and  near, 
The  coyote's  cry  came  thro'  the  shades, 
A  lizard  troubled  the  spear  grass  blades, 
And  a  light  gray  cloud  passed  overhead, 
Dropping  a  tear— for  it  knew  the  dead. 

I   mused  and   wondered  the  more   I   thought — 
Who  she  was  who  lay  in   that  lonely  spot. 
Was  she  slender  and  fair  to  view 
With  a  soul  to  dare  and  a  hand  to  do? 
A  hero's  heart  in  her  woman's  breast 
Beating  with   passion   to   know   the   West, 
Yet  soothing  with  ways  that  never  fail 
The  long,   wild  leagues  of  the  Overland  Trail— 
With  a  woman's  vision  of  faith  and  hope 
Viewing  the  mountain's  western  slope — 
Till  the  setting  sun  on  the  western  sea 
Beckoned  her  on  to  its  mystery? 

The  cactus  grows  on  the  drifting  mound; 
The  wolf  and  the  sandstorm  scar  the  ground; 
The  wolf  and  the  wind  may  wail  and  sweep 
Above  the  bed  where  she  lies  asleep — 
Not  the  wind  nor  the  wolf  shall  disturb  the  rest 
Of  the  woman  hero  who  loved  the  West. 

—A.   E.   Sheldon. 

RETROSPECTIVE. 

Some  Casual  Remarks  by  George  D.    Virden   of 
Liberty,  Washington. 

I  can  but  feel  that  all  of  my  pioneer  friends  have 
well  earned  the  right  to  live  in  this,  the  state  of 
Washington.  Washington  I  am  sure  will  never 
surrender,  but  will  forge  ahead  till  it  reaches  the 
foremost  rank  in  our  grand  republic;  and  Kittitas 
county  will  be  typical  of  a  fourteen-inch  nickel-steel 
gun,  on  board  the  battleship  of  statehood.  It  was 
in  the  year  of  1876  that  our  mule  team  pulled  our 
wagon  into  the  sagebrush  near  where  Ellensburg 
now  stands ;  our  wagon  was  loaded  with  myself, 
wife,  three  children,  and  a  few  of  the  immediate 
necessaries  of  life.  When  starting  on  our  trip  west 
we  had  intended  to  go  to  the  Sound,  but  now  it 
looked  as  if  we  were  going  to  the  rag  basket.  Our 
pocketbook  had  for  some  time  shown  unmistakable 
symptoms  of  fatal  collapse.  Our  trail  led  back 
nearly  two  thousand  miles,  and  it  was  a  rough  one, 
its  varying  altitudes  ranging  from  near  sea-level  to 
snow-cloud-level  and,  as  we  had  left  no  money  at 
the  other  end  on  which  to  draw,  we  felt  that  we 


363 


364 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


must  cast  our  lot  with  the  few  settlers  who  had 
straggled  into  the  valley  during  the  last  five  years. 
Many  of  them  were  now  working  on  the  ever 
present  problem  as  to  how  they  were  to  cover  up 
their  outsides  and  fill  up  their  insides,  and  we  soon 
found  ourselves  trying  to  solve  the  same  problem — 
it  seemed  to  be  catching.  Some  two  years  later, 
when  we  were  all  showing  symptoms  of  improve- 
ment in  our  finances,  there  came  another  problem 
to  solve;  it  was  this:  "Shall  the  white  man  or  the 
red  man  knock  under"?  Some  of  the  white  men, 
while  studying  on  this  problem,  got  the  flumma- 
diddles  of  the  heart  so  badly  that  they  had  to  hit  the 
back  trail  on  jackrabbit  time,  declaring  as  they  left, 
that  our  climate  was  so  outrageously  bad  they 
would  not  live  in  it.  But  the  majority  of  our  people 
were  Indian  proof  and  were  located  here  with  the 
avowed  intention  of  thoroughly  analyzing  this 
somewhat  rebellious  appearing  piece  of  nature's 
handiwork,  now  known  as  Kittitas  county.  At  first 
the  work  was  hard  and  the  pay  small,  and  often 
the  wolf  of  poverty  peered  in  through  the  screen 
do:rs.  But,  by  loading  up  with  a  tremendous 
charge  of  the  fulminate  of  hope,  though  we  ofttimes 
had  but  a  pinch  of  the  chloride  of  expectation  with 
which  to  shot  the  charge,  we  feel  that  we  have 
brought  down  the  game  and  think  the  game  is 
worth  the  struggle.  And  now  my  heart  tells  me 
that  I  must  drop  a  tear  for  those  who  have  entered 
their  chambers  of  eternal  sleep  while  bravely  bat- 
tling, not  only  for  their  own  betterment,  but  in 
knocking  away  the  rough  places  for  those  who  have 
followed  into  this  count}-. 

A   PIONEER   JUSTICE   COURT. 

State  Senator  A.  J.  Splawn,  of  Yakima  county, 
Ellensburg's  pioneer  merchant  and  a  well  known 
pioneer  of  eastern  Washington,  relates  the  follow- 
ing story  of  a  trial  in  the  Kittitas  valley  in  the  early 
seventies : 

"The  year  1871,"  he  says,  "developed  two  char- 
acters which  furnished  a  disturbing  element,  that 
up  to  that  time  had  been  lacking  in  the  valley. 
They  were  Pat  Lynch  and  'Windy'  Johnson,  both 
sons  of  Erin.  The  latter  derived  his  name  from 
the  fact  that  his  mouth  seemed  to  be  the  most  useful 
organ  in  his  body.  Innumerable  quarrels  soon 
brought  on  a  fistic  encounter,  in  which  my  big- 
hearted  friend  Tom  Haley  acted  as  referee  to  deter- 
mine which  was  the  better  man.  By  way  of  warn- 
ing Windy  said  to  Pat,  'Are  ye  ready  to  die?'  Pat 
answered,  'Sure  not,  ye  blatherskite.'  The  battle 
began  and  for  the  first" half  hour  Windy  had  things 
his  own  way,  wiping  the  earth  with  Pat,  who  all  this 
time  was  playing  a  waiting  game.  Windy's  forced 
fighting  soon  exhausted  him  and  he  wanted  to  stop. 
But  not  so  with  Pat,  who  proceeded  to  put  the  finish 
on  Windy,  not  stopping  until  Johnson  called  upon 
the  referee  to  stop  the  fight. 

"One  day  Pat  mounted  his  gray  mare,  taking 


a  shotgun  across  the  saddle  in  front  of  him,  and 
started  for  'Robber's  Roost,'  the  name  given  to  my 
old  store.  When  he  reached  that  part  of  the  trail 
that  crossed  Windy's  place  he  was  hailed  and 
ordered  to  go  back  and  not  to  attempt  to  cross. 
However,  Pat  was  not  in  the  habit  of  taking  a  cir- 
cuitous route  to  reach  his  destination  to  please  any- 
one, certainly  not  Windy,  so  he  continued  on  his 
way.  Windy  then  fired  his  rifle,  the  bullet  taking 
away  a  part  of  Pat's  hat  rim.  Pat  dismounted  and 
blazed  away  at  Windy  with  his  shotgun,  tearing 
away  the  tail  of  Windy's  old  coat.  Thereupon 
Windy  very  wisely  concluded  to  cease  hostilities 
and  to  get  satisfaction  through  the  law. 

"Pat  was  arrested  and  the  case  came  up  for 
trial  before  Fred  Bennett,  J.  P.,  who  knew  more 
about  Ayers'  Almanac  than  the  statutes  of  Wash- 
ington territory.  Six  jurors  were  selected  and  the 
trial  went  on.  Pat  was  a  foxy  Irishman  and  wanted 
to  make  a  wise  move,  so  he  asked  a  friend  of  mine 
if  it  would  be  about  the  right  thing  to  'trate'  the 
jury  and  was  told  it  would  do  no  harm  to  his  case, 
so  he  struck  out  for  the  store.  There  was  no 
whiskey  on  hand.  He  asked  for  Hostetter's  or  Old 
Plantation  bitters,  but  they,  too,  were  out.  The 
only  thing  in  that  line  was  Vinegar  bitters,  so  he 
purchased  seven  bottles, — one  for  the  Court  and  one 
for  each  of  the  jurors. 

"His  thoughtfulness  was  well  received.  The 
court  as  well  as  the  jurors  'hit'  the  bottle  quite  fre- 
quently during  the  course  of  the  trial.  When  the 
evidence  was  all  in  and  the  case  went  to  the  jury, 
there  were  only  three  in  their  places.  The  court 
and  four  jurors  were  out.  For  two  hours  they 
attempted  to  be  present  all  at  one  time,  but  failed 
on  account  of  a  portion  of  them  always  being  out 
taking  in  the  beautiful  scenery  of  Kittitas  valley  by 
moonlight.  Finally  the  court  and  four  jurymen 
were  present,  and  the  judge  announced  that  there 
were  not  likely  to  be  as  many  together  again  that 
night.  So  the  jury  proceeded  to  render  a  verdict 
which  acquitted  Pat.  Pat  afterward  became  a  good 
citizen,  leaving  as  a  monument  to  his  memory  a 
brick  block  in  Ellensburg,  which  he  gave  to  the 
Catholic  church  upon  his  death." 

A   PIONEER    STOCKMAN'S  ADVENTURE. 

A  good  illustration  of  the  vicissitudes  which 
were  likely  to  attend  a  journey  with  cattle  to  the 
mining  districts  during  the  early  days  is  furnished 
by  the  experience  of  Leonard  L.  Thorp,  one  of  the 
oldest  living  pioneers  of  Yakima  county,  who  kindly 
told  us  his  story,  as  follows: 

"On  February  14,  1866,  Jack  Splawn  and  I  left 
the  Moxee  settlement  with  160  head  of  fine  beef 
cattle,  bound  for  the  mines  of  British  Columbia  and 
Montana.  We  were  both  in  our  early  twenties 
then.  Outfitted  with  good  saddle  horses,  blankets 
and  the  remainder  of  a  pioneer  cowboy's  equipment, 
and  accompanied  by  a  friendly  Indian  whose  name 


REMINISCENT. 


565 


was  Washington,  we  commenced  with  light  hearts 
and  buoyant  spirits  what  was  destined  to  be  for  me 
at  least  a  most  unfortunate  trip. 

"We  drove  east  across  the  ridge  to  the  Colum- 
bia, striking  that  river  at  the  White  Bluffs.  Here  we 
swam  the  cattle  and  horses  to  the  farther  bank  and 
ferried  our  luggage  over  in  Indian  canoes,  all  with- 
out accident.  Then  we  came  down  onto  Crab  creek, 
where  our  troubles  commenced.  We  discovered 
that  the  gentle  warmth  of  springtime  had  made  a 
premature  appearance,  for  the  weather  suddenly 
turned  cold  again,  forcing  us  to  go  into  camp.  Ice 
froze  in  March  to  the  depth  of  a  foot.  The  com- 
forts of  camp  life  under  such  circumstances  are  not 
very  numerous,  but  we  endured  our  privations  with- 
out discouragement,  and  late  in  March  were  again 
ready  to  proceed  eastward.  By  about  April  1st,  we 
were  on  the  Spokane  river  to  which  we  had  made 
our  toilsome  way  through  two  feet  of  snow.  The 
aspect  of  the  intervening  wilderness  had  been  dreary 
indeed,  and  the  lugubrious  howling  of  coyotes  had 
served  only  to  accentuate  its  loneliness  and  desola- 
tion. But  the  range  was  simply  grand  and  the  pic- 
ture of  it  in  my  mind's  eye  is  in  striking  contrast 
with  the  bare  and  brown  hillsides  of  today.  Bunch- 
grass  was  everywhere  in  abundance  and  primeval 
luxuriance,  the  bunch-grass  which  in  later  years 
furnished  subsistence  for  tens  of  thousands  of  cattle 
and  horses. 

"We  crossed  the  Spokane  river  by  ferry  about 
fifty  miles  below  the  falls,  swimming  the  horses  and 
cattle  as  usual.  On  the  farther  bank  we  pitched 
camp  and  I  remained  with  the  herd  for  a  few 
days  while  Jack  made  a  trip  to  Colville  for  the  pur- 
pose of  looking  up  the  prices  of  beef  there.  We 
were  exceedingly  anxious  to  do  as  well  as  possible 
with  the  cattle,  hence  gave  close  attention  to  the 
different  markets.  Jack's  report  being  unfavorable, 
we  determined  to  go  elsewhere  with  our  stock,  so 
we  drove  the  band  on  to  within  a  dozen  miles  or  less 
of  the  falls,  where  another  camp  was  established. 
This  was  about  the  middle  of  April. 

"At  this  time  the  Kootenai  mines  in  British 
Columbia  were  very  prosperous  and  as  reports  in- 
dicated that  we  might  do  well  with  our  beef  in  that 
camp,  I  decided  to  go  thither,  with  a  part  of  the 
cattle,  taking  Washington  along  as  a  companion, 
and  leaving  Jack  at  the  camp  to  look  after  the 
remaining  stock.  With  sixty  of  our  strongest  steers 
we  started,  Washington  and  I,  and  in  a  few  days, 
we  were  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Pend  d'Oreille  in 
Idaho.  Here  we  embarked  aboard  a  little  steamer 
for  the  mouth  of  the  Pack  river,  250  miles  up  which 
stream  the  mines  were  located. 

"A  more  uninviting  spot  than  the  mouth  of 
Pack  river  was  when  we  landed  there  could  hardly 
be  imagined.  It  was  late  in  the  afternoon.  The 
rain  was  descending  in  torrents  and  soon  had  us 
thoroughly  drenched,  but  we  were  accustomed  to 
facing  the  elements,  and  cared  little  for  such  slight 
inconveniences.    The  ground  was  marshy  where  we 


camped  and  covered  with  a  thick  growth  of  a  spe- 
cies of  wild  grass  unknown  to  us.  Next  morning 
when  we  went  after  our  three  horses,  we  found 
two  of  them  dead,  evidently  poisoned,  but  strangely 
enough,  none  of  the  cattle  were  injured  in  the  least, 
so  far  as  we  could  see,  by  this  noxious  herb  of 
the  swamp. 

"Packing  up  the  remaining  horse,  we  started 
on  foot  with  the  cattle,  despite  the  rain  which  still 
poured  down  upon  us  with  unabated  severity.  In- 
deed we  did  not  again  see  the  sun  until  we  reached 
Joseph  prairie,  sixteen  miles  south  of  the  mines. 
The  effect  of  the  continued  rainfall  upon  the  trail 
may  be  imagined.  In  several  places  there  was  con- 
siderable snow  and  as  soon  as  the  news  spread  up 
the  road  that  we  were  going  in  with  a  bunch  of 
cattle,  every  packer  and  traveler  halted  until  we 
should  pass.  All  were  willing  to  allow  us  the  privi- 
lege of  breaking  the  trail. 

"We  paused  for  a  few  days'  rest  at  Joseph  prai- 
rie, then  pushed  on  to  the  mines,  where  I  had  no 
difficulty  in  disposing  of  the  cattle  to  a  man  named 
Lord  at  ten  cents  a  pound  on  foot,  a  good  price, 
to  be  sure,  but  no  more  than  it  was  worth  to  drive 
the  animals  so  far.  During  the  whole  trip  I  had 
not  once  removed  my  clothes  and  when  I  arrived 
in  camp  they  were  mouldy  and  decaying  on  my 
back. 

"We  remained  in  town  a  few  days  and  then  set 
out  on  our  return  trip  to  the  Spokane  country.  I 
secured  a  horse  for  $65,  but  when  only  about  four 
miles  out,  he  was  attacked  with  mountain  fever  and 
the  result  was  that  he  had  to  be  driven  the  rest  of 
the  way  light.  This  left  me  again  on  foot,  so  I  was 
compelled  to  get  out  as  I  had  got  in,  namely,  by 
trudging  through  mud,  snow  and  water.  Full  two- 
thirds  of  the  outward  trip  was  made  in  a  heavy 
rain.  One  afternoon  about  four  o'clock,  while  plod- 
ding along  with  Washington,  who  was  about  as 
companionable  as  most  Indians  are,  I  was  startled 
by  hearing  a  voice  on  my  left.  Turning  sharply,  I 
saw  a  monstrous  negro  standing  on  a  high  log  some 
two  hundred  feet  away. 
"'What  is  it?'  I  asked. 

"The  negro  inquired  if  I  had  seen  a  cattleman 
named  Thorp  in  town,  and  if  so,  where  he  was, 
explaining  that  he  and  his  companions  were  friends 
of  the  stockman  and  were  anxious  as  to  his  safety. 
I  replied  that  I  had  seen  such  a  man.  that  he  had 
sold  his  cattle  and  was  probably  on  his  way  out. 
They  then  wished  to  know  if  I  knew  him  and  where 
I  had  last  seen  him.  From  the  very  first  I  had 
been  suspicious  of  the  ugly  looking  gang  before  me 
(the  negro  was  accompanied  by  three  whites,  all 
mounted),  so  I  told  the  spokesman  that  their  friend 
was  probably  some  distance  in  mv  wake.  I  repre- 
sented myself  as  a  disheartened  and  financially  em- 
barrassed prospector,  disgusted  with  the  country. 
Washington  kept  out  of  sight.  The  men  finallv 
invited  me  to  camp  with  them,  but  I  chose  rather 
to  travel  as  long  as  possible,  then  camped  off  trail 


366 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


without  fire.  Next  day  at  noon  I  met  a  German 
.who  inquired  if  I  had  passed  a  small  party  of  men 
with  a  big  black  horse.  I  referred  him  to  the 
negro's  party,  with  whom  I  had  seen  such  an 
animal.  Later  I  met  another  man,  who  said  they 
had  stolen  a  horse  from  him,  and  subsequently  we 
learned  that  the  gang  of  outlaws,  for  such  in  truth 
they  were,  had  come  into  conflict  with  the  Canadian 
officers  who  attempted  to  capture  them.  In  the 
fight,  the  sheriff  was  killed,  also  one  of  the  men  I 
had  met.  The  four  desperadoes  fortified  themselves 
in  a  cabin  and  prepared  to  fight  to  the  death.  They 
were  attacked  in  their  stronghold  by  enraged  miners 
who  shot  their  cabin  to  pieces.  Of  course  all  were 
riddled  with  bullets,  one,  it  is  said,  being  hit  not 
fewer  than  thirteen  times. 

"Upon  my  return  from  a  hurried  trip  home  to 
pay  a  balance  due  on  the  cattle,  Jack  and  I  decided 
to  take  the  remainder  of  the  stock  to  Blackfoot; 
Montana,  twenty-five  miles  from  the  present  city 
of  Helena.  We  went  up  the  Spokane  river  to  the 
bridge  kept  by  F.  D.  Schnebly,  who  later  became 
a  pioneer  of  Kittitas  county,  crossed  there,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  the  Cceur  d'Alene  mission.  There  we  had 
the  misfortune  to  lose  two  of  our  horses,  which  fell 
into  the  hands  of  Indian  thieves.  From  the  mission 
we  crossed  the  Bitter  Roots  by  the  Mullan  military 
road  and  late  in  July  we  reached  Blackfoot.  The 
town  was  a  typical  western  mining  camp,  busy, 
flourishing,  wide  open,  full  of  gold  diggers  and 
gamblers  and  desperate  characters.  By  selling  our 
cattle  in  small  bands,  we  obtained  a  fair  price  for 
them. 

"But  our  troubles  were  not  over.  Just  as  we 
were  about  ready  to  set  out  on  our  homeward  jour- 
ney, an  event  occurred  which  greatly  disturbed  and 
annoyed  us.  For  safe  keeping  we  had  buried  a 
package  containing  $1,750,  in  a  dense  fir  thicket 
below  camp,  taking  pains  that  no  one  should  dis- 
cover its  hiding  place.  Our  secret,  however,  was 
not  secure.  In  some  way  a  man  known  as  'Dirty 
Tom'  obtained  knowledge  of  the  whereabouts  of 
our  treasure.  This  fellow  had  recently  come  to 
camp  with  a  party  of  Oregonians,  with  whom  also 
came  my  grandfather,  and  was  lying  around  our 
camp  at  this  time.  Tom  and  the  money  were  missed 
about  the  same  time,  late  one  October  afternoon, 
and  surmising  that  the  two  were  associated,  we 
started  on  the  trail  of  the  man.  About  dark  we 
came  to  a  fork  in  the  road.  Jack  took  one  of  the 
branches  and  I  the  other,  the  understanding  being 
that  we  would  push  on  to  Quinn's  station,  forty 
miles  and  farther  from  our  camp.  I  traveled  until 
I  could  no  longer  see  my  way,  then  tied  my  horse, 
crawled  into  a  haystack  and  waited  for  dawn. 
When  I  reached  Quinn's  next  day,  Jack  was  al- 
ready there.  So  was  our  man.  Of  course  he 
denied  having  anything  to  do  with  the  theft  and 
tried  to  enlist  the  sympathies  of  Quinn  in  his  behalf. 
In  this  attempt  he  failed  utterly.  We  took  him 
back  to  camp  with  us,  and  insisted  that  he  show 


us  where  the  money  was  hidden,  for  we  had  already 
satisfied  ourselves  by  search  that  it  was  not  upon  his 
person.  At  last  after  much  persuasion  he  took 
a  pick  and  shovel,  went  down  to  the  thicket  and 
began  digging  near  the  spot  where  we  had  buried 
the  money.  Gradually  he  worked  up  the  hillside 
for  a  distance  of  about  sixty  yards,  where  he  un- 
covered the  stolen  property.  We  let  him  go  free 
and  the  next  day,  he  repaid  our  clemency  by  swear- 
ing out  warrants  for  our  arrest,  claiming  that  the 
money  had  not  been  stolen,  but  that  we  had  for- 
gotten its  hiding  place.  Fortunately,  among  our 
friends  in  town  was  a  blacksmith,  who  was  also 
chairman  of  a  vigilance  committee.  He  came  out 
alone  to  see  us  and  satisfy  himself  as  to  the  truth 
of  the  matter,  and  we  soon  convinced  him  that  we 
were  in  the  right.  Soon  after,  notices  appeared  in 
Blackfoot,  requesting  one  Dirty  Tom  to  leave  the 
country  at  once  or  meet  the  vigilance  committee. 
Tom  left. 

"Late  in  October,  we  got  started  for  home.  At 
Missoula  City  I  received  a  message  stating  that 
grandfather  was  very  ill  at  Blackfoot  and  request- 
ing that  I  return  forthwith.  I  did  so.  For  six 
weeks  I  remained  by  his  bedside,  nursing  him  back 
to  health.  On  the  4th  of  December,  I  set  out  with 
him  on  our  long  westward  journey,  traveling  with 
a  new  spring  wagon  and  a  good  team.  The  Mullan 
road  was  closed  by  winter's  snows,  compelling  us  to 
make  a  long  detour  south  and  to  cross  the  Rocky 
mountains  opposite  the  headwaters  of  Snake  river. 
At  Fort  Hall  we  sold  our  rig  and  boarded  the  stage 
to  the  Bear  river  country,  where  we  should  strike 
the  main  stage  line  between  Salt  Lake  and  Boise,  at 
that  time  owned  by  Ben  Holliday.  There  were 
four  of  us  in  the  stage,  an  Englishman  named 
Cooper,  grandfather,  the  driver  and  myself.  The 
Indians  were  plundering  and  marauding  in  that 
region  during  the  years  1866  and  1867,  so  that 
travel  was  exceedingly  dangerous.  The  second  day 
out  we  found  the  buildings  burned  and  saw  signs 
of  the  pillaging  redskins  on  every  hand.  The 
driver  called  a  consultation  among  the  passengers 
for  the  purpose  of  deciding  what  course  we  should 
pursue.  By  a  unanimous  vote  we  decided  to  push 
ahead  and  fight  if  necessary.  I  thereupon  left  my 
seat  inside  the  coach  and  took  a  seat  in  the  boot  with 
the  driver,  where  I  remained  day  and  night  during 
the  four  hundred-mile  trip.  All  this  time  we  were 
untiring  in  our  vigilance.  We  traveled  as  rapidly 
as  possible,  spending  little  time  at  the  stations  or 
places  where  the  stations  had  lately  been,  for  in- 
deed some  of  them  were  completely  wiped  out  by 
the  predatory  savages.  As  it  happened,  however, 
we  fell  in  with  no  hostiles  and  early  in  January  we 
rode  into  Umatilla  unharmed. 

"There  I  left  grandfather,  who  was  quite  ex- 
hausted from  the  effects  of  the  long,  tedious  day- 
and-night  ride,  and  started  alone  toward  home.  It 
was  very  foolish  in  me  to  do  so  for  I  too  was  thor- 
oughly exhausted  and  in  a  poor  condition  to  endure 


REMINISCENT. 


367 


the  fatigues  of  the  remaining  journey.  I  followed 
the  Columbia  until  I  found  a  couple  of  Indians  who 
had  a  canoe.  The  river  was  very  high  at  that  time 
and  full  of  floating  ice  and  slush.  I  told  the  Indians 
that  I  wanted  to  be  ferried  across.  They  shook 
their  heads  negatively,  pointing  to  the  wild  stream, 
and  advising  me  to  go  back  to  Umatilla  and  stay 
a  while  longer.  But  I  persisted.  I  offered  them 
all  the  money  I  had,  two  dollars,  to  put  me  across 
and  at  length,  after  considerable  argument,  pre- 
vailed upon  them  to  try.  'If  you  want  mimaluse,' 
said  they  finally,  'all  right.'  Soon  we  had  launched 
the  frail  canoe,  and  were  struggling  with  long  poles 
to  clear  away  the  slush  ice  and  force  a  passage. 
For  hours  we  worked,  our  clothes  thoroughly 
drenched  with  cold  water.  The  first  hundred  yards 
of  our  passage  were  made  on  top  of  the  ice,  but  it 
was  no  child's  play  to  cross  the  open  channel,  as  all 
who  have  tried  it  at  that  season  of  the  year  well 
know.  About  one  o'clock  we  succeeded  in  gaining 
the  Yakima  side,  and  I  started  immediately  on  my 
long  walk,  knowing  that  forty  miles  intervened 
between  me  and  the  first  human  habitation,  Colonel 
Henry  Cock's  ferry  on  the  Yakima,  where  Prosser 
stands.  There  were  ten  inches  of  snow  on  the 
ground  and  the  temperature  must  have  been  about 
twenty  degrees  below  zero. 

"Right  across  the  hills  I  went,  over  what  is 
now  known  as  the  Horse  Heaven  country.  I 
walked  all  night  in  the  snow,  which  became  deeper 
as  I  advanced.  During  all  this  time  I  had  had 
nothing  to  eat  and  nature  was  asserting  her  claims 
in  a  most  emphatic  manner.  Sleepy  and  tired  and 
famished,  I  lay  down  in  the  snow  from  time  to  time, 
protecting  myself  as  best  I  could  from  the  piercing 
cold  with  my  one  light  blanket.  It  was  impossible 
to  build  a  fire.  I  knew  that  my  only  hope  lay  in 
keeping  in  motion  as  much  as  possible,  so  all  the 
next  day  and  all  the  succeeding  night  I  staggered 
along.  My  feet,  ears,  nose  and  hands  became 
frozen  and  it  was  only  force  of  habit  that  kept  me 
moving. 

"Late  in  the  afternoon  of  the  third  day  out  from 
Umatilla,  I  lay  down  in  the  trail,  completely  ex- 
hausted and  ready  to  abandon  hope.  Presently  I 
saw  an  object  coming  toward  me  from  the  north, 
but  I  was  so  thoroughly  exhausted  that  I  made  no 
effort  to  investigate  it.  I  simply  lay  in  my  snowy 
bed  and  contented  myself  with  hoping  that  the 
object  might  prove  to  be  a  man  and  that  he  would 
find  and  rescue  me. 

"When  the  object  came  up  I  was  pleased  to  see 
that  it  was  Charlie  Splawn  on  his  way  to  Uma- 
tilla to  secure  the  settlers'  mail.  For  him  to  place 
me  on  his  horse  was  the  work  of  but  a  moment 
and  mounting  in  front  of  me,  he  set  out  post  haste 
for  Butts's  house  on  the  Columbia  river.  This  we 
reached  about  eleven  o'clock  that  night,  for  indeed 
I  had  come  only  about  twenty-two  miles  in  the  three 
days  and  nights.    A  warm  fire  and  kind  hearts  soon 


made  me  fairly  comfortable,  although  my  frost  bites 
gave  me  great  pain. 

"Charlie  went  to  Umatilla  as  soon  as  practicable 
and  there  had  a  sled  made,  with  which  to  transport 
me  home,  for  my  toes  had  been  frozen  beyond 
saving  and  my  condition  was  otherwise  serious. 
Grandfather  made  the  trip  with  me  also.  We 
crossed  the  Yakima  at  Cock's  ferry,  which  was 
a  rough  flatboat  with  a  rope  cable,  placed  in  service 
some  time  in  1866,  and  came  up  the  eastern  side 
of  the  river.  Father  summoned  Dr.  Nelson,  the 
physician  and  surgeon  at  the  Yakima  Indian  agency 
at  Fort  Simcoe,  who  amputated  the  toes  on  both 
feet.  The  operation  was  performed  without  anaes- 
thetics. For  over  a  year  I  was  unable  to  do  much 
except  eat,  drink  and  sleep  and  a  much  longer  time 
had  elapsed  before  I  could  resume  the  usual  activ- 
ities of  life." 

A    FATAL    SHEEP    STAMPEDE. 

George  W.  McCredy,  one  of  central  Wash- 
ington's well-known  pioneer  stockmen,  is  author- 
ity for  the  following  story  of  a  remarkable  acci- 
dent whereby  a  faithful  sheep  herder  met  his 
death  in  the  foothills  of  Kittitas  county: 

In  the  summer  of  1889  Cameron  Brothers  lost 
1,200  head  of  sheep  in  Kittitas  county  by  what 
is  known  among  sheepmen  as  "piling  up  and 
smothering  to  death."  One  of  the  features  of  the 
accident,  which  made  it  the  more  distressing  and 
served  to  bring  out  the  heroism  of  one  man,  is 
the  fact  that  the  herder,  familiarly  known  as 
"Hindoo  John,"  with  his  dogs,  was  caught  under 
the  sheep  and  also  smothered. 

At  the  time  it  was  thought  that  the  herder 
had  deserted  his  place  and  left  the  country.  The 
falsity  of  this  story  was  proven  the  following 
spring,  when  his  body,  with  those  of  his  dogs,  was 
brought  to  light  by  some  one  examining  the  great 
pile  of  sheep  bones  on  the  steep  hillside.  Then 
he  was  exonerated  from  the  charge  of  unfaithful- 
ness. From  all  the  circumstances  and  surround- 
ing conditions  the  accident  was  accounted  for  in 
this  way:  The  sheep  had  become  frightened 
while  grazing  upon  the  steep  mountain  side  and 
had  run  for  safety  toward  a  clump  of  bushes  and 
small  trees.  Reaching  there,  the  leaders  cpuld 
get  no  farther  and  were  eventually  crushed  down 
by  the  mad  rush  from  their  rear.  The  frightened 
sheep  continued  to  clamber  on  top  of  one  another 
and  to  be.  trodden  down  until  they  could  climb 
no  higher,'  but  were  turned  aside. 

The  shepherd,  it  is  thought,  was  trying,  with 
the  assistance  of  his  faithful  dogs,  to  loosen  the 
blockade  from  the  lower  side  and  thus  save  the 
lives  of  his  charges,  when  herder  and  dogs  were 
caught  under  the  moving,  writhing  mass  and 
crushed  to  death.  The  weather  was  very  warm 
and  soon  decomposition  had  set  in.  Within  a 
comparatively  few  hours  from  the    time    of    the 


368 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


accident  the  stench  arising  therefrom  was  so 
great  that  no  one  could  approach  within  several 
hundred  feet.  Nor  could  examination  be  made 
for  several  months  afterward.  It  is  said  that  the 
grease  from  this  pile  of  bodies  ran  in  a  stream 
for  a  distance  of  half  a  mile  into  the  valley. 

ANISICHE    BILL'S    ARTIFICIAL    NOSE. 

"Did  you  ever  hear  the  story  of  Wild  Bill  and 
his  famous  nose?"  said  Dr.  Middleton  V.  Amen, 
of  Ellensburg,  to  the  writer  last  winter. 

"No." 

"Well,  it  is  an  interesting  little  tale  because  of  its 
uniqueness." 

"When  I  came  to  the  valley  in  1878,"  contin- 
ued the  doctor,  "and  began  the  practice  of  my 
profession,  the  Indian  population  outnumbered 
the  whites.  This  valley  was  a  great  illahe  then 
— a  monster  camping  ground  to  which  Indians 
from  all  over  eastern  Washington  came  each 
summer.  Here  they  fished,  hunted,  raced,  gam- 
bled, dug  kous  and  otherwise  occupied  them- 
selves for  a  long  period  each  year.  Those  tribes 
immediately  surrounding  us  did  nearly  all  their 
trading  at  Ellensburg. 

"Wild,  or  Anisiche,  Bill  was  a  member  of  the 
Okanogan  tribe.  He  was  one  of  the  bravest  and 
most  influential  among  the  red  men  until  the  in- 
cident occurred  which  I  am  relating.  One  day, 
in  the  fall  of  1880,  as  nearly  as  I  can  recollect, 
Bill  and  several  other  reds,  who  had  indulged  too 
freely  in  drinking  bad  whisky,  became  involved 
in  a  quarrel  on  Main  street,  then  a  sage  brush 
thoroughfare  on  which  stood  half  a  dozen  widely 
separated  business  houses.  I  was  standing  in 
front  of  Shoudy's  store. 

"Suddenly  I  heard  a  terrific  yell  and  looked 
up  the  street  just  in  time  to  see  a  drunken  red- 
skin strike  at  Bill  with  a  monster  knife.  An  in- 
stant later  the  greater  part  of  Bill's  nose  dropped 
into  the  dust.  Still  the  fight  went  on  for  several 
minutes  before  Bill  was  overcome  by  the  shock 
and  forced  to  seek  support.  The  Indians  at  once 
gathered  around  their  wounded  comrade  and  at- 
tempted to  assist  him.  At  Bill's  request  one  In- 
dian picked  up  the  nose  out  of  the  dust  and  took 
it  down  to  the  creek  near  the  store  to  wash  it. 

"Upon  his  return,  I  was  called  to  the  scene 
and  asked  to  'make  um  good  nose  again.'  Though 
I  realized  the  hopelessness  of  the  case,  Bill  per- 
sisted so  earnestly  that  at  last  I  stuck  the  nose 
on  with  adhesive  plaster,  fixing  it  up  as  best  I 
could.  This  simple  surgery  satisfied  the  Indians 
and  Bill,  who  was  feeling  badly  cut  up  over  his 
humiliation,  for  you  must  understand  that  among 
the  Indians  the  loss  of  the  nose  is  considered  the 
height  of  disgrace.  Death  itself  was  preferable 
in  the  eyes  of  a  redskin  to  a  noseless  existence. 

"The  next  day  I  went  up  to  Bill's  camp,  about 
two  miles  above  Canaday's  mill,  and  dressed  the 


unfortunate  nose.  The  following  day  I  found 
matters  in  bad  condition.  The  nose  was  begin- 
ning to  decay,  throwing  off  a  sickening  stench, 
much  to  Bill's  misery  and  to  the  disgust  of  his 
fellows.  Still  Bill  hated  to  give  up  the  nose  and 
consequent  loss  of  honorable  standing  in  his 
tribe,  so  bore  his  trials  with  stoical  patience.  For 
two  or  three  days  longer  he  wore  it,  hoping  for 
a  turn  in  his  fortunes. 

"But  the  nose  went  from  bad  to  worse.  Finally 
his  brother  red  men  waited  upon  him  with  a  de- 
mand that  he  either  leave  camp  or  take  better 
care  of  his  offensive  wound.  As  Bill  himself  was 
beginning  by  that  time  to  have  his  doubts  about 
the  efficacy  of  the  sticking  plaster  method,  he 
decided  to  throw  away  the  old  nose  and  seek  a 
new  one  from  me.  This  he  did  and  begged  me 
to  do  something  for  him. 

"There  was  only  one  thing  for  me  to  do.  I 
manufactured  an  artificial  nose,  preparing  it  so 
that  it  might  be  taken  off  or  stuck  on  at  will. 
You  never  saw  a  happier  man  than  Bill  when 
that  nose  was  finished  and  put  in  place.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  while  the  red  men  did  not  entirely 
like  the  'big  medicine'  of  the  white  doctor,  they 
regarded  Bill  with  awe  and  a  sort  of  jealous 
curiosity.  However,  he  never  regained  the  posi- 
tion of  esteem  in  which  they  once  held  him.  He 
gave  me  a  pony  for  my  services.  Bill  subse- 
quently settled  into  peaceful  pursuits  in  Okano- 
gan county  and  the  last  I  knew  of  him  was  re- 
garded as  a  good  citizen  by  residents  of  the 
Wenatche  valley,  where  he  lived.  The  artificial 
nose  I  made  served  him  many  years  to  my  per- 
sonal knowledge,  and  may  yet  be  serving  him, 
for  Bill  was  as  faithful  to  it  as  a  one-legged  vet- 
eran is  to  his  cork  limb." 

A   STORY  OF  THE  INDIAN   SCARE. 

There  are  few  pioneers  of  the  Yakima  country 
more  widely  known  than  Jock  Morgan,  at  pres- 
ent living  near  Sunnyside.  Nearly  all  who  came 
to  Yakima  in  an  early  day  and  most  of  the  people 
now  residing  in  the  lower  valley  are  acquainted 
with  genial  Jock.  His  real  name  is  Jonathan  W. 
Morgan,  but  since  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  his 
parents  in  1850  he  has  been  universally  known 
as  Jock.  In  1870,  when  he  was  twenty-six  years 
old,  he  was  presented  by  Superintendent  H.  M. 
Thatcher  with  a  unique  gold  and  silver  medal,  in 
recognition  of  his  being  regarded  as  the  cham- 
pion stage  driver  between  Portland  and  Oakland, 
California.  "This  is  an  honor  of  rare  value, — a 
prize  won  only  by  sheer  merit. 

However,  Mr.  Morgan  having  attained  the 
highest  honors  in  staging,  decided  to  abandon 
that  business,  so  June  11,  1871,  he  came  with  his 
family  to  the  Yakima  valley,  located  upon  the 
reservation,  two  miles  south  of  Toppenish,  and 
engaged  in  the  stock  industry.     The  privilege  of 


REMINISCENT. 


369 


residing  upon  the  reservation  was  one  granted 
him  through  the  friendship  of  Father  Wilbur,  the 
agent,  because  of  his  friendly  relations  with  the 
Indians  themselves.  His  influence  among  them 
was  as  good  as  it  was  powerful. 

Few  there  were  among  the  residents  of  Yak- 
ima who  kept  better  informed  regarding  the  move- 
ments of  the  Indians  in  1878,  when  the  gen- 
eral supposition  prevailed  that  an  uprising  of  the 
Yakimas,  Klickitats  and  Columbia  Rivers  was 
imminent.  At  his  yantage  point  in  the  Indian 
territory,  Mr.  Morgan  heard  the  rumors  of  war 
fresh  from  the  redskins,  and  at  night  watched 
the  signal  lights  on  the  surrounding  hill  tops. 

Tow-hout,  among  the  oldest  red  men  of  the 
Toppenish,  held  a  position  in  1878  which  might 
be  described  accurately  as  that  of  signalman  of 
his  tribe.  He  was  thoroughly  versed  in  the  mar- 
velous sign  language  of  his  race  and  translated 
with  ease  and  rapidity  the  flashes  of  light,  the 
puffs  of  smoke,  the  maneuvers  of  the  lone  horse- 
man and  the  gestures  and  motions  that  might  come 
from  any  point. 

For  days  and  even  weeks  in  the  spring  of  that 
eventful  year,  says  Mr.  Morgan,  Tow-hout  daily 
and  nightly  read  the  wireless  messages  that  came 
from  Idaho  and  Oregon.  Rattlesnake  peak,  on 
the  high  divide  north  of  the  Sunnyside  valley, 
and  Tumwater  hill,  south  of  Prosser,  were  the 
stations  of  the  red  signal  corps.  Far  across  the 
Columbia,  from  some  point  in  the  Blue  moun- 
tains, the  messages  flashed  over  river  and  valley 
and  hill  to  Tumwater's  watchman,  who  caught 
them  and  sent  them  by  way  of  Rattlesnake  peak 
into  the  northern  hills  of  the  wild  Okanogan. 
Often  would  Tow-hout  tell  his  white  tillicum  of 
battles  that  had  been  fought  between  the  Ban- 
nocks and  the  soldiers,  two  hundred  miles  to  the 
south,  or  of  other  important  military  movements, 
and  in  every  case  the  Weekly  Oregonian  con- 
firmed the  news  days  afterward.  Thus  did  the 
Morgans  rest  secure  while  others  fretted,  for  the 
former  were  constantly  in  touch  with  the  situa- 
tion. 

All  through  May  and  June  the  signal  man  of 
the  Toppenish  read  the  messages  passing  over 
his  head ;  meanwhile  the  Morgans  continued  their 
peaceful  occupations.  Slowly  the  warriors  crept 
toward  the  Columbia  and  gradually  the  excite- 
ment on  the  reservation  increased.  The  horse 
figures  on  the  signal  hills,  indicating  victory, 
came  oftener  toward  the  last  of  June.  Still  there 
did  not  appear  to  be  menacing  danger  on  the 
Yakima. 

But  one  noon,  while  the  family  were  eating 
dinner,  old  Tow-hout  suddenly  glided  into  the  room 
and  without  excitement  silently  beckoned  his  white 
friend  to  the  door.  Mr.  Morgan  arose  from  the 
table  to  learn  that  a  great  battle  was  raging  on 
the  Columbia  and  that  the  Indians  were  again 
claiming  victory.     The  messages  said  that  large 


numbers  of  hostiles  were  crossing  into  Washing- 
ton.    Tow-hout  said  fly  for  life. 

The  time  to  flee  had  at  last  arrived.  Within 
less  than  an  hour  the  Morgans  and  a  Miss  Spur- 
geon,  who  was  staying  with  them,  were,  with 
the  most  valuable  things  they  possessed,  in  a 
wagon  and  on  their  way  to  The  Dalles.  Once 
again  Jock  Morgan,  the  fearless  stage  driver,  was 
experiencing  the  exhilaration  of  danger  as  he 
held  the  ribbons  of  a  powerful  four-horse  team. 
He  drove  hard  up  the  new  canyon  road,  recently  fin- 
ished by  Yakima  and  Klickitat  counties,  follow- 
ing the  north  prong  of  the  Satus.  The  ranch  was 
left  in  charge  of  the  men. 

When  within  a  mile  and  a  half  of  the  summit, 
the  Morgans  turned  out  from  the  road  to  seek 
camp  for  the  night  in  a  sequestered  spot.  They 
intended  to  be  on  the  road  again  by  daylight  and 
hoped  to  reach  The  Dalles  by  nightfall. 

Soon  Miss  Spurgeon  announced  that  she 
heard  talking,  then  Mrs.  Morgan  made  the  same 
claim.  The  noise,  whatever  it  was,  resembled  the 
sound  made  by  trees  when  stirred  by  the  wind, 
and  as  quite  a  strong  breeze  was  blowing  off  the 
mountain,  Mr.  Morgan  was  for  a  long  time  loth 
to  believe  that  anything  animate  was  near.  How- 
ever, to  satisfy  the  women,  he  bade  them  be  quiet, 
and  started  up  the  hillside.  By  making  a  short 
cut  he  soon  reached  the  crest  of  a  hill  forming  a 
portion  of  a  basin  near  the  summit. 

Cautiously  making  his  way  to  a  vantage  point 
on  the  hill  crest,  he  peered  through  the  trees  and 
down  into  an  Indian  camp.  Yes,  there  it  was 
right  beside  him ;  furthermore,  it  was  undoubt- 
edly a  hostile  camp.  Several  Indians  were  hold- 
ing a  pow-wow,  over  which  they  were  getting 
excited  and  talking  loudly.  Mr.  Morgan  was 
able  to  understand  fragments  of  their  conversa- 
tion— enough  to  send  him  swiftly  to  his  family. 

Hurriedly  the  horses  were  again  attached  to 
the  wagon  and  as  quietly  as  possible  the  party 
made  its  way  to  the  road.  Then,  with  the  shades 
of  night  fast  falling,  and  with  the  deeper  shadow 
of  a  possible  Indian  massacre  casting  its  cold 
gloom  over  them,  the  little  company  of  whites 
raced  back  over  the  road  toward  home.  All  night 
the  wagon  slipped  and  rolled  and  jumped  down 
the  grade.  To  any  but  experienced  frontier  peo- 
ple the  strain  would  have  been  unbearable,  for 
there  was  danger  in  front  and  danger  behind,  but 
the  man  and  the  women  were  all  in  the  habit  of 
making  the  best  of  things. 

When  daylight  at  last  came,  the  Morgan 
party  had  reached  the  ranch.  Breakfast  was  at 
once  eaten  and  again  a  start  was  made.  This 
time  Mr.  Morgan  decided  to  try  to  reach  Fort 
Simcoe  by  going  up  the  north  side  of  Toppenish 
creek  and  over  the  old  Indian  trail.  The  trip 
was  without  exciting  incident  and  at  last  the 
shelter  of  the  agency  buildings  and  the  protec- 
tion of  the  government   were  reached  by  the  ex- 


370 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


hausted  party.  Father  Wilbur  was  informed  of 
the  situation  and  steps  were  at  once  taken  to 
meet  any  emergency  that  might  arise. 

In  the  meantime  Henry  Craft  had  left  the 
Morgan  ranch  with  the  news  conveyed  by  Tow- 
hout  and  had  carried  it  to  the  whites  at  Yakima 
City  and  on  the  Ahtanum.  It  is  believed  that  the 
alarm  given  by  Craft  was  the  first  definite  infor- 
mation regarding  the  approach  of  the  hostiles 
brought  to  the  settlers  and  that  it  was  the  direct 
occasion  of  the  feverish  excitement  that  prevailed 
in  the  valley  about  the  Fourth  of  July.  There  is 
little  doubt  in  Mr.  Morgan's  mind  that  the  In- 
dian band  he  so  nearly  came  into  contact  with  on 
Simcoe  mountain  was  the  one  that  murdered 
Lorenzo  Perkins  and  his  wife  a  few  days  later. 

A  ROMANCE  OF  PIONEER  KLICKITAT. 

"Having  been  requested  to  relate  an  adven- 
ture with  the  Indians  in  Klickitat's  pioneer  days, 
for  the  benefit  of  the  readers  of  this  history  I 
shall  tell  them  about  a  most  exciting  incident 
which  occurred  at  Bickleton  in  the  spring  of 
1880. 

"The  town  at  that  time  consisted  of  one  large 
building  used  as  a  store  and  dwelling,  owned  and 
occupied  by  Charles  N.  Bickle  and  his  assistant, 
Lee  Weaver.  They  as  well  as  myself  were  ten- 
derfeet.  Our  knowledge  of  the  red  man  had  been 
acquired  for  the  most  part  by  reading  blood  and 
thunder  stories  of  life  on  the  frontier.  We  were 
not  cowards,  but  at  the  same  time  considered 
discretion  the  better  part  of  valor  in  dealing  with 
the  dusky  savage. 

"In  those  days,  as  now,  it  was  against  the  law 
to  supply  an  Indian  with  liquor,  but  as  the  law 
was  seldom  enforced  against  those  guilty  of  its 
transgression  and  the  profits  were  large,  the  In- 
dians managed  at  times  to  get  large  quantities  of 
intoxicants.  Occasionally  a  score  or  more  of 
them  would  hang  around  Bickleton  a  day  or  two, 
or  as  long  as  the  whisky  supply  lasted,  making 
night  and  day  hideous  with  their  orgies.  The 
Perkins  murder  was  still  fresh  in  our  minds,  ag- 
gravating our  discomfort. 

"One  Sunday  two  or  three  of  us  boys  went  up 
to  Bickle's  store.  We  found  some  half-dozen 
white  men  and  boys  there  and  forty  or  fifty  In- 
dians, the  latter  under  the  influence  of  whisky 
and  in  a  quarrelsome  mood.  A  few  moments 
after  we  arrived  a  young  lady  rode  up  on  a  spot- 
ted pony  which  she  had  borrowed  from  her 
brother,  dismounted  and  went  into  the  living 
rooms  back  of  the  store.  A  large,  fierce-looking 
Indian  immediately  went  over  to  the  pony,  a 
gelding,  and  remarked  in  English  that  'that's  my 

spotted  mare,  by  G .'    An   Irishman   became 

greatly  amused  at  this  and  laughed  outright  at 
the  expression,  whereupon  the  Indian  sprang  at 


him,  slapped  him,  and  called  him  a  dozen  names. 
For  a  wonder  the  Irishman  took  his  punishment 
without  a  word  of  protest,  thinking  that  the 
wiser  course,  though  some  of  us  were  disgusted 
with  his  lack  of  courage.  The  Indian  then  pro- 
ceeded to  take  possession  of  the  pony.  He  was 
about  to  take  off  the  side  saddle,  when  I  told  him 
that  the  pony  was  claimed  by  a  man  who  loaned 
him  to  the  lady  and  that  he  must  allow  her  to 
ride  home.  After  a  little  talking,  the  Indian  con- 
sented to  this  arrangement. 

"We  then  went  into  the  store,  several  of  us 
whites  and  a  few  Indians.  Among  us  was  a  lad 
who  had  a  small  cartridge  in  one  hand.  For 
some  reason  the  Indian  who  was  causing  the 
trouble  slapped  the  boy.  That  was  too  much  for 
me  and  I  promptly  knocked  him  down.  Another 
Indian  jumped  on  my  back,  and  together  they 
would  probably  have  done  me  up  had  not  a  friend 
come  to  the  rescue.  He  was  a  powerful  black- 
smith, William  Twitchell  by  name,  who  had  just 
entered  the  room  in  time  to  see  the  fracas. 
Marching  up  to  us  he  seized  one  Indian  by  the 
waist  band  and  pitched  him  out  into  the  road. 
Then  I  succeeded  in  throwing  the  other  and  kick- 
ing him  out  the  door.  The  room  having  been 
cleared  of  Indians,  Bickle  and  Weaver  locked  the 
doors  and  barricaded  them  with  kegs  of  nails, 
of  which  they  happened  to  have  about  fifty  on 
hand. 

"Then  commenced  a  scene  that  was  true 
enough  to  the  graphic  descriptions  I  had  read  of 
border  life.  Imagine  fifty  Indians,  nude  to  the 
breech  cloth,  dancing,  shouting,  yelling,  shooting 
firearms  and  brandishing  knives.  It  was  enough 
to  strike  terror  to  the  hearts  of  veterans,  let 
alone  a  squad  of  inexperienced  boys  and  young 
men.  I  have  always  thought  that  we  would  have 
been  killed  had  not  help  arrived  at  an  opportune 
moment.  The  Indians  were  well  armed  with  the 
exception  of  one  who  had  picked  up  a  plough- 
share on  the  porch.  But  just  in  the  nick  of  time, 
as  we  thought,  a  posse  of  mounted  police  from 
the  reservation  rode  up  on  the  double-quick.  As 
soon  as  the  drunken  Indians  saw  them  coming 
they  ran  for  their  ponies  and,  by  separating  and 
making  toward  the  timber,  all  but  a  dozen  made 
their  escape.  Capturing  the  unfortunate  ones,  the 
Indian  police  tied  them  to  ponies  and  rode  away 
with  them  at  high  speed  toward  the  reservation. 
We  learned  afterward  that  Father  Wilbur,  the 
agent,  had  sent  the  police  to  arrest  that  particu- 
lar band  for  drunkenness.  To  this  day  I  believe 
that  we  owed  our  lives  to  the  opportune  arrival 
of  the  police.  I  had  the  only  gun  in  the  crowd,  a 
Smith  &  Wesson  32-calibre  revolver. 

"After  the  Indians  had  departed  I  escorted 
the  young  lady  home,  and  during  that  ride  there 
commenced  a  friendship  that  rapidly  developed 
into  a  warmer  sentiment.     She  became  my  wife 


REMINISCENT. 


371 


and  lived  happily  with  me  for  twenty  years,  but 
she  is  now  in  the  unknown  beyond." 

H.  C.  Hackley. 
Bickleton. 

A   CHRISTMAS  TALE. 

The  following  touching  story  of  a  pioneer 
Klickitat  Christmas  appeared  in  the  Yakima 
Herald  in  its  issue  of  December  23,  1902.  The 
author,  whose  name  is  unknown,  says  in  intro- 
ducing his  tale:  "It  is  written  without  an  at- 
tempt at  garnishment.  Just  a  plain  little  story 
of  an  incident  that  actually  took  place,  according 
to  the  statements  of  the  old  settlers,  when  our 
county  was  young  and  before  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific was  thought  of  or  North  Yakima  founded." 

"In  one  of  the  little  valleys  of  Klickitat,"  runs 
the  story,  "a  sturdy  American  pioneer  had  made 
his  home.  There,  with  his  wife  and  little  ones, 
he  had  settled  and  by  hard  work,  square  dealing 
with  all  and  a  wise  selection  of  a  homestead,  be- 
came fairly  successful.  In  the  house  and  dairy 
his  efforts  were  well  supplemented  by  the  dili- 
gence and  economy  of  a  faithful,  energetic  wife. 
The  neighboring  squatters,  few  and  far  between, 
respected  him.  Even  the  Indians,  and  there  were 
quite  a  number  living  in  the  vicinity  and  on  the 
ranch,  loved  him  for  his  justice,  honesty  and 
many  acts  of  kindness  toward  them.  His  barns 
and  granary  were  full ;  the  haystacks  studded  the 
fields;  his  cattle  and  horses  were  fat;  there  was 
an  ample  supply  of  provision  and  provender  for 
man  and  beast;  everything,  in  fact,  had  been 
made  ready  for  the  snows  and  storms  of  winter. 

"The  sleighing  was  good,  so  two  days  before 
Christmas  he  started  over  the  hills  for  the  county 
seat,  some  forty  miles  away,  to  purchase  a  few 
of  the  always  eagerly-anticipated  remembrances 
of  Santa  Claus  for  the  children,  and  with  a  hid- 
den, cherished  purpose  to  surprise,  in  some  sub- 
stantial manner,  the  dear  wife  on  his  return  with 
a  like  token  of  love  and  affection. 

"The  next  day  was  a  typical  winter  day;  the 
wind  soughed  mournfully  through  the  trees 
along  the  creek;  the  air  was  damp,  chilly  and 
creepy;  the  dark  gray  clouds  rolled  low  down  on 
the  hills  about  the  valley,  hiding  their  tops  from 
view;  the  chickens  hopped  daintily  out  through 
the  snow  and  then  scurried  back  to  their  warm 
coop;  the  cattle  filed  off  to  the  stream  to  drink 
and  at  once  returned  in  solemn  procession  to  the 
sheds;  the  horses  bunched  together  in  the  brush 
under  the  cottonwoods ;  the  old  watch  dog  hesi- 
tatingly left  his  warm  corner  by  the  kitchen  fire, 
walked  gingerly  down  the  snow  path,  sniffed  the 
air,  then  turned  back  and  scratched  at  the  house 
door  for  admission.  Everything  was  dark, 
gloomy,  forbidding  and  presaged  a  coming  storm. 
Even  the  children  were  affected  and  became  un- 
usually troublesome  and  fretful. 


"Shortly  after  noon  the  wind  ceased  and  then 
the  snow  storm  began.  At  first  little,  scattering, 
dry  flakes,  growing  larger  and  larger,  coming  faster 
and  faster  until  it  seemed  as  if  there  were  one  white 
sheet  extending  down  from  the  clouds  above  to 
cover  everything  below  in  its  white,  cold  mantle. 
The  storm  was  well  on  when  the  'Tyee'  of  the 
Indians  opened  the  door  and  asked,  'Boston  man 
no  come?'  On  being  told  he  had  not,  the  red 
man  closed  the  door  and  hurriedly  walked  off. 
This  alarmed  the  wife  and  mother.  On  going  to 
the  window  she  could  faintly  discern  through  the 
falling  snow  a  group  of  Indians  standing  by  the 
ranch  gate.  A  feeling  of  coming  calamity  op- 
pressed her.  She  felt  lonely  and  desolate.  To 
occupy  her  mind,  she  commenced  putting  her  chil- 
dren to  bed  (it  becomes  dark  early  in  the  day  in 
these  high  latitudes),  and  then  spread  the  table, 
prepared  supper  for  her  husband  and  waited.  The 
fire  had  almost  died  away;  she  replenished  it; 
opened  the  door  to  look  out,  when  a  great  bank 
of  snow  fell  into  the  room.  The  storm  had  nearly 
ceased,  but  everything  looked  dark,  cold,  lonely 
and  cheerless.  She  shuddered,  closed  the  door 
and,  weeping,  went  to  her  bedside,  knelt  down 
and  sobbed  out  an  earnest  prayer  to  the  Omnip- 
otent to  spare  the  father  of  her  babies. 

"For  hours  before,  away  up  on  the  plateau 
that  divides  the  valley  from  the  one  in  which  the 
town  is  situated,  a  man  and  team  had  been  per- 
sistently battling  with  the  storm.  The  horses, 
wearied  by  their  all-day  wallow  through  the 
snow,  were  completely  fagged.  First  one  would 
slip  off  the  beaten  track  into  the  deep  snow  and 
fall,  and  then  the  other.  Sometimes  both  were 
down,  and  then  the  driver  would  get  out,  breast 
the  snow,  stamp  it  down  about  the  horses,  get 
them  on  their  feet,  and  with  words  of  encourage- 
ment induce  them  to  make  another  effort.  Night 
finally  came.  The  snow  still  continued  falling  in 
great  thick  flakes.  Soon  the  sleigh  was  half  full. 
One  horse  became  prostrate  and  refused  to  rise. 
The  other  trembled  with  cold,  weariness  and 
fear.  The  poor  driver,  wet  by  the  snow,  half 
frozen  and  hungry,  was  as  exhausted  as  his  team. 
He  waited  out  ahead  of  the  horses,  uncertain  if 
he  should  desert  them  and  make  one  supreme 
effort  to  reach  the  valley  alone  or  return  to  the 
sleigh  and  lie  down  to  the  alluring  but  deadly 
sleep. 

"The  standing  horse  snorted.  The  man  looked 
up  and  there,  away  down  in  the  direction  he 
must  go,  were  black  objects  approaching,  strug- 
gling "through  the  snow.  Were  they  wolves? 
Surely  they  must  be ;  no  human  being  would  be 
out  such  a  night  and  in  such  a  storm.  Hurriedly 
he  turned  about  for  the  rifle  in  the  sleigh,  but 
the  quick  motion  was  too  much  for  his  exhausted 
strength  and  he  tripped,  fell,  and  rolled  over  into 
the  snow  drift,  unconscious. 

"The  dark  objects  moved  slowly  but  steadily 


3/2 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


up  toward  the  team.  They  could  not  be  wolves 
or  the  standing  horse  would  scream  with  fear 
and  endeavor  to  kick  loose  from  his  prostrate 
mate  and  escape.  He  seemed  instead  to  recog- 
nize them.  He  whinnied.  They  came  closer  and 
surged  up  around  the  deserted  sleigh.  The  ob- 
jects were  the  Indians  from  the  valley,  searching 
for  and  determined  to  find  and  rescue  their  bene- 
factor and  friend.  They  picked  him  up,  shook 
him,  rubbed  his  limbs  with  snow,  brought  him 
back  to  consciousness  and,  bundling  him  up 
warmly  and  safely  in  their  robes,  placed  him  in 
the  sleigh. 

"Their  coming  seemed  to  reinvigorate  the 
horses ;  they  tramped  the  snow  down  before 
them,  got  the  animals  on  their  feet  and  then 
quickly  led  them  down  the  hill  to  home  and  safety. 

"Scarcely  had  the  good  woman  breathed  out 
her  fervent  prayer  for  help  and  protection  for 
those  near  and  dear  to  her  when  a  stamping  and 
tramping  of  feet  were  heard.  The  dog  jumped 
up,  barked  quick,  joyous  and  sharp;  the  door 
flew  open  and  her  husband  staggered  in,  covered 
with  ice  and  snow,  followed  by  a  happy  group 
of  smiling  Indians  bearing  his  gifts  in  their 
hands. 

"There  were  joy  and  gratitude  in  that  house- 
hold on  Christmas  Day,  and  we  may  be  sure 
that  the  faithful  Indians  in  their  warm  tepees 
were  not  forgotten  or  unrewarded." 

yakima's  first  Christmas  celebration. 

"The  first  special  Christmas  celebration  in 
the  Yakima  valley  that  I  can  remember,"  says 
Mrs.  Martha  (John  P.)  Beck,  "took  place  the 
year  of  our  arrival,  1869.  The  few  of  us  that 
were  living  in  the  isolated  region  at  that  time 
were  invited  to  spend  Christmas  eve  at  the  home 
of  Columbus  Goodwin,  near  the  site  of  Yakima 
City.  The  Goodwins,  the  doctor,  his  brothers, 
and  a  large  family  of  boys  and  girls,  came  in 
1865 ;  the  mother,  Priscilla  Goodwin,  had  died 
December  18th,  of  that  year,  her  death  being  the 
first  in  the  settlement. 

"Columbus,  or  as  he  was  generally  called 
'Lum,'  Goodwin  had  a  fine  two-story  log  cabin 
on  his  ranch.  The  spacious  kitchen  served  also 
as  a  dining  room,  and  there  we  women  loaded 
down  a  long  L  shaped  table  with  all  the  good 
things  we  were  able  to  cook  with  the  limited 
supplies  at  our  command.  The  luxuries  were 
few.  Everybody  dressed  as  well  as  possible, 
which  was  not  very  fastidiously  compared  with 
the  present  standard,  but  we  were  not  thinking 
as  much  of  our  appearance  as  of  having  a  jolly 
time. 

"After  the  children  had  been  gladdened  by 
numerous  gifts  brought  principally  by  the  bach- 
elors of  the  community,  they  were  given  a  place 
by  themselves,  and  the  customary  dance  began. 


One  of  the  fiddlers  was  Lum  Goodwin;  the 
other's  name  has  escaped  my  mind.  At  midnight 
the  crowd  sat  down  to  our  crude  banquet,  evi- 
dently the  climax  of  the  celebration,  judging 
from  the  avidity  and  apparent  satisfaction  with 
which  the  dancers  cleared  the  table  of  its  sup- 
plies. 

"Then  came  some  impromptu  speeches  by  our 
local  orators.  Our  toastmaster  was  a  lawyer 
named  Randolph,  the  pioneer  attorney  of  Yak- 
ima. He  was  a  witty  speaker  and  withal  a  good 
one.  On  this  particular  occasion  he  fairly  outdid 
himself,  having  braced  for  the  event  by  a  fre- 
quent resort  to  liquid  inspiration.  Lawyer  Ran- 
dolph's Christmas  speech  will  never  be  forgotten 
by  those  who  heard  and  saw  him  that  night.  For 
years  afterward  a  reference  to  it  was  enough  to 
put  the  bluest  kind  of  a  crowd  into  circus-day 
humor.     He  left  us  in  1870. 

"More  dancing  and  merrymaking  followed 
the  dinner  and  finally  brought  our  Christmas 
affair  to  a  close.  It  was  one  of  those  happy 
events  that  marked  a  bright  spot  in  our  peaceful 
existence." 

INDIAN    SCARES    IN    EASTERN    KLICKITAT. 

"The  pioneers  of  Klickitat,  who  lived  east  of 
Rock  creek,"  says  Samuel  P.  Flower,  "did  not 
always  dwell  in  sweet  peace  and  perfect  security 
in  those  early  years.  When  I  came  in  1878  there 
were  not  more  than  two  or  three  dozen  whites 
in  that  rough  area  bounded  by  Rock  creek,  the 
Columbia  and  the  Yakima  valley.  We  were 
widely  scattered  over  the  country,  most  of  us 
raising  horses  and  cattle.  Owing  to  the  close 
proximity  of  the  reservation  on  our  north  and 
west  we  were  pestered  a  great  deal  by  the  In- 
dians who  roamed  at  will  over  our  range.  For 
several  years  in  the  later  seventies  and  early 
eighties  they  continually  stirred  matters  up  in 
one  way  and  another,  usually  by  petty  acts,  but 
nevertheless  serious  enough  to  keep  our  nerves 
tense. 

"Though  they  did  not  attempt  any  disturb- 
ance at  the  time  of  the  general  scare  in  1878,  oc- 
casionally we  would  see  bands  of  them  scurry- 
ing around  the  country  looking  for  trouble,  scar- 
ing settlers  and  otherwise  doing  mischief.  This 
they  kept  up  three  or  four  years,  much  to  our 
dissatisfaction.  A  typical  instance  of  their  little 
'joking'  occurred  in  November,  1879,  which  I  well 
remember.  At  that  time  'Old  Looney,'  as  he 
was  called,  led  the  redskins  in  our  region.  He 
was  a  cripple,  club-footed,  a  man  perhaps  fifty 
years  of  age,  and  a  sub-chief.  Fortunately,  how- 
ever, Looney  was  a  good  friend  of  the  whites 
and  kept  his  young  bucks  well  in  hand.  It  must 
also  be  understood  that  in  1879  all  the  Indians  in 
this  country  were  pretty  thoroughly  excited  over 
the  failure  of  the  Bannock  and  Piute  outbreak  in 


REMINISCENT. 


373 


Idaho  and  Oregon  and  the  desperate  efforts 
being  made  in  Yakima  county  to  punish  the  mur- 
derers of  the  Perkins  family.  So  it  was  but  nat- 
ural that  our  people  should  be  easily  excited  by 
redskin  maneuvers. 

"One  afternoon,  late  in  November,  a  neighbor 
of  mine  whose  name  I  have  forgotten,  came  over 
from  Goldendale  with  a  load  of  supplies.  Just 
as  he  was  crossing  Wood  gulch,  four  or  five 
miles  south  of  Cleveland,  and  at  the  bottom  of 
the  canyon,  one  of  his  horses  balked.  He  tried 
every  means  at  his  command  without  being  able 
to  make  the  animal  budge.  This  was  aggrava- 
tion enough  with  night  rapidly  coming  on  and  a 
long  road  ahead  of  him,  but  to  make  matters 
worse  up  came  a  yelling,  racing  band  of  Indians. 
'Old  Looney'  was  in  the  lead.  Behind  him  were 
about  thirty  young  men  painted  and  dressed  in 
war  toggery  and  well  equipped  with  weapons. 

"On  they  came  right  up  to  my  friend,  appar- 
ently bent  on  annihilating  him.  This  movement 
seemed  only  to  strengthen  the  determination  of 
the  balky  horse  to  stand  pat,  notwithstanding  the 
fact  that  most  of  the  load  of  flour  had  been  taken 
out  of  the  wagon  as  an  inducement  for  him  to 
move  on.  Riding  up,  the  redskins  circled  the 
thoroughly  frightened  settler,  yelling  like  demons 
and  flourishing  their  guns  and  knives  in  his  face. 
Some  of  the  Indians  were  beginning  to  give  vent 
to  their  hatred  of  the  white  race  by  prodding  the 
sole  representative  paleface  present,  when  sud- 
denly 'Old  Looney'  made  himself  heard.  At  a 
wave  of  his  hand,  the  apparently  enraged  In- 
dians underwent  a  complete  transformation.  Joy- 
ous grunts  and  laughing  broke  upon  the  air  and 
a  number  of  the  horsemen  jumped  to  the  ground. 
In  an  instant  they  had  the  wagon  in  motion 
again  loaded  with  the  flour  and  the  dumfounded 
driver  back  to  his  place  on  the  load.  The  balky 
horse  was  evidently  satisfied  with  his  share  in 
the  joke  on  his  master,  for  he  gave  no  more  trou- 
ble that  day.  Wagon,  horses  and  man  went  one 
way;  'Old  Looney'  and  his  band  of  half-earnest, 
half-joking  bucks  went  the  other,  and  the  inci- 
dent terminated  happily." 

"But,"  continued  Mr.  Flower,  "a  far  more  se- 
rious and  far-reaching  scare  than  that  one  had  a 
beginning  equally  trifling  some  two  years  later. 
I  think  it  took  place  in  the  spring  of  1881 ;  any- 
how, it  was  the  spring  that  the  Oregon  Railway  & 
Navigation  Company  began  running  its  trains  up 
the  Columbia  river. 

"About  200  Columbia  river  Indians,  under 
Chief  Pascopal,  were  at  that  time  encamped  at 
the  mouth  of  Alder  creek,  a  favorite  rendezvous 
with  them.  They  had  gathered  quietly  during  a 
period  of  several  days  without  particularly  ad- 
vertising the  fact. 

"I  was  then  in  partnership  with  Charles  N. 
Bickle,  conducting  a  general  store  at  Bickleton, 
and  had  been   down  to  Portland  buying  goods. 


On  our  way  up  the  river,  at  Arlington,  rumors  of 
an  Indian  outbreak  reached  us.  Hundreds  of 
warriors  had  massed  on  the  river  opposite  Wil- 
low creek,  ran  the  report,  and  were  about  to 
sweep  the  river  settlements.  Settlers  were  flee- 
ing to  common  centers  of  refuge  and  the  land 
was  about  to  be  stained  with  blood.  Intense  ex- 
citement prevailed  and  the  scenes  of  '78  were 
being  re-enacted.  At  Arlington,  also,  I  was 
handed  a  box  of  cartridges  to  take  to  William  A. 
McCredy,  who  at  that  time  lived  in  Klickitat 
county,  near  the  site  of  the  supposed  hostile 
camp. 

"However,  the  train  pulled  out  after  a  while, 
and  soon  we  reached  Willow  station.  There  the 
air  was  quivering  with  war  rumors.  At  the  store, 
near  the  mouth  of  the  creek,  a  rude  fortification 
had  been  thrown  up  and  about  a  hundred  and 
fifty  residents  of  the  Willow  creek  region  had 
assembled  in  the  utmost  haste.  They  were  rac- 
ing in  from  the  interior  when  I  arrived. 

"About  nine  o'clock  a  special  engine  brought 
a  major  and  Lieutenant  Wainwright  from  Fort 
Walla  Walla  to  investigate  the  trouble.  Being 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  the  country  and  the 
Indians  and  able  to  speak  their  language,  I  con- 
sented to  accompany  them  over  the  river.  We 
immediately  crossed  and  proceeded  to  the  home 
of  Joseph  Jones  at  the  mouth  of  Pine  creek, 
where  we  spent  the  night.  McCredy  and  his  fam- 
ily were  staying  there  also  until  the  excitement 
should  have  passed. 

"The  next  morning  we  were  up  bright  and 
early  and  seeking  the  Indian  camp.  We  saw 
moving  bunches  of  horses  several  miles  away, 
but  for  a  long  time  were  unable  to  find  any  In- 
dians, though  near  Alder  creek  we  met  two 
squaws.  I  at  once  opened  a  conversation  with 
them,  but  could  obtain  little  information.  A  bit- 
terly cold  rain  begain  falling,  which  added  to 
our  desire  to  quickly  terminate  our  mission. 
Finally  the  squaws  brought  up  old  Willy,  a  well- 
known  Klickitat,  and  to  him  I  explained  that  we 
wished  to  talk  to  the  Indians ;  that  we  had  heard 
rumors  of  trouble ;  that  the  great  white  chief  had 
sent  two  messengers  to  find  out  the  cause  of  the 
troubles  and  to  remedy  the  wrongs  done  the  In- 
dians, if  any  there  had  been.  Slipping  five  dol- 
lars into  his  hand,  I  bade  him -go  to  his  brethren 
with  our  message  and  request  a  pow-wow.  Old 
Willy  disappeared  over  the  hill  and  we  patiently 
awaited  his  return. 

"It  was  not  long  before  we  witnessed  a  re- 
markable demonstration  of  the  Indians'  well- 
known  ability  to  play  hide  and  seek,  for  they 
commenced  bobbing  up  around  us  with  startling 
rapiditv.  Gradually  their  number  increased  un- 
til I  thought  that 'the  whole  tribe  had  left  the 
reservation.  At  last  the  stragglers  became  fewer 
and  fewer  and  it  was  apparent  that  they  had 
shown  at  least  all  the    force    they  intended,  nor 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


were  they  in  a  friendly  mood  nor  dressed  for 
peace.  They  were  plainly  angry  and  ready  to 
receive  us,  if  necessary,  with  powder  and  ball. 

"Through  an  intelligent  squaw,  Eliza,  I  ex- 
plained our  mission  to  their  camp  and  asked  for 
a  statement  of  their  case.  Then  it  was  that  we 
learned  that  white  settlers  and  stockmen,  with 
more  meddlesomeness  than  discretion,  had  in- 
formed the  Indians  that  the  government  had  is- 
sued an  order  forbidding  them  to  leave  the  res- 
ervation any  more;  that,  therefore,  they  must 
remain  at  home.  Without  pausing  to  make  spe- 
cific inquiries,  and  probably  in  no  humor  anyhow 
to  do  so,  the  hotheads  had  organized  a  revolt. 
They  had  gathered  at  least  200  warriors,  squaws 
and  children,  equipped  themselves  for  traveling 
and  fighting,  and  had  determined  to  resist  the 
new  order  of  affairs.  Naturally  they  chose  the 
broken  region  around  the  mouth  of  Alder  creek 
as  the  place  where  they  would  meet  the  soldiers. 

"On  behalf  of  the  government,  the  army  offi- 
cers assured  the  Indians  that  such  an  order  had 
not  been  issued,  and  pledged  the  government's 
aid  in  support  of  the  rights  of  the  red  men  should 
the  whites  attempt  to  coerce  them.  This  talk 
seemed  to  satisfy  the  Indians  that  a  serious  mis- 
take had  been  made,  as  Chief  Pascopal  and  his 
men  promised  to  cast  off  their  war  toggery  and 
lay  aside  their  arms. 

"Our  mission  ended,  we  returned  to  the  river, 
where  I  left  the  officers,  and  proceeded  on  my 
way,  having  delivered  the  cartridges.  It  is  al- 
most needless  to  remark  that  the  panic  stricken 
whites  at  the  Willows  returned  to  their  aban- 
doned farms  as  soon  as  informed  of  the  true  sit- 
uation. So  quickly  did  it  all  happen  that  prac- 
tically none  of  the  settlers  on  upper  Pine,  Alder 
and  Wood  creeks  heard  of  the  affair  until  long 
after  the  excitement  had  died  out." 

WHEN  ELLENSBURG  WAS  YOUNG. 

Anisiche,  or  Wild,  Bill,  of  the  Okanogan  tribe, 
who  attained  widespread  notoriety  because  of  his 
artificial  nose,  was  involved  in  another  exciting 
adventure  in  1879  or  1880.  In  those  days  the  In- 
dians were  daily  visitors  to  the  town  of  Ellensburg, 
coming  in  from  their  camps  in  the  valley  or  on  the 
surrounding  hills  and  mountains  to  sell  ponies,  buy 
supplies  and  many  of  them,  if  possible,  to  lay  in  a 
goodly  store  of  whisky.  It  was  no  uncommon  sight 
to  see  scores  of  Indians  at  one  time  in  the  village. 
Sober,  they  were  not  especially  to  be  feared,  but 
when  they  were  drinking,  the  safest  place  to  be  was 
in  a  building  securely  protected.  A  man  started  a 
saloon  at  Peshastin  in  the  later  seventies,  but  as  it 
did  not  pay  in  that  locality,  he  removed  the  nefa- 
rious business  to  Ellensburg,  thereby  greatly  adding 
to  the  troubles  of  the  few  settlers. 

On  this  occasion  quite  a  number  of  Indians  came 
to  Ellensburg  and  obtained  liquor.     The  result  was 


that  they  became  exceedingly  quarrelsome.  The  In- 
dians gathered  near  the  creek.  George  Morgan,  a 
rough  cowboy,  somehow  had  a  dispute  with  one  of 
the  Indians.  He  was,  however,  walking  away 
peaceably  when  Bill  and  another  Indian  of  fully  as 
desperate  a  character,  began  a  serious  quarrel. 
Finally  Bill  started  after  Indian  Bob  with  a  knife. 
The  latter  slipped  past  Morgan,  who,  looking  back, 
saw  Bill  coming  toward  him  with  a  raised  knife 
and  supposed  that  he  was  to  be  the  victim.  Morgan 
quickly  drew  his  gun  and  fired.  The  ball  passed 
through  Bill's  mouth,  knocking  out  a  tooth  and 
coming  out  through  the  cheek. 

The  pistol  shot  brought  a  dozen  other  redskins 
and  in  a  trice  Bill  and  his  friends  closed  in  on  Mor- 
gan, flourishing  knives  and  pistols.  No  doubt  they 
would  have  killed  him  had  he  not  succeeded  in 
reaching  Dr.  M.  V.  Amen's  office,  at  the  corner  of 
Main  and  Fifth  streets,  where  he  crawled  under  a 
bed.  The  enraged  redskins  followed  him  to  the 
door,  but  would  go  no  farther,  as  Dr.  Amen  stood 
guard  in  the  doorway,  and  the  Indians  have  a  super- 
stitious dread  of  a  doctor.  Some  of  them  ran 
around  to  the  rear  of  the  office,  supposing  that,  of 
course,  Morgan  would  go  through  the  building,  but 
in  this  they  were  mistaken,  as  there  was  only  one 
entrance.  For  a  long  time  they  blustered  and  swore 
and  tried  every  strategy  to  get  the  doctor  away  ffom 
his  post,  but  to  no  avail. 

After  dark  Dr.  Amen  provided  Morgan  with 
horse  and  supplies  and  the  frightened  cowboy  made 
his  escape  from  the  country. 

In  the  meantime  the  fight  became  general  on 
the  outside  between  the  drunken  Indians  and  the 
whites.  Fortunately  no  one  was  killed,  though 
quite  a  number  of  shots  were  exchanged.  At  last 
Wild  Bill  mounted  his  horse  and  attempted  to 
escape,  riding  through  the  sagebrush,  and  shooting 
at  and  defying  the  officers  who  were  after  him. 
William  Prasbury  and  Jacob  Becker  were  constables 
at  that  time.  When  Bill  reached  a  point  opposite 
the  site  of  the  courthouse,  Becker  fired  at  him, 
bringing  the  Indian's  horse  to  the  ground.  How- 
ever, Bill's  companions  gave  him  the  needed  assist- 
ance and  he  mounted  another  horse.  By  this  time 
some  of  the  citizens  were  mounted,  and  after  a  hard 
chase  they  captured  the  redskins  above  Canaday's 
brick  mill. 

They  were  brought  back  to  town  and  lodged  in 
the  jail,  which  consisted  of  a  half  filled  charcoal 
bin  at  the  corner  of  Becker's  blacksmith  shop.  A 
citizen — a  noted  character  in  those  days — was  em- 
ployed to  guard  them.  The  Indians  were  soon  in 
a  drunken  stupor.  Some  time  during  the  night, 
Flood,  the  guard,  took  a  pick  and  went  into  the  jail. 
There  he  tried  to  kill  the  Indians  to  keep  them  from 
testifying  against  the  parties  who  had  given  them 
the  liquor,  but,  luckily,  he  failed  in  his  diabolical 
purpose,  though  he  did  drive  the  pick  point  through 
the  cheeks  of  some.  The  outcry  brought  help  to  the 
Indians.     Subsequently  Flood  left  the  country,  so 


REMINISCENT. 


375 


strong  was  the  feeling  against  him.  Dr.  Amen 
patched  up  the  injured  Indians,  two  of  whom,  In- 
dian Bob  and  Wild  Bill,  were  living  two  or  three 
years  ago  on  the  Wenatche. 

RECOLLECTIONS  OF  CHIEF  MOSES. 

Senator  A.  J.  Splawn,  one  of  the  Yakima  coun- 
try's earliest  and  most  widely  known  pioneers,  in  the 
following  historical  sketch,  gives  us  a  vivid  picture 
of  eastern  Washington's  famous  Indian  chieftain 
and  incidentally  of  other  well  known  early  pioneers 
of  this  region.  From  the  article  also  one  may  gain 
an  excellent  idea  of  the  pioneer  stockman's  life  in 
those  years.  Senator  Splawn  contributed  this  ar- 
ticle to  the  Yakima  Herald  of  September  30,  1902, 
and  it  is  used  by  his  permission  : 

I  saw  Chief  Moses  for  the  first  time  at  Wenatche, 
September  1,  1861,  where  the  Great  Northern  railway 
station  now  stands.  I  was  in  the  employ  of  Major  John 
Thorp  driving  a  band  of  beef  cattle  from  the  Yakima 
valley  to  Caribou  mines,  British  Columbia.  As  we  were 
passing  this  spot  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  Columbia 
river  we  saw  an  Indian  village.  Our  appearance  created 
considerable  excitement  among  the  lodges.  Finally,  out 
there  rode  a  solitary  horseman,  riding  towards  the  river. 
Riding  in,  he  swam  to  the  opposite  shore,  where  we  were 
watching  his  daring  feat.  Coming  up  the  river  bank  to 
where  I  stood,  he  asked  to  whom  these  cattle  belonged. 
On  being  told,  he  rode  over  to  where  Major  Thorp  was 
waiting  on  his  horse.  As  he  rode  away  I  asked  him  his 
name.  He  replied,  Suc-co-tal-sko-sum  (Half  Sun),  but 
known  to  white  men  as  Chief  Moses.  I  had  heard  of  this 
great  chief  before.  He  and  the  Major  .conversed  for 
some  time.  As  I  watched  them  that  day,  the  impression 
made  on  my  mind— then  a  boy  of  sixteen— will  never  be 
forgotten. 

Major  Thorpe  was  an  Oregon  pioneer,  who  crossed 
the  Plains  in  1844;  a  magnificent  specimen  of  manhood, 
standing  over  six  feet  tall,  with  the  undaunted  eye  that 
marks  the  fearless  soldier ;  he  truly  knew  no  fear,  and 
Moses  was  tall  and  commanding,  with  a  massive  frame  and 
a  large  head  set  on  broad  shoulders.  His  eagle  eye  ever 
on  the  alert,  he  sat  on  that  blue  horse  like  a  centaur.  He 
was  then  at  the  age  of  about  thirty-five,  the  finest  looking 
Indian  I  have  ever  met. 

After  finishing  his  parley,  Moses  rode  back  as  he 
came,  and  we  moved  the  cattle  on,  crossed  Wenatche 
river,  and  camped  near  where  now  stands  the  county 
bridge.    The  place  at  present  is  owned  by  M.  Horen. 

Our  horses  and  cattle  were  on  fine  grass,  and,  supper 
over,  we  retired  for  the  night,  but  the  mosquitoes  were  so 
numerous  we  could  not  rest,  so  I  got  up  and  went  to  the 
hill,  a  short  distance  off.  and  found  they  were  not  so  bad ; 
returned  and  told  the  Major,  so  we  picked  up  our  bed 
and  started  for  the  hill,  followed  by  Joe  Evans,  the  white 
man,  Paul,  the  half  breed,  John  and  Kin-ne-ho,  the  In- 
dians, with  Eliza,  the  squaw.  This  constituted  our  force. 
Ere  long  all  were  asleep,  when  the  sound  of  horses'  feet 
awakened  us,  and  soon  the  hill  was  covered  with  Indians. 
Loud  voices  arose  from  that  band  of  warriors.  Presently 
there  dismounted  an  aged  Indian,  who  spoke  in  low, 
earnest  tones  as  if  pleading;  only  a  few  murmurs  of 
assent  could  be  heard.  Suddenly,  out  in  plain  view,  rode 
an  Indian,  all  feathered  and  painted,  on  a  milk  white 
horse ;  he  commenced  a  loud  harangue.  Soon  echoing 
whoops  from  all  sides  proved  he  was  striking  a  respon- 
sive chord.  Just  then  we  heard  horses  fording  the 
Wenatche  river  not  far  distant,  and  soon  there  came  in 
view  two  horsemen  riding  rapidly  by  us  to  where  the 
Indians  were.     One  jumped  from  his  horse,  and  throwing 


his  blanket  on  the  ground  in  front  of  him,  with  his  hands 
he  waved  back  that  body  of  Indians,  and  soon  the  hill 
was  cleared.  Then  I  saw  it  was  Chief  Moses.  He  had 
come  at  an  opportune  time. 

A  few  years  later  I  learned  from  Nan-num-kin,  an 
Enteat  Indian,  that  he  tried  to  persuade  the  Indians  not 
to  molest  us,  but  failing,  he  swam  the  Columbia  river  at 
Enteat,  and  rode  to  Moses'  camp  and  informed  him  of 
what  was  about  to  occur. 

In  1864  I  again  met  Moses  near  Rock  Island,  below 
Wenatche.  Two  Chinamen  coming  from  The  Dalles, 
Oregon,  had  hired  me  to  drive  two  beef  cows  they  had 
purchased  from  Thorp,  in  the  Yakima  valley,  and  taking 
them  horseback  to  the  Chinese  mining  camp,  where  now 
the  Great  Northern  railroad  bridge  crosses  the  Columbia 
river  below  Wenatche.  Not  far  from  Rock  Island  we  saw 
two  Indians  galloping  down  the  trail  in  front  of  us.  The 
Chinamen  were  a  little  in  advance  of  me  when  they  met 
One  of  the  Indians  began  beating  my  passengers  over 
the  head  with  his  whip  handle,  which  was  an  elk  horn ; 
the  other  Indian  came  straight  for  me.  He  was  a  power- 
ful fellow.  Catching  hold  of  my  horse's  bridle,  he  threw 
the  animal  on  his  haunches.  In  the  meantime  I  slid  off 
the  horse  and  pulled  out  my  revolver,  intending  to  shoot, 
but  he  sang  out :  "Wake  pook,  nika  Tyee  Moses"  (Don't 
shoot,  I  am  Chief  Moses).  He  said  he  wanted  some  fun, 
and  thought  he  would  scare  me  to  see  if  I  was  brave,  and 
said:  "Mika  skookum  turn  turn"  (You  are  brave).  I 
requested  him  to  make  the  Indian  cease  abusing  the 
Chinamen.  This  he  did,  and  then  rode  away.  Gathering 
up  my  passengers  I  found,  after  checking  up  damages, 
nothing  more  serious  than  a  few  gashes  on  their  faces 
and  heads,  no  bone?  broken,  and  scalps  still  on.  We  soon 
reached  the  mining  camp,  and  when  those  people  looked 
upon  their  mutilated  countrymen,  the  sounds  were  worse 
than  a  flock  of  geese.  They  expressed  their  gratitude  to 
me  for  saving  their  lives  by  giving  me  an  extra  ounce  of 
gold.  I  met  Suc-co-tal-sko-sum  many  times  afterward. 
In  the  earlier  days  he  was  more  generally  known  as  Que- 
tal-e-can.  He  was  a  lover  of  sport,  especially  horse 
racing.  We  have  often  raced  together  when  there  was  not 
a  white  man  in  many  miles.  The  cheers  went  up  just  the 
same  when  I  won  as  they  did  when  I  lost. 

In  June,  1869,  while  hunting  lost  cattle,  I  found 
Moses  encamped  at  Rocky  Ford,  on  Crab  creek,  which 
is  now  the  home  of  T.  S.  Blyth,  the  cattle  king  of  Wash- 
ington. The  Indians  were  having  their  regular  spring 
festivities.  At  Moses'  lodge  there  was  a  ten-gallon  keg 
of  whisky  with  the  head  knocked  out  and  a  tin  cup  hang- 
ing on  the  side  as  a  sign  for  everyone  to  help  himself. 
This  did  not  indicate  a  health  resort  for  a  white  man, 
but  Moses  was  not  drinking,  so  I  concluded  to  stop  and 
cook  dinner,  and  so  informed  him.  He  pointed  to  a 
place  where  I  could  get  down  to  the  creek  for  water  and 
find  some  grass  for  my  horse,  so  I  unpacked  and  cooked 
my  dinner.  As  I  finished  my  meal  I  saw  a  large  body 
of  Indians  coming  down  the  trail  from  Wilson  creek  to 
the  eastward.  All  was  excitement  in  Moses'  camp.  Men 
flew  to  arms.  The  new  arrivals  continued  their  course 
until  only  Crab  creek  separated  them  from  Moses'  war- 
riors. I  began  hastily  packing  up  to  move  out  from  be- 
tween two  fires.  Soon  Moses  appeared  and  inquired  why 
they  came  to  his  camp  in  such  a  threatening  manner. 
Their  reply  was,  they  came  to  kill  a  medicine  man  of 
their  own  tribe  who  was  then  in  the  lodge  of  Moses,  and 
unless  he  was  given  up  he  would  be  taken  by  force.  Moses 
answered  that  the  man  had  come  to  him  seeking  protec- 
tion. It  had  been  granted,  and  the  word  of  a  great  chief 
once  given  was  final ;  therefore  depart,  or  he  would  order 
his  men  to  fire  on  them ;  that  when  the  medicine  man 
saw  fit  to  leave  his  lodge  of  his  own  accord  he  would  no 
longer  be  responsible;  they  could  do  then  as  they  wished. 
They  departed  in  the  direction  whence  they  came. 

Evening  was  drawing  near,  so  I  went  to  Moses'  lodge 
and   told  him  I   would  sleep  there  that  night,  but  while 


3/6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


we  were  talking  he  picked  up  the  fatal  tin  cup  filled  to 
the  brim  with  fire  water,  and  swallowed  its  contents.  My 
horses  being  saddled  and  packed,  like  the  Arab,  I  quietly 
stole  away.  The  Indians  were  too  busy  drinking  to  miss 
me  for  some  time.  I  went  down  a  few  miles,  and  hid 
away  for  the  night  among  the  tules  beside  Moses  lake, 
and  could  hear  the  Indians  hunting  for  me  during  the 
night.  Feeling  that  the  danger  from  the  Indians  I  had 
just  left  was  only  for  the  time  they  were  intoxicated,  at 
daylight  I  struck  the  trail  on  the  west  side  of  the  lake 
and  continued  my  way  toward  White  Bluffs  on  the  Co- 
lumbia river.  I  had  traveled  but  a  short  distance  when, 
looking  back,  I  saw  the  Indians  coming  at  a  gallop. 
Overtaking  me  Moses  asked  why  I  had  left  so  abruptly 
the  evening  before.  My  reply  was,  that  when  I  saw  Chief 
Moses  drinking  like  the  common  herd  I  considered  it 
time  to  leave.  He  asked  me  to  say  nothing  about  the 
whisky  for   fear  the  soldiers   would   come  after  him. 

During  the  Nez  Perces  war  Chief  Joseph's  emissaries 
were  continually  going  to  and  fro  between  the  hostile 
camp  and  that  of  Chief  Moses,  trying  to  induce  him  to 
go  on  the  war  path,  which  he  absolutely  refused  to  do,  as 
I  afterward  learned  to  my  own  satisfaction. 

At  that  time,  in  company  with  E.  D.  Phelps  and  W. 
I.  Wadleigh,  we  had  purchased  several  thousand  cattle 
on  the  White  Bluffs  and  Crab  Creek  ranges,  covering  the 
territory  from  Pasco  to  Moses  lake,  and  as  far  up  the 
Columbia  river  as  Moses  coulee.  Indians  from  all  parts 
began  to  move  towards  Moses'  encampment;  those 
around  Snake  river  points  passed  through  our  range  and 
committed  depredations  such  as  burning  our  houses  and 
corrals,  driving  off  the  saddle  horses  and  killing  cattle. 
Everything  indicated  an  Indian  uprising.  People  in  many 
parts  of  the  country  in  isolated  settlements  moved  to 
more  thickly-populated  places  for  safety.  This  condition 
remained  unchanged  for  about  thirty  days.  People  were 
fearful  to  relax  their  vigilance,  not  knowing  at  what 
hour  the  hostiles  would  be  upon  them.  It  was  well  known 
that  a  large  body  of  Indians  had  gathered  around  Moses. 
We  had  heard  that  their  lodges  extended  for  many  miles 
up  and  down  the  Columbia  above  and  below  Wenatche. 
Our  cattle  were  running  on  the  range  adjacent  to  this 
body  of  Indians,  and  it  boded  no  good  to  us  in  a  financial 
way.  At  this  time  I  was  on  a  visit  to  the  Kittitas  valley. 
I  found  most  of  the  settlers  were  gathered  on  Nanum 
creek,  and  had  thrown  up  earth  breastworks  for  defense, 
understanding  in  the  excitement  that  existed  the  possible 
danger  of  a  solitary  Indian,  who  by  chance  might  happen 
along  that  way,  and  be  fired  upon.  That  night  I  stayed 
in  the  fort  and  heard  the  instructions  given  to  the  guard, 
a  boy  of  about  16,  that  if  he  saw  an  Indian  to  shoot  him. 
This  convinced  me  that  my  fears  were  well  founded.  A 
shot  like  that  would  have  brought  2,000  Indians  on  them 
in  ten  hours. 

Mr.  Phelps,  with  whom  I  was  associated,  happened 
to  be  there  also,  and  we  knew  that  something  had  to  be 
done  at  once.  We  concluded  to  go  over  to  Wenatche 
and  talk  with  Moses  and  learn  if  possible  of  his  inten- 
tions. When  we  declared  our  purpose  many  begged  us 
not  to  go.  One  man  had  only  a  few  days  before  been 
to  a  tall  mountain  from  which  he  could  see  the  countless 
lodges  along  the  Columbia  for  many  miles.  He  said  we 
would  never  return.  But  I  knew  Moses  well,  and  from 
my  many  years'  acquaintance  with  him  felt  that  he  was 
too  much  of  a  diplomat  to  engage  in  a  war  with  the 
whites  when  he  knew  there  would  be  no  possible  chance 
to  win.  We  left  the  fort  and  at  two  o'clock  that  after- 
noon were  on  the  Columbia  river,  six  miles  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Wenatche.  Indian  lodges  were  strung  out 
on  the  opposite  or  north  side  of  the  river,  as  far  up 
as  Aye  could  see.  The  plains  were  covered  with  horses 
grazing,  kept  from  wandering  off  by  an  occasional  rider. 
I  remarked  to  Mr.  Phelps  that  we  were  hunting  In- 
dians, and  from  the  outlook  we  had  succeeded  beyond  our 
fondest  hopes. 


From  the  high  range  of  hills  a  few  miles  north  of 
the  river,  we  saw  dust  rising  and  streaming  behind  like 
the  smoke  from  a  locomotive.  The  objects  creating  this 
disturbance  were  coming  towards  the  river,  and  as  we 
dismounted  to  watch,  they  soon  came  near  enough  to 
the  river  on  the  opposite  side  for  us  to  make  out  a  body 
of  sixteen  warriors,  their  gun  barrels  flashing  in  the 
sunshine  and  making  an  interesting  sight.  They  came 
down  to  the  river  to  water  their  horses  and  espied  us ; 
two  canoes  near  by  were  hastily  manned  and  most  of  the 
party  embarked.  As  the  canoes  neared  the  shore  I  saw, 
in  the  bow  of  the  first,  Chief  Moses. 

As  he  stepped  on  shore  we  met  him.  He  looked 
searchingly  at  us  for  a  few  moments  and  then  asked  us 
why  we  came.  I  told  him  that  the  people  in  Kittitas 
and  Yakima  valleys  had  learned  that  he  intended  to  make 
war  on  the  whites  and  many  had  left  their  homes  and 
moved  into  fortresses ;  the  conditions  were  such  that  some 
act  either  of  the  whites  or  Indians  would  cause  war,  and, 
having  known  him  for  many  years,  I  felt  it  was  not  his 
desire  to  bring  on  a  war  with  all  the  bad  results  which 
must  necessarily  follow,  so  we  had  come  to  see  him  and 
talk  over  the  situation,  without  fear  of  being  killed  by 
any  of  his  men.  He  told  us  to  go  up  to  Frank  Freer's 
store  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wenatche,  and  we  would  find 
Freer  and  Sam  Miller  there;  we  could  remain  over  nieht 
and  on  the  following  morning  he,  with  some  other  smaller 
chiefs,  would  come  and  have  a  big  talk.  We  rode  on 
up  and  found  the  Freer  brothers  and  Sam  Miller  at  their 
store,  feeling  perfectly  safe. 

The  few  miles  we  traveled — between  the  place  we 
left  Moses  and  the  store— we  counted  190  lodges,  and  were 
told  that  above,  In-no-mo-sech-a,  chief  of  the  Chelans, 
was  encamped  with  100  lodges,  and  still  on  up  the  river 
a  short  distance  were  the  Okanogans  and  San  Poils, 
numbering  150  lodges.  Moses'  camp  of  200  lodges  was 
at  the  present  site  of  Waterville.  Each  of  these  lodges 
would  turn  out  about  six  warriors,  enough  to  have  swept 
our  valley.  Moses  was  on  hand  promptly  the  next  morn- 
ing with  the  following  chiefs :  Smo-hal-la,  of  the  Priest 
River  or  Push-Wa-na-pum,  In-no-mo-sech-a,  of  the  Che- 
lans ;  besides  some  smaller  lights.  On  the  flat  in  front- 
of  the  store  were  many  Indians.  I  was  told  that  among 
those  present  were  five  Nez  Perces,  of  Chief  Joseph's 
bands,  which  were  at  that  time  retreating  up  the  Clear- 
water in  Idaho,  followed  by  Gen.  O.  O.  Howard,  whom 
the  Indians  called  Day-After-Tomorrow.  Moses  always 
received  news  from  the  seat  of  war  earlier  than  we  did. 
Their  line  of  swift-riding  couriers  would  have  been  a 
credit  to  any  army. 

Moses  spoke  first,  saying  that  he  had  no  intention  of 
joining  his  cousin,  Chief  Joseph,  in  waging  war  on  the 
whites,  which  could  only  end  with  the  killing  of  many 
on  both  sides  and  the  humiliation  of  himself  and  his  peo- 
ple, and  having  recognized  the  danger  of  small  parties  or 
individual  Indians  committing  outrages  upon  the  whites, 
he  had  at  the  beginning  of  hostilities  sent  word  for  all 
the  Indians  to  come  to  him  at  once.  Some  Indians  had 
thought  the  order  meant  war,  and  consequently  on  their 
way  to  join  him  had  done  as  he  feared.  After  he  had  all 
the  Indians  gathered  around  him  he  continually  guarded 
them,  not  allowing  any  to  leave.  Every  day  he  went 
around  the  circle  that  enclosed  the  different  encamp- 
ments to  see  that  no  raiding  parties  had  gone  out  during 
the  night.  This  had  been  his  mission  when  we  met  him 
the  day  before.  He  told  us  to  return  and  tell  our  people 
that  Moses  was  their  friend  who  did  not  intend  to  go  to 
war,  and  who  would  hold  the  Indians  where  they  were 
for  a  short  time,  until  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  that  all 
danger  was  past. 

Having  been  on  the  ground  at  the  time  and  under- 
standing the  conditions  as  they  were,  I  believe  that  to 
the  energy  and  foresight  of  Moses,  coupled  with  his  good 
control  of  the  Indians,  must  the  credit  be  given  for  avert- 
ing an  Indian  war  at  that  time. 


REMINISCENT. 


377 


We  returned  to  Kittitas  valley  and  found  our  friends 
still  holding  the  fort.  After  telling  them  of  what  we  had 
seen  and  heard,  with  our  full  belief  that  all  danger  was 
passed,  they  returned  to  their  homes.  About  three  weeks 
afterwards  Moses  allowed  all  the  Indians  to  return  to 
their  different  homes.  Our  horses  were  brought  back  to 
the  range  from  which  they  were  stolen,  as  Moses  had 
promised  us  at  Wenatche.  Thus  ended  what  for  a  time 
looked  like  a  general  outbreak  of  hostilities. 

In  summing  up  Chief  Moses  as  I  knew  him,  which 
cqvered  a  period  of  thirty-five  years,  from  1861  to  1896, 
my  conclusions  are  that  he  was  more  of  a  diplomat  than 
a  warrior.  Reckless  in  morals,  the  renegades  of  the  dif- 
ferent tribes  gathered  around  him.  His  noted  fondness 
for  the  running  horse  often  forced  him  to  pay  long  prices 
for  swift  animals  which  it  was  his  ambition  to  possess. 
The  Indian  love  for  liquor  was  his  greatest  fault,  but  he 
never  lost  that  proud  bearing  to  which  his  inheritance 
entitled  him.  In  point  of  intelligence  he  was  the  equal  of 
any  Indian  in  history.  He  might  well  be  titled  the  "Bis- 
marck" of  the   Indian  tribes  of  the  Northwest. 

"SHOT  MULES  AT  THEM." 

Thomas  Jenkins  has  long  been  a  resident  of 
Klickitat  county  and  the  Northwest,  and  can  tell 
many  interesting  stories  of  pioneer  life.  He  came 
across  the  Plains  in  1844,  and  therefore  is  among 
the  earliest  of  the  Oregon  pioneers.  Mr.  Jenkins 
has  a  clear  memory  of  incidents  that  happened  dur- 
ing the  Cayuse  and  Rogue  River  wars.  His  oldest 
brother,  Richard,  was  a  volunteer  in  the  Cayuse 
war  and  from  him  he  has  gathered  a  number  of 
amusing  stories  about  the  Indians'  idea  of  artillery, 
of  which  they  obtained  their  first  knowledge  in  that 
war. 

In  one  instance  the  troops  ran  short  of  ammuni- 
tion for  their  cannon  and  made  use  of  brickbats, 
stones  or  anything  that  came  to  hand.  This  curi- 
ous ammunition  they  rammed  into  the  cannon  and 
shot  at  the  hostile  savages.  It  is  an  Indian  custom 
to  carry  a  rifle  with  the  stock  behind,  grasping  the 
muzzle  in  his  hand.  When  the  cannon  was  dis- 
charged, one  of  the  brickbats  took  the  breech  of  an 
Indian's  gun  and  broke  it  short  off.  The  Indian 
was  not  accustomed  to  the  cannon's  roar  and  natur- 
ally thought  it  must  be  thunder.  His  conclusion 
was  that  the  god  of  the  white  man  had  interposed 
against  them  and  had  sent  a  thunderbolt  to  destroy 
his  gun,  thus  rendering  him  harmless  to  the  enemy. 
He  immediately  went  to  the  camp  of  the  troops  and 
gave  himself  up.  He  was  not  afraid  to  fight  against 
men,  but  if  God  was  arrayed  against  him  he  would 
surrender. 

In  another  instance  the  volunteers  had  taken  the 
small  howitzers  from  their  carriages  and  strapped 
them  firmly  on  the  backs  of  mules,  to  enable  the 
animals  to  carry  the  guns  into  places  otherwise  in- 
1  accessible.  It  was  found  that  after  the  mules  became 
accustomed  to  the  firing  they  gave  little  attention  to 
the  report  of  those  small  cannon  and  that  the  guns 
could  be  shot  with  a  reasonable  degree  of  accuracy 
from  their  backs.  When  the  soldiers  overtook  the 
Indians  and  brought  these  pieces  into  action,  the 
red  men  were  very  much  horror  stricken  and  many 


of  them  immediately  surrendered.  It  seemed  to 
them  that  the  resources  of  the  white  men  in  battle 
were  unlimited  when  they  could  shoot  even  the 
mules  at  their  enemies. 

AN    ODD   DOCUMENT. 

The  following  document  is  a  duplicate  of  similar 
agreements  signed  by  the  citizens  of  central  Wash- 
ington in  1878,  at  the  time  of  the  great  Indian  scare 
in  this  region,  and  is  self-explanatory.  It  may  be 
stated  in  passing  that  few  if  any  of  these  guns  were 
ever  returned  and  that  many  of  them  to  this  day 
repose  peacefully  in  Kittitas  and  Yakima  and  Klick- 
itat homes,  souvenirs  of  an  eventful  period  in  local 
history. 

"I,  the  undersigned,  a  citizen  of  Yakima  county, 
and  Territory  of  Washington,  do  hereby  acknowl- 
edge the  receipt  of  one  breech-loading  Springfield 
needle-gun,  with  fifty  rounds  of  cartridges,  from  the 
county  commissioners  of  said  county,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  people  and  property  of  Yakima 
county.  Said  gun  and  cartridges  to  be  returned  in 
good  order,  or  accounted  for,  to  said  board  of  com- 
missioners at  Yakima  City,  at  such  time  as  the  same 
is  demanded. 

"And  in  case  of  a  failure  to  return  said  gun  and 
cartridges  in  good  order  or  to  account  for  same  as 
above  provided,  then  and  in  that  case,  I  hold  myself 
and  my  heirs,  executors  and  assigns  severally  bound 
unto  Yakima  county  for  the  payment  of  the  sum  of 
fifty  dollars  U.  S.  gold  coin  for  such  failure. 

"In  witness  whereof  I  have  hereunto'  set  my 
hand  and  seal  this  8th  day  of  August,  1878. 

(Seal)  J.  G.  Olding." 

A  PIONEER  HEROINE. 

Thomas  Jenkins,  who  settled  in  the  Klickitat 
valley  in  1859,  ar,d  who  has  been  a  resident  of  the 
Northwest  since  1844,  tells  a  thrilling  incident  of 
his  first  year  in  Oregon.  A  couple  of  Indians, 
friendly  Klickitats,  came  to  his  homestead  and  left 
a  half  dozen  sacks  of  hazel  nuts  and  camas  for  safe 
storage.  It  was  not  long  after  until  several  Indians 
of  a  hostile  tribe  came,  determined  to  steal  them. 
Thomas  and  his  brother  were  small  and  their  father 
was  away,  so  the  Indians  were  certain  they  would 
find  no  difficulty  in  frightening  Mrs.  Jenkins  into 
giving  up  the  nuts.  There  were  two  of  them,  a 
young,  active  boy  of  about  twenty  years  and  an  old 
man,  who  had  in  himself  magnified  all  the  hideous- 
ness  of  the  most  repulsive  Indian  features,  the 
nearest  to  representing  the  attributes  of  Satan  in 
human  form  ever  viewed  by  man. 

The  Indians  were  laboring  under  a  false  impres- 
sion when  they  thought  to  frighten  Mrs.  Jenkins. 
She  had  in  the  house  for  purposes  of  defense  two 
old  army  pistols,  one  loaded  and  the  other  empty. 
The  loaded  one  she  concealed  beneath  the  pillow 
of  a  bed  in  the  room,  the  other  she  held  in  her  hand. 
When  the  Indians  came,  the  bovs,  six  or  seven  vears 


378 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


old,  took  to  the  corner  beneath  the  bed,  but  Mrs. 
Jenkins  stood  her  ground  bravely.  The  old  Indian 
with  the  ugly  features  drew  a  long  case  knife  and 
brandished  it  menacingly  as  if  he  would  kill  her,  but 
the  woman  backed  him  out  of  the  house  with  the 
cocked,  empty  pistol.  Three  times  the  Indian  came 
back  with  the  ugly  weapon  in  his  hand  and  as  many 
times  was  driven  away.  The  young  savage  had 
meanwhile  climbed  up  to  the  loft  where  the  nuts 
were  stored  and  was  lowering  them  to  the  floor 
below.  Mrs.  Jenkins  turned  the  empty  revolver 
upon  him  and  he,  thoroughly  frightened,  refused  to 
come  down  until  she  had  put  away  the  pistol.  No 
sooner  did  he  get  without  the  door  than  he  ran  like 
a  frightened  deer.  The  old  Indian  cursed  Mrs.  Jen- 
kins and  aimed  all  manner  of  insulting  epithets  at 
her,  but  dared  not  come  back  lest  she  should  shoot. 

In  a  day  or  so  the  friendly  Klickitats  returned 
for  their  stores  and  were  much  pleased  when  they 
heard  how  Mrs.  Jenkins  had  defended  them. 
"Skookum  white  squaw  !  Skookum  white  squaw  !" 
they  exclaimed  in  loud  praise.  When  they  left  they 
gave  her  a  sack  of  the  nuts  for  "tenas  white  men," 
or  the  boys,  as  they  said. 

A    HUMOROUS    TRIAL   IN    KLICKITAT. 

John  J.  Golden,  a  member  of  the  first  party  to 
arrive  in  Klickitat  county  and  the  founder  of  Gold- 
endale,  tells  an  amusing  story  of  the  manner  of  hold- 
ing court  in  the  early  days  of  the  county's  history. 
Mr.  Golden  had  allowed  his  hogs  to  run  in  the 
woods,  where  they  throve  and  fattened  on  the 
acorns,  but  as  they  seldom  saw  any  person,  they  soon 
became  as  wild  as  any  undomesticated  beast  of  the 
forest.  Mr.  Golden  intended  to  let  them  run  in  the 
woods  until  the  snow  fell  deep  enough  so  that  he 
could  track  them.  The  fall  season,  however,  proved 
to  be  a  mild  one,  and  at  no  time  was  the  snow  deep 
enough  to  cover  the  ground.  Mr.  Golden  succeeded 
in  killing  all  he  needed  for  his  own  use,  but  the  rest 
he  determined  to  abandon,  as  he  did  not  care  to 
take  the  trouble  to  hunt  them.  Three  young  men 
requested  and  obtained  his  permission  to  hunt  them 
and  after  considerable  tramping  shot  several. 

J.  H.  Alexander,  also  an  early  pioneer,  claimed 
that  they  had  killed  his  hogs,  and  determined  to 
demand  satisfaction  for  his  loss  at  the  hands  of  the 
law.  He  was  the  justice  of  the  peace  for  that  sec- 
tion and  unblushingly  appealed  to  himself  for  justice 
in  the  case.  It  is  not  doubtful  that  Klickitat's 
present  learned  bar  would  find  some  irregularities 
in  this  manner  of  dispensing  justice,  but  then  the 
county  was  not  troubled  with  legal  advisers. 

Mr.  Alexander  immediately  took  steps  to  appre- 
hend and  bring  to  justice  the  malefactors.  Armed 
with  a  pistol  which  was  in  reality  more  dangerous 
to  the  user  than  to  the  one  attacked,  he  succeeded 
in  arresting  two  of  the  accused  men ;  the  third,  pre- 
ferring rather  to  risk  the  effectiveness  of  the  gun 
than  to  trust  himself  in  the  hands  of  the  law,  took  to 


his  heels  and  ran  for  dear  life,  never  once  heeding 
the  challenge  of  the  justice  to  halt  or  die. 

Now  the  prisoners  were  in  most  respects  fearless 
men,  but,  having  been  brought  up  on  the  edge  of 
the  wilderness  always  without  the  reach  of  the  law, 
and  never  having  seen  any  of  its  operations,  they 
had  formed  a  very  exaggerated  idea  of  its  powers. 

The  justice  appointed  the  time  of  trial  for  the 
same  evening  and  summoned  witnesses  accordingly. 
John  J.  Golden  was  called  as  a  witness  for  the  de- 
fense, and,  after  being  duly  sworn,  told  his  story. 
No  sooner  had  he  finished  his  testimony  than  the 
justice,  who  believed  in  the  argumentum  ad  hom- 
inum  method  of  conducting  a  prosecution,  pro- 
ceeded to  revile  him  for  his  false  and  perjured  tes- 
timony. 

The  trial  continued  through  the  entire  night  and 
in  the  morning  the  justice,  being  moved  by  com- 
passion, dismissed  the  case  and  pardoned  the  of- 
fenders, making  it  evident,  however,  that  he  had 
left  himself  liable  by  his  leniency  and  neglect  of 
duty.  "I  ought  to  have  hanged  you  both,"  said  the 
justice.  "I  could  do  it  and  it  is  at  my  own  risk  that 
I  fail  to  do  my  duty." 

The  poor  fellows  were  in  great  terror  lest  they 
be  found  guilty  and  the  clemency  of  the  court  filled 
them  with  gratitude.  The  justice  was  somewhat 
disconcerted,  however,  and  felt  sure  that  this  thing 
of  conducting  a  court  had  its  drawbacks  when  the 
witnesses,  who  had  thoroughly  enjoyel  the  fun, 
came  to  demand  their  fees. 

TOBY  AND   NANCY. 

Kittitas  county's  two  most  noted  characters  are 
unquestionably  Toby  and  Nancy,  residents  of  El- 
lensburg.  There  they  are  to  be  seen  nearly  every 
day — a  sad  picture  of  a  dying  race.  Bent  and  tot- 
tering, wrinkled  with  the  furrows  of  care  and  age, 
and  picturesquely  dressed  in  a  motley  garb  of  red 
and  white  men's  clothing,  they  wander  about  the 
streets,  poor,  old,  blind  Toby  led  by  a  short  rope 
and  cautiously  feeling  his  way  with  a  cane,  Nancy 
packing  a  load  of  food  supplies  or  wood  upon  her 
back.  Everybody  knows  them;  all  have  a  kindly 
word  for  them.  They  need  not  stir  from  their  tepee 
on  the  city's  outskirts  for  the  matter  of  food  or  wood 
or  clothing,  for  charity  has  kept  them  many  years 
now,  but  they  realize  that  activity  is  life  to  them. 

How  old  they  are,  no  one,  not  even  themselves, 
knows.  They  were  old  when  the  first  white  settlers 
came  to  the  valley  in  the  later  sixties.  In  1873, 
Charles  Reed  employed  Toby  to  do  some  road  work, 
and  at  that  time  named  him  Toby.  Toby  worked 
for  various  people  as  long  as  he  was  able  and  since 
then  has  been  supported  by  others.  At  the  time  of 
the  Indian  scare  in  1878  he  did  some  scout  duty  for 
the  settlers.  Nancy  is  the  only  wife  Toby  ever  had. 
At  one  time  they  had  several  children,  but  these  died 
years  ago.  Upon  another  page  will  be  found  late 
pictures  of  these  Indian  centenarians. 


REMINISCENT. 


379 


THE   FAIR    MOXEE. 

In  the  days  long  since  departed, 
Lived  a  maiden,   gentle  hearted, 
Ere  the  pale   face  came,   so  wary. 
Tripped   she  lightly  like  a  fairy; 
Sweet  her  laugh   as   rippling  water; 
To  old  Yakima  a  daughter. 
Wooers  came  from  far  to  see- 
Sang  the  praise  of  fair  Moxee. 

Many  wooed  but  none  had  won  her; 
Through  the  spring  and  through  the 
Rang  her  note  of  rippling  laughter 
Till  the  birds  forever  after 
Paused  with  silenced  notes  to  listen 
Where  the  bounding  waters  glisten- 
Paused,  entranced,  to  hear  her  glee, 
Sweetly  laughing  fair  Moxee. 


Once  the  Manitoti,  Multnomah, 
Spake  in  smoke  from  great  Tacomah ; 
And  his  voice  brake  forth  in  thunder 
Till  the  tribes  bowed  down  in  wonder. 
Thus  he  spake  while  flashed  the  lightning 
All  the  Yakimas  affrightening— 
Spake  of  future  time  to  be, 
Spake  unto  the  fair  Moxee: 

"Moxee,  fair  and  gentle  maiden, 
Time  for  thee  is  richly  laden — 
Rich  in  stores  of  great  fruition ; 
For  thy  breast  shall  yield  nutrition  . 
To  a  race  whose  name  is  legion ; 
They  shall  own  and  rule  this  region. 
Bride  of  pale  face  thou  shalt  be — 
Keep  the  saying,  fair  Moxee." 

Chilly  winds  and  winters  dreary 
O'er  the  sage  brush  plains  so  dreary 
Came  and  went  and  left  their  traces, 
Came  and  brought  the  first  pale  faces 
With  their  tubes  of  thunder  speaking, 
With  their  leaden  bullets  shrieking. 
One  there  was  from  near  the  sea 
Who  won  the  heart  of  fair  Moxee. 


O'er  the  wooing  we  will  hasten ; 
Love  each  heart  must  surely  chasten; 
Broader  paths  the  feet  will  follow, 
Selfish  aims  are  empty,  hollow. 
Sons  and  daughters  soon  caress  them, 
Plenty's  hands  with  riches  bless  them; 
Years  of  joys  and  sorrows  flee 
O'er  the  home  of  fair  Moxee— 

Till  at  last,  by  Time's  hand  stricken, 
With  a  dread  disease  they  sicken. 
Side  by  side  they  now  are  sleeping, 
O'er  their  graves  the  willows   weeping. 
In  the  quiet  vale  so  lowly, 
Where  the  river  vvanders  slowly, 
Old  Tacomah's  eye  may  see 
Where  now  sleeps  the  fair  Moxee. 

But  the  sage  brush  plains  unsightly, 
Where  the  robber  coyote  nightly 
Sang  his  challenge  'round  each  tepee 
To  awake  the  eye  that's  sleepy, 
Are  changed  to  fertile  fields  of  clover- 
Orchards,  vineyards  cover  over; 
Sheep  and  cattle  wander  free 
In  the  vale  of  fair  Moxee. 


This  no  doubt  was  then  the  reading 
Of  the  prophecy  preceding: 
Or  the  simple  native  dreaming 
O'er  his  pipe  so  skookum,  steaming, 
Like  some  of  a  higher  station 
May  have  used  imagination ; 
But  e'en  then  you  will  agree 
There's  the  valley  of  Moxee. 


KITTITAS    VALLEY. 

No  fairer  vale  was  ever  sung, 

No  better  theme  could  poet  know, 

Or  far,  or  near,  for  pen  or  tongue, 
Than  picture  in  the  morning  glow, 

Our  valley  home,  inviting  all, 

Environed  by  a  mountain  wall. 

Afar,  the  rugged  mountains  rise, 
Cold,  gleaming  in  the  morning  sun, 

Reaching  as  if  to  meet  the  skies. 
I  fondly  turn  to  them,  as  one 

Would  turn  to  greet  a  long  tried  friend, 

Unswerving,  constant  to  the  end. 

The  growing  fields  on  every  side, 
Proclaim  a  bounteous  harvest  near; 

The   cooling   waters   dance   and   glide; 
With  wild  flowers  springing  everywhere, 

While   health   inspiring  breezes  blow 

And  kiss  the  cheek  to  ruddy  glow.* 

Anear  a  thousand  beauties  spring, 
In  pleasing  form  to  greet  the  eye; 

Afar  the  towering  mountains  fling 
A  glory   on   the   earth   and   sky, 

That  lifts  and  fills  and  thrills  the  soul 

Above,  beyond  the  will's  control. 

I  love  the  mountains  best  of  all; 

Somehow  they  are  so   grandly  free; 
A  nameless   gladness   seems  to   fall 

In  restful  joy  from  them  to  me, 
Such  as  I   never  elsewhere  know 
Save  where  the  sea  tides  come  and  go. 

—Kittitas  Standard,  June  16, 


WITHIN 


III    M'kED    YEARS. 


Where  millions  dwell  in  happiness, 
And  streams   of  commerce   flow, 

There  stretched  a  pathless  wilderness 
A  century  ago. 

Till  then,  no  Saxon  voice  had  stirred 

The  desert  solitudes, 
Nor  sound  of  settler's  axe  disturb'd 

The  silence  of  the  woods. 

Wild  savages  alone    had  seen 
The  prairies  bright  with  bloom, 

The  forests  robed  in  summer  green, 
Or  clouds  of  wintry  gloom. 

The  trails  that  border'd  this  land  then 
Were  often  moist   with  blood, 

From  hearts  of  bold,  courageous  men, 
Who  led  progression's  flood. 

From  where  Missouri's  waters  run, 

So  swiftly  to  the  south, 
To  where  the  rays  of  setting  sun 

Flame  at  Columbia's  mouth, 


38o 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


A  thousand  battles  have  been  fought 

By  hardy  pioneers 
To  make  this  change,  that  has  been  wrought 

Within  a  hundred  years. 

Now  palaces  and  humble  homes 

Are  seen  on  every  hand, 
And  lofty  spires  and  gilded  domes 

Of  cities  grace  the  land ; 

Where  busy  people  throng  the  streets, 

And  boats  ply  on  the  streams, 
And   every  face  another  greets 

With  joy's  apparent  beams. 

But  this  was  all  most  dearly  bought, 

With  wounds  and  widows'  tears 
Of  those  whose  valor  this  change  wrought 

Within  a  hundred  years. 

Edward  Pruyn. 


ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  KLICKITAT. 

I  stood  on  the  banks  of  the  Klickitat, 

On  an  Indian  camping  ground, 
Where  a  dusky  band  of  Yakimas 

Had  pitched  their  tents  around. 

They  could  see*  the  bluffs  of  the  ancient  fort, 
Where  their  fathers  had  bent  the  bow; 

Where  white  and  red  had  fought  and  bled 
In  battle  long  ago. 


They  could  see  the  white  man's  furrowed  fields, 
They  knew  they  could  hunt  no  more, 

And  their  hearts  grew  cold  like  the  snowy  peaks 
That  dotted  the  landscape  o'er. 

They  sadly  gazed  on  the  busy  road, 

Where  once  they  followed  a  trail, 
While  in  the  twilight  gleamed  the  spires 

Of  the  city  of  Goldendale. 

That  night  I  saw  them  move  their  camp 

And  ride  in  solemn  tread 
As  if  they  were  chanting  a  requiem 

In  honor  of  the  dead. 

They  turned  their  train  to  the  northern  hills, 

Where  now  they  are  forced  to  stay; 
And  only  the  dying  embers  show 

Where  a  nation  camped  that  day. 

Like  phantoms  grim  where  the  willows  shade, 
Where  the  path  runs  into  the  stream, 

I  saw  them  cross  it  one  by  one 
In  the  moonlight's  silvery  gleam. 

This  I  say  is  an  emblem  true 

Of  all  the  faded  race; 
They  are  crossing  the  river  one  by  one, 

While  the  white  men  take  their  place. 

Thus  civilization  surges  on, 

Nor  waits  for  flesh  or  blood, 
And  those  who  will  not  join  its  ranks 

Must  sink  beneath  the  flood. 

Author  Unknown. 


PART  VI. 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


"Biography  is  the  only  true  history." 

— Emerson. 

"Biography  is  infinitely  more  valuable  than  the 
dumb  statue  or  monument." 

—  Carlyle. 


KLICKITAT  COUNTY 

BIOGRAPHY 


COL.  ENOCH    W.  PIKE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

KLICKITAT    COUNTY 


COL.  ENOCH  W.  PIKE.  The  reader  will  need 
no  extended  introduction  to  the  pioneer  citizen 
whose  biography  is  here  recorded,  so  generally  is 
he  known  throughout  this  section  of  the  state.  For 
nearly  forty  years  the  Pacific  Northwest  has  been 
his  home,  and  for  thirty-two  of  those  years  he  has 
been  intimately  and  prominently  identified  with  the 
history  of  Klickitat  county  as  a  pioneer  farmer  and 
stockman,  volunteer  soldier,  business  man,  county 
official  and  a  public-spirited  citizen.  Through  all 
his  life,  except  as  a  very  young  lad,  he  has  been  in 
the  van  of  settlement,  blazing  the  trail  for  others  to 
follow,  fighting  the  hostile  red  man,  subduing  the 
wilderness  and  rearing  settlements,  and  whenever 
the  call  to  action  has  come,  wherever  it  has  led  him, 
he  has  responded  with  alacrity  and  energy  and  abil- 
ity. Colonel  Pike  is  a  native  of  the  New  England 
states,  born  April  13,  1842,  on  a  farm  in  Franklin 
county,  Maine,  the  state  of  which  it  has  been  so 
aptly  said  "her  chief  product  is  men."  Moses  Pike, 
the  father  of  Enoch  W.,  was  also  a  native  of  the 
Pine  Tree  state ;  he  was  born  in  Oxford  county, 
February  12,  1816.  In  1854  the  Pike  family  left 
the  old  home  on  the  Atlantic  coast  and  penetrated 
the  forests  of  Wisconsin,  where  the  dauntless 
pioneer  soon  erected  his  new  .abode.  After  farm- 
ing five  years  in  that  state,  the  home  was  again 
moved,  this  time  to  Minnesota.  Not  satisfied,  how- 
ever, the  father  determined  to  go  to  the  westmost 
west,  and  accordingly,  in  the  fall  of  1867,  took  pas- 
sage in  a  steamship  bound  from  New  York  to  Pan- 
ama ;  thence  he  went  to  California  and,  without  stop- 
ping in  that  state,  north  to  Linn  county,  Oregon. 
He  resided  in  that  locality  until  1873,  when  he  be- 
came a  pioneer  of  Klickitat,  remaining  in  this  county 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1900.  Phoebe 
(Scribner)  Pike,  the  mother,  was  born  in  historic 
Concord,  New  Hampshire,  the  year  of  her  birth 
being  181 3.  She  received  her  education  in  the 
schools  of  her  native  state  and  after  graduating 
taught  several  terms.  In  New  Hampshire,  also. 
she  was  united  in  marriage  to  Moses   Pike.     Mrs. 


Pike  passed  away  in  1898,  two  years  previous  to  her 
husband's  death.  Enoch  W.  Pike  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Maine,  Wisconsin  and  Min- 
nesota, being  seventeen  years  old  when  he  reached 
the  last  named  state.  He  remained  with  his  father 
on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  when  he 
answered  President  Lincoln's  call  to  arms  by  en- 
listing in  Company  K,  Ninth  Minnesota  volunteers. 
He  was  mustered  in  August  22,  1862,  and  served 
continuously  until  June,  1865.  During  a  long 
period  he  acted  as  camp  clerk.  He  participated  in 
the  famous  battles  of  Nashville  and  Mobile,  as  also 
in  numerous  other  engagements  of  the  Army  of 
the  West.  Previous  to  his  regiment's  departure 
for  southern  battlefields,  the  young  private  also  took 
part  with  his  comrades  in  the  historic  Minnesota 
Indian  outbreak  of  1862.  After  the  close  of  the 
war,  the  young  soldier  returned  to  Minnesota  and 
spent  a  year,  during  which  period  he  was  married. 
In  the  spring  of  1867  he  came  to  Oregon,  via  the 
Panama  route,  settling  in  Oregon's  capital  city, 
Salem.  While  he  tarried  there  a  year  he  was  en- 
gaged in  carpenter  work.  But  the  next  year  he  left 
the  thickly  populated  settlement  and  for  four  years 
farmed  in  Linn  county.  Then,  in  May.  1872,  he 
drifted  again  to  the  frontier,  coming  to  the  sparsely 
settled  Klickitat  country  and  taking  a  soldier's 
homestead,  twelve  miles  east  of  Goldendale.  There 
he  lived  for  thirteen  years,  gradually  accumulating 
a  fine  property  and  assisting  others  to  secure  a  foot- 
hold. Early  in  1885  he  removed  to  the  town  of  Gold- 
endale, where  he  erected  a  livery  barn,  now  known  as 
the  "Red  P>arn."  During  the  next  few  years  he 
was  engaged  in  the  livery  business  and  in  selling 
farm  implements,  wagons,  etc.  The  livery  he  sold 
in  1894,  the  implement  business,  three  years  later, 
though  he  has  since  again  taken  up  the  latter  busi- 
ness. He  became  associated  as  land  inspector  with 
the  Oregon  Mortgage  Company  in  the  year  1889, 
and  still  holds  that  responsible  position.  Col.  Pike 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  Goldendale's  first  hank, 
the   First    National,   and    lias   been   connected   with 


38' 


382 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


other  important  business  interests  since  he  came  to 
the  city.  In  addition  to  his  other  business,  he  also 
handles  real  estate  and  loans  money. 

Miss  Clara  Palmer,  a  daughter  of  Aaron  A. 
Palmer,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Pike  at 
Winona,  Minnesota,  on  Washington's  birthday, 
1866.  Her  father  was  born  in  New  Hampshire 
and  by  trade  was  a  mechanic.  He  immigrated  to 
Minnesota  in  1854  and  there  his  death  occurred  in 
1900.  Mrs.  Palmer,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ladd, 
was  also  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  where  she 
was  educated  and  married;  she  died  in  Minnesota. 
Mrs.  Pike  is  a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  born  in 
October,  1848.  She  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Minnesota  and  in  that  state  was  married  when 
eighteen  years  of  age.  Col.  and  Mrs.  Pike  have 
reared  a  family  of  three  children,  two  sons  and  one 
daughter,  all  of  whom  are  living.  The  oldest, 
Edwin  W.,  was  born  in  Klickitat  county,  February 
14,  1879,  and  is  one  °f  tne  county's  prosperous 
farmers  ;  Chester  A.  was  born  in  this  county  in  1882, 
and  is  now  conducting  a  drug  store  in  Goldendale ; 
Vera,  born  in  Goldendale,  June  10,  1888,  is  living  at 
home.  Fraternally,  Col.  Pike  is  connected  with  the 
Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Order  of 
Washington;  besides,  he  is  a  member  of  Baker 
Post,  No.  20,  G.  A.  R.  An  active  Republican,  he 
was  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  office  of  as- 
sessor in  1878,  and  was  elected,  serving  one  term. 
His  fellow  men  have  also  honored  him  by  electing 
him  several  times  to  membership  in  the  city  council 
and  once  as  the  city's  mayor.  For  fifteen  years  he 
was  connected  with  the  Washington  National  Guard, 
and  he  went  through  the  different  offices  to  colonel 
of  the  Second  regiment.  He  was  colonel  for 
eleven  years.  However,  his  military  record  in 
Washington  extends  back  to  the  year  1878,  when  he 
was  chosen  captain  of  the  first  militia  company  or- 
ganized in  the  territory,  the  Klickitat  Rangers. 
This  company  participated  in  the  Moses  affair  and 
the  arrest  of  the  Perkins  murderers.  Colonel  Pike's 
property  interests  are  large,  including,  among  other 
holdings,  one  thousand  four  hundred  acres  of 
deeded  land,  of  which  six  hundred  acres  are  in 
cultivation.  Colonel  and  Mrs.  Pike  enjoy  the  high- 
est esteem  of  all  who  know  them.  As  a  man  of  sterling 
qualities,  keen  business  abilities  and  commendable 
public  spirit,  the  Colonel  well  deserves  to  reap 
the  rewards  of  good  deeds  well  done. 


WILLIAM  VAN  VACTOR.  Among  the  lead- 
ing men  of  Klickitat  county  the  man  whose  name 
forms  the  caption  of  this  article  is  certainly  to  be 
given  a  prominent  place.  Coming  to  the  county 
some  twenty  years  ago,  he  early  won  for  himself  a 
place  in  the  esteem  and  regard  of  its  citizens,  who 
soon  summoned  him  by  their  franchises  to  the 
office  of  sheriff.  His  services  then  and  later  were 
eminently  satisfactory,  as  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that 
the  people  have  kept  him  in  public  office  much  of 


the  time  since.  In  private  life  also  he  has  so  de- 
meaned himself  always  as  to  retain  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens  and  to  impress  them 
with  the  fact  that  he  is  a  man  of  sterling  integrity 
and  worth.  Mr.  Van  Vactor  is  a  native  of  Hardin 
county,  Kentucky,  born  October  8,  1842.  He  is  of 
Dutch  descent,  his  father,  Solomon,  having  been 
born  in  Holland  in  1813.  When  two  years  old  he 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents,  who 
settled  in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky.  There  Solo- 
man  Van  Vactor  was  educated  and  spent  his  early 
years.  When  a  young  man  he  engaged  in  operating 
flatboats  and  other  craft  upon  the  Ohio  and  Mis- 
sissippi rivers.  In  1848  he  removed  to  Meed 
county,  in  the  same  state,  and  made  his  home  there 
until  murdered  by  river  pirates  in  1855.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Isabel  Wilson,  was  born  in 
Virginia  in  1816.  She  went  to  Kentucky  as  a  school 
teacher  and  while  so  engaged  taught  the  younger 
members  of  the  Van  Vactor  family  the  rudiments  of 
their  education.  After  her  husband's  death,  she 
became  the  wife  of  a  minister  named  Williams ;  her 
death  occurred  in  the  fall  of  1890.  The  Van  Vactor 
so  prominently  mentioned  in  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe's  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,"  because  of  his  mag- 
nanimous act  of  freeing  the  slaves  of  his  plantation 
at  a  time  when  such  an  act  was  considered  by  South- 
erners to  be  rank  disloyalty,  was  Solomon  Van  Vac- 
tor. William  Van  Vactor  received  his  education  at 
home,  his  mother  teaching  him,  and  when  eleven 
years  of  age  commenced  working  upon  the  river. 
After  the  murder  of  his  father  in  1855,  William 
joined  the  rest  of  the  family,  who  had  removed  the 
year  previous  to  Lewis  county,  Missouri.  In  1857 
he  went  to  Van  Buren  county,  Iowa,  and  there 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade,  serving  an  appren- 
ticeship of  three  years.  Then  the  gold  fields  of  the 
far  west  attracted  his  attention  with  the  result  that 
May  7,  1861,  he  started  for  California.  The  party 
crossed  the  Plains  by  mule  teams,  arriving  in  Vir- 
ginia City,  Nevada,  October  26th.  At  that  camp 
Mr.  Van  Vactor  resided  twelve  months,  working  at 
his  trade,  but  the  succeeding  fall  continued  his  west- 
ward journey  and  finally  settled  at  Stockton,  Cali- 
fornia. The  Golden  state  was  his  home  until  Sep- 
tember, 1863,  when  he  took  up  his  abode  in  Linn 
county,  Oregon.  For  fifteen  years  he  lived  there, 
partaking  of  the  prosperity  which  came  to  the  pio- 
neers of  the  Willamette  valley.  But,  urged  on- 
ward by  the  pioneer  spirit  so  characteristic  of  the 
family,  he  left  Oregon  in  1878  and  settled  on  a 
homestead  twenty-five  miles  west  of  Goldendale. 
While  his  family  lived  upon  the  ranch,  Mr.  Van 
Vactor  followed  his  trade,  working  in  various  towns 
throughout  the  region  until  1884,  when  he  opened 
a  blacksmith  shop  of  his  own  in  Goldendale.  Two 
years  later  his  fellow  men  elected  him  sheriff.  Upon 
assuming  his  duties  Mr.  Van  Vactor  sold  his  shop 
and  so  faithfully  devoted  himself  to.  the  duties  of  his 
office  that  he  was  accorded  a  re-election  in  1888. 
After  retiring  from  office,  he  engaged  in  the  general 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


383 


merchandise  business  in  Goldendale  and  success- 
fully conducted  the  store  four  years.  He  again 
opened  a  blacksmith  shop  in  1898  and  followed  that 
occupation  until  elected  sheriff  in  1902,  selling  the 
shop  soon  after.  Besides  being  engaged  in  public 
work,  Mr.  Van  Vactor  conducts  a  livery  stable  and 
with  his  son,  W.  F.  Van  Vactor,  recently  established 
a  general  flour  and  feed  store.  He  has  served  as 
city  marshal  also. 

Mr.  Van  Vactor  and  Miss  Mary  E.  Wishard, 
daughter  of  Archie  L.  and  Lavona  (Fisher)  Wish- 
ard, were  united  in  marriage  August  7,  1864,  in  Linn 
county,  Oregon.  Mr.  Wishard  was  born  in  Park 
county,  Indiana,  in  181 5,  and  was  of  Holland  de- 
scent. By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer.  He  crossed 
the  Plains  by  ox  team  to  Linn  county,  Oregon,  in 
1852,  where  he  died  seven  years  later.  Mrs.  Wish- 
ard, also  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  1816,  was  the 
daughter  of  German  parents.  She  was  married  in 
her  native  state  and  crossed  the  Plains  with  her 
husband,  living  in  Oregon  until  her  death  in  Octo- 
ber, 1874.  Mrs.  Van  Vactor  was  born  in  Park 
county,  Indiana,  March  24,  1847,  crossed  the  Plains 
with  her  parents  and  was  married  when  seventeen 
years  of  age ;  she  died  in  Goldendale  in  1892.  Mr. 
Van  Vactor  was  again  married  May  29,  1894,  his 
bride  being  Miss  Emma  Robinson,  daughter  of 
Edwin  W.  and  Catherine  (Bowin)  Robinson;  the 
ceremony  took  place  in  Missouri.  Mr.  Robinson 
was  born  in  Kentucky  and  is  at  present  engaged  in 
farming  in  Lewis  county,  Missouri,  to  which  state 
he  came  when  a  young  man.  Mrs.  Robinson  was 
born  in  Missouri  and  died  there  in  the  year  1879. 
Mrs.  Van  Vactor  is  also  a  Missourian  by  birth,  born 
September  24,  1870.  She  received  her  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  that  state.  To  Mr.  Van  Vac- 
tor's  first  marriage  were  born  six  children,  of  whom 
Monrova,  born  in  Oregon,  June  25,  1865,  is  the 
eldest ;  she  is  living  in  North  Yakima.  Mrs.  Annie 
Johnson,  the  next  eldest  daughter,  was  born  in  Linn 
county,  in  July,  1867,  and  now  lives  in  Portland ; 
Samuel  E.,  living  in  Heppner,  Oregon,  was  born  in 
the  Webfoot  state,  July  14,  1870;  Mrs.  Martha  E. 
Dunbar,  another  daughter,  was  born  January  2, 
1875  ;  Francis,  living  in  Portland,  was  born  August 
6,  1882 ;  and  William  F.,  engaged  in  business  with 
his  father,  was  born  January  22,  1886,  the  last  two 
named  children  being  natives  of  Klickitat  county. 
To  Mr.  Van  Vactor's  second  marriage,  three  chil- 
dren have  been  born:  Dayton,  May  11,  1896;  John 
and  Thelma,  twins,  September  23,  1903 ;  all  liv- 
ing. Fraternally,  Mr.  Van  Vactor  is  connected 
with  the  Masons,  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Order 
of  Washington.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
and  his  wife  of  the  Christian  church.  Politically, 
Sheriff  Van  Vactor  is  a  stalwart  Democrat,  active 
in  the  councils  of  his  party.  He  has  the  distinction 
of  being  one  of  two  Democrats  serving  one  of  the 
strongest  Republican  counties  in  the  state.  His 
strict  integrity,  faithful  devotion  to  duty  wherever 
it  may  be,  and  energy  have  made  him  deservedly  a 


successful   business   man,   a   popular    and    efficient 
official  and  an  esteemed  citizen. 


ALLEN  BONEBRAKE,  M.  D.  The  fact  that 
he  .whose  name  stands  at  the  beginning  of  this  biog- 
raphy is  now  serving  his  fourth  full  term  as  mayor 
of  the  city  of  Goldendale  is  in  itself  prima  facie 
evidence  of  the  substantial  position  to  which  he  has 
attained  and  plainly  indicative  of  the  high  regard  in 
which  he  is  held  by  those  who  know  him  best.  As 
one  of  the  city's  pioneers,  as  a  man  who  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  the  upbuilding  of  his  county  and 
as  a  successful  worker  in  his  chosen  profession,  Dr. 
Bonebrake  is  deserving  of  a  place  on  the  roll  of 
Klickitat's  history  makers.  Marion  county,  Iowa, 
is  his  birthplace,  and  January  21,  1852,  the  date  of 
his  birth.  His  father,  Rev.  William  F.  Bonebrake, 
an  Ohioan,  born  in  1814,  was  a  minister  of  the 
United  Brethren  church  for  over  forty  years.  He 
came  to  Marion  county,  Iowa,  from  Illinois  in  1843, 
living  there  until  the  spring  of  1862,  when  he 
crossed  the  Plains,  by  ox  team,  to  Roseburg,  Oregon. 
Four  years  later  he  returned  to  Iowa,  but  again, 
three  years  afterward,  recrossed  the  Plains  to  Ore- 
gon, this  time  settling  in  Coos  county.  He  trav- 
eled throughout  the  state  in  his  professional  capacity 
until  1887,  then  came  to  Goldendale.  However,  he 
survived  only  six  months  after  coming  to  Washing- 
ton, his  death  occurring  in  1887,  also.  Mrs.  Bone- 
brake was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1816. 
Her  parents  moved  to  Ohio  when  she  was  a  child 
and  there  she  was  educated  and,  when  twenty-two 
years  old,  was  married.  Both  she  and  her  husband 
were  of  German  descent. 

Our  subject  received  his  early  schooling  in  Iowa, 
being  ten  years  old  when  he  made  the  long,  danger- 
ous journey  overland  to  Oregon,  and  his  latter  edu- 
cation in  Oregon.  Until  he  was  eighteen  years  old, 
he  remained  at  home,  but  not  liking  the  migratory 
life  rendered  necessary  by  his  father's  calling,  he 
then  sought  his  fortunes  alone.  In  the  fall  of  1870, 
he  settled  upon  a  quarter  section  in  Coos  county  and 
for  twelve  years  was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising.  During  this  time  he  began  the  study  of 
pathology  and  subsequently  entered  the  office  of  Dr. 
Tower,  of  Marshfield,  Oregon,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained two  years.  He  then  matriculated  at  Wil- 
lamette University,  by  which  he  was  graduated 
three  years  later,  in  the  class  of  1883.  with  the  de- 
gree of  M.  D.  Shortly  afterward  he  located  in  Day- 
ton, Washington,  where  he  practiced  a  year.  Dr. 
Bonebrake  opened  his  office  in  the  town  of  Golden- 
dale March  29,  1884,  since  which  date  he  has  resided 
in  the  city,  winning  success  in  all  that  he  has  under- 
taken. 

On  June  3,  188^,  a  year  after  his  arrival  in  the 
city,  he  married  Miss  Letitia  Flanary,  a  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  (Chamberlain)  Flanary. 
Mr.  Flanary  was  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  1829, 
who  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  team  to  Oregon  in 


334 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1852,  being  among  the  earliest  Oregon  pioneers. 
He  was  engaged  in  farming  in  Yamhill  county  until 
1879,  when  he  settled  eight  miles  east  of  Goldendale. 
He  brought  his  family  to  Goldendale  in  1884,  and 
there  passed  away  in  1899.  Mrs.  Flanary  also  died 
in  1899.  Mr.  Flanary  was  of  English  and  Irish 
and  Mrs.  Flanary  of  English  descent.  Mrs.  Bone- 
brake  was  born  in  Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  March 
22,  1867.  She  received  her  education  in  the  schools 
of  Goldendale  and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was 
eighteen  years  of  age.  Her  eldest  brother,  William 
P.  Flanary,  is  a  photographer  in  the  city;  another 
brother,  Jasper  G,  resides  at  Juliaetta,  Idaho;  one 
sister,  Mrs.  Sonora  Hess,  lives  in  the  Ahtanum 
valley;  and  the  other  sister,  Mrs.  Susie  Shearer, 
also  lives  in  Yakima  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bone- 
brake  have  reared  a  family  of  three  children,  all 
born  in  Goldendale.  Holt,  the  eldest,  was  born 
April  17,  1887,  and  was  recently  stricken  down  in 
the  flower  of  his  youth ;  Allen  Crede,  the  next  oldest, 
was  born  January  12,  1893,  and  Adria,  the  only 
•daughter,  was  born  February  27,  1896.  Dr.  Bone- 
brake  is  connected  with  five  fraternal  orders,  in  all 
of  which  he  is  prominent :  The  Masons,  Odd  Fel- 
lows, Woodmen  of  the  World,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  the 
Order  of  Washington.  Mrs.  Bonebrake  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church.  In  politics,  the  Doctor 
is  a  Republican.  Besides  serving  Goldendale  as 
mayor  so  many  years  with  honor  to  himself  and 
profit  to  the  city,  he  is  city  health  officer,  and  for  a 
number  of  years  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board,  being  its  president  at  this  time.  Of  all  his 
public  service  nothing  but  words  of  praise  and 
commendation  are  spoken  by  those  whom  he  has 
served.  His  property  interests  are  substantial,  in- 
cluding a  fine  city  home  and  an  undivided  fifth 
share  in  four  hundred  acres  of  farming  land.  Dr. 
Bonebrake  is  truly  one  of  the  representative  citizens 
of  both  city  and  county,  highly  esteemed  by  his  fel- 
low men  and  fellow  practitioners. 


STANTON  H.  JONES.  The  distinction  of 
having  been  one  of  the  first  little  company  of  daunt- 
less white  men  to  penetrate  the  wild  Klfckitat  coun- 
try and  erect  on  its  glassy  plains  the  first  homes 
built  in  the  county  is  a  distinction  of  which  he 
whose  name  appears  at  the  head  of  this  sketch  may 
well  feel  proud.  Few  can  say  with  truth  that  they 
came  to  Klickitat  in  1859,  yet  it  was  in  that  year 
that  this  venerable  pioneer  cast  anchor  in  this  sec- 
tion and  made  it  his  permanent  home.  For  nearly 
half  a  century  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  develop- 
ment of  Klickitat  county  and  he  has  left  his  name 
indelibly  written  upon  its  pages  of  history.  Ottawa 
county,  Ohio,  is  his  birthplace.  There  he  was  born, 
March  23,  1830,  to  the  union  of  Livingston  J.  and 
Elizabeth  (DeNoon)  Jones,  natives  of  Maryland 
and  Ohio  respectively.  The  father,  who  was  of 
Welsh  descent,  immigrated  to  Ohio  about  1825  and 
cleared  a  fine  farm  in  one  of  the  heaviest  timbered 


sections  of  the  state.  He  died  in  1850.  Mrs.  Jones 
was  of  French  descent,  her  parents  having  emigrated 
from  France  to  America  and  settled  in  Ohio,  where 
she  was  married.  She  reared  a  family  of  seven 
children,  dying  when  Stanton  H.  was  a  child.  He 
attended  school  in  Ottawa  county  and  helped  his 
father  on  the  farm  until  the  latter's  death  in  1850. 
The  passing  away  of  the  parent  soon  caused  the  rest 
of  the  family  to  scatter  in  various  directions,  Stan- 
ton H.  taking  up  the  life  of  a  sailor  on  Lake  Erie. 
Two  years  afterward  he  was  promoted  to  the  cap- 
taincy of  the  vessel,  which  he  continued  to  direct 
for  two  years  longer.  He  then  went,  via  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  to  California,  and  during  the  succeeding 
three  years  was  engaged  in  mining.  From  Califor- 
nia he  went,  in  1857,  to  Olympia,  Washington, 
where  he  worked  for  a  time  in  a  sawmill.  He  passed 
the  summer  of  1858  in  the  Fraser  River  mines  of 
British  Columbia,  and  the  next  winter  in  San  Fran- 
cisco. He  again  followed  the  life  of  a  sailor  during 
the  summer  of  1859,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year 
came  to  Klickitat  county,  spending  his  first  winter 
at  the  government  blockhouse,  situated  about  six 
miles  west  of  Goldendale.  The  county  was  then 
unorganized  and  the  settlers  in  the  region  could  be 
counted  on  the  fingers  of  one  hand.  Mr.  Jones  im- 
mediately engaged  in  stock  raising,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  1871.  Very  early  he  filed  a  pre-emption 
claim  to  160  acres  of  land  near  Columbus,  proved 
up  on  the  property  and  subsequently  disposed  of  it 
to  good  advantage.  In  the  spring  of  1878  he  built 
a  grist-mill  for  Thomas  Johnson,  the  first  mill  of 
its  kind  erected  in  the  county.  Joseph  Nesbitt  as- 
sisted him  in  this  work,  and  Mr.  Barber  acted  as 
superintendent.  The  mill  burned  in  1879,  but  im- 
mediately Johnson,  Jones  and  Nesbitt  put  up  an- 
other in  its  place.  Two  years  later  Mr.  Johnson 
sold  his  interests  to  the  other  partners  and  the  prop- 
erty was  operated  under  the  firm  name  of  Nesbitt 
&  Jones  until  1890,  when  they  sold  to  the  Golden- 
dale Milling  Companv.  Mr.  Jones  took  a  two 
months'  trip  to  his  Ohio  home  in  1885.  He  filed  a 
homestead  claim,  in  1889,  to  a  quarter  section  sit- 
uated a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  Goldendale, 
and  the  year  previous  purchased  seventy-eight  acres 
of  land  only  a  mile  and  a  half  north  of  the  city. 
This  property  he  has  since  set  out  in  fruit,  there 
being  now  a  five-acre  apple  orchard,  a  mixed  or- 
chard and  several  varieties  of  berries,  etc.,  upon 
it.  Mr.  Jones  retired  from  active  farming  last  year, 
removing  to  the  city  in  September,  1003,  where  he 
expects  to  pass  the  remaining  years  of  his  life. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married  in  Klickitat  county,  June 
2,  1870,  the  lady  being  Miss  Harriet  Boots,  a 
daughter  of  Elisha  and  Betsey  (Jones)  Boots.  Mr. 
Boots  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  German 
descent.  He  went  to  Missouri  when  young  and  in 
1852  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Ma- 
rion county.  Seven  years  later  he  came  to  Klick- 
itat countv  and  a  few  vears  ago  removed  to  Cali- 
fornia,  where  his  death   occurred  in    1902.     Mrs. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


385 


Boots  was  a  native  of  Indiana ;  she  was  married  in 
Missouri.  Harriet  Boots  was  born  in  Missouri  in 
1844  and  came  across  the  Plains  with  her  parents 
when  she  was  a  child,  receiving  her  education  in 
Oregon.  She  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-six. 
One  child  has  blessed  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jones,  George  W.,  born  on  Washington's  birthday, 
1 87 1.  Mr.  Jones  has  been  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  for  nearly  a  lifetime,  and  has 
served  in  nearly  every  office  of  his  church.  He  is 
a  Republican  of  pronounced  views,  one  of  the  old 
Abraham  Lincoln  school,  and  was  a  delegate  to  the 
first  Republican  convention  held  in  Klickitat  county. 
He  was  Klickitat's  first  assessor,  serving  three  years, 
and  subsequently  served  as  county  commissioner 
four  years,  filling  both  offices  with  fidelity  and  credit. 
Though  he  has  sold  most  of  his  property,  he  still 
retains  the  first  ranch  near  the  city,  as  also  some 
valuable  city  real  estate.  Mr.  Jones  is  now  in  his 
seventy-fifth  year,  but  notwithstanding  his  advanced 
age  and  the  long  life  of  hardships  he  has  expe- 
rienced on  the  western  frontier,  is  still  hale  and 
hearty,  with  a  mind  as  vigorous  as  ever.  None 
knows  him  but  to  be  his  friend  and  admire  his  char- 
acter. 


JOHN  H.  SMITH,  auditor  of  Klickitat  county 
and  one  of  its  most  widely  and  favorably  known 
citizens,  as  well  as  one  of  its  early  pioneers,  re- 
sides in  the  city  of  Goldendale.  A  native  of  Mis- 
souri, he  was  born  in  Scotland  county,  June  20, 
1847,  the  son  of  William  D.  and  Mary  (Owens) 
Smith.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born 
in  the  city  of  Versailles  in  the  year  1826.  His 
parents  were  among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the 
Blue  Grass  state.  William  D.  was  a  millwright  by 
trade  and  until  1875  operated  a  mill  in  his  native 
state.  Then  he  went  to  California,  where  he  farmed 
two  years,  after  which  he  went  north  to  Oregon 
and  settled  in  Clackamas  county  in  the  spring  of 
1877.  During  the  next  three  years  he  followed  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  in  the  Webfoot  state.  He  be- 
came a  settler  of  Klickitat  in  1880,  following  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  until  his  death,  August  16, 
1900.  Mrs.  Smith  was  likewise  a  Kentuckian,  born 
in  1829.  When  a  young  girl  she  removed  with  her 
parents  to  Missouri,  and  in  that  state  attended  school 
and.  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  was  married.  Mrs. 
Smith  survives  her  husband  and  is  at  present  living 
with  a  daughter  in  Goldendale.  She  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent ;  he  was  of  Irish  ancestry.  John  H. 
Smith  is  the  second  oldest  child  of  a  family  of  eleven 
children,  all  of  whom  are  still  living.  He  was  reared 
upon  the  farm,  receiving  a  good  education  in  the 
schools  of  Missouri.  With  his  parents  be  went  to 
California  in  1875  and  to  Oregon  two  years  later, 
continuing  to  assist  his  father  upon  the  farm.  How- 
ever, lie  did  not  tarry  long  in  Oregon,  coming  al- 
most directly  through  to  the  Klickitat  countrv  in 
the  spring  of  1877  anf'  filing  upon  a  homestead  two 


miles  southeast  of  Centerville.  With  the  exception 
of  several  years  spent  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Centerville,  Mr.  Smith  has  assiduously  devoted 
himself  to  farming  and  stock  raising  during  most 
of  the  remaining  years  he  has  lived  in  the 
county,  meeting  with  an  enviable  success.  He 
opened  a  general  store  at  Centerville  in  1887  and 
conducted  it  until  1892,  when  he  satisfactorily  dis- 
posed of  it.  The  next  two  years  he  served  the 
county  as  assessor,  retiring  from  office  to  give  farm- 
ing and  sheep  raising  more  attention. 

Mr.  Smith  was  married  at  Centerville,  February 
16,  1882,  to  Miss  Ella  Sparks,  a  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Mary  (Fowler)  Sparks.  Mr.  Sparks  brought 
his  family  to  Washington  from  Kansas  in  the  spring 
of  1876,  and  with  his  wife  is  at  present  a  resident  of 
Chehalis,  Washington.  Mrs.  Sparks  was  born  and 
married  in  Kansas,  and  is  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren. Mrs.  Smith  was  also  born  in  Kan- 
sas, 1861  being  the  year  of  her  birth.  She 
received  her  education  in  the  schools  of  Klick- 
itat county  and  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  was 
twenty-one  years  old.  Mrs.  Smith  passed  many 
years  ago  to  her  eternal  home,  revered  by  all  who 
knew  her,  and  leaving  three  children  to  mourn  her 
loss  :  Fred  A.,  born  near  Centerville,  February  25, 
1883,  now  attending  the  University  of  Washington ; 
Grace  M.,  born  Independence  Day  in  the  year  1886, 
who  recently  was  graduated  from  Klickitat 
Academy,  and  Edna  L.,  born  October  30,  1888. 
Mr.  Smith's  brothers  and  sisters  are  all  living, 
Thomas  J.,  the  eldest,  in  Salinas  City.  California; 
Fred  A.,  at  Benicia,  California ;  Edward  S.  at  Top- 
penish,  Washington;  Mrs.  Sarah  H.  Teel,  in  Spo- 
kane ;  Robert  L.,  Ludwell  B.,  Singleton  D.  and 
David  C.  all  live  near  Centerville;  Mrs.  Mary  A. 
Hamilton  in  Goldendale  and  Mrs.  Emma  L.  Ham- 
ilton in  Oregon  City,  Oregon.  Fraternally.  Mr. 
Smith  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
the  Order  of  Washington.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
influential  Democrats  in  this  section  of  the  state,  and 
as  an  illustration  of  his  popularity  at  home  it  is  only 
necessary  to  state  that  he  was  elected  to  his  present 
office  in  November,  1902,  in  one  of  the  strongest 
Republican  counties  in  the  state:  he  received  five- 
eighths  of  all  the  votes  cast.  Besides  his  property 
in  Goldendale,  Mr.  Smith  has  other  large  holdings, 
including  the  home  ranch  of  280  acres  of  as  fine 
wheat  land  as  lies  in  the  valley.  He  is  generally 
conceded  to  be  one  of  the  most  faithful  and  capable 
officers  that  ever  served  Klickitat  county.  He  com- 
mands the  esteem  and  friendship  of  all  who  know 
him  and  is  worthy  in  every  respect  to  be  classed, 
as  one  of   Klickitat's   foremost   citizens. 


ALMON  BAKER,  of  the  well  known  mercan- 
tile firm  of  Baker  Brothers.  Goldendale.  bears  the 
enviable  distinction  of  being  one  of  Klickitat  coun- 
ty's  most   successful   business   men    and    influential 


386 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


citizens.  For  more  than  twenty-five  years  he  has 
been  closely  identified  with  the  business  interests  of 
his  home  city  and,  with  the  exception  of  two  years, 
has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  since  1877.  By 
his  thrift,  energy,  perseverance  and  integrity,  Mr. 
.Baker  has  won  his  present  position  and  is,  therefore, 
justly  entitled  to  the  rich  rewards  of  his  success. 
Of  English  and  Irish  ancestry,  he  was  born  June 
9,  1856,  in  the  town  of  Prescott,  Province  of  Onta- 
rio, Canada,  the  son  of  George  and  Elizabeth  (Con- 
nell)  Baker.  The  father  was  born  in  Ireland  to 
English  parents  in  the  year  1824,  and  when  twelve 
years  old  came  with  his  folks  to  the  United  States. 
The  family  settled  upon  a  farm  in  New  York  state. 
In  1848  the  young  man  engaged  in  farming  near 
Prescott  and  in  that  community  resided  until  his 
death  in  February,  1896.  Elizabeth  Connell,  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  was  born  in  1832,  crossed  the  ocean 
to  Canada  ten  years  later  and  was  there  wedded  to 
Mr.  Baker ;  she  is  still  living,  near  Prescott.  Almon 
Baker  remained  at  home  on  the  farm,  attending 
school  in  term  time,  until  the  year  before  reaching 
his  majority,  when  he  left  the  old  Canadian  home 
to  seek  his  fortunes  in  California.  There  he  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  August,  1877, 
when  he  came  north  to  Klickitat  county  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  his  uncle,  Thomas  Johnson,  at 
Goldendale.  The  young  man  spent  the  next  three 
years  in  his  uncle's  store,  and  by  strict  attention  to 
the  work  in  hand,  rapidly  mastered  the  business. 
Upon  leaving  Mr.  Johnson's  service,  he  entered  the 
store  of  Lowengart  &  Sichel,  another  Goldendale 
firm,  remaining  with  it  twelve  months.  However, 
the  ambitious  young  clerk  again  entered  his  uncle's 
employ  in  1881,  going  to  Ellensburg,  where  Mr. 
Johnson  owned  one  of  the  pioneer  stores.  In  June, 
1883,  Mr.  Baker  returned  to  Klickitat  county  and 
commenced  farming,  but  the  following  fall  again 
returned  to  the  mercantile  business,  as  an  employee 
of  Lowengart  &  Sichel,  with  whom  he  remained  this 
time  until  1888.  Then,  equipped  with  his  years  of 
valuable  experience  and  a  knowledge  of  local  con- 
ditions, he  embarked  in  business  for  himself,  pur- 
chasing a  half  interest  in  the  general  merchandise 
store  conducted  by  William  Millican.  A  year  later 
Mr.  Millican  disposed  of  his  remaining  interest  to 
his  partner's  brother,  George  H.  Baker,  thus  giving 
inception  to  the  present  firm  of  Baker  Brothers, 
one  of  the  strongest  in  southern  Washington.  Its 
growth  has  been  rapid  and  steady;  the  firm's  sta- 
bility  is   one   of   its   prominent   characteristics. 

At  Goldendale,  October  12,  1881,  Mr.  Baker 
married  Miss  Sarah  A.  Chappell.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  H.  and  Mary  (Leach)  Chappell,  both 
of  whom  are  still  living.  William  H.  Chappell  is  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  now  in  his  seventy-eighth  year. 
He  was  taken  to  Missouri  as  a  child,  was  there  mar- 
ried and  in  1864  crossed  the  Plains  by  team  to  Ma- 
rion county,  Oregon,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
In  1878  he  removed  to  Goldendale  and  during  the 
next  sixteen  years  conducted  a  hotel  there.     Mrs. 


Chappell  is  a  native  Missourian,  born  in  1833.  She 
was  reared,  educated  and  married  in  that  state,  her 
marriage  taking  place  when  she  was  nineteen  years 
old.  Mr.  Chappell  is  of  French  descent;  his  wife 
is  of  German  extraction.  Mrs.  Baker  was  also  born 
in  Missouri,  October  12,  1862,  and  came  across  the 
Plains  when  a  child.  She  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Salem,  Oregon,  attending  both  grammar  and  high 
schools,  and  was  married  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 
Mrs.  Baker  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  two 
of  whom,  James  and  Ella,  are  dead.  Four  brothers, 
David,  William,  Charles  and  John,  and  one  sister, 
Mary,  live  in  Goldendale ;  the  other  sister,  Elizabeth, 
resides  in  British  Columbia.  Mr.  Baker  is  the  eld- 
est child  of  the  family,  and  has  six  brothers  and  sis- 
ters living :  Charles,  William  and  Mrs.  Claudia 
Dunlap,  in  Canada ;  George  H.  in  Goldendale ;  Mrs. 
Anna  Snyder,  at  Everett,  Washington,  and  Edward, 
a  Methodist  minister,  at  Union,  Oregon.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baker  have  two  children.  Fred,  the  elder,  was 
born  in  Goldendale,  December  27,  1882;  Herman 
was  also  born  in  Goldendale,  the  date  being  Decem- 
ber 15,  1886.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  are  prom- 
inent members  of  the  Methodist  church,  he  having 
filled  most  of  the  offices  in  the  church  and  having 
acted  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  for 
twelve  years.  Politically,  he  is  an  active  Repub- 
lican, and,  though  never  an  office  seeker,  is  well 
known  in  the  councils  of  his  party.  He  has  served 
one  term  as  councilman.  Mr.  Baker  has  accumu- 
lated a  goodly  holding  of  property  during  his  resi- 
dence in  the  county.  At  present  he  owns  six  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  acres  situated  five  miles  south 
of  the  city,  this  tract  all  being  in  cultivation ;  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  on  the  Columbia  river  in 
use  as  a  stock  ranch ;  a  homestead,  twelve  miles 
north  of  the  city,  which  he  filed  on  in  May,  1895 ; 
a  timber  claim  near  the  homestead ;  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  school  land  in  Lake  county, 
Oregon,  considerable  stock  and  his  interest  in  the 
Goldendale  business.  It  is  not  going  beyond  the 
truth  to  say  that  Mr.  Baker  is  considered  by  all 
to  be  one  of  the  city's  brightest  business  men,  up- 
right and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings,  while  his 
zealous  interest  in  church  work,  public  spirit  and 
benevolence  indicate  his  character ;  his  popularity 
is  widespread  among  all  classes  of  law-abiding 
citizens. 


CHARLES  M.  HESS,  who  owns,  with  his 
father,  a  flouring  mill  with  a  capacity  of  seventy 
barrels  a  day,  located  in  the  city  of  Goldendale,  is 
a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  Astoria  on  the  12th 
of  December,  1874,  the  son  of  John  M.  and  Minnie 
(Beebe)  Hess.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  Ful- 
ton county,  Illinois,  October  5,  1848,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa,  removed  to 
Oregon  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  nineteen. 
He  remained  at  home  until  twenty-five  years  old, 
during  this  time  learning  the  cooper's  trade   from 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


387 


his  father,  grandfather  of  our  subject.  Marry- 
ing then,  he  took  up  a  homestead  of  eighty  acres, 
on  which  he  lived  for  seven  years  ensuing.  Com- 
ing to  Goldendale  in  the  fall  of  1883,  he  entered 
the  drug  business  there,  and  he  continued  in  the 
same  for  five  years,  but  in  1888  he  bought  the  mill 
he  now  has.  It  has,  however,  been  improved  so 
thoroughly  since,  that  it  would  hardly  be  recognized 
as  the  same  plant.  In  the  year  1896  he  installed 
the  gravity  system  which  now  furnishes  the  city 
with  water,  and  during  the  ensuing  seven  years  he 
operated  it  successfully,  selling  out  at  the  expira- 
tion of  that  time  to  the  city.  He  has  one  of  the 
finest  residences  in  Goldendale.  His  wife,  a  native 
of  New  York  state,  born  May  3,  1854,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  Iowa.  She  married  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  and  she  and  Mr.  Hess  have  had 
five  children,  of  whom  our  subject  is  the  oldest. 
Having  accompanied  his  parents  to  Washington, 
when  less  than  ten  years  old,  Charles  M.  com- 
pleted his  school  training  in  Goldendale.  At  the 
early  age  of  fifteen  he  began  learning,  in  his 
father's  mill,  the  trade  of  a  miller,  a  task  which  he 
has  successfully  accomplished,  having  long  since 
become  a  master  of  the  craft.  At  present  he  is  the 
owner  of  an  interest  in  the  mill,  which  he  and  his 
father  operate  as  partners. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1898,  Mr.  Hess  married 
Miss  Sarah  E.  Masters,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed at  Goldendale.  Mrs.  Hess  is  the  daughter 
of  Thurston  and  Mary  J.  (Story)  Masters,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  the  central  part  of 
Washington  county,  Oregon,  and  is  a  butcher  by 
occupation.  He  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  the 
early  days,  and  has  ever  since  remained  there.  Mrs. 
Hess  was  born  in  Klickitat  county,  January  18, 
1875.  She  was  educated  at  Vashon  College,  near 
the  city  of  Tacoma,  taking  a  course  in  music  and 
elocution,  both  of  which  she  teaches  to  a  limited 
extent  at  the  present  time.  She  has  two  brothers 
and  two  sisters,  namely,  David  A.,  Thurston  H., 
and  Sylva,  in  Goldendale,  and  Mrs.  Ethel  Russell, 
in  Silverton,  Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hess  have 
two  children,  Madalene,  born  April  17,  1899,  and 
Reginald,  born  April  17,  1903,  both  in  Goldendale. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Hess  is  connected  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  the  Artisans,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  the  Rathbone  Sisters,  and  in  politics, 
he  is  a  Democrat.  An  industrious,  ambitious  young 
man,  thoroughly  conversant  with  his  business,  to 
which  he  gives  close  attention,  he  is  winning  his 
way  nobly  in  the  financial  world ;  at  the  same  time 
enjoying,  among  his  fellow  citizens,  an  enviable 
reputation  for  integrity  and  uprightness  of  char- 
acter. 


JOHN  J.  GOLDEN,  the  first  settler  in  Klick- 
itat county  and  founder  of  the  city  of  Goldendale, 
where  he  now  resides,  is  a  native  of  the  Keystone 
state,   having  been  born   in   Westmoreland  county, 


March  18,  1826.  He  comes  of  pioneer  American 
stock.  The  Goldens  came  to  this  country  from 
England  at  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury and  at  once  attained  to  a  position  of  influence 
in  the  settlement.  William  Golden,  the  father  of 
John,  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, March  15,  1797,  the  son  of  a  veteran  of  the 
Revolutionary  war,  who  served  under  General 
Washington.  William  Golden  removed  to  west- 
ern Pennsylvania  at  the  time  when  that  region  was 
still  a  wilderness  and  became  one  of  its  earliest 
pioneers.  Subsequently  he  removed  to  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  where  his  death  occurred.  He  was  of 
English  and  German  descent.  Julia  A.  (William- 
son) Golden,  his  wife,  of  Scotch  extraction,  was  a 
native  of  New  Jersey,  born  in  1804.  She  came  to 
Pennsylvania  when  a  child  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Golden.  Mrs. 
Golden  died  in  Indiana  in  her  seventy-fourth  year. 
One  of  a  family  of  twelve  children  and  reared  upon 
the  western  frontier,  the  son  John  early  became 
inured  to  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  the  border, 
and  it  was  but  natural  that  he  should  inherit  the 
spirit  which  leads  men  to  explore  and  conquer  the 
wilds.  Until  he  was  twenty-three  he  remained  at 
home  upon  the  farm,  attending  the  schools  of  his 
native  state,  but  a  few  years  later,  when  he  was 
living  in  Indiana,  the  opportunity  to  penetrate 
through  to  the  Pacific  was  offered  him.  Harlow 
Coleman,  a  young  man  who  had  just  returned  with 
glowing  stories  of  California,  organized  a  party  of 
young  men  to  cross  the  Plains  to  the  gold  fields, 
charging  each  member  of  the  company  $200  for 
services  as  guide.  Mr.  Golden  and  sixteen  others 
started  on  the  long,  dangerous  journey,  in  1852, 
riding  saddle  horses  and  carrying  supplies  by  ox 
teams.  After  being  out  only  two  days,  the  com- 
pany's horses  were  stolen,  but,  having  resolved 
never  to  turn  back,  the  two  thousand-mile  trip  was 
continued  on  foot,  six  months  being  required  to 
reach  the  Pacific. '  That  was  the  year  cholera  raged, 
and  it  has  been  estimated  that  at  least  ten  thousand 
people  were  stricken  while  on  their  way  across  the 
Plains.  Finally,  however,  the  party  arrived  in  Cal- 
ifornia, September,  1852,  and  young  Golden  com- 
menced mining  on  American  river.  During  the 
following  winter  he  was  taken  down  with  fever 
and  nearlv  lost  his  life.  The  next  year  he  went  to 
Shasta  City,  where  he  lived  three  years,  engaged 
in  mining  and  conducting  a  general  supply  -[arc, 
which  he  had  opened  there  in  1854.  Unfortunately, 
in  1855  fire  completely  destroyed  his  business,  val- 
ued at  $32,000,  and  he  was  left  with  only  a  little 
ready  money  and  a  pack-train  of  thirty-two  mules. 
With  his  partner,  J.  A.  Johnson,  he  bought  a 
$4,ooo-stock  of  goods,  opened  another  store  and 
within  a  short  time  was  again  in  prosperous  condi- 
tion. The  partners  disposed  of  their  store  and 
mining  interests  in  the  summer  of  1856  and  in' the 
fall  took  a  contract  to  furnish  beef  for  eleven  shops 
scattered   throughout   Trinity   county.     They   made 


388 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


a  success  of  the  venture,  buying  cattle  at  five  cents 
and  selling  at  ten  cents,  without  killing  the  stock. 
A  year  later  they  took  a  contract  to  deliver  one 
thousand  four  hundred  hogs  in  California,  attempt- 
ing to  fulfill  it  by  driving  overland  from  Oregon. 
But  heavy  snow  storms  overtook  them  at  Yreka, 
threatening  to  ruin  them.  They  averted  this  calam- 
ity by  turning  most  of  the  hogs  into  bacon,  which 
they  sold  at  an  enormous  profit.  In  the  spring  of 
1858,  the  partners  got  the  Frazier  river  gold  fever 
and  at  once  started  for  that  new  El  Dorado.  At 
a  point  near  where  the  city  of  Wenatchee  stands  they 
were  attacked  by  Indians,  but  succeeded  in  making 
their  escape  without  injury.  The  same  fall  Mr. 
Golden  returned  to  the  Willamette  valley,  via 
Seattle,  and  in  Polk  county  was  married  May  17, 
1859- 

Three  days  after  the  wedding  he  started  for 
Walla  Walla  in  search  of  a  suitable  place  to  rear 
his  home,  but  at  The  Dalles  heard  of  the  fertile  re- 
gion across  the  Columbia,  in  Washington.  So  on 
July  9th  he  crossed  the  river,  entered  the  Klick- 
itat valley,  found  an  unsurpassed  stock  range,  well 
watered  and  timbered,  and  decided  to  remain. 
With  him  he  had  a  fine  herd  of  Durham  cattle, 
which  he  turned  loose  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to 
bring  them  across  the  Columbia.  In  August  Mr. 
Golden  brought  his  wife,  his  wife's  family  and  the 
Tartar  family  into  the  Klickitat  valley  and  the  first 
permanent  settlement  in  this  region  was  established. 
These  families  all  brought  cattle  with  them.  The 
first  two  winters  were  mild  and  the  stock  throve, 
but  the  third  winter  there  were  three  feet  of  snow, 
and  not  having  any  shelters  erected,  Mr.  Golden 
lost  his  entire  band,  with  the  exception  of  one  yoke 
of  oxen,  suffering  a  loss  of  fully  $20,000.  Times 
became  so  hard  that,  with  the  exception  of  three 
families  and  Mr.  Golden's,  all  the  settlers  of  the 
valley  left  in  1862.  Mr.  Golden  succeeded  in  secur- 
ing a  contract  to  deliver  one  thousand  cords  of 
wood  at  Columbus  for  the  use  of  the  O.  R.  &  N. 
S.  S.  Company's  steamers  and  during  the  year  1862 
fulfilled  the  contract,  receiving  ten  dollars  a  cord. 
The  next  year  he  took  a  freighting  outfit  to  the 
Bannock  mines  in  Idaho,  a  journey  of  four  hundred 
and  fifty  miles.  He  was  four  months  on  the  road 
and  did  not  return  until  late  in  the  winter  of 
1863-4.  The  next  summer  he  and  his  brother, 
Thomas,  erected  a  sawmill  on  the  Klickitat,  five 
miles  east  of  Goldendale.  This  was  the  second 
mill  built  in  the  county.  Golden  Brothers  operated 
mills  eight  years,  marketing  most  of  their  lumber 
at  Umatilla,  Oregon,  where  they  opened  a  lumber 
yard  in  1865  and  conducted  it  three  years,  trading 
lumber  for  cattle,  horses,  grain,  or  any  salable  com- 
modity. In  1867  the  first  mill  was  sold  and  the 
brothers  built  another  one,  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Goldendale's  site;  subsequently  this  mill  was  re- 
moved to  Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Golden  was  also 
heavily   interested  in   horse  raising   until    1875. 

Mr.  Golden's  connection  with  Goldendale  dates 


from  the  year  1871,  when  he  purchased  two  hundred 
acres  of  land  trom  L.  J.  Kimberland,  who  had 
filed  a  soldier's  claim  to  most  of  the  tract;  later 
Mr.  Golden  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  an  adjoining 
quarter  section.  In  the  fall  of  1871  a  largely  at- 
tended camp-meeting  was  held  on  this  ground,  and  it 
was  so  successful  that  it  was  decided  to  build  a 
church  nearby.  Mr.  Golden  donated  twelve  lots 
to  the  church  and  four  to  the  minister,  having  laid 
out  a  town  about  that  time.  Upon  the  completion 
of  the  church  buildings,  the  settlers  held  a  meeting 
and  named  the  place  Goldendale,  in  honor  of  its 
founder  and  owner.  The  town  site  was  surveyed 
in  the  spring  of  1872  by  a  surveyor  Mr.  Golden 
brought  from  The  Dalles.  Thomas  Johnson  ac- 
cepted a  bonus  of  eight  lots  for  the  establishment 
of  a  store,  I.  I.  Lancaster  accepted  another  gen- 
erous bonus  for  the  erection  of  a  blacksmith  shop, 
a  postoffice  was  then  added,  followed  by  quick 
succession  of  hotels,  churches,  stores  and  various 
others  constituents  of  a  town,  to  all  of  which  Mr. 
Golden  made  generous  property  donations. 
In  1885  he  gave  two  lots  and  a  cash 
bonus  of  $200  for  the  first  jail,  and  for 
schoolhouse  purposes  he  gave  another  tract,  also 
furnishing  the  necessary  lumber  and  helping 
to  build  it.  To  the  second  school,  built  a  short 
time  later,  he  gave  sixteen  lots  valued  at  $100  each, 
and  $200  in  money.  When  the  railroad  entered  the 
city  in  1903,  he  presented  the  company  with  fifty- 
two  lots  for  depot  and  yard  purposes.  In  fact, 
Goldendale  has  been  exceedingly  fortunate  in  pos- 
sessing a  liberal,  far-sighted  founder,  for  not  a  little 
of  the  city's  hardy  growth  and  present  prosperity 
is  due  to  the  wise,  generous  policy  pursued  by  him. 
The  thrifty,  substantial  city  of  Goldendale  will  ever 
be  a  monument,  more  imposing  than  marble  and 
more  enduring  than  granite,  commemorating  the 
achievements   of    Klickitat's   first   pioneer. 

Mr.  Golden  was  married  in  Polk  county,  Ore- 
gon, May  17,  1859,  to  Miss  Jane  Parrott,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Lewis  S.  and  Amy  (Long)  Parrott.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Tennessee,  who  went  to  Mis- 
souri when  a  child  and  crossed  the  Plains  with  the 
emigration  of  1847  t0  tne  Willamette  valley.  He 
took  a  donation  claim  in  Polk  county,  where  he 
lived  until  he  came  with  the  Goldens  to  Klickitat 
in  1859.  Throughout  his  long,  useful  life  Mr. 
Parrott  was  a  true  Methodist  and  by  an  unusual 
coincident,  his  death  occurred  while  attending 
church.  October  26,  1902,  he  being  then  in  his 
eighty-fourth  year.  Mrs.  Parrott  was  a  Virginian 
by  birth,  but  was  taken  when  a  child  to  Kentucky. 
When  twenty-one  years  old  she  went  to  live  with 
a  brother  in  Missouri  and  was  there  married. 
Mrs.  Golden  was  born  in  Missouri,  August  5,  1845, 
and  was  only  two  years  old  when  brought  across 
the  Plains  by  her  parents.  She  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Oregon  and,  like  many  other  giris 
of  the  time,  was  married  at  an  early  age,  she  being 
only  fourteen.     To  this  union,  eleven  children  have 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


389 


been  born,  all  of  whom  except  three  are  still  living. 
Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Barnett,  the  eldest  child,  was  born 
in  Klickitat  county,  December  8,  i860,  and  lives 
at  Wasco,  Oregon,  her  husband  being  a  banker  and 
a  merchant  there.  She  was  the  first  white  child 
born  in  Klickitat  county.  Mrs.  Mary  Barnes,  the 
next  oldest,  was  born  September  24,  1862,  and  is 
living  near  Goldendale;  Mrs.  Florence  L.  Barnes, 
born  August  19,  1864,  died  in  1883,  leaving  three 
children ;  Clara  J.  and  Annie  L.  Golden  were  born 
October  11,  1866,  and  August  10,  1868,  respectively, 
and  died  at  the  ages  of  thirteen  and  thirty  respect- 
ively; Mrs.  Flora  D.  Shelton,  the  next  oldest, 
born  July  19,  1870,  is  the  wife  of  a  Goldendale 
druggist;  Dora  Dale  Golden,  now  Mrs.  I.  C.  Rich- 
ards, was  born  October  11,  1872,  and  bears  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Goldendale ;  Mrs.  Almeda  Baker,  born  March  3, 
1874,  Mrs.  Luella  Love,  born  August  10,  1876, 
John  W.,  born  July  8,  1882,  and  Paul  C,  born 
January  13,  1884.  are  all  living  in  the  city,  the 
latter  two  being  still  at  home.  Mrs.  Golden  has  one 
brother,  William  S.  Parrott,  a  Portland  artist;  a 
sister,  Sarah,  died  in  Missouri  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
months.  Mr.  Golden  has  two  brothers,  Elgin,  liv- 
ing in  Whatcom,  and  John,  a  Portland  business 
man,  besides  three  sisters:  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Snipes, 
of  Seattle,  the  wife  of  Ben  E.  Snipes,  once  Wash- 
ington's cattle  king;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pond,  the  wife 
of  a  Seattle  mining  man,  and  Eligia  D.,  who  re- 
sides in  Portland. 

Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Golden  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church.  Mr.  Golden  is  an  enthusiastic 
Republican,  though  never  seeking  office.  He  was 
one  of  the  members  of  the  city's  first  council,  was 
Goldendale's  first  postmaster  and  has  served  his 
fellow  men  in  other  positions.  Besides  his  large 
boldings  of  city  property,  he  also  pwns  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  farming  lands,  timber  land  and  some 
stock — enough  to  give  him  a  comfortable  compe- 
tency in  his  declining  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Golden 
are  held  in  high  respect  and  esteem  befitting  two 
worthy  pioneers  of  marked  courage,  integrity  and 
generosity  and  are  spending  the  evening  of  life 
on  the  old  homestead,  surrounded  by  a  devoted 
family  and  a  legion  of  loval  friends. 


JOHN  E.  CHAPPELL.  One  of  Goldendale's 
most  substantial,  successful  and  popular  merchants 
is  he  whose  biography  is  herewith  presented.  Nor 
is  his  success  an  accident ;  rather,  it  is  the  result 
of  natural  business  ability,  coupled  with  well  di- 
rected energy.  John  E.  Chappell  is  the  son  of 
William  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Leach)  Chappell,  who 
are  still  living,  respected  citizens  of  Goldendale. 
The  father,  who  is  of  French  ancestry,  is  a  native 
of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  born  in  1827,  and  by  occu- 
pation is  a  farmer  and  business  man.  For  several 
years  he  followed  farming  and  stock  raising  in  Mis- 
souri, then  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  where  he 


lived  until  1879.  1°  tne  tau  ot'  that  year  he  came 
to  Goldendale  and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business. 
This  place  was  burned  in  the  great  fire  of  1888, 
but  was  immediately  replaced  by  another,  known 
as  the  Palace,  which  Mr.  Chappell  conducted  three 
years.  About  1894  he  and  several  other  business 
men  built  the  Central  hotel,  which  was  destroyed  by- 
fire  in  1902,  a  few  years  after  Air.  Chappell  had 
retired  from  active  business  pursuits.  Mrs.  Chap- 
pell is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  1836,  and  mar- 
ried in  that  state  nearly  half  a  century  ago.  After 
receiving  a  fair  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Goldendale,  John  E.,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  began 
his  business  career  by  entering  the  store  of  Baker 
Brothers.  For  eight  years  he  labored  faithfully 
and  energetically,  gradually  acquiring  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  mercantile  business.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  he  embarked  in  business  for  himself, 
opening  a  store  May  25,  189S.  Since  that  date  his 
business  has  rapidly  expanded  until  at  present  it 
occupies  attractive,  commodious  quarters  in  one 
of  the  city's  largest  brick  blocks.  Mr.  Chappell 
operated  a  sawmill  in  Cedar  valley  in  1901,  and  two 
years  later  bought  the  entire  output  of  three  other 
mills.  He  is  also  dealing  extensively  in  timber 
lands. 

Mr.  Chappell  was  united  in  marriage  at  Golden- 
dale, May  16,  1894,  to  Miss  Clara  B.  Brokaw,  a 
native  of  Missouri,  and  the  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Caroline  Brokaw,  natives  of  New  York  and  Penn- 
sylvania respectively.  The  father,  who  is  a  farmer 
and  stockman,  early  in  life  removed  to  Pennsylva- 
nia, thence  to  Missouri,  and  in  1878  became  a 
pioneer  of  Klickitat  county,  settling  on  a  home- 
stead two  and  a  half  miles  north  of  the  city.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Brokaw  were  married  in  Missouri;  they 
are  still  living  in  the  county,  at  Bloodgood  Springs. 
Mr.  Brokaw  is  of  German  descent.  Mrs.  Chappell 
was  born  August  18,  1871.  She  received  her  edu- 
cation in  the  schools  of  Klickitat  and  for  several 
years  was  engaged  in  dress  making.  Mrs.  Chappell 
has  two  brothers,  Charles  and  Ira,  and  one  sister, 
Mrs.  Flora  Le  Fever,  all  living  in  Klickitat  county. 
Mr.  Chappell  has  three  brothers,  David,  William  A. 
and  Charles,  living  in  Klickitat  county,  and  three 
sisters,  Mary  Chappell  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Baker,  res- 
idents of  Goldendale,  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Dickson, 
who  makes  her  home  in  Kaslo,  B.  C.  Another 
brother,  James,  died  when  twenty-eight  years  old, 
and  a  sister,  Ella,  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-four. 
Air.  and  Airs.  Chappell  have  one  child,  Benjamin 
E.,  born  in  Goldendale,  July  16.  1895.  Air.  Chap- 
pell is  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  and  also 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school  of  that  organ- 
ization. He  is  a  Prohibitionist  in  politics.  As 
councilman  and  member  of  the  school  board  he  has 
faithfully  served  his  fellow  townsmen  at  different 
times.  His  propertv  holdings  are  extensive  and 
include  his  store  and  two  and  a  half  sections  of 
timber  land  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Chappell  is  a  success- 
ful  business   man,    a   public-spirited   citizen,    a   de- 


390 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


voted  church  worker  and  an  unusually  popular  man 
with  the  people  of  Goldendale  and  the  surrounding 
country. 


HARVEY  H.  HARTLEY,  M.  D.,  a  physician 
and  surgeon  in  the  city  of  Goldendale,  Washington, 
is  an  energetic,  progressive  young  man  who  enjoys 
the  confidence  of  his  fellow  men  and  those  in  his  own 
profession.  He  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Oregon,  near  Forest  Grove,  September  12,  1871, 
to  the  union  of  James  C  and  Martha  (Givens) 
Hartley,  pioneers  of  Oregon.  James  C.  Hartley, 
who  is  still  engaged  in  farming  near  Forest  Grove, 
is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  July  10,  1845.  He  is  a 
veteran  of  some  of  the  Oregon  and  Washington 
Indian  wars  and  took  part  in  quelling  the  Klamath 
Indian  outbreak.  He  came  across  the  Plains  in 
1864  and  has  spent  most  of  his  western  life  in 
Washington  county.  Mrs.  Hartley  was  born  in 
Indiana  in  the  year  1850.  She  first  crossed  the 
Plains  as  a  child  only  three  years  old,  and  twelve 
years  later  made  a  second  trip,  both  times  riding  in 
wagons  drawn  by  oxen.  Mrs.  Hartley  has  one 
brother,  Doctor  Givens,  superintendent  of  the  in- 
sane asylum  at  Blackfoot,  Idaho.  The  father  is  of 
German  descent,  the  mother  of  Welsh.  Dr.  Hartley 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Washington  county 
and  in  1897  was  graduated  by  Pacific  University, 
at  Forest  Grove;  three  years  later  he  received  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from  this  well  known 
institution.  After  graduation  he  matriculated  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Oregon 
at  Portland,  and  from  it  he  received  the  degree  of 
M.  D.  During  the  next  fourteen  months  he  prac- 
ticed in  the  hospitals  of  Multnomah  county,  Ore- 
gon. He  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  May,  1900, 
locating  first  at  Centerville,  then  in  Goldendale, 
and  since  that  time  has  built  up  a  most  satisfactory 
and    lucrative   practice    in   the    community. 

Dr.  Hartley  married,  at  Forest  Grove,  Oregon, 
in  November,  1900,  Miss  Mary  M.  Gleason,  a 
native  of  Washington  county  and  a  daughter  of  the 
well  known*  pioneers,  John  E.  and  Hardenia 
(Naylor)  Gleason.  Mrs.  Gleason  was  born  near 
Forest  Grove  in  1850,  her  parents  being  among 
the  earliest  settlers  in  that  locality.  Dr.  Hartley 
has  two  brothers,  Joseph  J.,  residing  at  Banks, 
Oregon,  and  Clarence,  who  recently  graduated  in 
dentistry,  and  is  now  practicing  his  profession  in 
Portland.  His  sister,  May  Hartley,  is  a  student  in 
Pacific  University.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Hartley  have 
one  child,  Frederick,  born  Christmas  day,  1901. 
Dr.  Hartley  is  a  member  of  several  fraternities, 
the  Masons,  O.  E.  S.,  Order  of  Washington,  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica. Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  A  popular  mem- 
ber of  the  community,  highly  esteemed  personally 
and  an  excellent  physician,  he  is  sure  to  win  un- 
usual success  in  the  profession  he  has  chosen. 


WENDELIN  LEIDL,  one  of  Goldendale's 
most  successful  and  substantial  business  men  and 
progressive  citizens,  as  also  a  pioneer  of  Klickitat, 
is  a  well  known  acetylene  gas  manufacturer,  watch- 
maker and  jeweler.  Like  many  another  of  our  in- 
fluential citizens,  Mr.  Leidl  is  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  in  Bavaria,  October  19,  1861.  His 
father,  for  whom  the  son  was  named,  was  a  Ger- 
man government  officer,  whose  death  occurred  in 
1864.  The  mother,  Josephine  (Brumuller)  Leidl, 
was  also  of  German  birth  and  ancestry.  Germany 
continued  to  be  Wendelin  Leidl's  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  there  learned  the 
jeweler's  trade  and  spent  eleven  months  in  the  army, 
as  required  by  law.  Crossing  to  France  at  the  age 
mentioned,  he  spent  some  time  there,  then,  in  1879, 
came  to  the  United  States.  His  first  stopping  point 
was  Chicago,  where  he  worked  two  years  at  his 
trade.  He  went  thence  to  Texas,  rode  the  range 
awhile,  bought  railroad  land  and  tried  farming  and 
stock  raising  for  a  period,  but  eventually  sold  his 
property  and  in  1881  came  north  to  The  Dalles. 
From  The  Dalles  he  went  to  the  little  town  of 
Dufur,  in  the  same  county,  where  he  remained  three 
years,  farming  and  following  his  trade.  With  his 
family  he  then  moved  to  Klickitat  county  and  set- 
tled upon  a  homestead  near  Hartland.  Two  years 
later  we  find  him  employed  at  Goldendale  and  three 
years  afterward,  he  changed  his  residence  to  that 
city.  Mr.  Leidl's  next  important  step  was  the  pur- 
chase of  the  jewelry  business  belonging  to  Victor 
Gobat,  for  whom  he  had  been  working,  paying 
therefor  $2,700.  This  store  he  still  conducts  and 
by  his  strict  attention  to  business  has  built  up  an 
enviable  reputation  as  a  first-class  workman.  He 
was  also,  for  some  time,  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness, but  sold  this  establishment  a  year  ago.  Re- 
cently Mr.  Leftil,  who  is  a  skilled  mechanic  and  a 
thorough  student  of  physics,  went  into  partner- 
ship with  the  patentee  of  a  process  for  manufactur- 
ing acetylene  gas  and  he  is  now  devoting  most  of 
his  time  to  this  business,  installing  plants  in  various 
stores  and  residences  throughout  this  section  of  the 
state.  The  success  of  this  patent  is  not  only  a  tri- 
umph for  its  inventor  but  it  is  also  a  splendid  ad- 
vertisement for  the  city  of  Goldendale. 

Mr.  Leidl  was  married  at  Dufur,  Oregon,  in 
1881,  to  Miss  Lisette  Koehler,  likewise  a  native  of 
Germany,  who  came  to  America  after  reaching  the 
age  of  womanhood.  Six  children  have  been  born 
to  this  union,  five  of  whom,  Emma,  Charles,  Josie, 
Louis  and  Wendelin,  are  attending  the  public 
schools  of  Goldendale ;  a  married  daughter,  Mrs. 
Minnie  McKillips,  is  also  a  resident  of  this  county. 
It  is  a  characteristic  of  the  subject  of  this  biogra- 
phy that  he  is  active  in  everything  he  undertakes. 
Fraternally,  he  is  a  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow,  a 
Woodman  of  the  World  and  a  member  of  the  Seat- 
tle Encampment  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star 
and  of  the  Maccabees.     He  has  served  the  city  two 


JOHN  E.   CHAPPELL. 


HARVEY  H.  HARTLEY.  M.  D. 


WENDELIN  LEIDL. 


CAPT.   SAMUEL  H.   MILLER. 


GEORGE   PARROTT. 


FRANK  MESECHER. 


JAMES  W.   JACKSON. 


ANTHONY    B.  COURTWAY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


39i 


terms  as  councilman  and  at  present  is  a  member  of 
the  city  school  board,  one  of  the  most  energetic  on 
it.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  of  decided  in- 
fluence. He  has  served  at  various  times  on  execu- 
tive committees  and  is  credited  with  being  a  leader 
among  the  Germans  in  his  county.  Financially, 
he  has  done  exceedingly  well.  He  had  two  dollars 
in  cash  and  was  $1,700  in  debt  when  he  came  to 
Klickitat ;  now  he  owns  four  hundred  acres  of  farm- 
ing lands,  store  buildings  in  Goldendale,  eight  lots, 
two  dwellings,  his  gas  factory  and  other  interests, 
and  is  entirely  free  from  debt.  His  congeniality 
and  integrity,  his  thorough  knowledge  of  mechanics 
and  his  tireless  energy  are  all  characteristics  of  him, 
which  stand  out  prominently,  and  because  of  them 
he  commands  the  confidence  and  favor  of  his  fellow 
men. 


CAPT.  SAMUEL  H.  MILLER.  A  typical 
pioneer  of  the  Northwest  is  this  soldier-pioneer, 
who  is  now  an  esteemed  resident  of  the  Klickitat 
valley.  His  American  ancestors  were  hardy  pio- 
neers before  him,  so  that  to  this  member  of  the 
family  the  frontier  held  no  terrors.  To  him  the 
border  with  its  wild  forests,  its  trackless  plains,  its 
barren  deserts,  was  but  a  natural  environment, 
while  most  of  his  early  life  was  spent  with  the  In- 
dians, hunters,  scouts,  gold  miners  and  homeseek- 
ing  emigrants  as  companions.  Captain  Miller  is 
a  native  of  the  Empire  state,  born  in  Clay,  Onon- 
daga county,  July  16,  1828,  to  the  union  of  James 
and  Nancy  (Vanvorst)  Miller.  James  Miller,  a 
German,  was  likewise  born  in  New  York  state,  on 
the  Mohawk  river,  in  the  year  1796,  and  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  removed  to  Illinois  in 
1845,  settling  in  DeKalb  county,  and  there,  June 
10th  of  the  same  year,  the  new  home  was  saddened 
by  his  death.  His  wife,  of  Holland  Dutch  descent, 
was  born  in  Schenectady,  New  York,  the  daughter 
of  James  Vanvorst.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  that 
state,  a  freighter  during  a  long  period  of  his  life. 
James  Vanvorst  attained  distinction  as  an  Indian 
fighter  and  in  one  of  his  numerous  encounters 
with  the  hostiles  killed  three  of  the  attacking  party 
with  a  pitchfork.  With  his  sons,  Peter  and  James, 
the  brave,  loyal  old  frontiersman  fought  in  the  War 
of  1812.  Samuel  H.  Miller  was  one  of  nine  chil- 
dren. Until  he  was  seventeen  years  old  he  lived  in 
New  York  state,  but  at  that  age,  in  September, 
1844,  struck  boldly  into  the  Illinois  frontier,  set- 
tling near  Fox  river,  a  region  at  that  time  ex- 
tremely wild  and  sparsely  settled.  Equipped  with 
a  common  school  education,  a  knowledge  of  the 
carpenter's  and  blacksmith's  trades  and  a  strong 
body  and  constitution,  the  young  man  thus  began 
life  independently.  After  his  father's  death,  Sam- 
uel remained  on  the  property  until  the  spring  of 
1849,  tnen  went  to  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin,  and  helped 
to  build  the  Moore  and  Siegle  mills.  He  followed 
his  trades  in  that  city  until  1852,  returning  in  that 


year  to  Illinois,  but  April  15,  1853,  he  deserted  the 
rapidly  settling  country  for  the  almost  unknown 
and  uncared  for  Northwest,  arriving  in  the  Willa- 
mette valley,  November  24,  1853,  after  a  long,  hard 
trip  across  the  continent.  In  the  spring  he  entered 
the  mines  of  Jackson  and  Applegate  in  southern 
Oregon,  lost  nearly  a  thousand  dollars,  and  once 
again  took  up  his  trades.  About  this  time  the  In- 
dian war  of  1855-6  broke  over  the  Northwest  and  as 
a  volunteer,  the  young  westerner  received  his  first 
baptism  of  blood,  bullets  and  powder.  Subse- 
quently he  fought  at  Big  Bar  on  the  Rogue  river 
during  that  famous  outbreak.  In  the  meantime  he 
built  a  tannery  in  Phoenix,  Oregon,  but  later  sold 
it  and  in  1857  took  up  his  residence  near  Scio,  in 
the  same  state.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out,  in 
1861,  the  First  Oregon  volunteers  was  at  once  or- 
ganized. A  company  (F)  was  at  once  formed  in 
Mr.  Miller's  community,  and  he  was  elected  cap- 
tain of  it.  Governor  A.  C.  Gibbs  was  at  the  head 
of  the  troops,  the  company  headquarters  being  at 
Lebanon.  This  regiment  did  its  full  share  in  the 
war  by  protecting  the  frontier  from  Indian  upris- 
ings and  holding  the  Copperheads  in  check.  In 
1870,  the  captain  and  his  family  became  pioneers 
of  Klickitat  county,  which  was  then  very  sparsely 
inhabited,  locating  upon  the  present  homestead.  He 
came  in  February,  filed  on  the  land,  built  a  house 
and  then,  in  the  fall,  brought  in  his  family.  Like 
other  settlers,  he  engaged  in  stock  raising  and  farm- 
ing, industries  which  he  has  since  followed.  Capt. 
Miller  associated  himself  with  John  J.  Golden  in  the 
construction  and  operation  of  the  second  sawmill 
in  the  county.  He  passed  through  the  Indian  scare 
of  1878  without  inconvenience  or  trouble  in  any 
form. 

Captain  Miller  was  united  in  marriage,  at  Scio, 
Oregon,  May  20,  1857,  l0  Miss  Alice  Boyce,  a 
daughter  of  Dr.  Joseph  and  Alice  (Nessly)  Boyce, 
of  Irish  and  German  descent  respectively.  The 
grandfather,  John  Nessly,  served  in  the  War  of 
1812.  An  uncle  of  Mrs.  Miller,  the  Rev.  John 
Fawcett  Nessly,  was  a  noted  minister  of  Washing- 
ton;  he  died  in  Tekoa,  in  November,  1903.  This 
eminent  clergyman  is  the  author  of  a  book  soon  to 
be  published,  entitled  "Early  Methodism  in  the 
Ohio  Valley."  Mrs.  Miller  was  born  in  Colum- 
biana county,  Ohio,  November  30,  1842;  she  has 
one  sister  still  living,  Mrs.  Maggie  Kellogg.  Capt. 
Miller  has  several  brothers  and  sisters :  James  A., 
in  Scio;  Walter  C,  living  in  Alsea,  Oregon;  Fran- 
ces T.,  a  resident  of  this  county ;  Mrs.  Sophia 
Craiz,  residing  in  Camden,  New  York,  and  William 
Henry  Harrison,  living  at  Fruit  Flat,  Oregon.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Miller  have  raised  a  large  family,  ten 
children  in  all.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Nesbitt,  of  Golden- 
dale,  is  the  oldest ;  Joseph  B.  and  Philip  S.  reside 
four  miles  northeast  of  Goldendale;  Mrs.  Margaret 
Hill  and  Mrs.  Nancy  Sophia  McKinney  live  in 
Goldendale;  John  W.  lives  at  The  Dalles;  Henry 


392 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


T.  is  a  resident  of  Klickitat  county;  Cortez  R.  is  a 
student  at  Pullman  college;  William  A.  is  a  thresh- 
ing machine  engineer,  living  with  his  parents,  as 
does  also  the  youngest  child,  Cornelia  J.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Miller  have  seven  great-grandchildren,  of 
whom  they  are  very  proud.  For  nearly  forty  years 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  been  members  of  the 
Methodist  church.  He  belongs  to  only  one  frater- 
nal organization,  the  Grange,  and  in  politics  has 
always  been  a  Republican.  He  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  party  in  Linn  county,  being  a  dele- 
gate from  Lebanon.  Now  he  votes  independently, 
though  not  taking  an  active  interest  in  such  mat- 
ters any  longer.  For  fourteen  years  he  was  coro- 
ner of  Klickitat  county,  and  besides  holding  this 
office  has  served  as  road  supervisor  ten  years. 
Many  years  the  captain  has  been  a  school  director 
and  clerk  and  he  is  an  ardent  advocate  of  public 
education,  regardless  of  the  taxes  imposed  as  a 
consequence.  He  is  a  devoted  stock  fancier  and  at 
one  time  owned  the  imported  horse,  'Arabian  Boy," 
sired  by  Col.  Genifer's  noted  Egyptian  horse.  His 
farm,  seven  miles  southeast  of  Goldendale,  contains 
three  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  the  best  land  in 
the  valley  and  its  owner  claims  to  raise  more  grain 
on  the  place,  in  proportion  to  its  size,  than  is  raised 
on  any  other  tract  in  the  county.  Captain  Miller 
is  a  gentleman  of  sterling  integrity  and  ability,  an 
honored  pioneer  and  a  popular  citizen,  esteemed 
by  a  host  of  friends  throughout  the  states  of  Wash- 
ington and  Oregon. 


GEORGE  PARROTT,  one  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Klickitat  county  and  one  of  its  substantial  agri- 
culturists, resides  on  his  farm  of  160  acres,  three 
miles  south  and  two  east  of  Goldendale.  He  was 
born  in  Cook  county,  Tennessee,  February  10,  1833, 
the  son  of  Job  and  Sarah  (Swagerty)  Parrott. 
His  father,  who  was  of  German  descent,  was  like- 
wise born  in  Tennessee,  and  like  our  subject,  fol- 
lowed farming.  He  passed  his  entire  life  on  his 
place  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state,  where  he 
died  some  years  ago.  His  wife  was  also  a  native 
of  Tennessee  and  lived  there  the  greater  part  of  her 
life.  George  Parrott,  the  subject  of  this  article, 
received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  state,  adding  the  finishing  touches  in 
the  schools  of  Missouri,  to  which  he  removed  at 
the  age  of  seventeen.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany K,  Twenty-fifth  Missouri  volunteers,  and 
served  for  some  time,  then  was  transferred  to  the 
Eighty-first  Missouri,  with  which  he  remained  un- 
til the  close  of  his  term  of  enlistment,  in  1864.  Re- 
turning then  to  Missouri,  he  resided  there  until  the 
fall  of  1874.  at  which  time  he  moved  to  the  Willa- 
mette valley,  After  a  residence  of  four  vears  in 
Oregon,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county  and  settled 
on  a  piece  of  school  land,  which  was  his  home 
until  1887.  when  he  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  a 
tract      near     Goldendale.      To    the   cultivation     and 


improvement  of  this  he  has  ever  since  devoted  him- 
self with  assiduity  and  energy,  putting  the  entire 
quarter  section  into  a  state  of  cultivation. 

In  Jefferson  county,  Kansas,  on  the  13th  of 
August,  1856,  Mr.  Parrott  married  Martha  Ewell, 
whose  father,  Laten,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was 
born  in  Missouri,  the  son  of  English  parents.  He 
died  when  Miss  Ewell  was  but  seven  years  old. 
Her  mother,  Elizabeth,  also  a  native  of  Missouri, 
passed  away  in  1859.  Mrs.  Parrott  was  born  near 
St.  Joe,  Missouri,  January  3,  1859.  Left  an  or- 
phan at  the  age  of  seven,  she  was  taken  care  of 
by  guardians  until  sixteen,  when  she  married.  Her 
father  was  a  man  of  means,  but  unfortunately  the 
administrators  of  his  estate  managed  to  secure  the 
better  part  of  his  possessions.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Par- 
rott have  had  ten  children,  namely,  Mrs.  Annie  Sto- 
ry, who  was  the  wife  of  an  Idaho  school  teacher 
and  who  died  in  1899 ;  Charles  W.  and  Mrs.  Eliza 
J.  Atkinson,  born  in  Kansas ;  Mrs.  Cora  Phillips, 
born  in  Missouri  in  1861,  now  a  resident  of  Toledo, 
Ohio ;  Mrs.  Winnie  Hartley,  born  in  Missouri, 
some  eight  years  later ;  Benjamin  F.  and  Fred,  also 
born  in  Missouri;  Mrs.  Effie  Maud  Carson,  bonv 
in  Oregon,  now  a  resident  of  Goldendale;  Mrs. 
Carrie  Chatman,  also  born  in  Oregon,  now  living  in 
Portland;  and  Grace,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Parrott  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  and  politically,  Mr.  Parrott  is  a  Republican. 
He  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  people  in 
this  locality  and  the  surrounding  country,  among 
whom  he  is  rated  as  a  man  of  high  moral  character, 
sterling  honesty  and  pleasant  address. 


FRANK  MESECHER,  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Klickitat  county,  residing  on  his  ranch  of  160  acres, 
three  and  a  half  miles  northwest  of  Goldendale, 
was  born  in  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  February  3, 
1863,  the  son  of  William  D.  and  Margaret  (Mar- 
tin) Mesecher.  His  father,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
born  in  183.S,  was  likewise  a  farmer.  He  served 
three  years  in  the  Civil  war  in  the  Seventy-eighth 
regiment,  Illinois  volunteers,  and  was  with  Sher- 
man on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea.  He  was 
taken  prisoner  during  the  war  and  had  the  expe- 
rience of  Confederate  prisons  of  which  so  much  has 
been  written.  By  reason  of  his  services  he  was 
granted  a  place  on  Uncle  Sam's  pension  roll.  He 
lived  for  a  time  in  Crawford  county,  Kansas,  of 
which  section  he  was  a  pioneer,  but  in  1883,  he  came 
to  Klickitat  county,  where  he  filed  on  the  first  claim 
in  Cedar  valley.  He  passed  awav  in  this  county, 
January  8,  1904,  but  his  wife  still  lives.  She  was 
born  in  Missouri  in  1842.  Frank  Mesecher,  of  this 
review,  moved  to  Kansas  with  his  parents  when  a 
small  boy  and  grew  up  near  the  city  of  Girard,  on 
the  parental  farm.  He  started  out  in  life  for  him- 
self at  the  age  of  nineteen,  at  which  time  his  par- 
ents moved  west,  leaving  him  alone  in  Kansas. 
He  farmed  in  Jasper  county,  Missouri,  three  years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


393 


In  1889  he  came  to  Washington  and  took  up  a  pre- 
emption claim  in  Cedar  valley,  but  later  he  sold  his 
improvements,  and  relinquished  it,  having  previous- 
ly purchased  his  present  place,  to  the  cultivation  and 
improvement  of  which  he  has  devoted  himself  con- 
tinuously since.  He  practices  diversified  farming, 
always  keeping  some  stock,  especially  hogs. 

Mr.  Mesecher  was  married  in  Missouri.  March 
25,  1888,  the  lady  being  Miss  Alice  J.  Stith,  a  na- 
tive of  jasper  county,  born  in  1869.  Her  father, 
H.  B.  Stith,  at  present  resides  near  Goldendale, 
but  her  mother  died  in  1874.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mese- 
cher have  had  eight  children,  Amos  A.  and  Alice, 
the  youngest,  being  now  deceased.  Bertha  is  the 
oldest  child ;  the  other  children  are  Charles,  Dacy, 
Rebo,  and  Harry  and  Paul,  twins.  Mr.  Mesecher 
has  two  brothers,  Hartwell  E.,  residing  in  Cedar 
valley,  and  Charles  W.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Mesecher 
is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
in  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  A  public  spirited  man, 
he  has  discharged  faithfully  the  duties  which  have 
devolved  upon  him  as  a  citizen,  having  served  as 
road  supervisor,  and  being  at  present  a  member  of 
the  school  board.  He  is  a  vigorous  advocate  of 
everything  tending  to  increase  the  efficiency  of  the 
public  school  system.  His  standing  in  the  com- 
munity is  an  enviable  one,  he  being  regarded  by 
his  neighbors  as  a  man  of  integrity,  honor  and  up- 
rightness. 


JAMES  W.  JACKSON  is  a  well-established 
and  widely  known  farmer  and  stockman  residing 
five  miles  west  of  Goldendale,  Washington.  He  is 
a  North  Carolinian,  born  in  Davidson  county,  near 
Thomasville,  April  20,  1841.  His  father,  Solomon 
Jackson,  born  in  the  same  county  and  state,  in 
1808,  was  of  English  parentage.  William  Jackson, 
the  father  of  Solomon  and  grandfather  of  James 
W.,  of  this  biography,  fought  in  the  Revolutionary 
war,  and  died  many  years  ago  in  North  Carolina. 
The  mother  of  James  W.  was  Sarah  (Osborn) 
Jackson,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  in  1823. 
She  was  of  Scotch-English  descent. 

James  W.  grew  to  young  manhood  on  the  North 
Carolina  farm.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools,  but  owing  to  the  many  reverses  to 
which  he  and  his  parents  were  subjected  during  his 
youth,  his  schooling  was  insufficient.  When  the 
Civil  war  broke  out  his  people  were  of  pronounced 
Union  sentiments  and  feared  not  to  uphold  their 
views.  Though  but  twenty  he  refused  to  yield  to 
the  Secessionist  demands,  and  fought  a  duel  with 
an  officer  of  the  Confederate  army,  in  which  shots 
were  exchanged  and  the  officer  severely  wounded. 
For  his  impetuosity  James  was  imprisoned  and 
ordered  to  be  shot,  but,  fortunately,  managed  to 
escape.  During  the  time  of  his  imprisonment  he 
was  compelled  to  work  for  eighteen  months  in  a 
paper  factory.  In  1866  he  started  afoot  from  North 
Carolina  to  Tennessee  with  a  dollar  and  a  half  in 


his  pocket  and  the  clothing  he  wore  his  sole  posses- 
sions. He  tarried  but  a  short  time  in  Tennessee, 
proceeding  thence  to  Kentucky,  where  he  stayed 
for  two  years.  He  then  spent  a  short  time  in  Indi- 
ana and  Missouri,  each,  and  then,  in  1871,  came 
west  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Clackamas  count)',  where 
he  stayed  for  three  years.  His  final  move  was  to 
Klickitat  county  in  1874,  and,  upon  his  arrival,  he 
found  only  three  buildings  in  what  is  now  the  pros- 
perous town  of  Goldendale.  He  immediately  took 
up  land  on  Spring  creek,  but  later  his  filing  was 
canceled.  He  then  bought  a  four  hundred  acre 
tract  known  as  the  Crevling  place.  This  property 
he  improved,  and  in  1882  sold  to  Mr.  Crevling, 
the  former  owner.  After  the  sale  he  visited  for  a 
year  in  the  east,  and  in  1883  returned  to  Klickitat 
county  and  took  up  land  in  Horseshoe  Bend.  In 
addition  to  acquiring  a  pre-emption,  a  homestead, 
and  a  timber  claim  by  filing,  he  purchased  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  railroad  land,  which  prop- 
erty he  improved  and  built  upon  till  the  spring  of 
1903,  when  he  sold  out  and  purchased  his  present 
place.  This  farm  he  is  making  into  one  of  the 
finest  in  his  community. 

Mr.  Jackson  was  married  June  15,  1882,  in 
North  Carolina,  to  Miss  Ruth  E.  Pope,  a  native  of 
Davidson  county,  that  state,  born  in  1855.  Miss 
Pope  was  the  daughter  of  Elijah  Pope,  also  of 
North  Carolina,  born  in  1836.  He  served  in  the 
army  during  the  early  years  of  the  Civil  war,  but 
died  in  1864,  near  its  close.  The  mother  was  Nan- 
cy (Kennedy)  Pope,  who  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina in  1837.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jack- 
son are  three,  Earl  Branson,  Bessie  and  William 
Carlos.  Both  parents  are  members  of  the  Baptist 
church.  By  election  as  the  candidate  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  Mr.  Jackson  has  served  two  terms  as 
sheep  inspector ;  he  has  been  school  clerk  of  his 
district  for  twelve  years,  and  has  had  eight  years 
of  service  as  road  supervisor.  He  is  prominent  in 
the  politics  of  his  county,  alwavs  attending  the 
conventions,  and  taking  an  active  interest.  He  owns 
the  place  he  now  occupies,  and  this,  with  other 
property  interests  and  his  unimpeachable  standing 
as  a  citizen,  gives  him  an  enviable  position  in  his 
community.  Though  claiming  no  literary  talent. 
he  has  written  a  number  of  very  interesting  papers 
on  his  experiences  during  the  war,  and  considering 
the  nature  of  his  experiences,  the  papers  have  proved 
most  worthy  of  publication.  Mr.  Jackson's  life 
during  the  war,  and  at  times  since,  has  been  stren- 
uous and  stormy,  but  he  now  rejoices  in  being  able 
to  live  more  peaceably. 


ANTHONY  B.  COURTWAY,  a  large  prop- 
erty and  sheep  owner  of  Klickitat  countv,  at  pres- 
ent engaged  in  the  livery  business  in  Goldendale. 
was  born  in  Essex  county,  Canada,  June  26,  1857. 
Francis  X.  Courtway,  his  father,  was  likewise  born 
in  Canada,  in  1834.  and  was  of  French  and  German 


394 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


descent.  He  left  Canada  in  1861  and  went  to  Cal- 
ifornia; after  a  two  years'  residence  in  the  Golden 
state,  he  once  more  crossed  the  line  to  his  home. 
Returning  to  the  United  States  in  1880,  he  settled 
in  Klickitat  county,  but  at  present  he  makes  his 
home  in  Chelan  county,  Washington.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Judick  Gilboe,  was  born 
in  Canada,  in  1832,  to  French  parents,  and  passed 
away  in  1873.  The  subject  of  this  review  moved 
to  Pontiac,  Michigan,  with  his  parents  at  the  age 
of  ten  and  received  a  common  school  education  in 
that  city.  He  spoke  nothing  but  French  at  that 
time,  but  was  an  apt  pupil  and  soon  learned  the 
language  and  customs  of  this  country.  He  started 
out  to  make  his  own  living  two  years  later,  work- 
ing first  in  a  boot  and  shoe  store  and  later  with  a 
grocery  firm.  In  1875  he  came  west  to  California, 
where  he  farmed  four  years,  coming  then  to  Klicki- 
tat county.  After  farming  a  piece  of  school  land 
for  three  years,  he  secured  a  farm  some  twenty-two 
miles  southeast  of  Goldendale,  in  the  Goodnoe 
Hills,  of  which  he  is  still  the  owner.  He  resided 
on  the  property  from  1884  to  1903,  engaged  in 
raising  cattle  and  horses,  and  in  general  agricul- 
ture. He  had  unlimited  range  for  stock ;  the  bunch- 
grass  was  plenteous  and  he  made  money.  In  1903 
he  moved  into  the  citv  and  traded  a  half  interest 
in  his  band  of  3,000  sheep  to  Oscar  Vanhoy  for  a 
livery  barn,  which  he  still  conducts ;  he  also  ex- 
changed his  cattle  for  some  Goldendale  property, 
which  he  still  owns.  He  has  been  in  the  sheep 
business  only  a  short  time. 

In  Klickitat  county,  in  1885,  Mr.  Courtway  mar- 
ried Miss  Addie  Venable.  a  native  of  the  county, 
born  in  1864,  the  daughter  of  Francis  M.  Venable, 
one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  county.  Her 
father  crossed  the  Plains  to  the  Willamette  valley 
in  the  earliest  days  and  came  to  Klickitat  county 
at  the  time  of  the  first  settlement.  He  was  engaged 
in  the  cattle  business  and  suffered  heavy  losses 
during  the  severe  winter  of  1861-2.  At  present  he 
resides  in  Sherman  county,  Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Courtway  have  a  family  of  seven  children,  namely, 
Amelia  May,  Anna  Eva,  Lillie  Irene,  Ruth,  Naoma 
Jane,  Isabel  Lucile,  and  Anthony  B.  Mr.  Court- 
way  has  a  brother,  Francis,  living  at  Sand  Point, 
Idaho,  and  another  brother,  Albert  N.,  in  Wenat- 
chee,  while  his  sisters,  Mrs.  Amelia  McKillip  and 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Taylor,  live  near  and  in  Goldendale, 
and  another  sister,  Mrs.  Annie  Williams,  makes  her 
home  in  Silver  City,  in  the  Okanogan  district.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Courtwav  is  connected  with  the  Ma- 
sons, the  K.  of  P.,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  the  Grange.  Though  a  Socialist, 
he  was  in  1896  the  candidate  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  for  the  office  of  sheriff,  but  with  the  rest  of 
the  party  suffered  defeat.  Besides  his  livery  busi- 
ness and  half  interest  in  a  band  of  3,000  sheep,  he 
owns  a  modern  residence  and  1,545  acres  of  land. 
His  farm  is  well  improved,  about  550  acres  of  it 
being  cultivated,  and  the  rest  devoted  to  the  pastur- 


ing of  his  horses  and  cattle.  Certainly  few  in  cen- 
tral Washington,  where  material  success  is  usually 
found  to  await  the  man  who  seeks  it  earnestly,  are 
more  worthy  of  congratulation  for  industrial 
achievements  than  Mr.  Courtway,  and  the  value  of 
his  wealth  is  enhanced  by  the  fact  that  it  was  won 
without  sacrifice  of  integrity  or  of  the  respect  and 
esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


ERNEST  O.  SPOON,  deputy  auditor  of 
Klickitat  county,  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Smith 
&  Spoon,  abstracters,  and  one  of  the  county's  pop- 
ular young  men,  was  born  in  Plumas  county,  Cali- 
fornia, September  24,  1872.  He  is,  therefore,  a 
Westerner  by  birth  as  well  as  by  rearing.  His 
parents  are  Abram  J.  and  Josephine  (Alexander) 
Spoon,  natives  of  New  York  and  Missouri  respect- 
ively. They  now  live  in  Bickleton.  Mr.  Spoon 
is  at  present  county  commissioner  of  the  third  dis- 
trict. Ernest  O.,  who  is  one  of  three  children,  was 
nine  years  old  when  his  parents  settled  on  the  prai- 
rie near  Bickleton.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
and  assisted  his  father  until  eighteen  years  of  age, 
when  he  commenced  teaching  school.  His  first 
school  was  at  Oak  Flat,  on  Rock  creek.  For  eight 
years  he  followed  this  profession  (with  the  excep- 
tion of  six  months  spent  in  a  business  college  at 
Portland),  teaching  at  various  points  throughout 
this  section  of  the  state.  However,  in  September, 
1899,  he  entered  the  auditor's  office  under  James  W. 
Butler  and  served  as  deputy  until  Mr.  Butler's 
death,  March  29,  1902.  He  was  then  appointed  au- 
ditor to  fill  the  unexpired  term,  a  trust  that  he  ful- 
filled with  credit.  In  1902,  at  the  request  of  the 
new  auditor,  Mr.  Spoon  remained  in  the  office  as 
deputy  and  he  is  responsible  in  no  small  degree 
for  the  splendid  record  Auditor  Smith  is  making. 
Roy  M.  Spoon,  a  brother,  resides  at  Bickleton; 
also  a  sister,  Mrs.  Alice  Mabel  Flower. 

In  Goldendale,  October  17,  1900,  Mr.  Spoon 
married  Miss  Mary  L.  Allvn,  a  daughter  of  Rev. 
James  H.  Allyn,  one  of  Klickitat's  pioneer  Meth- 
odist ministers.  Mrs.  Spoon  is  one  of  Klickitat's 
daughters,  born  July  2,  1881.  Her  education  was 
obtained  in  the  public  schools  of  this  county  and  in 
Klickitat  Academy,  at  Goldendale.  She  was  nine- 
teen years  old  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Mrs. 
Spoon  is  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  seven 
of  whom  are  living,  namely,  Joseph  H.,  Rufus  C, 
H.  Oscar,  Jessie  G.,  and  Mrs.  Abbie  Miller,  in 
Klickitat  county ;  Mrs.  Charlotte  Peringer,  at  Bell- 
ingham.  Washington.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spoon  is  blessed  with  the  presence  of  one  child, 
Jennie  G,  born  in  Goldendale,  September  26,  1902. 
Mr.  Spoon  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  being 
a  past  noble  grand  of  Excelsior  lodge.  No.  in, 
at  Bickleton.  the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  United 
Artisans.  He  is  an  energetic  worker  in  the  Meth- 
odist church,  being  treasurer  and  recording  steward 
of  the  Goldendale  society.     Politically,  he  is  a  Re- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


395 


publican  and  that  he  is  retained  by  a  Democratic 
officer  speaks  well  for  his  work.  Besides  a  half 
interest  in  the  abstract  business,  Mr.  Spoon  owns 
.some  city  property.  He  is  an  able,  respected  and 
popular  young  man,  rapidly  winning  his  way  to 
greater  success. 


ISAAC  HINSHAW,  one  of  the  oldest  pioneers 
of  Klickitat  county,  a  carpenter  by  trade,  although 
he  now  follows  gardening,  a  fitting  occupation  for 
.an  old  man,  was  born  in  Chatham  county,  North 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1831,  making  him  now  sev- 
enty-three. He  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  and  Mary 
E.  (Lawrence)  Hinshaw.  His  father,  who  was 
likewise  a  native  of  North  Carolina  and  born  in 
1804,  was  of  English  descent.  He  died  at  the  age 
•of  thirty-six.  Our  subject's  mother  passed  most 
•of  her  life  in  North  Carolina,  where  she  was  mar- 
ried and  where  she  brought  up  her  family.  She 
died  ten  years  after  her  husband  passed  away.  Our 
.subject  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  state,  remaining  at  home  until 
he  was  eighteen  years  old,  when  he  took  up  the 
carpenter's  trade.  He  worked  as  an  apprentice 
for  two  years.  In  1850  he  migrated  to  Morgan 
■county,  Indiana,  and  for  the  ensuing  seventeen 
years  he  followed  his  trade  in  various  parts  of  the 
county.  Removing  to  Douglas  county,  Kansas,  in 
1867,  he  followed  farming  in  that  locality  for  eight 
years,  then  in  the  winter  of  1875  moved  to  Califor- 
nia, settling  eventually  in  Sonoma  county.  In  1877, 
he  again  moved,  this  time  to  Washington.  After 
spending  six  months  in  Ellensburg,  he  came  to 
Klickitat  county  and  settled  on  a  piece  of  railroad 
land.  This  was  in  the  fall  of  1877,  and  in  November 
of  the  same  year  his  family  came  to  stay  with  him. 
From  that  time  until  1893  he  gave  himself  ener- 
getically to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  this 
land,  then,  however,  he  moved  into  Goldendale, 
where  he  has  since  lived,  following  gardening  as 
an  occupation. 

In  Indiana,  on  the  20th  of  April,  1856,  Mr.  Hin- 
shaw married  Elizabeth  M.  Hadley,  a  native  of 
North  Carolina,  daughter  of  John  L.  and  Elizabeth 
(Bray)  Hadley.  Her  father,  who  was  of  English 
descent,  but  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  in 
1809,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  moved  to 
Indiana  in  the  early  days  and  settled  in  Hendricks 
county,  whence,  in  1855,  he  removed  to  Iowa,  in 
which  state  he  died  some  years  afterward,.  Mrs. 
Hinshaw's  mother  was  likewise  of  English  descent, 
a  North  Carolinian  by  birth,  the  junior  by  three 
years  of  her  husband.  She  passed  away  when  Mrs. 
Hinshaw  was  but  a  few  weeks  old.  Mrs.  Hinshaw 
was  born  on  the  8th  of  February,  1837.  She  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana.  Married 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  she  became  the  mother  of 
nine  children,  of  whom  all  are  living  but  one,  El- 
don  S.,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  on  Independence 
Day,   1865,  and   died  at  the  age  of  sixteen.     The 


other  children  are:  Tunis  T.,  born  in  Indiana, 
May  3,  1857;  Vernon  T.,  born  in  the  Hoosier  state 
April  1,  1859;  Elmer  E.,  born  in  Indiana,  August 
18,  1861 ;  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Chapman,  born  in  Indiana 
on  the  nth  of  July,  1862,  now  living  in  Golden- 
dale  ;  Mrs.  Ora  A.  White,  born  in  Kansas,  June  20, 
1867,  now  in  Newberg,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Laura  A. 
Wright,  bom  in  Kansas,  March  16,  1874,  also  a 
resident  of  Newberg;  Mrs.  Ella  G.  Lee,  born  in 
Kansas  on  the  14th  of  July,  1869,  now  in  Golden- 
dale;  and  Ida  M.,  born  in  Klickitat  county,  Septem- 
ber 11,  1878,  residing  at  home  with  her  parents  and 
engaged  in  teaching  music.  In  religion,  Mrs.  Hin- 
shaw is  a  Free  Methodist,  while  Mr.  Hinshaw  is  a 
Quaker.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Prohibitionist.  Some 
time  after  moving  to  Goldendale  from  his  ranch, 
which  was  situated  a  mile  and  a  quarter  from  town, 
he  disposed  of  the  property.  Mr.  Hinshaw  is  a  very 
pleasant  old  gentleman,  greatly  respected  by  his 
many  friends  in  the  city  and  by  very  many  in  all 
parts  of  the  county,  for,  being  an  old  pioneer,  he 
enjoys  a  wide  acquaintance. 


BARNETT  J.  GANO,  a  prosperous  Klickitat 
county  ranchman  living  in  Goldendale,  the  owner 
of  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  three 
miles  northwest  of  the  city,  was  born  in  Berkeley 
county,  West  Virginia,  on  the  29th  of  August,  1833, 
the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Hartsock)  Gano.  His 
father,  who  was  also  a  native  of  West  Virginia, 
was  descended  from  a  French  family  that  set- 
tied  in  the  state  in  early  days.  He  removed  to 
Greene  county,  Illinois,  in  1840,  and  farmed  there 
until  1859,  then  moved  to  Missouri,  locating  in 
Henry  county.  He  passed  away  in  the  early  sev- 
enties. The  mother  of  our  subject  was  of  German 
parentage,  but  born  in  Maryland.  She  died  in  Mis- 
souri in  1865.  The  subject  of  this  review  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois. 
He  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  reached 
man's  estate,  then  started  to  farm  on  his  own  ac- 
count, on  an  eighty-acre  tract  given  him  by  his 
father.  He  was  thus  engaged  until  1871,  when  he 
migrated  to  Missouri,  and  settled  in  Cedar  county, 
in  the  northwestern  part  of  the  state.  He  remained 
for  a  twelvemonth  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  there,  given  him  by  his  father,  afterward 
returning  to  Illinois  for  a  year's  stav.  He  then 
spent  a  year  in  Henrv  county,  Missouri,  whence  in 
1875  he-  came  to  California.  For  five  years  after 
his  arrival  he  followed  farming  in  Sonoma  county, 
but  in  1880  came  to  Klickitat  countv  and  took  a 
homestead  three  miles  northwest  of  Goldendale. 
He  has  ever  since  devoted  his  time  to  cultivating 
and  improving  the  land  thus  secured  and  other  land 
acquired  later,  combining  agriculture  with  stock 
raising.  Although  he  moved  into  Goldendale  a  few 
vears  ago,  he  still  owns  and  cultivates  the  place. 
Mr.  Gano  is  an  energetic,  progressive  agriculturist, 
successful  in  an  unusual  degree. 


396 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


In  Greene  county,  Illinois,  on  the  20th  of  No- 
vember, 1854,  Mr.  Gano  married  Clarenda,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Amelia  A.  (Boyles)  Hoffman.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, became  a  resident  of  Greene  county,  Illi- 
nois, at  an  early  date  and  there  raised  his  family. 
He  was  of  Ge'rman  descent.  His  death  occurred  in 
1858.  His  wife  was  likewise  a  native  of  the  Blue 
Grass  state,  but  moved  to  Illinois,  and  died  there  a 
number  of  years  ago.  Mrs.  Gano  is  a  native  of 
Illinois,  born  August  29,  1834,  and  received  her 
education  in  its  common  schools.  She  and  Mr. 
Gano  are  parents  of  six  children,  Amelia,  now  Mrs. 
George  Mattox,  born  in  Greene  county,  in  1856, 
at  present  a  resident  of  Douglas,  Idaho ;  Mrs.  Mary 
O'Neil,  a  year  younger  than  Amelia,  also  born  in 
Greene  county,  now  in  Portland',  Oregon;  Laura 
and  George  B.,  both  born  in  Greene  county,  Illi- 
nois, in  the  years  i860  and  1863  respectively,  now 
at  home;  Toinett,  now  Mrs.  Dunn,  born  in  Mis- 
souri in  1866,  at  present  living  at  The  Dalles,  Ore- 
gon; and  Edmonia,  now  Mrs.  William  Stith,  born 
in  Missouri  in  1868.  Mr.  Gano  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church  and  politically,  a  Democrat.  He 
has  filled  the  office  of  school  clerk  in  district  No. 
25  and  in  many  other  ways  has  manifested  his 
willingness  to  discharge  such  duties  of  a  public 
nature  as  may  devolve  upon  him.  Industrious  and 
capable  in  his  business,  public  spirited  and  upright, 
he  enjoys  an  enviable  standing  in  his  community 
and  county. 


JOSEPH  C.  MOREHEAD,  one  of  the  oldest 
pioneers  of  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  and  a 
stockman,  living  in  the  city  of  Goldendale,  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  March  19,  1843. 
His  father,  Andrew  Morehead,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, but  early  came  to  the  United  States  and  set- 
tled in  the  Quaker  state.  He  brought  up  his  fam- 
ily in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  some  years  ago, 
being  stricken  with  the  cholera.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  whose  maiden  name  was  Ann  McKay,  was 
likewise  born  in  England,  but  she  died  in  her  native 
country. 

Joseph  C,  whose  life  is  the  theme  of  this  review, 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa, 
to  which  state  he  came  when  twelve  years  old.  His 
father  died  when  he  was  eleven  and  he  soon  after 
left  his  home  and  friends  and  went  to  Iowa,  where 
he  got  his  public  school  training.  In  1870  he 
moved  to  California  by  train.  After  remaining  in 
San  Francisco  for  a  brief  period,  he  took  the  boat 
to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  from  that  city  went  to 
Albany,  whence  the  same  fall  he  came  to  Klickitat 
county.  At  that  time  there  were  few  settlers  in  the 
county,  not  over  twenty  families  altogether.  He  set- 
tled on  a  homestead  a  mile  and  a  half  east  of  Gold- 
endale, upon  which  he  lived  for  twenty-four  con- 
secutive years,  putting  most  of  the  land  under  cul- 
tivation.    In   1894  he  removed  to  Goldendale,  and 


opened  a  meat  market,  establishing  a  business  which 
he  conducted  successfully  for  the  ensuing  seven 
years.  He  also  bought  and  sold  cattle  and  stock 
during  this  time.  In  1901  he  sold  the  market  to 
Hail  &  Files,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  business  alone,  buying  cattle  for 
the  Union  Meat  Company  of  Portland,  Oregon. 
He  owns  a  farm  of  120  acres  just  outside  of  Gold- 
endale. 

Mr.  Morehead  was  married  in  Iowa,  in  Septem- 
ber, 1865,  the  lady  being  Matilda,  daughter  of  Rob- 
ert Larkin.  Her  father,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
of  German  extraction,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation 
and  a  pioneer  of  Iowa,  to  which  state  he  went  when 
it  was  still  a  sparsely  settled,  wild  country.  He 
died  there  in  1863.  Mrs.  Morehead's  mother,  Re- 
becca, was  born  and  married  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
died  in  Iowa,  after  having  become  the  mother  of 
six  children.  Mrs.  Morehead  was  born  in  Iowa 
and  was  educated  in  its  public  schools.  She  and 
Mr.  Morehead  have  had  six  children,  namely,  Wil- 
liam, born  in  Iowa,  March  20,  1866;  Charles,  also 
born  in  Iowa,  two  years  later,  now  living  in  the 
Palouse  country;  Frank,  born  in  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  still  lives,  in  1872;  Mrs.  Ada  Lear,  born 
in  Klickitat  county  in  1875,  now  living  in  Golden- 
dale; Elmer,  two  years  her  junior,  also  living  in 
Goldendale ;  and  Edna,  born  in  1884,  the  present  as- 
sistant postmistress  of  Goldendale.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Morehead  is  connected  with  the  Masons  and  the 
Order  of  the  Eastern  Star.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  church,  and  in  politics,  a  Republican. 
His  ranch,  just  outside  the  city,  embraces  120  acres. 
An  old  pioneer  of  the  county,  he  is  very  widely 
known  among  its  citizens,  all  of  whom  respect  him 
as  a  man  of  integrity  and  sterling  worth. 


CHARLES  C.  ALVORD,  a  hotel  man  in  the 
city  of  Goldendale  and-one  of  the  prominent  citizens 
of  that  place,  was  born  in  Lake  county,  Illinois, 
October  23,  1859,  tne  son  of  Wolcott  and  Sarah 
K.  (Wilder)  Alvord.  His  father  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  born  in  New  York  state.  He  moved  to 
Waukegan,  the  county  seat  of  Lake  county,  when 
a  small  boy,  and  there  grew  to  manhood  and  was 
married.  He  lived  in  the  state  until  1869,  then 
removed  to  Minnesota,  where  he  followed  farming 
until  his  death.  His  wife  was  likewise  a  native  of 
New  York  state  and  grew  to  womanhood  there. 
While  in  Illinois  on  a  visit  to  her  brother,  she  met 
and  married  Mr.  Alvord  and  thereafter  she  contin- 
ued to  reside  in  Illinois  until  her  death,  which  oc- 
curred when- Charles  C.  was  eleven  years  old.  She 
was  of  English  descent.  Our  subject  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois  and  Minnesota.  At 
the  death  of  his  mother,  the  family  home  was  bro- 
ken up,  and,  with  his  father,  he  removed  to  the  latter 
state.  He  lived  there  until  eighteen  years  old, 
working  on  the  parental  farm  part  of  the  time. 
But,  in   1877,  his  father  having  married  again,  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


397 


left  home  and  went  to  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  where 
he  farmed  for  three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1880, 
he  came  to  Klickitat  county  and  entered  the  employ 
of  Mr.  Waldron,  who  owned  a  large  farm  and  stock 
ranch.  He  was  with  him  two  years.  His  next  em- 
ployment was  with  the  O.  R.  &  N.  Company,  in 
the  construction  department,  doing  bridge  work. 
He  remained  with  that  corporation  for  three  years, 
then  in  the  spring  of  1886  went  to  work  in  the  log- 
ging business  for  Pierce  Brothers  on  Bowman 
creek,  staying  with  them  until  the  spring  of  1889. 
Coming  then  to  Goldendale,  he  bought  a  livery  sta- 
ble and  he  has  continued  in  that  line  of  business  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  since.  He  operates  a  stage 
line  between  Goldendale  and  Grants,  Oregon,  at 
present.  In  June,  1903,  with  A.  J.  Ahola,  Mr.  Al- 
vord  built  "a  fine  hotel,  the  Central,  in  Goldendale, 
one  of  the  best  equipped  in  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try, modern  in  its  appointments  and  lighted  by  the 
only  electric  light  plant  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Alvord  was  married  some  years  ago  in 
Goldendale,  the  lady  being  Lizzie  B.,  daughter  of 
Hon.  Daniel  W.  and  Belinda  (Blake)  Pierce.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  in  Danville,  Au- 
gust 31,  1835,  was  a  mechanic.  A  pioneer  of  Ne- 
braska, he  took  part  in  the  Indian  war  in  that  state. 
He  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  1879  and  died  there, 
April  28,  1899,  after  having  exerted  a  powerful  in- 
fluence in  the  county's  affairs  for  many  years.  At 
the  time  of  his  death  he  was  state  senator  from  his 
district.  Mrs.  Pierce  was  likewise  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, born  September  19,  1830.  She  and  Mr. 
Pierce  were  parents  of  six  children.  Mrs.  Alvord 
was  born  in  Vermont  in  1866,  and  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Pennsylvania  and  Washington.  At 
the  early  age  of  seventeen  she  began  teaching  and 
for  three  years  she  followed  that  profession,  then 
was  married.  She  passed  away  in  Goldendale,  July 
1,  1899.  Her  brother,  Daniel  W.  Pierce,  lives  in 
the  city,  and  another  brother,  Elmer,  lives  in  North 
Yakima,  while  her  sisters,  Mrs.  Ella  D.  Adams  and 
Mrs.  Ruth  Hayden,  and  her  brother,  Edward,  al! 
live  in  Goldendale,  or  near  by.  Mr.  Alvord  is  a 
member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and  in  politics,  a  Republican. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  city  council  for  one  year. 
Besides  his  citv  property,  he  owns  a  ranch  of  240 
acres,  all  in  cultivation,  a  mile  from  the  town.  He 
is  a  genial  gentleman,  a  public  spirited,  progressive 
citizen,  and  a  successful  man  of  affairs. 


HOUGH  N.  FRAZER,  an  enterprising  business 
man  of  the  city  of  Goldendale,  handling  hardware 
and  building  material  in  his  store,  was  born  in  Sa- 
lem, Oregon,  July  13,  1865,  the  son  of  Hon.  John 
A.  and  Sarah  (Nicklin)  Frazer.  His  father,  a  na- 
tive of  Kentuckv,  was  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage. 
He  crossed  the  Plains  in  1849  and  settled  in  Polk 
county,  Oregon,  on  Salt  creek,  near  Salem.  He 
was  a  school  teacher  and  farmer  and  at  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1866   was  state  senator  from  Polk  coun- 


ty, serving  his  second  term  in  that  office.  He  was  a 
public  spirited  man  and  took  a  great  deal  of  interest 
in  the  development  of  the  country  surrounding  his 
home.:  His  wife,  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1841, 
crossed  the  Rains  to  Oregon  with  her  parents  in 
185 1  and  was  married  in  Marion  county,  Oregon. 
She  passed  away  in  1866.  She  was  likewise  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  Our  subject,  who  was  left 
an  orphan  at  the  age  of  one  year,  lived  with  his 
grandmother  until  he  was  seven  years  old,  then  for 
a  year  with  his  uncle,  William  Frazer,  then  took  up 
his  abode  with  Dr.  John  Nicklin,  another  uncle,  with 
whom  he  remained  until  thirteen  years  of  age.  He 
then  went  to  Portland  to  live  with  an  aunt,  and  he 
made  his  and  her  living  by  carrying  newspaper 
routes  after  school  hours.  He  graduated  from  the 
common  schools  of  Oregon  and  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een engaged  in  clerking.  He  was  employed  in  that 
capacity  for  five  years  in  various  stores  in  Portland. 
When  he  was  twenty-three  years  old  he  went  to 
eastern  Oregon  for  the  purpose  of  taking  up  land  in 
Gilliam  county,  but  on  account  of  his  poor  health  at 
the  time  he  abandoned  his  original  intention  and  ac- 
cepted a  position  as  deputy  county  clerk.  He  served 
in  that  position  for  seven  years  under  J.  P.  Lucas, 
who  was  afterward  register  of  the  land  office  at  The 
Dalles.  In  1895  Mr.  Lucas  resigned  his  position  as 
county  clerk  and  Mr.  Frazer  was  appointed  to  fill 
his  unexpired  term.  In  each  of  the  next  three  elec- 
tions he  was  the  Republican  candidate  for  that  office 
and  in  each  he  was  successful,  so  he  continued  to 
hold  the  position  until  1902.  In  1901,  just  previous 
to  the  expiration  of  his  last  term,  he  opened  a  hard- 
ware store  in  Condon,  Oregon,  with  a  Mr.  Clark, 
the  firm  name  being  Clark  &  Frazer.  He  sold  out  a 
prosperous  business  in  August,  1903,  and  after 
spending  a  couple  of  months  in  the  mountains  in 
recreation,  came  to  Goldendale  and  opened  his  pres- 
ent store.  A  judicious,  careful  and  able  business 
man,  he  is  achieving  a  splendid  success  in  this  under- 
taking. 

In  Pendleton,  Oregon,  on  May  14,  1890,  Mr. 
Frazer  married  Estella,  daughter  of  Milton  and  Va- 
linda  (Nicherson)  Houston.  Her  father,  who  was 
born  in  Ohio,  April  27,  1830,  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. In  the  early  days  he  towed  canal-boats,  and 
James  A.  Garfield,  afterward  president,  was  em- 
ployed with  him  at  the  same  work.  He  crossed  the 
Plains  when  a  young  man,  located  near  Albany,  Ore- 
gon, and  there  died  in  February,  1887.  His  wife  is 
also  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  May,  1844,  and  was 
married  at  Albany.  She  now  lives  in  the  city  of 
Spokane,  Washington.  Mrs.  Frazer,  their  daughter, 
was  born  at  Albany,  September  28,  1869,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  local  schools.  She  afterward  became  a 
dressmaker.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frazer  have  three  chil- 
dren, namely,  Rollo  H.,  born  in  Pendleton,  Oregon, 
July  5,  1891  ;  Zona  K.,  born  in  Condon,  March  24, 
1894;  and  Joe  A.,  also  born  in  Condon,  on  March  5, 
1903.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Frazer  is  affiliated  with  the 
following  lodges :     Masons,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  K.  of  P., 


398 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Woodmen  of  the  World,  Eastern  Star,  Rebekahs 
and  Rathbone  Sisters.  In  religion,  he  is  a  Congre- 
gationalism and  in  politics,  a  Republican.  He  served 
as  school  clerk  and  town  recorder  at  Condon,  during 
his  residence  in  that  place.  Besides  his  business  in 
the  city,  he  owns  three-quarters  of  a  section  of  Ore- 
gon land.  Although  a  resident  of  the  city  for  only 
a  short  time,  he  has  already  won  a  place  in  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  his  business  associates  and 
all  who  have  come  to  know  him,  and  he  is  represent- 
•ed  to  be  a  man  of  sterling  integrity  and  gentlemanly 
bearing. 


HOWARD  M.  SPALDING,  postmaster  of  the 
city  of  Goldendale,  and  a  carpenter  by  trade,  was 
born  in  Eaton  county,  Michigan,  August  13,  1857, 
the  son  of  Carlos  and  Helen  (Andrews)  Spalding. 
His  father,  a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain  state, 
born  in  Orleans  county  in  1823,  was  a  farmer.  He 
moved  to  Ohio  with  his  parents  when  twelve  years 
old  and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
state.  In  1848  he  went  to  Michigan  and  he  lived 
there  until  1877,  when  he  came  to  Klickitat  county. 
He  continued  to  reside  here  until  his  death  in  1896. 
He  was  of  English  parentage.  His  wife,  a  native  of 
New  York  statj,  was  ten  years  his  junior.  She 
moved  to  Michigan  with  her  people  in  1847  ar,d 
there  grew  up  and  was  married.  She  passed  away 
in  Klickitat  countv  in  1887.  Our  subject  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Michigan. 
He  remained  at  home  on  the  farm  until  nineteen 
years  old,  then  came  to  Washington  with  his  parents, 
and  helped  his  father  to  open  up  a  homestead.  He 
worked  on  the  land  for  two  years,  then  took  up  the 
carpenter's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  off  and  on 
for  a  number  of  years.  In  1883  and  1884  he  fol- 
'  lowed  his  trade  in  Yakima  City,  and  the  seasons  of 
1887  and  1888  were  spent  in  the  same  place.  In 
1897  he  was  appointed  by  President  McKinley  post- 
master of  Goldendale  and  in  1903  he  was  reappointed. 
The  fact  that  he  was  given  a  second  term  is  abun- 
dant proof  that  his  discharge  of  the  duties  of  his 
office  has  been  satisfactory. 

In  Klickitat  county  in  the  year  1883,  Mr.  Spald- 
ing married  Miss  Louisa,  daughter  of  Samuel  R. 
and  Susanna  (Hutton)  Darland.  Her  father,  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
early  removed  to  Illinois,  thence  to  Iowa  and  thence 
in  1865  to  Oregon,  the  trip  being  made  across  the 
Plains  with  ox  teams.  He  came  to  Klickitat  county 
in  1896  and  took  a  ranch  five  miles  northwest  of 
Goldendale,  but  later  he  moved  into  the  city,  where 
he  died  in  1903.  Mrs.  Spalding's  mother  was  of 
German  descent,  but  she  was  born  and  married  in 
Indiana.  Mrs.  Spalding  was  born  on  November  10. 
1862,  and  when  only  three  years  old.  crossed  the 
Plains  with  her  parents.  She  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Oregon.  She  has  nine  brothers 
and  sisters,  namely,  Ike  C,  a  traveling  salesman  for 
an  implement  house,  with  the  state  of  Washington 


for  his  territory;  Levi,  in  San  Francisco;  Mrs. 
Mary  Baker,  in  Forest  Grove,  Oregon ;  Mrs.  Har- 
nett Bryson,  in  Garfield,  Washington ;  Mrs.  Amanda 
Alberson,  at  Andrew,  Harney  county,  Oregon ;  Mrs. 
Alice  Gilmore,  in  North  Yakima;  .James,  at  Pull- 
man, Washington ;  Charles,  at  Arlington,  Oregon ; 
and  George,  in  Klickitat  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Spalding  have  nine  children,  namely,  Clyde,  born 
in  Klickitat  county  in  1884;  Guy,  born  two  years 
later ;  Ray,  born  the  succeeding  year ;  Edith,  Bruce, 
Martin,  Lynn,  Neva,  and  Gilman,  all  born  in  the 
county,  the  last  named  in  1902.  Mr.  Spalding  is  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  very  active,  taking  great 
interest  in  all  matters  of  local  or  national  concern. 
He  is  very  obliging  in  the  discharge  of  his  official 
duties,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  he  has  always 
demeaned  himself  so  as  to  cement  to  himself  the 
good  will  and  command  the  respect  of  those  with 
whom  he  is  associated. 


MELVILLE  M.  WARNER,  an  expert  black- 
smith of  Goldendale,  was  born  in  Marion  county, 
Illinois,  May  20,  1861,  the  son  of  William  J.  and 
Nancy  (Powell)  Warner.  His  father,  who  is  of 
German  parentage,  was  born  in  Ohio,  April  15,  1834. 
He  early  removed  to  Illinois  and  thence  in  1865  to 
Nebraska,  where  he  followed  his  calling,  that  of  a 
farmer,  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  He  then  migrated 
to  California,  and  made  his  home  there  for  nearly 
three  and  a  half  years.  In  the  summer  of  1878,  he 
moved  north  into  Oregon,  and  the  following  year 
came  to  Klickitat  county  and  settled  twenty-five 
miles  west  of  Goldendale,  where  he  resided  ten  years. 
He  then  went  to  Wenatchee,  and  there  he  still  lives. 
His  wife,  who  was  also  of  German  extraction,  was 
born  in  Iowa  on  the  6th  of  October,  1833.  She  was 
married  in  Illinois  on  the  nth  of  August,  1853,  and 
became  the  mother  of  two  children,  our  subject  and 
Mrs.  Rosa  A.  Drips,  of  Portland.  She  passed  away 
in  Klickitat  county,  in  1881.  Melville  M.  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Oregon,  to  which  state 
he  had  come  with  his  father  at  the  age  of  fourteen. 
He  remained  with  his  parents  until  twenty-one,  but 
upon  reaching  his  majority,  he  took  tip  a  homestead 
near  Hartland,  Washington,  and  upon  it  he  lived 
for  seven  years,  in  which  time  he  placed  over  a 
hundred  acres  of  the  land  in  cultivation.  He  had 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  when  a  young  man, 
and  in  1890  he  moved  to  Goldendale  and  bought  a 
half  interest  in  his  present  shop,  forming  the  firm 
of  Fenton  &  Warner.  The  partners  ran  the  shop  for 
four  years,  then  Mr.  Warner  bought  Mr.  Fenton 
out,  and  he  has  since  continued  to  run  the  business 
alone. 

Mr.  Warner  was  married  in  Klickitat  county, 
March  18,  1883,  the  lady  beins:  Lucinda  J.,  daughter 
of  Chester  and  Lucinda  J.  (Kistner)  Parshall.  Her 
father  is  of  English  parentage,  but  was  born  in  Mich- 
igan, in  1831.  Crossing  the  Plains  to  California  in 
1850,  he  followed  his  trade  there,  that  of  a  butcher, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


399 


for  a  number  of  years,  also  was  engaged  in  mining 
and  in  the  freighting  business.  In  October,  1878, 
he  came  to  Klickitat  county  from  Oregon,  where  he 
had  lived  a  little  over  a  year.  Locating  at  Hartland, 
he  resided  there  until  1895,  when  he  moved  to  North 
Yakima.  At  present  he  lives  at  Toppenish.  While 
in  North  Yakima,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his 
wife,  who  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  1841. 
Her  father,  a  harness  maker,  was  of  German  extrac- 
tion, as  was  also  her  mother.  The  family  crossed 
the  Plains  with  ox  teams  in  1855.  Two  years  after 
her  arrival  in  California,  she  was  married,  though 
only  sixteen.  Mrs.  Warner  was  born  in  San  Jose, 
California,  August  15,  1866,  and  was  educated  in 
the  California  and  Klickitat  county  schools.  A  few 
years  after  her  marriage  she  learned  the  dressmak- 
er's trade.  She  has  three  sisters  and  three  brothers 
living,  namely,  Mrs.  Caroline  C.  Shearer,  now  at 
Wilbur,  Washington;  Mrs.  Mary  Varker,  at  North 
Yakima ;  Mrs.  Gracie  Berry,  in  The  Dalles,  Oregon  ; 
Lyman,  Wilbert  and  Asa,  all  in  North  Yakima.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Warner  have  two  children,  namely,  Leon- 
ard M.,  born  at  Hartland,  September  22,  1884,  now 
living  at  Wasco,  Oregon,  and  Esther  V.,  born  in 
Goldendale,  November  21,  1895.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Warner  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.,  the  K.  of  P.,  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the 
Order  of  Washington,  and  the  Eastern  Star.  He 
is  past  noble  grand  of  Goldendale  Lodge,  No.  15, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  past  chancellor  of  the  K.  of  P.  Mrs. 
Warner  belongs  to  the  Eastern  Star,  the  Rebekahs 
and  the  Rathbone  Sisters.  Mr.  Warner  has  been  in 
the  city  council  at  four  different  times.  In  politics, 
he  is  a  Republican.  Besides  his  business  in  the  city, 
he  owns  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  twelve 
miles  east  of  Goldendale,  of  which  one  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  are  in  cultivation.  An  expert  at  his 
trade,  he  is  considered  by  some  the  best  blacksmith 
in  the  city,  while  as  a  man  and  a  citizen  his  standing 
is  most  enviable. 


HENRY  D.  BOGART,  a  retired  Klickitat  coun- 
ty farmer  and  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Goldendale, 
was  born  in  Roane  county,  Tennessee,  November  21, 
1833,  the  son  of  William  and  Mary  J.  (Preston) 
Bogart.  His  father,  who  was  of  German  descent, 
was  born  in  the  same  neighborhood  in  1803.  He  was 
likewise  a  farmer  bv  occupation.  He  removed  to 
Missouri  in  1844  and  after  fifteen  years  of  residence 
there,  went  to  Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1859.  His 
wife  was  also  a  native  of  Tennessee,  but  of  English 
parentage.  She  also  died  in  the  state  of  Illinois. 
Henry  D.,  the  subject  of  this  review,  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Missouri,  to  which 
state  he  removed  with  his  parents  when  ten  years 
old.  He  remained  at  home  until  eighteen,  then 
crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  team  to  California.  He 
mined  in  the  Golden  state  for  several  years,  then 
returned  home,  traveling  via  Panama  to  New  Or- 
leans, and  thence  up  the  Mississippi  river.     He  re- 


mained in  Illinois  seven  years,  engaged  in  farming, 
then,  in  1866,  removed  to  Missouri,  in  which  state 
his  home  was  until  1875,  when  he  went  to  Texas. 
In  1888  he  came  to  Klickitat  county  and  bought 
a  sawmill  on  Klickitat  creek,  some  six  miles  east 
of  Goldendale,  also  took  a  homestead  near-by.  He 
ran  the  mill  for  two  years,  after  which  he  turned  the 
business  over  to  his  boys.  Selling  his  farm  in  the 
spring  of  1903,  he  removed  into  the  city  and  he  has 
since  been  enjoying  a  well  earned  retirement. 

In  February,  1859,  m  tne  southeastern  part  of 
Missouri,  Mr.  Bogart  married  Mary  J.,  daughter  of 
Elisha  and  Jane  (Ward)  Turner.  Her  father,  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  of  Irish  extraction,  was  a 
preacher  and  farmer.  He  removed  to  Missouri  in 
1844,  and  some  sixteen  years  later  established  him- 
self in  the  southwestern  part  of  that  state,  where  he 
passed  away.  Mrs.  Turner  was  likewise  a  native  of 
Tennessee  and  grew  up  and  was  married  in  her  na- 
tive state,  but  died  in  Missouri.  Mrs.  Bogart  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  May  16,  1834,  but  was  educated 
in  Missouri.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church. 
She  and  Mr.  Bogart  have  six  children,  namely,  John, 
born  in  Missouri,  in  i860,  now  residing  in  Klickitat 
county;  Mrs.  Isabel  Allen,  born  in  Missouri,  two 
years  later;  Elisha  L.,  born  in  Illinois  and  now  re- 
siding in  Goldendale ;  William  W.,  born  in  Illinois ; 
Mollie,  now  Mrs..  Fane,  a  resident  of  Texas,  also 
born  in  Illinois,  and  Charles,  born  in  Missouri,  at 
present  living  in  Klickitat  county.  Mr.  Bogart  has 
served  as  school  director  and  held  other  local  offices. 
He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics.  Although  nearly  sev- 
enty-one years  old,  he  is  still  hale  and  active,  and 
takes  the  interest  that  all  public  spirited  citizens 
should  in  his  home  town,  in  which  he  has  some  prop- 
erty, and  in  the  affairs  of  county,  state  and  nation. 
He  enjoys  in  full  scriptural  measure  the  good  will 
and  respect  of  those  who  have  been  and  are  associ- 
ated with  him. 


ISAAC  C.  DARLAND,  of  Goldendale,  Wash., 
traveling  salesman  for  the  Gaar-Scott  Company,  in 
charge  of  the  Spokane  territory  for  the  firm,  was 
born  in  Warren  county,  Illinois,  December  30,  1849. 
His  father,  Samuel  R.  Darland,  was  a  farmer  of  the 
state  of  Indiana,  born  in  November,  1825.  He  came 
west  to  the  Willamette  valley,  Oregon,  in  1865, 
crossing  the  Plains  with  mules  and  horses.  During 
this  trip  the  entire  outfit  was  captured  by  the  Indi- 
ans near  Fort  Hallock,  after  a  fierce  encounter  in 
which  some  were  killed  on  both  sides.  He  came  to 
Klickitat  county  in  1876,  and  died  June  18,  1903. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Susanna  (Hutton) 
Darland,  a  Kentuckian,  born  in  1829.  She  crossed 
the  Plains  with  her  husband  in  1865,  and  died  De- 
cember 4,  1900. 

Our  subject  was  seventeen  years  old  when  he 
came  west  with  his  parents  across  the  Plains,  and 
he  was  one  of  a  posse  of  emigrants,  and  a  detach- 
ment of  soldiers  from  Fort  Hallock,  that  followed 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  Indians  who  attacked  their  wagon  train  and  stole 
all  his  father's  horses  and  mules.  An  engagement 
took  place  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  the  fort,  re- 
sulting in  much  loss  on  both  sides,  but  while  the 
Indians  were  brought  to  terms,  they  had  in  some 
mysterious  manner  spirited  away  the  stolen;  stock, 
which  was  never  recovered.  When  the  boy  was 
seventeen,  he  gave  his  father  $200.00  to  let  him  re- 
move from  home  and  start  out  in  the  world  for  him- 
self, and  when  a  little  over  twenty-two  years  of  age 
he  removed  to  Klickitat  county,  where  he  settled 
permanently  the  following  year.  At  the  time  he  came 
to  the  county  there  was  no  city  of  Goldendale,  but 
the  place  was  named  the  same  winter  for  the  orig- 
inal founder,  John  J.  Golden.  For  twenty  years 
after  his  arrival  he  followed  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing, having  taken  up  a  homestead  and  bought  a  band 
of  cattle  the  first  year  of  his  residence.  From  1893 
to  1896  he  traveled  for  the  Advance  Thresher  Com- 
pany. He  was  appointed  postmaster  of  Goldendale 
by  President  Cleveland,  in  1893,  the  duties  of  the 
office  being  attended  to  by  his  wife  and  son.  About 
this  time  he  invested  heavily  in  the  Farmers'  Mer- 
cantile Company,  and  los.t  a  large,  amount  of  money 
thereby.  After  leaving  the  employ  of  the  Advance 
Thresher  Company  he  was  with  the  Buffalo  Pitts 
Company  for  two  years,  traveling  throughout  Ore- 
gon, Washington  and  Idaho.  He  then  became  con- 
nected with  the  Gaar-Scott  Company,  in  whose 
service  he  still  is.  Mr.  Darland  was  married  in  1871 
to  Sarah  A.  Hawse,  a  daughter  of  one  of  the  old 
Oregon  pioneer  families.  She  was  born  on  the 
plains  of  the  Snake  river,  while  en  route  to  Oregon, 
and  died  in  1882,  leaving  four  children,  Arminta  A., 
now  deceased;  Merton  A.,  now  employed  in  Baker 
Brothers'  store  at  Goldendale;  Earl  W.,  at  Mohler, 
Idaho,  and  L.  C,  deputy  in  the  treasurer's  office  at 
Goldendale. 

Mr.  Darland  was  married  a  second  time  in  June, 
1884,  the  lady  being  Lida  M.  Kurtz,  a  native  of 
Minnesota.  Her  parents  removed  to  California  when 
she  was  quite  young.  She  was  of  German  descent 
on  her  father's  side,  and  her  mother  was  a  native  of 
York  state.  For  seven  or  eight  years  previous  to 
her  marriage  she  taught  school,  part  of  this  time  in 
Goldendale.  She  died  November  25,  1900.  The 
following  children  were  born  to  this  marriage : 
Bessie  M.,  now  at  Bellingham,  Washington,  attend- 
ing the  state  normal  school,  and  Bertie  C,  living 
with  an  uncle  near  Pullman,  Washington.  Mr. 
Darland  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  K.  of  P., 
A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  Rathbone  Sisters.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Democrat.  He  was  nominated  for  sheriff 
of  Klickitat  county  in  1874,  and  came  within  four 
votes  of  election  in  a  Republican  county.  He  has 
been  quite  active  in  politics  in  past  years,  and  used 
to  attend  the  state  and  county  conventions  regularly. 
He  owns  a  farm  in  Latah  county,  Idaho,  but  his 
home  is  in  Goldendale.  In  the  earlv  days  he  did 
considerable  freighting  between  The  Dalles,  Oregon, 
and   Ellensburg,   Washington,   bringing    flour   and 


other  goods  back  from  Yakima  City.     He  now  de- 
votes his  entire  time  to  his  soliciting  business. 


WILLIAM  FLEMING  BYARS,  editor  and 
proprietor  of  the  Goldendale  Sentinel  and  deputy 
county  surveyor  of  Klickitat  county,  was  born  in 
Wilbur,  Oregon,  February  26,  1871.  He  is  the  son 
of  William  H.  and  Emma  A.  (Slocum)  Byars,  the 
father  being  one  of  Oregon's  most  prominent  and 
popular  citizens.  William  H.  Byars,  who  is  also  a 
newspaper  man,  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1839,  tne  de- 
scendant of  a  Virginia  family.  He  crossed  the 
Plains  to  Oregon  in  the  fifties  with  his  mother  and 
stepfather,  John  Mires,  and  settled  in  Douglas  coun- 
ty. As  a  young  man  he  became  United  States  mail 
carrier  on  the  Oregon-California  route  and  during 
the  Modoc  war  had  some  very  narrow  escapes  from 
death.  He  was  on  the  early  government  surveys 
through  Oregon  and  Washington  and  still  follows 
that  line  of  work.  His  first  newspaper  was  the 
Roseburg  Plaindealer,  which  he  purchased  in  1873 
and  changed  to  a  Republican  journal.  He  was  elect- 
ed state  printer  in  1882  and  while  in  Salem  bought 
the  Daily  Statesman,  which  he  conducted  for  several 
years.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Daily 
and  Weekly  Journal.  Besides  holding  the  position 
of  city  engineer  of  Salem,  he  was  for  a  number  of 
years  surveyor  general  of  Oregon  with  headquar- 
ters at  Portland.  He  was  afterward  appointed  com- 
mandant of  the  Soldiers'  Home  in  Roseburg  and 
served  in  that  capacity  four  years.  In  the  early 
seventies  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  Umqua  Academy 
and  also  served  as  superintendent  of  schools  of 
Douglas  county.  At  present  Mr.  Byars  makes  his 
home  in  Salem,  where  he  follows  his  engineering 
profession.  His  wife  is  a  native  of  Kentucky ;  her 
father  was  born  in  Massachusetts  and  mother  in 
Ohio.  The  family  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in 
the  early  fifties,  settling  in  Douglas  county.  William 
F.  remained  with  his  parents  throughout  all  his 
early  life,  living  in  Wilbur,  Roseburg,  Salem  and 
Portland.  He  was  graduated  from  the  public 
schools  of  Salem  and  took  a  business,  scientific  and 
Latin  course  in  the  Willamette  University.  During 
his  father's  service  as  surveyor  general,  William 
was  draughtsman  and  clerk  in  the  office  and  at  this 
time,  also,  attended  the  Oregon  Law  School  in  Port- 
land. Very  early  in  life  he  learned  the  printer's 
trade,  so  that  he  might  assist  his  father,  and  also 
acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  surveying,  being 
now  a  United  States  deputy  surveyor.  His  first  work 
was  with  his  father  on  the  survey  for  the  extension 
of  the  Oregon  &  California  Railroad  from  Roseburg 
in  1881.  In  1893  Mr.  Byars  came  to  Goldendale, 
and  took  charge  of  the  Sentinel,  being  a  stockholder. 
After  a  six  months'  stay,  he  returned  to  Portland 
and  worked  as  a  draughtsman  in  the  United  States 
surveyor  general's  office  until  the  next  summer. 
Then  he  returned  to  Klickitat  county  and  resumed 
charge  of  the  paper,  and  has  continued  in  charge 


BIOGHAPHICAL. 


401 


ever  since.  Gradually  he  has  acquired  the  interests 
of  others  in  the  plant  until  at  present  he  is  practi- 
cally the  sole  proprietor.  The  Sentinel  has  the  dis- 
tinction of  having  been  the  only  Republican  paper 
in  the  only  Republican  county  of  eastern  Washing- 
ton at  the  time  of  President  McKinley's  first  elec- 
tion. It  is  a  progressive,  ably  edited  journal,  which 
has  not  only  acquired  a  high  standing  at  home,  but 
is  well  known  throughout  the  state.  A  comprehen- 
sive sketch  of  the  Sentinel  appears  in  the  press 
chapter. 

Mr.  .Byars  was  married  at  Goldendale,  May  4, 
1893,  to  Miss  Ada  Nesbitt,  a  daughter  of  Hon.'  Jo- 
seph Nesbitt  of  this  city.  He  was  one  of  Klicki- 
tat's pioneers  and  a  prominent  citizen  during  his 
entire  life.  At  one  time  he  served  this  district  in 
the  legislature.  He  was  county  commissioner  six 
years  and  county  auditor  two  terms.  At  the  time 
of  his  death,  quite  recently,  he  was  manager  of  the 
Goldendale  Milling  Company.  Miss  Nesbitt  was 
born  in  Kansas.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Conserva- 
tory of  Music,  of  Willamette  University,  Salem,  and 
is  an  accomplished  musician.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Byars 
have  five  children,  William  Nesbitt,  Azalea,  Alfred 
Theodore,  and  Marguerite  and  Miriam,  twins.  Mr. 
Byars  has  one  brother  living,  Dr.  Alfred  H.  Byars, 
residing  in  California,  and  one  dead,  Dr.  J.  Rex 
Byars,  at  one  time  surgeon  on  the  line  of  the  Port- 
land &  Asiatic  Steamship  Company ;  he  also  has 
two  sisters,  Mrs.  S.  W.  Thompson  and  Miss  Vera, 
living  in  Salem.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Byars  is  connect- 
ed with  the  Masons,  Knights  of  Pythias,  Artisans 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen.  In  1899  he  was  ap- 
pointed county  surveyor  by  the  board  of  commis- 
sioners and  served  the  rest  of  the  term ;  he  had  acted 
in  that  capacity  before  for  several  months,  also  as 
deputy  assessor.  Mr.  Byars  has  been  connected 
with  various  public  enterprises  since  he  came  to 
Klickitat  county  and  in  private,  official  and  profes- 
sional life  has  ever  sought  the  welfare  of  his  com- 
munity. Energetic,  able  and  with  progressive  ideas, 
he  is  one  of  Goldendale's  popular  business  men  and 
a  citizen  of  influence. 


ARTHUR  C.  CHAPMAN,  ex-county  treasurer 
of  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  and  now  engaged 
in  the  furniture  business  in  the  city  of  Goldendale, 
was  born  in  Mauchchunk,  the  county  seat  of  Car- 
bon county,  Pennsylvania,  April  11,  1861.  His 
father,  William  Chapman,  is  a  native  of  England, 
born  in  1836,  and  married  in  the  old  country.  He 
is  a  physician,  also  a  minister  of  the  Advent-Chris- 
tian church.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1854, 
settling  first  in  New  York,  from  which  he  soon 
afterward  removed  to  Iowa,  becoming  a  pioneer  of 
the  latter  state.  In  1878  he  came  to  Klickitat  coun- 
ty and  took  a  homestead,  upon  which  he  lived  until 
1890,  when  he  moved  to  Seattle  and  engaged 
there  in  the  practice  of  his  two  professions.  He  was 
government  physician   at   Fort   Simcoe   during  the 


years  1884  and  1885,  and  while  residing  in  Klickitat 
county  also  practiced  medicine.  At  the  time  of  his 
arrival  in  the  county  the  Indians  were  on  the  ram- 
page in  Idaho  and  Oregon,  on  account  of  which  the 
settlers  of  Washington  were  thoroughly  alarmed. 
In  fact,  a  majority  of  them  removed  with  their  fam- 
ilies "either  to  Goldendale  or  The  Dalles.  Mr.  Chap- 
man and  a  companion  were  engaged  in  herding  sheep 
on  Rock  creek  at  the  time,  and  one  day  a  band  of 
renegade  Klickitats  surrounded  them.  For  four 
days  the  white  men  were  imprisoned.  Their  relief 
was  accomplished  by  Father  Wilbur,  the  Yakima 
Indian  agent,  who  came  unarmed  from  Fort  Simcoe, 
held  a  pow-wow  with  his  wards  and  succeeded  in 
dispersing  them.  Mrs.  Chapman's  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  S.  Newman.  She  was  born  in  Bir- 
mingham, England,  September  3,  1836,  and  married 
February  14,  1854.  The  aged  couple  celebrated  their 
golden  wedding  February  14,  1904.  Arthur  C,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  Iowa,  and  was  nineteen  years  old  when  he  came 
with  his  parents  to  Klickitat  county.  He  farmed  on 
the  homestead  until  his  marriage  in  1883,  then  en- 
gaged in  the  grocery  business  in  Goldendale  for  a 
period  of  three  years,  afterwards  returning  to  farm- 
ing. Eight  years  later,  as  the  candidate  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  he  was  elected  county  treasurer  and 
moved  his  residence  to  Goldendale  ;  that  was  in  1894. 
So  satisfactory  were  his  official  services  that  he  was 
accorded  the  indorsement  of  a  re-election  in  1896, 
serving  until  January  1,  1899.  After  the  expira- 
tion of  his  second  term,  Mr.  Chapman  engaged  in 
his  present  business.  Few  men  in  the  county  are 
more  familiar  with  grain  than  he,  as  he  was  for 
thirteen  years  a  grain  buyer  at  Columbus.  Among 
his  possessions  is  a  valuable  fruit  farm  on  the  Co- 
lumbia river. 

Mr.  Chapman's  marriage  was  celebrated  August 
8,  1883,  the  bride  being  Miss  Mary  Hinshaw,  a  na- 
tive of  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  born  in  1863.  When 
twelve  years  old  she  was  taken  to  California  by  her 
parents  and  three  years  later  came  to  Klickitat  coun- 
tv.  Her  parents  are  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Hadley) 
Hinshaw,  who  are  among  Klickitat's  pioneer  citi- 
zens. Mrs.  Chapman  has  seven  brothers  and  sisters, 
Tunis  T.,  Vernon  T.,  Elmer  E.,  Orie,  Ella,  Laura 
and  Ida.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chapman  have  a  family  of 
six  bright  children,  of  whom  Floyd  is  the  oldest 
and  Chester  A.  the  youngest.  The  others  are  Veva 
M.,  Merle  M.,  Orell  C,  and  Roy  B.  Mr.  Chapman 
is  a  member  of  the  Advent-Christian  church,  and, 
fraternally,  is  connected  with  the  Order  of  Wash- 
ington. His  wife  belongs  to  the  Women  of  Wood- 
craft. He  is  an  ardent  Republican.  His  fellow 
townsmen  have  shown  their  confidence  in  him  by 
electing  him  city  councilman  ;  also,  a  school  director 
for  a  "number  of  terms.  The  cause  of  education 
specially  interests  him,  and  considerable  of  his  time 
has  been  given  to  the  betterment  of  Goldendale's 
schools.  He  is  an  energetic,  progressive  and 
straightforward  man,  and  is  making  a  success  of  his 


402 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


business.     He  commands  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  fellow  men. 


JOSEPH  A.  BECKETT,  proprietor  of  a  plan- 
ing mill  and  lumber  yard  in  the  city  of  Goldendale, 
Klickitat  county,  Washington,  was  born  in  Peterbor- 
ough county,  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada, 
January  4,  1854.  He  is  the  son  of  James  and  Nancy 
(Mcintosh)  Beckett.  His  father,  who  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  in  the 
city  of  Glasgow,  in  1809.  He  came  to  Canada  in 
1818,  and  across  the  line  into  Michigan  in  1869, 
where  he  died,  May  12,  1902.  The  mother  of  our 
subject  was  likewise  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  in 
1815.  She  passed  away  in  1855.  Joseph  A.  Beck- 
ett, of  this  review,  grew  to  manhood  at  Saginaw, 
Michigan,  working  on  the  farm  until  about  sixteen 
years  old,  and  attending  the  common  schools.  He 
also  took  a  course  in  the  British  Commercial  Col- 
lege at  Toronto,  Canada.  He  went  to  Marshall 
county,  Kansas,  in  1879,  and  began  farming,  his 
younger  brothers  and  sisters  being  with  him  at  the 
time.  Coming  to  Klickitat  county  in  1889,  he  start- 
ed to  work  in  the  planing  mill  conducted  by  Beckett 
&  Pierce,  the  senior  partner  being  his  half-brother, 
David.  He  bought  the  business  in  1901,  and  has 
since  continued  to  run  the  mill  and  yard. 

At  Goldendale,  August  30,  1893,  Mr.  Beckett 
married  Mrs.  Addie  (Sturgis)  Goddard,  who  was 
born  at  Vancouver,  Washington,  in  1862.  Her 
father,  Orville  Sturgis,  an  old  Washington  pioneer, 
died  years  ago.  Mary  (Goddard)  Sturgis,  her 
mother,  was  born  in  Ohio,  and  now  lives  in  Golden- 
dale. At  present  she  is  Mrs.  Allen.  Mr.  Beckett 
has  three  sisters,  and  two  brothers,  all  his  elders, 
also  one  brother,  James,  deceased.  His  sisters,  Bar- 
bara and  Jeanette,  live  in  Ontario,  Canada,  and  his 
brother,  John,  resides  in  Pomona,  California.  He 
has  a  sister  living  at  Portland,  Oregon,  by  name 
Margaret.  His  half-brothers  and  sisters  are,  David 
Beckett,  a  resident  of  Portland,  Oregon ;  Jane,  who 
lives  in  Myrtle  Creek,  Oregon ;  Sarah,  who  makes 
her  home  at  Walla  Walla ;  Thomas,  a  resident  of  the 
town  of  Medford,  Oregon;  Ada,  living  in  Walla 
Walla,  and  William,  now  deceased.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Beckett  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  the  Circle,  while 
in  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  Besides  his  business 
property  in  the  city,  he  owns  a  modern  residence. 
Industrious  and  capable,  and  possessed  of  many  vir- 
tues as  a  man  and  citizen,  he  has  won  the  respect 
and  good  will  of  his  community  generally. 


WILLIAM  P.  FLANARY,  a  photographer  in 
the  city  of  Goldendale,  in  Klickitat  county,  Wash- 
ington, and  an  artist  in  his  line  of  work,  was  born 
in  Washington  county,  Oregon,  October  10,  1864, 
the  son  of  Thomas  G.  and  Emily  J.  (Chamberlain) 
Flanary.     His  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was 


born  in  Andrew  county,  Missouri,  in  1828.  His 
people  were  early  pioneers  of  that  state.  He  crossed 
the  Plains  with  oxen  in  185 1  and  settled  in  Marion 
county,  Oregon,  where  he  took  up  a  donation  claim, 
situated  eighteen  miles  from  Salem.  The  trip  across 
the  Plains  was  made  without  any  encounters  with  the 
numerous  bands  of  Indians  roving  over  the  country, 
but  the  party  helped  to  bury  many  settlers,  during 
the  trip,  who  had  fallen' victims  to  the  murderous 
Indians ;  and  when  they  arrived  in  Oregon,  the  Indi- 
ans were  on  all  sides.  He  removed  to  Washington 
county  in  1859,  where  he  had  bought  an  interest  in 
a  grist-mill,  and  later  he  purchased  a  farm  in  the 
neighborhood.  Coming  to  Klickitat  county  in  1878, 
he  bought  a  farm  here,  but  after  six  years'  residence- 
on  the  property  he  moved  to  Goldendale,  his  health 
being  precarious.  He  served  in  the  city  council  for 
a  time.  His  health  continued  poor  and  in  June, 
1899,  he  passed  away.  His  wife,  who  was  born  in 
the  Blue  Grass  state,  in  1833,  also  died  in  1899. 

William  Flanary  resided  in  Washington  county, 
Oregon,  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen,  and* 
during  this  time  worked  on  the  farm.  On  account 
of  his  health  he  did  not  attend  school  very  much 
while  in  Oregon,  but  later  attended  the  Goldendale 
schools,  and  also  took  a  commercial  course  in  a 
business  college  at  Portland,  Oregon.  He  taught 
one  term  of  school,  but  did  not  like  the  work,  so 
turned  his  attention  to  teaming,  an  occupation  which 
he  followed  for  twelve  months.  He  next  bought  into 
the  photograph  business  with  his  married  sister, 
Mrs.  Sonora  Hess,  and  they  did  a  good  deal  of  view 
work  besides  the  work  in  the  studio.  Finding  this 
kind  of  employment  to  his  taste,  he  has  since  fol- 
lowed it  in  the  city,  except  for  a  period  of  eight 
months  in  1900.  In  the  early  part  of  that  year  he 
sold  out,  but  later  he  returned  to  Goldendale  and 
opened  another  studio,  which  he  still  continues  to 
conduct. 

Mr.  Flanarv  married,  at  Walla  Walla,  on  Wash- 
ington's birthday  of  the  year  1898,  Miss  Mary 
Blackburn,  a  native  of  Morgan  county,  Ohio,  born 
in  1874.  When  she  was  an  infant,  her  mother  died, 
but  her  father,  R  C.  Blackburn,  is  still  living.  She- 
followed  school  teaching  in  the  middle  west  for 
several  vears,  later  coming  to  Umatilla  countv.  Ore- 
gon, with  a  sister,  and  still  later  to  Goldendale, 
where  she  also  taught  and  where  Mr.  Flanary  met 
her.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flanary  have  one  child,  Ruth 
Emily,  born  September  3,  1900.  Mr.  Flanary  has 
four  brothers  and  sisters,  namely,  Susan  J.,  now 
Mrs.  Shearer,  a  resident  of  North  Yakima;  Mrs. 
Sonora  A.  Hess,  also  living  in  North  Yakima ;  Mrs. 
Letitia  Bonebrake,  wife  of  a  Goldendale  physician, 
and  Tasper  G.  Flanary,  an  electrician.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Flanary  is  a  Knistfit  of  Pvthias  and  one  of  the 
charter  members  of  Friendship  Lodge,  No.  37,  of 
Goldendale ;  also  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Wash- 
ington. He  was  an  active  Brvan  man  during  the 
last  campaign.  Besides  his  business  in  the  citv.  he 
owns  six  and  a  half  acres  adjoining  the  city  limits 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


403 


and  a  two-fifths  interest  in  a  four  hundred-acre 
farm.  He  has  been  administrator  of  the  joint  inter- 
ests of  the  heirs  of  his  father  for  some  time.  Besides 
his  photographic  business,  he  writes  insurance  poli- 
cies. He  is  a  successful  business  man,  with  a  host 
of  friends  in  the  city  and  surrounding  country. 


JAMES  PETER  NELSON,  a  well-to-do  citizen 
of  the  city  of  Goldendale,  Washington,  by  trade  a 
brick  and  stone  mason  and  plasterer,  was  born  in 
Denmark,  about  seven  miles  from  Copenhagen,  No- 
vember 12,  1840.  He  is  the  son  of  Peter  and  Han- 
nah (Jensen)  Nelson,  both  natives  of  Denmark,  in 
which  country  they  died  a  number  of  years  ago. 
James  P.  was  educated  in  the  Danish  schools,  and 
started  in  to  learn  his  trade  soon  after  he  completed 
his  education.  He  worked  in  the  old  country  for  some 
time  as  a  mason,  but  in  1866  came  to  the  LTnited 
States  and  settled  at  Waupaca,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
followed  his  trade  for  a  period  of  almost  fourteen 
years,  succeeding  well  and  saving  his  money.  He 
next  came  west  to  Goldendale,  Washington,  arriving 
October  22,  1880,  and  took  a  contract  to  dig  a 
large  ditch.  This  work  was  also  a  financial  success. 
On  its  completion,  he  once  more  took  up  his  trade, 
which  he  has  followed  in  this  city  most  of  the  time 
since.  He  has  invested  in  property  and  bought  a 
number  of  city  business  blocks,  having  been  able 
with  his  ample  means  to  pick  up  many  bargains  in 
land  and  buildings,  as  they  were  offered.  Among 
his  city  property  is  the  corner  building  now  occupied 
by  the  Waters  Dry  Goods  Company. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  married,  in  Denmark,  June  17, 
1865,  to  Miss  Anna  Gabrielson,  a  daughter  of  Ga- 
briel and  Cecilia  (Hansen)  Gabrielson,  and  they 
now  have  a  family  of  six  children :  Esther,  a  resi- 
dent of  Goldendale ;  Mrs.  Aba  Fisher,  who  resides  in 
Portland,  Oregon;  Mrs.  Elvina  McKee,  living  in 
Goldendale ;  Oscar  and  Midas.  Mr.  Nelson  has  one 
sister,  now  Mrs.  Mary  Johnson,  a  resident  of  Walla 
Walla,  Washington.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran church,  and  politically,  a  Republican.  In  1894 
he  was  elected  county  coroner,  and  he  has  held  that 
office  for  two  terms.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  fac- 
tors in  the  town  in  financial  matters  and  a  shrewd 
business  man,  successful  in  all  his  undertakings. 


WILLIAM  J.  STORY,  editor  and  proprietor 
of  the  Klickitat  County  Agriculturist,  a  sketch  of 
which  will  be  found  in  the  press  chapter,  is  one  of 
southern  Washington's  pioneer  newspaper  men  and 
a  pioneer  of  Klickitat  county.  For  nearly  a  quarter 
of  a  century  he  has  been  engaged,  through  the  me- 
dium of  the  press  and  otherwise,  in  the  upbuilding  of 
the  county  and  city  in  which  is  his  home,  and  is  to- 
day more  active  than  ever  in  promoting  the  prosper- 
ity and  advertising  the  resources  of  the  Klickitat 
country.  Editor  Story  comes  of  an  old  pioneer 
family  of  Dutchess  county.   New  York,   and  him- 


self was  born  in  Poughkeepsie,  the  county  seat,  Au- 
gust 18,  1853.  His  father,  James  E.  Story,  a  farmer 
and  stockman,  was  also  born  in  Dutchess  county, 
the  date  being  December  20,  1823.  His  ancestors 
originally  came  from  England  and  settled  in  the 
Empire  state  in  an  early  day.  He  came  west  to 
this  county  in  1880,  and  settled  upon  a  homestead 
near  Bickleton,  where  he  lived  until  death  overtook 
him  not  long  ago.  The  mother,  Electa  (Ellsworth) 
Story,  was  born  in  Ulster  county,  New  York,  of 
English  parentage ;  she  passed  away  a  short  time 
before  the  death  of  her  husband.  William  J.  spent 
his  early  life  in  his  native  state.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  and  the  academy  near  his  home,  thus 
securing  a  good  education.  Then  he  entered  the 
printing  office  of  the  Eagle,  in  Poughkeepsie,  where 
he  learned  the  printer's  trade.  After  serving  his 
apprenticeship,  he  was  employed  in  New  York  City 
a  time,  then  came  west  with  his  parents  in  1880.  Ar- 
riving here,  he  at  once  began  work  on  the  Klickitat 
Sentinel  and  remained  faithfully  with  that  journal 
ten  years,  or  until  1892,  and  a  year  afterward  he 
established  the  Klickitat  County  Agriculturist.  The 
venture  was  a  success  from  the  start  and  for  twelve 
years  has  been  one  of  the  county's  strong  papers  and 
one  of  the  most  influential  Republican  journals  in 
southern  Washington.  The  Agriculturist  now  has 
a  circulation  of  1,200,  its  newsy  columns  and  well 
written  editorials  being  eagerly  read  throughout  this 
section.  One  of  the  Agriculturist's  strong  features 
is  its  enthusiastic  public  spiritedness  and  hearty  sup- 
port of  all  worthy  public  enterprises. 

Mr.  Story  is  still  single,  and  of  his  immediate 
family  only  one  other  member  is  living,  James  E. 
Story,  a  brother,  who  resides  in  Bickleton.  Frater- 
nally, Mr.  Story  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  the 
Maccabees,  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  its  auxil- 
iary, the  Women  of  Woodcraft.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  junior  deacon  of  the  Goldendale  Masonic 
lodge.  He  is  an  active  and  a  prominent  worker  in 
his  party,  though  never  himself  becoming  an  offi- 
cial. Most  of  his  attention  is  given  strictly  to  the 
welfare  of  his  business,  and  by  the  installation  of 
modern  equipment,  he  has  made  the  Agriculturist 
office  highly  efficient  in  job  work.  Though  many 
obstacles  have  arisen  in  years  gone  by  to  block  the 
path  of  progress,  with  true  family  courage  and  en- 
ergy he  has  overcome  all  and  won  an  enviable  suc- 
cess in  business  and  social  life.  Known  as  a  man 
of  conscientious  principles,  sound  judgment  and  ag- 
gressiveness, the  editor  of  the  Agriculturist  has 
drawn  to  his  side  a  host  of  ardent  supporters  and 
admirers  and  has  attained  to  a  position  of  influence 
among  his  fellows,  both  in  his  profession  and  out 
of  it. 


WILLIAM  ENDERBY,  a  progressive  business 
man  in  the  city  of  Goldendale,  and  proprietor  of  an 
implement  and  vehicle  house,  was  born  in  Lincoln- 
shire, England,  August   12,   1865,  the  son  of  John 


404 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  Eliza  (Benton J  Enderby.  His  father,  a  wagon 
maker  by  trade,  and  likewise  an  Englishman,  died 
in  his  native  land  in  1889.  His  mother  still  lives  in 
England,  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight.  Our  subject 
grew  to  manhood  in  England,  and  there  learned  the 
wagon  and  carriage  maker's  trade.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  his  native  land,  but  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three  went  to  Chile,  South  America, 
where  he  was  employed  in  the  government  car  shops 
for  a  period  of  three  years.  He  also  worked  for 
Balfour  Lyons  &  Company  for  some  time  as  fore- 
man of  their  railroad  car  department.  He  was  in 
Chile  during  the  revolution,  and  also  at  the  time 
the  United  States  had  some  difficulty  with  the  coun- 
try, and  President  Harrison  had  to  send  the  cruiser 
Baltimore  to  protect  American  citizens,  and  their 
interests.  He  left  that  country  in  1892,  and  came 
to  Tacoma,  Washington,  where  he  stayed  about 
twelve  months.  Late  in  1893  he  removed  to 
Goldendale,  where  he  followed  the  trade  of  a  car- 
penter for  five  years.  He  opened  his  present  store 
in  1898,  putting  up  his  own  building,  and  he  has 
since  worked  up  a  lucrative  trade,  his  success  being 
due  chiefly  to  the  faithfulness  with  which  he  has 
attended  to  business. 

March  27,  1901,  Mr.  Enderby  married  Mrs. 
Ruth  Hayden,  daughter  of  D.  W.  Pierce,  an  old 
pioneer  and  mill  man  of  Klickitat  county.  Mrs. 
Enderby  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1873,  and 
came  west  to  Klickitat  county  with  her  parents  when 
a  small  girl.  Her  father  and  her  mother,  Mrs.  Be- 
linda Pierce,  are  both  deceased.  Her  brother,  D. 
W.  Pierce,  is  foreman  of  the  planing  mill  in  Gold- 
endale, owned  by  the  White  Pine  Lumber  Company. 
Mrs.  Enderby  has  one  son  by  her  first  marriage, 
Orlin  Hayden.  Mr.  Enderby  has  three  brothers 
and  one  sister,  all  living  in  England,  and  all  younger 
than  he.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  I.  O. 
O.  F.  and  Goldendale  Camp,  No.  5899,  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  in  the  latter  of  which  orders 
he  is  clerk ;  politically  he  is  a  Republican,  but,  aside 
from  serving  in  the  city  council,  he  has  never  held 
any  elective  office,  nor  has  he  sought  any.  His 
realty  holdings  include,  besides  his  business,  some 
valuable  Goldendale  property.  An  industrious,  pro- 
gressive business  man,  a  good  citizen  and  a  worthy 
member  of  society,  he  has  won  for  himself  and  still 
retains  an  honored  place  in  his  home  city  and  in  the 
count  v. 


CHARLES  H.  TEALE,  a  prosperous  Klickitat 
county  farmer,  resides  on  his  ranch  of  four  hundred 
acres,  known  as  the  Old  Blockhouse  farm,  seven 
miles  northwest  of  the  city  of  Goldendale.  He  was 
born  in  Coshockton  county,  Ohio,  September  20, 
1839,  the  son  of  Martin  G.  and  Catherine  (Clark) 
Teale.  His  father,  born  in  Pennsylvania,  November 
l<  I793>  was  a  teacher  and  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  came  of  an  old  English  family,  of  means  and 
title, with  a  coat-of-arms  emblazoned  with  two  ducks. 


Having  completed  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  Quaker  state,  he  afterwards  went  to 
the  West  Indies  as  superintendent  of  a  sugar  fac- 
tory. He  was  a  pioneer  of  Ohio  and  died  there  in 
1859.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was  likewise 
of  English  descent,  was  born  in  Culpeper  county, 
Virginia,  in  181 2.  Her  father  served  in  the  war 
which  broke  out  between  the  Americans  and  British 
in  that  year.  She  died  January  25,  1903.  Charles 
H.  Teale,  of  this  review,  grew  to  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  in  Ohio,  working  on  his  father's  farm  much  of 
the  time.  He  attended  school  for  seven  years,  at 
the  same  time  running  the  farm,  for,  as  he  was  the 
oldest  child,  the  burden  of  the  work  fell  on  his 
shoulders.  When  twenty-two  years  old,  he  went  to 
Illinois,  and  in  1865  took  up  eighty  acres  of  land 
near  Greenwood,  about  twenty  miles  from  Lincoln, 
Nebraska.  He  had  bought  land  in  the  same  locality, 
prior  to  that  time,  and  on  the  home  he  created  out  of 
his  realty  holdings  he  lived  for  eighteen  years.  In 
1883,  he  moved  to  California ;  still  retaining  his 
Nebraska  property ;  and  for  a  period  of  five  years 
he  ran  a  fruit  farm  in  Napa  county.  He  then  moved 
to  Oregon,  and,  after  traveling  about  the  state  for 
some  time,  settled  at  Pomeroy,  Washington,  where 
he  lived  two  years.  He  later  moved  to  Monmouth, 
Oregon,  where  he  resided  until  July,  1903,  engaged 
in  fruit  raising.  At  that  time  he  came  to  Golden- 
dale, and  bought  his  present  ranch  a  few  miles  from 
the  city. 

Mr.  Teale  was  married,  December  12,  1867,  at 
Lincoln,  Nebraska,  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Parker,  who 
was  born  in  Ross  county,  Ohio,  but  was  brought 
up  in  Piatt  county,  Illinois.  At  the  time  of  their 
marriage,  Lincoln  was  in  the  first  year  of  its  city- 
hood;  now  it  is  the  state  capital.  John  Parker,  his 
wife's  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born  in 
Maryland,  December  18,  1809,  and  passed  away  in 
Nebraska,  of  which  state  he  was  a  pioneer,  May 
30,  1885.  Mrs.  Parker  was  born  in  Virginia,  to 
Scotch-Irish  parents,  November  10,  1815,  the  young- 
est of  a  family  of  seven.  Her  father  participated  in 
the  War  of  1812.  She  passed  away  September  15, 
1882.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Teale  have  had  eight  children 
— Ella  Opal  and  Myron  E.,  now  deceased ;  J.  Clark, 
born  in  Cass  county,  Nebraska,  June  15,  1869; 
Clinton  P.,  James  D.  and  Charles  Gardner,  born 
the  former  two  in  Nebraska,  the  latter  in  California, 
April  28,  1874,  November  21,  1882,  and  November 
9,  1887,  respectively.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Teale  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church,  and  Mr.  Teale  is  a 
Prohibitionist.  He  is  a  thrifty  farmer,  and,  al- 
though a  late  comer  in  the  locality,  has  already  won 
the  esteem  of  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country. 


CARL  BURTON  WEBB,  an  enterprising 
young  business  man  of  the  city  of  Goldendale,  and 
a  partner  in  the  firm  of  I.  A.  Webb  &  Co.,  which 
handles  a  large  stock  of  furniture,  carpets,  etc.,  was 
born  in  Fullerton,  the  countv  seat  of  Nance  countv, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


405 


Nebraska,  on  the  17th  of  February,  1883.  He  is 
the  son  of  Isaac  A.  and  Kittie  L.  (Burton)  Webb. 
His  father,  a  large  property  owner  in  the  town  of 
Medford,  Oregon,  was  born  in  Nebraska,  on  the 
30th  of  October,  1853,  but  settled  in  Medford  in 
1884.  At  that  time  there  were  but  five  or  six  houses 
in  the  town ;  at  present  it  is  a  well-built  and  growing 
city  of  3,000  inhabitants.  He  invested  extensively 
in  real  estate ;  and  opened  a  furniture  store  a  number 
of  years  ago,  which  he  sold  in  1901.  He  is  now  a 
man  of  means,  being  the  owner  of  considerable 
property  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  various  other 
places,  besides  his  holdings  in  Medford  and  Golden- 
dale.  He  is  of  English  and  German  descent,  and 
his  wife  of  English  and  Irish.  The  latter  is  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  born  December  12,  1862.  Our  sub- 
ject was  but  twelve  months  old  when  his  parents 
removed  to  Medford,  and  he  grew  up  and  was  edu- 
cated in  that  town,  attending  the  high  school,  and 
later  taking  a  business  course.  He  worked  in  his 
father's  store  for  some  time,  then  entered  the  employ 
of  the  Heywood  Brothers  &  Wakefield  Company,  a 
Portland  firm,  doing  a  large  furniture  and  willow- 
ware  business.  He  started  at  the  bottom,  but,  being 
apt  and  quick  to  learn,  was  shortly  made  a  sales- 
man. Leaving  their  employ  in  October,  1902,  he, 
with  his  father,  at  once  purchased  the  present  busi- 
ness in  Goldendale,  of  which  he  has  had  charge  from 
the  start.  His  father  travels  most  of  the  time,  look- 
ing after  his  various  interests.  The  firm  owns  its 
own  building,  and  keeps  always  on  hand  a  large 
stock  of  up-to-date  goods ;  also  has  an  upholstering 
and  repair  department  connected  with  the  store. 

On  February  17,  1904,  Mr.  Webb  married  Miss 
Ethel  Elliott,  in  Portland,  Oregon.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Hugh  and  Adelia  Elliott,  her  father 
foreman  of  the  O.  R.  &  N.  car  shops,  at  Albina, 
Oregon.  She  was  born  in  Canada.  Mr.  Webb  has 
two  sisters  living — Pearl  Nelson  Webb  and  Mrs. 
Edith  M.  Welch,  the  latter  a  resident  of  Baker  City, 
Oregon.  He  adheres  to  the  Christian  church,  and 
his  wife  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  A  few  years  ago  he  was  assistant 
city  recorder  in  Medford.  By  strict  attention  to 
business,  he  has  worked  up  a  large  and  lucrative 
trade,  and  the  prospects  for  further  development  of 
his  business  are  bright. 


LUTHER  C.  CAPLES.  manager  and  head  mill- 
er for  the  Goldendale  Milling  Company,  at  Golden- 
dale,  was  born  in  Platte  county,  Missouri,  July  19, 
1853,  tne  son  of  Luther  W.  and  Jane  E.  (Cunning- 
ham) Caples.  His  father  was  a  practicing  physician, 
born  in  Ohio,  but  of  German  parentage.  He  moved 
to  Missouri  when  a  young  man,  and  there  followed 
his  practice  and  also  entered  the  general  merchan- 
dise business.  A  very  prominent  man,  he  helped  to 
lay  out  the  townsite  of  Leavenworth,  Kansas,  and 
later  that  of  Olathe,  the  county  seat  of  Johnson 
county,  to  which  part  he  had  removed  and  in  which 


he  had  taken  up  a  homestead.  Going  eventually  to 
St.  Louis,  Missouri,  he  followed  railroad  work  there 
for  several  years,  afterwards  removing  to  Kansas 
City,  Missouri,  where  he  took  up  the  same  line  of 
work.  But  his  health  failed,  owing  to  the  confine- 
ment of  office  work,  and  he  returned  to  Kansas  and 
took  up  farming,  following  that  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  December  11,  1894.  His  wife,  a 
native  of  Fredericksburg.  Virginia,  removed  to 
Kentucky  with  her  people  when  a  young  girl,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  state.  She  died 
in  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  in  1902. 

The  man  whose  name  forms  the  caption  of  this 
article  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  He  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  then  took  up  the 
miller's  trade  in  Kansas  City,  entering  the  mill  of 
P.  G.  Willhoit.  He  worked  for  two  years  as  an 
apprentice,  thoroughly  learning  the  trade,  then 
entered  Price  &  Company's  mill.  He  remained 
with  them  four  years,  leaving  the  position  of 
head  miller  in  1881  to  go  to  Columbus,  Kan- 
sas. He  conducted  a  flour-mill  in  that  city  until 
the  fall  of  1883,  when  he  came  west  to  Oregon  City, 
Oregon,  and  took  charge  of  a  mill  for  Sibson, 
Church  &  Company.  Twelve  months  were  spent  in 
their  employ,  then  a  year  at  Milwaukee,  Oregon,  a 
town  near  Portland,  in  charge  of  a  mill,  then  he  re- 
turned to  Oregon  City,  himself  rented  a  mill  and 
remained  in  possession  of  it  for  two  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  this  period  he  engaged  with  the  Port- 
land Flouring  Mill  Company,  of  Oregon  City,  with 
which  he  remained  nine  years,  holding  during  eight 
of  these  years  the  position  of  head  miller  in  two  of 
their  mills  with  respective  daily  capacities  of  300 
and  600  barrels.  His  next  undertaking  was  the  re- 
modeling of  a  mill  at  Toledo,  Washington,  for  Cap- 
tain O.  Kellogg,  a  task  which  kept  him  busy  for 
four  months.  Then  he  completely  overhauled  a  mill 
at  Roseburg,  Oregon,  consuming  four  months'  more 
time.  The  ensuing  three  years  were  spent  in  work 
of  like  nature,  in  various  parts  of  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington. His  next  place  of  residence  was  Palouse 
City,  where  he  remained  seven  months.  Coming  to 
Goldendale  in  Mav,  1900,  he  took  a  position  with 
the  Goldendale  Milling  Company  and  he  has  been 
discharging  the  duties  of  head  miller  for  them  ever 
since.  He  has  an  interest  in  a  mill  at  Mohler, 
Idaho. 

Mr.  Caples  married,  near  Libertv,  Missouri,  the 
day  before  Christmas,  1879,  Miss  Annie  R.  Oldham, 
daughter  of  James  Oldham,  a  Kentucky  farmer,  of 
English  descent.  He  removed  to  Indiana  in  18^3, 
and  thence  some  years  later  to  Missouri,  in  which 
state  he  afterwards  passed  away.  Mrs.  Caples' 
mother,  Anna  (Neale)  Oldham,  a  native  of  Scott 
county,  Kentucky,  died  in  Missouri  in  T878.  She 
was  of  Scotch  and  English  descent.  Mrs.  Caples 
was  born  in  Indiana,  February  15,  18^4.  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that  state  and  of 
Missouri.     She  and  Mr.  Caples  have  had  two  chil- 


406 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


dren — Ethel,  who  was  born  in  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri, in  1880,  and  died  when  two  years  old,  and 
Mrs.  Nina  Divine,  born  at  Columbus,  Kansas,  in 
1883,  now  living  in  Goldendale  with  her  husband. 
Mr.  Caples  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  was  president  of  the  Y.  M  C.  A.  of  Oregon 
City,  while  located  there.  Fraternally,  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in 
politics  is  a  Democrat.  He  served  two  terms  in  the 
city  council  of  Oregon  City.  A  thoroughly  compe- 
tent workman,  and  a  man  of  unusual  ability  in  his 
line,  he  has  achieved  a  very  enviable  success  as  a 
miller,  winning  a  wide  reputation  for  thoroughness 
and  skill.  He  has  also  taken  a  position  of  leader- 
ship in  the  social  life  of  the  various  communities  in 
which  he  has  lived,  gaining  the  esteem  and  respect  of 
all  who  have  known  him  intimately. 


DAVID  A.  MASTERS,  a  young  miller  of  Gold- 
endale, and  a  popular  member  of  society,  was  born 
in  Goldendale,  June  19,  1883.  He  is  the  son  of 
Thurston  L.  and  Mary  J.  (Story)  Masters,  the 
former  a  native  of  Oregon  and  a  butcher  by  trade. 
The  older  Masters  was  born  in,  Washington  county 
May  9,  1851,  the  son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Sarah  J. 
Masters,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  pioneers  of  Ore- 
gon of  1843,  both  now  deceased.  He  learned  the 
butcher  business  at  the  age  of  thirteen  and  worked 
at  it  for  several  years  afterward,  also  following 
stage  driving  as  an  occupation  for  some  time.  He 
came  to  Klickitat. county  in  the  spring  of  1871  with 
a  band  of  cattle  and  took  a  pre-emption  claim 
twelve  miles  east  of  Goldendale,  which  he  later  sold. 
He  moved  into  the  city  in  1878,  bought  a  butcher 
shop,  and  continued  to  run  the  business  until  1898, 
then  disposed  of  it.  He  kept  a  hotel  and  stable  at 
the  Summit  Place,  between  Goldendale  and  North 
Yakima,  for  two  years.  At  present  he  is  a  resident  of 
Goldendale,  as  is  also  his  wife,  who  is  the  daughter 
of  David  and  Pheba  (Pugh)  Storey,  natives  of  Ten- 
nessee and  Kentucky,  respectively.  She  was  herself 
born  in  Illinois  October  24,  1853,  but  was  edu' 
cated  in  the  schools  of  Washington  county,  Oregon, 
and  married  at  Goldendale  the  dav  before  Christ- 
mas, 1872,  at  the  age  of  twenty.  David  A.  Masters 
is  one  of  a  family  of  five.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Goldendale,  also  attended  the 
Klickitat  Academv  and  took  a  course  in  the  state 
university  at  Seattle.  He  learned  the  butcher's  trade 
from  his  father  when  a  boy  of  twelve,  and  at  the 
age  of  seventeen  accepted  employment  in  a  drug; 
store  in  his  native  town.  After  following  that  busi- 
ness for  nearly  a  year  he  gave  it  up  and  spent  a  sea- 
son on  the  farm.  In  the  fall  of  1901  he  started  in 
his  present  business  under  L.  C.  Caples.  of  the 
Goldendale  Milling  Company,  and  he  has  now 
learned  the  miller's  trade  thoroughly  and  still  fol- 
lows it.  Mr.  Masters'  sisters  and  brothers  are: 
Sarah  E.,  now  Mrs.  Hess,  living  in  Goldendale ; 
Mrs.  Ethel  Russell,  now  at  Silverton,  Oregon ;  Sarah 


S.  and  Howard  T.,  at  home  with  their  father  and 
mother. 

Mr.  Masters  was  married  on  May  5,  1902,  the 
lady  being  Miss  Pearl  E.  Shoemaker,  a  native  of 
Washington.  Her  father,  Peter  Shoemaker,  came 
to  Klickitat  county  in  1878,  and  ■  passed  away  in 
1902.  Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Catherine 
Ames.  Mrs.  Masters  was  born  in  Centerville, 
Klickitat  county,  and  received  her  primary  educa- 
tion in  the  local  schools,  later  attending  a  Portland 
school.  She  took  a  course  in  elocution  in  the  latter 
institution,  becoming  an  accomplished  elocutionist. 
She  and  Mr.  Masters  have  one  child,  Evelyn,  born 
in  Ellensburg  December  18,  1903.  Fraternally.  Mr. 
Masters  is  connected  with  the  Maccabees  and  the 
Order  of  Washington,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, while  his  religious  faith  is  that  of  a  Method- 
ist. With  youth  still  his,  and  with  a  good  trade 
well  learned  and  plenty  of  energy  and  ability,  he  can 
hardly  fail  to  exert  a  very  sensible  influence  in  the 
material  and  social  development  of  his  native  town. 


WILLIAM  E.  HORNIBROOK,  a  prosperous 
and  well-known  farmer  and  stockman,  resides  two 
and  one-half  miles  south  of  Goldendale,  Washing- 
ton. He  is  a  Canadian  by  birth,  born  October  4, 
1851.  His  father,  Samuel  Hornibrook,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Canada,  was  a  minister  and  farmer,  but  con- 
fined his  pastoral  work  largely  to  the  community  in 
which  he  resided.  The  mother,  Sarah  (Dwyer) 
Hornibrook,  also  of  Canadian  nativity,  is  now  re- 
siding in  Goldendale. 

William  E.  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Canada.  Until  twenty-one  years  of 
age  he  lived  at  home  with  his  parents,  and  during 
that  time  gained  experience  both  as  a  school  teacher 
and  a  lumberman  in  the  lumber  camp  which  his 
father  then  maintained,  in  addition  to  learning  agri- 
culture. When  twenty-one  years  old  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Iowa,  and  there  followed  rail- 
roading for  four  months.  Abandoning  this  occupa- 
tion he  purchased  a  farm,  and  for  fifteen  years  fol- 
lowed farming  independently.  His  next  move  was 
in  1888  to  the  Klickitat  valley,  where  he  acquired 
the  fine  farm  of  several  hundred  acres,  which  he 
occupies  at  present. 

Mr.  Hornibrook  was  married  in  Cherokee  coun- 
ty, Iowa,  June  21,  1882,  to  Miss  Ellen  F.  Lau- 
camp. She  was  the  daughter  of  Bernard  Laucamp. 
a  farmer  and  stockman,  and  native  of  Prussia, 
after  leaving  the  old  country  for  America,  serve 
in  the  Mexican  war.  The  mother,  Sarah  (^Rice) 
Laucamp,  was  born  in  Wisconsin.  From  Wiscon- 
sin Mrs.  Hornibrook's  parents  moved  to  Iowa, 
where  she  was  educated  in  the  common  schools. 
When  twenty-four  years  of  age  she  married  Mr. 
Hornibrook.  Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hornibrook.  namely:  Samuel,  in  Iowa, 
May  28.  1883 :  Sadie  and  Cvnthia,  twins.  September 
15/1885,  and  William,   September  22,   1892.     Mr. 


JL.au- 

:amp. 
who, 
erved 


ALBERT   K.    BROCKMAN.    M.    D. 


NELSON  B.    BROOKS. 


IREDELL  S.   STONE. 


SAMUEL  SINCLAIR. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


407 


Hornibrook  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  is  now  serving  honorably  as  a  trustee 
of  his  church  society.  He  has  served  several  terms 
as  a  school  director,  and  in  this,  as  in  other  matters, 
his  judgment  has  rarely  been  found  faulty.  In  the 
fall  of  1902  he  was  elected  county  commissioner  by 
the  Republican  voters  of  his  county  for  a  term  of 
four  years.  His  farm  now  comprises  640  acres  of 
excellent  land,  and  is  supplied  with  all  necessary 
implements  and  stock  to  carry  on  successfully  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  It  is  Mr.  Hornibrook's  belief 
that  the  slip-shod  method  of  farming,  for  which 
farmers  have  often  been  justly  criticised,  is  destined 
to  become  a  thing  of  the  past.  In  accordance  with 
his  conviction,  he  is  setting  an  excellent  example 
in  the  management  of  his  own  ranch.  The  judgment 
of  his  fellow  men  in  selecting  him  for  the  responsi- 
ble office  he  now  fills  has  proven  good,  .for  he  is 
universally  credited  with  being  a  faithful,  capable 
officer.  Commanding  the  confidence  of  those  around 
him  and  the  frienship  of  those  with  whom  he  is  inti- 
mate, Mr.  Hornibrook  is,  indeed,  one  of  Klickitat's 
leaders. 


ALBERT  F.  BROCKMAN,  M.  D.  Numbered 
with  those  capable,  energetic,  broad-minded  citizens 
of  Klickitat  county  who  are  devoting  the  best  that  is 
in  them  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  country  in  general 
and  the  Bickleton  section  in  particular  is  he  whose 
name  initiates  this  paragraph.  For  more  than  a 
decade  he  has  been  prominently  identified  with  the 
progress  of  his  community.  Born  in  Pleasant 
Mount,  Missouri,  June  4,  1868,  Albert  F.  Brockman 
is  a  son  of  James  M.  and  Martha  E.  (Adcook) 
Brockman,  of  German  and  English  descent,  re- 
spectively. The  elder  Brockman  is  a  native  of  the 
Buckeye  state,  born  in  1841.  When  a  boy  he  was 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Missouri,  they  being  among 
the  first  settlers  of  Miller  county,  where  he  was 
engaged  many  years  in  farming.  He  also  served 
for  a  number  of  years  as  sheriff  of  that  county.  He 
served  as  a  Union  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  was 
under  General  Sherman  for  more  than  three  years, 
participating  in  most  of  that  famous  general's  great 
engagements.  In  1890  he  came  to  Washington, 
locating  in  Kittitas  county,  where  he  now  lives,  his 
home  being  at  Ellensburg.  Mrs.  Martha  (Adcook) 
Brockman,  who  is  also  living,  was  born  in  1847. 
Missouri  remained  the  home  of  Albert  F.  until  he 
had  attained  man's  estate.  There  he  received  his 
education,  and  for  the  first  sixteen  vears  of  his  life 
lived  on  the  farm.  He  then  secured  emplovment  as 
a  clerk  in  one  of  the  stores  of  his  native  town  and 
later  entered  the  drug  store  of  his  uncle,  Henrv  H. 
Brockman,  who  was  also  a  physician.  .His  ambi- 
tions to  be  a  phvsician,  too,  were  soon  aroused,  and 
he  immediately  began  the  studv  of  medicine.  When 
twentv  vears  of  age  he  matriculated  at  the  American 
Medical  School,  of  St.  Louis.  Missouri,  and  from 
that   institution    he   received  his   degree  two  years 


later,  in  1890.  His  first  location  was  at  Russell- 
ville,  Missouri,  but  after  a  few  montns  he  crossed  the 
continent  to  Friday  Harbor,  San  Juan  island,  Wash- 
ington, whence  on  February  12,  1891,  he  came  to 
the  sparsely  settled  Bie-kleton  country.  The  young 
doctor  made  friends  and  prospered.  He  opened  a 
drug  store  in  the  town  of  Bickleton  in  1894,  and 
four  years  later  was  able  to  erect  the  present  sub- 
stantial Brockman  block,  in  which  he  placed  the 
drug  store  and  a  furniture  establishment.  From 
time  to  time  he  has  increased  his  business  interests, 
among  other  things  which  have  claimed  his  attention 
being  the  extensive  buying  and  selling  of  stock,  in 
all  of  which  he  has  done  well. 

Dr.  Brockman  married  Miss  Anna  E.  Sigler, 
the  daughter  of  James  C.  and  Frances  E.  (Moore) 
Sigler,  at  Bickleton,  September  5,  1895.  She  is  of 
German  and  English  stock  and  was  born  in  Lake 
county,  California,  in  November,  1877.  Her  father 
was  a  pioneer  of  the  Golden  state,  as  also  of  Klickitat 
county,  to  which  he  came  in  1883.  Mrs.  Sigler  is 
a  Washingtonian,  born  near  Walla  Walla.  Both 
parents  are  still  living,  residents  of  Oregon.  One 
child,  Cecil  C,  born  June  17,  1896,  has  blessed  the 
union  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Brockman.  Dr.  Brockman 
has  one  brother,  George  B.,  living  at  Ellensburg, 
and  three  sisters — Mrs.  Lucy  J.  Hick,  of  Ellensburg 
also;  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Sharp,  of  Boise,  Idaho,  and 
Mrs.  Bessie  O.  Riegel,  a  resident  of  the  Kittitas 
valley.  The  doctor  is  one  of  the  most  prominent 
men  in  fraternal  circles  in  this  section  of  the  state. 
He  holds  membership  in  the  following  lodges : 
Olive  Branch  Lodge,  No.  89,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. ;  Sim- 
coe  Lodge,  No.  113,  K.  of  P. ;  Bickleton  Camp,  No. 
6249,  M.  W.  A.;  Arlington  Lodge,  No.  63,  A.  O. 
U.  W. ;  Excelsior  Lodge,  No.  in,  I.  O.  O.  F. ; 
Homestead  Lodge,  No.  20,  B.  A.  Y.,  and  Wheatland 
Union,  No.  74,  Order  of  Washington.  He  has  held 
every  office  in  the  local  Odd  Fellow  lodge  and  has 
been  a  delegate  for  many  years  to  the  grand  lodge 
of  that  order.  In  politics  he  is  also  active.  For  ten 
years  he  has  attended  the  Republican  state  conven- 
tions as  a  delegate,  and  he  is  now  serving  his  party 
as  central  committeeman.  He  has  not  only  won 
success  in  his  Drofession,  but  has  built  up  large 
interests  in  business  lines,  being  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Clanton.  Mitty  &  Company,  a  stockholder  in 
the  Bank  of  Bickleton,  owner  of  the  northern  part  of 
Bickleton's  townsite,  besides  owning  a  drug-  store, 
furniture  store,  and  other  valuable  town  property : 
he  is  also  a  dealer  in  horses.  The  doctor  is  one  of 
the  county's  truly  successful  citizens,  respected  by 
his  fellow  men  and  popular  with  al1  who  know  him 
because  of  his  genial,  generous  qualities. 


HON.  NELSON  B.  BROOKS.  Prominent 
among  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  Klickitat 
county,  widelv  and  favorably  known  throughout 
southern  Washington  and  northern  Oregon,  a  suc- 
cessful business  man  and  a  leading  attorney  of  the 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


state  in  which  he  resides  is  the  subject  of  this  bio- 
graphical sketch.  His  labors  have  been  directed  along 
many  lines,  but,  notwithstanding  this  diversity,  he 
has  won  success  in  all  and  has  developed  to  an  un- 
usual degree  that  rare  and  characteristically  Ameri- 
can quality — versatility.  Amid  the  pine  forests  of 
Lenawee  county,  Michigan,  Nelson  B.  Brooks  was 
born  January  23,  1858,  the  son  of  Emory  E.  and 
Martha  (Taylor)  Brooks,  pioneers  of  that  state. 
Emory  E.  Brooks  was  of  English  parentage,  born 
in  New  York  state,  but  in  1840,  when  eight  years 
old,  was  brought  to  the  Michigan  frontier  and  was 
there  educated  and  reared.  The  discovery  of  gold 
in  California  drew  the  young  pioneer  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  1850,  the  lad  bravely  making  the  hazardous 
journey  across  the  continent.  He  plunged  at  once 
into  the  placer  fields  with  such  success  that  within 
three  years  he  accumulated  a  small  fortune.  With 
this  he  returned  to  his  Michigan  home,  via  the 
Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  bought  large  tracts  of  wild 
land,  which  he  improved  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
However,  the  attractions  of  the  Pacific  proved  too 
strong  for  him  to  resist,  and  in  1874  he  recrossed 
the  plains,  settling  in  Washington  county,  Oregon, 
where  he  still  lives.  Mrs.  Brooks  was  also  a  native 
of  New  York,  born  in  1838,  who  came  to  Michigan 
when  a  child,  and  died  there  while  still  a  young 
woman;  she  was  of  Scotch  descent.  Nelson  B.  was 
fifteen  years  old  when  he  came  to  Oregon  with  his 
father.  '  He  assisted  on  the  farm  and  attended  school 
during  the  next  five  years,  receiving  a  high  school 
education.  Then,  when  twenty  years  old,  he  com- 
menced teaching  school,  first  in  Washington  and 
Yamhill  counties.  Oregon.  He  came  to  Klickitat 
county  in  the  month  of  May,  1880.  and  that  spring 
filed  on  a  homestead  claim  lying  twenty  miles  west 
of  the  city.  The  succeeding  seven  years  he  made 
this  farm  his  home  during  the  summer  months  and 
taught  school  in  the  surrounding  country  during 
the  winter  months.  Four  years  after  coming  to  the 
countv  he  was  elected  principal  of  the  Goldendale 
school,  and  capably  filled  this  position  during  the 
years  1885  and  1886,  leaving  it  late  in  1886  to  be- 
come county  superintendent  by  appointment  to  fill 
an  unexpired  term.  In  that  capacity  he  served  five 
years,  being  twice  elected  to  the  same  office  after- 
ward. While  superintendent  he  determined  to  enter 
the  legal  profession,  and.  with  that  end  in  view, 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Hiram  Dustin  four  years. 
His  energy  and  perseverance  were  rewarded  by  his 
admittance  to  the  bar  October  8,  1892,  after  having 
passed  a  creditable  examination  before  the  state 
board  of  examiners.  He  at  once  opened  an  office 
in  Goldendale,  and  since  that  date  has  been  steadily 
rising  into  prominence  in  his  chosen  profession.  As 
an  attorney,  Mr.  Brooks  won  national  recognition  in 
1898  through  his  victory  over  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railway  Company  in  a  suit  involving  the  title  to 
230,000  acres  in  Washington  and  Oregon.  The 
case  was  dropped  by  the  company  after  decisions 
had  been  rendered  against  it  by  the  superior  and 


state  supreme  courts.  Mr.  Brooks,  who  fought  the 
settlers'  case  unaided,  won  his  magnificent  victory 
through  the  establishment  of  an  interpretation  new 
to  the  courts  of  the  United  States.  For  his  services 
he  received  a  sum  that  did  not  even  pay  his  ex- 
penses, acting  for  a  small  coterie  of  poor  settlers. 
The  history  of  this  notable  case  is  treated  elsewhere 
in  this  volume. 

At  Middleton,  Oregon,  August  12,  1883,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Rosa  Olds,  a  native  Ore- 
gonian,  born  April  25,  1861,  to  the  union  of  Green 
and  Eveline  Olds.  The  father,  who  now  lives  with 
his  daughter  in  Goldendale,  is  of  English  parentage 
and  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  the  year  1824.  He 
went  to  Coldwater,  Michigan,  when  a  young  man 
and  resided  there  until  1852,  when  he  crossed  the 
Plains  and  settled  at  Middleton,  Oregon.  He  was 
Middleton's  postmaster  for  a  quarter  of  a  century; 
by  trade  he  was  a  wagon  maker  and  a  blacksmith. 
Mrs.  Olds  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  went  to 
Michigan  as  a  child.  She  was  educated  in  Michigan 
and  there  married.  For  many  years  previous  to  her 
marriage  she  taught  school.  Her  death  occurred  at 
Goldendale  in  1902.  Mrs.  Brooks  was  educated  in 
the  schools  of  Washington  county  and  in  the  Mc- 
Minnville  high  school.  She  taught  school  previous 
to  her  marriage,  spending  six  years  in  the  profes- 
sion in  Oregon  and  Washington.  One  child,  Zola 
O.,  born  in  Goldendale,  July  18,  1892,  blesses  the 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brooks.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brooks  take  a  keen  interest  in  the  social  life  of  the 
community  and  are  inestimably  rich  in  loyal  friends 
and  well  wishers.  Mr.  Brooks  is  identified  with 
the  Masons,  Knights  of  Pythias,  United  Artisans, 
Eastern  Star  and  Rathbone  Sisters,  and  Mrs.  Brooks 
belongs  to  the  auxiliary  lodges.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat,  though  in  1882,  when  barely  twenty-two 
years  of  age,  he  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket 
as  Klickitat's  representative  in  the  territorial  legis- 
lature. In  1898  he  was  the  Fusion  candidate  for 
state  senator  from  his  district.  During  the  year 
1895  he  served  as  mayor  of  Goldendale.  He  was 
city  attorney  for  the  two  succeeding  years,  and  for 
the  past  ten  or  twelve  years  has  been  a  member  of 
the  city  council.  Mr.  Brooks  also  served  as  the 
county's  first  court  commissioner:  Always  a  mili- 
tary enthusiast,  he  was  for  five  years  adjutant  of 
the  Second  regiment.  Washington  National  Guard. 
His  property  interests  are  large,  including  the  own- 
ership of  a  large  portion  of  the  townsite  of  Golden- 
dale, a  modern  two-story  brick  block  on  Main  street, 
a  controlling  interest  in  the  opera  house,  two  other 
valuable  business  blocks  and  400  acres  of  timber 
land.  He  has  been  largely  instrumental  in  securing 
a  railroad  for  the  valley,  by  his  own  personal  efforts 
obtaining  the  greater  part  of  the  C.  R.  &  N.'s  right 
of  wav.  As  early  as  1895  he  took  a  leading  interest 
in  railroad  agitation,  raising  $1,300  that  year  for 
the  purpose  of  making  surveys  and  himself  becoming 
a  member  of  the  surveying  partv.  He  then  col- 
lected an  additional  $2,000  from  Goldendale's  busi- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


409 


ness  men,  and  with  this  money  the  first  mile  of  road 
was  graded  northward  from  Lyle.  Mr.  Brooks  is 
recognized  by  all  as  a  leader,  and  none  has  done 
more  toward  the  upbuilding  of  Klickitat  county  and 
Goldendale  than  this  "self-made"  man  of  the  peo- 
ple. His  popularity  with  all  classes  is  deserved,  his 
success  is  justified. 


IREDELL  S.  STONE,  one  of  the  prosperous 
sheep  owners  and  cattle  raisers  of  Klickitat  county, 
lives  on  his  farm  nearly  five  miles  east  of  the  town 
of  Bickleton.  He  was  born  near  Little  Rock,  in  the 
state  of  Arkansas,  January  9,  1857.  His  father, 
Samuel  B.  Stone,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  born  in  June,  1831.  He  crossed 
the  Plains  with  ox  teams  the  first  time  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  1854,  settling  in  California,  and  for 
some  time  afterward  he  mined  on  John's  creek,  but 
finally  returned  east.  His  second  trip  across  the 
Plains  was  made  four  years  after  the  first,  and  Cali- 
fornia was  again  his  objective  point,  but  he  stayed 
there  only  a  few  months,  having  soon  concluded  to 
try  his  fortunes  in  Oregon.  He  settled  in  the  fertile 
Willamette  valley,  and  for  the  ensuing  nineteen  years 
followed  farming  there.  In  the  latter  part  of  1879 
he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  took  up  the  land  which 
his  son  still  holds,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  deal- 
ing in  horses.  He  died  in  September,  1900.  He 
was  of  Scotch  descent,  and  his  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Gabrilla  Yeager,  was  of  German,  but  her 
ancestors  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania.  She  was  born  in  July,  1836.  When 
a  small  girl,  she  became  a  resident  of  Arkansas, 
and  it  was  there  she  met  and  married  Mr.  Stone. 
She  is  the  mother  of  three  children — Iredell,  the 
oldest ;  Elias,  engaged  in  business  with  him  at  the 
present  time,  and  a  daughter,  deceased.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  article  came  to  Portland,  Oregon,  with 
his  mother  when  nine  years  old,  reaching  that  town 
via  New  York  and  the  Panama  route.  Arriving  at 
Portland,  he  went  to  the  Willamette  valley  with  his 
mother,  there  joining  his  father,  who  had  bought  a 
ranch  in  the  valley.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  Ore- 
gon, receiving  his  education  in  the  common  schools. 
At  the  age  of  twenty,  he  started  out  to  make  his 
own  living,  his  first  employment  being  sheep  herd- 
ing. Coming  to  Klickitat  county  with  his  parents 
when  twenty-two  years  old,  he  soon  after  leased  a 
band  of  sheep,  purchased  some  railroad  land  and 
engaged  in  the  stock  business.  He  did  well  with 
his  sheep  until  the  hard  times  in  the  nineties,  when 
he,  like  all  other  sheep  men,  was  exceedingly  hard 
pressed,  but  he  managed  to  weather  the  financial 
storm  and  came  out  all  right.  Since  that  time  he 
has  acquired  possession  of  numerous  tracts  of  land 
until  he  now  owns  a  total  of  2,200  acres,  while  but 
recently  he  disposed  of  four  thousand  acres  to  good 
advantage.  This  locality  was  wild  and  unsettled 
when  he  first  came,  there  being  numerous  Indians 
about,  who  were  not  any  too  friendly,  and  plenty  of 


cowboys,  the  cattle  men  ranging  their  stock  over  the 
entire  district  without  restriction.  For  some  time 
he  and  the  rest  of  the  family  were  obliged  to  live  in 
tents,  not  being  able  to  get  any  lumber.  It  was  al- 
most a  year  before  they  could  secure  enough  to  put 
up  their  house. 

Mr.  Stone  was  married  in  Klickitat  county  No- 
vember 28,  1895,  to  Helen  Meier,  a  lady  of  Swiss 
and  German  descent,  born  in  Russell  county,  Kan- 
sas, February  14,  1875.  Her  father,  John  Meier,  a 
native  of  Switzerland,  born  in  1849,  came  to  this 
country  in  1867,  and  has- since  followed  farming. 
At  present  he  resides  at  Lucas,  in  Klickitat  county. 
Her  mother,  who  is  of  German  descent,  was  born 
in  1859.  She,  also,  is  in  Lucas.  Her  maiden  name 
was  Mary  Elms.  She  has  three  other  children  still 
living,  namely,  Harry,  Mrs.  Anna  Stout,  residing  in 
Kansas,  and  Joseph,  in  Yakima  county,  Washing- 
ton. Mr.  Stone  has  one  sister  living,  Mrs.  Leona 
Baldwin,  residing  near  Kiona,  Washington.  He 
and  Mrs.  Stone  have  four  children — Cynthia,  Wal- 
ter Vernon,  Ray  and  Lavina,  the  last  named  being 
the  youngest.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Stone  is  connected 
with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  his 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  is  at 
present  one  of  the  school  board  of  District  No.  31. 
In  politics  he  is  a  Republican,  sufficiently  active  to 
attend  caucuses  and  conventions.  An  industrious, 
thrifty  man,  Mr.  Stone  has  reduced  most  of  his 
2,200  acres  to  a  state  of  cultivation  and  created  for 
himself  and  family  a  fine  home.  His  stock  consists 
of  2,300  head  of  sheep  and  about  sixty  head  of  range 
cattle.  As  a  man  and  citizen,  he  stands  high  in 
Klickitat  county,  his  integrity  and  uprightness  hav- 
ing won  and  retained  for  him  the  respect  and  good 
will  of  his  neighbors. 


SAMUEL  SINCLAIR,  an  energetic  business 
man,  farmer  and  stock  raiser  at  Dot  postoffice,  was 
born  in  Linn  county,  Kansas,  on  the  14th  of  March, 
1873.  His  father,  John  Sinclair,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1828 ;  came  to  this  country  as  a  young  man, 
and  eventually  settled  in  Kansas,  where  he  raised 
his  family.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  In 
the  spring  of  1882  he  moved  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  has  since  lived.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Maria  McKien,  was  a  native  of  Missouri, 
in  which  state  she  was  married.  She  died  in  Klicki- 
tat county  in  the  year  1896.  The  subject  of  this  re- 
view received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Washington,  having  been  only  nine  years  old 
when  he  came  to  this  state  with  his  parents.  At  the 
age  of  fifteen  he  started  out  to  make  his  own  living, 
herding  sheep  for  Frank  Lyon,  in  whose  employ 
he  remained  for  six  years.  On  reaching  his  major- 
ity, he  entered  into  sheep  raising  on  his  own  ac- 
count, and  until  the  year  1901  he  followed  that  busi- 
ness with  assiduity  and  success.  Selling  out  then, 
he  purchased  the  Cleveland  Roller  Mills,  which 
have  a  capacity  of  fifty  barrels  per  day,  and  in  the 


4io 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


fall  of  the  succeeding  year  he  bought  a  half  interest 
in  a  sawmill  located  at  the  head  of  Pine  creek,  six 
miles  northwest  of  Cleveland.  He  disposed  of  the 
latter  interest  in  1903,  selling  to  George  W.  Mc- 
Credy.  His  realty  holdings  consist  of  140  acres  of 
fertile  land,  about  three-fourths  in  cultivation,  also 
320  acres  of  timber  land  and  480  acres  of  pasture 
lands.  He  has  considerable  stock  of  various  kinds 
on  his  farm. 

At  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  February  12, 
1901,  Mr.  Sinclair  married  Miss  Gertrude  J3ailey, 
daughter  of  Lyman  Bailey,  a  native  of  the  vicinity 
of  Boston,  Massachusetts.  Her  father  crossed  the 
Plains  in  the  early  fifties,  settled  in  Oregon  and  was 
married  there,  but  some  time  in  the  seventies  he 
came  to  Goldendale,  Washington.  He  resided  in  the 
state  until  his  death,  which  occurred  near  Cleveland 
in  the  year  1899.  Mrs.  Sinclair's  mother,  Mary 
(Graham)  Bailey,  was  a  native  of  Missouri.  She 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  with  her  parents  when 
a  small  girl,  and  now  resides  some  six  miles  south- 
east of  Cleveland.  Mrs.  Sinclair  has  the  distinction 
of  being  a  native  of  Klickitat  county,  having  been 
born  in  Goldendale  September  15,  1876.  She  re- 
ceived her  education  in  the  local  public  schools.  She 
has  two  brothers,  Lee  and  Robert,  the  former  living 
at  Walla  Walla,  the  latter  four  miles  south  of 
Cleveland.  She  also  has  two  sisters,  namely,  Lenore, 
at  Walla  Walla,  and  Mrs.  Harriet  Raymond,  near 
Cleveland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sinclair  have  two  chil- 
dren— Hugh,  born  April  18,  1902,  and  Helen,  born 
March  8,  1904.  Mr.  Sinclair  is  affiliated  with  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  Mrs.  Sinclair  belongs  to  the  Presby- 
terian church.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat.  A 
young  man  of  energy  and  unusual  business  talent, 
he  has  already  achieved  a  degree  of  success  in  the 
commercial  world  of  which  a  much  older  man  might 
be  proud,  and  his  neighbors,  who  always  admire 
thrift,  respect  him  very  highly  as  a  shrewd  homme 
d'affaires  and  a  worth v  citizen. 


ELMER  E.  HINSHAW.  There  are  compara- 
tively few  citizens  of  Klickitat  county  who  have 
been  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in  this  section 
and  otherwise  identified  with  its  history  during  the 
past  twenty-seven  years.  Among  those  pioneer 
farmers  and  present-day  successful  men  is  he  whose 
sketch  is  herewith  presented.  He  resides  three 
miles  south  of  Goldendale.  A  native  of  Morgan 
county,  Indiana,  he  was  born  August  19,  1861,  to  the 
marriage  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth  (Hadley)  Hin- 
shaw.  They  were  of  Southern  birth,  the  father  born 
in  North  Carolina  April  15,  1831,  the  mother  in  the 
same  state  February  8,  1837.  When  Elmer  E.  was 
five  years  old  he  was  taken  to  Kansas,  where  the 
family  resided  nine  years.  Then  they  went  to  Cali- 
fornia. In  1877  tne>"  came  north  to  the  rapidly  de- 
veloping Columbia  river  basin  and  took  up  their 
home  in  Klickitat  county,  which  was  then  very 
sparsely   settled   and   principally   in   the    hands    of 


stockmen.  In  Kansas,  California  and  Washington 
our  subject  received  the  greater  part  of  his  educa- 
tion, attending  the  public  schools  of  the  various 
localities  in  which  he  lived  during  boyhood.  He 
remained  at  home  upon  the  farm  until  he  reached  his 
majority,  then  filed  on  a  claim  near  Dot.  There  he 
farmed  and  raised  stock  for  seven  years,  or  until 
1889,  when  he  sold  that  property  and  invested  in 
railroad  land,  purchasing  a  quarter  section  of  for- 
feited land  for  $1.25  an  acre.  This  purchase,  to- 
gether with  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  since  ac- 
quired, comprises  his  present  farm,  which  he  has 
brought  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

On  the  13th  of  October,  1886,  Mr.  Hinshaw 
married  Miss  Ida  R.  Dingmon,  a  native  of  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon,  born  June  19,  1867.  Her 
father  is  of  Canadian  birth  and  English  parentage. 
He  removed  from  Canada  to  Michigan  in  i860, 
served  with  distinction  in  the  Civil  war,  and  after- 
wards came  to  the  Pacific  Northwest.  Mr.  Ding- 
mon is  now  a  resident  of  Klickitat  county,  to  which 
he  came  in  1871.  Mrs.  Laura  (Sewell)  Dingmon 
was  also  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  Washington 
county,  the  daughter  of  parents  who  were  among 
Oregon's  earliest  pioneers ;  she  died  in  1896  at  her 
home  near  Goldendale.  Mrs.  Hinshaw  received  the 
most  of  her  school  training  in  Klickitat  county. 
At  the  age  of  twenty  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Hin- 
shaw. She  passed  to  the  world  beyond  in  1896, 
mourned  by  all  who  knew  her,  for  in  her  they  rec- 
ognized a  woman  of  exceptional  worth.  Five  chil- 
dren survived,  whose  names  and  birthdays  are  as 
follows:  Amy,  August  14,  1887;  Cora,  January  31, 
1889;  Eldon  E.,  April  25,  1891 ;  Wilma,  June  14, 
1893,  and  Anna,  November  1,  1895;  all  are  natives 
of  Klickitat  county. 

Mr.  Hinshaw  was  again  married,  February  17, 
1903,  Miss  Hattie  M.  Gunn  then  becoming  his  bride. 
Her  parents,  Peter  and  Carrie  (Fraser)  Gunn,  were 
born  in  Nova  Scotia  and  both  of  Scotch  descent. 
Hattie,  the  daughter,  was  born  at  Wine  Harbor, 
Guysborough  county,  Nova  Scotia.  The  family 
became  residents  of  California  in  1870,  and  eight 
years  later  came  to  Klickitat  county,  the  year  of  the 
Indian  outbreak  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Gunn  is  still  one 
of  the  county's  prosperous  farmers ;  Mrs.  Gunn's 
death  occurred  Mav  26,  1904.  When  seventeen 
years  of  age  Miss  Gunn,  now  Mrs.  Hinshaw,  com- 
menced teaching  school,  and  for  sixteen  vears,  in- 
cluding six  years  in  the  public  schools  of  Golden- 
dale, she  was  engaged  in  that  high  vocation,  attain- 
ing commendable  success.  With  the  exception  of  one 
year,  spent  in  King  county,  she  taught  in  the  Klicki- 
tat schools.  To  better  fit  herself  for  this  work,  she 
entered  Willamette  University,  from  which  institu- 
tion she  received  her  degree  June  14,  1892.  She 
served  two  years  on  the  board  of  county  examiners. 
Mrs.  Hinshaw  also  possesses  marked  ability  as  a 
painter  and  has  spent  considerable  time  studying 
under  an  excellent  teacher.  Much  of  her  best  work 
is  to  be  found  in  her  own  home.     Mr.  and  Mrs. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


41. 


Hinshaw  have  gathered  around  them  a  wide  circle 
of  loyal  friends  and  acquaintances  and  enjoy  the 
highest  esteem  of  all.  By  thrift  and  good  judgment 
Mr.  Hinshaw  has  transformed  his  land  into  one  of 
the  best  appointed  and  most  substantial  farms  in  the 
valley. 


VERNON  T.  HINSHAW  is  a  prosperous 
farmer  living  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Gold- 
endale,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Morgan 
county,  Indiana,  April  i,  1859,  the  son  of  Isaac  and 
Elizabeth  (Hadley)  Hinshaw,  of  whom  further 
mention  is  made  in  this  volume.  Vernon  T.  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Kan- 
sas, to  which  state  his  parents  moved  from  Indiana. 
When  he  was  eight  years  old  they  went  to  Califor- 
nia, to  which  state  he  also  came  when  fifteen.  Later 
he  accompanied  them  to  Klickitat  county,  arriving 
in  1878.  Vernon  lived  at  home  with  his  parents  till 
he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  then  bought  a  tract  of 
railroad  land,  which,  with  other  land  and  improve- 
ments since  added,  comprises  his  present  farm. 

Mr.  Hinshaw  was  married  at  Lyle,  Washington, 
March  22,  1893,  the  lady  being  Miss  Hattie  Snider, 
a  native  of  Kansas,  born  August  17,  1867.  Miss 
Snider  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Kan- 
sas and  of  Klickitat  county.  After  completing  her 
education  she  taught  school  for  three  terms,  also 
tutored  the  family  of  Mr.  George  Smith  for  two 
years.  She  married  Mr.  Hinshaw  when  twenty-six 
years  of  age.  Jesse  J.  Snider,  her  father,  was  born 
in  Ohio,  but  moved  with  his  parents  to  Indiana 
when  he  was  a  boy,  and  thence  to  Kansas.  There 
he  grew  to  manhood  and  married,  and  thence,  in 
1875,  he  came  west  as  a  homeseeker.  Klickitat 
county  he  found  suitable  to  his  ends  in  view,  and 
three  years  later,  in  1878,  he  sent  for  his  family, 
whom  he  had  preceded  to  the  home  of  his  choosing. 
His  death  occurred  during  the  winter  of  1903  in 
Goldendale.  Tenitia  (Pate)  Snider,  the  mother, 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  but  when  a  small  girl  moved 
with  her  parents  to  Kansas.  She  is  the  mother  of 
five  children,  among  whom  was  Hattie,  present  wife 
of  Mr.  Hinshaw.  At  present  she  resides  near  Gold- 
endale. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hinshaw  are  the  parents  of 
four  children — Virgil  V..  born  in  Klickitat  county 
April  3,  1895;  Ruth  C,  October  31,  1897;  Cecil  F., 
Januarv  3,  1901,  and  Frederick  L.,  May  q,  1903, 
all  in  Klickitat  county.  In  religion  Mr.  Hinshaw 
is  a  Methodist,  and  he  is  inclined  to  the  Prohibition- 
ist views  in  politics.  His  farm  comprises  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  sixty 
of  which  are  under  cultivation,  and  is  well  stocked 
with  all  necessary  equipments  to  make  successful 
the  efforts  of  its  owner.  The  farm,  in  every  detail, 
bears  evidence  of  the  well-directed  industry  of  Mr. 
Hinshaw,  and,  in  view  of  the  increasing  value  of 
farming  property  in  this  section  of  the  country, 
promises  substantial  returns  for  the  toil  and  energy 
he  has  expended  upon  it. 


JAMES  COFFIELD.  The  gentleman  whose 
life  history  it  is  now  our  purpose  to  review  in  brief 
has  earned  a  rank  among  the  most  successful  agri- 
culturists of  Klickitat  county,  of  which  for  many 
years  he  has  been  a  resident.  Bringing  to  the  busi- 
ness he  chose  for  his  own  a  degree  of  enthusiasm 
and  energy  and  a  soundness  of  judgment  such  as 
few  possess,  he  has  wrought  his  way  steadily  to  for- 
tune, and  he  now  enjoys  not  only  an  abundance  of 
worldly  goods,  but,  what  is  more  satisfying,  the 
consciousness  of  having  accomplished  with  unusual 
success  a  worthy  undertaking.  Mr.  Coffield  is  not 
one  of  those  who,  in  winning  fortune  in  material 
things,  have  forfeited  the  esteem  and  respect  of 
their  fellow  men,  but  in  the  battle  he  has  fought  with 
the  forces  of  nature  and  the  conditions  of  existence 
he  has  ever  been  mindful  of  the  rights  of  his  fel- 
lows, and  all  his  goings  in  and  comings  out  and  all 
his  dealings  with  his  associates  have  been  such  as  to 
retain  the  good  will  of  the  latter  and  cement  to  him- 
self their  friendships.  Mr.  Coffield  is  a  native  of 
the  Keystone  state,  born  in  Allegheny  county,  July 
4,  1845.  His  father,  Timothy,  was  likewise  a  son 
of  Pennsylvania  and  had  in  his  veins  the  blood  of 
that  sturdy  race  known  as  the  "Pennsylvania 
Dutch."  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer  and  car- 
penter. The  mother  of  our  subject,  Debby  (Wright) 
Coffield,  though  of  English  descent,  was  by  birth  a 
Pennsylvanian.  She  made  the  state  of  her  nativity 
her  home  during  her  entire  life.  Mr.  Coffield,  of 
whom  we  write,  received  his  educational  discipline 
in  the  public  schools  of  Allegheny  county,  then  gave 
his  time  and  energies  to  the  assistance  of  his  father 
in  farming  operations  until  he  was  twenty-six.  The 
elder  Coffield  rewarded  his  faithfulness  by  giving 
him  a  farm,  and,  with  his  newly-wedded  helpmeet, 
he  then  began  independently  the  struggle  of  life. 
Soon,  however,  the  passion  for  the  west  seized  him, 
and  in  about  a  year  he  had  sold  his  holdings  and 
was  en  route  to  Colorado.  His  change  of  residence 
was  attended  by  no  change  in  occupation,  however. 
Purchasing  a  grain  and  stock  farm,  he  gave  himself 
assiduously  to  agriculture  and  the  rearing  of  cattle 
for  nine  years,  then  he  yielded  to  another  impulse 
to  move  westward,  and  the  fall  of  the  year  1881 
found  him  in  Walla  Walla  county,  Washington. 
His  residence  in  Klickitat  county  dates  from  the 
next  spring,  when  he  purchased  a  stock  farm  from 
the  Letterman  Brothers,  together  with  all  their  cat- 
tle and  other  domestic  animals.  This  farm  con- 
tained some  four  hundred  acres.  For  two  years  it 
was  the  home  of  Mr.  Coffield  and  the  scene  of  his 
labors,  then  he  traded  it  for  a  620-acre  tract  on  the 
Columbia  river,  where  he  lived  continuously  until 
1902.  In  1892,  however,  he  had  purchased  another 
place  eight  miles  south  of  Goldendale,  and  on  this 
tract  he  has  resided  for  a  couple  of  years  past.  It 
consists  of  420  acres,  a  half  section  of  which  is  in 
cultivation,  the  remainder  being  used  as  pasture 
land.  Mr.  Coffield  is  evidently  makine  a  success  of 
that  species  of  agriculture  so  frequently  advocated 


4I2 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  so  seldom  carried  on  successfully  known  as  di- 
versified farming.  He  has  one  hundred  Short- 
horn and  Hereford  cattle,  twenty  horses  and  other 
live  stock,  and  his  cultivated  acres  include  a  seven- 
acre  orchard,  a  half-acre  vineyard  and  a  quarter- 
acre  strawberry  patch. 

Mr.  Coffield  was  married  in  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  March  i,  1870,  the  lady  being  Rosine, 
daughter  of  Christ  and  Rosine  Koenig,  both  natives 
of  Switzerland.  Her  father  was  a  farmer  in  his  na- 
tive land,  and  when  he  came  to  Pennsylvania  he 
naturally  engaged  in  that  business.  He  died  in 
Colorado.  Her  mother,  making  the  most  of  the  op- 
portunities which  came  to  her  by  reason  of  having 
lived  in  both  Europe  and  America,  became  an  excel- 
lent scholar  in  both  English  and  German.  As  Mrs. 
Coffield  was  born  in  Switzerland  and  spent  the  first 
five  years  of  her  life  there,  she  also  enjoyed  like  ad- 
vantages in  the  study  of  language,  and,  by  attending 
faithfully  an  academy  in  Pittsburg,  she  acquired  an 
excellent  education  in  the  tongues  of  both  her  na- 
tive and  her  adopted  country.  She  likewise  became 
a  splendid  musician.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Coffield  are :  Louisa  J.,  now  Mrs.  Compton,  born 
in  Pennsylvania  June  11,  1871 ;  John  H.,  born  in 
Pennsylvania  February  9,  1873;  Alice  M.,  who 
now  runs  a  millinery  store  in  Goldendale,  born  in 
Colorado  March  3,  1875 ;  Frank  R.,  born  in  Colo- 
rado February  12,  1877;  George,  born  in  Colorado 
March  31,  1879;  Elsie,  born  in  Colorado  May  11, 
1881 ;  Mrs.  Emma  Pike,  born  in  Goldendale  August 
26,  1883;  Mary  J.,  born  in  Goldendale  September 
18,  1885,  and  now  attending  the  Goldendale  Acad- 
emy; Roy  A.,  born  in  Goldendale  July  17,  1890; 
Eunis  C,  born  in  Klickitat  county  June  28,  1893. 
In  politics  Mr.  Coffield  is  a  Republican,  and,  not- 
withstanding his  extensive  farming  interests,  he 
finds  time  to  give  not  a  little  attention  to  the  public 
affairs  of  county,  state  and  nation.  Fraternally,  he 
is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Odd  Fellows,  and  in  religion  he  and  his  family  are 
Presbyterians. 


JOHN  H.  COFFIELD,  son  of  James  Coffield 
and  a  brother  of  Frank  Coffield,  both  of  whom  have 
been  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  is  a  re- 
spected citizen  of  Klickitat  county,  now  residing  ten 
miles  south  and  two  east  of  Goldendale  on  a  ranch 
which  is  devoted  to  the  production  of  grain,  fruit 
and  live  stock.  He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  near  Pittsburg  February  9,  1873.  The  par- 
ticulars of  his  family  history  appear  in  the  sketches 
above  mentioned.  John  H.  received  the  greater  part 
of  his  education  after  arriving  in  Klickitat  county 
with  his  parents  in  1882.  Here  he  passed  through 
the  common  schools  and  later  graduated  from 
Vashon  college,  on  Vashon  Island,  near  Tacoma. 
When  not  in  college  he  lived  at  home  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  until  he  was  twenty-two,  and  at 
that  time  accepted  employment  as  a  clerk  in  a  gen- 


eral merchandise  establishment  owned  by  George 
Smith.  Here  he  worked  for  nine  months,  then  with 
R.  L.  Pfeil,  bought  a  half  interest  in  a  meat  market. 
He  remained  in  this  business  for  three  months, 
then  selling  out  and  going  to  Great  Falls,  Mon- 
tana, where  he  worked  in  a  restaurant  for  two 
months.  Upon  quitting  this  occupation  he  went  to 
Pullman,  Washington,  where  for  two  years  he  con- 
ducted a  meat  market,  except  for  one  term,  during 
which  he  served  as  city  marshal.  From  Pullman  he 
returned  to  Goldendale.  For  the  first  year  after  his 
arrival  he  managed  his  father's  farm,  afterwards 
purchasing  a  farm  of  his  own,  on  which  he  has  since 
lived. 

Mr.  Coffield  married,  in  Goldendale,  November 
26,  1899,  Miss  Gertrude  Reeder,  a  native  of  Idaho, 
born  in  Moscow,  Latah  county.  Her  father  was 
Dr.  James  W.  Reeder,  a  physician,  who  went  to 
Goldendale  in  1891,  and  is  at  present  residing  in 
that  city.  Before  her  marriage  Mrs.  Coffield  re- 
ceived a  practical  education  in.  the  schools  of  Mos- 
cow and  in  Goldendale.  She  married  Mr.  Coffield 
when  twenty  years  of  age.  To  this  marriage  two 
children  have  been  born — Florence,  born  in  Pullman, 
Washington,  October  11,  1900,  and  Lola,  in  Gold- 
endale, October  6,  1903.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Coffield 
is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  religion  he  adheres  to- 
the  faith  of  the  Methodist  church.  He  is  reputed 
to  be  a  man  of  uprightness  of  character,  and  this  at- 
tribute, combined  with  enthusiasm  and  affability  of 
manner,  gives  him  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  his 
fellows. 


FRANK  R.  COFFIELD  is  a  well-known  farmer 
and  stockman  residing  ten  miles  south  and  two  miles 
east  of  Goldendale,  Washington.  He  is  the  son  of 
James  and  Rosine  (Koenig)  Coffield,  of  whom 
further  mention  is  made  in  this  volume,  and  was 
born  near  Denver,  Colorado,  February  12,  1877. 
His  parents  came  to  this  county,  locating,  when 
he  was  three  years  old,  at  Goldendale,  and  there  he 
grew  to  early  manhood.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  and  later  took  an  academic  course,  acquiring 
a  good  education  before  reaching  his  majority. 
When  twenty-four  years  of  age  he  rented  a  farm 
and  thence  afterward  worked  independently,  before 
this  time  having  lived  with  his  parents.  After  rent- 
ing for  two  years,  by  hard  work  and  good  manage- 
ment, he  was  enabled  to  buy  the  property,  which 
he  has  since  devoted  to  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Mr.  Coffield  was  married,  in  Goldendale,  De- 
cember 15,  1902,  to  Miss  Clara  Barnes,  a  native  of 
Klickitat  county,  born  February  14,  1884.  She  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Goldendale,  and 
also  attended  an  academy.  She  married  Mr.  Cof- 
field when  eighteen  years  of  age.  Her  parents 
were  Columbus  O.  and  Florence  (Golden)  Barnes, 
both  among  the  early  settlers  of  Klickitat  county. 
Mr.   and    Mrs.    Coffield   have   one   child — Marcelle, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


413 


born  November  26,  1903.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Cof- 
field  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
and  in  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  In  re- 
ligion he  adheres  to  the  Methodist  church.  His 
property  holdings  amount  to  a  half  interest  in  three 
hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres  of  land  on  the  Colum- 
bia river  and  a  half-interest  in  a  herd  of  fifty  cattle. 
He  is  yet  a  young  man,  and  has  not  had  time  to 
achieve  the  profound  success  in  life  which,  as  is 
noted  in  this  volume,  is  attributable  to  his  father. 
Hereditary  and  natural  inclinations,  however,  prom- 
ise well  for  his  future. 


OSCAR  VANHOY,  a  citizen  of  Goldendale  and 
a  sheep  man  of  Klickitat  county,  was  born  in  Henry 
county,  Missouri,  January  28,  1854.  His  father, 
Hamilton  J.  Vanhoy,  is  of  German  descent  and  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  Born  in  North  Carolina  in 
1818,  he  was  a  pioneer  of  Missouri,  also  of  Klicki- 
tat county,  to  which  he  came  in  1877.  Upon  his  ar- 
rival in  the  far  west  he  took  up  land  and  engaged  in 
farming,  and  he  still  resides  upon  the  old  home- 
stead, though  age  and  decrepitude  have  long  since 
compelled  him  to  desist  from  heavy  work,  for  he  is 
now  eighty-six.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Lousia  Henley,  is  likewise  of  German  parentage, 
but  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1821.  She  also 
lives  on  the  old  homestead,  with  her  venerable  hus- 
band. Oscar  Vanhoy,  who  is  one  of  a*  family  of 
eight  children,  grew  to  manhood  on  the  parental 
farm  in  Missouri,  acquiring  a  common  school  edu- 
cation. On  reaching  his  majority,  he  came  west  to 
California,  where  he  lived  two  years,  coming  thence 
in  1877  to  Klickitat  county.  At  that  time  there  was 
but  one  store  in  Goldendale.  He  took  up  a  home- 
stead and  lived  on  the  land  fourteen  months,  en- 
gaged in  farming,  then  bought  a  ranch  in  the  Swale 
district,  and  farmed  on  the  Masters  place  until 
August,  1898,  when  he  moved  into  Goldendale, 
bought  the  livery  barn  of  I.  C.  Darland  and  engaged 
in  the  livery  business,  continuing  in  the  same  until 
November,  1903.  He  then  traded  the  barn  for  a 
half-interest  in  a  band  of  3,000  sheep,  owned  by  A. 
B.  Courtway,  and  he  has  since  followed  the  sheep  in- 
dustry. He  is  the  owner  of  some  city  property. 
When  he  came  to  Goldendale  the  Indian  scare  was 
at  its  height  and  the  settlers  had  started  to  build 
forts,  but  these  were  never  completed,  and  many  of 
them  moved  to  The  Dalles,  with  their  families.  Mr. 
Vanhoy  and  his  brother,  David,  were  on  the  home- 
stead one  night  when  the  horses  stampeded,  and 
they  were  sure  at  the  time  the  Indians  were  outside 
in  numbers,  but  fortunately  it  turned  out  to  be  only 
a  scare. 

In  1885,  Mr.  Vanhoy  married  Miss  Emma  M. 
Simms,  the  ceremony  being  performed  in  Klickitat 
county.  Mrs.  Vanhoy  was  born  in  Missouri  and 
came  to'  Klickitat  countv  in  1877  with  her  parents. 
Her  father,  Richard  Simms,  a  farmer  bv  occupa- 
tion, resides  in  the  county,  some  miles  east  of  Gold- 


endale. Mr.  Vanhoy  has  four  brothers  and  one 
sister  living— John,  now  in  Oklahoma;  David,  re- 
siding in  the  county,  three  miles  west  of  Golden- 
dale; James  and  George,  living  at  the  distances  of 
nine  and  twelve  miles,  respectively,  from  the  same 
city,  and  Annie,  now  Mrs.  Gilwater,  residing,  with 
her  husband,  twelve  miles  south  of  Goldendale. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vanhoy  have  two  sons  and  two 
daughters,  living  at  home,  namely,  Hamilton,  Wil- 
liam, Myrtle  and  Valinda.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Van- 
hoy is  connected  with  the  K.  of  P.  and  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican, 
sufficiently  active  in  the  councils  of  his  party  to  at- 
tend caucuses  and  conventions.  He  has  also  been 
on  the  county  central  committee,  and  at  all  times 
has  helped  elect  his  friends  to  various  offices  when 
they  have  been  nominated,  but  has  never  sought 
office  himself.  Being  a  man  of  integrity  and  sterling 
qualities,  he  commands  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
all  with  whom  he  is  intimately  associated. 


WAYNE  SCOTT  WARWICK.  One  of  Klick- 
itat's most  favorably  known  and  successful  citizens 
and  also  one  of  this  county's  pioneers  is  he  whose 
life  record  forms  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr. 
Warwick  resides  upon  one  of  the  largest  ranches  in 
this  region,  1,160  acres,  situated  two  and  a'half  miles 
south  and  nine  and  a  half  east  of  the  county  seat, 
Goldendale.  He  was  born  in  Anderson  county, 
Tennessee,  October  3,  1851,  the  son  of  Preston  and 
Charity  (Hansard)  Warwick.  His  father  was  like- 
wise a  native  of  Tennessee,  born  September  20, 
1816,  to  English  parents  ;  he  followed  farming  un- 
til his  death,  several  years  ago,  in  his  native  state. 
The  mother  is  still  living  in  Anderson  county, 
where  she  was  born  September  20,  1829.  She  was 
married  in  that  state  and  has  spent  most  of  her  life 
within  its  confines.  Wayne  S.  Warwick  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  Tennessee.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen, 
then  decided  to  move  west,  and  accordingly  came 
to  Linn  county,  Oregon.  For  the  first  two  years  he 
worked  for  different  farmers  throughout  the  country,, 
then  formed  a  partnership  with  James  Thompson, 
with  whom  he  was  connected  in  that  relation  six 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1879  he  came  to  Klickitat 
county,  where  his  first  work  was  done  for  Daniel  C. 
Cram.  Later  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  em- 
ployer and  together  they  bought  240  acres  of  rail- 
road land,  which  they  farmed  successfully  six  years, 
or  until  1888,  when  Mr.  Warwick  bought  Mr. 
Cram's  interest.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Warwick  has 
lived  on  that  place,  farming,  and  he  has  placed  sev- 
eral hundred  acres  of  land  in  cultivation. 

Mr.  Warwick  was  united  in  marriage  in  this 
county,  June  22,  1881,  to  Miss  Anna  Duffield,  a 
daughter  of  Thomas  J.  and  Sarah  J.  (Neff)  Duf- 
field. Her  father  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1828,  to 
Dutch-Irish  parents,  and  was  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion.   He  moved  to  Illinois  in  1847,  and  in  1852  or-- 


414 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ganized  a  company  of  young  men  and  accomplished 
a  most  daring  and  creditable  feat,  that  of^walking 
across  the  Plains  to  California.  In  the  Golden  state 
he  pursued  mining  for  many  years,  and  there  he 
was  married  in  1856.  He  removed  to  Klickitat  coun- 
ty in  1879,  where  his  death  occurred  in  1902.  Mrs. 
Duffield  was  a  native  of  Indiana,  of  English  de- 
scent, who  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  parents  when 
a  girl  of  thirteen  years.  Three  years  later  she  was 
married.  Mrs.  Warwick  was  born  in  California, 
August  13,  1857,  and  is  the  oldest  of  ten  children. 
She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Califor- 
nia, and  was  married  in  Washington  when  twenty- 
three  years  of  age.  Her  brother,  Robert,  lives  in 
Anaconda,  B.  C. ;  another  brother,  Frank  M.,  re- 
sides in  Idaho;  a  sister,  Mrs.  Frances  E.  Brown, 
lives  at  Hood  River;  another  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  L. 
Miller,  resides  in  the  Klickitat  valley;  Thomas  L. 
Duffield  lives  in  Mohler,  Washington;  George,  in 
LaGrande,  Oregon;  Daniel,  at  Mohler,  Washing- 
ton; James  E.,  in  Buffalo,  New  York,  and  another 
sister,  Mrs.  Alice  E.  Adams,  lives  ten  miles  west  of 
Goldendale.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Warwick  have  five  chil- 
dren— Thomas  P.,  born  May  4,  1884;  Elvira  M., 
"born  December  5,  1886;  Ada  C,  born  November 
12,  1888;  Waldo  S.,  born  April  2,  1891,  and  Annie 
L.,  born  May  1,  1897,  all  in  this  county.  Mrs. 
Warwick  takes  a  deep  interest  in  religious  matters 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church;  Mr. 
Warwick  is  a  Baptist.  Fraternally,  he  is  identified 
with  the  Odd  Fellows,  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican. For  a  number  of  years  he  has  served  his 
community  as  a  school  director.  Of  his  entire  land 
holdings,  more  than  six  hundred  acres  are  under 
cultivation,  and  he  ranges  considerable  stock.  Few 
men  in  the  county  are  as  popular  as  Mr.  Warwick 
or  have  been  as  successful  in  life.  He  is  one  of  the 
influential  and  substantial  citizens  of  his  county. 


ROBERT  G.  FERGUSON,  one  of  the  many 
prosperous  farmers  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on 
his  well-improved  ranch  of  640  acres,  three  miles 
south  and  seven  miles  east  of  Goldendale.  He  was 
born  in  the  province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  July  21, 
1853,  the  son  of  Robert  and  Christina  (Ross)  Fer- 
guson, the  former  of  whom,  a  native  Scotchman, 
was  likewise  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  immi- 
grated to  Canada  at  an  early  date  and  there  he  was 
married  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1810, 
went  to  Canada  with  her  brother  and  sister  in  the 
earlv  days  and  died  there  August  5,  1891.  Robert 
G.  Ferguson  received  his  education  in  the  Canadian 
schools.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  parents 
until  twenty-three,  then  crossed  the  line  into  the 
United  States  and  came  west  to  California.  For  a 
period  of  two  years  he  worked  on  a  ranch  near  the 
citv  of  Sacramento,  but  in  March,  1879,  he  came 
north  to  Klickitat  county  and  bought  the  improve- 


ments and  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  his  present 
place.  He  has  since  made  his  home  on  the  property, 
adding  to  his  holdings  from  time  to  time  and 
achieving  a  splendid  success  in  his  farming  opera- 
tions. He  has  placed  one-half  of  his  section  of  land 
in  cultivation,  also  giving  some  attention  to  stock 
raising,  especially  to  the  rearing  of  hogs. 

In  Klickitat  county,  December  22,  1886,  Mr. 
Ferguson  married  Ella,  daughter  of  Thomas  D.  and 
Susan  (Boots)  Burgen.  Her  father,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  extraction,  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  early  removed  to  Mis- 
souri, and  in  1852  crossed  the  Plains  to  Linn  county, 
Oregon,  whence,  seven  years  later,  he  came  to  Klick- 
itat county,  locating  near  Centerville  and  becoming 
one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Klickitat  county.  He 
remained  in  the  county  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred in  August,  1897.  The  mother  of  Mrs.  Fer- 
guson is  a  native  of  Oregon,  in  which  state  she  grew 
up  and  was  married.  She  now  resides  on  Chamber- 
lin  Flats,  Klickitat  county.  Mrs.  Ferguson  was 
born  in  this  county,  August  27,  1863.  She  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  and,  after  complet- 
ing her  education,  taught  two  years.  She  and  Mr. 
Ferguson  are  the  parents  of  two  children — Walter, 
born  November  15,  1887,  and  Harry,  born  October 
22,  1889.  In  politics,  Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  Democrat. 
He  combines  business  acumen  and  shrewdness  with 
sterling  integrity  of  character  and  a  certain  genial- 
ity of  disposition,  which  wins  him  the  good  will  and 
esteem  of  those  with  whom  he  is  associated. 


EDSON  E.  PIERCE,  a  competent  and  well-to- 
do  farmer  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  two  miles 
south  and  two  and  a  half  east  of  Goldendale.  He 
was  born  in  Renovo,  Clinton  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  12,  1870,  the  son  of  Hon.  Daniel  W.  and 
Belinda  B.  (Lathe)  Pierce.  His  father,  who  was 
born  in  the  town  of  Derby,  Orleans  county,  Ver- 
mont, was  a  mill  man  by  occupation.  He  moved  to 
Nebraska  in  the  early  days,  and  in  1867  changed  his 
residence  to  Pennsylvania,  whence  some  ten  years 
later  he  came  to  Albany,  Oregon.  In  October,  1879, 
he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  which  elected  him,  in 
1892,  to  represent  it  in  the  legislature.  He  passed 
away  in  1900.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Vermont,  in 
which  state  she  was  married,  died  in  Goldendale 
some  years  ago. 

Edson  E.,  whose  life  is  the  theme  of  this  out- 
line, took  his  earliest  steps  in  the  pursuit  of  knowl- 
edge in  the  schools  of  the  Quaker  state,  then  at- 
tended school  two  years  in  Oregon,  to  which  he  had 
come  at  the  age  of  seven,  and  completed  his  educa- 
tion in  Klickitat  county.  He  worked  in  his  father's 
mill  until  reaching  the  age  of  twenty-three,  at  which 
time  he  married  and  started  to  farm  on  his  own  ac- 
count, securing  a  ranch  some  five  miles  east  of  Gold- 
endale. He  resided  on  that  property  four  years. 
In  1901,  he  secured  the  place  on  which  we  now  find 
him,  and  to  its  cultivation  his  energies  have  been  de- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


415 


voted  ever  since.  His  holdings  now  aggregate  240 
acres,  all  but  fifteen  of  which  are  under  cultivation. 
June  3,  1893,  in  Goldendale,  Mr.  Pierce  married 
Rachel  McEvven,  daughter  of  Methuen  McEwen,  a 
native  of  Scotland  and  by  occupation  a  farmer  and 
stockman.  He  came  to  America  when  a  small  boy 
and  settled  in  Missouri,  from  which  state  he  crossed 
the  Plains  in  the  early  days  with  a  company  of  Mor- 
mons, settling  in  Utah.  At  a  later  date  he  came 
thence  to  Klickitat  county,  where  he  died  in  1895. 
Mrs.  Pierce's  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Sarah  A.  Stevens,  was  married  in  Utah,  but  now 
resides  in  Goldendale.  Though  born  in  Utah,  April 
19,  1874,  Mrs.  Pierce  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Klickitat  county.  She  and  Mr.  Pierce  are  parents 
of  two  children — Mathew  M.,  born  June  4,  1894,  and 
Marjorie  M.,  born  March  16,  1901,  both  in  Golden- 
dale. Mr.  Pierce  is,  in  religion,  a  Presbyterian, 
and  fraternally  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World.  He  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  A  man  of  high  moral  character 
and  sterling  integrity,  he  is  highly  esteemed  by  his 
neighbors  and  acquaintances. 


JOSEPH  O.  YOUNG,  one  of  Klickitat  county's 
pioneers  and  an  estimable  citizen,  follows  the  occu- 
pation of  a  farmer  on  his  fine  200-acre  ranch,  seven 
miles  southeast  of  the  city  of  Goldendale.  He  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Oregon,  February  4, 
1857,  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Ailazan  (Henton) 
Young.  The  father  was  born  in  Ohio,  of  American 
parentage,  and  was  a  carpenter  and  farmer.  He 
was  taken  to  Missouri,  the  "gateway  of  the  west," 
when  nine  years  of  age,  and  in  1848  came  across  the 
Plains  to  Oregon  by  ox  team  conveyance.  His 
parents  bought  a  farm  in  the  Willamette  valley,  and 
there  he  lived  until  1875,  when  he  came  to  Klicki- 
tat county,  in  which  was  his  home  until  swept  away 
by  the  grim  reaper  in  1891.  The  mother  was  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  who  came  as  a  little  girl  to  Oregon 
in  1850;  she  died  in  that  state.  Joseph  attended  the 
common  schools  of  Oregon,  receiving  a  fair  educa- 
tion. He  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  he  came 
to  this  county  and  commenced  farming  and  stock- 
raising.  Four  years  he  raised  sheep.  He  resided 
on  railroad  land  eighteen  years,  and  when  it  was 
forfeited  to  the  government  he  filed  a  homestead 
claim  to  it,  and  he  has  since  made  it  his  home.  He 
still  farms  the  land,  nearly  three-fourths  of  which 
is  in  a  splendid  state  of  cultivation.  One  of  Mr. 
Young's  uncles  was  killed  during  the  blood-thirsty 
Cayuse  war  that  followed  the  Whitman  massacre. 

Miss  Eliza  M.  Myers,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Hulda  M.  (Nunley)  Myers,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mr.  Young,  January  9,  1884.  Her  father 
was  of  Dutch  descent.  He  crossed  the  Plains  to 
Oregon  in  early  days  and  settled  in  Yamhill  countv, 
where  he  died  several  years  ago.  Her  mother,  who 
now  resides  with  her,  at  an  advanced  age.  is  a  na- 
tive of  Tennessee;  she  was  married  in   Arkansas. 


Mrs.  Young  was  born  in  Yamhill  county,  Oregon, 
in  October,  1868,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  there  established.  She  was  married  in 
Klickitat  county  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Five  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Young,  of  whom  Bessie  M.,  the  oldest,  was  born 
December  21,  1886;  Joseph  W.  was  born  in  Klicki- 
tat county,  February  2,  1891 ;  Delia  M.,  five  years 
later;  John  M.,  in  1897,  and  Nellie,  in  1900.  Mr. 
Young  is  a  member  of  the  Methodisf  church,  and  in 
politics  is  a  stanch  defender  of  Republican  princi- 
ples. He  is  one  of  the  popular  members  of  his  com- 
munity, a  farmer  of  progressive  and  modern  ideas, 
and  a  man  of  sterling  honesty  and  exalted  character. 


EVERETTE  C.  THOMPSON,  a  progressive 
ranchman  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his  160-acre 
farm,  three  miles  south  and  four  east  of  Goldendale. 
He  was  born  in  Linn  county,  Oregon,  January  21, 
1874,  the  son  of  James  Thompson,  who  was  born  in 
Tennessee  in  1848,  and  who  was  likewise  a  farmer. 
The  mother  of  our  subject,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Harriet  Cram,  was  born  in  Minnesota  and  came 
thence  to  Oregon  when  she  was  seventeen  years  old, 
and  her  marriage  occurred  in  the  latter  state.  She 
is  at  present  living  near  her  son.  She  has  married 
again,  and  is  now  Mrs.  G.  D.  Whitcomb.  Our  sub- 
ject received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Oregon  and  of  Klickitat  county.  His  father  died 
when  he  was  twenty  years  old  and  he  ran  the  paren- 
tal farm  twelve  months  afterward,  then  rented  Col. 
Pike's  place  and  farmed  it  four  years.  In  1899  he 
bought  his  present  place,  and  he  has  since  lived  on 
and  farmed  the  land,  which  is  all  in  cultivation ;  also 
raising  stock.  He  holds  as  a  homestead  a  quarter 
section  of  mountain  land,  besides  his  farm  near 
Goldendale. 

March  3,  1896,  in  the  town  of  Goldendale,  Mr. 
Thompson  married  Hattie,  daughter  of  George  T. 
and  Mary  D.  (Newman)  Slaughter.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Peoria  county,  Illinois,  in  1840,  and  was 
a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  removed  to  Missouri 
in  1856,  married  in  that  state  and  lived  there  until 
1893,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Klickitat  county. 
He  passed  away  in  June,  1894.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Hardin  county,  Kentucky,  in  1842.  Her  parents 
moved  to  Missouri  when  she  was  a  small  girl,  and 
she  grew  up  and  was  educated  there.  Mrs.  Thomp- 
son was  born  in  Christian  countv,  Missouri,  No- 
vember 14,  1876.  She  received  her  education  in  the 
schools  of  Missouri  and  Washington,  having  come  to 
the  latter  state  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  She  is  the 
fifth  in  a  family  of  eight,  her  brothers  and  sisters 
being:  Charles  W.,  in  Missouri;  Mrs.  Mary  C. 
Kivett,  also  in  that  state ;  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Godsey,  in 
Franklin  county,  Kansas ;  Theodore  T.  and  George 
H.  C,  in  Douglas  countv.  Washington :  Mrs.  Clara 
A.  Miller  and  Mrs.  Pearl  Moblev,  in  Klickitat  coun- 
tv. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  have  four  children, 
n'amelv.    Guv,   born    October    12,    1897;   David   R., 


4i6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


on  the  30th  of  April  two  years  later;  Victor  B., 
January  11,  1901,  and  Claud  L.,  March  14,  1902,  all 
in  this  county.  Mrs.  Thompson  belongs  to  the 
Women  of  Woodcraft,  and  in  religion  she  is  a  Bap- 
tist. Fraternally,  Mr.  Thompson  is  connected  with 
the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World; 
politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  an  upright 
citizen,  possessing  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  his 
neighbors. 


JOHN  ATKINSON,  one  of  the  leading  farmers 
of  Klickitat  county,  resides  three  miles  south  and 
four  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Goldendale,  Washing- 
ton. He  was  born  in  Nodaway  county,  Missouri, 
October  13,  1852,  the  son  of  Robert  and  Elizabeth 
(Clemens)  Atkinson.  His  father  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents 
when  six  years  old  and  became  a  resident  of  Andrew 
county,  Missouri.  He  grew  up  in  that  locality  and 
was  married  there,  the  lady  of  his  choice  being  a 
native  of  Clay  county,  Missouri,  of  Dutch  and  Irish 
descent.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer.  He  came 
to  Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  in  1870,  and  there  he 
remained  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1891. 
Mrs.  Atkinson  also  died  in  Yamhill  county,  Oregon. 
John  Atkinson,  of  this  article,  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Missouri,  attending 
school,  also,  for  a  short  time  in  Oregon,  though  he 
was  eighteen  when  he  came  to  that  state.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  then  married,  and  for  the  ensuing  four  or  five 
years  he  followed  farming.  He  next  engaged  in 
the  hotel  business  in  Newberg,  Oregon,  but  in  the 
spring  of  1893  he  embraced  an  opportunity  to  ex- 
change this  place  for  his  present  home  in  Klickitat 
county,  and  here  he  has  ever  since  followed  the  oc- 
cupation of  a  farmer,  achieving  a  very  marked  suc- 
cess. His  land  holdings  include  1,720  acres,  and 
rof  this  mammoth  domain  he  cultivates  fully  1,000 
acres. 

Mr.  Atkinson  was  married  in  Yamhill  county, 
Oregon,  March  12,  1876,  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Parrott, 
daughter  of  George  and  Martha  (Ewell)  Parrott. 
Her  father,  who  was  born  in  Cook  county,  Tennes- 
see, February  10,  1833,  was  a  pioneer  of  the  county, 
"having  come  in  the  fall  of  1878.  He  is  an  honored 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  and  one  of  the  substantial 
farmers  of  Klickitat  county,  his  residence  at  pres- 
ent being  two  miles  west  of  his  daughter's  home. 
Mrs.  Atkinson's  mother  was  born  near  St.  Joe,  Mis- 
souri, January  3,  1839,  and  Mrs.  Atkinson  herself  is 
a  native  of  Kansas,  bom  August  11,  1859,  though 
she  grew  to  womanhood  and  received  her  education 
in  the  states  of  Missouri  and  Oregon.  She  is  the 
mother  of  four  children :  Edward  D.,  born  Decem- 
her  24.  T879;  Hugh  M.,  on  the  9th  of  June,  1883; 
George  R.,  April  2,  1885  ;  Verona  B.,  April  13,  1887, 
all  in  Yamhill  county.  Oreeon.  Mr.  Atkinson  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  in  his  frater- 
nal connections  he  is  an  Odd  Fellow.     He  adheres 


to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  A  com- 
petent farmer  of  modern  and  progressive  ideas,  he 
has  achieved  a  success  of  which  he  has  just  reason 
to  be  proud.  He  has  been  no  less  successful  in  win- 
ning the  esteem  and  regard  of  his  fellow  citizens, 
who  speak  of  him  as  one  who  combines  unusual 
business  shrewdness  with  the  highest  integrity  of 
character. 


TUNIS  T.  HINSHAW,  a  representative  citi- 
zen of  Klickitat  county  and  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
resides  on  his  ranch  two  and  a  half  miles  south  and 
two  east  of  the  city  of  Goldendale.  He  was  born 
in  Morgan  county,  Indiana,  May  3,  1857,  the  son 
of  Isaac  Hinshaw,  whose  biography  appears  else- 
where in  this  volume.  His  father  and  mother  were 
both  natives  of  North  Carolina.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Indiana  and  Kan- 
sas, to  the  latter  of  which  states  he  went  with  his 
parents  at  the  age  of  ten.  The  family  came  west 
to  California  when  he  was  about  eighteen  years  old 
and  the  following  year  he  took  up  the  carpenter's 
trade,  which  he  followed  for  nearly  three  years.  He 
came  north  to  Klickitat  county  in  1878,  arriving  on 
the  last  day  of  May,  and  settled  in  Goldendale,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  for  a  period  of  three  years. 
He  then  took  up  agriculture  as  a  means  of  gaining 
a  livelihood.  He  was  employed  by  R.  W.  Helm 
fourteen  months,  then  in  the  fall  of  1882  rented  his 
employer's  place  and  engaged  in  farming  on  his  own 
account.  Two  years  were  thus  spent.  He  filed  on 
his  present  homestead  in  June,  1883,  and  has  since 
made  his  home  on  the  land,  following  agriculture 
and  stock  raising.  He  now  owns  about  260  acres  of 
land,  of  which  he  is  at  present  cultivating  200  acres. 
He  has  considerable  stock  of  different  kinds  on  the 
place,  but  is  making  a*  specialty  of  the  best  blooded 
hogs.  He  is  an  enterprising,  progressive  and  suc- 
cessful farmer. 

October  30,  1883,  in  Marion  county,  Oregon, 
Mr.  Hinshaw  married  Lucinda  J.,  daughter  of  John 
W.  and  Mary  A.  (Clymer)  Short.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Delaware  to  German  parents  and  was  a 
minister  by  calling.  Crossing  the  Plains  to  Oregon 
in  1852,  he  came  thence  to  Klickitat  countv  in  1873, 
but  returned  two  years  later  to  the  Webfoot  state, 
where  he  passed  away  in  1902.  Her  mother  was 
brought  up  in  Indiana,  married  in  Iowa  and  died  in 
Oregon  in  i8q<;.  Mrs.  Hinshaw  is  a  native  of  Ore- 
gon, born  in  Marion  county  in  1861,  and  educated 
in  the  local  schools.  She  and  Mr.  Hinshaw  are 
parents  of  eight  children,  namely,  Lelia  M.,  born 
in  Klickitat  countv.  September  18,  1887:  Mabel  H., 
September  14,  1889;  Ernest  T.,  November  4th, 
two  vears  later;  Marv  E.,  December  19,  1893;  Lau- 
ra E.,  October  23,  1895;  Alice  and  Agnes,  twins, 
born  April  25,  1897;  and  Hazel,  born  two  years 
later  on  the  19th  of  October,  all  in  Klickitat  countv. 
Mr.  Hinshaw  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  a  Prohibitionist.    He  has  served  in  the  capacity 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


417 


of  school  clerk  for  the  past  fourteen  years.  A  man 
of  generous  traits,  good  morals  and  sociability,  and  a 
public  spirited,  progressive  citizen,  he  enjoys  the 
esteem  and  confidence  of  all  his  neighbors. 


WILLIAM  L.  HARRIS,  a  Klickitat  county  land 
owner  and  farmer,  resides  on  his  ranch  two  and  a 
half  miles  south  and  two  miles  east  of  the  city  of 
Goldendale.  He  was  born  in  Jackson  county,  Mis- 
souri, January  2,  1865,  the  son  of  John  E.  L.  and 
Mary  (Armstrong)  Harris.  His  father,  who  was 
of  German  descent,  was  likewise  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. Locating  in  Jackson  county,  Missouri,  he 
resided  there  until  1881,  at  which  time  he  came 
west  to  Klickitat  county  and  took  up  a  homestead 
two  miles  and  a  half  south  of  Goldendale,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death  in  1898.  His  wife,  Mary,  who 
is  likewise  of  German  descent,  claims  Tennessee  as 
her  birthplace,  but  now  makes  her  home  in  Klickitat 
county.  William  L.  Harris  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  Missouri  and  later  attended  school  in  this 
county,  to  which  he  came  with  his  parents  at  the 
age  of  fifteen.  He  remained  on  the  parental  farm 
until  twenty-three,  then  bought  the  improvements 
and  filed  on  a  homestead  near-by,  on  which  property 
he  lived  some  ten  years.  In  1899  he  traded  his  first 
place  for  the  present  home,  removing  to  the  latter 
farm  soon  after  making  the  deal.  His  property 
holdings  comprise  461  acres,  of  which  at  present 
he  is  cultivating  300  acres,  the  balance  being  pasture 
land.  He  has  a  number  of  kinds  of  stock  on  the 
farm,  to  which  he  gives  his  careful  attention,  and 
he  is  achieving  a  very  enviable  success  in  agriculture 
and  stock  raising. 

In  Goldendale,  on  Independence  Day,  1889,  Mr. 
Harris  married  Miss  Dora  Simms,  whose  father, 
Richard  Simms,  was  born  in  Clay  county,  Missouri, 
December  23,  1839.  He  followed  farming  in  his  na- 
tive state  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  then 
enlisted  at  St.  Joe  and  served  throughout  the  strife. 
He  came  to  Benton  county,  Oregon,  in  1874,  and 
thence  to  Klickitat  county  three  years  later,  and  at 
present  he  resides  about  three  miles  and  a  half 
southeast  of  Goldendale.  Mrs.  Harris's  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Garner,  was  born 
and  married  in  Missouri,  and  passed  away  in  Klick- 
itat county  in  1886.  Mrs.  Harris  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri on  the  20th  of  February,  1871,  but  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools  of  Washington.  She 
and  Mr.  Harris  are  parents  of  four  children  :  Mary, 
born  September  13,  1891  ;  Annie  B.,  born  August 
28,  1893;  Clara,  December  15,  189=;;  and  Ethel  G, 
Januarv  17,  1900.  In  religion,  Mr.  Harris  is  a 
Methodist,  and  fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  its  auxiliary,  the  Wom- 
en of  Woodcraft.  He  is  an  active  Democrat,  taking 
great  interest  in  all  political  matters.  Interested 
deepiv  in  the  cause  of  education,  he  is  now  discharg- 
ing the  duties  of  the  office  of  a  school  director.  A 
successful    agriculturist,    a    capable    and    honorable 


business  man,  a  public  spirited  citizen,  and  a  good 
neighbor,  he  enjoys  a  large  measure  of  respect  and 
esteem  among  those  who  know  him  well. 


WINFIELD  S.  LeFEVER,  one  of  Klickitat 
county's  pioneers  and  at  present  a  prosperous  farm- 
er and  stock  raiser,  living  two  miles  east  and  a  mile 
south  of  the  city  of  Goldendale,  was  born  in  Van 
Buren  county,  Iowa,  December  19,  1848.  He  is  the 
son  of  John  and  Rebecca  (Robinson)  LeFever,  the 
former  born  in  Pennsylvania  to  French  and  Dutch 
parents.  The  elder  LeFever  was  a  mechanic,  though 
during  the  greater  part  of  his  life  he  followed  the 
occupation  of  a  farmer.  When  a  young  man  he 
moved  to  Iowa,  where  he  was  married.  He  went  to 
Texas  in  1873  and  died  in  that  state  in  the  year 
1894.  Rebecca  LeFever  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1830, 
and  when  a  small  girl,  was  taken  to  Iowa  by  her 
parents.  She  now  makes  her  home  in  Montana. 
Winfield  S.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  denied 
the  privilege  of  a  good  school  education,  through 
unfortunate  circumstances,  but  nevertheless  has 
educated  himself  and  has  acquired  a  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  things  practical  and  useful.  He 
worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
nearly  twenty-six  years  old  and  then  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  father  which  lasted  four  years.  His 
residence  in  Klickitat  county  dates  back  to  the  year 
1878,  the  time  of  the  great  Indian  scare  in  this  re- 
gion. In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  located  on  a  piece 
of  railroad  land,  upon  which  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  When  this  land  reverted  to  the  government 
through  the  forfeiture  act,  Mr.  LeFever  filed  upon 
it  as  a  homestead  and  subsequently  acquired  title. 
He  now  owns  some  600  acres  of  valley  land,  of 
which  230  are  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  the 
balance'  being  pasture. 

Mr.  LeFever  was  married  in  Van  Buren  county, 
Iowa,  October  12,  1871.  to  Miss  Mary  Findlav.  a 
daughter  of  Alexander  F.  and  Margaret  (Whitfield) 
Findlav.  Her  father  was  a  Scotchman,  a  coal  miner 
and  farmer  bv  occupation.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  when  fourteen  years  old  and  settled  in  Mary- 
land. Afterwards  he  removed  to  Towa.  where  his 
death  occurred.  The  mother  was  also  born  in  Scot- 
land, thoueh  she  was  married  in  Maryland,  and  is 
now  a  resident  of  Iowa.  Mrs.  LeFever  was  born 
in  Maryland.  April  27,  1848.  and  educated  in  the 
schools  'of  her  native  state.  She  was  married  at  the 
age  of  twentv-two.  She  and  Mr.  LeFever  are  the 
parents  of  eight  children,  of  whom  George  C.  born 
in  Iowa,  in  1874,  and  at  oresent  living  in  Alaska, 
is  the  oldest.  Frank  and  Harrv  were  born  in  Texas, 
Nettie  E.  in  Klickitat  county,  in  1879,  an^  tne  other 
children,  Richard  C,  Tesse,  Daniel  and  Mary,  also 
in  this  county.  Air.  LeFever  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  in  oolitics,  is  a  Prohibitionist. 
He  is  at  present  serving  his  district  in  the  capacity 
of  school  director.  Besides  his  real  estate,  he  also 
owns  nearly  a  hundred  head  of  stock,  including  a 


4i8 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


large  number  of  grade  Durham  cattle.  Mr.  LeFever 
is  a  gentleman  of  high  moral  character,  a  successful 
farmer  and  stockman,  possesses  those  companionable 
qualities  which  attract  friends,  and  is,  in  short,  one 
of  the  community's  most  substantial  men. 


ARTHUR  G.  HARRIS  is  a  farmer  and  stock- 
man, residing  five  miles  southeast  of  Goldendale, 
Washington,  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  I. 
He  was  born  in  Hawkins  county,  Tennessee,  May 
17,  1858,  the  son  of  John  E.  L.  Harris,  a  farmer, 
also  native  of  Tennessee,  born  February  16,  1826. 
The  elder  Harris  moved  with  his  family  to  Jackson 
county,  Missouri,  in  1861.  Here  he  served  in  divers 
engagements  which  took  place  in  Missouri  incident 
to  the  Civil  war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  moved 
from  Jackson  county  to  Cass  county,  in  which  he 
resided  till  March  23,  1881,  when  he  started  west, 
his  objective  point  being  Goldendale,  and  at  this 
place  he  resided  till  the  time  of  his  death.  The 
mother,  Mary  F.  (Armstrong)  Harris,  was  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  born  August  21,  1833,  and  is  still 
living,  her  residence  now  being  in  Klickitat  county. 
Arthur  G.  lived  in  Missouri  during  the  interval 
between  his  second  and  his  twenty-second  year. 
During  this  time  he  became  well  acquainted  with  the 
Younger  brothers,  'and  in  Cass  county  attended 
school  with  the  Dalton  boys.  It  was  at  this  school, 
his  playmates  lads  who  were  to  become  the  most 
desperate  criminals  in  the  country,  that  Arthur  re- 
ceived such  education  as  was  to  come  to  him  through 
the  use  of  school-books.  He  came  west  with  his 
parents  in  1881,  but  in  the  fall  of  that  year  returned 
to  Missouri  and,  on  November  21st,  married  Miss 
Mary  Alice  Cassell,  a  native  of  Springfield,  Mis- 
souri, born  August  3,  1862.  Her  father,  Joseph 
Cassell,  died  when  she  was  young.  Immediately 
after  marriage  Mr.  Harris  returned  to  Goldendale, 
and  settled  on  the  place  he  now  occupies,  to  the 
original  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  which  he 
has  added  forty  acres,  secured  from  the  railroad  by 
purchase.  The  farm  has  been  devoted  by  Mr.  Har- 
ris principally  to  the  production  of  grain.  When  he 
began  farming  he  was  obliged  to  haul  his  wheat 
many  miles  to  Columbus,  his  nearest  market,  where 
it  was  weighed  on  diminutive  scales,  five  sacks  at  a 
time.  Mr.  Harris  has  raised  a  crop  every  year  since 
he  first  began  farming  in  1882  on  his  fine  two  hun- 
dred-acre farm.  Nine  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harris,  of  whom  the  first,  Charles 
W.,  is  dead.  Those  living  are  Sadie  Ella,  Lottie 
May.  Millie  I.,  Maude  E.  and  Claude  E.,  twins, 
Ada  B.,  Martha  A.  and  Arthur  J.  The  brothers  and 
sisters  of  Mr.  Harris  are  Mrs.  Pollv  A.  Oldham, 
Mrs.  Julia  A.  Morgan,  John  P.,  now  living  in  Gold- 
endale ;  William  L.,  Mrs.  Alice  C.  Brown,  residing 
west  of  Goldendale ;  Richard  L.,  in  Oregon ;  Mrs. 
Carrie  L.  Jones,  residing  at  The  Dalles,  and  Wiley 
J.,  living  in  Klickitat  county.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Harris    is    associated    with    the   Woodmen    of    the 


World,  and  Mrs.  Harris  has  membership  in  the 
Women  of  Woodcraft  order.  Both  husband  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Harris  is  almost  independent,  though 
slightly  inclined  to  favor  the  Prohibition  party. 
At  different  times  he  has  served  his  community  as 
school  clerk,  and  as  road  supervisor.  As  a  thresh- 
ing machine  man,  Mr.  Harris  is  one  of  the  experts 
of  the  county.  His  bearing  in  business  affairs,  as 
well  as  in  matters  relative  to  the  interests  of  his 
community,  has  ever  been  strictly  commendable,  and 
such  as  to  merit  the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


DAVID  A.  SHEARER  is  a  farmer  and  stock- 
man, residing  two  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of 
Goldendale,  Washington.  He  is  a  native  of  Iowa, 
born  October  10,  1861.  His  father,  William  Shear- 
er, was  born  in  South  Carolina,  and  died  January 
29,  1899,  at  the  age  of  seventy-two  years.  The 
elder  Shearer  was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Oregon. 
He  made  the  journey  to  this  then  unsettled  wilder- 
ness in  1864,  crossing  the  Plains,  in  company  with 
other  equally  hardy  homeseekers,  with  a  team  of 
oxen.  In  1884  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  and 
there  he  resided  till  the  time  of  his  death.  The 
mother,  Nancy  (Johnson)  Shearer,  died  when  Da- 
vid A.  was  but  four  years  of  age,  and  of  her  he  knows 
but  little.  David  was  brought  to  Oregon  when 
three  years  old,  and  remained  there  on  a  farm  until 
nineteen.  He  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools,  also  attending  a  business  college  in  Portland, 
from  which  he  received  a  diploma.  After  keeping 
books  for  two  years,  he  took  a  homestead  in  Klicki- 
tat county,  to  which  he  had  come  in  1882.  This 
place  he  proved  up  on  and  sold ;  then  he  purchased 
other  property,  which  he  in  turn  sold,  and  for  some 
time  he  continued  this  course  of  buying  and  selling. 
He  worked  as  a  cowboy  at  a  time  when  fences  were 
practically  unthought  of  hindrances  to  rangemen, 
and  it  was  during  this  period  of  his  life  that  he 
learned  to  speak  Chinook  fluently.  During  1886 
and  1887  he  drove  stage  from  Goldendale  to  North 
Yakima,  and  followed  other  occupations,  all  inci- 
dent to  the  pioneer  conditions  obtaining  at  that 
time. 

In  March,  1887,  in  Klickitat  county,  Mr.  Shearer 
married  Miss  Jennie  Stephens,  who  was  born  in 
Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  in  1870.  Her  father, 
Thomas  Stephens,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Oregon, 
is  now  living  near  Roseburg,  in  that  state.  He 
crossed  the  Plains  in  1849,  anc^  fought  in  the  wars 
necessary  to  quell  the  Cheyenne  Indians,  also  in  the 
early  Indian  wars  of  Washington  and  Oregon.  One 
battle  in  which  he  took  part  was  fought  at  a  point 
just  east  of  the  present  location  of  Goldendale. 
Some  of  the  campaigns  in  which  Mr.  Stephens 
served  were  among  the  severest  during  the  subju- 
gation of  the  Indian  tribes  of  the  West.  Mr.  Ste- 
phens' wife,  Ann  (Thornton)  Stephens,  is  also  still 
living,   but    her    mother    died    when   Jennie — now 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


419 


Mrs.  David  A.  Shearer — was  but  twelve  years  old. 
Her  demise  occurred  near  the  site  of  the  present 
Arlington,  and  a  wagon-box.  was  used  for  the  inter- 
ment, since  no  better  coffin  was  obtainable.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shearer  are  Chester  L., 
now  at  home;  Ida  Nell,  Gretta  M.,  and  Delbert  A. 
Politically,  Mr.  Shearer  is  independent,  and  fra- 
ternally, he  is  associated  with  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  Mrs.  Shearer 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Their  home 
farm  comprises  two  hundred  and  thirty-eight  acres 
of  land,  all  in  a  body,  but  this  land  is  only  a  part 
of  what  Mr.  Shearer  farms,  as  he  leases  extensively. 
Up  to  last  year  he  gave  considerable  attention  to 
cattle  raising,  but  is  now  largely  out  of  the  busi- 
ness and  into  that  of  raising  draft  horses.  His 
animals  are  among  the  best  in  the  county. 


ANGUS  J.  WATSON,  an  energetic  Klickitat 
county  farmer  and  stockman,  resides  on  his  160- 
acre  farm,  situated  some  six  miles  east  of  the  city  of 
Goldendale.  He  was  born  in  Napa  county,  Califor- 
nia, in  December,  1874,  the  son  of  Robert  and 
Anna  (Ferguson)  Watson.  His  father  is  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  likewise  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  this  country  when  six 
months  old,  and  his  parents  settled  in  Canada.  He 
removed  to  California  when  a  young  man,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  in  the  Golden  state  until  1879,  at 
which  time  he  removed  north  to  Klickitat  county, 
and  bought  some  land.  He  again  farmed  in  the 
county  until  1901,  then  sold  the  ranch  and  moved 
to  Yakima  county,  where  he  and  his  wife  now  re- 
side. She  was  born  in  Canada,  of  Scotch-Irish 
parents. 

Angus  J.,  one  of  a  family  of  six  children,  came 
to  Klickitat  county  with  his  parents  when  five  years 
old.  He  grew  up  in  the  county,  and  received  his 
education  in  the  public  schools  near  the  parental 
home,  his  spare  time  being  employed  on  the  farm. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  started  out  in  life  for 
himself,  and  since  that  time  has  made  his  own  liv- 
ing. He  bought  his  present  place  in  1889,  and  has 
since  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser.  Besides  his  own  property  he  also  rents  two 
other  farms,  and  he  is  cultivating  over  three  hun- 
dred acres  at  present. 

In  Klickitat  countv,  in  January,  1900,  Mr.  Wat- 
son married  Miss  Minnie  Hamilton,  daughter  of 
Alexander  and  America  Jane  (Chamberlain)  Ham- 
ilton. Her  father  is  now  sheep  commissioner  of  the 
county,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  early  pioneers. 
Mrs.  Watson  was  born  in  the  county  in  1882.  Mr. 
Watson  has  a  brother,  Elmer  R.,  and  a  sister,  now 
Mrs.  Ida  Sexton,  who  lives  near  his  home,  also  an- 
other brother  named  Fred.  Mrs.  Maud  Richardson, 
wife  of  a  Bickleton  blacksmith,  is  also  his  sister, 
and  his  other  sister,  Mrs.  Collie  Harnard,  makes  her 
home  in  Pasco,  Washington.  Angus  is  the  second 
oldest  child,  his  brother  Elmer  being  the  oldest  of 


the  family.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Watson  have  one  child, 
Alice  Christine,  a  girl  of  three  years.  Their  son, 
Robert  A.,  just  recently  passed  away.  In  politics, 
Mr.  Watson  does  not  ally  himself  with  any  party, 
but  votes  for  the  best  man.  He  is  an  energetic 
young  man,  and  is  succeeding  admirably. 


WILLIAM  C.  AND  ALBERT  RUST  are  pros- 
perous business  men  of  Goldendale,  Washington,  and 
are  partners  in  a  clothing,  gents'  furnishing  goods 
and  shoe  store.  They  are  sons  of  Carl  C.  and 
Minnie  (Lindenberg)  Rust.  The  elder  Rust  is  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  a  mason  and  contractor  by 
trade.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1873,  and 
settled  in  Faribault,  Minnesota,  where  he  still  lives. 
Mrs.  Rust  is  also  of  German  descent,  and  now  lives 
with  her  husband  in  Minnesota. 

William  C.  Rust  was  born  in  Prussia,  Germany, 
in  1871.  He  grew  to  manhood  in  Faribault,  having 
been  but  two  years  old  when  his  parents  brought 
him  to  this  country.  He  learned  the  milling  trade, 
and  followed  it  in  Faribault  and  Blue  Earth, 
Minnesota,  until  May,  1902.  While  learning  the 
trade,  he  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Old  Straight 
River  Stone  Mills.  Having  come  to  Goldendale 
from  Minnesota,  he  worked  for  the  Goldendale  Mill- 
ing Company  for  some  time,  but  in  February,  1904, 
his  brother,  Albert,  came  to  the  city,  and  the  two 
opened  their  present  business  shortly  after. 

Albert  Rust  also  grew  up  in  Faribault,  Minne- 
sota, attending  a  German  school  until  he  was  thir- 
teen years  old,  then  completing  his  education  in  the 
public  schools.  He  began  to  make  his  own  living  by 
working  in  a  dry  goods  and  gents'  furnishing  goods 
store,  serving  as  window  decorator  in  the  establish- 
ment. He  also  worked  twelve  months  in  a  Marshall, 
Minnesota,  store,  at  the  same  business. 

The  brothers  have  two  sisters,  named  Minnie 
and  Augusta  Rust,  but  their  brother,  Charles,  is 
now  deceased.  They  have  also  two  brothers  living, 
Henry  and  Herman.  The  brothers  are  both  single ; 
and  William  is  fraternally  connected  with  the  K.  of 
P.  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  while  Albert 
also  belongs  to  the  latter  order.  Both  were  brought 
up  in  the  Lutheran  church,  and  Albert  still  adheres 
to  that  denomination.  Both  are  Republicans,  and 
William  took  an  active  interest  in  politics  while  in 
Minnesota.  He  owned  a  farm  in  this  locality,  but 
has  recently  disposed  of  it,  and  also  sold  an  interest 
in  a  homestead  that  he  had  held  for  some  little  time. 
He  still  owns  a  business  lot  in  the  best  part  of  the 
city.  While  both  are  newcomers  in  Goldendale,  the 
Rust  Brothers  have  already  proven  their  ability  to 
win  the  prizes  which  the  west  has  for  them.  They 
have  already  gained  an  enviable  standing  as  business 
men  of  energy  and  integrity.  At  this  writing  they 
are  erecting  a  brick  building  which  they  hope  to 
occupy  with  their  stock  of  goods. 


420 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


GUY  SHELLADY,  a  business  man  of  Golden- 
dale,  was  born  in  Gilliam  county,  Oregon,  in  1871, 
the  son  of  John  and  Ella  (Ricord)  Shellady,  the 
father  a  stockman  by  occupation,  born  in  Iowa.  He 
crossed  the  Plains  in  1849,  at  tne  ^me  0I  tne  gold 
excitement,  and  settled  in  California,  where  he 
mined  for  a  number  of  years  with  success.  Later 
he  moved  to  what  was  then  a  part  of  Wasco  county, 
Oregon,  and  engaged  in  the  stock  business.  The 
county  has  been  divided  since,  and  the  locality  in 
which  he  then  lived  is  now  a  part  of  Gilliam  county. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  three  settlers  on  Rock  creek, 
in  that  county.  A  large  cattle  raiser,  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  in  1873,  he  owned  a  band  of  3,000  head. 
He  took  part  in  the  Indian  wars  of  Oregon,  as  one 
of  the  volunteers,  doing  his  full  share  toward  sub- 
duing the  troublesome  redskins.  His  grandfather, 
Alexander,  came  from  Lancashire,  England,  in  the 
early  days.  The  mother  of  our  subject  is  a  native 
of  the  Golden  state,  born  in  1848,  a  member  of  a 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  family.  Her  parents  crossed 
the  Plains  very  early  in  the  last  century.  She  is 
still  living,  a  resident  of  Salem,  Oregon.  Guy 
Shellady,  of  this  review,  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Gilliam  county.  He  remained  at 
home  until  nineteen  years  of  age,  after  completing 
his  school  training,  riding  the  ranges  and  engaged 
in  the  stock  business  generally,  shipping  numerous 
carloads  of  horses  to  the  eastern  markets.  In  1890 
he  went  east,  and  was  a  resident  of  Detroit  City, 
Minnesota,  for  a  number  of  years.  Coming  to 
Goldendale  in  1899,  he  opened  an  establishment 
there;  and  he  has  ever  since  been  numbered  among 
the  business  men  of  that  city. 

In  1902,  Mr.  Shellady  married  Miss  Lillian 
Washburn,  a  native  of  Goldendale,  whose  father, 
John  Washburn,  was  an  old  pioneer  of  this  section, 
and  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  county.  Mr.  Shel- 
lady has  one  sister,  now  Mrs.  Clemma  May  Durbin, 
a  resident  of  Salem,  Oregon.  In  politics,  Mr.  Shel- 
lady is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  well-to-do  business  man 
of  this  growing  city,  possessed  of  a  genial,  ap- 
proachable disposition. 


JACOB  RICHARDSON,  United  States  min- 
eral surveyor  at  Goldendale,  was  born  in  Clark 
countv,  Illinois,  July  29,  1859,  the  son  of  Jesse  H. 
and  Lydia  J.  (Groves)  Richardson.  His  father,  a 
farmer  and  stockman,  is  a  native  of  Cayuga  countv, 
New  York,  but  of  English  descent.  He  was  born  in 
1834,  crossed  the  Plains  to  Utah  in  1865,  and  came 
to  Yakima  county  in  1866.  The  next  year  he  moved 
into  Klickitat  countv,  took  up  land  near  the  town 
of  Columbus,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising.  Later  he  moved  to  the  Swale  district  and  in 
1894  he  bought  his  present  home.  His  wife,  who  is 
of  German  descent,  but  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in 
1840,  is  also  still  living.  Her  father  and  brothers 
served  in  the  Civil  war.  The  subject  of  this  article 
crossed  the  Plains  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  six 


and  grew  up  in  Klickitat  county  on  the  parental 
farm.  Starting  out  with  a  government  survey  party, 
as  chain  carrier,  when  only  eleven,  he  has  since  fol- 
lowed surveying  in  many  different  counties  of  the 
state,  even  working  in-  the  Sound  country,  though 
his  principal  fields  of  operation  have  been  Yakima, 
Kittitas  and  Spokane  counties.  He  specially  quali- 
fied himself  for  the  work  about  the  time  he  became 
of  age,  making  himself  master  of  his  profession. 
When  lte  came  to  the  county  it  was  wild  and  unset- 
tled and  overrun  with  stock.  There  was  a  small 
settlement  at  Columbus  and  a  few  settlers  in  what 
is  known  as  the  Swale  district.  Among  the  set- 
tlers at  Columbus  he  recalls  Amos  Stark,  Thomas 
Jenkins  and  S.  H.  Jones.  There  was  no  Goldendale 
then.  In  the  Swale  district  John  and  Thomas  Bur- 
gen,  Alba  Bunnell,  Chauncv  Goodnoe,  M.  S.  Short, 
W.  B.  Walker,  S.  H.  Fish,  John  Golden  and  Nelson 
Whitney  were  about  the  only  ones,  and  there  were 
a  few  settlers  at  Rockland,  including  A.  S.  Curtis, 
A.  M.  Gilmore,  Thomas  Connell,  and  Thomas  John- 
son, the  pioneer  merchant  of  Goldendale.  Marion 
S.  Flower  was  also  living  near  Rockland  at  that 
time.  The  people  had  an  excitement  almost  every 
year  over  supposed  Indian  uprisings,  but  no  serious 
trouble  ever  occurred.  Mr.  Richardson  was  near 
Rattlesnake  Springs  when  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins 
were  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  he  saw  the  mur- 
derers after  they  were  captured.  He  was  below 
Lewiston,  Idaho,  on  government  survey  work  at  the 
time  of  the  Nez  Perce  outbreak. 

In  Klickitat  county,  in  1878,  Mr.  Richardson 
married  Miss  Anna  McPheeters,  a  native  of  Clark 
county,  Illinois.  Her  father  was  James  McPheeters 
and  her  mother's  family  name  was  Scott-  Mrs. 
Richardson  had  come  to  Klickitat  county  with  an 
uncle  in  1876.  She  and  her  husband  have  one  child, 
Arthur,  now  county  surveyor  of  Klickitat  county. 
Mr.  Richardson  is  a  member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and  in 
politics,  an  active  Republican,  attending  caucuses 
and  conventions.  Elected  county  surveyor  first  in 
the  eighties,  he  served  in  that  position  for  twelve 
years,  and  at  present  he  is  United  States  mineral 
surveyor  in  Goldendale.  Though  the  owner  of  con- 
siderable realty,  he  still  gives  his  time  to  the  pursuit 
of  the  profession  he  so  early  chose,  and  has  so  as- 
siduously sought  to  perfect  himself  in.  A  man  of 
genial  nature,  pleasant  and  approachable,  he  natur- 
ally has  made  many  friends  throughout  the  state, 
while  in  the  county  that  has  so  long  been  his  home 
his  standing  is  most  enviable. 


ISAIAH  McBEE.  Few  of  the  present  genera- 
tion of  Westerners,  comfortably  situated,  prosperous 
and  generally  at  peace  with  the  world,  realize  at 
how  great  a  cost  their  home  has  been  reclaimed 
from  barbarism.  The  sacrifice  has  been  enormous 
and  human  life  has  been  the  most  precious  medium 
of  exchange.  Yet,  withal,  the  priceless  sacrifice 
made   upon    civilization's    altar   by   the   parents   of 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


421 


Isaiah  McBee  must  ever  be  his  most  treasured  her- 
itage. Few  pioneers  came  to  the  shores  of  the 
Columbia  under  more  trying  difficulties  than  did  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  and  his  sisters.  Isaiah  McBee, 
of  Scotch  and  German  descent,  was  born  in  Ray 
county,  Missouri,  February  9,  1840,  and  is  the  son 
of  Levi  and  Elizabeth  (Ream)  McBee,  natives  of 
Maryland  and  Ohio  respectively,  born  in  181 1  and 
181 5  respectively.  Levi  McBee  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade,  but  gave  most  of  his  life  to  farming.  He 
was  among  Ohio's  early  pioneers  and  took  up  his 
abode  in  Missouri  in  1836.  There  he  reared  a  fam- 
ily and  lived  until  the  year  1852,  when  the  richness 
and  wonders  of  far-away  Willamette  proved  too 
attractive  to  withstand  and  he,  his  wife  and  little 
children  were  soon  westward  bound.  Cholera  broke 
out  in  the  company  and  before  its  ravages  were  fin- 
ished, both  father  and  mother  were  sleeping  the 
sleep  that  knows  no  waking  upon  this  earth.  He  was 
stricken  near  Fort  Kearney,  Nebraska,  and  there 
buried;  his  faithful  helpmeet  was  laid  at  rest  at  the 
mouth  of  Ash  Hollow,  on  the  North  Platte  river, 
Nebraska.  The  seven  little  orphans  continued  their 
weary,  lonesome  way.  Soon  two  of  them  dropped 
from  the  little  company  and  were  buried  by  the 
wayside.  The  remaining  fatherless  and  motherless 
children,  of  whom  Isaiah  was  one,  were  tenderly 
cared  for  by  two  paternal  uncles  and  others  of  that 
fearless,  saddened  emigrant  train,  and  in  time  ar- 
rived safely  at  their  journey's  end.  Isaiah  immedi- 
ately went  to  work  in  King's  tannery,  Portland, 
where  he  remained  until  November,  1854,  when  he 
became  a  resident  of  Vancouver,  across  the  Colum- 
bia. There  he  worked  six  years  at  various  occupa- 
tions. LTpon  the  discovery  of  gold  in  the  Clearwater 
countrv,  Idaho,  he  started  with  a  wagon  train  and 
was  one  of  the  first  to  reach  that  river  with  goods. 
Before  returning,  he  went  as  far  as  Elk  City ;  he 
wintered  in  Vancouver.  From  that  time  until  1872 
he  traveled  throughout  Washington  and  Idaho,  en- 
gaged in  freighting,  next  spending  six  vears  on  Pu- 
get  sound.  In  1878  he  came  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  as  earlv  as  i860,  he  had  assisted  in  -surveying 
four  townships  for  the  government.  Five  vears  he 
conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  near  the  No.  6  school- 
bouse,  at  the  same  time  filing  upon  land  in  that  local- 
ity. Because  of  his  long  association  with  the  Indi- 
ans, he  remained  on  his  place  during  the  Indian 
scare  of  1878,  not  fearing  the  redskins  as  did  many 
of  those  around  him.  Mr.  McBee  has  gradually 
accumulated  a  goodly  holding  of  farming  property 
and  is  still  devoted  to  agricultural  pursuits. 

He  was  married  in  1868,  but  has  no  familv  at 
the  present  time,  a  niece,  Diana  Wilkes,  keeping 
house  for  her  uncle.  Of  his  sisters,  three  are  still 
living:  Mrs.  B.  A.  Chambreau,  in  Portland;  Mrs. 
Rebecca  Knighton,  in  Gilliam  county,  Oregon ;  and 
Mrs.  Caroline  Beeman,  in  Idaho.  In  politics,  Mr. 
McBee  is  known  as  a  strong  Republican.  He  owns 
three-quarters  of  a  section  of  rich  valley  land  eight 
miles  east  of  Goldendale,  and  also  some  property  in 


Whatcom.  With  commendable  generosity  and  a 
sense  of  appreciation,  he  has  bestowed  a  240-acre 
farm  upon  his  faithful  niece.  Secure  against  want 
and  possessing  the  respect  and  good  will  of  all 
around  him,  this  worthy  pioneer  of  pioneers  is  rich 
in  such  blessings  as  this  world  can  bestow. 


A.  I.  RHODES,  an  industrious  and  competent 
farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Klickitat  county,  and  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  resides  on  his  well  improved 
ranch  eight  miles  southeast  of  Goldendale.  He  was 
born  in  Kekoskee,  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin,  De- 
cember 3,  1851,  the  son  of  Richard  and  Lucy  (Dem- 
mon)  Rhodes.  His  father,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  state  in  18 16,  and  was  likewise  a  farmer,  was 
a  pioneer  of  Dodge  county,  Wisconsin.  He  enlisted 
in  Company  C,  Third  Wisconsin  volunteers,*  in 
1861,  and  later  re-enlisted  in  the  Tenth  regiment, 
serving  until  1864.  His  son,  John,  a  brother  of  the 
subject  of  this  article,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Twenty-ninth  Wisconsin  volunteers,  was  killed  in 
the  Civil  war,  and  Richard  Rhodes,  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  was  killed  in  the  War  of  1812.  Mr. 
Rhodes  returned  to  Wisconsin  after  being  mustered 
out  of  service  and  remained  in  that  state  until  his 
death,  in  1882.  He  belonged  to  an  old  English 
familv.  His  wife,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  died 
when  her  son,  A.  I.,  was  but  six  years  old.  The 
subject  of  this  review  grew  to  manhood  in  Wiscon- 
sin, attending  the  common  schools  of  that  state, 
then  assisting  on  the  farm  for  some  time.  He  also 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  Eleven  years  of  his 
life  were  spent  on  a  farm  in  Blue  Earth  county, 
Minnesota,  but  on  account  of  severe  sickness  con- 
tracted there,  he  came,  in  1888,  to  Oregon,  and 
settled  in  the  Willamette  valley.  He  bought  land 
there  and  resided  upon  it  about  eight  years,  then, 
having  traded  it  for  160  acres  of  Klickitat  land,  he 
removed  to  that  county  in  1896.  Later  he  bought 
another  tract  of  160  acres,  and  he  has  also  taken 
up  a  homestead,  his  design  being  to  work  into  the 
cattle  business  gradually.  During  the  summers  he 
follows  his  trade  and  his  boys  run  the  place.  They 
cultivate  about  150  acres  of  the  farm  at  present  and 
are  succeeding  admirably  in  building  up  a  valuable 
property.  Among  the  improvements  on  the  place 
is  a  splendid  apple  orchard.  Mr.  Rhodes  is  giving 
considerable  attention  to  the  breeding  of  Hereford 
cattle  at  this  time. 

December  15,  1881.  in  the  state  of  Minnesota, 
Mr.  Rhodes  married  Miss  Mattie  Stone,  a  native  of 
Scott  county,  born  in  1857.  Her  father,  William 
Stone,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  by  occupation  a  mill- 
wright and  farmer,  died  many  years  aeo.  Her 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Emma  Misseldine, 
was  born  in  England  and  came  to  this  country  when 
a  small  girl.  She  died  in  1897  at  the  age  of  eighty. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rhodes  have  six  children,  namely. 
Richard,  the  oldest;  Ruth,  born  November  21,  1884; 
Burton,  born  October  26,   T887 ;  Edith,  March  22, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON 


1889;  Roy,  August  4,  1891 ;  Effie,  March  22,  1893; 
all  at  home  with  their  parents.  Mrs.  Rhodes  is  a 
member  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Rhodes  displays 
his  public  spirit  by  serving  on  the  school  board. 
No  one  is  more  interested  in  good  schools  than  he, 
and  he  works  always  to  bring  the  local  schools  up 
to  the  highest  possible  point  of  efficiency.  He  has 
also  discharged  the  duties  of  road  supervisor  for 
two  years.  He  enjoys  a  splendid  standing  in  his 
community,  his  neighbors  speaking  of  him  always 
as  a  good  citizen,  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  and*an 
approachable,  courteous  member  of  society. 


ARKELLAS  D.  HARTLEY.  Among  the 
progressive  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Klickitat 
county,  the  man  whose  name  initiates  this  article 
must  be  given  a  place.  He  resides  on  his  farm  of 
160  acres  eight  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Goldendale, 
in  rural  free  delivery  district  No.  I.  He  was  born 
in  Franklin  county,  Illinois,  March  1,  i860,  the  son 
of  David  and  Amanda  (Dollans)  Hartley,  the  father 
a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  born  in  1837,  to 
Scotch  parents.  The  older  Hartley,  a  farmer  and 
gardener  by  occupation,  crossed  the  Plains  to  Ore- 
gon in  1865,  came  thence  to  Klickitat  county  in 
1879  and  now  resides  in  Goldendale.  His  brother 
is  a  Civil  war  veteran.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our 
subject,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  1839.  Arkel- 
las  D.,  whose  life  record  it  is  here  our  purpose  to 
outline,  was  but  five  years  old  when  he  came  to 
Oregon  with  his  parents.  He  grew  to  the  age  of 
twenty  on  the  parental  farm  in  Marion  county,  at- 
tending the  local  common  schools.  When  old 
enough  to  shoulder  the  responsibilities  of  life,  he 
chose  farming  as  his  occupation  and  he  followed 
it  in  Oregon  until  1888,  when  he  came  to  Klickitat 
county  and  homesteaded  a  quarter  section  of  land. 
No  sooner  had  he  acquired  an  inchoative  right  to  the 
property  than  he  began  energetically  the  task  of 
improving  it  and  he  has  resided  on  the  place  con- 
tinuouslv  since.  He  raises  grain,  wheat,  oats,  and 
other  farm  products  very  successfully ;  fruits  of 
various  kinds  and  stock. 

Mr.  Hartlev  was  married  first  in  1883,  the  ladv 
of  his  choice  being  Miss  Rachel  Clymer,  who  died, 
leaving  one  child,  Mary  Wenona,  born  in  Linn 
county,  Oregon.  His  second  marriage  occurred 
October  6,  1886.  when  Miss  Winnie  Parrott,  a  native 
of  Missouri,  born  in  1869,  became  his  wife.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  George  and  Martha  (Ewell)  Par- 
rott, the  former  a  native  of  Cook  county,  Tennes- 
see, born  February  10,  1833.  Mr.  Parrott  is  an 
earlv  pioneer  of  Klickitat  county,  to  whom  more 
extended  reference  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. Mrs.  Hartlev's  mother,  who  was  born  near 
St.  Toe,  Missouri,  January  3,  1859,  still  lives  near 
Goldendale.  Mr.  Hartlev's  sisters  and  brother 
are:  Mrs.  Laura  Shank,  living  in  Umatilla  county, 
Oregon:  Mrs.  Nellie  Mosier,  in  Klickitat  countv ; 
Mrs.  Ella  Mosier,  a  resident  of  Oregon  City,  Ore- 


gon ;  Mrs.  Anna  Current,  in  Goldendale ;  and  Frank, 
on  the  Nez  Perce  reservation,  in  Idaho.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hartley  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but 
have  one  adopted  son,  George.  They  are  both  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church  in  Goldendale,  and  of 
the  Grange  in  school  district  number  six.  In  poli- 
tics, Mr.  Hartley  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  school  board  and  is  doing  all  he  can,  in  his 
locality,  for  the  amelioration  and  extension  of  edu- 
cational opportunities.  An  energetic  farmer,  a  good 
citizen  and  a  genial,  approachable  man  of  strict  in- 
tegrity, he  stands  high  in  the  esteem  and  regard  of 
his  neighbors  and  associates. 


RICHARD  A.  SIMMS,  one  of  the  many  well- 
to-do  and  prosperous  farmers  of  Klickitat  county, 
resides  on  his  well  improved  ranch,  three  and  a  half 
miles  southeast  of  Goldendale.  He  was  born  in 
Clay  county,  Missouri,  December  23,  1839,  the  son 
of  John  H.  and  Martha  (Huffman)  Simms.  His 
father,  a  native  of  Stafford  county,  Virginia,  born 
in  1794,  and  a  member  of  an  old  English  family, 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In  1826  he  removed 
to  Clay  county,  Missouri,  and  he  died  in  Holt  coun- 
ty, that  state,  in  1874.  Having  served  in  the  War  of 
1812,  he  was  a  pensioner  and  his  wife  still  draws  a 
pension  from  the  government  on  account  of  the 
services  he  rendered  in  that  conflict.  His  wife  was 
born  in  Missouri,  in  1824,  to  Irish  and  Dutch  par- 
ents. She  still  lives  in  Falls  City,  Nebraska. 
Richard  A.,  of  this  article,  grew  to  manhood  on  the 
parental  farm  near  Liberty,  in  Clay  county.  He 
received  a  common  school  education,  then  followed 
farming  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war.  In 
1863  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army,  at  St.  Joe,  Mis- 
souri, and  later  he  served  with  the  Confederate 
forces,  though  he  was  not  in  favor  of  slavery  or 
secession.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  moved  to 
Holt  county,  Missouri,  with  his  father  and  brothers 
and  he  lived  there  three  years,  going  then  to  Atchi- 
son county,  where  he  resided  until  1874.  His  next 
move  was  to  Benton  county,  Oregon.  There  he 
lived  for  three  and  a  half  years,  but  in  1877  he 
again  moved,  coming  to  Klickitat  county.  He 
homesteaded  his  present  place  shortlv  after  his  ar- 
rival, and  upon  it  he  has  lived  continuously  since. 
He  was  here  during  the  Indian  scare  of  1878,  but 
paying  no  attention  to  the  excitement  all  around, 
continued  at  his  work.  He  has  added  to  his  orig- 
inal property  bv  taking  a  pre-emption  claim  and  an 
eighty-acre  timber  culture  claim,  in  the  mountains 
near-by,  arfd  his  realty  holdings  at  present  consist  of 
about  six  hundred  acres ;  his  home  place  being  a 
tract  of  360  acres  of  rich  farming  land.  He  raises 
wheat,  barley  and  other  farm  produce,  also  an  abun- 
dance of  fruit  for  the  market.  Among  the  many 
improvements  on  his  place  is  a  good  house  with 
modern  conveniences. 

Mr.  Simms  has  been  twice  married.  On  Decem- 
ber 19,  1861,  he  wedded  Miss  Mary  Garner,  and  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


423 


this  union  ten  children  were  born,  of  whom  eight 
are  still  living,  namely,  Mrs.  Luanna  Lee  Harris 
and  Mrs.  Emma  M.  Vanhoy,  in  Goldendale;  Mrs. 
Dora  J.  Harris  and  Mrs.  Margaret  N.  Hull,  in  the 
county;  John  A.,  in  Woodland,  Washington;  Rich- 
ard M.,  deceased;  James  A.,  the  eldest  son,  who 
died  September  24,  1903 ;  Mrs.  Martha  G.  Tallman, 
in  Klickitat  county;  Mrs.  Amanda  B.  Chappell,  in 
Goldendale;  and  Mrs.  Frances  A.  Imlay,  on  the 
Columbus  road.  Mr.  Simms'  first  wife  died  on  the 
21st  of  May,  1886,  and  in  1890  he  again  married, 
the  lady  this  time  being  Miss  Julia  A.  Goff,  who 
was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1842,  and  brought  up 
in  Wisconsin.  Her  father,  Stephen  Goff,  a  native 
of  the  Old  Bay  state,  passed  away  in  1873,  at  the 
age  of  eighty-one.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Persis  Bates,  was  likewise  a  native  of 
Massachusetts  and  is  also  deceased,  having  passed 
away  in  1879,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  and 
eight  months.  Mr.  Simms  is  a  member  of  the 
Grange  in  school  district  number  six,  and  both  he 
and  his  wife  belong  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Prohibitionist.  A  man  of  sterling 
honesty  and  benevolent  disposition,  and  in  all  re- 
spects a  thoroughly  good  citizen,  he  stands^high  in 
the  esteem  and  good  will  of  his  neighbors  and  as- 
sociates. 


COLUMBUS  O.  BARNES,  one  of  Klickitat 
county's  well-to-do  farmers  and  gardeners,  resides 
just  outside  the  limits  of  Goldendale  on  a  place  of 
historic  interest,  his  farm  being  one  of  the  first  home- 
steads located  in  the  county.  The  original  owner, 
a  man  named  French,  conducted  one  of  the  first 
stores  in  t^e  county  on  the  land  in  an  old  building 
still  standing.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born 
in  Washington  county,  Ohio,  near  Marietta,  April 
1,  1856,  to  the  union  of  Owen  and  Catherine 
(Young)  Barnes.  Owen  Barnes  was  born  in  1822, 
near  Barnesville,  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  for  many  years  engaged  in  farming  and  con- 
ducting a  store.  The  city  of  Barnesville  was  named 
for  an  uncle,  James  Barnes.  Owen  Barnes  served 
through  the  Civil  war  in  the  Seventy-seventh  Ohio 
regiment,  under  Generals  Thomas  and  Rosecrans.  In 
1870  he  took  up  his  residence  in  Indiana,  but  three 
years  later  moved  to  Butler  county.  Kansas,  where 
his  death  occurred  in  1896.  He  was  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. His  wife,  who  was  of  German  and  Irish 
ancestry,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1825 ;  she  still  lives  on 
the  old  Kansas  homestead.  When  fourteen  years 
old,  Columbus  O.,  who  was  the  seventh  child  in  a 
family  of  nine,  was  taken  by  his  parents  to  Indiana, 
and  there  obtained  the  greater  portion  of  his  edu- 
cation. He  remained  at  home  until  he  reached  his 
majoritv,  then,  in  1877,  settled  in  Klickitat  county, 
following  farming  and  stock  raising  for  seven  years. 
He  then  sold  out  and  returned  to  the  Sunflower  state, 
where  he  entered  the  mercantile  business  and  invest- 
ed in  farming  land.     However,   misfortune  over- 


took him  and  he  lost  his  entire  capital.  So  he  again 
came  to  Klickitat  county,  in  the  spring  of  1889,  and 
at  once  engaged  in  farming  and  road  building.  Suc- 
cess crowned  his  efforts.  He  purchased  his  present 
fine  place  in  1901  and  has  since  made  his  home  on 
that  property,  devoting  his  time  mostly  to  the  rais- 
ing of  strawberries,  for  the  production  of  which 
he  has  achieved  an  enviable  reputation.  There  are 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  property,  through 
which  winds  the  Little  Klickitat. 

.He  was  married  at  Goldendale  on  the  last  day 
of  the  year'  1879,  Miss  Florence  Golden,  a  daughter 
of  John  and  Jane  G.  (Long)  Golden,  becoming  his 
bride.  Her  parents,  among  the  first  company  of 
whites  to  take  up  their  abode  in  the  Klickitat  coun- 
try, are  still  living  in  Goldendale,  of  which  Mr. 
Golden  is  the  founder;  biographies  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Golden  appear  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Barnes  have  reared  a  family  of  ten  children, 
of  whom  the  eldest,  Charles  G.,  is  dead.  The  next 
older,  Harvey  O.,  and  Mrs.  Clara  Coffield  both 
reside  in  this  county.  The  others,  Jessie  L.,  Howard 
O.,  Aaron  Clay,  DeWitt  L.,  Columbus  W.,  Cecil  (a 
daughter)  and  Florence  C,  are  all  living  with  their 
parents.  Mr.  Barnes  has  five  brothers,  Joseph  W., 
Aaron  W.,  and  Cornelius  C,  residing  in  Kansas ; 
William  L.  and  John  H.,  in  Ohio;  and  also  three 
sisters,  Sarah  E.,  living  in  Kansas ;  Nancy  J.,  in  Los 
Angeles,  California,  and  Ella  M.,  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Barnes  is  a  stanch  Republican 
and  a  supporter  of  the  present  administration.  Fra- 
ternally, he  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Upon 
his  place  he  has  built  one  of  the  finest  residences  in 
this  section  of  the  state.  He  is  conceded  to  be  one 
of  the  county's  most  capable  farmers  and  business 
men,  stands  high  in  the  community  as  a  man  of 
strict  integrity,  and  is  one  of  Klickitat's  represen- 
tative citizens. 


SAMUEL  A.  WILKINS,  a  well-to-do  Klickitat 
county  farmer,  residing  on  his  320-acre  ranch,  situ- 
ated some  three  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of  Gold- 
endale, was  born  in  England,  January  4,  1839,  the 
son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Ashby)  Wilkins.  His 
father  was  likewise  an  Englishman,  born  in  1805  ; 
he  died  in  1854,  in  the  same  house  in  which  he  was 
born.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  is  also 
dead.  Samuel  A.  never  had  the  opportunity  of  ob- 
taining a  school  course,  but  has  picked  up  his  educa- 
tion in  various  ways  through  life,  acquiring  a  good 
fund  of  practical  knowledge.  When  but  seven  years 
old  he  started  to  work  on  a  farm,  and  so  faithful 
was  his  service  that  the  same  farmer  retained  him 
in  his  employ  for  eighteen  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
long  period  he  took  up  the  trade  of  a  rope-maker, 
at  which  he  served  his  full  apprenticeship  and  several 
years  as  a  journeyman,  all  in  Northamptonshire. 
England.  In  March,  1869,  he  left  his  native  land 
for  the  United  States,  settling  at  length  in  Huron 
county,   Ohio,   where  he   resided   eighteen   months. 


424 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Going  then  to  Marshall  county,  Kansas,  he  followed 
farming  there  for  six  or  seven  years.  In  1874  he 
came  to  California  and  after  two  years'  residence  in 
the  Golden  state,  he  made  his  way  to  Klickitat 
county,  the  first  few  years  of  his  residence  in  which 
section  were  spent  in  well  digging.  In  1884,  how- 
ever, he  filed  on  a  homestead  near  Goldendale  and 
upon  it  he  has  lived  continuously  since,  purchasing 
other  land  as  he  was  able.  At  present  he  cultivates 
nearly  200  acres,  retaining  the  rest  of  his  half  sec- 
tion for  pasture  land. 

Mr.  Wilkins  married,  in  England,  May  15,  1865, 
Miss  Charlotte  Stimpson,  whose  father,  Josiah,  a 
native  of  that  country  born  in  1816,  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  died  in  his  native  land.  Mrs. 
Wilkins'  mother,  whose  name  was  Mary  (Dayton) 
Stimpson,  was  also  born  in  England.  She  passed 
away  November  5,  1903.  at  the  age  of  eighty-three, 
after  having  become  the  mother  of  eight  children. 
Mrs.  Wilkins  was  born  September  17,  1839.  She 
received  her  education  in  the  English  schools  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-six  married.  She  and  Mr.  Wil- 
kins are  parents  of  six  children,  namely,  William  J., 
born  in  England,  July  15,  1866;  Mrs.  Ada  J.  Bun- 
nell, born  in  Ohio,  October  3,  1869,  now  living  near 
Goldendale;  Mrs.  Alice  A.  L.  Richardson,  born  in 
Kansas,  September  16,  1872,  at  present  residing  in 
The  Dalles ;  Mrs.  Agnes  M.  Thomas,  also  a  native 
of  Kansas,  born  June  1,  1875,  and  living  in  The 
Dalles ;  Ellen  E.,  born  in  California,  July  10,  1877, 
and  living  at  home,  and  Hiram  A.,  who  was  born 
October  5.  1880,  and  passed  away  at  the  age  of  six. 
Mr.  Wilkins  is  a  member  of  the"  A.  O.  U.  W.  and 
the  Grange  and  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Methodist 
church.  He  has  been  a  choir  singer  much  of  his 
life  and  was  trustee  of  the  Goldendale  church  for 
sixteen  years.  In  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  A 
man  of  pleasing  personality  and  unquestioned  integ- 
rity, he  has  always  commanded  a  full  measure  of 
respect  and  esteem,  and  his  standing  in  his  com- 
munitv  is  an  enviable  one. 


EDWIN  M.  ANDREWS,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  residing  five  miles 
southeast  of  the  city  of  Goldendale,  was  born  in 
Douglas  county,  Kansas,  January  24,  1872.  Emery 
B.  Andrews,  his  father,  was  born  in  the  New  Eng- 
land states,  removed  to  Kansas  in  the  early  days  and 
was  there  married.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Hortense  Adamsson,  was  a  native  of  Sweden. 
She  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
woman,  taking  up  her  abode  in  Kansas,  where  she 
was  married  in  1868;  her  death  occurred  while  she 
was  living  in  Klickitat  county  in  1885.  The  subject 
of  this  biography  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Klickitat  county,  to  which  he  came 
with  his  mother  when  a  lad  of  six  years.  He  began 
earning  his  own  living  when  only  fourteen  years 
old,  working  on  the  farms  of  neighboring  ranch- 
men.    For  many  years  he  lived  with  his  grand  par- 


ents, or  at  least  made  his  home  with  them.  In  the 
spring  of  1893  Mr.  Andrews  rented  a  farm  belong- 
ing to  an  uncle  and  operated  it  two  years.  His 
grandfather  passing  away  in  1896,  the  court'  ap- 
pointed Edwin  N.  Andrews  administrator  of  the  es- 
tate, and  subsequently  he  bought  out  the  interests 
of  the  other  heirs  and  took  full  charge  of  the  farm, 
which  constituted  the  major  portion  of  the  property. 
In  1902  he  filed  on  a  homestead  claim  fifteen  miles 
northeast  of  Goldendale,  this  and  the  old  farm  com- 
prising Mr.  Andrews'  present  holding.  He  has  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  since  youth  and  has  met 
with  a  fair  share  of  success  in  that  industry. 

Mr.  Andrews  was  married  in  Goldendale,  Octo- 
ber 16,  1900,  to  Miss  Carrie  L.  Montgomery,  a 
daughter  of  Allen  W.  and  Emma  (Woods)  Mont- 
gomery, a  biographical  sketch  of  whom  appears 
elsewhere  in  these  pages.  Mr.  Montgomery  is  a 
well  known  and  successful  horticulturist,  living  just 
north  of  Goldendale.  Mrs.  Andrews  was  born  in 
Kansas,  April  11,  1882,  and  in  that  commonwealth 
received  a  good  education  in  the  public  schools.  She 
was  eighteen  years  old  when  married.  One  daugh- 
ter, Effie  L.,  has  been  born  to  this  union,  the  date  of 
her  birth  being  September  n,  1901.  Mr.  Andrews 
is  an  active  Republican,  and  fraternally  is  affiliated 
with  the  Odd  Fellows.  Besides  his  200  acres  or 
more  of  real  estate  holdings  he  owns  some  stock  and 
property  of  minor  value.  He  is  a  citizen  of  excellent 
standing  in  his  community. 


WILLIAM  H.  ADAMS,  a  Klickitat  county 
land  owner  and  farmer,  resides  six  miles  east  and 
three-quarters  of  a  mile  north  of  the  city  of  Golden- 
dale. He  was  born  in  Perry  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  27,  1868,  the  son  of  John  F.  and  Cather- 
ine (Buck)  Adams,  both  of  whom  were  of  Dutch 
extraction.  His  father,  who  was  likewise  a  native 
of  the  Quaker  state  and  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade, 
served  throughout  the  Civil  war  in  a  Pennsylvania 
regiment  of  volunteers.  After  its  close,  he  went, 
in  1866,  to  Kansas  and  took  a  homestead  there,  upon 
which  he  lived  until  the  time  of  his  wife's  death. 
He  then  returned  to  his  native  state,  where  he  was 
killed  in  1871  by  accident.  His  wife,  who  was  like- 
wise born  in  the  Quaker  state,  also  met  a  violent 
death,  being  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  in  Kansas. 
The  subject  of  this  article  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Pennsylvania  and  Kansas.  Left  an 
orphan  at  the  age  of  three,  he  was  early  compelled 
to  take  life's  burdens  upon  his  own  shoulders  and  at 
the  age  of  ten  he  was  placed  on  a  cattle  ranch  in 
Kansas,  where  he  remained  for  seven  years.  He 
then  took  up  farming  for  three  years,  then,  in  1888, 
came  west  to  Klickitat  county,  where  his  first  work 
was  in  a  sawmill.  Twelve  months  later  he  removed 
to  Oregon.  He  spent  a  year  in  a  logging  camp 
there,  then  went  to  work  for  the  O.  R.  &  N.  Com- 
pany, in  whose  employ  he  remained  another  year, 
coming  then  to  Goldendale.     He  was  employed,  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


425 


Hoggard's  sawmill  for  nearly  a  year  after  his  ar- 
rival, and  his  next  employers  were  D.  W.  Pierce 
&  Son,  for  whom  he  wrought  as  head  sawyer  for 
four  years.  In  1900,  he  took  a  homestead  nearly 
six  miles  from  the  city  and  he  has  since  made  his 
home  on  it,  following  farming  with  assiduity  and 
success.  His  realty  holdings  at  present  consist  of 
480  acres  of  land,  two  hundred  of  which  are  in  cul- 
tivation, and  he  keeps  some  stock. 

In  Goldendale,  on  the  16th  of  January,  1896, 
Mr.  Adams  married  Mrs.  Ellie  D.  Roe,  whose 
father,  Daniel  W.  Pierce,  a  native  of  Vermont,  came 
to  the  county  in  1878  and  still  resides  in  Goldendale. 
Her  mother's  name  is  Belinda.  Mrs.  Adams  was 
born  in  Wisconsin  in  1859,  but  was  educated  in 
Pennsylvania,  in  which  state  she  married  Carlton 
Roe.  Three  children  were  the  fruit  of  this  mar- 
riage, Bert  C,  Harold  and  Ernest.  She  and  Mr. 
Adams  have  one  daughter,  Esther,  born  in  the 
county  in  1897.  Mr.  Adams  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church  and  in  politics,  a  Republican. 
He  is  a  school  director  in  district  No.  16  at  present. 
A  pleasant,  approachable  gentleman,  an  energetic 
and  successful  farmer  and  a  man  of  integrity,  he  en- 
joys the  full  confidence  and  hearty  good  will  of  his 
neighbors. 


THOMAS  C.  FLANNERY,  one  of  Klickitat 
county's  well  known  farmers,  resides  on  a  fine  160- 
acre  ranch,  situated  seven  miles  east  of  the  City  of 
Goldendale,  and  is  one  of  the  most  successful  agri- 
culturists of  his  community.  The  Emerald  Isle  is 
his  birthplace.  There  he  was  born,  in  Tipperary 
county,  May  14,  1850,  the  son  of  Patrick  and  Jane 
(Wills)  Flannery.  both  of  whom  were  also  Irish. 
The  father,  who  died  several  years  ago  in  his  na- 
.tive  country,  was  born  in  1818  and  was  a  farmer. 
Mrs.  Flannery  was  married  in  Ireland ;  she  died  in 
the  state  of  Pennsylvania  many  years  ago.  At  the 
time  Thomas  C.  came  to  the  United  States  he  was 
twenty  years  old,  and,  while  he  had  followed  farm- 
ing in  the  old  country,  he  took  up  a  different  line  of 
work  in  America.  The  first  three  years  of  his  resi- 
dence were  spent  in  the  ordnance  department  of  the 
United  States  army.  He -next  spent  a  like  period 
in  the  service  of  the  American  Express  Company. 
In  the  fall  of  1875  he  went  west  to  California  and 
for  two  years  was  employed  in  the  shops  of  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company.  The  ensuing 
four  years  he  worked  for  a  street  car  company  in 
San  Francisco.  Then,  in  1882,  he  came  north  to 
Klickitat  county  and  took  a  homestead  five  miles 
east  of  Goldendale.  That  place  was  his  home  thir- 
teen years,  or  until  1895,  when  he  removed  to  his 
present  farm.  By  dint  of  much  hard  work  and  com- 
mendable thrift,  Mr.  Flannery  has  placed  nearly  all 
of  his  land  into  cultivation,  giving  him  an  unusu- 
ally attractive  place. 

He  was  married  in  San  Francisco,  October  8, 
1876,  to  Miss  Dorothy  O'Leary.     Her  mother  and 


father  were  both  of  Irish  birth  and  descent ;  both 
are  now  dead.  Mrs.  Flannery  was  born  in  England 
in  1846,  educated  in  the  schools  of  Britain,  came  to 
Chicago  in  1870  and  passed  away  in  1892,  some 
sixteen  years  after  her  marriage.  One  child  was 
the  fruit  of  the  marriage,  James,  who  was  born  in 
California,  August  4,  1877,  and  who  is  still  living. 
Mr.  Flannery  is  connected  with  one  fraternal  order, 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  possesses  the  genial 
nature  characteristic  of  his  race,  is  known  as  a 
highly  competent  man  and  commands  the  good  will 
of  the  entire  community. 


WILLIAM  AND  JOHN  ROCHE.  William 
Roche,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of  Klickitat  county,  liv- 
ing on  his  ranch  five  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Gold- 
endale, was  born  in  Illinois,  December  22,  1854.  His 
father,  John  Roche,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  is 
a  carpenter  by  trade.  He  early  removed  to  Illinois, 
and  in  1855  located  in  Saint  Croix  county.  Wiscon- 
sin, of  which  he  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers.  He 
lived  there  eleven  years,  then  came  to  California 
and  settled  in  San  Francisco,  where  he  lived  twelve 
months.  He  next  removed  to  Napa  county,  in  the 
same  state,  and  he  followed  his  trade  in  various 
parts  of  the  county  for  some  years.  In  1879  he 
came  to  Klickitat  county  for  a  stay  of  five  years, 
going  then  to  Douglas  county,  Oregon.  After  a  res- 
idence of  eleven  years  there,  he  came  again  to  Klick- 
itat county,  but  at  present  he  makes  his  home  in 
North  Yakima.  William  Roche,  his  son,  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Wisconsin. 
Coming  to  the  Golden  state  with  his  father  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  he  worked  on  various  farms  there 
for  nearly  seven  years,  then,  in  1878,  came  north 
to  Klickitat  county  and  took  up  a  homestead  some 
five  miles  east  of  Goldendale.  He  lived  on  the  prop- 
crtv  for  five  years,  cultivating  the  land,  and  he  has 
resided  in  the  immediate  vicinity  ever  since,  en- 
gaged in  agriculture  and  raising  stock. 

Near  him  lives  his  brother,  John,  who  was  born 
in  Wisconsin,  September  22,  1865.  He  attended  for 
a  time  the  public  schools  of  his  native  state,  but 
completed  his  education  in  California,  to  which  state 
he  moved  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  nine.  He 
came  to  Klickitat  county  with  his  father  when  a  lit- 
tle over  fourteen  years  old  and  worked  for  various 
stockmen  on  the  range,  until  he  was  twenty-five. 
During  this  period  he  entered  the  horse  business  on 
his  own  account.  In  1892  he  bought  his  present 
place  from  the  railroad  company  and  to  its  improve- 
ment and  cultivation  he  has  devoted  most  of  his 
time  since,  putting  the  entire  tract  into  cultivation. 
The  brothers  have  well  improved  and  valuable 
farms  of  some  two  hundred  acres  in  the  aggregate. 
Both  have  considerable  live  stock  of  different  kinds 
on  their  places,  and  John  has  a  band  of  about 
seventv-five  horses.  They  are  industrious,  thrifty 
farmers,  up-to-date  in  their  methods  and  progressive 
always.     As  men  and  citizens  their  record  is  above 


426 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


reproach.  Both  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church 
and  William  allies  himself  with  the  Democratic 
party. 


ELMER  R.  WATSON,  an  energetic  and  pros- 
perous farmer  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his 
ranch  of  240  acres,  fifteen  miles  east  of  the  city  of 
Goldendale.  He  is  a  native  of  the  Golden  state, 
born  March  13,  1876.  His  father,  Robert,  of  Cana- 
dian birth,  is  likewise  a  farmer  by  occupation.  In 
early  days  he  crossed  the  border  into  the  United 
States  and  settled  first  in  California,  where  he  was 
successfully  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until 
1889.  In  that  year  he  came  north  to  Klickitat 
county.  At  present  he  is  living  in  Nort  Yaki- 
ma. Mrs.  Watson,  whose  maiden  name  was  Annie 
Ferguson,  was  also  born  in  Canada  and  it  was 
there  that  she  met  and  married  Mr.  Watson.  Elmer, 
their  eldest  son,  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  this  county,  mostly  in  district  No.  6.  He 
remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  twenty-six 
years  old,  then  began  farming  on  his  own  account 
and  for  a  number  of  years  has  combined  stock  rais- 
ing with  agriculture.  His  father  gave  him  240  acres 
of  deeded  land  when  he  was  twenty  years-  old, 
over  two-thirds  of  which  he  has  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing under  cultivation.  His  eldest  brother,  Angus, and 
sister,  Mrs.  Ida  Saxton,  live  near  Goldendale;  an- 
other sister,  Mrs.  Maud  Richardson,  makes  her 
home  in  Bickleton ;  his  brother,  Fred,  lives  near 
Elmer's  ranch,  and  the  remaining  brother,  Califor- 
nia H.,  resides  in  Pasco. 

Mr.  Watson  still  remains  single.  He  is  a  young 
man  of  estimable  character  and  gives  strict  attention 
to  his  business,  of  which  he  is  making  a  splendid 
success.  He  enjoys  an  enviable  standing  in  his 
community  and  the  esteem  and  good  will  of  his 
neighbors  and  fellow  citizens. 


WILLIAM  HART,  an  extensive  fruit  raiser 
of  Klickitat  county,  resides  a  mile  and  a  half  north 
of  Goldendale.  He  was  born  in  London,  England, 
March  17,  1854,  the  son  of  John  and  Lucy  (Rich- 
ardson) Hart.  His  father  now  lives  in  London, 
where  he  was  born,  following  the  life  of  a  shoe- 
maker. His  mother  was  born  on  Chalon  Island,  off 
the  French  coast,  and  passed  away  in  England  some 
years  ago.  The  man  whose  life  is  the  theme  of  this 
review  received  his  education  in  England,  also 
learned  the  shoemaker's  trade  from  his  father,  but 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  made  up  his  mind  to  be- 
come a  professional  nurse,  and  for  the  ensuing  two 
years  studied  that  profession  in  a  London  hospital, 
graduating.  The  succeeding  five  years  were  spent 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  in  1879  he 
crossed  the  Atlantic  to  this  country  and  once  more 
engaged  in  that  occupation,  practicing  in  various 
hospitals  in  New  York  and  Chicago.  He  also  fol- 
lowed  his   calling   in   other   places    throughout   the 


country.  Coming  to  Klickitat  county,  March  9, 
1894,  he  found  here  but  little  opening  for  a  nurse, 
so  went  back  to  his  early  trade,  shoemaking,  and 
for  seven  years  followed  it  successfully.  In  Novem- 
ber, 1901,  he  bought  his  present  place,  twenty  acres 
of  fruit  land,  and  he  has  since  given  his  entire  at- 
tention to  fruit  and  berry  culture,  planting  an  acre 
and  a  half  of  strawberries,  over  800  trees  of  various 
varieties,  including  apples,  pears,  plums  and  cher- 
ries, an  acre  of  small  berries  of  the  hardier  varie- 
ties, etc.  He  is  making  a  splendid  success  of  his 
business  and  finds  ready  markets  for  his  fruit. 

Mr.  Hart  was  married  in  Portland,  Oregon,  in 
1889,  to  Catherine,  daughter  of  John  and  Cather- 
ine (Collier)  Neagle,  the  former  of  whom  was  born 
in  Ireland  and  is  a  shoemaker  by  trade.  He  came 
to  Canada  when  a  small  boy,  went  thence  to  Ne- 
vada, and  from  that  territory  to 'Portland,  Oregon, 
where  he  now  lives,  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  his 
trade.  Mrs.  Hart's  mother,  who  is  likewise  a  native 
of  Ireland,  also  resides  in  Portland.  Mrs.  Hart  was 
born  in  Montreal,  Quebec,  in  1864,  and  grew  up 
and  received  her  education  in  Canada.  She  and  Mr. 
Hart  have  seven  children,  namely,  Thomas,  born  in 
Portland  in  1890;  Annie  and  Lily,  also  born  in  Port- 
land, one  and  two  years  later  respectively ;  Kitty, 
William,  Daisy  and  May,  all  born  in  Klickitat 
county,  and  the  last  three  in  Goldendale.  Mr.  Hart 
is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church  and  fra- 
ternally is  connected  with  the  1.  O.  O.  F.,  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  the  Redmen,  in  the  first 
named  of  which  orders  he  is  past  grand.  In  politics 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  filled  with  efficiency  the 
office  of  coroner  for  two  terms.  A  shrewd  business 
man  of  pleasing  address,  a  worthy  citizen,  and  an 
upright,  honorable  gentleman,  he  enjoys  the  good 
will  and  respect  of  all  who  know  him  intimately. 


GEORGE  C.  BROKAW,  owner  of  a  well-im- 
proved farm  of  480  acres  three  miles  north  of  the 
city  of  Goldendale,  was  born  in  Chautauqua  county, 
New  York,  April  2,  1854.  His  father,  Peter  Brokaw, 
a  native  of  New  Jersey,  follows,  the  occupation  of 
a  farmer,  although  he  was  formerly  a  lumberman. 
He  removed  to  New  York  when  a  young  man,  then 
spent  five  years  in  Illinois,  going  thence  to  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  lived  for  four  years.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  went  back  to  Illinois. 
Nearly  two  years  later  he  removed  to  Henry  county, 
Missouri,  where  his  residence  was  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  ensuing  eight  years.  He  came  west  to 
Klickitat  county,  October  22,  1876,  and  now  lives 
about  two  miles  from  Goldendale.  He  is  of  German 
extraction.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Stewart,  passed 
away  a  number  of  years  ago  in  New  York  state. 

the  subject  of  this  article  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois  and  Missouri. 
Coming  west  with  his  father  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two,  he  farmed  with  him  and  a  brother  for  nearly 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


427 


seven  years,  living  at  home  all  this  time.  In  1878 
he  filed  on  his  present  place  and  he  has  ever  since 
made  his  home  on  the  property,  following  farming 
and  stock  raising.  At  present  he  cultivates  about 
160  acres  of  the  land,  using  the  rest  for  pasture  for 
his  cattle  and  horses. 

On  July  20,  1885,  at  Goldendale,  Washington, 
Mr.  Brokaw  married  Miss  Lizzie  Robertson,  daugh- 
ter of  Edward  B.  Robertson,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and 
a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  crossed  the  Plains  to 
Oregon  in  the  early  fifties,  came  to  Klickitat  county 
in  1880,  and  now  lives  in  Goldendale,  as  does  also 
Mrs.  Robertson,  who  was  a  Miss  Broom  bo  before 
her  marriage  and  who  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
married  in  Ohio.  She  is  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
descent.  Mrs.  Brokaw  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1866, 
but  grew  up  and  was  educated  in  Oregon  and 
Washington.  She  and  Mr.  Brokaw  are  parents  of 
five  children,  namely,  Fay,  born  in  the  county  in 
1886;  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Hamlet,  born  two  years  later, 
living  near  Goldendale;  George  R.,  born  in  the 
county  in  1897 ;  Peter  B.  and  Ira  O.  L.,  born  in  the 
years  1899  and  1901  respectively.  Mr.  Brokaw  is 
a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  and  fraternally 
is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In 
politics  he  is  an  active  Democrat.  That  he  is  inter- 
ested in  education  is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  at  pres- 
ent he  is  faithfully  performing  the  duties  of  the  un- 
remunerative  and  thankless  office  of  school  director. 
He  is  a  thrifty,  progressive  and  prosperous  farmer 
and  stockman,  a  good  citizen  and  neighbor  and  in 
all  respects  an  honorable  and  worthy  man. 


JOHN  R.  SMITH,  one  of  the  prosperous  farm- 
ers of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his  ranch  of  160 
acres  three  miles  north  and  a  mile  and  a  half  west 
of  the  city  of  Goldendale.  He  was  born  in  Pike 
county,  Missouri,  April  27,  1844,  to  the  union  of 
George  H.  and  Margaret  (Coppell)  Smith,  the 
former  of  whom  was  born  in  New  York  state  in 
1810  to  Dutch  and  Irish  parents,  and  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  migrated  to  Illinois  when  a 
young  man,  thence  to  Missouri,  and  in  1846  crossed 
the  Plains  by  ox  team  conveyance  to  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  spending  six  months  on  the  trip. 
He  lived  in  Oregon  until  1879,  then  came  to  Klick- 
itat county,  where  he  resided  until  his  death  in  Octo- 
ber, 1895.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in 
Missouri,  in  1808,  to  Dutch  parents.  She  crossed 
the  Plains  with  her  husband  and  passed  away  in  her 
sixty-fourth  year.  The  subject  of  this  review  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Ore- 
gon, to  which  state  he  was  brought  by  his  parents 
when  two  years  old.  He  remained  at  home  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  then  worked  on  a 
farm  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  mar- 
ried, rented  a  farm  and  engaged  in  agriculture  on 
his  own  account.  After  a  few  years  he  moved  to 
Hillsboro,  where  he  followed  teaming  for  four  years. 
Then  he  again  took  up  farming,  following  it  until 

28 


1880,  at  which  time  he  came  to  Klickitat  county  and 
bargained  for  a  piece  of  railroad  land  which  he  was 
compelled  later  to  file  upon  as  a  homestead,  it  hav- 
ing reverted  to  the  government.  This  land  is  his 
home  at  the  present  date,  he  having  devoted  his  time 
to  its  cultivation  and  improvement  ever  since. 

At  Hillsboro,  on  the  19th  of  January,  1865,  Mr. 
Smith  married  Miss  Louisa  J.  Enyart,  daughter  of 
John  and  Marion  (Stevens)  Enyart.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  Missouri  and  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. He  crossed  the  plains  to  Oregon  in  1845,  but 
after  two  years'  residence  in  Washington  county,  re- 
moved to  California,  where  he  later  passed  away. 
Mrs.  Smith's  mother,  who  was  likewise. a  native  of 
Missouri,  died  in  Washington  county,  Oregon, 
about  forty-three  years  ago.  Mrs.  Smith  was  born 
in  Portland,  March  1,  1846,  and  received  her  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  her  native  state.  She 
and  Mr.  Smith  are  parents  of  three  children,  name- 
ly, Raleigh  E.,  born  in  Washington  county,  March 
27,  1867;  Mrs.  Addie  E.  Robertson,  born  in  Wash- 
ington county,  March  10,  1870,  now  in  Goldendale, 
and  Mrs.  Ora  Brumbaugh,  born  in  Oregon.  Febru- 
ary 25,  1873,  now  in  Klickitat  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith  are  members  of  the  Christian  church  and  the 
former  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  Raleigh  E. 
Smith,  their  oldest  son,  is  now  living  on  his  eighty- 
acre  farm  near  the  parental  homestead.  He  mar- 
ried in  Goldendale,  March  8,  1891,  Miss  Sarah  L. 
Robertson,  daughter  of  Edmund  B.  and  Sarah  A. 
(Brumbaugh)  Robertson.  Her  father,  a  native  of 
Iowa,  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1865,  and  in 
1 88 1  came  to  Goldendale,  where  he  has  since  fol- 
lowed his  handicraft,  the  carpenter's  trade.  Her 
mother,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  and  married  ir 
Ohio,  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  husband  and  now 
lives  in  Goldendale.  Mrs.  Sarah  L.  Smith  was  born 
in  Marion  county,  Oregon,  but  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Klickitat  county.  She  is  the  mother  of 
five  children,  namely,  John  E.,  born  June  6,  1892; 
Darrell  M.,  born  April  4,  1895  ;  Florence  E.,  born 
November  9,  1898 ;  Annie,  born  January  4,  1901  ; 
and  Ora  E.,  born  August  27,  1902.  Fraternally, 
Raleigh  E.  Smith,  their  father,  is  connected  with 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  Both  he  and  his  father 
stand  high  in  the  estimation  of  the  entire  commu- 
nity as  conscientious,  upright  men.  honorable  in  all 
their  dealings. 


ALLEN  W.  MONTGOMERY,  a  prosperous 
fruit  raiser  of  Klickitat  county  and  owner  of  a 
farm  two  miles  or  less  from  the  city  of  Goldendale, 
was  born  in  Cambria  county,  Pennsylvania,  near 
Johnstown,  January  1,  1848,  the  son  of  Hugh  W. 
and  Margaret  (Strayer)  Montgomery.  His  father, 
who  was  likewise  born  in  the  Quaker  state  in  1804, 
was  of  Irish  lineage.  He,  too,  was  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, also  a  steamboat  and  canal  boatman.  He 
removed  to  Dickinson  county,  Kansas,  in  1867,  took 
a  homestead  there  and   resided   in  that   state  until 


428 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


his  death,  which  occurred  when  he  was  eighty-four 
years  old.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
a  member  of  an  old  Pennsylvania  Dutch  family.  She 
passed  away  in  1898,  in  her  eighty-fifth  year.  The 
subject  of  this  article  went  to  Fulton  county,  Illi- 
nois, with  his  parents,  when  three  years  old,  and  he 
spent  the  ensuing  sixteen  years  there,  acquiring, 
during  this  time,  a  limited  education  and  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  carpenter's  trade.  At  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, he  removed  to  Kansas  with  the  family  and  at 
a  later  date  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  in  Smith 
county,  that  state,  upon  which  he  lived  for  the  next 
twenty  years,  doing  fairly  well.  In  1894  he  sold  out 
his  holdings  and  came  to  Goldendale.  The  first  two 
years  after  his  arrival  there  he  followed  his  trade 
and  he  still  does  some  carpenter  work  though  his 
chief  business  has  been  agriculture  since  1896,  when 
he  bought  his  present  place.  He  is  giving  special  at- 
tention to  berry  raising,  bringing  the  best  varieties 
of  plants  from  Illinois  and  eastern  Missouri,  and 
transplanting  them  here.  By  so  doing,  he  is  not 
only  winning  a  splendid  success  for  himself,  but  is 
conferring  a  favor  upon  other  residents  of  the 
county.  In  the  important  business  of  berry  and  fruit 
raising,  he  uses  his  entire  tract  of  land,  about  fifty 
acres,  which  is  well  adapted,  both  by  the  nature  of 
the  soil  and  by  its  location,  for  the  purpose  to  which 
it  is  being  devoted. 

Mr.  Montgomery  was  married  in  Kansas,  De- 
cember 10,  1874,  to  Miss  Emma  Woods,  whose 
father,  Thomas  Woods,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
and  was  an  early  pioneer  of  Smith  county,  Kansas. 
Mrs.  Montgomery  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in 
1854.  She  and  Mr.  Montgomery  have  had  eight 
children,  of  whom  six  are  now  living,  namely,  Roy, 
Earl,  Carrie,  Leslie,  Lulu  and  Lillie.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Montgomery  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic 
order.  In  politics  he  is  independent.  While  he  re- 
sided in  Kansas  he  held  the  position  of  justice  of  the 
peace  for  some  time,  but  he  has  never  been  an  office 
seeker.  His  standing  as  a  man  and  citizen  is  of  the 
highest,  and  integrity  and  fairness  are  said  to  char- 
acterize all  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men. 


JOHN  KURTZ,  an  energetic  and  prosperous 
farmer  of  Klickitat  county  and  a  carpenter  by  trade, 
resides  on  his  ranch  of  160  acres,  four  miles  north- 
west of  Goldendale.  He  was  born  in  Crawford 
county,  Ohio.  July  5,  1834,  the  son  of  George  and 
Dorothy  (Rapp)  Kurtz.  His  father,  a  native  Ger- 
man, was  likewise  a  farmer.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  183 1  and  settled  in  Ohio,  becoming  a  pio- 
ner  of  that  state,  and  he  died  there  in  1886,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-eight.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  also  born  in  Germany  and  married  in  her  na- 
tive land.  She  came  to  the  States  with  her  hus- 
band and  passed  away  in  this  country  in  1888,  be- 
ing seventy-eight  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  de- 
mise. She  was  the  mother  of  eight  children,  of 
whom  John,  our  subject,  is  the  youngest.    He  at- 


tained the  age  of  fourteen  in  Ohio,  receiving  a  lim- 
ited common  school  education.  In  1848  he  started 
out  in  life  for  himself,  going  first  to  Indiana  and 
later  to  Illinois.  In  1856  he  went  to  Minnesota  and 
took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  and  for  a  number  of 
years  afterward  he  farmed  part  of  the  time,  also  fol- 
lowing his  trade  in  various  parts  of  Olmstead  and 
Fillmore  counties,  of  which  he  was  a  pioneer  settler. 
June  2,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Twelfth 
regiment,  Second  battalion  of  the  regular  army, 
for  three  years'  service  in  the  Civil  war.  He  cam- 
paigned under  Generals  Pope,  Burnside  and  Meade, 
making  an  honorable  record  for  himself,  nor  did  he 
lay  down  his  arms  until  peace  was  assured.  After 
leaving  the  army  he  went  back  to  Minnesota.  There 
he  lived  until  1871,  doing  well  all  the  time;  but  in 
that  year  he  came  west  to  Napa,  California.  The 
ensuing  seven  years  were  given  to  the  pursuit  of  his 
trade  in  the  Golden  state,  but  in  1878  he  came  to 
Klickitat  county  and  took  up  land.  Later  he  bought 
the  improvements  on  his  present  home,  which  he 
afterward  secured  by  compliance  with  the  require- 
ments of  the  homestead  law.  He  has  since  resided 
in  the  locality,  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing. In  his  work  he  lias  achieved  an  abundant  suc- 
cess. During  the  early  days  he  had  large  bands  of 
cattle  and  horses  on  the  ranges  continually.-  and 
from  the  profits  accruing  therefrom  he  retrieved  his 
shattered  fortunes,  for  he  had  lost  everything  before 
leaving  California,  through  fire.  Coming  to  Wash- 
ington with  practically  nothing,  he  has  acquired  a 
competency  by  the  use  of  good  judgment  and  by  un- 
remitting effort. 

In  Mower  county.  Minnesota,  in  the  fall  of  1857, 
Mr.  Kurtz  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  (Doyle)  McCabe,  both  of  whom  are  now  de- 
ceased. She  was  born  in  New  York  state  on  the 
first  day  of  July.  1835.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kurtz  have 
one  daughter,  Mrs.  Clara  Bowers,  living  in  Seattle, 
and  one  son,  Lestie  A.,  residing  with  his  parents. 
Mr.  Kurtz  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  Mrs.  Kurtz  belongs  to  the  Presbyte- 
rian church.  In  politics  he  is  an  independent  voter. 
His  splendid  services  during  the  dark  days  of  civil 
strife  are  acknowledged,  as  they  should  be,  by  his 
being  granted  a  pension  from  the  United  States 
government.  Since  the  close  of  the  war,  he  has 
continued  his  good  services  to  the  commonwealth, 
by  invariably  taking  his  place,  wherever  he  has 
lived,  as  a  public-spirited  citizen,  and  keeping  a 
strong  shoulder  to  the  car  of  progress  always.  In 
the  community  in  which  he  now  resides,  his  stand- 
ing is  an  enviable  one,  his  neighbors  all  respecting 
him  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  worth. 


WILLIAM  H.  STITH,  a  man  of  means  and 
influence  and  a  prosperous  ranchman  of  Klickitat 
county,  resides  some  five  and  a  half  miles  northwest 
of  the  city  of  Goldendale,  on  his  farm  of  320  acres. 
He  was  born  in  Jasper  county,  Missouri,  January 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


429 


14,  1873,  the  son  of  Henry  B.  and  Malinda 
(Walker)  Stith.  His  father,  a  miller  and  butcher 
by  trade,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  March  31,  1806, 
and  in  1840  moved  to  Missouri  with  his  parents, 
where  he  still  lives  on  the  old  homestead  which  was 
originally  owned  by  his  father  and  mother.  He  is 
of  Dutch  descent  and  his  wife  of  Scotch.  She  was 
born  in  1826,  and  passed  away  in  her  forty-eighth 
year.  William  H.,  the  youngest  of  four  children, 
grew  to  the  age  of  twelve  on  the  parental  place, 
then  removed  to  Webb  City,  where  he  followed 
mining  for  a  space  of  five  years.  When  seventeen 
years  old  he  got  the  western  fever,  borrowed  forty 
dollars  to  pay  his  fare  and  came  to  Klickitat  county. 
His  first  employment  was  with  Hale  &  Slade,  who 
operated  a  stage  line  between  Grants  and  Moro, 
Oregon.  About  the  time  of  his  marriage,  1892,  he 
rented  a  ranch  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1901 
he  bought  the  farm  and  also  an  adjoining  quarter 
section,  and  he  has  since  farmed  on  a  somewhat 
larger  scale,  cultivating  at  the  present  time  about 
250  acres.  He  estimates  the  value  of  the  land  and 
improvements  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  $8,000, 
certainly  a  very  considerable  sum  for  a  young  man 
to  have  acquired  solely  by  his  own  efforts  in  so  short 
a  time.  He  also  owns  a  modern,  self-feeding  thresh- 
er. His  principal  product  is  wheat,  but  he  gives 
considerable  attention  to  stock,  breeding  Poland- 
China  hogs  and  Clydesdale  horses.  A  competent 
blacksmith,  he  has  a  shop  on  his  own  place  and  does 
all  the  necessary  repair  work  himself. 

On  December  6,  1892,  in  Klickitat  county,  Mr. 
Stith  married  Miss  Edmonia  Gano,*  a  native  of 
Iowa,  born  in  187 1.  the  daughter  of  B.  J.  Gano,  who 
has  lived  in  this  county  some  twenty-four  years,  and 
a  sketch  of  whose  life  appears  elsewhere  in  this  vol- 
ume. Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Clar- 
inda  Hoffman,  died  in  1899.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Stith 
have  three  daughters,  Clarinda,  Gertrude  and  Aura, 
and  one  son,  Alfred.  Mr.  Stith  has  three  sisters,  all 
married,  namely,  Mrs.  Aura  King,  in  Missouri ;  Mrs. 
Alice  Mesecher,  in  Klickitat  county,  and  Mrs.  Ada 
Draper,  in  Idaho.  In  politics,  our  subject  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  though  not  specially  ambitious  for  po- 
litical preferment,  Is  ever  ready  to  discharge  his  du- 
ties as  a  citizen.  By  the  successful  fight  he  has 
made  against  poverty  and  hard  times  and  adverse 
conditions,  he  has  won  the  respect  of  those  who 
have  known  him ;  while  his  integrity  as  a  man  has 
gained  him  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  his  neigh- 
bors. 


ALBERT  L.  BAKER.  Ranking  high  among 
the  many  who  have  demonstrated  the  agricultural 
possibilities  of  the  Goldendale  district  is  Albert  L. 
Baker.  He  resides  six  miles  northwest  of  Golden- 
dale,  his  postoffke  address  being  Blockhouse,  and, 
though  a  tinner  by  trade,  is  engaged  in  horticultural 
farming,  chiefly.    Mr.  Baker  is  of  German-Scotch 


parentage,  born  in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  8,  1847.  His  father,  also  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, died  in  1850.  In  Germany  the  family  name 
was  Becker,  but  upon  transferring  his  citizenship 
to  the  United  States,  the  elder  Becker,  father  of 
Samuel  and  grandfather  of  Albert  L.,  of  this  biog- 
raphy, changed  his  name  to  Baker,  which  is  English 
for  Becker.;  In  Pennsylvania  Father  Baker  was  a 
school  teacher,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in  the  in- 
troduction of:  new  school  books  and  improved  meth- 
ods of  teaching.  The  mother  of  Albert  L.  was  Han- 
nah (Glenn)  Baker,  of  Scotch  parentage  and  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania.  She  died  when  Albert  was  a 
babe  of  six  months.  Three  years  later  the  father 
died,  and  Alfred,  now  an  orphan,  was  taken  charge 
of  by  the  Leidy  family.  He  remained  with  these 
people  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  during  which 
time  he  acquired  a  common  school  education,  and,  in 
New  Jersey,  learned  the  trade  of  a  tinner.  At  this 
occupation  he  worked  for  a  season,  and  then  went 
west  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  At  Des  Moines,  Win- 
terset  and  other  points  in  Iowa  he  worked  at  his 
trade  for  eleven  years.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he 
moved  from  Iowa  to  Goldendale  and  there  worked 
in  a  tin  shop.  He  also  took  a  homestead,  and  while 
he  worked  in  the  shop,  his  family  lived  on  the  land. 
This  plan  he  followed  until  1887,  when  he  was  able 
to  prove  up. 

Mr.  Baker,  in  1872,  married  Miss  Ida  F.  Bean, 
then  resident  in  Iowa,  though  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire.  Miss  Bean's  stepfather,  Wm.  Ames, 
was  prominently  associated  with  the  pioneer  devel- 
opment of  Iowa.  He  is  now  deceased.  The  mother, 
Adeline  (Locke)  Bean,  was  born  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  died  in  Ellensburg  several  years  ago. 
Three  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baker,  namely,  Glenn  H.,  Harry,  and  Mrs.  Katie 
M.  Bratton,  the  last  named  residing  on  Crofton 
Prairie.  Though  he  occasionally  works  at  his  trade 
in  town,  Mr.  Baker  no  longer  follows  the  work  as 
a  vocation.  He  now  specializes  in  the  fruit  growing 
business,  and  so  assiduous  has  he  been  in  this  line 
that  at  times  his  neighbors  and  friends  have  good- 
naturedly  termed  him  a  "crank"  on  the  fruit  ques- 
tion. He  first  devoted  his  attention  to  berry  rais- 
ing, and  later  put  out  an  orchard.  In  each  venture 
his  success  has  been  most  commendable.  Now  he 
has  about  a  hundred  varieties  of  apple  trees  grow- 
ing in  his  orchards,  though  all  have  not  yet  reached 
maturity.  His  cellars  and  packing-houses  are  com- 
modious and  well  adapted  to  their  uses.  In  all,  the 
place  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  Polit- 
ically, Mr.  Baker  is  independent,  and  in  religion  he 
accepts  the  faith  and  doctrine  of  the  Advent  Chris- 
tian church.  His  one  brother,  Daniel  W.,  died  many 
years  ago  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Baker's  life  and  environ- 
ments have  been  such  that  at  all  times  he  was  de- 
pendent largely  upon  his  private  resources  and  force 
of  character  for  his  success  in  this  world,  and  the 
estate  he  has  now  reached  demonstrates  the  truth 


430 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


of  the  statement  that  he  has  proven  himself  lacking 
in  few  elements  of  strong,  honest  manhood,  such  as 
are  conducive  to  a  sucessful  life. 


SAMUEL  T.  DAVIS  is  a  farmer  and  stockman 
with  residence  four  miles  west  of  Blockhouse, 
Washington.  He  is  a  Missourian,  born  in  Caldwell 
county,  May  27,  1847.  His  father,  Lewis  F.  Davis, 
also  a  farmer,  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  April 
5,  1825.  The  grandfather,  Dennis  Davis,  a  native  of 
Maryland,  came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day  with  pack 
horses.  In  Illinois,  Grandfather  Davis  served  in  the 
Blackhawk  war,  and  through  divers  other  conflicts 
with  the  Indians.  He  also  was  a  veteran  of  the  War 
of  1812,  while  his  father,  the  great-grandsire  of  our 
subject,  served  with  distinction  throughout  the  Rev- 
olutionary war.  The  Davis  family  settled  in  Mis- 
souri in  1844,  Mr.  Davis  having  been  preceded  by 
his  brother,  who  went  there  in  1832.  Father  Davis 
died  July  31,  1884.  Milly  (Barrens)  Davis,  the 
mother  of  Samuel  T.,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  and 
came  to  Missouri  when  a  little  girl.  Her  death  oc- 
curred December  26,  1862.  She  was  of  Scotch- 
Dutch  parentage,  while  her  husband  was  Welsh- 
English,  by  descent.  Samuel  T.  grew  to  manhood 
in  Caldwell  county,  Missouri,  where  his  parents  set- 
tled in  1844.  He  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  that  county,  and  taught  in  1872-3. 
Afterward,  for  several  years  he  farmed  and  dealt  in 
cattle.  In  1880,  he  went  to  California,  thence 
through  eastern  Oregon  to  Klickitat  county,  where 
he  arrived  July  29th.  Here  he  immediately  bought 
the  relinquishment  of  a  place  formerly  filed  upon 
by  Thomas  Crofton,  after  whose  father  Crofton 
Prairie  was  named.  For  several  years  he  devoted 
the  farm  which  he  thus  acquired  to  the  growth  of 
grain  and  the  raising  of  live  stock,  principally  cat- 
tle and  horses.  He  has  since,  like  his  neighbors, 
gone  to  farming  more  extensively,  with  a  conse- 
quent decrease  in  the  attention  paid  to  stock  raising. 

On  September  10,  1874,  in  Caldwell,  Missouri, 
Mr.  Davis  married  Miss  Matilda  Kayser,  a  native 
of  the  county  mentioned.  She  was  born  in  1856,  the 
youngest  of  the  family.  Her  father,  Barnhart  Kay- 
ser, was  born  in  Switzerland  in  1803.  His  death 
occurred  in  1866,  forty-nine  years  after  he  had  come 
from  Switzerland  to  the  United  States.  The  mother, 
Matilda  (Seitzinger)  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  18 10.  Her  death  occurred  when  she  was 
fifty-nine  years  old.  She  was  of  German  parentage. 
The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Davis  are  three, 
Artimas  A.,  now  deceased ;  Zelbert  L.  and  Clarence 
A.  In  politics,  Mr.  Davis  is  a  decided  Democrat.  He 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his  com- 
munity, and  has  served  for  thirteen  years  as  a  school 
director  of  his  district.  This  school  is  now  the  larg- 
est in  the  county,  and  its  excellent  organization  is 
said  to  be  due  in  part  to  the  labor  of  Mr.  Davis. 
His  farm  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  county,  compris- 
ing five  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  well-watered 


land.  It  has  a  good  orchard,  and  is  well  equipped 
with  farm  buildings.  As  a  stock  fancier  he  has  a 
preference  for  Poland-China  hogs.  It  is  regretted 
that  ill-health  has  deprived  Mr.  Davis  of  the  ability 
at  present  to  take  an  active  part  in  the  management 
of  his  affairs ;  however,  his  two  sons,  Zelbert  and 
Clarence,  on  account  of  their  father's  ill-health,  have 
taken  charge  of  the  farm-work,  and  are  executing 
their  charge  very  ably. 


WILLIAM  M.  EDMISTEN  is  a  genial  and 
prosperous  farmer,  residing  two  and  one-quarter 
miles  west  of  Blockhouse,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Caldwell  county,  North  Carolina,  October 
13,  1837.  His  father,  John  T.  Edmisten,  and  moth- 
er, Cathern  (Hayse)  Edmisten,  were  both  born  in 
North  Carolina,  and  both  have  died  in  the  state  of 
their  nativity,  the  mother  dying  when  William  M. 
was  but  a  small  child.  During  his  early  years  he 
was  not  permitted  to  attend  school  to  any  extent 
greatly  beneficial,  but  since  then,  being  endowed 
with  good  sense  and  the  ability  to  understand  cor- 
rectly things  seen  and  heard,  Mr.  Edmisten  has  ac- 
quired a  stock  of  general  information  which  renders 
him  by  no  means  an  unlearned  man.  When  thirteen 
years  old  he  left  home  and  worked  out  till  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  enlisted  in  the 
Southern  army.  After  the  war  was  over  he  settled 
in  Missouri,  but  remained  there  only  till  1869,  when 
he  migrated  to  California.  There,  for  six  years,  he 
worked  as  a  farm  hand  for  various  farmers,  and 
during  this  time  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  business.  From  California  he  worked  his  way 
up  the  coast  to  Washington,  and  on  February  28, 
1878,  landed  at  Goldendale.  Immediately  upon  ar- 
riving he  took  up  a  piece  of  land  located  three  miles 
north  of  the  town,  which  he  farmed  and  made  his 
home  upon  until  1888.  Then  he  sold  out  and  re- 
turned to  California,  remaining  ten  months,  coming 
again  to  Klickitat  county  in  1889,  however.  On  this 
occasion  he  bought  his  present  place  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  which  he  has  since  devoted  to  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising. 

Mr.  Edmisten  is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  chil- 
dren. His  brothers  and  sisters  are  James,  Abra- 
ham, Lucy,  Mrs.  Mary  Church,  Mrs.  Margaret 
Church,  Mrs.  Fannie  Dancy,  and  John,  now  resi- 
dent in  Mission,  Washington.  He  is  a  Democrat 
and  strongly  set  in  his  political  convictions,  though 
not  so  radical  as  to  allow  any  party  prejudice  to 
draw  his  influence  from  the  best  interests  of  his 
community.  He  has  a  well-tilled  farm,  and  suffi- 
cient stock  and  implements  with  which  to  farm  it 
advantageously.  Spoken  of  by  his  many  friends  he 
is  called  "a  e^ood  old  bachelor,"  and  this  kindly 
meant  cognomen  implies  a  degree  of  good-will  from 
friends  and  neighbors  given  to  none  but  the  most 
deserving.  Mr.  Edmisten  has  had  five  houses  burnt, 
with  their  contents,  since  coming  here,  but  being  a 
frugal,  provident  man,  he  has  in  each  instance  been 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


45' 


able  to  command  the  funds  to  build  a  new  one.  Two 
of  the  burned  houses  were  where  his  present  home 
stands. 


FRED  W.  GERLING,  the  owner  of  a  960-acre 
ranch  in  Klickitat  county,  fourteen  miles  east  and 
six  south  of  the  city  of  Goldendale,  was  born  in 
Germany,  June  21,  1840.  His  father,  Fred  W.  Ger- 
ling,  was  likewise  a  German,  and  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1857,  but 
not  liking  the  country,  returned  home,  where  he 
died  in  1895,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  Our  subject's 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mary  Trentteman, 
was  also  a  native  of  Germany.  She  died  in  185 1, 
after  having  become  the  mother  of  eight  children. 
Fred  W.,  whose  life  is  here  chronicled,  received  his 
education  in  the  German  schools.  Leaving  home  at 
the  age  of  fifteen,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  New 
York,  went  thence  to  Wisconsin,  and  for  four  years 
worked  in  a  sawmill  there.  In  1859  he  returned  to 
New  York,  whence  he  came  to  California  by  the 
Isthmus  route.  After  a  short  stay  in  the  Golden 
state  he  went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  arriving  there 
July  9,  1859.  Ascending  the  Willamette  river  to  Ore- 
gon City,  he  worked  ten  months  in  a  sawmill  there, 
then  followed  steamboating  on  the  Willamette  for 
a  like  period,  meeting,  at  the  end  of  his  service,  with 
an  accident  on  the  boat.  He  then  went  to  Florence, 
Idaho,  and  mined  one  season,  afterward  returning 
to  Oregon  City  for  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of 
1862  he  removed  to  The  Dalles  and  again  engaged 
in  steamboating,  an  occupation  which  he  followed 
uninterruptedly  for  the  ensuing  four  years.  From 
1866  to  1875  he  was  foreman  of  the  warehouse  at 
the  Celilo  ferry,  but  on  April  5th  of  the  latter  year, 
he  came  to  Klickitat  county.  He  was  engaged  in 
the  stock  business  near  Rock  creek  until  1881,  when 
he  took  up  as  a  homestead  a  part  of  his  present 
place.  An  energetic,  ambitious  man,  he  has  added 
to  his  holdings  until  he  now  has  nearly  a  thousand 
acres,  seven  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultiva- 
tion. Besides  carrying  on  agricultural  operations 
on  an  extensive  scale,  he  finds  some  time  to  devote 
to  stock  raising. 

In  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  September  9,  1871, 
Mr.  Gerling  married  Mary,  daughter  of  William 
and  Mary  "(Bolhmeier)  Mohle.  Her  father  was 
born  in  Germany  in  1823,  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1852  and  settled  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  farmed 
until  1873.  Coming  then  to  Portland,  Oregon,  he 
spent  there  the  remainder  of  his  days,  passing  away 
at  the  age  of  eighty-three.  His  wife,  who  was  like- 
wise of.  German  birth,  also  died  in  Portland.  Mrs. 
Gerling  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  March  12,  1858, 
.  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  that  state.  She 
and  Mr.  Gerling  have  six  children,  namely,  Fred 
W.  A.,  born  in  Celilo,  Oregon,  in  1873 ;  Edward  C, 
born  in  Portland,  in  T876;  Ernest  D..  born  on  the 
Rock  Creek  ranch  in  1878;  Oma,  in  Klickitat  county 
in  1886,  Frank  in  Klickitat  county  in  1888  and  Wil- 


liam, also  in  Klickitat  county  in  1892.  Mr.  Gerl- 
ing is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church.  Fraternal- 
ly, he  is  connected  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  in  poli- 
tics, he  is  an  active  Republican.  He  enjoys  the  re- 
spect always  accorded  to  those  who  have  the  ability 
and  energy  to  achieve  success  in  any  line ;  while  his 
integrity  and  uniform  fair  dealing  have  won  and  re- 
tained for  him  the  esteem  of  his  neighbors  and  all 
who  are  associated  with  him. 


CHAUNCEY  GOODNOE,  another  of  Klicki- 
tat's early  and  respected  pioneers,  still  resides  in  the 
county  to  which  he  came  more  than  forty  years 
ago,  being  at  the  present  time  engaged  in  sheep 
raising.  His  640-acre  ranch  lies  five  miles  south 
and  eleven  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Goldendale.  He 
was  born  in  Broome  county,  New  York,  Decem- 
ber 30,  1841,  and  is  the  son  of  Luther  and  Martha 
(Swartward)  Goodnoe,  both  of  whom  were  of  Eng- 
lish descent.  The  father  was  a  lumberman  by  oc- 
cupation and  during  a  useful  life  of  fifty-seven  years, 
dating  from  1801,  resided  in  his  native  state,  New 
York.  The  mother  was  a  year  younger  than  her  hus- 
band, to  whom  she  was  married  in  New  York, 
her  native  state,  also.  She  died  in  Wisconsin 
in  the  year  1896.  Chauncey  Goodnoe  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  New  York.  He 
remained  at  home  until  twenty  years  of  age,  when 
he  came  to  California,  via  the  Panama  route.  He 
wintered  in  the  Golden  state,  then  came  north  to 
The  Dalles,  arriving  at  his  destination  July  4th, 
1862.  There  he  was  engaged  in  freighting  to  va- 
rious interior  points  until  winter,  then  went  to  Ore- 
gon City.  In  the  spring  he  returned  to  The  Dalles, 
but  soon  departed  for  Klickitat  county,  where  he 
spent  the  summer  and  fall  of  1863.  The  next  win- 
ter he  spent  in  the  Grande  Ronde  valley,  returning 
again  to  Klickitat  for  the  summer.  In  1865  he 
bought  a  squatter's  right  to  a  quarter  section  which 
comprises  a  portion  of  his  present  ranch,  filed  a 
homestead  claim  to  it  and  since  then  has  made  it 
his  home.  He  was  engaged  in  the  cattle  and  horse 
business  until  1903,  when  he  sold  the  larger  stock 
and  invested  in  sheep,  to  which  he  now  devotes  his. 
entire  attention. 

In  Klickitat  county,  in  the  year  1881,  Mr.  Good- 
noe married  Miss  Maggie  Mills,  the  daughter  of 
John  B.  and  Margaret  "(Hurst)  Mills.  Mrs.  Good- 
noe belongs  to  a  distinguished  pioneer  family  of  the 
Northwest.  John  B.  Mills,  her  father,  was  born  in 
Wayne  county,  Indiana,  in  181 5,  of  English  parent- 
age. Very  early  in  life  lie  removed  to  Arkansas  and 
April  15.  1843,  started  with  a  famous  company  of 
heroes  to  colonize  the  Oregon  country.  The  story 
of  this  famous  emigrant  train's  sufferings  and  harsh 
experiences  and  of  its  final  success  is  a  matter  of 
Northwest  history.  The  names  of  those  who  made 
that  fearful  trip  to  save  to  the  Lmion  Washington, 
Oregon,  Idaho  and  a  portion  of  Montana,  at  the 
entreating  call  of  the  brave  Marcus  Whitman,  will 


432 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


ever  stand  out  prominently  on  history's  page.  This 
leader  of  all  emigrant  trains  arrived  in  Oregon  City, 
December  8,  1843.  Mr.  Mills  resided  in  Washing- 
ton county  fourteen  years,  in  Douglas  county  a  like 
period,  in  Clackamas  thirteen  years  and  in  1884 
came  to  Klickitat.  He  now  lives  with  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Goodnoe,  and  although  nearly  ninety  years 
of  age,  is  still  hale  and  hearty.  His  wife,  a  Virgin- 
ian, born  in  1818,  moved  to  Wayne  county,  Indiana, 
when  a  little  girl  and  was  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one.  She  was  with  her  husband  in  all  his 
frontier  life,  but  passed  away  twenty-one  years  ago. 
Mrs.  Goodnoe  was  born  in  Douglas  county,  Oregon, 
in  the  year  1858,  and  was  educated  in  Oregon.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  she  was  married.  She  and 
Mr.  Goodnoe  have  two  daughters,  Mabel  and  Edith, 
the  former  born  March  12,  1882,  and  now  a  resident 
of  Spokane;  the  latter  born  December  14,  1884,  at 
present  employed  as  a  dressmaker  in  that  city.  Mrs. 
Goodnoe  has  three  sisters  and  one  brother  living : 
Mrs.  Jane  S.  Witt,  in  California;  Mrs.  Mary  A. 
Vaughn,  in  Salem,  Oregon  ;  Mrs.  Virginia  Saxton, 
in  Oregon;  John  F.  Mills,  in  Yakima  City;  three 
brothers,  William  R.,  Isaac  C,  and  Jasper,  and  one 
sister,  Mrs.  Martha  Saxton,  are  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Goodnoe  are  members  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr. 
Goodnoe  takes  a  deep  interest  in  political  matters, 
his  party  being  the  Democratic.  At  present  his  herd 
of  sheep  numbers  1,500,  but  it  is  being  rapidly  aug- 
mented. Most  of  his  ranch  is  grazing  land,  though 
considerable  of  it  is  in  cultivation.  Mr.  Goodnoe 
is  a  man  of  high  standing  in  the  community,  public- 
spirited  and  honorable  in  his  dealings  with  all,  rich 
in  the  number  of  his  friends. 


ALFRED  O.  WHITE,  a  large  sheep  owner  and 
a  prominent  Klickitat  county  farmer,  resides  on  his 
well  improved  ranch  of  nearly  six  hundred  acres, 
fourteen  miles  southeast  of  Goldendale.  He  is  a 
native  of  Oregon,  born  in  Washington  county, 
March  3,  1864,  the  son  of  Charles  and  Florence 
(Speer)  White.  His  father,  who  is  likewise  a 
farmer  and  stockman  bv  occupation,  was  born  in 
1839.  He  crossed  the  Plains  with  his  parents  when 
a  little  past  five,  and  settled  in  Washington  county, 
Oregon.  His  father,  Richard  White,  grandfather  of 
our  subject,  built  the  St.  Charles  Hotel,  on  the  prin- 
cipal street  of  Portland,  one  block  from  the  Willa- 
mette river.  At  the  time  they  arrived  in  Portland,  the 
present  city  was  composed  of  but  a  few  board  shan- 
ties. Alfred's  father,  now  sixty-five  years  old,  still 
resides  in  the  Williamette  valley.  His  mother,  a 
native  of  Missouri,  passed  away  in  1892,  at  the  age 
of  forty-five.  Her  parents  were  old  Oregon  pio- 
neers, and  at  one  time  owned  land  on  the  site  of  the 
present  city  of  Portland.  The  man  whose  life  is  the 
theme  of  this  review  was  the  second  oldest  of  a 
family  of  six  children.  He  grew  to  young  manhood 
in  Oregon,  receiving  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  that   state.    Coming  to  Klickitat  county 


with  his  parents  in  1884,  he  engaged  with  them  in 
the  cattle  business  on  their  present  home  place,  but 
some  six  years  ago  his  father  returned  to  Oregon, 
and  he  and  his  brother,  John,  formed  a  partnership 
in  the  business.  Finally  selling  their  cattle,  they  en- 
gaged in  the  sheep  industry  and  later  Alfred  bought 
out  the  entire  interests  of  his  brother,  becoming  sole 
proprietor  of  the  business,  which  he  still  continues 
with  excellent  success.  He  owns  a  band  of  2,200 
sheep,  which  he  winters  on  his  ranch  and  in  the 
summer  time  ranges  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount 
Adams,  Mount  Ranier  and  in  other  places.  ■ 

Mr.  White  was  married  in  the  Willamette  val- 
ley, June  18,  1894,  the  lady  being  Miss  Minnie 
Trumbo,  a  native  of  Dakota,  born  in  1873.  Her 
father,  John  Trumbo,  who  was  born  in  Ohio  in 
1840,  resided  in  Dakota  for  some  time,  taking  part 
in  the  Sioux  Indian  war.  He  served  in  the  army 
for  eight  years.  In  1876  he  came  to  Oregon,  in 
which  state  he  died  on  the  1st  of  February,  1890. 
His  wife,  Ruth,  still  resides  in  Washington  county, 
Oregon,  and  draws  a  pension  from  the  government 
on  account  of  her  husband's  long  service  in  the 
United  States  army.  Mrs.  White  is  one  of  nine 
children,  her  brothers  anl  sisters  being,  Mrs.  Rachel 
Gosney,  the  oldest,  Mrs.  Ida  Gosney  and  Ira,  twins, 
Frank,  Mark,  John,  Uriah  B.  and  Maud.  Mr.  White 
has  four  brothers,  Richard  R.,  John,  Peter  and 
Grover,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Weld,  residing 
with  her  husband  in  Portland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White 
have  two  sons,  Edward  and  Ellis,  and  two  daugh- 
ters, Maud  and  Vera.  In  politics,  Mr.  White  is  a 
Republican.  An  energetic,  shrewd  and  successful 
homme  d'affaires,  an  honorable,  upright  man  and  a 
public  spirited  citizen,  he  has  won  and  still  retains 
the  full  confidence  and  hearty  good  will  of  all  with 
whom  he  has  been  associated. 


MERIEL  S.  SHORT,  a  minister  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising 
twelve  miles  southeast  of  Goldendale,  is  one  of 
Klickitat's  earliest  and  most  honored  pioneer  citi- 
zens. Nor  is  he  a  stranger  to  the  Northwest,  for  he 
came  here  more  than  half  a  century  ago  and  has  done 
his  full  share  in  the  subduing  of  this  erstwhile  wil- 
derness. He  was  born  in  Lawrence  county,  Indiana, 
March  12,  1827,  the  son  of  John  and  Ava  (Owens) 
Short.  John  Short  was  born  in  Virginia,  1786,  of 
Welsh  parentage.  His  father  came  to  Kentucky 
from  North  Carolina  and  took  part  in  the  early  In- 
dian wars  of  that  section.  John  Short  served  in  the 
War  of  1812,  settled  in  Indiana  in  1818,  removed  to 
Illinois  in  1847,  and  thence  to  Iowa  in  1853,  where 
he  passed  away  in  1867.  His  wife,  of  Irish  descent, 
was  a  Kentuckian,  born  November  10,  1788,  the 
daughter  of  early  pioneers  of  that  commonwealth. 
Meriel  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  and 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  lived  in  Indiana. 
There  he  obtained  a  good  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  later  attended  two.  seminaries,  one  lo- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


433 


cated  at  Cherry  Grove,  Illinois.  In  1853  ne  'e^  tne 
Illinois  home  to  seek  his  fortunes  in  the  far  west, 
going  overland  to  the  Willamette  valley  and  settling 
in  Marion  county.  During  the  years  1855-6,  he 
served  as  a  volunteer  in  the  Indian  war  of  that  date, 
being  a  member  of  Company  J,  under  Captain  Ru- 
ford  Miller,  Colonel  Shaw  commanding.  For  this 
loyal  service,  he  now  draws  a  pension  from  the  gov- 
ernment. At  the  time  of  the  outbreak,  he  was  teach- 
ing school  near  Silverton,  being  among  the  earliest 
teachers  in  Oregon.  As  a  soldier,  he  visited  the 
Yakima  country,  Wallula,  Walla  Walla  and  the 
Grande  Ronde  valley,  Oregon,  where  the  troops  en- 
gaged the  hostiles.  In  the  battle,  forty-two  redskins 
were  killed,  besides  several  soldiers.  In  1861,  in  the 
month  of  March,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  taking 
as  a  homestead  what  is  now  known  as  the  old  Cof- 
field  ranch,  on  the  Grants-Goldendale  road.  That 
was  the  first  homestead  taken  in  the  county.  Mr. 
Short  brought  in  with  him  sixty-five  head  of  cattle, 
but  these  were  nearly  all  destroyed  by  the  severe 
winter  of  1861-2.  That  winter  was  the  severest 
ever  known  in  the  Northwest.  The  cattle  them- 
selves seemed  to  realize  at  its  beginning  that  it 
would  be  their  death.  They  lowed  and  tramped 
around  all  the  time.  During  the  winter  one  animal 
was  known  to  stand  on  the  Swale  forty-two  days 
without  feed ;  it  died  after  reaching  food  and  water. 
One  of  the  settlers  wintered  four  yoke  of  cattle  on 
the  dead  bodies  of  his  other  stock,  which  he  cut  up 
and  fed  in  chunks.  The  starving  animals  ate  the  food 
voraciously  and  throve.  For  five  years,  or  until 
1866,  Mr.  Short  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  on  the 
Columbus  road.  Then  he  removed  to  Chamberlin's 
Flats  and  took  up  cattle  raising.  He  suffered  con- 
siderable loss  during  the  winter  of  1871-2  and  ex- 
perienced his  worst  reverse  in  1880-81.  He  bought 
his  present  ranch  in  1880  and  has  since  made  it  his 
home,  following  farming  and  stock  raising  with 
success.  His  property  now  embraces  360  acres  of 
deeded  land,  while  he  controls  fully  700  acres  of 
school  and  railroad  land.  He  began  raising  sheep 
in  1896  and  now  has  nearly  2,000,  a  portion  of 
which  he  leases.  Mr.  Short  has  also  devoted  much 
of  his  time  to  church  work.  In  1845  he  joined  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  in  1875  ne  organized  his  first 
church  with  ten  members.  Subsequently  this  church 
was  removed  to  Goldendale. 

Mr.  Short  was  married  in  Marion  county,  Ore- 
gon, June  16,  1859,  to  Miss  Louise  Anderson,  a 
daughter  of  James  and  Eleanor  (Simpson)  Ander- 
son. The  father  was  born  in  Virginia,  not  far  from 
Blue  Ridge ;  the  mother  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina.  Mrs.  Short  was  born  in  Platte  county, 
Missouri,  in  April,  1837.  Of  the  nine  children  born 
to  this  union,  three,  Adelia,  Angelo  and  John  M., 
are  now  dead.  Two  daughters,  Mrs.  Viletta  Bul- 
lock and  Mrs.  Ella  McDonald,  reside  in  this  county. 
The  other  children  are  Ari,  Meriel  J.,  Dudley  G. 
and  Clarence  W.  Mr.  Short  has  two  brothers  liv- 
ing, Wesley,  in  Bloomington,  Illinois,  and  Living-  | 


stone,  in  Kaslo,  B.  C.  His  eldest  brother,  Washing- 
ton, now  deceased,  was  a  Christian  minister  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  The  other  brothers  and  sis- 
ters were:  Samuel,  Martin,  Hansford,  Hubbard, 
Nancy,  Mary  and  Jael.  Mr.  Short  belongs  to  the 
Grange,  and,  politically,  is  a  Democrat.  An  estima- 
ble man  of  high  character,  benevolent  and  charita- 
ble, he  commands  the  respect  of  the  entire  commu- 
nity and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  wide  circle 
of  friends  in  Oregon  and  Washington. 


RALPH  W.  FENTON,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of 
Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his  well  improved  ranch 
of  880  acres,  eight  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Golden- 
dale.  He  cultivates  the  entire  tract  individually,  and 
is  said  to  be  the  most  extensive  farmer  in  his  part 
of  the  county.  He  was  born  in  The  Dalles,  Oregon, 
October  29,  1871,  the  son  of  Solomon  and  A.  Emma 
(Osborn)  Fenton.  His  father,  who  now  lives  with 
him,  is  of  English  descent  and  likewise  a  farmer,  al- 
though his  health  is  such  that  he  does  not  do  any 
hard  work  now.  He  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1828 
and  came  by  the  isthmus  to  San  Francisco,  thence 
to  Portland  in  185 1.  He  was  one  of  the  settlers  who 
worked  for  the  admission  of  Oregon  to  the  Union. 
Some  years  later  he  returned  east  and  engaged  in 
the  mercantile  business,  following  it  until  1864,  at 
which  time  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Dallas,  Oregon, 
whence  in  1870  he  came  to  The  Dalles.  Two  years 
later  he  moved  to  the  Goldendale  country  and  took 
up  a  homestead  near  the  site  of  the  present  town. 
He  has  continued  to  reside  in  the  locality  ever  since 
and  has  only  lately  retired  from  active  work,  on  ac- 
count of  enfeebled  health.  His  wife,  who  was  born 
in  Iowa  in  1845,  wa?  °f  English  parentage.  She 
passed  away  in  1874.  Her  father  had  the  distinc- 
tion of  having  been  the  first  Baptist  minister  on  the 
western  coast  and  of  having  founded  a  church  in 
Colorado,  which  cost  $100,000.  Ralph  W.,  whose 
life  it  is  our  task  to  here  chronicle,  was  but  six 
months  old  when  he  came  to  Klickitat  county  with 
his  parents  in  1872,  from  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  and 
he  grew  up  in  the  county,  acquiring  his  education  in 
the  local  schools.  An  apt  pupil,  he  in  due  time  se- 
cured a  teacher's  certificate,  but  did  not  take  up  the 
profession  of  pedagogy.  For  a  period  of  eleven 
years  he  rode  the  ranges  steadily,  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business  with  his  brothers,  Frank  and  B.  Fen- 
ton, who  had  entered  this  business  on  an  extensive 
scale  and  were  at  one  time  among  the  most  promi- 
nent Klickitat  cattlemen.  In  1895,  our  subject  and 
his  brother,  Frank,  invested  in  land,  the  latter  un- 
dertaking to  run  the  farm,  the  former  to  look  after 
the  cattle.  For  about  two  years  Ralph  handled  the 
stock  of  Baker  Brothers.  In  1902  the  partnership 
was  dissolved,  the  stock  and  property  being  divided, 
and  since  that  time  our  subject  has  been  in  business 
on  his  sole  account.  Lately  he  has  sold  his  cattle 
and  now  farms  on  an  extensive  scale.  He  is  a  young 
man  of  superb  executive  ability,  great  energy  and 


434 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


unstained  reputation,  and  he  certainly  has  cause  for 
gratification  in  the  splendid  success  he  has  already 
attained  and  in  the  brightness  of  his  prospects  for 
the  future. 

At  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  December  24, 
1902,  Mr.  Fenton  married  Miss  Ella,  daughter  of 
Joseph  and  Matilda  C.  (Perry)  Yox.  Her  father 
and  mother  were  formerly  residents  of  Omaha,  Ne- 
braska, where  Mr.  Yox  was  engaged  in  the  furni- 
ture business,  but  now  live  in  Walla  Walla,  Wash- 
ington. Mrs.  Fenton  was  born  in  Omaha  and  edu- 
cated in  Walla  Walla,  where  she  took,  in  addition  to 
public  school  work,  a  thorough  business  course.  She 
was  a  teacher  before  her  marriage.  She  and  Mr. 
Fenton  have  one  child,  Bruce  Harvey,  born  near 
Goldendale,  December  28,  1903.  Mr.  Fenton's 
brother,  Frank,  has  a  farm  adjoining  his  own,  but 
his  brother,  B.  Fenton,  now  lives  in  Roseburg,  Ore- 
gon. A  sister,  Mrs.  Maggie  J.  Wing,  lives  four 
miles  southwest  of  Goldendale.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Fenton  is  affiliated  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  in  poli- 
tics he  is  an  active  Democrat. 


JEFFERSON  D.  SMITH,  an  enterprising 
farmer  of  Klickitat  county,  lives  on  his  480-acre 
ranch,  at  Pleasant  postoffice,  two  miles  north  and 
twelve  east  of  Goldendale.  He  was  born  in  Haw- 
kins county,  Tennessee,  in  1870,  the  son  of  Samuel 
H.  and  Nannie  (Shaver)  Smith.  His  father,  a  na- 
tive of  Tennessee,  born  in  1836,  is  likewise  a  farmer. 
He  grew  up  in  his  native  state,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  drove  a  stage  from  St.  Joe,  Missouri,  to 
Salt  Lake.  Utah.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out, 
he  enlisted  in  the  First  Missouri  volunteer  cavalry, 
and  served  first  under  Colonel  Gates,  and  later 
under  General  Price,  of  the  Confederate  army.  He 
was  wounded  several  times,  and  at  Vicksburg  was 
captured  by  the  Union  forces,  but  later  paroled.  He 
came  to  Klickitat  county  in  1877,  and  the  following 
year  took  up  a  farm  a  mile  and  a  half  northeast  of 
Pleasant  postoffice,  where  he  still  resides.  His  wife, 
who  belonged  to  an  old  Virginia  family  of  German 
origin,  died  in  Tennessee,  in  1876.  The  subject  of 
this  review  grew  to  manhood  in  the  states  of  Ten- 
nessee and  Virginia.  His  mother  having  died  when 
he  was  six  years  old,  he  then  went  to  live  with  his 
maternal  grandparents,  in  Smith  county,  Virginia, 
with  whom  he  resided  until  past  twelve  years  of  age. 
During  this  time  he  received  his  education,  also 
learned  the  miller's  trade,  which  he  followed  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  nineteen.  At  that  time  his 
grandparents  passed  away,  and  he  came  west  with 
his  father,  and  settled  in  Pleasant  valley,  where, 
with  his  father's  help,  he  bought  his  present  farm. 
He  has  lived  on  the  property  and  followed  farming 
and  cattle  raising  ever  since  with  splendid  success, 
also  pursuing  the  threshing  business  during  harvest 
seasons  for  some  years.  He  started  with  a  horse- 
power thresher,  but  now  owns  an  interest  in  a  valu- 
able steam  machine.     Mr.  Smith  has  been  unusually 


successful  in  his  various  business  ventures,  his  land, 
especially,  having  quadrupled  in  value  since  it  came 
into  his  possession.  He  has  a  splendid  orchard  of 
many  varieties  of  choice  fruit,  and  numerous  im- 
provements on  his  fine  farm  testify  to  his  skill  and 
his  thrift. 

Mr.  Smith  married,  in  Klickitat  county,  on  the 
12th  of  January,  1898,  Ella,  daughter  of  Alexander 
M.  and  Eliza  A.  (Brack)  Wylie.  Her  father,  a 
farmer,  was  born  in  Indiana,  November  29,  1850, 
and  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  1878.  Her  mother 
was  born  in  the  Blue  Grass  state,  in  1853.  She  is  a 
native  of  Sonoma  county,  California,  born  twenty- 
five  years  later.  Mrs.  Smith  has  three  brothers, 
James  W.,  Francis  S.,  and  Thomas  A.,  and  four  sis- 
ters, Ethel  E.,  Lorena  G.,  Mrs.  Nancy  J.  Stump  and 
Mrs.  Hettie  Hornibrook.  Mr.  Smith  has  one  sister, 
now  Mrs.  Benna  Vesta  Allyn,  a  resident  of  Klicki- 
tat county.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Smith  is  connected 
with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  politics  he 
is  a  Democrat,  while  he  and  his  wife  both  adhere  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  faith.  He  is  a  successful 
farmer  and  enjoys  the  respect  always  cheerfully  ac- 
corded those  who  succeed  in  what  they  undertake, 
as  well  as  the  confidence  which  none  but  the  upright 
and  honorable  may  have. 


WILLIAM  SCHUSTER,  a  prosperous 
Klickitat  county  farmer,  resides  on  his  well  im- 
proved ranch  of  five  hundred  and  eighty  acres, 
twelve  miles  east  of  Goldendale,  and  two  miles 
north  of  Pleasant  postoffice,  in  rural  free  deliv- 
ery district  No.  1.  He  is  a  native  of  the  state, 
born  in  Klickitat  county  on  September  27,  1866. 
His  father,  August  Schuster,  was  a  very  early- 
settler  in  the  county,  and  a  prominent  man  in  his 
time.  He  was  a  native  German,  but  came  to  the 
United  States  when  a  young  man,  crossed  the 
Plains  to  California  in  1852,  and  took  up  a  home- 
stead on  the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Oakland. 
He  did  not  remain  there  long,  however,  but  re- 
turned east,  and  in  1862  brought  his  family  to 
Washington,  settling  in  Klickitat  county,  on  the 
site  of  the  present  town  of  Lyle.  He  lived  on 
the  property  five  years,  then  bought  a  large 
ranch  across  the  river  from  The  Dalles,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  July 
9,  1894,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four  years.  He 
served  by  appointment  as  the  first  sheriff  of 
Klickitat  county,  Rockland  being  the  county  seat 
at  the  time.  He  was  afterward  elected  to  the 
office  and  served  continuously  for  sixteen  years. 
He  was  always  very  active  in  politics.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Catherine  Dell,  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  of  German  descent.  She  passed 
away  April  27,  1901,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five. 
William  Schuster  is  one  of  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren. He  grew  up  in  the  county,  attending  the 
pioneer  public  schools,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  started  in  the  meat  market  business  in  Gold- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


435 


endale.  This  occupation  was  followed  by  him 
for  eight  years,  then  he  rode  the  range  for  some 
time.  In  1895  he  rented  a  ranch  in  Pleasant  val- 
ley, consisting  of  a  section  of  land,  and  began 
farming  the  property  with  profit.  Purchasing 
his  present  place  in  1899,  he  has  made  it  his 
home  for  three  years  past,  cultivating  about  two 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  his  land,  and  raising 
wheat  upon  it  principally.  He  owns  a  steam 
thresher  which  he  operates  in  the  surrounding 
country  during  the  harvest  seasons. 

Mr.  Schuster  was  married  in  the  county,  in 
1888,  to  Miss  Alice  Cowles,  daughter  of  Joel  and 
Elizabeth  (Blackburn)  Cowles.  Her  father,  who 
came  to  the  county  with  his  wife  and  daughter, 
some  twenty-two  years  ago,  is  now  deceased. 
Her  mother  lives  with  her.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schus- 
ter have  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  namely, 
William  Raymond,  Calvin  Floyd  and  Sylvia 
May.  Mr.  Schuster  has  one  brother,  Charles  A., 
a  resident  of  Seattle,  and  three  married  sisters, 
Mrs.  Mary  Wickman  and  Mrs.  Eliza  Schanno, 
in  The  Dalles,  and  Mrs.  Rosa  Davis,  in  Walla 
Walla.  Mrs.  Schuster  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church,  and  her  husband  is  affiliated  with  the 
Maccabees ;  also  is  overseer  in  the  Grange,  a 
lodge  recently  organized.  In  politics,  he  is  an 
active  Republican,  attending  caucuses  and  con- 
ventions. He  has  been  a  committeeman  for  a 
number  of  years,  and  constable  in  his  precinct 
for  nine  years,  also  has  served  a  like  time  as 
school  director.  At  present  he  is  road  overseer 
in  district  No.  2.  An  energetic,  ambitious  and 
progressive  man.  and  a  good,  public-spirited  citi- 
zen, he  enjoys  an  enviable  standing  in  the  com- 
munity and  much  popularity. 


WILLIAM  H.  MILLER  is  a  farmer  and 
fruit  grower,  residing  eight  miles  south  of  Gold- 
endale.  He  w3s  born  near  Syracuse,  New  York, 
in  the  old  Salina  salt  works,  December  23,  1837. 
His  father,  James  Miller,  was  a  contractor  and 
builder,  born  in  New  York  state,  in  1797,  and 
was  possessed  of  considerable  wealth  until  he 
became  involved  in  losing  investments  in  the 
Salina  salt  works.  After  these  reverses,  which  de- 
prived him  of  his  fortune,  he  came  west  to  Illi- 
nois, hoping  to  better  his  financial  condition,  but 
died  ten  days  after  his  arrival.  The  mother  of 
William  H. — Nancy  (Van  Yorst)  Miller^was  a 
native  of  New  York  state,  born  December  9, 
1797.  Her  death  occurred  in  1881,  near  Golden- 
dale,  and  her  monument  was  the  first  erected  in 
the  Goldendale  cemetery.  She  was  of  French 
and  Holland  Dutch  extraction,  and  her  husband, 
the  father  of  William  H.,  was  of  German.  Our 
subject's  grandfather,  Van  Vorst,  when  a  boy 
of  twelve,  drove  a  supply  wagon  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary war. 

When  but  seven  vears  of  age  William  went 


with  his  parents  to  Illinois,  and  remained  there 
till  he  reached  the  age  of  thirty,  meantime  ac- 
quiring his  education  in  the  common  schools.  In 
1868  he  moved  to  Story  county,  Iowa,  and  in 
1876  went  west  to  Oregon,  proceeding  thence  to 
Klickitat  county,  where  he  arrived  June  10th  of 
the  same  year.  He  immediately  took  a  home- 
stead one  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Goldendale, 
which  he  held  till  he  made  final  proof  on  it,  after- 
wards selling  out.  He  then  moved  to  Oregon 
and  remained  there  for  two  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  returned  to  Klickitat  county 
and  took  up  his  residence  upon  a  place  he  owned 
in  the  Goodnoe  hills,  which  he  later  sold,  only 
to  purchase  his  present  place.  He  has  since  be- 
come one  of  the  promoters  of  the  small-fruit  in- 
dustry in  the  Columbia  river  fruit  bearing  locali- 
ties, and  is  finding  the  vocation  quite  profitable. 

On  March  19,  1866,  Mr.  Miller  married  Miss 
Mary  A.  Richmond,  a  native  of  New  York,  born 
in  Oneida  county,  March  19,  1844.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Justus  and  Catherine  (Wendell) 
Richmond,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  New 
York  state,  the  mother  in  1822,  and  the  father 
March  27,  1815.  Mrs.  Richmond  died  in  1862, 
and  her  husband  on  January  12,  1903,  having 
survived  her  over  forty  years.  The  former  was 
of  Holland  Dutch  descent  and  the  latter  of  Eng- 
lish, but  the  families  of  both  were  among  the 
colonial  founders  of  this  country,  the  grandsires 
of  each,  during  the  Revolution,  having  engaged 
actively  in  the  struggle  for  liberty.  Besides  Wil- 
liam H.,  of  this  sketch,  there  were  ten  children 
in  his  familv.  Those  living  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters  are  James  A.,  Captain  S.  H.,  Walter  C, 
Frances  T.  and  Mrs.  Sophia  M.  Craig.  The  ones 
deceased  are  Mrs.  M.  A.  Gibson,  Mrs.  E.  A. 
Everham  and  R.  G.  Mrs.  Miller's  sisters  and 
brother  are:  Mrs.  Sarah  Sheldon,  Mrs.  Emma 
Shinkle,  Mis.  Henrietta  Day  and  Alonzo.  Three 
children,  Ethelda,  Hattie  and  Bertha,  have  been 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Miller  is  associated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Enterprise  Grange  organizations,  of  the  lat- 
ter of  which  he  is  a  charter  member.  Politically, 
he  is  independent,  though  he  was  in  sympathy 
with  the  Populist  ideas  a  few  years  ago,  and  is 
now  a  Roosevelt  supporter.  In  politics,  as  in 
all  other  things,  Mr.  Miller  takes  a  broad,  altruis- 
tic view,  aiming  to  support  the  principle  most 
worthy,  be  it  of  one  party  or  the  other.  He  is 
one  of  the  substantial  men  of  his  community. 


CHARLES  H.  WEDGWOOD,  an  energetic 
farmer  of  Klickitat  county  and  the  owner  of  six- 
teen hundred  acres  of  its  tillable  soil,  situated 
three  miles  south  and  eleven  east  of  Goldendale, 
was  born  in  Brownville,  Maine,  March  14,  1841. 
His  father,  Amaziah,  who  was  likewise  born  in 
Maine,  March  10,  1804,  a  son  of  French  and  Eng- 


436 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


lish  parents,  was  a  mechanic  and  farmer.  His 
people  were  among  the  first  settlers  in  Maine. 
He  removed  to  Ohio  in  1850,  and  thence  to 
Michigan  four  years  later,  settling  near  Grand 
Rapids,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-six.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  (Kelly) 
Wedgwood,  his  wife,  was  born  in  Connecticut 
in  181 1,  and  died  in  Michigan  in  1884.  Charles 
H.,  the  subject  of  this  article,  got  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Maine  and  Michigan. 
He  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until 
August,  1861,  at  which  time  he  enlisted  in  the 
Tenth  Missouri  regiment,  for  twelve  months' 
service.  Upon  receiving  his  discharge  he  again 
enlisted,  this  time  in  a  Michigan  regiment,  and 
he  served  until  the  last  gun  of  the  war  was  si- 
lent, being  honorably  discharged  in  1865.  He 
then  took  up  the  blacksmith's  trade,  and  worked 
at  it  for  three  years,  then  followed  lumbering 
for  several  additional  years,  but  eventually  he 
purchased  a  farm  and  engaged  in  agriculture. 
In  1880  he  moved  to  Hancock  county,  Iowa, 
where  he  resided  eight  years  more,  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising.  Coming  to  Klickitat 
county  in  1888,  he  farmed  rented  land  there  for 
four  years,  then  filed  on  the  land  which  is  now 
his  home.  Being  a  thrifty,  energetic  man,  he  has 
added  to  the  original  homestead  from  time  to 
time  since  until  he  -now  owns  a  princely  domain, 
of  which  a  thousand  acres  are  now  being  culti- 
vated, much  of  it  being  in  wheat  this  year.  He 
also  has  considerable  stock. 

In  Grandville,  Michigan,  on  December  7, 
1866,  Mr.  Wedgwood  married  Persis,  daughter 
of  Jesse  and  Sarah  (Schoonover)  Ellis.  Her 
father,  who  is  of  French  and  Welsh  descent,  and 
a  native  of  Summit  county,  Ohio,  is  a  farmer  by 
occupation.  He  went  to  Michigan  in  i860  and 
has  since  lived  in  the  state,  now  residing  near 
Manton.  Her  mother,  who  was  born  in  New 
York  state  in  1830,  and  married  in  Ohio,  is  also 
still  alive.  The  place  of  Mrs.  Wedgwood's  birth 
is  North  Hampton,  Ohio,  and  the  date  April  28, 
1847.  She  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
her  native  state  and  married  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen. She  and  Mr.  Wedgwood  are  parents  of 
eight  children,  namely,  Mrs.  Rosa  Condon,  a 
resident  of  Goldendale,  born  in  Michigan,  Janu- 
ary 26,  1868;  Mrs.  Flora  Wallis,  born  February 
16,  1870,  now  in  Biggs,  Oregon  ;  Clarence,  born 
June  26,  1872,  at  home;  Fred,  born  January  3, 
1874,  Sarah  A.,  born  July  3,  1876,  now  in  Port- 
land, Oregon ;  Warren,  Ray  and  Grover  C,  all 
born  in  Iowa  September  7,  1878,  May  14,  1880, 
and  November  9,  1882,  respectively.  Mr.  Wedg- 
wood is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  to 
which  he  has  belonged  since  he  was  fifteen  years 
old.  In  politics  he  favors  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  A  man  of  great  energy  and 
splendid  business  ability,  he  has  achieved  a 
splendid  victory  in  his  battle  for   material  suc- 


cess ;  and  has,  at  the  same  time,  contributed  large- 
ly to  the  development  of  Klickitat  county,  by 
whose  citizens  he  has  the  honor  to  be  esteemed 
and  respected  most  cordially. 


BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  FENTON  is  a 
comfortably  situated  farmer  and  stockman  resid- 
ing eight  miles  east  of  Goldendale,  Washington. 
He  was  born  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  July  24, 
18G9,  the  son  of  Solomon  and  Emma  (Osborn) 
Fenton.  Solomon  Fenton  was  born  in  Madison 
county,  Indiana,  in  1828.  He  was  a  farmer  and 
stockman  and  also,  in  a  less  degree,  a  merchant. 
He  moved  from  Indiana  to  Iowa  in  an  early  day, 
and  after  several  years  spent  there,  in  185 1  went 
west  to  California,  via  the  Isthmian  route.  At 
a  later  date  he  returned  to  the  eastern  states, 
whence,  still  later,  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Ore- 
gon, settling  in  Polk  county  in  1864.  His  final 
migration  was  to  Klickitat  county  in  1872, 
where,  immediately  upon  arrival,  he  took  up  land 
one  and  one-half  miles  from  Goldendale.  At 
present  he  is  living,  though  very  feeble.  Emma 
(Osborn)  Fenton  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1845;  ner 
death  occurred  in  1874.  Her  father  was  a  Baptist 
preacher  who  carried  on  his  ministerial  work  in 
California  during  the  early  days,  the  greater  part 
of  his  life,  as  well  as  his  fortune,'  being  spent  in 
this  work.  From  both  of  his  parents  Benjamin 
F.  derived  English  blood.  He  arrived  in  Klicki- 
tat county  with  his  father  and  mother  when  three 
years  of  age  and  here  grew  up  on  a  farm,  attend- 
ing the  common  schools  till  well  advanced  in  his 
class  work,  then  taking  a  year's  course  in  Salem, 
Oregon.  When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  taught 
one  term  of  school,  after  which  he  took  up  farming, 
later  engaging  with  his  brother,  Ralph,  in  the  cattle 
business.  He  remained  in  partnership  with  his 
brother  at  this  vocation  for  seven  years.  In  1898 
the  brothers  sold  their  cattle  and  invested  in  land 
which  they  farmed  jointly  until  two  years  ago,  at 
which  time  they  dissolved  partnership.  Since  then 
they  have  farmed  independently. 

On  February  12,  1895,  Mr.  Fenton  married 
Miss  Ida  M.  Day,  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  Janu- 
ary 8,  1876.  Her  parents  were  Jacob  and  Etta 
(Richmond)  Day,  the  former  born  in  Indiana  in 
1851,  and  the  latter  in  Illinois  in  1859.  Both  par- 
ents are  now  living,  their  home  being  a  garden 
ranch  "near  Goldendale.  Mr.  Fenton  has  two 
brothers  and  one  sister,  namely,  B.  Fenton,  re- 
siding in  Oregon ;  Ralph,  in  Klickitat  county, 
and  Mrs.  Maggie  Wing,  also  in  Klickitat  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fenton  have  three  children,  Claud, 
Ethel  and  Alma.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fenton 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  in 
politics  the  former  is  a  Democrat.  He  takes  a 
commendable  interest  in  school  affairs,  and  has 
served  two  terms  as  a  school  director.  In  his  farm 
he  has  six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  and  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


437 


gives  his  personal  attention  to  all  his  farming  inter- 
ests. By  his  methods,  characterized  as  they  are 
by  care  and  judicious  management  rather  than 
by  haste  and  inattention  to  details,  Mr.  Fenton 
has  built  up  a  farming  business  creditable  and 
profitable  to  himself. 


ERNEST  L.  WELD  is  a  comfortably  situ- 
ated rancher  and  stockman  residing  six  miles 
south  and  one  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Golden- 
dale,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  La  Salle 
county,  Illinois,  October  10,  1863,  the  son  of 
Timothy  and  Samantha  (Alvord)  Weld,  both  of 
whom  at  present  reside  in  Klickitat  county. 
Timothy  Weld  is  a  stockman  by  vocation  and  a 
carpenter  by  avocation.  He  was  born  in  Maine 
in  1828  and  arrived  in  Klickitat  county  in  1881. 
During  the  first  few  years  of  his  stay  here  he 
was  engaged  in  the  planing  mill  business,  and 
later  he  worked  as  a  contractor  and  builder.  At 
present,  however,  he  is  devoting  his  attention  to 
stock  raising.  Samantha  (Alvord)  Weld,  who 
was  born  in  Illinois  in  1844,  is  stiU  living.  She 
is  of  German  descent.  Ernest  L.'s  parents  moved 
from  Illinois  to  Story  county,  Iowa,  when  he  was 
five  years  old,  and  after  residing  eleven  years 
at  Ames  in  that  county  moved  to  Furnas  county, 
Nebraska,  where  they  settled  at  Arapahoe.  Here 
the  elder  Weld  followed  contracting  and  build- 
ing. Buffaloes  were  not  yet  extinct  from  this 
part  of  Nebraska,  and  the  first  influx  of  settlers 
was  pouring  into  the  country  and  breaking  away 
the  barriers  which  Nature  is  ever  wont  to  place 
in  the  way  of  pioneers.  The  Weld  family  came 
to  Klickitat  county  in  1881,  Ernest  accompany- 
ing. For  a  time  he  engaged  with  his  brother 
Charles  in  the  stock  business,  but  after  two  years 
thus  spent  he  moved  to  Sherman  county,  Ore- 
gon, where  he  took  up  land.  Upon  this  he  made 
his  home  till  1903 ;  then  he  returned  to  Klickitat 
county  and  bought  the  farm  which  is  his  home 
at  present. 

In  1898  Mr.  Weld  married  Miss  Rose  Venable, 
then  a  resident  of  Oregon.  She  was  born  in  Wil- 
lamette valley,  Oregon,  August  29,  1873,  the 
daughter  of  Francis  and  Jane  (Hubbard)  Vena- 
ble. Francis  Venable  was  born  in  Illinois  in 
1825.  He  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  when 
twenty-four  years  of  age,  and  after  residing  in 
that  state  for  seven  years  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising,  came  to  Klickitat  county,  ar- 
riving in  1859.  At  this  writing  he  is  living  and 
in  good  health  for  one  of  his  age.  Jane  (Hub- 
bard) Venable  was  born  in  Missouri,  June  5, 
1836.  She  is  now  residing  in  Sherman  county, 
Oregon.  Mr.  Weld's  brothers  and  sisters  are 
Frank,  Ray,  Alice,  Hattie,  Bertha,  and  Charles, 
the  last  mentioned  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weld 
have  one  child,  Wayland,  born  July  II,  1903. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weld  are  associated 


with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Rathbone 
Sisters,  respectively.  Mr.  Weld  is  a  Republican 
and  makes  it  a  point  to  attend  all  caucuses  and 
conventions  of  his  county.  He  is  a  vigorous  ad- 
vocate of  all  measures  to  the  betterment  of  ed- 
ucational facilities,  and  at  present  is  discharging 
the  duties  of  school  director.  By  individual  own- 
ership and  as  a  partner  with  his  father  and  broth- 
er-in-law he  is  interested  in  nearly  thirteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  real  estate,  part  of  which  is  valu- 
able  pasture  land.  .  His  herd  of  cattle  at  present 
numbers  one  hundred  and  forty  head,  mostly  of 
the  Durham  breed. 


GEORGE  W.  WADE,  a  fruit  raiser  and  ship- 
per of  Columbus,  Washington,  is  a  native  of 
Illinois,  born  in  Adams  county  May  27,  1862. 
He  was  the  son  of  Lorenza  Wade,  a  farmer,  who 
died  when  George  was  very  young.  The  elder 
Wade  belonged  to  a  Kentucky  family,  and  served 
in  the  Civil  war,  there  suffering  hardships 
which,  it  is  thought,  were  partly  responsible  for 
his  death  so  soon  after.  The  mother,  Mary 
(Richards)  Wade,  a  native  of  Missouri,  also 
died  when  Mr.  Wade  was  a  lad.  Left  an  orphan 
when  so  young,  George  W.  was  brought  up  by 
his  brother-in-law,  John  W.  Bennet,  who  soon 
moved  to  Kansas,  settling  in  Smith  county, 
where  George  grew  up,  receiving  a  fair  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  and  afterwards 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade.  Upon  reaching 
his  majority  he  took  a  pre-emption  in  Smith 
county,  where  he  farmed  for  fifteen  years,  rais- 
ing corn  and  hogs  chiefly.  He  was  successful, 
but  in  1889,  seeking  broader  opportunities,  sold 
out  and  came  to  Goldertdale.  Here  for  several 
years  he  followed  the  carpenter  trade,  afterward 
going  into  the  fruit  raising  business  on  his  pres- 
ent farm,  which  he  leased  for  a  term  of  five  years. 
The  ranch  is  one  of  the  best  in  its  locality,  and 
comprises  two  hundred  acres  along  the  Co- 
lumbia, forty  of  which  are  devoted  to  the  raising 
of  grapes,  and  twenty  to  berries  of  divers  kinds. 
The  grapes  are  the  most  profitable  crop,  owing 
partly  to  the  less  complicated  operations  neces- 
sary to  handle  them.  From  his  vineyard  Mr. 
Wade  ships  four  thousand  crates  of  grapes  per 
year,  principally  to  Spokane  and  Portland.  That 
part  of  his  farm  which  is  in  alfalfa  raises  three 
crops  a  year,  and  furnishes  an  excellent  pasture 
as  well.  In  addition  to  the  fruits  named,  Mr. 
Wade  markets  peaches,  pears,  prunes  and  apples, 
and  though  he  ships  his  own  fruit  exclusively 
he  is  regarded  as  the  most  extensive  shipper  in 
the  county. 

In  Smith  county,  Kansas,  in  1888,  Mr.  Wade 
married  Miss  Hattie  L.  Barnes,  a  native  of  Iowa, 
born  in  1867.  Miss'  Barnes'  father  was  a  farmer, 
also  native  of  Iowa,  from  which  state  he  moved 
to  Smith  county,  Kansas,  where  he  now  lives. 


438 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


To  this  marriage  two  children  have  been  born — 
Minnie  B.,  now  residing  in  Oregon,  and  Mary 
Leo,  who  is  staying  at  home.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Wade  is  associated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  in  politics  supports  the  Republican 
platform.  Mrs.  Wade  is  a  member  of  the  Ad- 
ventist  church.  In  every  way  both  are  deserving 
of  the  highest  esteem  of  those  who  know  them. 
By  energy  and  thrift  and  the  exercise  of  all  the 
industrial  and  social  virtues,  they  have  von  an 
honored  place  in  the  esteem  of  their  neighbors. 


MARION  F.  WREN  is  a  farmer  and  fruit 
raiser  residing  at  Columbus,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Neillsville,  Clark  county,  Wisconsin,  Octo- 
ber K>,  1868.  He  is  the  son  of  Sereno  Wren,  a 
farmer  and  sawmill  owner,  born  in  Ohio  in  1842,, 
and  now  residing  on  the  old  homestead  in  Wiscon- 
sin. The  elder  Wren  settled  with  his  parents  near 
Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa,  when  a  boy,  and  lived  with 
them  till  nineteen  years  of  age,  when  he  left  home 
and  went  to  Wisconsin.  His  father,  grandfather 
of  our  subject,  enlisted  in  the  army  during  the  Civil 
war  and  was  never  heard  of  again.  Sereno,  after 
going  to  Wisconsin,  worked  in  the  pineries  for 
years,  eventually  accumulating  sufficient  means  to 
purchase  a  large  farm  on  which,  in  addition  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  he  engaged  in  the  sawmill 
business.  It  is  on  this  place  that  he  is  now  living. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Alleda  F.  Wren,  a 
native  of  Kankakee,  Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of 
Earl  W.  Hatch,  a  Civil  war  veteran.  Her  death 
occurred  at  Columbus  in  1891. 

Marion  F.  grew  up  in  Wisconsin,  assisting  his 
father  on  the  farm  and  in  the  mill.  He  acquired 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  learned  en- 
gineering in  the  sawmill.  After  he  had  become  pro- 
ficient as  an  engineer  he  and  his  father  bought  a 
traction  thresher,  the  first  of  the  kind  in  Clark 
county,  which  they  ran  for  several  seasons.  Since 
coming  to  Washington  Mr.  Wren  has  continued  the 
threshing  business  with  more  than  creditable  suc- 
cess. He  visited  Washington  in  1890,  and  two 
years  later  came  to  remain.  After  farming,  work- 
ing in  a  sawmill,  and  owning  a  third  interest  in  the 
Grants  ferry  for  several  years  he  purchased  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  acres 
adjoining  Columbus,  in  1900,  which  property  was 
known  as  the  old  Wm.  Hicenbothm  place.  Since 
acquiring  this  place  Mr.  Wren  has  made  extensive 
improvements  in  the  way  of  building  and  increas- 
ing the  facilities  for  irrigation  till  it  has  come  to 
be  without  doubt  one  of  the  most  valuable  proper- 
ties in  the  region. 

On  May  23,  1894,  in  Columbus.  Mr.  Wren  mar- 
ried Miss  Lavina  C.  Hope,  a  native  of  Nebraska, 
born  near  Lincoln.  January  20.  1875.  Her  father, 
Samuel  B.  Hope,  was  a  carpenter,  architect  and 
cabinet-maker,  having  learned  his  trade  in  London, 
near  which  city  he  was  born.     Upon  leaving  Eng- 


land he  came  to  Canada,  then  resided  for  a  time  in 
Nebraska,  coming  thence  to  Klickitat  county,  where 
he  landed  in  1877.  He  now  lives  at  John  Day, 
Oregon.  Mr.  Wren's  mother,  Charity  C.  (Fuilay- 
son)  Hope,  who  has  been  dead  for  many  years,  was 
of  Scotch  descent.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Lamont  S.,  in  Arizona;  Frank  W.,  in  Wisconsin; 
Lemuel  C,  in  Vancouver,  Washington ;  Thomas  E., 
in  Wisconsin ;  Mrs.  Nettie  E.  Hale,  in  Washington, 
and  Earl,  in  Montana.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wren  are:  Harry,  Stella,  Raleigh  and  Ches- 
ter. Fraternally,  Mr.  Wren  is  associated  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  Mrs.  Wren  with  the 
Women  of  Woodcraft.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  usually  attends  the  conventions.  His  best  effort 
is  given  to  the  betterment  of  his  home,  and  to  the 
improvement  and  management  of  his  farm,  but  not- 
withstanding the  engrossing  nature  of  these  matters, 
he  is  public  spirited,  and  is  invariably  found  to  be 
an  active  participant  in  all  things  that  concern  the 
good  of  his  communitv. 


JOHN  A.  M'ADAMS,  a  farmer  residing  in 
Goldendale,  was  born  near  Highpoint,  Guilford 
county,  North  Carolina,  May  22,  1863.  His  father, 
Robert  McAdams,  also  a  North  Carolinian,  was  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  born  in  1829.  At  present  he 
is  living  in  Ray  county,  Missouri.  The  mother, 
Nancy  (Fonvill)  McAdams,  was  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  born  in  1834.  Her  death  occurred  in 
1896. 

When  John  A.  was  five  years  old  he  went  with 
his  parents  to  Ray  county,  Missouri,  where  his 
father  engaged  in  farming  and  dealing  in  land. 
Here  he  remained  with  his  parents  until  sixteen, 
then  left  home  to  earn  his  own  living.  He  went 
to  Kansas  where,  in  Jefferson  county,  he  worked  611 
farms  for  a  period  of  six  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time  he  returned  to  Missouri,  where  for  two  years 
he  remained,  buying  and  selling  horses  in  Kansas 
City.  He  then  moved  to  Arkansas  City,  Kansas, 
thence,  in  1888,  to  Klickitat  county,  where  for  ten 
years  he  farmed  in  the  region  between  Goldendale 
and  Centerville.  Good  management  and  persever- 
ance finally  enabled  him  to  buy  the  ranch  which  he 
had  rented,  and  this  farm  is  his  present  home.  The 
Phillips  &  Aldrich  ranch,  of  which  he  was  man- 
ager, comprises  nine  hundred  acres,  and  is  situated 
twelve  miles  south  of  Goldendale  on  the  breaks  of 
the  Columbia  river. 

In  1886.  in  Ottawa.  Kansas,  Mr.  McAdams 
married  Miss  Eva  L.  Killgore,  a  native  of  that 
state,  born  in  1869.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Wiley 
Killgore,  a  horse  raiser  and  farmer,  born  in  Iowa 
in  1854,  and  now  residing  in  Colorado.  Her 
mother,  Caroline  (Phillips)  Killgore,  was  a  native 
of  Missouri,  born  in  1852.  Her  death  occurred  in 
1896.  The  brother  and  sisters  of  Mr.  McAdams 
who  are  still  living  are :  Calvin  N.,  Mrs.  Kate 
Whitsett,    Mrs.    Emma    Bales   and    Mrs.    Mary   A. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


439 


Post.  Another  brother,  William,  is  now  deceased. 
The  children  that  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
McAdams  are  Orville  E.,  Verl  C.  and  Guy  S. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  McAdams  is  a  member  of  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  politics  he  is  a 
Republican.  His  farm,  comprising  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres,  is  all  under  fence  and  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  It  is  well  adapted  to  the  rais- 
ing of  wheat  and  barley,  as  well  as  fruits,  and  un- 
der the  well-directed  efforts  of  its  owner,  is  increas- 
ing in  value  every  year. 


MARTIN  L.  M'CANN  is  a  favorably  known 
fruit  raiser,  residing  nine  miles  south  of  Golden- 
dale.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  near  Zanesville, 
Muskingum  county,  May  19,  1850.  His  father, 
Samuel  McCann,  was  born  in  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  March  10,  1807,  and  died  July  31, 
1890.  Samuel  H.  McCann  in  company  with  his 
father,  James  McCann,  grandfather  of  our  sub- 
ject, came  to  Muskingum  county,  Ohio,  in  1812, 
taking  up  government  land,  which  is  still  in  posses- 
sion of  the  family.  Grandfather  McCann,  while  in 
Ireland,  took  part  in  the  Irish  rebellion  under  the 
noted  Robert  Emmet,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  with  a  price  on  his  head.  The  McCann 
family  traces  its  lineage  back  through  Scotch  ances- 
tors for  several  centuries.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  Caroline  (Irvine)  McCann,  a  native  of 
New  Jersey,  born  in  1814;  she  died  in  1874.  Her 
father  was  of  Scotch  parentage ;  her  mother  of  old 
Puritan  stock.  Martin  L.  McCann  grew  to  man- 
hood in  Ohio,  obtaining  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. He  was  in  Kansas  during  the  palmy  days  of 
1873-75,  when  cowboys  were  the  most  numerous 
inhabitants,  excepting  Indians,  and  when  the  grassy 
plains  were  teeming  with  buffaloes.  He  rode  the 
range  and  was  otherwise  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness until  1 885,  then  coming  west  to  Klickitat 
county,  arriving  April  12th  of  that  year.  He  at 
once  filed  upon  his  present  place  and  since  that  date 
has  farmed  and  raised  fruit  with  satisfactory 
results. 

In  Kansas,  December  21,  1878,  Mr.  McCann 
married  Miss  Carrie  Adams,  a  native  of  Mus- 
kingum county,  Ohio,  born  July  25,  1848.  Her 
father,  Littleton  Adams,  a  native  of  Virginia,  was 
a  farmer  during  his  lifetime ;  he  died  several  years 
ago.  The  Adams  family  has  a  lineal  connection 
with  the  Adams  family  which  took  such  an  active 
part  in  freeing  the  American  colonies  from  English 
rule.  Nancy  (Van  Voorhis)  Adams,  the  mother  of 
Mrs.  McCann,  was  of  Holland  Dutch  stock,  her 
father  being  among  the  earliest  settlers  of  Ohio. 
Mr.  McCann  has  six  brothers:  Harvey,  a  judge  of 
Henry  county.  Missouri ;  Allen,  residing  in  Gar- 
field county,  Washington;  Maxwell,  of  Texas; 
Warren,  Orville  and  Emmet,  all  living  on  the  old 
homestead  in  Ohio.  Three  children,  Nellie,  Nanna 
and  Harvey,  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mc- 


Cann. Fraternally,  he  is  associated  with  the  Masons 
and  the  Grange,  being  treasurer  of  the  latter's  local 
lodge.  Politically,  Mr.  McCann  is  an  active  Demo- 
crat, who  takes  enough  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
his  party  to  attend  all  county  conventions.  His 
farm,  comprising  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
excellent  land,  shows  the  results  of  well  directed 
tilling,  yielding  abundantly  every  year. 


ABRAHAM  P.  HUNTER  is  a  genial  farmer, 
residing  two  and  one-quarter  miles  east  and  one 
north  of  Centerville,  Washington.  He  is  a  native 
of  Missouri,  born  in  Jefferson  county,  July  18,  1837, 
the  son  of  John  D.  Hunter.  The  elder  Hunter  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  May  24,  18 14.  Thence  he  moved 
to  Missouri  in  the  early  thirties,  and  lived  there  till 
the  time  of  his  death,  in  1890.  The  mother  was 
Jane  (Hayter)  Hunter,  also  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
born  May  24,  1815.  Her  death  occurred  in  Mis- 
souri. Abraham  P.  lived  on  the  home  farm  with 
his  parents  till  he  reached  his  majority,  at  which 
time  he  began  farming  independently.  In  1884  he 
moved  to  Smith  county,  Kansas,  and  there  farmed 
till  1890,  when  he  came  to  Klickitat  county.  During 
the  first  year  of  his  stay  here  he  rented,  but  by  1892, 
by  good  management,  he  was  enabled  to  purchase 
his  present  farm.  In  1895,  he  filed  on  eighty  acres 
adjoining,  so  that  he  has  at  the  present  time  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  which  he  is  devot- 
ing to  farming  and  stock  raising  with  creditable 
success. 

In  Ray  county,  Missouri,  on  May  8,  1865,  Mr. 
Hunter  married  Mrs.  Jane  (Brody)  Phillips,  a 
widow.  Mrs.  Phillips  was  a  native  of  Richland 
county,  Ohio,  born  December  7,  1838.  Her  parents 
were  Jesse  Brody  and  Elner  (Slater)  Brody,  both 
natives  of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  the  former  born 
September  15,  1802,  and 'the  latter  in  1806.  Mr. 
Brody  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  His  death 
occurred  July  4,  1882,  when  he  was  seventy-two 
years  old.  Mrs.  Brody  was  Scotch-Irish  and  Welsh, 
and  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-two,  in  Caldwell  county, 
Missouri.  The  first  husband  of  Mrs.  Hunter  lived 
but  eighteen  days  after  the  marriage.  She  married 
Mr.  Hunter  when  twenty-eight  years  of  age.  Their 
children  are :  James  O.,  born  December  25,  1886,  in 
Missouri,  and  now  living  at  Toppenish,  Washing- 
ton; Mrs.  Cora  Campbell,  born  in  Jasper  county, 
Missouri,  August  10.  1877;  and  Mrs.  Flora  Mer- 
riam,  who  is  a  twin  sister  to  the  latter.  Mrs.  Mer- 
riam  is  now  a  widow,  and  with  her  one  child  is 
living  at  home  with  her  parents.  Mr.  Hunter  is 
associated  with  the  Masons  and  the  Grangers,  fra- 
ternally, and  in  religious  principles,  supports  the 
doctrines  and  faith  of  the  Methodist  church.  He 
has  now  reached  a  period  of  life  when  men  are  enti- 
tled to  retire  from  the  more  active  toil  required  by 
the  hurrying,  bustling  world,  but  notwithstanding 
still  maintains  a  keen  and  intelligent  interest  in  the 
affairs  of    life,  both    personal  and    relative  to  the 


440 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


commonwealth.  He  served  honorably  during  the 
Civil  war,  and  now,  with  the  diminishing  thousands 
of  veterans  that  yet  survive  this  awfulest  of  wars, 
from  the  glorious  eminence  of  twentieth  century 
progress  views  the  brightening  future  of  the  nation 
which  he  once  risked  his  life  to  save  from  the  blot 
of  slavery  and  disunion. 


CONRAD  B.  YEACKEL,  an  energetic  Klick- 
itat county  farmer  and  stockman,  and  one  of  the 
leading  Germans  in  his  locality,  resides  three  miles 
south  of  Centerville,  on  his  well-improved  ranch  of 
five  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He  was  born 
in  Petersburg,  Canada,  July  3,  1850,  the  son  of 
Conrad  and  Maggie  (Fox)  Yeackel.  His  father, 
a  native  German,  was  likewise  a  farmer.  He 
served  as  a  soldier  in  the  German  army,  but  in  early 
life  left  his  home  for  Canada,  where  he  resided 
two  years ;  then  crossing  to  Wisconsin  and 
settling  in  Manitowoc  county.  After  having  passed 
several  years  in  that  state,  he  removed  west- 
ward to  Swift  county,  Minnesota,  thence  in  1886 
to  Klickitat  county,  Washington.  He  died  some 
twelve  years  later,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four. 
The  mother  of  our  subject  was  born  in  Byrne,  Ger- 
many, in  1813.  and  came  to  this  country  when  a 
girl.  She  died  in  1898,  at  the  age  of  eighty-five. 
Mr.  Yeackel.  of  whom  we  write,  grew  to  manhood 
in  Wisconsin,  working  on  the  farm  when  not  in 
school.  When  he  reached  maturity,  he  went  to  Osh- 
kosh,  in  the  same  state,  and  there  drove  team  for 
several  years.  In  1871  he  moved  to  Minnesota,  set- 
tled in-  Swift  county,  took  a  pre-emption  claim,  and 
engaged  in  farming.  During  1877  he  came  west  to 
California,  thence  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  thence 
to  Klickitat  county,  in  the  fall  of  the  sairte  year.  At 
the  time  he  crossed  the  Columbia  river  at  The 
Dalles,  he  had  his  family  of  three  children,  his  wife 
and  mother  with  him,  and  the  sum  of  $9.75  repre- 
sented his  entire  capital.  He  took  up  a  homestead, 
now  his  present  home,  and  with  his  family  went  into 
the  timber  to  live  for  the  first  winter.  The  succeed- 
ing' spring  he  sold  the  rails  and  fence  posts  he  had 
cut  in  the  timber  during  the  winter,  and  found  that 
he  had  a  surplus  capital  of  $50  after  paying  all  ex- 
penses, and  leaving  considerable  lumber  to  be  used 
on  his  farm.  With  this  money  he  obtained  his 
start  in  the  cattle  business.  He  also  broke  wild  cat- 
tle and  logged  some.  At  the  expiration  of  two 
years  he  had  saved  enough  money  to  permit  him 
to  break  ground  on  his  ranch,  and  he  has  contin- 
ually devoted  his  time  since  then  to  improving  the 
property.  From  a  start  of  one  lonely  lamb  he  raised 
a  band  of  two  thousand  sheep,  which  he  afterward 
sold.  He  also  ran  range  cattle,  and  now  has  consid- 
erable stock  on  the  place.  He  started  to  operate  a 
threshing  machine  four  years  after  he  came  to  the 
locality,  and  still  continued  this  work,  sometimes 
operating  two  machines  at  the  same  time.  Though 
he  came  to  the  country  during  the    Indian    scare, 


when  settlers  were  all  fleeing  to  The  Dalles  for  pro- 
tection, he  continued  to  work  in  the  timber  all  this 
time,  getting  out  logs;  paying  no  attention  to  the 
trouble  whatsoever. 

Mr.  Yeackel  was  united  in  marriage  in  Swift 
county,  Minnesota,  March  30,  1872,  to  Amelia 
Heitz,  a  native  of  Rome,  New  York,  born  June  4, 
1854,  to  German  parents.  They  were  the  first  couple 
to  be  married  in  the  county.  Mrs.  Yeackel  has  one 
brother.  Charles,  now  living  with  her,  while,  a 
brother,  Joseph,  and  sisters,  Henrietta,  Lizzie  and 
Terese,  live  at  Oshkosh,  Wisconsin.  Lizzie  is  now 
Mrs.  Work  and  Terese  is  married  to  a  Mr.  Lidg- 
burgn.  Mr.  Yeackel  has  one  brother,  Theodore, 
who  lives  quite  near  Centerville.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yeackel  have  eight  children :  Henry,  married  and 
living  near-by ;  Mrs.  Emma  Crocker,  living  a  half- 
mile  south  of  Centerville;  Charles,  also  married  and 
living  in  the  neighborhood  ;  Lizzie,  Fred,  Nellie.  Jo- 
seph and  Mabel,  at  home.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Yeackel 
is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  Grange.  He  belongs  to  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  in  politics  votes  for  the 
man  who,  he  considers,  will'  best  serve  the  county, 
without  regard  to  his  political  affiliations.  He  has 
been  road  supervisor  for  eight  years.  His  place  is 
all  fenced  and  rendered  convenient  and  homelike  by 
the  erection  of  a  good,  modern  house  and  good  out- 
buildings, the  planting  of  an  orchard  of  well  select- 
ed trees,  etc.  He  is  a  competent  business  man,  full 
of  energy,  agreeable  'and  pleasant  in  manner  and  of 
good  standing  in  his  community. 


DANIEL  JORDAN  is  a  well-established  and 
highly  respected  farmer  and  stockman  living  two 
miles  north  and  one  mile  east  of  Columbus,  Wash- 
ington. He  was  born  in  Cabington,  England.  De- 
cember 12,  1840.  His  parents  were  John  and  Sarah 
( Hoggins )  Jordan,  both  of  whom  were  natives  of 
England,  in  which  country  they  passed  their  entire 
lives.  The  elder  Jordan  was  a  farmer.  Daniel  grew 
to  manhood  in  England,  receiving  a  fair  education 
in  the  common  schools.  At  the  age  of  thirteen  he 
left  home,  and  from  that  time  till  he  reached  his 
majority,  he  worked  for  different  farmers,  in  this 
way  earning  his  own  living.  When  twenty-one 
years  old  he  went  to  Australia,  and  there  followed 
mining  for  five  years.  Thence  he  went  to  New 
Zealand,  where  he  worked  in  the  mines  for  another 
half  decade.  In  1870  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
landing  at  San  Francisco,  California.  He  worked 
in  the  harvest  field  the  summer  ensuine,  and  in  the 
fall  went  to  Oregon,  where,  during  the  winter,  he 
followed  railroad  work.  The  next  summer,  that  of 
1 87 1,  he  went  to  the  Cascade  mountains,  and  in  the 
fall  arrived  in  Klickitat  county.  Here  he  accepted 
employment  on  a  stock-ranch.  In  1873,  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm,  where  he  has  since  worked 
independently.  February  11,  1877,  Mr.  Jordan 
married  Mrs.  Sarah  E.   (Storey)   Busey,  the  cere- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


mony  being  performed  in  Blockhouse,  Klickitat 
county,  Washington.  Mrs.  Busey  was  a  widow,  her 
deceased  husband  being  John  D.  Busey,  to  whom 
she  was  married  when  nineteen  years  of  age.  Of 
this  marriage  there  were  two  children,  William  W., 
and  Henry  C.  Mr.  Busey  died  in  1872,  and  five 
years  later  Mrs.  Busey  married  Mr.  Jordan,  of 
whom  we  write.  Mrs.  Jordan  is  a  native  of  Han- 
cock county,  Illinois.  Her  father  was  David  Storey, 
a  native  of  North  Carolina,  and  her  mother  was 
Pheba  (Pugh)  Storey,  a  native  of  Indiana.  When 
a  youth  of  fifteen  Mr.  Storey  left  his  native  state 
and  went  to  Indiana,  where  he  met  and  later  mar- 
ried Miss  Pugh.  Afterwards  he  went  to  Illinois. 
Mr.  Storey  is  one  of  die  pioneer  spirits  of  the  West. 
He  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  later  crossed 
the  Plains  to  Oregon,  settling  near  Hillsboro.  He 
is  now  residing  with  his  children  near  Goldendale. 
His  parents  were  of  Irish  extraction,  and  those  of 
his  wife,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Jordan,  of  German. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jordan  have  but  one  child  of  their 
own,  Nettie  E.,  born  in  Klickitat  county,  November 
20,  1877.  Paul  L.  Jordan  is  an  adopted  son.  He 
was  born  September  25,  1894.  Mr.  Jordan  is  a 
Methodist,  and  is  now  serving  with  credit  as  a  trus- 
tee of  his  home  church,  of  which  Mrs.  Jordan  is  also 
a  member,  and  in  which  she  is  one  of  the  most 
active  workers. 

By  integrity,  well  directed  industry  and  econ- 
omy, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jordan  have  established  them- 
selves securely  in  the  possession  of  a  fine  five  hun- 
dred acre  farm,  and  have  it  well  supplied  with  all 
accessories  that  go  to  make  an  ideal  farm  home. 
They  are  pioneers  of  Klickitat  county,  to  whom 
credit  is  due  for  the  part  they  have  taken  in  the  de- 
velopment of  the  county  into  a  prosperous  agricul- 
tural community,  and  also  for  the  excellent  bearing 
they  have  ever  maintained  relative  to  neighborhood 
affairs. 


HERBERT  P.  TRASK  is  a  well-to-do  farmer 
and  sheep  man,  residing  two  and  one-half  miles 
northeast  of  Columbus,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire,  February  14,  1854.  His 
parents  were  David  and  Polly  (Presby)  Trask, 
both  of  English  extraction.  The  elder  Trask  was 
a  native  of  Maine,  whence  he  moved,  in  1858,  to 
Wisconsin.  His  death  occurred  in  that  state  in 
1866.  The  mother  was  born  in  New  Hampshire, 
August  8,  1820,  and  died  in  Wisconsin,  April  19, 
1862. 

Herbert  P.  was  obliged  to  shoulder  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  life  at  a  very  early  age.  His 
mother  died  when  he  was  seven  years  old*,  and 
three  years  later  his  father  passed  away.  Thus  left 
an  orphan,  he  was  obliged  to  support  himself,  and 
did  so  by  working  on  farms,  and  at  whatever  else 
he  was  able  to  do.  In  spite,  however,  of  the  many 
reverses  to  which  he  was  subjected  during  boy- 
hood, he  managed  to  obtain  a  practical  education 


in  the  common  schools  of  Wisconsin.  When  fif- 
teen years  of  age  he  went  to  Kansas,  where  he  re- 
mained for  three  years.  In  1872,  he  came  to 
Klickitat  county.  Upon  his  arrival  he  went  into 
partnership  with  his  uncle,  John  Presby,  in  the 
fruit  growing  business,  at  which  vocation  he  was 
engaged  for  many  years.  In  1875,  he  filed  on  a 
homestead — his  present  farm — and  with  his  uncle, 
put  in  a  sawmill,  ten  miles  north  of  Goldendale, 
which  became  known  as  the  Three-Mile  Presby 
mill.  They  operated  it  jointly  for  four  years,  then 
sold  out.  Mr.  Trask  has  since  given  his  attention 
to  the  sheep  business,  and  at  present  he  owns  one 
thousand  head. 

Mr.  Trask  was  married  at  Lyle,  Washington, 
August  21,  1882,  to  Sarah  J.  Bateman,  a  native  of 
Sullivan  county,  Pennsylvania,  born  August  21, 
1864.  She  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Pennsylvania  and  of  Washington.  Her  father 
died  when  she  was  a  babe  of  two  years,  and 
the  mother  later  married  again.  She  is  now 
Mrs.  Jane  Bennett,  residing  at  Baker  City, 
Oregon.  Eleven  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trask,  namely,  George  W., 
Martha  W.,  Pearl  M.,  Lizzie  M.,  Harry 
W.,  Wilhelmina  J.,  Bertha  G.,  Elmer  E.,  John 
H.,  Hazel  A.  and  Chester  D.  All  were  born 
in  Klickitat 'county,  and  all,  excepting  John,  are 
living.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Trask  is  affiliated  with 
the  "Knights  of  Pythias,  also  with  Enterprise 
Grange,  No.  85,  which  he  joined  sixteen  years 
ago ;  and  in  politics,  with  the  Democratic  party. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church.  Among 
those  of  his  community  who  rank  high  in  the 
attributes  of  honesty,  industry  and  stability  of  in- 
tentions,- Mr.  Trask  is  one  of  the  foremost.  He  is 
not  an  extremist  in  any  line,  either  for  wealth  or 
community  influence,  but  in  the  more  reliable 
qualities  of  good  citizenship  he  is  reputed  not  to 
be  lacking. 


GEORGE  M.  BUNNELL,  a  sheep  man  and  a 
partner  in  the  firm  of  Phillips,  Aldrich  &  Bunnell, 
residing  at  Goldendale,  in  Klickitat  county,  Wash- 
ington, was  born  in  Clackamas  county,  Oregon, 
November  13,  1864.  Charles  B.  Bunnell,  his 
father,  a  native  of  Illinois,  crossed  the  Plains  in 
1851-2,  and  settled  in  Clackamas  county,  Oregon, 
there  taking  up  land.  He  still  resides  on  his 
ranch.  He  is  of  Scotch  parentage,  and  his  wife, 
Louise  (Crow)  Bunnell,  was  a  native  of  Missouri. 
In  1849,  when  a  small  child,  she  came  across  the 
Plains  with  her  parents,  and  settled  in  Oregon, 
where  she  died  in  the  year  1873. 

George  M.  grew  to  young  manhood  in  Ore- 
gon, being  educated  there,  and  when  fourteen 
years  old  learned  the  iron-molder's  trade  in  the 
shops  at  East  Portland.  After  working  at  that 
handicraft  for  several  years,  he  took  up  dairying 
and  ranching,  following  that  line  of  work  until  he 


442 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


reached  the  age  of  twenty-eight.  He  first  came 
to  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  in  1885,  but  re- 
turned after  two  years  to  Oregon,  and  for  the 
several  years  following  was  back  and  forth  be- 
tween the  two  states,  for  a  time  locating  on  the 
Sound.  He  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother, 
James  A.  Bunnell,  in  the  spring  of  1896,  and  the 
young  men  leased  sheep  from  A.  R.  Thompson,  a 
large  sheep  man  of  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  and  ran 
them  in  Klickitat  county  for  two  years,  feeding  in 
the  Sunnyside  district.  At  the  expiration  of  four 
years,  they  dissolved  partnership,  and  George 
went  to  Yakima  county,  and  took  up  land  near 
Outlook.  He  spent  some  time  in  the  improve- 
ment of  this  property.  Thinking  that  he  might  do 
better  somewhere  else,  he  took  a  trip  through 
Mexico,  also  looking  for  a  suitable  location  in  the 
state  of  Texas  and  Arizona,  but,  not  finding  a 
place  to  his  liking,  he  returned  to  Washington, 
and  soon  after  bought  a  band  of  six  hundred 
sheep.  These  he  kept  on  C.  S.  Childers'  place.  A 
year  ago  his  present  partners  bought  into  the 
business.  Altogether  the  three  men  have  about 
one  thousand  six  hundred  head  of  sheep, 
which  they  winter  in  the  Sunnyside  coun- 
try. His  brother,  James  A.  Bunnell,  is  still 
engaged  in  the  stock  business  in  Klickitat 
county,  and  two  other  brothers,  John  F.  and 
Charles  F.,  are  ranchers  in  the  same  county.  A 
sister,  Mrs.  Rillie  A.  Taylor,  resides  at  Portland, 
Oregon,  and  another  sister,  Mrs.  Manda  Goetz, 
is  living  in  Mexico.  Mr.  Bunnell  thinks  the  state 
of  Washington  a  better  sheep  country  than  Ore- 
gon, judging  by  the  parts  of  Oregon  that  he  has 
visited,  and  states  that  he  gets  better  grass,  and 
the  sheep  shear  more,  when  fed  in  this  state,  and 
that,  outside  of  the  John  Day  and  Grande  Ronde 
districts  in  Oregon,  more  sheep  are  run  in  Wash- 
ington. He  has  property  in  Clark  county.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  an  admirer  of 
President  Roosevelt. 


FRANK  ALDRICH,  of  the  well  known  firm 
of  Phillips  &  Aldrich,  grain  and  real  estate  deal- 
ers, Goldendale,  is  one  of  the  substantial  business 
men  of  Klickitat  county  and  one  of  the  influential 
men  of  his  community.  A  native  of  Michigan,  he 
was  born  in  Clinton  county,  February  11,  1859, 
to  the  union  of  Wells  and  Sarah  J.  (Ives)  Aldrich 
and  in  one  of  the  choicest  sections  of  the  great 
Peninsula  state  he  spent  the  early  days  of  his 
life.  His  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born 
in  New  York  state  in  1834,  removed  to  southern 
Michigan  in  1848.  becoming  a  pioneer  of  the 
newly  born  state,  and  with  his  wife  is  at  present 
living  in  Bay  City  in  that  commonwealth.  His 
wife,  likewise  a  native  of  New  York,  was  married 
in  Michigan.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
state  and  remained  with  his  parents  until  twenty 


years  of  age,  when  he  commenced  teaching  school. 
He  followed  that  means  of  livelihood  four  years, 
then,  in  1883,  went  to  Dakota  and  for  the  next 
seven  years  was  engaged  in  farming.  During  the 
winter  of  1890,  he  came  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He 
taught  school  in  Washington  county,  Oregon,  dur- 
ing the  following  year,  and  in  February,  1892, 
came  to  Klickitat  county.  The  year  1892  was 
passed  in  the  school  room.  In  the  spring  of  1893 
he  moved  to  Goldendale,  where  that  year  and  the 
next  he  was  occupied  in  assisting  the  assessor 
and  as  deputy  treasurer.  In  the  fall  of  1894  he 
began  buying  grain,  a  line  of  work  he  has  since 
followed  with  notable  success,  purchasing  for  the 
Pacific  Coast  Elevator  Company  and  the  Wasco 
Warehouse  Company.  In  the  spring  of  1899  Mr. 
Aldrich  entered  into  a  partnership  with  H.  C. 
Phillips  for  the  purpose  of  handling  grain,  a  busi- 
ness relation  which  is  still  maintained.  This  firm 
is  also  doing  an  extensive  real  estate  business.  It 
owns  a  half  interest  in  the  ferry  at  Grants  and  a 
two-thirds  interest  in  the  Arlington  ferry.  In 
November,  1903,  it  became  interested  in  the  Gold- 
endale Milling  Company,  of  which  concern  it  has 
the  management  at  present.  Stock  raising  has 
also  occupied  its  attention,  for  the  firm  owns  two 
thousand  acres  of  farm  and  grazing  land  in  Klicki- 
tat county,  and  a  year  ago  engaged  in  the  sheep 
business,  ranging  about  six  thousand  head  this 
year. 

Mr.  Aldrich  was  married  at  Bay  City,  Michi- 
gan, July  16,  1882,  to  Miss  Clara  J.  Parker,  whose 
father,  a  farmer,  moved  to  Dakota  in  1886  and 
passed  away  in  that  state  eight  years  ago.  Mrs. 
Aldrich  was  born  near  the  little  city  of  Flint, 
Michigan,  November  7,  1858,  and  received  her 
education  in  Michigan's  public  schools.  She  was 
married  when  twenty-three  years  old.  Three  chil- 
dren have  blessed  the  Aldrich  home,  Lee,  born  in 
Dakota,  November,  1889;  Harry,  in  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  August  27,  1891,  and  Wells,  in 
Goldendale,  June  24,  1893.  Mr.  Aldrich  is  con- 
nected with  four  fraternities,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Artisans  and 
the  Rathbone  Sisters.  He  is  interested  in  political 
affairs,  and  a  Republican  in  politics.  His  property 
accumulations  show  him  to  be  a  man  of  business 
ability  and  diversified  talents,  while  his  qualities 
of  character  have  won  for  him  the  confidence  and 
good   will  of   his   fellow   citizens. 


THOMAS  N.  CROFTON  is  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  and  hotel  business  at  Centerville,  Wash- 
ington. He  was  born  in  New  York  City,  June 
13,  1862,  the  son  of  John  and  Rachel  (Nugent) 
Crofton,  both  born  in  Ireland  in  1833,  the  former 
in  county  Roscommon ;  the  latter  in  county  Gal- 
way.  The  elder  Crofton  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1848,  and  settled  in  New  York  City, 
there  accepting  employment  of  the  Cunard  Steam- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


443 


ship  Company,  with  which  he  worked,  altogether, 
for  thirty  years.  In  1873  he  came  to  Klickitat 
county  and  took  up  a  homestead  ten  miles  west 
of  Goldendale,  which  is  now  known  as  the  Crof- 
ton  Prairie.  He  lived  on  this  place  till  1880,  then 
moved  to  the  swale  south  of  Goldendale.  From 
this  place  he  returned  in  1885  to  New  York  City 
and  again  entered  the  employ  of  the  Cunard 
Steamship  Company,  with  which  he  remained  till 
his  death,  June  22,  1892.  Rachel  (Nugent)  Crof- 
ton,  the  mother,  arrived  in  New  York  City  when  a 
maid  of  thirteen  years,  having  previously  received 
her  common  school  instruction  in  Ireland.  She 
married  Mr.  Crofton  when  twenty-five  years  of 
age.  Her  death  occurred  in  Klickitat  county, 
November  5,  1879.  Thomas  N.  began  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
completed  it  in  Klickitat  county,  where  he  arrived 
with  his  parents  when  eleven  years  old.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  he  began  working  out,  but  after 
six  months  thus  spent,  he  took  up  a  claim  and 
worked  independently.  This  he  farmed  for  two 
years,  then  sold  out.  In  1885  he  bought  his 
father's  place,  which  consisted  of  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  situated  in  the  swale  south  of  Center- 
ville.  He  farmed  this  place  till  1896,  then  moved 
to  Centerville  and  opened  a  hotel.  Later, 
he  and  his  father-in-law  became  partners  in  a  gen- 
eral merchandise  business  in  Centerville,  which 
was  conducted  under  the  firm  name  of  Gilmore  & 
Crofton.  In  1898,  having  left  the  business  to  the 
management  of  his  wife,  he  went  to  Dawson  City, 
Alaska.  After  spending  a  summer  in  that  place 
he  returned  to  his  home  in  Centerville,  and  he 
has  since  devoted  his  time  to  his  store  and  hotel 
and  his  large  farming  interests.  In  July,  1899, 
Mr.  Gilmore  died,  then  Mr.  Crofton  purchased 
his  partner's  interest  in  the  business,  and 
has  since  conducted  the  establishment  under  his 
own  name.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Mrs.  Isa- 
bella Gilmore,  now  residing  three  miles  west  of 
Goldendale;  George,  living  in  Weiser,  Idaho;  Wil- 
liam, of  Linn,  Idaho,  and  Catherine,  now  deceased. 
Mr.  Crofton  was  married  in  The  Dalles,  Ore- 
gon, June  4,  1889,  to  Miss  Nannie  Gilmore,  a 
native  of  Buchanan  county,  Missouri,  born  August 

22,  1870.  She  was  the  daughter  of  James  A.  and 
Catherine  (Kline)  Gilmore,  both  natives  of  Mis- 
souri. The  father  came  to  Klickitat  county  in 
1886  and  settled  near  The  Dalles.  He  died  in 
Centerville,  July  31,  1889,  and  the  mother  in  Mis- 
souri, June  10,  1876.  Previous  to  her  marriage, 
Mrs.  Crofton  acquired  an  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crofton 
have  had  six  children,  Raymond  E.  V.,  born  Sep- 
tember 1,  1891,  died  at  the  age  of  nine  months; 
William  H.,  March  31,  1893;  James  W.,  January 

23,  1895;  Estella  F.,  February  11,  1897;  Ernest 
H.,  July  18,  1899,  and  Isabella,  January  21,  1901. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Crofton  is  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  the  Modern 


Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Episcopalian 
church.  His  property  interests  comprise  a  fine 
farm  adjoining  the  town  of  Centerville,  and  the 
hotel  and  store,  above  mentioned,  together  with 
other  town  property.  He  is  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial residents  of  the  county,  and  commands 
the  respect  of  all. 


FRED  H.  VUNK  is  a  comfortably  situated 
farmer  residing  in  Centerville,  Washington.  He 
was  born  in  Milwaukee  county,  Wisconsin,  March 
4,  1854,  and  was  the  son  of  Horatio  G.  and 
Lucina(Wendel)  Yunk,  both  natives  of  New  York 
state,  the  former  born  in  Herkimer  county,  in  1827. 
The  elder  Yunk  was  a  machinist  by  vocation  and  a 
dentist  by  avocation.  He  came  to  Wisconsin  in 
1850  and  settled  in  Milwaukee,  where  he  helped 
build  the  first  locomotive  that  ran  on  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway.  He  died  in  Mil- 
waukee, in  November,  1854,  when  Fred  H.,  the 
subject  of  this  sketch,  was  eight  months  old. 
During  his  boyhood,  Mr.  Yunk  received  a  prac- 
tical education  in  the  common  schools  of  Wiscon- 
sin.. When  seventeen,  he  began  working  in 
the  lumber  camps  of  Wisconsin  and  remained 
in  this  employment  until  he  was  twenty- 
two,  at  which  time  he  went  to  Portland, 
Oregon,  arriving  in  1876.  Here  he  accepted  em- 
ployment on  a  steamboat  plying  on  the  Columbia 
river  between  Portland  and  The  Dalles.  The  fol- 
lowing year,  February  3,  1877,  he  arrived  in  Klick- 
itat county.  He  thereupon  took  a  homestead  of 
eighty  acres  four  miles  southwest  of  Centerville, 
upon  which  he  resided  till  1889,  when  he  sold  out 
and  went  to  Oregon.  There  he  followed  freight- 
ing till  1892.  He  then  returned  to  Klickitat  coun- 
ty and  took  up  a  homestead  in  Cedar  valley,  where 
he  lived  till  1899,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
living  in  Centerville.  He  bought  some  property 
in  this  town  in  1892.  His  mother  married  Mr. 
E.  R.  Hatch,  and  to  this  marriage  six  children 
were  born.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Vunk  is  affiliated 
with  the  Masons  and  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He 
is  a  stanch  Republican  on  all  national  issues,  but 
in  municipal  affairs  supports  the  most  worthy  is- 
sue largelv  free  from  partisan  prejudice.  He  has 
filled  the  office  of  justice  of  the  peace  with  credit 
to  himself,  and  has  also  served  as  captain  of  the 
national  guard.  Higher  offices  than  these  he  has 
not  sought,  his  preference  being  for  a  quiet,  unos- 
tentatious life  rather  than  the  strenuous  require- 
ments of  official  position.  By  his  many  friends  he 
is  termed  a  "good  old  bach,"  which  homely  char- 
acterization is  easily  understood  as  an  encomium 
to  his  manly  worth. 


LARS  MATTSON  was  the  first  Finlander  that 
settled  in  Klickitat  county,  and  now  resides  three- 


444 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


quarters  of  a  mile  west  of  Centerville.  He  was  born 
in  Finland,  April  23,  1841,  the  son  of  Mat  and  Retta 
Mattson,  both  natives  of  Finland,  and  now  deceased. 
The  father  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-eight.  Mr. 
Mattson,  when  a  youth,  received  an  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Finland.  He  lived  at  home  until 
he  was  twenty-one,  and  afterward,  when  twenty- 
three,  purchased  a  farm  on  which  he  lived  for  ten 
years.  In  1873  he  sold  out  and  came  to  the  United 
States,  his  objective  point  being  Michigan.  In  Mich- 
igan he  remained  for  four  years,  then,  with  three 
other  families  of  Finlanders,  came  to  Klickitat  coun- 
ty, Washington.  Upon  his  arrival  he  took  up  a 
homestead  one  mile  north  of  Centerville.  where  he 
lived  until  1893.  He  then  bought  his  present  farm 
near  Centerville,  and  he  has  resided  upon  it  contin- 
uously for  the  past  ten  years  and  more. 

October  10,  1864,  Mr.  Mattson  married  Miss 
Annie  Tamow.  The  ceremony  was  performed  in 
Finland.  Miss  Tamow's  parents  were  Lars  and 
Sarah  Tamow,  both  natives  of  Sweden,  and  now 
deceased.  The  father  died  in  Finland,  and  the 
mother  in  Klickitat  county.  During  girlhood  Mrs. 
Mattson,  like  her  husband,  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Finland,  and  there  received  a  practical 
education.  Her  marriage  to  Mr.  Mattson  occurred 
when  she  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  To  this  mar- 
riage eleven  children  have  been  born.  Those  born  in 
Finland  are  Mat,  John,  Elmer  and  Tilda  Ahola.  Ida, 
Minnie  Neva,  Frank,  Arthur,  Albene  and  August 
were  born  in  Klickitat  county,  Annie  in  Michigan. 
In  religion  Mr.  Mattson  belongs  to  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  in  politics  he  favors  Republicanism.  He 
owns  a  fine  farm  of  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land,  all  of  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
also  live  stock  of  several  varieties.  Though  a  Fin- 
lander  by  birth,  Mr.  Mattson  is  now  so  thoroughly 
Americanized  that  it  is  doubtful  if  there  is  any  man 
in  Klickitat  county  more  ready  to  contend  for  the 
interests  of  the  American  republic  than  he. 


DANIEL  FINLAYSON  is  a  well-to-do  farmer 
residing  one  mile  east  of  the  town  of  Centerville. 
He  was  born  in  Michigan,  near  Detroit,  February 
25,  1850,  the  son  of  Daniel  and  Annie  (Chase)  Fin- 
layson,  both  natives  of  New  York  state.  Daniel  Fin- 
layson,  the  elder,  was  a  sailor  durinp-  the  early  part 
of  his  life,  but  eventually  gave  up  the  sea  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  Michigan.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  army,  and  for  a  time 
was  in  active  service.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he 
went  to  Florida,  and  later  to  Nebraska,  where  he 
resided  till  the  time  of  his  death.  He  married  Miss 
Annie  Chase,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
during  his  stay  in  Florida.  Daniel  received  the 
greater  part  of  his  education  in  a  Montana  mining 
camp,  and  its  character  was  such  as  to  give  him  a 
greater  knowledge  of  men  and  the  world  than  of 
books.  Up  to  the  age  of  thirteen  he  was  partly  under 
the  care  of  an  uncle,  with  whom  he  arrived  in  Mon- 


tana when  a  child.  The  uncle  was  shot  and  killed 
when  Daniel  was  the  age  above  mentioned,  and  the 
boy  was  obliged  to  shift  for  himself  afterward 
among  scenes  admittedly  the  roughest  and  toughest 
known  in  the  United  States.  Young  Finlayson, 
however,  possessed  the  attribute  of  being  able  to 
take  care  of  himself  and  mind  his  own  business,  and 
to  this  may  be  credited  the  fact  that  he  reached  the 
age  of  twenty-nine  without  being  injuriously  influ- 
enced by  his  environments.  At  the  age  mentioned  he 
went  to  St.  Louis,  and  there  accepted  employment  on 
a  small  river  steamer.  Afterward  he  worked  as  a 
farm  hand  for  different  farmers,  and  finally,  in  1876, 
he  landed  in  Klickitat  county.  During  the  first  five 
years  of  his  stay  he  was  a  lumberman  in  different 
camps  of  the  county,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
purchased  his  present  farm.  Here  he  has  since  re- 
sided, giving  his  attention  principally  to  the  raising 
of  stock. 

Mr.  Finlayson  married  Mrs.  Mary  McQueen. 
December  25,  1880,  in  Klickitat  county.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Queen was  the  daughter  of  Lewis  Dopkins,  a  farm- 
er, who  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  1878,  here  re- 
siding until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent.  The  mother,  Emeline  (Lane) 
Dopkins,  a  native  of  Ohio,  is  now  deceased,  her 
death  having  occurred  in  Wisconsin.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Queen was  born  in  Wisconsin,  March  10,  1851.  Be- 
fore her  marriage  to  Mr.  Finlayson  she  received  a 
practical  education  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
state.  Her  first  husband  was  Alex.  McQueen,  who 
died  in  Klickitat  county  in  1878.  Two  children  were 
born  to  this  marriage,  Myrtle,  now  married  to  a  Mr. 
Shoemaker,  and  residing  in  Klickitat  county  ;  James, 
living  in  the  same  county,  near  Ellensburg.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Finlayson  have  had  two  children.  Bessie, 
born  July  22,  1882,  and  Jasper,  in  1891.  Both  are 
natives  of  Klickitat  county.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Fin- 
layson is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  and  in  religion  he  adheres  to  the  faith 
and  practice  of  the  Christian  church.  He  belongs 
to  the  Republican  party,  and  is  one  of  the  most  en- 
ergetic men  in  municipal  politics  in  the  county.  His 
work  along  this  line,  however,  is  not  that  of  an 
office-seeker.  He  has  a  fine  farm  of  four  hundred 
acres,  all  of  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
The  place  is  supplied  with  all  necessary  implements 
and  stock  and  under  the  able  management  of  its 
owner  is  becoming  one  of  the  most  valuable  farm 
properties  in  the  county. 


JOHN  P.  GRAHAM  is  a  prosperous  and  highly 
respected  farmer  residing  three  miles  east  of  Center- 
ville, in  Klickitat  county,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Oregon.  March  28. 
1858,  the  son  of  John  and  Matilda  (White)  Graham, 
the  former  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  latter 
of  Iowa.  John  Graham,  the  elder,  went  to  sea  when 
sixteen  years  of  age  and  followed  its  fortunes  for 
nine  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  gave  up  the 


JOHN   JAEKEL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


445 


life  of  a  sailor,  leaving  his  vessel  at  Portland.  Im- 
mediately afterward  he  settled  in  Washington  coun- 
ty, Oregon.  During  the  years  of  his  life  at  sea  and 
later,  in  Oregon,  he  lost  trace  of  his  parents,  and, 
though  he  has  made  attempts  to  find  them,  has  thus 
far  failed  to  obtain  knowledge  of  their  whereabouts. 
In  1870,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  and,  after  re- 
siding there  for  a  time,  moved  to  The  Dalles,  Or- 
egon, where  he  is  living  at  the  present  time.  The 
mother  of  John  P.  was  married  to  the  elder 
Graham  in  Oregon.  Her  people  crossed  the  Plains 
to  Oregon  in  1844,  and  became  well  known 
pioneers  of  that  state.  The  force  of  circum- 
stances under  which  he  grew  up  deprived  Mr. 
Graham  of  the  advantages  of  higher  education. 
When  very  young  he  attended  the  common  schools 
of  Oregon,  but  when  he  was  twelve  years  of  age  his 
parents  moved  to  Klickitat  countv  and  he  ceased 
attendance  at  school  and  began  riding  the  range  for 
his  father,  who  was  a  stockman.  This  vocation  he 
followed  till  he  reached  his  majority.  At  that  time 
he  settled  on  a  tract  of  railroad  land,  and,  after  living 
on  it  for  six  months,  sold  his  right.  His  next  move 
was  to  Chamberlin  Flats,  where  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead, on  which  he  lived  for  seven  years.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  he  sold  out  and  bought  the  old 
family  homestead  of  his  father,  on  which  place  he 
is  residing  at  present. 

On  June  6,  1879,  Mr.  Graham  married  Miss 
Nancy  Burgen,  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  Sep- 
tember, 1859.  Her  father,  John  Burgen,  was  a 
farmer  and  a  native  of  Indiana.  He  left  the  state 
of  his  nativity  and  moved  to  Missouri,  and  in  1852 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon.  He  settled  in  Klick- 
itat county  in  1859  and  there  resided  till  the  time  of 
his  death  in  1900.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  In- 
diana, and  in  that  state  married  Mr.  Burgen.  Three 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graham, 
namely,  Minnie  M.,  now  the  wife  of  Charles  Mc- 
Ewen ;  Thomas  F.  and  Fred  E.,  all  in  Klickitat 
county.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Graham  is  affiliated  with 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  politics  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  has  a  fine  farm  of  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  all  in  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. The  place  is  well  equipped  with  build- 
ings, implements  and  stock  such  as  go  to  make  an 
ideal  farm  home.  He  is  spoken  of  by  acquaint- 
ances as  one  of  the  most  reliable  men  in  the 
county,  and  those  "who  are  fortunate  enough  to 
make  his  acquaintance  never  fail  to  be  convinced 
that  he  is  worthy  of  such  commendation. 


^  JOHN  JAEKEL,  one  of  the  old  timers  of 
Klickitat  county,  is  in  every  way  deserving  of 
the  high  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  ac- 
quaintances. Mr.  Jaekel  was  born  in  Manitowoc 
county,  Wisconsin,  April  25,  1846,  the  son  of 
John  and  Margaret  (Myer)  Jaekel,  the  former 
born  in  Germany  in  1808,  and  the  latter  also  in 
Germany  June  13,  1818.    The  elder  Jaekel  came 


to  the  United  States  in  1832  and  settled  in  Man- 
itowoc county,  there  residing  till  the  time  of  his 
death  in  1862.  He  was  married  in  Wisconsin 
to  Miss  Margaret  Myer,  afterward  the  mother 
of  John  Jaekel,  of  whom  this  sketch  is  written. 
During  his  boyhood  Mr.  Jaekel  attended  the 
common  schools  of  Wisconsin  till  he  had  re- 
ceived a  practical  education.  He  remained  at 
home  till  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  at  that 
time  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Fourteenth  Wis- 
consin volunteer  infantry.  He  was  in  active 
service  during  the  Civil  war  from  February  4, 
1862,  to  October  9,  1865,  and  was  mustered  out 
at  Mobile.  Upon  leaving  the  army  he  returned 
home,  and  afterward  accepted  employment  on  a 
Mississippi  river  flatboat  plying  between  St. 
Louis  and  New  Orleans.  This  vocation  he  fol- 
lowed for  eight  months,  then  bought  a  farm  in 
Manitowoc  county,  Wisconsin,  on  which  he  lived 
for  six  years.  In  1872  he  sold  out  this  property, 
migrated  to  Linn  county,  Oregon,  and  bought  a 
farm  which  he  cultivated  for  the  ensuing  two 
years.  His  next  move  was  to  Klickitat  county. 
Arriving  in  1874,  he  immediately  filed  a  home- 
stead claim  to  the  place  on  which  he  is  living 
at  the  present  time.  Later  he  purchased  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  additional,  part 
of  which  is  now  under  cultivation. 

October  19,  1867,  Mr.  Jaekel  married  Miss 
Christina  Linderman,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed in  Wisconsin.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Nicholas  and  Ida  (Hefka)  Linderman,  both  na- 
tives of  German)'.  Nicholas  Linderman  was  a 
farmer.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1842- 
and  settled  in  Wisconsin.  His  death  occurred 
in  1868.  Mrs.  Linderman  survives  her  husband, 
and  is  now  residing  in  Wisconsin.  Christina 
Linderman,  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Jaekel,  was  born 
in  Germany,  June  13,  1846.  She  received  the 
best  education  offered  by  the  common  schools 
of  Wisconsin  during  girlhood,  and  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  married  Mr.  Jaekel.  To  this  mar- 
riage the  following  children  have  been  born : 
Charles,  in  Wisconsin,  August  26,  1868;  Minnie, 
now  Mrs.  McQueen,  March  4,  1877;  Frank  A., 
October  9,  1879;  John  A.,  January  15,  1881 ;  Ida 
M.,  May  3,  1883;' James  R.,  December  19,  1885; 
Albert  O.,  May  15,  1886,  and  Annie,  April  18, 
1888.  Excepting  Charles,  the  first  mentioned,  all 
were  born  in  Klickitat  county.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Jaekel  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  G.  A.  R.  organizations,  while  in 
religion  he  is  a  Lutheran.  His  views  in  politics 
are  strongly  in  favor  of  the  Republican  party 
on  national  issues,  hut  in  municipal  politics  he 
can  be  depended  upon  to  support  the  most  wor- 
thy issue,  regardless  of  party.  Mr.  Jaekel's  land- 
holdings,  in  all,  comprise  twenty-five  hundred 
acres  of  land,  twenty-one  hundred  acres  of  which 
pre  used  for  a  sheep  pasture.  He  has  been  in 
the  sheep  business  for  the  past  fifteen  years,  at 


446 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


present  owning  a  herd  of  thirty-four  hundred 
head.  These  immense  property  interests  have 
been  acquired  by  Mr.  Jaekel  largely  by  his  thrift 
and  untiring  industry.  Though  at  an  age  and 
in  the  possession  of  property  which  would  jus- 
tify his  ceasing  active  toil,  he  is  yet  as  industri- 
ous as  ever,  and  every  year  adds  more — which  is 
creditable  to  his  achievements. 


KELLEY  LOE,  the  affable  and  favorably 
known  editor  of  the  Centerville  Journal,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Missouri,  in  which  state  he  began  his 
career  in  journalism.  He  was  born  in  Mercer 
county,  July  4,  1881,  and  his  father,  R.  W.,  was 
born  in  the  same  county  in  1842.  The  paternal 
grandsire  of  our  subject  came  from  Tennessee 
in  1837,  becoming  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of 
Mercer  county.  He  served  during  the  Civil  war 
for  three  years  with  the  Fifth  Kansas  cavalry. 
The  company  of  which  he  was  a  member  was 
from  Missouri,  but  since  it  was  mustered  in  at 
Leavenworth,  Kansas,  it  was  credited  to  that 
state.  In  1902  he  came  from  Missouri  to  Klick- 
itat county.  Mary  (Thomas)  Loe,  the  mother 
of  our  subject,  who  was  born  in  Ray  county, 
Missouri,  in  1842,  is  still  living. 

Kelley  Loe,  whose  name  forms  the  caption 
of  this  article,  grew  up  in  Mercer  and  Harrison 
counties,  and  during  boyhood  obtained  a  good 
common  school  education.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  forsook  the  parental  farm  for  the  printing 
office  of  the  Advance,  a  newspaper  of  Mount  Mo- 
riah,  Missouri.  In  1900  he  established  the  Mon- 
itor in  Mercer  county,  but  in  1901  sold  out  his 
interest  in  the  paper  and  came  to  Klickitat 
county.  Here  he  established  a  paper,  calling  it 
the  Centerville  Journal,  the  publication  of  which 
he  has  since  continued. 

In  Missouri,  January  1,  1901,  Mr.  Loe  mar- 
ried Miss  Maud  Miller,  who,  like  himself,  was 
a  native  of  Mercer  county.  She  was  born  Octo- 
ber 17,  1881,  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  Miller, 
a  druggist  of  Modena,  Missouri,  who  died  April 
14,  1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  Mrs.  Loe's 
mother,  Catherine  (Isenlore)  Miller,  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1851,  is  still  living.  Mr.  Loe  has  two 
sisters,  Mrs.  Irene  Ellsworth  in  Klickitat  county, 
and  Mrs.  Isora  Slover  in  Kansas.  Of  the  three 
children,  Mr.  Loe  is  the  youngest.  He  and  his 
wife  have  one  child,  Zola,  born  October  18,  1901. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Loe  is  associated  with  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  and  the  Grange,  and  in  politics  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  is  enough  of  a  politician  to 
attend  caucuses  and  county  conventions  and  to 
keep  himself  well  posted  on  the  current  national 
issues.  The  paper  he  owns  is  comparatively 
young,  but  its  well-edited  pages  give  it  a  grow- 
ing popularity,  as  is  evinced  by  its  constantly 
increasing  circulation.     Mr.  Loe  owns  his  home 


and  office,  both  of  which,  with  his  very  enviable 
standing  in  his  community,  are  the  reward  of 
his  quick  wit  and  aggressive  ambition  applied 
judiciously  to  the  mastery  of  his  business. 


REV.  LEVI  CLANTON  is  a  highly  respected 
minister  of  the  Baptist  church  at  Centerville,  and 
in  addition  to  his  ministerial  calling  follows  the 
blacksmithing  trade.  He  was  born  in  Lincoln 
county,  North  Carolina,  November  3,  1838.  His 
father,  Isaac  Clanton,  a  farmer,  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  North  Carolina,  born  in  1798.  His  death 
occurred  in  that  state  in  1890.  Our  subject's 
grandfather,  Jeremiah  Clanton,  came  from  Ger- 
many to  the  colonies,  and  during  the  Revolution 
was  a  captain  under  General  Marion.  His  mother, 
Sallie  (Inglefinger)  Clanton,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  in  1800.  Her  death  occurred  in  1878. 
She  was  of  German  descent,  yet  can  be  truly 
called  American,  as  her  parents  were  in  this 
country  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Revolution.  Ja- 
cob Inglefinger,  her  father,  served  throughout  the 
struggle  against  the  mother  country.  Levi  Clan- 
ton grew  to  the  age  of  thirteen  on  a  farm  in 
North  Carolina.  Afterward,  in  a  factory  in  Lin- 
coln county,  he  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  several  years.  From 
North  Carolina  he  moved  to  South  Carolina,  lo- 
cating near  Spartanburg,  where  he  worked  in  a 
roller  mill  for  four  years,  after  which  he  toiled 
for  six  years  in  a  coach  factory  in  the  same  town. 
In  1861,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  he  enlisted 
in  the  Spartan  Rifles,  Sixth  Regulars,  on  the 
Confederate  side,  serving  under  Captain  Foster. 
At  the  end  of  three  years  he  went  into  cavalry 
service  under  General  Garry,  and  while  thus  en- 
gaged received  a  wound  in  the  hand  which 
caused  his  confinement  in  the  hospital  for  forty- 
nine  days.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned 
to  Spartanburg  and  there  conducted  a  black- 
smith shop  until  November  2,  1867.  He  went 
thence  to  Clinton,  Tennessee,  and  there  remained 
for  four  years,  after  which  he  moved  to  Ander- 
sonville  in  the  same  state.  Having  passed  four 
years  in  that  place  he  went  to  Fincastle,  then  to 
Jackboro,  from  which  place,  in  1882,  he  made 
his  first  move  westward,  going  to  Portland  and 
a  few  weeks  later  to  The  Dalles.  Here,  in  part- 
nership with  his  son,  he  bought  out  a  large  shop 
which  they  conducted  with  profit  for  a  year. 
They  then  discontinued  the  business  and  came 
to  Centerville,  where  at  that  time  there  Avas 
hardly  the  beginning-  of  a  town.  Here  he  re- 
newed the  pursuit  of  his  trade,  and  took  up  again 
his  pastoral  calling.  Mr.  Clanton  has  done  mis- 
sionary work  for  a  considerable  part  of  his  life, 
his  line  having  been  largely  in  establishing 
churches  and  holding  revivals.  He  was  ordained 
for  the  ministry  at  Oak  Grove,  Anderson  county, 
Tennessee,  in  1868.     In  Klickitat  county  he  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


447 


established    churches    at    White    Salmon,    High 
Prairie,  Spring  Creek,  and  Bickleton. 

On  April  i,  1852,  in  North  Carolina,  Mr.  Clan- 
ton  married  Miss  Frances  Sanders,  who  was  born 
in  North  Carolina  in  1839.  Her  father,  William 
Sanders,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  was  de- 
scended from  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Vir- 
ginia. His  death  occurred  many  years  ago.  Her 
mother,  who  was  likewise  a  native  of  North  Car- 
olina, died  in  1872.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of 
Mr.  Clanton  are  David,  Slawson,  Mary  A.  and 
Catherine.  Nine  children  have  been  born  to  his 
marriage  with  Miss  Sanders,  namely,  William 
Avery,  deceased ;  Elizabeth,  John,  Salina,  Le- 
nora,  Emma,  now  county  school  superintendent 
of  Klickitat  county;  Edward,  Nellie  and  Levi. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Clanton  is  associated  with  the 
Grange,  and  in  politics  he  is  an  old-time  Demo- 
crat. His  property  interests  in  town  are  of  a 
substantial  nature,  comprising  two  good  houses, 
his  shop  and  a  well-established  business.  Though 
perhaps  not  so  actively  associated  with  ministe- 
rial work  as  in  former  years  he  still  preaches  on 
Sundays,  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  any  religious 
work  to  which  his  influence  may  be  helpful.        , 


HENRY  B.  CARRATT  lives  on  a  farm  ad- 
joining the  town  of  Centerville,  Washington. 
He  was  born  in  Sabula,  Jackson  county,  Iowa, 
July  31,  1870,  the  son  of  George  Carratt,  a  native 
of  Lincolnshire,  England,  born  in  1838.  The 
elder  Carratt  came  to  the  United  States  in  i860, 
and  settled  in  Jackson  county,  Iowa.  Thence  he 
moved  to  Cherokee  county,  Iowa,  and  from  that 
place  in  1887  to  Klickitat  county.  He  is  now 
living  five  miles  northwest  of  Centerville.  Ra- 
chel (Humphrey)  Carratt,  mother  of  Henry  B., 
also  was  a  native  of  England,  born  at  Jamestown 
near  London.  Her  death  occurred  in  1888  in 
the  state  of  Iowa. 

Henry  B.  grew  up  on  a  farm  in  Iowa,  and 
during  youth  obtained  a  fair  education  in  the 
common  schools.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
shouldered  the  responsibilities  of  life  independ- 
ently, coming  to  Klickitat  county.  Here  for  sev- 
eral years  he  worked  on  farms,  but  when  twenty- 
six  forsook  farm  life  and  worked  for  a  Mr.  Har- 
mon in  a  photograph  gallery  in  Goldendale. 
Later  he  engaged  in  the  same  business  with  Eli 
Miller,  and,  upon  buying  his  partner's  share,  con- 
ducted the  business  independently.  He  became 
expert  in  the  production  of  scenic  views,  and  one 
of  his  pictures,  taken  of  seventy-five  thousand 
sacks  of  wheat  in  a  pile  at  Columbus  ferry,  has 
been  reproduced  all  over  Europe.  After  con- 
ducting the  photograph  business  successfully  till 
1901  he  sold  out  and  retired  to  his  farm  near 
Centerville,  where  he  has  lived  since.  While  in 
the  photograph  business  he  owned  several  farms, 
which  he  invariably  rented  to  other  men. 


In  Klickitat  county,  in  June,  1896,  Mr.  Carratt 
married  Miss  Louvina  Hooker,  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia, born  in  Bateman  county,  July  18,  1877. 
She  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  1893.  Her 
father,  Gabriel  Hooker,  is  a  farmer  living  near 
Bonners  Ferry,  Idaho.  The  mother,  Cemira  A. 
(Anderson)  Hooker,  who  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  also  lives  at  Bonners  Ferry.  Mr.(  Car- 
ratt has  three  sisters  and  two  brothers,  namely, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Emerson,  of  Goldendale ;  Rachel, 
Nellie,  William  and  Benjamin  G,  now  living  in 
Kansas.  Henry  B.  is  the  oldest  of  the  family. 
Four  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Carratt — Patti  Z.,  the  eldest  now  living,  born  De- 
cember 11,  1897;  Ruby  E.,  December  11,  1902, 
and  two  deceased.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Carratt  is 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  the  Eastern  Star,  while  his 
wife  belongs  to  the  Star  and  the  Women  of 
Woodcraft.  In  politics  Mr.  Carratt  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  he  is  active  in  all  political  and  munici- 
pal affairs.  He  has  served  honorably  in  the  city 
council  at  Goldendale,  and  honors  his  citizenship 
enough  to  attend  the  caucuses  and  the  county 
conventions.  His  farm,  comprising  two  hundred 
and  twelve  acres  of  land,  by  reason  of  its  loca- 
tion bordering  the  city  limits  of  Centerville, 
promises  to  increase  rapidly  in  value.  It  is  said 
to  be  one  of  the  best,  if  not  the  very  best,  in  the 
county. 


CHARLES  T.  YEACKEL  is  a  favorably 
known  farmer  and  stockman  who  resides  two 
and  one-half  miles  south  of  Centerville,  Wash- 
ington. He  was  born  in  Swift  county,  Minne- 
sota, May  5,  1876,  the  son  of  Conrad  B.  Yeackel, 
who  was  born  in  Canada  in  1850.  The  elder 
Yeackel  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  1877,  and 
is  now  one  of  the  most  extensive  land  owners 
of  the  county.  Amelia  (Heitz)  Yeackel,  the 
mother,  is  a  native  of  New  York  state,  born  in 
1852,  and  is  now  residing  in  Klickitat  county. 

Charles  T.  came  west  with  his  parents  when 
he  was  but  one  year  old.  As  he  grew  to  man- 
hood he  worked  on  the  farm  which  his  father 
owned  in  Klickitat  county,  was  employed  at 
times  as  a  cowboy,  and  withal  managed  to  se- 
cure a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools. 
After  he  had  ceased  attending  school  he  engaged 
with  his  father  in  the  stock  business,  and  later 
ran  sheep  with  his  brother,  Henry.  In  the  latter 
venture,  starling  with  a  few  pet  lambs,  the  broth- 
ers eventually  acquired  a  flock  of  six  thousand 
head.  Mr.  Yeackel  continued  in  the  sheep  busi- 
ness until  1898,  when  he  sold  his  interest  in  the 
herd  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming.  On 
Tune  27,  1900,  in  Klickitat  county,  he  married 
Miss  Annie  Kaderia,  who  was  born  in  Klickitat 
county,  September  20,  1879.  Miss  Kaderia's 
father,  John,  was  a  native  of  Finland,  who  came 


443 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


to  the  United  States  in  1874,  and  in  1877  to 
Klickitat  county,  where  he  now  lives.  Her 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Maggie  Kar- 
akka,  is  also  a  native  of  Finland  and  a  resident 
of  Klickitat  county.  Mr.  Yeackel  has  three 
brothers  and  four  sisters.  The  brothers  are 
Henry,  Fred  and  Joseph,  all  living  at  home.  The 
sisters  are  Lizzie,  now  living  at  home;  Mrs. 
Emma  Crocker,  living  in  Klickitat  county;  Nel- 
lie and  Mabel,  living  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yeackel  have  but  one  child,  Ina.  born  August 
23,  1902.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Yeackel  affiliates  with 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  politics  with 
the  Republican  party.  His  farm  comprises  five 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land,  of  which  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  are  under  cultivation. 
It  is  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  such 
grains  as  wheat  and  barley,  and  develops  flat- 
tering prospects  along  horticultural  lines.  Mr. 
Yeackel  is  an  enthusiastic  stockman,  and  is  now 
specializing  in  the  breeding  of  red  Durham  cat- 
tle. He  is  inclined  to  favor  Percheron  horses, 
and  his  draft  horses  in  this  strain  are  said  to 
be  among  the  best  in  the  county. 


HENRY  YEACKEL  is  a  highly  respected  and 
prosperous  stockman  and  farmer  who  lives  three 
miles  south  of  Centerville,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Swift  county,  Minnesota,  January  9,  1873, 
the  son  of  Conrad  B.  Yeackel,  also  a  farmer  and 
stockman,  who  was  a  Canadian  by  birth,  born  in 
1850.  The  elder  Yeackel  moved  first  to  Wisconsin, 
and  later  to  Minnesota.  In  the  latter  state  he  lived 
till  1877,  when  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  Wash- 
ington, where,  as  has  been  stated  in  another  biog- 
raphy, he  is  still  living.  Amelia  (Heitz)  Yeackel, 
the  mother,  is  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  volume 
in  connection  with  her  son  Charles,  who  is  a  brother 
of  Henry  Yeackel,  of  this  article. 

Henry  came  to  Klickitat  county  with  his  parents 
when  he  was  five  years  old,  and  here  attained  early 
manhood.  He  received  a  practical  education  in  the 
common  schools,  but  when  in  his  teens  he  forsook 
the  schoolroom  for  business.  For  a  time  he  assisted 
in  the  management  of  his  father's  large  ranch,  but 
later  he  went  into  partnership  with  his  brother 
Charles  in  the  sheep  business,  as  is  stated  in  the 
sketch  of  this  brother.  The  two  brothers,  when  lads, 
owned  two  pet  sheep,  which  were  so  nearly  alike  as 
to  render  distinguishing  between  the  two  impos- 
sible. To  settle  the  problem  of  possession  peace- 
ably, the  boys  went  into  partnership  in  the  owner- 
ship of  the  two  sheep.  From  this  small  beginning 
they  in  time  acquired  a  herd  of  several  thousand 
head.  Before  becoming  thoroughly  interested  in 
the  sheep  business.  Henry,  with  his  grandmother, 
occupied  his  father's  claim,  the  elder  Yeackel  being 
away  working  in  the  timber.  These  were  the  days 
when  the  larger  stockmen  were  annoying  the  new- 
comers by  driving  off  their  stock  and  cutting  fences, 


and  of  this  trouble  the  Yeackel  family  received  an 
unwelcome  share.  With  other  hardy  settlers,  how- 
ever, the  elder  Yeackel  held  his  own,  and  eventually 
overcame  the  obstacles  imposed.  As  stated,  he  is 
now  one  of  the  best  established  farmers  in  Klickitat 
county.  Henry,  of  whom  we  write,  with  his  brother, 
went  out  of  the  sheep  business  in  1899,  and  invested 
in  land,  since  following  farming  and  stock  raising. 

In  Klickitat  county,  October  31,  1895,  Mr. 
Yeackel  married  Miss  Flora  Bell  Bowman,  a  native 
of  Nebraska,  born  in  1879.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
William  C.  H.  and  Mary  E.  (Prall)  Bowman,  both 
of  whom  are  now  living  in  this  county,  whither  they 
came  in  1888.  The  former  is  a  native  of  Missouri, 
born  in  1839,  and  the  latter  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
in  1849.  To  this  marriage  three  children  have  been 
born — Loris,  in  1896,  Lizzie  Irene,  in  1901,  and  a 
voung  baby.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Yeackel  is  affiliated 
with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and,  in  politics,  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  is  active  in  matters  of  local 
interest,  having  served  with  credit  both  as  school 
clerk  of  his  district  and  road  supervisor.  His  land 
holdings  comprise,  in  all,  one  thousand  acres,  and 
much  of  .it  is  of  the  best  in  the  county.  Such  as  he 
has  in  cultivation  is  well  adapted  to  the  growth  of 
such  forage  plants  as  alfalfa,  red-top  and  brome- 
grass,  also  wheat,  oats  and  barley.  Much  of  the 
land  is  used  as  pasture  for  the  stock,  and  by  follow- 
ing a  wisely  chosen  plan  of  alternation  from  one  field 
to  the  other,  with  cattle,  hogs  and  horses,  Mr. 
Yeackel  has  demonstrated  some  of  the  splendid  pos- 
sibilities of  his  occupation. 


HENRY  GARNER  is  a  widely  known  farmer 
and  stockman  of  Klickitat  county,  residing  two  miles 
west  and  three  south  of  Centerville.  He  was  born 
in  Lester,  England,  January  1,  1847,  tne  son  0I 
George  and  Elizabeth  (Pegg)  Garner,  both  natives 
of  England.  In  the  land  of  his  nativity  George 
Garner  followed  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  He  was 
killed  by  a  horse  when  Henry  Garner,  of  this  review, 
was  sixteen  years  of  age.  Elizabeth  (  Pegg)  Garner 
lived  her  entire  life  in  England,  passing  away  in 
1892.  Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  England,  and  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, this  being  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  en- 
gaged as  an  apprentice  to  learn  the  brick-laying 
trade.  He  was  thus  employed  for  five  years.  In 
1867  he  came  to  the  United  States,  his  objective 
point  being  New  York  City,  and,  after  a  brief  stay- 
in  this  thriving  metropolis:  he  proceeded  to  Albany, 
there  working  at  his  trade  for  three  years.  His 
next  move  was  to  Chicago.  Arriving  in  this  city  in 
1870,  he  immediately  found  employment  at  his  trade 
and  for  the  next  six  years  he  worked  steadily,  during 
this  time  witnessing  the  great  Chicago  fire.  His 
final  change  of  residence  was  to  Klickitat  county  in 
1876,  where  he  filed  on  the  homestead  which  has 
since  then  been  his  home.  During  the  early  years 
of  his  stay  at  Klickitat  county  he  devoted  his  atten- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


449 


tion  chiefly  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  horses,  but 
within  recent  years  he  has  to  a  large  extent  closed 
out  his  stock  raising  interests  in  favor  of  farming. 
Mr.  Garner  was  married  in  Evanston,  Illinois, 
May,  1875,  to  Miss  May  Jane  Nelson,  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Jane  (Cockfield)  Nelson,  both  natives 
of  England  and  now  deceased.  Benjamin  Nelson 
was  a  brass  molder  by  trade.  Mrs.  Garner  was 
born  in  England,  July  8,  1847.  She  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  England,  and  when  a 
young  woman  came  to  Canada,  where  for  a  time 
she  lived  with  one  of  her  uncles.  Later  she  moved 
to  Evanston,  Illinois,  and  there  married  Mr.  Garner. 
Children  born  to  this  union  are:  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Miller,  born  Januarv  16,  1876;  George,  Julv  23, 
1878:  Ada.  February  8,  1880;  Rebecca,  May  23. 
1884;  Frank,  November  26,  1886,  and  Mary,  April 
24.  1891,  all  in  Klickitat  county.  In  religion.  Mr. 
Garner  adheres  to  the  Presbyterian  church,  and,  in 
politics,  will  invariably  be  found  giving  his  support 
to  what  he  considers  the  most  worthy  issue,  regard- 
less of  party.  His  land  holdings  comprise  seventeen 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  nine  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  which  are  under  cultivation,  the  balance 
being  used  chiefly  for  pasture,  also  a  section  of  tim- 
ber land.  The  farm  upon  which  he  lives  is  well 
equipped  with  buildings,  stock,  machinery,  and  all 
other  things  necessary  to  successful  farming,  and  is 
one  of  the  most  valuable  in  this  respect,  perhaps,  in 
the  county. 


JOHN  A.  MILLER,  one  of  the  successful  young 
citizens  of  Klickitat  county,  living  on  a  fine  farm 
one  and  one-half  miles  south  and  two  west  of  Cen- 
terville,  was  born  in  Atchison  county,  Kansas, 
March  9,  1876.  the  son  of  Charles  A.  and  Sarah  J. 
(Ketch)  Miller,  both  of  whom  are  living  to-day. 
Charles  A.  Miller  was  born  in  Germany  in  1848. 
When  a  child  of  six  years  he  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents,  the  objective  point  being 
Chicago,  Illinois.  Here  Charles  A.  remained  under 
the  parental  roof  until  thirteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  began  to  work  for  his  own  living.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war,  he  was  employed  in  the 
Union  army  as  a  teamster,  and  in  this  capacity  he 
served  throughout  the  struggle.  In  i865,  at  the 
close  of  the  great  conflict,  he  settled  in  Atchison 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  resided  till  1890,  then 
coming  west  to  Klickitat  count)'.  His  residence  at 
present  is  in  Goldendale.  Sarah  J.  (Ketch)  Miller 
was  born  in  Ohio  in  185 1,  and  when  a  young  woman 
moved  to  Kansas,  there  marrying  Mr.  Miller  the 
elder.    She  is  now  living  in  Goldendale. 

John  A.,  of  this  article,  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Kansas  and  of  Klickitat 
•county,  and  in  a  Portland  business  college.  He  came 
with  his  parents  to  Klickitat  county  when  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  after  taking  the  business  course 
in  Portland,  accepted  employment  in  a  sawmill, 
"where  he  remained  for  three  years.     When  twenty- 


one  years  of  age  he  opened  a  barber  shop  in  Golden- 
dale, and  for  three  years,  till  1900,  followed  the  ton- 
sorial  profession  with  success.  Then  he  sold  out 
and  began  his  career  as  a  farmer. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  in  Klickitat  county, 
December  7,  1898,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Garner,  the 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  J.  (Nelson)  Garner, 
whose  biographies  also  appear  in  this  volume.  She 
was  born  in  Klickitat  county,  January  16,  1877,  and 
there  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated.  Her 
marriage  occurred  when  she  was  twenty-two  yeirs 
of  age.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  now  have  one  child, 
Zelma  E.,  born  in  Klickitat  county.  June  10,  1902. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Miller  is  associated  with  the  Odd 
Fellows,  and  in  religion  with  the  Presbyterian 
church.  His  political  views  coincide  with  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Republicans,  though  he  is  somewhat 
independent  in  his  convictions.  His  chief  property 
interests  are  comprised  in  the  fine  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  which  he  is  now  farming, 
and  the  buildings,  stock  and  farming  machinery 
with  which  it  is  equipped. 


ROBERT  McKILLIP,  a  comfortably  situated 
farmer  residing  two  miles  east  and  one  mile  south 
of  Centerville,  is  a  native  of  Callaway  county,  Mis- 
souri, born  August  15,  1869.  His  parents,  Daniel 
and  Mary  (Guy)  McKillip,  were  among  the  early 
settlers  in  Missouri.  Daniel  McKillip  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  an  iron  molder  by  trade.  In 
the  early  fifties  he  went  to  Missouri,  when  that  state 
was  in  the  early  stages  of  settlement,  and  resided 
there  till  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  parentage.  Mary  (Guy)  McKillip  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  and  in  that  state  grew  to  womanhood 
and  was  married.  Her  death  occurred  in  Missouri 
many  years  ago.  Her  parents  were  English.  Rob- 
ert received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Missouri,  which  simple  institutions  of  learning,  in 
that  early  day,  offered  nearly  the  best  that  was  to 
be  had  in  the  way  of  education.  He  lived  at  home 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  His  father  died  at 
this  time,  and  then  Robert  left  home,  working  for 
wages  the  two  years  following.  He  arrived  in 
Klickitat  county  in  1890,  and  there  worked  for 
wages  till  1897,  then  renting  a  farm,  which  he 
worked  for  three  years.  In  1900,  he  bought  his 
present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres. 

Mr.  McKillip  was  married  in  Goldendale,  July  15, 
1903,  to  Miss  Minnie  Seidl,  a  native  of  Oregon, 
born  in  April,  1883.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wendelin  Seidl,  of  Goldendale,  sketches  of 
whom  appear  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mrs.  McKillip 
is  an  exceptionally  well  educated  voting  woman, 
having  completed  the  instruction  given  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Klickitat  county  and  later  taken  an 
academic  course.  After  finishing  her  education  she 
secured  a  certificate  and  taught  school  for  two  terms. 
Her  marriage  took  place  when  she  was  twenty 
years  of  age.     Mrs.  McKillip's  brothers  and  sisters 


450 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


are:  Charles,  Louis,  Wendelin,  Josie  and  Emma. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  McKillip  is  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  in  religion  he  is  an  adherent 
of  the  Christian  church-.  He  owns  a  farm,  con- 
sisting of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  all  of  which 
is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  in  1902  he 
filed  on  land  twelve  miles  north  of  Goldendale,  upon 
which  he  has  not  yet  established  a  nermanent  resi- 
dence. In  his  political  views  he  is  a  Democrat  on 
national  issues,  though  in  municipal  affairs  he  gives 
his  influence  to  the  issue  he  considers  most  worthy, 
regardless  of  party. 


HENRY  STACKER,  a  comfortably  situated 
stockman  residing  five  miles  east  of  Hartland  and 
eighteen  miles  southeast  of  Goldendale,  was  born 
in  Germany,  June  11,  1839.  His  parents  were  Hans 
and  Elsa  (Lendman)  Stacker,  both  of  whom  were 
natives  of  Germany,  and  are  now  deceased.  Hans 
Stacker  was  a  farmer  and  spent  his  entire  lifetime 
on  the  farm  on  which  he  was  born.  Henry  Stacker 
received  his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Ger- 
many. He  remained  at  home  till  he  was  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  then  enlisting  in  the  army  for  one  and 
one-half  years'  service.  When  discharged  he  re- 
turned to  his  home  and  lived  with  his  mother  till 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  California,  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama. 
In  California,  he  remained  for  six  vears,  successfully 
engaged  in  farming,  then  he  returned  to  Germany, 
where  he  stayed  with  his  mother  for  one  year.  He 
then  came  back  to  California,  bringing  with  him 
his  wife,  whom  he  married  during  his  visit.  After 
two  years  more  spent  on  a  farm  in  that  state,  he 
moved  to  Hillsboro,  Oregon,  where  he  farmed  for 
the  ensuing  three  years,  then,  in  1883,  moving  to 
Klickitat  county.  Here  he  immediately  filed  on  his 
present  farm,  to  the  cultivation  and  improvement  of 
which  he  has  since  devoted  himself  with  energy  and 
success. 

Mr.  Stacker  was  married  in  Germany,  in  1873, 
the  lady  being  Miss  Lena  Bartram,  daughter  of 
Earnest  and  Lena  (Getche)  Bartram,  both  of  whom 
died  in  Germany.  Mrs.  Stacker  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1849,  and  grew  to  womanhood  and  was 
educated  in  her  native  country,  living  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  with  her  parents.  She  was  nineteen 
years  old  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  Children  born 
to  this  union  are  Mrs.  Elzie  Calkins,  born  in  Cali- 
fornia in  1874,  now  living  at  home;  Magda,  born 
in  1876,  and  Rodo  in  1882,  both  natives  of  Oregon; 
Fritz,  born  in  1884,  in  Klickitat  county.  In  religion, 
Mr.  Stacker  adheres  to  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in 
politics  he  favors  the  Republican  party.  His  prop- 
erty holdings  comprise  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  fine  grazing  land  and  the  cattle  and  horses  with 
which  it  is  stocked.  He  is  favorably  reputed  wher- 
ever known,  and  among  intimate  acquaintances  is 
deservedly  styled  a  "fine  old  German." 


DIETRICH  H.  STEGMAN  is  one  of  the  most 
comfortably  situated  farmers  and  stockmen  of  Klick- 
itat county.  His  home  and  principal  property  in- 
terests are  two  miles  southwest  of  Centerville.  He 
was  born  in  Thedinghausen,  Germany,  July  4,  1853, 
the  son  of  Dietrich  and  Meta  ( Buschman )  Stegman, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  The  elder  Stegman  was 
born  in  Thedinghausen,  and  after  attaining  his  ma- 
jority followed  the  dual  vocation  of  wagon-maker 
and  farmer.  In  1889  he  sold  his  extensive  land 
holdings  in  Germany,  came  to  the  United  States  and 
made  his  home  with  our  subject.  His  death  oc- 
curred December  3,  1897.  Meta  (Buschman)  Steg- 
man was  born  in  1824,  and  died  in  1885,  having 
lived  all  her  life  in  Germany.  Her  people  for  sev- 
eral generations  before  her  time  were  agriculturists, 
some  of  them  being  quite  wealthy.  She  had  three 
brothers  who  came  to  the  Unitd  States,  one  of  whom 
served  in  the  Civil  war. 

Dietrich  H.  acquired  the  greater  part  of  his  ed- 
ucation in  Germany  before  he  had  reached  his  six- 
teenth year.  At  this  age  he  left  the  parental  roof 
and  came  to  the  United  States,  his  objective  point 
being  New  York,  earning  his  passage  across  the 
Atlantic  by  peeling  potatoes;  and  it  may  well  be 
noted  that  the  potato-peeler  on  a  trans-Atlantic  pas- 
senger steamer  is  generally  about  the  busiest  person 
on  the  ship,  even  though  his-  task  does  not  entail 
great  responsibility.  At  any  rate,  Mr.  Stegman  has 
never  felt  that  he  did  not  fully  earn  his  passage.  In 
New  York  the  potato-peeler  ceased  peeling  potatoes 
and  accepted  employment  at  his  trade,  wagon-mak- 
ing, having  previously  become  skilled  in  this  hand- 
icraft under  the  tutelage  of  his  father  in  Germany. 
While  pursuing  his  vocation,  he  attended  evening 
schools,  thus  becoming  fairly  well  acquainted  with 
the  English  language.  In  1873  he  was  employed  in 
Florida  by  the  government,  his  work  being  to  cut 
live-oak  trees  for  use  in  the  United  States  navy. 
His  next  move  was  to  San  Francisco  in  1876,  where 
his  first  employment  was  to  help  a  man  tear  up  an 
old  ship,  but  he  soon  found  more  lucrative  employ- 
ment in  Oreville,  Butte  county,  California.  In  the 
spring  of  1877  he  went  to  Portland,  and  there  re- 
sumed his  trade,  working  continuously  for  one  year. 
At  the  end  of  that  period  he  went  to  The  Dalles, 
proceeding  thence  to  Klickitat  county,  where  he 
arrived  in  1878.  Here  he  filed  upon  a  homestead, 
which  is  now  one  of  his  present  farms,  and  a  year 
later  he  bought  five  hundred  head  of  sheep.  Since 
coming  to  Klickitat  county,  sheep  raising  has  been 
his  principal  occupation. 

Mr.  Stegman  was  married  in  The  Dalles,  Or- 
egon, January  1,  1881,  to  Miss  Anna  Gelhouse,  a 
native  of  Cumberland  county,  Virginia,  born  in 
1858.  Her  father,  Benedict  Gelhouse,  began  busi- 
ness as  a  farmer  and  shoemaker,  and  at  a  later 
period  of  his  life  was  one  of  the  directors  of  a  bank 
at  Riverside,  Iowa.  He  died  in  April,  1904,  aged 
seventy-eight  years.  After  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stegman  established  their  residence  on  a  farm,  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


45' 


location  of  which  presented  few  attractions  in  the 
way  of  neighbors — Indians  and  wild  animals  ex- 
cepted. Packing  provisions  from  The  Dalles  on 
horses,  herding  stock  from  the  door-yard,  and 
guarding  the  sheep  against  the  inroads  of  wild  ani- 
mals and  equally  ruthless  Indians  were  trials  that 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stegman  were  subjected  to  during  the 
first  years  of  their  married  life.  Children  that  have 
been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steg- 
man are  Meta,  now  eighteen  years  of  age;  Henry 
D.,  fourteen ;  Mamie,  eleven,  and  Bertha,  aged  two. 
Charles,  the  eldest  of  the  children,  was  killed  in  a 
runaway  three  years  ago.  Mr.  Stegman  has  a 
brother,  John,  now  residing  west  of  The  Dalles. 
Fraternally,  our  subject  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the  W.  of  W.,  and 
in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  In  religion  he  adheres 
to  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  active  politicians  of  Klickitat  county,  office- 
seekers  excepted,  having  served  as  a  central  com- 
mitteeman for  years,  and  also  as  a  delegate.  His 
record  in  this  county  is  that  of  an  industrious,  law- 
abiding  citizen  always  ready  to  contend  for  the  best 
interests  of  his  community. 


ROBERT  D.  SUNDERLAND  is  a  prosperous 
ranchman,  residing  six  miles  northwest  of  Golden- 
dale.  He  was  born  near  Williamsport,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  8,  1874,  the  son  of  Benjamin  and 
Mary  (Green)  Sunderland,  who  were  among  the 
more  recent  settlers  in  Klickitat  county.  Benjamin 
Sunderland  was  born  in  1819  and  was  of  English 
parentage.  His  grandsires  were  Quakers  and  suf- 
fered many  of  the  trials  incident  to  the  persecution 
of  that  sect.  At  the  time  of  the  Civil  war  he  was 
•one  of  the  first  to  volunteer  his  services  in  defense 
of  the  Union,  but  was  prevented  from  enlisting  on 
grounds  of  disability.  He  came  to  Klickitat  county 
in  1891,  where  he  resided  till  the  time  of  his  death 
in  1897.  Mary  (Green)  Sunderland  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  of  English  descent.  She  died 
in  1889  at  the  age  of  fifty-three. 

The  Sunderland  family  settled  near  Atchison, 
Kansas,  when  Robert  D.  was  a  child  of  five  years. 
Here  he  grew  up  on  the  farm  and  received  his  ed- 
ucation, first  completing  the  studies  offered  in  the 
common  schools,  and  later  taking  a  course  in  Law- 
rence business  college  of  Lawrence,  Kansas.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen  the  responsibility  of  managing 
his  father's  farm  devolved  upon  him,  and  in  addi- 
tion he  personally  cared  for  his  father,  who  was  in 
poor  health.  In  1891,  the  elder  Sunderland's  health 
had  improved  sufficiently  to  enable  him  to  accom- 
pany Robert  to  Klickitat  county,  where  each  filed  on 
a  homestead,  afterward  farming  the  land  thus  ac- 
quired in  partnership.  The  two  worked  in  this 
manner,  devoting  their  efforts  exclusively  to  the 
raising  of  stock,  till  the  death  of  the  elder  Sunder- 
land in  1897.  Then  the  management  of  the  entire  es- 
tate devolved  upon  Robert  D.  Our  subject's  brothers 


and  sisters  are  James  A.,  William  H.,  Josiah,  Dan- 
iel, Hannah  L.,  Elizabeth,  Jessie  A.,  and  Maggie. 
Robert  was  the  ninth  and  youngest  of  this  family. 

Mr.  Sunderland  was  married  in  Klickitat  county, 
November  17,  1896,  to  Miss  Hattie  E.  Johnson,  a 
native  of  Klickitat  county,  born  August  24,  1878. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  David  A.  and  Anna 
(Konkle)  Johnson,  who  were  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  Pacific  Northwest.  When  a  young 
man  the  former  came  to  Willamette  valley,  Oregon, 
and  early  in  the  seventies  he  arrived  in  Klickitat 
county,  where  he  is  living  to-day.  Anna  (Konkle) 
Johnson  died  in  1892.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Robert  Sunderland  one  child,  Anna  Genevieve, 
has  been  born.  She  is  now  four  years  of  age,  the 
date  of  her  birth  being  August  7,  1900.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Sunderland  associates  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  At 
present  he  is  road  supervisor  of  one-fourth  of  Coun- 
ty District  No.  3,  and  is  executing  the  duties  of 
his  office  with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to 
the  public.  His  land  interests  comprise  four  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  raises  wheat 
principally,  but  not  to  the  entire  exclusion  of  stock. 


THEODORE  JACKEL  is  a  comfortably  sit- 
uated farmer  and  stockman  residing  three  and 
one-fourth  miles  south  of  Centerville.  He  was 
born  in  Manitowoc  county,  Wisconsin,  June  5, 
1852,  the  son  of  Conrad  and  Margaret  (Fox) 
Jackel,  both  natives  of  Germany.  Conrad  Jackel 
was  born  in  1818.  Upon  leaving  the  land  of  his 
nativity  he  came  first  to  Canada,  where  he  re~ 
sided  till  after  he  reached  manhood.  From  Can- 
ada he  moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  there  for  sev- 
eral years  followed  the  dual  occupation  of  farm- 
ing and  lumbering.  In  1874  he  moved  to  Swift 
county,  Minnesota,  thence  coming  to  Klickitat 
county  in  1889,  where  he  resided  till  the  time  of 
his  death.  Margaret  (Fox)  Jackel  was  born  in 
Germany  in  1812,  and  died  in  Klickitat  county. 
Theodore  Jackel  grew  to  the  age  of  nineteen  in 
Wisconsin  and  received  a  practical  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  that  state.  After  reach- 
ing maturity  he  was  employed  in  a  sawmill  in 
Wisconsin  for  five  years.  Then  he  went  to  Min- 
nesota, and  after  living  in  that  state  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  came  to  Klickitat  county,  arriving 
in  October,  1876.  Here  he  was  first  employed 
in  a  sawmill  owned  by  Presbv  &  Schurtz,  and 
at  this  and  other  lines  of  work  in  the  timber  was 
engaged  for  four  years.  Then  he  filed  on  his 
present  farm  and  began  his  career  as  an  agricul- 
turist. 

Mr.  Jackel  was  married  in  Klickitat  county, 
September  27,  1883,  to  Miss  Mary  F.  Niemela, 
a  native  of  Norway,  born  December  14,  1865. 
She  came  with  her  parents  to  the  United  States 
in  1876,  the  objective  point  being  Klickitat 
county.     John  A.  and  Elizabeth   (Pietela)   Nie- 


452 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


mela,  her  parents,  both  natives  of  Finland,  are 
at  present  residing  in  Klickitat  county.  Chil- 
dren born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jackel 
are  Lillie,  Nettie,  August,  Edward,  Arvilla  and 
Conrad.  The  last  mentioned  child  was  named 
in  honor  of  Conrad  B.,  a  brother  of  Mr.  Jackel. 
Besides  this  brother,  Mr.  Jackel  has  three  sis- 
ters, Carrie,  Mary  and  Minnie.  All  are  now  liv- 
ing, one  in  California,  one  in  The  Dalles,  and 
one  in  Seattle,  Washington. 

Mr.  Jackel  is  one  of  the  old  settlers  of  Klick- 
itat county,  and  has  experienced  all  the  trials 
incident  to  the  settlement  of  an  undeveloped 
country.  Farming  had  scarcely  begun  in  his  lo- 
cality when  he  settled,  and  the  consensus  of  opinion 
was  that  Klickitat  county  would  be  a  failure 
from  an  agricultural  point  of  view.  The  attitude 
of  the  Indians  toward  the  white  usurpers  was 
then  not  entirely  quiescent,  and  the  pioneers 
more  than  once  had  reason  to  be  thankful  for  the 
military  protection  available  at  Fort  Simcoe. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Jackel  is  affiliated  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Grange.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Evangelical  Association,  and 
is  strong  in  his  religious  convictions.  In  politics  he 
favors  the  Republican  party,  and  is  generally  present 
at  the  county  conventions.  For  manv  years  he 
has  been  intimately  associated  with  school  affairs 
of  his  district,  having  served  a  number  of  terms 
as  director,  and  at  present  being  both  clerk  and 
director.  His  land  holdings  comprise  four  hun- 
dred acres,  one  hundred  and  fifty  of  which  are 
under  cultivation.  It  is  one  of  a  large  number 
ol  highly  improved  farms  in  Klickitat  county. 


CHARLES  F.  JAEKEL  is  a  jovial  bachelor 
residing  on  a  farm  three  and  one-half  miles 
southeast  of  Centerville,  Washington.  He  is  a 
native  of  Manitowoc  county,  Wisconsin,  born 
August  26,  1869,  the  son  of  John  and  Christina 
(Lindemann)  Jaekel,  the  former  a  native  of  Man- 
itowoc county,  Wisconsin,  and  the  latter  of  Ger- 
many. Both  are  now  residing  in  Klickitat 
county.  Their  biographies  are  given  complete 
elsewhere  in  this  volume.  When  Charles  F.  was 
seven  years  old  he  came  from  Wisconsin  with 
his  parents  to  the  Willamette  valley,  Oregon. 
After  a  stay  of  two  years  in  this  place  the  family 
came  to  Klickitat  county,  arriving  in  1878.  Here 
the  elder  Jaekel  immediately  took  up  land,  and 
this  property  has  since  then  been  his  home.  Dur- 
ing boyhood  Charles  worked  on  his  father's  farm, 
rode  the  range  after  cattle  and  horses,  and  re- 
ceived his  educational  training:  in  the  common 
schools.  He  survived  the  Indian  panic  of  1878 
without  being  tomahawked,  though  the  stand  he 
and  his  parents  took  on  that  occasion  seemed  to 
invite  such  a  fate.  The  father  was  absent  from 
home  working  in  the  timber  at  the  time,  and 
the    mother    and    children    remained    at    home. 


From  good  luck,  or  a  then  unapparent  lack  of 
real  danger,  they  were  not  molested.  When  he 
had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  Mr.  Jaekel 
left  the  paternal  roof  and  filed  on  a  homestead. 
By  purchase  he  has  since  then  added  to  this 
original  tract,  until  he  now  owns  four  hundred 
and  eighty  acres  of  land.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Jae- 
kel is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and 
in  politics  with  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
the  patriotism  of  the  true  Westerner — that  which 
holds  the  Pacific  coast  to  be  the  best  place  on 
earth  for  the  man  of  small  means  who  wishes 
to  build  a  home  of  his  own.  The  eldest  of  a 
large  family  of  children  is,  as  a  rule,  expected 
to  be  somewhat  more  sagacious  than  his  younger 
brothers  and  sisters,  this  superiority  not  proceed- 
ing from  any  particular  reason,  perhaps,  other 
than  that  the  eldest  usually  assists  in  bringing 
up  and  caring  for  the  younger  children,  and 
hence  in  this  manner  unconsciously  absorbs  a 
certain  amount  of  the  parental  wisdom.  Mr.  Jae- 
kel is  the  eldest  of  a  family  of  nine  children. 
Whether  or  not  his  good  judgment  was  acquired 
in  part  through  his  experience  in  assisting  in  the 
rearing  of  this  family,  it  is  assured  that  in  his 
judgment  of  the  possibilities  of  the  west  he  is 
not  greatly  in  error.  He  believes  that  the  man 
who  will  rustle  can  be  successful  in  the  west  to 
a  greater  extent  than  anywhere  else  in  the  United 
States.  The  brothers  and  sisters  above  referred 
to  are:  Frank,  John,  Ida,  Emil,  James,  Albert, 
Mrs.  Minnie  McQueen,  and  George,  now  de- 
ceased. All,  excepting  the  deceased,  grew  up 
and  were  educated  in  Klickitat  county,  and  are 
now  engaged  at  divers  occupations  in  the  west. 
The  Jaekel  family  is  thoroughly  imbued  with 
western  business  methods  and  the  broad,  free* 
spirit  of  the  west. 


EMERY  E.  KELLEY  is  a  prosperous  ranch- 
man residing  one  and  a  half  miles  southeast  of 
Centerville.  He  was  born  near  Sandusky,  Ohio, 
June  15,  1874,  the  son  of  William  and  Sarah  (Van 
Osdell)  Kelley,  who  were  among  the  pioneers 
of  the  middle  west.  William  Kelley  was  a  me- 
chanic by  trade.  He  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1829,  and  when  a  young 
man  went  to  Smith  county,  Kansas,  that  section 
being  then  in  the  earliest  stages  of  settlement. 
He  is  living  in  Oklahoma  at  the  present  time. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  was  in  active  service, 
participating  in  a  number  of  the  greatest  battles. 
He  is  of  Irish  descent.  Sarah  (Van  Osdell)  Kel- 
ley is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Wyandotte 
county  in  1836.  Her  parents  were  among  the 
earliest  pioneers  of  Ohio,  having  come  to  that 
state  before  wagon  roads  were  built  and  when 
pack-horses  were  the  most  generally  used  means 
of  transportation.  She  is  living  today  at  the 
age  of  sixty-eight.    Her  parents  were  German. 


GEORGE   \V.    McCREDV. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


453 


Emery  E.  went  to  Smith  county,  Kansas, 
with  his  parents  when  a  boy.  Here  he  grew  to 
young  manhood  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he 
worked  very  hard  at  the  tasks  incident  to  home- 
building  in  a  pioneer  country,  as  Kansas  was 
at  that  time.  School  facilities  in  those  days  were 
limited,  but  by  studying  at  home  and  taking  ad- 
vantage of  such  opportunities  as  were  offered  by 
the  common  schools,  Emery  acquired  a  practical 
education  by  the  time  he  had  reached  his  ma- 
jority. When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  left  the 
parental  roof.  For  a  time  he  worked  for  wages, 
but  soon  became  dissatisfied  with  his  prospects 
in  Kansas  and  went  to  Oklahoma.  Oklahoma 
he  found  not  altogether  to  his  liking,  so  he  re- 
turned to  Galena,  Kansas,  where  for  two  years 
he  worked  in  the  lead  mines.  His  final  move 
was  to  Klickitat  county,  where  he  arrived  De- 
cember 31,  1896.  Since  the  choicest  of  the  gov- 
ernment land  had  been  taken  up  before  this  date 
Mr.  Kelley  preferred  buying  a  farm  to  taking 
what  was  left  of  the  government  locations.  The 
farm  which  he  bought  has  been  his  home  since 
the  time  of  his  arrival  in  this  county. 

Mr.  Kelley  was  married  January  14,  1899,  to 
Miss  Emily  M.  Eshelman,  a  native  of  Klickitat 
county,  born  November  5,  1882.  Her  parents 
were  Levi  J.  and  Rosa  (Tobin)  Eshelman,  who 
are  written  of  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Two 
children,  Nellie  M.  and  Clarence  D.,  have  been 
born  to  this  marriage.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Kelley 
is  associated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World, 
and  in  politics  with  the  Democratic  party.  His 
principal  property  interests  are  comprised  in  his 
fine  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  and 
the  stock,  buildings  and  implements  that  arc 
upon  it. 


URIAH  B.  TRUMBO,  a  Klickitat  county  farm- 
er and  sheep  man,  residing  on  his  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres,  six  miles  south  and  twelve 
east  of  Goldendale,  was  born  in  North  Dakota,  Feb- 
ruary 20,  1872.  His  father,  John,  likewise  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  was  born  in  Ohio,  but  moved 
thence  to  Dakota  when  that  country  was  a  ter- 
ritory and  settled  near  the  present  city  of  Ver- 
million, the  county  seat  of  Clay  county,  South 
Dakota.  He  resided  there  until  1878,  at  which 
time  he  removed  to  Oregon  and  settled  some 
twenty  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Portland,  where 
he  died  in  1891.  Our  subject's  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Ruth  Brady,  was  married  in 
Dakota.  Uriah  B.  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  part  of  the  Willamette 
valley,  Oregon.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-two,  then  followed 
farming  on  his  own  account  for  a  twelvemonth. 
In  '894  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  where  for 
about  five  years  he  worked  for  various  sheep 
men.     He  started   in  the  sheep  industry  on  his 


own  account  in  1899,  purchasing  his  present 
place  the  following  year.  He  is  rapidly  reducing 
his  land  to  a  state  of  cultivation,  combining  agri- 
culture with  the  raising  of  sheep,  of  which  he  has 
a  herd  ox  tnree  hundred. 

On  February  13,  1899,  in  his  home  county 
he  married  Rosa,  daughter  of  James  and  Flor- 
ence (Speer)  White.  Her  father,  a  farmer  and 
stockman,  crossed  the  Plains  at  an  early  date 
and  settled  in  Washington  county,  Oregon,  but 
at  present  iives  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Trumbo.  Mrs. 
Trumbo's  mother,  a  native  of  Missouri,  died  at 
the  age  of  forty-five.  Her  people  were  early 
pioneers  in  the  present  city  of  Portland,  Oregon. 
Mrs.  Trumbo  was  born  in  Klickitat  county  in 
1874  and  received  her  education  in  the  local  pub- 
lic schools.  She  and  Mr.  Trumbo  have  one  child, 
Clifford  U.,  born  August  25,  1903.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Trumbo  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. He  belongs  to  the  Christian  church.  A 
young  man  of  good  habits,  integrity  of  character 
and  ability,  he  seems  destined  to  achieve  a  splen- 
did success  in  the  dual  occupation  he  has  es- 
poused. 


GEORGE  W.  McCREDY,  owner  of  the 
south  part  of  the  townsite  of  Bickleton,  Klickitat 
county,  Washington,  and  president  of  the  Bank 
of  Bickleton,  is  engaged  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness, the  firm  name  being  Clanton,  Mitty  &  Com- 
pany. He  was  born  about  five  miles  south  of 
McMinnville,  Oregon,  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
February  22,  1854.  William  A.  McCredy,  his 
father,  now  a  retired  stockman,  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  born  in  1830.  He  moved  to  Missouri  and 
in  1853  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  team,  and  set- 
tled in  the  Willamette  valley,  where  he  lived 
until  the  fall  of  1880.  He  then  removed  to  Klick- 
itat county,  settling  at  the  Coil  landing  on  the 
Columbia  river,  where  for  nine  years  he  made 
his  home,  then  removing  to  Cleveland,  Wash- 
in  ?ton,  his  present  place  of  abode.  His  mother, 
Elizabeth  (Beaman)  McCredy,  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri, and  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  husband 
in  1853.  She  passed  away  on  the  6th  of  August, 
1894.  George  W.  McCredy  grew  to  manhood 
in  the  Willamette  valley,  acquiring  his  education 
in  the  Oregon  schools.  He  remained  at  home 
until  about  twenty-four  years  old,  attending  to 
the  stock  and  performing  the  various  duties  con- 
nected with  the  farm.  He  came  to  the  Bickleton 
country  in  1878,  before  there  was  any  settlement 
there,  only  three  ranches  in  the  locality — the 
Huntington,  the  Holbrook  and  the  Imbrie 
farms — being  located  and  fenced  in.  Goldendale 
was  but  a  small  trading  point,  and  the  whole 
bunrh-grass  country  was  thinly  populated.  When 
he  came  to  the  locality,  he  brought  a  band  of 
sheep  with   him.     At  that  time  there  were  no 


454 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


fences  to  interfere  with  his  bringing  them  into 
the  country.  He  did  not  take  any  land  at  first, 
but  grazed  his  sheep  on  the  open  prairie,  which 
then,  in  his  opinion,  furnished  the  best  stock 
range  at  the  time  east  of  the  Cascades.  In  1890 
he  took  a  homestead  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  the  present  town  of  Bickleton.  However,  he 
continued  in  the  sheep  business  until  the  fall  of 
1900,  then  sold  his  10,000  sheep  to  his  brothers, 
John  and  Leland,  who  still  own  the  large  band. 
He  had  bought  an  interest  in  the  mercantile  es- 
tablishment at  Bickleton  the  year  previous,  and 
since  that  time  has  given  his  undivided  atten- 
tion to  the  upbuilding  of  his  business.  The  coun- 
try thereabouts  is  greatly  improving  at  the  pres- 
ent time  and  hundreds  of  land  locations  have 
been  recently  filed. 

Mr.  McCredy  was  married  in  1885,  the  lady 
being  Emma,  daughter  of  L.  I.  Coleman.  Her 
father  came  west  to  California  during  the  first 
gold  excitement  in  1849,  crossing  the  Plains  with 
ox  teams.  He  removed  to  Klickitat  county  in 
1880,  where  he  has  since  followed  ranching  and 
cattle  raising  principally.  Her  mother,  Fannie 
(Epperley)  Coleman,  is  also  living.  A  biograph- 
ical sketch  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coleman  appears 
elsewhere  in  these  pages.  Two  of  Mr.  McCredy's 
brothers,  John  T.  and  Leland  W.,  are  residents 
of  Bickleton ;  another  brother,  Alexander  E., 
lives  at  Wapato.  Yakima  county,  and  a  married 
sister,  Mrs.  Pauline  Varner,  resides  at  McMinn- 
ville,  Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCredy  have  one 
child,  Clarence  R.,  sixteen  years  old,  who  lives 
at  home  with  his  parents.  Mr.  McCredy  is  a 
member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  in  politics  a 
Republican,  having  severed  his  connection  with 
the  Democratic  party  after  Cleveland's  term  as 
president.  In  the  early  eighties  he  was  a  candi- 
date on  the  Democratic  ticket  for  representative. 
His  Bickleton  property  consists  of  about  two 
hundred  acres  in  and  adjoining  the  town.  Mr. 
McCredy  has  the  distinction  of  having  been  the 
first  sheep  man  to  venture  into  the  Little  Klick- 
itat meadows,  where  he  went  with  his  herd  in 
1885,  packing  his  provisions  from  Goldendale  the 
first  year  and  later  from  Yakima  City  and  Tam- 
pico.  He  was  also  the  first  man  to  take  sheep 
into  the  Ellensburg  mountains,  where  he  went 
in  1887.  Mr.  McCredy  is  a  big-hearted  man,  gen- 
erous to  a  fault,  and  esteemed  by  the  large  num- 
bers of  people  who  know  him  either  socially  or 
through  having  had  commercial  relations  with 
him. 


ABRAM  J.  SPOON,  chairman  of  the  board 
of  county  commissioners  of  Klickitat  county,  re- 
siding at  Bickleton,  was  born  in  Niagara  county, 
New  York,  near  the  city  of  Lockport,  October 
15,  1835.  His  father,  Abraham,  a  stone  mason 
and    farmer,    was    a    native     of    Pennsylvania, 


whence  he  moved  to  New  York.  He  died  in  the 
year  1873.  His  parents  belonged  to  two  of  the 
oldest  Pennsylvania  families  and  traced  their  lin- 
eage back  to  German  ancestors.  Martha  (Er- 
nest) Spoon,  his  mother,  a  daughter  of  German 
parents,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  on  the  12th 
of  January,  i!i04,  and  died  on  the  7th  of  March, 
1887.  She  moved  to  Rock  county,  Wisconsin, 
with  her  husband  in  1845,  and  there  lived  until 
i860.  Abram  J.  Spoon,  of  this  review,  worked 
on  the  farm  as  a  boy  and  as  a  young  man,  at- 
tending betimes  the  common  schools  of  Wis- 
consin, where  for  three  years  he  later  followed 
the  profession  of  teaching.  He  also  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade.  In  1865  he  moved  to  Plumas 
county,  California,  and  engaged  in  the  stock  rais- 
ing and  dairy  business,  also  farming,  which  oc- 
cupations were  his  for  a  number  of  years.  In 
1880  he  sold  his  California  ranch  and  went  over- 
land to  Klickitat  county,  his  family  following 
him  by  boat  after  an  interval  of  a  few  months. 
Almost  as  soon  as  he  arrived  he  bought  an  in- 
terest in  a  claim  which  he  still  owns,  and  en- 
gaged in  cattle  raising  and  the  horse  business. 
At  that  time  it  was  the  general  impression  that 
the  uplands  could  not  be  cultivated,  but  he  suc- 
cessfully raised  wheat,  oats,  barley  and  grain 
hay.  His  land  was  situated  two  miles  and  a 
half  northwest  of  Bickleton,  where  at  that  time 
a  postoffice  was  started,  and  also  a  small  store 
owned  by  C.  N.  Bickle.  The  best  grain  ranches 
of  the  present  are  located  where  it  was  then 
thought  that  rye  could  not  be  raised.  He  later 
devoted  more  attention  to  farming  than  to  stock, 
putting  out  several  varieties  of  fruit  trees,  in- 
cluding pears,  apples  and  prunes,  which  all  did 
well. 

On  the  14th  of  December,  1869,  in  California, 
Mr.  Spoon  married  Josephine  Alexander.  Her 
father,  Charles,  v/as  born  in  Illinois,  March  20, 
1820,  and  married  when  twenty-two,  celebrating 
his  golden  wedding  in  1892.  He  was  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  and  related  to  the  Rev.  John  Alex- 
ander, of  Lanarkshire,  Scotland,  who  emigrated 
to  this  country  from  Ireland  in  1736.  He  settled 
in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  wrote 
a  history  of  the  familv  which  was  later  pub- 
lished. Charles'  uncle.  Cyrus  Alexander,  settled 
in  California  in  1832.  Mrs.  Spoon's  mother, 
Achsah  (Smith)  Alexander,  was  born  in  New 
York  in  1818,  and  died  in  1894.  Mrs., Spoon  was 
born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  January  23,  1850. 
She  and  Mr.  Spoon  are  parents  of  three  children 
— Ernest  O.,  deputy  auditor  at  Goldendale;  Mrs. 
Alice  Mabel  Flower,  living  in  Bickleton ;  Roy 
M.,  bookkeeper  in  McCredy's  store  in  Bickleton. 
Mr.  Spoon  has  a  number  of  brothers  and  sisters, 
all  living  in  Wisconsin,  namely.  Mrs.  Anna 
Strang,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Strang  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Jeffris,  Samuel,  Solomon,  George,  Conrad  and 
John  F.     Mrs.  Spoon  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


455 


odist  church.  Mr.  Spoon  is  a  Republican  to  the 
backbone,  and  very  active  in  all  political  mat- 
ters of  local  concern.  He  was  first  elected 
county  commissioner  in  1886  and  held  the  posi- 
tion for  three  terms  of  two  years  each,  and  in 
1901  he  was  re-elected  for  a  four  years'  term. 
During  his  first  term  of  office  the  town  of  Gold- 
endale  was  almost  wiped  out  by  fire  and  a  por- 
tion of  the  town  records  impaired  and  partly 
destroyed,  together  with  the  courthouse,  and 
Mr.  Spoon  was  one  of  those  who  made  the  ap- 
propriation for  the  new  courthouse.  To  his  op- 
position to  the  liquor  business  and  the  fact  that 
the  other  members  of  the  board  uphold  him  in 
this  regard  is  attributable  the  scarcity  of  saloons 
in  Klickitat  county.  It  has  no  saloons  outside 
of  the  county  seat,  saloons  being  permitted  in 
neither  Cleveland  nor  Bickleton.  Mr.  Spoon 
owns  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  in 
one  tract  and  six  town  lots  with  a  good  residence. 
His  fellow  citizens  speak  highly  of  his  integrity 
and  honor,  and  he  is  popular  with  all  classes. 


WILLIAM  T.  MITTY,  postmaster  and  one 
of  the  most  influential  citizens  of  the  town  of 
Bickleton,  is  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm 
of  Clanton,  Mitty  &  Company.  He  is  a  native 
of  California,  born  in  Sonoma  county,  September 
2,  1866.  His  father,  Nicholas  Mitty,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Ireland,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
left  home  in  1852,  crossed  the  ocean  and  came 
around  the  Horn  to  California,  in  which  state 
he  remained  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  During 
this  time  he  took  up  mining.  In  1862  he  removed 
to  Oregon,  and  located  near  the  John  Day  river, 
where  he  mined  for  some  time.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Sonoma  county,  and  this  time  followed 
farming  for  a  number  of  years,  finally  coming  to 
Klickitat  county  in  June,  1883.  He  took  up  land 
near  Bickleton,  but  some  years  later  removed  to 
the  Willamette  valley,  Oregon,  where  he  and 
his  wife  now  reside.  The  maiden  name  of  the 
latter  was  Emma  J.  Middleton,  and  she  was  born 
in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  1848.  With  her  mother 
and  two  brothers  she  crossed  the  Plains  in  1853 
to  Sacramento,  California,  where  she  met  Mr. 
Mitty.  Their  marriage  was  solemnized  at  Santa 
Rosa,  California.  The  subject  of  this  article  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  California.  He 
has  been  engaged  in  the  sheep  business  the  bet- 
ter part  of  the  time  since  completing  his  educa- 
tion. Coming  to  Klickitat  county  with  his  par- 
ents when  seventeen  years  old,  he  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  for  two  years  thereafter,  then 
for  a  period  of  twelve  years  was  in  the  employ 
of  George  McCredy,  a  large  sheep  owner  of  this 
district.  After  leaving  his  service  he  went  to 
the  Okanogan  country,  but,  soon  returning,  be- 
gan operating  a  hay  baler  here.  In  1900  he  or- 
ganized the  mercantile  firm   in  which  he  is  at 


present  a  partner.  Some  time  after  the  organi- 
zation of  the  firm  R.  E.  Clanton  disposed  of  his 
interests  to  the  McCredys,  but  the  firm  still  re- 
tains its  original  name.  A  large  volume  of  busi- 
ness is  annually  transacted.  The  firm  carries  a 
stock  of  goods  valued  at  $15,000,  and  expects  to 
increase  its  stock  at  a  rapid  rate  as  the  excellent 
country  surrounding  the  town  develops. 

On  June  20,  1902,  in  Klickitat  county,  Mr. 
Mitty  married  Ella  B.  Baker,  a  native  of  New 
Jersey,  whose  parents,  John  and  Mary  Baker,  still 
live  near  Cleveland,  Washington,  to  which  local- 
ity they  first  came  in  the  late  seventies.  Mr. 
Baker  has  followed  farming  since  his  arrival. 
Edward,  George  and  Mary  E.,  brothers  and  sis- 
ter of  Mr.  Mitty,  live  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
George  being  a  bookkeeper  at  Salem,  Oregon. 
Another  brother,  Walter  C.,  now  makes  his  home 
at  Wenatchee,  Washington.  Two  children  have 
been  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mitty — 
Mildred  Grace,  born  March  20,  1903,  and  Jesse 
William,  born  May  21,  1904.  Mr.  Mitty  attends 
the  Presbyterian  church  and  belongs  to  Excel- 
sior Lodge  No.  in,  I.  O.  O.  F.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics,  but  not  a  partisan.  He  is  held 
in  high  esteem  by  all  as  an  upright,  conscien- 
tious man  and  a  substantial,  thrifty  citizen. 


JOHN  T.  McCREDY,  a  stockman,  residing 
at  Bickleton,  in  Klickitat  county,  Washington, 
owns,  with  his  brother,  Leland,  a  band  of  twelve 
thousand  sheep,  which  he  grazes  on  his  own  prop- 
erty, consisting  of  ten  thousand  acres  of  Klickitat 
county  land.  He  is  a  native  Oregonian,  born  in 
the  year  1863  in  the  fertile  Willamette  valley. 
His  father,  William  A.  McCredy,  now  living  at 
Cleveland,  Washington,  also  a  stockman,  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  1830.  When  twenty-three  years  of 
age,  he  crossed  the  Plains,  settling  in  Yamhill 
county,  Oregon,  where  he  took  up  a  donation 
claim  and  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  raising 
sheep  principally.  Some  years  later  he  removed 
to  Washington,  locating  opposite  the  mouth  of 
Willow  creek,  on  the  Columbia  river,  and  there 
too  engaging  in  stock  raising.  His  mother,  Eliza- 
beth (Beaman)  McCredy,  was  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, born  in  1833.  She  crossed  the  Plains  with 
her  husband  in  1853.  Mrs.  McCredy  is  now  dead, 
having  passed  away  in  the  month  of  August,  1894. 
Mr.  McCredy,  of  this  article,  spent  the  first  seven- 
teen years  of  his  life  in  Oregon,  attending  the 
McMinnville  Baptist  College  for  two  years.  On 
coming  to  Washington  he  engaged  in  stock  rais- 
ing. He  was  with  his  brother  George  at  first, 
but  later  went  into  the  same  business  for  himself. 
In  1891,  he,  with  his  brother,  Alex.  E.  McCredy, 
leased  a  band  of  sheep,  soon  after  purchasing  an- 
other band,  and  for  the  ensuing  seven  years  they 
continued  in  partnership.  This  relation  was  dis- 
solved in  1898,  Alex,  going  to  Yakima  county  and 


456 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


John  remaining  in  Klickitat.  Two  years  later  the 
latter  formed  a  partnership  with  his  brother 
Leland,  which  is  still  in  continuance.  Besides 
sheep,  they  also  handle  some  horses,  though  they 
have  now  disposed  of  the  greater  part  of  the  band. 
Mr.  McCredy  was  married  in  1896  to-  Eliza 
Flower,  a  native  of  Illinois.  She  came  to  Klicki- 
tat county  in  1884  and  previous  to  her  marriage, 
kept  house  for  her  brothers,  Samuel  and  Charles. 
Her  father,  Cornelius  Flower,  was  also  a  native  of 
Illinois  and  died  in  Bickleton,  January  7,  1904,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-nine.  Her  mother,  Edith  (Col- 
lier) Flower,  was  brought  up  in  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois, and  now  resides  in  Bickleton.  There  have 
been  three  children  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McCredy,  namely,  Harold,  Rosamond,  and 
Noble.  Mr.  McCredy  has  a  number  of  brothers 
and  one  sister.  Mrs.  Pauline  Varner,  the  sister, 
resides  at  McMinnville,  Oregon,  and  Leland  and 
George  live  in  Bickleton.  The  other  brother, 
Alex.  E.,  is  at  present  living  at  Wapato,  Yakima 
county.  Fraternally,  Mr.  McCredy  is  a  member 
of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he 
attends  all  caucuses  and  conventions.  Besides  his 
interest  in  the  ten  thousand  acres  above  referred 
to,  six  hundred  of  which  the  brothers  cultivate 
to  provide  hay  and  feed  for  their  stock,  Mr.  Mc- 
Credy is  the  owner  of  an  interest  in  a  mercantile 
firm  in  Bickleton,  also,  in  company  with  Dr. 
Brockman,  of  forty  acres  of  the  townsite,  and  he 
has  one  of  the  best  residences  in  Bickleton.  He 
is  quite  enthusiastic  over  the  surrounding  coun- 
try and  its  adaptability  for  the  raising  of  stock, 
grain,  fruit,  etc.,  having  great  faith  in  its  future. 
An  estimable  man  in  every  respect,  he  enjoys  the 
confidence,  respect  and  good  will  of  a  large  circle 
of  associates  and  acquaintances  in  central  Wash- 
ington. 


RICHARD  BUCKLEY,  a  farmer  and  stock- 
man of  Klickitat  county,  lives  two  miles  north  and 
nearly  a  mile  west  of  the  town  of  Bickleton.  He 
is  a  native  of  the  Quaker  state,  born  in  Philadel- 
phia, September  16,  1862.  His  father,  Reuben  N. 
Buckley,  is  a  wholesale  cabinet  maker  and  finisher 
of  interiors,  employing  one  hundred  and  twenty 
men  in  his  factory,  which  is  located  at  Philadel- 
phia. He  was  born  in  Manchester,  England  in 
1829,  and  came  to  this  country  when  eleven  years 
old.  His  wife,  Emily  J.  (Flickinger)  Buckley,  a 
native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  comes 
of  good  old  German  stock,  though  her  ancestors 
settled  in  this  country  as  early  as  1680.  She  is 
still  living.  Richard  Buckley  attained  the  age  of 
seventeen  in  Philadelphia,  receiving  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  that  city.  He  came  west 
in  1879  to  San  Francisco  and  after  a  short  stay 
there  took  the  boat  to  Portland,  Oregon,  from 
which  he  soon  removed  to  Benton  county  in  the 
same  state.     He  was  in  Spokane,  Washington,  in 


1879,  but  the  town  was  then  a  mere  hamlet  and 
not  liking  the  looks  of  things  there,  he  returned 
to  Oregon.  In  November,  1884,  he  came  to  Klick- 
itat county  and  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business, 
taking  a  Mr.  Flickinger  into  partnership,  the  firm 
name  being  r-licKinger  &  Buckley,  ihis  business 
continued  until  1892,  when  the  mill  was  burned  to 
tne  ground  and  another  firm  was  organized,  of 
whicn  the  name  was  Warren,  Flickinger  &  Buck- 
ley. They  built  a  new  mill  and  continued  in  busi- 
ness until  1898,  at  which  time  Mr.  Buckley  dis- 
posed of  his  interests  and  bought  seven  hundred 
and  sixty-five  acres  in  the  Bickleton  country, 
wnere  he  has  since  lived,  engaged  in  farming  and 
raising  stock. 

Mr.  Buckley  was  married  in  Klickitat  county, 
in  1891,  to  Fannie  Shattuck,  a  native  of  Lake 
county,  California.  Her  father,  Dickson  P.  Shat- 
tuck, is  the  son  of  an  eminent  California  jurist, 
one  of  the  first  judges  in  the  state.  Dickson  P. 
grew  up  in  California,  but  in  1880  moved  to  Klick- 
itat county  and  engaged  in  the  sheep  business. 
rle  still  resides  there,  as  does  also  Mrs.  Buckley's 
mother,  Nancy  (Bones)  Shattuck,  a  native  of 
Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Buckley  have  one  child, 
Edwin  Morris,  a  boy  of  twelve,  and  they  also  had 
a  gin,  riazel,  who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  and 
was  buried  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  cemetery  at  Bickle- 
ton. Mr.  Buckley  has  one  brother  and  one  sister, 
the  former,  Reuben  N.,  residing  in  Philadelphia, 
and  the  latter,  Laura  Jane,  named  after  Dr.  Jaynes, 
of  proprietary  medicine  fame,  also  a  resident  ot 
that  city.  A  prominent  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  Mr.  Buckley  has 
passed  through  the  chairs  of  both  orders.  He  is 
the  present  keeper  of  records  and  seals  in  the  K. 
of  P.  lodge,  which  he  represented  in  the  grand 
lodge  at  Spokane,  in  May,  1902.  In  politics,  he 
is  a  Democrat.  His  extensive  farm,  which  is  all 
in  a  body,  is  well  fenced.  As  it  lies  along  the  reser- 
vation, he  is  able  to  use  that  for  outside  pastur- 
age, and  encouraged  by  the  excellent  opportuni- 
ties thus  offered,  he  is  turning  his  attention  to  cattle 
raising.  The  improvements  already  made  upon 
his  place  include  a  substantial  residence,  a  fine 
barn,  just  completed,  and  a  good  orchard  of  apple, 
plum  and  pear  trees.  Being  a  man  of  energy  and 
ambition,  he  is  rapidly  adding  to  the  value  and 
convenience  of  his  already  valuable  home.  His 
neighbors  admire  his  business  ability  and  thrift, 
and  they  esteem  him  no  less  for  his  sterling  quali- 
ties as  a  man  and  citizen. 


DICKSON  P.  SHATTUCK,  a  prosperous 
farmer  and  stockman  of  Klickitat  county,  lives  on 
his  hundred  and  twenty  acre  farm,  three  miles 
north  of  the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  was  born  in 
North  Carolina,  on  the  2nd  of  November,  1829, 
the  son  of  David  O.  and  Elizabeth  (Sanders) 
Shattuck.     His  father,  a  lawyer  by  profession,  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


born  in  Connecticut  in  1800,  to  which  state  his 
parents  came  from  England.  He  embarked  on  a 
steamer  for  California  in  1850,  landing  at  San 
Francisco,  after  a  voyage  of  ordinary  length,  and 
ior  many  years  practiced  law  in  that  city.  He  was 
elected  superior  judge  for  two  terms,  and  was  a 
noted  man  generally.  His  wife,  Elizabeth,  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  died  in  1898,  her  husband  hav- 
ing passed  away  six  years  previously. 

Dickson  P.  Shattuck  came  to  California  with 
his  father  and  two  brothers  in  1850,  and  settled 
thirty  miles  north  of  San  Francisco,  in  Sonoma 
county.  Three  years  later  he  went  east,  and 
brought  his  mother  west  with  him,  coming  by 
way  of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  In  the  fall  of  1850 
he,  with  his  father  and  brothers,  bought  land  and 
worked  it  jointly,  though  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  his  father  and  brother,  F.  W.  Shattuck, 
were  in  San  Francisco,  their  time  taken  up  with 
their  law  practice.  This  method  of  life  was  fol- 
lowed until  1864,  when  Dickson  went  to  Mexico 
for  a  stay  of  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
period,  he  returned  to  Sonoma  county  and  disposed 
of  his  interests  in  the  farm.  The  next  twelve  years 
were  spent  in  Lake  county,  California,  whence,  in 
the  fall  of  1879,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  where 
he  took  up  land  south  of  the  present  town  of 
Bickleton.  The  country  was  then  very  wild  and 
unsettled.  He  devoted  eight  years  to  farming  and 
sheep  raising,  running  the  wool-bearers  in  the 
Rattlesnake  country  in  Yakima  county.  He  dis- 
posed of  his  stock  in  1887  and  since  that  time 
has  devoted  himself  to  agriculture  chiefly.  His 
land  is  all  well  improved  and  he  has  a  good 
orchard.  He  also  owns  a  number  of  head  of 
horses  on  the  range. 

In  California,  in  the  year  1857,  Mr.  Shattuck 
married  Nancy  Bones,  a  native  of  Missouri,  born 
in- 1840.  Her  father  was  also  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri and  died  in  that  state,  but  her  mother,  Ann 
(Patton)  Bones,  came  across  the  Plains  with  her 
children  in  the  early  forties  to  California.  Mr. 
Shattuck  has  a  number  of  brothers  now  living, 
and  also  three  sisters,  but  his  brothers,  Frank  W., 
David  O.,  John  S.  and  Nicholas,  have  died  within 
the  last  ten  years.  A  s'ster,  Mrs.  Mary  McLaugh- 
lin, still  resides  in  Sonoma  county,  California, 
while  his  sisters,  Jane  and  Elizabeth,  also  live  in 
that  state.  One  brother,  James  W.,  makes  his 
home  in  Louisiana,  and  one,  Robert  Perry  Shat- 
tuck, lives  in  California.  Mr.  Shattuck  has  seven 
children  :  Mrs.  Gertrude  Bickner,  residing  at  Seat- 
tle; Edward  Lee,  living  in  Bickleton;  Lewis  H.,  in 
the  Glade,  near  Bickleton;  Hardy  S.,  proprietor 
of  a  butcher  shop  two  miles  east  of  the  town; 
Mrs.  Fannie  Buckley  and  Mrs.  Florena  Coleman, 
also  residents  of  Bickleton,  and  Dickson  P..  Jr., 
who  lives  at  Blue  Light  postoffice.  In  politics, 
Mr.  Shattuck  is  a  Democrat  in  the  full  sense  of 
the  word.  He  is  hale  and  full  of  energy  and  vital- 
ity, notwithstanding   the    burden    of   his    seventy- 


five  summers,  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  neigh- 
bors and  thoroughly  respected  by  all. 


JOHN  CALVIN  COLEMAN,  an  enterpris- 
ing stock  raiser  and  farmer  of  Klickitat  county, 
resides  about  three  miles  south  and  two  east  of 
the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  was  born  in  Sonoma 
county,  California,  May  22,  1869,  the  son  of  Ly- 
cander  I.  and  Frances  (Epperly)  Coleman,  of 
whom  due  mention  is  made  in  another  place. 
When  eleven  years  old,  he  came  to  Klickitat  coun- 
ty with  his  father  and  mother,  and  here  he  almost 
grew  up  in  the  saddle,  riding  the  range  after  cat- 
tle and  horses,  or  giving  himself  to  the  more 
hazardous  work  of  breaking  in  broncos.  He  ac- 
quired a  common  school  education,  however. 
Upon  reaching  his  majority  he  started  to  work  for 
himself.  Buying  some  railroad  land  in  company 
with  his  brother  Joe,  he  began  keeping  sheep  on 
the  tract,  leasing  a  band  at  first,  but  later  purchas- 
ing some.  About  1899  the  brothers  sold  their 
sheep  and  started  in  the  cattle  business.  He  owns 
a  section  and  a  half  of  land  in  a  body  and  now 
has  about  one  hundred  and  fifty-five  head  of  cat- 
tle, having  recently  traded  away  sixty  head.  He 
is  breeding  Hereford  and  Durham  cattle  and  Per- 
cheron  horses,  being  the  owner  of  a  fine,  imported 
Percheron  stallion.  He  and  his  brother  also  raise 
wheat  and  wheat  hay  on  their  land.  They  have 
the  largest  and  best  steam  threshing  outfit  in  the 
county. 

Mr.  Coleman  was  married  in  1896  to  Lavell 
Kays,  a  native  of  Oregon,  daughter  of  William  R. 
and  Olive  (Price)  Kays.  Her  father  is  now  a 
sheep  owner  at  Prosser,  Washington,  but  her 
mother  died  in  1888.  Elton  Kays,  a  brother  of 
Mrs.  Coleman,  lives  with  her  father  at  Prosser, 
and  is  engaged  with  him  in  the  sheep  business. 
Mr.  Coleman  has  one  sister  and  three  brothers, 
namely,  Mrs.  Sarah  Emma  McCredy,  living  in 
Bickleton;  Joseph  F.,  still  his  partner;  William 
Thomas  and  Hiram  I.,  also  residents  of  Bickleton. 
He  and  Mrs.  Coleman  are  parents  of  two  children, 
Leo  C,  born  February  19,  1898,  and  Emma,  Sep- 
tember 17th  of  the  following  year.  Mr.  Coleman 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  and  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  Mrs.  Coleman  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  A  successful  man  in  his 
various  lines  of  endeavor  and  a  man  of  ability, 
progressiveness  and  good  principles,  he  has  won 
for  himself  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  and  respect 
of  his  fellow  citizens. 


STEPHEN  MATSEN,  director  and  vice-pres- 
ident of  the  Bank  of  Bickleton.  and  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  in  Klickitat  county,  where  he  owns 
an  improved  one  thousand  and  eighty  acre  farm 
three  and  three-quarters  miles  east  of  the  town  of 
Bickleton,  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  March  2, 


458 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1853.  His  father,  Matt  Jensen,  who  was  a  farmer 
near  Varde,  Denmark,  died  in  the  year  1868,  at 
the  age  of  fifty-six.  His  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Ida  Petersen  and  she  was  also  a  Dane.  She 
died  in  the  year  1859,  at  the  age  of  forty-two 
years.  Stephen  Matsen,  of  this  article,  attained 
the  age  of  nineteen  in  his  native  country,  and  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  schools  of  that  land,  at 
the  same  time  putting  in  his  spare  time  with  his 
father  on  the  home  place.  He  came  first  to  this 
country  in  the  year  1872,  and  settled  in  the  state 
of  New  Jersey,  whence  at  a  later  date  he  moved  to 
Chicago,  going  from  that  city  to  Wisconsin.  In 
the  fall  of  1874  he  went  westward  to  California, 
locating  at  Truckee,  and  for  the  ensuing  four  years 
he  was  engaged  there  in  the  ice  business.  He  then 
returned  to  Denmark  for  a  six  months'  trip. 
Upon  his  return  to  the  United  States,  he  once 
more  settled  in  California.  In  the  fall  of  1878  he 
first  came  to  Klickitat  county,  and  took  up  the 
homestead  on  which  he  still  resides,  making  a  trip 
the  same  winter  to  Oregon,  but  coming  back  to 
his  property  the  succeeding  spring.  At  the  time 
of  his  arrival  in  the  county  of  Klickitat,  the  only 
settlers  there  were  Robert  Graham,  John  D.  Gra- 
ham, George  W.  McCredy,  M.  J.  Embree,  L.  G. 
Bailey,  Ben  D.  Butler,  and  a  Mr.  Holbrook,  there 
being  no  town  of  Bickleton,  which  was  founded 
the  next  fall  by  C.  N.  Bickle  and  Lee  Weaver, 
who  opened  a  small  store  en  the  present  town- 
site.  The  Indian  scare  in  that  locality  was  at  its 
height  a  short  time  previous  to  his  advent  into 
the  country,  and  the  stockmen  at  that  time  were 
putting  forth  their  best  efforts  to  discourage  set- 
tlement of  the  district,  in  order  that  they  might 
continue  to  range  their  cattle  over  the  entire 
country  undisturbed  by  settlers  and  their  inevita- 
ble fences.  From  a  small  start  in  the  beginning,' 
Mr.  Matsen  gradually  raised  more  and  more  stock 
and  grain  each  year,  and  a  full  measure  of  success 
has  crowned  his  efforts.  His  land  will  permit  him 
to  keep  less  than  a  hundred  head  of  stock  and  he 
has  cattle  and  horses  up  to  the  limit,  or  nearly  so. 
He  is  now  making  a  success  with  shorthorn  cattle 
and  has  some  fine  horses  of  Percheron  blood.  His 
land  is  all  fenced  and  mostly  in  cultivation,  and  he 
has  a  modern  dwelling,  ample  barns,  a  fruitful 
orchard,  etc. 

Mr.  Matsen  married  Mrs.  Mary  (Gundersen) 
Brown,  in  Klickitat  county,  January  15,  1887,  this 
lady  being  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  on  the  3rd 
of  March,  1855.  She  came  to  America  when  twen- 
ty-nine years  old.  Her  father,  whose  name  was 
Gunde  Gundesen,  died  in  the  year  1885,  and  her 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Maren  Sorensen, 
is  also  deceased.  Mr.  Matsen  has  one  brother, 
Peter,  living  in  Klickitat  county,  and  one  sister, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Hensen,  residing  at  present  in  Den- 
mark, Stephen  being  the  youngest  of  the  family. 
To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Matsen  four  children 
have  been  born,  named  in  order  of  their  birth,  as 


follows :  Ida  M.,  Mary  G.,  Annie  J.  and  John  P., 
while  Mrs.  Matsen,  by  her  first  marriage,  has  one 
child,  Nels  J.  Brown.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Matsen  is 
connected  with  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  in  religion 
he  is  a  Methodist.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
though  he  has  never  been  ambitious  for  prefer- 
ment, accepting  no  office  except  that  of  school 
director.  Mr.  Matsen  is  one  of  the  substantial 
and  highly  esteemed  men  of  his  locality,  successful 
in  business  and  a  forceful  factor  in  the  promotion 
of  the  general  progress 


THOMAS  H.  HOOKER,  a  Klickitat  county 
farmer  and  stock  raiser,  lives  on  his  four  hundred 
acre  ranch  two  miles  east  of  Bickleton.  He  was 
born  in  Wayne  county,  Georgia,  November  8, 
1864,  and  named  for  his  father,  who  was  engaged 
in  the  lumber  business  and  manufacture  of  tur- 
pentine. The  elder  Hooker's  people  came  orig- 
inally from  North  Carolina  to  Georgia,  and  in  the 
Civil  war,  he  sided  with  the  South,  serving  in  the 
Confederate  army.  He  died  in  Georgia  in  the 
year  1884.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Delaina 
Elizabeth  (Harris)  Hooker,  who  was  likewise  a 
Georgian,  died  in  1882.  Thomas  H.,  of  this  re- 
view, was  one  of  a  large  family  of  children.  He 
remained  in  his  native  town  until  seventeen,  dur- 
ing this  period  attending  the  public  schools.  Be- 
ing of  a  studious  disposition,  he  continued  to  study 
by  himself  after  leaving  the  class  room,  notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  as  he  was  the  oldest  boy, 
much  of  the  work  about  the  family  home  devolved 
upon  him.  At  the  time  of  his  father's  demise, 
Mr.  Hooker  was  living  in  Klickitat  county  with 
his  sister,  Sarah,  and  the  old  gentleman  was  mak- 
ing arrangements  to  join  them  when  death  over- 
took him.  Owing  to  this  unfortunate  occurrence, 
it  devolved  upon  our  subject  to  take  care  of  the 
younger  members  of  the  family  and  he  proved 
equal  to  the  emergency,  bringing  them  all  west, 
except  one  brother.  At  this  time  he  was  work- 
ing for  various  sheep  men  in  the  locality,  one  of 
his  employers  being  Frank  Lyons,  one  of  the  larg- 
est sheep  owners  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

About  a  year  after,  his  father  died,  Mr.  Hooker 
married  Ada  Johnson,  a  native  of  Iowa.  Her 
father,  A.  C.  Johnson,  was  an  early  settler  at 
Cleveland,  Washington,  to  which  town  he  came  in 
1883.  but  he  returned  east  later  and  now  lives  in 
Iowa.  Mr.  Hooker  had  a  hard  tussle  of  it  with  his 
own  family,  and  his  brothers  and  sisters  to  look 
after  also,  but  he  took  good  care  of  them  all.  In 
1800  he  purchased  a  part  of  his  present  place  and 
three  years  later  the  property  on  which  he  now, 
resides.  He  raised  some  hay  for  his  horses  and 
cattle,  of  which  he  has  always  kept  a  number,  and 
finally  went  into  stock  raising  on  an  extensive 
scale.  He  is  now  breeding  Percheron  horses,  and 
thoroughbred  Poland-China  hogs,  some  of  which 
he  has  had  shipped   in   from   California.     He  has 


STEPHEN   MATSEN. 


THOMAS    H.    HOOKER 


JAMES   E.   STORY. 


l.YS.WDEK   COLEMAN. 


MRS    LVSANDKR    COLEMAN. 


ALCANA    MILLER. 


HAS.    E.    ELOWER. 


RALPH    COSL.NS 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


459 


two  brothers,  Edward  and  Lee,  who  reside  at  Dot 
postoffice,  and  a  brother,  Henry,  living  at  Tampa, 
Florida.  Charles,  another  brother,  lives  at  Bickle- 
ton,  and  William  and  Joseph  J.,  reside  at  Cleve- 
land. A  married  sister,  Mrs.  Julia  Strickland,  is 
living  at  Gardi,  Georgia,  and  his  sister,  Sarah, 
now  Mrs.  McCredy,  makes  her  home  at  Cleveland. 
Mr.  Hooker  has  two  children,  Thomas  H.  and  Ed- 
ward H.,  both  at  home.  Fraternally,  he  is  con- 
nected with  the  Bickleton  lodge  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias,  and  with  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  while  in 
politics,  he  is  a  Democrat.  At  present  he  is  one 
of  the  members  of  the  school  board  of  district  No. 
28.  He  has  about  three  hundred  acres  in  cultiva- 
tion, raising  wheat,  oats,  barley,  potatoes  and  fruit. 
He  is  well  spoken  of  by  his  fellow  citizens  as  an 
enterprising,  industrious  and  worthy  man. 


JAMES  E.  STORY,  a  farmer  and  stockman 
of  Klickitat  county,  residing  about  two  miles 
north  of  the  town  of  Bickleton,  was  born  in  Dutch- 
ess county,  New  York,  April  5,  1855.  His  father, 
James  E.  Story,  who  was  of  English  and  Scotch 
descent,  was  also  born  in  the  same  state,  Decem- 
ber 18,  1823.  The  family  is  one  of  the  oldest  in 
New  York  state,  going  back  to  Joseph  Story,  the 
eminent  jurist,  who  also  had  the  distinction  of 
being  a  participant  in  the  "Boston  Tea  Party" 
affair.  William  Story,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
took  part  in  the  War  of  1812,  distinguishing  him- 
self for  his  valor,  and  his  wife  afterward  drew  a 
pension  as  a  recognition  of  his  bravery.  She  lived 
to  be  ninety-seven  years  old.  The  maternal  grand- 
father of  our  subject's  father,  William  Ellsworth, 
was  an  officer  of  the  Revolutionary  war  under 
General  Van  Rensselaer,  and  in  compensation  for 
his  losses,  caused  by  the  war,  was  given  a  grant 
of  land.  Jedediah  Ellsworth,  our  subject's  great- 
grandfather, on  his  mother's  side,  was  also  an 
officer  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  won  distinc- 
tion in  that  conflict.  The  singular  fact  that  both 
these  distinguished  progenitors  of  the  Mr.  Story 
of  this  sketch  had  the  same  surname  is  explained 
when  we  state  that  his  grandfather  and  grand- 
mother were  second  cousins  and  both  named  Ells- 
worth. James  E.  Story,  Sr.,  came  to  the  Bickle- 
ton country  in  1881  and  died  there  in  1900.  His 
wife,  Electa  L.  (Ellsworth)  Story,  the  mother  of 
our  subject,  was  born  in  Ulster  county,  New  York, 
January  15,  1831,  and  also  died  in  1900,  three 
months  before  her  husband's  demise.  Her  par- 
ents were  of  old  English  and  Holland  Dutch  de- 
scent. The  family  settled  in  New  York  when  it 
was  still  known  as  the  New  Netherlands,  and  held 
a  large  grant  of  land  there.  They  were  involved 
in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  somehow  lost  their 
land,  although  they  were  patriots  and  fought  for 
independence. 

The  man  whose  life  history  forms  the  theme 
of  this  article  remained  on  the  farm  during  boy- 


hood and  worked  with  his  father,  attending  school 
during  term  time  until  fourteen,  when,  his  father's 
health  being  poor,  he  was  compelled  to  leave 
school  and  take  charge  of  the  family  affairs,  a  task 
he  nobly  performed,  keeping  his  parents  with  him 
until  their  death.  His  father  took  land  upon  com- 
ing to  the  Bickleton  country,  and  he  also  filed  on 
a  homestead  at  Mabton,  Yakima  county,  in  1891, 
upon  which  he  has  since  made  final  proof  and 
which,  he  still  retains.  He  devoted  himself  chiefly 
to  farming  it  until  about  ten  years  ago,  when  he 
engaged  in  the  stock  business,  also. 

Mr.  Story  was  married  at  Bickleton,  October 
3,  1888,  to  Rosamond  Flower,  a  native  of  Ed- 
wards countv,  Illinois,  born  November  3,  1861. 
Her  father,  Camillus  Flower,  was  born  in  Edwards 
county,  the  date  being  October  5,  1825.  He  was 
of  English  descent.  He  died  on  the  4th  of  Janu- 
ary, 1904.  after  having  given  his  life  mostly  to 
tilling  the  soil  His  father,  George  F.  Flower, 
came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day  and  there  found- 
ed the  town  of  Albion,  locating  an  English  colony 
at  that  point — an  event  of  note  in  history.  Mrs. 
Story's  mother,  Edith  (Prichard)  Flower,  was  also 
born  in  Edwards  county,  Illinois,  her  parents  hav- 
ing come  there  from  England  at  the  time  her 
husband  formed  the  colony  at  Albion.  She  still 
lives,  a  resident  of  Bickleton,  though  her  seventy- 
fourth  birthday  occurred  on  the  28th  of  February, 
1904.  Mrs.  Story  has  eight  brothers  and  sisters 
now  living,  namely,  Samuel  P..  of  Mabton,  Wash- 
ington; George  F..  Philip  H.,  of  Illinois;  Charles 
E.,  Edward  F.,  Mrs.  J.  T.  McCredy,  of  Bickleton, 
Washington ;  Mrs.  J.  H.  Bristow,  and  Harold  D., 
M.  D.,  of  Portland,  Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Story 
have  two  children,  Charles  F.,  born  September  6, 
1891.  and  Frederick  C,  born  April  6,  1894.  Mr. 
Storv's  Brother.  William  J.,  is  a  publisher  and 
editor  of  the  Klickitat  County  Agriculturist,  a 
Goldendale  newspaper.  Fraternally,  our  subject  is 
connected  with  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Story  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  Interested  always  in 
educational  matters,  he  is  now  serving  as  director 
of  his  district ;  he  possesses  an  especially  fine 
library.  His  property  besides  his  Bickleton  land, 
where  he  has  a  well  appointed  house  and  barn, 
embraces  a  quarter  section  at  Mabton.  An  up- 
right, honorable,  energetic  man  of  sterling  integ- 
rity of  character,  he  is  certainly  reflecting  no  dis- 
credit   upon    his    distinguished    ancestors. 


LYSANDER  COLEMAN,  a  respected  citizen 
of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his  farm  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  about  four  miles  south- 
east of  the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of 
Indiana,  born  in  Rushville,  in  the  year  1838.  His 
father,  Ambrose  Coleman,  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
was  born  in  the  Blue  Grass  state,  March  4,  1783. 


460 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


He  came  of  sturdy  English  stock.  He  served 
under  General  Harrison  in  the  War  of  1812,  and 
on  account  of  such  service  drew  a  pension  until 
his  death.  Crossing  the  Plains  to  California  in 
1849,  tne  vear  °f  ^e  first  gold  excitement,  he 
mined  some  on  Feather  river,  but  moved  to 
Sonoma  county  in  the  same  state  two  years  later, 
where  he  followed  farming  and  stock  raising  as  a 
business.  He  died  in  that  county  on  the  23rd  of 
February,  1867.  Throughout  his  entire  life,  his 
loyalty  to  the  Democratic  party  never  wavered. 
His  wife,  Sarah  (lies)  Coleman,  was  a  native  of 
Maryland,  but  she,  too,  could  trace  her  ancestry 
back  to  England.  However,  her  grandfather, 
Samuel,  served  eight  years  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  under  General  Washington,  and,  strange  to 
say,  escaped  without  a  wound.  Married  in  Ken- 
tucky, she  shared  with  her  husband  the  danger 
and  tedium  of  the  journey  across  the  Plains,  and  at 
Ellensburg,  Washington,  her  death  occurred  in 
December,  1884,  she  being  over  ninety  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  her  demise.  She  was  the 
mother  of  seven  sons,  one  of  whom  was  named 
William  Madison,  also  of  a  girl  named  Ellen  and 
one  named  Elizabeth,  who  afterward  married  into 
the  McCauley  family,  and  Hester,  who  was  later 
the  wife  of  Joseph  Wright,  sheriff  of  Sonoma 
county,  California,  and  two  infants,  who  died  while 
young.  Lysander  Coleman  is  the  youngest  of 
the  family.  He  grew  up  in  Sonoma  county,  there 
attending  the  common  schools,  and  following 
farming.  At  the  age  of  twenty-five,  he  married. 
He  was  with  his  father  in  business  until  the  demise 
of  the  latter  in  1867,  then  undertook  the  super- 
vision of  his  affairs.  Moving  to  Klickitat  county, 
in  1880,  he  first  secured  a  section  of  railroad  land 
there,  but  later  took  up  and  made  final  proof  on 
a  homestead,  which  he  now  owns.  The  country 
was  wild  when  he  came,  and  there  was  a  good  deal 
of  enmity  between  the  cattle  men  and  settlers, 
which  sometimes  led  to  trouble,  but  fortunately 
he  got  along  peaceably  with  the  cattle  owners. 
His  farm  is  now  well  improved,  with  a  modern, 
seven-room  dwelling,  two  large  barns,  a  good 
orchard,  good  fences,  etc.  He  is  deeply  interested 
in  the  breeding  of  good  horses,  giving  special 
attention  to  Percherons. 

Mr.  Coleman  was  married  on  the  first  day  of 
the  year  1864,  in  Sonoma  county,  California,  to 
Frances  S.  Epperly,  a  native  of  Randolph  county, 
Missouri,  born  on  the  3rd  of  October,  1847.  She 
came  west  the  year  previous  to  her  marriage.  Her 
father,  Thomas  S.  Epperly,  was  a  Kentuckian, 
born  in  1813,  but  when  a  small  boy,  he  had  re- 
moved to  Missouri,  and  there  married.  He  lived 
in  Missouri  until  1862,  leaving  home,  however, 
in  the  year  1851  for  a  short  trip  to  California. 
He  was  of  German  descent.  His  death  occurred 
August  6.  1896.  Mrs.  Coleman's  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Elizabeth  Lingo.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cole- 
man have  five  children,  namely,  Sarah  Emma,  now 


Mrs.  George  W.  McCredy,  residing  in  Bickle- 
ton;  William  Thomas,  John  Calvin,  Hiram  I.  and 
Joseph  F.,  all  residents  of  Klickitat  county.  Mr.. 
Coleman  is  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church  of 
Bickleton,  and  president  of  its  board  of  trustees, 
and  Mrs.  Coleman  also  adheres  to  that  church. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Coleman  is  a  Democrat,  but  he 
does  not  take  an  active  interest  in  political  mat- 
ters. He  is  a  genial,  approachable  gentleman,  of 
sterling  character,  and  thoroughly  respected  by  all. 


ALCANA  MILLER,  one  of  the  earliest  set- 
tlers in  the  country  surrounding  Bickleton,  is  the 
owner  of  a  farm  about  a  mile  north  of  the  town, 
where  he  has  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer 
and  stockman  for  a  number  of  years,  though  he 
is  too  old  to  do  much  work  at  the  present  time. 
He  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  Gibson  county, 
September  10,  1828.  His  father,  Peter  Snider 
Miller,  who  was  of  the  old  Dutch  stock,  was  born 
in  Amsterdam,  New  York,  in  the  year  1795,  and 
took  part  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  was  an  early 
pioneer  of  Gibson  county,  Indiana,  having  moved 
there  when  about  all  the  living  things  in  the  coun- 
try were  Indians  and  wild  game.  He  died  at  the 
age  of  sixty-three.  His  wife,  Rachel  (Snider) 
Miller,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  also 
brought  up  in  Amsterdam,  New  York.  She  died 
in  1837.  The  Mr.  Miller  of  this  review  grew  to 
manhood  on  his  father's  farm  in  Indiana  and  got 
his  education  in  the  pioneer  log  school  house  in 
his  settlement.  When  twenty  years  old,  he  start- 
ed to  make  his  own  living,  at  the  same  time  cour- 
ageously undertaking  to  gain  a  livelihood  for 
another  person,  Eliza  Kuntz,  a  native  of  Indiana, 
born  in  June,  1830,  whom  he  induced  to  become 
his  life  partner.  When  the  Civil  war  broke  out, 
Mr.  Miller  quickly  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Sixty- 
third  Indiana  volunteers,  and  he  served  efficient- 
ly under  General  McClellan  and  also  under  Gen- 
eral Pope,  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  After 
his  discharge,  he  settled  in  Indiana  for  four  years., 
going  thence  to  Kansas  and  locating  in  Green- 
wood county,  where  he  followed  farming  and 
stock  raising  for  the  ensuing  seven  years.  He 
then  sold  his  land  and  stock,  removed  to  Wash- 
ington and  on  February  13,  1878,  settled  near 
what  is  now  the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  took  up 
his  present  property  at  that  time,  as  a  homestead. 
There  were  only  five  families  of  settlers  in  the 
vicinity  when  he  came,  which  was  just  prior  to 
the  Indian  outbreak  and  scare  and  the  Perkins 
massacre.  Everybody  was  leaving  for  Goldendale 
and  The  Dalles  at  the  time,  but  Mr.  Miller  bravely 
continued  while  others  were  fleeing.  The  settlers 
got  out  timber  for  a  stockade  to  be  erected  near 
the  present  location  of  the  Bickleton  school  hpuse, 
but  the  scare  dying  down,  the  stockade  was  never 
built.  About  this  time,  Bob  Burton,  brother  of 
the  Mrs.  Perkins  who  was  killed  by  Indians,  went 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


on  the  warpath  by  himself  in  quest  of  the  murder- 
ous redskins,  and  succeeded  in  capturing  one 
of  the  culprits  just  across  the  Columbia,  after  first 
severely  wounding  him.  He  brought  him  into 
Bickleton  trussed  on  the  back  of  a  horse,  and 
later  took  him  to  Yakima  City  for  trial. 

At  the  time  of  Mr.  Miller's  arrival  here,  there 
was  considerable  enmity  between  the  cattle  men 
and  the  settlers.  Prior  to  the  advent  of  settlers, 
the  cattle  owners  were  ranging  their  stock  undis- 
turbed, over  the  entire  country,  and  they  were 
extremely  arrogant  in  their  dealings  with  the  in- 
coming settlers,  who,  by  putting  up  fences,  kept 
them  from  ranging  over  a  large  part  of  the  land. 
Mr.  Allen,  of  the  firm  of  Snipes  &  Allen,  called  on 
Mr.  Miller  one  clay  soon  after  his  arrival,  and 
asked  him  what  he  expected  to  do  for  a  livelihood. 
On  being  told  that  he  was  going  to  make  an 
honest  living,  the  cattle  owner  replied,  "You  will 
starve  to  death,  sure  as  h — ."  Mr.  Miller  in- 
stantly answered,  "I  will  be  here  when  your  kind 
is  driven  out."  The  prophecy  has  since  come 
true,  as  Ben  Snipes  is  now  financialy  ruined,  and 
Mr.  Allen,  in  a  later  conversation  with  Mr.  Miller, 
of  whom  he  purchased  some  grain,  reluctantly  ad- 
mitted his  surmise  to  have  turned  out  correctly. 
The  former  cattle  owner  is  now  a  druggist  in 
North  Yakima.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  four 
children,  namely :  Mrs.  Sarah  Davison,  living  at 
Castle  Rock,  Washington;  George,  living  at 
Bickleton ;  Clark,  at  Belma  postoffice,  and  Rachel, 
now  living  in  Kansas.  Mr.  Miller  is  an  avowed 
Democrat.  He  was  once  threatened  with  hanging 
for  his  views,  while  residing  in  Indiana,  in  the 
early  part  of  the  last  century.  He  is  also  a  pen- 
sioner. An  Irishman  located  a  claim  on  what  is 
now  the  town  of  Bickleton,  for  Mr.  Miller,  and 
put  up  a  notice  to  that  effect,  but  on  his  arrival 
the  latter  decided  to  take  up  his  present  land  in- 
stead and  to  let  the  original  location  go.  C.  N. 
Bickle,  the  founder  of  Bickleton,  and  LeRoy 
Weaver  wanted  to  build  the  town  on  Mr.  Miller's 
property,  but  he  would  not  entertain  this  proposi- 
tion. A  vigorous,  hale,  old  gentleman,  though  in 
his  seventy-sixth  year,  and  possessed  of  a  genial 
disposition,  Mr.  Miller  is  a  favorite  with  all  who 
meet  him,  while  those  who  knew  him  before  old 
age  compelled  him  to  retire  respect  him  for  his 
well  known  integrity  in  all  the  relations  of  life. 


CHARLES  E.  FLOWER,  a  prominent  and 
successful  stockman  of  Klickitat  county,  who 
makes  his  home  at  Bickleton,  is  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, born  in  February,  1856.  His  father,  Camil- 
lus  Flower,  was  also  born  in  Illinois,  where  he 
followed  farming  until  1S91.  He  then  came  to  the 
far  west,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  January  4, 
1904,  was  a  resident  of  Klickitat  county.  The 
mother,  Mrs.  Edith  (Prichard)  Flower,  also  a 
native  of  Illinois,  is  now  living  in  Bickleton.     Mr. 


Flower  has  several  brothers  and  sisters:  Samuel 
P.,  at  Mabton ;  Fred,  in  Grayville,  Illinois ;  Philip 
H.,  living  in  Albion,  Illinois ;  Mrs.  Eliza  McCredy, 
Mrs.  Rosamond  Story  and  Edward  F.,  all  of 
Bickleton;  and  Mrs.  Alice  Bristow  and  Harold 
H.,  residents  of  Portland.  Mr.  Flower  received 
his  school  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Al- 
bion, Illinois,  and  in  that  community  attained 
man's  estate.  However,  in-  the  spring  of  1879  he 
came  to  Washington  territory,  and  homesteaded 
a  quarter  section  lying  between  Bickleton  and 
Arlington,  living  upon  that  farm  until  1884.  At 
that  time  he  engaged  actively  in  the  stock  raising 
industry,  to  which  he  has  since  given  most  of  his 
attention.  In  this  business  he  has  been  unusually 
successful.  At  present  he  owns  a  herd  of  500 
cattle,  considerable  other  stock,  and  2,000  acres 
of  land,  farming  and  grazing.  He  also  conducts 
a  meat  market  in  Bickleton,  under  the  name  of 
Flower  &  Coleman,  Mr.  Coleman  being  his  busi- 
ness associate.  In  the  organization  of  the  Bank 
of  Bickleton  last  year  Mr.  Flower  took  an  impor- 
tant part,  and  he  is  now  serving  as  one  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  that  institution.  In  all  mat- 
ters of  public  concern  he  is  invariably  active,  be- 
ing known  as  a  public  spirited  citizen.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic,  Odd  Fellow  and  United 
Workmen  fraternities,  and  politicially  is  a  Repub- 
lican, attending  all  conventions  and  otherwise 
laboring  for  the  advancement  of  his  party.  Mr. 
Flower  has  been  closely  identified  with  the  Bickle- 
ton region  for  the  past  quarter  of  a  century,  and 
is  still  numbered  among  its  respected  and  suc- 
cessful pioneer  citizens. 


RALPH  COSENS,  an  industrious  farmer  in 
Klickitat  county,  is  the  owner  of  a  farm  of  320 
acres  of  tillable  land,  about  two  miles  east  of  the 
town  of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of  Canada,  born 
in  the  province  of  Ontario,  on  the  14th  of  March, 
1848.  His  father,  Cornelius  Cosens,  was  a  fanner 
by  occupation.  Born  in  Manchester,  England,  he 
came  thence  to  Canada  as  a  young  man,  later  moving 
to  North  Carolina,  where  he  died  in  1874,  at  the 
town  of  Greensboro,  in  Guilford  county.  He  was 
sixty-five  years  old  at  the  time  of  his  demise.  Our 
subject's  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Emily 
Turner,  was  likewise  a  native  of  England,  born  in 
Manchester  and  married  in  Canada.  She  passed 
away  years  before  her  husband  did,  after  having 
become  the  mother  of  fourteen  children,  of  whom 
Ralph  is  sixth  in  age.  Six  besides  him  are  still 
living,  namely,  Stephen,  in  Michigan;  George,  in 
California ;  Mary  Ann,  in  Canada ;  Silas,  also  living 
in  Canada,  in  British  Columbia  ;  Isaac,  in  California ; 
and  Emilv  in  British  Columbia,  with  her  brother 
Silas.  Ralph  was  eighteen  when  he  left  Canada  and 
settled  in  California,  which  state  he  reached  by  the 
Nicaragua  route.  He  lived  in  that  state  for  a  period 
of  thirteen  years,  farming  and  teaming.    In  1878  he 


462 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


removed  to  Klickitat  county,  and  took  up  some  rail- 
road land  near  Cleveland,  but  soon  afterwards  sold 
the  improvements  on  it  and  purchased  property  north 
of  the  present  town  of  Bickleton,  in  which  locality 
there  were  only  a  handful  of  settlers  when  he  arrived. 
During  the  Indian  scare  of  1878,  he  remained  on  his 
place  near  Cleveland.  He  continued  his  residence 
on  his  land  near  Bickleton  until  five  years  ago,  when 
he  bought  his  present  home.  He  devotes  his  time 
and  energies  to  wheat  raising,  principally,  though 
he  keeps  considerable  stock.  A  year  or  two  ago  he 
was  unfortunate  in  having  his  large  residence  totally 
destroyed  by  fire,  and  he  is  now  living  in  a  smaller 
home  and  preparing  to  build  again  this  spring.  He 
pays  strict  attention  to  his  farming  and  is  achieving 
the  success  which  his  industry  merits. 

On  March  18,  1883,  Mr.  Cosens  married  Mary 
A.  Martin,  a  native  of  Colorado,  born  in  1867.  Her 
father,  Samuel  Martin,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was 
born  in  Manchester,  England,  in  1841.  He  crossed 
the  ocean  to  this  country  in  the  fifties,  becoming  a 
pioneer  of  the  state  of  Colorado,  and  also  of  Klick- 
itat county,  to  which  he  moved  in  the  fall  of  1877, 
settling  near  the  present  town  of  Cleveland.  He 
now  resides  in  Wyoming.  His  wife,  Mary  (Camp- 
bell) Martin,  was  likewise  born  in  Manchester,  Eng- 
land, in  the  year  1842,  and  died  in  this  country  in 
1873,  her  daughter,  Mary,  being  the  only  child  now 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cosens  have  eight  children, 
namely,  Josephine,  George,  Samuel,  Ernest,  Ed- 
mund, Stanley,  Lester  and  Emily.  Mr.  Cosens  is  a 
member  of  the  Yeomen  and  politically  is  a  Democrat. 
His  standing  in  the  community  is  an  enviable  one, 
the  respect  and  good  will  of  all  his  neiehbors  being 
his  in  abundant  measure. 


LELAND  McCREDY,  a  stockholder  in  the 
Bank  of  Bickleton  and  engaged  in  the  sheep  business 
with  his  brother  John,  lives  on  his  twelve  sections  of 
land  located  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  town. 
He  is  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  Yamhill  county, 
June  22,  1873.  William  R.  McCredy,  his  father, 
was  born  in  Ohio  in  1831  and  emigrated  to  Missouri 
in  the  early  days.  He  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon 
in  1853,  traveling  with  ox  teams,  and  finally  set- 
tling in  the  Willamette  valley.  He  resided  there 
for  a  period  of  twenty-seven  years,  coming  to  Klick- 
itat county  in  the  year  1880.  At  present  he  is  an  in- 
fluential business  man  of  Cleveland.  The  mother  of 
our  subject,  Elizabeth  (Beaman)  McCredy,  a  native 
of  Missouri,  also  crossed  the  Plains  in  the  early  fif- 
ties. Leland  McCredy,  of  this  article,  was  seven 
years  old  when  he  came  to  Klickitat  county  with  his 
parents.  He  attended  the  local  public  schools  until 
sixteen,  then  went  to  McMinnville,  Oregon,  and  took 
a  three  years'  course  in  the  college  there.  While  in 
school  he  had  some  cattle,  horses  and  sheep  on  the 
range,  and  on  completing  his  education  he  turned  his 
attention  to  the  stock  business,  also  purchasing  some 
land.     In   1900,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his 


brother,  John,  and  they  engaged  in  the  sheep  busi- 
ness, to  which  industry  they  are  still  devoting  their 
energies.  They  have  12,000  head  of  sheep  and  2,000 
of  horses,  and  they  farm  about  400  acres  of  their 
land  to  provide  feed  for  the  stock. 

On  December  24,  1899,  Mr.  McCredy  married 
Cora  M.  Peters,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in 
1879.  Her  father,  Craig  W.  Peters,  is  also  a  native 
of  the  Keystone  state.  He  came  to  Klickitat  in 
1889,  and  engaged  in  cattle  and  sheep  raising,  but 
has  since  retired  from  active  work.  At  present  he 
lives  across  the  Columbia  river  from  Arlington, 
Oregon.  Her  mother,  Anna  (Fry)  Peters,  is  also 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCredy  have  two  children, 
Lowell  C,  born  November  29,  1900,  and  Cecil  L., 
born  May  14,  1903.  Mr.  McCredy  owns  an  interest 
in  the  mercantile  establishment  at  Bickleton.  He  is 
one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  successful  young 
men  of  Klickitat  county,  and  has  already  achieved 
a  success  in  different  lines  of  endeavor  of  which 
many  men  twice  his  age  would  be  proud.  Politically, 
he  is  a  Republican. 


JACOB  PIENDL,  a  carpenter  by  trade  and  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  resides  on  his  ranch,  two 
miles  north  and  one  mile  east  of  Bickleton.  He  is 
a  native  German,  born  in  the  province  of  Bavaria, 
July  24,  1850.  John  Piendl,  his  father,  was  a  farm- 
er by  occupation,  born  in  Germany  in  the  year  1815- 
The  elder  Piendl,  after  serving  in  the  German  army, 
as  required  by  law,  immigrated  to  this  country  in 
the  year  1853,  and  settled  in  the  state  of  Iowa,  where 
he  died  three  years  later.  His  wife,  Anna  Maria 
(Brabeck)  Piendl,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
also  of  German  nativity,  born  in  1822.  She  was 
the  mother  of  eight  children,  only  two  of  whom  are 
now  living ;  John,  the  youngest,  at  Portland,  Oregon, 
where  his  mother  died  in  1888;  and  Jacob,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review.  The  latter  grew  to  manhood  in 
Iowa,  there  attending  the  public  schools,  and  in 
soare  hours  working  on  the  farm.  His  father  had 
died  when  he  was  six  years  old.  He  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  in  Iowa,  and  followed  it  for  a  time, 
contributing  his  spare  earnings  to  the  support  of 
his  widowed  mother.  He  lived  there  until  1877, 
then  removing  to  the  Willamette  valley,  Oregon, 
where  he  devoted  a  number  of  years  to  the  pursuit 
of  his  trade.  Some  time  later  he  returned  to  Iowa, 
brought  his  mother  to  Oregon,  and  settled  with  her 
at  Castle  Rock,  on  the  banks  of  the  Columbia  river, 
just  across  from  Klickitat  county.  After  a  residence 
of  two  years  there,  he  came  to  the  Bickleton  country 
in  December,  1886,  rented  a  place  and  went  to  stock 
raising,  also  following  his  trade  a  portion  of  the 
time.  He  bought  his  present  place  in  1894,  increas- 
ing its  acreage  by  hpmesteading  adjoining  land,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  made  this  property  his  home, 
raising  stock  and  grain.  His  land  holdings  now 
aggregate  a  section,  and  among  the  many  improve- 
ments upon  them  is  a  good  orchard  of  well  selected 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


463 


fruit  trees.     He  is  also  engaged  in  the   threshing 
business  on  quite  an  extensive  scale. 

On  the  23d  of  November,  1880,  in  Salem,  Or- 
egon, Mr.  Piendl  married  Emiline  McCarty,  a  na- 
tive of  Iowa,  born  March  27,  1858.  Her  parents 
came  to  Iowa  from  the  state  of  Maryland  in  the 
early  days,  though  her  father,  James  A.  McCarty, 
was  born  in  the  Quaker  state,  the  date  being  1825. 
He  was  a  miller  by  trade  and  for  some  years  oper- 
ated a  mill  in  Village  Creek,  Iowa,  where  he  died 
in  1864.  Mrs.  Piendl's  mother,  Sarah  (Wilhelm) 
McCarty,  was  of  German  descent,  born  in  Mary- 
land in  1835.  She  died  in  1891.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Piendl  have  had  eight  children:  Mrs.  Chloe  Wall- 
ing, in  Klickitat  county;  Mrs. Pearl Wattenberg,  now 
deceased;  Mrs.  Ida  Shattuck,  in  Bickleton;  Mark, 
Belle,  Henry,  Velma  and  John,  with  their  parents 
at  home.  Mr.  Piendl  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Piendl  are  both  connected 
with  the  fraternal  organization  of  Yeomen.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  a  Democrat.  Always  interested  in  the 
securing  and  maintenance  of  good  schools,  he  has 
served  efficiently  as  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  his  district,  but  other  preferment  he  has  never 
sought.  He  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  progressive 
men  of  the  community,  and  belongs  to  the  great  class 
which  forms  the  real  strength  of  state  and  nation — 
the  men  who  quietly  and  assiduously  perform  the 
work  nearest  their  hands,  contributing  their  mites 
to  the  development  of  latent  resources. 


GOTFRED  PETERSEN,  an  enterprising  cit- 
izen of  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  and  a  farmer 
.and  stock  raiser  by  occupation,  resides  on  his  ranch 
of  four  hundred  acres  adjoining  the  townsite 
of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  on 
the  Langeland  Island,  April  5,  1844.  His  father, 
Gotfred  Petersen,  was  a  Danish  farmer,  born 
in  181 1 ;  he  died  at  the  age  of  ninety.  His  mother, 
Frederika  (Olsen)  Petersen,  was  likewise  born  in 
Denmark,  and  was  nine  months  her  hus- 
band's senior.  She  died  about  the  same  time  that 
her  husband  did.  The  twain  had  been  married  for 
a  period  of  sixty-one  years  and  had  a  family  of 
seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  living.  Got- 
fred Petersen  reached  the  age  of  twenty-five  in  his 
native  land,  remaining  at  home  until  fourteen  years 
old,  and  attending  school,  the  laws  of  his  country 
compelling  attendance  between  the  ages  of  seven 
and  fourteen.  While  quite  young,  he  learned  the 
wagon  maker's  trade  and  at  that  handicraft  he 
wrought  continuously  afterward  until  he  left  Den- 
mark. He  had  numerous  friends  in  the  United 
States  who  wrote  him  frequently,  describing  the 
advantages  of  the  new  country,  and  persuaded  by 
them,  he  crossed  over  in  1869  and  settled  in  Racine, 
Wisconsin,  a  city  famed  for  its  large  manufacturing 
plants,  the  greater  part  of  which  were  devoted  to 
wagon  making.  Unfortunately,  the  establishments 
were  temporarily  closed  at  the  time  of  his  arrival. 


so  he  engaged  in  farming  near-by,  but  he  soon  gave 
it  up  and  went  to  Minnesota,  where  for  a  time  he 
followed  his  trade.  His  next  move  was  to  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas.  From  there  he  went  to  Chicago, 
and  from  that  city  he  journeyed  to  San  Francisco, 
California,  in  1874.  There  he  readily  obtained  em- 
ployment. In  1877  he  moved  to  Portland,  Oregon, 
thence  to  Tacoma,  Washington,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1878  he  came  to  the  district  surrounding  the  pres- 
ent town  of  Bickleton.  There  were  few  settlers  in 
that  country  at  the  time,  and  no  town  was  started 
until  the  succeeding  year.  The  year  1878  will  be 
remembered  as  the  date  of  the  Indian  scare,  and 
most  of  the  settlers  around  the  site  of  the  present 
town  removed  to  Goldendale  and  The  Dalles,  and 
the  few  who  remained  gathered  together  and  hauled 
logs  to  build  a  stockade  where  the  Bickleton  school- 
house  now  stands.  The  fort  was  never  completed 
and  Mr.  Petersen  used  some  of  the  timber  to  build 
a  stable.  During  the  preceding  spring  he  had 
built  his  log  cabin,  after  having  completed  which 
he  went  to  the  coast  and  helped  to  build  a  steam- 
er. In  the  spring  of  1879  he  assisted  in  the  erec- 
tion of  the  first  sawmill  on  Pine  creek,  hauling 
the  timber  from  a  distance.  He  also  helped  to 
set  up  in  the  mill  the  engine,  which  had  been 
hauled  from  the  banks  of  the  Columbia  river, 
about  fifteen  miles  away.  The  mill  was  later 
moved  to  the  vicinity  of  Cleveland,  where  it 
burned  some  years  later.  Though  the  engine 
passed  through  the  fire,  it  still  does  duty  in  a 
flouring  mill  in  the  town.  When  Mr.  Petersen 
first  settled  in  the  district,  he  took  a  homestead 
and  a  timber  culture  claim,  also  bought  eighty 
acres  of  railroad  land.  He  was  married  in  1889 
to  Lenora  Martin  sen,  a  Danish  girl,  who  passed 
away  two  years  after  their  marriage.  Of  his 
brothers  and  sisters  still  living,  the  following 
account  may  be  given:  Oline  Johansen,  the 
oldest,  lives  with  her  husband  in  Denmark,  and 
a  brother,  Hans  Gotfredsen,  resides  at  Greenleaf, 
Kansas.  Rasmus  Gotfredsen  lives  near  Bickle- 
ton, and  another  brother,  Peter  Gotfredsen, 
makes  his  home  in  the  vicinity  of  The  Dalles, 
Oregon.  The  other  sister,  Carantine  Gotfredsen, 
is  now  keeping  house  for  him.  The  fact  that  Mr. 
Petersen's  brothers  and  sisters  have  not  the  same 
surname  as  he  is  explained  in  this  way:  When 
taking  out  his  naturalization  papers  in  this  coun- 
try, Mr.  Petersen  changed  his  name  for  the  sake 
of  convenience,  while  his  brothers  still  retain  the 
family  name,  which,  according  to  Danish  custom, 
is  formed  by  adding  "sen"  to  the  father's  given 
name.  Mr.  Petersen's  old  country  name  was 
Gotfred  Petersen  Gotfredsen.  Mr.  Petersen  is 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics 
ht  is  a  Republican.  His  land  is  mostly  under 
cultivation.  He  raised  considerable  grain  and 
has  sdme  cattle,  also  some  fine  Norman  and  Per- 
cheron  horses,  as  valuable  animals  as  can  be 
found  in  the  country.     He  had  a  hard  time  dur- 


464 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ing  the  first  few  years  of  his  residence  in  the  dis- 
trict, conditions  being  dien  unfavorable  to  settlers 
on  account  of  the  enmity  of  the  cattle  men,  and 
for  a  while  he  had  to  work  in  the  car  shops  at 
The  Dalles  to  make  both  ends  meet.  He  has 
since  done  well,  however,  and  is  making  a  suc- 
cess of  his  business  from  both  a  financial  and  an 
agricultural  view-point.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
popular  citizens  of  the  locality,  standing  high  in 
the  estimation  of  all  with  whom  he  is  associated. 


JOHN  JACOB  GANDER,  now  deceased, 
was  a  stock  raiser  and  lived  on  his  well  kept 
ranch,  about  five  miles  northeast  of  the  town 
of  Bickleton.  He  was  a  native  of  Switzerland, 
descended  from  an  ancient  family  that  fought 
for  liberty  in  their  country  among  its  cantons 
and  mountains.  He  was  born  in  Canton  de 
Berne  on  the  4th  of  April,  1854.  His  father, 
John  Jacob  Gander,  by  occupation  a  farmer,  was 
a  native  Swiss,  born  in  the  year  1819.  At  the 
age  of  seventy-eight  he  was  living  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  French  Switzerland,  where  he  died 
in  the  year  1897.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Anna  Marie  Mullener,  was  also  the  daugh- 
ter of  an  old  Swiss  family  of  means,  and  distinc- 
tion as  patriots,  and  was  born  in  the  year  1824. 
She  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven. 
John  Jacob,  of  this  review,  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  country.  He  was  of  a  stu- 
dious disposition,  bright,  quick  and  eager  to 
learn.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  April, 
1884,  being  then  a  few  days  over  thirty  years 
of  age.  He  did  not  stop  in  the  eastern  part  of 
the  country,  but  came  direct  to  Washington,  and 
settled  near  Bickleton,  where  he  bought  some 
land,  built  a  house  and  engaged  in  stock  raising. 
He  had  some  capital  when  he  came  to  this  coun- 
try, and  he  succeeded,  after  some  years  of  diffi- 
culty, in  a  financial  way.  For  the  last  few  years 
of  his  life  he  was  very  sickly,  but,  assisted  by 
his  family,  he  continued  to  farm  his  land  and 
raise  his  stock  until  his  death,  which  occurred 
April  13,  1901.  He  was  a  very  careful  farmer, 
and  one  of  the  first  successful  wheat  raisers  in 
this  locality.  He  spoke  German  and  French  flu- 
ently, and  English  quite  well. 

Mr.  Gander  was  married  two  years  before 
coming  to  the  United  States,  at  Geneva,  Swit- 
zerland, on  the  18th  of  March,  1882,  to  Leah 
Berney,  who  survives  him.  She  was  a  well- 
educated  lady  of  Swiss  parentage,  born  March 
17,  i860.  Frank  Henry  Berney,  her  father,  a 
watchmaker  by  trade,  was  born  in  Switzerland, 
December  29,  1829,  and  belongs  to  a  well-known 
French  (Huguenot)  family.  He  still  lives  in  his 
native  land,  in  the  Canton  de  Vaud,  and  still  fol- 
lows his  trade.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Zelie  Rochat,  was  also  of  Huguenot 
parentage,  and  born  in  the  Canton  de  Vaud,  in 


1833.  She  passed  away  in  1900.  Mrs.  Gander 
has  raised  a  family  of  nine  children,  all  living 
but  her  daughter  Mary,  who  was  born  March  9, 
1891,  and  died  while  a  young  child.  The  eldest 
boy,  Samuel,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  March  16, 

1883,  and  the  next  of  age,  Fred,  was  born  at 
Bickleton,  September  23,  1885.  Elizabeth  was 
born  on  the  3d  of  February,  1887,  and  Martha, 
April  16,  1888.  George  was  born  in  1889,  Sep- 
tember 30th,  and  Mary  on  the  8th  of  April,  1893. 
The  two  other  children,  Harry  and  Joseph 
James,  were  born  on  the  respective  dates  of  De- 
cember 31,  1894,  and  July  20,  1897.  Mrs.  Gander 
and  the  children  attend  the  church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. The  boys  run  the  farm,  which  consists 
of  an  entire  section  of  land.  They  had  been 
raising  cattle,  but  a  few  years  ago  sold  the  great- 
er part  of  the  band.  They  still  have,  however, 
some  good  Percheron  horses.  Last  year  they 
harvested  over  six  thousand  bushels  of  grain. 
Mrs.  Gander  has  two  brothers  living  in  the  state; 
one,  Michael  E.  Bernev,  who  came  to  this  coun- 
try before  her  husband,  resides  at  Walla  Walla, 
engaged  in  the  market  gardening  business;  the 
other,  Frank  Berney,  is  a  cattle  man  and  farmer 
at  Mabton,  and  has  been  in  this  country  since 

1884.  Her  cousin,  Ulysses  H.  Berney,  a  native  ! 
Swiss,  is  at  present  one  of  the  leading  business 
men  of  the  city  of  Walla  Walla,  Washington. 
Mrs.  Gander  is  a  woman  of  good  education, 
speaking  both  French  and  English,  as  do  also  her 
children.     While  Mr.  Gander  was  alive,  he  held 

the  respect  and  esteem  of  the  entire  community, 
and    his    fellow   citizens   greatly   regretted   his   de- 
mise, and  sympathize  with  Mrs.  Gander  in  her         , 
bereavement. 


HENRY  SCHAEFER,  owner  of  a  ranch  of 
over  eight  hundred  acres  of  fertile  Klickitat 
county  land,  situated  four  and  a  half  miles 
east  of  the  town  of  Bickleton,  was  born  in 
Saransk,  Russia,  on  April  13,  1868.  His  father, 
Jacob  Schaefer,  who  is  also  a  farmer,  was  born  in 
Russia,  to  German  parents,  in  the  year  1835.  His 
people  have  lived  in  the  domain  of  the  czar  for 
nearly  two  centuries.  He  (Jacob  Schaefer)  left 
his  native  land  in  1891,  emigrating  to  the  United 
States,  and  settling  in  the  state  of  Washington, 
near  the  town  of  Bickleton,  in  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  still  lives  on  the  land  he  bought  origi- 
nally, situated  near  the  home  of  our  subject.  His 
wife,  Elizabeth  (Kip)  Schaefer,  was  likewise 
born  in  Russia  to  German  parents,  in  the  year 
1839,  and  is  still  living.  Henry  Schaefer,  of  this 
review,  was  educated  in  a  German  school  in  Rus- 
sia, where  he  spent  his  early  youth  on  his  father's 
farm.  He  came  to  this  country  four  years  pre- 
vious to  his  father's  arrival,  and  for  four  years 
herded  sheep  for  Theodore  Stegeman,  near 
Bickleton,  where  he  had  settled.     At  the  expira- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


465 


tion  of  this  period,  he  bought  his  present  place. 
He  has  raised  considerable  stock  during  the 
years  which  have  since  elapsed,  hogs,  cattle  and 
horses,  also  has  farmed  the  land  to  some  extent. 
His  place  is  all  fenced ;  not  a  little  of  it  is  under 
cultivation,  and  arnong  the  improvements  on  it 
are  a  good  orchard  and  a  fine  barn,  56  by  90  feet, 
built  in  1892. 

On  May  16,  1891,  Mr.  Schaefer  married  Kate 
Stegeman,  the  ceremony  taking  place  in  Klicki- 
tat county.  Miss  Stegeman  was  born  in  Prussia 
in  October,  1864,  the  daughter  of  Theodore  R. 
and  Anna  (Stegman)  Stegeman.  Her  father, 
who  is  also  a  native  of  Prussia,  came  to  this 
country  in  1872,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers 
in  the  Bickleton  district  of  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  has  followed  the  sheep  business  ever 
since  his  arrival.  He  now  lives  near  Mr.  Schae- 
fer's  place.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
almost  the  same  as  her  married  name,  was  also 
a  native  of  Prussia.  She  died  in  the  year  1895. 
The  subject  of  this  article  has  two  brothers, 
Jacob  and  George,  living  in  the  state,  the  former 
at  Ritzville ;  also  a  sister,  Margaret,  living  near 
his  home.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schae- 
fer have  been  born  five  children,  Henry,  Oulis, 
Nicholas,  Ludwig  and  Benjamin,  the  last  named 
a  baby  of  a  few  months.  Both  parents  are  mem- 
bers of  the  M.  E.  church,  and  politically,  Mr. 
Schaefer  is  a  Republican.  An  industrious,  care- 
ful man,  awake  to  all  the  interests  of  his  busi- 
ness, and  at  the  same  time  possessed  of  all  the 
qualities  of  good  citizenship,  he  is  looked  upon 
as  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  worthy  men 
of  his  community. 


JOHN  M.  HENDRICK,  a  progressive  and 
well-to-do  stockman  and  farmer  of  Klickitat 
county,  resides  on  his  well  improved  ranch  four 
and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  town  of  Bickleton. 
He  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  Carroll  coun- 
ty, June  4,  1857.  His  father,  Thomas  Hendrick, 
who  is  likewise  a  farmer  by  occupation,  is  a 
native,  of  West  Virginia,  born  in  the  year  1830. 
He  crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in  the  days 
of  '49,  during  the  gold  excitement,  and  mined 
some,  then  returned  east  and  married,  coming 
west  again  in  1859  with  his  wife.  After  spend- 
ing a  year  in  the  Golden  state,  he  removed  in 
i860  to  Oregon,  where  he  resided  continuously 
for  eighteen  years.  He  came  to  the  Bickleton 
country  in  November,  1878,  becoming  one  of  the 
earliest  settlers  in  this  district,  and  he  has  fol- 
lowed farming  and  stock  raising  principally  since. 
At  present  he  resides  near  the  city  of  Golden- 
dale.  His  wife,  formerly  Miss  Mollie  Hawkins, 
was  born  in  Kentucky  in  the  year  1836,  and  be- 
longed to  a  pioneer  family  of  that  state.  Her 
father  became  a  merchant  in  Missouri,  and  she 
married  in  that  state,  coming  to  California  with 


her  husband  on  his  second  trip  across  the  Plains 
in  1859.  John  M.  Hendrick,  of  this  review,  is 
the  oldest  of  a  family  of  five  children.  He 
crossed  the  Plains  with  his  parents  when  almost 
a  baby,  and  grew  up  in  Polk  county,  Oregon, 
whither  his  parents  moved  from  California  when 
he  was  three  years  old.  His  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  common  schools  of  the  Webfoot 
state,  and  upon  completing  it,  he  worked  on  his 
father's  place  until  he  had  attained  his  majority, 
then  removed  to  Klickitat  county,  arriving  in  the 
fall  "6t  1878.  He  took  up  a  homestead  about 
three  miles  south  of  the  present  town  of  Bickle- 
ton, also  purchased  some  railroad  land,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  The  town  of  Bickleton  was 
started  in  the  spring  of  the  year  following  that 
of  his  arrival  in  the  district,  by  C.  N.  Bickle  and 
Lee  Weaver,  who  then  opened  a  small  store  on 
the  site  of  the  present  town.  Mr.  Hendrick 
proved  up  on  his  land,  and  worked  hard  to  im- 
prove it.  In  1894  he  disposed  of  it  to  good  ad- 
vantage and  bought  his  present  place,  to  the  cul- 
tivation and  improvement  of  which  he  has  since 
devoted  himself  assiduously.  His  father  lived 
near  him  for  some  years,  then  removed  to  the 
Goldendale  district  and  there  bought  property. 
Of  our  subject's  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  lie 
farms  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  raising 
various  farm  products,  besides  his  stock,  which 
consist  of  cattle,  sheep,  hogs  and  horses.  He  has 
set  out  two  orchards  of  plum,  apple,  pear,  apricot 
and  other  trees,  and  they  are  both  bearing  ex- 
cellent fruit.  At  present  he  is  starting  to  raise 
strawberries  and  also  raspberries  and  black- 
berries on  irrigated  land,  the  water  being  taken 
from  a  spring.  On  his  land  there  are  two  sub- 
stantial barns,  and  his  residence  is  supplied  with 
all  modern  conveniences. 

On  April  3,  1881,  in  Klickitat  county,  Mr. 
Hendrick  married  Olive  M.  Hopkins,  a  native  of 
Washington  county,  Oregon,  born  in  1865,  the 
daughter  of  Edmond  S.  and  Mary  S.  (Flack) 
Hopkins.  Her  father  was  an  Oregon  pioneer, 
and  also  a  pioneer  of  Klickitat  county,  where  he 
settled  in  the  early  seventies.  He  took  as  a 
homestead  land  near  the  site  of  Goldendale, 
thereby  acquiring  title  to  realty  which  was  after- 
ward laid  out  in  lots  and  denominated  the  Hop- 
kins addition  to  Goldendale.  He  died  in  1878. 
Mrs.  Hendrick's  mother  belonged  to  a  family  of 
Ohio  pioneers.  Mr.  Hendrick  has  one  brother 
and  three  sisters  living,  namely,  Budd :  Mrs. 
Susan  White,  whose  husband,  R.  D.  White,  re- 
sides near  Arlington,  Oregon;  Ellen,  now  Mrs. 
J.  H.  Sellers,  living  near  Goldendale;  and  Mrs. 
Louise  Moulds,  at  Moscow,  Idaho.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hendrick  have  six  children,  all  at  home 
with  their  parents,  namely,  Thomas  E.,  aged 
twenty-two;  Charles  H.,  three  years  younger; 
Pearl,  slightly  over  sixteen ;  John,  fourteen  years 
old ;  Emma,  aged  twelve ;  and  Laura,  who  has 


466 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


lately  passed  her  seventh  birthday.  Mr.  Hen- 
drick  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  takes  an 
active  interest  in  educational  matters,  and  is,  in- 
deed, a  public-spirited  man  in  all  other  respects. 
Upright,  conscientious  and  not  slothful  in  busi- 
ness, he  has  acquired  and  still  retains  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  a  large  circle  of  people  in 
Klickitat  county  and  its  vicinity. 


HARMON  TRENNER,  formerly  a  school 
teacher  and  now  a  Klickitat  county  farmer,  re- 
sides on  his  ranch  east  of  the  town  of  Bickleton. 
He  was  born  in  Santa  Rosa,  California,  on  the 
5th  day  of  January,  1875.  His  father,  Henry  M. 
Trenner,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  the  year  1835, 
came  west  to  California  the  first  time  in  the 
fifties,  crossing  the  Plains,  and  for  some  years  he 
mined  in  the  Golden  state,  then  returned  east. 
About  1857  he  again  came  west  and  for  some 
years  thereafter  he  followed  mining  in  various 
parts  of  the  Pacific  states.  He  went  to  the  Sal- 
mon river  country  in  Idaho,  during  the  rush  to 
that  section,  also  was  one  of  the  first  to  join  the 
rush  to  the  Montana  gold  fields.  On  his  trip  to 
the  Idaho  country,  he  passed  along  the  south 
border  of  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  where 
he  settled  in  1878,  years  after  he  had  first  seen  its 
shore.  At  present  he  lives  at  Washougal,  Wash- 
ington. His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Mat- 
tie  Helstrom,  was  born  in  Sweden,  in  the  year 
1837.  She  came  to  this  country  with  her  parents, 
who  were  also  Swedish,  in  1840  and  settled  in 
Illinois.  Her  father  served  in  the  Civil  war  and 
after  the  cessation  of  hostilities  returned  home 
to  Illinois,  where  he  later  died.  The  man  whose 
name  initiates  this  article  was  three  years  old 
when  he  came  to  Klickitat  county  with  his  par- 
ents. The  family  arrived  during  the  Indian 
scare  of  1878,  but  he  was  too  young  at  the  time 
to  remember  any  of  the  occurrences,  although 
his  parents  in  after  years  often  spoke  of  those 
exciting  times.  The  family  settled  near  Golden- 
dale,  and  young  Harmon  grew  to  manhood  in 
that  locality,  attending  the  Goldendale  schools, 
and  working  on  his  father's  farm  at  times.  Going 
later  to  Forest  Grove,  Oregon,  he  completed  his 
education  in  Pacific  University,  of  which  that 
town  is  the  seat.  After  leaving  school,  he  taught 
a  term,  but  not  finding  this  vocation  to  his  lik- 
ing, he  engaged  in  farming,  taking  his  brother 
Oliver  into  partnership.  The  two  bought  a  place 
a  mile  east  of  Bickleton,  in  which  our  subject 
recently  purchased  his  brother's  interest,  and  he 
now  continues  the  operation  of  the  ranch  by 
himself.  He  has  several  brothers  and  sisters, 
namely,  Arthur,  who  resides  with  his  father  at 
Washougal,  Washington;  Oliver,  his  former 
partner,  now  farming  near  Bickleton  ;  Mrs.  May 
R.  Hadley,  wife  of  a  Methodist  minister ;  Willis, 
an  electrician  in  the  city  of  Tacoma ;  and  Emma, 


living  with  her  father  at  Washougal.  Mr.  Tren- 
ner owns  a  homestead  six  and  a  half  miles  east 
of  Bickleton,  besides  his  three  hundred  acres  of 
land  near  the  town.  He  is  now  engaged  in  im- 
proving his  homestead  property,  sinking  a  well, 
putting  up  a  residence,  breaking  up  the  ground, 
and  otherwise  developing  it.  In  politics  he  is 
independent.  He  is  a  young  man  of  good  abili- 
ties, energetic  and  successful  in  business  and  in 
all  respects  a  worthy  citizen. 


JOHN  DUCEY,  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
in  Klickitat  county,  is  now  the  owner  of  a  well 
improved  farm  located  about  four  miles  east  of 
the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of  Cork, 
Ireland,  born  July  7,  1849.  His  father  was  also 
Irish  and  likewise  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
died  in  his  native  country  several  years  ago.  His 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Abina  Welsh, 
was  Irish,  too,  and  she  is  also  deceased.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
land,  likewise  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he 
learned  the  ins  and  outs  of  a  farmer's  life.  Be- 
fore becoming  of  age,  he  heard  of  the  many  op- 
portunities a  young  man  would  have  in  the 
United  States,  and  wishing  to  better  his  condi- 
tion, he  early  emigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  first  in  California.  For  ten  years  and 
more  he  lived  in  the  Golden  state,  engaged  in 
agricultural  pursuits,  but  in  the  year  1879,  when 
he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  he  removed  to  Klicki- 
tat county.  He  immediately  took  up  land  as  a 
homestead,  and  on  the  tract  to  which  he  thus  ob- 
tained title  he  has  since  made  his  home,  im- 
proving the  property  and  raising  both  agricul- 
tural products  and  live  stock.  This  locality  was 
wild  and  practically  unsettled  when  he  first  ar- 
rived, and  it  was  not  considered  a  good  grain 
country,  but  he  believed  it  would  become  adapt- 
able to  grain  raising  in  a  short  time,  and  his  be- 
lief has  since  turned  out  to  be  correct.  The  culti- 
vation of  the  surrounding  country  has  increased 
the  rainfall,  with  the  result  that  the  entire  dis- 
trict has  become  a  fertile  and  productive  land. 
He  had  to  start  in  the  cattle  business  in  a  small 
way  at  first,  but  he  increased  his  stock  rapidly, 
and  now  has  over  two  hundred  cattle,  also  many 
hogs  of  the  Poland-China  species.  He  takes 
pride  in  the  breeding  of  Durham  cattle  and 
sturdy  draft  horses.  His  place  is  well  improved 
and  his  outbuildings  are  ample  for  the  storage 
of  his  farm  products.  His  land  consists  of  a  sec- 
tion and  a  half,  all  in  a  body,  six  hundred  acres 
of  which  are  in  cultivation  and  employed  in 
part  in  producing  feed  for  his  stock;  he  also  has 
two  orchards  in  full  bearing.  He  is  greatly  im- 
pressed with  the  country  from  an  agricultural 
standpoint  and  has  implicit  faith  in  its  future  as 
one  of  the  most  productive  wheat  and  grain  sec- 
tions of  this  western   country.     Mr.  Ducey  was- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


467 


one  of  a  family  of  four,  of  whom  only  one,  be- 
sides himself,  is  still  alive.  Her  name  is  now 
Mrs.  Abina  Shaw.  In  religion,  Mr.  Ducey  is  a 
Catholic,  and  in  political  persuasion  a  Repub- 
lican. He  held  the  office  of  school  director  in 
his  district  and  is  greatly  interested  in  good 
schools,  and  willing  to  pay  taxes  accordingly. 
Mr.  Ducey  is  an  energetic  and  successful  farmer, 
a  good  business  man,  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
and  a  forceful  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of  his 
community  and  county. 


HANS  C.  TRANBERG,  one  of  the  many 
well-to-do  farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  Klicki- 
tat county,  owns  an  extensive  ranch  of  one  thou- 
sand three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  situated  three 
and  a  half  miles  east  and  one  mile  south  of  the 
town  of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of  Denmark, 
born  in  the  town  of  Varde,  July  7,  1846.  His 
father,  for  whom  he  was  named,  was  also  a  na- 
tive Dane,  and  likewise  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
He  was  born  in  1810,  and  died  in  his  ninetieth 
year.  Our  subject's  mother,  Ingeborg  (Knut- 
sen)  Tranberg,  was  of  Danish  parentage.  She 
died  many  years  ago.  Hans  C.  Tranberg  grew 
to  manhood  in  his  native  land,  acquiring  a  com- 
mon school  education,  and  receiving  many  valu- 
able lessons  in  the  art  of  farming.  He  later 
moved  to  the  town  of  Varde  and  engaged  in  the 
live  stock  business,  which  he  followed  for  the  en- 
suing six  years.  He  owned  considerable  land  in 
his  own  country.  Coming  to  the  United  States 
at  the  age  of  thirty-three,  he  settled  in  California 
for  a  brief  stay,  then  removed  to  Klickitat  coun- 
ty, arriving  in  October,  1879,  and  settling  on  land 
adjoining  his  present  property.  He  did  as  most 
homesteaders  do  in  a  new  country — remained 
on  his  land  part  of  the  time  only,  being  com- 
pelled to  gain  a  livelihood  by  following  various 
pursuits  at  intervals.  For  some  time  he  was 
employed  in  a  sawmill.  He  also  herded  sheep, 
thus  gaining  experience  that  proved  of  great 
value  to  him  afterwards,  for  he  soon  purchased 
five  hundred.  He  continued  to  increase  his  flock 
until  he  had  in  the  neighborhood  of  four  thou- 
sand head,  when  he  sold  a  portion  of  the  band. 
The  remainder,  however,  were  allowed  to  in- 
crease as  before.  In  1899  he  sold  all  his  sheep 
except  a  few  for  his  own  use  and  turned  his  at- 
tention to  cattle  raising.  He  gives  much  atten- 
tion to  the  breeding  of  Percheron  horses  and 
Shorthorn  cattle,  raising  both  successfully  and 
profitably.  Mr.  Tranberg  has  seven  hundred 
acres  of  his  mammoth  farm  in  cultivation,  and 
some  of  the  rest  is  leased  to  good  advantage. 
Among  the  numerous  improvements  on  his  ranch 
is  a  splendid,  beautifully  furnished  house,  with 
books,  pictures,  piano  and  many  other  things  to 
render  it  attractive  and  pleasing  to  the  esthetic  sense. 
On  June  19,  1900,  at  Goldendale,  Washington, 


Mr.  Tranberg  married  Airs.  Christine  (Sorensen) 
Matsen,  a  native  of  Denmark,  who  came  to  this 
country  with  her  first  husband,  John  Matsen,  in 
1887.  By  that  marriage  she  had  eight  children: 
Mrs.  Edith  Jensen,  Meta,  Mrs.  Martha  Martin- 
sen,  Soren,  George,  Nelson,  Rosa  and  Henry. 
Mrs.  Tranberg's  father,  Soren  Rasmossen,  and 
her  mother,  Mata  Marie  Jensen,  were  both  na- 
tives of  Denmark,  and  are  both  deceased.  She 
has  two  brothers  now  living,  Chris  and  Rasmos 
Sorensen.  Mr.  Tranberg  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  That  he  is  a  firm  believer  in  education 
is  evinced  by  the  fact  that  two  of  his  step  chil- 
dren are  attending  the  business  college  at  North 
Yakima,  and  four  are  in  the  high  school  in  that 
city,  Mr.  Tranberg  bearing  the  expense  of  their 
maintenance  at  so  great  a  distance  from  home. 
The  success  he  has  had  in  building  up  so  large 
a  property  and  so  excellent  a  home  speaks  vol- 
umes for  his  thrift,  energy  and  business  ability, 
while  his  neighbors  bear  testimony  to  his  integ- 
rity and  worth  as  a  man  and  citizen. 


GEORGE  VAN  NOSTERN,  a  farmer  and 
stage  owner  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  in  the 
town  of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of  Oregon, 
born  in  Linn  county,  February  7,  1872.  His 
father,  David  G.  Van  Nostern.  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  born  in  the  year  1843,  and  was  left 
an  orphan  in  early  life.  Crossing  the  Plains  from 
his  native  state  in  1853,  ne  settled  in  Linn  county, 
Oregon,  near  the  present  city  of  Albany.  He 
bought  land  there  on  which  in  after  years  the 
city  was  located,  but  which  he  had  given  to 
the  family  with  whom  he  crossed  the  Plains. 
He  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  the  fall  of  1883 
and  took  up  land  near  the  town  of  Cleveland, 
where  he  died  January  13,  1891.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Melissa  J.  Thompson,  be- 
longed to  a  pioneer  family  of  Oregon,  in  Linn 
county  of  which  state  she  was  born.  She  died 
in  the  year  1882.  The  subject  of  this  review 
was  twelve  years  old  when  his  father  moved  to 
Klickitat  county,  to  which  place  he  followed  the 
older  Van  Nostern  after  an  interval  of  a  few- 
months.  He  grew  up  in  the  locality,  helping  his 
father  on  the  farm  until  the  death  of  the  latter, 
and  attending  the  public  schools.  He  also  rode 
the  range  for  a  number  of  years  for  Cal.  Cole- 
man and  Leland  McCredy.  His  father  was  in 
the  habit  of  keeping  horses  upon  the  range  and, 
following;  his  example,  George  eventually  se- 
cured a  band  of  his  own  and  started  in  the  busi- 
ness in  which  we  now  find  him.  He  was  one  of 
the  bidders  for  the  government  contract  for  the 
transportation  of  the  United  States  mails  from 
Bickleton  to  Arlington,  Oregon,  and  he  fortu- 
nately secured  the  contract  and  now  runs  a  stage 
between  these  towns.  The  mail  and  passengers 
are   ferried   across   the    Columbia    to   Arlington, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


which  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  river  from 
Klickitat  county.  He  has  lately  bid  for  another 
mail  route  contract. 

Mr.  Van  Nostern  was  married  at  Cleveland, 
Washington,  December  12,  1897,  to  Lulu  Beck, 
a  native  of  Kansas,  born  in  Linn  county,  Au- 
gust 4,  1878.  She  came  to  Klickitat  county  with 
her  parents  in  1883  and  settled  with  them  on 
the  farm  adjoining  the  home  of  her  husband's 
family,  so  the  two  children  grew  up  together. 
Her  father,  Charles  Beck,  is  a  pioneer  of  the 
state  and  a  merchant  at  Cleveland,  where  her 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Etta  M.  John- 
son, also  resides.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Nostern 
have  a  family  of  four  children :  Lila,  born  No- 
vember 4,  1898;  Lela,  born  the  following  year 
on  the  28th  of  December;  Charles,  born  April 
5,  1902;  and  a  boy,  born  March  r,  1904,  not  named. 
Mr.  Van  Nostern  has  three  brothers :  William, 
Isaac  and  James,  all  residents  of  Cleveland,  Wil- 
liam being  a  farmer,  Isaac  a  merchant  and 
James  the  proprietor  of  a  store.  He  also  has 
three  half-brothers :  John,  David  and  Rodell  Van 
Nostern.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Simcoe  Lodge  No.  113,  and 
politically  he  is  a  Democrat.  Besides  his  prop- 
erty and  stage  line  he  has  a  hundred  head  of 
horses  on  the  range.  He  is  among  the  most  pop- 
ular of  the  young  men  of  the  community  and 
enjoys  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him  inti- 
mately. 


GEORGE  SCHAEFER,  an  up-to-date  farm- 
er and  stock  raiser  of  Klickitat  county,  lives  with 
his  father  on  a  farm  five  miles  east  of  the  town 
of  Bickleton.  He  was  born  at  Saransk,  Russia, 
on  the  18th  of  July,  1880.  His  father,  Jacob 
Schaefer,  also  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born 
in  the  same  place  in  1834,  and  is  descended 
from  an  old  German  family.  His  ancestors  set- 
tled in  Russia  one  hundred  and  seventy-two 
years  ago,  at  the  time  of  the  German  coloni- 
zation, the  settlers  being  given  a  grant  of 
land  at  Saransk  with  the  understanding  that 
their  sons  were  to  be  exempt  from  service  in 
the  Russian  army  for  a  period  of  a  hundred 
years,  and  that  at  the  expiration  of  that  period 
every  other  boy  only  was  to  be  demanded  by 
the  government  for  army  service.  Mr.  Schae- 
fer, the  elder,  came  to  the  United  States  in  the 
year  1891,  bringing  his  children  with  him,  the 
principal  reason  of  their  immigrating  to  this 
country  being  to  evade  army  service,  though  he 
was  also  attracted  by  what  he  had  heard  of  the 
possibilities  for  settlers  in  this  land.  He  settled 
in  Klickitat  county,  where  he  still  resides  with 
his  son.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Lizzie  Kip,  was  also  born  in  Russia  to  German 
parents,  and  still  lives  at  the  family  home  with 
her  husband  and  two  children.    George  Schaefer, 


the  subject  of  this  sketch,  attended  a  German 
school  in  Russia  until  he  was  eleven  years  old, 
at  which  time  he  came  to  this  country.  His 
father  sent  him  to  Walla  Walla  for  a  two  years' 
course  in  the  schools  soon  after  settling  here, 
but  he  evidently  did  not  like  the  school,  for  he 
ran  away  and  went  to  herding  sheep.  His  father 
did  not  find  this  out  until  the  following  fall; 
then  young  George  came  home.  He  has  since 
that  time  been  engaged  in  business  with  his 
father,  farming  and  raising  stock  and  hogs.  Part 
of  their  land  was  bought  in  1897,  but  they  later 
purchased  a  half  section  adjoining,  and  at 
present  own  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  to- 
gether. They  have  built  a  commodious  house 
and  a  large  barn,  and  otherwise  extensively 
improved  their  property.  They  own  a  num- 
ber of  horses  and  cattle  and  one  of  the 
best  Percheron  stallions  in  the  country,  also  over 
fifty  hogs.  A  year  ago  a  two-legged  colt  was 
born  on  their  place,  and  this  freak  was  exhib- 
ited at  the  state  fair  held  at  North  Yakima, 
where  considerable  money  was  obtained  from 
the  gate  receipts.  It  was  also  placed  on  exhibi- 
tion at  Spokane,  where,  unfortunately,  it  was 
in  some  manner  poisoned  and  died.  Mr.  Schaefer 
has  it  mounted,  and  intends  to  place  it  on  exhi- 
bition at  the  World's  Fair  in  St.  Louis. 

In  the  month  of  July,  1899,  Mr.  Schaefer  mar- 
ried Anna  Stuhr,  a  native  of  Nebraska,  born 
in  1881.  Her  father,  Henry  Stuhr,  died  in  1891. 
Her  mother,  Katie  (Stegeman)  Stuhr,  is  the 
daughter  of  Theodore  Stegeman,  the  pioneer  sheep 
owner  of  this  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schaefer 
have  a  family  of  three  young  children :  Clarence, 
born  on  July  10,  1900;  Theodore,  born  two  years 
later,  on  the  5th  of  March;  and  Alvina,  born 
October  13,  1903.  Mr.  Schaefer  has  one  sister, 
Maggie,  who  lives  with  him,  and  two  brothers, 
namely,  Jacob,  residing  in  Ritzville,  and  Henry, 
in  Klickitat  county.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected 
with  the  Bickleton  camp  of  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church,  and  in  politics  he  favors  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  an  energetic  farmer 
and  a  thrifty,  capable  young  man,  speaking  the 
English  as  well  as  the  German  language  with 
facility,  and  withal  an  excellent  citizen. 


WILBUR  C.  S.  NYE,  proprietor  of  the  Grand 
Central  hotel,  at  Bickleton,  is  a  native  of  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania,  born  July  5,  1858.  His 
father,  a  Christian  minister,  was  born  in  Lawrence 
county,  Pennsylvania,  a  descendant  of  the  ancient 
Nye  family,  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  Quaker  state. 
His  people  have  a  historical  society  of  their  own. 
His  name  is  Seth  S.  Nye,  and  he  was  a  soldier  in 
the  Mexican  war,  but  was  discharged  for  disabil- 
ity. He  made  two  attempts  to  re-enlist,  and  was 
rejected    in    both    instances    on    account    of   heart 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


469 


trouble.  He  was  a  Methodist  circuit  rider  for  almost 
twenty  years,  and  later  became  a  minister  of  the 
Christian  church.  At  present  he  lives  in  the  city 
of    Corydon,    Indiana.      His    wife,    whose    maiden 

I  name  was  Kate  Christley,  is  a  native  of  Harrison 
county,  Indiana,  born  in  1838.  Her  mother  be- 
longed to  the  Kendall  family,  noted  for  the  num- 
ber of  steamboat  and  flatboat  men  it  furnished  for 
carrying  on  the  Ohio  river  traffic,  and  her  uncle, 
William  Kendall,  ran  the  blockade  at  Vicksburg, 
for  General  Grant,  during  the  Civil  war,  taking 
the  "Reindeer"  through  with  supplies  for  the 
Union  army.  He  was  pilot  of  the  vessel.  •  Mrs. 
Nye  was  a  scion  of  an  old  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
family  that  lived  for  many  years  in  Mercer  county. 
She  removed  from  the  Keystone  state  with  her 
husband  and  child  in  1863,  settling  in  Trumbull 
county,  Ohio,  for  a  residence  of  five  years,  then 
going  to  Harrison  county,  Indiana,  where  they 
bought  a  farm.  Wilbur  C.  S.  was  about  ten  years 
of  age  at  this  time,  and  he  grew  up  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, attending  the  public  schools  in  the  win- 
ters and  helping  with  the  work  about  the  farm 
when  not  in  the  school  room.  He  afterwards  took 
a  two  years'  course  at  Marengo  Academy,  prepar- 
ing himself  for  the  vocation  of  a  school  teacher. 
Graduating  early  in  life,  he  taught  his  first  term 
of  school  when  only  eighteen  years  old.  He  con- 
tinued to  teach  in  the  state  for  twelve  years,  then 
moved  to  Cass  county,  Nebraska,  settled  in  the 
town  of  Murray,  and  once  more  took  up  teach- 
ing for  a  number  of  years,  also  farming  on  a  small 
scale.  He  continued  to  reside  in  Nebraska  until  the 
year  1901,  at  which  time  he  came  west  to  Bickle- 
ton,  Washington,  and  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness, which  he  still  follows.  Since  taking  the  hotel 
he  has  enlarged  it  considerably,  also  has  built  a 
large  livery  barn  near-by,  the  only  one  in  the  town. 
He  has  a  number  of  excellent  teams  and  spirited 
horses,  and  they  are  kept  busy  most  of  the  time. 

Mr.  Nye  was  married  in  Indiana  in  the  spring 
of  1880,  to  Emma  Eckart,  a  resident  of  Harrison 
county,  that  state,  born  June  5,  1859.  Her  father, 
William  Eckart  was  likewise  born  in  Harrison 
county,  in  1840,  but  belonged  to  an  old  pioneer 
North  Carolina  family.  His  grandfather,  Levi 
Gilham,  served  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Home  Guards  in  his  native  state 
during  the  Civil  war.  He  still  resides  on  the 
family  place  in  Harrison  county.  His  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Neely,  was  born  in 
Indiana  in  1839,  her  parents  being  formerly  of 
Virginia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nye  have  a  family  of  six 
children,  namely,  Virgil  Lee,  born  April  23,  1884; 
Olive  H.,  born  March  26,  1886;  Edna  E.,  on  the 
27th  of  February,  1888 ;  Kate  W.,  Ruth  and  Wil- 
liam, born  November  1,  1891,  January  30,  1894, 
and  October  26,  1897,  respectively.  Mr.  Nye  has 
two  brothers  living,  Austin  A.,  in  Georgetown, 
Indiana,  and  William  S.,  with  his  father  in  Cory- 
don, Indiana;  also  a  half-brother,  H.  M.  Nye,  in 


Nebraska,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Helen  S.  Keller,  in 
Corydon.  Mrs.  Nye  has  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters,  namely,  Charles,  Lafayette,  Anna  and 
Adeline  Eckart.  Mr.  Nye  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  belonging  to  a 
Nebraska  camp,  and  politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 
In  former  years  he  was  active  in  all  campaigns, 
but  now  he  does  not  take  much  interest  in  poli- 
tics. He  formerly  served  six  years  as  assessor  in 
Nebraska.  At  present  he  devotes  his  whole  atten- 
tion to  his  hotel  and  livery  business.  He  is  a 
generous,  genial  citizen,  highly  esteemed  as  a 
friend  and  neighbor,  and  successful  in  his  busi- 
ness enterprises. 


SIDNEY  G.  DORRIS,  publisher  and  editor  of 
the  Bickleton  News,  is  a  native  of  Oregon,  born 
in  Lafayette,  Yamhill  county,  March  18,  1861. 
Felix  G.  Dorris,  his  father,  was  a  stockman  by 
occupation  and  a  resident  of  Illinois,  born  in 
Knoxville,  Knox  county,  that  state,  on  the  4th  of 
February,  1823.  Some  time  before  reaching  man- 
hood, he  moved  to  St.  Joe,  Missouri,  and  on  the 
13th  of  June,  1845,  was  one  of  a  party  consisting 
of  Daniel  D.  Bayley,  "Old  Sol"  Tetherow  and 
others  to  cross  the  Plains  by  ox  teams  to  Port- 
land, Oregon,  where  they  arrived  exactly  six 
months  after  leaving  home.  They  crossed  the 
Columbia  river  to  the  Washington  side,  while 
traveling  in  bateaux  from  The  Dalles  to  the  Cas- 
cades, the  Indians  having  made  numerous  friendly 
overtures,  and  thus  induced  the  party  to  remain. 
The  treachery  of  the  red  men  was  soon  made  ap- 
parent, however,  as  they  pilfered  everything  the 
settlers  possessed  in  the  line  of  eatables.  Mr. 
Dorris  finally  settled  in  the  Chehalam  valley, 
where  the  following  spring  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Caroline  Bayley,  a  member  of  the 
party.  He  died  in  the  year  1901,  a  week  before 
Christmas.  Mrs.  Dorris  was  born  in  Springfield, 
Ohio,  March-i,  1827,  the  daughter  of  Daniel  D. 
and  Betsey  (Munson)  Bayley.  She  is  of  Scottish 
ancestry,  and  can  trace  her  family  history  back  to 
the  fifteenth  century.  Mr.  Dorris  was  the  first 
settler  in  Oregon  to  introduce  Texas  cattle 
into  the  state.  Sidney  G.  Dorris,  of  this  review, 
started  to  learn  the  printer's  trade  when  eleven 
years  old,  his  apprenticeship  being  served  with 
the  Lafayette  Courier.  After  several  years'  hard 
work  on  this  paper,  he  removed  to  Salem,  Ore- 
gon, and  during  the  ensuing  two  years  he  was 
employed  in  the  service  of  the  Statesman.  His 
next  newspaper  work  was  on  the  Oregonian,  at 
Portland,  whence  he  removed  to  Albany,  on  Jhe 
papers  of  which  city  he  wrought  for  the  ensuing 
fifteen  years.  In  1896  he  removed  to  The  Dalles, 
going  thence  to  Arlington,  Oregon,  for  a  short 
stay,  and  finally  coming  to  Bickleton  on  the  1st  of 
August,  1902,  where  he  has  since  taken  up  his 
residence.     The  News  has  been  a  success  from 


4/0 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  start,  and  has  done  good  work  toward  the 
upbuilding  of  the  town.  It  also  has  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  the  first  newspaper  venture  launched 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county.  Mr.  Dorris  has 
two  children  by  a  marriage,  in  1885,  Albert,  em- 
ployed on  his  paper,  and  lone.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Dorris  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  Order  of  Wash- 
ington. He  attends  the  Evangelical  church,  and 
in  politics  is  a  Republican.  At  present  he  is  serv- 
ing as  constable  of  the  Alder  Creek  precinct. 
Besides  his  business  property,  he  owns  a  home- 
stead some  nineteen  miles  southeast  of  Bickle- 
ton.  He  is  an  enterprising  business  man,  held  in 
high  esteem  by  the  people  of  the  surrounding 
country. 


ROBERT  M.  GRAHAM,  a  well-known  stock- 
man, residing  in  the  town  of  Bickleton,  is  one  of 
the  very  earliest  pioneers  of  eastern  Klickitat,  to 
which  he  came  in  1872,  and  one  of  the  few  re- 
maining early  settlers  in  the  county.  He  was 
born  in  Holmes  county,  Ohio,  May  18,  1845.  His 
father,  William,  was  also  born  there  in  1818,  and 
also  followed  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  crossed 
the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1852,  settling  in  Benton 
county,  where  he  took  a  half-section  donation  claim. 
In  1859  he  moved  east  of  the  Cascades  to  the  Des 
Chutes  river,  and  for  the  ensuing  fifteen  years  he 
followed  stock  raising.  In  1874  he  moved  to  Day- 
ton, Washington,  where  he  resided  until  his  death, 
twenty  years  later.  He  furnished  considerable  data 
to  the  Washington  Historical  Society  at  various 
times  during  his  later  years.  His  people  originally 
came  from  Scotland,  and  his  wife,  Harriet  (Dun- 
can) Graham,  was  likewise  of  Scotch  descent,  but 
by  nativity  a  Pennsylvanian,  born  in  1822.  She 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  with  her  parents  in 
1852,  and  from  that  time  until  her  death,  in  1891, 
continued  to  be  a  resident  of  the  west.  The  subject 
of  this  review  was  one  of  a  family  of  eleven  children. 
He  was  between  six  and  seven  years  old  when 
he  came  to  Oregon  with  his  parents,  and  the  edu- 
cational advantages  he  was  permitted  to  enjoy 
were  such  as  the  pioneer  schools  of  that  state 
afforded.  However,  it  was  his  privilege  to  finish 
his  education  under  the  tutorship  of  a  good  in- 
structor in  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  He  taught  two 
terms,  but  between  the  ages  of  twenty  and 
twenty-three  he  gave  his  time  to  freighting  from 
The  Dalles  to  Canyon  City,  Oregon;  then  until 
1872  he  was  in  the  cattle  and  horse  raising  busi- 
ness on  the  Des  Chutes.  Coming  to  the  Alder 
creek  district  of  Klickitat  county  in  the  year  men- 
tioned, he  gained  the  distinction  of  being  the 
second  man  to  file  on  land  in  that  section,  B.  D. 
Butler  having  made  the  first  homestead  entry. 
At  that  time  various  cattle  men,  including  Fisk 
and  Walker,  Ben  Snipes  and  Allen,  ranged  their 
stock  over  the  country,  unmolested,  and  he  was 


told  that  the  winters  were  too  cold  for  anyone  to 
remain,  and  that  the  uplands  were  of  no  value  but 
for  ranges;  in  fact  it  was  many  years  before  the 
uplands  were  fairly  tried,  and  still  longer  before 
efforts  to  farm  them  proved  successful.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham brought  his  horses  and  cattle  into  the 
country  and  began  raising  stock,  combining  farm- 
ing with  this  industry.  He  busied  himself  thus 
until  1878,  when  he  sold  his  cattle,  and  embarked 
in  the  sheep  business  with  his  brother,  John. 
After  the  formation  of  this  partnership  both  the 
brothers  enlarged  their  places  and  farmed  more 
extensively.  In  1885  our  subject  sold  his  sheep 
and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Bickle- 
ton, which  town  had  been  started  in  1879  by  C.  N. 
Bickle.  Mr.  Graham  bought  out  a  Mr.  Chamber- 
lain, who  had  been  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Bickleton  two  years.  April  29,  1887,  his  estab- 
lishment was  burned,  and  he  did  not  rebuild, 
choosing  rather  to  return  to  farming.  He  and  his 
brother,  John,  had  the  first  threshing  machine 
ever  owned  in  eastern  Klickitat  county,  and  the 
second  that  ever  threshed  there.  This  was  in 
1883,  previous  to  his  entering  the  merchandise 
business.  After  taking  up  farming  again,  Mr. 
Graham  gave  special  attention  to  the  rearing  of 
horses,  though  he  kept  some  cattle.  He  contin- 
ued to  farm  until  a  few  months  ago,  but  in  1902, 
he  took  a  mail  contract  to  carry  the  mails  between 
Mabton  and  Bickleton  for  four  years,  and  recently 
he  has  been  giving  much  attention  to  the  opera- 
tion of  a   stage  line  between  the  two  points. 

Mr.  Graham  was  married  on  May  30,  1875, 
to  Almeda  Lancaster,  and  to  this  union  eight 
children  have  been  born,  seven  now  living, 
namely:  Mrs.  Edith  May  Burnwell,  born  in  No- 
vember, 1876,  now  living  at  North  Yakima; 
Robert  M.,  in  April,  1878,  at  Toppenish;  William 
I.,  in  January,  1881,  and  Roy  S.,  born  in  May, 
1883,  both  at  Bickleton;  Ruth  Mabel,  Greta  S. 
and  Edna  Marie,  born  on  June  2"j,  1892;  April 
3,  1897,  and  January  6,  1900,  respectively.  Mr. 
Graham's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  John  D.,  at 
Nez  Perce,  Idaho;  Thomas  B.,  at  Dayton,  Wash- 
ington ;  Mrs.  Mary  Bailey,  at  Cleveland ;  and  Mrs. 
Marie  L.  South,  at  Prosser,  Washington.  Mr. 
Graham  belongs  to  the  Brotherhood  of  American 
Yeomen  and  he  is  at  present  correspondent  and 
deputy  organizer  of  this  fraternity.  He  attends 
the  Methodist  church.  During  the  eighties,  he 
served  as  county  commissioner  for  a  term  of  four 
years,  and  after  his  term  of  office  as  a  commis- 
sioner, he  was  nominated  by  the  Republican  party 
for  the  state  senate,  but  was  defeated  in  the  elec- 
tion, his  opponent  getting  a  majority  of  only 
thirty-two  votes.  For  six  years  he  served  as  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  and  so  satisfactory  was  his  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  of  this  office,  that  pressure 
was  brought  to  bear  upon  him  to  accept  it  for  a 
longer  period,  but  he  declined.  He  was  census 
enumerator   in    1890.     Many    times    he   has   been 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


4/1 


called  to  serve  as  central  committeeman  of  his 
precinct,  and  in  numerous  other  ways  his  party 
has  honored  him  and  expressed  its  confidence  in 
his  abilities.  Indeed,  he  stands  well  among  all 
classes  in  the  county.  Mr.  Graham  has  devoted 
considerable  attention  to  an  investigation  of  local 
history,  and  to  him  the  author  of  the  historical 
part  of  this  volume  acknowledges  indebtedness  for 
much  valuable  information  and  assistance. 


HENRY  A.  HUSSEY,  proprietor  of  the  bil- 
liard hall  in  the  town  of  Bickleton,  was  born  in 
Bradford,  Maine,  March  15,  1838.  His  father,  Rob- 
ert Hussey,  was  a  native  of  Maine,  and  by  occu- 
pation a  farmer.  He  belonged  to  an  ancient 
American  family,  and  his  father,  grandfather  of 
Henry  A.,  was  in  the  War  of  1812.  Robert  Hus- 
sey was  born  in  the  year  1815,  and  died  in  his 
native  state  in  1880.  The  mother  of  our  subject, 
Susan  (Clark)  Hussey,  was  born  in  Lebanon,  a 
city  in  the  Green  Mountain  state,  and  died  in 
August,  1900.  Had  she  lived  three  months  longer 
she  would  have  reached  her  eighty-sixth  year. 
Her  grandfather  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolution. 
The  subject  of  this  review  grew  to  manhood  in 
his  native  state,  at  the  age  of  eighteen  starting 
out  in  life  for  himself  as  an  operative  in  a  cotton 
mill  at  Lowell,  Massachusetts,  where  he  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1861.  When  the  war  broke  out 
he  at  once  volunteered,  becoming  a  member  of 
Company  D,  Twenty-second  Maine  volunteers. 
He  served  his  year's  time,  then  re-enlisted  for  a 
term  of  three  years  in  Company  A,  Veteran  Re- 
serve Corps,  under  Captain  Hill.  This  time  he 
did  not  see  the  field  of  operations,  having  been 
detained  in  Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  as 
messenger  for  the  President.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  Maine,  whence  after  two  years 
he  came  west  to  Boone  county,  Iowa,  going 
thence,  after  a  year's  residence,  to  Kansas,  various 
parts  of  which  state  were  visited  by  him.  He  then 
moved  to  the  Indian  Territory  and  passed  four 
years  in  Stringtown.  Going  next  to  Colorado,  he 
located  at  Canyon  City,  where  for  some  time  he 
was  engaged  in  freighting  and  running  a  grocery 
store.  In  1883  he  came  to  the  Bickleton  country, 
took  land  two  miles  south  of  the  town,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming.  It  was  a  wild  country  at  that 
time,  with  little  grain  growing  and  hardly  any 
fences,  the  stockmen  being  in  almost  absolute  con- 
trol of  everything.  He  continued  farming  until 
the  year  1901,  then  sold  his  place  and  moved  into 
the  town,  where  he  has  since  lived.  In  1902  he 
opened  the  billiard  hall  in  which  we  now  find  him. 

Mr.  Hussey  was  married  April  30,  1859,  at 
Lowell,  Massachusetts,  to  Josephine  L.  Gordon, 
who  was  born  in  that  city  in  1834.  Her  father, 
Samuel  F.  Gordon,  a  merchant  tailor,  was  a  native 
of  New  Hampshire,  where  his  family  settled  in 
i860,  his  ancestors  coming  from  Scotland  orig- 
inally.   Her  mother,  Dorothy  G.  (Beede)  Gordon, 


was  also  born  in  New  Hampshire  of  English  par- 
ents, and  died  in  the  year  1853  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enty-six. Mrs.  Hussey's  two  brothers,  George  and 
Henry  Gordon,  were  both  soldiers  in  the  Civil 
war.  She  and  her  husband  have  had  seven  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Mrs. 
Florence  E.  McClain,  residing  at  Bickleton,  and 
Arthur  S.,  a  sheep  man  at  Mabton.  Mr.  Hussey 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
and  since  1902  has  drawn  a  pension  from  the  gov- 
ernment. In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  Besides 
his  business,  he  owns  some  town  property  and  two 
residences.  He  is  a  respected  member  of  the 
community. 


CHARLES  W.  McCLAIN,  partner  in  the 
firm  of  Miller,  McClain  &  Company,  blacksmiths, 
Bickleton,  Washington,  is  a  native  of  Oregon, 
born  near  the  historic  town  of  Jacksonville,  Octo- 
ber 6,  1855.  William  J.  McClain,  his  father,  was 
of  Scotch  descent  and  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born 
in  1822.  He  came  of  a  pioneer  family  of  the  Blue 
Grass  state.  For  a  time  after  leaving  Kentucky 
he  lived  in  Iowa,  then  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox 
team  in  1852  to  Oregon,  taking  up  a  donation 
claim  on  Little  Butte  creek,  near  Jacksonville.  As 
a  volunteer,  he  served  under  Major  Lupton  in  the 
Indian  wars  of  1855-56.  He  came  to  Klickitat 
county  about  1872,  and  died  at  Columbus  in  1898. 
His  wife,  Martha  A.  (Tuttle)  McClain,  the  mother 
of  Charles  W.,  was  born  in  North  Carolina  in 
1827,  and  came  of  English  and  German  parentage. 
She  crossed  the  Plains  in  1852  with  her  husband 
and  two  children,  and  is  still  living  at  Columbus. 
Charles  W.  McClain  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Oregon  and  worked  with  his  father 
until  1872,  afterward  traveling  extensively 
throughout  the  states  of  Oregon,  California  and 
Idaho.  He  learned  his  trade  in  Boise,  Idaho,  and 
owned  the  second  shop  erected  in  Spokane,  estab- 
lishing it  in  1879.  Two  years  of  his  life  were  spent 
in  railroad  service  on  the  Southern  Pacific  in 
Texas  and  the  Mexican  Central.  In  1886  he  es- 
tablished a  shop  at  Cleveland,  Washington,  and 
later  one  in  North  Yakima,  the  latter  of  which  he  ' 
operated  six  years  with  good  success.  He  finally 
sold  the  North  Yakima  shop  and  invested  the  pro- 
ceeds in  a  ranch  situated  near  Roseburg,  Oregon. 
However,  in  1894,  he  returned  to  North  Yakima, 
where  he  labored  at  his  trade  until  1899,  then  spent 
two  years  in  Seattle,  and  in  1901,  with  Charles 
Flower,  opened  a  shop  at  Bickleton.  This  they 
sold  in  November,  1903,  to  Wommack  &  Richard- 
son, since  which  time  Mr.  McClain  and  George 
Miller  organized  the  present  firm.  Mr.  McClain 
was  married  January  4,  1887,  to  Mrs.  Florence  E. 
(Hussey)  Miller,  the  ceremony  being  performed 
at  Goldendale.  She  is  a  native  of  Maine,  born  in 
i860,  and  the  daughter  of  Henry  A.  and  Josephine 
L.  (Gordon)  Hussey,  brief  biographical  mention 
of  whom  is  incorporated  in  this  work.     Mr.  and 


472 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Mrs.  McClain  have  two  children:  Llewellyn,  and 
an  adopted  daughter,  Ethel  J.  Mr.  McClain  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows and  the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen ; 
politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and  he  has  served 
as  constable  at  Goldendale.  He  bears  the  repu- 
tation of  being  an  industrious,  capable  workman 
and  a  good  citizen. 


GEORGE  MILLER,  a  blacksmith  residing  in 
the  town  of  Bickleton,  in  Klickitat  county,  and  a 
partner  in  the  smithing  firm  of  Miller,  McClain  & 
Company,  was  born  in  Gibson  county,  Indiana, 
November  6,  1852.  Alcana  Miller,  his  father,  is 
a  German,  and  a  pioneer  of  Indiana,  born  in  Uib- 
son  county,  in  the  year  1827.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  the  Civil  war,  serving  with  the  Indiana  volun- 
teers. In  February,  1878,  he  moved  westward  to 
Klickitat  county  and  took  up  his  present  farm 
north  of  Bickleton,  where  he  still  resides.  Eliza 
(Kontz)  Miller,  mother  of  our  subject,  who  was 
born  in  Knox  county,  Indiana,  to  English  parents, 
is  still  living  in  their  Klickitat  home.  George 
Miller,  of  this  review,  remained  in  his  native  state 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  eighteen,  attending 
the  public  schools  and  also  working  on  his  father's 
farm.  In  1870,  he  moved  to  Greenwood  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  remained  for  a  space  of  seven 
years,  following  farming  and  stock  raising,  re- 
turning then  to  Indiana,  and  again  engaging  in 
farming.  He  followed  this  business  uninterrupt- 
edly until  1878.  He  then  came  to  Klickitat  county 
and  took  some  railroad  land  joining  the  town  of 
Bickleton  on  the  north,  and  he  has  since  devoted 
himself  to  the  development  of  this  farm  and  to 
cattle  and  grain  raising  principally.  In  1892,  he 
homesteaded  a  place  near  Mabton,  which  he  still 
owns.  When  he  came  to  this  locality  the  country 
was  almost  given  over  to  coyotes,  Indians  and  the 
stockmen,  they  ranging  their  cattle  promiscuously 
over  the  entire  country,  there  being  no  fences  at 
that  time  to  prevent  the  practice,  and  only  about 
seven  or  eight  settlers  in  the  section  surrounding 
what  is  now  the  town  of  Bickleton. 

Mr.  Miller  married  before  coming  west,  the 
marriage  being  solemnized  in  the  state  of  Illinois, 
in  August,  1875,  and  the  lady  being  Susanna 
Jones,  a  native  of  Knox  county,  Indiana,  born  in 
1857.  Her  father,  Thomas  Jones,  a  native  of  the 
same  state,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  had 
the  honor  to  be  a  Civil  war  veteran,  having  served 
three  years  and  been  with  General  Sherman  on  his 
famous  march  to  the  sea.  He  passed  away  in 
1902.  Her  mother,  Sally,  was  also  born  in  Indi- 
ana; she  died  in  1896.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have 
four  children:  Ezra,  a  stockman  on  the  Yakima 
river ;  Ira,  Byron  and  Vesta,  at  home  Mr.  Miller's 
sister,  Rachel,  resides  in  Kansas,  while  another 
sister,  Mrs.  Sarah  Bemis,  lives  near  the  Cowlitz 
river,  in  Washington.     His  brother,  Clark  Miller, 


lives  at  Sunnyside.  Mr.  Miller  was  school  director 
at  Bickleton  for  a  period  of  six  years,  and  has 
also  held  the  same  office  at  Mabton.  He  is  inde- 
pendent in  political  matters.  His  present  black- 
smith shop  was  opened  by  him  alone  in  1900,  but  be- 
lore  the  year  was  passed  Mr.  McClain  bought  in 
with  him.  forming  the  present  firm.  They  are  now 
putting  in  a  machine  shop,  all  the  machinery  being 
ordered  and  part  of  it  already  on  the  ground.  Mr. 
Miller,  besides  his  half  interest  in  the  business, 
owns  the  building,  and  three  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land;  also  a  number  of  cattle.  He  is  an 
industrious,  hard  working  man,  popular  with  his 
fellow  citizens  and  respected  by  all  for  his  industry 
and   many   manlv  virtues. 


MARK  CRIDER,  a  prosperous  sheep  man  of 
Klickitat  county,  lives  on  his  ranch  five  and  a 
half  miles  east  and  four  and  a  half  miles  south  of 
the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  was  born  in  Knox 
county,  Ohio,  at  the  city  of  Mt.  Vernon,  Septem- 
ber 13,  1853.  His  father,  Robert,  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade,  and  also  a  farmer.  He  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  in  1828,  and  died  in  1886.  He 
served  in  the  Mexican  war,  under  Generals  Scott 
and  Taylor,  and  was  one  of  the  soldiers  who  cap- 
tured the  City  of  Mexico.  His  wife,  Lavina 
(Townsend)  Crider,  a  native  of  Malone,  New 
York,  died  when  our  subject  was  very  young.  Her 
father  was  in  the  War  of  1812.  The  man  whose 
name  forms  the  caption  of  this  review  started  out 
in  life  for  himself  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  going  to 
Illinois  and  working  on  a  farm  near  Rochelle. 
He  then  visited  Kansas  and  Texas,  and  finally 
moved  to  Colorado,  where  he  worked  in  the  Bas- 
sick  mine,  and  later  in  the  Ouray  mine  at  San 
Juan.  Leaving  Colorado  in  1888,  he  came  to 
Klickitat  county  and  took  a  homestead,  also 
bought  a  section  of  railroad  land.  He  devoted  his 
energies  to  agriculture,  principally,  until  1903, 
when  he  engaged  in  the  sheep  business  also.  His 
holdings  include  eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  all 
under  cultivation,  and  about  twelve  hundred 
sheep.  Recently  he  has  given  some  attention  to 
locating  homesteaders. 

In  1878.  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  Mr.  Crider 
married  Lizzie  Smith,  a  native  of  Iowa.  Her 
father.  M.  M.  Smith,  came  to  Klickitat  county  in 
the  year  1886,  and  there  engaged  in  the  dual  occu- 
nation  of  farming  and  preaching  for  the  Method- 
ist church.  He  passed  away  in  1902.  and  his 
wife,  Sirilda  (Ralston)  Smith,  a  native  of  Iowa, 
died  two  years  previous.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crider 
are  parents  of  seven  sons,  namely:  William, 
Walter,  Charles,  Lloyd,  Carl,  Jewell  and  Calvin, 
all  of  whom  live  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Crider 
has  two  older  brothers,  Joseph  and  William,  and 
three  sisters.  Hattie,  Roxina  and  Sarah,  all  living 
in  the  east.  Mr.  Crider  has  served  as  road  over- 
seer  in   the    Bickleton    district   for   several   terms, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


473 


and  at  present  is  an  active  member  of  the  school 
board  of  district  No.  60.  In  politics,  he  favors 
the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  public-spirited, 
liberal  man,  fully  awake  to  the  best  interests  of  his 
community;  in  business,  he  is  energetic  and  suc- 
cessful, and  in  all  the  relations  of  life  he  so  de- 
means himself  as  to  merit  the  esteem  and  re- 
spect of  those  with  whom  he  is  associated. 


GEORGE  W.  JORDAN,  a  carpenter  residing 
in  the  town  of  Bickleton,  was  born  in  Shasta 
county,  California,  in  the  year  1859.  His  father, 
John  S.  Jordan,  was  a  minister  of  the  Methodist 
church,  and  also  a  farmer,  born  in  the  year  1818, 
in  the  state  of  Virginia.  He  crossed  the  Plains  to 
California  during  the  first  gold  excitement  there 
in  1849,  and  mined  for  three  or  four  years  in 
various  parts  of  Placer  county,  then  returned  east 
and  married,  coming  west  again  in  1859.  After 
spending  the  years  from  1859  to  1871  in  Califor- 
nia, he  settled  in  Lane  county,  Oregon,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming.  He  also  built  the  first  saw- 
mill in  the  town  of  Wendling.  Coming  to  Klick- 
itat county  in  1886,  he  took  up  a  homestead  near 
Bickleton  and  followed  farming  therfe  until  his 
death,  in  1893.  He  was  of  German-Irish  descent, 
as  was  also  his  wife,  Mary  M.  (Worley)  Jordan, 
who  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1836  and  crossed  the 
Plains  with  her  husband  in  1859,  and  now  lives  at 
Bickleton.  Mr.  Jordan,  of  this  review,  attended 
school  in  California  and  Oregon,  also  learned  the 
business  of  sawyer.  In  1886  he  removed  to  Mos- 
cow, Idaho,  where  he  worked  in  a  sawmill,  going 
then  to  Baker  City,  Oregon,  where  for  two  years 
he  rode  the  ranges.  He  next  came  to  Klickitat 
county,  and  worked  a  year  for  Bickle  &  Flower, 
then  going  to  the  Willamette  valley,  Oregon. 
There  he  again  went  to  work  in  a  mill,  also  hunt- 
ing for  the  logging  camp  and  supplying  the  camp 
and  mill  hands  with  game.  At  this  he  remained 
for  a  space  of  two  years.  The  three  years  from 
1889  were  spent  in  Eugene,  Oregon,  as  head  saw- 
yer'in  the  Upper  Willamette  Lumber  Company's 
mills,  then  he  conducted  a  butcher  shop  in  Eugene 
for  the  ensuing  five  years,  after  which  he  removed 
to  Seattle  and  put  in  another  year  at  the  same 
business.  Returning  thereupon  to  Eugene,  he 
once  more  accepted  employment  in  the  mill,  re- 
maining until  1897,  when  he  came  to  Bickleton 
and  engaged  in  carpenter  work,  an  occupation  he 
still  follows.  He  also  leased  some  school  land. 
In  June,  1889,  at  Creswell,  Lane  county,  Oregon, 
Mr.  Jordan  married  Emma  F.  Reed,  a  native  of 
that  place,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Jordan  are  parents  of 
three  children :  Vivian  D.,  Lena  L.  and  Gladys 
Thelma.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Jordan  is  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  politically, 
he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  held  the  office  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace  since  coming  to  this  locality.  He 
attends    to   his    business    closely,   which   he    thor- 


oughly understands,  and  is  making  a  success  of 
his  work,  at  the  same  time  winning  the  esteem  of 
his  fellow  citizens,  not  alone  by  his  industry  and 
thrift  but  by  his  integrity  of  character  and  uniform 
square  dealing. 


GEORGE  H.  ELLIS,  a  Klickitat  county  farm- 
er and  stockman,  resides  on  his  ranch,  six  miles 
south  of  the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  was  born  in 
Jefferson  county,  Iowa,  May  10,  1861,  the  son  of 
Enos  and  Sitnah  A.  (Hiatt)  Ellis.  His  father,  who 
was  likewise  a  farmer  and  stockman,  was  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  born  in  1820.  He  early  removed 
to  Iowa,  whence  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Califor- 
nia and  Oregon,  first  in  1852,  returning,  however, 
after  a  short  stay.  Ten  years  later  he  again  came 
west,  by  team  as  before,  and  this  time  he  settled 
in  Linn  county,  Oregon.  He  resided  there  and 
in  Lake  county,  California,  for  eighteen  years, 
coming,  at  the  end  of  that  period,  to  Klickitat 
county  in  the  fall  of  1880.  He  took  up  land  six 
miles  south  of  Bickleton,  and  there  farmed  and 
raised  stock  until  his  death,  which  occurred  July 
21,  1900.  He  was  of  German  descent,  but  his  fam- 
ily were  old  settlers  and  pioneers  of  the  state  of 
Tennessee.  He  had  two  brothers  who  served  in 
the  Civil  war.  Our  subject's  mother  was  of  Irish 
parentage,  though  she  was  herself  born  in  Iowa, 
in  March,  1835.  She  also  had  two  brothers  who 
served  during  the  War  for  the  Union.  Her  death 
occurred  when  she  was  fifty-three  years  old.  When 
only  a  year  old  the  subject  of  this  article  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  Oregon,  this  being  on  his 
father's  second  trip.  He  received  his  educat'on 
in  the  schools  of  Lake  county,  California,  and 
during  his  minority  worked  with  his  father  on  the 
farm,  looking  after  his  sheep  and  also  riding  the 
range.  When  the  time  came  for  him  to  take  up 
independently  the  struggle  of  life,  he  likewise  en- 
gaged in  the  sheep  business,  but  after  giving  the 
greater  part  of  six  years  to  this  industry,  he 
engaged  in  the  cattle  business,  as  a  partner  of  his 
father.  He  had  taken  a  claim  soon  after  coming 
to  the  county,  but  had  later  sold  it  and  purchased 
other  land.  A  few  years  before  his  father's  death  he 
bought  out  the  interest  of  the  old  gentleman,  and 
he  has  ever  since  followed  the  stock  business 
alone. 

On  the  18th  of  November,  1885,  in  Klickitat 
county,  Mr.  Ellis  married  Viola  W'risten,  who  was 
born  in  Kansas  but  brought  up  in  the  state  of 
California,  where  she  received  her  education  and 
graduated.  Her  father,  Milton  W.  Wristen,  a 
farmer  by  occupation  settled  in  Klickitat  county 
in  1883.  He  came  originally  from  Iowa.  He  and 
her  mother,  Jane  (Harris)  Wristen,  now  live  in 
San  Francisco.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellis  have  six  chil- 
dren :  Lellia,  aged  seventeen ;  Ina,  George,  aged 
thirteen ;  Jane,  aged  eleven ;  Carl,  aged  nine ;  and 
Juanita,  aged  seven.     Mr.  Ellis  has  one  brother, 


474 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


William  H.,  living  at  Mission,  in  Chelan  county, 
Washington,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Clonin- 
ger,  also  a  resident  of  Mission.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Ellis  is  identified  with  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and 
politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  sufficiently  active 
to  attend  caucuses  and  conventions.  The  owner 
of  a  section  of  land,  he  is  cultivating  successfully 
three  hundred  acres,  raising  wheat  and  hay,  and 
also  stock  of  various  kinds.  Like  all  other  indus- 
trious men  of  good  judgment,  he  is  finding  Klickitat 
county  an  excellent  place  in  which  to  acquire  a 
competence,  and  he  is  well  pleased  with  his  own 
prospects  and  those  of  the  section  in  which  his 
jot  has  been  cast. 


CONRAD  G.  WATTENBARGER,  a  Klicki- 
tat county  stockman  and  rancher,  living  in  the 
town  of  Bickleton,  was  born  in  Sullivan  county, 
Missouri,  in  the  year  1849.  Adam  Wattenbarger, 
his  father,  who  was  also  a  stockman  and  farmer, 
was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Tennessee,  whence,  at 
an  early  age,  he  removed  to  Missouri.  He  came 
across  the  Plains  to  California  in  1862,  and  set- 
tled in  Yolo  county,  buying  some  land.  Two 
years  later  he  sold  out  and  went  to  Mendocino 
county,  where  he  spent  two  years,  going  thence 
to  Lake  county,  in  which  was  his  home  for  a 
period  of  fourteen  years.  He  owned  considerable 
property  in  the  east  and  was  quite  well  off,  but 
the  war  hurt  him  in  a  financial  way,  destroying 
the  many  improvements  which  he  had  at  great 
pains  placed  on  his  land.  Coming  to  Klickitat 
county  in  1880.  he  lived  near  Bickleton  until 
February  23,  1887,  when  he  passed  away,  having 
reached  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  He  was  of  Ger- 
man descent,  but  his  forefathers  had  lived  in 
Pennsylvania  for  several  generations.  His  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Sarah  Smith,  was  a 
native  of  Tennessee,  born  in  the  same  town  that 
her  husband  was  brought  up  in.  She  died  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1891,  having  survived  her  husband  only 
four  years.  Conrad  G.  Wattenbarger  was  thir- 
teen years  old  when  he  came  to  California  with 
his  parents,  and  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
state  he  was  educated.  He  early  exhibited  a 
mechanical  bent,  also  a  liking  for  good  horses, 
the  latter  a  Southern  trait.  He  was  at  home  until 
reaching  man's  estate,  but  before  he  left  the 
parental  roof  he  had  learned  the  blacksmith's  and 
the  carpenter's  trade,  acquiring  the  skill  very  easily 
on  account  of  his  great  natural  ability  in  mechanical 
lines.  Upon  attaining  his  majority,  he  engaged 
in  freighting,  also  in  buying  and  selling  stock  to 
the  near-by  mines ;  and  in  this  manner  he  made 
considerable  money.  On  coming  to  Klickitat 
county  in  1880,  he  took  up  land  just  north  of 
town — part  of  the  tract  as  a  timber  and  the  rest 
as  a  pre-emption  claim.  He  had  brought  a  band 
of  horses  into  the  county  with  him,  and  he  con- 


tinued to  range  these  and  raise  more,  doing  well 
in  this  line,  also,  until  the  panic  of  1893  came.  He 
continued  farming  until  1900,  when  he  moved 
into  town  and  built  a  residence,  allowing  his  boys 
to  have  charge  of  the  farm. 

In  1874,  while  still  in  California,  Mr.  Watten- 
barger married  Mary  Brophy,  who  was  born  at 
Snika  Humboldt,  in  1854,  while  her  parents  were 
crossing  the  Plains.  Her  father,  Thomas  Brophy, 
who  was  a  stockman  and  dairyman  in  the  Golden 
state,  lost  heavily  in  a  big  flood  there,  his  cattle 
being  all  drowned.  He  died  many  years  ago.  His 
wife,  Frances  (Rouse)  Brophy,  a  native  of 
Tennessee,  of  German  parentage,  still  lives  in 
California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wattenbarger  have 
four  children  living:  Mrs.  Alice  Howsington, 
residing  near  Bickleton ;  Adam  and  Grover,  liv- 
ing in  Yakima  county,  and  Mrs.  Amanda  Camp- 
bell, living  with  them.  They  had  six  other  chil- 
dren until  1900,  when  they  all,  unfortunately,  suc- 
cumbed to  that  dread  disease,  diphtheria,  and  their 
loss  is  still  very  deeply  mourned  by  their  parents. 
Their  names  were :  Cyrus,  Thomas,  Buel,  Lulu, 
Sylvia  and  May.  Mr.  Wattenbarger  has  a  number 
of  brothers  and  sisters  still  living,  namely:  Jacob, 
at  Butter  Creek,  Oregon ;  Samuel,  at  Fossil,  Oregon ; 
Frederick,  in  Lake  county,  California;  Mrs.  Mary 
Bailey  and  Mrs.  Sarah  Eckle,  in  California;  and 
Thomas,  in  Mendocino  county,  in  the  same  state. 
Another  sister,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Bromley,  is  deceased. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Wattenbarger  is  a  Democrat,  but 
while  he  takes  an  intelligent  interest  in  public  affairs, 
he  always  refuses  public  office.  Besides  his  ranch, 
he  owns  some  town  property.  He  is  an  honest,  up- 
right man,  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 


JAMES  C.  NELSON,  a  progressive  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  of  Klickitat  county  and  a  stockholder 
in  the  Bank  of  Bickleton,  lives  on  a  320-acre  farm 
about  a  mile  and  a  half  northwest  of  the  town  of 
Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  July 
19,  1853.  His  father,  Nels  P.  Christisen,  a  Danish 
farmer,  was  born  in  1800,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five.  His  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Johanna  Jensen,  was  also  a  native  of  Denmark,  and 
died  the  year  after  his  father's  death.  James  C.  Nel- 
son grew  to  man's  estate  in  his  native  land,  there  re- 
ceiving his  education  and  working  with  his  father  on 
the  farm.  When  eighteen  years  old,  he  served  in  the 
army  of  his  country  for  six  months.  He  immigrated 
to  this  country  in  the  year  1878,  going  to  San  Fran- 
cisco, California,  thence  to  Monterey  county,  in  the 
same  state,  and  working  there  for  a  space  of  three 
years.  The  following  five  years  were  spent  in  Las- 
sen county,  at  various  occupations,  then  Mr.  Nelson 
removed  to  Reno,  Nevada,  in  which  he  lived  for  an 
additional  three  years.  Coming  to  Klickitat  county 
in  1889,  he  bought  part  of  his  present  land  from  the 
railroad  and  he  has  since  farmed  the  land  continu- 
ously, raising  grain  and  hay,  and  also  engaging  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


475 


the  cattle  business.  At  present  he  gives  special  at- 
tention to  the  Shorthorn  breeds.  Upon  his  place  is 
a  good,  modern  dwelling,  a  fine  orchard  of  apple, 
pear,  plum,  cherry  and  apricot  trees,  and  other  im- 
provements denoting  thrift  and  energy. 

Mr.  Nelson  has  been  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
being  Annie  Christisen,  whom  he  married  in  1892, 
and  who  died  on  the  8th  of  December,  1898,  leaving 
two  children,  Tena  and  Dora.  His  second  marriage 
took  place  July  9,  1900,  the  lady  being  Anna  Boy- 
son,  a  native  of  Denmark,  who  came  to  this  country 
at  an  early  age.  By  this  marriage,  Mr.  Nelson  also 
has  two  children :  Ernest  W.,  born  February  24, 
1901,  and  Elizabeth  M.,  April  28,  1903.  Mrs.  Nel- 
son's father,  Christensen  Boyson,  is  a  business  man 
in  her  native  country,  where  Mr.  Nelson  has  two 
sisters,  Sine  and  Stine.  Fraternally,  our  subject  is 
connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  to  him  belongs  the  distinction  of  being 
past  grand  master  of  Bickleton  lodge  No.  in.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen,  and  belongs  to  the  Lutheran  church,  but 
there  being  no  congregation  of  his  denomination  in 
the  neighborhood,  he  lends  his  support  to  other 
churches.  In  politics,  he  is  an  active  Republican, 
frequently  attending  caucuses  and  convention.  He 
is  greatly  interested  in  furthering  the  educational 
facilities  of  the  locality,  and  is  in  all  respects  public- 
spirited,  meriting  the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  fel- 
low citizens. 


ISAIAH  CAMPBELL  is  a  Klickitat  county 
ranchman  living  two  miles  north  and  two  east  of 
Bickleton  on  a  farm  of  four  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  fertile  land.  He  is  a  native  of  the  Quaker 
state,  born  in  Butler  county  in  1848.  His  father, 
James  Campbell,  was  also  a  farmer  and  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent  most  of  his  lifetime 
and  where  he  died  in  1893.  He  was  of  Scotch  de- 
scent. The  grandfather  of  our  subject,  Joseph 
Campbell,  was  with  Commodore  Oliver  H.  Perry, 
during  the  maneuvers  on  Lake  Erie,  and  his  great- 
grandfather was  one  of  the  soldiers  who  served  with 
General  Washington  during  the  desolate  winter  of 
1777  at  Valley  Forge.  His  mother,  Elizabeth 
(Lykins)  Campbell,  was  of  German  descent,  but 
was  brought  up  and  married  in  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  died  there  when  Isaiah  was  a  boy. 
Our  subject  acquired  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  Keystone  state,  and  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  eighteen,  remained  at  home,  assisting 
his  father  on  the  farm.  In  1S67  he  went  to  Mis- 
souri, where  for  the  ensuing  fourteen  and  a  half 
years  he  followed  farming  continuously.  In  the 
spring  of  1882  he  moved  to  California,  whence  a 
little  over  a  year  later  he  came  to  Klickitat  county. 
Upon  arrival  he  immediately  took  up  a  homestead 
and  a  timber  culture  claim,  and  to  cultivation  and 
improvement  of  this  land  he  has  devoted  his  time 
and  energies  ever  since.     He  now  owns  four  hun- 


dred and  eighty  acres,  most  of  it  in  excellent  culti- 
vation. A  successful  devotee  of  diversified  farming, 
he  not  only  raises  the  cereals  but  also  several  kinds 
of  live  stock,  especially  fine  Berkshire  hogs,  of  which 
he  has  ninety  head  at  present. 

In  Missouri,  on  the  25th  of  December,  1873,  Mr. 
Campbell  married  Mary  A.  Hill,  whose  father,  Am- 
brose B.  Hill,  a  Virginian,  was  a  millwright  and 
farmer.  When  a  young  boy,  he  had  gone  to  Mis- 
souri, and  there  married,  bringing  up  a  family  of 
thirteen  children.  He  died  in  1892.  His  wife,  Eliza- 
beth (Williams)  Hill,  mother  of  Mrs.  Campbell,  was 
a  native  of  Virginia  and  a  daughter  of  one  of  the 
early  pioneers  of  Missouri.  She  died  in  the  latter 
state.  Mrs.  Campbell  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1847 
and  was  reared  and  educated  there.  She  and  Mr. 
Campbell  are  parents  of  four  children,  namely  :  Alex- 
ander C.,-bom  in  Missouri  September  22,  1874,  liv- 
ing in  Yakima  county  ;  Mrs.  Janella  V.  Collins,  now 
on  her  homestead  adjoining  her  father's  farm;  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  E.  Smith,  born  February  12,  1880,  resid- 
ing in  the  Glade,  Yakima  county,  and  Jessie  D.,  born 
in  Washington  September  2,  1886,  living  with  her 
parents.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of  the  Mission- 
ary Baptist  church.  A  man  of  strict  integrity,  he 
enjoys  a  very  enviable  standing  in  his  community, 
the  fullest  confidence  of  all  his  neighbors  being  his. 


WALTER  BAKER,  proprietor  of  a  harness 
store  at  Bickleton,  was  born  in  Davisville,  Yolo 
county,  California,  August  24,  1876.  His  father, 
John  Baker,  is  a  tinsmith  by  trade,  but  also  fol- 
lows the  occupation  of  a  farmer.  He  was  born 
in  England,  in  1847,  and  when  eight  years  old 
immigrated  to  the  United  States,  settling  in  New 
York.  His  father,  grandfather  of  our  subject, 
came  to  this  country  with  him,  and  died  two 
years  after  his  arrival.  John  Baker  grew  up  in 
the  east  and  moved  to  Colorado  in  1873,  going 
thence  two  years  later  to  California.  He  came 
overland  to  Klickitat  county  in  1879,  ar>d  settled 
on  his  present  place,  which  he  has  improved  ex- 
tensively, giving  his  attention  to  the  related  pur- 
suits of  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  was  the 
first  man  to  experiment  in  fruit  raising  in  this 
locality,  and  soon  had  a  large  orchard.  It  is 
worthy  of  mention  that  some  of  the  peach  trees 
that  he  set  out  over  twenty  years  ago  are  still 
alive.  His  wife,  Mary  (Burner)  Baker,  is  of 
the  old  Holland  Dutch  stock  that  settled  in  New 
York  in  the  early  days,  and  she  is  a  native  of  the 
Empire  state,  born  in  1850.  Her  paternal  grand- 
father fought  in  the  War  of  1812  and  lost  his  life 
in  that  struggle.  Walter  Baker  came  to  Klicki- 
tat county  with  his  parents  when  three  years  of 
age,  and  attended  the  local  public  schools,  going 
later  to  .the  Portland  Academy,  at  Portland,  Ore- 
gon, where  he  took  a  two  years'  course,  working 
for  his  tuition  before  and  after  school  hours.  At 
the  time  of  the  first  gold  excitement  in  Alaska 


476 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


he  went  there  and  for  a  while  he  freighted  over 
the  White  Pass,  from  Skagway  to  Lake  Bennett, 
at  the  same  time  prospecting  some.  Returning 
to  Bickleton,  after  some  experiences  that  taught 
him  the  delusions  of  the  Alaskan  country,  he 
soon  went  thence  to  Portland  and  started  to 
learn  the  blacksmith's  trade,  but  gave  it  up  and 
returned  home  once  more.  Purchasing  some  tim- 
ber land,  he  then  engaged  in  cutting  wood.  Dur- 
ing this  stay  at  home  he  tried  his  hand  at  making 
a  set  of  harness  for  his  farm  and  so  well  did  he 
succeed  that  he  resolved  to  learn  the  harness 
maker's  trade.  Again  he  went  to  Portland,  this 
time  to  serve  a  three  years'  apprenticeship  with 
the  firm  of  George  Lawrence  &  Company, 
wholesale  harness  and  saddle  makers.  Having 
thoroughly  learned  the  trade,  he  returned  to 
Bickleton,  bought  and  enlarged  a  harness  shop, 
replenished  the  stock  and  began  operations. 
This  was  in  February,  1903.  He  is  still  in  the 
harness  business  and  meeting  with  a  success 
which  justifies  abundantly  his  choice  of  a  handi- 
craft. He  is  a  first-class  workman,  the  best  the 
town  ever  had,  and  carries  a  stock  which  is  a 
credit  to  so  small  a  town. 

At  Portland,  November  23,  1899,  ^r-  Baker 
married  Matilda  Kanne.  a  native  of  Waterville, 
Minnesota.  She  came  to  Oregon  with  her  father, 
August  Kanne,  and  mother.  Wilhelmina  (Rose- 
nan)  Kanne,  in  1888.  Her  father,  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  in  1844,  came  to  this  country 
when  thirteen  years  old,  and  now  lives  at  Port- 
land, as  does  also  her  mother,  who  is  likewise 
of  German  birth.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baker  have  one 
daughter,  Margaret,  born  March  20,  1902.  Mr. 
Baker  has  one  brother.  Ralph  E.,  living  with  his 
father,  and  a  married  sister,  Mrs.  Ella  Mitty,  also 
a  resident  of  Bickleton.  Mr.  Baker  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Prohibitionist. 


OXNA  J.  WOMMACK,  of  the  firm  of  Worn- 
mack  &  Richardson,  blacksmiths.  Bickleton,  was 
born  in  Greene  county.  Illinois,  April  26,  1875. 
His  father  is  William  Streetman  Wommack,  a 
farmer  and  merchant,  and  a  native  of  Illinois. 
He  removed  to  Klickitat  county  in  1883,  settled 
near  Bickleton  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising.  At  present  he  is  residing  at  Mabton. 
During  the  Civil  war  he  served  three  years  with 
the  Illinois  volunteers.  Our  subject's  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Matilda  Renner,  was 
of  German  parentage,  but  a  native  of  Illinois. 
She  died  in  1899  at  the  age  of  sixty-seven.  Mr. 
Wommack,  of  this  review,  came  west  with  his 
parents  when  eight  years  old,  and  grew  up  in 
the  country,  working  with  his  father  and  attend- 
ing the  public  schools  of  the  state  when  possible. 
At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  started  out  to  make  his 


own  living,  and  for  some  time  he  was  employed 
as  a  sheep  shearer,  and  in  general  work.  In  due 
time  lie  engaged  in  tanning,  at  which  he  con- 
tinued for  several  years.  During  this  period  he 
hied  on  some  lana  in  Vakima  county,  just  over 
the  line  from  Bickleton,  and  to  the  improvement 
and  cultivation  of  this  property  he  has  given 
much  attention  since.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a 
blacksmith  in  the  shop  of  McClain  &  Flower, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1903,  he,  with  his  present  part- 
ner, bought  out  this  firm,  and  began  building  up 
tneir  present  extensive  blacksmithing  business. 

On  the  22d  of  October,  1899,  in  Yakima  coun- 
ty, Mr.  Wommack  married  Lucy  M.  Miller,  a 
native  of  Switzerland,  who  came  to  this  country 
with  her  parents  in  1891.  Her  father,  Christian, 
a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  her  mother,  Matilda, 
are  still  living.  Mr.  Wommack  has  brothers  and 
sisters  as  follows:  Cyrus  O.,  living  at  Mabton; 
Mrs.  Tillie  Smith,  living  in  Klickitat  county; 
William,  a  Yakima  county  farmer,  and  Mrs. 
Hattie  B.  Shattuck,  a  resident  of  the  Glade  dis- 
trict of  Yakima  count)'.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Wom- 
mack have  two  children :  Virgie,  born  July  17, 
1900,  and  Ethel,  March  18,  1902.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Wommack  is  affiliated  with  Bickleton  Camp 
No.  6,249,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and 
Simcoe  Lodge  No.  113,  Knights  of  Pythias.  In 
politics  he  is  a  Republican.  Besides  his  shop, 
with  house  and  lots  in  town,  he  owns  a  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acre  ranch  in  the  Glade  dis- 
trict of  Yakima  county. 


JAMES  C.  RICHARDSON,  a  partner  in  the 
blacksmithing  business  of  Wommack  &  Richard- 
son, a  firm  engaged  in  business  at  Bickleton,  was 
born  May  27,  1872,  on  his  father's  ranch,  about 
four  miles  south  and  one  mile  east  of  the  city 
of  Goldendale,  Washington.  His  father,  Jesse 
H.  Richardson,  a  farmer  and  stockman,  was  born 
in  Ohio,  in  1829,  his  parents  being  pioneers  of 
that  state  and  also  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  to 
which  they  later  removed.  He  crossed  the 
Plains  in  1871,  settling  near  the  location  of  the 
present  city  of  Goldendale,  and  taking  up  land 
in  that  locality.  At  that  time  the  district  was 
nothing  but  a  wild  stock  country  and  the  Indians 
were  quite  troublesome :  in  fact,  he  had  several 
skirmishes  with  them  during  the  first  years  of 
his  residence  there.  He  has  since  continued  to 
farm  and  raise  stock,  and  now  lives  about  a  mile 
from  the  city.  Lydia  J.  (Groves)  Richardson, 
mother  of  our  subject,  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio, 
born  in  1836.  She  crossed  the  Plains  with  her 
husband,  with  whom  she  still  lives.  James  C, 
of  this  review,  was  born  on  the  claim  his  father 
first  took  up,  and  worked  on  the  farm  while 
young,  at  the  same  time  attending  school  at 
Goldendale.  After  leaving  school  he  rode  the 
range   for   several   years   and   then   took   up   the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


477 


barber's  trade  for  a  period  of  two  years,  but  not 
finding  this  employment  congenial,  he  engaged 
in  driving  stage  from  Bickleton  to  Arlington. 
After  a  year  at  this,  he  decided  to  learn  the  black- 
smith's trade  and  accordingly,  in  1895,  entered 
the  shop  of  James  C.  Sigler,  at  Bickleton.  After 
spending  eighteen  months  with  him,  he  went  to 
Goldendale,  and  put  in  four  years  there  at  his 
trade,  also  working  a  year  at  North  Yakima.  He 
returned  to  Bickleton  in  1901,  and  resumed  work 
at  his  trade  there  in  1903,  buying  in  with  Mr. 
Wommack  and  forming  the  present  firm  of  Wom- 
mack  &  Richardson.  This  firm  is  the  successor 
of  McClain  &  Flower. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Maud  Watson  at  Goldendale,  February  28,  1897. 
She  is  a  native  of  California,  born  in  1878,  the 
daughter  of  Robert  Watson,  one  of  the  early 
California  settlers,  now  a  North  Yakima  farmer. 
He  is  still  living,  as  is  also  her  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Ferguson.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Richardson  have  one  child,  Lavern,  born  May 
27,  1903.  Mr.  Richardson  has  a  number  of  broth- 
ers and  sisters  living:  Jacob,  a  government  sur- 
veyor, living  near  Goldendale;  Mrs.  Katie  Lacey, 
also  living  near  Goldendale;  Jesse  and  Lyman, 
both  residents  of  Klickitat  county,  the  latter  be- 
ing a  blacksmith  at  Goldendale;  David,  a  Bickle- 
ton farmer;  Lewis,  a  blacksmith  at  The  Dalles, 
Oregon ;  Sarah  Pearl,  living  at  home.  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican  and  he  takes  an  active 
interest  in  all  matters  of  public  concern.  A  young 
man  of  industry  and  intelligence,  he  certainly  has  a 
bright  and  promising  future. 


HENRY  GOLAY,  a  farmer  and  stockman, 
living  half  a  mile  south  of  Blue  Light  postofhce, 
is  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  in  1862.  His 
father,  Henry  Golay,  a  Swiss  watchmaker,  passed 
most  of  his  life  in  his  native  land  in  the  pur- 
suit of  his  trade,  and  died  there  in  1901.  His 
mother,  Clara  Golay,  who  was  also  of  Swiss 
birth,  died  when  Henry  was  two  years  old.  Our 
subject  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  land  and  in  the  college  of  Brassus. 
Upon  completing  his  education,  he  started  to 
learn  watchmaking,  but  he  did  not  serve  out  a 
full  apprenticeship,  though  he  remained  at  the 
trade  three  years.  April  2,  1884,  he  left  for  the 
United  States,  and  the  same  spring  he  reached 
Washington  territory  and  took  up  a  pre-emption 
and  a  timber  culture  claim  in  Yakima  county.  This 
land  was  his  home  for  a  number  of  years,  but  he 
eventually  sold  his  improvements  to  Charles  Ber- 
ney,  and  bought  a  place  south  of  T.  Beckner's 
farm.  Two  years  were  spent  on  this  place  in  the 
business  of  stock  raising,  then  two  years  on  the 
Naches,  above  North   Yakima,  after  which   Mr. 


Golay  moved  around  considerably,  spending  a 
summer  in  Walla  Walla  and  short  periods  in  the 
Palouse  country,  Weston,  Oregon  and  the  Nez 
Perce  country  in  Idaho.  Returning  to  Klickitat 
county  in  1893,  he  took  a  homestead  claim,  and 
upon  it  he  lived  until  the  spring  of  1903,  when 
he  purchased  his  present  place,  consisting  of 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  most  of  which 
is  in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation.  A  believer 
in  diversified  farming,  he  keeps  stock  of  various 
kinds,  and  divides  his  attention  between  that 
and  agriculture  proper.  Mr.  Golay  has  two  mar- 
ried sisters,  Mrs.  Julia  Droz,  in  her  native  land, 
and  Mrs.  Mary  Crook,  in  London,  England;  two 
brothers,  Jules  and  Paul,  both  railroad  engineers 
in  Switzerland,  and  two  unmarried  sisters, 
Frances  and  Emma,  at  the  family  home  in  the 
northern  part  of  Switzerland.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Golay  is  a  Republican,  actively  interested  in  local 
affairs.  An  agreeable,  approachable  gentleman, 
he  makes  friends  of  all  who  become  acquainted 
with  him,  while  his  integrity  and  square  dealing 
have  won  him  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
neighbors  and  associates. 


JULES  MARTINET,  a  farmer  at  Blue  Light 
postoffice  in  Klickitat  county,  was  born  in  Switzer- 
land on  the  22nd  of  March,  1861,  the  son  of  Jules 
and  Julie  (Addor)  Martinet.  His  father  is  a  native 
of  Switzerland,  where  he  still  lives.  His  mother, 
born  and  married  in  Switzerland,  was  the  mother  of 
nine  children ;  she  passed  away  in  her  forty-fourth 
year.  Mr.  Martinet  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  country,  and  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, then  took  up  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  and 
followed  it  for  one  year.  For  the  next  six  years,  he 
followed  stage  driving  as  a  means  of  gaining  a  live- 
lihood. In  the  spring  of  1885,  he  emigrated  to  this 
country,  settled  in  Klickitat  county  and  took  up  a 
pre-emption  claim,  upon  which  he  lived  for  six 
months ;  then  he  filed  on  a  homestead,  and  upon  it 
the  next  seven  years  were  spent,  his  time  during  thi* 
period  being  given  to  placing  his  land  under  culti- 
vation and  to  raising  stock  on  the  ranges.  In  1893. 
he  bought  a  place  a  mile  southeast  of  Blue  Light, 
upon  which  in  1903  he  seeded  three  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  wheat,  obtaining  a  good  crop.  His 
farm  contains  one  of  the  best  springs  in  the  county, 
affording  him  an  unlimited  supply  of  excellent 
water. 

Mr.  Martinet  was  married  in  Walla  Walla  in  the 
early  part  of  1898,  the  lady  being  Miss  Fannie  Des- 
ponds. Her  father,  Frank  Desponds,  was  of  Swiss 
parentage  and  a  farmer  :  he  died  in  May,  1901.  Her 
mother,  Sophie  (Berger)  Desponds  was  also  of 
Swiss  extraction;  she  died  when  Mrs.  Martinet  was 
a  small  child.  Mrs.  Martinet  was  brought  up  in 
Switzerland,  and  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  that  country,  coming  to  America  and  settling  in 


478 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Walla  Walla  in  February,  1898.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Martinet  have  had  three  children :  Alice,  born  Octo- 
ber 31,  1898;  Mary,  on  the  21st  of  December,  1901, 
and  Albert  June  14,  1902.  The  two  last  mentioned 
died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Martinet  is  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  Switzerland,  and  in  politics  he  adheres 
to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
always  taken  an  active  interest  in  educational  mat- 
ters and  has  filled  the  office  of  school  director  in  his 
home  district  for  one  term.  He  is  a  respected  mem- 
ber of  the  community,  popular  with  all  classes. 


FRANCIS  W.  SANDERS,  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous farmers  of  Klickitat  county,  lives  a  mile  south- 
east of  Blue  Light  postoffice,  and  seven  miles  east 
of  Bickleton,  on  a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  tillable  land.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
December  14,  i860.  His  father,  Joseph  Sanders,  a 
shoemaker  and  farmer,  was  brought  up  and  mar- 
ried in  England,  came  to  this  country  in  1854,  and 
settled  in  New  York,  where  he  remained  eighteen 
months.  He  then  removed  to  Ohio,  and  from  there 
to  Illinois,  spending  two  years  in  the  latter  state, 
then  going  to  Minnesota  in  the  fall  of  1857.  He 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  state,  and  for  over 
twenty-five  years  made  his  home  there.  He  died  in 
1901  in  Cleveland,  Washington,  to  which  town  he 
had  moved  from  Minnesota  in  the  fall  of  1884.  His 
wife,  Ellen  (Lymer)  Sanders,  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, was  also  born  in  England.  She  died  at  Cleve- 
land in  1 89 1,  after  having  become  the  mother  of 
five  children.  The  subject  of  this  review  received 
his  early  education  in  the  schools  of  Illinois  and 
Lyon  county,  Minnesota.  Starting  at  the  age  of 
thirteen,  he  served  a  seven  years'  apprenticeship  in 
the  brick  layer's  trade,  spending  the  winter  months 
of  this  period  with  his  father,  assisting  him  with  the 
work  on  the  farm.  Coming  to  Washington  at  the 
age  of  twenty-three,  he  soon  after  filed  on  a  home- 
stead in  Klickitat  county.  This  was  his  home  for 
the  ensuing  five  years,  and  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing were  his  principal  business,  although  he  was 
absent  from  his  place  quite  frequently  brick  laying 
in  Goldendale,  Portland,  Heppner,  Hillsboro  and 
other  places.  In  1890  he  sold  his  homestead,  moved 
to  Cleveland,  purchased  a  farm  there,  and  again  en- 
gaged in  agriculture  and  stock  raising.  He  also 
hought  and  operated  a  wood  saw.  In  February, 
1899,  after  a  residence  of  nine  years  at  Cleveland, 
he  moved  to  his  present  location  near  Blue  Light. 
He  has  been  running  a  threshing  machine  in  this 
district  for  a  number  of  years. 

In  Minnesota,  in  1880,  Mr.  Sanders  married 
Annie  McCormick,  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret 
(Comer)  McCormick.  "Her  father,  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, was  raised  in  Ireland,  but  came  to  this 
country  in  1835,  settling  at  Boston,  Massachusetts. 
Five  years  later  he  moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  he  died 
in  Dakota  in  1897.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Mrs. 
Sanders,  was  born  in  Canada  in  1824.     She  is  still 


living,  a  resident  of  Marshall,  Minnesota.  Mrs. 
Sanders  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  in  1861,  and 
educated  in  the  schools  of  her  native  state  and  of 
Minnesota.  She  and  Mr.  Sanders  are  parents  of 
six  children,  namely:  Mrs.  Ellen  Cunningham, 
born  in  Minnesota,  February  6,  1881  ;  George,  De- 
cember 6,  1884;  Maggie,  October  18,  1892;  John, 
August  28,  1893;  Bessie,  January  28,  1895,  and 
Francis,  June  6,  1897,  all  at  home  except  the  first. 
Mr.  Sanders  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Yoemen ;  in  religion  he  is  a  strict  Catholic, 
and  in  politics,  an  active  Republican.  He  was  deputy 
treasurer  of  Klickitat  county  for  two  years  under 
Charles  Morris,  and  deputy  collector  of  delinquent 
taxes  for  another  two  years'  term,  serving  under 
A.  C.  Chatman.  He  also  served  as  a  deputy  under 
Sheriff  Stimpson.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  board  for  the  last  twelve  years,  and  for  six 
years  was  a  constable  in  his  district.  He  has  two 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  his  farm  under  cultiva- 
tion. A  man  of  energy,  public  spirit  and  strict  in- 
tegrity, he  holds  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  and  con- 
fidence of  the  community  in  which  he  lives. 


ALFRED  BYZE,  a  resident  of  Klickitat  county 
for  the  past  twenty  years,  is  a  well-known  citizen 
living  near  Blue  Light  postoffice  and  following  the 
vocation  of  a  farmer.  He  was  born  in  Illinois, 
.March  18,  1857,  the  only  son  of  John  and  Jeanette 
(Teripod)  Byze,  his  parents  both  being  of  Swiss 
descent.  He  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Alphoncine  Begue- 
lin.  In  the  early  forties  the  family  immigrated  to 
this  country  and  settled  in  the  northern  part  of 
Illinois,  where  for  a  number  of  years  they  devoted 
diemselves  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Unfortunately, 
when  our  subject  was  an  infant,  his  mother  was 
left  to  fight  the  battle  of  life  alone.  She  and  her 
child  took  up  their  abode  with  a  near-by  neighbor, 
John  Charles,  who  adopted  the  boy  and  gave  him 
a  home,  allowing  him  the  advantages  of  the  village 
school.  On  attaining  his  majority,  he  left  his  mother 
and  adopted  father  and  journeyed  to  Texas,  where 
he  rented  a  farm  and  for  the  space  of  a  year  devoted 
his  time  principally  to  raising  corn  and  cotton.  In 
the  fall  of  1878,  he  returned  for  a  visit  with  his 
people  in  Illinois,  and  the  following  summer  he 
started  west,  finally  halting  in  Oregon.  That  same 
fall,  however,  he  moved  northward  to  Walla  Walla, 
Washington,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  town  he  was 
engaged  in  various  lines  of  business  until  1884. 
During  this  time  he  was  employed  by  Dr.  Blalock 
and  others.  Early  in  January,  1884,  he  came  first 
to  Klickitat  county  and  immediately  filed  on  a  home- 
stead and  timber  culture  claim,  doina:  the  necessary 
preliminary  work  for  making  it  his  home.  Return- 
ing then  to  Walla  Walla,  he  spent  the  better  part 
of  the  next  four  years,  making  frequent  trips  to  his 
homestead,  however,  and  doing  as  much  improve- 
ment work  as  he  could.  In  i88q,  he  established  his 
residence  permanently  on  his  Klickitat  homestead, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


479 


where  he  has  ever  since  resided,  placing  over  two 
hundred  acres  of  land  under  cultivation,  making  ex- 
tensive improvements,  setting  out  an  orchard,  etc. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Byze  has  always  been  a  Republican. 
A  public-spirited  man,  he  has  devoted  a  good  part 
of  his  available  time  to  works  of  general  concern, 
serving  as  road  supervisor  of  his  district  for  the 
term  of  four  years,  also  as  one  of  the  members 
of  the  school  board  for  District  sixty-seven,  which 
position  he  is  capably  filling  at  the  present  time. 
Mr.  Byze  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  his  neigh- 
bors, who  have  great  respect  for  his  industry  and 
integrity. 

JOSIAH  SMITH,  residing  near  Blue  Light 
postofficc,  has  spent  the  past  twenty-three  years  in 
farming-  in  Klickitat  county.  He  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  born  in  the  year  1857.  His  father,  James  H. 
Smith,  was  a  Pennsylvanian,  who  moved  to  Ohio 
when  a  small  boy,  and  there,  at  the  age  of  twenty - 
four,  was  married  to  Mary  E.  Tribby.  The  parents 
of  our  subject  removed  to  Nebraska  in  1862,  where 
they  lived  for  four  years.  They  then  sought  the 
milder  climate  of  California,  driving  across  the 
Plains  in  company  with  several  families  of  settlers 
and  finally  making  their  home  in  the  eastern  part 
of  Lake  county,  where  Mr.  Smith  is  still  living. 
His  wife  passed  away  after  having  spent  a  twelve- 
month in  their  new  home.  The  subject  of  this  re- 
view received  his  education  in  public  schools  of  Cali- 
fornia, and  at  the  age  of- nineteen  took  up  farming 
on  his  own  account,  having  rented  a  desirable  place 
near  his  father's  home.  This  occupation  he  fol- 
lowed for  two  years,  after  which  he  was  engaged  for 
twelve  months  in  other  pursuits.  In  the  summer  of 
1880,  he  moved  northward  to  Oregon,  going  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  to  Bickleton,  Klickitat  county, 
Washington,  where  he  spent  the  ensuing  winter. 
Next  winter  he  took  a  pre-emption  claim,  which 
he  sold  later,  having  proved  up  on  it.  In  the  spring 
of  1883,  he  filed  on  a  homestead  and  a  timber  culture 
claim,  and  he  has  ever  since  been  continually  im- 
proving the  property  to  which  he  thus  obtained 
title.  At  this  writing,  he  has  placed  more  than  two- 
thirds  of  the  land  under  cultivation. 

In  1885,  Mr.  Smith  married  Tillie  Wommack, 
also  of  Klickitat  county.  Her  father,  William  F. 
Wommack.  was  brought  up  in  Illinois,  but  later 
moved  to  Kansas,  and  soent  four  years  there ;  visit- 
ing then  Colorado,  Utah,  Idaho  and  Oregon,  and 
eventually  coming  to  Bickleton  in  the  fall  of  1882. 
He  is  at  present  living  at  Mabton,  Washington.  The 
mother  of  Mrs.  Smith  was  Matilda  (Renner)  Wom- 
mack, an  estimable  woman,  born  in  Missouri.  She 
was  married  in  Illinois  and  accompanied  her  hus- 
band on  his  travels  until  they  finally  settled  in  Yak- 
ima county,  Washington,  where  she  died.  Mrs. 
Smith  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1869,  and  in  that  state 
and  Washington  territory  she  received  her  educa- 
tional discipline.     She  was  married  at  the  age  of 


sixteen,  and  to  her  union  with  Mr.  Smith  have  been 
born  six  children,  namely:  Elnora,  May  7,  1887; 
Cyrus,  on  St.  Patrick's  Day,  two  years  later ;  Wom- 
mack, on  the  14th  of  June,  1892,  deceased  April  19, 
1904;  Onna,  on  the  10th  of  December,  1894;  Frank, 
December  30,  1896,  and  Clyde,  July  20,  1902.  All 
the  children  were  born  at  the  family  homestead  in 
Klickitat  county.  In  politics,  Mr.  Smith  is  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  affairs 
of  public  concern,  both  local  and  national,  and  in 
all  the  relations  of  life  he  has,  proved  himself  a 
man  of  uprightness  and  principle. 


ELISHA  S.  CARRELL,  one  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  of  Klickitat  county,  living  in  the  city  of 
Bickleton,  was  born  in  Iowa,  February  8,  1849,  tne 
son  of  John  and  Margaret  (Smith)  Carrell.  His 
father,  a  farmer,  was  raised  in  Tennessee,  but  moved 
to  Missouri  in  the  early  forties,  staying  there  a  few 
years  and  then  going  to  Iowa,  where  he  opened  up 
a  number  of  different  farms.  In  1857,  he  again 
moved,  going  to  Nebraska,  where  he  acquired  pos- 
session of  fourteen  hundred  acres  of  fine  farming 
land.  At  this  time  the  Indians  thereabouts  were 
very  troublesome,  and  the  settlers  were  frequently 
constrained  to  band  together  for  mutual  protection, 
but  Mr.  Carrell  fortunately  came  out  unscathed  from 
his  numerous  encounters  with  them  and  lived  to  a 
good  old  age.  He  passed  away  in  1901.  Margaret, 
the  mother  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Michigan, 
but  removed  with  her  people  to  Missouri  when  still 
a  young  girl  and  was  educated  in  the  schools  there. 
She  married  at  eighteen.  She  is  still  living  in 
Nebraska,  though  she  has  reached  her  seventy-fifth 
year.  Elisha  S.  Carrell  received  his  educational 
training  in  the  public  schools  of  Nebraska.  When 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  took  a  trip  south,  visit- 
ing New  Orleans  and  other  points  of  interest.  Upon 
his  return  home,  he  engaged  in  farming,  his  father 
having  given  him  a  place  near  the  parental  home. 
Three  years  later  he  made  a  trip  to  Texas,  where  he 
remained  for  a  snace  of  twelve  months,  returning 
home  then  and  staying  there  until  1897,  when  he 
came  to  Bickleton.  Here  he  purchased  his  present 
home,  consisting  of  five  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  of  which  are  under  cultivation, 
and  one  hundred  and  sixty  of  which  are  heavily  tim- 
bered. He  also  filed  on  a  homestead  early  in  March 
last  year,  where  he  expects  to  lake  his  family  the 
coming  spring. 

Mr.  Carrell  has  been  twice  married.  His  first 
wife  was  Mary  Foster,  a  native  of  Nebraska,  daugh- 
ter of  James  O.  and  Jane  (Cobble)  Foster.  Her 
father,  a  native  of  Indiana;  was  a  mechanic  and  a 
veteran  of  the  Mexican  and  Civil  wars.  She  was 
educated  in  Nebraska,  and  in  that  state  she  died  in 
1885,  leaving  three  children :  Orris  O.,  John  and  Mrs. 
Edna  Shadduck.  The  lady  who  became  Mr.  Carrell's 
second  wife  was  Olive,  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah 
(Rakes)    Walton,  burn    in    Virginia,  October  25, 


48o 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1867.  She  moved  to  Nebraska  when  eight  years 
old,  and  there  received  her  education.  She  was  mar- 
ried when  only  eighteen  years  of  age  and  is  now  the 
mother  of  seven  children,  four  boys  and  three  girls : 
Ralph  and  Harry,  born  in  Nebraska ;  Joy  and  Clar- 
ence, in  Bickleton,  the  former  December  24,  1902; 
Ella  and  Gracie,  born  in  Nebraska,  and  Margie  at 
Bickleton,  on  the  2d  of  December,  1899.  All  the 
children  are  still  living.  Mr.  Carrell  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church  and  in  politics  an  active 
Democrat,  quite  deeply  interested  in  local  politics. 
As  a  man  and  citizen  he  stands  high  in  his  com- 
munity. 


ISAIAH  F.  WOOD,  living  a  few  miles  south- 
east of  Blue  Light  postoftice,  in  Klickitat  county,  is 
a  prosperous  young  farmer,  twenty-eight  years  of 
age.  a  native  of  the  state  of  Nebraska.  His  fatlTer, 
Wiley  Wood,  was  raised  in  Colorado,  but  when 
still  a  young  man  removed  to  Xebraska,  where  he 
followed  farming  as  his  principal  occupation,  al- 
though by  trade  he  was  a  mason.  He  is  still  living 
in  the  northern  part  of  that  state.  Our  subject's 
mother,  Mary  (Pifer)  Wood,  a  native  of  Ohio,  died 
in  Nebraska  when  Isaiah  was  only  thirteen  years 
old.  The  subject  of  this  article  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Nebraska,  then 
worked  for  a  time  as  a  farm  hand  there,  but  when 
still  quite  young  he  removed  to  Washington,  locat- 
ing in  Klickitat  county,  where,  for  a  year  or  so,  he 
followed  various  occupations,  part  of  the  time  being 
employed  by  Hans  Tranberg.  In  the  spring  of  1899, 
he  filed  on  a  homestead  three  miles  southeast  of 
Blue  Light  postofnce,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home,  devoting  his  time  to  the  cultivation  and  im- 
provement of  his  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  fine 
farming  land.  He  is  one  of  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren, all  of  whom  are  still  alive.  His  sisters,  Mrs. 
Ida  Campbell,  Mrs.  Ella  Campbell,  and  Mrs.  Dosha 
Carrell,  Mary.  Eva,  Rose  and  Dovie,  and  his  broth- 
ers, Edgar  and  Samuel,  reside  in  Nebraska.  He  has 
one  brother,  William,  living  near  him  in  Klickitat 
county,  and  one,  Clarence  B.,  at  Kennewick,  Wash- 
ington. In  political  affairs,  Mr.  Wood  takes  great 
interest,  being  an  active  worker  in  the  Republican 
party.  To  get  a  start  financially  has  cost  him  a 
struggle,  as  it  does  almost  all  young  men.  but  he  is 
industrious  and  thrifty  and  possessed  of  qualities 
which  win  him  esteem  and  respect,  and  a  promising 
future  is  his. 


EDGAR  J.  MOREHEAD.  one  of  the  energetic 
young  agriculturists  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  in 
the  rich  Bickleton  wheat  country,  seven  miles  north- 
east of  the  town  of  Bickleton.  Like  many  other  men 
who  are  contributing  to  the  development  of  the 
West,  he  was  born  in  Iowa,  the  year  of  his  advent 
upon  the  stage  of  life  being  1876.  His  father, 
James  H.  Morehead,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 


from  which  state  he  removed  to  Iowa  in  1856.  For 
twenty-nine  years,  he  farmed  in  that  state,  but  in 
1885  he  decided  to  try  the  West,  so  came  to  Klick- 
itat county  and  settled  on  a  homestead.  He  was 
thereafter  numbered  among  the  devotees  of  agricul- 
ture in  the  country  until  1901,  when  he  passed 
away.  Mary  (Palmer)  Morehead,  mother  of  our 
subject,  is  likewise  a  native  of  the  Keystone  state. 
She  shared  the  vicissitudes  of  farm  life  in  Iowa  and 
later  in  the  state  of  Washington,  where  she  resided, 
her  home  being  in  Yakima  county  until  the  time  of 
her  death,  which  occurred  July  25th,  1904.  Mr. 
Morehead.  of  this  article,  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  Iowa,  having  reached  the  age  of  eleven  at  the 
time  his  parents  started  westward.  For  three  years 
afterhisarrivalhere.he  remained  under  the  parental 
roof ;  then  he  entered  the  service  of  John  Roberts  as 
a  sheep  herder.  Soon,  however,  he  returned  home, 
and  for  the  ensuing  year  he  worked  for  his  father, 
thereafter  engaging  in  herding  for  Dan  Hildreth. 
For  several  years  he  followed  the  vocation  of  sheep 
herding  principally,  working  for  Stagerman,  Cun- 
ningham, Stone  and  other  wool  growers,  and  a  part 
of  the  time  at  home.  After  his  father's  death,  in 
1901,  he  assumed  charge  of  the  parental  farm,  and 
he  has  devoted  himself  assiduously  to  its  culture 
and  improvement  since.  He  is  not  married.  His 
brothers  and  sisters  are :  Mrs.  Nancy  Ellis,  living 
in  North  Yakima;  John,  in  Wyoming;  Mell,  in  Ar- 
kansas ;  George,  at  The  Dalles ;  Milton,  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  country;  Leonard,  in  Klickitat  county,  and 
Mrs.  Laura  Van  Nostern,  at  Cleveland.  Mr.  More- 
head  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America.  He  is  one  of  the  thrifty  and  progressive 
citizens  of  the  county  and  possesses  a  congeniality 
of  disposition  and  an  integrity  of  character  which 
make  all  those  with  whom  he  is  associated  his 
friends. 

CONRAD  ECKHARDT  is  a  ranchman  of 
Klickitat  county,  owning  a  farm  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  cultivated_  land,  three  miles  east 
of  the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  was  born  in  Russia 
on  the  1st  of  September,  1865,  the  son  of  John  and 
Annie  (Schaefer)  Eckhardt.  His  father,  who  was 
also  of  Russian  parentage  and  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, died  in  his  native  land  in  1881,  and  his  mother, 
who  was  likewise  of  Russian  birth,  died  when  our 
subject  was  but  seven  years  old.  He  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  home  town.  Left  an  or- 
phan at  sixteen,  he  bej-an  then  the  struggle  for  life 
and  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-six  he  fol- 
lowed farming  at  various  places  near  his  old  home. 
In  1891,  he  put  into  execution  a  determination  to 
come  to  the  United  States.  Arriving  at  Baltimore,  he 
immediately  set  out  for  Hastings,  Nebraska,  where 
he  remained  for  the  ensuing  three  years.  April  1, 
1894,  he  removed  to  Klickitat  county,  and,  for  a 
year  after  his  arrival,  he  worked  for  Conrad  Schae- 
fer on  the  farm.     Purchasing  his  present  place  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


1894,  he  moved  his  family  there  the  following  year, 
and  there  he  has  since  lived,  engaged  in  stock  rais- 
ing and  farming.  He  brings  to  his  dual  occupation 
a  degree  of  energy  and  good  judgment  which  can- 
not fail  to  win  for  him  a  splendid  success. 

Mr.  Eckhardt  was  married  in  Russia  in  1888  to 
Anna_  Getz,  whose  father,  Hans  Jacob  Getz,  a  Rus- 
sian farmer,  died  just  previous  to  her  birth.  Her 
mother,  Barbara  (Schaefer)  Getz,  was  also  born  in 
Russia.  She  is  now  Mrs.  Hill,  of  Walla  Walla, 
Washington.  Mrs.  Eckhardt  was  born  in  1867  and 
was  educated  and  married  in  Russia,  the  latter  event 
taking  place  when  she  was  nineteen.  She  and  Mr. 
Eckhardt  have  had  nine  children:  Annie,  born  in 
the  old  country,  June  18,  1889;  Katie,  born  in  Alma, 
the  county  seat  of  Harlan  county,  Nebraska,  on  the 
first  of  November,  1891 ;  Emma,  born  in  Chester, 
Thayer  county,  Nebraska,  September  11,  1893; 
Clara,  Esther,  Liddie  and  Julia,  all  born  in  Klicki- 
tat county,  March  27,  1895,  May  28,  1899,  May  15, 
1901,  and  July  3,  1903,  respectively;  also  two  boys, 
one  born  December  17,  1896,  and  one  November 
28,  1897,  both  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Eck- 
hardt is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  po- 
litically he  favors  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party. 


JOSEPH  J.  HOOKER,  a  prosperous  Klickitat 
county  ranchman,  resides  on  his  farm  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  a  mile  south  of  Blue  Light 
postoffice.  He  is  a  native  of  Georgia,  born  in  Wayne 
county,  June  14,  1869.  His  father,  Thomas  H. 
Hooker,  a  native  of  Greene  county,  North  Carolina, 
was  a  sawmill  man  and  farmer.  He  removed  to 
Georgia  some  time  before  the  Civil  war,  and  he 
married  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life  there. 
He  was  of  English  descent.  His  wife,  whose  maid- 
en name  was  Delana  Harris,  was  born  in  Georgia 
and  passed  her  entire  life  within  the  confines  of  that 
commonwealth.  Joseph  Hooker,  of  this  review,  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
North  Carolina  and  Georgia.  At  the  age  of  fifteen, 
he  started  to  learn  the  engineer's  trade,  and  he 
worked  as  an  apprentice  in  North  Carolina  for  a 
period  of  four  years,  going  then  to  Brunswick, 
the  county  seat  of  Glynn  county,  Georgia,  to 
take  charge  of  an  engine  in  the  local  fire  de- 
partment. He  remained  there  two  years,  but 
in  1889  came  thence  to  Washington,  settled  near 
Cleveland  and  accepted  employment  from  Mr.  Shel- 
neck  in  the  sheep  business.  He  was  a  year  at  that, 
then  he  traveled  throughout  Oregon  and  Washing- 
ton, farming  in  most  of  the  wheat  sections  of  both 
states.  In  1899,  he  took  up  a  homestead  a  mile  south 
of  Blue  Light  postoffice,  and  upon  this  he  has  since 
lived,  except  when  the  need  of  a  good  school  for  the 
children  has  compelled  him  to  be  in  Cleveland. 

On  the  17th  of  December,  1899,  Mr.  Hooker 
married  Mrs.  Frank  Johnson,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Emma  Fletcher.    Her  father  still  lives  in  Iowa, 


at  Spirit  Lake.  She  was  born  in  that  state  in  1867, 
was  educated  in  its  common  schools,  and  there  mar- 
ried Mr.  Johnson.  To  that  union,  four  children  were 
born,  of  whom  three  are  now  living,  namely  :  Frank, 
Charles  and  Blanche.  Mr.  Johnson  died  in  Klickitat 
county,  some  years  previous  to  her  second  marriage. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hooker  have  one  child,  John,  who 
was  born  in  Yakima  county,  October  19,  1901.  Mr. 
Hooker  fraternizes  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Democrat,  actively  interested  in  all 
campaigns,  local  and  national.  Besides  his  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  Klickitat  county  land, 
he  also  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  Yakima 
county.  He  is  an  enterprising  farmer,  and  success 
is  crowning  his  efforts,  while  by  uniform  fair  deal- 
ing he  has  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
neighbors. 


RASMUS  GOTFREDSON,  a  prosperous 
farmer  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  two  miles 
south  of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of  Denmark, 
born  on  Langeland  Island,  August  28,  185 1.  His 
father,  Gotfred  Petersen  Godfredson,  who  was 
likewise  a  Dane  and  a  farmer  by  occupation, 
passed  away  in  1900.  His  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Georgia  Fredrake,  was  also  born  in 
Denmark,  and  was  married  in  her  native  country, 
where  she  died  within  nine  days  after  the  demise 
of  her  husband,  at  the  age  of  eighty-nine  years. 
Rasmus  Gotfredson  received  his  education  in  the 
schools  of  his  native  land.  Upon  reaching  the  age 
of  fourteen,  he  left  home  and  for  six  years  there- 
after he  worked  for  various  farmers  in  Denmark. 
In  1 87 1,  shortly  after  he  had  passed  his  twentieth 
year,  he  came  to  the  United  States.  He  settled  first 
in  Kansas,  at  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  worked 
twelve  months  for  the  government;  then  removed 
to  Atchison,  in  the  same  state,  where  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  confectionery  business  for  a  period 
of  seven  mouths.  Going  then  to  Michigan,  he 
worked  in  a  logging  camp  there  until  the  spring 
of  1874,  when  he  came  west  to  California,  in  which 
state  he  was  employed  on  a  ranch  for  four  years. 
In  1878  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  and  took  up 
a  homestead  near  Bickleton,  upon  which  he  has 
made  his  home  ever  since.  He  also  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  railroad  land,  and  of  the 
half  section  he  has  succeeded  in  putting  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  acres  into  cultivation.  He 
keeps  considerable  stock. 

In  Arlington.  Oregon,  on  November  8,  1888, 
he  married  Lottie  Hull,  daughter  of  James  and 
Marv  A.  (Lewis)  Hull.  Her  father,  who  was  a 
native  of  Alabama,  and  by  occupation  a  merchant, 
died  three  months  before  she  was  bom.  Her 
mother,  also  a  native  of  Alabama,  in  which  state 
she  was  married,  now  resides  in  the  city  of  Mont- 
gomery. Mrs.  Gotfredson  was  born  in  Alabama, 
December  6,  1861,  and  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Montgomery,   also  graduating   in   a   music   course. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


She  is  an  accomplished  musician,  and  still  teaches 
the  art  some,  and  before  leaving  her  native  state 
taught  three  terms  of  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Got- 
fredson  have  Had  seven  children,  namely:  James, 
born  near  Bickleton,  March  27,  1890,  and  died 
May  31,  1903;  Charles,  born  in  Klickitat  county, 
April  10,  1891,  also  deceased,  passing  away  at  the 
age  of  five  months;  Georgia  M.,  in  Klickitat  coun- 
ty, June  23,  1892;  Harry,  born  April  4,  1894; 
Albert,  Lizzie  and  Gotfred,  born  in  Klickitat 
county,  on  October  4,  1896,  August  22,  1899,  and 
February  20,  1904,  respectively.  The  five  living 
children  are  all  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gotfred- 
son  are  both  members  of  the  lodge  of  Yeomen, 
and  the  former  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  A  com- 
petent, energetic  farmer,  a  good  citizen  and  an 
honorable  man,  he  is  highly  esteemed  and  re- 
spected by  his  neighbors  and  all  who  know  him. 


PETER  MATSEN,  a  prosperous  Klickitat 
county  ranchman,  resides  on  his  fine  six  hundred 
and  forty-acre  farm,  three  miles  north  and  two  miles 
east  of  the  town  of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of 
Denmark,  born  in  1849,  the  son  of  Mat  Jensen  Mat- 
sen,  who  was  born  in  Denmark  in  181 8,  and  who 
passed  the  whole  of  the  fifty-four  years  of  his  life 
there,  his  occupation  being  farming.  Ida  (Peters) 
Matsen,  mother  of  our  subject,  was  also  born  and 
brought  up  in  Denmark,  and  also  died  there. 
Mr.  Matsen,  of  this  review,  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  land.  He  remained 
at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  reached  the  age 
of  sixteen,  then,  his  father  having  passed  away, 
he  began  working  at  such  jobs  as  he  could  find. 
For  four  years  he  wrought  for  others,  then  he 
resolved  to  seek  larger  opportunities,  and  in  1871 
immigrated  to  America.  His  first  place  of  resi- 
dence was  in  New  Jersey.  After  a  year's  stay 
there  he  went  to  California,  and  engaged  in  min- 
ing for  a  time,  also  in  teaming  in  the  city  of  Oak- 
land and  other  places.  Six  months  were  spent  in 
the  quicksilver  mines,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Oakland,  where  the  ensuing  year  and  a  half  were 
passed.  He  then  betook  himself  to  the  moun- 
tainous district  of  Nevada,-  and  worked  as  a  woods- 
man for  eighteen  months.  Returning  to  Den- 
mark in  1875,  he  served  eighteen  months  in  the 
army,  as  required  by  law;  then  he  went  to  work 
in  a  gun  factory  in  Copenhagen,  a  line  of  employ- 
ment which  he  followed  continuously  for  fifteen 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1893  Mr.  Matsen  again  came 
to  this  country,  this  time  settling  in  Klickitat 
county  and  buying  a  half  section  of  land,  his  pres- 
ent place  of  abode.  A  year  later  he  filed  on  a 
homestead,  contiguous  to  his  half  section,  and 
upon  it  the  next  five  years  of  his  life  were  spent. 
In  the  meantime  he  purchased  an  additional  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  adjoining  his  other  land, 
thus  acquiring  a  splendid  farm  of  generous  propor- 


tions. By  industry  and  perseverance  he  has  reduced 
four  hundred  acres  of  it  to  a  state  of  cultivation,  the 
remainder  being  so  far  retained  as  a  pasture  for 
his  more  than  a  hundred  head  of  stock. 

Mr.  Matsen  has  been  twice  married,  his  first 
wife  being  Matilda  Johnson,  whom  he  wedded  in 
Denmark  in  1886.  This  lady  died  in  1899,  after 
having  borne  him  five  sons  and  one  daughter. 
His  second  marriage  was  solemnized  in  Klickitat 
county,  February  2,  1901,  the  lady  being  Anna 
Margaret  Stumer,  whose  father,  the  late  Claus 
Stumer,  was  a  German  shoemaker,  who  had  re- 
moved to  Denmark  when  twenty-four  and  had 
married  and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  there. 
Her  mother,  Julia  A.  (Hoch)  Stumer,  a  native  of 
Denmark,  died  in  1898,  leaving  three  children. 
The  present  Mrs.  Matsen  was  born  in  Denmark 
in  1870,  and  received  her  educational  discipline  in 
the  common  schools  of  that  land.  She  made  a 
trip  to  the  United  States  when  fifteen,  soon  re- 
turning, however,  but  in  1900  she  came  to  stay. 
Mr.  Matsen's  children  by  the  first  marriage  were 
the  following:  Edith,  born  June  14,  1888;  Albert, 
on  the  27th  of  January,  1890;  and  Edwin,  born 
September  24,  1893,  all  in  Denmark;  Alfred,  born 
September  13,  1894;  Robert,  born  October  24, 
1856;  and  Roy,  born  June  7,  1899,  all  in  Klickitat 
county.  His  second  wife  has  borne  him  a  son 
and  daughter:  Lewis,  who  was  born  October  10, 
1901,  and  died  when  four  months  old;  and  Ella, 
born  on  September  28,  1903.  Mr.  Matsen  fra- 
ternizes with  the  Improved  Order  of  Foresters 
and  the  Yeomen  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  since  1874.  In  re- 
ligious persuasion,  he  is  a  Lutheran,  and  in  politics, 
a  Republican.  He  is  one  of  the  most  industrious  and 
successful  farmers  in  the  locality,  and  is  held  in  high 
esteem  by  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country, 
who  respect  his  thriftiness  and  pluck  and  honor  him 
for  his  virtues  as  a  man. 


JOHN  BAKER,  a  resident  of  Klickitat  county 
for  over  twenty-five  years,  lives  on  his  four  hundred 
and  eighty-acre  farm  at  Cleveland,  Washington.  He 
was  born  near  London,  England,  on  the  3d  of  April, 
1847,  the  son  of  Mathew  Baker,  an  English  carpen- 
ter. His  father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1859, 
settled  in  the  state  of  New  Jersey  and  there  followed 
his  trade  for  two  years,  then  passed  away.  Priscilla 
(Skinner)  Baker,  the  mother  of  our  subject,  was 
also  of  English  birth.  She  died  in  her  native  land, 
when  John  was  quite  young.  Our  subject  was 
the  only  child  of  this  marriage.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  country, 
and  while  a  young  man  learned  the  trades  of  tin- 
smithing  and  sheet  iron  working,  acquiring  his 
skill  in  both  in  the  shops  of  Paterson,  New  Jersey. 
In  the  fall  of  1873,  when  he  was  twenty-six,  he 
moved  to  the  state  of  Colorado,  and  for  a  year 
and  over  he  followed  his  trade  there,  then  going 


I'ETEK   MATSKN. 


JOHN    HAKEK. 


CHRISTEN  V.   ANDERSON. 


LOUIS  J     LARSEN. 


THOMAS   HANSEN. 


JOSEPH   GADEBERG 


JOHN  COPENHEFER. 


■  I'.Oki.E    \V,    HAMILTON 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


483 


to  California,  in  which  state  he  worked  as  a  jour- 
neyman for  the  ensuing  four  years.  Coming  to 
Klickitat  county  in  1879,  he  filed  on  a  homestead 
there,  and  turned  his  attention  to  farming,  but 
not  being  yet  in  a  position  to  make  his  living  as 
an  agriculturist,  he  moved  the  next  spring  to 
Goldendale.  For  about  three  years  he  continued 
to  be  a  resident  of  that  town,  making  frequent 
trips,  however,  to  his  home  near  Cleveland,  dur- 
ing all  this  time  following  tinsmithing.  In  1884 
he  established  a  permanent  residence  on  his  home- 
stead, and  there  he  still  lives  with  his  family. 
Twice  only  in  the  twenty-six  years  has  he  been 
away  from  home  for  any  considerable  period  of 
time,  once  at  Arlington,  and  once  at  Hood  River, 
in  both  of  which  places  he  worked  at  his  trade. 

In  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  April  27,  1871,  Mr. 
Baker  married  Mary  Burner,  whose  father,  Na- 
than, a  merchant  and  farmer,  was  a  native  of 
Dutchess  county,  New  York,  and  a  descendant 
from  old  German  stock.  He  died  in  the  state  of 
his  nativity,  in  1861.  Mary  (Jolly)  Burner,  her 
mother,  was  born  in  England,  but  married  in  New 
Jersey,  in  which  state  she  still  lives,  though  sev- 
enty-nine years  old.  Mrs.  Baker  was  born  in 
New  York  City  in  1850,  and  began  her  education 
there,  but  completed  it  in  the  New  Jersey  schools. 
She  and  Mr.  Baker  are  parents  of  three  children : 
Ella  Mitty,  born  November  27,  1873,  now  living 
at  Bickleton;  Walter,  born  in  California,  in  1876, 
now  running  a  shop  in  the  same  town ;  and  Ralph 
E.,  born  in  Goldendale,  Washington,  in  1882,  at 
present  with  his  parents.  An  energetic  and  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  in  all  respects  a  good  citizen, 
he  is  esteemed  and  honored  by  all  who  have 
known  him  intimately  in  the  county,  and  they  are 
legion,  for  his  residence  here  has  been  long  and 
continuous.     In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 


CHRISTEN  V.  ANDERSON,  a  farmer  living 
two  miles  northeast  of  Bickleton,  is  a  native  of 
Denmark,  born  December  18,  1867.  His  father, 
Christen  L.  Anderson,  is  still  living  in  Denmark, 
his  native  land,  where  he  has  followed  farming 
the  greater  portion  of  his  life,  and  his  mother, 
Monam  (Thompson)  Anderson,  also  a  native  of 
Denmark,  born  in  1845.  is  still  with  the  elder  An- 
derson there.  Christen  V.  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  country  until  about  fourteen, 
then  obtained  employment  in  a  flour-mill.  He 
worked  assiduously  and  steadily  at  this  for  three 
years,  but  was  finally  compelled  to  desist  on  ac- 
count of  being  troubled  with  catarrh,  caused  by 
the  dust  in  the  mill.  The  succeeding  five  years 
were  spent  in  farming,  his  time  being  divided  be- 
tween two  employers,  then  he  served  a  year  in 
the  army,  as  a  private  soldier.  Another  year  was 
then  spent  on  the  farm,  at  the  end  of  which  he 
emigrated  to  this  country,  coming  direct  to 
Klickitat  county,  where  he  was  employed  the  first 


summer  by  Stephen  Matsen.  Soon  he  purchased 
a  half  section  of  railroad  lard,  which  was,  how- 
ever, later  disposed  of  to  Mr.  Stagerman.  His 
next  investment  was  in  a  place  three  miles  south 
of  Bickleton.  Upon  this  he  lived  for  seven  years, 
engaged  in  general  farming,  but  at  the  end  of  that 
period  he  sold  his  farm  to  Chris  Larsen,  and  with 
his  only  child,  his  wife  having  died,  visited  his 
parents  in  the  old  country.  The  spring  of  1899 
found  him  again  in  Klickitat  county,  but  after  a 
short  stay  he  departed  for  Wilbur,  Washington, 
two  miles  south  of  which  town  he  lived  for  the 
ensuing  year  upon  the  land  he  had  bought.  Sell- 
ing this  land,  he  once  more  came  to  Klickitat 
county  and  purchased  a  half  section  five  miles  east 
of  ■  Bickleton.  This  also  he  disposed  of  to  advan- 
tage a  year  later,  and  the  following:  twelve  months 
was  spent  in  traveling  over  the  state,  looking  for 
another  desirable  location.  Not  finding  anything 
that  pleased  him  so  well  as  the  country  surround- 
ing Bickleton,  he  came  back  and  bought  Jake  Os- 
trich's place,  two  miles  northeast  of  the  town, 
where  wve  now  find  him.  His  farm  comprises  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  fertile  land,  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty  of  which  are  under  cultivation. 
Mr.  Anderson's  first  marriage  was  solemnized 
at  Bickleton,  in  1890,  Catherine  Veuxelson  then 
becoming  his  wife.  She  passed  away  in  1895, 
leaving  one  daughter,  Lenora  C,  born  Decem- 
ber 3,  1892.  Her  father,  Vensel  H.  Veuxelson, 
was  a  Danish  farmer,  and  her  mother,  Anna,  was 
also  a  native  of  Denmark,  where  she  is  still  living, 
though  Mr.  Veuxelson  is  now  deceased. 

May  18,  1903,  Mr.  Anderson  was  again  mar- 
ried, the  lady  being  Johanna,  daughter  of  Fred- 
erick Hoch,  who  has  been  all  his  life  and  still  is 
a  Danish  soldier.  Her  mother,  Johanna  (Terkel- 
sen)  Hoch,  is  also  still  living  in  Denmark,  where 
Mrs.  Anderson  was  born.  May  18,  1872,  and 
where  she  passed  her  early  years  and  acquired  her 
education.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Anderson  is  affiliated 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
in  religious  persuasion,  he  is  a  Lutheran.  He  is 
a  stanch  Republican  at  all  times,  but  now  that 
Roosevelt,  whom  he  especially  admires,  is  the 
party's  candidate  for  the  presidency,  he  is  unusu- 
ally warm  in  his  loyalty  to  it.  An  industrious, 
progressive  farmer  and  a  worthy  citizen,  he  is 
esteemed  and  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 


LOUIS  J.  LARSEN  is  a  well  known  farmer  re- 
siding two  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of  Bickle- 
ton, Washington.  His  parents,  now  deceased,  were 
Lars  and  Minnie  (Peterson)  Jorgensen,  both  natives 
of  Denmark.  Lars  Jorgensen  was  killed  in  the  Ger- 
man-Danish war  before  Louis  J.  was  born.  Minnie 
(Peterson)  Jorgensen  was  born  in  1825,  and  resided 
in  Denmark  till  tlie  time  of  her  death.  Louis  J.  Lar-. 
sen  was  born  in  Denmark,  September  14,  1850.  and 
attained  young  manhood  in  the  land  of  his  nativity, 


484 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


receiving  a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen  years  he  left  the  parental  roof, 
and  has  since  then  taken  care  of  himself.  When 
twenty  years  old  he  went  from  Denmark  to  Australia 
and  there  followed  mining  for  six  years.  Thence  he 
went  to  San  Francisco.  California,  arriving  in  1877, 
with  no  money,  and  one  shirt  his  surplus  clothing. 
From  San  Francisco  he  proceeded  to  Victoria.  Brit- 
ish Columbia,  with  the  intention  of  going  from  the 
htter  town  to  Alaska,  but  upon  arrival  he  changed 
his  mind  and  took  a  steamer  for  Tacoma.  Thence 
he  went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  after  a  short  stay 
in  that  place,  to  Hillsboro,  that  state,  where  he  ac- 
cepted employment  on  a  farm.  In  the  fall  of  1877 
he  arrived  in  Goldendale,  Klickitat  county,  and  after 
a  stay  of  one  month  returned  to  Portland,  where  he 
spent  the  winter.  In  the  spring  of  1878  he  engaged 
for  a  time  in  fishing  on  the  Columbia  river,  but 
quitting  this  vocation,  again  returned  to  Portland, 
there  accepting  employment  of  the  Oregon  Transfer 
Company,  with  whom  he  remained  for  five  months. 
His  final  move  was  to  Klickitat  county,  where  he 
arrived  in  the  fall  of  1878.  For  a  time  after  his 
arrival  he  herded  sheep  for  George  McCredy,  of 
whom  mention  is  made  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
The  following  year,  1879,  he  filed  on  his  present 
farm,  which  has  since  then  been  his  home. 

Mr.  Larsen  was  married  in  Denmark,  February 
6,  1885,  to  Miss  Karen  Larsen  while  on  a  visit  to  his 
old  Denmark  home,  from  which  he  had  been  absent 
for  fifteen  years.  Miss  Larsen  was  the  daughter  of 
Lars  Larsen  and  Karen  (Ekertsen)  Larsen,  both 
natives  of  Denmark.  Lars  Larsen  is  an  engineer  in 
the  old  country,  having  retained  his  present  position 
for  twenty-five  years.  The  mother,  Karen  (Ekert- 
sen) Larsen,  is  living  at  the  present  time.  Miss  Kar- 
en Larsen,  now  the  wife  of  L.  J.  Larsen,  was  born  in 
Denmark,  June  13,  1864.  She  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Denmark,  and  she 
was  married  there  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Chil- 
dren born  to  this  marriage  are  Minnie,  Lewis  P.  and 
George  W.,  all  in  Klickitat  county.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Larsen  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  in 
which  order  he  stands  very  high.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics,  a  Republican. 
His  land  holdings  comprise,  in  all,  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  some  of  which  is  said  to  be  as 
good  as  the  best  in  the  county,  and  he  has  a  splendid 
little  herd  of  cattle,  twenty-five  in  number,  and  five 
good  horses.  He  allows  his  stock  to  increase  to  no 
greater  number  than  his  farm  will  support  comfort- 
ably, and  to  this  policy,  applied  in  other  lines  also, 
may  be  attributed  the  excellent  appearance  of  all  his 
property. 


THOMAS  HANSEN,  whose  farm  lies  a  mile 
east  of  Cleveland,  Klickitat  county,  is  one  of  the 
wheat  belt's  successful  Danish  citizens.  He  was 
born  at  Ilesvig.  Denmark,  May  15,  185:;.  the  son  of 
Godfred    and    Lena    (Peterson)    Hansen,    both    of 


whom  lived  and  died  in  the  old  country.  The 
father's  death  occurred  in  1901,  in  his  eighty-eighth 
year.  His  wife  was  born  in  1818  and  died  in  1868. 
She  was  the  mother  of  ten  children,  of  whom 
Thomas  is  next  to  the  youngest.  He  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools,  remaining  at  home 
on  the  farm  until  he  was  seventeen  years  old ;  then 
he  crossed  the  ocean  and  settled  near  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  After  a  few  months  spent  there  he  went  to 
St.  Charles,  Missouri,  and  was  employed  near-by  on 
a  farm  for  five  years.  In  1877  he  took  up  his  abode 
in  Texas,  worked  a  time  in  a  brickyard  there  and 
then  began  farming  for  himself.  Texas  continued 
to  be  his  home  state  until  1883,  when  he  went  to 
California.  A  year  and  a  half  in  sawmill  work 
followed.  His  residence  in  Klickitat  dates  from  the 
year  1885,  at  which  time  he  filed  on  a  pre-emption 
claim  twenty  miles  southeast  of  Bickleton.  How- 
ever, six  months  later  he  abandoned  this  claim  and 
filed  a  timber  culture  claim  to  a  quarter  section  near 
Cleveland.  After  proving  up  on  it  he  purchased 
his  present  home,  which  was  then  owned  by  the  rail- 
road company. 

Mr.  Hansen  was  married  in  Grayson  county, 
Texas,  November  28.  1877,  to  Lizzie  L.undorfif,  also 
a  native  of  Denmark,  born  in  1856.  Her  parents 
were  Matthew  and  Mary  Lundorff,  the  father  being 
a  farmer ;  both  spent  their  entire  lives  in  Denmark. 
Mrs.  Hansen  received  a  good  education  in  her  native 
land,  after  which  she  joined  her  brother  in  Texas 
and  was  there  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  She 
died  June  28.  1903,  mourned  by  all  who  knew  her 
and  leaving,  besides  her  husband,  one  child,  Mrs. 
Lena  Van  Nostern,  born  in  Texas,  June  23,  1880. 
Mr.  Hansen  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  of  the  Lutheran  church.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  Of  his  four  hundred 
acres  of  land,  one  hundred  are  in  cultivation,  the 
balance  being  pasture  and  timber ;  he  also  owns  con- 
siderable stock.  Mr.  Hansen  has  labored  faithfully 
with  highly  satisfying  results  and  because  of  his 
true  worth  has  attained  to  an  influential  position  in 
the  communitv. 


JOHN  COPENHEFER  is  a  favorably  known 
farmer  residing  four  miles  south  of  Cleveland, 
Washington.  He  was  born  in  Huntington  county, 
Indiana,  October  23,  1850,  the  son  of  John  M.  and 
Elizabeth  (Crull)  Copenhefer,  the  former  of  Swed- 
ish extraction  and  the  latter  of  German.  John  M. 
Copenhefer  was  a  farmer  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
moved  from  that  state  to  Indiana  in  1854.  Later  he 
went  to  Wisconsin  and  resided  there  till  the  time  of 
bis  death.  Elizabeth  (Crull)  Copenhefer  was  born 
in  Ohio.  When  a  young  woman  she  moved  to  Indi- 
ana, and  in  that  state  was  married.  Her  death  oc- 
curred many  years  ago  in  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Copen- 
hefer grew  to  manhood  on  the  home  farm.  When 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  forsook  the  paternal  roof 
rnd  purchased  a  farm  on  which  he  spent  four  years, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


4s  5 


at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Linn  county, 
Kansas,  where  he  followed  farming  for  three  years. 
His  next  move  was  to  Klickitat  county,  Washington, 
where  he  arrived  in  the  spring  of  1882.  Here  for  a 
time  he  worked  at  logging  for  D.  S.  Sprinkle,  and 
after  quitting  this  vocation  established  his  residence 
on  a  tract  of  railroad  land  which  he  later  purchased. 
In  1888  he  filed  on  a  homestead,  afterward  making 
the  place  his  home  until  1903,  when  he  moved  to  his 
present  home  in  Klickitat  county. 

Mr.  Copenhefer  was  married  in  Richland  county, 
Wisconsin,  January  9,  1872,  to  Miss  Harriet  J.  Sny- 
der, a  native  of  Indiana,  born  March  16,  1854.  Her 
parents  were  John  E.  and  Mary  A.  (  Polk  )  Snyder, 
the  latter  now  deceased.  John  E.  Snyder  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  March  16,  1816;  emigrated  to  Indi- 
ana when  a  boy  and  from  there  went  to  Wisconsin. 
Upon  arrival  in  the  latter  state  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  he  has  since  continued  at  this  vocation. 
■Mary  A.  (Polk)  Snyder  was  born  in  Indiana  De- 
cember 9.  1823,  and  died  in  Wisconsin  in  1858. 
She  was  of  Irish  and  Dutch  extraction.  Mrs. 
Copenhefer  grew  to  womanhood  in  Wisconsin, 
receiving  her  education  in  the  common  schools.  She 
married  Mr.  Copenhefer  when  seventeen  years  of 
age.  Children  born  to  this  marriage  are  :  Ethan  A., 
in  Richland  county,  Wisconsin,  September  28,  1875, 
and  Nora,  who  died  when  two  years  of  age.  In 
religion  Mr.  Copenhefer  is  an  adherent  of  the 
Church  of  Christ,  and  in  politics  supports  the  Re- 
publican principles.  He  is  a  prominent  man  in 
county  affairs,  having  served  as  a  county  commis- 
sioner in  Klickitat  county  from  1897  to  1898.  His 
land  holdings  comprise,  in  all,  two  thousand  acres, 
a  section  of  which  is  leased  school  land,  the  balance 
being  held  in  fee  simple.  Three  hundred  and  fifty- 
acres  of  the  land  are  in  cultivation  and  the  rest  is 
Tjsecl  for  grazing  purposes. 


GEORGE  W.  HAMILTON  is  a  comfortably 
■situated  farmer  residing  two  miles  southeast  of  Dot 
postoffice,  Klickitat  county.  He  was  born  in  Hunt- 
ington county,  Indiana,  July  12,  1853,  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Nancy  (McCrumis)  Hamilton. 
Thomas  Hamilton,  a  farmer  and  blacksmith,  was 
"born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  1828.  When  a  boy 
Tie  came  to  Canada,  and  thence,  during  early  man- 
hood, he  proceeded  to  Indiana,  and  later  to  Kansas, 
arriving  in  the  latter  state  in  1857.  There  he  fol- 
lowed blacksmithing  for  several  years,  then  took  up 
a  farm  on  which  he  lived  for  a  time.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  and  during  service 
was  in  the  command  of  Captain  Vansickle.  In  his 
capacity  as  blacksmith  he  afterward  was  foreman  of 
the  government  shops  at  Fort  Scott,  Kansas.  His 
present  place  of  residence  is  Mapleton,  that  state. 
Nancy  (McCrumis)  Hamilton  was  born  in  Ireland 
in  181 1,  and  died  in  1884  at  the  age  of  seventy-three. 

George  W.  grew  to  manhood  in  Kansas  on  the 
farm  and,  during  boyhood,  was  educated  in  the  pub- 


lic schools.  He  remained  at  home  until  twenty-two 
years  of  age  assisting  his  parents  in  the  management 
of  their  farm,  but  at  the  age  mentioned  he  moved 
to  Caldwell  county,  Missouri,  where  he  farmed  for 
three  years.  In  1887  he  came  west,  his  objective 
point  being  Cleveland,  Klickitat  county,  Washing- 
ton. Here  he  arrived  with  a  family  of  five  children, 
with  seventy-five  dollars  in  money,  and  with  pros- 
pects rendered  unpromising  by  his  being  in  very 
poor  health.  He  secured  a  small  tract  of  land,  and, 
during  the  time  he  could  spare  from  improving  it, 
worked  in  the  timber.  Later,  he  filed  on  his  pres- 
ent farm,  which  has  ever  since  been  his  home. 

Mr.  Hamilton's  marriage  occurred  November  26, 
1874,  Miss  Margery  Nogle  being  the  bride.  She 
was  born  in  Montgomery  county,  Indiana,  April  10, 
1857,  the  daughter  of  David  and  Mary  (Harlan) 
Nogle.  David  Nogle,  a  farmer,  was  born  in  Ohio  in 
1804,  the  son  of  German  parents.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1887.  Mary  (Harlan)  Nogle  was  born 
near  Dayton,  Ohio,  December  17,  181 1.  She  was  of 
English  descent  and  had  the  distinction  of  being  a 
cousin  of  Justice  Harlan,  well  known,  in  his  time, 
as  one  of  the  greatest  lawyers  in  the  United  States. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hamilton  are  Mrs. 
Ethel  (Hamilton)  Smith,  now  a  teacher;  Anna,  re- 
cently graduated  from  the  Goldendale  high  school ; 
Clyde,  Thomas,  Fay,  Zelda,  Edwin  and  Hollis.  In 
religion,  Mr.  Hamilton  supports  the  Church  of 
Christ,  while  politically,  he  espouses  Republican 
principles,  though  not  to  the  extent  of  being  unduly 
prejudiced  in  municipal  politics.  In  school  affairs 
he  is  prominent  in  his  support  of  progressiveness, 
and  he  has  served  creditably  as  a  director.  His 
land  holdings,  in  all,  comprise  three  hundred  and 
twenty  acres.  His  home  is  comfortable,  his  prop- 
ertv  interests  are  well  taken  care  of,  and  everything 
about  his  premises  speaks  in  language  unmistakable 
of  thrift,  industry  and  good  judgment. 


JOSEPH  GADEBERG  is  a  prosperous  farmer 
and  stockman  living  two  miles  northwest  of  Dot 
postoffice,  Klickitat  county.  He  was  born  in  Den- 
mark. ( )ctober  7.  1849,  ai  the  time  OI  tne  Danish- 
German  war.  His  father,  Peter  Gadeberg,  was  born 
in  Hadersleben,  Denmark,  October  15,  181 5.  and 
during  his  life  time  was  first  a  common  sailor,  and 
later  captain  and  owner  of  a  vessel  plying  mainly 
in  the  coast  trade  of  western  Europe.  His  death 
occurred  in  1896  in  Denmark,  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  having  been  spent  at  sea,  many  of  his  trips  being 
to  Greenland,  and  later  along  the  coast  of  Denmark 
and  Europe.  The  mother,  Helena  M.  (Hansen) 
Gadeberg,  was  also  a  native  of  Hadersleben,  Den- 
mark, born  about  1825.  She  died  in  1880.  During 
the  early  years  of  his  life  Joseph  was  a  sailor.  Up 
to  the  age  of  sixteen  his  maritime  trips  were  made 
wholly  along  the  coast  of  Denmark,  but  at  that  age 
he  shipped  to  Hamburg,  acting  on  his  own  respon- 
sibility.   Later,  he  returned  to  Denmark,  proceeding 


486 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


thence  to  the  East  and  West  Indies,  and  Hongkong, 
during  his  cruising  on  this  part  of  the  globe,  touch- 
ing at  divers  points  in  the  Pacific  and  on  the  Asiatic 
coast.  From  Hongkong  he  shipped  to  Portland 
on  an  American  vessel,  arriving  July  4,  1871,  which 
date  marks  the  end  of  his  life  at  sea.  From  Portland 
he  proceeded  to  Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  and  there 
settled  on  a  farm.  After  a  year,  he  proceeded  thence 
to  eastern  Oregon,  where  he  engaged  in  the  stock 
business.  This  occupation  he  followed  the  greater 
part  of  the  time  until  1879,  his  residence  up  to  that 
date  being  in  Wasco  county.  Quitting  the  stock  busi- 
ness, he  fished  for  three  seasons  on  the  Columbia 
river,  being  employed  on  a  river  steamer  part  of  the 
time.  His  next  move  was  to  Goldendale,  where  he 
lived  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time,  in  1881, 
he  took  up  his  present  farm,  upon  which  he  settled 
permanently  that  fall.  Two  years  prior  to  this  he 
married  Mary  E.  Phipps,  who  died  January  4,  1894, 
leaving  no  children.  October  16.  1895,  Mr.  Gade- 
berg  married  Miss  Cora  A.  Enyart,  a  native  of  Clay 
county,  Illinois,  born  February  15,  1873,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  and  Frances  Maria  (Vail)  Enyart. 
Samuel  Enyart  was  appointed  by  President  Clove- 
land  (first  administration  )  superintendent  of  the  In- 
dian school  at  Fort  Simcoe,  and  his  daughter  Myr- 
tle, who  later  married  Dick  Lyons,  matron.  Frances 
Maria  (Vail)  Enyart  was  born  March  25,  1839,  near 
Hamilton,  Ohio.  She  is  still  living,  her  home  being 
in  Washington,  D.  C.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gadeberg  have 
three  children :  Wallace  Edward,  born  August  14, 
1896;  J.  Monroe,  April  6,  1899,  and  Joseph  Lloyd, 
July  29,  1902.  Fraternally,  Air.  Gadeberg  is  affiliated 
with  the  Knights  of  the  Royal  Guards,  and,  in  re- 
ligion, he  adheres  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  In 
politics,  he  strongly  favors  Democratic  principles. 
Mr.  Gadeberg  is  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Klick- 
itat county,  and  has  met  with  many  of  the  unpleas- 
ant experiences  incident  to  the  settlement  of  a  new 
country.  He  made  his  start  in  the  sheep  business 
in  1882  with  one  not  extremely  healthy  looking  pet 
sheep  obtained  of  a  neighbor,  George  Lymer  by 
name.  The  sheep  lived  till  it  reached  the  age  of 
twelve  years,  and  Mr.  Gadeberg  gave  it  a  burial 
such  as  is  seldom  accorded  to  a  common  sheep.  He 
cut  his  first  crop  with  a  cradle,  and  as  no  threshers 
were  then  to  be  had,  used  horses  to  tramp  the  grain 
out,  as  was  done  in  olden  days.  Now  his  affairs  are 
managed  differently.  His  farm  comprises  sixteen 
hundred  acres,  every  acre  of  which  is  good  tillable 
or  grazing  land  and  is  yielding  satisfactory  returns. 


_  CHRISTIAN  LARSEN,  one  of  Klickitat  coun- 
ty's prosperous  wheat  farmers  and  stock  raisers,  re- 
sides upon  his  fine  ranch,  five  miles  southeast  of 
Bickleton.  Like  many  other  of  Washington's  suc- 
cessful men.  he  was  born  in  Denmark,  July  23,  1861. 
His  parents  were  Lars  and  Johanna  (Christiansen) 
Sorensen.  The  father  was  born  in  1812,  followed 
farming  during  his  life,  and  died  in  his  native  coun- 


try in  1885.  The  mother  was  born  in  1820;  she  died 
in  Denmark,  also.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  schools  of  his  native 
country  and  when  nine  years  of  age,  began  working 
out  summers.  When  he  reached  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  left  the  parental  home  and  worked  for  dif- 
ferent farmers  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  old, 
or  until  1887,  when  he  came  to  America.  He  first 
settled  near  Cincinnati,  where  he  resided  two  years,. 
then  moved  to  Schenectady,  New  York,  in  which 
city  he  was  employed  two  years  in  the  electric  light 
works.  In  1891  he  came  to  Washington,  landing  in 
Tacoma  in  May.  Thence  he  went  to  Ellensburg 
and  in  June  he  commenced  work  for  Coffin  Brothers 
in  Klickitat  county.  He  was  with  them  two  years 
before  filing  on  his  present  place,  which  has  since 
been  the  field  of  his  labors.     > 

Mr.  Larsen  was  married  in  Reading,  Ohio,  in 
1887,  to.  Marie  P.  Peterson,  a  daughter  of  Paul  and 
Eliza  (Bro)  Peterson,  natives  of  Denmark.  Mr. 
Peterson  died  when  Marie  was  a  child,  but  her 
mother  is  still  living  in  the  old  country.  Mrs.  Lar- 
sen was  born  in  Denmark  March  6.  1 858,  received 
her  education  in  the  schools  of  Copenhagen  and  came 
to  America  in  1881.  Her  marriage  took  place  when 
she  was  nineteen  years  old.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  eight  children:  Sophia,  in  1889,  died  at  the 
age  of  six  months ;  Paul,  in  New  York  state,  in 
April,  1890;  Sophia,  in  Klickitat  county,  August  25, 
1892;  Elizabeth,  August  17,  1894;  Johanna,  August 
13,  1896;  Emma,  August  20,  1898;  Christina,  De- 
cember 15,  1900;  and  Milner,  June  8,  1904.  Mr. 
Larsen  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  and,  politically,  is  a  Re- 
publican. At  present  he  holds  the  position  of  school 
director  in  the  district.  He  owns  seven  hundred 
end  sixty  acres  of  land,  of  which  three  hundred  and 
fifty  are  under  cultivation,  has  a  herd  of  sixty  cattle, 
a  large  band  of  horses  and  is  leasing  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  school  land.  He  is  one  of  the  most  substan- 
tial and  progressive  of  the  agriculturists  of  the 
Bickleton  country  and  one  of  its  most  highly 
esteemed  citizens. 


GEORGE  W.  ALEXANDER  is  a  prosperous, 
farmer  and  stockman  residing  four  and  one-half 
miles  southeast  of  Bickleton,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Walworth  county,  Wisconsin,  February  19, 
1846,  the  son  of  George  and  Martha  V.  (Knapp)  Al- 
exander. George  Alexander,  the  elder,  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1816 .  When  twenty-four 
years  of  age  he  went  to  Wisconsin,  settling  in  Rock 
county,  but  later  he  moved  to  Whitewater,  Wal- 
worth county.  At  this  time  the  localities  mentioned 
were  but  sparsely  settled  and  the  elder  Alexander 
\\  as  obliged  to  meet  the  many  adverse  conditions  in- 
cident to  the  settlement  of  a  new  country.  His  death 
occurred  at  Whitewater  in  1888.  Martha  V. 
(Knapp)   Alexander  was  born  in  Sandusky,  Ohio, 


WM.  A.  McCREDY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


487 


in  1822,  and  died  in  1890.  From  his  father,  George 
W.  derives  German  blood,  and  from  his  mother, 
Scotch-Irish.  He  grew  to  young  manhood  in  Wis- 
consin amid  surroundings  that  contributed  more  to 
his  knowledge  of  pioneer  customs  and  the  robust 
elements  so  active  in  the  promotion  of  undeveloped 
enterprises  than  to  his  store  of  book-learning.  In 
1864,  he  enlisted  in  Company  H.,  Thirteenth  Wis- 
consin volunteers,  and  he  was  in  active  service  till 
the  close  of  the  Civil  war.  Then  he  returned  to  the 
Wisconsin  home  and  took  up  farming,  following  this 
vocation  till  1869,  at  which  time  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia. In  Nevada  and  Colorado  he  remained  for 
ten  years,  engaged  principally  in  stock  raising  and 
mining.  His  final  move  was  to  Klickitat  county,  in 
1879.  At  the  time  of  his  arrival  the  region  about 
Bickleton  was  a  great  stock  range  controlled  by 
stockmen  who  discouraged  any  attempt  of  settlers  at 
home-seeking.  Nevertheless,  Mr.  Alexander  took  up 
a  quarter  section  of  land  and  began  farming,  his  re- 
sources to  begin  with  consisting  of  seventy-five  dol- 
lars and  two  horses.  Later,  he  devoted  considerable 
attention  to  the  raising  of  cattle  and  horses,  though 
not  to  the  exclusion  entirely  of  strictly  agricultural 
pursuits.  During  his  residence  at  his  present  loca- 
tion he  has  experienced  reverses  which  made  more 
difficult  his  task  of  home-building,  but  during  recent 
years  of  good  health,  hard  work  and  favorable  cir- 
cumstances have  contributed  toward  making  him 
one  of  the  most  happily  established  residents  in  his 
community. 

On  September  16,  1878,  Mr.  Alexander  married 
Miss  Beatrice  E.  Thacker,  who  died  in  1882,  after 
she  had  become  the  mother  of  two  children,  Frank 
E.  and  Hattie.  The  latter  died  in  infancy.  Frank 
is  now  living  at  home  with  his  father,  and  is  said 
to  be  one  of  the  steadiest  young  men  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides.  Mr.  Alexander's  sec- 
ond marriage  occurred  January  10,  1886,  the  lady 
being  Miss  Lucy  A.  Embree.  a  native  of  Cass  county, 
Missouri,  born  February  28,  1852.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Phoebe  E.  C.  (Butler) 
Embree,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Klick- 
itat county.  During  the  continuance  of  his  present 
residence  Mr.  Alexander  has  been  actively  interested 
in  the  municipal  affairs  of  his  community.  He  has 
served  fourteen  years  as  road  supervisor,  and  during 
this  time  has  assisted  to  make  the  greater  part  of  the 
principal  roads  of  his  locality,  among  which  was  the 
road  from  Coyle's  Landing  on  the  Columbia  river 
to  Fort  Simcoe.  His  farm  comprises  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land,  all  of  which  is  in  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  This  ranch  is  reputed  to  be  one 
of  the  most  valuable  farming  properties  in  the  coun- 
ty, and  its  increasing  valuation  promises  to  make 
excellent  returns  for  the  years  of  toil  that  have  been 
spent  in  its  improvement. 


SAMUEL    A.    BULLIS,    a    Klickitat    county 
farmer  and  stock  raiser,  resides  on  his  farm  of  one 


hundred  and  sixty  acres,  six  and  a  half  miles  south- 
east of  Bickleton.  He  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born 
in  Rock  county,  on  the  nth  of  August,  1862.  His 
father,  Samuel  Bullis,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  De- 
cember 16,  1836,  and  by  occupation  a  farmer.  He 
served  throughout  the  Civil  war  in  the  Twenty-first 
Wisconsin  volunteers,  and  now  draws  a  pension  on 
account  of  such  service.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Lydia  Crosby,  was  born  in  the  middle 
west,  February  7,  1846,  and  lives  with  her  husband 
in  Oregon.  Samuel  A.  Bullis,  of  this  review,  re- 
moved to  Iowa  with  his  parents  when  seven  years 
old  and  received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Butler  county,  that  state,  assisting  his  father  out 
of  term  time  and  out  of  school  hours  with  the  work 
about  the  farm.  When  eighteen  years  old,  he  left 
the  parental  fireside  and  from  that  time  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-four  worked  at  various 
places  as  a  farm  hand,  though  part  of  the  time  he 
farmed  places  of  his  own.  Removing  to  Minneapo- 
lis, Minnesota,  in  1886,  he  lived  there  for  a  period 
of  six  years,  engaged  continuously  in  the  transfer 
business.  He  then  spent  two  years  in  Prince- 
ten,  Idaho,  a  town  of  Latah  county,  there- 
after removing  to  Eugene,  Oregon,  a  pretty 
little  Willamette  valley  town,  which  he  made  his 
place  •  of  residence  for  an  additional  six  years, 
farming  all  the  time.  In  1901,  on  the  3d  of  June, 
he  came  to  Bickleton  county  and  took  up  the  home- 
stead upon  which  he  has  since  lived.  He  has  im- 
proved and  fenced  the  land,  gaining  a  livelihood  the 
while  in  the  dual  pursuits  of  agriculture  and  stock 
raising,  principally.  A  good  orchard,  about  ready 
to  bear,  and  many  other  improvements  testify  to  his 
industry,  progressiveness  and  thrift. 

In  1887,  Mr.  Bullis  married  Ida  E.  Newby,  a 
native  of  the  state  of  New  Jersey,  born  February  7, 
1869.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  but  an  infant, 
and  her  mother,  Madeline,  married  again,  becoming 
Mrs.  Osborn.  She  now  lives  in  New  Jersey.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bullis  have  a  family  of  five  children,  as 
follows :  Jarvie,  Mattie.  Melville,  Lydia  and  Cora. 
Mr.  Bullis  has  five  brothers  living  in  the  Willa- 
mette valley,  Oregon,  namely :  William,  Charles, 
Tesse,  Harvey  and  Frank,  while  a  sister  resides  in 
Minnesota.  In  politics,  Mr.  Bullis  is  a  Republican. 
Although  he  has  not  lived  in  the  locality  long,  he 
has  already  won  a  place  in  the  esteem  and  confidence 
of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  already  given  earnest  of 
his  ability  to  contribute  his  full  part  toward  the 
general  development. 


WILLIAM  A.  McCREDY,  a  farmer  and 
hotel  man  of  Cleveland,  was  born  in  Richland 
county,  Ohio,  February  20,  1830.  His  father, 
Alex.  McCredy,  was  a  native  of  the  Quaker  state, 
but  of  Scotch  descent.  He  settled  in  Ohio  about 
1820,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneer  farmers  of 
that  state.  He  died  in  1834.  Our  subject's 
mother,  Effie   (Van  Nostrand)   McCredy,  also  a 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


native  of  Pennsylvania,  came  with  her  parents  to 
Ohio  when  she  was  a  young  girl,  and  in  that 
state  grew  up  and  married.  She  died  the  same 
year  that  her  husband  passed  away,  after  having 
become  the  mother  of  six  children.  Thus  it 
happened  that  he  whose  name  forms  the  caption 
of  this  article  was  left  an  orphan  when  four  years 
old.  He  was  brought  up  by  an  uncle,  David 
Urie.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  began  attending 
school  in  Ohio,  and  his  education  was  completed 
in  the  public  schools  of  Missouri.  When  twenty 
years  of  age,  he  left  his  uncle's  home,  began 
farming  on  his  own  account,  and  for  two  years 
he  was  thus  employed,  but  on  April  25,  1853,  he 
started  across  the  Plains  with  an  ox  team,  and 
five  months  later  was  «in  Yamhill  county,  Ore- 
gon, where  he  took  up  a  donation  claim  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres.  He  lived  upon  this 
property  for  twenty-seven  years,  devoting  his 
time  to  farming  and  stock  raising.  In  the  fall  of 
1880,  he  moved  to  Klickitat  county,  and  took  a 
timber  culture  claim,  but  this  he  later  abandoned, 
after  having  made  it  his  home  for  two  years. 
However,  his  son,  John  T.,  filed  a  pre-emption 
on  it,  complied  with  the  law  and  secured  his 
patent  and  later  sold  it  to  our  subject.  In  the 
spring  of  1892,  Mr.  McCredy  moved  to  Cleve- 
land, and  two  years  after  his  arrival  he  bought 
the  townsite  from  the  original  locator,  R.  Dodge, 
who  had  taken  it  up  as  a  homestead. 

Mr.  McCredy  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife,  Elizabeth  R.  Beaman,  was  born  in  St. 
Charles  county,  Missouri,  January  19,  1834.  She 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
state,  and  married  there  in  1851,  being  a  little 
over  seventeen  years  old  at  the  time.  She  died 
on  the  6th  of  August,  1894.  Her  father,  Enos 
Beaman,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  August 
10,  1808,  was  a  farmer.  He  moved  to  Missouri 
in  the  early  days  and  there  resided  until  his 
death  in  1S51.  He  was  of  German  parentage. 
His  wife,  Paulina  (Butler)  Beaman,  was  also 
born  in  North  Carolina,  Alarch  27,  1810,  married 
there,  but  later  moved  to  Missouri,  where  she 
raised  a  family  of  six  children  and  where  she 
died  in  1866. 

The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  took 
place  on  January  12,  1896,  at  which  time  he  took 
to  wife  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Van  Nostern,  a  widow. 
Her  father,  Thomas  Hooker,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  in  1821,  and  in  due  time  became  a  mill 
man.  He  later  moved  to  the  state  of  Georgia, 
where  he  passed  away  September  28,  1884.  Her 
mother,  Delana  (Harris)  Hooker,  was  born  in 
Liberty  county,  Georgia,  October  21,  1841,  and 
was  educated  and  married  in  that  state.  She 
died  in  1882  after  having  raised  a  family  of 
eleven  children.  The  present  Mrs.  McCredy  was 
a  native  of  Georgia,  born  November  1,  1857. 
She  was  educated  for  a  school  teacher,  and 
taught  for  some  time,  but  came  to  Washington 


Territory  in  1882  and  there  married  David  Van 
Nostern,  two  years  after  her  arrival.  Three 
children  were  born  to  this  union  :  John,  October 
22,  1884;  Rodell,  February  7,  1891,  and  David, 
January  2S,  18S8.  Mrs.  McCredy  has  a  number 
of  brothers  and  sisters,  namely :  Mrs.  Julia  A. 
Strickland,  born  September  7,  1861,  now  "living  in 
Georgia;  Jane  M.,  born  December  7.  1859,  who  died 
when  nine  months  old;  Mary  E.,  born  April  14, 
1866,  deceased  at  the  age  of  eight;  Thomas  H., 
born  November  8,  1864,  now  in  Klickitat  county; 
Joseph  J.,  born  June  14,  1869,  residing  at  Cleveland; 
William  F..  born  September  8,  1871.  at  present  in 
Klickitat  county;  James  H..  born  November  9.  1873, 
now  in  Florida :  Charles  O..  and  Robert  L.,  born  on 
the  respective  dr.tes  of  August  30.  1878.  and  Febru- 
ary iS.  1882.  both  in  Klickitat  county;  and  Travis 
E.,  born  on  the  4th  of  February,  1876.  The 
names  of  Mr.  McCredy's  children  are  as  follows: 
Paulina  Varner,  a  married  daughter,  born  in 
Missouri,  December  20,  1852,  now  living  in  Ore- 
gon;  George,  born  in  Oregon.  February  22,  1855, 
living  at  Bickleton ;  A.  Jackson,  born  in  Oregon, 
January  24,  1857,  died  April  13,  1859;  Benjamin 
J.,  January  20,  1861,  died  November  22,  1884; 
William  R.,  May  9,  1859,  died  Tanuarv  17,  1862; 
Tohn  T.,  May  6,  1863;  Alexander  E..  May  3. 
1868;  and  Leland  N.,  June  23,  1872.  Mr.  Mc- 
Credy is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church;  in 
politics,  a  Democrat,  taking  an  active  interest 
in  all  political  matters.  A  very  early  pioneer  of 
the  Northwest,  he  has  witnessed  events  and 
conditions  such  as  can  never  again  happen  or 
exist ;  the  narration  of  which  would  be  interest- 
ing indeed.  He  tells  us  that  when  he  first  came 
to  Yamhill  county  he  paid  twenty  dollars  a  bar- 
rel for  flour,  thirty  cents  a  pound  for  bacon,  and 
a  dollar  and  a  half  a  bushel  for  potatoes.  He  has 
all  the  virtues  of  the  honored  class  to  which  he 
belongs,  and  his  declining  years  are  rendered 
happy  hj  the  fact  that  he  enjoys  in  an  unusual 
measure  the  fullest  confidence  and  hearty  good 
will  of  those  of  his  own  generation  who  still  live 
and  all  of  the  younger  generation  with  whom  he 
is  associated.  It  is  his  pleasure  to  witness  the 
splendid  financial  success  that  his  sons  are 
achieving  in  the  goodly  land  that  he  and  his  fel- 
low pioneers  have  redeemed  from  savagery  to 
civilization. 


HENRY  C.  HACKLEY.  an  engineer  and  car- 
penter by  trade,  residing  at  Cleveland,  Klickitat 
county,  Washington,  is  an  Oregonian.  born  in  Linn 
county,  September  4,  1854.  His  father.  Dewitt  C. 
Hackley,  a  minister  of  the  gospel  and  a  teacher,  was 
a  native  of  Indiana.  He  moved  to  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
in  1839,  living  there  until  1852,  at  which  time  he 
crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  team  to  Linn  county,  1  Ore- 
gon, where  he  spent  the  next  four  years.  He  was 
seven  months  on  the  way  to  Oregon,  and  soon  after 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


489 


his  arrival,  took  up  a  donation  claim  of  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acrea.  In  1856,  he  removed  to 
Piety  Hill,  California,  and  spent  nine  years  in  that 
locality,  mining  and  preaching,  also  giving  some 
attention  to  raising  cattle.  He  then  removed  to 
Mendocino  county,  in  the  western  part  of  the  state, 
and  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  remaining  there 
until  1873.  He  then  moved  to  Sonoma  county,  and 
there  farmed  for  another  two  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  period  he  again  returned  to  Mendocino 
county,  where  he  spent  the  succeeding  four  years  in 
the  hotel  business.  In  1879,  he  moved  to  Klickitat 
county,  Washington,  and  took  up  a  homestead,  mak- 
ing his  home  thereon  for  a  space  of  four  years,  but 
did  not  prove  up  on  his  claim.  He  also  engaged  in 
the  sheep  business.  In  1889  he  sold  out  his  interests, 
and  the  next  year  built  the  Cleveland  grist-mill, 
operating  it  for  three  years.  In  1901  he  again  re- 
turned to  Mendocino  county,  California,  where  he 
still  resides.  He  is  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage.  His 
wife,  Sophia  W.  C.  (Vangorkon)  Hackley,  was 
born  in  Amsterdam,  Holland,  in  1827.  She  came 
to  this  country  in  1844,  married  two  years  later,  and 
died  in  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  September 
12,  1888.  Mr.  Hackley  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  California,  his  parents  having  re- 
moved to  that  state  when  he  was  two  years  old,  and 
he  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  reach- 
ing the  age  of  thirteen.  He  then  started  to  fire  an 
engine  in  a  mill,  and  there  learned  the  engineering 
trade,  devoting  four  years  to  the  work  in  the  mill. 
He  next  worked  three  years  in  a  smelter  located 
near  the  city  of  Oakland,  and  then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Company, 
working  for  them  two  years,  being  employed  at  line 
building.  The  following  four  years  were  spent  in 
various  positions  with  threshing  outfits,  etc.,  in  the 
capacity  of  engineer.  He  came  to  Klickitat  county 
in  1879,  and  started  to  run  the  engine  in  a  saw-mill 
owned  by  E.  McPharland,  remaining  in  his  service 
for  two  years.  He  next  put  in  three  years  in  the 
employ  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, this  time  being  mostly  occupied  in  bridge 
building  at  various  points.  After  his  mar- 
riage at  Seattle,  in  1884,  he  returned  to  Klick- 
itat county,  and  since  that  time  he  has  made 
it  his  home,  following  various  lines  of  work.  His 
brother  Millard  lives  in  California,  and  his  father 
resides  with  him.  Another  brother,  Edwin  S.  Hack- 
ley,  now  lives  in  Alaska,  and  a  married  sister,  Laura 
M.  Betts,  lives  at  Wilcox,  Whitman  county,  Wash- 
ington. 

His  marriage  in  Seattle  on  November  5,  1884, 
was  with  Effie  L.  Twichell,  daughter  of  Hiram  and 
Maria  (Dodge)  Twichell.  Her  father  was  born  in 
New  Bedford,  Maine,  in  1821,  and  followed  farming 
for^  living.  He  moved  to  Wisconsin  in  1842,  and 
thence  to  Minnesota,  and  in  1876  went  to  Oregon, 
located  in  Linn  county,  and  after  three  years'  resi- 
dence there  removed  to  Klickitat  county,  Wash- 
ington.   The  years  1882  to  1884  were  passed  at  Seat- 


tle; then  he  again  returned  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  died  in  1895.  Her  mother  was  also  born 
in  the  town  of  New  Bedford,  in  the  year  1822.  She 
married  in  Maine  and  died  in  Klickitat  count}-  in 
1898.  Mrs.  Hackley  was  born  in  Pine  Island,  Min- 
nesota, on  the  17th  of  September,  1862.  She  was 
educated  in  that  state,  and  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three.  She  died  December  18,  1903,  at 
Cleveland,  Washington.  She  has  a  married  sister 
now  living  at  Zillah,  Washington,  Mrs.  Malinda 
Mason ;  and  Mrs.  Mary  Mason,  another  sister,  now 
resides  at  Cleveland.  Her  brother  William  makes 
his  home  at  Elmira,  Washington,  and  Mrs.  Annie 
Wilson  and  Mrs.  Helen  Merton,  also  sisters,  re- 
side at  Goldendale  and  Zillah,  Washington.  She 
was  the  mother  of  five  children.  Nina,  the  old- 
est, was  born  June  12,  1888;  Harold  F.,  now  dead, 
born  on  July  II,  1890;  Bessie,  also  dead,  born  May 
11,  1892;  Vivian,  born  May  30,  1898,  and  the 
youngest  boy,  Edwin,  born  September  27,  1903,  all 
the  children  being  born  in  Klickitat  county.  Mr. 
Hackley  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  an  active  Republican  in  politics.  His  real  estate 
comprises  four  lots  and  a  dwelling  house  in  Cleve- 
land, and  he  is  a  substantial  citizen  of  that  town. 


W:ILL  G.  FAULKNER,  United  States  Land 
Commissioner  and  justice  of  the  peace  at  Cleve- 
land, where  he  also  runs  a  mercantile  establish- 
ment, was  born  in  Waupaca  county,  Wisconsin, 
March  10.  i860.  His  father,  George  L.  Faulk- 
ner, who  was  born  in  Broome  county,  New  York, 
in  1832,  was  a  mechanic.  He  moved  to  Wiscon- 
sin in  the  early  fifties,  was  married  there,  and 
made  his  home  in  that  state  for  a  number  of 
years,  afterward  going  to  Minnesota.  Twelve 
years  were  passed  there,  then  four  in  Nebraska, 
and  in  1881  he  moved  again,  this  time  to  Yel- 
lowstone valley,  Montana.  In  the  spring  of 
1882,  however,  he  proceeded  to  Klickitat  county, 
Washington,  and  took  up  the  land  on  which  he 
now  resides.  He  was  of  English  descent,  and 
his  wife,  Albertine  (Gruhlkie)  Faulkner,  was  of 
German  birth.  In  1845,  when  but  four  years  old, 
she  was  brought  to  this  country  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  Wisconsin.  At  present 
she  and  her  husband  reside  at  Cleveland.  The 
subject  of  this  review  was  educated  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Minnesota.  His  father  early 
taught  him  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  he  followed 
it  all  the  time  he  remained  in  Minnesota,  as  a 
contractor.  Coming  to  Klickitat  county  with  his 
father  when  he  was  twenty-two  years  old,  he  imme- 
diately took  up  a  homestead  four  and  a  half  miles 
south  of  Cleveland,  upon  which  he  made  his 
home  for  the  next  half  decade,  at  the  same  time 
taking  a  timber  culture  and  a  pre-emption  claim 
and  acquiring  other  tracts.  During  this  period, 
he  combined  the  pursuit  of  his  handicraft  with 
the  stock  business.     He  opened  his  present  store 


490 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


in  the  spring  of   1895,  and  has  conducted  it  suc- 
cessfully and  profitably  since. 

At  North  Yakima,  Washington,  October  24, 
1894,  Mr.  Faulkner  married  Lettie  M.  Mason, 
whose  father,  George  W.  Mason,  was  a  native, 
of  Pennsylvania.  He  came  to  Yakima  county, 
Washington,  in  1888,  and  now  lives  near  Zillah. 
He  is  of  Scotch  extraction.  Her  mother,  Ma- 
linda  (Twitchell)  Mason,  was  reared  in  the 
state  of  Maine,  but  moved  to  Wisconsin,  and 
thence  to  Minnesota,  where  she  met  and  mar- 
ried Mr.  Mason.  She  now  lives  with  her  hus- 
band near  Zillah.  Mrs.  Faulkner  was  born  in 
Minnesota,  and  finished  her  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Washington.  She  was  married 
at  the  age  of  twenty-five.  She  and  Mr.  Faulk- 
ner are  parents  of  four  children :  Reita  E.,  born 
February  1,  1897;  Mildred  B.,  born  two  years 
later;  George  P.,  born  in  July,  1900,  and  Luella 
M.,  born  in  1902,  also  in  the  month  of  July,  all 
natives  of  Cleveland.  Mrs.  Faulkner  has  the  fol- 
lowing brothers  and  sisters  :  Mrs.  Belle  Sprague, 
in  Zillah ;  Ralph  and  Jesse,  both  married  and 
living  near  that  town;  Bertie  and  Ethel,  living 
with  their  parents ;  and  Artemus,  residing  at 
Cleveland  and  clerking  for  Mr.  Faulkner.  Mr. 
Faulkner  has  one  brother  and  three  sisters : 
Bert  H.,  a  farmer  near  Cleveland;  Ida  L.  Blair, 
of  Chicago;  Carrie  L.  Krause,  of  Albion,  Ne- 
braska, and  Ellen  E.  Lilly,  of  Hot  Springs, 
Washington.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Faulkner  is  con- 
nected with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
low's and  the  Order  of  Washington,  and  in  re- 
ligion he  is  a  prominent  Presbyterian,  being  an 
elder  in  the  local  church  and  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school.  He  is  also  school  director 
of  district  number  thirty,  and  he  holds  a  com- 
mission as  a  notary  public.  He  is  one  of  the 
directors  of  the  Bank  of  Bickleton.  An  upright, 
energetic  business  man,  he  is  thoroughly  respected 
bv   his   fellow   citizens. 


DANIEL  C.  COURTNAY,  a  mining  man, 
residing  two  and  a  half  miles  from  the  town  of 
Cleveland,  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Illinois, 
September  2,  1837.  John  B.  Courtnay,  his  father, 
was  a  carpenter  and  farmer,  born  in  Indiana 
in  1797.  He  removed  to  Illinois  when  thirty- 
two  years  of  age  and  in  1845  crossed  the  Plains 
from  that  state  to  Oregon,  where  he  died  two 
years  after  his  arrival.  Agnes  B.  (Ritchie) 
Courtnay,  our  subject's  mother,  who  was  two 
years  her  husband's  senior,  was  also  born  in 
Indiana,  and  married  there.  She  died  in  Ore- 
gon in  1880,  after  having  become  the  mother  of 
twelve.  Daniel  C.  Courtnay  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Oregon,  having  been  only 
eight  years  old  when  he  came  to  that  state  with 
his  parents.  He  remained  at  home  until  nine- 
teen,   learning    the    carpenter's    trade    from    his 


father,  then  went  to  Walla  Walla,  from  which 
city  he  made  two  trips  into  the  Frazier  river 
country.  Returning  to  Oregon  in  1863,  he  ran 
a  saw  and  grist-mill  there  for  two  years,  then 
followed  mining  in  Grant  county  for  two  years, 
then  spent  a  twelvemonth  in  Linn  county.  For 
the  ensuing  twenty-seven  years,  he  traversed  all 
parts  of  Josephine  and  Douglas  counties  in  min- 
ing pursuits,  a  part  of  this  time  being  spent  at 
Coos  Bay,  Oregon.  He  came  to  Klickitat  county 
in  1900,  rented  the  farm  on  which  he  is  now 
living  and  engaged  temporarily  in  agriculture. 
It  is,  however,  his  intention  to  remove  to  Mexico 
soon  and  resume  his  mining. 

Mr.  Courtnay  has  been  twice  married.  His 
first  wife,  the  widow  of  Dr.  Colwell,  a  Jackson 
county  physician,  he  wedded  in  1876.  Her  father, 
Ben  McCormick,  a  native  of  Alabama  and  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  crossed  the  Plains  to  Ore- 
gon in  the  year  1863,  and  later  died  in  that  state. 
Her  mother  was  also  a  native  of  Alabama,  born 
September  2,  1832.  She  died  in  Jackson  county, 
Oregon,  after  having  become  the  mother  of  two 
children,  Hugh  and  Luella,  both  born  in  Linn 
county.  Both  are  dead.  Our  subject's  second 
marriage  was  performed  in  Douglas  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  1885,  Mrs.  Daily  then  becoming  his  wife. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  William  G.  Woodard,  a 
native  of  Ohio  and  a  saddler  by  trade,  now  liv- 
ing at  Roseburg,  Oregon,  having  crossed  the 
Plains  in  1863.  Her  mother,  Sela  (Shaw)  Wood- 
ard, died  in  Oregon.  Mrs.  'Courtnay  is  a  native 
of  Virginia,  born  in  1852.  She  spent  her  early 
youth  there  and  was  educated  in  the  local  com- 
mon schools.  Mr.  Courtnay  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  and  a  Democrat  in  politics. 
Like  most  miners,  he  has  had  a  varied  and  inter- 
esting career,  the  details  of  which,  could  they 
be  told,  would  make  an  interesting  story.  He 
has  won  many  friends  since  coming  to  Klickitat 
county,  and  should  he  carry  out  his  intention  of 
leaving,  many  will  be  sorry,  to  see  him  go. 


JAMES  D.  VAN  NOSTERN,  postmaster  in 
the  town  of  Cleveland,  where  he  also  runs  a  mer- 
cantile establishment,  was  born  in  Oregon  on 
the  20th  of  April,  1874,  the  son  of  David  and 
Elizabeth  (Thompson)  Van  Nostern,  natives  of 
Missouri.  David  Van  Nostern,  father  of  our 
subject,  who  was  born  in  1841,  was  of  German 
descent.  Left  an  orphan  at  the  tender  age  of 
six  or  seven,  he  was  taken  charge  of  by  his  sis- 
ter, who  took  him  to  West  Virginia.  Crossing 
the  Plains  to  Oregon  at  an  early  age,  he  ac- 
quired his  educational  discipline  and  grew  to 
manhood  there.  In  1883,  he  came  to  Klickitat 
county,  where  he  resided  until  his  demise  in 
1891.  His  wife,  Elizabeth  (Thompson)  Van 
Nostern,  was  educated  and  married  in  Oregon, 
and   died   in  that  commonwealth   in    1882.     Our 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


491 


subject  was  educated  in  the  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington schools,  having  accompanied  his  parents 
to  the  latter  state  when  ten  years  old.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  his  father's  death  in  1891. 
Then,  being  only  seventeen  years  old,  he  went 
back  to  Oregon,  and  for  four  years  attended 
school  there.  Upon  completing  his  education,  he 
returned  to  Cleveland  and  learned  the  black- 
smith's trade.  Later,  however,  he  engaged  in 
the  stock  business.  In  1901,  he  opened  a  store 
for  Clanton,  Mitty  &  Company  at  Cleveland,  and 
the  succeeding  year  he  purchased  the  business. 
He  had  charge  of  it  alone  for  seven  months, 
then  took  his  brother,  Isaac,  into  partnership 
with  him,  and  the  establishment  has  ever  since 
been  under  the  control  of  the  Van  Nostern 
Brothers.  Mr.  Van  Nostern  is  also  interested 
in  the  business  of  stock  raising. 

At  Bickleton,  Washington,  in  1901,  Mr.  Van 
Nostern  married  Laura  Moorehead,  whose  father, 
James,  was  a  farmer,  born  in  Ohio  in  1825.  He 
also  lived  in  Iowa,  and  that  state  was  his  start- 
ing point  when  he  came  to  Klickitat  county. 
He  died  here  in  1901.  His  wife,  Mary  (Palmer) 
Moorehead,  is  a  native  of  New  York,  but  she 
now  resides  at  North  Yakima.  Mrs.  Van  Nos- 
tern was  born  in  Iowa  in  1876.  Coming  to  Wash- 
ington with  her  parents  at  the  age  of  eight,  she 
attended  the  schools  of  that  commonwealth.  She 
married  at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  Two  chil- 
dren have  been  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Van  Nostern :  Arvilla,  May  5,  1901,  and 
James,  October  10,  1903,  the  birthplace  of  both 
being  Cleveland.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Van  Nostern 
is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Knights  of  the  Loyal  Guard  and 
the  Order  of  Washington,  while  in  politics,  he  is 
a  Republican.  A  public-spirited  man,  he  has 
never  evaded  the  responsibilities  of  citizenship, 
but  is  cheerfully  performing  the  duties  of  such 
unremunerative  offices  as  school  director,  school 
clerk  and  constable.  His  duties  as  postmaster 
are  always  discharged  conscientiously  and  with 
painstaking  care.  Besides  his  mercantile  estab- 
lishment he  has  a  homestead  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres,  with  nearly  seventy  head  of 
horses  thereon.  With  experience  and  commer- 
cial ability  his,  he  can  hardly  fail  to  win  abun- 
dant success  in  life's  conflict. 


CHARLES  M.  BECK,  a  merchant  and  farmer 
at  Cleveland,  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Illinois, 
August  31,  1852.  His  father,  Paul  Beck,  was  also 
born  in  the  same  state,  but  in  Fayette  county,  in 
the  year  1825,  and  also  is  a  farmer.  In  1856  he  re- 
moved to  Kansas,  locating  in  Linn  county,  where  he 
resided  continuously  for  twenty-seven  years.  In 
the  spring  of  1883.  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  and 
established  himself  about  four  miles  south  of  Cleve- 
land, where  he  still  resides.    He  is  of  Scotch  extrac- 


tion. His  wife,  Rosannah  P.  (Walters)  Beck,  is  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  but  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
born  in  1828.  She  was  married  in  Illinois,  to  which 
state  she  moved  with  her  parents  while  young.  She 
came  to  Washington  with  her  husband  and  still 
lives  at  their  home  near  Cleveland.  The  subject  of 
this  review  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until 
twenty-four,  working  on  the  farm  and  receiving  his 
educational  discipline  in  the  schools  of  Kansas.  For 
seven  years  after  leaving  the  parental  roof,  he  was 
successfully  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising, 
but,  in  the  spring  of  1883,  he  put  into  practice  a 
determination  to  try  the  West,  so  came  to  Klickitat 
county  and  took  up  a  piece  of  railroad  land.  This 
property  afterward  went  back  to  the  government. 
He  filed  on  it  as  a  homestead,  and  for  seven  years 
he  resided  upon  it  continuously.  In  1900,  however, 
he  bought  another  piece  of  railroad  land  and  moved 
onto  it,  and  two  years  later  he  came  to  Cleveland, 
where,  in  1903,  he  engaged  in  the  general  merchan- 
dise business,  having  formed  a  partnershin  with  his 
son,  Chester,  for  that  purpose.  His  realty  holdings 
consist  of  three  hundred  and  ten  acres,  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  of  which  are  in  cultivation. 

Mr.  Beck  was  married  in  Kansas,  December  7, 
1876.  the  lady  being  Etta  Johnson,  daughter  of 
Seneca  Johnson,  a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain 
state,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  was  an  early 
settler  in  Kansas,  and  died  in  that  state  nine  years 
ago.  Eleanor  (McCrae)  Beck,  his  wife,  is  a  native 
of  Canada,  but  was  married  in  the  state  of  Illinois, 
and  now  lives  in  Kansas.  Mrs.  Beck  was  born  in 
Illinois,  on  the  31st  of  January,  1858,  and  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  state  schools  of  Kansas,  where  she 
taught  successfully  one  term  of  school.  Her  career 
as  a  teacher  was  cut  short,  however,  for  at  the  age 
of  nineteen  she  married.  She  and  Mr.  Beck  have 
five  children :  Chester,  born  in  Kansas,  in  1877, 
now  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  with  his 
father  at  Cleveland ;  Mrs.  Lulu  Van  Nostern,  whose 
husband  is  the  owner  of  the  Bickleton-Arlington 
stage  line,  who  was  also  born  in  Kansas ;  Mrs. 
Myrtle  Bailey,  at  present  living  near  Cleveland, 
her  birthplace ;  Oscar  and  Bernetta,  at  home  with 
their  parents.  Mr.  Beck  belones  to  the  Baptist 
church  and  in  politics,  is  an  active  Republican.  He 
has  been  constable  in  Cleveland  for  two  or  three 
terms.  He  is  highly  esteemed  as  an  industrious, 
agreeable  man  and  a  public-spirited  citizen. 


FRANK  SINCLAIR,  a  young  ranchman  at 
Cleveland,  was  born  in  Linn  county,  Kansas,  June 
28,  1876.  His  father,  John  Sinclair,  a  native  of 
Treland,  came  to  this  country  in  the  early  days,  and 
settled  in  Kansas  with  his  family.  He  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  participated  in  numer- 
ous engagements,  serving  throueh  the  entire  strife. 
He  came  to  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  in  the 
spring  of  1882,  and  still  makes  his  home  there.  His 
wife,  Maria,  was  a  native  of  Missouri.     She  grew 


49? 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


to  womanhood  and  was  married  in  that  state,  but 
accompanied  her  husband  to  the  West  and  died 
in  Klickitat  county  in  1896.  Frank  Sinclair  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Cleveland,  to  which 
town  he  had  come  with  his  parents  when  less  than 
seven  years  old.  On  reaching  the  aee  of  sixteen,  he 
commenced  to  earn  his  living,  his  first  employment 
being  as  a  sheep  herder,  and  for  four  years  he  was 
in  the  employ  of  different  wool  growers.  In  1896, 
after  his  mother's  death,  he  engaged  in  the  sheep 
business  with  his  brother  Samuel,  forming  a  part- 
nership which  lasted  five  years.  Samuel  then 
bought  Frank's  interest  in  the  business,  and  the 
latter  gave  himself  to  farming.  In  1901  he  took 
up  his  present  homestead,  and  since  then  he  has 
wrought  assiduously  in  its  development  and  cultiva- 
tion. His  brother  Samuel  is  at  present  living  at 
Dot,  Washington,  and  his  married  sister,  Mrs.  Jen- 
nie Bellington,  is  the  present  postmistress  there. 
Mrs.  Annie  Highfield,  another  sister,  now  resides 
at  Lone  Spring,  Washington. 

At  Goldendale,  Washington,  in  1901,  Mr.  Sin- 
clair married  Nora  Zumault,  whose  father,  John 
Zumault,  was  a  resident  of  Kansas  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  afterward  removed  to  the  Sound,  whence 
he  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  1899.  Here  he  still 
lives,  as  does  her  mother,  Jane  (Hinkle)  Zumault. 
Mrs.  Sinclair  was  born  in  the  state  of  Kansas  in 
1883,  but  received  her  education  in  the  schools  of 
Mt.  Vernon,  Skagit  county,  Washington.  She  and 
Mr.  Sinclair  have  one  child,  John  F.,  born  at  Cleve- 
land, June  12,  1902.  Mr.  Sinclair  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  also  belongs  to  the 
Knights  of  the  Loyal  Guard.  In  politics,  he  is  an 
active  Republican.  An  enterprising  young  man, 
with  ability  to  perceive  his  opportunity  and  the 
courage  to  seize  it,  he  can  hardly  fail  to  win  fortune 
and  standing  in  the  rich  country  where  his  lot  has 
been  cast. 


ZACHARY  T.  DODSON,  M.  D.,  a  physician 
and  druggist  at  Cleveland,  Washington,  was  born 
in  McMinn  county,  Tennessee,  May  9,  1849.  His 
father,  McMinn  Dodson,  though  of  Scotch  and 
English  extraction,  was  also  born  in  McMinn  coun- 
ty, Tennessee.  By  occupation,  he  was  a  farmer  and 
stockman.  He  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  teams  in 
1853,  settled  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  took  up  a 
donation  claim  there,  and  resided  upon  it  until  his 
death  in  1892.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Sarah  D. 
(Cunningham)  Dodson, was  a  native  of  Missouri,  of 
Irish  extraction,  born  in  183 1.  She  married  in  Ten- 
nessee, at  the  age  of  nineteen,  crossed  the  Plains 
with  her  husband,  and  is  now  living  in  Polk  county, 
Oregon.  Dr.  Dodson  received  his  preliminary  ed- 
ucation at  the  Willamette  University,  at  Salem, 
Oregon;  also  took  his  medical  course  in  the  same 
institution,  from  which  he  graduated  at  twenty-  . 
seven.    When  nineteen  years  old,  he  taught  his  first  I 


term  of  school,  and  five  years  of  his  life  were  de- 
voted to  the  pursuit  of  that  profession.  After  com- 
pleting his  medical  course,  he  began  practice  at 
Eugene,  Oregon,  in  partnership  with  J.  C.  Shields. 
He  was  thus  engaged  for  a  year,  but  in  1878  he 
removed  to  eastern  Oregon,  and  opened  an  office  at 
Rock  Creek,  whence,  after  practicing  a  short  time, 
he  removed  to  Whitman  county,  Washington,  and 
established  himself  at  Pine  City.  He  remained  there 
four  years,  during  which  time  he  was  married.  His 
next  move  was  to  Weston,  Oregon,  but  his  stay 
there  was  short,  as  it  was  also  at  Rock  Creek,  his 
next  place  of  abode.  He  afterward  spent  seven 
months  in  Dallas,  Polk  county,  Oregon,  and  eight  at 
Myrtle  Point,  Case  county,  then  went  to  San  Fran- 
cisco. At  a  somewhat  later  date,  he  opened  a  drug 
store  in  Anderson,  Shasta  county,  California,  in 
company  with  Dr.  S.  Gibson,  and  remained  in  this 
business  until  June,  1885,  then  selling  out  and  mov- 
ing to  Scotts  Valley,  Oregon,  where  he  opened  an 
office  and  remained  for  five  months.  Returning  then 
to  Rock  Creek,  he  practiced  there  for  the  ensuing 
five  years.  His  next  field  of  labor  was  the  Indian 
reservation  in  Klamath  county,  Oregon,  where  for 
eighteen  months  he  held  a  position  as  physician.  He 
resumed  the  general  practice  in  Rock  Creek,  his 
former  place  of  abode,  but  soon  moved  to  Lone- 
rock,  in  Gilliam  county,  Oregon,  where  the  ensuing 
two  years  of  his  life  were  spent.  Removing  then  to 
Mayville  in  the  same  state,  he  practiced  there  a 
year.  In  1903  he  came  to  Cleveland,  Washington, 
opened  a  drug  store  and  engaged  in  the  dual  occupa- 
tion of  dealing  in  drugs  and  practicing  the  healing 
art. 

Dr.  Dodson  was  married  at  Pine  City,  Oregon, 
February  28,  1881,  to  Frances  V.  Jackson,  a  native 
of  Johnson  county,  Missouri.  Her  father,  John 
Jackson,  farmed  in  the  states  of  Illinois  and  Kansas 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  in  1874  became  a  resident 
of  California.  Five  years  later  he  located  in  Whit- 
man county,  Washington,  where  he  still  resides,  as 
does  also  his  wife,  Sarah  (Bowse)  Jackson,  a  native 
of  Missouri.  Mrs.  Dodson  was  educated  in  the 
California  schools.  She  and  Dr.  Dodson  have  five 
children:  Mrs.  Mabel  Notridge,  born  in  Pine  City, 
February  25,  1882,  and  residing  at  Mayville,  Or- 
egon ;  Sarah,  born  at  Anderson,  California,  May  9, 
1885  ;  McMinn,  born  in  Oregon,  September  7,  1889; 
John,  born  at  Klamath  Falls,  Oregon,  October  4, 
1893 ;  and  Gold,  born  on  the  17th  of  October,  1898,' 
all  at  home.  Fraternally,  Dr.  Dodson  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees,  and  in  politics, 
he  is  an  active  Republican.  He  owns  considerable 
property  in  Cleveland  besides  his  business.  A  well 
educated,  thorough  physician,  with  long  experience 
and  an  honorable  record,  he  enjoys  a  measure  of 
confidence  and  respect  in  his  community  such  as  is- 
accorded  to  none  but  those  who  are  in  earnest  in 
their  battle  for  professional  success  and  their  desire 
to  benefit  and  bless  mankind. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


493 


THOMAS  M.  TALBERT,  a  prosperous 
farmer  living  on  his  eight-hundred-acre  ranch  a 
mile  and  a  half  south  of  the  town  of  Cleve- 
land, was  born  in  Pike  county,  Illinois,  Jan- 
uary 28,  1850.  His  father,  William  J.  Talbert, 
born  in  Washington  county,  Virginia,  July 
12,  1818,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  a  tanner 
by  trade.  Moving  to  Missouri  in  1835,  he  made  his 
home  near  Joplin,  in  a  settlement  of  French  people, 
for  two  years,  going  later  to  Pike  county,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  married  in  1844.  He  was  of  Holland 
Dutch  descent.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  early  in  life,  and,  until  his  death,  in  1897, 
continued  to  be  an  influential  and  active  member  of 
it,  holding  various  positions  in  the  church  at  dif- 
ferent times.  Elizabeth  (Hull)  Talbert,  his  wife, 
was  of  English  parentage,  but  a  native  of  Randolph 
county,  Illinois,  born  March  20,  1825.  In  1840  she 
moved  with  her  parents  to  Pike  county,  and  there 
she  was  married  four  years  later,  as  already  stated. 
There  also  she  died  in  1887,  after  having  become  the 
mother  of  nine  children.  The  subject  of  this  review 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Illinois,  but  completed 
his  education  after  coming  to  Klickitat  county.  He 
remained  at  home  with  his  parents  until  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty-eight,  then,  on  October  6,  1878, 
went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  but  the  next  spring  he 
came  back  to  the  section  of  country  that  had  been 
his  home  so  long.  For  four  years  he  followed  team- 
ing at  Goldendale.  Then  he  bought  a  ranch  near 
town,  and  was  engaged  in  farmingr  for  four  yeirs. 
In  1886  he  moved  to  a  place  a  mile  and  a  half  south 
of  Cleveland,  took  up  a  homestead,  bought  another 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  and  resumed,  in 
a  new  location,  his  former  business,  namely,  agri- 
culture and  stock  raising.  Success  has  crowned  his 
efforts.  At  present  he  is  the  owner  of  eight  hun- 
dred acres,  two  hundred  of  which  are  in  cultivation 
and  producing  bountifully.  He  also  rents  and  farms 
a  section  of  school  land. 

At  Goldendale,  Washington,  January  1,  1883, 
Mr.  Talbert  married  Nellie  M.  Ballington,  daugh- 
ter of  Charles  Ballington,  a  native  of  Maine,  born 
November  8.  1842;  by  occupation  a  farmer.  When 
nine  years  of  age.  her  father  migrated  to  Waupaca, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  married  and  where  his  home 
was  until  the  spring  of  1878,  when  he  removed  to 
Oregon.  After  a  stay  of  six  months,  he  came  to 
Klickitat  county.  He  settled  near  Goldendale,  re- 
sided there  four  years,  and  then  moved  to  a  location 
five  miles  south  of  Cleveland,  took  up  a  homestead 
and  made  his  home  upon  it  for  seven  consecutive 
years.  He  then  sold  his  ranch,  removed  to  Cald- 
well, Idaho,  and  followed  the  confectionery  business 
there  for  a  year.  At  present  he  is  living  at  Port- 
land, Oregon,  where  he  practices  as  a  cancer  spe- 
cialist. His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Louisa 
Roberts,  was  one  of  a  pair  of  twins.  She  died  in 
Klickitat  county  in  1880.  Mrs.  Talbert  was  born 
near  Waupaca,  Wisconsin,  December  29,  1863,  and 
in  the  public  schools  there  she  took  her  first  steps 


in  the  pursuit  of  knowledge.  Her  education  was 
completed,  however,  in  the  Goldendale  High  schooL 
She  has  a  brother,  Fred,  in  Klickitat  county,  the 
present  postmaster  at  Dot ;  a  sister,  Jessie,  in  Seattle,, 
and  a  brother,  Henry,  in  Oregon.  She  and  Mr.  Tal- 
bert are  parents  of  four  children,  namely :  Geda  E.,. 
born  at  Goldendale,  June  6,  1884;  Walter  I.,  born 
at  the  same  place,  on  the  18th  of  November,  1887- 
Myrtle,  born  near  Cleveland,  December  13,  1890; 
and  Harry  W.,  born  at  Cleveland,  on  Independence- 
day,  in  the  year  1893.  Mr.  Talbert  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  in  which  for  sixteen  years 
he  has  been  ruling  elder,  and  in  which  he  has  at 
different  times  held  numerous  other  offices.  He  was 
commissioner  of  the  general  assembly  from  his 
church  at  the  meeting  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  ire 
1903.  In  politics,  he  is  an  active  Republican.  He 
has  capably  filled  the  position  of  deputy  sheriff  of 
Klickitat  county  and  for  a  year  he  was  city  marshal 
of  Goldendale.  His  life  in  public  and  private  is 
considered  above  reproach.  As  an  officer,  as  a  cit- 
izen and  as  a  man,  and  in  all  the  varied  relations  of 
life,  he  has  so  demeaned  himself  always  as  to  cement 
to  himself  the  respect  and  esteem  of  those  withf 
whom  he  has  been  associated. 


GEORGE  W.  LYMER,  a  prosperous  stockmanr 
of  Cleveland,  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  bona 
in  Wyandotte  county,  in  the  year  1843.  His  father, 
William  Lymer,  who  was  of  English  birth,  followed! 
farming  as  an  occupation.  In  the  early  thirties  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Ohio, 
whence  he  moved  to  Missouri,  when  our  subject  was 
a  young  boy.  After  six  years'  residence  in  that 
state,  he  moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  died  in  1893. 
Our  subject's  mother,  Clarissa,  who  was  also  Eng- 
lish, was  married  in  her  native  land,  but  soon  after 
came  to  the  United  States,  and  she  died  in  Ohia_ 
George  W.  Lymer  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  the  states  of  Ohio  and  Illinois.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  twenty-five  years  of  age,  work- 
ing on  the  parental  farm.  The  three  succeeding^ 
years  were  spent  in  work  for  various  farmers  in  the 
neighborhood,  but  in  the  spring  of  1872  he  deter- 
mined on  a  radical  change  of  residence,  so  came  to 
the  territory  of  Washington,  and  located  in  Golden- 
dale. He  there  worked  for  Mr.  Alexander  for  three 
months,  then  for  J.  J.  Golden,  the  founder  of  the 
town  of  Goldendale,  for  three  months  more,  after 
which  he  worked  several  months  for  Benjamfrn 
Butler  as  a  sheep  shearer.  He  then  went  into  the 
stock  business  with  his  brother-in-law,  near  Golden- 
dale, and  this  partnership  lasted  for  ten  years,  being: 
dissolved  in  1882.  His  next  venture  was  made  hr 
the  neighborhood  of  Cleveland,  where  he  contintredZ 
in  the  horse  business  for  a  number  of  years.  In- 
1891  he  took  up  a  homestead,  also  bought  a  half 
section  of  railroad  land,  and  fixed  the  property  trp» 
for  a  stock  ranch.  He  lived  on  it  until  1901,  then 
disposed  of  it  and  moved  to  Cleveland,  where  he  is 


494 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


still  engaged  in  the  buying  and  selling  of  horses. 
He  has  shipped  many  carloads  of  horses  to  eastern 
points,  principally  Chicago,  and  has  made  a  finan- 
cial success  of  the  business.  In  1892  he  purchased 
the  Cleveland  grist-mill,  which  he  operated  suc- 
cessfully, in  addition  to  attending  to  his  other  busi- 
ness, for  six  years,  but  in  the  fall  of  1898  he  sold 
out.  That  he  possesses  good  business  abilities  is 
evinced  by  the  fact  that  he  has  succeeded  in  a  line  in 
which  many  fail,  namely,  in  the  handling  and  ship- 
ment of  horses.  He  is  still  the  owner  of  a  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  fenced  land,  sixty  acres  of 
which  are  plowed,  and  there  are  two  substantial 
barns  on  the  property,  besides  a  dwelling  and  a 
small  orchard.  Mr.  Lymer  has  a  married  sister,  now 
living  in  Christian  county,  Illinois,  Mrs.  Mary 
Spates,  and  a  brother,  James  Lymer,  also  residing 
in  Illinois.  Mr.  Lymer  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  in  politics  he  is  an  active  Re- 
publican. He  has  served  on  the  school  board  of  his 
district  and  in  every  way  discharged  the  duties 
devolving  upon  him  as  a  good  citizen.  His  stand- 
ing in  the  community  is  an  enviable  one. 


EDWARD  MORRIS,  a  Klickitat  county  farmer 
and  stock  raiser,  residing  a  mile  north  of  the  town 
of  Cleveland,  is  a  native  of  New  York  state,  born  in 
Wyoming  county,  June  14,  1848.  His  father,  Pattock 
Morris,  of  Irish  extraction,  but  likewise  a  native 
of  New  York,  was  a  merchant  and  farmer.  In  1854 
he  removed  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  at  Oak  Groves, 
where  he  resided  for  eight  years,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, then  removing  to  Minnesota.  In  1862  he  en- 
listed in  Company  K,  Seventh  Minnesota  infantry, 
and  served  until  1865,  when  he  was  taken  down  with 
a  disease  contracted  in  the  service  and  died.  His 
wife,  whose  name  was  Lucy  Bedow,  was  born, 
brought  up  and  educated  in  New  York,  in  which 
state  she  married.  She  now  resides  with  our  sub- 
ject on  his  farm  near  Cleveland.  Her  parents  were 
English.  Edward  Morris,  whose  life  is  the  theme 
of  this  article,  received  his  early  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  the  state  of  Minnesota,  remov- 
ing to  that  state  with  his  parents  when  about  seven 
years  old.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  mother 
and  father  until  the  time  of  his  father's  death,  in 
1865,  then  with  his  mother  for  four  years.  Remov- 
ing to  California  in  the  fall  of  1869,  he  there  fol- 
lowed teaming  and  farming  for  a  period  of  nine 
years.  It  was  in  the  year  1878  that  he  first  came  to 
the  Cleveland  country,  in  Klickitat  county,  but  as 
the  Indians  were  on  the  warpath  at  that  time,  he 
remained  there  only  a  little  while.  Almost  all  the 
settlers  in  the  surrounding  country  were  moving 
with  their  families  either  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  or 
to  Goldendale,  and  he  helped  some  of  the  families  to 
get  to  these  places.  Returning  to  Cleveland  soon 
after  the  scare  subsided,  he  was  employed  that  sum- 
mer in  putting  up  hay ;  the  fall  and  winter  of  the 
same  year  he  spent  in  the  timber  at  work.    In  1879 


he  took  up  his  present  homestead,  and  upon  it  he 
has  since  lived  with  his  mother,  engaging  in  farm- 
ing and  also,  since  1880,  in  raising  and  handling 
horses.  His  farm  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  partly  in  cultivation,  and  he  also  owns 
one  hundred  acres  of  timber  land.  To  the  culti- 
vation and  improvement  of  his  property  and  to  the 
horse  business  he  devotes  himself  with  assiduity 
and  zeal,  and  he  has  won  an  enviable  success  in 
both  lines,  at  the  same  time  gaining  and  retaining 
a  place  in  the  esteem  and  regard  of  his  neighbors. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 


CHARLES  L.  TALBERT,  the  owner  of  a 
farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  agri- 
cultural and  forty  acres  of  timber  land,  a  mile 
and  a  half  west  of  the  town  of  Cleveland, 
was  born  in  Pike  county,  Illinois,  October  20, 
1859,  the  son  of  William  J.  and  Elizabeth  (Hull) 
Talbert.  His  father,  a  Virginian,  born  July  12, 
1818,  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  moved  to 
Missouri  at  the  age  of  twelve,  and  resided  in  that 
state  for  a  period  of  two  years,  going  thence  to  Pike 
county,  Illinois,  of  which  state  he  became  a  pioneer 
settler,  passing  there  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He 
was  of  Scotch  and  Irish  parentage.  His  wife  was 
likewise  a  Virginian,  and  her  people  were  likewise 
pioneers  of  Illinois,  having  moved  to  Pike  county 
among  the  earliest  immigrants.  She  died  there  in 
the  year  1890.  Charles  L.  received  his  education  in 
Illinois,  graduating  from  the  grammar  and  high 
schools  with  honor.  He  was  at  home  with  his 
parents  until  thirty  years  of  age,  farming  in  part- 
nership with  his  father,  who  gave  him  an  interest 
in  the  home  place.  In  1888  he  moved  to  Springfield, 
Missouri,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter, 
spending  three  years  in  house  building.  He  was 
married  during  this  time.  In  April.  1892,  he  re- 
turned to  Illinois  and  again  engaged  in  farming,  but 
in  the  fall  of  1893  came  to  Klickitat  county,  located 
a  mile  and  a  half  west  of  Cleveland,  rented  a  place 
there  for  four  years,  and  once  more  took  up  the  life 
of  an  agriculturist.  In  1897  he  homesteaded  the  land 
that  is  now  his  home,  and  the  ensuing  years  have 
been  employed  in  improving  and  cultivating  it.  He 
is  interested,  also,  to  some  extent  in  mining  stock. 
Mr.  Talbert  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children,  the 
others  being :  Thomas,  living  near  him ;  Mrs.  Etta 
Clark,  in  Pike  county,  Illinois :  Edward,  George  and 
Hattie,  deceased  in  Illinois ;  Sarah,  who  died 
young;  Mrs.  Martha  E.  Courtnay,  who  passed 
away  in  Cleveland;  and  Mrs.  Mary  I.  Dilley,  who 
died  in  Denver,  Colorado. 

In  Springfield,  Missouri,  June  5,  1889,  Mr.  Tal- 
bert married  Ellen  Green,  a  native  of  Missouri,  born 
in  1858.  She  was  educated  in  the  Illinois  schools. 
Her  father,  Lemuel  Green,  was  a  Missouri  farmer, 
who  moved  to  Illinois  in  1861,  and  died  in  that  state 
some  years  later.  Mrs.  Talbert  has  a  brother, 
Henry,  who  lives  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


495 


married  sister,  Mrs.  Eliza  McCune,  whose  home  is 
in  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Talbert 
have  four  children,  namely :  Irene,  born  in  Missouri, 
March  26,  1890;  Anita,  born  in  Illinois,  May  30, 
1892;  Mary  L.,  born  in  Klickitat  county,  September 
26,  1894;  and  Ralph  V.,  also  born  in  Washington, 
August  24,  1896.  In  religious  persuasion,  Mr.  Tal- 
bert is  a  Presbyterian,  and  in  politics,  a  Republican. 
He  is  an  energetic  farmer,  and  an  upright,  honor- 
able man,  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him  in- 
timately. 


ISAAC  B.  COURTNAY,  one  of  the  oldest 
pioneers  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his  farm  two 
and  a  half  miles  west  of  Cleveland.  He  was  born 
in  Clark  county,  Indiana,  June  18,  1821,  making  him 
now  eighty-three  years  of  age.  John  D.  Courtnay, 
his  father,  a  native  of  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, was  a  farmer.  He  crossed  the  Plains  in 
1845  w'tn  h's  wife  and  son,  and  was  accidentally 
killed  in  Oregon  by  a  falling  tree.  He  married  in 
Indiana  a  native  of  the  Quaker  state,  Agnes  Ritchie 
by  name,  who  died  in  Oregon  several  years  after 
the  demise  of  her  husband.  The  subject  of  this  re- 
view was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Illinois,  to 
which  state  his  father  removed  from  Indiana.  The 
family  settled  first  in  Fulton  county,  but  in  1833 
went  to  Warren  county,  where  Isaac  B.  grew  up. 
He  remained  with  his  parents  until  their  death, 
taking  charge  of  the  rest  of  the  family  at  the  time 
his  father  was  accidentally  killed.  During  all  these 
years,  he  followed  farming  principally.  Going  to 
Umatilla  county,  Oregon,  in  1858,  with  cattle,  he 
remained  there  for  five  years,  then  settled  in  the 
Willamette  valley.  In  1878  he  came  to  Goldendale, 
and  spent  six  years  in  that  locality,  but  in  1884  in 
partnership  with  Tom  Talbert,  he  bought  a  place 
near  Cleveland.  This  they  farmed  for  several  years, 
Mr.  Courtnay  eventually  selling  out  to  his  asso- 
ciate. He  filed  on  his  present  homestead  in  1900, 
and  has  since  made  it  his  home. 

Mr.  Courtnay  has  been  married  three  times.  His 
first  wife's  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Wagner  and 
the  ceremony  which  joined  her  to  him  was  per- 
formed in  Henderson  county,  Illinois,  in  1844.  She 
died  in  Oregon,  January  10,  1846.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Frederick  Wagner,  a  farmer  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  who  passed  away  in  the  state  of  In- 
diana. The  second  marriage  of  our  subject  took 
place  in  the  year  1862,  and  the  lady  who  then  became 
his  wife  remained  by  his  side  for  twenty-six  years, 
then  died  at  Goldendale,  Washington.  Mr.  Court- 
nay was  married  a  third  time  in  1893,  when  Martha 
E.  Talbert  joined  fortunes  with  him,  but  she  passed 
away  a  half  decade  later,  leaving  him  again  alone. 
He  has  one  child  by  his  first  marriage,  Samuel  M., 
born  in  Henderson  county,  Illinois,  January  10, 
1845.  ar)d  now  living  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Courtnay  is 
a  member  of  and  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian 
church.    One  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  North- 


west, he  has  participated  in  the  development  of 
more  than  one  section  of  it,  and  has  witnessed  its 
gradual  settlement,  subjugation  and  civilization, 
contributing  always  his  mite  to  the  general  progress. 
While  he  may  not  have  retained  for  himself  so  much 
worldly  treasure  as  some,  he  is  rich  in  the  esteem 
and  confidence  of  his  neighbors,  and  the  conscious- 
ness of  having  lived  a  life  of  honor  and  stainless 
integrity. 


EDGAR  E.  MASON,  a  prosperous  ranchman 
of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his  hundred  and  sixty 
acre  farm,  three  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Cleve- 
land. He  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  near  the  city  of 
Fond  du  Lac,  in  the  year  1847.  His  father,  Jacob 
Mason,  a  native  of  the  Quaker  state,  and  likewise  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  moved  to  Wisconsin  in  1845, 
becoming  a  pioneer  of  that  state.  He  went 
to  Minnesota  in  1855  and  died  there  some  years 
later.  He  belonged  to  an  old  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  family.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Amanda  Harroun,  was  born  in  the  Green 
Mountain  state,  to  English  parents,  removed 
to  Pennsylvania  in  the  early  days,  and  was 
there  married.  She  died  at  her  son's  home  in  Klick- 
itat county,  in  the  year  1895.  Edgar  E.  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Minnesota.  He 
remained  at  home  until  twenty-two  years  old,  but 
in  1878  journeyed  westward  to  California,  in  which 
state  he  followed  the  occupation  of  a  gardener  for 
two  years,  going  then  to  the  Willamette  valley  in 
Oregon,  where  he  farmed  for  an  additional  two 
years.  In  1882  he  came  to  Klickitat  county.  A  few 
months  were  spent  in  Goldendale  and  Cleveland,  in 
various  kinds  of  work,  but  that  fall  he  took  a 
piece  of  land,  on  which  he  lived  for  three  years. 
Going  to  Seattle  in  1885,  he  worked  in  that  city 
for  a  twelvemonth,  then  returned  to  Cleveland,  and 
homesteaded  his  present  land,  buying  the  improve- 
ments which  were  on  the  place  at  that  time.  He 
lias  since  continued  to  reside  on  the  property,  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock  raising. 

At  Albany,  Oregon.  Mr.  Mason  married  Mary 
E.  Twitchell,  a  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Maria 
(Dodge)  Twitchell,  whose  father,  a  farmer,  was 
born  in  the  state  of  Maine.  By  1853,  however,  Mr. 
Twitchell  had  moved  to  Wisconsin,  and  later  he 
had  lived  in  Iowa  and  Minnesota.  In  1878  he  mi- 
grated to  California,  whence  he  came  to  Linn  coun- 
ty, Oregon,  and  his  earthly  pilgrimage  was  termi- 
nated at  Cleveland,  Washington,  in  1896.  His  wife, 
who  was  brought  up  and  married  in  the  state  of 
Maine,  also  died  in  Cleveland.  Mrs.  Mason  was 
likewise  born  in  Maine  in  October.  1845.  Dut  grew 
to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in  Minnesota. 
She  has  a  brother,  William  Twitchell,  living  in  the 
state :  a  sister,  Mrs.  Malinda  Mason,  at  Zillah ;  an- 
other, Ann,  now  Mrs.  C.  F.  Williams,  near  Golden- 
dale. and  still  another,  Mrs.  Helen  Merton,  also  at 
Zillah.     One  sister.  Mrs.  Effie  L.  Hacklev,  died  in 


496 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Cleveland  during  the  month  of  December,  1903. 
Mr.  Mason  has  five  brothers  and  sisters  now  living, 
namely :  George  W.,  at  Zillah ;  David,  in  Gilliam 
count}',  Oregon ;  Mrs.  Cornelia  Sanborn,  in  Port- 
land; Mrs.  Lucinda  Mills,  and  Mrs.  Hattie  Baker, 
in  Lake  county,  California,  and  Swift  county,  Min- 
nesota, respectively.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  have 
two  children,  both  born  in  Cleveland,  Ivy  and  Bruce, 
the  daughter  born  October  10,  1885,  and  the  son 
February  11,  1889.  In  religious  persuasion,  Mr. 
Mason  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  in  politics,  an  active 
Republican.  His  daily  walk  is  upright  and  irre- 
proachable ;  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men  are 
invariably  characterized  by  honor  and  integrity,  and 
as  a  citizen  he  is  sufficiently  public-spirited  to  bear 
willingly  his  share  in  the  furtherance  of  whatever 
he  conceives  to  be  for  the  promotion  of  the  general 
welfare  of  his  community. 


ALEXANDER  HIRONIMOUS,  proprietor  of 
a  sawmill  on  Spring  Creek,  located  three  and  a  half 
imiles  from  the  town  of  Cleveland,  a  machinist  by 
trade,  was  born  in  Walla  Walla,  April  17,  1873. 
His  father,  Zachariah  W.  Hironimous,  was  a  native 
of  Missouri,  born  in  the  year  1842.  When  six 
jears  old,  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  California  with 
liis  parents,  and  lived  in  the  Golden  state  until  1871, 
in  which  year  he  wedded  Adeline  Louder,  a  native 
■of  Iowa,  born  in  1856.  He  passed  away  in  Walla 
Walla  in  the  latter  part  of  1879.  Mrs.  Hironimous 
5s  still  living,  on  Pine  creek,  near  Cleveland.  She 
•crossed  the  Plains  when  a  young  girl  to  California, 
whence  she  removed  to  western  Oregon,  and  later 
to  Klickitat  county.  Mr.  Hironimous,  who  is  one 
of  a  family  of  three  children,  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Walla  Walla,  later  taking  a 
business  course  in  the  Fresno  Business  College,  of 
Fresno,  California.  He  was  but  six  years  old  when 
his  father  died.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  he  left  home 
Yto  enter  the  employ  of  the  Washington  Creamery 
"■Company,  for  which  firm  he  worked  for  a  period  of 
liive  years,  then  entering  the  employ  of  Mr.  Hunt 
"an'his  machine  shops.  He  spent  sixteen  months  at 
ithis,  then  removed  to  California  and  secured  work 
-with  the  Sanger  Lumbering  Company.  After  a 
rservice  of  nine  months,  he  left  them  to  take  a  posi- 
Tstion  in  the  Fresno  machine  shops,  in  which  he  was 
■ranployed  for  three  years.  He  was  also  employed 
Eby  the  lUnion  Iron  Works  for  a  short  time.  Coming 
to  Cleveland  in  1902,  he  opened,  in  connection  with 
Ms  present  partner,  S.  L.  Warren,  a  sawmill  on 
Spring  creek,  and  this  he  has  ever  since  operated, 
■achieving  an  enviable  success  in  his  business,  which 
is  prospering,  especially  at  present,  owing  to  the 
■activity  in  building,  the  country  surrounding  him 
■(being  settled  more  and  more  each  year.  He  has  one 
^brother,  Henry,  working  for  him  in  the  mill,  and 
■a.  -married  sister,  Mrs.  Nancy  Walling,  living  in 
]Ma"bton.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Hironimous  is  connected 
•with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in 


politics,  he  if  a  Republican.  A  shrewd  business 
man,  a  competent  mechanic,  and  an  indefatigable 
worker,  he  has  already  acquired  some  valuable  in- 
terests in  Cleveland  and  on  Spring  creek,  and,  with 
the  start  already  gained,  the  skill  already  acquired, 
and  the  abilities  with  which  nature  has  endowed 
him,  he  is  certainly  in  a  position  to  grasp  his  share 
of  the  prizes  which  the  future  may  bring  before  him. 


SIMEON  L.  WARREN,  a  prosperous  mill- 
man,  the  owner  of  a  half  interest  in  the  mill  of 
Warren  &  Hironimous,  on  Spring  creek,  near  Cleve- 
land, is  a  native  of  Maine,  born  in  Franklin  county, 
March  8,  1844.  His  father,  Samuel,  a  merchant  and 
farmer,  was  likewise  born  in  the  Pine  Tree  state. 
He  moved  to  Canada  in  after  years,  and  lived  there 
for  some  time,  then  recrossed  the  line  into  New 
York,  where  he  resided  several  years,  eventually, 
however,  returning  to  Canada,  where  he  died  in  the 
year  1898.  His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was 
Joan  Lamkin,  was  born  and  married  in  the  state  of 
Maine,  and  died  in  Canada  eight  months  before  her 
husband's  demise.  Our  subject  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  state,  remaining  with  his 
parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen.  He 
worked  for  his  father  while  in  Canada,  hewing  ship 
timbers,  but  on  leaving  home  he  entered  the  employ 
of  a  railroad  company  as  brakeman,  an  occupation 
which  he  followed  about  a  year.  Then  he  went  to 
work  for  his  father  again,  this  time,  however,  in 
New  York  state,  for  the  elder  Warren  had  crossed, 
in  the  meantime,  the  Canadian  border.  He  remained 
with  him  in  the  shipbuilding  business  for  eighteen 
months,  then  tried  farming  a  year  in  Maine,  then  to 
Canada  once  more.  For  eighteen  months  he  ran  a 
planer  in  his  father's  mill,  for  the  elder  Warren  was 
again  in  Canada.  At  the  end  of  this  period,  our 
subject  went  once  more  to  Maine  and  was  there 
married.  He  lived  in  the  state  four  years,  then,  his 
wife  having  died  in  1875,  moved  alone  to  California, 
in  which  state  he  arrived  in  the  summer  of  1876. 
His  first  year  in  the  Golden  state  was  spent  on  a 
ranch.  In  1877,  however,  he  engaged  in  the  whole- 
sale liquor  business,  remaining  therein  a  little  over 
a  year  and  a  half,  whereupon  he  went  back  to  farm 
work.  In  the  fall  of  1879  he  removed  to  Wash- 
ington (then  a  territory),  settled  in  Klickitat  county, 
near  Bickleton,  rented  a  place  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. He  spent  three  years  on  this,  his  first  home  in 
Washington,  and  the  succeeding  two  on  his  father- 
in-law's  farm,  then  worked  one  year  for  Dave 
Sprinkle  in  the  mill  business.  He  then  pur- 
chased the  mill  and  continued  to  run  it  alone  until 
1900,  when  he  sold  out  to  Harshbarger  &  Clanton, 
by  whom  he  was  employed  for  the  ensuing  nine 
months.  His  next  employer  was  Mr.  Highfill,  in 
whose  service  he  remained  five  months.  In  1903  he 
put  up  his  present  mill  on  Spring  creek,  in  company 
with  Alexander  Hironimous,  and  the  two  have  oper- 
ated the  plant  successfully  ever  since. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


497 


Mr.  Warren  has  been  twice  married.  In  1870, 
in  the  state  of  Maine,  he  wedded  Lucinda  White, 
who  bore  him  one  child,  Clara  May,  now  Mrs.  Jo- 
seph Riggs.  This  Mrs.  Warren  died  in  Maine,  after 
having  lived  with  him  for  three  years.  His  second 
marriage  occurred  in  Klickitat  county,  in  1883,  the 
lady  being  Augusta  Jane  Noblet,  a  native  of  Califor- 
nia, the  daughter  of  William  B.  and  Elizabeth 
(Young)  Noblet,  the  former  of  German  descent,  but 
a  native  of  Tennessee.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade. 
He  moved  to  Missouri  when  a  young  man,  and 
thence  to  California  in  1856,  crossing  the  Plains 
with  ox  teams  in  a  company  of  emigrants.  He  set- 
tled in  Nevada  county,  where  for  twenty  years  he 
worked  at  mining  and  freighting.  He  came  to 
Klickitat  county  in  1879  and  died  there  in  1897. 
Mrs.  Warren's  mother,  also  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
was  married  in  Missouri,  to  which  state  she  moved 
when  a  child.  She  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  hus- 
band and  is  now  living  on  the  Yakima  Indian  res- 
ervation. Mrs.  Warren  was  born  in  the  Golden 
state,  August  14,  1859,  and  was  educated  in  its 
schools.  She  and  Mr.  Warren  have  six  children, 
as  follows :  Mrs.  Lillie  B.  Cunningham,  living  near 
Dot  postomce,  born  July  8,  1884;  Samuel  B., 
born  July  21,  1888;  Joseph  F.,  on  November  29, 
1889;  Lulu  D.,  Flora  S.,  and  Emma  A., 
born  August  1,  1891,  September  4,  1893,  and  April 
28,  1896,  respectively,  all  at  home.  The  chil- 
dren were  all  born  in  Klickitat  county.  Mr. 
Warren  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  in  politics,  a  Democrat.  Besides  his  interest  in 
the  sawmill,  he  owns  a  house  and  lot  in  Cleveland. 
A  very  generous,  benevolent  man,  he  has  freely 
given  of  his  lumber  at  all  times  to  assist  in  the 
construction  of  churches  and  public  buildings  in  the 
neighborhood.  In  many  substantial  ways,  he  has 
given  proof  of  his  interest  in  the  development  and 
general  welfare  of  Klickitat  county,  whose  citizens 
respect  him  as  a  man  of  industry,  integrity  and 
worth. 


WILLIAM  S.  LONG,  a  prosperous  Klickitat 
county  farmer,  resides  on  his  three  hundred 
and  twenty-acre  ranch  a  half  mile  east  of  the  town 
of  Cleveland.  He  is  a  native  of  Oregon, 
born  in  Linn  county,  March  2,  1862,  the  son  of 
Lewis  Long,  a  native  of  Ohio,  of  German  parent- 
age. Moving  to  Illinois  when  a  young  boy,  the 
elder  Long  became  a  pioneer  of  that  state,  but  in 
1854  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  his  wife,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  A.  Hesser,  and  settled  in 
Linn  county,  Oregon.  He  there  took  a  donation 
claim,  on  which  he  lived  for  over  forty  years,  or 
until  his  death  in  1894.  His  wife,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
likewise  passed  away  on  the  old  homestead  in  Linn 
county,  on  the  10th  of  July,  1902.  She  was  descend- 
ed from  an  old  German  family.  She  became  the 
mother  of  nine  children,  of  whom  seven  are  still 


living.  William  S.,  of  this  review,  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Oregon.  He  remained  at  home 
on  the  farm  until  twenty-four,  at  which  time  he 
married,  rented  a  place  near  the  family  home  and 
engaged  in  agriculture  on  his  own  account.  He 
followed  that  life  in  the  same  locality  for  a  period 
of  nine  years,  but  in  the  fall  of  1895  removed  to 
Klickitat  county,  and  took  a  homestead  about  five 
miles  southeast  of  Cleveland.  He  lived  on  the  place 
seven  years,  putting  part  of  the  land  into  cultiva- 
tion, but  in  1903  he  sold  the  tract  and  bought  his 
present  ranch,  only  a  half-mile  from  town,  and  to 
the  cultivation  and  improvement  of  this,  he  is  now 
devoting  himself  with  assiduity  and  success.  Of  the 
brothers  and  sisters  of  our  subject:  Jonathan  and 
Ransom  died  in  Oregon  :  Alonzo  now  lives  in  Baker 
county,  that  state ;  Mrs.  Phcebe  Owens  makes  her 
home  in  Linn  county,  Oregon ;  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Ross 
resides  at  Baker  City;  Peter  also  lives  in  Oregon, 
and  Gabriel  and  Columbus  live  together  six  miles 
southeast  of  Cleveland.  William  is  the  youngest 
child  of  the  family. 

The  marriage  of  our  subject  took  place  in  Linn 
county,  Oregon,  in  the  year  1886,  the  lady  being 
Olive  Wegle,  a  native  of  Oregon.  Her  father,  Jacob 
Wegle,  crossed  the  Plains  with  his  parents  in  1848, 
when  he  was  a  very  small  child.  He  grew  up  in 
Oregon,  was  married  there,  and  still  makes  his  home 
there.  His  daughter  Olive  is  the  oldest  of  his  five 
children  ;  the  others  being :  James  E.,  Mrs.  Catherine 
Owens,  Nellie  and  Oscar,  all  living  at  present  in 
Linn  county,  Oregon.  Mrs.  Long's  mother,  Mir- 
anda (Kenney)  Wegle,  also  crossed  the  Plains  to 
Oregon  with  her  people  in  1848.  She  grew  up  and 
married  in  that  state,  and  still  lives  at  the  family- 
home  with  her  husband.  Mrs.  Long  was  born  in 
1869,  educated  in  the  schools  of  Linn  county,  her 
birthplace,  and,  after  leaving  school,  learned  dress- 
making, but  an  early  marriage  prevented  her  from 
following  her  handicraft  as  a  business.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Long  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Order  of  Washington,  while  in  politics,  he 
is  an  active  Democrat,  greatly  interested  in  all  cam- 
paigns, local  and  national.  An  energetic  and  suc- 
cessful farmer,  a  substantial,  public-spirited  citizen 
and  an  honorable  man,  he  has  gained  for  himself  an 
enviable  standing  in  his  community  and  in  the 
county. 


RICHARD  D.  WHITE.  The  privilege  of  hav- 
ing assisted  in  the  progress  and  been  an  eye-witness 
of  the  development  of  the  great  Northwest  from 
almost  its  very  beginnings  is  a  rare  one,  and  its  pos- 
sessors may  well  feel  proud  of  the  honor.  To  have 
been  born  in  the  Willamette  valley  within  six  months 
after  Oregon  became  a  territory,  to  have  descended 
from  one  of  its  oldest  pioneer  families,  and  to  have 
spent  his  whole  life  in  this  rich  section  of  the  United 
States  are  privileges  possessed  by  the  subject  of  this 


498 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


sketch,  now  residing  in  this  county,  seven  miles 
northwest  of  Arlington,  Oregon.  He  was  born  Jan- 
uary 6,  1849,  in  Washington  county,  and  is  the  son 
of  Richard  and  Caroline  (Rider)  White,  natives  of 
England.  The  elder  White  came  to  Canada  in  1836, 
removed  to  Missouri  in  1843,  and  m  ^44  crossed 
the  Plains,  with  one  of  the  earliest  emigrant  trains 
to  make  that  hazardous  journey.  In  1880  he  left 
Oregon  for  California,  and  in  that  state  his  death 
occurred  in  1882.  During  his  life  he  was  a  farmer, 
stock  raiser  and  real  estate  man.  He  built  the  St. 
Charles  hotel  in  Portland.  Richard  D.'s  mother  died 
when  he  was  but  eighteen  months  old. 

Our  subject  attended  the  public  schools  of  Ore- 
gon, remaining  at  home  until  he  was  twenty-one. 
His  father  and  he  opened  a  shoe  store  in  Portland  in 
1867,  which  they  conducted  until  1870.  Then  the 
son  mined  awhile,  operated  the  St.  Charles  hotel  six 
months,  and  finally,  in  March,  1871,  came  to  Klick- 
itat county,  locating  four  miles  south  of  Goldendale. 
For  five  years  he  was  in  the  cattle  business ;  then  he 
sold  out  and  took  up  his  residence  east  of  Rock 
creek,  where  he  lived  three  years  before  removing  to 
his  present  home.  This  he  acquired  by  filing  a  tim- 
ber culture  claim  to  the  land.  He  took  up  the  sheep 
industry  in  1894,  and  is  now  cne  of  the  leading  sheep 
men  in  the  county. 

Mr.  White  was  married  on  the  Walker  ranch  in 
1877,  the  lady  being  Miss  Ada  Purvine,  whose 
parents  are  pioneers  of  Klickitat  county.  She  was 
born  in  Washington  county,  Oregon,  in  the  year 
i860,  and  reared  in  that  state.  After  sixteen  years 
of  married  life,  she  passed  away,  leaving,  besides 
her  husband,  five  children  to  mourn  their  loss: 
Mabel  E.,  born  in  Oregon,  August  4,  1878,  now 
teaching  school ;  Thomas,  Horace,  Lizzie,  who  re- 
cently finished  a  course  in  a  Portland  business  col- 
lege; and  May,  all  born  in  this  county.  One  son, 
Richard,  is  dead.  Mr.  White  was  again  married,  at 
Goldendale,  March  25,  1898,  the  bride  this -time 
being  Mrs.  Susan  Hopkins.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  Hendricks,  an  Oregon  pioneer,  who  is  still 
living,  a  resident  of  the  Klickitat  valley.  Susan 
Hendricks  was  born  in  Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  in 
February,  1865,  was  educated  in  Oregon's  schools, 
and,  at  the  aee  of  twenty-five,  was  married  to  James 
Hopkins.  Three  children  were  born  to  this  union, 
of  whom  only  one,  Robert,  is  living.  Mr.  Hopkins 
died  in  1895.  Mr.  White  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  belongs  to  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and,  in  politics,  is  an  active  Democrat. 
His  ranch,  consisting  of  two  thousand  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres,  of  which  five  hundred  are  in  crop, 
is  one  of  the  largest  in  southern  Washington  and  is 
well  equipped.  At  present  he  owns  two  thousand 
one  hundred  head  of  sheep,  from  which  he  derives 
a  goodly  income.  Mr.  White  commands  the  good 
will  and  the  sincere  respect  of  every  one  who  knows 
him,  is  making  a  most  gratifying  success  out  of  his 
business,  and  is  an  honored  son  of  the  West. 


ISAAC  CLARK  is  a  well-known  farmer  and 
stockman,  with  present  residence  eight  miles  north- 
east of  Arlington,  Oregon.  He  is  a  native  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  born  March  10,  1839,  and  in 
the  Quaker  state  received  a  common  school  educa- 
tion. When  he  was  a  babe  of  two  years  his  father 
died,  and  later,  when  seven  years  old,  his  mother 
placed  him  for  care  with  a  family,  and  from  that 
time  to  the  present  day  he  has  been  on  his  own  re- 
sponsibility for  a  livelihood.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  commenced  working  as  an  apprentice  at  the  har- 
ness making  trade,  but  after  a  year  and  a  half  in  this 
vocation,  failing  health  caused  him  to  go  to  sea.  He 
cruised  on  whaling  voyages  for  four  years,  during 
this  time  being  on  the  vessel  all  the  while,  except 
occasionally  when  in  port.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
his  health  was  so  improved  that  he  could  leave  the 
sea.  He  went  then  to  Illinois,  and  later  to  New  York, 
where  he  was  employed  for  five  years  on  a  farm. 
In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  First  New  York 
Dragoons,  and  served  till  the  close  of  the  war.  He 
was  mustered  out  of  service  at  Cloud's  Mill,  Vir- 
ginia, and  received  his  discharge  at  Rochester,  New 
York.  After  being  released  from  military  service 
he  accepted  work  on  the  farm  with  his  former  em- 
ployer for  one  year,  then,  in  1866,  went  to  Minne- 
sota. Here  he  bought  land  and  followed  farming 
for  five  or  six  years.  After  coming  west,  Mr.  Clark 
was  appointed  by  President  Grant  in  1873  instruct- 
or in  farming  on  the  Nez  Perces  reservation  in 
Tdaho.  He  served  in  this  position  for  slightly  more 
than  a  year,  and  then  was  obliged  to  resign  on  ac- 
count of  poor  health.  Under  the  advice  of  physi- 
cians, who  pronounced  his  complaint  to  be  rheuma- 
tism of  the  heart,  he  started  to  California  with  hopes 
of  bettering  his  health.  While  en  route  he  stopped 
at  Goldendale  to  visit  Mr.  G.  W.  Lymer,  his  wife's 
cousin,  and,  finding  the  climate  entirely  beneficial  to 
his  health,  decided  not  to  go  to  California.  In  ac- 
cordance with  this  decision  he  filed  on  a  homestead 
near  Centerville,  in  October,  1874.  In  1883  he  filed 
on  a  timber  culture,  and  in  1885  on  his  present  farm. 
Since  arriving  in  Klickitat  county  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  chiefly. 

Mr.  Clark  was  married  in  Minnesota,  February 
24,  1869,  to  Miss  Emily  A.  Sanders,  a  native  of 
England,  born  April  12.  1849.  She  came  from  Eng- 
land to  the  United  States  when  six  years  of  age,  her 
objective  point  beings  Ohio.  In  Ohio  she  received  ' 
a  common  school  education  and  afterwards  taught 
very  successfully.  She  married  Mr.  Clark  at  the 
age  of  nineteen.  Her  parents  were  Joseph  and  Ellen 
(Lymer)  Sanders,  both  of  English  birth.  Joseph 
Sanders  was  born  in  1822,  and  was  a  shoemaker  by 
trade.  He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1855  and 
settled  in  New  York,  where  he  lived  for  several 
years.  From  New  York  he  moved  to  Ohio,  thence 
to  Illinois,  and  later  to  Minnesota.  His  next  and 
final  move  was  to  Klickitat  county,  arriving  in  1880. 
He  first  took  up  a  homestead,  then,  after  four  years 
of  residence  on  the  place,  moved  to  a  farm  near 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


499 


Cleveland.  His  death  occurred  in  1900.  Ellen 
(Lymer)  Sanders  was  married  in  England,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  with  her  husband  in 
1855,  as  just  stated.  Her  death  occurred  in  1894. 
Mr.  Clark's  parents  were  William  and  Mary  (Bell) 
Clark,  the  former  of  English  extraction  and  the 
latter  of  Irish.  William  Clark  was  born  in  Virginia, 
and  after  attaining  manhood  followed  the  trade  of 
a  mechanic.  His  death  occurred  in  Philadelphia. 
Mary  (Bell)  Clark  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in 
which  state  her  death  occurred  in  1852.  Children 
that  have  been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Clark  are:  Aquila  E.,  born  in  Minnesota,  January  1, 
1870,  now  residing  in  Goldendale;  Grace  E.,  born 
on  the  Lapwai  reservation  in  Idaho,  November 
9,  1873,  now  Mrs.  Furey,  with  residence  in  East 
Portland ;  Melvin  J.,  born  in  Klickitat  county,  Feb- 
ruary 19,  1876,  deceased  at  the  age  of  twenty-five; 
June,  born  in  Minnesota,  in  June,  1871,  deceased  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  months ;  Francis  H..  born  in 
Klickitat  county,  December  18,  1881 ;  James  I.,  born 
in  Klickitat  county,  October  2,  1883,  now  residing  at 
home,  and  George  W.,  born  in  Klickitat  county  at 
the  present  home,  January  4,  1886.  In  religion,  Mr. 
Clark  is  an  adherent  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
and  he  has  served  as  a  deacon  in  the  Dot  church  of 
that  denomination  for  several  years.  He  has  mem- 
bership in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  no 
one  in  Klickitat  county  is  more  deserving  of  the 
honors  of  this  organization  than  he.  During  his 
life  time  he  has  served  his  country,  not  only  as  a 
soldier  risking  life  and  fortune  in  the  defense  of 
national  honor,  but  as  a  pioneer  striving  to  plant  the 
emblems  of  civilization  in  an  undeveloped  wilder- 
ness whose  latent  resources,  turned  into  the  chan- 
nels of  commerce  by  sturdy  hands,  add  wealth  and 
renown  to  our  nation. 


MARTIN  FUHRMAN,  a  sheepman  and  land- 
owner residing  twenty  miles  east  of  Goldendale,  on 
Rock  creek  at  Fuhrman  postoffice,  is  a  native  of 
Hungary,  born  in  1845.  the  son  of  Martin  and 
Barbara  (Barack)  Fuhrman,  both  natives  of  Hun- 
gary, though  of  German  parentage.  Martin 
Fuhrman,  the  elder,  was  a  farmer.  He  was  born 
in  Hungary  in  1814  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1858,  settling  first  in  Indiana,  and  later 
in  Independence,  Iowa.  Thence  he  moved  to  the 
Black  hills,  where  his  death  occurred.  The 
mother,  Barbara  (Barack)  Fuhrman,  died  in 
Hungary.  Martin  Fuhrman  received  the  greater 
part  of  his  education  in  his  native  land.  After 
coming  to  the  United  States  he  lived  with  his 
father  in  Iowa  until  twenty-eight  years  of  age, 
at  which  time  he  married  and  took  up  farming 
independently,  in  Iowa.  After  farming  in  that 
state  for  three  years,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county, 
arriving  in  1877,  and  took  up  a  timber  claim 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Columbia  river,  fifteen  miles 
from  The  Dalles,  at  what  is  known  as  Daily  Station. 


He  later  filed  a  homestead  claim  closer  to  The 
Dalles,  on  which  he  lived  for  a  time,  then  sold  out 
and  moved  into  The  Dalles,  where  he  accepted  em- 
ployment from  the  Northern  Pacific  Company.  For 
three  years  following  he  worked  at  carpentering  for 
the  company  in  Tacoma  and  Portland.  Then  he 
bought  a  band  of  sheep  and  settled  on  land  ten  miles 
west  of  Goldendale.  In  1890  he  moved  into  the 
Rock  creek  country  and  purchased  an  extensive  tract 
of  land,  where  he  has  run  sheep  ever  since.  He  also 
raises  cattle  and  horses,  having  nearly  sixty  head  of 
the  former. 

Mr.  Fuhrman  was  married  in  Iowa,  August  24, 
1873,  to  Miss  Mary  N.  Maloney,  a  native  of  Iowa, 
born  November  25,  1856,  of  Irish  descent.  Her 
father,  Patrick  Maloney.  a  farmer  living  five  miles 
from  Independence,  was  quite  well-to-do.  Her 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Mary  Murray.  Both 
parents  are  now  dead.  Children  born  to  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fuhrman  are  Frederick. 
Thomas,  Martin,  Winifred,  James,  Margaretta  and 
Charles.  In  politics.  Mr.  Fuhrman  is  a  Republican, 
and  he  is  active  enough  in  support  of  his  political 
faith  to  attend  the  caucuses  and  county  conventions. 
His  land  holdings  comprise  four  thousand  acres, 
some  of  it  suitable  for  farming  purposes,  and  the 
balance  for  grazing.  Besides  horses,  cattle  and 
hogs,  he  has  a  herd  of  four  thousand  sheep.  He 
and  his  wife  are  prominent  in  neighborhood  affairs 
and  have  the  highest  esteem  of  a  wide  circle  of 
associates.  Mrs.  Fuhrman  is  postmistress  of  the 
Fuhrman  postoffice,  the  establishment  of  which  in 
1900  she  was  instrumental  in  bringing  about.  In 
this  capacity  she  has  come  to  be  as  widely  and  favor- 
ably known  as  has  her  husband  in  his  special  line 
pertaining  to  the  management  of  land  and  stock. 


JAMES  A.  SMITH  is  a  highly-respected 
citizen  of  Klickitat  county,  with  residence  one 
and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Kuhn  postoffice 
and  twelve  miles  southeast  of  Bickleton.  He 
was  born  in  Buckinghamshire,  England,  Febru- 
ary 10,  1842,  the  son  of  Richard  and  Ann  (Rob- 
bins)  Smith,  natives  of  England.  Richard  Smith 
lived  his  entire  life  time  in  England.  He  was  a 
veterinary  surgeon.  Ann  (Robbins)  Smith 
lived  from  childhood  to  old  age  there,  residing 
the  greater  part  of  the  time  in  her  native  shire. 
Both  parents  are  now  deceased.  James  A.  grew 
to  manhood  in  England,  and,  during  youth  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools.  When 
fifteen  years  of  age.  he  left  home  and  went  to 
London,  where  he  followed  various  occupations 
for  twenty-five  years.  In  1882  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  his  objective  point  being  Dekalb 
county,  Illinois.  He  worked  at  tile  draining 
there  for  two  years,  then,  in  1884,  went  to 
Nebraska,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  His 
final  move  was  to  Klickitat  county,  Washington, 
in  the  fall  of  1886.      Upon  his  arrival,   he  filed    on 


500 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


a  quarter  section  of  land,  and  since,  by  purchase, 
has  added  to  his  land  holdings  till  he  now  has 
over  three  thousand  acres,  some  of  which  is  the 
most  valuable  grazing  land  in  the  county.  In 
1896  he  went  into  the  sheep  business,  continuing 
in  the  same  until  within  the  last  year,  when  he 
sold  out. 

In  November  of  1870,  Mr.  Smith  married 
Miss  Sarah  Ann  Wallis,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed in  London.  Miss  Wallis  was  a  native  of 
England,  born  near  Lincolnshire,  February  16, 
1844,  and  she  received  her  education  in  the  English 
schools.  Children  to  this  marriage  are:  Arthur 
J.,  born  December  31,  1872;  Bertrie,  February  25, 
1879,  and  Percy,  August  4,  1881,  all  natives  of 
London ;  Daisy,  born  in  Illinois,  May  3,  1884,  and 
Lillie  A.,  now  deceased.  In  religion,  Mrs.  Smith 
is  a  Methodist.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  He  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  his 
acquaintances,  and  is  popularly  reputed  to  be  a 
man  of  integrity  and  worth.  He  has  served  his 
community  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  his  dis- 
charge of  the  duties  of  that  office  is  said  to  have 
been  creditable  to  himself  and  satisfactory  to  the 
public  at  whose  instance  he  administered  jus- 
tice. He  is  spoken  of  by  his  many  friends  as  "a 
fine  old  Englishman." 


ARTHUR  J.  SMITH,  who  is  a  resident  of 
the  vicinity  of  Kuhn,  Klickitat  county,  Washing- 
ton, was  born  in  England,  December  31,  1872. 
His  father,  James  A.  Smith,  is  also  English,  as 
is  the  mother  of  our  subject,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Sarah  A.  Wallis.  When  Arthur  was  ten 
years  of  age,  his  parents  moved  with  him  to 
the  United  States,  settling  in  Dekalb  county, 
Illinois,  where  they  remained  for  four  years. 
There  he  completed  his  education,  though  the 
greater  part  of  his  school  training  was  acquired 
before  leaving  the  old  country.  In  1886,  the 
family  came  to  Klickitat  county,  Washington. 
When  Arthur  J.  became  a  young  man  he  ac- 
cepted employment  as  a  sheep  herder,  from  Ezra 
Camp,  who  at  that  time  resided  near  Prosser, 
Washington,  and  at  various  times  afterward  he 
worked  for  other  men  who  were  engaged  in  the 
sheep  business.  With  the  experience  he  thus 
acquired,  and  with  his  earnings,  a  large  part  of 
which  he  retained,  he  was  enabled,  in  1893,  to 
go  into  the  business  of  wool  growing  on  his 
own  account.  He  is  still  an  earnest  devotee  of 
the  sheep  industry,  as  is  also  his  father,  who  is 
interested  with  him.  He  now  owns  two  sections 
of  land,  all  of  which  is  fenced  and  a  part  of 
which  is  under  cultivation,  the  remainder  being 
used  as  a  pasture  for  his  sheep,  of  which  he  has 
about  two  thousand  one  hundred  head.  He  is 
very  much  opposed  to  the  government's  proposed 
shutting  out  of  stockmen  from  the  forest  re- 
serves,   a    policy    which    cannot   but    injure    the 


stock  industry  and  work  a  hardship  upon  all 
stockmen,  rendering  useless  the  foothill  pasture 
lands.  He  says  that  while  it  formerly  cost  but 
fifty  cents  to  maintain  a  ewe  for  a  year,  the  cost 
has  now  increased  to  nearly  three  times  that 
amount,  or  about  a  dollar  and  a  quarter.  Being 
diligent  in  business,  and  a  careful  student  of 
everything  relating  to  his  industry,  he  is  well 
posted  on  this  important  subject. 

In  the  Bickleton  church,  in  Klickitat  county, 
on  April  24,  1898,  Mr.  Smith  married  Dora 
Myers,  a  native  of  Iowa.  Her  father,  Thurston 
Myers,  and  her  mother  are  residents  of  the  state 
of  Kansas.  Mr.  Smith  has  two  brothers,  Bertrie 
and  Percy,  both  engaged  in  the  sheep  business  in 
Klickitat  county,  and  one  sister,  Daisy  M.,  the 
youngest  of  the  family,  living  at  home.  In  poli- 
tics, Mr.  Smith  is  a  Republican. 


ALFRED  O.  WOODS,  one  of  the  most 
highly-esteemed  pioneers  of  Klickitat  county 
and  the  Northwest,  and  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful farmers  and  stockmen  of  the  vicinity  of  Dot 
postoffice,  can  claim  for  his  birthplace  the  fa- 
mous Willamette  valley.  To  be  able  to  do  so  is  a 
distinction  which  few  of  his  age  enjoy,  for  set- 
tlers were  few  in  the  west  in  1847,  on  the  2°tn 
of  June  of  which  year  Mr.  Woods  was  born.  His 
father,  Joseph  W.  Woods,  is  a  native  of  West- 
borough,  Massachusetts,  born  in  1813.  At  an 
early  age  he  took  to  the  sea,  and  for  seven  years 
he  served  before  the  mast.  When  at  length  he 
decided  to  try  his  fortunes  on  terra  firma,  he  left 
his  ship  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  where  he  re- 
mained for  nine  months,  coming  then  direct  to 
Oregon  City,  Oregon,  which  town  he  first  saw  in 
May,  1842.  Three  years  later,  he  married  Martha 
J.  White,  a  native  of  England,  who  had  come 
to  the  United  States  when  six  vears  old,  had 
grown  up  in  Canada,  and  had  crossed  the  Plains 
with  her  parents  in  1844.  This  honored  pioneer 
couple  are  both  living,  Mr.  Woods  being  at  the 
home  ot  our  subject,  and  Mrs.  Woods  with  a 
niece.  Alfred  O.  Woods  received  such  educa- 
tional advantages  as  the  pioneer  schools  of  Ore- 
gon afforded.  When  seventeen,  he  enlisted  in 
Company  D,  First  Oregon  Infantry,  and  for 
fourteen  months  he  served  with  that  regiment, 
performing  such  military  duties  as  the  Civil  war 
rendered  necessary  in  Oregon.  Upon  receiving 
his  discharge,  he  went  to  Portland  and  engaged 
in  clerking  in  a  general  merchandise  store.  In 
1 87 1  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  settled  near 
Centerville,  and  engaged  in  farming,  which  occu- 
pation was  followed  by  him  with  assiduity  for 
half  a  decade.  Returning  then  to  his  old  home 
in  Oregon,  he  made  his  home  there  for  four 
years,  then,  in  the  fall  of  1880,  he  returned  to 
Klickitat  county,  and  took  up  the  place  where 
be  now  lives.     Until  1892,  he  gave  much  atten- 


JAMES    A.    SMITH. 


ARTHUR    J.    SMITH. 


ALFRED    O.   WOODS. 


JAMES    U.   CHAMBERLIN. 


IV    B    ill  VMBERUN. 


[AMES    H.    BEEKS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


501 


tion  to  cattle  raising,  but  in  that  year  he  turned 
his  mind  more  especially  to  sheep,  and  at  the 
present  time  he  has  three  thousand  three  hun- 
dred of  these  animals.  He  keeps,  now,  only  a 
few  head  of  cattle  and  horses.  His  land  holdings 
consist  of  twelve  hundred  acres,  much  of  which 
is  used  only  for  pasturing  his  stock. 

At  Oswego,  Oregon,  on  the  18th  of  Novem- 
ber, 1872,  Mr.  Woods  married  Martha  C.  Soper, 
who  was  likewise  a  native  Oregonian,  born  in 
Multnomah  county,  July  4,  1854.  Her  father, 
Rheuben  Soper,  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  but  of 
German  descent.  In  1850  he  crossed  the  Plains 
to  California,  but  the  next  season  he  became  a 
resident  of  Oregon,  in  which  state  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  time.  Mrs.  Woods'  mother, 
Melissa  (Powers)  Soper,  was  born  in  Oneida 
county,  New  York,  her  lineage  being  Scotch. 
When  quite  young  she  accompanied  her  parents 
across  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  and  in  Jackson 
county,  that  state,  she  is  still  living.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woods,  with  the  birth- 
place and  date  of  birth  of  each,  are :  William  W., 
Klickitat  county,  December  5,  1873 !  Richard  A., 
Klickitat  county,  November  6,  1875 ;  Ada,  now 
Mrs.  L.  B.  Moser,  Oregon,  December  7,  1877; 
Ellis  L.,  Oregon,  July  19,  1880;  Maud,  now  Mrs. 
J.  C.  Trumbo,  Klickitat  county,  July  16,  1885; 
Orrin  L.,  Klickitat  county,  August  26,  1892.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Woods  is  a  Republican.  In  1884 
his  district  honored  him  with  a  call  to  the  office 
of  county  commissioner,  and  for  two  years  he 
served  faithfully  as  such.  In  1896  he  was  again 
elected  a  commissioner  for  the  term  of  a  year. 
It  may  with  truth  be  said  that  both  in  public 
and  in  private  life  Mr.  Woods  has  always  so  de- 
meanored  himself  as  to  win  the  esteem  of  his 
associates  and  neighbors,  by  all  of  whom  he  is 
regarded  as  one  of  the  most  substantial  and 
progressive  men  of  Klickitat  county  The  son  of 
pioneer  parents  and  himself  a  pioneer  all  his  life, 
he  has  developed  the  maniy  independence,  re- 
sourcefulness, force  of  character  and  other  ster- 
ling virtues  for  which  frontiersmen  as  a  class  are 
universally  honored. 


JAMES  UNDERWOOD  CHAMBERLIN,  a 
Klickitat  county  farmer,  residing  on  his  three 
hundred  and  sixty-acre  ranch,  fifteen  miles  east 
and  three  miles  south  of  the  city  of  Goldendale, 
was  born  in  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts, 
June  29,  1838.  His  father,  Martin  Chamberlin, 
.  was  a  lumberman  by  occupation,  born  in  the 
Hay  state  in  1799.  He  passed  his  life  in  that 
commonwealth  and  died  in  1854.  His  mother, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Underwood, 
was  of  the  same  age  and  a  native  of  the  same 
state.  She  passed  away  in  Massachusetts  in 
1875,  after  having  raised  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren. 


James  received  a  high  school  education, 
graduating  early  in  life.  When  he  was  sixteen 
his  father  died  and  the  family  was  broken  up. 
Two  years  later  he  went  to  Mississippi  and  ob- 
tained employment  in  a  mercantile  establishment, 
where  he  served  as  clerk  until  the  opening  of  the 
Civil  war.  At  the  first  outbreak,  he  joined  the 
Confederate  army.  For  two  years  he  campaigned 
under  General  Lee,  then  he  was  captured  by  the 
Union  forces  and  took  the  oath  of  allegiance. 
That  was  in  1864.  After  his  release  he  went 
into  the  oil  regions  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
remained  until  1888,  with  the  exception  of  two 
years  spent  in  the  city  of  New  York.  He  was 
employed  as  conductor  on  the  Fourth  avenue  car 
line  for  twelve  mouths  during  his  stay  in  the 
metropolis.  Mr.  Chamberlin  came  west  to  Klick- 
itat county  in  the  fall  of  1888,  and  for  two 
years  thereafter  he  lived  with  his  brother  Grif- 
fin. He  then  went  to  live  with  another  brother, 
Timothy  B.,  who  died  two  years  later,  and  since 
that  time  he  has  lived  on  his  brother  Timothy's 
place,  which  he  acquired  from  the  heirs.  Timothy 
was  born  and  educated  in  the  Bay  state,  and 
when  a  young  man  started  to  California,  by  way 
of  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  At  New  Orleans  he 
changed  his  route,  going  overland  through  New 
Mexico,  and  he  arrived  at  his  destination  in  1850. 
He  resided  in  the  Golden  state  four  years,  then 
came  north  to  Klickitat  county.  Soon,  however, 
lie  went  to  Canyon  City,  Oregon,  for  a  two 
years'  stay,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came 
back  to  Klickitat  county  and  became  one  of  its 
earliest  pioneers.  Chamberlin  Flat  was  named  for 
him.  He  took  up  the  ranch  upon  which  James  now 
lives,  that  being  the  first  homestead  filed  upon 
in  what  is  now  known  as  the  Goodnoe  hills.  In 
October,  1902,  he  passed  away. 

James  married  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1868,  Al- 
mena  P.  Acken,  who  died  in  1883,  leaving  no 
children.  He  was  again  married,  in  1898,  the  lady 
being  Mrs.  Esther  M.  Richmond,  daughter  of 
John  and  Hannah  (Hanks)  Rodgers.  Her 
father,  a  preacher,  was  born  in  Venango  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1822.  and  became  a  resident  of 
Michigan,  his  present  home,  in  1882.  Her 
mother,  a  native  of  New  York,  had  the  distinc- 
tion of  being  a  second  cousin  to  Abraham  Lin- 
coln. She  was  likewise  a  native  of  the  Quaker 
state,  born  in  1847,  ar>d  in  its  public  schools  she 
received  her  education.  There  also  she  was  mar- 
ried the  first  time.  Her  first  husband  died  some 
years  ago,  leaving  six  children,  namely:  Addie, 
Mary,  Edwin,  Myrtle,  lone  and  Lena.  Mrs. 
Chamberlin  has  a  brother.  David,  living  in  the 
county,  a  sister,  Mrs.  Cynthia  Sparks,  in  Michi- 
gan, and  one,  Mrs.  Orris  Sparks,  in  Ohio.  A 
third  sister,  Mrs.  Marrilla  Randall,  passed  away 
some  years  ago.  Mr.  Chamberlin's  brother, 
Henry  W.,  lives  in  East  Orange,  New  Jersey, 
and  his  widowed   sister,  Mrs.   Carrie  Raymond, 


502 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


is  a  resident  of  Evanston,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Louise 
C.  Rowe,  another  sister,  lives  in  Los  Angeles, 
California,  and  his  remaining  brother,  Griffin, 
died  in  this  county  in  1900.  One  brother,  Mar- 
tin, met  his  death  in  the  Civil  war,  as  a  Con- 
federate soldier.  Another  sister,  Mrs.  Eliza 
Craig,  also  passed  away  during  that  strife.  Mr. 
Chamberlin  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church, 
and  politically,  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  has 
served  as  justice  of  the  peace.  Of  his  large  hold- 
ing of  land,  some  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
are  in  cultivation.  Mr.  Chamberlin  stands  high 
in  the  esteem  of  the  entire  community,  because 
of  his  benevolent,  sunny  disposition,  and  his 
many  other  sterling   qualities. 


JAMES  H.  BEEKS,  one  of  the  prosperous 
farmers  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his  ranch 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  some  six 
miles  south  and  nineteen  east  of  the  city  of  Gold- 
endale.  He  was  born  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  De- 
cember 19,  1853,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Hannah 
(Beel)  Beeks.  His  father,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  in  1812,  to  English  parents,  was  likewise  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  moved  to  Missouri  in 
1855,  resided  there  until  1874,  then  moved  to 
Iowa  and  thence  the  succeeding  fall  to  Washing- 
ton county,  Oregon.  He  came  to  Klickitat  county 
in  1876,  and  died  April  9,  1891.  His  wife,  who 
was  born  and  raised  in  Ohio,  also  died  in 
Klickitat  county.  James  H.  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  Missouri.  He  re- 
mained at  home  until  twenty-three,  then  came 
west  and  secured  a  piece  of  railroad  land  in 
Klickitat  county,  which  he  sold  after  a  year's 
residence  on  it.  He  filed  a  pre-emption  claim  in 
1885  to  land  in  the  Goodnoe  hills,  later  com- 
muting it  to  a  homestead  entry.  Purchasing  his 
present  place  in  1902,  he  at  once  improved  it 
substantially  by  the  erection  of  an  especially 
good  farm  residence.  Besides  his  own  land,  Mr. 
Beeks  farms  another  half  section  adjoining, 
which  he  holds  under  lease.  Half  of  the  section 
he  thus  controls  by  lease  and  ownership,  is 
devoted  to  wheat  raising.  On  the  remainder  he 
keeps  stock  of  various  kinds. 

Mr.  Beeks  was  married,  April  24,  1877,  in 
Pleasant  valley,  Klickitat  county,  the  lady  being 
Miss  Mary  Hearn.  Her  father  died  when  she 
was  a  small  child,  and  her  mother,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Fannie  Coach,  and  who  was  a  native 
of  Missouri,  died  in  Lewiston,  Idaho.  Mrs. 
Beeks  was  born  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1861. 
She  and  Mr.  Beeks  have  had  fifteen  children : 
Albert  and  Alfred,  twins;  Nora,  Edith  and 
Marie,  deceased  ;  Samuel  N.,  Cora,  Luella,  now 
Mrs.  Miller,  a  resident  of  Goldendale ;  Dora, 
Bertha,  Riley  T.,  Blanche,  May,  Etta  and  Wil- 
liam A.  Mr.  Beeks  is  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,   and  politically,  he   is    a    Republican. 


While  he  has  never  shown  any  special  ambition 
for  political  preferment,  he  has  discharged  the 
duties  of  such  local  offices  as  justice  of  the  peace 
and  school  director.  He  stands  well  in  the  com- 
munity, enjoying  in  full  measure  the  esteem  and 
good  will  of  all  who  know  him.  Recalling  the 
stirring  Indian  war  times,  Mr.  Beeks  relates  that 
in  1877  his  folks  started  to  go  to  Goldendale, 
but  came  back,  and  that  in  1878  they  started  to 
build  a  fort  on  his  father's  place,  around  the 
house,  but  did  not  complete  it,  as  the  scare 
passed  over  too  soon.  This  was  on  Pleasant 
Prairie. 


WILLIAM  O.  VAN  NOSTERN,  a  prosperous 
young  agriculturist  of  Klickitat  county,  re- 
sides on  his  farm,  a  quarter  of  a  mile  south  of 
Cleveland.  He  is  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in 
Linn  county,  September  28,  1867.  His  father, 
David  G.  Van  Nostern,  who  was  born  in  the 
state  of  Missouri,  June  13,  1843,  was  left  an 
orphan  at  the  age  of  six  or  seven  years,  and  was 
taken  to  West  Virginia  by  his  sister.  He  lived 
with  her  until  ten  years  of  age,  then  ran  away 
from  home  and  went  to  Missouri,  whence  he 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  the  same  year.  He 
lived  in  Linn  county  until  he  was  forty  years  old, 
and  was  educated  and  married  there,  the  latter 
event  occurring  January  8,  1866.  Removing  to 
this  county  in  1883,  he  secured  a  piece  of  rail- 
road land,  and  from  that  time  until  January  13, 
1891,  when  he  died  at  Cleveland,  he  was  a  resi- 
dent of  Klickitat  county.  He  was  of  German 
descent.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  Missouri,  of 
Scotch  and  German  descent,  her  maiden  name 
Melissa  J.  Thompson.  Born  October  16,  1849,  she 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  some  time  during 
the  fifties.  She  was  married  in  that  state  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  and  died  there  on  the  6th  .of 
April,  1883.  William  O.,  of  this  review,  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  state,  also  attended  the  schools  of  Klicki- 
tat county.  He  made  his  home  with  his  father 
until  the  time  of  the  latter's  death,  in  1891, 
though  after  he  was  a  little  past  sixteen  he 
worked  out  part  of  the  time.  The  summer  of 
1884,  he  spent  in  the  employment  of  Harry  Pat- 
terson, driving  a  band  of  horses  to  Wyoming 
for  his  employer.  Coming  home  in  the  fall,  he 
rode  the  ranges  for  his  father  for  the  two  suc- 
ceeding years,  then  for  two  years  more  he  fol- 
lowed the  same  work  for  Mr.  Smith,  then  until 
1891,  he  worked  on  the  family  place.  In  that 
year  he  went  into  the  stock  business  on  his  own 
account,  also  doing  some  farming,  and  in  1802 
he  filed  on  a  homestead.  He  lived  on  this  for 
five  years,  in  the  meantime  purchasing  the  land 
on  which  he  now  makes  his  home.  His  realty 
holdings  at  present  consist  of  four  hundred 
acres,  of  which  one  hundred  and  fifty  have  been 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


503 


reduced  to  a  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  a  hun- 
dred head  of  horses  and  a  number  of  cattle.  Mr. 
Van  Nostern  has  three  brothers  living  in  Klicki- 
tat county,  namely :  Joseph  I.,  near  Cleveland ; 
James,  the  present  postmaster  of  that  town,  and 
George,  near  Bickleton.  His  sister,  Mrs.  Aivilla 
Elizabeth  Macy,  died  in  Cleveland  some  years 
ago,  and  a  brother,  David  C,  passed  away  at  the 
age  of  eight  months.  Mr.  Van  Nostern  was  mar- 
ried at  Dot,  Washington,  December  18,  1898,  to 
Almeda  B.  Collins,  daughter  of  Aretus  R.  and 
Estella  (Rogers)  Collins.  Her  father,  who  was 
born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  in  1845,  is  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  moved  to  Minnesota  in  the 
early  days  of  that  state,  and  thence  to  Oregon 
in  the  seventies.  Soon,  however,  he  made  his 
home  in  Seattle,  Washington.  In  1881  he  came 
to  Klickitat  county,  where  he  resided  until  the 
spring  of  1902,  then  going  to  Arlington,  of  which 
town  he  is  still  a  resident.  His  wife,  a  native  of 
Minnesota,  born  in  1855,  passed  away  in  Klicki- 
tat county,  June  9,  1900.  Mrs.  Van  Nostern  was 
born  in  Seattle,  September  18,  1876,  and  grew 
to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in  Klickitat 
county.  She  has  two  sisters  and  one  brother 
living,  namely :  Mrs.  Odella  Darling,  residing  at 
Arlington ;  Mrs.  Ethel  Jackson,  at  Dot,  and  Fred, 
also  living  in  Arlington.  She  and  Mr.  Van  Nos- 
tern have  three  children :  Dean,  Isaac  and  Wil- 
liam G.,  born  in  Cleveland,  August  28,  1899,  July 
8,  1901,  and  April  14,  1903,  respectively.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Van  Nostern  is  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  in  politics,  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  has  been  constable  of  the  district  for 
several  terms.  A  thrifty,  industrious  farmer,  he 
is  achieving  a  splendid  success  in  a  business  way, 
while  his  many  good  qualities  as  a  man  have  won 
him  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  his  neigh- 
tors. 


ROLAND  L.  RICKETTS,  a  Klickitat  county 
farmer,  lives  on  his  two  hundred  and  eighty-acre 
ranch,  two  and  a  half  miles  south  and  a  mile  east 
of  the  town  of  Cleveland.  He  was  born  in 
Jackson  county,  Missouri,  in  1862.  His  father, 
William  Ricketts,  a  native  of  Maryland,  born  in 
1804,  moved  to  Missouri  some  time  in  the  forties, 
and  was  in  Kansas  City  at  a  time  when  he  could 
have  purchased  land  where  the  central  part  of  the 
city  now  stands,  at  the  insignificant  price  of 
seven  dollars  an  acre.  After  a  residence  of 
nearly  forty  years  in  Missouri,  he  died  in  Kan- 
sas City,  in  1881.  He  was  of  Irish  birth,  and  his 
wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Elizabeth  Hoff- 
man, was  of  German  extraction,  though  born  in 
Clay  county,  Missouri,  in  1828.  Her  people  were 
pioneers  of  the  state.  She  died  in  Klickitat 
county  in  18S9,  after  having  resided  for  eleven 
years  in  the  west.  Roland  L.  Ricketts  was  edu- 
cated   in    the    schools    of   Jackson    county,    Mis- 


souri. He  remained  at  home  with  his  parents 
until  eighteen,  working,  when  not  at  school,  on 
the  parental  farm.  He  was  then  employed  by 
farmers  for  a  period  of  six  years.  He  was  four- 
teen years  old  at  the  time  his  parents  moved  to 
Ottawa,  Kansas,  and  sixteen  when  they  moved 
to  Fort  Scott,  where  they  resided  a  year  and  a 
half,  returning  then  to  Jackson  county,  Missouri, 
in  which  was  their  home  until  1889.  Mr.  Rick- 
etts came  west  to  Klickitat  county  in  1889,  and 
two  years  later  moved  into  Walla  Walla  county, 
where  he  farmed  for  three  years.  Returning  to 
Klickitat  in  1895,  he  spent  the  ensuing  six  years 
in  various  parts  of  the  county,  going  back  then  to 
the  Walla  Walla  country  for  another  eighteen 
months'  stay.  In  November,  1902,  he  removed  to 
Pendleton,  Oregon,  and  engaged  in  the  confec- 
tionery business,  but  the  next  spring  he  sold  his 
establishment,  and  returning  once  more  to 
Klickitat  county,  purchased  the  place  upon 
which  he  has  since     made  his  home. 

In  Pendleton,  Oregon,  on  the  21st  of  Decem- 
ber, 1902,  Mr.  Ricketts  married  Mrs.  Narcissa 
Wiley,  daughter  of  Thomas  B.  and  Ann  Eliza- 
beth (Stephens)  Marr.  Her  father  was  a  Mis- 
souri pioneer,  of  Scotch  parentage,  and  a  Civil 
war  veteran ;  he  died  in  the  stite  of  his  nativity 
several  years  ago.  His  widow,  Mrs.  Marr,  is 
likewise  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  she  still  lives 
in  that  state,  in  the  city  of  Warrensburg,  the 
county  seat  of  Johnson  county.  Mrs.  Ricketts 
was  born  in  that  county,  May  3,  1862.  She  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  there,  and  later 
married  Frank  Wiley,  of  that  locality,  who 
passed  away  five  years  ago,  leaving  four  children, 
as  follows:  Anna  and  Liddie,  twins,  the  former 
now  deceased ;  John  and  Grace.  The  last  men- 
tioned, now  Mrs.  Frank  Beagle,  resides  at  Walla 
Walla,  Washington.  Mrs.  Ricketts  has  also  two 
brothers,  James  and  Seth  Marr,  both  living  in 
this  state.  Mr.  Ricketts  is  fraternally  connected 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  re- 
ligion, he  is  a  Presbyterian,  though  his  wife  be- 
longs to  the  Christian  Church.  An  energetic  and 
skilful  farmer,  he  has  already  reduced  half  his 
place  to  a  state  of  cultivation,  and  his  energies 
are  being  steadily  and  judiciously  applied  to  its 
further  subjugation  and  improvement. 


PAUL  P.  CHAMBERLAIN,  a  well-to-do 
farmer,  of  Klickitat  county,  resides  on  his  ranch 
of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  three  miles 
east  and  two  south  of  the  town  of  Cleveland.  He 
is  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  Washington 
county,  Mav  16,  1863.  His  father,  James  L. 
Chamberlain,  a  native  of  Nebraska,  crossed  the 
Plains  to  Oregon  in  1852,  was  married  in  Marion 
county,  that  state,  and  is  at  present  living  at 
North  Yakima,  Washington.  At  one  time  he 
owned   a  store  in   Prosser,   the   first   started   in 


504 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


that  town.  His  wife,  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass 
state,  whose  maiden  name  was  Christinia  Kin- 
caid,  also  still  lives,  and  is  with  him  at  North 
Yakima.  She  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  parents 
to  Oregon  in  the  early  days.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chamberlain  have  had  eleven  children,  seven  of 
whom  are  still  living.  The  subject  of  this  review 
attended  school  in  Oregon,  and  later  in  Klicki- 
tat county,  he  having  been  but  fourteen  years  old 
when  he  came  to  the  latter  place  with  his  parents 
in  1877.  His  father  and  mother  located  eight 
miles  east  of  Goldendale,  and  lived  there  four 
years,  but,  in  1881,  they  moved  to  Cleveland. 
Until  he  was  a  year  past  his  majority,  he  worked 
on  his  father's  farm,  though  on  becoming  of  age, 
he  took  a  pre-emption  claim.     In  the  spring  of 

1885,  he  changed  this  to  a  homestead.  In  due 
time  he  proved  up  on  it  and  he  has  ever  since 
made  it  his  home,  following  farming  principally, 
although  he  has  also  raised  some  stock.  At  pres- 
ent he  is  giving  much  attention  to  the  raising 
of  hogs.  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  six  brothers  and 
sisters  living,  namely,  Mrs.  Jennie  Hamilton,  in 
Goldendale;  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Grant,  at  Scappoose, 
Oregon;  Joseph,  at  North  Yakima;  Lee,  near 
Toppenish;  Mrs.  Emma  White,  on  the  Naches ; 
and  James,  in  North  Yakima. 

At    Goldendale,   on    the    18th   of    November, 

1886,  Mr.  Chamberlain  married  Alverdia,  daugh- 
ter of  Milton  W.  and  Jane  (Harris)  Wristen,  the 
former  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation. He  early  removed  to  Kansas,  and  thence 
to  California,  where  he  still  resides,  as  does  also 
his  wife,  who  is  likewise  a  native  of  Illinois. 
Mrs.  Chamberlain  was  born  in  Illinois,  Novem- 
ber 1,  1865,  but  received  her  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  California.  Her  people  came 
to  Klickitat  county  in  October,  1874,  but  later 
returned  to  the  Golden  state.  Mrs.  Chamber- 
lain's brothers,  Oliver  and  Don,  also  her  sisters, 
Hannah  L.  and  Liddie,  now  Mrs.  Smith,  reside 
in  California,  while  her  sister,  Mrs.  Mamie  Ellis, 
lives  near  Cleveland,  and  her  brother,  Emmet, 
at  Bickleton.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlain  have 
had  one  child  only,  Alta,  born  near  Cleveland, 
August  22,  i8qo.  Unfortunately  she  died  when 
still  an  infant.  In  religion,  Mr.  Chamberlain  is 
a  Methodist ;  fraternally,  he  is  a  Modern  Wood- 
man, and  in  politics,  he  is  an  active  Democrat. 
An  early  pioneer  of  Klickitat  county,  he  is  well 
known  to  most  of  its  citizens  who  esteem  him 
as  a  progressive  farmer  and  a  worthy  man. 


WILLIAM  L.  LEWIS,  owner  of  a  six  hun- 
dred and  forty  acre  ranch  three  miles  east  and 
three  south  of  Bickleton,  is  a  native  of  the  state 
of  Alabama,  born  June  7,  1849,  at  Tuskegee, 
Macon  county.  His  father,  William  L.  Lewi's,  a 
native  of  New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  was  a 
carpenter  and  contractor.       He  fought  in  the  War 


of  1812,  as  captain  of  a  company  of  soldiers 
raised  by  himself  in  Georgia.  Going  later  to- 
Macon  county,  Alabama,  he  died  there  in  1863. 
He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  his  wife, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Charlotte  Peel,  was  of 
English  extraction,  but  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina. She  was  brought  up  on  a  farm  in  that  state,, 
and  was  also  married  there  at  the  age  of  twenty. 
She  raised  a  family  of  seven  children,  one  of 
whom  was  killed  in  the  Civil  war,  while  serving 
in  General  Lee's  army.  The  others  are  still  liv- 
ing. The  subject  of  this  article  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  Alabama.  He  began  to- 
help  his  father  and  mother  when  eleven  years 
old,  earning  his  first  money  by  carrying  news- 
papers, and  at  fourteen  he  entered  a  general 
merchandise  store  in  which  he  was  employed  for 
the  ensuing  two  years  as  clerk.  Upon  reaching 
the  age  of  seventeen,  he  bought  a  stock  of  goods 
and  opened  an  establishment  in  the  city  of  Mont- 
gomery, Alabama,  where  he  was  in  business  for 
a  number  of  years,  succeeding  well.  During  this 
time  he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff  of  Mont- 
gomery county,  which  position  he  held  for  two 
years.  In  1877  he  sold  his  store  and  migrated 
to  California,  whence  after  a  residence  of  four 
years,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  where  he 
took  a  homestead  three  miles  south  of  Bickleton, 
also  purchasing  some  railroad  land.  This  has 
been  his  home  since  that  time  and  to  its  culti- 
vation and  improvement  he  has  brought  the 
same  energy  which  characterized  him  as  a  boy 
merchant  and  enabled  him  to  succeed.  He  cul- 
tivates one  hundred  and  twenty-five  acres  of 
his  farm,  keeping  the  remaining  five  hundred  and 
fifteen  acres  for  pasture.  Mr.  Lewis  has  five  sis- 
ters, namely :  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Hull,  Mrs.  Joseph- 
ine Debarlaben  and  Elizabeth,  in  Alabama ;  Mrs. 
Georgiana  Holley,  in  Dallas,  Texas,  and  Mrs. 
Narcissa  Howard,  in  California.  The  marriage 
of  Mr.  Lewis  was  solemnized  in  Klickitat  county, 
on  the  13th  of  November,  1889,  the  lady  being 
Miss  Maggie  El)',  a  native  of  Iowa.  Her  father, 
John  Ely,  was  born  in  the  Quaker  state,  and  re- 
moved successively  to  the  states  of  Iowa,  Mis- 
souri and  Kansas,  coming  from  the  last  men- 
tioned to  Klickitat  county,  in  1888.  He  is  of 
Dutch  ancestry.  He  now  lives  with  his  son-in- 
law,  and  though  eighty-three  years  old,  is  still 
hale  and  hearty.  Mrs.  Lewis  was  born  June  1, 
1859.  She  received  the  principal  part  of  her 
education  at  Carthage,  Missouri,  and  after  com- 
pleting her  school  training,  taught  in  that  city 
for  some  time.  She  also  taught  a  number  of 
terms  in  Klickitat  county.  She  and  Mr.  Lewis 
have  two  children :  William  E..  born  June  16, 
1892,  and  John  H.,  on  the  28th  of  August,  1897. 
Mrs.  Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 
In  politics,  Mr.  Lewis  is  an  active  Republican, 
and  that  he  is  public-spirited  and  interested  in 
the  cause  of  education  is  evident  from  his  having 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


505 


served  several  terms  as  clerk  of  the  school  board. 
Indeed,  he  holds  that  unremunerative  position 
at  this  time.  He  is  a  capable,  progressive  man 
in  his  business,  and  as  a  citizen  and  member  of 
society,  he  holds  an  honored  place. 


JOHN  W.  WEER,  a  well-to-do  farmer  of 
Klickitat  county,  lives  on  his  ranch  of  five  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  situated  one  mile  east  of 
the  town  of  Cleveland.  He  was  born  in  McDon- 
ough  county,  Illinois,  in  the  year  1855,  on  the 
day  before  Christmas.  His  father,  William 
Weer,  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  born  in  David- 
son county,  in  1825,  is  a  farmer  and  blacksmith. 
He  moved  to  Illinois  when  a  young  man,  during 
the  pioneer  days  of  that  state,  and  made  his  home 
there  until  1869,  in  which  year  he  removed  to 
Kansas.  He  settled  in  Linn  county,  which  was 
his  home  for  a  period  of  almost  seventeen  years. 
In  March,  1886,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county, 
Washington,  and  established  himself  five  miles 
southeast  of  Cleveland,  where  he  still  lives.  He 
is  of  German  descent.  His  wife,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Mary  L.  Wier,  was  likewise  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  born  in  1829,  making  her  four 
years  younger  than  her  husband.  She  moved 
to  Illinois  with  her  parents  when  a  small  girl, 
and  was  later  married  in  that  state.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  review  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Illinois.  He  remained  at  home  on 
the  farm  until  his  majority  was  attained,  then 
rented  a  place,  and  went  to  farming  and  stock 
raising  on  his  own  account.  He  followed  those 
occupations  until  1886,  then  came  west,  settling 
in  Klickitat  county  on  Christmas  Day  of  that 
year.  The  next  twelve  months  were  spent  in 
various  parts  of  the  county  in  various  kinds  of 
work,  Air.  Weer  meanwhile  keeping  a  sharp 
lookout  for  a  location.  Finally,  in  1888,  he  filed 
a  homestead  claim  to  his  present  place,  pay- 
ing a  man  for  the  improvements  thereon, 
six  hundred  dollars.  He  has  lived  on  the 
property  since  that  time  and  followed  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising  with  success,  increas- 
ing his  realty  holdings  as  he  has  been  able, 
until  he  has  now  nearly  six  hundred  acres, 
of  which  he  has  placed  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  under  cultivation,  devoting  the  rest  to  the 
pasturing  of  his  stock,  for  he  has  a  number  of 
cattle  and  nearly  seventy  hogs.  He  is  continu- 
ally improving  his  land. 

Mr.  Weer  was  married  in  Kansas,  in  1876, 
to  Mary  J.  Beck,  daughter  of  Paul  and  Rosannah 
(Walters)  Beck.  Her  father,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois,  in  1825,  is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He 
moved  to  Linn  county,  Kansas,  in  1856,  and  for 
twenty-six  years  followed  farming  and  stock 
raising  there.  Coming  to  Klickitat  county  in 
1P82,  he  settled  five  miles  south  of  Cleveland, 
where  he  and  his  wife  still  live.     He  is  of  Ger- 


man extraction.  His  wife  was  born  in  the  Blue 
Grass  state,  in  1829,  but  removed  to  Illinois  with 
her  parents  in  the  early  days.  She  and  Mr.  Beck 
have  had  six  children.  Mrs.  Weer,  who  was  the 
second  oldest  child,  was  born  in  Shelby  county, 
Illinois,  February  15,  1856.  Her  parents  moved 
to  Kansas  when  she  was  one  month  old  and  in 
the  common  schools  of  that  state  she  received 
her  education.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Charles,  now  living  in  Cleveland;  Mrs.  Frances 
A.  Hosfelt,  living  four  miles  south  of  the  same 
town;  Mrs.  Josephine  Johnson,  residing  three 
miles  south  of  Cleveland;  Mrs.  Isabel  Ellis,  in 
Chelan  county,  Washington ;  and  John  L.,  who 
died  at  Cleveland  during  the  year  1896.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Weer  have  two  children,  namely:  Mrs. 
Dora  B.  Laslie,  born  in  Linn  county,  Kansas, 
August  27,  1879,  now  residing  one  mile  south 
of  Cleveland,  and  Bertha  L.,  born  in  Klickitat 
county,  October  17,  1889.  Mr.  Weer  has  one 
sister,  Mrs.  Alice  Gaines,  living  five  miles  south 
of  Cleveland.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian church,  and  in  politics  an  active  Republican. 
He  is  one  of  the  members  of  the  present  school 
board  and  has  held  that  position  for  several 
years.  As  a  man  and  citizen  he  stands  well  in 
his  community,  while  his  energy  and  industry 
have  enabled  him  to  win  a  splendid  success  as 
an  agriculturist  and  to  contribute  his  full  share 
toward  the  general  progress. 


ANTON  DUUS,  a  Klickitat  county  farmer, 
resides  ten  miles  southwest  of  the  town  of 
Bickleton,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Den- 
mark on  the  2d  of  February,  1867,  the  son  of 
Hans  Duus,  who  was  also  a  Dane.  His  father 
followed  farming  as  a  means  of  gaining  a  liveli- 
hood until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  his  native 
land  in  the  year  1888.  His  mother,  Mary  (Peter- 
sen) Duus,  also  a  native  of  Denmark,  was  three 
years  younger  than  his  father.  Married  in  1859, 
she  became  the  mother  of  two  children,  Anton 
and  Peter,  with  the  former  of  whom  she  is  now 
living. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  land,  after  which  he 
served  an  apprenticeship  of  six  years  at  the  weav- 
er's trade.  In  1887  he  left  the  land  of  his  nativ- 
ity and  came  to  this  country,  settling  at  St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  where  he  remained  for  nearly  eleven 
years.  In  the  fall  of  1898.  he  removed  to  Wash- 
ington and  took  a  homestead  in  Klickitat  county, 
upon  which  we  find  him  at  this  time.  It  consists 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  half  of  which 
is  in  cultivation.  Mr.  Duus  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church  and  in  politics  is  an  active 
Democrat.  As  a  man  and  citizen,  his  standing 
is  good  and  his  neighbors  speak  of  him  as  a  rep- 
resentative of  that  class  of  Europeans  who  are 
always  welcomed  to  our  shores.     Mr.  Duus  was 


So6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


married  at  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  September  12, 
1901,  the  lady  being  Julia  Hoch,  whose  father, 
Frederick  Hoch,  is  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  in 
1833.  He  has  followed  the  life  of  a  soldier  since 
young  manhood,  never  leaving  his  native  land. 
Mrs.  Duus's  mother,  Johanna  (Terkensen)  Hoch, 
was  also  born  in  Denmark  and  still  resides  there. 
In  that  country,  also,  Mrs.  Duus  was  born  on  the 
13th  of  August,  1869,  and  there  she  received  her 
education.  She  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1900,  in  which  year  she  was  married. 


STEPHEN  A.  JORY  is  a  blacksmith  and 
wagon-maker  of  Cleveland,  Washington.  He 
was  born  in  Marysville,  Yuba  county,  California, 
January  5,  1864,  the  son  of  Henry  and  Martha 
(Van  Pelt)  Jory,  the  former  a  native  of  England. 
Henry  Jory  came  from  England  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents  when  he  was  six  years 
old.  The  family  settled  in  Ohio  in  1830.  Thence 
they  moved  to  California  in  1861,  crossing  the 
Plains  with  ox  teams,  and  in  this  state  Stephen 
A.  was  born.  His  father  died  in  California  in 
1886.  The  mother,  Martha  (Van  Pelt)  Jory  was 
born  in  Ohio,  November  12,  1829,  and  died  Janu- 
ary 12,  1878.  Stephen  A.  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  California,  remaining 
at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age.  He 
arrived  in  Klickitat  county,  September  12,  1884, 
and  went  to  work  for  his  sister,  Mrs.  H.  J.  San- 
ders, remaining  thus  engaged  for  eight  months 
near  Dot  postoffice.  He  then  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  railroad  land,  and  a  tim- 
ber culture  claim  comprising  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  from  A.  Beldin.  For  a  time  he  farmed 
this  property,  but  later  discontinued  farming  and 
built  a  blacksmith  shop  at  Dot,  which  was  the 
first  establishment  of  the  kind  at  that  place.  He 
worked  at  the  blacksmithing  trade  until  1899, 
when  he  sold  out  to  Frank  Copenhefer.  After 
the  sale,  he  took  up  farming  for  a  year  near  Dot, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  went  to  Cleveland, 
where  he  accepted  employment  in  a  shop,  work- 
ing from  March  19,  1901,  to  September  12,  1902. 
He  returned  then  to  his  farm  and  for  a  time  at- 
tended in  person  to  farming  interests  in  conjunc- 
tion with  his  blacksmithing  work,  but  in  May, 
1904,  he  opened  the  shop  he  is  now  conducting 
in  Cleveland. 

Mr.  Jory  was  married  at  Dot,  Washington, 
February  14,  1892,  to  Miss  Barbara  E.  Walker, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  born  March  26,  1875.  Her 
parents  were  Wilburn  and  Susan  (Barrett) 
Walker,  both  natives  of  Missouri.  Wilburn 
Walker  is  a  farmer  now  residing  near  Jersey 
postoffice,  having  come  from  Missouri  to  this 
point  in  1891,  bringing  with  him  his  famliy. 
Susan  (Barrett)  Walker,  the  mother,  attained 
young  womanhood  in  Missouri,  and  in  that  state 
was  married.    Barbara  E.  Walker,  her  daughter, 


now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Jory,  received  the  greater  part 
of  her  education  in  Missouri.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jory  are :  Oliver  F.,  born  January  7, 
1893 ;  Henry  A.,  March  26,  1895 ;  Ethel  M.,  No- 
vember, 1897;  Edith  V.,  November,  1899,  and 
Elsie,  December  6,  1902,  all  in  Klickitat  county. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Jory  is  affiliated  with  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  in  religion 
he  adheres  to  the  Christian  church.  His  farm 
comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
all  of  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and 
is  well  stocked  with  all  accessaries  that  con- 
tribute to  successful  farming.  At  his  trade  he  is 
said  to  be  an  unusually  good  workman  and  de- 
serving of  the  lucrative  patronage  he  now  en- 
joys. 


ELISHA  S.  MASON  was,  prior  to  his  death, 
which  occurred  August  14,  1899,  a  prominent 
farmer  and  stockman  residing  four  miles  south  of 
Cleveland,  Klickitat  county.  He  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee, June  7,  1834,  the  son  of  William  W.  and 
Polly  (Headlie)  Mason,  both  natives  of  Tennes- 
see. The  elder  Mason  moved  from  Tennessee  to 
Missouri  in  1846,  and  there  resided  till  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  was  of  Scotch'  descent.  Polly 
(Headlie)  Mason,  the  mother,  grew  up  and  was 
educated  in  Tennessee,  and  in  that  state  married 
Mr.  Mason,  the  elder.  Her  death  occurred  many 
years  ago  in  Missouri.  Deceased  was  but  twelve 
years  of  age  when  his  parents  moved  to  Missouri. 
He  remained  at  home,  following  farming  pursuits 
mainly,  till  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age,  then, 
in  1861,  enlisted  in  the  Union  army.  For  the 
two  years  following  he  was  in  active  service.  At 
the  close  of  his  experience  as  a  soldier  he  settled 
on  a  farm,  to  the  cultivation  of  which  he  gave 
his  attention  until  1874,  also  being  engaged  part 
of  the  time  as  a  carpenter.  In  that  year,  however, 
he  emigrated  to  Indian  Territory,  leased  a  tract  of 
land  there  and  began  its  cultivation.  He  moved 
thence  three  years  later  to  northern  Texas,  where 
he  resided  for  two  years.  His  final  change  of 
residence  was  to  Klickitat  county  in  1884.  Upon 
arriving  he  took  up  a  homestead  which,  until  the 
time  of  his  death,  he  devoted  to  stock  raising  and 
farming,  principally.  Death  came  unexpectedly, 
resulting  from  heart  trouble. 

In  1859,  Mr.  Mason  married  Miss  Tabitha  A. 
Ezell,  then  residing  with  her  parents  in  Missouri. 
Miss  Ezell  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  in 
1841.  and  came  of  one  of  the  oldest  established 
families  of  that  state.  Her  father,  William  Ezell, 
was  a  farmer  and  one  of  the  pioneer  spirits  of 
Kentucky  when  that  grand  old  state  was  but 
sparsely  settled.  The  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Loving,  and  she,  too,  was  born  in  Kentucky.  Her 
death  occurred  many  years  ago. 

To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  S.  Mason 
thirteen   children  were   born.     Those  now   living, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


507 


seven  in  number,  are :  John  F.,  William  W.,  Sam- 
uel H.,  Charles  A.,  Emmett  W.,  Benjamin  L.  and 
Victor  W.  A  niece,  Miss  Jennie  Mason,  was 
adopted  and  raised  as  one  of  the  family.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Mason  was  affiliated  with  the  Ma- 
sonic order.  In  religion,  he  belonged  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  South.  On  political  ques- 
tions, he  was  independent,  voting  his  principles 
always  without  fear  of  party  lash.  Intensely  pub- 
lic-spirited, he  was  invariably  found  active  in  the 
promotion  of  educational  enterprises.  While  re- 
siding in  Missouri  for  several  years  he  served  as 
justice  of  the  peace  with  credit  to  himself  and 
satisfaction  to  the  community  that  he  served.  His 
will  left  the  estate  of  which  he  was  in  possession 
at  the  time  of  death  to  his  wife,  free  from  all  save 
a  few  minor  incumbrances  which  were  assumed  by 
Mason  Brothers  (William  and  Charles  Mason)  as 
a  firm.  Charles  and  William  have  since  become 
the  sole  managers  of  the  place,  having  devoted  it 
for  ten  years  to  stock  raising,  their  efforts  in  that 
line  being  given  almost  exclusively  to  sheep. 
Within  the  last  year,  however,  they  have  sold  out 
the  sheep  and  invested  in  cattle,  and  now  they  are 
in  possession  of  a  herd  of  two  hundred  head,  which 
they  range  in  the  mountains  in  summer  and  on 
their  one-thousand-acre  ranch  on  Chapman  creek 
in  winter.  This  farm,  known  as  the  old  Dick 
Lyons  ranch,  the  two  brothers  own.  Until  about 
a  year  ago  they  were  in  partnership  with  their 
three  other  brothers,  but  they  then  bought  them 
out,  and  took  full  charge.  William  was  born  in 
Greene  county,  Missouri,  September  16,  1866,  and 
Charles,  in  the  same  state,  August  I,  1873. 


GEORGE  W.  GRANTLY  is  a  favorably 
known  farmer  residing  one  and  one-half  miles 
southeast  of  Dot  postoffice,  in  Klickitat  county, 
Washington.  He  is  the  sou  of  Thomas  and 
Phoebe  (Gould)  Grantly,  the  former  a  music- 
teacher  and  bookkeeper,  born  in  Maryland  in 
1809,  the  son  of  English  parents.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1845.  Phoebe  (Gould)  Grantly  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1800,  and  came  of  Penn- 
sylvania Dutch  stock.  '  She  died  in  1872.  George 
W.  grew  to  manhood  in  Ohio  on  a  farm,  and  dur- 
ing youth,  received  an  education  in  the  common 
schools.  Left  fatherless  at  the  age  of  four  years 
he  learned  at  an  early  age  to  assume  the  responsi- 
bilities of  life,  and  as  he  attained  early  manhood 
he  gave  his  best  efforts  toward  helping  his  mother 
discharge  the  duties  devolving  upon  her,  on  ac- 
count of  the  loss  of  her  husband.  When  eighteen 
years  of  age  he  forsook  the  parental  roof  and  inde- 
pendently assumed  the  burdensome  responsibili- 
ties of  life.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war  he 
responded  to  the  first  call  for  volunteers  by  enlist- 
ing for  three  months'  service  with  Company  E, 
Fifteenth  Ohio  volunteers.  He  was  immediately 
sent   south    to   Virginia,   where    he   served   in  the 


engagements  at  Laurel  Hill  and  Phillipe,  the  first 
fought  in  that  state.  At  the  end  of  the  three 
months'  service  he  re-enlisted,  this  time  joining 
Company  A,  Sixty-eighth  Ohio,  and  later  he  served 
under  General  Grant  at  Fort  Donelson  and  at  the 
battle  of  Shiloh.  During  the  latter  part  of  the 
war  he  belonged  to  the  command  of  "Pap" 
Thomas,  justly  renowned  for  his  service  in  the 
great  conflict.  Beyond  a  wound  at  the  battle  of 
Shiloh,  Mr.  Grantly  received  no  serious  injury 
throughout  the  war,  though  he  took  part  during 
his  service  in  some  ot  the  greatest  engagements. 
When  the  war  was  over  he  went  to  Texas  and  for 
two  years  following  lived  on  the  Gulf.  His  next 
move  was  to  Bourbon  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
filed  on  a  tract  of  government  land,  and  where,  for 
thirteen  years,  he  farmed  and  raised  stock,  meet- 
ing with  fair  success.  In  March  of  1882,  however, 
attracted  by  the  opportunities  offered  by  the  de- 
veloping country,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county. 
Immediately  upon  arrival  he  filed  on  his  present 
farm,  on  which  he  has  resided  continuously  since. 
In  1871,  in  the  state  of  Kansas,  Mr.  Grantly 
married  Mrs.  Rebecca  McKhann.  She  died  in 
1900,  leaving  two  children  by  her  first  marriage 
and  three  by  the  second.  Mr.  Grantly 's  second 
marriage  took  place  January  25,  1903,  in  Klickitat 
county,  the  lady  being  Mrs.  Margaret  ( Adams ) 
Conell,  a  widow,  as  was  his  first  wife,  and  a  native 
of  Illinois.  She  was  born  in  1858.  Politically, 
Mr.  Grantly  is  a  Republican,  and  in  religion,  he 
belongs  to  the  Baptist  church.  Deeply  interested 
in  school  affairs,  he  has  served  with  marked  effi- 
ciency as  a  member  of  the  local  school  board.  His 
farm,  comprising  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
land,  is  well  stocked  with  all  things  necessary  to 
make  profitable  the  cultivation  of  land. 


GASTELL  BINNS  is  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm 
situated  four  miles  south  of  Dot  postoffice,  on 
which  place  he  is  at  present  residing.  He  is  a 
son  of  "Old  Kentucky,"  born  in  Cumberland 
county,  June  2,  1862.  He  lived  at  home  with  his 
parents  until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen,  secur- 
ing a  common  school  education,  then  went  to 
Texas,  where  for  two  years  he  was  employed  as 
a  cowboy.  In  1884  he  moved  to  Washington  and 
immediately  upon  his  arrival  accepted  employ- 
ment in  a  logging  camp.  After  working  at  this 
for  a  month,  he  proceeded  to  Goldendale,  where 
he  worked  a  year  on  a  farm.  Going  then  to  the 
Dot  locality,  he  filed  on  his  present  farm  in  1886. 
and  began  building  up  the  splendid  home  of  which 
he  is  now  possessed.  He  has  since  lived  the  life 
of  a  thrifty  and  successful  agriculturist  and  stock- 
man. 

Mr.  Binns  was  married  in  Klickitat  county  in 
March,  1894,  to  Miss  Marie  Nelson,  a  native  of 
Sweden,  born  in  1869.  She  received  her  education 
in  the  old  country,  and  there  reached  the  age  of 


508 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


twenty-five,  then  came  to  the  United  States.  Her 
parents  did  not  accompany  her.  Christen  Nelson, 
the  father,  was  a  gardener  in  Sweden.  His  death 
occurred  several  years  ago  in  that  country.  The 
mother,  Boel  (Boman)  Nelson,  was  born  in  Swe- 
den, December  3,  1840.  She  has  never  left  her 
native  land,  but  is  residing  in  it  at  this  date.  Mr. 
Binns'  parents  were  William  and  Jennett  (Baker) 
Binns.  The  former  was  of  English  descent  and  a 
native  of  Kentucky,  in  which  state  he  died.  He 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Jennett  (Baker; 
Binns  was  likewise  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and 
lived  the  greater  part  of  her  life  time  in  that  state, 
finally  passing  away  there.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gastell  Binns  are:  Archie,  born  in  1894; 
Walter,  in  1895;  Hurchell,  in  1897;  Elam,  in  1899, 
Chester,  in  1900,  and  Albert  D.,  in  1903,  all  in 
Klickitat  county.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Binns  is  affiliated 
with  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  politics,  allies  him- 
self with  the  Democratic  party.  His  land  hold- 
ings comprise  in  all  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
five  hundred  of  which  are  under  cultivation.  He 
at  present  owns  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  is  making 
a  specialty  of  the  Hereford  breed.  Among  ac- 
quaintances and  neighbors  he  is  regarded  as  a 
capable  and  well-meaning  citizen.  That  he  is  a 
thrifty,  energetic  man  of  good  judgment  and  abili- 
ties, is  abundantly  proven  by  the  splendid  success 
he  has  had  in  building  a  home  and  extensive  prop- 
erty for  himself  and  family  in  Klickitat  county. 


WILLIAM  W.  WOODS  is  a  citizen  of  good 
reputation  residing  three  and  one-half  miles 
south  and  three  and  one-half  west  of  Dot  post- 
office,  Klickitat  county,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Klickitat  county,  December  7,  1874,  the 
son  of  Alfred  O.  and  Martha  C.  (Soper)  Woods, 
who  are  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
William  W.  grew  to  manhood  and  received  a  com- 
mon school  education  in  Klickitat  county.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  became  interested  with  his 
father  in  the  sheep  business,  and  still  retains  the 
holding  then  acquired.  In  1901  he  bought  a  half 
section  of  railroad  land,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  that  was  deeded.  The  following  year 
he  filed  on  a  tract  of  government  land  (and  has 
since  then  made  this  place  his  home),  though  by 
dint  of  energy  and  thrift  he  has  been  able  to  add 
greatly  to  his  original  holdings. 

Mr,  Woods  was  married  near  Dot  postoffice, 
August  20,  1 901,  to  Miss  Jennie  Loftin,  a  native 
of  Washington,  born  in  Waitsburg,  Walla  Walla 
county,  September  13,  1884.  She  moved  to  Klick- 
itat county  at  an  early  age  and  here  grew  to 
womanhood  and  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  Her  parents  were  Wesley  and  Emma 
(Johnson)  Loftin,  who  were  among  the  early  ar- 
rivals in  Klickitat  county.  Wesley  Loftin  was 
born  near  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  in  1856.  Upon 
reaching  manhood  he  farmed  for  a  time  in  Mis- 


souri, then,  in  1886,  came  west,  his  objective  point 
being  Klickitat  county.  Upon  his  arrival  he  lo- 
cated near  Dot,  and  after  a  residence  of  nineteen 
years  at  that  place  moved  to  his  present  home  in 
Arlington,  Oregon.  Fie  is  of  Irish  parentage. 
Emma  (Johnson)  Loftin  was  born  in  Linn  county, 
Kansas,  in  1857.  She  married  Mr.  Loftin  in  Kan- 
sas, afterwards  coming  west  with  him,  as  men- 
tioned. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woods  are  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Claude  C,  born  in  Arling- 
ton, Oregon,  June  5,  1902,  and  Delmar  H.,  also 
in  Arlington,  May  29,  1903.  The  latter  named 
child  died  at  the  age  of  eight  months  and  twenty- 
nine  days.  Mr.  Woods  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  In  politics,  he  is  an  adherent  of 
Republicanism,  though  not  to  the  exclusion  of  oc- 
casional departures  from  the  RepuDlican  stand- 
ards in  municipal  elections,  where,  in  his  judg- 
ment, the  opposite  issue  is  the  more  worthy.  His 
land  holdings  comprise  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres,  one  hundred  and  thirty  of  which  are  under 
cultivation.  His  home  farm  is  well  equipped  with 
all  stock,  implements  and  buddings  that  add  to  the 
comfort  of  farm  life,  and  each  year,  under  the  cap- 
able management  of  its  owner,  is  becoming  more 
attractive  as  a  dwelling  place.  Few  men  of  his 
age  have  attained  a  more  enviable  success  than 
has  Mr.  Woods,  even  in  the  Northwest,  where- 
energy  and  thrift  are  almost  invariably  well  re- 
warded. 


FRANK  P.  VINCENT.  Among  the  many 
thriving  industries  of  the  west  at  the  present  time, 
none  is  paying  larger  returns  on  the  capital  in- 
vested than  the  sheep  business,  in  which  the- 
Klickitat  citizen  whose  name  commences  this  ar- 
ticle, is  heavily  interested.  Since  1886  he  has 
been  connected  in  one  way  or  another  with  this 
important  branch  of  the  stock  industry,  so  that  his 
experience  has  been  a  valuable  one  to  him.  His 
fine  ranch  is  located  nine  miles  southwest  of  Dot.. 
Mr.  Vincent  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Ohio,  July  28,  1853,  the  son  of  George  and. 
Rachael  (Wilson)  Vincent,  of  Welsh  and  Irish 
extraction  respectively.  Their  families  have  been 
residents  of  Washington  county  for  nearly  a  cen- 
tury back.  George  Vincent  was  born  in  1812  in 
southern  Ohio  on  the  same  farm  which  was  the 
birthplace  of  his  father;  he  died  at  the  age  of" 
eighty-four  in  Washington  county.  Mrs.  Vincent, 
the  mother,  was  born  in  Washington  county  in 
1810,  the  daughter  of  Ohio  pioneers;  she  died  in 
that  county.  Frank  P.  attended  school  and 
worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  twenty  years  old, 
then  rented  the  place  from  his  father  and  operated 
it  three  years.  After  his  marriage,  about  that 
time,  he  farmed  four  years  on  his  own  place,  but 
in  the  spring  of  1882  came  west  to  Milton.  Oregon. 
Four  years  of  farming  followed.  Then,  in  1886, 
he  came  to  Klickitat  and  looked  after  the   sheep  ■ 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


509 


of  George  Donald  a  year.  Next  he  and  Joseph 
Thomas  entered  the  business  and  ranged  sheep 
three  years,  after  which  Mr.  Vincent  worked  three 
years  for  A.  Smythe.  In  the  fall  of  1898  he  went 
into  the  industry  on  his  own  account  and  he  has 
been  very  successful  since  that  time.  He  and  his 
two  sons  are  partners  in  the  business.  In  1889 
Mr.  Vincent  hied  on  the  ranch  which  is  now  his 
home  and  by  purchasing  other  land,  father  and 
sons  now  own  a  section  of  excellent  farming  and 
grazing  land. 

Mr.  Vincent  was  married  July  3,  1875,  in 
Washington  county,  Ohio,  to  Miss  Sybil  D.  Coley, 
a  daughter  of  George  and  Laura  (Sherman) 
Coley,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Washington 
county.  The  father  was  born  in  1818  and  died  at 
a  mature  age  in  his  home  county.  Mrs.  Coley 
was  born  in  1830;  she  is  now  living  with  her  son 
in  Goldendale.  Mrs.  Vincent  is  also  a  native  of 
Washington  county,  born  in  1856,  August  30th. 
After  attending  the  public  schools  and  receiving 
a  thorough  education,  she  was  married,  being 
twenty  years  of  age  at  the  time.  Their  children 
are :  Fred,  born  in  Washington  county,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1876,  living  at  home,  a  partner  in  the  sheep 
business  and  ranch;  Arthur,  born  in  the  same 
county,  October  6,  1878,  likewise  a  partner  in  the 
business  and  ranch ;  Hubert,  born  in  Klickitat, 
July  22,  1890;  Mabel,  also  born  in  this  county, 
October  15,  1896.  One  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  the  ranch  are  now  being  cultivated;  the  balance 
is  used  for  pasture.  There  are  two  thousand  sheep 
in  the  Vincent  herds,  besides  which  they  own  a  con- 
siderable number  of  horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  Mr. 
Vincent  is  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  the 
county,  held  in  high  repute  by  his  neighbors  and 
he  and  his  sons  are  known  as  capable  stockmen. 
In  religion,  he  is  a  Methodist. 


GEORGE  W.  SMITH.  Among  those  hardy 
pioneer  stockmen  who  sought  the  luxuriant  range 
of  Klickitat  in  its  early  years  is  he  whose  name 
stands  at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch,  one  of  the 
county's  present  prosperous  farmers  and  stock- 
men. Mr.  Smith  came  to  Klickitat  in  1872  and 
since  that  date  has  been  prominently  identified 
with  its  growth  and  development.  His  home  is 
on  the  Columbia  river  four  miles  north  of  The 
Dalles.  Born  in  South  Bend,  Indiana,  February 
20,  1842,  he  is  the  son  of  Jacob  D.  and  Sarah 
(Griswold)  Smith,  who  became  pioneers  of  Ore- 
gon in  1852.  The  elder  Smith  was  born  in  Ohio 
in  1810.  He  crossed  the  Plains  in  1852  to  Yam- 
hill county,  Oregon,  where  lit  filed  on  a  donation 
eiaim  and  there  followed  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing. Subsequently  he  removed  to  Salem  and  was 
a  resident  of  that  city  when  his  death  occurred  in 
1884.  His  wife  was  a  native  of  New  York,  born 
in  1807;  she  died  in  1893.  When  a  child  she  was  I 
taken  to   Indiana  by  her  parents,  who  were  Ger-  ' 


mans.  Mrs.  Smith  never  learned  to  speak  her  na- 
tive tongue,  being  reared  in  an  English  settle- 
ment. Jacob  Smith's  father  was  also  of  German 
ancestry.  He  was  born  during  the  turbulent  times 
incident  to  the  Revolution  and  while  a  middle- 
aged  man  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  George  W. 
Smith  accompanied  his  parents  from  Indiana  to 
Janesville,  Wisconsin,  at  an  early  age,  and  when 
he  was  nine  years  old  the  westward  journey  was 
continued  across  the  Plains  to  Oregon.  There 
the  lad  lived  until  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  then 
boldly  and  bravely  struck  out  for  himself.  When  . 
the  Idaho  mines  were  discovered,  he  was  among 
the  first  to  reach  Oro  Fino  creek,  and  in  that 
district  he  spent  two  years  in  developing  property 
of  his  own.  Then  he  participated  in  the  rush  to 
Boise  basin  and  for  more  than  a  year  mined  in  the 
vicinity  of  Boise  City.  Later  he  was  employed 
as  a  carpenter  in  that  town.  The  occupation  of 
freighting  then  appealed  to  him  so  strongly  that 
until  1 865  he  was  engaged  in  packing  on  the  trails 
between  Walla  Walla,  Helena  and  Boise  City  and 
in  freighting  between  Wallula  and  interior  points. 
From  this  occupation  he  went  to  Owyhee  county, 
Idaho,  where  for  two  years  he  was  employed  in 
the  Golden  Chariot  mine,  then  he  spent  a  year  at 
the  carpenter's  trade  m  Salem,  Oregon,  and  final- 
ly, in  1872,  became  a  pioneer  of  Klickitat  county, 
in  which  he  has  since  resided.  At  that  time  the 
region  was  but  sparselv  settled  and  the  few  hardy 
pioneers  who  were  there  had  scarcely  come  to  a 
realization  of  the  resources  awaiting  development. 
Sheep  raising  first  appealed  to  Mr.  Smith  as  a 
lucrative  industry,  so  he  acquired  a  small  herd, 
filed  on  a  claim  and  began  life  as  a  stockman. 
While  Goldendale  was  yet  but  a  trading  post,  Mr. 
Smith  ranged  his  sheep  over  the  site.  Later  Mr. 
Smith  built  the  first  schoolhouse  erected  in  Gol- 
dendale. It  was  only  a  rough  board  structure,  un- 
attractive in  appearance  and  with  walls  not  en- 
tirely proof  against  the  harsh  breath  of  winter,  but 
withal  its  erection  was  one  of  the  long  steps  which 
the  pioneer  takes  in  securing  the  perpetuation  of 
the  civilization  which  he  founds.  This  homely 
institution  is  known  to  Goldendale  pioneers  as 
"the  old  schoolhouse:"  it  stood  on  the  flat  near 
the  creek.  Mr.  Smith  continued  to  follow  stock 
raising  and  accumulate  herds  and  land  with  com- 
mendable and  gratifying  success  until  he  is  today 
one  of  the  leading  stockmen  of  this  region. 

Mr.  Smith  and  Miss  Augusta  M.  Purely,  a 
native  of  Salem,  Oregon,  were  united  in  marriage 
June  15,  1873.  She  was  born  March  12,  1849,  to 
the  union  of  Aaron  am!  Belinda  (  Buckle w)  Purdy, 
who  were  prominently  known  as  among  the 
early  pioneers  of  Oregon.  The  father  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  November  30,  1806,  and  when 
forty-one  years  of  age  crossed  the  Plains  to  Ore- 
gon, arriving  about  the  time  of  the  Whitman  mas- 
sacre. He  was  a  miller  by  trade,  though  he  de- 
voted   much    of    his    attention    to    other    business. 


5io 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


His  death  occurred  in  1866.  By  descent,  Mr. 
Purdy  was  a  German.  His  wife  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  born  in  1810;  she  died  in  1893.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  have  five  children,  namely :  Mabel, 
born  October  31,  1874;  Ada,  born  May  25,  1877; 
Fritz  G.,  born  April  10,  1879;  Edna,  born  April 
23,  1881  ;  and  Regina,  born  January  11,  1889,  all 
of  whom  are  natives  of  this  county.  Mr.  Smith 
is  connected  with  one  fraternity,  the  Masonic; 
politically,  he  is  an  ardent  Republican,  though  an 
independent  one,  free  from  party  prejudices.  He 
devotes  his  entire  time  to  the  management  of  his 
extensive  stock  and  land  interests,  his  holdings 
comprising  between  four  thousand  and  five  thou- 
sand acres  on  the  Columbia  river. 


ALONZO  H.  CURTISS.  To  this  worthy 
pioneer,  whose  home  is  at  Grand  Dalles,  on  the 
Columbia,  belongs  the  distinction  of  being  Klick- 
itat's oldest  resident  citizen;  only  one  other  set- 
tler preceded  him  and  that  one  left  the  county 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  But  since 
the  fall  of  1858,  forty-six  years  ago,  nine  years  be- 
fore Klickitat  county  came  into  permanent  ex- 
istence, Mr.  Curtiss  has  called  Klickitat  "home," 
and  in  that  vast  stretch  of  time  has  witnessed  the 
organization  of  three  powerful  states  out  of  the 
great  Northwest  and  the  development  of  this  erst- 
while wilderness  into  one  of  the  busiest  and  rich- 
est sections  of  the  Union.  Born  July  19,  1831, 
at  Granville,  Massachusetts.  Alonzo  H.  Curtiss 
is  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Sallie  (Fairchild)  Cur- 
tiss, both  of  whom  were  also  natives  of  the  Old 
Bay  state.  The  Curtiss  and  the  Fairchild  families 
came  over  to  the  colonies  from  England  many 
generations  ago  and  in  the  New  England  states 
soon  attained  to  positions  of  influence  and  afflu- 
ence. Samuel  Curtiss,  who  spent  most  of  his  life 
in  agricultural  pursuits  in  Hampden  county,  Mas- 
sachusetts, died  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight;  his  wife 
died  ten  years  ago  in  her  seventy-ninth  year. 
Alonzo  H.  remained  on  the  farm  and  in  school 
until  he  was  twenty  years  old.  He  attended  the 
Granville  Academy  and  the  public  schools,  thus 
receiving  a  good  education.  In  185 1,  with  the 
characteristic  longing  of  youth  to  get  to  the  front 
in  life's  battle,  he  went  to  Ohio,  and  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade.  He  then  made  up  his  mind  to 
seek  what  fortune  might  bestow  upon  him  in  the 
far  west  and  accordingly,  in  1853,  came  to  the 
Pacific  coast  by  way  of  the  Isthmus.  He  soon 
became  satisfied  that  he  could  do  better  in  Ore- 
gon, so  he  went  north  to  Portland,  then  a  strag- 
gling village  and  there  and  in  Washington  county 
he  followed  his  trade  until  1855.  At  that  time  he 
came  to  The  Dalles  and  laid  the  foundation  for 
his  present  prosperity.  In  the  fall  of  1858,  he 
crossed  the  Columbia  and  filed  upon  a  tempting 
tract  of  land  situated  along  the  shore  just  north 
of    the    Rockland  ferry  landing,  and    upon    this 


pleasant  place  Mr.  Curtiss  and  his  estimable  wife 
have  lived  continuously  since  the  day  they  moved 
into  their  pioneer  home.  For  many  years  Mr. 
Curtiss  followed  stock  raising  and  contract  work, 
ranging  large  herds  and  becoming  one  of  the 
builders  of  The  Dalles.  He  is  still  a  prominent 
stockman,  though  this  portion  of  his  business  is 
now  looked  after  by  his  son,  Leon  W.  After  in- 
vesting considerable  money  in  the  erection  of 
dwellings  in  The  Dalles,  Mr.  Curtiss,  in  1889, 
erected  the  first  roller  mill  ever  built  in  that  city, 
The  Diamond  Roller  Mills,  there  being  at  that 
time  only  two  old  burr  mills  there.  It  cost  $40,- 
000  and  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  plants  in  Ore- 
gon. Mr.  Curtiss  still  owns  this  fine  property, 
but  leaves  the  active  management  of  it  to  his  son- 
in-law,  James  S.  Snipes.  Besides  some  valuable 
city  property,  Mr.  Curtiss  also  owns  between 
three  thousand  and  four  thousand  acres  of  grazing 
and  farming  land  in  Klickitat  county,  opposite 
The  Dalles,  an  interest  in  the  steam  ferry  operated 
by  The  Dalles  &  Rockland  Ferry  Company,  and 
his  valuable  home  ranch,  which  is  highly  improved, 
and  one  of  the  best  for  its  size  on  the  river. 

Miss  Lizzie  Gould,  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Anna  Gould,  became  the  bride  of  Mr.  Curtiss, 
January  10,  1858.  The  parents  as  well  as  the 
daughter  were  born  in  Ohio,  the  date  of  Mrs. 
Curtiss'  birth  being  March  24,  1834.  Her  father 
was  a  millwright  by  trade  and  a  very  successful 
business  man.  He  died  when  she  was  a  child. 
The  romance  in  the  life  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Curtiss 
began  before  he  came  west  and  when  he  had  pie- 
pared  a  home  for  her  occupancy,  he  went  back 
east  and  brought  her  to  it.  Her  mother  accom- 
panied them  to  The  Dalles,  and  there  was  subse- 
quently married  to  John  A.  Murdy;  she  died  in 
1889..  Four  children  have  come  to  the  Curtiss 
home :  Jennie,  born  in  1859,  now  the  wife  of 
James  Snipes,  of  The  Dalles;  Leon  W.,  born 
March  4,  1861,  a  prominent  Klickitat  stockman 
who  has  represented  this  county  in  the  legisla- 
ture;  Orlando  H.,  who  died  when  a  child;  and 
Joseph  S.,  whose  death  occurred  in  1890.  Mr. 
Curtiss  has  one  brother  living,  Elizer,  an  Ohio 
farmer.  Politically,  Mr.  Curtiss  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican, and  in  years  gone  by  has  served  his  county 
as  county  commissioner  and  in  other  official  ca- 
pacities. Both  he  and  his  wife  are  held  in  the 
highest  esteem  by  all  who  know  them  and,  though 
well  advanced  in  years,  are  yet  apparently  far  this 
side  of  life's  sunset. 


LEO  F.  BRUNE,  a  large  sheep  owner  and 
stockman  of  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  resides 
on  a  farm  five  miles  north  of  Grand  Dalles.  He 
has  the  distinction  of  being  a  native  of  south  cen- 
tral Washington,  the  place  of  his  birth  being 
Grand  Dalles  and  the  date,  April  19,  1873.  His 
father,   Charles   H.   Brune,  was   born    in    Pome- 


ALONZO    H.    CURTISS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


5ii 


rania,  Germany,  near  the  Baltic  sea,  in  1840. 
Being  an  adventurous  spirit  and  of  a  roving 
disposition,  the  elder  Brune  early  took  to  the  sea, 
sailing  on  a  German  merchantman  to  New  York, 
where  he  shipped  on  an  American  vessel  for  a 
second  voyage.  Later  he  was  with  the  noted 
Captain  Sewell,  famed  for  his  exploits  as  a  block- 
ade runner,  and  became  mate  of  the  vessel.  He 
came  to  California  in  1864,  and  thence  after  a  few 
months'  residence  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  For 
some  time  he  operated  boats  on  the  Columbia 
river,  the  principal  business  of  which  was  the 
transportation  of  wood,  and  for  several  years  he 
had  charge  of  a  ferry  boat  there.  He  married  in 
The  Dalles  in  1867.  In  1877  he  took  up  a  pre- 
emption claim  five  miles  north  of  Grand  Dalles, 
in  "Klickitat  county,  this  being  the  first  land  filed 
upon  so  far  back  from  the  river.  At  the  same 
time  he  purchased  two  hundred  head  of  sheep, 
thereby  getting  a  start  in  a  business  to  which  he 
devoted  his  best  energies  for  several  years  after- 
ward. He  and  his  brothers,  Henry  and  William, 
were  the  first  men  to  take  a  band  of  sheep  into 
the  Mount  Adams  grazing  district.  He  continued 
to  follow  sheep  raising  until  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred at  the  ranch  near  Grand  Dalles,  July  29, 
1894.  He  was  deputy  sheriff  at  one  time  and  also 
clerk  of  school  district  No.  1,  which  at  the  time 
took  in  almost  the  whole  of  Klickitat  county. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Rosario 
Romero,  is  a  native  of  Mexico,  born  in  the  prov- 
ince of  Sonora.  in  1850,  to  Spanish  parents.  She 
came  to  California  with  her  parents  when  a  small 
girl,  and  in  1863  came  overland  to  The  Dalles. 
Her  father  died  in  California;  her  mother,  Jane 
Romero,  still  lives  with  her  daughter  and  son-in- 
law.  Leo  Brune,  of  this  article,  grew  to  manhood 
at  the  old  home  ranch,  attending  the  district 
school,  and  from  1890  to  1893,  the  Bishop  Scott 
Military  Academy  at  Portland,  Oregon.  He 
learned  the  sheep  business  as  a  boy.  At  the  time 
of  his  father's  death  in  1894,  he  went  to  Kenne- 
wick,  Washington,  with  a  sheep  man,  and  bought 
the  old  Leeper  spring,  with  eighty  acres  of  land, 
to  secure  water  for  the  sheep.  He  then  entered 
the  wool  growing  business  with  his  uncles,  Henry 
and  William  Brune,  forming  a  partnership  which 
remained  in  force  for  a  space  of  two  years.  After 
its  dissolution,  Leo  F.  continued  the  business 
alone.  In  the  fall  of  1902  he  bought  six  thou- 
sand acres  of  land  near  the  spring.  He  sold  it 
later,  however,  also  his  band  of  sheep,  then 
bought  a  band  of  four  thousand  five  hundred  at 
Heppner,  Oregon,  which  he  still  has. 

At  Hartland,  Washington,  in  the  fall  of  1897, 
Mr.  Brune  married  Bertha  Isham,  an  Oregonian, 
born  near  Salem,  June  22,  1880.  Her  father, 
James  Isham,  is  an  old  Oregon  pioneer,  and  has 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  Salem  for  many  years. 
Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Sina  Pitt- 
man,  is  likewise  a  native  of  Oregon    and  a  mem- 


ber of  an  old  pioneer  family.  Her  father  and 
mother,  A.  J.  and  Louise  Pittman,  are  still  liv- 
ing, though  aged  seventy-six  and  seventy-three 
years  respectively.  They  crossed  the  Plains  in 
1850,  and  while  en  route,  were  stricken  with  the 
Asiatic  cholera,  hence  were  deserted  by  the  other 
members  of  the  party,  and  narrowly  escaped  from 
the  Indians.  Mr.  Brune  has  eight  brothers  and 
sisters:  Rose,  now  Mrs.  J.  M.  Cummins,  a  resi- 
dent of  Sprague,  Washington;  Josephine,  a  pro- 
fessional nurse  at  Portland,  Oregon ;  Grace,  now 
the  wife  of  Dr.  D.  M.  Angus,  a  physician  at  Pros- 
ser,  Washington;  Minnie,  now  Mrs.  Alex.  Angus; 
Jean,  a  stenographer  in  Portland;  Victoria  and 
Alma.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brune  have  two  children : 
Charles  H.  and  Bernice,  born  September  23,  1899, 
and  September  30,  1901,  respectively.  In  politics, 
Mr.  Brune  is  a  Republican.  Public  spirited  and 
enterprising,  one  of  the  most  capable  young  men 
in  the  county,  eminently  successful  in  business, 
and  possessed  of  qualities  of  character  which  win 
for  him  the  esteem  and  regard  of  those  with  whom 
he  is  associated,  Mr.  Brune  enjoys  a  very  enviable 
standing  in  south  central  Washington,  and  his 
prospects  for  future  achievement  are  bright  in- 
deed. He  owns  an  interest  in  two  thousand  five 
hundred  acres  of  land,  besides  his  large  stock 
holdings. 


JAMES  O.  LYLE  is  a  retired  farmer  resid- 
ing at  present  four  miles  northwest  of  Lyle  post- 
office,  at  what  is  known  as  the  "Hewitt"  place. 
He  was  born  in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania, 
June  4,  1831,  the  son  of  Charles  and  Sarah  (John- 
son) Lyle,  both  deceased  many  years  ago. 
Charles  Lyle  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
in  1799.  In  1847  ne  moved  to  Ottumwa,  Iowa, 
at  which  place  he  resided  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
His  people  were  of  Scotch-Irish  descent  and 
among  the  colonial  settlers  of  the  Atlantic  coast. 
Hannah  (Croford)  Lyle,  his  paternal  grand- 
mother, was  related  in  some  way  to  General  An- 
thony Wayne.  Sarah  (Johnson)  Lyle,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  1812,  and  died  in 
1859.  James  O.,  of  this  review,  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Indiana  when  six  years  of  age,  thev 
later  proceeding  to  Iowa  and  settling  near  what 
was  later  known  as  Agency  City,  the  Indians  hav- 
ing been  removed  from  this  place  to  their  reser- 
vation but  a  short  time  before.  In  Iowa,  he  re- 
mained on  the  home  farm  with  his  parents  until 
twenty  years  of  age,  then  taking  up  stage  driving 
between  Mount  Pleasant  and  Oskaloosa,  his  em- 
ployers being  Frink  &  Walker,  of  Chicago.  He  was 
thus  employed  until  1853.  Then  with  a  few  thou- 
sand other  fortune  seekers  he  got  the  "gold  fever" 
and  started  to  California  with  an  ox  team.  The 
consideration  of  his  passage  was  one  hundred  dol- 
lars, he  in  addition  driving  a  team  all  the  way. 
missing  only  one  day  during  the  five  and  a  half 


5I2 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


months  required  to  make  the  trip.  In  Fiddle 
Town,  California,  the  tiresome  journey  termi- 
nated and  here  Mr.  Lyle  began  mining,  remaining 
thus  engaged  until  April,  1856.  Then  he  took 
passage  on  the  Golden  Age,  bound  for  Iowa,  via 
the  Panama  route.  Ill  luck  attended  his  journey. 
The  Golden  Age  was  wrecked  two  hundred  miles 
from  Panama  on  an  island  and  here  the  hapless 
passengers  lived  several  days,  scantily  supplied 
with  the  necessities  of  life,  until  rescued  by  an- 
other vessel.  After  this  narrow  escape,  Mr.  Lyle 
proceeded  to  Iowa  as  best  he  could  and  arrived 
safely.  He  lived  in  Iowa  until  1863,  during  which 
time  he  was  married.  In  the  year  mentioned  he 
again  crossed  the  Plains,  his  objective  point  this 
time  being  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  Shortly  after 
his  arrival  he  rented  a  place  at  Rowena,  a  short 
distance  down  the  river  from  The  Dalles,  where 
he  lived  two  years,  then  buying  of  a  squaw  man, 
a  farm  situated  on  the  Washington  side  of  the 
Columbia  river.  This  property  afterward  became 
the  townsite  of  Lyle,  and  long  before  there  was 
much  of  a  town  there,  a  postoffice  was  established, 
of  which  Mr.  Lyle  was  postmaster  for  eight  years. 
In  the  spring  of  1892  Mr.  Lyle  sold  this  property 
to  the  Balfours,  English  capitalists.  He  then  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land  on 
Camas  prairie  and  a  quarter  section  a  few  miles 
northwest  of  Lyle,  which  he  has  since  divided 
between  his  daughter,  Mrs.  I.  B.  Hewitt,  and  son, 
G.  B.  Lyle,  himself  retiring  from  the  more  wear- 
ing activities  of  farm  life. 

In  1857,  Mr.  Lyle  married  Miss  Martha 
Snipes,  then  a  resident  of  Iowa.  She  was  a  native 
of  North  Carolina,  born  in  1834;  she  died  in  1887. 
Ben  Snipes,  a  noted  cattleman  of  Klickitat  county 
during  the  early  days,  is  her  brother.  Her  parents 
were  Elam  and  Acenith  (Rosson)  Snipes,  pio- 
neers of  this  country,  the  former  a  native  of  North 
Carolina,  in  which  state  he  attained  manhood. 
He  came  to  Klickitat  county  in  1863,  and  resided 
there  until  the  time  of  his  death  in  1894.  Acenith 
Snipes  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  also,  born 
in  1818.  Her  death  occurred  in  1896.  Children 
that  have  been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lyle  are:  Charles  E.,  deceased;  George  B., 
and  Sarah  A.,  now  Mrs.  I.  B.  Hewitt.  Frater- 
nally, Mr.  Lyle  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Grange.  In  politics,  as  in  all  else,  he  is 
independent,  but  he  expects  to  vote  for  Turner 
for  governor  and  the  rest  of  his  ticket  shall  be 
Socialist.  No  man  now  residing  in  Klickitat 
county  is  better  entitled  to  the  honors  due  old  set- 
tlers than  is  Mr.  Lyle.  This  county,  when  he  first 
saw  it,  contained  little  evidence  of  the  civilization 
that  was  to  follow  his  arrival.  Indians'  were  the 
only  established  inhabitants;  their  crooked  trails 
the  only  roads  across  the  unplowed  prairies,  and 
life  and  property  were  safe  or  otherwise  accord- 
ing to  the  strength  of  the  persons  who  defended 
them. 


D.  E.  WITT,  merchant,  farmer,  hotel  man, 
and  livery  stable  owner,  is  one  of  the  foremost 
citizens  of  Klickitat  county,  and  the  leading  busi- 
ness man  of  Lyle,  in  which  he  resides.  Since  his 
arrival  there  three  years  ago,  he  has  been  inter- 
ested in  every  considerable  enterprise  of  a  busi- 
ness nature  that  has  been  developed,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  dealing  in  town  interests  has  bought  and 
sold  twenty  farms.  At  present  he  is  engaged  in 
the  diverse  pursuits  first  mentioned,  also  is  an 
extensive  buyer  and  shipper  of  stock.  This  en- 
ergetic business  man  is  a  Missourian,  born  in 
Neosho  county,  September  17,  1861,  the  son  of 
James  Witt,  also  a  native  of  Neosho  county,  born 
in  1816.  The  mother,  Amanda  (Rush)  Witt,  was 
born  in  middle  Tennessee.  She  is  still  living 
though  seventy-seven  years  old,  and  is  enjoying 
exceptionally  good  health  for  one  of  that  age. 
James  Witt  crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in 
1849,  but  stayed  only  a  short  time,  returning  to 
the  east.  He  made  a  second  trip  to  the  Golden 
state  in  1852,  and  this  time  remained  there  work- 
ing in  the  mines  until  he  accumulated  consider- 
able money.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war 
he  was  promptly  upon  the  scene  of  action,  and 
like  tens  of  thousands  of  other  brave  men,  died  in 
battle  for  the  sake  of  country  and  posterity. 

The  subject  of  this  review  was,  at  that  time, 
a  babe  of  three  years.  Fatherless  as  he  was,  he 
grew  to  young  manhood  under  the  load  of  re- 
sponsibility which  usually  rests  upon  the  head  of 
a  family,  since  he  was  obliged  to  assist  in  the 
support  of  his  mother  and  the  other  children.  The 
family  moved  to  Kansas  City,  Kansas,  when  he 
was  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  here  for  several 
years  he  worked  hard  at  whatever  he  could  find 
to  do  that  was  sufficiently  remunerative.  These 
were  hard  years  for  D.  E.  Witt,  yet,  doubtless,  did 
much  to  fit  him  for  the  successful  business  career 
he  has  since  had.  In  1885  Mr.  Witt  went  to 
Texas  and  there  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
cattle,  Austin  being  his  principal  shipping  point. 
He  followed  this  business  for  ten  years,  then  re- 
turned to  Kansas,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years.  His  final  move  was  to  Lyle,  Klickitat 
county,  in  1899,  ar,d  at  this  location  he  has  since 
been  engaged  in  business  continuously  and  suc- 
cessfully. 

Mr.  Witt  was  married,  February  20,  1886, 
to  Miss  Lizzie  Pool,  then  residing  in  Missouri, 
her  native  state.  George  and  Mary  (Spencer) 
Pool,  her  parents,  were  among  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Missouri.  Both  are  now  deceased.  One  child 
has  been  born  to  this  marriage,  namely,  Charles, 
who  is  at  present  fourteen  years  of  age.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Witt  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World,  and  in  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 
In  political  and  fraternal  affairs,  he  is  as  energetic 
as  in  his  business,  and  in  everything  he  so  de- 
means himself  as  to  command  the  respect  of  his 
fellow  citizens.     Mr.   Witt   is  a    Klickitat    county 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


513 


enthusiast.  His  particular  locality  he  asserts  to 
be  one  of  the  best  fruit-growing  regions  in  the 
state,  fully  as  good  as  the  White  Salmon,  or  the 
Hood  River  sections,  and  he  claims  that  the  en- 
tire country  abounds  with  choice  opportunities 
waiting  to  be  taken  hold  of  by  the  man  of  busi- 
ness ability  and  industry.  In  accordance  with  his 
views  he  is  centering  all  his  efforts  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  Klickitat  county  property,  and  he  is 
.always  alert  in  seizing  opportunities  to  add  to  the 
reputation  of  his  community. 


CAPTAIN  ALBERT  T.  HIGBY,  the  re- 
spected justice  of  the  peace  and  notary  public  of 
Lyle,  Washington,  was  born  in  Allegany  county, 
New  York,  October  22,  1833,  the  son  of  Ira  and 
Ruth  (Fuller)  Higby.  Ira  Higby  was  born  in 
Rutland,  Vermont,  April  27,  1784,  and  was  after- 
ward closely  associated  with  the  pioneer  history 
of  New  York.  He  participated  in  the  War  of  1812. 
He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  to  occupy  the  Hol- 
land purchase  in  western  New  York  in  1818.  He 
resided  in  this  region  till  1848,  then  moving  to 
Crawford  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  resided 
till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1868.  He  was  of  Eng- 
lish descent.  Ruth  (Fuller)  Higby  was  born  in 
New  York  state.  Her  father  and  uncles  all  were 
soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  served  also 
in  the  Indian  wars  immediately  before  and  after 
the  Revolution.  They  were  of  the  oldest  colonial 
stock  in  the  state  of  New  York.  Mrs.  Higby's 
death  occurred  in  1857. 

Captain  Albert  T.  attained  the  age  of  nine- 
teen on  his  father's  farm  in  New  York,  and  in  ad- 
dition to  completing  the  common  school  studies 
took  an  academic  course.  At  the  age  mentioned 
he  left  the  paternal  roof  and  went  to  Virginia, 
thence  to  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  where  in  addition 
to  serving  as  sheriff,  he  studied  law  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil 
war  he  was  among  the  first  to  respond  to  the  call 
for  troops,  and  in  May,  1861,  he  received  a  com- 
mission as  second  lieutenant  in  the  Thirteenth  Il- 
linois infantry.  During  the  war  he  served  under 
General  Steele  in  Missouri  and  was  in  the  com- 
mand of  General  Grant  at  the  siege  of  Yicksburg, 
where  he  was  officer  in  charge  of  a  picket  line. 
After  the  battle  of  Wilson  Creek  he  was  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant,  his  real  duties  be- 
ing those  of  a  major.  However,  he  was  not  com- 
missioned in  the  latter  rank. 

After  being  mustered  out  of  service  in  June, 
1864,  Captain  Higby  returned  to  Rock  Island,  Il- 
linois, where  he  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law- 
till  1870,  when  he  went  to  Montgomery  county, 
Kansas,  and  practiced  law  there.  After  two  years 
thus  spent  he  went  to  Prescott,  Arizona,  where 
he  engaged  in  business  of  a  commercial  nature 
and  in  mining.  His  next  move  was  to  California 
in  1872 ;  thence  he  went  to  Puget  Sound  in  1875, 


and  he  was  a  resident  of  Whatcom  county  till 
1888,  spending  a  part  of  the  time,  however,  in 
California.  In  1888  he  went  to  Rochester,  New 
York,  where  he  remained  till  the  fall  of  1891 ;  then 
he  came  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  A  year  later  he 
bought  a  farm  three  miles  from  Lyle,  which  prop- 
erty he  brought  to  an  excellent  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, then  sold  in  1903.  This  property  comprised 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  is  now  re- 
puted to  be  one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Higby  has  been  married  twice.  His  sec- 
ond marriage  occurred  July  29,  1888,  in  Roches- 
ter, New  York,  Miss  Mary  L.  Maltby  being  the 
bride.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Seth  M.  and 
Abigail  (Grannis)  Maltby,  both  of  the  old  colo- 
nial stock  of  New  York.  Seth  M.  Maltby  was  born 
July  31,  1 791,  and  died  July  23,  1873.  His 
mother's  father  was  the  redoutable  Brigadier  Gen- 
eral Seth  Murray  of  Revolutionary  war  renown, 
who  was  for  twenty-eight  years  in  the  service  of 
the  United  States  government.  His  forefathers 
were  among  the  famous  Scotch  Covenanters  who 
were  driven  from  Scotland  to  America  by  relig- 
ious persecution.  His  father,  Isaac  Maltby,  is 
known  to  readers  of  United  States  history  as 
General  Isaac  Maltby,  who  commanded  the  Elite 
Brigade  of  Boston  in  the  War  of  1812.  He  him- 
self— S.  M.  Maltby — was  a  paymaster  in  that  war. 
Abigail  (Granms)  Maltby  was  born  in  Walling- 
ford,  Connecticut,  April  11,  1800,  and  died  in  De- 
cember. 1846.  She  was  of  English  extraction, 
and  her  forefathers  were  among  the  first  settlers 
of  colonial  America.  Two  of  Mrs.  Higby's  broth- 
ers are  now  living.  They  are:  George  B.  Malty, 
of  Aurora,  Indiana,  and  John  W.  Maltby,  of 
Rochester,  New  York.  Mr.  Higby's  family  his- 
tory, as  will  be  noticed,  justifies  him  in  laying 
claim  to  being  an  American  of  the  truest  stock-. 
His  forefathers,  as  well  as  those  of  his  wife,  were 
in  America  when  what  is  now  the  mightiest  na- 
tion on  earth  consisted  of  a  few  oppressed  col- 
onies whose  strength  lay  not  in  wealth  or  popu- 
lation, but  in  the  indomitable  spirit  and  unflinch- 
ing courage  of  a  few  hundred  thousand  hardy 
colonists  scattered  along  the  Atlantic  coast.  These 
brave  spirits,  reckoning  in  the  face  of  what  was 
perhaps  the  most  overwhelming  odds  ever  con- 
fronted by  a  similarly  actuated  people,  threw  off 
the  yoke  of  oppression  and  founded  the  American 
nation. 


TOHN  KX'RE.  an  energetic  farmer  and  stock- 
man residing  six  miles  northeast  of  Lyle  in  Klick- 
itat county,  was  born  on  Bornholm  Island,  Den- 
mark, February  6,  1861,  the  son  of  Ola  Sonne  and 
Catherine  (Holm)  Kure,  both  subjects  of  the 
Danish  kingdom.  Ola  Kure  was  a  farmer.  He 
was  born  in  Denmark  in  1814  and  died  in  the 
land  of  his  nativity  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  Cath- 
erine (Holm)  Kure  was  born  in  1830  and  died  at 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  age  of  sixty-six,  having  resided  in  Denmark 
all  her  life.  John  attained  young  manhood  in 
Denmark,  being  in  the  city  till  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age,  after  which  he  resided  with  one  of 
his  uncles  on  a  farm  for  several  years.  At  the 
age  of  twenty  he  came  to  the  United  States,  his 
objective  point  being  Ohio,  and  in  Akron,  that 
state,  he  accepted  employment  in  a  manufactur- 
ing establishment.  After  two  years  thus  spent  he 
came  to  San  Francisco,  where,  for  a  time,  he  was 
employed  in  a  restaurant.  This  work,  however, 
was  not  entirely  to  Mr.  Kure's  liking,  so  he  quit 
it  and  for  a  short  time  worked  on  a  farm  in  Napa 
county.  His  next  move  was  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  arrived  in  1885,  and  the  claim  he  then 
filed  on  is  his  home  today.  Klickitat  county, 
when  Mr.  Kure  first  saw  it,  gave  little  evidence  of 
being  a  land  of  promise — unless,  indeed,  those 
promises  were  of  Indian  massacres,  and  pro- 
longed remoteness  from  the  marts  of  civilization. 
Indians  were  his  most  frequent  visitors,  and,  as  a 
rule,  social  intercourse  with  the  Siwash  is  not 
greatly  to  be  desired  by  the  white  man.  The 
squirrels  ate  his  crops;  the  coyotes  joined  the  In- 
dians in  pillaging  his  hen  roost,  of  the  two  being 
possibly  the  fairer-minded,  since  the  coyote  stole 
only  what  he  could  eat,  while  the  Indian  took  all 
he  could  carry;  white  neighbors  were  few  and  far 
between,  and  so  steadily  occupied  in  meeting  the 
difficulties  incident  to  pioneer  life  as  to  be  drawn 
away  from  attention  to  neighborly  functions.  Not- 
withstanding all  drawbacks,  however,  Mr.  Kure 
began  improving  his  land.  He  built  fences,  a 
house,  farm  buildings,  managed  to  obtain  a  start 
in  cattle,  and  by  the  employment  of  divers  re- 
sources, some  inherent  within  himself  and  others 
which  he  forced  from  his  surroundings,  at  length 
succeeded  in  establishing  a  home  for  himself  and 
family  as  comfortable  as  any  in  Klickitat  county. 
Mr.  Kure's  acquaintance  with  the  lady  who 
afterward  became  his  wife  began  in  the  old  coun- 
try, where  he  was  employed  by  her  father  in  a 
grocery  store  and  bakery.  She  and  her  parents 
came  from  Denmark  to  Wilmington,  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1889,  from  which  place,  upon  the  request 
of  her  betrothed,  she  came  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  the  marriage  ceremony  was  performed. 
Mrs.  Kure's  maiden  name  was  Henrietta  Soren- 
sen.  She  was  born  in  Denmark,  November  10, 
1872,  and  married  Mr.  Kure  November  5,  1890. 
Her  parents,  Corfix  and  Catherine  Sorensen,  are 
both  now  living  in  Klickitat  county.  Children 
that  were  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kure  are  Kamma,  Henry  and  Hildor.  After  his 
marriage  Mr.  Kure  took  his  bride  to  the  farm, 
where  they  resided  till  1899,  then  building  a  hotel 
at  Lyle.  It  was  called  the  "Riverside."  Thev 
conducted  this  establishment  for  only  two  years, 
then  sold  out  and  returned  to  the  farm.  Mr.  and 
Mrs  Kure  are  members  of  and  active  workers  in 
the  Lutheran  church.     In  politics,  Mr.  Kure  is  a 


Republican,  but  he  has  no  political  ambitions 
other  than  to  discharge  the  duties  of  a  good  citi- 
zen. He  has,  however,  served  his  community  as 
school  director,  as  road  supervisor,  and  his  party 
as  central  committeeman,  always,  it  is  said,  with 
credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  public 
whom  he  served. 


JOHN  DAFFRON,  a  genial  hotel  keeper  of 
Lyle,  Washington,  was  born  in  Platte  county,  Mis- 
souri, July  24,  1855,  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Vinyard)  Daffron,  the  former  now  living  in 
Portland,  Oregon,  and  the  latter  deceased.  Jo- 
seph Daffron  is  of  French  parentage.  He  was 
born  in  Tennessee,  and  there  resided  till  he  at- 
tained manhood,  then  moving  to  Missouri,  where 
he  arrived  in  1850.  In  1883  he  came  to  Portland. 
John  Daffron  grew  to  manhood  at  his  Home  in 
Missouri,  and  during  youth  received  an  education 
in  the  neighborhood  school.  He  lived  with  his 
parents  until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  then  be- 
came a  runner  for  a  hotel  at  Edgerton,  Missouri, 
a  vocation  which  he  followed  for  six  years.  In 
1883,  he  sold  out  and  came  to  Portland,  Oregon. 
Later  he  moved  to  The  Dalles,  and  there  for  three 
years  was  in  the  employ  of  the  O.  R.  &  N.  Com- 
pany. After  this  he  was  engaged  for  two  years  in 
the  meat  market  business,  then  in  1890,  he  filed 
on  a  homestead  twelve  miles  north  of  Lyle,  Wash- 
ington. After  residing  on  this  place  for  five  years 
he  moved  to  Lyle  and  opened  a  hotel  and  livery 
stable,  both  of  which  he  is  conducting  at  the  pres- 
ent time  with  a  considerable  degree  of  success. 

Mr.  Daffron  was  married  in  Missouri,  Febru- 
ary 13,  1876,  to  Miss  Hester  Deney,  daughter  of 
Jefferson  and  Rodey  (Burnett)  Deney,  the  for- 
mer a  native  of  Indiana  and  the  latter  of  Mis- 
souri. Jefferson  Deney  moved  from  Indiana  to 
Missouri  in  an  early  day,  and  resided  there  till  his 
death  in  the  spring  of  1903.  He  is  survived  by 
his  wife,  Mrs.  Rodey  Deney,  who  now  resides  in 
Missouri.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daffron 
are:  Mrs.  Mary  McNaughton,  born  in  1877;  Mrs. 
Alva  Bradford,  in  1879,  and  Owen  in  1883,  all  in 
Missouri.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Daffron  is  affiliated 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  in 
religion  he  is  a  Baptist.  His  property  interests 
comprise  three  hundred  and  fifty-nine  acres  of 
land,  two  hundred  of  which  were  bequeathed  by 
will  to  his  wife.  The  land  is  well  stocked  with 
horses,  cattle,  buildings  and  farming  implements,  and 
under  the  capable  management  of  its  owner  is 
rapidly  developing  into  one  of  the  most  valuable  of 
its  kind  and  size  in  the  county. 


SAMUEL  CONNER  ZIEGLER  is  a  pros- 
perous fruit  grower,  residing  at  present  near  White 
Salmon,  Washington.  He  was  born  near  Mount 
^Etna,   Pennsylvania,  June   26,   1862,  the    son    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


515 


Daniel  P.  and  Mary  (Conner)  Ziegler,  both  of 
whom  still  reside  in  Pennsylvania.  Daniel  P. 
Ziegler  was  born  in  that  state,  March  17,  1822. 
The  family  of  which  he  is  a  descendant  has  been 
established  in  Pennsylvania  since  colonial  days, 
and  is  affiliated  with  the  German  Baptist  (Dunk- 
ard)  sect,  well  known  in  the  history  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  elder  Ziegler,  during  his  younger 
days,  was  a  Dunkard  proctor.  At  present  he  is 
farming.  Mary  (Conner)  Ziegler  is  a  native  of 
the  Keystone  state,  and  now,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four,  is  enjoying  good  health.  Her  forefathers 
were  among  the  colonial  settlers  of  Pennsylvania. 
Samuel  C.  spent  the  first  eighteen  years  of  his 
life  on  the  home  farm  in  Pennsylvania,  receiving 
a  fair  education  in  the  common  schools.  At  the 
age  mentioned  he  went  to  Illinois — then  consid- 
ered in  the  remote  west  by  Pennsylvanians — and 
there  took  up  the  carpenter's  trade.  He  was  thus 
occupied  for  two  years  and  a  half.  Dissatisfied 
with  his  prospects  in  Illinois,  however,  he  contin- 
ued westward,  arriving  at  Los  Angeles,  Califor- 
nia, January  17,  1882,  and  there  finding  employ- 
ment at  his  trade.  After  spending  nine  months 
there,  he  went  to  Spokane,  Washington.  That 
city  was  his  home  most  of  the  time  for  the  suc- 
ceeding ten  years,  during  which  he  was  employed 
at  divers  occupations,  usually  at  his  trade  and  in 
railroad  construction  work.  He  also  filed  on  a 
land  claim,  and  in  partnership  with  a  man  named 
Jones,  attempted  to  fulfill  the  requirements  of  the 
law  by  living  upon  it,  and  did  so  until  Jones  be- 
came involved  in  an  affair  which  resulted  in  his 
being  shot  and  killed.  Mr.  Ziegler  then  left  his 
claim  and  returned  to  Spokane.  This  was  in  1887. 
In  Spokane  Mr.  Ziegler  returned  to  his  trade 
as  contractor  and  builder,  also  followed  the  hotel 
business,  prospering  in  each  line.  Finally  he 
established  a  house  furnishing  business  at  the  cor- 
ner of  Main  and  Post  streets  of  which  he  made  a 
success  until  the  fire  of  1889  destroyed  his  entire 
stock,  valued,  it  is  said,  at  $16,000.  After  this  re- 
verse, he  went  back  to  his  humble  trade,  invest- 
ing all  his  earnings  in  real  estate,  only  to  lose  all 
once  again.  Mr.  Ziegler  then  came  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  Spokane  was  not  the  place  for  him,  and 
so  it  happened  that  May  16,  1894,  he  arrived  in 
White  Salmon  in  search  of  fields  less  fraught  with 
ill  fortune.  In  Klickitat  county,  Mr.  Ziegler, 
shortly  after  his  arrival,  identified  himself  with 
the  Jewett  colony,  a  co-operative  enterprise,  whicli 
was  then  flourishing,  but  this  organization  event- 
ually failed,  again  bringing  financial  ruin  to 
our  subject.  Unfortunate,  but  plucky  as  ever, 
Mr.  Ziegler  then  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business 
on  White  Salmon  river,  and  he  continued  to  labor 
with  steadily  mending  fortunes  until  August  16, 
1895,  tIlen  purchasing  the  farm  on  which  he  is 
at  present  living.  It  was  about  this  time  that 
fruit  raising  became  recognized  as  a  lucrative  in- 
dustry in  the  White  Salmon   section  of   Klickitat 


county,  and  Mr.  Ziegler  immediately  fell  in  line 
with  the  new  idea.  Since  then  he  has  devoted 
himself  so  assiduously  to  the  horticultural  busi- 
ness that  he  has  brought  himself  into  repute  as 
an  enthusiast  on  the  fruit  question.  He  was  the 
first  to  introduce  commercial  fertilizers  in  the 
White  Salmon  locality,  and  in  other  ways  he  has 
been  likewise  progressive.  Today  his  orchards 
and  berry  plots  are  among  the  best,  if  not  the  very 
best,  so  far  as  appearances  and  quality  of  products 
are  concerned,  of  all  those  in  Klickitat  county. 

Mr.  Ziegler  was  married  in  Spokane,  January 
19,  1890,  to  Miss  Anna  Beemler,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  April  12,  1866.  She  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  parents  in  1878,  conse- 
quently the  greater  part  of  her  education  was  re- 
ceived in  this  country.  Both  parents  are  now 
dead.  They  were  Carl  and  Wilhelmina  (Wemox) 
Beemler,  the  former  an  engineer  by  profession. 
He  was  rendered  helpless  by  a  stroke  of  paralysis 
during  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  remaining  so 
until  his  death.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ziegler  are  the 
parents  of  seven  children :  Earl  C,  born  Decem- 
ber 16,  1893;  Helen,  November  29,  1896;  Laura, 
March  22,  1899;  Herbert,  May  12,  1901;  Harry, 
twin  brother  of  Herbert,  deceased  when  young ; 
Mary  A.  and  Monroe  A.,  twins,  born  July  16th 
and  July  17th,  respectively,  1903.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Ziegler  is  connected  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
United  Artisans  and  the  Grange.  In  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  he  has  held  the  position 
of  venerable  consul  for  a  number  of  years.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  Socialist,  though  of  an  independent 
type.  He  is  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him  as  a 
man  of  worth  to  any  community,  for  the  strength 
of  character  and  profound  honesty  of  which  he  is 
possessed,  as  well  as  the  ability  and  energy  which 
make  him  a  forceful  factor  in  the  upbuilding  of 
the  community. 


CLINTON  M.  WOLFARD  is  a  merchant 
and  all-around  business  man  of  White  Salmon, 
Washington,  reputed  to  be  both  honest  and  pros- 
perous. He  was  born  in  Silverton,  Marion  county, 
Oregon,  August  7,  1858,  the  son  .of  Lewis  and 
Mary  (Smith)  Wolfard,  both  of  whom  are  now 
residing  near  White  Salmon.  The  elder  Wolfard 
has  followed  divers  occupations  during  his  life- 
time, generally,  however,  as  a  farmer  or  in  the 
mines,  though  at  one  time  he  was  a  merchant.  He 
was  born  in  Portsmouth,  Ohio,  November  4,  1838. 
His  parents  were  foreigners,  coming  from  Alsace- 
Lorraine,  France,  to  the  United  States  in  181 5, 
their  objective  point  being  Ohio,  which  was  then 
in  the  early  stages  of  settlement.  In  1854  they 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  in  which  state  the 
senior  Wolfard  took  up  a  donation  claim  in  part- 
nership with  John  B.  Wolfard,  his  father.  Here 
he   lived   till    1873,    then    moving   to   Washington 


5i6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  settling  in  Colville.  During  ten  years  of  his 
residence  at  this  point  he  was  commissioner  of 
Stevens  county.  The  next  move  was  to  Colfax, 
in  Whitman  county,  and  thence  to  Klickitat 
county,  his  present  residence  being  in  this  county 
near  White  Salmon.  Mary  (Smith)  Wolfard,  his 
wife,  is  a  native  of  Arkansas,  born  in  1839,  and  at 
present  residing  at  the  home  near  White  Salmon. 
On  August  15,  1880,  Mr.  Wolfard  married 
Miss  Callie  McCoy,  who,  at  the  time  of  marriage, 
was  residing  at  Moscow,  Idaho.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  Isaac  McCoy,  a  typical  western  pio- 
neer. His  parents  were  killed  in  Texas  by  the  In- 
dians, after  which  he — little  more  than  a  well- 
grown  boy — "rustled"  the  necessities  of  existence 
in  divers  parts  of  the  west,  sometimes  as  a  cow- 
boy, frequently  as  an  Indian  fighter,  finally,  how- 
ever, settling  in  the  Hood  river  valley,  his  pres- 
ent home.  The  mother  is  now  deceased.  Her 
maiden  name  was  Trimble.  Children  that  have 
been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wol- 
fard are :  Mary,  Anna,  Belle,  Geneva,  Jay  and  Clin- 
ton. All  are  now  living,  some  at  home  and  oth- 
ers in  different  parts  of  the  west.  Before  mar- 
riage Mr.  Wolfard  spent  the  years  of  his  life  amid 
changing  scenes.  As  a  boy  he  crossed  the  Plains 
with  his  parents,  afterwards  traveled  with  them  in 
a  "prairie-schooner"  in  Idaho  and  California,  the 
line  of  travel  usually  being  in  such  parts  of  the 
west  as  were  entirely  unsettled  or  just  beginning 
to  be.  At  all  times,  however,  he  strove  to  secure 
an  education  and  was  so  successful  that  in  his  six- 
teenth year  he  was  qualified  to  teach  school.  This 
vocation  he  followed  for  seven  years  without  miss- 
ing a  term.  Upon  desisting  from  school-teaching, 
he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  at  Colton, 
Washington,  where  he  remained  for  four  years. 
Next  he  moved  to  Hood  River,  Oregon,  where  he 
established  a  mercantile  concern  under  the  firm 
name  of  Wolfard  &  Bone.  He  was  in  business 
there  for  ten  years.  His  final  move  was  to  White 
Salmon  in  March,  1889,  where  he  had  already 
established  a  branch  store  to  the  Hood  River  con- 
cern. He  has  since  devoted  his  entire  attention 
to  the  management  of  the  White  Salmon  store, 
which  is  now  being  conducted  under  the  firm 
name  of  C.  M-.  Wolfard  &  Company.  In  addition, 
he  is  present  postmaster  of  White  Salmon.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Wolfard  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Artisans.  In  politics,  he  is  a 
Republican,  but  though  enthusiastic  in  adherence 
to  his  party  principles  is  not  an  office-seeker,  and 
has  no  use  for  those  who  consider  patriotism  the 
desire  of  place  and  politics  the  art  of  getting  it. 
Mrs.  Wolfard  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  She  is  fully  as  public-spirited  as  her  hus- 
band, and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  all  social  affairs 
of  her  church  and  community,  being  in  this  re- 
spect a  leader.  Husband  and  wife  stand  for  edu- 
cation, believing  in  the  merits  of  higher  education 
as    well    as    common,    which    convictions    are    not 


prevalent  among  those  who  have  spent  their  life- 
time in  meeting  the  untheoretic  requirements  of 
the  business  world.  Air.  Wolfard  was  one  of  the 
most  active  promoters  of  the  new  schoolhouse  at 
White  Salmon;  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board  for  years;  and,  being  an  experienced  school 
teacher,  is  always  among  the  first  to  recognize 
new  and  worthy  methods  of  teaching. 


CAPTAIN  HOWARD  C.  COOK,  a  retired 
sea  captain,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  for 
many  years  a  civil  engineer  in  the  government's 
service,  is  he  whose  life  history  is  here  chronicled. 
Notwithstanding  his  exciting  and  interesting  past 
career,  replete  with  adventures  on  land  and 
sea,  of  which  he  tells  in  a  fascinating  manner, 
Captain  Cook  is  now  quietly  managing  the  affairs 
of  his  well  kept  fruit  ranch,  situated  a  mile  west 
of  White  Salmon,  Washington.  His  career  as  a 
soldier  was  cut  short  by  a  wound  received  in  bat- 
tle during  the  Civil  war,  causing  him  to  be  con- 
fined in  a  hospital  nearly  a  year,  and  he  forsook 
the  perilous  realms  of  Neptune  many  years  ago. 
Born  October  27,  1844,  m  Schuylkill  county. 
Pennsylvania,  he  is  the  son  of  Henry  W.  and 
Caroline  (Emery)  Cook,  both  of  whom  died  long 
ago.  Henry  W.  Cook,  of  Holland  Dutch  descent, 
was  born  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1818,  and  became  a  sailor.  He  fought  through 
the  Mexican  war  as  a  captain,  in  an  engagement 
of  that  war  receiving  an  injury  that  resulted  in 
the  loss  of  his  eyesight.  After  the  conflict  was 
over  he  engaged  in  business  of  a  commercial  na- 
ture in  Delaware.  His  death  occurred  in  1861  in 
the  latter  mentioned  state.  Caroline  E.  Cook  was 
born  in  Germany  and  was  six  years  old  when 
brought  to  the  United  States  by  her  parents.  The 
family  settled  in  Pennsylvania,  in  which  common- 
wealth Caroline  grew  to  womanhood  and  was 
married.  She  died  in  1873.  Howard  C.  Cook 
spent  his  early  years  in  Pennsylvania,  there  re- 
ceiving a  good  education.  His  first  venture  in 
life  was  as  a  civil  engineer,  having  begun  the 
study  of  this  subject  when  only  fourteen  years  of 
age.  By  the  time  he  had  mastered  the  principles 
of  his  profession,  however,  the  Civil  war  broke 
out.  Young  Cook  was  among  the  first  to  respond 
to  the  call  to  arms,  enlisting  first  as  a  soldier.  He 
joined  the  navy  in  1862,  at  Pensacola,  Florida,  and 
later  was  transferred  to  a  gunboat  in  a  squad- 
ron operating  on  the  Mississippi  river.  In  this 
service  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of  ensign, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  ten  months  on  the 
same  ship  with  George  Dewey,  afterwards  of 
Spanish-American  war  renown,  who  was  then  in 
command  of  the  squadron.  This  vessel  was 
blown  up  in  one  of  the  many  engagements  in 
which  it  participated  in  the  Mississippi  river,  and 
the  injuries  Ensign  Cook  received  caused  his  con- 
finement in  a  hospital  for  four  months.     However, 


CAPT.    HOWARD   C.    COOK. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


517 


upon  recovering,  he  served  in  the  navy  another 
year  and  a  half,  but  then  received  injuries  in  bat- 
tle which  placed  him  in  a  hospital  for  a  year,  as 
heretofore  mentioned. 

After  the  war  Mr.  Cook  renewed  his  study  of 
civil  engineering  and  finally  was  able  to  complete 
the  course.  Then,  in  1867,  the  adventurous  young 
engineer  sought  his  fortunes  in  India.  In  this 
land  of  tigers,  pestilence  and  jungles,  he  formed 
an  acquaintance  with  His  Royal  Highness,  the 
king  of  Oude,  and  for  two  years  was  master  of 
the  imperial  yacht.  Subsequently,  however,  he 
returned  to  the  land  of  his  birth  and  took  charge 
of  a  freighting  vessel.  For  the  ensuing  twenty- 
two  years  he  sailed  the  seas  in  charge  of  many 
different  ships.  He  was  sent  to  the  Pacific  coast 
by  the  war  department  in  1878  on  a  mission  re- 
lating to  the  engineering  enterprises  with  which 
this  government  was  concerned.  As  a  result  of 
this  appointment  Captain  Cook  laid  aside  the  charts 
and  compass  and  again  became  a  landsman,  serv- 
ing the  government  with  honor.  Subsequently 
the  captain  resigned  his  commission  and  after 
making  a  trip  through  the  Pacific  coast  region, 
in  1880,  decided  to  locate  in  Klickitat  county. 
Accordingly  he  filed  a  claim  to  his  present  place 
and  since  then  has  given  most  of  his  attention  to 
fruit  growing  and  farming,  meeting  with  excel- 
lent success  and  achieving  an  enviable  reputation 
as  a  horticulturist.  His  fraternal  relations  are 
with  the  Masons,  the  Artisans,  the  Grange  and 
the  Odd  Fellows,  and  of  the  last  named  order  he 
was  recently  elected  district  deputy  grand  mas- 
ter. Politically,  he  is  a  Republican  and  suffi- 
ciently interested  in  public  affairs  to  attend  all 
state  and  county  conventions.  In  1868  he  was 
married  in  York  county,  Pennsylvania,  to  Miss 
Ediline  M.  Stemmer.  The  following  year  she  was 
drowned  in  Delaware  Bay  and  since  then  Captain 
Cook  has  remained  single.  It  is  doubtful  if  any 
citizen  of  Klickitat  is  more  popular  than  this  hale 
sea  captain,  who  is  withal  a  man  of  influence  and 
excellent  standing  in  his  community. 


A.  H.  JEWETT  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
Klickitat  county,  as  well  as  being  one  of  its  most 
commendable  citizens,  worthy  of  respect  from  the 
dual  view-point  of  his  business  success  and  up- 
rightness of  character.  His  present  residence  is  in 
the  vicinity  of  White  Salmon,  and  is  probably  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  spots  along  the  shores  of  the 
Columbia  river.  He  was  born  November  4,  1845,  in 
McHenry  county,  Illinois,  the  son  of  Christopher 
and  Arabella  (Kent)  Jewett,  both  of  whom  are  now 
dead.  Christopher  Jewett  was  born  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  in  after  life  was  a  harness  maker.  He 
went  to  Illinois  during  the  early  settlement  period 
of  that  state,  there  discontinuing  his  trade  and  tak- 
ing up  agricultural  pursuits.  His  death  occurred  in 
Illinois   in    1850.     Arabella    (Kent)    Jewett   was   a 


native  of  Ohio,  and  in  that  state  was  educated  and 
grew  to  womanhood.  She  married  Mr.  Jewett  when 
she  was  twenty-two  years  old;  she  died  in  Wis- 
consin. A.  H.  Jewett  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  Illinois  and  the  high  school, of 
Kenosha,  Wisconsin.  He  remained  at  home  until 
sixteen  years  of  age,  then  took  up  work  of  a  com- 
mercial nature,  which  he  followed  for  one  year. 
About  this  time  the  Civil  war  began,  and  young 
Jewett  was  one  of  the  first  to  enlist.  His  experi- 
ence in  actual  warfare  commenced  in  1863,  with  the 
Thirteenth  United  States  infantry.  After  a  short 
term  of  service  he  was  discharged,  but  later  re-en- 
listed in  Company  B.  One  Hundred  and  Thirty- 
second  volunteers.  He  was  again  discharged,  in 
1864,  but  again  re-enlisted,  joining  Company  H, 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-third  Illinois  volunteers, 
serving  under  this  enlistment  until  1865.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  his  home  in  Illinois, 
where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1866,  then, 
in  company  with  his  mother  and  brother,  going  to 
Sparta,  Wisconsin,  where  he  established  a  nurserv. 
He  continued  in  this  business  until  1874.  In  the 
spring  of  that  year  he  sold  out.  and  came  to  Klicki- 
tat county,  Washington,  settling  at  White  Salmon. 
Mr.  Jewett  was  one  of  the  first  to  perceive  the 
richness  and  numerous  other  advantages  of  the  up- 
lands along  the  Columbia,  and  accordingly  chose  to 
make  his  home  there  rather  than  on  the  lowlands. 
His  first  place  was  about  two  miles  north  of  the 
river,  but,  two  years  later,  he  took  up  his  permanent 
abode  on  his  present  farm.  After  the  expenditure  of 
much  money  and  time,  he  has  converted  this  into  a 
veritable  beauty  spot,  unusually  rich  in  natural 
scenery,  as  it  is  also  in  fertility.  He  is  an  expert 
horticulturist,  and  has  achieved  notable  success  as 
an  orchardist  and  a  berry  grower. 

Mr.  Jewett  was  married  in  Wisconsin,  March 
13,  1870.  to  Miss  Jennie  Waters,  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, born  January  16.  1847.  Miss  Waters  was  a 
highly  accomplished  lady,  having  received  an  ex- 
cellent education  in  her  native  state,  and  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage  was  a  school  teacher.  Her  par- 
ents were  Charles  and  Mary  (  Spencer)  Waters,  the 
former  of  whom  is  now  residing  in  Klickitat  county. 
Mr.  Waters  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1820,  the  son  of 
pioneers  of  that  state.  When  they  came  to  Illinois 
settlement  had  scarcely  begun.  Peoria  not  even  be- 
ing laid  out  as  a  townsite.  He  came  to  Klickitat 
county  in  1884,  and  has  since  lived  much  of  the 
time  with  his  son-in-law.  A.  II.  Jewett.  Mrs.  Waters 
was  born  in  Cincinnati.  Ohio;  she  died  in  Wiscon- 
sin. Mrs.  Jewett  is  one  of  seven  children  born  to 
that  union.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett.  namely:  Mrs. 
Lena  Thompson,  now  a  resident  of  Portland,  her 
husband  being  superintendent  of  the  Portland 
General  Electric  Company,  and  .Eolus,  whose  death 
occurred  July  17,  1904.  Both  children  were  born 
on  the  White  Salmon  homestead.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Jewett  is  affiliated  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Re- 


5  IS 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


public  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen. 
In  politics,  he  is  a  Socialist.  Mrs.  Jewett  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church,  and  is  an  en- 
thusiastic supporter  of  the  benevolent  concerns 
which  are  identified  with  that  denomination,  being 
seconded  warmly  along  these  lines  by  her  husband. 
The  Jewett  farm  consists  of  three  hundred  and 
seventy-five  acres,  of  which  one  hundred  are  in 
cultivation,  eight  acres  being  in  strawberries, 
twenty-five  acres  in  orchard  and  ten  acres  in  grapes. 
Besides  this  property,  Mr.  Jewett  owns  most  of  the 
townsite  of  White  Salmon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jewett 
command  the  highest  esteem  of  the  community 
and  for  many  years  have  been  prominently  identi- 
fied with  its  progress. 


JOHN  P.  EGAN.  a  leading  fruit  grower  of  the 
White  Salmon  district,  is  of  Irish  parentage  and 
an  Australian  by  birth,  born  in  New  South  Wales, 
January  24,  1843,  tne  son  0I  Patrick  and  Ellen 
( Davern )  Egan,  both  of  whom  are  dead.  Both  par- 
ents were  born  in  Ireland.  They  immigrated  to 
Australia  in  1841,  settlement  of  that  far-away  Eng- 
lish colony  having  just  begun,  and  resided  there 
until  the  time  of  their  death.  John  P.  Egan  grew 
up  amid  the  environments  of  the  Australian  stock 
ranges,  and  while  educational  facilities  there  were 
then  limited,  he  was  nevertheless  enabled  to  attend 
school  and  obtain  a  fair  education.  By  way  of  di- 
gression, it  may  be  here  noted  that  the  policy  of 
England  in  sending  her  exiles  to  Australia,  prior, 
however,  to  the  time  of  John  P.'s  birth,  in  many 
instances  caused  persons  of  the  highest  educational 
qualifications  to  be  deported  to  that  remote  con- 
tinent. These  exiles,  being  thus  removed  from  the 
environment  which  perhaps  led  to  the  crime  incur- 
ring punishment,  adopted  better  ways  of  living, 
and  in  many  instances  are  known  to  have  been  the 
promoters  of  enterprises  which  afterward  became 
important  in  the  development  of  the  Australian 
commonwealths.  Thus  it  was  that  schools  were 
founded  in  Australia  within  a  comparatively  short 
time  after  the  exiling  policy  was  adopted.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one,  John  left  the  parental  roof,  and, 
during  the  ten  years  following,  he  was  occupied 
with  mining  and  stock  driving.  Then,  in  1874,  he 
came  to  the  United  States,  his  objective  point  being 
San  Francisco.  In  this  city,  he  was  employed  as  a 
teamster  until  1880.  when  he  made  his  final  move  to 
Klickitat  county,  settling  on  his  present  farm  near 
White  Salmon. 

July  14.  1878,  Air.  Egan  married  Miss  Margaret 
Hoben,  the  event  taking  place  in  San  Francisco. 
Miss  Hoben  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1856,  and  is  the 
daughter  of  Patrick  and  Bridget  (Mannion)  Ho- 
ben, both  of  whom  lived  and  died  in  Ireland.  Pat- 
rick Hoben  was  a  farmer.  Mrs.  Egan  came  from 
the  old  country  to  San  Francisco  in  1874,  and  for 
several  years  after  arrival  lived  with  her  brother, 
who  had  preceded  her  to  that  city.     She  was  mar- 


ried, as  mentioned,  in  1878.  To  this  union  have  been 
born  the  following  children :  William,  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, April  29,  1879,  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen 
months ;  John  J.,  November  14,  1880,  drowned  in 
the  Columbia  river,  March  25,  1902;  Frank  P., 
April  15,  1882;  Edwin  J.,  November  20,  1883;. 
Ellen  M.,  August  22,  1885;  and  Leslie  M.,  De- 
cember 11,  1889.  All  except  William  were  born  on 
the  farm  near  White  Salmon.  In  politics,  Mr.  Egan 
is  a  Republican ;  religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the- 
Catholic  church.  He  has  served  his  community  as 
school  director  for  the  past  twelve  years  and  eight 
years  as  justice  of  the  peace.  He  possesses  the  Irish 
temperament  of  wit  and  good  nature,  and  because 
of  these  attributes,  combined  with  industry  and  in- 
tegrity, holds  a  position  among  his  fellow  men 
worthy  of  the  most  deserving. 


HALSEY  D.  COLE  is  a  comfortably  situated 
farmer,  residing  one  mile  east  of  Fulda  postoffice,  in 
Klickitat  county.  He  is  a  native  of  New  York  state,, 
born  in  Lewis  county,  September  14,  1842,  the  son 
of  Lansing  W.  and  Pedy  (Dennison)  Cole,  both 
now  deceased.  Lansing  W.  Cole  was  born  in  New- 
York  state  in  1808,  and  in  after  life  was  a  farmer. 
His  death  occurred  in  Lewis  county.  Pedy  (Den- 
nison) Cole,  also  a  native  of  New  York,  was  born 
in  1 814,  and  died  in  1868.  She  was  the  mother  of 
twelve  children,  ten  of  whom  are  still  living.  Of 
the  boys  in  this  family,  Halsey  D.,  of  this  biography,, 
is  the  youngest.  He  grew  to  young  manhood  in 
Lewis  county,  where  he  was  born,  remaining  at 
home  with  his  parents  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age.  When  the  Civil  war  began,  he  was  among  the 
first  to  enlist  in  defense  of  the  union.  His  career  as- 
a  soldier  began  with  the  Fifth  New  York  Heavy 
Artillery,  with  whom  he  served  for  three  years,  lack- 
ing a  few  days.  Upon  receiving  an  honorable  dis- 
ci arge.  at  Sackett's  Harbor,  he  returned  to  his  home 
in  Lewis  county,. where  he  engaged  in  cheese-mak- 
ing. After  six  years  thus  spent,  he  moved  to  San 
Francisco,  California,  arriving  in  the  spring  of 
1875.  In  California,  he  followed  the  business  of 
cheese-making  for  several  years,  then,  in  1879,  came 
overland  by  wagon  to  Klickitat  county.  Shortly 
after  his  arrival,  he  filed  on  his  present  homestead, 
to  the  cultivation  of  which  he  has  ever  since  devoted 
his  time  and  talents.  In  all,  Mr.  Cole  now  owns 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  land.  Sixteen 
acres  of  his  original  homestead  are  now  cleared  of 
heavy  timber,  this  work  having  been  done  by  Mr. 
Cole  personally,  while  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  the  tract  he  owns  are  fine  meadow  land. 
The  entire  farm  is  under  fence  and  well  supplied 
with  buildings,  stock  and  machinery,  etc.  All  im- 
provements are  the  results  of  Mr.  Cole's  personal 
labor.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mr.  Cole  are: 
Lvsander,  Madison  A.,  Lansing  W.,  Samuel  M., 
Mrs.  Adeline  Hoskins,  Mrs.  Jane  Dennison,  Mrs. 
Angeline  Tiffany,  Mrs.  Pedy  Smith,  Mrs.  Eleanor 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


|I9 


Allen  and  Mrs.  Medora  Snyder.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Cole  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons,  and  in  politics,  he 
is  a  Republican,  quite  prominent  in  municipal  af- 
fairs. In  the  fall  of  1890,  he  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  commissioner  of  the  First  district  for  a 
term  of  two  years.  At  present  he  is  acting  as  road 
supervisor,  in  the  duties  of  which  office,  as  in  all 
other  matters,  he  is  displaying  skill,  good  judg- 
ment and  the  ability  to  do  the  right  thing  at  the 
right  time. 


GUY  G.  CROW  is  the  affable  and  efficient 
druggist  of  White  Salmon,  Washington,  and  a 
westerner  by  birth  and  preference.  He  was  born 
in  Waitsburg,  Washington,  January  7,  1882,  and  is 
the  son  of  Wayman  and  Nancy  (McCoy)  Crow, 
who  were  among  the  pioneers  of  the  Northwest. 
Wayman  Crow  was  born  in  Owensboro,  Kentucky, 
in  1850.  In  an  early  day  he  came  west  to  Idaho, 
where  he  filed  on  a  claim  not  far  from  Kendrick,  on 
the  Potlatch  river.  To  say  that  this  country  was 
then  unsettled  by  white  men  would  be  expressing 
the  matter  very  mildly,  in  view  of  the  conditions 
then  existing.  Indians  were  the  only  neighbors  the 
few  white  settlers  had,  and  their  crooked  trails 
were  the  sole  avenues  of  travel.  After  farming 
his  claim  on  the  Potlatch  for  several  years,  Mr. 
Crow  moved  to  Waitsburg.  This  was  in  1882.  He 
lived  in  Waitsburg  for  a  few  months  only,  how- 
ever, then  returned  to  his  farm  in  Idaho,  where  he 
resided  until  the  time  of  his  death.  Nancy  McCoy 
Crow  died  when  Guy  G.  was  but  ten  years  old, 
hence  he  remembers  but  little  of  her.  Thus  left 
motherless,  Guy  lived  with  his  uncle.  Jacob  Taylor, 
for  several  years,  afterward  going  to  Hood  River, 
Oregon,  where  he  worked  as  delivery  boy  in  the  store 
owned  by  C.  M.  Wolfard,  another  uncle.  Later, 
when  Mr.  Wolfard  established  his  mercantile  con- 
cern at  White  Salmon,  Guy  accompanied  him,  as  a 
clerk,  and  in  this  capacity  remained  until  1903. 
Then,  in  partnership  with  Dr.  Gearhart,  he  opened 
a  drug  store  in  White  Salmon,  and  this  is  his  present 
business.  Now,  however,  he  owns  the  entire  busi- 
ness, having  bought  his  partner's  interest  soon  after 
the  partnership  was  formed.  Mr.  Crow  has  two 
sisters  and  one  brother :  Lydia,  Virgia  and  Roy,  all 
residing  in  White  Salmon,  and  all  of  them  western- 
ers by  birth.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Crow  is  an  Odd  Fel- 
low, a  Modern  Woodman  and  an  Artisan.  He  is 
independent  in  politics,  always  giving  his  support 
to  whatever  issue  is  the  most  worthy,  regardless  of 
party  lines.  Mr.  Crow  and  Miss  Ethel  I.  Johnston 
were  married  at  White  Salmon,  June  1,  1904.  The 
bride  is  the  daughter  of  George  and  Victoria 
(Woods)  Johnston,  the  former  of  whom  died  when 
Mrs.  Crow  was  but  a  year  old,  and  the  latter  of 
whom  is  now  Mrs.  William  McCoy,  of  White  Sal- 
mon. Mr.  Johnston  was  a  native  of  Rego  county, 
Iowa,  where  his  death  occurred,  and  was  a  fanner 
by  occupation.    Mrs.  Johnston  was  born  in  Indiana. 


Ethel  (Johnston)  Crow  is  a  native  of  Ringgold 
county,  Iowa,  born  January  11,  1883.  When  four 
years  old  she  was  brought  by  her  mother  to  Oregon, 
and  in  that  state  her  school  education  was  begun. 
She  attended  high  school  in  Seattle,  Washington, 
and  previous  to  her  marriage  taught  three  terms. 
Mr.  Crow  is  one  of  the  successful  and  popular 
young  men  of  the  county. 


RALEIGH  ADAMS  is  engaged  in  the  dual  voca- 
tion of  fruit  raising  and  the  real  estate  business,  his 
home  being  half  a  mile  west  of  White  Salmon.  He 
was  born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  May  2,  1870, 
the  son  of  Henry  B.  and  Luvenia  (Hunter)  Adams, 
both  of  whom  are  now  residing  at  Keystone,  Indi- 
ana. The  elder  Adams  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
in  1806.  Grandfather  Adams  was  in  Ohio  not  long 
after  the  close  of  the  Revolution,  the  state  then 
being,  as  Daniel  Webster  afterward  said  of  Oregon, 
"a  wilderness  infested  with  wild  animals  and  wilder 
men."  He  was  killed  in  the  War  of  1812.  Luvenia 
(Hunter)  Adams  was  born  in  Yellow  Bud,  Ohio,  in 
1816.  She  was  of  German  parentage,  and  her  hus- 
band of  English.  The  subject  of  this  review  grew 
to  young  manhood  on  the  old  farm  in  Ohio,  dur- 
ing boyhood  receiving  such  education  as  was  avail- 
able in  the  common  schools  to  which  he  had  access. 
He  left  the  parental  roof  when  nineteen  years  of 
age,  going  to  Green  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  farmed  for  six  years.  Then  he  returned  to  his 
native  state,  and,  after  a  few  years  spent  there,  came 
west,  arriving  at  his  objective  point,  White  Salmon, 
May  12,  1893.  During  the  journey  he  had  charge 
of  a  carload  of  Jersey  cattle  for  Judge  Byrkitt,  a 
prominent  stockman  of  Klickitat  county,  by  whom 
he  was  employed  for  three  years  after  his  arrival.  In 
1900,  he  decided  to  establish  a  home  and  business  of 
his  own,  and  accordingly  began  clearing  and  de- 
veloping the  farm  which  he  occupies  at  present. 
Such  of  the  land  as  is  now  cleared  is  set  out  in 
apple  and  cherry  trees  and  strawberries. 

On  June  10,  1894,  Mr.  Adams  married  Miss 
Marion  Overbaugh,  the  ceremony  taking  place  at 
The  Dalles,  Oregon.  Miss  Overbaugh  was  born  in 
New  York  state,  in  1874,  and  is  the  daughter  of 
James  W.  Overbaugh,  also  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  in  1826.  The  mother  died  many  years  ago, 
when  Marion  was  a  child.  J.  W.  Overbaugh  came 
west  to  California  in  1877,  and  later  to  White  Sal- 
mon, where  he  is  at  present  living.  Five  children 
have  been  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Adams:  Luella  Mary,  William  Henry,  Jesse  and 
Andrew,  twins,  and  Edward,  all  of  whom  are  living. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  are  both  members  of  the 
United  Artisans.  In  politics,  Mr.  Adams  is  a  Re- 
publican, though  not  to  the  extent  of  being  prej- 
udiced in  municipal  politics  or  in  any  line  except 
where  national  issues  are  in  contest.  In  the  latter 
instances  he  adheres  strictly  to  the  Republican  plat- 
form.    Both  he  and  his  wife  are  strong  advocates 


520 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


of  good  schools,  and  are  ever  ready  to  lend  support 
to  whatever  improvements  may  be  introduced. 


JOHN  PERRY  is  a  pioneer  stockman  and 
rancher,  residing  four  miles  northeast  of  Pine 
Flat  postoffice  and  thirteen  miles  northeast  of 
White  Salmon,  in  Klickitat  county.  He  was  born 
in  Oswego  county,  New  York,  March  4,  1841, 
the  son  of  George  and  Ann  (Gravely)  Perry,  both 
of  English  descent.  George  Perry  was  a  mer- 
chant. He  was  born  in  England  in  1808,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  when  twelve  years  old. 
Our  subject's  mother  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence 
county.  New  York.  John  remained  under  the 
paternal  roof  in  Xew  York  state  till  he  was  thir- 
teen years  of  age,  then  struck  out  to  rustle  for 
himself.  He  first  went  to  Gardner's  Island  in 
Lake  Ontario,  and  there  had  a  chance  to  join  the 
navy,  but  he  disregarded  the  opportunity.  Raft- 
ing on  the  Mississippi  river  suited  him  very  well, 
however,  so  he  engaged  in  this  work  for  a  time, 
then  proceeded  to  Galveston,  Texas,  where  he  was 
at  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  war.  About  this 
time  John  concluded  be  could  serve  his  country 
as  well  were  he  a  thousand  miles  farther  west. 
Accordingly,  he  put  to  sea  on  a  ship  under  the 
command  of  one  Captain  Smith,  and  after  hair- 
raising  experiences  in  blockade  running  fully 
worthy  of  Captain  John  Smith  of  colonial  fame, 
the  ship  made  the  journey  around  Cape  Horn  and 
landed  at  Portland  in  1862.  From  Portland  Mr. 
Perry  made  his  way  to  the  gold-producing  sec- 
tions of  California,  and  after  a  survey  of  the  coun- 
try in  which  he  saw  nothing  that  suited  him 
especially  well  that  was  within  his  reach  he  went 
to  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  He  arrived  at  this  place 
in  1866,  and  in  the  same  year  came  to  Klickitat 
county.  For  some  time  after  arrival  he  worked 
at  farming  and  in  the  timber,  but  in  1870  he  filed 
on  his  present  piace.  The  manner  in  which  he 
came  to  choose  his  present  location  is  worthy  of 
note.  A  boat  that  capsized  on  the  Columbia  river 
emptied  its  occupant,  James  Cook,  into  the  water. 
Cook  would  have  drowned  had  he  not  been  res- 
cued by  Mr.  Perry.  After  the  rescue  he  and  Cook 
were  hunting  together  one  day,  and  came  upon 
the  tract  of  land  which  Mr.  Perry  then  and  there 
decided  he  would  make  his  future  home.  Mr. 
Cook  is  at  present  residing  in  North  Yakima. 
In  the  development  of  his  land  into  a  crop-bearing 
farm  Mr.  Perry  suffered,  if  anything,  more  than 
the  usual  number  of  hard  experiences  that  fall  to 
the  lot  of  homeseekers  in  a  new  country.  The 
Indians  were  his  chief  annoyance,  but  he  also  suf- 
fered for  lack  of  fences  to  protect  his  crops.  How- 
ever, by  administering  a  sound  trouncing  to  all 
Siwashes  who  dared  to  encroach  upon  his  rights, 
and  preserving  a  strict  surveillance  over  his  fields, 
he  managed  to  get  along  very  well.     He  has  fol- 


lowed   stock  raising   principally — both   sheep   and 
cattle — since  being  in  Klickitat  county. 

In  1874  Mr.  Perry  married  Miss  Julia  Crate, 
a  woman  of  French  and  Indian  parentage.  Her 
Indian  blood  she  derives  from  the  Wasco  tribe 
through  her  mother,  and  French  from  her  father. 
Children  born  to  this  marriage  are  John,  Edward, 
William,  Daniel,  Mrs.  Rosa  Shellenberg  and 
Mary.  In  politics  Mr.  Perry  is  a  Democrat,  but 
has  no  aspirations  in  the  field  of  politics  other 
than  those  of  an  every-day,  law-abiding  citizen. 
He  bears  a  good  reputation  wherever  known. 


WILLIAM  H.  OVERBAUGH  lives  one  mile 
west  of  White  Salmon,  his  occupation  being  that 
of  a  fruit  grower.  He  was  born  in  Catskill,  New 
York,  April  15,  1863,  the  son  of  James  W.  and 
Ella  F.  (Comifort)  Overbaugh,  the  latter  now  de- 
ceased, and  the  former  now  residing  on  his  farm 
near  White  Salmon.  The  eider  Overbaugh  was 
born  in  1828  in  Westcamp,  New  York,  on  the 
Hudson  river.  When  a  young  man  he  went  west 
to  Wisconsin,  which  was  then  considered  far  west 
by  the  Atlantic  coast  people.  Later,  however,  he 
returned  to  New  York,  not  finding  pioneer  Wis- 
consin greatly  to  his  liking.  In  1873  he  made 
another  trip  westward,  this  time  going  to  Califor- 
nia. After  spending  two  years  in  divers  occupa- 
tions in  California,  he  went  to  Oregon,  where  he 
lived  two  years  near  the  Cascade  locks.  His  final 
move  was  to  Klickitat  county  in  1879,  where,  upon 
arrival,  he  filed  upon  the  homestead  near  White 
Salmon  where  he  is  living  at  present.  He  is  of 
German  descent.  Ella  F.  Comifort  was  born  in 
Catskill,  New  York,  as  was  her  son,  William  H. 
She  died  at  the  White  Salmon  home  sixteen  years 
ago.  Her  parents  were  English.  William  H. 
Overbaugh  grew  to  manhood  and  acquired  an 
education  in  different  portions  of  the  United 
States :  New  York,  California,  Oregon  and  Klick- 
itat county.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  left  the 
paternal  roof  and  from  then  until  1895  he  worked 
in  various  sawmills  much  of  the  time.  In  the 
year  mentioned  he  filed  on  a  homestead  which 
was  his  home  during  the  next  eight  years.  The 
fruit  farm  of  forty  acres  on  which  he  now  lives, 
however,  is  a  gift  from  his  father. 

On  May  16,  1888,  Mr.  Overbaugh  married 
Miss  Loreta  Dawson,  a  native  of  Kansas,  born 
May  15,  1871.  Mrs.  Overbaugh  does  not  remem- 
ber her  father,  he  having  died  when  she  was  an 
infant.  The  mother,  Serena  Osborne  Dawson, 
was  born  in  North  Carolina,  in  which  she  grew  to 
womanhood  and  was  married.  She  is  at  present 
making  her  home  with  her  daughter  and  son-in- 
law,  the  latter  of  whom  is  the  subject  of  this 
biography.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Overbaugh  are  the  par- 
ents of  six  children:  Bert  C,  Ethna  C,  Robert, 
Hazel,  Mildred  and  Doris,  all  of  whom  were  born 
at   the   home  near  White    Salmon.       Mr.     Over- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


5-i 


baugh's  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Odd 
Fellows,  the  Artisans  and  the  Grange.  In  religion, 
he  is  a  Methodist.  He  is  one  of  the  many  resi- 
dents in  this  part  of  Klickitat  county  who  are 
devoting  attention  to  the  raising  of  fruit,  berries, 
etc.,  and  in  this  enterprise  he  is  winning  deserved 
success.  The  farms  in  this  locality  are  not,  as  a 
rule,  very  large,  but  it  is  noticeable  how  extremely 
well  kept  they  are.  Each  small  ranchman  seems 
to  vie  with  his  neighbor  in  keeping  his  property 
up  in  the  best  possible  condition,  this  spirit  un- 
doubtedly being  more  characteristic  of  fruit  rais- 
ers than  of  any  other  class  of  agriculturists. 


•NATHON  M.  WOOD,  a  prosperous  fruit- 
grower residing  two  miles  north  of  White  Sal- 
mon, was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Indiana,  April 
19,  1831,  the  son  of  Lewis  B.  and  Mira  (Hall) 
Wood,  both  now  deceased.  Lewis  B.  Wood  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  and  after  reaching  manhood 
went  to  Indiana,  a  stale  then  in  the  earliest  stages 
of  settlement.  His  death  occurred  there  in  1864. 
Mary  (Hall)  Wood,  mother  of  Nathon  M.,  was 
also  a  native  of  Kentucky,  in  which  state  she  grew 
to  womanhood.  Her  marriage  to  Mr.  Wood,  the 
elder,  occurred  in  Kentucky,  after  which  she, 
with  her  husband,  went  to  Indiana,  there  residing 
till  the  time  of  her  death. 

Nathon  M.,  the  subject  of  this  review,  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Indiana. 
When  twenty-one  years  of  age  he  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Kentucky,  where  for  two  years  he 
was  engaged  at  the  carpenter  trade,  and  later 
conducted  a  butcher  shop  in  Cloverport.  After  two 
years  spent  in  the  butcher  shop  he  sold  out  and 
returned  to  Indiana,  where,  for  the  twelve  years 
following,  he  farmed.  From  Indiana  he  went  to 
Illinois,  in  which  state  he  farmed  for  seven  years, 
after  which,  in  1885,  he  came  west,  his  objective 
point  being  Klickitat  county.  The  year  after  his 
arrival  he  filed  on  his  present  farm,  which,  since 
the  time  of  filing,  he  has  resided  upon  continu- 
ously. 

Mr.  Wood  was  married  in  Crawford  county, 
Indiana,  April  5,  1855,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Sheck- 
ells,  the  daughter  of  Silas  and  Elizabeth  (Walker) 
Sheckells.  Silas  Sheckells  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and  after  attaining  his  majority  followed  farming 
there.  He  moved  from  his  native  state  to  Indiana, 
where  he  resided  till  the  time  of  his  death.  Eliza- 
beth (Walker)  Sheckells  was  bom  in  the  Hoosier 
state  and  lived  there  till  her  death.  Her  parents 
were  among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Indiana.  Mrs. 
Wood  was  born  October  17,  1835.  During  girl- 
hood she  received  a  common  school  education  in 
her  native  state,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-one  she 
married  Mr.  Wood.  The  children  born  to  this 
union  are  Mrs.  Maggie  Cooper,  in  Indiana,  June 
22,  1862,  now  residing  near  Tacoma ;  Mrs.  Vic- 
toria E.  McCoy,  born  June  23,  1864,  in  Indiana, 


now  residing  near  White  Salmon ;  John  M.,  in  Il- 
linois, now  living  in  Iowa;  Silas  and  Ellen,  de- 
ceased at  the  ages  of  three  and  two,  respectively. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Wood  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd 
Fellows,  and  in  religion,  he  adheres  to  the  Chris- 
tian church.  He  has  been  a  stanch  Republican 
ever  since  he  reached  the  age  at  which  he  began 
to  understand  politics,  and  his  first  vote  was  cast 
for  General  Winfield  Scott,  then  a  nominee  for 
the  presidency.  During  1864  he  served  in  the 
Union  army.  After  retirement  from  the  service 
he  acted  as  city  marshal  in  the  town  of  Alton, 
Indiana.  Mr.  Wood's  property  interests  comprise 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  with  the  stock, 
buildings  and  machinery  upon  it.  Thirty  acres 
of  the  land  is  under  cultivation,  fifteen  acres  of 
the  cultivated  tract  being  set  out  to  orchard  and 
one  and  one-half  acres  to  strawberries.  He  is  one 
of  the  most  worthy  citizens  of  Klickitat  county, 
highly  respected  wherever  known,  and  commonly 
called  "a  fine  old  man." 


MORDECAI  JONES  is  a  popular  citizen  of 
Klickitat  county,  residing  at  "Hunter's  Hill," 
near  Husum  postoffice,  eleven  miles  north  of 
White  Salmon.  He  was  born  in  Brecon,  Wales, 
September  17,  1865,  and  was  the  only  son  of  Mor- 
decai  and  Margaret  (Price)  Jones,  both  of  whom 
are  now  deceased.  The  elder  Jones  was  magis- 
trate in  his  native  county  for  some  forty  years, 
and  in  addition  performed  other  public  duties  in- 
volving equal  responsibility,  at  one  time  being  so- 
licited to  enter  parliament,  but  absolutely  refusing 
to  do  so.  He  died  in  1880,  having  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  life  in  public  service.  Margaret 
(Price)  Jones  was  born  in  Wales  in  1824,  and 
died  in  1885,  ner  entire  life-time  having  been 
spent  in  the  land  of  her  nativity.  Her  mother  was 
a  direct  descendant  of  King  Prydach,  a  ruler  fa- 
mous in  the  history  of  Wales.  Mordecai  grew  to 
the  age  of  eighteen  in  Wales,  receiving  an  excel- 
lent education  at  Christ  College,  Brecon,  which 
was  calculated  to  fit  him  for  service  in  the  army. 
When  he  was  eighteen  his  mother  died,  after  which 
he  decided  to  renounce  the  military  career  open  to 
him  and  come  to  the  United  States.  Being  in  pos- 
session of  means  he  did  not  find  it  necessary  to 
engage  in  business  in  America,  but  gave  himself 
to  the  pursuit  of  pleasure.  For  five  years  follow- 
ing his  arrival  he  hunted  continually.  His  hunt- 
ing expeditions  led  him  from  Montana  to  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  and  thence  into  British  Columbia, 
where  he  spent  some  time  on  the  Canoe  river. 
Discontinuing  this  pastime  he  returned  to  Eng- 
land, where  for  several  years  he  was  busily  en- 
gaged in  making  disposal  of  property,  the  care  of 
which  devolved  upon  him.  After  effecting  adjust- 
ment of  these  affairs  he  was  prevailed  upon  to 
enter  the  army.  Thus  it  happened  that,  in  spite 
of  the  decision  of  his  youth  not  to  mingle  in  mill- 


522 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


tary  affairs,  he  experienced  six  years  of  service 
with  the  First  South  Wales  Border  Volunteer 
Battalion,  receiving  a  commission  as  an  officer, 
and  at  the  time  of  discharge  being  captain.  Im- 
mediately upon  his  release  from  service  he  re- 
turned to  the  United  States,  arriving  in  October, 
1896.  Though  his  predilection  for  hunting  was 
as  strong  as  ever,  he  did  not  this  time  engage  in 
the  pastime  on  quite  so  large  a  scale  as  formerly, 
but  purchasing  his  present  farm,  he  immediately 
began  to  get  it  into  shape  for  cultivation.  He  now 
has  fifty  acres  cleared,  and  a  fine  apple  orchard 
set  out,  the  fruit  being  of  the  valued  commercial 
varieties. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married,  November  23,  1892, 
to  Miss  Gwennllian  Price,  residing  at  the  time 
of  marriage  in  Wales.  She  was  born  in  Wales  in 
1863,  the  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Price,  a  clergy- 
man of  the  Church  of  England,  and  Harrett 
(Parry)  Price.  The  father  was  born  in  1836  and 
is  still  living,  being  at  present  the  rector  of  Llan- 
veigan  parish.  He  traces  his  ancestry  as  far  back 
as  the  fifteenth  century,  several  of  his  progenitors 
being  persons  well  known  in  the  history  of  Eng- 
land and  Wales.  Harrett  Price,  the  mother,  was 
born  in  1846,  and  is  living  today.  Children  that 
have  been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Jones  are  Ion,  born  November  23,  1893 ;  Felix 
Temple,  April  9,  1895;  Guy  G.,  July  31,  1896. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Jones  is  affiliated  with  the  Ma- 
sons, and  in  religion  with  the  Church  of  England. 
He  is  somewhat  independent  in  politics,  usually 
granting  his  influence  to  that  cause  which  he 
deems  most  worthy.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones 
are  naturalized  citizens  of  the  United  States,  Mrs. 
Jones  being  the  first  woman  to  take  out  naturali- 
zation papers  at  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  Though  a 
farmer  and  horticulturist,  Mr.  Jones  is  a  hunter 
as  well,  never  having  in  the  least  relinquished  his 
preference  for  this  pastime.  He  keeps  a  kennel 
of  hounds,  and  is  always  on  hand  when  a  hunt  is 
projected.  Mrs.  Jones  is  a  marksman  of  no 
mean  ability,  and  has  personally  slain  two  bears. 
Her  husband  has  a  little  the  best  of  her  on  this 
score,  however,  he  having  killed  one  hundred  and 
forty-three. 


CHRISTIAN  GULER  is  a  genial  native  of 
Switzerland  at  present  keeping  a  summer  resort 
and  hotel  at  Trout  Lake,  Klickitat  county.  He 
was  born  in  the  canton  of  Grisons,  Switzerland, 
at  the  foot  of  the  famous  Glacier  Silvretta,  March 
3,  1866,  the  son  of  Christian  and  Margarita  Guler, 
both  of  whom  are  now  deceased.  The  elder  Guler 
was  born  in  1819  in  the  little  hamlet  of  Klosters, 
which  nestles  amid  a  world  of  mighty  peaks  four 
thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  He  was 
a  harness-maker  and  farmer  from  early  manhood 
till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1886,  and  spent  his 
entire  life-time  in  Switzerland.     The  Guler  family 


is  descended  from  a  line  of  noblemen  who  were 
among  the  foremost  fighters  in  the  numerous 
wars  incident  to  the  forming  of  the  nations,  Italy, 
Austria,  Switzerland  and  Germany,  into  independ- 
ent governments  as  they  are  today,  their  greatest 
achievements  being  in  the  strenuous  conflict 
which  resulted  in  the  freeing  of  Switzerland  from 
the  dominion  of  Austria.  During  the  thirteenth 
century  the  Gulers  were  Italians,  really,  since  Italy 
was  the  land  of  their  nativity,  but  after  this  date, 
they  became  identified  with  Switzerland,  and  in 
the  course  of  several  generations  became  thor- 
oughly Swiss.  Margarita.  Guler  was  born  in 
Switzerland  in  1825,  and  died  in  1875,  she  too 
living  all  her  life-time  in  Switzerland.  When  nine- 
teen years  of  age  Christian  decided  to  come  to  the 
United  States.  By  this  time  he  had  learned  the 
harness-making  trade  from  his  father.  In  Wi- 
nona, Minnesota,  the  point  where  he  first  stopped 
after  arriving  in  the  United  States,  he  was  em- 
ployed for  two  and  a  half  years  in  a  sash  and  door 
factory,  also  working  part  of  the  time  in  a  black- 
smith shop.  Next,  he  determined  to  come  west. 
In  La  Grande,  Oregon,  he  accepted  employment 
in  a  logging  camp,  but  shortly  afterward  he  went 
to  Seattle,  where  he  was  seized  with  an  illness 
which  caused  him  to  be  confined  in  the  hospital 
for  seven  weeks.  After  recovery  he  proceeded  to 
The  Dalles,  Oregon,  where  one  of  his  brothers 
lived,  and  the  two  decided  to  take  up  homesteads. 
The  homestead  on  which  Christian  Guler  filed  was 
in  Bear  Valley.  Here  he  "bached"  for  four 
months,  during  the  time  possibly  underging  more 
hardships  than  are  usual  to  the  lot  of  celibates. 
There  were  no  roads,  and  he  was  obliged  to  pack 
all  his  supplies;  neighbors  were  few,  and  lived  too 
far  distant  to  be  of  benefit  socially;  however,  Mr. 
Guler  "toughed  it  out,"  the  required  four  months. 
Then  he  returned  to  The  Dalles,  where  he  was 
employed  for  a  year  in  the  machine  shops,  then 
returning  to  his  farm,  taking  with  him  his  newly 
wedded  wife.  The  first  winter  of  their  residence 
at  the  new  home  was  fraught  with  trials  sufficient 
to  prove  the  mettle  of  the  bravest.  Potatoes  and 
flour  were  the  chief  articles  of  diet;  torches  were 
used  for  lighting  the  humble  cottage  at  night;  Mr. 
Guler  was  obliged  to  deny  himself  the  luxury  of 
even  an  occasional  pipeful  of  tobacco,  and  for 
months  they  did  not  have  money  enough  to  pur- 
chase postage  stamps  for  letters.  Common  sense 
and  determination  prevailed  over  all  adversities, 
however,  and  now  Mr.  Guler  and  his  wife  are  in 
position  to  speak  jokingly  of  these  days  of  priva- 
tion and  want.  In  1896  the  settlers  succeeded  in 
having  a  mail  route  established  to  White  Salmon, 
and  Mr.  Guler  got  the  first  contract  of  mail-carry- 
ing, also  taking  charge  of  the  first  stage  line  that 
touched  this  point.  Winter  and  summer  he  was 
obliged  to  leave  home  before  five  in  the  morning 
in  order  to  make  the  arduous  journey  as  mail  car- 
rier, but  as  ever  he  was  persevering.     During  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


523 


time  of  his  service  as  mail  carrier  and  stage  driver 
Trout  Lake  and  vicinity  became  popular  as  a  re- 
sort for  those  desiring  to  hunt  and  fish.  Mr.  Guler 
saw  his  opportunity.  First  by  renting  and  later 
by  purchase  he  acquired  property  on  Trout  Lake, 
which  he  has  since  developed  into  the  popular 
summer  resort  it  is  at  present.  The  property  in 
question  was  first  owned  by  Peter  Stoller,  who 
filed  on  it  some  twenty-five  years  ago,  this  filing 
being  the  first  recorded  in  the  Trout  Lake  local- 
ity. Stoller  was  a  Swiss,  not  inclined  toward  the 
summer-resort  business.  Since  acquiring  the 
property,  Mr.  Guler  has  erected  a  commodious 
hotel  upon  it,  and  in  many  other  ways  made  the 
place  attractive,  till  at  present  his  hotel  is  reputed 
to  be  by  far  the  most  popular  resort  of  the  kind 
in  Klickitat  county.  The  brothers  of  Mr.  Guler 
are  Leonard,  now  a  guide  in  Switzerland ;  Anton, 
residing  at  present  in  Portland.  He  has  a  sister, 
Burge,  who  is  living  in  Switzerland.  His  wife, 
before  her  marriage,  July  II,  1889,  was  Miss  Phil- 
omena  Hammel,  who  was  born  in  the  western 
part  of  Switzerland  in  the  canton  of  Soloturn, 
July  5,  1868.  When  eleven  years  of  age  she  came 
to  the  United  States  with  her  parents,  settling  in 
Minnesota.  Later  she  moved  to  The  Dalles,  Ore- 
gon, where  she  married  Mr.  Guler.  One  child, 
Margaret,  has  been  born  to  this  marriage.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Guler  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons, 
and  in  politics  is  independent.  He  is  at  present 
justice  of  the  peace  at  Trout  Lake,  and  can  be  re- 
lied upon  for  strict  justice  in  his  decisions. 


JAMES  F.  BLEW  is  a  favorably  reputed  mer- 
chant of  Trout  Lake,  Washington.  He  was  born 
in  Princeton  county,  Missouri,  June  15,  1856,  the 
son  of  Alfred  and  Isabella  (England)  Blew,  the 
former  deceased,  the  latter  at  present  residing  at 
Junction  City,  Oregon.  Alfred  Blew  was  a  native 
of  Missouri,  born  February  8,  1827,  his  parents 
being  among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Missouri.  In 
1862  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  settling  in 
Lane  county.  After  spending  several  years  on  a 
farm  there,  he  went  to  Umatilla,  where  he  engaged 
in  the  sheep  business.  His  death  occurred  Febru- 
ary 18,  1901.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage. 
Isabella  (England)  Blew  was  born  in  Tennessee, 
November  17,  1827,  and  as  above  noted,  is  still 
living. 

James  F.  crossed  the  Plains  with  his  parents 
in  1862,  he  at  that  time  being  six  years  of  age.  In 
Lane  county,  where  the  family  settled,  he  spent 
the  earlier  years  of  hie  boyhood,  during  the  time 
receiving  a  very  good  education  in  the  schools 
near  his  home  and  in  a  business  college  of  Port- 
land. After  completing  his  education,  he  was  en- 
gaged with  his  father  in  the  stock  business  until 
1887.  at  which  time  he  accepted  employment  in  a 
store  as  clerk.  This  was  in  Umatilla  county.  In 
1897  he  came  to  Glenwood,  this  county,  where  he 


likewise  followed  clerking  until  1903,  when  he 
came  to  Trout  Lake  and  purchased  the  mercan- 
tile establishment  of  the  Chapman  Brothers.  The 
transaction  was  consummated  in  February,  1904. 
He  is  at  present  conducting  this  establishment, 
and  is  said  to  be  doing  very  well. 

Mr.  Blew  was  married  August  30,  1899,  to 
Miss  Mae  Robbins,  then  a  resident  of  The  Dalles, 
Oregon,  where  the  marriage  was  solemnized. 
Miss  Robbins  was  a  native  of  Onaga,  Kansas, 
born  in  1871.  Her  parents,  William  D.  and  Mar- 
garet (Kelly)  Robbins,  are  now  living  in  Kansas, 
of  which  state  they  were  pioneer  settlers.  One 
child  has  been  born  to  this  marriage,  Lucy  Mae. 
now  in  her  fourth  year,  her  birth  having  occurred 
June  16,  1900.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Blew  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  In  religion,  he  is  a  Methodist, 
and  Mrs.  Blew  a  Congregationalist.  Though 
recently  established  in  this  locality,  Mr.  Blew  has 
already  made  many  friends,  and  his  business  bids 
fair  to  increase  rapidly  as  he  becomes  better  ac- 
quainted with  the  needs  and  tastes  of  the  people. 
As  a  man  and  citizen,  his  standing  has  been  good 
wherever  he  has  lived. 


HON.  WILLIAM  COATE  is  one  of  the  best 
known  citizens  and  politicians  of  Klickitat  county. 
At  present  he  is  residing  on  a  fine  farm,  one  and 
one-half  miles  northwest  of  Trout  Lake  postoffice. 
He  is  a  native  of  Miami  county,  Ohio,  born  De- 
cember 29,  i860,  the  son  of  James  and  Mary  J. 
(Pearson)  Coate,  the  former  now  living  in  Miami 
county,  and  the  latter  deceased.  The  elder  Coate 
is  a  native  of  Miami  county,  born  in  1838,  his  par- 
ents being  of  Scotch-English  descent.  Grandfather 
Coate  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina,  of  which 
state  his  parents  were  pioneers.  He  moved  to  Ohio 
in  an  early  day,  afterwards  residing  there  till  the 
time  of  his  death.  The  family  is  of  Quaker  origin. 
Mary  J.  (Pearson)  Coate  was  born  in  Ohio,  in 
1836,  and  resided  there  till  her  death  in  the  seven- 
ties. Like  her  husband,  she  was  a  descendant  of 
Quaker  forefathers. 

William  grew  to  maturity  in  Ohio,  receiving, 
during  early  boyhood,  instruction  in  the  common 
schools  and  in  a  business  college.  His  father  owned 
a  large  merchandise  establishment  in  Pleasant  Hill, 
Ohio,  and  in  his  store  William  was  employed  as  a 
clerk  until  he  had  reached  his  twenty-fifth  year. 
Then  he  went  to  Troy,  Ohio,  where  also  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk.  Having  spent  two  years  at  this 
point,  he  came,  in  1887,  to  Klickitat  county,  and 
settled  in  Trout  Lake  valley,  to  which  locality  his 
wife's  father  had  preceded  him.  The  following  year 
he  homesteaded  a  tract  of  land,  with  the  intention 
of  building  a  home  of  his  own.  The  land  was 
thickly  grown  with  timber  and  underbrush,  neces- 
sitating months  and  years  of  hard  toil  to  make  it 
arable,   but   nothing   daunted,    Mr.    Coate   supplied 


524 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


himself  well  with  axes  and  went  to  work.  Five 
years  later  he  and  his  brother  and  brother-in-law 
put  in  an  irrigation  ditch  on  his  place,  the  first  in 
the  valley.  Then,  with  water  facilities  at  hand,  the 
wonderful  fertility  of  the  land  became  evident.  The 
farm  is  now  to  be  depended  on  for  a  yield  of  from 
four  to  seven  tons  of  hay  per  acre,  of  quality  the 
finest  imaginable. 

October  12,  1885,  Mr.  Coate  married  Miss  Nancy 
A.  Byrkett,  a  resident,  at  the  time  of  marriage,  of 
Miami  county,  Ohio.  She  was  born  in  Miami 
county,  in  1865,  the  daughter  of  Harvey  J.  and 
Sarah  A.  (Fenner)  Byrkett,  both  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing today.  The  father  was  born  in  Miami  county, 
Ohio,  in  1836,  and,  after  attaining  manhood,  came 
west  to  Hood  River,  Oregon.  Later,  in  1885,  he 
settled  in  Trout  Lake  valley,  where  he  resided  till 
1902.  At  present  he  is  living  in  Hood  River.  Sarah 
(Fenner)  Byrkett  is  a  native  of  Miami  county, 
Ohio,  born  in  1835.  Children  that  have  been  born 
to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Coate  are :  James 
H.,  Charles  F.  and  Bessie  G.,  all  residing  at  home. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Coate  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons 
and  the  United  Artisans.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Re- 
publican. During  his  residence  in  this  county  he 
has  served  the  public  as  school  director  and  clerk 
for  nine  years  ;  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  two  terms  ; 
as  county  commissioner  in  1899,  and  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  state  legislature  in  1903.  During  the  last 
year  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  state  convention.  His 
property  holdings  comprise  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  acres  of  land,  one  hundred  and  seventy  of 
which  can  be  irrigated.  The  improvements  on  this 
place  are  of  the  best,  fully  in  keeping  with  the  fine 
quality  of  the  land.  In  the  live  stock  line,  Mr. 
Coate  favors  the  Shorthorn  strain,  and  his  herd  is 
one  of  the  best  in  Klickitat  county.  A  fine  young 
orchard  is  now  thriving  on  the  farm,  though  at 
present  it  is  not  in  full  bearing. 


WILLIAM  F.  STADELMAN,  a  worthy  farmer 
and  stockman,  residing  one  and  one-half  miles  south- 
east of  Trout  Lake,  Klickitat  county,  was  born  in 
Hanover,  Germany,  November  10,  1850,  the  son  of 
William  and  Dora  (Hector)  Stadelman,  both  of 
whom  are  now  deceased.  The  elder  Stadelman 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1829,  and  in  after  life  was 
a  brickmason.  His  death  occurred  in  1887,  his  en- 
tire life  time  having  been  spent  in  Germany.  Dora 
(Hector)  Stadelman  was. born  in  Germanv  in 
1829,  and  died  in  1888. 

William  F.  resided  in  Germany  till  in  his  twen- 
tieth year,  then  attempted  to  enlist  in  the  German 
army  for  service  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  but 
was  rejected  on  account  of  his  weight.  Disap- 
pointed in  his  aspirations  for  the  career  of  a  sol- 
dier, he  came  to  the  United  States,  his  objective 
point  being  Chicago,.  Illinois,  where  relatives  had 
preceded  him.  The  great  city  of  Chicago  was  not 
entirely  to  his  liking,  so,  leaving  it,  he  obtained  em- 


ployment on  a  farm  in  Randolph  county.  He  was 
thus  engaged  for  six  years;  then  he  returned  to 
Germany  on  a  visit.  He  was  immediately  arrested 
by  the  German  authorities,  but,  being  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  could  not  be  imprisoned ;  so  was 
allowed  to  complete  his  visit.  After  returning  to 
the  United  States,  he  settled  in  Klickitat  county, 
taking  up  land,  which  he  farmed  till  1884,  when  he 
moved  to  his  present  location  near  Trout  Lake. 
Peter  Stoller  was  at  that  time  the  only  settler  liv- 
ing in  the  Trout  Lake  country,  his  residence  being 
on  the  place  which  is  now  a  summer  resort,  owned 
by  Christian  Guler.  Other  settlers  arrived  during 
the  year,  but  it  was  several  years  before  the  coun- 
try assumed  the  appearance  of  prosperity.  The 
first  comers  were  poor,  and,  by  necessity,  obliged. 
to  depend  largely  on  their  crops  for  a  livelihood. 
The  crops  at  first  were  insufficient,  and  the  hardy 
settlers  were  furthered  hampered  by  a  remoteness 
from  desirable  markets.  Game  and  fish  were  abun- 
dant. No  pioneer  was  so  poor  but  that  his  larder 
could  be  well  supplied  with  venison  or  mountain 
trout,  had  he  the  energy  to  hunt  or  fish.  .  Mr. 
Stadelman,  however,  was  as  incapable  as  a  hunter  as 
he  was  capable  otherwise,  so  failed  to  find  the  tak- 
ing of  wild  game  a  satisfactory  method  of  making 
a  living.  His  small  herd  of  cattle  during  the  early 
years  of  his  stay  was  his  principal  source  of  income, 
and  as  the  years  went  by  the  herd  became  larger.- 
His  neighbors  likewise  owned  cattle,  and  with  the 
increasing  size  of  their  herds  the  dairying  business 
came  into  prominence.  First.  Mr.  Stadelman  started 
a  creamer}'  of  his  own,  which  he  conducted  till  1903, 
then  discontinuing  and  joining  with  other  citizens 
in  establishing  a  co-operative  creamery.  This  is 
now  being  managed  by  an  expert  in  the  creamery 
business  formerly  of  Portland. 

June  15,  1880,  Mr.  Stadelman  married  Miss 
Maggie  Stoller,  the  ceremony  taking  place  in  Salem, 
Oregon.  Miss  Stoller  was  the  daughter  of  Peter 
and  Margaret  (Ritter)  Stoller.  previously  mentioned 
as  among  the  pioneer  arrivals  in  the  Trout  Lake 
country.  The  father  was  born  in  the  canton  of 
Berne,  Switzerland,  September  11,  1830,  and  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1865.  His  parents  were 
German.  After  arriving  in  America  he  lived  for 
several  years  in  Illinois,  then  settling  in  the  Trout 
Lake  valley.  Later  he  moved  to  Silverton,  Oregon, 
where  he  is  residing  at  present.  Margaret 
(Ritter)  Stoller,  also  a  native  of  Switzer- 
land, is  now  living  at  Silverton.  Children  that  have 
been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stadel- 
man are  Mrs.  Mary  Hoke,  now  residing  in  Trout 
Lake  valley;  William  H.,  Amelia,  Sophia,  deceased 
May  7,  1904,  and  Leo.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Stadelman 
is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, and  in  religion  with  the  Lutheran  church.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  Republican,  and,  officeseekers  ex- 
cepted, he  is  one  of  the  most  active  politicians  in 
Klickitat  county.  He  has  served  ten  years  as  cen- 
tral committeeman,  and  is  usually  in  attendance  at 


HUN.  WILLIAM  COATE. 


WILLIAM   F.  STADELMAX. 


THOMAS  MARTIN  WHITCOM1 


LEVI  J.  ESHELMAN. 


CHARLES  PEARCE. 


EDWARD  J.  PEARCE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


525 


caucuses  and  conventions.  In  school  affairs  his  in- 
terest is  as  lively  as  in  politics,  his  work  in  this  line 
being  generally  as  a  member  of  the  local  school 
board.  His  property  interests  comprise  eight  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  of  land  and  the  buildings  and 
stock  with  which  it  is  supplied.  He  has  fifty  head  of 
cattle,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  fine  dairy  cows.  His 
property  is  extensive  and  valuable.  Mr.  Stadelman 
was  among  others  who  upon  arrival  in  Trout  Lake 
valley  were  undaunted  by  the  pioneer  roughness  of 
the  country  they  found,  but  had  the  pluck  to  over- 
come the  obstacles  in  their  way  to  success.  But  for 
such  men  commonwealths  would  be  slow  in  building. 


LEVI  J.  ESHELMAN  is  a  well-to-do  stockman 
and  farmer  residing  two  miles  and  a  half  south  of 
Centerville,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Scotland 
county,  Missouri,  June  24,  1850,  the  son  of  Freder- 
ick and  Emily  (Caves)  Eshelman,  who  were  among 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Klickitat  county.  Frederick 
Eshelman  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  June 
10,  1824.  When  a  boy  he  went  to  Missouri,  where 
he  lived  until  1875,  then  going  to  California,  and 
thence,  after  a  stay  of  two  years,  to  Klickitat  county. 
Here  he  filed  on  a  tract  of  land  which  he  afterwards 
made  his  home  till  he  sold  out  and  began  living  with 
his  children  as  at  present.  Emily  (Caves)  Eshel- 
man was  born  in  Ohio  in  1828.  She  died  at  the  age 
of  seventy-four  in  1902. 

Levi  J.  grew  to  the  age  of  twenty-three  in  Mis- 
souri on  the  farm  which  was  owned  by  his  parents. 
At  this  age  he  went  west  to  Nevada,  where  he  mined 
for  two  years,  going  thence  to  California  and  farm- 
ing for  two  years.  His  final  move  was  to  Klickitat 
county  in  1877.  Upon  arrival  he  immediately  filed 
upon  a  tract  of  land  situated  a  few  miles  south  of 
the  site  of  the  present  Centerville.  He  farmed  this 
place  till  1 888,  then  selling  out  and  purchasing  his 
present  farm. 

Mr.  Eshelman  was  married  July  5, 1881,  to  Miss 
Rosa  A.  Tobin,  a  native  of  Canada,  born  April  26, 
1866,  the  daughter  of  John  and  Hannah  (Hall) 
Tobin,  who  were  among  the  early  settlers  of  Klicki- 
tat county.  John  Tobin  is  a  son  of  Erin's  isle.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1876,  and  after  sizing 
the  country  up  from  several  points  of  view  in  differ- 
ent states  and  at  divers  occupations  finally  decided 
that  Klickitat  county  was  the  part  of  the  United 
States  for  which  he  was  looking.  At  present,  how- 
ever, he  is  residing  in  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  Hannah 
(Hall)  Tobin  was  also  born  in  Ireland.  She  is  still 
living,  though  sixty-eight  years  old.  Mr.  Eshel- 
man's  brothers  are  three  in  number:  Thomas  J.  and 
Frederick  D..  both  residing  in  Tacoma,  and  Green- 
berry  C,  at  Salem.  Oregon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eshel- 
man are  parents  of  the  following  children  :  Single- 
ton C,  George  W.,  Mrs.  Mercy  E.  Kelly,  Mrs.  Lillie 
Dooley,  Lulu  and  Jacob  O.,  all  of  whom  are  resi- 
dents of  Klickitat  county.  In  politics,  Mr.  Eshel- 
man is  a  Democrat.     He  is  one  of  the  most  active 


politicians  in  Klickitat  county,  office  seekers  except- 
ed. His  land  holdings  comprise  five  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  land,  four  hundred  and  fifty  of 
which  are  arable.  The  land  is  well  adapted  to  the 
production  of  all  grains  which  grow  in  the  North- 
west, as  well  as  fruits  of  the  hardier  varieties. 


CHARLES  PEARCE  is  a  venerable  and  much 
respected  farmer  and  stockman  residing  four  miles 
southeast  of  Centerville.  Washington.  He  was  born 
in  Scotland  county,  Missouri,  in  1840,  the  son  of 
Kinney  and  Osie  (Dunn)  Pearce,  who  were  among 
the  earliest  settlers  in  Missouri.  Kinney  Pearce  was 
a  farmer.  '  He  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1800,  and  in 
1336  went  to  Scotland  county,  Missouri,  where  he 
resided  till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1884.  His  fore- 
fathers were  Hpllanders.  Osie  (Dunn)  Pearce  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1820,  and  died  at  the  age  of  thirty. 
She  was  of  Scotch- Welsh  descent. 

Charles  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Scot- 
land county,  Missouri, .  His  time  was  a  few  years 
earlier  than  that  of  the.  outlaws  and  bushwhackers 
that  have  given  such  a'  disreputable  prestige  to  "Old 
Missoury,"  but  Indians,  were  there  in  abundance 
and  were  not  backward  in  making  known  their 
sentiments  toward  the  white  invaders.  At  the  age 
of  nineteen  Charles  Pearce  left  his  native  state  for 
Colorado.  In  1862,  he  returned  to  Missouri,  then 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Salt  Lake  City,  and  thence 
made  his  way  to  Montana,  where  for  five  years  he 
was  engaged  in  stock  raising  near  Bozeman.  In  1869 
he  sold  his  cattle  interests  and  went  to  Oregon,  there 
buying  land  five  miles  southeast  of  Salem.  He  lived 
in  Oregon  till  1877,  tnen  so^  out  and  came  to 
Klickitat  county,  where  he  filed  on  a  quarter  of  gov- 
ernment land  and  bought  a  tract.  He  has  since 
devoted  his  energies  to  the  raising  of  stock  and  to 
farming.  Klickitat  county,  as  Mr.  Pearce  found  it, 
was  in  a  state  of ,  settlement  that  would  have  com- 
pared well  with  Scotland  county,  Missouri,  thirty- 
five  years  before.  Indians  were  the  most  numerous 
inhabitants  of  the  county  and  were  not  entirely 
friendly  to  the  white  men.  It  is  Mr.  Pearce's  belief, 
however,  that  the  alarm  which  was  caused  among 
the  settlers  by  the  Indians  was  due  more  to  the  white 
stockmen  than  the  Indians  themselves.  As  is  well 
known,  it  has  almost  invariably  been  the  part  of 
stockmen  to  oppose  the  farming  class,  of  settlers  who 
plow. up  the  great  cattle  ranges,  and  it  is  alleged 
that  this  opposition  has  been  responsible  for  the  stir- 
ring up  of  Indian  scares  upon  several  occasions. 
Such  at  least  is.  Mr.  Pearce's  idea  of  Indian  trou- 
bles in  Klickitat  county. 

Mr.  Pearce  married'  in  Montana,  December  25. 
1865,  Mijs  Elizabeth  Davis,  a  native  of  Wales,  borri 
in  1848.  She  came  to  the  United  States  when  an 
infant,  and  later  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  parents, 
her  father,,  however,!  dying  before  the  journey  had 
been  accomplished.  His  death  occurred  in  1849. 
Mrs.   Davis  died  in-  Monmouth,  Oregon,  April  4, 


526 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1876.  Children  born  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pearce  are :  William  Henry,  born  September 28, 1866, 
now  residing  in  the  Willamette  valley,  Oregon; 
Edward  J.,  born  October  4,  1869,  now  living  in 
Klickitat  county;  Louis  F.,  born  April  26,  1872; 
Nora  E.,  born  July  6,  1875 ;  Sara  E.,  born  May  8, 
1868,  and  Rachel,  August  18,  1871,  the  last  two 
deceased.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Pearce  is  associated  with 
the  Grange,  and  in  politics,  with  the  Democratic 
party.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church  at 
Centerville,  and  is  one  of  the  active  workers  of  this 
congregation.  At  various  times  he  has  served  as  a 
member  of  the  local  school  board,  and  though  hav- 
ing no  children  that  were  of  an  age  to  attend  school, 
was  none  the  less  painstaking  in  his  duties.  His 
property  interests  comprise  chiefly  eight  hundred 
and  seventy-seven  acres  of  land  and  the  stock, 
buildings  and  implements  with  which  it  is  equipped. 
Being  one  of  the  very  oldest  settlers  in  Klickitat 
county,  having  crossed  the  Plains  five  times  and  per- 
sonally witnessed  the  settlement  of  the  west  from 
the  Mississippi  river  to  the  Pacific  coast,  Mr.  Pearce 
is  entitled  to  be  considered  a  pioneer  of  the  pioneers. 
He  has  the  virtues  of  that  honored  class  well  devel- 
oped, and  his  standing  in  Klickitat  county  is  high. 


JOHN  R.  WHITCOMB,  a  prosperous  rancher 
residing  one  mile  north  and  two  miles  west  of 
Lyle,  was  born  in  Clarke  county,  Washington,  Oc- 
tober 18,  1868,  the  son  of  Thomas  M.  and  Ann 
(Tiernan)  Whitcomb,  who  were  among  the  pio- 
neers that  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  with  ox 
teams.  The  elder  Whitcomb  settled  at  Vancou- 
ver, Washington,  in  1864.  In  the  spring  of  1865, 
he  took  up  a  homestead  fifteen  miles  northwest  of 
Vancouver,  where  he  resided  for  seven  years.  Then 
he  moved  to  Hood  River,  Oregon,  and  after  four 
years  of  residence  in  that  section  came  to  Klicki- 
tat county.  During  the  first  three  years  of  his 
stay  here,  he  farmed  a  leased  tract  of  school  land 
on  the  Columbia  river  bottom,  then  pre-empting 
the  tract  of  land  on  which  he  lived  till  the  time  of 
his  death,  November  5,  1901.  He  was  of  English 
and  German  descent.  Ann  (Tiernan)  Whitcomb 
was  born  in  Tyrone  county,  Ireland,  February  3, 
1832,  to  English  and  Scotch  parents,  the  father 
being  employed  by  the  English  government  as  a 
teacher  in  Ireland.  He  taught  in  one  place  for 
seven  years.  Ann  Tiernan,  in  company  with  her 
eldest  sister,  came  to  Ohio  in  185 1,  in  which  state 
she  married  the  elder  Whitcomb  when  nineteen 
years  of  age.  John  R.  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  Klickitat  county,  where 
he  grew  up  from  the  age  of  seven,  his  parents 
having  come  to  Klickitat  county  when  he  was  a 
child.  From  childhood  to  the  present  time  he 
has  resided  at  home  with  his  parents,  his  only 
absence  of  any  length  being  the  time  that  he  was 
required  by  law  to  reside  upon  his  homestead  to 
make  final, proof.    He  was  twenty-one  at  the  time 


of  his  filing.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mr. 
Whitcomb  are  Henry  E.,  born  in  Indiana,  October 
9,  1858,  and  now  residing  in  California;  Thomas  J., 
born  in  Indiana,  January  13,  1864,  who  crossed 
the  Plains  with  his  parents  when  a  baby,  and  grew 
up  and  was  educated  in  Klickitat  county,  where 
he  is  residing  at  present;  Mrs.  Lithuania  Hanson, 
born  in  Ohio,  August  5,  1854,  now  residing  in 
Douglas  county,  Washington;  Mrs.  Maranda  J. 
Thompson,  born  in  Indiana,  May  6,  18.56;  Mrs. 
Clara  Childers,  born  in  the  same  state,  May  18, 
1861,  now  residing  in  California;  Mrs.  Elousia 
Miller,  born  in  Washington,  January  23,  1870, 
now  residing  in  Iowa;  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Pfeil,  born 
in  Hood  River,  Oregon,  September  28,  1873;  Mrs. 
Lizzie  Hopkins,  born  in  Hood  River,  Oregon, 
February  18,  1875,  now  living  in  Tygh  Valley, 
Oregon.  Two  other  sisters,  Mary  E.  and  Iantha 
A.,  are  deceased.  In  religion,  Mr.  Whitcomb  ad- 
heres to  the  Methodist  faith.  His  property  inter- 
ests comprise  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land  with  valuable  stock,  buildings  and  implements 
such  as  are  necessary  to  successful  farming.  He 
is  respected  by  all  who  know  him  as  a  successful 
and  law-abiding  citizen  and  is  well  worthy  of 
their  highest  esteem. 


EDWARD  J.  PEARCE,  an  affable  ranchman 
residing  two  and  one-half  miles  east  and  three 
south  of  Centerville,  was  born  near  Salem,  Ore- 
gon, October  5,  1869.  His  parents,  Charles  and 
Elizabeth  (Davis)  Pearce,  were  among  the  earliest 
settlers  of  the  west.  Charles  Pearce  was  a  native 
of  Scotland  county,  Missouri,  born  February  20, 
1840.  When  nineteen  years  of  age  he  went  to 
Pike's  Peak,  and  later  to  the  vicinity  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  Utah,  where  for  a  short  time  he  followed 
farming.  In  August  of  the  year  following  his  ar- 
rival in  Utah  he  went  to  Montana,  and  there  also 
farmed  for  a  time.  From  Montana  he  went  to 
Oregon  in  1869;  thence  to  California,  and  his  final 
move  was  to  Klickitat  county,  in  1876.  Upon 
arrival  he  immediately  filed  on  a  tract  of  land, 
upon  which  he  has  since  lived,  engaged  in  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  He  is  of  German  and 
Scotch  descent.  Elizabeth  (Davis)  Pearce  was 
born  in  Wales.  Her  people  came  to  Montana 
when  she  was  a  child,  and  in  that  state  she  grew 
to  womanhood.  Her  death  occurred  in  1875. 
Edward  J.  grew  to  manhood  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  Oregon,  California  and  Washington,  his 
parents  changing  residence  from  one  to  another  of 
these  three  states  during  his  boyhood.  He  re- 
mained with  his  father  till  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age,  then  accepted  employment  in  a  sawmill  in 
Sherman  county,  Oregon.  There  he  worked  for 
one  year,  returning  then  to  Klickitat  county,  where 
he  rented  his  father's  farm.  He  worked  it  for  a 
year,  then  began  working  for  wages.  This  he  did 
for  two  years,  but  being  dissatisfied  with  such  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


527 


method  of  making  a  living  he  filed  on  his  present 
farm  in  1890. 

Mr.  Pearce  was  married  February  14,  1895,  to 
Miss  Lulu  Childers,  a  native  of  Klickitat  county, 
born  February  6,  1876.  She  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  local  schools.  Her  parents,  Sylvanus 
and  Sarah  A.  (Jamison)  Childers,  were  among 
the  pioneer  arrivals  in  Willamette  valley,  Oregon. 
Their  biographies  appear  elsewhere. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pearce  are  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children  :  Rolley,  now  deceased ;  David  R., 
born  October  6,  1899*  Hattie  E.,  November  3, 
1900;  Orville  S.,  September  28,  1902,  and  Roy 
Edward,  June  6,  1904,  all  in  Klickitat  county. 
Mrs.  Pearce  has  a  sister.  Mrs.  Evelina  Oldham, 
at  present  residing  in  Goldendale,  Her  other  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Flora  E.  Leloh,  is  deceased.  Mr.  Pearce's 
brothers  and  sisters  are :  Hattie  L.,  Iva  M.,  Robert 
E.  and  Wilbur  W.,  all  engaged  in  business  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Northwest.  Mr.  Pearce's  land 
holdings  in  all  comprise  four  hundred  acres,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  of  which  are  under  cultivation. 
The  farm  upon  which  he  resides  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  in  that  part  of  the  county.  It  is  well 
stocked  with  everything  required  in  the  execution 
of  farm  work,  and  under  the  able  management  of 
its  owner  is  becoming  each  year  more  attractive, 
both  as  a  home  and  in  adaptability  to  successful 
farming. 


SYLVANUS  W.  CHILDERS.  Among  Klick- 
itat county's  esteemed  and  successful  pioneers  is 
he  whose  name  begins  this  biographical  sketch, 
at  present  a  resident  of  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  to 
which  city  he  removed  in  1902.  A  native  of  West 
Virginia,  he  was  born  February  7,  1843,  m  Dod- 
dridge county,  to  the  union  of  Isaac  and  Hulda 
(Tharp)  Childers,  also  natives  of  that  state,  the 
father  having  been  born  December  10,  1819,  in 
Harrison  county,  and  the  mother  in  1825  in 
Doddridge  county.  Isaac  Childers  was  a  mechanic, 
though  he  followed  farming  and  stock  raising  the 
greater  portion  of  his  life.  In  1851  he  removed 
from  Virginia  to  Monroe  county,  Iowa,  where  he 
lived  ten  years,  occupied  with  farming  and  raising 
stock.  He  then  went  to  Sullivan  county,  in  the 
state  of  Missouri,  and  subsequently  disposed  of 
his  farm  and  became  a  resident  of  Milan,  Missouri ; 
there  his  death  occurred  in  1890.  His  ancestors 
were  among  the  earliest  German  colonists  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  was  married  to  Miss  Tharp,  December 
15,  1842,  and  as  the  result  of  their  union  fifteen 
children  were  born,  nine  of  whom  are  still  living. 
The  mother  passed  away  in  Sullivan  county.  Syl- 
vanus W.  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Iowa  and  Missouri,  and  remained  at 
home  on  the  farm  until  a  young  man.  then  work- 
ing for  other  farmers  in  the  neighborhood.  In  1867 
he  returned  to  Iowa  and  lived  two  years  with  his 


grandmother  near  Mount  Sterling,  in  Van  Buren 
county.  About  the  first  of  the  year  1869  he  bought 
a  farm  in  Missouri  and  made  that  his  home  until 
the  fall  of  1874,  when  he  came  west  and  located 
near  Hillsboro,  Washington  county,  Oregon.  A 
year  later,  October  22,  1875,  ne  became  a  pioneer 
of  Klickitat  county,  taking  a  homestead  half  a  mile 
east  of  Centerville.  This  farm  remained  his  home 
until  October,  1883.  At  that  time  he  removed  to 
a  place  which  he  had  purchased  near  Columbus 
and  lived  there  until  February,  1902,  selling  out 
his  farming  and  stock  interests  in  that  month  to 
Phillips  &  Aldrich,  of  Goldendale.  Mr.  Childers 
was  extensively  engaged  in  sheep  raising  from 
1889  until  his  retirement  from  agricultural  pur- 
suits in  the  year  just  mentioned.  Since  1902  Mr. 
Childers  has  resided  in  The  Dalles,  enjoying  the 
fruits  of  a  long  and  successful  life  on  the  farm  and 
the  range.  One  of  his  noteworthy  achievements 
while  a  farmer  near  Centerville,  in  1880,  was  the 
erection  on  his  place  of  one  of  the  finest  barns  in 
the  county;  unfortunately  this  substantial  indica- 
tion of  thrift  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  May,  1904. 
Miss  Sarah  A.  Jamison,  a  daughter  of  Robert 
and  Harriet  (Varnum)  Jamison,  became  the 
bride  of  Mr.  Childers  in  Sullivan  county,  Missouri, 
in  1871.  Of  German  and  Pennsylvania  Dutch 
extraction,  she  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, May  14,  1855.  Her  education  was  re- 
ceived in  the  schools  of  Pennsylvania  and  Mis- 
souri and  subsequently  she  taught  two  terms. 
Robert  Jamison,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  a 
native  of  Venango  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
that  state  was  married.  In  1869  he  immigrated  to 
Sullivan  county,  where  he  followed  farming  until 
his  death  in  1901,  at  the  age  of  eighty-two.  Mrs. 
Jamison,  also  a  Pennsylvanian  by  birth,  was  born 
in  1824  and  is  still  living,  her  home  being  in  Sul- 
livan county.  Seven  children  have  blessed  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Childers,  of  whom  one 
is  dead,  Mrs.  Florence  E.  Leloh,  born  in  Sullivan 
county,  June  24,  1872;  she  died  in  Portland  in 
1900.  The  other  children  are :  Mrs.  Eva  L.  Old- 
ham, born  in  Sullivan  county,  December  13,  1873, 
living  in  Goldendale ;  Mrs.  Lulu  B.  Pearce,  born 
in  Klickitat  county,  February  6,  1876;  Hattie  L., 
Klickitat  county,  April  G,  1882.  who  recently  fin- 
ished a  course  in  Klickitat  Academy;  Wilbur  W., 
Klickitat  county,  September  10,  1883.  a  resident 
of  Klickitat  county;  Ivy  M.,  born  in  Klickitat 
county.  August  20,  1887;  and  Robert  E.,  whose 
birthday  was  August  14.  1889.  Politically.  Mr. 
Childers  is  an  independent  voter.  Not  long  ago 
he  was  honored  by  his  fellow  townsmen  by  being 
elected  a  member  of  the  city  council  of  The  Dalles. 
Though  his  home  is  now  in  that  city,  he  still  owns 
considerable  property  in  Goldendale  and  elsewhere 
in  that  region.  Mr.  Childers  occupies  an  enviable 
position  in  the  community  because  of  his  well- 
known  abilities,  integrity  and  congeniality. 


528 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


CHARLES  A.  PEARSON,  a  well-known 
farmer  and  dairyman  residing  at  the  little  town 
of  Trout  Lake,  three  miles  west  of  Trout  Lake 
postoffice,  was  born  in  the  province  of  Smolan, 
Sweden,  August  31,  1859,  the  son  of  John  and 
Anna  (Larson)  Pearson,  both  of  whom  are  de- 
ceased. The  elder  Pearson  resided  all  his  life  in 
the  old  country,  engaged  in  farming.  His  death 
occurred  in  1894.  Anna  (Larson)  Pearson  was 
born  in  Sweden  in  1837,  and  died  in  1902,  never 
having  left  her  native  land  for  any  extended  period 
of  time.  She  was  sixty-five  years  of  age  at  the 
time  of  her  death,  and  her  husband  was  fifty-five 
when  he  passed  away. 

When  Charles  A.  was  nine  years  old  he  came 
to  the  United  States  and  took  up  his  residence 
with  one  of  his  uncles,  John  Johnson,  who  was 
an  Iowa  farmer.  The  parents  intended  to  follow, 
but  circumstances  prevented.  Charles  lived  with 
his  uncle  until  nineteen  years  old,  receiving  a 
practical  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Iowa.  When  not  in  school  he  worked  on  the  farm, 
in  every  way  possible  making  himself  useful.  At 
the  age  above  mentioned  he  went  to  Illinois,  thence 
proceeding  to  Door  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
worked  in  the  timber  for  two  years.  In  1881  he 
left  Wisconsin  and  went  to  Colorado.  Here  for  a 
time  he  was  employed  in  railroad  work,  but  later 
he  moved  to  Idaho,  still  continuing  his  employ- 
ment with  the  railroad.  Ceasing  this  vocation  in 
1883,  he  came  to  Klickitat  county,  Washington, 
where,  in  July  of  that  year,  he  secured  a  tract  of 
railroad  land,  filing  on  it  later  when  it  reverted 
to  the  government.  '  At  the  time  of  his  arrival, 
there  was  but  one  settler  in  the  valley,  Peter 
Stoller,  one  of  the  oldest  and  best  known  pioneers 
of  Klickitat  county.  For  a  number  of  years  after 
settling  on  his  present  farm  Mr.  Pearson  was  en- 
gaged in  cattle  raising.  This,  however,  was  uphill 
business,  since  irrigation  had  not  yet  been  intro- 
duced there,  and  the  crops  of  rye  hay  were  insuf- 
ficient. Not  until  1890  was  he  able  to  get  water 
on  his  land,  but  since  then  the  immense  crops  he 
has  harvested  in  part  compensate  for  the  losses  of 
previous  years. 

On  April  8,  1887,  Mr.  Pearson  married  Miss 
Susie  Stoller,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  March 
30,  1864.  The  ceremony  was  performed  in  The 
Dalles,  Oregon.  Miss  Stoller  was  the  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Margaritta  Stoller,  the  former  of  whom 
has  been  previously  mentioned  as  one  of  the  pio- 
neers of  Klickitat  county.  Each  of  the  parents 
was  born  in  Switzerland,  and  both  now  reside  in 
Silverton,  Oregon.  Children  born  to  this  mar- 
riage are :  Emma,  Carl,  Elva,  Orie  and  George,  all 
residing  at  home.  Three  brothers  of  Mr.  Pearson, 
John,  Henry  and  Claus  H.,  live  in  the  vicinity  of 
Trout  Lake.  C.  A.  Pearson  has  served  his  com- 
munity as  road  supervisor,  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  for  twelve  years  as  clerk  of  the  local  school 
district.     This  district  now  contains  some  seventy 


scholars  who  are  taught  by  two  teachers  in  the 
best  school  house  in  Klickitat  county,  except  those 
in  Goldendale,  and  the  excellence  noted  is  said  to 
be  partly  due  to  the  active  interest  taken  in  school 
affairs  by  Mr.  Pearson.  The  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished at  Trout  Lake  in  1887  through  his  instru- 
mentality, he  being  the  first  postmaster  appointed. 
Eight  years  later  it  was  moved  one  mile  farther 
east  to  Stoddeman's  place,  and  thence,  in  the  fall 
of  1903,  to  the  ranch  owned  by  C.  W.  Moore.  At 
the  same  time  another  office  was  established  a 
mile  above  Moore's  place,  the  point  now  being 
known  as  Guler  postoffice,  Christian  Guler,  at 
present  conducting  a  summer  resort  at  that  place, 
being  appointed  as  postmaster.  In  politics,  Mr. 
Pearson  is  an  independent  Republican.  His  prop- 
erty interests  comprise  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  fine  land  and  a  herd  of  dairy  cattle  from  which 
he  supplies  milk  to  the  local  cheese  factory.  The 
land  in  question  is  well  adapted  to  the  raising  of 
timothy  and  clover,  and  is  very  easily  irrigated. 


CHARLES  W.  MOORE,  postmaster  at  Trout 
Lake,  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and  dairyman.  He 
was  born  in  Eldorado  county,  California,  June  19, 
1854,  the  son  of  Squire  D.  and  Mary  (Baxter) 
Moore,  the  former  at  one  time  a  well-known 
steamboat  owner  on  the  Columbia  river.  He — 
the  elder  Moore — was  born  in  Wheeling,  West 
Virginia,  in  1831.  In  1852,  with  a  company  of 
equally  hardy  spirits,  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Ore- 
gon City,  Oregon.  Later  he  went  to  California, 
where  he  followed  mining  till  1856,  at  which  time 
he  left  California  and  went  to  the  mining  district 
of  Oro  Fino,  Idaho.  Walla  Walla  was  his  head- 
quarters while  mining  in  this  locality,  in  which 
city — then  little  more  than  a  pioneer  village — he 
spent  the  severe  winter  of  1861,  in  which  many 
people  were  threatened  with  starvation.  He  mined 
till  1864,  then  took  up  steamboating  on  the  Willa- 
mette river.  Later  he  came  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  resided  till  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  of  Irish  parentage.  Mary  (Baxter)  Moore, 
his  wife,  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1831,  and  died  in 
April,  1870. 

Charles  W.  lived  in  Oregon  City  until  he 
reached  his  majority,  his  parents  having  moved 
from  California  to  that  point  when  he  was  young. 
He  followed  steamboating  on  the  Columbia  river 
till  1880,  most  of  the  time  being  in  partnership 
with  his  father.  The  health  of  the  latter  failed  at 
this  time,  and  he  was  obliged  to  discontinue  the 
life  of  a  riverman.  Charles  then  came  with  him 
to  Klickitat  county,  and  near  Glenwood  on  Camas 
Prairie  he  filed  on  a  homestead,  afterward  engag- 
ing in  stock  raising.  Selling  out  in  1888,  he  moved 
to  Trout  Lake,  where,  two  years  later,  he  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  Since  then 
he  has  followed  stock  raising  and  dairying,  though 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


529 


for  four  years  he  was  also  the  mail  carrier  be- 
tween White  Salmon  and  Trout  Lake. 

On  January  4,  1877,  Mr.  Moore  married  Miss 
Martha  Kaufman,  who  was  born  near  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  June  25,  185 1.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
John  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Manning)  Kaufman,  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased.  John  S.  Kaufman,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  crossed  the  Plains  to  the 
Willamette  valley,  Oregon,  in  1852,  where  he  re- 
sided till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1865.  He  was 
of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  stock.  Elizabeth  (Man- 
ning) Kaufman,  his  wife,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, died  at  the  age  of  sixty-three.  Her  parents 
were  Pennsylvania  Dutch,  as  were  those  of  her 
husband.  Children  that  have  been  born  to  the 
marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moore  are :  Mrs.  Mary 
Brown,  Mrs.  Anna  Coate,  Fred  C,  Edward  E., 
and  John  L.,  all  residing  in  Klickitat  county.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Moore  is  associated  with  the  United 
Artisans,  and  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is 
an  active  politician,  and  has  served  faithfully  and 
efficiently  as  central  committeeman.  He  has  served 
his  community  as  justice  of  the  peace,  and  fully 
as  acceptably  has  several  times  filled  the  position 
of  school  director.  At  present,  however,  he  is  re- 
tired from  the  more  active  duties  of  public  service, 
his  time  being  largely  occupied  by  the  duties  of 
his  postoffice  and  the  management  of  his  farm. 


JOHN  F.  ECKERT  is  a  sturdy  German  re- 
siding on  a  fine  dairy  and  stock  farm  three  and 
one-half  miles  south  of  Trout  Lake.  He  was  born 
in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  December  5,  1840,  the 
son  of  Gottlieb  and  Katrina  (Smith)  Eckert,  both 
of  whom  are  now  deceased,  the  father  dying  when 
John  F.  was  but  one  year  old,  and  the  mother  in 
1872.  John  spent  the  days  of  his  boyhood  in  or 
near  Wurtemberg,  receiving  such  education  as 
was  then  considered  essential  to  German  youth. 
He  remained  in  Germany  until  forty-one  years  of 
age,  being,  after  reaching  maturity,  a  farmer.  In 
1881,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  his  objective 
point  being  Iowa.  In  Iowa  he  remained  for  only 
a  year  and  a  half,  however,  then  proceeding  west- 
ward to  Portland,  Oregon.  After  a  brief  stay  here, 
he  accepted  employment  in  a  blacksmith  shop  in 
Washington  county,  Oregon.  Discontinuing  this 
vocation  in  1885,  he  came  to  Trout  Lake,  where, 
on  March  28th,  he  filed  on  a  homestead.  Upon 
arrival  he  had  twenty  dollars,  and  naught  else, 
except  his  own  determination  to  succeed.  Utterly 
undaunted  by  the  difficulties  in  view,  he  and  his 
son  began  the  task  of  home-making.  For  a  time 
they  worked  out,  investing  the  money  earned  in 
cattle  and  a  team  of  horses.  With  a  small  start 
in  live  stock  they  began  irrigating,  and  after  this 
worked  with  steadily  mending  fortunes.  The  son, 
however,  worked  for  wages  for  several  years, 
though  occasionally  helping  his  father  on  the  new 
farm. 


September  13,  1865,  in  the  old  country,  Mr. 
Eckert  married  Miss  Katrina  Wise.  Miss  Wise 
was  one  of  three  children.  Her  father,  Martin 
Wise,  was  an  extensive  property  owner  in  Ger- 
many, his  holdings  including  both  land  and  in- 
terests of  a  commercial  nature.  Children  that 
have  been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eckert  are:  Mrs.  Caroline  (Eckert)  Sellinger, 
Christian  F.,  and  John  F.,  Jr.,  all  alive.  In  re- 
ligion, Mr.  Eckert  adheres  to  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  in  politics,  to  the  doctrines  of  the  Republican 
party.  Though  public-spirited  and  patriotic,  he  is 
not  generally  given  to  devoting  much  time  to  pub- 
lic affairs,  other  than  consistent  with  good  citizen- 
ship, his  one  variation  from  this  policy  being  in 
serving  a  term  as  school  director.  The  property 
interests  today  controlled  by  Mr.  Eckert  comprise 
three  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  and  the 
stock  and  buildings  with  which  his  farm  is 
equipped.  In  1903,  he  sold  seventy  head  of  cat- 
tle, and  he  has  thirty  remaining,  some  of  them 
very  fine  dairy  cattle.  The  land  he  owns  is  given 
principally  to  the  raising  of  hay,  clover  and  tim- 
othy. A  fine  orchard  is  thriving  on  the  place,  now 
in  full  bearing,  and  said  to  be  the  best  in  the  val- 
ley. Mr.  Eckert  is  a  good  farmer  and  a  respected 
citizen.  As  are  those  of  his  nation  generally,  he  is 
unassuming,  but  thoroughly  business-like,  and  by 
unremitting  industry  he  has  created  for  himself 
in  the  former  wilderness  of  Trout  Lake  valley  a 
farm  that  ranks  with  the  best  in  this  locality. 


CHARLES  J.  PETERSON,  a  worthy  native 
of  Sweden,  resides  on  a  well-cultivated  farm  two 
and  one-half  miles  west  of  Trout  Lake,  in  Klicki- 
tat county.  He  was  born  in  Sweden,  November 
14,  1855,  the  son  of  Peter  and  Gustava  (Nelson) 
Peterson,  both  now  deceased.  Neither  of  the 
parents  ever  left  their  native  country  for  any  ex- 
tended period  of  time,  and  at  the  time  of  death 
received  interment  not  remote  from  the  places  of 
birth.  Charles  J.  grew  to  young  manhood  and 
was  educated  in  Sweden.  When  seventeen  years 
old  his  father  died,  and  he  then  went  to  Scotland, 
where  he  shipped  as  a  sailor.  After  two  years  of 
seafaring,  he  made  his  way  to  the  United  States, 
his  objective  point  being  Chicago,  where  he  ac- 
cepted employment  in  the  iron  works.  Having 
spent  two  years  at  this  occupation,  he  went  to 
Wisconsin,  thence  to  Colorado,  later  to  Idaho,  and 
finally  to  Portland,  Oregon,  where  he  remained  for 
three  years.  His  final  move  was  to  Klickitat 
county,  in  1885.  Immediately  upon  arrival  he 
filed  on  a  homestead  in  the  Trout  Lake  valley, 
and  since  has  made  this  place  his  home. 

Mr.  Peterson  has  been  married  twice.  His  first 
wife  was,  before  marriage,  Miss  Lena  Anderson. 
The  marriage  was  solemnized  in  Portland,  Oregon, 
in  1884.  Mrs.  Peterson  died  in  1892,  after  having 
borne   her  husband  three  children,  one   of  whom 


530 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


died  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months.  She  was  born 
in  Norway  in  1866,  and  in  the  land  of  her  nativity 
grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated.  When  a 
young  woman  she  came  to  Portland,  where  she 
met  and  married  Mr.  Peterson.  The  children  who 
survive  her  are:  Wallis  A.  and  Amanda  A.,  both 
natives   of  Klickitat  county. 

The  present  Mrs.  Peterson,  who  was  formerly 
Miss  Minnie  Norby,  knows  nothing  of  her  par- 
ents, they  having  died  when  she  was  an  infant. 
Her  marriage  was  solemnized  in  1894.  She  and 
Mr.  Peterson  are  parents  of  six  children,  namely : 
Oscar  E.,  Sanford  E.,  Lena,  Hadveg,  Minnie  and 
Hulda,  all  born  in  Klickitat  county.  Mr.  Peter- 
son's fraternal  connections  are  with  the  United 
Artisans,  and  in  religion,  he'  is  a  Methodist.  His 
land  holdings  comprise  two  hundred  acres,  sixty 
of  which  are  under  cultivation,  the  remainder  being 
used  mainly  for  pasturing  purposes.  He  owns  at 
present  forty  head  of  cattle,  horses  necessary  for 
the  carrying  on  of  his  farm  work,  and  divers  other 
live  stock  usual  to  well  managed  farms.  He  pos- 
sesses the  best  qualities  of  the  Swedish  race,  and 
is,  in  all  respects,  a  substantial,  law-abiding  and 
worthv  citizen. 


FRANK  M.  COATE,  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
stockman  residing  one  and  a  half  miles  northwest 
of  Trout  Lake  postoffice,  was  born  in  Miami 
county,  Ohio,  October  12,  1862,  the  son  of  James 
and  Alary  J.  (Pearson)  Coate,  the  former  now  re- 
siding in  Klickitat  county,  the  latter  deceased. 
James  Coate  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1839.  He  farmed 
during  the  earlier  years  of  his  manhood,  but  later 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  ten  years.  He  is  of  Scotch-English 
parentage.  Mary  J.  (Pearson)  Coate  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  1837,  and  in  that  state  grew  to  woman- 
hood and  was  married.  Her  death  occurred  in 
Ohio  in  1884.  She  was  of  English  descent.  Frank 
M.  attained  early  manhood  and  was  educated  in  his 
native  state.  He  lived  with  his  parents  till  eight- 
een years  of  age.  then  started  to  learn  the  car- 
penter's trade.  Although  during  his  apprenticeship 
he  acquired  a  fair  degree  of  proficiency  in  his 
chosen  vocation,  he  has  never  followed  carpenter- 
ing to  the  exclusion  of  other  lines  of  work.  After 
serving  his  term  as  an  apprentice,  he  went  to  Indi- 
ana, where  he  followed  carpentering  to  a  greater 
or  less  extent  for  three  years.  In  1887  he  came 
to  Klickitat  county,  where  he  located  on  his  pres- 
ent homestead  in  Trout  Lake  valley,  and  he  has 
since  cultivated  it  with  assiduity  and  skill. 

October  15,  1899,  Mr.  Coate  married  Miss 
Annie  Moore,  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  January 
25.  1880.  She  came  to  Klickitat  county  when  a 
child,  and  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated 
there.  She  married  Mr.  Coate  when  nineteen 
years  of  age,  the  marriage  being  solemnized  at 
Trout  Lake  postoffice,  of  which  Charles  W.  Moore, 


father  of  Mrs.  Coate,  is  the  present  postmaster. 
He  is  a  native  of  California  and  possesses  an  accu- 
rate knowledge  of  the  history  of  the  Golden  state, 
being  particularly  well  versed  in  events  that  trans- 
pired during  the  periods  of  tremendous  excitement 
that  followed  the  opening  up  of  the  most  note- 
worthy of  the  great  gold  mines.  He  settled  on 
Camas  Prairie  in  1881.  Martha  (Kaufman) 
Moore,  the  mother,  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1850. 
When  she  was  two  years  old  her  parents  crossed 
the  Plains  to  Oregon,  and  in  this  state  she  attained 
womanhood,  and  received  such  education  as  the 
schools  of  that  pioneer  time  afforded.  Her  mar- 
riage occurred  in  Oregon.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Coate  are  two  in  number :  Martha  E. 
and  Roger  S.,  the  former  born  January  24,  1901, 
and  the  latter  August  27,  1903,  both  in  Klickitat 
county.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Coate  is  affiliated  with 
the  Masons  and  the  United  Artisans.  In  religion, 
he  is  an  adherent  of  the  Christian  church,  and  in 
politics  he  •  is  a  Republican.  He  owns  a  nice 
farm  of  two  hundred  acres,  fifty  of  which  are  under 
cultivation,  the  balance  being  used  for  pasturing 
purposes.  The  place  is  well  stocked  with  cattle 
and  horses,  buildings,  implements,  and  all  other 
things  necessary  to  the  successful  pursuance  of 
diversified  agriculture. 


ANDREW  J.  JOHNSON,  a  favorably  known 
rancher  residing  in  the  vicinity  of  Trout  Lake,  is 
a  westerner  by  residence  and  by  birth.  He  was 
born  in  Lane  county,  Oregon,  November  14, 
1858,  the  son  of  James  C.  and  Cincinnati  (Simp- 
son) Johnson,  the  former  deceased  and  the  lat- 
ter now  living  in  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  The  elder 
Johnson  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  Kentucky  was 
the  state  of  his  nativity,  but  in  1850  he  moved 
thence  to  Arkansas,  and  thence,  after  a  stay  of 
three  years,  across  the  Plains  to  Oregon.  Of  the 
perils  that  beset  the  plainsmen  who  braved  the 
dangers  of  a  thousand  miles  of  plain  and  moun- 
tain to  build  homes  in  the  great  west  for  future 
generations,  themselves  perchance  falling  victims 
to  merciless  savages  or  succumbing  to  the  count- 
less hardships  incurred  by  the  invasion  of  the 
wilderness,  enough  has  been  written  already.  It 
is  a  story  of  which  the  life  of  every  man  who 
crossed  the  Plains  is  a  chapter.  James  C.  Johnson 
did  not  live  to  witness  the  final  greatness  of  the 
country  he  had  risked  his  life  and  the  lives  of  his 
family  to  reach.  His  death  occurred  in  1868,  fif- 
teen years  after  his  arrival  in  Oregon  after  the 
arduous  journey  across  the  Plains,  this  trip  being 
the  wedding  tour  of  him  and  his  bride.  After  the 
death  of  her  first  husband,  Mrs.  Johnson  married 
James  H.  Coventon,  likewise  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Oregon.  Mr.  Coventon  made  his  first  trip 
across  the  Plains  in  1837,  when  he  was  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  was  born  in  Georgia  in  1819, 
and  when   a  young  man   served   in   the   Mexican 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


531 


war.  He  made  his  second  trip  to  Oregon  in  1850, 
this  time  establishing  a  permanent  residence.  An- 
drew J.  accompanied  his  parents  from  Lane 
county,  Oregon,  to  California,  when  two  years  of 
age.  The  death  of  the  elder  Johnson  occurred 
in  California  when  Andrew  was  ten  years  old,  and 
thus  the  boy,  at  a  very  early  age,  began  to  bear 
the  responsibilities  of  life.  '  He  left  the  parental 
roof  for  good  when  sixteen  years  of  age,  after 
which  he  first  took  up  trapping  in  the  valley  of 
the  Des  Chutes  river  in  Oregon.  He  was  thus 
engaged  for  three  years;  then  he  worked  as  a 
fisherman  on  the  Lower  Columbia  river  for  two 
years.  Next  he  went  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  where 
he  worked  on  a  steamboat  for  two  seasons,  then 
proceeding  to  Wheeler  county,  Oregon,  where  he 
followed  farming  and  stock  raising  for  six  years. 
His  final  move  was  to  Klickitat  county.  Imme- 
diately after  his  arrival,  which  was  in  1890,  he 
filed  on  his  present  homestead  in  Trout  Lake 
valley,  and  since  then  he  has  built  a  comfortable 
home  on  the  place  and  cleared  sixty  acres  of  the 
tract,  reserving  the  balance  for  pasture. 

In  1880,  Mr.  Johnson  married  Miss  Elzada 
Taylor,  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  1858.  Miss 
Taylor  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in 
Oregon.  During  her  early  years,  educational 
facilities  in  Oregon  were  limited,  the  attention  of 
the  settlers  being  given  as  much  to  the  defense  of 
their  lives  and  property  against  the  resentful  red- 
skins as  to  the  maintenance  of  schools.  How- 
ever, she  obtained  a  practical  education.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Johnson  have  two  children :  Martha  J.,  born 
in  1882,  and  Dolly  E.,  in  1885,  both  natives  of 
Oregon.  Fraternally.  Mr.  Johnson  is  affiliated 
with  the  Red  Men,  the  Masons  and  the  Artisans. 
In  religion,  he  is  a  Methodist,  and  in  politics,  a 
Republican. 


JAMES  O.  SHAW,  the  genial  hotel-keeper  of 
Glenwood,  Washington,  socially  and  in  business 
affairs  commands  a  position  among  his  fellows 
not  generally  attained  by  others  than  the  most 
deserving.  Mr.  Shaw  is"  a  "down  East  Yankee," 
having  been  born  in  Somerset  county,  Maine, 
October  30,  1827,  the  son  of  William  and  Betsy 
(Young)  Shaw,  who  are  now  deceased.  William 
Shaw  was  born  in  Standish,  Maine,  January  3, 
1790,  and  during  his  life  time  followed  farming 
chiefly,  though  also  engaged  at  times  at  the  cooper 
trade.  His  death  occurred  in  1855,  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  having  been  spent  in  Maine.  He 
was  of  Scotch  parentage.  Betsy  (Young)  Shaw 
was  born  in  Maine,  in  1795,  and  was  of  English 
descent.  Her  death  occurred  in  1845.  she,  too, 
having  lived  all  her  life  in  Maine.  Her  father 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war. 

James  O.  was  one  of  eleven  children.  He  spent 
the  years  of  his  boyhood  on  the  home  farm  in 
Maine,    remaining   under   the   paternal    roof   until 


he  was  twenty  years  old.  At  the  age  mentioned, 
he  went  to  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  for  a 
year  he  was  employed  in  a  general  merchandise 
establishment.  Then,  in  the  fall  of  1849,  he  sailed 
for  San  Francisco,  California,  taking  passage  via 
Cape  Horn.  After  a  perilous  winter  voyage,  re- 
quiring several  months,  he  landed  safely  at  San 
Francisco,  March  13,  1850,  from  which  place  he 
proceeded  immediately  to  the  gold  mining  regions, 
where  for  five  years  he  wielded  the  pick  and 
shovel,  experiencing  the  ups  and  downs  common 
to  the  lot  of  miners  of  that  pioneer  period.  He 
next  became  interested  in  a  lumber  business  in 
San  Francisco,  in  which  he  was  engaged  for  four 
years,  after  which  he  acquired  the  controlling  in- 
terest in  a  sawmill.  He  discontinued  this  busi- 
ness shortly,  however,  and  during  the  five  years 
next  ensuing,  followed  divers  occupations.  He 
finally  settled  on  a  farm  in  San  Mateo  county, 
California,  where  he  remained  until  1879,  in  which 
year  he  came  to  Klickitat  county.  Two  years 
after  his  arrival,  he  acquired  the  real  estate  inter- 
ests he  now  has.  His  ranch  is  known  as  the  Glen- 
wood farm.  Mrs.  Shaw  was  appointed  postmistress 
of  Glenwood  postofnce  in  1886,  and  she  held  this 
position  until  1894.  In  1893,  Mr.  Shaw  purchased 
a  general  merchandise  store  in  Glenwood  from 
Charles  Adams,  but  after  conducting  the  business 
for  three  years  he  sold  the  goods  in  stock  to  a 
Mr.  Smith,  at  the  same  time  renting  him  the  store 
building.  Mr.  Smith,  however,  did  not  retain  a 
permanent  interest  in  the  concern,  the  manage- 
ment passing  to  Bowen,  Betschi  &  Company.  Mr. 
Shaw  has  been  engaged  at  his  present  business  in 
Glenwood  since  1881. 

On  May  1,  1859,  Mr.  Shaw  married  Miss 
Telitha  J.  Teague,  then  residing  in  San  Mateo 
county,  California.  She  was  born  in  Missouri, 
January  15,  1843,  and  when  ten  years  old  crossed 
the  Plains  with  her  parents  to  California.  Andrew 
Teague,  her  father,  a  native  of  Independence,  Mis- 
souri, born  in  1822,  was  of  Irish  parentage.  Her 
grandfather  Teague  arrived  in  Missouri  in  the 
early  days  of  settlement,  before  even  bushwhackers 
and  brigands  had  come  into  prominence.  He 
hauled  the  first  load  of  merchandise  to  Independ- 
ence that  was  offered  for  sale  in  that  place,  this 
being  before  any  railroad  was  built  into  the  town. 
In  1850,  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  California,  where 
he  first  engaged  in  the  lumber  business,  and  later 
took  up  the  study  of  law,  eventually  being  admit- 
ted to  the  bar.  He  followed  the  legal  profession 
after  being  admitted  till  his  death,  March  14,  1884. 
Parmelia  (Morgan)  Teague,  the  mother,  was 
born  in  Missouri  in  1821.  but  when  quite  young 
went  to  Alabama.  Later,  she  returned  to  Mis- 
souri, where  she  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty. 
Her  parents  were  Scotch  and  English.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaw  are :  Eufralia,  who 
was  born  in  California  and  died  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een months;  Orlano  C,  born  in  California,  March 


532 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


24,  1861;  Chauncy  C,  born  October  21,  1862,  and 
Myrtle  E.,  March  4,  1868,  both  in  California,  the 
latter  of  whom  died  at  the  age  of  eight  months; 
Lila  M.,  now  Mrs.  E.  E.  Bartholew,  a  native  of 
the  Golden  state,  born  December  5,  1878,  and 
Luella  B.,  now  Mrs.  J.  G.  Wyers,  native  of  Klick- 
itat county,  born  February  17,  1881.  Since  com- 
ing to  Klickitat  county,  Mr.  Shaw,  by  industry 
and  integrity,  which  are  almost  universally  char- 
acteristic of  the  pioneer  settler,  has  established 
himself  well  among  the  most  prominent  citizens 
of  the  county.  For  twelve  years  he  was  a  sawmill 
owner,  and  during  that  time  manufactured  lum- 
ber for  scores  of  houses,  since  it  was  during  this 
period  that  the  most  rapid  progress  was  made  in 
the  settlement  of  Klickitat  county.  The  mill  in 
question  was  situated  on  Bird  creek,  in  Camas 
valley,  and  was  the  first  mill  built  in  that  region. 
At  present,  however,  he  has  retired  from  active 
business  life,  his  attention  being  given  more 
largely  to  neighborhood  affairs,  social,  political, 
and  fraternal.  He  longs  to  the  Odd  Fellows,  and 
in  politics,  is  a  Republican.  In  religion,  he  adheres 
to  the  Baptist  faith.  Mrs.  Shaw  has  membership 
in  the  Rebekah  order. 


BERT  C.  DYMOND  is  a  comfortably  situated 
farmer  and  stockman  residing  a  half-mile  east  of 
Fulda  postoffice,  in  Klickitat  county.  He  was  born 
in  Genesee  county,  New  York,  April  25, 1864,  the  son 
of  Chester  and  Emma  E.  (Austin)  Dymond,  both 
of  whom  are  now  residing  in  Klickitat  county. 
Chester  Dymond  was  born  in  New  York  state  in 
1827.  After  reaching  manhood  he  farmed  for  a 
number  of  years  in  his  native  state,  then,  in  1869, 
went  to  Iowa,  where  he  lived  till  1878,  then  moving 
to  Oregon  City,  Oregon.  He  resided  in  and  near 
Oregon  City  till  1880,  then  came  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  acquired  a  tract  of  land  which  he  at  once 
began  to  cultivate,  since  then  having  made  his  home 
on  it.  Emma  (Austin)  Dymond  was  born  in  New 
York  state,  in  1842,  and  grew  to  womanhood  and  was 
married  there.  She  is  at  present  living  in  Klickitat 
county.  When  Bert  C.  was  quite  young  his  parents 
moved  from  New  York  to  Iowa,  and  later  the  west- 
ward journey  was  continued  to  Oregon  City.  He 
secured  his  education,  in  the  common  schools  of 
Iowa,  and  in  the  Oregon  City  high  school.  In  1891, 
he  filed  on  his  homestead  which  is  situated  in  the 
Camas  Prairie  region.  Though  he  has  since  farmed 
this  property  continuously  he  has  not  resided  upon 
it  since  making  final  proof  in  1898.  He  and  his 
father  and  brother,  Gay  A.,  were  partners  in  busi- 
ness ever  since  their  arrival  in  Klickitat  county,  until 
the  death  of  the  father,  June  10,  1904.  Besides  this 
brother,  our  subject  had  one  sister,  Mrs.  Pearl  Ben- 
ford,  but  she  died  December  4,  1900.  in  The  Dalles, 
Oregon.  In  politics,  Mr.  Dymond  is  a  Republican, 
quite  prominent  in  local  affairs.  He  was  elected  in 
the  fall  of  1902  to  a  two  years'  term  as  commis- 


sioner of  the  First  district.  His  property  interests 
consist  chiefly  of  his  finely  cultivated  farm  and  the 
stock,  implements  and  buildings  with  which  it  is 
abundantly  supplied. 


RICHARD  M.  RAFFETY,  a  well-known 
farmer  residing  half  a  mile  south  of  Jersey  post- 
office,  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  was  born  in 
Greene  county,  Illinois,  June  9,  1838,  the  son  of 
James  and  Arthanussa  (Sage)  Raffety,  who  were 
among  the  earliest  pioneers  in  Illinois.  James  Raf- 
fety was  a  farmer.  He  was  born  in  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, in  1 814,  and  after  attaining  manhood  went 
to  Illinois,  arriving  there  in  1833.  Later  he  went  to 
Missouri,  and  thence  returned  to  Pike  county,  Illi- 
nois, residing  there  till  the  time  of  his  death.  He 
was  of  Scotch  extraction.  Arthanussa  (Sage)  Raf- 
fety was  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  1821,  and  mar- 
ried Mr.  Raffety,  the  elder,  in  that  state.  She  died 
in  Pike  county,  in  1853.  She  was  of  German  ex- 
traction. 

Richard  M.  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  state.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  fifteen  years  of  age,  then  began 
working  out  for  wages,  and  was  thus  engaged  much 
of  the  time  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  at 
which  time  he  rented  a  farm.  Later  he  bought  land 
in  Pike  county,  which  he  farmed  till  1872,  then  go- 
ing to  Madison  county,  Montana.  Here  he  fanned 
and  raised  stock  until  1891,  in  the  spring  of  which 
year  he  arrived  in  Klickitat  county.  During  the 
first  four  years  of  his  stay  here  he  lived  on  rented 
property,  but  in  1896,  he  filed  on  his  present  home- 
stead. Upon  this  place  he  has  ever  since  farmed 
and  raised  stock,  achieving  success  in  both  lines. 

Mr.  Raffety  was  married  in  Pike  county,  Illinois, 
November  2,  1858,  to  Miss  Nancy  E.  Hinch,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  born  in  1841.  Her  parents  were 
John  M.  and  Nancy  (Mclntire)  Hinch,  the  former 
of  whom  died  in  Montana,  and  the  latter  of  whom 
is  at  present  a  resident  of  that  state.  Mrs.  Raffety 
died  in  1870,  leaving  four  children.  In  1877  Mr. 
Raffety  married  Mrs.  Ella  M.  Gilman,  a  widow,  liv- 
ing at  the  time  in  Montana.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Osgood  Paige,  a  New  Hampshire  farmer,  who 
lived  his  entire  life  time  in  that  state,  passing  away 
several  years  ago.  Her  mother  was  Nancy  (Boyn- 
ton)  Paige.  This  Mrs.  Raffety  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire,  January  12,  1839,  and  in  that  state  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education.  She  married 
Isaac  H.  Gilman,  her  first  husband,  when  twenty- 
one  years  of  age.  Her  children  by  this  marriage 
are:  Osgood  H.,  Larett,  Clara  L,  Leroy  H.,  Alice, 
Rosia  B.  and  Leslie  G.  Mr.  Gilman  died  in  Mon- 
tana in  1876.  Mr.  Raffety's  children  by  his  first 
marriage  are:  Charles,  born  in  i860,  Mrs.  Emma 
Harris,  in  1862;  Oren  L,  in  1864;  Mrs.  Mary  A. 
Harris,  in  1866,  and  Ethelda,  in  1870,  and  those  of 
himself  and  the  present  Mrs.  Raffety  are:  Mrs. 
Lula  A.  Coleman,  Mrs.  Maud  A.  Mason,  Lillie  B. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


533 


and  Estella  M.  In  religion,  Mr.  RafFety  adheres  to 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  in  politics,  he  is  a 
stanch  Democrat.  While  hardly  to  be  classed 
among  the  oldest  pioneers  of  Klickitat  county  he  is 
one  of  its  most  highly  respected  citizens,  and  an 
enthusiastic  supporter  of  all  measures  that  conduce 
to  the  welfare  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides. 


WILLIAM  C.  RAFFETY  is  a  prominent  farm- 
er residing  two  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Jersey 
postoffice,  in  Klickitat  county,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Greene  county,  Illinois,  October  19, 
1841,  the  son  of  James  and  Arthanussa  (Sage) 
RafFety.  James  was  born  in  Nashville,  Ten- 
nessee, in  1814.  He  was  a  farmer.^  From 
Tennessee  he  moved  to  Kentucky,  and  later 
to  Illinois,  where  he  established  himself  perma- 
nently. His  parents  were  Scotch.  Arthanussa 
(Sage)  RafFety  has  been  dead  many  years,  her  de- 
mise occurring  in  Pike  county,  Illinois.  William  C. 
attained  early  manhood  on  the  home  farm  in  Illinois, 
and  during  his  youth  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools.  He  remained  at  home  the  greater  part  of 
the  time  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  In  1863, 
when  twenty-one  years  of  age.  he  crossed  the  Plains 
to  California  with  an  ox  team,  making  the  journey 
in  company  with  six  other  westward-bound  home- 
seekers.  During  the  first  few  years  of  his  stay  in 
California  he  worked  for  wages,  then,  in  1871,  he 
and  his  cousin  opened  up  a  butcher  shop  in  Gait, 
Sacramento  county,  where  they  remained  for  two 
years.  After  leaving  the  butcher  shop  he  worked 
for  a  railroad  company  for  six  months,  and  next 
went  into  the  sheep  business,  forming  a  partnership 
with  his  cousin.  This  occupation  he  followed  for 
ten  years,  after  which  he  sold  out,  moved  to  Fresno, 
and  there  engaged  in  the  transfer  business,  which 
vocation  he  followed  for  six  years.  His  final  move 
was  to  Klickitat  county  in  1890.  where,  three  years 
later,  he  filed  on  his  present  homestead. 

Mr.  RafFety  was  married  in  Stockton,  California, 
March  19,  1883,  to  Miss  Hannah  L.  Wristen,  the 
daughter  of  Milton  and  Jane  (Harris)  Wristen. 
She  was  a  native  of  Hancock  county,  Illinois,  born 
August  14,  1861.  Her  education  was  acquired  in 
the  common  schools  of  her  native  county,  where  she 
attained  young  womanhood.  Her  marriage  occurred 
in  California.  Milton  Wristen,  a  native  of  Illinois, 
was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  is  now  living  in 
San  Francisco,  as  is  also  his  wife,  Jane  (Harris) 
Wristen,  who  was  also  born  in  Illinois.  One  child, 
Lalita  W.,  has  been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  RafFety,  the  date  being  June  12.  1886.  Frater- 
nally, Mr.  RafFety  is  affiliated  with  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  In  politics,  he  is  a  stanch 
Democrat.  During  his  life  he  has  sought  chiefly  an 
unofficial  career,  though  in  Nevada  he  made  an 
honorable  digression  from  his  preferred  manner  of 
living  by  accepting  the  office  of  sheriff  for  a  time. 
His    present    farm    comprises    three    hundred    and 


twenty  acres  of  land,  some  of  which  is  the  best  in 
the  community. 


JOSEPH  AERNI  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and 
stockman  residing  one  mile  west  of  Guler  postoffice 
in  Klickitat  county.  He  was  born  in  Switzerland, 
September  27,  1850,  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Rosena 
Aerni,  both  now  deceased.  Joseph  Aerni  was  a 
native  of  Switzerland,  and  of  the  hardy  race  of 
Alpine  mountaineers  whose  achievements  in  war 
constitute  a  very  interesting  part  of  the  history  of 
continental  Europe.  The  elder  Aerni  devoted  his 
life  time  to  vocations  of  a  pastoral  nature,  not  being 
favorably  inclined  to  such  pursuits  as  wood-carving, 
watch-making  or  other  of  the  small  industries 
which  in  quality  of  workmanship  have  made  Switz- 
erland famous  throughout  the  civilized  world.  Mrs. 
Rosena  Aerni  passed  her  life  in  Switzerland  amid 
environments  similar  to  those  of  her  husband.  Both 
parents  were  very  well  educated  along  such  lines  as 
were  then  considered  useful  by  the  Swiss  people. 
Joseph  Aerni,  Junior,  during  boyhood  acquired  a 
very  good  education  in  the  schools  of  Switzerland. 
He  remained  under  the  paternal  roof  until  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  then  accepting  work  on  a  dairy 
farm.  Afterwards  he  was  manager  of  a  large  farm 
in  Switzerland  for  three  years.  In  1882  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  finally  locating  near  Portland, 
Oregon.  For  a  short  time  after  his  arrival  he  was 
employed  on  a  dairy  farm,  but  later  he  bought  a 
piace  of  his  own  near  Portland.  After  a  residence 
of  three  years  on  this  property  he  moved  in  1885 
to  the  Trout  Lake  region,  in  Klickitat  county,  where 
he  filed  on  a  homestead.  Seventy  acres  of  this  tract 
have  since  then  been  cleared  and  put  under  cultiva- 
tion by  Mr.  Aerni. 

Mr.  Aerni  has  been  married  twice.  The  first 
marriage  took  place  in  Switzerland,  July  22,  1875, 
Miss  Lizzie  Boehi  being  the  lady.  She  was  a  native 
of  Switzerland,  born  in  1848,  daughter  of  Abraham 
and  Lizzie  (Deuh)  Boehi,  both  of  whom  lived  in 
Switzerland  all  their  life  time.  She  grew  to  woman- 
hood in  her  native  country,  there  receiving  a  very 
good  education  in  music  and  languages.  She  mar- 
ried Mr.  Aerni  when  twenty-six  years  of  age.  She 
died  in  December,  1889.  Mr.  Aerni's  second  mar- 
riage occurred  March  22,  1892,  in  Klickitat  county, 
the  lady  being  Miss  Mary  Stalder,  also  a  native  of 
Switzerland.  John  and  Alary  Ann  Stalder,  her  par- 
ents, were  both  natives  of  Switzerland.  Miss  Mary 
was  educated  in  her  native  country.  She  came  to 
the  United  States  when  sixteen  years  of  age.  and 
at  the  age  of  thirty-one  married  Mr.  Aerni.  Mr. 
Aerni's  children  by  his  first  marriage  are  Lizzie,  now 
Mrs.  Smith ;  Joshua,  and  Mrs.  Hannah  Englett, 
both  natives  of  Switzerland ;  Joseph  and  Jacob,  na- 
tives of  Oregon,  and  Mary,  a  native  of  Klickitat 
county.  His  children  by  the  second  marriage  are 
Lettie,  Ernest,  Martha,  Carl  and  Henry  C,  all  born 
in  Klickitat  county.     In  religion,  Mr.  Aerni  is  an 


534 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


adherent  of  the  Baptist  church,  and  in  politics  he 
belongs  to  the  Republican  party.  He  is  one  of  the 
most  industrious  farmers  of  Klickitat  county,  and 
though  a  Swiss  by  birth  and  descent,  is  as  patriotic 
an  American  citizen  as  if  his  forefathers  had  as- 
sisted in  the  making  of  the  American  republic  rather 
than  the  Swiss. 


GABRIEL  LONG  is  a  prosperous  farmer, 
thirteen  miles  northwest  of  Arlington,  Oregon.  He 
was  born  in  Linn  county,  Oregon,  March  24.  1857, 
the  son  of  Lewis  and  Sarah  A.  (Hesser)  Long,  who 
were  among  the  early  pioneers  of  Oregon.  Lewis 
Long  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Virginia,  March 
10,  1814.  He  moved  to  Ohio  in  boyhood,  and  was 
married  there;  to  Illinois  in  1844;  thence  to  Iowa  in 
1853,  and  in  1854  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Linn 
county,  Oregon,  with  a  team  of  oxen.  A  few  months 
after  his  arrival,  in  1855,  he  filed  on  a  homestead, 
where  he  resided  till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1894. 
He  was  of  English  and  French  parentage.  Sarah  A. 
(Hesser)  Long  was  born  in  Ohio.  September  22, 
1822,  and  was  of  German  and  English  descent.  Her 
people  were  among  the  pioneers  of  Ohio,  not  arriv- 
ing, however,  until  settlement  was  to  some  extent 
begun.  She  was  married  in  Ohio  when  eighteen 
years  of  age.  Gabriel  Long  attained  early  manhood 
in  Linn  county,  Oregon,  and  during  boyhood  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools.  He  remained  at 
home  until  nineteen  years  old.  At  this  age  he  went 
to  Baker  county  and  accepted  employment  on  a 
ranch,  where  he  remained  for  a  year,  then  returned 
home,  and  after  a  stay  of  one  year  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  his  own  responsibility.  In  1880  he  bought  a 
ranch  in  Lane  county.  This  he  farmed  for  two 
years,  then  sold  out  and  went  to  Baker  City,  where, 
for  four  years,  he  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade.  He 
sold  out  his  home  and  real  estate  there  in  the  spring 
of  1887  anc*  went  to  tne  Willamette  valley,  Oregon, 
where  for  the  following  five  years  he  farmed.  In 
1895  ne  fited  on  his  present  farm  in  Klickitat  county, 
which  has  since  been  his  residence. 

On  July  14,  1878.  in  Lane  county,  Oregon,  Mr. 
Long  married  Miss  Emma  Jordan,  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Mary  (Worley)  Jordan.  John  Jordan 
was  a  mining  man.  He  was  born  in  Greene  county, 
Virginia,  in  1818,  and  after  attaining  manhood 
moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  lived  for  several  years. 
In  1850  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  an  ox  team  to 
California,  but  after  a  stay  of  three  years  returned 
east  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  He  again  went  to 
California  in  1855,  crossing  the  Plains  with  ox  teams 
as  before.  He  moved  thence,  in  1872,  to  Lane  coun- 
ty, Oregon,  where  he  put  up  a  sawmill  which  was 
operated  for  ten  years.  His  next  and  final  move  was 
to  Klickitat  county,  arriving  in  1885.  and  in  this 
county  he  resided  till  the  time  of  his  death  in  1892. 
He  was  of  German  and  Trish  parentage.  Mary 
(Worley)  Jordan  was  born  in  Missouri,  June  3, 
1838,  and  is  now  living  in   Bickleton.  Washington. 


Emma  Jordan,  now  the  wife  of  Mr.  Long,  is  a 
native  of  California,  born  October  8,  1861.  She  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education  in  California  and 
Oregon,  and  was  married  when  sixteen  years  of 
age.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Long  are :  Sarah 
A.,  born  May  9,  1879,  Marion  C,  May  9,  1880,  and 
Lewis  L.,  March  26,  1892,  all  natives  of  Linn  coun- 
ty ;  D.  Smith,  May  9,  1879,  east  of  Bickleton  ;  Phoebe 
M.j  October  29,  1881,  now  Mrs.  McMurry,  residing 
in  Bickleton;  Charley,  born  in  Baker  county,  Ore- 
gon, January  5,  1888,  and  Dewey,  born  in  Klickitat 
county,  August  14,  1898.  In  religion,  Mr.  Long  is 
an  adherent  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  in  politics, 
is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  prominent  in  com- 
munity affairs,  having  served  as  road  supervisor 
with  credit  to  himself  and  satisfaction  to  the  public. 
His  land  holdings  comprise  nine  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  six  hundred  and  forty  of  which  are  under  cul- 
tivation, the  balance  being  used  as  pasture.  These 
property  interests  have  been  acquired  by  Mr.  Long 
through  his  efficient  management  and  well-directed 
industry. 


MURDOCK  McDONALD  is  a  sheepman  of 
Arlington,  Oregon,  his  ranch  being  situated  seven 
and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  that  place,  in 
Klickitat  county.  His  family  lives  in  Arlington. 
Mr.  McDonald  is  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  born 
July  22.  1855.  His  parents  were  Malcolm  and 
Margaret  (McRitchie)  McDonald,  both  natives  of 
Scotland.  Malcolm  McDonald  was  born  in  1814 
and  lived  in  Scotland  till  1834,  at  which  time  he 
came  to  Nova  Scotia,  where  he  died  in  1894. 
Margaret  (McRitchie)  McDonald  was  born  in 
1830  and  is  still  living,  her  residence  being  in 
Nova  Scotia.    . 

Murdock  grew  to  the  age  of  sixteen  on  the 
home  farm  in  Nova  Scotia,  then  left  the  paternal 
roof  to  see  more  of  the  world.  His  first  move 
took  him  to  Eureka,  Nevada,  where  he  accepted 
employment  as  a  miner.  For  the  thirteen  years 
following  he  mined,  being  at  different  times  in  the 
states  of  New  Mexico,  Arizona,  Nevada,  Colo- 
rado, Utah  and  California.  He  finally  went  to 
Oregon,  later  to  Seattle,  Washington,  and  in  1883, 
he  landed  in  Klickitat  county.  Upon  his  arrival, 
he  took  up  his  present  ranch  and  engaged  in  the 
horse  raising  business,  getting  a  start  by  purchas- 
ing horses  at  sixty-five  dollars  a  head.  He  has* 
since  continued  in  the  horse  business,  though  not 
extensively  since  becoming  interested  in  sheep. 
At  one  time  he  started  in  cattle  raising,  but  gave 
this  enterprise  up  in  favor  of  his  sheep  interests, 
and  he  now  has  a  herd  of  wool-bearers  numbering 
nearly  six  thousand.  His  land  comprises  a  tract 
of  six  thousand  acres,  all  in  a  body.  His  Arling- 
ton residence,  which  has  been  in  use  by  his  fam- 
ily for  the  past  five  years,  is  one  of  the  most 
attractive  homes  in  that  city.     In  addition  to  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


535 


other  stock,  he  owns  about    a    hundred  head  of 
horses. 

On  December  7,  1887,  Mr.  McDonald  married 
Miss  Kate  Day,  a  native  of  Vancouver,  Washing- 
ton, born  in  1861,  the  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Margaret  (King)  Day,  both  natives  of  Cork,  Ire- 
land. Andrew  Day  was  a  farmer.  He  was  in 
California  at  the  time  of  the  discovery  of  gold  that 
led  to  the  well-remembered  sensation  throughout 
the  country.  Later,  he  moved  to  Vancouver, 
Washington,  and  thence  to  Klickitat  county,  arriv- 
ing before  Goldendale  was  more  than  a  townsite. 
His  death  occurred  January  12,  1891.  Margaret 
(King)  Day  came  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
when  six  years  old,  having  been  sent  to  that  city 
to  a  brother  on  account  of  the  death  of  her  parents. 
She  was  educated  and  married  in  Charleston.  Her 
death  occurred  in  Portland,  Oregon,  May  16,  1902, 
when  she  was  seventy-one  years  of  age.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.    McDonald    have    six    children,    all    living, 


namely:  Ethel  Clara,  born  February  25,  1889; 
Florence,  June  30,  1890;  Violet,  May  14,  1892; 
Bernice,  February  5,  1895;  Margaret,  February  22, 
1897,  and  Laura,  October  16,  1901.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  McDonald  is  affiliated  with  the  Masonic  or- 
der, the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the  Maccabees.  Of 
the  ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the 
Maccabees,  he  is  a  charter  member  in  the  Arling- 
ton lodges.  In  religious  matters,  he  holds  to  the 
Presbyterian  faith,  and  in  politics,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. In  educational  matters.  Mr.  McDonald  has 
always  been  found  ready  to  serve  his  community. 
For  the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  been  a  school 
director,  and  his  services  in  this  line  are  said  to 
have  invariably  proven  satisfactory.  His  property 
interests  are  among  the  most  valuable  in  the 
county,  and  they  have  all  been  gotten  by  honest 
effort,  their  owner  being  a  man  of  integrity  and  high 
moral  worth. 


YAKIMA  COUNTY 
BIOGRAPHY 


oMo? 


Q\Z 


^\ 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

YAKIMA    COUNTY 


WALTER  NORTON  GRANGER,  of  Zillah, 
Washington,  general  manager  of  the  Washington 
Irrigation  Company,  has  been  a  resident  of  Yakima 
county  for  fifteen  years,  the  greater  portion  of  the 
time  connected  with  the  management  of  the  big 
Sunnyside  canal.  Mr.  Granger  is  a  native  of  the 
state  of  New  York;  was  born  in  Buffalo,  March  4, 
1858,  the  son  of  Warren  and  Mary  (Norton) 
Granger,  both  natives  of  New  York.  Mr.  Granger 
spent  his  youth  and  early  manhood  in  the  state  of 
his  birth,  and  in  its  common  and  high  schools  re- 
ceived his  early  education.  He  afterwards  contin- 
ued his  studies  in  Brown  University  at  Providence, 
Rhode  Island,  remaining  there  for  two  years.  At 
the  end  of  the  second  year  he  became  afflicted  with 
cerebro-spinal  troubles,  and  was  compelled  to  discon- 
tinue his  course  of  study.  He  crossed  the  sea,  and, 
after  two  years  of  travel  through  European  coun- 
tries, his  health  being  in  a  great  measure  restored,  he 
returned  to  this  country,  in  1882,  and  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  a  prominent  attorney  of 
Buffalo,  New  York.  He  pursued  the  study  of  the 
law  for  two  years,  but,  his  health  again  beginning  to 
decline,  he  decided  to  try  the  West,  and  in  1884 
located  in  Montana,  where,  for  a  time,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  mining,  eventually,  however,  becoming  in- 
terested in  various  irrigation  projects.  While  a 
resident  of  Montana  he  built  and  put  in  operation 
the  Gallatin  canal  in  the  Gallatin  valley,  the  Flor- 
ence canal  and  reservoir  in  the  Sun  river  valley,  and 
the  Chestnut  canal  in  the  Chestnut  valley.  These 
canals  are  all  in  successful  operation  to-day.  In 
1889,  Mr.  Granger  came  to  Washington,  and  the 
same  year  was  given  by  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road an  option  on  all  their  lands  in  the  Sunnyside 
district,  with  the  understanding  that  an  irrigation 
canal  should  be  constructed  through  that  part  of 
the  county.  He  at  once  began  surveys  for,  and  in 
a  short  time  the  construction  of,  the  big  ditch  into 
which  the  water  was  turned  in  April,  1892,  and  with 
the  management  of  which  he  has  ever  since  been 
prominently  connected.     A   detailed  history  of  the 


great  canal  will  be  found  in  the  general  chapters  of 
this  volume.  It  is  fifty-seven  miles  long,  with  nearly 
600  miles  of  branch  and  lateral  ditches;  waters 
68,000  acres  of  land,  on  which  were  produced,  in 
1903,  crops  valued  at  one  and  one-half  million  dol- 
lars. The  subject  of  this  article  is  the  next  to  the 
youngest  in  a  family  of  seven  children ;  three  sisters 
and  one  brother  are  living ;  their  names  follow  :  Mary 
(Granger)  Hodge,  St.  Paul,  Minnesota;  Virginia, 
Anna  V.  and  Harrison  (real  estate  dealer),  Buffalo, 
New  York.  The  marriage  of  Mr.  Granger  and  Miss 
Maud  Thomas  was  celebrated  in  North  Yakima  in 
1891.  Mrs.  Granger  is  a  native  of  Missouri  and  the 
daughter  of  Captain  James  H.  and  Lucy  B.  (Guyer) 
Thomas,  residents  of  North  Yakima  and  pioneers 
of  Yakima  county.  The  biographies  of  her  parents 
appear  on  another  page  of  this  volume,  where  will 
also  be  found  mention  of  her  four  brothers.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Granger  have  been  born  four  sons 
and  one  daughter :  Walter,  Warren,  Thomas,  James 
R.  and  Maud.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Granger  are  members 
of  the  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Granger  supports  the 
principles  of  the  Democratic  party,  and  his  fraternal 
connections  are  with  the  Modern  Woodmen.  His 
name  will  ever  be  inseparably  connected  with  the 
Sunnyside  canal,  probably  the  largest,  and  directly 
benefiting  the  most  extensive  agricultural  area,  of 
all  the  canals  thus  far  constructed  in  the  great  arid 
West.  He  is  a  man  of  exceptional  executive  ability, 
of  courage  and  strictest  integrity,  and  commands 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact  in  a  business  or  social  way. 

Mr.  Granger  has  ever  been  a  leader  in  all  the 
enterprises  for  the  advancement  and  development 
of  the  Sunnyside  country  since  his  advent  into  it. 
His  latest  undertaking  is  in  the  line  of  railway  con- 
struction. Already  a  corporation  has  been  formed 
"to  build,  construct,  equip,  maintain  and  operate,  by 
steam,  electric  or  other  motive  power,  a  railway  line 
on  such  route  as  may  be  selected  by  the  board  of 
trustees  of  this  corporation,  from  a  point  of  con- 
nection with  tracks  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway 
537 


538 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Company,  at  or  near  Toppenish,  Washington,  run- 
ning thence  in  a  generally  easterly  direction  to  the 
town  of  Sunnyside,  and  thence  in  a  southeasterly  di- 
rection to  a  point  atvor  near  Prosser,  all  in  Yakima 
county,  Washington,"  also  "to  construct,  maintain 
and  operate  a  telegraph  and  telephone  line  in  connec- 
tion with  said  railroad."  The  trustees  of  this  com- 
pany are  Walter  N.  Granger,  president;  George  P. 
Eaton,  Norris  Sisk,  A.  B.  Flint,  S.  J.  Harrison,  Naa- 
man  Woodin,  C.  E.  Woods,  F.  L.  Pittman  and  F.  H. 
Gloyd.  No  one  who; knows  these  men,  either  person- 
ally or  by  reputation,  .will  doubt  their  entire  good 
faith  in  this  undertaking  or  their  ability  to  carry  it 
to  a  successful  issue. 


HOX.  WESLEY  L.  JONES,  one  of  the  rep- 
resentatives-at-large  from  the  state  of  Washington 
in  the  national  house  of  representatives,  is  one  of 
Yakima  county's  most  popular  and  highly  esteemed 
citizens — a  comment  which  speaks  volumes  for  his 
personality  and  of  which  any  man  might  well  feel 
proud.     Not  only  Yakima  county  claims  him  as  her 
own,  but  the  state  in  which  he  lives  takes  a  pardon- 
able pride  in  the  man  who  for  five  consecutive  years 
has  ably  and  faithfully  represented  the  interests  of 
his  constituency  at  Washington.    He  belongs  to  that 
type  of  true  Americans  which,  plain,  unassuming, 
energetic  and  substantial,  yet  forms  the  bulwark  of 
the  nation's  life.     He  was  born  at  Bethany,  Illinois, 
October  9,  1863.     His  mother's  maiden  name  was 
Phcebe   McKay,   who  is   still   living  at  the   age  of 
sixty-eight,   in   Illinois.     The   father  was   a  Union 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  died  from  lung  trouble 
in    1863,   three   days  previous  to  his   son  Wesley's 
birth.     Upon  the  broad,  fertile  plains  of  his  native 
state,  tilling  the  soil  and  learning  other  branches  of 
husbandry  and  from  the  age  of  ten  attending  the  dis- 
trict school,  Wesley  Jones,  Jr.,  grew  to  manhood, 
giving  what  money  he  earned  toward  the  support  of 
his  mother.    At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  began  teach- 
ing school,  having  secured  a  second  grade  certificate, 
thus  strengthening  the  foundation  already  laid  for 
a  long,  useful  life.     With  commendable  industry  he 
secured  a  higher  education  at  Southern  Illinois  Col- 
lege without  other  aid  than  his  own  individual  ef- 
forts, and,  after  graduation  there,  went  to  Chicago, 
where  he  began  to  read  law.     While  acquiring  this 
legal  knowledge  he  supported  himself  by  teaching 
in  the  night  schools  of  Chicago.     In  the  spring  of 
1886,  he  was  rewarded  for  his  perseverance  by  being 
admitted  to  practice  before  the  appellate  courts  of 
that  city.    Two  years  longer  he  taught  in  the  schools 
of    Illinois,  and    then,    early  in    1889,  he    sought  a 
broader  and  a  riper  field  for  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession,   choosing    the    Pacific    Northwest,    and    to 
North  Yakima  he  came.     At  that  time  this  embryo 
city  was    enjoying    all  the    excitement    of  a    boom 
period,  and  so.  after  carefully  looking  over  the  pros- 
pects. Mr.  Jones  decided  to  settle  there.     For  the 
first  year  of  his  residence,  he  was  employed  by  Good- 


win &  Pugsley  in  their  real  estate  office,  but  in  1890 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  two  other  lawyers, 
and,  under  the  firm  name  of  Rochford,  Jones  & 
Newman,  began  his  legal  career  in  Washington.  In 
1892,  the  firm  lost  one  of  its  members,  Mr.  Rochford, 
and  five  years  later  Mr.  Newman's  place  was  taken 
by  Mr.  Jones's  half-brother,  William  P.  Guthrie,  a 
bright  young  Illinois  lawyer,  who  came  West  in  that 
year.  Since  his  arrival  in  the  state,  Mr.  Jones  had 
taken  an  active  interest  in  politics,  being  a  Repub- 
lican of  pronounced  views,  and  so  rapid  had  been 
his  rise  in  the  councils  of  the  party  that  in  1898  he 
received  at  the  hands  of  his  fellow  Republicans  of 
Washington  the  nomination  as  congressman-at- 
large.  He  was  elected  by  a  most  satisfying  ma- 
jority and  entered  national  life  March  4,  1899. 
Again  in  1900  he  was  renominated  and  re-elected, 
and  still  again  in  1902,  his  majority  the  last  time 
being  one  of  the  largest  on  the  ticket.  He  carried 
every  county  in  the  state.  As  a  public  officer  his 
record  has  been  without  a  flaw,  and  each  session  of 
congress  has  witnessed  his  promotion  to  more  and 
more  important  committee  work  and  to  a  higher 
standing  in  the  party  councils.  He  was  one  of  the 
committee  of  seventeen  that  drafted  the  irrigation 
bill  and  was  active  in  securing  its  passage.  He  was 
also  on  the  committee  in  the  Fifty-seventh  congress, 
which  had  in  charge  the  famous  Ship  Subsidy  bill, 
and  was  one  of  the  Republicans  who  could  not  agree 
to  its  report  from  its  committee.  No  measure  of 
especial  interest  to  the  West  is  introduced  but  that 
he  is  its  friend  and  zealous  advocate.  Mr.  Jones  has 
never  held  but  one  public  office — the  one  he  now  fills 
— and  none  other  is  spoken  of  as  his  successor. 

Mr.  Jones  was  married  in  1886  at  Enfield,  Illi- 
nois, his  bride  being  Miss  Minda  Nelson,  a  native 
of  that  state.  To  this  union  have  been  born  two 
children,  both  of  whom  are  living:  Harry,  aged 
fifteen,  and  Hazel,  aged  five.  Mr.  Jones  has  one 
brother,  C.  A.  Jones,  living  at  Sunnyside,  and  one 
half-brother,  William  P.  Guthrie,  who  was  his  law 
partner  until  Mr.  Jones  was  elected  to  congress;  a 
half-sister,  Mrs.  Rae  Coleman,  resides  near  Bethany, 
Illinois.  Fraternally,  he  is  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and,  because  of  his  soldier- 
father,  is  allowed  the  privilege  of  membership  in 
the  Sons  of  Veterans.  Congressman  Jones  owns  a 
fine  ranch  of  nearly  a  hundred  acres  under  the  Sun- 
nyside canal,  and  also  possesses  a  comfortable  resi- 
dence in  North  Yakima,  and  at  these  places  he 
passes  his  time  when  not  engaged  in  business  affairs. 


JUDGE  FRANK  H.  RUDKIN.  of  the  superior 
court,  with  jurisdiction  over  Yakima,  Kittitas  and 
Franklin  counties,  Washington,  came  to  North  Yak- 
ima in  1890.  Previous  to  this  time  he  had  for  three 
years  followed  the  practice  of  law  in  Ellensburg. 
judge  Rudkin  was  born  in  Vernon,  Ohio,  April  23. 
1864.  He  is  the  son  of  Bernard  and  Winifred 
(Leonard)    Rudkin,    both   natives    of    Ireland,    the 


BENJAMIN    F.    BARGE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


539 


former  born  January  6,  1818,  and  the  latter  in  1823. 
Bernard  Rudkin  came  to  the  United  States  in  1850 
and  still  lives  in  Ohio,  having  attained  the  age  of 
eighty-five.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Judge  Rudkin, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  in  1847,  is  also  living, 
at  the  age  of  eighty.  Judge  Rudkin  spent  his  youth 
in  Ohio  and  the  usual  term  of  years  in  the  common 
schools  of  that  state.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he 
was  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the 
Washington  and  Lee  University,  at  Lexington,  Vir- 
ginia, with  the  class  of  1886.  The  following  year  he 
came  to  Ellensburg  and  at  once  began  the  practice 
of  law,  in  which  he  has  ever  since  been  remarkably 
successful.  Until  1896  the  judge  was  affiliated  with 
the  Democratic  party.  He  was  never,  however,  an 
advocate  of  the  doctrine  of  "free  coinage,"  as  taught 
by  the  Democratic  leaders  in  that  memorable  cam- 
paign, and  when  this  was  made  the  paramount  issue 
between  the  two  great  parties,  he  became  a  pro- 
nounced advocate  of  the  gold  dollar  as  the  base  or 
unit  of  our  national  currency,  and  eventually  became 
a  leader  in  the  councils  of  the  Republican  party. 
In  1900,  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Republican 
party  for  judge  of  the  superior  court  and  was 
elected.  The  evident  benefits  of  a  sound  currency, 
the  successful  issue  of  the  Spanish  war  and  the  era 
of  wonderful  prosperity  that  has  followed  have 
tended  to  cement  the  bond  of  union  between  the 
judge  and  the  party  of  McKinley  and  Roosevelt. 
Aside  from  a  study  of  the  more  important  political 
issues  of  the  day,  Judge  Rudkin  devotes  the  major 
portion  of  his  time  to  the  law  and  to  his  judicial 
duties,  to  which,  both  by  nature  and  profession,  he 
is  wedded.  He  ranks  with  the  best  lawyers  and 
judges  of  law  in  the  state.  He  has  one  brother  in 
North  Yakima,  John  J.  Rudkin,  the  brothers  being 
to  some  extent  associated  in  the  practice  of  law. 
although  not  partners.  He  also  has  three  brothers 
and  one  sister  living  in  Ohio :  M.  L.,  E.  J.  and  W. 
B.  Rudkin  and  Mrs.  Kate  A.  Collins.  Both  as  cit- 
izen and  jurist,  Judge  Rudkin  is  one  of  the  foremost 
men  of  central  Washington,  and  indeed  of  the 
Northwest ;  progressive  and  public-spirited,  of 
scholarly  attainments,  of  strictest  integrity  and  fear- 
less in  the  enunciation  of  what  he  conceives  to  be 
right  principles,  whether  in  the  courtroom,  in  the 
councils  of  political  party,  or  in  the  walks  of  every- 
day life.  He  is  held  in  highest  esteem,  not  alone 
by  his  immediate  associates  and  friends,  but  by  his 
fellow  citizens  of  the  state  and  of  the  Northwest. 


BENJAMIN  F.  BARGE.  It  affords  great  sat- 
isfaction and  pleasure  to  the  chronicler  of  biograph- 
ical and  historical  events  tov  come  in  touch  with 
the  life  of  a  man  of  resources  and  talent ;  one  who 
may  truly  be  termed  a  man  of  affairs ;  who  has 
looked  upon  life  from  many  view-points,  and  has 
familiarized  himself  with  the  manners  and  conduct 
of  leading  men  in  the  various  business  pursuits  of 
life,  and  in  his  associations  with  them  has  won  re-  | 


spect  and  deference  for  his  business  tact  and  judg- 
ment, abiding  confidence  and  faith  in  his  upright- 
ness and  business  integrity,  and  love  and  esteem  by 
his  affable,  gentlemanly  deportment  to  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact,  either  in  a  business  or 
social  way.  In  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  Benjamin 
F.  Barge,  it  can  truthfully  be  said  are  combined  in 
a  pronounced  degree  those  inherent  characteristics 
and  cultivated  qualities  above  mentioned;  which 
claim  is  established  beyond  peradventure  by  his  own 
business  success  and  the  honors  and  public  offices 
of  trust  which  he  has  received  at  the  hands  of  those 
who  know  him  best  and  esteem  him  most.  Mr.  Barge 
was  born  in  the  historic  city  of  Concord,  Massachu- 
setts, on  February  2,  1834,  and  comes  from  good 
old  Scotch  stock,  tracing  the  history  of  his  family 
in  America  back  to  the  landing  of  the  Mayflower 
at  Plymouth  Rock.  A  paternal  forefather  was 
an  associate  of  the  Christian  pioneer  and  martyr, 
Roger  Williams,  and  assisted  in  the  founding  of 
Providence,  Rhode  Island.  His  father  and  mother 
were  John  M.  and  Flora  M.  (Nash)  Barge,  the  for- 
mer born  at  Concord,  Massachusetts,  in  1784,  where 
he  lived  and  died,  following  the  vocation  of  farmer. 
The  latter  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  also,  in  the 
year  1790,  and  came  of  Scotch-Irish  stock.  She 
was  well  educated  and  followed  teaching  for  many 
years.  She  was  sister  to  Stephen  W.  Taylor, 
founder  and  president  of  Bucknell  University,  for- 
merly Lewisburg  University.  She  departed  this  life 
in  1858.  Mr.  Barge  finished  a  three  years'  course 
at  Yale  University,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  went 
to  Louisiana  and  engaged  in  teaching,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  eight  years.  The  country  then  being  rent  in 
twain  by  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  he  removed 
to  Henry  county,  Illinois,  where  he  continued  to  fol- 
low the  calling  of  teacher.  He  was  called  to  the 
superintendency  of  the  Cambridge  schools  in  that 
state,  and  continued  to  hold  this  position  for  six 
years ;  following  which  he  was  called  to  fill  a  like 
position  at  Geneseo,  where  he  continued  for  fifteen 
years,  during  eleven  years  of  which  he  filled  the 
office  of  county  superintendent.  Removing  to  Iowa 
in  1 881,  he  located  at  Webster  City,  and  here  for 
the  first  time  since  taking  up  the  work  of  pedagogy, 
at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  abandoned  the  birch  and 
ferule  and  assumed  the  role  of  agriculturist  and 
stock  raiser,  which  he  followed  with  success  for 
some  six  years.  At  the  close  of  this  period  he  sought 
a  new  field  and  a  new  vocation,  taking  up  the  work 
of  editor  and  publisher  in  Minnesota,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  three  years.  In  1890  he  immigrated  to 
the  Pacific  coast  and  settled  at  Olympia,  the  Wash- 
ington state  capital.  His  reputation  as  a  practical 
and  successful  educator  followed  him  to  his  new 
home,  and  upon  the  enactment  into  law  of  the  bill 
establishing  the  State  Normal  school  at  Ellensburg, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  position  of  principal,  and 
upon  his  shoulders  was  laid  the  work  of  opening  up 
and  establishing  upon  a  permanent  basis  this  well- 
known  institution  of  learning ;  which  laborious  task 


540 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


he  accomplished  with  success,  and,  at  the  close  of 
three  years,  being  elected  to  represent  his  county  in 
the  legislature,  he  resigned  the  principalship  of  the 
Normal,  having  accomplished  his  mission  in  this 
line,  and  assumed  the  role  of  law-maker.  In  June, 
1896,  following  the  close  of  the  legislative  term,  he 
received,  at  the  hands  of  the  national  government, 
an  appointment  as  member  of  the  special  Indian 
commission  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  negotiat- 
ing treaties  with  the  Indians  of  Montana,  Idaho, 
Utah,  Colorado  and  Washington,  for  the  sale  of 
their  surplus  lands  and  the  opening  of  certain  res- 
ervations to  settlement  by  the  whites.  For  four 
years  he  was  a  member  of  this  commission,  three 
years  of  which  he  was  chairman,  and  all  the  time 
held  the  position  of  disbursing  officer.  In  1896,  Mr. 
Barge  located  at  North  Yakima,  since  which  time 
he  has  been  actively  identified  with  the  progress  and 
development  of  that  thriving  young  city,  having  con- 
tributed fully  his  share,  along  all  lines,  and  in  many 
much  more,  to  the  end  that  North  Yakima  might 
assume  and  hold  its  place  as  the  leading  city  of 
central  Washington.  He  has  himself  had  construct- 
ed twenty-one  houses  in  the  town  and  has  had  cleared 
and  put  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation  some  fifteen 
hundred  acres  of  sage  brush  lands  in  that  vicinity. 
In  June,  1863,  Mr.  Barge  and  Miss  Carrie  W.  Show- 
ers were  united  in  marriage  at  Cambridge,  Illinois. 
Mrs.  Barge  was  born  in  Cambridge,  June  2,  1841, 
and  came  of  pioneer  stock  in  that  state,  her  father 
and  mother,  Joseph  and  Nancy  (Cady)  Showers, 
emigrating  from  their  native  state  of  New  York  to 
Illinois,  in  a  very  early  day.  To  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Barge  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Hattie  and  Cora,  residing  at  Webb  City,  la. ; 
Jennie  Leckey,  Eagle  Grove,  la.,  and  Alice  Mc- 
Credy,  living  in  North  Yakima.  Socially,  Mr.  Barge 
is  connected  with  the  Masonic  order,  in  which  society 
he  holds  the  rank  of  thirty-second  degree  Mason. 
Politically,  he  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  relig- 
iously he  is  a  Baptist,  with  which  church  he  has  been 
identified  for  the  past  sixty  years.  Mr.  Barge  was 
a  member  of  the  state  board  of  education  in  Illinois, 
from  1879  until  the  time  he  left  the  state,  when  he 
resigned  his  position.  He  is  president  of  the  board 
of  education  of  North  Yakima  at  present,  which  po- 
sition he  has  capably  filled  the  past  two  years.  Mr. 
Barge  has  been  a  most  successful  business  man  and 
possesses  his  share  of  this  world's  goods,  owning 
some  twenty-four  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  val- 
ley and  a  considerable  amount  of  city  property  in 
North  Yakima. 


HON.  GEORGE  S.  TAYLOR  was  one  of  the 
earliest  and  most  highly  respected  pioneers  of  the 
Yakima  valley.  He  was  born  in  Fountain  county, 
Indiana,  March  8,  1832.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
located  in  Lucas  county,  Iowa.  Six  years  later  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Rebecca  McGlothlen. 
Mrs.  Taylor  still  lives  on  the  homestead  in  the  Selah 


valley.  Husband  and  wife  made  their  home  in  Iowa 
until  the  fall  of  1864.  In  1862,  Mr.  Taylor  enlisted 
in  Company  G  of  the  Thirty-fourth  Iowa  infantry, 
for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  followed  the  for- 
tunes of  his  regiment  through  many  hard-fought 
campaigns  until  the  spring  of  1863,  when  he  was 
honorably  discharged  on  account  of  disability.  After 
the  recovery  of  his  health,  he  started  across  the 
Plains  with  his  family,  in  wagons  drawn  by  oxen. 
This  was  in  the  fall  of  1864,  and,  after  a  long  and 
eventful  journey,  the  Columbia  river  was  eventually 
reached  and  the  first  stop  was  made  in  Umatilla 
county,  Oregon.  After  a  few  months  of  rest,  they 
moved  on  to  Yelm  Prairie,  near  Puget  Sound,  where 
relatives  were  located.  In  1866,  when  the  Yakima 
valley  was  still  occupied  by  hostile  bands  of  In- 
dians, Mr.  Taylor  returned  from  the  Sound  country 
and  took  up  land  in  Selah  valley,  which  has  ever 
since  been  the  family  home.  During  the  Indian 
troubles  he  was  active  in  the  work  of  running  down 
and  capturing  the  hostiles,  and  was  one  of  a  party 
that  captured  old  Chief  Moses  in  the  late  seventies 
and  turned  him  over  to  the  military  authorities. 
Although  not  an  office  seeker,  Mr.  Taylor  served 
several  terms  as  county  commissioner;  was  elected 
in  1880  to  the  territorial  legislature;  several  times 
refused  the  nomination  of  his  party  for  sheriff, 
and  was  a  candidate  for  joint  senator  in  1894,  run- 
ning several  hundred  votes  ahead  of  his  ticket.  He 
was  a  man  of  extremely  generous  impulses,  deny- 
ing himself  many  times  to  help  others.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  successful  stockmen  in  the  valley.  In 
April,  1900,  with  the  assistance  of  others,  he  was 
caring  for  a  large  herd  of  cattle  which  had  been 
taken  to  the  Cascade  mountains  for  the  season. 
About  forty  miles  from  North  Yakima,  in  the  re- 
gion where  the  cattle  were  ranging,  between  the  Big 
and  Little  Rattlesnake  creeks,  is  a  mountainknown 
as  the  "Devil's  Table."  While  amusing  himself  one 
afternoon  rolling  stones  down  the  precipitous  side  of 
this  mountain,  Mr.  Taylor  thoughtlessly  loosened  a 
rock  which  was  supporting  one  on  which  he  was  sit- 
ting, and  was  carried  with  the  rocks  over  a  sheer 
precipice,  meeting  instant  death.  In  its  issue  of 
April  2i,  1900,  the  Yakima  Democrat  referred  to 
Mr.  Taylor  as  one  of  nature's  noblemen,  and  said 
further  editorially:  "A  newer  generation  owes 
much  to  the  class  of  men  of  whom  'Uncle'  George 
Taylor  was  a  type,  a  debt  that  can  never  be  repaid. 
Is  it  any  wonder,  then,  that  the  tragic  death  of  such 
a  man  comes  as  a  personal  bereavement  to  all  who 
knew  him?" 


HARLAND  J.  TAYLOR,  a  pioneer  of  1866, 
resides  three  and  one-half  miles  north  of  North  Yak- 
ima. He  is  the  eldest  son  of  Hon.  George  S.  Taylor, 
whose  biography  appears  elsewhere  in  the  volume, 
and  was  born  in  Lucas,  Iowa,  April  2,  1857.  He 
crossed  the  Plains  with  his  parents  in  1864,  and  ac- 
companied them  through  Oregon  and  Washington 


HON.    GEORGE   S.    TAYLOR. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


to  Puget  Sound  and  back  again  to  the  Selah  valley, 
where,  in  1866,  the  father  settled  on  land  which  has 
since  been  the  family  home.  His  mother  and  father 
were  of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  both  natives  of  In- 
diana, and  pioneers  of  Iowa.  The  mother's  name  is 
Rebecca  (McGlothlen)  Taylor,  and  she  is  still  living 
on  the  old  homestead  in  Selah  valley.  During  Mr. 
Taylor's  almost  lifelong  residence  in  Yakima  county, 
he  has  been  identified  with  every  step  in  its  wonder- 
ful progress,  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial and  successful  men  in  the  valley.  In  1892, 
he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Hattie  Cherry, 
daughter  of  Thomas  C.  and  Bell  Cherry,  of  Selah 
valley.  Mr.  Cherry  was  a  pioneer  of  Oregon  and 
there  Mrs.  Taylor  was  born  in  1867.  Mr.  Taylor 
received  a  good  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Yakima  county,  and  Mrs.  Taylor  in  the  common 
schools  of  Oregon.  Mr.  Taylor  is  an  active  Dem- 
ocrat, though  not  an  office-seeker.  He  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  fraternal  orders  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Eagles  and  the  Fraternal 
Brotherhood.  He  is  energetic  and  progressive; 
owns  a  half  interest  in  one  thousand  acres  of  graz- 
ing and  farm  land ;  has  a  large  number  of  cattle  and 
horses,  and  one  of  the  best  homes  in  the  county. 


GEORGE  W.  TAYLOR,  farmer  and  stock- 
man, residing  four  and  one-half  miles  north  of 
North  Yakima,  is  the  second  son  of  Hon.  George  S. 
Taylor,  whose  biography  will  be  found  on  an- 
other page  of  this  volume.  He  was  born  at  Fort 
Simcoe,  Yakima  county,  August  17,  1867,  one  year 
after  the  arrival  of  his  parents  in  this  county 
from  Lucas,  Iowa.  His  early  life  was  spent  on 
the  homestead  and  pre-emption  lands  taken  up  by 
his  father  in  1866.  With  his  father  and  brother 
Harland,  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising, 
in  the  meantime  securing  in  the  common  .schools  a 
good  education,  and,  early  in  life,  assuming  equally 
with  father  and  brother  the  responsibilities  attendant 
upon  the  care  of  their  extensive  farm  and  stock  in- 
terests. At  the  age  of  twenty-two,  in  1889,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Anna  Moore,  daughter  of  Theodore 
Moore,  a  native  of  England  and  for  many  years  a 
sailor.  Mrs.  Taylor  was  born  in  Oregon  in  1882, 
but  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in 
Washington.  She  was  eighteen  years  old  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have 
three  children,  as  follows :  Eugene,  born  Novem- 
ber 7,  1889;  Clara,  born  September  2,  1891,  and 
Hazel,  born  August  8,  1893.  The  family  attend 
the  Congregational  church,  while  Mr.  Taylor,  fra- 
ternally, holds  membership  in  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  Politically,  he  is  an  active  Demo- 
crat ;  attends  the  councils  of  his  party,  and  uses  his 
influence  for  its  best  success.  He  is  highly  respected 
by  all  who  know  him,  and  as  a  business  man  has 
been  most  successful.  He  has  a  good  home ;  owns 
a  half  interest  in  one  thousand  acres  of  valley  lands, 
with  several  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  other  stock ; 


has  mining  and  other  interests,  and  is  one  of  the 
substantial  and  reliable  residents  of  the  valley. 


CHARLES  A.  MARKS,  living  on  his  ranch, 
eight  miles  west  and  four  south  of  North  Yakima, 
is  a  native  of  Yakima  county,  born  in  the  Ahta- 
num  valley  in  1874.  His  father,  John  P.  Marks, 
one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  the  county,  is  a 
native  of  Kentucky  and  crossed  the  Plains  to  Ore- 
gon in  1853  and  located  in  Linn  county.  He  came 
to  Yakima  county  in  1871,  taking  up  land  in  the 
Ahtanum  country.  Here  our  subject  was  born 
and  raised.  The  mother,  Ellen  Williams,  was 
born  in  Illinois.  Subject  attended  school  in  a  log 
cabin  in  his  district  and  finished  his  education  in 
the  Whitman  College  at  Walla  Walla.  He  worked 
with  his  father  until  nineteen,  when  he  decided  to 
go  out  into  the  world  and  try  conclusions  with 
Dame  Fortune  on  his  own  account.  He  went  to 
Weiser,  Idaho,  and  took  up  a  claim,  on  which  he 
worked  for  some  time,  trying  to  ditch  it  for  irri- 
gation purposes ;  but,  finding  it  too  much  of  an 
undertaking,  at  the  end  of  one  year  and  one-half 
went  to  Butte,  Montana,  then  to  Gibsonville, 
Idaho.  After  a  more  extended  tour  of  Montana 
he  returned  home  to  the  Ahtanum  and  went  to 
work  for  his  father,  and,  profiting  by  his  experi- 
ence while  away,  began  to  accumulate  stock,  and 
now  has  a  fine  bunch  of  cattle,  with  a  half-interest 
in  ten  and  one-half  sections  of  grazing  and  timber 
land.  He  was  married  in  the  Ahtanum  valley  in 
1897  to  Miss  Leah  Reed,  daughter  of  John  C. 
and  Mary  J.  (Ferris)  Reed,  the  former  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1839,  and  also  a  pioneer 
in  Yakima  county,  where  he  settled  in  1882,  in  the 
Ahtanum  valley  and  where  he  still  lives.  The 
mother  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  1850. 
Mrs.  Marks  was  born  in  Nevada  in  1880.  They 
have  one  child,  Ellen,  born  in  Yakima  county, 
December  23,  1901.  Mr.  Marks  has  one  brother, 
Elmer  B.,  who  lives  near  him.  Mr.  Marks  is  a 
Democrat  and,  fraternally,  is  connected  with  the 
Yeomen.  Mrs.  Marks  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church. 


JOHN  D.  CORNETT,  cashier  of  the  Yakima 
National  Bank  and  president  of  the  North  Yakima 
Commercial  Club,  was  born  in  eastern  Ontario, 
Canada,  October  4,  1853,  and  came  to  Yakima 
county  in  1887.  He  is  the  son  of  William  and 
Sarah  (Reid)  Cornett,  both  natives  of  north  Ire- 
land and  both  pioneers  of  Leeds  county,  Ontario, 
his  father  locating  there  in  1866.  He  came  to 
North  Yakima  from  Canada  in  1891  and  still 
makes  this  his  home.  John  D.  Cornett  spent  the 
years  of  his  youth  and  early  manhood  in  Canada. 
In  youth  he  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  province  and  was  afterwards  graduated 
from   the    Ganaoque   academy.      He   then   took    a 


542 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


course  in  telegraphy,  but  abandoned  its  study  at 
the  age  of  seventeen  to  accept  a  clerkship  in  a 
general  store,  continuing  so  employed  for  two 
years.  Going  to  Huron  county,  Michigan,  in  1876, 
he  taught  school  for  four  years  and  also,  during 
the  vacation  months,  studied  pharmacy.  In  1880 
he  took  charge  of  a  drug  store  for  Dr.  R.  C. 
O'Gilvie,  a  physician  of  Port  Hope,  Michigan, 
remaining  in  this  position  seven  years.  In  1887 
he  came  to  North  Yakima  and  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  timekeeper  and  paymaster  for  George  Mc- 
Donald, who  at  that  time  was  building  the  North- 
ern Pacific  railroad  from  Cle-Elum  to  the  Roslyn 
mines.  In  the  spring  of  1888  Mr.  Cornett,  with 
others,  organized  the  Yakima  National  Bank. 
He  served  as  assistant  cashier  until  the  annual 
meeting  of  officers  and  directors  of  the  bank  in 
1889,  when  he  was  elected  cashier,  an  office  which 
he  still  retains.  During  his  residence  in  North 
Yakima  he  has  also  served  four  years  as  citv 
treasurer.  He  has  always  had  faith  in  the  future 
of  the  city  and  county  and,  besides  his  holdings 
in  the  bank,  has  become  interested  to  a  consider- 
able extent  in  city  property,  and  some  years  ago 
took  up  a  timber  culture  claim  near  Kiona,  which 
he  still  holds.  Mr.  Cornett  was  married  in  Kings- 
ton, Ontario,  March  9,  1881,  to  Miss  Jessie  Don- 
ald, daughter  of  John  and  Jean  Donald,  both  na- 
tives of  Scotland.  Her  parents  came  to  Kingston 
in  early  days  and  her  father  was  master  mechanic 
of  the  Kingston  Locomotive  Works.  Her  mother 
was  a  woman  of  culture  and  refinement  and  was 
greatly  esteemed  for  her  qualities  of  mind  and 
heart.  Mrs.  Cornett  was  born  in  Kingston,  On- 
tario, November  16,  1861,  and  was  educated  in 
her  native  city,  being  graduated  from  the  high 
school.  Following  her  high  school  course,  she 
taught  for  three  years,  the  first  term  at  the  age  of 
sixteen.  She  was  nineteen  years  of  age  when  she 
met  and  married  Mr.  Cornett.  Mrs.  Cornett  has 
brothers  and  sisters  as  follows :  Edward  Donald, 
almoner  and  tax  land  agent  for  the  Grand  Trunk- 
railroad  in  Ontario ;  George,  president  of  the 
Yakima  National  Bank,  in  North  Yakima;  John, 
an  engineer,  living  in  New  Mexico;  James,  a 
stockman  of  North  Yakima;  Mrs.  Mary  Ely  of 
Chicago,  wife  of  an  engineer,  and  Mrs.  Jean 
Vance  of  North  Yakima.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cornett 
have  the  following  children :  Jean,  born  in  Mich- 
igan, 1884;  George  W..  born  in  Michigan,  1886; 
John,  born  in  North  Yakima,  1891 ;  William,  born 
in  North  Yakima,  1897.  Jean  is  a  graduate  of  the 
North  Yakima  high  school.  Two  children  have 
died:  Edna,  born  in  Port  Hope,  Mich.,  October 
6,  1882,  died  when  three  and  one-half  years  old; 
Donald,  born  in  North  Yakima,  1893,  died  when 
eighteen  months  old.  The  family  attend  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Cornett  is  a  Repub- 
lican. The  fraternal  spirit  is  a  prominent  charac- 
teristic of  Mr.  Cornett's  individuality;  he  is  a 
Blue  Lodge  and  a  Shrine  Mason;  also  a  Knight 


Templar;  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  and 
Mrs.  Cornett  are  prominent  and  popular  in  the 
social  circles  of  North  Yakima  and  their  home,  at 
the  corner  of  Yakima  avenue  and  Sixth  street,  is 
one  of  the  best  in  the  city. 


DAVID  LONGMIRE.  Among  all  the  citizens 
of  Yakima  county,  none  is  more  highly  respected 
and  honored  for  his  integrity,  sterling  business 
abilities  and  true  beneficence  than  is  the  man 
whose  name  commences  this  chronicle.  As  a 
courageous  pioneer,  an  energetic  farmer  and  keen 
business  man,  a  man  devoted  to  his  home  and 
loyal  to  his  friends,  he  has  been  justly  popular 
since  his  advent  into  the  life  of  the  Yakima  com- 
munity when  that  little  company  numbered  only 
a  few  score  souls,  and  he  is  today  recognized  as 
one  of  the  leaders  in  the  county  where  he  has 
made  his  home  and  concentrated  his  energies  for 
so  many  years. 

The  Longmire  family,  of  which  our  subject  is  a 
member,  is  well  known  in  the  early  annals  of 
Washington,  having  been  among  the  earliest  set- 
tlers on  Puget  Sound.  His  mother,  Susan 
(Nisely)  Longmire,  died  in  Indiana  many  years 
ago.  Fifty-one  years  ago,  when  Olympia  and 
Steilacoom  were  the  only  towns  north  of  the  Co- 
lumbia river,  excepting  the  military  post  at  Van- 
couver, David's  father,  James,  and  his  stepmother, 
Verinda  (Taylor)  Longmire,  crossed  the  inhospit- 
able plains  and  mountains  of  the  continent  and 
toiled  wearily  up  the  Yakima  valley  to  the  Naches 
river,  which  they  followed  to  its  source,  and  then 
descended  to  Yelm  prairie,  where  they  founded  a 
new  home.  The  story  of  this  trip  through  the 
Cascade  country  has  been  fully  told  elsewhere  in 
this  volume,  so  that  here  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that 
the  boy  David  accompanied  his  parents,  giving 
him  the  honor  of  being,  so  far  as  is  known,  the 
first  white  man  now  living  in  Yakima  county  to 
gaze  upon  its  sage  brush  plains  and  sparkling 
streams.  James  Longmire  was  a  native  of  Indiana, 
born  March  17,  1820,  and  lived  there  until  1853. 
His  death  occurred  on  Yelm  prairie,  Washing- 
ton, in  1897.  David's  mother  was  also  a  native 
of  Indiana,  where  she  died  in  young  womanhood. 
Mr.  Longmire  was  again  married,  Miss  Verinda 
Taylor  becoming  his  wife;  she  is  still  living.  David 
was  born  May  8,  1844,  and  received  two  years' 
education  before  crossing  the  Plains  during  his 
ninth  year.  He  finished  his  schooling  in  Olympia, 
where  he  attended  the  common  schools.  Until 
he  became  of  age  he  remained  at  home  farming 
and  raising  stock,  but,  upon  attaining  his  major- 
ity, he  engaged  in  the  now  unusual  occupation  of 
cutting  fence  rails.  When  twenty-three  years  old 
he  filed  on  a  land  claim  in  Thurston  county  and 
lived  there  three  years.     In  1867,  he  came  to  the 


DAVID    LONGMIRE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


543 


Yakima  valley  with  a  party  of  Northern  Pacific 
surveyors  and  was  occupied  with  them  until  late 
in  i£63,  returning  then  to  his  farm.  But  the  trip 
to  Yakima  county  had  disturbed  his  peace  of 
mind  by  revealing  to  him  its  wonderful  undevel- 
oped resources,  and,  since  it  could  no  longer  be 
quieted,  February  16,  1871,  witnessed  his  depart- 
ure for  the  new  home  he  had  chosen,  which  was 
purchased  in  the  Wenas  valley.  The  promised 
land  came  up  to  expectations  and  upon  the  Wenas 
ranch  Mr.  Longmire  has  since  lived  and  pros- 
pered. Mr.  Longmire  and  Miss  Lizzie  Pollard, 
daughter  of  Asa  and  Tillatha  Pollard,  natives  of 
Iowa  and  Indiana  respectively  and  pioneers  of 
the  sixties  in  Washington,  were  united  by  the 
bonds  of  matrimony  in  Thurston  county  in  1869. 
She  departed  this  earthly  life  in  1888  and  was  laid 
at  rest  in  Yakima  county.  In  1890  Mr.  Long- 
mire again  married,  the  bride  this  time  being  Mrs. 
Lizzie  Treat,  daughter  of  George  and  Catherine 
Lotz,  of  German  birth,  who  crossed  the  Plains  in 
1853  and  settled  in  Washington.  Mr.  Lotz  died 
in  1895;  his  wife,  five  years  later.  Mrs.  Longmire 
was  born  in  Thurston  county,  May  17,  i860,  and 
was  there  educated  and  married  to  Charles  Treat. 
By  his  first  wife  Mr.  Longmire  had  six  children : 
Alice,  born  June  11,  1870;  Mrs.  Martha  Porter, 
born  September  5,  1876;  Mrs.  Burnette  Small, 
born  June  6,  1878;  David  C,  born  November  8, 
1883;  George  M.,  born  March  8,  1886;  and  James 
G.,  born  November  6,  1888.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Long- 
mire's  only  child  is  Roy  B.,  whose  birthday  was 
January  17,  1896.  Mr.  Longmire  has  the  following 
brothers  and  sisters :  Elaine,  John,  Robert,  Frank, 
Mrs.  Melissa  Rice  and  Mrs.  Martha  Conine,  living 
on  the  Sound ;  George  and  Mrs.  Tilatha  Kandle, 
living  on  the  Wenas,  and  Mrs.  Laura  A.  Longmire, 
living  in  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Longmire  is  a  mem- 
ber of  only  one  order,  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  During  his  en- 
tire life  he  has  been  a  strong  Democrat,  and  in 
1878  was  elected  county  commissioner,  in  which 
position  he  served  the  people  four  years.  He  was 
the  Democratic  nominee  for  representative  to  the 
legislature,  some  years  ago,  and  was  defeated  by 
the  narrow  margin  of  eleven  votes,  the  Republicans 
carrying  the  countv  generally  by  a  large  ma- 
jority. Aside  from  his  main  occupation  of  ranch- 
ing, Mr.  Longmire  has  done  considerable  pros- 
pecting for  minerals  on  the  headwaters  of  the 
Yakima  and  its  branches  and  also  on  the  western 
slope.  At  present  he  is  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  a  valuable  coal  deposit  on  the  headwaters 
of  the  Cowlitz  river.  This  mine  was  discovered  as 
early  as  1867  by  Mr.  Packwood  and  Mr.  Long- 
mire, but  its  inaccessibility  has  heretofore  pre- 
vented its  being  properly  opened.  But  his  pride 
is  his  magnificent  six  hundred  acre  ranch,  five 
hundred  acres  of  which  are  in  alfalfa  and  timothy 
and  the  balance  plow  land  and  building  sites,  ly- 
ing along  the  banks  of  the  Wenas  creek.     Here  he 


is  making  a  specialty  of  raising  Hereford  cattle 
and  fine  horses  and  his  herd  of  one  hundred  cattle 
and  thirty  horses  is  convincing  proof  of  his  abili- 
ties in  this  direction.  Mr.  Longmire  has  been 
among  those  progressive  stockmen  who  have  fore- 
seen the  immediate  exhaustion  of  the  open  range 
under  prevailing  conditions  and  has,  therefore,  al- 
ready purchased  four  sections  of  grazing  land  and 
contemplates  buying  a  much  larger  tract,  which, 
together  with  his  immense  hay  ranch,  will  give 
him  an  ideal  property  for  the  business  of  stock 
raising. 


HON.  WALTER  J.  REED,  a  pioneer  of  1879 
in  the  Yakima  valley,  now  engaged  in  the  real 
estate  business  in  North  Yakima,  was  born  near 
Edinburgh,  Scotland,  April  3,  1842.  He  is  the  son 
of  John  and  Isabella  (Craig)  Reed,  both  natives 
of  Scotland,  the  former  born  in  1821  and  the  lat- 
ter in  1824.  They  were  married  in  1841,  the  bride 
being  at  the  time  in  her  seventeenth  year.  She 
still  lives,  at  the  age  of  eighty,  in  Carnegie,  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pennsylvania.  Walter  J.  Reed 
was  brought  to  the  United  States  by  his  parents 
when  he  was  six  years  old.  The  family  first 
located  in  Maryland,  but  moved  in  a  short  time 
to  Ohio,  where  the  father  engaged  in  farming 
and  mining  until  1859,  when  he  again  moved  with 
his  family  to  Pennsylvania,  continuing  for  a  time 
in  his  former  occupations.  In  1861  he  enlisted 
for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  in  the  One  Hundred 
and  First  Pennsylvania  volunteers,  following  the 
fortunes  of  this  regiment  through  many  hard 
fought  campaigns  until  the  fall  of  1864,  when  he 
was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  by  the  Con- 
federates. He  died  in  Florence,  South  Carolina, 
in  November,  1864,  from  the  effects  of  his 
wounds  and  imprisonment.  Walter  J.  Reed  ob- 
tained his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Ohio  and  continued  at  home,  assisting  his  father 
on  the  farm,  until  nineteen  years  of  age,  when, 
in  August,  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Company  K,  Six- 
ty-third Pennsylvania  volunteers,  and  followed 
his  father  to  the  front.  His  regiment  belonged 
to  the  first  division  of  the  third  army  corps. 
Among  other  battles  of  less  importance,  he  took 
part  in  the  following:  Yorktown,  Williamsburg, 
Fair  Oaks,  the  Seven  Days  battle  before  Rich- 
mond, the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run,  Gettysburg, 
the  battles  of  the  Wilderness,  at  Spottsylvania, 
Cold  Harbor  and  Petersburg.  He  was  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  honorably  discharged 
from  the  service  in  August,  1864,  and  returned 
home,  where  he  engaged  in  coal  mining  until 
1877.  In  this  year,  leaving  the  region  where  his 
youth  and  early  manhood  had  been  spent,  he  im- 
migrated to  California,  where  he  followed  min- 
ing for  a  short  time  in  Shasta  countv.  He  after- 
wards spent  some  time  in  The  Dalles.  Oregon, 
as  a  contractor  and  builder,  going  from  this  point 


544 


CENTRAL      WASHINGTON. 


to  the  mining  regions  of  Grant  county,  in  the 
same  state ;  prospected  there  a  few  months  and, 
in  1879,  came  to  the  Yakima  valley.  Locating  a 
soldier's  homestead  just  south  of  the  present  city 
of  North  Yakima,  he  passed  four  years  in  farm- 
ing and  stock  raising.  In  1883  he  moved  to  what 
is  now  a  portion  of  Kittitas  county,  taking  up  a 
pre-emption  claim  where  the  town  of  Cle-Elum 
was  afterwards  built.  In  1886,  before  the  rail- 
road reached  the  location,  he  laid  out  the  town- 
site  of  Cle-Elum  and  built  the  Reed  House,  still 
the  leading  hotel  of  the  town.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year,  while  out  hunting,  in  company  with 
C.  B.  Brosious,  he  made  a  discovery  of  coal,  the 
find  resulting  in  farther  and  more  extensive  re- 
search and  in  the  eventual  opening  of  the  great 
Roslyn  and  Cle-Elum  coal  fields.  Mr.  Reed's  pre- 
emption claim  was  the  second  entry  in  that  re- 
gion. When  we  consider  the  wonderful  devel- 
opment that  has  since  taken  place  in  this  region, 
the  inestimable  value  of  this  discovery  is  appar- 
ent. When  North  Yakima  was  laid  out,  in  1885, 
Mr.  Reed  owned  forty  acres  of  land  that  was 
included  in  the  townsite  and  built  the  first  two- 
story  house  erected  in  the  city.  In  1897  he  re- 
turned from  Cle-Elum  to  his  homestead  near 
North  Yakima  and,  the  following  year,  was  ap- 
pointed register  of  the  United  States  land  office 
located  at  this  point.  He  served  in  this  capacity 
four  years.  He  has  also  served  a  like  period  as 
member  of  the  city  council. 

Mr.  Reed  was  married  in  Pittsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  September,  1864,  to  Miss  Barbara  A. 
Steiner,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Margaret  (Rob- 
bins)  Steiner.  Mrs.  Reed  was  born  in  Mercer 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  17,  1843.  Her  father 
was  the  first  white  child  born  in  what  is  now 
Mercer  county,  Pennsylvania,  the  date  of  his 
birth  being  1813.  He  was  a  farmer  and  con- 
tractor and  died  at  Cle-Elum  in  1888.  Mrs. 
Reed's  mother  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1815, 
of  Scotch  and  Welsh  parents,  they  being  pioneers 
of  that  state ;  she  died  in  Pennsylvania  in  1868. 
Mrs.  Reed  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Pennsylvania ;  she  was  twenty-one  years  old 
when  she  and  Mr.  Reed  were  married.  She  has 
two  brothers:  Theodore  Steiner,  proprietor  of 
Hotel  Reed  at  Cle-Elum,  and  Frederick,  living 
on  a  farm  near  the  same  place.  She  also  has 
one  sister,  Mrs.  Margaret  Nye,  wife  of  Colonel 
N.  C.  Nye,  of  Prineville,  Oregon,  one  of  the 
wealthiest  stockmen  in  that  part  of  the  state. 
Professor  David  C.  Reed,  superintendent  of  the 
schools  of  Redlands,  California,  is  a  brother  of 
W.  J.  Reed.  Another  brother  was  John  Reed,  a 
man  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  city  and  county, 
whose  biography  will  be  found  on  another  page  of 
this  volume.  He  died  in  1902.  Fraternally,  Walter 
J.  Reed  is  connected  with  the  Masons  and  with  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  a  commander 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  post  in  North 


Yakima.  Mr.  Reed  is  a  Republican.  He  has  ex- 
tensive real  estate  interests  in  Cle-Elum  and  in 
North  Yakima;  in  timber  and  farming  lands 
throughout  the  valley,  and  has  heavy  interests  in 
the  mines  about  Cle-Elum.  He  has  taken  a  most 
active  part  in  the  development  of  Yakima  and 
Kittitas  counties ;  he  has  been  and  still  is  a  promi- 
nent factor  in  their  progress  and  is  one  of  the 
best  known  and  most  successful  of  the  pioneers 
of  central  Washington. 


MRS.  ADDIE  REED,  now  residing  at  No. 
310  North  Selah  avenue,  North  Yakima,  has  lived 
within  the  present  boundaries  of  Yakima  county 
since  1871.  She  was  the  .wife  of  Honorable 
John  Reed  (recently  deceased),  one  of  the  hon- 
ored pioneers  of  the  county.  Mrs.  Reed  was 
born  in  Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  April  2,  1863. 
Her  father  was  Levi  Gibbs,  a  native  of  Indi- 
ana, and  a  mining  man.  He  crossed  the  Plains 
in  the  early  days  and  followed  mining  in 
Oregon  until  some  time  in  1864,  when  he  was 
murdered  near  The  Dalles,  Mrs.  Reed  being  at 
the  time  but  little  more  than  one  year  old.  Her 
mother  was  Mary  J.  (Vaughn)  Reed,  a  native 
of  Missouri,  born  December  14,  1835.  She 
crossed  the  Plains  with  her  parents  in  1846,  when 
eleven  years  old,  the  family  locating  in  Oregon. 
She  died  when  Mrs.  Reed  was  ten  years  of  age. 
Bereft  of  her  parents,  she  was  cared  for  during 
her  youth  by  her  grandparents,  who  came  with 
her  mother  to  Washington  in  1871,  locating  on 
the  Naches  river.  Her  grandfather  died  in  1882 
and  her  grandmother  in  1890.  Mrs.  Reed  re- 
ceived her  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Yakima  county.  Her  marriage  with  John  Reed 
was  solemnized  September  20,  1882.  They  lived 
on  the  Naches  for  two  years  and  in  1884  took 
up  a  pre-emption  claim,  where  the  water-works 
are  now  located.  After  a  residence  of  three  years 
on  the  pre-emption  they  moved  into  North  Yak- 
ima, remaining  here  ten  years.  Going  again  to 
the  old  homestead  taken  up  by  Mrs.  Reed's 
grandfather,  they  resided  there  one  year,  during 
which  time  the  land  was  divided  among  the  heirs. 
A  homestead  was  then' taken  in  the  Sunnyside 
district  and,  after  remaining  on  the  land  for 
eighteen  months,  they  returned  to  North  Yakima, 
where  they  made  their  home  for  two  years.  In 
1901  they  again  moved,  this  time  to  Cle-Elum, 
where  Mr.  Reed  died,  August  8,  1903.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reed  are:  Fred  R.,  born 
in  North  Yakima,  December  6,  1890,  and  William 
M.,  born  in  North  Yakima,  August  18,  1893.  One 
child,  Walter  J.,  was  born  in  North  Yakima, 
March  13,  1888,  and  died  at  the  age  of  three  years 
and  eight  months.  Mrs.  Reed  is  one  of  the  highly 
respected  pioneers  of  Yakima  county.  She  affili- 
ates with  the  Methodist  church  and  has  many 
friends  in  the  social  circles  of  the  city.     Her  hus- 


HENRY  J.    BICKNELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


545 


band,  John  Reed,  was  a  pioneer  of  1878.  He  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  son  of  John  and 
Isabella  (Craig)  Reed,  both  natives  of  Scotland. 
John  Reed,  Sr.,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1848 
and  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  belonging  to 
the  One  Hundred  and  First  Pennsylvania  volun- 
teers. He  died  in  Florence,  South  Carolina,  No- 
vember, 1864,  from  the  effects  of  confinement  in 
a  Southern  prison  and  from  wounds  received  in 
the  service.  His  wife  and  the  mother  of  the 
Yakima  county  pioneer  still  lives,  in  Carnegie, 
Pennsylvania.  John  Reed,  Jr.,  was  educated  in 
a  soldiers'  orphan  school  in  Pennsylvania  and,  as 
has  been  stated,  came  to  Yakima  county  in  1878. 
He  was  always  prominent  in  the  political  and 
industrial  progress  of  the  county  and  of  the  city 
of  North  Yakima.  He  was  at  one  time  mayor  of 
the  city  and  served  for  several  years  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  city  council.  He  was  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  being  a  Master  Mason,  and  was 
held  in  highest  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him  as 
the  possessor  of  those  sterling  qualities  of  man- 
hood so  often  revealed  by  the  pioneers  of  the 
great  Northwest. 


EARL  G.  PECK.  Earl  G.  Peck  is  the  treas- 
urer of  Yakima  county,  and  was  born  in  Sauk 
county,  Wisconsin,  June  11,  1865.  He  is  the  son  of 
Francis  N.  and  Eliza  J.  (Montgomery)  Peck, 
the  former  a  native  of  Vermont,  and  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Baraboo,  Wisconsin,  where  he  has  held 
the  office  of  register  of  deeds  for  three  consecu- 
tive terms.  Mr.  Peck's  mother  is  dead.  The  sub- 
ject attended  the  public  schools  of  Baraboo,  but 
left  his  studies  before  graduating  in  order  to 
take  up  railroad  life.  He  entered  this  work  as 
a  call  boy,  and  while  thus  engaged  he  learned 
telegraphy.  He  next  took  a  position  as  operator, 
which  vocation  he  followed  five  years.  The  next 
four  years  he  served  as  train  dispatcher.  During 
his  experience  at  the  key,  Mr.  Peck  served  in 
twenty-eight  different  offices.  In  February,  1894, 
he  came  west  and  located  a  homestead  in  the 
Naches  Gap,  which  place  he  now  has  set  out  in 
fruit  trees.  He  remained  on  this  ranch  until  Jan- 
uary, 1899,  when  he  took  a  position  as  deputy 
under  County  Treasurer  William  B.  Dudley.  He 
held  the  position  of  head  deputy  in  this  office 
under  Mr.  Dudley  for  two  terms,  when,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1903,  he  became  Mr.  Dudley's  successor  in 
office.  He  was  elected  on  the  Republican  ticket, 
and  carried  the  entire  vote  of  his  party.  Mr. 
Peck  was  married  in  Racine,  Wisconsin,  April  21, 
1890,  to  Miss  Lillian  A.  Peck,  a  native  of  Racine, 
and  the  daughter  of  Erastus  C.  and  Helen  M. 
(Sears)  Peck,  the  latter  dying  during  Mrs.  Peck's 
infancy.  The  father  was  clerk  of  Racine  county 
during;  a  period  of  sixteen  years,  and  died  in  1902. 
Mr.  Peck  has  one  brother,  Tracy  L.,  who  is  sta- 
tion agent  of  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Rail- 


way at  Dodgeville,  Wisconsin,  and  three  sisters, 
whose  names  are:  Mrs.  C.  W.  Randall,  Baraboo, 
Wisconsin ;  Mrs.  Thomas  A.  Lawson,  Chicago, 
wife  of  the  assistant  general  superintendent  of 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad,  and  Mrs. 
Lawrence  A.  Dash,  whose  husband  is  station 
agent  at  Ralph,  Iowa,  for  the  Chicago  &  North- 
western Railroad.  Mrs.  Peck  has  one  brother, 
Lewis  N.  Peck,  of  Los  Angeles,  California.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Peck  have  two  children,  Helen  A.  and 
Francis  E.,  both  at  home.  The  family  belong  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Peck  is  a 
man  of  refinement  and  sound  sense,  both  in  poli- 
tics and  in  business,  in  both  of  which  he  has  been 
eminently  successful.  He  is  a  competent  official, 
courteous  and  obliging,  standing  high,  not  only 
in  his  own  party,  but  with  the  entire  public  of 
Yakima  county,  which  admires  and  trusts  him 
almost  without  an  individual  exception. 


WILLIAM  B.  NEWCOMB.  William  B. 
Newcomb,  county  auditor  of  Yakima  county,  was 
born  in  West  Point,  Wisconsin,  December  24, 
1 87 1.  His  father  and  mother  are  J.  I.  and  Delia 
D.  (Christler)  Newcomb,  and  are  both  living  on 
a  farm  near  North  Yakima.  The  subject  has  two 
sisters,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  C.  Janeck  and  Mrs.  May 
R.  Kelso,  both  of  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Newcomb 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Lodi, 
Wisconsin,  and  after  leaving  school  he  occupied 
the  position  of  telegraph  operator  and  station 
agent  for  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railroad 
for  a  period  of  eight  years.  After  leaving  the 
road  he  came  to  North  Yakima  and  purchased  a 
fruit  farm  of  fifteen  acres  in  Fruit  Vale,  upon 
which  he  has  resided  since.  He  was  deputy  audi- 
tor for  four  years  under  E.  E.  Kelso.  In  1902  he 
was  elected  to  the  office  which  he  now  holds.  On 
June  28,  1893,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lillie  B. 
Nott,  a  native  of  the  same  place  as  is  her  hus- 
band, the  wedding  being  solemnized  at  Lodi, 
Wisconsin.  Mrs.  Newcomb  is  the  daughter  of 
W.  S.  and  Josephine  (Green)  Nott,  both  of  whom 
are  living  in  the  town  in  which  Mrs.  Newcomb 
was  married.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newcomb  have 
been  born  two  children  :  Wallace  R.,  born  De- 
cember 10,  1898,  and  Vera  M„  born  during  Octo- 
ber, 1901.  Mr.  Newcomb  is  a  rn.ember  in  good 
standing  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men fraternity.  He  is  regarded  as  an  efficient 
and  obliging  official,  and  his  general  standing  in 
his  county  is  of  the  highest. 


HEXRY  J.  BICKXELL.  Among  the  Yak- 
ima county  pioneers  who  have  taken  an  active 
part  in  the  development  of  that  most  wonderful 
country,  and  who  in  passing  from  the  scenes  of 
life  will  have  left  the  marks  of  their  energy  and 
enterprise  stamped  indelibly  upon  the  surface  of 


546 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


that  goodly  land  for  the  contemplation  and  grati- 
tude of  coming  generations,  few  take  higher  rank 
than  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Born  in  Penob- 
scott,  Maine,  on  the  rock-ribbed  Atlantic  coast, 
where  thrift  and  hardiness  are  indispensable  to 
even  a  meager  success  in  the  common  vocations 
of  life,  and  these  conditions  in  his  case  being  ac- 
centuated by  the  death  of  his  father  when  he  had 
reached  the  age  of  twelve  years  and  was  called 
upon  to  take  an  active  part  in  winning  a  living 
for  the  family  upon  the  farm,  the  lessons  learned 
in  this  early  school  of  experience  have  stayed 
with  him  all  through  after  life.  Henry  Bicknell, 
his  father,  was  a  Vermonter,  born  November  2, 
1798,  and  came  of  the  old  Puritan  blood  that 
crossed  the  ocean  in  the  Mayflower.  His  mother, 
Betsie  (Foster)  Bicknell,  came  of  English  an- 
cestry and  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island.  In  1851, 
when  subject  was  but  seventeen,  his  mother  mar- 
ried again,  and  he  started  out  in  life  for  himself, 
working  at  whatever  he  could  find  to  do.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  took  passage  on  a  sailing  ves- 
sel bound  for  California,  via  the  Cape  Horn  route, 
landed  at  San  Francisco  six  months  later,  in  the 
spring  of  1853,  and  went  to  work  in  a  sawmill. 
He  followed  lumbering  at  Redwood  City  five 
years,  then  returned  to  Maine,  via  Panama,  and 
after  a  brief  visit  located  in  Illinois,  where  he 
bought  a  place  and  farmed,  later  engaging  in  mer- 
chandizing at  Petersburg,  Illinois,  and  still  later 
in  the  wholesale  liquor  business  in  Jacksonville. 
The  next  five  years  were  spent  in  the  lumbering 
business,  in  California,  then  one  year  in  Maine, 
when  he  again  returned  to  California  and 
launched  out  in  a  mining  project,  which, 
through  the  dishonesty  of  a  trusted  friend,  swept 
all  of  his  capital  away  at  one  stroke.  After  a  few 
years  more,  spent  in  California  and  Oregon,  he 
came  to  Parker's  Bottom,  Washington,  and 
bought  the  right  to  a  tract  of  land,  which  he  at 
once  began  to  improve,  being  the  first  one  to  get 
water  upon  the  bench  land  of  that  bottom,  in 
1883,  two  years  after  his  arrival  in  the  country. 
He  was  chosen  president  of  the  irrigation  com- 
pany organized  at  that  time  for  the  purpose  of 
irrigating  the  valley.  He  at  once  set  out  a  small 
orchard,  consisting  of  apples,  peaches  and  pears, 
and  demonstrated  the  adaptability  of  climate 
and  soil  to  fruit  raising;  from  this  early  be- 
ginning has  sprung  the  now  famous  Sunny- 
side  country.  He  sold  this  original  homestead 
in  1895  for  twenty-two  thousand  dollars.  Mr. 
Bicknell  had  three  brothers  and  one  sister, 
of  whom  two,  James  and  Stephen,  are  still  living. 
Politically,  he  is  an  avowed  Republican,  and 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  political  campaigns  and 
the  success  of  his  party.  He  is  interested  in  some 
fifteen  hundred  acres  of  improved  and  raw  lands 
in  the  county,  as  well  as  in  the  new  coal  fields 
which  have  been  discovered  in  the  vicinity.  As 
a  citizen  and  neighbor  none  rank  higher. 


ARCHIE  L.  FLINT,  merchant  at  North 
Yakima,  is  an  1869  pioneer  in  Yakima  county, 
and  the  blood  of  pioneer  ancestors  flows  in  his 
veins.  His  father,  Isaac  A.  Flint,  who  came  of 
the  hardy  and  indefatigable  Scotch  and  Welsh 
stock,  left  his  home  in  New  York  in  a  very  early 
day  and  went  as  a  pioneer  into  Wisconsin,  and 
later  to  Missouri,  from  which  state  he  crossed 
the  Plains  to  California  in  1845,  and  a  ^ew  months 
later  crossed  the  line  into  Oregon,  where  he  took 
up  land.  He,  with  a  party,  explored  the  Sound 
country,  and  later,  in  1849,  went  to  the  California 
gold  fields.  He  then  returned  to  the  states,  via 
the  Isthmus,  and  in  1853  again  crossed  the  Plains 
to  Oregon,  settling  this  time  in  Douglas  county, 
where  he  remained  for  years  and  reared  his  fam- 
ily. He  was  a  Christian  minister,  and  founded 
the  first  Christian  church  in  North  Yakima.  He 
gave  many  years  of  his  life  to  the  ministry,  and 
was  esteemed  for  his  many  good  qualities  by  all 
who  knew  him.  His  wife,  Emeline  L.  (Phinney) 
Flint,  was  of  English  ancestry  and  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Sir  John  Hollister.  Subject  received 
his  education  in  the  Portland  high  school  and  in 
Monmouth  college.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
went  to  work  for  his  brother  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness, investing  his  earnings  in  cattle.  At  the  end 
of  five  years  he  and  his  father  engaged  in  stock 
raising  together,  he  making  his  home  with  his 
parents  and  looking  after  the  cattle  on  the  range. 
The  severe  winter  of  1880-81  swept  away  at  one 
fell  swoop  two-thirds  of  their  herd,  and  he  then 
sold  the  remainder  and  engaged  in  merchandizing 
in  Yakima  City.  After  two  yearsi  he  sold  and 
ran  a  planing  mill  for  two  years,  then  went  to 
railroading  with  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  which  he  followed*  for  eight  years.  In 
1894  he  returned  to  North  Yakima,  and  in  1896 
was  appointed  deputy  county  auditor,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  for  two  years.  In  1899  the 
North  Yakima  Furniture  Company  was  incor- 
porated, of  which  he  is  the  secretary  and  treas- 
urer, as  well  as  stockholder  and  one  of  the  active 
managers  of  the  business.  He  was  married  in 
Yakima  City  in  1882,  to  Clara  Wright,  whose 
birth  place  was  Oregon,  where  she  made  her  ad- 
vent into  this  world  in  1856,  and  where  she  was 
educated  and  learned  dressmaking.  Her  father 
is  one  of  the  early  Oregon  pioneers,  in  which 
state  he  still  lives  and  farms.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flint 
have  two  children,  Alda  and  Avera  L.  They  were 
both  born  in  North  Yakima,  the  former  on  July 
25,  1883,  and  the  latter  on  October  4,  1886,  and 
will  both  soon  complete  the  high  school  course. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Flint  is  connected  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  is 
at  present  vice-grand ;  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  He  is 
an  active  member  of  the  Christian  church.  Polit- 
ically, he  is  a  Republican.     He  is  recognized  by 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


547 


all  who  know  him  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  of 
many  sterling  qualities. 


JOHN  C.  MACCRIMMON,  a  Yakima  county 
pioneer  of  1883,  and  a  resident  of  North  Yakima 
since  its  infancy,  where  he  has  engaged  in  various 
lines  of  business,  merchandizing,  real  estate  and 
loans,  is  a  native  of  Scotland,  in  which  country 
he  was  born  February  11,  1848.  His  parents,  Neil 
and  Mary  (Campbell)  MacCrimmon,  were  both 
natives  of  Scotland,  where  they  were  born  re- 
spectively in  1809  and  1812,  and  where  they  both 
died.  His  father  was  a  commission  man.  Sub- 
ject received  his  early  education  in  Glasgow,  and 
later  took  a  course  of  study  in  the  United  States. 
At  the  age  of  thirteen  he  took  passage  for  the 
United  States  via  South  America,  arriving  in 
California  in  December,  1861.  He  lived  the  first 
year  in  the  new  country  with  a  Mr.  Handley, 
later  working  on  a  milk  ranch,  and  then  holding 
the  position  of  clerk  in  a  San  Francisco  store 
for  a  year.  After  an  eight  months'  course 
in  school,  he  went  to  Victoria,  British  Colum- 
bia, and  held  the  position  of  express  mes- 
senger for  Wells,  Fargo  &  Company  for 
three  years,  and  after  trying  a  season  in  the 
Cariboo  mines,  went  to  Portland,  Oregon. 
He  there  engaged  in  merchandizing,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  some  nine  years,  and  again  sought  the 
British  Columbia  mines,  and  for  three  years 
wooed  the  goddess  of  fortune  with  varying  suc- 
cess. He  next  spent  a  year  at  Victoria  and  a 
brief  period  at  Portland,  and  brought  up  at  The 
Dalles,  where  he  shortly  engaged  in  railroad 
work,  holding  the  position  of  superintendent  of 
construction  on  the  Cascade  branch  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad,  then  building,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  four  years,  and  by  means  of  which 
he  finally  landed  in  Yakima  county  in  1883.  In 
1884  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Yakima 
City,  but  resigned  the  office  the  next  year  to 
move  to  the  new  town  of  North  Yakima.  Here 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Matt  Bartholett, 
in  the  general  merchandizing  business,  which  he 
followed  until  1888,  when  he  sold  out  and  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  and  loan  business,  with 
J.  H.  Needham.  He  continued  this  partnership 
for  eight  years,  when  he  again  tried  merchandiz- 
ing for  a  brief  time.  But  in  a  few  months  he 
once  more  took  up  the  real  estate  and  loan  busi- 
ness, which  he  has  since  followed  without  cessa- 
tion. Mr.  MacCrimmon's  brothers  and  sisters 
are:  Norman,  Angus,  Donald,  Margaret  and  Will- 
iam. He  was  married  in  Portland,  Oregon,  in 
1886,  to  Fannie  Klippel,  who  died  a  few  months 
later.  He  was  married  the  second  time  in  1887 
to  Martha  Needham,  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born 
October  17,  i860.  She  was  a  teacher  a  number 
of  years,  having  taught  in  her  native  state  and 
also  in  the  schools  of  Yakima.     Her  father  was 


a  native  of  Vermont,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Wis- 
consin, where  he  settled  in  1855.  His  name  was 
John  C,  and  the  mother's,  Marcia  (Munger) 
Needham.  She  was  a  native  of  New  York  and 
a  school  teacher.  Subject's  children  are :  Nannie 
M.,  Lillian  S.,  John  M.  (deceased),  Myrtle  E., 
Donald  H.  and  Margaret  B.  (deceased).  So- 
cially, Mr.  MacCrimmon  is  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  has  the 
distinction  of  having  represented  that  order  four 
times  as  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge.  His  re- 
ligious connection  is  with  the  Christian  church. 
He  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has  held  the 
office  of  justice  of  the  peace  two  terms.  He  or- 
ganized the  first  company  (Company  E)  of  the 
National  Guard  in  the  state,  and  was  elected 
captain  of  the  same. 


SYLVIUS  A.  DICKEY,  superintendent  of 
public  instruction  in  Yakima  county,  Washing- 
ton, is  a  native  of  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  1858.  His  father  was  a  Pennsylvania 
farmer,  Archibald  Dickey,  of  Scotch-Irish  de- 
scent, a  pioneer  of  western  Pennsylvania,  born 
in  1822  and  passed  away  in  1897.  The  father's 
grandfather  was  a  native  of  Ireland.  The  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  article  was  Jane  (Cross) 
Dickey,  born  in  western  Pennsylvania  of  Ameri- 
can parents  in  1822.  She  died  in  1871.  Sylvius 
A.  Dickey  spent  his  youth  and  early  manhood  in 
Pennsylvania,  assisting  his  father  on  the  farm 
and  attending  school.  After  a  course  of  study  in 
Grove  City  college  he  began  his  career  as  a 
teacher.  In  1883  he  came  West,  locating  first  at 
Seattle,  and  for  sixteen  years  engaged  in  school 
work  in  various  localities  on  the  Sound.  For 
four  years  he  was  superintendent  of  public  in- 
struction in  Kitsap  county ;  he  also,  during  his 
residence  there,  served  several  terms  as  justice 
of  the  peace,  and  for  two  years  occupied  the  edi- 
torial chair  on  the  Washington  Post-Sentinel. 
In  1889  he  represented  the  Eighteenth  district  in 
the  convention  which  framed  the  constitution  of 
jhhe  state  of  Washington.  Coming  to  Yakima 
county  in  1898,  he  settled  in  Parker's  Bottom  and 
engaged  in  teaching.  In  recognition  of  his  prac- 
tical knowledge,  of  his  executive  ability  and  of 
his  success  as  a  teacher,  he  was  elected  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction  in  Yakima  county 
in  1900,  and  re-elected  in  1902.  In  the  matter  of 
organization  and  in  the  grading  of  the  schools 
he  has  been  remarkably  successful  and  all  his 
work  as  superintendent  has  been  eminently  satis- 
factory. He  is  regarded  as  the  right  man  in  the 
right  position.  In  T889  Mr.  Dickey  was  married 
to  Mrs.  Alma  (Hill)  Banker,  a  native  of  New 
York  and  a  daughter  of  Walton  and  Sarah 
(Hose)  Hill,  both  natives  of  New  York,  the  for- 
mer an  architect.  Mr.  Dickey  has  four  brothers 
and  one   sister  in    Pennsylvania.     There   is   one 


548 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


child,  Archie  Earl,  thirteen  years  old.  Mr. 
Dickey  holds  membership  in  the  Knights  of 
Pvthias  and  in  the  Maccabees.  Husband  and 
wife  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
Mr.  Dickey  has  always  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  councils  of  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
been  successful  in  a  business  way  and  owns  one 
of  the  best  farms  in  the  valley.  He  is  known  as 
one  of  the  most  successful  educators  in  central 
Washington,  and  is  highly  esteemed  throughout 
Yakima  county,  where  his  sterling  qualities  as  a 
man  and  his  professional  capabilities  are  well- 
known  and  thoroughly  appreciated. 


HENRY  GREEN,  M.  D.  One  of  the  most 
successful  practicing  physicians  and  surgeons 
of  North  Yakima  is  Doctor  Henry  Green,  who 
was  born  in  Dover,  England,  in  1823.  His 
parents  were  John  Kester  and  Sarah  (McLaugh- 
lin) Green,  both  natives  of  Ireland.  His  father 
was  a  physician  and  a  professor.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  and  was  a  man  of 
prominence  and  of  scholarly  attainments.  After 
coming  to  the  United  States  he  occupied  a  chair 
in  the  medical  school  of  the  Washington  uni- 
versity in  Baltimore,  Maryland.  Doctor  Green 
was  born  while  his  parents  were  visiting  in 
England,  they  having  resided  in  the  United 
States  for  a  number  of  years  prior  to  his  birth. 
Returning  to  this  country  with  his  parents  when 
but  a  few  months  old,  his  early  life  was  spent  on 
a  plantation  owned  by  his  father  near  Richmond, 
Virginia.  His  earl)'  education  was  obtained  in  a 
select  school  at  home.  He  afterwards  attended 
the  Christian  Brothers'  college  at  Richmond,  and 
continued  his  studies  in  the  university  at  Balti- 
more, being  graduated  from  the  law  department. 
He  eventually  decided,  however,  to  follow  his 
father's  profession,  and  in  1847  entered  the  Orian 
Medical  School  at  Cape  Town,  Africa,  from 
which  he  was  graduated.  He  continued  his 
studies  later  in  Port  Elizabeth,  afterwards  spend- 
ing some  time  in  study  and  travel  in  England. 
Entering  the  English  navy,  he  served  two  years 
as  assistant  under  Surgeon  Sage,  in  the  mean- 
while visiting  the  ports  of  China  and  other  for- 
eign countries.  In  1859  ne  returned  to  the  United 
States,  and  for  a  time  traveled  over  the  Southern 
states.  He  was  at  Charleston,  South  Carolina, 
when  the  first  shot  of  the  Rebellion  was  fired  at 
Fort  Sumter,  and  from  this  time  until  the  close 
of  the  war  served  as  a  surgeon  in  the  Southern 
army.  He  was  twice  wounded  and  twice  taken 
prisoner.  After  the  war  he  practiced  his  profes- 
sion in  St.  Louis,  Missouri;  Oakland,  California; 
Corvallis,  Oregon  ;  Goldendale,  Tacoma  and  Cen- 
tralia,  Washington.  He  was  elected  to  the  Ore- 
gon legislature  from  Benton  county,  where  he  re- 
sided six  years.  He  first  visited  North  Yakima 
as  a  delegate  from  Thurston  county  to  the  state 


Democratic  convention  and  was  so  pleased  with 
the  city  that  he  determined  to  locate  here,  and 
became  a  permanent  resident  in  1895.  Doctor 
Green  was  married  in  Iowa  in  1866  to  Miss 
Lodency  Whitcomb,  a  native  of  Indiana  and  the 
daughter  of  A.  J.  Whitcomb,  a  merchant  and  a 
native  of  Wales.  One  son,  Rev.  Leon  D.  Green, 
is  a  Christian  minister  of  Eugene,  Oregon.  The 
second  son,  Earl,  resides  with  his  parents.  The 
wife  and  younger  son  commune  with  the  Baptist 
church.  Fraternally,  the  Doctor  is  connected 
with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is 
a  Democrat  and  takes  a  keen  interest  in  the  suc- 
cess of  his  party.  He  owns  a  grain  ranch  in  the 
valley  and  a  twenty-acre  tract  near  the  city. 
Doctor  Green  is  a  man  of  generous  impulses  and 
is  possessed  of  those  sterling  qualities  that  in- 
evitably lead  to  success. 


HONORABLE  ANDREW  JACKSON 
SPLAWN.  Prominent  among  those  who  have 
been  actively  associated  with  the  political  and  in- 
dustrial development  of  central  Washington  is 
Andrew  Jackson  Splawn,  a  pioneer  of  1862.  His 
birthplace  was  Holt  county,  Missouri,  and  the 
year,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Nancy 
(AIcHaney)  Splawn;  his  father  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky and  his  mother  of  Virginia.  John  Splawn 
removed  from  Kentucky  early  in  the  century  to 
become  a  pioneer  of  northwest  Missouri,  where 
he  died  in  1848,  in  his  thirty-eighth  year.  The 
mother,  Nancy  Splawn,  who  still  lives,  in  her 
ninetieth  year,  at  Ellensburg,  Washington,  has 
led  an  exceptionally  useful  and  busy  life,  most  of 
her  years  having  been  spent  on  the  frontier.  A 
pioneer  of  Missouri,  three  years  after  the  death  of 
her  husband,  or  in  1851,  she  started  across  the 
Plains  with  ox  teams,  accompanied  only  by  her 
five  sons,  Charles,  George,  William,  Moses  and 
Andrew  Jackson,  the  oldest  being  but  twenty  and 
the  youngest,  the  subject  of  this  biography,  being 
in  his  sixth  year.  After  having  courageously  en- 
dured the  severe  trials  and  fortunately  escaped 
the  many  dangers  of  this  long  journey,  she  even- 
tually settled  with  her  family  in  Linn  county, 
Oregon,  where  a  homestead  was  taken  up,  which, 
for  a  number  of  years,  remained  the  family  home. 
Here,  during  his  youth  and  early  manhood,  Mr. 
Splawn  was  variously  occupied,  in  farming  and 
caring  for  stock,  and,  in  the  schools  of  his  home 
county  and  those  of  Corvallis,  receiving  his  edu- 
cation. Leaving  Oregon  in  i860,  he  assisted  his 
brother  Charles  in  driving  a  band  of  cattle  into 
Klickitat  county,  Washington,  and  in  1861  came 
over  the  divide  into  the  Yakima  valley.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  he  started  with  Major  John 
Thorp  to  British  Columbia,  driving  cattle  to  the 
Thompson  river,  where  they  spent  the  winter. 
In   1862  the  cattle  were  driven    to    the  Cariboo 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


549 


mines,  British  Columbia,  and  in  the  fall  of  this 
year  Mr.  Splawn  returned  to  the  Yakima  valley, 
wintering  on  the  Moxee.  Returning  to  Oregon, 
he  operated  pack-trains  between  The  Dalles  and 
Canyon  City,  from  The  Dalles  to  Boise  basin, 
and  from  The  Dalles  to  Rock  Island,  near  the 
present  site  of  Wenatchee.  He  also  made  one 
trip  with  a  pack-train  of  forty  horses  from  The 
Dalles  to  the  Cariboo  mines,  a  distance  of  1,000 
miles.  In  1865,  with  Captain  Barnes,  he  drove 
cattle  from  the  Yakima  valley,  via  Lewiston  and 
the  Salmon  river  country,  into  Boise  basin,  re- 
turning to  winter  again  in  the  Moxee  valley.  An- 
other drive  was  made  from  Klickitat  county  to 
"Warren's  diggings,"  Idaho,  and  still  another, 
with  Leonard  Thorp,  in  1866;  this  time  from 
Klickitat  county  via  Spokane  to  the  Kootenay 
(British  Columbia)  mines ;  thence  to  the  mines 
of  Blackfoot  mountain,  Montana.  In  1868  Mr. 
Splawn  bought  cattle  in  the  Yakima  valley  and 
drove  them  to  the  mining  regions  of  Thompson 
river,  British  Columbia.  The  years  1867-68-69 
were  spent  in  the  Yakima  valley,  buying  and  sell- 
ing cattle ;  as  a  rule  the  sales  being  made  to  pur- 
chasers who  were  driving  to  the  Puget  Sound 
country.  In  1870  a  store  or  trading  post  was 
established  by  Mr.  Splawn  on  the  present  site  of 
Ellensburg,  Kittitas  county,  the  same  being  sold 
in  1872  to  John  A.  Shoudy.  From  that  date  to 
the  present  time  he  has  continued  in  the  stock 
business,  and,  although  he  has  experienced  re- 
verses, having  lost  at  one  time,  in  the  severe  win- 
ter of  1880-81,  his  entire  band  of  seven  hundred 
cattle,  he  is  one  of  the  most  successful  stockmen 
in  the  county.  He  is  widely  known  as  a  breeder  of 
Herefords,  and  in  the  fall  of  1903  took  first  and 
second  prizes  at  the  Washington  State  fair  held 
at  North  Yakima,  the  Oregon  State  fair  at 
Salem,  and  the  Inland  Empire  fair  at  Spokane. 
He  has  for  several  years  been  president  of  the 
state  fair  association.  Although  his  interests  are 
largely  in  stock,  he  has  invested  heavily  in  other 
directions.  In  addition  to  some  undeveloped 
mining  property,  he  owns  three  thousand  acres  of 
land,  eight  hundred  acres  under  irrigation,  sown 
largely  to  alfalfa,  timothy  and  clover;  the  balance 
pasture  lands. 

Mr.  Splawn  was  married  in  the  Moxee  valley 
in  1872  to  Miss  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Martin  and 
Bridget  (Downs)  Daverin,  the  father  a  native  of 
Ireland,  who  came  to  Washington  in  1872.  Mrs. 
Splawn  was  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  where  she 
was  educated.  She  died  in  1894.  One  child  born 
to  this  union  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Splawn  was 
again  married  in  Ellensburg  in  1897  to  Miss  Mar- 
garet Larson,  daughter  of  John  H.  and  Hettie 
(Tilton)  Larson.  Mr.  Larson  came  to  Oregon 
in  the  seventies  and  located  in  Tillamook  county. 
He  was  afterwards  engaged  in  business  for  some 
time  in  The  Dalles,  coming  from  there  in  1880 
and  taking  up  a  claim  in  the  Yakima  valley.     He 


eventually  returned  to  The  Dalles.  Mrs.  Splawn 
was  born  in  Kansas  in  1873,  came  west  with  her 
parents  and  was  educated  in  a  convent  school  in 
The  Dalles.  For  six  years  she  taught  school  in 
Yakima  county.  Mrs.  Splawn  has  brothers  and 
sisters  as  follows :  William  Larson,  of  North 
Yakima ;  Lawrence  and  Bert  B.,  living  in  the 
Cowiche  valley,  and  Minnie  B.,  a  teacher  in  the 
schools  of  North  Yakima.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Splawn 
have  one  son,  Andrew  Jackson,  Jr.,  born  in  1899. 
Mr.  Splawn  is  an  active  and  an  influential  Demo- 
crat, a  leader  both  in  local  and  state  politics.  He 
is  at  present  state  senator  from  Yakima  county, 
elected  in  1902.  In  political  and  business  circles, 
he  is  one  of  the  best  known  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
Yakima  valley  and  of  central  Washington.  No 
one  has  been  more  closely  or  more  actively  asso- 
ciated with  the  political  history  and  the  indus- 
trial development  of  this  portion  of  the  North- 
west than  has  Senator  Splawn,  and  in  the  record 
of  events  which  constitute  the  history  of  central 
Washington  he  must  ever  be  accorded  the  promi- 
nence to  which  long  years  of  active  participation 
in  the  progress  of  this  section  entitles  him. 


LEONARD  LUTHER  THORP,  a  pioneer  of 
1858  in  Klickitat  county  and  a  pioneer  of  i860  in 
the  valley  of  the  Yakima,  was  born  in  Polk  county, 
Oregon,  near  the  town  of  Independence,  October 
16,  1845.  He  is  the  son  of  Fielding  Mortimer  and 
Margaret  (Bounds)  Thorp.  His  father  was  born 
in  Kentucky  in  1822  and  during  a  life  of  seventy- 
two  years  was  always  to  be  found  among  the  fore- 
most of  the  trail  blazers  along  the  ever  receding 
frontier.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Tennessee 
and  was  born  near  the  old  home  of  General  Jack- 
son. She  died  at  the  home  in  Kittitas  valley  in  1888. 
The  parents  of  Leonard  L.  Thorp  were  pioneers  of 
Oregon  as  well  as  of  Washington,  having  crossed 
the  Plains  and  settled  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  in 
1844,  nine  years  before  Washington  became  a  ter- 
ritory. In  1858,  the  family,  consisting  of  father, 
mother  and  nine  children,  removed  from  Oregon 
and  settled  in  the  Klickitat  valley,  on  the  lands  that 
afterwards  became  the  site  of  Goldendale.  A  por- 
tion of  this  townsite  was  used  for  some  time  as  a 
calf  pasture  by  Mr.  Thorp.  During  his  residence 
in  this  country  the  old  pioneer  was  successful  in 
securing  the  formation  of  Klickitat  county,  becom- 
ing its  first  probate  judge.  But  the  march  of  civil- 
ization drove  him  onward  and,  in  1861,  he  left  the 
Klickitat  home  and  settled  in  the  Moxee  valley,  near 
what  is  now  known  as  the  "Old  Moxee"  house,  at 
the  edge  of  the  bluff  near  the  big  spring,  becoming 
the  first  permanent  settler  in  Yakima  county  and 
also  its  political  father.  The  household  reached  this 
destination  February  15,  1861,  but  previously,  in 
the  fall  of  1860,  the  father  and  two  of  his  sons  drove 
two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  cattle  and  sixty  horses 
into  the  valley  and  wintered  there.     In  the  spring 


55° 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


a  cabin  was  built  of  Cottonwood  and  a  garden  made 
in  the  bottom  lands.  At  this  time,  the  open  lands 
being  covered  with  rye-grass  from  four  to  six  feet 
tall,  they  were  of  little  value  except  for  grazing  pur- 
poses, as  the  pioneer,  with  his  crude  implements, 
could  accomplish  but  little  in  converting  the  prime- 
val plains  into  grain  fields  and  orchards.  But  here 
the  live  stock  thrived  and  each  year  there  were  ad- 
ditions to  the  acreage  devoted  to  farming  purposes. 
This  valley  remained  the  home  of  Mortimer  Thorp 
until  1 868,  when  he  again  moved  toward  the  frontier, 
taking  up  land  on  Tanum  creek,  Kittitas  county, 
improving  the  same  and  making  it  his  home  until 
his  death  in  1894.  Leonard  Thorp  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  county 
in  Oregon  and  also  received  instruction  from  a  pri- 
vate tutor  in  both  Kittitas  and  Yakima  counties. 
After  reaching  his  majority  he  engaged  in  ranching 
for  himself,  taking  up  land  in  the  Selah  valley  in 
1870. 

He  was  married  on  the  Moxee,  in  1869,  to  Miss 
Philena  Henson,  daughter  of  Alfred  and  Martha 
(Bounds)  Henson,  also  among  the  earliest  of  Yaki- 
ma's pioneers,  having  first  come  to  the  Yakima  val- 
ley in  1861.  Their  children  are:  Mrs.  Eva  Brown, 
born  in  the  valley  in  1872,  now  living  in  Tacoma ; 
Dale  Owen,  born  in  Selah  valley,  1874,  and  Mar- 
garet, born  in  Selah  valley,  1880.  One  daughter, 
Mrs.  Martha  Young,  was  born  in  1870,  and  died 
during  October,  1900.  Mr.  Thorp  has  one  brother, 
Willis  W.j  of  Seattle,  and  three  sisters :  Melissa  F., 
wife  of  Charles  Splawn,  of  Thorp ;  Mrs.  Julia  Olive 
Smith,  a  resident  of  King  county,  Washington,  and 
Adelia  E.  Thorp,  of  Alberta,  British  Columbia.  His 
life  has  been  spent  in  ranching  and  stock  raising. 
Since  coming  to  the  Yakima  country  he  has  lived 
successively  in  the  Moxee.  Selah  and  Yakima  valleys, 
removing  to  North  Yakima  only  in  recent  years.  He 
is  one  of  the  successful  and  highly  esteemed  pioneers 
of  the  county,  has  been  closely  identified  with  its 
industrial  development  and  has  always  been  active 
in  its  general  progress.  Although  he  has  never  been 
an  office  seeker  in  the  general  acceptation  of  that 
term,  he  served  the  county  as  assessor  from  1871  to 
1873  and  also  served  an  unexpired  term  of  Charles 
P.  Cooke,  in  the  auditor's  office.  He  is  now  vice- 
president  of  the  Yakima  National  Bank,  of  North 
Yakima.  Mr.  Thorp  is  one  of  the  best  known  and 
most  reliable  pioneers  of  Yakima  county,  and  indeed 
of  central  Washington. 


CAPTAIN  ROBERT  DUNN,  a  pioneer  of 
1876  in  Yakima  county,  residing  in  Parker  Bottom, 
five  miles  north  and  three  east  of  Toppenish,  is  a 
native  of  Scotland,  born  near  Glasgow  in  1837.  He 
is  the  son  of  Robert  and  Isabel  (Shanks)  Dunn, 
who  died  in  Scotland,  the  land  of  their  nativity.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  and  stockman ;  the  mother,  who 
lived  to  be  eighty-seven  years  old,  died  within  two 
miles  of  the  place  of  her  birth  ;  she  was  the  mother 


of  thirteen  children.  The  son  Robert  remained  in 
his  native  country  until  his  eighteenth  year,  attend- 
ing school  and  working  on  his  father's  farm.  In 
1854  he  left  Scotland  to  seek  his  fortune  on  the 
western  continent,  going  first  to  Canada,  where  his 
grandmother  was  living,  and  remaining  there  for 
three  months.  Thence  he  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri, where  he  was  variously  occupied  for  about 
one  year,  when  he  enlisted  (1855)  in  the  Second 
United  States  regular  cavalry,  with  which  regiment 
he  served  for  five  years,  being  discharged  at  Ring- 
gold, Texas,  in  i860.  Going  to  New  Orleans  on  his 
way  North,  he  was  there  made  the  victim  of  con- 
scription by  the  Confederate  authorities  and  forced 
into  the  Southern  army.  He  managed  to  escape, 
however,  taking  passage  on  the  steamer  J.  C.  Swon, 
the  last  boat  to  leave  the  South  for  Northern  points 
before  the  beginning  of  hostilities,  and  went  to  St. 
Louis.  Here  he  again  enlisted,  this  time  in  Battery 
H,  Fifth  United  States  artillery  with  which  he 
served  for  two  years,  participating  in  the  battles  of 
Corinth,  Stone  River,  Shiloh,  the  siege  of  Vicks- 
burg,  and  others.  In  the  last  named  engagement 
he  was  severely  wounded.  He  was  afterwards 
transferred  to  a  colored  regiment  and  made  cap- 
tain of  Company  E,  Eighth  United  States  colored 
artillery,  serving  with  this  command  until  the 
close  of  the  war,  campaigning  principally  in  the 
states  of  Kentucky,  Virginia  and  Texas.  He  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky. 

April  6,  1865,  he  was  married  in  Paducah, 
Kentucky,  to  Miss  Annie  M.  Curry,  daughter  of 
James  Curry,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  Miss 
Curry  was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Both  parents 
died  when  she  was  an  infant,  and  she  was 
adopted  and  raised  by  an  uncle  who  lived  in  Ken- 
tucky, where  she  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools,  and  where  she  met  and  married  Captain 
Dunn  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  In  1866  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dunn  left  Kentucky  for  Missouri,  where  Mr. 
Dunn  farmed  for  ten  years.  At  the  end  of  this 
time,  1876,  they  made  the  overland  trip  across 
the  Plains  to  Washington,  the  journey  at  the  time 
being  extremely  hazardous  on  account  of  the 
activity  of  the  hostile  Indians  of  the  West  and 
Northwest;  they' were  in  the  midst  of  their  jour- 
ney with  their  six  children  at  the  time  of  the  Cus- 
ter massacre.  Arriving  in  Washington,  they  set- 
tled in  Parker  Bottom,  taking  up  first  a  soldier's 
homestead,  then  a  timber  claim  and  a  desert 
claim  and  later  purchasing  some  adjoining  lands. 
Mr.  Dunn  is  now  farming  four  hundred  acres,  of 
which  two  hundred  acres  are  in  alfalfa,  fifty-two 
acres  in  hops,  ten  acres  in  orchard  and  the  bal- 
ance in  pasture.  He  also  raises  blooded  stock; 
has  thirteen  registered  Shorthorn  cattle,  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  graded  cattle,  fourteen  head  of 
horses  and  two  hundred  hogs.  In  1903  he  raised 
fifty-two  and  one-half  tons  of  hops.  Excellent 
business     ability,     perseverance     and     progressive 


DANIEL   A.    McDONALD. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


55i 


methods  have  enabled  him  to  transform  this  tract 
of  primitive  arid  land  into  an  ideal  home  and  one 
of  the  most  valuable  farms  in  the  Yakima  valley. 
In  1889  Air.  Dunn  was  appointed  postmaster  at 
North  Yakima;  he  moved  his  family  there, 
bought  property  and  built  a  home  and  conducted 
the  office  in  a  most  satisfactory  manner  for  five 
years,  at  the  end  of  this  period  moving  back  to 
the  farm,  where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside. 
Seven  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dunn;  their  names  follow:  Ella,  the  wife  of 
Daniel  McDonald,  of  Parker  Bottom,  born  in 
Kentucky,  1866;  Isabel  (deceased),  formerly  the 
wife  of  Thomas  Redmon,  born  in  1868;  Annie, 
wife  of  W.  F.  Morgan,  living  on  Knob  Hill,  four 
miles  west  of  North  Yakima,  born  in  1870;  Mag- 
gie, wife  of  Charles  McAllister,  of  North  Yakima, 
born  in  1872;  Thisia,  wife  of  C.  A.  Peters,  of 
Rossland,  British  Columbia,  born  in  1874;  Mrs. 
Lulu  McKee,  of  Parker  Bottom,  born  in  1876. 
The  five  daughters  last  named  were  born  in  Mis- 
souri. The  eldest  son,  Adam  D.  Dunn,  born  in 
1878,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Parker 
Bottom,  where  he  still  resides,  engaged  in  thor- 
oughbred stock  raising;  he  is  a  graduate  of  the 
Agricultural  college  at  Pullman.  The  youngest 
•son,  George  Dunn,  now  engaged  in  hop  growing 
in  Parker  Bottom,  was  born  in  Yakima  county  in 
1880;  he  has  also  taken  a  course  in  the  Pullman 
college.  Mrs.  Dunn  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  Mr.  Dunn  is  a  prominent  fra- 
ternity man,  being  connected  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic,  the  Royal  Arch  Masons, 
the  Elks  and  the  Loyal  Legion.  Politically,  he 
is  a  stanch  Republican ;  has  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  in  Parker  Bottom  for  the  past  ten 
years,  and  in  1902  was  elected  to  the  state  legis- 
lature as  the  candidate  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  has  discharged  the  duties  of  legislator  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  his  constituents.  As  a  pio- 
neer of  the  county,  as  one  of  its  most  successful 
farmers,  as  a  man  of  strictest  integrity,  honored 
and  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him,  no  one  is 
more  justly  entitled  to  a  place  of  honor  in  a  work 
of  this  character  than  is  Captain  Robert  Dunn. 


DANIEL  A.  McDONALD,  the  well-known 
and  successful  hop  raiser,  farmer  and  stockman 
residing  in  Parker  Bottom,  is  a  pioneer  of  Wash- 
ington, having  come  to  Yakima  county  in  the 
year  1883.  Grasping  the  rich  opportunities  pre- 
sented by  the  frontier  region  into  which  he  came, 
he  utilized  them  with  a  strong,  capable  hand,  at- 
taining results  which  are  indeed  creditable  to  the 
man  himself  and  encouraging  to  others.  Born 
on  Prince  Edward's  Island  in  the  year  1861,  he 
is  the  son  of  Scotch  parents,  Alexander  and  Isa- 
bella McDonald,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  and 
settled  in  Canada  early  in  the  last  century.  The 
elder  McDonald  was  a  successful  farmer,  follow- 


ing that  occupation  until  his  death.  Daniel  A. 
lived  at  home  until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  as- 
sisting his  father  in  the  farm  work  and  attending 
the  public  schools.  But  in  1881,  like  thousands 
of  other  young  Canadians,  he  came  to  the  States 
to  seek  his  fortune,  going  first  to  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts. There  he  worked  three  months  in  a 
rattan  factory.  This  short  experience  in  a  manu- 
factory satisfied  his  ambitions  in  this  direction, 
and  he  decided  to  go  west.  Accordinglv  he  was 
soon  in  Montana  Territory  in  the  service  of  the 
Northern  Pacific.  From  Montana  he  came  west 
with  the  Cascade  division  construction  force  in 
1883,  that  year  marking  his  advent  into  Yakima 
county.  After  working  for  the  railroad  company 
a  short  time  in  Washington,  Mr.  McDonald  re- 
signed, and  in  1885  filed  a  pre-emption  claim  to  a 
tract  of  land  lying  near  the  site  of  North  Yakima. 
This  property,  now  known  as  the  Alderson  farm, 
he  sold  to  a  man  named  Alderson,  in  1888.  The 
energetic  young  Scotchman  then,  in  1889,  re- 
moved to  Parker  Bottom,  buying  a  quarter  sec- 
tion there,  upon  which  he  has  since  lived.  Dur- 
ing the  past  sixteen  years  he  has  improved  two 
farms  in  the  county.  In  1888  he  entered  the  stock 
raising  industry,  and  has  been  as  successful  in 
this  line  of  business  as  in  farming.  He  has  one 
brother,  Malcolm,  at  the  old  home ;  and  sisters, 
Flora,  Catherine,  Jessie  and  Alex. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  married  at  North  Yakima 
in  1889  to  Miss  Ella  F.  Dunn,  the  eldest  daugh- 
ter of  Captain  Robert  and  Annie  M.  (Curry) 
Dunn.  Captain  Dunn  was  born  near  Glasgow, 
Scotland,  in  1837,  came  to  Canada  in  1854,  later 
enlisted  in  the  United  States  army,  was  a  veteran 
of  the.  Civil  war,  in  which  he  obtained  his  rank 
as  captain,  lived  in  Missouri  for  several  years, 
and  finally,  in  1876,  immigrated  to  Washington, 
becoming  a  resident  of  Parker  Bottom  and  con- 
sequently a  pioneer  of  Yakima  county.  Mrs. 
Dunn  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1844,  and  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Captain  Dunn  at  Paducah, 
Kentucky,  April  6,  1865.  Both  parents  are  still 
esteemed  residents  of  Yakima  county,  their  home 
being  in  Parker  Bottom.  Ella  (Dunn)  McDon- 
ald was  born  in  Kentucky  in  January,  1866, 
crossed  the  Plains  with  her  parents  and  received 
her  education  in  the  schools  of  Yakima  county. 
She  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McDonald  have  five  children,  all  born 
in  Yakima  county:  Edith,  born  August  25,  1890; 
Isabella,  September  15,  1891 ;  Robert,  Septem- 
ber 8,  1894;  Clara,  August  3,  1897;  and  Daniel, 
November  30,  1900.  Mrs.  McDonald  had  five  sis- 
ters:  Isabella  Redmon,  deceased;  Mrs.  Annie 
Morgan,  Mrs.  Maggie  McAllister,  Mrs.  Thisia 
Peters  and  Mrs.  Lulu  McKee ;  also  two  brothers, 
Adam  D.  and  George  R.  Mr.  McDonald  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  he  and  his 
wife  are  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  takes  an  active  interest  in  politics,  being  an 


552 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


influential  Republican.  Four  hundred  acres  of 
land  in  Parker  Bottom  constitute  his  property  in- 
terests, one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  being  in  al- 
falfa, twenty-five  in  a  hop  yard,  several  acres  in 
an  orchard,  twenty-five  in  plow  land  and  the  bal- 
ance in  pasture.  Last  year  his  hop  yard  pro- 
duced approximately  thirty  tons  of  hops,  which 
netted  the  fortunate  owner  between  twelve  thou- 
sand and  thirteen  thousand  dollars — a  small  for- 
tune in  itself.  His  stock  interests  consist  of  two 
hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  fifty  head  of 
fine  horses,  placing  him  among  the  leading  stock- 
men of  the  country.  Mr.  McDonald  has  labored 
faithfully  and  perseveringly  and  is  now  reaping 
the  just  rewards  offered  to  honest,  energetic, 
capable  men ;  his  friends  are  numbered  by  the 
score,  and  all  who  know  him  have  a  good  word  to 
say  for  Dan  McDonald. 


MAX  JACKSON,  farmer,  stockman  and  one 
of  the  most  successful  hop  growers  in  the  state, 
resides  at  North  Yakima  and  has  been  a  resident 
of  Yakima  county  since  June  20,  1879,  when  he 
came  to  central  Washington  with  his  parents. 
He  was  born  in  Texas,  October  12,  1862,  and 
with  his  parents,  John  and  Mary  (Bowman) 
Jackson,  natives  of  Missouri  and  Kentucky  re- 
spectively, went  to  California  when  a  child. 
There  he  passed  his  boyhood,  working  with  his 
father  and  attending  school,  and  remained  until 
the  family  came  to  Washington  Territory.  Here 
he  first  rode  the  range  for  various  parties,  work- 
ing as  an  employee  for  the  first  eight  years. 
Then,  with  the  money  and  stock  he  had  been 
gradually  accumulating,  he  entered  business  on 
his  own  account,  taking  a  homestead  a  little  later. 
Upon  his  father's  ranch  he  first  gained  an  insight 
into  the  hop  industry  and  studied  it  so  persist- 
ently that  he  at  last  became  recognized  as  an  ex- 
pert grower.  Mr.  Jackson  increased  his  stock 
interests  from  time  to  time,  until  now  the  Jack- 
son-Cline  Company  feed  fully  nine  hundred  head 
of  stock  cattle,  which  are  shipped  and  replaced 
continually.  Mr.  Jackson  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  Hiscocl:  hop  ranch  in  the  Moxee  valley  ten 
years  ago,  and  in  his  ten  years  of  management  of 
that  large  yard  has  brought  it  into  prominence 
as  one  of  the  leading  hop  ranches  of  the  state. 
This  yard  lies  only  a  few  miles  from  North 
Yakima  and  is  one  of  the  sights  of  the  county. 
December  5,  1886,  Mr.  Jackson  and  Miss  Hattie 
Buffington,  daughter  of  George  and  Emily  (Butt- 
ler)  Buffington,  were  united  in  marriage.  She 
was  born  in  California  and  came  to  Yakima 
county  in  pioneer  days.  To  this  marriage  have 
been  born  six  children,  all  of  whom  are  living: 
Harry  R.,  Reba,  Bessie,  Donna,  Hazel  and 
Gladys.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Jackson  is  connected 
with  the  Masons;  politically,  he  is  a  Republican. 
As    a     pioneer     and    a    progressive    agriculturist 


who  has  done  much  for  his  section  and  shows  his 
faith  in  that  region  by  owning  a  quarter  section 
of  fine  land,  he  is  justly  entitled  to  be  counted 
among  the  substantial  men  of  his  county. 


WILLIAM  P.  GUTHRIE,  of  the  law  firm  of 
Jones  &  Guthrie,  North  Yakima,  is  one  of  the 
leading  lawyers  of  central  Washington  and  pros- 
ecuting attorney  of  Yakima  county.  Though  still 
a  young  man,  he  has  attained  prominence  in  his 
chosen  profession,  become  a  captain  in  the  polit- 
ical affairs  of  Washington  and  acquired  a  goodly 
holding  of  valuable  property.  Bethany,  Illinois, 
is  his  birthplace,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  July 
11,  1870,  and  his  parents  being  David  and  Phoebe 
(McKay)  Guthrie,  the  former  born  in  Kentucky 
in  1837,  the  latter  in  Pennsylvania  in  1835.  His 
father  served  through  the  Civil  war  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Sixteenth  Illinois  infantry,  being 
in  the  Fifteenth  Army  Corps,  under  General 
Logan,  participated  in  Sherman's  march  to  the 
sea  and  was  severely  wounded  at  the  battle  of 
Atlanta.  He  is  living  in  Illinois,  where  he  has 
resided  for  more  than  fifty-eight  years.  His 
grandfather  served  as  United  States  Treasurer 
under  President  Lincoln  and  his  American  an- 
cestors came  to  this  country  in  the  historic  May- 
flower. William  P.  was  educated  and  has  lived 
the  greater  part  of  his  life  in  Illinois,  where  he 
was  graduated  with  a  degree  of  B.  S.  by  the 
Southern  Illinois  College  and  by  the  law  school 
at  Bloomington.  He  was  admitted  to  practice  by 
the  Illinois  supreme  court  in  the  year  1895,  an^ 
pursued  his  profession  in  that  state  until  1897, 
when  he  came  to  Washington,  arriving  in  North 
Yakima  August  23,  1897,  and  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  half-brother,  Wesley  L.  Jones, 
with  whom  he  is  now  associated.  August  15, 
1897,  Mr.  Guthrie  and  Miss  Nellie  Robinson, 
daughter  of  George  and  Cynthia  (Robinson) 
Robinson,  of  Evansville,  Indiana,  were  united  in 
marriage,  and  to  this  union  has  come  one  child, 
Iris,  born  during  1902.  Mr.  Robinson,  deceased, 
was  a  prominent  business  man  in  Evansville. 
Mr.  Guthrie  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Barbara  Colman, 
living  in  Illinois,  and  two  half-brothers,  Wesley 
L.  Jones  and  C.  A.  Jones,  the  latter  being  a  resi- 
dent of  Sunnyside.  Mrs.  Guthrie  is  a  member  of 
the  North  Yakima  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
in  which  she  is  an  active  worker.  Fraternal  or- 
ders to  the  number  of  five  claim  Mr.  Guthrie's 
membership  and  attention,  namely,  the  Masons, 
Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen,  Elks  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  in  all  of  which  he  is 
active.  But  it  is  in  political  affairs  that  Mr. 
Guthrie  has  best  shown  his  ability  to  lead  men 
and  in  which  his  prominence  has  been  greatest, 
though  not  meaning  by  this  statement  to  lessen 
the  standing  he  has  gained  as  a  disciple  of  Black- 
stone.    The  year  after  he  was  graduated  into  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


553 


practice  of  law,  he  was  signally  honored  by  the 
Republicans  of  Piatt,  Moultrie  and  Shelby  coun- 
ties, Illinois,  who  nominated  him  as  their  candi- 
date for  district  attorney.  That  was  in  1896,  a 
year  unparalleled  in  the  history  of  the  nation  in 
the  intensity  of  the  campaign  waged.  Notwith- 
standing the  fact  that  Bryan  carried  these  three 
counties  by  over  six  hundred  votes,  young  Guth- 
rie was  defeated  by  only  eleven,  clearly  demon- 
strating his  popularity.  In  Illinois,  also,  he 
served  two  terms  as  chairman  of  the  congres- 
sional committee  of  the  Eighteenth  district,  was 
an  alternate  delegate  to  the  St.  Louis  convention 
in  1896,  acted  as  chairman  of  the  county  com- 
mitteee  at  home  for  four  years,  and  was  one  of 
the  state  committee  for  a  time.  Shortly  after  his 
arrival  in  Yakima  county  he  was  recognized  by 
being  appointed  secretary  of  the  Republican 
county  committee,  and  in  1900  was  elected  prose- 
cuting attorney  of  his  district,  defeating  his 
Democratic  opponent,  E.  B.  Preble,  by  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  votes.  In  1902  he  repeated  his 
success,  being  re-elected  by  a  majority  of  seven 
hundred  and  eighty  votes,  a  greater  demonstra- 
tion than  before  of  his  popularity  in  the  new  home 
he  chose  in  1897.  He  takes  an  active  part  as  a 
speaker  in  all  campaigns  and  was  one  of  the  Re- 
publican state  orators  in  1898.  His  half-brother 
and  law  partner  is  now  serving  his  third  term  as 
one  of  Washington's  representatives  in  congress. 
Mr.  Guthrie  is  the  owner  of  two  hundred  acres 
■of  farming  land  near  Sunnyside,  all  but  forty 
acres  being  in  alfalfa,  is  interested  in  city  prop- 
erty, and  possesses  a  third  share  in  the  town- 
site  of  Prosser. 


HUGH  K.  SINCLAIR  is  a  retired  stockman 
and  banker.  It  is  with  mingled  feelings  of  justice 
and  pleasure  that  we  accord  the  citizen  whose  name 
stands  at  the  commencement  of  this  article  a 
place  among  these  chronicles,  for  he  has  won 
such  recognition  by  braving  the  vicissitudes  of 
pioneer  life  in  central  Washington,  energetically 
grasping  the  opportunities  presented  him  and 
manfully  bearing  the  burdens  entailed  by  public- 
spirited  citizenship.  The  date  of  his  birth  was 
1840,  and  his  birthplace  was  the  far-away  penin- 
sula of  Nova  Scotia,  to  which  his  father  came 
from  Scotland  when  but  a  lad  of  eighteen  and 
"where  also  his  mother  was  born,  to  Scotch 
parents.  There,  too,  his  father  and  mother  lived 
and  died.  Until  he  was  sixteen  years  old  Hugh 
remained  at  home,  but  when  he  had  attained  that 
age  he  entered  the  machine  shops  in  Guysboro 
county  and  for  the  next  thirteen  years  worked  is 
a  mechanic  under  the  most  skilled  artisans  in  the 
country.  The  time  came,  however,  when  the 
great  opportunities  presented  by  the  West  ap- 
pealed to  him  so  strongly  that  he  determined  to 
try  stock  raising  on  its  grassy  plains.     With  this 


idea  in  view  he  arrived  in  Yakima  valley  Novem- 
ber 22,  1879,  and  straightway  settled  upon  a 
homestead  in  the  Naches  valley.  Subsequently 
he  bought  an  adjoining  quarter  section,  and  on 
this  ranch,  comprising  half  a  section  of  fine  farm- 
ing land,  he  lived  until  1891,  successfully  follow- 
ing the  lucrative  business  of  raising  cattle  and 
horses.  Hardly  had  he  arrived  in  the  country 
before  the  execution  of  the  Perkins  murderers 
took  place  at  Yakima  City,  an  event  which  is 
very  vividly  recalled  by  all  citizens  living  in  the 
county  at  that  time.  The  old  rifle  Mr.  Sinclair 
was  given  by  the  territory  for  use  against  possible 
hostile  Indians  he  still  owns  and  values  very 
highly.  Among  Mr.  Sinclair's  neighbors  on  the 
Naches  valley  farm,  which  is  managed  by  his  son. 
business  of  stock  raising,  were  Judge  J.  B.  Nel- 
son, James  M.  Kincaid,  Russell  Lowry,  Lize 
Denton  and  James  Glead.  In  1891  Mr.  Sinclair 
removed  to  North  Yakima,  that  his  family  might 
enjoy  better  social  and  educational  advantages, 
and  there  he  has  remained,  still  retaining  his 
Naches  valley  farm,  which  is  managed  by  his  son. 
A  portion  of  this  land  has  been  in  hay  for  twenty- 
two  years  without  having  been  plowed  or  fertil- 
ized during  that  time,  only  one  illustration,  says 
Mr.  Sinclair,  of  the  fact  that  the  Yakima  country 
is  the  finest  under  the  sun.  The  month  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1864,  is  the  date  of  Mr.  Sinclair's  marriage 
in  Nova  Scotia  to  Frances  Bishop,  a  native  of 
that  country  and  the  daughter  of  parents  who 
were  born  in  New  England.  The  father  was  a 
carriage  maker.  Mrs.  Sinclair  has  two  brothers : 
John,  now  sheriff  of  Fresno  county,  California, 
and  George,  a  bridge  builder  on  the  Southern 
Pacific  railroad.  Mr.  Sinclair  has  one  sister,  Mrs. 
Isabella  McPhee,  a  resident  of  Yakima  county. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sinclair  have  been  born  four 
children,  two  of  whom  are  living:  Mrs.  Clara 
Sloan  and  Alfred  H.,  residing  in  Yakima  county ; 
and  two  dead,  Mrs.  Harry  Coonse  and  Edgar  J. 
Both' Mr.  Sinclair  and  his  wife 'are  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church  in  North 
Yakima,  he  being  an  elder.  Although  he  has 
been  an  active  and  influential  Republican,  he  has 
steadily  refused  to  accept  political  preferment  at 
the  hands  of  his  friends.  For  many  years  Mr. 
Sinclair  served  as  a  member  of  the  North  Yakima 
city  council.  In  educational  matters,  he  has  al- 
ways been  deeply  interested,  and  has  served  on 
both  country  and  city  school  boards,  with  honor 
to  himself  and  benefit  to  the  schools.  Until  quite 
recently  Mr.  Sinclair  was  vice-president  of  the 
Yakima  National  Bank,  which  stands  third 
among  the  banking  institutions  of  the  state  as  to 
earnings,  and  in  this  business  still  has  much  of 
his  money  invested,  and  exercises  a  power  in  the 
bank's  policies.  The  generosity  and  congenial 
qualities  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sinclair  have  won  for 
them  a  host  of  loyal  friends,  and  as  a  pioneer,  pro- 
gressive citizen  and  a  man  of  sterling  integrity 


554 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  worth  the  husband  and  father  is  recognized 
as  one  of  the  leaders  in  his  county. 


FRANKLIN  J.  KANDLE.  Comparatively  few 
men  in  middle  life  can  claim  as  their  birthplace  the 
renowned  Evergreen  state,  but  the  distinction  of 
being  able  to  do  so  belongs  to  him  whose  name 
forms  the  caption  of  this  article.  To  him  also  be- 
longs the  higher  honor  of  having  so  lived  as  to  re- 
flect credit  upon  the  young  commonwealth  whose 
birth  was  almost  contemporaneous  with  his  own. 
As  was  natural  in  a  country  blessed  with  so  many 
undeveloped  resources,  Mr.  Kandle  early  turned  his 
attention  to  the  task  of  appropriating  and  developing 
the  elements  of  wealth  which  lay  in  profusion 
around  him,  and  in  this  he  has  achieved  a  very  en- 
viable success,  at  the  same  time  winning  what  is  far 
more  valuable,  a  standing  in  his  community  such  as 
comes  to  none  but  persons  of  sterling  integrity  and 
worth. 

Mr.  Kandle  was  born  at  Tumwater,  Washing- 
ton, on  the  17th  of  November,  1855.  The  circum- 
stances of  his  birth  are  rather  peculiar.  His  par- 
ents, with  their  neighbors  from  a  wide  section  of 
the  country,  were  refugees  in  a  stockade  constructed 
by  their  own  hands  as  a  protection  against  the  In- 
dians, who  at  that  time  were  on  the  war-path,  for 
the  storm  of  war  was  then  raging  in  many  parts  of 
the  west.  Henry  Kandle,  the  father  of  our  subject, 
had  come  to  Portland.  Oregon,  then  a  mere  hamlet, 
in  1851,  and  had  later  moved  to  Thurston  county 
and  taken  up  a  donation  land  claim.  A  native  of 
New  Jersey,  he  had  moved  as  a  boy  to  Indiana, 
where  he  grew  to  manhood  and  married  and  whence 
he  had  come  over  the  wide  plains  and  precipitous 
mountains  to  the  Pacific  coast.  In  1861  he  moved 
to  Yelm  Prairie,  but  some  time  later  he  became  a 
resident  of  Pierce  county,  which  he  served  as  com- 
missioner for  several  years.  His  wife,  the  mother 
of  Franklin  J.,  whose  maiden  name  was  Margaret 
Hill,  was  born  in  Ireland  and  came  to  the  United 
States  when  about  twenty-one  years  old.  Shortly 
after  her  arrival  she  united  her  fortunes  with  those 
of  Henry  Kandle,  with  whom,  as  his  brave  help- 
meet, she  endured  the  hardships  and  dangers  of  life 
on  the  Plains  and  in  a  new  and  sparsely  settled 
country. 

Until  the  26th  of  June,  1879,  our  subject  re- 
mained at  home  with  his  parents,  and  then  moved  to 
Yakima  county,  where  he  secured  a  pre-emption 
and  later  a  homestead  on  the  Wenas.  To  the  im- 
provement of  this  home  he  has  ever  since  devoted 
himself,  reducing  the  stubborn  soil  to  a  high  state 
of  cultivation  and  making  his  place  comfortable  and 
convenient  by  the  erection  of  splendid  buildings. 
But  the  original  homestead  and  pre-emption,  though 
of  generous  proportions,  were  not  a  large  enough 
sphere  for  the  activities  and  energy  of  Mr.  Kandle, 
so  he  has  added  to  his  original  holdings  from  time 
to  time  until  he  now  has  twentv-four  hundred  acres 


of  land.  Even  this  is  not  enough  and  he  leases  an 
amount  almost  as  large,  devoting  the  whole  to  agri- 
culture and  the  pasturing  of  his  stock.  He  is  a 
lover  of  blooded  cattle  and  has  a  herd  of  Durhams 
which  would  delight  the  eye  of  any  connoisseur  in 
fine  stock.  But  Mr.  Kandle  finds  time,  despite  all  the 
demands  which  his  extensive  farming  and  stock 
raising  interests  must  make  upon  him,  to  devote  to 
the  interests  of  the  public.  A  Republican  in  politics, 
he  not  only  does  his  share  in  conventions  and  cau- 
cuses, but  he  watches  with  a  vigilant  eye  all  mat- 
ters of  local  or  state  and  even  those  of  national  con- 
cern. .  At  present  he  is  serving  as  county  commis- 
sioner of  Yakima  county,  a  position  which  he  has 
held  six  years  in  all,  his  first  election  being  in  1S90. 
Mr.  Kandle  was  married  in  1883,  the  lady  being 
Ida  R.,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Myra  Green,  the  for- 
mer of  whom  as  a  farmer  and  an  esteemed  pioneer 
of  Yakima  county,  but  is  now  deceased.  Mrs. 
Green,  the  mother,  was  a  native  of  Louisiana  and  is 
?t  present  a  resident  of  Pierce  county,  this  state. 
Mrs.  Kandle  was  born  in  Illinois  in  i860,  and  after 
a  residence  of  several  years  there  and  in  Kansas 
came  with  her  parents  to  Yakima  county  in  1879. 
She  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  May  Pollard,  living  in  the 
Wenas  valley,  and  Mr.  Kandle  has  three  living 
brothers :  Robert,  in  the  Wenas,  George,  in  Tacoma, 
and  William,  in  Pierce  county.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kandle  are  Emma  M.,  Leona  F.  and 
Norris  H.,  all  natives  of  Yakima  county. 


HONORABLE  HE\TRY  JOSEPH  SNIVELY. 
One  of  the  leading  attorneys  of  central  Washington 
who  has  made  for  himself  a  name  worthy  of  record 
in  professional  and  in  political  life  is  Henry  J. 
Snively  of  North  Yakima.  He  is  the  only  son  of 
Ambrose  and  Elizabeth  (Harritt)  Snively,  and  was 
born  in  Virginia,  August  17,  1856.  His  father  was 
a  contractor  and  builder,  a  native  of  Germany.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  parents  when  six 
years  old,  the  family  first  locating  in  Maryland, 
afterwards  removing  to  Virginia.  He  is  now  living 
in  West  Virginia.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  the 
North  Yakima  attorney,  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, of  English  and  Scotch  parentage.  Following 
the  usual  common  school  course  of  study,  Mr. 
Snively  was  graduated  in  1877  from  the  classical 
course  of  the  University  of  West  Virginia.  Two 
years  later,  in  1879,  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  he 
was  graduated  from  the  law  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Virginia  at  Charlottesville.  Shortly  after 
graduation  he  opened  a  law  office  in  Grafton,  West 
Virginia,  and  there  practiced  his  profession  with 
marked  success  until  1886,  when  he  came  to  the  ter- 
ritory of  Washington,  locating  at  North  Yakima. 
Almost  immediately  upon  his  settlement  here  he  was 
accorded  prominent  recognition  by  the  local  Democ- 
racy and.  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  was  nomi- 
nated by  that  party  for  the  office  of  district  attorney, 
the  district  including  Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties. 


HENRY  J.  SNIVELY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


555 


He  was  elected  by  a  large  majority,  his  opponent 
being-  Honorable  C.  B.  Graves,  afterwards  judge  of 
the  district  court.  In  1888  he  was  re-elected  to  the 
same  office,  his  opponent  in  this  campaign  being 
Walter  M.  Milroy.  In  each  of  these  elections  he 
was  the  only  successful  candidate  on  the  Democratic 
ticket.  While  serving  as  district  attorney  he  was 
appointed  by  Governor  Semple  as  a  member  of  the 
code  commission,  created  to  formulate  a  code  of 
laws  for  the  territory.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
this  work,  the  arduous  task  being  completed  about 
the  time  Washington  was  admitted  to  statehood. 
Under  the  direction  of  the  first  state  legislature  the 
code  was  revised  by  W.  Lair  Hill  and  the  laws  made 
to  conform  to  the  state  constitution.  The  compilation 
afterwards  became  known  as  the  Hill  Code.  In 
1890  Mr.  Snively  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
attorney  general,  but  was  defeated  with  his  party. 
In  1891,  as  Democratic  candidate  for  representative 
from  Yakima  county,  he  was,  for  the  third  time  in 
his  political  career,  the  only  successful  party  nomi- 
nee at  the  elections.  In  June,  1892,  he  was  chosen 
in  state  convention  as  delegate  to  the  National  Dem- 
ocratic Convention  at  Chicago  and  had  the  honor, 
at  the  request  of  the  national  campaign  manager,  to 
second  the  nomination  of  Grover  Cleveland  for  pres- 
ident. In  August,  1892,  he  was  nominated  as  can- 
didate for  governor  of  Washington.  In  the  elec- 
tion following  he  was  defeated  with  the  balance  of 
the  ticket,  but  ran  five  thousand  votes  ahead  of  his 
fellow  candidates,  his  opponent,  John  H.  McGraw, 
being  elected  by  only  a  few  hundred  plurality.  In 
1897  he  was  appointed  by  Governor  John  R.  Rogers 
as  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  control,  having 
the  management  of  all  the  state  institutions  except 
the  university  and  the  agricultural  college.  On  this 
board  he  served  with  distinction  for  four  years. 
Since  1900  he  has  devoted  his  time  almost  exclu- 
sively to  his  extensive  law  practice. 

Mr.  Snively  was  married  in  Grafton,  West  Vir- 
ginia, to  Miss  Elizabeth  H.  Martin,  daughter  of 
Luther  and  Anna  M.  (Harrison)  Martin,  the  for- 
mer a  lumberman  and  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  the 
latter  a  native  of  the  District  of  Columbia  and  a 
descendant  of  the  James  river  Harrisons.  Mrs. 
Snively  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1858  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Pittsburg  Female  College.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Snively  have  two  daughters  and  one  son. 
Janie  M.  was  born  in  Grafton,  West  Virginia,  Jan- 
uary 22,  1883 ;  Jessie  H.,  in  Grafton,  July  30,  1885  ; 
Henry  J.  Snively,  Junior,  in  North  Yakima,  Janu- 
ary 25,  1890.  The  family  attends  the  Episcopal 
church.  The  family  residence  was  built  in  1888  by 
Colonel  Howlett  and  afterwards  purchased  by  Mr. 
Snively.  It  has  lately  been  remodeled  and,  in  its 
modern  appointments,  is  one  of  the  most  complete 
and  desirable  homes  in  the  city.  Mrs.  Snively  is 
prominent  in  church  and  social  circles  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Snively  are  greatly  esteemed  by  a  very  large 
circle  of  personal  friends  and  acquaintances. 


JOHN  CLEMAN  is  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
whose  home  is  eight  and  one-half  miles  north  of 
North  Yakima,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Linn 
county,  Oregon,  July  29,  1855,  and  was  the  son  of 
Auguston  and  Rebecca  Anna  (Griffith)  Cleman. 
His  father  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  this  terri- 
tory and  died  in  1882.  Mr.  Cleman  attended  school 
in  Oregon  and  when  ten  years  old  came  to  Yakima 
county  and  attended  school  here  until  he  was 
eighteen  years  old.  He  worked  for  his  father  until 
he  was  twenty-one  and  then  engaged  with  J.  B. 
Huntington  in  the  stock  business.  Later  he  spent 
four  years  with  the  stock  firm  of  Phelps  &  Wad- 
leigh.  He  borrowed  capital  and  engaged  in  that 
business  alone  and  has  continued  the  business  with 
considerable  success.  He  was  married  March  9, 
1884,  to  Mary  Kershaw,  who  was  born  in  Beaver, 
Utah,  September  30,  1864.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Robert  and  Mary  (Harrison)  Kershaw,  both  na- 
tives of  England.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  were: 
William,  now  dead ;  Robert,  Samuel,  Emma,  Ed- 
ward, Alice,  now  dead,  and  James.  Mr.  Cleman's 
brothers  and  sisters  are :  Caroline  Wagnen,  a 
widow ;  Ruth  Pressy,  Olive  Sanders,  Flora  Small, 
Rosie  Olsen,  Jacob  and  Perry  Cleman. 

Mr.  Cleman  is  the  father  of  two  children,  Ed- 
ward, born  December  24,  1884,  and  Frederick,  born 
July  20,  1887.  He  is  a  Mason  and  Elk  and  is  a  Re- 
publican. He  was  elected  county  commissioner  in 
1888  but  resigned  in  1889  and  was  elected  to  the 
state  legislature  as  representative.  He  was  a  dele- 
gate to  the  National  Republican  Convention  in  1892. 
He  owns  about  twenty-two  thousand  acres  of  land, 
of  which  about  seventeen  thousand  acres  is  in  Yaki- 
ma county.  He  has  400  head  of  horses  and  mules, 
sixty  head  of  cattle  and  two  thousand  sheep,  a  good 
farm  house  and  three  barns  which  hold  one  thousand 
tons  of  hay.  He  is  well  esteemed  and  highly  re- 
spected by  all  who  know  him. 


BETHENIA  ANGELINE  OWENS-ADAIR, 
M.  D.,  the  second  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Sarah 
Owens,  was  born  in  Van  Buren  county,  Missouri, 
February  7,  1840.  Her  parents  crossed  the  Plains 
in  the  first  emigration  of  1843  t0  Clatsop  Plains, 
Oregon,  bringing  their  small,  delicate  looking,  nerv- 
ous and  sensitive  child  with  them.  One  seeing  her 
then  could  hardly  be  made  to  believe  that  so  much 
constitutional  vitality  and  power  of  endurance  could 
be  locked  up  in  so  frail-looking  a  frame,  but  she  was 
blessed  with  an  exceptionally  good  heredity,  and  her 
subsequent  career  proved  that  she  had  within  her  a 
full  share  of  the  unyielding  granite  of  both  character 
and  constitution  which  characterized  her  ancestors. 
Her  grandfather,  Owens,  was  a  leader  in  the  world 
of  finance,  while  her  grandfather,  Damron,  distin- 
guished himself  for  conspicuous  daring  and  re- 
sourcefulness in  the  wars  with  the  Shawnee  and 
Delaware  Indians.  For  one  heroic  act,  the  rescuing 
of  a  mother  and  five  children  from  the  bloo'd-thjfstv 


556 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


savages,  he  received  from  the  United  States  govern- 
ment a  splendid,  silver-mounted  rifle  worth  $300. 

Bethenia's  mother  was  in  all  respects  a  worthy 
daughter  of  her  noble  sire,  while  her  father  was  a 
stalwart  Kentuckian,  who  first  as  deputy  sheriff, 
and  then  during  his  long  experience  as  sheriff  of 
Pike  county,  Kentucky,  won  the  reputation  of  being 
afraid  of  neither  man  nor  devil. 

The  blood  of  a  worthy  ancestry  early  showed  its 
power  in  young  Bethenia.  Her  long  journey  over 
plain  and  mountain  to  the  far  west  developed  a  love 
for  a  free,  untrammeled,  outdoor  life,  and  an  utter 
distaste  for  domestic  duties  and  the  confinement  of 
the  house.  Her  mother  may  have  been  just  a  little 
disappointed  at  this  evident  boyishness,  but  her 
father  evinced  much  pride  in  the  boldness  of  her 
spirit,  plainly  enjoying  the  manifestations  of  his  own 
dauntless  nature  as  reproduced  in  his  child.  Bethenia 
was  very  fond  of  animals,  especially  the  horse.  As 
soon  as  she  could  reach  to  a  pony's  mane,  she  could 
mount  unaided,  for  she  had  a  cat-like  ability  to 
climb,  and  once  on  the  animal's  back  she  could  han- 
dle him  with  the  skill  and  adroitness  of  a  wild  In- 
dian. Her  peculiar  character  was  brought  into  bold 
relief  by  contrast  with  her  queenly  sister,  Diana, 
whose  tall,  slender,  graceful  form  caused  her  to  be 
styled  "the  beauty  of  Clatsop  Plains."  But  Bethe- 
nia's daring  and  spirit  were  just  what  she  needed  for 
the  career  that  was  before  her.  At  a  very  early  age, 
she  began  to  rebel  against  the  limitations  imposed 
upon  her  sex  and  her  entire  subsequent  life  has  been 
a  protest  against  the  fetters  of  womanhood.  She 
has  lived  to  see  many  gyves  stricken  from  their 
wrists  and  ankles,  and  enjoys  not  a  little  the  con- 
sciousness that  in  the  evolution  of  the  "new  wom- 
an" she  has  had  a  not  inconspicuous  part. 

Bethenia  Owens  led  her  wild,  untrammeled  life, 
following  without  restraint  the  dictates  of  her  own 
sweet  will,  until  twelve  years  old,  when  a  teacher 
came  to  Clatsop  Plains  and  she  was  sent  for  initia- 
tion into  the  world  of  letters.  She  has  many  pleas- 
ant memories  of  that  first  school.  It  was  taught 
under  difficulties,  books,  blackboards,  etc.,  being  ex- 
ceedingly scarce.  The  teacher,  whose  name  was 
Beauford,  was  a  handsome  young  man,  always  re- 
served in  his  intercourse  with  the  other  young  peo- 
ple and  so  particular  about  his  personal  appearance 
that  he  received  the  sobriquets  of  "Slicky"  and 
"Dandy."  But  with  the  children  of  his  charge  he 
was  a  universal  favorite.  Bethenia  was  especially 
fond  of  him  for  he  taught  her  to  jump,  throw  the 
lariat,  spring  onto  a  horse's  back  and  perform  with 
dexterity  many  other  feats  of  western  chivalry. 
One  day  at  a  picnic  the  taunts  of  the  young  men  of 
Clatsop  Plains  about  his  white  hands  drew  from  Mr. 
Beauford  an  offer  to  wager  all  he  possessed  against 
a  like  amount  that  he  could  dig,  measure  and  pit 
more  potatoes  than  any  of  them.  The  challenge  was 
accepted,  the  terms  finally  agreed  upon  being  that 
the  pedagogue  was  to  dig,  measure  and  place  in 
three  piles  sixty  bushels  of  potatoe's  in  a  day  of  ten 


hours,  he  to  select  his  own  potato  patch.  "Upon 
the  day  appointed,"  says  Mrs.  Adair,  "everybody 
was  present,  white  men  and  Indians,  and  women  and 
children  of  both  races.  Beauford  removed  his  coat 
and  vest,  took  off  his  long,  blue,  silk,  Spanish  scarf, 
loosened  his  leather  belt  (suspenders  were  not  worn 
in  those  days)  removed  his  boots,  put  on  a  pair  of 
handsome  beaded  moccasins,  drew  a  pair  of  soft 
buckskin  gloves  over  his  delicate,  white  hands,  then, 
taking  a  light  hoe  from  which  part  of  the  handle 
had  been  sawed,  stepped  to  the  middle  of  the  field  . 
and  awaited  the  signal  to  proceed.  When  the  time- 
keeper announced  the  hour  of  starting,  he  bowed 
gracefully  to  the  company  and  attacked  a  large  hill 
of  potatoes.  In  an  incredibly  short  time  the  half 
bushel  was  full  and  with  two  or  three  long  bounds 
it  was  empty  again.  For  about  three  hours,  the 
tellers  were  kept  busy  counting  the  half  bushels, 
then  the  wiry  schoolmaster  slackened  his  pace  and 
joked  pleasantly  with  the  bystanders,  but  long  be- 
fore the  ten  hours  were  passed,  the  sixty  bushels 
were  in  the  three  piles." 

Next  year  Mr.  Owens  moved  to  the  Umpqua 
valley,  settling  near  Roseburg.  Less  than  a  twelve- 
month later,  Bethenia,  then  only  fourteen  years  of 
age,  immature  in  judgment  and  uneducated,  fol- 
lowed the  custom  which  was  at  that  time  in  vogue. 
May  4,  1854,  she  became  the  wife  of  one  who  had 
worked  on  her  father's  farm  and  was  among  those 
who  had  lost  the  wager  with  the  school  teacher, 
Lagrand  Hill.  As  might  have  been  expected,  the 
union  did  not  prove  happy,  and  four  years  later  a 
separation  took  place.  It  was  then  that  Bethenia, 
enfeebled  in  health,  penniless,  and  with  a  two-year- 
old  baby  in  her  arms,  began  the  real  upward  climb. 
For  a  while  she  remained  at  her  father's  home,  but 
with  returning  bodily  vigor  came  an  overwhelming 
desire  for  an  education  and  a  larger  life.  Over- 
ruling her  father,  who  wished  her  to  remain  with 
him,  she  began  seeking  all  sorts  of  employment, 
even  washing,  that  she  might  support  herself  and 
child  and  enjoy  at  the  same  time  the  benefits  of  the 
Roseburg  schools.  By  working  from  five  in  the 
morning  until  far  into  the  night  she  was  able  to 
accomplish  this  herculean  task.  After  completing 
a  three-month  term,  she  returned  to  her  old  home  at 
Clatsop  Plains,  but  before  doing  so  she  brought 
suit  for  divorce  from  her  husband.  Ijhe  custody  of 
her  son  and  the  right  to  resume  her  maiden  name. 
The  case  was  vigorously  contested  on  account  of  the 
child,  but  S.  F.  Chadwick,  who  represented  her  in 
the  trial,  succeeded  in  getting  a  decree  from  the 
court,  giving  her  all  she  sought.  Thirty  years  later, 
when  Mr.  Chadwick  was  the  honored  governor  of 
Oregon  and  Dr.  Owens-Adair  was.  by  special  in- 
vitation, a  guest  in  his  home,  he  died  very  suddenly, 
despite  the  utmost  exertions  and  timely  presence  of 
this  by  that  time  skillful  r.nd  learned  physician. 

After  the  court  had  rendered  its  decision,  Be- 
thenia, now  Mrs.  Owens,  renewed  her  efforts  for 
the  support  of  herself  and  child.     Her  father  pre- 


/2.>s4,  (cu^^>-s&^ 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


557 


sented  her  with  one  of  the  first  sewing  machines 
brought  into  Oregon.  She  worked  hard  and  faith- 
fully, sewing  and  nursing  and  assisting  with  house- 
work for  more  than  a  year,  after  which,  at  her  sis- 
ter's earnest  solicitation,  she  returned  to  Clatsop. 
She  did  not  remain  long,  however,  for  the  ambition 
of  an  education  was  still  with  her,  and  late  in  the 
fall  of  i860  she  accepted  the  invitation  of  her  child- 
hood friend,  Mrs.  Munson,  of  Oysterville,  to  spend 
the  winter  there,  attending  school  and  assisting  with 
the  work  mornings,  evenings  and  Saturdays.  She 
wrought  hard  and  long,  doing  considerable  wash- 
ing and  ironing  in  addition  to  the  duties  she  must 
perform  for  Mrs.  Munson,  for  she  had  the  expenses 
of  herself  and  child  to  meet,  but  to  her  work  was 
play,  so  the  winter  was  very  pleasantly  and  profit- 
ably spent. 

Then  came  another  call  from  her  sister,  Mrs. 
Diana  Hobson,  of  Clatsop.  She  went  with  the 
understanding  that  at  the  end  of  six  months  she 
was  to  have  the  privilege  of  attending  school  at 
Astoria.  While  with  Mrs.  Hobson  she  con- 
cluded to  get  up  a  little  private  school  in  the 
neighborhood,  and  with  characteristic  decision  at 
once  set  about  the  task  of  interesting  heads  of 
families  of  the  district  in  her  scheme..  Soon  she 
had  the  promise  of  sixteen  pupils,  'who  were  to 
pay  her  two  dollars  each  a  month,  and  in  the  old 
Presbyterian  church  of  Clatsop  she  had  her  first 
experience  in  teaching.  She  was  quite  successful 
in  this  venture,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  two 
of  her  group  of  sixteen  were  more  advanced  than 
she,  and  she  had  to  learn  the  lessons  ahead  of 
them  with  the  assistance  of  her  brother-in-law. 
By  teaching  and  picking  wild  blackberries,  she 
accumulated  her  first  small  bank  account. 

Fall  found  her  at  school  in  Astoria  with  her 
son  and  nephew.  It  was  mortifying  to  her,  who 
had  been  herself  a  teacher,  to  be  put  in  classes 
with  young  children,  but  by  her  own  exertions 
and  the  aid  of  kindly  teachers  she  soon  gained  a 
place  far  in  advance  of  her  youthful  classmates. 

During  the  next  summer,  that  of  1862,  she 
again  worked  for  her  sister  on  the  farm,  making 
butter,  milking  cows,  doing  housework,  etc. 
While  thus  employed  it  fell  to  her  lot  to  make  a 
large  cheese  for  the  benefit  of  the  soldiers  in  the 
Civil  war.  The  cheese  was  sold  again  and  again 
in  Astoria  until  it  had  brought  a  hundred  and 
"forty-five  dollars,  then  sent,  with  its  maker,  to 
the  state  fair,  where  it  was  sold  and  resold  as 
before,  yielding  many  hundreds  of  dollars  for  the 
boys  in  blue.  It  received  much  attention  from 
the  papers  of  the  time. 

Next  winter  the  doughty  Mrs.  Owens  was 
again  at  Astoria,  supporting  herself  and  son  by 
doing,  besides  her  own  cooking  and  work,  the 
washing  for  two  families  and  the  washing  and 
ironing  of  a  third.  She  would  arise  at  four  Mon- 
day morning  and  put  out  the  big  washing.  By 
ten  o'clock  she  would  report  at  school.    Tuesday 


morning  she  would  repeat  the  operation  at  her 
second  customer's  home,  while  the  third  washing 
and  ironing  she  did  at  her  own  humble  rooms. 
In  this  way  she  earned  five  dollars  a  week,  which 
proved  sufficient  to  her  needs.  Her  efforts  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  the  benevolent  and 
worthy  Captain  Farnworth,  a  pilot  on  the 
Columbia  bar  and  a  friend  of  her  family,  who  one 
night  called  upon  her  and  found  her  ironing  and 
studying  at  the  same  time.  He  conversed  with 
her  awhile,  and  finally  said  :  "I  have  come  to  you 
as  a  friend  and  I  want  to  be  your  friend.  I  am 
all  alone  in  the  world.  The  nearest  relative  I 
have  is  a  nephew.  I  have  more  money  than  I 
need  and  I  think  I  cannot  do  better  than  to  help 
you."  Mrs.  Owens  positively  refused  to  accept 
any  monetary  assistance  from  the  captain,  pre- 
ferring to  work  out  her  own  destiny  and  enjoy 
the  blessed  boon  of  independence. 

But  there  were  others  watching  Mrs.  Owens' 
heroic  climb,  and  from  some  of  these  an  offer 
came  that  could  be  accepted  without  compromise. 
The  teacher's  wife,  who  had  been  serving  as  his 
assistant,  having  fallen  ill,  Mrs.  Owens  soon  re- 
ceived from  the  directors  an  offer  of  twenty-five 
dollars  a  month  to  take  the  place  of  the  unfor- 
tunate lady.  She  accepted  gladly,  pleased  with 
the  larger  opportunities  for  culture  and  study  the 
position  gave  her.  She  was  brought  to  realize 
the  progress  she  had  been  making  by  the  circum- 
stance that  among  her  pupils  was  a  young  lady 
who  had  been  far  ahead  of  her  when  they  at- 
tended school  at  Oysterville  together. 

Before  the  term  ended,  Mrs.  Owens  received 
an  offer  of  a  three-month  school  in  Bruceport  at 
twenty-five  dollars  a  month,  she  to  board  around 
among  the  families  of  the  district.  She  applied  to 
Judge  Olney,  county  superintendent,  for  the 
necessary  certificate,  which  the  kind-hearted 
gentleman  readily  furnished,  together  with  many 
words  of  commendation  and  encouragement,  for 
he  knew  of  the  course  Mrs.  Owens  had  been  pur- 
suing. She  taught  a  successful  term  at  Bruce- 
port,  so  successful  indeed  that  the  patrons  of  the 
school  raised  money  to  pay  for  an  extra  term  of 
three  months.  Before  the  end  of  this  pleasant 
half-year,  she  contracted  to  teach  a  four-month 
term  at  Oysterville,  where,  three  years  before, 
she  had  been  herself  an  humble  learner ;  then  for 
four  months  she  taught  at  Clatsop.  By  industry 
with  her  sewing  machine  and  crochet  needle,  she 
made  all  her  expenses  out  of  school  hours,  saving 
the  entire  sum  received  as  recompense  for  these 
months  of  constant  teaching.  At  Clatsop  she 
bought  a  half  lot  and  contracted  with  a  carpenter 
to  build  her  a  cozy  little  three-room  house.  It  was 
located  on  the  back  part  of  that  beautiful  lot 
where  now  stands  I.  W.  Case's  residence. 
Around  this  first  home  cluster  many  pleasant 
memories.  When  the  school  term  was  ended  she 
remained  in  it,  getting  her  living  and  adding  to 


558 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


her  small  savings  by  sewing,  crocheting  and 
many  other  forms  of  endeavor.  Once  her  peace 
of  mind  was  somewhat  disturbed  by  the  sudden 
appearance  of  her  former  husband,  who  had  been 
endeavoring  for  years  to  get  her  to  again  enter 
into  the  marriage  bond  with  him.  He  insisted 
that  she  permit  him  to  take  his  child  for  a  walk 
and  she  finally  consented  upon  his  promising  not 
to  run  away  with  the  boy,  as  he  had  frequently 
threatened  to  do.  To  make  doubly  sure,  she 
hastened  to  the  sheriff,  who  undertook  to  see  that 
Mr.  Hill  should  never  leave  town  with  the  boy. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  he  made  no  attempt  to  do  so. 

In  the  fall  Mrs.  Owens  rented  her  house  and 
went  to  visit  her  parents  at  Roseburg.  At  their 
earnest  solicitation  she  remained  with  them  that 
winter.  Next  spring  she  engaged  in  millinery 
and  dressmaking,  and  for  the  ensuing  three  years 
she  had  uninterrupted  success  in  the  business-; 
then  came  trouble  and  opposition.  An  expert 
milliner  named  Mrs.  Jackson  appeared,  who  be- 
came the  attraction  at  once,  and  left  Mrs.  Owens 
with  all  her  money  invested  in  a  spring  stock  for 
which  there  was  no  sale.  It  was  a  severe  blow  to 
both  her  pride  and  her  pocketbook,  but  her  un- 
usual abilities  never  shone  more  brilliantly  than 
when  obstacles  were  to  be  overcome.  She  left 
her  son  in  a  clergyman's  family,  borrowed  two 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars ;  went  forthwith  to  San 
Francisco  and  entered  the  apartments  of  the  best 
milliner  in  that  city.  For  three  months  she  made 
it  her  business  to  hear  and  see  all  that  went  on 
and  to  learn  every  detail  of  the  millinery  busi- 
ness. Then  she  had  circulars  printed  and  sent  on 
ahead  to  Roseburg  announcing  her  great  open- 
ing. On  the  day  set,  she  was  at  her  stand  in 
Roseburg  with  the  latest  and  the  best  that  the 
San  Francisco  markets  afforded.  The  tables  were 
completely  turned  on  Mrs.  Jackson,  who  shortly 
afterward  left  town.  Mrs.  Owens  realized  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  profits  from  the  sales  of  that 
year. 

Money  now  came  rapidly  and  easily,  enabling 
her  to  give  her  son  the  advantage  of  a  course  in 
the  University  of  California.  With  the  improve- 
ment in  her  circumstances  came  a  great  desire  for 
a  medical  education.  She  had  been  called  upon 
at  different  times  to  nurse  the  sick,  and  her 
natural  talents  in  that  direction  had  caused  her 
services  to  be  eagerly  sought  by  physicians  and 
friends.  One  incident  in  her  career  as  a  nurse 
did  much  to  determine  her  to  study  medicine  and 
surgery.  She  was  assisting  a  friend  with  a  sick 
child.  The  doctor  came  and  made  a  long, 
bungling  effort  to  use  a  catheter,  lacerating  the 
little  patient  most  cruelly.  At  length  he  laid  down 
the  instrument  to  wipe  his  glasses.  "Let  me  try, 
doctor,"  said  Mrs.  Owens,  and  picking  up  the 
catheter,  she  placed  it  with  a  steady,  skillful  hand 
and  relieved  the  young  sufferer,  though  she  had 
never  seen  such  an  instrument  used  before.    The 


doctor  was  angry,  but  the  mother  expressed  her 
feelings  in  tears  and  manifestations  of  affection. 

A  few  days  after  this  Mrs.  Owens  called  upon 
Doctor  Hamilton,  told  him  in  confidence  that  she 
had  decided  upon  a  medical  career,  and  asked  the 
use  of  his  books.  As  she  came  from  the  doctor's 
office  she  met  S.  F.  Chadwick,  her  former  attor- 
ney, who  had  overheard  the  conversation.  Com- 
ing forward,  he  shook  her  hand  and  said :  "Go 
ahead ;  it  is  in  you ;  let  it  come  out ;  you'll  win." 
Honorable  Jesse  Applegate,  who  had  nursed  her 
in  childhood  on  the  trip  across  the  Plains,  was 
the  only  other  person  who  gave  her  any  en- 
couragement about  studying  medicine.  She  did 
not  tell  her  family  of  her  decision,  for  she  knew 
the  opposition  they  would  offer,  but  kept  her 
own  counsels,  laboring  early  and  late  to  get  the 
necessary  funds  to  enter  the  medical  college. 

In  due  time  the  plans  of  Mrs.  Owens  were 
matured.  She  arranged  with  Mrs.  Abigal  Scott 
Dunniway  to  give  her  son,  who  by  this  time  had 
been  educated  in  part,  a  position  on  her  paper. 
She  communicated  to  Mrs.  W.  L.  Adams,  of 
Portland,  her  intention  to  go  to  New  York  for  a 
medical  course,  and  was  by  that  lady  persuaded 
to  go  instead  to  Philadelphia,  where  Dr.  Adams 
then  was,  partly  for  the  sake  of  his  health  and 
partly  for  study.  A  storm  of  opposition  followed 
the  announcement  of  her  intentions.  Her  family 
felt  that  they  were  disgraced,  and  even  her  son 
was  made  to  believe  that  a  great  wrong  was  be- 
ing done  him,  while  friends  derided  her  as  ex- 
ceedingly foolish.  One  lady,  who  expressed  es- 
pecial disgust,  afterward  called  upon  Mrs.  Owens 
in  Portland  for  medical  treatment,  though  she 
had  emphatically  stated  she  would  never  counte- 
nance a  lady  doctor. 

The  day  for  the  departure  came.  At  1 1  :oo 
p.  m.  the  ambitious  but  nearly  heart-broken  lady 
seated  herself  in  the  overland  stage  for  California. 
The  dark,  rainy  night  was  in  keeping  with  her 
feelings,  for  she  was  greatly  depressed,  now  that 
she  had  time  to  think,  on  account  of  the  dis- 
couraging and  sometimes  unkind  remarks  of 
friends  and  relatives,  but  the  cheering  words  of 
Governor  Chadwick  came  to  her,  and  she  re- 
solved with  all  the  energy  of  her  ardent  nature 
to  prove  them  true.  She  would  show  the  world 
that  she  could  and  would  be  a  physician,  she  said. 

Arriving  at  Philadelphia,  she  matriculated  in 
the  Eclectic  Medical  school  of  that  city,  engaging 
also  a  private  tutor.  She  likewise  attended  lec- 
tures and  clinics  in  the  great  Blockly  hospital 
there,  as  did  also  all  the  other  medical  students 
from  the  various  schools.  In  due  time  she  re- 
ceived her  degree,  whereupon  she  returned  to 
Roseburg  to  settle  up  her  business  affairs,  which 
had  been  left  in  charge  of  her  sister. 

A  few  days  after  her  return  a  friendless  old 
man  died,  and  the  half  dozen  doctors  who  had 
attended  him  decided  to  hold  an  autopsy.  Among 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


559 


them  was  the  Doctor  Palmer  to  whom  she  had 
given  offense  years  before  by  using  the  catheter 
on  his  patient.  He  proposed  that  for  a  joke  they 
extend  an  invitation  to  the  new  Philadelphia 
physician  to  be  present,  and  as  all  the  others  as- 
sented, they  sent  a  young  man  with  a  note  to 
Doctor  Owens.  She  knew  that  such  a  message 
emanating  from  Doctor  Palmer  meant  no  good  to 
her,  nevertheless  she  said  to  the  young  man : 
"Give  the  doctors  my  compliments  and  tell  them 
I  will  be  there  shortly."  She  followed  close  be- 
hind the  messenger  and  arrived  outside  the  door 
in  time  to  hear  the  hearty  laugh  which  greeted 
the  announcement  of  her  reply.  Stepping  in,  she 
shook  hands  with  all  the  medical  men,  one  of 
whom  informed  her,  by  way  of  final  coup,  that 
the  autopsy  was  to  be  upon  the  genital  organs. 
She  replied  that  one  part  of  the  human  frame 
should  be  as  sacred  to  a  physician  as  another. 
Doctor  Palmer  thereupon  said :  "I  object  to  the 
presence  of  a  woman  at  a  male  autopsy,  and  if 
she  remains  I  will  retire."  Silence  followed. 
Finally  Doctor  Owens  said:  "I  came  here  by 
invitation,  and  will  leave  it  to  a  vote  whether  I 
go  or  remain ;  but  first  I  would  ask  Doctor 
Palmer  why  he  considers  it  worse  for  a  woman 
to  attend  an  autopsy  on  a  male  than  for  a  man 
to  attend  one  on  a  female  subject."  A  number  of 
the  doctors  said  they  had  voted  that  the  invita- 
tion be  extended  and  they  would  not  go  back  on 
it  now,  while  Doctor  Hamilton  said,  "I  did  not 
vote,  but  I  have  no  objection."  Doctor  Palmer 
thereupon  retired  amid  the  derisive  cheers  of 
some  forty  or  fifty  men  and  boys  inside  and  out- 
side the  old  shed,  who  were  fully  cognizant  of 
all  that  was  going  on. 

Presently  one  of  the  physicians  opened  an  old 
dissecting  case  and  handed  it  to  Dr.  Owens.  "Do 
you  wish  me  to  do  the  work?"  she  asked.  "Yes, 
yes,  oh  yes;  go  ahead."  She  did  so,  and  when  the 
work  was  completed  all  hands  joined  in  three  hearty 
cheers  for  the  lady  doctor.  The  news  had  spread  to 
every  house  in  town,  so  that  when  Dr.  Owens 
emerged  from  the  autopsy  room  she  had  to  face  an 
excited  crowd  of  men,  women  and  children,  all 
anxious  to  get  a  look  at  her.  The  women  were 
shocked  and  scandalized ;  the  men  laughed ;  some 
few  defended  her,  but  all  agreed  that  it  was  a  good 
joke  on  the  doctors. 

Mrs.  Owens  began  practice  in  Portland,  entering 
into  partnership  with  Dr.  Adams.  When,  a  year 
later,  this  partnership  was  dissolved,  Doctor  Owens 
retained  the  old  stand.  One  morning,  when  she 
came  in  from  her  calls,  she  found  a  woman  lying  on 
the  lounge  in  her  back  office,  deathly  sick.  Before 
the  lady  expired  she  begged  Mrs.  Owens  to  take  one 
of  her  three  girls.  The  doctor  promised  to  do  so, 
and  some  weeks  later,  the  girl  came  with  her  father. 
She  was  puny,  delicate,  under-sized,  poorly  clad  and 
bashful,  but  the  doctor's  kindly  manner  soon  placed 
her  at  her  ease,  while  a  good  bath  and  some  fine  new 


clothing  converted  her  at  once  into  a  very  present- 
able child.  A  homeopathic  lady  physician,  who  had 
passed  some  uncomplimentary  remarks  upon  the  girl 
when  she  first  appeared  in  Doctor  Owens'  office, 
saw  her  two  years  later,  when  kindness  and  care  and 
the  culture  of  the  schools  had  done  their  work,  and 
could  hardly  be  made  to  believe  that  the  Mattie  of 
that  date  and  the  Mattie  of  two  years  before  were 
one  and  the  same. 

Prosperity  attended  Doctor  Owens.  She  put  her 
son  through  the  medical  college  and  set  him  up  in 
the  drug  business  in  Goldendale,  Washington.  She 
gave  her  sister  a  course  in  Mills'  seminary  and  dis- 
pensed not  a  little  money  in  charities,  yet  from  the 
sale  of  her  millinery  and  other  Roseburg  properties 
and  from  her  earnings  as  a  professional  woman,  she 
had,  in  1878,  about  eight  thousand  dollars  in  cash. 
She  was  doing  well,  but  the  thirst  for  more  learning 
had  taken  possession  of  her  and  she  eventually  de- 
cided to  take  a  three-year  course  in  an  "old  school" 
medical  college.  Again  her  family  and  friends  re- 
monstrated, her  old  friend  Jesse  Applegate  being 
among  the  number  who  advised  her  against  such  a 
course,  but,  nevertheless,  the  1st  of  September,  1878, 
found  her  again  en  route  for  Philadelphia.  Her 
ambition  was  to  be  admitted  to  the  renowned  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College,  so  with  that  in  view  she 
called  on  Professor  Gross,  the  greatest  surgeon  then 
living  in  the  United  States.  He  invited  her  to  break- 
fast and  otherwise  received  her  kindly,  but  said  that, 
though  he  would  like  very  much  to  open  the  doors 
of  Jefferson  college  to  her,  he  could  not  do  so,  for 
the  power  lay  with  the  board  of  regents,  and  they 
were  an  age  behind  the  time.  He  advised  going  to 
the  woman's  college,  which  was  just  as  good  and 
gave  the  same  examination.  She  replied  that  wom- 
an's colleges  were  not  very  highly  esteemed  out 
West.  "Then,"  said  he,  "the  University  of  Mich- 
igan is  the  school  for  you.  It  is  a  long-term  school 
and  second  to  none  in  America." 

Dr.  Owens  acted  at  once  upon  this  suggestion. 
For  the  next  two  years  she  averaged  sixteen  hours 
a  day  study,  except  during  vacations,  when  ten 
hours  were  devoted  each  day  to  answering  ques- 
tions in  anatomy  out  of  Professor  Ford's  question 
book.  When  she  went  to  her  teacher  for  help  with 
a  few  of  the  questions,  the  answers  to  which  she 
had  failed  to  find,  he  said:  "Dr.  Owens,  you  have 
done  more  than  any  other  student  in  this  university 
and  more  than  I  ever  expected  any  one  would  do." 

Her  previous  knowledge  of  medicine  and  close 
application  enabled  Dr.  Owens  to  complete  her 
course  in  allopathy  in  two  years.  She  then  went  to 
Chicago  and  spent  some  time  in  clinical  and  hos- 
pital work.  While  there  Dr.  Hill  joined  her,  and 
the  two  went  to  the  University  of  Michigan,  the 
mother  for  advanced  courses  in  theory  and  practice 
and  materia  medica,  in  the  homeopathic  department, 
also  for  further  study  in  history  and  English  lit- 
erature ;  the  son  for  a  post-graduate  course.  After 
six  months,  the  mother  and  son,  in  company  with 


560 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


two  lady  physicians,  sailed  for  Europe  for  a  three- 
month  trip.  They  visited  Glasgow,  Edinburgh, 
Hamburg,  Dresden,  Berlin,  Potsdam  and  other 
towns.  At  Dresden  the  ladies  parted  with  Dr.  Hill, 
who  returned  forthwith  to  Goldendale,  Washington, 
and  entered  into  a  life  partnership  with  the  girl  he 
had  left  behind  him  there.  The  lady  doctors  con- 
tinued their  journey  through  Austria,  Prussia, 
France  and  England,  in  the  great  cities  of  all  which 
countries  they  visited  the  leading  hospitals  and  wit- 
nessed operations  by  the  world's  most  eminent  sur- 
geons. Dr.  Owens'  letters  of  recommendation  with 
the  state  seals  on  them  proved  an  "open  sesame" 
everywhere.  These  and  her  diplomas  also  saved  her 
trouble  on  her  return  to  New  York,  for  the  custom 
house  officer  was  determined  to  charge  heavy  duty 
on  instruments  she  had  bought  in  Paris,  and  only 
consented  to  let  them  pass  when  satisfied  that  she 
was  indeed  a  physician  and  had  the  instruments  for 
her  own  use. 

Hastening  back  to  Portland  to  minister  to  the 
pressing  wants  of  a  patient  there,  she  was  soon 
again  buried  in  the  practice  of  her  beloved  profes- 
sion. She  secured  beautiful  rooms  over  the  drug 
store  of  her  old  friend,  Dr.  O.  P.  S.  Plummer,  on 
the  corner  of  First  and  Main  streets.  "I  was  more 
than  gratified,"  says  the  doctor.  "I  was  astonished 
at  the  patronage  that  came  to  me  from  my  old  and 
new  patients,  friends  and  enemies,  if  so  they  might 
be  called,  of  the  days  of  my  struggles  and  trials." 
From  no  other  place  came  so  much  encouragement 
and  patronage  as  from  the  doctor's  old  home  at 
Roseburg.  Verily,  the  daring  and  courage  of  this 
born  leader  (this  woman  who  dared  to  perform  an 
autopsy  in  the  face  of  the  established  rules,  customs 
and  prejudices  of  her  time,  though  fully  cognizant 
of  the  fact  that,  just  a  few  years  before,  the  stu- 
dents of  Jefferson  Medical  College  had  publicly  rot- 
ten-egged certain  young  women  who  had  the  au- 
dacity to  attend  clinics  at  Blocklv  hospital)  were 
receiving  an  abundant  and  unusually  speedy  reward. 
Dr.  Owens  considered  that  she- was  paid  an  hundred 
fold  for  all  she  had  endured  in  that  long  climb  from 
ignorance  and  obscurity  to  an  honored  place  in  an 
honorable  profession,  by  the  help  she  was  daily  per- 
mitted to  render  to  mankind.  Once  at  least  it  was 
her  privilege  to  return  good  for  evil.  A  woman 
entered  her  office  one  morning,  pale  and  trembling, 
and  stated  that  for  many  years  she  had  been  ill  with 
a  disease  of  which  the  doctors  said  she  could  never 
hope  to  be  cured.  "I  have  heard  so  much  about 
you,"  continued  the  lady,  "that  I  have  come  to  see 
if  you  can  give  me  any  relief."  The  doctor  exam- 
ined her  patient  carefully,  then  said  :  "I  am  sure  you 
can  be  helped,  possibly  cured.  I  will  treat  you  a 
few  weeks,  then  teach  you  to  treat  yourself,  and 
if  you  will  follow  my  directions  faithfully  for  a  year, 
I  believe  your  health  will  be  restored."  The  doctor 
then  took  the  patient  home  in  her  carriage.  She 
went  to  the  house  day  after  day,  giving  the  full  ben- 
efit of  her  years  of  study  and  experience,  and  in  time 


the  lady  recovered  fully.  It  was  none  other  than  her 
quondam  rival,  Mrs.  Jackson,  who  had  caused  such 
a  disturbance  in  her  millinery  business  at  Roseburg. 
Mrs.  Jackson  was  deeply  moved  by  the  doctor's 
kindness,  but  the  latter  said :  "I  owe  you  a  great 
debt  of  gratitude,  for  by  your  opposition  you. 
spurred  me  on  to  greater  endeavor.  You  have  been 
in  reality  my  good  angel,  and  I  shall  repay  you  with 
interest."  The  two  ladies  have  been  fast  friends 
ever  since. 

It  was  also  the  doctor's  pleasure,  after  she  re- 
turned from  her  course  in  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan and  her  tour  of  Europe,  to  renew  her  maternal 
relationship  toward  her  foster  child,  Mattie  Belle. 
The  girl  had  been  left  in  charge  of  a  friend  during 
the  absence  of  Dr.  Owens,  and  had  spent  the  time 
in  school.  Easily  persuaded  by  her  adopted  mother 
to  take  up  the  study  of  medicine,  she  in  due  time 
added  the  degree  of  M.  D.  to  her  name,  but  she 
never  left  Dr.  Owens  until  death  summoned  her 
away,  in  October,  1893. 

After  three  years  of  constant  application  to 
her  profession,  years  of  great  financial  profit,  and 
what  was  far  better,  great  satisfaction,  Doctor 
Owens  met  once  more  a  friend  of  her  girlhood, 
Colonel  John  Adair,  son  of  General  John  Adair, 
of  Astoria,  Oregon.  The  renewed  friendship 
soon  ripened  into  a  more  intimate  attachment, 
and  in  the  First  Congregational  church  of  Port- 
land, Oregon,  the  twain  plighted  their  troth  on 
July  24,  1884,  and  Doctor  Owens  became  Doctor 
Owens-Adair. 

Twenty  years  have  sped  by  on  eagle  wings 
since  that  happy  wedding  day.  In  the  excellent 
autobiography  from  which  this  necessarily  im- 
perfect and  incomplete  sketch  has  been  compiled, 
the  doctor  has  not  seen  fit  to  be  very  detailed  in 
her  narrative  of  more  recent  events.  She  tells 
us,  however,  that  the  years  have  been  years  of 
strenuous  endeavor  and  that  into  her  later  life 
some  rain  has  come  as  well  as  much  sunshine. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage  she  had  an  income  from  her  rentals  and 
practice  of  over  seven  thousand  dollars  a  year, 
she  has  been  at  times  embarrassed  to  maintain 
the  heavy  obligations  which  have  come  to  her 
through  having  allowed  herself  to  be  persuaded 
•into  buying  large  properties  near  Astoria,  and 
through  other  land  speculations.  Her  husband, 
a  refined  and  cultured  gentleman,  is  of  a  sunny, 
optimistic  disposition.  His  penchant  for  large 
speculations,  in  which  he  can  always  see  millions 
of  dollars  has  caused  some  trouble  to  his  wife  at 
times,  but  her  energy  and  pluck  have  enabled  her 
to  conquer  so  far  in  every  fight. 

When  Dr.  Owens-Adair  was  forty-seven  years 
old  she  became  the  mother  of  a  sweet  little  girl, 
but  unfortunately  the  child  soon  passed  away, 
leaving  an  aching  void  in  her  heart.  Soon  after- 
ward she  left  Portland,  going  to  her  husband, 
who  with  twenty-five  Chinamen  was    trying    to- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


56. 


reclaim  the  tide  lands  adjoining  their  eight  hun- 
dred acre  farm.  She  felt  that,  whatever  the 
financial  sacrifice,  she  could  not  remain  away 
from  Colonel  Adair,  now  that  her  babe  was  gone. 
The  ensuing  two  years  were  passed  in  Astoria, 
amid  the  activities  and  exactions  of  a  large  prac- 
tice; then  the  doctor  contracted  typhus  fever,  due 
to  bad  drainage.  She  went  very  near  to  death's 
door,  so  near  that  she  made  her  will  and  settled 
up  her  affairs  in  anticipation  of  the  end,  but  the 
strong  constitution  she  had  inherited  from  her 
ancestors  along  with  her  invincible  force  of  char- 
acter enabled  her  to  beat  back  once  more  the 
forces  of  dissolution. 

After  her  recovery,  she  yielded  to  the  per- 
suasion of  her  husband  to  go  to  their  farm,  which, 
he  thought,  the  railroad  must  soon  cross,  making 
them  eminently  wealthy.  For  eleven  years  she 
remained  there,  actively  engaged  in  professional 
work,  assisting  also  on  the  farm  during  all  her 
leisure  moments.  She  never  refused  to  go  when 
called,  no  matter  what  the  hour  or  the  state  of 
the  weather.  At  length  the  constant  riding 
through  that  rainy  country  over  muddy  roads 
began  to  undermine  her  health,  for  she  had  a 
rheumatic  heredity,  and  Colonel  Adair,  becoming 
frightened,  begged  her  to  go  to  North  Yakima, 
Washington,  for  a  holiday  with  her  son  and  his 
family.  She  did  so.  The  diy  climate  acted  like 
magic,  and  in  a  few  days  she  felt  twenty  years 
younger.  Soon  her  son,  Dr.  Hill,  had  her  per- 
suaded to  let  the  old  farm  go  and  to  take  up  a 
permanent  residence  in  North  Yakima.  Having 
decided  on  this  course,  she  returned  to  the  coast, 
sold  off  all  the  stock,  rented  the  farm  and 
straightened  up  her  business  affairs  generally. 
April  6,  1899,  found  her  again  in  North  Yakima, 
ready  for  business.  To  her  surprise  and  delight 
she  found  many  who  knew  her  personally  and 
by  reputation  and  to  secure  a  practice  was  a 
matter  of  little  difficulty;  indeed  she  performed 
an  operation  the  first  week  of  her  residence  in 
the  town,  for  which  she  received  a  hundred  dol- 
lars cash.  Her  business  has  since  increased  rap- 
idly, and  she  says  that  if  she  can  have  two  or 
three  years  more  of  active  practice,  she  can 
straighten  out  all  the  tangles  in  her  affairs  and 
place  her  properties  in  shape  to  furnish  herself 
and  family  a  sufficient  income  to  make  them  com- 
fortable the  remainder  of  their  lives. 

In  1888,  Dr.  Hill's  wife  died  and  Dr.  Owens- 
Adair  gladly  received  into  her  home  and  heart 
her  only  grandchild,  Victor  Adair  Hill,  then  less 
than  three  years  old.  A  few  years  later,  when 
Dr.  Hill  again  married,  his  mother  prevailed  upon 
him  to  permit  her  and  Colonel  Adair  to  adopt 
Victor  and  make  him  their  heir  at  law.  In  1891, 
Dr.  Owens-Adair  again  manifested  her  kindness 
and  benevolence  of  spirit,  by  taking  upon  her- 
self, at  the  request  of  his  mother,  the  care  of 
j  a  little  baby  boy,  at  whose  birth  she  officiated  as 


physician.  With  her  husband's  consent  she 
named  him  John  Adair,  Jr.  The  names  of  her 
family  she  has  perpetuated  in  the  plat  of  her 
"Sunnymead"  addition  to  Astoria,  one  street  of 
which  is  known  as  Hill  street,  another  is  Victor 
street.  Through  the  farm  and  plat  run  three 
beautiful  streams,  to  which  she  has  given  the 
names  Adair  creek,  Mattie  Belle  creek  and  Vera 
creek,  respectively. 

The  present  writer  has  been  privileged  to 
chronicle  the  early  struggles  and  some  of  the 
triumphs  of  this  strenuous,  useful,  all-conquer- 
ing life.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  who  records 
its  end  will  do  so  at  a  date  now  far  in  the  future. 
It  is  Dr.  Adair's  ambition  to  live  'until  both  her 
younger  boys  and  her  granddaughter,  Vera 
Owens  Hill,  are  grown  and  settled  in  life,  and 
the  chances  seem  good  that  she  will  be  per- 
mitted to  do  so,  for  she  now  has  excellent  health. 
Seldom  is  she  guessed  to  be  more  than  forty-five 
years  old.  She  stands  erect,  has  a  quick,  firm  step, 
and  drives  and  handles  her  horse  as  easily  and 
as  well  as  she  did  twenty-five  years  ago.  Day  or 
night  she  obeys  the  call  of  suffering  humanity, 
never  sparing  herself.  She  still  lives  the  old 
strenuous  life,  rising  at  five  in  the  morning,  win- 
ter and  summer,  and  taking  exercises  immedi- 
ately upon  rising  to  call  every  muscle  in  her 
body  into  vigorous  action.  She  is  her  own  ac- 
countant. She  reads  much  to  keep  well  abreast 
of  the  times  and  in  the  summer  of  1900,  she  took 
a  severe  post-graduate  course  in  the  Chicago 
clinical  school  for  physicians  only,  attending  lec- 
tures from  nine  o'clock  a.  m.  until  six  o'clock 
p.  m.  and  from  eight  until  nine  p.  m.,  notwith- 
standing the  extreme  heat.  She  also  finds  time 
to  write  many  family  and  social  letters  and  to 
contribute  frequently  to  papers  and  medical  jour- 
nals. Certainly  her  fine  constitution,  her  talents 
and  her  invincible  energy  have  been  assiduously 
devoted  to  the  welfare  of  suffering  humanity  and 
it  is  just  as  certain  that  they  always  will  be 
until  she  shall  have  drawn  her  latest  breath. 


GEORGE  E.  PIERCE.  Although  still  a 
young  man,  George  E.  Pierce,  contractor  and 
builder,  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of 
North  Yakima.  He  was  born  in  Renovo,  Penn- 
sylvania, December  14,  1867.  His  father  was  D. 
W.  Pierce,  a  native  of  Vermont,  who  came  to 
Klickitat  county  in  1880,  and  at  one  time  was 
his  county's  representative  in  the  state  legisla- 
ture. Belinda  B.  (Laythe)  Pierce,  our  subject's 
mother,  was  also  a  native  of  Vermont.  George 
E.  went  to  school  in  his  native  state  until  he 
became  eleven  years  of  age,  when  his  family 
removed  to  Albany,  Oregon.  Here  he  remained 
only  a  year,  when  the  family  came  to  Goldendale, 
where  George  attended  school.  He  later  took 
a  business   course   in   Salem,   Oregon,   affording 


562 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


him  a  good,  practical  education.  Returning  to 
Goldendale,  he  worked  in  his  father's  saw  and 
planing  mill  at  that  point,  and  in  July,  1899,  he 
came  to  North  Yakima  and  began  working  at  the 
trade  of  carpenter.  He  worked  independently 
until  January  1,  1903,  when  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship, with  W.  T.  Stewart,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Stewart  &  Pierce.  They  do  a  general  contract- 
ing business,  and  the  firm  is  one  that  everyone 
feels  he  can  trust.  Stewart  &  Pierce  constructed 
the  recent  addition  to  the  hospital,  and  have 
worked  on  other  public  buildings,  besides  having 
erected  many  structures  for  private  individuals. 
At  North'Yakima,  May,  1902,  Mr.  Pierce  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Shaw,  a  native  of 
England,  and  daughter  of  Edward  and  Mary 
Shaw,  both  of  English  birth,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  when  a  child.  She  lived  in  Port- 
land, Oregon,  for  eighteen  years,  when  she  came 
to  Goldendale,  where  her  father  died.  Her 
mother  still  lives  in  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Pierce 
has  two  brothers,  D.  W.  and  E.  E.,  and  two 
sisters:  Mrs.  Ella  D.  Adams  and  Mrs.  Ruth 
Enderby,  and  one  other  sister  now  deceased. 
Mrs.  Pierce  has  two  brothers,  Fred  E.  and 
Charles  R.  Shaw;  the  former  with  the  North 
Yakima  Furniture  Company.  Mr.  Pierce  is  a 
member  of  Yakima  lodge,  I.  0.  O.  F.,  No.  22,  and 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  politics,  he  is 
a  stanch  Republican.  He  enjoys  the  reputation 
of  being  a  first-class  workman,  and  the  services 
of  the  firm  of  which  he  is  a  member  are  in 
flattering  demand.  Besides  this  he  is  looked 
upon  as  an  honest,  industrious  and,  in  all  ways, 
an  exemplary  man. 


JOHN  M.  MURCHIE.  John  M.  Murchie, 
proprietor  of  the  Fashion  stables,  of  North 
Yakima,  was  born  in  the  state  of  California, 
August  30,  i860.  His  grandfather,  on  his  father's 
side,  went  to  Nevada  City  in  1849  ar>d  located 
the  Murchie  Gold  and  Silver  Mining  Company's 
claims,  which  developed  into,  and  are  still,  the 
greatest  producing  mines  of  Nevada  City.  The 
subject's  father  was  Andrew  Murchie,  who  went 
to  California  in  1856,  where  he  was  superin- 
tendent of  a  quartz  mill  until  1880,  when  he 
removed  to  Wasco,  Oregon.  Here  he  passed 
away  in  1893.  John  M.  Murchie's  mother  was 
Mary  A.  (Nisbett)  Murchie,  a  native  of  Maine, 
as  was  also  her  husband.  She  is  now  living  in 
North  Yakima.  Mr.  Murchie  was  educated  in 
California,  where  he  received  a  high  school  edu- 
cation, and  he  was  also  a  graduate  of  Heald's 
Business  college.  He  was  an  expert  accountant, 
and  during  his  career  in  his  native  state  was 
bookkeeper  for  a  mercantile  and  mining  firm. 
After  resigning  his  last  position  he  came  to 
Oregon,  in  1880,  and  followed  farming  for  ten 
years.     He  then  removed  to  The  Dalles,  where 


for  four  years  he  conducted  a  livery  business. 
He  next  entered  construction  work  in  the  employ 
of  the  Columbia  Southern  Railroad,  superintend- 
ing the  building  of  ten  miles  of  that  line.  In  1899, 
he  came  to  North  Yakima  and  built  the  Palace 
bakery  building,  a  one-story  brick  block,  which 
is  now  occupied  by  two  general  stores.  Here 
he  conducted  a  bakery  for  a  period  of  eighteen 
months,  when  he  sold  out  his  stock,  but  he  still 
retains  the  building  and  fixtures.  His  next  ven- 
ture was  in  the  livery  business,  when  he  bought 
his  present  barn  and  equipment,  which  he  has 
been  conducting  in  a  successful  manner  up  to 
the  present  time.  His  is  the  largest  business 
of  its  kind  in  the  town,  requiring  the  constant 
employment  of  eight  men  to  carry  it  on.  Be- 
sides this  property,  Mr.  Murchie  owns  consider- 
able valuable  town  property  and  a  handsome 
home. 

Mr.  Murchie  was  married  at  Wasco,  Oregon, 
in  1883,  to  Miss  Annie  M.  Pearson,  who  died  in 
1888;  two  children  were  born  to  that  union,  Les- 
ter and  Bessie.  At  Wasco,  in  1892,  he  was  again 
married  to  Miss  Isabel  Pullian,  a  native  of 
Kansas  City,  Missouri.  Socially.  Mr.  Murchie 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  in  politics,  he  is  an  interested  Repub- 
lican. He  attends  practically  all  the  conventions 
of  his  party,  and  while  a  citizen  of  Oregon  he 
was  given  the  nomination  for  county  clerk,  but 
later  withdrew  his  name  from  the  ticket.  He  is 
regarded  as  being  a  man  of  ability  and  honor, 
and  takes  a  leading  part  in  all  the  affairs  of  the 
city  of  his  choice. 


WILLIAM  T.  STEWART.  William  T. 
Stewart,  a  well-known  contractor  and  builder  of 
North  Yakima,  was  born  in  New  Brunswick, 
October  9,  1861 ;  the  son  of  William  and  Mrs. 
Stewart,  both  also  natives  of  New  Brunswick, 
where  the  mother  died  in  1876.  In  earlier  life 
William  Stewart  was  a  lumberman,  but  is  now 
living  on  a  homestead  near  North  Yakima.  Mr. 
Stewart  had  eight  brothers  and  one  sister.  Two  of 
the  brothers,  Robert  F.  and  Frederick  C,  are 
deceased.  Those  living  are:  James  S.,  Andrew, 
Charles  H.,  foreman  for  a  lumber  company  at 
Buckley,  Washington ;  Irvin  A.,  a  resident  of 
Minnesota:  Hiram  A.,  a  miner  in  the  LeRoi  mine 
of  Rossland,  British  Columbia,  and  Marv  E. 
Donovan,  proprietress  of  a  hotel  in  Portland, 
Oregon.  Mr.  Stewart  was  educated  in  Canada 
and  worked  with  his  father  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness until  he  became  sixteen  years  of  age,  when 
he  removed  to  the  state  of  Maine,  where  he 
worked  in  the  woods,  and  was  also  employed  in 
various  lumber  camps  as  cook.  He  then  came 
west  as  far  as  Minnesota,  in  which  state  he 
worked  in  the  woods  and  at  the  carpenter's  trade. 
He  spent  in  all  ten  years  in  this  state,  when,  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


S63 


1889,  he  came  to  Tacoma,  and  engaged  in  carpen- 
ter work,  in  which  he  continued  unitl  1893,  when 
he  came  to  North  Yakima.  In  the  spring  of  1895 
he  went  to  Trail,  British  Columbia,  and  con- 
ducted a  hotel  for  three  years.  Again  returning 
to  North  Yakima,  he  engaged  in,  and  has  since 
followed,  contracting  and  building.  Among  the 
notable  structures  of  his  town  that  were  built 
under  Mr.  Stewart's  supervision  are  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows'  building,  the 
Sloan  building,  and  others.  During  his  residence 
in  North  Yakima  he  has  acquired  considerable 
town  property,  besides  having  proved  up  on  a 
homestead.  In  Warsaw,  April  2,  1884,  Mr.  Stew- 
art was  married  to  Miss  Annie  R.  White,  a  native 
of  New  Brunswick.  She  received  a  liberal  edu- 
cation in  her  native  country,  after  which  she 
taught  school,  and  later  was  bookkeeper  for  D.  L. 
Moody  in  his  seminar)'  for  two  years.  She  then 
came  to  Warsaw  and  was  married.  Her  father 
was  Henry  White,  now  deceased,  of  New  Bruns- 
wick, a  carpenter  and  boat  builder.  Her  mother 
was  Esther  (Wiggins)  White,  a  native  of  the 
same  country ;  she  died  in  Duluth,  Minnesota. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart  have  been  parents  of  three 
children,  Stanley  Earle,  born  November  5,  1895, 
and  a  pair  of  twins,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr. 
Stewart  belongs  to  Yakima  lodge,  No.  22,  I.  O. 
O.  F.,  and  to  lodge  No.  53,  Knights  of  Pythias, 
of  which  he  is  past  chancellor.  Both  he  and 
Mrs.  Stewart  are  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Mr.  Stewart  has  the  reputation  wher- 
ever he  has  lived  of  being  a  man  of  sober  and 
industrious  habits,  public  spirited  and  generous. 
He  is  universally  regarded  a  good  workman  and 
an  upright  man. 


E.  E.  BUTLER,  with  J.  M.  Murchie,  is  en- 
gaged in  a  profitable  livery  business  in  North 
Yakima.  He  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Iowa, 
January  18,  1852.  He  is  the  son  of  John  P. 
and  Mary  (Shields)  Butler,  both  natives  of  In- 
diana. John  P.  Butler  was  a  contractor  and 
builder  in  his  native  state  and  later  in  Iowa, 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he  en- 
listed in  the  Twenty-sixth  Iowa  infantry,  com- 
pany H  ;  went  to  the  front  and  was  killed  at  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg.  The  subject's  mother  died 
in  California  in  1894.  Mr.  Butler  attended  school 
in  his  native  state  and  followed  printing  and 
farming  until  arriving  at  the  age  of  twenty  years. 
In  1872,  he  went  to  California,  where  for  a  time 
he  followed  lumbering  and  two  years  later  he 
came  to  Yakima  county,  Washington,  located 
at  Yakima  City  (Old  Town)  and  during  the 
same  year  went  to  the  Wenas  valley,  where  he 
followed  the  lumber  business  for  a  few  years 
and  located  a  homestead.  On  this  homestead  he 
farmed  until  1890.  For  the  past  two  years  he 
has  been  engaged  in  his  present  business.     He 


was  married  in  1877,  in  Yakima  county,  to  Mag- 
gie O'Neal,  daughter  of  A.  and  Minerva  O'Neal, 
who  crossed  the  Plains  in  an  ox  wagon  in  1853. 
Mrs.  Butler  was  born  the  following  year  at  what 
is  now  Yelm,  Thurston  county.  Both  her  par- 
ents are  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Butler  have  seven 
children:  Clarence  E.,  Nellie  M.,  Eugene  C, 
Maud  M.,  Walter  L..  Iverna  E.  and  Arthur  W. 
Mr.  Butler  has  one  brother,  Eugene,  in  the  stock 
business  in  Glenn  county,  California,  and  two 
sisters,  Mrs.  E.  Chambers,  of  North  Yakima,  and 
Mrs.  Ellen  Nielson,  of  Willows,  California.  Mrs. 
Butler  has  brothers  and  sisters  as  follows : 
Charles,  in  the  lumber  business  in  Yakima 
county;  William,  also  engaged  in  lumbering; 
John,  a  farmer;  Mary,  who  resides  with  Mr.  But- 
ler, and  Anna,  wife  of  Eugene  Butler,  in  Cali- 
fornia. Mr.  Butler  is  a  member  in  good  stand- 
ing of  Yakima  lodge,  No.  22,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  in  which 
order  he  has  held  continuous  membership  for 
twenty  years.  He  also  at  one  time  was  a  member 
of  the  Home  Guards.  He  is  considered  to  be 
a  man  of  honor  and  integrity  and  is  one  of  the 
reliable  business  men  of  his  city. 


W.  WALLACE  FELTON,  an  architect  and 
builder  of  North  Yakima,  was  born  in  Grundy 
county,  Illinois,  May  22,  1850.  His  father,  Samuel 
Felton,  a  native  of  New  York  state,  was  a  ma- 
chinist by  trade,  and  died  in  Houston  county, 
Minnesota,  in  1873.  Mr.  Felton's  mother  was 
Martha  M.  (Bowers)  Felton,  born  in  Ohio,  and 
died  when  the  subject  was  but  four  years  old. 
Mr.  Felton  has  two  half-brothers,  James  B.  and 
Clarence  E.,  both  engaged  in  the  orange  busi- 
ness in  Florida.  After  receiving  his  education 
in  the  public  schools  of  Minnesota,  Mr.  Felton 
engaged  in  the  photograph  business  for  three 
years.  He  then  went  to  Illinois,  took  up  car- 
pentering and  building,  and  after  mastering  the 
trade  he  returned  to  Minnesota  and  took  a 
coarse  in  architecture.  In  1877  he  removed  to 
Iowa  and  for  two  years  was  engaged  in  the 
grain  business,  after  which  he  returned  to  Min- 
nesota and  resumed  contracting  and  building.  In 
1883  he  went  to  Florida  and  engaged  in  the  saw- 
mill business  with  his  brothers.  The  climate  not 
agreeing  with  Mrs.  Felton,  Mr.  Felton  sold  out 
at  the  end  of  one  year  and  removed  to  Iowa; 
after  a  residence  of  one  year  in  Iowa,  again  re- 
turned to  Minnesota  and  resumed  contracting 
and  building.  Three  years  prior  to  coming  to 
Washington  he  resided  in  St.  Paul,  in  which  city 
he  followed  contracting  and  building.  He  came 
to  Walla  Walla  in  1890,  where  he  followed  con- 
tracting for  five  years.  In  1895  he  came  to  North 
Yakima,  bought  a  farm  and  put  out  an  orchard. 
The  following  year  he  took  up  the  practice  of 
his  profession  in  town  and  has  remained  in  that 
work  since.    Since  coming  to  North  Yakima,  Mr. 


564 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Felton  has  erected  same  of  the  principal  build- 
ings of  the  town;  among  them  being  the  Miller 
block  and  residence,  the  Presbyterian  church,  the 
Episcopal  rectory,  the  residences  of  W.  B.  Dud- 
ley, E.  B.  Moore,  and  others.  He  now  holds 
the  contract  for  the  construction  of  the  Summit 
Mew  school  building,  of  which  he  is  architect, 
the  cost  of  which  will  be  approximately  ten  thou- 
sand dollars.  He  has  a  handsome  home  on  Nob 
Hill,  and  is  part  owner  of  the  anthracite  coal 
mines  near  Cowlitz  Pass,  which  certainly  are 
promising  properties.  He  also  owns  a  tract  of 
land  between  the  Yakima  and  Columbia  rivers. 
In  Caledonia,  December  25,  1872,  Mr.  Felton 
was  married  to  Miss  Lucy  C.  Pope,  a  native  of 
the  state  of  Minnesota.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Dr.  T.  A.  and  Mary  Pope,  and  died  on  the 
12th  of  July,  1876.  From  this  union  they  have 
two  children,  Lucius  A.  and  Maude  L.,  who  is  a 
graduate  of  the  Minnesota  State  Normal  School, 
and  was  a  successful  teacher  in  the  public  schools 
of  that  state  for  several  years.  She  was  married 
to  H.  M.  Helenick  in  1902.  Both  Lucius  A.  Fel- 
ton and  Mr.  Helenick  have  positions  with  the 
Chicago,  St.  Paul  &  Minneapolis  Railway  Com- 
pany. In  Lime  Springs,  Iowa,  July  2,  1878,  Mr. 
Felton  was  married  to  Miss  Priscilla  M.  Fessen- 
den,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Wisconsin.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  James  and  Mary  Fessenden,  the 
former  a  farmer,  born  in  Vermont.  Both  her 
parents  are  now  dead.  She  has  three  brothers: 
Joel  Fessenden,  of  Cresco,  Iowa;  Dr.  E.  S.  Fes- 
senden, Wisconsin;  Sylvenus  Fessenden,  Indi- 
ana. Her  sisters  are:  Mrs.  Sarah  Willhelm, 
Lime  Springs,  Iowa;  Rebecca  Turck,  in  Michi- 
gan, and  Laura  Phelps,  in  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Felton  have  been  parents  of  four  children:  Vera 
B.,  who  died  when  about  six  months  old;  Edith 
M.,  wife  of  Charles  E.  Druse,  North  Yakima ; 
Pearl  V.,  wife  of  C."  H,  Wimer,  a  North  Yakima 
farmer,  and  Ray,  who  is  a  student  of  the  high 
school,  and  is  now  living  with  his  parents,  at 
home.  Mr.  Felton  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen  fraternity,  his  membership  being  in  a 
Minnesota  lodge.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Felton 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Felton 
is  an  adept  in  his  profession,  and  his  services  are 
much  sought  after.  He  bears  the  best  reputation 
in  and  about  his  town,  and  in  all  circles,  financial 
and  social,  his  standing  is  of  the  highest  order. 


FRANK  J.  TICKNER.  The  prosperous  and 
skillful  photographer  whose  name  initiates  this 
paragraph  is  a  native  of  Linden,  Genesee  countv, 
Michigan,  born  May  1.  1872.  the  son  of  Rev.  J.  J. 
and  Lydia  A.  (Ripley)  Tickner,  both  of  whom 
are  now  actively  engaged  in  relisrious  work  in 
North  Yakima,  the  former  as  pastor  of  the  Bap- 
tist church,  the  latter  as  his  efficient  helper.     Mr. 


Tickner  is  a  native  of  New  York  state  and  his 
wife  of  Wisconsin. 

Frank  J.  Tickner,  of  this  review,  began  the 
study  of  the  art  of  photography  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  After  having  assiduously  devoted 
himself  to  it  for  a  time,  he  left  it  temporarily 
to  attend  Kalamazoo  College,  Michigan,  where 
he  received  his  secondary  and  advanced  educa- 
tion. After  graduation  he  took  up  again  the- 
practice  of  his  art,  first  in  Linden  and  later  in 
Branson,  Michigan.  Coming  west  eventually, 
he  purchased  the  interests  of  E.  E.  Jones,  a 
photographer  of  North  Yakima,  on  the  1st  of 
January,  1903,  and  his  professional  skill  and  busi- 
ness abilities  have  enabled  him  to  build  up  an 
excellent  business.  In  his  gallery  are  to  be  found 
many  of  the  most  modern  and  improved  equip- 
ments that  the  manufacturer  of  photographic 
supplies  is  able  to  furnish  and  he  is  well  pre- 
pared to  do  all  kinds  of  work  in  his  line. 

Mr.  Tickner  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Cora  Jones, 
residing  at  Castle  Rock,  near  Portland,  Oregon. 
A  competent  man  in  all  branches  of  photography 
and  related  arts,  his  services  are  sought  by  all 
who  desire  the  best  work.  Many  of  the  photo- 
graphs from  which  the  illustrations  in  this  vol- 
ume were  made  were  furnished  by  him.  As  a 
man  and  a  citizen,  he  has  a  very  enviable  stand- 
ing in  his  community,  and  he  is  looked  upon  by 
those  who  know  him  as  possessed  of  an  honor- 
able, generous  nature  and  sterling  integrity  of 
character. 


GEORGE  A.  GANO  is  one  of  the  most 
favorably  and  widely  known  of  Yakima  county's 
farmers  and  business  men.  Until  quite  recently 
he  made  his  home  in  Moxee  valley,  but  at  the 
present  time  is  living  in  North  Yakima,  still, 
however,  retaining  his  ranch.  He  is  the  son  of 
James  H.  and  Rhoda  (Gardner)  Gano,  whose  bi- 
ographies will  be  found  elsewhere  among  these 
chronicles.  They  were  natives  of  the  state  of 
Ohio,  where  they  lived  for  half  a  century  before 
immigrating  to  Yakima  county  in  1892.  The 
father  served  in  the  Civil  war  as  a  member  of 
the  Tremont  Light  Guards ;  the  mother  had  three 
brothers  in  the  same  conflict,  Joel,  Benjamin  and 
George.  In  Ohio  the  subject  of  this  biography 
spent  his  y-outh  and  early  manhood,  having  been 
born  in  Clark  county,  April  13,  1864,  where  he 
lived  four  years  and  was  then  taken  to  Hardin 
county.  His  early  industrial  training  was  on  the 
farm  and  in  the  car  shops.  When  twenty-five 
years  old,  however,  he  decided  to  seek  his  fortune 
in  the  far  Northwest  and  selected  Yakima  county 
as  the  place  to  cast  his  lot.  This  he  did  in  1889, 
his  first  work  in  Washington  being  with  Gard- 
ner &  Hall,  civil  engineers.  He  then  engaged 
successively  in  teaming,  collecting,  selline  sew- 
ing   machines    and    finally   in    ranching,    taking    a 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


565 


homestead  claim  in  the  Moxee  valley  in  1896.  In 
all  these  occupations  he  was  successful  and  by 
dint  of  hard  work  and  economy  added  from  time 
to  time  to  his  worldly  possessions.  In  order  to 
irrigate  his  farm  he  found  it  necessary  to  bore 
an  artesian  well  more  than  900  feet  deep,  from 
which  flows  a  fine,  large  stream  of  warm  water 
the  year  around.  In  the  summer  of  1903  Mr. 
Gano  formed  a  partnership  with  I.  B.  Turnell  and 
tinder  the  firm  name  of  Gano  &  Turnell  opened 
the  Pacific  hotel  on  South  First  street,  North 
Yakima.  Subsequently,  however,  Mr.  Gano  re- 
tired from  the  business,  though  not  until  the 
hostelry  had  been  firmly  established.  Mr.  Gano 
and  Eliza  Spahr,  a  resident  of  Ohio  at  the  time, 
were  united  in  marriage  October  2,  1889.  She 
lived  only  a  few  years,  passing  into  the  valley 
of  the  shadow  in  1896,  April  14th,  leaving,  besides 
her  husband,  three  children,  James,  Delbert  and 
Arden,  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  devoted  mother. 
Mr.  Gano  was  again  married  Seof ember  iv.  1900, 
the  bride  being  Martha  Gano,  of  Clinton,  Illinois, 
the  daughter  of  George  and  Susan  (Ward)  Gano. 
Her  parents  were  born  in  the  Buckeye  state ; 
the  father  served  in  the  Civil  war  and  is  now  a 
prosperous  farmer  of  Illinois.  To  this  marriage 
has  been  born  one  child,  Georgia.  Mr.  Gano  has 
eight  brothers  and  sisters-:  William,  Mrs.  Elva 
Heffelfinger  and  Mrs.  Estella  McElree,  living  in 
Ohio;  and  Ira  J.,  Wesley  E.,  Avenell  Patterson, 
Mrs.  Ida  Benson  and  Mrs.  Emma  Purdy,  resi- 
dents of  Yakima  count)-.  Mr.  Gano  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  po- 
litically, is  a  stalwart  Republican,  attending  all 
caucuses  and  conventions  held  in  the  county. 
He  has  never  sought  political  preferment,  but 
bas  been  elected  constable  for  two  successive 
terms.  His  principal  property  holdings  consist 
of  a  ranch  in  the  artesian  district  of  the  Moxee 
valley,  sixty  acres  being-  well  improved.  All  who 
know  Mr.  Gano  personally  will  testify  to  his 
congenial  qualities  and.  as  a  prosperous  farmer, 
a  capable  business  man,  and  a  man  of  his  word, 
be  is  highly  respected  and  popular. 


NICHOLAS  McCOY,  pioneer  and  stockman, 
was  born  in  Austria,  January  14,  1831,  and  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  left  home  and  went  as  a  cabin 
"boy  on  a  vessel  bound  for  Africa.  Starting  out 
so  early  in  life  to  do  for  himself,  he  has  had  many 
varied  and  interesting  experiences  that  have 
proven  valuable  to  him  in  later  years.  Profiting 
by  the  store  of  general  knowledge  so  gained,  he 
bas  made  a  success  of  life  in  a  business  way. 
After  making  the  trip  to  Africa  he  remained  there 
two  years,  then  took  passage  for  Cuba  in  a  slave 
trader,  and  made  the  port  of  Havana  in  safety. 
From  there  he  sailed  for  New  York,  then  to 
New  Orleans.  Here  he  lived  for  seven  years, 
until  1858,  when  he  went  to  California.     He  next 


took  a  vessel  for  Victoria,  British  Columbia,  and 
thence  to  the  Fraser  River  mines,  where  he  re- 
mained a  short  time.  In  1861,  he  came  up  the 
Columbia  river  to  The  Dalles,  and  later  to  the 
Yakima  valley,  settling,  or  rather  camping,  near 
where  the  town  of  Sunnyside  is  now  located.  At 
this  time,  Mr.  McCoy  says,  the  only  settlers  in 
the  -valley  that  he  knew  of  were  Charles  Splawn 
and  Mortimer  Thorp.  Here  he  engaged  in  the 
cattle  business,  which  he  has  continued  to  follow 
ever  since  with  varying  fortune,  but  ultimate 
success,  proving  that  perseverance  at  any  one 
thing  is  almost  sure  to  win  success  and  fortune 
in  the  end.  Mr.  McCoy  served  as  guide  to  the 
settlers  and  scout  for  the  government,  in  the 
early  days  of  the  country,  and  has  been  in  all 
of  the  Indian  troubles  that  have  arisen  since  his 
arrival  in  the  Northwest.  He  served  as  scout  with 
General  Howard  and  was  personally  acquainted 
with  Chief  Moses.  He  has  a  vast  fund  of  infor- 
mation regarding  the  general  Northwest,  having 
driven  cattle  into  the  mine  regions  of  British 
Columbia,  Idaho  and  Montana,  and  having  trav- 
eled through  various  other  sections  of  the  coun- 
try. He  pre-empted  his  present  home  in  1884, 
and  has  since  purchased  a  number  of  other  tracts 
of  land  in  the  county.  He  now  lives  in  Old 
Yakima.  He  is  fraternally  identified  with  the 
Masonic  order,  being  a  member  of  Yakima  lodge, 
No.  24.  He  is  admitted  to  be  one  of  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  Yakima  county  and  one  of  its  most 
worthy  citizens. 


JEFF  D.  McDANIELS,  the  liquor  dealer  of 
North  Yakima,  and  .also  interested  in  mining,  is 
a  native  born  Pacific  Coaster  and  a  pioneer  of 
1865  in  Yakima  county,  where  he  came  with  his 
parents  at  the  age  of  seven  years,  and  where  he 
has  continued  to  reside  the  principal  part  of  the 
time  since.  He  is  not  only  a  pioneer  himself  in 
the  great  Northwest,  but  he  comes  of  the  very 
earliest  pioneer  stock.  His  father,  Elisha  Mc- 
Daniels,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1824,  and 
pioneered  it  in  both  Illinois  and  Missouri.  In 
1844  he  crossed  the  Plains  from  the  latter  state, 
to  Oregon,  when  it  required  indomitable  courage 
to  face  the  extreme  hardships  and  dangers  which 
beset  the  way  on  everv  hand,  both  by  day  and 
by  night.  In  the  sixties  he  drove  stock  through 
to  the  Cariboo  mines  in  British  Columbia,  and 
it  was  by  this  means  that  he  came  to  settle  in 
the  Yakima  country  in  1865,  where  he  eventually 
died.  Subject's  mother,  Lettie  J.  Cormack,  was 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  with  her  parents, 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  the  year  1844, 
later  meeting  Mr.  McDaniels  in  the  new  El  Do- 
rado, where  thev  were  married,  and  where  subject 
was  born,  August  22,  1858.  At  the  age  of  seven 
bis  parents  moved  to  Yakima  county,  and  here 
he  grew  up.    He  remained  at  home,  working  with 


566 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


his  father  until  twenty,  then  worked  two  years 
for  a  railroad  company.  He  then  engaged  in 
mining  and  followed  this  for  some  eight  years, 
during  which  time  he  opened  a  saloon  in  North 
Yakima,  which  he  conducted  for  twelve  years. 
He  then  sold  out  and  turned  his  whole  attention 
to  mining  for  some  six  years,  one  year  of  which 
he  spent  in  the  Nome  gold  fields.  He  returned 
to  North  Yakima  in  1901,  and  has  continued  to 
reside  here  since.  He  was  married  in  February, 
1887,  to  Cora  C.  Lindsay,  a  native  of  Yakima 
City,  where  she  was  born  in  1867.  Her  father, 
John  Lindsay,  was  a  native  of  Missouri,  and 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1850,  and  later 
came  to  Yakima  county,  settling  at  Yakima  City. 
He  has  a  daughter,  Jessie  A.,  born  in  North 
Yakima.  September  7,  1889.  Mr.  McDaniels  is 
socially  connected  with  the  Eagles  and  Red  Men. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  Mrs.  McDaniels 
was  a  member  of  the  Christian  church,  and 
passed  away  in  North  Yakima,  May  20,  1899. 


CASPER  FEUERBACH,  who  owns  and  ope- 
rates one  of  the  leading  barber  shops  in  North 
Yakima,  is  an  1882  pioneer  in  the  county.  He 
has  seen  the  city  of  North  Yakima  spring  from 
sage  brush  and  sand  to  its  present  pretentious 
conditions,  and  has  added  his  influence  and  ef- 
forts to  bring  about  that  desirable  end.  He  was 
born  in  Germany,  June  15,  1837.  His  father, 
Jacob  Feuerbach,  a  miller  by  trade,  was  also  of 
German  birth.  He  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1848,  locating  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
where  he  shortlv  afterwards  was  carried  away 
in  the  great  cholera  epidemic.  Subject's  mother, 
Magdalene  (Haas)  Feuerbach,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many and  came  of  a  family  of  hisrh  standing  and 
wealth  in  the  old  country.  She  came  to  the 
United  States  with  her  husband,  in  1848.  Sub- 
ject received  the  principal  part  of  his  education 
in  the  old  country,  but  being  young  and  of  a 
bright,  observing  turn,  he  was  soon  able  to  make 
the  most  of  his  early  acquirements  and  turn  them 
to  account  in  the  land  of  his  adoption.  At  the 
age  of  twelve  he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 
barber,  and  on  his  father's  death  he  at  once  began 
to  assist  in  the  support  of  his  mother.  He  con- 
tinued to  work  at  his  trade  in  St.  Louis  until 
1858,  when  he  moved  to  St.  Charles,  Missouri, 
where  he  opened  a  shop  and  continued  to  run  it 
twenty-four  years.  In  1882  he  came  west  to 
Washington,  locating  at  Yakima  City.  Here  he 
took  charge  of  the  shop  owned  by  his  son,  who 
had  preceded  him  several  years.  At  the  end 
of  three  years  he  moved  to  North  Yakima  and 
built  a  shop,  which  he  has  continued  to  operate 
for  the  last  eighteen  years.  He  was  married 
in  St.  Louis  in  1855,  to  Louise  Sieglinger,  a 
native  of  Germany,  where  she  was  educated"  when 
a  girl,  later  taking  private  lessons  in  the  United 


States.  To  this  marriage  were  born  twelve  chil- 
dren, of  whom  seven  are  still  living,  as  fol- 
lows :  Louisa  Winters,  Portland ;  Joseph,  San 
Francisco ;  Kate  Tyler,  Lena  Younger,  Portland ; 
Amelia,  of  Portland;  Alma  Rankin,  likewise  of 
Portland,  and  Blanch,  who  lives  at  home.  Mr. 
Feuerbach  has  prospered  in  a  business  way,  and 
owns  business  and  residence  property  in  the  city. 
He  is  a  straightforward  man  in  his  dealings  and 
is  esteemed  as  a  good,  worthy  citizen  by  all. 


FRANK  X.  NAGLER,  manufacturer  of  ci- 
gars, North  Yakima,  was  born  in  Bavaria,  Ger- 
many, June  15,  1867.  The  father  and  mother, 
Jacob  and  Mary  (Lechner)  Nagler,  were  both 
natives  of  Germany,  where  the  latter  still  lives. 
The  father  was  leader  of  a  military  band,  which 
position  he  held  for  forty-seven  years.  In  addi- 
tion to  schooling  in  the  ordinary  branches,  sub- 
ject took  a  course  in  a  conservatory  of  music 
in  Germany  when  a  boy,  and,  being  talented  in 
this  line,  he  made  rapid  progress,  becoming  very 
proficient  in  music  at  an  early  age.  When  but 
sixteen  he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
at  Faribault,  Minnesota,  where  he  learned  the  trade 
of  cigar-maker.  In  1886  he  came  to  Ellens- 
burg,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
cigar-s,  and  at  the  same  time  became  the  leader 
of  the  band  and  gave  instructions  on  stringed 
instruments.  From  Ellensburg  he  came  to  North 
Yakima  in  1890,  where  he  opened  a  cigar  factory' 
and  also  followed  music  teaching.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  North  Yakima  in  1891,  to  Sarah  Ward, 
daughter  of  Robert  Ward,  a  mining:  man  of  Boise, 
Idaho,  and  at  one  time  a  member  of  the  legis- 
lature of  that  state.  Mrs.  Nagler  was  born  in 
Boise,  and  was  educated  in  the  convent  there. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nagler's  children  are:  Earl,  Mer- 
lin, Raymond  and  Francis.  Mr.  Nagler  is  con- 
nected with  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, Yeomen  and  Red  Men.  The  family  is  con- 
nected with  the  Catholic  church.  Mr.  Nagler  has 
succeeded  financially,  and  owns  a  homestead  in 
the  county,  city  property,  his  cigar  factory  and 
store,  and  mining  stock,  being  treasurer  of  the 
Elizabeth  Gold  Hill  Mining  Company.  Mrs. 
Nagler  was  at  one  time  assistant  in  the  county- 
auditor's  office  at  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Nagler 
is  a  Roosevelt  man ;  is  esteemed  for  his  strict 
integrity,  and  is  known  as  a  worthy  and  reliable 
citizen. 


RICHARD  J.  CURRY,  a  leading  tailor  of 
North  Yakima,  is  a  native  Californian,  having 
been  born,  July  14.  1872,  at  Sacramento.  His 
citizenship  in  Yakima  county  dates  from  1879, 
when  at  the  age  of  seven  he  came  to  this  coun- 
try with  his  parents.  His  father,  Thomas  Curry, 
was    born    in    Ireland    and    came    to    the    United 


JOHN  P.  MARKS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


567 


States  in  1852  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  fol- 
lowed mining  for  years  in  the  Black  Hills,  Colo- 
rado, Nevada  and  California,  living  in  the  latter 
state  for  ten  years.  He  then  resided  two  years 
in  Tacoma,  afterwards  taking  up  land  in  Yakima 
county,  locating  a  timber  culture  claim.  He 
claims  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  one  in 
the  country  to  take  advantage  of  the  arid  land 
act.  He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  twenty- 
nine  children,  all  of  whom  were  living  at  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  1896.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Mary  F.  (Doyle)  Curry,  came  of  Irish 
parentage.  Subject  attended  school  until  twelve 
and  for  the  next  four  years  was  variously  em- 
ployed. He  then  went  to  Seattle  for  three  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  North 
Yakima  and  learned  the  tailor's  trade.  In  the 
course  of  a  few  years  he  and  his  brother  John 
bought  out  the  tailoring  shop  where  he  worked, 
and  together  they  ran  the  business  until  1899 
under  the  firm  name  of  Curry  Brothers,  when  he 
bought  his  brother  out  and  has  since  conducted 
the  business  alone.  He  has  built  up  an  exten- 
sive and  successful  business.  He  has  two  broth- 
ers, John  and  Thomas,  living  in  North  Yakima. 
He  was  married  in  North  Yakima,  in  1897,  to 
Florence  M.  Smith,  daughter  of  Thomas  and 
Emma  B.  (Hubbard)  Smith.  The  father  was  an 
early  settler  on  the  Pacific  Coast,  and  was  for 
twenty  years  head  man  in  one  of  the  leading 
shoe  establishments  in  San  Francisco.  The 
mother  was  a  native  of  Illinois.  Mrs.  Curry  was 
born  in  San  Francisco,  April  3,  1881,  and  came 
with  her  parents  to  Yakima  county  when  a  small 
girl.  Her  sister,  Blanche  Carr,  lives  in  North 
Yakima.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Curry's  children  are :  Ira 
R.  J.,  Florence  E.,  Godfrey  and  Esther  R.  They 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.  Politically, 
Mr.  Curry  is  an  active  Republican;  fraternally, 
he  is  connected  with  the  Elks,  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  has 
a  comfortable  home  in  the  city  and  a  well  estab- 
lished business,  and  ranks  well  as  a  business  man 
and  citizen. 


JOHN  P.  MARKS,  farmer  and  dairyman  in 
the  Ahtanum  valley,  has  made  his  home  in  that  fer- 
tile valley  ever  since  1871,  at  which  time  he  settled 
upon  the  old  homestead,  where  he  now  lives.  He 
was  born  in  Bluegrass,  Kentucky,  January  31,  1838, 
to  the  union  of  Bluford  B.  and  Martha  W.  (Moore) 
Marks,  both  natives  of  the  same  state.  In  an  early 
day  both  removed  to  Missouri  with  their  parents 
and  were  there  married.  The  father  was  a  farmer 
and  an  Oregon  pioneer,  living  in  that  state  at  the 
time  of  his  death  in  1871.  The  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy, at  the  age  of  fifteen,  crossed  the  Plains  with 
his  parents,  driving  an  ox  team  all  the  dreary  way, 
taking  his  turn  with  the  men  in  the  train  at  guard 


duty,  and  otherwise  manfully  bearing  his  share  of 
peril  and  work.  At  the  end  of  six  months  the  emi- 
grants reached  the  Willamette  valley,  and  there,  in 
Linn  county,  in  the  year  1853,  hewed  out  the  new 
home  in  the  far  West.  Here  he  worked  with  his 
father  several  years,  attending  the  Lebanon  Acad- 
emy. In  1859  he  went  into  the  wild  Rogue  river 
region,  and  there  hunted  and  trapped  for  three 
years,  going  into  the  mining  regions  of  Idaho  and 
Montana  from  Oregon,  in  the  spring  of  1862.  The 
first  year  he  was  engaged  in  mining,  visiting  all  the 
famous  camps  of  Idaho  at  that  time;  then  for  five 
years  he  operated  pack-trains  in  those  territories, 
enduring  the  hardships  and  braving  the  dangers 
common  to  such  regions  in  those  times.  Six  years 
of  this  rough  life  satisfied  his  ambition  in  that  direc- 
tion, and  he  again  took  up  his  abode  in  Oregon, 
where  he  was  married  and  resided  for  two  years,  or 
until  his  removal  to  Puget  Sound.  His  stay  on  the 
western  slope  was  of  short  duration,  however,  for  in 
1 87 1  he  immigrated  to  the  Yakima  country  and  set- 
tled on  the  Ahtanum.  For  a  year  he  taught  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  settlement,  and  such  was  his 
success  that  his  fellow  citizens  rewarded  him  by 
electing  the  young  schoolmaster  county  superin- 
tendent. In  this  capacity  he  faithfully  served  two 
successive  terms,  aiding  materially  in  establishing 
the  schools  of  his  county  upon  a  firm  foundation. 
In  1867,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Ellen  Wil- 
liams, a  native  of  Illinois,  who  crossed  the  Plains 
with  her  parents  when  she  was  but  five  years  old. 
Her  father,  Charles  A.  Williams,  made  that  journey 
in  1843,  settling  in  Oregon.  Mrs.  Marks  died  in 
1891,  leaving  five  children,  three  of  whom,  Mrs. 
Nora  V.  Frazer,  Elmer  B.  and  Charles  A.,  are  still 
living.  Mr.  Marks  was  married  again  in  1892, 
this  time  to  Mrs.  Mattie  (Hastings)  Smith,  whose 
father  was  a  farmer  in  Canada,  where  she  was  born 
in  1838.  She  was  educated  and  grew  to  woman- 
hood in  Vermont,  teaching  and  also  holding  the  po- 
sition of  matron  in  the  reform  school  for  a  number 
of  years,  before  her  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marks 
are  zealous  members  of  the  Congregational  church, 
and  socially  hold  the  esteem  of  a  host  of  friends. 
He  is  affiliated  with  one  fraternal  order,  the  Yeo- 
men. In  politics,  he  has  always  been  active  and  in- 
fluential, and  is  to-day,  having  been  one  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic nominees  for  representative  to  the  legisla- 
ture from  his  district  at  the  last  election.  Until  1896 
Mr.  Marks  was  a  Republican,  but  the  issues  in- 
volved in  that  famous  campaign  were  such  that  he 
sought  a  new  political  standard  under  which  to 
serve  his  country.  As  a  business  man  he  has  been 
successful,  owning  at  present  four  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  well  improved  farming  land  and  a 
considerable  band  of  stock ;  as  a  pioneer,  he  took  a 
prominent  part  in  redeeming  the  Yakima  wilderness 
and  converting  it  into  fields  of  hay,  hop  yards,  or- 
chards and  gardens ;  and  as  a  public-spirited  citizen 
who  respects  both  the  civil  and  moral  laws,  he  is  act- 


568 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ive  in  promoting  the  welfare  of  his  home  county 
and  state,  and  commands  the  respect  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 


ANDREW  F.  SNELLING,  living  near  North 
Yakima,  was  born  in  Johnson  county,  Missouri, 
July  8,  1840.  Vincent  L.  Snelling,  his  father,  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  was  a  clergyman  and  a  steamboat 
captain.  In  1844,  he  crossed  the  Plains,  taking  up 
a  full  section  of  donation  land  in  Yamhill  county, 
Oregon.  During  his  residence  in  Yamhill  county 
he  preached  the  gospel  and  served  as  captain  of  a 
boat  on  the  Willamette  river.  He  was  the  first  Bap- 
tist minister  on  the  coast.  He  died  in  California  in 
1855.  Adelia  (Tandy)  Snelling,  his  wife,  and  the 
mother  of  A.  F.  Snelling,  was  born  in  Virginia  of 
Welsh  and  English  parents.  Her  ancestors  came  to 
ATirginia  early  in  the  nineteenth  century.  Air.  Snell- 
ing was  four  years  old  when  his  parents  crossed  the 
Plains.  He  was  educated  at  AIcAIinnville  college, 
in  Oregon.  He  resided  on  the  Yamhill  county 
homestead  until  his  twenty-first  year,  when  he  was 
appointed  deputy  in  the  county  clerk's  office  at 
Eugene,  Oregon.  Two  years  later  he  went  to  Mon- 
tana, and  for  five  years  engaged  in  mining;  during 
the  last  two  of  these  years,  however,  he  represented 
his  county  in  the  territorial  legislature.  After  a  brief 
time  spent  in  Nevada,  he  went  to  Goose  Lake  val- 
ley. Oregon,  and  for  four  years  followed  lumbering. 
He  was  then  elected  clerk  of  Lake  county,  and, 
two  years  later,  was  re-elected.  A  third  time  he  re- 
ceived the  nomination  for  this  office,  but  declined, 
accepting  instead  the  appointment  as  register  of  the 
LTnited  States  land  office  at  Lakeview,  Oregon,  prof- 
fered him  by  the  Cleveland  administration.  At 
the  end  of  his  term  as  register,  he  moved  to  Pierce 
county,  Washington,  and  engaged  for  a  time  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits.  In  1 89 1,  he  became  a  merchant  of 
North  Yakima,  but,  during  President  Cleveland's 
second  administration,  was  appointed  register  of 
the  North  Yakima  land  office  and  continued  in  this 
position  for  four  and  one-half  years.  In  1892,  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  near  the  city,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  Mr.  Snelling  has  two  broth- 
ers, Vincent  and  James,  ande  one  sister,  Adelia.  He 
was  married  in  1877.  in  Lakeview,  Oregon,  to  Miss 
Mary  Watson,  a  native  of  Illinois,  where  she  was 
born  in  1854.  Her  father,  William  Watson,  was 
also  a  native  of  Illinois  and  a  soldier  of  the  Civil 
war,  during  which  he  contracted  a  disease  from  ex- 
posure, which  ultimately  caused  his  death.  Her 
mother,  also  a  native  of  Illinois,  still  lives,  in  Wash- 
ington. Mrs.  Snelling  has  five  brothers  and  three 
sisters.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snelling  are : 
Otta,  Lena  L.,  Jessie  D.,  and  Adelia  M.  The  family 
attend  the  Baptist  church.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Snell- 
ing is  connected  with  the  Masons,  Independent  Or- 
der of  Odd  Fellows  and  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.     He  is  past  grand  of  the  Odd  Fellows. 


He  is  a  leader  in  the  Democratic  party  and  is  a  man 
highly  esteemed  by  his  neighbors  and  fellow  citizens. 


FREDERICK  E.  SHAW,  salesman  with  the 
North  Yakima  Furniture  Company,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  May  27,  1877.  His  father,  Edward 
Shaw,  was  a  native  of  England  and  a  miller  by  trade, 
following  this  vocation  continuously  for  forty-five 
years.  He  came  to  the  United  States,  where  he 
worked  at  the  milling  business  in  almost  every  state. 
He  died  in  Goldendale,  Washington.  Our  subject's 
mother,  Mary  (Wainwright)  Shaw,  who  is  now 
making  her  home  with  her  daughter,  is  also  a  native 
of  England.  Mr.  Shaw  is  a  graduate  of  Klickitat 
Academy,  at  Goldendale,  where  his  parents  lived  for 
several  years  after  coming  west.  When  he  was  but 
six  years  old  they  movd  to  Portland,  and  there,  at 
the  age  of  thirteen,  he  entered  the  large  wholesale 
furniture  house  of  Peters  &  Roberts,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  upholsterer.  He  continued  with 
this  firm  for  eight  years,  then  returned  to  Klickitat 
county  and  took  a  course  in  the  academy  at  Golden- 
dale. After  finishing  his  studies  he  came  to  North 
Yakima  and  accepted  a  position  with  the  firm  with 
which  he  is  now  connected.  He  has  now  been  with 
this  company  four  years.  He  has  one  sister  and  one 
brother  living:  Mary  Perce  and  Charles  Shaw, 
both  citizens  of  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Shaw  was 
married  in  North  Yakima,  in  1901,  to  Miss  Maud 
Palmer,  who  was  born  in  Minnesota,  April  4,  1879, 
but  raised  in  Goldendale,  where  her  parents  settled 
in  an  early  day.  Her  father,  George  B.  Palmer, 
was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  He  was  a  pioneer 
of  Klickitat  county.  Mrs.  Shaw  has  eight  brothers 
and  sisters  living.  Fraternally,  Air.  Shaw  is  asso- 
ciated with  the  Alasonic  and  the  Alaccabee  orders 
and  is  commander  of  the  latter  lodge.  He  is  also 
secretary  of  the  Order  of  Washington.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican politically,  and  religiously,  is  connected 
with  the  Episcopal  church.  He  has  a  comfortable 
home  in  North  Yakima. 


AIOSES  N.  ADAAIS,  of  Yakima  City,  came  to 
Yakima  county  in  1879,  where  he  has  made  his 
home  continuously,  with  the  exception  of  two  years 
spent  in  Alaska.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in 
1844.  from  the  union  of  James  H.  and  Eliza  (Cox) 
Adams.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  but  spent 
almost  his  entire  life  in  Illinois,  where  he  followed 
farming  and  milling.  He  was  a  man  held  in  high 
esteem  and  was  a  pronounced  abolitionist  during  the 
war  times.  Subject's  mother  was  born  in  New  Jer- 
sey. Her  father,  who  was  a  Scotchman,  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  war  and  lived  to  be  almost  a  cen- 
tenarian. At  the  age  of  seventeen  our  subject  en- 
listed in  Company  C,  Eighth  Illinois  cavalry.  He 
was  wounded  at  Malvern  Hill  in  1862,  and  was  dis- 
charged for  disabilities  arising  therefrom,  but  re- 
enlisted  in  the  same  company  as  soon  as  he  recov- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


569 


ered,  and  served  until  the  close  of  the  war.  In  1866 
he  went  west  to  Colorado  and  entered  the  mines  in 
Lake  county,  where  he  remained  until  1870.  From 
there  he  took  a  trip  through  New  Mexico,  Arizona, 
California  and  Nevada,  working  in  the  various  min- 
ing camps  and  having  several  engagements  with  the 
Indians.  In  1 877,  he  moved  into  the  Klickitat  val- 
ley, Washington,  where  he  remained  until  1879, 
when  he  came  to  Yakima  county  and  took  up  land 
thirty-five  miles  south  of  North  Yakima.  Here 
he  continued  to  live  and  farm  until  1890,  when 
he  moved  to  Yakima  City  and  bought  a  place, 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  He  was 
married  in  San  Francisco,  in  1875,  to  Louise 
Ferrell,  daughter  of  John  Ferrell,  a  farmer  and  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  who  now  lives  on  the  old  homestead 
originally  taken  up  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch. 
He  was  an  argonaut  of  '49  in  California.  Mrs. 
Adams  was  born  in  California  in  1857.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Adams'  children  are:  Florence,  Nellie  Court- 
wright,  Rosa  Adams,  Robert  A.,  Clarence,  John  C, 
Bessie  and  Kate,  all  residing  in  Yakima  county. 
Socially,  Mr.  Adams  is  connected  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows  orders ;  politically,  he  is  a  Republican, 
and  in  1893  was  honored  by  his  party  with  the  nom- 
ination for  county  commissioner.  He  was  duly 
elected  and  served  throughout  the  term  with  credit. 


EDWIN  R.  LEAMING  first  settled  in  Wash- 
ington in  1875,  locating  at  Walla  Walla.  In  1880, 
he  moved  his  family  to  Ellensburg,  himself  engag- 
ing in  the  nursery  business  at  Yakima  City,  and  in 
1883  ne  bought  eighty  acres,  now  a  portion  of  the 
town  site  of  North  Yakima,  and  upon  which  he  at 
once  moved  his  family.  Mr.  Learning  is  a  native 
of  Cape  May  county,  New  Jersey,  born  February 
14,  1827.  His  parents  were  Christopher,  and  Ann 
(McCrey)  Learning.  His  father,  of  English  descent 
and  a  lawyer  by  profession,  died  in  1865.  The  moth- 
er, a  native  of  New  Jersey,  lived  to  the  ripe  old  age 
of  ninety-five.  Our  subject  received  an  academic  ed- 
ucation, and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  went  to  Phila- 
delphia and  learned  the  tailor's  trade,  serving  a  four 
years'  apprenticeship.  He  then  ran  a  business  of 
his  own  for  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time 
he  moved  west  to  Jackson  county,  Iowa,  and  bought 
a  farm.  Two  years  of  farming  satisfied  him.  He  sold 
out  and  went  to  Wisconsin  and  mined  for  a  time, 
then  opened  a  store,  and  later  engaged  in  the  lum- 
bering business.  In  1858  he  moved  to  Kansas, 
where  he  lived  seven  years,  and  from  which  state  he 
enlisted  in  the  Civil  war,  receiving  his  discharge  in 
May,  1865.  He  then  engaged  in  merchandizing  in 
Missouri  for  some  nine  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
time,  1875,  he  moved  to  Washington  (then  a  ter- 
ritory), where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  After 
purchasing  the  tract  of  land  at  North  Yakima,  he 
engaged  in  the  nursery  business,  following  it  with 
success  to  the  present  date.    He  has  contributed  ma- 


terially to  the  development  and  improvement  of 
North  Yakima,  having,  in  addition  to  erecting  nine 
buildings  on  his  tract  of  land,  set  out  and  brought 
to  a  fine  bearing  condition  numerous  orchards 
about  the  city.  He  was  married  in  New  Jersey, 
September  6,  1849,  to  Harriet  Pennington,  daughter 
of  James  and  Rebecca  (Kindle)  Pennington.  The 
father,  who  was  of  English  descent,  was  a  native  of 
New  Jersey  and  a  shipbuilder.  The  mother  was 
also  born  in  New  Jersey  of  English  parents.  Mrs. 
Learning  taught  school  for  three  years.  She  de- 
parted this  life  in  1900.  To  this  marriage  were  born 
five  children,  of  whom  two  are  living:  Lois  I. 
Parker,  Yakima;  and  William  C,  in  Bacoachi, 
Sonora  county,  Mexico.  Mr.  Learning  was  mar- 
ried the  second  time  March  19,  1903,  to  Mrs.  Mi- 
nerva Kester,  his  present  wife.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Learning  is  connected  with  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows. He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Presbvterian 
church,  and  at  present  holds  the  office  of  elder  in  the 
North  Yakima  congregation,  of  which  he  was  one 
of  the  organizers.  In  addition  to  a  fine  tract  of 
land,  he  owns  considerable  city  property  and  is  a 
stockholder  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  North 
Yakima.     He  is  highly  esteemed  by  all. 


FRED  E.  THOMPSON,  fruit  grower  and  ship- 
per, North  Yakima,  is  a  Washingtonian  by  birth, 
and  owns  Sumner  as  the  place  of  his  nativity.  He 
was  born  May  29,  1863.  His  father,  Levant  F. 
Thompson,  was  born  in  Jamestown,  N.  Y.,  and 
crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in  1849.  His  ox- 
teams  gave  out  en  route,  and  he  completed  the  jour- 
ney of  300  miles  on  foot.  After  four  years  in  the 
mines  of  that  state  he  came  to  the  Sound  country 
and  engaged  in  lumbering.  He  established  the  third 
mill  on  the  Sound,  which  was  destroyed  by  the  In- 
dians during  the  uprising  and  war  of  1855-56.  In 
1863  he  commenced  growing  hops  in  Pierce  and 
King  counties,  the  experimental  crop  consisting  of 
two  and  one-half  acres.  He  was  the  first  one  to  try 
hop-growing  in  the  Northwest,  and  not  even  the 
wisest  and  most  far-seeing  of  that  day  could  have 
been  made  to  believe  that  in  the  course  of  time  this 
would  become  one  of  the  greatest  industries  of  this 
admittedly  great  country.  His  father  died  in  1896. 
The  mother,  Susan  (Kincaid)  Thompson,  was  born 
in  Missouri  in  1844,  and  is  still  living  in  this  state. 
Our  subject  made  his  home  with  his  parents  until 
he  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  when  he  engaged  in 
hop  growing  on  his  own  account,  which  he  followed 
in  Pierce  and  King  counties  for  some  ten  years, 
with  good  success.  In  1888,  he  came  to  Yakima 
county,  and,  purchasing  a  quarter-section  of  land, 
began  fruit  raising  and  shipping,  which  he  has  since 
followed.  He  made  the  first  shipment  of  fruit  from 
Yakima  county  that  ever  crossed  the  Missouri  river. 
In  1898,  he  organized  a  wholesale  and  retail  fruit 
and  produce  company  in  Billings,  Montana,  under 


570 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  firm  name  of  Thompson,  Kain  &  Vaughn,  and 
in  1901  he  organized  another  company  of  similar 
character  in  Butte,  Montana.  At  present  he  is  the 
representative  of  the  wholesale  house  of  Ryan  & 
Newton,  of  Spokane,  Butte  and  Seattle.  In  1902,  he 
sold  his  fruit  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  he  had  taken  when  in  sage  brush,  and  devel- 
oped into  the  largest  fruit  farm  in  Yakima  county. 
He  was  married  in  Sumner,  Washington,  in  1893, 
to  Miss  Viola  Kirkman,  a  native  of  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia, born  in  1873.  She  is  a  lady  of  literary  at- 
tainments and  has  a  finished  musical  education;  is 
also  a  graduate  of  the  Egan  Dramatic  School.  To 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thompson  has  been  born 
one  child,  Hazel,  whose  birthday  is  November  13, 
1894.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Thompson  is  connected  with 
the  Masons  and  Elks.  Politically,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 


EDWARD  E.  KELSO.  In  the  winning  of  Yak- 
ima county,  many  characters  of  sterling  quality  have 
been  developed.  The  rich  but  sometimes  deeply 
buried  natural  resources  were  a  challenge  to  the 
pioneer  who  had  granite  in  his  fiber  and  iron  in  his 
blood,  and  the  men  with  these  qualities  have  never 
lacked  a  field  for  their  exercise  here,  nor  have  they 
often  failed  of  their  rewards.  Prominent  among 
the  men  who  have  had  the  courage  to  answer  na- 
ture's challenge,  and  who  have  conquered  in  the 
fight,  are  the  Kelso  brothers,  of  whom  the  subject  of 
this  article  is  one:  Coming  to  the  country  with  little 
capital  except  their  unbounded  energy  and  their 
unusually  good  judgments  in  commercial  and  busi- 
ness matters,  they  have  wrought  their  way  steadily 
to  fortune,  at  the  same  time  winning  and  retaining 
a  high  standing  in  the  various  communities  in  which 
they  have  lived.  Edward  E.,  of  this  article,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Richland  county,  Ohio,  born  August  12, 
1863,  the  son  of  John  A.  and  Martha  (Miller) 
Kelso.  The  former  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  April 
13,  1832,  came  to  Ohio  when  a  small  boy,  grew  up 
and  was  educated  and  married  in  Richland  county, 
that  state,  and  continued  to  reside  there  until  1863, 
when  he  moved  to  Williams  county.  He  came 
thence  in  1884  to  Walla  Walla  county,  Washington, 
and  now  lives  two  miles  east  of  the  city  of  Walla 
Walla.  He  is  of  Irish  extraction  and  his  wife,  the 
mother  of  our  subject,  of  German.  She  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  1834.  was  married  when  twenty  years  of 
age  and  is  now  in  Walla  Walla  county.  Our  sub- 
ject received  his  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  Ohio  and  in  the  normal  school  at  Fayette.  At 
the  early  age  of  eighteen  he  began  his  career  as  a 
teacher,  and  for  the  ensuing  three  years  he  was  a 
successful  practitioner  of  the  art  of  pedagogy,  but 
upon  attaining  his  legal  majority  he  changed  both 
his  residence  and  his  business.  He  accompanied  his 
parents  to  Washington,  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year    (1884)    filed   on    a   homestead    in   the   Horse 


Heaven  country,  six  miles  south  of  Kennewick.  It 
was  then  he  began  wheat  raising,  the  business  in 
which  he  has  had  such  excellent  success.  In  1886 
he  became  associated  with  his  two  brothers,  William 
and  Clinton,  in  farming  and  the  three  that  year  cul- 
tivated some  two  thousand  acres,  only  a  small  part 
of  which  belonged  to  them.  At  the  present  time 
they  are  still  farming,  but  mark  the  difference — they 
now  cultivate  in  the  vicinity  of  six  thousand  acres, 
.and  it  is  all  their  own.  Nor  does  this  constitute  all 
their  holdings.  In  1895,  they  opened  a  store  at 
Kiona  which,  under  the  firm  name  of  Kelso  Broth- 
ers, is  still  in  operation,  and  they  are  having  the 
same  success  as  merchants  which  has  always  at- 
tended them  in  wheat  raising.  The  Mr.  Kelso  of 
this  article,  while  achieving  success  as  a  farmer  and 
in  mercantile  pursuits,  has  never  lost  his  interest  in 
things  more  distinctively  intellectual.  In  1893,  ne 
moved  to  North  Yakima  to  accept  a  position  as  dep- 
uty county  treasurer  under  D.  W.  Stair.  For  two> 
years  he  was  thus  employed  :  then  he  became  deputy 
county  auditor  under  F.  C.  Hall.  His  services  in. 
these  capacities  must  have  been  eminently  satisfac- 
tory to  the  general  public,  for  in  1898  he  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  county  auditor.  In  1900,  the  people 
reaffirmed  their  choice  and  gave  a  further  token 
of  their  confidence  in  his  abilities  and  integrity  by 
bestowing  upon  him  the  same  office  for  another  term. 
During  the  fall  of  1897.  Mr.  Kelso  purchased  an  in- 
terest in  an  abstract,  insurance  and  real  estate  busi- 
ness in  North  Yakima,  forming  the  co-partnership 
of  Kelso  &  Foster,  and  the  two  carried  on  a  success- 
ful business  together  until  October,.  1903,  when  the 
senior  partner  sold  to  the  junior.  Since  that  time 
Mr.  Kelso  has  given  his  undivided  attention  to  his 
farming  and  mercantile  businesses,  though  his  resi- 
dence is  still  in  North  Yakima. 

December  14,  1898,  Mr.  Kelso  married  Rosellas 
Mae  Newcomb,  a  native  of  Columbia  county.  Wis- 
consin, born  October  6.  1878.  She  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  her  native  state  and  in 
the  North  Yakima  high  school,  then  learned  the 
trade  of  a  milliner,  serving  an  apprenticeship  under 
Madame  Connolly.  It  is  fitting  that  some  mention 
be  made  of  her  parents.  Her  father,  John  I.  New- 
comb,  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1844,  but  was  taken 
from  the  Green  Mountain  state  to  Wisconsin  while 
yet  in  infancy,  and  there  grew  to  man's  estate  and' 
was  married.  By  occupation  he  was  a  farmer, 
though  he  also  spent  some  time  at  his  trade,  that  of 
a  painter.  Delia  D.  (Christler)  Newcomb,  the 
mother  of  Mrs.  Kelso,  was  born  in  Wisconsin.  July 
14,  1849,  and  it  was  in  that  state  that  she  married 
Mr.  Newcomb.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kelso  are :  Waldo  E.,  born  in  North  Yakima,  No- 
vember 20,  1899;  Gordon  N.,  born  in  North  Yak- 
ima, August  1,  1901,  and  Delferna.  a  native  of  the 
same  city,  born  January  2J .  1904.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Kelso  is  affiliated  with  the  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees, and  in  religion  he  is  a  Methodist,  his  member- 


HON.    JOHN    H.    HUBBARD. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


57' 


ship  being  in  the  North  Yakima  church,  of  whose 
board  of  trustees  he  is  secretary.  He  belongs  to  the 
Republican  party. 


JOHN  H.  HUBBARD  (deceased),  carpenter 
and  farmer,  was  born  in  Pickaway  county,  Ohio, 
June  3,  1828.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  Washington,  lo- 
cating at  Yakima  City  in  1879,  near  which  place  he 
took  a  homestead  and  lived  for  sixteen  years.  In 
1896,  he  moved  to  North  Yakima,  where  he  pur- 
chased land  and  built  a  fine  residence,  and  where  he 
continued  to  reside  until  his  death,  July  13,  1900. 
Mr.  Hubbard  came  of  English  stock  on  his  father's 
side  and  Holland  Dutch  on  his  mother's.  His  father, 
Willis  Hubbard,  was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1793,  in 
which  state  his  parents  settled  in  a  very  early  day. 
He  himself  was  a  pioneer  in  both  Ohio  and  Illinois. 
Plis  mother,  Catherine  Haines,  was  a  native  of  Ohio. 
Mr.  Hubbard  remained  at  home  in  Illinois  until  six- 
teen, when  he  went  to  Iowa  and  was  there  married, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  to  Sarah  Sullivan.  His  wife 
died  within  a  year  of  their  marriage,  after  which  he 
returned  to  Illinois,  and  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness for  six  years.  He  was,  during  this  period,  on 
March  20,  1854,  united  in  marriage,  at  Lafayette, 
Indiana,  to  Elizabeth  A.  Vickroy,  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Mary  (Myers)  Vickroy;  the  former  a  na- 
tive of  Bedford,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of 
Maryland.  After  his  second  marriage  Mr.  Hub- 
bard moved  with  his  family  to  Minnesota,  where 
he  followed  the  carpenter's  trade  for  five  years.  He 
again  returned  to  Illinois,  where  he  resided  until 
1875,  when  he  moved  to  California.  After  a  resi- 
dence of  four  years  there  he  came  to  Yakima  county. 
Mrs.  Hubbard  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in 
1831,  and  was  educated  for  a  teacher,  which  profes- 
sion she  followed  in  the  three  states  of  Ohio,  Vir- 
ginia and  Pennsylvania.  She  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mr.  Hubbard  at  the  age  of  twenty-three, 
and  their  married  life  extended  over  a  period  of 
forty-six  years.  She  owns  a  fine  farm  of  eighty 
acres  on  Nob  Hill,  adjoining  the  city  on  the  west, 
and  her  residence  in  the  city.  She  had  the  honor  of 
christening  "Nob  Hill,"  the  district  where  her  farm 
is  located.  Her  children  are  Florence  M.  Lince, 
North  Yakima;  Floyd  W.  (deceased);  Emma  B. 
Smith,  and  John  B.  (deceased).  Mr.  Hubbard  was 
a  member  of  the  Universalist  church,  as  is  also  Mrs. 
Hubbard.  He  was  an  active  Republican  and  frater- 
nally was  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  was  a  good  citizen  and  neighbor, 
and  highly  esteemed  by  all  for  his  many  good  qual- 
ities. He  was  the  promoter  of  the  Cowiche  and 
Naches  (or  Hubbard)  ditch. 


ROBERT  D.  FIFE,  miner  and  mine  operator. 
North  Yakima,  was  born  in  Scotland,  December  12, 
1857.  His  father,  John  Fife,  a  mining  man,  was 
born  in  Scotland  and    immigrated    to  the    United 


States  in  1865.  He  located  first  in  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  mined  for  a  time  and  then  came  west  to 
Wyoming  and  mined  for  a  number  of  years,  locating 
finally  in  Yakima  county,  where  he  died  in  1889. 
The  mother,  Jennett  (Adamson)  Fife,  was  born  in 
Scotland  and  died  in  Wyoming.  Subject  commenced 
mining  at  the  very  early  age  of  nine  years,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  worked  for  three  years  and  then 
came  west  to  Wyoming  with  his  parents,  where  he 
remained  until  1882,  when  he  came  to  the  mines  in 
Washington  and  worked  until  1887,  principally  in 
the  coal  mines.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  North 
Yakima,  and  turned  his  attention  to  prospecting  for 
the  precious  metals,  and  developing  his  prospects. 
He  was  the  locator; of  the  Elizabeth  Gold  Hill  mine, 
which  took  its  name  from  his  daughter.  He  is  the 
president  and  business  manager  of  this  mining  com- 
pany. He  was  married  at  Alma,  Wyoming,  Novem- 
ber 15,  1879,  to  Agnes  Livingston,  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, born  August  26,  1861.  She  came  to  the  United 
States  with  her  parents  when  eleven  years  old.  She 
has  two  brothers,  John,  in  Idaho,  and  Sandy,  in 
Washington.  Her  father,  Alexander  Livingston, 
was  born  in  Scotland  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1870,  and  located  in  Wyoming.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fife's  children  are  John,  Elizabeth  B.,  Robert, 
James,  Eillie  R.,  Ora,  Thomas  and  Agnes.  Mr. 
Fife  is  an  independent  Democrat.  He  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  con- 
sidered an  expert  prospector  and  a  good  judge  of 
mineral,  and  knows  how  to  develop  a  property  when 
he  takes  hold  of  it.  He  is  enterprising  and  public 
spirited,  and  to  such  men  as  Mr.  Fife  is  largely  due 
the  progress  that  has  been  made  in  the  mineral  fields 
of  central  Washington. 


GEORGE  N.  TUESLEY,  business  manager  of 
The  Yakima  Herald,  was  born  in  Minnesota,  thirty- 
six  years  ago.  He  spent  his  school  days  in  that 
state,  entering  a  country  printing  office  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  where  he  acquired  an  insight  into  the  news- 
paper business  and  learned  something  of  the  "art 
preservative."  In  1888,  he  removed  to  the  state  of 
Washington,  acquiring  an  interest  in  one  of  the 
largest  job  printing  establishments  in  Tacoma,  later 
becoming  its  business  manager. 

Mr.  Tuesley  came  to  the  thriving  little  city  of 
North  Yakima  in  1894.  Here,  in  1897,  together 
with  C.  F.  Bailey,  he  leased  the  Herald  from  E.  M. 
Reed.  Mr.  Bailey  retired  shortly  afterward,  Mr. 
Tuesley  continuing  the  business  and  later  taking  in 
as  associates  his  brother,  Walter,  and  Robert  Mc- 
Comb,  and  purchasing  the  plant.  Lender  Mr.  Tues- 
ley's  management,  the  business  and  influence  of  the 
Herald  grew  steadily,  until  now  it  has  a  plant  and 
business  second  to  none  in  central  Washington.  Mr. 
Tuesley  is  a  practical  man  in  the  business,  having 
had  experience  in  almost  every  branch  of  publishing, 
which  he  has  given  careful  study  and  consideration, 
with  the  result  that  he  is  reaping  an  enviable  success.. 


572 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


He  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  Ada  Ross,  at  Vern- 
dale,  Minnesota,  and  has  three  children.  Quite  re- 
cently Mr.  Tuesley  and  E.  L.  Boardman,  formerly 
of  the  Republic,  have  acquired  the  Herald,  and  are 
now  joint  publishers.  A  sketch  of  the  Herald  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  book. 


JOHN  D.  MEDILL,  editor  and  publisher  of  the 
Yakima  Democrat,  was  born  in  Rock  Island  county, 
Illinois,  June  27,  1865.  He  spent  most  of  his  early 
years  at  work  on  his  father's  farm  and  attending  the 
public  schools  of  his  community.  At  the  age  of 
eighteen  he  left  the  parental  roof,  bound  for  the 
far  West,  like  many  other  young  men,  there  to  seek 
his  fortune.  He  resided  in  Nebraska  three  years, 
from  that  state  coming  to  Washington  in  1889  and 
settling  first  at  Tacoma.  In  1892,  he  located  at 
North  Yakima,  then  in  its  infancy,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  different  lines  of  business  until  1898. 

At  that  time  he  assumed  charge  of  The  Dem- 
ocrat and  has  since  been  so  occupied,  steadily  build- 
ing up  a  most  valuable  property  and  widening  his 
influence  both  at  home  and  throughout  the  state. 
Mr.  Medill  is  quite  active  in  politics,  although  he 
has  never  been  a  candidate  for  office.  He  was  a 
delegate  from  the  state  of  Washington  to  the  Dem- 
ocratic national  convention,  held  in  Chicago  in  1896, 
and  also  to  the  Kansas  City  convention  of  1900.  A 
sketch  of  The  Democrat  will  be  found  in  the  press 
•chapters  of  this  work. 


LEGH  R.  FREEMAN,  editor  and  publisher 
of  the  Northwest  Farm  and  Home,  was  born  in 
Culpeper  county,  Virginia,  December  4,  1842, 
the  son  of  Arthur  R.  and  Mary  A.  Freeman. 
He  was  educated  at  Kemper  College,  Virginia, 
taking  a  preparatory  course  for  the  state  uni- 
versity. He  came  west  in  1859,  and  on  the 
frontier  learned  the  printer's  trade  and  entered 
newspaper  work.  He  was  among  the  first  to 
explore  the  western  two-thirds  of  America,  writ- 
ing a  description  of  the  scenery  and  resources 
of  the  country  through  which  he  passed.  He 
also  lectured  upon  his  experiences  and  the  sights 
he  had  witnessed.  For  forty-five  years  Mr.  Free- 
man has  been  engaged  in  newspaper  work  in 
the  west  and  has  seen  the  western  two-thirds  of 
the  union  become  peopled  by  one-third  of  the 
population  of  the  country.  His  wife,  Mrs.  Mary 
R.  Freeman,  born  in  St.  Paul,  Minnesota, 
October  31,  1863,  her  parents  having  been  John 
T.  and  Mary  (Dorrington)  Whitaker.  She  was 
married  to  Mr.  Freeman,  July  n,  1900.  Mrs. 
Freeman  is  a  hiehlv  educated  woman,  being  a 
graduate  of  the  St.  Paul  high  school  and  of  the 
commercial  department  of  the  University  of 
Minnesota,  besides  holding  the  highest  grade 
teachers'  certificates  issued  in  Minnesota.  She  is 
associate  editor  of  the    Farm    and    Home.      A 


sketch  of  this  journal  appears  in  the  press  chap- 
ter of  this  history.  Few  residents  of  the  North- 
west have  been  engaged  in  newspaper  work  as 
long  as   Mr.   Freeman   or  are  as  well  known. 


E.  L.  BOARDMAN,  editor  of  the  Yakima 
Herald,  a  sketch  of  which  will  be  found  in  the 
press  chapter,  came  to  Washington  January  1, 
1903,  purchasing  a  half  interest  in  the  Yakima 
Republic.  He  disposed  of  his  interests  in  that 
paper  in  August  of  the  same  year  and  last  Febru- 
ary (1904)  bought  a  half  interest  in  The  Herald. 

Mr.  Boardman  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  having 
been  born  in  Hillsboro,  in  the  year  1857.  His 
father  is  one  of  the  oldest  newspaper  men  in 
that  state,  his  uncles  and  other  relatives  on  both 
sides  of  the  family  being  well  known  journalists. 
Prior  to  coming  to  Washington,  Mr.  Boardman 
resided  for  thirteen  years  in  Montana,  the  last 
three  years  of  which  he  was  the  publisher  of  the 
Evening  Herald  in  Helena.  During  his  residence 
in  Montana,  he  also  published  the  Billings  Ga- 
zette and  other  papers.  Prior  to  his  residence  in 
Montana,  Mr.  Boardman  was  connected  for  a 
number  of  years  with  several  of  the  metropolitan 
papers  of  the  country,  having  begun  his  news- 
paper career,  while  a  boy,  on  the  New  York  Trib- 
une. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boardman  have  four  daugh- 
ters. Though  having  lived  a  comparatively  short 
length  of  time  in  the  Yakima  country,  Mr.  Board- 
man  has  become  favorably  and  widely  known 
through  his  business  connections  and  is  counted 
one  of  the  city's  substantial  citizens. 


ALBERT  E.  HOWARD,  manufacturer  of 
sash  and  doors,  North  Yakima,  was  born  in 
Woodville,  New  York,  in  1858.  His  father,  Albert 
W.  Howard,  was  born  in  New  York,  where  he 
spent  his  life  until  1903,  when  he  came  west  to 
North  Yakima  to  live  with  his  son,  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  He  is  a  bridge  builder  by  trade 
and  has  followed  it  all  his  life.  He  is  of  English 
descent.  The  mother,  Olive  C.  (Noyes)  Howard, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1832,  and  came  of 
Dutch  parents.  She  is  living  with  her  son.  At 
the  age  of  fifteen  subject  left  his  home  in  New 
York  and  went  to  Iowa.  He  there  engaged  in 
hunting  and  cleared  several  hundred  dollars.  He 
then  attended  the  Dunning  academy  at  Jefferson, 
where  he  finished  his  education,  preparing  himself 
for  teaching.  But  not  liking  the  profession  of 
teaching,  he  abandoned  it  and  went  to  work 
with  his  brother  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  After 
a  year  he  returned  to  New  York  and  worked 
at  building  and  cabinet  work,  and  later  went  on  a 
revenue  cutter  as  ship  carpenter.  He  then  took 
charge  of  a  large  force  of  men  on  contract  work, 
at  Syracuse,  and  later  engaged  in  business  for 
himself,  which  he  conducted  for  four  and  a  half 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


573 


years.  In  1890  he  came  west  to  Centralia,  Wash- 
ington, and  in  1891  he  came  to.  North  Yakima, 
where  he  began  contracting  and  building.  He 
has  constructed  some  of  the  best  buildings  in  the 
city,  among  others  the  Opera  house,  Clogg,  Dit- 
ter  and  Wisconsin  blocks,  and  some  of  the  best 
residences.  .  He  was  married  in  Syracuse,  New 
York,  in  1884,  to  Grace  M.  Ashfield,  a  native  of 
that  city  and  daughter  of  William  H.  and  Rhoda 
(Kemp)  Ashfield.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
New  York  and  was  a  druggist  for  years.  He  was 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war  and  was  one  of  Presi- 
dent Lincoln's  body  guards  at  the  time  of  bis 
assassination.  His  mother  was  born  in  New 
York,  of  Scotch  parents.  To  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Howard  were  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Bessie,  Frank  W..  Warren,  Alexander  H., 
and  Florence.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Howard  is  a 
member  of  the  Masonic,  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  Elks  orders. 
He  is  a  pronounced  Democrat,  and  owns  a  comfort- 
able home  in  the  city. 


JOHN  P.  MATTOON.  Not  only  is  John  P. 
Mattoon,  the  subject  of  this  article,  one  of  the 
oldest  pioneers  of  Yakima  county,  but  he  is 
among  the  oldest  remaining  settlers  of  the  North- 
west, having  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  the 
year  of  the  famous  "Whitman  massacre,"  at  the 
age  of  thirteen.  He  was  born  in  Lucas  county, 
Ohio,  December  26,  1834,  to  Abel  and  Sarah  M. 
Mattoon,  natives  of  the  state  of  New  York.  His 
parents  moved  to  Ohio  in  an  early  day  and  were 
counted  pioneers  of  the  state  as  well  as  of  In- 
diana, to  which  latter  state  they  moved  from 
Ohio.  On  March  10,  1847,  subject  started  from 
LaGrange  county,  Indiana,  to  cross  the  Plains 
with  ox  teams,  which  he  succeeded  in  doing  after 
many  months  of  slow,  tedious  travel,  meeting 
with  no  serious  interruption  on  his  journey,  and 
with  no  interference  from  the  Indians.  He  ar- 
rived in  the  Willamette  valley  in  the  fall  and 
settled  at  Oregon  City,  where  he  completed  his 
education  and  then  engaged  in  farming.  He  fol- 
lowed agriculture  there  for  seventeen  years,  mak- 
ing a  success  of  it,  so  much  so,  that  in  1864  he 
was  appointed  by  the  government  as  farm  in- 
structor at  Fort  Simcoe,  under  Indian  Agent 
Bancroft.  He  served  in  this  capacity  for  four 
and  one-half  years,  most  of  the  time  under  J.  H. 
Wilbur,  better  known  as  "Father  Wilbur,"  who 
superseded  Bancroft  the  same  year  of  Mr.  Mat- 
toon's  appointment.  In  1869  he  engaged  in  stock 
raising  on  the  east  side  of  the  river,  where  Parker 
is  now  located.  He  followed  the  stock  business 
for  some  eighteen  years  and  then  sold  out  and 
opened  a  livery  stable,  which  he  still  runs.  He 
has  one  sister,  Mrs.  William  Hughes,  living  in 
Whitman  county.  He  was  married  in  Oregon, 
October    29,     1858,    to    Martha    Hickenbothom, 


daughter  of  George  and  Jerusha  Hickenbothom, 
the  former  a  native  of  Ireland  and  the  latter 
born  in  Connecticut.  Mrs.  Mattoon  was  born  in 
Tazewell  county,  Illinois,  March  23,  1839.  Her 
brother  William,  who  now  resides  in  Oregon, 
was  a  volunteer  in  the  Indian  war  in  that  state ; 
the  other  brother,  George,  is  a  farmer  in  Oregon. 
Air.  Mattoon  has  one  daughter  and  one  son, 
George  Lincoln  and  Annie  J.  Watt  (now  de- 
ceased), wife  of  George  H.  Watt,  professor  of 
pharmacy  in  the  State  Agricultural  College  at 
Pullman.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mattoon  are  members 
of  the  Congregational  church. 


JOSEPH  MONDOR.  One  of  the  substantial 
farmers  of  the  Tampico  country  is  Joseph  Mon- 
dor,  a  Canadian  by  birth,  born  in  1835,  from  the 
union  of  Isadore  and  Sallie  (Laplish)  M  on  dor. 
His  parents  were  both  of  Canadian  birth,  and 
farmed  there  for  years.  The  mother  died  when 
her  son  Joseph  was  but  four  years  of  age,  the 
father  living  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty.  At 
the  death  of  the  mother  our  subject  was  taken 
to  raise  by  his  grandparents,  attending  school 
until  the  age  of  sixteen,  when  he  went  to  learn 
the  blacksmith's  trade.  At  the  end  of  two  years 
he  quit  the  trade  and  worked  on  a  steamboat  for 
three  years  on  the  St.  Lawrence  river;  following 
which  he  spent  a  year  in  V/pper  Canada.  He 
went  to  California  in  1856  via  Nicaragua,  landing 
in  San  Francisco  in  November  of  that  year.  In 
the  spring  he  started  for  Placer  Falls,  traveling 
the  entire  distance  of  three  hundred  miles  on 
foot.  He  remained  there  but  a  short  time,  return- 
ing to  Sacramento,  where  he  purchased  a  place 
and  farmed  for  three  years.  He  then  tried  Ne- 
vada for  a  time,  but  not  liking  it,  returned  to 
California  again  and  engaged  in  farming.  In 
1868  he  returned  to  Canada  and  was  married, 
bringing  his  wife  to  California,  where  he  pur- 
chased a  fine  farm  and  a  large  tract  of  railroad 
land  and  settled  down  for  many  years  to  farming 
and  raising  stock.  In  1882  he  sold  out  every- 
thing, and  the  following  year  moved  to  Walla 
Walla,  Washington,  and  in  the  fall  of  1884  came 
to  Tampico,  and  rented  a  farm,  afterwards  pur- 
chasing the  ranch  where  he  now  lives,  and  where 
he  has  made  his  home  ever  since.  He  put  a 
homestead  filing  on  his  ranch,  and  starting  in 
right  from  the  foundation  has  developed  his 
place  into  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  with  fine 
orchard,  eight-room  house,  large  convenient 
barns  and  out  buildings.  He  is  a  diversified 
farmer,  giving  his  attention  to  raising  hops,  hay. 
fruit  and  stock.  He  was  married  in  Canada  in 
1868  to  Eliza  Arcand,  daughter  of  Francis  Ar- 
cand,  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  who  lived  and  died 
in  Canada.  Mrs.  Mondor  was  born  in  Canada  in 
1845,  graduated  from  the  St.  John  Academy  and 
followed  teaching  for  six  years.    She  is  well  read 


574 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  of  a  literary  turn.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mondor  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  Isadore,  Alphonse,  Mrs.  Mary  Slavin, 
Joseph  L.,  Frank  A.,  Henry  G,  Louise  and  Wil- 
lie. They  are  of  the  Catholic  faith,  and  Mr. 
Mondor  is  an  active  Democrat.  He  has  been 
school  director  at  Tampico  for  five  years,  and 
takes  deep  interest  in  educational  matters. 


ROBERT  CRORY.  Few  men  have  had  a 
more  varied  career,  or  have  taken  a  more  thor- 
ough course  in  training  in  the  school  of  life  than 
has  he  whose  name  forms  the  title  of  this  article. 
He  has  been  as  far  north  and  as  far  south  us 
civilized  men  usually  go  and  he  has  sought  the 
favor  of  Fortune  in  many  parts  of  the  globe. 
Like  most  other  men  of  an  adventurous  turn, 
he  has  given  much  attention  to  mining,  and 
like  most  other  devotees  of  the  business  he  has 
had  his  ups  and  downs. 

Mr.  Crory  is  a  native  of  the  province  of  New 
Brunswick,  born  near  St.  George,  December  24, 
1835.  His  father,  David,  and  his  mother,  Mary 
(Stenson)  Crory,  were  both  from  the  vicinity 
of  Belfast,  Ireland,  and  by  occupation  the  former 
was  a  farmer  and  lumberman.  Public  schools 
had  not  been  established  in  New  Brunswick  at 
that  time,  but  around  the  family  hearth  our  sub- 
ject got  the  rudiments  of  an  education.  He  fin- 
ished his  training  in  the  school  of  experience,  a 
very  good  college,  but  one  that  often  exacts  a 
high  tuition  fee.  Most  of  his  time  after  he  be- 
came ten  years  old  was  spent  away  from  home 
working  in  mills,  lumber  camps,  on  the  farm  and 
at  fishing  and  sometimes  before  the  mast.  He 
also  spent  three  years  at  the  cooper's  trade. 
The  15th  of  April,  1865,  he  set  out  by  the 
isthmus  route  for  the  Pacific  coast.  The  steamer 
on  which  he  embarked,  the  Golden  Rule,  was 
wrecked  on  a  coral  reef  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  from  Aspinwall,  on  the  Atlantic  side  of 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  Passengers  and  crew 
numbered  about  eight  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  persons,  and  to  feed  them  were  two  bar- 
rels of  salt  meat  and  enough  biscuits  to  fur- 
nish each  person  one  a  day  for  six  weeks. 
Water  on  the  island  there  was  none,  but  they 
found  that  they  could  slake  their  thirst  in 
a  measure  by  lying  in  the  ocean  water  and 
allowing  the  pores  of  the  skin  to  absorb  what 
they  would  of  it.  They  dispatched  a  life-boat  to 
Aspinwall,  but  she  met  with  an  accident,  lost 
her  compass  and  failed  to  bring  relief.  Next 
day,  however,  another  life-boat  was  dispatched 
and  she  had  better  success,  reaching  the  town  in 
due  time.  Shortly  after  she  arrived  there  two 
Americ-m  men-of-war,  the  State  of  Georgia  and 
the  Huntsville,  entered  port,  and  these  at  once 
went  to  the  rescue,  finding,  however,  on  arrival 
that  certain  turtle  fishermen  from  the    Mosquito 


Coast,  into  whose  hands  the  first  life-boat's  ceew  had 
fallen,  had  reached  the  scene  of  the  wreck  before 
them.  The  shipwrecked  crew  and  passengers 
were  brought  away  to  safety  after  eleven  days 
of  hardship  and  partial  starvation. 

Mr.  Crory  crossed  the  isthmus  and  came  on 
to  San  Francisco,  thence  to  Puget  Sound,  where 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Port  Gamble  Mill- 
ing Company,  with  whom  he  remained  for  three 
years.  Shortly  after  quitting  their  service  he 
returned  to  New  Brunswick  for  a  visit,  again 
crossing  the  isthmus.  He  intended  to  stay  at 
home  for  a  considerable  time,  but  soon  the  White 
Pine,  Nevada,  silver  excitement  reached  him  and 
he  hastened  back  to  the  West,  although  he  was 
dissuaded  by  adverse  reports  from  going  all  the 
way  to  the  silver  mines.  He  was  soon  again  in 
the  lumber  business,  this  time  working  for  the 
Port  Madison  mills.  He  was  thus  employed  for 
four  years  except  while  making  another  short 
visit  home.  The  trip  there  was  made  by  the 
isthmus  route,  but  the  return  was  by  the  UnioH 
Pacific  and  San  Francisco.  Upon  leaving  Port 
Madison,  Mr.  Crory  went  into  the  Omanika  min- 
ing district  over  the  Arctic  divide  in  Alaska,  but 
though  coarse  gold  was  there  in  abundance  the 
expense  of  living  was  so  great  that  little  could 
be  made,  and  our  subject  went  back  to  the  Sound, 
after  spending  a  couple  of  mining  seasons  there, 
with  little  money  in  his  pocket.  As  soon,  how- 
ever, as  he  had  made  another  stake  he  returned 
to  the  North,  going  this  time  up  the  Stikeen  river. 
He  made  the  trip  in  the  winter  time  with  forty- 
four  other  white  men  and  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five Indians,  and  though  the  weather  was  bit- 
terly cold  he  suffered  little  inconvenience,  so 
thoroughly  habituated  did  he  become  to  the 
rigors  of  the  climate.  They  prospected  on  one 
of  the  streams  whose  waters  finally  flow  into 
Peace  river  and  Mr.  Crory  struck  an  exceedingly 
rich  claim.  Had  he  held  it  he  could  have  made 
his  fortune,  but  he  soon  acquired  other  property, 
which  he  was  led  to  believe  was  just  as  good  and 
being  unable  to  work  all  to  advantage  he  sold 
his  interest  in  it.  He  later  discovered  that  the 
vender  of  the  other  property  had  grossly  mis- 
represented it.  The  result  of  it  all  was  that 
instead  of  making  a  fortune  he  lost  heavily. 

With  what  money  he  had  left  Mr.  Crory  start- 
ed for  South  America,  but  learning  that  reports 
of  rich  prospects  there  were  ill  founded  he  went 
to  South  Africa  instead,  passing  through  New 
York,  Liverpool  and  London  on  the  way.  Land- 
ing at  Port  Natal,  he  went  thence  to  Petermarits- 
burg,  where  the  British  soldiers  were  stationed, 
thence  by  ox  team  and  cart  to  the  Transvaal, 
where  was  a  rich  placer  deposit  known  as  Pil- 
grim's Rest,  the  object  of  his  visit  to  South 
Africa.  He  found  that  the  deposit  was  indeed 
rich,  but  it  was  quite  well  worked  out  and  there 
was  no  show  for  him  there.     His  partner  wished 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


575 


to  remain,  however,  and  they  separated,  Mr. 
■Crory  going  to  the  Kimberly  diamond  fields. 
For  a  month  after  his  arrival  he  was  sick  with 
Natal  fever,  but  upon  recovery  he  found  the 
prospects  in  diamond  mining  excellent.  Aus- 
tralians were  there  rewashing  debris  and  finding, 
by  superior  methods,  ten  diamonds  where  one 
-had  been  found  when  the  dirt  was  first  washed. 
Boys  and  girls  even  were  making  money.  Air. 
Crory  hastily  sent  for  his  partner  and  the  two 
bought  a  half  claim,  which  was  considered  by 
the  venders  as  no  good,  but  it  turned  out  well 
and  for  a  time  they  made  money  rapidly.  Even- 
tually, however,  a  boom  was  experienced  in  the 
■diamond  fields,  properties  going  skyward  in  price, 
and  Mr.  Crory  invested  quite  heavily.  On  one  of 
his  claims  he  sunk  a  well  to  avoid  paying  for 
water.  Though  he  did  well  at  diamond  mining 
as  far  as  discovering  the  diamonds  was  con- 
cerned, the  price  soon  dropped  so  that  he  could 
only  pay  the  royalty  on  his  claims  and  he  was 
forced  to  abandon  them.  Again  he  had  missed 
it  when  fortune  seemed  in  sight.  The  cause  of 
all  this  fluctuation  was  that  a  large  syndicate  had 
been  formed  in  London  to  control  the  diamond 
■market  and  was  manipulating  things  for  its  own 
interests. 

Mr.  Crory  next  went  to  Australia.  He  trav- 
eled extensively  over  the  southern  part  of  the 
island  and  over  the  New  Zealand  Islands,  but 
though  he  liked  the  appearance  of  the  country 
lie  did  not  find  any  inducements  to  remain,  so  the 
fall  of  1876  found  him  again  in  San  Francisco. 
He  went  thence  to  the  Sound  and  from  there 
started  for  Arizona,  but  when  he  had  got  as  far 
as  San  Francisco  he  changed  his  mind  and  went 
instead  to  Canada,  where  he  worked  on  the  final 
location  of  the  Canadian  Pacific  Railroad.  In 
1877  he  started  again  for  Arizona.  Again  he 
•changed  his  mind,  coming  rather  to  the  Yakima 
country,  where  he  took  up  land  in  the  Wenas 
valleys  two  hundred  acres  in  all.  He  has  made 
his  home  in  Yakima  county  ever  since,  though 
his  farm  was  sold  in  1887  and  the  proceeds  in- 
vested in  interests  around  North  Yakima.  He  also 
has  propei ty  in  Gray's  Harbor. 

In  Yakima  county,  in  1878,  Mr.  Crory  married 
Ellen  J.  Gray,  a  native  of  New  Brunswick,  born 
in  1834.  She  died  on  the  13th  of  August,  1897, 
leaving  no  children.  In  politics,  Mr.  Crory  is 
an  ardent  Republican.  His  life  has  been  an 
eventful  one  and  replete  with  adventures,  so  re- 
plete, indeed,  that  if  his  whole  story  were  told 
a  fair  sized  and  very  interesting  volume  would 
be  produced. 


LOT  DURGAN,  farmer,  North  Yakima,  was 
born  in  Vancouver,  Washington,  March  15. 
1867.  His  father,  Alonzo  Durgan,  was  a  native 
of  Ohio,  and  crossed  the  Plains  in   18=; I  with  his 


parents,  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  He  located  near 
\  ancouver,  Washington,  and  was  here  married 
and  lived  there  until  1870,  when  he  came  to 
Yakima  county,  and  took  up  land.  He  continued 
to  reside  here  until  his  death  in  1894.  He  was 
01  Scotch  and  English  parentage.  His  mother, 
Nancy  (Dillon)  Durgan,  was  born  in  Cedar 
Rapids.  Iowa,  and  crossed  the  Plains  when  three 
years  old,  with  her  parents.  Her  father  was 
a  member  of  the  first  territorial  legislature  in 
Washington.  The  subject  of  this  article  grew 
to  manhood  in  Yakima  county,  and  attended  in 
addition  to  the  public  schools  of  the  county  a 
business  college  at  Portland.  At  the  age  of  four- 
teen he  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  printer,  at 
which  he  worked  for  four  years  and  a  half. 
Before  his  father's  death  he  took  the  manage- 
ment of  the  home  farm,  which  he  has  continued 
to  operate  until  January,  1902,  when  he  moved 
to  North  Yakima,  his  present  place  of  residence. 
W.  H.  Johnson,  of  North  Yakima,  is  a  half- 
brother.  Mr.  Durgan  was  married  in  Ellensburg 
in  1899  to  Mrs.  S.  J.  Mabry,  widow  of  W.  H. 
Mabry,  deceased.  Her  father  was  John  Martin. 
She  was  born  in  Iowa  and  came  west  with  her 
parents  to  Idaho,  and  later  to  Klickitat  county, 
Washington,  where  she  was  educated  and  first 
married.  Mr.  Durgan  is  a  Republican.  Frater- 
nally, he  is  identified  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Red  Men  and  Eagles.  He  owns  city  property  in 
North  Yakima,  is  thoroughly  identified  with  the 
country's  growth  and  development  and  is  one  of 
its  most  worthy  pioneers. 


HENRY  L.  TUCKER,  liveryman  of  North 
Yakima  and  ex-sheriff  of  Yakima  county,  is  a 
pioneer  of  1876.  He  first  settled  in  Yakima  City, 
where  for  several  years  he  was  engaged  in  the 
feed  business.  As  soon  as  the  townsite  of  North 
Yakima  was  surveyed,  he  established  his  livery 
barn  here,  and  has  continued  in  busines  here 
ever  since.  He  is  the  pioneer  liveryman  of 
Yakima  county.  Mr.  Tucker  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana, February  16,  1847.  His  parents  were 
Meshach  and  Nancy  (Brown)  Tucker,  neither 
of  whom  are  now  living.  His  father,  born  in 
1807,  was  a  farmer  and  blacksmith,  and  a  native 
of  Tennessee.  His  mother,  born  in  1809.  was  a 
native  of  Ohio.  November  8,  1862,  at  the  age 
of  fourteen,  Mr.  Tucker  enlisted  in  company  D, 
Forty-seventh  Indiana  infantry,  and  was  at  once 
sent  to  the  front.  He  served  with  Grant  at  the 
siege  of  Vicksburg,  and  was  also  in  the  battles 
of  Port  Gibson.  Champion  Hill,  Big  Black  river, 
and  of  Jackson,  Mississippi.  At  the  battle  of 
Champion  Hill  his  haversack  was  shot  away: 
otherwise  he  escaped  injury  through  all  these 
engagements.  He  was  honorablv  discharged 
at  Baton  Rouge.  Louisiana.  October  24.  1865. 
He  returned  at  once  to  Indiana,  but  in  1866  went 


576 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


to  Iowa,  followed  stage  driving  two  years  and 
afterwards  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri  River  Railroad,  through 
Iowa  and  Nebraska.  In  1871  he  went  to  Port- 
land, Oregon,  and  from  there  to  southwestern 
Washington,  where  he  assisted  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  from 
Kalama  to  Tacoma,  continuing  in  the  employ  of 
the  company  for  about  six  years.  Coming  to 
Yakima  county  in  1876,  he  followed  prospecting 
for  several  years,  locating  the  Gold  Hill  placer 
mines  shortly  after  his  arrival.  During  the  early 
years  he  also  engaged  for  some  time  in  the  lumber 
trade,  running  the  first  logs  ever  driven  down  the 
Yakima  river,  and  operating  a  freight  and  pack 
train  between  The  Dalles  and  Yakima  City, 
eventually  settling  in  the  latter  place.  Mr. 
Tucker  was  married  in  Yakima  City,  July  9,  1883, 
to  Miss  Emma  J.  Leach,  to  which  union  were 
born  a  daughter  and  a  son :  Clara  (Tucker) 
Jennett,  of  Seattle,  born  June  19,  1884,  and  Harry 
A.  Tucker,  born  May  2,  1886.  Mr.  Tucker  is  the 
sixth  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  but  three 
of  whom  are  living.  The  names  of  brothers 
and  sisters  are  as  follows:  Anderson  (deceased), 
Sarah  J-  (Tucker)  Holt,  Minnesota;  Joshua  B. 
(deceased),  Elizabeth  (Tucker)  Hingson  (de- 
ceased), Harriet  A.  (Tucker)  Robinson,  Minne- 
sota ;  Eliza  (Tucker)  Niles,  Nebraska,  and  Jasper 
N.,  of  Minnesota.  Mrs.  Tucker  has  brothers  and 
sisters  as  follows:  John  Leach  and  Martha  Scott, 
of  North  Yakima ;  Horace,  in  Alaska ;  John  C, 
in  Minnesota ;  Sarah  E.  Liggett,  Dora  E.  Bun- 
nell, Melissa  Churchill.  Frank  W.,  Henry  W„ 
Minnie  Thompson,  George  W.,  Lillie  and  Lottie, 
all  of  North  Yakima.  Henry  W.  Leach  served 
through  the  Spanish  war  in  the  Philippines  as 
quartermaster  sergeant  and,  just  prior  to  his  dis- 
charge, was  promoted  to  a  second  lieutenancy. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Tucker  is  connected  with  the 
Masons,  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen 
and  the  T.  O.  T.  E.  M.  He  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican and  has  served  four  years  as  sheriff  of  the 
county.  He  has  also  served  three  terms  as  city 
councilman,  refusing  a  fourth  term  on  account 
of  press  of  personal  business.  He  has  one  of  the 
most  thoroughly  equipped  liveries  in  central 
Washington  and  also  operates  four  stage  lines 
out  of  North  Yakima,  two  of  them  on  daily  sched- 
ules. Mr.  Tucker  is  extensively  interested  in 
town  property  and  owns  and  occupies  one  of  the 
best  residences  in  the  city.  He  is  public  spirited 
and  enterprising;  always  active  in  promoting  the 
best  interests  of  town  and  community,  and  is 
esteemed  as  one  of  the  most  reliable  and  worthy 
citizens. 


settled  for  a  time  at  Goldendale.  In  May,  1879, 
he  moved  to  Yakima  county,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  was  born  in  St.  Charles  county,  Mis- 
souri, February  26,  1850,  of  German  parents.  His 
father,  John  F.  Miller,  came  to  the  United  States 
when  a  young  man,  and  served  through  the  Mex- 
ican war  as  captain,  and  later  trapped  on  the 
Mississippi  river,  always  being  on  the  frontier. 
He  died  in  1863.  The  mother,  Louise  Mielkers- 
man,  also  a  native  of  Germany,  died  in  1865. 
At  the  age  of  eight,  our  subject's  parents  moved 
with  him  to  Arkansas,  and  when  sixteen,  he  went 
to  Texas,  where  he  farmed  for  a  time,  returning 
to  Missouri  in  1872,  where  he  remained  for  two 
years.  He  then  went  to  California,  and  after  a  year 
moved  to  Oregon,  later,  as  narrated,  settling  in 
Washington.  He  ranched  on  the  Yakima  river 
for  a  time  for  Phelps  &  Wadley,  and  they  fail- 
ing, he  ran  the  place  for  Ben  Snipes.  At  this 
time  he  took  up  a  ranch  west  of  North  Yakima, 
which  he  owned  for  ten  years,  but  failing  to 
secure  artesian  water,  he  sold  it  and  moved  to 
the  Ahtanum  valley,  where  he  has  since  lived. 
He  was  married  in  1884  to  Mary  Belts,  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Caroline  (Velecks)  Belts,  both  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania.  The  former  was  a  pioneer 
of  forty-nine  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  was 
drowned  while  in  Oregon.  After  her  husband's 
death  the  mother  married  John  L.  Morrison  in 
Illinois.  In  1877  they  came  west  to  Oregon,  Mrs. 
Miller  accompanying  her  stepfather  and  mother, 
the  latter  dying  the  same  year  in  Oregon.  Mrs. 
Miller  was  born  in  Illinois,  October  15,  1849,  tne 
same  year  her  father  crossed  the  Plains,  and  she 
never  saw  him.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  two 
children,  Minnie  W.,  now  deceased,  and  Cora  C, 
born  August  4,  1888.  Mr.  Miller  is  a  Republican 
and  a  member  of  the  fraternal  order  of  Yeomen 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


JOHN  H.  MILLER,  farmer,  fourteen  miles 
southwest  of  North  Yakima,  first  came  to  Wash- 
ington in  June,  1876,  on  a  prospecting  tour,  and 


JOSIAH  H.  MORRISON,  farmer,  and  for 
twenty-three  years  a  resident  of  Yakima  county, 
lives  on  the  Ahtanum,  ten  miles  west  and  four  south 
of  North  Yakima,  where  he  is  engaged  in  raising 
stock,  hay  and  fruit.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born 
March  16,  1865.  His  father,  John  L,  Morrison,  a 
leading  farmer  of  this  county,  was  born  in  Illinois 
and  crossed  the  Plains  in  1877  to  Oregon,  and  in 
1880  came  to  Yakima  county,  and  is  now  living  in 
Ahtanum  valley.  The  mother,  Caroline  (Velecks) 
Morrison,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  moved  to 
Illinois,  where  she  was  united  in  marriage  to  her 
first  husband,  Daniel  Belts,  who  later  met  his  death 
by  drowning,  in  Oregon.  She  ten  years  later  mar- 
ried John  L.  Morrison.  Her  second  husband  moved 
to  Oregon  in  1877,  shortly  after  the  death  of  his 
wife.  Our  subject  came  with  his  parents  to  Or- 
egon when  ten  years  of  age,  and  three  years  later 
came  with  them  to  Yakima  county.  At  the  age  of 
sixteen  he  began  to  ride  the  range,  herding  stock, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


577 


and  followed  this  for  six  years.  He  then  went  to 
work  at  the  carpenter  trade,  which  he  followed  for 
some  six  years,  still  returning  to  the  range  occasion- 
ally. In  1894,  he  bought  a  farm  of  one  hundred 
acres  and  moved  onto  it.  He  now  has  it  largely 
under  cultivation,  with  ten  acres  in  orchard. 
He  was  married  in  the  Ahtanum  valley 
January  1,  1894,  to  Carrie  L.  Minner,  daughter  of 
William  H.  and  Harriet  (Shamp)  Minner.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Iowa  and  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war.  He  moved  to  Oregon  in  1864,  after  his 
discharge  from  the  army  and  in  1876  came  to  the 
Ahtanum  valley,  where  he  still  lives.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Ohio  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  parents. 
Mrs.  Morrison  was  born  in  Oregon  in  1869,  and 
came  to  this  state  when  eight  years  of  age.  She  has 
five  living  brothers  and  sisters:  Julian  E.  Minner, 
Jennie  Lisle,  Lida  Crosna  and  Nellie  Clater.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Morrison  have  four  children  :  Lester,  born 
October  1,  1884;  Gerald,  born  July  22,  1887;  Pru- 
dence, born  September  19,  1898,  and  Minnie,  born 
February  28,  1903.  Mr.  Morrison  is  an  active  Dem- 
ocrat. He  is  also  counted  a  good  citizen  and 
neighbor  and  a  man  of  integrity. 


ORBIN  F.  NOBLE,  a  farmer  living  near  North 
Yakima,  was  born  in  Zanesville,  Ohio,  in  1848,  to 
the  marriage  of  George  W.  and  Eliza  (Cerplus) 
Noble.  The  father,  a  native  of  Maine,  was  born  in 
1818,  and  followed  mercantile  pursuits.  He  immi- 
grated to  Ohio  when  a  young  man  and  was  there 
married,  but  at  a  later  date  he  moved  to  Illinois  and 
then  to  Iowa,  where  he  died.  The  mother  was  born 
in  Ohio  to  Irish  parents.  She  is  still  living  in  Iowa. 
Our  subject  moved  to  Iowa  with  his  parents  when 
a  small  boy,  and  there  grew  to  young  manhood  and 
received  his  education.  He  began  working  out  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  and  four  years  later  entered  the 
employ  of  the  railroad  company,  remaining  so  occu- 
pied for  ten  years,  through  the  states  of  Missouri, 
Kansas,  Nebraska,  Wyoming,  Colorado,  California 
and  Arizona.  In  1888,  he  came  to  Washington  and 
engaged  in  farming,  which  business  he  has  pursued 
successfully  ever  since.  Three  years  ago  he  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  of  forty  acres,  principally 
seeded  to  grass,  and  engaged  in  the  dairy  business. 
He  was  married  in  this  state  in  1889  to  Mrs.  Lois 
Shaffer,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born  in  1868. 
Coming  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  when 
a  very  small  child,  she  became  a  resident  of  Illinois, 
where  she  was  first  married.  Her  first  husband  was, 
however,  killed  in  an  accident  shortly  after  his  mar- 
riage. Her  father,  Beauty  Coffer,  was  a  black- 
smith, born  in  Switzerland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Noble's 
children  are:  Minnie,  Howard  and  Ida  L.,  the  first 
two  born  in  King  county  and  the  latter  in  Yakima. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Noble  is  associated  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Masonic 
orders,  and  his  wife  with  the  Eastern  Star.  They 
are  members  of  the  Methodist   Episcopal  church, 


and  Mr.  Noble  belongs  to  the  Republican  party. 
Mr.  Noble  is  conducting  a  very  successful  farming 
and  dairy  business. 


ERNEST  W.  FRENCH,  farmer  and  dairyman 
on  the  Ahtanum,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  Sep- 
tember 24,  1863.  His  father,  a  ship  carpenter,  was 
born  in  the  Bay  state  in  1841,  being  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  the  noted  Winslow  family  of  that  state. 
He  followed  engineering  for  several  years,  running 
ships  and  "tugboats.  Adelaide  (Phillips)  French, 
the  mother,  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1844,  and 
still  lives  in  this  state.  She  traces  her  ancestry  back 
to  the  Staples  family  of  the  early  times  in  her  na- 
tive state.  Our  subject  attended  school  in  his  na- 
tive state  until  seventeen,  when  he  engaged  to  learn 
the  trade  of  machinist,  serving  an  apprenticeship  of 
three  years.  In  1883  he  went  to  Texas,  and  from 
there  to  St.  Louis,  working  at  his  trade,  overhauling 
and  repairing  the  presses  of  the  Globe-Democrat 
while  there.  He  then  went  to  Omaha,  from  there 
came  west  and  engaged  in  the  construction  work  of 
the  Oregon  Short  Line,  in  Oregon.  At  the  end  of 
a  year  he  went  to  the  Puget  Sound  country  and  lo- 
cated on  Hood's  Canal,  where  he  remained  until 
1889,  going  from  there  to  Mason  county,  where  he 
bought  a  ranch  and  farmed  until  1900.  He  then 
came  to  Yakima  county  and  bought  a  farm  in  Park- 
er's Bottom,  and,  two  years  later,  bought  his  present 
farm  on  the  Ahtanum.  He  was  married  in  Seattle, 
in  1888,  to  Miss  Ida  M.  Troutman,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, who  had  come  to  Washington  with  her  parents 
the  same  year.  Her  father  and  mother  are  Daniel 
and  Lucy  (Townsend)  Troutman,  the  former  a  real 
estate  dealer,  and  both  natives  of  Indiana.  To  the 
union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  French  have  been  .born  four 
children:  Arthur  D.,  Edward  A.,  George  W.  and 
Ernest  O.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  French  are  active  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  he  is 
fraternally  associated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen,  while  politically,  he  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party. 


JESSE  W.  REYNOLDS,  who  resides  on  his 
farm  nine  and  one-half  miles  west,  and  two  and  one- 
half  miles  south,  of  North  Yakima,  came  to  Yakima 
county  October  24,  1884,  and  settled  in  the  Ahta- 
num. He  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1838,  to  the  mar- 
riage of  David  and  Mary  (Kelly)  Reynolds.  The 
father  was  a  Missouri  pioneer,  settling  in  that  state 
in  1834,  and  came  of  Holland  and  French  stock.  He 
was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1797,  and  died  in  1870. 
The  mother  was  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  lived  to 
the  ripe  old  age  of  ninety  years  and  six  months ;  she 
was  the  mother  of  eight  children.  The  subject  of 
this  biography  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  in  Mis- 
souri, gaining  what  education  the  common  schools 
of  his  district  afforded.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two 
he  volunteered  in  the  three  months'  service  under 


578 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Captain  Abernathy,  at  the  end  of  which  time  sick- 
ness prevented  his  further  service.  On  his  recovery 
he  engaged  in  farming;  later  took  charge  of  the 
home  place,  which  he  conducted  until  his  father's 
death  in  1876.  He  then  went  to  Kansas  for  a  year, 
and  from  there  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1877, 
locating  in  Union  county,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing and  dairying  for  seven  years.  In  1884  he  came 
to  this  county,  renting  a  farm  in  the  Ahtanum  coun- 
try for  a  year,  and  later  living  on  the  Cowiche  for 
eight  years,  when  he  purchased  his  present  place. 
Here  he  has  since  lived,  farming  and  raising  stock. 
He  was  married  in  Greene  countv,  Missouri,  in 
1867,  to  Miss  Susan  Garrett,  daughter  of  William 
D.  and  Elizabeth  (Dutton)  Garrett,  the  former  a 
farmer  and  native  of  New  Jersey,  and  the  latter  a 
native  of  Ohio.  Mrs.  Reynolds  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri in  1844,  where  she  was  raised  and  educated. 
To  her  union  with  Mr.  Reynolds  have  been  born 
the  following  children :  Mrs.  Mary  Milborne,  Mrs. 
Bertha  J.  O'Neil,  John  F.,  David  D.,  Franklin  D., 
William  M.,  Mrs.  Amy  F.  Fear,  Sarah  E.,  and 
Jessie  F.  Politically,  Mr.  Reynolds  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  owns  two  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  land  and  considerable  stock,  and  is 
prospering. 


ELMER  B.  MARKS,  farmer  and  stockman, 
was  born  in  Linn  county.  Oregon,  September  18, 
1870,  from  the  marriage  of  John  P.  and  Ellen  (Wil- 
liams) Marks,  the  former  a  native  of  Kentucky  and 
the  latter  of  Illinois,  and  both  pioneers  in  Oregon, 
to  which  country  they  traveled  in  teams  in  1853  and 
1845,  respectively,  with  their  parents,  and  where 
they  were  united  in  marriage  in  1867.  The  mother 
died  in  Yakima  county  in  1891,  and  the  father  now 
lives  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  a  well-to-do  and  re- 
spected farmer  and  stockman.  He  served  two  terms 
as  superintendent  of  education  of  Yakima  county. 
Our  subject's  parents  moved  from  Oregon  to  Yak- 
ima county  when  he  was  one  year  of  age,  and  here 
he  has  grown  up  and  lived  since,  receiving  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  common  schools,  with  a  course  in  the 
Empire  business  college  at  Walla  Walla.  On  his 
return  from  Walla  Walla  he  engaged  in  the  butcher 
business  at  North  Yakima,  but  selling  this  out  in  a 
short  time,  he  and  his  brother  Charles  went  to 
Weiser,  Idaho,  where  he  remained  three  years,  then 
went  to  Oregon  for  a  few  months  and  returned 
home  to  the  Ahtanum  in  the  fall  of  1896.  He  put 
in  one  year  on  a  rented  farm,  and  then  went  to  work 
for  his  father  on  the  farm,  at  the  same  time  buying 
stock  for  himself,  which  he  continued  to  increase  as 
best  he  could.  In  1898,  he  and  his  brother  bought 
stock  together  and  became  interested  in  ten  and  one- 
half  sections  of  grazing  land,  on  which  they  ranged 
their  cattle,  besides  considerable  other  land.  He  was 
married  in  Yakima  county  in  May,  1899,  to  Miss 
Myrtle  Morrison,  daughter  of  James  W.  and  Mattie 
(Good)  Morrison.     Her  father  is  a  farmer  and  na- 


tive of  Missouri,  who  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon 
in  1874,  and  six  years  later  came  to  Yakima  county. 
The  mother  is  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Mrs. 
Marks  is  a  native  of  Yakima  county,  where  she  was 
born  February  13,  1881,  and  was  educated  in  the 
academy.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are  Wallace, 
Mrs.  Maud  Garrison,  Edna,  Chester,  Ethel  and 
Warren.  To  their  union  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marks  have 
had  two  children  born :  John  P.,  Jr.,  and  Gladys  H. 
Mr.  Marks  is  a  Democrat  and  a  member  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen.  In  their  church 
relations  the  husband  is  a  Congregationalist  and  the 
wife  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Marks 
is  a  highly  esteemed  citizen. 


WEBSTER  L.  STABLER.  Among  the  early 
pioneers  of  Yakima  county  who  have  had  a  hand  in 
the  experiences  of  those  primitive  days  as  well  as 
in  the  later  developments  and  progress  of  this  now 
populous  county,  the  name  of  Webster  L.  Stabler 
should  appear.  Born  in  1832  in  the  Keystone 
state,  his  parents  moved  with  him  at  the  age  of  five 
to  the  then  wild  western  country  of  Illinois.  Here 
he  was  reared  amid  the  border  scenes  of  that  state 
until  he  had  reached  the  age  of  twenty,  acquiring  his 
education  in  the  log  cabin  schoolhouse  and  develop- 
ing muscle  and  hardihood  in  the  various  duties  re- 
quired about  the  home.  In  1852,  when  but  twenty, 
he  started  from  Morgan  county,  Illinois,  with  ox 
teams,  to  cross  the  wide  expanse  of  prairie,  desert 
and  mountains,  a  path  beset  with  dangers  of  floods 
and  Indians  on  the  one  hand  and  privation  and  ex- 
posure on  the  other.  He  reached  Portland,  his  des- 
tination, on  October  8,  1852,  at  the  end  of  a  six 
months'  journey,  and,  after  wintering  there,  he  took 
a  pre-emption  claim  in  the  spring,  just  across  .from 
Vancouver  on  the  Oregon  side  of  the  line,  where  he 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  1864, 
when  he  went  to  the  Salmon  river  mines  in  Idaho, 
where  he  mined  and  ran  a  pack-train  into  the  Boise 
mines,  in  partnership  with  A.  J.  Bean.  He  later  re- 
turned to  his  ranch  near  Vancouver,  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Melinda  S.  Hayden,  February  22,  1864. 
In  1868  he  bought  a  bunch  of  cattle  and  drove  them 
to  Yakima  county,  taking  up  a  claim  in  the  Ahtanum 
valley  and  putting  up  hay  for  his  stock.  He  then 
returned  to  his  place  in  Oregon,  leaving  a  man  in 
charge  of  the  new  ranch.  In  the  spring  of  1869,  he 
returned  and  filed  on  the  land,  which  has  never  since 
changed  hands  nor  had  a  mortgage  on  it.  His  wife 
died  in  Vancouver,  Washington,  August  7,  1869, 
before  he  got  his  effects  moved  to  his  present  home. 
Her  father.  Gay  Hayden,  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
and  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1850,  settling 
near  Vancouver.  In  1882,  Mr.  Stabler  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Airs. ,  Harriet  Millican ;  to  which 
union  were  born  two  children :  Gay,  born  September 
17,  1883,  and  Lewis,. August  17,  1887.  Mr-  Stabler 
is  an  active  Republican,  and  in  1890  was  appointed 
Indian    agent  at  Fort    Simcoe,    but  resigned    after 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


579 


holding  the  position  for  a  year  and  a  half,  preferring 
to  attend  to  his  ranch  and  stock  rather  than  pose  as 
an  office  holder.  He  owns  a  fine  ranch  of  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  and  makes  a  specialty  of  breed- 
ing Shorthorn  and  Holstein  cattle,  of  which  he  owns 
some  fine  specimens.  Mr.  Stabler  is  recognized  as 
an  enterprising,  public-spirited  citizen  and  a  good 
neighbor. 


MRS.  MARY  SIMPSON.  In  pioneering  in 
new  countries,  where  deprivations  and  exposures  are 
suffered  alike  by  all  members  of  the  family,  as  in 
war  times,  when  the  husband  is  called  to  the  front, 
and  the  patient,  enduring  wife  is  left  at  home  to  en- 
dure the  cares  of  the  family  and  the  mental  anguish 
and  continued  suspense  of  uncertainty,  who  is  there 
to  sing  of  her  heroism  or  record  her  deeds  of  self- 
denial?  Few,  far  too  few,  historians  deal  fairly,  if 
at  all,  with  this  class  of  pioneers.  Among  the  pio- 
neers of  Yakima  county,  Mrs.  Mary  Simpson  is  cer- 
tainly entitled  to  a  place  in  the  annals  of  its  develop- 
ment. She  was  born  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  in 
1839,  from  the  union  of  Willis  and  Sarah  (Tarman) 
Northcutt.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1803 
from  pioneer  parents.  He  was  a  lawyer  by  profes- 
sion and  was  educated  in  Columbus.  He  crossed  the 
Plains  to  California  in  1850,  and,  after  mining  there 
for  some  time,  moved  to  Oregon,  where  he  was 
joined  by  his  family  in  1855.  The  mother  was  born 
in  Ohio,  in  1805,  and  was  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty.  She  traveled  from  Illinois  to  Oregon  in  an 
ox-train  to  join  her  husband.  Mrs.  Simpson,  when 
sixteen,  came  with  her  mother  across  the  Plains,  to 
Morrow  county,  Oregon,  and  four  years  later  was 
united  in  marriage  to  James  B.  Simpson.  They  con- 
tinued to  live  in  Oregon  until  1870,  when  they 
moved  to  Yakima  county  and  took  up  the  place 
where  she  now  resides.  Her  husband,  James  B. 
Simpson,  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Missouri, 
in  1828,  and  went  to  California  in  1850,  and,  after 
mining  until  1862  went  to  Oregon,  where  he  met  his 
wife  and  married  her.  He  died  in  Yakima  county 
in  1856.  To  this  marriage  were  born  the  following 
children :  Alice  Angeline,  now  living  at  Fort  Sim- 
coe,  where  she  has  been  in  the  employ  of  the  gov- 
ernment as  teacher  in  the  Indian  school  for  the  past 
twelve  years;  Alma  Solomon,  California;  Jemima 
Gallager,  also  a  teacher  for  several  years  at  Fort 
Simcoe;  Nettie  Swanson,  Everett,  and  William,  at 
home.  Mrs.  Simpson  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.  Her  husband  was  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  She  owns  the  old 
homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  well  im- 
proved, with  eighty  acres  in  alfalfa,  ten  acres  in 
bops,  and  the  remainder  pasture  land.  Her  son, 
William,  is  running  the  farm  for  her. 


JOSEPH  E.  ESCHBACH  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous young  farmers  of  Yakima  county,  who  has 


a  bright  outlook  before  him.  He  came  of  French 
parents,  although  a  native  of  the  United  States  him- 
self, as  is  also  his  mother.  He  was  born  in  Blue 
Earth  county,  Minnesota,  March  19, 1869.  His  father, 
John  P.  Eschbach,  was  born  in  Alsace,  France,  in 
1823,  where  he  was  marridd  and  his  wife  died,  leav- 
ing three  children.  He  then  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  settled  in  Minnesota,  where  he  married 
Miss  Barbara  Sugg,  of  Buffalo,  New  York,  whose 
parents  were  born  in  France,  at  the  same  place  as 
her  husband.  Her  father  served  nine  years  with  Na- 
poleon. To  this  marriage  were  born  ten  children. 
She  is  living  in  North  Yakima;  the  husband  died  in 
189S.  Our  subject  came  to  Yakima  county  with  his 
parents,  and  received  the  last  three  years  of  his 
schooling  here,  working  at  the  same  time  with  his 
father  on  the  farm  until  twenty-two.  He  then 
worked  with  his  uncle  for  a  year  and  also  a  year 
with  his  brother.  He  then  tried  hop  raising,  and  in 
1895  took  charge  of  his  father's  farm,  he  and  his 
brother  forming  a  partnership  in  the  business.  They 
have  greatly  improved  the  productiveness  of  the 
ranch  since  taking  charge  of  it,  having  one 
hundred  acres  seeded  down  to  alfalfa,  and  the  re- 
mainder to  hops,  clover  and  grain,  with  some 
plow  land.  He  started  with  ten  head  of  cattle, 
which  have  been  increased  to  three  hundred  head, 
with  a  good  band  of  well  bred  horses.  He 
was  married  in  North  Yakima  in  1899,  to  Miss 
Mary  Sandmeyer,  daughter  of  Stephen  and  Theresa 
E.  (Roxlau)  Sandmeyer,  both  natives  of  Germany, 
who  settled  in  Minnesota,  where  they  were  married. 
In  1883  they  moved  to  Yakima  county,  where  they 
have  since  lived.  Mrs.  Eschbach  was  born  in  St. 
James,  Minn.,  in  1878,  and  was  raised  in  Yakima 
City  principally,  but  spent  five  years  at  Cle-Elum 
with  her  family.  She  has  five  brothers  and  sisters, 
all  living  in  North  Yakima  :  Matthew,  Anna,  Joseph 
N.,  Irene  and  Ernest.  They  have  two  children : 
Barbara  and  George  A.,  both  born  in  North  Yakima. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eschbach  are  of  the  Catholic  com- 
munion. Politically,  Mr.  Eschbach  is  an  active 
Democrat.  He  and  his  brothers  have  jointly  six 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  grazing  land  on  the 
Cowiche,  with  stock,  mining  interests  and  town 
property  in  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Eschbach  is  a  wide- 
awake, rustling  young  business  man,  well  esteemed 
by  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances. 


MRS.  CATHERINE  F.  LYNCH.  Among  the 
pioneers  of  Yakima  county,  none  are  more  deserving 
of  a  place  in  history  than  the  noble,  brave  wives  and 
mothers  who  came  from  tbeir  homes  in  the  East  and 
older  settled  portions  of  the  West,  and  faced  the 
dangers  and  hardships  of  the  early  days  in  the  set- 
tlement of  this  country;  and  few  of  those  pioneer 
mothers,  probably,  have  seen  and  experienced  more 
of  those  deprivations  than  has  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Mrs.  Catherine  F.  Lynch.  She  is  a  native 
of  Cork,  Ireland,  where  she  was  born  September  25, 


580 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1861,  and  was  brought  by  her  parents  to  the  United 
States  the  same  year,  where  she  was  raised  under 
the  influences  of  the  customs  and  schools  of  her 
adopted  country.  The  parents,  Timothy  J.  and  Julia 
(McCarthy)  Lynch,  were  both  born  in  Ireland,  and 
settled  in  New  York  on  first  coming  to  this  country, 
later  coming  to  Yakima  county,  where  they  still  live, 
making  North  Yakima  their  home.  Mrs.  Lynch 
was  raised  in  Washington,  where  she  first  met 
Daniel  Lynch,  and  at  the  age  of  seventeen  was 
united  to  him  in  marriage.  Mr.  Lynch  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  born  in  1835.  He  came  to  California  in 
1849,  w'tn  the  great  influx  of  gold  seekers,  and,  after 
mining  there  for  a  number  of  years,  came  to  Yakima 
county  in  1868,  and  took  up  the  homestead  where 
the  widowed  wife  now  lives,  and  where  he  lived 
until  his  death  in  1889.  At  this  time  the  widow  was 
left  with  the  care  of  her  five  children  and  the  man- 
agement of  the  farm,  which  added  responsibilities 
she  has  met  with  faithfulness  and  conducted  with 
tact  and  business  ability  equaled  by  few.  Her  chil- 
dren are:  Catherine,  born  in  1880;  Mary  E.,  born 
1881 ;  John  J.,  born  in  1883;  Daniel,  born  in  1886, 
and  Hannah  J.,  born  in  1889.  Mrs.  Lynch  and 
family  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  the 
husband  was  an  active  Democrat.  Mrs.  Lynch  has 
one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  acres  of  land,  half 
of  which  is  in  cultivation,  and  some  seventeen 
acres  of  hops ;  also  a  good  bunch  of  cattle  and 
horses. 


FRANK  EGLIN,  farmer  and  hop  grower,  liv- 
ing one  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Tampico,  is  a 
native  son  of  Yakima  county,  born  in  the  Tam- 
pico valley,  October  12,  1878,  from  the  union  of 
Abraham  D.  and  Margaret  F.  (Crews)  Eglin, 
now  living  near  Tampico.  The  father  was  born 
in  Canada,  June  11,  1834,  and  his  father  and 
mother,  Cornelius  and  Mary  (Dolson)  Eglin. 
were  natives  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  re- 
spectively, and  moved  to  Canada  in  1844,  later 
returning  to  Indiana,  where  they  raised  their 
family.  Subject's  father  was  reared  in  Indiana, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty  started  for  the  Pacific 
coast  by  ox  teams,  driving  a  team  of  slow-mov- 
ing bovines  over  the  long,  tortuous  trail  to 
Eugene,  Oregon,  where  he  landed  in  the  fall  of 
1854  and  shortly  afterwards  departed  for  the  gold 
fields  of  California,  where  he  mined  four  years. 
He  then  returned  to  Corvallis,  Oregon,  where  he 
followed  butchering  and  operated  a  dray  at  the 
same  time,  for  some  five  years.  In  1871  he  moved 
to  Yakima  county  and  took  up  a  quarter  section 
of  land,  which  he  has  owned  ever  since,  and 
where  he  now  resides,  near  Tampico.  Here  have 
been  reared  all  of  his  family,  including  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch.  His  mother  was  born  in 
Lafayette  county,  Missouri,  in  1837,  and  went  to 
Oregon  when  a  small  girl,  where  she  was  after- 
wards married.     She  is  the  mother  of  eleven  chil- 


dren :  Benjamin  K.,  Mrs.  Lavina  Strong,  John 
S.,  Mrs.  Judith  Dithenthaller,  Warren  M.,  Mrs. 
Olivia  L.  Barth,  Thomas  W.,  Charles  D.,  George 
W.,  James  B.  and  Frank.  Mr.  Eglin's  father  is 
one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the  county,  and  in 
1899  was  elected  county  commissioner,  serving 
in  this  capacity  for  two  years.  He  is  at  present 
running  one  of  his  father's  farms,  and  is  giving 
his  attention  to  hop  growing  and  hay.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  biography  was  married  in  North 
Yakima,  in  1900,  to  Miss  Maggie  Bates,  daughter 
of  Thomas  and  Celia  (Logsdon)  Bates,  both  na- 
tives of  Missouri,  now  residing  near  Toppenish. 
They  were  early  settlers  in  Washington,  coming 
to  Walla  Walla  when  that  city  was  merely  a  fort, 
and  there  Mrs.  Eglin  was  born  in  1878.  Her 
parents  removed  to  Idaho  when  she  was  still  a 
young  girl,  later  going  to  Oregon  and  thence  to 
Yakima  county,  where  their  daughter  was  mar- 
ried at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  Her  husband  is  a 
young  man  of  energy,  perseverance  and  progress- 
ive ideas.  He  is  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity, 
whose  future  prospects  are  bright  and  who 
enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact  in  a  business  or  social 
way. 


HENRY  KNOX,  wdio  resides  upon  his  ranch, 
twenty-one  miles  west  and  south  of  North 
Yakima,  near  Tampico,  first  came  into  Yakima 
county  in  1865,  when  things  wore  the  wild  and 
untamed  appearance  of  those  very  early  time's, 
but  as  his  stay  was  only  brief,  he  dates  his  resi- 
dence here  from  .1873,  when  he  first  made  perma- 
nent settlement  on  the  farm  where  he  now  re- 
sides. Mr.  Knox  is  a  Pennsylvanian,  and  comes 
of  Scotch  and  German  parents.  He  was  ushered 
into  this  world  on  July  17,  1828,  in  the  old  Key- 
stone state,  where  he  lived  until  eighteen,  when 
he  made  his  first  trip  from  his  native  state,  going 
into  the  copper  mines  of.  Michigan,  where  he 
stayed  but  one  year,  returning  again  to  his  old 
home.  At  the  end  of  four  years  he  went  to  Min- 
nesota, took  up  land  and  engaged  in  farming 
for  eight  years.  When  he  had  the  place  im- 
proved, he  sold  it,  just  in  time  to  get  caught  by 
the  gold  excitement  at  Pike's  Peak,  along  with 
hundreds  of  other  venturesome  spirits.  He  re- 
mained there  but  a  short  time  and  went  to  the 
Indian  Territory,  remaining  for  two  years,  when 
he  returned  to  Minnesota  and  engaged  in  mill- 
ing for  three 'years.  He  then  fitted  out  with  ox 
teams  and  joined  a  caravan  across  the  Plains, 
heading  for  Puget  Sound.  They  went  via  Walla 
Walla  and  up  the  Yakima  river,  and  attempted 
to  cross  the  Cascade  range.  This  was  in  1865, 
when  there  was  only  a  trail  making  connection 
with  the  Sound  country,  and  after  reaching  the 
end  of  the  road  they  were  forced  to  turn  back 
and  seek  a  new  route  down  the  Yakima  valley, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


581 


thence  to  The  Dalles  and  on  down  to  Vancouver 
by  steamer.  He  stopped  there,  took  up  land,  and 
farmed  for  eight  years,  then  sold  out,  came  to 
Yakima  county  and  purchased  land  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad.  Here  he  has  reared  and 
educated  his  family  of  seven  children:  Eva  D. 
Anderson,  Samuel  P.,  Eliza  A.  Shaw,  Minnie  M. 
Witzel,  Jasper,  Curtis  W.  and  Jerod  A.  He  was 
married  in  Minnesota,  in  1857,  to  Miss  Eveline 
Armstrong,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Catherine 
(Bartolett)  Armstrong,  natives  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  she  also  was  born.  Mr.  Knox's  parents 
were  Thomas  and  Susan  (Sheckely)  Knox,  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  where  they  both  died.  Mr. 
Knox  devotes  his  attention  principally  to  hop 
growing  and  the  raising  of  hay,  in  both  of  which 
lines  he  is  successful. 


JOHN  WETZEL,  a  farmer  living  near  Tam- 
pico,  in  Yakima  county,  and  a  pioneer  of  1873, 
was  born  in  the  province  of  Alsace-Lorraine, 
France,  of  German  parents,  in  1855.  His  father, 
John  Wetzel,  was  a  stone  mason  and  a  native  of 
Alsace-Lorraine,  in  which  country  he  also  died. 
The  mother,  Elza  (Blasmeier)  Wetzel,  was  born 
in  the  same  country  as  her  husband,  where  she 
still  lives.  Mr.  Wetzel  was  raised  in  the  land  of 
his  nativity  until  he  reached  the  age  of  seventeen, 
there  attending  the  schools  and  learning  the  trade 
of  stone  mason  with  his  father.  He  then  turned 
his  face  toward  the  United  States,  the  reputed 
land  of  liberty,  free  homes  and  unbounded  wealth 
and  opportunity  for  the  thrifty  and  energetic  poor 
man.  He  landed  in  New  York  and  started  west- 
ward for  the  Pacific  coast,  landing  in  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1873 ;  thence  going  to  Portland,  The 
Dalles  and  to  Yakima  City,  where  he  located, 
April  17,  1873.  The  year  after  his  arrival  he  en- 
gaged to  work  for  A.  D.  Eglin,  with  whom  he 
continued  for  twelve  years.  During  this  time  he 
took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  and  proved  up  on  it, 
selling  the  same  to  Andrew  Slavin.  He  then 
rented  and  farmed  various  places  until  1892,  when 
he  purchased  the  place  where  he  now  lives,  and 
where  he  has  since  resided.  In  1883  ne  engaged 
in  the  brewery  business  at  Yakima  City,  starting 
the  second  brewery  at  that  place.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Yakima  City,  January  6,  1884,  to  Miss 
Minnie  Knox,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Eveline 
(Armstrong)  Knox,  pioneers  and  at  present  res- 
idents of  Yakima  county,  whose  sketches  appear 
in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Wetzel  was  born  in  Mon- 
tana and  raised  in  Yakima  county.  Her  birth 
occurred  while  her  parents  were  crossing  the 
Plains  from  Minnesota  to  the  Pacific  cOast.  To 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wetzel  have  been 
born  the  following  children:  Zevala  Mondor, 
Mary  Mondor,  Joseph,  Josephine,  Orenda,  Elsie, 
Eva,  Mabel,  Henry,  and  the  last,  an  infant.  They 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  communion,  and  Mr. 


Wetzel  is  an  active  Republican,  taking  deep  in- 
terest in  the  success  of  his  party.  In  fact  he  is  a 
man  who 'takes  interest  in  anything  which  he 
thinks  "is  for  the  betterment  of  the  country  at 
large  or  his  own  immediate  community,  and  is 
counted  a  man  of  honesty,  and  integrity. 


EDWARD  A.  SHANNAFELT,  who  lives  on 
his  farm,  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Tam- 
pico,  was  born  of  German  parents  in  Michigan, 
in  1859,  November  17th.  He  pre-empted  his 
present  farm  in  1884,  and  it  has  been  in  his  pos- 
session ever  since.  His  father  William  H.,  was 
a  farmer,  born  in  Ohio  in  1824.  He  was  a  pio- 
neer in  Michigan,  where  he  went  in  an  early  day, 
took  up  land,  and  raised  his  family.  He  con- 
tinued to  live  there  until  his  death  in  1900.  His 
mother,  Susan'  (Bleacher)  Shannafelt,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1831,  and  raised  seven  chil- 
dren. She  still  lives  on  the  home  place  in  Michi- 
gan. Our  subject  was  educated  in  the  prepar- 
atory college  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  later  attended 
school  one  year  at  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan.  -He 
grew  up  on  the  farm,  remaining  at  home  working 
with  his  father  until  becoming  of  age.  He 
then  engaged  in  farming  for  himself  for  three 
years.  In  1882  he  came  west  to  Oregon,  where 
he  remained  but  a  short  time,  when  he  moved 
to  Yakima  county.  He  was  married  in  Erie, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1880,  to  Miss  Carrie  M. 
Howk,  daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Ren- 
cuard)  Howk.  Her  father  was  a  farmer,  of  Eng- 
lish and  German  parentage.  He  enlisted  as  a 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war  in  the  early  sixties  and 
was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness.  Her 
mother,  who  was  of  French  descent,  was  born  in 
Ohio,  and  raised  six  children.  Mrs.  Shannafelt 
was  born  in  Ohio,  April  16,  1845,  and  is  the 
mother  of  four  children,  as  follows:  Floyd,  born 
in  Ohio,  June  19,  1880,  now  a  soldier  in  Manila  ; 
Ethel  M.,  born  in  Ohio  June  29,  1883 ;  Daniel  \Y., 
born  in  Washington  January  27,  1889,  now  de- 
ceased; Bernice  N.,  born  in  Washington,  May  21, 
1893.  Mr.  Shannafelt  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  he  and  family  are 
connected  with  the  Congregational  church.  He 
is  an  active  Democrat  and  participates  in  the 
councils  of  his  party.  In  1882  he  was  proffered 
the  nomination  for  county  assessor  by  the  Re- 
publican partv,  to  which  office  he  was  elected 
that  fall,  serving  two  years.  He  also  served  as 
deputy  assessor  for  a  long  period  prior  to  his 
election  as  assessor.  He  owns  a  well-improved 
place  with  good  residence  and  other  buildings 
and  conveniences.  He  is  making  a  specialty  of 
raising  Holstein  cattle,  of  which  he  has  a  nice 
herd  of  some  twenty  head. 


CHARLES  T.  ANDERSON,  a  native  of  the 
Northwest,    first    settled    in    Yakima    county    in 


582 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1877,  just  at  the  time  he  had  reached  his  major- 
ity. He  was  born  in  Washington  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  1856,  to  the  union  of  Charles  P.  and  Mary 
(Cahoon)  Anderson.  The  father,  a  native  of 
Kentucky  and  by  trade  a  cabinet  maker,_  crossed 
the  Plains  to  Oregon  by  ox  teams  in  1852,  and 
took  up  a  donation  claim.  He  lived  there  for 
eighteen  years,  then  moved  to  Lewis  county, 
Washington,  where  he  still  resides.  His  father 
was  Swedish  and  his  mother  Scotch  and  English. 
The  latter,  a  native  of  Indiana,  died  in  1902.  She 
was  the  mother  of  eight  children. 

Our  subject  learned  the  trade  of  cabinet 
maker  with  his  father  when  a  boy  and  when 
twenty-one,  built  the  first  house  erected  in  Cen- 
tralia.  Coming  to  Yakima  county  in  1877,  he 
worked  at  his  trade  there  for  the  ensuing  six 
years,  but  in  1883  he  squatted  on  his  present 
farm,  and  held  it  in  this  way  for  eight  years, 
when  he  filed  on  it.  Putting  out  his  first  hop 
field  of  three  and  one-half  acres  in  1886,  he  has 
continued  in  the  industry  ever  since,  and  now 
has  nine  acres.  He  is  also  engaged  in  general 
agriculture  and  in  stock  raising.  Among  the 
many  improvements  on  his  place  is  a  fine  eleven- 
room  house  and  outbuildings  in  keeping  with  it, 
and  indeed  his  farm  is  in  all  respects  well  kept, 
bespeaking  thrift  and  industry  in  its  owner. 

In  1881,  in  Yakima  county,  Mr.  Anderson 
married  Eva  D.  Knox,  a  native  of  Minnesota, 
born  in  1862.  She  crossed  the  Plains  with  her 
parents  when  little  more  than  an  infant,  in  1865, 
passing  up  the  Yakima  river,  near  where  they 
now  live,  while  on  this  journey.  Her  parents, 
Henry  and  Eveline  (Armstrong)  Knox,  are  now 
living  near  Tampico,  and  their  personal  histories 
appear  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Her  living 
brothers  and  sisters  are:  Eliza  Shaw,  Minnie  M. 
Wetzel,  Jasper,  Curtis  W.  and  Jerod  A.  Mr. 
Anderson  has  one  brother  and  three  sisters.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  are :  Clarence 
A.,  Charles  H.,  George  C,  Adda  L.,  Edythe,  Guy, 
Fred,  Amy  J.  and  Lulu.  Politically,  Mr.  Ander- 
son is  a  Democrat.  His  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  is  in  an  excellent  condition,  well 
stocked  with  cattle  and  all  horses  needful  for 
its  successful  operation.  As  a  man  and  citizen, 
he  enjoys  a  high  standing  in  his  community  and 
county,  his  neighbors  all  respecting  him  for  his 
industry  and  integrity. 


JOHN  W.  SHAW,  farmer  and  stock  raiser  and 
a  Yakima  county  pioneer  of  1874,  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois in  1852.  His  father,  William  Shaw,  was  a 
pioneer  in  Oregon.  He  crossed  the  Plains  with  an 
ox  outfit  in  1853,  and  in  making  a  cut-off  became 
lost  on  the  way,  and  it  was  six  weeks  before  they 
again  found  the  trail.  They  were  without  water  for 
three  days  at  one  time  and,  running  out  of  provi- 
sions, were  compelled  to  kill  their  own  cattle  and 


subsist  upon  meat  alone  without  salt.  At  last  reach- 
ing Douglas  county,  Oregon,  he  took  up  a  donation 
claim,  on  which  he  lived  eleven  years,  later  spend- 
ing seven  years  in  the  Grand  Ronde  valley,  and 
finally  departed  this  life  in  Yakima  county  in  1898. 
The  mother,  Eliza  J.  Miller,  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  mother  of  nine  children.  She  died 
in  1900.  "Our  subject  was  but  one  year  old  when 
his  parents  brought  him  across  the  Plains,  entirely 
too  young  to  have  any  remembrance  of  the  hard- 
ships which  they  underwent,  but  he  does  have 
a  very  distinct  recollection  of  the  early  experiences 
in  that  new  country  of  his  boyhood  days.  He  grew 
to  young  manhood  in  Douglas  county  and  the  Grand 
Ronde  valley,  commencing  to  do  for  himself  at  the 
age  of  eighteen.  When  he  was  twenty  he  went  to 
California,  and  later  went  to  the  mines  in  Nevada. 
He  came  from  the  latter  state  to  Yakima  county  in 
1874  and  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  near  the 
Woodcock  Academy.  This  he  sold  at  the  end  of  six 
years  and  purchased  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road his  present  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  was  married  in 
1876  to  Miss  Eliza  A.  Knox,  daughter  of  the  pio- 
neer, Henry  Knox.  Mrs.  Shaw  was  born  in  the 
Indian  Territory  in  1861.  crossing  the  Plains  with 
her  parents  in  1865.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shaw  have 
been  born  the  following  children :  Anna  P.  Brawt- 
ner,  William,  Cecil,  Martha,  Vida,  Carrie,  Daisy, 
Emma  and  Archie,  all  living  near  Tampico.  Poli- 
tically, Mr.  Shaw  is  a  stanch  Republican.  In  addi- 
tion to  raising  hops  extensively,  he  also  handles  a 
great  deal  of  stock.  He  is  one  of  the  solid  citizens 
of  the  count  v. 


WILLIAM  HAYMOND  MINNER,  deceased, 
a  pioneer  of  1875,  was  born  in  Indiana  February  6, 
1834.  His  father,  Peter  Minner,  a  farmer,  was  a 
native  of  Delaware,  born  in  1804.  To  him  belonged 
the  honor  of  having  been  one  of  the  first  settlers  in 
Hamilton  county,  Indiana.  He  was  of  Scotch-Irish 
descent.  The  mother,  Latecia  (Holt)  Minner,  was 
born  in  Delaware  in  1805  to  Dutch  and  Scotch 
parents,  and  died  in  1876.  She  was  the  mother  of 
nine  children.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  raised 
in  his  native  state.  His  father  dying  when  he  was  a 
boy  two  years  of  age,  he  had  but  limited  educational 
opportunities,  indeed,  and  at  the  early  age  of  nine 
he  began  to  work  out  to  help  the  mother  in  support- 
ing the  family.  He  continued  to  pursue  this  course 
until  he  was  of  age.  The  mother  then  sold  the  home 
place  and  moved  to  Iowa,  where  she  and  her  two 
sons  bought  a  place  together.  The  brother  dying 
in  a  short  time,  the  place  had  to  be  disposed  of.  Mr. 
Minner  then  went  to  Missouri  and  took  up  eighty 
acres  of  land,  and  in  a  short  time  was  married  to 
Minerva  Duree,  who  died  two  years  later,  leaving 
one  child,  who  still  lives.  Mr.  Minner  enlisted  in 
the  army  in  the  first  year  of  the  Civil  war  and  served 
for  almost  three  years,  engaging  in  many  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


583 


hard-fought  battles  of  that  contest.  He  was  then 
discharged  for  injuries  received,  and,  returning 
home,  outfitted  with  eight  yokes  of  cows  and  started 
across  the  Plains  to  Oregon.  He  lived  there  for 
twelve  years,  and  in  1875  moved  to  Yakima  county. 
He  rented  land  for  two  years  on  the  Ahtanum,  and 
during  that  period  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  which  never  passed  out  of  his  hands.  He 
improved  the  place,  taking  water  out  of  the  Ahta- 
num for  irrigating  purposes,  building  good  barns 
and  putting  up  the  first  good  residence  in  the  Ahta- 
num valley.  After  the  death  of  his  wife  in  Mis- 
souri he  was  married  in  1862,  in  Iowa,  to  Harriett 
J.  Shamp,  who  accompanied  him  on  his  trip  across 
the  Plains.  She  died  in  1895,  leaving  six  children: 
Elmer,  Julia  E.,  Jennie  P.  Lyle,  Carrie  L.  Mor- 
rison, Lydia  L.  Crosno,  Nora  Claton.  He  was  mar- 
ried again  in  1897  to  Mrs.  Endis  Hay,  from  whom 
he  was  divorced  after  five  years.  He  then  married 
Anna  Stone,  a  cousin  of  the  Rothschilds,  who  died 
shortly  after  the  ceremony  was  performed.  He  was 
again  married  in  recent  years,  and  his  last  wife 
survives  him. 

Unfortunately  a  very  few  months  ago,  Mr.  Min- 
ner  became  involved  in  a  quarrel  with  Charles 
Myers,  a  renter  of  some  of  his  farm  property,  and 
the  latter  shot  and  killed  him. 


CARPUS  S.  HALE,  stock  dealer  and  raiser, 
North  Yakima,  was  born  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
Oregon,  January  28,  1867.  He  comes  of  pioneer 
stock,  his  parents  having  grown  up  there  from 
small  children.  His  father,  Milton  Hale,  was 
born  in  Indiana,  in  1838,  of  Dutch  and  Irish  par- 
ents, and  was  a  stock  raiser.  He  drove  an  ox  team 
from  his  native  state  to  Oregon,  when  but  fourteen 
years  of  age,  and  settled  with  his  parents  in  the 
Willamette  valley.  In  1871  he  moved  to  Umatilla 
county,  where  he  followed  stock  raising  until  1894, 
at  which  time  he  moved  to  Yakima  county,  where 
he  died  the  following  year.  The  mother,  Man  E. 
(Sperry)  Hale,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  came 
west  to  California  with  her  parents,  and  later 
moved  to  Oregon,  where  she  met  and  married  her 
husband  at  the  age  of  fifteen.  Mr.  Hale  was 
raised  in  Umatilla  county,  and  was  with  his  father, 
assisting  with  the  stock,  until  twenty  years  of  age, 
at  which  time  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  and  went  to  do  for  himself.  He  then  pre- 
empted another  quarter  section  and  also  bought 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  the  railroad. 
He  farmed  this  for  five  years,  then  sold  out  and  in 
1892  moved  to  Yakima  county.  He  first  located  at 
Zillah,  where  he  opened  a  livery  barn  and  butcher 
shop,  operating  these  for  three  years,  then  he 
purchased  a  party's  right  to  a  homestead.  This 
place  he  improved  and  lived  upon  for  three  years, 
at  the  end  of  which  time  he  lost  it  through  some 
technical  error  in  the  first  filing.  He  then  moved 
to  North  Yakima,  and  engaged  in  buying  and  sell- 


ing stock,  which  he  has  since  followed.  He  is 
also  raising  stock,  having  several  hundred  head  on 
hand  most  of  the  time.  He  and  his  brother, 
Michael  A.,  are  business  partners.  His  living 
brothers  and  sisters  are :  Caroline  Cason,  Cyn- 
thia Cochran,  Sarah  Cason,  Michael  A.,  Daniel, 
Perry,  Guy,  Delia  Armitage,  Ida  Grable,  and  Clay, 
all  but  three  of  whom  live  in  Oregon.  He  was 
married  in  Oregon,  in  1887,  to  Mary  E.  Haile,  to 
which  union  were  born  two  children,  Hughie  and 
Ida  E.  He  was  married  the  second  time,  in  North 
Yakima,  in  1902,  to  Lorena  Lafferty,  daughter  of 
John  and  Sophia  ( Harding )  Lafferty,  both  natives 
of  Iowa,  and  pioneers  of  Washington.  His  wife 
has  one  sister,  Bessie.  Mr.  Hale  belongs  to  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  was  raised  under  the 
influence  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  is  among  the 
more  prominent  and  influential  pioneers  of  the 
countv. 


EDWARD  SLAVIN,  a  farmer,  living  two 
miles  north  and  three  east  of  Tampico,  was  born 
in  Lewis  county,  New  York,  in  1856,  to  Irish  par- 
ents. His  father  and  mother,  Andrew  and  Ann 
(Duncan)  Slavin,  both  of  whom  were  born  in  Ire- 
land, later  settled  in  Minnesota,  where  the  father 
farmed.  Here  young  Slavin  attended  the  schools 
of  his  district,  and  worked  with  his  father  on  the 
farm  until  eighteen,  when  he  started  out  to  do  for 
himself,  working  at  any  job  that  came  his  way, 
principally,  however,  in  the  forests  of  that  country. 
In  1887,  he  came  to  Washington,  settling  in 
Yakima  county,  where  he  and  his  brother  bought 
a  quarter  section  of  land  of  the  railroad  company. 
They  cut  logs  on  their  place  that  fall,  also  worked 
together  for  a  time  on  the  brother's  hop  ranch. 
Mr.  Slavin  then  spent  three  years  in  North  Yakima 
running  the  street  sprinkler  and  hauling  lumber, 
then  he  went  to  the  Big  Bend  countrv.  where  he 
farmed  for  a  year.  Returning  to  Yakima  county 
at  the  end  of  that  time,  he  engaged  in  farming 
on  the  Ahtanum,  and  he  has  been  thus  engaged 
ever  since.  He  follows  diversified  farming,  giving 
attention  to  hops,  hay  and  stock,  and  achieving 
an  excellent  success  in  his  line. 

In  Yakima  City,  in  iSg2,  Mr.  Slavin  married 
Lilian,  daughter  of  George  Jervius,  a  merchant 
of  that  place.  Mr.  Jervius  was  born  in  Canada 
and  came  to  Yakima  City  at  a  very  early  date. 
Mrs.  Slavin  is  a  native  of  Omaha,  Nebraska,  born 
in  1873,  but  she  came  to  Washington  when  six 
years  of  age,  and  was  educated  here,  teaching 
school  for  a  time,  after  completing  her  education. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Slavin's  children  are:  Zoe  S.. 
born  December  6,  1896:  Helen  M.,  born  Decem- 
ber 4,  1899,  and  Lawrence,  born  in  1902.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Slavin  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  Mr.  Slavin  is  a  pronounced  Democrat. 
Coming  to  the  county  with  little  capital,  he  has, 
by  industry  and  thrift,  acquired  a  competency,  and 


584 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  respect  which  is  ever  willingly  accorded  those 
who  prove  themselves  master  of  adversity  is  his 
to  enjoy. 


ANDREW  C.  GERVAIS,  retired  farmer,  liv- 
ing in  Yakima  City,  is  numbered  among  the 
earliest  pioneers  in  Yakima  county,  where  he  set- 
tled in  June,  1861.  He  is  a  native  of  Franklin 
county,  New  York,  where  he  was  born  in  1834,  to 
the  marriage  of  John  B.  and  Angelica  ( Aquitt )  Ger- 
vais.  His  parents  were  both  born  in  Canada,  the 
father  being  a  farmer  and  blacksmith.  They  were 
the  parents  of  sixteen  children.  Our  subject  at- 
tended school  until  thirteen,  when  his  father  put 
him  out  to  learn  the  shoemaker's  trade,  at  which 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  of  five  years.  He 
then  went  to  New  York  and  followed  his  trade  in 
Albany,  Troy  and  other  points,  for  two  years.  At 
this  time,  1852,  he  was  taken  with  the  western 
fever,  and  took  ship  for  San  Francisco  via  the 
Panama  route,  at  which  place  he  landed  Mav  1, 
1853,  and,  after  remaining  there  for  one  year,  went 
to  Sacramento  for  six  months  and  followed  shoe- 
making,  then  came  to  Yakima  county.  He  worked 
the  first  summer  for  William  Parker,  and  spent  the 
winter  with  Mortimer  Thorp.  During  1860-1,  he 
followed  packing  from  Umatilla  to  Boise  Basin. 
During  one  of  his  trips  the  Indians  stole  his  pack- 
train.  While  trying  to  recover  the  goods  he  was  shot 
through  the  leg  by  a  redskin,  but  ultimately  recov- 
ered his  goods  and  continued  his  trip  in  a 
wounded  condition.  In  the  spring  of  1862  he  took 
as  a  homestead  a  tract  of  land  adjoining  the  pres- 
ent site  of  Yakima  City,  on  which  he  lived  until 
1893,  when  he  sold  it.  The  next  year  he  went  east 
and  renewed  his  acquaintance  with  his  boyhood 
scenes  after  an  absence  of  thirty-five  years.  In 
1897  ne  again  made  a  trip  east,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Mary  Basonette.  He  brought  his  wife 
to  Washington,  where  she  died  eight  months  later. 
In  1899  he  was  again  married  in  the  east  to  Miss 
Eliza  Petaud.  He  brought  his  new  bride  to  his 
home  in  Yakima  City,  where  they  have  since  lived. 
After  the  sale  of  his  farm,  Mr.  Gervais  purchased 
a  comfortable  home  in  Yakima  City  and  retired 
from  farm  life.  He  has  seen  the  development  of 
his  country  from  a  wild  waste  of  sage  brush  and 
grass,  inhabited  only  by  the  Indian  and  his  cayuse, 
the  pioneer  stock  raiser  with  his  range  cattle,  into 
its  present  advanced  state  of  cultivation  and  civil- 
ization, with  beautiful  homes  and  the  most  produc- 
tive orchards  on  the  continent  covering  the  val- 
leys and  hillsides,  in  all  of  which  he  has  taken  an 
active  and  honorable  part,  and  in  the  history  of 
which  he  is  entitled  to  a  permanent  and  lasting 
record  page. 


JAMES  M.  HENDERSON,  farmer,  and  con- 
stable in  North  Yakima,  was  born  in  Indiana  in 


1844,  from  the  union  of  William  B.  and  Sarah 
(McKee)  Henderson.  His  father  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  went  to  Indiana  in  1842,  where  he  lived 
until  1856.  He  then  immigrated  to  Minnesota, 
where  he  farmed  and  where  he  still  lives  at  the  age 
of  ninety.  He  is  of  Scotch  and  English  descent. 
The  mother  was  also  a  native  of  Ohio,  of  Scotch 
parentage,  and  is  now  deceased.  Our  subject 
grew  to  young  manhood  in  Minnesota,  and  when 
the  war  broke  out  he,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  enlisted 
and  served  one  year.  He  then  returned  home  and 
went  to  school  again  for  twelve  months ;  then  fol- 
lowed farming  until  1873  when  he  went  to  Califor- 
nia. After  five  years  he  returned  to  Faribault, 
Minnesota,  where  he  served  as  policeman  for  two 
years ;  then  moved  to  Iowa.  His  health  failing, 
he  went  to  Kansas  at  the  end  of  two  years.  In 
1889  he  came  to  North  Yakima,  following  teaming 
for  four  years,  when  he  was  elected  marshal,  and 
at  the  end  of  one  year  purchased  a  ten-acre  tract 
of  land  two  miles  west  of  town,  which  he  improved 
by  putting  out  an  orchard  and  building  a  good 
house.  This  he  sold  later  for  three  hundred  dol- 
lars per  acre  and  purchased  an  eighty-acre  tract 
farther  west,  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  which  he  is 
now  devoting  to  hay  and  grain.  In  1902  he  pur- 
chased a  home  in  North  Yakima,  where  he  resides 
at  present.  Mr.  Henderson  was  married  in  Dela- 
ware county,  Iowa,  December  25,  1872,  to  Miss 
Louise  Morse,  daughter  of  Leonard  L.  and  Julia 
( Farnum)  Morse.  The  former  was  a  native  of 
Vermont,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  California.  He 
died  in  Iowa.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  New 
York.  Mrs.  Henderson  is  a  native  of  Illinois.  She 
was  raised,  educated  and  married  in  Iowa.  She 
followed  the  profession  of  teacher  for  a  number  of 
years.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henderson 
have  been  born  four  children  as  follows  :  Jennie, wife 
of  David  H.  Guilland,  a  pioneer  of  this  county,  now 
living  in  Idaho;  Etha  C.  Woodcock,  living  in 
Yakima  county;  Harry  and  William,  deceased. 
The  family  attends  the  Christian  Science  church. 
Being  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  Mr.  Henderson 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  active  and 
progressive  in  political  and  business  affairs  and 
is  esteemed  bv  all  who  know  him. 


DAVID  J.  STEEVENS.  The  subject  of  this 
biography  first  came  to  Yakima  county  in  the  fall 
of  1868,  when  he  assisted  Sumner  Barker  in  open- 
ing a  store  at  Fort  Simcoe,  in  which  he  clerked 
for  several  months.  This  was  the  second  store 
started  in  the  county.  In  the  fall  of  1869  the  stock 
was  divided  and  half  of  it  removed  to  Yakima  City, 
then  in  its  infancy,  and  the  first  store  that  place 
ever  had  was  thus  established,  Mr.  Steevens  act- 
ing as  clerk.  The  next  spring  he  took  up  a  ranch 
on  the  Ahtanum  and  after  living  there  a  short  time 
removed  to  Fort  Simcoe,  in  the  capacity  of  gov- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


5«5 


ernment  carpenter.  After  two  years  he  returned 
to  his  farm  and  in  1876  opened  a  carpenter  shop  in 
Yakima  City.  He  continued  to  live  there  until  af- 
ter the  founding  of  North  Yakima,  when  he  re- 
moved to  that  city  and  engaged  in  carpentering. 
Here  he  followed  his  trade  for  nine  years,  at  the 
end  of  which  time  he  returned  to  the  Ahtanum 
valley  and  once  more  went  to  farming,  and  this  he 
has  continued  to  follow  ever  since.  Mr.  Steevens 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1837  to  the  union  of 
David  E.  and  Adelia  (Straight)  Steevens,  both 
natives  of  New  York.  His  father  was  born  in 
1816  and  died  in  Illinois.  He  was  a  carpenter  by 
trade.  The  mother's  ancestors  were  banished  from 
Ireland,  for  political  reasons,  and  settled  in  the 
United  States  during  colonial  days.  She  died  in 
Pennsylvania  when  her  son  David  was  thirteen 
years  of  age.  When  a  boy  he  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade  with  his  father  and  at  eighteen  years  of 
age  went  to  Illinois  and  worked  at  his  trade.  The 
Civil  war  broke  out  during  his  residence  there  and 
he  enlisted  in  the  Seventh  Illinois  infantry,  Com- 
pany B.  After  seven  months'  service  his  time  ex- 
pired and  he  re-enlisted  in  the  Seventy-sixth  Illi- 
nois infantry,  and  in  1863  went  as  a  member  of  an 
escorting  party,  across  the  Plains  to  Oregon.  Here 
he  was  discharged,  but  at  once  enlisted  in  a  volun- 
teer company  to  fight  Indians,  and  later  enlisted  in 
the  First  Oregon  infantry,  from  which  he  was  dis- 
charged at  Vancouver,  Washington,  at  the  close  of 
the  war.  He  engaged  in  clerking  and  working  at 
his  trade  here  for  almost  two  years.  He  then  went 
to  The  Dalles  and  later  to  Yakima  county,  as 
stated  in  the  foregoing.  He  was  married  in 
Yakima  county,  March  1,  1870,  to  Martha  E.  Lyen, 
daughter  of  Ezekiel  Lyen,  to  which  union  was 
born  one  child,  Henry  A.,  who  is  now  on  the 
United  States  training  ship  Mohican.  In  1875,  af~ 
ter  the  loss  of  his  first  wife,  he  was  married  to  Mrs. 
Caltha  Deardorf,  who  died  two  years  later.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Steevens  is  connected  with  the  Ma- 
sonic order ;  politically,  he  is  an  active  Repub- 
lican. 


SILAS  H.  WOOLSEY  is  a  native  of  the 
Buckeye  state,  and  was  born  in  1850.  Three 
weeks  after  his  birth  his  father  died,  leaving  the 
family  of  children  to  the  care  of  the  mother.  The 
father,  Hezekiah  Woolsey,  was  a  Pennsylvania!! 
and  followed  farming.  He  was  a  pioneer  in 
Ohio,  and  came  of  English  stock.  The  mother, 
Hannah  Cutler,  was  a  native  of  Wales.  She 
died  when  young  Woolsey  was  but  ten  years  of 
age  and  he  went  to  live  with  one  of  his  brothers. 
He  remained  with  him  until  the  close  of  the  war, 
when  another  brother,  who  had  served  through 
the  war,  came  home  and  he  went  to  live  with  him, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  twenty-six,  hav- 
ing an  interest  in  the  crops  on  the  farm  after  he 
"became  of  asre.     In    1879  he  went  to  Nebraska, 


living  there  for  three  years.  He  then  sold  out 
and  came  to  Yakima  county,  settling  at  first  in 
the  Ahtanum  valley.  After  three  years'  resi- 
dence there  he  moved  to  Kittitas  county  and  took 
up  a  quarter  section  of  land  near  Cle-Elum,  which 
he  sold  eighteen  months  later  to  the  coal  com- 
pany and  returned  to  Yakima  county.  He  then 
purchased  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres  and 
took  up  residence  on  it,  improving  and  develop- 
ing the  ranch  into  its  present  convenient  and 
productive  condition.  Here  he  has  since  con- 
tinued, to  live.  He  was  married  in  Illinois,  in 
1875,  to  Miss  Eliza  J.  Dickerson,  daughter  of 
William  and  Sarah  (Housh)  Dickerson.  Her 
father,  a  farmer  and  native  of  Illinois,  continued 
to  reside  in  the  state  of  his  nativity  until  his 
death.  Her  mother  was  a  native  of  the  Hoosier 
state  and  of  German  descent.  There  were  eleven 
children  in  her  family.  Mrs.  Woolsey  was  born 
in  Illinois  in  1855,  and  learned  the  millinery  and 
dressmaker's  trade.  The  children  born  to  her 
union  with  Mr.  Woolsey  are:  Frank,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Hanson,  James,  Lauren,  Maud,  Clara,  Emma, 
Edith,  Ellis,  Gertrude  and  George.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Woolsey  are  of  the  Congregational  communion, 
while  he  is  an  active  Republican,  interested  in  the 
success  of  his  party  principles. 


ANDREW  JACKSON  CHAMBERS,  mer- 
chant at  Ahtanum,  is  a  native  pioneer  of  the  state 
of  Washington,  making  his  advent  into  this 
world  in  Olympia,  the  state  capital,  in  1853.  His 
residence  in  Yakima  county  dates  from  1871.  His 
father,  Thomas  J.  Chambers,  was  born  in  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  in  1823,  in  the  old  home  of  Presi- 
dent Andrew  Jackson,  who  was  a  cousin  of  his 
mother.  He  made  the  trip  from  Ohio  to  Oregon 
in  1845  with  ox  teams,  wintering  at  The  Dalles 
and  the  next  spring  went  down  the  river  to  ( )re- 
gon  City,  in  boats  sawed  out  of  logs  with  whip- 
saws  and  pinned  together  with  wooden  pins.  He 
took  land  there,  but  two  years  later  moved  near 
Olympia,  to  the  prairie  district  which  now  bears 
his  name.  He  was  in  the  California  gold  excite- 
ment of  184Q.  Returning  to  Thurston  county  he 
took  up  a  donation  claim  and  in  1866  came  to 
Yakima  county,  crossing  the  mountains  with 
pack-train  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of 
cattle,  his  family  accompanying  him.  The  next 
year  he  moved  with  his  stock  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  resided  until  1871.  then  returned  to 
Yakima  county,  where  he  still  lives  at  the  age 
of  eighty.  The  mother,  America  McAllister,  was. 
born  in  Kentucky  and  crossed  the  Plains  in  1844. 
at  the  age  of  nine,  to  Thurston  county.  Her 
father  was  killed  by  Indians  in  1856.  Mr. 
Chambers  grew  up  in  the  farming  and  stock  busi- 
ness, and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  his  father  gave 
him  an  interest  in  a  bunch  of  cattle  and  he  con- 
tinued   in    that    business    until     1877,    when     he 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


opened  a  butcher  shop  in  Yakima  City,  the  first 
shop  in  the  county.  He  continued  to  reside  in 
that  town  until  1885,  then  sold  out  and  moved  to 
North  Yakima,  where  he  engaged  in  supplying 
beef  to  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  while  the 
line  was  extending  its  track  over  the  mountains. 
He  ran  a  butcher  shop  in  North  Yakima  two 
years,  until  1889,  when  he  sold  and  bought  the 
store  on  the  Ahtanum,  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinued in  business.  He  was  married  in  Yakima 
City  in  1875,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Brown,  daughter 
of  James  and  Mary  (Clogne)  Brown.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  England  and  a  settler  in  Cali- 
fornia in  1857,  where  he  died  in  1861.  The 
mother,  being  left  a  widow,  bought  a  team  and 
moved  her  family  to  Oregon,  where  she  lived  until 
1902,  at  which  time  her  death  occurred.  Mrs. 
Chambers  was  born  in  New  York  City,  in  1855, 
and  was  sent  to  school  at  Vancouver,  Washing- 
ton, and,  after  the  completion  of  her  education, 
taught  school.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Chambers  were  born  the  following  children:  Mrs. 
Ella  F.  Weiked,  North  Yakima;  Walter  A.. 
Claude  J..  Thomas  J.,  Bernard,  Daisy  M.  and 
Victor.  Mr.  Chambers  is  connected  with  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Rebeccas,  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen,  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  Yeomen.  Mrs.  Chambers  is  a  Re- 
bekah.  Their  church  connection  is  with  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Mr.  Chambers  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and,  for  ten  years,  was  postmaster  at  Ahtan- 
um. As  a  pioneer,  he  was  prominently  identi- 
fied with  the  famous  Perkins  affair,  which  so 
stirred  the  inhabitants  of  the  Yakima  country  in 
1878-79.  being  a  cousin  of  Mrs.  Perkins.  A  full 
account  of  this  tragedy  will  be  found  in  the  gen- 
eral history  of  Yakima  county. 


PROFESSOR  ERNEST  S.  WOODCOCK, 
principal  of  the  Woodcock  Academy,  is  a  native 
of  Minnesota,  born  in  1870;  but  reared  in  Yak- 
ima county,  receiving  his  education  in  Whitman 
college,  Walla  Walla,  with  a  post-graduate 
course  at  Columbia  College,  New  York.  After 
the  completion  of  the  post-graduate  course  he 
returned  to  his  native  state  and  accepted  the 
position  of  principal  of  the  Colville  Academy. 
At  the  end  of  the  first  year  he  was  called  home 
by  the  death  of  his  father,  to  assume  charge  of 
his  business  affairs.  He  at  the  same  time  taught 
in  the  Woodcock  Academy,  at  their  place,  of 
which  his  father  was  the  founder,  and  in  1902 
was  proffered  the  principalship,  which  position  he 
now  holds.  His  father,  Fenn  B.  Woodcock,  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  in  1834,  and  was  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Hines  College,  in  Connecticut.  In 
1857  he  went  to  Minnesota,  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  a  time,  but  at  the  first  call  for  volunteers 
by   ['resident  Lincoln,  he  enlisted  in  the  Fourth 


Minnesota  infantry  and  served  his  country  for 
four  years,  being  in  many  of  the  principal  battles, 
including  Vicksburg  and  Altoona;  was  with  Gen- 
eral Sherman,  on  his  famous  march  to  the  sea. 
He  left  Minnesota  for  Oregon  in  1877,  an<i  tne 
next  year  came  to  Yakima  county,  settling  in  the 
Ahtanum  valley,  where  he  purchased  several  hun- 
dred acres  of  land.  He  lived  there  until  his 
death  in  1897,  esteemed  and  respected  by  all  for 
his  sterling  worth  and  many  praiseworthy  qual- 
ities. Among  other  marks  of  permanent  progress 
and  value  which  he  leaves  to  preserve  the  mem- 
ory of  a  useful  life  is  the  Woodcock  Academy,  of 
which  institution  he  was  the  founder,  and  which 
was  named  for  him,  after  his  death.  He  traced 
his  ancestry  back  to  the  landing  of  the  May- 
flower. It  is  not  surprising  that  Professor  Wood- 
cock should  turn  to  pedagogy  as  a  profession,  in 
view  of  the  fact  that  both  his  parents  were  teach- 
ers. The  mother,  Frances  E.  (Taylor)  Wood- 
cock, a  native  of  Connecticut,  was  a  graduate  of 
the  Hines  college,  of  that  state,  and  for  years  was 
a  teacher.  She  traces  her  ancestry  back  to  the 
very  first  families  of  her  native  state.  Mr.  Wood- 
cock was  married  in  Walla  Walla,  in  1896,  to 
Miss  Mary  Hunt,  sister  of  Gilbert  Hunt,  of  that 
place.  Mrs.  Woodcock  was  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, her  birthday  occurring  in  1876.  She  was 
educated  at  Whitman  College,  Walla  Walla, 
where  she  made  her  home  with  her  brother,  at 
the  death  of  her  parents.  She  followed  teaching 
for  a  time  and  was  an  instructor  in  shorthand  in 
the  Colville  school.  She  died  in  1897,  leaving  one 
child,  Marion  F.  H.  In  1900  Mr.  Woodcock  was 
again  married  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  to  Miss 
Ethel  Henderson,  daughter  of  James  M.  and 
Louise  (Morse)  Henderson,  residents  of  the 
Ahtanum  valley.  Mrs.  Woodcock  received  her 
education  in  the  Woodcock  Academy  and  Whit- 
man College,  and  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  Wood- 
cock Academy  for  the  past  three  years.  She  was 
born  in  Iowa,  in  1880.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodcock 
are  members  of  the  Congregational  church,  of 
which  he  is  a  trustee.  In  addition  to  his  school 
duties  Mr.  Woodcock  manages  his  farm  of  three 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  and  gives  attention  to 
his  herd  of  fine  Holstein  cattle.  He  is  progress- 
ive and  enterprising  and  holds  a  high  place  in 
the  esteem  of  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances. 
Among  the  educators  of  Yakima  county,  and  in- 
deed of  central  Washington,  none  are  better 
known  and  held  in  greater  esteem  for  their 
scholarly  attainments  and  for  their  success  as 
instructors  than  are  Mr.  and   Mrs.  Woodcock. 


NATHAN  P.  HULL.  One  of  the  successful 
educational  instructors  and  agriculturists  of  Yak- 
ima county  is  Nathan  P.  Hull,  the  subject  of 
this   historical   sketch.     His   ancestors,   on   both 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


587 


sides,  were  among  the  history  makers  of  the  early 
Mayflower  days  in  this  country;  and,  with  the 
succeeding  generations,  have  passed  down  to  the 
present  day  an  inheritance  of  a  clean  record,  of 
pledges  kept  and  trusts  held  inviolate,  a  patri- 
mony far  more  to  be  prized  than  inherited  hoard- 
ings of  gold.  Air.  Hull  made  his  advent  into  this 
world  in  Wisconsin,  January  20,  1864.  His 
father,  Henry  Hull,  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
born  in  1822,  and  from  which  state,  in  1848,  he 
moved  to  the  then  wild  and  almost  unsettled  por- 
tion of  Wisconsin.  He  here  took  up  land  and  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits,  which  he  has  fol- 
lowed from  that  time  to  the  present,  making  his 
home  on  the  old  homestead.  Caroline  Brewster, 
the  mother,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1827. 
Mr.  Hull  is  a  thoroughly  educated  man ;  starting 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  state,  he  has 
passed  through  the  high  school,  Oshkosh  state 
normal  and  Indiana  normal  schools,  with  a  post- 
graduate course  in  the  Wisconsin  University. 
In  1884,  at  the  age  of  twenty,  he  engaged  in 
teaching,  which  he  pursued  for  nine  years  in  the 
states  of  Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  with  excellent 
success.  In  1893  he  accepted  the  principalship  of 
the  Woodcock  Academy,  having  immigrated  to 
Washington  in  that  year.  At  the  end  of  two 
years  he  purchased  land  and  engaged  in  agricul- 
ture, devoting  his  time  to  the  developing  of  his 
farm  and  setting  it  to  fruit.  In  this  he  was 
remarkably  successful,  and  today  has  one  of  the 
best  fruit  farms  in  his  section  of  the  country.  He 
has  since  enlarged  his  real  estate  holdings  to  two 
hundred  acres,  and  has  added  hay  raising  and 
dairying  to  his  pursuits.  He  was  married  in 
Champaign,  Illinois,  in  1895,  to  Miss  Minnie 
Greene,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Elizabeth  (Stev- 
ens) Greene,  the  father  a  native  of  Indiana  and 
now  a  real  estate  dealer  in  Illinois,  the  mother 
born  in  Ohio.  Mrs.  Hull  was  born  in  Champaign 
county,  Illinois,  in  1867,  where  she  was  educated, 
graduating  from  high  school.  She  followed  teach- 
ing for  a  time  both  in  her  native  state  and  in 
Washington.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  arid  Mrs.  Hull 
there  have  been  two  children  born :  Edna,  Janu- 
ary 30,  1898,  and  Carroll,  on  the  3d  of  August, 
1900.  The  daughter  died  in  infancy,  on  Decem- 
ber 14,  1898.  The  parents  are  members  of  the 
communion  of  the  Congregational  church.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Hull  is  identified  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  order.  He  is  an  active  Re- 
publican. He  has  a  fine  two  hundred  acre  farm 
well  stocked  and  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation, 
a  good  residence  and  pleasant  home  surround- 
ings. As  a  teacher  Mr.  Hull  is  recognized  as  a 
man  of  ability.  Applying  his  scholastic  train- 
ing to  his  rural  pursuits,  he  has  demonstrated  the 
peculiar  adaptability  of  the  valley  lands  to  diver- 
sified farming.  In  educational  and  social  circles 
he  is  a  man  of  influence  and  is  counted  among  the 
successful  and  substantial  citizens  of  the  county. 


CHARLES  H.  BURR,  farmer  on  the  Ahtanum, 
was  born  in  Rutland  county,  Vermont,  October  8, 
1843,  from  the  union  of  Carlos  and  Mary  (Ellis) 
Burr.  His  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation  and 
was  ushered  into  this  world  in  the  Green  Moun- 
tain state  in  1818.  His  ancestors  were  pioneers  in 
Vermont,  living  there  when  Rutland  was  one  of 
the  state  capitals.  The  mother,  who  is  of  Scotch- 
Irish  descent,  was  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  in 
1815.  She  learned  the  tailoring  trade  when  young 
and  worked  at  it  for  many  years.  She  still  lives  in 
her  native  state  at  the  age  of  eighty-eight.  Mr. 
Burr  grew  up  on  the  home  farm  in  Vermont,  until 
the  Civil  war  broke  out,  when  he,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Tenth  Vermont 
volunteers,  in  defense  of  his  country.  He  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  at 
Alexandria,  Virginia.  He  returned  home  at  the 
close  of  the  war  and  remained  until  1868,  when  he 
went  to  Wisconsin,  and  later  to  Sioux  Falls, 
Dakota,  where  he  took  up  land.  This  he 
sold  after  two  years ;  in  1872  he  went  to  Iowa, 
and  in  1878  to  Kansas,  in  which  state  he 
lived  for  ten  years.  In  1888  he  moved  to  Wash- 
ington, and  1892  found  him  farming  in  Yakima 
county.  In  1899  he  purchased  his  present  place, 
where  he  has  made  a  comfortable  home.  He  was 
married  in  Iowa  in  1876,  to  Miss  Henrietta  Mon- 
roe, daughter  of  George  and  Christia  (Mcintosh) 
Monroe.  Her  father  and  mother  were  both  natives 
of  Scotland.  Her  father  was  born  in  18 19  and  lived 
at  home  until  his  father's  death,  then  came  to  Canada 
with  his  mother,  and  in  1869  removed  to  Iowa, 
where  he  later  died.  He  was  married  in  Canada 
and  was  the  father  of  a  family  of  ten  children.  Mrs. 
Burr  was  born  in  Canada  in  1856,  and  was  married 
at  the  age  of  nineteen.  To  this  union  were  born  the 
following  children :  Beatrice  B.,  Florence,  Emma 
E.  and  Robert.  Mr.  Burr  is  one  of  the  original 
Lincoln  Republicans  and  takes  pride  in  that  distinc- 
tion. 


ELIZABETH  SIVERLY.  Mrs.  Siverly  is  one 
of  the  pioneer  settlers  in  that  portion  of  Washing- 
ton where  she  resides,  settling  there  with  her  hus- 
band in  the  early  seventies.  She  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana in  1 85 1.  Her  father,  George  Wilson,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  and  a  millwright.  He  brought 
his  family  from  Iowa  to  Oregon,  in  1862.  by  ox 
team,  settling  in  the  Grand  Ronde  valley,  and  seven 
years  later  moving  to  Douglas  county,  where  he 
died  in  1891.  Martha  Coil,  her  mother,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  of  which  state  her  parents  were 
early  pioneers.  She  was  the  mother  of  five  children. 
Mrs.  Siverly  lived  in  Iowa  until  she  was  ten  years 
old,  and  then  made  the  trip  across  the  Plains  with 
her  parents  to  Oregon.  She  finished  her  education 
in  the  schools  of  LaGrande,  and  at  the  age  of  fifteen 
was  united  in  marriage  to  John  Siverly.  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  born  in  1833,  of  Dutch  parents.     He 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


was  left  an  orphan  when  young  and  was  taken  to 
raise  by  a  brother.  When  but  sixteen  he  ran  away 
and  crossed  the  Plains  to  California,  in  the  great 
exodus  from  the  east  to  the  gold  fields  of  that  state 
during  1849.  He  mined  there  and  in  all  of  the  lead- 
ing mining  districts  of  the  Pacific  coast,  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  In  1867,  he  met  and  married  Mrs. 
Siverly  in  Oregon,  and  a  few  years  later  they  moved 
to  Yakima  county.  To  this  union  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children:  George  W.,  March  12,  1868; 
Lawrence,  June  10,  1870,  now  in  Nome ;  John  A., 
deceased;  Mrs.  Viola  Brown,  February  24,  1875; 
Floyd,  August  4,  1877;  Mrs.  Clara  Hughes,  Octo- 
ber 24,  1880;  Roy  H.,  November  14,  1889;  Jack, 
August  3,  1893.  Mrs.  Siverly  is  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  She  owns  eighty  acres  of 
good  land  and  has  a  comfortable  home.  Among  the 
many  brave  women  who  endured  the  hardships  and 
risked  the  dangers  of  pioneer  life  in  the  Yakima 
valley,  no  one  is  mere  worthy  of  a  place  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  country  than  is  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Siverly. 
and  it  is  with  pleasure  that  we  enroll  her  name  with 
the  honored  pioneers  of  Yakima  county. 


WILLIAM  GRANGER.  Although  an  actual 
resident  of  Yakima  county  only  since  1897,  Will- 
iam Granger  is  a  pioneer  of  1861  in  California  and 
of  1863  in  central  Washington.  No  man  is  better 
known  by  the  early  settlers  of  this  region  and  no 
one  has  been  more  active  in  the  development  of  this 
part  of  the  state,  and  we  are  therefore  pleased  to  ac- 
cord him  a  place  in  this  volume  among  its  honored 
pioneers.  Mr.  Granger  was  born  in  Canada,  near 
Toronto.  September  2,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Elizabeth  Granger,  natives  of  England, 
both  long  since  dead.  The  father  was  born  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  eighteenth  century,  was  a  pioneer 
of  Eaton  county,  Michigan,  and  died  there  at  the  age 
of  sixty-two.  While  the  son  William  was  an  infant, 
the  parents  moved  from  Canada  to  Eaton  county, 
Michigan,  and  here  he  spent  his  youth  and  early 
manhood.  Educational  advantages  were  limited 
but  he  spent  several  winters  in  the  primitive  schools 
of  the  neighborhood,  doing  farm  work  in  the  sum- 
mers, however,  from  the  time  he  was  eight 'years 
old.  In  1861,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  he  left 
home  and  went  to  California,  engaged  in  mining 
there  for  a  time  and,  in  1863,  removed  to  Umatilla, 
Oregon,  whence  he  operated  a  pack-train  to  Boise, 
carrying  provisions  to  the  Idaho  mining  regions. 
After  three  years  in  this  occupation,  he  went  to  Ok- 
anogan county,  Washington,  and  engaged  in  stock 
raising,  meeting  with  good  success.  In  1897  he  sold 
the  greater  part  of  his  Okanogan  interests  and  lo- 
cated on  his  present  place  in  the  Moxee  valley, 
four  and  one-half  miles  east  of  North  Yakima, 
where  he  has  united  farming  with  stock  raising.  In 
1903  he  disposed  of  his  remaining  stock  in  Okano- 
gan county,  and  his  entire  holdings  are  now  in  the 
Moxee,  where  he  is  having  excellent  success,  both 


with  the  products  of  the  farm  and  with  stock.  Mr. 
Granger  was  at  one  time  elected  commissioner  of 
Stevens  county  and,  when  Okanogan  was  formed, 
was  appointed  one  of  the  first  commissioners  by 
Governor  Ferry.  He  was  prominent  in  the  early 
history  of  that  county  and  is  well  known  for  the 
part  he  played  in  the  Indian  troubles  of  the  late 
seventies.  As  a  deputy  sheriff,  he  arrested  Sal- 
usakin  and  Wyanticat,  two  of  the  Indian  par- 
ticipants in  the  murder  of  the  Perkins  family,  an 
account  of  which  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
the  volume.  Mr.  Granger  is  third  in  a  family  of 
ten  children,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Two  sis- 
ters, Margaret  (Granger)  Bush,  and  Ann  (Gran- 
ger) Scott,  were  born  in  Canada  and  are  now 
living  in  Michigan.  The  others  were  born  in 
Michigan  and  are  still  residing  in  that  state; 
their  names  follow :  Thomas,  Joseph,  George, 
James,  Elizabeth  ( Granger )  Hartford,  Mary 
(Granger)  Shaw,  and  Anna.  Mr.  Granger  was 
married  ,in  Yakima  City,  October  1,  1877,  to  Miss 
Charlotte  Bunting,  who  was  born  in  Steilacoom, 
September  8,  1858,  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Martha  A.  (McAlister)  Bunting.  The  father 
was  killed  by  Indians  while  mining  in  Arizona, 
and  the  mother,  a  native  of  Missouri  and  a  pio- 
neer of  Washington,  is  now  Mrs.  Martha  Cheney, 
residing  five  miles  southeast  of  North  Yakima. 
Her  biography  will  be  found  on  another  page  of 
this  volume.  Mrs.  Granger  has  three  brothers, 
one  half-brother,  and  one  sister,  living.  Their 
names  with  other  particulars  will  be  found  in 
connection  with  the  biography  of  Mrs.  Cheney, 
the  mother.  One  sister,  Blanche  (Bunting)  Per- 
kins, was  killed  by  the  Indians  July  9,  1877;  a 
full  account  of  the  massacre  is  given  on  another 
page  of  this  history.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Granger 
have  been  born  the  following  children  :  Harry, 
born  January  3,  1879,  the  first  white  child  born 
in  Okanogan  county ;  Ella  and  Elmer,  twins,  born 
May  4,  1889;  Henry  Roy,  born  March  28,  1885, 
deceased;  Martha,  born  September  23,  1898.  Mr. 
Granger  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  where  he 
makes  his  home ;  five  acres  are  in  orchard  and  the 
balance  in  rny.  The  place  is  well  equipped  with 
modern  residence  and  other  buildings,  a  most  de- 
sirable home,  and  at  present  is  stocked  with  seven 
hundred  sheep.  In  politics,  Mr.  Granger  is  a  Demo- 
crat, always  interested  in  the  success  of  his  party. 
The  sterling  qualities  which  have  brought  success  in 
a  business  way  have  eiven  him  also  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  .his  fellow  men  and  have  made  of 
him  a  man  of  influence  and  a  substantial  citizen 
of  the  county. 


HENRY  V.  HINMAN,  the  present  register 
of  the  North  Yakima  United  States  land  office 
and  a  respected  citizen  of  Yakima  county,  is  a 
native  of  the  Empire  state,  born  in  1836.  His 
father,  who  bore  the  same  name  as  the  .subject  of 


WILLIAM  GRANGER. 


WILLIAM  J.  HACKETL 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


589 


this  biography,  was  also  born  in  New  York  state 
and  lived  there  until  his  death.  By  profession  he 
was  a  successful  lawyer.  Mrs.  Hinman,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Laura  Van  Note,  was  the 
daughter  of  Dutch  parents  and  a  descendant  of 
the  earliest  settlers  of  New  York.  She  was-born 
in  New  Jersey,  and  died  at  Kinderhook,  New 
York.  After  receiving  an  excellent  common 
school  education  in#the  schools  of  Kinderhook, 
Columbia  county,  New  York,  Henry  V.,  Jr.,  ap- 
prenticed himself  for  four  years  to  the  printer's 
trade  and,  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and 
twenty-five,  followed  that  occupation.  How- 
ever, seven  years  of  such  work  weakened  his  eye- 
sight so  greatly  as  to  oblige  him  to  turn  to  some 
other  line  of  work,  and  so,  in  1857,  he  came  as 
far  west  as  Illinois,  whose  broad,  fertile  prairies 
appealed  so  strongly  to  him  that  he  settled  in 
Whiteside  county  and  engaged  in  farming.  Four 
years  later  he  bade  farewell  to  family-and  friends, 
put  aside  the  plow  and  the  sickle  for  the  old 
Springfield  rifle  and  the  knapsack  and.  as  a 
private  in  the  Sixty-fourth  Illinois  infantry, 
marched  southward  with  the  boys  in  blue.  Three 
years  and  eight  months  he  served  his  country  on 
the  battlefield,  participating  in  the  battles  of 
Farmington,  Corinth  and  many  others  of  note, 
besides  being  with  Sherman  on  his  famous  march 
to  the  sea.  Near  Atlanta,  Georgia,  he  was 
wounded  and  confined  in  the  hospital  for  , sixty 
days.  Upon  his  return  to  service  he  was  re- 
warded for  his  bravery  by  being  commissioned 
first  lieutenant  of  Company  B  of  his  regiment. 
After  being  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, in  1865,  he  returned  to  the  farm  in  Illinois, 
where  he  lived  until  1866,  when  he  moved  to  Mis- 
souri and  engaged  in  railroad  construction.  At 
the  end  of  six  years  experience  in  this  line  of 
work  in  Missouri  and  seven  years  experience  at 
Atchison,  Kansas,  Mr.  Hinman  again  returned  to 
agricultural  pursuits,  this  time  in  Washington 
county,  Kansas,  where  his  home  remained  for 
eleven. years.  Like  many  another  resident  of  that 
section,  he  became  familiar  with  the  ways  of 
cyclones  and  was  an  unwilling  victim  of  one.  In 
1879  he  removed  to  Manhattan,  Kansas,  and  in 
1889  immigrated  to  the  Northwest, 'locating  a 
homestead  near  Mission,  Chelan  county,  Wash- 
ington, where  he  lived  for  the  following  five 
years.  Then  came  a  short  experience  in  the  mer- 
cantile business  in  Ellensburg,  with  his  son,  a 
position  for  four  years  in  the  Kittitas  •  county 
court  house  and,  in  June,  1902,  his  appointment 
as  register  of  the  land  office  in  the  Yakima  dis- 
trict. During  the  second  year  of  his  residence  in 
Illinois,  1858,  Mr.  Hinman  wooed  and  won  Miss 
Jane  L.  Brakey,  at  that  time  a  young  school 
teacher  of  eighteen  years.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  William  and  Mary  (Cooley)  Brakey,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania  and  early  settlers  in  Illinois,  where 
both  are  buried.    During  the  awful  years  of  1861- 


65,  Mrs.  Hinman  again  taught  school  as  an  aid 
toward  supporting  ,the  family  while  the  hus- 
band and  father  was  fighting  for  his  country's 
preservation.  Seven  children  came  to  the  Hin- 
man home :  William  E.,  born  in  Illinois  in  1859 
and  living  in  Washington ;  Mrs.  Laura  E.  Cash, 
born  in  Illinois  in  1861,  living  in  Ohio;  Mrs. 
Mamie  M.  Clark,  born  in  Illinois,  living  in  Chelan 
county ;  Charles  H.,  borji  in  Missouri  in  1871 ; 
Agnes  M.,  born  in  Kansas  in  1879,  now  a  teacher 
and  also  supervisor  of  music,  in  the  Ellensburg 
schools;  Mrs.  Sadie  Dix,  born  in  Kansas  in  1881, 
now  living  at  North  Yakima,  and  Jennie  P.,  born 
in  Kansas  in  1884,  living  at  home.  Mr.  Hinman 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic 
and  politically,  a  Republican,  having  belonged  to 
the  party  since  John  C.  Fremont's  candidacy  for 
the  presidency  in  1856.  Besides  his  valuable 
homestead  in  Chelan  county,  he  owns  a  fine 
home  in  the  city  of  North  Yakima,  No.  201  North 
Seventh  street.  As  a  government  official,  Mr. 
Hinman's  integrity  and  ability  are  the  pride  of 
his  many  friends. 


WILLIAM  J.  H  A  C  K  E  T  T,  farmer  and 
threshing  machine  operator,  who  lives  upon  his 
ranch,  six  miles  west  and  four  south  of  North 
Yakima,  is  a  pioneer  of  1877  in  Yakima  county. 
He  was  born  in  the  State  of  Massachusetts,  No- 
vember 10,  1848,  but  grew  up  and  was  schooled 
in  the  pineries  of  Wisconsin,  where  self-reliance 
and  hardiness  of  constitution  are  early  acquired 
in  life  and  are  pre-requisites  to  success  in  the 
lumbering  business.  His  .father,  Peter  Hackett, 
was  a  lumberman,  born  in  the  Emerald  Isle.  He 
immigrated  to  Canada  when  eighteen  years  of 
age  and  from  there  emigrated  to  Massachusetts, 
where  he  was  married.  Subsequently  he  removed 
to  Wisconsin  and  there  lived  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  The  mother,  Phoebe  (Hall)  Hackett, 
was  born  of  Yankee  stock  in  Massachusetts,  her 
father,  Lyman  Hall,  being  a  pioneer  in  her  native 
state.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  the  subject  of  this 
article  began  to  serve  a  three  years'  apprentice- 
ship at  the  blacksmith's  trade.  At  the  end  of  that 
service  he  went  farther  north  into  the  lumber 
district,  where  he  worked  ten  years.  In  1876  he 
emigrated  to  the  Pacific  coast  country,  settling 
for  the  first  year  in  Portland.  The  following  year 
he  came  to  Washington  Territory.  After  work- 
ing five  years  for  the  firm  of  Polly  &  Emery,  he 
filed  upon  a  tract  of  land  on  the  Ahtanum,  which 
is  his  present  home.  Here  he  has  since  made  his 
home,  rearing  and  educating  his  family  and  en- 
joying the  fruits  of  his  labors.  He  has  operated 
a  threshing  machine  for  the  past  twenty  years 
during  the  summer  and  fall  months  and  at  present 
has  a  steam  thresher.  There  is  probably  not  a 
man  in  the  county  more  skilled  in  this  line  of 
work  than  Mr.  Hackett.     In  1890  he  built  a  saw- 


5Q0 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


mill  near  Soda  Springs,  which  he  ran  for  ten 
years.  He  was  married  in  Wisconsin  in  1870  to 
Miss  Barbara  Ditenthaler,  daughter  of  Ferdinand 
and  Helen  Ditenthaler.  She  died  and  he  was 
again  married  in  1891,  this  time  to  Miss  Hattie 
Greenwalt,  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  1865. 
Her  parents  were  Abraham  and  Louise  (Billings) 
Greenwalt,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania,  who 
came  from  California  to  Yakima  county,  where 
they  still  reside.  Mr.  Hackett's  children  are: 
Edgar,  May,  Maude,  William,  Ted,  Lincoln  W. 
and  Rex.  Mr.  Hackett  is  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  politically, 
is  an  avowed  Republican.  His  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Christian  church.  He  owns  a  fine  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  devotes  to 
hops,  hay  and  grain,  besides  having  it  well 
stocked  with  horses,  cattle  and  hogs.  He  is  a 
well  respected  citizen. 


JAMES  W.  HARDISON,  a  pioneer  of  1875 
in  Klickitat  county,  and  a  native  pioneer  of  Ore- 
gon, is  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock  ten 
miles  Northwest  of  Toppenish.  He  was  born  in 
Polk  county,  Oregon,  May  17,  1846,  the  son  of 
Gabriel  and  Barbara  (Slater)  Hardison,  the 
father  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  mother,  of 
Pennsylvania ;  both  parents  are  dead.  His  mother 
was  a  second  cousin  of  ex-Senator  Slater.  The 
family  crossed  the  Plains  in  1845  an^  took  up 
a  donation  claim  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  upon 
which  the  father  resided  until  his  death.  The  son 
James  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  Polk 
county.  His  youth  and  early  manhood  were  spent 
in'  Polk  county  and  here  he  received  his  educa- 
tion, attending  first  the  common  schools  and 
eventually  being  graduated  from  Monmouth  Col- 
lege, to  the  endowment  of  which  he  afterwards 
contributed  considerable  sums.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-three  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Polk  coun- 
ty, so  occupying  himself  for  six  years,  when  he 
sold  out  and  moved  to  Klickitat  county,  Wash- 
ington. The  old  homestead  in  Oregon  was  one 
of  the  best  farms  in  that  region  and  the  elder 
Hardison  took  great  pride  in  its  products. '  He 
had  an  exhibition  of  Gloria  Mundi  apples  at  the 
first  Polk  county  fair  that  weighed  slightly  more 
than  two  pounds  each  and  which  were  sold  for 
one  dollar  each.  His  first  apple  crop  sold  for  twelve 
dollars  per  bushel  and  the  second  crop  for  nine  dol- 
lars per  bushel.  Another  year  he  sold  five  hun- 
dred bushels  of  onions  at  five  dollars  per 
bushel.  From  1875  to  1892,  James  Hardison 
was  engaged  in  stock  raising  in  Klickitat  coun- 
ty. In  the  year  last  named  he  came  to  Yakima 
county  and  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  hnd,  where  he  now  resides,  and  which  was  prac- 
tically a  barren  sage-brush  plain.  This  he  has  im- 
proved, transforming  it  into  a  most  productive  farm 
and  making  of  it  one  of  the  most  desirable  homes  in 


the  county.  He  has  ten  acres  in  hops,  a  good  young 
orchard,  eighty  acres  in  hay,  a  comfortable  dwell- 
ing, other  buildings,  and  all  the  accessories  of  an 
ideal  home  and  farm.  He  also  raises  cattle  and 
horses,  having  twenty-five  head  of  the  latter,  and 
his  -herd  of  cattle  including  twenty-five  milch 
cows.  Mr.  Hardison  was  an  active  participant  in 
the  events  associated  with  early  history  of  this 
section,  with  which  he  is  very  familiar.  He  had 
the  honor,  with  Samuel  Fister,  of  conveying  the 
first  seal  of  Yakima  county  from  Umatilla  Land- 
ing, a  mule  being  the  means  of  transportation,  to 
the  Moxee  valley  and  delivering  it  to  Mortimer 
Thorp.  James  Hardison  was  ninth  in  a  family  of 
ten  children.  Their  names  follow :  Mrs.  Amanda 
Thessing,  Sylvester,  John,  Walton  and  Angelo. 
deceased;  Mrs.  Melissa  Locke,  in  Oregon;  Peter, 
in  Iowa ;  Mrs.  Mary  McFarland  and  Mrs.  Vic- 
toria Hobbs,  living  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Hardison 
was  married  in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  in  1869,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Wherry,  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  in 
1852,  the  daughter  of  Wyatt  and  Josephine  (Hen- 
derson) Wherry.  Mr.  Wherry  was  a  veteran  of 
the  Mexican  war  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
owned  the  townsite  of  Odell,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Hardi- 
son is  a  first  cousin  to  Senator  Henderson.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardison  have  been  born  the  fol- 
lowing children,  Oregon  being  the  birthplace  of 
all  but  the  youngest,  who  was  born  in  Klickitat 
county :  Earl,  a  stock  buyer  of  Seattle ;  Ellis,  de- 
ceased ;  Elbert,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  Yak- 
ima county;  Nellie,  Margaret  and  Eula,  living 
with  their  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hardison  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Hardison 
is  a  Democrat,  influential  in  the  councils  of  his 
party.  He  is  a  man  well  known  among  the  pio- 
neers of  central  Washington  and  is  highly  re- 
spected for  those  sterling  personal  traits  of  char- 
acter possessed  by  so  many  of  those  who  have 
accomplished  so  much  in  the  development  of  the 
great  Northwest. 


WALTER  G.  GRIFFITHS,  farmer  and  stock 
raiser,  living  six  miles  west  and  three  miles 
south  of  North  Yakima,  is  a  native  of  South 
Wales,  born  in  1848.  His  father,  James  Griffiths, 
was  born  in  Wales  in  1803,  in  which  country  he 
farmed  until  his  death  in  1871.  The  mother, 
Mary  (Watkins)  Griffiths,  was  also  born  and 
died  in  Wales.  Mr.  Griffiths  remained  in  the 
country  of  his  nativity  until  twenty-two,  when 
he  took  passage  for  the  United  States,  and  set- 
tled in  Iowa,  where  he  attended  the  Troy  nor- 
mal school,  finishing  his  education  already  begun 
in  the  common  branches  in  his  native  country.  In 
1874  he  went  to  California,  and  in  1875  opened  a 
butcher  shop  in  Downey,  Los  Angeles  county, 
which  he  ran  until  1877,  when  he  sold  out  and 
went  to  Arizona.  After  mining  there  two  years 
he  returned  to  California,  and  in  September,  1879, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


59i 


came  to  Yakima  City,  and  purchased  a  timber 
culture  claim  in  Wide  Hollow.  He  and  five 
other  citizens  put  in  an  irrigation  ditch,  the  sec- 
ond one  in  that  valley,  and  he  put  forty  acres  of 
his  new  place  in  cultivation.  He  sold  this  place 
in  1882,  and  moved  up  on  the  Cowiche,  where  he 
rented  for  two  years,  at  the  end  of  which  period 
he  returned  to  the  Ahtanum  and  took  up  his  resi- 
dence with  Fenn  Woodcock,  where  he  had  pre- 
viously made  his  home  while  improving  his  tim- 
ber culture  land.  He  was  married  at  this  time, 
and  rented  his  present  place  for  a  while,  bought 
the  farm  in  1888,  and  has  here  made  his  residence 
continuously  since  that  time.  He  has  one  brother, 
William,  living  in  California.  He  was  married 
in  Spokane,  in  1886,  to  Miss  Fannie  D., Strong, 
daughter  of  George  W.  Strong,  a  native  of  New 
York,  born  in  1845.  Her  father  was  a  minister 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  died  in 
Oregon  in  1885.  Her  mother,  Sallie  (Thomas) 
Strong,  was  born  in  Greene  county,  Ohio,  in  1846, 
and  followed  teaching  for  a  time.  Her  parents 
were  pioneers  in  Iowa  and  Kansas.  She  moved 
from  Kansas  to  Cheney,  Washington,  with  her 
husband,  in  1881,  where  he  was  a  pastor  of  the 
church.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Strong  she  was 
married  to  J.  W.  Brice,  and  now  lives  in  Yakima 
county.  Mrs.  Griffiths  was  born  in  Iowa,  April 
25,  1867.  She  was  educated  for  teaching  and 
taught  two  terms  in  the  city  of  Spokane,  and  one 
term  in  Yakima  county.  She  has  two  sisters,  Ada 
S.  Pitt,  Yakima  county,  and  Lucile  E.  McMan- 
araon.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Griffiths  are  Congregation- 
alists,  of  which  church  he  is  a  trustee.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  politically,  and  active  in  the  councils 
of  his  party.  In  addition  to  his  home  place  of  one 
hundred  acres,  he  has  filed  upon  a  homestead  near 
White  Bluff.  His  home  place  is  well  under  cul- 
tivation, and  is  devoted  to  hay,  hops  and  fruit, 
while  he  is  handling  some  three  hundred  head  of 
cattle,  of  the  Holstein  and  Durham  breeds. 


EDWARD  J.  HACKETT.  Among  the 
thrifty,  prosperous  young  farmers  and  stock  rais- 
ers of  Yakima  county  is  the  subject  of  this  art- 
icle, Edward  J.  Hackett,  who  came  to  the  county 
with  his  parents  when  a  small. boy  and  has  here 
been  reared  and  educated,  and  is  in  a  fair  way 
to  become  one  of  the  leading  citizens  and  heavy 
property  owners  of  the  county.  He  was  born 
in  Wisconsin  October  25,  1872,  to  the  marriage 
of  William  J.  and  Barbara  (Dettendoll)  Hackett. 
His  father,  a  native  of  Massachusetts,  is  a  farmer 
in  Yakima  county,  where  he  came  in  1876  from 
Wisconsin.  He  is  of  Irish  and  English  parent- 
age. He  is  living  at  this  time  on  his  farm  in  the 
Ahtanum  valley,  which  he  took  up  as  a  home- 
stead shortlv  after  coming  to  the  county.  The 
mother  was  a  native  of  Illinois  md  came  of  Ger- 
man parents.    She  died  in  1891.    Young  Hackett 


has  followed  farming  and  threshing  since 'he  first 
began  work,  growing  up  on  his  father's  farm  and 
engaging  with  energy  in  the  multifarious  lines  of 
employment  connected  with  diversified  farming, 
and  has  thus  become  what  might  properly  be 
termed  an  intelligent  agriculturist.  In  1896  he 
took  up  a  desert  claim,  which  he  proved  up  on 
at  the  end  of  three  years,  having  put  it  in  a  good 
state  of  cultivation.  In  1897  he  purchased  a  forty 
acre  tract  adjoining  his  place,  and  to  this  he  has 
since  added  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres.  He 
was  married  in  Yakima  county  in  1900,  to  Miss 
Zelma  E.  Greenwalt,  daughter  of  Abraham 
Greenwalt,  native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  came 
to  Yakima  county  in  1887,  and  now  lives  on  the 
Moxee.  He  is  of  German  descent.  Mrs.  Hackett 
was  born  in  Oregon  in  1882,  and  was  brought  to 
Washington  when  five  years  of  age,  and 
has  here  been  raised  and  educated.  She  has 
three  brothers  and  two  sisters.  To  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hackett  has  been  born  one 
child,  Carl  E.,  whose  birth  occurred  on  October 
2,  1901.  Mr.  Hackett  is  an  active  Republican, 
taking  interest  in  the  councils  of  his  party,  and 
lending  his  influence  to  the  success  of  the  same. 
Fraternally,  he  affiliates  with  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World.  He  owns  five  hundred  and  forty 
acres  of  land,  all  but  one  hundred  acres  of  which 
is  under  cultivation ;  one  hundred  and  fifty  head 
of  cattle,  with  a  large  number  of  horses  and  hogs, 
and  town  lots  in  North  Yakima. 


JOHN  E.  DAVERIN,  living  some  ten  miles 
west  of  North  Yakima,  has  the  distinction  of  be- 
ing the  first  male  white  child  born  in  Kittitas 
county.  He  first  saw  the  light  under  very  pe- 
culiar and  decidedly  unusual  circumstances.  He 
was  born  August  14,  1869,  under  the  thorn  bush 
near  where  the  town  of  Ellensburg  is  now  lo- 
cated, while  his  parents  were  traveling  in  a 
wagon  through  the  country,  looking  for  a  loca- 
tion. The  town  of  Ellensburg  was  then  un- 
known, and  its  present  site  was  marked  by  a 
single  logicabin,  which  was  used  by  some  cattle 
men  as  headquarters  while  they  grazed  their 
herds  in  the  valley  and  on  the  surrounding  hills, 
the  place  bearing  the  euphonious,  but  suggestive, 
and,  withal  repellent  title  of  "The  Robbers' 
Roost."  He  is  one  of  a  pair  of  twins,  his  sister 
Emma,  now  Mrs.  Fitterer,  of  Ellensburg,  being 
born  on  the  same  day.  His  father,  Martin  Dave- 
rin,  was  born  in  Wisconsin  and  crossed  the 
Plains  in  an  early  day,  to  Washington,  locating 
in  Kittitas  county,  where  he  died  in  1885.  His 
mother,  Bridget  (Downs)  Daverin,  was  bom  in 
Chicago  and  died  in  1893.  Subject  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Yakima  county  and  worked  upon 
t'ie  farm  with  his  father  until  the  death  of  the  latter, 
when  subject,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  was  called 
upon   to  take   charge  of  the   farm,  and   he   also 


592 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


cared  for  his  mother  until  her  death,  six  years 
later.  He  continued  to  run  the  home  place  until 
1902,  when  he  sold  it.  He  has  now  leased  his 
present  place  and  is  engaged  in  hop  growing. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Mary  J.  Splawn, 
deceased ;  Maggie  Nevins,  North  Yakima ;  Ella 
Bounds.  North  Yakima ;  William,  Yakima  ;  Eliza, 
Sholtz,  Washington  ;  Emma  Fitterer,  Ellensburg; 
Andrew,  Yakima.  He  is  socially,  a  member  of 
the  Eagles.  Religiously,  he  is  a  Catholic ;  politic- 
ally, a  Democrat. 


ELDRIDGE  CROSNO,  farmer  and  dairyman, 
living  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  is  a  native  born 
Washington  ian,  and  was  born  June  14,  1872,  on 
the  old  home  place  where  he  now  resides.  He 
was  born  to  the  union  of  William  P.  and  Frances 
( Smith )  Crosno.  His  father  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, January  25,  1838,  and  crossed  the  Plains  to 
Washington  in  1864,  settling  first  in  Clarke  coun- 
ty, where  he  took, a  homestead,  but  on  which  he 
did  not  prove  up.  Selling  his  right  in  1869,  he 
came  to  Yakima  county  and  pre-empted  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  in  the  Ahtanum  valle  '.  Here 
he  engaged  in  stock  raising  until  his  death  in 
1895.  The  mother  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1843, 
and  traced  her  ancestry  back  to  the  Smiths  who 
came  over  in  the  Mayflower  in  1620.  She  died  in 
1875.  Young  Crosno  devoted  the  greater  portion 
of  his  boyhood  days  to  educational  pursuits,  at- 
tending the  Whitman  college,  the  State  Normal 
school  at  Ellensburg,  and  finishing  with  a  four 
years'  classical  course  in  the  Woodcock  Academy. 
His  vacations  he  devoted  to  assisting  his  father  on 
the  farm.  When  at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  his 
father  died  and  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  ad- 
ministrators of  the  estate.  He  then  took  charge 
of  the  home  place,  where  he  has  lived  ever  since. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Horatio,  Mrs.  Mollie 
Greenwalt.  both  living  in  the  Ahtanum  valley ; 
May,  a  graduate  of  the  State  University  at  Seat- 
tle, and  Ollie,  now  teaching  in  the  Wenatchee 
high  school.  Mr.  Crosno  was  married  in  the 
Ahtanum  valley.  October  19,  1898,  to  Miss  Vida  E. 
Wardle.  a  native  of  Yamhill  county,  Oregon, 
born  December  17,  1881,  and  a  graduate  of  the 
State  University  at  Seattle  and  the  California 
State  University.  Randolph  Wardle,  her  father, 
was  a  blacksmith,  born  in  California  February 
27.  1856,  of  Enelish  parents,  and  now  lives  in 
the  Webfoot  state.  Nancy  S.  (Ticknor)  Wardle, 
her  mother,  was  born  in  Chehalis  county,  Wash- 
ington, in  1863.  Mrs.  Crosno  has  one  brother, 
Clarence  W.,  living:  in  Idaho.  To  the  marriage  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crosno  have  been  born  the  follow- 
ing children  :  Lois,  Lillian  and  Clara.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Fraternally.  Mr.  Crosno  is  connected  with  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  politically,  he  is  a 


Democrat.  He  has  been  road  supervisor  of  his 
district,  and  has  held  the  office  of  school  clerk  for 
six  years.  He  owns  three  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  the  greater  part  of  which  is  grazing  land, 
and  also  has  a  nice  bunch  of  cattle  and  other  stock. 


JONATHAN  O.  TRAYNER  (deceased)  was 
one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  Yakima  county,  hav- 
ing located  near  Prosser  in  1882.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  living  on  the  upper  Ahtanum,  where 
he  had  resided  for  nearly  twenty  years,  having  taken 
up  his  homestead  in  1884.  He  was  the  son  of  James 
and  Sarah  (Osmond)  Trayner,  both  natives  of- 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  were  born,  the  father  in. 
1801  and  the  mother  in  1805,  and  in  which  state  they 
resided  until  their  deaths.  James  Trayner  was  a 
farmer,  and  on  the  Pennsylvania  homestead  Jona- 
than was  born  March  8,  1833.  He  remained  with 
his  parents,  working  on  the  farm  and  attending  the 
neighboring  schools,  until  he  was  twenty-one  years 
old.  At  this  time,  in  1854,  he  bade  his  parents 
good-by,  went  to  New  York  and  took  passage  by 
steamer,  via  Nicaragua,  for  San  Francisco,  reaching 
his  destination  January  21,  1855.  He  went  from 
San  Francisco  direct  to  the  Feather  river  country 
and  engaged  in  the  butcher  business,  so  occupying 
himself  for  ten  years.  In  1864  he  went  to  the  Idaho 
mines ;  thence  to  Montana ;  thence  to  White  Pine, 
Nevada ;  thence  back  to  Montana,  spending  some 
time  in  each  location,  engaging  in  business  in  the 
mining  regions  of  Idaho,  Nevada  and  Montana  un- 
til 1882.  He  then  determined  to  change  his  occu- 
pation and  engage  in  agricultural  pursuits.  With 
this  object  in  mind,  in  1882,  he  came  to  Yakima 
county  and,  as  narrated  above,  settled  near  Prosser ; 
thence  moving  to  the  Ahtanum  valley  two  years 
later  and  taking  up  the  homestead  on  which  he  after- 
wards resided  continuously  until  his  death,  which 
took  place  October  24,  1903.  Mr.  Trayner  was 
married  in  the  Congregational  church  at  Ahtanum, 
December  11,  1889,  to  Miss  Mary  M.  Clyse,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Minerva  (Sigle)  Clyse.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  Maryland  and  a  mechanic ;  he  died 
in  Ohio.  Mrs.  Clyse  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  of 
German  parentage ;  she  raised  a  family  of  ten  chil- 
dren, of  which  Mrs.  Trayner  was  one.  Mrs.  Tray- 
ner was  born  in  Ohio  April  23,  1838.  She  grew 
to  womanhood  and  was  educated  in  her  native  state. 
In  1888  she  came  to  Washington,  met  Mr.  Tray- 
ner shortly  after  her  arrival  and,  in  1889.  married 
him.  The  farm  on  which  she  resides  is  one  among 
the  many  comfortable  homes  in  the  Ahtanum  valley, 
and  consists  of  forty  acres  of  well-improved  land, 
devoted  principally  to  alfalfa  and  fruit.  Mrs.  Tray- 
ner is  a  woman  highly  esteemed  by  her  neighbors 
and  friends  for  her  commendable  traits  of  character. 
Of  Mr.  Trayner's  death  we  quote  the  following 
from  the  columns  of  the  Yakima  Herald :  "Jon- 
athan O.  Travner,  an  old  and  well-known  resident 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


593 


of  the  Ahtanum,  died  at  the  Deaconess  hospital, 
North  Yakima,  Saturday,  October  24,  1903,  as 
the  result  of  injuries  received  by  his  team  running 
away  near  his  home  and  throwing  him  to  the  ground 
from  the  wagon,  which  was  heavily  loaded  with  logs, 
the  injuries  resulting  from  the  logs  falling  on  him. 
He  was  buried  in  Tahoma  cemetery,  Monday,  Oc- 
tober 26th,  a  large  number  of  neighbors  and  friends 
attending  the  services.  Air.  Trayner's  age  was  sev- 
enty years  seven  months  and  sixteen  days.  He 
leaves  a  widow,  but  no  children,  to  mourn  his  loss. 
He  was  a  man  respected  by  all  who  knew  him  and 
general  regret  is  expressed  at  the  unfortunate  acci- 
dent that  cost  him  his  life." 


DAVID  B.  GREENWALT,  an  Ahtanum  valley 
farmer,  living  eight  miles  west  and  three  miles  south 
of  North  Yakima,  was  born  in  Illinois,  December 
21,  i860,  to  the  marriage  of  Abraham  and  Louise 
(  Bilich  )  Greenwalt.  His  parents  were  both  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  were  of  Dutch  stock.  His  father 
immigrated  to  California  in  1870,  where  he  lived 
for  nine  years  and  then  moved  to  Oregon,  later,  in 
1882,  coming  to  Yakima  county,  where  he  still  re- 
sides in  the  Ahtanum  vallev.  The  mother,  who 
raised  eight  children,  died  in  1893.  The  subject  of 
this  article  traveled  from  his  native  state  with  his 
parents  to  the  Pacific  coast,  and  received  his  early 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  Golden  state,  later 
taking  a  course  in  the  Empire  business  college  at 
Walla  Walla,  after  coming  to  this  state.  He  worked 
with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-five,  when  he 
and  his  brother  formed  a  partnership  and  engaged 
in  ranching  together  for  five  years.  In  1891  he  was 
appointed  deputy  auditor,  which  position  he  held 
five  and  one-half  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  he 
returned  to  farm  life  and  has  continued  to  follow 
farming  since.  He  was  married  on  the  home  place 
on  the  Ahtanum,  April  6,  1892,  to  Miss  Mary 
Crosno,  a  native  of  Clarke  county.  Washington,  born 
during  1868.  Six  months  later  her  parents  moved 
to  Yakima  count)-,  and  here  she  grew  to  woman- 
hood. She  was  educated  in  the  Ellensburg  State 
Normal,  and  in  Seattle,  and  followed  teaching  for 
five  years.  Her  father,  William  P.  Crosno,  who 
was  a  teacher  in  early  life,  and  later  a  farmer,  was 
a  pioneer  in  Yakima  county,  where  he  settled  in 
1869,  and  lived  until  his  death.  He  was  a  native 
of  Jefferson  count}-,  Illinois,  as  was  also  his  wife, 
Frances  (Smith)  Crosno.  Airs.  Greenwalt's  broth- 
ers and  sisters  are:  Horatio.  May  F.,  Olive  V.  and 
Eldridge,  all  residents  of  Washington.  To  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Airs.  Greenwalt  have  been  born 
the  following  children  :  Elliott,  Francis  L.,  Char- 
lotte and  William.  They  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Fraternally,  Air.  Greenwalt  is 
affiliated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  the  ATaccabee  orders.  He  is  a  pronounced  Re- 
publican. In  addition  to  the  home  place  he  owns 
another  ranch  of  seventy-five  acres,  with  plenty  of 


stock,  large  orchard,  and  other  improvements  and 
conveniences  in  keeping.    He  is  an  enterprising  citi- 


WILLIAM  WILEY,  dairyman  and  hop  grower, 
living  seven  miles  west  and  two  miles  south  of 
North  Yakima,  was  born  in  Minnesota,  July  15, 
1859.  L\e  is  a  pioneer  of  1867,  and  has  grown  up 
with  the  country  since  a  lad  of  eight  years.  His 
father,  Hugh  Wiley,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1 83 1,  and  was  one  of  the  early  settlers  in  Minne- 
sota. In  1865  he  moved  with  his  family  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  going  via  the  Isthmus  to  San  Fran- 
cisco; thence  to  Salem,  Oregon.  In  1867  they  came 
to  the  Ahtanum  valley,  and  took  a  homestead,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death  in  1883. 
Alary  (Tufft)  Wiley,  the  mother,  was  born  in  Can- 
ada in  1840.  Her  father  was  John,  and  mother, 
Isabella  (Crawford)  Tufft,  and  they  came  from 
Ireland.  She  now  lives  in  the  Ahtanum  valley. 
Our  subject  remained  at  home  with  his  parents  un- 
til twenty-one,  working  on  the  farm  and  attending 
school.  He  then  began  working  out  for  wages,  and 
at  the  end  of  four  years  purchased  the  farm  where 
he  now  lives.  It  was  a  raw  tract  and  he  has  made 
his  home  from  the  foundation  up,  bringing  it  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  with  good  house  and  one 
of  the  largest,  most  convenient  barns  in  the  valley. 
He  was  married  in  the  Ahtanum  valley  December 
23,  1883,  to  Miss  Anna  Cole,  a  native  of  Wiscon- 
sin, where  she  was  born  in  1865.  She  was  edu- 
cated in  Portbnd,  Oregon.  Her  mother,  Kate  (Dit- 
tendollar)  Cole,  was  a  native,  of  Wisconsin.  Mrs. 
Wiley  has  two  sisters :  Alinnie  and  Elsie  Hansen, 
living  in  Portland.  To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wiley  have  been  born  three  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Mrs.  Vera  May  AIcDonald,  Ernest  and 
Howard,  all  living  in  the  Ahtanum  valley.  They 
are  members  of  the  Congregational  church.  Politic- 
ally, Mr.  Wiley  is  a  Republican,  and  fraternally, 
he  affiliates  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
He  is  an  enterprising  farmer,  and  is  engaged  exten- 
sively in  hop  raising,  dairying  and  stock  raising, 
making  a  specialty  of  the  Holstein  breed  of  cattle, 
of  which  he  has  some  fine  specimens. 


SILAS  A.  GILSON.  an  extensive  land  owner, 
living  eight  miles  north  of  North  Yakima,  is  a 
pioneer  settler  of  1877  in  Yakima  county.  He 
is  a  native  of  Washington,  born  July  25,  1855,  in 
Cowlitz  county.  His  father,  Allen  Gilson,  was  a 
native  of  the  Green  Mountain  state,  and  came  of 
Scotch  and  English  parentage.  He  crossed  the 
Plains  to  Washington  in  1852,  and  located  in 
Cowlitz  county,  where  he  took  up  land  and  farmed 
until  his  death.  Elizabeth  (Johns)  Gilson.  the 
mother,  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  was  married  at 
the  age  of  twenty.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  grew 
to  manhood  in  Cowlitz  county,  working  with  his 


594 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


father  on  the  farm  and  looking  after  the  stock. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  went  to  Puyallup 
county,  remaining  over  a  year,  and  from  there 
came  to  Yakima  county  in  February,  1877.  He 
filed  that  year  on  a  tract  of  land  now  known  as 
the  Simpson  nursery,  where  he  lived  for  ten  years. 
Just  prior  to  the  sale  of  this  place  he  purchased 
the  land  where  the  fair  grounds  are  now  located, 
and  sent  to  Walla  Walla  for  seeds  and  set  out  the 
beautiful  grove  which  now  adorns  the  grounds. 
He  built  the  first  track  there,  purchasing  additional 
ground  for  the  purpose.  He  put  the  place  in  fine 
condition  and  then  sold  it,  taking  up  a  home- 
stead in  the  Selah  valley.  He  later  purchased  a 
six  hundred  and  sixty  acre  tract  adjoining  his 
homestead,  and  now  has  seven  hundred  acres  in 
a  body. 

Mr.  Gilson's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Hiram, 
a  real  estate  dealer,  Minneapolis ;  Charlie,  de- 
ceased ;  Oliver,  a  merchant  in  California ;  Sumner, 
deceased ;  Mrs.  Harriet  Caples,  Forest  Grove, 
Oregon;  Mrs.  Sarah  Benzor,  Clarke  countv.  Wash- 
ington; Melissa,  Vancouver,  Washington;  Mrs. 
Martha  Gardner,  deceased.  Mr.  Gilson  has  seen 
his  county  pass  through  the  transition  period 
from  desert  wilderness  to  a  thriving,  prosperous 
community,  teeming  with  life  and  active  industry, 
and  dominated  by  civilizing  and  christianizing  in- 
fluences, to  which  results  he  has  contributed  his 
part,  and  which  transformation  he  today  views 
with  pride. 


JOHN  W.  WALTERS,  a  Yakima  county  pio- 
neer of  1879,  was  born  in  Arkansas,  April  2, 
1843.  His  father,  James  Walters,  was  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  a  typical  frontiersman  and  woodsman. 
He  crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in  1848"  and 
was  there  at  the  time  of  the  gold  discovery, 
months  before  the  rumors  of  the  vast  gold  finds 
reached  the  east  and  produced  that  wonderful 
wave  of  excitement  which  resulted  in  a  veritable 
exodus  to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  lost  his  life  in 
that  country  and  never  saw  his  family  after  leav- 
ing them  in  the  states.  Martha  Walters,  the 
mother,  died  when  her  son  John  was  but  three 
years  of  age,  and  he  was  taken  by  some  distant 
relatives  to  their  home  in  Ohio,  where  he  was 
raised.  He  received  a  common  school  education, 
working  as  best  he  could  to  pay  for  his  support 
until  he  reached  the  age  of  nineteen.  He  at  that 
time  enlisted  in  Company  K,  One  Hundred  and 
twenty-sixth  Ohio  volunteer  infantry,  and  was 
assigned  to  the  eastern  department  of  the  Poto- 
mac, serving  under  both  Generals  Meade  and 
Grant,  and  taking  part  in  many  of  the  hotly  con- 
tested battles  of  the  Rebellion.  He  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war,  when  he  returned  to  Ohio, 
and  from  there  moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  lived 
until  1869.  He  then  went  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
and,  settling  in  California,  engaged  in  farming  for 


ten  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  sold  out 
and  moved  to  Yakima  county,  Washington.  He 
here  filed  on  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land  under  the  desert  land  act.  and,  set- 
tling upon  it,  began  its  development.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  movers  in  the  irrigation  of 
land  in  his  vicinity,  and  helped  run  the  first 
furrow  plowed  in  the  construction  of  the  Union 
ditch.  He  is  still  living  on  the  original  claim. 
He  at  one  time  operated  the  Valley  lodging 
house  in  North  Yakima.  Since  1895  he  has 
spent  some  time  in  both  Oregon  and  California, 
for  his  health.  He  was  married  in  Illinois,  in  1868, 
to  Miss  Mary  Harrison,  daughter  of  Simeon  and 
Mary  Harrison.  The  wife  was  born  in  Iowa,  in 
1853.  To  this  union  were  born  eight  children: 
Warren,  James,  John,  Nettie  Reed,  Mary  Casey 
Will,  Cora  Chapman,  Alonzo  and  Lewis.  Mr. 
Walters  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows ;  also  the  Lutheran  church,  while  Mrs.  Wal- 
ters is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  com- 
munion. Politically,  Mr.  Walters  is  a  Republic- 
an. He  is  a  man  of  influence  in  the  community, 
and  is  esteemed  and  respected  by  all. 


ZACH  HAWKINS,  hop  grower,  and  pioneer 
of  1871,  was  born  in  Oregon  in  1859.  His  father, 
Samuel  S.  Hawkins,  was  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  in 
1834.  At  the  age  of  eleven  he  started  to  cross  the 
Plains  with  his  parents,  but  the  father  died  while 
en  route,  and  the  mother  and  family  continued 
on  their  way  to  Oregon.  When  sixteen  he  went 
to  the  California  gold  mines ;  later,  returning  to 
Oregon,  he  moved  to  Walla  Walla  in  1864,  soon 
after  returning  to  the  Webfoot  state,  thence  go- 
ing to  Vancouver,  Washington,  and  in  1871  com- 
ing to  Yakima  county.  Here  he  took  up  land 
near  Tampico.  In  later  years  he  moved  to  North 
Yakima,  where  he  now  resides.  The  mother, 
Cynthia  J.  Cahoon,  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  and 
has  two  brothers  living  in  Kittitas  county.  Mr. 
Hawkins  has  grown  to  manhood  in  Yakima 
county,  his  parents  coming  here  when  he  was 
twelve  years  old.  He  was  with  his  father  on  the 
farm  and  attending  to  the  stock  until  becoming  of 
age ;  he  then  went  to  do  for  himself.  He  was 
married  at  twenty-two  and  took  up  a  claim  on 
the  Cowiche,  where  he  engaged  in  stock  raising, 
hop  growing  and  general  farming,  on  an  exten- 
sive scale  for  those  days.  He  lived  on  his  ranch 
until  1893,  when  he  moved  to  North  Yakima. 
In  1898  he  sold  his  ranch  and  bought  land  nearer 
town,  devoting  it  to  the  cultivation  of  hops.  Mr. 
Hawkins  has  six  brothers  and  sisters  living :  Ada 
Miller,  Alice  Shaw,  Anna  Boyle,  Rosa  Larson, 
Elbert  and  Willis  Hawkins,  all  of  whom  live  in 
North  Yakima  but  Mrs.  Boyle,  wife  of  Judge 
Boyle,  of  Ellensburg.  His  sister  Jane  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  eleven.     The  subject  of  this 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


505 


biography  was  married  on  the  Cowiche,  during 
1881,  to  Miss  Nancy  Tigard,  daughter  of  Andrew 
J.  and  Sarah  J.  (Edwards)  Tigard.  Her  father 
was  born  November  24,  1828,  and  was  a  pioneer 
of  Oregon,  to  which  country  he  went  in  1845.  He 
was  also  a  pioneer  of  Yakima  county,  where  he 
settled  in  1872,  making  his  home  in  the  county 
until  his  death  on  October  6,  1898.  His  wife  was 
born  February  22,  1832,  and  married  Mr.  Tigard 
on  the  fifteenth  of  September,  1848.  The  husband 
and  wife  crossed  the  Plains  during  1852,  settling 
on  a  donation  claim  some  three  miles  southwest 
of  Portland,  Oregon,  where  they  resided  until 
1871,  at  which  time  they  came  to  Yakima  county, 
as  before  narrated.  Mrs.  Tigard  passed  away 
February  2,  1902.  Her  daughter  Nancy,  now  Mrs. 
Hawkins,  was  born  in  the  Webfoot  state,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1863.  She  has  three  sisters  and  two  broth- 
ers, all  living  in  Yakima  county,  namely :  Mrs.  . 
Mary  White,  Mrs.  Sarah  Seward,  Mrs.  Almeda 
White,  James  and  Robert  Tigard.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hawkins  have  had  five  children,  as  follows :  Leja, 
now  attending  the  State  University  at  Seattle; 
Asa,  a  student  at  the  North  Yakima  business  col- 
lege; Estella  (deceased);  Chester  and  Myron, 
both  also  deceased.  The  father  of  the  family  is 
fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  The  fam- 
ily church  connection  is  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal denomination.  Mr.  Hawkins  is  one  of  the 
most  extensive  hop  raisers  of  the  valley ;  has  one 
of  the  best  homes  in  the  city,  and  is  a  progressive, 
energetic  and  highly  respected  citizen. 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  L.  SPLAWN. 
Among  the  many  worthy  pioneers  of  Yakima 
county,  few,  if  any,  are  more  deserving  of  hon- 
orable mention  in  a  history  of  the  events  and  ex- 
periences of  the  early  days  than  is  the  subject 
of  this  article,  Captain  William  Splawn.  His  ex- 
periences in  the  new  Northwest  date  from  1852, 
when  he  crossed  the  Plains  from  his  home  in 
Holt  county,  Missouri,  in  company  with  his 
mother  and  four  brothers,  Charles,  George  W., 
Moses  and.  Andrew  Jackson,  to  Linn  county,  Ore- 
gon, driving  ox  teams  the  long,  dreary  journey. 
He  was  but  fourteen  when  he  made  that  trip,  his 
birth  occurring  September  15,  1838,  in  Holt 
county,  Missouri,  and  his  life  since  that  time  has 
been  that  of  the  energetic,  dauntless  pioneer,  ever 
ready  to  enter  new  and  unexplored  countries ; 
fearless  of  dangers,  undismayed  by  hardships ; 
with  a  list  of  experiences  varying  from  the  hu- 
morous incidents  of  camp  life  amid  congenial  spir- 
its to  the  more  serious  ones  of  encounters  with 
Indians,  wild  beasts  and  sometimes  equally  wild 
white  men,  the  recounting  of  which  our  limited 
space  forbids.  It  was  he  who  fearlessly  and 
capably  led  the  company  of  Yakima  volunteer 
soldiers    into    Chief    Moses'    country    in    1878,    an 


expedition  which  completely  cowed  that  haughty 
warrior,  and  none  was  more  active  than  William 
Splawn  in  the  bringing  of  retribution  upon  the 
heads  of  the  Indians  who  murdered  the  Perkins 
family  that  same  year.  Mr.  Splawn  came  from 
pioneer  stock  of  the  Virginia  and  Kentucky  kind, 
his  father,  John  Splawn,  being  a  native  of  the 
latter  state  and  a  pioneer  in  Missouri,  where  he 
died  in  1848  at  the  age  of  thirty-eight.  The 
mother,  Nancy  (McHaney)  Splawn,  a  native  of 
Virginia,  was  married  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  faced 
the  hardships  and  deprivations  of  the  early  days 
in  northwest  Missouri  and,  after  the  death  of  her 
husband,  with  a  courage  worthy  of  her  pioneer 
ancestors,  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  family, 
enduring  the  hardships  of  that  hazardous  journey 
to  the  new  El  Dorado  on  the  Pacific  coast.  She 
still  lives  in  Ellensburg,  Washington,  at  the 
goodly  age  of  ninety ;  a  modest,  unassuming  old 
lady  who  seems  to  little  realize  that  she  has  well 
earned  the  title  of  a  "pioneer  heroine."  With 
the  blood  of  pioneers  flowing  in  his  veins,  and 
with  the  experiences  he  has  had,  it  is  not  sur- 
prising that  Mr.  Splawn  should  take  high  rank- 
as  a  pioneer  himself  and  carry  with  him  that  in- 
dependent, self-reliant  spirit,  untiring  energy  and 
generous  hospitality  for  which  he  is  noted.  As 
a  boy  he  was  among  the  stockmen  of  Oregon  ;  in 
1858  he  went  to  California  and  engaged  in  mining 
in  Siskiyou  county,  where  he  also  ran  a  pack- 
train  for  some  time.  Returning  to  The  Dalles, 
he  outfitted  and  packed  supplies  into  the  various 
mining  camps  then  booming,  among  others  the 
Cariboo  and  Fraser  river  districts,  and  followed 
this  occupation  some  six  years.  He  filed  a  pre- 
emption on  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  Parker 
Bottom,  Yakima  county,  in  1864,  and  engaged  in 
the  stock  business,  which  he  followed  there  for 
nine  years.  He  then  sold  his  pre-emption  and 
took  up  a  homestead,  still  following  stock  raising 
for  some  eight  years  on  the  new  place.  His  next 
move  was  to  Yakima  City,  where  he  lived  until 
1889,  when  he  purchased  his  present  home,  which 
he  has  transformed  from  wild  sage-brush  land  to 
its  present  high  state  of  cultivation.  On  his 
ranch  he  has  also  erected  a  comfortable  dwelling 
and  has  equipped  the  place  with  all  needful  con- 
veniences. 

Mr.  Splawn  was  married  in  Linn  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  1858,  to  Margaret  Jacobs,  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania,  born  in  1843.  She  crossed  the 
Plains  with  her  parents  to  Oregon  in  1852 ;  later 
met  her  present  husband  and  was  united  to  him 
in  marriage  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Her  father, 
Richard  Jacobs,  also  born  in  Pennsylvania,  of 
Dutch  parents,  was  a  pioneer  in  Oregon,  where 
he  settled  in  1852  and  where  he  also  died.  Mrs. 
Splawn  has  two  sisters  living,  Eliza  and  Addie, 
the  former  in  Idaho  and  the  latter  in  the  Moxee 
valley.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Splawn 
have  been  born  four  children :    Mrs.  Nettie  Rich- 


596 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


mond,  born  .May  i,  1863,  the  first  white  child 
now  living  born  in  Yakima  county ;  Mrs.  Belle 
Campbell,  Onah  Boyington  and  William  R.  Mr. 
Splawn  has  improved  three  farms  in  the  county, 
taking  them  from  their  raw,  sage-brush  condition, 
and  now  owns  eighty  acres,  on  which  he  resides, 
and  eighty  of  timber ;  also  a  fine  bunch  of  cattle 
and  horses.  He  is  an  avowed  and  consistent 
Democrat,  ever  read}'  to  assist  his  party  friends 
to  office,  but  not  himself  a  seeker  after  official 
preferment.  William  Splawn  is  a  man  who  has 
earned  and  will  always  retain  the  respect  and 
confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  of  the  Yakima 
valley,  and  his  name  will  ever  be  inseparably 
associated  with  the  history  of  its  reclamation 
and   development. 


ALFRED  B.  WEED,  hop  dealer  and  grower, 
North  Yakima,  was  ushered  upon  the  scene  of  life 
in  the  state  of  Wisconsin  in  1850,  to  the  union  of 
Oscar  and  Laura  (Conger)  Weed.  His  father,  who 
is  a  lawyer  by  profession,  was  born  in  New  York. 
He  went  to  Wisconsin  when  a  young  man  and  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he 
pursued  for  forty  years  in  Palmyra  and  New  Lon- 
don. In  1885  lie  moved  to  Pasadena,  California, 
where  he  still  resides.  The  mother  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  was  married  to  her  husband  in 
Wisconsin.  Alfred  Weed,  after  completing  his  edu- 
cation, at  the  age  of  eighteen,  engaged  in  clerking 
in  a  general  merchandise  store.  At  the  end  of  two 
years  he  went  into  the  offices  of  the  Northwestern 
Life  Insurance  Company,  at  Milwaukee,  and  later 
accepted  a  position  with  a  manufacturing  company 
at  Grand  Haven,  which  position  he  held  for  six 
years.  In  1879  he  came  west  to  Washington,  locat- 
ing at  Walla  Walla.  Here  he  entered  the  Baker- 
Boyer  Bank  as  bookkeeper  and  continued  in  that 
capacity  five  years.  In  the  spring  of  1884  he  came 
to  Yakima  City  and  purchased  a  stock  of  hardware 
of  Imbre  &  Hinman.  In  1885  he  put  up  the  first 
business  house  erected  in  North  Yakima,  and  in 
March,  of  that  year,  moved  his  hardware  stock  from 
Yakima  City  into  his  new  building,  opening  the 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  Weed  &  Rowe;  the 
location  being  where  the  Yakima  National  Bank 
now  stands.  His  health  failing  in  1889,  he  sold  his 
business  and  traveled  for  two  years.  Returning 
home  in  i89i,he  purchased  a  tract  of  raw  land  near 
town  and,-  after  placing  it  in  a  state  of  cultivation, 
engaged  in  hop  growing,  since  which  time  he  has 
given  his  entire  attention  to  the  cultivation  and  ship- 
ment of  hops.  He  was  married  in  Wisconsin  in 
April,  1882,  to  Miss  Alice  Gordon,  born  in  Wiscon- 
sin in  18^5.  Abram  Gordon,  her  father,  was  a 
native  of  New  York,  and  was  a  pioneer  in  Wiscon- 
sin. He  was  a  merchant  and  farmer,  and  was  of 
Scotch  parentage.  Emeline  Place,  the  mother,  was 
born  in  New  York  and  went  to  Wisconsin  when  a 
girl,  where  she  met  and  married  her  husband.     She 


was  the  mother  of  five  children.  Charles  Gordon, 
of  the  Yakima  Hardware  Company,  is  Mrs.  Weed's 
brother.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Weed  is  affiliated  with 
the  Masonic  order.  Politically,  he  is  an  active  Re- 
publican, faithful  in  the  councils  of  his  party,  where 
his  opinions  are  deferred  to.  In  1892  he  received 
the  nomination  of  his  party  for  representative,  to 
which  office  he  was  duly  chosen  by  the  voters  of  his 
district.  He  prepared  and  introduced  in  the  legis- 
lature the  bill,  which  afterwards  became  a  law,  per- 
manently establishing  the  State  Fair  at  North 
Yakima.  He  has  served  on  the  city  council  of  his 
home  town,  and  twice  has  been  called  to  the  mayor- 
alty. He  has  also  acceptably  filled  the  office  of 
state  fair  commissioner  for  two  terms.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  farm  interests,  Mr.  Weed  owns  the 
"Weed  block"  and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  homes 
in  the  city.  He  is  a  broad-minded,  public  spirited 
citizen,  walking  hand  in  hand  with  enterprise  and 
progress,  and  has  much  to  do  with  the  development 
and  advancement  of  his  countv. 


JOHN  LEE  MORRISON,  who  lives  on  his 
farm  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  is  a  native  of  the  good 
old  state  of  Illinois,  born  in  the  year  1836,  in  Pike 
county,  to  the  union  of  James  D.  and  Lydia  (Lee) 
Morrison.  His  father  was  of  Irish  stock,  born  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  one  of  the  very  early  set- 
tlers in  Indiana,  and  from  there  moved  to  Illinois 
in  1828.  From  the  Sucker  state  he  went  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  remained  until  the  close  of  his  life. 
The  mother  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  While  re- 
ceiving his  early  education,  the  subject  of  this 
article  did  farm  work  with  his  father  in  Illinois,  re- 
maining at  home  until  twenty-three,  in  which  year 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  Bilicks,  daughter 
of  Michael  Bilicks,  a  Pennsylvania  farmer.  Mrs. 
Morrison  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  in  which 
state  she  grew  up  and  was  educated,  coming  later 
to  Illinois,  where  she  was  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Morrison 
moved  to  Missouri,  in  the  fall  of  1859,  and  engaged 
in  farming  and  raising  stock.  In  1862  he  returned 
to  Illinois  and  enlisted  as  a  soldier  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Eighteenth  Illinois  infantry,  and 
was  sent  to  the  front,  where  he  was  shortly 
afterwards  taken  seriously  sick  and  was  dis- 
charged for  disability  to  serve,  passing  through 
a  long  period  of  sickness  extending  over  sev- 
eral months.  In  1865  he  returned  to  Missouri 
to  look  after  his  property  interests,  remaining 
there  for  eleven  years.  In  1877  he  moved  to  Ore- 
gon by  team,  settling  in  the  Willamette  vallev.  He 
resided  there  three  years,  then  moved  to  Yakima 
countv  and  took  up  land  near  the  present  site  of 
North  Yakima,  on  which  he  remained  until  1892, 
when  he  sold  and  bought  one  hundred  acres  of  raw 
land  in  the  Ahtanum  valley.  Here  he  has  since 
lived,  improving  his  farm  and  developing  it  into  a 
very  desirable  home.     To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


597 


Mrs.  Morrison  have  been  born  five  children,  only 
two  or  whom  are  now  living :  Joseph  H.  and  Ellen. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Christian  church. 
Mr.  Morrison  was  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  helped  or- 
ganize Lodge  No.  22,  in  North  Yakima.  He  is 
also  an  active  Democrat,  faithful  in  the  councils 
of  his  party. 


JAMES  E.  COOK,  pioneer  farmer  and  stock- 
man, Yakima  City,  was  born  in  the  county  of  Ran- 
dolph, Virginia,  October  12,  1828,  and  settled  in 
Yakima  county  in  1870.  Like  many  of  the  old  Vir- 
ginia families,  Mr.  Cook's  family  trace  their  lineage 
back  to  English  ancestors,  who  came  to  America  at 
a  time  when  the  land  was  under  the  rule  of  British 
royalty.  His  father,  Thomas  Cook,  was  born  in 
England,  and  came  to  America  with  his  father,  who 
was  sent  to  the  colonies  by  the  government  as  a 
blacksmith.  Our  subject's  mother,  Elizabeth  Ken- 
nedy, was  a  native  of  Kentucky  and  the  mother  of 
eight  children.  Mr.  Cook  left  his  native  state  at 
the  age  of  fourteen,  went  to  Ohio  and  worked  in  the 
city  of  Columbus,  and  at  various  other  points.  He 
ran  on  the  river  steamboats  for  some  three  years, 
and  in  1858  found  himself  in  Burlington,  Iowa. 
Here  he  remained  until  1864,  when  he  outfitted  and 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  wintering  in  Canyon 
City,  and  the  next  spring  crossing  the  state  line 
into  Klickitat  county,  Washington.  He  bought  land 
here  and  engaged  in  stock  raising  and  farming  five 
years,  when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Yakima 
county,  taking  up  a  homestead  near  Yakima  City, 
which  he  still  owns,  there  never  having  been  a 
transfer  made  during  thirty-three  years.  He  has 
followed  stock  raising  ever  since  his  settlement  in 
the  county.  He  was  married  in  Washington  county, 
Ohio,  in  1858,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ann  Dalson,  a  native 
of  Ohio,  and  daughter  of  George  Dalson,  an  Ohio 
farmer  of  English  descent,  and  Nancy  (Gordon) 
Dalscn,  a  native  of  Virginia,  also  of  English  par- 
entage. To  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cook 
have  been  born  the  following  children :  Mrs.  Fran- 
ces M.  Tustin,  William  L.  Cook,  Alonzo  R.  and 
Arthur  N.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Chris- 
tian church,  and  Mr.  Cook  is  a  zealous  Democrat. 
He  owns  two  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of  land  and 
gives  his  attention  to  raising  hay  and  stock,  prin- 
cipally Holstein  cattle.  Many  wonderful  changes 
have  taken  place  in  this  most  wonderful  valley  since 
the  advent  of  Mr.  Cook  in  1870,  at  which  time  the 
principal  products  were  Indians,  cayuses  and  sage- 
brush ;  and  to  these  hardy,  dauntless  pioneers  is  due 
a  world  of  gratitude  from  the  present  and  future 
generations  who  are  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  their 
labors. 


ANSON   S.  WHITE,   farmer  and   dairyman, 
resident  in  North  Yakima,  is  a  pioneer  of  1851 


on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  came  to  Yakima  county 
in  1871.  He  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  December, 
1848.  His  father,  William  White,  was  a  wheel- 
wright and  farmer,  and  a  native  of  Illinois.  He 
went  to  Wisconsin  in  an  early  day,  and  in  1850, 
leaving  his  family  in  that  state,  crossed  the  Plains 
by  the  then  common  ox  team  conveyance  and  set- 
tled in  the  present  city  of  Chehalis,  Washington, 
then  in  Oregon  territory,  which  had  at  that  time 
been  organized  but  two  years.  In  1851  he  sent 
for  his  family  and  took  up  a  donation  claim  near 
Olympia.  Here  he  lived  until  1856,  when  he  was 
killed  by  the  Indians  while  he  and  his  family 
were  returning  home  from  church,  the  family 
effecting  their  escape  after  the  death  of  the  father. 
The  mother.  Margaret  M.  (Stewart)  White,  was 
a  native  of  Iowa,  in  which  state  her  parents  were 
pioneers.  She  brought  her  family  across  the 
Plains  to  her  husband  in  1851,  and  continued  to 
live  on  the  home  place  near  Olympia  until  her 
death.  Her  son,  Anson,  was  but  two  years  of 
age  at  the  time  his  mother  crossed  the  Plains, 
but  remembers  distinctly  the  wild  life  of  the 
early  days  in  the  new  home  in  Oregon  territory. 
He  remained  with  his  mother  on  the  farm  until 
sixteen,  then  spending  two  years  in  various  occu- 
pations, after  which  he  and  .his  brother  took 
charge  of  the  home  place  for  a  period  of  three 
years.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  tried  clerk- 
ing for  one  year.  In  1871  he  came  to  Yakima 
county  and  took  up  a  pre-emption  on  the  Wenas, 
but  did  not  prove  up  on  it,  returning  to  the 
Sound  at  the  end  of  one  year.  For  several  years 
following  he  divided  his  time  between  the  Sound 
and  the  Yakima  country.  In  1878  he  filed  a 
homestead  on  a  tract  of  land  on  the  Cowiche, 
which  he  has  since  owned,  and  where  he  con- 
tinued to  live  until  he  took  up  his  residence  in 
North  Yakima. 

He  was  married  in  Olympia,  in  1869,  to  Miss 
Nancy  A.  Hale,  a  native  of  Olympia.  who  died 
two  years  later.  Her  father.  Charles  H.  Hale, 
was  a  sea  captain  and  a  pioneer  of  1852  in  Wash- 
ington. Her  mother,  Waitstill  (Look)  Hale,  was 
born  in  Maine.  Mr.  White  was  again  married  in 
Yakima  county,  in  1875,  to  Miss  Almeda  Tigard, 
daughter  of  Andrew  Jackson  and  Sarah  (Ed- 
wards) Tigard.  Her  mother  was  a  native  of 
Arkansas,  bom  February  22.  1832.  and  passed 
away  on  February  2,  1902.  Her  father  was  born 
November  24,  1828,  and  was  married  on  the  15th 
of  September,  1848.  He  crossed  the  Plains  with 
his  wife  during  1852.  and  settled  on  a  donation 
claim  some  three  miles  southwest  of  Portland, 
Oregon,  in  Multnomah  county.  He  made  his 
home  on  the  property  until  1871.  at  which  time 
he  came  to  Yakima  county  and  resided  until  his 
death,  which  took  place  on  October  6.  1898.  To 
the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  been 
born  the  following  children  :  William  A.,  Lillie 
M..  Robert  C...  Roy  A..  Sarah  A.,  Charles  H.  and 


598 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Harry  Lee,  all  of  whom  were  born  in  Yakima 
county,  with  the  exception  of  the  first  named, 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Olympia.  Air.  White 
and  family  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church,  of  which  the  father  has  been  an 
officer  for  many  years.  He  is  connected  with 
the  fraternal  order  of  Yeomen.  Politically,  he  is 
a  Republican.  He  has  been  connected  with  the 
schools  of  his  community  in  an  official  capacity 
at  various  times.  He  is  now  operating  a  dairy, 
milking  fifty  cows,  and  is  giving  special  attention 
to  the  breeding  of  the  Durham  and  Red  Polled 
cattle.  He  owns  seven  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  besides  several  pieces  of  city  property, 
and  is  accounted  a  man  of  thrift  and  enterprise, 
of  influence  in  the  community,  and  one  of  the 
respected  and  reliable  pioneers  of  the  county. 


ADONIRAM  J.  PRATT,  one  of  the  early 
pioneer  officials  of  Yakima  county,  who  served 
his  constituency  two  terms,  acceptably,  as  county 
treasurer,  from  1876  to  1880,  is  A.  J.  Pratt,  the 
subject  of  this  brief  article.  He  was  born  in  the 
state  of  Maine  in  1846,  his  father  and  mother 
being  Ebenezer  and  Mary  (Smith)  Pratt.  The 
father  was  a  native  of  Maine  and  a  mechanic. 
His  ancestors  were  early  settlers  in  the  state  of 
his  birth,  where  he  continued  to  make  his  home 
until  1871,  when  he  sold  out  and  came  west  to 
the  state  of  Washington,  where  his  son,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch,  had  come  the  preceding  year. 
Here  he  continued  to  reside  until  his  death.  The 
mother  was  also  a  native  of  Maine.  Mr.  Pratt 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native 
state,  and  continued  to  assist  and  work  with  his 
father  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  then 
engaged  to  learn  the  trade  of  cabinet  maker, 
which  he  followed  in  Maine  for  three  years.  In 
1870  he  decided  to  seek  a  new  field  of  labor,  and 
turned  his  face  westward.  He  came  to  Yakima 
county,  and  took  up  land  in  the  Ahtanum  valley, 
engaging  in  the  stock  business,  which  he  followed 
four  years,  then  went  to  Yakima  City.  Here  he 
went  to  work  at  his  trade,  which  he  pursued  for 
two  years,  when  he  was  called  to  fill  the  office 
of  county  treasurer.  At  the  end  of  the  two- 
years  term  he  was  re-elected,  serving  altogether 
four  years.  During  this  period  he  continued  to 
run  a  cabinet  shop  in  Yakima  City,  and  at  the 
close  of  his  term  of  office  took  up  the  work  where 
he  had  laid  it  down.  His  shop  was  burned  out  in 
1881,  and  he  at  once  rebuilt,  and  continued  there 
until  1885,  when  he  moved  to  North  Yakima,  at 
the  starting  of  that  town  by  the  railroad  com- 
pany. He  has  continued  to  follow  his  trade  ever 
since  at  that  place.  He  is,  no  doubt,  the  pioneer 
carpenter  and  builder  of  the  county.  There  were 
three  brothers  and  a  sister  in  his  family:  George 
W.,  North  Yakima ;  Sarah  Meade,  Montana,  and 
Henry,  now  deceased.     Mr.  Pratt  is  one  of  the 


popular,   successful   and   substantial   pioneers   of 
the  county  and  city. 


JAMES  HARRISON  THOMAS,  land  attor- 
ney and  real  estate  dealer,  North  Yakima,  was 
born  in  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  January  6,  1842, 
to  the  union  of  William  T.  and  Catherine  (Drum- 
mond)  Thomas.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Har- 
risburg,  Pennsylvania,  of  Welsh  parentage.  He 
moved  to  Ohio  when  young  and  engaged  in  the 
stock  business,  where  he  died.  The  mother  was 
born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  when  fourteen  years  of  age,  and  a  few- 
years  later  met  and  married  her  husband.  To 
this  union  were  born  nine  children,  four  daughters 
and  five  sons.  Mr.  Thomas,  the  subject  of  this 
article,  was  left  an  orphan  at  twelve  years,  the 
father  dying  in  1850,  and  the  mother  in  1854. 
Honorable  J.  H.  Tripp,  of  Carrollton,  Ohio,  was 
appointed  his  guardian,  and  wisely  administered 
the  estate.  Subject  was  educated  in  the  acad- 
emies of  Harlem  Springs  and  Carrollton,  later 
graduating  from  the  Allegheny  College  at  Mead- 
ville,  Pennsylvania,  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in 
the  1863  class.  In  1866,  the  same  institution  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  M.  In  his 
Junior  year  he  received  the  highest  literary  honor 
in  the  Philo  Franklin  Society.  The  war  had 
broken  out  at  this  time,  1862,  and  young  Thomas, 
while  home  on  a  vacation,  organized  a  military 
company,  and  was  chosen  captain  of  the  same, 
but  declined  the  honor  at  the  advice  of  his 
brother,  Captain  A.  J.  Thomas,  and  returned  to 
college,  another  brother,  Daniel,  being  chosen  in 
his  stead.  At  the  close  of  his  college  course,  in 
1863,  he  enlisted  in  the  signal  corps,  and  at  once 
repaired  to  Washington,  District  of  Columbia, 
taking  up  his  work  within  five  miles  of  the  seat 
of  government,  being  called  upon  to  train  the 
first  gun  that  was  fired  upon  the  advancing 
forces  of  Early  and  Breckenridge,  in  their  attack 
upon  the  national  capital.  He  then  took  a  course 
at  the  Military  Academy  at  Philadelphia,  at  the 
instance  of  Secretary  of  War  Stanton,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  tactics  and  was  commis- 
sioned a  lieutenant  in  the  regular  service,  and 
assigned  to  the  Twentieth  United  States  infantry 
at  New  Orleans.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  set- 
tled at  Plattsburg,  Missouri,  and  purchased  and 
conducted  a  college  there  for  four  years.  He  was 
the  Republican  nominee  for  the  Twenty-fifth 
General  Assembly  of  Missouri,  in  1868,  over 
which  there  was  a  contest.  In  1870  he  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  United  States  survevor  for  the 
Territory  of  Montana,  and  had  charge  of  the 
work  in  northern  Montana.  It  was  Mr.  Thomas 
who  discovered  and  named  the  lake  near  the 
British  line,  bearing  the  name  of  Lake  Blaine. 
After  a  period  in  the  milling  business  in  Platts- 
burg, Captain   Thomas    was    appointed    to    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


599 


United  States  internal  revenue  department.  He  was 
candidate  for  Congress  from  the  Third  Missouri 
district  in  1882,  and  made  such  a  good  race  that 
he  was  appointed  by  President  Arthur  register  of 
the  United  States  land  office  at  Yakima  City, 
Washington,  which  position  he  held  throughout 
the  Arthur,  Cleveland  and  part  of  the  Harrison 
administrations.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  convention  that  nominated  Blaine  for 
president.  Since  his  retirement  from  the  land 
office  he  has  been  a  practitioner  in  the  same  line. 
He  is  the  owner  of  the  Yakima  City  townsite 
and  is  extensively  interested  in  Cripple  Creek 
mines,  where  he  spent  two  years.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Missouri,  in  1868,  to  Miss  Lucy  B.  Guyer, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  and  a  graduate  from  the  Har- 
lem Springs  Academy.  Her  father,  Henry  Guyer, 
was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  one  of  the  best  known 
men  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  The  mother, 
Rebecca  Dewell,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  of 
German  parents.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas  have  been  born  the  following  children : 
Dana  H.,  deceased ;  Rosco  G.,  drowned  in  1902 
while  cashier  of  the  Wenatchee  Canal  Company; 
Mrs.  Maud  E.  Granger,  wife  of  W.  N.  Granger, 
general  manager  of  the  Washington  Irrigation 
Company,  at  Zillah  ;  James  B.,  assistant  engineer 
for  the  Washington  Irrigation  Company ;  Guyer 
D.  and  Harry  V.,  deceased.  Mr.  Thomas  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
his  church  connection  is  with  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal communion.  Since  coming  to  the  state  he 
has  ever  been  connected  with  all  movements  for 
the  development  and  advancement  of  the  inter- 
ests of  his  town  and  community.  His  life  has 
been  a  most  active  one,  and  few  men  have  served 
more  constantly  in  a  public  capacity  than  he. 


HONORABLE  WILLIAM  H.  HARE.  Since 
his  arrival  in  the  county  in  1883,  William  H. 
Hare,  present  representative  of  Yakima  county, 
has  been  actively  connected  with  public  affairs 
in  his  community  and  county,  ever  striving  to 
promote  the  best  interests  of  the  people  and 
locality  where  he  lives,  and  is  at  present  conspic- 
uous for  his  untiring  efforts  in  the  awakening  of 
interest  in  the  construction  and  maintenance  of 
good  roads  in  the  county  and  state,  he  at  the 
present  time  being  a  member  of  the  executive 
committee  of  the  "Good  Roads  Association"  of 
the  state.  In  his  legislative  work  he  has  been  one 
of  the  strong  and  enthusiastic  workers  for  all 
irrigation  and  good  roads  legislation  of  any  value 
to  the  people  whatever,  and  his  efforts  along 
those  lines  have  not  been  without  avail.  Mr. 
Hare  is  a  native  of  the  Buckeye  state,  born  in 
Barnesville,  in  1853,  to  tne  union  of  William  and 
Anna  M.  (Davenport)  Hare,  the  father  a  native 
of  England.  He  came  to  the  United  States  when 
a  boy,  and  studied  medicine  in  Ohio,  where  he 


practiced  until  his  death.  The  mother  was  born 
in  the  Shenandoah  valley,  Virginia ;  was  married 
in  Ohio,  and  died  when  her  five  children  were 
quite  young.  Mr.  Hare  received  his  early  educa- 
tion in  West  Virginia,  and  was  graduated  from 
the  Ohio  Dental  College,  of  Cincinnati,  in  1874. 
He  went  to  Sacramento,  California,  in  1875,  and 
opened  a  dental  office,  where  he  practiced  his 
profession  until  1883.  He  at  this  time  moved  to 
Yakima  City,  and  practiced  until  the  starting  of 
North  Yakima,  when  he  moved  here  and  opened 
an  office.  He  soon  built  up  a  good  practice.  In 
1891  he  was  appointed  receiver  of  the  United 
States  land  office  by  President  Harrison,  which 
position  he  held  until  1894,  when  he  resigned. 
The  following  year  he  was  appointed  on  the 
State  Board  of  Agriculture,  serving  as  president 
until  the  election  of  Governor  Rogers,  when  he 
resigned.  He  sold  his  dental  office  in  1900,  and 
engaged  in  the  stock  business,  in  which  he  is 
still  interested.  In  iqo2  he  was  elected  on  the 
Republican  ticket  as  representative  of  his  county, 
and  served  as  speaker  of  the  House  at  the  fol- 
lowing session,  being  called  to  that  position  of 
honor  by  the  unanimous  vote  of  his  Republican 
colleagues.  Mr.  Hare  has  two  brothers  and  one 
sister  living:  John  A.,  in  Ohio;  Mrs.  Jennie  C. 
Peppert,  Virginia,  and  J.  W.,  for  two  terms  sher- 
iff of  Clatsop  county.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Hare  is 
connected  with  the  Elks,  in  which  organization 
he  has  frequently  been  honored  with  office.  He 
is  prominent  in  the  councils  of  the  Republican 
party,  a  man  of  scholarly  attainments,  a  good 
public  speaker  and  one  who  has  earned  and  who 
retains  the  good  will  and  esteem  of  his  fellow 
citizens. 


REUBEN  VAN  BUSKIRK,  carpenter.  North 
Yakima,  came  to  Washington  in  1886,  settling 
first  in  Klickitat  county,  and  one  year  later  in 
Yakima.  He  is  a  Hoosier  by  birth,  and  was  born 
in  1833,  m  Fayette  county,  Indiana,  to  the  mar- 
riage of  George  Van  Buskirk  and  Rachel  Helm. 
The  father,  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  set- 
tled in  Indiana  in  a  very  early  day,  engaging  in 
farming,  and  continued  to  make  that  state  his 
home  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  ninety-four. 
The  mother  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
lived  to  the  age  of  eighty-one.  There  were  eleven 
children  born  to  this  union.  Subject  remained  at 
home  until  twenty-two,  doing  farm  work  with  his 
father,  and  then  went  to  farming  for  himself.  He 
settled  in  Kansas  in  the  early  and  troublous  times 
of  that  state,  when  the  pro-slavery  and  free-soiler 
elements  were  contending  for  supremacy,  and  re- 
mained there  until  1861.  He  went  to  Indiana  at 
this  date  and  enlisted  in  the  Eighth  Indiana  vol- 
unteer infantry.  At  the  end  of  one  year's  service 
he  was  taken  sick  and  was  discharged,  returning 
home,  where  he  continued    in    ill-health    for    two 


6oo 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


years.  He  served  as  United  States  enrolling  offi- 
cer for  some  time  in  Indiana.  Returning  to  Kan- 
sas, in  1866,  he  engaged  in  ranching  near  Fort 
Scott,  remaining  in  that  state  for  twenty  years. 
He  then  moved  to  Klickitat  county,  Washington, 
and,  a  year  afterwards,  to  North  Yakima.  Here 
he  purchased  property,  and  engaged  in  carpenter- 
ing, which  he  has  since  followed.  He  was  married 
in  Indiana  in  1866  to  Miss  Letitia  Jamison,  who 
died  nine  months  later.  He  was  married  the  sec- 
ond time,  in  1867,  to  Julia  Walrod,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  where  she  was  educated.  She  taught 
school  for  a  number  of  years  in  Kansas.  Her 
father,  Daniel  Walrod,  a  native  of  New  York, 
though  of  German  parentage,  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war.  Jane  (Wolcox)  Walrod,  the  mother, 
was  a  native  of  Connecticut.  Nine  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Van  Buskirk :  Charley, 
living  in  Ashland,  Oregon ;  Carrie  Whitsen,  Edna 
Waldon,  Ella,  Ralph,  who  was  killed  in  the  Philip- 
pine war;  George,  Lee,  Jessie  and  Velma;  all  the 
living  children  are  in  Yakima  county.  Mr.  Van 
Buskirk  and  family  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Van  Buskirk  is  con- 
nected with  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  has  filled  the  office 
of  assessor  in  Indiana  and  in  Kansas.  In  addi- 
tion to  a  finely  improved  place  in  North  Yakima, 
he  has  a  homestead  on  the  Columbia  river.  He 
is  a  man  who  commands  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  his  neighbors  and  acquaintances,  and  his 
influence  is  always  exerted  for  progress  in  polit- 
ical, educational  and  industrial  institutions. 


CHARLES  POLLOK  WILCOX,  lumber- 
man. North  Yakima,  is  a  native  of  New  York, 
making  his  advent  into  this  world  in  1836,  to  the 
union  of  Lansing  H.  Wilcox  and  Miranda  Holmes. 
The  father,  a  farmer  by  occupation,  was  born  in 
Massachusetts  in  1809,  tne  son  °f  English  parents, 
and  moved  with  his  father  to  New  York  when  a 
small  boy,  where  he  followed  teaching  for  a  time. 
He  died  in  1894.  The  mother,  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, was  of  English  parents,  her  ancestors 
coming  to  the  United  States  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. She  was  the  mother  of  seven  children,  and 
departed  this  life  in  New  York,  A.  D.  1867.  Mr. 
Wilcox  grew  up  on  the  farm  with  his  parents 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter  and  millwright.  He  was  an 
enthusiastic  Union  man,  and  when  the  war  broke 
out  he  enlisted  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty- 
fourth  New  York  infantry,  but  being  rejected  for 
physical  defects,  he  tried  enlistment  in  the  Ninth 
New  York  cavalry,  but  was  again  rejected.  Lster 
he  was  drafted,  and  once  more  was  released  for 
apparent  disability.  In  1865,  he  went  to  Europe 
as  manager  of  a  coal  oil  refining  establishment, 
and  was  there  for  four  years.  Returning,  in  1869, 
he  engaged  in  the  building  business  in  Minnesota, 


and  for  several  years  later  was  interested  in  the 
retail  lumber  business,  with  headquarters  at  De- 
troit City,  Minnesota.  In  1888  he  removed  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  settling  at  Tacoma.  After  remaining 
there  two  years  he  removed  to  North  Yakima, 
purchasing  a  tract  of  land  on  Summit  View,  ad- 
joining the  city,  where  he  built  a  fine  home  and 
still  resides. 

He  was  married  in  Salamanca,  New  York, 
July  18,  1864,  to  Miss  Hannah  M.  McKinstry,  a 
native  of  that  state,  and  a  graduate  of  the  Acad- 
emy of  New  York.  She  was  a  teacher  for  some 
time.  Her  father,  William  McKinstry,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Vermont  and  a  Methodist  Episcopal  min- 
ister, a  profession  he  followed  for  about  forty 
years,  dying  in  Minnesota  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
seven.  The  mother,  Sallie  M.  Cole,  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  and  followed  teaching  for  years. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wilcox's  children  are :  William  H.  and  Alvan  B., 
born  in  North  Wales;  Warlo  C.  and  Fenner  L., 
born  in  Minnesota,  and  Agnes,  adopted,  born  in 
England. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilcox  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  which  they  have 
been  active  workers  for  many  years,  Mr.  Wilcox 
holding  positions  as  steward,  superintendent, 
trustee  and  chairman  of  the  board  through  long 
periods  at  different  places  of  his  residence.  He 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  casting  his  first  vote  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  and  one  vote  for  every  Repub- 
lican president  since  that  time,  and  has  been  hon- 
ored by  office  a  number  of  times  by  his  party  and 
the  suffrage  of  the  people.  He  served  three  years 
as  commissioner  of  Becker  county,  Minnesota, 
and  four  years  as  assessor.  At  present  he  is  vice- 
president  of  the  Wilcox  Lumber  Company,  inter- 
ested in  a  mill  and  real  estate  in  Tacoma,  and  a 
farm  at  Parker  Bottom.  He  is  a  man  of  energy 
and  push,  and  is  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow 
citizens. 


LEVI  C.  LOVELL,  carpenter  and  builder, 
settled  in  North  Yakima  fifteen  years  ago,  coming 
from  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  has  followed  his 
trade  during  that  period  with  the  exception  of 
four  years'  service  as  deputy  sheriff  under  Sheriff 
H.  L.  Tucker.  His  father,  Simeon  Lovell,  was 
born  in  New  York  of  Scotch-Irish  parents,  and 
resided  in  his  native  state  until  his  family  was 
raised,  when,  in  1859,  he  moved  to  Ohio,  and  died 
there  at  the  age  of  seventy.  His  wife,  Nancy 
(Allen)  Lovell,  was  the  mother  of  ten  children. 
She  was  born  in  New  Jersey,  and  was  of  Scotch 
descent.  She  lived  to  the  age  of  seventy.  Levi 
C.  Lovell  is  a  native  of  New  York,  born  Aueust 
13,  1830.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  learned  the 
trade  of  carpenter,  and  later,  removing  with  his 
parents  to  Ohio,  he  there  worked  at  his  trade 
until   1 861,  when  he  enlisted  in  the  service  of  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


60 1 


country  in  Company  A.  Eighteenth  Ohio  infantry, 
serving  for  three  years.  Returning  to  Delaware, 
Ohio,  at  the  time  of  his  discharge,  he  was  there 
married,  and  in  1867  removed  to  Illinois,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  working  at  his  trade 
for  twenty-three  years.  In  1888  he  came  to  Wash- 
ington, locating  at  North  Yakima,  which  place  he 
has  seen  grow  from  the  little  hamlet  to  its  present 
size  and  importance,  and  in  which  development 
he  has  taken  an  active  part.  He  was  married  in 
Delaware  county,  Ohio,  in  1865,  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
R.  Stockard,  who  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Ohio, 
April  4,  1847,  and  was  educated  in  the  Delaware, 
Ohio,  college.  William  C.  and  Mary  E.  (Bur- 
lingame)  Stockard  were  her  parents;  the  former, 
a  farmer  and  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1818.  He 
died  in  Illinois  in  his  seventy-fourth  year.  Her 
mother,  born  in  Marietta,  Ohio,  in  1820,  came  of 
English  ancestry,  and  was  the  mother  of  ten  chil- 
dren. Four  children  were  born  to  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lovell :  William  E.,  Susan  C.  (de- 
ceased), Mrs.  Mary  E.  Walker  and  Jesse  G.  Fra- 
ternally, Mr.  Lovell  is  connected  with  the  Masonic 
order,  the  Yeomen  and  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic,  and  his  wife  with  the  Eastern  Star  and 
the  Relief  Corps.  They  are  Presbyterians,  and 
Mr.  Lovell  is  an  avowed  Republican.  He  owns 
a  comfortable  home  in  the  city,  is  energetic  and 
progressive,  and  is  known  and  esteemed  as  one 
of  the  worthy  pioneers  of  both  city  and  county. 


ROBERT  SCOTT,  one  of  the  leading  contrac- 
tors and  builders  of  North  Yakima  and  central 
Washington,  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1840,  coming 
to  Canada  with  his  parents,  Walter  and  Margaret 
(Stothart)  Scott,  when  two  years  of  age.  His 
father  was  a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  immigrated 
with  his  family  to  Canada  in  1842,  where  he  died  in 
1867.  His  wife  was  the  mother  of  six  children,  and 
lived  to  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Mr.  Scott,  at  the 
age  of  sixteen,  began  to  learn  the  carpenter  trade 
on  the  Canada  side  of  Lake  Huron,  at  the  same 
time  attended  school  in  the  winter.  In  the  spring 
of  i860  he  and  his  brother  went  to01ney>  Dl.,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  until  August  5,  1862,  when 
he  enlisted  in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  infantry, 
from  which  he  was  discharged  seven  months  later 
for  disability.  He  then  returned  to  Canada  for  two 
years,  and  in  the  spring  of  1867  opened  a  wagon 
and  carriage  house  in  Old  Mexico,  in  connection 
with  his  brother.  After  one  year  he  located  in  Mis- 
souri and  engaged  in  contract  work;  later,  in  1878, 
opening  in  the  hardware  and  furniture  business, 
which  he  followed  until  1883.  One  year  he  spent 
as  traveling  salesman  and  another  in  operating  a 
bargain  store  in  Springfield.  This  he  disposed  of 
and  came  west  to  Washington  and,  July  1,  1884, 
took  up  a  railroad  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  on  the  Naches  river.  Here  he  resided 
for  five  years,  then  moved  to  North  Yakima  and 


re-entered  his  old  business  as  contractor  and  build- 
er. His  first  building  was  the  H.  H.  Allen  block; 
following  with  the  Hotel  Yakima,  Yining  and  J.  J. 
Lowe  blocks,  with  part  of  the  Ward  block.  He 
put  in  the  flumes  and  building  for  the  Water  Power 
Company,  and  later  built  the  Wilson,  McEwen  and 
Yakima  National  Bank  blocks,  and  various  other 
buildings  both  in  the  city  and  in  outside  towns.  He 
was  married  in  Olney,  Illinois,  in  1863  to  Miss  Sa- 
rah A.  Morehouse,  daughter  of  Daniel  W.  and 
Adelia  M.  Morehouse,  the  father  a  native  of  Illinois 
and  a  merchant  in  Olney,  and  the  mother  also  a  na- 
tive of  the  same  state  and  the  mother  of  a  fam- 
ily of  five  children.  Mrs.  Scott  was  born  in 
Illinois  in  1845,  and  was  married  at  the  age 
of  eighteen.  She  is  the  mother  of  nine  chil- 
dren— Walter  D.  (deceased  in  1899) ;  Robert 
W.,  living  on  the  Naches;  Charles  E.,  Naches; 
James  N.,  two  years  in  the  Philippines  as  ser- 
geant; Tom  H.,  two  years  in  the  Philippines 
in  active  service ;  Harry,  Amy  K.,  Bert  and  George. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Scott  is  connected  with  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  Politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  has  served  in  the  capacity  of  committeeman.  In 
1898  he  was  elected  as  assessor  of  the  county  on  the 
Republican  ticket,  and  was  re-elected  in  1900,  serv- 
ing the  four  years  in  an  acceptable  manner.  In  addi- 
tion to  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight  acres  of  land 
he  owns  considerable  city  property,  including  his 
home.  He  is  an  energetic,  thorough-going  business 
man,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  citizens  who 
has  contributed  greatly  to  the  upbuilding  of  the 
community  where  he  lives. 


INGRAM  B.  TURNELL,  proprietor  of  the 
popular  hostelry,  the  Pacific  Hotel,  North  Yakima, 
is  a  native  of  Eagle,  Wisconsin,  born  January  1, 
J853,  of  English  parents.  His  father,  Richard  Tur- 
nell,  came  from  Lincolnshire,  England,  the  land  of 
his  nativity,  to  the  United  States  in  1842,  at  the  age 
of  twenty-four,  settling  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  fol- 
lowed farming  until  his  death.  The  mother.  Sarah 
(Bingham)  Turnell.  was  also  a  native  of  England, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  husband. 
Mr.  Turnell  grew  to  manhood  on  the  farm  at  Black- 
Earth,  Wisconsin,  going  on  the  railroad  as  brake- 
man  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  Meeting  with  an  acci- 
dent in  which  one  hand  was  crippled,  he  took  a 
course  in  telegraphy,  and  after  a  brief  service  as 
assistant,  he  was  given  a  position  as  station  agent 
at  Marshland  Junction,  two  years  later  being  pro- 
moted to  New  London.  Here  he  was  married  and 
remained  for  thirteen  years.  He  then  moved  to 
Waupaca,  where  he  held  the  position  of  express 
agent  and  engaged  in  shipping  produce  for  nine 
years,  doing  well.  After  a  service  of  two  and  one- 
half  years  as  station  agent  in  Illinois,  he  came  west 
to  North  Yakima,  and  filled  the  position  of  night 
operator  for  the  Northern  Pacific  for  two  years,  at 


602 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  same  time,  assisted  by  his  energetic  family,  run- 
ning the  Yarker  House  in  a  very  successful  manner. 
He  later  gave  up  his  position  as  operator,  giving 
his  entire  attention  to  the  hotel  business.  In  August, 
1903,  he,  in  partnership  with  G.  A.  Gano,  furnished 
and  opened  the  Pacific  Hotel,  which  is  fast  becom- 
ing one  of  the  best  patronized  houses  in  central 
Washington.  He  has  since  bought  out  Mr.  Gano, 
and  is  now  sole  proprietor  of  the  business.  He 
was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Nellie  E.  Phillips,  who 
was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  i860,  a  lady  of  culture, 
who  has  followed  teaching  and  has  been  an  instruct- 
or in  music.  Her  father,  Franklin  Phillips,  was  a 
native  of  Rutland,  Vermont,  and  was  a  pioneer  both 
in  Michigan  and  Wisconsin.  He  was  a  veteran  of 
both  the  Mexican  and  Civil  wars,  serving  as  lieuten- 
ant in  the  Rebellion,  in  which  he  was  seriously 
wounded,  making  of  him  an  invalid  for  life.  Her 
mother,  Marion  (Yerkes)  Phillips,  was  born  in 
Philadelphia  of  Quaker  parents,  and  is  now  dead. 
Mrs.  Turnell  has  two  sisters  and  one  brother,  and 
Mr.  Turnell  has  three  brothers  and  three  sisters. 
Their  children  are :  Richard  Franklin,  station 
agent  in  Wisconsin ;  Luella  M.,  Mrs.  Emma  L. 
Dunbar,  Clarence  W.,  Lloyd  Y.  and  Ruth.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Turnell  have  devoted  their  lives  to  their 
children,  and  are  justly  proud  of  their  three  stal- 
wart sons  and  three  lovely  daughters,  all  of  whom 
are  quite  perfect,  both  mentally  and  physically.  Mr. 
Turnell  is  a  pronounced  Republican.  He  is  pro- 
gressive and  energetic  and  is  counted  one  of  the 
substantial  and  successful  citizens  of  the  thriving 
city  of  North  Yakima. 


JOHN  T.  STEWART,  farmer,  living  one  mile 
west  and  one  mile  south  of  North  Yakima,  is  a 
native  of  Scotland,  was  ushered  into  this  world  in 
1829,  and  brought  to  Canada  'by  his  parents  at  the 
age  of  six  months,  they  settling  two  years  later  in 
New  York.  His  father,  William  Stewart,  was  born 
on  board  of  an  English  man-of-war,  while  they  were 
cruising  off  the  coast  of  Portugal,  his  father  being 
an  officer  in  the  English  army.  The  mother,  Jessie 
(Thompson)  Stewart,  was  a  native  of  England. 
She  was  married  quite  young  and  was  the  mother  of 
seven  children.  Our  subject's  parents  went  to  Illi- 
nois in  1832,  where  he  was  raised.  In  1855  he 
crossed  the  Plains  from  Iowa  to  California,  driving 
an  ox  outfit.  He  first  went  to  mining,  but  the  sec- 
ond year  engaged  in  fanning,  moving  in  1858  to 
Oregon.  Here  he  lived  for  twenty  years,  farming 
and  stock  raising,  also  working  as  a  mechanic.  He 
left  Oregon  in  1878  and  came  to  the  Ahtanum  val- 
ley, Yakima  county,  taking  up  a  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  where  he  now  resides.  He 
improved  this  in  fine  shape  and  sold  a  portion  of  the 
land,  it  being  favorably  located  within  two  miles  of 
North  Yakima,  for  a  good  price.  He  was  united 
in  marriage  in  Iowa,  in   1854,  to  Charlotte  Barter, 


who  crossed  the  Plains  with  him  and  died  in  Ore- 
gon, in  1864.  leaving  six  children,  as  follows:  Al- 
bert S.,  Alfred,  Mary  A.,  William,  Minnie  R. 
Merchant  and  Alice.  He  was  again  married  in  1865, 
in  Oregon,  to  Mrs.  Deborah  Coker,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, born  in  1844.  Her  father,  John  Dillon,  was 
a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  born  in  the  state  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  departed  this  life  in  Iowa.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stewart  have  been  born  ten  children :  John 
S.,  Edward  E.,  Ella,  Ulysses,  Laura,  Clyde,  Carrie, 
Claude  I.  and  Maud  I.  (twins)  and  Benjamin.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stewart  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church.  Fraternally.  Mr.  Stewart  is  associated  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  while  polit- 
ically, he  is  an  active  Republican.  He  is  a  man  who 
has  always  been  ready  to  assist  in  every  good  and 
worthy  enterprise  presented  to  him  for  the  public 
weal  or  private  need,  and  is  respected  for  his  good 
qualities. 


STERLING  P.  VIVIAN,  farmer  and  stock 
raiser,  came  to  Yakima  county  in  1879,  at  tne  a§e 
of  sixteen.  He  was  born  in  Missouri,  in  1863,  on 
the  12th  day  of  February,  from  the  union  of 
Milton  and  Eliza  J.  (Sartin)  Vivian;  the  latter 
born  in  Missouri  in  1842,  and  daughter  of  David 
and  Euphany  (Brutin)  Sartin,  both  natives  of 
Tennessee.  She  is  now  the  wife  of  B.  Franklin 
Ward,  living  in  Yakima  county.  At  an  early  day 
our  subject's  parents  moved  to  Kansas;  returned 
to  Missouri  for  a  time ;  from  there  went  to  Col- 
orado; thence  to  the  Indian  Territory,  and  then 
crossed  the  Plains  by  team  to  Wyoming,  settling 
at  Sander  in  1873,  where  the  mother  and  one  other 
woman  constituted  the  feminine  population  of 
the  town.  From  here  his  parents  moved  to 
Washington  in  1879,  and  in  1882  took  up  a  home- 
stead on  the  Ahtanum,  where  his  mother  still 
resides.  On  their  arrival  in  the  county  their  son, 
Sterling,  began  riding  the  range  for  stockmen, 
and  for  many  years  followed  this, 'with  freighting 
from  The  Dalles,  and  in  that  time  gathered  quite 
a  band  of  cattle.  He  has  followed  the  stock 
business  ever  since,  in  connection  with  farming 
and  dairying,  in  which  he  has  been  successful. 
He  has  one  full  brother,  Claborn  F.,  living  in  the 
state.  He  was  married  in  North  Yakima,  in 
1885,  to  Miss  Alice  Tanner,  a  native  of  Forest 
Grove,  Oregon,  where  she  was  raised  and  edu- 
cated at  the  academy  at  that  place.  Her  father, 
Elisha  Tanner,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1814, 
moved  to  Illinois  in  1835,  where  he  farmed  until 
1852,  when  he  outfitted  with  oxen  and  made  the 
trip  to  Washington  county,  Oregon,  taking  land 
near  Forest  Grove.  He  moved,  in  1865.  to  Klick- 
itat county,  Washington ;  in  1869,  came  to  Yak- 
ima county  and  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land  (on  which  Mr.  Vivian  now  lives), 
moving  his  family  there  in  March,  1870.  Here 
he  followed  stock  raising  until  1880,  when  he  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


603 


accidentally  drowned  while  crossing  the  Naches 
river  on  his  way  to  church,  in  company  with  his 
wife,  she  narrowly  escaping  with  her  life.  He 
was  a  stanch  Republican,  and  an  active  member 
of  the  Congregational  church,  one  of  the  officers 
and  original  organizers  of  that  church  in  the 
Ahtanum  valley.  Her  mother,  Lucy  (Carter) 
Tanner,  was  born  in  Connecticut,  and  is  a  lineal 
descendent  of  the  Carters  of  the  Revolutionary 
war.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vivian  have  three  children : 
Maud  M.,  Grace  (deceased  in  the  year  1894,  at 
the  age  of  seven),  and  Ray  T.  Mr.  Vivian  is  a 
Democrat,  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  communion.  He  owns  a 
well-improved  place  of  one  hundred  acres,  well 
stocked  with  horses,  cattle  and  hogs,  and  is 
counted  one  of  the  solid  citizens  of  his  com- 
munity. 


SAMUEL  E.  FARRIS,  residing  upon  his 
farm,  six  miles  west  and  three  south  of  North 
Yakima,  has  lived  in  the  Northwest  since  he 
crossed  the  Plains  with  his  parents  in  1865,  at 
the  age  of  nine,  and  is  familiar  with  western  life 
in  all  of  its  phases.  His  native  state  is  Iowa,  and 
his  birthplace  was  in  Monroe  county,  where  he 
was  delivered  into  the  arms  of  his  parents  in 
1856.  His  father,  James  F.  Farris,  a  carpenter 
and  farmer,  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1809,  and  moved 
to  Iowa  in  1854,  where  he  remained  eleven  years, 
and  then,  outfitting  with  teams,  started  with  his 
family,  overland  to  Oregon.  Joining  himself  to 
a  large  wagon  train,  under  the  leadership  of 
Captain  White,  at  the  Missouri  river,  he  made 
the  journey  through  to  Polk  county,  Oregon.  In 
1869  he  moved  to  eastern  Oregon,  and  in  1894  to 
Yakima  county,  where  he  later  died.  The  mother, 
Martha  (Newman)  Farris,  was  born  in  Ohio,  in 
1824,  of  Scotch  and  Welsh  parents,  from  among 
the  original  Puritans.  She  was  one  of  thirteen 
girls  who  rode  in  a  log  cabin  in  the  campaign  of 
Harrison  and  Tyler  in  1840,  representing  the 
thirteen  original  states.  At  the  early  age  of  six- 
teen our  subject  engaged  in  the  stock  business  in 
eastern  Oregon,  which  he  pursued  until  the 
winter  of  1884,  when  he  lost  ninety  per  cent  of 
his  holdings,  and  quit  stock  raising,  turning  his 
attention  entirely  to  farming  for  four  years. 
Receiving  the  appointment  as  deputy  sheriff  of 
Wasco  county,  in  1888,  he  then  made  his  home 
in  The  Dalles  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1894  he 
moved  to  Yakima  City,  Washington,  where  he 
engaged  in  dairying  and  handling  hay,  until  190T, 
when  he  purchased  his  present  farm  and  moved 
on  the  property.  He  has  one  brother  and  one 
sister:  Mrs.  Mary  Alexander  and  John  W.  Far- 
ris. He  was  married  in  The  Dalles,  in  1883,  to 
Miss  Lizzie  Davis,  born  in  Oregon,  in  1865, 
shortly  after  her  father  and  mother,  Silas  and 
Emeline  (Reno)   Davis,  reached  that  state  from 


Missouri.  Two  children,  Grover  C.  and  Inez, 
were  the  issue  of  this  marriage..  He  was  again 
married,  in  1896,  to  Mrs.  Hettie  Fairbrook, 
daughter  of  Isaac  and  Louise  (Finney)  Flint, 
Oregon  pioneers,  in  which  state  she  was  born 
in  1864,  and  educated  for  a  professional  nurse. 
Mrs.  Farris  has  two  children,  Lloyd  and  Glen 
Fairbrook,  by  her  first  marriage.  She  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church,  and  sister  to  J.  L. 
and  Purdy  Flint,  of  North  Yakima.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Farris  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  Politically, 
he  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  has  a  well-improved 
place  and  follows  dairying.  He  is  a  most  re- 
spected citizen. 


SAMUEL  FEAR,  farmer,  stockman  and 
dairyman,  living  on  free  rural  delivery  route 
No.  4,  three  miles  south  and  three  west  of  North 
Yakima,  is  a  native  of  England,  born  December 
29,  1844,  to  Richard  and  Christiana  (Light)  Fear, 
also  of  English  birth  and  descent.  His  father 
was  a  farmer  in  the  old  country.  Samuel  Fear 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age,  when  he  learned  the  butcher's  trade.  At  this 
trade  he  worked  during  his  residence  in  England, 
which  was  brought  to  an  end  by  his  immigration 
to  the  United  States  in  1889.  He  came  almost 
direct  from  his  home  to  Yakima  county,  spending 
only  one  night  in  New  York  City.  Arrived  in 
the  county,  Mr.  Fear  first  leased  William  Car- 
penter's dairy.  Then,  in  1891,  he  opened  a  meat 
market  in  North  Yakima,  conducting  this  busi- 
ness one  year.  Ranching  in  the  Cowiche  valley 
followed  during  the  succeeding  five  years,  after 
which  he  leased  a  ranch  on  the  Ahtanum,  where 
he  lived  for  a  like  period.  By  this  time  his  in- 
dustry and  perseverance  were  so  rewarded  that  he 
was  able  to  purchase  his  present  farm  of  eighty 
acres,  the  tract  being  a  portion  of  the  old  Heaton 
place,  and  here,  since  1901,  he  has  made  his  home 
and  expects  to  live  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Mr. 
Fear  was  married  in  England,  April  19,  1867.  to 
Miss  Hannah  Fear,  daughter  of  Abel  and  Har- 
riet (Cox)  Fear,  also  of  English  birth.  The 
daughter  was  born  November  2,  1845,  and  was 
married  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  Her  educa- 
tion was  obtained  in  the  schools  of  England.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fear  have  been  born  the  following 
children  :  Mrs.  Lizzie  Wheeler,  March  12,  1868 
(deceased)  ;  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Carpenter,  October 
20,  1869,  living  in  Yakima  county;  Albert  E., 
April  25,  1871 ;  Ernest  D.,  December  20,  1872; 
Frederick  C.  December  25,  1878;  Thomas  W., 
January  23,  1881  ;  Minnie,  March  16,  1882;  Nel- 
lie, January  19,  1884;  Christiana,  April  9.  1886 
(deceased)";  and  Henry  J.,  August  28,  1888;  all 
being  born  on  British  soil.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fear 
are  members  of  the  Church  of  England.  Of  his 
eighty  acres  of  land,  twenty  are  in  alfalfa,  twenty 


604 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


are  in  plow  land  and  forty  are  in  pasture.  He  has 
forty  head  of  cattle,  thirty  head  of  horses  and 
some  other  stock.  Mr.  Fear  has  prospered  since 
coming-  to  America  and  is  respected  by  all  who 
know  him  as  one  of  Yakima  county's  sterling 
citizens. 


DAVID  MUNN,  one  of  the  pioneer  farmers 
and  stock  raisers  of  the  Ahtanum  valley,  has  had 
an  interesting  career  in  the  Northwest,  where  he 
has  lived  nearly  half  a  century;  witnessing  the 
growth  of  this  erstwhile  wilderness  into  one  of 
the  leading  sections  of  the  west.  He  is  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  born  in  1836  to  the  union  of  Ed- 
ward and  Millie  (Butler)  Munn,  who  were  natives 
of  North  Carolina.  Edward  Munn  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  who  became  a  pioneer  successively 
of  Tennessee  and  Arkansas,  dying  in  the  latter 
state.  The  subject  of  this  article  did  not  have  the 
advantage  of  school  life,  but  worked  in  the  cotton 
fields  for  his  father  until  twenty-two  years  of  age. 
A  year  later  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  an  ox 
team,  the  tedious  journey  occupying  six  months. 
After  three  years  spent  in  the  mines,  he  settled  in 
the  San  Joaquin  valley,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
farming  four  years.  He  then  sold  his  place  and, 
in  1867,  went  to  Idaho,  where  he  spent  a  winter, 
and  thence  to  the  mines  of  Montana,  where  he 
lived  during  the  next  three  years  of  his  life.  In 
1870,  he  came  to  Walla  Walla,  but  remained  there 
only  a  short  time,  going  in  the  spring  of  1871  to 
the  Ahtanum  valley.  During  the  first  two  years 
of  his  residence  in  Yakima  county  he  followed 
farming;  then  sold  his  farm,  and  for  seven  years, 
or  until  the  terrible  winter  of  1880-1,  raised  stock, 
his  losses  that  season  being  so  serious  as  to  prac- 
tically force  his  retirement.  Mr.  Munn  again  re- 
turned to  the  farm  and  for  twenty-three  years  has 
been  steadily  occupied  in  that  greatest  of  earthly 
pursuits.  He  was  married  in  1896  to  Mrs.  Nancy 
J.  Allen,  of  the  Ahtanum  valley,  and  with  her 
shared  life's  joys  and  sorrows  for  five  years,  her 
death  occurring  in  1901.  Mrs.  Munn  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Congregational  church.  In  politics,  her 
husband  is  a  stanch  and  active  Democrat.  His 
farm  consists  of  forty  acres  of  highly  improved 
land,  thirty-five  being  in  alfalfa  and  five  in  or- 
chard, making  the  place  a  valuable  one.  At  the 
time  of  the  Perkins  massacre,  he  was  one  of  the 
party  engaged  in  the  pursuit  of  the  murderous 
redskins.  Mr.  Munn  has  courageously  and  pa- 
tiently braved  the  dangers  and  difficulties  inci- 
dent to  the  life  of  an  early  pioneer  and  now, 
close  to  the  goodly  age  of  three  score  and  ten,  he 
lives  comfortably  and  enjoys  the  friendship  of 
those  around  him. 


LORENZO   DAVIDSON,  living  three  miles 
south  and  three  west  of  North  Yakima,  is  one  of 


the  most  prosperous  ranchmen  in  the  Ahtanum 
valley  and  a  leading  citizen  of  that  section,  where 
he  has  lived  fourteen  years.  His  early  life  was 
spent  on  the  peninsula  of  Nova  Scotia,  where,  in 
the  year  1836,  he  came  into  the  world  to  bless  the 
home  of  William  and  Esther  (Crow)  Davidson. 
On  that  peaceful  and  fertile  peninsula,  too,  his 
parents  were  born,  and  there  today  his  father  is 
living  at  the  shadowy  age  of  ninety-one;  When 
seventeen  years  old,- young  Lorenzo  was  appren- 
ticed to  a  blacksmith  and,  excepting  eight  months 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  worked  at  his  trade  in 
Nova  Scotia  until  1869.  Then  he  crossed  the  con- 
tinent to  California,  worked  there  as  a  blacksmith 
five  years,  spent  a  year  at  his  old  home,  and  again 
went  to  California,  where  he  plied  his  trade  for 
six  years.  In  1882,  he  emigrated  from  the 
"Golden  state,"  settling  upon  a  homestead  in  the 
Horse  Heaven  section  of  the  Yakima  country, 
where  he  led  the  life  of  a  doughty  pioneer  for 
eight  years.  The  Ahtanum  valley  attracted  him  so 
strongly,  however,  that  in  1890  he  removed  there, 
buying  a  place  in  Wide  Hollow  basin.  There  he 
remained  eleven  years,  prospering  and  otherwise 
enjoying  life.  The  year  1901  saw  him  purchase  the 
adjoining  farm,  having  sold  his,  and  also  buy  the 
eighty-acre  ranch  upon  which  he  now  lives. 
Mr.  Davidson  and  Miss  Isabella  Watson,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Isabella  (McCune)  Watson,  na- 
tives of  Ireland,  were  united  in  marriage  in  Cali- 
fornia, in  the  year  1876,  and  to  this  union  three 
children  have  been  born :  Mrs.  Eva  M.  Hawn,  born 
May  27,  1877,  living  on  the  Ahtanum ;  Myrtle  E., 
May  1,  1880,  at  home;  and  Leon  P.;  born  October 
26,  1881,  died  at  the  age  of  sixteen  months.  John 
Watson  immigrated  to  America  when  a  young 
man  and  first  lived  in  Pennsylvania,  where,  at  Val- 
ley Forge,  in  1854,  Isabella  Watson,  was  born. 
Two  years  later  the  family  went  by  water  to  Cali- 
fornia, where  the  daughter  was  educated,  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  married  Mr.  Davidson. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
her  husband  a  member  of  the  Baptist  congrega- 
tion. In  politics,  Mr.  Davidson  is  a  Democrat. 
In  all,  he  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land,  seventy-five  of  which  are  in  alfalfa,  eight  in 
hops, and  a  portion  in  orchard;  he  also  has  a  band 
of  sixty  cattle,  selected  Shorthorn  and  Polled 
Angus,  and  considerable  small  stock.  Mr.  David- 
son may  well  feel  proud  of  his  success  in  life  and 
enjoys  the  further  blessing  of  his  fellow  men's 
respect  and  well  wishing. 


FRED  W.  BROOKER,  stockman  and  land 
owner,  resident  of  North  Yakima,  has  been  one  of 
the  active,  pushing  citizens  of  Yakima  county 
ever  since  1888,  when  he  first  purchased  land  in 
the  Wenas  valley.  Four  years  prior  to  this  he 
had  lived  in  Kittitas  county,  where  he  had  fol- 
lowed the  cattle   business.     He    is    a    native    of 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


605 


Broome  county,  New  York,  born  April  5,  1866. 
Leroy  Brooker,  his  father,  who  was  a  carpenter 
and  contractor  by  trade,  was  born  in  New  York, 
came  to  Yakima  county  in  1884,  and  lives  in  North 
Yakima.  The  mother,  Elizabeth  (Peters)  Brooker, 
was  also  a  native  of  New  York.  F.  W.  Brooker 
came  west  to  Colorado  with  his  parents  at  the 
age  of  seven,  receiving  his  education  in  the  high 
school  and  business  college  at  Denver.  When 
sixteen  he  went  to  work  for  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company  as  time-keeper  on  their  line 
through  Washington,  and  thus,  in  1884,  came  to 
locate  in  Kittitas  county,  from  which  he  moved, 
in  1888,  to  Yakima  county.  Having  learned  the 
carpenter's  trade  with  his  father  when  a  boy,  he, 
in  1890,  moved  to  North  Yakima  and  engaged  in 
work  with  his  father,  who  was  actively  following 
his  trade  at  that  place,  and  together  they  built 
many  of  the  fine  residences  on  Nob  Hill  and  also 
in  the  business  part  of  the  city.  In  the  spring  of 
1899  he  and  his  uncle,  Justice  C.  Brooker,  formed 
a  partnership  and  engaged  in  the  livery  business, 
opening  what  is  known  as  the  Fashion  stables. 
This  they  conducted  for  two  and  a  half  years, 
when  they  sold  the  stock  and  leased  the  barn. 
Since  that  time  Mr.  Brooker  has  given  his  atten- 
tion to  the  handling  of  cattle.  He  was  married, 
in  1888.  in  Yakima  county,  to  Miss  Rosa  R.  Tay- 
lor, daughter  of  George  S.  Taylor  and  Nancy 
(McLaughlin)  Taylor,  pioneers  of  Washington. 
Mrs.  Brooker  was  born  in  Selah  valley,  July  22, 
1872.  and  has  spent  her  entire  life  in  the  county. 
She  has  three  brothers  living  in  the  county :  Hardy 
J.,  Selah;  Emery  W.  R.,  mayor  of  Prosser;  and 
George  W.,  Selah.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brooker's  chil- 
dren are:  Gracie  G.,  born  May  18,  1889;  Fred  T., 
born  January  15,  1898.  Mr.  Brooker  is  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  owns  a  two -hundred  and  thirty 
acre  tract  of  fine  land  in  the  Selah  valley,  with 
fifty  head  of  Shorthorn  cattle;  and  is  feeding  one 
hundred  head  of  stock  cattle.  He  has  bred  and 
owned  some  of  the  best  trotting  horses  in  the 
state,  among  the  number  being  the  noted  Deoduse, 
2:ioj4;  Chester  Abbott,  2:09^2,  and  now  owns  a 
pacer  with  a  record  of  2 :29,  Senator  by  name. 
Mr.  Brooker  believes  that  there  is  no  more  desir- 
able place  for  homes,  and  that  nowhere  else  will 
be  'found  better  opportunities  for  acquiring  prop- 
erty and  becoming  independent,  than  in  the  Yak- 
ima valley.  He  is  one  of  the  successful  and  re- 
liable pioneers  of  the  county  and  is  held  in  highest 
esteem  by  a  very  large  circle  of  friends  and  ac- 
quaintances. 


WILLIAM  L.  COOK,  farmer  and  stockman 
residing  near  Yakima  City,  is  a  pioneer  of  both 
Klickitat  and  Yakima  counties,  having  been  born 
in  Klickitat  county,  in  1865,  when  the  inhabitants 
of  both  counties  could  be  counted  by  the  score 
instead  of  by   the   thousands.     He  is  the   son  of 


James  E.  and  Sarah  Ann  (Dalson)  Cook,  natives 
of  Virginia  and  Ohio,  respectively,  whose  biog- 
raphies will  be  found  among  those  of  other  Yak- 
ima county  pioneers.  The  paternal  ancestors 
were  Virginians  of  the  oldest  families  in  that  com- 
monwealth ;  the  maternal  side  of  the  house  is 
English.  William  was  five  years  old  when  the 
family  moved  to  Yakima  county  and  settled  near 
Yakima  City,  where  his  parents  still  reside.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen,  having  secured  a  common 
school  education,  he  began  riding  the  range,  and 
at  this  occupation  continued  until  he  had  gathered 
enough  stock  of  his  own  to  enter  into  business  on 
his  own  account.  In  1890,  his  father  gave  him  ten 
acres  of  fine  land  near  Yakima  City,  where  he 
now  lives,  farming  and  raising  stock.  May  II, 
1887,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Hildreth, 
daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (Brook)  Hildreth, 
natives  of  the  middle  west.  Her  father  emigrated 
to  Vancouver,  Washington,  in  1870,  and  settled  in 
Yakima  county  fourteen  years  later,  where  he  is 
still  living.  His  daughter  was  born  in  Clarke 
county,  Washington,  in  1870,  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Yakima  county,  and 
was  married  when  seventeen  years  old.  To  this 
union  have  been  born  the  following  children : 
Sarah  M.,  April  1,  1891  ;  William  E.,  October  17, 
1893;  Raymond  L.,  February  4,  1894;  Grace, 
April  1,  1895;  Edith,  June  3/1897;  Ruth,  March 
23,  1901.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Cook  is  affiliated  with 
the  Royal  Tribe  of  Joseph,  and  in  politics,  he  is 
a  stanch  Democrat.  He  owns  a  select  band  of 
thirty  fine  stock  cattle,  besides  several  horses,  and 
is  considered  a  progressive  young  farmer  of  his 
county. 


THOMAS  J.  McDANIEL,  Yakima  City,  is  a 
native-born  Oregonian  and  a  pioneer  in  Yakima 
county.  He  was  born  in  Polk  county,  Oregon, 
July  16,  1856,  to  the  union  of  Elisha  and  Lettie 
J.  (Cormack)  McDaniel.  The  father  was  born  in 
Kentucky,  January  8,  1825,  and  immigrated  with 
his  parents  to  Missouri  when  fourteen  years  old. 
In  1844  he  traveled  by  team  across  the  Plains  to 
Oregon,  and  the  next  year  took  up  a  donation 
claim  in  Polk  county,  and  engaged  in  the  stock 
business  on  an  extensive  scale,  becoming  the 
largest  stock  owner  in  the  state.  Here  he  raised 
his  family.  In  1864,  he  drove  a  band  of  several 
thousand  head  of  cattle  and  horses  into  Yakima 
county  and  settled  on  the  Yakima  river,  where 
he  continued  in  the  business  until  1885.  He  died 
in  1890.  He  owned  at  one  time  over  ten  thousand 
acres  of  land  in  Polk  county,  Oregon.  He  was  a 
breeder  of  fine  cattle  and  horses.  The  mother  of 
our  subject  was  of  German  and  English  descent, 
born  in  Iowa  in  1828.  Mr.  McDaniel  attended  the 
high  school  at  Salem,  Oregon.  He  remained  at 
home  with  the  father  in  the  stock  business  until 
twenty-one  years  old ;  he  then  entered  the  employ 


6o6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  for  four  years, 
and  settled  in  Yakima  county,  where  he  has  con- 
tinued to  live,  and  where  he  has  been  constantly 
interested  in  stock  until  within  the  last  two  years, 
during  which  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  saloon 
business  at  Yakima  City.  He  was  married  in 
North  Yakima,  in  1891,  to  Amy  A.  McLavy, 
daughter  of  James  and  Katie  (Harkin)  McLavy. 
Her  father  was  a  native  of  Iowa  and  an  engineer. 
Both  her  parents  are  dead.  Mrs.  McDaniel  was 
born  in  Iowa  in  1873,  came  to  Washington  when 
three  years  old,  and  was  raised  and  educated  in 
Goldendale.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Guy, 
Roy  and  Mrs.  Anna  Bilington.  To  the  marriage 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDaniel  have  been  born  three 
children:  George  A.,  Harry  T.  and  Mary  E., 
born  respectively  September  14,  1895,  October  6, 
1897,  and  May  3,  1901.  Airs.  McDaniel  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  McDaniel  is  an 
active  Democrat  and  a  man  of  influence  in  the 
local  councils  of  his  party.  He  is  respected  as  a 
man  of  business  integrity  and  has  made  a  suc- 
cess of  his  business  ventures. 


CHARLES  CAMPBELL  was  ushered  into 
this  world  November  18,  1858,  in  Washington, 
District  of  Columbia,  to  the  union  of  John  F.  and 
Cornelia  (Brown)  Campbell.  The  father  was  a 
native  of  Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  and 
was  a  cooper  by  trade.  He  later  moved  to  the 
state  of  Delaware,  where  he  lived  until  his  death. 
The  mother  was  born  in  Delaware  where  she  also 
died.  She  was  of  English  parentage.  Mr.  Camp- 
bell grew  to  manhood  in  Delaware,  and  was  there 
educated.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  parents 
until  nineteen,  when  he  went  to  Connecticut  to 
learn  the  trade  of  molder.  in  the  iron  works, 
which  he  followed  for  three  years.  He  then  en- 
tered a  meat  market  and  learned  the  trade  of  meat 
cutter,  which  he  pursued  in  Connecticut  for  three 
years.  In  1882  he  came  west  to  Washington, 
stopping  for  a  brief  period  at  Waitsburg  and  then 
coming  to  Yakima  county  in  1883.  He  took  a 
contract  for  cutting  wood  the  first  summer  and 
then  engaged  in  the  stock  business,  which  he  has 
since  followed.  He  is  a  breeder  of  thoroughbred 
running  horses,  and  the  best  breeds  of  draft 
horses,  including  the  Percheron  and  Clyde.  He 
was  married  in  North  Yakima,  in  1888,  to  Miss 
Bell  Splawn,  daughter  of  William  Splawn,  one 
of  the  oldest  and  best  known  pioneers  of  the 
Yakima  valley,  where  he  settled  in  the  early  six- 
ties and  where  he  is  still  living;  a  prominent 
farmer  and  stockman.  He  is  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri. The  mother,  Margaret  (Jacobs)  Splawn, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Campbell  is  a 
native  of  Parker  Bottom,  Yakima  county,  where 
she  was  born  in  1869.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell 
have  one  child,  George  W.,  born  in  Yakima  City 
in  1890.     Mr.  Campbell  is  a  Democrat.    He  owns 


a  farm  and  a  considerable  amount  of  fine  stock. 
He  is  a  man  of  influence  in  local  affairs  and  holds 
the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact 
in  a  business  or  social  way. 


JAMES  HARVEY,  residing  on  rural  free 
delivery  route  No.  2,  three  miles  southwest  of 
North  Yakima,  is  one  of  the  sterling  farmer- 
citizens  of  the  Yakima  country,  and  has  been 
particularly  successful  in  the  raising  of  hops,  his 
yards  being  among  the  best  in  the  county.  His 
birthplace  is  far-away  Scotland,  where,  in  the 
year  1858,  he  came  into  the  home  of  David  and 
Martha  (Fitsimmons)  Harvey,  both  of  whom 
were  also  natives  of  the  British  Isles.  His  father 
and  mother  both  died  at  their  home  in  Scotland. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared  among 
the  hills  and  heaths  of  his  native  country,  there 
receiving  his  education  and  serving  his  appren- 
ticeship to  the  carpenter's  trade.  For  a  year 
and  a  half  he  worked  at  his  trade  in  Glasgow. 
In  1880  he  sought  the  shores  of  America,  and 
after  carefully  looking  over  the  country,  located 
in  Yakima  City,  where  for  ten  years  he  was 
employed  at  his  trade.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
he  decided  to  permanently  settle  in  the  Yakima 
valley,  and  accordingly  purchased  seventy  acres 
of  land  one  mile  west  of  the  town.  During  the 
next  fourteen  years  he  farmed  and  worked  at  his 
trade,  gradually  accumulating  a  valuable  prop- 
erty and  learning  American  methods  of  farming. 
About  the  year  1892  the  Yakima  country  took 
up  h6p  culture  in  earnest,  and  in  that  year  Mr. 
Harvey  set  out  a  twelve-acre  yard,  purchasing 
twelve  acres  of  school  land  for  that  purpose. 
Two  years  later  he  added  twenty-five  acres  to 
his  holdings  and  set  out  an  additional  ten  acres 
in  hops,  and  he  has  lately  purchased  an  adjoin- 
ing yard  of  fourteen  acres.  For  the  first  five 
years  he  used  the  pole  system ;  then  changed  to 
the  trellis  system,  his  yard  being  the  second  one 
in  the  county  to  adopt  this  improvement.  The 
middle  nineties  were  not  encouraging  years  to 
the  Yakima  hop  grower,  but  Mr.  Harvey  had 
faith  in  the  business  and  patiently  withstood  his 
trials,  and  in  the  end  has  prospered.  Last  year 
(1903),  he  raised  thirty-one  and  one-half  tons,  all 
of  which  have  brought  very  satisfactory  prices. 
Mr.  Harvey  has  three  brothers :  William,  living 
in  Scotland ;  David  and  Thomas,  living  in  Yakima 
c  ounty ;  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Pogue, 
who  also  lives  in  Scotland.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church,  and  is  an  earnest  advo- 
cate of  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
His  property  interests  consist  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  high  grade  agricultural  land,  of 
which  forty-two  acres  are  in  hops,  thirty  in  alfal- 
fa, thirty  in  wheat  and  the  balance  in  pasture 
grasses ;  he  also  owns  a  half-interest  in  a  band 
of  two  thousand  five  hundred  sheep.   Mr.  Harvey 


JAMES  HARVEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


607 


is  a  substantial  and  respected  citizen,  belonging 
to  that  class  which  all  sections  are  proud  to 
number  among  their  residents. 


-AIRS.  MARY  A.  SPLAWN,  widow  of  Will- 
iam H.  H.  Splawn,  resides  upon  a  small,  well- 
improved  farm  three  miles  west  and  an  equal 
distance  south  of  the  city  of  North  Yakima, 
where  she  commands  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
her  neighbors  and  a  large  circle  of  friends.  Born 
in  Oregon,  in  1852,  she  is  the  daughter  of  James 
W.  and  Nancy  J.  (Miller)  Allen,  pioneers  of  the 
Northwest.  Her  father  was  born  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  during  his  early  life  followed  the  car- 
penter trade  and  sailing.  When  still  a  young 
man  he  settled  in  Iowa,  where  he  was  married, 
and  in  1851  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  using 
ox  teams.  In  that  far  western  territory  he  settled 
on  Eagle  creek,  where  he  built  a  mill.  After  a 
fifteen  years'  residence  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Allen  re- 
moved to  the  Ahtanum  valley,  Washington,  1866, 
and  there  lived  until  his  death  in  1891.  This 
hardy  pioneer  was  of  English  extraction.  His 
wife  and  her  parents  were  natives  of  Illinois  and 
pioneers  of  that  state  and  Iowa.  She  died  at  the 
mature  age  of  seventy-eight.  Mary  Allen  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Oregon  and 
came  to  the  Yakima  county  with  her  parents  in 
1866.  There,  when  only  fourteen  years  of  age, 
she  was  married  to  Horris  M.  Benton,  and  to 
this  union  were  born  the  only  children  she  has : 
Alary  M.,  born  February  6,  1867,  now  the  wife 
of  D.  D.  Reynolds ;  and  Sarah  C,  bom  December 
8,  1879,  now  the  wife  of  C.  E.  Finberg,  of  North 
Yakima.  In  1879,  after  the  matrimonial  ties 
which  bound  her  to  H.  M.  Benton  had  been  dis- 
solved, she  was  married  to  William  H.  H. 
Splawn,  a  member  of  the  noted  Splawn  family 
of  the  northwestern  pioneers  and  a  nephew  of 
William.  Charles  and  A.  Jackson  Splawn.  Her 
husband  came  to  Yakima  county  in  1870.  He 
•died  some  years  ago,  leaving  no  children.  Mrs. 
Splawn  owns  a  twenty-acre  tract  of  fine  land  on 
Ahtanum  creek,  nine  acres  being  in  alfalfa  and 
the  remainder  plow  land,  several  cows  and  a 
number  of  horses,  and  from  this  real  and  personal 
property  derives  a  steady,  substantial  income. 
She  is  bravely  facing  the  world  alone  and  daily 
•demonstrates  the  ability  of  her  sex  to  safely  take 
the  helm  of  life  into  its  own  hands  when  neces- 
sitv  so  wills. 


EUGENE  ROUNDTREE.  one  of  the  scores 
of  prosperous,  contented  farmers  in  the  Ahtanum 
valley,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in  1855  to  John 
and  Lydia  (Spooner)  Roundtree,  the  father  a  Mis- 
sourian,  the  mother  a  native  of  Kentucky.  John 
Roundtree  came  to  Illinois  in  early  days  and 
from  there,  in  1859,  crossed  the  Plains  to'  Puget 


Sound,  where  he  became  one  of  Washington's 
oldest  pioneers  and  lived  the  remainder  of  his 
years.  The  subject  of  this  article  was  only  four 
years  old  when  his  parents  came  to  Washington, 
but  withstood  the  fatiguing  trip  without  injury  to 
his  health.  At  the  age  of  nine  he  left  home  and 
went  to  Oregon,  where  for  two  years  he  worked 
at  various  tasks;  he  then  went  to  Jacksonville, 
and  when  only  thirteen  years  old  was  as  far  south 
as  California.  Six  years  later  he  returned  to  Ore- 
gon, staying  at  Eugene  a  year.  In  1882  he  came 
into  Klickitat  county,  and  for  two  years  farmed 
leased  property.  Soon  after  he  purchased  a  piece 
of  railroad  land,  later  sold  it,  and  until  1897  was 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  in  that 
county.  In  that  year  he  removed  to  Yakima 
county,  purchased  forty  acres  in  Wide  Hollow, 
sold  it,  bought  ten  acres  on  Nob  Hill,  sold  that, 
and  with  the  proceeds  acquired  the  twenty-acre 
farm  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  where  he  now  lives. 
The  fall  of  1878  marks  the  date  of  his  marriage  to 
Irene  Young,  of  Klickitat  county.  Her  parents 
were  Daniel  and  Alizan  (Henton)  Young,  both 
of  whom  are  dead.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ohio, 
was  a  pioneer  of  Illinois  and  Missouri,  and  in 
1847  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  teams  to  Oregon, 
where  Irene  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
1859.  Subsequently,  her  father,  then  a  widower, 
became  a  resident  of  Klickitat  county  and  there 
died.  She  was  married  when  eighteen  years  old. 
Her  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Mrs.  Maty  J.  Story 
(deceased);  John,  living  at  Cottage  Grove,  Ore- 
gon; Joseph,  living  at  Goldendale,  and  Elam,  liv- 
ing at  Little  Rock,  Washington.  To  the  union 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roundtree  have  been  born  four 
children:  Nettie,  July  9,  1883;  Eddie,  October  12, 
1885;  Maudie,  May  19,  1890;  and  Ethel  (de- 
ceased). February  18,  1895:  all  being  born  in 
Klickitat  county,  except  Maudie,  whose  birthplace 
is  Chehalis,  Washington.  Politically,  Mr.  Round- 
tree  is  a  steadfast  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party.  Seventeen  acres  of  his  farm  are  produc- 
ing alfalfa,  the  balance  being  in  garden.  Eight 
head  of  excellent  dairy  stock  are  also  no  unim- 
portant source  of  income.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Round- 
tree  have  reason  to  feel  proud  of  their  comfortable 
home  and  the  position  they  occupy  among  their 
friends   and   neighbors. 


DAVID  HARVEY,  living  on  his  ranch  six 
miles  southwest  of  the  city  of  North  Yakima,  is 
of  foreign  birth  and  parentage,  having  been  born 
in  Scotland,  in  1852,  to  the  union  of  David  and 
Martha  (Fitsimmons)  Harvey.  His  father  was 
a  farmer  and  lived  and  died  near  the  place  of  his 
birth,  his  death  occurring  at  the  age  of  seventy. 
Until  twenty-eight,  the  younger  David  remained 
at  home,  attending  school  and  assisting  his  father 
on   the   farm,  but   in   1880  he    immigrated    to    the 


6o8 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


United  States,  coming  direct  to  the  territory  of 
Washington.  Here  he  decided  to  settle  on  the 
Wenas  river,  and  accordingly  rented  a  ranch  there, 
and  for  five  years  was  engaged  in  raising,  sheep 
and  farming.  He  then  moved  to  Wide  Hollow 
creek  and  again  leased  land,  this  time  for  six 
years.  Finally,  however,  in  189 1,  he  purchased  the 
land  where  his  home  is  at  present,  paying  especial 
attention  to  hop  growing.  In  1893  he  set  out 
eight  acres  in  hops,  and  the  following  season 
doubled  that  acreage,  and  his  yard  now  comprises 
sixteen  acres.  Last  year  he  picked  twelve  tons  of 
hops,  which  commanded  the  most  satisfying  prices 
hop  growers  have  received  for  some  time.  Since 
removing  to  his  present  home  Mr.  Harvey  has 
also  given  attention  to  raising  stock,  success 
crowning  his  efforts  in  both  farming  and  stock 
raising.  He  has  three  brothers,  William  in  Scot- 
land, Thomas  in  North  Yakima,  and  James  in  the 
Ahtanum  valley,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Pollock,  also  living  in  Scotland.  Mr.  Harvey  was 
united  in  wedlock  in  1885  to  Miss  Anna  McCrea- 
die.  the  daughter  of  James  and  Maggie  (Gracie) 
McCreadie,  whose  biographies  will  be  found  on 
another  page.  Both  are  natives  of  Ireland.  They 
emigrated  from  the  British  Isles  in  1894,  and  are 
now  living  at  Mabton.  Mrs.  Harvey  was  born  in 
Scotland  in  1857  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  country.  She  came  to  America  in 
1885.  Three  children  brighten  the  Harvey  home : 
Maggie  J.,  born  January  2,  1887 ;  Annie  B.,  Oc- 
tober 23,  1890;  and  Francis  R.,  born  September 
18,  1902.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  are  church 
members,  the  husband  belonging  to  the  Presby- 
terian and  the  wife  to  the  Baptist  church.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  liberal  Republican,  loyal  to  the 
basic  principles  of  the  party,  but  ever  ready  to 
support  the  best  man  nominated  when  the  de- 
struction of  policies  is  not  involved.  Mr.  Har- 
vey's stock  interests  have  been  referred  to.  In 
this  line  he  is  making  a  specialty  of  breeding  fine 
Hereford  stock,  the  major  number  of  his  band  of 
sixty-five  cattle  belonging  to  that  breed.  He  also 
has  several  fine  horses.  His  ranch  contains  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  which  forty  are  in 
salt-grass,  fifty  are  producing  Yakima's  check  for 
gold — alfalfa — and  sixteen  acres  are  devoted  to  the 
production  of  hops,  in  which  the  Yakima  valley 
excels.  Air.  Harvey  and  his  wife  have  a  host  of 
warm  friends,  who  contribute  not  a  little  to  the 
enjoyment  of  one's  life,  and  as  a  man  of  strict 
integrity,  ability  and  substantial  worth,  he  com- 
mands the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact. 


STEPHEN  WADE.  The  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy is  a  native  of  England,  born  in  1831,  his 
parents  being  John  and  Mary  (Symons)  Wade, 
also  of  English  birth  and  extraction.     John  Wade 


was  born  in  1798;  his  wife  in  1806.  The  paternal 
ancestry  has  been  traced  back  as  far  as  1333  to 
William  Wade,  who  was  assessed  ten  pounds  six 
shillings  and  eight  pence,  by  King  Edward,  to 
carry  on  the  war  against  the  Scotch,  and  in  the 
family  have  been  many  of  note.  The  Symons 
family  is  also  a  distinguished  English  family, 
Mary  Symons  being  the  daughter  of  John,  who 
was  in  his  life  time  mayor  of  the  borough  of  Bos- 
siney.  This  place  is  of  historic  interest,  having 
been  the  residence  of  King  Arthur,  the  last  king 
of  the  ancient  Britons.  Stephen  Wade  lived  in 
England  until  his  father  immigrated  to  Canada  in 
1848,  and  attended  both  English  and  Canadian 
schools.  When  he  became  of  age,  however,  his 
father  sent  him  to  England  to  dispose  of  property 
belonging  to  the  family,  a  mission  which  he  suc- 
cessfully accomplished,  returning  to  the  home- 
stead in  America  two  years  later.  Subsequently 
he  returned  to  England,  in  1858,  and  was  there 
united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Frances  Wade, 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Wakham)  Wade. 
Frances  Wade  was  born  in  England,  in  the  year 
1826,  received  a  public  school  education,  and  at 
the  age  of  thirty-two  was  married  to  Mr.  Wade. 
Returning  to  America,  Mr.  Wade  engaged  in 
farming,  first  in  Canada,  then  in  South  Dakota, 
where  he  lived  nine  years.  In  1890  he  went  farther 
west,  settling  in  the  thriving  metropolis  of  Ta- 
coma,  where  he  conducted  a  grocery  business  for 
three  years.  Fortunately,  he  was  able  to  sell  his 
business  before  the  full  force  of  the  panic  struck 
the  Northwest,  and  with  the  proceeds  purchased 
the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  Prosperity  has 
now  smiled  upon  him  and  industry  and  pluck 
have  not  been  lacking  in  his  character,  as  the  re- 
sult of  which  he  possesses  a  fine  ranch  in  a  most 
desirable  locality.  They  have  five  children :  John 
S.,  born  February  13,  1859,  in  Canada;  Stephen, 
November  23,  i860,  in  Canada;  William,  February 
19,  1862,  in  Canada;  Mrs.  Mary  Bray,  June  26, 
1866,  in  Canada ;  and  Charles,  also  born  in  Canada, 
January  26,  1870.  Mr.  Wade  is  a  member  of  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  both 
himself  and  wife  partake  of  the  Episcopal  com- 
munion. In  politics,  he  is  an  active  Democrat, 
taking  part  in  all  general  campaigns.  During  all 
his  life  he  has  been  an  ardent  friend  of  educa- 
tional institutions  and  for  thirty  years  past  has 
been  a  member  of  school  boards  in  his  community. 
At  present  he  is  clerk  of  school  district  No.  26. 
His  property,  jointly  with  his  sons'  interests, 
consists  of  eighty  acres,  forty-five  of  which  are 
raising  alfalfa;  ten  are  in  hops;  six  in  orchard, 
and  the  balance  in  plow  land.  Besides  this  real 
property,  he  owns  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of 
cattle,  fifteen  head  of  horses  and  small  stock.  Mr. 
Wade  is  one  of  the  county's  substantial  men  in 
every  respect,  and  is  highly  esteemed  in  his  com- 
munity. 


>l"k-i:i|.lir,|   hi    1  ■.  ,1.  Tl.-kn 


DAVID    HARVEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


609 


GEORGE  WILSON,  living  in  North  Yakima, 
is  one  of  Yakima  county's  substantial  and  highly 
respected  citizens  and  successful  business  men — 
a  man  who  has  made  the  most  of  his  opportunities 
since  arriving  in  the  rich  Yakima  valley  in  1877. 
His  parents,  William  and  Isabella  (Vernou)  Wil- 
son, were  natives  of  Scotland,  where  they  lived 
and  died,  the  father  being  a  farmer.  The  son 
George  was  born  there  in  the  year  185 1  and  there 
received  his  education,  remaining  at  home  until 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  when  he  set  out  into  the 
world  to  seek  his  fortune.  In  1876  he  crossed  the 
Atlantic,  landing  in  New  York  city,  whence  he 
went  by  rail  to  San  Francisco,  where  he  accepted 
a  position  with  the  Southern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company.  After  remaining  with  that  company  a 
short  time  he  prospected  in  Arizona,  farmed  in 
Oregon,  and  finally,  in  the  fall  of  1877,  came  to 
Yakima  county,  where  his  first  work  was  in  a  log- 
ging camp  near  Soda  Springs.  There  he  worked 
until  May,  1878,  and  then  settled  on  government 
land  on  Wide  Hollow,  but  did  not  use  his  citizen- 
ship rights  on  the  claim,  purchasing  another  man's 
squatter  rights  to  a  quarter  section  and  moving 
thither.  Subsequently,  he  bought  a  tract  of  eighty- 
one  acres  of  deeded  land,  and  later  purchased  a 
section  of  railroad  land  in  the  Cowiche  valley,  the 
latter  tract  being  valuable  principally  for  grazing 
purposes.  For  twenty  years  Mr.  Wilson  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock  raising,  but  in  1901 
he  sold  his  ranch  and  stock  interests  and  removed 
to  North  Yakima,  where  he  erected  the  handsome 
brick  block  which  bears  his  name.  This  sightly 
structure  stands  on  the  southeast  corner  of  Yak- 
ima avenue  and  Third  street  and  is  occupied  by 
stores  and  offices.  Mr.  Wilson  also  bought,  at 
this  time,  a  five-acre  tract  of  suburban  property, 
upon  which  he  built  a  fine  eight-room  modern 
residence,  where  he  now  lives.  In  1884  he  made 
a  trip  to  his  birthplace  and  was  there  united  in 
marriage  to  Anna  MacMecken,  daughter  of  Hugh 
and  Ann  (Fernie)  MacMecken.  Mrs.  Wilson 
was  born  in  1856  and  was  given  a  good  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  her  native  land.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  have  been  born  the  follow- 
ing children:  Anna,  born  in  1885;  William,  in 
1887;  Robina,  in  1889;  Georgina,  in  1892,  and 
Harry,  in  1900;  Yakima  county  being  the  birth- 
place of  all.  Mr.  Wilson  and  his  wife  are  devoted 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  faith.  •  In  politics, 
he  is  a  stanch  Republican  and  a  supporter  of  the 
present  administration. 


JOHN  J.  TYLER,  whose  home  is  in  North 
Yakima,  is  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  Yakima 
county,  with  whose  history  he  has  been  promi- 
nently identified.  His  life  has  been  one  of  varied 
experiences,  the  field  of  action  ranging  from  New 
York  to  Washington  and  from  Alaska  to  Central 


America.  Born  in  Yates,  Orleans  county,  New 
York,  in  1850,  the  son  of  John  H.  and  Saloma 
M.  (Gates)  Tyler,  he  comes  of  old  Puritan  stock, 
both  parents  having  been  natives  of  Vermont  and 
descendants  of  Revolutionary  war  veterans.  John 
H.  Tyler  was  in  the  War  of  1812,  and  for  some 
time  represented  his  county  in  the  legislature.  The 
father  died  in  1856;  the  mother  several  years 
later.  John  J.  Tyler  lived  with  his  parents  on  the 
farm  and  attended  school,  including  a  period  at 
the  Yates  Academy,  until  young  manhood,  when 
he  began  to  teach  school.  He  taught  and  farmed, 
alternately,  until  1877,  when  he  came  west,  stop- 
ping first  in  Seattle,  where  he  commenced  work 
in  the  large  jewelry  house  of  W.  G.  Jameson.  A 
year  later  he  went  to  Tacoma  and  opened  a  small 
jewelry  store,  but  after  a  year's  experience  aban- 
doned this  business  and  removed  to  Ellensburg, 
where  he  accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  store  of  John 
A.  Shoudy  and  subsequently  engaged  in  carpen- 
tering. In  1882,  as  the  candidate  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  he  was  elected  sheriff  of  Yakima 
county,  an  event  which  necessitated  his  residing 
in  Yakima  City.  So  well  did  he  administer  the 
office  that  he  was  re-elected  in  1884  and  faith- 
fully served  the  people  until  failing  health  com- 
pelled him  to  resign,  in  May,  1886.  Three  years 
in  Honduras,  Central  America,  followed,  during 
which  he  was  engaged  in  placing  mining  machin- 
ery, and  another  year  in  Dallas,  Texas,  elapsed 
before  his  return  to  Yakima  county,  in  improved 
health.  He  then  engaged  in  mining  in  the  Okan- 
ogan region  for  four  years.  The  year  1896  saw 
him  in  Alaska,  where  he  spent  a  season  mining, 
and  after  a  year  in  Oregon,  placing  machinery 
in  the  Blue  River  country,  Mr.  Tyler  again  re- 
turned to  the  Alaskan  mines.  While  in  Alaska 
the  last  time  he  was  on  the  scene  of  the  great 
snowslide  which  killed  fifty-seven  people,  and 
was  among  the  rescuers.  Returning  again  to  the 
states,  Mr.  Tyler  spent  several  months  on  the 
coast  and  then  came  once  more  to  North  Yakima, 
arriving  in  July,  1902,  where  he  is  now  engaged 
as  a  building  contractor. 

His  marriage  to  Miss  Kate  F.  Fuehrbach,  a 
native  of  Missouri,  and  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Casper  Fuehrbach,  took  place  in  1888.  In  1883 
Miss  Fuehrbach  was  appointed  to  fill  the  office 
of  auditor  and  county  clerk  of  Yakima  county, 
the  auditor-elect  having  died.  Her  father  came 
to  North  Yakima  from  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  in 
1881,  and  at  the  present  writing  is  conducting  a 
barber  shop  in  the  first  mentioned  city.  Mr. 
Tyler  has  one  sister,  two  half-sisters,  and  one  half- 
brother,  all  living  in  the  east,  and  also  two  sons, 
Willard  and  Gilbert,  living  in  California.  The 
sons  are  from  a  former  marriage  of  Mr.  Tyler. 
He  is  affiliated  with  both  the  Masons  and  the 
Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and  in  poli- 
tics  has   always   been   a    Republican.      Mr.   Tyler 


6io 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


owns  a  ranch,  lying  six  miles  west  of  North  Yak- 
ima, which  he  is  leasing  at  present.  As  a  coura- 
geous, energetic  pioneer,  an  efficient  public  offi- 
cer and  a  respected  citizen  who  has  been  in  the 
past,  and  is  now,  identified  with  the  upbuilding 
of  the  community,  Mr.  Tyler  is  accorded  a  place 
in   this  volume. 


WILLIAM  H.  VESSEY,  whose  home  is  sit- 
uated in  North  Yakima,  is  one  of  the  leading 
stockmen  in  central  Washington.  Born  in  Port- 
land, Oregon,  October  13,  i860,  he  is  the  son 
of  two  pioneers  of  the  Northwest.  John  and  Ann 
(Harer)  Vessey,  of  English  descent.  John  Ves- 
sey  was  born  in  England  and  came  to  America 
in  1843,  settling  first  in  New  York.  In  1849  ne 
went  to  California  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  and  for 
a  year  was  busy  with  pick  and  shovel  in  the  mines 
of  the  new  El  Dorado.  He  then  came  to  Portland 
and  was  married.  Mr.  Vessey  continued  to  fol- 
low his  trade,  that  of  a  mechanic,  and  other  pur- 
suits, in  the  Willamette  valley  until  1879,  when 
he  moved  to  Walla  Walla ;  he  died  there  in  1900. 
The  Harer  family  came  to  Oregon  from  Arkan- 
sas, that  state  being  Ann  Harer's  birthplace. 
They  came  in  the  emigration  of  1852.  While 
in  the  Blue  mountains,  the  wearisome  journey 
nearly  accomplished  and  the  promised  land  al- 
most within  sight,  father  and  mother  became  ill 
with  the  cholera  and  died  after  a  short  sickness, 
having  consecrated  their  lives  to  the  spread  of  civ- 
ilization into  the  Northwest.  The  little  orphan  girl 
was  cared  for  by  other  emigrants,  and  subse- 
quently became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Vessey;  she  died 
November  25,  1880.  William  H.  Vessey  received 
a  common  school  education  in  Portland.  When 
only  thirteen  years  old,  however,  he  began  to  do 
for  himself,  entering  the  employ  of  William 
Humes,  in  a  salmon  cannery.  After  a  year's  ex- 
perience in  this  work  the  youth  labored  on  a  farm 
in  Washington  county  until  1876,  coming  to 
Walla  Walla  in  the  fall  of  that  year  and  entering 
the  service  of  his  uncle,  caring  for  stock.  A  year 
later  he  engaged  in  ranging  sheep,  learning  the 
business  thoroughly,  so  that  in  1882  he  was  able 
to  care  successfully  for  his  own  herds.  Mr.  Ves- 
sey ranged  his  herds  in  Umatilla  county  until 
1889,  when  he  moved  into  the  lower  Yakima  val- 
ley. Since  that  date  he  has  made  either  Kiona 
or  Prosser  his  headquarters.  Since  coming  to 
Washington  Mr.  Vessey  .has  entered  into  partner- 
ship with  another  Yakima  stockman,  and  together 
they  range  from  twelve  thousand  to  fifteen  thousand 
sheep  each  year. 

Mr.  Vessey  was  married  in  Walla  Walla,  1883, 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Defreece.  the  daughter  of  James 
Defreece.  Both  parents  were  natives  of  Missouri, 
the  children  of  pioneers;  were  married  in  that 
state  and  in   1879  crossed  the  Plains  to  Umatilla 


county,  Oregon,  settling  near  Milton.  In  1888 
Mr.  Defreece  immigrated  to  the  Big  Bend  region, 
Washington,  and  lived  near  Davenport  until  his 
death.  Mrs.  Vessey  was  born  in  Nebraska  in 
1865,  and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Nebraska  and  Oregon,  marrying  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  Their  only  child,  Estella,  born  in  Ore- 
gon, July  29,  1884,  died  April  25,  1893.  Mr.  Ves- 
sey is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Elks.  Mrs. 
Vessey  is  connected  with  the  Episcopal  church. 
Mr.  Vessey  is  prominent  in  the  Republican  party, 
and  in  1903  was  appointed  and  confirmed  as  one 
of  Washington's  state  fair  commissioners,  but  de- 
clined the  honor.  The  co-partnership  in  which 
he  is  interested  has  among  its  assets  sixteen  thou- 
sand acres  of  grazing  land  in  Yakima  county,  a 
section  of  wheat  land  in  cultivation,  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  irrigated  by  the  Sunnyside  canal, 
twenty  acres  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  a  quarter- 
section  near  Mabton,  considerable  city  property 
in  North  Yakima  and  Prosser,  one  hundred  head 
of  horses  and  seven  thousand  head  of  sheep;  in 
all  of  which  he  has  a  half-interest,  giving  him  an 
unusually  valuable  property.  His  faithful  indus- 
try has  won  him  deserved  success  in  business, 
which,  added  to  his  reputation  as  a  man  of  high 
principle  and  to  his  personal  congeniality,  gives 
him  a  position  of  influence  in  the  Yakima  coun- 
try. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Vessey  enjoy  the  friendship 
of   all   with   whom   thev  are   associated. 


ABRAHAM  W.  MORRISON,  residing  six 
miles  west  of  the  city  of  North  Yakima,  has  been 
a  successful  farmer  in  Yakima  county  for  nearly 
a  quarter  of  a  century.  Born  in  Pike  county,  Illi- 
nois, in  1843,  ne  is  the  son  of  James  D.  and  Lydia 
(Lee)  Morrison,  natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  In- 
diana respectively.  His  father  moved  from  Penn- 
sylvania to  Indiana,  thence  to  Illinois,  where  he 
lived  sixteen  years,  and  finally  settled  in  Mis- 
souri, where  his  death  occurred  in  1870.  Abra- 
ham worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm  in  Illi- 
nois and  Missouri  until  the  Civil  war  burst  over 
the  nation.  At  that  time  he  was  eighteen  years 
old  and,  his  qualifications  being  sufficient  to  per- 
mit of  his  acceptance,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E, 
Seventh  Missouri  cavalry,  in  which  he  valiantly 
served  his  flag  for  three  years  one  month  and 
eleven  days,  participating  in  the  famous  battles 
of  Pea  Ridge,  Cross  Hollows  and  Lone  Jack,  be- 
sides many  smaller  ones.  His  army  life  came  to 
an  end  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1864,  when  he 
was  mustered  out.  Returning  home,  he  remained 
there  until  his  father's  death.  The  succeeding 
fall  he  was  married,  and  in  the  spring  of  1877 
the  young  husband  and  wife  crossed  the  Plains 
by  mule  teams  to  the  Willamette  valley.  There 
they  lived  until  the  fall  of  1880,  then  moved  to 
Washington,  where  Mr.  Morrison  filed  a  home- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


611 


Stead  claim  to  a  quarter  section  lying  near  Prosser. 
In  the  new  home  he  followed  farming  and  stock 
raising  successfully  for  many  years.  He  then  sold 
his  place  and  moved  into  the  Yakima  valley, 
choosing  as  a  residence  a  place  one  and  one-half 
miles  southwest  of  North  Yakima,  where  he  lived 
a  year  previous  to  buying  his  present  ranch  on 
Wide  Hollow.  His  bride  in  1870  was  Miss  Alma 
Lybyer,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Rachel  (Carpen- 
ter) Lybyer,  both  of  Dutch  descent.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and  lived  the  greater 
portion  of  his  life  in  Indiana,  and  died  in  Mis- 
souri ;  the  mother  was  born  in  Indiana  and  reared 
eight  children.  Mrs.  Morrison,  who  was  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana,  born  in  1854,  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  that  state,  and  was  sev- 
enteen years  old  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to 
Mr.  Morrison.  Their  happy  home  was  recently 
covered  by  a  pall  of  sorrow,  placed  there  by  the 
grim  reaper,  September  21,  1903,  when  husband 
and  children  watched  the  light  of  life  in  the  eyes 
of  her  they  loved  so  well  flicker  out  forever.  She 
was  the  mother  of  six  children — George  W.,  born 
in  1871;  James  D.,  1874;  Gertie,  1876;  Roy,  1879; 
Mrs.  Edith  Stair,  1881,  living  at  Mabton;  and 
Jessie,  1884,  at  home.  Mr.  Morrison  has  five 
brothers  and  sisters,  as  follows :  Mrs.  Mary  A. 
Chapman,  living  in  Oregon ;  Mrs.  Nancy  Turn- 
baugh,  in  Missouri;  Mrs.  Maria  Carr,  in  Kan- 
sas; John  L.,  in  Ahtanum  valley,  and  James  W., 
also  in  the  Ahtanum.  Mr.  Morrison  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  and  in  politics  a  stal- 
wart Democrat.  As  the  successful  candidate  of 
his  party,  he  served  as  one  of  Yakima  county's 
commissioners  during  the  years  1887-8,  making 
an  excellent  record.  His  ranch  is  divided  as  fol- 
lows :  Fifty-five  acres  in  alfalfa;  ten  acres  in  clo- 
ver and  timothy;  twelve  acres  in  a  hop  yard,  from 
which  he  harvested  thirteen  tons  last  fall;  five 
acres  in  bearing  orchard;  and  the  balance  in  plow 
land  and  building  sites.  His  stock  interests  in- 
clude eleven  horses,  thirty  hogs  and  several  head 
of  fine  cattle.  As  a  substantial  citizen  of  his 
county,  a  man  devoted  to  his  home,  and  of  gen- 
erous impulses,  he  is  esteemed  by  his  fellow  men. 


CHARLES  LONGMIRE,  living  in  North 
Yakima,  is  one  of  the  prominent  stockmen  and 
land  owners  in  Yakima  county,  and  for  thirty- 
two  years  has  been  identified  with  its  growth  and 
upbuilding,  having  settled  upon  its  hunch-grass 
plains  in  1872.  He  has  watched  the  desert  trans- 
formed into  a  garden,  has  witnessed  the  rise  of 
the  county  from  one  of  small  importance  into  a 
position  among  the  leading  counties  of  the  state, 
and  himself  has  joined  with  others  in  rolling  on- 
ward the  wheel  of  progress.  Born  in  Illinois,  Mav 
30,  1848,  the  son  of  Charles  and  Susanna  (Rod- 


erick) Longmire,  he  bears  the  name  of  a  family 
a  portion  of  which  became  well  known  pioneers 
of  California.  His  father  crossed  the  Plains  to 
California  with  his  family  in  1854,  where  they  re- 
sided until  the  death  of  the  father,  in  the  sixties. 
The  family  farmed  and  raised  stock,  and  the 
mother  passed  away  in  the  early  seventies.  At 
the  new  home  in  California,  Charles  was  given  as 
good  an  education  as  possible  under  the  circum- 
stances, and  remained  at  home  until  of  age,  when 
he  commenced  farming  on  his  own  place.  Until 
May  6,  1872,  he  lived  in  California,  but  on  that 
date  he  started  tor  the  Yakima  country,  where 
he  immediately  entered  the  stock  raising  and 
farming  industries,  in  which  he  is  at  present  en- 
gaged, though  living  in  the  city.  In  1853  James 
Longmire  and  his  family  left  the  prairies  of  Illi- 
nois and  began  a  memorable  trip  across  the  Plains 
and  mountains  to  the  farthest  settlement  in  the 
Northwest,  the  Olympia  and  Steilacoom  settle- 
ment on  Puget  Sound.  There  they  settled  on  Yelm 
prairie,  where  the  mother,  Varinda  (Taylor) 
Longmire,  still  lives  in  her  seventy-seventh  year. 
To  this  place  Charles  Longmire  journeyed  in  1869 
and  there  married  Miss  Laura  M.  Longmire,  the 
fifth  of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  the  others  be- 
ing Elcain,  David,  Talatha  Kandle,  John,  Melissa 
Rice,  Martha  Conine,  Frank,  Robert,  George  and 
James,  all  of  whom  but  James  are  living.  Charles 
Longmire's  brothers  and  sisters  are  as  follows : 
Simon,  living  in  Washington ;  Andrew,  a  Califor- 
nia farmer;  Cyrus,  Lewis  and  Leonard,  also  in 
California;  Susanna  Shaw,  Ellen  Mclntyre  and 
Martha,  residents  of  California  also.  Eight  chil- 
dren were  the  issue  of  the  marriage,  three  of 
whom — Edith,  Wilmer  and  Emma — are  dead.  The 
others  are  Mrs.  Louisa  Backer,  whose  borne  is 
in  Yakima  county;  Merritt,  Mrs.  Ora  Taylor,  Mett 
and  Lewis,  all  of  whom  except  Louisa  were  born 
in  Yakima  county.  Mr.  Longmire  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  but  is  such  an  admirer  of  President 
Roosevelt  that  he  will  support  him  for  a  second 
term  as  chief  executive  of  the  United  States.  In 
county  affairs  he  votes  for  the  most  capable  man. 
Both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Con- 
gregational church.  Six  hundred  and  sixty-nine 
acres  of  fine  farming  land  in  Yakima  county,  two 
houses  and  lots  in  the  city  of  North  Yakima  and 
considerable  stock  constitute  the  major  portion 
of  Mr.  Longmire's  worldly  possessions,  and  the 
management  of  this  property  occupies  most  of  his 
time.  A  hardy  life  on  the  frontier,  full  of  rough 
knocks  and  interesting  experiences,  the  excite- 
ment of  numerous  Indian  scares,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  the  one  of  1878  in  Yakima 
county,  prosperity  in  financial  matters  and  a  good 
home  have  fitted  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Longmire  for  the 
enjoyment  of  their  declining  years — a  reward 
justly  due  them. 


612 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


WILLIAM  H.  WHIPPLE.  The  subject  of 
this  biographical  sketch  is  a  well  known  and 
highly  respected  stockman  residing  in  North  Yak- 
ima, where  he  is  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
cattle,  horses  and  sheep.  His  whole  life  has  been 
a  preparation  for  this  difficult  business,  requiring 
as  it  does  long  experience,  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  stock  and  keen  business  abilities,  so  that  it  is 
not  strange  that  Mr.  Whipple  has  reaped  success. 
He  was  born  in  New  York  state  in  the  year  1848, 
his  parents  being  Eli  and  Marion  (Bosworth) 
Whipple,  pioneers  and  natives  of  that  state,  where 
both  are  buried.  The  Bosworths  were  sailors  and 
citizens  of  Massachusetts  before  removing  to  New 
York.  William  H.  very  early  in  life  manifested 
unusual  business  ability,  as  may  be  seen  from  the 
fact  that  when  only  twenty  years  old  he  purchased 
a  farm,  paying  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lars therefor.  His  father  died  when  our  subject 
was  only  seven  years  of  age,  leaving  the  son  to 
secure  his  education  as  best  he  could  and  other- 
wise do  for  himself.  By  working  industriously  on 
dairy  farms  the  fatherless  boy  was  able  to  not 
only  secure  an  education,  but  obtain  a  better  start 
in  life  than  do  most  young  men.  Ten  years  he 
continued  in  the  dairy  business  in  New  York.  He 
then  sold  out  and  removed  to  Nebraska,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  same  occupation  for  the 
following  five  years.  In  1883  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, remained  there  a  short  time  and  drove  back 
to  Nebraska,  visiting  several  mining  camps  on 
the  journey.  Arriving  at  his  old  home,  he  again 
engaged  in  dairying  and  successfully  carried  on 
that  business  until  1891,  when  he  again  turned 
westward,  locating  his  home  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
Thence  he  went  to  Ogden,  where  he  conducted 
a  hotel  for  two  years,  and  then  purchased  a  band 
of  sheep  at  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho.  Two  years  later 
he  came  to  North  Yakima,  where  for  two  years 
previous  to  entering  the  present  commission  busi- 
ness he  owned  a  meat  market.  He  was  married 
to  Helen  E.,  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Harriet 
(Webb)  Knickerbocker,  natives  of  New  York, 
in  New  York  state.  Her  paternal  ancestors  were 
of  Holland  Dutch  descent ;  the  maternal  ancestors 
of  French  descent,  Mrs.  Knickerbocker  being  one 
of  fourteen  children.  Both  grandparents  are  dead. 
Helen  E.  Knickerbocker  was  born  in  New  York 
in  1848  and  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty. 
One  child  was  the  result  of  this  union,  William 
K.  Whipple,  born  in  New  York,  June  11,  1870, 
and  now  living  in  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Whipple 
belongs  to  the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen, 
is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  He  owns  valuable  city  prop- 
erty and  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of 
central  Washington's  progressive  metropolis. 


DANIEL  W.  NELSON,  farmer  and  stock- 
man, living  in  the  Naches  valley,  is  a  member  of 


the  well  known  Nelson  family  of  pioneers,  who 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  central  Wash- 
ington and  the  first  permanent  settlers  on  the 
Naches  river.  The  head  of  this  family,  Judge 
John  B.  Nelson,  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1817;  the 
mother,  Clarissa  (James)  Nelson,  was  a  Ken- 
tuckian,  born  the  same  year  as  her  husband. 
Through  man)'  a  wilderness  and  over  many  a 
trail  these  two  indomitable  pioneers  went,  ever 
seeking  the  westernmost  west  and  always  hov- 
ering along  the  frontier,  reaching  their  journey's 
end  at  last  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Naches, 
where  they  laid  down  life's  burdens.  Daniel  W. 
was  born  in  Oregon,  March  29,  185 1,  seven  years 
after  the  arrival  of  his  parents  in  the  Willamette, 
valley,'  and  there  his  education  was  begun.  In  the 
sixties  the  Nelsons  removed  to  the  Klickitat 
valley  and  finally,  in  1865,  brought  their  stock 
over  the  divide  into  the  Yakima  country  and  took 
claims  near  the  mouth  of  the  Naches  river.  A 
little  later  they  moved  through  the  gap  and  into 
the  valley  proper,  Daniel  remaining  with  his 
parents  until  seventeen  years  old,  when  he  went 
to  Oregon  and  assisted  in  laying  the  first  twenty 
miles  of  railroad  track  built  from  Portland  up 
to  Parrott  creek.  The  following  spring  he  en- 
tered the  blacksmithing  department  of  the  Ore- 
gon &  California  Railroad  Company.  When  this 
company  was  merged  into  the  Oregon  Railway 
&  Navigation  Company,  Daniel  worked  for  that 
corporation  two  years,  after  which  he  began  pros- 
pecting in  the  Cascade  mountains,  with  the  result 
that  he  became  one  of  the  discoverers  of  the  Gold 
Hill  placers  in  1876.  Toeether  with  H.  L. 
Tucker,  George  Gibbs  and  James  Robinson,  he 
mined  in  that  district  until  1880,  spending,  be- 
sides his  time,  his  share  of  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  dollars  in  taking-  out  an  aggregate  of 
one  thousand  four  hundred  dollars  in  dust.  Since 
then  the  district  has  become  one  of  importance. 
After  another  year  in  railroad  work,  Mr.  Nelson 
became  a  freighter  between  The  Dalles  and  Yak- 
ima City,  at  which  occupation  he  continued 
until  1872,  when  he  filed  a  pre-emption  claim  to 
the  land  that  he  at  present  occupies  as  his  home. 
The  ouarter  section  was  eventually,  however, 
deeded  to  him  as  a  homestead.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  one  vear,  that  of  1900,  when  he  went  to 
Alaska  and  spent  a  year  in  the  Nome  district,  in 
which  he  located  a  claim  eighteen  miles  north- 
west of  Nome  Citv,  Mr.  Nelson  has  lived  on 
his  place  in  the  Naches  vallev,  farming  and  rais- 
ing stock.  Mr.  Nelson's  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Mrs.  Margaret  Frush,  Jasper,  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
VanSickle.  Thomas  B.,  John  J.,  George  W., 
Adam.  Mrs.  Alice  Sinclair.  Arabella  and  Mrs. 
Louisa  Dix.  Mr.  Nelson  and  Miss  Isabella  Drys- 
dale,  daughter  of  George  and  Margaret  (Shearer) 
Drvsdale,  natives  of  Nova  Scotia,  where  both  were 
born  in  1820  and  where  the  latter  is  still  living, 
were  united  in  marriage,  and  to  them  have  been 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


613 


born  the  following  children :  Helen  F.,  born 
September  14,  1885,  now  attending  the  North 
Yakima  High  school ;  Daniel  D.,  born  March  6, 
1889.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  church,  and  Mr.  Nelson  belongs 
to  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  Fourteen  hundred 
acres  of  land  stand  in  his  name,  including  the 
well  improved  ranch  he  lives  upon.  He  leases 
three  sections  of  grazing  land  and  has  a  herd  of 
sixty  cattle.  The  possession  of  this  valuable 
property  speaks  well  for  the  industry  that  Mr. 
Nelson  has  displayed,  and  such  is  his  integrity 
that  those  who  know  him  consider  his  word  as 
good  as  his  bond. 


.  JOSEPH  F.  CHAMBERLAIN,  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  Wenas  livery  stables,  North 
Yakima,  is  the  son  of  James  L.  and  Christiana 
(Kincaid)  Chamberlain,  natives  of  Kentucky  and 
Illinois,  respectively,  his  mother  being  born  in 
1832  and  his  father  in  1830.  His  father  crossed 
the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1851  and  his  mother 
came  to  the  Willamette  valley  with  her  parents 
a  year  later,  where,  August  7,  1853,  the  two 
young  immigrants  were  united  in  marriage.  A 
varied  life  in  California  and  Oregon  followed,  but 
in  1878  they  came  to  Klickitat  county  and  subse- 
quently to  Yakima  county,  and  in  these  two 
politicial  divisions  they  have  since  lived.  Mr. 
Chamberlain  was  a  pioneer  merchant  at  Cleve- 
land and  Prosser.  At  present,  in  their  declining 
years,  they  are  happily  settled  on  a  fine  suburban 
tract  near  the  city  of  North  Yakima.  To  them 
have  been  born  the  following  children,  of  which 
the  subject  of  this  biography  was  one:  John  G., 
July  1,  1854,  now  dead;  Mrs.  America  J.  Hamil- 
ton, September,  1856,  living  in  Klickitat  county; 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Grant,  December  15,  1858,  living 
in  Oregon;  Ida  B.  (deceased),  born  February  20, 
1861;  Paul  P.,  March  15,  1862,  living  in 
Klickitat  county;  Joseph  F.,  August  27,  1868; 
William  F.,  1871  (deceased)  ;  Ervvin  L.,  March 
15,  1872,  living  on  the  reservation;  Fran- 
ces, August  9,  1865  (deceased)  ;  Mrs.  Emily 
White,  November  24.  1874,  living  on  the  Naches 
river,  and  James  B.,  April  7,  1878,  living  in 
North  Yakima  (see  his  biography).  Joseph  F. 
was  educated  in  Oregon  and  Washington.  When 
he  was  ten  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Klicki- 
tat county  and  there,  at  the  age  of  eleven,  young 
Chamberlain  manfully  took  his  part  in  the  pioneer 
life  around  him.  riding  the  range  for  J.  M.  Bax- 
ster,  then  for  Sharkey  and  later  for  Snipes  & 
Allen;  his  work,  however,  not  being  confined  to 
his  home  county.  A  four  years'  service  for  the 
Moxee  Company  followed  and  in  1895  the  pur- 
chase of  a  ranch  on  the  Naches.  Subsequently 
Mr.  Chamberlain  removed  to  the  Wenas  and  in 
1902  came  to  North  Yakima,  where  he  engaged 
in   the   transfer  business   and   continued   at   this 


occupation  until  November,  1903,  when  he  and  his 
brother  James  bought  the  Wenas  livery  stables. 
In  1894  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  R. 
Mowery,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Lizzie  (Cor- 
dell)  Mowery,  her  father  being  a  coal  merchant 
in  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  Mrs.  Chamberlain 
was  born  in  Kansas  in  the  centennial  year,  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  her  native  state  and  mar- 
ried at  the  age  of  nineteen.  She  has  two  broth- 
ers and  one  sister :  Charles,  living  in  North  Yak- 
ima, and  John,  whose  home  is  in  Kansas  City, 
and  Mrs.  Laura  Davis,  who  lives  in  North 
Yakima.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cham- 
berlain have  been  born  six  children :  Charles, 
born  on  the  Naches  in  1896;  Edgar  and  Edwin, 
twins,  born  in  North  Yakima,  1898;  Mildred  and 
Netia,  twins,  1899,  an<i  Alvin,  born  in  North 
Yakima  in  1902.  Mr.  Chamberlain  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  in  politics,  is 
affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  in  which  he 
is  an  active  worker.  Besides  his  real  estate  inter- 
ests and  his  interest  in  the  livery  business,  he 
owns  a  fine  bunch  of  sixty-five  cattle  and  several 
horses.  He  is  one  of  North  Yakima's  progressive 
business  men  and  wide-awake  citizens,  and  by  his 
genial  qualities  has  drawn  to  his  side  hosts  of 
loyal   friends. 


JAMES  B.  CHAMBERLAIN.  As  among 
the  energetic,  bright  young  business  men  of  the 
bustling  city  of  North  Yakima,  the  subject  of  this 
biographical  sketch  deserves  mention.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-five  he  is  a  partner  in  a  thriving 
livery  business,  which  bids  fair  to  prosper  and 
grow,  and  during  his  quarter  of  a  century  of  life 
has  taken  a  full  share  of  the  trials  and  struggles 
incident  to  the  development  of  a  western  valley. 
His  parents,  James  L.  and  Christiana  (Kincaid) 
Chamberlain,  were  pioneers  of  Kentucky  and  Illi- 
nois, respectively,  and  crossed  the  Plains  in  the 
early  fifties,  settling  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
Oregon.  A  short  account  of  their  lives  will  be 
found  in  the  biography  of  their  son,  Joseph  F. 
Just  before  leaving  Oregon  for  Klickitat  county, 
in  1878,  the  son  James  was  born,  his  birthday 
being  April  7th.  In  Klickitat  county  he  remained 
until  four  years  old.  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Yakima  county,  where  his  education  was  com- 
pleted. When  seventeen  years  of  age  James 
entered  the  occupation  so  general  in  bunch-grass 
regions,  that  of  riding  the  range,  and  at  this  and 
ranching  he  labored  until  1899,  when  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  government  as  a  packer.  In 
this  department  he  was  chiefly  occupied  in  trans- 
porting stores  and  equipage  of  surveying  parties, 
a  pleasant  as  well  as  healthy  vocation  for  any 
young  man.  Four  years  he  remained  in  Uncle 
Sam's  employ.  Then,  in  1903,  he  and  his  brother 
Joseph  formed  a  partnership  and  purchased  the 
Wenas  stables  on   South  First  street,  North   Yak- 


612 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


WILLIAM  H.  WHIPPLE.  The  subject  of 
this  biographical  sketch  is  a  well  known  and 
highly  respected  stockman  residing  in  North  Yak- 
ima, where  he  is  engaged  in  buying  and  shipping 
cattle,  horses  and  sheep.  His  whole  life  has  been 
a  preparation  for  this  difficult  business,  requiring 
as  it  does  long  experience,  a  thorough  knowledge 
of  stock  and  keen  business  abilities,  so  that  it  is 
not  strange  that  Mr.  Whipple  has  reaped  success. 
He  was  born  in  New  York  state  in  the  year  1848, 
his  parents  being  Eli  and  Marion  (Bosworth) 
Whipple,  pioneers  and  natives  of  that  state,  where 
both  are  buried.  The  Bosworths  were  sailors  and 
citizens  of  Massachusetts  before  removing  to  New 
York.  William  H.  very  early  in  life  manifested 
unusual  business  ability,  as  may  be  seen  from  the 
fact  that  when  only  twenty  years  old  he  purchased 
a  farm,  paying  seven  thousand  five  hundred  dol- 
lars therefor.  His  father  died  when  our  subject 
was  only  seven  years  of  age,  leaving  the  son  to 
secure  his  education  as  best  he  could  and  other- 
wise do  for  himself.  By  working  industriously  on 
dairy  farms  the  fatherless  boy  was  able  to  not 
only  secure  an  education,  but  obtain  a  better  start 
in  life  than  do  most  young  men.  Ten  years  he 
continued  in  the  dairy  business  in  New  York.  He 
then  sold  out  and  removed  to  Nebraska,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  same  occupation  for  the 
following  five  years.  In  1883  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, remained  there  a  short  time  and  drove  back 
to  Nebraska,  visiting  several  mining  camps  on 
the  journey.  Arriving  at  his  old  home,  he  again 
engaged  in  dairying  and  successfully  carried  on 
that  business  until  1891,  when  he  again  turned 
westward,  locating  his  home  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
Thence  he  went  to  Ogden,  where  he  conducted 
a  hotel  for  two  years,  and  then  purchased  a  band 
of  sheep  at  Idaho  Falls,  Idaho.  Two  years  later 
he  came  to  North  Yakima,  where  for  two  years 
previous  to  entering  the  present  commission  busi- 
ness he  owned  a  meat  market.  He  was  married 
to  Helen  E.,  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Harriet 
(Webb)  Knickerbocker,  natives  of  New  York, 
in  New  York  state.  Her  paternal  ancestors  were 
of  Holland  Dutch  descent;  the  maternal  ancestors 
of  French  descent,  Mrs.  Knickerbocker  being  one 
of  fourteen  children.  Both  grandparents  are  dead. 
Helen  E.  Knickerbocker  was  born  in  New  York 
in  1848  and  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty. 
One  child  was  the  result  of  this  union,  William 
K.  Whipple,  born  in  New  York,  June  11,  1870, 
and  now  living  in  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Whipple 
belongs  to  the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen, 
is  a  stalwart  Republican  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  He  owns  valuable  city  prop- 
erty and  is  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of 
central  Washington's  progressive  metropolis. 


DANIEL  W.   NELSON,   farmer  and   stock- 
man, living  in  the  Naches  vallev,  is  a  member  of 


the  well  known  Nelson  family  of  pioneers,  who 
were  among  the  earliest  settlers  in  central  Wash- 
ington and  the  first  permanent  settlers  on  the 
Naches  river.  The  head  of  this  family,  Judge 
John  B.  Nelson,  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1817;  the 
mother,  Clarissa  (James)  Nelson,  was  a  Ken- 
tuckian,  born  the  same  year  as  her  husband. 
Through  many  a  wilderness  and  over  many  a 
trail  these  two  indomitable  pioneers  went,  ever 
seeking  the  westernmost  west  and  always  hov- 
ering along  the  frontier,  reaching  their  journey's 
end  at  last  in  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Naches, 
where  they  laid  down  life's  burdens.  Daniel  W. 
was  born  in  Oregon,  March  29,  185 1,  seven  years 
after  the  arrival  of  his  parents  in  the  Willamette. 
valley,' and  there  his  education  was  begun.  In  the 
sixties  the  Nelsons  removed  to  the  Klickitat 
valley  and  finally,  in  1865,  brought  their  stock 
over  the  divide  into  the  Yakima  country  and  took 
claims  near  the  mouth  of  the  Naches  river.  A 
little  later  they  moved  through  the  gap  and  into 
the  valley  proper,  Daniel  remaining  with  his 
parents  until  seventeen  years  old,  when  he  went 
to  Oregon  and  assisted  in  laying  the  first  twenty 
miles  of  railroad  track  built  from  Portland  up 
to  Parrott  creek.  The  following  spring  he  en- 
tered the  blacksmithing  department  of  the  Ore- 
gon &  California  Railroad  Company.  When  this 
company  was  merged  into  the  Oregon  Railway 
&  Navigation  Company,  Daniel  worked  for  that 
corporation  two  years,  after  which  he  began  pros- 
pecting in  the  Cascade  mountains,  with  the  result 
that  he  became  one  of  the  discoverers  of  the  Gold 
Hill  placers  in  1876.  Toeether  with  H.  L. 
Tucker,  George  Gibbs  and  James  Robinson,  he 
mined  in  that  district  until  1880,  spending,  be- 
sides his  time,  his  share  of  two  thousand  eight 
hundred  dollars  in  taking-  out  an  aggregate  of 
one  thousand  four  hundred  dollars  in  dust.  Since 
then  the  district  has  become  one  of  importance. 
After  another  vear  in  railroad  work,  Mr.  Nelson 
became  a  freighter  between  The  Dalles  and  Yak- 
ima Qtv,  at  which  occupation  he  continued 
until  1872,  when  he  filed  a  pre-emption  claim  to 
t^e  land  that  he  at  present  occupies  as  his  home. 
The  ouarter  section  was  eventuallv,  however, 
deeded  to  him  as  a  homestead.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  one  vear,  that  of  1900,  when  he  went  to 
Alaska  and  spent  a  year  in  the  Nome  district,  in 
which  he  located  a  claim  eighteen  miles  north- 
west of  Nome  Citv,  Mr.  Nelson  has  lived  on 
his  place  in  the  Naches  vallev,  farming  and  rais- 
ing stock.  Mr.  Nelson's  brothers  and  sisters  are  r 
Mrs.  Margaret  Frush,  Jasper,  Airs.  Elizabeth 
VanSickle,  Thomas  B.,  John  J.,  George  W.. 
Adam.  Mrs.  Alice  Sinclair.  .Arabella  and  Mrs. 
Louisa  Dix.  Mr.  Nelson  and  Miss  Isabella  Drvs- 
dale,  daughter  of  George  and  Margaret  (Shearer) 
Drysdale,  natives  of  Nova  Scotia,  where  both  were 
born  in  1820  and  where  the  latter  is  still  living, 
were  united  in  marriage,  and  to  them  have  been 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


613 


born  the  following  children :  Helen  F.,  born 
September  14,  1885,  now  attending  the  North 
Yakima  High  school ;  Daniel  D.,  born  March  6, 
1889.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  are  members  of  the 
Congregational  church,  and  Mr.  Nelson  belongs 
to  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood.  Fourteen  hundred 
acres  of  land  stand  in  his  name,  including  the 
well  improved  ranch  he  lives  upon.  He  leases 
three  sections  of  grazing  land  and  has  a  herd  of 
sixty  cattle.  The  possession  of  this  valuable 
property  speaks  well  for  the  industry  that  Mr. 
Nelson  has  displayed,  and  such  is  his  integrity 
that  those  who  know  him  consider  his  word  as 
good  as  his  bond. 


.  JOSEPH  F.  CHAMBERLAIN,  one  of  the 
proprietors  of  the  Wenas  livery  stables,  North 
Yakima,  is  the  son  of  James  L.  and  Christiana 
(Kincaid)  Chamberlain,  natives  of  Kentucky  and 
Illinois,  respectively,  his  mother  being  born  in 
1832  and  his  father  in  1830.  His  father  crossed 
the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1851  and  his  mother 
came  to  the  Willamette  valley  with  her  parents 
a  year  later,  where,  August  7,  1853,  tne  two 
young  immigrants  were  united  in  marriage.  A 
varied  life  in  California  and  Oregon  followed,  but 
in  1878  they  came  to  Klickitat  county  and  subse- 
quently to  Yakima  county,  and  in  these  two 
politicial  divisions  they  have  since  lived.  Mr. 
Chamberlain  was  a  pioneer  merchant  at  Cleve- 
land and  Prosser.  At  present,  in  their  declining 
years,  they  are  happily  settled  on  a  fine  suburban 
tract  near  the  city  of  North  Yakima.  To  them 
have  been  born  the  following  children,  of  which 
the  subject  of  this  biography  was  one:  John  G., 
July  1,  1854,  now  dead;  Mrs.  America  J.  Hamil- 
ton, September,  1856,  living  in  Klickitat  county; 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Grant,  December  15,  1858,  living 
in  Oregon;  Ida  B.  (deceased),  born  February  20, 
1861;  Paul  P.,  March  15,  1862,  living  in 
Klickitat  county;  Joseph  F.,  August  27,  1868; 
William  F.,  1871  (deceased)  ;  Erwin  L.,  March 
15,  1872,  living  on  the  reservation ;  Fran- 
ces, August  9,  1865  (deceased)  ;  Mrs.  Emily 
White,  November  24,  1874,  living  on  the  Naches 
river,  and  James  B.,  April  7,  1878,  living  in 
North  Yakima  (see  his  biography).  Joseph  F. 
was  educated  in  Oregon  and  Washington.  When 
he  was  ten  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Klicki- 
tat county  and  there,  at  the  age  of  eleven,  young 
Chamberlain  manfully  took  his  part  in  the  pioneer 
life  around  him,  riding  the  range  for  J.  M.  Bax- 
ster,  then  for  Sharkey  and  later  for  Snipes  & 
Allen;  his  work,  however,  not  being  confined  to 
his  home  county.  A  four  years'  service  for  the 
Moxee  Company  followed  and  in  1895  the  pur- 
chase of  a  ranch  on  the  Naches.  Subsequently 
Mr.  Chamberlain  removed  to  the  Wenas  and  in 
1902  came  to  North  Yakima,  where  he  engaged 
in   the   transfer   business   and   continued    at   this 


occupation  until  November,  1903,  when  he  and  his 
brother  James  bought  the  Wenas  livery  stables. 
In  1894  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  R. 
Mowery,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Lizzie  (Cor- 
dell)  Mowery,  her  father  being  a  coal  merchant 
in  Kansas  City,  Missouri.  Mrs.  Chamberlain 
was  born  in  Kansas  in  the  centennial  year,  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  her  native  state  and  mar- 
ried at  the  age  of  nineteen.  She  has  two  broth- 
ers and  one  sister:  Charles,  living  in  North  Yak- 
ima, and  John,  whose  home  is  in  Kansas  City, 
and  Mrs.  Laura  Davis,  who  lives  in  North 
Yakima.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cham- 
berlain have  been  born  six  children :  Charles, 
born  on  the  Naches  in  1896;  Edgar  and  Edwin, 
twins,  born  in  North  Yakima,  1898 ;  Mildred  and 
Netia,  twins,  1899,  and  Alvin,  born  in  North 
Yakima  in  1902.  Mr.  Chamberlain  is  a  member 
of  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  in  politics,  is 
affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party,  in  which  he 
is  an  active  worker.  Besides  his  real  estate  inter- 
ests and  his  interest  in  the  livery  business,  he 
owns  a  fine  bunch  of  sixty-five  cattle  and  several 
horses.  He  is  one  of  North  Yakima's  progressive 
business  men  and  wide-awake  citizens,  and  by  his 
genial  qualities  has  drawn  to  his  side  hosts  of 
loyal   friends. 


JAMES  B.  CHAxMBERLAIN.  As  among 
the  energetic,  bright  young  business  men  of  the 
bustling  city  of  North  Yakima,  the  subject  of  this 
biographical  sketch  deserves  mention.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-five  he  is  a  partner  in  a  thriving 
livery  business,  which  bids  fair  to  prosper  and 
grow,  and  during  his  quarter  of  a  century  of  life 
has  taken  a  full  share  of  the  trials  and  struggles 
incident  to  the  development  of  a  western  valley. 
His  parents,  James  L.  and  Christiana  (Kincaid) 
Chamberlain,  were  pioneers  of  Kentucky  and  Illi- 
nois, respectively,  and  crossed  the  Plains  in  the 
early  fifties,  settling  in  the  Willamette  valley. 
Oregon.  A  short  account  of  their  lives  will  be 
found  in  the  biography  of  their  son,  Joseph  F. 
Just  before  leaving  Oregon  for  Klickitat  county, 
in  1878,  the  son  James  was  born,  his  birthday 
being  April  7th.  In  Klickitat  county  he  remained 
until  four  years  old,  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Yakima  county,  where  his  education  was  com- 
pleted. When  seventeen  years  of  age  James 
entered  the  occupation  so  general  in  bunch-grass 
regions,  that  of  riding  the  range,  and  at  this  and 
ranching  he  labored  until  1899,  when  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  government  as  a  packer.  In 
this  department  he  was  chiefly  occupied  in  trans- 
porting stores  and  equipage  of  surveying  parties, 
a  pleasant  as  well  as  healthy  vocation  for  any 
young  man.  Four  years  he  remained  in  LTncle 
Sam's  employ.  Then,  in  1903,  he  and  his  brother 
Joseph  formed  a  partnership  and  purchased  the 
Wenas  stables  on   South  First  street.  North   Yak- 


614 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ima.  As  with  many  another  young  man  in  his 
twenties,  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  found  a  strong, 
loving  helpmeet  in  life's  work  in  the  person  of 
his  wife,  formerly  Miss  Daisy  M.  Labbee, 
whom  he  married  in  1903  at  North  Yak- 
ima. She  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in 
1876,  the  daughter  of  Alexander  and  Elizabeth 
(Foiles)  Labbee,  both  of  whom  were  also  natives 
of  Illinois.  Her  father  came  to  North  Yakima 
in  1901,  and  now  resides  in  Toppenish.  Mrs. 
Chamberlain  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  her  native  state  and  was  graduated  at  the 
Bloomington,  Illinois,  College.  She  taught 
school  a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Chamberlain  is 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood,  and  politically, 
is  an  ardent  Democrat.  His  prospects  for  a 
long,  useful  life  are  indeed  bright. 


WILLIAM  TERRY.  Of  all  the  tradesmen  in 
a  pioneer  community  none  is  more  important 
than  the  skillful,  brawny  blacksmith ;  no  neigh- 
borhood is  complete  without  him,  and,  as  the 
country  is  settled,  no  man  has  greater  demands 
made  upon  his  time.  His  forge,  covered  by  a 
crude  roofing,  is  usually  the  first  business  enterprise 
to  be  established  in  the  new  settlement,  and  it  would 
sometimes  seem  that  life  would  come  to  a  stand- 
still without  his  assistance.  To  this  class  of  our 
citizenship  belongs  William  Terry,  living  in 
North  Yakima,  where  he  conducts  a  well  equipped 
smithy.  Born  in  the  state  of  Illinois,  March  2.7, 
185 1,  he  comes  of  old  Virginia  stock,  his  parents 
being  James  and  Lucinda  (Metzker)  Terry,  of 
German  extraction.  They  lived  in  Illinois  twenty 
years,  and  then  moved  to  Missouri,  where  the 
father  died.  William  remained  at  home  until  he 
was  twenty  years  of  age,  meanwhile  receiving  a 
fair  schooling,  when  he  went  to  Iowa  and  there 
took  up  in  earnest  the  trade  he  had  partly 
learned  in  Missouri.  But  in  1876  the  far  west- 
ern field  attracted  him  so  strongly  that  he  went 
to  Walla  Walla,  where  he  was  engaged  at  his 
trade  three  years.  Then  he  removed  to  Pendle- 
ton, where  two  years  of  his  life  were  spent ;  thence 
to  Pilot  Rock  for  a  short  stay;  thence  into  Grant 
county,  Oregon,  and,  after  two  years  there,  re- 
turned to  Washington  and  settled  in  North  Yak- 
ima in  1889.  While  comparatively  a  new  resident 
of  Yakima  county,  he  filed  a  homestead  claim 
to  a  quarter  section  in  the  Cowiche  valley,  and 
there  lived  five  years,  finally  disposing  of  it  and 
returning  to  the  city,  where  he  opened  the  shop 
he  is  at  present  conducting.  His  marriage  to 
Miss  Emma  Weddle,  of  Walla  Walla,  took  place 
in  1883.  She  was  born  in  the  Willamette  valley 
in  1863,  the  daughter  of  Jasper  and  Jane  (Sut- 
ton) Weddle,  natives  of  Virginia  and  Ohio,  re- 
spectively. Mr.  Weddle  was  one  of  Oregon's 
earliest    pioneers,    and    is    now   living    in    Yakima 


county.  Mrs.  Weddle  was  the  mother  of  eleven 
children,  of  whom  nine  are  living:  Frank,  Mrs. 
Eliza  Laswell,  David  D.,  Mrs.  Ellen  Laswell, 
Mrs.  Esther  Little,  Mrs.  Anna  Chase,  Mrs.  L. 
Foster  and  Joseph,  besides  Mrs.  Terry.  The 
Terry  home  has  been  brightened  by  the  follow- 
ing children:  Nellie,  born  February  22,  1885; 
Glenn,  born  March  13,  1887;  Winnie,  October  3, 
1889;  William,  August  9,  1892;  Bun,  April  3, 
1894;  Camma,  September  2,  1898;  and  Emma, 
February  7,  1901.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Terry  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church  in  North  Yakima.  He 
is  an  ardent  admirer  of  President  Rooosevelt  and 
a  strong  Republican.  Mr.  Terry  owns  the  busi- 
ness building  and  grounds  at  108  South  First 
street,  and  bears  the  reputation  among  his  fellow 
men  of  being  a  first-class  blacksmith  and  a  good 
citizen. 


DANIEL  G.  GOODMAN.  With  the  decline 
of  the  once  great  master  industry  of  the  Yakima 
country,  cattle  raising,  has  come  the  steady 
growth  of  the  sheep  business,  until  at  the  present 
time  it  is  entitled  to  a  position  among  the  three 
or  four  leading  occupations  of  that  section.  On 
every  great  range  the  business  of  sheep  raising  has 
met  with  most  discouraging  obstacles,  but,  despite 
the  strenuous  opposition  manifested  to  the  intro- 
duction of  sheep,  they  have  come,  remained  and 
multiplied,  remunerating  their  owners  amply  for 
the  trouble  and  extra  expense  involved  in  their 
rearing.  Fortunately,  in  the  Yakima  region  no 
serious  clashes  have  occurred  to  mar  the  fortunes 
of  the  advancing  sheep  men,  but,  rather,  wise, 
conservative  counsel  has  prevailed,  and  the  range 
difficulties  have  been  satisfactorily  adjusted.  No 
one  among  the  sheep  men  has  been  more  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  upbuilding  and  con- 
servation of  that  industry  than  has  the  subject 
of  this  sketch.  For  eighteen  years  he  has  been 
a  leading  sheep  man,  owning  at  one  time  sixteen 
thousand  sheep,  and  none  has  been  more  progress- 
ive or  capable  among  the  stockmen  than  he.  Mis- 
souri, the  birthplace  of  so  many  pioneers  of  the 
far  west,  is  also  Mr.  Goodman's  birthplace,  the  year 
being  i860.  His  parents  were  Joseph  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Stutsman)  Goodman.  Both  have  long  since 
crossed  the  Great  Divide  of  life.  Joseph  Goodman 
was  by  occupation  a  farmer  and  carpenter  and 
a  pioneer  successively  of  Iowa,  Illinois,  California, 
Missouri  and  Umatilla  county,  Oregon.  He  died 
at  his  Oregon  home.  In  1858,  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia via  the  Isthmus,  and  in  1862  again  came 
west,  having  returned  east  some  time  previously. 
He  located  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Hudson 
Bay  Farm,  in  Umatilla  county,  where,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  two  years  spent  in  the  Willamette  val- 
ley, he  lived  the  balance  of  his  days.  Mrs.  Good- 
man  died   at   the    age   of    sixty-two,    revered   and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


615 


mourned  by  twelve  children.  Daniel  received  his 
education  in  Umatilla  county,  being  only  two 
years  old  when  his  parents  crossed  the  Plains 
to  Oregon.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  began  riding 
the  range  for  the  various  stockmen  in  Oregon, 
working  for  wages  until  he  was  seventeen,  when 
he  purchased  a  band  of  horses  from  the  Indians 
and  drove  them  to  the  site  of  Sprague,  Washing- 
ton, where  he  took  up  a  land  claim.  This  was 
during  the  building  of  the  Northern  Pacific  across 
Washington.  The  following  spring  he  built  a 
fine  stone  corral  at  Washtuckna  lake,  which  he 
made  headquarters  for  four  years,  during  which 
time  he  followed  horse  raising.  He  then  disposed 
of  his  holdings,  borrowed  more  money  from  John 
McCloud  and  W.  P.  Sturgis,  of  Umatilla  county, 
and  entered  the  sheep  business  in  Umatilla  county, 
where  he  remained  three  years.  In  1886,  he  re- 
moved his  large  band  of  sheep  to  the  Rattlesnake 
range  of  hills,  Yakima  county,  where  he  lived  the 
following  five  years,  in  1891  taking  up  his  abode 
at  Kiona.  Nine  years  later  he  came  to  North 
Yakima,  his  present  home.  With  a  multitude  qf 
others,  he  was  caught  in  the  financial  panic  of 
1893,  during  which  he  sold  four  hundred  thou- 
sand pounds  of  wool  at  four  and  one-quarter 
cents,  and  sheep  at  from  seventy-five  cents  to 
one  dollar  and  fifty  cents  a  head.  In  1895,  Mr. 
Goodman  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Jen- 
nie Agor,  a  native  of  sunny  France,  born  in  1870. 
There,  too,  she  was  educated,  and,  in  1886,  ac- 
companied by  her  sister  and  two  brothers,  left  its 
shores,  coming  direct  to  California.  After  a 
year's  residence  in  San  Francisco,  she  came  to 
North  Yakima,  where  she  was  married.  One 
child  has  blessed  the  union,  Daniel  L.,  born  at 
North  Yakima,  June  10,  1899.  Mr.  Goodman 
has  three  brothers,  William  S.  and  Ira  W.,  living 
near  Walla  Walla,  and  Enos  B.,  living  near  Milton, 
Oregon ;  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  Swartz,  who 
also  lives  near  Milton.  Mrs.  Goodman  is  a  zeal- 
ous member  of  the  Catholic  church.  Politically,  Mr. 
Goodman  is  a  strong  Republican,  being  especially 
loyal  to  the  tariff  policy  of  that  party.  That  he  has 
been  gratifyingly  successful  in  the  accumulation  of 
worldly  goods  may  be  easily  seen  from  the  fact 
that  he  owns  at  least  twelve  thousand  acres  of 
grazing  land,  to  which  he  is  constantly  adding, 
and  a  "band  of  six  thousand  sheep.  Truly,  he  is 
one  of  the  substantial,  respected  citizens  of  the 
countv- 


DANIEL  SINCLAIR,  No.  103  North  Sixth 
street,  North  Yakima,  is  a  sterling  man,  citizen 
and  husband  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  as  all  who 
know  him  can  well  testify,  and  it  is  a  pleasure  to 
chronicle  his  life  in  these  pages.  What  persever- 
ance, indomitable  energy  and  courage,  and  stead- 
fast adherence  to  correct  principles  will  accom- 
plish is  a  lesson  that  the  younger  generation  can 


well  afford  to  learn  from  such  a  life.  Born  in 
1845  on  the  peninsula  of  Nova  Scotia,  he  is  the 
son  of  early  pioneers  of  that  famed  little  section 
of  North  America.  His  father,  Donald  Sinclair, 
was  a  Scotchman  by  birth,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  the  first  five  years,  spent  his  entire  life  in  the 
land  of  his  adoption.  Jane  McNeil,  the  mother, 
was  also  born  on  Scotch  soil.  The  son,  Daniel, 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Nova  Scotia  and 
remained  at  home  until  he  was  nineteen  years  of 
age,  when  the  tempting  world  led  him  to  deter- 
mine to  seek  his  fortune  in  the  United  States. 
With  this  idea  in  view  he  went  to  Iowa  in  1867, 
and  there  for  five  years  was  engaged  in  farming. 
Then  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Seattle,  Washing- 
ton, and  for  three  years  conducted  a  logging  camp 
on  the  Snohomish  river.  While  on  the  Sound,  in 
1872,  he  purchased  land  where  a  portion  of  the 
present  city  of  Everett  stands,  but,  in  1875,  sold 
land  from  which  he  might  have  reaped  an  im- 
mense fortune  in  later  years.  Four  years  later, 
in  1879,  he  came  to  Yakima  county,  and.  the  fol- 
lowing year,  filed  a  pre-emption  claim  to  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  and  a  homestead  claim  to 
eighty  acres,  all  lying  in  the  Naches  valley.  Sub- 
sequently he  purchased  an  adjoining  forty-acre 
tract,  and,  on  this  magnificent  ranch  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  he  lived  for  twenty-two 
years,  farming  and  raising  stock.  He  disposed  of 
this  farm  to  advantage  during  1901,  and  removed 
to  North  Yakima,  but  still  retains  considerable 
property  in  the  same  vicinity.  Mr.  Sinclair's  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Annie  M.,  daughter  of  Duncan  and 
Jessie  (Murray)  Cameron,  took  place  in  Califor- 
nia in  1886.  Her  parents  were  natives  of  Nova 
Scotia,  living  and  dying  there,  and  Nova  Scotia 
was  her  birthplace,  the  date  being  1853.  Three 
children — Jean,  Malcolm  and  Jessie — brought  hap- 
piness into  the  Sinclair  home,  and  then  brought 
the  terrible  sorrows  which  follow  in  the  wake  of 
death.  Jean,  the  oldest  child,  was  born  in  1887; 
Malcolm  in  1889,  and  Jessie  in  1892.  Malcolm 
lived  only  two  years,  the  others  died  in  August, 
1902,  at  Oakland,  California.  Mr.  Sinclair  has 
two  brothers,  John  H.  and  Alexander,  both  of 
whom  live  in  Nova  Scotia,  the  former  being  a 
lawyer,  and  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Mary  M.  Bishop, 
living  at  North  Yakima,  and  Mrs.  Kate  McBain, 
of  Fitchburg,  Massachusetts.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  also 
a  devoted  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  In 
political  matters,  Mr.  Sinclair  takes  his  stand  witli 
the  Republican  party.  Besides  his  home  in  North 
Yakima,  he  owns  three  thousand  acres  of  grazing 
land,  sixty  head  of  cattle  and  horses,  and  other 
property.  In  bringing  this  biography  to  a  close, 
it  is  only  necessary  to  say  further  that  Mr.  Sinclair 
is  a  representative  citizen  and  deserving  of  a  place 
in  these  chronicles  of  the  pioneer  inhabitants  of 
the  Yakima  region. 


6i6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


WILLIAM  L.  WRIGHT  owns  one  of  the  finest 
orchards  in  the  Yakima  country,  and  is  a  fruit 
grower  of  prominence  in  eastern  Washington.  He 
comes  of  a  long  line  of  American  pioneers,  the 
Wrights  having  come  to  Pennsylvania  with  William 
Penn  in  the  seventeenth  century,  and  were  prominent 
in  the  settlement  of  the  middle  west.  His  father, 
Paschal  L.  Wright,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
emigrated  therefrom  to  Illinois,  in  1838,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight.  Many 
important  offices  were  held  by  him,  he  was  a  pillar 
in  the  Presbyterian  church  of  his  community,  and 
a  man  highly  respected  by  all.  Wrightsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, was  named  in  honor  of  his  father.  The 
mother,  Jane  C.  (Lawson)  Wright,  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  the  Quaker  state,  where  her  forefathers 
came  two  hundred  years  ago.  She  died  in  Illinois 
at  an  advanced  age.  William  L.  received  a  com- 
mon and  high  school  education  at  his  home  in  Il- 
linois, and  worked  for  his  father  on  the  farm 
until  of  age,  .when  he  took  the  management  of  the 
place  for  an  interest  in  the  production.  After  his 
father's  death,  when  William  was  twenty-four 
years  old,  he  having  been  born  on  the  farm  in  Ste- 
phens county,  in  1 85 1,  he  assumed  full  control  of  the 
place,  buying  out  the  other  heirs,  and  there  farmed 
for  nineteen  years.  Then,  in  1894,  he  immigrated 
to  the  Northwest,  purchasing  a  tract  of  twenty-five 
acres  of  sage-brush  land,  half  a  mile  west  of  North 
Yakima.  By  commendable  energy  and  skill,  he 
has  transformed  this  bit  of  wilderness  into  one  of 
the  prettiest  and  most  productive  fruit  farms  to  be 
found  in  central  Washington ;  and  a  more  ideal 
spot  for  a  home  in  the  Yakima  valley  could  not  well 
be  found.  Since  his  orchard  came  into  bearing, 
Mr.  Wright  has  taken  many  premiums  at  different 
fairs,  his  latest'  conquests  in  this  direction  being 
first  premiums  for  the  excellence  of  his  fruit  ex- 
hibited at  the  Washington  state  fair  held  in.  1903, 
and  at  the  Inter-State  fair  held  last  fall  in  Spokane. 
At  Shannon,  Illinois,  March  n,  1875,  Mr.  Wright 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Lura,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Esther  ( Foster )  Buckley,  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  descendants  of  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  that  state.  The  father  came  to  Illinois 
in  the  early  days,  where  he  conducted  a  drug  store 
and  operated  an  iron  foundry  at  Mount  Carroll.     In 

1858,  he  joined  the  rush  to  Pike's  Peak,  but  the 
venture,  like  those  of  so  many  others  in  1858  and 

1859,  was  bootless,  and  he  returned  home.  Mrs. 
Wright  was  born  at  Mount  Carroll,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  Freeport  common  and  high  schools. 
After  graduation,  she  taught  school  for  four  years, 
and  was  then  married.  Four  children  have  blessed 
the  Wright  household :  John  Howard,  born  at 
Freeport,  December  21,  1878;  William  C, 
born  in  Illinois,  June  10,  1883;  Helen  B., 
born  in  Illinois,  September  18,  1885,  and  Grace 
E.,  who  was  born  in  Illinois,  August  28, 
1891,     and     who     died     at     North      Yakima,      in 


1894.  John  went  to  the  Spanish- American  war 
as  a  sergeant  in  Company  E,  First  Washington 
volunteers,  and,  after  a  service  of  eighteen  months, 
returned  with  the  company  to  North  Yakima,  where 
he  now  resides.  He  is  now  second  lieutenant  of  the 
Yakima  company  of  the  Washington  National 
Guard.  William  is  a  successful  shoe  salesman. 
Air.  Wright  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Washing- 
ton, belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church  in  North 
Yakima,  of  which  he  is  one  of  the  trustees,  and  is 
one  of  the  stalwarts  in  the  Republican  party.  He  is 
president  of  the  Schanno  Ditch  Company,  clerk  of 
school  district  No.  25,  and  a  forceful  leader  in 
various  other  enterprises  in  the  county.  But  it  is 
as  one  of  the  most  successful  fruit  growers  in  the 
state  that  Mr.  Wright's  influence  is  most  felt,  and 
that  he  himself  takes  greatest  pride.  At  present  he 
is  president  of  the  Yakima  County  Horticultural  So- 
ciety and  Fruit  Growers'  Union,  and  is  servjng  as 
first  vice-president  of  die  Inland  Empire  Horticul- 
tural and  Floricultural  Association,  in  all  of  which 
organizations  he  is  a  power.  He  has  recently  been 
appointed  by  the  St.  Louis  fair  commission  of  the 
state  as  general  manager  of  the  horticultural  de- 
partment of  the  state's  exhibit  at  St.  Louis,  and  will 
remain  in  that  city  until  the  close  of  the  exposition. 
This  is  a  lucrative  position,  and  an  office  of  consid- 
erable importance,  and  Mr.  Wright  is  well  worthy 
the  appointment.  That  he  is  recognized  throughout 
the  state  as  one  of  the  commonwealth's  most  capa- 
ble, upright  and  progressive  citizens  is  evidenced 
by  the  fact  that  Mr.  Wright  is  one  of  the  Washing- 
ton state  fair  commissioners,  and  his  standing  and 
popularity  in  Yakima  county  are  attested  by  the 
multitude  of  friends  he  has  made. 


FLAVEIUS  A.  CURRY,  a  paint  and  oil  mer- 
chant in  North  Yakima,  where  he  resides  at 
No.  25  South  Second  street,  was  born  in  Iowa, 
December  23,  1858,  and  is  the  son  of  Michael  Curry, 
a  native  of  West  Virginia,  who  went  to  Iowa  in 
1852,  becoming  one  of  its  pioneers.  Subsequently 
the  father  removed  to  Missouri,  and  lived  there  for 
twenty  years,  after  which  he  took  up  his  abode  in 
Kansas,  where  he  still  lives  at  a  ripe  old  age.  The 
son,  Flaveius,  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-one,  receiving  a  good 
education  in  his  boyhood,  and  then  left  the  shelter 
of  his  home  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world.  His 
first  work  was  that  of  cutting  railroad  ties,  at  which 
occupation  he  continued  until  1886.  In  that  year 
he  immigrated  to  Washington,  settling  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  region,  south  of  Prosser.  where  he  filed  a 
pre-emption  claim  to  a  fine  tract  of  land.  He  re- 
mained there  only  one  year,  however,  going  to  work 
for  the  Northern  Pacific  on  the  famous  Stampede 
tunnel.  A  year  later  he  returned  to  the  Horse 
Heaven  country,  went  thence  to  the  Rattlesnake 
springs,  where  he  made  his  home  for  four  years,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


617 


in  1890  took  up  his  residence  in  North  Yakima. 
After  working  at  various  occupations  in  this  city 
for  thirteen  years,  he  opened  a  general  paint  and  oil 
store  in  1903,  which  gives  every  indication  of  a 
prosperous  growth.  Mr.  Curry  was  married  to  Miss 
Agnes  Matteson,  in  North  Yakima,  December  n, 
1898.  Her  parents  are  James  and  Adelphine  (Mul- 
len) Matteson,  natives  of  New  York  and  Pennsyl- 
vania respectively.  She  was  born  in  Minnesota,  No- 
vember 17,  1873,  received  a  high  school  education, 
and  was  granted  a  teacher's  certificate  in  Minne- 
sota, but  never  taught  school.  In  Seattle,  Washing- 
ton, she  learned  the  printer's  trade,  and  worked  at  it 
for  some  time  previous  to  her  marriage.  Mr.  Curry 
is  a  member  of  two  fraternal  orders,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  the  Eagles.  His  wife  is  an  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church.  In  political  matters, 
Mr.  Curry  is  an  enthusiastic  Republican,  and  an 
energetic  worker  in  every  campaign,  attending  all 
preliminary  caucuses  and  primaries,  and  county  and 
district  conventions.  He  is  a  pushing  business  man, 
and  commands  the  respect  and  friendship  of  all  who 
come  in  contact  with  him,  either  in  a  business  or  a 
social  wav. 


THOMAS  W.  DAVIDSON  is  one  of  the 
prominent  commission  merchants  of  North  Yakima, 
and  as  such  is  respected  as  a  capable,  progressive 
and  straightforward  business  man  and  citizen.  Wis- 
consin is  his  native  state,  he  having  been  born  in 
Brown  county  in  1862.  His  parents  were  David,  a 
native  born  Scotchman,  who  came  to  Canada  when 
a  boy,  and  to  Wisconsin  at  a  later  date,  and  Melinda 
( Wilson )  Davidson,  of  English  descent,  and  born 
in  New  York  state  in  1842.  His  father  was  born 
in  1824  and  died  in  1902.  The  subject  of  this  biogra- 
phy was  fortunate  in  securing  a  good  education 
in  the  schools  of  Brown  county,  and  remained 
with  his  parents  until  twenty-one  years  old,  when 
he  followed  Horace  Greeley's  advice  to  young  men 
by  coming  west  to  Washington.  He  made  Yakima 
county  his  destination,  and,  arriving  there,  took 
charge  of  the  Yeates  sawmill  on  the  Naches  river, 
where  he  worked  for  three  and  one-half  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Wisconsin,  remained  there  for  a 
like  period,  and  engaged  in  the  lumbering  business. 
In  1889.  however,  he  again  turned  westward,  and 
settled  permanently  in  the  county  where  he  now 
lives.  After  lumbering  a  year,  he  leased  a  ranch 
in  the  Naches  valley,  industriously  cultivated  it  fot 
three  years,  and  in  1893  moved  to  North  Yakima, 
and  entered  the  commission  business,  at  which  he 
has  been  successful.  He  is  associated  with  the  firm 
of  C.  E.  Jones  &  Company.  In  1886,  he  and  Miss 
Ann,  daughter  of  Elijah  S.  and  Jessie  (Davidson) 
Yeates,  were  united  in  the  bonds  of  matrimony,  and 
to  this  union  have  been  born  the  two  children  whose 
names  follow:  Harold  C.  born  in  Brown  county, 
Wisconsin,  July  15,  1888;  Jeannette,  born  in  North 


Yakima,  February  6,  1900.  Mr.  Yeates  is  an  Eng- 
lishman by  birth,  coming  to  America  when  a  boy  of 
fifteen  years,  and  settling  in  Wisconsin.  In  1849,  ne 
crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  teams  to  California,  later 
lived  in  Nevada,  and  finally  became  a  pioneer  of  the 
Yakima  country.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land. Mrs.  Davidson  was  born  in  Green  Bay.  Wis- 
consin, in  1869,  and  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  David- 
son at  the  age  of  nineteen.  She  has  five  sisters  liv- 
ing, four  of  whom  are  married :  Mrs.  Jennie  Joan- 
nas, Mrs.  Maggie  Reiser,  Mrs.  Jessie  Hessin,  Mrs. 
Mary  Parsons  and  Isabella.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David- 
son are  both  church  members,  he  belonging  to  the 
Episcopal  and  she  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  Of 
the  two  great  political  parties  of  the  country,  Mr. 
Davidson  believes  that  the  Republicans  are  the  more 
capable  of  administering  the  nation's  affairs,  and  is, 
therefore,  a  member  of  that  party.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Davidson  own  their  own  home  in  North  Yakima, 
and  some  other  city  property,  and.  as  good  and  re- 
spected citizens  and  members  of  a  large  social  circle, 
are  prosperous  and  contented,  and  willing  to  bide 
the  future. 


CHARLES  R.  HARRIS,  the  subject  of  this 
biography,  was  born  in  Madison.  Indiana,  in  1854, 
the  son  of  Samuel  M.  and  Mary  A.  (Yoorhees) 
Harris,  both  natives  and  pioneers  of  the  Hoosier 
state  and  both  of  English  descent.  Samuel  M. 
followed  the  occupations  of  farmer,  cooper  and 
merchant  at  different  times  in  his  life,  and,  after 
a  residence  of  twenty  years  in  Mississippi,  came 
to  Yakima  county  in  1891,  where  he  died  eight 
years  later.  The  mother  was  united  in  marriage 
with  Mr.  Harris  in  Indiana  and  came  with  him 
to  Yakima  county,  surviving  her  husband  only 
one  year.  Charles  received  his  early  schooling 
in  Indiana,  leaving  there  with  his  parents  upon 
their  removal  to  Mississippi,  in  which  state  he 
finished  his  education  and  left  the  family  hearth 
to  go  forth  alone  into  the  world  and  work  out 
as  best  he  could  the  problem  of  life.  For  six  years 
he  was  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business.  He  then 
entered  his  father's  store  as  a  clerk,  and  remained 
in  that  capacity  three  years,  and  was  then  taken 
into  the  firm,  the  style  of  the  firm  name  being 
S.  M.  Harris  &  Son.  Three  years  later  he  pur- 
chased his  father's  interest  in  the  business,  and 
was  sole  owner  for  three  years.  At  the  end  of 
that  period  his  wife  fell  heir  to  the  old  family 
homestead,  a  plantation  of  800  acres.  In  order 
to  look  after  this  extensive  property  Mr.  Harris 
disposed  of  his  mercantile  business,  and  for  two 
vears  devoted  his  time  to  the  management  of  the 
plantation.  Unfortunate  reverses  in  business 
checked  his  prosperity  for  the  time  being,  and 
he  decided  to  immigrate  to  the  far  west  and  be- 
gin life  anew,  a  plan  which  he  put  into  execution 
by  removing  to   North   Yakima.  Washington,  in 


6i8 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1889.  After  a  varied  experience  in  several  lines, 
including  contracting,  restaurant  keeping,  and 
clerking  for  Lombard  &  Horseley  and  the  Co-Op- 
erative Store  Company,  Mr.  Harris  in  1891  again 
entered  into  partnership  with  his  father  in  con- 
ducting a  general  store  in  North  Yakima.  He 
bought  his  father's  interest  in  the  business,  and 
for  a  year  and  a  half  the  business  prospered  ex- 
ceedingly, only  to  receive  a  very  serious  setback 
by  fire,  nearly  everything  being  destroyed.  How- 
ever, the  doors  were  re-opened  as  soon  as  possi- 
ble, and  the  business  conducted  by  father  and  son 
until  the  former's  death  in  1899,  after  which  our 
subject  continued  the  business  until  1902  when, 
on  account  of  failing  health,  he  was  forced  to  sell 
the  mercantile  business.  Mr.  Harris  and  Miss 
Emma  M.  Powell,  daughter  of  Jethro  and  Mary 
A.  (Roberts)  Powell,  were  united  in  the  bonds 
of  matrimony,  November  24,  1881,  in  Mississippi. 
Her  father  was  a  Mississippian,  her  mother  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut.  Mrs.  Harris  was  born  in  Mis- 
sissippi in  1857,  and  received  her  education  at 
Bloomington,  Illinois.  For  several  years  previous 
to  her  marriage  she  taught  school' in  the  south. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  five  children,  as 
follows:  Sanford  M.  (deceased),  Mav  11,  1883; 
Stella  P.  (deceased),  October  15,  1884;  Earl  D., 
April  19.  1886;  Marian  W.  (deceased),  Febru- 
ary 26,  1893;  Robert  W.  (deceased),  April  21, 
1899.  The  first  three  were  born  in  Mississippi, 
the  remaining  two  in  Yakima  county.  Frater- 
nally, Mr.  Harris  is  affiliated  with  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church  of  North  Yakima,  and  a  strong  Pro- 
hibitionist in  politics.  By  dint  of  much  energy 
and  perseverance  he  has  accumulated  considera- 
ble property,  which  includes  ten  acres  of  fine  fruit 
and  hay  land  in  the  Moxee  valley,  a  three  hun- 
dred and  twenty-acre  desert  land  claim,  and  one 
thousand  shares  of  stock  in  the  Yakima  Land 
Company.  These,  together  with  other  interests, 
require  his  constant  attention  and  place  him  on 
the  list  of  Yakima's  substantial  and  useful  citizens. 


JOHN  L.  LASSWELL,  proprietor  of  the  Ho- 
tel Lasswell,  North  Yakima,  and  a  representative 
citizen  of  Yakima  county,  comes  of  a  distinguished 
family  of  northwestern  pioneers,  he  himself  hav- 
ing been  born  in  Oregon  in  1858.  His  parents 
were  Isaac  and  Rachel  (McNary)  Lasswell,  na- 
tives of  Iowa  and  Illinois  respectively,  his  father 
being  born  in  1820  and  the  mother' three  vears 
later.  Isaac  Lasswell  crossed  the  Plains  with  ox 
teams  and  settled  in  Clackamas  countv,  Oregon, 
where  he  lived  until  1861,  then  removed  to  Walla 
Walla.  From  Walla  Walla  he  came  to  the  Yak- 
ima country  in  1876.  settling  in  the  Cowiche  val- 
ley.     His    death    occurred     at    this   place    in    the 


Naches  valley  in  1896.  In  Oregon  he  married 
Rachel  McNary,  whose  father,  James  McNary, 
crossed  the  Plains  in  1843,  as  captain  of  the  first 
emigrant  train  bound  for  the  Willamette  valley. 
This  train  became  famous  in  history  for  another 
reason  than  having  been  the  pioneer  train,  for 
it  was  these  emigrants  who  discovered  the  Blue 
Bucket  gold  diggings,  the  search  for  which  led 
to  the  settlement  of  eastern  Oregon  by  miners  in 
1861-2.  For  half  a  century  and  more  the  Blue 
Bucket  diggings  have  been  a  will-o'-the-wisp  to 
thousands  of  tireless  prospectors,  and  today  are 
as  little  known  as  in  1843.  Rachel  McNary 
was  with  her  father  on  this  memorable  jour- 
ney. She  died  at  the  Naches  river  home.  John 
L.  Lasswell  came  to  Yakima  county  with  his  par- 
ents in  1876,  remaining  with  them  until  1878, 
when  he  settled  upon  pre-emption  and  homestead 
claims  and  engaged  in  stock  raising.  For  twenty 
years  he  uninterruptedly  continued  this  residence 
in  the  Naches  valley,  his  election  as  county  as- 
sessor in  1896  finally  calling  him  to  the  city  of 
North  Yakima,  where  he  has  since  lived  the  bet- 
ter part  of  the  time.  In  1899  he  opened  a  mer- 
cantile establishment,  but  abandoned  this  business 
after  a  year's  experience.  Last  year  (1903)  he 
built  the  Lasswell  Hotel  block,  in  which  is  his 
home.  Mr.  Lasswell  and  Miss  Mary  E.  Weddle, 
daughter  of  Jasper  and  Mary  J.  (Sutton)  Wed- 
dle, pioneers  of  Indiana  who  crossed  the  Plains 
to  Oregon  and  Washington  in  1863  and  subse- 
quently became  residents  of  Yakima  county,  were 
united  in  wedlock  in  1885.  At  the  time  of  her 
marriage  Mrs.  Lasswell  was  only  sixteen  years 
old,  having  been  born  in  1869.  She  was  reared 
in  Oregon.  Their  children  in  the  order  of  their 
birth  are  as  follows :  Mary  E.,  born  December 
19,  1886;  Isaac  J.,  November  19,  1888;  Minnie 
E.,  November  30,  1890;  Cleve  J.,  December  30, 
1892:  Rosa  J-,  January  31,  1895;  William  C,  De- 
cember 8,  1896;  Lela  V.,  November  3.  1898,  and 
Ben  E.,  May  24,  1901.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lasswell 
are  members  of  the  Christian  church,  and  he  be- 
longs also  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  being 
a  member  of  the  North  Yakima  lodge.  Of  real 
property,  Mr.  Lasswell  owns  a  quarter-section  of 
improved  farming  land  in  the  Cowiche  valley,  the 
Lasswell  block  in  North  Yakima,  and  several  fine 
residence  lots  in  the  same  city.  As  an  upright 
citizen,  a  devoted  husband  and  father  and  a  ca- 
pable business  man,  Mr.  Lasswell  enjoys  the  re- 
spect of  his  fellow  men  and,  as  hardy  pioneers 
who  have  taken  part  in  the  development  of  Yak- 
ima county,  both  he  and  Mrs.  Lasswell  are  gladly 
accorded   a  place  among  these  chronicles. 


WILLIAM  L.  HILDRETH,  living  near  Yak- 
ima City  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  2, 
belongs  to  that  noble  and  probably  greatest  army 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


619 


of  industrial  America  to  whom  all  others  owe  first 
allegiance — the  tillers  of  the  soil.  For  an  entire 
life  time  he  has  assiduously  devoted  himself  to 
this  occupation,  and  his  untiring  energy  and  strict 
attention  to  work  have  not  been  without  their  just 
and  pleasurable  rewards  and  substantial  reim- 
bursement. His  birthplace  is  the  Empire  state, 
the  date  of  that  important  event  in  his  life  being 
January  22,  1836.  and  his  parents,  Jonathan  and 
Julia  A.  (Vanlassel)  Hildreth,  both  of  whom  also 
claimed  New  York  as  their  birthplace.  The  elder 
Hildreth  came  of  pioneer  stock,  as  did  also  the 
mother.  He  was  a  mechanic  by  trade,  and  suc- 
cessfully pursued  his  occupation  in  York  state  un- 
til 1872,  when  he  removed  to  Iowa,  which  became 
his  final  resting  place.  His  ardent  love  of  coun- 
try led  him  in  1812  to  enlist  in  the  army  which 
administered  to  England  her  second  humiliating 
defeat  on  Yankee  soil.  The  younger  Hildreth  re- 
mained at  home,  where  he  received  a  common 
school  education  until  twelve  years  of  age,  when 
he  left  the  parental  roof  and  obtained  work  on 
a  farm.  For  the  next  eight  years  we  find  him 
so  engaged  in  New  York  state.  He  then  went 
to  Michigan,  where  he  remained  a  year;  thence 
to  Iowa,  his  home  for  four  years;  thence  to  Wis- 
consin, which  was  his  abiding  place  three  years, 
his  stay  here  being  followed  by  a  residence  of 
four  years  in  Iowa,  and  in  1868  by  his  immigra- 
tion to  Washington  territory,  Vancouver  being 
his  first  objective  point.  There  he  lived  for  twenty 
years,  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising,  but  in  1888  the  opportunities  presented 
by  the  thriving  Yakima  country  appealed  so 
strongly  to  him  that  he  removed  there  and  began 
raising  hops  in  the  Yakima  valley.  Four  years 
later,  or  in  1892,  he  became  a  pioneer  in  the  newly 
opened  Sunnyside  section  and  there  lived  for  five 
years.  In  1897  he  again  located  his  home  in  the 
beautiful  Yakima  valley,  where  he  still  lives, 
leasing  the  Watson  place  near  Yakima  City. 
Mr.  Hildreth's  marriage  took  place  in  the  state 
of  Iowa  in  the  year  1859,  the  bride  being 
Miss  Sarah  J.,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Ol- 
ive (Harris)  Brooks,  her  father  being  of  Eng- 
lish extraction  and  the  mother  Scotch.  Ben- 
jamin Brooks  was  born  in  Vermont  and  was 
one  of  Iowa's  first  settlers,  locating  in  that 
section  in  1836.  Mrs.  Brooks'  birthplace  was 
New  York.  Sarah  (Brooks)  Hildreth  is  a  na- 
tive of  Iowa,  having  been  born  in  that  state  in 
1840.  There,  also,  she  received  her  education 
and  was  married,  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Their 
children,  seven  in  number,  are:  Daniel  H.,  liv- 
ing in  Vancouver,  born  in  Iowa,  May  5,  1858; 
Curtis  (deceased),  born  in  Iowa,  February  10, 
i860;  Milton,  born  in  Wisconsin,  January  29, 
1861 ;  Allen  (deceased),  born  in  Iowa,  June  25, 
1865 ;  Mrs.  Clara  Cook,  living  at  North  Yakima, 


born  in  Vancouver,  January  18,  1868;  Frank,  at 
home,  born  in  Vancouver,  August  15,  1872;  Mary 
(deceased),  born  in  Vancouver,  1874.  Mr.  Hil- 
dreth organized  the  first  Republican  club,  called 
the  "John  C.  Fremont  club,"  started  in  this  local- 
ity, and  has  been  an  ardent  follower  of  Republican 
principles  for  many  years.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hil- 
dreth are  members  of  the  Christian  church  and 
are  held  in  high  esteem  and  respect  by  all  who 
know  them. 


GEORGE  W.  NELSON  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  3,  six 
miles  northwest  of  North  Yakima,  Washington. 
He  was  born  in  Marion  county,  Oregon, 
February  5,  1853.  His  father,  John  B.  Nelson, 
was  born  in  Indiana  in  1817  and  died  December 
13,  1893.  The  father  crossed  the  Plains  in  1845 
with  his  family  and  located  in  Oregon,  where  he 
engaged  in  blacksmithing.  He  spent  some  time 
in  California  during  the  gold  excitement  of  forty- 
nine.  He  located  at  different  points  in  the  North- 
west and  in  1868  took  up  a  homestead  on  the 
Naches  river,  in  what  is  now  Yakima  county. 
His  wife,  mother  of  the  subject,  was  Clara 
(Janes)  Nelson,  bom  in  Kentucky  in  1817  and 
died  July  26,  1893.  Mr.  Nelson  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  this  state  and  has  lived 
at  his  present  home  since  he  was  twelve  years  old. 
He  was  married  in  North  Yakima,  February  15, 
1893,  to  Miss  Edith  G  Herron,  who  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  February  23,  1875.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  David  K.  and  Mary  (Warren)  Her- 
ron, natives  of  Pennsylvania  and  now  residents 
of  North  Yakima.  Her  brothers  and  sisters, 
Anna  B.  (Herron)  Brown,  Grace  J.  (Herron) 
Marsh,  Lena  Herron  and  John  Herron,  also  live 
at  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Nelson  was  the  seventh 
of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  nine  of  whom  are 
now  living,  as  follows:  Margaret  Ann  Frush.  of 
Portland  f  Elizabeth  Vansycle,  of  North  Yakima; 
Thomas  B.,  John,  Daniel  W.  and  Alice  Sinclair, 
of  Yakima  county;  Louisa  Dix,  of  North  'Yak- 
ima, Washington";  Arabella,  Seattle;  Adam  and 
Jasper,  who  are  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  have 
three  children,  as  follows:  Herbert  A.,  born 
April  19,  1894;  Park  A.,  born  January  16,  1898, 
and  Berna  G,  born  August  3,  1901.  Mr.  Nelson 
is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Brotherhood  of 
North  Yakima  and  is  a  Republican.  He  was 
elected  road  supervisor  in  1897  and  served  two 
terms,  the  first  year  by  appointment.  He  and 
his  wife  attend  the  Congregational  church.  He  has 
a  good  forty-acre  farm  and  a  nice  home.  His 
grandfather  was  a  Revolutionary  soldier  and  was 
wounded.  His  father  was  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  pioneers  of  the  county  and  was  gen- 
erally known  as  Judge  Nelson.  The  family  is 
highly  respected. 


620 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


SIMEON  PALMER  is  a  farmer  living  six 
and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  North  Yakima, 
Washington,  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No. 
3.  He  was  born  in  Rhode  Island,  January 
28,  1838,  being  the  son  of  Dr.  Horatio  A.  Pal- 
mer and  Martha  (Wells)  Palmer.  His  father 
was  born  in  Boston  in  1810  and  was  a  graduate 
of  Yale.  His  mother  was  born  on  the  Isle  of 
Wight  in  1814  and  died  in  1888.  Mr.  Palmer 
comes  of  old  Puritan  stock.  His  grandfather, 
Simeon  Palmer,  was  born  on  Providence  planta- 
tion, Little  Compton.  The  grant  for  this  planta- 
tion was  given  to  the  Palmer  family  direct  from 
the  crown  when  the  first  Palmers  came  to  this 
country  and  settled  on  Massachusetts  bay  in  1630. 

Mr.  Palmer  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  state  and  from  twelve  years  of 
age  until  he  was  seventeen  he  attended  the  Judge 
Hoar  private  school  at  Concord,  Massachusetts. 
Later  he  attended  different  collegiate  institutes. 
When  twenty-two  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Ala- 
bama. Later  he  conducted  a  hotel  in  Massa- 
chusetts and  farmed  in  that  state.  Then  he 
moved  to  Colorado,  where  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Greeley  colony  for  a  year.  He  opened  a  sani- 
tarium on  Elkhorn  river,  which  he  sold  after 
one  year.  He  engaged  in  business  in  Wyoming 
for  a  short  time,  and  in  1877  moved  to  Yakima 
county,  where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in 
farming. 

Mr.  Palmer's  brother  and  sisters  are :  Mary 
S.  (Palmer)  Reed,  of  Denver  Colorado,  wife  of 
the  vice-president  of  the  Kinsey  Agricultural 
Company  ;  Frances  S.  (  Palmer)  Houghton,  of  Den- 
ver, and  Horatio  A.  B.  Palmer,  a  Denver  assayer. 
The  latter  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war  and  was 
captured  and  imprisoned  at  Andersonville  five 
months  before  being  exchanged. 

Mr.  Palmer  is  a  Republican.  He  owns  seven- 
ty-nine acres  of  farm  land,  about  one  hundred 
head  of  range  cattle  and  thirty-five  head  of  dairy 
stock.  He  is  very  well  read.  Mr.  Palmer  is  a 
man  with  a  big  heart  and  tender  sympathies, 
especially  toward  children,  and  has  interested 
himself  in  a  number  of  orphans,  to  whom  he  has 
given  a  home  and  an  educatipn.  He  is  of  high 
intelligence,  and  is  a  quiet,  studious  and  successful 
man,  thoroughly  respected  by  all  who  know  him. 


JOHN  J.  NELSON,  a  farmer  living  on  rural 
free  delivery  route  No.  3,  seven  and  one- 
half  miles  northwest  of  North  Yakima,  Washing- 
ton, is  a  member  of  one  of  the  pioneer  families 
of  Yakima  county,  his  father  being  the 
third  settler  in  the  county.  He  was  born  in 
Marion  county,  Oregon,  December  22,  1848.  and 
is  the  son  of  John  B.  Nelson  and  Clara  (Janes) 
Nelson,  both  deceased.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  state  and  Washing- 
ton, and  when  sixteen  years  old  engaged  in  stock 


raising  and  farming  with  his  father.  In  the 
spring  of  1864  the  family  moved  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Yakima  river,  but  in  the  spring  of  1865 
moved  to  the  Naches.  where  our  subject  has 
since  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising. 
He  took  up  his  present  farm  as  a  homestead  in 
1878.  When  a  child,  Mr.  Nelson's  lower  limbs 
were  partially  paralyzed  from  an  excessive  admin- 
istration of  quinine,  but  despite  his  crippled  condi- 
tion he  is  active  and  performs  as  much  labor  as 
the  generality  of  able-bodied  men.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  North  Yakima,  January  11,  1901,  to  Miss 
Plattie  Kine  Rambo,  who  was  born  in  Nebraska, 
April  28,  1875.  She  was  the  eldest  of  the  eight 
children  of  Samuel  and  Ellen  (King)  Kine.  Mr. 
Nelson's  brothers  and  sisters  were:  Jasper  (de- 
ceased), Margaret,  Elizabeth,  Thomas,  Daniel, 
George  and  Adam  (deceased),  Alice,  Arabella  and 
Louisa.  Margaret  lives  in  Oregon  and  the  others 
in  Yakima  county.  Mr.  Nelson  and  his  wife  be- 
long to  the  Seventh  Day  Adventist  church,  of 
which  denomination  her  father  is  a  preacher.  Mr. 
Nelson  is  a  Republican.  He  owns  fifty  acres  of 
fine  farming  land,  a  two-acre  orchard,  and  has  a 
neat  modern  house  on  the  place  and  a  good 
barn.  His  place  is  known  as  Locust  Grove  farm. 
He  is  a  successful  and  well  posted  farmer,  re- 
spected by  all. 


WALTER  T.  WHITE  is  a  successful  farmer 
living  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  3, 
eight  miles  northwest  of  the  city  of  North  Yakima, 
Washington.  He  was  born  in  Utah,  November  29, 
1866,  and  was  the  son  of  John  and  Anna  (Cres- 
wick)  White,  both  natives  of  England,  and  both 
now  deceased.  His  mother  was  born  in  London, 
England,  September  19,  1838,  and  died  in  Payette 
valley,  Idaho,  April  15,  1891.  He  went  to  school 
in  Utah  until  he  was  thirteen  years  old  and  then 
came  to  the  Naches  valley  with  his  mother  and 
located  on  the  farm,  where  he  now  resides.  He 
has  followed  farming  ever  since  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  year  he  spent  in  Okanogan  county  in 
stock  raising.  He  was  for  a  time  interested  in 
the  butchering  business  at  North  Yakima. 

Mr.  White  was  married  in  Yakima  county, 
October  18,  1893,  to  Miss  Emma  J.  Chamber- 
lain, who  was  born  in  Oregon,  November  24, 
1874.  She  is  the  daughter  of  James  L.  and  Chris- 
tiana (Kincaid)  Chamberlain,  now  living  in  this 
county.  She  was  the  youngest  girl  of  a  family 
of  five  boys  and  five  girls.  Two  of  the  girls  and 
one  boy  are  dead.  Mr.  White's  brothers  and 
sisters  are:  Louisa  (White)  Turley,  of  Boise, 
Idaho;  John  White,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
in  Utah  :  Mary  E.  (White)  Leach,  wife  of  F.  M. 
Lench,  a  Yakima  county  farmer;  Joseph  S. 
White,  a  farmer  of  Malot't,  Washington. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  White  have  three  children,  as 
follows:       Harry,     born     September     16,     1895; 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


621 


Florence  A.  White,  born  June  26,  1898,  and 
Lowena  C,  born  March  4,  1903.  Mr.  White  is  an 
Odd  Fellow,  a  member  of  the  Rebekahs  and  of 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  His  wife  is  noble 
grand  of  the  Rebekah  lodge.  He  is  a  Republican. 
He  owns  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
farm  land,  of  which  ninety  acres  are  in  cultiva- 
tion. He  has  eight  acres  in  hops.  He  has  a 
nice  home  and  a  large  hop  house.  He  has  his 
own  irrigation  water  rights  and  is  making  his 
farm  one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  He  is  in- 
dustrious and  popular  with  his  neighbors,  a  man 
of  influence  in  local  affairs,  progressive  in  his 
ideas  and  one  of  the  more  successful  agricul- 
turists of  the  valley. 


JAMES  K.  JARRATT  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, nine  miles  northwest  of  North  Yakima,  on 
rural  free  delivery  route  No.  3.  Mr.  Jarratt 
was  born  in  Hopkins  county,  Kentucky,  April 
7,  1845,  and  was  the  son  of  John  J.  Jarratt,  a 
farmer  and  drover,  and  of  Millie  (Veasey)  Jar- 
ratt, both  of  whom  are  dead.  Mr.  Jarratt  has  one 
brother,  John  F.,  who  is  farming  in  Kentucky. 
He  left  school  when  seventeen  years  old  and  en- 
listed in  company  E,  Twelfth  Kentucky  cavalry, 
and  served  until  October,  1865,  when  he  received 
an  honorable  discharge.  In  1869  he  was  the  vic- 
tim of  accidents,  which  crippled  him  for  life.  His 
right  hand  was  injured  by  the  accidental  dis- 
charge of  a  gun  and  a  leg  was  permanently 
shortened  and  weakened  by  a  kick  on  the  knee 
from  an  ox.  When  his  injuries  permitted,  he 
entered  an  academy  near  Owensburg  and  studied 
three  years.  Later  he  taught  school,  was  deputy 
assessor  and  was  elected  constable  of  Vanover, 
Kentucky.  In  1880  he  went  to  Nebraska  and 
later  to  Oklahoma.  He  was  driven  out  by  gov- 
ernment troops  and  went  to  Kansas.  There  he 
engaged  in  the  restaurant  business.  A  year  later 
he  opened  a  restaurant  at  Pueblo,  Colorado,  and 
after  two  years  went  to  Portland,  Oregon.  Later 
he  moved  to  Goldendale,  Washington,  where 
he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff.  He  resigned 
two  years  and  a  half  later  to  engage  in  farming. 
He  sold  out  and  opened  a  store  at  Vancouver; 
sold  that  and  moved  to  Yakima  county,  August 
1,  1900,  and  purchased  a  piece  of  raw  sage-brush 
land,  which  he  has  since  converted  into  a  fine 
farm.  He  was  married  in  Goldendale,  May  2, 
1888,  to  Nancy  A.  (Stumps)  Meeker,  who  was 
born  in  Iowa,  February  1,  1855,  and  who  was  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Johnson)  Stumps. 
Her  brothers  and  sisters  were:  William  H., 
Oliver  T.,  Sarah  (Stumps)  Nelson,  Leonard, 
Jacob  and  Ulysses,  both  dead ;  Elmer  E.  Stumps 
and  Etta  (Stumps)  Tuttle.  Mr.  Jarratt  is  a 
Democrat.  In  1893  he  was  burned  out  and  lost 
practically  everything  he  had.  His  indomitable 
pluck  and   industry   have  brought  to  him   since 


a  comfortable  property,  including  a  farm  of  four- 
teen acres,  a  good  house  and  a  large  barn. 


MRS.  LINNIE  ROWE.  Among  the  forces 
which  have  wrought  the  subjugation  of  the  west, 
the  pioneer  women  deserve  a  higher  place  than 
is  usually  accorded  them  by  annalists.  Their 
part  may  not  always  appeal  so  powerfully  to  the 
story-teller,  being  less  picturesque,  as  a  general 
rule,  than  that  played  by  the  sterner,  sex,  but 
theirs  was  nevertheless  the  harder  role  to  main- 
tain. All  the  dangers  and  privations  were  shared 
by  them,  while  the  loneliness  and  isolation  bore 
much  more  heavily  upon  them  than  upon  their 
husbands  and  brothers,  whose  lot  permitted  a 
larger  and  more  diversified  sphere  of  activity. 
While  not  numbered  among  the  earliest  pioneers 
of  Yakima  county,  the  lady  whose  name  gives 
caption  to  this  article  has  certainly  seen  her 
share  of  pioneer  conditions,  and  her  peculiar 
circumstances  have  compelled  her  to  bear  bur- 
dens unusual  even  in  a  new  country.  She  has, 
however,  proven  herself  mistress  of  the  situation, 
winning  the  esteem  and  honor  always  due  and 
always  willingly  accorded  those  who  conquer 
in  the  battle  of  life,  at  the  same  time  acquiring 
a  confident  bearing  and  a  force  of  character  not 
possible  to  those  nursed  in  the  lap  of  luxury. 
Mrs.  Rowe  has  had  the  advantage  of  good  hered- 
ity. Her  grandfather.  John  McCormick,  was  a 
pioneer  of  the  pioneers,  being  the  man  who  located 
the  land  upon  which  the  city  of  Indianapolis 
now  stands.  Born  in  Berks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1779,  he  had  moved  west  to  Indiana  with 
his  family,  when  thirty  years  old,  and  gained  the 
distinction  of  having  built,  in  March  of  the  year 
1818,  the  first  house  in  Indianapolis.  His  wife 
was  the  first  white  woman  in  that  city.  Until  his 
death,  in  1828,  he  was  numbered  among  the 
leading  lights  of  his  home  town  and  his  reputa- 
tion was  at  least  state-wide.  Of  Scotch  descent, 
he  was,  nevertheless,  a  thorough  American,  serv- 
ing with  distinction  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
War  of  1812.  Our  subject's  father,  John  W.  Mc- 
Cormick. was  born  in  Fayette  county,  Indiana, 
in  1813.  He  became  identified  with  the  early 
agricultural  development  of  his  native  state,  in 
which  he  spent  his  entire  life,  passing  away  when 
Mrs.  Rowe  was  about  two  and  a  half  years  old. 
The  mother  of  our  subject.  Susana  (Gregg)  Mc- 
Cormick. was  a  native  of  Frankfort,  Kentucky, 
born  June  21,  1823.  She  received  an  unusually 
good  education  in  the  schools  of  that  city,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  at  the  early  age  of 
sixteen  she  was  married.  She  died  January  12. 
[890,  at  Cartersburg,  Indiana.  The  maternal 
grandfather  of  Mrs.  Rowe.  David  Gregg,  was 
horn  near  Richmond,  Virginia,  in  1781.  and 
served  throughout  the  entire  War  of  181 2.  His 
wife.  Sophia  (Case)  Gregg,  was  a  Virginian  also, 


622 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


but  the  couple  early  moved  to  a  plantation  near 
Frankfort.  Kentucky,  where  their  family  was 
raised.  Prior  to  the  Mexican  war,  they  bought  a 
tract  of  land  on  an  Indian  reservation  in  Dela- 
ware county,  Indiana,  which  later  made  them 
well-to-do.  Mrs.  Rowe,  of  whom  we  write,  was 
born  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  July  10,  1850.  She 
received  unusually  good  educational  advantages, 
taking  a  course  in  the  public  schools  of  her  na- 
tive city  and  one  in  the  Young  Ladies'  Baptist 
Institute  there.  For  a  time  she  taught  school, 
but  an  early  marriage  cut  short  her  professional 
career.  At  seventeen  she  became  the  wife  of 
William  Rowe,  a  native  of  Boston,  Massachu- 
setts, born  October  14,  1839.  He  belonged  to  one 
of  the  most  highly  esteemed  families  of  the  Old 
Bay  state,  and  his  father,  William  Henry  Harri- 
son Rowe,  was  a  godson  of  the  noted  president 
whose  name  he  bore  and  who  was  an  intimate 
friend  of  the  family.  He  began  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  but  finished 
in  the  normal  schools  of  Pennsylvania,  to  which 
state  his  parents  had  taken  him  when  quite  young. 
When  he  was  twenty  he  taught  his  first  term  near 
Sing  Sing.  New  York.  In  i860,  he  went  to 
Johnstown,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  accepted  a 
position  as  bookkeeper  for  a  steel  manufacturing 
company.  He  remained  with  them  two  or  three 
years,  then  migrated  to  Indianapolis,  where  his 
father  was  and  where  he  obtained  employment 
as  bookkeeper  for  the  Indianapolis  Rolling  Mill. 
He  soon  became  general  manager,  which  position 
he  held  for  fourteen  years,  though  for  three 
months  during  the  continuance  of  the  Civil  war 
he  was  absent,  having  gone  as  a  volunteer  to  take 
part  in  the  conflict.  After  leaving  the  mill  com- 
pany, he  entered  the  employ  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Indianapolis.  He  was  with  them  sev- 
eral years,  then  engaged  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness on  his  own  account,  continuing  therein  until 
1889,  when  his  health  failed,  making  it  necessary 
for  him  to  retire  from  active  business.  In  1893, 
he  came  to  Yakima  county.  The  change  did  him 
much  good,  but  later  he  experienced  a  change  for 
the  worse  in  his  physical  condition  and  June 
28,  1900,  he  died.  In  his  family  were  one  brother, 
Alexander,  now  deceased,  and  one  sister,  Sarah 
E.  Rowe  Baldwin,  of  Erie,  Pennsylvania.  Mrs. 
Rowe  preceded  her  husband  to  Yakima  county, 
coming  in  1889,  in  which  year  she  entered  the 
place  that  is  now  her  home,  situated  on  the  divide 
between  the  upper  and  lower  Naches  valleys,  eleven 
miles  from  North  Yakima.  It  was  here  that  an 
opportunity  was  given  for  the  exercise  of  the 
unusual  force  of  character  which  was  her 
heritage.  Although  she  knew  little  about  farm- 
ing, she  engaged  with  energy  in  the  business  in 
hand,  and  it  was  very  largely  through  her  efforts 
and  management,  her  husband  being  an  invalid, 
that  a  sage-brush  desert  tract  was  converted  ipto 
a  splendid  farm.    Of  her  one  hundred  and  thirty- 


two  acres,  ten  are  in  hops,  fourteen  in  orchard 
and  sixty-five  in  hay,  while  twelve  acres  above 
the  ditch  are  in  wheat  and  the  remainder  is 
turned  to  good  advantage  in  the  pasturing  of  cat- 
tle and  other  live  stock.  The  place  is  supplied 
with  a  fine  eight-room,  modern  house,  two  barns, 
and  other  outbuildings,  while  the  stock  attached 
to  it  consists  of  fifty-five  head  of  mixed  cattle 
and  a  dairy  of  twenty  cows.  The  invalidism  of 
Mr.  Rowe  caused  the  place  to  be  burdened,  at 
the  time  of  his  death,  with  debt,  but  by  hard 
work  and  good  manaeement  Mrs.  Rowe  has 
cleared  this  off.  In  her  battle  with  circumstances 
she  has  become  very  skillful  in  the  elaboration  of 
all  the  products  of  dairy  and  farm,  and  she  is  very 
frequently  a  prize  winner  at  state  and  county 
fairs.  The  second  year  of  the  North  Yakima 
state  fair  she  received  first  prize  for  butter  mak- 
ing. In  addition  to  the  holdings  above  mentioned, 
she  has  a  one-fifteenth  interest  in  the  Naches 
Cattle  Land  Company. 

At  present  Mrs.  Rowe  is  a  resident  of  North 
Yakima,  having  left  her  farm  for  a  year's  rest, 
but  she  is  too  energetic  and  ambitious  to  rest 
much,  and  is  giving  attention  to  many  things 
which  others  would  consider  hard  work.  She 
has  always  been  an  active  churchwoman  and 
deeply  interested  in  religious  and  benevolent 
work,  as  well  as  in  the  activities  of  society  in 
general.  Indeed,  she  has  fully  demonstrated  her 
ability  to  live  successfully  the  strenuous,  inde- 
pendent, useful  life  which  many  women  in  these 
days  have  come  to  regard  as  the  ideal  life  for 
them.  Mrs.  Rowe  has  had  four  brothers  and 
sisters,  namely,  William  H.,  of  Kansas  City, 
Kansas;  Mary  Burger,  of  Galena,  Ohio;  Fannie 
deceased,  and  Julia  C.  Tincher,  of  Indianapolis. 
Her  children  are  Katie  J.  Hedges,  born  in  Indi- 
anapolis, May  4,  1868,  now  living  near  North 
Yakima ;  William  H.,  born  in  Indianapolis,  Sep- 
tember 8,  1869,  died  in  Tacoma,  Washington,  at 
the  age  of  twenty  years  one  month  and  twenty- 
two  days ;  Charles  A.,  born  in  Indianapolis,  Au- 
gust 10,  1872,  died  when  eleven  months  old ;  Lin- 
nie,  born  in  Indianapolis,  November  24,  1873,  died 
when  four  days  old;  Deborah  C,  born  in  Indi- 
anapolis, April  25,  1877,  died  in  September,  1S78; 
Walter  R.,  born  in  Indianapolis,  May  21,  1884, 
now  first  sergeant  of  company  E,  Washington 
National  Guard,  which  position  he  has  held  for 
three  years  (he  will  graduate  from  the  North 
Yakima  high  school  in  1905),  and  Linnie,  born 
in  Indianapolis,  August  13.  i887,now  a  high  school 
girl,  a  member  of  the  class  which  graduates  in 
1907. 


JOSEPH  O.  CLARK  is  a  farmer  and  fruit 
raiser  whose  home  is  eight  miles  northwest  of 
North  Yakima,  Washington.  He  was  born  in 
Vermont,  November  29,   1838,  and  was  the  son 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


623 


of  Ozias  and  Mary  (Gookins)  Clark,  both  natives 
of  that  state.  He  attended  the  common  schools 
until  he  was  seventeen.  Then  he  attended  the 
Mettowee  academy  and  taught  school  that  winter. 
In  1858  he  entered  the  Burr  and  Burton  seminary 
at  Manchester,  and  was  there  until  i860,  teaching 
during  vacation.  He  then  commenced  to  study 
medicine,  which  he  continued  until  August  18, 
1862,  when  he  enlisted  in  Company  C,  Four- 
teenth Vermont  infantry.  He  served  during  a 
portion  of  the  war,  and  was  honorably  discharged 
July  30,  1863.  He  resumed  his  medical  studies, 
and  in  March,  1865,  received  his  diploma  from  the 
University  of  New  York.  He  practiced  his  pro- 
fession in  Vermont  five  years,  and,  April  13,  1870, 
he  came  to  Washington  under  appointment  as 
government  physician  to  Neahbay  reservation, 
but,  arriving  too  late,  was  transferred  to  Fort 
Simcoe.  He  held  that  position  until  January  II, 
1871,  when  there  was  a  change  of  agents  and  phy- 
sicians. He  moved  to  Yakima,  where  he  taught 
school  and  practiced  medicine  for  four  years.  He 
had  taken  up  a  homestead,  and  he  moved  there 
and  farmed  until  he  could  prove  up.  Then  he 
moved  to  North  Yakima,  and  remained  until  1895, 
when  he  located  on  his  present  farm.  He  was 
married  December  25,  1873,  to  Miss  Dora  C. 
Craft,  who  was  born  in  Oregon,  December  28, 
1855.  She  was  the  daughter  of  William  A.  and 
Amanda  (Vannuys)  Craft.  Mrs.  Clark  had  two 
brothers  and  a  sister:  Alice  (Craft)  Davis,  William 
H.  Craft  (now  deceased),  and  Charles  F.  Craft. 
Mr.  Clark's  brothers  are :  Fitch  Clark  (deceased) ; 
Siras,  living  in  Vermont;  John  G.,  living  in  Louis- 
iana ;  Aaron,  of  Vermont.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark 
have  eight  children :  Joseph  R.,  farming  in  Ver- 
mont;  Cvrus,  Marv  E.  (Clark)  Converse,  Dora  E. 
(Clark)  Low,  William  M.,  John  H.,  George  A. 
and  Jay  O.  Clark.  Mr.  Clark  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  a  Repub- 
lican. He  has  filled  public  offices  on  a  number 
of  occasions  with  much  success.  He  was 
school  superintendent  two  years,  was  ap- 
pointed and  elected  justice  of  the  peace  dif- 
ferent terms,  was  police  judge  of  North  Yakima. 
He  served  from  1877  to  1886  as  examining  sur- 
geon for  pensions  at  North  Yakima.  At  various 
times  he  has  served  as  deputy  auditor,  asssesor 
and  sheriff.  He  is  now  serving  as  road  super- 
visor. He  owns  eighty  acres  of  farm  land,  and  a 
house  and  lot  in  North  Yakima.  He  taught  the 
first  public  school  in  Yakima  county.  He  is  well 
educated  and  a  man  of  rare  ability  and  good  judg- 
ment. 


JOHN  F.  McCLURE.  The  pioneer  farmer 
whose  name  commences  this  biographical  sketch 
has  been  a  resident  of  Wide  Hollow  basin  since 
1876,  when  he  came  to  Yakima  countv.     In  that 


more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  spent  in  central 
Washington,  he  has  undergone  the  trials  incident 
to  the  civilizing  of  a  great  isolated  section,  has 
joyfully  watched  the  gradual  settlement  of  the 
valley  of  the  Yakima  and  its  tributary  valleys  and 
neighboring  hills,  and  now  in  his  mature  manhood 
is  reaping  the  fruits  of  courage,  perseverance  and 
energy.  A  Kentuckian  by  birth,  having  come  into 
the  home  of  William  and  Margaret  (Acre)  Mc- 
Clure in  the  year  1844,  John  McClure  grew  to  his 
majority  in  the  blue-grass  state,  and  there  at- 
tended the  public  schools.  William  McClure  was 
born  in  Virginia  in  1800  and  emigrated  to  the 
sparsely  settled  state  of  Indiana  thirty  vears  later. 
His  declining  years  were  spent  in  Kentucky, 
where,  before  being  long  in  the  middle  west,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Margaret  Acre,  who 
was  a  native  of  that  state.  Of  Scotch-Irish  an- 
cestry, young  McClure  was  naturally  a  tireless, 
thrifty  worker,  and  prospered  from  his  youth. 
After  leaving  home,  he  spent  four  years  in  Indiana 
and  then  went  westward  to  Colorado,  settling  in 
Fremont  county,  where  he  followed  agricultural 
pursuits  until  1876,  or  for  a  period  of  six  years. 
That  year  he  migrated  to  Washington  territory, 
and  there,  in  Wide  Hollow  basin,  filed  a  pre-emp- 
tion claim  to  a  quarter  section  of  excellent  land 
upon  which  he  is  at  present  living.  The  continuity 
of  his  residence  in  the  county  has  been  broken 
but  once,  in  1902,  when  he  made  a  trip  to  his 
old  Kentucky  home.  Two  sisters,  Mrs.  Sarah 
Bryant  and  Mrs.  Marthft  E.  Gooch,  live  in  that 
state ;  also  a  brother,  James  M.,  whose  home  is  the 
old  McClure  homestead.  Mr.  McClure,  although 
not  a  man  of  family,  is  thoroughly  devoted  to  the 
educational  interests  of  his  country  and  is  honored 
by  his  fellow  citizens  of  Wide  Hollow  by  a  posi- 
tion on  the  school  board  of  that  district — a  sub- 
stantial indication  of  the  esteem  and  trust  in  which 
he  is  held  by  those  who  best  know  him.  Seventy- 
five  acres  of  the  quarter  section  are  producing  al- 
falfa, one  acre  is  in  orchard,  forty  acres  are  plow 
land,  and  the  remainder  is  pasture.  Excellent 
buildings  have  been  erected  on  the  place,  and 
other  improvements  made,  which  make  it  a  com- 
fortable home.  As  it  is  only  six  miles  southwest 
of  the  city,  it  is  on  a  rural  free  delivery  route, 
No.  4,  and  its  possesses  all  the  conveniences  of 
a  suburban  residence.  Politically,  Mr.  McClure 
is  a  Democrat,  but,  as  a  lover  of  good  government 
and  a  progressive  man,  he  is  liberal-minded  on 
this  question  as  well  as  others. 


SAMUEL  B.  HUGHS,  residing  upon  his 
farm,  seven  miles  west  and  three  south  of  North 
Yakima,  where  he  is  engaged  extensively  in  hop 
raising,  is  one  of  the  early  pioneers  of  the  county, 
having  settled  in  the  Ahtanum  valley  in  1871.  He 
is  also  a  pioneer  of  Oregon,  where  he  lived  for 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


several  years  prior  to  moving  to  Washington,  and 
he  comes  from  pioneer  stock.  He  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1822,  from  the  marriage  of  Asa  and  Sallie 
(O'Neil)  Hughs.  The  former,  a  Kentuckian  by 
birth  and  of"  Welsh  parentage,  moved  to  the  new 
country  of  Ohio  in  the  very  early  days  and  then 
went  to  Iowa  in  1836,  where  he  finally  departed 
this  life.  The  mother  was  a  Tennesseean  by  birth, 
and  her  ancestors,  who  were  of  English  descent, 
were  pioneers  in  that  state.  Our  subject  was  six- 
teen when  his  parents  moved  to  Iowa ;  and  here 
he  lived  and  farmed  until  1865,  when  he  crossed 
the  Plains  to  Oregon,  settling  near  Forest  Grove, 
where  he  purchased  a  ranch  and  farmed  for  six 
years.  He  sold  out  at  that  time  and  moved  to  his 
present  location,  purchased  a  claim  on  the  Ahta- 
num,  where  he  lived  for  five  years,  proving  up, 
then  moved  to  Yakima  City.  Here  he  opened  a 
livery  barn,  which  he  ran  until  1885,  at  which  time 
he  moved  to  the  new  town  of  North  Yakima,  just 
then  building,  and  engaged  in  the  livery  business, 
which  he  followed  four  years.  He  then  sold  out 
and  moved  upon  the  farm,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  was  married  in  Iowa,  in  1848,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Brown,  to  which  union  four  children, 
Lewis,  William,  Taylor  and  Wallace,  were  born. 
His  wife  died  in  Idaho  in  1865,  while  en  route 
across  the  Plains.  He  was  married  again  in  1867, 
in  Oregon,  to  Mrs.  Louise  F.  (Brown)  Catching, 
a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  1843.  She  moved 
from  her  native  state  to  Oregon  with  her  parents, 
when  but  three  years  ofc  age ;  there  she  was  ed- 
ucated and  married  to  Mr.  Hughs  at  the  age  of 
twenty-three.  Her  father,  Benjamin  Brown,  was 
born  in  Kentucky  in  181 2,  moved  to  Missouri  in 
an  early  day,  and  from  there  took  his  family  to 
Oregon  in  1847,  locating  in  Washington  county, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death.  Her  mother, 
Lavina  (Murrie)  Brown,  was  born  in  Tennessee  in 
1815,  of  Irish  parents.  To  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hughs  were  born  three  children:  Wilbur, 
Benjamin  and  Arthur.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  Christian  church,  and,  politically,  Mr. 
Hughs  is  an  active  Democrat.  He  owns  a  well 
improved  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
with  a  good  seven-room  house,  and  in  addition  to 
growing  hops  on  an  extensive  scale,  he  also  raises 
a  great  deal  of  stock,  cattle,  horses  and  hogs.  He 
is  counted  one  of  the  thrifty,  substantial  citizens 
of  his  community  and  county,  and  one  who  can 
be  depended  upon  at  all  times. 


JOHN  COWAN  was  born  in  Scotland,  May  26, 
1842,  and  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising, 
seventeen  miles  north  of  North  Yakima,  Washing- 
ton, His  postoffice  is  Wenas.  His  father.  John 
Cowan,  was  horn  in  1790,  and  his  mother,  Margaret 
(McNeil)  Cowan,  was  born  in  1808.  Both  are  na- 
tives of  Scotland.  Their  other  children  were :  James 


Cowan,  who  is  dead;  Anna  (Cowan)  Milvain  and 
Maggie  (Cowan)  Wilson,  both  living  in  Scotland. 
Mr.  Cowan  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
and  an  academy  in  Scotland,  and  when  seventeen 
years  old  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  followed  that 
for  twenty-one  years,  with  great  success.  In  June, 
1880,  he  left  Scotland  and  came  directly  to  Yakima 
county,  and  soon  afterward  purchased  his  present 
place.  He  was  married  in  Scotland,  June  8,  1880, 
to  Margaret  Kerr,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mar- 
garet (Jackson)  Kerr,  all  natives  of  Scotland.  She 
was  the  third  child  of  a  family  of  eight,  all  of  whom 
are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cowan  have  six  children, 
born  as  follows:  Maggie,  August  16,  1881  ;  Anna,. 
March  7.  1884  ;  Charles,  December,  23,  1885  ;  James, 
November  9,  1887;  Mary,  October  17,  1889,  and 
Robert,  November  29,  1892.  Mr.  Cowan  is  a  Demo- 
crat, and  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  He 
owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which 
is  under  irrigation,  a  house  and  barn,  and  has  about 
one  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  horses.  He  is  a 
thoroughly  informed  farmer  in  all  of  its  branches, 
and  is  making  a  success  of  his  work  in  this  county. 


JOHN  B.  HITT  is  a  farmer,  living  at  Wenas, 
Washington,  northwest  of  North  Yakima.  He  was 
born  in  Missouri,  November  25,  1854,  being  the  son 
of  Jacob  H.  and  Elizabeth  (Whobery)  Hitt.  His 
father  was  born  in  Virginia,  about  181 8,  and  is 
now  dead.  His  mother  was  a  native  of  Missouri, 
and  is  still  living.  Mr.  Hitt  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  state.  When  he  was 
fifteen  years  old,  he  engaged  in  labor  on  his  father's 
farm,  his  father  being  dead,  and  he  remained  there 
until  1876.  Then  he  moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  re- 
mained a  short  time.  Then,  after  a  short  visit  in 
Colorado,  he  came  to  Yakima  City,  in  August, 
1883.  He  followed  different  employments  there  for 
eight  years.  In  1891,  he  purchased  a  re- 
linquishment to  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land,  on  Iowa  Flat,  and  farmed  there 
until  1904.  Of  this  farm  he  had  about  forty  acres 
under  cultivation  and  .under  irrigation.  In  1904, 
he  sold  all  his  land  on  Iowa  Flat  and  purchased 
six  hundred  and  forty  acres  on  the  Umtanum,  about 
twenty-eight  miles  northwest  of  North  Yakima. 
Mr.  Hitt  is  the  sixth  child  of  a  family  of  seven 
girls  and  five  boys,  all  of  whom  are  living.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Seventh  Day  Adventist  church. 
In  political  matters,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  owns 
two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land,  free  from 
debt,  and  a  good  house  and  about  forty-five  head  of 
horses  and  cattle.  He  is  progressive  and  indus- 
trious, and  is  gradually  adding  to  his  property  and 
wealth. 

MILTON  SHEARER  was  born  in  Iowa,  No- 
vember 20,  1849,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farming, 
six  miles  northwest  of  North  Yakima,  Washington, 


JOSEPH   O.   CLARK. 


JOHN  F.   McCLURE. 


SAMUEL   B     HUGHS 


JOHN   COWAN. 


JOHN   B.    HIT 


MILTON   SHHAkl  K 


JOHN    LOUDON. 


THOMAS  HOWSON. 


HORACE   M.    I'.KX  I'  >\ 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


625 


on  the  line  of  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  3. 
His  father.  Joel  Shearer,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina,  about  1823,  and  served  in  the  Mexican 
war.  His  mother,  Emily  (Tyler)  Shearer,  was  born 
in  Missouri  about  1833,  and  was  a  second  cousin 
of  President  Tyler.  Both  are  dead.  They  had  four 
children, theothers  being:  Joel  S. Shearer,  of  Grange- 
ville,  Idaho;  Robert  Shearer,  of  Colfax,  Wash- 
ington, and  John  W.  Shearer,  who  was  killed  by  a 
kick  of  a  horse  when  seven  years  old.  Mr.  Shearer 
attended  school  in  Iowa,  and  crossed  the  Plains 
with  his  parents,  in  1864,  to  Oregon.  There  he  com- 
pleted his  education.  'When  he  was  eighteen  years 
old  he  engaged  in  farming  with  his  father.  After 
he  was  twenty  he  farmed  for  himself.  In  1880,  he 
moved  to  Klickitat  county  and  farmed  and  con- 
ducted a  dairy  farm  for  a  number  of  years,  and  later 
traded  for  town  property  and  lived  in  Goldendale 
four  years.  He  then  moved  to  Yakima  county,  and. 
after  leasing  a  farm  for  five  years,  purchased  his 
present  home.  He  was  married  in  Oregon,  October 
5,  1871,  to  Miss  Susan  J.  Flanary,  who  was  born  in 
that  state,  September  14,  1855.  Her  father.  Thomas 
G.  Flanary,  was  born  in  Missouri,  in  1828.  and  died 
in  1899.  Her  mother,  Emily  (Chamberlain)  Flan- 
ary, was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  died  in  1899,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-six  years.  Mrs.  Shearer's  brothers 
and  sisters  are :  Sonora  Hess,  of  Yakima  county  ; 
William  P.  Flanary,  a  photographer,  of  this  state ; 
Letitia  A.  Bonebrake,  wife  of  a  Goldendale,  Wash- 
ington, physician,  and  Jasper  W.  Flanary,  city  elec- 
trician, at  Pomeroy,  Washington.  Mr.  Shearer  has 
been  the  father  of  nine  children,  as  follows :  Walter, 
born  September  29.  1874;  Charles  E.  Shearer,  born 
August  2,  1876;  Thomas  A.,  born  October  13,  1878; 
Emily  E.,  born  November  29,  1880;  Josie  C. 
(  Shearer)  Mitchell,  born  December  24.  1882  ;  Allen 
Shearer,  born  October  8,  1885  ;  Eunice  Shearer,  born 
September  25,  1886;  Orin  A.,  born  August  5,  1888, 
and  Glenn  H.  Shearer,  born  August  20,  1896.  Wal- 
ter. Thomas.  Emily  and  Allen  died  within  a  year, 
three  of  them  in  the  same  week.  Mr.  and  Airs. 
Shearer  belong  to  the  Baptist  church.  He  is  a 
Democrat.  He  is  possessed  of  rare  business  judg- 
ment and  ability,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  in 
the  past  six  years  he  has  accumulated  a  property 
valued  at  ten  thousand  dollars,  and  also  has  very 
promising  mining  interests  north  of  the  Cascade 
tunnel.  Mrs.  Shearer  is  the  owner  of  an  estate  at 
Goldendale,  worth  two  thousand  dollars.  They  are 
well  esteemed  by  their  neighbors  and  acquaintances 
for  their  many  excellent  qualities.  Mr.  Shearer  and 
wife  made  a  trip  back  to  his  old  Iowa  home  this 
year,  which  he  had  not  seen  since  leaving  it  as  a  boy. 
forty  years  ago.  and  also  visited  the  great  St.  Louis 
exposition. 


JOHX  LOUDON,  farmer  and  stockman,  living 
six  miles  southeast  of  North  Yakima,  came  to  Yak- 
ima county  in   1883.       Mr.  Loudon  is  a  native  of 


Scotland,  where  he  was  born,  December  12,  1848, 
the  son  of  John  and  Janet  (Templeton)  Loudon. 
His  parents  were  natives  of  Scotland ;  his  father, 
born  in  1813,  died  in  Scotland  in  i860;  the  mother, 
born  in  1826,  died  in  New  Zealand  in  1873.  Mr. 
Loudon  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  seven  children, 
all  born  in  Scotland.  One  brother,  William,  died 
in  Yakima  county  in  1885.  One  brother  and  four 
sisters  are  living  in  New  Zealand ;  their  names  fol- 
low :  Gavin,  Mrs.  Jessie  Thompson,  Mrs.  Anna 
Copeland,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Drummond  and  Mrs. 
Maggie  Mansfield.  The  marriage  of  John  Loudon 
and  Miss  Maggie  Gordon  was  celebrated  in  New 
Zealand  in  1882.  Miss  Gordon  was  born  in  Scot- 
land, February  7,  1864,  the  daughter  of  Alexander 
and  Elizabeth  (Stewart)  Gordon.  The  parents  are 
dead.  Mrs.  Loudon  was  the  fifth  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children,  all  of  whom  reached  the  age  of 
maturity  before  a  death  occurred.  Their  names  are 
as  follows :  James  Gordon,  living  in  Australia ; 
Mary  and  Anna,  living  in  Scotland ;  Alexander, 
Stewart,  Jane,  Henry,  Peter  and  William,  living  in 
Xew  Zealand ;  John  and  Bella,  deceased.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Loudon  have  been  blessed  with  six  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Yakima  county :  John,  born  Octo- 
ber 17,  1884;  Lizzie,  born  December  9,  1885;  Will- 
iam, born  May  10,  1887;  Gavin,  born  July  4.  1888; 
Alexander,  born  February  8,  1890,  and  Jessie,  born 
April  5,  1891.  Mr.  Loudon  spent  his  youth  in  his 
native  land,  and  received  his  education  in  tuition 
schools.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  old  the  family 
removed  to  New  Zealand,  and  for  twenty  years  he 
followed  farming  there  with  excellent  success,  being 
the  fourth  largest  wheat  grower  on  the  island.  He 
was  also  prominently  connected  with  road  and 
county  business,  being  from  1876  to  1882  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Waimate  road  board  and  county  council. 
In  1883  he  disposed  of  his  interests  there,  and,  com- 
ing direct  to  Yakima  county,  purchased  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  railroad  land  on  the  Cowiche, 
and,  for  eleven  years,  engaged  in  the  stock  business. 
He  then  sold  his  stock  ranch  and  purchased  seventy 
acres,  where  he  now  resides,  and  which  be  has  de- 
veloped into  one  of  the  most  desirable  homes  in  the 
vallev.  Although  gradually  working  out  of  the 
stock  business,  that  he  may  give  bis  time  entirely 
to  the  farm,  he  still  has  two  hundred  head  of  cattle. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Loudon  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  Mr.  Loudon  is  a  prominent  Mason, 
and,  in  politics,  an  active  and  influential  Republican. 
He  has  always  been  especially  interested  in  educa- 
tional matters ;  has  been  a  member  of  his  home 
school  board  almost  continuously  since  settling  in 
the  valley.  As  one  of  the  active  participants  in  the 
development  of  the  valley,  and  as  a  man  of  enter- 
prise and  strictest  integrity,  he  has  the  confidence 
and  highest  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 


THOMAS  HOWSON.  living  six  miles  north- 
west  of    North    Yakima,   on    his   farm,    on    which 


626 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


he  settled  on  first  coming  to  the  county  in  1880, 
is  one  of  the  sturdy  men  who  came  from  the  east 
to  the  Pacific  coast  in  an  early  day,  making  the 
trip  from  Iowa  to  California,  in  1862,  with  ox 
teams.  He  was  born  in  Canada  of  English  par- 
ents in  January,  1834,  where  he  lived  with  his 
father  until  twenty,  working  with  him  upon  the 
farm.  The  father,  whose  name  was  John,  was 
a  native  of  England,  going  to  Canada  in  the  early 
thirties,  leaving  his  family  in  England,  where  he 
later  sent  for  them.  He  died  in  Canada.  The 
mother,  Eliza  (Pickard)  Howson,  was  born  in 
Canada  and  married  at  an  early  age;  she  died  at 
the  birth  of  her  son  Thomas.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  our  subject  moved  to  Iowa  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  six  years.  He  then  farmed 
for  some  eighteen  years  in  California,  coming  di- 
rectly from  there  to  Yakima  county,  where  he 
took  up  a  pre-emption  on  the  Naches,  where  he 
lived  until  1886,  when  he  removed  to  Kittitas 
county  and  took  up  a  homestead  near  Lake  Cle- 
Elum,  which  he  proved  up  on  and  still  owns.  He 
later  returned  to  his  farm  in  Yakima  county, 
where  he  has  since  continued  to  reside.  He  was 
united  in  marriage  in  Canada,  in  1856,  to  Miss 
Ellen  Pickard,  a  native  of  Canada  and  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Ann  (Adkinson)  Pickard,  the 
former  a  native  of  England,  who  came  first  to 
Canada,  later  moving  to  Iowa,  and  in  1862  crossed 
the  Plains  to  California,  where  he  finally  passed 
away.  The  mother  was  of  Canadian  birth.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Howson  have  three  children — Josiah, 
born  in  California  in  1863  ;  Chester,  born  in  same 
state  in  1865;  and  Sylvester  H.,  born  in  same 
state  in  1867.  They  are  connected  with  the  Sev- 
enth Day  Adventist  church.  Mr.  Howson  owns 
four  hundred  and  sixty-two  acres  of  land,  the 
greater  portion  timber  and  pasture.  He  is  counted 
an  upright,  worthy  citizen. 


DAYTON  D.  REYNOLDS,  living  upon  his 
farm  five  miles  west  and  three  south  of  North 
Yakima,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  ever 
since  he  was  eleven  years  of  age,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents,  Jesse 
W.  and  Susan  E.  (Garoutte)  Reynolds.  His 
father  was  born  in  Missouri  in  1838,  his  parents 
being  David  and  Mary  (Kelley)  Reynolds,  na- 
tives of  Tennessee.  Jesse  W.  was  a  pioneer  of 
Missouri,  and  was  a  veteran  of  the  late  Civil  war, 
in  which  he  served  during  almost  its  entire  length, 
a  portion  of  the  time  with  Capt.  Abernathy.  He 
moved  to  Kansas  in  1876;  to  Union  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  1877,  and  to  the  Ahtanum  valley,  Wash- 
ington, in  1884,  where  he  still  resides.  Young 
Reynolds  remained  at  home  until  nineteen,  and 
then  began  working  out;  at  which  he  accumu- 
lated sufficient  money  to  purchase  a  twenty-acre 
tract  of  land  near  the  fair  grounds,  on  which  he 


resided  some  five  years.  He  then  sold  the  land 
and  purchased  his  present  place  in  1900.  He  was 
married  in  Ellensburg,  April  6,  1896,  to  Mrs. 
Mary  Libby,  daughter  of  Horace  M.  and  Mary 
(Allen)  Benton.  Her  father,  a  native  of  Connec- 
ticut, was  in  early  life  a  sea  captain,  and  came 
to  the  Yakima  valley  in  1866,  where  he  resided 
until  his  death.  A  portrait  of  Horace  M.  Ben- 
ton is  reproduced  in  this  volume.  Mrs.  Reynolds' 
mother  was  a  native  of  Oregon,  her  people  being 
among  the  first  settlers  in  Yakima  county,  where 
she  still  lives.  Mrs.  Reynolds  was  born  in  the 
Ahtanum  valley,  "February  6,  1867,  the  first  white 
child  that  valley  ever  produced.  She  was  first 
married  to  A.  L.  Libby,  to  which  union  was  born 
one  child,  Mabel.  Mrs.  Reynolds  has  one  sister, 
Sarah  C.  Finburg,  North  Yakima.  Mrs.  Reynolds 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
Her  husband  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  and  politically,  he  is  aligned  with 
the  Republican  party,  of  which  he  is  an  active 
member.  He  is  a  successful  grower  of  hops,  and 
is  accumulating  considerable  stock.  He  is  counted 
a  good  citizen  and  a  desirable  neighbor. 


ALFRED  SINCLAIR  is  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising  twelve  miles  northwest  of  North 
Yakima.  He  is  the  son  of  Hugh  and  Frances 
(Bishop)  Sinclair,  both  natives  of  Nova  Scotia, 
in  which  country  he  also  was  born,  August  27, 
1867.  He  was  educated  there,  and  when  twelve 
years  old  came  to  the  United  States  with  his  par- 
ents and  located  in  the  upper  Naches  valley.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  in  this  county  and 
worked  with  his  father  until  he  was  twenty-one 
years  old,  since  which  time  he  has  been  accu- 
mulating for  himself,  although  he  has  always  been 
connected  with  his  father  in  business.  He  was 
married  at  Tacoma  December  31,  1896,  to  Miss 
Grace  McMillan,  who  was  born  in  Sumner,  Wash- 
ington, November  16,  1874,  and  who  was  the 
daughter  of  James  McMillan,  now  deceased,  and 
Mary  (Stone)  McMillan,  of  Tacoma.  Her  broth- 
ers and  sisters  are:  Ida  (McMillan)  Pierce,  of 
England;  Clyde  (McMillan)  Shanks,  of  Portland, 
Oregon;  Edith  (McMillan)  Pritchard,  of  Alaska, 
and  Roy  McMillan,  also  of  Alaska.  Mr.  Sinclair's 
brothers  and  sisters  are:  Clara  J.  (Sinclair) 
Sloan,  of  North  Yakima;  Winnie  F.,  now  dead; 
Edgar,  also  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sinclair  have 
two  children — James  K.,  born  May  1,  1898,  and 
Francis,  born  March  1,  1900,  both  in  Tacoma. 
Mr.  Sinclair  is  a  charter  member  of  North  Yak- 
ima lodge,  No.  53,  Knights  of  Pythias.  In  poli- 
tics, he  is  an  active  Republican,  though  he  votes 
for  the  man  in  local  elections.  He  has  been  very 
successful  in  business,  and  now  owns  one  hun- 
dred and  seventy-three  acres  in  his  home  farm, 
a  one-fifteenth  interest  in  the  Naches  Cattle  Land 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


627 


Company,  which  has  seventeen  sections,  and  a  one- 
third  interest  in  two  sections  of  railroad  land.  He 
has  an  eight-room  house  and  two  good  barns, 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  head  of  cattle  and 
about  twenty  horses.  He  is  industrious  and  de- 
serving of  the  popularity  he  enjoys. 


JOHN  McPHEE,  who  lives  twelve  miles 
northwest  of  North  Yakima,  Washington,  is  a 
farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He  was  born  in  Nova 
Scotia  May  27,  1836,  and  was  the  son  of  Archi- 
bald and  Jennett  (McPhie)  McPhee,  both  na- 
tives of  Scotland,  who  have  died.  He  was  edu- 
cated in  Canada,  and  left  school  when  twenty 
years  old  and  engaged  as  miller  in  his  father's 
flour-mill.  He  also  farmed.  He  was  thus  em 
ployed  with  fair  success  for  twenty-three  years 
He  moved  to  the  Naches  valley  July ,  17,  1882 
and  the  following  year  purchased  his  present  farm 
This  was  one  of  the  first  farms  cultivated  in  the 
upper  Naches  valley.  During  the  first  year  of 
his  residence  he  was  engaged  in  logging  for  a 
time.  He  was  married  in  Canada  December  19, 
1871,  to  Miss  Isabell  Sinclair,  who  was  born  in 
Nova  Scotia  February  10,  1844.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (McKenzie)  Sin- 
clair, both  of  Scotch  parentage  and  now  deceased. 
She  was  the  only  girl  of  a  family  of  twelve  chil- 
dren. But  three  of  her  brothers  are  yet  living. 
Mr.  McPhee's  brothers  and  sister  were :  Dou- 
gald,  now  dead,  Hugh  and  Archibald,  of  Nova 
Scotia,  and  Mary  (McPhee)  McEachern,  de- 
ceased. Mr.  and  Mrs.  McPhee  have  the  follow- 
ing children :  William  S.,  Bessie  J.,  Minnie  F., 
Archie,  Edna  R.,  Ruby  M.  Mr.  McPhee  is  a 
Democrat,  and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  He  has  one  hundred 
and  forty-three  acres  in  his  farm,  a  nice  nine-room 
house  of  modern  construction  and  a  good  barn. 
He  has  about  seven  acres  in  hops  and  a  good 
hop  house.  He  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers 
of  the  district  and  highly  respected. 


HENRY  SEDGE  is  government  forest  ranger 
and  a  farmer  whose  home  is  fifteen  miles  north- 
west of  North  Yakima,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio  October  4,  1855,  the  son  of  Alexan- 
der and  Elenor  (Stone)  Sedge,  both  of  whom 
are  dead.  His  brothers  and  sisters  were :  Fre- 
ling,  now  dead;  George,  of  Oregon;  John  W.,  of 
Missouri;  Florence  (Sedge)  Foley,  deceased; 
William  P.,  of  Oregon;  Charles  and  Morgan,  liv- 
ing in   Missouri;  Taylor,   deceased. 

Mr.  Sedge  attended  common  school  in  Ohio 
and  a  high  school  in  Virginia.  He  left  school 
when  about  twelve  years  of  age,  and  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Missouri  he  went  to  Texas  and 
entered  the  service  of  a  cattle  owner  as  cowboy, 


an  occupation  which  he  followed  until  1874,  when 
he  was  injured  by  being  thrown  and  tramped  on 
by  a  horse,  so  went  to  California  for  his  health. 
He  followed  the  general  merchandise  business 
there  until  1881,  then  moved  to  Klickitat 
county,  Washington,  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising.  He  sold  out  in  1890  and  opened 
a  butcher  shop  at  Yakima  City,  but  the  hard  times 
coming  on  he  gave  up  the  business  and  located 
a  farm  on  the  Nile  river  in  Yakima  county,  which 
he  cultivated  until  1899.  He  also  established  the 
first  and  only  sawmill  there.  In  the  fall  of  1899 
he  bought  the  farm  he  is  now  cultivating.  In 
May  of  that  year  he  had  been  appointed  forest 
ranger  for  that  part  of  the  Rainier  reserve  east 
of  the  Cascade  mountains,  a  position  which  he  still 
holds.  He  is  the  only  ranger  east  of  the  Cascades 
holding  a  second  grade.  He  was  married  in  Cal- 
ifornia September  3,  1879,  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Plum- 
ley,  who  was  born  in  California  December  23, 
1855,  the  daughter  of  Alonzo  and  Julia  (Chilson) 
Plumley.  She  was  the  third  of  twelve  children. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sedge  have  the  following  children : 
Julia,  born  August  21,  1880;  Olive,  September  3, 
1884;  Maude,  March  4,  1886;  William  H.,  June 
3,  1888;  Lillian  S.,  December  10,  1890;  Alonzo, 
January  1,  1893,  and  Willard,  February  15,  1897. 
Mr.  Sedge  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  and  in  politics  is  an  active  Re- 
publican. He  has  a  good  farm  of  forty-five  acres 
and  a  fine  house.  Besides  being  a  successful  agri- 
culturist, he  is  considered  one  of  the  best  forest 
rangers   in   the  government  service. 


WILLIAM  S.  CLARK  is  a  native  of  Missouri 
and  was  born  June  16,  1858.  He  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising  seventeen  miles  north- 
west of  North  Yakima,  Washington.  His  parents, 
John  H.  and  Mary  J.  (Moore)  Clark,  are  both 
dead.  His  father  was  born  in  Ohio  about  1822 
and  was  a  Mexican  war  veteran.  Mr.  Clark  at- 
tended school  in  Kansas  until  he  was  sixteen 
years  old.  In  1876  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  his 
parents  to  Washington,  stopping  a  year  on  the 
way  in  Wyoming.  They  remained  at  Walla 
Walla,  Washington,  about  thirty  months,  and 
then  came  to  the  upper  Naches  valley  and  located 
on  government  land.  .Mr.  Clark  has  since 
been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He 
was  married  at  Yakima  City  November,  1882,  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Kincaid,  who  was  born  in  Oregon 
Julv  29,  1861.  Her  parents  were  James  and  Mar- 
tha A.  (Liscomb)  Kincaid.  She  was  the  second 
child  of  a  family  of  seven.  Mr.  Clark's  brothers 
and  sisters  were :  Winfield,  Priscilla,  Martha, 
Amanda,  John  and  Flora,  who  are  dead;  Nancy 
T.  (Clark)  Stevens,  of  Yakima  county;  Clara  A. 
(Clark)  Case,  of  Yakima  county,  and  Mary  E. 
(Clark)    Beck,  of    Yakima    county,  Washington. 


628 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  have  the  following  children: 
Charles,  born  September  18.  1883;  Clarence,  born 
April  10,  1885 ;  Winfield,  born  November  3,  1886; 
Jessie,  born  March  11,  1890;  Clara,  born  August 
12,  1891  ;  John,  born  February  10,  1896,  and  Ma- 
rian, born  November  15,  1898.  Mr.  Clark  is  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America 
and  is  a  Republican.  He  has  about  two  hundred 
and  forty  acres  of  land,  a  good  house  and  barn, 
and  has  about  sixty  acres  of  his  place  under  cul- 
tivation. He  has  a  nice  orchard  of  ten  acres  and 
about  one  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  horses.  He 
is  a  successful  agriculturist  and  stands  high  in 
the  community  as  a  substantial  and  progressive 
citizen. 


NEWTON  KINCAID  is  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  residing  about  twelve  miles  northwest  of 
North  Yakima,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Or- 
egon June  8,  1870,  the  son  of  James  and  Mar- 
tha Ann  (Liscomb)  Kincaid,  both  residents  of 
this  state.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Mary 
J.  (Kincaid)  Burnett,  Elizabeth  (Kincaid)  Clark, 
William  Kincaid,  John  (deceased),  Samuel  and 
James  Kincaid.  He  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Oregon  and  Washington,  chiefly  in 
those  of  the  latter  state,  for  he  was  only  six  years 
old  when  his  parents  moved  to  the  Naches  valley. 
Since  he  was  eighteen  years  old  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock  raising,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three  years  when  he  served  in  the  Phil- 
ippines in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  as  a 
member  of  Company  E,  Second  regiment,  Wash- 
ington volunteers.  On  completion  of  his  service 
with  the  army  he  returned  to  the  farm,  and  he 
has  since  been  engaged  there  continuously.  He 
owns  about  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 
a  good  house  and  barn,  and  some  twenty  head 
of  horses  and  cattle.  He  is  also  the  owner  of 
the  Brown  Horse  mines.  It  is  a  gold  and  copper 
proposition  from  which  assays  as  high  as  thirty- 
three  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents  to  the  ton  have 
been  received  and,  encouraged  by  the  showing, 
Mr.  Kincaid  has  started  a  tunnel  to  develop  the 
property.  He  is  an  ambitious,  industrious  man, 
and  is  fast  acquiring  wealth.  In  politics,  he  is 
an  enthusiastic  supporter  of  President  Roosevelt. 


WINFIELD  S.  STEVENS  is  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser  living  twenty-five  miles  northwest  of 
North  Yakima,  Washington.  He  gets  his  mail 
in  that  city.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  June  29,  185 1, 
the  son  of  John  and  Louisa  (Landers)  Stevens. 
He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  his  native  state 
until  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  when  he  engaged 
in  farm  work  for  his  father.  In  1869  he  moved 
to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  worked  at  lumbering 
for  four  vears.     He  returned  then  to  his  father's 


farm,  remaining  until  1876,  then  started  west, 
making  stops  at  Lincoln,  Illinois,  in  the  Wiscon- 
sin lumber  camps,  and  in  Wyoming.  Finally,  in 
1877,  ne  arrived  at  Walla  Walla  and  engaged  in 
farming.  In  1880  he  sold  out,  came  to  Yakima 
county,  and  located  on  railroad  land,  but,  dis- 
posing of  his  improvements  in  1888,  he  then 
squatted  on  his  present  farm,  one  of  the  finest  in 
the  valley.     It  is  known  as  the  Buckeye  ranch. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  married  at  North  Yakima 
December  23,  1880,  to  Miss  Nancy  J.  Clark,  who 
was  born  in  Missouri  January  22,  1854.  Her  par- 
ents, John  and  Mary  (Moore)  Clark,  are  both 
dead.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1823,  and 
her  mother  in  Indiana  in  1830.  She  was  the  third 
of  a  family  of  ten,  of  whom  six  are  dead.  Mr. 
Stevens'  brothers  and  sisters  were :  Temperance 
(Stevens)  Roler,  Levi  Stevens,  Steward  A.  Ste- 
vens, Mary  (Stevens)  Ferris,  Henry  M.  Stevens, 
Erne  J.  (Stevens)  Holden,  Caroline  and  Sarah 
'E.  Stevens,  both  dead;  Alfred  Stevens  and  Ennis 
Stevens.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevens  have  four  chil- 
dren— Edmund  E.,  born  September  16,  1881 ; 
John,  born  July  25,  1885;  Mary  L.,  born  June 
28,  1887,  and  William  T.,  born  September  4,  1889. 
Mr.  Stevens  is  a  Democrat.  He  owns  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  about  fifty-five  acres  of  which 
are  under  cultivation;  also  a  good  home  and  barn. 
He  has,  moreover,  a  third  interest  in  about  forty- 
five  hundred  acres  of  grazing  land  and  ninety 
head  of  horses  and  cattle.  He  is  considered  to 
be  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  public  spir- 
ited citizens  of  the  valley,  being  always  to  the 
front  in  matters  affecting  the  betterment  of  the 
community,  and  having  been  liberal  in  contrib- 
uting time  and  money  to  build  about  seven  miles 
of  heavy  road  from  the  upper  Naches  valley  to 
the  Nile  vallev.  He  is  a  man  of  high  character, 
industrious   and  deservedly   popular. 


WILLIAM  A.  J.  McDANTEL  (deceased)  was 
a  farmer  and  stock  raiser  who  lived  two  miles 
north  of  Nile,  Washington.  He  was  born  in 
Adams  county,  Illinois.  April  4,  1836.  His  father, 
William  McDaniels,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, in  1778,  and  died  in  1838.  He  was  of  Scotch 
descent,  and  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  His 
mother,  Frances  B.  (Embree)  McDaniel.  was  born 
in  Kentucky,  March  22,  1806.  When  he  was  two 
years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Missouri,  where 
his  father  died.  When  he  was  eight  years  old  he 
came  with  his  mother  to  Oregon,  crossing  the 
Plains  in  an  ox  wagon.  They  lived  in  Polk 
county,  where  his  mother  took  up  a  donation 
claim.  He  went  to  school  there  until  1848,  and 
then  went  to  Salem  and  attended  the  Methodist 
mission  school.  September  18,  1849,  ne  wen*  to 
California  during  the  gold  excitement.  He  re- 
turned   in    1850   and    attended   school    until    1854. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


629 


October  15,  1855,  he  enlisted  in  Company  G,  First 
Oregon  volunteers,  and  at  once  came  to  Yakima 
county  to  fight  Indians,  who  were  on  the  war- 
path. He  was  mustered  out  May  8,  1856,  after 
many  engagements.  He  then  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising  in  Oregon  until  1863,  when  he 
went  to  Boise,  Idaho,  and  spent  two  years  mining 
and  conducting  a  butchering  business.  In  1865, 
he  came  to  Yakima  county  and  located  on  a 
farm.  He  followed  farming  from  this  date  till 
the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  married  in  Yakima 
county,  June  2,  1872,  to  Elizabeth  E.  (Lindsey) 
Grant,  daughter  of  Walter  and  Elizabeth  A.  (Ben- 
nett) Lindsey,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  June  18, 
1838.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Rachel,  Jesse, 
William,  John,  Edward,  Sarah  and  George.  His 
brothers  and  sisters  are:  Elisha,  Joshua,  Nancy, 
Elizabeth,  Margaret  and  John,  all  of  whom  ex- 
cept Joshua,  are  dead.  His  children  are:  John 
(deceased);  William  E.,  born  May  8,  1876;  Mary 
F.  (McDaniel)  Newman,  born  February  9,  1878; 
Charles  P.,  born  April  4,  1879,  an<l  Laura  A.,  born 
August  23,  1881.  Mr.  McDaniel  was  a  Democrat. 
He  was  living  on  unsurveyed  land,  on  which  he 
had  improvements  valued  at  three  thousand  six 
hundred  dollars.  For  many  years  he  received  a 
pension  from  the  government  for  his  services  as 
a  volunteer  in  the  Indian  wars.  He  was 
one  of  the  best-known  old-timers  of  the  Northwest, 
and  was  familiarly  known  as  "Uncle  Andy." 
He  was  highly  respected  by  all.  Concern- 
ing his  death  we  quote  the  following  from  a  North 
Yakima  paper:  "William  A.  J.  McDaniel,  a  well- 
known  old  pioneer  of  the  Yakima  valley,  died  at 
the  residence  of  his  son-in-law,  John  Lindsay,  of 
Fruitvale,  at  one  o'clock  p.  m.,  Wednesday,  April 
27,  1904.  He  was  a  man  of  many  sterling  qual- 
ities who  had  many  warm  friends,  particularly 
among  the  old  settlers.  For  several  years  he  had 
made  his  home  in  the  Nile  settlement,  where  he 
had  taken  up  a  homestead  and  where  his  hos- 
pitable home  was  always  open  to  all  who  chanced 
that  way.  In  the  death  of  'Uncle'  Andy  McDaniel 
we  feel  that  we  have  lost  a  good  friend,  and  we 
sincerely  regret  his  taking  off." 


JAMES  A.  BECK.  Among  the  men  who 
have  had  a  prominent  part  in  the  development  of 
Yakima  county,  he  whose  name  forms  the  cap- 
tion of  this  article  is  certainly  to  be  counted  as 
one.  For  many  years  a  resident  of  this  valley,  he 
has  enjoyed  good  opportunities  to  stamp  his  im- 
press upon  it,  and  he  has  made  the  most  of  such 
opportunities,  making  his  influence  especially  felt 
in  agriculture  and  irrigation,  though  he  has  ever 
manifested  a  deep  interest  in  everything  tending 
to  promote  the  general  welfare  of  his  community. 
Born  in  Indiana,  June  26,  1853,  he  nevertheless 
spent  many  of  his  childhood's  years  in  Missouri, 


but  the  force  of  Horace  Greeley's  advice,  "Go  west, 
young  man,"  soon  began  to  influence  him,  and,  in 
1865,  he  came  to  Washington  territory.  In  Whit- 
man seminary,  Walla  Wdla,  he  received  an  un- 
usually thorough  and  broad  education.  When 
eighteen  years  old  he  took  up  the  study  of  law, 
and  for  two  years  Blackstone  and  Kent  were  his 
companions,  but  he  then  turned  his  attention  to 
theology.  A  year  was  spent  in  study  for  the  min- 
istry. The  year  1869  found  him  in  Yakima  county. 
His  parents,  John  W.  and  Martha  G.  (Goodwin) 
Beck,  who  were  likewise  natives  of  the  Hoosier 
state,  had  also  come  west,  hecoming  prominent 
pioneers  of  the  Yakima  valley.  Some  of  their 
early  experiences  are  chronicled  in  another  portion 
of  this  volume.  Upon  their  farm  James  worked 
for  a  few  years,  but  in  1878  he  took  a  homestead 
on  what  has  now  become  so  famous  as  Nob  Hill, 
near  North  Yakima.  It  was  during  his  residence 
there  that  he  accomplished  one  of  his  greatest 
undertakings  for  the  good  of  the  general  public 
by  becoming  the  originator  of  the  Hubbard  ditch, 
which,  he  says,  was  the  first  high  line  canal  in  the 
state.  Until' 1888.  Mr.  Beck  busied  himself  in  the 
cultivation  and  improvement  of  his  own  home 
place,  after  which  he  sold  out  and  purchased  the 
parental  homestead.  This  he  farmed  for  eight 
years.  In  1896,  however,  he  sold  it  also  and  pur- 
chased from  the  railway  company  his  present 
home,  situated  at  Nile.  To  the  cultivation  and  im- 
provement of  his  half  section  of  land  he  has  since 
devoted  himself  with  assiduity  and  zeal.  His  long 
experience  in  farming  under  the  conditions  ob- 
taining in  Yakima  county  and  his  wisely  di- 
rected industry  have  enabled  him  to  build  up  a 
home  of  which  he  has  reason  to  be  proud.  His 
ranch  is  supplied  with  a  good  house,  also  fine 
barn  and  outbuildings  and  an  abundance  of  live 
stock  of  all  kinds. 

Mr.  Beck  was  married  at  North  Yakima,  Jan- 
uary 5,  1888,  the  lady  being  Vestina  McKillips, 
a  native  of  Iowa,  born  August  18.  1857.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Electa  ( Wheelock)  Mc- 
Killips and  the  fifth  child  of  a  family  of  eight,  all 
of  whom  are  now  dead  except  herself  and  brother 
John.  Mr.  Beck  had  three  brothers,  Roshell,  de- 
ceased, and  Douglas  and  Orlando,  living  in  this 
county.  The  family  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beck  con- 
sists of  three  children.  John,  born  October  10, 
1898:  Bessie,  born  February  22.  i8i>o.  and  Charles, 
born  November  5,  1892.  In  political  faith.  Mr. 
Beck  is  a  Democrat,  while  in  religion  he  belongs 
to  the  vast  concourse  of  people  who  believe  in  the 
truth  of  spiritualism,  as  do  also  his  wife  and  family. 
The  Nile  postoffice  is  on  his  place,  and  for  the  past 
five  vears  he  has  been  postmaster.  Mr.  Beck  is 
still  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  the  memory  of  early 
experiences  is  as  fresb  in  his  mind  as  if  they  were 
occurrences  of  yesterday :  he  relates  these  ex- 
periences in  an  interesting  and  zestful  manner,  as 


630 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


he  would  more  recent  happenings.  He  was  an 
active  participant  in  many  of  the  stirring  events 
of  the  early  days.  He  assisted  in  the  capture  of 
the  Indians  who  murdered  the  Perkins  family  in 
1879,  and  witnessed  the  hanging  of  the  murderers. 


WILLIAM  D.  BECK,  who  lives  at  No.  4  South 
Kittitas  avenue,  in  North  Yakima,  Washing- 
ton, is  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He  was  born 
in  Owen  county,  Indiana,  January  3,  1856.  He 
received  his  early  education  at  Walla  Walla, 
Washington,  having  come  west  with  his  parents 
when  he  was  but  nine  years  old.  He  left  there 
when  he  was  thirteen,  and  came  to  Yakima 
county,  where  he  attended  school.  When  he 
was  twenty-one  he  left  school.  Before  that  time 
he  had  become  interested  in  cattle  raising.  In 
1873,  he  was  employed  by  W.  R.  Ballard  in  the 
survey  of  the  Yakima  Indian  reservation,  and  was 
later  engaged  in  the  survey  of  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific through  the  Cascades.  In  1878,  he  located 
a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  and 
an  eighty  acre  timber  culture  claim,  and  has  fol- 
lowed farming  much  of  the  time  since.  He  now 
has  the  mail  contract  between  North  Yakima  and 
Nile.  He  was  married  at  Old  Yakima,  June  10, 
1877,  to  Miss  Frances  Cook.  There  was  one 
child,  who  died.  He  was  separated  from  his  wife 
in  October,  1879,  and  September  21,  1881,  he  mar- 
ried Senora  E.  Morrison,  who  was  born  in  Illinois 
March  4,  1862.  Her  parents  were  John  L.  and 
Caroline  (Belch)  Morrison.  Three  children  were 
born:  Ruby,  September  9,  1882;  Pearl,  March  24, 
1884.  and  Senora,  December  7,  1885.  The  mother 
died  May  12,  1887.  Mr.  Beck  was  again  married 
May  24,  1891,  to  Mary  Etta  Clark,  who  was  born 
in  Kansas,  November  8,  1868,  and  who  was  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Moore)  Clark.  To 
this  union  three  girls  were  born :  Georgia  M., 
April  2,  1892;  Lilly  A.,  June  25,  1894.  and  Clara 
B.,  July  7,  1897.  Mr.  Beck  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  is  a  Roosevelt 
man.  He  has  about  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
on  the  Nile  river  and  two  lots  and  a  good  home  in 
North  Yakima.  He  owns  about  thirty  head  of 
horses  and  cattle.  He  is  active  and  energetic  and 
quite  popular. 


JOHN  CAMERON  is  a  native  of  Canada, 
where  he  was  born  April  22,  i860,  and  is  engaged 
in  farming  twelve  miles  northwest  of  North  Yak- 
ima. Washington.  His  father,  Donald  Cameron, 
was  born  in  Nova  Scotia  in  1824  and  is  dead.  His 
mother,  Jane  E.  (Jardine)  Cameron,  was  born  in 
Canada  in  1833  and  still  lives  there.  He  was  ed- 
ucated in  Canada  and  left  there  when  twenty-two 
years  old  and  located  in  Chippewa,  Wisconsin, 
where    he  engaged  in    blacksmith  work,  a    trade 


he  had  learned  in  his  native  land.  He  came  to 
Washington  in  1888.  While  employed  with  the 
Blakely  Mill  Company,  he  learned  the  trade  of 
machinist.  After  eleven  years  he  quit  on  account 
of  his  health  and  engaged  in  the  oyster  business. 
Failing  health  compelled  him  to  sell  out  in  1901, 
and  he  moved  to  Yakima  county  and  bought  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  of  farm  land,  to  which 
he  has  added  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  more. 
Later,  he  sold  the  farm  first  purchased  and  now 
lives  on  the  last  purchase.  He  was  married  in 
New  Westminster.  Canada,  June  28.  1897,  to  Mrs. 
Minnie  S.  Countryman,  who  was  born  in  Iowa, 
August  27,  1870.  She  had  two  children  by  a 
former  marriage,  Samuel,  born  July  14,  1886,  and 
Winnie  Maude,  born  July  1,  1889.  Mr.  Cameron 
has  one  child,  Bertie,  born  March  8,  1894.  Mr. 
Cameron's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Lizzie,  Mar- 
garet (dead),  James,  David,  Jennette,  Allen,  Bur- 
gess and  Howard.  Mr.  Cameron  is  a  Democrat. 
He  has  two  hundred  and  fort}'  acres  of  land  and  a 
good  house  and  barn,  seventeen  head  of  horses 
and  cattle,  and  has  some  city  property  at  West 
Seattle.  He  is  a  substantial  citizen  who  stands 
well  in  the  community. 


ROBERT  E.  CAMERON  is  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser,  living  twenty  miles  north  of  North 
Yakima,  Washington.  His  postoffice  is  Wenas.  He 
was  born  in  California,  October  23,  1873,  being  the 
son  of  Ephraim  and  Emily  (Butler)  Cameron, 
now  Chambers.  Mr.  Cameron  came  to  Yakima 
county  with  his  parents  when  he  was  two  years  old, 
and  received  a  meager  education  in  the  common 
schools  here.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  old  he 
began  farm  work.  He  worked  on  his  mother's 
ranch  for  four  years,  and  then  leased  land  on  the 
Indian  reservation  for  one  year.  Then  he  leased 
the  farm  he  is  now  occupying.  He  was  married  at 
North  Yakima,  November  10,  1901,  to  Miss  Maude 
Best,  who  was  born  in  Missouri,  July,  1882.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  Best.  Her 
brothers  and  sisters  are :  Anna,  Martha,  Richard, 
Callie,  Etta,  Minnie  and  Joseph.  Mr.  Cameron 
has  a  brother  and  sister :  John  F.  and  Clara.  Mr. 
Cameron  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  and  is  a  Republican.  He  has  about  thirty 
head  of  horses  and  cattle,  and  owns  half  of  forty 
acres  of  land  in  the  Wenas  valley.  He  is  well  liked 
and  a  hard  working  citizen. 


JOHN  F.  CAMERON  is  engaged  in  running 
a  dairy  farm,  eighteen  miles  northwest  of  North 
Yakima,  Washington.  His  postoffice  address  is 
Wenas.  He  was  born  in  California,  September  11, 
1 87 1,  and  he  is  the  son  of  Ephraim  Cameron,  born 
in  Ohio,  May  26,  1830,  and  of  Emily  (Butler) 
Cameron,  who  was  born  in   Illinois,  December  25, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


1846.  His  parents  came  to  Yakima  county  when 
he  was  three  years  old.  He  attended  school  here 
until  he  was  fifteen.  He  then  engaged  in  farm 
work  and  stock  raising  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old,  when  he  leased  the  farm  he  is  now  work- 
ing, in  partnership  with  his  brother,  until  1895, 
since  which  time  he  has  run  it  alone.  He  was  mar- 
ried at  North  Yakima,  July  4,  1895,  to  Miss  Lorena 
Longmire,  who  was  born  in  Oregon,  April  4,  1876, 
and  who  was  the  daughter  of  Simeon  and  Eliza 
(Plimm)  Longmire,  both  residents  of  Ellensburg. 
Her  sisters  and  brothers  follow :  Addelmer,  Ada, 
Wayne,  Addie  and  Ellsworth.  Mr.  Cameron's 
brother  and  sister  are  Robert  and  Clara.  Mr.  Cam- 
eron is  a  Republican,  and  he  takes  considerable  in- 
terest in  matters  political.  He  has  served  as  road 
supervisor.  He  owns  a  half  interest  in  forty  acres 
of  land,  and  has  twenty-three  milk  cows  and  about 
forty-five  head  of  cattle  and  horses.  Ten  miles 
northwest  of  his  home  is  located  a  sawmill,  of  which 
he  is  part  owner.  The  capacity  of  the  mill  is  eight 
thousand  to  ten  thousand  feet  of  lumber  per  day.  A 
box  factory  is  operated  in  connection.  Mr.  Cam- 
eron is  a  hard  worker,  and  is  building  up  a  valu- 
able property. 


ROBERT  H.  HANDLE  is  engaged  in  conduct- 
ing his  farm,  fifteen  miles  northwest  of  North 
Yakima,  Washington.  His  postoffice  is  Wenas.  He 
is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  March  10,  1847.  His 
father  was  born  in  Indiana,  and  came  thence  to 
Washington  by  team  in  1851.  His  mother, 
Margaret  (Hill)  Kandle,  was  born  in  Ireland,  in 
1817,  and  died  May  23,  1879.  Their  other  chil- 
dren were  a  pair  of  twins,  who  died  in  infancy; 
Garrett,  who  is  also  dead ;  George  B.  Kandle,  of 
Tacoma ;  William  A.  Kandle,  of  Pierce  county, 
and  Franklin  J.  Kandle,  county  commissioner  of 
Yakima. 

Mr.  Kandle  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Thurston  county,  and  when  twenty-two  years  old  he 
engaged  in  teaching.  In  1871  he  came  to  Yakima 
county,  and  began  raising  stock,  and  that  year  he 
located  on  the  farm  now  owned  by  the  Taylor 
heirs.  He  sold  his  stock  and  farm  in  1874,  returned 
to  Thurston  county,  and  engaged  in  farming.  In 
the  fall  of  1901  he  sold  out  there,  and  purchased 
his  present  farm. 

He  was  married  in  Thurston  county,  June  5, 
1870,  to  Miss  Tillatha  Longmire,  daughter  of 
James  and  Varinda  (Taylor)  Longmire,  both 
natives  of  Indiana.  She  was  born  in  Indiana, 
August  8,  1850,  and  was  the  third  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  all  of  whom  but  one  are  living  in 
this  state. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kandle  have  nine  children,  as  fol- 
lows: James,  born  March  13,  1871  ;  Thomas  Wal- 
ter, March  31,  1872;  Maggie  Anderson,  born  June 
1,  1874;  Anna  Reynolds,  born  June  3,  1877;  Cora 


Anderson,  born  August  17.  1879;  Ella  Brunner, 
born  March  16,  1881  :  Frank,  born  January  22, 
1883;  George,  born  January  1,  1885;  Flora,  born 
January  16,  1891. 

Mr.  Kandle  is  a  Republican.  He  has  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acres  of  land,  two  lots  in  Olympia 
and  two  good  farm  houses.  He  is  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  his  district,  and  well  liked  bv  all. 


WILLIAM  FLYNN,  whose  address  is  Wenas 
postoffice,  Yakima  county,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
the  state,  having  settled  here  in  1866.  He  was  born 
in  Ireland,  in  1839,  his  parents,  Patrick  and  Kather- 
ine  (McCall)  Flynn,  both  being  natives  of  the  Em- 
erald Isle.  When  he  was  but  eighteen  months  of 
age  his  parents  immigrated  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  New  York  City,  where  they  resided  for 
many  years.  Here  our  subject  grew  to  man's  estate. 
The  war  came  on  at  this  time,  and  the  young  man, 
fired  with  the  true  sentiment  of  patriotism  and  love 
for  his  country,  at  once  enlisted,  and  was  assigned 
to  the  duty  of  teamster,  which  position  he  continued 
to  hold  until  the  close  of  the  rebellion.  He  then 
came  west  to  what  was  then  Washington  Territory, 
in  1866,  and  engaged  as  packer  for  the  government 
in  the  Indian  war.  He  served  through  these  excit- 
ing times,  being  a  participant  in  the  various  expedi- 
tions, and  a  witness  of  the  many  events  of  interest 
and  danger.  At  the  close  of  this  war,  he  took  up 
land  and  became  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  in  which 
business  he  has  continued  until  recent  years,  when 
he  retired  from  active  duty.  He  has  been  a  very 
successful  business  man,  always  reaping  more  or  less 
financial  returns  from  all  of  his  ventures,  until  he 
has  accumulated  a  vast  amount  of  land,  which  he 
counts  bv  the  hundreds  of  acres.  He  has  been  iden- 
tified with  the  progress  and  general  development 
of  his  communitv  and  county,  and  may  justly  be 
denominated  a  progressive  citizen  and  a,  desirable 
neighbor. 

Mr.Flvnn  is  one  of  a  family  of  four  children, 
two  boys  and  two  girls.  The  brother  he  has  not 
heard  from  in  a  number  of  years :  the  sisters  came 
to  this  country,  and  were  married,  but  died  young. 
He  has  been  raised  in  the  Catholic  faith.  Politi- 
callv.  he  is  a  pronounced  Democrat.  In  addition 
to  his  large  real  estate  holdings  and  other  inter- 
ests, he  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Yakima  bank. 


WILLIAM  M.  BADGER,  contractor  and 
builder,  at  North  Yakima,  came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  in  1875,  since  which  time  he  has  made  his 
home  respectively  in  California.  Oregon  and  Wash- 
ington, in  all  of  which  states  he  has  been  actively 
connected  with  the  upbuilding  of  the  country,  his 
calling  especially  fitting  him  for  the  accomplishment 
of  such  ends.  His  father.  Robert  Badger,  was  a 
native  of  Ohio,  born   in    1812.   where  he   followed 


632 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


farming  for  years.  Edith  (Morris)  Badger,  his 
mother,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1815.  Our  subject  was 
bom,  reared  and  educated  in  the  Buckeye  state,  at- 
tending school  there  until  nineteen  years  of  age,  and 
working  with  his  father  upon  the  home  farm.  He 
then  learned  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  cabinet 
maker,  and  engaged  in  business  for  himself,  having 
become  an  expert  workman  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one.  In  1 86 1,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  re- 
sponded to  the  first  call  of  President  Lincoln  for  vol- 
unteers to  put  down  the  rebellion,  enlisting  first  in 
Company  G,  Ninth  Indiana  infantry  volunteers, 
under  Colonel  R.  H.  Milroy,  and  later  in  Company 
K,  Sixty-eighth  Ohio  volunteers.  He  served  to  the 
close  of  the  war,  being  discharged  at  Buford  Isle, 
South  Carolina,  April  11,  1865.  He  was  engaged 
in  thirty-one  battles,  among  the  number  being  Fort 
Donelson,  Shiloh  and  Vicksburg,  through  all  of 
which  he  came  unscathed.  At  the  close  of  the  war 
he  returned  to  Williams  county,  Ohio,  and  engaged 
in  farming  for  several  years.  Later  he  moved  to 
Indiana,  and  then  to  Minnesota,  in  both  of  which 
states  he  followed  farming  and  carpentering.  He 
was  carried  away  by  the  western  fever  in  1875,  and 
at  that  time  immigrated  to  the  Golden  state,  where 
he  farmed  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  a  number  of 
years,  later  going  to  Oregon.  His  next  move  was 
to  Yakima  county,  in  March,  1883,  where  he  was 
one  of  the  very  first  to  settle  in  the  "Horse  Heaven" 
country.  He  claims  the  distinction  of  having  built 
the  first  cabin  in  that  now  famous  wheat  district. 
After  six  years'  residence  there  he  moved  to  North 
Yakima  and  established  himself  in  the  building  and 
contracting  business,  which  he  has  followed  con- 
tinuously and  successfully  since. 

Mr.  Badger  was  married  in  Ohio  October  4, 
1862,  to  Sarah  Elizabeth  Russell,  a  native  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, born  in- 1842.  She  is  now  deceased.  To 
this  marriage  were  born  five  children,  three  of  whom, 
Charles,  Mrs.  Alice  R.  Ritchie,  and  Mrs.  Bertha 
Weaver,  are  still  living.  Our  subject  has  three 
brothers  and  one  sister  living,  as  follows:  Ervin  M., 
an  ex-soldier;  Mrs.  Phoebe  A.  Derby,  in  Cali- 
fornia ;  James  F.,  ex-representative  of  Douglas 
county,  Washington,  and  Robert  M.,  residing  in 
Oregon.  His  deceased  brother,  Charles  A.,  was 
twice  wounded  in  the  Civil  war,  and  was  a  prisoner 
in  Libby  prison  and  at  Belle  Island.  Mrs.  Badger's 
father  and  one  brother,  William  Russell,  served  with 
distinction  in  the  war.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Badger  is 
connected  with  the  Masons,  Eastern  Star,  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  and  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He 
is  a  good  citizen,  and  is  still  comfortably  fixed 
in  this  world's  goods,  after  having  dealt  gener- 
ously with  his  children. 


ELIJAH  S.  YEATES,  boot  and  shoe  dealer 
in  North  Yakima,  was  born  in  England  May  19, 


1832,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1851. 
His  parents,  Frances  and  Jane  (Hodgkiss) 
'  Yeates,  were  both  of  English  birth  and  ances- 
try. The  father  was  a  shoemaker  by  occupation 
and  was  also  an  ex-soldier,  having  served  for 
over  six  years  in  the  British  army,  from  which 
he  at  last  purchased  his  discharge  and  settled 
down  to  his  trade.  Our  subject  attended  tuition 
school  until  the  age  of  fifteen,  when  he  entered 
his  father's  shop  and  learned  the  trade  of  shoe- 
maker. At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  ran  away 
from  home  and  traveled  for  three  years  through- 
cut  the  British  Isles,  working  at  his  trade.  In 
1851,  he  went  on  a  sailing  trip,  and  landed  in 
the  United  States  in  the  spring  of  1852,  going 
directly  to  Green  Bay,  Wisconsin,  where  he 
worked  in  a  shop  for  a  time  and  then  estab- 
lished himself  in  a  shop  of  his  own.  He  then 
learned  the  trade  of  machinist,  working  at  this 
until  1857,  when  he  was  thrown  out  of  em- 
ployment by  the  hard  times,  and  in  1859 
crossed  the  Plains  to  California.  He  mined  there 
for  some  nine  years,  but  not  meeting  with  the 
desired  success  in  this  line  of  employment,  he 
engaged  in  the  shoe  and  harness  business,  fol- 
lowing the  construction  of  the  Central  Pacific 
railroad.  Later  he  settled  at  Elko,  Nevada,  in  the 
shoe  and  jewelry  business,  continuing  there  for 
some  six  years,  when  he  sold  out  and  went  to 
Tuscarora,  Nevada,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
same  lines  of  business.  In  1885,  he  came  to  Yak- 
ima City,  and  opened  up  in  the  boot  and  shoe 
line,  moving  the  next  spring  to  the  present  site 
of  North  Yakima,  at  the  time  of  the  location  of 
that  city,  and  he  has  continued  here  in  business 
ever  since,  being  identified  with  the  town's 
growth  from  its  start  to  the  present  time.  In 
1886,  he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
the  upper  Naches  valley,  and  there  established 
a  sawmill,  from  which  was  supplied  the  greater 
portion  of  the  lumber  that  was  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  original  North  Yakima  and  the 
Selah  canal.  He  was  united  in  marriage  in  Green 
Bav.  Wisconsin,  in  the  spring  of  1854,  to  Jessie 
Davidson,  a  native  of  Montreal,  Canada.  Her 
parents  were  Scotch,  the  father.  John  Davidson, 
being  born  at  Firth,  Scotland.  Mr.  Yeates  is  the 
oldest  of  a  familv  of  three  and  an  only  son. 
Of  the  two  daughters,  Ann  JefTery  is  dead,  and 
Emma  B.  Lovelace,  the  youngest,  is  residing  in 
California.  He  comes  from  a  family  of  high 
standing  in  England,  and  traces  his  ancestry  back 
many  generations.  His  grandfather,  Thomas 
Yeates,  was  for  twenty-four  years  parish  clerk 
at  Upton.  England,  where  he  was  honored  and 
esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him.  Mr.  Yeates  is 
an  energetic,  progressive  citizen,  and  has  always 
been  actively  identified  with  the  rustling,  push- 
ing element  of  the  communities  where  he  has 
lived.  He  has  constructed  since  coming  to  the 
Pacific    coast    fifty-four    business    and    residence 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


633 


buildings  for  his  own  use,  and  has  expended 
thousands  of  dollars  in  the  development  of 
mines.  He  has  eight  children :  Jane  Johanes, 
Wisconsin;  Margaret  Keyser,  Nevada;  Jessie 
Hesson,  Nevada;  Emma  J.,  deceased;  Mary  D. 
Parsons,  North  Yakima;  Bell,  Yeates  and  Frank, 
deceased.  Socially,  he  is  identified  with  the 
Masonic  order,  of  which  he  is  past  master.  For 
many  years  he  was  a  high  official  in  Qdd  Fel- 
lowship. Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
followed  the  banner  of  that  party  through  the 
vicissitudes  of  war  as  well  as  in  the  halcyon  days  of 
peace.  He  has  been  honored  with  office  in  the  past 
and  was  at  one  time  county  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  of  Elko  county,  Nevada. 


JAMES  D.  McINTOSH,  teacher  and  ranch 
owner,  in  Selah  valley,  Yakima  county,  dates 
his  residence  in  the  county  from  1893.  He  was 
born  in  Illinois  in  1857.  His  father,  John  S.  Mc- 
intosh, was  a  native  of  Maryland,  and  the 
mother,  Esther  J.  (Manchester)  Mcintosh,  was 
born  in  Canada  in  1822.  They  are  both  now 
deceased.  Subject's  maternal  grandfather  was  an 
Englishman  by  birth,  and  a  subject  of  King 
George  III  at  the  time  of  the  American  revolu- 
tion for  independence,  but  his  sense  of  justice 
and  right  caused  him  to  cast  his  lot  with  the 
revolutionists,  and  he  enlisted  in  colonists'  cause 
heart  and  soul,  undergoing  all  the  hardships  and 
deprivations  of  those  perilous  times  with  the 
cheerfulness  of  the  born  patriot  and  soldier.  His 
feet  were  so  badly  frozen  on  one  of  the  expe- 
ditions in  which  he  participated  that  he  was  cap- 
tured by  the  British.  Subject  received  his  higher 
education  in  the  high  school  and  the  academy 
of  Rockford,  Illinois,  a  diploma  being  granted 
him  from  the  latter  educational  institution  in 
1880.  He  then  taught  awhile  in  the  academy, 
and  later  moved  to  Kansas,  where  he  resided  for 
many  years,  teaching  school  and  music  all  of  the 
time — in  fact,  he  has  followed  teaching  continu- 
ously since  his  graduation  in  1880.  In  1893,  he 
came  west  and  settled  in  the  Selah  valley,  where 
he  purchased  his  present  place  and  began  teach- 
ing. He  taught  the  first  school  in  that  valley. 
He  was  married,  August  2,  1887,  at  Deerfield, 
Iowa,  to  Jennie  M.  Goodlander,  a  native  of  Rock- 
ford,  Illinois,  where  she  was  born,  May  1,  1857. 
Her  father,  Henry  H.  Goodlander,  was  a  native 
of  New  York,  but  lived  most  of  his  life  in  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war. 
The  mother,  Elizabeth  (Fisher)  Goodlander, 
was  born  in  Ohio  in  1836,  and  is  now  deceased. 
Subject  had  five  brothers  and  one  sister,  all  of 
whom  are  dead  but  Jerome  J.  and  Joseph  E. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mcintosh  have  four  children : 
Alberta  M.,  Gladys,  Jean  M.  and  Clarence  D. 
Mr.  Mcintosh  is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  he  and 
wife  are  active  members  of  the  Baptist  church. 


He  is  a  man  of  decided  literary  tastes,  and  is 
highly  respected  and  esteemed  by  those  by  whom 
he  is  best  known. 


ROBERT  W.  SCOTT,  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
in  the  south  Naches  valley,  Yakima  county,  was 
born  in  Canada,  December  11,  1866.  His  father, 
Robert  Scott,  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1840  and 
emigrated  with  his  parents  to  Canada  when  quite 
small.  He  was  a  resident  of  the  vicinity  of  Gait, 
Ontario,  until  about  nineteen  years  old,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Illinois, 
where  he  was  married  April  16,  1863.  He  enlisted 
in  the  Ninety-eighth  Illinois  infantry  and  served 
three  months,  then  was  discharged  on  account  of 
disability.  In  1865  he  took  his  family,  consisting 
of  wife  and  one  son,  and  went  back  to  Canada, 
where  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  When 
he  was  about  six  weeks  old,  however,  they 
came  back  to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
southwest  Missouri,  where  they  resided  until  R. 
W.  was  about  seventeen  years  old.  In  1884  they 
immigrated  to  Washington  and  settled  in  the  south 
Naches  valley,  where  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
with  his  father  for  several  years,  also  in  working 
with  him  as  a  carpenter.  During  this  time  he 
made  a  trip  to  Idaho,  where  for  a  while  he  worked 
in  a  sawmill.  His  father  being  elected  to  the  of- 
fice of  county  assessor,  he  was  appointed  deputy 
and  did  field  work  for  two  years.  In  1900  he  and 
his  brothers,  Charles  E.  and  Tom  H.,  purchased 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in  the  Naches  valley. 
He  has  since  purchased  two  other  tracts  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  acres  in  Cowiche  and  Naches  valleys 
respectively,  on  the  latter  of  which  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Scott  was  married  December  11.  1900,  in 
North  Yakima,  the  lady  being  Elsie  A.  French,  a 
native  of  Minnesota,  born  August  18,  1882.  Her 
father  and  mother,  Angus  and  Alice  (Hawn) 
French,  were  natives  of  Canada,  and  had  ten  chil- 
dren, of  whom  Mrs.  Scott  was  fourth,  and  all  of 
whom  are  living  but  three.  Mr.  Scott  was  the 
second  of  eleven  children:  Walter  IX.  Robert  \Y.. 
Charles  E.,  Maggie  S.,  James  N.,  Tom  H.,  Harry 
H.,  Amy  K.,  Bert  E.,  "George  R.  and  an  infant 
brother  who  died,  Walter  D.  and  Maggie  S.  being 
deceased  also.  The  rest  are  all  residents  of  Wash- 
ington. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Scott  have  two  children, 
Thelma  Alice  and   Raymond  W. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Scott  is  connected  with  the 
Royal  Tribe  of  Joseph,  and  in  politics,  he  is  a 
Republican.  He  gives  a  great  deal  of  attention  to 
stock  raising  and  dairying. 


LOUIS  LANCH,  a  pioneer  of  Yakima  county 
of  the  year  1879,  is  one  of  the  successful  farmers 
of  Cowiche  valley.     He  was  born   in   Germany, 


634 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


September  25,  1847.  His  father,  David  Lanch, 
was  water  tender  in  the  mines  of  that  country 
and  died  in  1853  of  rheumatism  contracted  in 
underground  work.  His  mother,  Eva  (Buhl) 
Lanch,  now  deceased,  was  also  of  German  birth. 
When  nineteen,  our  subject  came  to  the  United 
States,  and  settled  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  a  time  and  then  in  stone 
quarrying.  Although  he  had  been  educated  in 
the  fatherland,  he  was  ambitious  to  learn  the 
ways  and  language  of  his  adopted  country  as 
soon  and  perfectly  as  possible,  and  while  his 
time  was  occupied  working  in  daytime  he  attend- 
ed night  schools  for  two  years,  thus  fitting  him- 
self for  future  usefulness  in  the  new  country. 
He  went  to  Pennsylvania  in  1868  and  engaged 
in  general  work,  depositing  his  savings  in  the 
bank,  all  of  which  were  swept  away  in  a  bank 
failure  in  1873,  leaving  him  stranded.  He  headed 
then  for  the  Pacific  coast.  Engaging  in  steam- 
boating  in  California,  he  again  saved  up  some 
money.  In  1870,  he  came  to  Yakima  county  and 
located  in  the  Cowiche  valley,  where  he  is  now 
living,  taking  up  the  first  land  in  his  township. 
He  was  married  in  Yakima  county  in  the  fall  of 
1883  to  Melissa  Weddel,  who  died  seven  years 
later,  leaving  four  children,  Frank,  William,  Bell 
and  Martha,  all  of  whom  are  dead  but  the  first 
named.  He  was  married  a  second  time  in 
Yakima  count}'  on  May  7,  1897,  to  Augusta 
(Kriebel)  Schoenroke,  a  native  of  Germany,  in 
the  hospitals  of  which  country  she  took  a  thor- 
ough nurse's  training  course.  She  now  has  a 
diploma  granted  her  for  proficiency.  Her  parents 
were  August  and  Charlotte  ( Flocha )  Kriebel, 
both  natives  of  Germany,  where  the  latter  still 
lives  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  ~J.  The  father  died 
in  1863.  She  has  two  brothers  and  one  sister 
living :  Gustave,  a  farmer  in  Yakima  county  ;  Paul, 
in  Germany,  and .  Christianna  Bosse,  in  New 
York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lanch  are  both  members 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Lanch  is  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He  owns  a  fine 
farm  eighteen  miles  from  North  Yakima,  well 
stocked  and  with  good  orchard  and  other  im- 
provements. He  is  a  public  spirited  citizen,  and 
has  always  been  identified  with  all  movements 
for  the  betterment  of  his  community,  and  especially 
is  this  true  in  educational  matters,  he  having 
built  at  his  own  expense  and  maintained  for  the 
year  i80  the  school  in  his  district.  No.  14.  The 
number  of  his  friends  is  only  limited  by  the  extent 
of  his  acquaintance,  and  he  is  widely  known. 


ORLIX  I.  HART,  dairy  farmer  in  the  Cow- 
iche valley,  fourteen  miles  northwest  of  North 
Yakima,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  his  county,  hav- 
ing lived  there  since  1877.  His  father,  Orlin  I., 
Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  was  one 
of   the   early   pioneers   who  crossed   the    Plains   to 


Oregon  and  underwent  the  many  hardships  of 
those  brave  men  and  women  who  staked  their  lives 
and  their  all  on  the  cast  and  blazed  the  way 
of  civilization,  making  the  path  easier  for  the 
oncoming  generations.  Our  subject's  mother, 
Mary  J.  (McCalister)  Hart,  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky; she  was  also  called  upon  to  undergo  the 
rough  experiences  of  pioneer  living.  In  this  new 
land  of  the  extreme  western  frontier,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  first  saw  the  light  May  19,  1865, 
and  before  he  was  old  enough  to  realize  his  sur- 
roundings, his  parents,  in  1867,  moved  to  Yakima 
county  and  settled  near  Yakima  City.  Here 
young  Hart  attended  the  city  schools  until  fif- 
teen, when  he  abandoned  his  home  surround- 
ings and  school  and  went  on  the  range  as  a  rider. 
He  followed  this  business  five  years  and  then 
engaged  in  the  stock  business  for  himself,  in  which 
he  met  with  excellent  success  for  a  number  of 
years.  Finally  he  moved  his  stock  into  the 
Okanogan  country  and  there  in  the  winter  of 
1890  met  with  disaster  along  with  hundreds  of 
others,  the  winter  of  1889-90  being  memorable  in 
central  Washington  for  its  length  and  severity. 
After  meeting  with  this  reverse,  Mr.  Hart  re- 
turned to  North  Yakima  in  1892  and  engaged  in 
the  dairy  business,  which  he  continued  there 
until  1901,  when  he  removed  to  his  present  home 
in  the  Cowiche  valley.  He  was  married  in 
Yakima  county,  November  30,  1899,  to  Jessie 
Elliott,  a  native  of  Kansas,  born  October  1,  1876, 
to  the  union  of  James  and  Harriet  (Butner) 
Elliott.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elliott  are  living  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hart,  owning  the  land  upon  which  Mr. 
Elliott  and  Mr.  Hart  carry  on  a  dairy  business. 
Mr.  Elliott  was  born  in  South  Shenango,  Penn- 
sylvania, January  23,  1837,  his  parents  being 
John  and  Mary  (Porter)  Elliott,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  Shenango  also,  the  mother  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1808.  James  was  reared  on  a  farm,, 
remaining  with  his  parents  until  eighteen  years 
old,  when  he  went  to  Greene  county,  Wisconsin, 
and  learned  the  blacksmith's  trade.  In  1857,  he 
settled  upon  government  land  in  Shawnee  county, 
Kansas,  and  a  year  later  joined  his  father  in 
Jefferson  county.  In  the  spring  of  1859,  ne 
joined  the  rush  to  Pike's  peak ;  returned  the  fol- 
lowing year  minus  a  fortune.  The  next  year  he 
returned  to  the  mines,  where  he  worked  until 
1862,  when  he  became  blacksmith  and  horse- 
shoer  for  the  Overland  Stage  Company,  which 
carried  the  mail  between  North  Platte  and  Fort 
Bridger.  Then  he  went  to  Utah  and  in  1864 
placed  a  freighting  outfit  on  the  road  between 
Utah  and  Virginia  City,  Montana.  After  two- 
years  of  this  exciting  work  and  a  year  in  Helena, 
in  October,  1867,  he  returned  to  Kansas  and  for 
twenty  years  farmed  in  Wilson  county.  How- 
ever, in  the  spring  of  1889,  he  again  fought  the 
far  West,  settling  on  his  Cowiche  ranch,  which 
he  purchased  from  A.  J.  Lewis.     Here,  hale  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


635 


hearty,  he  is  contentedly  spending  the  winter  of 
his  life.  Mrs.  Hart  has  four  brothers  and  sisters  : 
Jay,  a  ranchman  on  the  Cowiche ;  Ola,  attend- 
ing the  North  Yakima  High  school ;  Don,  at 
home,  and  Mrs.  Erne  Donley,  who  also  lives  in 
the  Cowiche  valley.  Mr.  Hart  is  affiliated  with 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  po- 
litically, he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Catholic  communion.  Prosperous  and  re- 
spected, both  Mr.  Hart  and  Mr.  Elliott  are  members 
of  that  type  of  citizenship  which  is  most  desir- 
able in  any  community. 


EDWARD  A.  LINDSEY,  a  native  son  of 
Yakima  county,  resides  upon  his  place  just  with- 
out the  limits  of  North  Yakima.  He  was  bom 
in  the  city  of  Yakima,  July  16,  1868.  His  par- 
ents, William  and  Addie  J.  (Wright)  Lindsey, 
came  to  Yakima  county  in  an  early  day,  where 
they  resided  until  the  seventies,  when  they  moved 
to  the  Willamette  valley,  Oregon.  They  re- 
mained there  but  three  years,  when  they  returned 
to  Yakima  county.  Young  Lindsey  first  attended 
school  in  Oregon  and  later,  on  their  return  to 
Washington,  he  attended  the  winter  schools  of 
that  state  until  seventeen.  He  then  went  out 
to  do  for  himself,  working  at  farm  work  in  the 
Kittitas  valley.  He  then  employed  himself  at- 
tending stock  until  i8qo,  when  he  went  to  the 
Nile  valley  and  squatted  upon  a  tract  of  land 
there,  which  he  held  for  a  short  time.  Then  man- 
aged the  ranch  of  A.  T.  Splawn  for  a  season,  at 
the  end  of  which  time  he  purchased  an  eighty- 
acre  tract  on  the  Cowiche  creek.  Sellinsr  this 
after  a  short  time,  he  leased  land  and  raised 
hops  for  a  couple  of  seasons,  then  ranched  for 
five  years  on  the  north  fork  of  the  Cowiche.  He 
was  married  in  Yakima  countv.  November  17. 
1892,  to  Ida  Parker,  dauehter  of  Jefferson  and 
Lydia  (Sumner)  Parker.  Mrs.  Lindsey  was  born 
in  Missouri,  June  2,  1871.  She  has  brothers  and 
sisters  living,  as  follows :  Joseph,  Thomas,  Eva 
Daverin  and  Leroy,  all  residing  in  Yakima  coun- 
ty. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lindsey  have  two  children : 
Harry  and  William,  born  respectively  in  1894  and 
1896.  Mr.  Lindsey  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  Mrs.  Lindsey  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church.  Politically,  he 
is  a  Democrat,  but  outside  of  serving  his  school 
district  as  director  for  three  years  he  has  never 
been  an  office  holder  or  seeker.  He  owns  his 
borne  place,  and  is  interested  in  mines  in  the 
Swauk  country. 


ISAAC  DAVIS,  farmer  on  the  Cowiche  and 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  was  born  in  Hardin 
county,  Illinois,  March  15,  1840.  His  father,  John 
Davis,,  was  a  farmer  in  Indiana,  where  he  was 
born,  April  5,  1813.      His  mother,  Nancy  (Hughes) 


Davis,  was  born  in  Illinois,  January  31,  1819. 
Our  subject,  after  reaching  the  age  of  sixteen, 
went  to  live  with  his  uncle,  Asa  Davis,  helping 
him  on  the  farm  and  at  the  same  time  learning 
the  cooper  trade.  In  the  spring  of  1861,  when  he 
had  reached  the  age  of  twenty-two,  the  call  came 
to  the  patriotic  citizens  of  the  country  to  arouse 
to  defend  their  nation  from  disruption  and  dis- 
solution, and  at  the  first  call  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany A,  Twenty-ninth  Illinois  infantry,  and  con- 
tinued throughout  the  entire  war  in  the  service 
of  his  country,  receiving  his  discharge  at  Hemp- 
stead, Texas,  November  6,  1865.  He  was  in  nine 
engagements,  among  the  number  being  the  bat- 
tles at  Forts  Donelson  and  Henry,  the  battle  of 
Shiloh  and  the  siege  of  Vicksburg.  At  the  battle 
of  Shiloh  he  was  wounded  in  the  face  and  con- 
tracted rheumatism,  from  which  he  has  since  been 
a  sufferer,  and  for  which  disability  he  draws  a 
pension.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
Illinois  and  engaged  in  farming  and  coopering 
for  a  number  of  years,  removing  in  1873  to  Kan- 
sas, where  he  made  his  home  for  fifteen  years, 
following  agricultural  pursuits.  In  the  fall  of 
1888  he  moved  to  Yakima  county  and  purchased 
a  farm,  and  at  the  end  of  a  year  bought  out  a 
relinquishment  on  a  quarter  section  of  land,  upon 
which  he  moved,  and  where  he  has  since  resided. 
He  was  married  in  Illinois,  November  20,  1866, 
to  Hannah  C.  Hufford,  a  native  of  Illinois,  the 
date  of  her  birth  being  December  25,  1846.  Her 
father,  Abram  Hufford,  was  a  native  of  Virginia. 
The  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Betsy  Pat- 
terson, was  a  native  of  Illinois.  Mrs.  Davis-  was 
an  only  child.  The  subject  of  this  article  had  one 
brother,  Abraham,  who  enlisted  in  the  war  when 
a  mere  boy  and  never  returned  home,  dying  while 
in  service.  His  sister  Sarah,  the  oldest  one  of 
the  family,  is  also  dead,  as  are  also  two  half- 
brothers  and  sisters.  Mr.  Davis  has  eight  chil- 
dren living  and  two  dead:  Laura  A.  Willard, 
Flora  A.  Fear,  Charles  T.,  Cora  D.  Fear,  James 
E.,  Maggie  Parker,  Mary  E.,  and  Laura  M.  Mr. 
Davis  is  a  Republican,  and  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  Religiously,  he  is 
connected  with  the  Holiness  church.  He  owns 
an  eisrhty-acre  farm,  well  stocked,  and  is  enjoy- 
ing life. 


JOHN  O'NEAL,  who  lives  on  his  farm  on 
the  Cowiche,  sixteen  miles  northwest  of  North 
Yakima,  is  not  only  a  pioneer  of  Yakima  county, 
but  is  a  native  born  Washingtonian,  having  made 
his  advent  into  the  world  in  Thurston  county, 
Washington,  September  22,  1862.  He  comes 
from  pioneer  stock,  his  father.  Abijah  O'Neal, 
baving  crossed  the  Plains  from  his  native  state, 
Indiana,  to  Oregon,  in  1852.  when  bo  was  in  bis 
twenty-sixth  year.  He  passed  through  all  of  the 
early   Indian   wars  in   Oregon   and   Washington, 


636 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  is  credited  with  being-  a  most  willing  and 
efficient  Indian  fighter  in  his  day.  Subject's 
mother,  Melinda  J.  (Underwood)  O'Neal,  was 
born  in  Illinois  in  1827,  and  died  in  1874.  She 
was  of  German  and  her  husband  of  Irish  descent. 
Mr.  O'Neal  was  educated  at  Olympia,  and  at  the 
age  of  thirteen  came  to  Yakima  county  with  his 
parents  and  settled  in  the  Cowiche  valley.  Here 
he  grew  up,  working  with  his  father  and  attend- 
ing school  in  the  winters.  He  continued  with 
his  father  until  his  death  in  1887,  when  he  as- 
sumed control  of  the  estate,  and  has  continued 
to  operate  the  place  ever  since.  He  was  married 
in  North  Yakima,  March  10,  1889,  to  Jane  Reyn- 
olds, who  was  the  second  of  a  family  of  four 
girls  and  five  boys.  Her  eldest  sister,  Mary, 
resides  in  Missouri,  and  John,  Date,  Amy  Fear, 
Sadie  Carr,  Frank,  Sell  W.,  and  Jesse,  all  live  in 
Washington.  Our  subject's  children  are  :  Charles, 
Freddie,  John  and  Anna,  twins ;  Alice  and  Myron. 
Mr.  O'Neal  was  next  to  the  youngest  of  a  family 
of  six  children ;  their  names  are :  Charles,  Mar- 
garet Butler,  Mary,  William  and  Anna  Butler. 
Mrs.  O'Neal's  parents,  Jesse  W.  and  Susan 
Reynolds,  live  on  the  Ahtanum,  where  they  are 
engaged  in  farming.  Mr.  O'Neal,  fraternally,  is 
connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica ;  politically,  he  is  an  active  Democrat,  always 
taking  interest  in  the  success  of  his  party  and 
the  election  of  his  friends.  He  has  prospered  in 
this  world's  goods,  owning  a  good  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres,  well  stocked,  and  town 
property  in  North  Yakima,  besides  other  inter- 
ests. He  is  well  esteemed  among  his  neighbors 
and  acquaintances. 


WILLIAM  WESLEY  BEEKS.  Although 
the  subject  of  this  biography  is  yet  in  the  very 
prime  of  his  life  and  appears  even  younger  than 
his  age  would  portend,  there  are  probably  few 
older  pioneers  of  the  Northwest  than  he.  For 
fifty-six  years  he  has  lived  in  this  section  of  the 
United  States,  having  been  born  in  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  June  24,  1848,  and  during  his 
more  than  half  a  century  of  residence  in  this  sec- 
tion he  has  witnessed  one  of  the  most  rapid  and 
marvelous  developments  for  that  space  of  time 
that  any  portion  of  this  country  has  ever  under- 
gone. His  father,  Jacob  Beeks,  was  born  in  Ohio 
in  1819,  and  was  the  son  of  George  Beeks,  a  na- 
tive born  pioneer  of  Indiana.  Thus  is  a  chain  of 
paternal  pioneers  established  which  reaches  over 
more  than  a  century  of  the  nation's  history,  each 
man  carrying  the  Stars  and  Stripes  farther  and 
farther  westward.  Jacob  Beeks  married  Mary  A. 
Beal,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  daughter 
of  George  and  Rosa  Beal,  whose  ancestry  is  pio- 
neer American.  William's  intrepid  pioneer 
parents  crossed  the  great  Plains  and  mountain 
ranges  lying  between  Ohio  and  Oregon  and  set- 


tled upon  a  donation  claim  in  Washington  county 
in  the  year  1847,  and  there  the  son  lived  with  them 
until  sixteen  years  of  age.  His  father  was  a 
breeder  of  fine  running  stock,  and,  as  a  boy,  Will- 
iam attained  a  reputation  as  a  track  rider  on  the 
Oregon  circuit.  But  at  the  age  of  sixteen  he  set 
out  into  the  wide  world  to  make  his  own  way. 
In  1864,  with  his  uncle,  Charles  Beeks,  he  took 
a  band  of  cattle  north  to  British  Columbia,  passing 
through  the  uninhabited  Yakima  valley  in  1854. 
Returning,  he  continued  to  ride  the  range  until 
the  Bannock  Indian  war  of  1878,  when  he  en- 
listed under  General  Howard.  He  participated  in 
nearly  all  the  battles  and  skirmishes  of  that  cam- 
paign. The  following  year  he  was  with  the  troops 
who  quelled  the  rebellion  at  the  Warm  Spring 
agency,  Oregon,  and  at  the  lava  beds  distin- 
guished himself  by  rescuing  his  wounded  captain 
from  the  clutches  of  the  redskins.  The  troops  had 
made  an  unsuccessful  charge,  and  among  those 
who  had  gone  down  before  the  fire  was  their  gal- 
lant captain.  Trooper  Beeks,  when  he  saw  how 
matters  stood,  made  a  daring  run  to  the  Indians' 
fortifications,  fastened  a  rope  around  his  captain's 
body  and  dragged  him  to  a  place  of  safety  within 
the  line,  all  under  a  terrific  fire.  After  this  cam- 
paign the  young  man  returned  to  Klickitat  county, 
where  he  had  previously  been  employed  as  fore- 
man for  Rean  &  Smith,  and  purchased  a  ranch, 
entering  the  stock  business  on  his  own  account. 
To  this  county,  also,  came  his  father  and  mother, 
and  there,  too.  his  mother  died  in  1893.  His 
father  lived  until  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-three, 
laying  down  life's  burdens  in  North  Yakima  two 
years  ago.  Mr.  Beeks  met  with  success  in  the 
stock  industry,  but  suffered  very  severe  losses  in 
the  middle  nineties,  at  which  time  he  had  one 
hundred  and  eighty  head  of  blooded  horses.  In 
1897  he  drove  a  band  of  horses  to  Cheyenne, 
Wyoming,  and  there  disposed  of  them  for  good 
prices.  Upon  his  return  he  took  up  his  residence 
in  Yakima  county,  where  he  has  since  lived,  en- 
gaged in  buying  and  selling  stock  and  raising 
cattle  and  horses.  He  still  owns  a  quarter  section 
of  farming  land,  situated  eleven  miles  east  of 
Goldendale,  though  his  home  is  now  in  North 
Yakima.  Mr.  Beeks  was  married  in  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  September  4,  1877,  to  Miss  Irene 
Dorson.  daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Dickson) 
Dorson,  Southerners  by  birth.  Irene  Dorson  was 
born  in  Missouri  and  died  in  Klickitat  county  in 
1885,  leaving  the  following  children:  Mrs.  Anna  j 
Remley,  born  in  Klickitat  county,  living  near 
Centralia;  Mrs.  Ada  Holt,  born  in  Klickitat 
county,  living  at  Toppenish ;  and  Mrs.  Lillie  Arm- 
strong, born  on  the  Ahtanum,  and  living  in  Yak- 
ima county.  Mr.  Beeks  had  four  sisters  and  one 
brother :  Philip,  now  dead  ;  Mrs.  Charity  Tuttle  and 
Mrs.  Rosa  Butler,  living  at  Yakima  City;  Mrs. 
Mary  Stump  and  Mrs.  Josephine  Bacon,  living  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


637 


North  Yakima.  In  1889  Mr.  Beeks  was  again 
married,  his  bride  being  Mrs.  Eliza  A.  Rowley, 
born  in  Missouri  in  1867,  to  the  union  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  John  Martin.  As  a  pioneer  and  a  progressive, 
esteemed  citizen  of  the  Yakima  country,  Mr.  Beeks 
is  justly  entitled  to  a  place  in  this  history. 


WILLIAM  A.  LINSE.  living  three  miles  west 
of  North  Yakima,  is  one  of  Yakima  county's  suc- 
cessful fruit  growers  and  a  man  of  substantial 
standing  in  his  community.  Born  in  Germany, 
February  9,  1844,  he  is  the  son  of  German  parents, 
M.  Henry  and  Mary  E.  (Remtly)  Linse,  the 
former  born  in  1805,  the  latter  in  1815.  Both  are 
still  living,  residents  of  South  Dakota.  William 
was  the  sixth  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  the 
others  being  Minnie,  dead ;  Henry  E.,  Mrs.  Min- 
nie Pabst,  Dora,  Frederick,  Edward,  Mrs.  Louisa 
Oertli,  Mrs.  Mary  Simon,  Sarah,  Mrs.  Amelia 
Rade  and  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Christ.  He  came  to 
America  when  four  years  of  age,  his  parents  set- 
tling near  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin,  where  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  ten  years.  Then  he 
commenced  making  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
working  for  wages  until  1862,  when  he  responded 
to  his  country's  call  by  enlisting  in  Company  G, 
Twenty-fifth  Wisconsin  volunteers,  under  Cap- 
tain W.  Darvin.  In  this  company  he  served  until 
mustered  out  June  14,  1865,  at  Madison,  Wiscon- 
sin. While  in  the  army,  Mr.  Linse  took  part  in 
every  battle  fought  by  Sherman  between  Chatta- 
nooga and  the  sea,  and  was  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  Smithfield,  the  last  one  of  a  series  of  twenty- 
two.  He  now  draws  a  pension.  After  the  close 
of  the  war  he  engaged  in  farming  on  his  father's 
place,  purchasing  it,  and  for  thirteen  years  re- 
mained in  Wisconsin.  Then  he  sold  out,  moved 
to  Minnesota,  farmed  there  four  years,  then  mi- 
grated to  South  Dakota.  There  he  filed  upon 
three  hundred  and  twenty  acres,  and  purchased 
an  additional  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  and 
on  this  immense  farm  lived  the  succeeding  eight- 
een years,  selling  it  for  seven  thousand  dollars  in 
1897  and  removing  to  Yakima  county.  Here  he 
purchased  a  tract  of  land  near  North  Yakima, 
which  he  sold  in  1902,  purchasing  with  a  portion 
of  the  proceeds  his  present  home.  He  now  de- 
votes his  attention  to  the  growing  of  apples, 
peaches,  cherries,  melons,  etc. 

December  13,  1866,  Mr.  Linse  married  Miss 
Elizabeth  Oertli,  born  in  Switzerland,  in  1847,  tne 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Madgeline  Oertli,  both  of 
whom  are  now  dead.  She  was  the  sixth  of  a 
family  of  thirteen  children,  ten  of  whom  are  now 
living,  all  residing  in  America.  To  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Linse  have  been  born  the  following 
children:  William  G.,  September  14,  1867,  Wis- 
consin, a  farmer  in  South  Dakota ;  Mrs.  Emma 
Smith,  June  14,  1869,  Wisconsin,  living  in  Yakima 


county;-  Lydia,  Wisconsin,  deceased;  Henry, 
March  5,  1874,  Wisconsin,  living  in  Yakima 
county;  Mrs.  Louisa  Slagle,  August  12,  1882,  Min- 
nesota, living  in  Yakima  county.  Mr.  Linse  is  a 
member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and 
that  he  is  a  public-spirited  man  is  shown  by  the 
fact  that  he  served  eight  years  as  road  supervisor 
in  Wisconsin  and  six  years  as  school  treasurer  in 
Dakota.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Evangelical  church.  On  his  fruit  ranch  of  seven- 
teen acres  he  has  erected  commodious  and  com- 
fortable buildings  and  other  improvements  de- 
signed to  add  to  the  comforts  of  home.  With  suf- 
ficient property  to  insure  their  spending  the  re- 
mainder of  their  days  in  the  quiet  enjoyment  of 
life's  blessings  and  in  the  consciousness  that  each 
of  their  children  has  been  well  started  in  life,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Linse  are  content. 


JAMES  M.  EGLIN,  who  is  a  resident  of  the 
city  of  North  Yakima,  is  engaged  in  buying  and 
selling  horses,  in  which  occupation  he  has  been 
successful  and  made  himself  well  known  through- 
out central  Washington.  He  is  also  one  of  Yak- 
ima county's  pioneers,  having  come  here  in  1871. 
Indiana  is  his  birthplace,  and  there  he  was  born 
November  24,  1845,  the  son  of  Cornelius  and 
Margaret  Ann  (Dolson)  Eglin.  The  father  was 
born  in  New  York  in  1798  and  died  in  Indiana 
at  the  age  of  sixty-two;  the  mother's  birthplace 
was  also  New  York,  her  birthyear  being  1806,  and 
she  died  in  Oregon  eleven  years  after  her  hus- 
band's demise.  James  lived  in  Indiana  until  nine- 
teen, meanwhile  attending  school;  at  that  age  he 
went  to  the  Montana  placer  mines,  where  he 
worked  two  years.  In  1866  he  pushed  farther 
westward,  settling  in  Benton  county,  Oregon, 
where  for  eight  years  he  was  the  proprietor  of  a 
successful  transfer  business,  Corvallis  being  his 
home.  But  in  1875  he  sold  this  business  and  pur- 
chased three  hundred  and  forty-five  acres  of  land, 
where  he  farmed  two  years,  and  then  migrated 
to  the  Ahtanum  valley,  Washington.  Here  he 
became  one  of  the  first  successful  sheep  raisers, 
owning  at  one  time  six  thousand  head.  The  se- 
vere winter  of  1889-90  seriously  crippled  Mr.  Eg- 
lin's  business  affairs,  as  the  result  of  which  he 
left  the  Yakima  country  for  a  time,  going  to  Vic- 
toria, British  Columbia,  where  he  lived  with  his 
daughter.  In  1892  he  returned  to  Yakima  county 
and  filed  on  a  quarter  section  of  land,  which  he 
farmed  until  three  years  ago.  At  that  time  he 
sold  his  land  and  engaged  in  his  present  business. 
Miss  Frances  M.  Kerns,  whose  parents  were  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania  and  of  Dutch  descent,  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Mr.  Eglin  at  Corvallis  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1868.  She  was  born  in  Ohio,  November 
3,   1849,  and  was  the  youngest  of  six  children — 


638 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Mary,  Alice,  John,  Milton,  Arthur  and  herself. 
Her  sisters  are  now  Mrs.  Mary  Kiger  and  Mrs. 
Alice  Tucker.  Mr.  Eglin's  brothers  and  sisters 
are:  John,  Thomas  (who  is  now  dead),  Mrs.  Lu- 
anda Clement,  Abraham  D.,  George  W.,  Mrs. 
Margaret  A.  Ferguson  and  Sobrina,  who  is  also 
dead.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eglin  have  been  born 
the  following  children :  Mrs.  Sarah  E.  Cameron, 
January  30,  1869,  now  dead;  Lucinda,  died  in  in- 
fancy; Mrs.  Ivy  Card,  April  6,  1874,  living  near 
Spokane;  Mrs.  Rosella  Flint,  March  11,  1876,  liv- 
ing at  Sunnyside;  Fred  C,  May  3,  1877.  propri- 
etor of  Eglin's  feed  stables,  North  Yakima ;  Mrs. 
Jessie  Perry,  June  1,  1882,  living  at  Milan,  Wash- 
ington;  and  Mrs.  Neva  Field,  July  1,  1887,  living  in 
Yakima  county.  Mr.  Eglin  served  a  term  as 
sheep  inspector  of  the  state  of  Washington,  and 
has  many  times  refused  nominations  for  county 
offices  in  both  Oregon  and  Washington,  being 
more  interested  in  seeing  his  friends  elected  than 
in  holding  office  himself.  He  belongs  to  the  Re- 
publican party.  Mrs.  Eglin  is  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church.  Mr.  Eglin  is  recognized  as  an 
expert  in  his  business,  and  is  well  regarded  by 
all  who  know  him. 


JOHN  ROBSON  BELL,  farmer  and  stock 
raiser,  living  in  the  Moxee  valley,  six  miles 
southeast  of  North  Yakima,  was  born  January 
28,  1847,  in  Scotland,  and  during  his  life  has  lived 
in  a  greater  variety  of  climes  than  falls  to  the 
lot  of  most  men.  The  fact  that  he  and  scores  of 
other  travelers  have  finally  concluded  to  perma- 
nently settle  in  the  Yakima  country  is  worthy 
of  deep  consideration.  Dumfries  was  his  birth- 
place and  Irvin  and  Jennie  (Robson)  Bell,  na- 
tives of  Scotland,  where  they  lived  and  died,  were 
his  parents.  The  father  lived  near  Thomas 
Carlvle  and  was  himself  a  man  of  talent  in  literary 
work.  John  Bell  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Scotland  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age  was 
graduated  by  the  Annan  Academy.  The  follow- 
ing two  years  he  spent  in  a  mercantile  house; 
then  was  at  home  for  a  year  and  a  half.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left  the  British  Isles, 
going  to  Australia,  where  he  mined  two  years. 
Following  this  the  stock  industry  attracted  him 
so  strongly  that  he  purchased  a  band  of  horses 
and  prepared  to  live  in  New  Zealand.  The  ani- 
mals failed  to  withstand  the  rough  voyage,  how- 
ever, so  that  Mr.  Bell  was  forced  to  give  up  horse 
raising  and  instead  he  farmed  and  mined,  living 
in  New  Zealand  until  1884.  In  that  year  he 
immigrated  to  America,  taking  land  in  the 
Cowiche  valley.  There  he  farmed  two  years 
and  then  accepted  the  superintendency  of  the 
Moxee  Company's  immense  ranch,  occupying  this 
responsible  position  nearly  three  vears.  He  then 
purchased  a  farm  in  the  Moxee  basin,  or  valley, 
and  on   it  has  since  resided.     In   New   Zealand, 


October  28,  1874,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Jean  Cochrane,  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  (Patterson)  Cochrane,  parents  and 
daughter  being  of  Scottish  birth  and  descent. 
The  mother  still  lives,  residing  in  New  Zealand. 
Mr.  Bell  has  the  following  brothers  and  sisters : 
George,  Jeanette,  James,  Bessie,  Irving,  Bella, 
Mary,  Jean,  Arthur  and  Isabel,  all  born  in  Scot- 
land. Mrs.  Bell  was  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  six 
girls  and  six  boys.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell  have 
been  born  the  following  children,  the  first  of 
whom  is  dead :  Irving,  Lillie,  John,  William  and 
George,  living  in  Yakima  county,  the  youngest  at 
home.  Both  parents  are  devoted  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  in  which  they  are  active. 
Mr.  Bell  is  a  stanch  supporter  and  admirer  of 
President  Theodore  Roosevelt  and  a  thorough 
believer  in  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  though  liberal  minded.  Upon  his 
sixty-acre  ranch  he  produces  all  of  the  staple 
crops  of  central  Washington  and  there  he  has 
built  a  comfortable  home.  His  stock  interests 
include  three  hundred  head  of  cattle  and  about 
fifty  head  of  horses.  Mr.  Bell  has  been  a  suc- 
cessful man  during  his  entire  life  and  is  con- 
sidered a  substantial,  progressive  man  of  sterling 
character  by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 
A  host  of  friends  testify  to  the  congeniality  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bell. 


ERNEST  S.  HILL,  living  eleven  and  one- 
half  miles  southeast  of  North  Yakima,  is  one  of 
Yakima  county's  progressive  young  farmers  and 
a  prominent  hop  grower.  Born  in  Polk  county, 
Wisconsin,  February  12,  1864,  he  is  the  son  of 
Nelson  and  Mary  (Colton)  Hill,  the  former  a 
native  of  New  York,  the  latter  of  Wisconsin, 
where  both  died.  His  education  was  obtained  in 
the  public  schools  of  Wisconsin,  ending  in  his 
seventeenth  year,  when  he  began  steady  work  for 
his  father.  A  year  later  his  mother's  death  broke 
up  the  home  and  sent  him  into  the  world  to  do 
for  himself.  At  first  he  was  employed  in  the 
sawmills  of  Polk  county,  remaining  at  that  occu- 
pation ten  years.  Then  he  immigrated  to  the 
Pacific  Northwest,  arriving  at  North  Yakima 
December  24,  1890.  In  Yakima  county  he  and 
his  brother  purchased  W.  H.  Packett's  sawmill 
on  the  Ahtanum  and  operated  it  until  1893,  when 
ill-judged  timber  purchases,  due  to  his  inexpe- 
rience with  western  timber,  and  the  financial 
stringency  forced  him  into  bankruptcy.  But  with 
commendable  energy  ami  courage  he  immediately 
went  into  the  hop  raising 'industry,  cultivating 
this  profitable  crop  on  leased  land  until  1900, 
when  he  was  able  to  purchase  his  present  ranch 
in  the  Moxee  coulee.  Mr.  Hill  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Emma  Lang  at  North  Yakima 
in  1892.  She  passed  into  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  November  26,  1899,  leaving,  besides  her 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


639 


husband,  three  children:  Floyd,  born  October 
21,  1893;  Clell,  May  2,  1898,  and  Emma,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1899.  These  are  Air.  Hill's  only  children. 
June  23,  1901,  he  was  again  married,  his  bride 
this  time  being  Miss  Mary  B.  Case,  born  in 
Illinois,  November  30,  1865,  to  the  union  of 
David  and  Mary  A.  (Mull)  Case.  The  father 
was  a  New  York  farmer,  born  in  that  state  in 
1831  to  Jonathan  and  Theressa  (McDowell) 
Case,  also  natives  of  New  York.  John  Mull  was 
a  native  born  pioneer  of  Indiana,  1816  being  the 
year  of  his  birth,  and  his  wife,  Rachel  (Fuller) 
Mull,  was  also  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  the 
year  1823.  Mrs.  Hill  had  the  following  brothers 
and  sisters  :  Ella,  Franklin  and  James,  now  dead  ; 
Mrs.  Rachel  Marsh,  living  in  Illinois ;  John  R., 
conducting  a  confectionery  in  North  Yakima. 
Mr.  Hill  is  the  ninth  child  of  eleven  children,  of 
whom  seven  are  living:  Mrs.  Cleona  Beal,  in 
Wisconsin;  Edward,  in  Yakima  county;  Milzer, 
in  North  Dakota;  Mrs.  Rusha  Parslon,  in  Wis- 
consin ;  Mary,  also  in  Wisconsin  ;  Mrs.  Eva  Guy, 
in  Wyoming.  Mr.  Hill  is  affiliated  with  the  order 
of  Yeomen,  and  in  political  matters  is  a  stanch 
Republican.  Mrs.  Hill  is  a  member  of  the  Bap- 
tist church.  Socially,  he  and  his  wife  are  popular 
and  have  a  host  of  friends.  The  ranch  consists 
of  eight}'  acres,  of  which  twenty-two  are  in  a 
hop  yard  and  the  balance  principally  in  hay 'and 
a  young  orchard.  A  strictly  modern,  eleven-room 
house,  commodious  hop  house,  dryer  and  baling 
house,  a  fine  barn  and  other  substantial  buildings 
make  the  place  both  comfortable  and  more  valu- 
able than  it  would  otherwise  be.  Mr.  Hill  has 
by  his  progressiveness,  energy  and  ability  raised 
himself  to  a  position  among  the  most  successful 
ranchmen  of  the  county,  especially  in  hop  grow- 
ing, and  by  his  many  commendable  traits  of 
character  has  gained  the  esteem  of  his  fellow 
men. 


NELSON  J.  DICKSON,  living  ten  miles 
southeast  of  North  Yakima,  is  a  native  of  Brook- 
lyn, New  York,  born  February  21,  1859,  to  the 
union  of  James  M.  and  Alzina  (Nelson)  Dick- 
son, both  born  in  Vermont,  where  the  mother 
died  when  Nelson  was  a  baby.  Reverend  James 
M.  Dickson,  D.  D.,  of  Scotch  descent,  has  been 
in  ministerial  work  for  upwards  of  forty-six 
years  and  for  ten  years  past  has  been  pastor  of 
the  Reformed  Church  of  East  New  York.  He 
is  at  present  living  in  retirement  in  Brooklyn. 
Nelson  Dickson  attended  school  in  New  York 
and  New  Jersey  and  for  three  years  studied  at 
the  Montgomery  Academy,  leaving  that  institu- 
tion when  seventeen  years  of  age  to  engage  in 
the  mercantile  business.  The  first  three  years  of 
his  experience  were  had  in  Boston ;  then  he  came 
west  to  Kansas  City,  and  fCi  seven  years  was 
in  the  service  of  Bullene,  Moores  &  Emery.     In 


1886,  he  came  to  the  territory  of  Washington, 
settling  in  Yakima  county.  Here  he  farmed  a 
year,  then  managed  a  bottling  works  in  North 
Yakima  for  three  years  and  in  1890  purchased  a 
farm  in  the  lower  Moxee  valley.  Four  years 
later  he  sold  this  place  and  leased  land  near 
Tampico  for  another  four  years.  Six  years  ago 
he  obtained  a  relinquishment  title  to  the  eighty 
acre  tract  where  he  now  lives,  and  upon 
which  he  has  a  homestead  filing.  Mr.  Dickson 
was  married.  September  9.  1889.  to  Miss  Alethe 
Conrad,  born  in  Illinois,  February  22,  1865,  the 
daughter  of  James  H.  and  Mary  A.  (Gere)  Con- 
rad. The  father  was  a  native  of  New  York,  the 
mother  a  native  of  Illinois ;  both  are  living  in 
Yakima  count}-.  Alethe  was  the  oldest  of  seven 
children,  her  brothers  and  sisters  being:  Pal- 
mer, Mrs.  Lennia  M.  Sickler,  Warren  B..  Elosia, 
Ray  Y.  and  Purdy  J.  Mr.  Dickson  has  one 
brother,  Clarence,  and  one  sister,  Margarella  M., 
both  living  in  New  York.  To  Air.  and  Mrs. 
Dickson  have  been  born  the  following  children, 
all  in  Yakima  count}- :  James  G,  February  7, 
1891 ;  Warren  G,  October  29,  1893:  Clarence  P., 
September  18,  1895;  Mary  H..  May  15,  1898; 
Allen  D.  and  Alethe,  twins,  March  27,  1900.  and 
Kezzia,  October  4,  1903.  Mr.  Dickson  belongs 
to  the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen ;  he 
and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian  church, 
and  politically,  Mr.  Dickson  takes  his  stand  with 
the  Democratic  party.  He  has  a  fine  five-acre 
orchard,  but  the  major  portion  of  his  land  is 
in  hay;  he  also  owns  fifty  head  of  cattle  and 
horses.  His  time  is  spent  in  dairying  and  in  the 
horse  and  cattle  business.  Mr.  Dickson  is  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  is  respected  and  esteemed  by- 
all  who  know  him. 


JAMES  H.  CONRAD,  pioneer  citizen  of  Yak- 
ima county  and  one  of  its  prominent  stockmen, 
resides  in  the  Moxee  valley,  nine  and  a  half 
miles  southeast  of  the  city  of  North  Yakima, 
whose  site  he  well  knew  before  even  a  railroad 
was  thought  of  by  the  little  handful  of  settlors 
in  the  country.  He  came  to  the  Yakima  valley 
when  there  were  not  more  than  two  score  perma- 
nent residents  in  the  Kittitas  vallej  and  only  two 
or  three  hundred  people  in  what  is  now  Yakima 
county;  and  because  of  his  prominence  in  the 
county's  earlv  life,  no  history  of  that  section 
would  be  complete  without  a  biographical 
sketch  of  him.  fames  H.  Conrad  was  burn  in 
Tompkins  county.  New  York.  March  28.  1839, 
the  son  of  Samuel  R.  and  Keziah  (Hollister) 
Conrad,  natives  of  Connecticut  and  New  York 
state,  respectively.  James  was  educated  in  the 
district  schools  of  the  community  where  he  spent 
his  boyhood,  leaving  school  when  about  eighteen. 
When  he  reached  his  majority  he  went  to  Mary- 
land for  a  year  and   in  the  spring  of    [858  took 


640 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


his  first  step  westward,  settling  in  Illinois,  where 
he  was  engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  five 
years  and  subsequently  in  farming.  In  1871  he 
decided  to  go  farther  west,  and  in  that  year  came 
to  Yakima  county,  arriving  April  20th.  In  that 
erstwhile  stock  range  he  filed  upon  land  lying 
on  the  upper  Ahtanum,  where  he,  too,  engaged 
in  raising  cattle  and  horses  and  tilling  the  soil. 
During  the  Indian  troubles  of  '1877-8-9  he  was 
acting  as  deputy  sheriff  and  in  that  capacity 
was  prominently  identified  with  the  Perkins 
affair.  He  was  one  of  the  party  which  discov- 
ered the  bodies  of  Perkins  and  his  wife,  he  and 
an  Indian  name  Stick  Joe  being  the  first  to  find 
them,  aided  in  the  arrest  and  conviction  of  the 
Indian  murderers  and  placed  the  death  caps  and 
pinions  upon  the  murderers  who  were  hanged. 
In  1896,  Mr.  Conrad  moved  to  the  Moxee  valley, 
where  he  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
raising  stock.  He  was  married,  August  5,  1863, 
in  Illinois,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Gere,  the  daughter 
of  James  S.  and  Elizabeth  (Lyons)  Gere,  natives 
of  Ohio  and  Kentucky,  respectively.  Mrs.  Con- 
rad was  born  in  Illinois,  the  date  of  her  birth 
being  August  24,  1844,  and  had  the  following 
brothers  and  sisters :  Mrs.  Emma  Wright,  War- 
ren B.,  living  in  Illinois;  Mrs.  Olive  Radebaugh, 
Mrs.  Xettie  Murphy,  now  dead,  and  Mrs.  Alice 
Lochrie,  living  in  Iowa.  Mr.  Conrad  was  an 
only  son  and  had  three  sisters,  Mrs.  Hestira  Wil- 
son, now  dead;  Mrs.  Martha  Beardsley,  living  in 
Illinois,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Vickers,  living  in  New 
York  City.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Conrad  have  been 
born  seven  children,  six  of  whom  are  still  liv- 
ing: Mrs.  Alethe  Dickson,  February  22,  1866; 
Palmer,  December  24,  1868;  Mrs.  May  Sickler, 
January  23,  1870;  Barclay  W.,  December  3,  1871 ; 
Elosia  (deceased),  May  10,  1879;  Ray  Y.,  Au- 
gust 30,  1880,  and  Purdy  J.,  February  7,  1883.  In 
political  matters,  Mr.  Conrad  is  an  active  Demo- 
crat, taking  part  in  all  county  elections,  and  is 
every  ready  to  aid  a  friend  whom  he  believes 
worthy  of  office.  Mrs.  Conrad  is  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  church,  in  which  she  is  a  zealous 
worker,  and  both  she  and  her  husband  are  justly 
proud  of  the  circle  of  friends  in  which  they  move. 
Mr.  Conrad  has  by  energy  and  economy  accumu- 
lated a  goodly  holding  of  property,  of  which  we 
may  mention  his  forty  acre  ranch,  seventy  head 
of  cattle  and  about  two  hundred  head  of  horses. 
He  is  looked  upon  as  a  substantial  citizen,  and  as 
a  pioneer  of  central  Washington  is  known  far  and 
wide  throughout  that  region. 


JAMES  H.  GANO.  When  the  reader  consid- 
ers the  fact  that  the  subject  of  this  biography  came 
to  the  Moxee  valley  at  the  age  of  fifty-six.  with 
a  large  family  and  exhausted  means  of  support, 
it  is  but  the  recording  of  his  thought  to  say  that 
Mr.  Gano  is  a  man    of    unusual  pluck,   courage, 


perseverance  and  energy.  At  the  age  of  sixty- 
seven  he  is  apparently  as  capable  as  ever,  and 
is  reckoned  as  one  of  the  leading  farmers  of  the 
Yakima  valley.  Champaign  county,  Ohio,  is  his 
birthplace,  and  his  birthday  was  December  3,  1837, 
his  parents  being  Isaac  and  Nancy  (Hogg)  Gano. 
The  father  was  born  in  Virginia,  April  25,  181 1; 
the  mother  in  Clark  county,  Ohio,  July  19,  1819. 
She  was  a  cousin  of  Governor  Hogg  of  Texas 
fame.  James  Gano  received  his  education  in  the 
district  schools  of  Ohio,  leaving  school  when  sev- 
enteen years  old,  and  at  once  commencing  steady 
work  for  his  father  on  the  farm.  When  twenty- 
two,  he  left  the  home  place  and  leased  a  farm 
in  his  own  name.  Subsequently  he  purchased  a 
place  and  for  thirty-five  years,  counting  from  the 
time  he  began  working  for  himself,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  Ohio.  So  many  misfortunes 
came  upon  him,  however,  in  the  shape  of  floods, 
droughts,  etc.,  that  in  the  fall  of  1892  he  immi- 
grated to  the  Northwest,  where  he  was  convinced 
that  irrigated  crops  rarely  failed.  Settling  in  Yak- 
ima county,  he  spent  a  year  farming  on  another's 
land,  becoming  acquainted  with  irrigation 
methods;  then  he  filed  upon  his  present  place  in 
the  upper  Moxee  valley,  the  land  being  covered 
by  sage-brush  and  without  water.  However,  it 
was  situated  in  what  is  known  as  the  artesian 
area,  and  after  many  discouraging  efforts  Mr. 
Gano  was  able  to  tap  the  basin  and  place  his  land 
under  cultivation.  Today  his  place  is  one  of  the 
best  in  the  district  and  upon  it  stand  a  comfortable 
home  and  other  farm  buildings.  Mr.  Gano  was 
united  in  marriage  in  Ohio,  April  26,  i860,  to  Miss 
Rhoda  M.  Gardner.  She  was  born  in  that  state, 
December  11,  1841,  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Sophia  (Huff)  Gardner,  natives  of  New  York 
and  West  Virginia  respectively.  The  father  was 
born  in  1803  and  died  at  the  age  of  sixty-nine ;  the 
mother  was  born  in  1807  and  died  in  her  forty- 
seventh  year.  Rhoda  Gardner  was  the  seventh 
child  in  a  family  of  eleven,  seven  of  whom  are 
now  living:  Rhodes,  Benjamin,  Mrs.  Martha  Ray, 
George,  Mrs.  Mary  Shockey,  Mrs.  Frankie 
Trumbo  and  Mrs.  Gano.  Mr.  Gano  has  two 
brothers  living,  David  S.,  in  Ohio,  and  Charles  L., 
in  California;  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Bald- 
win, in  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gano's  children 
are  as  follows:  William  H.,  born  May  15. 
1861,  living  in  Ohio;  Mrs.  Ida  J.  Benson,  July 
6,  1862,  in  North  Yakima ;  Georee  A.  and  Mrs. 
Emma  J.  Purdy,  April  13,  1864,  living  in 
Yakima  county;  Mrs.  Elva  Heffelfinger,  April 
3,  1869,  living  in  Ohio;  Mrs.  Estelle  McElree, 
April  13,  1872,  living  in  Ohio:  Mrs.  Avanell  Pat- 
terson, August  28,  1875,  living  in  California;  Ira  J., 
February  6,  1877,  in  Yakima  county ;  and  Wes- 
ley E.,  August  25,  1881,  at  home.  Miss  Avanell 
Gano's  marriage  to  Mr.  Patterson  took  place  at 
the  family  home   on    the    evening  of  October  7. 


MRS.    MARTHA   A.    CHENEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


641 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patterson  reside  in  Fresno,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  owns  considerable  city  property 
and  is  interested  in  a  lumber  and  planing  mill. 
Both  are  highly  esteemed  young  people.  Mr.  Gano 
was  instrumental  in  the  establishment  of  Artesian 
postoffice  and  was  its  postmaster  and  carrier  until 
1901,  when  he  resigned,  having  successfully  pro- 
moted rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1.  He  was  also 
prominent  in  the  organization  of  school  dis- 
trict No.  40,  and  cleared  the  site  for  its  school- 
house  and  was  the  first  director  appointed 
by  the  county  school  superintendent,  serving  in 
that  capacity,  seven  years.  As  road  supervisor  of 
his  precinct,  he  has  located  all  the  roads  in  the 
district.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gano  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  are  highly  esteemed  by  a 
large  circle  of  friends.  Mr.  Gano's  property  inter- 
ests consist  of  eighty  acres  of  improved  land, 
twenty  head  of  milch  cows  and  ten  head  of  horses. 
He  is  a  substantial  citizen  and  a  successful,  pro- 
gressive man. 


MRS.  MARTHA  A.  (McALISTER)  CHE- 
NEY, a  pioneer  and  the  daughter  of  pioneers, 
is  a  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  living  five 
miles  southeast  of  North  Yakima.  In  her  youth 
she  was  known  as  Miss  Martha  McAlister  and 
was  born  in  Missouri,  May  20,  1839,  the  daughter 
of  James  and  Charlotte  (Smith)  McAlister.  James 
McAlister  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth  and  was  a 
pioneer  of  1844  m  Washington,  where  he  finally 
died.  The  mother  was  born  in  Tennessee  and  is 
also  dead.  In  1844  the  family  crossed  the  Plains 
from  Missouri,  the  daughter  Martha  being  at  the 
time  in  her  fifth  year.  In  September,  1845,  tnev 
located  at  Olympia,  witnessing  the  erection  of  the 
first  building  in  that  settlement.  Until  her  six- 
teenth year  Miss  McAlister  attended  school,  im- 
proving every  opportunity  to  obtain  an  education. 
Educational  privileges  were  very  limited  at  that 
time  and  it  was  frequently  necessary  to  employ 
an  instructor  to  come  to  the  house  and  give  pri- 
vate lessons.  By  studious  application  to  the  work, 
however,  she  succeeded  in  acquiring  a  fair  educa- 
tion in  spite  of  the  unusual  difficulties  attending  the 
course.  Discontinuing  her  studies  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  she  spent  two  years  at  home,  assisting  her 
mother  in  the  care  of  the  house,  and  at  the  end  of 
this  time,  October  11,  1855,  she  was  married  in 
Olympia  to  Joseph  Bunting,  who  was  afterward 
killed  by  the  Indians  while  mining  in  Arizona. 
The  family  moved  later  to  Yakima  county  and 
here  Mrs.  Bunting  was  again  married,  this  time  in 
North  Yakima,  in  1879.  to  Carlos  Cheney.  After 
twelve  years  of  married  life  death  again  entered 
the  home,  the  husband  departing  this  life  from 
natural  causes  March  22,  1891.  Mrs.  Cheney  has 
eleven  brothers  and  sisters,  all  living  but  three; 
their  names  follow:     America,  George  W.,  John, 


Eliza  J.,  Julia  A.,  Sarah  A.,  Elizabeth,  James, 
William,  Louisa  and  Charlotte.  Her  children  by 
her 'first  husband  are  the  following:  George  Bunt- 
ing, born  in  Olympia  November  7,  1856,  now  in 
California;  Charlotte  (Bunting)  Granger,  born  on 
Chambers'  Prairie,  September  8,  1858,  wife  of  Will- 
iam Granger,  living  east  of  North  Yakima ;  Blanch 
(Bunting)  Perkins,  born  on  the  Nesqually,  Sep- 
tember 20,  i860,  killed  in  Yakima  county  by  the 
Indians,  July  9,  1877,  an  account  of  whose  atro- 
cious murder  will  be  found  in  one  of  the  general 
chapters  of  this  work;  Eliza  (Bunting)  Percival, 
born  in  Steilacoom,  July  17.  1862,  now  in  Cali- 
fornia; James  Bunting,  born  in  Steilacoom,  Jan- 
uary 13,  1864,  and  Frank  H.  Bunting,  born  Jan- 
uary 8,  1871,  now  living'with  his  mother.  By  her 
second  husband,  Mrs.  Cheney  has  one  son,  Fred 
A.  Cheney,  born  May  23,  1881,  living  in  Yakima 
county.  Mrs.  Cheney  belongs  to  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps  and  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  She  owns  three  hundred  acres  of  farm 
land,  fifty  head  of  cattle  and  horses  and  one  hun- 
dred head  of  sheep.  The  farm  is  one  of  the  best 
found  in  the  valley,  and  the  dwelling:  is  a  modern 
and  model  house  of  nine  rooms.  No  one  is  bet- 
ter entitled  to  honorable  mention  in  the  history  of 
Yakima  county  than  is  Mrs.  Cheney,  who  has 
faced  the  hardships  of  pioneer  life  and  shared  in 
the  wonderful  development  of  the  country.  She 
is  highly  respected  as  a  woman  of  undaunted  cour- 
age, of  strict  integrity,  of  excellent  business  quali- 
fication, and  it  is  with  pleasure  that  we  enroll  her 
with  the  honored  citizens  of  Yakima  county. 


LINCOLN  J.  GREENWALT,  foreman  of 
the  well-known  land,  canal  and  improvement  com- 
pany, the  Moxee  Company,  resides  five  miles 
southeast  of  North  Yakima,  on  rural  free  delivery 
route  No.  1.  Lincoln  J.  Greenwalt  is  a  na- 
tive of  Andrew  county,  Missouri,  where  he  was 
born  September  1,  1867.  His  father,  who  makes 
his  home  with  him,  is  Abraham  Greenwalt,  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania,  of  German  descent,  born  in 
1835.  His  mother,  Louisa  (Billings)  Green- 
walt, was  also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  of  German 
descent,  born  in  1836;  she  has  been  dead  some 
years.  In  i858,  when  Lincoln  was  but  one  year 
old,  the  parents  moved  to  California  and  he  re- 
mained with  them  until  his  twenty-first  year.  He 
obtained  a  good  education  in  the  district  schools 
of  California,  continuing  his  studies  until  he  was 
seventeen.  Leaving  school  at  this  age,  he  worked 
with  his  father  until  1879,  when  they  removed  to 
Oregon.  They  remained  in  Oregon  but  one 
winter,  however,  and  came  on  to  Yakima  City  in 
1880.  Here  Lincoln  Greenwalt  engaged  in  the 
stock  business,  ranging  his  cattle  on  the  Indian 
reservation,  and  continuing  in  the  business  with 
good  success  until  1889.     At  this  time  he  sold  out 


642 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


his  stock  interests  and  purchased  a  farm  in  the 
Ahtanum  valley,  engaging  for  four  years  in  its  cul- 
tivation and  management.  In  1893,  he  sold  the 
Ahtanum  farm  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Moxee  Company.  This  company  has  one  of  the 
most  extensive  ranches  in  the  county ;  operates  an 
irrigation  canal,  and  engages  in  diversified  farm- 
ing on  a  very  large  scale.  The  history  of  the  cor- 
poration will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Mr.  Greenwalt's  position  as  foreman  is  one  of  im- 
portance and  of  great  responsibility,  and  the  fact 
that  he  has  so  long  retained  the  place  is  evidence 
of  his  peculiar  fitness  for  the  position.  Lincoln 
Greenwalt  is  fourth  in  a  family  of  six  children,  all 
of  whom  are  living;  their  names  follow:  Benton, 
Mary  (Greenwalt)  Cryder,  Hattie  (Greenwalt) 
Hackett,  Walter,  and  Zelma  (Greenwalt)  Hackett. 
Walter  lives  in  California ;  the  others  in  Yakima 
county.  Mr.  Greenwalt  was  married  in  Yakima 
county,  February  11,  1900.  to  Miss  Dollie  Mil- 
lican,  who  was  born  in  Yakima  City,  October  16, 
1878,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Sarah  (Agy) 
Millican,  natives  of  Missouri :  both  parents  are 
dead.  Mrs.  Greenwalt  has  three  brothers  and 
three  sisters,  as  follows :  Lee,  Etta  (Millican) 
Jackson,  Frank,  John,  Rose  (Millican)  Stone  and 
Ella  (Millican)  I.ampson.  All  are  living  in  Yak- 
ima county  except  Mrs.  Stone,  who  resides  in  Kit- 
titas county,  and  all  were  born  in  Yakima  county 
except  Lee,  whose  birthplace  was  Oregon.  Mrs. 
Greenwalt  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  In  politics,  Mr.  Greenwalt  is  a  Repub- 
lican. His  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  and  the  Woodmen  of  the  World. 
He  is  a  man  of  influence  in  local  affairs,  of  progress- 
ive ideas  and  strict  integrity :  is  ranked  with  the 
more  successful  farmers  and  stockmen  of  the 
county,  and  is  highly  respected  by  all  who  know 
him. 


JOSEPH  M.  BROWN,  a  horticulturist,  whose 
home  is  one  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of  North 
Yakima,  is  an  esteemed  citizen  of  the  county  and 
well  worthy  a  place  of  honor  on  the  pages  of  this 
volume.  His  father  was  James  Brown,  a  native 
of  Indiana,  born  in  1825;  he  died  when  the  son 
Joseph  was  but  three  years  old.  His  wife,  the 
mother  of  the  subject  of  this  article,  was  Mary 
(Crosley)  Brown,  also  a  native  of  Indiana,  born 
in  1823 ;  she  has  been  dead  a  number  of  years. 
Mr.  Brown  was  born  in  Missouri,  April  18,  1857, 
and  remained  at  home  until  fourteen  years  of  age. 
He  was  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  six  children ; 
in  his  youth  he  was  troubled  with  a  cancer,  and, 
fearing  it  would  prove  a  great  disadvantage  to 
him  in  later  life  in  agricultural  pursuits,  he  was 
very  desirous  of  obtaining  such  an  education  as 
would  enable  him  to  follow  other  pursuits  should 
he  so  desire.  The  family  being  large  and  the 
school    opportunities    of   his   home   neighborhood 


being  poor,  he  left  home  when  fourteen  and  went 
to  Nebraska,  where  he  secured  employment  on  a 
farm  at  sixteen  dollars  per  month  in  a  neighbor- 
hood where  the  school  privileges  were  much 
better  than  at  home.  Here  for  a  number  of  years 
he  worked  on  the  farm  in  the  summer  and  at- 
tended the  district  schools  in  the  winter.  He 
afterwards  spent  two  years  in  the  high  school  at 
Tecumseh,  Nebraska,  being  graduated  in  January, 
1879.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he  was  mar- 
ried in  Syracuse,  Nebraska,  to  Miss  Jessie  F. 
Wells.  He  at  once  purchased  a  farm  on  credit, 
canceling  the  obligation,  eighteen  hundred  dol- 
lars, at  the  end  of  two  years.  In  1883,  he  sold 
out  and  moved  to  the  Horse  Heaven  country  in 
Yakima  county,  Washington,  and  for  nine  years 
followed  the  breeding  of  Clydesdale  draft 
horses,  his  imported  Scottish  Knight  being  a  well 
known  horse  of  that  region.  While  a  resident  of 
Yakima  county  he  served  two  terms  as  county 
commissioner.  In  1892,  he  came  to  North  Yak- 
ima and  purchased  fifteen  acres  of  land,  where  he 
now  resides,  at  that  time  desert  sage-brush  land, 
now  a  beautiful  orchard  of  apples  and  apricots,  in 
which  nestles  the  comfortable  home  of  the  family. 
Air.  Brown  served  the  Republicans  of  the  county 
in  one  campaign  as  their  candidate  for  county 
clerk,  and  was  elected.  During  this  term  and  for 
two  years  as  insurance  solicitor,  he  was  a  resident 
of  North  Yakima.  During  Mr.  Brown's  residence 
in  North  Yakima  he  was  very  popular  with  his 
Republican  friends  and  had  a  bright  political 
future  before  him ;  but  preferred  the  associations 
of  home  and  rural  pursuits,  and  hence  returned 
to  his  fruit  ranch.  Besides  being  a  stanch  Re- 
publican, he  is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles  and 
has  a  long  list  of  fraternal  and  political  friends. 
He  has  brothers  and  sisters  as  follows :  Samuel 
W.,  deceased;  Ethan  A.,  of  North  Yakima;  Mrs. 
Melissa  A.  Brady,  deceased :  James  F.,  of  Kansas ; 
Mrs.  Nancy  J.  Estes,  of  Wenatchee,  Washington. 
Mrs.  Brown  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  October  13, 
1856,  the  daughter  of  Gilbert  and  Mary  (Kelley) 
Wells,  both  natives  of  New  Hampshire  and  of 
English  parentage.  Mrs.  Brown  has  one  brother 
living,  Lewellyn  A.  Wells,  of  Nebraska.  She  has 
two  sisters  and  one  brother  dead:  Clara,  Ermina 
E.  and  Forest.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  have 
been  born  the  following  children:  Harry  E., 
Nebraska,  September  16.  1880;  Frank  W.,  Klick- 
itat county,  April  21.  1884.  the  first  white  child 
born  in  the  Horse  Heaven  country ;  Edna  M., 
Washington,  March  13.  1886:  Benjamin  F.,  May 
16,  1888;  Mary  E.,  October  10,  1890;  Pearl  M., 
November  26,  1892 ;  Joseph  M.,  Jr.,  December  25, 
1894.  and  George  D.,  May  21,  1898,  all  in  Wash- 
ington. When  the  youngest  child,  George,  was 
born,  he  was  totally  blind,  but  the  sight  of  one  eye 
was  completely  restored  and  of  the  other  nearly 
so,  by   Dr.   P.   V.  Wing,  of  the   Fannie  Paddock 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


643 


hospital,  Tacoma.  Although  he  could  not  speak 
until  three  years  old,  he  has  developed  into  a  re- 
markably intelligent  child ;  he  is  a  natural  musi- 
cian, and,  at  the  age  of  six,  plays  well  on  the  piano 
and  organ.  His  accomplishments  are  a  wonder  to 
all  who  know  him.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  are 
highly  esteemed  by  neighbors  and  by  their  many 
friends. 


MRS.  ELIZABETH  (COCHRANE)  CAR- 
MICHAEL.  Among  the  many  women  who  have 
bravely  and  successfully  fought  the  battle  of  life 
in  the  great  Northwest,  and  shared  equally  with 
the  men  in  its  development,  none  is  more  worthy 
of  a  place  in  this  volume  than  is  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Carmichael,  of  Yakima  City.  She  was  born  in 
Scotland  January  6,  1858,  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Patterson)  Cochrane,  both  natives 
of  Scotland.  The  father  was  born  in  1818  and  died 
in  New  Zealand  in  1884.  The  mother  was  born 
March  26,  1828,  and  is  still  living  in  New  Zealand. 
Mrs.  Carmichael  went  with  her  parents  from 
Scotland  to  New  Zealand  in  1865.  There 
she  attended  school  until  her  eighteenth  year  and 
afterwards  taught  one  year  as  assistant  in- 
structor in  the  primary  department  of  the  public 
schools.  After  spending  one  year  with  her  parents 
she  was  married,  in  New  Zealand,  May  17,  1878, 
to  William  Loudon.  In  1884  they  left  New  Zea- 
land and  in  August  of  that  year  reached  Yakima 
county,  Washington,  and  went  into  the  stock  busi- 
ness on  the  Cowiche.  The  following  year  (1885) 
Mr.  Loudon  died  and  Mrs.  Loudon  at  once 
moved  to  Yakima  City,  opened  a  store  of  general 
merchandise,  at  the  same  time  receiving  the  ap- 
pointment as  postmistress ;  she  held  this  appoint- 
ment for  nine  years.  April  9,  1898,  Mrs.  Loudon 
married  Colin  Carmichael  and  in  July  of  the  same 
year  sold  her  stock  of  merchandise  at  Yakima  City. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carmichael  then  went  to  Santa  Rosa, 
California,  and  for  a  time  engaged  in  the  purchase 
and  sale  of  hops.  March  23,  1899,  Mr-  Carmichael 
died  in  Santa  Rosa,  and,  in  September  of  the  same 
year,  Mrs.  Carmichael  returned  to  Yakima  City 
and  purchased  one  hundred  and  fifty  acres 
of  land  adjoining  the  town,  at  once  beginning  its 
cultivation.  In  April,  1900,  she  again  opened 
a  general  merchandise  store  and  in  September, 
1902,  established  the  Yakima  City  creamery, 
which  is  still  in  successful  operation.  Mrs. 
Carmichael  is  now  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the 
Washington  State  Dairy  Association  and  takes  a 
lively  interest  in  the  development  of  the  industry. 
She  is  also  specially  interested  in  educational 
matters  and  is  an  active  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  She  has  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
and  comfortable  homes  in  Yakima  county  and  en- 
joys the  esteem  of  a  very  large  circle  of  friends 
and  acquaintances.     She  has  four  sons :    James  A. 


Loudon,  born  in  New  Zealand,  December  28,  1879, 
and  now  receiving  teller  of  the  First  National  bank, 
North  Yakima,  a  graduate  of  the  Santa  Rosa  (Cal- 
ifornia) business  college;  William  Loudon,  born 
in  New  Zealand,  April  24,  1881,  manager  of  the 
Yakima  City  creamery;  John  P.  Loudon,  born  in 
New  Zealand,  October  30,  1883,  graduate  of  the 
North  Yakima  high  school,  1902 ;  Guy  Loudon, 
born  in  Yakima  county,  December  22,  1885,  as- 
sistant manager  of  the  Yakima  City  creamery. 


EDWARD  REMY.  One  of  the  successful 
fruit  growers  of  Yakima  county  is  Edward  Remy, 
whose  home  is  two  and  one-half  miles  southeast 
of  North  Yakima.  Nowhere  may  be  seen  to  bet- 
ter advantage  the  transforming  effects  of  water  and 
the  skill  of  man  upon  the  barren  sage-brush  plains 
of  the  west  than  at  Mr.  Remy's  home;  the  wealth 
of  foliage  in  season,  the  hanging  fruit  and  the  trail- 
ing berry  vines,  and  in  their  midst  the  comfortable 
dwelling,  making  an  ideal  home  to  which  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Remy  and  their  three  children  are  naturally 
very  much  attached.  Mr.  Remy  is  a  native  of  Bel- 
gium, where  he  was  born  November  12,  i860.  His 
father  was  Peter  J.  Remy.  a  glass-blower  by  trade, 
born  in  Belgium  in  1830 ;  he  died  in  Yakima  county 
in  1902.  The  mother  was  Mary  (Rkhir)  Remy, 
also  born  in  Belgium;  she  died  in  her  native  coun- 
try when  her  son  Edward  was  seventeen  years  old. 
During  his  youth,  Edward  attended  the  schools  of 
his  native  land.  At  the  age  of  nineteen,  having 
already  learned  the  glass-blower's  trade,  he  came 
to  the  United  States  and  located  in  Ohio,  following 
his  trade  in  the  glass  works  at  Kent  for  two  years. 
He  was  afterwards  employed  for  three  years  in  the 
glass  works  of  New  Albany,  Indiana,  and  later 
in  those  of  Rock  Island,  Illinois.  In  1887  he  went 
'to  Ottawa,  Illinois,  where  he  remained,  still  in  his 
trade,  until  1893.  This  year  marks  the  close  of  his 
career  as .  a  glass-blower.  He  came  then  to  Yak- 
ima county,  Washington,  and  purchased  the  land 
where  he  has  since  made  his  home.  July  16,  1883, 
Mr.  Remy  and  Miss  Mary  Deeley  were  united  in 
marriage  in  New  Albany,  Indiana.  Miss  Deeley 
was  born  in  England,  November  2,  1863,  the 
daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Sarah  Deeley,  both  na- 
tives of  England.  Her  father  died  in  his  native 
country  and  her  mother  is  still  living,  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Yakima  county.  Mr.  Remy  has  three 
brothers  and  three  sisters:  Felician,  a  glass- 
blower  living  in  Indiana;  Mary  (Remy)  Dandoy,  in 
Belgium:  Juliett  (Remy)  Brigod,  in  Indiana; 
Peter  J..  ?n  Indiana  farmer;  Julius,  a  glass- 
blower  in  Indiana ;  Esther  ( Remy )  Andris,  also 
living  in  Indiana.  Mrs.  Remy  has  one  sister  and 
one  brother:  Phoebe,  a  native  of  England,  living 
in  North  Yakima,  and  Samuel,  born  in  England, 
now  an  Indiana  glass-blower.  Three  children  have 
come  into  the  Remy  home :     Mary,  born  in  New 


644 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Albany,  Indiana,  February  20,  1884;  Alice,  born  in 
Rock  Island,  Illinois,  April  20,  1886;  Edward,  born 
in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  March  10,'  1889.  Mr.  Remy  is 
an  active  Republican  and  holds  membership  in 
the  fraternal  orders  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica and  the  Masons.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Remy  and 
their  two  daughters  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  On  his  home  place  Mr.  Remy  produces 
several  varieties  of  fruits  and  berries  and  always 
makes  exhibits  at  state  and  local  fairs.  At  the 
last  state  fair  held  at  North  Yakima  he  was 
awarded  special  premiums  on  apples,  pears,  prunes 
and  plums.  He  is  a  progressive  and  an  energetic 
horticulturist.  He  was  recently  appointed  on  the 
board  of  county  supervisors,  but  declined  to  serve, 
his  interests  being  centered  in  his  orchard  and  his 
home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Remy  are  highly  respected 
and   have  many  warm  friends. 


WILLIAM  E.  THORNTON,  a  pioneer  of 
1872,  lives  two  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of 
North  Yakima,  where  he  is  engaged  in  farming. 
He  was  born  in  Holt  county,  Missouri,  August  13, 
1848,  the  son  of  Frank  and  Elizabeth  Thornton. 
His  parents  died  when  he  was  a  small  child  and 
he  was  placed  in  the  charge  of  an  aunt,  Mrs.  Mary 
Russell.  In  185 1  the  aunt  crossed  the  Plains  with 
ox  teams  to  Oregon,  occupying  six  months  in 
making  the  journey,  encountering  many  obstacles 
and  escaping  many  dangers  en  route,  one  man 
of  the  party,  Wash  Stewart,  being  killed  by  the 
Indians.  William  Thornton  spent  his  youth  in 
Oregon  and,  until  his  fifteenth  year,  attended  the 
common  schools  of  that  state,  later  graduating 
from  a  Portland  business  college.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen,  he  began  making  his  own  way  in  life; 
at  eighteen  he  entered  the  employ  of  a  sash  and 
door  factory,  learning  the  business ;  two  years  later 
learning  the  painter's  trade  and  eventually  becom- 
ing a  sign  writer  and  decorator.  In  1872  he  came 
to  Yakima  county  and  until  1886  was  engaged  in 
the  stock  business,  at  the  same  time  working,  at 
intervals,  at  his  trade  as  a  sign  writer.  He  built 
the  first  high  trellis  hop  yard  in  the  state  at  a  cost 
per  acre  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  dollars.  He 
was  one  of  the  promoters  and  builders  of  the  Konne- 
wock  and  the  Naches  and  Cowiche  high  ditches. 
In  the  late  seventies  he  was  one  of  the  party  that 
made  the  search  for  the  Indian  murderers  of  the 
Perkins  family,  assisted  in  the  capture  of  Chief 
Moses  and  acted  as  his  guard;  also  helped  to  ar- 
rest the  chief  at  a  later  date.  Aside  from  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  he  has  always  been  more  or  less 
interested  in  mining.  He  is  one  of  the  principal 
holders  of  Gold  Hill  property ;  owns  the  lnca 
group  in  Yakima  county;  the  Minnie  T.  group  on 
Crystal  mountain,  a  one-third  interest  in  the  Re- 
liance group  and  a  one-half  interest  in  the  Rara 
Avis    group,    the   last   three   properties    in    Pierce 


county.  Like  many  more  who  came  to  the  county 
in  the  early  days,  he  has  suffered  reverses  and 
found  much  to  endure  and  overcome.  In  the  cold 
winter  of  1881-82  he  lost  four  hundred  and  ninety- 
five  out  of  five  hundred  head  of  stock  and  in  the 
panic  of  1893  his  losses  footed  twenty  thousand 
dollars. 

Mr.  Thornton  is  a  relative,  in  direct  line,  of 
Judge  J.  Ouinn  Thornton,  who  figured  so  prom- 
inently in  early  Oregon  affairs ;  was  a  delegate  from 
Oregon  to  congress  during  Polk's  administration, 
and  was  the  author  of  a  history  of  Oregon  and  Cal- 
ifornia. Mr.  Thornton  was  married  in  Yakima 
county  June  10,  1896,  to  Mrs.  Alice  (Tilton) 
McLean,  daughter  of  Major  Joseph  Tilton,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war. 
Mr.  Thornton  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Keller, 
living  in  Nebraska.  Mr.  Thornton  is  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity  and  is  active  and  influ- 
ential in  the  councils  of  the  Democratic  party.  He 
is  a  Methodist  in  religious  convictions,  and  for 
years  his  sweet,  strong  tenor  voice  was  heard  each 
Sunday  in  the  North  Yakima  church.  Unfortu- 
nately, however,  his  voice  has  now  lost  much  of  its 
sweetness  and  power.  He  is  widely  known  as  one 
of  the  earlier  pioneers  of  central  Washington,  as  a 
man  of  strictest  integrity  and  excellent  executive 
ability  and  both  he  and  Mrs.  Thornton  are  highly- 
esteemed  by  all  with  whom  they  are  associated  in 
public  or  in  the  home  life. 


OSCAR  YANSYCKLE,  a  pioneer  of  1871,  is 
now  engaged  in  market  gardening  at  Yakima  City. 
He  was  born  in  Ohio.  March  1,  1845.  His  father 
was  John  M.  Yansyckle,  a  native  of  New  York,  a 
Wells-Fargo  express  agent,  and  a  pioneer  of  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon.  He  went  to  California  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  1852,  ?s  agent  for  Wells,  Fargo  & 
Company  at  Stockton.  In  1855,  ne  was  transferred 
to  San  Francisco,  where  he  served  as  superintendent 
of  the  same  company  in  the  express  department.  In 
1857,  he  went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  opened  there 
the  banking  department  of  the  Wells-Fargo  Com- 
pany. He  engaged  in  the  hotel  business  in  Portland 
in  1859,  but  in  the  following  year  removed  to  Wal- 
lula.  Washington  Territory,  as  agent  for  Thompson 
Coe  and  as  quartermaster  a^ent.  The  mother 
was  Susanna  E.  (Rensford)  Vansyckle.,  born  in 
1827;  she  died  December  15,  1903.  in  Seattle,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-seven.  Her  father  was  an  English 
sea  captain.  Mr.  Yansyckle  spent  his  youth  in 
Portland,  where  he  attended  school  and  assisted  his 
father  in  the  hotel.  In  1865  Oscar  Yansyckle  came 
to  Yakima  county.  Washington,  with  cattle,  which 
he  looked  after  on  the  range,  being  allowed  the  in- 
crease for  a  number  of  years  for  his  share  of  the 
profits.  After  several  years  in  the  stock  business. 
he  engaged  for  four  years  with  his  brother-in-law, 
Dan  Nelson,  and  H.  L.  Tucker,  in  prospecting  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


645 


mining  in  various  localities,  but  without  success. 
He  then  located  in  Yakima  City  and  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business,  remaining  so  occupied  for  about 
four  years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  the  railroad 
was  built  through  the  town  and  its  residents  nearly 
all  moved  to  the  new  town  of  North  Yakima.  Mr. 
Vansyckle  remained,  however,  served  as  postmaster 
for  a  number  of  years  and  has  since  followed  mar- 
ket gardening.  In  Portland,  Oregon,  November  19, 
1876,  Mr.  Vansyckle  was  married  to  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth (Nelson)  Mauldin,  daughter  of  Judge  J.  B. 
Nelson,  a  prominent  pioneer  of  Yakima  county. 
Mrs.  Vansyckle  was  born  in  Missouri  October  14, 
1843.  Her  children  by  her  first  husband  are  :  Pearl 
(Mauldin)  Rudkin,  born  in  Klickitat  county,  Au- 
gust 6,  1862,  living  in  Yakima  county;  Frederick  A. 
Mauldin,  born  in  Klickitat  county,  April  9,  1864, 
a  mine  carpenter  living  in  Idaho ;  Mrs.  Cora  Gard- 
ner, born  in  Yakima  county,  April  19,  1867,  living 
in  Okanogan  county.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Vansyckle  are:  Mrs.  Clara  Noble,  born  December 
15.  1877;  Edith,  born  July  23,  1880,  died  April  25, 
1882;  John  M.,  born  July  18,  1883.  Mr. 
Vansyckle  is  an  active  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  always  takes  a  lively  interest 
in  the  success  of  the  party.  Mrs.  Vansyckle  is 
active  in  church  circles  and  belongs  to  the-  Christian 
congregation.  Both  are  worthy  of  a  place  of  honor 
among  the  pioneers  of  Yakima  count}-,  and  they  are 
held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  have  been  associated 
with  them  in  the  development  and  progress  of  the 
valley  where  they  have  for  so  long  a  time  made 
their  home. 


JOSEPH  RICHARTZ,  a  successful  dairy 
farmer  of  Yakima  county,  lives  one  mile  east  of 
North  Yakima.  Germany  is  the  country  of  his 
nativity  and  the  date  of  his  birth  was  June  16, 
1854.  He  is  the  son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Stiles) 
Richartz,  both  natives  of  Germany  and  both  dead. 
Until  his  twelfth  year  Joseph  Richartz  attended 
school  in  his  native  land,  but  was  obliged  to  dis- 
continue his  studies  at  this  age  on  account  of  the 
death  of  his  father,  which  made  it  necessary  for 
him  to  assist  in  the  support  of  his  mother,  his 
four  elder  brothers  being  at  the  time  serving  their 
allotted  years  in  the  German  army.  He  was  vari- 
ously employed  for  a  number  of  years,  but,  when 
seventeen,  began  to  learn  the  shoemaker's  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  eighteen  years,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three  years  spent  in  the  army.  Becom- 
ing acquainted  with  the  opportunities  offered  in 
America  to  the  industrious  and  ambitious,  to  gain 
a  competency  and  a  desirable  and  permanent 
home,  he  decided  to  try  his  fortunes  in  this  coun- 
try and  accordingly,  in  1881,  he  embarked  with 
his  family  for  the  United  States.  Shortly  after  his 
arrival  he  located  near  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and 
followed  his  trade  there  for  several  years ;  event- 


ually, however,  having  to  leave  that  section  on 
account  of  his  failing  health.  In  the  fall  of  the 
year  1887  he  came  to  Yakima  county,  landing  here 
with  twenty-five  cents  in  his  pocket  and  having 
with  him  a  large  family,  for  which  he  must  pro- 
vide. For  a  time  he  engaged  in  farm  work,  chop- 
ping cord  wood  and  in  common  labor  of  any  kind 
that  he  could  find  to  do,  using  goods  boxes  for 
tables  and  chairs  in  the  home  and  doing  without 
many  of  the  ordinary  comforts  of  home  life.  He 
managed  to  keep  himself  employed,  however,  and 
prospered,  so  that,  in  1888,  he  was  able  to  pur- 
chase a  homestead  relinquishment  to  eighty  acres 
of  land,  paying  therefor  the  sum  of  one  hundred 
dollars.  With  twenty-five  dollars  of  remaining 
capital  he  moved  his  "family  to  the  farm,  and,  with 
the  assistance  of  his  wife,  dug  a  well  and  erected 
a  small  dwelling.  •  For  several  years  he  carried 
supplies  to  the  home  on  his  back  and  got  but 
small  returns  from  the  land.  Then  the  Condon 
ditch  was  built  and  he  gave  half  of  his  farm  for 
water  privileges,  which  made  his  remaining  forty 
acres  much  more  valuable.  In  1897  he  sold  for 
three  thousand  dollars  and  at  once  purchased  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres  where  he  now  resides. 
This  farm  he  has  developed  into  one  of  the  most 
valuable  in  the  county,  with  a  commodious  and 
comfortable  dwelling,  a  large  barn  sixty  by  sev- 
enty-six feet  in  dimensions  and  forty-four  feet  high, 
and  has  stocked  the  place  with  twenty-one  milch 
cows  and  sixty  additional  head  of  cattle  and 
horses.  Mr.  Richartz  has  four  brothers  and  two 
sisters  living:  Nicholas.  Peter,  Mathias,  Fred, 
Mrs.  Susanna  Kline  and  Mrs.  Eva  Knot,  all  liv- 
ing in  Germany  excepting  Nicholas,  who  is  in  this 
country.  Mr.  Richartz  was  married  in  Germany, 
January  15,  1880,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Powley,  who 
was  born  in  Germany,  March  16,  i860,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Theodore  and  Helen  (Custer)  Powley.  This 
faithful  wife  and  devoted  mother  died  October  31, 
1903.  She  was  the  mother  of  the  following  chil- 
dren:  Nicholas,  Henry  and  Bernard,  deceased; 
Frank,  born  in  Minnesota,  July  28,  1883;  John 
born  in  Minnesota,  January  24,  1885 ;  Mary,  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1888;  Gertrude,  November  22,  1890; 
Joseph.  February  22,  1893;  Henry,  December  28, 
1895;  Louisa,  October  12,  1807;  Theodore,  June 
8,  1900,  all  born  in  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Richartz 
is  a  Catholic.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
is  classed  with  the  energetic  and  successful  agri- 
culturists who  have  been  active  factors  in  the  won- 
derful development  of  Yakima  county,  is  a  man 
well  known  and  influential  in  local  affairs,  and  he 
commands  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all  who 
know  him. 


JOHN  MORRISEY,  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser,  whose  home  is  nine  miles  northwest  of 
North  Yakima,  is  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  March 


646 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


20,  1837.  He  is  the  son  of  David  and  Nora 
(Walsh)  Morrisey,  also  natives  of  Ireland.  The 
father  started  for  America  when  the  son  John  was 
thirteen  years  old,  but  died  at  sea.  The  mother 
died  in  Chicago,  aged  eighty  years.  John  Mor- 
risey received  his  early  education  in  his  native 
country,  and  continued  his  studies  in  Canada,  hav- 
ing immigrated  to  that  country  when  seventeen 
years  old.  For  ten  years  he  worked  on  farms  and 
in  sawmills  in  Canada  and  then  removed  to  Illi- 
nois, continuing  in  farm  work  there  for  about  five 
years,  after  which  he  was  located  in  the  saloon 
business  for  seven  additional  years  in  Chicago. 
Concluding  that  the  Northwest  offered  special  in- 
ducements to  one  wishing  to  establish  a  perma- 
nent home,  he  left  Chicago  in  'quest  of  a  desir- 
able location.  He  stopped  for  a  few  months  in 
Nebraska  but.  not  being  suited  with  the  country, 
came  on  to  Washington  and  settled  on  the  home- 
stead where  he  has  ever  since  resided,  April  16, 
1877.  Here  he  has  four  hundred  acres  of  land 
which  he  has  developed  from  its  primitive  wildness 
to  a  high  state  of  cultivation ;  he  is  also  one  of  a 
company  of  seventeen  that  owns  one  thousand 
acres  devoted  to  grazing  purposes,  where  are 
ranged  cattle,  horses  and  other  stock.  The  home- 
stead is  equipped  with  a  good  residence  and  hop 
house,  and  a  large  barn ;  it  is  an  ideal  home  and 
is  a  lasting  monument  to  the  industry  and  integ- 
rity of  its  owner.  Mr.  Morrisey  was  married  in 
Chicago,  Illinois,  October  15,  1873,  to  Miss  Mary 
Walsh,  a  native  of  Ireland,  where  she  was  born 
September  14,  1850.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of 
Mr.  Morrisey  are:  Michael,  deceased;  Francis,  liv- 
ing in  Canada ;  Morris,  living  in  Texas ;  Bridget 
(Morrisey)  Mahoney,  living  in  Chicago ;  Thomas 
and  David,  deceased ;  Richard,  living  in  Chicago. 
Mrs.  Morrisey  has  two  brothers,  Thomas  and  John 
Walsh,  both  natives  of  Ireland,  the  latter  a  citizen 
of  North  Yakima.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morrisey 
have  been  born  the  following  children :  Mary  J. 
(Morrisey)  Loughon,  born  in  Chicago,  July  12, 
1874,  living  in  Yakima  county;  John  D.  Morrisey, 
born  in  Nebraska  May  14,  1876,  a  citizen  of 
Yakima  county ;  Thomas  and  Anna  (Morrisey) 
Lemon,  twins,  deceased;  Edward  J.,  born  in 
Yakima  City  November  1,  1880;  James  F.,  born 
in  Yakima  county  May  4,  1882;  Agnes,  born  No- 
vember 17,  1884;  Francis  Joseph,  born  June  15, 
1888.  Mr.  Morrisey  is  a  Democrat  and  takes  act- 
ive interest  in  the  success  of  his  party.  He  and 
Mrs.  Morrisey  are  members  of  trie  Catholic 
church.  They  have  recently  built  a  good  home  in 
North  Yakima.  Mr.  Morrisey  is  widely  known 
over  the  county  as  one  of  the  earlier  pioneers  of 
the  central  part  of  Washington ;  is  a  man  of  in- 
fluence in  local  affairs  and,  by  all  who  know  him, 
is  highly  respected  as  a  man  of  integrity  and  real 
worth.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  accord  him  a  place  of 
honor  among  the  pioneers  of  Yakima  county. 


MICHAEL  PROBACH,  merchant  tailor,  re- 
sides at  No.  701  North  Second  street,  in  the  city 
of  North  Yakima,  and  has  been  in  business  in 
the  city  since  1889.  The  town  of  Koln,  Rhine 
Province,  Germany,  is  the  place  of  his  nativity, 
his  birthday  being  June  1,  1850.  He  is  the  son  of 
Gerhard  and  Katherina  (Stanger)  Probach,  both 
native  born  Germans.  The  parents  are  both  dead. 
Michael  Probach  spent  his  youth  and  early  man- 
hood in  the  land  of  his  birth.  He  attended  school 
until  thirteen  years  old ;  then  quit  the  school  room 
for  the  active  duties  of  life.  At  fifteen  he  began 
to  learn  the  tailor's  trade,  which  he  followed  suc- 
cessfully until  1882  in  his  native  land.  For  some 
time  he  had  been  considering  the  advisability  of 
coming  to  America,  impressed  as  he  was  by  the 
superior  advantages  offered  here  to  one  seeking  a 
permanent  home  and  lucrative  employment,  and 
in  1882,  his  plans  having  been  completed,  he  em- 
barked for  the  United  States.  He  worked  for  a 
time  as  a  journeyman  tailor  in  Denver  and  in 
other  Colorado  towns,  but  eventually  opened  a 
shop  at  Silver  Cliff,  that  state,  and  conducted  it 
successfully  for  two  years.  At  the  end  of  this 
time,  in  1886,  he  sold  his  Silver  Cliff  establish- 
ment and  returned  to  Germany,  remaining  for 
eighteen  nionths.  Having  tasted  life  in  America, 
however,  he  was  not  content  to  remain  in  the  old 
country  and,  in  1888,  he  returned  to  the  United 
States,  settling  first  at  Pendleton,  Oregon,  where 
he  opened  an  establishment.  After  operating  in 
Pendleton  for  one  year  he  sold  his  business  and 
came  to  North  Yakima,  where  he  has  since  re- 
mained and  where  he  has  become  a  leading  mer- 
chant tailor.  He  purchased  the  establishment  of 
Hugo  Sigmund  and,  at  this  old  stand,  which  was 
the  first  tailor  shop  opened  in  North  Yakima,  he 
is  now  doing  an  exceptionally  good  business.  He 
is  rated  with  the  successful  business  men  of  the 
metropolis  of  central  Washington.  Of  the  three 
children  born  to  his  parents,  he  is  the  only  one 
living ;  he  has  lost  one  brother  and  one  sister,  John 
and  Minnie  Mr.  Probach  was  married  in  Ger- 
many July  24.  1872,  to  Miss  Gertrude  Schmidt, 
who  was  born  in  Germany  in  1845,  the  daughter 
of  John  and  Louisa  (Stanger)  Schmidt,  natives  of 
Germany.  The  father  is  dead.  The  mother,  born 
in  Germany  in  1823,  is  now  living  with  her  daugh- 
ter in  North  Yakima.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Probach 
have  been  born  the  following  children :  Louisa 
(Probach)  Schwartz,  Mary,  Peter,  Anna,  Aloyz- 
sius,  and  Paul,  all  born  in  Germany;  Kathe.  Ger- 
trude, and  Genevive,  born  in  North  Yakima.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Probach  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  Mr.  Probach  is  a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  always  takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  success 
of  his  party.  He  is  somewhat  interested  in  city 
properly,  owning  five  good  lots  and  an  attractive 
and  modern  eight-room  dwelling.  He  is  energetic 
and  progressive,  is  making  a  success  of  his  busi- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


647 


ness  and  holds  the  respect  of  all  with  whom  he 
comes  in  contact  in  business  or  home  life. 


ORLANDO  BECK,  county  fruit  inspector  of 
Yakima  county,  fruit  grower  and  horticulturist,  is 
a  pioneer  of  Yakima  as  well  as  one  of  its  leading 
citizens  today.  He  is  best  known  as  an  expert 
orchardist  and  certainly  has  done  much  toward 
bringing  his  home  county  to  the  high  position  it 
now  occupies  in  that  industry.  His  father,  Judge 
John  W.  Beck,  was  one  of  the  first  men  in  central 
Washington  to  raise  fruit  and  was  the  first  nur- 
seryman in  Yakima  county,  to  which  he  came 
with  his  family  in  1869,  and  in  whose  history  he  is 
an  important  character.  Judge  and  Mrs.  Martha 
M.  (Goodwin)  Beck  were  pioneers  of  Missouri, 
from  which  they  crossed  the  Plains  in  1865,  under 
the  guidance  of  Dr.  L.  H.  Goodwin,  to  Walla 
Walla.  At  the  time  of  this  trip  Orlando  was  only 
eight  years  of  age,  having  been  born  in  Sullivan 
county,  Missouri,  November  4,  1857,  but  he 
bravely  did  his  share  of  guard  duty  and  other 
work.  His  education  was  obtained  mostly  in 
Missouri  and  in  the  schools  of  Walla  Walla.  After 
living  four  years  in  Walla  Walla  county,  the 
Becks  went  to  Yakima  county  and  settled  in  the 
Yakima  valley.  The  father's  long  and  useful  life 
was  brought  to  a  close  by  sickness  at  his  home  in 
North  Yakima  in  the  summer  of  19x13 ;  Mrs.  Beck, 
hale  and  hearty  for  one  of  her  age,  survived  her 
husband  and  continues  to  live  in  the  metropolis  of 
the  county,  [n  1878  Orlando  Beck  settled  on  a 
homestead  in  the  Yakima  valley.  This  land  now 
forms  a  portion  of  the  site  of  North  Yakima.  Mr. 
Beck  found  agricultural  pursuits  congenial  and 
profitable  and  since  1878  has  been  so  engaged  on 
his  own  account. 

In  1880  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Corrina  Southern,  born  in  Iowa,  August  4,  1864, 
the  daughter  of  Braxton  D.  and  Nancy  J.  (Veach) 
Southern.  They  were  early  settlers  in  the  Yakima 
country  also,  and  for  many  years  have  been  es- 
teemed residents  of  Kittitas  county.  Their  biog- 
raphy will  be  found  elsewhere  in  these  pages.  To 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beck  have  been  born 
three  children,  one  of  whom,  Jennie,  born  Febru- 
ary 14,  1881,  is  dead,  and  two  of  whom,  Eva  S., 
born  August  12.  1884,  and  Edna,  born  February 
8,  1886,  are  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Beck  are  well 
known  in  social  and  fraternal  circles,  Mr.  Beck- 
being  the  present  venerable  consul  of  Yakima 
lodge.  No.  5,550,  M.  W.  A.,  and  having  served  as 
adviser  of  the  lodge  for  three  years  previously. 
Mrs.  Beck  is  an  earnest  worker  in  the  Congrega- 
tional church  of  which  she  is  a  member.  Polit- 
ically, Mr.  Beck  is  a  Republican  and  has  served 
a  term  as  deputy  sheriff  under  the  administration 
of  his  party,  and  is  now  in  the  seventh  year  of 
incumbency   as   fruit   inspector.      He   was    one   of 


the  promoters  of  the  Union  Ditch  Company,  of 
which  organization  he  has  been  president  for  the 
past  three  years.  He  is  an  active  participant  in 
all  elections  held  in  the  county.  Besides  owning 
a  large  block  of  stock  in  the  Elizabeth  Mining 
Company,  operating  in  the  Gold  Hill  district,  Mr. 
Beck  is  the  possessor  of  a  fine  home  in  the  sub- 
urbs of  North  Yakima,  the  tract  consisting  of  five 
acres,  four  of  which  are  set  out  in  orchard.  He 
is  a  substantial  citizen ;  one  who  is  a  factor  in 
the  progress  of  his  section  of  the  state. 


FRANK  B.  SHARDLOW,  who  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Yakima  county  since  1880,  is  one  of  the 
substantial  business  men  and  real  estate  owners  of 
North  Yakima.  He  was  born  in  Rochester,  New 
York,  July  15,  1855,  and  there  he  spent  his  youth 
and  early  manhood,  receiving  a  good  education,  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  town.  In  1873  he 
went  to  California,  where  he  learned  the  gilder's 
trade,  a  handicraft  which  he  followed  successfully 
until  1880,  when,  as  before  stated,  he  came  to  Yak- 
ima county.  Locating  at  Yakima  City,  he  entered 
the  employ  of  Alva  Churchill,  and  when  North 
Yakima  was  established  in  1885.  he.  with  Mr. 
Churchill  as  a  partner  in  the  venture,  erected  one 
of  the  first  business  buildings.  It  was  located  on 
the  northeast  corner  of  Front  street  and  Yakima 
avenue.  In  1886  he  went  to  Ellensburg,  where 
construction  work  on  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
was  then  in  progress,  and  for  two  years  thereafter 
he  was  engaged  in  a  successful  business.  In  1888, 
however,  he  returned  to  North  Yakima,  where  his 
home  has  ever  since  been.  In  1893  he  purchased 
eighty  acres  of  sage-brush  land  under  the  big  Sunny- 
side  canal,  near  Zillah,  and  eventually  he  placed  it 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  gave  most 
of  his  attention  to  hop  raising,  and  won  from  a 
twenty-acre  hop  yard  an  average  yield  of  two 
thousand  one  hundred  pounds  per  acre.  Other 
staple  crops   were   also  produced  with   success. 

In  1902  Mr.  Shardlow  disposed  of  his  farm  to 
good  advantage  and  at  once  erected  one  of  the  finest 
business  blocks  in  North  Yakima,  a  three-story 
brick  of  modern  design  and  workmanship,  situated 
on  the  southeast  corner  of  Front  street  and  Yakima 
avenue,  facing  the  avenue. 

May  10,  1888.  our  subject  married  Mrs.  Jennie 
P.  Munson,  a  native  of  Vancouver,  Washington, 
and  the  daughter  of  Josiah  and  Lucinda  (Hatton) 
Lee.  Her  father  was  born  in  Orange  county,  In- 
diana, January  27,  1834,  came  west  by  ox  team 
when  nineteen  years  old  and  located  at  Vancouver, 
Washington.  Thence  at  a  later  date  he  went  to 
Whitman  county,  in  the  same  state,  and  from  that 
to  Innisfail,  Alberta.  Northwest  Territory,  where 
the  family  now  resides.  Mrs.  Shardlow  had  eight 
brothers  and  sisters,  of  whom  the  oldest  sister, 
Edith  R.,  died  some  years  ago,  leaving    two    chil- 


648 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


dren,  Archie  and  Viola  Jones,  now  aged  nineteen 
and  eighteen  years  respectively,  who  are  making 
their  home  with  Mrs.  Shardlow.  Albert  B.  Lee,  a 
brother  of  Mrs.  Shardlow,  born  in  Vancouver  some 
thirty-six  years  ago,  had  been  a  resident  of  Whit- 
man county  until  1901,  when  he  moved  to  his  large 
cattle  ranch  at  Riparia.  Selling  this  in  1903,  he  has 
gone  to  join  his  father  in  Alberta,  Canada. 

Mrs.  Shardlow  came  to  North  Yakima  in  1878, 
and  on  November  13,  1880,  married  S.  T.  Munson, 
then  county  auditor  of  Yakima  county.  Christmas 
of  the  following  year  a  daughter  was  born  to  them, 
whom  they  named  Clare  and  who  died  when  a  year 
and  a  half  old.  Six  months  later  Mr.  Munson  died 
also,  his  demise  occurring  in  California.  He  had 
been  elected  county  auditor  three  times  and  had 
served  for  a  season  as  clerk  of  the  court  in  Yakima 
City.  By  her  present  husband,  Mrs.  Shardlow  has 
one.  daughter,  Lois  Lee  Shardlow,  now  about  four 
years  old. 

Fraternally,  Mr.  Shardlow  is  affiliated  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  politics, 
he  is  a  Republican,  supporting  the  cause  that  he 
conceives  to  be  just  in  county,  state  and  nation. 
As  a  business  man  he  is  enterprising  and  successful, 
while  his  intercourse  with  his  fellow  citizens  has 
been  in  all  respects  such  as  to  win  for  him  their 
esteem  and  regard. 


JAMES  A.  MABRY  (deceased)  was  until 
1901,  when  he  retired  from  active  business,  the 
proprietor  of  a  harness  store  and  shop  in  North 
Yakima.  Between  that  date  and  his  death,  which 
occurred  at  the  family  home,  No.  512  North 
First  street,  North  Yakima,  November  27,  1903, 
from  pulmonary  disease,  he  had  lived  quietly  with 
his  family,  patiently  biding  the  day  when  his  soul 
should  be  ushered  into  eternity.  His  wife  and  four 
children  survive  him.  James  A.  Mabry  was  born  at 
Vancouver,  Washington,  September  23.  1857,  to 
the  union  of  Walter  P.  and  Mary  (Stalcup)  Ma- 
bry, natives  of  Indiana,  where  they  were  mar- 
ried. In  1844  this  doughty  Indiana  pioneer  and 
his  faithful  wife  crossed  the  Plains  and  settled 
near  Vancouver,  Washington,  becoming  two  of 
the  very  earliest  pioneers  of  the  Northwest.  Mr. 
Mabry  came  to  Yakima  county  in  1870  and  there 
lived  until  he  died  in  1873.  Among  the  children 
left  to  mourn  his  loss  was  James,  who  was  then 
only  fifteen  years  old.  For  ten  years  the  young 
man  worked  on  ranches  and  rode  the  range, 
giving  little  attention  to  educational  matters  until 
he  became  of  age,  when1  he  acquired  a  fair  educa- 
tion by  diligent  application  at  winter  night  schools. 
Then  he  bought  seventeen  acres  of.  the  old  Nel- 
son homestead  on  the  Naches  and  there  began 
raising  hops.  Five  years  later,  in  1887,  he  re- 
moved to  North  Yakima  and  in  1888  sold  his 
stock   interests   and    invested   his   money    in    the 


harness  business,  in  which  he  was  successfully 
engaged  until  failing  health  forced  his  abandon- 
ment of  it.  He  left  but  one  brother,  Charles, 
who  is  living  in  North  Yakima,  four  sisters  hav- 
ing preceded  him  to  the  life  beyond. 

In  1883,  at  Yakima  City,  Mr.  Mabry  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Emma  Parker,  the  daugh- 
ter of  William  and  Harriet  (Buckmaster) 
Parker,  pioneers  of  the  Northwest.  Her  father 
was  a  native  of  Illinois,  where  he  spent  his  boy- 
hood and  young  manhood  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing, crossing  the  Plains  to  California  in  1849 
with  his  father,  where  he  engaged  in  mining. 
William  remained  in  the  West,  marrying  at  The 
Dalles  and  becoming  a  pioneer  of  Goldendale, 
Washington.  He  died  in  Yakima  county  in  1875. 
The  mother's  birthplace  was  Ohio,  the  date  of 
her  birth  being  1844,  and  that  of  her  death  1897. 
Mrs.  Mabry  was  born  at  Fort  Simcoe,  Yakima 
county,  July  19,  1867,  and  can  therefore  lay 
claim  to  being  one  of  that  county's  earliest  pio- 
neers. Her  education  was  obtained  in  the  dis- 
trict schools.  When  only  sixteen  years  old  she 
became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Mabry.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mabry  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Harry,  July  29,  1S84;  Charles,  October 
16,  1888;  Eunice,  March  30,  1893;  Eva,  March  31, 
1896.  Mr.  Mabry  was  a  member  of  the  Tribe  of 
Joseph  order ;  also  a  devout  member  of  the  Con- 
gregational church.  In  politics,  he  was  an  act- 
ive Republican.  Of  real  estate  he  owned  ten 
acres,  a  highly  improved  tract  of  orchard  land, 
situated  on  the  Naches  river.  In  life  he  was 
an  esteemed  citizen ;  in  death  he  is  mourned  by 
a  multitude  of  friends  to  whom  his  taking  away 
was  a  distinct  shock. 


ANDREW  J.  LEWIS,  deceased.  With  the 
death  of  the  subject  of  this  biographical  chron- 
icle, January  11,  1904,  there  passed  away  one  of 
Yakima  county's  oldest  pioneers,  worthiest  citi- 
zens and  most  highly  esteemed  residents.  He 
planted  his  vine  and  fig  tree  in  the  Yakima 
valley  a  generation  ago  and  diligently  toiled  for 
the  welfare  of  his  home  and  for  the  advancement 
of  the  community's  best  interests,  ever  a  man  of 
sterling  character,  public-spirted,  courageous, 
energetic  and  able.  Mr.  Lewis  was  born  April 
8,  1831.  at  Danville,  Indiana,  the  son  of  Henry 
and  Hannah  (Griffith)  Lewis.  His  boyhood  was 
spent  upon  his  father's  farm  and  attending  the 
common  school  of  that  neighborhood,  but  when 
seventeen  years  old,  he  began  work  at  brick 
making  for  Mr.  Parker,  and  when  twenty-one 
he  left  the  old  home  to  seek  his  fortunes  in  the 
Wabash  valley.  The  country  pleased  him  and 
for  the  next  nine  years  of  his  life  the  young 
man  followed  farming  in  that  section,  leaving  In- 
diana for  Kansas  about  1857,  where  he  settled 
upon  a  pre-emption  claim.    A  few  years  later  he 


THOMAS    KELLY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


649 


returned  to  Illinois  and  in  April,  1861,  enlisted 
in  company  E,  Sixteenth  Illinois  infantry,  to  fight 
for  the  honor  and  preservation  of  the  Union.  He 
served  under  General  Grant  in  the  Western 
army,  that  regiment  being  reserved  for  special 
duty  during  the  war.  until  September,  1863,  when 
he  received  an  honorable  discharge.  The  far 
Northwest  appealed  to  him  as  best  suited  for 
a  home,  and  in  1865  he  joined  a  wagon  train 
en  route  to  Clarke  county,  Washington  territory, 
making  the  journey  with  ox  teams.  In  1871  he 
came  to  the  little  settlement  in  the  Yakima  val- 
ley, locating  on  what  is  now  known  as  the  Ma- 
bry  place  near  North  Yakima.  The  following 
spring  he  went  up  the  Ahtanum  and  filed  upon 
land,  but  subsequently  established  his  permanent 
home  upon  a  railroad  section  in  the  Cowiche  val- 
ley, where  his  death  occurred  after  a  lingering  ill- 
ness. This  ranch  consists  of  three  hundred  acres, 
all  except  sixty  of  which  are  under  water  and  in 
a  highly  improved  condition.  For  many  years  Mr. 
Lewis  was  engaged  in  raising  horses,  but  aban- 
doned this  industry  in  late  years.  The  home  he 
left  is  a  most  substantial  monument  to  his  ability, 
energy  and  perseverance.  Mr.  Lewis  was  always 
an  active  member  of  the  Republican  party  and 
for  many  years  was  a  member  of  the  county 
central  committee.  He  served  the  county  as 
one  of  its  commissioners  in  its  early  days,  and 
surely  no  better  indication  of  his  standing  among 
his  fellow  neighbors  can  be  found  than  the  fact 
that  for  a  quarter  of  a  century  he  served  them  as 
school  director.  He  was  a  zealous  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  The  last  sad  rites 
held  over  the  departed  veteran,  pioneer  and  citizen 
took  piace  in  North  Yakima,  where  all  that  was 
mortal  was  laid  to  its  eternal  rest. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  married,  December  15,  i860, 
at  Mount  Sterling.  Brown  county,  Illinois,  to  Miss 
Isabella  L.  Parker,  a  daughter  of  the  Hoosier 
state.  Her  oarents  were  Thomas  C.  and  Nancy  S. 
(Harvey)  Parker.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  were 
blessed  with  the  following  children :  George  W., 
deceased;  A.  Grant,  S.  Sherman,  Mrs.  Mary  E. 
Grewell,  (deceased)  ;  Mrs.  Laura  J.  Fowler;  Abra- 
ham L.,  deceased;  Mrs.  Alta  A.  Clancy;  Mrs.  Ade- 
lia  D.  Austin,  Mrs.  Lola  LaForge,  Mrs.  L.  Flor- 
ence Talbert :  and  Lodosca  A.,  deceased.  S. 
Sherman  was  born  during  the  trip  across  the  Plains. 
For  many  years  Mrs.  Lewis  taught  school,  not 
giving  up  the  work  until  increased  family  cares 
compelled  her  to  do  so.  She  is  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  God;  and  is  held  in  high  personal  es- 
teem bv  all  who  know  her. 


THOMAS  KELLY  (deceased)  was  a  promi- 
nent and  extensive  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  living 
twelve  miles  northwest  of  North  Yakima.  He  was 
a  Kentuckian  by  birth,   born  February  28,    1829, 


and  was  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Nancy  (Kennedy) 
Kelly,  both  natives  of  Virginia,  who  settled  in 
Kentucky  when  it  was  a  primeval  forest.  Thomas 
Kelly  spent  his  youth  and  early  manhood  in  his 
native  state.  In  those  days  the  public  school  sys- 
tem had  not  as  yet  been  inaugurated  and  he  re- 
ceived his  education  in  subscription  schools.  His 
time  was  divided  between  the  school  and  the  home 
farm  until  his  sixteenth  year.  At  this  time  he  quit 
his  studies  and  for  one  year  worked  on  the  farm 
of  a  brother-in-law.  For  two  years  longer  he 
continued  at  farm  work  in  the  vicinity  of  his 
father's  home  and,  in  1848,  at  the  age  of  nineteen, 
started  overland  for  Oregon,  enduring  all  the  hard- 
ships and  facing  all  the  dangers  incident  to  the 
Plains  trip  in  those  days,  trailing  its  desert  wastes 
and,  in  his  own  language,  "Fording  all  the  creeks 
and  rivers  between  Kentucky  and  Oregon."  Arriv- 
ing in  Oregon,  he  took  up  a  donation  claim  on  the 
Willamette  river  and  on  a  portion  of  this  claim 
the  city  of  Portland  now  stands.  Here  he  engaged 
in  milling  lumber  for  five  years.  In  1854  he  sold 
his  sawmill  and  began  farming,  which  he  followed 
on  his  Oregon  homestead  until  1871,  coming  at 
that  time  to  Yakima  county,  Washington,  and 
taking  up  land  where  he  lived  at  the  time  of  his 
death,  November  15,  1903.  This  valuable  ranch, 
on  which  Mrs.  Kelly  still  resides,  consists  of  five 
hundred  and  fifteen  acres;  is  well  stocked  with  cat- 
tle and  horses,  and  well  equipped  with  implements, 
a  large  barn  and  a  comfortable  dwelling.  It  is  a 
monument  to  the  industry,  integrity  and  capability 
of  the  honored  pioneer  who  found  it  a  wilderness 
waste  and  made  of  it  an  ideal  home  for  his  family. 
Mr.  Kelly  was  married  in  Oregon,  March  10, 
1853,  to  Miss  Christiana  E.  Sunderland,  a  native 
of  Illinois,  born  in  1837.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Benjamin  and  Elizabeth  (Schaeffer)  Sunderland, 
her  father  a  native  of  Indiana  and  her  mother  of 
Illinois ;  neither  are  living.  Mrs.  Kelly  has  broth- 
ers and  sisters,  all  residents  of  Portland,  Oregon, 
as  follows:  Albert  Milton  Sunderland,  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth Farrell,  Mrs.  Harriet  Paddock,  Mrs.  Mary 
Mock,  Mrs.  Rosa  Gupton,  Mrs.  Lydia  Lott  and 
Frances  F.  Flickenstein.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kelly  are:  Mrs.  Martha  Osborn,  Mrs.  Sena 
Ritter,  Henry,  Mrs.  Nanney  Bolton,  Mrs.  Lura  Par- 
rish,  Mrs.  Minnie  Stevens  and  Wilbur  Kelly.  Mrs. 
Bolton  and  the  son  Wilbur  were  born  in  Yakima 
county;  all  the  others  in  Oregon.  All  the  children 
live  in  Yakima  county  excepting  Mrs.  Stevens,  who 
resides  in  Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Kelly  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church,  to  which  Mrs.  Kelly  also 
belongs.  He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  though 
not  an  active  politician.  He  served  as  justice  of 
the  peace  in  his  precinct  and  was  influential  in  all 
the  public  affairs  of  the  township  in  which  he  re- 
sided. While  a  resident  of  Oregon  he  took  an 
active  part  in  quelling  the  Indian  uprisings  in  the 


650 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


fifties  and  at  one  time  was  a  member  of  the  Ore- 
gon mounted  volunteers,  organized  to  protect  the 
settlers  from  Indian  depredations,  for  which  service 
a  pension  was  granted  him,  after  a  lapse  of  almost 
fifty  years,  the  notification  reaching  his  family  two 
days  after  his  death.  He  was  a  man  well  known 
and  greatly  esteemed  and  is  worthy  of  respectful 
remembrance  as  a  pioneer  of  Yakima  county. 


H.  F.  THOMPSON,  of  the  Thompson  Music 
Company,  North  Yakima,  is  one  of  that  city's  en- 
ergetic young  business  men.  He  was  born  in 
Jordan,  Minnesota,  July  6,  1871,  the  son  of  Enoch 
A.  and  Mary  E.  (Payne)  Thompson,  natives  of 
Virginia  and  Indiana  respectively.  His  father  has 
led  a  life  of  varied  experiences.  Previous  to  1861 
he  was  manager  of  the  John  Robinson  circus,  but 
at  the  call  to  arms  enlisted  and  served  as  a  special 
scout  under  General  McClellan  during  the  war. 
In  this  capacity  he  made  the  special  report  of  the 
battle  of  Antietam  and  was  thrice  captured,  escap- 
ing each  time  from  his  captors.  As  a  young  man 
he  was  a  pioneer  of  Minnesota,  where  he  settled 
in  1865,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four.  The  maternal 
side  of  the  house  was  descended  from  Lord  Paul 
of  London,  England,  the  date  of  Mrs.  Thompson's 
birth  being  1847.  H.  F.  Thompson  grew  to  man- 
hood in  the  city  of  Minneapolis,  where  he  was  grad- 
uated by  the  high  school  and  Carty  Brothers' 
College.  He  was  also  graduated  by  the  North- 
western Conservatory  of  Music.  He  inherited 
his  talent  for  music  from  his  father.  Until  1901 
he  lived  in  Minneapolis,  teaching  music  and  play- 
ing in  theater  orchestras,  but  in  that  year  came 
to  North  Yakima  and  accepted  a  position  with 
Briggs  &  Dam,  also  continuing  teaching.  Jan- 
uary 1,  1903,  marks  his  entrance  into  the  business 
life  of  North  Yakima  in  a  proprietary  way,  and  the 
first  year  has  proven  an  auspicious  and  highly  suc- 
cessful one.  In  Minneapolis,  June  17,  1896,  he 
was  united  in  marriage  to  Belle  C,  daughter  of 
D.  M.  Rand,  of  that  city.  Her  father  is  a  promi- 
nent and  wealthy  citizen  of  Minneapolis,  an  ex- 
alderman  and  at  one  time  owner  of  the  Minneap- 
olis Provision  Company.  During  the  Civil  war, 
he  was  a  sailor  aboard  the  Niagara,  and  at  pres- 
ent is  one  of  the  head  officers  of  the  Naval  Vet- 
erans' Association.  Mrs.  Thompson  is  a  skilled 
musician  and  instructor.  She  has  a  brother  in 
North  Yakima,  H.  J.  Rand,  who  is  proprietor  of 
the  Columbia  meat  market.  Mr.  Thompson  has 
the  following  brothers  and  sisters:  W.  P.,  a  miller 
in  Minneapolis;  Myrtle  V.,  also  of  Minneapolis,  of 
great  renown  as  a  musician  and  said  to  be  one  of 
the  finest  lady  violinists  in  the  country ;  Marion, 
whose  husband.  Professor  Hank,  is  dean  of  the 
Minneapolis  Academy  of  Music.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  have  one  child.  Willard  R.,  born  in 
1899.     Mr.    Thompson    is    affiliated    with    several 


fraternal  orders,  being  a  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Woodmen  of  the  World,  Maccabees,  Fra- 
ternal Brotherhood  and  Patriotic  Sons  of  America. 
In  politics,  he  is  an  ardent  admirer  of  President 
Roosevelt.  He  owns  several  pieces  of  city  prop- 
erty, including  two  houses  and  three  lots  and  is  a 
thorough  believer  in  the  permanency  and  rise  of 
Yakima  real  estate  values.  As  might  be  expected, 
Mr.  Thompson  is  prominent  in  musical  affairs  of 
North  Yakima,  being  the  director  of  the  forty-piece 
mandolin  club  of  that  city.  He  held  a  similar  posi- 
tion in  Minneapolis.  In  both  a  business  and  a  so- 
cial way  Mr.  Thompson  and  his  wife  are  winning 
the  esteem  and  respect  of  all  who  come  in  contact 
with  them. 


MAHLON  SYMMONDS,  although  among 
the  more  recent  settlers  in  Yakima  county,  is 
nevertheless  thoroughly  identified  with  the  recla- 
mation of  central  Washington,  of  which  Yakima 
county  is  a  portion,  having  resided  in  the  great 
Columbia  basin  for  nearly  a  decade  and  a  half. 
In  that  time  he  has  watched  the  marvelous  growth 
of  the  Big  Bend  region,  and  for  That  matter  all 
of  central  Washington,  from  a  sparsely  inhabited 
grazing  section  into  one  of  the  finest  farming  and 
fruit  raising:  portions  of  the  Northwest.  More  than 
that,  he  himself  has  taken  a  part  in  the  transfor- 
mation. Mahlon  Symmonds  was  born  in  Hancock 
county,  Illinois,  June  25,  1858,  his  parents  being 
L.  F.  and  Nancy  (Tyner)  Symmonds,  natives  of 
the  Buckeye  and  Hoosier  states  respectively,  the 
father  having  been  one  of  Ohio's  pioneers.  Both 
are  still  living  in  the  east.  Like  the  majority  of 
our  successful  men,  Mr.  Symmonds  was  reared 
upon  the  farm.  After  attending  the  common 
schools  he  went  to  Carthage  college  and  there  was 
a  schoolmate  of  Judge  Carroll  B.  Graves,  of  Ellens- 
burg.  After  graduation  he  took  up  in  earnest  the 
profession  of  pedagogy,  teaching  in  Illinois  and 
Kansas  until  1891.  In  that  year  he  came  to  the 
Northwest,  settling  in  Lincoln  county,  where  he 
secured  homestead  and  timber  culture  claims 
north  of  Wilbur  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock 
raising,  meeting  with  success  from  the  first.  The 
panic  of  '93  was  very  severely  felt  by  residents  of 
the  Big  Bend  country  and  Mr.  Symmonds,  in 
common  with  others,  suffered,  though  not  so  se- 
verely because  he  found  work  at  his  old  profes- 
sion of  teaching  school  and  for  four  years  was 
thus  able  to  greatly  relieve  his  financial  stress.  He 
came  to  Washington  with  four  hundred  dollars 
as  his  cash  capital ;  a  short  time  ago  he  sold  his 
property  in  Lincoln  county  for  ten  thousand  dollars. 
Tiring  of  the  cold  winters,  he  came  to  the  Yakima 
valley,  noted  as  possessing  the  mildest  climate  in 
the  Northwest,  and  there  purchased  his  present 
holding  of  land  near  the  city  of  North  Yakima  and 
also  two  thousand  acres  under  the  projected  high 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


651 


line  ditch.  Last  fall  he  brought  his  herd  of  sixty- 
five  cattle  to  Sunnyside,  where  they  were  wintered. 
The  family  expect  to  make  their  home  in  North 
Yakima,  that  the  children  may  have  the  best  of 
school  advantages.  Mr.  Symmonds  and  Anna 
Reis,  daughter  of  Russell  B.  and  Eliza  (Leonard) 
Reis,  were  united  in  marriage  in  Illinois,  Septem- 
ber 5,  1888,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born 
seven  children :  Kenneth,  Raymond,  Loyal  R., 
Esther,  Minnie,  Burchard  and  Ivan.  Mr.  Reis  is 
a  native  of  Ohio  and  Mrs.  Reis  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois. Both  are  now  residents  of  Washington.  Mr. 
Symmonds  is  an  enthusiastic  member  of  three  fra- 
ternal orders,  the  Maccabees,  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen  and  Woodmen  of  the  World,  be- 
longing to  Wilbur  Camp,  415  of  the  latter  order. 
Neither  of  the  old  line  political  parties  counts  him 
as  one  of  its  members,  he  being  a  supporter  of 
Socialism.  As  a  man  of  ability,  substantial  ideas 
and  integrity  he  has  been  welcomed  to  his  new 
home  and  will  undoubtedly  become  a  man  of  in- 
fluence in  the  community. 


REV.  JAMES  WILBUR  HELM,  for  thirteen 
years  past  in  charge  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church  interests  at  Fort  Simcoe,  is  one  of  the  early 
pioneers  of  the  Northwest  and  a  man  commanding 
the  high  respect  which  should  be  associated  with 
his  profession.  His  parents,  George  W.  and  Julia 
A.  (Henderson)  Helm,  were  pioneers  of  the  mid- 
dle west,  the  father  having  been  born  August  6, 
1825,  in  Kentucky  and  settled  in  Missouri  in  his 
sixteenth  year.  In  1845  r-e  joined  the  historical 
train  of  emigrants  which  sought  the  shores  of  the 
distant  Pacific  and  great  Columbia  river  in  that 
year  and  assisted  materially  in  saving  to  the  United 
States  the  region  now  comprising  the  northwest- 
ern group  of  states.  In  this  same  wagon  train  was 
the  Henderson  family,  who  settled  in  Yamhill 
county,  where  subsequently  George  W.  Helm  mar- 
ried the  daughter  Julia.  The  subject  of  our  sketch 
was  born  to  this  union  in  1849,  Marion  county 
being  his  birthplace.  In  1863  the  Helms  left  Ore- 
gon and  settled  in  the  Klickitat  valley,  where  for 
the  succeeding  thirty  years  George  W.  Helm  was  a 
prominent  stockman.  After  a  year's  residence  in 
Seattle,  he  went  to  California  and  there,  in  1902, 
passed  to  his  eternal  rest.  The  mother  died  in 
Portland. 

James  Helm  was  educated  in  Salem,  Oregon, 
finishing  his  schooling  with  a  course  in  the  Willa- 
mette University.  Until  he  was  of  age,  the  young 
man  remained  at  home,  but,  having  attained  his 
majority,  he  boldly  set  out  into  the  world  to  hew 
his  own  way.  The  first  year,  that  of  1872,  he  spent 
in  the  employ  of  Phelps  &  Wadley,  extensive  stock 
men;  then  he  and  his  uncle  formed  a  partnership 
and  for  several  years  handled  stock.  In  1880  Mr. 
Helm  went  to  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  and  from  that 


point  assisted  in  driving  one  thousand  six  hundred 
head  of  cattle  across  the  Plains  to  Wasco,  Oregon. 
About  this  time  Mr.  Helm  abandoned  the  stock 
business  and  commenced  in  earnest  his  real  life 
work,  that  of  preaching  the  Gospel.  Between 
1882  and  1885  he  was  a  lay  preacher  in  Klick- 
itat county,  but  in  the  latter  year  he  was  admitted 
to  the  Columbia  River  Conference  of  the  Methodist 
church  and  assigned  to  the  Bickleton  circuit,  sev- 
enty miles  in  length.  A  year  later  he  was  placed 
on  the  Wasco  circuit  and  after  a  like  period  of 
service  in  Oregon,  returned  to  Bickleton,  where 
he  remained  two  years.  Then  he  was  assigned  to 
the  west  Klickitat  circuit,  spent  a  year  on  the 
Harrington  circuit  and  finally,  in  1891,  came  into 
his  present  reservation  charge.  He  has  three 
brothers,  Charles,  at  Priest  Rapids,  Thomas  and 
Eugene  in  British  Columbia,  and  one  sister,  Mrs. 
Josephine  Welsh,  who  lives  at  Cheney. 

Mr.  Helm  and  Miss  Carrie  Vest,  daughter  of 
James  E.  and  Catherine  (Abbott)  Vest,  were 
united  by  Hymen's  bonds  near  Tyler,  Lincoln 
county,  Washington,  in  1897.  Her  parents  are 
natives  of  Indiana  and  were  married  in  Illinois  in 
1864.  James  E.  Vest  is  a  graduate  of  McKinley 
college.  Illinois,  and  during  his  early  life  followed 
the  profession  of  teaching.  In  1885  he  immigrated 
to  Washington,  locating  in  Sprague,  where  he  lived 
a  year  and  then  engaged  in  farming  fifteen  miles 
northeast  of  that  town,  upon  which  place  he  and 
his  wife  still  reside.  He  was  elected  assessor  of 
Lincoln  county  in  1892,  serving  four  years.  Mr. 
Vest  served  through  the  Cival  war  in  the  Twenty- 
second  Illinois  infantry.  Mrs.  Vest  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Illinois,  where  in  Bond 
county,  July  5,  1865,  Mrs.  Helm  was  born.  She 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Illinois ;  also  the 
state  normal  at  Cheney,  Washington.  For  ten 
years  she  was  engaged  in  teaching  school  and 
during  her  father's  administration  of  the  assessor's 
office,  acted  as  his  deputy.  Mrs.  Helm  has  four 
sisters,  Mrs.  Minnie  Kelly,  in  Spokane,  and  Mar- 
tha, Mary  and  Mable  at  home,  besides  whom  she 
had  one  brother,  Charles  E.,  now  dead.  Two  chil- 
dren brighten  the  Helm  home,  Jay  V.,  born  July 
2,  1898,  and  Katherine  M.,  January  2,  1902,  the 
reservation  being  their  birthplace.  Mr.  Helm  is 
identified  with  the  Republican  party.  Rev.  and 
Mrs.  Helm  are  highly  esteemed  for  their  many 
sterling  qualities  and  are  strong  factors  in  the 
noble  work  of  redeeming  the  red  men  from  their 
primitive  condition  and  leading  them  into  civilized 
lives — continuing  the  grand  work  so  well  begun  by 
Father  Wilbur. 


JOHN  J.  HADLEY,  ranchman,  living  near  Fort 
Simcoe  on  the  Yakima  Indian  reservation,  is  a 
typical  westerner  belonging  to  that  type  of  fron- 
tiersmen, soldiers  and  settlers  whose  fearless,  ad- 


652 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


venturous  lives  have  given  us  such  an  interesting 
chapter  in  national  life.  The  pioneer  to  whom  we 
refer  was  born  in  France,  September  24,  1828,  and 
is  the  son  of  Frank  and  Elizabeth  (Browne)  Had- 
ley,  the  father  being  of  French  descent,  the  mother 
of  German.  Frank  Hadley  was  born  in  1744,  served 
as  a  high  officer  in  Napoleon's  armies  and  died  in 
1833  after  a  distinguished  army  life.  The  son  John, 
after  his  father's  death,  was  brought  to  New  York 
by  an  uncle  and  there  educated.  When  fourteen 
years  old  his  uncle  took  him  around  the  Horn  to 
California  and  in  1847  ne  joined  the  first  gold  min- 
ers in  that  state.  In  eighteen  months  he  took  out 
twenty-six  thousand  dollars  exclusive  of  expenses. 
A  visit  to  New  York  and  to  his  mother  and  step- 
father in  Pennsylvania  followed;  then  a  trip  to  St. 
Louis,  after  which  he  went  to  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kansas,  and  enlisted  for  five  years  in  the  regular 
army.  Eighteen  months  after  enlistment,  he  was 
advanced  to  the  gr^de  of  a  sergeant.  Upon  his 
discharge  at  Los  Angeles,  California,  the  soldier 
commenced  carrying  the  express  between  that  city 
and  Fort  Marhaiver,  in  which  he  was  dmployed 
fourteen  months;  then  visited  San  Francisco,  Seat- 
tle, The  Dalles  and  Walla  Walla,  where  he  entered 
the  employ  of  the  government  again,  driving  cat- 
tle. Following  this  he  opened  a  livery  stable  at 
Bannock,  Idaho,  was  burned  out  and  returned  to 
Walla  Walla.  There  he  conducted  a  livery  for 
four  years,  then  visited  Portland,  Seattle,  Tacoma, 
where  he  helped  to  build  the  first  log  cabin  erected 
in  that  town,  also  helped  construct  the  Tacoma  mill, 
and  in  July,  1870,  came  to  Yakima  county.  In 
Yakima  county  his  first  work  was  for  George  Tay- 
lor as  a  cowboy  ;  then  he  worked  for  Joseph  Bowser 
a  year.  In  the  spring  of  1874  he  married  the  widow 
of  Nathan  Olney.  Until  the  fall  of  1880  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hadley  lived  on  the  Ahtanum,  but  in  that 
year  Mr.  Hadley  re-entered  the  government's  em- 
ploy, being  stationed  at  Fort  Simcoe  under  Aeent 
Wilbur.  He  was  thus  employed  six  years.  Mrs. 
Hadley  then  sold  her  interest  in  the  Ahtanum  ranch 
and  they  removed  to  the  reservation,  where  Mr. 
Hadley  has  since  been  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising. 

As  Nathan  Olney  was  one  of  the  best  known  of 
Yakima's  pioneers,  a  brief  review  of  his  life  may 
not  be  out  of  place  here.  He  was  born  in  1825,  a 
native  of  Illinois,  and  crossed  the  Plains  in  that 
pathfinding  immigration  train  which  wended  its 
uncertain  way  to  the  distant  Columbia  river  settle- 
ment in  the  year  1843.  After  a  varied  experience 
in  operating  a  ferry  boat  across  the  Shoultz  river 
and  in  the  mines  of  California,  he  returned  to  The 
Dalles,  where  he  married  Jennette,  a  Wasco  Indian, 
having  in  the  meantime  lost  his  first  wife.-  At  The 
Dalles  he  conducted  a  store  for  several  years.  At 
the  time  of  the  terrible  Salt  Lake  massacre,  Mr. 
Olney  raised  a  company  of  volunteers  and  as  its 
captain  was  engaged  for  eight  months  on  that  ex- 


pedition. Subsequently  he  served  as  a  government 
scout  several  years.  After  a  year  in  the  Hawaiian  . 
Islands,  Mr.  Olney  was  appointed  Indian  agent  of 
the  Hot  Springs  reservation,  resigned  after  six 
months'  experience  and  served  for  a  time  as  In- 
dian agent  at  The  Dalles.  He  served  as  sheriff 
of  Wasco  county  and  as  mayor  of  The  Dalles  with 
credit.  In  1864  he  became  the  first  permanent  set- 
tler on  the  Ahtanum,  where  his  death  occurred  in 
1866.  Besides  his  wife  he  left  four  children  :  Frank, 
Mrs.  Melvina  Lincoln,  William  and  George,  all 
born  at  The  Dalles  and  all  now  living  on  the  Yak- 
ima reservation.  Mr.  Olney  was  very  favorably 
known  throughout  the  Northwest. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hadley  have  one  child,  Charles, 
born  on  the  Ahtanum  in  1879.  Few  men  have  had 
fuller  experiences  or  more  interesting  ones  than 
has  Mr.  Hadley,  and  a  complete  story  of  Jiis  life 
would  occupy  most  of  this  volume. 


JAY  A.  LYNCH,  superintendent  of  the  Fort 
Simcoe  Indian  school  and  special  disbursing  agent 
of  the  interior  department  on  the  Yakima  reserva- 
tion, is  a  man  of  high  standing  among  his  associ- 
ates, a  man  of  broad  and  successful  experience  in 
life  and  well  qualified  to  administer  the  affairs  con- 
nected with  the  maintenance  of  the  reservation. 
With  the  exception  of  four  years,  Mr.  Lynch  has 
had  charge  of  the  Yakimas  since  the  spring  of 
1891,  and  it  is  a  testimonial  to  his  ability  and  in- 
tegrity— this  long  .service  under  the  critical  scru- 
tiny of  the  public's  eyes  during  a  period  when  the 
Indian  is  passing  through  a  transitional  stage  and 
reservations  are   unpopular. 

Mr.  Lynch  is  a  native  of  Coshocton  county, 
Ohio,  bom  in  1850  to  the  marriage  of  James  and 
Sarah  (Piatt)  Lvnch,  of  Irish  and  Scotch  descent, 
respectively.  James  Lynch  was  born  in  Ireland,  and 
came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents  when  a  young  man. 
There  he  first  tilled  the  soil  for  a  living;  then  en- 
gaged in  building  railroads  in  the  middle  west.  He 
went  to  Wisconsin  in  an  early  day  and  there  se- 
cured the  contract  for  building  the  first  railroad 
constructed  in  that  state.  Subsequently  he  retired 
from  this  business  and,  removing  to  Minnesota  in 
1864,  lived  on  his  farm  there  until  his  death  in 
1873.  Sarah  Piatt  was  born  in  Newark,  New  Jer- 
sey, goin^  to  Ohio  with  her  parents  when  a  girl 
and  there  marrying  Mr.  Lynch.  The  subject  of 
this  biography  attended  the  district  schools  of  Wis- 
consin and  Minnesota,  remaining  on  the  farm  until 
he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  His  first  inde- 
pendent work  was  in  Cottonwood  county,  Min- 
nesota, where  he  entered  the  master  industry  of 
his  state — lumbering.  For  three  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  this  occupation  and  in  selling  farm  ma- 
chinery. In  1876  he  sought  a  newer  field  of  labor 
in  the  far  west,  coming  to  Dayton,  Washineton 
Territory.     Here  his  first  work  was  that  of  a  clerk 


JAY    A.    LYNCH. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


653 


in  a  general  store  for  two  years.  Then  he  pur- 
chased a  sawmill  in  Garfield  county,  making  his 
headquarters  at  Pomeroy.  After  ten  years  of 
profitable  endeavor  in  this  field,  he  sold  the  busi- 
ness and  a  year  later  moved  to  Dayton.  In  the 
spring  of  1890  he  was  appointed  special  agent  of 
recorded  indebtedness  in  this  state  for  the  census 
bureau,  serving  until  the  following  March,  when 
President  Harrison  appointed  him  Indian  agent  of 
the  Yakima  reservation.  Immediately  he  took  up 
his  new  duties  with  energy  and  success,  but  was 
handicapped  in  maturing  his  plans  by  the  change 
of  administration  at  Washington,  in  1893,  Presi- 
dent Cleveland  relieving  him  and  appointing  in  his 
stead  Judge  Erwin.  Mr.  Lynch  returned  to  Day- 
ton and  during  the  ensuing  four  years  dealt  in 
real  estate  and  grain.  However,  the  installation 
of  President  McKinley  recalled  Mr.  Lynch  from 
private  life  and  again  placed  him  in  charge  of  the 
government's  wards  in  Yakima  county.  He  con- 
tinued to  serve  as  agent  until  that  office  was  abol- 
ished in  July,  1902,  when  Mr.  Lynch  was  appointed 
to  his  present  position,  which  in  reality  still  leaves 
him  in  full  charge  of  the  Yakima  work. 

At  Dayton,  in  1889,  Mr.  Lynch  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Mrs.  F.  E.  Spaulding.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Allen  D.  and  Laura  (Wood)  Scott, 
born  in  Vermont  and  New  York  respectively. 
The  father  removed  to  Iowa  when  a  young  man 
and  died  there  in  1857.  He  was  of  Holland 
Dutch  descent.  Their  marriage  took  place  at  Ma- 
lone,  New  York.  Mrs.  Lynch  was  born  in  1848 
in  Clayton  county,  Iowa,  but  received  her  educa- 
tion in  Minnesota,  going  there  with  her  mother 
when  ten  years  old.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  Miss 
Scott  was  married  to  J.  Q.  Spaulding,  who,  after 
a  residence  in  St.  Paul,  in  1878,  came  to  Pendle- 
ton, Oregon.  In  Oregon  he  traveled  for  a  com- 
mercial house.  While  traveling  on  the  stage  be- 
tween Pomeroy,  his  home,  and  Lewiston,  in  1887, 
the  stage  was  overturned,  mortally  injuring  Mr. 
Spaulding,  his  death  occurring  the  day  following. 
Mr.  Lynch  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons,  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  Elks  and  is  a  member  of  the  Epis- 
copal church ;  Mrs.  Lynch  belongs  to  the  Rebekah 
lodge  at  Dayton.  She  is  universally  credited  with 
having  the  finest  and  largest  collection  of  Indian 
curios  and  baskets  in  Washington  and  one  of  the 
best  in  the  Northwest.  The  collection  is  well  worth 
a  special  visit  to  Fort  Simcoe.  Mr.  Lynch  has 
always  taken  a  deep  and  active  interest  in  public 
affairs,  and  besides  being  honored  with  the  posi- 
tions of  trust  before  mentioned,  he  served  on  the 
first  council  elected  in  Pomeroy.  He  has  attended 
every  Republican  state  convention  held  in  Wash- 
ington and  is  recognized  as  an  influential  party 
man.  This  volume  would  indeed  be  incomplete 
without  an  account  of  the  life  of  Superintendent 
Lynch  and  his  estimable  wife,  who  have  for  so 
many  years  been  prominently  identified  with  the 


political,   business   and   social   life   of  the  Yakima 
country. 


WILLIAM  L.  SHEARER,  for  the  past  eight 
\ears  agent  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  and 
postmaster,  at  Toppenish,  Washington,  is  a  native 
of  Monroe  county,  Missouri,  where  he  was  born 
October  31,  1862.  He  is  the  son  of  James  M.  and 
Hester  (Kennett)  Shearer,  the  father  a  native  of 
Missouri  and  the  mother  of  Kentucky.  James  M. 
Shearer  followed  farming  and  railroading  in  Mis- 
souri; he  was  of  pioneer  Kentucky  ancestry,  his 
father  coming  from  Kentucky  to  Missouri  in  early 
days  and  his  grandfather  being  a  merchant  prince 
and  land  owner  in  the  Blue  Grass  state.  The  Ken- 
netts,  the  mother's  family,  were  also  among  the 
earliest  pioneers  of  Kentucky,  whose  conquest  of 
its  primeval  forests  and  savage  natives  forms  a 
most  interesting  chapter  of  United  States  history. 
William  L.  Shearer  spent  the  years  of  his  youth 
and  early  manhood  in  Missouri.  As  a  boy  he 
worked  with  his  father  on  the  farm  and  attended 
school,  his  education  being  completed  in  Savannah, 
Missouri.  At  the  age  of  fourteen,  in  1876,  his 
father  having  met  with  financial  reverses,  he 
entered  the  offices  of  the  Burlington  railroad 
as  messenger  boy,  soon  learned  telegraphy,  and 
afterward  became  their  agent,  serving  them 
for  several  years  in  this  capacity  at  Savannah  and 
King  City,  Missouri,  and  at  Davis  City,  Iowa. 
After  three  years  as  agent  at  Davis  City,  in  Sep- 
tember, 1890,  he  resigned  his  position  and  came  to 
Spokane,  Washington,  and,  shortly  after  his  ar- 
rival, accepted  the  position  of  agent  for  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  Company  at  Marshall  Junc- 
tion, remaining  there  for  seven  years.  In  1896, 
at  his  own  request,  he  was  transferred  to  Toppen- 
ish, where  lie  has  since  remained  as  agent  for  the 
company.  On  coming  here  he  was  also  appointed 
postmaster.  In  addition  to  discharging  his  duties 
faithfully  in  his  official  capacities,  he  engages  in 
farming  lands  leased  from  the  Indians.  He  has 
also  invested  extensively  in  valley  lands  outside  of 
the  reservation,  and  now  owns  a  half  interest  in 
two  thousand  five  hundred  acres  above  the  canal 
in  the  Sunnyside  district,  which  is  yearly  increasing 
in  value.  While  having  extensive  private  interests 
to  look  after,  he  has  always_  found  time  to  devote  to 
the  general  advancement  of  the  town  and  to  any 
measures  having  in  view  the  improvement  of 
general  conditions.  Through  his  efforts  Toppen- 
ish has  one  of  the  best  public  schools  in  the 
county  and  indeed,  for  a  town  with  its  popula- 
tion, one  of  the  best  in  central  Washington. 
In  view  of  the  fact  that  a  great  deal  of  pre- 
liminary work  has  to  be  done  in  order  to  se- 
cure the  permit  for  its  establishment,  too  much 
credit  can  not  be  given  the  prime  movers  in  the 
undertaking.     In  his  efforts  to  advance  the    edu- 


654 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


cational  facilities  of  the  town  he  has  been  ably  as- 
sisted by  William  McAuliff,'  E.  Lawrence  and  N. 
H.  Lillie.  The  school  has  been  equipped  with  a 
library,  maps  and  all  the  apparatus  necessary  in 
the  advanced  methods  of  instruction.  Mr.  Shearer 
has  been  a  school  director  since  its  establishment. 
January  i,  1890,  Mr.  Shearer  was  married  in 
Missouri,  to  Miss  Emma  Hoffman,  a  native  of 
Illinois,  and  a  daughter  of  Robert  T.  Hoffman, 
a  pioneer  of  northern  Missouri.  Mrs.  Shearer's 
mother  was  a  descendant  of  the  distinguished  Burr 
family,  Pennsylvania  Quakers.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Shearer  have  been  born  three  children :  Paul  H., 
eleven  years  old;  Preston,  eight  years  old,  and 
Robert  F.,  six  years  old.  Mr.  Shearer's  fraternal 
connections  are  with  the  Masons  and  the  Modern 
Woodmen.  In  the  past  he  has  been  a  Democrat, 
having  supported  ex-President  Cleveland  in  his 
campaigns,  but  is  now  a  stanch  friend  of  President 
Roosevelt.  He  is  a  man  of  exceptional  business 
ability,  of  generous  impulses,  and  is  popular  with 
all  classes.  Fair  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings 
with  others,  of  strictest  integrity,  progressive  and 
public  spirited,  he  has  won  and  retains  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 


PETER  QUEEN,  a  leaser  on  the  Yakima  In- 
dian reservation,  resides  one  and  one-half  miles 
northwest  of  Toppenish.  He  is  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, born  in  1867.  His  father,  James  Queen,  a 
native  of  Scotland,  was  born  in  1809  and  died  in 
1897.  His  mother,  Ann  (McMarkin)  Queen, 
was  born  in  Hamilton,  Scotland,  1827,  and 
died  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  The 
son,  Peter  Queen,  spent  his  early  life  in  his 
native  country,  working  with  hisv  father  on  the 
farm  and  attending  school.  At  the  age  of  eighteen 
he  left  the  paternal  roof  and  engaged  in  various 
occupations  for  his  own  support.  He  had  a  num- 
ber of  friends  in  America  with  whom  he  was  in 
correspondence  and  through  whom  he  learned  of 
the  many  opportunities  afforded  here  to  the  in- 
dustrious and  persevering,  to  gain  a  competence 
and  an  enviable  station  in  life.  He  at  length  de- 
termined to  try  his  fortune  in  the  land  of  promise 
and,  in  1891,  took  passage  from  Scotland  to  the 
United  States,  arriving  at  Seattle,  Washington, 
February  27th  of  the  same  year.  For  seven  years 
he  rented  land  in  the  Sound  country,  near  Auburn, 
and  followed  farming  with  varying  success.  In 
1898  he  went  to  Alaska,  spending  eighteen  months 
in  the  Dawson  region,  with  two  partners,  and 
meeting  with  fairly  good  success  from  a  financial 
standpoint.  Returning  to  Washington  in  1899,  he 
located  on  his  present  farm  near  Toppenish,  leas- 
ing the  land  from  the  Indians.  He  has  engaged 
chiefly  in  growing  potatoes,  of  which  he  has  raised 
four  crops.  With  Joseph  McCloud  as  a  partner, 
he  cultivates  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land, 


having  in  1903  planted  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  acres  to  potatoes,  a  part  yielding  eleven  tons 
per  acre,  and  the  whole  tract  averaging  seven  tons 
per  acre.  He  also  raises  considerable  grain,  his 
crop  of  wheat  and  barley  yielding  in  1903  seventy- 
two  and  one-half  bushels  per  acre.  To  the  produc- 
tion of  grain  and  potatoes  he  adds  the  breeding  of 
Plymouth  Rock  chickens,  with  which  he  has  been 
very  successful.  September  1,  1903,  Mr.  Queen 
was  married  to  Miss  Rose  Devon,  a  native  of 
Portland,  Oregon,  and  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Ellen  (Dealins)  Devon.  Mrs.  Queen's  parents 
died  when  she  was  an  infant  and  she  was  raised 
by  an  older  sister.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Queen  is  con- 
nected with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  in  pol- 
itics he  is  a  Republican.  He  has  witnessed  the 
growth  of  Toppenish  from  a  village  of  one  store, 
a  hotel  and  a  church  to  a  populous  town,  and  has 
seen  the  surrounding  country  developed  with  equal 
rapidity.  He  is  a  man  of  energy  and  enterprise, 
of  sound  principles  and  sterling  manhood;  is  mak- 
ing a  success  of  life  in  the  true  sense  of  the  term, 
and  commands  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all 
who  know  him. 


FRANK  A.  HOLT,  farmer  and  stockman  re- 
siding at  Toppenish,  has  been  in  the  Northwest  for 
more  than  half  a  century  and  in  that  time  has  wit- 
nessed nearly  every  phase  of  western  life  that  can 
be  imagined  in  his  various  occupations  as  pros- 
pector, miner,  stage  driver,  stockman  and  farmer. 
Both  his  parents  were  pioneers,  born  and  reared 
on  the  frontier,  so  it  was  only  natural  that  the 
son  inherited  a  love  for  the  free,  untrammeled  life 
of  the  plains  and  mountains,  and  that  mode  of  life 
he  has  followed  since  his  arrival  in  this  western 
country.  Born  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  in  the 
year  1845,  ne  is  the  son  of  Thomas  W.  and  Mar 
E.  (Cardwell)  Holt,  themselves  natives  of  the 
same  state.  His  father  immigrated  to  Kansas 
the  early  part  of  the  century  and  settled  near  For 
Scott,  where  he  died  in  1847,  leaving  two  children, 
Samuel  H.  and  Frank  A.  After  the  death  of  her 
husband,  Mrs.  Holt  married  John  L.  Kline  anc 
with  him  and  her  children  started  across  the  Plair 
to  Oregon  in  1853.  Death  intercepted  her,  how- 
ever, for  eighty  miles  south  of  Boise,  Idaho,  she 
was  mortally  stricken  with  disease  and  there  bur- 
ied on  the  sage-brush  plains.  Frank  lived  with  his 
step-father  until  sixteen  years  old.  meanwhile  at- 
tending school,  and  then  went  to  California,  where 
for  two  years  he  followed  packing  into  the  mines. 
In  1862  he  returned  to  Oregon  for  the  winter,  and 
the  next  spring  commenced  riding  the  range  in 
Walla  Walla  county,  Washington.  A  year  later 
he  took  charge  of  a  stage  line  running  out  of  Idaho 
City;  he  then  visited  Lewiston  and  Warren's 
mining  camp,  where  he  mined  one  season,  and 
finally  returned  to   Lewiston,   his    home    for    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


655 


ensuing  thirty  years.  For  several  years  after  his 
arrival  in  Lewiston,  Mr.  Holt  operated  in  the  min- 
ing camps  of  Pierce  City,  Elk  City,  Warren,  Flor- 
ence, Salmon  river  and  the  Clearwater  river.  He 
then  entered  the  stock  business,  devoting  his  atten- 
tion principally  to  horses,  remaining  in  that  business 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century.  In  1894  he  was  so 
strongly  attracted  by  the  Yakima  country  that  he 
removed  to  Yakima  county  and  settled  at  Top- 
penish,  where  he  still  lives,  farming  and  raising 
stock.  Mr.  Holt's  marriage  took  place  in  1869  at 
Lewiston,  his  bride  being  Miss  Emma  Cox,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Cox.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, crossed  the  Plains  in  the  early  fifties,  and 
died  in  Lewiston  in  1899.  He  was  one  of  the  car- 
penters who  erected  the  buildings  at  Fort  Simcoe. 
Mrs.  Holt  was  born  in  The  Dalles,  in  1855,  July  4, 
was  educated  in  Walla  Walla,  and  married  when 
only  fourteen  years  old.  She  died  at  Toppenish 
in  1895,  leaving  the  following  children :  Mrs. 
Laura  Robbins,  born  April  4,  1870;  Francis,  May 
29,  1873;  Robert  D.,  February  9,  1877,  who  is  em- 
ployed by  the  government  in  the  Santa  Fe  Indian 
school,  New  Mexico;  Thomas  L.,  June  11,  1879; 
William  H.,  August  30,  1881;  Frederick  C,  De- 
cember 27,  1883,  and  Mary  B.  Holt,  April  2,  1888, 
Lewiston  being  the  birthplace  of  all.  March  22, 
1899,  Mr.  Holt  was  married  a  second  time,  Annie 
J.  Robbins  becoming  his  wife.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  Jesse  and  Angeline  (Wright)  Robbins,  natives 
of  Tennessee  and  Iowa,  respectively,  and  both  de- 
ceased. Mr.  Holt  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  His 
property  interests  consist  of  eighty  acres  of  fine 
farming  land  at  Toppenish,  a  band  of  forty  horses 
and  other  stock.  He  is  a  prosperous  ranchman 
and  a   citizen  of   substantial   standing. 


CHARLES  H.  NEWELL,  stockman,  owner 
of  a  large  portion  of  the  townsite  of  Goldendale 
and  also  of  the  Hotel  Toppenish  at  Toppenish,  is 
one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  central  Washington 
and  a  man  without  whose  biography  this  history 
would  be  incomplete.  A  native  of  the  Buckeye 
state,  where  he  was  born  in  1847,  he  is  one  of 
the  children  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Flack)  Newell, 
also  natives  of  Ohio.  The  father  was  a  black- 
smith by  trade.  While  a  small  boy,  Charles  lost 
his  father,  thus  depriving  him  of  the  care  and 
guidance  that  none  can  give  so  well.  However, 
his  mother  married  again  and  with  her  family  re- 
moved to  Kansas  in  1859.  where  they  lived  four 
years.  Then  they  immigrated  to  Colorado,  where 
they  spent  a  year  in  Denver  and  the  mines,  and 
in  1864  continued  their  western  journey  to  Ore- 
gon, settling  in  the  Willamette  valley.  There  the 
son  Charles  finished  his  education.  At  sixteen 
years  of  age.  he  commenced  farming  on  shares; 
two   vears   later   he   rented   a   farm    and     resided 


thereon  until  1870,  when  he  bought  a  band  of  cat- 
tle in  Oregon  and  the  following  spring  brought 
them  to  the  Klickitat  county  range.  He  kept  the 
band  until  the  summer  of  1872.  Then  he  returned 
to  Oregon  and  farmed  until  1877,  still  owning  an 
interest  in  stock  in  Klickitat  county,  to  which 
place  he  removed  his  family  at  this  time  and  filed 
on  a  homestead  ten  miles  from  Goldendale,  where 
he  lived  until  1891-.  In  1879  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  W.  D.  Hoxter  for  the  purpose  of  deal- 
ing in  horses  and  land,  a  partnership  which  lasted 
for  many  years,  four  years  of  which  time,  from 
1879  to  1883,  they  sold  stock  in  Oregon.  Among . 
their  largest  shipments  were  those  of  1884,  when 
seven  hundred  horses  were  driven  across  the  Plains 
to  Nebraska,  where  they  were  shipped  to  Ohio;  of 
1885,  when  four  hundred  and  seventeen  head  of 
horses  were  shipped  from  Prosser  to  the  New  York 
market;  and  of  i8£6,  when  shipments  were  made  to 
New  York  and  two  carloads  sent  as  far  east  as  Rhode 
Island.  They  shipped  east  until  1888,  when  they  be- 
gan sending  their  horses  to  the  Sound  and  Califor- 
nia. In  1892  they  shipped  extensively  to  Minnesota. 
Mr.  Newell  has  made  himself  very  widely  known  on 
account  of  his  connection  with  the  horse  industry 
and  is  still  an  extensive  operator  in  this  line,  ship- 
ping horses  all  over  the  United  States.  In  1871 
Mr.  Newell's  step-father  filed  on  a  portion  of  the 
townsite  of  Goldendale  and  there  in  1897  his  aged 
mother  passed  into  the  world  beyond.  Mr.  Newell 
has  one  brother,  Robert  J.,  who  lives  in  Klickitat 
county,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Olive  Hendricks, 
also  a  resident  of  Klickitat  county.  The  year 
1876  witnessed  Mr.  Newell's  marriage  in  Ore- 
gon to  Miss  Mary  Wren,  daughter  of  Michael 
and  Christena  (Monroe)  Wren,  natives  of  Can- 
ada. Michael  Wren  was  a  pioneer  of  the 
Northwest,  entering  the  employ  of  the  Hud- 
son's Bay  Company  when  that  corporation  prac- 
tically owned  this  section  of  the  United  States. 
The  Monroes  were  also  employees  of  this  great 
company.  Mrs.  Newell  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Oregon,  1862,  and  there  attended  school 
until  she  was  seventeen  years  old,  when  her  mar- 
riage took  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Newell  have  only 
one  child,  Charles  H.,  Junior,  born  at  Goldendale, 
December  9,  1900.  Mrs.  Newell  is  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  communion  and  also  a  member 
of  the  Rebekahs,  her  husband  being  an  Odd  Fel- 
low ;  he  also  belongs  to  the  United  Artisans.  Mr. 
Newell  has  prospered  unusually  in  a  worldly  way, 
owning  the  largest  individual  interest  held  in  the 
townsite  of  Goldendale,  several  additions  being 
in  his  name,  besides  which  he  has  a  quarter  section 
adjoining  Goldendale,  one  hundred  cattle  and  a 
band  of  six  hundred  horses.  He  is  also  interested 
deeply  in  mining,  possessing  considerable  stock. 
Few  men  in  central  Washington  have  more  ably 
grasped  the  opportunities  presented  by  that  thriv- 
ing section  of  the  state  than  has  Mr.  Newell,  and 


656 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


as   a  pioneer,   keen  business   man  and  a   man   of 
sterling  character  he  is  esteemed  and  respected. 


WILLIAM  McAULIFF,  residing  a  mile 
southeast  of  Toppenish,  is  one  of  Yakima 
county's  leading  farmers  and  stockmen  and  is  a 
man  of  stability  and  influence  in  his  community. 
His  whole  life,  from  his  birth  at  The  Dalles  in 
1859  to  the  present  writing,  has  been  spent  in 
the  Northwest  and  in  this  section  of  the  United 
States  his  experience  has  been  a  varied  as  well 
as  a  successful  one.  Of  English  and  Irish  extrac- 
tion, he  is  the  son  of  James  and  Isabella  (Kin- 
caid)  McAuliff,  the  mother  being  of  Irish  birth. 
The  paternal  ancestry  of  Mr.  McAuliff  is  quite 
interesting.  James  was  born  on  the  island  of 
Malta,  in  European  waters,  in  the  year  1828,  his 
father  being  a  lieutenant  in  the  British  army  at 
that  time  and  stationed  there.  The  son  James 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1842  and 
three  years  later  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Second 
United  States  infantry,  at  Buffalo,  New  York. 
He  served  all  through  the  Mexican  war,  in  which 
he  was  twice  wounded,  and  at  its  close  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Fourth  infantry.  In  this  regiment 
he  served  two  years,  re-enlisted  in  1850,  and  in 
1852  went  to  California  with  his  company.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  mustered  out  at  The  Dalles, 
his  rank  then  being  first  duty  sergeant.  In  1855, 
under  a  proclamation  of  the  governor  of  Oregon, 
he  raised  a  company  of  volunteers  and  as  its  cap- 
tain participated  in  the  famous  Walla  Walla 
campaign  of  that  year,  the  Indian  tribes  of  east- 
ern Washington  and  Oregon  being  the  objects 
of  chastisement.  Captain  McAuliff's  company 
was  in  the  four  days'  fight  just  below  the  Whit- 
man mission,  and  for  gallantry  both  captain  and 
company  were  .commended  officially  by  the  colo- 
nel commanding  and  the  governors.  This  brave 
old  veteran,  the  father  of  William,  is  peacefully 
passing  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the  city  of 
Walla  Walla.  William  was  educated  in  Walla 
Walla  and  there  learned  telegraphy  when  a  young 
man.  When  only  seventeen  years  old  the  am- 
bitious Irish  lad  was  placed  in  full  charge  of  an 
office  and  for  the  next  nine  years  of  his  life  con- 
tinued to  follow  the  occupation  of  a  telegrapher. 
In  1881  he  joined  the  Northern  Pacific  forces  in 
Montana  in  the  capacity  of  chief  packer  for  sur- 
veying parties  and  as  such  spent  sixteen  months 
in  that  mountainous  region.  He  then  brought 
the  pack-trains  to  the  Yakima  valley,  where  he 
wintered  in  1881-2,  remaining  with  the  survey- 
ing parties  until  June,  1882,  when  for  a  short 
time  he  became  wagon  master  for  the  same  cor- 
poration. Subsequently  he  shipped  the  outfit  to 
Seattle,  went  to  Walla  Walla  on  a  visit  and  in 
1883  returned  to  Yakima  county  and  engaged  in 
raising  stock.     For  twelve  years  he  assiduously 


devoted  himself  to  that  industry,  after  which  he 
gradually  paid  more  and  more  attention  to  farm- 
ing, and  today  owns  one  of  the  finest  farms  in 
the  county. 

In  1883  Mr.  McAuliff  was  married  to  Mary 
Morencie,  whose  father  was  of  French  extrac- 
tion and  whose  mother  was  a  native  of  the 
Northwest.  Mrs.  McAuliff  was  born  at  The 
Dalles  in  1866,  was  educated  in  Olympia  and  was 
married  at  the  age  of  seventeen  to  Mr.  McAuliff. 
To  this  union  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren:  Mrs.  Meda  Siverly,  October  1,  1884; 
Francis,  July  24,  1887;  George,  May  14,  1890; 
Thomas,  February  26,  1892;  Patrick  V.,  July  24, 
1896;  and  Mary  L.,  June  27.  1901.  Mr.  McAuliff 
has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Annie  Clowe,  living  in  Walla 
Walla;  and  two  brothers,  Thomas,  living  in 
Portland,  and  Frank,  living  on  the  Yakima  reser- 
vation. Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McAuliff  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  church.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Democrat,  though  of  liberal  views.  That  Mr. 
McAuliff  is  a  friend  of  educational  interests  and 
counted  by  his  neighbors  as  an  able  friend,  is 
shown  by  the  fact  that  for  six  years  he  has  held 
the  position  of  school  director  in  his  district. 
His  fine  ranch  of  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
improved  land,  sixty  head  of  cattle  and  fifty  horses 
constitute  his  property  holdings. 


BERT  E.  PARTON,  one  of  the  leading 
stockmen  of  Yakima  county,  has  been  closely 
identified  with  the  stock  interests  of  that  section 
since  1872,  when,  as  a  mere  lad  of  ten  years,  he 
came  to  the  Yakima  river  with  his  uncle.  As  a 
youth,  Mr.  Parton  witnessed  the  utilization  of 
the  vast  central  Washington  range  by  tens  of 
thousands  of  cattle  and  horses  and,  as  a  man,  he 
has  seen  the  exhaustion  of  most  of  this  great 
pasture,  the  beginnings  of  its  reclamation  and  the 
Iransformatioh  of  much  of  it  into  emerald  fields 
of  alfalfa  and  sightly  orchards.  In  the  land 
where  thirty  years  of  his  life  have  been  spent, 
he  has  made  a  happy  home  and  acquired  both 
affluence  and  influence,  as  the  result  of  energy 
and  ability,  combined  with  other  commendable 
qualities  of  character. 

Mr.  Parton  was  born  January  6,  1862,  at 
Albany,  Oregon,  his  parents  being  Frank  and 
Lucy  (Morgan)  Parton,  natives  of  England  and 
Iowa,  respectively,  the  mother  of  Welsh  descent. 
In  early  manhood,  the  father  crossed  the  seas, 
coming  to  California  in  its  "golden  days,"  where 
he  was  married  and  lived  for  some  time.  Thence 
he  removed  to  Oregon,  where  he  successfully  fol- 
lowed his  profession,  that  of  a  millwright,  many 
years,  or  until  his  death  at  Waitsburg,  Washing- 
ton, in  1895.  Bert  received  his  education  in  the 
common  and  high  schools  of  Albany,  short  in- 
termissions occurring  between  his  school  attend- 
ance.    As  before  stated,  in  1872  he  first  came  to 


m 


*  v .tJ,.^ 


O 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


657 


Washington,  where  he  remained  two  years  with 
his  uncle.  Then  followed  a  short  attendance  at 
school,  two  years  more  on  the  Yakima,  this  time 
with  J.  B.  Huntington,  an  influential  stockman, 
another  short  period  at  school,  another  stay  in 
Yakima,  another  winter  in  school,  and,  in  1880, 
permanent  settlement  in  Washington,  at  which 
time  he  entered  the  service  of  Snipes  &  Allen. 
For  five  years  he  did  faithful  work  for  this  great 
firm.  Then  he  began  business  for  himself  and 
since  1885  has  been  raising  stock  and  farming  in 
and  around  Toppenish,  his  home  now  being  at 
No.  12  North  Third  street,  North  Yakima. 

Mr.  Parton  was  married  in  North  Yakima, 
March  17,  1885,  the  bride  being  Miss  Sarah, 
daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary  Robbins,  pioneers 
of  Oregon  and  the  Cowiche  valley,  Yakima 
county.  The  daughter,  Sarah,  was  born  in  Cas- 
cade, Oregon,  in  1862,  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  her  native  state  and  was  married  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two.  She  has  three  brothers : 
Thomas,  living  at  Toppenish ;  Isaac,  at  Seattle ; 
and  Oscar,  whose  home  is  at  Toppenish  also. 
Mr.  Parton  was  two  sisters :  Mrs.  Carrie  Staten, 
living  in  Portland,  and  Mrs.  Germina  Wing,  liv- 
ing in  Spokane;  also  one  brother,  William,  who 
lives  at  Toppenish.  Three  children  bless  the 
Parton  home:  Bert,  born  December  27,  1888; 
Corbie,  born  January  22,  1892;  and  Ruth,  No- 
vember 9,  1894:  all  of  whom  may  claim  Yakima 
county  as  their  birthplace.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Parton 
are  members  of  the  Christian  church,  in  which 
they  are  active  workers.  Politically,  Mr.  Parton 
is  a  steadfast  Republican,  as  well  as  an  energetic 
one.  While  the  family  home  is  in  the  city  of 
North  Yakima,  Mr.  Parton  is  compelled  to  be  at 
Toppenish  much  of  his  time  in  order  to  give  per- 
sonal attention  to  his  three  hundred  and  forty- 
acre  ranch  at  that  point.  More  than  two-thirds 
of  this  tract  is  under  cultivation,  from  which  it 
may  be  seen  that  it  is  no  light  task  to  manage 
this  branch  of  his  interests.  His  stock  interests 
are  large,  more  than  one  thousand  horses  and 
one  hundred  cattle  belonging  to  him.  As  a 
pioneer,  the  usual  number  of  obstacles  and  losses 
have  fallen  in  his  pathway,  but  those  very  ob- 
structions have  brought  out  the  qualities  which, 
not  only  in  Mr.  Parton's  case,  but  in  the  lives 
of  many  other  pioneers,  have  won  for  them  the 
success  they  deserve. 


ARCHIE  }V.  McDONALD.  The  man  whose 
name  commences  this  biographical  sketch  is  presi- 
dent of  the  Washington  Nursery  Company  with 
headquarters  at  Toppenish,  and  one  of  Yakima 
county's  most  enterprising  young  business  men. 
Like  thousands  of  other  successful  men  living  in  the 
United  States,  he  was  born  and  reared  in  Canada, 
but  came  to  this  country  to  make  his  permanent 
home.     Ontario  is  his  birthplace  and  the  year  of  his 


birth  was  1866.  Both  parents,  Duncan  and  Agnes 
(Mclntire),  were  natives  of  Scotland,  immigrating 
to  Canada  in  1858,  and  there  making  their  home 
until  death.  The  father's  demise  occurred  in  1870. 
After  receiving  a  good  public  school  education  in 
Canada,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen,  followed  farming  for  a  time;  then  trav- 
eled four  years  for  a  Canadian  nursery  company, 
gaining  his  first  insight  into  that  work.  In  1894 
he  crossed  the  border  and  took  up  his  abode  in  the 
Willamette  valley,  Oregon.  In  that  region  he  lived 
eight  years,  traveling  for  the  Oregon  Nursery  Com- 
pany as  field  manager  of  that  business.  So  success- 
ful was  he  in  this  line  of  work  that  he  determined 
to  enter  the  nursery  business  on  his  own  account, 
and  with  this  idea  organized,  in  March,  1903,  the 
company  of  which  he  is  president  and  Leon  Girod 
secretary  and  treasurer.  The  company  leased  three 
hundred  and  fifty  acres  near  the  town  and  opened 
an  office  in  Toppenish.  Fifty  acres  of  the  land  are 
in  nursery  stock,  seventy-five  are  ready  for  use  in 
the  spring  of  1904,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five 
acres  are  in  alfalfa,  and  the  balance  is  in  grain,  hay 
or  reserve  tracts.  All  the  rye-grass,  hay  and  grain 
used  on  the  tract  are  grown  by  the  company.  Most 
flattering  prospects  are  before  this  young  commer- 
cial enterprise,  and  it  is  receiving  hearty  support 
from  all  who  examine  into  its  methods. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  married  in  September,  1900, 
in  Oregon,  to  Miss  Bessie  Settlemire,  of  Tangent. 
She  is  a  native  of  that  state.  Mr.  McDonald  is 
affiliated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
Foresters,  and  is  identified  with  the  Republican 
party.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  esteemed  person- 
ally for  their  many  genial,  sterling  qualities,  and 
Mr.  McDonald  is  respected  as  a  capable,  aggressive 
business  man.    ' 


LEON  GIROD,  of  the  Washington  Nursery 
Company,  Toppenish.  of  which  he  is  the  secretary 
and  treasurer,  is  a  native  son  of  Switzerland,  born 
at  St.  Imier,  March  13,  1867;  but  has  lived  the 
major  portion  of  his  life  in  America  and  is  counted 
as  a  loyal  citizen  of  his  adopted  country  and  a 
capable,  progressive  young  business  man.  His 
father,  Gustave  A.,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1830.  and  in  early  life  followed  the  pro- 
fession of  teaching;  the  mother,  Sophia  A. 
(Balmer)  Girod,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  Febru- 
ary 10,  1834.  In  1882  they  came  to  the  United 
States  with  their' family,  and  settled  first  in  Wayne 
county,  Ohio.  Four  years  later  the  family  removed 
to  Illinois,  lived  there  five  years,  and  removed 
thence  to  Brooks,  Oregon,  where  Mr.  Girod  is  at 
present  farming.  Of  the  sixteen  children  born  to 
this  union,  Leon  Girod  is  the  ninth.  He  received 
an  education  in  French  and  German  in  Europe,  be- 
sides a  public  school  education.  Upon  the  family's 
arrival  in  the  United  States,  he  commenced  farming 


658 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


in  Ohio.  Subsequently  he  farmed  in  western  Kan- 
sas, Illinois,  Ohio,  Colorado  and  Oregon,  living 
near  Brooks,  Oregon,  until  the  outbreak  of  the 
Spanish-American  war.  At  the  call  to  arms  he  left 
his  farm  and  immediately  enlisted  in  Company  K, 
Second  Oregon  volunteers,  April  23,  1898,  partici- 
pating in  the  Philippine  campaign.  He  was  at 
Cavite,  in  the  battle  of  Manila,  August  13,  1898,  the 
Filipino  repulse  before  Manila  in  February,  1899, 
and  in  many  other  important  battles  and  skirmishes, 
returning  finally  with  his  regiment  in  July,  1899. 
After  being  mustered  out  of  the  service,  in  which 
he  fought  for  the  honor  and  preservation  of  his 
country,  he  returned  to  the  plow.  A  year  later  he 
accepted  a  position  as  traveling  salesman  for  the 
Oregon  Nursery  Company,  and  in  this  position  vis- 
ited California,  Mexico,  Washington,  Oregon,  Idaho 
and  British  Columbia.  This  was  not  his  first  ex- 
perience in  this  business,  as  he  had  devoted  consid- 
erable time  to  it  while  farming.  In  March,  1903,  he 
became  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Washington 
Nursery  Company,  one  of  Yakima  county's  newest 
but  most  thrifty  enterprises,  which  is  growing  with 
astonishing  rapidity.  The  company  has  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  acres  of  land  near  Toppenish,  most 
of  which  is  in  cultivation  and  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  of  which  are  set  out  with  young  nursery 
stock. 

Mr.  Girod  and  Miss  Sadie  Wenger  were  united 
in  the  holy  union  of  matrimony  January  12,  1893, 
but  upon  July  24,  1897,  the  happiness  of  their  home 
was  rudely  shattered  by  a  visit  of  the  grim  reaper, 
who  took  the  faithful,  loving  wife  and  mother  from 
her  earthly  abode  and  carried  her  spirit  into  the 
home  beyond.  Mrs.  Girod  was  a  native  of  Monroe, 
Wisconsin,  where  she  was  born  November  24,  1871. 
One  daughter,  Leona,  born  at  Salem;  June  21,  1895, 
was  the  fruit  of  this  union.  Mr.  Girod  is  connected 
with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  political 
matters  is  actively  identified  with  the  Republican 
party.  As  a  young  man  of  true  worth  and  ability, 
and  appreciative  of  the  grand  opportunities  with 
which  he  is  surrounded,  success  along  all  lines  lies 
in  his  path. 


EDWARD  G.  FLEMING,  one  of  the  white 
leasers  operating  near  Toppenish,  is  also  holding  a 
responsible  position  in  the  sales  department  of  the 
Toppenish  Trading  Company,  and  is  one  of  the  en- 
ergetic residents  of  the  Toppenish  section.  He 
traces  his  ancestry  back  to  residents  of  Scotland  and 
northern  Ireland,  and  dominant  in  his  nature  are 
those  characteristics  for  which  the  Scotchman  is 
especially  noted.  Mr.  Fleming  was  born  in  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  July,  1863,  to  the 
union  of  James  T.  and  Adeline  (Lawfon)  Flem- 
ing, natives  of  the  same  state.  The  father,  a  retired 
merchant  and  extensive  land  owner,  is  living  in  Linn 
countv,  Missouri,  whence  he  came  in  1866,  at  the 


advanced  age  of  sixty-nine  years.  The  mother  died 
in  1894  aKthe  age  of  fifty-six.  The  son  Edward 
came  to  Missouri  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of 
three,  and  during  his  youth  attended  the  public 
schools  and  at  odd  times  worked  in  his  father's  store. 
When  only  fourteen  years  old  he  commenced  work- 
ing for  himself,  laboring  for  wages  during  the  sum- 
mer and  continuing  his  school  work  in  the  winter. 
In  1884  he  left  Missouri,  going  to  southern  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  entered  the  real  estate  business  at 
San  Diego.  During  the  next  five  years  he  was  un- 
usually successful,  but  reverses  finally  overtook  him 
and  induced  him  to  seek  his  fortune  in  Seattle. 
There  he  entered  the  confectionery  and  stationery 
business,  but  a  year  later  the  building  and  stock  were 
destroyed  by  fire.  After  a  short  period  spent  in 
conducting  a  restaurant,  Mr.  Fleming  removed  to 
Ellensburg  in  1891,  entering  the  store  of  R.  B.  Wil- 
son in  that  city,  with  whom  he  remained  eight  years. 
While  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  he  also 
owned  and  operated  a  stock  ranch.  In  1899  he  sold 
his  Kittitas  property  and  came  to  Toppenish.  Here 
his  first  work  was  as  bookkeeper  for  the  Toppenish 
Trading  Company,  but  two  years  of  this  kind  of  em- 
ployment so  injured  his  health  that  he  leased  a  tract 
of  land  and  commenced  raising  hay,  grain  and  stock. 
At  present  he  controls  five  hundred  acres  two  miles 
north  of  Toppenish,  and  is  counted  as  one  of  the 
most  successful  leasers  on  the  reservation. 

Mr.  Fleming  was  married  in  1887  to  Miss  Mag- 
gie Lindsey,  of  Missouri,  in  which  state  she  was 
born  in  1868  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  W.  Lindsey.  Mrs. 
Lindsey's  maiden  name  was  Kelly.  Mr.  Lindsey,  J 
who  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  is  a  hardware  mer- 
chant of  Pike  county,  Illinois.  Two  children 
brighten  the  Fleming  home:  Mae,  born  June  26, 
1890,  and  Paul,  born  September  6,  1897.  Mr.  Flem- 
ing is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
the  Odd  Fellows ;  his  wife  is  a  member  of  the 
Women  of  Woodcraft.  As  an  energetic  Repub- 
lican he  attends  all  important  caucuses  and  conven- 
tions and  is  ever  loyal  to  party  principles.  He  also 
takes  an  active  interest  in  educational  matters,  and 
in  all  other  matters  pertaining  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  community. 


JOSEPH  McLEOD.  One  of  the  most  exten- 
sive farmers  on  the  Yakima  reservation,  as  also 
one  of  the  most  successful  and  most  highly  es- 
teemed, is  the  subject  of  this  biography.  He  is 
one  of  the  sturdy,  substantial  citizens  whom  Nova 
Scotia  has  produced,  reared  to  manhood  and  then 
generously  contributed  to  swell  the  citizenship  of 
the  great  American  republic.  His  birthday  was 
July  12,  1 85 1,  and  his  parents  were  George  and 
Nancy  (Monroe)  McLeod,  both  natives  of  the 
Scottish  highlands,  who  came  to  Nova  Scotia 
shortly  after  being  united  in  marriage  and  when 
still  in  the  spring-time  of  life.     Both  died  in  1878, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


659 


their  deaths  occurring  about  the  same  time.     Un- 
til twenty  years  old  Joseph  lived  upon  his  father's 
farm,  meanwhile  attending  school;  but  at  that  age 
he  left  the  parental  roof  and  engaged  in  logging 
in     Clearfield    county,     Pennsylvania.       Then    he 
worked    on    the    boundary    survey    between    the 
United  States  and  British  Columbia  for  one  year, 
1872,    the    company's     headquarters    being    Fort 
Garry  on  the  Red  River  of  the  North.     Following 
this  experience,  he  went  to   California,  where  he 
was  engaged  a  year  in  lumbering  in  the  redwood 
forests  of  Mendocino  county.     In   1874  he  came 
north  to   Puget  Sound,  taking    a    ranch  claim  in 
Whatcom  county.     A  six  years'  residence  on  the 
western  slope  was  followed  by  his  removal  to  the 
Kittitas  valley  in   1880.     There  he  accumulated  a 
holding  of  five  hundred  and   sixty  acres  of  land 
and  for  fourteen  years  was  successfully   occupied 
with  general  farming,  and  stock  raising.     Then  he 
went  into  the  newly  opened  Sunnyside  district  and 
farmed   two  years.     A  year  of  mining  in   British 
Columbia  was  succeeded  by  Mr.  McLeod's  decision 
to  settle  on  the  reservation  near  Toppenish.     His 
lease  was  one  of  the  first  consummated  and  since 
its  date  hundreds  of  others  have  been  granted  by 
the   Indians.     At   first  he   raised   only   grain,   but 
experiments  demonstrating  the  adaptability  of  the 
soil  and  climate  to  the  production  of  alfalfa,  fruit, 
etc.,  as   in   the   Yakima  valley,   Mr.    McLeod  has 
gradually  seeded  his  land  to  alfalfa,  and  many  dif- 
ferent varieties  of  products,  principally  hay,  grain 
and  potatoes.     His  farm  contains  five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  and  last  season  he  raised  one  thousand 
five  hundred  and  twenty-five  tons  of  hay,  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and   twenty  six  sacks  of  oats, 
barley,  etc.,  and  three  hundred  tons   of  potatoes. 
In    the    haying   season    he    employed    twenty-four 
men,  eleven  on  the  baler  and  fourteen  on  a  steam 
thresher.     His  expenses  in  1903  lacked  only  a  few 
dollars  of  being  ten  thousand  dollars,  from  which 
an  excellent  idea  of  the  leasing  interests  may  be 
obtained.     Mr.  McLeod  is  convinced  that  the  op- 
portunities presented  by  Yakima  county  are  really 
unsurpassed  in  the  United  States  and  his  own  case 
is  an  excellent  illustration  of  what  may  be  accom- 
plished by  an  energetic,  able  man.     Air.   McLeod 
has    four   brothers    and    sisters :      Mrs.    Margaret 
Whittier,  living  in  Whatcom   county ;  Alexander, 
also  in  Whatcom  county ;  William,  living  in  Kitti- 
tas, and  Miss  Anna  McLeod,  living  in  Seattle.    In 
politics,  as  in  most  public  questions,  Mr.  McLeod 
is  independent,  though  actively  interested.     He  is 
now  one  of  the  leading  agriculturists  of  Yakima 
county  and  is  a  man  of  integrity  and   substantial 
abilities  and  character. 


Yakima  and  Klickitat  regions.  He  was  born  in 
Washington  county,  Oregon,  March  15,  1872.  his 
parents  being  James  L.  and  Christiana  (Kincaid) 
Chamberlain,  of  English  and  German  descent,  re- 
spectively. James  L.  Chamberlain  was  born  in 
1827  and  in  1852  crossed  the  Plains  from  Missouri 
to  Oregon,  taking  a  donation  claim  in  the  Wil- 
lamette valley.  There  he  lived  until  1877,  when  he 
removed  to  Klickitat  county;  in  1883  he  came  to 
North  Yakima,  where  he  and  his  faithful  pioneer 
wife,  who  bravely  crossed  the  Plains  with  him,  are 
still  living.  At  the  tender  age  of  thirteen  Ervin 
received  his  formal  initiation  into  the  master  in- 
dustry of  the  region — cattle  raising — by  entering 
the  employ  of  Ben  Snipes  as  a  range  rider.  The 
next  few  years  he  rode  for  Snipes,  Baxter  and 
other  stockmen  all  through  northern  Oregon  and 
southern  Washington.  In  1885,  he  joined  his 
father,  grandfather  and  brothers  at  North  Yakima 
in  a  stock  raising  enterprise,  in  which  they  were 
quite  successful.  Ervin  bought  land  in  the  Naches 
valley  and  until  1900  continued  to  range  stock  and 
farm.  In  1900  he  removed  to  North  Yakima  from 
his  home  in  the  Naches  and  lived  there  until  Janu- 
ary 1,  1903,  on  which  date  he  took  possession  of 
the  hundred-acre  tract  of  leased  land  on  which  he 
is  at  present  residing. 

November  15,  1896,  Mr.  Chamberlain  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Rosa  M.  Parker,  a  na- 
tive of  Kansas,  where  she  was  born  in  1880  to 
Riley  and  Eliza  J.  Parker.  Her  parents  reside  in 
Yakima  county  now.  Mr.  Chamberlain  has  six 
brothers  and  sisters :  Paul  P.  and  Mrs.  Jane  Ham- 
ilton, living  in  Klickitat  county ;  Joseph  F.,  James 
B.  and  Mrs.  Emma  White,  residents  of  Yakima 
county ;  and  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Grant,  living  in  Oregon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chamberlain  have  two  children, 
Viola,  born  February,  1899,  and  Lloyd  L.,  born 
September  25,  1902.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  and  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  is 
a  Democrat  in  politics,  attending  all  conventions 
and  caucuses  of  his  party  in  his  community.  At 
present  Mr.  Chamberlain  is  devoting  his  entire  at- 
tention to  farming,  having  disposed  of  his  stock 
interests.  He  is  an  energetic,  successful  ranch- 
man who  has  a  host  of  friends. 


ERVIN  L.  CHAMBERLAIN,  residing  four 
miles  west  of  Toppenish,  is  a  prosperous  young 
ranchman  most  of  whose  life  has  been  spent  in  the 


WILLIAM  E.  LAWRENCE,  a  resident  of 
Toppenish,  is  chief  clerk  in  the  large  establish- 
ment of  the  Toppenish  Trading  Company  at  that 
point,  and  one  of  the  town's  most  progressive  citi- 
zens. Logan  county,  Illinois,  is  his  birthplace 
and  September  17,  1863,  was  the  date  of  his  birth. 
His  parents,  James  and  Ann  K.  (Griffith)  Law- 
rence, were  born  in  Ohio  in  February,  1825,  and 
September  15,  1830,  respectively.  The  father  was 
a  pioneer  of  central  Illinois,  and  the  paternal  ances- 
tors were  pioneers  of  Virginia.  The  Lawrences 
served  in  the  Revolutionary  war  and  three  broth- 


66o 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ers  of  James  were  in  the  Civil  war.  He  died  in 
1870.  Mrs.  Lawrence  is  living  in  Champaign, 
Illinois.  Her  ancestors,  of  German  and  Scotch 
extraction,  were  pioneer  patriots  of  America,  and 
three  of  her  brothers  served  their  country  in 
1861-5.  William  E.  spent  his  early  years  upon  the 
farm  and  attending  school,  beginning  to  care  for 
himself  at  a  very  young  age.  He  learned  the  trade 
of  a  miller  and  from  the  age  of  nineteen  to  twenty- 
two  worked  at  that  occupation,  near  Detroit, 
Michigan.  Subsequently  he  returned  to  Illinois 
and  there,  by  working  during  the  day  and  study- 
ing at  night,  in  four  years  secured  enough  educa- 
tion to  pass  a  teacher's  examination.  Having  ob- 
tained his  certificate,  he  accepted  a  position  and 
during  the  next  four  years,  or  until  1889,  taught 
school  in  his  native  state.  In  that  year  he  joined 
his  brother,  J.  G.  Lawrence,  principal  of  the  North 
Yakima  schools,  working  for  Hyman  Harris  three 
years  and  a  half.  Following  this,  he  was  elected 
secretary  and  superintendent  of  the  Moxee  Com- 
pany, remaining  with  that  corporation  about  six 
years.  In  1898  Mr.  Lawrence  came  to  Toppenish, 
and  leasing  land  near  there,  engaged  in  farming, 
utilizing  one  hundred  and  forty  acres.  His  prin- 
cipal crops  were  grain  and  onions,  in  the  raising 
of  which  he  was  quite  successful.  However,  last 
year  Mr.  Lawrence  accepted  the  present  respon- 
sible position  he  holds  with  the  Toppenish  Trad- 
ing Company,  with  whom  he  has  since  continued. 
Mr.  Lawrence  was  united  in  marriage  in  1892 
in  Illinois  to  Miss  Pauline  W.  Kreuger.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Charles  and  Mary  (Schlorf) 
Kreuger,  natives  of  Germany.  Mr.  Kreuger  served 
throughout  the  Civil  war  and  was  a  successful  mer- 
chant until  his  death  in  1900;  the  mother  is  still 
living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  have  one  child, 
Lowell  W.,  born  July  14,  1893.  Mr.  Lawrence 
has  the  following  brothers  and  sisters :  Joseph 
G.,  John  C,  Rollin  H,  Harold,  Warren  H.  and 
Lulu  C.  Lowry.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In 
political  matters  he  takes  his  stand  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Together  with  W.  L.  Shearer,  W.  J. 
McAuliff  and  N.  H.  Leslie.  Mr.  Lawrence  was 
prominently  identified  with  the  opening  of  a  public 
school  at  Toppenish,  despite  the  great  obstacles 
encountered.  He  is  an  able  business  man,  popu- 
lar and  esteemed  bv  all  who  know  him. 


FRANK  H.  MILLICAN,  manager  of  the  St. 
Paul  and  Tacoma  Lumber  Company's  business  at 
Toppenish.  is  a  native  of  Washington,  born  in 
Walla  Walla,  August  24,  1872.  As  a  native  of  the 
state  and  a  son  of  pioneer  parents,  he  is  doubly 
entitled  to  a  place  of  honor  in  a  work  of* this  char- 
acter, and  we  are  pleased  to  enroll  his  name  with 
those  who  have  been  active  factors  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  great  Northwest.     He  is  the  son  of 


John  M.  and  Mary  (Hayward)  Millican,  born 
Oregonians.  John  M.  Millican  was  a  stockman, 
born  in  LaFayette,  Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  into 
which  state  his  father  had  immigrated  from  Ire- 
land in  the  forties.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the 
early  Oregon  Indian  wars.  The  mother  of  the 
subject  of  this  biography  was  born  in  The  Dalles, 
Oregon,  and  now  lives  in  Walla  Walla.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Benjamin  Burnett  Hayward,  a 
pioneer  of  Wisconsin,  who  crossed  the  Plains  with 
his  wife  in  1852,  settling  in  The  Dalles,  where  he 
operated  a  hotel  and  stage  line.  In  1862  he  moved 
to  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  remaining  in  his  old 
business,  however.  He  was  a  conductor  on  the 
first  railroad  that  was  built  in  Washington.  The 
road  was  built  by  Dr.  Dorsey  S.  Baker  and  ex- 
tended from  Walla  Walla  to  Wallula.  The  first 
rails  used  on  this  road  were  of  wood,  strapped  on 
the  top  with  iron.  Mr.  Hayward  died  in  Walla 
Walla,  October  18,  1902.  Frank  H.  Millican  spent 
his  early  life  in  and  about  Walla  Walla,  working 
on  the  farm  and  attending  school,  following  his 
common  school  course  with  one  term  in  Whitman 
college.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  left  the  paternal 
roof  and  sought  to  gain  a  livelihood  by  his  own 
efforts,  securing  employment  at  first  as  driver  of  a 
street  car.  He  then  went  to  Dayton,  Washing- 
ton, and  afterwards  spent  four  years  in  Oregon  and 
California,  a  portion  of  the  time  as  a  stage  driver, 
eventually,  however,  returning  to  Walla  Walla, 
and,  in  the  fall  of  1897,  coming  to  Toppenish. 
April  29,  1898,  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  First 
Washington  volunteers,  for  service  in  the  Spanish- 
American  war,  going  with  the  company  first  to 
Tacoma  and  afterwards  to  San  Francisco,  where 
five  months  were  spent  in  camp.  October  25, 
1898,  the  company  set  sail  for  Manila,  reaching  its 
destination  in  November,  but  not  landing  until 
December.  Mr.  Millican  was  in  the  battle  of  Ma- 
nila, February  4  and  5,  1899.  and  in  the  first  and 
second  battles  of  Pateros;,he  was  on  the  firing  line 
from  the  first  to  the  last  of  the  nine  months  spent 
on  the  island.  He  returned  to  San  Francisco  in 
October,  1899,  and,  after  a  visit  with  friends  and 
relatives  in  Walla  Walla,  spent  some  time  in  North 
Yakima,  one  winter  in  Tacoma,  and  in  1902  came 
to  Toppenish  as  bookkeeper  for  the  St.  Paul  and 
Tacoma  Lumber  Company.  In  the  month  of 
January,  1903,  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
manager,  in  which  capacity  he  is  still  actine.  In 
politics,  Mr.  Millican  is  a  stanch  supporter  of  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt.  He  is  a  man  of  exceptional  busi- 
ness qualifications  and  has  proven  an  efficient 
manager  of  his  company's  affairs.  He  is  energetic 
and  progressive  in  his  ideas,  a  man  of  correct  prin- 
ciples and  strictest  integrity,  of  influence  in  local 
affairs  and,  as  a  man  and  a  citizen,  commands  the 
esteem  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


66 1 


ANDREW  H.  RANDLER,  a  leaser  of  lands 
on  the  Yakima  Indian  reservation,  living  one- 
fourth  of  a  mile  south  of  Toppenish,  has  been  a 
resident  of  Yakima  county  for  six  years  and  has 
been  exceptionally  successful  in  the  production  of 
the  cereals.  He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
in  Lancaster  county,  November,  1866.  He  is  the 
son  of  Michael  and  Fannie  ( Heslet )  Randier,  the 
father  a  native  of  Germany  and  the  mother  of 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  Michael  Randier 
came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young-  man ; 
was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  during  which  lie  was 
captured  and  confined  for  seventeen  months  in  the 
noted  Andersonville  prison ;  he  died  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  190 1.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Andrew 
Randier,  still  lives.  The  son  Andrew  spent  the 
years  of  his  youth  in  his  native  state,  working  on 
the  farm  with  his  father  until  nineteen,  when  he 
was  married  and  began  farming  for  himself.  In 
addition  to  the  production  of  cereal  crops  he  dealt 
extensively  in  cattle,  buying  and  feeding  on  the 
farm  for  the  city  markets,  and  finding  it  a  very 
profitable  business.  After  following  this  business 
successfully  for  over  twelve  years,  he  decided  on  a 
change  of  location,  being  possessed  with  a  desire 
to  test  the  advantages  of  the  Northwest.  Accord- 
ingly, in  1898,  he  sold  out  his  Pennsylvania  inter- 
ests and  came  to  Washington,  stopping  first  in 
New  Whatcom  (now  Bellingham).  Not  being 
able  to  locate  there  to  good  advantage,  he  re- 
mained but  a  few  months,  coming  to  Yakima 
county  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  and  taking 
charge  of  a  dairy  ranch,  which  he  conducted  suc- 
cessfully for  about  four  years.  In  1902  he  located 
on  the  reservation  and  began  farming.  He  pur- 
chased a  relinquishment  to  a  lease  on  a  large  ranch 
from  which,  in  1903,  he  harvested  30.000  bushels 
of  oats,  barley  and  wheat,  some  of  the  land  sown 
to  oats  yielding  no  bushels  per  acre.  He  also 
operates  a  steam  thresher  and  a  hay  press.  Mr. 
Randier  is  one  of  a  family  of  nine  children.  The 
names  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  follow :  Alice, 
Elizabeth,  Mary,  Kate,  Harry,  William,  Eli  and 
Michael.  March  21,  1885,  Mr.  Randier  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Alice  Young,  a  native  of  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  a  daughter  of  Daniel 
and  Elizabeth  (Myers)  Young,  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Randier  have  five 
children,  as  follows :  Fannie,  Howard,  Alice, 
Leona  and  Mable.  Mr.  Randler's  fraternal  con- 
nections are  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and 
in  political  matters  he  votes  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  believes  the  Yakima  valley  to  be  an 
ideal  country  in  which  men  of  energy  can  make 
desirable  and  permanent  homes.  He  is  himself 
a  man  of  energy  and  good  business  ability,  of 
sound  principles  and  strict  integrity ;  is  meeting 
with  success  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  respect 
of  his  fellow  men. 


WILLIAM  HARRISON  MARBLE.  One  of 
the  successful  fruit  and  hop  growers  of  Yakima 
county,  is  William  H.  .Marble,  whose  farm  is  lo- 
cated nine  miles  northwest  of  Toppenish,  on  rural 
free  delivery  route  No.  1.  Subject  of  sketch  was 
born  in  Kennebec  county,  Maine,  April  5,  1837.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  state.  This  was  supplemented 
by  a  course  in  the  Hampden  Academy,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1859,  a  classmate  of  for- 
mer Vice-President  Hamlin's  son.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-three  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  business 
and  later  tried  farming  for  a  time.  He  then  moved 
to  Illinois  and  for  eighteen  months  followed  the 
grocery  business ;  selling  out  at  the  end  of  this  time 
and  going  to  Nebraska,  where  he  farmed  for  twenty 
years,  with  the  exception  of  two  years  during 
which  the  hardware  and  implement  trade  claimed 
his  attention.  In  all  these  ventures  he  met  with 
good  success.  Leaving  Nebraska,  he  went  to 
northwestern  Kansas  and  invested  heavily  in  land, 
this  investment  proving  unfortunate,  eventually 
costing  him  all  the  accumulations  of  former  years 
of  toil.  In  1889  he  came  to  Washington,  remain- 
ing here  for  two  years.  Satisfying  himself  that 
the  country  had  a  prosperous  future  before  it,  he 
went  back  to  Kansas,  straightened  out  his  affairs 
there  and  prepared  to  return  to  this  state  for  per- 
manent settlement.  He  again  reached  Washing- 
ton in  1894,  landing  in  Yakima  county  without  a 
dollar  of  capital.  He  at  once  leased  the  farm  on 
which  he  now  resides,  one  of  the  first  to  be  im- 
proved in  Parker  Bottom,  and,  from  the  proceeds 
of  three  years'  crops,  was  enabled  to  purchase  and 
pay  for  the  farm  which  he  now  owns.  Mr.  Marble 
was  in  Illinois  when  the  Civil  war  broke  out  and 
in  1862  organized  a  company  of  which  he  was  com- 
missioned captain.  They  went  into  service  as  Com- 
pany I,  Eighty-fifth  Illinois  volunteers.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  one  year  affairs  at  home  compelled  Cap- 
tain Marble  to  resign  his  commission  and  leave 
the  company,  which  was  afterwards  commanded 
by  Captain  Collins.  During  his  service  Captain 
Marble  participated  in  the  battles  of  Perryville, 
Kentucky,  and  Stone  River,  Tennessee.  During  his 
residence  in  Nebraska.  Mr.  Marble  served  one  term 
in  the  state  legislature,  elected  by  the  Democratic 
party  in  1885.  At  this  session  he  succeeded  in  get- 
ting an  important  transportation  bill  advanced 
from  the  bottom  to  the  top  of  the  calendar  and 
passed  :  this  bill  required  railroads  to  receive  freight 
in  car  load  lots  from  other  roads  at  junction  points, 
and  proved  of  great  advantage  to  his  constituents. 
William  IT.  Marble  is  the  son  of  Hiram  and  Rosan- 
na  (Smith)  Marble,  the  father  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire  and  the  mother  of  Maine.  He  was 
married  in  Illinois,  August  26,  i860,  to  Miss  Sarah 
J.  Council,  daughter  of  Alfred  F.  and  Hannah  C. 
(Michem)  Council,  Southern  people  who  were 
wealthy  planters   and    slaveholders    in   ante-bellum 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


days.  Mr.  Marble  was  second  in  a  family  of  eight 
children,  whose  names  follow:  Andrew,  a  North 
Dakota  druggist;  Allen,  farming  in  Parker  Bot- 
tom; Sarah  (Marble)  Richardson,  deceased;  John, 
deceased;  Charles  E.,  a  police  officer  in  Tacoma; 
Wallace,  deceased,  and  Thursa  (Marble)  Darr, 
whose  husband  is  a  carpenter  in  Tacoma.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Marble  have  been  born  three  daughters 
and  four  sons,  whose  names  and  dates  and  places  of 
birth  follow:  Bell  D.,  Illinois,  March  26,  1862, 
deceased;  Hiram  F.,  Illinois,  February  13,  1864, 
a  civil  engineer  living  in  North  Yakima;  Henry 
A.,  Illinois,  May  24,  1866,  civil  engineer;  Elsie  M. 
(Marble)  Wallace,  Nebraska,  October  2,  1868, 
living  in  Spokane;  Jasper  W.,  Nebraska,  August 
22,  1871,  now  in  North  Yakima;  Harry  E., 
Nebraska,  March  9,  1874,  editor  and  manager  of 
the  Melton  Valley  News,  published  at  Twisk, 
Okanogan  county,  Washington,  and  Ruby  R., 
Nebraska,  November  15,  1878,  and  married  March 
14,  1904,  to  Herman  A.  D.  Trauck,  of  the  Hy- 
potheke  Bank,  Spokane.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marble  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Marble 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Parker  Presby- 
terian church  in  1897.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias;  is  prominent  in  local  affairs 
and  a  man  of  influence  wherever  he  is  known.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Marble  are  held  in  high  esteem  by  all 
with  whom  they  are  associated,  in  public  or  in  the 
home  life. 


JAMES  S.  WILLIAMS  is  a  successful  farmer 
and  fruit  grower,  residing  fifteen  miles  northwest 
of  Toppenish,  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1. 
He  was  born  in  Missouri  on  December  9,  1857, 
the  son  of  John  B.  and  Nancy  J.  (Jennings) 
Williams.  His  father,  now  dead,  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri in  1828,  and  followed  school  teaching  for 
thirty-five  years.  His  mother,  also  dead,  was  a 
native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1832.  Mr.  Williams 
spent  his  youth  in  Missouri  and,  until  nineteen 
years  old,  attended  the  common  schools  of  that 
section,  receiving  a  good  education.  At  this  age 
he  began  to  do  for  himself  and  eventually  became 
a  locomotive  engineer,  his  first  work  being  on  the 
Burlington  and  Missouri  River  Railroad.  He 
afterwards  farmed  for  a  short  time,  but,  in  1890, 
left  Missouri  for  the  west  and  came  direct  to  the 
state  of  Washington.  For  a  time  he  ran  an  en- 
gine for  a  lumber  company,  remaining  with  them 
for  one  year,  then  going  to  Sedro,  Washington, 
where  for  several  months  he  was  similarly  em- 
ployed. In  1895  he  again  made  a  change  of  loca- 
tion, this  time  coming  to  Yakima  county,  where  he 
was  first  employed  in  running  an  engine  in  a  saw 
mill  on  the  Wenas.  Afterwards  he  engaged  for  a 
few  years  in  farm  work  and  then  leased  twenty 
acres  of  orchard  near  Zillah.  receiving  one- 
half    the    crop    for   his    care  of    the    place.     The 


first  year  he  sold  three  thousand  two  hun- 
dred dollars'  worth  of  apples.  The  second  year 
was  a  failure.  The  third  year  he  sold  six  thou- 
sand dollars'  worth  of  fruit.  After  the  first 
year's  crop  he  purchased  twenty  acres  of  land 
near  Zillah,  selling  it  a  few  months  later  for 
double  the  amount  paid  for  it.  In  1901  he  bought 
his  present  place  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
which  he  has  greatly  improved,  making  it  a  very 
valuable  property,  and  on  which  there  is  a  bearing 
orchard  of  ten  acres.  Mr.  Williams  has  two  broth- 
ers and  one  sister:  George  W.,  in  Missouri;  Fran- 
ces (Williams)  Smith,  of  Fort  Scott,  Kansas,  and 
Vernon  H.,  farming  in  Yakima  county.  Mr.  Will- 
iams was  married  in  Missouri  in  1880,  to  Miss 
Alice  Chambers,  who  was  born  in  Addison  county, 
Missouri,  November  10,  1862,  the  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Martha  J.  (Harris)  Chambers.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams  have  been  born  three  sons 
and  two  daughters  as  follows:  Harry,  February  10, 
1885;  Guy,  October  30,  1887;  Earl,  September  5, 
1888,  Nebraska  being  their  birthplace;  Mabel,  in 
Washington,  November  15,  1890,  and  Nellie  in 
Oregon,  September  25,  1893.  Mrs.  Williams  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Williams 
is  a  prominent  Mason  and  an  active  Democrat. 
He  is  a  man  of  energy  and  excellent  business  fore- 
sight, fair  and  honorable  in  his  dealings  with  his 
fellows,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact. 


VERNON  H.  WILLIAMS,  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser,  whose  home  is  six  miles  northwest 
of  Toppenish,  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No. 
1,  has  been  a  citizen  of  Washington  since  1883, 
and  of  Yakima  county  since  1885.  During  his 
twenty  years'  residence  in  the  state  he  has  partici- 
pated in  its  wonderful  development  and  has  be- 
come one  of  its  substantial  citizens.  Mr.  Will- 
iams is  a  native  of  Missouri,  where  he  was  born 
October  25,  1865.  He  is  the  son  of  John  B.  and 
Nancy  J.  (Jennings)  Williams,  his  father  a  na- 
tive of  Missouri  and  his  mother  of  Virginia; 
both  parents  are  dead.  Mr.  Williams  spent  his 
youth  in  Missouri,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
common  schools  of  that  state.  In  1883,  at  the 
age  of  eighteen,  he  left  home  and  came  to  Walla 
Walla.  Washinglon,  where  he  worked  for  one 
year  on  a  fruit  farm.  The  next  year  he  spent  on 
the  Sound,  in  Snohomish  county,  where  he  filed 
on  a  homestead.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  made 
a  relinquishment  of  his  homestead  right  for  a 
fair  consideration,  and  came  to  Yakima  county. 
This  was  in  1885,  and  until  1900  he  was  em- 
ployed on  hay  ranches  in  various  localities.  In 
the  year  last  named  he  purchased  sixteen  acres 
of  land  in  Parker  Bottom,  where  he  now  resides, 
and  has  since  been  occupied  in  cultivating  and 
improving  it,  and  has  now  a  very  desirable  home 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


663 


as  the  reward  of  industry  and  perseverance.  In 
1882,  Mr.  Williams  was  married,  in  Missouri,  to 
Miss  Rachel  E.  Harper,  who  was  born  in  Ohio 
in  1863,  the  daughter  of  Peter  J.  and  Hannah 
(Williams)  Harper,  natives  of  England ;  both 
parents  are  dead.  Mrs.  Williams  is  the  youngest 
of  a  family  of  four  girls  and  three  boys.  Their 
names  follow :  Mrs.  Diana  Hurt,  living  in  Yak- 
ima county ;  Mrs.  Sophia  Eickelberger,  living  in 
Ohio;  Fred,  living  in  Yakima  county;  Thomas, 
deceased :  Mrs.  Addie  Cams,  living  in  Seattle,  and 
Owen,  living  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota.  Two 
sons  and  three  daughters  have  come  into  the 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Williams:  Jessie,  born  in 
Missouri  in  1886;  John  and  Myrtle,  twins,  born  in 
Walla  Walla,  Washington,  in  1888;  Richard,  born 
in  Snohomish  county,  Washington,  1892,  and  Bes- 
sie, born  in  Yakima  county,  1893.  Politically, 
Mr.  Williams  affiliates  with  the  Republican 
party.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  man  of 
strict  integrity,  of  progressive  ideas,  of  influ- 
ence in  local  matters,  and  holds  the  esteem  and 
respect  of  his  fellow  men. 


_  MILTON  W.  BREWER,  an  agriculturist. 
living  eight  miles  northwest  of  Toppenish,  is  a 
native  Washingtonian,  and  has  spent  his  entire 
life  in  the  state.  As  a  pioneer  of  the  state,  and 
the  son  of  a  pioneer,  we  are  pleased  to  accord  him 
a  place  of  honor  in  these  records  which  are  to 
be  handed  down  to  succeeding  generations.  Mr. 
Brewer  is  the  son  of  Oliver  and  Margaret 
(Stevens)  Brewer;  his  father  a  native  of  Arkan- 
sas, born  in  1834;  his  mother  a  native  of  Georgia, 
born  in  1836.  The  parents  are  still  living,  citizens 
of  Chehalis  county,  Washington.  Rev.  Oliver 
Brewer  is  a  minister  of  the  Methodist  church. 
In  1852  he  and  his  wife  crossed  the  Plains  from 
Arkansas  to  Oregon,  settling  on  a  donation  claim 
on  Fern  ridge.  After  remaining  here  for  three 
years  they  moved  to  Thurston  county,  Washing- 
ton, and  here  the  son  Milton  was  born  August  5, 
1861.  The  family  subsequently  moved  to  Che- 
halis county,  where  Milton  spent  his  youth  and 
early  manhood,  receiving  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  In  his  eighteenth  year  he  dis- 
continued his  studies,  but  remained  with  his 
parents  until  twenty-three,  when  he  married  and 
engaged  in  farming  in  Chehalis  county.  In  1899 
he  sold  his  interests  there  and  came  to  Yakima 
county,  purchasing  the  farm  where  he  now  re- 
sides. This  farm  consists  of  thirty-two  acres,  of 
which  he  has  maae  a  valuable  property  and  a 
comfortable  home.  He  keens  a  number  of  dairy 
cows,  diversifying  the  products  of  the  farm,  and 
finding  the  venture  very  profitable.  Mr.  Brewer 
was    married    in    Oakville,    Washington,    January 

12.  1884,  to  Miss  Jennie  Newton,  whose  native 
state  is  Illinois,  where  she  was  born  September 


14,  1862.  Her  father  died  when  she  was  a  child. 
Her  mother,  Mrs.  Delia  Newton,  lives  in  Che- 
halis county,  Washington.  Mr.  Brewer  has  two 
brothers  and  one  sister,  iiving  in  Washington. 
Their  names  follow:  Mrs.  Charity  (Brewer)  Ba- 
ker, Alonzo  and  Loren.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Brewer  have  been  born  the  following  children : 
Orpha,  born  June  18,  1885  ;  Pearl,  born  August 
31,  1888;  Delia,  born  April  21,  1893.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brewer  and  daughter  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church.  In  political  matters,  Mr. 
Brewer  affiliates  with  the  Republican  party  and 
always  takes  a  lively  interest  in  the  success  of 
his  party.  He  is  known  as  a  man  of  honor  and 
uprightness,  fair  in  all  his  dealings  with  his  fel- 
low men,  and  has  the  confidence  and  respect  of 
neighbors  and  friends. 


OWEN  B.  WHITSON,  farmer  and  fruit 
grower,  resides  seven  miles  northwest  of  Toppenish. 
He  has  lived  in  Yakima  county  for  sixteen  years, 
having  located  here  in  1887.  For  a  number  of 
years  he  was  variously  employed  in  different  parts 
of  the  county,  and  has  been  closely  identified  with 
much  of  its  wonderful  development.  He  was  em- 
ployed on  the  North  Yakima  water  supply  ditch, 
afterwards  by  the  Washington  Irrigation  Company 
on  the  Sunnyside  ditch,  and  has  spent  a  great  deal 
of  time  in  the  .improvement  of  raw  land.  He  has  de- 
veloped the  farm  on  which  he  resides  from  a  sage- 
brush plain  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  and  has 
made  of  it  a  very  productive  tract  and  a  comfortable 
home.  He  assisted  in  the  building  of  the  first  church 
erected  in  Zillah,  donating  his  labor.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  School  district  No.  50,  together 
with  Rev.  F.  Walden  and  Mrs.  James  Beattie,  one 
of  the  best  in  the  county,  having  in  the  beginning 
twenty-seven  pupils ;  was  one  of  the  first  directors, 
and  is  now  a  member  of  the  board.  The  first  teacher 
employed  here  was  Miss  Harriet  Sawyer.  The  dis- 
trict was  organized  in  February.  1899.  Mr.  Whit- 
son  was  born  in  Kansas,  April  18,  1861,  the  son  of 
Jesse  and  Louisa  (Bond)  Whitson.  His  father, 
now  dead,  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1830;  the  mother 
is  now  living  in  Michigan.  The  son,  Owen,  received 
his  education  in  Indiana.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he 
quit  school  and  began  to  do  for  himself.  Two  years 
later  he  moved  to  Traverse,  Michigan,  remaining 
there  four  years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  coming 
to  Yakima  county,  Washington.  In  1899  he  leased 
forty  acres  of  school  land,  his  present  home,  and  is 
improving  it  with  the  intention  of  buying  it  when 
it  is  placed  on  the  market.  Three  acres  of  orchard 
have  been  set  out,  and  the  balance  is  in  hay.  the  hay 
land  yielding  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  tons  per 
year.  Mr.  Whitson  has  the  following  brothers: 
George  and  Orange  J.,  in  Michigan  ;  Ellis  J.  (an  en- 
gineer), and  Lawrence,  in  Nebraska:  two  brothers 
died   when   small  children.     In   1802  Mr.   Whitson 


664 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  Van  Buskirk,  at  North 
Yakima  She  is  the  oldest  daughter  of  a  family  of 
ten  children,  all  still  living  but  two.  Kansas  is  her 
native  state,  where  she  was  born  in  1870,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Reuben  and  Julia  A.  (Walrod)  Van  Buskirk, 
die  father  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  183 1,  and  the 
mother  of  Illinois,  born  in  185 1;  the  parents  are 
residents  of  North  Yakima.  Four  children  have 
come  to  bless  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitson, 
their  names  as  follows :  Lutetia,  born  December  23, 
1893;  Marion,  July  4,  1898;  Hazel,  June  17,  1900, 
and  Julia,  April  12,  1902.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Whitson 
attend  the  Christian  church.  In  political  principles 
Mr.  Whitson  is  a  Prohibitionist.  He  is  progressive 
in  his  ideas  and  his  opinions  are  valued  in  local 
affairs.  A  man  of  integrity,  always  honorable  and 
fair  in  his  dealings  with  his  fellow  men,  he  has 
earned  and  holds  their  confidence  and  respect. 


JOSIAH  D.  LAUGHLIN,  farmer  and  fruit 
grower,  resides  four  miles  northeast  of  Toppenish, 
on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1.  Although  but 
comparatively  a  recent  arrival  in  Yakima  county,  he 
has  already  become  thoroughly  identified  with  its 
interests,  and  during  the  last  four  years  has  assisted 
materially  in  the  reclamation  of  its  arid  lands.  Mr. 
Laughlin  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  Pike  county, 
October  13,  1847.  He  is  the  son  of  William  H.  and 
Selina  (Brill)  Laughlin,  both  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania; the  father,  now  dead,  was  born  in  1818,  and 
the  mother,  living  in  Ohio,  born  in  1822.  Mr. 
Laughlin  received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  his 
native  state,  and,  after  the  completion  of  his  studies, 
engaged  for  a  time  in  teaching.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  Civil  war  he  was  too  young  for  enlistment,  but 
in  1864,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany G,  Xinety-first  Ohio  volunteers,  and  served 
with  this  regiment  for  eighteen  months.  One  mem- 
ory that  thrills  him  even  at  this  late  date  is  that  of 
Sheridan's  famous  ride  to  Winchester,  of  which  he 
was  an  eye-witness.  After  the  close  of  the  war  he 
followed  teaching  for  two  years,  and  then  entered 
the  employ  of  the  Chicago,  Danville  &  Vincennes 
railroad,  remaining  in  the  car  department  for  three 
years,  at  Danville,  Illinois.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
he  removed  to  Iowa,  where  he  followed  farming 
successfully  for  sixteen  years.  In  1900  he  came  to 
Washington  and  located  on  his  present  farm,  pur- 
chasing forty  acres  at  first  and  adding  twenty  more 
later.  This  tract  he  has  developed  from  its  wild 
state  and  has  made  of  it  a  very  productive  farm  and 
a  comfortable  home.  A  commodious  and  an  attract- 
ive dwelling  and  other  buildings  have  been  erected, 
and  eleven  acres  of  orchard  set  out,  which  is  just 
beginning  to  bear.  Mr.  Laughlin  was  married  in 
Illinois,  November  22,  1874,  to  Miss  Martha  J. 
Howser,  who  was  born  in  Ohio.  March  8,  1854,  the 
daughter  of  Jonathan  N.  and  Margaret  (Dillman) 
Howser,  natives  of  Ohio.    To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Laugh- 


lin have  been  born  the  following  children:  Mrs. 
Cleo  M.  Stephenson,  living  in  Iowa ;  Byron  B.,  in 
Sedro  Woolley,  Washington ;  Ossie  M.  and  Effie  G., 
engaged  in  teaching  school  in  Yakima  county,  living 
with  parents ;  and  David  R.,  also  at  home.  In  polit- 
ical matters  Mr.  Laughlin  advocates  Republican 
principles ;  he  is  a  man  of  progressive  ideas,  of  cor- 
rect principles,  and  fair  in  his  dealings  with  others ; 
is  recognized  as  a  man  of  integrity,  whose  influence 
is  always  exerted  in  the  right  direction,  and  com- 
mands the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  know 
him. 


ALEX  TIEO.  It  is  a  pleasure  to  chronicle 
the  life  of  the  man  whose  name  stands  at  the  be- 
ginning of  this  biography,  for  he  is  one  of  the 
native  Indians  of  the  Northwest  who  has  accepted 
the  white  man's  ways  and,  by  personal  effort, 
raised  himself  to  a  leadership  among  his  brothers 
of  the  red  skin.  His  ability,  honesty  and  energy 
have  also  won  for  him  high  opinions  from  those 
of  the  white  race,  and  none  among  the  Indians 
upon  the  reservation  is  held  in  greater  respect 
than  Alex  Tieo.  He  was  born  in  Vancouver,  in 
1855,  his  father  being  Cowlipe  Tieo,  a  native  of 
Honolulu,  and  his  mother  a  native  of  Washcum,  or 
Wasco,  Oregon.  When  a  child  he  was  taken  to 
Oregon  City  and  in  1872  came  to  Cascade.  When 
twenty-three  years  old  Alex  began  railroading  on 
the  little  six-mile  line  at  the  Cascades,  and  by 
perseverance  arose  to  the  position  of  conductor 
from  that  of  brakeman.  Then  for  a  time  he  worked 
at  the  steamboat  business,  and  subsequently  for 
eight  years  operated  a  flatboat  on  the  Columbia 
between  The  Dalles  and  the  Cascades.  Ten  years 
ago  he  came  to  Yakima  county  as  foreman  of  a 
hop  picking  crew,  and  the  same  year  settled  upon 
allotted  land  in  the  Yakima  reservation.  When 
he  is  not  farming  he  engages  in  picking  hops, 
having  been  for  many  years  field  foreman  for  Max 
Jackson  and  Dell  Hitchcock.  Mr.  Tieo  has  taken 
and  is  taking  a  prominent  part  in  ditch  construc- 
tion on  the  reservation,  being  at  the  present  time 
Indian  foreman  of  the  new  government  canal, 
commenced  October  7,  1903.  He  was  also  fore- 
man of  Indian  forces  on  the  ditch  extending 
twelve  miles  southeast  of  Wapato  and  on  all  the 
laterals  that  have  been  built.  He  was  married  the 
first  time  to  Mary  Bonifar,  a  Cascade  Indian,  who 
is  now  dead.  Two  children  resulted  from  this 
union :  Wilson  and  Harry.  His  second  marriage 
was  to  Mabel,  a  Tumwater  Indian,  and  to  this 
union  no  children  have  been  born.  On  his  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acre,  improved  ranch,  of  which 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  are  in  cultivation, 
he  raises  hay,  potatoes,  wheat  and  all  kinds  of 
vegetables,  besides  cattle  and  horses  in  large  num- 
bers. This  ranch  was  the  first  one  occupied  on 
that  prairie.     Mr.  Tieo  has  made  much  of  his  op- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


665 


portunities  and  as  a  progressive,  honest,  skilled 
man  is  a  leader  whom  his  race  would  do  well  to 
follow. 


MICHELLE  MARTINEAU,  retired  steam- 
boat captain  and  sailing  master  and  at  present 
living  upon  his  two  hundred  and  forty  acre  ranch 
three  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Toppenish,  is  the" 
son  of  one  of  the  noted  pioneers  of  the  Northwest, 
and  himself  is  a  man  of  striking  character,  well 
known  in  the  later  history  of  the  Northwest.  His 
father,  Michelle  Martineau,  senior,  was  a  native  of 
Montreal,  Quebec,  of  Canadian  French  stock. 
Early  in  life  he  came  into  the  wilderness  of  west- 
ern Canada,  accompanying  Doctor  McLoughlin 
to  his  post  at  Vancouver.  First  the  father  served 
as  a  mail  carrier  in  the  Rocky  Mountain  region, 
working  for  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company;  then  he 
entered  other  departments  of  the  service,  traveling 
all  through  the  west.  It  is  said  that  he  and  an- 
other white  man  named  Bozmah  were  the  first 
whites  to  find  Doctor  Whitman's  body  after  the 
massacre.  History  refers  to  this  intrepid  French 
Canadian  in  dealing  with  the  story  of  the  west. 
He  was  at  one  time  accused  of  killing  John  McCoy, 
another  well-known  pioneer.  The  senior  Mar- 
tineau died  in  1902.  The  mother  was  a  Wickham, 
a  member  of  the  Cascade  tribe  of  Indians.  Her 
father  was  Chief  Tompha,  hanged  in  1856  at  the 
Cascades  by  order  of  Colonel  Wright.  She  died 
in  1871. 

The  younger  Martineau  was  born  at  Vancou- 
ver in  1848,  while  Oregon  was  yet  a  territory,  and 
the  only  settlements  in  the  Northwest  were  along 
the  Columbia  and  Willamette  rivers  and  on  Puget 
Sound.  He  was  reared  at  Portland,  the  Cascades 
and  The  Dalles,  thoroughly  imbibing  the  free,  rest- 
less, dashing  spirit  of  the  life  around  him.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen  he  entered  the  steamboat  business 
in  the  kitchen  department,  rising  thence  very  rap- 
idly to  engineer  and  then  to  a  captain's  berth.  He 
was  the  first  captain  of  the  General  Humphreys, 
plying  between  the  upper  Cascades  and  The  Dalles 
in  1879.  He  has  been  captain  of  all  the  steam- 
ers owned  by  the  Oregon  Railroad  and  Navigation 
Company  and  has  served  the  government  fleet  on 
the  Columbia  and  its  tributaries,  among  the 
steamers  under  his  captaincy  being  the  R.  Thomp- 
son, the  Harvest  Queen,  Emma  Howard  and  the 
Modoc.  In  1898  he  went  into  the  Alaskan  waters 
for  an  English  syndicate.  There  he  was  captain 
of  the  Flora,  the  first  boat  built  on  the  Yukon 
river,  and  since  1898  he  has  spent  each  season  on 
the  Yukon.  In  1903  he  had  charge  of  the  Frantz. 
Early  in  his  steamboat  experience  he  was  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  ablest  masters  on  the  Colum- 
bia river,  and  each  year  since  has  added  to  his 
reputation  in  that  line.  He  has,  however,  decided 
to  retire    from  his  steamboat  life,  and  with    that 


end  in  view  will  take  charge  of  his  ranch,  now 
under  lease,  as  soon  as  the  lease  expires  this  year." 
His  property  interests  consist  of  this  ranch,  which 
is  all  under  water,  and  mining  property  in  the 
Yukon  region. 

In  1874  Mr.  Martineau  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Martha  Tieo,  a  native  of  Oregon  City,  whose 
parents  were  Cowlipe  Tieo,  a  native  of  the  Sand- 
wich Islands,  and  Ticashara  (Winner)  Tieo,  a  mem- 
ber of  The  Dalles  tribe  of  Columbia  River  Indians. 
Mrs.  Martineau  is  a  sister  of  Alex  Tieo,  Indian  fore- 
man of  the  new  government  ditch  being  built  near 
Wapato.  Captain  Martineau  is  a  member  of  the 
Sailors  and  Masters'  Association  of  America.  The 
captain  is  a  man  of  ability  and  is  an  excellent  rep- 
resentative of  the  old  school  of  Northwestern  pio- 
neers whose  courage,  energy  and  perseverance  have 
made  it  possible  to  reclaim  the  Pacific  coast  of 
America  from  its  original  wild  condition  and  place 
the  stamp  of  civilization  upon  it. 


HORACE  MARK  GILBERT,  of  the  firm  of 
Richey  &  Gilbert,  at  Toppenish,  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  extensive  business  carried  on  by  that 
strong  company,  is  one  of  Yakima  county's 
leading  business  men  and  citizens — a  man  who 
has  won  the  place  he  occupies  through  sheer 
merit  alone.  He  is  a  native  of  Geneseo,  Illinois, 
where  he  was  born  October  22,  1862,  to  the 
union  of  Nathaniel  C.  and  Francelia  (Amsden) 
Gilbert.  The  father  was  born  in  New  York  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1834,  and  is  a  descendant  of  a  pioneer 
American  family  bearing  that  name.  His  mother 
was  related  to  Nathanael  Greene,  from  whom  is 
taken  the  name  Nathaniel.  Early  in  life  Na- 
thaniel C.  Gilbert  settled  in  Illinois,  where  he  is 
still  living,  and  where  he  has  attained  to  promi- 
nence and  affluence.  The  mother  was  born  Sep- 
tember 7,  1840,  and  traces  her  ancestry  back  to 
James  Otis,  a  pioneer  Bostonian. 

Horace  Gilbert  has  spent  the  major  portion 
of  his  life  in  Illinois,  not  having  come  west  until 
1897.  In  his  native  state  he  secured  a  thorough 
public  school  education,  after  which  he  received, 
in  T885,  an  A.  B.  degree  from  Knox  college,  and 
subsequently  was  honored  by  an  A.  M.  degree. 
He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  and  after 
finishing  his  education,  continued  to  devote  his 
attention  to  farming,  managing  his  father's  four 
hundred-acre  place  on  shares.  As  this  was  the 
best  farm  in  the  county,  the  successful  manage- 
ment of  it  is  a  tribute  to  Mr.  Gilbert's  skill  in 
that  line.  He  also  operated  extensively  in  cat- 
tle, sheep  and  hogs.  However,  in  November, 
1897.  he  sold  his  interests  and  immigrated  to 
North  Yakima.  His  first  purchase  of  land  in  the 
Yakima  valley  was  a  twenty-acre  tract  a  mile 
west  of  town.  This  he  bought  for  eighty  dollars 
an  acre.    He  has  improved  the  land  and  has  made 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


there  a  delightful  and  comfortable  home.  In 
1899  he  began  operations  at  Toppenish,  organ- 
izing the  Richey  &  Gilbert  Company,  composed 
of  James  Richey,  F.  A.  Hall,  Clyde  Richey  and 
himself.  This  firm  has  leased  and  cleared  2,000 
acres  adjoining  the  town  of  Toppenish  and  for  a 
long  time  has  furnished  the  Northern  Pacific 
approximately  sixty  cars  per  month  of  hay,  pota- 
toes, grain,  fruit,  stock,  etc.,  for  shipment.  It  is 
one  of  the  largest  concerns  of  its  kind  in  central 
Washington. 

Marion  H.  Richey.  a  daughter  of  James  and 
Anna  (Hamilton)  Richey,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mr.  Gilbert,  February  15,  1893,  in  Illi- 
nois. She  is  a  native  of  La  Salle  county,  and 
after  being  graduated  by  Knox  college  in  the 
same  class  of  which  her  husband  was  a  member, 
taught  school  several  years  in  the  Peoria  public 
schools.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ohio,  1829,  and 
was  brought  to  Illinois  by  his  parents  the  year 
followine.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  of  Illi- 
nois during  most  of  his  life,  coming  to  North 
Yakima  in  1899.  There  he  died  December  13, 
1903.  Her  mother  is  still  living.  The  Gilbert 
home  has  been  blessed  by  six  children,  the  oldest 
of  whom  is  ten  years  of  age :  Curtiss  Richey, 
Marion  Lois,  Elon  James,  Guida  Margaret,  Hor- 
ace Nathaniel  and  Dorothy  Irene.  Both  husband 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Congregational 
church,  Mr.  Gilbert  being  a  deacon.  All  his  life 
Mr.  Gilbert  has  been  a  public-spirited  citizen  and 
a  man  of  influence  among  his  fellow  men.  In 
Illinois  he  was  elected  president  of  the  State 
Farmers'  Alliance  and  received  the  nomination 
for  representative  in  congress  on  an  independent 
ticket.  In  the  campaign  which  followed  he  made 
a  strong  canvass  and,  although  defeated  by  a 
strong  combination,  ran  two  thousand  five  hundred 
votes  ahead  of  the  rest  of  his  ticket.  He  is  still  an 
independent  in  political  matters.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gil- 
bert are  popular  in  social  circles,  and,  as  previously 
stated,  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  county's 
strong  men. 


FRED  AUGUSTUS  HALL,  of  the  firm  of 
Richey  &  Gilbert.  Toppenish,  one  of  Yakima 
county's  sterling  young  business  men,  was  born 
in  LaSalle  county.  Illinois,  in  1867,  his  parents 
being  Stillman  A.  and  Harriet  (Beardsley)  Hall. 
Stillman  A.  Hall,  who  with  his  wife  now  re- 
sides on  their  ranch.  Valley  View,  on  Nob  Hill. 
North  Yakima,  is  a  native  of  Maine,  the  date  of 
his  birth  in  the  Pine  Tree  state  being  1838.  His 
father  was  a  pioneer  of  that  state.  When  Lin- 
coln issued  his  first  call  for  troops,  the  son  Still- 
man immediately  responded  by  enlisting  with  the 
boys  in  blue,  but  soon  after  being  mustered  in 
was  taken  sick  with  fever  and  such  were  the 
ravages  of  the  disease  that  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged  from   the   service   and    never   again    en- 


listed. At  present  he  is  engaged  in  farming.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1842,  her  parents 
settling  in  that  state  in  1836.  Fred  A.  Hall  spent 
his  boyhood  on  the  farm  and  in  the  schoolhouse. 
Later  he  entered  the  Illinois  State  University, 
by  which  he  was  graduated  in  1893.  After  leav- 
ing college  he  engaged  in  the  drug  business  at 
Tonica,  Illinois,  in  which  he  remained  seven 
'years.  In  1899  he  sold  this  business  and  sought 
a  richer  field  for  his  talents  in  the  prosperous 
Northwest,  arriving  in  North  Yakima  December 
29th  of  that  year.  Immediately  he  entered  the 
firm  of  which  he  is  still  a  member.  His  company 
leases  large  tracts  of  Indian  land,  upon  which 
they  raise  grain,  hay,  melons,  potatoes,  etc.,  be- 
sides which  the  company  does  an  extensive  com- 
mission business.  Richey  &  Gilbert  have  erected 
a  fine,  commodious,  stone  warehouse  at  Top- 
penish and  have  materially  assisted  in  the  devel- 
opment of  the  country  surrounding  that  point. 

In  1894  Mr.  Hall  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Luella  Richey,  a  native  of  Illinois.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  James  and  Anna  (Hamilton) 
Richey,  pioneers  of  Illinois,  to  which  the  father 
came  in  1830.  He  was  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
that  state  until  his  removal  to  the  Yakima  valley 
in  1899.  In  Washington  he  became  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Richey  &  Gilbert.  His 
death  occurred  at  the  North  Yakima  home,  De- 
cember 13,  1903.  Mrs.  Richey  survives  her  hus- 
band. Three  children  have  been  born  to  Air.  and 
Mrs.  Hall:  Thorland  Richey,  July  30,  1896;  Isa- 
belle.  May  29,  1900;  and  Burton  Augustus,  May 
31,  1902,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Mr.  Hall  is 
affiliated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  polit- 
ically, is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party.  Both 
himself  and  wife  are  highly  esteemed  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends  and  in  business  circles  Mr.  Hall 
is  rapidly  attaining  prominence  as  a  man  of  abil- 
ity and  integrity. 


JOHN  BAXTER,  residing  one  mile  northwest 
of  the  thriving  town  of  Toppenish,  is  one  of  the 
reservation's  successful  and  esteemed  white  farm- 
ers leasing  Indian  land.  Born  in  Canada  June  1, 
1857,  he  is  the  son  of  Patrick  and  Jane  Baxter, 
natives  of  Ireland  and  Canada  respectively.  Pat- 
rick Baxter  came  to  Canada  when  a  baby,  and 
after  reaching  mature  years  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  which  he  still  follows  in  the  land 
of  his  adoption.  The  mother  was  of  French  de- 
scent :  she  died  in  1878.  The  son  John  grew  to 
manhood's  estate  upon  his  father's  farm  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one  came  to  the  United  States, 
taking  up  his  abode  first  in  Cowlitz  county,  Wash- 
ington, where  he  followed  the  lumber  business 
for  twenty  years.  His  experience  in  this  indus- 
try was  mostly  in  the  logging  department.  As  a 
boy  he  did  not  have  the  advantages  of  even  a  com- 
mon school  education,  a  training  whose  worth  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


667 


keenly  appreciated  when  he  became  a  man.  So, 
with  commendable  ambition,  he  placed  himself  un- 
der the  guidance  of  President  Marsh  of  Forest 
Grove  college,  Oregon,  and  by  patient,  attentive 
study,  when  he  was  not  at  work  earning  a  living, 
acquired  much  of  the  knowledge  that  his  youth 
was  denied.  From  the  Cowlitz  region  he  went,  in 
1898,  to  Puyallup  and  there  farmed  two  years. 
Then  he  came  to  Yakima  county  and  leased  his 
present  one  hundred  acre  ranch  near  Toppenish. 
His  marriage  took  place  February  25,  1894,  in 
Portland,  Oregon,  his  bride  being  Miss  Bertie 
Schumacher,  of  Oregon  birth  and  German  de- 
scent. Her  parents  are  Dr.  Charles  and  Margaret 
(Strauss)  Schumacher.  Doctor  Schumacher  emi- 
grated from  Germany  to  the  United  States  when 
quite  young  and  settled  in  Oregon,  where  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Strauss.  She  was  born  in  Oregon  to 
German  parents.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schumacher  re- 
side in  Portland.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Baxter  have 
been  born  five  children,  Carl,  May,  Lucy,  Walter 
and  one  yet  unnamed,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Both 
parents  are  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  Mr.  Baxter  is  an  active  Republican,  at- 
tending all  caucuses  and  conventions  in  his  dis- 
trict. Upon  his  ranch  he  is  successfully  raising 
grain,  potatoes  and  onions,  besides  breeding  fine 
stock.  He  is  making  a  specialty  of  Poland-China 
and  Chester  White  hogs,  of  which  he  has  a  fine 
bunch.  Mr.  Baxter  is  a  member  of  the  true  type 
of  progressive  citizenship  of  which  America  is  so 
proud. 


RICHARD  FRANK  LYONS.  One  of  the 
men  who  have  taken  advantage  of  the  excellent  op- 
portunities presented  to  energetic,  capable  white 
farmers  by  the  fertile  Indian  lands  surrounding 
Toppenish  is  the  subject  of  this  biography.  He 
leases  nearly  half  a  section  of  land  lying  a  mile 
and  a  half  northwest  of  that  trading  point,  and  is 
known  as  one  of  the  county's  most  successful 
ranchmen.  Mr.  Lyons  was  born  in  Lycoming 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1847,  to  the  marriage  of 
Wesley  and  Lucretia  (Crawford)  Lyons,  also  na- 
tives of  the  Keystone  state.  The  father  was  a 
farmer  and  lumberman.  Both  parents  are  dead. 
Until  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  Richard  F.  re- 
mained in  Pennsylvania,  working  with  his  father 
and  attending  the  public  schools,  but  at  that  age 
he  was  seized  with  an  intense  longing  to  assist  in 
subduing  the  far  western  wilds,  and  in  1863  cour- 
ageously set  forth  upon  his  long  journey  to  Ore- 
gon. Arriving  at  Oregon  City,  he  decided  to 
settle  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state  and  accord- 
ingly wended  his  way  across  the  Cascades  to  Uma- 
tilla county.  There  he  was  engaged  in  various 
occupations,  including  riding  the  range,  until  1872, 
when  he  entered  the  business  of  sheep  raising.  For 
twelve  years  and  longer  he  ranged  his   growing 


bands  in  what  are  now  Umatilla  and  Morrow  coun- 
ties, passing  through  the  exciting  dangers  with 
which  the  residents  of  that  section  were  confronted 
during  the  Bannock  Indian  war  of  1878.  In  the 
later  eighties  he  removed  to  the  Horse  Heaven 
country  in  Washington  and  there  met  his  first  seri- 
ous reverse,  during  the  hard  winter  of  1889-90, 
losing  fully  eight  thousand  head  of  sheep.  At  that 
period  Mr.  Lyons  owned  seventeen  thousand  head 
and  was  probably  the  most  heavily  interested  sheep 
man  in  Washington;  at  least  the  largest  sheep 
owner  in  Yakima  county.  Following  this  disaster 
came  the  panic  of  1893,  in  which  Mr.  Lyons,  with 
thousands  of  other  western  stockmen,  was  caught 
and  financially  embarrassed.  However,  he  con- 
tinued his  business  until  1898,  when  he  sold  his 
lands  and  stock  and  took  charge  of  the  one  thou- 
sand one  hundred  acre  ranch,  known  as  the  Snipes 
place,  in  Parker  Bottom.  Three  years  later,  or  in 
1901,  he  came  to  Toppenish  and  leased  three  hun- 
dred acres  of  fine  Indian  land,  upon  which  he  now 
lives.  This  immense  ranch  is  producing  hay  and 
grain.  Mr.  Lyons  also  devotes  considerable  at- 
tention to  stock  raising,  owning  two  hundred  head 
of  high  grade  Poland-China  hogs  and  about-  six 
hundred  head  of  sheep.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows,  with  membership  in  the  Prosser 
lodge,  and  is  identified  with  the  Republican  party. 
Mr.  Lyons  has  many  loyal  friends  and  is  highly 
respected  as  an  active,  also  progressive  stockman, 
farmer  and  citizen. 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  STEVENS,  one  of  the 
leading  farmers  of  the  Toppenish  country,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Suffolk  county,  New  York,  where,  in  the 
year  1836,  he  was  born  to  the  union  of  Halsey  and 
Elizabeth  (Halleck)  Stevens.  The  father  was  also 
a  native  of  that  state,  and  died  there  in  1888.  His 
ancestors  for  several  generations  were  citizens  of 
Connecticut.  The  mother,  who  died  in  1898,  was  a 
niece  of  General  Halleck,  and  had  two  other  uncles 
who  served  with  distinction  in  the  Revolutionary 
war.  The  son,  William,  was  occupied  with  attend- 
ing school,  farming  and  sailing  on  the  Atlantic 
coast  until  eighteen  years  old.  when  he  settled  in 
Winona  county,  Minnesota,  filing  on  government 
land.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted 
in  Company  B,  Seventh  Minnesota  infantry,  the 
date  of  his  enlistment  being  August.  1862.  This 
regiment  went  to  Fort  Snelling  before  going  south, 
and  while  stationed  at  that  post  was  called  upon  to 
quell  the  Indians  around  Fort  Ridgely  and  in  Da- 
kota. The  Indians  were  captured,  and  thirty-nine 
of  them  executed  at  Mankato.  During  the  Civil  war 
Mr.  Stevens  was  in  many  battles,  the  last  being  that 
at  Spanish  Fort.  Mobile.  Alabama.  He  was  mus- 
tered out  at  Minnehaha  Falls.  August,  1865.  and  im- 
mediately engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  in 
Bates  county,   Missouri,   remaining  in  that   section 


668 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


for  twenty  years.  Upon  his  return  from  the  war 
he  was  elected  captain  of  a  militia  company,  and 
this  fact,  together  with  the  fact  that  when. a  young 
man  he  was  captain  of  a  boat,  has  conferred  the 
title  of  captain  upon  him  in  private  life.  In  1888  he 
came  to  Yakima  county,  purchasing  a  farm  near 
North  Yakima,  and  living  a  portion  of  the  time  in 
the  city.  The  next  twelve  years  we  find  him  en- 
gaged in  raising  alfalfa,  melons,  etc.,  and  breeding 
thoroughbred  Plymouth  Rock  chickens.  However, 
in  1900,  he  left  the  Yakima  valley  and  leased  a 
quarter  section  of  land  two  miles  and  a  quarter 
northwest  of  Toppenish,  and  on  this  place  is  now 
living,  engaged  in  general  farming  and  breeding 
Plymouth  Rock  chickens. 

Mr.  Stevens  was  married  in  Missouri,  1867,  to 
Sophia  Requa,  daughter  of  Rev.  William  Requa,  a 
Presbyterian  missionary  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas. 
He  was  of  French  descent;  the  mother  of  Scotch. 
The  father  died  in  1873.  Mrs.  Requa  died  five 
years  previously.  Mrs.  Stevens  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri, and  died  in  1895  in  the  city  of  North  Yakima, 
leaving,  besides  her  husband,  one  son,  Norman,  to 
mourn  their  loss.  The  captain  is  an  enthusiastic 
Republican,  and  is,  of  course,  justly  proud  of  his 
membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  is  respected  as  a  pioneer,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
and  Indian  wars,  and  a  substantial  citizen,  and  is 
favorably  known  in  his  community. 


ALLEN  R.  GRAHAM,  clerk  of  Hotel  Top- 
penish and  manager  of  the  livery  operated  in  con- 
nection at  Toppenish,  Washington,  is  a  native  pio- 
neer of  the  Northwest,  having  been  born  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon,  twelve  miles  from  Portland, 
in  1854.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Caroline  M. 
(White)  Graham,  the  father  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  the  mother  a  na- 
tive of  Canada,  of  English  parentage.  The  parents 
are  now  living  in  The  Dalles.  John  Graham,  born 
in  1827,  came  to  Oregon  via  Cape  Horn  when  a 
young  man,  and  settled  on  a  claim  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  in  Washington  county,  where  he 
resided  until  1870,  moving  then  to  Klickitat  county, 
Washington,  later  to  Sherman  county,  Oregon,  and 
eventually  to  The  Dalles.  The  mother  of  Allen 
Graham  was  a  daughter  of  Richard  Delorus  White, 
who  crossed  the  Plains  in  1844,  settled  in  Portland 
when  it  was  a  small  town,  and  built  the  St.  Charles 
hotel,  at  a  cost  of  eighty  thousand  dollars.  The 
subject  of  this  article  spent  his  youth  in 
Washington  county,  Oregon,  attending  school 
and  farming.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he 
came  with  his  parents  to  Klickitat  county,  Wash- 
ington, and  for  ten  years  was  on  the  range  almost 
continuously  with  stock.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  engaged  in  the  stock  business  on  his  own  account. 
For  thirty-one  years  he  was  a  resident  of  Klickitat 
county,  the  greater  portion  of  the  time  in  the  stock 


business  and  in  farming.  For  one  year  he  owned  a 
livery  barn  in  Centerville.  In  1900  he  sold  his 
Klickitat  property,  came  to  Yakima  county,  and  pur- 
chased twenty  acres  of  land  near  North  Yakima, 
selling  afterwards  at  a  great  advance  over  the  pur- 
chasing price.  He  then  bought  a  small  tract  near 
the  fair  grounds  for  a  home,  and,  with  his  oldest 
son,  leased  a  ranch  on  the  Cowiche  and  conducted  a 
dairy  for  one  season,  coming  then  to  Toppenish  and 
taking  charge  of  the  hotel  and  livery.  In  1875  Mr. 
Graham  was  married  in  Klickitat  county  to  Miss 
Eveline  C.  Saxon,  a  native  of  Illinois  and  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Mary  J.  (Free)  Saxon.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Graham  have  been  born  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Mrs.  Marietta  M.  Grimes,  living  in  Sherman 
county,  Oregon ;  Edward  A.,  North  Yakima  ;  Luther 
E.,  deceased ;  Frank  A.,  Centerville,  Klickitat 
county ;  Roy  and  Harry,  Yakima  county ;  Ora  May, 
Bertha  A.  and  Velma  Lora,  at  home.  Mr.  Graham's 
fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is 
an  active  and  an  influential  Republican.  For  years 
lie  was  a  member  of  the  county  central  committee, 
serving  a  part  of  the  time  as  chairman.  He  was  a 
recognized  leader  in  all  the  campaigns  during  his 
residence  there.  With  the  early  history  of  the  coun- 
try Mr.  Graham  is  very  familiar ;  was  in  the  Klicki- 
tat country  at  the  time  of  the  General  Howard  cam- 
paign against  the  Indians,  remaining  on  his  farm 
when  the  settlers  stampeded  for  The  Dalles  on  the 
strength  of  a  rumor  that  the  Indians  were  crossing 
the  Columbia  at  Celilo.  He  is  widely  known  by  the 
pioneer  settlers  of  the  valley,  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  all,  and  we  are  pleased  to  accord  him 
a  place  of  honor  in  this  volume. 


WILBUR  SPENCER.  That  the  American 
Indian  can  be  successfully  guided  from  his  aborig- 
inal ways  and  customs  into  the  civilization  of  the 
white  man  and  his  shrewd,  restless,  stoical  char- 
acteristics transformed  into  trained  thought  of  a 
higher  order,  into  energy  and  perseverance,  is  not 
a  fallacious  statement,  as  is  evidenced  by  the  life  of 
the  young  Indian  of  whom  we  write.  Better  still, 
his  adoption  of  progressive  ways  has  served  to 
only  strengthen  his  influence  among  his  red  broth- 
ers and  the  example  he  sets  before  them  has  no 
little  effect.  Wilbur  Spencer's  father  is  the  famous 
old  Chief  Spencer,  who  is  still  living  at  the  age  of 
one  hundred  and  five  years  on  the  Yakima  res- 
ervation. Spencer  is  by  birth  a  Klickitat  and 
Chinook  Indian,  and  both  before  and  after  the 
treaty  of  1855  served  the  Klickitats  as  a  chief. 
Tah-pa-Sha  (Chief  Spencer)  has  always  been  a 
steadfast  friend  of  the  whites  and  in  the  fifties, 
despite  the  fact  that  while  serving  as  a  scout  under 
Colonel  Wright,  Spencer's  father,  wife,  son  and 
baby  were  killed  by  over  zealous  white  volunteers, 
he  remained  loyal  in  the  treaty  negotiations  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


669 


pleaded  for  the  new  order  of  things.  The  massacred 
family  were  on  their  way  to  Gen.  Sheridan's  camp 
at  the  time  they  were  murdered,  the  deed  being 
accomplished  by  strangulation  with  ropes.  In  an- 
other portion  of  this  work  further  reference  will 
be  made  to  this  Indian  patriarch.  Wilbur's 
mother,  Tona-ma-ahr,  a  Wasco  Indian,  died  in 
1893.  The  younger  Spencer  was  born  at  the  Turn- 
water  fishery  above  The  Dalles  in  June,  1865,  and 
as  a  youth  spent  his  time  either  at  the  home  near 
Fort  Simcoe.  traveling  with  his  father  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  as  far  as  the  Sound,  or  on  the 
Columbia,  at  the  fishery.  In  September,  1871,  he 
commenced  attending  the  Indian  school  -at  the 
agency,  receiving  most  of  his  education  under 
Father  Wilbur,  from  whom  he  takes  his  given 
name.  At  the  school  he  learned  the  trade  of  car- 
penter arid  cabinet  maker  and  during  vacations  was 
employed  at  fifty  cents  a  day  building  Indian 
houses  on  the  reservation.  Three  years  he  was 
employed  in  clerical  work  at  the  agency.  The 
year  1878  marked  the  end  of  his  school  life,  a  pub- 
lic whipping  by  his  teacher,  H.  L.  Powell,  for 
alleged  conversation  with  the  girls  of  the  schools, 
causing  him  to  run  away.  Arriving  on  the  Colum- 
bia he  secured  a  position  in  the  cannery  business 
and  upon  his  departure  from  the  employ  of  the 
Eureka  Packing  Company  in  1882,  was  presented 
with  a  suit  of  clothes  as  a  token  of  the  company's 
esteem.  Agent  Milroy  appointed  him  as  sawyer  at 
the  Yakima  agency ;  subsequently  he  was  em- 
ployed in  other  departments;  and  in  1889  was  en- 
trusted by  Agent  Priestly  with  the  responsible  job 
of  building  a  government  sawmill.  This  work  he 
successfully  accomplished.  Afterwards  this  mill, 
like  its  predecessor,  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Under 
Agent  Lynch,  Mr.  Spencer  served  as  government 
engineer  until  that  position  was  abolished  by  the 
department.  Then  he  came  upon  his  allotment, 
near  Toppenish,  where  he  is  farming  a  portion  of 
his  land  and  leasing  the  balance.  He  owns  a 
quarter  section,  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  are 
owned  by  some  of  the  children  and  three  others  are 
entitled  to  allotments.  His  home  was  built  in  1890 
at  a  cost  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and  he  owns 
another  house  a  mile  west  of  town,  where  he  is 
temporarily  residing.  The  ranches  show  evidences 
of  thrift  and  are  valuable  properties. 

Mr.  Spencer  was  married  April  2,  1899,  to 
Josephine  Peters,  a  member  of  the  Grande  Ronde 
tribe  living  near  Portland.  She  was  educated  in 
the  Chamowa  Indian  training  school  near  Salem. 
To  this  marriage  have  been  born  four  children : 
William  H.,  January  22,  1900;  George  W.,  Febru- 
ary 22,  1901 ;  Casey  S.,  March  10,  1902 ;  Jerry,  Jan- 
uary 17,  1904.  Mr.  Spencer  has  only  one  brother, 
Lancaster,  though  he  has  several  half-brothers. 
An  article  from  Mr.  Spencer's  pen  relating  to  the 
Yakima  Indians  appears  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 


FRANK  O.  PAULGER,  in  charge  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  telegraph  office  at  Toppenish, 
Washington,  is  an  Englishman  by  descent  and 
birth,  having  been  born  in  England,  June  24,  1869, 
to  English  parents.  His  father,  John  Paulger, 
came  to  America  in  1879  and  during  most  of  his 
life  was  successfully  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.  His  death  occurred  in  February,  1896. 
Ann  (Hobson)  Paulger  was  born  in  1825,  came 
to  America  with  her  husband  in  1879  and  is  still 
living  in  Iowa,  in  the  quiet  contentment  of  a  ripe 
old  age.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  reared, 
from  the  age  of  ten,  at  New  Hartford,  Iowa,  where 
he  received  a  high  school  education  and  learned 
telegraphy  with  his  brother,  the  station  agent  at 
that  point.  When  nineteen  years  old  the  young 
telegrapher  was  stationed  at  Linden,  Iowa.  From 
there  he  went  as  bill  clerk  to  Fort  Dodge;  thence 
to  Blair,  Nebraska,  as  station  agent.  Afterwards 
he  was  transferred  to  Emerson,  Nebraska,  as  sta- 
tion agent,  where  the  next  ten  years  of  his  life 
were  spent.  During  this  period  he  dealt  to  some 
extent  in  real  estate,  accumulating  a  considerable 
holding  of  property,  and  rose  to  a  high  position 
among  his  fellow  citizens  by  reason  of  his  ability 
and  congenial  qualities.  For  nine  years  he  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Emerson  school  board,  and 
still  takes  a  deep  interest  in  educational  matters. 
A  trip  to  and  a  few  months'  stay  in  the  City  of 
Mexico  followed  his  departure  from  Emerson,  and 
in  June,  1901,  he  accepted  the  position  he  now 
occupies  at  Toppenish,  there  being  only  a  store 
and  a  warehouse  at  the  station  then.  Mr.  Paulger 
has  'one  sister,  Mrs.  Anna  Canfield,  and  two  broth- 
ers, John  and  Fred  W.,  living  in  Iowa.  John  is  a 
grocer  at  Cedar  Falls ;  Fred  is  engaged  in  business 
at  New  Hartford,  where,  also,  the  sister  lives.  Mr. 
Paulger  is  a  Mason  of  high  standing,  being  a 
member  of  the  Shriners,  and  is  also  affiliated  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the 
Highlanders.  In  politics,  he  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  and  as  the  candidate  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party  was  elected  treasurer  of  the  township 
in  which  he  resided  in  Nebraska.  In  every  com- 
munity where  he  has  lived  he  has  been  regarded 
as  a  public  spirited,  progressive  citizen  and  has 
been  a  factor  in  their  development.  His  mother 
owns  half  a  section  of  fine  land  near  Emerson. 
Mr.  Paulger  is  satisfied  that  the  Yakima  country 
is  an  unusually  -fine  field  for  enterprising  young 
men  and  intends  to  make  it  his  permanent  home. 
He  is  a  young  man  of  stability  and  talent,  com- 
bined with  integrity. 


ALEXANDER  FOSTER.  Few  residents  of 
the  Northwest  have  had  a  more  exciting  career  than 
has  the  subject  of  this  biography — adventurer, 
packer,  miner,  soldier  and  frontiersman.  His  birth- 
place is  Vancouver,  the  old  Hudson's  Bay  Company's 


670 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


post,  and  1846  was  the  year  of  his  birth.  His  father 
was  George  Foster,  a  Scotchman  who  came  to  Can- 
ada in  early  days,  and  in  1833  engaged  as  a  gun- 
smith with  the  famous  English  fur  company  abov.e 
mentioned.  He  died  in  the  early  fifties.  His  mother 
was  Peggy,  a  member  of  The  Dalles  tribe  of  In- 
dians. She  died  at  The  Dalles  in  1861.  Alexander 
Foster,  of  this  review,  was  reared  on  the  Columbia 
river,  and  upon  the  death  of  his  mother  commenced 
packing  to  British  Columbia.  Then  he  was  engaged 
by  Brostein  &  Binnard  as  a  packer  into  the  mining 
camps  of  Oro  Fino,  Elk  City,  Florence  and  Warren. 
He  followed  this  occupation  for  private  individuals, 
for  corporations  or  for  the  government  until  about 
fifteen  years  ago.  During  that  period  he  traveled  all 
over  the  Northwest,  worked  under  General  Crook, 
was  with  the  troops  at  the  time  Custer  was  mas- 
sacred, served  in  the  Nez  Perce  and  Sheepwater 
campaigns  in  central  Idaho,  engaged  in  several  other 
minor  Indian  campaigns,  and  was  stationed  in  the 
government's  employ  at  Colville  for  many  years. 
He  is  a  brother  of  William  Foster,  the  noted  Idaho 
scout,  who  met  a  tragic  death  on  Camas  prairie  dur- 
ing the  Nez  Perce  war  in  1877,  and  he  is  familiar 
with  all  the  details  of  that  campaign  in  Idaho 
county.  He  was  also  one  of  the  volunteers  who 
sought  to  visit  the  field  of  the  Custer  massacre,  and 
who  were  driven  back  by  the  Sioux.  As  a  partici- 
pant in  the  Nez  Perce  war  he  gained  considerable 
distinction  through  his  excellent  services  as  chief 
packer  and  scout.  A  party  in  his  charge  buried  the 
troopers  of  Captain  Perry's  command  who  were 
killed  in  White  Bird  canyon ;  he  himself  found  his 
brother  William,  after  the  death  of  the  latter  at  the 
hands  of  the  Indians,  and,  digging  a  grave  with  a 
bowie  knife,  buried  him.  Over  this  grave  the  citi- 
zens of  Idaho  county  in  later  years  erected  a  monu- 
ment in  memory  of  the  faithful  scout,  who  gave  his 
life  in  defense  of  the  whites.  Mr.  Foster  was  an 
important  witness  in  the  court-martial  trial  of  Lieu- 
tenant Catlin.  he  having  been  one  of  the  party  that 
rescued  the  Rains  family  during  the  Sheepwater 
outbreak.  In  1879  he  went  to  Lewiston,  thence  to 
Walla  Walla,  and  finally  took  charge  of  a  one  hun- 
dred and  twelve  mile  route  terminating  at  Colville. 
Following  his  service  there,  he  left  the  occupation 
of  packing,  and  for  many  years  resided  on  the  Uma- 
tilla and  Warm  Springs  Indian  reservations  in  Ore- 
gon, serving  for  a  time  as  government  farmer  in  the 
industrial  schools.  In  1893  he  came  to  the  Yakima 
reservation  and  secured  an  allotment,  upon  which 
he  moved  in  1900,  and  there  he  has  since  lived.  He 
owns  a  quarter  section,  and  his  children  have  title 
to  four  hundred  acres.  Mr.  Foster  is  at  present  in 
the  employ  of  Dell  Williams  at  the  old  government 
ranch,  six  miles  southwest  of  Toppenish. 

In  the  early  nineties  he  was  married  at  Pendle- 
ton to  Sarah  Edwards,  whose  father  was  William 
Edwards,  an  Englishman,  and  whose  mother  was  a 
Wasco  Indian.     The  maternal  grandmother  was  of 


Klickitat  and  Wasco  blood ;  the  grandfather  of  pure 
Wasco  blood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster  have  five  chil- 
dren of  their  own :  Hazel,  who  is  attending  the  Fort 
Simcoe  school ;  George,  William,  Allie  and  Nora ; 
besides  whom  there  are  three  adopted  children, 
Charlotte,  Augustine  and  Harrison.  Their  father 
was  Richard  Edwards,  one  of  the  sons  of  William 
Edwards  and  a  brother  of  Mrs.  Foster.  Upon  the 
death  of  Richard  Edwards,  the  children  were 
adopted  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Foster.  All  three  own 
allotments,  and  are  being  educated  at  the  govern- 
ment school  at  Fort  Simcoe.  Charlotte  is  a  bright 
girl  of  fifteen  summers,  who  is  making  the  most  of 
the  opportunities  offered  her.  The  Foster  family  is 
probably  one  of  the  best  known  among  the  Indians 
and  pioneer  whites  of  Washington,  Oregon  and 
Idaho. 


JACOB  KALER,  living  three  miles  due  south 
of  Wapato,  is  one  of  Yakima  county's  substantial 
and  influential  farmer  citizens.  He  first  saw  the 
light  of  day  September  15,  1852,  in  Bartholomew 
county,  Indiana,-  to  which  his  father  came  in  an  early 
day.  His  father,  Adam  Kaler,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1800,  and  after  learning  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  came  to  the  United  States.  It  is  said  that  he 
built  the  first  iron  roller  mill  in  the  city  of  Pitts- 
burg, Pennsylvania,  now  the  home  of  the  great  iron 
and  steel  industry  of  America.  He  could  manufac- 
ture nearly  anything  made  of  iron  or  steel,  and  was 
a  man  of  learning  and  influence.  He  died  in  Indiana 
in  1871.  The  mother,  Louise  (Wentle)  Kaler,  was 
also  a  native  of  Germany.  She  was  married  to  Mr. 
Kaler  in  Pennsylvania.  Jacob  attended  school  in 
Indiana,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  commenced 
learning  the  butcher's  trade  with  his  brother  at 
Columbus.  After  three  years'  apprenticeship,  he 
entered  the  business  on  his  own  account,  removing 
to  Kansas  in  1878,  where  he  established  his  home  in 
Greenwood  county.  For  sixteen  years  he  was  en- 
gaged in  handling  cattle  in  that  section,  and  for 
many  years  was  highly  successful,  a  sudden  drop  in 
prices  crippling  his  finances.  From  Kansas  he  went 
to  Stillwater,  Oklahoma,  and  there  followed  the 
cattle  business  five  years:  then  went  to  Chickasaw, 
Indian  Territory,  and  for  a  year  was  likewise  en- 
gaged. He  finally  disposed  of  his  meat  market  at 
Chickasaw,  and  came  to  Yakima  county,  going  on 
his  present  place  November  10,  190 1. 

His  marriage  to  Miss  Eva  Hayes  took  place 
October  20,  1878.  She  was  born  in  Indiana.  Sep- 
tember 25,  1858,  and  is  the  daughter  of  Mahton  and 
Susie  (Fisher)  Hayes,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Vir- 
ginia, respectively.  Mr.  Hayes  was  a  farmer  by 
occupation;  he  died  in  1891.  The  mother  lived 
twelve  years  longer,  passing  to  her  eternal  rest  in 
December,  1903,  in  Greenwood  county,  Kansas. 
Three  children  have  blessed  the  home  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kaler:    Mrs.  Fannie  Jones,  living  on  the  reser- 


ALEXANDER    E.    McCREDV. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


6-1 


vation;  Harry  and  Frank,  residing  at  home.  Mr. 
Kaler  is  identified  with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and 
in  politics,  has  cast  his  lines  with  the  Democratic 
party,  as  did  his  father  before  him.  Mrs.  Kaler  is  a 
member  of  the  Christian  church.  In  educational 
matters  Mr.  Kaler  has  long  taken  a  substantial  in- 
terest, and  is  at  present  serving  the  Wapato  district 
as  clerk  of  the  board.  Upon  his  ranch  he  is  breed- 
ing thoroughbred  Jersey  cattle,  and  raising  alfalfa, 
corn  and  hogs — a  combination  of  products  that  has 
given  the  West  a  leading  position  in  the  world's 
husbandry.  Mr.  Kaler  is  counted  as  a  force  in  the 
community  and  a  factor  in  the  county's  progress. 


W.  H.  REDMAN,  canal  and  railroad  construct- 
or, and  at  present  foreman  of  the  work  on  the 
new  twelve-mile  irrigation  canal  under  construc- 
tion for  the  exclusive  use  of  the  Yakima  Indians, 
is  a  representative  of  the  type  of  successful  west- 
erner whose  birthplace  is  the  eastern  section  of  the 
United  States.  Of  eastern  birth,  parentage  and 
early  training,  this  type  of  our  western  citizenship 
has  fearlessly  crossed  the  continent  and  by  its 
energy,  ability  and  enthusiasm  on  the  new  stage 
of  action  has  been  a  tremendous  power  in  mold- 
ing the  West  into  the  condition  in  which  it  now  ap- 
pears. Mr.  Redman  was  born  in  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, June  I,  1862,  to  the  union  of  James  M. 
and  Mary  (Stuart)  Redman,  the  father  being  of 
Irish  descent,  the  mother  of  Scotch.  James  M. 
Redman  was  born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  1816,  came 
to  the  United  States  in  183 1  and  died  in  1899.  He 
was  a  physician.  The  mother  is  a  native  of  Wor- 
cester, Massachusetts,  and  is  now  in  her  seventy- 
second  year.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  edu- 
cated in  Lynn  and  at  the  Brockman  Academy,  and 
remrined  at  home  until  eighteen  years  old.  At  that 
age  he  bade  farewell  to  his  eastern  home  and 
friends  and  came  direct  to  the  thriving  town  of 
Spokane  Falls.  Subsequently  he  joined  the  rush 
to  the  Coeur  d'Alenes  and  as  a  pioneer  of  that 
region  is  familiar  with  the  establishment  of  Mul- 
lan,  Murray,  Wardner,  Wallace  and  other  towns, 
and  the  discovery  of  the  great  silver-lead  bonanzas 
in  that  district.  In  1891  he  left  the  Coeur 
d'Alenes,  joining  the  Northern  Pacific  forces  in 
Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties.  Six  years  later 
his  fondness  for  this  branch  of  engineering  led 
him  to  accept  a  position  with  the  forces  construct- 
ing the  White  Pass  Railroad  in  Alaska.  For  four 
years  he  remained  in  Alaska,  engaged  in  construct- 
ing railroads,  and  in  mining,  meeting  with  fair  suc- 
cess in  both  lines.  He  returned  to  the  states  in 
1902,  coming  immediately  to  Yakima  county, 
which  he  considers  the  best  section  of  country  in 
the  world.  Here  he  was  selected  by  the  govern- 
ment inspector  to  take  charge  of  the  government 
canal  being  built  on  the  reservation  and  for  the  past 
month  has  been  in  active  charge.    Another  W.  H. 


Redman,  belonging  to  a  different  family,  is  super- 
intendent and  chief  engineer  of  this  canal,  and 
Alexander  Tieo,  a  native  Yakima  Indian,  acts  as 
Indian  foreman  and  interpreter.  When  completed 
this  canal  will  be  twelve  miles  long  and  will  bring 
several  thousand  acres  of  the  finest  land  on  the 
reservation  under  water.  Mr.  Redman  is  a  man 
of  recognized  ability  in  construction  work  of  this 
character  and  also  in  mining,  and  his  wide  and  suc- 
cessful experience  adds  to  his  worth  in  these  lines. 
He  has  traveled  over  the  greater  part  of  the  west 
and  has  witnessed  nearly  every  phase  of  western 
life.  His  home  is  in  Eliensburg,  where  he  is  highly 
esteemed  as  a  business  man  and  a  citizen. 


ALEXANDER  E.  McCREDY,  founder  of 
Wapato  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile,  commis- 
sion and  warehouse  business  at  that  station  besides 
operating  several  large  ranches  near  there,  is  one 
of  Yakima  county's  substantial  young  business 
men  and  also  a  pioneer  of  that  region.  Born  May 
3,  1868,  in  Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  to  the  union 
of  William  A.  and  Elizabeth  (Beaman)  McCredy, 
he  is  the  son  of  two  early  pioneers  of  the  North- 
west and  of  the  Middle  West,  thus  coming  naturally 
by  his  tendencies  to  seek  out  the  frontier  and  there 
engage  in  the  grand  work  of  civilizing.  William 
A.  McCredy  was  born  in  Ohio,  of  Scotch  parentage, 
in  1832,  and  later  moved  to  Missouri,  and  in  1853, 
with  his  young  wife,  courageously  set  his  face 
toward  the  Pacific,  six  months  being  required  to 
make  the  long,  dreary  journey  across  the  Plains 
and  mountain  ranges  between  the  Middle  West  and 
the  famed  valley  of  the  Willamette.  Having  ar- 
rived in  the  promised  land,  the  young  pioneer  set- 
tled upon  a  donation  claim  of  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  and  there  lived  until  1879.  Among 
his  first  purchases  in  Oregon  was  a  sack  of  flour, 
costing  five  dollars,  from  the  Hudson's  Bay  Com- 
pany. In  1879  he  removed  to  the  luxuriant  ranges 
of  Klickitat  county,  where  he  raised  stock  until 
advancing  age  forced  him  into  quiet  retirement. 
Mr.  McCredy  is  now  living  in  Cleveland,  Klicki- 
tat county.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Missouri, 
born  in  1842;  she  died  in  1896.  The  Beamans 
were  descended  from  the  old  North  Carolina  fam- 
ily bearing  that  name  and  Mrs.  McCredy's  parents 
were  pioneers  of  Bates  county,  Missouri.  The  son 
Alexander  spent  his  early  years  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness, securing  an  excellent  education,  however,  at 
McMinnville  College  and  the  Portland  Business 
College,  besides  a  common  school  training.  After 
leaving  school  he  continued  to  raise  stock  until 
1901.  As  a  boy  he  witnessed  the  establishment  of 
most  of  the  towns  in  the  Yakima  country,  as  also 
the  building  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
through  that  section  of  the  territory.  For  seven 
years  he  resided  in  North  Yakima,  he  and  his 
brothers   ranging   stock   in   Yakima,    Kittitas   and 


672 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Klickitat  counties.  In  1901  he  disposed  of  his 
stock  interests  to  accept  an  appointment  as  post 
trader  at  Simcoe  Side  station.  Because  of  his  in- 
tegrity, of  his  ability  and  his  experience  with  and 
knowledge  of  the  Yakima  tribes,  he  was  given 
this  concession  by  the  government  and  August  II, 
1902,  commenced  the  construction  of  the  neces- 
sary buildings  on  the  sage-brush  plain  adjoining 
the  railroad  tracks.  Among  his  first  acts  was 
the  securing  of  a  postoffice  at  that  point.  In 
order  to  obtain  this  the  government  accepted 
Mr.  McCredy's  suggestion  of  the  name  Wa- 
pato,  it  being  necessary  to  change  the  station's 
name  because  of  a  postoffice  at  Fort  Simcoe. 
He  has  been  and  is  a  hard  worker  for  the 
betterment  of  the  Indians  and  the  development 
of  their  lrnds  and,  because  of  this  genuine  inter- 
est, has  won  the  friendship  of  the'  red  men  on  the 
reservation.  He  secured  the  building  of  roads  into 
Wapato  and  has  taken  the  lead  in  developing  the 
school  at  Wapato  from  a  one-room  institution  into  a 
school  house  containing  four  rooms,  taught  by  three 
tenchers  and  containing  a  high  school  department. 
Mr.  McCredy  emerged  from  bachelorhood  June  14, 
1900,  at  Webster  City,  Iowa,  his  bride  being  Miss 
Allie  Barge;  a  daughter  of  Professor  B.  F.  and 
Mrs.  Carrie  W.  (Showers)  Barge,  of  North  Yak- 
ima. The  father  was  born  in  the  historic  city  of 
Concord,  Massachusetts,  February  2,  1834,  and 
comes  of  Scotch  stock,  tracing  the  history  of  his 
family  back  to  the  landing  of  the  Mayflower.  Mrs. 
Barge  is  a  native  of  Cambridge,  Illinois,  where  she 
was  born  June  2,  1841,  to  pioneers  of  that  state. 
A  full  biography  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barge  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  Mr.  Barge  being 
one  of  the  most  prominent  citizens  of  central 
Washington  and  the  first  superintendent  of  the 
Ellensburg  State  Normal.  Mrs.  McCredy  was 
born  in  Geneseo,  Illinois.  Mr.  McCredy  has  four 
brothers  and  sisters :  Mrs.  Pauline  Varner,  living 
at  McMinnville,  Oregon,  and  George  W.,  John  T. 
and  Leland,  living  at  Bickleton.  Mrs.  McCredy 
has  three  sisters,  Hattie  Eberle  and  Cora  Helen, 
residing  at  Williams,  Iowa,  and  Mrs.  Jennie 
Leckey,  living  at  Eagle  Grove,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Mc- 
Credy is  a  graduate  of  the  Ellensburg  Normal. 
As  a  wedding  tour,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCredy  trav- 
eled extensively  in  Europe,  attending  the'  Paris 
Exposition  in  1900.  He  is  a  Royal  Arch  Mason 
and  a  member  of  the  Elks.  On  political  questions 
he  takes  his  stand  with  the  Republican  party,  of 
which  he  is  an  energetic  member.  Mrs.  McCredy 
is  connected  with  the  Baptist  church,  in  which  or- 
ganization she  has  for  many  years  been  an  earnest 
worker.  She  is  also  postmistress  at  Wapato.  Mr. 
McCredy's  business  interests  are  confined  to  his 
holdings  in  and  around  h?s  home.  In  a  social  way 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCredy  are  popular  with  all  who 
meet  them  and  find  much  satisfaction  in  a  host  of 
warm  friendships.     By  his  indomitable  energy  and 


perseverance  Mr.  McCredy  has  won  for  himself 
an  enviable  position  in  the  commercial  life  of  the 
county  and  is  looked  upon  as  a  successful  young 
citizen  of  ability  and  sterling  qualities. 


HARVEY  JELL1SON,  engaged  in  conduct- 
ing a  dairy  upon  leased  land  near  Wapato,  was 
born  at  Cambridge,  Henry  county,  Illinois,  July 
30,  1858.  Four  years  later  he  came  across  the 
Plains  with  his  parents,  Thomas  J.  and  Rebecca 
(Craig)  Jellison,  to  Yamhill  county,  Oregon, 
where  his  childhood  and  boyhood  were  passed. 
The  father,  of  Holland  Dutch  descent,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  in  1828,  and  by  trade  is  a  wagon- 
maker.  For  many  years  he  was  postmaster  at 
Amity,  Oregon,  where  he  still  resides  on  his  farm. 
He  is  one  of  the  heirs  to  a  fortune  of  many  mil- 
lions left  by  a  distant  Holland  relative.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1835  and  died  in  De- 
cember, 1877.  At  the  age  of  twenty  the  son 
Harvey  began  to  do  for  himself.  For  four  years 
he  was  engaged  in  farming  near  Bozeman,  Mon- 
tana, returning  to  Oregon  in  1884.  The  following 
year  he  settled  in  Ellensburg,  where  he  farmed, 
teamed,  hauled  milk  and  worked  in  mercantile  es- 
tablishments nearly  twelve  years.  In  September, 
1896,  he  removed  to  North  Yakima,  and  for  three 
years  was  a  resident  of  that  city.  Then  he  came 
to  Wapato  and  leased  land  from  the  Indians, 
where  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged  in 
farming  and  operating  a  dairy.  Two  years  ago  he 
opened  a  restaurant  at  Wapato,  but  after  a  year's 
experience  sold  the  property.  At  present  he  owns 
forty  head  of  cattle,  twenty-two  of  which  are  milch 
cows;  also  eight  head  of  fine  horses.  Mr.  Jellison 
considers  that  the  country  surrounding  Wapato 
is  an  ideal  alfalfa  country  and  thinks  that  it  pre- 
sents fine  opportunities  for  a  man  of  limited 
means.  January  2,  1879,  Mr-  Jellison  was  married 
to  Miss  Adelaide  Hager,  daughter  of  Elijah  and 
Susan  (McCarty)  Hager.  Mrs.  Jellison  was  born 
at  Bethel,  Oregon,  in  i860,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried. Elijah  Hager  was  born  in  Kentucky,  in 
1828,  crossed  the  Plains  in  1852  to  California,  was 
married  in  Oregon  in  1859  and  is  now  a  resident 
of  Wapato,  Washington.  The  mother  was  born 
in  Platte  county,  Missouri,  her  father  owning  the 
land  upon  which  Platte  City  was  established.  Her 
parents  crossed  the  Plains  to  Polk  county,  Ore- 
gon, in  1844.  and  there  settled  upon  a  donation 
claim.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jellison  have  four  children, 
all  of  whom  are  living  at  home :  Musetta,  Avey, 
Iva  and  Bird.  Mr.  Jellison  belongs  to  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen,  Woodmen  of  the  World  and  the 
Royal  Tribe  of  Joseph.  Mrs.  Jellison  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church.  In  political  matters, 
Mr.  Jellison  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He  is  a  pros- 
perous dairyman  and  a  respected  citizen  of  the 
countv. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


673 


EDWARD  STERLING  SMITH,  business 
manager  of  F.  Groshen's  lands  and  shipping  in- 
terests at  Wapato,  belongs  to  a  family  of  Ken- 
tucky and  Missouri  pioneers  and  himself  is  a  pio- 
neer of  Klickitat  county,  having  come  to  Golden- 
dale  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  He  is 
a  native  of  Missouri,  born  in  Scotland  county, 
May  27,  1862,  to  William  D.  and  Mary  (Owens) 
Smith,  natives  of  Kentucky.  The  father  removed 
to  Missouri  in  an  early  day  and  lived  there  until 
he  crossed  the  Plains  to  the  Idaho  mines  in  1865. 
Subsequently  he  returned;  then  in  1875  went  to 
California,  and  in  January,  1878,  settled  at  the 
little  frontier  town,  Goldendale,  his  family  arriving 
the  next  year.  Twice  he  was  elected  assessor  and 
twice  sheriff  of  Scotland  county,  Missouri,  and  in 
1880  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Washington 
territorial  legislature.  In  1882  he  was  the  unsuc- 
cessful candidate  of  his  party,  the  Democratic,  for 
the.  office  of  probate  judge  of  Klickitat  county.  He 
died  at  Goldendale  in  August,  1899.  The  mother 
is  still  living  in  Goldendale  at  the  ag.e  of  seventy- 
six.  The  subject  of  this  sketch  went  to  Califor- 
nia with  his  parents  in  1875  at  the  age  of  four- 
teen, later  went  to  Oregon  and  then  to  Golden- 
dale, receiving  most  of  his  schooling  at  the  latter 
place.  When  twenty-two  years  old  he  bade  fare- 
well to  his  father's  farm  and  shouldered  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  life  alone.  He  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits,  living  near  Centerville  until 
1897,  when  he  removed  to  Zillah.  There  he  farmed 
four  years,  leaving  that  place  to  assume  his  pres- 
ent position  across  the  river  at  Wapato.  A  tract 
of  eight  hundred  acres  is  under  his  management. 
Mr.  Smith  was  married  May  11,  1884,  at  Golden- 
dale to  Miss  Martha  J.  Wheelis,  a  native  daughter 
of  California,  where  she  was  born,  December  8, 
1864.  Her  parents  are  Isom  and  Nancy  (Bragg) 
Wheelis,  of  Tennessee  and  Missouri  birth,  respect- 
ively. For  many  years  the  father  was  minister 
of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  church.  In  pio- 
neer days  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  California  and 
there  lived  until  1880.  when  he  moved  to  Golden- 
dale, Washington,  where  he  resided  for  six  years, 
then  to  Qe-Elum,  thence  to  Everson,  and  at  last 
returned  to  California,  where  he  died  in  May, 
1900.  Mrs.  Wheelis  is  living  at  present  in  Spo- 
kane. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smith  have  three  children: 
Rufus  Orville,  Vivian  I.  and  Claude  A.,  all  of 
whom  are  at  home.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Smith  is 
connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen ;  politically, 
he  is  an  active  and  influential  Democrat,  having 
been  for  some  time  a  committeeman  in  Klickitat 
county.  Mrs.  Smith  is  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Christian  church.  Mr.  Smith's  brothers  and  sis- 
ters are  as  follows:  Mrs.  Sallie  Teel,  Spokane; 
Thomas  J.,  California;  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Hamilton, 
Goldendale ;  John  H.,  county  auditor  of  Klickitat 
county;  Mrs.  Emma  Hamilton,  Oregon  City;  Fred, 
California ;   and   Lee,   Lud   B.,   Snighton    D.    and 


David  C,  Centerville.  Mr.  Smith  is  considered  a 
man  of  sound  integrity  and  a  good,  substantial 
citizen. 


ARCHIE  L.  NORTON,  manager  of  the  St. 
Paul  &  Tacoma  Lumber  Company's  branch  yards 
at  Wapato,  is  an  able,  popular  young  man  with 
exceedingly  bright  prospects,  a  young  American 
who  has  accomplished  much  thus  far  in  his  short 
life  and,  best  of  all,  laid  a  substantial  founda- 
tion for  future  growth.  He  was  born  in  St. 
Charles,  Minnesota,  December  18,  1882,  his  par- 
ents being  Thomas  and  Christina  (Gilmour) 
Norton,  also  natives  of  St.  Charles.  The  paternal 
ancestry  is  Irish,  the  maternal  ancestry  Scotch, 
a  blood  union  that  has  produced  many  of  our 
most  successful  men  and  women.  The  father 
lived  in  Minnesota  the  first  thirty  years  of  his 
life,  immigrating  with  his  family  to  North  Yaki- 
ma when  that  city  was  established  in  1885.  Here 
for  many  years  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits, 
as  he  had  done  in  Minnesota,  finally,  however, 
engaging  in  the  transfer  business  in  North 
Yakima  with  which  he  is  still  occupied.  Mrs. 
Norton  was  born  in  1856.  Archie  has  spent 
nearly  his  whole  life  in  Yakima  county.  His 
education  was  received  in  the  schools  of  North 
Yakima  and  included  a  high  school  course ;  also 
a  supplementary  course  in  bookkeeping  and  other 
business  requirements.  At  the  age  of  nineteen 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  St.  Paul  &  Tacoma 
Lumber  Company  at  Lind,  Washington,  and  pre- 
vious to  his  promotion  to  the  management  of  the 
Wapato  branch  was  stationed  at  Kennewick  and 
Mabton.  He  arrived  at  Wapato  August  15,  1903, 
and  at  once  opened  a  yard  and  began  the  con- 
struction of  a  warehouse  which,  when  completed, 
will  be  the  best  one  the  company  owns  along  the 
Cascade  branch  of  the  Northern  Pacific.  Its  di- 
mensions are  40x150  feet,  with  an  eight-foot 
porch  surrounding  the  building.  Besides  a  gen- 
eral lumber  business,  the  Wapato  branch  will 
store  and  ship  hops, <  potatoes,  etc.  All  grades 
and  sizes  of  finished  and  unfinished  lumber,  fruit 
boxes,  ornamental  work,  etc.,  are  carried  by  this 
corporation.  Mr.  Norton  has  one  brother,  Will- 
iam E.,  a  harness-maker,  and  one  sister,  Aleda, 
both  living  in  North  Yakima.  Fraternally,  he  is 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen.  Wapato,  he 
considers,  is  one  of  the  coming  important  com- 
mercial centers  of  the  county  and  as  one  of  its 
business  men  is  an  indefatigahle  worker  for  its  ad- 
vancement. As  an  honest,  industrious  young 
citizen  of  abilitv  and  stability,  a  representative 
young  American.  Mr.  Norton  is  respected  and 
esteemed  bv  all.  who  wish  him  only  continued 
success  and  happiness. 


ABNER   J.    SMITH,    ranchman,    lives    three 
miles  northwest  of  Wapato.     It  would  be  difficult 


674 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


to  find  a  more  typical  representative  of  the  old 
school  of  western  pioneers  than  is  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Few  have  had  a  more  varied  or  ex- 
citing experience  than  has  this  frontiersman,  In- 
dian fighter,  miner,  freighter,  farmer,  stock  raiser 
and  traveler.  As  a  pioneer  of  the  Northwest,  he 
is  one  of  the  earliest,  having  come  to  Oregon  in 
1843.  ^r-  Smith  was  born  in  Buchanan  county, 
Missouri,  May  10,  1838,  to  the  union  of  Ander- 
son and  Ann  (Enyart)  Smith,  natives  of  Ken- 
tucky, the  birthplace  of  so  many  western  pio- 
neers. Anderson  Smith  crossed  the  Plains  by 
ox  teams  to  Oregon  in  1843,  settling  upon  a 
donation  claim  near  Portland's  site,  where  he 
lived  until  his  death  in  1873.  The  mother  crossed 
the  Plains  with  her  husband  and  until  her  death 
lived  in  the  Willamette  valley  also.  Abner  J. 
remained  on  the  farm  with  his  parents  until  sev- 
enteen years  old,  in  February,  1856,  enlisting  as  a 
volunteer  to  fight  the  rebellious  Indians  of  the 
Northwest.  He  was  in  the  famous  campaign  ex- 
tending from  Walla  Walla  west  to  the  Yakima 
valley  and  thence  south  through  Klickitat  county 
to  the  Columbia,  participating  in  several  engage- 
ments, one  on  the  Satus  river.  Upon  being  mus- 
tered out  at  Portland  he  joined  Company  K, 
Washington  volunteers,  serving  under  Captain 
Francis  M.  Goffs  in  eastern  Oregon.  An  ex- 
tended account  of  these  wars  will  be  found  else- 
where in  this  volume.  After  these  Indian  cam- 
paigns, Mr.  Smith  made  a  trip  to  Fort  Simcoe 
as  government  herder,  and  later  lived  at  Van- 
couver, where  he  became  well  acquainted  with 
Dr.  McLoughlin  of  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
fame.  In  1858  Mr.  Smith  drove  a  band  of  cattle 
to  Jackson  county,  Oregon,  and  there  engaged  in 
mining  a  short  time ;  then  he  went  to  Siskiyou 
county,  California;  thence  to  the  Fraser  river 
mines  via  The  Dalles  and  Okanogan  river,  re- 
turning to  Portland  in  the  spring  of  1861.  Late 
that  fall  the  wonderful  Florence  basin  was  dis- 
covered in  Idaho  and  to  it  went  our  roving 
frontiersman,  joining  the  mad  stampede.  A  year 
later  he  visited  the  Canyon'City  mines  in  eastern 
Oregon,  then  went  to  Boise  basin  and  Idaho  City 
and  finally  closed  his  mining  experience  by 
spending  two  summers  in  the  Warren,  diggings, 
although  in  subsequent  years  he  visited  Silver 
City  (1871),  Eureka,  Nevada  (1872),  and  Fraser 
river  again  (1873),  besides  engaging  in  a  small 
way  in  washing  the  sands  of  the  Columbia,  near 
Umatilla.  In  1873  ne  settled  near  Olympia  and 
there  for  twenty-two  years  was  successfully  en- 
gaged in  the  oyster  business,  holding  the  respon- 
sible position  of  state  oyster  commissioner  under 
Governor  Rogers.  Four  years  ago  Mr.  Smith 
purchased  a  ranch  in  Yakima  county  three  miles 
below  Zillah.  In  the  fall  of  1900  he  came  to  his 
present  home  near  Wapato,  retaining  the  Zillah 
place  until  quite  recently.  Mr.  Smith  was  mar- 
ried   in    the   summer   of    1896    to    Mrs.   Sophia 


(Thomas)  Howard,  in  whose  veins  flows  the 
blood  of  the  Yakima  Indian  race.  One  child, 
Frances  Arilla,  has  resulted  from  this  union, 
besides  whom  there  are  two  daughters,  Ida  M. 
and  Ara  C,  by  a  former  marriage  of  Mr.  Smith's. 
In  political  matters  Mr.  Smith  is  an  unswerving 
Democrat.  As  the  result  of  his  service  in  Indian 
wars  the  government  has  placed  him  on  the  list 
of  pensioners,  his  application  having  been  al- 
lowed seven  months  ago.  The  grizzled  old  vet- 
eran and  pioneer — one  of  the  type  rapidly  be- 
coming extinct — has  done  a  full  share  in  exploit- 
ing the  natural  advantages  of  the  far  West  and  in 
subduing  the  forces  opposed  to  civilization  and 
now,  in  the  winter  of  life,  is  finding  it  most 
pleasant  to  spend  his  remaining  years  in  the 
sunny,  blooming  Yakima  country  where  he  rode 
and  fought  half  a  century  ago. 


JOHN  E.  COMBS,  a  leaser  of  Indian  land 
residing  two  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Wapato, 
is  a  prosperous,  energetic  young  farmer  of 
Yakima  county.  He  was  born  in  Noble  county, 
Ohio,  September  10,  1866,  the  son  of  Isaac  M. 
and  Agnes  (Squires)  Combs,  natives  of  Ohio  and 
Pennsylvania  respectively.  The  Combs  family 
came  to  Ohio  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  John  Combs'  grandfather  settling  in 
Noble  county  when  he  was  twelve  years  old. 
Isaac  Combs  was  born  and  still  lives  on  this  old 
homestead.  He  assisted  in  the  chase  of  Morgan, 
the  Confederate  raider,  through  Ohio  in  Civil 
war  times.  As  an  influential  Republican  Mr. 
Combs  served  his  county  two  terms  and  part  of 
another  as  commissioner  and  is  still  a  force  in 
his  community.  The  mother  was  a  member  of 
the  third  generation  of  the  Squires  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  subject  of  this  sketch  passed  his 
youth  and  early  manhood  in  Ohio,  receiving  a 
substantial  education  in  the  common  schools,  sup- 
plemented by  a  business  training  in  .1  Kansas 
City  commercial  school.  At  the  conclusion  of 
this  two  years'  business  course  he  accepted  a  po- 
sition as  collector  in  Kansas  City,  remaining 
there  until  March,  1891,  when  he  came  west  to 
Spokane.  In  Washington  he  first  settled  at 
Oakesdale,  where  he  farmed  leased  school  land. 
The  financial  stringency  of  1893  sent  him  into 
bankruptcy,  but  subsequently  he  recovered.  The 
leased  school  land  he  still  controls,  having  it 
rented.  For  a  number  of  years  Mr.  Combs  was 
receiving  and  shipping  agent  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
Elevator  Companv's  branch  at  Oakesdale  and  for 
a  short  time  was  employed  in  the  mercantile 
business.  In  October,  1902,  he  came  to  Yakima 
county  and  the  following  March  leased  his  pres- 
ent place  of  eighty  acres.  Mr.  Combs  has  seven 
brothers  and  sisters :  Frank  D.,  owner  of  a  plan- 
ing mill  and  contractor  at  Caldwell,  Ohio;  Albert 
G.,    Charles    M..   Ode    S..   Cora    M.,   Fred,    ami 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


675 


Estella  F.,  all  living  in  Ohio,  the  last  named 
brother  being-  a  merchant  in  Bell  Valley.  Mr. 
Combs  is  united  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America,  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  in  politics  is  a  Republican  of  most  liberal 
views.  He  is  satisfied  that  the  Yakima  country 
is  one  of  the  most  favored  spots  in  the  North- 
west and  has  shown  a  substantial  token  of  his 
belief  by  becoming  a  citizen  thereof.  Although  a 
new  comer  into  the  community,  he  has  already 
won  a  position  of  influence  among  his  fellow  men. 


ELIAS  W.  BAINTER,  residing  two  miles 
southwest  of  Wapato,  is  a  German-American  farmer 
of  unusually  varied  experience  in  the  industry  to 
which  he  has  devoted  a  lifetime.  Born  in  Hocking 
valley,  Ohio,  near  the  town  of  Logan,  February  19, 
1850,  he  is  the  son  of  Elias  and  Elizabeth  (Easter) 
Bainter,  the  father  being  of  German  parentage  but 
of  American  birth,  while  the  mother  was  born  in 
Germany.  She  came  across  the  seas  with  her  parents 
when  a  child.  The  father  was  born  in  18 10,  and 
was  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  Hocking  valley. 
He  devoted  his  life  to  two  noble  pursuits,  farming 
and  preaching  the  Gospel,  being  a  Methodist  min- 
ister. The  mother  died  in  1850;  the  father,  nine 
years  later.  Elias,  Junior,  remained  on  his  father's 
farm  until  eighteen  years  of  age,  meanwhile  attend- 
ing school.  He  then  went  to  Illinois,  the  first  step 
in  his  journey  across  the  continent,  and  there  for 
four  years  tilled  the  soil  of  Shelby  county.  In  the 
fall  of  1871  he  pushed  farther  westward,  settling  in 
Harlan  county,  Nebraska,  on  government  land.  Ten 
years  later  he  removed  his  home  to  Fillmore  county, 
where  for  another  ten  years  he  farmed  and  raised 
stock  with  fair  success.  At  the  end  of  that  decade, 
1891,  he  took  another  step  westward,  living  three 
years  in  Garfield  county,  Colorado;  then  moved 
to  eastern  L'tah,  and  was  there  engaged  in  his 
favorite  occupation  until  the  fall  of  1897,  when  he 
went  northward  into  Box  Elder  county.  Two  years 
later,  or  in  1899,  ne  continued  his  progress  toward 
the  Pacific,  arriving  in  Yakima  county  in  August  of 
that  year,  and  settling  upon  his  present  place  near 
Wapato  the  following  spring.  Mr.  Bainter  believes 
that  he  has  finally  reached  the  peer  of  any  farming 
country  in  the  West,  and  in  Yakima  county  he  in- 
tends spending  the  remainder  of  his  days.  He  was 
married  September  13,  1877,  in  Fillmore  county, 
Nebraska,  to  Miss  Catherine  L.  Walker,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Thomas  and  Levina  (Savior)  Walker. 
Thomas  Walker  was  born  in  Maryland,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  parentage,  and  died  in  January,  1885,  in 
Nebraska.  By  occupation  he  was  a  successful 
fanner.  The  mother  was  of  German  descent.  She 
died  in  June,  1901.  Mrs.  Bainter  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania, in  August,  1857.  and  came  to  Nebraska 
with  her  parents.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bainter  have 
been   bnrn   the   following  children :    Elmer    C.    at 


home ;  Mrs.  Delia  Have,  living  in  North  Yakima ; 
Fred  O.,  at  home;  Mrs.  Mertie  S.  Washburn,  a  resi- 
dent of  Bellingham,  Washington ;  Maisie  L.  and  Ora 
B.,  both  living  at  home.  In  political  matters  Mr. 
Bainter  is  tied  to  no  particular  party,  but  votes  for 
the  measures  and  men  most  satisfactory  to  him. 
While  paying  particular  attention  to  the  raising  of 
potatoes  and  grain,  in  which  he  has  been  eminently 
successful,  Mr.  Bainter  is  also  devoting  considerable 
time  and  money  to  the  breeding  of  thoroughbred 
Shorthorn  cattle  and  Poland-China  hogs,  attaining 
very  good  results.  He  is  respected  and  esteemed  as 
a  substantial  citizen  of  his  communitv. 


MARCUS  D.  MOODY,  although  his  residence 
in  Yakima  county  is  one  of  less  than  three  years' 
duration,  has  by  his  ability,  strength  of  character 
and  public  spirit  in  that  short  period  of  time  risen 
to  a  position  of  influence  in  his  community.  Living 
in  a  section  of  the  county  as  yet  considered  a  strip 
of  frontier — the  Yakima  Indian  reservation — Mr. 
Moody  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the  development 
of  its  natural  resources,  and  the  products  of  his 
ranch,  situated  four  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of 
Wapato,  bear  testimony  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil, 
the  favorableness  of  the  climate  and  his  skill  as  a 
farmer.  He  was  born  in  Caldwell  county,  North 
Carolina,  January  22,  1863,  to  Robert  H.  and  Bath- 
sheba  (Chambers)  Moody,  also  natives  of  North 
Carolina,  the  father  born  May  10,  1822,  and  the 
mother  November  28,  1830.  Both  parents  were 
members  of  pioneer  families  in  that  state.  The 
father's  profession  is  that  of  a  Baptist  minister,  and 
in  this  noble  calling  he  has  spent  all  the  years  of  his 
manhood.  The  mother  died  in  1896,  but  Rev.  R.  H. 
Moody  is  still  living,  residing  at  Junction  City, 
Kansas. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  received  his  early 
training  in  the  duties  of  life  on  his  father's  farm  and 
the  farms  of  others  in  North  Carolina,  at  the  same 
time  attending  the  common  schools.  When  sixteen 
years  old  he  went  to  Kansas  with  his  parents,  and 
there,  five  years  later,  he  was  married  and  com- 
menced working  for  himself.  Until  1887  he  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  buying  and  selling  land  in 
Kansas,  living  in  Rice  county  much  of  the  time.  In 
the  western  part  of  the  state  he  pre-empted  land,  on 
which  he  lived  until  he  went  to  California  in  1887. 
He  settled  near  Oakland,  that  state,  where  he  lived 
for  two  and  a  half  years,  removing  thence  to  Seattle. 
Here  his  home  was  until  1893,  when  central  Wash- 
ington attracted  him  so  strongly  as  to  induce  him 
to  file  a  homestead  claim  to  a  quarter  section  of  fine 
land  in  Robinson  canyon,  Kittitas  county.  For  seven 
years  he  made  his  home  among  the  prosperous 
people  of  the  Kittitas  valley,  where  he  drew  to  him- 
self a  host  of  friends ;  but  in  1901  he  discerned  a 
better  field  for  his  endeavors  in  the  great,  virgin 
tract  of  Indian  land  along  the  Yakima  river,  below 


676 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


North  Yakima,  so  thither  he  came  and  there  he  has 
since  lived,  leasing  a  quarter  section  of  the  finest 
land. 

Mr.  Moody  was  married  October  4,  1882,  at 
Chase,  Rice  county,  Kansas,  to  Miss  Martha  J.  Ken- 
ton, a  native  of  Kentucky,  born  in  April,  1859,  to 
the  union  of  George  W.  and  Elmira  (Collins)  Ken- 
ton. Her  family — the  Kentons — are  members  of  the 
famous  old  Kentucky  stock  bearing  that  name,  the 
Kentons  with  whom  Daniel  Boone  fought  in  the 
conquest  of  Kentucky.  George  W.  Kenton  is  still 
living  at  an  advanced  age  at  Raymond,  Kansas,  as  is 
also  his  wife.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moody  have  been 
born  eight  children  :  Maude  L..  George  R,  Mary  E.. 
William  T..  Elmira  B..  Elvira  E.,  Martha  K.  B.,  and 
David  K.,  all  of  whom  are  living  at  home.  As  a 
member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Mr. 
Moody  holds  the  office  of  worthy  adviser  in  the 
lodge  to  which  he  belongs ;  in  political  affairs  he 
takes  a  deep  interest  and  he  is  known  as  a  stalwart 
Republican.  In  educational  matters  he  is  also  deeplv 
interested.  He  has  been  for  many  years  a  school 
director,  at  the  present  time  being  a  member  of  the 
board  in  district  No.  54  at  Wapato.  His  service  for 
the  cause  of  education  in  both  Kittitas  and  Yakima 
counties  has  been  highly  creditable  to  himself,  and 
has  brought  out  in  strong  light  his  abilities,  perse- 
verance and  integrity  as  a  citizen.  His  ranch  pro- 
duces hay,  potatoes,  grain  and  other  products 
peculiarly  adapted  to  the  Yakima  region. 


PETER  N.  CAMPBELL,  one  of  the  prosper- 
ous and  popular  ranchmen  engaged  in  farming  on 
the  reservation  near  Wapato,  is  of  Scotch  descent 
and  endowed  with  those  traits  of  character  which 
have  placed  the  Scotch  people  in  the  front  ranks 
of  our  American  citizenship,  although  as  yet  the 
subject  of  this  biography  is  loyal  to  the  British 
flag.  He  was  born  in  Kent  county,  Ontario,  in 
1869,  his  parents  being  Peter  and  Isabella  (Mc- 
Carty)  Campbell,  born  in  Scotland  in  the  years 
1819  and  1825  respectively.  The  father  came  to 
New  York  in  1830  and  subsequently  settled  in 
Canada  with  his  parents.  There  he  has  successfully 
pursued  farming  and  milling  and  with  his  wife 
still  lives  in  the  contentment  of  a  ripe  age.  The 
mother  came  to  Canada  in  1838  and  was  there 
married  to  Mr.  Campbell.  Peter  N.  Campbell  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Canada  and  also 
attended  business  college.  For  a  time  he  acted 
as  assistant  bookkeeper  in  his  father's  mill.  In 
1882  the  family  went  to  Manitoba,  where  father 
and  sons  engaged  in  the  elevator  business  at  Port- 
age la  Prairie,  also  operating  a  grist-mill  at  that 
place.  When  Peter  reached  an  age  of  judgment 
in  business  affairs  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
elevator,  buying  and  shipping  large  quantities  of 
grain.  In  connection  with  this  business  he  and 
his  brothers  conducted  a  thousand-acre  grain  farm 


and  bought  and  sold  grain  throughout  the  prov- 
ince. Mr.  Campbell  was  thus  successfully  engaged 
until  the  middle  nineties,  when  the  financial  strin- 
gency and  other  business  troubles  caused  him  to 
retire.  In  1895  he  sold  his  interests  and  came  to 
North  Yakima.  For  six  years  he  leased  and 
farmed  two  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  land, 
known  as  the  Dr.  Morrison  place,  in  the  Yakima 
valley,  raising  hops,  hay  and  fruit.  Then,  in  1901, 
he  removed  to  his  present  home  on  the  reserva- 
tion, three  and  a  half  miles  southwest  of  Wapato. 
On  this  eighty-acre  farm  he  is  prospering  and 
gradually  building  up  his  interests. 

He  was  married  June  18,  1889,  in  Ontario,  to- 
Miss  Mary  Patterson,  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Catherine  (Smith)  Patterson.  The  father  was  born- 
in  Scotland  in  1819,  came  to  Canada  in  his  tenth 
year,  where  he  lived,  respected  by  all,  until  his- 
death,  September  7,  1903.  The  mother  is  of  Ger- 
man descent,  but  of  Canadian  birth,  and  is  still 
living.  Mrs.  Campbell  was  born  in  Ontario  in 
1865  and  received  her  education  at  Ridgetowm 
Into  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell's  home  have  come 
five  children,  Roy,  Vera,  Pearl,  Lorna  and  Ralph, 
the  oldest  of  whom  is  thirteen  and  the  youngest 
four.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  are  faithful  mem- 
bers of  the  Christian  church.  He  is  affiliated  with 
the  Wapato  camp  of  Modern  Woodmen.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  highly  esteemed  as  loyal,  help- 
ful friends  and  neighbors  and  he  is  recognized  as 
a  substantial,  progressive  citizen  of  integrity  and' 
true  worth. 


CHARLES  D.  LAWRENCE,  who  lives  five 
miles  southwest  of  Wapato  on  the  reservation, 
where  he  leases  a  quarter  section  of  fine  land,  is- 
a  native  of  Washington,  Ohio,  1856  being  the 
year  of  his  birth.  His  father  and  mother  were  Hen- 
derson and  Margaret  (Fleming)  Lawrence,  he 
being  born  in  Ohio  in  1825,  the  son  of  two  of  the 
earliest  pioneers  of  that  region.  His  death  occurred 
in  1862.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Scotland, 
who  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
woman  and  died  in  Ohio  in  1864  at  the  age  of  forty- 
two.  She  had  a  brother  who  accompanied  the 
famous  Fremont  expedition  to  the  Pacific.  The 
son  Charles  when  only  seven  years  old  was  left 
an  orphan.  Fortunately,  however,  his  aunt,  Mrs, 
Lydia  Lawrence-Hart,  matron  of  the  Marietta 
Orphans'  Home  for  fifteen  years  beginning  with 
1869,  took  the  young  lad  in  charge  and  under  her 
care  he  received  a  meager  education  and  was  in- 
structed in  farming.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  went 
to  Corning,  Iowa ;  a  year  later  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  himself,  living  in  Iowa  nine  years.  Then 
he  removed  to  Columbus,  Nebraska.  During  his 
residence  in  Iowa,  in  1878,  a  cyclone  struck  his 
home,  destroying  most  of  his  property,  grinding 
the    house  into  kindling    wood  and  carrying    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


677 


family  some  distance,  thought  not  seriously  injur- 
ing them.  In  Nebraska  he  engaged  in  farming 
and  stock  raising  extensively,  living  there  nine 
years,  during  which  period  he  prospered  exceed- 
ingly. Then  he  sold  out  and  spent  two  years  in 
the  Ozark  mountains,  Missouri,  after  which  he  lived 
successively  in  western  Nebraska,  Oklahoma,  Mis- 
souri, Kansas,  Dakota,  where  he  lived  from  1895 
to  1900,  Idaho,  and  finally  in  June,  1902,  settled 
upon  his  present  place,  where  he  intends  remaining, 
as  he  considers  the  Yakima  valley  one  of  the  best 
favored  localities  in  the  West. 

Mr.  Lawrence  was  married  October  21,  1877, 
in  Iowa,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Lock,  born  in  Ohio,  1856, 
to  the  union  of  Jacob  and  Phoebe  (Filman)  Lock. 
Both  father  and  mother  were  born  in  Prussia — 
in  1830  and  1829,  respectively.  Mr.  Lock  came 
to  America  when  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  In 
1864  he  settled  in  Iowa  and  later  went  to  Nebraska, 
where  he  and  his  wife  are  still  living.  By  trade 
he  is  a  tailor.  One  of  his  brothers  served  in  the 
Civil  war  and  was  present  at  the  capture  of  Jeffer- 
son Davis.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence's  children  are 
as  follows:  Phoebe,  Henry  J.,  Simon,  Lydia,  Es- 
tella  R.,  Charles  D.  and  Rufus  F.  Mr.  Lawrence 
is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America. 
Because  of  their  congeniality,  hospitality  and  true 
kindness  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lawrence  have  won  the 
friendship  of  all  with  whom  they  came  in  contact, 
and  the  husband  and  father  is  considered  a  good 
citizen.  His  ranch  is  principally  devoted  to  corn, 
alfalfa  and  potatoes. 


REV.  FREEMAN  WALDEN,  now  engaged 
in  fruit  growing  and  hay  farming,  resides  three 
miles  northwest  of  Zillah.  He  was  born  in  In- 
diana March  18,  1839,  the  son  of  Joseph  and 
Rhoda  (Sparks)  Walden.  His  father  was  a  na- 
tive of  Connecticut,  born  in  1792;  was  a  physi- 
cian and  school  teacher,  a  veteran  of  the  War  of 
1812,  and  died  in  1854.  His  mother  was  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  born  in  1812  and  died  in  1864.  The 
son  Freeman  received  a  high  school  and  college 
education  in  Iowa  and  taught  school  both  be- 
fore and  after  graduation.  In  1862  he  ceased  his 
labors  as  a  teacher  and  entered  the  ministry,  in 
which  calling  he  has  ever  since  remained,  al- 
though he  has  not  preached  for  compensation 
since  1896.  He  came  to  Washington  in  1888, 
locating  at  Waitsburg,  where  he  had  charge  of 
a  congregation  for  four  years.  Afterwards  he 
bad  charge  of  the  Christian  church  at  North 
Yakima  for  several  months,  eventually  resigning 
and  going  east.  After  one  year  in  Clinton,  Mis- 
souri, and  one  vear  in  Boise,  Idaho,  he  returned 
to  Washington  and  was  located  first  in  Pomeroy 
and  later  in  Ellensburg.  Although  he  still 
preaches  every  Sunday,  he  closed  his  work  in  the 
ministry   as  a   calling  when  he   gave  up   the   El- 


lensburg: charge.  In  1888  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  first  state  convention  of  ministers  and 
for  one  year  served  the  association  as  a  state 
evangelist.  In  1898  he  organized  the  first  church 
in  Zillah,  at  the  present  time  an  active  and  a 
growing  congregation.  Rev>  Air.  Walden  has 
always  been  a  student  of  horticulture  and  many 
years  ago  published  a  book  in  Iowa  entitled  "The 
Small  Fruit  Guide."  In  1891  he  purchased  eighty 
acres  of  land  where  he  now  lives  and  afterwards 
sent  his  sons  here  to  start  a  nursery.  This  was 
successfully  accomplished  and  one  hundred  thou- 
sand fruit  trees  were  sold  in  the  valley,  besides 
those  grown  for  the  setting  of  a  large  orchard 
on  the  place.  Other  acres  were  afterwards  added 
to  the  farm,  which  now  consists  of  two  hundred 
and  six  acres,  sixty  of  which  are  in  bearing 
orchard  and  forty  more  in  young  trees.  Mr. 
Walden  is  known  as  the  apple  king  of  central 
Washington,  and  probably  produces  more  and 
finer  apples  than  any  one  else  in  the  state.  He 
personally  superintended  the  packing  of  fifty 
boxes  of  apples  which  he  sent  to  the  Buffalo  Ex- 
position and  which  captured  a  gold  medal.  He 
is  an  acknowledged  authority  on  horticulture ; 
is  editor  of  the  horticultural  department  of  The 
Ranch,  a  farm  paper  published  at  Seattle ;  is  a 
regularly  engaged  lecturer  before  the  farmers' 
institutes  throughout  the  state,  and  has  been  in- 
vited to  lecture  on  the  subject  in  British  Colum- 
bia and  at  other  places. 

Mr.  Walden  was  married  in  Iowa  in  1862,  to 
Miss  Mary  O.  Berry,  who  was  born  in  the  same 
state  in  1840,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  H.  and 
Ellen  (Barnes)  Berry.  The  wife  died  in  North 
Yakima  in  1891  ;  she  was  the  mother  of  nine 
children.  Mr.  Walden  was  again  married  in  1892 
to  Mrs.  Anna  E.  (Beeson)  Van  Voorhees,  born 
in  Ohio,  July,  1843,  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Martha  (Smith)  Beeson.  Mr.  Walden  has  one 
brother  living,  Joseph,  born  in  Iowa  and  now 
living  in  Minnesota.  The  following  are  the 
names  of  the  children:  A.  fudson,  James  C, 
Lettie  M..  Leila,  William  B..  Hattie  and  Mattie 
(twins),  deceased:  Smiley  F.,  born  in  Iowa,  April 
22.  1867,  married  in  North  Yakima.  October  25. 
1893,  to  Miss  Edna  Van  Buskirk:  their  children 
are :  Francis  L.,  Zella  M.,  and  Gladys  B. ; 
Francis  M.,  born  in  Iowa.  October  18,  1877,  mar- 
ried, June  30,  1903.  to  Miss  Myrtle  Gale,  living 
on  the  home  farm.  Mr.  Walden's  fraternal  con- 
nections are  with  the  Masons.  In  political  mat- 
ters he  advocates  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
partv.  The  greater  portion  of  his  time  is  devoted 
to  the  superintendency  of  the  fruit  farm,  which 
has  yielded  in  some  vears  a  net  income  of  one 
hundred  dollars  per  acre.  He  always  takes  a 
special  interest  in  educational  matters  and  was 
identified  with  the  organization  of  school  district 
No.  50.  He  is  widely  known  over  central  Wash- 
ington for  his  work  as  a  minister  and  as  a  horti- 


678 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


culturist ;  is  a  man  of  influence  in  local  and  gen- 
eral affairs :  has  lived  a  very  busy  and  a  very 
useful  life,  and  wherever  known  is  highly 
esteemed  and  respected  by  his  fellow  men. 


JOHN  P.  FOX,  postmaster  at  Zillah,  Wash- 
ington, is  a  native  of  Ohio,  where  he  was  born 
July  17,  1847,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Fisher) 
Fox.  His  father  was  a  former,  born  in  Virginia, 
181 1,  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Vernon  county, 
Wisconsin,  where  he  died ;  he  was  of  German  and 
Irish  descent.  His  mother,  of  German  descent, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1814  and  died  in 
Wisconsin.  The  son  John  attended  school  in 
Wisconsin  until  sixteen  years  old,  when  he  be- 
gan to  earn  his  own  living.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
he  opened  a  blacksmith  shop,  hiring  a  smith  from 
whom  he  learned  the  trade,  following  this,  with 
intervals  spent  in  other  occupations,  until  1898. 
In  1870  he  went  to  Minnesota  and  engaged  in 
raising  wheat;  but  the  venture  not  proving  suc- 
cessful, he  returned  to  Wisconsin,  farmed  for 
four  years  and  again  opened  a  blacksmith  shop. 
In  1887  he  went  to  Champion,  Nebraska,  opened 
a  shop  and  continued  there  until  1893,  when  he 
came  to  Washington,  locating  in  Zillah.  Here  he 
bought  a  shop  that  had  already  been  built,  the 
first  erected  in  the  town,  which  he  operated  until 
he  received  the  appointment  as  postmaster  in 
1898.  In  1900  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land 
adjoining  the  town  and  has  made  of  it  one  of  the 
best  farms  in  the  vicinity.  Two  sisters,  Mrs. 
Amanda  Marsh  and  Mrs.  Melissa  Marsh,  live  in 
Nebraska;  two  brothers,  Elias  and  LaFayette, 
live  in  Wisconsin.  One  sister  and  three  brothers 
are  dead ;  two  of  the  brothers,  members  of  Com- 
pany I,  Sixth  Wisconsin  volunteers,  died  while 
soldiers  of  the  Civil  war.  Mr.  Fox  was  married 
in  Wisconsin,  in  1868,  to  Miss  Clarissa  Allen, 
who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  June  22,  1848,  the 
daughter  of  John  W.  and  Larina  (Boyer)  Allen, 
natives  of  New  York.  Miss  Allen  was  fifth  in 
a  family  of  nine  girls  and  four  boys.  Six  of  her 
brothers  and  sisters  are  living,  as  follows:  Mrs. 
Harriet  Bingham,  Mrs.  Amanda  Lind,  Mrs. 
Juliette  Board,  Mrs.  Augusta  Proctor,  Thomas 
and  Ethan  Allen,  all  living  in  Wisconsin.  John 
W.  Allen,  the  father  of  Mrs.  Fox,  was  a  pioneer 
of  the  early  forties  in  Wisconsin,  a  period  when 
there  were  no  railroads  and  when  it  was  neces- 
sary to  haul  wheat  by  wagon  to  Milwaukee,  a 
distance  of  r.inetv  miles.  Three  children  have 
been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fox :  Delmer,  born 
in  Wisconsin,  May  27,  1869,  now  a  real  estate 
dealer  in  Zillah.  married,  and  has  one  daughter, 
Gratia,  born  in  Ashland,  Wisconsin,  1895 ; 
George,  born  in  Minnesota  January  28,  1871,  also 
married,  and  living  in  Zillah;  and  Walter,  born 
in  Wisconsin,  April  9,  1880.  living  with  his  par- 
ents.    Besides  the  farm,  on  which  there  are  six 


acres  of  orchard,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fox  have  a  com- 
fortable home  in  Zillah.  Mr.  Fox  is  a  Republican, 
and  has  fraternal  connections  with  the  Masons 
and  with  the  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  an  efficient 
postmaster,  a  man  of  energy  and  correct  prin- 
ciples, well  known  for  his  sterling  traits  of  char- 
acter and  highly  respected  by  his  fellow  men. 


WILLIS  S.  DOUGLASS,  water  superintend- 
ent of  the  big  Sunnyside  canal,  who  resides  at 
Zillah,  has  been  a  citizen  of  Yakima  county  for 
fourteen  years.  He  was  born  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  March  25.  1874,  the  son  of  Joshua  P.  and 
Eliza  (Robinson)  Douglass.  The  elder  Douglass 
was  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  183 1,  was  a 
teacher  by  profession,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
was  principal  of  the  Utica,  New  York,  schools. 
In  the  later  years  of  his  life  he  followed  farming 
and  died  in  Yakima  county,  November  20,  1902. 
His  wife,  the  mother  of  Willis  Douglass,  also  a 
native  of  New  York,  born  in  1835,  died  in  Yak- 
ima county,  July  20,  1903.  When  the  son  Willis 
was  but  two  years  old  his  parents  moved  from 
New  York  to  Nebraska  and  here  he  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools.  When  seven- 
teen years  old,  in  1891,  he  came  to  Yakima  county, 
Washington,  and  engaged  at  once  in  carpenter 
work  for  the  Northern  Pacific,  Yakima  and  Kitti- 
tas Irrigation  Company,  the  promoter  of  the  Sun- 
nyside canal.  During  the  winter  months  he  at- 
tended school  and,  in  1884.  attended  one  term  in 
the  Woodcock  academy.  He  continued  with  the 
irrigation  company,  was  from  time  to  time  pro- 
moted, and  when  the  canal  changed  owners,  in 
1889,  he  was  made  water  superintendent,  a  posi- 
tion of  many  responsibilities,  which  he  still  holds. 
He  has  four  sisters  and  two  brothers :  Mrs.  Alice 
Walker  and  Mrs.  Nannie  Mudd,  residing  in  Zil- 
lah; Joshua  P.,  a  printer,  living  in  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois; Grace,  living  on  the  home  farm;  Arthur,  a 
law  student  in  California,  and  Lena,  a  school 
teacher,  living  on  the  home  farm.  There  is  also 
a  half-brother,  Ernest  M.  Douglass,  principal  of 
the  public  schools  at  Sunnyside.  Arthur  Doug- 
lass has  spent  six  years  in  the  Philippines,  three 
years  as  a  soldier  in  a  volunteer  regiment.  Octo- 
ber 9,  1897,  witnessed  the  marriage  in  North  Yak- 
ima of  Willis  Douglass  and  Miss  Ethel  D.  Eader, 
who  was  born  in  Danville,  Illinois,  March  18,  1880, 
the  daughter  of  David  and  Mollie  "(Pricternore) 
Eader,  natives  of  Illinois  and  now  living  in  Indi- 
ana. Her  father  is  a  dealer  in  musical  instruments 
and  has  several  stores  in  eastern  cities.  Mrs. 
Douglass  has  three  sisters :  Mrs.  Edith  Stevens, 
in  California;  Mrs.  Mable  Henderson,  in  Seattle; 
and  Gratia  Eader.  with  her  parents.  Two  children 
have  blessed  the  union  of  Air.  and  Mrs.  Douglass: 
Lucile.  born  August  1.  1898.  and  Clarence  E., 
born  October   10,    1901.     The    family    attend    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


679 


Christian  church.  Mr.  Douglass'  fraternal  connec- 
tions are  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  In  political  matters,  he 
is  an  ardent  supporter  of  President  Roosevelt. 
His  property  interests  consist  of  a  valuable  forty- 
acre  farm,  three  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Zillah, 
a  comfortable  home  in  the  town  and  some  real 
estate  in  Chicago,  Illinois.  Mr.  Douglass  is 
known  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  of  exceptional 
business  and  executive  ability,  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive, and  he  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact  in  a  business  or  social 
way. 


GEORGE  W.  MASON,  for  fourteen  years  a 
resident  of  Yakima  county,  is  now  farming  five 
miles  east  of  Zillah.  He  is  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  December  25,  1837,  the  son  of  Jacob 
and  Amanda  (Harroun)  Mason,  the  father  a  na- 
tive of  Pennsylvania  and  a  pioneer  of  Minnesota, 
and  the  mother  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  in  1806. 
Mr.  Mason  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Wisconsin;  quit  school  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  and,  until  twenty-six  years  of  age,  as- 
sisted his  parents  on  the  farm.  At  this  age  he 
enlisted  in  Company  B,  Tenth  Minnesota  volun- 
teer infantry,  for  service  in  the  Civil  war.  He 
served  from  August  14,  1862,  to  May  22,  1865,  the 
date  of  his  honorable  discharge,  and  during  this 
time  took  part  in  some  of  the  most  important  and 
decisive  battles  of  the  war.  Prior  to  1862  he  saw 
service  in  Minnesota  and  Dakota  against  the 
Sioux  Indians,  participated  in  the  hazardous  en- 
gagements of  the  campaigns  and  escaped  un- 
harmed. For  ten  years  after  the  war  he  engaged 
in  farming  in  Minnesota.  In  1875  he  moved  to 
Linn  county,  Oregon,  and  for  three  years  farmed 
near  Harrisburg.  meeting  with  good  success,  but 
failing  in  health.  In  1879  he  removed  to  Golden- 
dale,  Washington,  where  for  ten  years  he  followed 
carpenter  work  and  farming.  In  1890  he  again 
changed  his  location,  this  time  going  to  Xorth 
Yakima,  where  he  opened  a  hotel  and  also  worked 
at  the  carpenter's  trade.  In  1892  he  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land,  where  he  now  resides,  and 
which  he  has  transformed  from  a  wild  sage-brush 
tract  to  a  very  productive  farm  and  a  most  com- 
fortable home  On  the  farm  is  an  orchard  of 
four  acres,  a  good  dwelling  and  other  buildings, 
and  twenty  head  of  stock,  the  result  of  energy  and 
perseverance.  While  a  resident  of  Minnesota, 
Mr.  Mason  served  on  the  board  of  supervisors  in 
his  home  county  and  also  as  township  treasurer. 
He  is  now  a  district  road  supervisor  of  Yakima 
county.  He  put  up  the  first  building  in  the  town 
of  Prosser,  hauling  the  lumber  fifty  miles.  He  has 
three  sisters  and  two  brothers  living:  Mrs.  Camelia 
Sanborn,  in  Portland;  Mrs.  Lucinda  Mills,  in  Cal- 
ifornia; Mrs.  Harriet  Baker,  in  Minnesota;  David, 


in  Oregon,  and  Edgar  E.,  in  Klickitat  county.  In 
1869  Mr.  Mason  was  married  in  Minnesota  to  Miss 
Melinda  Twitchell,  who  was  born  in  Maine,  August 
18,  1844,  the  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Maria 
(Dodge)  Twitchell,  natives  of  Maine,  and  both 
long  since  dead.  Mrs.  Mason  was  the  oldest  of  a 
family  of  six  children.  The  names  of  her  brother 
and  sisters  follow:  William  Twitchell;  Mrs.  Mary 
Mason.  Klickitat  county ;  Airs.  Anna  Williams, 
Goldendale;  Mrs.  Helen  Merton,  Zillah,  and  Mrs. 
Efne  Hackley,  Cleveland,  Washington.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Mason  have  been  born  seven  children, 
four  in  Minnesota  and  three  in  Washington :  Mrs. 
Lettie  Faulkner,  born  March  5,  1870,  now  in 
Cleveland,  Washington;  Mrs.  Clara  B.  Sprague, 
September  17,  1871,  living  in  Zillah;  Artemas,  May 
2,  1873,  farming  near  Zillah;  Ralph,  October  7, 
1874,  farming  near  Zillah;  Albert,  July  8,  1880; 
Jesse,  January  17,  1883,  and  Ethel,  May  10,  1886; 
the  three  younger  children  reside  with  the  parents. 
Mr.  Mason  has  resided  nearly  all  of  his  years  on 
the  frontier  and  is  familiar  with  the  dangers  and 
hardships  of  pioneer  life.  He  has  led  a  busy  and 
a  useful  life;  is  a  man  of  correct  principles,  fair 
and  honorable  in  his  dealings  with  others,  and  is 
held  in  high  esteem  by  his  fellow  men  wherever 
he  is  known. 


ROBERT  D.  HEROD,  for  ten  years  a  resi- 
dent of  Yakima  county,  resides  in  Zillah  and  oper- 
ates one  of  the  best  farms  in  the  section,  situated 
a  short  distance  from  town.  He  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  farmers  in  the  valley.  Mr.  Herod  is  a 
native  of  Ontario,  Canada,  born  June  6,  1862.  He 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Eliza  (Robinson)  Herod, 
the  father  a  farmer  by  occupation,  born  in  England 
in  1823  and  still  living,  in  good  health,  in  Canada; 
the  mother  (deceased)  born  in  Canada  in  1830. 
The  son,  Robert  D.,  spent  his  youth  and  early  man- 
hood in  the  country  of  his  birth  and  was  there 
educated.  He  remained  in  school  until  twenty 
years  old,  engaging  at  this  early  age  in  contract- 
ing and  building  and  remaining  so  occupied  for 
five  years.  In  1889  he  moved  to  Tacoma,  Wash- 
ington, and  for  a  time  followed  brick  laying,  being 
very  successful  in  this  occupation.  Shortly  after- 
wards, because  of  his  proficiency,  he  was  made 
foreman  by  the  contractor,  A  •  E.  Barrett,  and 
eventually  formed  a  partnership  with  him  in  the 
contracting  and  building  business.  The  firm  built 
some  of  the  finest  brick  business  blocks  in  Tacoma  ; 
they  also  built  the  science  hall  and  the  boys'  dormi- 
tory at  the  State  Agricultural  College  at  Pullman, 
Washington.  In  1894  Mr.  Herod  came  to  Yakima 
county  and  purchased  thirty  acres  of  land  two 
miles  from  Zillah,  which  he  transformed  from  a 
sage-brush  wilderness  into  a  beautiful  fruit  farm 
and  an  ideal  home.  In  1899  ne  went  to  British 
Columbia  on  a  prospecting  and  mining  trip  but  did 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


not  meet  with  very  great  success.  Returning  to 
the  farm,  he  sold  it  in  1902  for  seven  thousand  five 
hundred  dollars.  He  then  purchased  eighty  acres 
near  Zillah,  on  which  he  is  putting  out  forty-two 
acres  of  orchard  and  fifteen  acres  of  hops ;  the  re- 
mainder is  seeded  to  alfalfa.  Those  who  have  as- 
sisted materially  in  the  development  of  the  Yakima 
valley,  now  one  of  the  most  famous  agricultural 
regions  of  the  Northwest,  are  entitled  to  special 
credit,  and  none  has  been  more  successful  in  this 
great  work  than  Robert  Herod.  His  industry  has 
met  its  just  reward  and  he  is  now  the  possessor  of  the 
valuable  farm  described  above,  besides  a  beautiful 
home  in  Zillah  on  which  he  has  erected  a  fine  eight- 
room  dwelling.  He  also  carries  a  paid-up,  twenty- 
year  endowment  life  policy  for  three  thousand  dol- 
lars and  owns  two  thousand  five  hundred  shares  in 
the  Kootenai-Tacoma  mine  in  British  Columbia. 
Mr.  Herod  is  seventh  in  a  family  of  ten  children. 
One  brother,  John,  lives  in  Detroit,  Michigan ;  the 
other  members  of  the  family,  whose  names  follow, 
live  in  Canada:  Mrs.  Rebecca  Clark,  William, 
Thomas,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Ford,  James,  Charles,  Ed- 
mund and  Matiida.  November  25,  1891,  Mr.  Herod 
was  married  in  Tacoma  to  Miss  Emma  Thorndyke, 
a  native  of  Canada  and  the  daughter  of  Edward 
and  Elizabeth  Thorndyke,  the  father  a  native  of 
England  and  the  mother  of  Canada;  both  the  par- 
ents are  dead.  Mrs.  Herod's  brothers  and  sisters 
are  as  follows :  John  Thorndyke,  deceased,  Will- 
iam, Mrs.  Ellen  J.  Gibson,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Derby- 
shire, Mrs.  Anna  Salter,  Edward,  Joseph,  Adelaid, 
Mrs.  Hortense  Oliver,  and  Mrs.  Maria  Oliver. 
Mrs.  Gibson  lives  in  Yakima  county,  Mrs.  Derby- 
shire and  Mrs.  Salter  in  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Mrs.  Hor- 
tense Oliver  in  England,  and  the  others  in  Canada. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herod  have  one  child,  Alice  Mig- 
non,  born  in  North  Yakima,  August  15,  1902. 
Husband  and  wife  are  members  of  the  Episcopal 
communion.  Mr.  Herod  is  a  member  of  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America  and,  as  a  politican,  sup- 
ports the  principles  of  the  Republican  party.  He 
is  industrious,  and  progressive  in  his  ideas ;  is  a 
man  of  exceptional  business  ability  and  of  the 
strictest  integrity.  He  has  good  business  fore- 
sight and  an  abiding  faith  in  the  future  of  the 
Yakima  valley.  He  is  a  man  of  influence  in  local 
and  county  affairs,  is  making  a  success  of  life  and, 
wherever  known,  is  respected  and  highly  esteemed 
by  his  fellow  men. 


ISAAC  M.  McCART,  who  came  to  Yakima 
county  in  1893,  is  engaged  in  farming  and  fruit 
growing  one-half  mile  east  of  Zillah.  His  birth- 
place was  New  Orleans,  Louisiana,  and  the  date 
of  his  birth  September  15,  1853.  He  is  the  son  of 
James  R  and  Matilda  (Wheat)  McCart,  natives  of 
Kentucky,  both  deceased.  His  father  was  a  tobac- 
co merchant,  born  April  17,  1827,  and  his  mother 


was  born  February  9,  1833.  Until  fourteen  years 
of  age,  the  son  of  Isaac  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Kentucky  and  Indiana,  receiving  a  good 
education.  During  the  next  six  years  he  learned 
the  trade  of  a  practical  machinist  and  also  became 
a  mechanical  engineer.  Completing  his  appren- 
ticeship at  the  age  of  twenty  he  went  to  Leaven- 
worth, Kansas,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Leavenworth  Mining  Company,  continuing  with 
them  for  five  years  as  chief  engineer  in  the  boiler 
room  and  pump  house;  thence  he  went  to  Rich- 
mond, Missouri,  and  for  four  years  acted  as  the 
chief  engineer  of  mine  No.  7.  His  next  move 
was  to  Portland,  Oregon,  where  for  a  time  he 
was  variously  employed;  then  moving  to  Gray's 
Harbor,  Washington,  and  remaining  for  eighteen 
months  as  first  assistant  engineer  for  the  Cos- 
mopolitan Commercial  Company;  thence  to  Ocos- 
ta,  Washington,  where  for  fourteen  months  he 
was  chief  engineer  for  A.  P.  Watton  &  Company. 
In  1893  he  came  to  North  Yakima  and  shortly 
afterwards  to  Zillah,  where  he  purchased  a  home- 
stead relinquishment  to  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  land,  on  which  he  is  still  residing.  Al- 
though having  many  obstacles  to  overcome,  he  has 
persevered  in  the  work  of  improvement  and  now 
has  one  of  the  most  productive  and  valuable  farms 
in  that  part  of  the  country.  Not  until  the  third 
year  did  he  produce  enough  to  meet  expenses; 
then  raising  forty-six  tons  of  potatoes  on  five 
acres,  and  selling  for  eleven  dollars  per  ton,  he  was 
given  a  start  and  has  since  netted  each  year  a  good 
income  from  the  place,  thirty  acres  being  directly 
under  the  big  ditch  and  under  a  high  state  of  cul- 
tivation. From  one  and  one-fourth  acres  he  sells 
each  year  four  hundred  dollars  worth  of  straw- 
berries, and  from  his  orchard  receives  a  handsome 
income.  He  is  also  a  breeder  of  fine  stock;  has 
some  registered  Jersey  and  Shorthorn  cattle,  also 
a  Hambletonian  horse,  a  gelding,  registered  num- 
ber, 79027.  He  has  also  a  thoroughbred  gelding, 
seven  years  old,  that  is  considered  a  phenomenon ; 
it  is  fifteen  hands  high  and  weighs  one  thousand 
three  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  In  addition,  he  ■ 
raises  standard  bred  hogs  and  poultry.  Mr.  Mc- 
Cart has  one  sister  and  two  brothers,  Mrs.  Flor- 
ence E.  Brown,  Benjamin  F.  and  James  H.  Mc- 
Cart, junior,  living  in  Richmond,  Missouri,  and 
one  sister,  Mrs.  Carrie  B.  Jones,  in  Centerville, 
Iowa.  He  was  married  in  Washington,  Indiana, 
in  1897,  to  Miss  Katherine  Herbert,  who  was  born 
in  Champaign,  Illinois,  October  25,  1858,  the 
daughter  of  Dorsey  and  Mary  (Moore)  Herbert; 
the  father  (deceased),  a  native  of  Kentucky;  the 
mother  now  living  in  Indiana.  Mrs.  McCart  has 
three  sisters  and  one  brother,  residents  of  Indiana: 
Mrs.  Margaret  B.  Carter,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Janott, 
Joseph  Herbert  and  Mrs.  Callie  Hutchinson.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  McCart  attend  the  Episcopal  church.  In 
politics,  Mr.  McCart  is  a  Silver  Republican  and  takes 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


nSl 


a  lively  interest  in  campaigns,  taking  the  stump  for 
his  party  in  both  state  and  national  contests.  He 
is  a  forceful  and  effective  speaker.  He  is  a  man  of 
integrity  and  influence,  is  making  a  success  of  life, 
is  one  of.  the  substantial  and  reliable  citizens  of 
the  county  and  commands  the  confidence  and  re- 
spect of  all  who  know  him. 


GEORGE  P.  EATON,  living  five  and  five- 
eighths  miles  southeast  of  Zillah,  is  a  native  of  New 
York  state,  born  in  Oxford,  February  25,  1855,  tne 
son  of  Warren  and  Eliza  (Penston)  Eaton,  the 
father  (deceased)  a  farmer,  born  in  Vermont  in 
1814,  the  mother,  still  living  in  Oxford,  born  in 
Utica,  New  York,  September  12,  1818.  The  son, 
George,  received  his  education  in  the  Oxford  acad- 
emy and  in  Cornell  university,  being  graduated  from 
the  latter  institution  with  the  class  of  1878.  After 
graduation  he  at  once  entered  the  employment  of  Dr. 
Jackson,  of  the  Dansville  (New  York)  Sanitarium, 
as  his  private  secretary,  continuing  so  employed 
until  March,  1880,  when  he  started  for  the  Pacific 
coast,  locating  for  a  short  time  at  Waitsburg, 
Washington,  as  reporter  on  the  Waitsburg  Times. 
During  the  same  summer  Mr.  Eaton  entered  the 
surveying  department  of  the  Oregon  Railway  and 
Navigation  Company,  quitting  in  the  fall  of  the 
year,  and  employing  himself  one  term  as  a  school 
teacher.  From  December,  1880,  to  October,  1881, 
he  was  engaged  in  the  United  States  land  office  at 
Walla  Walla,  first  as  stenographer  and  later  as 
clerk;  thence  going  to  Tacoma  and  entering  the 
land  department  of  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad. 
He  went  to  Portland.  Oregon,  when  the  company's 
office  was  removed  there  in  September,  1882,  and 
was  promoted  from  clerk  to  assistant  chief  clerk, 
then  to  chief  clerk,  and  eventually  to  assistant 
general  land  agent.  He  afterwards  served  for  one 
year  as  secretary  of  the  Washington  State  Immi- 
gration Association,  and  was  subsequently  for 
several  years  chief  tax  clerk  for  the  Northern 
Pacific  railroad  at  Tacoma.  He  is  now  secretary 
of  the  Sunnyside  Railvvav  Company,  organized  for 
the  purpose  of  building  a  railroad  from  Toppenish 
to  Prosser  via  Sunnyside,  and  is  also  president  and 
general  manager  of  the  Sunnyside  Farm  Company. 
In  1891  he  filed  on  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  desert  land  five  miles  from  Zillah,  and  began  im- 
provements in  the  spring  of  1892,  being  among  the 
first  to  begin  improvements  under  the  big  ditch. 
This  land  he  eventually  sold  to  the  Sunnyside  Farm 
Company,  of  which  he  is  president. 

Mr.  Eaton  has  three  sisters  :  Mrs.  Amanda  C. 
Fletcher  and  Lizzie  B.  Eaton,  of  Oxford,  New 
York,  and  Mrs.  Emma  M.  Brown,  of  Waverlv.  New 
York.  One  brother,  Charles  B.,  is  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Bowman,  Bolster  &  Eaton,  court  stenog- 
raphers, of  Seattle.  Another  brother,  James  W., 
served  jn  the  Civil  war  in  Company  H,  New  York 


heavy  artillery,  was  taken  prisoner  in  the  battle  of 
Cedar  Creek,  Virginia,  and  died  in  Salisbury  prison 
in  January,  1865. 

Mr.  Eaton  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Kinnear, 
youngest  daughter  of  William  C.  Kinnear  and  Eliza- 
beth Kinnear,  of  Crawfordsville,  Iowa.  Her  parents 
died  when  she  was  a  child.  Mrs.  Eaton  came  west 
with  her  brothers,  Alvin  L.  Kinnear,  deceased ; 
Emera  Kinnear,  now  a  merchant  of  Spokane,  Wash- 
ington, and  W.  L.  Kinnear,  a  merchant  at  Bonner's 
Ferry,  Idaho,  and  her  sister,  Mary  J.  Williams,  of 
Oakesdale,  Washington.  She  received  her  educa- 
tion in  St.  Paul's  school,  Walla  Walla,  being  one  of 
the  first  graduates  and  afterwards  a  teacher  in 
that  institution.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eaton  have  been 
born  the  following  children :  Emma  K.  Eaton,  born 
in  Portland,  Oregon;  Warren,  born  January  15, 
1888:  Edith,  born  February  22,  1890,  and  Clara, 
born  June  25,  1895,  the  three  younger  children  be- 
ing born  in  Tacoma,  Washington.  Mis.  Eaton  be- 
longs to  the  Episcopal  church.  In  political  cam- 
paigns, Mr.  Eaton  supports  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  a  man  of  exceptional  busi- 
ness and  executive  ability,  of  strict  integrity,  fair 
and  honorable  in  his  dealings  with  others,  and  is 
esteemed  and  respected  by  all  with  whom  he  comes 
in  contact  in  a  business  or  social  way. 


CORNELIUS  H.  FURMAN,  proprietor  of  the 
Hotel  Zillah  and  dealer  in  real  estate  in  Zillah, 
Washington,  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  where  he  was 
born  August  6,  1855,  the  son  of  William  and  Maria 
(Morton)  Furman.  His  father  was  a  miller  by 
trade,  born  in  Rochester,  New  York,  in  1826.  His 
mother,  born  in  Ohio,  of  Vermont  parentage,  in  1835, 
still  lives,  a  resident  of  Zillah.  The  son,  Cornelius, 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of  Wisconsin 
and  Iowa,  and,  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  quit  his  studies 
to  assist  his  father  on  the  farm.  In  the  meantime, 
between  the  ages  of  eleven  and  fifteen,  he  had  learned 
the  miller's  trade,  and,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  took 
charge  of  a  flour-mill  in  southern  Minnesota,  con- 
tinuing its  operation  for  five  years.  From  1879  to 
1889  he  served  the  government  most  satisfactorily  in 
the  capacity  of  railway  postal  clerk.  At  the  end  of 
this  time  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and  improve- 
ment business  in  the  employ  of  the  St.  Paul  &  Du- 
luth  Railroad  Company.  During  this  period  the  dis- 
astrous Hinkley,  Minnesota,  fire  occurred,  which, 
spreading  to  adjacent  territory,  destroyed  all  the 
buildings  on  a  farm  belonging  to  Mr.  Furman.  He 
assisted  in  the  rescue  of  the  Hinkley  sufferers,  and 
at  once  rebuilt  the  farm  buildings,  which  a  short 
time  afterwards  were  carried  away  by  a  cyclone. 
May  30,  1899,  he  left  Minneapolis  for  Yakima 
county,  Washington.  Arriving  here,  he  invested  in 
some  land  near  North  Yakima,  selling  the  same  six- 
months  later  at  a  fifty  per  cent  advance  over  the  pur- 
chase price.    He  then  came  to  Zillah,  and  purchased 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  hotel  and  stage  line,  with  which  he  has  since  been 
identified,  and  also  engaged  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness. He  has  since  become  interested  in  valley 
lands ;  owns  forty  acres  in  the  vicinity  of  Zillah,  and 
a  number  of  lots  in  the  town.  He  also  has  a  fine 
bunch  of  horses  and  cattle.  He  is  the  oldest  in  a 
family  of  four  children.  The  names  of  his  three 
brothers  follow :  Benjamin  C,  deceased ;  Adilbert 
D.,  who  served  with  the  Fifteenth  Minnesota  boys 
in  the  Spanish-American  war,  now  an  electrician, 
living  in  Minnesota ;  and  Charles  B.,  a  grain  in- 
spector, living  in  West  Superior.  Mr.  Furfnan  was 
married  in  Windom,  Minnesota,  December  20,  1878, 
to  Miss  Ella  V.  Hopkins,  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
January  20,  1858.  the  daughter  of  Oliver  and  Rachel 
( Randolph )  Hopkins,  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
New  York,  respectively,  and  both  dead.  Mrs.  Fur- 
man  has  one  brother,  Stephen  Hopkins,  a  Minnesota 
farmer.  She  had  two  brothers  who  died  in  the  Con- 
federate prison  at  Andersonville.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Furman  have  three  daughters  and  one  son,  all  born 
in  Minnesota,  as  follows :  Mrs.  Mildred  B.  Haynor. 
of  Faro.  British  Columbia ;  Mrs.  Rachel  M.  McCor- 
mick,  and  Mrs.  Clara  M.  Renehan,  living  in  Yakima 
county;  and  Benjamin  C,  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Furman  attend  the  Methodist  church.  In  political 
matters,  Mr.  Furman  is  an  influential  Republican, 
and  is  now  justice  of  the  peace  at  Zillah.  His  fra- 
ternal connections  are  with  the  Modern  Woodmen, 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  Re- 
bekahs.  and  Mrs.  Furman  is  a  member  of  the  Royal 
Neighbors.  He  is  a  leading  citizen  and  a  man  of  in- 
fluence in  local  affairs,  of  exceptional  business  ability 
and  of  strict  integrity,  and  commands  the  respect 
and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 


JULIUS  F.  CRITTENDEN,  for  ten  years  a 
resident  of  Yakima  county,  is  engaged  in  agri- 
cultural pursuits  three  miles  southeast  of  Zillah. 
His  native  town  is  Saline,  Michigan,  where  he 
was  born  September  20,  1851.  His  father,  Byron 
B.  Crittenden,  was  a  farmer  and  a  photographer, 
born  in  the  state  of  New  York  in  1827.  His 
mother,  Eliza  (Morgan)  Crittenden,  was  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1829.  Both  parents  are 
dead.  The  son  Julius  spent  his  early  life  in  his 
native  state,  where  he  received  his  education.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  quit  his  studies  and  for  sev- 
eral years  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  re- 
maining so  employed  until  1880.  At  this  time  he 
entered  the  employ  of  the  Michigan  Central  Rail- 
road as  a  brakeman,  remaining:  with  them  for 
seven  years  and  eventually  becoming  a  con- 
ductor. In  this  capacity  he  was  afterwards  em- 
ployed by  the  Burlington  railroad  and  later  lay 
the  Chicago  Great  Western  road.  Concluding  to 
abandon  railroading  as  a  life  business,  he  re- 
signed his  position  in  1894  and  came  directly  to 
Washington,    stopping    for    a    short    time    in'Ta- 


coma.  In  May  of  this  year  he  came  to  Zillah 
and  purchased  ten  acres  of  arid  sage-brush  land 
and  immediately  commenced  its  improvement. 
He  met  with  many  reverses  and  was  forced  to 
endure  many  hardships,  but  being  unable  to  get 
away,  because  of  lack  of  means  and  for  other 
reasons,  he  persevered,  continuing  his  improve- 
ments, and  by  the  year  1899  began  to  realize 
something  from  the  farm.  Since  that  year  each 
season  has  witnessed  an  improvement  in  condi- 
tions. He  eventually  purchased  fifteen  acres  ad- 
joining the  original  investment  and  the  whole 
iract  has,  by  skill  and  industry,  been  transformed 
from  its  wild,  arid  state  to  a  beautiful  farm  and 
home,  on  which  is  a  splendid  orchard  containing 
six  acres.  One  brother,  Clarence  Crittenden,  is 
a  printer,  living  in  Seattle.  The  marriage  of 
Julius  Crittenden  and  Miss  Carrie  Lewis  was  cel- 
ebrated in  Michigan  in  1872.  Miss  Lewis  was 
born  in  Michigan  November  24,  1856,  the  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Agard)  Lewis,  natives  of 
Ohio,  the  father  (deceased),  born  in  1804,  and  the 
mother,  born  in  1829,  now  living  near  Lansing, 
Michigan.  Mrs.  Crittenden  has  two  brothers 
living,  Daniel  and  Alfred  Lewis.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Crittenden  have  two  daughters  and  one  son,  all 
born  in  Michigan.  Their  names  follow:  Mrs. 
Blanche  Smith,  living  in  Connell,  Washington ; 
Mrs.  Bessie  Rowland,  in  Yakima  county,  and 
Earl  J.  Crittenden,  at  home.  Byron  B.  Critten- 
den, father  of  the  subject  of  this  article,  was  a 
man  well  known  in  this  section  of  the  county  and 
greatly  reverenced  and  esteemed  because  of  his 
genial  nature  and  his  devoutly  Christian  life. 
He  was  public  spirited  and  charitable  to  a  fault ; 
assisted  by  donations  of  money  and  labor  in  the 
building  of  the  Christian  church  at  Zillah,  of 
which  he  was  a  member  and,  following  his  dfath, 
near  Zillah,  January  13,  1901,  his  remains  were 
followed  to  their  last  resting  place  by  one  of  the 
largest  processions  of  friends  that  has  ever  been 
witnessed  in  this  part  of  the  county.  Mrs.  Crit- 
tenden is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church.  In 
political  affairs,  Mr.  Crittenden  is  a  Democrat; 
his  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  industrious  and  energetic  and 
hence  is  meeting  with  success ;  is  a  man  of  integ- 
rity and  correct  principles,  and  with  his  wife, 
shares  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  who 
know  them. 


JEREMIAH  L.  LEASE,  agriculturist  and 
fruit  grower,  resides  three  and  one-half  miles  east 
of  Zillah.  He  is  a  native  of  West  Virginia,  where 
he  was  born  Januarv  18,  1838.  His  father,  John 
B.  Lease  (deceased),  was  a  Maryland  farmer, 
born  1806,  and  his  mother,  Susanna  (Flick) 
Lease  (deceased),  was  a  Virginian,  born  1810. 
Jeremiah  Lease,  although  a  resident  of  the  state 
of  Washington  for  seven  years  only,  is  a  typical 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


683 


pioneer  and  frontiersman,  the  blazer  of  many  a 
"spotted  trail"  over  which  the  forerunners  of 
civilization  penetrated  the  wilds  of  the  Middle 
West  and  the  Northwest.  He  belongs  to  that 
class  known  as  "self-made"  men  whose  knowl- 
edge of  the  world  has  been  gained  by  experience 
and  observation  rather  than  by  years  of  applica- 
tion to  study.  His  life  has  been  spent  on  the 
frontier,  where  school  privileges  were  not  enjoyed 
and  where  opportunities  for  acquiring  "knowl- 
edge from  books"  were  not  afforded.  But  he 
has  been  a  man  of  resources,  of  industry  and  per- 
severance, and  has  faced  the  dangers  and  hard- 
ships of  life  with  true  courage,  forcing  success 
where  many  others  have  failed.  In  1846,  when 
he  was  eight  years  old,  his  parents  moved  from 
Virginia  to  an  unsettled  portion  of  Ohio;  thence 
in  a  short  time  to  the  Wisconsin  frontier;  in  1870 
to  South  Dakota ;  then  to  North  Dakota,  where 
settlement  was  made  on  the  Cannon  Ball  river. 
He  was  there  during  the  Indian  troubles  that  un- 
settled the  affairs  of  that  region  and  was  among 
the  Indians  at  the  time  Chief  Sitting  Bull  was 
slain.  In  1897  he  came  to  Washington,  locating 
in  Asotin  county,  and  in  1901,  came  to  Yakima 
county  and  purchased  the  land  on  which  he  now 
resides.  Here  he  has  a  valuable  farm  and  a  com- 
fortable home,  ten  acres  of  orchard  and  thirty 
acres  of  timothy  and  clover,  twenty-five  head  of 
cattle  and  horses,  and  all  the  accumulations  of 
the  successful  farmer.  In  i860  Mr.  Lease  was 
married  in  Wisconsin  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Shan- 
baugh,  who  died  a  few  years  later  in  South  Da- 
kota. He  was  again  married  in  Missouri  in  1881 
to  Miss  Emma  Parsons.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lease 
have  ten  children,  all  living  at  home.  Their  names 
follow :  Jeremiah,  Jr.,  Thomas,  Emanuel,  Mary, 
Alonzo,  Maude,  Alice,  James  R.,  Katie  and  Fred- 
erick W.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lease  worship  with  the 
Seventh  Day  Adventists.  In  politics,  Mr.  Lease 
votes  with  the  Democratic  party.  Coming  to  the 
country  comparativelv  a  poor  man,  he  has  made  a 
success  of  forming.  He  is  known  as  a  man  of 
sound  principles,  fair  and  honorable  in  all  ways, 
and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow  men. 


ARCHIE  J.  ELLIOTT,  the  well-known  black- 
smith of  Zillah,  Washington,  is  a  native  of  Can- 
ada, born  in  the  family  home  on  the  banks  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  river,  in  1846.  He  is  the  son  of 
Hiram  and  Margaret  (Borden)  Elliott,  also  na- 
tives of  Canada.  The  father's  ancestors  were  im- 
migrants to  Canada  from  the  state  of  New  York. 
In  1863  Hiram  Elliott  moved  to  Illinois  and  later 
to  Iowa,  where  he  died.  His  wife,  the  mother  of 
Archie  Elliott,  died  in  Nebraska,  in  1902.  The 
son  Archie  received  his  education  in  Canada  and 
m  1863  went  with  his  parents  to  Illinois.  At  the 
age   of   eighteen   he   began     learning    the    black- 


smith's trade  and  spent  the  first  few  years  in  this 
trade  in  Illinois  and  Iowa.  He  was  then  for  sev- 
eral years  located  in  various  cities,  going  first  to 
Omaha,  Nebraska;  thence  to  Des  Moines  and 
Cedar  Falls,  Iowa;  thence  to  Oregon,  Illinois, 
where  he  formed  a  partnership  with  a  cousin; 
thence  to  Hampton,  Iowa,  where  he  remained 
two  years.  Leaving  Iowa  again,  he  went  to  Chey- 
enne, Wyoming,  and  entered  the  employ  of  the 
government  as  a  horseshoer  and,  eighteen  months 
later,  was  sent  to  Fort  Robinson,  where,  for  thir- 
teen years,  he  continued  in  the  service  of  the 
United  States.  In  the  beginning  of  the  Spanish- 
American  war  he  was  sent  to  Chickamauga,  Geor- 
gia, where  troops  were  being  massed,  and  ex- 
pected to  be  sent  on  to  Cuba.  He  was  held  at 
Chickamauga  during  the  summer,  however,  and  in 
the  fall  of  the  year  1898  severed  his  connection 
with  the  government  and  went  to  Crawford,  Ne- 
braska, where  he  engaged  for  a  time  in  farming. 
In  1900  he  again  changed  locations,  this  time 
coming  to  Washington,  overland  with  teams,  ar- 
riving at  Zillah  July  14,  and  at  once  putting  up  a 
shop.  Later,  however,  he  rented  a  shop  already 
built  and  in  operation,  and  in  turn  rented  his  new 
building  to  a  physician  for  an  office,  but  has  since 
built  another  shop.  He  has  built  up  a  good  trade 
and  is  now  recognized  as  one  of  the  substantial 
citizens  of  the  town.  He  has  invested  considerable 
capital  in  town  property  and  now  owns  two  resi- 
dences, besides  a  number  of  business  and  residence 
lots.  Mr.  Elliott  was  married,  in  1873,  to  Miss 
Nellie  Quick,  who  died  a  few  years  later,  leaving 
two  children,  George  P.  and  Charles  A.  In  1807 
he  was  again  married,  to  Mrs.  Rosa  Hand.  Mr. 
Elliott  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows.  He  is  making  a  success  of  his 
business  in  Zillah;  is  energetic  and  progressive,  a 
man  of  generous  impulses,  esteemed  by  friends 
and  acquaintances  and  respected  by  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact  in  a  business  or  social  wav. 


COLONEL  A.  C.  WALKER,  for  fourteen 
years  a  citizen  of  Yakima  county,  Washington,  is 
now  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  fruit  two 
miles  east  of  Zillah.  Mr.  Walker  is  a  native  of 
the  old  Bay  state,  having  been  born  in  Worces- 
ter county,  Massachusetts,  in  1834.  He  is  the 
son  of  Walter  and  Salinda  (Hill)  Walker,  natives 
of  Massachusetts,  father  and  son  being  born  in 
the  same  county.  The  elder  Walker  was  of  Eng- 
lish and  French  descent  and  his  people  settled  in 
Massachusetts  in  a  very  early  day.  The  son,  A. 
C.  Walker,  was  educated  in  his  native  state;  at- 
tended the  common  and  high  schools  and  after- 
wards took  the  preparatory  course  required  for 
matriculation  in  the  colleges  of  Massachusetts. 
After  the  completion  of  his  studies  he  was  placed 


684 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


in  a  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  house,  where  he  be- 
came thoroughly  conversant  with  all  departments 
of  the  business,  and,  until  his  coming  to  the  Pa- 
cific Northwest,  was  always  connected  with  some 
of  the  great  manufacturing  establishments  of  that 
great  manufacturing  state.  After  many  years' 
close  attention  to  his  commercial  interests  he  be- 
came possessed  with  the  desire  to  see  the  Pacific 
coast  country  and,  with  this  end  in  view,  left  Mas- 
sachusetts in  1890  for  Portland,  Seattle  and  other 
points,  thinking  to  spend  six  months  in  pleasur- 
able rambles  up  and  down  the  coast.  After  a 
visit  to  the  cities  named  he  came  to  Yakima  county 
to  spend  a  short  time  with  a  relative,  Colonel 
Howlett,  and,  being  delighted  with  the  climate  and 
with  the  wonderful  possibilities  of  the  country,  he 
decided  to  remain,  making  it  his  permanent  home. 
The  first  year  was  spent  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness with  Colonel  Howlett  in  North  Yakima.  In 
the  meanwhile  he  had  taken  up  a  timber  claim,  a 
desert  claim  and  a  homestead,  the  latter  where  he 
now  resides,  and  eventually  proved  up  on  all  the 
tracts.  At  that  time  the  surveys  for  the  great 
Sunnyside  canal  had  not  been  made.  When  the 
canal  was  completed  he  gave  the  company  eighty 
of  his  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  for  the  water 
right  on  the  other  half,  which  he  has  improved  and 
developed  into  one  of  the  best  producing  farms  in 
this  section  of  the  county,  and  has  made  of  it  also 
an  ideal  home.  He  has  since  added  one  hundred 
acres  to  his  holdings  in  the  valley,  and  at  the 
present  time  engages  principally  in  the  raising  of 
alfalfa.  He  was  about  the  first  homesteader  to 
settle  here,  there  being  at  the  time  absolutely  no 
one  permanently  settled  between  this  point  and 
Prosser.  Mr.  Walker  was  married  in  Massachu- 
setts in  early  life,  but  the  wife  died  before  his  de- 
parture for  the  west.  He  has  one  son,  Arthur,  in 
the  wholesale  boot  and  shoe  business  in  Boston. 
In  1 901  he  was  again  married  to  Miss  Alice  Doug- 
las, a  native  of  New  York.  Mr.  Walker's  frater- 
nal connections  are  \yith  the  North  Yakima  lodge 
of  Elks.  In  political  matters  he  supports  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Republican  party  and  was  a  few  years 
ago  the  party  candidate  for  assessor,  meeting  de- 
feat with  the  balance  of  the  ticket.  He  is  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  most  influential  party  leaders, 
both  in  local  and  state  campaigns.  He  is  a  man 
of  exceptional  business  and  executive  ability  and 
is  one  of  the  more  successful  agriculturists  of  the 
valley.  Fourteen  years'  residence  in  the  county 
has  not  diminished  his  faith  in  its  future,  which 
he  believes  to  be  fraught  with  still  greater  possi- 
bilities in  the  further  development  of  its  natural 
resources.  As  a  man  of  strictest  integrity  and 
honor,  of  progressive  ideas  and  devotion  to  the 
advancement  of  the  people  among  whom  he  has 
established  a  permanent  home,  he  has  won  and 
retains  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all. 


ALVIN  DALTON,  farmer  and  horticulturist, 
lives  three  miles  southeast  of  Zillah.  He  was 
born  in  Columbia  county,  Wisconsin,  July  26, 
1847,  tne  son  of  William  and  Clara  (Bradley) 
Ualton,  natives  of  Maine.  William  Dalton  served 
under  General  Scott  in  the  War  of  1812,  with 
Great  Britain,  and  his  father  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Revolution.  The  parents  are  dead.  They  were 
pioneers  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and  Montana, 
going  from  Wisconsin  to  Minnesota  in  1861,  and 
shortly  afterwards  to  Montana  with  the  Captain 
Fisk  immigrant  train.  At  the  time  the  last  long, 
dreary  and  hazardous  journey  was  made,  Alvin 
Dalton  was  fourteen  years  old,  his  early  youth 
having  been  spent  in  the  common  schools  and  on 
the  farm  in  his  native  state.  In  1865  he  went  to 
Colorado,  and  from  there  returned  to  Minnesota, 
where  he  remained  four  years.  June  12,  1871, 
he  was  married  in  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Isa- 
bella Fogg,  daughter  of  George  and  Nancy 
(Brown)  Fogg,  the  father  a  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war,  who  was  sent  to  the  middle  Northwest  to 
assist  in  quelling  the  Sioux  Indians.  He  was  of 
English  descent.  The  parents  of  Mrs.  Dalton  are 
dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dalton,  with  her  parents, 
went  to  Colorado  in  1874  and  engaged  in  farming, 
propecting  and  raising  stock ;  thence,  in  1877,  to 
the  Black  Hills,  where  Mr.  Dalton  followed  min- 
ing for  three  years,  assisting  while  there  in  put- 
ting in  the  first  timbers  in  the  famous  Homestake 
mine.  In  1882  he  went  to  the  Wood  river,  Idaho, 
mining  region ;  thence  to  the  Coeur  d'Alene 
mines ;  thence  to  Thompson  Falls,  Montana,  en- 
gaging during;  this  period  in  mining  and  hunt- 
ing. From  Thompson  Falls  he  went  to  Kootenai 
county,  Idaho,  and  took  up  a  ranch  on  the  Pend 
d'Oreille  lake,  raising  stock  here  for  five  years. 
During  the  floods  of  1894  most  of  his  stock  per- 
ished and  he  decided  upon  another  change  in  loca- 
tion. Selling;  out  the  same  year,  he  came  to 
Yakima  countv  and  took  up  the  farm  where  he 
has  since  resided.  He  has  made  two  trips  to 
Alaska,  the  first,  in  1897,  with  his  son,  Frank  P., 
and  the  second  in  1899.  The  two  sons,  Frank  P. 
and  Wallace  Alvin,  are  now  in  that  "land  of  the 
midnight  sun."  While  there  Mr.  Dalton  had 
many  interesting  experiences,  at  one  time  mak- 
ing a  continuous  journey  of  fourteen  days  with  a 
pony  and  sleigh  down  the  Yukon  river  on  the  ice 
from  Skagway  to  Dawson,  and  again  making  a 
trip  of  seven  hundred  miles  with  his  son,  Frank, 
to  the  mines  on  Myrtle  creek.  In  August  of  the 
same  year  he  traveled  down  the  Koukuk  river 
from  its  head  to  the  Yukon,  then  down  the  Yukon 
to  St.  Michaels  and  thence  home. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dalton  have  one  daughter, 
Florence  I.,  living  at  home.  Mrs.  Dalton  is  a 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Politically, 
Mr.  Dalton  is  a  Republican,  but  he  believes  there 
are  some  sound  principles  in  the  platform  of  the 


I'hni  .vj-n-ii.ilit'ii  by  F.  J.  Tiel 


ARTHUR   GURLEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


685 


Socialists.  He  has  a  valuable  farm  of  twenty 
acres,  on  which  is  a  fine  orchard  of  eight  acres. 
Two  years  ago  he  realized  $1,125  from  the  sale 
of  apples.  Mr.  Dalton  is  a  man  of  generous  im- 
pulses, energetic  and  progressive,  a  typical 
pioneer,  and  commands  the  respect  of  his  fellow 


ARTHUR  GURLEY,  for  seven  years  a  resi- 
dent of  Yakima  county,  is  engaged  in  diversified 
farming  three  miles  east  and  two  south  of  Zillah. 
He  is  native  of  Park  county,  Indiana,  where  he 
was  born  April  3,  1857.  His  father,  Joseph  A. 
Gurley,  of  English  descent,  in  his  earlier  days  a 
teacher,  and  later  in  life  a  millwright  and  civil 
engineer,  was  born  in  Guilford  county,  North  Car- 
olina, in  1830.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  Indiana,  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  serving  in  Company  A, 
Eighty-fifth  Indiana  volunteers,  and  as  a  civil 
engineer,  belonging  to  the  bridge  building  corps 
that  accompanied  Sherman  on  his  march  to  the 
sea.  He  was  at  one  time  taken  prisoner  and  for 
nine  months  confined  in  the  famous  Libby 
prison.  He  died  in  Mobile,  Alabama,  in  1902. 
The  mother  of  the  subject  of  this  biography  is 
Sarah  B.  (Carty)  Gurley,  of  Scotch-Irish  descent. 
She  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  in  early  life  was  a 
teacher.  She  is  still  living.  Arthur  Gurley  spent 
his  youth  and  early  manhood  in  Indiana,  where 
he  received  his  education,  finishing  his  studies 
in  the  Bloomingdale  Academy.  As  a  young  man 
he  worked  in  his  father's  pump  factory,  learning 
the  trade  and  remaining  with  him  until  twenty- 
three  years  of  age,  when  he  entered  the  service 
of  Fairbanks,"  Morse  &  Co.,  scale  and  windmill 
manufacturers,  as  a  builder.  At  the  end  of  three 
years  he  severed  his  connection  with  this  com- 
pany and  moved  to  Coffey  county,  Kansas,  and 
for  a  time  farmed,  both  in  Coffey  and  in  Mont- 
gomery counties.  In  1889  he  again  changed  his 
location,  this  time  coming  to  the  coast,  where  for 
seven  years  he  was  variously  employed.  He 
built  the  Port  Gamble  mill ;  spent  some  time  in 
the  dairy  business,  and  superintended  the  con- 
struction of  sixteen  bridges  on  the  Belt  Line 
Railroad.  In  1897  he  came  to  the  Sunnyside 
district  and  eventually  purchased  his  present 
farm  of  100  acres,  which  he  has  developed  into 
one  of  tha  most  productive  in  the  valley,  and  of 
which  he  has  made  an  ideal  home.  He  engages 
extensively  in  hop  raising.  His  last  two  crops 
sold  for  $8,000,  the  crop  of  1903  netting  him 
$625  per  acre.  With  farming  he  combines  the 
breeding  of  draft  horses,  for  which  he  is  wide- 
ly known,  having  brought  the  first  heavy  draft 
horses  to  the  county  and  having  for  two  years 
taken  the  first  prize  on  his  stock  at  the  state  fair. 
Mrs.  Gurley  is  interested  in  mining  property  in 
the  Swauk  district.  In  1883  Mr.  Gurley  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Pickard,  who  died  in 


1890.  In  1892  he  was  again  married  to  Miss 
Vesta  Thomas,  born  in  Douglas  county,  Oregon, 
in  1865,  the  daughter  of  Lawson  and  Isabella 
(Dysart)  Thomas,  pioneers  of  1849  m  tne  Ore- 
gon country.  Mrs.  Gurley  grew  to  womanhood 
and  was  educated  in  her  native  state  of  Oregon. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gurley  have  no  children  of  their 
own,  but  have  adopted  and  reared  six,  two  of 
whom  are  now  with  them,  attending  the  home 
school;  they  are  Kittie  M.  and  Claud.  Another, 
May  Thomas,  is  attending  school  in  North  Yaki- 
ma. Mrs.  Gurley  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.  In  political  matters  Mr.  Gurley  sup- 
ports the  principles  of  the  Republican  party,  but 
has  always  declined  political  preferment,  al- 
though frequently  importuned  to  become  a  party 
candidate.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  and  most 
popular  citizens  of  his  section  of  the  country;  is 
a  man  of  strict  integrity  and  excellent  business 
ability,  of  pronounced  influence  in  local  and 
county  affairs,  progressive  and  public  spirited, 
and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  who  are  hon- 
ored with  his  friendship. 


EDD  E.  MUDD,  whose  home  is  in  Zillah,  Wash- 
ington, is  by  trade  a  bridge  carpenter,  and  has 
been  a  resident  of  Yakima  county  for  about  four- 
teen years.  Illinois  is  his  native  state,  and  the  date 
of  his  birth  June  10,  1864.  He  is  the  son  of  LaFay- 
ette  and  Rosamund  (Herbert)  Mudd.  His  father 
was  bom  in  Kentucky,  in  1844;  was  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  having  served  in  a  Kentucky  regi- 
ment, and  was  finally  killed  in  a  railroad  accident  in 
Illinois  in  1868.  His  mother  is  a  native  of  New 
York,  born  in  1838,  and  is  now  living  with  her  son 
in  Zillah.  After  the  war  of  the  Rebellion  the 
family  removed  from  Illinois  to  Kansas,  and 
at  Osage  Mission,  in  that  state,  the  son 
Edd  received  his  education.  He  left  school  when 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  was  engaged  in  various  lines  of  business  in 
Nebraska,  Colorado  and  Washington.  In  1891  he 
settled  permanently  in  Zillah.  and  has  since  followed 
bridge  work  and  masonry.  He  assisted  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  Sunnyside  and  the  Kennewick 
canals.  Besides  a  comfortable  home  in  Zillah,  he 
owns  twenty  acres  of  land  six  and  one-half  miles 
east  of  Zillah.  which  is  yearly  increasing  in  value. 
Mr.  Mudd  was  married  in  Nebraska,  in  1889,  to 
Miss  Nannie  L.  Douglas,  a  native  of  New  York, 
where  she  was  born  in  1871.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Joshua  P.  and  Eliza  J.  (Robinson)  Douglas,  both 
natives  of  New  York,  and  both  now  dead.  Her 
mother  was  a  schoolmate  at  Saratoga,  New  York,  of 
"Samantha  Allen"  (in  private  life,  Amanda  M. 
Douglas),  and  was  related  to  the  New  England  In- 
gersolls  and  YVhitneys.  Charles  Mudd.  of  Sunny- 
side :  Mrs.  Amy  L.  Adams,  wife  of  a  North  Yakima 
civil  engineer,  and  Mrs.  Ada  M.  Zediker,  living  near 


686 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Zillah,  are  brother  and  sisters  of  the  subject  of  this 
article.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mudd  have  been  born  the 
following  children:  Hazel  M.,  born  in  Nebraska, 
1891 ;  Irma  G,  Yakima  county,  1894;  Herbert  D., 
Zillah,  1898,  and  Edgar  R.,  Zillah,  1902.  Mr. 
Mudd's  fraternal  connections  are  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men. He  is  a  Democrat  in  politics  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  political  campaigns.  He  believes 
in  a  prosperous  future  for  Yakima  county,  and  has 
made  a  success  of  his  trade  and  of  his  investments. 
He  is  energetic  and  industrious,  and  as  a  man  of 
honor  and  integrity  commands  the  respect  of  his 
neighbors  and  of  all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


GEORGE  VETTER,  ex-mayor  and  at  the  pres- 
ent time  postmaster  of  Sunnyside,  is  one  of  that  re- 
gion's popular  citizens,  whose  influence  has  long  been 
felt  in  the  public  affairs  of  that  section  of  the  Yak- 
ima country.  Coming  into  the  Sunnyside  region  in 
1894,  in  a  period  of  slow  development  and  many 
discouragements,  he  perseveringly  toiled  on  his 
farm,  steadily  improving  it,  assisted  his  neighbors  by 
kind  words  and  deeds,  remained  loyal  to  the  Sunny- 
side valley,  encouraged  others  to  do  the  same,  and  is 
now  reaping  a  just  reward  and  witnessing  the  ample 
fulfillment  of  early  prophecies  made  concerning  the 
valley's  destiny.  A  native  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  this 
German-American  was  born  August  25,  1849,  m 
that  erstwhile  thriving  town  upon  the  southern  shore 
of  Lake  Michigan,  to  the  marriage  of  George  and 
Ursula  (Knecht)  Vetter.  The  elder  Vetter  was  born 
in  Germany,  1827,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
the  year  1848;  he  died  many  years  ago.  The  mother 
was  also  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in  1826;  she  is 
living  at  Aberdeen,  South  Dakota.  George  Vetter 
received  his  school  education  in  the  city  of  Chicago 
and  at  the  Northwestern  college,  Plainfield,  Illinois, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1865.  After  leav- 
ing college,  he  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  Deerfield,  Illinois,  remaining  there  five  years. 
Then  he  returned  to  Chicago,  and  during  the  next 
six  years  devoted  his  attention  to  the  commission 
trade.  He  sold  this  business  in  1881,  and  was  for  a 
time  employed  as  bookkeeper  for  a  hardware  firm  in 
Peoria,  but  in.  1883  he  left  Illinois  to  seek  his  for- 
tune in  South  Dakota.  Near  Aberdeen  he  settled 
and  there  made  his  home  for  twelve  years,  occupied 
successfully  in  the  master  industry  of  the  great 
northern  plains — wheat  raising.  He  was  not  en- 
tirely satisfied  with  Dakota,  however,  and  learning 
of  the  recently  opened  irrigated  district  in  a  section 
of  Washington  noted  for  its  genial  climate,  fertility 
and  advantageous  situation,  Mr.  Vetter  disposed  of 
his  South  Dakota  ranch,  and  in  1894  came  to  the 
Sunnyside  valley,  where  he  has  since  lived.  He  pur- 
chased land  from  the  Washington  Irrigation  Com- 
pany, and  until  1898  was  engaged  in  agricultural 
work,  but  in  that  year  sold  the  farm  and  removed  to 


the  town  of  Sunnyside  that  he  might  take  charge  of 
the  postoffice  there.  He  was  serving  as  postmaster 
January  1  last,  when  the  office  was  advanced  to  the 
presidential  class,  and  he  was  appointed  by  Presi- 
dent Roosevelt  to  continue  in  charge  of  Sunnyside's 
mails  at  a  salary  of  one  thousand  two  hundred  dol- 
lars a  year. 

Mr.  Vetter  and  Miss  Florence  H.  Tupper  were 
united  by  the  bonds  of  matrimony  at  Deerfield,  Illi- 
nois, in  1883.  The  bride's  parents  were  Simeon  and 
Alvira  (Gifford)  Tupper,  natives  of  New  York  and 
Vermont,  respectively;  both  are  dead.  Mrs.  Vetter 
was  born  in  Chicago  in  the  year  1850  and  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Vetter  has  one  brother, 
John  S.,  register  of  the  United  States  land  office  at 
Aberdeen,  South  Dakota ;  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Julia 
W.  Miller,  also  a  resident  of  Aberdeen.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Vetter  have  five  children :  George  L.,  born  in 
Illinois,  1884,  living  in  Spokane  as  a  Northern  Pa- 
cific railroad  engineer ;  Elmer  J.,  also  born  in  Illi- 
nois, and  a  Northern  Pacific  engineer,  living  in  Spo- 
kane; Frank  S.,  living  at  Sunnyside  (biography 
elsewhere  in  this  volume)  ;  Charles  E.,  born  in 
South  Dakota,  living  with  parents;  and  Mary  L., 
also  a  native  of  South  Dakota,  and  at  home  with  her 
parents.  Sunnyside's  postmaster  is  one  of  the  Civil 
war's  youngest  veterans,  having  enlisted  in  the  One 
Hundred  and  Thirty-fourth  Illinois  volunteers 
when  a  lad  of  but  sixteen  years  and  serving  three 
months,  or  until  the  close  of  hostilities.  He  is  affili- 
ated with  one  fraternity,  the  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen.  In  1902,  as  the  candidate  of  the 
Citizens'  party,  which  stood  for  temperance  or  an 
anti-saloon  policy,  Mr.  Vetter  was  elected  as  the  sec- 
ond mayor  of  Sunnyside,  there  being  practically  no 
opposition.  His  administration,  which  terminated 
with  his  resignation  late  in  1903  on  account  of  the 
pressure  of  postoffice  work,  was  a  progressive  and  a 
creditable  one  to  all  concerned.  As  a  Republican, 
Mr.  Vetter  held  several  minor  elective  offices  in 
South  Dakota.  He  owns  considerable  Sunnyside 
property,  including  the  postoffice  building  and  a  sub- 
stantial, cozy,  six-room  residence.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Vetter  are  highly  esteemed  as  neighbors  and  friends, 
and  his  position  as  one  of  the  county's  progressive, 
upright  and  solid  citizens  is  universally  recognized. 


JAMES  HENDERSON,  druggist,  Sunnyside, 
Washington,  has  been  a  resident  of  Yakima  coun- 
ty for  about  ten  years,  during  which  time  he  has 
become  extensively  interested  in  valley  and  timber 
lands,  besides  having  built  up  an  excellent  drug 
business.  Mr.  Henderson  was  born  in  Wisconsin, 
January  10,  1868,  the  son  of  John  and  Isabella 
(Sanderson)  Henderson,  natives  of  Scotland;  the 
mother,  born  in  1829,  is  still  living  in  Minnesota. 
John  Henderson  was  born  in  1827  and  was  a  pio- 
neer of  Wisconsin,  having  immigrated  to  that 
state  with  his  wife  an  an  early  day  and  participated 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


687 


in  the  development  of  its  frontier.  In  1870,  when 
the  son  James  was  two  years  old,  the  family  moved 
to  Minnesota,  where  they  again  passed  through  a 
long  period  of  pioneer  life;  the  father  died  there 
in  1895.  In  the  common  and  high  schools  of  Wil- 
mar,  Minnesota,  James  received  his  education,  and 
both  during  his  course  of  study  and  after  its  com- 
pletion he  followed  teaching,  being  very  successful 
as  an  instructor.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  went 
to  North  Dakota,  where  he  continued  in  school 
work,  varying  this  with  other  occupations,  receiv- 
ing good  wages  and  saving  them,  until  1891,  when 
he  returned  to  Paynesville,  Minnesota,  and  pur- 
chased a  drug  store,  beginning  at  once  the  study 
of  pharmacy.  After  four  years  of  successful  busi- 
ness life  he  sold  his  stock  of  drugs  at  a  good  profit 
and  came  direct  to  Yakima  county,  Washington. 
Here  he  opened  one  of  the  first  farms  put  under 
cultivation  near  Sunnyside  and,  although  badly 
crippled  financially  by  the  panic  of  the  early  nine- 
ties, persevered  in  his  efforts  and  eventually  suc- 
ceeded in  putting  the  place  on  a  paying  basis,  having 
at  the  time  one  of  the  best  orchards  of  its  size  in 
central  Washington.  In  1895  he  established  his 
present  business,  which  soon  grew  to  such  propor- 
tions that  he  was  obliged  to  sell  the  farm  in  order 
that  he  might  attend  properly  to  the  store.  His  is 
the  only  business  now  conducted  in  Sunnyside  by 
its  original  owner. 

The  subject  of  this  article  is  one  of  a  family  of 
seven  children.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are  as 
follows:  Mrs.  Maggie  Smithson,  in  Minnesota; 
Mrs.  Dr.  W.  R.  Henderson,  Detroit,  Michigan; 
Mrs.  Jessie  Hadley,  Chicago;  Peter,  a  salesman, 
Minnesota ;  John,  Minnesota,  and  Hugh,  a  dentist 
living  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Henderson  was  married  in  Minnesota, 
August  27,  1892,  to  Miss  Isabella  E.  Brown,  born 
in  Paynesville,  that  state,  April  5,  1870,  the  daugh- 
ter of  John  J.  and  Ellen  E.  (Bennett)  Brown,  na- 
tives of  Vermont,  now  living  in  Sunnyside.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Henderson  have  five  children,  the  eldest 
born  in  Minnesota,  the  others  in  Yakima  county , 
Marion,  born  February  16,  1894;  Blanch,  Novem- 
ber 29,  1896;  Bernice,  January  29,  1898;  Amy, 
September  4,  1900;  Ruby,  November  17,  1901. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Henderson  is  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men. In  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat.  September  2, 
1902,  he  was  elected,  on  the  Citizens'  ticket,  the  first 
mayor  of  Sunnyside.  He  served  several  years  as 
a  member  of  the  school  board  and  has  also  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace.  Besides  his  business  prop- 
erty and  residence,  he  has  become  the  possessor 
of  a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres, 
forty  acres  of  land  under  the  canal  and  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres  of  timber  in  the  Cascades ; 
also  other  red  estate  interests  and  a  number  of 
mining  claims  in  Montana  and  Wyoming.     Excel- 


lent business  qualifications,  correct  principles  and 
perseverance  have  enabled  him  to  win  success 
where  many  others  have  failed.  He  is  one  of  the 
substantial  and  reliable  citizens  of  Sunnyside  and 
of  Yakima  county,  a  man  of  influence  in  local  and 
county  affairs  and  one  who  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  his  fellow  men.  He  is  proud  of  the 
fact  that  his  oldest  acquaintances  are  his  stanchest 
friends  and  patrons. 


WILLIAM  B.  CLOUD,  a  merchant  of  Sunny- 
side, has  been  a  resident  of  Yakima  county  for 
ten  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Monmouth  county, 
New  Jersey,  born  January  15,  1870,  the  son  of 
William  B.  Cloud,  Sr.,  and  Anna  (Walter) 
Cloud,  natives  of  Delaware,  now  residents  of 
Oklahoma.  The  mother  was  born  in  1845.  The 
father,  born  in  1836,  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war, 
having  served  in  a  Pennsylvania  regiment.  He 
was  in  the  battle  of  Gettysburg  and  other  decisive 
engagements  of  the  war  and  was  for  some  time  a 
prisoner  in  the  famous  Libby  prison.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  biography  is  one  of  a  family  of  six 
children  and  has  five  sisters  living:  Mrs.  Anna 
Miller,  Mrs.  Lillfe  Stevens  (a  twin  sister),  Mrs. 
Clara  Siegler,  Mrs.  Helen  Satterlee,  living  in  Okla- 
homa;. Mrs.  Jane  Sisty,  living  in  Sunnyside.  In 
1873,  when  the  son  William  was  three  years  old, 
the  family  moved  to  Iowa  and  here  he  spent  the 
years  of  his  youth  and  received  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  Leaving  school  at  the  age  of 
fifteen,  he  engaged  in  farming  for  one  year  for  a 
neighbor  and  the  second  year  leased  a  farm  and 
conducted  it  himself  with  satisfactory  results.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  his  parents  removed  to  Ne- 
braska, he  going  with  them  and  farming  for  his 
father  for  one  year.  The  second  year  in  Nebraska 
he  entered  a  general  merchandise  store  in  the  capac- 
ity of  a  clerk  and  since  that  time  has  been  almost 
continuously  in  mercantile  pursuits.  Leaving  Ne- 
braska, he  went  to  Tacoma,  Washington,  in  1890, 
where  he  was  for  three  years  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business ;  going  thence  to  Oklahoma  and 
for  a  short  time  clerking  in  a  bakery ;  returning  in 
1894  to  Washington  and  settling  in  Sunnyside  as 
a  clerk  in  a  general  store,  remaining  so  employed 
for  eighteen  months.  He  then  spent  four  years 
in  Northport,  a  portion  of  the  time  in  the  lumber 
business  and  a  portion  in  the  grocery  business,  re- 
turning to  Sunnyside  in  1900  and  purchasing  land 
which  he  farmed  for  one  year.  Leaving  the  farm, 
he  entered  the  employ  of  the  Hub  Mercantile  Com- 
pany, remaining  with  them  for  two  years  as  man- 
ager. In  December,  1902,  he  purchased  a  stock 
of  goods  and  has  since  been  conducting  a  cloth- 
ing and  furnishing  establishment,  and  has  built 
up  a  splendid  business. 

November  25,  1897,  Mr.  Cloud  and  Miss  Cora 
E.  Harper  were  united  in  marriage  at  Spokane, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Washington.  Mrs.  Cloud  is  a  native  of  Iowa, 
born  in  1874,  the  daughter  of  George  W.  and 
Rebecca  (Harvey)  Harper,  living  in  Iowa.  Two 
children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cloud  died  in  in- 
fancy. Mr.  Cloud  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  political  matters 
supports  the  Republican  party.  He  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Sunnyside  city  council  in  1902.  Be- 
sides an  eight  thousand-dollar  stock  of  merchan- 
dise, he  owns  a  valuable  farm  of  forty  acres  near 
the  town  and  a  good  business  lot  in  the  city.  He 
is  a  man  of  energy,  of  recognized  integrity,  of 
progressive  ideas  and  good  business  qualifications 
and,  as  one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of  the 
city,  he  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
who  know  him. 


HENRY  H.  WENDE,  mayor  of  Sunnyside, 
Washington,  and  a  prominent  lawyer  of  Yakima 
county,  is  a  native  of  Wende,  Erie  county,  New 
York,  born  July  28,  1870.  He  is  the  son  of  Her- 
man A.  and  Mary  (Ries)  Wende,  natives  of  Ger- 
many. The  father  was  born  near  Gorlitz,  Saxony, 
October  29,  1825,  and  died  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  March  15,  1892.  The  mother,  still  living 
in  New  York,  was  born  in  Lautenhausen,  province 
of  Hesse,  Germany,  February  15,  1833,  and  came 
to  America  alone  at  the  age  of  fourteen;  she  and 
her  husband  met  and  were  married  in  New  York 
state.  Henry  H.  Wende  spent  his  youth  and  early 
manhood  in  his  native  county  in  New  York,  at- 
tending the  district  schools  until  his  eighteenth 
year.  He  then  entered  Parker's  Union  school,  a 
higher  institution  of  learning,  situated  five  miles 
from  his  home,  attending  for  six  months  and  walk- 
ing to  and  from  the  school  each  day.  At  the  close 
of  this  term  he  accepted  a  position  as  clerk  in 
the  master  mechanic's  office  of  the  Sinnamahoning 
Valley  Railroad  at  Austin,  Pennsylvania,  remain- 
ing there  for  five  months  and  returning  home  on 
account  of  his  father's  illness.  Following  his  re- 
turn he  was  variously  employed  until  September, 
1894,  when  he  entered  the  law  department  of  the 
University  of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  graduating 
therefrom  June  24,  1856,  with  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Laws.  After  graduation  he  went  to  Buffalo, 
New  York,  where,  until  March  1,  1898,  he  was  a 
clerk  in  the  law  office  of  J.  W.  Fisher.  On  the 
date  named  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  supreme 
court  for  Erie  county,  remaining  in  this  position 
until  January  1,  1901.  April  10,  1902,  he  left  New 
York  and  came  to  Yakima  county,  Washington, 
and  one  month  later.  May  4,  opened  a  law  office 
in  Sunnyside :  he  rapidly  built  up  and  is  now 
enjoying  a  lucrative  practice- 
Mr.  Wende  is  the  youngest  of  a  family  of  seven 
children:  he  has  brothers  and  sisters  as  follows: 
Gottfried,  a  lawyer  of  Buffalo,  New  York ;  Charles 
H.,  agent  for  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  at 


Crittenden,  New  York;  William  H.,  postmaster  at 
Millgrove,  New  York;  Mrs.  Anna  W  Johnson,  of 
Buffalo,  New  York;  Mrs.  Mary  W.  Cutler,  of  Buf- 
falo, and  Otto  H.,  agent  for  the  New  York  Cen- 
tral Railroad  at  Wende,  New  York.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Wende  is  connected  with  the  Masons,  Elks 
and  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He 
is  an  influential  Democrat  and  takes  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  success  of  his  party.  December  8, 
1903,  he  was  elected  the  third  mayor  of  Sunnyside. 
He  is  rapidly  attaining  prominence  in  the  profes- 
sional circles  of  Yakima  county,  is  highly  esteemed 
by  a  large  circle  of  professional  and  social  friends, 
and  has-  before  him  a  most  promising  future. 


WILLIAM  H.  CLINE,  a  resident  of  Sunny- 
side and  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Yakima 
county,  Washington,  has  followed  farming  under 
the  Sunnyside  canal  successfully  for  ten  years.  He 
is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  February  5,  1855,  the 
son  of  John  and  Caroline  (Ortt)  Cline.  The 
mother  (deceased)  was  of  German  descent,  born 
in  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  1834.  The  father, 
now  living  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  was  born  in  In- 
diana, April  8,  1833,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Iowa, 
going  there  overland  from  Indiana  in  May,  1855. 
He  was  for  thirty-one  years  in  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  and  the  business 
was  continued  by  one  of  his  sons  until  1902.  The 
son,  William,  spent  his  youth  and  early  manhood 
in  Panora,  Guthrie  county,  Iowa,  and  was  there 
educated  in  the  public  schools.  Leaving  school 
at  the  age  of  nineteen,  he  entered  his  father's  store 
as  a  clerk,  remaining  with  him  until  thirty-one 
years  old,  and  having  in  the  meantime  a  capital 
interest  in  the  business.  In  addition  to  their  gen- 
eral merchandise  business,  they  had  built  up  an 
immense  grain  trade  and  operated  seven  elevators 
along  the  line  of  the  Des  Moines  and  North- 
western Railroad.  In  1885,  having  traded  a  farm 
for  a  stock  of  merchandise  in  De  Witt,  Nebraska, 
the  subject  of  this  biography  found  it  necessary 
to  go  there  and  sell  out  the  stock.  This  occupied 
eight  months  in  1885  and,  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
1886,  he  went  to  Broken  Bow,  Nebraska,  erected 
a  brick  block  and  opened  a  general  store.  The 
business  grew  rapidly  and  he  soon  found  it  neces- 
sary to  secure  more  commodious  quarters.  He 
built  what  is  now  known  as  the  Opera  House  block, 
where  he  continued  his  business  until  January, 
1891,  when  he  was  forced  to  make  an  assignment 
owing  to  his  inability  to  collect  accounts  from 
farmers  who  had  been  financially  crippled  by 
drought  and  insects.  In  August,  1892,  he  moved 
to  Tacoma,  Washington,  and  engaged  for  a  few 
months  in  the  grocery  business.  Selling  out  in 
1893,  he  chartered  a  vessel,  loaded  it  with  mer- 
chandise and  went  to  Alaska,  enduring  many 
hardships,  but  disposing  of  his  stock  at  a  fair  profit 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


689 


and  returning  in  September  of  the  same  year.  In 
December,  1893,  he  came  to  Sunnyside,  put  up  the 
first  business  building  in  the  town  and  opened  a 
store,  which  he  conducted  for  seven  years  in  con- 
nection with  farming.  He  had  much  to  endure 
and  met  with  many  reverses ;  many  of  the  settlers 
left  the  country  in  1895-96  and  there  was  a  great 
scarcity  of  money  and  work,  but  Mr.  Cline  had  his 
business  and  forty  acres  of  fruit  trees  to  attend  to. 
He  left  his  family  in  Tacoma,  where  school  privi- 
leges could  be  enjoyed,  and  himself  remained  with 
his  farm  and  business  until  the  return  of  pros- 
perity brought  to  him  the  reward  of  endurance  and 
perseverance.  Besides  attending  to  his  private 
affairs,  he  guarded  the  stock  from  the  shade  trees 
in  the  streets  of  Sunnyside,  cared  for  them  as  best 
he  could,  and  to  his  watchfulness  is  due  much  of 
the  beauty  that  is  now  added  to  the  streets  by  the 
presence  of  these  trees.  He  served  as  postmaster 
from  1893  to  1897.  Mr.  Cline  is  second  in  a  fam- 
ily of  eight  children,  he  having  brothers  and  sis- 
ters as  follows:  Joseph  M..  Mrs.  Viola  La  Pettit, 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Roberts,  Mrs.  Emma  Baughman, 
James  and  John,  living  in  Iowa,  and  Mrs.  Etta 
Gilbert,  living  in  Pendleton,  Oregon. 

Mr.  Cline  was  married  in  Iowa,  in  1878,  to  Miss 
Margaret  J.  Maddick,  a  native  of  England,  born 
in  1856,  the  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Anna  (Tur- 
ner) Maddick,  also  natives  of  England.  The 
mother  is  dead ;  the  father  is  living  in  Iowa.  The 
brothers  and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Cline  are :  Mrs.  Emma 
Jones,  wife  of  the  Sunnyside  physician ;  Mrs.  Anna 
Snyder,  in  Kansas;  Mrs.  Nellie  Jones,  in  Denver, 
Colorado;  Mrs.  Susan  Plaine,  Mrs.  Gertrude 
Emers,  Thomas  and  Ford,  living  in  Iowa.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cline  have  one  daughter.  Mrs.  Gertrude 
Young,  born  in  Panora,  Iowa,  November  20,  1879, 
now  living  in  Sunnyside.  Mrs.  Cline  is  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  church.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Cline 
is  connected  with  the  Masons.  Politically,  he  is 
an  active  and  influential  Republican.  January  1 
he  was  appointed  count}-  commissioner  to  fill  a 
vacancy,  the  term  of  service  being  until  the  next 
general  elections.  He  has  the  largest  farm  under 
the  big  canal  and  a  beautiful  home  in  Sunnyside. 
He  is  a  representative  citizen,  highly  respected  by 
all  who  know  him. 


HARRY  W.  TURNER,  city  clerk  of  Sunny- 
side, Washington,  is  also  engaged  in  small  fruit 
farming  within  the  city  limits.  Mr.  Turner  is  a 
native  of  England,  born  November  4.  1856.  He 
is  the  son  of  John  and  Charlotte  (Busby)  Tur- 
ner, natives  of  England,  the  father  now  dead  and 
the  mother  living  in  Iowa.  The  son  Harry  re- 
ceived his  education  in  his  native  country,  where 
his  youth  and  earl}'  manhood  were  spent.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  left  school  and  accepted  a  cler- 
ical position   with   a  business  house,   continuing 


so  employed  by  different  firms  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old.  At  this  age  he  concluded 
to  try  his  fortune  on  the  western  continent  and 
in  1878  embarked  for  the  United  States,  locating 
first  at  Sheffield,  Iowa,  near  which  town  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  one  year.  He  then  removed 
to  Cerro  Gordo  county,  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained, following  farming,  for  about  fifteen 
years,  meeting  with  fair  success.  In  1894  he 
aeain  changed  his  location,  this  time  going  to 
Utah,  but,  at  the  end  of  one  year,  he  returned  to  the 
north,  locating  in  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota, 
and  making  this  his  headquarters  for  three  years, 
while  he  traveled,  two  years  as  salesman  for  a 
tea  and  coffee  house  and  one  year  for  a  whole- 
sale fruit  establishment.  At  the  end  of  this 
period  he  was  called  home  on  account  of  the 
death  of  his  father  and,  after  a  short  time  spent 
with  his  mother,  he  came  to  Washington,  pur- 
chasing ten  acres  of  land  within  the  city  limits 
of  Sunnyside,  where  he  has  since  resided,  occupy- 
ing himself  with  the  culture  of  small  fruits  and 
berries  and  with  the  raising  of  thoroughbred 
White  Plymouth  Rock  chickens.  In  these  pur- 
suits he  has  been  exceptionally  successful  and  he 
now  has  a  valuable  property  of  which  he  has 
made  a  comfortable  and  most  desirable  home. 
In  his  father's  family  were  six  children,  all  of 
whom  are  living;  the  names  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters  follow :  Mrs.  Fannie  De  Bar,  living  in 
Pennsylvania;  Mrs.  Polly  Hubbard,  in  Iowa; 
William,  in  Iowa;  Mrs.  Alice  Clark,  wife  of  the 
sheriff  of  Cerro  Gordo  county,  Iowa,  and  Mrs. 
Kate  Van  Lone,  also  in  Iowa. 

Mr.  Turner  was  married  in  Iowa  in  1894  to 
Miss  Jennie  Olson,  who  was  born  in  Racine, 
Wisconsin,  December  31,  1871,  the  daughter  of 
Iver  and  Christine  (Knutson)  Olson,  natives  of 
Norway,  the  father  long  since  dead,  the  mother 
still  living,  in  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  Turner 
is  connected  with  the  fraternal  orders  Modern 
Woodmen  and  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  is  also  local 
secretary  of  the  Modern  Brotherhood  of  America. 
In  political  matters  he  supports  the  Republican 
party  and  always  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
campaigns.  He  is  a  man  of  influence  in  the  com- 
munity,  fair  and  honorable  in  all  his  dealings 
with  his  fellow  men.  and  enjoys  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  is  associated  in 
a  business  or  social  way. 


DR.  FRANK  C.  JONES,  a  practitioner  of  the 
school  of  osteopathy,  although  comparatively  a 
recent  arrival  in  Sunnyside,  Washington,  has 
built  up  an  excellent  practice  in  and  around  the 
little  city  and  has  come  to  be  recognized  as 
one  of  its  worthy  and  substantial  citizens.  He 
was  first  scoffed  at ;  now  he  has  converted  the 
scoffers    into    friends.     Dr.    Jones    is    a    native    of 


690 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Illinois,  born  April  13,  1856.  He  is  the  son  of 
William  and  Sarah  (Winterbottom)  Jones,  the 
father  (deceased)  a  native  of  Wales,  and  the 
mother,  still  living  in  Illinois,  a  native  of  Eng- 
land. The  doctor  has  one  sister  living,  Mrs. 
Emma  Starr,  of  .San  Francisco,  California.  The 
son  Frank  received  his  early  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Illinois.  At  the  age  of  thirteen 
he  left  school  and  served  an  apprenticeship  in  a 
machine  shop,  remaining  so  employed  for  six 
years  or  until  his  nineteenth  year.  At  this  age 
he  entered  the  Chicago  Medical  College  and, 
after  one  year  of  study  in  this  institution,  matric- 
ulated in  the  medical  department  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan  at  Ann  Arbor,  graduating  there- 
from in  1880  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
He  is  also  a  graduate  of  the  Chicago  Ophthalmic 
College,  and  took  a  post-graduate  course  in  New 
York  Post-Graduate  School.  After  graduation 
he  practiced  for  a  few  months  in  Chicago,  then 
went  to  Iowa,  where  he  continued  in  his  profes- 
sion for  twenty-two  years.  In  the  meanwhile  he 
took  up  the  study  of  osteopathy  at  Still  College, 
became  satisfied  that  it  constituted  a  most  scien- 
tific method  of  healing  disease,  and,  in  1898, 
abandoned  drugs  and  devoted  his  time  exclu- 
sively to  its  practice.  In  1893  he  made  a  visit 
to  the  Puget  Sound  country  and,  meeting  there 
his  brother-in-law,  W.  H.  Cline,  was  induced  to 
come  to  Sunnyside  country.  There  was  no  town 
where  he  purchased  a  tract  of  sage-brush  land, 
and  where  he  now  makes  his  home  and  follows 
his  profession.  The  land  has  been  transformed 
into  a  most  valuable  farm  and  an  ideal  home. 

Dr.  Jones  was  married  in  Iowa  in  1882  to 
Miss  Emma  Maddick,  a  native  of  England  and 
the  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Anna  (Turner) 
Maddick,  English  people,  the  mother  now  dead 
and  the  father  still  living,  in  Iowa.  Mrs.  Jones 
is  one  of  a  family  of  eight  children,  all  living.  The 
names  of  her  brothers  and  sisters  follow :  Mrs. 
Margaret  Cline,  wife  of  W.  H.  Cline,  of  Sunny- 
side  ;  Mrs.  Anna  Snyder,  living  in  Kansas ;  Mrs. 
Nellie  Jones,  Denver,  Colorado;  Mrs.  Susan 
Plaine,  Mrs.  Gertrude  Emers,  Thomas  and  Ford 
Maddick,  all  residents  of  Iowa.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Jones  have  one  son,  W.  Raymond,  born  in  Iowa 
October  4,  1894,  now  a  student  in  the  University 
of  Puget  Sound,  at  Tacoma,  Washington.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Jones  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Dr.  Jones  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  political 
matters  supports  Republican  principles.  The 
family  home  is  one  of  the  prettiest  and  most  de- 
sirable in  Sunnyside,  and  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  are 
among  the  most  popular  and  highly  esteemed  cit- 
izens of  the  thriving  little  city. 

Dr.  Jones  takes  special  pride  in  his  work  and 
has  demonstrated  to  the  people  in  this  valley  that 
osteopathy    is   the    successful     method     of    healing 


the  sick.  He  has  healed  hundreds  and  hundreds 
of  cases,  and  the  wonderful  success  that  he  has 
is  all-convincing.  He  now  has  patients  coming 
from  all  parts  of  the  state.  Osteopathy  is  des- 
tined to  revolutionize  the  healing  art.  Dr.  Jones 
is  one  of  the  pioneer  osteopaths  of  the  state  and 
is  teaching  the  public  that  there  is  better  health 
in  keeping  the  body  right  than  by  taking  poison- 
ous drugs. 


LEONARD     C.     McDONALD,    now    serving 
Sunnyside  as  councilman,  was  born  in  Pierce  county, 
Wisconsin,  February  20,  1869,  the  son  of  William 
and  Catherine   (Miller)    McDonald.     William  Mc- 
Donald, who  followed  farming  during  his  life,  was 
born  in  New  York  state  in  1837;  Mrs.  McDonald 
was  a  native  of  Ontario,  Canada.     The  subject  of 
this   sketch  attended  school  in  Wisconsin  until  he 
was  seventeen  years  of  age,  securing  a  good  educa- 
tion.    After  leaving  school,  he  went  on  the  farm 
and  worked  with  his  father,  at  the  same  time  learn- 
ing the  carpenter's    trade    and    undertaking  inde- 
pendent employment  along    that    line.     Wisconsin 
ceased  to  be  his  home  in  1894,  the  family  emigrating 
to  Washington  and  locating  in  the  sparsely  inhabited 
Sunnyside  valley.     There  they  purchased  land  near 
the.  town  of  Sunnyside,  but  owing  to  a  defective 
title,  lost  it.     For  the  first  two  or  three  years  Leon- 
ard C.  was  engaged  in  fanning;  then  accepted  the 
position  of  manager  of  the  St.   Paul    &    Tacoma 
Lumber  Company's  yard  at  Toppenish,  remaining 
with  the  company  three  years.     Since  then  he  has 
spent  considerable  time  mining  in  northern  Wash- 
ington and  pursuing    his    trade  in  the  Sunnyside 
region,  always  making  his  home  at  Sunnyside.    Suc- 
cess has  smiled  upon  him,  as  it  does  in  Washington 
upon  most  young  men  of  energy,  perseverance  and      ! 
correct  principles.    Mr.  McDonald  has  four  brothers      j 
and  sisters :    Mrs.  Vina  Bolin,  living  in  Wisconsin ; 
George  E.,  Mrs.  Esther  Webber  and  Lucy  C,  all 
residents  of  Sunnyside.    He  is  a  member  of  one  fra-      ! 
ternal  organization,  the  Modern  Woodmen.     As  a 
Prohibitionist,  he  is  a  strong  and  aggressive  member     j 
of  that  party  and  never  hesitates  to  champion  its 
platform.    As  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church  he 
is  also  active.     Mr.   McDonald  was  placed  on  the     j 
Citizens'  ticket  at  the  last  city  election  as  one  of  its 
candidates  for  councilman,  and  was  chosen  by  the     I 
people  to  serve  them  in  that  important  capacity.  As     , 
an  officer  he  is  making  a  creditable  record.    With  his 
brother  George,  he  owns  fortv  acres  of  raw  land  a     | 
mile  and  a  half  from  Sunnyside.     Mr.  McDonald 
can  truthfully  be  said  to  be  a  popular,  capable  and     j 
rising  citizen  of  Yakima  county. 


CHARLES  S.  WENNER,  the  manager  of 
Coffin  Brothers'  large  department  store  at  Sunny- 
side, is  a  well-known  and  popular  business  man  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


691 


that  section  of  Yakima  county,  who  has  demon- 
strated his  business  ability  by  increasing  the  size  of 
his  establishment,  within  less  than  two  years,  from 
a  two-room  affair,  employing  two  men  inclusive  of 
himself,  to  the  present  store,  employing  ten  people 
in  all.  It  is  a  fine  record,  one  of  which  any  man 
might  feel  proud ;  and  still  the  business  is  gradually 
increasing.  Mr.  Wenner  was  born  at  Tiffin,  Ohio, 
in  1862,  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Caroline  (Dible) 
Wenner.  The  father  was  a  machinist  by  trade.  He 
enlisted  in  the  Union  army  in  1861  and  served 
throughout  the  Civil  war.  Mrs.  Wenner  is  still  liv- 
ing, residing  in  North  Yakima.  Charles  S.  grew  to 
young  manhood  in  the  town  of  Tiffin,  attending  the 
public  schools  and  taking  a  course  in  bookkeeping 
and  business  methods.  Further  equipping  himself 
by  the  healthful  occupations  of  farming  and  work- 
ing with  his  father  in  a  sawmill  and  tile  and  brick 
yard,  he  early  entered  upon  the  activities  of  life  on 
his  own  responsibility.  However,  his  health  failed, 
and  in  1883  the  young  man  crossed  the  continent  to 
Arlington,  Oregon,  and  there  entered  the  general 
mercantile  business.  For  eight  years  Arlington  was 
his  home,  and  he  became  prominently  identified  with 
the  affairs  of  that  town.  He  then  went  to  North 
Yakima  and  took  charge  of  the  Hotel  Yakima, 
placing  it  upon  a  paying  basis.  Two  years  of  hotel 
life  satisfied  him.  He  sold  his  interest  and  removed 
to  Chicago,  where  he  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  bicycle  cements,  building  up  a  lucrative  business, 
for  which  he  refused  ten  thousand  dollars.  Financial 
disaster  overtook  him  in  Chicago,  leading  him  to 
once  again  seek  the  Yakima  country,  coming  to 
Sunnyside  in  1902  and  opening  the  establishment  of 
which  he  is  manager.  Besides  a  general  mercantile 
business,  this  store  handles  hay,  grain,  stock,  etc. 

Mr.  Wenner  and  Miss  Ina  Weatherford  were 
united  by  the  bonds  of  matrimony  in  Seattle,  May 
21,  1889.  Mr.  Weatherford,  who  died  in  1893,  was 
born  in  the  Willamette  valley  to  pioneers  of  that 
state,  who  crossed  the  Plains  in  1852.  He  was  a 
physician  and  druggist,  and  for  many  years  lived  in 
Portland.  Mrs.  Ellen  (Robinson)  Weatherford  was 
a  native  of  Ohio.  She  came  to  Oregon  when  a  child 
one  year  old,  and  also  died  in  1893.  Three  children 
survive:  Frederick,  Mrs.  F.  A.  Snow,  both  living 
in  Portland,  and  Mrs.  Wenner.  She  was  born  in 
Portland,  and  received  a  thorough  education  in  her 
native  state.  For  two  years  she  was  a  deputy  coun- 
ty clerk  in  Gilliam  county,  and  also  spent  a  year  in 
the  clerk's  office  of  King  county,  Washington.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wenner  have  one  child,  Charles  Stanley, 
a  bright,  handsome  lad  of  six  years.  Mr.  Wenner 
has  one  sister,  Anna,  the  wife  of  Stanley  Coffin,  of 
Coffin  Brothers,  North  Yakima,  and  a  brother,  Will- 
iam L.,  living  in  Ohio.  As  a  fraternity  man,  Mr. 
Wenner  is  very  active  and  prominent,  being  affiliated 
with  the  Masons,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World  and  the  Elks.    In  political  affairs, 


he  is  also  energetic,  and  is  identified  with  the  Re- 
publican party.  He  is  a  public-spirited  man  in  every 
sense  of  the  word  and  takes  part  in  all  commendable 
public  movements.  At  Arlington  he  was  for  some 
time  a  member  of  the  city  council.  Socially,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Wenner  are  well  known  in  the  community, 
and  surely  no  one  is  more  faithfully  doing  his  share 
in  the  upbuilding  of  the  Sunnyside  region  than  this 
successful,  respected,  progressive  citizen  and  mer- 
chant. Mrs.  Wenner  is  doing  her  share  also  in  mak- 
ing the  business  a  success,  having  charge  of  the 
books. 


J.  D.  CAMPBELL,  M.  D.  Although  he  can- 
not properly  be  called  an  early  pioneer  of  Yakima 
county,  Doctor  Campbell,  of  Sunnyside,  is  yet 
among  the  men  who  are  engaged  in  developing 
the  resources  of  that  young  community,  besides  as- 
suming the  responsibilities  and  duties  which  are 
his  by  virtue  of  the  noble  profession  he  practices. 
He  came  from  his  old  home  in  Tennessee  to  Sunny- 
side in  the  spring  of  1903,  but  already  he  has  taken 
a  prominent  place  among  the  citizenry  of  the 
region  as  a  man  of  enviable  skill  in  his  profession, 
a  good  neighbor  and  a  man  of  strength  in  public 
affairs. 

Born  in  Washington  county,  Tennessee,  in  the 
year  1861,  he  is  the  scion  of  two  prominent  old 
pioneer  families  of  .that  state,  the  Campbells  and 
the  Carsons.  His  father,  James,  followed  the  oc- 
cupation of  a  farmer  until  his  death  in  1865  and 
was  an  influential  man.  The  paternal  grandfather, 
Hugh  Campbell,  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers 
in  Washington  county.  Another  son,  Brookens, 
brother  of  James,  was  an  officer  in  the  Mexican 
war  and  was  afterward  elected  to  congress.  His 
death  occurred  in  Washington,  District  of  Colum- 
bia, while  attending  to  his  duties.  Susan  (Carson) 
Campbell  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1823,  the 
daughter  of  one  of  the  oldest  families  in  Wash- 
ington county;  she  died  in  February,  1902.  The 
subject  of  this  biography  spent  his  boyhood  on 
the  old  homestead  and  attending  the  district  school. 
In  1886  he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
from  Washington  College,  Tennessee,  the  oldest 
chartered  institution  of  learning  in  the  Mississippi 
valley.  He  then  studied  medicine  under  a  precep- 
tor for  fifteen  months,  following  which  he  at- 
tended the  University  of  Nashville  and  Vanderbilt 
University  and  the  University  of  Louisville,  finally 
securing  his  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  and 
completing  a  most  thorough  course  of  general  and 
technical  training.  After  graduation  in  1890,  he 
immediately  entered  upon  the  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession in  his  native  state  and  was  so  engaged  un- 
til 1903,  when  he  came  to  the  Yakima  country, 
deeming  it  a  field  of  greater  opportunities  for  him- 
self and  children. 

Miss  Louise  Truan,  a  native  of  Knox  county, 


692 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Tennessee,  became  the  bride  of  Doctor  Campbell 
in  September,  1893.  She  is  of  Swiss  descent,  being 
the  daughter  of  A.  J.  and  Eliza  (Buffat)  Truan," 
who  crossed  the  Atlantic  from  their  Swiss  home 
in  1848,  both  families  making  the  journey  on  the 
same  ship.  In  America  the  two  children  became 
husband  and  wife  and  to  this  union  Louise  was 
born.  Four  children  bless  the  home  of  Doctor  and 
Mrs.  Campbell:  James,  Frank,  Roe  and  Lynn, 
all  born  in  Tennessee.  Mr.  Campbell  has  one 
brother,  M.  B.  Campbell,  living  upon  his  farm  in 
Tennessee.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  are  consistent 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  at  Sunnyside 
and  are  active  participants  in  the  social  life  of  the 
community.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  one 
order,  the  Ancient  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 
On  national  political  issues  he  is  in  sympathy  with 
the  principles  of  the  Democratic  party.  As  show- 
ing his  faith  in  the  country  in  a  substantial  way, 
it  may  be  stated  that  Doctor  Campbell  has  pur- 
chased a  fine  ranch  lying  near  Sunnyside,  on 
which  he  raises  hay.  He  is  a  man  of  stability  and 
reliability  whose  settlement  in  any  community 
would  be  hailed  with  pleasure  by  its  citizens. 


OLIVER  H1BARGER,  contractor  and  build- 
er of  Sunnyside,  is  a  native  of  Ogle  county,  Illi- 
nois, born  February  1,  1863,  to  Frank  and  Cath- 
erine (Waltermyer)  Hib'arger..  His  paternal  ances- 
try is  of  Dutch,  English  and  French  extraction; 
his  maternal  ancestry  of  Dutch,  who  immigrated 
to  Pennsylvania  generations  ago.  The  father  was 
born  in  Maryland  in  1831  and  as  a  man  followed 
the  occupation  of  a  brick  mason.  In  1845  ne  went 
to  Illinois,  becoming  an  early  settler  of  that  state. 
The  mother's  birth  occurred  in  1837,  also  in  Mary- 
land. Oliver  Hibarger  spent  his  youth  in  Ogle 
county,  securing  a  good  education  in  the  common 
and  high  schools.  Until  he  was  twenty  years  old 
he  lived  on  a  farm,  but  at  that  age  he  commenced 
learning  the  carpenter's  trade  with  an  uncle.  His 
first  independent  work  was  done  in  Iowa ;  then 
he  went  to  Marshall  and  Gage  counties,  Nebraska. 
Smith  county,  Kansas,  was  his  next  field  of  work. 
He  then  entered  the  employ  of  a  Kansas  City  con- 
tracting company,  and  while  in  its  service  visited 
Colorado  Springs  and  Pueblo,  assisting  in  the  erec- 
tion of  many  large  buildings  in  those  cities  in  1888 
and  1889.  Leaving  their  service,  he  filed  upon  a 
homestead  claim  in  Oklahoma  territory,  and  en- 
gaged in  work  at  Kingfisher  and  Okarche  during 
the  succeeding  five  years.  From  there  he  went  to 
Arkansas;  then  he  participated  in  the  opening  of 
the  Cherokee  Strip  and  the  Cheyenne  and  Arapa- 
hoe countries  to  settlement.  In  1896  he  left  that 
section  of  the  United  States  and  settled  in  Brown 
county  and  later  in  Morrill,  Kansas,  which  was 
his  home  until  August,  1O02.  in  which  month  he 
came  to  Sunnyside.     There  he  opened  a  shop  and 


during  his  residence  has  constructed  many  of  the 
best  residences  in  the  town,  employing  from  six 
to  nine  men  most  of  the  time.  The  new  Free 
Methodist  church  at  Sunnyside  was  built  by  Mr. 
Hibarger.  He  is  acknowledged  to  be  a  master 
workman  of  unusual  ability  and  one  of  the  leading 
contractors  in  the  county. 

Mr.  Hibarger  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Anna  Pulvermaker,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Henry  Pulvermaker,  at  Smith's  Center,  Kansas, 
August  14,  1888.  Her  parents  were  born  in  Ger- 
many and  came  to  Iowa,  where  she  was  born. 
Mr.  Hibarger  has  three  brothers,  Oscar,  Willis 
and  David,  and  two  sisters, -Cora  and  Pearl,  besides 
one  sister,  Anna,  deceased.  There  are  two  chil- 
dren in  the  Hibarger  household,  Carl  and  Wanda. 
Mr.  Hibarger  is  connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen  fraternities,  and,  politic- 
ally, is  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party.  He 
is  a  man  highly  respected  by  all  who  know  him, 
a  public  spirited  citizen  who  is  a  factor  in  his  coun- 
ty's progress  and  a  successful  business  man. 


EMORY  THOMPSON.  One  of  the  most 
favorably  known  and  best  horticulturists  of  the 
famed  Sunnyside  valley  in  central  Yakima 
county  is  the  citizen  whose  biography  is  Here- 
with given.  Learning  his  business  under  the  in- 
struction of  an  Ohio  expert  in  the  art  of  pruning, 
grafting  and  caring  for  fruit  trees,  hedges,  etc., 
Mr.  Thompson  has  successfully  applied  his 
knowledge  in  Washington,  besides  engaging  in 
general  farming.  He  was  born  August  1,  1865, 
at  Northfield,  Ohio,  his  father  and  mother  being 
Emory  and  Sarah  A.  (Cross)  Thompson,  also 
Ohioans  by  birth,  the  former  born  in  1831,  the  lat- 
ter in  1833.  Both  are  living  on  their  farm  near 
Kinsman,  of  that  state.  Emory  junior  received  his 
early  education  in  the 'public  schools  and  in  1886 
ente'red  the  Grove  City  College,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  studied  two  years,  paying  his  way  by 
orchard  work.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  was 
forced  to  abandon  his  college  work.  Then  he 
followed  general  farming  in  Cherry  valley,  Ohio, 
for  four  years,  meeting  with  encouraging  results. 
In  the  spring  of  1894  "he  came  to  the  Northwest, 
decided  to  locate  in  Yakima  county,  and  pur- 
chased ten  acres  under  the  Sunnyside  canal.  He 
has  devoted  his  untiring  energies  and  skilled  at- 
tention to  improving  his  farm,  which  has  grown 
to  one  of  a  hundred  acres,  and  upon  it  he  has 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-five  first-class,  select 
fruit  trees,  besides  berries  and  alfalfa. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  D.  Morse  at 
Williamsfield,  Ohio,  on  Thanksgiving  day,  No- 
vember 29,  1888.  His  bride  is  a  direct  descend- 
ant of  the  noted  inventor,  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse, 
and  is  a  native  daughter  of  Williamsfield,  where 
she  was  born  September  16,  1865.     Her  parents, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


693 


Luke  A.  and  Mary  P.  Morse,  still  living  in  Ohio, 
where  the  father  is  engaged  in  iarming,  were 
born  in  Connecticut  and  New  York,  respectively. 
Mrs.  Thompson  has  one  brother,  Grant  A.,  and 
three  sisters,  Mrs.  Flora  Rose,  Mrs.  Elsie  Smith 
and  Ida,  all  living  in  Ohio;  Mr.  Thompson  is 
the  fifth  of  a  large  family  of  children,  the  others 
being  Elbridge,  living  in  Hartford,  Ohio;  Mrs. 
Nora  E.  Ferrell  and  Mrs.  Cora  B.  Payne,  twins, 
living  in  Erie  and  Titusville,  Pennsylvania,  re- 
spectively; Mrs.  Alice  E.  Logan,  in  Vernon, 
Ohio;  John  D.,  now  living  in  Ohio;  Mrs. 
Blanche  M.  True,  a  resident  of  Belle  Valley, 
Pennsylvania ;  Mrs.  Pearl  M.  McCormick,  also 
in  Pennsylvania ;  Norman  and  Ralph,  both  resid- 
ing in  Ohio.  Emory  Thompson  senior  is  a  self- 
made  man  who  has,  besides  rearing  a  large  fam- 
ily, accumulated  a  comfortable  competence.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thompson  (junior)  are  consistent 
members  of  the  Congregational  communion  and 
well  known  in  the  community's  social  circles. 
They  have  three  children,  Celia  M.,  Howard  S. 
and  Elmer  E.,  born  in  Ohio.  Mr.  Thompson  is 
affiliated  with  the  Republican  party.  The  one 
hundred-acre  improved  farm  upon  which  has 
been  built  a  comfortable  home  and  two  timber 
claims  situated  in  Kittitas  county  constitute 
Mr.  Thompson's  property  interests.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son is  one  of  the  solid  citizens  of  the  county,  of 
unquestioned  integrity  and  commendable  in- 
dustry. 


GEORGE  G.  MULLER,  who  is  at  present 
the  owner  and  manager  of  the  Hotel  Sunnyside 
at  Sunnyside,  Washington,  is  a  German-Ameri- 
can who  has  been  induced  to  take  up  his  abode 
in  Yakima  county  because  of  the  congenial  Cli- 
mate and  unexcelled  opportunities  presented 
home-seekers  bv  that  region.  Mr.  Muller  came  to 
Washington  in  1883  as  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
one  years,  who  had  left  his  birthplace,  Fond  du 
Lac  county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was  born  April 
19,  1S62,  to  seek  his  fortunes  in  the  far  North- 
west. The  railroad  had  not  long  preceded  him, 
and  the  region,  now  dotted  with  cities  and  towns 
and  farming  communities  and  networked  with 
railroads,  was  yet  in  the  infancy  of  its  develop- 
ment. His  parents,  Jost  and  Marguerite 
(Swartz)  Muller,  were  of  German  birth,  born  in 
1821  and  1826,  respectively,  who  crossed-  the 
ocean  and  became  pioneers  of  Wisconsin.  The 
mother  is  deceased,  but  the  father  still  lives.  The 
young  northwestern  pioneer  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  his  native  state  until  the  age  of 
eighteen  ;  then  for  three  years  was  engaged  in 
carpenter  work  and  various  other  occupations, 
but  ever  the  purpose  to  secure  a  better  educa- 
tion ruled  his  ambitions.  A  short  time  after  his 
arrival  in  Spokane,  1884,  he  entered  the  Spokane 
College,  attending  to  his  studies   in.  the   winter 


and  teaching  school  and  doing  other  work  sum- 
mers, besides  college  janitor  work,  to  enable  him 
to  remain  in  school.  While  in  this  school  he  also 
taught  German  to  help  meet  expenses.  After  fin- 
ishing his  sophomore  year,  the  young  student 
matriculated  at  the  Willamette  University  in 
Oregon,  and  was  able  by  hard  work  to  remain  in 
the  university  until  he  had  finished  his  junior 
_\ear  in  1890.  Thus  equipped  he  taught  school 
in  Spokane  county  during  1890-91,  but  in  the  fall 
of  the  latter  year  entered  the  Methodist  ministry, 
his  first  charge  being  the  church  at  Wilbur.  In 
the  order  named  he  had  charge  of  congregations 
at  Davenport,  Coeur  d'Alene  City  and  Palouse 
City.  However,  severe  throat  trouble  finally 
laid  hold  on  him  and  in  February,  1899,  forced 
him  to  abandon,  at  least  temporarily,  the  pro- 
fession for  which  he  had  so  well  trained  himself 
through  many  hardships.  The  insurance  busi- 
ness, a  short  experience  at  school  teaching,  and 
real  estate  business  successively  engaged  his  at- 
tention until  January,  1903,  when  he  purchased 
the  Sunnyside  hotel  property,  in  the  manage- 
ment of  which  he  has  been  very  successful. 

In  August,  1890.  Mr.  Muller  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Powell,  of  Medical 
Lake,  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  January  7,  1867. 
Miss  Powell's  parents  are  Doctor  John  H.  and 
Martha  ( [oily)  Powell,  also  Illinoisans,  who  are 
now  living  at  Nez  Perce,  Idaho.  Mrs.  Muller 
has  one  brother,  Wesley,  in  Eureka,  California, 
and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Ella  Marknell,  a  resident  of 
Los  Angeles.  Mr.  Muller's  brothers  and  sisters 
are :  Jacob  E.,  in  Illinois ;  Henry  F.,  in  Wiscon- 
sin ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth%Kresse,  in  North  Dakota; 
Mrs.  Anna  Kresses  in  Wisconsin;  John,  in  Wis- 
consin; Mrs.  Lena  Krohn,  in  Wisconsin;  and 
Mss.  Mary  Miller,  also  a  resident  of  that  state. 
There  are  three  children  in  the  Muller  home, 
Chester,  Walden  F.  and  Harold,  the  first  and  last 
named  born  in  Spokane  and  Walden  F.  in  Dav- 
enport. Mr.  Muller  is  connected  with  three  fra- 
ternities, the  Masons,  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  Politically,  he  is  a 
Republican.  In  addition  to  his  hotel  property,  he 
owns  ten  acres  of  land  near  Sunnyside  and  farm- 
ing property  in  Stevens  county.  Mr.  Muller 
holds  the  esteem  of  all  who  come  in  contact  with 
him,  and  his  family's  advent  into  the  life  of  Sun- 
nyside has  been  most  cordially  welcomed. 


LAFAYETTE  PACE  (deceased).  With  the 
death  of  this  prominent  pioneer  farmer  at  his 
home  in  Sunnyside,  Wednesday  night,  November 
18,  1903,  there  passed  away  one  of  the  most  gen- 
erally esteemed  and  successful  men  of  Sunnyside 
valley.  The  cause  of  his  death  was  diabetes,  from 
which  he  had  been  a  long-time  sufferer.  His 
funeral  took  place  at  the  Federated  church  under 
the   direction  of  Sunnyside  lodge,   No.   49,   Inde- 


694 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


pendent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he 
was  a  zealous  member.  He  also  held  a 
membership  in  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  Lafayette  Pace  was  born  near  Fort 
Wayne,  Indiana,  October  16,  1852,  being  the 
youngest  son  of  Michael  and  Penelope  Pace.  His 
father  died  about  the  year  1855,  but  his  mother 
still  survives  at  the  age  of  seventy-two,  at  present 
a  resident  of  Calhoun  county,  Iowa.  At  the  age 
of  fourteen  the  deceased  removed  from  his  native 
home  to  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  with  his 
mother  and  stepfather,  Silas  M.  Jones.  He  re- 
mained a  resident  of  Whiteside  county  for  the 
following  fifteen  years,  but  in  January,  1881,  re- 
moved his  family  to  Calhoun  county,  Iowa,  where 
he  remained  until  the  fall  of  1887.  Thence  they 
went  to  Leola,  McPherson  county,  South  Dakota, 
and  there  resided  until  the  latter  part  of  1890.  Mr. 
Pace  then  concluded  to  abandon  farming  and 
with  his  family  came  to  Tacoma,  there  embarking 
in  the  contracting  business,  which  he  followed 
with  fair  success  four  years.  At  the  end  of  that 
time  he  reconsidered  his  decision  to  farm  no  more 
and  resolved  to  resume  his  old  occupation,  com- 
ing to  Sunny  side  valley  for  that  purpose  in  May, 
1894.  In  that  section  he  secured  land  and  met 
with  great  success  from  the  beginning  of  his  ex- 
perience. It  had  been  Mr.  Pace's  intention  to  go 
east  with  his  wife  in  the  fall  of  1903  and  partici- 
pate in  a  grand  family  reunion  at  the  old  home 
which  he  had  not  visited  in  sixteen  years;  the 
journey  was  to  have  been  commenced  on  the  day 
of  his  death.  Mr.  Pace  was  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  for  three  successive  terms  had  served  his 
district  as  road  supervisor  with  credit.  In  the 
fall  of  1902  he  was  honored  by  the  electors  of 
Yakima  county  by  being  chosen  county  commis- 
sioner for  a  term  of  four  years,  and  up  to  his 
death  fearlessly  and  capably  discharged  the  duties 
of  his  office  with  honor  to  himself  and  satisfac- 
tion to  his  constituents. 

Mr.  Pace  and  Miss  Helen  A.  Thompson,  oi 
Erie,  Illinois,  were  united  in  marriage,  November 
30,  1871,  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  a  well-known  family  of  pioneers,  popu- 
lar in  the  community  where  she  was  reared  to 
womanhood,  and  highly  esteemed  in  Yakima 
county  by  all  who  know  her.  She  and  five  chil- 
dren, as  follows,  survive  the  devoted  husband  and 
father:  Roy  L.  and  Clyde  W.,  born  in  Illinois, 
January  17,  1874,  and  December  16,  1877,  respect- 
ively ;  Pearl  H.,  born  in  Calhoun  county,  Iowa, 
December  15,  1883,  and  Jennie  M.  and  Earl  J., 
twins,  also  born  in  Iowa,  August  24,  1885.  One 
daughter,  Mabel  B.,  was  born  in  South  Dakota, 
August  20,  1889,  and  died  four  months  later.  Mr. 
Pace  is  also  survived  by  two  brothers,  Jacob  and 
John;  one  sister,  Mrs.  Melinda  Woods,  residing 
in  the  east,  and  two  half-brothers  and  three  half- 


sisters.  In  life,  Mr.  Pace  was  a  kind,  loving  hus- 
band and  father,  an  energetic  and  capable  man  of 
affairs,  a  generous  neighbor  and  a  loyal  friend,  and 
a  citizen  who  did  not  shirk  his  duties  but 
ever  fearlessly  assumed  his  responsibilities  and 
worked  for  the  upbuilding  of  his  community  and 
country.  In  death,  his  loss  is  keenly  felt  by  those 
around  him. 


JAMES  F.  McCONNON.  Few  men  in  the 
Sunnyside  district  have  had  a  more  varied  experi- 
ence in  the  west  than  has  the  subject  of  this  sketch, 
who  was  born  in  Leith,  Scotland,  May  3,  1864,  to 
Irish  parents,  James  and  Mary  (Finley)  McCon- 
non.  The  father,  now  dead,  was  born  in  Ireland 
in  1840;  the  mother,  living  in  Utica,  New  York, 
was  born  on  the  same  island  a  year  earlier  than 
her  husband.  When  a  child  of  six  years,  James 
F.  came  with  his  parents  to  America,  the  family 
locating  in  Utica,  New  York,  where  he  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools.  He  remained 
in  school  until  seventeen  years  old,  then  spent  a 
year  teaming,  following  which  he  joined  the  great 
army  seeking  their  fortunes  in  the  west.  During 
the  next  few  years  the  young  man  traveled 
throughout  the  west,  visiting  the  middle  western 
states,  including  Nebraska,  Minnesota,  Montana, 
the  Dakotas,  Colorado,  Texas,  Oregon,  Washing- 
ton and  many  other  states,  busying  himself  at 
various  occupations.  Immediately  after  the  great 
Spokane  fire  he  arrived  on  the  scene  and  assisted 
in  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  metropolis  of  the 
Inland  Empire.  In  June,  1893,  he  came  to  Yak- 
ima county,  where  for  two  years  he  was  engaged 
in  farming.  Then,  during  a  dull  season,  he  set- 
tled upon  a  homestead  above  the  Sunnyside  canal, 
three  miles  north  of  the  town  of  Sunnyside.  About 
this  same  time  he  gave  some  attention  to  mining 
in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  district,  working  for  a  short 
period  for  the  Bunker  Hill  and  Sullivan  Company. 
He  was  fortunate  in  his  experience  and  with  the 
money  thus  accumulated  he  returned  to  Yakima 
county  in  February,  1898,  and  leased  thirty  acres 
of  Sunnyside  land.  The  venture  proved  success- 
ful and  the  following  January  he  purchased  thirty 
acres  from  the  canal  company,  making  one  pay- 
ment. To  make  the  next  payment  he  was  com- 
pelled to  borrow  money.  The  third  payment  was 
made  with  the  proceeds  of  a  corn  crop  and  the 
money  that  Mr.  McConnon  had  been  able  to  save 
from  his  wages.  Then  he  purchased  an  adjoin- 
ing ten  acres,  the  final  payment  for  which  he  made 
in  the  fall  of  1903.  From  twenty-five  acres  of  hay 
harvested  that  fall  the  doughty  farmer  realized 
one  thousand  three  hundred  and  two  dollars,  sell- 
ing the  hay  at  six  dollars  a  ton.  The  forty-acre 
farm,  all  under  cultivation,  well  equipped  with 
machinery,  a  comfortable  residence  and  barn,  out- 
buildings, etc.,  is  now  all  paid  for — a  very  credit- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


695 


able  testimony  to  the  energy  and  ability  of  its 
owner.  Mr.  McConnon  has  four  brothers  :  Peter, 
an  upholsterer  in  New  York  City ;  Frank,  a  molder, 
of  Utica,  New  York;  Thomas,  also  a  resident 
of  Utica,  and  Robert,  a  butcher,  living  in  Utica; 
and  one  sister,  Mary,  who  is  the  wife  of  a  Texan. 
Mr.  McConnon  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows, 
is  a  Republican  in  political  matters  and  was  reared 
in  a  Catholic  household.  During  the  winter  of 
1903-4  he  visited  his  old  Utica  home,  which  he  had 
not  seen  for  many  years. 


WILLIAM  HITCHCOCK,  editor  and  propri- 
etor of  the  Sunnyside  Sun,  is  a  native  of  Clayton 
county,  Iowa,  born  May  31,  1866.  He  is  the  son  of 
Morris  S.  and  Catherine  H.  (Humphry)  Hitchcock. 
Morris  S.  Hitchcock  (deceased)  was  born  in  Water- 
ville,  Oneida  county,  New  York,  in  1828;  was  a 
farmer  and  school  teacher,  and,  for  ten  years  of  his 
life,  editor  of  various  publications.  The  mother  of 
the  subject  of  this  biography,  now  living  in  Tacoma, 
Washington,  is  a  native  of  England,  born  in  Fal- 
mouth in  1835.  William  Hitchcock  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa,  leav- 
ing school  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  entering  the 
office  of  the  National  Advocate,  published  by  his 
father  at  Independence,  Iowa,  for  the  purpose  of 
becoming  a  practical  printer.  For  six  years  he 
labored  in  this  office,  becoming  proficient  in  the 
mechanical  department  of  newspaper  work.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  he  went  with  his  parents  to  Fair- 
bank,  Iowa,  and  there  associated  himself  with  his 
father  in  the  establishment  of  a  paper  known  as  the 
Fairbank  View,  which  they  conducted  together  suc- 
cessfully until  May,  1891,  when  the  father  died. 
The  son  continued  its  publication  alone  until  1894, 
when  he  sold  out  and  moved  to  Le  Mars,  Iowa. 
There  he  established  another  paper,  but  published  it 
for  a  short  time  only,  when  he  disposed  of  the  plant 
and  again  moved,  this  time  to  Colfax,  Iowa,  estab- 
lishing there  the  Colfax  Tribune,  a  publication  that 
is  still  being  issued.  This  business  he  sold  in  Octo- 
ber, 1900,  and  shortly  afterwards  came  to  Sunny- 
side,  Washington.  Purchasing  a  newspaper  plant, 
he  began  the  publication  of  the  Sunnyside  Sun,  the 
first  issue  appearing  May  24,  1901.  In  this  venture 
he  has  been  exceptionally  successful,  the  list  of  sub- 
scribers now  numbering  over  eight  hundred.  The 
office  is  equipped  with  a  Monona  leverless  press, 
gasoline  engine,  and  with  other  conveniences  indis- 
pensable to  the  progressive  editor  of  a  successful 
paper.  By  tireless  devotion  to  public  interests  and 
enterprises,  both  local  and  general.  Editor  Hitch- 
cock has  won  the  confidence  of  the  community, 
which  is  giving  the  Sun  the  hearty  support  it  de- 
serves as  the  medium  through  which  knowledge  of 
the  city  and  of  the  wonderful  country  by  which  it 
is  surrounded  is  conveyed  to  the  general  public. 
Mr.  Hitchcock  is  one  of  a  family  of  six  children. 


The  names  of  his  brothers  and  sisters  follow:  Wal- 
ter A.,  Solomon  C,  Elizabeth,  Mary  Lillian  and 
Annette,  all  residents  of  Tacoma,  Washington. 

In  1897  William  Hitchcock  and  Miss  Lily  M. 
Lacey  were  united  in  marriage  in  Colfax,  Iowa. 
Mrs.  Hitchcock  was  born  in  Jasper  county,  Iowa, 
March  22,  1875,  the  daughter  of  William  Lacey, 
who  still  lives  in  Iowa.  Her  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Elizabeth  McCracken.  Mrs.  Hitchcock  has  one 
sister,  Myrtle  Lacey,  living  in  Sunnyside.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hitchcock  have  one  daughter  and  one  son: 
Dorothy  D.,  born  in  Colfax,  Iowa,  in  February, 
1899,  and  Morris  W.,  born  in  Sunnyside,  July  5, 
1903.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hitchcock  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church.  Mr.  Hitchcock's  fraternal  con- 
nections are  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  Besides  his 
business  property,  he  owns  two  acres  of  land  where 
his  residence  stands,  and  five  acres  elsewhere  within 
the  city  limits.  He  has  a  most  comfortable  and  de- 
sirable home.  Both  by  nature  and  education  he  is 
eminently  fitted  for  the  profession  he  has  chosen, 
and  the  Sunnyside  Sun  has  come  to  be  recognized 
as  one  of  the  best  edited  and  most  progressive  papers 
in  Yakima  county.  He  is  a  man  of  strict  integrity 
and  correct  principles,  and  is  held  in  high  esteem  by 
all  with  whom  he  comes  in  contact,  either  in  a  busi- 
ness or  social  way. 


CLINTON  R.  WEBBER  is  one  of  the  success- 
ful farmers  and  stock  raisers  of  the  Sunnyside  dis- 
trict, residing  four  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of 
Sunnyside,  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1. 
He  is  a  native  of  Maine,  born  July  11,  1873.  the  son 
of  Wilbur  W.  and  Emily  (Record)  Webber,  the 
father  (deceased)  a  farmer,  born  in  Limerick, 
Maine,  in  1845,  and  tlle  mother,  now  living  near 
Sunnyside,  born  in  Hartford,  the  same  state  and  in 
the  same  year  in  which  her  husband  was  born. 
When  the  son  Clinton  was  four  years  old  the 
parents  moved  from  Maine  to  South  Dakota,  and 
here  he  received  his  earl}-  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Watertown.  In  1890,  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, he  left  home  and  came  west,  locating  in  Seattle, 
Washington,  and  for  two  years  following  the  occu- 
pation of  a  plasterer;  thence  going  to  Salt  Lake 
City,  where  he  remained  for  one  year  in  the  capacity 
of  a  street  car  conductor.  In  1893  he  came  to  Yak- 
ima countv,  and.  in  connection  with  his  father,  be- 
gan the  improvement  of  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Webber  stock  farm,  engaging  at  first  in  diversified 
farming  and  meeting  with  good  success  until  the 
death  of  the  father  in  1896,  which,  coupled  with  the 
financial  distress  of  the  early  nineties,  rendered 
fanning  temporarily  unprofitable.  In  1898  he  asso- 
ciated his  brother  with  him.  and  together  they  oper- 
ated the  ranch  for  four  years  as  a  dairy  farm,  find- 
ing the  business  very  profitable.  In  1902  he  pur- 
chased  his  brother's    interests,    and    February    18, 


6g6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1903,  took  into  the  business  as  partners  F.  S.  and 
G.  E.  Sylvester.  The  company  is  fyow  engaged  ex- 
clusively in  the  stock  business,  making  a  specialty 
of  Poland-China  hogs,  of  which  they  are  raising 
more  than  any  other  company  in  the  county ;  among 
their  droves  now  having  twenty-five  registered  hogs 
of  this  breed.  This  is  one  of  the  best  known  stock 
farms  in  the  county,  and  is  under  the  management 
of  our  subject.  Mr.  Webber  has  one  brother  and 
one  sister,  living  in  Yakima  county,  Harold  and 
Gladys,  the  latter  now  attending  high  school  in 
North  Yakima. 

March  13,  1901,  Clinton  R.  Webber  and  Miss 
Esther  McDonald  were  united  in  the  bonds  of  wed- 
lock at  North  Yakima.  Mrs.  Webber  was  born  in 
Wisconsin,  December  7,  1875,  the  daughter  of  Will- 
iam and  Elizabeth  (  Hill )  McDonald ;  the  father  is 
dead,  the  mother  living  in  Sunnyside.  Mrs.  Web- 
ber has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Lavina  Boland,  living  in 
Wisconsin,  and  two  brothers  and  one  sister,  Leon- 
ard, George  and  Catherine,  living  in  Sunnyside. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webber  have  one  child,  Leone  A., 
born  January  11,  1902,  in  their  present  home  in 
Yakima  county.  Mr.  Webber's  fraternal  connec- 
tions are  with  the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Yeo- 
men. Politically,  he  is  an  independent  Republican, 
supporting  the  best  man  for  the  office  in  political 
campaigns,  rather  than  the  party.  He  owns  the  one- 
sixth  interest  in  the  Webber  stock  farm,  which  con- 
sists of  three  hundred  and  ninety  acres,  valued  at 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  on  which  there  are  one 
thousand  head  of  hogs  and  eighteen  dairy  cows.  He 
also  owns  a  good  residence  property  in  Sunnyside. 
By  perseverance  and  strict  attention  to  business  he 
has  won  success  where  many  others  have  failed.  He 
is  known  as  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity,  fair  in  all 
his  dealings  with  others,  a  man  of  energy  and  pro- 
gressive ideas,  and  by  all  who  know  him  he  is  highly 
esteemed. 


ELMER  E.  FERSON,  for  ten  years  a  resident 
of  the  Sunnyside  district,  is  now  engaged  in  dairy 
farming  and  butter  making  four  miles  southeast  of 
Sunnyside,  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1. 
He  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  in  Oshkosh 
October  17,  i860,  the  son  of  James  S.  and  Augusta 
(Willard)  Ferson,  the  father  (deceased)  a  native  of 
Nash,  New  Hampshire,  and  the  mother,  now  living 
with  her  son,  a  native  of  Vermont,  of  Welsh  and 
American  descent.  When  the  son  Elmer  was  nine 
years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Pine  City,  Minne- 
sota, and  in  its  public  schools  he  received  his  early 
education,  later  taking  a  business  course  in  St. 
Paul,  Minnesota.  Leaving  school  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  he  engaged  for  six  years  in  logging  dur- 
ing the  winter  months  and  in  contract  work  on 
brick  structures  in  the  summer.  In  1888  he  came 
to  the  far  west,  locating  in  Seattle  and  following 
his    former    occupations    until  1894,  when  he  came 


to  Yakima  county.  Purchasing  a  tract  of  seventy- 
three  acres,  where  he  now  resides,  he  at  once  be- 
gan its  improvement.  Owing  to  the  financial 
troubles  of  1893.  he  had  lost  nearly  all  his  ac- 
cumulations in  the  Sound  country,  and  was  able  to 
make  but  a  small  payment  on  his  farm,  but,  by  per- 
severance, energy  and  self-denial,  he  managed  to 
weather  the  period  of  financial  distress  and  by 
the  year  1898  began  to  realize  substantial  returns 
from  his  investment.  He  combined  contracting  and 
building  with  farming,  built  the  first  school  house 
in  the  Sunnyside  district,  discovered  good  brick 
clay  near  Sunnyside,  manufactured  brick  and,  with 
T.  W.  Marble,  erected  the  first  brick  building  in 
Sunnyside.  Mr.  Ferson  informs  us  that  before 
prosperity  returned  to  this  section  money  was  so 
scarce  that  it  was  next  to  impossible  to  discharge 
even  small  obligations ;  the  first  crop  he  succeeded 
in  raising  was  onions,  which  for  a  year  or  two 
were  his  only  medium  of  exchange  in  settling  ac- 
counts with  his  neighbors.  In  1901  he  established 
a  creamery  on  his  farm,  which  he  has  named  the 
Mountain  View  because  of  the  beautiful  view  that 
may  be  had  from  his  place  both  of  Mount  Rainier 
and  Mount  Adams.  The  creamery  has  a  capacity 
of  five  hundred  pounds  of  butter  per  day;  for  the 
year  1903  Mr.  Ferson  gathered  one  hundred  thirty- 
seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  seventy-four 
pounds  of  cream,  made  thirty-nine  thousand  three 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  pounds  of  butter,  which 
sold  for  an  average  of  twenty-three  cents  per 
pound,  and  paid  to  his  patrons  eight  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  fifty-nine  dollars. 

In  188 1  Mr.  Ferson  was  married  in  Pine  City, 
Minnesota,  to  Miss  Nellie  R.  Record,  who  was 
born  in  Buckfield,  Maine,  February  3,  1863,  the 
daughter  of  Stephen  E.  and  Sarah  (Irish)  Record, 
the  father  born  in  Maine  in  1820,  now  living  in 
South  Dakota,  the  mother  born  in  Maine,  died 
when  her  daughter  was  eight  years  old.  Mr.  Fer- 
son has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Ida  Marble,  in  South 
Dakota.  Mrs.  Ferson  has  three  sisters  living  in 
Yakima  county:  Mrs.  Alice  Adams,  Mrs.  Emily 
Webber  and  Mrs.  Bertha  Rhoads.  She  also  has 
a  brother,  Carrol  Record,  a  retired  farmer  of 
Watertown,  South  Dakota.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ferson 
have  one  son  and  three  daughters :  Chester,  born 
in  Seattle  April  7,  1890;  Margery,  born  in  Seattle 
June  2,  1892;  Blanch,  born  in  Sunnyside  May  4. 
1896,  and  Lois,  born  in  Sunnyside  February  19, 
1899.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ferson  are  Christian  Scien- 
tists. Fraternally.  Mr.  Ferson  is  connected  with 
the  Independent" Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  with 
the  Modern  Woodmen ;  politically,  he  is  an  active 
Republican.  On  his  farm  he  has 'one  hundred  and 
three  head  of  cattle,  forty  of  which  are  milch 
cows.  He  has  a  fourteen-room  dwelling,  modern 
in  all  its  appointments  and  to  be  lighted  later  by 
electricity.  He  is  a  man  of  energy  and  enter- 
prise, progressive  in  his  ideas,  honorable- in  all  lus 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


697 


dealings  with  others,  a  man  of  influence  in  local 
affairs  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  his 
fellow  men. 


JOSEPH  LANNIN,  justice  of  the  peace  at 
Sunnyside,  Washington,  and  for  three  years  judge 
of  the  horticultural  department  of  the  Washington 
state  fair  association,  is  a  native  of  Toronto,  Can- 
ada, born  March  28,  1824.  Pie  is  the  son  of 
George  and  Ann  (German)  Lannin,  of  English  de- 
scent; the  father  died  when  Joseph  was  a  child; 
the  mother  died  in  Canada  in  her  eighty-second 
year.  The  son  Joseph  was  educated  in  Toronto, 
leaving  there  when  twelve  years  old  and  going  first 
to  London,  Canada,  and  later  to  Elma,  Perth 
county.  In  1848  he  came  to  the  United  States, 
settling  in  Van  Buren  county,  Michigan,  where 
he  followed  fruit  growing  for  forty-five  years.  He 
was  an  expert  authority  on  peaches,  grapes  and 
pears,  and  was  in  charge  of  the  Michigan  fruit 
exhibit  at  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago  in  1893. 
He  was  for  a  number  of  years  vice-president  of 
the  Michigan  State  Horticultural  Society  and  was 
afterwards  president  for  years  of  the  West  Mich- 
igan Fruit-growers'  Association,  of  which  he  was 
one  of  the  organizers.  The  Washington  exhibit 
of  fruit  at  the  World's  Fair  attracted  his  atten- 
tion in  1893,  and  soon  afterwards  he  sold  out  his 
Michigan  interests  and  moved  to  Yakima  county,  _ 
locating  on  a  twenty-acre  farm  near  Sunnyside  in 
1894.  This  land  he  transformed  from  its  prim- 
itive condition  to  a  most  productive  tract,  setting 
out  ten  acres  to  orchard,  erecting  a  neat  cottage 
(the  first  plastered  and  papered  house  in  the  com- 
munity), and  making  of  the  farm  an  ideal  home. 
This  farm  he  sold,  retiring  from  the  more  active 
labors  of  life  in  March,  1902. 

Mr.  Lannin  was  first  married  in  Canada,  the 
wife  living,  however,  but  a  short  time.  Again,  in 
1894,  he  was  .married  in  Iowa  to  Mrs.  Genevieve 
(Hutchins)  Stevens,  formerly  the  wife  of  Dr.  J.  F. 
Stevens,  of  Portland,  Me.,  to  whom  she  was  mar- 
ried in  1862,  and  who  was  a  prominent  Repub- 
lican state  legislator  of  Maine.  Mrs.  Lannin  was 
"born  in  Vermont,  February  20,  1845,  the  daughter 
of  Levi  and  Caroline  (Fitzgerald)  Hutchins,  na- 
tives of  Vermont  and  New  York,  respectively. 
Mrs.  Lannin  was  educated  at  Fort  Edward  col- 
lege, New  York,  on  the  Hudson  river,  being  grad- 
uated therefrom  in  her  sixteenth  year.  She  is  one 
of  a  family  of  six  children.  The  following  are  her 
brothers  and  sisters :  Horace  W.  Hutchins,  living 
in  Boston;  Major  John  F.,  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war,  of  Seattle ;  Professor  Oscar  B.,  for  the 
past  thirty  years  a  teacher  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton 
college,  in  Boston;  Doctor  Eugene,  a  prominent 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Minneapolis,  Minnesota ; 
Mrs.  Endora  Russell,  of  Iowa,  two  of  whose  sons 
are  prominent  citizens  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  one  of 
them  being  on  the  Board  of  Trade.    By  her  former 


marriage  Mrs.  Lannin  has  six  children,  as  follows: 
Gerald  F.  Stevens,  of  the  firm  of  Stevens  Brothers, 
Chicago,  Illinois,  merchants ;  Grant  E.,  a  member 
of  the  same  firm;  Mrs.  Edith  M.  Clancey,  of  St. 
Louis,  Missouri;  John  B.,  of  Sunnyside;  Mrs. 
Stella  E.  Bates,  of  Three  Rivers,  Michigan.  One 
sister,  Louisa  C,  died  when  three  years  old.  John 
B.  Stevens  served  in  Battery  B,  Utah  volunteers, 
during  the  Spanish-American  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lannin  are  among  the  most  public-spirited  citizens 
of  Sunnyside,  and  are  always  found  in  the  lead 
when  the  public  welfare  is  under  consideration. 
The  Public  Library  Association  was  organized  in 
1901  by  Mrs.  Lannin's  efforts,  and  she  has  by  her 
individual  endeavors  secured  cash  and  lots  in  sub- 
scriptions, that  place  the  library  on  a  solid  finan- 
cial basis.  She  organized  the  first  observation  of 
Memorial  day  in  the  community,  started  the  move- 
ment for  the  purchase  of  an  organ  for  the  public 
schools  and  carried  it  to  a  successful  issue,  and 
was  the  leading  promoter  of  the  local  Sunnyside 
fair  which  is  held  each  year  after  the  close  of  the 
state  fair.  The  first  literary  society  was  organized 
in  October,  1894,  with  Joseph  Lannin  as  pres- 
ident. In  this  way  Mr.  and  Mrs.'  Lannin  have  al- 
ways exerted  their  united  efforts  and  their  whole 
influence  for  the  advancement  of  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  general  public.  Unselfish  and  untiring 
in  their  labors,  of  most  generous  impulses,  and 
desiring  only  the  good  and  the  advancement  of 
others,  they  have  gained  the  esteem  of  their  fel- 
low citizens  and  are  held  in  high  respect  by  a  host 
of  sincere  friends.  Mr.  Lannin  is  prominent  in 
Masonic  "and  Odd  Fellow  circles,  and  has  been 
a  lifelong  Republican,  voting  with  the  party  since 
its  organization.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church  for  seventy  years.  Respected 
and  loved  by  all  who  know  them  and  possessing 
so  many  of  those  sterling  traits  of  personal  char- 
acter that  make  life  a  success  in  the  truest  sense 
of  the  term,  none  is  more  deserving  of  an  hon- 
ored place  in  the  history  of  their  home  county 
than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Joseph  Lannin. 


DAVID  B.  EBY.  One  of  the  progressive 
and  successful  farmers  of  Yakima  county  is 
David  B.  Eby,  who  resides  two  miles  east  of 
Sunnyside,  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1. 
Mr.  Eby  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born 
in  Huntingdon  county  May  10,  1851,  the  son  of 
Enoch  and  Hetty  (Howe)  Eby,  natives  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  father  still  living,  in  Stephenson 
county,  Illinois.  His  mother  was  born  in  Juniata 
county,  Pennsylvania,  February  19,  1823.  His 
father  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia, November  15,  1828,  was  a  farmer  and  a  min- 
ister, but  has  now  retired  from  the  more  active 
duties  of  life.  He  became  a  minister  of  the 
Brethren  church  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  and  was 
sent  in   early  life  as  a  missionary  to   Denmark, 


698 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


where  he  organized  the  first  Brethren  church 
established  in  that  country.  He  was  a  pioneer 
of  Illinois  and  is  now  one  of  the  oldest  ministers 
in  his  church,  but  is  still  a  hale  and  hearty  man. 
He  was  the  first  minister  of  the  Brethren  con- 
gregation at  Sunnyside  and  vicinity.  In  the  fam- 
ily are  three  sons  and  one  daughter:  John  G.,  a 
farmer  of  Marshall  county,  Kansas ;  Mrs.  An- 
netta  C.  Yarger,  wife  of  an  Illinois  farmer; 
David,  the  subject  of  this  article,  and  Levi  H., 
a  missionary  living  in  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana. 
When  the  son  David  was  four  years  old  his 
parents  moved  to  Illinois,  where  he  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools,  following 
this  course  with  one  year  in  college  in  Bourbon, 
Indiana.  He  then  engaged  in  farming  and  was 
so  occupied  in  Illinois  until  1898,  when  he  came 
to  Washington,  locating  on  the  farm  near  Sun- 
nyside which  is  now  his  home.  This  was  then 
a  tract  of  wild  land  overgrown  with  sage-brush, 
but  he  at  once  began  its  improvement  and  has 
made  of  it  not  only  a  comfortable  home  but  a 
most  valuable  and  productive  farm  on  which  he 
has  erected  good  buildings,  and  where  are  found 
the  necessary  stock  and  equipage  of  the  modern, 
progressive  farmer.  Besides  the  usual  number 
of  horses  and  dairy  cows  found  on  a  good  farm, 
he  has  eighty  head  of  stock  cattle,  the  raising 
of  which  he  finds  very  profitable. 

December  31,  1874,  Mr.  Eby  was  married  in 
Stephenson  county,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Hannah 
Studebaker,  who  was  born  in  Bedford  county, 
Pennsylvania,  February  1,  1849,  the  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Catherine  (Wertz)  Studebaker,  na- 
tives of  Pennsylvania,  the  father  born  May  19, 
1813,  and  the  mother  in  1817;  both  parents  are 
dead,  the  date  of  the  fathers  death  being  June 
30,  1896.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eby  have  been  born 
eight  children,  three  of  whom  are  dead.  Their 
names  follow:  Cora  (deceased);  Jacob  A.,  born 
December  3,  1877,  living  in  Sunnyside;  Harrison 
R.  (deceased),  born  January  24,  1880;  Mary  M., 
born  May  5,  1883,  at  home;  David  L.  (deceased), 
born  April  19,  1886;  Orpha  E.,  born  March  23, 
1889.  at  home;  Enoch  L.,  born  January  2,  1891, 
at  home;  Verna  R.,  born  April  6,  1895;  Illinois 
was  the  birthplace  of  all.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eby 
belong  to  the  Brethren  church.  In  political  mat- 
ters Mr.  Eby  is  a  Republican.  Besides  his  one 
hundred  and  twenty-acre  farm  he  has  a  number 
of  lots  in  Sunnyside.  He  is  a  man  of  honor  and 
integrity,  progressive  in  his  ideas,  interested  in 
all  movements  for  the  public  welfare,  of  pro- 
nounced influence  in  local  affairs,  and  is  re- 
spected and  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
him. 

JOHN  B.  SHELLER,  one  of  the  successful 
farmers  and  fruit  growers  of  Yakima  county,  re- 
sides two  and  one-half  nr.les  northeast  of  Sun- 
nyside,   on    rural     free    delivery     route      No.      I. 


He  is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  Franklin 
county,  August  6,  1847,  tne  son  01  Samuel  and 
Elizabeth  (Butterbaugh)  Sheller,  also  natives  of 
Pennsylvania,  both  now  dead.  The  subject  of 
this  biography  is  one  of  a  family  of  seven  sons 
and  daughters.  The  names  of  his  brothers  and 
sisters  follow :  Mrs.  Louisa  Zuck,  living  in 
Iowa;  David  B.,  of  Tacoma;  Mrs.  Mary  Blough, 
in  Illinois;  George  W.,  in  Maine;  Mrs.  Emma 
Kimmel,  in  Iowa,  and  Benjamin  F.,  in  Illinois. 
When  the  son  John  was  two  years  old  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Illinois  and  there,  in  the  public 
schools  of  Carroll  county,  he  received  his  early 
education,  leaving  school  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
and  assisting  his  father  on  the  farm  until  his 
twenty-third  year.  At  this  age  he  went  to  La- 
nark, Illinois,  and  entered  a  printing  office,  even- 
tually becoming  a  practical  printer  and  newspa- 
per manager,  afterwards  taking  charge  of  the  Mt. 
Carroll  Gazette  and  continuing  its  editor  and 
publisher  for  four  years.  He  then  removed  to 
Iowa  and  became  a  hardware  merchant,  follow- 
ing the  business  for  five  years,  when  he  sold  out 
and  entered  the  employ  of  L.  Harbach  as  travel- 
ing salesman  for  his  wholesale  furniture  house, 
so  occupying  himself  for  fifteen  years.  At  this 
time,  the  health  of  his  parents  failing,  he  re- 
turned home  and  cared  for  them  until  their 
deaths,  in  the  meanwhile  engaging  in  the  hard- 
ware business.  In  October,  1897,  he  left  Illinois 
and  went  to  California,  but  shortly  afterwards 
came  to  Washington  and  in  1898  purchased  the 
farm  on  which  he  is  now  residing.  He  has  here 
sixty  acres  of  land  on  which  he  has  a  comfort- 
able home;  twenty  acres  are  planted  in  fruit 
trees  and  the  remainder  is  hay  land ;  it  is  also 
well  stocked  with  cattle  and  horses.  In  1902 
he  raised  over  seven  thousand  boxes  of  apples. 
In  April,  1877,  Mr.  Sheller  was  married  in 
Cowrie,  Iowa,  to  Miss  Leafy  L.  Ustick,  who 
was  born  in  Whiteside  county,  Illinois,  January, 
1857,  the  daughter  of  Abner  and  Mariam  (Ab- 
bott) Ustick,  both  of  whom  are  living  with  the 
daughter.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sheller  have  one  son, 
Roscoe  A.,  born  in  Illinois,  April  3,  1889;  two 
daughters,  Eva  and  Merle,  born  in  Iowa,  are 
dead.  Mrs.  Shel'er  is  a  member  of  the  Metho- 
dist church.  Mr.  Sheller's  fraternal  connections 
are  with  the  Masons  and  the  Modern  Woodmen. 
Politically,  he  is  a  Republican,  and,  although  ait 
active  worker  in  the  ranks  and  a  man  of  influ- 
ence in  the  councils  of  the  party,  he  has  refused 
to  accept  office,  preferring  to  labor  for  the  suc- 
cess of  friends.  He  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  man 
of  honor  and  integrity,  of  progressive  ideas  and 
correct  principles  and  is  well  worthy  a  place  in 
a  work  of  this  character. 


JAMES    R.    HARVEY,   M.    D.,    the   pioneer 
physician  and  surgeon  of  Sunnyside,  Washington, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


699 


is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  Pleasantville,  Sul- 
livan county,  May  20,  i860,  the  son  of  Francis 
A.  and  Lydia  (Gilkerson)  Harvey,  natives  of  the 
same  county  and  state,  the  father  born  in  1825  and 
the  mother  in  1827,  the  mother  deceased,  the 
father  still  living  in  Pleasantville.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children,  including  the  subject  of 
this  biography,  whose  brothers  and  one  sister  are 
located. as  follows:  L.  Asbury  Harvey,  a  farmer 
near  Pleasantville,  Indiana ;  John  F.  Harvey,  a 
member  of  the  Indiana  Methodist  conference,  and 
Mrs.  Ella  J.  Fellows,  wife  of  a  real  estate  dealer 
of  Los  Angeles,  California. 

The  son  James  received  his  early  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  county  in  Indiana. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  entered  the  DePauw 
University  at  Greencastle,  Indiana,  remaining  a 
student  of  this  institution  for  two  years.  Follow- 
ing this  he  taught  in  the  common  schools  of  his 
state  for  two  years.  In  1886  he  matriculated  in 
the  Rush  Medical  College,  graduating  therefrom 
in  1889.  During  his  course  of  medical  study,  in 
order  to  assist  in  defraying  its  expenses,  he 
worked  during  vacations  as  a  clerk  in  the  offices 
of  a  lumber  company  at  Menominee,  Michigan. 
April  1,  1889,  he  opened  an  office  in  Stillman  Val- 
ley, Illinois,  where  he  practiced  his  profession  until 
the  fall  of  1900,  with  the  exception  of  one  and  one- 
half  years  spent  in  post-graduate  study  in  Chi- 
cago, Illinois.  January  13,  1901,  he  came  west, 
locating  in  Sunnyside,  where  he  has  built  up  a 
very  large  and  lucrative  practice.  The  doctor 
keeps  abreast  of  the  times  in  his  profession  and  his 
office  is  one  of  the  most  thoroughly  equipped  in 
the  county,  having  among  other  mechanical  de- 
vices for  the  treatment  of  disease,  a  dynamo  for 
the  manufacture  of  the  X-ray  and  for  the  electric 
treatment  of  various  ailments. 

March  21,  1889,  Doctor  Harvey  was  married 
in  Sullivan,  Indiana,  to  Miss  Jessie  W.  Taylor, 
who  was  born  in  Curden,  Iowa,  May  24,  1859,  the 
daughter  of  Judge  William  E.  and  Sarah  C.  (Free- 
land  )  Taylor.  The  daughter  Jessie  was  an  only 
child  and  her  parents  died  when  she  was  six  years 
old.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Harvey  have  one  son,  Francis 
A.,  born  in  Stillman  Valley,  Illinois,  now  living  in 
Sunnyside.  They  are  members  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  active  church  workers.  Politi- 
cally, the  doctor  is  a  Prohibitionist,  and  has  al- 
ways taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  success  of  his 
party;  he  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  state 
party  in  Indiana  in  1884.  He  believes  in  the  future 
of  the  Sunnyside  country  and  has  invested  in  a 
two  hundred  and  forty  acre  farm  near  town,  also 
owning  a  block  in  the  town  where  he  makes  his 
home.  He  has  always  shown  a  commendable  pub- 
lic spirit  and  takes  an  interest  in  the  general  ad- 
vancement of  the  community;  he  was  one  of  a 
committee  of  four  appointed  to  draft  the  consti- 
tution and   by-laws    of    the   Federated   church   of 


Sunnyside  and  has  since  been  a  member  of  the 
advisory  board.  He  has  gained  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  the  community  in  which  he  resides,  is 
known  as  one  of  the  most  successful  practitioners 
in  the  county  and  as  one  of  its  most  reliable  and 
substantial  citizens. 


SIDNEY  E.  JONES,  the  genial  host  of  the 
Globe  hotel,  Sunnsyside,  is  a  well  known  and  re- 
spected citizen  of  the  famous  Sunnyside  country 
and  an  important  man  in  the  community,  for  upon 
him  devolves  the  duty  and  pleasure  of  entertain- 
ing each  year  a  very  large  number  of  visitors  to 
and  prospective  settlers  of  that  region.  Success- 
ful in  his  work,  he  is  the  means  in  part  of  favor- 
ably impressing  travelers  and  thus  materially  aid- 
ing in  the  progress  of  his  home.  Mr.  Jones  is  a 
Pennsylvanian,  born  in  Lawrence  county,  near  the 
town  of  Newcastle,  in  i860.  His  father,  Erymus 
Jones,  was  born  in  the  same  state  twenty-eight 
years  previously,  of  Welsh  parentage.  He  served 
his  country  faithfully  in  the  Civil  war,  and  in  times 
of  peace  tilled  the  soil  for  a  livelihood  until  his 
death  in  1867.  The  mother,  Mary  (Hill)  Jones, 
also  of  Welsh  descent,  was  born  in  the  Keystone 
state,  and  died  there.  Her  father  was  a  soldier  of 
the  War  of  1812.  When  only  twelve  years  old, 
the  subject  of  this  chronicle  left  the  Pennsylvania 
home  to  join  an  uncle  in  Kansas.  A  year  later 
he  plunged  boldly  into  an  independent  existence, 
working  at  various  occupations  until  1880,  when 
he  came  west  to  Umatilla  county  and  two  years 
later  settled  upon  a  homestead  and  timber  culture 
near  Heppner.  He  continued  to  reside  upon  this 
place  until  1892,  when  he  sold  his  property  and 
took  up  his  abode  in  Yakima  county,  living  at 
Zillah  a  year,  then  opening  a  blacksmith  shop  at 
Yakima  City.  In  1900  the  opportunity  presented 
by  the  Sunnyside  region  appealed  to  him  so 
strongly  that  he  bought  the  Globe  hotel  at  Sun- 
nyside and  removed  to  that  thriving  town. 

Mr.  Jones  bade  adieu  to  his  bachelor  days  while 
a  resident  of  Oregon,  his  marriage  to  Miss  Dora 
Morgan  taking  place  in  1882.  She  is  a  Missou- 
rian  by  birth,  born  in  1863.  Thomas  H.  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Noble)  Morgan,  now  dead,  were  her  par- 
ents. Thev  emigrated  from  Kansas  to  Oregon  in 
1880,  locating  in  UTmatilla  county.  Mrs.  Jones  has 
one  sister,  Mrs.  Kate  Foster,  in  Washington,  two 
brothers  and  a  sister  in  Kansas  and  a  brother  and 
a  sister  in  Oregon.  Four  children — Clarence,  Roy, 
Ralph  and  Erymus,  all  at  home — have  come  to 
the  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Sunnyside  camp  of  Modern  Woodmen; 
politically,  he  is  bound  to  no  party,  but  votes  an 
independent  ticket.  Mr.  Jones  has  accumulated 
a  valuable  holding  of  property  in  Yakima  count)-, 
owning,  besides  his  Sunnyside  business  and  land, 
property  in  Yakima  City.     Mr.  Jones  has  watched 


700 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


at  close  range  a  very  rapid  settlement  of  the  Sun- 
nyside  region  during  the  past  four  years,  has  taken 
an  active  part  in  that  progress,  and  now  as  a  pub- 
lic spirited  citizen  of  strength  among  his  fellow 
men  is  seeking  to  further  advance  the  interests 
of  his  community  and  county  by  promoting  set- 
tlement and  introducing  improvements  along  all 
lines.  In  Sunnyside,  as  elsewhere  in  the  Yakima 
countrv,   "Forward"  is   the  watchword. 


EMMETT  R.  TAYLOR.  Prominent  among  the 
young  men  of  Yakima  county  whose  talents  and 
energy  have  been  used  for  the  mutual  benefit  of 
themselves  and  the  communities  in  which  they  live 
is  the  man  whose  name  begins  this  sketch.  He  came 
into  the  Sunnyside  country  when  its  plains  were 
just  commencing  to  bear  marks  of  cultivation  and 
money  was  a  rarity  among  the  few  settlers  ;  today  he 
is  a  prosperous  ranchman  and  stockman  of  the  dis- 
trict, ranks  as  a  pioneer  of  that  region,  and  is  well 
started  on  the  highway  of  life.  Van  Buren  county, 
Iowa,  is  Mr.  Taylor's  birthplace;  July  19,  1879, 
was  his  birthday.  His  parents,  C.  W.  and  Mattie  P. 
(Pickins)  Taylor,  were  born  in  Ohio,  the  father 
being  of  Dutch  descent,  the  mother  of  Irish.  C.  W. 
Taylor  served  as  a  member  of  the  Ohio  state  guard 
during  the  Civil  war,  and  subsequently  settled  in 
Iowa.  In  that  state  Mrs.  Taylor  died  in  1887.  After 
her  death  the  family  came  to  the  Pacific  coast,  Mr. 
Taylor  taking  a  position  as  bookkeeper  for  Franks 
&  Company  in  Seattle,  and  later  as  foreman  in  the 
Skookum  box  factory  of  that  city.  In  1893  Mr. 
Taylor  and  his  sons  Emmett  and  Clarence  came  to 
the  Sunnyside  countrv  in  the  capacity  of  contractors 
and  builders.  They  built  W.  W.  Webber's  house  at 
Sunnyside,  the  first  substantial  house  in  the  town; 
also  a  large  number  of  homes  and  buildings  in  the 
surrounding  country,  J.  B.  George's  store  buildings, 
and  homes  for  themselves.  In  order  to  get  to  Sunny- 
side the  Taylors  borrowed  fifty  dollars,  and  for  three 
years  after  their  arrival  the  family  did  not  see  that 
much  in  cash,  the  settlers  exchanging  farm  produce 
and  other  articles  in  place  of  money.  Many  became 
discouraged  and  left.  The  pioneers  of  Sunnyside 
felt  the  hard  times  of  the  .middle  nineties  if  any 
people  in  the  west  did.  In  the  fall  of  1894  Mr. 
Taylor's  daughters,  Rena  and  Grace,  joined  father 
and  brothers  at  Sunnyside,  and  the  home  was  re- 
established. Emmett  Taylor  established  the  first 
harness  shop  at  Sunnyside  in'  1895,  conducted  it 
three  years,  and  sold  it  to  John  Cody.  He  also  dealt, 
and  is  still  dealing  quite  extensively,  in  horses,  being 
one  of  the  best  judges  of  horseflesh  in  the  county, 
those  who  know  him  say.  After  selling  the  harness 
shop,  he  bought  ten  acres  in  town,  improved  the 
tract,  sold  it  and  with  the  proceeds  he  and  his  father 
erected  two  houses.  Subsequently  he  traded  this 
property  for  the  fine  one  hundred  and  twenty  acre 


ranch,  of  which  he  owns  forty  acres  and  his  father 
eighty,  three  miles  west  of  Sunnyside.  In  March, 
1903,  he  removed  to  this  place,  and  now  makes  his 
home  there.  He  recently  bought  the  interest  of  his 
partner  in  the  firm  of  Taylor  &  Gochnour,  owning 
one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  horses,  ranging  and 
being  fed  in  the  northern  part  of  Yakima  county. 
Among  these  animals  are  several  blooded  stallions 
of  great  value.  He  was  married  December  30.  1903, 
in  Sunnyside,  to  Miss  Lena  M.  Peck,  daughter  of 
S.  D.  and  Ann  Peck,  natives  of  New  York,  living 
at  Sunnyside.  Mrs.  Taylor  was  born  in  Michigan, 
February  17,  1881. 

Mr.  Taylor  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church, 
and  is  active  in  all  public  matters.  He  is  one  of 
Sunnyside's  wide-awake,  progressive  citizens,  re- 
spected and  capable,  and  both  himself  and  wife  enjoy 
the  esteem  of  a  host  of  friends  and  acquaintances, 
young  and  old. 

LOUIS  C.  RORABACK,  plumber  and  tinner,  is 
a  product  of  the  New  England  states,  who  has  fol- 
lowed the  well-worn  western  trail  leading  from  the 
crowded  Atlantic  coast  to  the  sparsely  settled  but 
highly  progressive  Pacific  coast.  He  is  a  representa- 
tive of  that  army  of  young  men,  born,  educated  and 
trained  in  the  older  eastern  states,  which  each  year 
invades  the  west  and  pours  its  knowledge,  energies 
and  enthusiasm  into  the  struggle  constantly  going 
on  in  the  development  of  the  west's  latent  resources. 
Winstead,  Litchfield  county,  Connecticut,  is  the 
birthplace  of  Louis  C,  son  of  James  P.  and  M. 
Carrie  (Dexter)  Roraback,  the  year  of  his  birth  be- 
ing 1878.  James  P.  Roraback,  of  German  descent, 
was  auditor  general  of  the  Central  New  England 
railroad  for  many  years  preceding  his  death  in  1888. 
Mrs.  Roraback  is  a  native  of  Salisbury,  Connecti- 
cut, and  is  now  living  with  her  son  in  Sunny- 
side. Louis  C.  attended  school  until  fifteen  years 
old,  when  he  entered  railroad  work.  Subsequently 
he  left  this  business  and  learned  the  trade  of  a 
stonemason  and  worked  at  electrical  engineering, 
gradually  acquiring  a  substantial  knowledge  of  me- 
chanics. He  was  in  charge  of  a  crew  of  men  for 
three  years  before  coming  west  to  Sunnyside  in 
1900.  Arriving  in  Washington,  direct  from  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut,  Mr.  Roraback  at  once  entered  the 
employ  of  the  Hub  Mercantile  Company  as  a 
plumber.  He  soon  discerned  a  profitable  field  for 
'that  class  of  work,  and  opened  a  shop  for  himself, 
and  is  doing  a  prosperous  business.  He  commands 
the  respect  and  business  of  the  community,  as  a 
result  of  which  his  business  is  rapidly  growing  and 
keeping  steady  pace  with  the  development  of  the 
country.  Mr.  Roraback  is  an  only  child,  and  with 
himself  and  wife  lives  his  widowed  mother.  He 
was  married  at  Sunnyside,  February  17,  1004,  to 
Miss  Rachael  M.  Whitney,  of  Sunnyside,  daughter 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


701 


of  Vinal  E.  and  Deborah  (Ricketson)  Whitney, 
both  natives  of  New  York,  where  Mrs.  Roraback 
was  also  born.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church,  and  is  affiliated  with  the  Brotherhood 
of  American  Yeomen.  As  a  believer  in  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Republican  party,  Mr.  Roraback  is  an 
ardent  member  of  that  party,  and  a  strong  admirer 
of  President  Roosevelt.  In  truth,  it  may  be  said 
that  he  is  one  of  Sunnyside's  most  popular  and  sub- 
stantial young  citizens. 


JOHN  D.  COUEY  conducts  a  blacksmith 
shop  at  Sunnyside  and  is  one  of  the  substantial 
business  men  of  that  thrifty  little  town.  He  is 
a  native  of  the  Northwest,  born  in  Lane  county, 
Oregon,  November  6,  1869,  to  the  union  of  James 
M.  and  Elizabeth  (Ritchie)  Coney.  These  brave 
pioneers  crossed  the  Plains  with  their  parents 
in  the  same  train  during  the  early  fifties.  The 
father  was  born  in  Illinois  in  Jurfe,  1847;  the 
mother,  in  Iowa,  in  1851.  The  family  were  in 
Oregon  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  troubles  in  the 
later  seventies,  and  for  four  years  were  absent 
from  their  home  in  Lane  county,  subsequently 
returning.  They  removed  to  Goldendale  when 
the  subject  of  our  sketch  was  fourteen  years  old, 
taking  land  near  that  center.  John  D.  worked 
with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  seventeen  years 
old,  when  he  entered  into  a  three  and  a  half 
years'  apprenticeship  at  the  blacksmith's  trade. 
From  Goldendale  he  went  to  Cleveland,  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  county,  and  there  opened  a 
shop,  meeting  with  good  success.  However,  mis- 
fortune overtook  him  in  1896,  when  the  shop  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  Mr.  Couey  thereupon  com- 
menced farming,  working  in  Oregon  three  years. 
In  1899,  ho  came  to  Yakima  county  and  became 
employed  seven  miles  from  North  Yakima,  work- 
ing upon  that  place  until  March,  1902;  at  that 
time  he  located  in  the  Sunnyside  region,  working 
at  his  old  trade.  Recently  Mr.  Couey  opened  his 
own  shop,  where  he  is  receiving  excellent  sup- 
port from  the  community — a  testimony  to  the 
ability  of  the  smith.  '    • 

In  1895  he  was  married,  Miss  Estella  Alexan- 
dar  being  his  bride.  The  ceremony  took  place  in 
Klickitat  county.  Mrs.  Couey  is  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Viola  (Newman)  Alexander  and  was 
born  at  Vancouver  in  1879.  John  Alexander  crossed 
the  Plains  from  his  native  state,  Illinois,  in  an 
early  day  and  is  still  living,  a  prosperous  farmer 
of  Yakima  county.  Mrs.  Couey  is  the  oldest  of 
a  family  of  five  girls  and  three  boys ;  Mr.  Couey 
is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  four  children.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Couey  have  been  born  three  chil- 
dren :  James,  Kenneth  and  Hazel,  all  of  whom 
are  living.  Mr.  Couey  is  a  Prohibitionist.  By 
those  who  know  him  he  is  regarded  as  one  of 
Sunnyside's  reli'ble.  industrious  and  honest 
business  men  and  a  good  citizen. 


WILLIAM  T.  STOBIE,  Jr.,  who  has  been 
a  resident  of  Yakima  county  for  eleven  years, 
is  a  successful  Sunnyside  contractor  and  property 
owner.  Born  in  Ottawa,  Kansas,  August  22, 
1872,  he  is  the  son  of  William  and  Jennie  Stobie, 
the  former  of  whom  resides  in  the  Sunnyside 
valley.  The  elder  Stobie  was  born  in  Scotland 
in  1847  and  came  to  Canada  at  the  age  of  eight 
years.  He  crossed  the  line  to  the  United  States 
when  a  young  man  and  served  throughout  the 
Civil  war  in  the  First  New  York  light  artillery. 
Mrs.  Stobie  is  living  in  Texas  at  the  present 
time.  William  T.,  junior,  received  his  first 
schooling  in  Denver,  Colorado,  the  family  mov- 
ing to  that  city  when  he  was  about  four  years 
old.  Ten  years  later  they  returned  to  Kansas 
and  there  the  youth  completed  his  education,  at- 
tending school  until  he  was  seventeen.  After 
leaving  school  he  engaged  in  various  pursuits 
in  Kansas,  finally  immigrating  to  Yakima  county 
in  1893.  One  of  his  first  investments  in  the 
county  was  to  purchase  twenty  acres  of  raw 
land,  which  he  partly  developed  and  then  sold  at 
a  good  profit.  During  the  year  ending  July  I, 
1898,  he  carried  the  mails  Between  Mabton  and 
Sunnyside,  after  which  he  engaged  in  his  pres- 
ent business  of  contracting. 

The  first  marriage  in  the  town  of  Sunnyside 
was  that  of  Mr.  Stobie  to  Miss  Carrie  Morris, 
the  ceremony  taking  place  December  2,  1894. 
Carrie  Morris  was  born  April  22,  1878.  in  the 
state  of  Missouri,  her  parents  being  Nathan  and 
Jane  (Lipsett)  Morris.  Mr.  Morris  is  a  wheel- 
wright by  trade  and  is  one  of  Sunnyside's  well 
known  citizens.  The  union  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Stobie  Jias  been  blessed  with  three  children,  all 
of  whom  are  living:  Mary,  born  in  The  Dalles, 
Oregon,  May  21,  1896;  Lena,  born  February  14, 
1898,  and  William,  born  November  30,  1899,  at 
Sunnyside.  Mr.  Stobie  has  two  sisters,  Mrs. 
Cora  Mathieson,  living  near  Sunnyside,  and  Mrs. 
Alice  Hay,  residing  at  Denison,  Texas.  Mr. 
Stobie  holds  a  membership  in  two  fraternities, 
the  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Order  of  Wash- 
ington, and  is  a  believer  in  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party.  Mrs.  Stobie  is  a  zealous  mem- 
ber of  the  Christian  church.  In  1902,  Mr.  Stobie 
superintended  the  grading  and  seeding  of  six 
hundred  acres  of  Sunnyside  land  belonging  to 
S.  J.  Harrison.  Forty  acres  of  raw  farming 
land,'  several  business  and  residence  lots  and  a 
comfortable  five-room  cottage  in  Sunnyside  con- 
stitute Mr.  Stobie's  property  interests.  He  is  an 
energetic,  capable  young  business  man  whose 
reliability  and  genial  qualities  have  won  for  him 
the  best  wishes  of  all,  and  business  success. 


JOSEPH  A.  RUSH,  the  farmer-citizen  of 
whom  we  now  write,  is  a  man  of  substantial  at- 
tainments,  who  has   won   the  position  of  affluence 


702 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  influence  he  now  occupies  by  his  own,  unaided 
efforts  supported  by  an  indomitable  will  and  urged 
forward  by  laudable  ambition.  His  valuable  es- 
tate, upon  which  he  resides,  lies  a  mile  and  a  half 
east  of  Sunnyside.  A  Hoosier  by  birth,  Mr.  Rush 
was  born  in  St.  Joseph  county,  Indiana,  January 
13,  1862.  His  parents,  both  of  whom  long  ago 
passed  over  the  dark  river  of  death,  were  Benjamin 
and  Catherine  (Livengood)  Rush,  natives  of  Ohio 
and  Pennsylvania,  respectively.  When  Joseph  was 
ten  years  of  age  his  parents  removed  to  Iowa,  and 
in  that  state  and  Indiana  he  received  his  education. 
When  seventeen  he  left  school  and  worked  with 
his  father  on  the  farm  during  the  ensuing  four 
years  or  until  he  was  of  legal  age.  He  then  com- 
menced to  do  for  himself,  following  agricultural 
pursuits.  Iowa  was  his  home  until  April,  1902, 
but  in  that  year  he  bade  adieu  to  the  rolling  prairies 
and  rounded  hills  upon  which  he  had  lived  so  many 
years,  and  took  up  his  abode  in  the  Sunnyside  val- 
ley, purchasing  the  Harrison  place,  which  consists 
of  one  hundred  acres  of  highly  improved  land.  Mr. 
Rush  further  improved  the  place  and  added  ma- 
terially to  its  comfort  and  appearance  by  doing 
some  building.  He  now  has  a  modern  eight-room 
residence,  barns,  feed  mill  and  other  outbuildings, 
making  it  one  of  the  best  improved  farms  in  the 
valley. 

Mr.  Rush  and  Miss  Etta  E.  Cuffell  were  united 
in  marriage  in  1881,  Iowa  being  the  scene  of  the 
ceremony.  She  is  a  native  of  that  state,  having 
been  born  there  March  28,  1861,  to  the  union  of 
Albert  and  Rebecca  (Newton)  Cuffell,  who  still  re- 
side in  Iowa.  The  father  was  born  in  Ohio,  the 
mother  in  Indiana.  Mr.  Cuffell  is  a  prosperous 
farmer.  The  household  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rush  con- 
tains four  children,  the  first  three  of  whom  were 
born  in  Iowa,  the  last  in  Yakima  county:  Faye, 
April  24.  1884;  Albert,  March  16,  1886;  Edna, 
January  30,  1890,  and  Beulah,  October  12,  1902. 
Mr.  Rush  has  three  sisters,  Mrs.  Lydia  Throckmor- 
ton, Mrs.  Cinderella  Bowen  and  Mrs.  Alice  Icher, 
living  in  Iowa,  and  two  brothers,  Lewis,  in  Yakima 
county,  and  Allen  in  Iowa.  Mrs.  Rush's  brothers 
and  sisters  are:  Mrs.  Martha  Cagley,  Mrs.  Caro- 
line Price,  R.  Winfield  and  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Slaght, 
living  in  Iowa;  Henry,  in  Hillyard,  Washington, 
and  William  S.  and  Albert  J.,  residents  of  Minne- 
sota. Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rush  are  members  of  the 
Progressive  Brethren  church.  Mr.  Rush  is  a  Re- 
publican. Besides  his  Sunnyside  farm,  he  owns 
three  acres  of  orchard  within  the  city  limits  of  Sun- 
nyside, on  which  he  has  a  one  thousand  three  hun- 
dred dollar  residence;  a  homestead  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  in  Yakima  county,  and  a  half  sec- 
tion of  timber  land  in  Kittitas  county.  He  also  owns 
about  thirty  head  of  fine  milch  cows,  and  for  the 
past  two  seasons  has  sold  each  fall  between  one 
hundred  and  fifty  and  two  hundred  head  of  hogs. 
Mr.  Rush  considers  that  the  Sunnyside  country  is 


one  of  the  garden  spots  of  the  west,  and  there  in- 
tends to  make  his  permanent  home.  He  is  a  suc- 
cessful farmer  and  business  man,  energetic,  perse- 
vering and  capable,  and  a  man  of  unquestioned 
integrity,  who  is  a  bulwark  in  the  community. 


HONORABLE  HENRY  DOUGLASS  JORY. 
James  and  Sarah  (Budd)  Jory,  the  parents  of  the 
prominent  Yakima  county  citizen  whose  name  ap- 
pears at  the  beginning  of  this  biography,  were  mem- 
bers of  that  heroic  band  of  pioneers  who  toiled  across 
the  continent  in  1847,  enduring  all  the  hardships  of 
exposure,  starvation  and  traveling  through  a  wil- 
derness inhabited  by  murderous  Indians,  for  a  home 
in  the  famed  Willamette  valley.  The  brave  young 
pioneer  was  born  in  England  in  1821,  and  previous 
to  his  immigration  to  Oregon,  was  an  Illinois 
farmer;  his  equally  brave  wife  was  born  in  Michi- 
gan territory  in  1828.  In  the  Willamette  valley 
James  Jory  settled  upon  a  donation  claim — a  whole 
section  of  land — and  upon  this  old  homestead  he  and 
his  aged  wife  are  still  living.  The  old  homestead, 
situated  near  Salem,  is  the  birthplace  and  boyhood 
home  of  Henry  Douglass,  who  was  born  April  18, 
1859,  while  yet  the  Northwest  was  barely  awaken- 
ing to  its  new  life.  The  young  Oregonian  at- 
tended the  schools  of  his  neighborhood  until  sixteen 
years  old ;  then  for  five  years  assisted  his  father  in 
improving  the  farm.  Upon  arriving  at  his  major- 
ity he  settled  upon  a  homestead  in  Sherman  county 
and  was  there  engaged  in  general  farming  with  fair 
success  until  1888.  That  year  he  sold  his  place  and 
moved  into  Crook  county,  living  in  that  frontier 
region,  farming,  mining,  teaching  and  merchan- 
dizing, five  years.  One  year  he  was  engaged  in 
organizing  Farmers'  Alliance  granges  and  Indus- 
trial unions.  In  August,  1894,  he  came  to  Yakima 
county  with  his  family,  arriving  with  a  crippled 
team  and  two  dollars  and  fifty  cents  in  money. 
The  first  year  he  was  employed  in  farming  for 
others,  but  in  1895  he  purchased  land  near  Sunny- 
side and  cultivated  it  until  December,  1902,  when 
he  removed  to  his  present  home  above  the  Sunny- 
side canal.  He  did  this  for  the  purpose  of  experi- 
menting with  the  unirrigated  soil  of  the  valiey  as 
grain  soil.  Should  he  be  successful  in  demonstrat- 
ing this,  hundreds  would  doubtless  follow  his  lead  j 
in  wheat  farming  above  the  ditch. 

At  Wasco,  Oregon,  May  6,  1883,  Mr.  Jory  and 
Miss  Almira  Laughter  were  joined  for  life.     She    j 
is   a   native   of   Illinois,   born   January    I,    1867,   to     | 
William  and  Sarah  (Beals)  Laughter.    Her  mother    j 
is  also  a  native  of  Illinois,  and  now  lives  in  Yak-    1 
ima  county ;  the  father  was  born  in  South  Carolina, 
and   is    now   dead.     Seven   children   have   resulted 
from  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jory,    all    of    i 
whom  but  one  are  living  at  home:     Mrs.    Althea 
Herim,   living   in   Yakima   countv ;    Melvin,   Edith, 
Harmon,    Ernest,    Clvde  and   Elfie,  the  last    three    i 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


703 


having  been  born  in  Yakima  county,  the  others  in 
Oregon.  Mr.  Jory  is  one  of  a  numerous  family,  his 
brothers  and  sisters  being:  Phebe,  Thomas,  John, 
Mrs.  Mary  Reynolds,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Swayne,  Mrs. 
Mattie  Myers,  Arthur  (deceased),  May  and  Percy 
(deceased).  Those  living  reside  in  the  states  of  Ore- 
gon and  Washington.  Mr.  Jory  belongs  to  three  fra- 
ternities, the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern  Woodmen 
and  the  Order  of  Washington.  As  a  Socialist,  he  has 
been  and  is  prominent  in  political  circles.  In  1896 
he  was  elected  state  representative  from  the  nine- 
teenth district  on  the  Fusion  ticket,  defeating  his 
opponent  by  a  majority  of  two  hundred  and  forty- 
eight  votes.  His  record  in  the  legislature  is  that  of 
a  faithful,  honest  law-maker,  consistent  with  his 
reputation  as  a  scrupulously  honorable  and  con- 
scientious man  and  good  citizen.  Both  himself 
and  wife  are  active  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Mr.  Jory  owns  two  hundred  acres  of  farm- 
ing land,  well  equipped  with  machinery,  buildings 
and  stock,  and  is  fortunate  in  possessing  the  con- 
fidence and  sincere  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 


JOSEPH  A.  WALLACE,  whose  home  is 
seven  miles  northwest  of  Sunnyside,  on  rural 
free  delivery  route  No.  2,  is  one  of  Yakima 
county's  well  known  hop  raisers.  His  first  expe- 
rience in  this  industry  was  gained  in  the  Puyallup 
valley,  where  he  settled  in  March,  1882,  and  in 
that  pioneer  hop  raising  section  of  Washington  he 
lived  for  seventeen  years,  success  crowning  his 
energies.  In  the  year  1893  Mr.  Wallace,  with  keen 
foresight,  purchased  arid  land  in  the  Sunnyside  re- 
gion and  gradually  developed  this  property  until 
it  was  in  suitable  condition  to  become  his  home 
in  1899.  He  was  born  on  the  peninsula  of  Nova 
Scotia,  June  12,  1848,  his  parents  being  Andrew 
and  Ann  (McPhee)  Wallace,  also  natives  of  that 
faraway  settlement.  The  father  was  born  in  1820, 
and  died  near  Puyallup ;  the  mother  was  born  Jan- 
uary 15,  1827,  and  is  at  present  living  near  Sun- 
nyside. The  young  Nova  Scotian  received  his  ed- 
ucation in  the  schools  of  his  native  province,  leav- 
ing school  when  fifteen  years  old  and  engaging 
in  mining  and  lumbering.  In  1873  he  crossed  the 
boundary  and  settled  in  Wyoming,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  Returning  to  Canada,  he  fol- 
lowed farming  five  years,  but  met  with  so  little 
success  that  he  again  crossed  the  border  and  this 
time  became  a  permanent  resident  of  the  United 
States.  First  he  settled  near  Walla  Walla,  engag- 
ing in  the  lumber  business.  Two  years  later  he 
removed  to  the  Sound,  and  in  that  region  lived 
until  he   came  to  Yakima  county. 

In  1870  he  was  married  to  Miss  Amelia  Burrts, 
born  in  Nova  Scotia  October  14.  1848,  and  there 
reared,  educated  and  married.  Her  parents,  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  (Fisher)  Burris,  were  also  natives 
of  Nova  Scotia.     Mr.  Burris,  now  dead,  was  born 


in  1818;  Mrs.  Burris  was  born  in  1829  and  is  still 
living,  in  Nova  Scotia.  Mrs.  Wallace  has  one 
brother,  Clark,  living  in  Massachusetts,  and  two 
sisters,  Mrs.  Esther  Logan  and  Mrs.  Belle  Peter- 
son, also  residents  of  that  state.  Mr.  Wallace  has 
only  one  brother,  Norman,  who  lives  with  the 
subject  of  our  sketch,  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Mary 
Spooner,  residing  near  Puyallup.  There  are  two 
children — Charlotte  A.,  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  July 
31,  1871,  and  Andy  B.,  born  in  Puyallup,  June  23, 
1888.  Both  are  at  home,  the  latter  being  an  un- 
fortunate sufferer  from  a  pleura  abscess.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wallace  are  active  members  of  the  Feder- 
ated church,  recently  organized  at  Sunnyside. 
Upon  political  questions,  he  is  in  sympathy  with 
the  Republican  party  and  is  a  zealous  supporter 
of  President  Roosevelt  and  his  policies.  His  sixty- 
acre  Sunnyside  ranch  is  well  improved,  ten  acres 
being  in  hops,  seven  acres  in  orchard  and  about 
forty  acres  in  alfalfa.  He  is  also  heavily  interested 
in  stock,  owning  fully  one  hundred  head  of  cattle 
and  a  small  bunch  of  horses.  Mr.  Wallace  also 
retains  possession  of  his  twenty-acre  farm  in  Pierce 
county,  the  tract  being  highly  improved  and  hav- 
ing a  fine  residence,  and  of  the  property  in  Puy- 
allup known  as  the  fair-ground  place.  From  the 
foregoing  it  will  be  seen  that  he  has  accumulated 
a  goodly  holding  of  property  in  the  Northwest, 
all  of  which  is  yearly  increasing  in  value.  Mr. 
Wallace  naturally  takes  a  position  among  the  lead- 
ing influential  citizens  of  the  Yakima  country  and 
is  regarded  by  all  who  know  him  as  a  man  of 
honor,  ability  and  progressive  ideas  along  all  lines. 


WILLIAM  H.  NORMAN.  The  prosperous 
farmer  and  mechanic  whose  biography  is  herewith 
presented  is  one  of  Michigan's  native  sons,  the 
descendant  of  two  doughty  pioneers  of  the  Pen- 
insula state.  He  was  born  in  Allegan  county,  No- 
vember 19,  1857,  and  there  reared  to  manhood. 
His  father,  Robert  Norman,  was  born  in  England 
in  1818  and  came  to  Michigan  in  1852  at  a  time 
when  its  scattered  settlements  were  almost  lost 
Amid  the  gigantic  pine  forests  which  stretched 
rrom  shore  to  shore  of  the  Great  Lakes.  Settling 
in  Ailegan  county,  with  only  an  English  shilling 
111  his  pockets,  but  with  plenty  of  energy  and 
pluck,  the  young  Englishman  entered  upon  the 
work  of  home  building.  For  years  he  threshed  all 
the  grain  of  his  neighbors,  using  a  flail,  and  finally, 
despite  many  setbacks  in  the  way  of  sickness  and 
accidents,  succeeded  in  improving  his  land.  He 
early  met  with  an  accident  which  rendered  him  a 
cripple  for  life,  one  of  his  legs  being  crushed  by  a 
rolling  log,  necessitating  the  use  of  crutches.  His 
wife  was  also  born  in  England,  the  date  of  her 
birth  being  1824,  and  her  maiden  name  being  Mary 
A.  Hazelden.  She  is  still  living  in  Michigan.  They 
reared  a  family   of  ten  children   and  accumulated 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


a  sufficient  competence  to  keep  them  in  comfort 
during  their  old  age.  Robert  Norman  was  a  very 
religious  man,  beloved  by  his  neighbors  for  his 
sterling  qualities.  For  fifteen  years  he  belonged 
to  the  Baptist  church ;  then  withdrew  and  joined 
the  Methodist  denomination,  of  which  he  was  a 
member  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

William  attended  the  public  schools  of  Allegan 
county  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen,  leaving 
his  studies  at  that  time  to  assist  his  father.  Dur- 
ing the  last  five  years  he  was  in  school  the  perse- 
vering lad  was  able  to  recite  only  about  two  days  in 
each  week,  but  kept  up  with  his  classes  by  study- 
ing at  night  after  work.  At  seventeen  he  left  the 
old  home  to  make  his  own  way  in  the  world, 
engaging  in  carpenter  work  and  other  odd  jobs 
until  1883,  when  he  secured  a  farm  and  settled 
down  to  agricultural  pursuits.  Until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old  he  divided  his  earnings  with 
the  folks  at  home.  Eight  years  he  remained  on 
his  farm,  prospering  and  gradually  accumulating 
a  little  property.  However,  in  December,  1891, 
he  left  Michigan  for  the  undeveloped  northwestern 
states,  located  in  Yakima  county  and  purchased 
his  present  farm,,  that  tract  then  being  the  farthest 
removed  from  settlements  of  any  land  sold  by  the 
canal  company.  Mr.  Norman  applied  his  careful 
training  in  agriculture  to  the  improvement  of  his 
Yakima  home,  and  today  has  one  of  the  most  val- 
uable estates  in  the  valley. 

His  marriage  to  Miss  Myrtis  M.  Gatchell,  also 
a  native  of  Michigan,  was  celebrated  in  Calhoun 
county,  1883.  She  was  born  in  that  county  Octo- 
ber 10,  1861,  the  daughter  of  William  and  Anna 
(Born)  Gatchell,  her  father  dying  when  she  was 
a  child.  Mrs.  Gatchell  is  still  living.  The  Nor- 
man home  sustained  an  irreparable  loss  Novem- 
ber 3,  1902,  when  she  who  had  made  a  home  pos- 
sible and  brought  happiness  and  cheer  to  a  lov- 
ing husband  and  devoted  children  passed  out  of 
this  life  to  the  eternal  world  beyond.  Of  the  chil- 
dren, Louis  R.  was  born  in  Michigan  and  is  an 
electrician  in  Seattle;  Lloyd  J.  and  his  sister,  Lyla 
M.,  were  born  in  Yakima  county  and  live  with 
their  father.  Mr.  Norman  has  three  sisters,  Mrs. 
Mary  A.  Anway,  Mrs.  Lois  James  and  Mrs.  Jane 
Brown,  and  two  brothers,  James  and  Alfred  H., 
all  living  in  Michigan.  Mr.  Norman  is  affiliated 
with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  Modern  Woodmen,  and 
thoroughly  believes  in  the  principles  advocated  by 
the  Republican  party.  His  ranch  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  five  acres,  sixty-four  of  which  were 
added  to  the  original  place,  all  under  cultivation 
and  having  good  farm  buildings.  Seventeen  acres 
are  set  out  to  orchard.  Mr.  Norman  also  has  a 
small  interest  in  the  Odd  Fellows'  hall  at  Sunny- 
side.  He  is  a  man  of  integrity  and  keen  abilities, 
who  occupies  a  high  position  in  the  esteem  of  his 
neighbors  and  has  many  loyal  friends. 


GEORGE  F.  BARNES.  One  of  the  most 
progressive  and  popular  citizens  of  Sunnyside  is 
the  subject  of  this  biography,  who  has  the  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow  men  to  such  an  extent  as  to  be 
chosen  in  1902  as  one  of  their  councilmen,  and  in 
that  capacity  is  still' serving.  He  came  to  Sunny- 
side  three  years  ago  from  Warren,  Minnesota, 
finding  the  meat  business  of  Sunnyside  in  a  very 
primitive  condition.  He  purchased  the  building 
devoted  to  that  business,  and  a  corner  lot,  and  im- 
mediately commenced  to  supply  the  public  with* 
the  best  meats  obtainable  and  to  build  up  a  reputa- 
tion for  strict  integrity.  So  successful  has  he  been 
that  he  has  now  let  the  contract  for  a  two-story 
brick  building  thirty  by  fifty  feet,  the  lower  floor  of 
which  he  expects  to  occupy  with  one  of  the  best 
shops  in  the  county,  the  upper  floor  to  be  devoted 
to  offices.  Mr.  Barnes  was  born  in  Horicon,  Wis- 
consin, February  25,  1855,  to  the  union  of  Jon- 
athan H.  and  Sarah  (Sutton)  Barnes.  Jonathan  H. 
was  a  native  of  England,  born  in  1823 ;  Sarah 
Barnes  was  born  in  Quebec,  Canada,  in  the  year 
1820.  Both  parents  long  ago  crossed  over  life's  great 
divide.  As  a  child  two  years  old,  Mr.  Barnes  was 
taken  to  Steele  county,  Minnesota,  by  his  parents, 
there  attending  the  public  schools  until  he  was 
nineteen  years  of  age.  Three  years  longer  he  helped 
his  father  on  the  farm ;  then  went  to  Marshall 
county,  Minnesota,  in  1879,  and  settled  upon  a 
homestead,  which  he  cultivated  with  fair  success 
until  1885.  Following  this  experience  he  went  to 
Minneapolis  and  engaged  in  the  meat  business  with 
a  partner,  A.  Campbell ;  afterwards  buying  him 
out  and  conducting  the  business  alone.  Two  years 
and  a  half  later  he  sold  the  business  and  returned 
to  Marshall  county,  opening  a  shop  at  Warren. 
He  was  a  citizen  of  Warren  until  February,  1901, 
when  he  came  to  Sunnyside,  bringing  his  family 
out  the  following  April.  The  business  has  pros- 
pered exceedingly  and  is  rapidly  growing. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Barnes  was  celebrated  in 
Waterloo,  Iowa,  in  1886,  his  bride  being  Miss 
Lucy  E.  Dix,  the  daughter  of  William  A.  and  Sa- 
rah (Richardson)  Dix.  Mr.  Dix,  now  dead,  was 
a  native  of  Vermont;  Mrs.  Dix,  born  in  1831  in 
Massachusetts,  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Barnes  is  a 
native  daughter  of  Illinois,  born  in  Will  county, 
1859.  She  has  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Hattie  Dix,  liv- 
ing in  Iowa,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Wells,  of  the  Sun- 
nyside valley,  and  one  brother,  William  C,  a  res- 
ident of  Iowa.  Mr.  Barnes  has  three  sisters  and 
one  brother — Mrs.  Alice  A.  Martin;  Minnie  W., 
in  Minnesota;  Mrs.  Ellen  C.  Searl,  in  Sunnyside 
valley;  and  Charles  E.,  in  Minnesota.  Six  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Minnesota,  constitute  the  junior 
portion  of  the  Barnes  home — L.  Bernice,  born  in 
1887;  Maude  R.,  in  1890;  A.  Judson,  in  1892;  J. 
Howard,  in  1894;  Myrtle,  in  1896;  and  Alice  E., 
in  1898.  Mr.  Barnes  is  affiliated  with  two  frater- 
nities, the   Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


705 


Modern  Brotherhood  of  America.  He  is  active  in  po- 
litical affairs  as  a  member  of  the  Prohibition  party. 
For  fifteen  years  he  has  been  identified  with  the 
membership  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church 
and  is  an  active  religious  worker.  Besides  his  es- 
tablishment in  Sunnyside,  Mr.  Barnes  owns  the 
property  on  which  it  stands,  seven  and  a  half  acres 
inside  the  city  limits,  on  which  he  has  a  very  com- 
modious and  comfortable  home,  a  business  build- 
ing and  lot  which  he  rents,  a  half  interest  in  an- 
other two-acre  tract  of  city  property  and  real  es- 
tate in  Warren.  He  has  recently  begun  to  raise 
thoroughbred,  registered  Jersey  cattle  and  already 
has  several  head  of  registered  stock.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barnes  are  prominently  identified  with  the  social 
life  of  the  communing  and  are  highly  esteemed 
for  their  many  commendable  and  congenial  traits 
of  character.  Air.  Barnes  is  a  citizen  of  recog- 
nized strength  in  the  county  and  community. 


EDWARD  J.  YOUNG.  A  representative 
American  is  he  whose  biography  is  gladly  accorded 
a  place  in  this  volume  among  those  of  the  men 
who  have  taken  a  part  in  the  conquest  of  central 
Washington  and  the  development  of  its  magnifi- 
cent natural  resources.  Of  American  descent  and 
birth,  he  has  been  trained  by  American  institutions, 
imbibed  the  vigorous,  aggressive,  enthusiastic 
spirit  of  the  nation,  helped  to  advance  its  civiliza- 
tion into  pioneer  regions,  and  finally  has  given 
his  life  into  the  keeping  of  Old  Glory  to  battle 
on  foreign  soil  for  his  country's  honor.  He  was 
born  in  Oakland  county,  Michigan,  August  16, 
1868,  to  the  union  of  James  W.  and  Harriet 
(Goodnow)  Young,  natives  respectively  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  New  York.  James  W.  Young  is  still 
living,  at  the  age  of  seventy-four,  as  is  also  his 
wife,  upon  their  farm  near  North  Yakima.  The 
mother  was  born  in  1840.  On  the  great  penin- 
sula of  Michigan  Edward  J.  Young  spent  his  child- 
hood and  early  boyhood,  leaving  that  state  when 
he  was  thirteen  years  old  and  accompanying  his 
parents  to  Missouri.  There  he  finished  his  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  and,  after  spending 
three  years  on  the  farm  with  his  father,  at  the  age 
of  twenty  came  to  the  Northwest,  stopping  first 
in  Yakima  county.  The  country  proved  so  at- 
tractive to  him,  however,  that  he  went  no  farther, 
but  determined  to  try  his  fortunes  in  that  region. 
For  a  time  he  worked  at  agricultural  pursuits; 
then  took  a  course  of  study  in  a  Seattle  business 
college.  Upon  his  return  he  followed  various  oc- 
cupations, principally  farming.  In  October,  1891, 
with  commendable  zeal  and  keen  foresight  he  filed 
•  upon  a  quarter  section  of  sage-brush  land,  which 
has  since  become  one  of  the  most  valuable  tracts 
:  m  the  Sunnyside  region,  adjoining,  as  it  does,  the 
growing  town  of  Sunnyside.  Mr.  Young  did  not 
make  any  extensive  improvements  upon  his  place 


until  quite  recently,  for  in  1898,  as  a  member  of 
Company  E,  First  Washington  volunteers,  he  re- 
sponded to  President  McKinley's  call  to  arms  and 
went  away  to  the  Spanish-American  war.  His 
previous  training  in  the  state  national  guard 
served  the  young  soldier  in  good  stead,  for  dur- 
ing his  eighteen  months  of  service  he  received  four 
promotions  and,  whereas  he  had  enlisted  as  a  cor- 
poral, he  was  mustered  out  in  October  1899,  as 
first  lieutenant  of  his  company,  and  received  the 
special  commendation  of  his  captain  for  bravery 
and  faithful  service.  As  a  soldier,  he  participated 
in  the  Philippine  campaign  and  was  in  the  battles 
of  Santa  Ana,  San  Pedro  Macati,  Manila  and  other 
noted  engagements  in  which  the  First  Washing- 
ton took  part.  Upon  his  return  to  America  he 
began  improving  his  Sunnyside  land,  and  now 
has  one  hundred  acres  under  cultivation. 

Lieutenant  Young  was  united  by  the  sacred 
ties  of  matrimony  to  Miss  Gertrude  C.  Cline  at 
Sunnyside,  June  17,  1903.  Miss  Cline-was  born 
in  Iowa,  November,  1878,  and  came  to  Yakima 
county  with  her  parents,  W.  H.  and  Margaret 
(Maddock)  Cline,  pioneers  of  the  Sunnyside  val- 
ley. Their  biographies  will  be  found  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  Mr.  Cline  is  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent citizens  in  the  county  and  is  a  man  of  high 
standing.  Mr.  Young  has  four  sisters — Carrie  S., 
Mrs.  Mary  Dow,  Ethel  and  Janie,  the  married  sis- 
ter living  in  Oberlin,  Ohio,  and  the  rest  being 
teachers  in  Yakima  county ;  also  a  brother,  Harvey 
L..  living  in  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Young  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  his  wife  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Episcopal.  As  a  Democrat  he  is  active 
in  political  matters,  and  recently  received  the  nom- 
ination for  councilman  of  Sunnyside.  Lieutenant 
Young  and  his  bride  are  social  favorites  in  the 
community,  and  he  is  looked  upon  as  a  capable, 
industrious  citizen  with  the  quality  of  character 
that  augurs  well  for  his  future. 


JOHN  O.  NATTERLUND,  living  until  re- 
cently four  miles  west  of  Sunnyside  on  rural  free 
delivery  route  No.  2,  was  a  prosperous  and 
highly  respected  Yakima  county  farmer,  whose  na- 
tive land  is  Sweden.  Probably  but  few  residents 
of  the  county  have  traveled  as  extensively  as  has 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  Mr.  Natterlund  was 
born  November  16,  1863.  his  parents  being  Olof 
and  Katherine  M.  (Johnson )  Natterlund,  born  in 
1825  and  1828,  respectively.  They  lived  and  died 
across  the  water,  where  the  father  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  The  son  John  attended 
the  schools  of  Sweden  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
old  ;  then  assisted  his  father  upon  the  farm  until 
1886.  In  that  year  he  bade  farewell  to  his  home 
and  made  the  long,  dangerous  trip  to  Australia, 
where  he  worked  in  the  mines  during  the  ensuing 
three  vears.     Following  this  experience  he  entered 


706 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  sheep  business,  in  which  he  remained  a  year. 
A  trip  to  the  old  home  followed  and  a  visit  of 
two  years  in  Sweden.  However,  in  1892  he  again 
left  Sweden,  coming  to  the  Pacific  coast  of  the 
United  States.  After  a  few  months'  residence  in 
Skagit  county,  Washington,  he  came  to  Yakima 
county,  the  date  of  his  arrival  at  the  latter  place 
being  November,  1893.  Here  he  bought  land  un- 
der the  Sunnyside  canal  and  engaged  in  farming. 
In  1897  he  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  an  adjoin- 
ing quarter  section,  seventy  acres  of  which  he  now 
has  under  cultivation,  and  upon  this  ranch  he  is 
now  living. 

Upon  his  return  to  Sweden  from  Australia  he 
became  engaged  to  Miss  Brita  Haggblad,  to  whom 
he  was  united  by  marriage  in  1892.  Mrs.  Natter- 
lund  is  a  daughter  of  Erik  and  Katherine  (John- 
son) Haggblad,  born  August  15.  1861.  Her  par- 
ents are  dead.  Mr.  Haggblad  was  born  in  1825 
and  his  wife  in  1823.  Mrs.  Natterlund's  brothers 
and  sisters  are :  Hans,  John,  Erik,  Christina  and 
Mrs.  Katherine  Forslund,  all  living  in  Sweden. 
Hans  is  a  merchant,  John  is  a  clerk  and  Erik  is 
a  farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Natterlund  have  been 
blessed  with  the  following  children :  Anna  V., 
born  in  La  Connor,  Washington,  September  30, 
1893;  Nellie  M.,  Yakima  county,  November  15, 
1895;  Esther  K.,  Yakima  county,  December  12, 
189";  Ebba  C,  Yakima  county,  September  17, 
1901 ;  and  Lillie  M.,  Yakima  county,  August  16, 
1903.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Natterlund  are  devout 
members  of  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
and  politically  takes  his  stand  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  His  property  interests  consist  of  his 
valuable  homestead,  all  of  which  he  soon  expects 
to  have  in  cultivation.  Mr.  Natterlund  is  recog- 
nized as  a  man  of  integrity  and  industry  and  one 
of  the  progressive  farmers  of  the  Sunnyside  coun- 


ORIN  S.  PRATT.  That  misfortune  cannot 
crush  a  man  into  dire  poverty  if  he  is  possessed 
of  ambition,  energy,  fortitude  and  ability  is  well 
illustrated  in  the  case  of  the  man  whose  name 
commences  this  sketch.  He  has  triumphed  over 
many  vicissitudes — some  of  them  great  ones — and 
is  at  present  one  of  the  Sunnyside  valley's  pros- 
perous and  progressive  farmers,  living  five  miles 
west  of  the  commercial  center  bearing  that  name. 
He  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  October  29,  1857, 
his  father  and  mother  being  George  and  Harriet 
(Sisson)  Pratt.  The  father  was  born  in  New  York 
and  immigrated  to  Iowa  in  its  early  life  as  a 
state.  He  enlisted  in  the  army  when  the  Rebel- 
lion broke  out.  and  while  in  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try died  at  Helena,  Arkansas,  in  1863.  The  mother 
is  a  native  of  Indiana  and  is  still  living  at  the  ripe 
age  of  eighty-two,  in  Kansas.     Orin  S.  was  edu- 


cated in  the  public  schools  of  Iowa,  leaving  school 
when  sixteen  to  aid  his  mother  in  the  cultivation 
of  the  farm.  He  remained  with  her  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old,  at  that  age  leaving  his  Kan- 
sas home  to  farm  his  own  land.  He  resided  in 
Kansas  until  1888,  when  he  removed  to  Hood 
River,  Oregon,  and  during  the  succeeding  eight 
}ears  was  engaged  in  logging.  Then  he  took  up 
his  abode  in  Clarke  county,  Washington,  setting 
out  a  large  prune  orchard,  which  proved  a  com- 
plete failure.  With  no  money  to  speak  of  and 
very  limited  resources  he  left  The  Dalles  in  Octo- 
ber, 1898,  and  walked  to  Yakima  county.  On  the 
Yakima  reservation  he  leased  land  and  sowed  it 
to  wheat.  The  entire  crop  was  lost  besides  the 
expenses  connected  with  tne  work.  Next  Mr. 
Pratt  leased  an  alfalfa  ranch  in  the  Sunnyside  re- 
gion, but  this  experiment  did  not  result  success- 
fully. However,  nothing  daunted,  in  1899  the  in- 
domitable farmer  bought  twenty  acres  of  land  un- 
der the  Sunnyside  canal,  and  followed  this  pur- 
chase by  another  one  involving  an  adjoining  twen- 
ty-acre tract.  This  time  his  efforts  were  crowned 
with  success,  and  he  has  recently  added  by  pur- 
chase eighty  acres  more  to  his  holdings.  The 
original  forty-acre  farm,  all  under  cultivation, 
is  his  present  home.  He  moved  his  family  to  this 
home  in  April,  1900.  However,  misfortune  has 
visited  him  once  since  he  has  lived  on  this  farm— 
the  last  time,  he  hopes — for  September  10,  1903,  his 
house  and  contents  were  destroyed  by  fire,  entail- 
ing a  severe  loss  upon  the  plucky  pioneer.  With 
characteristic  energy  he  has  grappled  with  the  sit- 
uation, and  is  apparently  as  uncompromising  with 
fate  as  ever.  He  has  rebuilt,  erecting  a  modern 
dwelling. 

Mr.  Pratt's  marriage  took  place  at  The  Dalles, 
in  1900,  his  bride  being  Mrs.  Emma  Coate  Shearer, 
a  native  of  Ohio,  born  June  14,  1862,  to  Moses 
and  Elizabeth  (Brown)  Coate,  also  natives  of  the 
Buckeye  state.  Mr.  Coate  was  born  in  181 5  and 
died  in  1900;  Mrs.  Coate  was  born  in  1822  and 
is  at  present  residing  in  Ohio.  The  paternal  grand- 
parents were  English ;  the  great-grandfather  on 
this  side  of  the  house,  Marmaduke  Coate,  having 
been  exiled  from  England  on  account  of  his  Qua- 
ker beliefs.  His  estate  is  now  in  litigation.  Mrs. 
Pratt's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Ezra,  a  minis- 
ter of  the  Church  of  Christ,  living  in  Cincinnati; 
Bethana,  living  with  Mrs.  Pratt;  Elwood,  in  Ohio; 
Samuel,  in  Missouri;  Mrs.  Susanna  Brandt,  in 
Ohio;  and  Mrs.  Martha  Benson,  also  residing  in 
Ohio.  Mr.  Pratt  has  seven  brothers  and  sisters — 
Mrs.  Sarah  Sedneeks,  Mrs.  Lettitia  Hunter.  Mrs. 
Julia  Creider,  Daniel,  James  and  Wilson,  all  res- 
idents of  Kansas.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pratt  have  four 
children — Walter  L.  Shearer,  Blaine  Shearer,  Ra- 
phael Shearer  and  Earl  Shearer,  all  born  in  Ohio. 
One  child,  Lillie  B.  Shearer,  is  dead.  Both  hus- 
band   and    wife    are    members    of    the    Brethren 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


707 


church.  In  political  matters,  Mr.  Pratt  is  a  strong 
Republican.  Besides  his  farm  in  the  Sunnyside, 
he  owns' one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  slightly 
improved,  timbered  land  in  Skamania  county. 


THOMAS  S.  COOPER.  The  man  whose  life 
story  we  shall  briefly  narrate  in  these  pages  is  a 
-native  of  the  Pacific  coast,  the  son  of  two  early 
American  pioneers  of  California,  and  himself  a  na- 
tive child  of  that  section  of  the  United  States,  born 
before  the  admission  of  California  as  a  state  and 
about  the  time  that  vast  region  was  ceded  to  the 
United  States  by  vanquished  Mexico.  His  birth- 
place is  Sonoma  county;  his  birth  occurred  Janu- 
ary 8,  1848.  The  father,  James  Cooper,  a  Scotch- 
man born  across  the  Atlantic  in  1796,  came  as  a 
ship's  carpenter  to  California  in  1845.  F°r  many 
years  he  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  business,  but 
for  a  time  previous  to  his  death  in  1856  he  was 
engaged  in  farming.  Sarah  (Bigelow)  Cooper 
was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  1812  and  died  in  Cali- 
fornia at  the  age  of  sixty-four.  The  son  Thomas 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  California, 
and  engaged  in  farming,  which  he  followed  suc- 
cessfully in  his  native  state  until  1893.  From  time 
to  time  he  visited  relatives  in  Yakima  county,  and 
such  an  impression  was  made  upon  him  by  this 
section  that  he  determined  to  remove  hither.  So 
in  1893  he  filed  a  desert  claim  to  four  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  and  a  timber  culture  claim  to  a  quar- 
ter section,  all  in  the  Sunnyside  region.  How- 
ever, on  account  of  the  great  difficulty  he  met 
wi'th  in  getting  water  on  the  land  and  making 
•other  improvements,  he  allowed  others  to  take 
the  land  and  purchased  twenty  acres  from  the 
Yakima  Investment  Company,  adding  to  it  from 
time  to  time  until  he  now  has  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  acres,  of  which  eighty  are  in  culti- 
vation. 

Mr.  Cooper  has  several  brothers  and  sisters — 
John  R.,  a  farmer  of  Sonoma  county ;  Mrs.  Bar- 
bara Campbell,  also  living  in  Sonoma  county;  Mrs. 
Emma  McDonald,  of  Grayson,  California,  whose 
husband  served  as  state  treasurer  about  1893; 
Purdy  J.  Flint,  a  half-brother,  one  of  Yakima's 
most  prominent  citizens ;  and  Granville  Harris, 
also  a  half-brother,  engaged  in  the  livery  business 
in  Sonoma  county.  Mr.  Cooper  also  has  two  chil- 
dren— Raymond,  born  December  10,  1890,  and 
Edna,  born  May  11,  1892,  both  living  in  Califor- 
nia. Naturally  a  man  interested  in  public  affairs, 
he  is  active  in  politics,  being  a  Republican.  Be- 
sides the  fine  Sunnyside  ranch  he  possesses,  Mr. 
Cooper  owns  city  property  in  Yakima  City,  five 
hundred  thousand  shares  of  stock  in  the  Clarabell 
Consolidated  Mining  Company,  operating  in  Ferry 
county,  near  Republic,  and  a  quarter  interest  in 
the  Grand  View  mine  of  the  same  district.  Mr. 
Cooper  has  had  a  long  and  interesting  experience 


in  far  western  life,  and  were  it  possible  to  accord 
the  space  several  pages  could  be  filled  with  ac- 
counts of  his  various  adventures  and  travels.  His 
life  nearly  spans  the  growth  of  the  Pacific  West 
under  the  dominion  of  white  settlers.  As  one  of 
those  pioneers  and  a  man  of  strength  and  high 
standing  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives,  his 
biography  is  well  deserving  of  a  place  in  these 
records. 


DAVID  E.  WOODWELL,  at  present  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits  upon  his  farm  four 
miles  northwest  of  Sunnyside,  has  had  a  career 
of  varied  and  interesting  experiences  extending 
from  Maine  to  California  and  from  Washington 
to  the  island  of  Cuba,  following  at  different  times 
the  occupations  of  sailor,  merchant,  printer,  edi- 
tor and  farmer.  Born  March  31,  1849,  at  Nevv- 
buryport,  Massachusetts,  the  son  of  David  T. 
and  Mary  N.  (Haskell)  Woodwell,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  a  distinguished  New  England  family.  Of 
his  father,  who  died  March  27,  1884,  in  his  native 
state,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four,  a  local  newspaper 
said:  "Honorable  David  T.  Woodwell,  of  the 
Woodwells  of  ward  one,  shipbuilders  for  genera- 
tions, and  himself  brought  up  to  the  trade,  car- 
ried on  that  business ;  later  was  in  ship- 
chandlery  and  hardware,  also  in  other  commer- 
cial enterprises,  and  accumulated  a  competency. 
We  knew  him,  as  all  knew  him,  to  respect  him 
for  his  industry,  persistency  in  what  he  under- 
took and  his  solid  integrity.  Nobody  questioned 
his  word  or  the  purity  of  his  motives.  His  life 
was  throughout  a  decided  success.  He  filled 
many  positions  of  trust  and  honor ;  was  in  all 
branches  of  the  city  government — school  commit- 
tee, common  council  and  board  of  aldermen — 
was  a  representative  and  senator  in  the  legisla- 
ture (five  years  service)  ;  a  director  in  the  Ocean 
bank ;  and  active  in  politics,  religion  and  public 
improvements."  The  mother  of  subject  was  born 
in  Massachusetts  in  1824,  and  is  still  living  in 
Newburyport.  After  attending  school  until  he 
was  sixteen  years  old,  David  E.  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocery  firm,  but 
two  years  later  went  as  cabin  boy  on  one  of  his 
ships  to  Cuba.  In  1869,  he  went  west  to  Omaha, 
arriving  about  the  time  the  railroad  reached  that 
frontier  town.  From  there  he  went  to  Des 
Moines,  clerking  and  surveying.  A  trip  home 
followed,  during  which  he  entered  his  uncle's 
newspaper  office  at  Worcester  and  learned  the 
business.  Upon  the  latter's  death,  he  left  Wor- 
cester and  entered  a  printing  office  in  Newbury- 
port. where  he  remained  until  1873.  He  then 
crossed  the  continent  to  California,  operated  an 
apiary  there  for  a  time,  and  returned  to  Massa- 
chusetts, where  he  was  married.  In  1881,  he 
removed  to  Illinois  and  in  that  state  followed 
farming  and  newspaper  work  eight  years  or  until 


708 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1889,  when  he  again  crossed  the  continent,  locat- 
ing in  North  Yakima.  In  that  city  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  Yakima  Republic  as  a  printer 
and  remained  in  its  employ  most  of  the  time 
until  1896.  Four  years  previously,  Mr.  Wood- 
well  purchased  twenty  acres  of  land  under  the 
Sunnyside  canal,  his  purchase  being  the  first  in 
the  Sunnyside  district.  From  year  to  year  he 
has  made  improvements  on  this  tract,  until  now 
it  is  all  under  cultivation  and  one  of  the  finest 
farms  in  the  country.  On  account  of  poor  school 
facilities,  he  did  not  remove  his  family  to  the 
place  until  August,  1902,  though  he  himself  was 
there  much  earlier. 

His  marriage  took  place  in  Salem,  Massachu- 
setts, in  February,  1881,  his  bride  being  Miss 
Julia  H.  Smith,  one  of  Newburyport's  native 
daughters,  born  September  22,  1850.  Enoch  W. 
and  Elizabeth  (Donnell)  Smith,  the  parents,  were 
born  in  Newburyport,  1825,  and  Brunswick, 
Maine,  1827,  respectively.  Mr.  Smith  is  dead ; 
Mrs.  Smith  is  living  in  Salem,  Massachusetts. 
Mr.  Woodwell  has  five  brothers,  William  H., 
living  in  Hampton,  Connecticut ;  Louis  E.,  El- 
bridge  G.,  Frank  A.  and  Herbert  N.,  living  in 
Newburyport,  and  one  sister,  Mary,  also  living 
at  the  old  home.  Mrs.  Woodwell  has  one  sister, 
Mrs.  Ida  Edwards,  residing  in  Salem.  There 
are  three  children  :  Arthur  H.,  born  in  Illinois, 
December  1,  1881,  an  electrician  in  Spokane; 
Mabel  F.,  born  in  Illinois,  April  20,  1886,  and 
Lena  T.,  born  in  North  Yakima,  May  9,  1891,  both 
daughters  at  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Woodwell  are 
attending  the  Congregational  church.  He  is  a 
Republican  and  takes  an  interest  in  politics  as 
in  all  other  public  affairs.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wood- 
well  are  highly  esteemed  by  all  who  know  them 
and  possess  many  warm  and  loyal  friends,  at- 
tracted by  the  true  worth,  hospitality  and  con- 
genial natures  of  this  New  England  family. 


WALLACE  GOODSELL.  No  man  in  the 
whole  Sunnyside  country  is  more  public-spirited 
or  energetic  than  he  whose  name  initiates  this 
article.  He  has  won,  by  his  good  works,  a  warm 
place  in  the  hearts  of  his  neighbors  and  fellow 
citizens  and  his  loyal  friends  are  numbered  by 
the  score.  Mr.  Goodsell  is  a  native  of  Macoup:n 
county,  Illinois,  born  September  14,  1850,  into  the 
home  of  Charles  and  Cloe  J.  (Howard)  Goodsell. 
His  father  came  from  Connecticut,  where  he  was 
born  in  1827 ;  the  maternal  ancestry  were  inhabit- 
ants of  Massachusetts,  and  Mrs.  Goodsell  was 
born  near  Boston  in  1832.  Both  parents  long  ago 
joined  the  great  silent  majority.  When  Wallace 
was  ten  years  old,  his  parents  moved  to  Minne- 
sota, where  the  father  pursued  his  trade  of  orna- 
mental carving  and  wagon  making.  In  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Hennepin  and  Wright  counties  the 
young   man    received   his   education,   which   was 


later  supplemented  by  private  instruction  in  com- 
mercial studies.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he 
entered  a  general  store  and  for  seven  years  de- 
voted himself  assiduously  to  mastering  the  busi- 
ness, following  this  service  by  opening  a  store 
of  his  own  in  1876/  He  successfully  conducted 
this  until  1888,  when  he  sold  the  property  and 
removed  to  Spokane.  He  was  engaged  as  a  trav- 
eling salesman  for  three  years  thereafter  or  until 
1891,  when  he  bought  one  hundred  and  ten  acres 
under  the  Sunnyside  canal.  Subsequently  he 
sold  this  tract  and  in  April,  1901,  purchased  sixty 
acres  three  and  a  half  miles  west  of  Sunnyside, 
upon  which  he  now  lives.  It  is  all  under  water 
and  in  cultivation,  making  it  a  most  valuable  farm. 
At  Fond  du  Lac,  Wisconsin,  in  1875,  Mr. 
Goodsell  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Leah  M. 
Barnet,  who  is  now  living  in  Spokane.  One  child 
was  born  to  this  union,  Charles  H.,  at  Howard 
Lake,  Minnesota,  in  November,  1877.  He  gradu- 
ated from  the  Washington  Agricultural  College 
at  Pullman  in  1901,  and  is  now  following  the  pro- 
fession of  a  mining  engineer.  Mr.  Goodsell  had 
one  brother,  George,  and  a  sister,  Mrs.  Mary 
Miller,  both  of  whom  are  dead.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Goodsell  is  connected  with  the  Ancient  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons ;  politically,  he  is  a  man  of 
pronounced  Republican  views  and  an  active 
worker  in  the  party's  behalf.  As  previously 
stated,  Mr.  Goodsell  is  an  unusually  strong  man 
in  public  affairs.  He  it  was  who,  in  the  face  of 
an  almost  united  and  general  opposition,  fought 
successfully  for  the  establishment  of  a  free  rural 
delivery  route  between  Zillah  and  Sunnyside, 
which  resulted  in  the  abandonment  of  two  post- 
offices,  Outlook  and  Riverside,  in  whose  estab- 
lishment he  was  the  leading  factor.  The  free 
delivery  scheme  had  been  tried  by  individuals 
before  the  government  stepped  in,  and  had  been 
far  from  satisfactory.  It  was  Mr.  Goodsell,  also, 
who  led  successfully  the  movement  which  in- 
duced the  Northern  Pacific  to  establish  a  siding 
at  Alfalfa  and  secured  the  establishment  of  a 
ferry  at  that  point  on  the  Yakima  river,  thus  sav- 
ing the  Outlook  settlement  at  least  seven  miles 
of  railroad  travel.  When  it  was  found  that  the 
current  of  the  Yakima  river  was  so  swift  as  to 
make  the  operation  of  the  ferry  impracticable, 
Mr.  Goodsell  took  the  lead  in  securing  the  con- 
struction of  one  of  the  best  bridges  on  the  Yak- 
ima to  take  the  place  of  the  ferry.  Always  un- 
selfish, practicable,  capable  and  honest,  he  has 
indeed  contributed  his  share  toward  the  develop- 
ment of  his  countv  and  home  and  has  won  a 
most  enviable  position  among  his  fellow  citizens. 


GEORGE  A.  IDE,  who  was.  until  the  estab- 
lishment of  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  2, 
the  postmaster  of  Outlook  postoffice.  is  one  of 
the  well  known,   respected    and    successful    ranch- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


709 


men  of  the  Sunnyside  region.  His  farm  lies  five 
miles  northwest  of  the  town  of  Sunnyside,  and  is 
one  of  the  prettiest,  best  improved  little  places  in 
the  county,  consisting  of  seventeen  and  a  half 
acres,  three  of  which  are  set  out  in  orchard,  and 
the  remainder  in  alfalfa  and  other  farm  products. 
A  comfortable  ten-room  residence,  good  outbuild- 
ings and  gardens  give  the  place  a  most  inviting 
appearance.  The  son  of  Harvey  A.  and  Elizabeth 
(Drew)  Ide,  he  was  born  October  2,  1849,  within 
sight  of  Vermont's  famed  Green  mountains.  In 
that  state  his  father  came  into  being  in  the  year 
1827,  and  there,  also,  the  mother  was  born,  four 
years  later,  and  is  still  living.  However,  Vermont 
did  not  remain  the  family  home  long  after  George's 
birth,  for  in  1852  they  traveled  by  ox  conveyance 
to  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  and  in  that  wil- 
derness founded  a  new  home,  amidst  the  pineries. 
The  father,  whose  trade  was  that  of  a  shoemaker, 
engaged  in  farming.  When  seventeen  years  old 
George  entered  a  cooper  shop,  and  for  fifteen  years 
was  engaged  in  that  occupation,  being  foreman 
after  his  first  year's  work.  During  this  time  he  and 
his  father  purchased  land  in  Swift  county,  upon 
which  George  A.  moved  in  1881,  remaining  there 
until  1894.  In  1886  his  father  died.  The  farm 
was  sold  in  July,  1894,  and  after  carefully  looking 
over  Washington,  Mr.  Ide  concluded  to  cast  his  lot 
with  the  people  of  Yakima  county.  So  he  pur- 
chased his  present  place  and  removed  thereto.  July 
24,  1897,  he  was  appointed  postmaster  at  Outlook, 
and  held  that  position  until  relieved  by  the  gov- 
ernment accepting  his  resignation  recently. 

Mr.  Ide  was  married  in  Fillmore  county,  Min- 
nesota, February  23,  1873,  to  Miss  Ella  J.  Cade, 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Susan  (Brey)  Cade,  na- 
tives of  England.  They  immigrated  to  America 
about  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  settling  in 
Wisconsin,  where  Mrs.  Ide  was  born  in  1855. 
Both  parents  are  dead.  Mr.  Ide  has  one  sister, 
living  in  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  Mrs.  Mary 
McGrew,  the  wife  of  a  prominent  farmer  and 
banker,  who  has  served  in  the  Washington  legis- 
lature. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ide  have  six  children :  George 
C,  born  September  23,  1877 ;  Ethel  E.,  March  7, 
1881 ;  Mary  A.,  March  14,  1884;  John,  October  15, 
1886;  Roy,  October  17,  1890,  and  Nellie,  June  28, 
1897 ;  all  born  in  Minnesota,  except  Nellie.  Mr. 
Ide  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  and  on  national  political  issues  is 
a  supporter  of  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Re- 
publican party.  Besides  cultivating  his  farm,  Mr. 
Ide  is  well  known  in  commission  circles,  buying,  it 
is  said,  more  hay  in  Yakima  county  last  season 
than  any  other  man.  He  is  one  of  the  solid  men 
of  the  county,  a  man  of  correct  principles,  capable 
and  always  interested  in  anything  tending  to  ad- 
vance the  morale  or  business  interests  of  the  region 
in  which  he  lives. 


ANDREW  CHRESTENSON,  who  lives  on 
rural  free  delivery  route  No.  2,  four  miles 
west  of  Sunnyside,  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of 
that  region,  having  settled  there  in  1892.  He  is 
of  Norwegian  descent,  and  was  born  in  Norway, 
April  28,  1846.  His  parents,  Christen  Anderson 
and  Engrid  (Oleson)  Anderson,  born  in  1822  and 
1812,  respectively,  came  to  America  in  1868,  settling 
in  Yellow  Medicine  county,  Minnesota.  They  lived 
seventy-five  miles  from  a  railroad,  and  were  among 
the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  county.  The  mother 
died  there  in  1884;  Mr.  Anderson  is  still  living. 
When  twenty-four  years  old,  Andrew  began  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account,  and  continued  to  be  a 
resident  of  Minnesota  until  1880.  At  that  time  he 
removed  to  a  homestead  in  North  Dakota,  forty 
miles  from  the  railroad,  and  cultivated  this  place 
during  the  succeeding  ten  years.  Coming  west 
to  Washington  in  1890,  he  first  spent  two  years 
on  the  Sound,  then,  in  1892,  came  to  Yakima  county 
and  purchased  the  place  on  which  he  is  now  resid- 
ing. 

Mr.  Chrestenson  was  married  while  a  resident 
of  Minnesota  in  1870  to  Miss  Anna  Oleson,  the 
daughter  of  Ole  Schelrud  and  Emma  (Johnson) 
Schelrud,  natives  of  Norway.  Mr.  Schelrud  is 
still  farming  in  Minnesota,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of 
eighty-four ;  Mrs.  Schelrud  died  in  1869,  at  the  age 
of  forty-eight.  Mrs.  Chrestenson  was  born  June 
24,  1842,  in  Norway.  She  has  several  brothers  and 
sisters :  Emma,  John,  Ole,  Gunhilo,  Carrie,  Lewis 
and  Helga,  living  in  Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and 
North  Dakota.  Mr.  Chrestenson  has  two  brothers, 
Ole,  living  in  Minnesota,  and  Christen,  also  a  resi- 
dent of  that  state,  both  being  farmers.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Chrestenson  have  five  children,  all  borri  in 
Minnesota:  Christian  A.,  born  August  15,  1872; 
Ole  and  Mrs.  Emma  Anderson,  twins,  born  Oc- 
tober 21,  1874;  Albert,  born  January  17,  1877.  anc^ 
Julius,  bom  July  30.  18S5.  Mr.  Chrestenson  is 
well  posted  on  the  political  questions  of  the  day, 
and  has  taken  his  stand  with  the  Socialist  party. 
He  was  reared  as  a  Swedish  Lutheran.  The  ten- 
acre  garden  spot  he  owns  and  lives  upon  is  one 
of  the  best  improved  little  places  in  the  valley,  and 
is  producing  as  much  income  to  its  owner  as  many 
eastern  farms  of  manv  times  that  size. 


CALEB  W.  TAYLOR,  one  of  Sunnyside's 
nioneer  contractors  and  now  one  of  its  thrifty 
farmers,  living  three  miles  west  of  Sunnyside 
City,  was  born  in  Warren  county,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 28.  1848.  Samuel  and  Patience  (Frybargar) 
Taylor,  the  parents,  were  born  in  Indiana,  May 
22,  1817,  and  Germany,  December  12,  1816,  re- 
spectively. Both  are  now  dead.  The  subject 
of  this  biography  attended  school  in  Ohio  until 
he  was  twelve  years  old  and  completed  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Iowa,  his  parents 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


removing  to  that  state  in  i860.  Upon  leaving 
school  he  assisted  his  father  on  the  farm,  remain- 
ing with  him  until  his  death,  September  26,  1875, 
after  which  the  young  man  took  charge  of  the 
place  and  managed  it  until  the  division  of  the 
estate  in  1880.  Then  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
Davis  county,  remaining  there  four  years.  How- 
ever, in  1885,  he  temporarily  abandoned  agricul- 
ture and  entered  the  hardware  business  at 
Eldon,  Iowa,  but  was  in  this  business  only 
eighteen  months,  selling  the  property  and  im- 
migrating to  Seattle,  Washington.  While  a 
young  man  at  home  he  had  learned  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  and  in  the  new  Washington  home  he 
took  up  this  occupation.  In  the  spring  of  1894, 
Mr.  Taylor  came  to  Yakima  county  and  located 
at  Sunnyside,  where  he  was  engaged  in  building 
and  contracting  until  the  spring  of  1903.  At 
that  time  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land  under  the  canal,  forty  acres  of 
which  he  deeded  his  son.  He  is  now  busy  im- 
proving and  cultivating  the  remaining  eighty. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Taylor  to  Miss  Martha 
Pickens,  the  daughter  of  Smith  and  Julia  (Lee) 
Pickens,  was  celebrated  in  Iowa,  October  10, 
1879.  The  bride  was  a  native  of  Iowa ;  her 
father,  a  Virginian,  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
Ohio.  The  Taylor  home  was  inexpressibly  sad- 
dened in  April,  1891,  when  the  loving  wife  and 
mother  passed  away,  after  a  lingering  illness  of 
more  than  three  years'  duration.  Four  children 
were  left  to  mourn  their  loss,  all  of  whom  are 
living  at  home:  Emmett  R.,  born  in  Iowa;  Nora 
Arena,  born  in  Iowa,. February  12,  1882;  James 
C,  born  in  Iowa,  September  26,  1883 ;  Grace,  born 
in  Iowa,  June  21,  1885.  Mr.  Taylor  has  one 
sister,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Mangum,  living  in  Council 
Bluffs,  Iowa ;  and  three  brothers,  Jacob  F.,  an 
Oklahoma  farmer ;  William  V.,  a  resident  of  El- 
don, and  Samuel  A.,  residing  in  Seattle.  His 
fraternal  affiliations  are  limited  to  membership 
in  one  cder,  the  Odd  Fellows ;  politically,  he  is 
a  Republican.  The  family  are  united  with  the 
Christian  church.  Twenty-six  acres  of  the  farm 
are  now  under  cultivation,  excellent  buildings 
have  been  erected,  and  the  remaining  acreage  is 
to  be  improved  as  rapidly  as  possible.  Mr.  Tay- 
lor commands  the  respect  and  best  wishes  of 
his  neighbors,  of  all  who  know  him,  and  is  a 
man  of  strength  in  the  communitv. 


FRANK  WINSOR.  The  subject  of  this  bi- 
ographical sketch  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  which 
has,  perhaps,  furnished  a  larger  percentage  of 
Western  pioneers  than  any  other  state  in  the 
union.  Born  July  3,  1858,  he  is  the  son  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clark  Winsor,  the  father  having  been 
a  lawyer  and  farmer  and  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  mother  gave  up  her  life  that  her  son, 
Frank,  might  live.    He  was  educated  in  St.  Louis, 


Missouri,  leaving  school  at  an  early  age  to  work 
on  the  farm.  In  1880,  he  purchased  a  farm  in 
South  Dakota  and  successfully  cultivated  it  dur- 
ing the  succeeding  thirteen  years.  Then,  how- 
ever, he  sold  his  property  and  came  to  Yakima 
county,  buying  a  tract  of  land  under  the  Sunny- 
side  canal.  This  he  has  improved  and  it  now 
constitutes  one  of  the  best  farms  under  the  canal. 
He  was  married  in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in 
1879,  to  Miss  Leah  Brown,  the  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Sarah  E.  Brown,  both  natives  of- 
England ;  the  parents  are  now  dead.  Mrs.  Win- 
sor was  born  in  Illinois,  in  1858,  and  died  in  her 
forty-fourth  year,  leaving  to  mourn  her  loss, 
besides  a  devoted  husband,  four  children :  Mary 
E.,  born  in  Missouri,  April  10,  1881 ;  Clark,  born 
in  South  Dakota,  June  1,  1883;  Sylvester,  No- 
vember 15,  1887,  and  Frank,  also  born  in  South 
Dakota,  February  14,  1891.  All  are  living  at 
home  with  their  father.  He  has  one  brother, 
Sidney  A.,  living  in  California.  Mr.  Winsor  is  a 
stanch  believer  in  the  principles  promulgated  by 
the  Democratic  party  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  all  elections.  He  is  a  zealous  member  of  the 
German  Baptist  Brethren  church,  better  known 
as  the  Dunkard  society.  Mr.  Winsor's  property 
interests  consist  of  his  fine  forty-acre  improved 
farm,  all  under  water  and  in  cultivation,  eight 
acres  being  devoted  to  a  select  orchard,  and  a 
band  of  sixteen  cattle.  The  farm  has  excellent 
buildings  upon  it.  As  a  progressive,  reliable 
citizen  he  is  known  to  the  community  and  as  a 
man  of  generous  impulses  and  loyalty  he  is 
known   to   his   friends. 


FRED  MANSFIELD,  living  five  and  a  half 
miles  northwest  of  Sunnyside,  bears  the  enviable 
reputation  of  being  one  of  the  most  popular 
farmers  in  the  Sunnyside  valley — a  reputation 
due  largely  to  his  generosity  in  both  private  and 
public  affairs  and  the  high  degree  in  which  he 
possesses  the  virtues  of  industry  and  persever- 
ance. Coming  to  Yakima  county  in  1891  with 
just  one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents,  by  faith- 
ful, patient  toil  he  has  accumulated  a  property 
worth  at  least  five  thousand  dollars  and  taken  a 
position  among  the  successful  men  of  the  county. 

Mr.  Mansfield  came  from  that  good  old  state, 
Missouri,  whose  sons  are  scattered  far  and  wide 
over  the  west  and  are  everywhere  among  the 
west's  leading  citizens.  Kirksville  is  the  place 
of  his  birth,  and  December  17,  1865,  the  date. 
His  parents.  William  and  Jane  (Smith)  Mans- 
field, are  natives  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania,  re- 
spectively, and  are  still  residing  in  Missouri, 
where  Mr.  Mansfield  is  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness. Fred  Mansfield  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  state,  completing  his  educa- 
tion at  the  age  of  sixteen.  The  next  five  years 
he   spent   on   his   father's  farm,   after   which   he 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


711 


went  to  St.  Joseph  and  worked  at  various  pur- 
suits until  1888.  Then  he  traveled  in  Texas, 
Louisiana,  Mississippi  and  other  states,  finally 
arriving  in  Washington  during  the  year  1890. 
That  year  he  was  employed  on  the  Sound,  cross- 
ing the  Cascades  to  Yakima  county  in  1891.  In 
1895  he  purchased  land  under  the  Sunnyside 
canal  and  in  the  years  subsequent  to  that  date 
Mr.  Mansfield  has  devoted  himself  to  improving 
this  property.  Thirty  acres  of  the  place  are  in 
clover,  of  which  he  has  been  cutting  an  average 
crop  of  five  and  a  half  tons  per  acre  per  annum — 
abundant  testimony  to  the  soil's  fertility.  Seven 
acres  are  set  out  to  orchard.  Recently  he  com- 
pleted a  fine  residence  on  his  farm.  He  has  one 
sister.  Mrs.  Grace  Arbethnot,  and  one  brother, 
Walter,  both  living  in  Kansas  City,  Missouri. 
In  political  affairs,  Mr.  Mansfield  takes  an  active 
interest,  voting  the  Republican  ticket.  It  is 
said  of  him  that  he  has  never  refused  to  use  his 
hands,  his  name  or  his  purse  when  asked  to 
assist  in  promoting  public  improvements  or  en- 
terprises essential  to  the  best  interests  of  the 
community.  Mr.  Mansfield  is  one  of  the  sub- 
stantial, progressive  citizens  of  the  county. 


ALBERT  L.  YAKEY,  another  Ohioan  who 
has  won  success  and  position  among  his  fellow  men 
in  the  Yakima  country,  resides  in  Sunnyside,  and 
follows  agricultural  pursuits  upon  a  splendid  little 
farm  situated  near-by.  Like  many  another  citizen 
of  that  region,  he  came  to  the  county  with  prac- 
tically nothing  except  his  talents,  ambitions  and 
energies,  and  what  he  has  accumulated  since  has 
been  won  through  developing  the  latent  resources 
of  the  country  around  him.  Born  at  Senecaville, 
Guernsey  county,  August  3,  1854,  he  came  into  the 
home  of  Peter  H.  and  Isabella  (McBerney)  Yakey, 
of  German  and  Irish  descent.  His  father  was  born 
March  4,  1829,  in  that  same  village,  and  is  at  pres- 
ent a  retired  farmer,  living  in  Indiana.  For  many 
years  he  served  as  county  judge.  Mrs.  Yakey,  also 
a  native  of  Ohio,  died  when  Albert  was  four  years 
old.  He  accompanied  his  father  to  Trenton,  Mis- 
souri, in  i860,  and  in  that  community  was  reared, 
graduating  from  the  public  schools  in  1879.  Sub- 
sequently he  was  granted  a  teacher's"  certificate, 
and  during  the  next  eleven  years  he  followed  the 
profession  of  pedagogy.  In  1890  he  removed  to 
Washington,  locating  near  Seattle,  where  he  was 
engaged  in  carpenter  work  and  logging  for  four 
years.  The  year  1894  witnessed  his  arrival  in  Yak- 
ima county.  At  first  the  family  picked  hops ;  then 
Mr.  Yakey  leased  a  farm,  and  was  doing  fairly  well 
until  the  hard  times  crushed  him.  W'ith  commend- 
able courage,  however,  he  struggled  along,  gradu- 
ally getting  into  better  financial  condition.  In  1899 
he  bought  forty  acres  of  land  in  the  Sunnyside  re- 
gion, and  this  he  quickly  placed  in  cultivation,  and 


has  farmed  since  that  year,  meeting  with  excellent 
success.  Recently  he  has  added  to  his  holdings  in 
the  Sunnyside  region  another  twenty  acres,  now  in 
crop. 

September  9,  1880,  in  Missouri,  he  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Miss  Elizabeth  L.  Wallingford,  a 
daughter  of  George  W.  Wallingford,  who  was  un- 
fortunately scalded  to  death  at  Raton,  New  Mexico, 
in  a  railway  wreck.  Mrs.  Yakey  was  born  in 
Iowa,  September  15,  iE6d,  and  is  the  descendant 
of  Iowa  native  pioneers,  her  father  having  been 
born  there  in  1834,  and  her  mother  about  the  same 
year.  The  latter  is  now  deceased.  Mr.  Yakey  has 
one  sister,  Mrs.  Cassie  M.  Saddler,  a  widow,  liv- 
ing in  Newark,  Indiana;  Mrs.  Yakey  also  has  a 
sister,  Mrs.  Nettie  M.  Stombaugh,  of  Lincoln,  Ne- 
braska. Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Yakey:  Ethel,  a  stenographer,  born  in  Mis- 
souri, August  8,  1881  ;  Berl,  born  in  Missouri, 
January  31,  1883;  Myrtle,  born  in  Kansas,  in  Mayr 
1886;  Frank  H.,  born  in  Missouri,  in  May,  1889, 
died  March  6,  1898,  and  Jennie,  born  in  Washing- 
ton, in  May,  1893.  Mr.  Yakey  is  quite  prominent 
in  fraternal  circles,  being  connected  with  the  Odd 
Fellows,  as  secretary  of  Sunnyside  lodge,  No.  149; 
with  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  with  the  Ancient 
Order  of  United  Workmen,  as  recorder  of  the  Sun- 
nyside lodge.  He  has  been  an  Odd  Fellow  since 
October,  1879.  In  politics,  he  is  identified  with  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  a  man  of  high  principles, 
excellent  abilities  and  such  qualities  as  command 
the  esteem  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


FRANK  S.  VETTER.  One  of  Sunnyside's 
youngest,  and  at  the  same  time  most  successful  and 
popular  business  men,  is  the  citizen  whose  name  ap- 
pears at  the  beginning  of  this  sketch.  He  is  an  ex- 
cellent representative  of  the  type  of  young  Ameri- 
cans which  is  boldly  and  energetically  pushing  its 
way  into  our  national  life  and  making  the  nation 
ring  with  its  strong,  vigorous  blows  for  progress 
and  expansion  along  every  line  of  human  endeavor. 
George  and  Florence  (Tupper)  Yetter,  prominent 
pioneer  residents  of  the  Sunnyside  region,  whose 
biographies  will  be  found  in  this  work,  are  the 
parents  of  Frank  S.  The  father  is  an  ex-mayor  of 
Sunnyside,  and  was  recently  appointed  postmaster 
of  that  city.  Both  father  and  mother  are  natives 
of  Chicago,  Illinois.  While  residing  in  Peoria,  Il- 
linois, Frank  S.  was  born,  the  date  of  his  birth  be- 
ing July  2.  1882.  From  Illinois  the  family  soon  re- 
moved to  Aberdeen,  South  Dakota,  where  the 
father  was  engaged  in  wheat  raising  for  twelve 
years,  and  in  this  state  Frank  began  his  education. 
When  a  lad  of  twelve,  his  parents  immigrated  to 
Washington,  and  settled  upon  land  in  the  Sunny- 
side country.  The  family  lived  on  this  farm  until 
1898,  when  Mr.  Yetter  was  appointed  postmaster 
at  Sunnyside.     The  young  man's  school  education 


712 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


terminated  in  that  town  when  he  was  eighteen  years 
old.  Three  years  of  clerkship  in  a  general  mercan- 
tile store  followed,  his  resignation  taking  effect 
September  16,  1903.  With  keen  foresight  the 
young  business  man  saw  an  opportunity  to  do  bet- 
ter in  another  line,  and  so  purchased  the  property 
and  business  of  John  Cady,  on  Sixth  street.  Shortly 
after  this  purchase,  Vetter's  restaurant,  confection- 
ery and  bakery  were  opened  to  the  general  public ; 
the  enterprise  met  with  encouraging  success.  Later 
Mr.  Vetter  bought  the  old  Cady  hotel  and  resi- 
dence, which  have  been  transformed  into  a  well- 
equipped  hostelry.  His  places  of  business  are  be- 
ing patronized  by  an  increasing  trade,  and  further 
improvement,  perhaps  expansion,  may  be  expected 
in  the  near  future.  Ordinarily  men  of  Mr.  Vet- 
ter's age  are  regarded  as  too  young  to  safely  con- 
duct a  large  business  alone,  but  he  has  demonstrated 
a  capacity  for  management  extremely  rare  for  one 
of  his  years,  and  appears  to  be  suited  by  nature  for 
his  present  occupation.  He  is  connected  with  the 
Modern  Woodmen  and  its  auxiliary  fraternity,  and 
is  an  active  Republican.  Mr.  Vetter  commands  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  the  community  in  which  he 
lives,  and  possesses  many  loyal  friends,  both  young 
and  old. 


WILLIAM  THOMPSON  STOBIE,  Sr.  But 
few,  if  any,  citizens  of  the  Yakima  country 
have  had  more  varied  or  exciting  lives  than 
has  the  man  of  whom  we  now  write,  who  is  at 
present  residing  in  Sunnyside.  Of  Scottish  de- 
scent, he  was  born  in  Perthshire,  Scotland,  No- 
vember 20,  1844,  to  the  union  of  James  and  Eliza- 
beth (Thompson)  Stobie.  At  the  age  of  two  he 
crossed  the  ocean  with  his  parents  to  Canada, 
where  the  family  settled  upon  a  farm.  The 
father  had  followed  farming  only  a  few  years  in 
Canada,  before  his  death  occurred ;  Mrs.  Stobie 
lived  until  1888.  While  in  his  eleventh  year,  the 
subject  of  this  biography  left  home  and  school, 
because  of  excessive  punishment  at  the  hands  of 
his  teacher,  and  apprenticed  himself  to  a  black- 
smith in  Ottawa,  under  whom  he  spent  four 
years  learning-  his  trade.  He  then  crossed  the 
border  into  New  York  state,  and  there  became 
employed  as  assistant  in  a  glass  factory  for  a 
time.  Returning  to  his  trade,  he  worked  at  that 
occupation  until  February,  1863,  when  he  en- 
listed in  Battery  K,  First  New  York  light  artil- 
lery, and  in  this  battery  served  his  adopted  coun- 
try until  mustered  out  at  Elmira,  New  York,  in 
July,  1865.  Because  of  his  ability  as  a  horse- 
shoer,  demonstrated  by  shoeing  Captain  Stok- 
ing's  horse,  he  was  assigned  to  the  division  black- 
smith shop  as  foreman  and  appointed  an  artificer, 
a  rank  equaling  that  of  sergeant.  He  partici- 
pated in  many  famous  battles  and  skirmishes. 
After  the  war  he  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop 


three  years  at  Rotterdam,  New  York,  but  in  1869 
sold  it  and  moved  to  Missouri,  where  he  first 
followed  his  trade  and  later  entered  the  horse 
business,  buying  and  selling.  Drifting  into 
handling  racing  stock,  he  followed  the  circuits 
two  years.  While  thus  engaged,  he  rode  the 
famous  old  English  horse,  Blackjack,  who  was 
never  beaten,  and  often  met  the  noted  James  and 
Younger  boys,  whom  he  characterizes  as  honor- 
able and  gentlemanly  in  their  treatment  of  him. 
In  1871  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  followed  his 
trade  two  years,  but  upon  the  Black  Hills  mining 
excitement  reaching  Kansas,  he  again  laid  aside 
the  hammer  and  anvil  and  started  for  the  mines. 
At  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  his  party  was  driven 
back  by  the  Indians.  Then  Mr.  Stobie  visited 
Denver,  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  two  years 
at  Idaho  Springs,  but  was  again  whirled  away  in 
a  mining  excitement — that  of  the  Leadville  dis- 
trict in  1878.  He  established  the  first  freighting 
company  between  Leadville  and  Weston,  operat- 
ing until  the  railroad  reached  Leadville.  Next 
he  went  to  Pitkin,  Colorado,  with  the  pioneer 
six-mule  team  that  reached  that  camp,  occupying 
seven  weeks  on  the  trip.  His  next  experience 
was  in  railroad  contracting  on  the  Rio  Grande  in 
Colorado  and  New  Mexico.  After  four  years  of 
this  kind  of  work  he  visited  Dakota,  Minnesota, 
Nebraska  and  Kansas,  farming  some  in  the  latter 
state,  but  finally  being  driven  away  by  the  grass- 
hopper hordes.  Railroad  work  in  Nebraska. 
Colorado,  Wyoming,  LTtah,  Nevada,  Oregon  and 
Washington  followed  this  experiment.  In  1891, 
he  came  to  Yakima  county  and  entered  the  serv- 
ice of  the  company  constructing  the  Sunnyside 
canal,  remaining  with  this  company  until  the 
great  waterway  and  many  of  its  laterals  were 
completed.  He  bought  sixty  acres  of  land  under 
the  canal  in  1894  and  immediately  moved  upon  it 
and  began  improving  it.  His  residence  was  the 
best  one  in  the  district  at  the  time  it  was  built 
and  he  claims  the  honor  of  raising  the  first  crop 
of  alfalfa  produced  in  the  Sunnyside  region.  Also 
Mr.  Stobie  was  given  the  first  mail  contract  for 
carrying  the  mails  between  Mabton  and  Sunny- 
side, and  erected  the  first  livery  barn  in  the  latter 
place.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  he  was  among 
the  leading- pioneers  of  his  community. 

Mr.  Stobie  was  married  in  New  York,  No- 
vember, 1866,  to  Miss  Mary  J.  Martin,  a  native  of 
New  York  state,  born  in  the  year  1848.  Her  par- 
ents, Hugh  and  Margaret  Martin,  both  dead,  were 
natives  of  Ireland.  Air.  Stobie  has  three  brothers 
living-,  Peter,  James  and  Joseph,  and  two  sisters, 
Elizabeth  and  Mrs.  Amelia  Anderson.  To  this 
union  were  born  three  children:  Mrs.  Cora 
Mathieson,  of  Sunnyside;  Mrs.  Alice  Hay,  who 
lives  in  Texas,  and  William  T.,  junior,  a  prosper- 
ous citizen  of  Sunnyside.  Mr.  Stobie  was  mar- 
ried a  second  time  in  Denver,  on  April  27,  1877, 
to  Miss  Dorothy  Thurmann,  daughter  of  Adol- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


713 


phus  W.  and  Mary  E.  Thurmann,  natives  of  Ger- 
many. Mrs.  Stobie  was  born  in  Germany,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1868.  Mr.  Stobie 
is  interested  in  political  matters  and  is  to  be 
found  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republicans  on  all 
national  issues.  He  now  owns  one  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  fine  land,  all  in  cultivation,  and 
about  thirty  head  of  select  horse  stock,  some  of 
which  are  registered.  It  is  his  intention  to  en- 
gage in  breeding  blooded  animals,  for  which  in- 
dustry he  is  surely  well  qualified.  In  1879,  while 
with  a  small  party  of  homeseekers  in  Colorado, 
which  had  started  out  from  Georgetown,  Mr. 
Stobie  met  with  a  most  exciting  adventure. 
When  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  out,  near 
the  boundaries  of  Utah  and  Colorado,  the  party 
encountered  a  band  of  five  hundred  Indians,  who 
ordered  their  return  to  the  settlements.  The 
chief  and  several  of  his  sub-chiefs  were  invited 
to  supper,  and  during  the  night  all  but  two  of 
the  whites  escaped  in  the  darkness ;  the  two  who 
refused  to  leave  were  killed.  Mr.  Stobie  himself 
drove  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  without 
stopping  and  for  sixty  miles  was  closely  pursued 
by  the  redskins.  Friendly  whites  finally  inter- 
fered and  drove  back  the  Indians.  The  doughty 
pioneer  has  at  last  found  his  haven  of  rest  in 
the  beautiful,  thrifty  Yakima  region  and  is  now 
numbered  among  Sunnyside's  esteemed  and  suc- 
cessful citizens. 


OLIVER  R.  FERRELL.  The  popular  and 
successful  Yakima  county  stockman  who  forms 
the  subject  of  this  biography  came  to  the  Yak- 
ima country  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  and  has 
personally  participated  in  the  rise  and  decline 
of  that  region's  once  master  industry — stock  rais- 
ing. Between  the  years  1878  and  1880,  he  rode 
the  ranges  of  Klickitat  county;  in  1880,  he  came 
with  his  parents  into  Yakima  county  and  two 
years  later  entered  the  service  of  Washington's 
cattle  king,  Benjamin  Snipes,  for  whom  he 
worked  most  of  the  time  during  the  next  ten 
years.  Then  he  engaged  in  cattle  raising  for 
himself  and,  with  the  exception  of  the  first  win- 
ter, has  been  unusually  successful  since  that  time. 
He  still  has  one  of  the  largest  bands  in  the 
region,  but  is  reducing  its  numbers  steadily  be- 
cause of  the  lack  of  range.  Few  know  the  Yak- 
ima country  as  well  as  he,  for  he  rode  over 
niost  of  it  when  the  population  was  only  a  few 
hundred  scattered  inhabitants  and  the  larger 
cities  were  either  non-existent  or  mere  hamlets. 
Mr.  Ferrell  was  born  in  California,  November 
Si  1864,  the  son  of  John  and  Julia  (Sheldon) 
Ferrell,  natives  of  Ohio,  born  in  1833.  Mrs.  Fer- 
rell is  dead,  but  her  husband  is  living  at  the 
ripe  age  of  seventy-two,  residing  with  his  son 
George.  The  biography  of  this  honored  old  pio- 
neer  will   be    found    elsewhere    in    this    history. 


Oliver  R.  attended  school  in  California  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  thirteen,  when  he  accom- 
panied his  parents  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  In 
1880,  he  came  with  them  to  the  Yakima  valley, 
the  father  settling  where  Mr.  Ferrell's  ranch  lies, 
seven  miles  southwest  of  Sunnyside. 

Oliver  R.  Ferrell  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Adelia  Switzler,  November  3,  1897,  on 
Switzler  island,  in  the  Columbia  river.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  John  B.  and  Mary  (Smoot) 
Switzler,  natives  of  Missouri,  who  are  at  present 
living  in  Walla  Walla  county,  where  Mr.  Switz- 
ler is  a  well  known  stockman.  Mr.  Switzler  was 
born  in  1842;  his  wife  in  1850.  Mrs.  Switzler  is 
a  cousin  of  Senator  Reed  Smoot,  Utah's 
noted  Mormon.  Montana  is  the  birthplace  of 
Mrs.  Ferrell,  the  date  of  her  birth  being  April 
16,  1867.  She  has  one  brother,  William,  an 
Oregon  stockman,  and  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Minnie 
Sharpstein,  the  wife  of  a  Walla  Walla  lawyer, 
and  Eva,  who  lives  with  her  parents.  Mr.  Fer- 
rell has  six  brothers  and  sisters:  Mrs.  Louise 
Adams,  in  Yakima  City ;  George,  a  ranchman  liv- 
ing near  Mr.  Ferrell ;  Francis,  a  resident  of  North 
Yakima  ;  Mrs.  Kate  Gibbons,  at  The  Dalles  ;  Mrs. 
Elsie  St.  John,  in  Everett,  Washington,  wife  of 
the  principal  of  the  public  schools  there,  and  her- 
self secretary  of  the  State  Federation  of  Wom- 
an's Clubs;  John,  also  a  Yakima  stock  raiser, 
living  near  his  brothers.  Mr.  Ferrell  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  his  political  sympathies,  and  fraternally, 
is  affiliated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen.  They 
have  one  child,  Mary  Thelma,  born  Feb- 
ruary 25,  1004.  Mrs.  Ferrell  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Episcopal  church,  in  the  work 
of  which  she  has  been  active  for  years.  Among 
Mr.  Ferrell's  vivid  recollections  is  that  of  his 
experience  during  the  hard  winter  of  1889-90, 
one  of  the  severest  on  record  in  Northwestern 
history.  There  was  considerable  snow,  the  cold 
was  intense  and  stockmen  found  themselves  short 
of  feed  in  February.  Then  it  started  to  thaw, 
leading  the  worried  stockmen  to  turn  out  their 
cattle.  Snipes  &  Allen  released  about  two  thou- 
sand five  hundred  head  below  Prosser,  and 
hardly  were  they  on  the  range  before  winter 
resumed  its  icy  blasts.  The  first  of  March  Mr. 
Ferrell  and  other  employees  went  down  to  see 
how  the  cattle  were  getting  along  and  found 
five  lonely  steers.  The  rest  had  perished.  More 
than  seven  hundred  and  fifty  dead  cattle  were 
found  in  one  canyon,  as  high  as  fifteen  being  in  a 
bunch.  The  blow  this  was  to  stockmen  can  bet- 
ter be  imagined  than  told.  Mr.  Ferrell  owns 
three  hundred  acres  of  fine  valley  land,  of  which 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  are  in  hay,  three 
hundred  head  of  cattle,  a  considerable  number  of 
horses,  and  small  stock  and  a  comfortable,  mod- 
ern home.  The  first  frame  house  built  below 
Union  Gap  stands  on  his  place.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ferrell  possess  a  host  of  warm  friends  and  well 


714 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


wishers  and  as  a  man  of  strict  integrity,  energy 
and  progressive  ideas,  Mr.  Ferrell  is  one  of  the 
respected  citizens  of  the  county. 


ANDREW  GREEN,  one  of  the  Sunnyside 
valley's  prosperous  agriculturists,  residing  five 
miles  southwest  of  its  commercial  center,  is  a  na- 
tive of  the  Empire  state,  his  birth  having  occurred 
in  Rensselaer  county,  August  2,  1833.  His  par- 
ents, both  of  whom  are  now  dead,  were  William 
D.  and  Anna  (Belden)  Green,  the  former  born  in 
Rhode  Island,  the  latter  a  native  of  Massachu- 
setts. William  D.  Green  was  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, and  upon  the  old  New  York  homestead 
Andrew  spent  the  early  years  of  his  life.  His 
schooling  was  ended  when  he  arrived  at  the  age 
of  seventeen.  After  assisting  his  father  a  year  in 
the  farm  work,  the  young  man  spent  three  years 
in  the  saw  and  shingle  mills  of  New  York,"  then 
entered  the  pineries  of  southern  Michigan,  locat- 
ing at  Big  Rapids.  For  twenty-four  years  he  was 
engaged  in  cutting  the  timber  around  him  and 
sawing  it  into  lumber,  shingles,  etc.,  meeting  with 
fair  success  in  the  once  master  industry  of  the 
beautiful  peninsula.  In  1881,  however,  he  re- 
moved to  North  Dakota  and  commenced  raising 
wheat.  Five  North  Dakota  winters  convinced 
him  that  the  climate  of  that  region  was  uncon- 
genial, and  in  1886  he  became  a  resident  of  the 
Kittitas  valley,  Washington,  settling  at  Thorp. 
There  he  worked  at  the  lumber  business  until 
1893,  in  which  year  he  filed  a  homestead  claim  to 
the  quarter  section  now  his  farm. 

Mr.  Green  was  married  to  Miss  Donna  M. 
Harrison,  the  daughter  of  James  and  Rebecca 
(Brown)  Harrison,  at  Clarkston,  Oakland  county, 
Michigan,  September  30,  1863.  She  is  also  a  na- 
tive of  New  York,  having  been  born  in  James- 
town, May  12,  1834.  James  Harrison,  born  in 
1801,  in  Bridgeport,  Connecticut,  was  a  distant 
relative  of  President  W.  H.  Harrison ;  Mrs.  Harri- 
son was  born,  February,  1809,  in  New  Hamp- 
shire. Mrs.  Green  has  the  following  brothers  and 
sisters:  William  H.,  living  in  Jamestown,  New 
York;  Andrew  J.,  a  California  jeweler;  Mrs.  Re- 
becca Dexter,  Minneapolis,  Minnesota ;  Mrs.  El- 
len N.  Rawson,  Jamestown,  New  York ;  Mrs. 
Eliza  Green,  Edwardsville,  Kansas ;  and  Mrs. 
Mary  C.  Mason,  Seattle;  Mr.  Green  has  two 
brothers,  George  W.,  in  Spokane ;  Lewis  H.,  Ed- 
wardsville, Kansas;  and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Amanda 
A.  Mason,  Big  Rapids,  Michigan.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Green  are  the  parents  of  three  children,  who  are 
Mrs.  Lottie  H.  Spratley,  born  in  Michigan,  April 
11,  i8c~6,  living  in  Virginia  City,  Minnesota;  Mrs. 
Anna  R.  Sandel,  born  in  Michigan,  April  22,  1869, 
living  at  Bucoda,  Washington ;  and  Mrs.  Florence 
G.  Morrison,  born  in  Michigan,  April  21,  1872, 
living  in  Yakima  county.  Both  husband  and  wife 


are  devout  members  of  the  Episcopal  denomina- 
tion, and  are  highly  esteemed  for  their  many  vir- 
tuous qualities.  Mr.  Green  has  forty  acres  of  his 
farm  under  cultivation  and  is  rapidly  improving 
the  remainder.  In  the  pleasant,  cozy  home  they 
have  established  in  fertile  and  sunny  Yakima 
county,  surrounded  by  friends  and  well  wishers, 
these  hardy  pioneers  are  contentedly  passing  the 
winter  of  their  lives. 


AUBREY  C.  WEBBER,  electrical  engineer, 
superintendent  of  the  Sunnyside  Co-operative 
Telephone  Company,  and  farmer,  lives  two  and 
a  half  mile  east  of  Sunnyside.  He  is  a  native 
of  Maine,  born  May  4,  1872,  in  that  extreme 
northeastern  section  of  the  United  States.  His 
father,  John  C.  Webber,  was  also  born  in  the 
Pine  Tree  state,  the  date  of  his  birth  being  1848; 
he  died  in  1876.  Mrs.  Alice  A.  (Record)  Web- 
ber is  likewise  a  native  of  Maine,  born  in  1852; 
she  is  living  with  her  son  Aubrey.  When  a  child 
of  six  years,  his  mother  removed  with  him  to 
Minnesota  and  subsequently  into  South  Dakota. 
In  these  states  he  received  his  general  education. 
When  he  was  eighteen,  he  came  to  the  Northwest, 
going  first  to  Seattle,  where  he  secured  work  with 
a  grocery  company.  In  1892  he  left  Washington 
and  engaged  in  electrical  work  for  the  Salt  Lake 
Rapid  Transit  Company.  His  first  work  was  that 
of  a  lineman,  but  after  six  months  of  service,  the 
apt  young  workman  was  promoted  to  a  foreman- 
ship  and  in  that  capacity  remained  in  the  employ 
of  the  company  until  1897.  Then  he  returned 
to  Seattle,  entered  the  service  of  the  Union  Elec- 
tric Company,  first  as  lineman  and  then  as  inspect-  i 
or,  and  subsequently  was  offered  and  accepted 
the  position  of  general  foreman  of  construction  ; 
work  for  the  Denny-Blaine  Land  Company,  aft- 
erwards the  Seattle  Electric  Company.  How- 
ever, in  March,  1899,  Mr.  Webber  again  won  pro- 
motion, this  time  going  back  to  Salt  Lake  City 
as  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Salt  Lake  Rapid 
Transit  Street  Railway  Company.  A  year  later  j 
he  again  went  up  the  ladder  of  his  profession, 
going  to  Everett,  Washington,  in  May,  1900,  as 
superintendent  of  construction  for  the  Everett 
Railway  &  Electric  Company,  remaining  in  this 
position  until  June  9,  1901.  At  that  time  he  took  ! 
possession  of  a  twenty-acre  tract  of  land  that  he 
had  purchased  in  the  Sunnyside  valley  in  1898, 
.and  during  the  next  year  improved  his  farm,  j 
He  soon  found  a  chance,  however,  to  use  his  , 
electrical  training  without  leaving  home,  for  in  J 
the  fall  of  1902  he  was  induced  to  assume  the 
superintendency  of  the  local  telephone  company 
and  since  that  time  has  been  the  practical  head  of 
this  enterprise,  besides  cultivating  his  farm.  It  is 
a  well  equipped  line  which  is  rapidly  spreading 
its  web  over  the  county. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


715 


Miss  Minnie  Hennsey,  a  resident  of  Salt  Lake 
City,  became  Mr.  Webber's  bride  December  15, 
1893,  the  nuptial  knot  being  tied  in  that  metrop- 
olis. She  was  born  in  Newburgh,  New  York, 
April  30,  1872,  and  when  a  child  was  left  an  or- 
phan by  the  death  of  both  father  and  mother. 
Mrs.  Webber  has  two  brothers,  Frank,  living  in 
New  York,  and  William,  an  orange  grower  of 
Florida.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webber's  home  is  bright- 
ened by  the  presence  of  one  son,  Carroll  A., 
whose  birth  occurred  in  Salt  Lake  City,  July  3, 
1897.  Mrs.  Webber  is  a  member  of  the  Congre- 
gational communion  and  highly  esteemed  by  all 
who  know  her.  Mr.  Webber  is  connected  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  and  politic- 
ally, is  a  stanch  Republican.  Besides  his  well 
improved  farm,  he  owns  a  small  band  of  horses 
and  twenty-six  registered  Durock  Jersey  hogs, 
devoting  especial  attention  to  breeding  the  latter 
stock.  As  a  man  of  sound  principles,  talent  and 
progressive  activities,  he  is  a  respected  and  success- 
ful citizen  of  the  valley. 


ANDREW  E.  FISK,  of  the  firm  of  Brown  & 
Fisk,  proprietors  of  one  of  the  best-equipped  ton- 
sorial  establishments  in  central  Washington,  came 
to  Sunnyside  in  December,  1902,  and  in  the  period 
which  has  elapsed  since  then  has  founded  and  built 
up  a  lucrative  business  and  gathered  around  him  a 
host  of  warm  friends.  Mr.  Fisk,  the  son  of  Hiram 
F.  and  Martha  (Parks)  Fisk,  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington county,  Kansas,  Decoration  Day,  1879.  His 
father,  a  farmer,  was  born  in  Lawrence  county,  New 
York,  in  1837,  and  is  a  pioneer  of  Kansas,  living  at 
present  in  Meriden.  Mrs.  Fisk  was  born  in  Ohio, 
1846,  and  if  also  living.  Andrew  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Kansas,  and  also  the  Friends'  Acad- 
emy at  Washington,  Kansas,  leaving  school  when 
nineteen  years  old.  During  the  latter  years  of  his 
school  life  he  gradually  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
barbering,  often  working  Saturdays,  and  so  in  time 
became  skilled  in  this  branch  of  work.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  worked  one  season  on  his  father's 
farm,  and  then  went  to  Creston,  Iowa,  where  he 
commenced  working  for  his  uncle,  S.  B.  Parks,  a 
dairyman.     He  remained  in  Iowa  until  November, 

1900,  returning  home  at  that  time  and  remaining 
until  the  following  March.  He  then  came  to  the 
Northwest,  locating  in  Yakima  county.     In  May, 

1901,  he  arrived  in  the  Sunnyside  valley,  spent  a 
season  farming,  and  the  next  February  purchased 
the  barber's  equipment  being  used  by  Archie 
Fleming-,  and  opened  a  shop.  The  business  pros- 
pered from  the  beginning.  In  November,  1902, 
Fred  Brown,  another  experienced  barber,  became  a 
partner,  and  the  next  month  the  young  men  leased 
the  building  now  occupied  and  equipped  a  first- 
class  bar.ber  shop  and  public  bath,  which  are  well 
patronized. 


Mr.  Fisk  is  the  fifth  child  in  a  family  of  six 
boys  and  three  girls,  all  living:  William  F.,  a 
farmer,  near  Washington,  Kansas;  Charles  R.,  an 
engineer  in  the  Carnegie  steel  works,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  Lewis  S.,  an  oil  driller,  residing  in  Sisters- 
ville,  Vve»t  Yi.gima;  Mrs.  Margaret  Root, -wife  of 
a  Meriden  editor;  Alexander  J.,  a  farmer,  near 
Washington,  Kansas,  and  Estella,  Guy  H.  and 
Inez,  living  with  their  parents.  Mr.  Fisk  is  affili- 
ated with  the  Sunnyside  lodge  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
is  a  Republican.  He  is  one  of  the  popular  young 
men  of  the  community,  and  has  won  the  respect  of 
all  by  his  honorable  methods  of  dealing  and  his  in- 
dustry. 

JOHN  FERRELL,  The  esteemed  pioneer  of 
the  Pacific  coast,  and  of  Yakima  county  in  par- 
ticular, who  forms  the  subject  of  this  biography, 
is  yet  hale  and  hearty  at  the  mature  age  of  seventy- 
two,  and  is  an  unusually  active  man.  He  started 
on  life's  journey  from  his  birthplace  in  Holmes 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  came  into  the  world  July 
29,  1832,  to  gladden  the  home  of  Hanson  and  Sarah 
(Rubel)  Ferrell.  The  father  was  born  near  Har- 
per's Ferry,  Virginia,  in  the  year  1803,  and  early  in 
life  immigrated  to  Ohio,  where  he  followed  milling 
and  farming  until  his  death  in  1861.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Maryland,  1804,  and  died  in  Ohio  at  the 
age  of  eighty.  After  working  upon  the  farm  and 
attending  school  until  he  was  seventeen  years  olcf, 
the  son  John  was  apprenticed  to  the  mercantile 
business  and  served  two  and  a  half  years  in  a  coun- 
try store.  But,  fired  with  the  pioneer  instinct  im- 
planted in  his  nature,  the  young  Ohioan  in  1853 
set  out  for  the  most  distant  part  of  the  country, 
California,  walking  most  of  that  long,  dreary  route. 
In  the  Facific  eldorado  he  was  engaged  in  mining 
for  a  time,  then  clerked  in  a  store,  farmed  and 
raised  stock;  and  finally,  in  1858.  established  a 
general  store  at  Suisun  City,  which  he  conducted 
seven  years.  During  this  time  he  served  as  post- 
master under  President  Lincoln,  and  one  term  as 
treasurer  of  Solano  county.  After  retiring  from 
the  mercantile  business  he  was  engaged  in  farming 
and  reclaiming  the  arid  lands  of  California,  until 
1878.  In  that  year  he  visited  Yakima  county,  with 
the  view  of  taking  desert  land  claims,  and  two 
years  later  settled  in  the  Yakima  valley  about  six 
miles  from  the  site  of  Sunnyside.  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising.  He  purchased  a  steam 
pump  for  use  in  irrigating  with  Yakima  river 
water,  but  the  experiment  failed  to  be  a  success. 
Engaging  in  the  hop  business,  he  first  made  money 
and  then,  owing  to  the  depression  of  the  market 
for  several  years,  lost  heavily.  However,  his  stock 
interests  thrived,  and  he  was  fairly  successful  in 
farming,  but  in  recent  years  has  turned  the  active 
management  of  his  property  over  to  his  children, 
and  now  spends  what  time  he  cares  to  work  in 
prospecting  and  developing  his  claims. 


;i6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Mr.  Ferrell  and  Miss  Julia  A.  Sheldon  were 
united  in  marriage  at  Suisun,  California,  in  1854. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Jasper  S.  and  Emily 
(Bull)  Sheldon,  natives  of  New  York  and  Vermont 
respectively,  and  was  born  in  Stark  county,  Ohio, 
in  1833.  Mrs.  Ferrell  laid  down  the  burdens  of 
life  in  1887,  her  death  occurring  in  Yakima  City. 
Besides  her  husband,  seven  children  survive: 
George  H.,  born  in  1855,  a  Yakima  county  farmer; 
Mrs.  Louise  E.  Adams,  born  in  1857,  living  in  Yak- 
ima City;  Lela  F.,  born  in  i860,  a  resident  of  North 
Yakima;  Mrs.  Kate  Gibbons,  born  in  1862,  now 
at  The  Dalles,  Oregon;  Oliver  R.,  1864,  a  prosper- 
ous Yakima  stock  raiser;  Mrs.  Elsie  St.  John, 
1867,  now  in  Everett,  Washington,  and  John  S., 
1870,  also  a  Yakima  county  farmer;  all  were  born 
in  California.  The  father  is  living  with  his  son 
George,  a  well-to-do  ranchman  of  the  valley.  Mr. 
Ferrell  is  a  Mason,  and  politically,  is  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  principles  of  the  Socialist  party.  The 
old  pioneer,  who  has  witnessed  many  of  the  ups 
and  downs  of  life  on  the  western  frontier,  and  ex- 
perienced the  vicissitudes  common  to  all  home 
builders  in  a  new  region,  has  done  his  share  in  the 
development  of  the  Yakima  country's  resources, 
and,  respected  and  honored  by  those  who  know 
him,  he  still  keeps  step  with  the  tread  of  Yakima's 
younger  pioneers. 


MORRIS  SISK,  a  farmer  and  stock  raiser, 
residing  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  2, 
seven  miles  southeast  of  Zillah,  was  born  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, April  10,  1858,  his  parents  being  Mor- 
ris and  Abbie  (Lynch)  Sisk,  natives  of  the  Em- 
erald Isle.  The  elder  Sisk  was  born  in  1812  and 
came  to  America  about  1840.  He  was  engaged 
in  farming  until  his  death.  The  mother's  birth  oc- 
curred in  1822.  Morris  Sisk,  Jr.,  was  taken  to 
Illinois  when  a  boy,  and  in  that  state  and  Iowa  re- 
ceived the  little  schooling  he  was  able  to  obtain. 
Upon  arriving  at  nineteen  years  of  age  he  left 
the  old  home  and  commenced  working  on  a  farm 
in  Nebraska.  A  year  later  his  father's  death  called 
him  home,  and  there  he  remained  until  the  death 
of  his  widowed  mother  in  the  spring  of  1889.  After 
the  loss  of  his  parents  he  returned  lo  Nebraska 
and  engaged  in  railroad  contracting,  which  he  fol- 
lowed until  1891,  in  that  year  conling  to  Yakima 
county.  At  that  time  the  great  Sunnyside  canal 
was  just  being  constructed,  and  Mr.  Sisk  obtained 
the  contract  for  building  the  first  mile  of  this  im- 
portant work.  He  remained  at  work  upon  the  en- 
terprise until  the  canal  was  finished.  In  payment 
for  his  labor  he  was  obliged  to  take  considerable 
land,  which  led  him  to  undertake  farming  and 
stock  raising,  and  the  success  that  he  has  attained 
is  ample  proof  of  his  good  judgment  and  ability. 

He  was  married  at  Cheyenne,  Wyoming,  in 
1888  to  Miss  Mary  A.   Driscoll,  the  daughter  of 


Timothy  and  Bridget  (Melvin)  Driscoll.  Her 
father  is  a  native  of  Ireland  and  her  mother  a  Ca- 
nadian. They  are  at  present  living  in  Yakima 
county.  Mrs.  Sisk  was  born  in  Iowa  in  1865.  Mr. 
Sisk  has  the  following  brothers  and  sisters :  Ed- 
ward, in  Indian  Territory;  John,  in  Michigan ;  Mrs. 
Mary  Hurley,  in  St.  Louis;  Thomas,  in  Colorado; 
Mrs.  Maggie  Norton,  Nebraska;  Mrs.  Ellen  Shay, 
St.  Louis ;  Mrs.  Abbie  Shultze,  in  Denver ;  Will- 
iam, in  Maryland ;  and  Mrs.  Hzzie  Seabrock,  in 
Indian  Territory.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sisk  have  two 
children — Morris  W.,  born  in  North  Yakima, 
March  1,  1893;  and  Carrie  V.,  born  on  the  farm, 
October  18,  1895.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sisk  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Catholic  faith  and  are  united  with  the 
church.  He  is  an  ardent  Republican  in  politics. 
The  farm  consists  of  forty-five  acres,  all  under  cul- 
tivation, upon  which  a  comfortable  residence,  barns 
and  outbuildings  have  been  erected,  making  the 
place  one  of  the  best  in  the  valley.  Mr.  Sisk  is 
breeding  draft  horses,  and  now  owns  about  thirty 
head  of  fine  animals.  He  is  respected  as  a  citizen 
and  counted  as  one  of  the  successful  farmers  of 
the   Sunnvside   country. 


GEORGE  G.  MAYENSCHEIN  is  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  Sunnyside  valley,  having  arrived  in 
that  region  in  1894,  when  the  few  settlers  living 
there  were  widely  scattered  and  experiencing  the 
hardships  of  home  building  during  a  period  of 
financial  depression.  With  characteristic  foresight 
and  ability,  however,  Mr.  Mayenschein  planted  a 
considerable  crop  of  sorghum.  It  thrived  wonder- 
fully, and  the  crop  was  large.  With  this  as  a  me- 
dium of  exchange  he  traded  with  his  neighbors 
and  at  the  stores,  even  using  it  to  pay  ferriage 
across  the  Yakima  river  (for  there  was  no  bridge 
at  that  time),  and  was  able  tp  live  comfortably 
and  steadily  improve  his'  farm  while  others  were 
not  so  fortunate.  Of  German  and  American  par- 
entage, Mr.  Mayenschein  was  born  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  December  4,  1858,  to  the  union  of  Adam 
and  Mary  (Koon)  Mayenschein.  Adam  Mayen- 
schein was  born  across  the  ocean  in  183.1 ;  Mary  • 
Koon  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1838.  The 
father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  and  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  in  August,  1902,  lived  at  Hillsbor- 
ough. Wisconsin,  where  the  mother  still  resides. 
The  subject  of  our  sketch  received  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Ohio.  After  leaving  school  in 
his  nineteenth  year  he  worked  with  his  father  two 
years.  Then  he  commenced  farming  for  himself, 
spending  the  first  two  years  in  Ohio,  and  from 
1880  to  1894  in  Vernon  county,  Wisconsin.  In 
the  latter  year  he  was  attracted  by  the  Sunnyside 
country  and  purchased  land  under  the  ditch.  He 
lias  improved  and  added  to  this  original  property 
until  he  now  has  one  of  the  best  and  most  com- 
fortable farms  in  the  countv. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


717 


At  Millville,  Ohio,  August  21,  1888,  he  was 
married  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Nance,  the  daughter  of 
John  and  Rachel  (Moulders)  Nance.  Mrs.  Nance, 
who  died  in  1897,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1827;  the 
father  was  also  an  Ohioan  by  birth.  He  died  in 
1896  at  the  age  of  seventy-one.  Mr.  Mayenschein 
has  several  brothers  and  sisters,  whose  names  are: 
Mrs.  Anna  Mootz,  Hartman,  Alexander,  Freder- 
ick, Mrs.  Phoebe  Taylor,  Adam,  Lewis,  William, 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cookenhiefer  and  Henry,  the  first 
three  living  in  Ohio,  the  others  in  Wisconsin.  Mrs. 
Mayenschein  has  three  sisters  and  three  brothers 
— Mrs.  Sarah  Corn,  Mrs.  Lavina  Nance,  Mrs.  Em- 
ily Powell,  James,  George  and  Charles,  living  in 
Wisconsin,  Ohio,  and  one,  Mrs.  Powell,  in  Idaho. 
They  have  three  children — Otto  L.,  born  in  Wis- 
consin, January  2j,  1883 ;  Frederick  V.,  also  born 
in  Wisconsin,  February  13,  1885;  and  Mamie,  born 
in  Yakima  county,  October  2",  1899.  Mr.  Mayen- 
schein is  identified  with  three  fraternities,  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  the  Modern  Brotherhood 
of  America.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  poli- 
tics, and  is  an  adherent  to  the  principles  of  the 
Democratic  party.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mayenschein  are 
identified  with  the  Methodist  denomination,  and 
are  interested  workers  in  the  church.  Of  the 
twenty-acre  farm,  lying  a  mile  and  a  half  south- 
west of  Sunnyside,  seven  acres  are  set  out  in  bear- 
ing orchard,  the  balance  of  the  land  producing  hay. 
Mr.  Mayenschein  is  a  man  of  sterling  integrity 
and  untiring  energies,  favorably  known  through- 
out the  valley,  and  is  deserving  of  the  success  that 
is  his. 


JOHN  J.  BROWN.  Among  the  hardy 
pioneers  of  the  Sunnyside  valley,  who  have  suf- 
fered and  endured  and  bravely  faced  a  hundred 
discouragements  in  their  efforts  to  rear  a  home 
in  that  erstwhile  wilderness  of  sage-brush,  is  the 
subject  of  this  biography,  whose  residence  dates 
from  1894.  Born  in  Lamoille  county,  among  the 
Green  mountains  of  Vermont,  July  13.  1844,  he 
is  the  son  of  Luther  and  Nancy  (Ferrin)  Brown, 
also  natives  of  the  New  England  states,  the 
father  having  been  born  in  New  Hampshire,  and 
the  mother  in  Vermont.  Luther  Brown  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  during  his  whole 
life.  At  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty-eisdit,  Mrs. 
Brown  is  still  living,  residing  in  North  Dakota. 
John  J.  Brown  received  his  school  training  in 
Vermont,  Wisconsin  and  Minnesota.  He  was 
seventeen  years  old  when  the  South  arose  in  arms 
against  the  North,  and  upon  the  call  for  volun- 
teers being  issued,  the  young  man  enlisted  in 
Company  A.  First  Minnesota  mounted  rangers,  in 
February,  18^2.  With  this  unique  organization  he 
served  one  year;  then  re-enlisted  in  Company  A. 
First  Minnesota  infantry,  and  with  that  regiment 


remained  until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  was 
mustered  out  of  the  army  in  July,  1865.  Upon 
his  return  to  Minnesota,  Mr.  Brown  engaged  in 
farming  pursuits,  which  he  followed  in  that  state 
until  his  immigration  to  Sunnyside  in  1894.  He 
purchased  twenty  acres  of  raw  land  from  the 
Yakima  Investment  Company  and  immediately 
commenced  to  improve  it,  planting  potatoes,  corn, 
et  cetera,  and  setting  out  an  orchard  besides  seed- 
ing a  small  portion  of  alfalfa.  His  place  was  the 
first  tract  of  land  improved  in  section  thirty-five. 
Success  did  not  come  to  these  pioneer  farmers  at 
first,  nor  did  the  climate  seem  to  favor  the  home- 
builders,  for  about  November  19,  1896,  the  region 
suffered  from  an  unusually  severe  frost,  seriously, 
though  not  mortally,  injuring  orchards  and  other 
perennials.  In  1896,  Mr.  Brown  became  so  dis- 
couraged that  he  offered  his  entire  holdings  for 
fifteen  cents  on  the  dollar.  In  the  light  of  their 
value  now,  this  offer  seems  preposterous,  but, 
nevertheless,  it  was  made  in  good  faith. 

Mr.  Brown's  marriage  to  Miss  Ellen  E.  Ben- 
nett, the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Abner  H.  Ben- 
nett, took  place  while  he  was  a  resident  of  Min- 
nesota, the  date  being  1870.  Her  parents  were 
natives  of  New  England,  and  she  herself  was 
born  in  historic  Boston,  in  October,  1847.  There 
is  only  one  other  member  of  her  immediate  family 
still  living,  a  sister,  Mrs.  Frances  Harris,  residing 
in  Minnesota.  Mr.  Brown  is  the  fourth  of  a 
family  of  eight  children,  his  brothers  and  sisters 
being:  Stephen  F.,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war, 
Second  Minnesota  cavalry,  who  now  lives  at 
Washington  (state)  Soldiers'  Home;  Mrs.  Mary 
J.  Garvin,  a  widow,  whose  home  is  at  Battle 
Creek,  Michigan  ;  Mrs.  Alcina  Blakely,  living  in 
the  province  of  Alberta ;  Azro  D.,  deceased ; 
Mrs.  Ellen  B.  Town,  living  in  North  Dakota, 
and  Mrs.  Viola  Reily,  also  a  resident  of  North 
Dakota,  Orvilla  being  her  home.  Mr.  anil  Mrs. 
Brown  are  the  parents  of  eight  children  :  Mrs. 
Isabella  Henderson,  living  in  Sunnyside;  Mrs.  Ida 
Day,  in  North  Yakima ;  John  F.,  dead ;  Edna, 
dead;  George,  dead;  Edith,  at  home;  Olive,  now 
attending  the  North  Yakima  Business  College, 
and  Bertha,  also  living  at  home.  As  a  veteran  of 
the  Civil  war,  Mr.  Brown  enjoys  the  privilege  of 
a  membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
belonging  to  Eugene  M.  Wilson  Post,  No.  188.  Min- 
nesota ;  he  is  also  a  Mason.  Politically,  he  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, and  cast  his  first  presidential  vote  for  Benja- 
min Butler.  Both  Mr.  ami  Mrs.  Rrown  are  connected 
with  the  Methodist  church,  he  being  a  member 
of  that  denomination  for  the  past  thirty-four 
vears.  His  property  consists  of  forty  acres,  well 
improved,  of  which  ten  and  a  half  acres  are  de- 
voted to  orchard.  He  is  a  man  of  recognized  in- 
fluence in  the  community,  progressive,  energetic 
and  .1  man  of  integrity,  who  has  battled  well  on 
the  frontier  and  now  enjoys  the  fruits  of  faithful 
labor. 


7i8 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


IRA  S.  MILLER.  Among  the  most  impor- 
tant factors  in  the  development  of  a  community 
are  its  real  estate  men,  whose  whole  capabilities 
and  energies  are  daily  turned  toward  the  adver- 
tising of  a  region's  resources  and  opportunities 
and  the  interesting  of  homese'ekers  and  capitalists 
in  its  lands  and  enterprises.  This  is  as  true  of 
the  Sunnyside  valley  as  in  other  favored  regions 
of  the  Northwest,  and  one  of  its  wide-awake,  able 
young  citizens  who  is  devoting  his  time  and 
talent  to  this  work  is  the  subject  of  this  biogra- 
phy. A  native  son  of  Iowa,  he  was  born  April 
20,  1876,  in  Waterloo,  and  there  has  lived  most 
of  his  life.  His  father,  Samuel  H.  Miller,  was 
born  in  Somerset  county,  Pennsylvania,  1836, 
and  came  as  a  pioneer  into  Iowa.  He  followed 
farming  in  that  state  until  1898,  when  he  sold  his 
property  and  with  the  proceeds  bought  eighty 
acres  of  raw  land  near  Sunnyside,  coming  to  Yak- 
ima county  at  the  same  time.  He  has  trans- 
formed the  sage-brush  wilderness  into  a  garden 
spot  and  in  the  home  thus  erected  he  and  his 
family  are  enjoying  all  the  comforts  and  con- 
veniences to  be  found  in  a  thrifty,  progressive 
farming  community.  Mrs.  Susan  ( Savior )  Miller, 
the  mother,  was  also  born  in  the  east — Penn- 
sylvania being  her  native  state.  In  Waterloo  Ira 
S.  Miller  was  reared  and  educated,  attending  the 
excellent  public  schools  of  that  city  until  he 
reached  manhood's  estate.  He  then  entered  the 
service  of  Kyd  &  Company,  of  Filley,  Nebraska, 
grain  merchants,  as  a  buyer,  and  for  the  ensuing 
two  years  was  thus  successfully  engaged.  How- 
ever, in  July,  1899,  'le  joined  his  father  in  Sun- 
nyside and  for  the  first  year  of  his  residence  in 
the  valley  worked  on  the  farm.  The  following 
year  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  Peterson  and 
together  they  established  a  livery  business  at 
Sunnyside.  This  business  they  sold  in  May, 
IQ02,  and  the  succeeding  September  Mr.  Miller 
and  F.  H.  McCoy,  as  partners,  formed  the  real 
estate  firm  in  which  he  is  now  interested.  They 
have  made  a  very  auspicious  beginning,  and.  no 
doubt,  will  continue  to  increase  the  scope  of  their 
transactions  and  win  greater  success.  Mr.  Miller 
has  two  brothers  younger  than  himself,  Howard 
and  Quinter,  an  elder  sister,  Mrs.  Grace  Blough, 
living  in  Iowa,  and  another  sister.  Mrs.  Catherine 
Amundsen,  who  is  residing  in  Sunnyside.  Po- 
litically, Mr.  Miller  is  identified  with  the  Repub- 
lican party. 

ASA  B.  FLINT,  living  five  miles  west  of 
Sunnyside,  upon  his  ranch,  is  a  pioneer  of  Yak- 
ima county,  and  one  of  its  successful  and  well 
known  ranchmen.  He  is  a  son  of  a  prominent 
pioneer  family  who  have  had  much  to  do  with  the 
development  of  the  Yakima  country,  and  many  of 
whom  are  still  among  its  inhabitants.  Rev.  Isaac 
and  Emeline  (Phinney)  Flint,  natives  of  New 
York  state,  who  crossed  the   Plains  to  Oregon  in 


the  sixties  and  subsequently  settled  in  the  Yak- 
ima valley,  were  his  parents ;  both  are  now  dead. 
In  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  February  11,  1869, 
Asa  B.  was  born.  When  his  parents  settled  on 
Parker  Bottom,  below  Union  Gap,  he  accompa- 
nied them  and  there  spent  his  boyhood  on  the  farm, 
attending  school  and  riding  the  range.  Winters 
he  attended  the  district  school  in  the  neighbor- 
hood ;  summers  he  was  engaged,  as  were  most 
boys  of  that  period,  in  manual  labor  either  on  the 
farm  or  on  the  range.  When  he  was  nineteen 
years  old  he  left  Parker  Bottom,  going  to  Ellens- 
burg,  where  he  entered  the  employ  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Company  as  car  accountant.  After 
two  years  of  office  work  in  this  line,  he  returned 
to  Yakima  county  and  settled  upon  the  quarter 
section  which  is  now  his  home,  taking  the  tract 
as  a  homestead. 

The  ceremony  which  united  him  to  Miss  Rosa 
Eglin  for  life  was  performed  November  14,  1890,  . 
in  Victoria,  British  Columbia.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  James  M.  and  Frances  (Kearns)  Eglin,  and 
was  born  April  6,  1875,  at  Corvallis,  Oregon.  Mr. 
Eglin,  now  a  resident  of  Yakima  county,  was  born 
in  Indiana :  Mrs.  Eglin  is  at  present  living  near 
Spokane.  Mr.  Flint  has  one  brother,  A.  L.  Flint, 
in  the  furniture  business  in  North  Yakima ;  two 
sisters,  Mrs.  Minnie  M.  Look,  living  at  Bay  View, 
Washington,  and  Mrs.  Hattie  M.  Ferris,  a  resi- 
dent of  Yakima  City.  The  household  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Flint  is  brightened  by  the  presence  of  one 
child,  Gwen  M.,  born  on  the  Sunnyside  farm  Jan- 
uary 19,  1895.  Mr.  Flint  is  a  member  of  North 
Yakima  lodge,  No.  27,  A.  O.  U.  W.  He  is  active 
and  influential  in  political  affairs,  having  been 
elected  auditor  of  Yakima  county  in  1896  as  the 
candidate  of  the  Fusionists.  His  majority  in  that 
contest  was  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  votes,  an 
excellent  showing  considering  that  his  Repub- 
lican opponent  was  F.  C.  Hall,  a  very  popular  citi- 
zen. Upon  the  disintegration  of  the  Populist 
party,  to  which  he  belonged,  Mr.  Flint  joined  the 
Socialists  and  is  still  one  of  their  number.  As 
auditor  he  made  an  enviable  record.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Flint  are  united  with  the  Christian  church,  of 
which  denomination  his  father  was  the  first  pastor 
in  the  county.  Mr.  Flint  owns  a  quarter  section  • 
of  farming  land,  where  he  lives,  fifty  acres  being  1 
in  cultivation ;  also  two  lots  and  a  modern  five- 
room  cottage  in  the  city  of  North  Yakima.  He 
is  one  of  the  county's  popular,  able  and  success-  j 
ful  farmer-citizens. 

I 


FRANK  A.  MARTIN,  formerly  proprietor  of 
the  Hotel  Mabton  at  Mabton.  Yakima  county,  is 
one  of  the  leading  business  men  and  property 
owners  of  that  town,  in  whose  growth  he  has  been 
a  prominent  factor.  Mr.  Martin  was  born  in  Rock  I 
Island  county,  Illinois,  April  8,   1866,  the  son  of  I 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


719 


Medad  W.  and  Rebecca  (Marshall)  Martin,  na- 
tives of  New  York  and  Illinois  respectively.  His 
father  moved  to  Illinois  with  his  parents  when  a 
boy,  and  in  the  Fifth  Illinois  cavalry  went  forth 
in  1861  to  fight  for  the  preservation  of  his  coun- 
try. He  is  still  living,  a  resident  of  Ritzville, 
Washington.  The  subject  of  this  article,  was  edu- 
cated in  Kansas,  where  his  father  lived  many  years, 
and  remained  at  home  on  the  farm,  learning  the 
dairy  business,  until  he  was  seventeen.  He  then 
took  a  position  with  the  Rock  Creek  Dairy  Com- 
pany, driving  one  of  their  wagons  six  years.  In 
1889  he  came  west  to  Tacoma  and  there  was  suc- 
cessively employed  by  the  Rainier  meat  market, 
Tacoma  Dairy  Company,  Washington  meat  mar- 
ket, the  I.  X.  L.  Dairy  Company,  and  the  Neil- 
and-Spofford  Company.  He  continued  to  live  in 
and  around  Tacoma  until  1893,  when  he  was  at- 
tracted by  the  prospects  of  the  newly  established 
town  of  Mabton  and  turned  his  footsteps  in  that 
direction.  His  first  employment  in  Mabton  was 
the  handling  of  sheep  and  cattle  for  Carstens 
Brothers ;  then,  in  the  fall  of  1894,  he  opened  a 
small  livery  stable  and  built  the  Mabton  Hotel, 
which  he  conducted  until  1902.  In  1899  he 
bought  thirty  acres  in  the  Sunnyside  district,  thus 
adding  to  his  holdings  in  the  Yakima  country. 
The  following  year  he  entered  the  saloon  business 
in  Mabton,  the  next  year  he  opened  a  blacksmith 
shop  and  last  year  (1903)  he  erected  the  building 
occupied  by  the  Mabton  Drug  Company.  At  pres- 
ent he  is  occupied  in  looking  after  his  different 
business  and  farming  interests.  Mr.  Martin  was 
married  in  1892  to  Miss  Belle  M.  Angus,  daugh- 
ter of  Alexander  and  Jennie  (Bruce)  Angus,  na- 
tives of  Scotland  who  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1890  from  Canada,  whence  they  had 
come  in  an  early  day.  Mr.  Angus  is  a  farmer  by 
occupation  and  with  his  family  resides  at  Prosser. 
Mrs.  Angus  was  eighteen  years  of  age  when  mar- 
ried. Mrs,  Martin  was  born  in  Canada  in  the  year 
1859,  where  she  was  educated  and  grew  to 
womanhood.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Martin  have  two 
children:  Hazel,  born  November  16,  1893,  in 
Yakima  county,  and  Reba,  also  born  in  Yakima 
•county,  November  17,  1899.  In  politics  Mr.  Mar- 
tin is  an  active  Republican,  and  a  stanch  ad- 
mirer of  President  Roosevelt.  He  is  a  horse  fan- 
cier and  owns  three  excellent  animals,  well  bred 
and  from  racing  stock ;  Lady  Myrtle,  a  running 
horse;  and  two  stallions,  Barnato  and  Medad,  the 
latter  being  a  two-year-old.  He  also  owns  fifteen 
head  of  dairy  cows  and  a  small  band  of  stock 
horses.  In  Mabton  he  owns  seven  lots,  a  saloon, 
store  building  and  other  town  property.  Mr. 
Martin  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  county's  hust- 
ling young  business  men  of  ability  and  standing. 


JOHN  G.  McCREADIE.    Among  the  sons  of 
Scotland  who  have  sought  new  homes  in  the  beau- 


tiful, fertile  and  progressive  Yakima  country  and 
given  of  their  strength  and  talent  for  the  develop- 
ment of  America,  may  be  mentioned  the  young 
farmer  whose  name  commences  this  biography. 
His  home,  consisting  of  seventy  acres  of  unex- 
celled irrigated  land,  of  which  sixty  are  producing 
the  staple  crop,  alfalfa,  and  one  is  set  in  orchard, 
lies  two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Mabton. 
He  is  also  devoting  some  attention  to  stock,  hav- 
ing a  small  number  of  select  horses  and  cows. 

Mr.  McCreadie  came  into  the  world  in  the  year 
1874,  his  parents  being  James  and  Margaret 
(Grade)  McCreadie,  also  natives  of  Scotland. 
They  came  to  America  in  1893,  bringing  with  them 
the  -subject  of  this  sketch,  and  settled  in  the  Yak- 
ima valley.  There  the  faithful  wife  and  mother  laid 
down  life's  burden  in  1896.  After  her  death  the 
father  went  to  live  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Eliza 
Grey,  also  a  resident  of  Yakima  county,  with 
whom  he  is  still  living.  Equipped  with  a  fair  ed- 
ucation and  endowed  with  a  hardy  constitution, 
John  G.,  upon  arriving  in  Washington,  immedi- 
ately commenced  laying  the  foundation  of  his  pres- 
ent prosperous  condition.  For  several  years  he 
worked  for  others,  farming  principally;  then  pur- 
chased a  ranch  in  the  Ahtanum  valley.  There  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock  until 
1900,  when  he  disposed  of  his  property  and  with 
the  proceeds  bought  his  present  home  near  Mab- 
ton. Mr.  McCreadie  has  four  sisters — Mrs.  Annie 
Harvey,  living  in  Wide  Hollow  basin  ;  Mrs.  Jen- 
nett  Kennedy,  in  North  Yakima;  Mrs.  Maggie  Yol- 
iva,  in  the  Selah  valley,  and  Mrs.  Eliza  Grey,  also 
a  resident  of  the  county.  He  is  a  faithful  mem- 
ber of  the  Baptist  church,  and  fraternally  is  con- 
nected with  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  Mc- 
Creadie is  a  voung  man  of  sterling  qualities,  whose 
honest  efforts  are  winning  success  and  loyal 
friends. 


JAMES  F.  LOWRY,  wheat  raiser  and  stock- 
man, living  in  Kiona,  is  a  Kentuckian  by  birth, 
that  event  in  his  life  occurring  in  the  year  1858, 
and  in  that  state  he  spent  his  youth.  Isaiah  Lowry, 
his  father,  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  became  a 
prominent  citizen  of  Covington,  Kentucky,  and 
there  lived  until  his  death.  Airs.  Isaiah  (Runyon) 
Lowry,  the  mother,  was  also  an  Ohioan ;  she  died 
when'james  was  only  six  years  old.  At  the  age 
of  thirteen,  the  subject  of  this  article  left  Kentucky 
and  commenced  working  on  a  farm  in  Ohio,  com- 
pleting his  education  by  attending  school  winters. 
He  remained  in  Ohio  until  1878;  then  visited  Illi- 
nois, and  a  little  later  went  to  Iowa.  From  Iowa 
he  went  further  west  into  Colorado  and  was  em- 
ployed in  the  mines  of  that  state  three  years,  also 
spending  a  year  at  farming.  Thence  he  came  to 
the  Northwest,  settling  first  in  Oregon,  where  he 
was  engaged  two  years  in  railroad  work.     In  1882 


720 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


he  arrived  in  Washington  Territory,  locating  in 
Klickitat  county.  A  year  in  farming  and  the  nur- 
sery industry  followed,  then  a  year  riding  the  range 
for  McGee  Brothers,  four  years'  service  with  the 
Northern  Pacific,  and  finally  thirteen  years  in  the 
stock  industry  in  Yakima  county.  Of  these  thir- 
teen years,  Mr.  Lowry  spent  five  in  the  employ 
of  the  Eclipse  Live  Stock  &  Cattle  Company,  two 
years  as  foreman.  In  1901  he  commenced  raising 
wheat  upon  four  sections  of  leased  land  in  the 
wheat  belt  and  was  quite  successful.  Last  season 
he-  cultivated  sixteen  hundred  acres  and  the  pre- 
vious season  but  nine  hundred  acres,  showing  the 
growth  of  the  enterprise.  Mr.  Lowry  also  has  a 
homestead  in  the  wheat  region.  His  stock  inter- 
ests are  still  large  and  require  a  great  deal  of  his 
attention.  He  has  four  hundred  head  of  horses  at 
present  and  is  making  a  special  effort  to  breed 
high  grade  driving  animals.  Mrs.  Alice  Johnson, 
living  in  California,  is  his  sister,  and  he  has  two 
other  sisters  living  in  Colorado  and  Missouri,  re- 
spectively. Mr.  Lowry  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  church,  and  in  politics  takes 
his  stand  with  the  Republican  party.  He  is  a  suc- 
cessful ranchman,  one  of  the  builders  of  Yakima 
county  and  one  of  its  esteemed  citizens. 


WILLIAM  A.  KELSO,  of  the  well  known  firm 
of  Kelso  Brothers,  engaged  in  the  general  store 
business  in  Kiona,  and  probably  the  most  exten- 
sive wheat  growers  in  the  Yakima  wheat  belt,  be- 
sides being  operators  along  other  lines,  is  among 
central  Washington's  most  substantial  and  influen- 
tial citizens.  He  and  his  brothers  have  long  been 
leaders  in  their  community;  established  Kiona, 
bore  their  full  share  of  responsibility  in  develop- 
ing the  county,  and  are  recognized  from  one  end 
of  it  to  the  other  as  men  of  progressive  ideas, 
energetic  action  and  public  spirit.  To  such  men 
the  Yakima  country  owes  its  present  high  repu- 
tation and  its  progress.  The  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1858  to  John 
A.  and  Martha  (Miller)  Kelso,  of  Irish  extrac- 
tion. The  elder  Kelso  was  also  born  in  Ohio,  1832 
being  the  year  of  his  birth,  and  he  has  followed 
agricultural  pursuits  all  his  life.  He  came  to  Wash- 
ington in  1884,  and  the  year  following  took  up  his 
abode  in  the  Walla  Walla  valley.  At  present  he 
is  engaged  in  market  gardening  at  his  place,  two 
miles  from  the  city  of  Walla  Wralla,  where  he  and 
his  wife  are  passing  their  declining  years  in  com- 
fort and  peace.  Martha  (Miller.)  Kelso  was  also 
born  in  Ohio,  and  both  educated  and  married  in 
that  state. 

William  A.  Kelso  obtained  a  common  school 
education  in  his  native  state,  working  upon  the 
farm  summers  and  attending  school  winters.  In 
the  spring  of  1878  he  left  Ohio,  and  during  the 
next   four  years   worked   for   different   farmers   in 


Minnesota.  Returning  to  Ohio,  he  spent  a  short 
time  at  home,  and  then  set  out  to  investigate  the 
Northwest,  particularly  the  Willamette  valley.  He 
was  disappointed  in  his  hopes  of  settling  in  Ore- 
gon, and  came  to  Walla  Walla.  While  in  that 
city  an  old  Minnesota  friend  induced  him  to  visit 
Yakima  county,  with  the  result  that  in  the  spring 
of  1882  he  filed  a  pre-emption  claim  to  a  tract  in 
the  Horse  Heaven  region,  laying  the  foundation 
for  his  present  fortune.  Two  years  later  his  father 
and  the  remainder  of  the  family  came  to  Wash- 
ington. It  was  then  that  the  firm  of  Kelso  Broth- 
ers was  formed,  the  partners  being  William  A., 
Edward  E.  and  Clinton  C,  and  operations  were 
begun  on  a  large  scale.  The  first  year  they  cul- 
tivated between  one  thousand  and  fifteen  hundred 
acres  and  later  increased  their  farm  to  six  thou- 
sand acres,  its  present  size.  In  the  summer  of 
1894  they  opened  a  general  mercantile  store  at 
a  point  between  Prosser  and  Kennewick,  now 
known  as  Kiona,  beginning  in  a  small  way.  Will- 
iam A.  was  placed  in  charge,  and  so  well  was  the 
enterprise  received  that  a  rapid  growth  resulted. 
The  firm  leased  its  immense  wheat  farm  in  1900, 
but  continued  to  operate  along  other  lines  and 
increased  the  mercantile  stock  to  one  of  twenty 
thousand  dollar  value. 

Mr.  Kelso  and  Miss  Mary  E.  Ketcham  were 
united  in  marriage  New  Year's  day,  1895.  Her 
parents,  August  C.  and  Lydia  F.  Ketcham,  of  Ger- 
man and  English  descent,  respectively,  were  born 
in  New  York  state  and  married  in  Wisconsin. 
Mr.  Ketcham  went  to  Wisconsin  with  his  parents 
when  a  little  boy  and  was-  there  reared.  He  en- 
listed in  the  Fourth  Wisconsin  infantry  in  1861, 
and  served  his  country  throughout  the  Civil  war, 
attaining  to  the  rank  of  captain.  Upon  his  return 
from  war  he  was  married  and  commenced  farm- 
ing. Subsequently  he  removed  to  Missouri,  and 
in  1884  immigrated  to  Washington;  he  died  in  Ki- 
ona in  1892.  Mrs.  Ketcham,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Lydia  F.  Thurston,  is  still  living,  being  in  lier 
sixtieth  year.  Mrs.  Kelso  was  born  in  Wisconsin, 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Missouri  and 
later  in  the  Brookfield  Academy,  and  at  the  age 
of  sixteen  years  began  teaching  school  in  Yakima 
county.  She  was  thus  engaged  ten  years,  or  until 
her  marriage  in  1894,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six. 
She  has  two  brothers — Henry  T.,  working  in  the 
Kiona  store,  and  Milton,  at  home ;  also  two  sis- 
ters— Mrs.  Ellen  C.  Rolph,  living  near  Kiona,  and 
Katherine,  attending  Whitman  college.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kelso  have  four  children,  all  born  in  Kiona-~ 
Harland  D.,  November  20,  1896;  Amy  O..  No- 
vember 18,  1898;  Merle  A.,  December  10.  1900, 
and  Wallis  W.,  February  2,  1903.  Fraternally.  Mr. 
Kelso  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen; 
politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Republican,  who  has 
served  his  county  two  years,  1893-4,  as  county 
commissioner.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kelso  are  members 


JOHN  G.  McCREADI 


JAMES  F.  LOWRY. 


NOAH  J.  BECKNER. 


WILLIAM  A.  KiiLSO 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


of  the  Methodist  church.  Besides  a  third  inter- 
est in  the  Kiona  store  and  the  six  thousand-acre 
wheat  farm,  Mr.  Kelso  owns  a  section  of  raw  land 
in  the  Wenas  valley,  forty  acres  of  raw  land  near 
Kennewick,  forty  acres  of  meadow  land  in  the 
valley,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  horses. 
Both  Mr.  Kelso  and  his  wife  are  held  in  high  es- 
teem by  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  acquaintances. 
Mr.  Kelso  is  in  every  respect  one  01  Yakima's 
solid  citizens,  a  man  of  sterling  character  and 
worth. 


NOAH  J.  BECKNER  is  one  of  Yakima 
county's  esteemed  young  citizens  and  a  merchant 
in  the  thriving  town  of  Mabton,  which  he  has  made 
his  home  for  several  years.  Of  German  and  Eng- 
lish extraction,  he  is  the  son  of  Tobias  and  Susan 
(Small)  Beckner,  and  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Indiana,  June  27,  1869.  His  father,  with  whom 
he  was  associated  the  major  portion  of  his  life, 
was  a  native  of  Rush  county,  Indiana,  born  in  1847. 
Tobias  Beckner  was  educated  and  married  in  his 
native  state,  emigrating  from  there  to  Kansas  in 
1877.  There  he  lived  two  years  at  Cottonwood  Falls, 
and  then  came  to  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  via  the 
water  route  from  San  Francisco.  All  of  his  house- 
hold effects  were  lost  by  the  sinking  of  the  Great 
Republic  off  the  Columbia  bar.  Nothing  daunted- 
by  this  misfortune,  however,  the  father  settled  upon 
a  homestead  in  the  Glade,  Yakima  county,  and  there 
farmed  and  raised  stock  successfully  until  1893. 
He  then  removed  to  Mabton  and  opened  a  general 
store,  taking  his  son  Noah  into  partnership  at  a 
later  date.  The  elder  Beckner  managed  the  busi- 
ness until  his  death  in  October,  1902.  In  his  re- 
moval from  earthly  life,  the  family  lost  a  most  de- 
voted, loving  husband  and  father,  and  those  who 
knew  him  intimately,  a  loyal  friend.  Mrs.  Beckner 
is  also  a  native  of  Indiana,  having  been  born  in 
Rush  county  in  1848,  her  father  being  a  pioneer  of 
that  state,  and  born  in  North  "Carolina.  Susan 
Small  was  married  to  Mr.  Beckner  when  nineteen 
years  of  age,  and  survives  him.  Noah  J.  received 
his  education  in  Indiana,  Kansas  and  Washington, 
and,  as  before  stated,  was  in  busines  with  his 
father  until  the  latter 's  death,  when  the  junior 
partner  took  full  charge.  He  joined  his  father  at 
Mabton  in  1897.  Mr.  Beckner  has  only  one 
brother,  Barney,  who  was  born  in  Indiana,  Janu- 
ary 22,  1 87 1.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Washington,  and  is  at  present  married  and  living 
on  the  old  homestead  in  the  Glade.  The  subject  of 
this  biography  is  a  Democrat,  taking  an  active  part 
in  all  county  campaigns.  Mr.  Beckner  has  pros- 
pered exceedingly,-  his  property  being  a  five  hun- 
dred and  twenty  acre  tract  in  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  county,  grain  land,  and  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  alfalfa  adjoining  the  town  of  Sunnyside, 
besides  which  he  owns  a  small  band  of  horses,  and 


is  heavily  interested  in  Mabton.  He  is  a  young 
man,  possessing  those  qualities  which  are  certain  to 
win  for  him  greater  success  in  business  and  which 
have  drawn  to  his  side  a  host  of  friends  and  well- 
wishers. 


CYRUS  OSCAR  WOMMACK,  engaged  in 
the  livery  business  at  Mabton,  was  born  in  Illinois 
November  15,  1866,  and  is  the  son  of  William  L. 
and  Matilda  (Renner)  Wommack,  both  of  German 
descent,  but  born  in  Illinois  and  Missouri  respect- 
ively. His  father  immigrated  to  the  Kansas 
plains  in  1876,  went  to  Gunnison,  Colorado,  in 
1881,  where  he  followed  freighting  two  years,  and 
in  1883  settled  upon  land  near  Bickleton,  Klickitat 
county.  There  he  was  engaged  in  farming  and 
raising  stock  until  1902,  since  which  date  he  has 
been  living  with  his  son  Cyrus  at  Mabton.  William 
L.  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted 
August  27,  1861,  in  Company  F,  First  Missouri 
cavalry,  and  served  until  May,  1865.  The  mother 
was  born  in  St.  Louis.  She  was  first  married  to 
John  Ziff,  six  children  resulting  from  this  union, 
of  whom  three  are  living.  The  subject  of  this 
article  was  educated  in  Missouri,  Illinois  and  Kan- 
sas. He  remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  be- 
came of  age;  then  entered  the  horse  raising  busi- 
ness in  Klickitat  and  Yakima  counties,  both  buying 
and  selling.  In  1894  he  filed  a  homestead  claim  to 
a  quarter-section  in  Klickitat  county  and  lived 
there  seven  years,  continuing  his  stock  business. 
In  1898  he  purchased  two  hundred  and  forty  acres 
of  land,  but  four  years  later  said  his  entire  holdings 
and  removed  to  Mabton.  There  he  engaged  in  the 
livery  business,  in  which  he  has  been  successful.  In 
1890,  he  was  married  in  Bickleton  to  Miss  Phoebe 
Bickle,  the  popular  young  daughter  of  Charles  N. 
and  Fannie  (Bacon)  Bickle.  The  father  is  a  na- 
tive of  Iowa,  who  crossed  the  Plains  in  the  early 
fifties,  and  located  his  home  in  Goldendale.  Sub- 
sequently he  founded  the  town  which  bears  his 
name,  he  establishing  the  first  store  at  that  point. 
Mrs.  Bickle  was  born  in  Kansas,  and  is  the  mother 
of  sixteen  children.  They  are  still  living,  residing 
near  Prosser.  Mrs.  Wommack  was  born  in  Kan- 
sas, and  crossed  the  Plains  when  a  child.  She  was 
seventeen  years  old  when  married.  To  this  mar- 
riage have  been  born  the  following  children :  Will- 
iam V.,  November  3,  1892;  Mona  M.,  November 
27,  1894;  Harry  O.,  February  6,  1897;  Richard  P., 
born  September  1,  1899,  died  March  6,  1902,  and 
Carroll.  October  6,  1901.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Wom- 
mack is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Yeomen ;  politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  He 
owns  forty  acres  of  farming  land  near  Mabton, 
sixty  head  of  cattle  and  fifty  head  of  horses,  besides 
bis  livery  at  Mabton.  He  is  an  energetic,  progress- 
ive business  man  of  excellent  qualities,  and  is  favor- 
al.lv  known  throughout  that  section. 


722 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


JOSEPH  ANDREW  HUMPHREY,  owner 
of  one-half  the  site  of  Mabton,  and  Northern  Pa- 
cific station  agent  at  that  point,  was  born  at 
Brockville,  Ontario,  July  7,  1869,  to  John  and 
Annie  (Greer)  Humphrey,  also  natives  of  On- 
tario. The  father  was  born  in  Kingston  and  was 
a  pioneer  of  the  country  north  of  that  place,  go- 
ing into  that  sparsely  settled  region  in  1825.  He 
is  still  living  in  Ontario  in  his  eighty-first  year. 
The  mother  was  born  at  Gananoque  in  1828  and 
was  married  when  seventeen  years  old.  Her  fam- 
ily were  among  the  first  settlers  in  Iowa,  and 
claim  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  to  recognize 
the  adaptability  of  that  section  for  raising  corn. 
The  family  is  of  Welsh  extraction.  Mrs.  Humph- 
rey is  also  living.  Joseph  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  home  and  later,  when  eight- 
een, was  graduated  from  the  Toronto  high 
school.  From  the  schoolroom  he  went  into  the 
Grand  Trunk  Railroad  telegraph  offices  in  Toronto 
and  when  nineteen  years  old  his  efficiency  earned 
for  him  promotion  "to  the  position  of  operator  at 
Orilla,  Ontario.  Two  years  later  he  left  Canada, 
taking  a  position  with  the  Northern  Pacific  in 
Montana.  Here  his  first  office  was  Big  Timber; 
then  he  went  to  Miles  City  for  two  years.  Fol- 
lowing came  a  year  in  charge  at  Hope,  Idaho, 
then  two  years  at  Ritzville,  Washington,  a  year  at 
Lind,  and  in  1899  his  transfer  to  Mabton,  wnere  he 
is  still  stationed.  In  1901  Mr.  Humphrey  became 
thoroughly  convinced  that  there  was  a  fine  business 
opportunity  in  the  possession  of  the  townsite  and, 
forming  a  partnership  with  Mrs.  S.  P.  Flower,  he 
purchased  it  from  The  Northern  Pacific  Company. 
The  tract  contains  four  hundred  and  forty  acres, 
and,  judging  from  the  past  and  present  of  the 
town,  is  destined  to  increase  rapidly  in  value.  Mr. 
Humphrey  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Elska 
Schnell  at  Ritzville,  April  29,  1896.  Her  parents 
are  Klaas  and  Annie  (Spanjer)  Schnell,  born  in 
Germany.  Mr.  Schnell  immigrated  to  America  in 
1858,  settling  first  in  Illinois,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried. In  1893  he  came  to  Whatcom,  Washington, 
where  he  remained  a  year,  then  moving  to  Ritz- 
ville, where  he  now  resides.  Mrs:  Schnell  came  to 
America  in  1856  and  was  married  when  thirty- 
three.  Mrs.  Humphrey  was  born  in  Minonk,  Il- 
linois, in  1879.  and  was  there  educated.  She  was 
eighteen  years  old  when  married.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Humphrey  have  been  born  two  children, 
Elska  V.,  at  Hope,  August  13,  1898,  and  Kathryn 
L..  at  Mabton,  January  27,  1900.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Humphrey  is  affiliated  with  the  Masons.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Episcopal  church.  In  politics, 
he  is  a  liberal  Republican.  Besides  a  half  inter- 
est in  the  townsite  of  Mabton,  of  which  fifty  acres 
have  been  laid  off  into  five  hundred  and  eighty 
lots,  he  owns  a  half  interest  in  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  adjoining  the  site.  Realizing 
the   importance   of   having   the   purest   water,  the 


proprietors  of  the  townsite  are  now  engaged  in 
sinking  an  artesian  well.  The  drill  is  down  six 
hundred  feet  at  the  present  writing,  and  is  ex- 
pected to  tap  the  supply  at  any  time.  A  new  ditch 
is  also  heading  toward  Mabton,  seven  miles  being 
already  constructed.  Mr.  Humphrey  has  un- 
bounded faith  in  Mabton's  future,  and  none  has  • 
done  more  to  forward  the  town's  interests  than 
he.  A  keen,  capable  business  man,  a  faithful  em- 
ployee, a  public-spirited  citizen  of  integrity  and  a 
man  devoted  to  his  home,  Mr.  Humphrey  is  ad- 
mired and  esteemed  bv  all  who  know  him. 


JOSEPH  B.  EARLY,  proprietor  of  Early's 
Restaurant,  is  one  of  Mabton's  substantial  citizens 
and  a  progressive  business  man  of  that  section. 
He  came  to  Mabton  in  1902  in  the  interests  of  the 
Christian  Co-operative  Colony  of  Sunnyside,  and 
appreciating  the  business  opportunities  presented, 
he  entered  the  hotel  and  livery  business,  of  which 
he  made  a  signal  success.  Mr.  Early  was  born 
in  Lima,  Ohio,  1867,  to  the  union  of  David  and 
Sarah  (Miller)  Early.  His  father  was  a  native  of 
Virginia,  born  in  1832,  and  the  mother  a  native 
of  Ohio,  born  two  years  later.  In  1844  David 
Early  settled  in  Ohio.  He  lived  there  until  1878, 
when  he  immigrated  to  Oregon,  taking  up  his 
abode  in  the  Willamette  valley,  where  he  died  in 
1893.  The  Millers  were  pioneers  of  Ohio.  Mrs. 
Sauh  E-rly  was  married  when  eighteen  years  of 
age  and  is  the  mother  of  twelve  children.  She  is 
living  in  Sunnyside.  The  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy attended  the  Willamette  University  of  Ore- 
gon at  first,  finishing  his  education  with  a  course 
at  the  Mount  Morris  College,  in  Mount  Morris,  Illi- 
nois. After  coming  out  of  school  he  taught  in  the 
public  schools  a  year,  then  for  three  years  was  head 
instructor  in  the  Oregon  School  for  the  Deaf,  and 
the  succeeding  year  was  elected  superintendent, 
serving  in  that  capacity  two  years.  Meanwhile  he 
conducted  a  stock  farm  east  of  Salem,  raising 
thoroughbred  stock.  After  leaving  the  school  for 
the  deaf,  he  was  engaged  in  stock  raising  until 
he  came  to  Mabton.  In  1891  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Polly  Yoder,  daughter  of  Levi  J.  and  Mary 
(Mishler)  Yoder,  natives  of  Ohio.  Her  father  is 
of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  descent;  the  mother's  peo- 
ple were  Virginians.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Yoder  are 
residents  of  the  Willamette  valley,  whither  they 
came  in  1877.  Mrs.  Early  was  born  in  Ohio  in 
1867  and  attended  school  in  Oregon.  There  she 
was  a  teacher  for  one  year  and  matron  in  the  state 
school  for  mutes,  her  marriage  taking  place  when 
she  was  twenty-three.  Their  children  are  two  in 
number:  Vera  E.,  born  in  Salem,  Decemher  22, 
1891,  and  Joseph  Quinter,  also  born  in  Salem, 
Tulv  27,  1897.  Mr.  Earlv  is  an  ordained  minister 
'of  the  Brethren  church.  Politically,  he  is  affiliated  , 
with  the  Republican  party.     He  has  one  sister  liv- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


723 


ing  in  Mabton,  Mrs.  Lizzie  Litherland,  whose 
husband  is  engaged  in  the  livery,  carpenter  and 
cabinet  business,  and  owns  a  fine  livery  barn. 
Mrs.  Litherland  is  a  skilled  artist,  executing  oil 
paintings  of  considerable  merit.  In  connection 
with  the  restaurant  business  Mr.  Early  is  engaged 
in  raising  some  fine  stock.  Nine  miles  southeast 
of  town  he  has  a  homestead,  and  a  school  section 
leased,  which  is  considered  as  being  of  consider- 
able value  as  wheat  land.  Mr.  Early  is  regarded 
as  a  progressive  man  of  strength  in  his  commu- 
nity. 


ALBERT  BEILSTEIN,  engaged  in  the 
liquor  business  in  Mabton,  was  born  in  Ontario, 
September  5,  1863,  his  parents  being  Adam  and 
Elizabeth  (Dietz)  Beilstein,  of  German  birth  and 
descent,  the  father  born  in  Germany  in  1823  and 
the  mother  in  1833.  Mr.  Beilstein,  senior,  came 
to  Canada  in  1842  and  lived  there  until  his  death 
in  T8y<\  The  mother  was  married  in  Canada 
and  survived  her  husband  but  three  days.  Until 
fourteen  years  old  Albert  Beilstein  attended 
school  in  Canada ;  then  left  the  parental  roof  to 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  wide  world.  When  nine- 
teen years  of  age  he  commenced  learning  the 
tanner's  trade,  at  which  he  worked  in  all  six 
years.  The  year  1888  marks  the  date  of  his  ar- 
rival in  Washington,  Tacoma  being  his  first  home 
in  the  far  West.  After  two  years  spent  at  vari- 
ous occupations  in  Tacoma,  he  went  to  Puyallup 
and  secured  employment  for  a  year.  He  was 
then  engaged  in  the  liquor  business  in  that  town 
for  a  year,  on  his  own  account,  following  which 
he  went  to  North  Yakima.  That  citv  was 
his  home  for  the  succeeding  seven  years,  during 
which  he  worked  for  A.  Johnson.  In  November, 
1003,  he  opened  the  present  branch  business  in 
Mabton  for  Mr.  Johnson.  Mr.  Beilstein  and  Miss 
Kate  Fuller,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Catherine 
(Holtcman)  Fuller,  were  married  in  Tacoma  in 
1900.  Her  parents  are  natives  of  Germany.  Mr. 
Fuller  was  engaged  in  farming  on  the  Sound 
until  his  death  in  1893,  his  residence  in  Wash- 
ington dating  from  the  early  eighties.  Mrs.  Beil- 
stein was  born  in  Canada  in  1873,  received  her 
education  in  the  Canadian  schools  and  was  mar- 
ried when  twentv-seven  years  old.  Mr.  Beilstein 
is  a  member  of  the  Red  Men  and  Canadian  (  (rder 
of  Foresters,  and  in  political  matters  is  a  stead- 
fast Republican.  He  owns  a  comfortable  home 
in  North  Yakima,  besides  being  interested  in 
business  at  Mabton.  He  considers  the  Yakima 
country  as  presenting:  one  of  the  best  fields  for 
business  in  the  Northwest. 


JOCK  MORGAN.  The  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy is  one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  North- 
west, and  his  father  was  a  pioneer  of  Kentucky 


and  Missouri.  For  nearly  a  century  these  two 
generations  alone  have  helped  to  redeem  the  wil- 
derness of  America  and  there  plant  American 
civilization  and  before  them  were  many  other 
Morgans  engaged  in  the  same  noble  work.  Jock 
Morgan  was  born  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  1844,  to 
Richard  and  Martha  (Alorgan)  Morgan.  His 
father  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  who  immi- 
grated to  Iowa  in  the  early  forties  and  there  lived 
until  1850,  when  he  set  out  with  his  family  to 
build  a  new  home  in  the  far  Northwest.  The 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Jonathan  Morgan,  of 
Iowa,  a  widely  known  cattle  and  land  dealer  in 
his  day.  During  the  tedious  journey  across  the 
Plains  and  mountain  ranges  Richard  Morgan 
died.  The  mother  bravely  persevered  and  strug- 
gled onward  with  her  family,  finally  arriving, 
after  a  seven  months'  journey,  at  Albany,  Ore- 
gon, where  she  settled  upon  a  donation  claim, 
and  lived  until  her  death.  This  border  country- 
was  the  scene  where  Jock  passed  his  boyhood  and 
grew  to  rugged  manhood.  When  only  fifteen 
years  old,  after  having  attended  school  for  a 
lime  at  Eugene,  he  became  an  employee  of  the 
old  California  Stage  Company  and  for  mam- 
years  handled  the  reins  between  Portland  and 
San  Francisco.  He  drove  the  last  stage  into 
Salem,  just  preceding  the  locomotive.  As  a 
driver  he  was  known  as  the  best  in  the  North- 
west, holding  medals  conferring  that  honor. 
After  the  decline  of  the  staging  business,  he  en- 
paged  in  buying  and  selling  stock,  and  in  1871 
drove  a  band  of  cattle  into  the  Yakima  country, 
which  date  marks  his  advent  into  Yakima  county. 
His  first  home  was  on  the  reservation,  where  he 
lived  nine  vears,  braving  the  dangers  and  sur- 
mounting the  difficulties  incident  to  border  life. 
However,  in  1881,  he  left  the  reservation,  settling 
on  purchased  land  just  across  the  river  from  the 
present  town  of  Mabton.  On  this  ranch  he  is 
now  living,  farming  and  raising;  stock  with  suc- 
cess. Mr.  Morgan  was  married  in  June.  [866, 
in  Roseburg;.  Oregon,  to  .Miss  Temperance  Her- 
vey, dauq-hter  of  Thomas  Hervey.  Her  father 
crossed  the  Plains  in  1863  and  settled  near  Rose: 
burg.  Both  parents  spent  the  latter  years  of 
their  lives  in  Oregon.  Mrs.  Morgan  was  born  in 
Tennessee  in  1848,  and  was  educated  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  Tennessee  and  Missouri.  She- 
was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty.  Five  brothers, 
William,  John.  Times.  Thomas  ?nd  Abe  Hervey, 
are  living  in  Oregon;  also  a  sister.  Mrs.  Mary 
Mell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Morgan  have  two  children: 
Charles,  born  in  Albany,  Oregon,  May  ti,  [869, 
and  Harry,  also  born  in  Oregon,  June  14.  1870; 
both  of  whom  are  living  at  home.  In  political 
matters.  Mr.  Morgan  is  a  member  of  the  Socialist 
party,  and  claims  the  distinction  of  having  cast 
the  first  Socialist  vote  in  Yakima  county.  His 
property  interests  consist  of  four  hundred  and 
forty-four  acres  of  fine  hay  land  lying  along  the 


724 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Yakima  river  within  a  mile  and  a  quarter  of  Mab- 
ton,  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  stock  cattle 
and  one  hundred  head  of  horses.  As  a  pioneer, 
Air.  Morgan  strove  earnestly  and  bravely  to  ob- 
tain a  foothold  in  the  virgin  West,  undergoing 
experiences  both  exciting  and  dangerous.  As  a 
citizen  of  one  of  the  best  counties  in  one  of  the 
most  progressive  states  in  the  West,  he  is  influ- 
ential, respected  and  widely  known. 


JAMES  S.  DONOHO,  living  eight  miles 
northeast  of  Bickleton,  in  what  is  known  as  the 
Glade  settlement,  is  one  of  Yakima  county's  pros- 
perous and  popular  farmers.  Like  so  many  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  far  West,  he  was  born  in  Missouri, 
the  date  of  his  birth  being  September  16,  1847. 
His  parents  were  Robert,  born  in  Kentucky,  1825, 
of  Irish  extraction,  and  Margaret  (Shipley) 
Donoho,  a  native  of  Ohio,  and  of  German  descent. 
She  died  in  1871,  leaving  ten  children  to  mourn 
her  loss.  The  father  served  more  than  three  years 
in  the  Civil  war,  under  General  Sherman,  return- 
ing to  Missouri  after  being  mustered  out,  where 
he  is  still  living.  James  remained  at  home,  work- 
ing on  the  farm  and  attending  school  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the  car- 
penter's trade.  August  4,  1864,  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen, he  enlisted  in  the  Forty-fourth  Missouri  in- 
fantry, company  K,  and  was  ordered  south,  where 
he  served  in  the  Sixteenth  Army  corps,  under  A.  J. 
Smith  and  General  Thomas,  for  eight  months,  when 
he  was  mustered  out.  In  1875,  he  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, worked  at  his  trade  a  year  at  different 
places,  then  went  to  Dunnigan,  where  he  was  mar- 
ried, and  subsequently  moved  to  Vacaville,  where 
he  lived  until  1887.  That  year  marks  the  date  of 
immigration  to  Washington.  Here  he  filed  a  home- 
stead claim  to  land  on  the  Glade,  and  purchased 
two  sections  of  railroad  land.  Upon  this  immense 
grain  and  stock  ranch  he  has  since  lived.  In  1881, 
Mr.  Donoho  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Anthony  W.  and  Cindica  (Cooper) 
Dunnigan.  Mr.  Dunnigan  was  born  in  Illinois, 
crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in  185 1,  where  he 
settled  in  Yolo  county,  and  platted  the  town  which 
bears  his  name.  Mrs.  Donoho  was  born  in  Cali- 
fornia in  1859,  and  was  there  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two.  To  this  union  have  been  born  three 
children:  Mrs.  Winona  Muller,  born  in  1882,  liv- 
ing in  the  Glade;  Anthony,  born  in  1884,  at  home; 
Robert  V.,  born  in  i8f6.  living  at  home.  Mr. 
Donoho  is  a  prominent  Odd  Fellow,  in  which  lodge 
he  is  a  past  grand.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican 
of  strong  views.  Upon  his  ranch  of  one  thousand 
three  hundred  and  sixteen  acres,  of  which  three 
hundred  acres  are  in  cultivation  as  grain  land,  he 
has  a  band  of  twenty  cattle,  and  another  band  of 
twenty  horses.  Mr.  Donoho  is  a  thoroughly  suc- 
cessful man,  who  has  won  that  success  by  energy, 


thrift  and  integrity,  and  these  qualities    are    what 

give  him  his  position  in  the  community. 


DEAN  STAIR.  That  the  strenuous  character 
of  our  national  life  at  this  period  is  calling  upon 
men  to  assume  important  responsibilities  at  an 
earlier  age  than  formerly  is  a  self-evident  truth; 
particularly  is  this  true  of  the  later  settled  portions 
of  the  union — the  western  divisions.  And  in  the 
Northwest,  nowhere  are  the'  young  men  more  re- 
sponsive to  this  demand  or  more  successful  in  as- 
suming these  increased  responsibilities  than  in  the 
thrifty  Yakima  country,  where  progress  is  the 
slogan  of  all.  The  traveler  in  that  section  will  at 
once  note  that  the  words  Yakima  and  progress  are 
inseparable,  so  intimately  are  they  connected.  Mab- 
ton  is  one  of  Yakima  county's  commercial  hives, 
and  the  young  man  of  whom  we  write  is  one  of 
its  busiest,  most  popular  and  successful  occupants, 
being  the  manager  of  the  St.  Paul  and  Tacoma 
Lumber  Company's  yards  at  that  point.  He  is, 
moreover,  a  product  of  Yakima  county,  having 
been  born  in  Yakima  City  in  the  year  1881,  to  the 
union  of  David  W.  and  Ella  (Parker)  Stair, 
pioneers  of  the  valley.  The  father  was  a  native  of 
Ohio.  He  was  by  profession  a  lawyer,  graduating 
from  the  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  the  University  of 
Michigan  law  schools.  In  1877,  he  immigrated  to 
Washington  Territory,  locating  in  Yakima  City, 
where  he  practiced  his  profession  two  years.  How- 
ever, in  1882,  he  sought  the  more  healthful  pur- 
suit of  farming,  living  for  five  years  one  mile  west 
of  Yakima  City.  Then  he  settled  on  the  railroad 
land  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  where  he  continued 
to  follow  farming  and  stock  raising  with  success, 
until  his  death  in  1895.  During  these  years  he  was 
honored  by  being  appointed  to  serve  a  term  as 
probate  judge  of  the  county,  and  by  an  appoint- 
ment as  county  treasurer  to  fill  a  vacancy  caused  by 
death.  The  mother  is  a  native  of  Nebraska,  the 
daughte^r  of  pioneers  of  that  state,  where  she  was 
married*  at  the  age  of  twenty.  For  twenty-five  years 
Mrs.  Stair  has  been  a  teacher  in  the  Yakima 
schools  and  is  at  present  holding  the  position  of 
principal  of  the  North  Yakima  High  school.  In 
the. schools  of  that  city  and  the  Portland  Business 
College  Dean  Stair  received  his  education,  being 
graduated  by  the  latter  in  1900.  His  schooling  was 
not  uninterrupted,  however,  for  the  outbreak  of 
the  Spanish-American  war  so  fired  his  patriotism 
that  in  189S,  when  only  seventeen  years  old,  he  en- 
listed in  Company  E.  First  Washington  volunteers, 
and  went  to  the  front  with  his  young  comrades. 
As  a  member  of  the  Philippine  army  he  partici- 
pated in  a  year's  vigorous  campaign  around  Manila, 
returning  with  the  Washing-ton  troops  in  the  fall 
of  1899  with  the  rank  of  a  corporal.  After 
graduation  from  the  business  college,  Mr.  Stair 
spent  a  year  riding  the  range  for  John  Switzer  be- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


72  5 


fore  accepting  a  position  with  the  St.  Paul  and  Ta- 
coma  Lumber  Company.  His  first  work  for  that 
corporation  was  in  North  Yakima,  thence  he  went 
as  bookkeeper  into  the  Ritzville  office  for  ten 
months,  thence  to  Toppenish  as  manager,  and 
January  15,  1903,  was  placed  in  full  charge  of  the 
Mabton  branch. 

Mr.  Stair  assumed  the  further  responsibilities 
of  matrimony  in  February,  1903,  his  bride  being 
Miss  Edith  Morrison,  also  a  native  of  Yakima 
county  and  the  daughter  of  Abraham  W.  and  Alma 
(Lybyer)  Morrison,  whose  biographies  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  Miss  Edith  was 
born  at  the  family  homestead  near  Prosser  in  1881, 
and  was  educated  in  Yakima  county  and  at  the 
Catholic  seminary  in  Spokane.  She  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  church.  To  this  union  has  been  born 
one  child,  Dorothy  D.,  whose  birthday  was  De- 
cember 21,  1903,  and  birthplace  is  Mabton.  Mr. 
Stair  -is  a  Knight  of  Pythias  and  a  Modern  Wood- 
man, and  both  himself  and  wife  are  well  known 
and  highly  esteemed  among  the  young  as  well  as 
the  elder  residents  of  the  community. 


THOMAS  L.  STEPHENS,  residing  three 
and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Mabton,  was  born 
in  Erie  county,  New  York,  in  1839,  the  son  of 
Thomas  and  Esther  (Stetson)  Stephens.  Thomas 
Stephens  was  born  in  Massachusetts  in  1798,  came 
to  Erie  county  in  1823  and  died  there  in  1870; 
the  mother  was  born  in  Otsego  county,  New 
York,  in  1802,  and  passed  into  the  life  beyond 
at  the  age  of  fifty-five.  Thomas  L.  attended  the 
public  schools  and  academy  of  his  native  county 
and  worked  upon  the  farm  until  he  reached  his 
majority.  Then  he  went  into  the  new  state  of 
Wisconsin  and  there  taught  school  during  the 
winters  and  farmed  during  the  summers  until 
1863,  when  he  returned  to  New  York  and  en- 
listed in  the  Tenth  cavalry.  Company  L,  in  which 
he  served  through  the  remainder  of  the  Civil  war. 
Upon  his  discharge  on  account  of  disability  in 
1865,  Mr.  Stephens  returned  to  Wisconsin,  resum- 
ing his  work  as  a  teacher.  In  1867  he  went  to 
Nebraska  as  one  of  that  commonwealth's  pioneers, 
teaching  and  farming  for  ten  years  there.  Then 
for  eleven  years  he  farmed  in  Kansas.  The  year 
1887  saw  his  return  to  Nebraska,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1893.  At  that  time  he  immigrated 
to  the  Northwest,  locating  first  in  Klickitat  county. 
A  year  later  he  removed  to  the  Sunnyside  region 
in  Yakima  county,  where  for  three  years  he  was 
engaged  with  Dr.  P.  P>.  Wing  of  Tacoma.  Subse- 
quently he  purchased  ten  acres  of  land  near  Mab- 
ton and  afterward  purchased  twenty  additional 
acres,  selling  these  holdings  in  1903  and  reaping 
a  neat  profit  on  the  transactions.  In  1903  he  pur- 
chased the  forty-acre  tract  constituting  his  home, 
and  another  forty,  giving  him  in  all  eighty  acres 


of  fine  land.  Of  the  home  place  only  eleven  acres 
are  in  cultivation,  but  the  forty  acres  lying  three 
miles  northwest  of  his  home  are  all  in  cultivation 
and  under  water.  Both  farms  are  very  valuable 
ones  and  indicate  what  water,  energy,  persever- 
ance and  ability  can  do  in  a  sage-brush  country. 

The  marriage  of  Mr.  Stephens  to  Ellen  Butch- 
art  was  celebrated  in  Nebraska  in  1871.  Previous 
to  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Stephens,  she  was  the  wife 
of  John  Murdie  and  to  this  union  was  born  one 
child,  Agnes,  now  Mrs.  W.  H.  Wright,  living  in 
the  Sunnyside  valley.  Mrs.  Stephens'  parents 
were  Andrew  and  Jessie  (Adams)  Butchart,  both 
natives  of  Scotland,  who  came  to  Canada  in  early 
life.  Mrs.  Butchart  was  the  mother  of  fifteen 
children.  Mrs.  Stephens  was  born  on  the  banks 
of  the  Dundee  in  1849,  was  educated  in  Canada, 
came  to  Topeka  when  she  was  seventeen  and  at 
the  age  of  twenty-two  was  married  in  Nebraska. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stephens  have  been  born  the 
following  children  :  Lewis,  deceased,  1873  ;  Ver- 
non, deceased,  1874;  Ernest,  1879;  Ira,  February 
13,  1881 ;  and  Ora,  May  15,  1885,  the  first  two  be- 
ing born  in  Nebraska,  the  remaining  three  in 
Kansas.  For  twelve  years  past  Mrs.  Stephens 
has  been  sorely  afflicted  with  rheumatism.  Mr. 
Stephens  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the 
Republic  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Work- 
men, is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren  church 
and  is  affiliated  w-ith  the  Republican  party.  He 
is  a  prosperous  agriculturist  and  a  respected  citi- 
zen of  the  countv  in  which  he  lives. 


CLARK  MILLER.  One  of  the  prosperous 
farmers  living  in  the  district  irrigated  by  the  Sun- 
nyside canal  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  who 
is  also  a  pioneer  of  the  Yakima  country.  Indiana 
is  his  birthplace  and  1861  was  the  year  of  his 
birth,  his  parents  being  Alcana  and  Eliza  (Koontz) 
Miller,  natives  of  Indiana  and  New  York  respect- 
ively. The  elder  Miller  lived  in  his  native  state 
until  1870,  when  he  removed  to  Greenwood  county, 
Kansas.  There  he  lived  until  1878.  in  that  year 
crossing  the  Plains  to  Klickitat  county,  Wash- 
ington Territory.  In  the  new  home  the  first  year 
was  spent  in  Goldendale,  after  which  the  family 
settled  near  Bickleton,  where  the  father  and 
mother  are  still  living.  Eliza  Koontz  was  born 
in  1829  and  came  to  Indiana  with  her  parents. 
Clark  Miller  attended  school  in  Eureka,  Kansas, 
obtaining  most  of  his  education  there.  He  was 
sixteen  years  of  age  when  he  entered  Klickitat 
county  and  for  the  succeeding  five  years  lived  at 
home  on  the  farm,  assisting  his  father  in  making 
a  home.  Then  he  crossed  the  Cascades  and  en- 
tered the  logging  camps  of  the  coast  region.  Af- 
ter three  years  of  this  experience  he  returned  to 
Klickitat  and  for  the  next  three  years  remained 
at  home.     In  1893,  however,  he  filed  a  homestead 


726 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


claim  to  land  near  Mabton  and  after  a  five  years' 
residence  thereon,  obtained  a  title  from  the  gov- 
ernment. Two  years  more  at  Bickleton  followed ; 
then  he  purchased  his  present  ten-acre  place, 
three  miles  northeast  of  Mabton,  under  the  Sun- 
nyside  canal.  Recently  he  bought  an  additional 
five  acres.  Ten  of  these  fifteen  acres  are  in  culti- 
vation, a  portion  being  in  orchard,  and  on  the 
place  Mr.  Miller  has  built  a  comfortable  home. 
Besides  this  valuable  tract  he  still  owns  forty 
acres  on  the  south  side  of  the  river. 

Miss  Josephine  Marrs,  daughter  of  Andrew  B. 
and  Charlotta  (Shaw)  Marrs,  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mr.  Miller  in  Cowlitz  county,  Washing- 
ton, 1888.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  Indiana ; 
her  mother  a  native  of  Illinois,  where  she  was 
married  in  1857.  In  1849  Mr.  Marrs  crossed  the 
Plains  to  California  and  in  that  state  mined  and 
followed  his  trade,  that  of  a  gunsmith,  until  his 
demise  in  1876.  Mrs.  Marrs  is  still  living.  Jose- 
phine Marrs  was  born  in  the  Golden  state  in  the 
year  1869,  but  received  most  of  her  schooling  in 
Washington.  She  was  married  when  seventeen 
years  old,  and  to  this  union  have  been  born  four 
children,  all  living:  Clarence,  March  23,  1889; 
Lydia,  August  13,  1890:  Noah  J.,  January  6,  1893; 
Ina  L.,  February  27,  1897.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller 
are  connected  with  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Mil- 
ler is  a  Socialist  in  politics  and  is  regarded  as  a 
public-spirited  citizen. 


WILLIAM  H.  WRIGHT,  who  lives  on  a  well 
improved  farm  two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of 
Mabton,  has  been  a  resident  of  the  valley  of  Yak- 
ima for  more  than  twelve  years,  and  in  that  period 
has  witnessed  the  truly  marvelous  development  of 
that  section  and  himself  has  taken  a  share  in  it. 
Born  in  Pennsylvania,  1866,  he  is  the  son  of  Will- 
iam and  Ellen  (Hawley)  Wright,  natives  of  Eng- 
land and  Ireland  respectively.  The  father  immi- 
grated to  America  in  1861  and  was  married  to 
Miss  Hawley,  and  lived  in  Pennsylvania  until  1882, 
when  he  removed  to  Nebraska.  There  he  resided 
until  1891;  then  came  to  Tacoma,  where  his  death 
occurred.  The  mother  was  twelve  years  old  when 
she  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  brother, 
and  was  married  when  sixteen.  Her  death  also 
occurred  in  Tacoma.  To  this  union  were  born  six 
children,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one. 
He  was  educated  in  private  schools  and  in  the 
public  schools  of  Albany,  New  York.  When  sev- 
enteen years  old  he  commenced  working  on  a  stock 
ranch  in  Nebraska.  Five  years  later  he  abandoned 
this  life  and  went  to  Tacoma.  On  the  Sound  he  was 
engaged  for  two  years  in  the  great  logging  camps  of 
that  region,  but  in  1891  crossed  the  range  to  the  Yak- 
ima country  and  settled  upon  a  homestead  near  Mab- 
ton. In  1896  he  took  charge  of  the  Riverside  hotel 
at    Prosser   and   managed   it   successfully   for   four 


years.  Then  for  a  year  he  conducted  a  restaurant  in 
Tacoma.  Returning  to  Mabton  after  this  venture, 
he  opened  a  saloon  and  was  thus  engaged  until 
June  1,  1902,  when  he  sold  the  business  and  re- 
moved to  his  present  home. 

Mr.  Wright  was  married  at  Prosser,  March  n, 
1897,  to  Miss  Agnes  Murdie,  the  daughter  of  John 
and  Ellen  (Butchart)  Murdie,  natives  of  Scotland. 
Mrs.  Wright  was  born  in  Topeka,  Kansas,  in 
1870,  and  attended  school  in  Kansas  and  Ne- 
braska. She  came  to  Washington  when  twenty- 
three  years  old  and  was  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-seven.  Her  mother  is  now  Mrs.  Thomas 
L.  Stephens,  and  lives  near  Mabton.  One  child 
has  come  into  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright, 
William  D.,  born  in  Tacoma,  September  21,  1900. 
Mr.  Wright  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
Modern  Woodmen  and  is  a  member  of  the  Repub- 
lican party.  Mrs.  Wright  is  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  and  also  connected  with  the  Re- 
bekahs  and  Royal  Neighbors.  The  thirty-acre 
farm  is  all  under  water  and  all  in  cultivation,  twenty 
being  in  alfalfa  and  half  an  acre  in  a  select  or- 
chard. Besides  this  property,  Mr.  Wright  owns 
a  quarter  section  of  land  near  Mabton.  He  is  a 
successful  business  man  and  farmer. 


O.  FRANK  BERNEY,  living  three  miles 
northeast  of  Mabton.  is  a  highly  respected  citizen 
and  successful  farmer  and  stock  raiser  of  that  re- 
gion. The  little  republic  of  Switzerland  is  his  na- 
tive land,  and  in  one  of  its  nestling  valleys  he 
was  born  August  n,  1866,  in  the  home  of  Fran- 
cois and  Zele  (Rochat)  Berney.  also  of  Swiss  birth 
and  descent.  The  father  was  born  in  1829,  and 
at  a  ripe  old  age  is  still  living  in  his  Swiss  home. 
By  trade,  he  is  a  watchmaker.  His  wife  was 
born  in  1835  and  lived  to  be  sixty-six  years  old. 
The  subject  of  this  biography  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Switzerland,  and  from  the  age  of 
ten  to  that  of  eighteen  worked  with  his  father  at 
the  watchmaker's  trade.  In  1883,  however,  the 
young  man  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  seek  his  for- 
tune on  American  soil.  He  came  direct  to  Klick- 
itat county  and  there  settled  upon  a  quarter  sec- 
tion of  railroad  land  and  commenced  raising  stock. 
Until  1890  he  made  his  home  upon  this  place, 
but  in  that  year  he  took  a  trip  to  Walla  Walla 
county  and  in  the  fall  returned  to  Yakima  county 
and  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  land  near  Mabton, 
where  he  made  his  home  the  ensuing  five  years. 
In  1898  he  entered  the  Euclid  settlement  and  re- 
sided there  for  two  years  on  rented  land.  Then 
he  purchased  twenty  acres  three  miles  north  of 
Mabton,  sold  it  and  purchased  another  twenty, 
on  which  he  now  makes  his  home. 

He  was  married  to  Mrs.  Bertha  Erikson  at 
Prosser  in  1895.  Her  parents,  Erik  and  Bertha 
(Anderson)   Nelson,  were  natives  of  Norway  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


727 


there  lived  until  their  deaths.  She  was  born  in 
Norway  in  1859  and  at  an  early  age  was  married 
to  Jonas  Erikson,  immediately  immigrating  to  St. 
Paul,  Minnesota.  In  St.  Paul  they  lived  twelve 
years,  or  until  Mr.  Erikson's  death  in  1893.  Six 
children  were  the  result  of  this  union:  Edward, 
born  March  14,  1883;  Clara,  March  21,  1885;  Erik, 
March  17,  1887;  and  three  who  are  not  living.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Berney  are  the  parents  of  two  children, 
both  living:  Auguste.  born  at  Mabton,  April  25, 
1898,  and  Francis,  at  Mabton,  May  1,  1900.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Berney  are  consistent  members  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  and  are  considered  good  neigh- 
bors and  loyal  friends.  He  is  a  believer  in  the 
principles  advocated  by  the  Republican  party.  For 
three  years  past  Mr.  Berney  has  served  his  com- 
munity as  a  school  director,  and  is  known  as  a 
man  who  takes  a  deep  interest  in  all  public  mat- 
ters. He  still  retains  forty  acres  of  the  homestead 
near  Mabton,  and  his  home  place  of  twenty  acres, 
of  the  latter  one-half  acre  being  in  a  fine  orchard, 
nineteen  acres  being  in  alfalfa  and  the  balance  in 
other  crops  or  used  for  building  sites.  He  also 
owns  eighty  head  of  cattle  and  sixteen  head  of 
horses.  Mr.  Berney  is  one  of  the  valley's  sub- 
stantial citizens  and  a  man  of  progressive  ideas. 


WALLACE  WELLS,  residing  three  and  a. 
half  miles  northeast  of  Mabton,  upon  one  of  the 
finest  little  ranches  in  the  valley,  was  born  in 
Allegany,  New  York,  in  1844,  t0  the  union  of 
Peter  and  Patience  (Strait)  Wells,  both  of  whom 
claimed  that  same  state  as  their  birthplace. 
When  the  son  Wallace  was  three  years  old  he 
lost  his  mother  and  six  years  later  his  father  died, 
leaving  him  an  orphan.  An  older  brother  took 
the  unfortunate  lad  in  charge,  giving  him  a 
home  and  educating  him.  In  1865,  the  brothers 
went  to  Wisconsin  and  there,  when  he  reached 
the  age  of  twenty,  Wallace  bought  a  farm  and 
commenced  work  for  himself.  He  lived  in  Wis- 
consin, engaged  in  pgricultural  pursuits,  until 
1895,  at  that  time  coming  west  to  Mabton.  With 
three  other  men  he  erected  a  water  wheel  and  ir- 
rigated a  tract  of  land,  which  he  made  his  home 
for  four  years.  In  December,  1898,  he  purchased 
his  present  place  and  since  that  date  has  resided 
upon  it. 

Mr.  Wells  and  Adella  Smith  were  joined  in 
matrimony  in  1877,  the  marriage  taking  place 
in  Wisconsin.  Miss  Smith  was  born  in  Milwau- 
kee in  1857,  her  parents  being  Abel  A.  and 
Miranda  (Bump)  Smith,  both  natives  of  the  Em- 
pire state.  The  father  crossed  the  Plains  to  Cali- 
fornia in  1849,  when  nineteen  years  old.  taking 
his  voung  wife  with  him  to  the  gold  fields. 
Within  a  short  time  he  made  a  fortune  in  the 
mines,  returned  to  New  York,  but  again  crossed 
the  Plains  in  the  fifties  to  the  same  state.  Again 
he  returned  to  his  native  state  and  resided  until 


i860,  when  he  immigrated  to  Wisconsin.  The 
mother  died  in  1864,  but  the  hardy  old  frontiers- 
man lived  until  1894.  Mrs.  Smith  was  the  mother 
of  seven  children.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wells  have  had 
three  children :  Mrs.  Clara  G.  Meek,  born  April 
16,  1878,  now  living  in  Yakima  county;  Emerson 
W.,  born  in  Wisconsin,  April  8,  1880,  died  Octo- 
ber 26,  1887,  and  Charles  W.,  born  in  Wiscon- 
sin, August  31,  1882,  living  at  home.  Mr.  Wells 
and  his  wife  are  devout  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  he  being  a  deacon  in  that  body. 
He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  national  affairs,  and 
on  national  issues  aligns  himself  with  the  Repub- 
licans. For  three  years  Mr.  Wells  has  been  a 
director  of  the  board  of  the  Mabton  school  dis- 
trict, filling  the  office  with  credit.  All  of  his  six- 
ty-acre ranch  is  under  irrigation,  thirty  acres 
being  devoted  to  alfalfa  and  three  acres  to 
timothy  and  clover.  Mr.  Wells  is  also  raising 
fine  stock,  owning  seventy-five  head  of  horses, 
twenty-five  head  of  hogs  and  several  cattle.  He 
is  a  highly  respected  citizen  and  neighbor,  who 
is  doing  his  share  in  reclaiming  the  desert  lands 
of  the  Yakima  and  reaping  a  goodly  success. 


CHARLES  H.  MEEK.  One  of  the  popular 
and  enterprising  farmers  of  the  Yakima  valley 
is  the  subject  of  this  chronicle,  who  resides  four 
and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Mabton.  Mr.  Meek 
is  a  native  son  of  the  Badeer  state,  his  birth  oc- 
curring in  July,  1870.  His  father  was  George 
Meek.born  in  Michigan  and  an  early  pioneer  of 
Wisconsin,  wdiere  he  died  in  1897;  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Sarah  Harmer.  the  daughter  of 
pioneers  of  Wisconsin,  her  birth  occurring  in 
that  state.  Mrs.  Meek  is  still  living,  her  home 
being  in  Wisconsin.  Charles  H.  is  one  of  five 
children,  all  of  whom  were  educated  and  reared 
in  the  old  Wisconsin  home.  When  he  reached 
his  majority,  however,  he  began  to  do  for  himself, 
working  at  various  occupations  during  the  first 
six  years.  In  1897,  he  came  to  the  Northwest, 
locating  in  the  Mabton  district.  Six  years  he 
rented"  hind,  thus  accumulating  sufficient  means 
wherewith  to  purchase,  this  year,  his  own  com- 
fortable, well  improved  farm. 

In  1898,  July  1st,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Clara  G.  Wells,  at  Mabton.  She  is  also 
a  native  of  Wisconsin,  born  April  16,  187S.  and 
is  the  oldest  daughter  of  Wallace  and  Adella 
(Smith)  Wells,  residents  of  the  Mabton  region, 
whose  biographies  will  be  found  on  another  page  of 
this  volume.  Mrs.  Meek  was  married  when  twenty 
years  old.  Two  children  have  been  born  to  this 
union,  Delia  A.  and  Dora  E.  Mrs.  Meek  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Meek- 
does  not  belong  to  either  of  the  old  line  political 
parties,  but  is  an  ardent  advocate  of  Socialism, 
with  which  party  he  is  activelv  identified.  His 
(wentv-acre    farm    is   well    supplied    with    water 


728 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  bears  the  marks  of  a  skillful,  energetic  hand 
upon  its  soil  and  improvements.  None  in  the  val- 
ley is  a  firmer  believer  in  the  richness  and  bright 
future  of  the  Yakima  country  than  Mr.  Meek. 


TILTON  S.  PHILLIPS,  of  Mabton,  is  one 
of  the  leading  business  men  and  stockmen  of 
Yakima  county.  He  has  made  the  most  of  his 
opportunities  since  coming  to  central  Washing- 
ton with  the  result  that  unusual  success  has 
crowned  his  efforts.  Mr.  Phillips  was  born  in 
1861,  in  the  border  state,  Missouri,  his  parents 
being  Joseph  and  Deborah  (Hardy)  Phillips,  the 
father  having  been  born  in  New  Hampshire  in 
1823,  and  the  mother  in  that  state  two  years 
later.  In  the  early  forties  Joseph  Phillips  immi- 
grated to  Missouri  and  there  lived  until  he  en- 
listed in  the  Union  army.  He  was  killed  in  ac- 
tion in  1863,  ranking  as.  a  captain  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  The  mother  gave  up  the  unequal 
struggle  for  life  in  1883,  leaving  three  children 
to  mourn  her  loss.  Tilton  remained  at  home 
with  his  mother  until  fourteen  years  of  age, 
meanwhile  attending  school ;  then  for  three  years 
he  and  a  brother  engaged  in  stock  raising.  At 
the  age  of  seventeen,  with  commendable  spirit, 
he  commenced  a  three  years'  course  in  college, 
after  the  completion  of  which  he  returned  to 
stock  raising.  A  year  later  he  and  his  brother 
opened  a  general  mercantile  house  in  Tuscumbia, 
Missouri,  which  they  conducted  two  years.  In 
1885,  he  came  to  Washington,  stopping  at  Walla 
Walla  the  first  summer.  In  December  he  re- 
moved to  Prosser  and  filed  pre-emption  and  tim- 
ber culture  claims  in  the  Horse  Heaven  region. 
These  he  abandoned,  however,  and  after  a  sea- 
son on  Eureka  Flat  and  a  winter  in  Prosser,  en- 
tered the  logging  industry  at  Cle-Elum,  where  he 
remained  most  of  the  time  until  the  spring  of 
1890,  when  he  came  to  Mabton  and  there  settled 
upon  a  homestead.  Eight  years  of  stock  raising 
followed,  but  in  November,  1898.  Mr.  Phillips 
was  appointed  postmaster  of  Mabton  and  at  the 
same  time  opened  a  general  store  in  that  growing 
village.  After  conducting  the  store  fifteen 
months  he  sold  the  property  to  the  Hub  Mercan- 
tile Company,  but  in  May,  1902,  again  entered  the 
mercantile  business,  in  which  he  still  remains. 
April  1,  1903,  he  added  a  meat  market  to  his 
establishment.  During  his  business  life  he  has 
always  continued  his  stock  raising  with  the  re- 
sult that  he  has  fine  bands  of  horses  and  cattle. 
The  year  1897  marks  the  date  of  his  marriage 
to  Miss  Agnes  E.  Begg,  daughter  of  James  A. 
and  Annie  U.  (Sidey)  Begg,  natives  of  Scotland, 
who  came  to  Canada  nearly  half  a  century  ago. 
Her  father  immigrated  to  the  LJnited  States  in 
18S8,  settling  in  Ellensburg.  He  is  now  living 
in  Rochester,  Thurston  county.  Mrs.  Phillips 
was  born  in  Canada  in  the  year  1868,  where  she 


received  her  education,  and  was  married  in 
Thurston  county,  Washington,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-nine.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phillips  have  been 
born  one  child,  Ruth  I.,  at  Mabton,  December  29, 
1901.  In  a  fraternal  way,  Mr.  Phillips  is  con- 
nected with  the  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  and  Yeomen ;  politically,  he  is  an 
energetic  Republican  of  influence.  His  country 
property  consists  of  four  hundred  and  thirty-six 
acres  of  land,  of  which  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
six  acres  are  meadow ;  six  hundred  head  of  cat- 
tle, including  two  hundred  head  being  fed  for 
the  beef  market,  and  two  hundred  head  of  horses, 
in  which  he  is  making  a  specialty  of  the  Perch- 
eron  stock.  Ability,  energy  and  perseverance  are 
responsible  for  the  accumulation  of  his  fine  prop- 
erty. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Phillips  enjoy  the  blessings 
conferred  by  a  host  of  warm  friends,  and  as  a 
business  man  and  citizen  Mr.  Phillips  possesses 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 


SAMUEL  P.  FLOWER,  merchant  and  owner 
of  a  lumber  yard  at  Mabton,  has  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  business  interests  of  Klickitat 
and  Yakima  counties  since  1878,  and  is  at  present 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of 
that  section  of  the  state.  The  Flower  family  comes 
of  pioneer  American  stock,  both  the  grandfather 
and  father  of  the  subject  of  this  biography  having 
been  influential  pioneers  of  Illinois,  where  Samuel 
was  born  in  White  county  in  the  year  1851.  His 
parents  are  Camillus  and  Edith  (Pritchard) 
Flower,  both  natives  of  Illinois,  also,  and  both  of 
English  descent.  The  grandfather,  George  Flower, 
settled  in  Illinois  in  1818  and  was  prominent  in 
the  early  history  of  that  state.  Camillus  Flower 
came  to  Washington  in  1893  and  settled  at  Bick- 
leton,  where  he  and  his  wife  are  still  living.  Mrs. 
Flower  was  born,  educated  and  married  in  Ed- 
wards county,  Illinois.  Samuel  P.  Flower  at- 
tended school  in  his  native  state,  remaining  at 
home  on  the  farm  until  nineteen.  Then,  equipped 
with  a  rugged  constitution  and  a  fair  education, 
he  sought  the  bustling  metropolis  of  the  Lake 
Michigan  shore,  and  there  in  the  wholesale  dry 
goods  establishment  of  a  great  company  received 
his  first  business  training.  However,  his  Chicago 
experience  was  short,  for  after  three  months'  work, 
in  1871,  the  great  fire  destroyed  the  establishment 
in  which  he  was  employed,  and  he  returned  home. 
The  succeeding  three  years  he  alternately  farmed 
and  taught  school.  In  1877  he  sought  the  shores 
of  the  Pacific,  settling  at  Georgetown,  California, 
where  he  spent  a  summer.  In  the  fall  he  went 
northward  into  Oregon,  and  in  July,  1878,  arrived 
in  Goldendale,  Klickitat  county.  Subsequently  he 
settled  on  a  farm  near  Bickleton,  where  he  lived 
until  October,  1880.  At  that  time  he  opened  a 
general  store  on  the  site  of  Bickleton,  then  com- 


TILTON   S.    PHILLIPS. 


SAMUEL  P.   FLOWER 


JOSEPH   F.   KUNZ. 


EDWARD  J.    EIDEMILLER. 


HORATIO  E.   CRUSXU, 


WILLIAM   P.   CROSNO. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


729 


prised  of  only  a  handful  of  buildings,  the  firm  name 
being  Bickle  &  Flower.  This  partnership  lasted 
nine  years,  or  until  1889,  when  he  bought  Mr. 
Bickle's  interest  in  the  business  and  as  sole  pro- 
prietor conducted  the  store  until  1894,  when  he 
sold  to  his  brother,  Edward..  Meanwhile,  how- 
ever, Mr.  Flower  had  become  convinced  that  Mab- 
ton  was  a  fine  business  location  and  in  1892  had 
opened  a  store  and  warehouse  at  that  station. 
The  increase  of  his  business  interests  there  was  so 
great  that  in  1895  he  removed  to  that  place  in  or- 
der to  give  matters  his  personal  attention.  In 
1900  he  added  a  lumber  yard  to  his  other  inter- 
ests and  in  April,  1902,  the  family  became  more 
deeply  interested  in  Mabton  by  reason  of  Mrs. 
Flower  and  A.  J.  Humphrey  buying  the  townsite, 
consisting  of  four  hundred  and  forty  acres,  from  the 
Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company.  Thus  has  Mr. 
Flower's  family  become  prominently  identified  with 
Mabton 's  history.  He  has  two  brothers,  Charles  and 
Edward,  and  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Eliza  McCredy  and 
Mrs.  Rosamond  Story,  living  at  Bickleton ;  and 
two  other  brothers,  Fred  and  Philip,  living  in  Il- 
linois ;  and  his  brother,  Harry,  and  sister,  Mrs. 
Alice  Bristow,  live  in  Portland. 

Mr.  Flower  was  married,  January  17,  1897,  in 
Yakima  county,  to  Mrs.  Amy  M.  Beckett,  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Lee,  natives  and  resi- 
dents of  England.  Amy  Lee  was  born  in  England, 
but  came  to  Canada  when  a  child  and  was  there 
educated  and  married  to  Philip  Beckett.  He  lived 
until  1894,  leaving  the  following  children:  Rich- 
ard, born  in  1887;  Philline,  1891,  and  Bruce,  born 
in  Washington,  1893.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Flower  has  been  brightened  by  four  children,  all 
of  whom  were  born  at  Mabton  and  are  living : 
Camillus,  December  10,  1897 ;  Herman  K,  June  10, 
1899;  Alfred,  May  14,  1901,  and  Joseph  A.  April  14, 
1903.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Flower  is  affiliated  with 
the  Masons  and  the  Ancient  Order  of  United 
Workmen.  Politically,  he  is  an  active  Republican 
and  is  at  present  serving  as  a  United  States  court 
commissioner.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Methodist  church.  In  school  matters 
Mr.  Flower  is  also  prominent,  having  served  as  a 
director  of  the  Mabton  district  since  he  came  to 
the  town.  Besides  his  town  interests,  he  owns 
three  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  just  outside 
the  townsite.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Flower  are  highly 
•esteemed  socially,  and  as  a  pioneer,  substantial 
citizen  of  integrity  and  an  able  man  of  affairs,  Mr. 
Flower  is  respected  by  all. 


JOSEPH  F.  KUNZ,  residing  a  mile  and  a 
half  east  of  Sunnyside  upon  one  of  the  fine  farms 
of  the  valley,  was  born  in  Germany,  April  7,  1854, 
the  son  of  Jacob  and  Anna  M.  (Degenhart)  Kunz. 
Jacob  Kunz  was  born  in  Germany  in  1819,  be- 
came a  pioneer  of  southeast  Wisconsin  in   1858, 


and  was  there  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death 
in  1880.  Anna  M.  Kunz  was  born  in  Bavaria, 
August  4,  1824;  she  died  in  1898.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  four  years  old  when  he  was 
brought  to  Wisconsin  and  in  that  state  received 
his  education,  attending  the  school  in  district 
No.  4,  Waukesha  county,  in  the  last  few  years 
only  during  the  winters.  Between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  twenty-one  he  assisted  his  father  on 
the  farm,  then  entering  a  blacksmith  shop  as  an 
apprentice.  He  worked  as  an  apprentice  two 
years,  at  the  end  of  that  time  being  in  possession 
of  his  trade  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  dol- 
lars in  cash,  his  start  in  the  world.  Two  years  he 
worked  on  a  farm,  and  in  December,  1881,  opened 
a  shop  in  Big  Bend,  Wisconsin,  which  he  con- 
ducted nearly  four  years.  Selling  this  establish- 
ment in  1885,  he  came  to  the  northwestern  part 
of  Wisconsin  and  farmed  for  four  years.  In  the 
fall  of  1888  he  became  a  resident  of  Yakima 
county,  still  continuing  to  farm.  Three  years 
later,  in  December,  he  filed  upon  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  near  the  site  of  Sunnyside,  and  the 
November  following  began  in  earnest  to  improve 
the  place,  removing  his  family  thereon.  Steadily 
and  vigorously  this  work  has  gone  forward  until 
Mr.  Kunz  now  has  his  whole  farm,  eighty  acres, 
all  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 

He  was  married  in  Wisconsin,  December  14, 
1882,  to  Miss  Susan  W.  Darling,  a  native  of  Wis- 
consin, born  May  6,  1861.  Her  parents,  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  (Purves)  Darling,  are  Scotch,  born 
in  Scotland  in  1830  and  1840  respectively.  They 
are  still  living  in  Wisconsin,  the  father  being  a  re- 
tired farmer.  Mr.  Kunz  has  four  brothers:  Lut- 
drig  and  Andrew  E..  Parker  Bottom;  William,  in 
Yakima;  Frederick  and  Anna  M.,  residents  of 
Wisconsin.  Lutdrig  is  a  hotel  man,  the  other 
brothers  farmers.  Mrs.  Kunz  has  three  sisters: 
Mrs.  Elizabeth  Yahrmark,  Mrs.  Christina  I.  Cole 
and  Mary  C.  Christison,  and  two  brothers.  John 
W.  and  William  T..  all  living  in  Wisconsin.  Will- 
iam T.  Darling  is  principal  of  the  Florence.  Wis., 
schools.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kunz  have  five  children, 
all  at  home;  Frantz  T.,  born  December  4,  1883; 
William  W.,  Tanuarv  30,  1886;  Christian  J..  Janu- 
ary 8,  1890; 'and  Fred,  September  14.  1891,  the 
first  two  born  in  Wisconsin,  the  remaining  two 
in  Yakima  countv.  One  daughter,  Edith  A.,  born 
in  Wisconsin,  Se'ptember  17.  1887,  died  February 
8,  1896.  Mr.  Kunz  is  a  public-spirited  citizen, 
and  as  such  takes  an  active  interest  in  political  af- 
fairs, his  sympathies  being  with  the  Republicans. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Congre- 
gational church.  Mr.  Kunz  has  ten  acres  of  or- 
chard, the  balance  of  his  farm  being  in  hay.  A  fine 
eleven-room  house  serves  as  a  residence.  As  a 
man  who  commands  the  respect  and  esteem  of 
his  fellow  men.  a  man  of  integrity  and  stability  and 


730 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


a  successful  farmer,  Mr.  Kunz    is    known    to    the 
community. 


EDWARD  J.  EIDEMILLER  is  one  of  Mab- 
ton's  energetic  young  business  men  who  has 
charge  of  the  North  Yakima  Milling  Company's 
warehouse  at  that  point.  As  Mabton  is  one  of  the 
best  shipping  points  for  its  size  on  the  Cascade 
division  of  the  Northern  Pacific,  Mr.  Eidemiller 
has  the  management  of  important  business  inter- 
ests which  require  ability,  energy  and  honesty  in 
no  small  degree.  Of  German  descent,  his  parents 
being  George  and  Hanna  (Huck)  Eidemiller,  na- 
tives of  Germany,  the  son  Edward  himself  was 
born  in  Dubuque  county,  Iowa,  October  6,  1874, 
and  was  there  educated  in  the  public  schools.  His 
father  came  to  the  United  States  in  1846  at  the  age 
of  twelve,  making  his  home  for  three  years  in 
Philadelphia.  In  1849  ne  went  to  Iowa  and  was 
there  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  until  1889, 
when  he  came  west  to  Seattle.  After  a  five  years' 
residence  in  the  Sound  metropolis,  Mr.  Eidemiller 
took  his  family  to  Mabton,  of  which  place  he  is  at 
present  a  resident.  Mrs.  Eidemiller  came  to  the 
United  States  when  only  five  years  old  and  was 
married  to  Mr.  Eidemiller  in  Iowa. 

In  Seattle  the  subject  of  this  sketch  learned 
bookkeeping  and  otherwise  prepared  himself  to 
enter  mercantile  pursuits.  The  year  1894  wit- 
nessed his  arrival  in  Mabton,  then  only  a  hamlet, 
but  he  did  not  tarry  there  long,  immediately  go- 
ing to  Sunnyside.  After  a  year's  labor  there  he 
engaged  in  work  for  W.  H.  Babcock  on  Eureka 
Flat,  with  whom  he  remained  three  years.  The 
next  two  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  the  sheep 
business.  In  1901  he  was  occupied  in  farming  at 
Byron  and  the  year  following  he  worked  in  the 
street  car  service  of  Seattle.  However,  in  March, 
1903,  he  accepted  his  present  position  and  since 
that  time  has  been  a  resident  of  Mabton.  Success 
is  crowning  his  efforts  and  he  is  rapidly  becoming 
recognized  as  a  capable  young  business  man  with 
bright  prospects  before  him.  Mr.  Eidemiller  is 
connected  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World  and 
the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen,  and  is  a 
communicant  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  is  a 
firm  believer  in  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party  and  a  supporter  of  President  Roosevelt.  His 
property  interests  consist  of  a  homestead  two  and 
one-half  miles  south  of  Mabton  and  four  valuable 
town  lots.  Mr.  Eidemiller  is  fortunate  in  having 
a  host  of  warm  personal  friends  and  well  wishers. 


HORATIO  E.  CROSNO,  farmer  and  stock- 
man, living  in  the  Ahtanum  valley,  was  ushered 
into  this  world  in  the  historic  town  of  Vancouver, 
Washington,  August  31,  iP65,  to  the  union  of  Will- 
iam P.  and  Frances  (Smith)  Crosno.    His  parents 


were  both  natives  of  Jefferson  county,  Illinois,  and 
had  traveled  the  long,  tedious  trip  from  their  na- 
tive state  to  Washington,  with  ox  teams,  only 
two  years  prior  to  the  birth  of  Horatio,  their  first 
child,  and  had  taken  up  land  with  a  view  to  making 
a  permanent  home  in  the  new  country  of  their  adop- 
tion. But,  not  being  fully  satisfied  with  the  condi- 
tions there,  they  sold  their  right  to  the  land  and  in 
1869  moved  up  to  Yakima  county,  and  settled  in 
the  valley  of  Ahtanum.  Here  they  took  land  again 
and  once  more  started  to  make  a  home.  Less  than 
six  years  from  their  settlement  the  mother  passed 
away.  She  was  the  first  white  woman  to  settle  in 
the  Ahtanum  valley.  Here  the  father  continued  to 
reside  until  1895,  when  he  too  passed  to  the  great 
unknown.  The  subject  of  this  article  came  to  the 
Ahtanum  valley  with  his  parents  when  but  three 
years  of  age,  and  was  brought  up  on  the  old  home- 
stead, working  for  his  father  in  farming  and  stock 
raising  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one.  He 
then  filed  on  a  tract  of  land  in  the  valley,  moved 
upon  the  property  and  improved  it.  He  made  this 
his  home  for  six  years,  and  then  rented  other  farms, 
among  others  his  father's,  on  which  latter  place  he 
was  living  at  the  time  of  the  father's  death  in  1895. 
The  horr.e  place  was  then  divided,  and  he  continued 
to  live  upon  his  tract  of  land  until  1903,  raising 
stock  and  farming.  In  March  of  that  year  he  leased 
for  a  period  of  five  years  a  four  hundred  acre  tract, 
and  has  engaged  in  farming  on  an  extensive  scale,. 
and  in  a  diversified  manner.  He  was  married  July 
8,  1898,  in  the  Ahtanum  valley  to  Miss  Lydia  Min- 
ner,  daughter  of  William  H.  Minner  and  Harriet 
J.  (Shamp)  Minner,  pioneers  in  Yakima  county. 
Mrs.  Crosno  was  born  in  Willamette  valley,  Ore- 
gon, in  1869,  and  came  to  Washington  in  1876 
with  her  parents.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Julia,  Mrs.  Jennie  Lyle,  Mrs.  Carrie  Morrison  and 
Mrs.  Nora  Claler,  all  of  whom  live  in  Yakima 
county  but  the  latter.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Crosno's  chil- 
dren are:  Emmett,  Newell,  Ruth  F..  Mabel  J.  and 
Purdy  B.  Mr.  Crosno  is  a  Democrat.  Fraternally, 
he  is  connected  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  the  wife 
is  a  member  of  the  Circle.  He  owns  seven  hundred 
acres  of  timber  and  grazing  land,  with  a  fine  herd 
of  cattle,  principally  Durham,  and  is  operating  a 
lara:e  dairy. 


HENRY  C.  YARNER.     One  of  the  most  fa- 

vorably  known  and  prosperous  farmers  living  in  the    j 

Sunnyside  district,  his  residence  being  three  miles    > 


and  a  half  northeast  of  Mabton,  is  the  Klickitat 
pioneer  of  whom  we  write.  For  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury he  has  made  his  home  on  the  eastern  slope  of 
the  Cascades,  coming  to  this  section  in  December, 
1878,  from  Colorado.  His  first  location  was  near 
Bickleton,  where  he  filed  timber  culture  and  pre- 
emption claims.     Upon  this  ranch  he  was  engaged 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  1890,  when  he 
made  a  trip  to  Fairhaven.  In  the  spring  of  1891 
he  came  to  Yakima  county  and  took  a  homestead 
claim,  which  is  his  present  home.  Mr.  Varner  is  a 
native  of  West  Virginia,  born  January  15,  1855,  to 
Ashbury  and  Phoebe  (Davis)  Varner,  both  natives 
of  Pennsylvania.  Both  paternal  and  maternal  an- 
cestors for  several  generations  were  pioneers  of  the 
Atlantic  coast,  the  grandparents  of  western  Penn- 
sylvania. Ashbury  Varner  and  his  wife  were  a 
remarkable  couple  in  that  he  lived  to  the  goodly  age 
of  ninety-eight  and  she  to  the  age  of  ninety-three. 
He  was  of  Irish  extraction.  Henry  C.  was  reared 
upon  his  father*s  farm  in  West  Virginia,  obtaining 
a  fair  education.  When  he  was  twenty  years  old 
he  taught  a  term  of  school  in  Virginia.  March  6, 
1876,  witnessed  his  departure  from  the  old  home 
and  the  beginning  of  a  journey  to  Iowa.  In  that 
state  he  farmed  for  two  years,  or  until  1878,  when 
he  went  farther  west  to  Colorado,  and  there  lived 
until  he  immigrated  to  Washington. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Pauline  McCredy, 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Beaman)  Mc- 
Credy, of  Bickleton,  in  that  town  in  1887.  Her 
parents  are  natives  of  Ohio  and  Missouri  respect- 
ively, and  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1853, 
where  they  lived  until  their  removal  to  Klickitat 
county  in  1880.  The  mother  died  in  1894.  Pauline 
McCredy  was  born  in  Missouri,  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Oregon,  and  was  married  to 
Mr.  Varner  when  she  was  thirty-four  years  old.  To 
this  marriage  were  born  two  children :  Luella  M., 
at  Bickleton,  November  10,  1888,  and  George  S., 
in  Yakima  county,  in  1892,  both  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing. In  1897,  alter  the  dissolution  of  his  first 
marriage  ties,  Mr.  Varner  married  Airs.  Mary 
Young.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John  and  Sarah 
(Conway)  Fhelps,  natives  of  New  York  state.  The 
father  removed  to  Iowa  in  i860,  and  in  1875  be- 
came a  resident  of  Kansas,  his  death  occurring 
there.  He  was  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Mrs.  Var- 
ner was  born  in  Iowa,  1866,  and  there  attended 
school,  and  was  married  to  Mark  Young,  five  chil- 
dren resulting  from  the  union,  all  of  whom  are  liv- 
ing with  their  mother :  Frank,  born  January  29, 
1882;  Lloyd  P.,  January  22,  1884;  Fred  S.,  No- 
vember 14,  1885;  Jessie  M.,  November  14,  1890, 
and  William  H.,  April  6,  1893.  Mr.  Varner  is  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  lodge  at  Goldendale. 
and  is  a  trustee  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  On 
political  questions  he  has  taken  his  stand  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  has  served  Bickleton  as 
constable  for  six  years,  and  Klickitat  county  as  a 
deputy  sheriff.  Mr.  Varner  owns  one  hundred  and 
ninety  acres  of  land,  all  under  the  Sunnyside  canal. 
One  hundred  acres  are  raising  hundreds  of  tons  of 
alfalfa  each  season,  five  acres  are  devoted  to  timo- 
thy and  clover,  two  acres  raise  timothy,  a  quarter  of 
an  acre  is  set  out  in  all  kinds  of  berries,  and  the 
balance  of  the  ranch  is   plow   land.     Mr.    Varner 


also  owns  about  thirty  head  of  neat  cattle,  mostly 
beef  steers,  and  seventeen  horses.  He  is  a  success- 
ful ranchman  and  business  man,  and  is  highly  re- 
spected as  a  man  of  integrity  and  a  good  citizen. 


FREDERICK  MIDEKE,  who  resides  on 
his  farm  six  miles  northeast  of  Mabton,  was  born 
in  Freeport,  Illinois,  in  the  year  1869,  the  son  of 
Frederick  and  Caroline  (Erthman)  Mideke.  His 
parents  were  born  in  Germany,  the  father  immi- 
grating to  America  in  the  early  forties  and  set- 
tling in  Illinois.  Six  weeks  after  the  birth  of 
Frederick  junior,  his  mother  died;  the  father  lived 
until  1887.  .  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade.  The 
younger  Frederick  is  one  of  nine  children  and 
lived  upon  the  farm  with  his  father  until  the  age 
of  eighteen.  At  that  time  he  went  to  Nebraska 
and  worked  upon  his  brother's  place  for  two  years. 
In  1889  he  went  to  Wyoming;  thence  to  Idaho, 
where  he  worked  on  the  Union  Pacific  three 
months  and  later  in  the  mines ;  and  in  the  fall 
came  to  Washington,  stopping  first  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  country.  In  1890  he  settled  upon  a  home- 
stead two  miles  northeast  of  Mabton,  residing 
thereon  seven  years.  During  this  period  he 
worked  for  various  parties  including  T.  S.  Phil- 
lips and  T.  Beckner.  During  the  year  1898  he 
worked  in  the  lumber  woods  near  Easton,  return- 
ing in  1899  arRl  pura«?sing  the  farm  upon  which 
he  now  resides.  Mrs.  Grace  McComb  became  his 
bride  at  North  Yakima,  in  1901.  Her  parents 
are  Abram  and  Eveline  (Reynolds)  Little,  natives 
of  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  respectively.  Mr. 
Little  immigrated  to  Kansas,  settling  at  Logan 
in  1880  and  there  followed  his  trade  as  a  stone 
mason  until  his  death  in  1887  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
four.  Mrs.  Little  is  now  living  in  Oregon  City, 
Oregon.  Mrs.  Mideke  was  born  in  Pennsylvania 
in  1878  and  went  with  her  parents  to  Kansas  two 
years  later.  She  became  the  wife  of  Jacob  S.  Mc- 
Comb in  1895,  one  child,  Velma,  born  August  24, 
1897,  resulting  from  the  marriage.  Mr.  McComb 
died  in  1899.  Two  children  have  been  born  to 
Mr.  and  Airs.  Mideke:  Henry,  August  [9,  [902, 
and  Walter,  October  1.  1903.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Mideke  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen 
and  the  Yeomen;  politically,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Socialist  party.  Of  his  fifty-five  acre  farm, 
twenty-five  are  in  alfalfa,  two  are  in  orchard,  two 
in  clover  and  timothy  and  the  balance  in  plow 
land.  Besides  this  land,  he  owns  the  homestead 
near  Mabton:  and  Mrs.  Mideke  owns  forty-five 
acres.  Mr.  Mideke  raises  quite  a  number  of  cat- 
tle, horses  and  hogs  and  is  counted  as  an  able 
farmer. 


LESTER   R.  SPENCER,    living     two     miles 
lorth  of  Bluelight,  is  a  Missourian  by  birth,  born 


732 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


December  7,  1866.  His  parents,  William  and  Be- 
linda (Proctor)  Spencer,  born  in  Ohio  and  Illinois 
respectively,  were  married  in  Missouri,  whither 
Mr.  Spencer  went  from  Ohio.  While  living  in 
Missouri  Mr.  Spencer  enlisted  in  the  Union  army 
and  fought  three  years  in  the  Civil  war.  After  a 
residence  on  Colorado,  he  settled  in  Walla  Walla 
in  1882  and  there  his  death  occurred.  The  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  a  Methodist  minister  who 
came  to  Illinois  in  an  early  day.  She  is  living  near 
North  Yakima.  Lester  R.  Spencer  was  fifteen 
years  old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Washington. 
After  a  short  school  attendance  in  Washington  he 
began  riding  the  range  for  H.  W.  Patterson,  for 
whom  he  worked  three  years.  In  1888  he  settled 
upon  the  homestead,  thirteen  miles  southwest  of 
Mabton.  In  addition  to  this  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  he  owns  an  eighty-acre  tract  adjoining 
on  the  west  and  a  quarter  section  of  fine  land  ad- 
joining the  homestead  on  the  southwest.  Of  this 
valuable  ranch  three  hundred  acres  are  in  cultiva- 
tion. 

Mr.  Spencer  entered  the  matrimonial  state  in 
1894,  the  ceremony  taking  place  in  Yakima  county, 
his  bride  being  Miss  Hattie  M.  Smith,  daughter 
of  Seaman  and  Charity  (Cooper)  Smith,  natives 
of  the  Buckeye  state.  Seaman  Smith  was  a  farmer 
by  occupation.  He  settled  in  Iowa  when  that  state 
was  sparsely  inhabited  and  in  1849  joined  the  mad 
rush  to  the  California  gold  fields,  making  the  trip 
by  mountain  and  plain.  After  a  considerable  ex- 
perience in  that  industry,  Mr.  Smith  returned  to 
Iowa.  In  1885  he  immigrated  to  Washington 
Territory  and  settled  in  the  Glade,  Yakima  county, 
where  he  died  in  1897.  ^rs-  Smith's  parents 
crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  conveyance  to  Walla 
Walla  in  1865  and  there  lived  until  their  deaths. 
She  was  married  to  Mr.  Smith  in  Missouri.  Mrs. 
Spencer  was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Iowa,  in 
1870,  and  received  her  education  in  Iowa  and 
Yakima  count)-.  Since  she  was  fifteen  years  old 
she  has  resided  in  Washington.  The  home  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Spencer  has  been  blessed  by  two  chil- 
dren, namely,  Harry  L.,  whose  birthday  was  Jan- 
uary 16,  1897,  and  Bertha  H.,  born  March  19, 
1902.  Both  husband  and  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  denomination.  He  is  a  stead- 
fast Republican.  Besides  general  farming,  Mr. 
Spencer  is  raising  some  stock,  owning  at  the  pres- 
ent time  twenty-five  head  of  cattle  and  twenty 
head  of  horses.  Both  himself  and  wife  command 
the  friendship  and  best  wishes  of  all  with  whom 
they  are  associated,  while  Mr.  Spencer  is  looked 
upon  as  a  citizen  of  influence,  commendable  char- 
acter and  substantial  attainments.  His  extensive 
ranch  is  one  of  the  finest  in  that  section  of  the 
country  and  is  a  credit  to  the  man  who  has  thus 
redeemed  the  wilderness. 


CHRISTIAN  MILLER,  a  prosperous  young 
farmer,  living  in  the  Glade  settlement  south  of 
Mabton,  is  one  of  the  most  popular  and  esteemed 
citizens  of  that  region  and  an  excellent  represen- 
tative of  the  type  of  men  which  is  transforming 
the  desert  wastes  of  Yakima  county  into  verdant 
fields  and  gardens.  Born  March  20,  1876,  upon 
the  Alpine  slopes  of  Switzerland,  whose  beauty 
and  grandeur  have  ever  been  an  inspiration  to  the 
Swiss,  the  love  of  freedom  and  liberty  is  inherent 
in  his  nature  and  he  finds  in  America  a  congenial 
atmosphere  not  unlike  that  of  his  native  land.  His 
parents,  Christian  and  Elise  (Jacot)  Miller,  also 
living  in  the  Glade,  are  of  Swiss  birth,  as  were 
the  ancestral  members  of  the  family.  In  1883  they 
left  Europe  to  found  a  new  home  on  American 
soil.  The  first  settlement  was  made  in  the  state  of 
Illinois,  where  the  family  lived  until  1890.  Then 
the  father  decided  to  immigrate  to  the  far  North- 
west, and  in  that  year  came  to  his  present  home 
in  Yakima  county.  He  is  one  of  the' successful 
farmers  and  respected  citizens  of  the  Glade.  Hav- 
ing secured  a  fair  common  school  education  in 
Illinois  and  Yakima  county,  Christian  began  rid- 
ing the  range  at  the  age  of  fifteen  and  was  so 
employed  bv  his  father  and  other  stockmen  until 
he  arrived  at  his  majority.  Then  he  filed  upon  his 
homestead  and  has  since  devoted  himself  to  farm- 
ing. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  February  20,  1900,  to 
Miss  Leutta  Donoho,  daughter  of  James  S.  and 
Elizabeth  ( Dunnigan )  Donoho,  residents  of  the 
Glade,  whose  biographies  will  be  found  elsewhere 
in  this  book.  The  father  was  born  in  Missouri, 
crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in  1875,  was  there 
married  and  lived  until  he  came  to  Washington 
in  1887  and  settled  upon  his  place  in  the  Glade. 
Mrs.  Donoho  was  born  in  California,  where  also, 
in  1883,  Leutta  Donoho  came  into  the  world.  She 
received  her  education  in  the  schools  of  Yakima 
and  Klickitat  counties  and  was  married  at  the  age 
of  eighteen.  One  child  has  blessed  the  union  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller.  Dell,  born  December  10, 
1 901,  in  Yakima  county.  Mr.  Miller  is  an  ardent 
Republican  and  takes  an  interest  in  all  public  mat- 
ters. His  original  one  hundred  and  sixty-acre 
farm  has  been  increased  to  a  fine  ranch  of  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres,  of  which  three  hundred 
and  fifty  are  in  cultivation  and  producing  as  only 
the  fertile  plateaus  of  that  section  can.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Miller  command  the  esteem  of  many  loyal 
friends  and  the  best  wishes  of  all  who  come  into 
association  with  them. 


LEWIS  H.  SHATTUCK.  residing  seven 
miles  northeast  of  Bickleton,  in  Yakima  county, 
though  born  in  California,  has  spent  most  of  his 
life  in  Yakima  and  Klickitat  counties  and  is  a 
well    known   pioneer    stockman   of    that     section. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


733 


He  was  born  February  19,  1869,  in  Lake  county, 
to  the  union  of  Dickson  P.  and  Nancy  (Bones) 
Shattuck,  natives  of  Mississippi  and  Missouri,  re- 
spectively. Dickson  P.  Shattuck  was  born  in  1829, 
went  to  California  in  1849,  v'a  tne  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  and  there  engaged  in  farming,  stock  rais- 
ing and  mining.  Subsequently  he  lived  a  short 
time  in  Mexico,  but  in  1880  removed  to  Klickitat 
county,  Washington,  where  he  settled  upon  gov- 
ernment land  six  miles  south  of  Bickleton.  He 
now  resides  three  miles  north  of  that  town.  The 
date  of  Mrs.  Shattuck's  birth  was  April  24,  1841, 
She  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  parents  as  a 
girl  of  eight  years  and  married  Mr.  Shattuck  May 
13,  1858;  she  also  is  living.  Lewis  H.  Shattuck 
was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  California, 
though  he  left  that  state  when  only  eleven  years 
old.  Between  that  age  and  twenty-one,  he  rode 
the  range  for  his  father  and  other  stockmen,  but 
in  1 89 1  he  commenced  farming  in  Yakima  and 
Klickitat  counties.  In  1894  he  settled  upon  a 
homestead  near  Mabton  and  lived  there  five  years. 
Last  year  Mr.  Shattuck  purchased  the  place  upon 
which  he  now  lives,  having  formed  a  liking  for  it 
while  leasing  it  in  1889. 

Mr.  Shattuck  and  Miss  Hattie  B.  Wommack 
were  united  in  marriage  at  Bickleton  in  1890,  she 
being  the  daughter  of  William  L.  and  Matilda 
(Renner)  Wommack,  pioneers  of  Klickitat 
county.  Mr.  Wommack  is  a  native  of  Greene 
county,  Illinois,  born  in  1841,  and  lived  succes- 
sively in  Kansas,  Colorado,  Utah  and  Idaho  be- 
fore coming  to  Washington  in  1882.  Mrs.  Wom- 
mack was  born  in  Missouri  and  married  in  Il- 
linois at  the  age  of  nineteen.  Mr.  Wommack 
now  resides  at  Mabton,  but  Mrs.  Wommack 
has  been  dead  for  several  years.  Missouri  is 
the  birthplace  of  Mrs.  Shattuck,  and  1872  the 
year  of  her  birth.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shattuck 
have  three  children ;  Louis  S.,  born  in  Yak- 
ima county,  October  30,  1893;  Reta,  born  in 
Yakima  county,  November  26,  1895;  and  Bertha, 
born  in  Klickitat  county,  September  22,  1901. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Shattuck  is  affiliated  with  the 
Yeoman  of  America;  politically,  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican. Altogether,  he  owns  four  hundred  acres  of 
valuable  land  in  Yakima  and  Klickitat  counties, 
of  which  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  are  in  cul- 
tivation. He  has  one  of  the  best  small  orchards 
in  that  region.  Mr.  Shattuck  has  amply  demon- 
strated his  business  qualifications  and  is  recognized 
as  a  man  of  sterling  worth  and  influence  in  the 
community. 


CHARLES  W.  GIBBONS,  an  energetic  Yak- 
ima county  farmer,  resides  on  his  ranch  two  miles 
north  and  two  miles  east  of  Bluelight  postoffice, 
in  the  state  of  Washington.  He  was  born  in 
Arkansas   in    1862,   the   son   of  James   and   Maria 


(Price)  Gibbons.  His  father  was  of  English  birth, 
and  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer.  He  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1846  and  settled  in  New 
York  City,  where  his  home  was  for  the  ensuing 
four  years.  He  moved  westward  to  Indiana  in 
1850  and  to  Arkansas  in  1856,  the  latter  trip  be- 
ing made  overland  by  team.  He  was  married  in 
the  old  country,  where  for  some  time  he  served  as 
a  police  officer  in  one  of  the  numerous  stations  in 
Ireland,  having  been  appointed  to  that  position 
by  friends  in  England.  A  Civil  war  soldier,  he 
.was  the  holder  of  a  commission  as  captain  on  May 
22,  1S64,  when  he  was  killed  during  an  engage- 
ment with  Confederate  forces.  His  wife,  Maria, 
was  a  native  of  Ireland.  Married  at  the  age  of 
seventeen,  she  became  the  mother  of  nine  children. 
At  present  she  resides  in  Pratt  county,  Kansas. 

Charles  W.  Gibbons,  the  subject  of  this  re- 
view, received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Kansas,  his  mother  having  removed  to 
that  state  shortly  after  his  father's  death,  which 
occurred  when  Mr.  Gibbons  was  but  two  years 
old.  He  remained  at  home  with  his  mother  un- 
til twenty-eight  and  in  1886  took  her  with  him  on 
a  trip  abroad,  the  two  remaining  across  the  water 
for  a  period  of  eight  months.  On  his  return  he 
again  settled  in  Kansas,  whence,  in  1895,  he  drove 
overland  to  Oregon,  the  trip  consuming  three 
months.  He  followed  farming  in  the  Willamette 
valley  for  six  years,  then  came  to  Yakima  county 
and  filed  on  his  present  homestead,  sixty  acres 
of  which  he  has  already  placed  in  cultivation. 

In  the  state  of  Kansas  in  the  year  1890,  Mr. 
Gibbons  married  Mrs.  Nellie  Donohew,  whose 
father  was  William  F.  Foster,  a  native  of  New 
York  state  and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Mr.  Fos- 
ter removed  to  Pennsylvania  when  quite  young 
and  followed  farming  there  for  several  years.  In 
1871  he  changed  his  residence  to  Illinois  and  after 
seven  years  spent  in  that  state  he  again  moved, 
this  time  going  to  Kansas,  where  he  lived  for  nine- 
teen years.  In  1897  ne  came  westward  to  Califor- 
nia, of  which  state  he  is  still  a  resident.  He  is  of 
English  lineage  and  a  direct  descendant  of  the 
Fosters  who  came  to  this  land  in  the  Mayflower  in 
the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Mrs. 
Foster,  whose  maiden  name  was  Lucy  L.  Coe, 
was  likewise  born  in  New  York  state. 

But  to  return  to  Mrs.  Gibbons — she  was  born 
in  Illinois  in  1872  and  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Kansas,  to  which  state  she  came  with 
her  parents  when  seven  years  old.  She  was  mar- 
ried to  her  first  husband,  J.  B.  Donohew,  in  1887, 
but  he  only  lived  three  months,  and  she  married 
her  present  husband  a  year  later.  She  and  Mr. 
Gibbons  are  parents  of  five  children,  of  whom 
Eunice  Gibbons,  born  in  Kansas,  November  17, 
1891,  is  the  oldest.  Ralph  F.,  next  of  age.  was 
born  in  the  same  state  two  years  later  and  Maria 
A.  was  born  on  the  24th  of  October,  1894.     Don- 


734 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


aid  E.  and  Donna  E.,  twins,  are  natives  of  the 
Willamette  valley,  Oregon,  born  April  II,  1898. 
Mr.  Gibbons  takes  great  interest  in  church  work, 
being  at  present  time  steward  of  the  Methodist 
church  in  his  neighborhood  and  superintendent  of 
its  Sunday  school.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen,  and 
in  politics,  a  Republican.  Energetic  and  success- 
ful in  business,  and  in  all  the  relations  of  life, 
"four-square  to  every  breeze,"  all  his  neighbors 
and  associates  are  his  friends. 


EUGENE  L.  MACE  is  one  of  the  substantial 
farmers  residing  in  the  Glade,  twelve  miles  south- 
west of  Mabton.  He  is  one  of  Washington's  pio- 
neers, also,  having  come  to  this  state  with  his  par- 
ents in  1873,  and  resided  here  since  that  time. 
Mr.  Mace  was  born  July  18,  1867,  in  Iowa,  his 
parents  being  John  C.  and  Mary  J.  (Holbrook) 
Mace.  The  father  was  a  native  of  Ohio,  the  year 
of  his  birth  being  1842.  He  went  to  Iowa  when 
a  boy.  When  he  came  to  Washington  he  drove  to 
Omaha,  rode  by  train  to  Utah,  and  drove  the  re- 
mainder of  the  journey  to  Walla  Walla.  His 
death  occurred  there  in  1877.  Mary  (Holbrook) 
Mace,  who  is  still  living  in  Walla  Walla,  was  born 
in  Vermont  in  1843,  ar,d  was  married,  when 
twenty-three  years  old,  in  Iowa.  For  several  years 
previous  to  her  marriage  she  taught  school.  Mr. 
Mace  was  of  English  descent;  his  wife  of  German 
extraction.  Eugene  L.  Mace  remained  at  home 
until  he  was  fifteen  years  old,  then  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  R.  Webb  as  a  range  rider.  For  five  years 
he  continued  at  this  work,  meanwhile  accumulat- 
ing a  small  herd  of  cattle  of  his  own;  then  he 
rented  his  mother's  farm  and  followed  farming 
and  stock  raising  there  until  the  spring  of  1891. 
At  that  time  he  came  to  Yakima  county  and  set- 
tled in  the  Glade,  the  date  of  his  filing  being  189 1. 
He  has  been  successful  in  his  undertakings  and 
now  owns  four  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  fine 
land,  of  which  half  a  section  is  under  cultivation, 
also  a  band  of  fifty  horses,  and  other  stock. 

Mr.  Mace  was  married  at  The  Dalles,  Decem- 
ber 14.  1902,  to  Miss  Saloma  Leminger.  Her  par- 
ents are  John  and  Saloma  ( Fenney )  Leminger,  now 
residing  at  The  Dalles.  Both  father  and  mother 
were  born  in  Ohio  and  were  there  married.  After 
a  residence  in  Indiana  and  Nebraska,  in  1894.  the 
family  came  to  The  Dalles.  Mr.  Leminger  is  of 
German  descent.  Mrs.  Mace  is  a  native  of  Mer- 
cer county,  Ohio,  born  in  1873,  and  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  Indiana.  One  child  has 
blessed  this  union,  Lois  W.,  born  September  25, 
1903.  Mr.  Mace  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America  and  in  political  affairs  is 
associated  with  the  Republican  party.  Both  he 
and  his  wife  are  fortunate  in  possessing  a  host  of 
warm  friends  and   Mr.  Mace  has  won  for  himself 


an   enviable  position    among    the    citizenry  of  his 
community. 


ABRAHAM  L.  DILLEY.  Twelve  years  of 
faithful  service  as  an  officer  of  the  law  in  Yakima 
county  as  sheriff,  deputy  sheriff  and  United  States 
marshal  stand  to  the  credit  of  the  subject  of  this 
biography — a  record  in  itself  sufficient  to  give  him 
prominence  in  the  county's  history.  Aside  from 
this,  however,  Mr.  Dilley  is  an  1877  pioneer, 
and  is  a  popular,  influential  citizen,  well  known 
from  the  headwaters  of  the  Yakima  to  its  mouth 
and  from  the  Columbia  to  the  British  line. 
The  son  of  Andrew  B.  and  Elizabeth  (MacKey) 
Dilley,  he  was  born  in  Marion  eounty,  Oregon, 
in  December,  1865.  The  elder  Dilley,  who  died 
in  1902,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania.  He  settled 
in  Iowa  when  a  young  man  and  thence  in  1863 
crossed  the  Plains  with  oxen  to  the  Willamette 
valley,  living  there  until  1877.  Then  he  came  to 
Washington  Territory  and  was  for  many  years  a 
resident  of  the  Ahtanum  valley.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  Nebraska.  The  mother  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  was  married  in  Pennsylvania,  ten  chil- 
dren being  born  to  this  union.  She  departed  this 
life  in  January,  1902.  Abraham  was  twelve  years 
old  when  his  parents  brought  him  to  the  Ahtanum 
home.  A  few  years  later,  having  secured  an  edu- 
cation in  the  district  schools,  he  took  up  the  life 
01  most  young  men  then  living  in  the  region — 
that  of  riding  the  range.  When  eighteen  years  old 
he  made  an  eighteen  months'  sojourn  in  the 
Sound  region,  then  returned  to  Yakima  county 
and  entered  the  industries  of  hop  and  cattle  rais- 
ing. He  was  thus  engaged  until  January,  1891, 
when  he  entered  Sheriff  Simmons'  office  and  served 
under  him  four  years.  In  1894,  as  the  candidate 
of  the  Republican  party,  he  was  elected  sheriff 
of  the  county  and  served  in  that  capacity  one  term. 
In  the  spring  of  1897  Mr.  Dilley  was  appointed 
deputy  United  States  marshal,  and  filled  the  posi- 
tion five  years  with  the  same  commendable  zeal 
and  ability  as  he  had  shown  while  in  the  sheriff's 
office.  Again  in  1902  he  was  nominated  by  the 
Republicans  for  sheriff,  but  was  defeated  in  a  sto- 
ring campaign  by  Sheriff  Grant.  The  following 
March  Mr.  Dilley  settled  upon  a  homestead  claim 
in  the  Glade,  where  he  has  since  resided,  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising. 

Sheriff  Dilley  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Ora  M.  Dustin.  of  Goldendale,  in  that  town  in 
1896.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Hiram  and  Rachel 
(  Smith  )  Dustin.  Mr.  Dustin  immigrated  to  the 
Northwest  from  his  native  state,  Iowa,  in  the  fif- 
ties, and  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law 
at  Goldendale.  Mrs.  Dustin  was  born  in  Ohio 
and  was  married  to  Mr.  Dustin  at  the  age  of  eight- 
een. Her  parents  were  pioneers  of  The  Dalles. 
Mrs.    Dustin   passed  out   of  life's   portal   while    a 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


735 


resident  of  Klickitat  county  in  1893.  In  Wash- 
ington county,  Oregon,  Mrs.  Dilley  was  born  in 
1875,  and  two  years  later  came  with  her  parents 
to  Klickitat  county,  where  she  received  her  educa- 
tion. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dilley  have  two  children :  Al- 
ger I.,  born  August  20,  1897,  and  Edna,  born 
April  3,  1902.  Sheriff  Dilley.  besides  being  prom- 
inent and  influential  in  political  affairs,  is  also  an 
active  lodge  man,  being  a  charter  member  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  in  North 
Yakima,  and  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  Both  himself 
and  Mrs.  Dilly  are  well  known  socially,  and  possess 
many  warm  friends.  They  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  church.  Mr.  Dilley's  prpperty  interests 
consist  of  his  homestead,  of  which  a  goodly  por- 
tion is  improved,  and  some  stock. 


CHARLES  H.  BRECKENRIDGE  is  one  of 
Yakima's  esteemed  and  successful  farmers,  who 
makes  his  home  in  the  well  known  Glade  settle- 
ment, fourteen  miles  southwest  of  Mabton.  He  is 
a  native  of  the  Buckeye  state,  born  in  1856,  to  the 
union  of  Andrew  and  Mahala  (Berfield)  Brecken- 
ridge. Andrew  Breckenridge  was  born  in  Canada 
and  came  to  Ohio  with  his  parents  when  a  boy. 
Having  married  one  of  its  daughters,  he  removed 
in  1865  to  Iowa,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits  until  his  death  in  the  spring  of 
1896.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  the  Union  army  and 
served  until  the  last  disloyal  gun  was  silenced. 
Mrs.  Breckenridge  is  still  living. 

LTntil  he  reached  man's  estate,  the  subject  of 
our  sketch  lived  on  his  father's  farm,  securing,  in 
the  local  schools,  a  fair  education ;  then  he  bought 
a  farm  and  cultivated  it  for  three  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  sold  out  and  engaged  in  rail- 
road work.  After  four  years'  experience  in  this 
line  he  went  to  Missouri  and  resumed  farming,  re- 
maining there  until  1897.  During  the  next  three 
years  he  tilled  a  farm  in  Nebraska,  but  the  year 
1900  found  him  in  Clarkston,  Washington.  The 
following  spring  he  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  his 
present  ranch  and  since  that  time  he  has  been  en- 
gaged in  farming,  stock  raising  and  locating 
homesteaders. 

In  1884,  while  a  resident  of  Missouri,  Mr. 
Breckenridge  married  Mrs.  Anna  King,  who  was 
formerly  the  wife  of  Samuel  King.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Sherfey)  Barlow, 
natives  of  Indiana  and  Tennessee,  respectively.  Her 
father  was  a  miller.  In  an  early  day  he  set- 
tled in  Missouri,  where  he  and  his  wife  resided 
until  death  claimed  them.  Four  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  King :  Arthur  S.,  Mrs.  Belle 
Noe,  Mrs.  Dora  Forman  and  Mrs.  Mollie  For- 
man,  the  last  three  of  whom  are  living  in  Yakima 
county.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brecken- 
ridge are  as  follows:  Andrew,  born  March  19, 
1885;  Archie   F.,    December   14,   1886;    Allen     J., 


August  13,  1890;  Jennie,  November  4,  1892;  Jes- 
sie, October  15,  1894;  Eula,  October  10,  1897; 
and  Fern,  May  30,  1899,  the  first  being  born  in 
Nebraska,  the  second  in  Kansas,  the  next  three 
in  Missouri  and  the  two  younger  in  Nebraska. 
Mr.  Breckenridge  is  affiliated  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen.  He  is  an  active  and  steadfast  Repub- 
lican and  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  quarter  section 
of  land  is  all  under  cultivation  and  is  a  substantial 
testimonial  to  the  industry  and  capabilities  of  its 
owner.  Mr.  Breckenridge  is  highly  respected  by 
those  who  know  him  and  is  a  man  of  excellent 
standing  in  the  community. 


ROBERT  DOROTHY.  Half  way  between 
Mabton  and  Bickleton  lies  the  well  known  Glade 
settlement,  a  farming  and  stock  raising  commu- 
nity, of  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  one  of 
the  earliest  pioneers,  and  his  family  the  first  to 
establish  a  home  there.  Mr.  Dorothy  came  to  the 
Glade  in  May,  1885,  taking  a  homestead  and  a 
timber  culture  claim.  About  the  same  time  four  or 
five  others  settled  in  this  little  valley.  For  many 
years  they  did  their  trading  at  Prosser,  twenty  miles 
distant,  Mabton  not  being  in  existence  then.  At 
first  these  settlers  devoted  most  of  their  attention  to 
stock  raising,  but  in  late  years  grain  has  been  the 
community's  principal  product,  in  the  raising  of 
which  Mr.  Dorothv  has  been  unusually  success- 
ful. 

Robert  Dorothy  was  born  January  10,  1855, 
near  Ottumwa,  Iowa,  a  son  of  Charles  and  Mar- 
garet (Way)  Dorothy.  Charles  Dorothy,  a  farmer 
and  stockman,  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1818,  to 
pioneers  of  that  state,  and  early  in  life  came  to 
Iowa,  settling  in  Wapato  county.  So  primitive 
were  conditions  on  that  frontier  at  the  time, 
he  used  a  horse  and  a  cow  as  a  team  with  which 
to  cultivate  his  land.  His  death  occurred  in  1878. 
Margaret  Way  was  born  in  1820,  in  Ohio:  she 
died  in  November,  1897.  The  father  was  of  Irish 
and  Scotch  descent.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  the  lad 
Robert  started  out  in  the  world,  first  working  for 
others  and  then  leasing  land.  He  bought  his  first 
pair  of  boots  with  money  earned  husking  corn  in 
a  field  where  the  snow  lay  a  foot  deep.  All  of  his 
first  earnings  were  divided  with  his  parents.  When 
the  Black  Hills  mining  excitement  swept  over  the 
country  it  caught  the  young  farmer  and  swept 
him  into  that  auriferous  region.  The  following 
spring  he  went  south  to  the  mines  just  north  of 
Denver.  His  father's  death  about  that  time 
called  him  home  and  there  he  was  married  and 
lived  for  a  short  time,  removing  thence  to  Andrew 
county.  Missouri.  Misfortune  met  him  there,  a 
flood  destroying  his  entire  crop  the  season  after 
his  arrival.  After  a  residence  of  a  year  and  a  half 
in   Cowley   county.   Kansas,    Mr.    Dorothy   decided 


736 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


to    remove    to   the    Northwest    and,    as    heretofore 
stated,  settled  in  Yakima  county. 

His  bride  November  4,  1880,  was  Miss  Sarah 
E.  Smith,  a  native  daughter  of  Monroe  county, 
Iowa,  born  in  1859.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  James  S.  Smith,  the  father  a  native  of 
Ohio,  and  one  of  Iowa's  frontier  farmers.  Mrs. 
Dorothy  has  one  brother,  Arza,  living  in  Yakima 
county,  and  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Hattie  Spencer  of 
Yakima  county,  and  Mrs.  Emma  Randall  of  Walla 
Walla.  Mr.  Dorothy's  brothers  and  sisters  are : 
Elias,  Nebraska;  William,  Henry  and  Enoch, 
Iowa;  Gibson,  Idaho;  Mrs.  Harriet  Barrow, 
Idaho;  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Barrow,  Missouri;  Mrs. 
Myra  Wintermote,  Nebraska;  and  Mrs.  Lavina 
Dale,  Iowa.  The  children  are :  Mrs.  Arlie  B.  Jacot, 
residing  in  the  Glade  ;  Ila  and  Ellis,  living  at  home. 
Mr.  Dorothy  is  a  member  of  Modern  Woodmen 
Camp,  No.  6,249,  of  Bickleton;  in  politics  he  is 
an  independent  voter,  lending  his  strength  to  the 
best  man  rather  than  to  the  party;  and  in  educa- 
tional matters,  he  has  always  been  and  is  devoted 
to  the  upbuilding  of  good  schools.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Glade  district  and  has 
served  on  the  board  since  its  establishment.  He 
and  his  wife  are  both  consistent  members  of  the 
Methodist  church  and  highly  esteemed  by  a  large 
circle  of  friends.  Among  Mr.  Dorothy's  experi- 
ences as  a  pioneer  in  the  Glade,  the  most  vivid 
in  his  memory  is  one  which  occurred  in  1887.  He 
was  in  the  mountains  fifteen  miles  from  home, 
engaged  in  cutting  fence  rails,  and  for  three  weeks 
saw  no  person  except  an  Indian.  His  wife  and 
one  child  remained  at  home  all  alone.  While  thus 
situated,  he  was  suddenly  taken  sick  and  after 
making  many  attempts  to  travel  and  failing,  was 
in  the  depths  of  despondency  when  he  was  found 
and  brought  out  by  a  settler  who  had  gone  to  the 
mountains  for  wood.  Mr.  Dorothy  owns  three 
hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  well  improved  land 
and  is  recognized  as  an  influential  man  of  ability 
and  integritv. 


WILLIAM  D.  HOISINGTON,  a  progressive 
farmer,  lives  about  three  miles  northeast  of  the 
town  of  Bickleton,  in  Yakima  county,  Washing- 
ton, on  the  farm  consisting  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  well  cultivated  land,  which  was 
homesteaded  by  Mrs.  Hoisington.  Near-by  is  Mr. 
Hoisington's  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres.  He  was  born  in  Ohio  on  January  28,  1871, 
the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Sessions)  Hoising- 
ton. His  father  was  an  Ohio  farmer,  of  German 
parentage,  and  a  Civil  war  veteran.  He  enlisted 
in  the  Second  Ohio  volunteers,  and  served  for 
three  years  and  a  half,  being  wounded  at  the  bat- 
tle of  Gettysburg,  and  for  three  months  obliged 
to  remain  in  one  of  the  army  hospitals.  He  is 
now  living  at  Woodstock,  Ohio.    His  mother  was 


also  a  native  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  and  the  mother 
of  four  children.  She  died  in  her  native  state 
when  her  son  was  seven  years  old.  He  attended 
the  schools  of  Ohio,  and  also  the  Idaho  State 
University,  and  upon  reaching  the  age  of 
eighteen,  took  up  the  molder's  trade  at  the  La- 
fayette Car  Works  in  his  state,  following  that 
vocation  for  two  years.  In  the  month  of  May, 
1889,  he  went  to  Pennsylvania,  and  after  a  short 
stay  made  a  trip  to  Alabama,  and  then  returned 
to  Ohio  and  followed  his  trade  for  the  next  two 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  re- 
moved to  Chillicothe,  Missouri,  and  became  in- 
terested with  some  stockmen  there,  passing  six 
months  in  that  business.  His  next  move  was  to 
Denver,  Colorado,  where  he  followed  freighting 
for  six  months,  then  went  to  Salt  Lake  City  and 
learned  the  brick  trade.  He  worked  at  this  for 
five  months  in  the  employ  of  W.  S.  Simpkins. 
The  succeeding  few  months  were  spent  in  travel- 
ing through  California  and  Oregon,  and  in  the 
latter  state  he  engaged  in  the  hop  business;  the 
fall  and  winter  of  the  same  year  being  spent  in 
the  timber  of  Oregon.  In  the  spring  of  1892  he 
put  in  a  brickyard  at  Brownsville,  Oregon,  and 
the  next  summer  ran  a  mill  in  Pullman,  Washing- 
ton. That  fall  he  removed  to  Kendrick,  Idaho, 
and  took  up  farming;  remaining  there  a  year, 
when  he  returned  to  Brownsville,  Oregon.  In 
the  fall  of  1895  he  moved  to  Yakima  county, 
Washington,  taking  up  a  homestead,  which  he  has 
since  farmed,  and  also  ran  sheep  for  Cunningham 
and  Smythe  during  that  period. 

He  was  married  on  December  13,  1900,  in 
Yakima  county,  to  Alice  Wattenbarger,  whose 
father,  Conrad,  was  a  Missouri  farmer,  crossing 
the  Plains  in  the  early  days  and  settling  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  is  now  living  at  Bickleton,  Washing- 
ton. Her  mother,  Mary  (Brophy)  Wattenbar- 
ger, was  a  native  of  California,  her  parents 
crossing  the  Plains  in  an  early  day  to  that  state. 
Mrs.  H.  was  born  July  31,  1877,  and  left  Cali- 
fornia for  Washington  when  three  years  old.  She 
was  educated  in  the  Bickleton  schools,  and  mar- 
ried at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  Mr.  Hoisington 
belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  politically  is  a  Repub- 
lican. Mrs.  Hoisington  is  a  member  of  the  Meth- 
odist church.  He  is  making  a  specialty  of  hog 
raising,  having  one  hundred  and  fifty  porkers  on 
the  ranch,  and  is  counted  one  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  of  the  locality. 


CHARLES  A.  BERNEY  is  a  prosperous  and 
well-to-do  farmer  of  Yakima  county,  living  two 
miles  northeast  of  Bluelight  postoffice,  and  own- 
ing a  large  farm  of  six  hundred  and  forty 
acres.  He  is  still  in  the  prime  of  life,  being 
born  on  November  16,  1863,  in  one  of  the  prov- 
inces of  Switzerland.      Charles    L.    Bernev,    his 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


father,  was  a  Swiss  watchmaker  and  well  versed 
in  his  craft,  dying-,  however,  at  the  age  of  forty- 
one  at  his  home  in  Switzerland.  Amedine 
(Rachet)  Berney,  his  mother,  was  also  a  native 
of  Switzerland,  of  French  Huguenot  parentage ; 
she  died  in  1866,  when  her  son  was  barely  three 
years  old.  Mr.  Berney  received  his  education  in 
the  schools  of  his  native  country,  also  learning 
farming  there,  and  when  nineteen  years  of  age 
crossed  the  Atlantic  and  came  to  Minnesota, 
where  he  spent  six  months.  In  December,  1883, 
he  went  to  Walla  Walla,  Washington.  Purchas- 
ing there  a  wagon  and  team,  he  continued  to 
Klickitat  county  and  settled  on  a  strip  of  railroad 
land.  He  lived  upon  it  only  a  short  time,  how- 
ever. Taking  up  in  earnest  the  stock  business, 
he  devoted  the  ensuing  twelve  or  fifteen  years 
to  raising  cattle,  horses  and  other  live  stock.  In 
1886,  he  filed  on  a  homestead  in  Yakima  county, 
which  he  abandoned  before  proving  up,  but  in 
1898  he  took  up  another,  upon  which  he  made 
final  proof  years  later.  This  land  has  all  been 
put  into  cultivation,  as  also  an  additional  half 
section  of  railroad  land,  which  he  bought  later. 
The  farm  includes  two  acres  of  fine  orchard. 

Mr.  Berney  was  married  in  Yakima  county  in 
J896  to  Laura  Miller.  His  father-in-law,  Chris- 
tian Miller,  is  a  Swiss  farmer  who  came  to  this 
country  in  1884,  settling  at  Rockford,  Illinois, 
and  living  there  until  the  spring  of  1890,  when 
he  moved  to  the  state  of  Washington.  He  is 
now  living-  in  the  Glade  district  of  Yakima 
county,  eleven  miles  northeast  of  the  city  of 
Bickleton.  Elizabeth  (Jacot)  Miller,  the  mother, 
was  also  of  Swiss  birth  and  was  married  in  her 
native  land.  Mrs.  Berney  was  born  in  Switzer- 
"ind,  February  15,  1875,  and  was  educated  there 
in  part,  though  she  completed  her  education  in 
the  schools  of  Rockford,  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Berney  have  two  sons,  Lovell  C.  and  Louis  A., 
born  on  November  1,  1898,  and  July  I,  1900,  re- 
spectively. Blanche  L.  Berney,  the  youngest 
child  and  only  daughter,  was  born  in  Yakima 
county,  December  10,  1901.  Mr.  Berney  has  suc- 
ceeded in  placing  over  four  hundred  acres  of  his 
land  under  cultivation,  and  besides  his  large 
orchard,  has  goodly  herds  of  various  kinds  of  live 
stock.  He  is  an  active  Republican  and  an  ex- 
school  director  of  his  district ;  well  thought  of  by 
his  neighbors,  and  a  man  of  excellent  character 
and  standing  in  the  community. 


ARTHUR  JACOT  is  a  popular  and  highly 
respected  young  Yakima  count}-  farmer,  living 
eleven  miles  southwest  of  Mabton  in  what  is 
known  as  the  Glade.  His  native  land  is  Switzer- 
land, where  he  was  born  in  1868,  and  among  its 
fertile  vales  and  rugged,  snow-crowned  crags,  in 
the  heart  of  the  Alps,  he  spent  his  early  years, 
""he  father,  David   Jacot,   was   also   a   native    of 


Swiczerland,  and  by  trade  was  a  watchmaker. 
He  died  when  Arthur  was  only  a  few  months  old. 
The  mother,  Elise  Jacot,  was  married  to  Mr. 
Jacot  when  seventeen  years  of  age.  After  his 
death  in  1869  she  was  married  to  Christ  Miller, 
and  .with  him  emigrated  from  her  native  land  to 
America.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  are  living  in  Yak- 
ima county  now.  Arthur  Jacot  received  a  good 
education  in  the  schools  of  Switzerland  and  at 
the  age  of  thirteen  was  apprenticed  to  the  watch- 
maker's trade.  Four  years  of  experience  in  his 
trade  satisfied  him  of  his  competency  and  he  de- 
cided to  come  to  the  United  States.  So,  in  1885, 
when  seventeen  years  old,  he  left  the  little  Eu- 
ropean republic  for  the  great  American  republic, 
settling  first  in  Illinois.  There  he  engaged  in 
farming  for  five  years,  having  left  his  trade  for 
agricultural  pursuits,  meeting  with  encouraging 
success.  In  1890,  he  came  to  Washington,  just 
admitted  as  a  state,  and  in  the  Glade  settled  upon 
a  homestead  and  timber  culture  claim,  where  he 
has  since  lived.  In  the  period  that  has  elapsed 
since  1890,  his  energy,  perseverance  and  skill 
have  transformed  the  erstwhile  half  section  of 
desert  into  a  well  improved  farm,  every  acre  of 
which  is  in  cultivation. 

Mr.  Jacot  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Arlie 
Dorothy,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Sarah  (Smith) 
Dorothy,  residents  of  the  Glade,  in  1900.  Mr. 
Dorothy  is  a  native  of  Iowa,  and  previous  to  com- 
ing to  Washington  territory  in  1884,  he  had  fol- 
lowed farming  in  Missouri  and  Kansas.  Subse- 
quently he  became  a  settler  in  the  Glade.  Mrs. 
Dorothy  is  also  an  Iowan,  her  parents  having 
been  pioneers  of  that  state.  She  was  married 
when  twenty-one  years  old.  Mrs.  Jacot  was 
born  in  Iowa  in  1881,  received  her  education  in 
the  schools  of  Yakima  county  and  was  eighteen 
years  of  age  when  married.  One  child,  Dorothy, 
born  April  1,  1903,  has  blessed  the  union.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Jacot  are  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  He  has  served  as  first  vice-president  of 
the  Epworth  League  and  is  regarded  as  an  active 
churchman.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America ;  politically, 
he  is  loyal  to  the  Republican  party  and  an  admirer 
of  President  Roosevelt.  Besides  his  fine  farm— 
a  monument  to  his  industry — Mr.  Jacot  owns 
thirteen  head  of  horses  and  a  number  of  fine 
cattle.  His  friends  are  numbered  by  the  score, 
as  are  also  the  friends  of  Mrs.  Jacot,  and  all  who 
come  in  contact  with  them  can  only  esteem  them 
and  wish  them  a  bon  voyage  to  the  end  of  life's 
journey. 


CHARLES  M.  SMITH  lives  about  a  mile 
east  of  Bluelight  postoffice  in  Yakima  county, 
Washington.  He  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Ne- 
braska,  May  25,  1868.  His  father,  William  T. 
Smith,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1837,  his  parents 


738 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


being  pioneers  of  Iowa,  and  of  Irish  blood. 
When  young  he  moved  to  Nebraska,  was  married 
there,  and  is  now  living  in  Nebraska  City,  Ne- 
braska. Addie  (Beach)  Smith,  his  mother,  was 
a  native  of  Ohio,  of  Scotch  parentage,  dying  in 
Nebraska  when  her  son  was  very  young.  Air. 
Smith  received  his  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Nebraska  City,  and  when  seventeen  years  old 
was  employed  by  the  Nebraska  &  Iowa  Packing 
House.  He  severed  his  connections  with  this 
firm  after  a  year's  labor,  and  for  six  years  fol- 
lowing worked  with  an  uncle  and  helped  him  care 
for  a  large  farm.  For  two  years  he  was  employed 
as  a  mechanic  in  the  repair  shops  located  at 
Plattsmouth,  Nebraska.  From  1893  to  1899  ne 
took  up  farming  again;  in  the  spring  of  the  latter 
year  moving  to  the  state  of  Washington.  On 
May  5,  1899,  he  filed  on  a  homestead,  which  has 
since  been  his  place  of  residence.  At  present  he 
has  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  plowed  land. 
On  January  5,  1892,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Addie  P.  Graves,  the  ceremony  being  per- 
formed in  Nebraska.  His  wife  was  the  daugh- 
ter of  Elbert  L.  Graves,  a  farmer,  and  a  native 
of  Tennessee,  who  moved  to  Nebraska  in  the 
early  days.  He  is  now  living  at  Bluelight, 
where  he  is  postmaster.  Her  mother,  Elbe  A. 
(Carrell)  Graves,  was  a  native  of  Nebraska,  and 
was  married  in  Missouri.  His  wife,  also  a  Ne- 
braskan,  was  educated  in  the  public  schools,  and 
married  when  only  sixteen  years  of  age.  There 
have  been  two  children  as  a  result  of  this 
union,  Delia  A.  Smith,  born  in  Nebraska,  January 
4,  1894,  deceased  March  15,  1895.  and  Elizabeth 
B.  Smith,  born  in  Yakima  county,  March  27,  1901. 
Mr.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  United  Brethren 
church,  and  in  politics,  casts  his  vote  with  the 
Democratic  party.  He  is  esteemed  by  his  fellow 
citizens  as  an  upright,  conscientious  man. 


ELBERT  L.  GRAVES  is  postmaster  at  Blue- 
light  postoffice.  located  some  fifteen  miles  south 
of  the  city  of  Mabton,  in  Yakima  county.  He  is  a 
prosperous  farmer,  being  born  in  Knox  county, 
Tennessee,  in  1848.  His  father,  William  W.. 
Graves,  was  also  a  native  of  the  same  state,  and 
by  trade  a  mason,  although  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion. He  was  bom  in  1818.  and  moved  to  Iowa 
when  thirty-six  years  old,  there  taking  up  a 
homestead ;  in  the  following  spring  going  to  Mis- 
souri, and  in  1858  returning  to  Iowa.  Two  years 
later  he  again  moved,  this  time  to  Nebraska, 
where  he  took  up  farming  for  the  space  of  seven 
years,  finally  returning  to  Missouri,  living  there 
another  year,  and  once  more  returning  to  Ne- 
braska, where  he  died  in  1892.  His  mother, 
Mahala  P.  Grave?,  a  native  of  Tennessee  and  the 
mother  of  eleven  children,  is  still  living  in  Ne- 
braska. Both  father  and  mother  were  of  German 
extraction.     Mr.   Graves  lived  at  home  with  his 


parents  until  twenty-three  years  of  age;  during 
this  time  receiving  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Nebraska  and  Iowa.  When  eighteen 
years  old  he  learned  the  brick  mason's  trade,  al- 
though he  never  followed  it  as  an  occupation. 
Two  years  after  becoming  of  age,  he  started  in  to 
farm  for  himself  and  continued  in  this  life  for 
the  next  twenty-four  years.  In  1898,  he  became 
restless,  and  removed  to  the  state  of  Washing- 
ton, settling  near  Bickleton,  Yakima  county. 
Here  he  filed  on  a  homestead,  which  he  has  made 
his  home  until  the  present  time. 

He  was  married  when  twenty-three,  to  Ella 
Carrell.  Her  father,  John  Carrell,  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  the  state  of  Iowa,  and  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  and  departed 
this  life  in  Nebraska.  Her  mother,  Margaret 
(Smith)  Carrell,  was  a  native  of  Michigan,  and 
the  mother  of  a  family  of  eight  children.  She  is 
now  living  in  Nebraska.  His  wife  was  born  in 
Cass  county,  Nebraska,  in  1858,  and  received  her 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  that  state, 
being  married  when  only  fifteen.  To  this  mar- 
riage were  born  seven  children,  of  which  five 
are  living,  as  follows :  Pearl  Smith,  born  May 
21,  1876,  living  in  Yakima  county;  John  W., 
Mark  S.,  M.  Yangie  and  Lulu,  a  girl  of  ten  years, 
are  all  living  at  home  with  their  parents.  George 
and  an  infant  are  deceased.  Mr.  Graves  is  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Baptist  church,  in  poli- 
tics, a  Democrat.  He  has  served  as  postmaster 
at  Bluelight  for  over  three  years,  receiving  his 
appointment  March  23,  1901.  His  official  position 
takes  up  a  greater  part  of  his  time,  but  he  is 
still  improving  his  farm  of  a  hundred  and  sixty 
acres,  all  of  which  is  in  cultivation.  He  is  cour- 
teous in  the  discharge  of  the  varied  duties  of  his 
position,  and  is  in  consequence  well  esteemed  by 
his  neighbors  and  patrons. 


SAMUEL  B.  LODGE,  a  farmer  residing  two 
and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Bluelight  post- 
office,  in  Yakima  county,  is  a  native  of  the  state 
of  Delaware,  where  he  was  born  in  the  year  1852. 
His  father,  John  W.  Lodge,  was  a  wealthy  mer- 
chant-farmer, born  in  Delaware  also,  removing 
to  South  Bend,  Indiana,  in  the  spring  of  1856. 
Later,  in  1892,  he  moved  westward  to  Oregon, 
and  with  but  a  short  stay  there,  went  to  North 
Yakima,  Washington,  where  he  died.  His 
mother,  Mersa  ( Gaunt )  Lodge,  was  a  resident 
(if  New  Jersey,  and  a  descendant  of  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers,  who  came  to  this  country  in  the  May- 
flower. She  was  married  in  her  native  state  when 
twenty-five  vears  old.  Samuel  B.  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  the  state  of  Michigan, 
remaining  at  home  until  twenty-three  years  of 
age,  following  farmins'  as  an  occupation.  When 
twenty-five  vears  old  he  taueht  school  two  terms 
in  a  town    in  the   Black   Hills,  and  one  term  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


739 


Kansas.  In  1880,  he  went  to  the  Black  Hills,  at 
the  end  of  twelve  months  removing  to  Kansas, 
and  again  teaching  school  a  season.  He  con- 
tinued for  twelve  years  to  make  Kansas  his  home, 
leaving  there  in  1890  for  Whatcom,  Washington. 
Remaining  there  but  a  short  period,  he  removed 
to  Oregon,  where  he  continued  to  reside  for  ten 
years.  At  the  beginning  of  this  century  he  came 
to  Yakima  county,  Washington,  and  that  fall  filed 
on  a  homestead,  which  is  his  present  home.  He 
now  has  over  a  hundred  acres  of  this  land  under 
cultivation. 

While  living:  in  Kansas,  he  was  married  to 
Martha  E.  Geyer,  on  January,  26,  1884.  Her 
father,  Nicholas  Geyer,  was  a  Kansas  pioneer  of 
German  parentage,  who  came  to  this  country 
when  eight  years  of  age.  He  is  now  living  at 
Clyde,  Kansas.  Her  mother,  Martha  (Rake- 
straw)  Geyer,  was  also  of  German  descent,  and 
died  in  Kansas.  Mrs.  Lodge  was  born  in  Indi- 
ana in  1863,  and  received  her  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  that  state,  later  attending  school 
in  Kansas.  She  was  married  at  twenty-one,  and 
is  the  mother  of  five  children,  four  boys  and  one 
girl:  Maud  A.,  born  in  Kansas,  February  7, 
1885;  Harry  L.,  born  in  Kansas,  in  1889;  Ralph 
N.  and  Roy  S.  B.,  both  born  in  Oregon,  and  Walter 
E.,  born  in  Kansas.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Lodge  is 
associated  with  the  Woodmen  of  the  World ; 
religiously,  he  is  a  member  of  the  Christian  church, 
and  politically,  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  re- 
spected member  of  the  community. 


old.  For  a  number  of  years  he  rode  the  range 
for  his  father.  Upon  attaining  the  age  of  twenty- 
four  he  filed  on  a  homestead  in  Yakima  county, 
two  miles  east  of  Mabton,  where  he  lived  until 
1900.  He  then  took  up  another  piece  of  land  six 
miles  north  of  Bickleton.  For  the  past  nine  years 
he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  farming. 

On  February  1,  1903,  Mr.  Wommack  married 
a  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Emma  Zyph,  Mrs. 
Emma  Dawdy,  who  had  been  previously  married 
to  Charles  Dawdy,  in  Illinois,  and  who  had,  as 
the  fruit  of  that  union,  one  daughter,  Luda  M., 
born  April  10,  1902.  Mrs.  Wommack  was  edu- 
cated in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois,  in  which 
state  she  was  born  on  the  13th  of  December,  1883. 
She  and  Mr.  Wommack  are  parents  of  one  child, 
born  in  Yakima  county,  February  2,  1904.  Mr. 
Wommack  has  one  hundred  and  thirty  acres  of 
his  land  under  cultivation,  the  balance  of  the  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  being  used  at  present 
as  grazing  land.  He  is,  however,  determined  to 
cultivate  every  arable  acre  he  owns  as  soon  as 
possible,  for  he  is  too  energetic  and  thrifty  to 
allow  an}-  to  continue  producing  less  than  it  is 
capable  of.  He  has  already  an  excellent  start 
for  so  young  a  man  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  pre- 
sume that  as  years  pass,  he  will  achieve  a  still 
more  enviable  success  in  his  chosen  occupation. 


WILLIAM  WOMMACK,  a  young  farmer  in 
Yakima  county,  living  about  eight  miles  north- 
east of  Bickleton,  was  born  in  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois on  the  27th  of  March,  1871.  His  father,  Will- 
iam Wommack,  was  also  a  native  of  Illinois,  and 
a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  lived  for  some  time 
in  the  state  of  Missouri,  then  returned  to  his 
home  in  Illinois,  whence,  after  a  short  stay,  he 
moved  to  Kansas.  In  1879,  he  migrated  to  Colo- 
rado, where  he  spent  the  two  years  following  in 
various  kinds  of  work,  then  visiting  the  states 
of  Utah  and  Idaho,  and  also  making  a  short 
trip  to  Oregon.  In  the  summer  of  1882,  he  came 
to  Klickitat  county,  Washington,  and  established 
his  residence  in  the  town  of  Bickleton,  where  he 
lived  for  the  next  two  years.  He  is  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted  in  1862,  and 
served  through  the  entire  conflict.  He  spent  one 
year  at  the  Soldiers'  Home,  located  on  the  Sound, 
but  at  this  writing  is  living  at  Mabton,  Washing- 
ton. The  mother  of  our  subject,  Matilda  (Ren- 
ner)  Wommack,  was  of  German  parentage,  born 
in  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  married  in  Illinois. 

Mr.  Wommack,  whose  career  is  to  be  nut- 
lined  in  this  article,  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Kansas  and  Washington,  hav- 
ing come  to  the  latter  state  when  thirteen  years 


ADAM  F.  WATTENBARGER,  living  a  lit- 
tle over  a  mile  north  of  Bluelight  postoffice.  in 
Yakima  county,  Washington,  is  a  native  of  Cali- 
|  fornia,  born  on  the  15th  of  November,  1880.  His 
father,  Conrad  Wattenbarger,  is  a  Missourian, 
born  in  the  year  1849.  He  moved  to  California 
in  the  early  part  of  1862,  crossing  the  Plains  in 
company  with  other  settlers,  and  at  this  writing 
he  is  living  in  the  city  of  Bickleton,  Klickitat 
county.  The  mother  of  our  subject,  Mary  ( Bro- 
phy)  Wattenbarger,  was  born  while  her  parents 
were  crossing  the  Plains  to  the  Golden  state,  in 
the  year  1854. 

Mr.  Wattenbarger  came  to  Klickitat  county 
with  his  parents  when  a  young  boy,  and  at- 
tended the  public  school  of  Bickleton,  complet- 
ing his  education  there,  and  residing  in  the  im- 
mediate neighborhood  with  his  parents  until  he 
became  of  age.  He  early  manifested  a  liking  for 
horses  and  the  freedom  of  outdoor  life,  and  rode 
the  ranges  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home  until  the 
spring  of  1901.  when  he  took  up  a  homestead  in 
Yakima  county,  in  the  locality  known  as  the 
Glade.     There  he  has  since  lived. 

Mr.  Wattenbarger  was  recently  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Gussie  Williams,  the  ceremony  being 
performed  in  North  Yakima  in  the  fall  of  1903. 
His  wife's  father,  Harrison  Williams,  was  a  trav- 
eling man,  and  now  lives  in  the  Glade,  as  does 
plso  her  mother,  Nora  (Pitman)  Williams.  Mrs. 
Wattenbarger  was  bom  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  and 


740 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


lived  for  some  time  at  Davenport,  and  later  at 
North  Yakima,  Washington,  receiving  her  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  those  places.  She 
was  married  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Mr.  Watten- 
barger  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican 
party,  although  he  does  not  take  a  very  active 
interest  in  local  politics.  His  homestead  consists 
of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  all  of 
which  has  been  brought,  by  the  exercise  of  tire- 
less energy,  to  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 


JOHN  T.  ROBERTS,  who  is  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  in  raising  horses,  resides  ten 
miles  southwest  of  Kiona.  He  is  an  early  pio- 
neer of  Yakima  county,  having  established  a  feed 
yard  at  Yakima  City  in  1883.  During  his  first 
four  years  in  the  county  he  was  thus  engaged ; 
but  in  1887  he  entered  the  stock  and  farming  in- 
dustries with  A.  G.  McNeil,  on  a  ranch  situated 
on  the  Yakima  river.  Mr.  Roberts  was  successful 
and,  purchasing  land  near  the  McNeil  place,  him- 
self began  operations.  That  he  has  met  with 
uniformly  encouraging  results,  his  present  valu- 
able holdings  indicate.  Born  in  Benton  county, 
Iowa,  in  1861,  he  is  the  son  of  two  native  pioneers 
of  that  state,  Charles  E.  and  Elizabeth  (Hayes) 
Roberts.  In  1865,  Charles  E.  Roberts  removed 
to  the  Kansas  frontier  and  there  married  and 
made  a  home  on  the  virgin  prairie.  John  T.'s 
mother  died  when  he  was  but  six  years  old  and 
four  years  later  he  suffered  another  irreparable 
loss,  his  father  being  killed  by  a  falling  tree,  but 
an  uncle  took  the  orphan  lad  under  his  charge  and 
cared  for  him  until  he  was  able  to  go  out  into 
the  world  with  a  fair  equipment.  By  working 
summers,  he  was  able  to  attend  school  winters 
and  thus  acquire  a  fair  education.  At  the  age 
of  sixteen,  he  commenced  working  for  different 
farmers  in  the  community,  still  keeping  up  his 
winter  school  attendance.  In  1880,  he  went  to 
Texas,  where  he  lived  eighteen  months,  then  he 
worked  on  Colorado  railroads  a  year  and  during 
the  two  years  previous  to  his  advent  into  Wash- 
ington, he  was  employed  in  Idaho. 

Mr.  Roberts  and  Miss  Emma  Norling,  a 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Efik  Norling,  natives 
of  Sweden,  were  married  in  North  Yakima  in 
1900.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Norling  came  to  Washing- 
ton twelve  years  ago  and  are  at  present  resid- 
ing in  Franklin  county.  Mrs.  Roberts  was  born 
in  Sweden  in  1881,  and  received  her  education  in 
the  schools  of  her  native  country  and  in  Yakima 
county.  She  and  Mr.  Roberts  have  one  child, 
Eugene  T.,  born  in  Yakima  county,  February  13, 
1903.  Mr.  Roberts  takes  an  active  interest  in 
political  matters  and,  where  national  issues  are 
involved,  votes  the  Republican  ticket.  His  prop- 
erty interests  consist  principally  of  ninety-eight 
acres  of  farming  land,  two  hundred  and  fifty  head 
of  horses  and  a  small  band  of  cattle.    Mr.  Roberts 


is  a  successful  farmer  and  stockman,  and  as  an 
industrious,  public-spirited  man  and  citizen,  he 
stands  well  in  his  community. 


MARTIN  L.  SEE,  one  of  the  Yakima  coun- 
try's successful  ranchmen,  whose  home  is  ten 
miles  east  of  Kiona,  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born 
in  the  year  1869  to  the  union  of  William  and  Jane 
See.  They  were  Kentuckians,  whose  families  be- 
came pioneers  of  Missouri.  Martin  L.  was  left 
an  orphan  at  the  age  of  seven,  his  father  having 
died  the  year  previous  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven, 
and  his  mother  in  1876.  Thus  left  adrift  upon  the 
world,  he  was  very  early  compelled  to  assume 
the  serious  responsibilities  of  life.  His  grand- 
parents cared  for  him  three  years ;  then  he  com- 
menced working  for  neighbors  and  others,  get- 
ting what  little  education  he  was  able  to  secure. 
Such  was  his  industry  and  thriftiness  that  by  the 
time  he  reached  his  majority,  he  had  saved  about 
one  thousand  four  hundred  dollars.  From  Mis- 
souri he  went  to  Indian  Territory  and  worked 
seven  months  for  Captain  Seavers ;  then  he  vis- 
ited Texas,  after  which  he  returned  to  his  native 
state  and  farmed  four  years.  Later  he  spent 
nine  months  in  Colorado,  lived  in  Nebraska  one 
winter,  and  in  1889  came  to  Anacortes,  Washing- 
ton. He  worked  iri  the  Puget  Sound  region  dur- 
ing the  next  three  years,  but  in  1892  crossed  the 
mountains  and  settled  in  the  Yakima  wheat  belt. 
For  the  first  three  years  he  was  employed  by  other 
farmers,  or  until  1895,  when  he  bought  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres.  He  successfully  cultivated  his 
farm  until  the  fall  of  1903.  then  bought  Nelson 
Rich's  interests  in  the  stock  firm  of  Brown  &  Rich 
and  removed  to  the  Rich  ranch  on  the  Yakima  river, 
where  he  now  resides. 

September  26,  1900,  Miss  Louisa  Pollan,  of 
Goldendale.  became  the  wife  of  Mr.  See.  Will- 
iam C.  and  Elenora  ( Baugh-Lambert)  Polhn,  the 
parents  of  Mrs.  See,  were  born  in  Missouri 
and  California,  respectively.  Mr.  Pollan  crossed 
the  Plains  to  California  in  1850  and  was  there 
married  and  lived  until  1882,  when  he  settled  in 
Klickitat  county.  He  is  now  living  in  Golden- 
dale,  but  Mrs.  Pollan  died  since  the  family  came 
to  central  Washington. 

Mrs.  See  "was  born  in  California  in  1879,  and 
received  her  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Klickitat  county.  She  has  three  brothers :  George. 
Carl  and  Benjamin,  and  one  sister.  Ruby,  all  of 
whom  are  living  in  Klickitat  county.  Her  father 
is  a  farmer  by  occupation.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  See  are 
the  parents  of  two  children  :  Iva  E.,'  born  Au- 
gust 15,  1901,  and  Wiliam  M.,  born  January  3, 
1903,  both  in  Yakima  county.  Mr.  See's  fraternal 
associations  are  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen.  He  is  an  active  Republican. 
While  in  the  Horse  Heaven  district,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  road   supervisor,  serving  with   credit. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


741 


He  is  in  a  prosperous  financial  condition,  being 
the  owner  of  a  half  interest  in  six  hundred  cattle 
and  seventy-five  head  of  horses,  besides  other 
interests.  As  a  man  of  industry,  integrity  and 
stability,  he  enjoys  the  good  opinions  of  his  neigh- 
bors and  fellow  men. 


JACOB  GIEZENTANNER,  postmaster  in 
Kiona  and  a  pioneer  settler  of  the  eastern  portion 
of  Yakima  county,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  1842, 
and  is  the  son  of  Swiss  parents,  Phelix  and  Bar- 
bara (Wimersberger)  Giezentanner.  His  father 
was  a  school  teacher  by  profession.  In  1850,  the 
family  came  to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Knoxville,  Tennessee,  where  the  father  was  en- 
gaged as  a  clerk  in  one  store  for  twenty-five 
years ;  his  death  occurred  in  1877.  Jacob  received 
his  early  education,  in  the  German  language, 
from  his  father,  but  after  coming  to  America  at- 
tended the  common  schools  until  sixteen  years 
old.  At  that  age  he  began  learning  the  carpen- 
ter's trade,  serving  four  years  as  an  appren- 
tice. He  was  living  in  Tennessee  when  hostili- 
ties between  the  North  and  South  commenced 
and  decided  to  join  the  Union  army.  In  order  to 
accomplish  this  object,  in  the  spring  of  1862  he 
traveled  five  successive  nights,  hiding  daytimes 
in  the  woods,  before  reaching  the  Union  lines,  and 
enlisted  in  the  Sixth  Tennessee  infantry.  A 
severe  illness  disabled  him  at  the  end  of  a  year's 
service,  which  resulted  in  his  honorable  dis- 
charge. After  his  discharge  he  lived  in  north- 
ern Kentucky  for  a  time  and  then  returned  to 
Tennessee,  where  he  followed  farming  five  years. 
In  1868  he  became  employed  in  a  sash  and  door 
factor}'  in  Knoxville,  worked  there  two  years, 
then  went  to  work  in  a  machine  shop,  and  re- 
mained there  until  1879.  In  that  year  he  immi- 
grated to  Oregon,  locating  first  in  Albany.  The 
next  year  he  settled  upon  a  homestead  west  of 
Goldendale  and  conducted  a  sash  and  door  fac- 
tory in  the  present  city.  Four  years  later  he 
removed  to  Ellensburg  and  thence  to  North  Yak- 
ima to  take  charge  of  W.  Webb's  furniture  store. 
Mr.  Giezentanner  later  bought  the  store  and  per- 
sonally conducted  it  two  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1888.  he  filed  a  timber  culture  claim  to  a  quar- 
ter-section of  land  near  Kiona's  site  and  also 
purchased  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
railroad  land.  Upon  this  place  he  made  his  home 
between  the  years  1889  and  1899,  removing  to 
Kiona  in  the  latter  year  to  take  charge  of  the 
postoffice.  Since  that  date  Kiona  has  been  his 
home. 

He  was  married  in  Tennessee,  December  30, 
1863,  to  Miss  Marv  Wright,  daughter  of  Ire- 
dell D.  and  Abigrail  (Ragan)  Wright,  natives  of 
North  Carolina  and  Tennessee,  respectively.  Ire- 
dell D.  WrigTit  was  a  lawyer  by  profession.  He 
practiced    in    Madisonville,   Tennessee,   and   was   a 


member  of  the  state  legislature  one  or  two  terms, 
and  a  colleague  of  President  Andrew  Jackson. 
The  grandfather,  Doctor  Isaac  Wright,  was  one 
of  Tennessee's  earliest  and  most  prominent  pio- 
neers. His  son  Iredell  died  in  1866.  Abigail 
(Ragan)  Wright's  father  was  a  soldier  in  the 
War  of  1812.  Mrs.  Giezentanner  was  born  in 
Tennessee  and  educated  in  that  state.  She  was 
sixteen  years  old  when  married.  Their  children 
are :  William  H.,  born  October  24,  1864,  a  Chi- 
cago traveling  man ;  Charles  T.,  March  17,  1868, 
editor  of  the  Pasco  News-Record;  Mrs.  Molly  E. 
Gerry,  January  12,  1870,  living  in  Pasco;  Walter, 
May  1,  1872,  managing  Robert  Gerry's  Kenne- 
wick  store ;  Conrad,  November  iq,  1874,  living  at 
home ;  Thomas  D.,  July  28,  1877,  clerking  in  Ger- 
ry's Pasco  store,  and  Gertrude,  August  14,  1882, 
preparing  herself  for  teaching  music.  One 
daughter,  Bertha  R.,  born  August  25,  1866,  died 
in  1868.  All  except  Gertrude  were  born  in  Ten- 
nessee, she  having  been  born  in  Klickitat  county, 
Washington.  The  subject  of  this  article  has 
always  been  deeply  interested  in  religious  work, 
and  in  1895,  in  Spokane,  was  ordained  a  Method- 
ist minister  by  Bishop  Bowman.  He  was  organ- 
izer and  originator  of  all  religious  work  in  Kiona  ; 
organizing  the  first  Sunday  school,  and  preach- 
ing the  first  sermon  in  town.  Mr.  Giezentanner 
is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
He  is  a  public-spirited  citizen,  of  force  in  the 
community,  and,  as  a  pioneer  of  the  Yakima  and 
Klickitat  valleys,  a  business  man  and  a  farmer, 
lias  done  his  full  share  in  upbuilding  that  region. 


LEONARD  C.  ROLPH,  living  in  the  Kiona 
canal  district,  two  miles  west  of  Kiona,  Wash- 
ington, is  a  native  of  Minnesota,  born  in  1870. 
His  father,  Osborn  J.  Rolph,  was  born  in  New 
York  state  in  the  year  1829.  In  1852  he  crossed 
the  Plains  with  an  ox  team  to  the  gold  fields  of 
California.  After  spending  several  years  in  the 
far  West,  he  returned  to  Minnesota  and  there 
married  Rosinah  Putnam  Porter,  a  direct  de- 
scendant of  Israel  Putnam  of  Revolutionary  war 
fame.  In  answer  to  his  country's  call  for  volun- 
teers, at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  M,  First  Minnesota  volunteers,  and 
served  until  the  close  of  the  struggle.  In  1886 
with  his  family  he  immigrated  to  Oregon,  and 
thence  to  the  Horse  Heaven  region  on  the  Colum- 
bia river.     He  died  at  Kiona  in  1899. 

Leonard  C.  Rolph,  the  fourth  in  a  family  of 
six,  attended  the  common  schools  of  Wisconsin, 
Oregon  and  Washington  until  fourteen  years  of 
age,  then  beg-an  working  among-  the  various  farm- 
ers of  Yakima  county,  graduallv  gaining  invalu- 
able experience  which  stood  him  in  good  stead 
later  in  life.  When  the  Yakima  Irrigation  and  Im- 
provement C^moany  constructed  its  canal  through 
the    lower   Yakima   valley,    Mr.    Rolph    came    to 


742 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Kiona  with  his  father  and  brothers  and  purchased 
land  of  the  company.  In  1898  he  went  to  the 
Alaskan  gold  fields,  making  Dawson  City  his 
objective  point,  and  for  more  than  two  years 
and  a  half  delved  for  the  precious  metal.  He 
returned  to  Washington  in  1901,  and  is  now  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  farming  a  vast  tract  of 
Horse  Heaven  wheat  land. 

Mr.  Rolph  was  married  at  Kiona  in  1894  to 
Ellen  Ketcham,  a  daughter  of  Augustus  C.  and 
Lydia  F.  (Thurston)  Ketcham.  Both  parents 
were  born  in  "New  York  state.  Mr.  Ketcham 
went  to  Wisconsin  when  a  boy  and  in  that  state 
enlisted  in  the  Fourth  Wisconsin  volunteers, 
'  serving  in  the  Union  army  until  the  close  of  the 
war.  He  arose,  through  skill  and  bravery,  from 
the  rank  of  a  private  to  that  of  a  captain.  After 
the  war  he  followed  farming  in  Wisconsin  sev- 
eral years,  then  removed  to  Missouri,  and  in  1884 
settled  in  the  Horse  Heaven  region,  Yakima 
county.  His  death  occurred  at  Kiona  in  1892. 
Mrs.  Ketcham  was  born  in  1844,  her  parents 
being  natives  of  Vermont.  She  was  married  at 
the  age  of  twenty-three.  Mrs.  Rolph  was  born 
in  Missouri,  and  educated  in  Yakima  county ;  she 
was  nineteen  years  old  when  married.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rolph  are  parents  of  three  children  :  Glen,  Clif- 
ford and  Velma,  all  of  whom  were  born  at 
Kiona.  Mr.  Rolph  is  connected  with  two  frater- 
nal organizations,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America ; 
politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  man  of 
excellent  standing  among  his  neighbors  and  fel- 
low men  on  account  of  his  integrity,  energy  and 
progressiveness  in  all  lines. 


FRANK  S.  HEDGER,  M.  D.  The  well-known 
and  esteemed  physician  and  horticulturist  who  forms 
the  subject  of  this  biography  has  been  a  resident  of 
Yakima  county  since  1894,  in  that  year  settling  near 
Kiona,  where  he  has  since  lived.  In  those  ten 
years  he  has  established  a  lucrative  and  perma- 
nent professional  practice  and  has  reared  a  most 
comfortable  home  in  one  of  the  garden  spots  of 
Yakima  countyr.  He  was  born.  October,  i860,  in 
Illinois,  the  son  of  Dionysius  and  Martha  (Mas- 
sey)  Hedger,  both  of  whom  are  natives  of  New 
York ;  they  were  married  in  that  state.  They 
settled  in  Illinois  after  leaving  New  York,  then  in 
Iowa,  but  in  1878  crossed  the  Plains  to  the  Walla 
Walla  valley.  The  following  year  the  father 
founded  a  home  on  government  land  and  since 
that  date  has  been  successfully  engaged  in  rais- 
ing wheat,  still  living  on  the  old  place.  Frank  S. 
was  five  years  old  when  his  parents  removed  to 
Iowa  and  entered  the  mercantile  business  in  the 
city  of  Oskaloosa.  In  that  city  he  received  a 
common  and  high  school  education.  Upon  arriv- 
ing in  Washington,  he  studied  medicine  in  Walla 


Walla  two  years  and  then  went  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  was  graduated  by  the  Hahnemann  Med- 
ical College  in  1883.  Having  secured  his  degree, 
the  young  physician  returned  to  Walla  Walla  for 
a  short  period,  then  established  an  office  in  Mis- 
soula, Montana,  remaining  there  eleven  years. 
In  March,  1894,  he  came  to  Kiona.  Noting  the 
richness  of  the  farming  country,  he  purchased 
thirty-eight  acres  of  irrigated  land  and  set  out 
an  orchard,  vineyard,  berry  bushes,  vines,  et 
cetera,  and  has  devoted  himself  to  his  profession 
and  horticultural  pursuits  ever  since. 

In  Missoula  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ama 
Scothorn,  that  important  event  in  his  life  taking 
place  in  the  year  1884.  Her  parents,  John  and 
Matilda  (Glick)  Scothorn,  were  natives  of  Ohio; 
her  father  was  a  merchant.  They  removed  to 
Kansas  in  an  early  day,  and  in  that  state  lived 
the  remainder  of  their  lives.  Mrs.  Hedger  was 
born  in  Ohio,  1862,  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Kansas  and  also  in  a  convent,  and 
became  a  resident  of  Missoula  in  1883.  There  are 
two  children  in  the  doctor's  family :  Clifford  C, 
born  in  Missoula,  March  22,  1885,  and  Frank,  also 
born  in  Montana,  May  11,  1887.  The  elder  son 
has  attended  the  State  Agricultural  College  in 
Pullman  three  years  and  expects  to  finish  his 
course  this  year.  Dr.  Hedger  is  affiliated  with 
two  fraternities,  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the 
Modern  Woodmen.  He  is  a  stanch  Democrat 
and  has  served  as  coroner  of  Missoula  county, 
Montana ;  also  as  a  member  of  the  Montana  State 
Aledical  Board.  Of  his  farm,  six  acres  are 
devoted  to  orchard  and  berries  of  various  varie- 
ties, two  and  one-quarter  acres  are  producing 
strawberries  exclusively,  nearly  an  acre  is  set  out 
in  vineyard  and  eight  acres  are  in  alfalfa.  Doc- 
tor and  Mrs.  Hedger  are  popular  among  all  with 
whom  they  come  in  contact,  while  Mr.  Hedger 
enjoys  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  men  and  is 
active  in  all  public  matters  pertaining  to  the 
upbuilding  of  his  community  and  county. 


DAVID  McALPIN,  farming  in  the  district 
irrigated  by  the  Kiona  canal,  is  of  Scottish  and 
English  descent,  his  paternal  grandparents  having 
immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  the  early  part 
of  the  last  century.  His  father,  Robert  McAlpin, 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  1816,  and  in  early  man- 
hood became  a  settler  in  Indiana,  rhere  marrying 
Jane  Thomas,  a  native  of  that  state.  In  1839  the 
son  David  was  born.  While  still  a  child  he  w« 
taken  by  his  parents  to  Missouri  and  when  twelve 
years  old,  in  1851,  the  family  crossed  the  Plains 
to  Oregon,  settling  in  the  Willamette  valley.  The 
elder  McAlpin  lived  in  Oregon  thirty  years ;  then 
returned  to  Iowa  and  lived  in  that  state  until  his 
death.  David  remained  with  his  parents  on  the 
farm  until  the  age  of  twenty-one,  farming  and 
raising  stock.     At  that  time  he  was  married  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


743 


leased  his  father-in-law's  farm  one  year.  The 
next  five  years  he  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  Salem;  then  two  years  in  a  sawmill. 
This  experience  was  succeeded  by  his  removal  to 
California,  where  he  traveled  twelve  years  for  a 
nursery  company.  In  1884  he  came  to  Washing- 
ton, settling  for  a  few  months  in  Colfax.  Thence 
he  went  to  Asotin  and  during  the  ensuing  seven 
years  made  his  home  in  that  section  of  Washing- 
ton. His  advent  into  Yakima  county  took  place 
in  1891.  At  this  time  he  filed  on  a  homestead 
near  Kiona  and  since  then  has  made  it  his  home. 
Mr.  McAlpin  was  married  near  Salem,  Ore- 
gon, in  i860,  to  Miss  Ellen  R.  Strang,  a  daughter 
of  Daniel  and  Cynthia  (Lorton)  Strang,  who 
came  to  the  Northwest  from  Iowa  in  1852.  Her 
father  was  born  in  Baltimore,  Maryland ;  her 
mother  in  Illinois,  to  early  pioneers  of  that  state. 
Mr.  Strang  opened  the  first  tin  shop  established 
in  Salem  and  for  a  number  of  years  conducted  a 
hotel  in  that  city.  During  his  declining  years  he 
was  engaged  in  farming  near  the  capital  city. 
Mrs.  Strang  was  married  when  seventeen  years 
old.  Mrs.  McAlpin  was  born  in  Burlington,  Iowa, 
1844,  and  crossed  the  Plains  when  a  child.  She 
attended  school  in  the  Willamette  valley.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  McAlpin  have  six  children :  VValter,  born 
February  13,  1862;  Columbus  B.,  July  21,  1865; 
Alfred  A.,  April  16,  1872 ;  Donald,  August  24, 
1877;  Ralph  S.,  January  10,  1884,  and  Lloyd  D., 
September  23,  1886.  The  first  three  named  were 
born  in  Salem ;  one  in  California,  and  the  last  two 
in  Asotin.  Alfred  is  farming  on  a  part  of  the 
parental  home,  his  father  having  given  him  a  tract 
of  thirty-seven  acres.  The  parents  are  devoted 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  highly 
esteemed  for  their  many  generous,  sterling,  per- 
sonal qualities.  Mr.  McAlpin  is  a  Republican  and 
has  served  his  community  for  some  time  as  justice 
of  the  peace.  He  is  a  loyal  friend  of  education  and 
has  occupied  the  responsible  and  honored  position 
of  school  director  in  his  district.  He  owns  sixty- 
five  acres  of  land,  of  which  thirty  are  under  irriga- 
tion and  producing  fruit,  alfalfa,  vegetables  and 
berries. 


GEORGE  W.  PALMER.  A  typical  pioneer 
of  the  West  is  the  subject  of  this  biography,  whose 
interesting  life  would  in  itself  fill  a  volume,  so 
varied  have  been  his  experiences  and  so  broad 
their  scope.  Missouri  is  his  native  state.  He  was 
born  in  1842  to  the  union  of  John  H.  and  Cather- 
ine (Graves)  Palmer,  natives  of  Kentucky  and 
Virginia,  respectively.  In  1853  the  family  crossed 
the  Plains  and  mountains  to  the  northwestern  por- 
tion of  the  United  States,  and  in  Marion  county, 
Oregon,  made  their  humble  home.  The  doughtv 
Scotch  pioneer  prospered  and  at  the  time  of  his 
death  was  a  leading  farmer  of  the  valley.    George 


W.  attended  school  and  assisted  his  father  on  the 
farm  until  1861,  at  that  time  entering  the  freight- 
ing business,  operating  between  The  Dalles  and 
the  famed  Oro  Fino  mines,  in  what  is  now  Idaho. 
He  wintered  on  the  site  of  Weston,  Oregon,  hav- 
ing one  hundred  and  twenty-five  cattle  on  the 
surrounding  range.  The  hard  winter  of  1861-02 
killed  all  but  twelve  head.  The  discouraged  young 
stockman  was  of  necessity  obliged  to  temporarily 
abandon  stock  raising.  He  went  into  the  Auburn 
mines  in  eastern  Oregon  and  followed  mining  un- 
til 1864,  settling  in  Umatilla  county  in  the  fall  of 
that  year.  During  his  four  years'  residence  there, 
he  served  as  a  deputy  sheriff  under  Frank  Mad- 
dock.  In  the  fall  of  1866  he  commenced  freight- 
ing between  Umatilla,  Oregon,  and  Boise,  Idaho, 
also  between  other  mining  centers,  following  this 
work  until  1872,  when  he  purchased  an  interest  in 
the  Connor  Creek  mine.  Baker  county,  and  oper- 
ated it  three  years.  He  installed  the  first  stamp- 
mill  erected  on  that  ledge.  Meanwhile,  having  re- 
tained his  stock  interests,  in  1876  he  sold  the  mine 
and  went  to  the  Palouse  region,  settling  near  Col- 
ton,  Washington.  He  resided  there,  engaged  in 
stock  raising  and  farming,  until  1891;  then  sold 
his  property  and  went  to  the  Willamette  valley, 
entering  the  hop  raising  industry.  The  valley  was 
his  home  until  1899,  and  in  that  year  he  removed 
to  Yakima  county  and  entered  the  stock  industry 
in  the  lower  valley.  The  family  came  to  their 
present  home,  two  miles  north  of  Kiona.  in  July, 
1903,  settling  upon  a  forty-acre  farm  irrigated  by 
the  Kiona  canal. 

Mr.  Palmer  and  Miss  Mary  A.  Parks  were 
married  in  1869,  the  ceremony  taking  place  in 
Umatilla  county.  Mrs.  Palmer  was  born  in  In- 
diana, 1848,  to  the  union  of  George  B.  and  Cyn- 
thia (Richardson)  Parks,  natives  of  Kentucky  and 
Indiana,  respectively.  George  B.  Parks  was  mar- 
ried in  Indiana  and,  in  1853.  with  his  family,  fol- 
lowed the  tide  of  emigration  westward  across  the 
Plains  to  the  Oregon  country,  settling  in  Douglas 
county.  He  lived  there  until  1865.  when  he  re- 
moved to  Umatilla  county,  and  during  the  next 
quarter  of  a  century  was  engaged  in  farming, 
stock  raising  and  freighting,  in  Eastern  Oregon 
and  Idaho  Territory.  He  then  returned  to  the 
Willamette  valley  and  lived  the  remainder  of  his 
days  in  that  beautiful  locality.  Previous  to  her 
marriage,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one.  Miss  Parks 
taught  school  several  terms  in  Oregon.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Palmer  have  been  blessed  with  three  chil- 
dren:  John  B.,  born  in  Baker  county,  Oregon, 
March  24,  1870,  living  near  Kiona  ;  Nixon,  born 
in  Oregon,  May  7,  1873,  also  living  near  Kiona, 
and  Mattie,  born  in  Washington,  March  10,  1878, 
living  with  her  parents.  Mr.  Palmer  is  connected 
with  only  one  fraternity,  the  Masons.  He  is  an 
active  Democrat  and  a  considerable  factor  in  local 
politics.     In   1887  he  was  elected  a  commissioner 


744 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


of  Whitman  county  and  served  two  years,  making 
a  creditable  record.  His  business  interests  are 
many  and  include  five  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
farming  lands  in  Oregon  and  Washington,  one 
hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle,  and  various  min- 
ing property  in  Oregon.  He  is  making  a  specialty 
of  breeding  thoroughbred  Hereford  cattle.  Air. 
Palmer  has  met  with  a  most  commendable  success 
in  his  business  endeavors,  has  lived  a  life  of  use- 
fulness, faithfully  performed  his  duty  as  a  citizen 
and  a  neighbor,  and  has  founded  a  happy,  com- 
fortable home. 


CAPT.  ADAM  J.  WIMER,  residing  two  and 
a  half  miles  north  of  Kiona,  is  a  pioneer  of  the 
west  whose  experiences  on  the  coast  in  the  early 
period  of  the  west's  settlement  make  his  life  story 
a  most  interesting  one— too  long  to  fully  relate  in 
these  pages.  He  was  born  in  Ohio,  November  5, 
1832,  his  parents  being  Adam  and  Catherine  (Har- 
rager)  Wimer,  both  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  de- 
scent. The  family  removed  from  Ohio  to  Iowa  in 
1844,  and  in  that  state  the  parents  lived  until  their 
deaths,  that  of  the  mother  occurring  October  23, 
1880,  in  her  eighty-fifth  year.  Adam  Wimer  was 
one  of  sixteen  children.  He  attended  the  district 
schools  and  worked  on  the  farm  until  eighteen 
years  old,  or  until  1850,  when  he  crossed  the  Plains 
to  the  California  mines.  The  Indians  stole  the 
party's  horses,  compelling  the  frontiersmen  to  use 
oxen  to  finish  the  trip.  Mr.  Wimer  spent  twelve 
years  mining  and  manufacturing  brick  in  Califor- 
nia; then  was  engaged  in  manufacturing  brick  for 
three  years  in  Nevada.  In  February,  1864,  he  be- 
came one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Surprise  valley, 
northeastern  California,  erecting  the  first  cabin 
there.  The  Indians  proved  very  troublesome, 
however,  and  the  settlers  of  the  valley  were  com- 
pelled to  organize  a  company  of  minute  men,  of 
which  Mr.  Wimer  was  chosen  captain.  This  com- 
pany fought  several  times  with  the  hostiles. 
Previous  to  this  experience,  the  captain  partici- 
pated in  the  famous  Indian  war  of  1855-6,  and 
had  earned  the  name  of  being  a  skilled  Indian 
fighter.  From  Surprise  valley,  he  removed  to 
Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  thence,  in  1868,  to  Eu- 
gene, thence  to  Cloverdale,  where  he  lived  until  the 
spring  of  1873,  and  finally  settled  in  Whitman 
county,  Washington,  near  Pullman.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  the 
fall  of  1888,  at  that  time  becoming  a  resident  of 
Uniontown.  The  distilling  and  brick  making  in- 
dustries occupied  the  succeeding  fifteen  years  of 
his  life.  In  the  spring  of  1903,  however,  he  left 
Uniontown  and  became  one  of  the  prosperous  in- 
habitants of  Yakima  county,  settling  upon  his  lit- 
tle farm  near  Kiona.  We  must  not  forget  to  men- 
tion that  while  in  California,  Captain  Wimer  be- 
came one  of  the  founders  of  Crescent  City. 


He  was  married  in  Washington  county,  Ore- 
gon, May,  1867,  to  Miss  Lydia  E.  Wayman,  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Smith)  Wayman. 
John  Wayman  was  born  in  Ohio,  settled  in  Iowa 
in  1854,  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1865  and 
settled  in  Yamhill  county,  his  death  occurring  in 
Washington  county.  Mrs.  Wayman  was  born  in 
Maryland,  1814,  was  married  in  1834  and  was  the 
mother  of  ten  children.  Her  ancestors  were 
Dutch.  Mrs.  Wimer  was  born  in  Ohio,  in  1846, 
educated  in  Iowa  and  crossed  the  Plains  with  her 
parents.  She  and  her  sister  Mary  drove  and  cared 
for  a  mule  team  during  the  six  months'  journey 
and  arrived  in  Yamhill  county  in  September, 
without  having  been  molested  by  Indians.  Captain 
and  Mrs.  Wimer  are  the  parents  of  several  chil- 
dren :  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Wade,  born'  March  2,  1868, 
living  in  Spokane;  Zola,  August  13,  1869;  John 
W.,  January  14,  1873,  an  assayer  at  Wallace, 
Idaho;  Walter  G.,  April  17,  1877,  living  at  Burke, 
Idaho;  Frank  S.  and  Fred  M.,  twins,  born  Janu- 
ary 28,  1880,  the  former  living  at  Cottonwood, 
Idaho,  the  latter,  deceased ;  Ellis  A.,  September  8, 
1882,  a  mail  clerk  in  Spokane;  and  Ida  B.,  No- 
vember 7,  1890,  attending  school  in  Spokane.  Mr. 
Wimer  is  an  active  Democrat  and  has  served  his 
fellow  men  at  Uniontown  in  the  capacities  of  jus- 
tice of  the  peace,  three  years;  city  clerk,  three 
years,  and  police  judge,  four  years.  He  still  owns 
valuable  property  situated  in  Uniontown,  besides 
his  ten-acre  farm  near  Kiona.  His  life  has  been 
an  active  one  and  he  is  recognized  as  an  influen- 
tial citizen  in  all  the  communities  of  which  he  has 
formed  a  part. 


ALYEN  E.  WOLCOTT,  engaged  in  general 
farming  seven  miles  southwest  of  Kiona,  was  born 
in  Ohio  in  1867,  the  son  of  Morgan  and  Louisa 
(Ziegler)  Wolcott,  Ohio  pioneers  of  English  and 
German  descent,  respectively.  Morgan  Wolcott, 
who  is  himself  also  the  son  of  Ohio  pioneers,  still 
lives  at  his  birthplace.  He  served  three  years  and 
nine  months  in  the  Union  army.  His  wife's  father 
emigrated  from  Germany  in  1814.  Alven  E.  Wol- 
cott received  a  fair  education  in  the  public  schools 
of  Ohio,  remaining  on  the  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-one  years  old.  In  1890  he  left  Ohio,  im- 
migrating to  California,  where  he  lived  eight  years 
in  Los  Angeles.  A  trip  to  Ohio  followed,  then  a 
season  in  Florida,  and  in  the  spring  of  1899  he 
came  to  the  Northwest.  Yakima  county  attracted 
his  attention  and  he  decided  to  become  one  of  its 
citizens,  so  he  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  a  quar- 
ter section  of  wheat  land  south  of  Prosser,  and 
upon  it  he  has  since  lived,  excepting  winters, 
when  he  resides  in  Kiona  that  his  children  may 
attend  school.  By  faithful  and  skillful  work  he 
has  transformed  his  desert  claim   into    a     thrifty 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


745 


farm,   all   under  cultivation,   and   has   improved   it 
by  the  erection  of  substantial  buildings. 

His  marriage  to  Miss  Emma  McCormick  took 
place  in  Los  Angeles,  May  i,  1895.  She  is  a  na- 
tive of  Ohio,  also,  born  in  1867,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  her  native  state. 
Mrs.  Wolcott  is  a  talented  woman,  possessing  a 
fine  musical  education,  and  for  several  years 
previous  to  her  manage  was  engaged  in  teaching 
music  in  Los  Angeles.  Her  parents,  Samuel  and 
Eliza  (Hughes)  McCormick  were  also  natives  of 
Ohio,  the  children  of  earlv  pioneers.  Mr.  McCor- 
mick is  a  successful  farmer  in  the  Buckeye  state, 
but  Mrs.  McCormick  passed  to  her  eternal  rest  in 
1878,  leaving  eight  children  to  mourn  the  loss  of 
a  devoted  mother.  Three  children  have  bright- 
ened the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wolcott,  all  of 
whom  are  living:  Morgan,  born  in  California, 
February  16,  1896;  Aloise,  on  the  Horse  Heaven 
ranch,  May  9,  1901 ;  and  Charles  A.,  also  born  on 
the  ranch,  July  28.  1903.  Mr.  Wolcott  is  an  ear- 
nest advocate  of  Prohibition  principles  and,  outside 
of  politics,  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  other 
public  affairs.  He  and  Mrs.  Wolcott  possess  a 
comfortable  home  and  a  valuable  farm  and,  sur- 
rounded by  a  host  of  friends  and  well  wishers,  are 
content  with  their  lot  in  life. 


WALTER  W.  SCOTT,  deceased.  With  the 
death,  in  1900,  of  the  man  whose  name  appears  at 
the  beginning  of  this  biography,  there  passed 
away  one  of  Yakima's  respected  and  esteemed  cit- 
izens and  one  of  Kiona's  earliest  and  most  sub- 
stantial pioneers.  Mr.  Scott  was  born  in  Vienna, 
Illinois,  1862,  and  was  the  son  of  Walter  A.  Scott, 
an  Englishman,  who  came  to  Illinois  in  early  days 
and  became  a  successful  woolen  mill  owner  and 
farmer.  He  died  in  California.  The  mother  was 
of  Scotch  parentage.  Walter  W.  Scott  left  school 
when  he  was  fifteen  years  old  and  learned  teleg- 
raphy. A  year  later  he  was  stationed  in  Texas. 
From  Texas  he  was  transferred  to  Nebraska  and 
after  a  two  years'  service  in  that  state,  returned 
to  Texas  and  assumed  full  charge  of  an  office  of 
considerable  importance.  In  1888  he  came  to  the 
Northwest  and  at  first  took  charge  of  the  office  at 
Sumner,  Pierce  county,  Washington.  A  year  la- 
ter he  went  to  Tacoma  and  thence  to  Gate  City, 
remaining  at  the  latter  place  two  years.  He  came 
to  Kiona  in  1891  as  Northern  Pacific  station 
agent,  occupying  that  position  two  years.  During 
his  first  year  of  residence  he  perceived  the  fine 
opportunity  presented  for  the  establishment  of  a 
general  store  at  Kiona  and  accordingly  opened  a 
small  one,  his  wife  taking  charge  of  it.  Mr.  Scott 
himself  managed  the  business  from  1893  until  his 
untimely  death,  meeting  with  excellent  success 
and  gradually  increasing  the  size  of  his  store.  His 
removal  from  the  affairs  of  life  was  a  shock  to  the 


community,  for  he  w-as  an  energetic  business  man, 
public-spirited  and  won  the  friendship  of  all  who 
came  into  close  touch  with  him. 

Mr.  Scott  and  Miss  Tena  Stoll,  a  daughter  of 
John  P.  and  Elizabeth  (Sohn)  Stoll,  were  united 
in  marrhge  in  1886,  the  ceremony  taking  place  in 
Nebraska.  John  P.  Stoll  was  born  in  Germany 
and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  boy  of 
seven  years.  His  youth  and  early  manhood  were 
spent  in  Ohio,  where  he  married  a  native  of  that 
state.  In  1867  the  family  removed  to  Nebraska 
and  there  established  a  permanent  home.  Mr. 
Stoll  died  in  1898.  Mrs.  Scott  was  born  in  Ohio 
in  1866,  received  her  education  in  Nebraska,  and 
was  married  at  the  age  of  nineteen.  To  this  union 
were  born  three  children,  all  of  whom  are  living 
at  home:  Neita  B.,  born  in  Texas,  August  12, 
1888;  Mabel,  born  in  Texas,  September  17,  1890; 
and  Ruby,  born  in  Washington,  October  22,  1892. 
Mr.  Scott  was  connected  with  two  fraternities,  the 
Masons  and  the  Modern  Woodmen.  Mrs.  Scott 
is  a  consistent  member  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
Her  property  consists  of  two  and  a  half  acres  in 
town,  the  store  and  valuables  it  contains,  and  a 
band  of  horses.  She  has  bravely  and  successfully 
taken  up  her  vastly  increased  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities and  enjoys  the  fullest  confidence  and  es- 
teem of  the  community. 


JOHN  H.  KENNEDY,  orchardist  and  gen- 
eral farmer,  living  at  Kiona  upon  the  oldest  place 
in  that  section  of  the  county,  was  born  in  Iowa, 
December  26,  1854.  His  father,  William  Ken- 
nedy, of  Scotch-Irish  extraction,  was  born  in 
Ohio  and  became  one  of  Iowa's  earliest  pioneers, 
going  thither  in  1830.  For  a  number  of  years  he 
was  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business  in  that  state 
in  addition  to  caring  for  his  farming  interests. 
While  yet  a  resident  of  Ohio  he  met  and  won  for 
his  bride  a  native  born  Ohio  girl,  Mary  Herron. 
In  Iowa  John  H.  Kennedy  attended  the  public 
schools,  but  received  most  of  his  education  in  the 
Grand  View  Academy.  He  accompanied  his  par- 
ents to  Nebraska  in  1877  and,  as  the  youngest 
son,  remained  with  them  during  their  declining 
years.  When  twenty-two  years  of  age,  he  was 
presented  with  eighty  acres  of  land  by  his  father 
and  thenceforth  aided  him  in  the  management  of 
his  business  interests.  After  the  death  of  his 
father  in  1884,  John  H.  came  to  the  Northwest 
and  after  thoroughly  inspecting  different  portions 
of  this  section  of  the  Union  decided  to  establish 
his  permanent  home  in  Yakima  county,  and  so 
settled  at  Kiona,  where  his  endeavors  have  been 
crowned  with  satisfying  success. 

He  was  married  in  Nebraska,  1884,  to  Miss 
Laura  French,  a  native  of  Iowa,  born  in  1862  in 
Lee  county,  her  parents  being  Jonathan  B.  and 
Miranda  (Allison)  French.     Air.  French  was  born 


746 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


in  New  York,  went  to  Ohio  at  an  early  date  in  its 
settlement,  was  married  there  in  1850,  later  re- 
moved to  Keokuk,  Iowa,  thence  to  Nebraska  in 
1872,  and  finally  settled  in  Idaho,  in  1885.  He  died 
a  year  later.  Mrs.  French  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania, the  daughter  of  early  Ohio  pioneers;  her 
birth  occurred  in  1828.  Mrs.  Kennedy  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  Pawnee 
City  Academy,  Nebraska.  For  three  years  pre- 
vious to  her  marriage  she  taught  school.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Kennedy  are  the  parents  of  four  children : 
William  W.,  born  in  Spokane,  April  20,  1886,  at- 
tending the  Waitsburg  Academy ;  Joseph  A.,  born 
in  Idaho,  February  15,  1895;  Philip  F.,  born  at 
Kiona,  September  18,  1899,  and  John  P.,  also  born 
at  Kiona,  June  16,  1902.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kennedy  are  active  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Air.  Kennedy's  political  views  may  be 
said  to  be  liberal  Republican.  He  owns  one  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  thirty  of  which  are  irrigable. 
Eight  acres  are  set  out  in  a  fine  bearing  orchard, 
two  acres  in  a  young  orchard,  and  an  acre  is  de- 
voted to  strawberries.  He  is  a  skilled  horticultur- 
ist, as  is  easily  discerned  by  an  inspection  of  his 
place.  As  a  progressive,  energetic  citizen  of  in- 
tegrity, Mr.  Kennedy  enjoys  the  respect  of  his 
community  and  possesses  a  host  of  friends. 


LOVELL  C.  TRAVIS,  one  of  the  leading 
farmers  of  Yakima  county,  is  a  pioneer  of  the 
wheat  belt.  He  was  born  May  2,  1864,  in  Nova 
Scotia,  the  eldest  son  of  Nathaniel  and  Hattie 
(Ring)  Travis,  likewise  natives  of  that  rich  Can- 
adian province.  He  remained  with  his  parents 
until  he  was  twenty-one  years  old,  but  upon  at- 
taining his  majority,  commenced  laying  the  foun- 
dation for  a  home  of  his  own  by  settling  upon  a 
homestead  near  his  father's  place.  During  the 
first  ten  years  of  his  residence  in  the  county  he 
was  engaged  in  the  stock  business  for  the  most 
part,  but  since  1895  he  has  given  his  attention 
principally  to  wheat  raising,  in  which  industry  he 
has  achieved  a  distinct  success.  For  many  years 
his  father,  his  brother  Botsford  and  himself  were 
partners.  For  several  years  Mr.  Travis  has  cul- 
tivated five  hundred  acres  annually. 

He  was  married  in  Walla  Walla  in  1888,  to 
Miss  Minnie  B.  Webber,  a  daughter  of  Solomon 
M.  and  Mary  (Harnes)  Webber,  whose  biog- 
raphies will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Webber  are  said  to  have  been  the 
first  permanent  settlers  in  the  Horse  Heaven  re- 
gion. Mrs.  Travis  was  born  in  Sacramento,  Cali- 
fornia, in  1868,  and  received  her  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Washington,  Nevada,  California 
and  Oregon,  her  father  having  resided  in  those 
states  while  she  was  a  girl.  She  was  eighteen 
years  old  when  married  to  Mr.  Travis.  They  have 
four  children,  whose  names  and  dates  of  birth  are 


recorded  as  follows:  Irene  C,  November  4,  1888; 
Etta  M.,  September,  1893;  Guy  M.,  March  16, 
1895;  and  Edith  R.,  December  22,  1902.  All  were 
born  on  the  Yakima  county  ranch.  Fraternally, 
Mr.  Travis  is  an  Odd  Fellow ;  politically,  he  is  a 
Republican.  For  the  past  eleven  years  he  has 
served  his  district  as  a  school  director  and  he 
takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  other  public  concerns. 
Mr.  Travis  owns  five  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres 
of  land,  of  which  four  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres 
are  in  cultivation;  his  stock  interests  consist  of  one 
hundred  head  of  work  and  range  horses.  In  culti- 
vating this  land  he  uses  immense  gang-plows  and 
eight-horse  harrows.  The  grain  is  handled  by  a 
combination  harvester  drawn  by  thirty-two  horses. 
Speaking  of  early  days  in  this  section,  Mr.  Travis 
says  that  in  order  to  mail  a  letter  or  get  the  mail 
it  was  necessary  to  ride  sixty-four  miles  across 
the  range  to  the  Columbia,  pay  two  dollars  to  be 
ferried  across  and  then  go  to  Wallula,  which  was 
the  nearest  postoffice.  Mr.  Travis  is  an  energetic, 
able  and  progressive  farmer  whose  success  is  well 
dczerved. 


HALLICK  A.  SMITH,  engaged  in  wheat 
farming  ten  miles  southeast  of  Kiona,  is  one  of 
Yakima  county's  pioneers  who  has  achieved  suc- 
cess. Illinois  is  his  birthplace;  the  year  of  his 
birth,  1861.  His  parents,  Aaron  and  Phila  (Ab- 
bott) Smith,  were  natives  of  Ohio  and  Pennsyl- 
vania respectively,  and  their  parents  were  pioneers 
of  Illinois.  The  father  died  in  1879,  Mrs.  Smith 
in  1876,  after  long,  useful  lives.  Hallick  A.  Smith 
was  reared  on  the  old  homestead,  remaining  there 
assisting  his  father  and  attending  the  district  school, 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  In  the  spring  of 
1883,  he  immigrated  to  California.  He  remained 
there  a  short  time,  then  with  his  brother,  drove 
from  San  Francisco  to  Walla  Walla,  Washington. 
During  the  fall  they  investigated  the  Horse  Heaven 
region  and  were  so  well  pleased  with  the  outlook 
that  they  filed  on  pre-emption  claims  immediately. 
Later  Hallick  A.  filed  a  homestead  claim.  Since 
1883  he  has  devoted  himself  earnestly  to  the  wheat 
and  stock  industries.  At  present  he  is  farming 
about  one  thousand  acres,  all  in  wheat. 

In  1891  Mr.  Smith  was  married  to  Miss  Aurora 
Volker,  the  ceremony  being  performed  in  Mis- 
souri. Her  parents,  William  and  Nancy  (Holmes) 
Volker,  of  German  and  English  descent,  respect- 
ively, came  to  Missouri  from  Illinois.  Mr.  Volker 
was  a  gunsmith  by  trade  and  came  to  America  in 
1861.  He  died  in  1897.  Nine  months  after  the  birth 
of  Mrs.  Smith  in  Madison  county,  Illinois,  1871, 
she  lost  her  mother,  after  which  she  was  taken  by 
her  father  to  Missouri.  In  the  public  schools  of 
that  state  she  received  her  education.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Smith  are  the  parents  of  six  children:  Lena, 
born  March  31,  1892;  Floyd,  October  9,  1893;  Al- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


'47 


frata,  April  19,  1895;  Allie  L.,  August  31,  1897; 
Florence,  May  30,  1900;  and  Ina  S.,  March  17, 
1902,  all  born  on  the  Horse  Heaven  ranch.  Mr. 
Smith  is  affiliated  with  one  fraternal  organization, 
the  Modern  Woodmen.  In  political  matters  he 
takes  an  active  interest,  belonging  to  the  Repub- 
lican part)-.  Mr.  Smith  has  served  his  district  as 
a  school  director  two  terms  and  when  the  interests 
of  education  are  at  stake  is  always  to  be  found  in 
the  van  of  progress.  His  ranch  consists  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres,  all  in  cultivation  and  well 
improved*  and  equipped ;  twenty-eight  head  of  se- 
lect draught  horses  are  used  in  operating  the 
machinery,  all  valuable  animals.  Mr.  Smith  com- 
mands the  good  will  and  respect  of  all  in  the  com- 
munity ;  the  task  he  has  accomplished  in  building 
up  and  making  comfortable  his  home  place  speaks 
volumes  for  his  energy  and  ability. 


MELVIN  U.  DIMMICK,  lessee  of  the  great 
Kelso  wheat  ranch  consisting  of  three  and  one- 
half  sections  situated  ten  miles  southeast  of  Kiona, 
is  of  Irish  and  English  extraction  and  a  member 
of  a  well-known  northern  Illinois  family  of  pioneers. 
His  father,  Aaron  L.  Dimmick,  was  born  in  New 
York,  but  in  early  days  removed  to  Franklin 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  is  a  prosperous  farmer. 
He  was  one  of  three  in  Franklin  county  who  voted 
for  Lincoln  in  i85o.  Mrs.  Dimmick  is  a  native  of 
Indiana  and  was  wedded  to  Mr.  Dimmick  in  Illi- 
nois when  she  was  sixteen  years  old. 

The  subject  of  this  biography  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Franklin  county,  Illinois.  He  com- 
menced farming  when  he  was  eighteen  years  old 
and  until  he  was  twenty-seven  worked  for  va- 
rious farmers  in  that  section  of  the  state.  How-, 
ever,  in  1890,  he  immigrated  to  the  Northwest,  lo- 
cating in  Yakima  county,  and  immediately  entered 
the  employ  of  Kelso  Brothers.  In  1900  he  leased 
their  large  place  and  for  the  past  three  seasons 
he  has  harvested  excellent  crops.  Mr.  Dimmick's 
thorough  experience  in  Illinois  agricultural  pur- 
suits has  been  of  invaluable  assistance  to  him  in 
western  farming,  making  him  unusually  capable  of 
managing  so  large  a  farm  as  the  Kelso  ranch.  His 
knowledge  is  thorough  and  his  methods  are  mod- 
ern, his  energies  well  directed. 

Mr.  Dimmick  was  married  in  1881  to  Ida  Rob- 
erts, the  ceremony  taking  place  in  Franklin  county, 
Illinois.  To  this  union  four  children  were  born : 
Horace,  March,  1884;  Marvin,  deceased,  Novem- 
ber, 1881  ;  Arthur,  November  10,  1886;  and  Norma, 
July,  1888.  He  was  again  married  in  1902,  his 
bride  being  Mrs.  Rena  Norman,  a  daughter  of 
John  and  Sibley  (Odle)  McReynolds.  Mr.  McRey- 
nolds  was  born  in  Indiana  and  became  a  pioneer 
farmer  of  Illinois.  He  died  September  30,  1887,  in 
Illinois.  Between  1861  and  1864  he  served  in  the 
Union  army.     Mrs.  McReynolds  was  born  in  Illi- 


nois ;  she  is  still  living.  Her  father  was  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war.  Mrs.  Dimmick  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois in  1867,  and  in  that  state  was  first  married 
to  S.  D.  Norman.  Five  children  were  the  fruit 
of  that  marriage:  Louis,  born  December  13,  1888; 
Barney  A.,  April  8,  1891,  deceased;  Selma  C, 
March  21,  1893;  Howard,  May  12,  1895;  and  Vic- 
tor, April  16,  1897;  all  born  in  Illinois.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dimmick  are  the  parents  of  two  sons,  Clem, 
who  was  born  November  4,  1902,  and  died  August 
25,  1903,  and  Aaron,  born  June  12,  1904.  Mr. 
Dimmick  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
is  a  member  of  the  Baptist  church.  He  takes  a 
deep  interest  in  political  affairs,  voting,  usually, 
the  Republican  ticket.  He  is  a  man  of  unques- 
tioned integrity,  progressive  ideas,  public-spirit 
and  popularity  with  his  neighbors ;  and  he  ranks 
as  one  of  the  most  substantial  citizens  of  Yakima 
countv. 


WARREN  C.  TRAVIS  is  another  member 
of  a  well  known  and  popular  family  of  Yakima 
county  pioneers  which  is  among  Yakima's  most 
extensive  wheat  raisers.  His  ranch  lies  ten  miles 
southeast  of  Kiona.  He  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia 
in  1868.  to  the  union  of  Nathaniel  and  Harriet 
(Ring)  Travis,  also  natives  of  that  province,  the 
father  born  April  17,  and  the  mother  April  2.  1843. 
Thev  immigrated  to  the  United  States  in  1878,  set- 
tling first  in  Nevada,  where  Mr.  Travis  engaged  in 
the  mining  and  transportation  industries  until  the 
fall  of  1881.  After  spending  a  year  in  California, 
he  moved  to  Oregon  and  in  the  fall  of  1883  set- 
tled upon  pre-emption  and  timber  culture  claims 
in  the  Horse  Heaven  region.  Since  that  time  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Travis  have  made  Yakima  county  their 
home,  though  at  present  they  are  visiting  in  Cali- 
fornia. Nathaniel  Travis  is  of  Scotch  and  Eng- 
lish descent;  his  wife,  of  English  and  Irish  extrac- 
tion. Warren  C.  Travis  did  not  accompany  his 
parents  to  the  Linked  States,  but  remained  with 
an  uncle  to  finish  his  education  in  Nova  Scotia. 
In  1882,  however,  he  bade  adieu  to  his  birthplace 
and  journeyed  to  Weston,  Oregon,  joining  his  par- 
ents there.  He  lived  with  them  until  eighteen  years 
old,  then  entered  the  service  of  Mathews  &  Baker, 
stockmen.  A  year  later  he  engaged  in  railroad 
work,  and  in  1889  went  to  California.  His  first 
work  there  was  driving  stage,  but  after  a  year's 
experience  in  this  trying  occupation,  he  entered 
the  mines.  Mining  occupied  his  attention  until 
1900,  when  he  returned  to  Yakima  county  and 
settled  upon  a  homestead  near  his  relatives.  The 
appearance  of  his  ranch  indicates  a  large  amount 
of  thrift  in  the  owner,  as  it  is  well  fenced,  has 
good  buildings  and   is  all   in  cultivation. 

He  was  married  in  Lundy,  California,  in  1891, 
to  Miss  Lulu  V.  Montrose.  Her  parents,  Rodney 
G.  and  Eliza   (White)   Montrose,  were  born  in  the 


748 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


province  of  Ontario,  Canada,  married  there  and 
came  to  Nevada  in  1867,  the  father  preceding  his 
family.  He  went  to  California  in  1877,  ms  family 
following  three  years  later,  and  he  is  still  living  in 
that  state.  By  trade,  he  is  a  millwright.  Mrs. 
Montrose  died  in  Nevada,  in  1875  >  sne  was  the 
mother  of  six  children.  Mrs.  Lulu  Travis  was  born 
in  Carson  City,  Nevada,  in  1871,  and  received  her 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Nevada  and 
California  and  in  the  high  school  of  Bridgeport, 
California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Travis  are  the  parents 
of  two  children :  Naomi,  born  in  Kennewick,  De- 
cember 12,  1895 ;  and  Nathaniel,  born  in  Califor- 
nia, May  9,  1898.  Both  husband  and  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Travis  is  an  enthu- 
siastic Republican,  ever  active  in  behalf  of  his 
party.  In  California  he  served  his  community  as 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  a  director  and  clerk 
of  his  school  district,  a  leader  in  all  movements 
looking  toward  the  improvement  of  his  community 
or  county  and  in  fact  is  one  of  the  most  influential 
citizens  of  the  wheat  belt.  He  and  Mrs.  Travis 
enjoy  the  fullest  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  en- 
tire community.  His  nine  hundred  and  sixty  acre 
wheat  ranch  is  all  in  cultivation. 


BOTSFORD.  S.  TRAVIS,  living  eleven  miles 
southeast  of  Kiona,  is  one  of  the  substantial  and 
popular  wheat  farmers  of  Yakima  county  and  a 
brother  of  Lovell  C.  and  Warren  C.  Travis,  also 
large  wheat  growers.  Born  in  1871  in  the  province 
of  Nova  Scotia,  Canada,  he  is  the  youngest  son  of 
Nathaniel  and  Hattie  (Ring)  Travis,  likewise  na- 
tives of  Nova  Scotia.  Nathaniel  Travis  was  born 
April  17,  1843;  Mrs.  Travis,  April  2d,  of  the  same 
year.  They  were  married  in  1863  and  lived  upon 
their  Nova  Scotia  farm  until  1878.  In  that  year, 
however,  they  immigrated  to  Nevada,  where  the 
father  engaged  in  mining  and  freighting  until  the 
fall  of  1881.  Then  he  went  to  California  for  a 
short  time,  but  the  next  fall,  that  of  1882,  he 
moved  to  Oregon.  The  same  year  he  visited  the 
Horse  Heaven  Plains  and  so  deeply  impressed  was 
he  with  their  adaptability  to  farming  that  in  the 
spring  of  1883  he  removed  thither  and  established 
his  permanent  home.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Travis  are 
still  living.  Botsford  S.  was  eleven  years  old  when 
he  came  west.  For  three  years  after  his  arrival 
in  Yakima  county  he  attended  school.  He  then 
commenced  riding  the  range  for  Mathews  &  Baker 
and  during  the  succeeding  twelve  years  rode  for 
himself  and  that  firm.  His  father,  his  brother, 
Lovell,  and  he  entered  into  a  partnership  in  the 
nineties,  his  father  and  brother  looking  after  the 
farms  while  Botsford  cared  for  the  stock  interests. 
This  partnership  was  dissolved  in  1899,  Botsford 
at  that  time  settling  upon  a  homestead  and  thence- 
forth farming  for  himself  alone. 

Mr.  Travis  was  married  in  Portland  December 


28,  1898,  to  Miss  Clara  McElvain,  a  daughter  of 
Samuel  and  Amanda  (Simpson)  McElvain.  Mr. 
McElvain  was  born  in  Illinois,  moved  to  Oregon  in 
1891,  and  with  his  family,  is  at  present  a  resident 
of  Kennewick.  He  is  a  contractor  by  occupation. 
Mrs.  McElvain  was  the  first  white  child  born  in 
Butler  county,  Nebraska.  Her  parents  are  still  liv- 
ing. Mrs.  Travis  was  also  born  in  Butler  county, 
in  1880,  but  was  educated  in  Portland  and  Ken- 
newick. At  the  age  of  eighteen  she  married.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Travis  have  two  children,  Ivan  V.,  born 
in  Renton,  Washington,  November  23,  1899;  and 
Louise  V.,  born  on  the  ranch,  October  23,  1903. 
Mr.  Travis  belongs  to  the  Republican  party  and 
takes  an  active  interest  in  all  political  matters 
He  owns  five  hundred  and  thirty-three  acres  of 
wheat  land,  all  under  cultivation,  ten  acres  of  land 
at  Kennewick,  and  considerable  stock.  Mr.  Travis 
has  achieved  a  very  enviable  success  in  his  en- 
deavors to  amass  a  competence  and  make  for  him- 
self and  family  a  comfortable  home.  In  his  ardor 
to  do  this,  however,  he  has  not  been  unmindful 
of  his  community  and  fellow  men,  but  has  ever 
shown  himself  public  spirited  and  patriotic. 


REMUS  E.  CARTER,  a  pioneer  and  success- 
ful wheat  grower  living  twelve  miles  south  of 
Kiona,  is  a  Kentuckian,  having  been  born  in  Davis 
county,  Kentucky,  in  1854.  His  father,  Dr.  Will- 
iam A.  C.  Carter,  was  a  native  of  Virginia,  who 
became  a  pioneer  of  Davis  county  and  there  mar- 
ried Sarah  Hobbs,  the  daughter  of  Kentucky  pio- 
neers and  herself  born  in  that  state.  They  removed 
to  Illinois  in  1863,  where  the  father  practiced  his 
profession,  that  of  a  veterinary,  until  his  death  in 
1877.  Mrs.  Carter  died  in  1864.  Remus  E.  Car- 
ter remained  at  home  until  twenty-one  years  old, 
or  until  1875,  when  he  went  to  Texas  and  com- 
menced working  on  a  ranch.  A  little  later  he 
returned  to  Kentucky,  thence  to  Illinois  and  re- 
mained there  until  1882.  That  year  marks  the 
date  of  his  immigration  to  the  Northwest.  He 
fi-st  located  at  Pilot  Rock,  Oregon,  working  in  a 
sawmill,  then  a  livery  stable  and  finally  herding 
sheep.  The  next  May  he  made  a  trip  through 
the  Palouse  countrj ,  stopping  for  short  periods  ac 
Genesee  and  Moscow.  From  Moscow  he  went  to 
Medical  Lake,  thence  to  the  Coeur  d'Alenes,  back 
to  Medical  Lake  and  thence  returned  to  Pendleton, 
where  he  remained  until  November.  At  that  time, 
late  in  the  fall  of  1883,  he  settled  upon  a  homestead 
in  the  Horse  Heaven  region  and  since  that  time 
has  been  successfully  engaged  in  farming  and 
horse  raising  upon  his  place,  sowing  between  four 
hundred  and  five  hundred  acres  to  wheat  each  year. 
His  holdings  consist  of  fully  eight  hundred  acres 
of  excellent  wheat  land  and  considerable  stock. 
His  farm  is  well  improved  with  comfortable  build- 
ings and  two  excellent  wells,  a  rarity  in  that  coun- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


749 


try,  and  thoroughly  equipped  with  machinery.  Of 
the  fourteen  members  of  his  immediate  family, 
only  Mr.  Carter  and  one  brother,  Alfred  J.,  living 
in  Ohio  county,  Kentucky,  are  living.  Mr.  Carter 
is  a  loyal  friend  of  education  and  for  some  time 
served  on  the  school  board  in  his  district.  He  is 
a  member  of  one  fraternity,  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  i  -  an  active  Republican,  and  con- 
nected with  the  Baptist  church.  As  a  public- 
spirited  citizen,  an  industrious,  thrifty  farmer,  a 
good  neighbor  and  a  man  of  high  principles,  Mr. 
Carter  enjoys  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  him. 


LOUIS,  JORGEN  AND  PETER  ANDER- 
SON. In  all  the  Yakima  country  there  probably 
cannot  be  found  three  more  successful,  more  pop- 
ular or  more  contented  citizens  than  the  trio  whose 
names  commence  this  sketch.  They  reside  at 
Horse  Heaven  postoffice,  fourteen  miles  south- 
west of  Kiona  and  together  cultivate  one  of  the 
largest  farms  in  central  Washington.  They  are 
also  among  the  foremost  stockmen  of  that  section. 
All  are  natives  of  Denmark  and  the  sons  of  James 
and  Christina  H.  (Hansen)  Anderson,  both  of 
whom  were  born  in  1823.  Mrs.  Anderson  died  at 
the  age  of  fifty-seven,  and  her  husband  passed 
away  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  eighty. 

Louis  Anderson  was  born  April  11,  1852.  Hav- 
ing completed  his  education,  he  worked  at  various 
occupations  in  Denmark  until  he  was  twenty-seven 
years  old,  then  came  to  America,  first  settling  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  lived  four  years.  He 
emigrated  to  Washington  in  1885  and  settled  upon 
the  homestead  which  is  his  present  home.  He 
has  been  engaged  in  general  farming  and  stock 
raising  since  that  date.  In  1878  Mr.  Anderson  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Margretta  A.  Espus, 
also  a  native  of  Denmark,  born  June  17,  1857. 
She  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  her  native 
land.  They  have  six  children :  James  A.,  born  in 
Denmark,  September  11,  1879;  Carl  C,  in  Penn- 
sylvania, March  30,  1882;  Minnie  C,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, January  17,  1884,  a  graduate  of  the  Prosser 
high  school  and  now  mistress  of  the  schools  at 
Horse  Heaven ;  Clara  M.,  on  the  Yakima  home- 
stead, July  18,  1886;  Lucile  C,  on  the  homestead, 
December  20,  1888;  and  Chester  L.,  also  born  on 
the  homestead,  September  11,  1802.  Mr.  Ander- 
son is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity, 
and  is'  a  stanch  Republican,  as  are  also  his  broth- 
ers. He  tnkes  a  keen  interest  in  all  educational 
affairs  and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  served  on  the 
school  board  of  his  district.  May  6,  1903,  Mrs. 
Anderson  was  appointed  postmistress  of  Horse 
Heaven  postoffice. 

Jorgen  Anderson's  birth  occurred  February  7, 
1856.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  began  learning 
the  carpenter's  trade  and  served  a  four  years'  ap- 
prenticeship.     In    1878   he   came  to   America,   set- 


tling first  in  Illinois,  where  he  followed  his  trade  a 
short  time;  in  the  fall  he  went  to  California  and 
there  followed  farming  until  1884,  when  he  moved 
to  Washington  and  filed  upon  goverment  land  in 
the  Horse  Heaven  region.  He  lived  upon  this 
place  until  1898,  when  he  spent  a  year  in  Alaska, 
mining.  Thence  returning  home  with  renewed 
devotion  to  agriculture,  he  has  since  given  his  un- 
divided attention  to  farming  and  stock  raising. 

Peter  Anderson,  the  youngest  of  the  brothers, 
was  born  April  23,  1858,  and  like  his  brothers  re- 
ceived a  common  school  education  in  Denmark. 
He  remained  in  the  old  country,  until  the  spring  of 
1880,  then  crossed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent 
three  years  learning  the  painter's  trade.  After 
a  year  in  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan,  he  spent  two 
years  in  California  working  at  his  trade  and  farm- 
ing, and  in  1886  joined  his  brothers  in  Washing- 
ton, settling  upon  a  homestead  near  them.  How- 
ever, he  soon  left  the  county  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing near  Pomeroy,  where  he  lived  eight  years,  or 
until  1895,  the  year  in  which  the  Anderson  Brothers 
formed  a  partnership.     He  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  also. 

Anderson  Brothers  own  four  thousand  four  hun- 
dred acres  of  wheat  land,  all  under  cultivation,  three 
hundred  head  of  cattle,  one  hundred  head  of 
horses,  and  forty-five  acres  of  land  irrigated  by 
the  Kiona  canal,  one  of  the  best  in  the  state.  Forty 
acres  of  the  irrigated  land  are  in  alfalfa  and  several 
acres  are  in  orchard.  After  the  county  well  was 
dug,  the  Andersons  were  the  first  to  get  water  at 
a  great  depth.  Their  well  had  to  be  sunk  three 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  through  hard  rock,  but  the 
labor  and  expense  of  its  excavation  were  abun- 
dantly rewarded,  for  the  water  in  it  is  two  hundred 
feet  deep.  They  have  several  shallow  wells  on 
their  ranch.  To  their  large  interests  the  brothers 
give  their  personal  attention  with  the  result  that  the 
property  is  thriving:  and  each  season  nets  them 
handsome  returns  on  their  investment.  They  are 
men  of  energy,  integrity  and  ability,  respected  by 
all  and  possessing  a  host  of  warm  friends.  Such 
citizens  Yakima  welcomes  to  its  plains  and  valleys. 


EMERY  W.  R.  TAYLOR,  of  Prosser,  mayor, 
merchant,  and  owner  of  the  flouring  mills,  is  one 
of  Yakima  county's  best  known  citizens  and  ear- 
liest pioneers,  being  the  youngest  son  of  Honor- 
able George  S.  Taylor,  deceased,  whose  biography, 
together  with  that  of  his  wife,  Rebecca  (McGloth- 
len)  Taylor,  who  is  still  living,  will  be  found  else- 
where in  this  work.  The  subject  of  this  biography 
was  born  in  Iowa,  May  12,  18^9,  and  crossed  the 
Plains  with  his  parents  in  1864.  After  a  few 
months  spent  in  Umatilla  countv  and  a  longer 
period  near  Puget  Sound,  in  1866  the  family  settled 
in  the  Selah  valley,  Yakima  county,  where  the  fam- 
ily home  has  since  remained.  In  that  frontier  re- 
gion the  Taylor  boys  spent  the  early  years  of  their 


750 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


lives,  assisting  their  father  in  raising  stock  and 
cultivating  the  soil.  Emery  left  the  parental  roof 
when  he  attained  his  majority  and  filed  upon  home- 
stead and  timber  culture  claims  in  the  Wenas  val- 
ley, where  he  lived  seven  years.  At  the  age  of 
twenty-eight  he  moved  to  Prosser  and  engaged  in 
manufacturing  flour,  purchasing  the  mill  at  that 
point.  Two  years  later  he  opened  a  general  store 
and  during  the  next  few  years  both  enterprises 
prospered.  However,  the  hard  times  of  the  middle 
nineties  affected  Prosser,  as  they  did  the  rest  of 
the  country,  and,  though  keeping  the  mill  in  oper- 
ation, Mr.  Taylor  decided  to  remove  the  store  to 
North  Yakima.  Accordingly,  in  1898,  it  was  re- 
moved to  the  larger  city  and  for  three  years  Mr. 
Taylor  conducted  it,  selling  the  business  in  1901, 
and  returning  to  Prosser.  By  this  time  the  new 
era  had  dawned  on  that  commercial  center  and  the 
business  prospects  being  so  excellent,  he  again 
engaged  in  the  mercantile  business  with  encourag- 
ing success  from  the  beginning. 

Mr.  Taylor  and  Miss  Hannah  A.  Sutton,  a 
daughter  of  John  and  Mary  (Kelly)  Sutton,  were 
united  in  marriage  in  the  year  1879,  tne  cere- 
mony taking  place  in  Yakima  county.  Mrs.  Taylor 
was  born  in  Indiana  in  1862,  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  her  native  state  and  was  mar- 
ried at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Her  father  was 
killed  by  lightning  while  she  was  a  little  girl.  Six 
children  bless  the  Taylor  household,  all  of  whom 
are  native  sons  and  daughters  of  Yakima  county. 
They  are  named:  Pearl,  born  February  13,  1881 ; 
Arthur,  1884;  Roy,  1886;  Claude,  1889;  Edna, 
1892,  and  George  S.,  1895.  Arthur  and  Roy  assist 
their  father  in  the  store.  Mr.  Taylor  has  two 
brothers,  Harley  and  George,  living  in  North  Yak- 
ima, and  one  sister,  Mrs.  Rosa  Brooker,  also  a  res- 
ident of  North  Yakima.  He  is  connected  with  the 
Odd  Fellows  fraternity  and  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Democratic  party.  When  Prosser  was  incor- 
porated in  1899,  Mr.  Taylor  was  honored  by  his 
townsmen  with  the  highest  office  in  their  power 
to  bestow — that  of  mayor — and  served  two  years,  or 
until  he  resigned  and  moved  to  North  Yakima. 
Upon  his  return  in  1901,  he  received  another  token 
of  Prosser's  esteem  for  its  favorite  son, — a  re-elec- 
tion to  the  mayoralty— and  was  elected  in  1903. 
Mayor  Taylor  is  still  serving  with  credit  to  him- 
self, in  the  administration  of  public  affairs  in  a 
thrifty,  progressive  city,  and  retains  the  fullest  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow  men.  Besides  his  large  mer- 
cantile establishment,  and  one  of  the  two  flour- 
ing mills  in  Yakima  county,  Mr.  Taylor  has  other 
city  and  county  property,  all  of  which  receive  his 
careful,  untiring  management.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tay- 
lor are  highly  esteemed  by  a  host  of  friends  and 
acquaintances. 

LORENZO  D.  LAPE,  proprietor  of  the  Hotel 
Lape,  Prosser,  has  been  identified  with  the  devel- 


opment of  Yakima  county  since  the  year  1883  and 
has  been  a  resident  of  Prosser  since  1897,  during 
which  time  he  has  taken  no  unimportant  part  in  the 
upbuilding  of  that  section  of  the  county.  For 
many  years  he  was  one  of  the  largest  wheat  grow- 
ers in  the  Horse  Heaven  region.  He  was  born 
in  Fayette  county,  Illinois,  1855,  to  the  union  of 
Henry  W.  and  Lucy  (Hazlip)  Lape,  both  of  Dutch 
extraction.  Henry  W.  Lape  was  born  in  Ohio, 
settled  in  Illinois  in  1830  and  lived  in  that  state 
until  1880,  when  he  removed  to  Kansas  and  a  little 
later  to  Missouri ;  his  death  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
seven  occurring  in  the  latter  state.  Mrs.  Lape  was 
born  in  Virginia,  came  to  Illinois  in  1829  and  was 
married  at  the  age  of  seventeen ;  she  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Missouri.  Lorenzo  D.  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  state  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-one  commenced  to  farm  on  his  own  ac- 
count. In  1880  he  went  to  Kansas  and  farmed 
a  year,  also  conducted  a  grocery  store  in  Girard  a 
year;  then  spent  six  months  in  the  mines  of  Col- 
orado, visited  Gunnison,  and  in  March,  1883,  ar- 
rived in  Pendleton,  Oregon,  having  walked  the 
entire  distance  between  that  city  and  Glenn's  Ferry, 
Jdaho.  That  fall  he  filed  on  homestead  and  timber 
culture  claims  in  the  Horse  Heaven  wheat  region 
and  the  following  spring  returned  to  the  land  and 
began  its  improvement.  Upon  this  place  he  made 
his  home  until  1897,  attaining  great  success  in 
wheat  raising.  For  some  time  he  cultivated  two 
thousand  three  hundred  acres.  However,  in  the 
fall  of  1897,  an  accident  deprived  him  of  his  left 
foot  and  influenced  him  to  leave  farming  and  de- 
vote himself  to  a  quieter  occupation.  So  he  re- 
moved to  Prosser  in  the  spring  of  1898,  built  the 
Lape  Hotel,  leasing  it  for  three  years,  and  then 
opened  a  harness  shop.  In  1902  he  sold  the  shop 
to  C.  R.  Boney,  and  in  July  of  the  same  year  took 
personal  charge  of  his  hotel,  now  known  as  one  of 
the  most  comfortable  and  well  managed  hostelries 
in  Yakima  county. 

In  Pendleton,  1889,  Miss  Mary  V.  Reed, 
daughter  of  Philander  and  Lucinda  (Eurit)  Reed, 
became  the  wife  of  Mr.  Lape.  Her  parents  were 
both  born  and  reared  in  West  Virginia,  and  Mrs. 
Lape  was  also  born  in  that  state,  in  April,  1865,  al- 
though she  received  her  education  in  Kansas.  In 
1 89 1  the  family  came  to  Yakima  county,  settling 
in  the  Horse  Heaven  country,  and  there  the  father 
died  in  1892;  Mrs.  Reed,  who  is  the  mother  of 
eleven  children,  is  living  in  Prosser.  To. Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lape  two  children  have  been  born,  both  of 
whom  are  living:  Lena,  born  August  18,  1890; 
Loren  B.,  December  23,  1891.  Mrs.  Lape  is  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and  her  husband 
is  affiliated  with  the  Democratic  party.  Besides  his 
fine  hotel  property  and  other  Prosser  holdings, 
Mr.  Lape  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
wheat  land,  all  in  cultivation.  He  is  an  enterpris- 
ing citizen   who   has   clone   much   toward   the  up- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


75i 


building  of  his  home  city  and  possesses  the  confi- 
dence and  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 


FRANK  H.  GLOYD,  cashier  of  the  Prosser 
State  Bank,  secretary  of  the  Prosser  Falls  Land 
and  Irrigation  Company  and  president  of  the  Pros- 
ser Board  of  Trade,  is  one  of  Yakima  county's 
substantial  citizens  and  a  business  man  of  the  type 
which  is  giving  the  Yakima  country  continental 
prominence.  His  early  ancestors  were  inhabitants 
of  the  British  Isles,  the  Gloyds  being  Welsh  and 
his  mother's  people  English.  The  father,  Ben- 
jamin F.  Gloyd,  was  born  in  Massachusetts,  1831, 
and  by  trade  was  a  mechanic,  though  he  followed 
farming  extensively.  In  1852  he  took  up  his  resi- 
dence in  Kentucky  and  there  wooed  and  won  a 
Southern  girl,  Susan  Mason.  She  came  of  old  Vir- 
ginia colonist  stock,  was  born  in  that  state  and 
is  related  to  Henry  Clay.  In  Kentucky,  also,  the 
subject  of  this  biography  was  born  in  the  year 
1862.  From  Kentucky  the  family  removed  to  Il- 
linois. There  the  father  engaged  in  the  mercan- 
tile business  and  the  son,  Frank,  began  to  acquire 
his  education,  attending  the  common  and  high 
schools  of  that  state,  besides  receiving  the  benefit 
of  tutoring.  His  education  was  finished  in  Ohio, 
and  in  1881  he  joined  his  parents  in  Kansas,  to 
which  state  they  had  removed  from  Illinois.  The 
family  later  decided  to  seek  a  home  in  the  North- 
west and  accordingly,  in  1882,  crossed  the  Plains 
by  wagon  to  the  Willamette  valley.  Subsequently 
they  removed  to  Puget  Sound,  where  both  par- 
ents are  still  living.  While  in  Ohio,  however, 
Frank  H.  had  decided  to  enter  the  profession  of 
law  and  spent  some  time  reading  law  in  the  office 
of  a  brother  of  Chief  Justice  Waite,  United  States 
Supreme  Court.  Upon  arriving  in  his  northwest- 
«rn  home,  the  young  man  entered  the  employ  of 
Waters  &  Thome,  then  compiling  a  set  of  abstract 
records  for  Marion  county,  Oregon.  In  the  spring 
of  1883,  he  engaged  in  the  same  kind  of  work, 
compiling  abstract  records  of  Pierce  county, 
Washington,  for  E.  C.  Pentland,  owner  of  the 
copyright.  A  few  months  later  the  energetic 
young  abstracter  bought  Pentland's  interests,  sold 
a  half  interest  to  W.  N.  Spinning,  and,  together 
they  conducted  the  abstract  business  until  1889. 
when  the  Bankers'  Title  Insurance  &  Trust  Com- 
pany was  organized  and  absorbed  the  partnership. 
The  next  August  the  abstract  business  was  con- 
solidated with  the  Fidelity  Trust  Company  and  a 
new  company  organized,  the  Real  Estate,  Title, 
Insurance  &  Abstract  Company,  absorbing  all  in- 
terests. Mr.  Gloyd  was  president  of  this  company 
until  the  fall  of  1894.  Between  the  years  1884  and 
1894  he  also  held  the  position  of  deputy  county- 
auditor  of  Pierce  county,  and  in  the  fall  of  1894 
was  elected  auditor,  serving  one  term  in  that  ca- 
pacity.    In  the  spring  of  1892  Mr.  Gloyd  had  his 


first  substantial  experience  in  western  banking,  he 
and  his  brother-in-law  purchasing  a  controlling 
interest  that  year  in  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Puyallup.  Mr.  Gloyd  became  president  of  that 
institution  and  served  until  January,  1894.  In 
June,  1897,  he  entered  the  service  of  the  land  de- 
partment of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Com- 
pany, and  remained  in  their  service  until  March, 
1902,  when  he  retired  to  become  the  cashier  and 
manager  of  the  Prosser  State  Bank. 

Mr.  Gloyd  and  Miss  Alida  M.  Spinning,  the 
daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  H.  and  Mildred  D. 
(Stewart)  Spinning,  were  united  in  marriage  at 
Pasadena,  California,  Marches,  1891.  Dr.  Spin- 
ning was  born  in  Indiana  and  in  1852  crossed  the 
Plains  to  become  one  of  Oregon's  early  pio- 
neers, settling  near  Portland.  Mrs.  Spinning  was 
a  native  of  Iowa,  the  daughter  of  a  Congregational 
minister  who  came  around  the  Horn  to  Washing- 
ton in  1873.  While  Doctor  Spinning  was  acting- 
as  government  physician  on  the  Puyallup  Indian 
reservation  in  1869,  Alida  M.  was  born.  She  re- 
ceived her  education  in  the  schools  of  Pierce 
county,  at  the  Annie  Wright  Seminary,  Tacoma, 
and  the  State  University,  Seattle.  Her  venerable 
father,  who  is  still  practicing  his  profession  in 
Pierce  county  at  the  age  of  eighty-three  years,  is 
an  ex-member  of  the  Washington  legislature.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Gloyd  have  two  children,  both  born  in 
Tacoma :  Frank  Stewart,  born  November  28, 
1895 ;  and  Charles  Hadley,  April  14,  1903.  Mr. 
Gloyd  and  his  wife  are  devoted  members  of  the 
Christian  church,  of  which  he  is  an  elder.  His  fra- 
ternal connections  are  limited  to  one  fraternity, 
the  Knights  of  Pythias;  besides  which  he  is  a 
member  of  the  National  Union  of  Insurance. 
Politically,  he  is  both  an  active  and  an  influential 
Republican.  His  business  interests  are  many  and 
important  and  the  undeviating  success  he  has 
achieved  is  a  substantial  proof  of  his  ability  and 
standing  in  the  business  world.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gloyd  are  highly  esteemed  for  their  congenial  and 
sterling  personal  qualities  by  all  with  whom  they 
are  associated. 


DAVID  M.  ANGUS,  M.  D.  Although  not 
among  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  county,  during 
the  twelve  years  he  has  resided  in  the  Yakima  val- 
ley, Doctor  Angus  has  accomplished  much  to- 
ward the  upbuilding  of  his  community,  has  firmly 
established  himself  in  the  hearts  of  a  large  army 
of  friends  and  has  met  with  a  goodly  success  in 
his  endeavors.  Born  in  Scotland,  1856,  he  is  the 
son  of  Alexander  and  Jannett  ( Bruce)  Angus, 
also  natives  of  the  land  of  Douglas  and  Scott. 
The  father  and  mother  immigrated  to  Canada  in 
1857,  came  to  the  United  States  in  1890,  settling 
in  Tacoma.  and  are  now  residing  in  Prosser.  Dur- 
ing the   greater    portion    of    his    life     Alexander 


752 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Angus  has  followed  agricultural  pursuits.  After 
finishing  his  public  school  education  in  Canada, 
David  M.  Angus  taught  school  three  years,  and 
in  1880  and  1881  was  a  fireman  and  conductor  on 
one  of  the  Canadian  Pacific's  construction  trains, 
all  this  time  carefully  saving  his  earnings  to  satisfy 
a  higher  ambition  he  had  in  view.  The  year  1882 
witnessed  the  first  step  in  satisfying  this  ambition, 
Mr.  Angus,  spending  a  year  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Michigan,  at  Ann  Arbor. 
In  order  to  complete  his  course,  the  young  med- 
ical student  was  again  obliged  to  leave  college  and 
teach  two  years  in  Illinois.  The  next  year  he  pur- 
sued his  medical  studies  at  Ann  Arbor,  and  the 
year  following  was  graduated  from  a  New  York 
medical  school,  1886.  For  a  year  he  served  as 
surgeon  in  the  eastern  district  Brooklyn  hospital, 
then  went  west  to  California,  practicing  his  pro- 
fession two  years  in  Vallejo.  From  Vallejo  he 
came  north  to  Tacoma,  and  lived  there  until  1892, 
meeting  with  excellent  success.  In  1892,  how- 
ever, he  left  the  Sound  to  take  up  his  residence 
in  Yakima  county,  having  purchased  sixty  acres 
of  land  in  what  is  now  known  as  the  Euclid  set- 
tlement, so  named  by  Dr.  Angus  in  1892,  his 
ranch  bearing  that  euphonious  country  name.  He 
cleared  the  land  of  sage-brush,  set  out  a  forty-acre 
orchard,  now  one  of  the  finest  in  the  Yakima 
country,  and  seeded  the  balance  to  alfalfa,  besides 
erecting  a  comfortable  dwelling  and  other  farm 
buildings.  Seven  years  Dr.  Angus  made  this 
pretty  place  his  home,  meanwhile  continuing  his 
practice  of  medicine  and  surgery  and  gradually 
establishing  himself  in  the  community.  In  1899, 
he  was  influenced  by  the  increasing  pressure  of 
his  professional  work  and  the  bright  prospects  in 
store  for  Prosser  to  remove  his  home  to  that  lit- 
tle city  and  since  then  has  resided  there.  Three 
years  ago  he  established  the  Angus  Drug  Com- 
pany, one  of  the  best  drug  stores  in  the  county. 

Dr.  Angus  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Grace  Brune,  the  daughter  of  Charles  H.  and 
Rosario  (Romero)  Brune,  at  The  Dalles  in  1901. 
She  is  a  native  of  Klickitat  county,  born  in  1877, 
and  was  educated  in  that  county  and  at  The  Dalles. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Germany  and  immigrated 
to  America  when  a  young  man  of  twenty  years. 
He  settled  in  Oregon  in  i860  and  six  years  later 
was  married  to  Rosario  Romero,  the  daughter  of 
California  pioneers  and  a  native  of  that  state.  Mr. 
Brune  died  in  1894;  Mrs.  Brune  is  living  in  Grand 
Dalles,  Washington.  Mr.  Angus  is  held  in  high 
esteem  by  his  fellow  citizens,  who  honored  him  in 
1900  with  the  mayoralty  of  Prosser,  and  found 
him  a  capable,  progressive  official,  who  did  not 
disappoint  them.  He  is  connected  with  neither  of 
the  old  line  political  parties,  but  is  an  enthusiastic 
Socialist.  Fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Masons,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
Knights  of  Pythias.     Besides  his  drug  store  busi- 


ness, he  owns  considerable  other  city  property  and 
land.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Angus  are  prominent  and  in- 
fluential in  their  community  and  popular  with  all 
classes. 


HERBERT  J.  JEXKS,  extensive  land  pro- 
prietor, dealer  in  real  estate  and  representative  of 
several  insurance  companies,  is  one  of  Prosser's 
earliest  pioneers,  as  well  as  one  of  its  successful 
business  men  at  present.  A  native  of  Maine,  born 
January  14,  1857,  ne  >s  tne  descendant  of  two  of 
the  oldest  families  of  the  Pine  Tree  state.  His 
father,  Joshua  E.,  was  born  there  in  1834,  a  de- 
scendant of  a  well-known  family,  and  the  sixty-five 
years  of  his  life  were  spent  within  its  boundaries. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  hotel  business.  Three 
times  he  made  an  effort  to  get  into  the  Union 
army,  but  each  time  physical  disabilities  pre- 
vented him.  Maria  (Jordon)  Jenks  was  born  in 
1836.  Her  father  was  an  old  East  India  sea  cap- 
tain whose  ship  and  crew  were  lost  on  the  Atlan- 
tic in  1849.  The  Jordons  have  lived  in  Maine  for 
more  than  two  hundred  years.  After  receiving  an 
education  in  his  native  state,  including  attend- 
ance at  high  school,  in  1876  the  young  man, 
Herbert  J.  Jenks,  went  west  to  St.  Louis,  Mis- 
souri. When  the  mining  excitement  connected 
with  the  Black  Hills  discovery  reached  St.  Louis, 
in  the  spring  of  1877,  ne  started  for  the  mines,  but 
gave  up  this  ambition  to  work  for  the  government, 
driving  teams  to  various  forts  in  Wyoming  and 
Montana.  He  subsequently  visited  the  upper  Yel- 
lowstone valley,  spent  five  years  farming  and  log- 
ging near  Miles  City,  Montana,  then  two  years 
in  hunting  the  buffalo,  and  in  1883  came  to  Wash- 
ington, first  visiting  Walla  Walla  and  later  com- 
ing to  Prosser.  He  filed  upon  a  homestead  and 
a  timber  culture  claim  near  Prosser,  and,  while 
engaged  in  their  development,  located  other  home- 
seekers  and  entered  the  stock  business.  In  1884 
he  opened  the  first  livery  barn  to  be  started  in 
Prosser  and  successfully  conducted  it  four  years. 
He  then  sold  it  and  spent  a  year  in  North  Yakima. 
He  returned  with  a  band  of  cattle  and  was  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock  raising  until  1898, 
when  he  went  to  the  Klondike  mines  for  a  sea- 
son, returning  with  more  experience  than  gold- 
One  year  since  then,  in  1901,  he  was  away  from 
his  home  in  Prosser,  and  during  that  time  he  was 
in  California. 

In  1884,  Mr:  Jenks  was  married  in  Prosser,  to 
Miss  Emma  C.  Badger,  daughter  of  William  M. 
Badger,  of  North  Yakima.  Mr.  Badger  was  an 
Ohio  farmer  until  1876,  when  he  went  to  Califor- 
nia and  later  came  to  Yakima  county.  Mrs. 
Jenks  was  born  in  Ohio,  1865,  was  educated  in 
Ohio  and  Oregon,  and  married  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen. Two  children  resulted  from  this  union,  both- 
of    whom   are    still    living:      William    C,    born    irt 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


753 


Prosser,  October  9,  1885,  and  Ina  B.,  born  in 
North  Yakima,  November  25,  1888.  The  loving 
wife  and  mother  succumbed  to  disease  in  January, 
1897.  In  1899,  Mr.  Jenks  was  again  married,  his 
second  bride  being  Miss  Jessie  Wooliiscroft, 
daughter  of  Jesse  and  Jennie  A.  (Mills)  Wooliis- 
croft, of  Prosser.  Her  father  was  born  in  England ; 
her  mother  in  Wisconsin,  where,  also,  Mrs.  Jenks 
was  born  in  1879.  Mr.  Wooliiscroft  is  a  prosper- 
ous Yakima  county  farmer.  To  this  second  mar- 
riage one  child  has  been  born,  Herbert  J.,  Jr., 
born  in  Prosser,  March  28,  1901.  *Mr.  Jenks  is 
fraternally  affiliated  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  Rebek- 
ahs,  Modern  Woodmen  and  the  Royal  Neigh- 
bors ;  politically,  he  is  an  ardent  Republican  and 
a  zealous  admirer  of  President  Roosevelt.  He  is 
a  citizen  who  holds  the  confidence  of  his  fellow- 
men,  as  shown  by  the  number  of  his  friends  and 
the  fact  that  he  has  served  as  councilman.  His 
most  valuable  property  is  a  holding  of  two  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  irrigated  by  the  Sunnyside 
canal. 


JAMES  B.  CLEMENTS,  one  of  the  promi- 
nent stockmen  of  Yakima  county,  Washington,  re- 
sides in  Kennewick.  His  ranch,  which  embraces 
five  hundred  acres,  is  located  about  seven  miles 
west  of  the  town,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima 
river.  He  is  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  born 
in  1859,  the  son  of  Raymond  and  Sarah  (Phillips) 
Clements.  His  father  was  likewise  a  farmer  by 
occupation,  and  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He  was 
born  in  1834,  and  died  in  1893,  in  the  month  of 
May.  His  mother,  who  is  still  living  in  the  Blue 
Grass  state,  was  also  born  in  that  state,  in  1842. 
Her  son  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  state,  and  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  old,  worked  for  his  father  on  the  home 
place.  He  spent  the  next  three  years  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Kentucky,  working  for  various  farm- 
ers; the  following  year  was  spent  in  farming  on 
his  own  account.  He  then  removed  to  Chicago, 
and  was  employed  by  N.  K.  Fairbank  &  Com- 
pany, in  their  factory,  for  a  period  of  two  years. 
In  April,  1885,  he  removed  to  Nebraska  and  re- 
mained in  that  state  until  1888:  during  this  time 
he  was  principally  engaged  in  farming,  but  a  part 
of  the  time  worked  in  other  lines  of  employment. 
Early  in  the  spring  of  1889  he  migrated  to  the 
town  of  Prosser,  Washington,  and  was  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  old  ditch  company  for  nearly  four 
years.  At  the  expiration  of  that  period  he  bought 
his  present  ranch  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima 
river,  and  has  since  made  it  his  home.  He  farms  and 
engages  in  the  stock  business.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  of  his  farm  is  in  cultivation.  He  has 
raised  horses  principally;  in  1895  he  shipped  two 
carloads  to  eastern  markets,  in  1896  a  like  num- 
ber, and  the  following  year  succeeded  in  making 


a  shipment  of  three  carloads,  for  which  good  prices 
were  obtained  in  the  eastern  market. 

In  North  Yakima,  Washington,  on  the  8th 
of  June,  1892,  he  was  united  in  marriage  with 
Mrs.  Julia  Bower.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Frank 
and  Caroline  (Kraft)  Schuneman;  her  father  is  a 
native  born  German,  and  a  blacksmith  by  trade. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young  man, 
and  located  in  Illinois,  where  he  was  later  mar- 
ried. He  migrated  to  the  Golden  state  in  1861, 
reaching  there  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and 
following  his  trade  for  sometime,  also  conducting 
a  hotel  in  Oakland  for  some  months.  He  next 
moved  to  Arizona,  resided  there  a  year,  and  again 
returned  to  California.  In  1879  he  went  north  to 
Washington,  located  in  Ainsworth,  and  for  a  space 
of  two  years  worked  at  his  trade  of  smithing.  He 
took  up  a  homestead  three  miles  west  of  Pasco, 
in  1882,  and  later  bought"  one  hundred  acres  of 
railroad  land  near-by.  He  now  resides  in  Pasco. 
His  wife,  who  was  also  of  German  birth,  came  to 
this  country  with  her  parents  when  three  years 
old,  and  was  raised  within  twenty-five  miles  of  the 
metropolis,  Chicago.  She  married  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  and  died  in  Pasco,  Washington,  Febru- 
ary 25,  1904.  Her  daughter  Julia  was  a  California 
girl,  born  in  1867,  and  was  educated  first  in  the 
schools  of  the  Golden  state,  later  attending  the 
Washington  schools ;  her  parents  moved  to  the 
latter  state  when  she  was  thirteen  years  old.  She 
was  first  married  to  G.  W.  Bower,  who  came  to 
the  state  in  1880,  and  died  ten  years  later,  leav- 
ing two  children,  Cora  and  Georgia  A.  Bower. 
They  were  both  born  in  Kennewick;  Cora  on  July 
6,  1886,  and  Georgia  four  years  later,  on  the  8th 
of  August.  The  mother  has  five  brothers  living 
in  Washington :  William,  Henry,  Albert,  Fred  and 
Adolph  L.  Schuneman.  The  three  last  named  re- 
side in  Pasco.  She  also  has  a  brother,  Frank, 
living  in  California.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clements  have 
four  children,  of  whom  Elsie,  born  in  Kennewick, 
April  4,  1893,  is  the  eldest.  Blanche  was  also  born 
in  Kennewick,  January  10.  1896,  and  Elda  M.,  in 
Franklin  county.  Washington.  July  3,  1898.  The 
youngest  child,  Wesley  J.  Clements,  was  born  in 
Kennewick,  March  29,  1902.  Mr.  Clements  is  a 
Mason,  and  also  belongs  to  the  Knights  of 
Pythias.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  an  active  Democrat  in  politics,  and  a 
school  director  at  present.  He  has  an  orchard  on 
his  land,  and  owns  over  a  hundred  head  of  cattle. 
He  is  an  exceedingly  pleasant  gentleman,  success- 
ful in  his  business,  and  a  popular  citizen. 


SOLOMON  M.  WEBBER.  It  was  the  privi- 
lege of  the  honored  pioneer  whose  biography  is  here- 
with given  to  become  the  first  permanent  white 
farmer  upon  the  extensive  Horse  Heaven  plains 
and  to  first  demonstrate  the  peculiar  adaptability  of 


754 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


that  erstwhile  bunch-grass  region  for  the  produc- 
tion of  wheat.  Solomon  M.  Webber  was  born  in 
Franklin  county,  Indiana,  March  18,  1827.  His 
parents  were  Nicholas  and  Polly  (Marlow)  Web- 
ber, of  Dutch  and  English  descent  respectively. 
Nicholas  Webber  was  a  native  of  New  York  state, 
who  settled  very  early  in  the  century  in  Indiana. 
There  he  was  married  and  lived  until  1832,  when 
he  went  northward  into  Michigan  Territory  and 
became  an  early  pioneer  of  that  commonwealth.  He 
lived  to  the  unusual  age  of  ninety-three,  dying  in 
Michigan.  Mrs.  Webber,  the  mother,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  reared  in  Kentucky ;  she  was  in 
her  ninetieth  year  at  the  time  of  her  death  in  Michi- 
gan. Solomon  M.  attended  school  and  worked  on 
the  farm  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old,  then 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade  and  followed  it  until 
he  was  twenty-three.  In  the  spring  of  1852  the 
young  Hoosier  started  across  the  continent  to  Cali- 
fornia. He  spent  the  winter  at  Salt  Lake,  complet- 
ing the  journey  in  the  following  spring  and 
summer.  Three  years  he  followed  mining  in  the 
Golden  state ;  then  farmed  four  years,  after  which 
he  was  engaged  in  various  pursuits  in  Marysville 
until  1869,  at  that  time  going  to  Nevada.  In  that 
state  he  lived  until  1880,  when  he  started  overland 
with  twelve  mules  and  three  wagons  to  found  a 
home  in  the  Northwest.  Two  years  he  stopped  at 
Weston,  Oregon,  and  from  the.e  visited  the  Horse 
Heaven  region,  locating  a  ranch.  He  filed  upon  the 
land  in  April,  1882,  but  did  not  begin  its  cultiva- 
tion until  the  summer  of  1883.  Then  he  and  Will- 
iam Badge,  who  came  to  the  country  with  Mr. 
Webber,  commenced  farming.  Mr.  Webber  turning 
the  first  furrow  on  the  Plains  and  breaking  one 
hundred  acres  of  sod.  In  the  fall  he  sowed  forty 
acres  to  wheat,  but  did  not  harvest  the  crop  for  the 
reason  that  he  harrow.ed  it  so  thoroughly  it  ran  to- 
gether when  the  rains  came  on,  and  the  wheat  could 
not  break  through  the  crust  that  formed.  They 
lived  in  a  tent  in  1884.  In  December  of  that  year 
they' underwent  great  hardships  in  a  blizzard  while 
making  a  trip  to  Wallula.  They  had  reached  the 
river  when  the  storm  struck  them,  the  river  freez- 
ing over  in  a  short  time.  They  could  not  get  across 
to  get  feed,  which  was  in  plain  view,  and  their 
teams  suffered  greatly.  They  witnessed  the  de- 
struction of  some  one  thousand  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars worth  of  horses  before  the  storm  subsided,  be- 
ing held  there  for  some  six  weeks.  The  deep  snow 
prevented  their  return  home,  and,  but  for  the  fact 
that  parties  at  the  river  had  just  laid  in  a  goodly 
supply  of  flour,  they  would  certainly  have  perished. 
At  the  end  of  the  six  weeks  the  storm  broke  under 
the  influence  of  a  chinook,  and  they  started  across 
the  river,  through  the  broken  ice,  like  "Washington 
Crossing  the  Delaware,"  and  were  only  saved  from 
going  over  the  falls  by  a  fortunate  gorge  of  ice  at 
an  opportune  moment.  Mr.  Webber  continued  to 
farm  successfully  upon  his  place  until  1897,  selling 


his  property  at  that  time,  and  making  an  extended 
trip  to  other  parts.  Returning  to  Yakima  county 
in  1899,  he  acquired  his  present  farm,  seven  miles 
south  of  Kiona,  and  since  then  has  followed  agri- 
cultural  pursuits. 

Mr.  Webber  was  married  in  North  Yakima, 
1893,  to  Ellen  Lea,  a  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  (Wolsoncroft)  Lea,  natives  of  England. 
Both  parents  lived  and  died  in  the  old  country, 
after  rearing  a  family  of  sixteen  children.  By  trade, 
the  father  was  a  carpenter.  Mrs.  Webber  was  born 
in  Manchester,  England,  1853,  and  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  her  native  land.  In  Octo- 
ber, 1889,  she  came  to  Portland,  Oregon,  which 
was  her  home  for  two  years  and  a  half,  or  until 
April,  1892,  when  she  came  to  Yakima  county. 
She  has  two  brothers,  William  and  Charles  H.,  liv- 
ing in  Portland  and  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  re- 
spectively, and  two  sisters  in  England,  Mrs.  Eliza- 
beth McKee  and  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Turner.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Webber  were  the  parents  of  one  child,  Ruth, 
born  in  Yakima  county,  March  10,  1894.  By  a 
former  marriage  Mr.  Webber  is  the  father  of  the 
following  children:  Mrs.  Mary  R.  Lea  (de- 
ceased), born  in  Michigan,  October  1,  1850; 
Charles  M.,  California,  January  5,  1854;  Mrs. 
Sarah  J.  Getchell,  California,  October  25,  1856, 
deceased;  John  Y.,  California,  January  21,  1859; 
Robert  E.,  California,  November  8,  1861,  deceased; 
Tenia,  California,  November  19,  1862,  deceased; 
Francis  E.,  California.  December  21,  1865;  Minnie 
B.,  California.  December  8,  1868;  William  H.,  Ne- 
vada. August  10,  1 87 1,  and  Walter  G.  (deceased), 
Nevada,  May  26,  1876.  Air.  Webber  is  affiliated 
with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  Order  of  Wash- 
ington, and  both  himself  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Methodist  church.  He  is  a  Republican,  and 
served  as  assistant  assessor  of  Yakima  county  from 
1888  tc  1892;  at  present  he  is  road  overseer  for  his 
distrct.  Mr.  Webber  owns  a  quarter  section  of  well- 
improved  farming  land,  all  in  cultivation.  He  has 
labored  faithfully  and  successfully  for  the  upbuild- 
ing of  his  county,  has  endured  all  the  hardships 
and  vicissitudes  common  to  pioneer  life  in  the  West, 
?nd  now.  in  the  winter  of  a  long,  useful  life,  enjoys 
the  good-will  and  esteem  of  all  around  him. 


CHARLES  TOMPKINS.  No  tongue  can  be 
too  eloquent,  no  pen  too  powerful,  in  paying  hom- 
age to  America's  heroic  frontiersmen ;  their  monu- 
ment has  been  in  course  of  construction  for  at  least 
three  centuries,  and  when  the  massive  work  is  fin- 
ished, for  it  is  yet  hardly  begun,  it  will  be  the 
noblest,  grandest,  and,  it  is  to  be  hoped,  the  most 
enduring  erected  by  any  race  in  any  age  of  the 
world's  recorded  history — the  United  States  of 
America  in  its  most  perfect  development.  This 
biography   deals  with  the  history  of  one  of  these 


ZRA  KEMP. 


HENRY  WASHINGTON  CREASON 


CHAS.  TOMPKINS. 


JOHN"  VICTOR  RVDHOI.M 


Si  H  <  >M<  iN   M     \\T  I'.l'.ER. 


JAMES  B.  CLEMEN 


MRS.    IAS    B.  CLEMENTS. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


755 


doughty  families  of  pioneers  which  has  participated 
in  the  conquest  of  the  West.  John  G.  Tompkins, 
the  father  of  Charles,  was  born  in  New  Jersey  in 
the  year  1824,  of  the  Dutch  stock  that  settled  New 
York.  As  a  youth,  he  shipped  aboard  a  trading 
vessel  and  served  three  years  before  the  mast. 
Then,  in  1838,  he  enlisted  in  the  Texas  navy,  one 
of  America's  unique  creations,  and  remained  under 
the  Lone  Star  flag  three  months.  Following  this 
adventure  he  settled  in  Galveston,  entering  busi- 
ness, and  was  there  united  in  marriage  in  1846 
with  Mary  L.  Woodruff,  a  native  of  Tennessee. 
Her  American  ancestors  were  colonizers  of  Vir- 
ginia (members  of  a  King  James  colony  of  the 
seventeenth  century),  and  in  a  very  early  day  be- 
came settlers  on  the  Tennessee  frontier.  In  1830 
they  united  their  fortunes  with  those  of  Stephen 
F.  Austin  Colley  and  accepted  the  invitation  ex- 
tended by  the  inhabitants  of  that  Mexican  province 
to  join  their  numbers,  settling  on  the  Colorado  river. 
Later  they  fought  in  the  struggles  waged  by  Texas 
for  its  independence,  and  engaged  in  the  battle  of 
San  Jacinto,  April  21,  1836.  After  a  residence  of 
ten  years  in  California,  to  which  state  they  immi- 
grated by  ox  team  conveyance  in  1870,  the  parents 
of  Charles  took  up  their  abode  in  the  Arizona  Salt 
river  valley,  and  there  lived  until  their  deaths,  that 
of  the  father  occurring  in  1890,  and  of  the  mother 
in  1892.  Charles  Tompkins'  education  was  ob- 
tained in  Texas,  where  he  was  born,  March  10, 
1849.  At  an  early  age  he  began  riding  the  range 
for  his  father,  driving  cattle  as  far  north  as  Iowa 
and  Kansas.  In  1870,  he  took  a  band  to  California, 
the  journey  occupying  six  months,  and  remained 
there  until  1873.  He  repeated  the  trip  in  1874, 
and  lived  in  California  during  the  succeeding  six 
years,  coming  to  the  Walla  Walla  valley  in  1880. 
In  Washington  he  was  employed  by  the  Oregon 
Railroad  and  Navigation  Company  in  its  bridge 
department  six  months,  then  spent  eight  months 
at  the  carpenter  trade  in  Portland,  worked  a  year 
for  the  Northern  Pacific  Company  in  Montana, 
and  in  1883  returned  to  Walla  Walla.  The  next 
year  he  settled  upon  a  homestead  in  the  wheat  belt, 
then  Yakima's  frontier  settlement,  and  there  has 
since  made  his  home,  successfully  engaged  in  gen- 
eral farming  and  wheat  raising.  He  has  three  sis- 
ters, Mrs.  Emma  Alexander,  Mrs.  Martha  Beard, 
both  of  whom  live  in  California,  and  Mrs.  Mary 
M.  Burnett,  living  in  Arizona,  her  husband  being  a 
cousin  of  the  first  president  of  Texas,  David  G. 
Burnett.  He  also  has  three  brothers:  John  H., 
George  E.  and  Joseph,  cattle  raisers  and  farmers  in 
Arizona.  Mr.  Tompkins  is  very  prominent  in  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows'  circles,  and  has 
occupied  the  high  position  of  past  grand  and  repre- 
sentative to  the  grand  lodge.  He  is  a  Democrat 
and  an  active  worker  for  his  party's  interests.  Mr. 
Tompkins  is  general  superintendent  and  treasurer 
of  the  artesian  well  enterprise  on  the  Horse  Heaven 


region,  and  owns  eight  shares  of  the  stock.  For 
several  years  he  has  served  his  community  as  road 
supervisor,  and  in  that  capacity  doing  much  to  bene- 
fit road  conditions  in  that  region.  His  homestead, 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  is  all  under  cultivation, 
and  upon  it  he  has  a  very  comfortable  home  and 
other  improvements.  Mr.  Tompkins  possesses  the 
fullest  confidence  of  his  fellow  pioneers,  and  is  in- 
dustriously and  sincerely  engaged  in  contributing 
his  mite  toward  the  gigantic  work  of  nation  build- 
ing, seeking  to  leave  the  impress  of  his  handiwork 
upon  the  great  monument. 


JOHN  VICTOR  RYDHOLM,  one  of  the  most 
successful  and  prosperous  farmers  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  region,  south  of  Prosser,  is  a  native  of 
Sweden,  who  crossed  the  Atlantic  in  1869,  and  took 
up  his  abode  in  Yakima  county  in  1884,  tnus  en- 
titling him  to  the  distinction  of  being  a  pioneer  of 
the  Yakima  ceuntry.  His  birth  occurred  in  the 
year  185 1,  brightening  the  little  rural  home  of 
Peter  Alagnus  Anderson  and  Anna  Stine  (Stana) 
Anderson,  whose  forefathers  for  innumerable  gen- 
erations were  inhabitants  of  Sweden.  John  Victor 
spent  his  early  years  as  do  most  farmers'  sons — 
working  with  thei%  father  upon  the  farm  and  at- 
tending the  district  school,  perhaps  higher  institu- 
tions of  instruction.  When  he  was  seventeen,  the 
young  farmer  suffered  two  irreparable  losses,  both 
his  fither  and  mother  dying  about  the  same  time. 
However,  with  brave  heart  and  strong  hopes,  he 
bade  farewell  to  Sweden  and  the  old  home  and  set 
out  to  seek  his  fortunes  across  the  sea  in  the  great 
American  republic.  Arriving  in  Illinois  early  in 
the  summer  of  1869,  he  commenced  farming,  spend- 
ing the  first  four  years  in  that  state.  Then  he  went 
to  South  Dakota,  was  there  a  year,  and  in  the  spring 
of  1874  settled  on  a  pfe-emption  claim  in  Sedg- 
wick county,  Kansas,  where  he  lived  five  years. 
Three  years  in  Illinois  followed ;  then,  in  the  spring 
of  1883,  he  cme  west  to  Pendleton,  Oregon.  Late 
in  the  fall  he  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  a  desirable 
quarter  section  in  the  Horse  Heaven  region,  Yak- 
ima county,  and  the  next  spring  moved  upon  it  and 
began  its  improvement.  For  a  number  of  years  the 
dauntless  pioneer  labored  each  fall  in  the  harvest 
fields  of  Umatilla  county,  in  order  to  support  him- 
self while  developing  his  farm,  but  in  1893  ne  was 
able  to  take  up  his  permanent  residence  on  the 
place  and  devote  his  whole  energies  to  cultivating 
it.  He  has  placed  a  hundred  acres  of  it  under  cul- 
tivation, sunk  a  well,  which  furnishes  an  abundance 
of  water  (a  matter  of  great  importance,  when  it  is 
considered  that  for  seven  years  he  was  obliged 
to  haul  this  precious  fluid  to  the  place),  and  ac- 
quired possession  of  a  large  amount  of  pasturage 
and  a  goodly  band  of  horses,  all  of  which  speaks 
well  for  his  thrift  and  ahnities.  His  total  land  pus- 
sessions   now    comprise   four  hundred   and    ninety 


756 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


acres,  one  hundred  of  which,  as  stated,  are  in  cul- 
tivation, and  much  more  available  for  that  pur- 
pose, besides  owning  about  forty  head  of  horses 
and  small  stock.  Mr.  Rydholm  has  two  sisters  and 
one  brother  dead,  Mrs.  Britta  Johnson,  Sophia  and 
Nils,  and  four  brothers  and  sisters  living:  Fred- 
erick, in  Sweden ;  Gustavus,  in  Nebraska ;  Mrs. 
Louisa  Nelson,  in  Sweden,  and  Mrs.  Caroline 
Young,  in  Illinois.  He  is  a  consistent  member  of 
the  Lutheran  church,  and  a  man  of  high  principles. 
He  is  a  Republican.  As  road  overseer  he  has 
faithfully  served  his  district,  and  in  all  other  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  community 
Mr.  Rydholm  is  actively  interested ;  he  is  one  of  the 
countv's  substantial  citizens. 


HENRY  WASHINGTON  CREASON.  The 
esteemed  pioneer  citizen  of  Prosser  whose  name 
stands  at  the  head  of  this  biographv  has  been  prom- 
inently identified  with  the  history  of  Yakima  county, 
particularly  with  the  history  of  Prosser,  for 
the  past  twenty  years,  and  is  favorably  known 
from  one  end  of  the  county  to  the  other.  Cali- 
fornia is  the  birthplace  of  this  pioneer  of  the  Pa- 
cific coast,  that  memorable  event  in  his  life  occur- 
ring January  10,  1855.  His  parents,  Andrew  and 
Elsie  (Bernett)  Creason,  came  from  the  middle 
western  states,  his  father  from  Missouri  and  his 
mother  from  Tennessee.  They  were  married  in  Mis- 
souri, and  in  1852  made  the  daring,  tedious  jour- 
ney across  hill,  plain  and  mountain  to  the  Golden 
state.  There  the  old  pioneer  is  still  living  upon  his 
farm ;  his  companion  and  wife  through  all  the  hard- 
ships of  pioneer  life  died  in  1878.  The  son,  Henry, 
remained  at  home  on  the  farm  until  he  reached  the 
age  of  seventeen,  at  which  time  he  and  N.  B.  Fire- 
baugh  engaged  in  sheep  raising  until  1876.  Two 
years  of  wheat  raising  followed,  succeeded  by  his 
opening  a  blacksmith  shop  in  Stanislaus  county, 
where  he  remained  until  the  spring  of  1883.  In 
July  of  that  year  he  came  to  the  Horse  Heaven 
region,  Washington,  filed  upon  government  land, 
lived  there  a  year,  then  abandoned  it  and  erected  the 
first  blacksmith  shop  opened  in  Prosser.  In  1889 
he  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  a  quarter  section  of 
land  adjoining  the  town  site  of  Prosser,  and  upon 
this  place  he  is  living  at  present,  having  removed 
thereto  in  1900,  after  the  sale  of  his  blacksmith 
shop.  Noting  the  opportunity  offered  for  the  es- 
tablishment of  a  coal  and  wood  yard,  in  October, 
1902,  he  established  the  one  which  he  is  success- 
fully conducting  at  present.  He  built  the  better 
part  of  Prosser's  sidewalks,  and  is  now  completing 
a  modern  two-story  brick  building  for  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows. 

May  5,  1875,  marks  the  date  of  the  marriage 
uniting  Mr.  Creason  and  Miss  Ada  Maxon,  daugh- 
ter of  Darwin  and  Hanna  (Clark)  Maxon,  of  Cali- 
fornia, for  life's  journey,  the  ceremony  taking  place 


in  the  state  mentioned.  Darwin  Maxon,  now  de- 
ceased, was  a  native  of  New  York,  who  settled  in 
Wisconsin  in  an  early  day,  and  in  1873  came  to 
California,  and  there  engaged  in  farming  until  his 
death.  His  wife  was  also  a  native  of  New  York, 
of  French  parentage.  She  died  in  1876.  Their 
daughter,  Ada,  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  educated 
in  that  state,  and  married  at  the  age  of  twenty. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Creason  are:  Green 
D.,  born  in  California,  February  29,  1876,  living  in 
Prosser;  Mrs.  Martha  A.  Forsyth,  born  in  Cali- 
fornia, August,  1877,  also  of  Prosser;  Mabel,  born 
in  California  in  1881,  died  at  the  age  of  three;  Cas- 
sius  P.,  the  first  white  child  born  in  Prosser,  his 
birth  occurring  in  November,  1884;  Fred,  born  in 
California,  October  31,  1887,  and  Harry,  born  in 
Prosser,  1892.  The  father  holds  membership  in 
two  fraternities,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows,  of  which  he  is  a  past  grand,  and  the  Mod- 
ern Woodmen  of  America.  For  many  years  he  has 
served  on  the  Prosser  school  board.  In  the  political 
affairs  of  Yakima  county  he  has  taken  a  leading 
part  as  a  Democrat.  He  was  appointed  a  county 
commissioner  in  1886.  to  fill  a  vacancy,  and  so  well 
did  he  fill  the  position  that  he  was  elected  to  serve 
two  years  longer.  At  the  succeeding  election  a  tie 
vote  resulted  between  Mr.  Creason  and  Joseph 
Brown.  The  result  was  decided  by  lot,  Mr.  Brown 
being  the  fortunate  contestant.  Upon  the  removal 
of  Mayor  Taylor  to  North  Yakima  in  1898  Mr. 
Creason  completed  the  term  as  mayor  of  Prosser, 
and  was  afterward  elected  by  his  fellow  townsmen 
to  occupy  that  important  office  for  two  years 
longer,  which  he  did  with  credit  to  himself.  Dur- 
ing this  time  he  was  engaged  in  conducting  the 
Riverside  hotel.  As  a  courageous  pioneer,  a  pro- 
gressive, public-spirited  citizen,  a  faithful  officer 
and  a  man  of  integrity  and  charitable  spirit.  Mr. 
Creason  commands  the  good-will  of  all  who  know 
him. 


EZRA  KEMP,  stockman,  land  owner,  ware- 
house proprietor  and  mill  man,  residing  in  the  city  - 
of  Prosser,  is  a  successful  and  widely  known  citizen 
of  the  lower  Yakima  valley.  An  Englishman  by 
birth  and  descent,  born  in  1856,  to  the  marriage  of 
William  and  Emily  (Smith)  Kemp,  who  spent  their 
entire  lives  in  England,  he  came  to  America  at  the 
age  of  seventeen,  equipped  with  a  fair  education 
and  the  laudable  ambition  to  make  the  most  of  his 
opportunities.  His  first  work  was  in  a  shoe  fac- 
tory in  LaFayette,  New  Jersey,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed two  years  and  one-half;  he  then  worked 
for  a  short  time  in  an  iron  mine,  and  in  1876  went 
to  California  via  the  Isthmus  of  Panama.  In  that 
state  he  was  employed  successively  in  a  shoe  fac- 
tory, on  a  street  car  system,  advance  agent  for  a 
theatrical  company,  and  in  various  other  occupa- 
tions which  took  "him  all  over  the  state.     He  re- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


757 


mained  in  California  until  1882,  when  he  came  to 
the  Northwest,  settling  upon  a  homestead  and  tim- 
ber culture  claim  six  miles  from  Prosser.  He 
there  made  his  home  until  1899,  and  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising.  In  the  year  mentioned 
he  purchased  a  warehouse  in  Prosser  and  also  an 
interest  in  the  Prosser  flouring  mills,  removing  his 
family  to  the  city  the  following  year. 

In  Michigan,  in  1897,  he  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Miss  Frances  Kenney.  She  is  a  native  of 
that  state,  born  in  1859,  and  there  educated  and 
reared  to  womanhood.  Her  father  and  mother, 
Laura,  were  also  born  in  the  Wolverine  state ;  Mrs. 
Kenney  is  living  in  the  country  several  miles  south 
of  Prosser.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kemp  two  children 
have  been  born:  Edmund  W.,  in  Prosser,  Septem- 
ber 17,  1899,  and  Fred,  in  Prosser,  October  21, 
1902 ;  both  are  living.  Mr.  Kemp  is  an  active  fra- 
ternity man,  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  past 
grand  of  Prosser  lodge,  No.  154.  His  political  sym- 
pathies are  with  the  Republican  party,  of  which  he 
is  an  active  member.  Mr.  Kemp  owns,  besides  the 
warehouse  and  an  interest  in  the  flouring  mills  here- 
tofore mentioned,  a  comfortable  city  home,  three 
thousand  five  hundred  .acres  of  land  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  country,  one  thousand  two  hundred  sheep, 
and  various  other  small  interests,  to  all  of  which  he 
gives  his  personal  attention.  He  is  still  making  the 
most  of  the  opportunities  which  surround  him,  and 
is  considered  a  keen  business  man,  straightforward 
and  aggressive.  He  is  now  serving  in  his  second 
term  as  a  member  of  the  city  council.  As  a  citizen, 
he  is  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  the  public  wel- 
fare, and  is  an  influential  man  in  the  community. 


ALEXANDER  G.  McNEILL,  Prosser's  popu- 
lar councilman  and  business  man,  is  a  Yakima 
county  pioneer  as  well,  having  arrived  in  the  Yak- 
ima valley  in  the  year  1879.  For  many  years  he 
was  engaged  in  riding  the  range  for  leading 
stockmen  of  central  Washington,  but  subsequently 
left  their  employ  to  become  one  of  their  number. 
He  has  been  familiar  with  Prosser's  history  from 
the  time  it  was  established.  Of  Scotch  descent, 
hi?  parents  being  Lachlan  and  Katie  (McGibberrv) 
McNeill,  Alexander  G.  McNeill  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, 1859.  The  elder  McNeill  came  to  La  Salle 
county,  Illinois,  at  an  early  period  in  its  history, 
and  still  resides  in  his  old  homestead  at  the  age  of 
seventy-one.  Mrs.  McNeill  crossed  the  Atlantic 
when  four  years  of  ?ge,  and  was  married  in  Illinois. 
At  an  early  age  the  subject  of  this  biography  began 
to  do  for  himself,  and  in  1877  went  to  California 
where  he  lived  a  short  time  before  going  to  Oregon. 
In  the  Webfoot  state  he  commenced  riding  the 
range,  and  was  subsequently  employed  in  that  work 
in  Yakima  and  Klickitat  counties,  by  Snipes  & 
Allen,  J.  B.  Huntington  and    H.    A.    South.     The 


year  1884  witnessed  his  entrance  into  the  stock 
business  as  an  owner,  his  home  being  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Yakima  river  until  the  fall  of  1897, 
when  he  removed  to  Prosser.  A  year  later  he  sold 
his  stock,  purchased  a  livery  stable  in  Prosser,  and 
was  engaged  in  that  business  until  the  spring  of 
1903.  At  that  time  he  sold  this  property  and  opened 
a  real  estate,  loan  and  insurance  office,  in  which 
work  he  has  since  been  successfully  engaged. 

Miss  Amy  South,  a  daughter  of  Hutcheson  A. 
and  Maria  (Graham)  South,  became  the  bride  of 
Mr.  McNeill  in  Walla  Walla,  in  1883.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Illinois,  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  teams 
in  1852,  and  settled  in  the  Willamette  valley,  Ore- 
gon,,where  he  lived  until  1865,  in  that  year  coming 
to  Washington  territory  and  settling  in  Klickitat 
county.  He  was  engaged  in  the  stock  business  in 
central  Washington  until  his  death  in  Prosser  in 
1902.  Maria  (Graham)  South,  her  mother,  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania  and  crossed  the  Plains  in 
1853,  thus  becoming  one  of  the  brave  pioneer  wom- 
en of  the  Northwest.  Mrs.  McNeill  was  born  in 
California  in  1861,  but  was  reared  and  educated  in 
Oregon  and  Washington.  She  has  one  brother, 
William  W.  South,  who  lives  in  Nez  Perce,  Idaho. 
The  McNeill  home  has  four  children :  Katie  L., 
born  April  22,  1884,  who  is  a  graduate  of  the  Pros- 
ser schools  and  of  the  Walla  Walla  high  school, 
and  is  now  teaching  near  Prosser;  Allen  G,  born 
May  25,  1889:  Fred  L.  September  3,  1891,  and 
Kenneth,  February  21,  1901  ;  all  born  in  Yakima 
county.  Mr.  McNeill  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  of  which  he  is 
the  past  grand  of  the  Prosser  lodge,  and  in  1901 
represented  his  lodge  in  Spokane.  Mrs.  McNeill 
?nd  daughter  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
In  political  affairs,  Mr.  McNeill  takes  a  deep  in- 
tere;t,  his  influence  being  with  the  Democratic 
party.  For  three  years  he  has  served  Prosser  as 
school  director,  was  the  city's  first  marshal,  is  now 
a  deputy  sheriff  under  Sheriff  Grant,  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  city  council  since  its  organiza- 
tion. From  this  it  will  be  seen  that  Mr.  McNeill 
has  the  highest  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens,  is 
public-spirited  and  is  considered  an  able  man  by 
his  community.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  highly 
esteemed  as  loval  friends  and  good  neighbors. 


JAMES  W.  CAREY,  the  genial,  wide-awake 
manager  of  Coffin  Brothers'  general  store  in 
Prosser,  has  been  closely  identified  with  Prosser's 
history  for  the  past  thirteen  years  and  is  one  of 
that  city's  foremost  citizens.  He  has  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Washington  since  1891,  when  he  accepted 
a  position  as  clerk  in  the  superintendent's  office 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company,  in 
Ellensburg.  Six  months  later  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  station  at   Prosser  and   faithfully 


758 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


served  the  company  and  the  general  public  in 
that  capacity  for  twelve  and  one-half  years.  He 
left  that  important  place  to  assume  the  manage- 
ment of  the  store  referred  to,  the  change  taking 
place  in  March,  1903.  Mr.  Carey  is  one  of  Wis- 
consin's native  sons,  born  January  29,  1861.  His 
parents  were  natives  of  Ireland,  who  came  to 
the  United  States  when  quite  young.  Michael 
Carey,  his  father,  settled  in  Janesville,  Wiscon- 
sin, where  he  met  and  married  Margaret  Crow- 
ley. He  was  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits  in 
Wisconsin  until  his  death  in  1900.  Mrs.  Carey 
is  still  living.  Until  he  reached  his  majority, 
James  attended  school  and  worked  upon  the 
farm.  He  chose  telegraphy  and  railroad  work  as 
the  occupation  to  which  he  would  devote  himself, 
and"  accordingly,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  en- 
tered a  telegraph  office.  Six  months  later  he  was 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  station  at  Antigo, 
Wisconsin,  on  the  Milwaukee,  Lake  Shore  and 
Western  Railroad,  now  the  Northwestern.  Three 
years  passed  and  he  then  went  to  Woodstock, 
Illinois,  for  the  Northwestern  Company.  He 
there  spent  a  year,  thence  going  to  work  for  the 
Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railway  in 
Iowa.  In  1886  he  returned  to  Wisconsin  and  as- 
sumed charge  of  the  station  at  Manitowoc  for  the 
Milwaukee,  Lake  Shore  and  Western  Company, 
remaining  in  that  town  five  years.  From  Mani- 
towoc he  came  to  Ellensburg  and  thence  to 
Prosser. 

While  residing  in  Iowa,  in  1885,  Mr.  Carey 
wooed  and  won  as  his  bride  Miss  Sarah  Halron, 
daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mary  Halron;  natives 
of  Ireland,  who  came  to  this  country  half  a  cen- 
tury ago  and  settled  in  Wisconsin,  the  father 
being  a  youth  at  the  time  of  his  immigration. 
He  was  a  pioneer  farmer  of  that  state.  Sarah 
Halron  was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  1864,  was  edu- 
cated in  the  schools  of  her  native  state  and  pre- 
vious to  her  marriage  at  the  age  of  twenty-one, 
taught  several  terms  of  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Carey  have  three  children  living,  Bessie,  born  in 
1886;  Harold,  born  in  1887,  and  Ruth,  in  1890. 
Another  child,  James,  is  dead.  Both  husband  and 
wife  are  zealous  members  of  the  Catholic  denom- 
ination. Mr.  Carey  is  a  loyal  friend  of  education 
and  for  ten  years  has  served  his  community  as 
school  director.  His  political  opinions  are  in 
accord  with  those  of  the  Republican  party,  in 
which  he  is  an  active  worker.  He  owns  a  valu- 
able twenty-five  acre  tract  of  land,  all  in  cultiva- 
tion and  irrigated,  and  a  small  band  of  cattle 
and  horses,  besides  minor  property  interests, 
including  stock  in  mines  of  the  Gold  Hill  dis- 
trict. Mr.  and  Airs.  Carey  are  held  in  high 
regard  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances, and,  by  his  sterling  qualities  and  industry, 
Mr.  Carey  has  attained  to  an  important  position 
among  his  fellow  citizens  of  Yakima  county. 


WILLIAM  R.  KAYS,  stockman,  living  eight- 
een miles  southeast  of  Prosser,  is  a  successful 
sheep  raiser  of  Yakima  county.  He  is  also  a 
pioneer  of  Oregon,  having  been  born  in  Marion 
county  in  the  year  1858  to  William  and  Eliza- 
beth ( Tate)  Kays.  These  hardy  pioneers  crossed 
the  Plains  in  the  early  fifties,  the  date  of  the 
father's  journey  being  1852.  He  was  born  in 
Illinois  in  1834.  The  family  settled  upon 
Howell's  prairie,  Marion  county,  where  William 
Kays,  senior,  filed  upon  government  land  and 
lived  until  recent  years.  He  now  resides  at 
Prosser,  though  still  retaining  the  old  homestead. 
Elizabeth  Tate  was  a  native  of  Missouri ;  she  died 
in  1891  at  the  age  of  sixty.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  spent  his  early  life  farming  and  raising 
stock  with  his  father,  but  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  entered  the  sheep  business  in  his  own  behalf. 
In  1886  he  crossed  the  Columbia  into  Washing- 
ton, since  which  time  he  has  been  successfully 
engaged  in  ranging  sheep  in  the  Prosser  country. 

He  was  married  in  1878.  to  Miss  Olive  Price, 
the  daughter  of  early  pioneers  of  Oregon,  where 
she  was  born  and  reared.  Mrs.  Kays  laid  down 
the  burdens  of  life  in  1888,  leaving  her  husband  and 
two  children  to  mourn  the  loss  of  a  devoted  wife 
and  mother.  The  daughter,  Mrs.  Lavelle  Cole- 
man, wife  of  Calvin  Coleman,  resides  at  Bickle- 
ton ;  the  son  Eton  lives  at  home  with  his  father. 
Politically,  Mr.  Kays  is  an  ardent  champion  of 
Democratic  principles  and  an  energetic  worker 
ii.  their  behalf.  He  owns  two  thousand  one  hun- 
dred ewes  in  prime  condition,  and  his  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  sheep  business  has  made  him 
highly  successful  in  that  industry.  The  range 
in  his  community  is  still  excellent  and  he  con- 
siders that  when  the  land  is  placed  under  water 
it  will  produce  crops  equal  to  those  produced 
anywhere  in  the  Yakima  country.  As  a  hardy 
pioneer  of  the  Northwest  who  has  witnessed  and 
been  a  factor  in  its  marvelous  development,  a 
pioneer  sheep  raiser  of  the  Yakima  country  and 
a  citizen  of  good  standing  among  his  neighbors, 
Mr.  Kays  is  well  known  by  the  residents  of  Yak- 
ima and  Klickitat  counties. 


GEORGE  L.  FINN,  connected  with  Rich's 
mercantile  establishment  in  Prosser  and  a  pio- 
neer citizen  of  that  eity,  is  a  native  of  Jackson, 
Iowa,  born  August  21,  1861,  to  the  union  of 
Frederick  and  Elizabeth  (Heinzerling)  Finn. 
Frederick  Finn  was  born  in  Germany,  immi- 
grated to  the  United  States  in  1851,  and,  after  a 
short  residence  in  Philadelphia,  removed  to  Iowa, 
settling  first  in  Belleview.  A  year  later  he  re- 
moved to  Otter  creek,  Jackson  county,  con- 
ducted a  general  store  at  that  point  five  years, 
then  moved  to  Iowa  Falls  and  for  eight  years 
was  engaged  in  the  hotel  business.  Selling  this 
business,  he    went    to    Hardin    county,  engaged  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


:59 


farming  ten  years,  and  subsequently  entered  the 
real  estate  business  in  Radcliffe,  where  he  is  still 
living.  Mrs.  Finn  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  and 
is  of  German  descent.  George  L.  Finn  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  Iowa, 
leaving  school  when  fourteen  years  old  to  work 
with  his  father.  When  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty  he  formed  a  partnership  with  his  father 
and  during  the  next  eight  years  they  cultivated 
a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  The 
younger  Finn  then  sold  his  interest  to  his  father 
and  came  to  Washington,  settling  in  Prosser  in 
the  spring  of  1888.  In  November  following,  he 
commenced  to  work  in  the  Prosser  flouring  mills 
and  was  so  employed  until  the  succeeding  spring. 
A  vear  of  range  riding  and  two  years  of  railroad 
work  in  the  employ  of  N.  Rich  occupied  the  next 
three  years ;  then  a  summer  on  the  Sound ;  thence 
back  to  Yakima  county  and  again  in  the  employ 
of  Mr.  Rich  until  the  spring  af  1892.  At  that 
time  Mr.  Finn  erected  a  livery  barn  in  Prosser 
and  conducted  it  for  four  years,  finally  selling 
the  stock  and  renting  the  building.  The  next 
three  years  were  spent  in  raising  sheep,  since 
which  time  he  has  been  in  the  employ  of  Nelson 
Rich  in  the  latter's  store  in  Prosser.  Mr.  Finn 
has  three  brothers :  William,  living  near  Pros- 
ser; Charles  and  Frank,  both  in  Iowa;  also  two 
sisters,  Mrs.  Ida  Waterman  and  Miss  Clara  Finn, 
both  of  whom  are  residents  of  Iowa.  Adjoining 
the  town  site  of  Prosser  Mr.  Finn  has  a  home- 
stead, nearly  all  of  which  is  yet  in  an  uncultivated 
condition,  besides  which  he  owns  considerable 
city  property.  He  is  identified  with  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  in  that  fraternity 
has  attained  the  position  of  past  grand.  Politic- 
ally, he  is  an  active  and  stanch  Republican. 
Mr.  Finn  has  the  confidence  and  respect  of  all 
who  know  him  and  is  ever  aggressive  in  matters 
concerning  the  welfare   of  his   home   city. 


JOSEPH  PONTI,  ex-councilman  and  promi- 
nent citizen  of  Prosser,  is  a  native  of  sunny  Italy, 
born  in  that  far  away  land  in  1866.  His  parents, 
John  and  Carlina  (Tolini)  Ponti,  were  born  in  that 
country  in  1829  and  1837  respectively,  and  are  still 
living  there,  his  father  being  a  prosperous  farmer. 
Joseph  is  one  of  eight  children  and  was  given  the 
advantage  of  a  good  common  school  education. 
When  fourteen  years  old  he  was  apprenticed  to  a 
weaver  and  spent  three  years  at  his  trade.  A 
journey  through  France  and  other  European  coun- 
tries, lasting  three  years,  followed,  after  which  he 
lived  at  home  one  year.  In  1888  he  emigrated 
from  Italy,  coming  to  the  United  States.  A  ten 
months'  experience  in  the  woolen  mills  of  San 
Francisco,  a  year  at  cooking  and  a  few  months  of 
railroad  work  near  Puget  Sound  succeeded  each 
other  in  the  order  named.  He  then,  in  the  fall  of 
1890,  came  to  Prosser  and  settled  upon  a  home- 


stead, the  land  to  be  irrigated  by  the  proposed 
Sunnyside  canal.  He  made  his  home  on  this  place 
for  five  years,  though  engaged  in  other  occupa- 
tions than  farming  during  this  time.  In  1892  he 
and  another  young  man  opened  a  liquor  store  in 
Prosser.  Subsequently  Mr.  Ponti  purchased  his 
partner's  interest  and  is  now  conducting  the  busi- 
ness alone. 

In  Prosser,  in  1895,  he  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Mrs.  Lavina  Shatuck,  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Margaret  (Wikley)  Tustin.  Mr.  Tustin  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia  and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  in 
which  he  was  seriously  crippled,  and  also  a  pio- 
neer of  the  Glade  settlement,  Yakima  county,  where 
he  came  in  1884.  He  died  in. Prosser.  Mrs.  Tustin 
is  still  living.  Mrs.  Ponti  was  born  in  Virginia,  but 
reared  to  womanhood  in  Washington.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ponti  have  five  children ;  Rena,  Stella,  Mar- 
tin J.,  Amelia  and  Norma,  ranging  in  age  from 
three  to  nine  years,  all  natives  of  Prosser.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ponti  are  devout  members  of  the 
Catholic  church.  He  is  a  prominent  Republican 
and  has  served  his  party  as  chairman  of  his  elec- 
tion district.  Mr.  Ponti  was  elected  as  a  member 
of  Prosser's  first  council  and  re-elected  for  an- 
other term,  thus  demonstrating  his  popularity  in 
the  community.  Besides  his  business  in  Prosser, 
be  owns  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of  valuable 
land  irrigated  by  the  Sunnvside  canal,  one  of  the 
most  comfortable  homes  in  Prosser  and  a  large 
amount  of  mining  stock. 


CHARLES  T.  RITCHIE.  One  of  the  pioneer 
farmers  of  the  Horse  Heaven  region  lying  east 
of  Prosser,  one  of  the  first  to  demonstrate  the 
special  adaptability  of  that  region  for  the  raising  of 
wheat,  and  one  of  the  most  extensive  wheat 
growers  in  that  section  today,  is  the  subject  of 
this  biography.  Though  making  his  home  in  Pros- 
ser, he  gives  his  vast  farming  interests  his  per- 
sonal management  and  is  a  business  man  of  abil- 
ity. Of  Scotch  stock,  Mr.  Ritchie  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  born  in  1849,  his  parents  being  Thomas  and 
Carrie  (Tidd)  Ritchie.  His  father  was  also  born 
in  Ohio,  immigrated  to  Iowa  in  185 1,  pursued  his 
occupation  as  a  farmer  in  that  state  eight  years  and 
then  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  was  drowned.  The 
mother  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  to  Scotch  par- 
ents and  was  married  in  Ohio.  She.  also,  is  dead. 
Charles  T.  spent  his  youth  in  Ohio  and  Iowa,  and 
at  the  age  of  twelve  boldly  set  out  to  make  his  own 
way  in  the  world.  He  went  to  Dakota  Territory 
and  secured  work,  driving  a  stage  for  C.  K.  How- 
ard, for  whom  he  drove  five  years.  He  then 
owned  the  line  himself,  for  a  time,  subsequently 
sold  a  half  interest  to  Mr.  Howard  and  two  years 
later  sold  him  the  remaining  interest,  leaving  the 
stage  business  for  the  life  of  a  farmer.  In  1878 
he    sold   his   place   and   with    six   mules   and   two 


760 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


wagons  made  the  journey  from  Dakota  to  the 
Walla  Walla  valley.  For  the  next  few  years  he 
followed  freighting  and  railroad  work  in  the  In- 
land Empire,  assisting  in  the  construction  of  the 
Northern  Pacific  into  Spokane.  In  1883  Mr.  Rit- 
chie purchased  a  section  of  land  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  region,  filed  a  timber  culture  claim  to  a 
quarter  section  in  that  neighborhood  and  engaged 
in  raising  wheat  and  stock.  He  sold  his  horses  in 
1890,  taking  land  in  payment  for  some  and  ship- 
ping a  carload  to  St.  Louis.  Since  that  time  he 
has  given  his  attention  exclusively  to  the  raising 
of  wheat.  Last  year  he  had  six  hundred  acres  de- 
voted to  this  grain  and  expects  to  have  the  same 
acreage  devoted  to  wheat  in  1904.  In  order  that 
his  family  might  enjoy  better  advantages,  Mr. 
Ritchie  removed  to  Prosser  last  October  and  is 
now  established  in  a  very  comfortable  home  in  that 
progressive  little  city. 

He  was  married  in  Dakota,  1873,  to  Miss  Jennie 
Martin,  who  departed  this  life  in  September,i890, 
being  the  modier  of  two  children,  Charles  H.  and 
Louise.  Mr.  Ritchie  was  married  a  second  time  in 
1898,  in  Portland,  his  bride  being  Jennie  Apple- 
gate,  the  widow  of  Owen  H.  Applegate.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Garret  and  Alice  (Davenport) 
Smith,  natives  of  Ohio  and  Kentucky  respectively. 
Her  father  was  a  pioneer  of  Iowa  and  immigrated 
to  Washington  in  1886,  residing  in  the  Palouse  re- 
gion until  his  death.  Airs.  Ritchie  was  born  in 
Illinois  in  1858,  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Iowa  and  there  married  Owen  H.  Ap- 
plegate. Two  children  resulted  from  this  union, 
Clarence  L.,  born  June  25,  1880,  living  in  Denver, 
and  Alta  A.  Applegate,  born  in  Kansas,  February 
12,  1884.  Both  Charles  H.  and  Louise  Ritchie  are 
dead,  the  former  dying  in  1896  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
the  latter  at  the  age  of  eleven  months,  her  birth- 
day having  been  April  27,  1874.  Charles  H.  was 
born  in  Dakota,  April  1,  1876.  Mr.  Ritchie  is  af- 
filiated with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  is  an  act- 
ive Republican.  He  takes  a  deep  interest  in  all 
matters  pertaining  to  education  and  has  been  clerk 
of  his  district  for  twelve  years.  He  has  one  thou- 
sand one  hundred  acres  of  land  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  region,  all  being  in  cultivation,  and  upon 
this  place  has  a  considerable  number  of  horses, 
cattle  and  thoroughbred  hogs.  He  is  a  man  of 
influence,  \>ho  has  made  a  success  of  whatever  he 
has  undertaken,  and  as  a  citizen  of  ability  and  high 
principles  is  respected  and  esteemed. 


EDWARD  J.  WARD,  of  the  Prosser  business 
firm,  Ward  &  McFarland.  is  a  native  of  Marion 
county,  Oregon,  born  in  1872,  his  parents  being 
Michael  and  Mary  (Moran)  Ward.  Michael  Ward 
came  to  New  York  from  Ireland  when  ten  years 
old.  In  1857,  after  his  marriage  to  Mary  Moran, 
he   rounded  Cape    Horn   and  settled  in  California 


for  a  short  time,  going  thence  to  Marion  county, 
where  he  lived  twenty-six  years.  The  fall  of  1882 
witnessed  his  removal  to  Yakima  county.  He  set- 
tled upon  an  eighty  acre  homestead  three  miles 
west  of  Prosser  and  for  twenty  years  cultivated 
its  soil  and  raised  stock.  He  is  living  at  present  in 
Argyle,  on  Puget  Sound.  Mary  (Moran)  Ward 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  to  Irish  parents  and  was 
eighteen  years  old  when  she  married.  Of  the 
twelve  children  born  to  this  union,  the  subject  of 
this  biography  is  one.  He  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Oregon  and  was  later  a  student  at  St. 
James  College,  near  Vancouver,  Washington. 
Early  in  life  he  began  riding  the  range  and  was  so 
engaged  until  he  reached  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
He  then  worked  three  years  in  the  New  Castle 
coal  mines  of  King  county,  thence  came  to  Prosser 
and  became  a  clerk  in  D.  S.  Sprinkle's  general  store 
and  in  1898  opened  a  meat  market  in  the  city.  The 
next  year  he  engaged  in  the  liquor  business  in  the 
Lape  hotel,  conducting  the  business  two  years.  A 
year  in  handling  hay  for  shipment  followed,  but  in 
1902,  he  and  his  partner,  McFarland,  opened  a  new 
liquor  store  in  Prosser,  in  which  business  Mr.  Ward 
is  still  engaged.  He  has  two  brothers,  Frank  W. 
and  Emmett,  both  living  on  the  Sound. 

Miss  Charlotte  Lvon,  of  Prosser,  became  his 
bride  in  1897.  Her  parents,  Henry  and  Margaret 
Lyon,  came  to  Washington  from  the  Middle  West 
in  1882,  settling  in  Klickitat  county.  They  became 
residents  of  Prosser  in  1901  and  there  Mr.  Lyon 
died  in  1903.  Mrs.  Ward  was  born  in  Kansas 
in  1872  and  received  her  education  in  the  schools 
of  Oregon  and  California.  She  has  two.  brothers : 
Richard,  living  near  Prosser,  and  Edgard,  in  Mon- 
tana ;  and  three  sisters :  Mrs.  Kate  Brown,  of  Pros- 
ser; Mrs.  Nellie  Sprinkle,  wife  of  D.  S.  Sprinkle, 
one  of  Prosser's  prominent  merchants,  and  Mrs. 
Margaret  Johns,  in  Sumter,  Oregon.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ward  have  one  child,  Margaret,  born  in  Pros- 
ser, December  11,  1901.  The  parents  are  members 
of  the  Catholic  church,  and  the  husband  is  a  stead- 
fast Democrat  and  an  active  worker.  His  property 
interests  consist  of  one  hundred  and  ten  acres  of 
raw  land  near  Mabton,  his  liquor  business,  a  com- 
fortable home  in  the  city  and  various  other  inter- 
ests in  city  property. 


LAWRENCE  C.  LEE,  of  the  firm  of  Lee  & 
Miller,  liverymen,  is  not  a  pioneer  of  Prosser,  but 
he  is  one  of  that  city's  most  energetic,  progressive 
and  well  known  business  men,  who  in  a  year's 
residence  has  attracted  to  him  a  gratifying  num- 
ber of  friends.  He  is  an  earlv  native  born  pioneer 
of  the  Northwest,  having  been  born  in  Marion 
county,  Oregon,  1856.  the  son  of  Reuben  and 
Fannie  (Drinkwater)  Lee.  The  elder  Lee  was 
born  in  Illinois,  went  to  Missouri  when  a  boy  and 
in  the  summer  of  1852  crossed  the  Plains  with  ox 


.JOHN  W.  BROWN. 


MRS    JOHN  W.  BROWN. 


RESIDENCE  OF  JOHN  W.  BROWN.  I'Ri  >SSER.  WASH. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


761 


teams  to  the  Willamette  valley,  where  he  is  still 
engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  His  wife 
was  a  Missourian,  who  married  Mr.  Lee  in  1854, 
at  the  age  of  nineteen.  She  crossed  the  Plains  with 
her  parents  in  1853;  her  death  occurred  in  1883. 
Eight  children  resulted  from  this  marriage,  of 
whom  Lawrence  C.  is  one.  He  attended  school  in 
Oregon  and  helped  his  father  on  the  farm  until 
he  was  twenty  years  old.  In  1876  he  went  to  the 
Walla  Walla  valley  and  spent  two  years,  leaving 
there  to  engage  in  farming  and  stock  raising  near 
Pomeroy.  He  lived  on  the  ranch  until  1899,  then 
removed  to  the  city  of  Pomeroy  and  engaged  in 
the  livery  business.  He  gave  this  up  after  a  year's 
experience,  however,  and  followed  contracting  until 
the  spring  of  1903.  At  that  time  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  S.  Miller  and  entered  the  livery 
business  again,  this  time  in  Prosser,  where  suc- 
cess is  crowning  their  industry. 

In  Pomeroy,  in  1882,  Mr.  Lee  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Stella  Rew,  a  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Etta  (Smith)  Rew,  natives  of  Wisconsin. 
Her  father,  a  millwright  and  farmer,  came  to  Gar- 
field county,  Washington,  in  1878,  but  is  now  a  res- 
ident of  Lincoln  county.  Mrs.  Rew  was  the  mother 
of  four  children.  Her  daughter  Stella  was  born 
in  Wisconsin  in  1863,  educated  in  Minnesota  and 
Washington,  taught  school  for  a  short  time  near 
Pomeroy,  and,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  became  Mrs. 
Lee.  The  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  L.ee  is  made 
happier  by  the  presence  of  four  bright  children : 
Clarence  R.,  born  April  16,  1884;  Leslie  A.,  July  14, 
1885:  Vera,  June  1,  1888,  and  Bernice,  June  13, 
1891  ;  all  born  in  Pomeroy.  Their  father  is  an  act- 
ive and  influential  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows, 
and  has  the  honor  of  being  past  grand  of  Harmony 
lodge,  No.'  16,  of  Pomeroy.  He  is  also  a  Modern 
Woodman.  Mrs.  Lee  is  a  devoted  member  of  the 
Christian  .church.  Politically,  her  husband  takes 
his  stand  with  the  Republican  party  and  is  an  ar- 
-dent  supporter  of  President  Roosevelt.  He  still 
retains  some  property  interests  in  Pomeroy,  be- 
sides which  he  owns  a  half-interest  in  the  Prosser 
livery.  Mr.  Lee  has  the  confidence  of  his  fellow 
men  and  is  rapidly  building  up  a  business  of  large 
proportions. 


JOHX  WILLIAM  BROWN,  residing  in  Pros- 
ser, is  one  of  Yakima's  successful  pioneer  farmers, 
who  has  retired  from  his  life  occupation  and  now 
seeks  the  advantages  and  opportunities  which  only 
a  thrifty  commercial,' social  and  educational  center 
can  afford.  Mr.  Brown  was  born  in  England,  in 
the  year  1851,  the  son  of  Thomas  and  Margaret 
Brown,  his  father  being  a  farmer.  Both  parents  are 
now  deceased,  the  mother's  demise  occurring  in 
1902.  They  remained  in  England  all  their  lives. 
John  W.  attended  the  common  schools  of  his  na- 
tive land  and  worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  fif- 


teen years  old,  then  worked  in  a  foundry  until 
eighteen.  At  that  age  he  crossed  the  ocean  and 
during  the  next  five  years  farmed  in  New  York 
state.  From  there  he  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
where  he  worked  in  a  brickyard  four  years,  then 
for  four  years  managed  C.  P.  Treat's  brickyard  in 
Trinidad,  Colorado,  next  visited  Alamosa  and  then 
freighted  two  years  out  of  Prescott,  Arizona.  At  the 
expiration  of  that  period  he  moved  by  team  to  Salt 
Lake' City  and  early  in  the  eighties  came  to  Boise, 
Idaho,  where  he  helped  build  the  Oregon  Short 
Line  Railroad.  In  1883,  he  came  to  Yakima 
county,  settling  in  the  Horse  Heaven  region,  and 
was  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising  until 
1902.  His  ranch  contained  two  sections  of  land, 
all  in  cultivation ;  besides  which  he  owned  three 
hundred  head  of  horses.  Mr.  Brown's  home  in 
Prosser  is  a  very  atractive  brick  residence,  the 
only  brick  dwelling  in  the  city. 

February  1,  1903,  Mary  E.  Lea  arrived  in  Spo- 
kane from  her  home  in  England,  and  became  the 
bride  of  Mr.  Brown,  the  ceremony  taking  place 
in  the  Falls  City.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Elizabeth  (Nowell)  Turner.  Her  father  is  a 
prosperous  English  farmer,  and  his  daughter  re- 
sided in  Oregon  for  some  time  previous  to  visit- 
ing her  parents  in  the  old  country.  By  a  former 
marriage  Mrs.  Brown  has  one  child,  Myrtle  Lea, 
a  bright  little  Miss  of  ten  summers,  whose  birth- 
place is  Oregon.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Brown  are 
members  of  the  Episcopal  church.  The  husband 
is  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows;  politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Republican.  Mr. 
Brown's  property  interests  consist  of  his  home 
place  in  Prosser,  which  contains  eleven  and  one- 
half  acres,  sixty  acres  of  land  irrigated  by  Sunnyside 
canal  and  other  city  property  of  high  value.  He  is 
an  influential  and  respected  citizen  of  the  Yakima 
valley,  a  man  of  substantial  attainments  and  solid 
integrity. 


NELSON  D.  COX,  of  the  plumbing  firm  of 
Jett  &  Cox,  Prosser,  is  one  of  that  city's  enterpris- 
ing and  popular  young  business  men,  who  has  trav- 
eled a  long  way  to  become  a  citizen  of  Washington. 
North  Carolina  is  his  native  state  and  he  was  born 
May  17,  1865,  to  the  union  of  Samuel  W.  and 
Cynthia  (Blalock)  Cox,  of  English-German  and 
English  descent  respectively.  Both  were  also  na- 
tives of  North  Carolina,  his  mother  being  a  sister 
of  Dr.  N.  G.  Blalock,  of  Walla  Walla ;  she  died  in 
1867.  Samuel  W.  Cox  removed  his  family  to  Il- 
linois two  years  after  the  death  of  his  wife,  crossed 
the  Plains  in  1873  to  Walla  Walla  valley  and 
reached  that  valley's  metropolis  October  3,  1873. 
After  being  in  the  employ  of  Michael  Ward  and 
Dr.  Blalock  for  five  years,  he  settled  upon  a 
homestead  in  Garfield  county,  lived  there  until 
1891,  spent  a  year  in  Everett,  and  died  in  St.  Mary's 


r62 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


hospital,  Walla  Walla,  in  1894.  Nelson  D.  re- 
mained with,  his  father  until  1889,  when  he  com- 
menced wiping  engines  for  the  old  Oregon  & 
Washington  Territory  Railroad  Company,  now  ab- 
sorbed by  the  Washington  &  Columbia  River  Rail- 
road Company.  After  two  years  at  this  work,  he 
was  promoted  to  fireman  for  a  service  of  eight  years, 
and  for  two  years  held  the  responsible  position  of 
engineer.  During  the  next  three  years  Mr.  Cox  was 
employed  by  Whitehouse,  Crimmins  &  Company, 
Walla'  Walla.  In  May,  1902,  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  his  father-in-law,  James  W.  Jett,  and  es- 
tablished a  plumbing  shop  in  Prosser.  In  connec- 
tion with  this  work,  Mr.  Cox  has  been  in  charge  of 
the  pumps  of  the  Prosser  Falls  Land  &  Irrigating 
Company  for  the  past  two  years. 

Miss'  Lillie  Jett,  the  daughter  of  James  W.  and 
Mary  (Renfrow)  Jett,  became  his  bride  in  Walla 
Wralla,  December  8,  1897.  Born  in  The  Dalles, 
in  1875,  she  received  her  education  in  Walla  Walla 
county  and  was  married  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Her 
parents  are  Missourians.  Her  father,  born  in 
1849,  crossed  the  Plains  to  Baker  City,  Oregon, 
in  1874,  spent  a  short  time  there  and  in  The  Dalles 
and  in  1875  settled  in  Walla  Walla,  where  he  lived 
with  his  family  until  removing  to  Prosser.  For 
twenty  years  Mr.  Jett  followed  his  trade  as  a  tinner 
in  the  employ  of  William  O'Donald,  but  in  1895, 
opened  his  own  shop.  He  conducted  it  success- 
fully until  he  came  to  Prosser.  Mr.  Cox  has  one 
brother,  William  C,  a  physician  in  Everett,  and 
four  sisters:  Mrs.  Hulda  Parris,  in  Athena,  Ore- 
gon; Mrs.  Ura  E.  Price,  in  Idaho;  Mrs.  Ada  Ras- 
mus, living  in  Walla  Walla,  and  Mrs.  Victor  Yeo, 
of  Dayton,  Washington.  Mrs.  Cox  has  one  sister, 
Mrs.  Lela  B.  Jett,  living  in  Prosser.  Mr.  Cox  is 
a  Democrat;  fraternally,  he  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Maccabees.  Mrs. 
Cox  is  an  earnest  worker  in  the  Christian  church, 
of  which  she  is  a  member.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Cox  have  won  many  friends  since  their  advent  into 
the  Prosser  community,  while  he  has  been  successful 
in  business  and  is  regarded  as  a  citizen  of  com- 
mendable  qualities. 


BYRON  AND  ELMER  E.  BERNARD. 
Among  those  who,  at  the  present  day,  are  making 
a  splendid  success  of  the  important  business  of 
stock  raising,  none,  perhaps,  can  take  precedence, 
for  skill  and  ability  in  the  production  of  fine 
draught  animals,  over  the  Yakima  Valley  Horse 
Company,  composed  of  the  two  brothers  whose 
names  form  the  caption  of  this  article  #nd  E.  F. 
Benson.  Though  it  has  not  been  in  the  business 
as  lone:  as  many  of  its  competitors,  its  members 
have  brought  to  their  enterprise  a  fund  of  accu- 
mulated experience  and  an  amount  of  aptitude 
sufficient  to  enable  them  at  once  to  take  a  place 
among  the  leading  men  in  their  line  in  the  North- 


west ;  for,  having  been  born  on  the  frontier,  reared 
on  the  ranges  and  habituated  to  the  free,  ardu- 
ous life  of  the  stockman  from  boyhood,  the  Ber- 
nard brothers  certainly  have  had  an  abundant 
opportunity  to  gain  an  intimate  acquaintance 
with  the  industry  in  which  they  are  engaged  and 
to  develop  the  independence,  resourcefulness  and 
good  judgment  it  requires.  Their  father  before 
them  was  a  frontiersman  and  stock  raiser.  A 
native  of  Illinois,  born  in  1818,  of  the  sturdy 
Scotch-Irish  stock,  Timothy  Bernard  early  deter- 
mined to  heed  Horace  Greeley's  advice,  to  go 
West,  and  in  1849  ne  crossed  the  Plains  to  the 
Occident.  For  four  years  he  mined  in  California, 
but  in  1854  he  settled  on  a  nine  hundred  acre 
farm  in  the  Willamette  valley,  where  he  resided 
more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  In  1881..  how- 
ever, he  crossed  the  Cascades  to  the  cattle  ranges 
of  eastern  Oregon,  where  the  remainder  of  his 
days  were  spent  in  the  stock  raising  industry. 
The  lady  who  joined  fortunes  with  him,  Margaret 
Harper,  was  also  a  native  of  Illinois,  but  of  Ger- 
man and  English  descent.  When  five  years  old 
she  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  parents  and  at  the 
agfe  of  seventeen  married  Mr.  Bernard.  Byron 
Bernard,  the  elder  of  the  two  brother  with 
whom  this  article  is  primarily  concerned,  was 
horn  in  Oregon,  November  11,  1865.  He  received 
a  good  education  in  the  local  public  schools,  and 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness with  his  father.  In  1888  the  partnership  be- 
tween them  was  dissolved,  and  Byron  went  to 
Montana,  in  which  state  he  was  employed  by 
A.  F.  Melick  as  a  cattle  buyer  for  the  ensuing 
seven  years.  An  idea  of  the  extensiveness  of  his 
operations  during  this  period  ma}'  be  had  from 
the  fact  that  his  purchases  sometimes  involved 
expenditures  of  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  in 
a  single  season.  Elmer  E.  Bernard  was  born  in 
Oakland,  Douglas  county,  Oregon,  February  3, 
1869.  He  likewise  enjoyed  the  advantages,  dur- 
ing his  boyhood,  of  the  local  public  schools,  and 
like  his  brother,  early  engaged  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness, following  it  first  in  western  Oregon,  then 
in  eastern  Oregon,  and  then  for  four  years  in 
Montana.  In  1898  the  two  Bernards  came  to 
Yakima  county,  formed  a  partnership  known  as 
Bernard  Brothers,  and  engaged  in  the  raising  of 
horses,  giving,  as  has  been  stated,  special  atten- 
tion to  fine  draught  stock,  for  the  breeding  of 
which  they  early  gained  an  enviable  and  wide- 
spread reputation.  December  1,  1903,  Mr.  Benson 
became  a  partner  in  their  enterprise  and  the  com- 
pany was  incorporated. 

May  14,  1894,  'n  the  state  of  Montana.  Byron 
Bernard  married  Mary,  daughter  of  John  and 
Anna  (McDonald)  Matheson,  the  former  of 
whom,  a  native  of  Prince  Edward  Island,  Canada, 
is  now  a  noted  stockman  and  farmer  of  Montana. 
When  a  small  bov  he  was  taken  to  Ontario,  in 
the  excellent  public  schools  of  which  province  he- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


763 


was  educated.  On  reaching  young  manhood,  he 
went  into  the  Calumet  and  Hecla  mines  of  Mich- 
igan, where  for  a  number  of  years  he  delved  for 
hidden  wealth ;  but,  eventually,  he  returned  to 
Canada  and  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing. In  1890  he  moved  to  Chinook,  Montana,  and 
took  up  land.  His  energy  and  splendid  abilities 
applied  in  a  country  possessed  of  great  natural 
advantages  enabled  him  to  add  rapidly  to  his 
holdings,  and  he  now  has  a  mammoth  estate,  con- 
sisting of  a  thousand  acres  under  irrigation  and 
several  thousand  acres  of  grazing  land.  He  is 
engaged  extensh'ely  in  cattle  and  sheep  raising, 
being  the  owner  of  nine  thousand  head  of  the 
latter  at  present.  His  wife,  Alma  (McDonald) 
Matheson,  was  born,  reared  and  educated  in 
Ontario,  Canada,  where  she  married  at  the  age 
of  nineteen.  Both  she  and  her  husband  are  of 
Scotch  extraction.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Byron  Bernard 
are  parents  of  one  child,  Melvin,  born  in  Mon- 
tana, May  29,  1896. 

Elmer  E.  Bernard  was  married  in  Chinook, 
Montana,  September  3,  1902,  the  lady  being 
Donelda  Matheson,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  Byron  Ber- 
nard. She  is  a  native  of  Lucknow,  Ontario,  born 
March  31,  1881,  but  as  her  parents  moved  to 
Montana  when  she  was  nine  years  old,  her  com- 
mon school  education  was  completed  there.  She 
also  graduated  from  the  Castle  Rock  high  school, 
in  Colorado. 

Both  the  Bernard  brothers  enjoy  a  very  envi- 
able standing  in  Yakima  county  and  throughout 
central  "Washington,  being  respected  for  their 
business  ability  and  for  their  integrity  of  char- 
acter. Byron  is  a  Modern  Woodman,  and  both 
he  and  his  wife  are  communicants  in  the  Presby- 
terian church. 


JOHN  CHISHOLM,  superintendent  of  the 
Prosser  Falls  Land  and  Irrigating  Company,  and 
an  extensive  wheat  raiser  in  the  Horse  Heaven 
region,  belongs  to  that  type  of  Westerners  which, 
by  indomitable  pluck  and  untiring  energies,  is 
leading  in  the  reclamation  of  the  once  repellant 
and  despised  western  wilderness.  Francis  Chis- 
holm,  a  worker  in  brass,  left  his  old  home  in 
Scotland  in  1838  and  came  to  America,  settling 
in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  There  he  and  his  wife, 
Mary  (Corbet)  Chisholm,  founded  a  home  and 
spent  the  greater  portion  of  their  lives.  The  hus- 
band soon  engaged  in  business  and  successfully 
conducted  it  in  the  city  until  1898,  at  which  time 
he  retired  from  active  business,  and  is  now  pass- 
ing his  remaining  years  in  Winchester.  Mrs. 
Chisholm.  also  a  native  of  Scotland,  died  in  Win- 
chester in  i860.  Her  son  John  was  born  in  Bos- 
ton, February  22,  1855,  and  in  that  city  was 
educated  and  learned  the  molder's  trade  with  his 
father.  At  the  a?e  of  nineteen  the  restless  young 
man  sailed  out  of  Boston  to  seek  his  fortunes  in 


the  South  and  West.  He  passed  through  Cen- 
tral America  at  Panama  and  worked  his  way  to 
San  Francisco.  He  there  worked  a  year  in  the 
foundry  of  W.  T.  Garrett  &  Company;  then  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley  for 
two  years.  A  trip  to  Boston  followed  this  ven- 
ture, after  which  he  returned  to  California,  cross- 
ing the  Plains,  and  until  1883  was  occupied  with 
farming  pursuits  near  Modesto,  cultivating  two 
thousand  acres.  August  12,  1883,  he  reached 
Washington  territory  and  immediately  filed  pre- 
emption, homestead  and  timber  culture  claims  to 
land  in  the  Horse  Heaven  region,  in  which  locality 
he  farmed  and  raised  stock  extensively  during  the 
next  eight  years.  Early  in  the  nineties  he  re- 
moved his  family  to  a  fruit  ranch  near  Kiona, 
the  ten-acre  tract  producing  nearly  all  the  varie- 
ties of  tropical  and  semi-tropical  fruits  and  berries 
grown  in  the  West.  Five  years  later  Mr.  Chis- 
holm and  his  family  came  to  Prosser,  where  he 
took  charge  of  the  interests  he  is  now  managing, 
those  of  the  Prosser  Falls  Land  and  Irrigating 
Company^.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged 
in  promoting  the  welfare  of  this  large  company 
and  raising  wheat  in  the  Horse  Heaven  region, 
having  five  hundred  acres  devoted  to  this  crop. 
John  Chisholm  and  Ottie  Rice  were  united  by 
the  sacred  ties  of  matrimony,  in  California,  July, 
1883,  the  bride  being  the  daughter  of  John  and 
Jane  (Linville)  Rice,  pioneers  of  the  Golden  state. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Ohio,  mother  in  Missouri, 
and,  as  man  and  wife,  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon 
in  the  early  fifties.  In  that  state  Mr.  Rice  was 
engaged  many  years  in  farming  and  stock  raising, 
subsequently  removing  to  California,  where  his 
death  occurred  in  1881.  Mrs.  Rice  is  still  living. 
The  father  was  of  English  descent ;  the  mother's 
ancestry  is  German.  Mrs.  Chisholm  was  born  in 
Salem,  Oregon,  1863,  and  received  most  of  her 
education  in  California.  She  has  four  brothers : 
Moses,  living  in  Oakesdale,  Washington,  and 
John,  George  and  Preston,  residing  in  California. 
Two  children  brighten  the  Chisholm  household : 
Mabel,  born  on  the  Horse  Heaven  ranch  in  June, 
1885,  and  Frankie,  also  born  on  the  ranch,  during 
August,  1890.  Mr.  Chisholm  and  his  wife  are 
consistent  church  members,  he  belonging  to  the 
Episcopalian,  she  to  the  Christian  denomination. 
He  is  a  thorough  believer  in  fraternities  and  is 
affiliated  with  three,  namely :  The  Masons,  Odd 
Fellows  and  Modern  Woodmen.  His  political 
sympathies  are  with  the  Republican  party,  in 
which  he  is  an  active  worker,  and  has  served 
his  community  in  various  public  offices.  Mr. 
Chisholm  is  well  known  as  a  man  deeply  inter- 
ested in  all  public  matters,  national,  stjj^and  local, 
and  has  the  reputation  of  succeeding  in  whatever 
he  undertakes  to  do.  He  recently  organized  a 
local  telephone  company,  himself  owning  most  of 
the  stock,  and  this  enterprise  now  furnishes  Pros- 


;64 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ser  and  the  surrounding-  country  with  its  first 
telephone  service.  Air.  Chisholm  has  disposed  of 
his  large  Horse  Heaven  ranch  and  in  return  owns 
fifteen  acres  of  city  property,  an  interest  in  a 
meat  market,  a  small  band  of  horses,  and  other 
minor  property  interests.  He  is  one  of  Yakima's 
substantial  citizens ;  popular,  capable  and  influen- 
tial, enjoying  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  men. 


JOHN  M.  BECKETT,  one  of  Prosser's  well 
known  business  men,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1835, 
the  son  of  Isaac  and  Nancie  (Wilkison)  Beckett, 
natives  of  Virginia  and  Ohio,  respectively.  John 
M.  was  educated  in  Ohio  and  Illinois  and  left 
the  old  home  at  the  age  of  sixteen  to  learn  the 
wagon  maker's  trade.  After  four  years'  appren- 
ticeship, the  young  wagon  maker  opened  a  shop 
in  Mahomet,  Illinois,  where  he  lived  ten  years. 
He  then  plied  his  trade  twelve  years  in  Peoria 
county.  He  then  removed  to  Kansas,  living  in 
Marshall  county  until  1880;  then  going  to  Wal- 
lowa county,  Oregon,  for  a  residence  of  four 
years,  and,  in  the  fall  of  1893,  came  to  Yakima 
county,  settling  first  in  Yakima  City.  In  1894  he  set- 
tled upon  a  homestead  five  miles  west  of  Prosser  and 
engaged  in  farming  six  years.  His  residence  in 
Prosser  dates  from  1900.  during  which  year  he 
opened  a  livery  stable  in  that  growing  town.  He 
personally  managed  the  business  for  a  period  of  two 
years,  but  eventually  leased  it  to  Bamly  &  Smith, 
the  present  lessees. 

Air.  Beckett  was  married  in  Champaign 
county,  Illinois,  November  25,  1858,  to  Miss 
Maria  Franklin,  the  daughter  of  William  and 
Lydia  M.  (  Pitman )  Franklin.  Both  parents  were 
pioneers  and  natives  of  Ohio.  William  Franklin 
removed  to  Illinois  in  1852,  later  went  to  Kansas, 
and  his  death  occurred  in  that  state.  Mrs.  Beck- 
ett was  bgrn  in  Ohio  in  1838,  and  received  her 
•education  in  the  schools  of  her  native  state.  The 
following  children  are  a  result  of  this  union: 
Edmund  and  Edgar,  twins,  born  November  8. 
1859,  died  in  infancy;  Willard,  born  January  10. 
t86o;  Frank  (deceased),  born  February  4,  1863; 
Ralph,  February  1,  1867,  and  Harry,  November  9, 
1869,  died  in  infancy;  all  born  in  Illinois.  Air. 
and  Mrs.  Beckett  also  have  an  adopted  daughter, 
Gertrude,  born  in  Kansas,  Alarch  6,  1882.  As  a 
soldier  of  the  Civil  war,  having  enlisted  in  1864 
in  the  Second  Illinois  light  artillery,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  Mr.  Beckett  is  entitled 
to  membership  in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Repub- 
lic and  is  a  member  of  that  organization.  Po- 
litically, he  is  a  stanch  Socialist.  Both  husband 
and  wife  are  connected  with  the  Methodist 
church.  Air.  Beckett's  property  interests  consist 
of  his  livery  barn  and  a  city  home  in.  Prosser, 
in  which  place  he  is  respected  as  a  citizen  of  pub- 
lic spirit,  integrity  and  stability. 


WILLIAM  W.  SMITH,  proprietor  of  one  of 
Prosser's  blacksmith  shops,  has  resided  in  Pros- 
ser since  the  spring  of  1899,  and  in  the  five  years 
which  have  since  elapsed  has  built  up  a  lucrative 
business  and  firmly  established  himself  in  the  con- 
fidence of  his  fellow  citizens.  Mr.  Smith  is  a  na- 
tive of  Columbus,  Ohio,  born  September  20,  1857, 
to  the  union  of  William  and  Margaret  (RaponJ 
Smith,  both  of  German  descent  and  born  across 
the  seas.  William,  Senior,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1818  after  a  lengthy  trip  of  thirty  weeks 
on  the  ocean,  during  which  time  he  was  ship- 
wrecked three  times.  He  settled  in  Ohio,  and 
during  the  remainder  of  his  long  life  followed  the 
shoemaker's  trade  in  Columbus.  Margaret 
( Rapon )  Smith  came  to  this  country  when  a  girl. 
Her  father  served  in  the  Napoleonic  wars,  fighting 
against  the  famous  general  in  the  battle  of  Water- 
loo, and  he  also  fought  on  the  American  side  in 
the  War  of  1812.  William,  Junior,  attended  school 
in  Columbus  and  learned  the  shoemaker's  trade  at 
his  father's  bench,  working  at  this  trade  until  he 
was  sixteen  years  old,  when  he  began  mastering  the 
blacksmith's  trade.  Six  years  later  he  left  Colum- 
bus, going  to  Cambridge  City,  Indiana,  for  a  short 
stay.  He  remained  a  short  time  successively,  in 
Indianapolis,  Baltimore,  Fort  Wayne,  Chicago. 
Omaha  and  Edison,  Kansas,  and  finally  reached 
Kansas  City.  He  lived  six  years  in  that  metrop- 
olis, and  then  came  to  ruget  Sound  in  1890.  He 
was  a  resident  of  Tacoma  nine  years,  or  until  the 
spring  of  1899,  when  he  opened  a  shop  in  Prosser. 

The  year  1884  marks  a  memorable  event  in 
Air.  Smith's  life — his  marriage  in  St.  Joseph.  Mis- 
souri, to  Aliss  Annie,  daughter  of  Henry  Smith. 
Her  parents  are  natives  of  Germany,  her  father 
coming  to  the  United  States  in  1857.  He  settled 
in  Ohio,  in  which  state  the  family  home  still  re- 
mains. Air.  Smith  is  a  carpenter  by  trade  and 
also  a  successful  contractor.  Mrs.  Annie  Smith 
was  born  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  in  1859,  and  in  1894 
was  called  to  her  home  in  the  life  beyond,  leaving 
a  grief-stricken  "husband  and  four  young  children 
to  mourn  her  loss.  The  children  are :  John  Will- 
iam, born  August  5,  1887,  in  Kansas  City,  Kan- 
sas; George  W.,  born  in  the  same  city,  June  II, 
1889;  Elma  T.,  born  in  Tacoma,  February  29, 
1891,  and  Annie  L.,  whose  birthday  was  Novem- 
ber 20,  1894.  The  father  of  the  family  is  affiliated 
with  three  fraternal  orders ;  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of  Pythias  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He  has  left 
the  old  line  political  party  to  which  he  once  be- 
longed, for  the  Socialist  party,  of  which  he  is  an 
active  member.  Besides  his  blacksmith  shop  in 
Prosser,  Mr.  Smith  owns  twenty  acres  of  land  in 
the  district  irrigated  by  the  Sunnyside  canal.  He 
is  respected  and  esteemed  by  his  fellowmen  for  his 
j  many  commendable  qualities. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


765 


CHARLES  N.  BICKLE.  It  is  not  given  to 
every  man — in  fact,  to  comparatively  few — that 
his  name  should  be  perpetuated  by  a  prosperous, 
growing  town,  whose  future  is  as  bright  as  that 
of  Bickleton,  Klickitat  county.  Yet  the  doughty 
pioneer  of  central  Washington,  whose  biography 
is  herewith  presented,  is  the  father  of  the  thrifty 
commercial  center  that  bears  his  name,  and  until 
recent  years  was  its  leading  citizen. 

Bickleton's  founder  was  born  in  Wisconsin 
fifty-four  years  ago,  and  was  one  of  twenty  chil- 
dren, whose  parents  were  William  and  Sarah  J. 
(Witherell)  Bickle,  natives  of  England  and  the 
state  of  Connecticut  respectively.  Upon  arriving 
in  America,  William  Bickle  settled  in  Jefferson 
county,  Wisconsin,  the  birthplace  of  Charles';  from 
Wisconsin  the  father  traveled  slowly  westward, 
living  in  various  states,  until  he  reached  Kansas, 
where  he  is  still  farming,  residing  near  Beloit.  He 
is  prominent  in  Kansas  politics,  and  ever  since  he 
arrived  in  the  state  and  settled  has  served  the  public 
in  some  official  capacity.  Sarah  J.  Bickle  departed 
this  life  in  1903. 

Until  Charles  Bickle  was  sixteen  years  old  he 
lived  in  Iowa,  where  his  education  was  obtained. 
At  that  age.  however,  he  returned  to  his  birthplace 
and  worked  in  the  pineries  four  years.  Returning 
to  Iowa,  he  attended  school  five  months,  and  then 
commenced  farming,  living  three  years  longer  in 
Iowa,  two  years  in  Nebraska,  three  years  in  Kan- 
sas and  three  months  in  California.  From  Cali- 
fornia he  came  to  Portland,  and  thence,  in  1878,  to 
Goldendale,  where  he  opened  a  grocery  store,  after 
having  made  a  trip  to  Alder  creek  and  found  the 
Indians  too  numerous  and  hostile.  Fifteen  months 
later,  however,  the  courageous  pioneer  decided  to 
fight  it  out,  if  necessary,  with  the  red  men.  and 
accordingly  returned  to  the  sparsely  inhabited  Ai- 
der creek  region  in  northern  Klickitat  county,  and 
settled  upon  the  quarter  section  now  occupied  by 
the  townsite  of  Bickleton.  The  same  year.  1870, 
he  established  a  trading  post  upon  his  land,  soon 
after  secured  a  postoffice  and  thus  hid  the  founda- 
tion of  Bickleton.  A  full  history  of  this  place  will 
be  found  on  another  page  of  this  work.  During 
the  first  twelve  years  of  his  residence  in  Bickleton, 
Mr.  Bickle  was  postmaster;  he  was  the  promoter  of 
the  first  school  and  the  principal  contributor  to  its 
organization  fund;  donated  land  for  its  site,  also 
km  1  for  the  sites  of  the  Methodist  church  and 
parsonage,  and  otherwise  assisted  materially  in  up- 
building the  town.  For  more  than  a  year  he  car- 
ried the  mails  at  his  own  expense  to  and  from 
Goldendale.  During  his  mercantile  career  he  had 
two  partners,  the  first  being  a  man  named  Weaver, 
then  Samuel  P.  Flower,  the  latter  being  in  the  firm 
from  the  year  1880  until  18 go.  In  conjunction  with 
the  store  Mr.  Bickle  conducted  a  hotel  and  a  liv- 
ery stable.  The  hotel  stable  and  store  were  de- 
stroyed  by  fire    in     1802,    but    with    commendable 


enterprise  the  owner  rebuilt  them  and  returned  to 
business.  For  a  year  S.  P.  Flower  was  his  partner, 
conducting  the  store.  Desiring  to  live  near  the 
railroad  and  to  secure  better  advantages,  Mr. 
Bickle  purchased  in  1889  a  ranch  on  the  Yakima 
river,  about  four  miles  below  Prosser,  and  removed 
thereto.     There  his  home  is  at  present. 

Mr.  Bickle  and  Miss  Fannie  Bacon,  a'  daughter 
of  Horatio  and  Eliza  (Pennock)  Bacon,  were  mar- 
ried in  1869,  the  ceremony  taking  place  in  Iowa,  the 
bride's  home  state.  Her  father,  an  Ohio  farmer, 
became  an  early  pioneer  of  Iowa,  and  lived  there 
many  years.  His  death  occurred  in  Illinois.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bickle  are  parents  of  sixteen  children,  of 
whom  thirteen  are  living:  Charles  E.,  William  H., 
Mrs.  Phoebe  Wommack,  Mrs.  Alice  Ransier,  Mrs. 
Eva  Lackey,  Mrs.  Fannie  Williams,  Fred,  Grace, 
Ida,  David.  Helen,  Harry  and  Roy.  The  othef 
three  were  :  George,  Josephine  and  Adelia.  The 
majority  of  those  living  are  residing  in  the  Yakima 
country.  Mr.  Bickle  is  affiliated  with  only  one  fra- 
ternity, the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in 
which  he  has  attained  the  rank  of  past  grand.  He 
is  a  stanch  and  active  Republican,  though  himself 
never  seeking  office,  but  content  to  work  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  friends.  His  ranch  contains  one 
hundred  and  ninety  acres,  all  under  irrigation, 
seventy  being  in  timothy  and  clover,  and  the  rest 
devoted  to  orchard  and  other  farm  products.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Bickle  are  highly  esteemed  by  all  for  their 
many  commendable  qualities  of  heart  and  mind, 
and  have  just  renson  to  feel  proud  of  the  part  they 
have  taken  in  the  redemption  of  the  Klickitat  wil- 
derness, and  proud  of  their  pioneer  sons  and  (laugh- 
ters. The  name  of  Bickle  will  ever  have  a  place 
in  central  Washington  history. 


ALBERT  SMITH,  in  charge  of  the  Prosser 
Flouring  Mills,  and  one  of  that  city's  popular  and 
respected  young  citizens,  is  a  native  son  of  West 
Virginia,  "born  in  1866  to  Jacob  and  Rebecca 
(Warner)  Smith,  also  born  in  that  state.  Both 
paternal  and  maternal  ancestors  came  to  this  coun- 
try from  England.  Jacob  Smith  was  a  stockman. 
He  removed  from  West  Virginia  to  Missouri,  and 
died  in  the  latter  state  in  1880.  Albert  Smith  re- 
ceived his  education  in  West  Virginia  and  Mis- 
souri, and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Warrensburg,  Mis- 
souri, high  school.  When  sixteen  years  old  he  be- 
gan learning  the  miller's  trade,  and  for  seven  years 
served  as  an  apprentice — the  miller's  trade  being 
one  of  the  most  difficult  trades  to  master.  At  the 
end  of  his  apprenticeship  the'young  man  secured  the 
position  of  assistant  miller  of  a  mill  located  in 
Bozeman,  Montana,  remaining  with  the  same  com- 
pany eight  vers.  In  18117  he  worked  three  months 
in  Walla  Walla,  then  returned  to  Bozeman  for  a 
few  months,  and  in  1898  was  called  to  Prosser  :■ 
assume  the  management  of  the  large  mills  situated 


766 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


there.  His  work  has  been  highly  satisfactory  and 
successful,  as  a  result  of  which  the  Prosser  mills 
have  a  most  creditable  reputation  among  their  pa- 
trons. 

Miss  Alice  M.  Spencer  became  the  bride  of  Air. 
Smith  in  1892,  the  wedding  taking  place  in  Mon- 
tana. She  is  the  daughter  of  Collins  and  Mary 
(Baker J  Spencer,  natives  of  New  York  and  Illi- 
nois respectively.  Collins  Spencer,  a  farmer  by  oc- 
cupation, immigrated  to  Missouri  in  i860,  and  is 
still  living  in  that  state,  at  the  advanced  age  of 
eighty ;  Mrs.  Spencer  is  dead.  Mrs.  Alice  M.  Smith 
was  born  in  Illinois  in  1866,  and  is  a  highly  edu- 
cated young  woman.  She  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ap- 
pleton  City,  Missouri,  academy,  graduate  of  a  New 
York  college,  and  a  school  teacher  of  three  years' 
experience  in  Missouri  and  two  years'  expe- 
rience in  Montana.  Her  one  brother,  Herbert,  is 
assistant  miller  under  Mr.  Smith.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith  are  well  known  in  Prosser's  social  life,  and 
by  their  congenial  qualities  have  drawn  around 
them  a  wide  circle  of  friends.  The  husband  is  con- 
nected with  two  fraternities,  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  both  husband  and  wife 
are  communicants  of  the  Christian  church.  Mr. 
Smith  has  faith  in  the  future  of  the  Yakima  valley, 
as  is  evidenced  by  his  possession  of  fifty  acres  of 
land  irrigated  by  the  Prosser  canal  and  a  comfort- 
able home  in  the  city.  He  is  a  man  of  action,  abil- 
ity and  true  worth. 


ORNIA  S.  BROWN,  living  two  miles  west  of 
Prosser,  one  of  the  valley's  well  known  stockmen, 
is  a  pioneer  of  the  Yakima  country,  in  which  he 
has  spent  nearly  his  whole  life.  Born  in  Califor- 
nia, December  28,  1867,  he  is  the  son  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Coleman)  Brown,  pioneers  of  Califor- 
nia. Thomas  Brown  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox 
team  conveyance  from  his  home  in  Missouri  to 
California  in  1864,  and  was  there  married,  his  bride 
being  also  a  Missourian,  who  crossed  the  Plains 
when  a  child.  When  Ornia  S.  was  two  years  old, 
the  loving  care  and  devotion  of  a  mother  were 
taken  from  him  by  her  death,  and  six  years  later, 
after  the  father  had  removed  to  Klickitat  county, 
the  young  lad  became  an  orphan.  By  working 
for  his  board  and  clothes,  he  was  able  to  remain 
in  school  until  he  reached  the  age  of  fourteen.  He 
then  set  out  into  the  world,  and  was  employed 
successively  by  Messrs.  McCredy  and  Beckner, 
and  later  by  Snipes  &  Allen,  as  one  of  their  range 
riders.  For  five  years  he  lived  this  rough  life,  at  the 
end  of  that  time  taking  charge  of  F.  C.  Sharkey's 
cattle  outfit  at  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima  river, 
with  whom  lie  remained  six  years.  Then  followed 
a  season  in  Alaska,  where  lie  placed  a  pack-train 
on  the  road  between  Dyca  and  Lake  Bennett. 
Upon  his  return  to  Yakima,  he  entered  the  em- 
ploy of  Nelson  Rich  as  ranch  superintendent,  and 


a  year  later  purchased  an  interest  in  the  business, 
to  which  he  is  now  giving  his  attention.  Their 
ranch  is  situated  near  the  mouth  of  the  river. 

In  1900  Mr.  Brown  and  Miss  Sadie  Evans, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Airs.  Morris  Evans,  of  Pros- 
ser, were  united  in  marriage.  Mr.  Morris  is  a 
Canadian,  who  has  made  his  home  near  Prosser 
since  1893  and  is  one  of  the  valley's  prosperous 
ranchmen.  Mrs.  Brown  was  born  in  Canada,  ed- 
ucated in  Tacoma,  North  Yakima  and  Prosser, 
and  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  She 
has  five  brothers :  Richard,  George,  Benjamin, 
Robert  and  Harry,  all  living  in  and  around  Pros- 
ser; and  three  sisters:  Mrs.  Lillie  Campbell,  liv- 
ing near  Prosser;  Mrs.  Annie  Brown,  near  Ellens- 
burg,  and  Gertrude,  at'  home.  Mr.  Brown  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  politically  is  affiliated  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  His  property  interests  consist  of  a 
half  interest  in  eight  hundred  head  of  cattle  and 
two  hundred  head  of  horses,  and  forty  acres  irri- 
gated by  the  Prosser  Falls  canal ;  an  eloquent  testi- 
monial to  his  energy,  ability  and  thrift.  Last  sum- 
mer his  company  shipped  eleven  car  loads  of  horses 
to  Montana.  Mr.  Brown  is  an  excellent  representa- 
tive of  that  class  of  self-made  men  who  have  made 
the  Yakima  valley  what  it  is  today.  He  commands 
the  friendship  and  respect  of  his  fellow  pioneers 
and  citizens. 


HARRY  W.  FISK,  residing  upon  his  well  im- 
proved farm  a  mile  and  one-half  west  of  the  city 
of  Prosser,  is  one  of  Michigan's  sons  who  is  suc- 
cessfully engaged  in  developing  the  powerful  la- 
tent resources  of  Washington,  and  in  the  Yakima 
country  has  achieved  much  worthy  of  commen- 
dation. His  parents  and  their  parents  were  pio- 
neers of  the  beautiful  Michigan  peninsula,  the 
former,  Lyman  C.  and  Nancy  (Bailey)  Fisk.  hav- 
ing been  born  in  that  state.  Lyman  C.  Fisk  fol- 
lowed agricultural  pursuits  in  Michigan  until  his 
death.  He  was  of  Holland  Dutch  descent.  The 
mother  is  now  a  resident  of  Michigan.  Harry  W. 
Fisk  was  educated  in  the  district  schools  of  his 
native  state,  working  upon  his  father's  farm  until 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  At  that  time.  1894,  the 
young  "Wolverine"  left  his  home  in  the  East  to 
seek  what  the  West  might  have  in  store  for  one 
of  his  energies  and  talents.  He  chose  the  Yakima 
country  as  his  field  of  endeavor,  and  immediately 
entered  the  employ  of  Kelso  Brothers,  working 
in  the  wheat  fields  of  the  Horse  Heaven  region. 
The  next  year  he  and  W.  L.  Dimmick  leased 
twenty-one  hundred  acres  of  wheat  land,  and  dur- 
ing the  next  four  years  successfully  farmed  the 
tract.  Upon  retiring  from  wheat  raising,  Mr.  Fisk 
purchased  thirty  acres  of  land  irrigated  by  the 
Prosser  Falls  canal,  and  this  place  is  still  his  home. 

One  of  Prosser's  well  known  daughters.  Miss 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


767 


Luna  S.  Burk,  became  the  bride  of  Mr.  Fisk  in 
1898.  Her  parents,  Elijah  R.  and  Emily  (Bishop) 
Burk,  were  born  in  Oregon  and  came  into  the 
homes  of  Oregon's  earliest  pioneers,  the  grand- 
parents having  crossed  the  Plains  in  the  early  fif- 
ties and  settled  in  the  Willamette  valley.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Burk  were  married  in  Oregon,  subsequently 
removed  to  Dayton,  Washington,  where  Mrs.  Fisk 
was  born  in  1882,  and  for  a  time  resided  in  Pen- 
dleton. Mr.  Burk,  now  dead,  was  engaged  in  the 
real  estate  business.  Mrs.  Burk,  now  Mrs.  Thorp 
Roberts,  lives  in  Prosser.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisk 
two  children  have  been  born :  Ernest  W.,  in  Pros- 
ser, January  27,  1900,  and  Grace,  in  Prosser,  De- 
cember 5,  1901.  Mrs.  Fisk  is  a  devout  member 
of  the  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Fisk*s  political  af- 
filiations are  with  the  Democratic  party.  His 
property  interests  now  consist  of  thirty-six  acres, 
all  under  cultivation ;  three  acres  in  orchard,  six- 
teen acres  in  alfalfa,  six  acres  in  clover,  seven  in 
garden  produce  and  the  balance  occupied  by  vari- 
ous buildings.  He  is  devoting  especial  attention 
to  raising  blooded  Durham  cattle,  of  which  he 
now  has  nine  head.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fisk  are  pop- 
ular, and  are  respected  by  all  who  know  them. 
Mr.  Fisk  has  reason  to  feel  proud  of  the  position 
to  which  he  has  attained  since  coming  to  Wash- 
ington. 


ARTHUR  M.  CAMPBELL.  The  respected 
citizen  of  Prosser  whose  name  commences  this 
biography  was  born  in  New  York  state,  in  New- 
burgh,  in  1843,  tne  sarl  0I  Amos  and  Harriet  E. 
(Brundage)  Campbell,  the  father  a  native  of  the 
same  place;  the  mother  born  in  Middleton.  In 
1860  Amos  Campbell  removed  his  family  to  the 
densely  wooded  Michigan  frontier  and  there 
erected  a  home,  where  he  lived  until  his  death 
in  1880.  He  was  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war. 
The  Brundage  family  is  one  of  New  York's  pio- 
neer families.  Harriet  Brundage's  father  served 
in  the  War  of  1812.  At  the  age  of  twelve  her 
son,  Arthur  M.,  was  apprenticed  to  the  black- 
smith's trade,  working  at  the  trade  four  years  in 
New  York.  He  then  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Michigan  and  for  two  years  helped  his  father  clear 
his  land  and  put  it  under  cultivation.  He  was 
occupied  in  various  ways  until  the  winter  of  1862, 
when  the  young  man  offered  Uncle  Sam  his  serv- 
ices but  was  rejected.  He  again  offered  them  in 
1864.  and  this  time  was  accepted  and  enrolled  in 
the  Sixth  Michigan  cavalry  under  General  Cus- 
ter. After  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
Michigan  and  farmed  until  1873.  in  that  year  re- 
moving to  Nebraska  and  settling  upon  a  home- 
stead. A  year  later  he  returned  to  Michigan  and 
engaged  in  the  warehouse  business,  as  employee 
and  half-owner  until  1870.  He  then  removed  to 
Kansas  and  farmed  two  years;  again  returned  to 


Michigan  and  re-entered  the  service  of  his  former 
warehouse  company  employers,  remaining  with 
them  until  1887.  North  Dakota  then  became  his 
home  for  eight  years  qj  until  1895,  when  he  came 
to  Prosser.  In  Yakima  county  he  was  engaged 
in  the  sheep  business  until  1899,  at  that  time  sell- 
ing his  flocks  and  investing  in  sixty  acres  of  irri- 
gated land  two  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Pros- 
ser, upon  which  he  has  established  his  home. 

In  1867  he  was  married  to  Miss  Melissa  A. 
Paull,  the  daughter  of  Lemuel  and  Amanda  (Har- 
woodj  Paull,  natives  of  New  York.  Lemuel 
Paull  was  one  of  Michigan's  earliest  pioneer  farm- 
ers, and  his  step-father  was  the  first  white  settler 
of  Barry  county.  Mrs.  Paull  was  likewise  the 
daughter  of  Michigan  pioneers.  Mrs.  Campbell 
was  born  in  Barry  county,  1846;  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  and  the  Grand  Rapids  high 
school,  of  which  she  is  a  graduate,  and  for  five 
years  previous  to  her  marriage  taught  school  in 
Michigan.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Campbell  have  three 
children :  Mrs.  Harriet  McNabb,  born  in  Mich- 
igan, July  31,  186S,  living  in  Prosser:  Fred  A., 
born  in  Michigan,  November  4,  1872,  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  living  near  Prosser,  and  Mrs.  Kate  B. 
Cullen,  born  in  Kansas,  July  it,,  1881,  also  resid- 
ing in  Prosser.  Mr.  Campbell  is  a  member  of 
the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  both  himself  and  wife  are  connected  with 
the  Methodist  church.  He  is  a  stanch  Republican, 
and  in  Michigan  served  in  a  public  capacity  for  some 
time.  Although  owning  a  fine  farm  a  little  more 
than  two  miles  from  Prosser,  Mr.  Campbell  is  at 
present  residing  in  the  city.  He  is  a  man  of  unques- 
tioned integrity,  capable  and  public  spirited,  and 
possesses  no  small  number  of  warm  friends. 


CHARLES  A.  WARNER,  living  a  mile  east 
of  Prosser,  is  one  of  Yakima  county's  prosperous 
horticulturists.  He  is  a  native  of  New  York,  born 
in  1853,  his  parents  being  John  H.  and  Melinda 
(Cronk)  Warner,  also  New  Yorkers.  LTntil  he 
removed  to  Minnesota  in  1867  the  father  was  fore- 
man of  the  largest  tannery  in  the  state.  In  Min- 
nesota he  followed  farming  and  stock  raising  until 
1Q02,  when  he  and  his  wife  came  to  Prosser.  They 
are  at  present  living  with  their  son  Charles.  Both 
are  well  advanced  in  life's  journey,  the  mother  be- 
ing eighty-one  years  old.  Charles  A.  Warner  was 
educated  in  New  York  and  Minnesota,  and  as- 
sisted his  father  until  twenty-two  years  old.  At 
that  time  he  commenced  railroad  work  and  rose 
to  the  position  of  engineer.  In  1880  he  engaged 
in  the  mercantile  business  in  Brooten  and  Sedan, 
Minnesota,  and  also  served  as  postmaster.  Ten 
years  later  we  find  him  buying  wheat,  in  which 
occupation  he  was  also  engaged  ten  years;  he  then 
purchased  a  two  hundred-acre  farm  and  cultivated 
it   until   1899,  when  he  came  to   Washington  and 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


located   in  Prosser.     Here  he  purchased   the  place 
upon  which  he  is  now  living. 

Air.  Warner  was  married  in  Minnesota,  1874, 
to  Aliss  Alary  Brown,  dai^ghter  of  Hanse  P.  and 
Ann  Brown,  natives  of  Denmark  and  England 
respectively.  Air.  Brown  came  to  America  in  1858, 
settling  in  Illinois.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  an  Illinois  heavy  artillery 
battery  and  served  until  1863.  At  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg  he  became  overheated,  a  circumstance 
which  led  to  his  death  shortly  afterward.  Airs. 
Warner  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1857.  Air.  and 
Airs.  Warner  have  three  children  living — Ernest 
A.,  employed  in  the  Puget  Sound  Flouring  Alills, 
Tacoma  ;  Airs.  Hattie  AI.  Geer,  living  in  Tacoma. 
and  Airs.  Todie  A.  Geer,  also  a  resident  of  Ta- 
coma. Three  children  are  dead — Janie.  Alerritt 
B.  and  Alarcus  M.  The  children  were  all  born 
in  Minnesota.  Air.  Warner  is  affiliated  with  two 
fraternities,  the  Alasons  and  Alodern  Woodmen. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  at  one  time  served  his  community  in  the  ca- 
pacity of  justice  of  the  peace.  His  thirteen  and 
one-half  acres  are  all  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion, four  acres  being  in  alfalfa,  four  in  strawber- 
ries and  orchard,  and  the  balance  in  garden  truck. 
He  has,  besides,  .considerable  stock.  Alost  of  his 
time  is  given  to  the  culture  of  strawberries.  He 
has  over  thirty  varieties  of  this  luscious  berry  and 
is  shipping  plants  to  all  parts  of  the  state.  Air. 
Warner  is  a  man  of  recognized  integrity  and  in- 
dustry, two  qualities  which  give  him  a  high  place 
in  the  esteem  of  his  friends  and  neighbors. 


CARL  C.  REIAIER.  whose  farm  lies  a  mile 
and  one-quarter  east  of  Prosser,  is  a  native  of 
Germany  and  of  German  descent.  He  was  born 
1859  to  the  marriage  of  John  P.  and  Christena 
( Haas )  Reimer.  His  parents  came  to  America 
in  1880  and  settled  in  Nebraska,  where  his  father 
died  in  1901.  Airs.  Reimer  is  still  living.  The 
subject  of  this  biography  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools  of  Germany.  At  the  age 
of  seventeen  he  came  to  the  United  States,  locat- 
ing in  Iowa,  and  living  four  years  in  that  state. 
Subsequently  he  went  to  Oregon  and  there,  also, 
pursued  farming  four  years,  spending  the  remain- 
der of  the  nine  years  he  lived  in  Oregon  in  the 
liquor  business.  In  1890  he  went  to  Puget  Sound, 
making  his  home  in  that  country  some  ten  years. 
His  residence  near  Prosser  dates  from  1900.  at 
which  time  he  purchased  his  present  farm. 

Air.  Reimer  and  Airs.  Alice  Gibson  were  united 
in  marriage  in  Gray's  Harbor,  Washington,  in 
1894.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mar- 
tha (Readman)  Benn.  of  Aberdeen.  Washington. 
Air.  Benn  crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in  1849. 
lived  in  that  state  until  1853.  and  then  moved  to 
Puget  Sound,  where  he  settled  upon  the  land  now- 


forming  the  site  of  the  city  of  Aberdeen.  Both 
parents  are  residents  of  that  city.  Alice  Benn 
was  born  upon  this  homestead  in  1862  and  edu- 
cated in  the  town  of  Aberdeen.  She  was  first 
married  to  H.  Gibson,  who  died  in  1893,  leaving 
three  children — Pauline,  who  died  at  the  age  of 
nineteen;  Corney  and  George.  Air.  and  Airs.  Rei- 
mer have  been  blessed  with  two  children — Aliles 
J.,  born  in  Gray's  Harbor,  November  15,  1896; 
Alartha  C,  born  in  Prosser,  July  25,  1901.  Air. 
Reimer  is  an  active  member  of  the  Democratic 
party  and  takes  part  in  every  election.  His  farm 
consists  of  twenty-one  acres;  two  acres  being  in 
orchard,  seven  in  alfalfa,  two  in  clover,  one  in 
strawberries  and  the  balance  in  grain  and  build- 
ing sites.  Air.  Reimer  is  a  successful  gardener 
and  orchardist,  and  during  his  comparatively  short 
residence  in  the  community  has  made  many 
friends. 


JOSEPH  SAIART,  builder  and  contractor, 
living  two  miles  west  of  Prosser,  has  been  iden- 
tineo.  with  the  history  of  that  city  since  1892,  prin- 
cipally because  of  the  important  part  he  has  taken 
in  constructing  its  homes  and  business  houses. 
Born  in  England  in  1841.  Air.  Smart  comes  of 
two  old  English  families,  his  father  being  Thomas 
Smart  and  his  mother,  before  her  marriage.  Alary 
Hopkis.  Thomas  Smart  was  an  expert  mathe- 
matical instrument  maker.  Both  parents  lived 
and  died  within  the  confines  of  their  native  coun- 
try. After  attending  school  until  he  was  fourteen 
years  old,  Joseph  served  se^en  years  as  an  appren- 
tice to  the  carpenter's  trade,  and  then  worked  at 
lis  trade  six  years  in  England.  In  1868  he  de- 
termined to  employ  his  talents  in  America,  and 
so  came  to  Chicago.  He  traveled  considerably 
during  his  early  American  life,  spending  six 
months  in  Chicago,  three  years  in  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
a  year  and  a  half  in  St.  Louis,  Alissouri,  three 
years  in  Colorado,  then  ten  months  in  St.  Louis 
once  more,  a  short  time  in  Canada,  a  year  and 
one-half  in  Cleveland  again,  another  four  years 
in  St.  Louis,  two  years  in  Denver,  seven  years  in 
Los  Angeles,  a  year  in  Portland,  a  short  period 
in  Port  Angeles.  Washington,  a  short  time  in  Se- 
attle, another  short  period  in  Olympia  and  a  year 
in  Tacoma.  during  all  this  time  following  his  trade 
successfully.  In  1892  he  came  to  Prosser.  Dur- 
ing the  next  two  years  he  lived  in  that  town,  as- 
sisting in  its  construction.  In  1894  he  saw  the 
opportunity  and  filed  a  homestead  claim  to  a  quar- 
ter-section two  miles  west  of  Prosser,  and  has 
since  resided  upon  this  place,  though  still  contin- 
uing to  accept  construction  contracts  and  other 
business.  Air.  Smart  built  the  Lape  Hotel,  the 
Catholic  church,  the  schoolhouse  and  many  other 
public  buildings,  business  houses  and  dwellings  in 
Prosser. 


WILLIS   MERCER. 


MRS.    WILLIS   MERCER. 


RESIDENCE  OK  WILLIS  MERi    I   K,    1'ROSSER.  WASH. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


;69 


He  assumed  the  responsibilities  of  matrimony 
in  1871,  in  St.  Louis,  his  bride  being  Miss  Janie 
Banks,  also  a  native  of  England.  Her  parents, 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Scribbins)  Banks,  were 
married  in  England  and  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1854.  settling  in  St.  Louis.  Mr.  Banks  died 
in  1874 ;  his  wife  in  1869.  Mrs.  Smart  was  born 
in  England,  came  to  America  with  her  parents 
and  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  St. 
Louis.  She  was  eighteen  years  old  at  the  time 
of  her  marriage.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smart  have  five 
children — Thomas  W.,  born  in  Colorado,  1882; 
Elizabeth,  in  Los  Angeles,  1884;  Rebecca,  in  Los 
Angeles,  1887;  Louise,  also  born  in  California, 
1889,  and  Alice,  whose  birth  occurred  in  Prosser, 
1895.  Both  himself  and  wife  are  affiliated  with 
p-e  Method'st  church.  Although  never  seeking 
the  emoluments  of  office  for  himself,  Mr.  Smart, 
as  an  active  Republican,  is  always  ready  to  assis/ 
his  friends  and  is  a  believer  in  good  government. 
Of  his  two  hundred  acres  of  land,  fifty  are  de- 
voted to  hay.  He  is  one  of  his  community's  pro- 
gressive, energetic  and  able  citizens,  who  wields 
a  deal  of  influence  among  his  fellow  men  and  com- 
mands their  highest  respect. 


WILLIS  MERCER.  The  citizen  upon  the  re- 
cording of  whose  biography  we  now  enter  is  one 
of  Prosser's  substantial  business  men  who  devotes 
most  of  his  time  to  stock  raising  and  farming  and 
is  at  present  serving  his  townsmen  as  a  member 
of  the  city  council.  Like  many  another  North- 
western pioneer,  Mr.  Mercer  is  a  Kentuckian  and 
the  descendant  of  a  well  known  pioneer  family 
of  the  'Blue  Grass  state.  Born  in  the  year  1862, 
he  gladdened  the  home  of  William  and  Rebecca 
(Bradfield)  Mercer,  natives  of  Kentucky  and  Penn- 
sylvania respectively ;  the  father  was  of  English  de- 
scent, the  mother  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch.  The 
year  after  Willis  was  born,  his  father  removed  to 
Illinois.  Three  years  later  the  home  was  bereaved 
by  the  death  of  the  loving  mother  and  wife.  The 
father  died  in  Illinois  nine  years  ago.  As  one  of  a 
family  of  ten  children.  Willis  was  obliged  to  take 
up  life's  responsibilities  at  an  early  at;e.  He  re- 
mained with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  1877,  when 
he  commenced  working  for  others  during  the  warm 
months  and  attending  school  in  the  winter,  thus 
securing  a  good  education.  At  the  age  of  twenty 
he  went  to  Wisconsin  and  for  two  years  toiled  in 
its  forests  and  on  its  farms,  returning  to  Illinois  in 
1884.  He  there  leased  land  and  farmed  until  1886, 
the  year  that  marks  his  advent  into  the  Northwest. 
A  short  stay  in  Pendleton  was  followed  by  his  set- 
tling upon  a  homestead  and  a  timber  culture  claim 
in  the  Horse  Heaven  region  ;  a  venture  that  proved 
unsuccessful,  and  he  abandoned  the  claims  some 
three  years  later.  He  then  entered  the  employ  of 
T.   K.   Beard   for  a   year,  spent  two   years  in   the 


dairy  business  near  Walla  Walla,  and  returned  to 
the  Horse  Heaven  country  to  enter  the  sheep  rais- 
ing industry  with  William  Cripps.  He  was  with  Mr. 
Cripps  three  years,  two  years  with  E.  Kemp  and  the 
succeeding  three  years  was  alone  in  business.  He 
then  sold  a  quarter-interest  to  A.  E.  Rothrock,  and 
together,  they  commenced  to  raise  wheat.  This 
partnership  still  exists,  the  firm  ranging  sheep  and 
utilizing  several  hundred  acres  of  wheat  land. 
They  have  one  thousand  acres,  of  which,  at  the 
present  writing,  three  hundred  and  fifty  are  sown 
to  wheat. 

Mr.  Mercer  and  Myrtle  Rothrock  became  hus- 
band and  wife  in  Illinois  February  28,  1899.  Mrs. 
Mercer  is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Susan 
(Hinkle)  Rothrock,  of  Illinois.  Both  parents  were 
born  in  North  Carolina,  Mr.  Rothrock  being  a  pio- 
neer of  Edwards  county,  Illinois,  where  his  daugh- 
ter Myrtle  was  born,  September  11,  1881.  Mrs. 
Rothrock  is  dead.  Mrs.  Mercer  was  reared  and 
educated  in  Illinois,  and  was  married  at  the  age  of 
seventeen.  Three  children  have  blessed  the  mar- 
riage :  William  H..  born  in  North  Yakima,  Octo- 
ber 15,  1900;  Velma,  born  in  Prosser,  December 
26,  1901,  and  the  baby,  also  born  in  Prosser,  Octo- 
ber 20,  1903.  Mr.  Mercer  is  affiliated  with  the  Odd 
Fellows  and  is  the  present  noble  grand  of  the 
Prosser  lodge.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in 
political  matters  and  all  city  affairs  and  is  one  of 
the  city's  councilmen.  He  is  a  Republican.  His 
property  interests  include  a  section  of  wheat  land 
in  the  Horse  Heaven  region,  ten  acres  of  land  irri- 
gated by  the  Sunnyside  canal,  a  three-quarters  in- 
terest in  3.500  sheep,  a  good  many  horses,  besides 
his  leasing  interests  in  the  wheat  region.  Mr. 
Mercer  and  his  wife  are  deservedly  popular  in  the 
community  and.  as  one  of  the  county's  prominent 
citizens.  Air.  Mercer  is  public-spirited,  progressive, 
energetic  and  a  man  of  integrity  in  all  matters. 


JOHN  H.  LEE.  whose  estate  lies  seven  miles 
west  of  Prosser,  is  an  Englishman  both  by  birth 
and  by  descent,  who  has,  however,  made  America 
his  home  since  1882,  and  lias  been  a  resident  of  the 
Yakima  country  since  18S9.  His  birth  occurred  in 
the  year  1849,  Joseph  '  and  Elizabeth  (Chatman) 
Lee  being  his  parents.  Joseph  Lee  was  an  optician 
by  trade.  At  the  age  of  four,  the  subject  of  this 
biography  was  left  an  orphan.  The  little  fellow 
was  kindly  cared  for  until  he  was  eight  years  of 
age,  wl  en  lie  commenced  working  in  the  coal 
mines  of  England,  following  that  work  there  for 
twenty-four  years.  In  1872  he  immigrated  to  the 
United  States,  settling  in  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
employed  in  the  great  coal  mines  of  that  state  until 
1885,  at  that  time  going  to  Indian  Territory.  Three 
years  he  worked  in  that  region,  then  six  months  in 
Arkansas,  followed  by  six  months  as  suoerintend- 
ent  of  the  Tennessee  Companv  coal  and  iron  mine 


7/0 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


owned  by  Pratt  &  Company,  in  Alabama.  Yellow 
fever  finally  forced  him  to  leave  the  South,  as  the 
result  of  which  he  came  to  the  Roslyn.  Washington, 
mines  in  1889.  Realizing  the  great  opportunities 
afforded  by  the  farming  industry  of  Washington, 
Mr.  Lee,  in  July.  1S91,  settled  upon  a  homestead 
near  Prosser  and  lived  there  five  years,  in  1897 
purchasing  his  place  upon  which  he  now  lives.  He 
has  met  with  success  in  agriculture  and  stock  raising 
and  has  amassed  a  comfortable  property. 

Mr.  Lee  was  wedded  to  Miss  Sarah  E.  Taylor 
in  England,  that  memorable  event  in  their  lives 
taking  place  in  the  year  1872.  Her  parents,  Will- 
iam and  Mary  (  Turner )  Taylor,  both  dead,  were 
English,  her  father  being  a  miner.  Mrs.  Lee  was 
born  and  reared  in  England  and  was  eighteen  years 
old  when  she  was  married.  Eleven  children  have 
been  born  to  this  union :  Henry,  born  in  England, 
1872,  conducting  a  store  in  Los  Angeles;  Mary, 
born  in  England,  December,  1874,  died  in  Prosser; 
Joseph,  born  in  England,  January  18,  1877,  killed 
by  a  mine  explosion;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wilson,  born 
in  England,  August  24,  1879;  Albert  E.,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  14,  1882;  William,  Pennsylvania,  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1884,  deceased;  Thomas,  Pennsylvania, 
July  25,  1885,  deceased;  John,  Indian  Territory, 
September  10.  18S6,  deceased;  Sarah,  Alabama, 
January  11,  1889,  living  at  home;  Rosa,  Roslyn, 
June  22,  1890,  deceased ;  George,  Prosser,  June 
8,  1892,  living  at  home.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee 
are  communicants  of  the  English  church.  He  is 
identified  with  the  Republican"  party.  Mr.  Lee  has 
nearly  sixty-nine  acres,  all  supplied  with  water; 
thirty  acres  are  devoted  to  alfalfa,  five  acres  are  set 
out  in  a  fine  orchard,  and  the  balance  is  in  plow 
land.  Mr.  Lee  is  esteemed  as  a  friend  and  neigh- 
bor by  all  in  the  community  in  which  he  lives  and 
is  recognized  as  a  citizen  of  the  class  that  com- 
prises our  best  citizenry. 


JOHN  T.  WILSON,  whose  estate  lies  seven 
miles  west  of  Prosser,  is  an  1883  pioneer  of  Yak- 
ima county  and  one  of  its  host  of  prosperous, 
thrifty  farmers.  Of  Scotch  and  German  descent, 
Mr.  Wilson  is  the  son  of  Archibald  and  Elizabeth 
(Hungate)  Wilson,  among  Kentucky's  earliest 
white  inhabitants,  the  father  having  been  born  there 
in  1818  and  the  mother  in  1810.  When  "fifteen  years 
old  Archibald  Wilson  left  his  native  state  and 
settled  in  Illinois,  where  the  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy first  looked  out  upon  the  world  in  1857.  In 
1866  the  family  removed  to  Missouri,  and  in  that 
state  John  T.  gained  the  greater  part  of  his  edu- 
cation and  grew  to  manhood.  His  father  died  in 
1883,  but  his  mother  lives  in  Illinois  at  an  age  at- 
tained by  very  few.  John  Wilson  lived  with  his 
parents  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  old.  the  last 
four  years  farming  for  himself.  In  1882,  however, 
he  determined  to  seek  a  home  in  the  Northwest 


and  with  that  idea  in  view  came  to  Pendleton,  Ore- 
gon. The  following  year  he  settled  upon  a  home- 
stead in  the  Horse  Heaven  region  and  his  resi- 
dence in  Yakima  county  commenced.  He  placed 
his  quarter  section  in  cultivation,  filed  upon  a  tim- 
ber culture  claim  and  placed  it  in  cultivation,  as 
also  a  section  of  railroad  land,  which  he  purchased 
from  the  Northern  Pacific  Company.  This  large 
farm  he  tilled  successfully  until  1902,  when  he  sold 
his  holdings  in  the  wheat  belt  and  purchased  his 
present  home.  At  the  time  he  bought  it  the  land 
was  covered  by  sage-brush ;  now  it  is  all  in  culti- 
vation, well  irrigated,  fenced,  and  upon  it  is  a 
modern  dwelling. 

Mr.  Wilson  and  Miss  Elizabeth  Lee  were  mar- 
ried in  North  Yakima,  September  10,  1900.  The 
biography  of  her  parents,  John  H.  and  Sarah  (Tay- 
lor) Lee,  who  live  near  Mr.  Wilson,  will  be  found 
elsewhere  in  this  work,  they  being  pioneers  of  the 
lower  Yakima  valley.  They  were  born  and  mar- 
ried in  England,  where,  also,  Mrs.  Wilson  was 
born,  August  24,  1879.  She  was  nine  years  old  at 
the  time  her  parents  came  to  Washington  and  was, 
therefore,  educated  and  reared  in  the  Yakima  coun- 
try. Two  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wilson:  Florence  E.,  April  15,  1901,  on  the 
Horse  Heaven  ranch,  died  in  infancy ;  and  Nor- 
man R.,  born  at  the  same  place,  December  21, 
1902.  Mr.  Wilson  is  connected  with  two  frater- 
nities, the  Masons  and  the  Odd  Fellows;  politic- 
ally, he  is  a  Democrat  who  takes  an  active  inter- 
est in  all  political  affairs.  His  farm  contains  sixty 
acres,  fifty-five  producing  alfalfa,  and  three  being 
devoted  to  a  fine  orchard.  Mr.  Wilson's  labors  have 
not  been  in  vain,  for  he  has  amassed  a  comfortable 
holding,  is  happily  situated,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Wil- 
son enjoy  the  esteem  and  best  wishes  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  thev  have  erected  their  homes. 


JOHN  CAMERON,  horticulturist  and  farmer, 
living  eight  miles  west  of  Prosser,  has  led  an  event- 
ful life  since  he  came,  in  1847,  t0  gladden  the 
hearts  of  his  parents  in  distant  Scotland.  Duncan 
and  Christina  (McLane)  Cameron  left  their  native 
country  in  1850,  bringing  their  family  to  Canada, 
where  they  lived  the  remainder  of  their  lives,  the 
father  dying  in  1869.  The  son,  John,  commenced 
learning  the  shoe  business  when  he  was  thirteen 
and  worked  as  an  apprentice  several  years.  At  the 
age  of  seventeen,  the  young  Scotchman  enlisted 
in  the  army  and  assisted  in  the  suppression  of  the 
Fenian  outbreak  in  1866,  for  which  loyal  service 
notice  has  been  sent  him  he  is  soon  to  receive  a 
gold  medal  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land  from  the  Canadian  government,  the  land  to  be 
selected  by  him  any  time  prior  to  19x6.  In  the  fall 
of  1866  he  went  to  Chicago,  remained  there  ten 
months,   and   became   foreman   of   a   shoe   factory 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


at  Lawton,  Michigan.  Following  this  he  entered 
business  for  himself  and  successfully  conducted 
it  until  1S70,  when  he  returned  to  Canada.  In 
May,  icJ3,  he  became  a  brakeman  on  the  Great 
Western  Railroad,  subsequently  rising  to  the  po- 
sition of  conductor.  However,  in  1884  he  re- 
turned to  the  United  States  and  accepted  a  po- 
sition in  North  Dakota  on  the  Northern  Pacific 
railroad.  Four  years  later  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Cascade  division  and  until  1896  was  engaged 
as  a  conductor  between  Tacoma  and  Pasco.  He 
then  removed  his  family  from  Tacoma  to  the 
farm  upon  which  he  is  now  living,  having  pur- 
chased it  in  1893  and  improved  it.  He  has  made 
this  place  his  home  since  that  time,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  six  months  in  1899,  when  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  conductor  in  Old  Mexico,  the  City  of 
Mexico  being  his  headquarters. 

In  1872  Mr.  Cameron  was  married  to  Miss' 
Mary  E.  Coates  in  Canada.  Her  parents,  George 
and  Elizabeth  (Langdale)  Coates,  were  natives 
of  England,  who  came  to  America  on  the  same 
ship  in  1842.  Three  years  later  they  were  mar- 
ried and  in  1847  Mar}'  E.  was  born.  Mr.  Coates 
was  a  stonecutter  by  trade  and  assisted  in  the 
construction  of  the  magnificent  parliament  build- 
ing in  Ottawa  and  Trinity  College  in  Toronto, 
working  upon  the  finest  part  of  the  stone  cutting. 
He  died  in  1861  at  the  age  of  forty-three.  Mrs. 
Cameron  received  a  good  education  in  the  Cana- 
dian schools.  To  this  marriage  were  born  the 
following  children  :  Mrs.  Alice  E.  Hickman,  De- 
cember 8,  1873,  now  living  at  Wardner;  Robert 
G.,  January  17,  1875,  a  Northern  Pacific  con- 
ductor on  the  line  between  Portland  and  Tacoma; 
Christina,  October  7,  1876,  a  graduate  of  the 
Ellen sburg  normal,  who  is  now  teaching  in  Ta- 
coma; and  Mrs.  Mabel  K.  Stringer,  December 
21,  1883,  a  graduate  of  the  Tacoma  Business  Col- 
lege, who  is  living  in  Belma.  Mr.  Cameron  is  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, is  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  as  a  Republican  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  political  affairs  of  his  county.  Of  his  forty- 
acre  farm,  all  in  cultivation,  fifteen  acres  are  in 
a  full  bearing  orchard,  twelve  acres  in' alfalfa,  five 
acres  in  timothy,  and  half  an  acre  in  grapes,  small 
fruits  and  berries.  In  1902  he  sold  off  this  place 
two  cars  of  prunes,  a  car  of  pears  and  peaches, 
two  thousand  three  hundred  and  thirty  boxes  of 
apples  at  an  average  price  of  between  fifty  and 
sixty  cents  a  box,  four  hundred  and  eighty  sacks 
of  culled  apples  at  fifty  cents  a  saGk,  and  hay  to 
the  value  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  be- 
sides a  great  quantity  of  grapes  and  berries,  veg- 
etables, etc.  These  figures  are  eloquent  testi- 
mony of  the  Yakima  country's  fertility  and  to 
Mr.  Cameron's  ability.  He  is  among  the  most 
prosperous  orchardists  in  the  county  and  one  of 
Yakima's  progressive  citizens  of  the  best  type. 


CHARLES  R.  GILLETT,  engaged  in  general 
farming  eight  miles  west  of  Prosser,  was  born  in 
Wisconsin,  1862,  the  son  of  Rodney  and  Mary 
(Roblee)  Gillett.  The  elder  Gillett  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  removed  to  Illinois  in  early  life 
and  when  sixteen  years  old  immigrated  to  Wis- 
consin and  entered  the  lumber  industry,  with 
which  he  is  still  identified.  Mrs.  Gillett,  who 
died  in  1892,  was  a  native  in  Illinois,  the  daugh- 
ter of  early  pioneers  of  that  state.  .The  subject 
of  this  biography  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  "Wisconsin  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
was  taken  into  partnership  by  his  father,  remain- 
ing with  him  ten  years.  In  1890  he  came  to  the 
Northwest,  locating  first  in  Portland.  There  he 
was  occupied  two  years  in  the  lumber  business ; 
then  came  to  Pasco  and  during  the  next  two  years 
followed  railroad  work  for  the  Northern  Pacific. 
Realizing  the  fine  opportunities  presented  by  the 
Yakima  country  to  farmers,  Mr.  Gillett  decided  to 
engage  in  agricultural  pursuits,  and  accordingly 
he  and  his  brother-in-law  purchased  the  land 
upon  which  Mr.  Gillett  is  now  living.  Mr.  Gillett 
has  developed  an  excellent  property  and  his  farm 
is  now  considered  to  be  one  of  the  best  under 
the  Prosser  canal. 

Miss  Maria  Tustin  became  the  bride  of  Mr. 
Gillett  at  Prosser  in  1896.  Andrew  and  Margaret 
(Weekely)  Tustin,  the  parents  of  Mrs.  Gillett, 
were  natives  of  West  Virginia,  where  they  were 
married.  The\r  immigrated  to  Minnesota  and 
subsequently  came  to  Prosser,  where  Mr.  Tus- 
tin died.  Maria  Tustin  was  born  in  West  Vir- 
ginia, 1877,  received  her  education  in  the  Ellens- 
burg  and  Prosser  schools  and  was  married  at  the 
age  of  eighteen.  There  have  been  two  children 
born  to  the  marriage :  Myrtle,  L.,  in  Prosser,  July 
16,  1897,  and  Rodney  A.,  in  Prosser.  November 
20,  1899.  Mr.  Gillett  is  a  thorough  believer  in 
the  benefits  of  fraternal  association,  and  is  a 
member  of  three  orders:  Masons.  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Modern  Woodmen.  Mrs.  Gillett  is  a 
member  of  the  Rebekah  lodge.  Both  are  united 
with  the  Methodist  church.  Politically,  Mr.  Gil- 
lett is  a  loyal  Republican.  He  has  sixty  acre* 
of  irrigated  land,  of  which  ten  are  in  orchard  and 
the  balance  in  alfalfa,  clover  and  timothy;  besides 
farming,  he  is  paying  considerable  attention  to 
stock  raising  on  a  small  scale  and  has  fifteen  head 
of  cattle,  forty  hogs  and  a  number  of  horses. 
Prosperous,  thrifty  and  respected  by  his  neigh- 
bors, he  is  a  typical  Yakima  eitizen-farmer. 


EPHRAIM  STRINGER.  The  honored 
Northwestern  pioneer  whose  biography  we  shall 
now  chronicle  in  these  pages  dates  his  residence 
in  this  section  of  the  United  States  from  the  joy- 
ful arrival  of  the  emigrant  train  of  which  his 
father  and  family  were  members  in  Oregon  terri- 
tory,  fifty-three  years   ago,  after  a   six   months' 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


weary  journey  with  ox  teams.  His  father,  Blew- 
ford  Stringer,  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth  and  de- 
scent, who  combined  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel 
with  the  labor  of  a  farmer,  a  not  unusual  combi- 
nation in  this. Western  country.  From  Kentucky 
he  went  north  into  Illinois,  served  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war  of  1841  and  then  crossed  the  Plains. 
He  lived  forty  years  in  the  Willamette  valley,  being 
eighty-four  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
In  Illinois  this  Kentucky  pioneer  met  and  mar- 
ried Miss  Almira  Carroll,  a  daughter  of  very 
early  settlers  of  the  Illinois  plains.  Her  parents 
came  to  Oregon  in  an  early  day  and  there  her 
death  occurred.  Ephraim  Stringer  secured  what 
little  education  he  was  able  to  get  from  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  a  frontier  region  and  when  twenty 
years  old  learned  the  carpenter's  and  wheel- 
wright's trades,  following  these  occupations  together 
with  those  of  farming  and  stock  raising  for  fifty- 
one  years  in  Oregon.  In  July,  1902,  he  left  the 
state  which  had  been  his  home  for  more  than 
half  a  century  and  settled  in  the  Horse  Heaven 
region,  Yakima  county.  However,  he  remained 
there  only  one  year,  in  1903  purchasing  his  pres- 
ent farm  eight  miles  west  of  the  city  of  Prosser, 
upon  which  he  has  since  been  successfully  en- 
gaged in  general  farming. 

Mr.  Stringer  and  Miss  Lucinda  R.  Beeler, 
then  a  girl  of  seventeen,  celebrated  the  nation's 
birthday  in  1865  by  joining  their  fortunes  as  hus- 
band and  wife  and  beginning  life's  journey  to- 
gether. Her  parents,  John  and  Jane  (Powell) 
Beeler,  were  natives  of  Tennessee,  who  crossed 
the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1852  and  there  lived  until 
their  death,  the  father's  demise  occurring  in  1865. 
The  mother  was  married  at  the  age  of  sixteen  and 
reared  a  family  of  seventeen  children.  In  Mis- 
souri, 1848,  Mrs.  Stringer  was  born,  crossing  the 
Plains  when  a  very  small  girl.  The  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Stringer  was  blessed  by  a  large  famil\T 
of  children :  Mrs.  Robertie  Grant,  born  April  22, 
1866,  the  wife  of  a  Baptist  minister  in  Oregon; 
Mrs.  Rhoda  A.  Williams,  born  1868,  deceased; 
Perry  P.,  August  25,  1871,  living  in  Yakima 
county;  Mrs.  Ledona  Cyrus,  born  in  1873,  de- 
ceased; Mrs.  Eva  R.  Hanson,  October  12,  1875, 
living  in  Oregon;  Gilbert  G.,  September  2,  1878, 
living  in  Yakima  county;  Chester  A.,  November 
1,  1880,  at  home:  Corti's  D.,  March  20,  1885,  at 
home.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stringer  are  devout 
members  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr.  Stringer 
owns  a  quarter  section  of  wheat  land  south  of 
Prosser,  eighty  acres  irrigated  by  the  Sunnyside 
canal,  two  acres  of  which  are  in  orchard  and 
twenty-five  in  hay,  and  a  considerable  number  of 
horses  and  cattle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stringer  are 
held  in  high  regard  by  all  who  have  become  ac- 
quainted or  intimate  with  them,  and  as  coura- 
geous, energetic  pioneers  of  an  ever-receding  fron- 
tier have  done  their  full  share  in  transforming 
the  erstwhile  Northwestern  wilds  into  one  of  the 


thriftiest  and   most   progressive   portions  of  the 
American   Union. 


HORATIO  W.  WELLS.  The  successful  and 
widely  known  Yakima  stockman  whose  life  forms 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born  and  reared 
in  the  province  of  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  and 
is  the  son  of  two  pioneer  families  of  that  region, 
his  parents  being  William  A.  and  Emma  T. 
(White)  Wells.  They  removed  to  Maine  at  an 
early  age  and  were  there  married,  she  being 
twenty  years  old  at  the  time.  Subsequently  they 
returned  to  Canada  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising  until  their  deaths.  Horatio  W.  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  New  Brunswick 
and  assisted  his  father  until  the  spring  of  1880. 
.Then,  in  his  twenty-first  year,  he  sought  his  for- 
tune in  distant  Oregon.  Arriving  in  his  newly 
adopted  home,  he  entered  the  employ  of  his 
uncle,  G.  F.  Wells,  and  L.  Corbett,  on  their  sheep 
ranch.  Sixteen  months  later  the  young  man 
rented  the  ranch  and  took  the  sheep  on  shares  for 
a  period  of  three  years.  At  the  end  of  that  time 
the  energetic  Canadian  purchased  Corbett's  inter- 
ests, and  the  business  proceeded  under  the  name 
of  Wells  &  Wells.  This  copartnership  lasted 
nine  years,  the  junior  partner  then  disposing  of 
his  interest  and  removing  to  Portland.  In  1897 
he  purchased  the  ranch  five  miles  west  of  Prosser, 
upon  which  he  now  makes  his  home.  Although 
the  Prosser  ranch  is  his  home,  Mr.  Wells  spends 
the  greater  portion  of  his  summers  in  The  Dalles. 
His  stock  interests  still  continue  to  demand  most  of 
his  attention. 

In  1890  Mr.  Wells  returned  to  his  old  home 
and  claimed  for  his  bride  Miss  Hattie  E.  Allen, 
the  daughter  of  Harvey  and  Alice  (Thompson) 
Allen,  pioneers  of  New  Brunswick.  Mr.  Allen  is 
a  successful  stockman  and  farmer.  Mrs.  Allen 
was  married  when  twenty  years  old  and  reared  a 
family  of  five  children  ;  she  died  in  1903.  Mrs. 
Wells  was  born  in  1879,  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  New  Brunswick,  and  was  married  at 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  Four  children  blessed  the 
union,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  dead :  Alice  T., 
born  February,  1892,  drowned  in  the  Yakima 
river.  1898;  Lloyd  W.,  born  October  6,  1894; 
Chlorinda,  December  23,  1899;  Charlotte.  Octo- 
ber 3,  1903  ;  all  of  whom  were  born  at  The  Dalles. 
Mrs.  Wells  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church. 
Mr.  Wells  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  political 
affairs  of  the  country  and  is  a  thorough  believer 
in  the  principles  advocated  by  the  Republicans. 
His  ranch  near  Prosser  consists  of  one  hundred 
and  seventy  acres,  all  supplied  with  water;  forty 
acres  are  devoted  to  raising  Yakima's  king  crop 
— alfalfa — while  there  is  an  excellent  four-acre 
orchard  upon  the  place.  In  1900  he  purchased 
eight  thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  Horse  Heaven 
region,  four  thousand  acres  of  which  are  good 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


wheat  land.  This  investment  is  sure  to  prove  an 
extremely  lucrative  one,  as  the  wheat  belt  is  rap- 
idly being  settled.  Mr.  Wells  owns  about  five 
thousand  sheep  ranging  in  Oregon  and  Washing- 
ton. In  all  his  business  dealings  he  has  been 
•quite  successful,  due  in  most  part  to  his  straight- 
forward methods  of  dealing  with  others,  his  keen 
foresight  and  his  indomitable  energy  and  perse- 
verance. He  commands  the  highest  esteem  of  his 
neighbors  and  associates  and  is  a  loyal,  public- 
spirited  citizen  of  his  adopted  country.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wells  are  the  fortunate  possessors  of  a 
wide  circle  of  warm  friends  and  well-wishers. 


EDWARD  O.  WILSON,  engaged  in  the  meat 
business  in  Prosser,  and  one  of  that  city's  popular 
young  citizens,  is  one  of  Yakima's  native  sons,  hav- 
ing been  born,  November  5,  1878,  near  Tampico, 
the  postoffice  of  the  upper  Ahtanum  valley.  Nearly 
his  entire  life  has  been  spent  in  Yakima  county, 
whose  wondrous  growth  into  one  of  the  leading  sec- 
tions of  the  west  he  has  witnessed.  In  its  progress 
he  has  taken  an  active  part.  His  father,  William 
T.  Wilson,  of  Scotch  descent,  was  born  in  Mis- 
souri in  1852,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve  crossed  the 
Plains  with  his  parents.  On  the  journey  his  mother 
was  killed,  and  her  mortal  remains  lie  buried  in  the 
desert.  Mr.  Wilson  settled  on  the  Ahtanum  about 
1870,  purchasing  a  farm  near  Tampico,  and  later 
filing  a  homestead  claim  to  a  portion  of  what  is 
now  known  as  Knob  Hill.  William  Wilson's 
death  occurred  in  1890,  on  Knob  Hill.  In  1876  he 
married  Ada  Hawkins,  born  in  Oregon  in  the  year 
1856,  and  to  this  union  Edward  was  born.  Mrs. 
Wilson,  after  her  first  husband's  death,  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Benjamin  Miller,  and  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  North  Yakima.  The  subject  of  our  sketch 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
the  county,  and  in  the  well  known  Woodcock 
academy  near  his  home.  From  the  time  he  was 
fourteen  years  old  he  "rode  the  range  for  George 
Taylor  and  Zach  Hawkins.  Following  this  occu- 
pation he  worked  a  short  time  with  Burbank  & 
Miller,  contractors,  but  in  1898  went  to  British  Co- 
lumbia, where  he  worked  in  the  mines  two  years. 
Upon  his  return  to  Washington  in  1900  he  wintered 
in  Spokane.  In  the  spring-  he  returned  to  Yakima 
county  and  commenced  ranching.  The' next  year  he 
purchased  the  meat  market  of  A.  J.  Chambers,  situ- 
ated in  North  Yakima,  conducted  it  a  year,  sold 
the  property,  and  came  to  Prosser,  opening  his 
present  market  in  the  summer  of  1903.  The  ven- 
ture has  proven  a  most  satisfactory  success,  due 
to  the  aggressive  industry  and  careful  attention 
given  it  by  its  owner.  Mr.  Wilson  has  one  brother 
dead,  Claude  G.,  killed  in  1002.  on  the  Sound,  .and 
three  brothers  and  sisters  living:  Ray,  Mrs.  Ella 
L.  Hawkins  and  Gracie.  all  living  in  Yakima 
countv.     He  is  affiliated  with  the  Ancient  Order  of 


United  Workmen,  and  politically  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican. Mr.  Wilson  stands  high  in  the  regard 
of  Prosser's  citizenry,  and  is  a  young  man  in  whom 
the  Yakima  country,  as  his  birthplace  and  home, 
may  well  take  pride. 


THORPE  ROBERTS,  one  of  Yakima's  pros- 
perous wheat  growers,  residing  in  Prosser,  is  a 
native  of  Nova  Scotia,  born  May  8,  1863,  to  the 
union  of  Matthew  and  Roseanna  (Travis)  Roberts, 
also  natives  of  that  famous  peninsula.  Matthew 
Roberts  came  of  a  sea-faring  family,  and  himself 
was  a  sea  captain,  engaged  in  the  fishing  industry  ; 
he  died  in  1872  at  the  age  of  fifty-two.  The  Travis 
family  is  an  early  pioneer  family  of  Nova  Scotia. 
Ann  Travis,  who  was  quite  young  when  married, 
is  the  mother  of  nine  children.  She  is  still  living 
in  her  native  country.  Thorpe  Roberts  was  obliged 
to  enter  life's  struggle  while  yet  a  lad  of  twelve. 
Leaving  home,  he  worked  in  various  lumber  camps 
and  on  various  farms  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
seventeen.  He  then  went  to  New  Hampshire  and 
worked  in  the  logging  camps  of  that  state  a  year 
and  a  half.  In  the  summer  of  1881  he  went  to 
California.  He  followed  the  lumber  business 
among  the  redwood  forests  awhile,  spent  a  short 
time  in  the  camps  of  western  Oregon,  and  in  1882 
settled  in  Dayton,  Washington,  where  he  followed 
lumbering  seven  and  a  half  years.  Some  time  prior 
to  1S87  he  visited  the  Horse  Heaven  region  and 
decided  to  locate  there,  choosing  his  land.  In  1887 
he  filed  a  homestead  claim  upon  the  tract  chosen 
and  removed  his  family  thereto,  and  since  that  time 
he  has  been  steadily  improving  and  cultivating  his 
fine  ranch  until  it  is  now  one  of  the  valuable  places 
in  that  district.  He  and  his  family  spend  the  win- 
ter in  their  Prosser  home,  but  in  the  summer  they 
live  on  the  farm. 

Mr.  Roberts  and  Emma  Bishop  were  united  in 
marriage  at  Pendleton  in  1887.  She  is  the  daugh- 
ter of  two  early  pioneers  of  the  Northwest.  Bolliver 
B.  and  Luna  (Palmer)  Bishop,  natives  of  Con- 
necticut and  Illinois  respectively.  The  father,  who 
was  a  lawyer,  came  to  (  Iregon  in  1852,  ami  -he  and 
Putman  Bradford,  her  uncle,  owned  anil  operated 
the  first  steamboat  on  the  lower  Columbia,  between 
the  Cascades  and  Portland.  He  died  in  1897.  Mrs. 
Bishop  was  nineteen  when  she  crossed  the  Plains 
with  her  parents  in  1849,  being  a  member  of  a 
very  noted  emigrant  train.  She  is  living  in 
1'endleton.  Mrs.  Rolvts  was  born  at  the  middle 
cascades  of  the  Columbia.  After  attending  school 
at  Pendleton  a  short  time,  she  began  teaching, 
though  only  fourteen  years  old,  and  she  taueht  until 
she  was  twenty-one,  then  married  R.  Burk.  Two 
children  were  born  to  that  union:  Roy.  deceased, 
and  Mrs.  Luna  Fisk.  living  in  Yakima  county.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Roberts  have  had  two  children:  Leon, 
born  at  Pendleton,  in   1801.  died  in  infancy;    Her- 


774 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


man  B.,  born  March  30.  1895,  is  still  living.  Mr. 
Roberts  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  and  belongs  to  the  Re- 
bekahs,  as  does  also  his  wife,  and  Mrs.  Roberts  is  a 
member  of  the  Women  of  Woodcraft  Order,  and 
the  organizer  of  the  Prosser  lodge.  Mr.  Roberts 
lost  his  brother.  Everett,  while  harvesting  wheat, 
the  unfortunate  man  being  run  over  by  a  combina- 
tion harvester.  Everett  Roberts  and  a  man  named 
Traver  had  the  distinction  of  having  brought  the 
first  gang-plow  into  the  wheat  belt. 


WILLIAM  H.  HAYDEN,  residing  eight 
miles  east  of  Prosser,  follows  the  lucrative  voca- 
tion of  raising  wheat,  and  is  one  of  Yakima's  most 
prosperous  and  esteemed  farmers.  The  Empire 
state  is  his  native  state.  He  was  born  in  1855. 
His  parents,  Robert  B.  and  Maria  D.  (Snover) 
Hayden,  were  born  in  New  Jersey  and  Pennsyl- 
vania respectively.  The  family  removed  from 
New  York  to  Illinois,  thence  to  Minnesota,  later 
to  Iowa,  and  in  i860  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  con- 
veyance  to  California.  Three  years  later  they 
came  to  Washington  Territory  and  settled  in  Clarke 
county.  A  little  later  they  settled  near  Portland, 
living'  there  until  1877,  when  they  removed  to 
Yamhill  county.  In  September,  1893,  Mr.  Hay- 
den and  his  wife  took  up  their  permanent  abode 
in  Everett,  and  there  they  reside  at  present,  the 
father  at  the  advanced  age  of  seventy-five.  The 
subject  of  this  biography  was  five  years  old  when 
he  crossed  the  Plains,  and  eight  when  he  entered 
the  precincts  of  Washington.  He  remained  with 
his  father  on  the  farm  and  attended  school  until 
his  sixteenth  year.  Then  he  left  the  old  home  and 
followed  various  occupations  in  the  Walla  Walla 
valley  until  1883,  the  date  that  marks  his  settle- 
ment upon  a  homestead  in  the  Yakima  wheat  belt. 
Since  that  time  he  has  devoted  himself  assidu- 
ouslv  to  the  development  of  this  fertile  region 
with  creditable   success. 

At  Bickleton  in  the  year  1891,  Miss  W'ilhel- 
mina  Phipps,  a  daughter  of  William  and  Sarah 
(Boone)  Phipps,  was  united  in  marriage  to  Mr. 
Havden.  Both  parents  of  Mrs.  Hayden  are  na- 
tives of  Missouri,  and  crossed  the  Plains  with  that 
heroic  emigrant  band  of  1849,  rescued  from  the 
jaws  of  destruction  only  through  the  generous 
services  of  Dr.  McLoughlin  at  Fort  Vancouver. 
These  honored  pioneers  are  now  living  in  the 
Moxee  valley.  Yakima  county.  Mrs.  Phipps  is  a 
niece  of  Daniel  Boone,  the  great  frontiersman. 
Their  daughter  Wilhelmina  was  born  in  Yamhill 
county,  Oregon,  in  1873  and  received  her  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  her  native  state.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Hayden  have  five  children — Robert, 
Benjamin  H.,  Mamie  B.,  Walter  and  Laura,  the 
oldest  of  whom  is  twelve  and  the  youngest  three 
years  of  age.  Mr.  Hayden  is  an  ardent  advocate 
of  Republican   principles   and    an   active    member 


of  his  party.  His  ranch,  one  of  the  most  valu- 
able in  the  region,  contains  1,200  acres,  all  pro- 
ducing wheat,  and  is  completely  equipped  with 
modern  machinery  and  a  select  number  of  draught 
horses.  It  is  such  farms  as  his  that  lend  per- 
manency and  value  to  the  country.  Mr.  Hayden 
is  an  energetic,  capable  and  public-spirited  citizen 
who  belongs  to  the  state's  most  substantial  class 
of  settlers. 


GUSTAVUS  A.  RYDHOLM  is  one  of  the 
Yakima  wheat  region's  Swedish  farmers,  who 
came  to  Yakima  county  in  1884,  settling  upon  pre- 
emption and  homestead  claims  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  district,  about  eighteen  miles  southeast  of 
Frosser.  He  was  born  in  Sweden,  i860,  his  par- 
ents being  Lars  and  Morea  (Mongnus)  Ryd- 
holm,  also  natives  of  that  country.  The  father 
is  still  living,  but  Mr.  Rydholm's  mother  died  when 
he  was  a  child.  Gustavus  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Sweden  and  remained  at  home  on  the 
farm  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  In  1880 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  locating  first  in 
Illinois,  where  he  followed  farming  pursuits  three 
years.  He  then  went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and 
after  having  lived  there  a  year  moved  to  Pendle- 
ton. While  in  Umatilla  county  he  was  attracted 
by  the  opportunities  offered  wheat  growers  by 
the  as  yet  almost  virgin  wheat  region  of  Yakima 
county,  and  determined  to  settle  there  and  devote 
himself  to  that  industry  and  to  stock  raising.  So 
he  became  a  resident  of  Yakima  county,  and  as 
rapidly  as  possible  brought  his  land  under  culti- 
vation and  improved  it  with  buildings.  His  en- 
deavors have  met  with  most  satisfying  results, 
and  at  present  he  has  about  five  hundred  acres 
in  wheat.  Mr.  Rydholm  and  his  brother  Andrew 
are  partners.  Andrew  Rydholm  was  born  in  1863 
and  came  to  America  in  1881.  They  have  another 
brother  living  with  them,  Axell,  born  in  1870.  He 
came  to  this  country  four  years  ago.  The  broth- 
ers are  all  members  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and 
in  politics  are  Republicans.  They  command  the 
respect  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom  they  are 
associated  either  in  a  business  or  a  social  way. 
In  the  ranch  are  640  acres  of  land,  all  under  cul- 
tivation, producing  wheat.  Of  this  tract  the  eld- 
est brother,  the  subject  of  this  biography,  owns 
half.  The  brothers  have  a  small  band  of  horses 
and  stock,  and  have  equipped  their  farm  with  mod- 
ern machinery.  Upon  it  also  are  a  number  of 
shallow  wells  which  furnish  sufficient  water  for  all 
their  needs. 


IRA  W.  CARTER.  Among  the  energetic  sons 
of  Illinois  who,  by  taking  advantage  of  the  oppor- 
tunities offered  by  the  far  West,  have  made  them- 
selves  independent,  the  young  man  whose  name 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


775 


initiates  this  review  is  certainly  to  be  numbered. 
Commencing  at  an  early  age  to  fight  the  stern 
battle  of  life,  he  soon  acquired  a  knowledge  of 
men  and  affairs  and  a  development  of  the  hardy 
virtues  which,  applied  under  the  favorable  con- 
ditions obtaining  in  the  Yakima  country,  have 
made  him  one  of  the  most  substantial  and  exten- 
sive tillers  of  the  soil  in  the  famous  Horse  Heaven 
region,  noted  as  it  is  for  large  farms. 

The  enterprising  young  man  with  whom  this 
article  is  concerned  was  born  in  Edwards  county, 
Illinois,  August  31,  1S68,  the  son  of  John  and 
Margaret  (Mercer)  Carter.  The  former  had  in 
his  veins  the  blood  of  that  hardy  race  whose  ster- 
ling virtues  are  so  well  set  forth  by  the  pen  of 
James  Lane  Allen,  for  his  parents  were  pioneers 
of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  and  there,  too,  he  was 
born  and  reared.  In  1867  he  moved  to  Illinois. 
Later  he  went  thence  to  Eureka,  Kansas,  where 
he  lived  for  three  years,  then  going  to  Okla- 
homa, where  he  died  in  1889.  His  family  was  of 
English  and  German  origin.  The  mother  of  our 
subject,  Margaret  (Mercer)  Carter,  also  has  the 
honor  of  being  able  to  claim  Kentucky  as  her 
birthplace,  and  the  place  where  her  youth  was 
spent.  She  was  five  years  younger  than  her  hus- 
band, whom  she  has  outlived  now  for  a  decade 
and  a  half,  and  whom  she  still  survives,  her  pres- 
ent home  being  the  town  of  Gas,  Kansas. 

Mr.  Carter  received  his  educational  training 
in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois.  Leaving  home 
at  the  age  of  eleven,  he  then  began  working  out, 
and  he  has  ever  since  supported  himself  by  his 
own  unaided  efforts.  When  sixteen  he  moved  to 
Eureka,  Kansas,  where  for  the  ensuing  three  years 
he  worked  at  various  occupations,  but  the  call  of 
the  West  was  ringing  in  his  ears,  and  in  Septem- 
ber, 1888,  he  alighted  from  the  train  in  Yakima 
county.  For  the  first  two  years  he  worked  out, 
but  he  was  wise  enough  to  realize  that  that  was 
not  the  easiest  and  best  way  to  gain  the  start  he 
was  seeking,  so  as  soon  as  the  law  would  allow 
him,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  filed  a  home- 
stead claim  to  land  seven  miles  south  of  Kiona. 
Upon  this  tract  he  made  his  home  until  1901,  put- 
ting one  hundred  and  fifteen  acres  of  the  land  into 
cultivation,  though  his  main  business  was  horse 
raising  during  all  these  years  and  continued  to 
be  until  the  spring  of  1904.  In  the  year  1900 
he  purchased  a  section  of  land  four  and  a  half 
miles  southeast  of  Prosser,  and  this  tract  is  his 
home  at  the  present  time.  Already  five  hundred 
acres  of  it  are  in  cultivation,  but  the  energies  of 
Mr.  Carter  are  too  great  and  his  ambitions  too 
exacting  to  permit  his  confining  himself  to  such 
limits,  and  he  therefore  rents  eleven  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  more,  upon  all  of  which  he  raises 
wheat.  Mr.  Carter  has  one  brother,  Havilla,  and 
one  sister,  Mrs.  Oily  Eastwood,  of  the  town  of 
Gas,  Kansas. 


At  Prosser,  Washington,  on  the  1st  of  Jan- 
uary, 1 901,  Mr.  Carter  married  Laura,  daughter 
of  James  E.  and  Mary  (Collins)  Carter,  both  na- 
tives of  Oregon.  The  father's  parents  crossed  the 
Plains  in  1849,  and  eventually  settled  in  Benton 
county,  Oregon,  where  James  E.  was  born  in  1854, 
and  where  he  grew  to  man's  estate.  In  1883  he 
came  to  Klickitat  county,  and  he  is  now  living 
near  Bickleton,  as  is  also  his  wife,  who  was  born 
in  Polk  county,  Oregon,  in  1856.  Mrs.  Carter, 
wife  of  our  subject,  was  born  in  Benton  county, 
Oregon,  February  22,  1881,  but  as  she  was  only 
two  years  old  when  her  parents  moved  to  the 
Bickleton  country  she  was  reared  and  educated 
there.  She  is  a  communicant  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  In  politics,  Mr.  Carter  is  a 
Republican.  Though  a  public  spirited  man,  he 
has  so  far  manifested  no  special  ambition  for  po- 
litical preferment,  but  has  given  most  of  his  en- 
ergy to  his  business,  in  which  he  has  won.  bv  his 
well  directed  efforts,  a  degree  of  success  of  which 
a   much  older  man  might  well  be  proud. 


FELIX  T.  SWAN,  the  subject  of  this  biogra- 
phy, one  of  the  later  settlers  in  the  Horse  Heaven 
region,  and  yet  one  of  its  most  successful  young 
farmers,  is  a  native  of  Rock  Island,  Illinois,  born 
in  1879.  His  parents,  John  and  Clara  (Carlson) 
Swan,  were  born  in  Sweden.  John  Swan,  whose 
occupation  was  farming,  came  to  the  United- States 
in  1871,  and  settled  in  Illinois.  He  lived  there  until 
1880,  when  he  removed  to  Portland.  His  death 
occurred  in  that  city.  Mrs.  Swan  crossed  to 
America  in  1873,  was  married  in  Illinois  and  now 
lives  in  Portland. 

Felix  T.,  of  this  review,  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Portland,  Oregon,  and  supple- 
mented his  general  education  by  a  course  in  the 
Portland  business  college.  Upon1  reaching  man's 
estate  he  went  to  Coos  bay,  where  he  resided  for 
six  months.  In  1900  he  came  to  Washington,  and 
was  so  deeply  impressed  with  the  prospects  of  Yak- 
ima county's  great  wheat  belt  that  he  settled  upon 
a  homestead  ten  miles  east  and  three  miles  south  of 
Prosser,  upon  which  he  is  now  living. 

Last  year  (1903)  Mr.  Swan  and  Miss  Sena 
Peterson  were  united  in  marriage  at  North  Yakima. 
Mrs.  Swan  is  of  Danish  birth  and  descent,  the 
daughter  of  John  and  Christina  (Nelson)  Peterson. 
Her  parents  came  to  Yakima  county  in  an  early 
day,  and  in  the  public  schools  of  this  county  Mrs. 
Swan  was  educated.  Mr.  Peterson  is  dead.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Swan  are  consistent  members  of  tlie 
Methodist  church,  and  are  highly  esteemed  for  their 
commendable  personal  qualities.  Mr.  Swan  is  af- 
filiated with  the  Modern  Woodmen,  and  in  political 
matters  casts  his  ballot  usually  for  Republicans  and 
Republican  policies,  although  as  a  believer  in 
good   government,   lie   considers   the    fitness   of  the 


776 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


party's  candidates.  By  hard  work  and  perseverance 
Air.  Swan  has  placed'  his  entire  place  in  cultiva- 
tion, and  now  owns  one  of  the  most  thrifty  looking 
farms  in  the  community.  He  also  handles  consider- 
able stock,  having  at  the  present  time  about  two 
hundred  horses.  He  is  winning  deserved  success, 
and  belongs  to  a  class  of  energetic  young  men 
that  is  changing  the  face  of  the  West  by  well  di- 
rected industry.  He  enjoys  the  respect  and  good 
wishes  of  all  with  whom  he  is  associated. 


SAMUEL  E.  WHITE,  of  Prosser,  farmer  and 
stockman,  until  recently  residing  fourteen  miles 
southeast  of  Prosser,  is  a  native  of  the  Willamette 
valley,  Oregon,  born  September  i,  1863,  to  the 
union  of  Samuel  M.  and  Elizabeth  (Jones)  White, 
two  of  Oregon's  early  pioneers.  Samuel  M.  White 
was  born  in  Michigan  territory  in  1835.  and  went 
to  Iowa  at  the  age  of  seven.  From  there  he  crossed 
the  Plains  by  ox  team  to  the  California  mines  and 
for  a  number  of  years  followed  mining  success- 
fully. In  1859  he  came  north  to  Oregon,  purchas- 
ing an  immense  herd  of  stock,  which  was  destroyed 
by  the  severe  winter  of  1861-2.  Then  he  spent  two 
years  in  the  Idaho  mines,  purchased  a  farm  in  Ore- 
gon and  resided  upon  it  until  1878,  when  he  moved 
to  his  present  home  at  Easton.  Oregon.  The 
mother  of  Samuel  was  born  in  Iowa,  crossed 
the"  Plains  with  her  parents,  who  were  among  the 
first  in  the  Willamette  valley,  and  was  there  mar- 
ried ;  she  died  in  1877.  Samuel  E.  lived  at  home, 
attending  school  and  assisting  his  father,  who  was 
an  invalid  four  years,  until  the  fall  of  1885.  That 
year  he  came  to  Yakima  county,  and  settled  upon 
a  homestead  in  the  Horse  Heaven  region,  the  land 
being  his  present  hirne.  As  a  boy  of  sixteen,  Mr. 
White  turned  his  attention  to  fine  racing  stock,  rid- 
ing as  a  jockey  for  a  considerable  time,  and  by  the 
time  he  was  ready  to  settle  in  Yakima  county  he 
was  an  experienced  horseman  and  owned  several 
head  With  these  as  a  nucleus,  he  commenced 
breeding  fine  stock,  and  has  met  with  excellent 
success  in  this  line,  as  also  in  farming. 

.  Pie  was  married  in  Yakima  county.  1889.  to 
Miss  Minnie  Anderson,  the  daughter  of  Lowiens 
and  Christina  (Nelson)  Anderson,  natives  of  Den- 
mark. The  father  was  a  farmer  and  lumberman; 
he  died  in  1875.  Afterwards  Mrs.  Anderson  was 
married  to  John  Peterson  and  subsequently  to 
James  Rasmusson.  She  is  living  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  community,  which  has  been  her  home  for 
the  past-  sixteen  years.  Mrs.  White  was  born  in 
Denmark,  1872.  attended  school  in  her  native  coun- 
try, and  came  to  the  United  States  with  her  mother 
and  step-father  in  1889,  the  year  of  her  marriage 
to  Mr.  White.  Two  children  have  resulted  from 
this  union :  Flossie  E.,  born  in  Milton,  Oregon, 
January  27.  1891,  and  Jesse  E.,  born  on  the  Horse 
Heaven  homestead,  March  4,  1896.     Mr.  White  is 


connected  with  the  Methodist  church,  and  his  wife 
belongs  to  the  Lutheran  denomination.  He  is  an 
ardent  admirer  of  President  Roosevelt  and  loyal 
to  the  Republican  party.  Mr.  White  has  prospered 
exceedingly  since  he  came  to  Yakima  county,  now 
owning  eight  hundred  acres  of  land,  of  which  two 
hundred  and  seventy  acres  are  in  cultivation,  the 
remainder  being  grazing  land  at  present.  Upon 
his  place  he  has  four  large  cisterns  and  a  very  com- 
fortable dwelling,  besides  other  farm  buildings.  His 
stock  interests  consist  principally  of  about  three 
hundred  range  horses  and  some  other  stock.  Mr. 
White,  as  is  seen  from  -the  foregoing,  is  an  ener- 
getic man,  who  has  seized  opportunity  with  a 
strong,  skilful  hand,  and  met  with  gratifying  re- 
turns. He  commands  the  confidence  of  all  with 
whom  he  is  associated,  and  the  respect  of  his  com- 
munity. 


WILLIAM  B.  MATHEWS,  whose  home  lies 
a  few  miles  south  of  Prosser  in  Yakima's  great 
wheat  belt,  is  one  of  the  county's  best  known  citi- 
zens, having  resided  in  that  region  since  1886  and 
served  four  years  as  a  county  commissioner.  There 
are  few  people  in  the  southeastern  part  of  the 
county  who  do  not  know  and  esteem  him.  His 
native  state  is  Pennsylvania,  which  was  also  the 
home  and  birthplace  of  his  parents  and  many  of 
his  ancestors.  Into  the  home  of  John  and  Phebe 
(Mitchell)  Mathews,  William  B.  was  born  in  the 
year  1858.  His  father,  a  blacksmith  by  occupa- 
tion, enlisted  in  Company  C,  Eighty-fourth  Penn- 
sylvania volunteer  infantry,  during  the  Civil  war. 
After  three  months'  service  he  was  seized  by  a 
serious  illness  and  within  a  short  time  was  sleep- 
ing the  sleep  of  death — a  sacrifice  to  his  country's 
cause.  The  mother  lives  in  Wisconsin  at  the  ad- 
\aneod  age  of  eighty-one.  When  nineteen  years 
i,!d,  William  B.  left  Pennsylvania  to  make  his  way 
alone  in  the  world,  after  having  secured  a  fail- 
education  in  the  Keystone  state  and  Wisconsin, 
where  be  lived  eight  years.  For  two  years  he 
devoted  himself  to  learning  the  carpenter's  trade. 
Then  he  attended  school  four  years,  finishing  his 
education  by  a  three  years'  course  in  the  Wiscon- 
sin state  normal,  in  the  meantime  following  his 
trade  at  times.  With  the  opening  of  the  year  1886 
he  went  to  California.  After  remaining  there  only 
three  months  he  drove  to  Washington,  where  he 
settled  upon  a  homestead.  This  claim  is  now  his 
home,  and  upon  it  he  has  successfully  farmed  and 
raised  stock  for  nearly  eighteen  years. 

In  1886  Mr.  Mathews  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Anna  Erickson,  a  daughter  of  Eric  and 
Betsey  (Anderson)  Nelson,  natives  of  Norway, 
and  fanners  by  occupation.  Both  parents  lived 
and  died  in  the  old  country.  In  1880,  at  the  age 
of  nineteen,  Anna  Erickson  came  to  America  with 
one  of  her  brothers,  and  she  was  married  at  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


777 


age  of  twenty-four.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mathews  have 
been  the  parents  of  seven  children :  John  C,  born 
March  22,  1887;  Eric  N.,  November  22,  18S9; 
Elizabeth,  July  11,  1892;  James  W.,  October  7, 
181)4;  ^Ia.v  (deceased),  November  24,  1896;  Myr- 
tle, December  28,  1898;  Mitchell,  January  1,  1902, 
all  born  in  Yakima  county.  Little  May,  when 
about  four  years  and  a  half  old,  met  a  tragic 
death  which  cast  a  gloom  over  the  whole  com- 
munity. One  day  she  strayed  away  from  home, 
whither  no  one  knew.  For  a  whole  week  the  com- 
munity searched  for  the  lost  child,  at  last  finding 
her,  cold  in  death,  near  Lone  Spring,  eighteen 
miles  from  home.  The  end  had  come,  apparently, 
only  about  two  days  before  her  body  was  discov- 
ered. Mr.  Mathews  has  been  prominent  in  the 
political  affairs  of  his  county  for  many  years,  and 
was  elected  on  the  Fusion  ticket  in  1896  as  county 
commissioner  for  his  district  for  a  term  of  four 
years.  He  is  a  liberal  man  in  his  views  and  be- 
lieves in  good  government  rather  than  party  dom- 
ination. Mr.  Mathews'  property  interests  consist 
of  his  well  improved  ranch  and  a  considerable 
number  of  cattle  and  horses,  besides  smaller  in- 
terests. Industrious,  capable,  upright,  loyal  to  his 
private  and  public  responsibilities,  he  is  a  force 
in  his  community  and  an  influential  citizen  of  his 
countv. 


LEWIS  C.  RUDOW,  who  is  a  partner  in  the 
firm  of  Rudow  &  Schweikert,  conducts  a  hardware 
and  furniture  store,  with  undertaking  parlors  at- 
tached, at  Kennewick,  Yakima  county,  Washing- 
ton. He  was  born  in  Henderson,  Minnesota,  the 
county  seat  of  Sibley  county,  in  the  year  1855. 
His  father.  Lewis  Rudow,  of  German  parentage, 
was  a  government  contractor,  and  also  ran  a 
steamboat  on  the  Minnesota  river.  He  died  when 
his  son  was  ten  years  old.  His  mother,  Wilhel- 
mina  ( Swant )  Rudow,  was  also  of  German  de- 
scent. She  married  in  Henderson,  Minnesota,  and 
is  still  living  in  that  state.  Her'  son  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  state,  though 
at  the  age  of  twelve  he  went  to  Montana  with  a 
government  freight  train  to  look  after  the  loose 
cattle,  being  away  from  home  six  months.  The 
following  year,  in  the  spring,  he  made  the  same 
trip  again,  and  he  has  since  crossed  the  Plains 
twenty-one  times.  In  the  winter  months  it  was 
his  custom  to  work  in  the  store,  these  trips  being 
made  in  the  spring  and  summer  time.  When  he 
was  eighteen  years  old  he  took  a  contract  to  drive 
cattle  to  supply  the  Indians  farther  west,  and  con- 
tinued in  this  line  of  work  for  seven  years.  He 
then  returned  to  Henderson,  Minnesota,  and  for 
the  next  fifteen  years  had  charge  of  a  local  store, 
being  in  the  employ  of  the  same  firm  for  a  period 
of  twenty-one  consecutive  years.  After  leaving  the 
firm's  employ,  he  conducted  a  hardware  store  in 


his  home  town  for  twelve  years  more,  the  store 
being  his  own  property.  In  1900  he  took  charge 
of  another  hardware  store  in  northern  Minnesota, 
and  continued  in  charge  for  a  year  and  a  half, 
then,  selling  his  interest,  opened  a  general  mer- 
chandise store  at  another  point  in  the  state,  sell- 
ing out  at  the  expiration  of  a  year's  time.  In 
April,  1901,  he  came  to  Kennewick,  Washington, 
and  with  his  present  partner  opened  a  hardware 
store,  which  he   is   conducting  at  present. 

At  Henderson,  Minnesota,  in  1882,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Emma  Conmick,  whose  father,  Adam  Con- 
mick,  was  of  German  birth  and  immigrated  to  this 
country  in  1858,  settling  in  Minnesota,  where  he 
died.  Mrs.  Rudow  was  born  in  Germany  in  1857. 
receiving  her  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Henderson.  Minnesota.  One  child  has  been  born 
to  this  couple,  a  son,  Lewis  A.  Rudow,  born  in 
Minnesota,  June  20,  1884.  Mr.  Rudow  is  frater- 
nally connected  with  the  Masons  and  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  In  politics,  he  affiliates  with  the  Repub- 
lican party.  He  is  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  land 
watered  by  the  Kennewick  ditch,  this  land  being 
partly  improved.  By  his  strict  attention  to  busi- 
ness he  has  won  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  towns- 
men, and  is  highly  respected  by  everyone  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact. 


HOWARD  S.  AMON,  a  banker  of  Kenne- 
wick, Yakima  county,  Washington,  was  born  in 
Umatilla  county,  Oregon,  August  18,  1877.  His 
father.  William  R.  Anion,  was  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, born  in  1845,  and  a  farmer  by  occupation. 
When  six  years  of  age  he  crossed  the  Plains  to 
Oregon  with  his  parents,  and  there  grew  up  and 
received  his  education.  He  was  married  shortly 
after  reaching  his  majority,  removed  to  Umatilla 
county  in  the  same  state,  and  followed  the  stock 
business  on  the  LTmatilla  reservation  for  a  num- 
ber of  years.  He  was  the  first  one  to  break  land 
north  of  Wild  Horse  creek;  that  country  having 
been  previouslv  considered  worthless  for  any  pur- 
pose except  as  a  range  for  stock.  He  lived  there 
until  the  year  1800:  then  moved  to  Lincoln  county, 
Washington,  and  located  near  the  town  of  Har- 
rington, spending  eight  years  in  that  neighbor- 
hood. He  next  removed  to  Waitsburg,  Washington, 
where  he  now  resides.  His  wife,  and  Howard's 
mother.  Nellie  (Wilder)  Anion,  was  a  Wisconsin 
girl,  who  married  in  Umatilla  county,  Oregon,  and 
died  when  her  son  was  three  years  of  age.  The 
subject  of  this  article  received  his  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Oregon  ;  later  taking  a  business 
course  in  the  Western  Business  College  at  Spo- 
kane. Washington.  He  remained  at  home  until 
reaching  the  age  of  eighteen  ;  at  that  time  he  be- 
came connected  with  a  ditch  company,  remain- 
ing in  their  employ  two  years.     In    1897  ne  en~ 


778 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


gaged  in  the  livery  business  in  Waitsburg,  Washing- 
ton, disposed  of  his  interests  at  the  expiration  of 
twelve  months  time,  went  to  Harrington,  in  Lincoln 
county,  Washington,  where  his  father  was  resid- 
ing, and  bought  his  entire  interests  in  that  neigh- 
borhood. Some  lour  years  later  he  induced  the 
Great  Northern  Railroad  Company  to  put  in  a 
siding  on  his  property,  and  when  this  spur  was 
completed  it  was  given  the  name  of  Downs  by 
the  railroad  company.  This  improvement  greatly 
enhanced  the  value  of  his  land,  and  he  later  sold 
the  townsite  and  some  of  his  other  real  estate 
in  the  vicinity  to  John  O'Connor  for  something 
like  thirty  thousand  dollars.  The  next  year  he 
disposed  of  the  balance  of  his  property  holdings 
near  Downs,  and  moved  to  Kennewick,  there 
opening  the  first  bank  in  the  town,  the  institu- 
tion being  called  the  Exchange  Bank  of  Kenne- 
wick. From  the  very  start  of  this  enterprise  its 
success  was  assured,  and  its  volume  of  business 
is  rapidly  increasing. 

In  Waitsburg,  Washington,  in  1900.  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Belle  Roberts,  daugh- 
ter of  David  Roberts,  a  native  of  Wales.  Her 
father  crossed  the  Plains  from  Illinois  in  the 
early  seventies,  and  died  in  Waitsburg  in  i8qo. 
Her  mother  is  also  dead,  passing  away  when  her 
daughter  was  very  young.  His  wife  was  brought 
up  in  Waitsburg,  and  received  her  education  in 
the  academy  there,  marrying  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
three.  She  is  one  of  a  large  family  of  children, 
and  six  of  her  brothers  and  sisters  are  still  living. 
Her  married  sisters,  Mrs.  Emma  Morgan  and 
Mrs.  Maggie  Hutchins,  reside  in  Waitsburg.  Her 
brother  Arthur  also  makes  his  home  there,  and 
is  now  operating  the  electric  light  plant  of  the 
city.  Another  sister,  Jennie,  lives  in  Kennewick, 
and  Bessie  is  engaged  as  a  school  teacher  in  Wil- 
bur, Washington.  A  brother,  Richard,  is  at  pres- 
ent living  in  the  vicinity  of  Waitsburg.  There  has 
been  one  child  born  to  this  family,  Arthur  H. 
Anion,  born  in  Lincoln  county,  November  22, 
1901.  Mr.  Amon  is  fraternally  connected  with  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the 
Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church,  and  politically,  is  a  Republican. 
He  is  the  owner  of  seventy-seven  acres  of  land 
in  the  town  of  Kennewick,  and  also  four  sections 
of  unimproved  land  in  the  Horse  Heaven  locality. 
In  1903  his  father  acquired  a  controlling  interest 
in  the  Sunnyside  Bank.  Mr.  Amon  is  a  thor- 
oughly reliable,  wide-awake  business  man,  and  has 
a  brilliant  future  before  him. 


JOHN  S.  SHERMAN,  vice-president  of  the 
Exchange  Bank,  of  Kennewick,  and  prominently 
identified  with  the  real  estate  interests  of  his 
home  town  and  Yakima  county  generally,  is  al- 


ready widely  and  favorably  known  in  this  section, 
though  he  has  been  a  resident  of  the  county  only 
two  years.  He  is  a  native  of  Michigan,  born  in 
Sanilac  county,  October  18,  1872.  Henry  Sher- 
man, his  father,  who  was  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  for  a  long  period  heavily  interested 
in  the  lumber  industry  of  the  Peninsula  state,  be- 
ing a  pioneer  of  that  commonwealth,  to  which 
he  came  in  1849.  He  was  of  German-Irish  de- 
scent. His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Caro- 
line Rich,  was  of  English  parentage  and  birth, 
coming  to  this  country  with  her  parents  when 
fourteen  years  old.  The  family  settled  at  Lex- 
ington, Michigan,  where  she  was  married  four 
years  later.  The  subject  of  this  review  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Michigan 
and  when  fourteen  years  old  entered  the  employ 
of  Wellington  &  Lloyd,  general  merchants  of  his 
birthplace.  After  four  years  of  service  with  this 
firm,  the  young  man  accepted  a  similar  position 
with  a  firm  in  the  northern  part  of  the  state  and 
worked  for  it  a  year.  In  the  spring  of  1895  he 
came  west,  locating  first  at  Reardon,  Washing- 
ton, where  for  the  ensuing  three  years  he  was 
engaged  in  the  general  merchandise  business 
with  John  Wickham  as  his  partner.  Then  he  be- 
came receiver  of  the  W.  S.  Willis  Company,  of 
Palouse  City,  capably  filling  this  responsible  po- 
sition for  eight  months.  From  Palouse  City  he 
went  to  Rathdrum,  Idaho,  entering  the  service 
of  M.  D.  Wright.  He  remained  in  Mr.  Wright's 
employ  for  a  little  more  than  three  years  and  a 
half.  In  1902  he  came  to  the  growing  little  town 
of  Kennewick,  and  with  H.  S.  Amon  opened  a 
general  hardware  store  and  the  town's  first  bank- 
ing institution,  the  Exchange  Bank.  Air.  Amon 
took  charge  of  the  bank,  while  Mr.  Sherman  de- 
voted his  time  and  energies  to  the  hardware  es- 
tablishment. However,  October  26,  1903,  he  sold 
the  hardware  business  to  H.  A.  Burr,  dissolving 
partnership  with  Mr.  Amon,  and  since  that  date 
he  has  devoted  his  attention  to  his  duties  as  vice- 
president  of  the  bank  and  to  his  rapidly  expand- 
ing real  estate  business. 

Mr.  Sherman  has  two  brothers,  Frank  A.,  of 
St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  Augustus  H.,  living  in 
Michigan,  and  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Luella  Lloyd  and 
Mrs.  Vira  Rice,  both  residents  of  Michigan. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  Sherman  is  identified  with  the 
Masons  and  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  regular  at- 
tendant of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church  and 
in  politics,  he  is  an  active  Republican.  His  real 
estate  holdings  are  large,  including  a  half  interest 
in  one  thousand  four  hundred  acres  in  the  Horse 
Heaven  country,  forty  acres  in  section  sixteen, 
and  a  number  of  small  tracts  near  and  in  the 
town  of  Kennewick.  He  is  a  progressive  and  an 
energetic  business  man,  commands  the  good  will 
of  his  fellow  men  and  is  one  of  the  most  active 
workers  in  the  development  of  his  community. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


779 


HERBERT  A.  HOVER,  the  president  and 
business  manager  of  the  Kennewick  Land  Com- 
pany, Incorporated,  and  also  a  real  estate  agent 
in  Kennewick,  Washington,  was  born  in  Madi- 
sonville,  Ohio,  March  9,  1868.  His  father,  Aaron 
S.  Hover,  was  a  native  of  New  York  state,  and  a 
real  estate  agent.  He  moved  to  Ohio  in  i860,  and 
became  a  commercial  traveler,  with  headquarters 
in  Cincinnati,  traveling  out  of  there  for  five  years. 
He  then  went  to  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  and  en- 
gaged in  business  for  himself,  remaining  there 
until  1876,  when  he  returned  to  New  York  for 
a  three  years'  stay.  Again  moving  west,  he  set- 
tled in  Lawrence,  Kansas,  making  that  his  home 
for  eight  years ;  then  removing  to  California, 
where  he  still  resides.  His  mother,  Amanda 
(Hollenbeck)  Hover,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
her  father  being  a  pioneer  steamboat  man  on  the 
Ohio  river,  and  owning  one  of  the  largest  river 
craft  afloat.  She  was  educated  for  a  music 
teacher,  which  occupation  she  followed  several 
years.  She  married  at  the  age  of  twenty-one. 
Herbert  A.  Hover  received  his  early  education  in 
the  New  York  schools,  and  also  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Lawrence,  Kansas.  He  started  out 
to  make  his  own  living  when  fourteen  years  old, 
and  obtained  a  position  as  commercial  traveler 
for  L.  K.  Scotford,  handling  rubber  stamp  goods. 
He  continued  in  Mr.  Scotford's  employ  for  six 
years.  In  the  fall  of  the  year  1887  he  removed  to 
California  and  enlisted  in  the  regular  army.  He 
served  three  years  and  was  discharged,  on  his 
application,  in  Fort  Leavenworth,  Kansas.  In 
the  latter  part  of  1890  he  went  to  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington, and  entered  the  employ  of  the  Singer 
Manufacturing  Company,  remaining  with  the 
company  one  year.  The  ensuing  two  years  were 
spent  in  the  service  of  a  firm  handling  school  and 
bank  fittings,  and  other  furniture  and  supplies. 
He  then  re-entered  the  office  of  the  Singer  Man- 
ufacturing Company,  being  with  them  an  ad- 
ditional four  years,  and  then  engaged  with  the 
New  York  Life  Insurance  Company  in  Tacoma, 
Washington.  He  was  with  them  until  1901  ;  then 
came  to  Spokane  and  was  employed  by  the 
branch  office  of  the  same  company  for  another 
year  and  some  months.  During  his  stay  in  Spo- 
kane, he  bought  and  sold  considerable  real  estate. 
He  moved  to  Kennewick  in  the  fall  of  1902 ; 
bought  the  town  site  from  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad  Company,  and  incorporated  the  Kenne- 
wick Land  Company,  of  which  he  is  still  presi- 
dent and  business  manager.  This  company  have 
since  transacted  the  largest  real  estate  business 
in  that  section  of  the  country,  Mr.  Hover  buying 
and  selling,  in  his  own  name,  during  1902-3,  over 
one  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land. 

Mr.  Hover  was  married  in  Spokane,  Washing- 
ton, in  1893,  to  Miss  Mata  C.  Purviance.  Her 
father,  Nathan  Purviance,  was  a  lawyer,  brought 


up  in  New  York  state,  of  French  parentage.  He 
died  when  his  daughter  was  but  a  child.  Her 
mother  was  Emma  (McGregor)  Purviance,  born 
in  Illinois.  Mrs.  Hover  is  a  native  of  Kansas, 
born  in  1877.  She  was  educated  in  Spokane, 
Washington,  her  mother  removing  to  that  city 
soon  after  her  father's  death.  Mr.  Hover  is  allied 
with  a  number  of  fraternal  organizations ;  being 
a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  an 
Elk,  a  Red  Man,  also  a  member  of  the  United 
Commercial  Travelers'  Association.  In  matters 
political,  he  casts  his  lot  with  the  Republican 
party.  He  is  a  large  land-owner,  holding  seven 
hundred  acres  irrigated  by  the  Kennewick  ditch, 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  this  land  being 
in  cultivation.  He  also  owns  two  thousand  acres 
of  unimproved  land  in  the  Horse  Heaven  country, 
and  is  the  possessor  of  an  additional  five  thousand 
acres  scattered  throughout  the  state.  He  is  con- 
sidered a  capable  business  man,  and  is  very  pop- 
ular with  his  associates. 


WILLIAM  A.  SMALLEY,  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, residing  in  the  town  of  Kennewick,  was 
born  in  Mitchell  county,  Iowa,  in  1870.  His  father, 
John  Smalley,  was  of  German  parentage,  but  a  na- 
tive of  the  Green  Mountain  state,  born  in  1848. 
He  removed  to  Iowa  with  his  parents  when  seven 
years  old,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that 
state.  In  the  summer  of  1885  he  came  west  and  lo- 
cated at  Wallula,  Washington,  in  which  locality  he 
spent  the  next  nine  years  of  his  life,  but  coming 
then  to  Kennewick.  he  lived  there  till  the  spring  of 
1901,  at  which  time  he  removed  to  the  Horse 
Heaven  country,  some  ten  miles  southwest  of  Pros- 
ser,  where  he  makes  his  home  at  the  present  time. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Martha  Jackson, 
was  of  English  and  Scotch  descent,  but  a  native  of 
Illinois,  born  in  1852.  Her  parents  early  removed 
to  Iowa,  then  still  in  its  pioneer  condition,  and  she 
grew  up  there,  marrying  at  the  age  of  seventeen. 
William  A.,  of  this  article,  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Iowa  for  a  time,  but  completed  his  edu- 
cation at  Wallula,  Washington.  When  sixteen 
years  of  age  he  started  to  ride  the  range  for  S. 
Smoot,  and  he  continued  in  his  employ  for  two 
years ;  then  entering  the  service  of  J.  B.  Switzler, 
for  whom  he  rode  during  the  succeeding  four  years. 
He  then  started  in  business  for  himself,  taking  up 
farming  and  stock  raising  near  the  town  of  Wallula. 
In  1894  he  removed  to  Kennewick,  and  opened  a 
livery  stable,  establishing  a  business  to  which  his 
best  energies  were  given  for  a  year  and  six  months, 
then  two  years  were  passed  in  teaming.  In  1900 
he  took  a  homestead  in  the  Horse  Heaven  country, 
where  he  has  since  lived,  though  he  has  made  a 
practice  of  moving  to  town  in  the  winter  months, 
in  order  to  afford  his  children  better  educational  fa- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


cilities.  His  father  is  with  him,  and  together  they 
farm  about  one  thousand  four  hundred  acres  of 
land.    They  also  keep  quite  a  large  band  of  cattle. 

At  Wallula,  Washington,  in  1893,  Mr.  Smalley 
married  Nellie,  daughter  of  Napoleon  Rand,  a  miner 
by  occupation.  Mr.  Rand  was  a  native  of  Ver- 
mont, but  moved  to  Helena,  Montana,  in  the  early 
seventies,  where  for  years  he  followed  mining,  and 
where  he  died  in  1888.  His  wife's  maiden  name 
was  Phoebe  Mitchell.  Mrs.  Smalley  was  married 
in  Helena,  in  1876;  she  was  also  educated  there,  at- 
tending the  public  schools,  and  later  the  Sisters' 
academy.  She  was  one  of  a  family  of  five  children, 
her  brothers  and  sisters  being :  William  and  Charles, 
now  at  Wallula ;  Walter,  in  Yakima  county,  and 
Mrs.  Alice  Ludy,  in  Montana.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smalley  have  three  children,  all  natives  of  Kenne- 
wick,  namely:  William,  born  January  24,  1894; 
Roy  A.,  December  23,  1897,  and  Melvina  A.,  March 
n,  1896.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Smalley  is  connected 
with  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men, and  in  politics,  he  is  an  active  Republican.  A 
young  man  of  good  natural  endowments,  he  has 
already  proved  his  ability  to  succeed  in  the  impor- 
tant industry  in  which  he  is  engaged,  and  his  future 
seems  indeed  bright. 


GEORGE  DODSON,  an  energetic  and  capable 
farmer,  of  Yakima  county,  Washington,  is  the 
owner  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  acre  farm,  located 
six  miles  south  and  two  miles  west  of  the  town 
of  Kennewick.  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Eng- 
land in  the  year  1847.  His  father,  John  Dodson, 
was  an  English  farmer,  and  his  mother  was  also  of 
English  extraction,  her  maiden  name  being  Eliza 
Ashley.  His  parents  both  died  at  their  home  in 
England  some  years  ago.  The  son  received  his 
education  in  the  schools  of  his  native  country, 
and  when  fourteen  years  old  started  out  to  make 
his  own  way  in  life.  The  two  years  after  leaving 
school  were  spent  in  farming  near  his  home.  In 
1863  he  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  United  States,  and 
located  in  New  York  state.  He  removed  at  the 
end  of  six  months  to  Iowa,  and  worked  on  a  farm 
for  the  space  of  a  year,  following  which  he  was 
employed  in  a  military  school  in  Illinois  for  a 
period  of  fourteen  months.  He  next  changed  his 
residence  to  Missouri,  there  purchasing  a  place, 
and  farming  his  land  for  the  following  nine  years. 
In  the  fall  of  1874  he  moved  to  California,  and  en- 
gaged in  farming  for  a  period  of  ten  years.  Mov- 
ing to  Washington  in  1884,  he  took  a  homestead  in 
the  lower  Horse  Heaven  country,  and  has  since  that 
time  made  it  his  home.  During  his  residence  there, 
he  went  to  work  for  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad 
Company,  and  was  employed  at  Kennewick  for  the 
better  part  of  eight  years. 

In  the  year  1866,  three  years  after  coming  to 
this  country,  he  was  married  to  Sarah  Ashley,  the 


ceremony  taking  place  in  the  state  of  Missouri. 
Mrs.  Dodson's  father,  Josiah  Ashley,  was  a  native 
of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  and  moved  to  Missouri 
when  a  boy.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  that  state,  and 
followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer.  He  later 
passed  away  in  Missouri.  His  wife,  unfortunately, 
died  when  her  daughter  was  but  a  young  girl.  Mrs. 
Dodson  was  a  native  of  the  Blue  Grass  state,  and 
removed  to  Missouri  with  her  parents  when  she 
was  twelve  years  of  age.  She  was  quite  a  belle.  She 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Missouri,  and  was 
married  at  the  age  of  twenty-five.  She  died  at 
Walla  Walla,  Washington,  in  1893  leaving  a  fam- 
ily of  seven  children,  born  as  follows :  John  H. 
Dodson,  born  in  Missouri,  January  18,  1868,  living 
at  Ellensburg,  Washington;  J.  Ashley  Dodson, 
born  in  Missouri,  January  25,  1871,  living  in  Trini- 
dad. Washington ;  Kittie.  now  Mrs.  W.  Hettinger, 
of  Yakima  county,  born  August  31,  1874;  James, 
born  in  California,  July  14,  1876.  a  citizen  of  Yak- 
ima county,  where  he  now  looks  after  his  own  farm, 
and  also  that  of  his  father:  Ludie  (Airs.  Neil 
Blue),  now  deceased,  born  in  California.  June  12, 
1878;  Georgie  (Phral).  born  March  16,  1879.  now 
of  Miles  City,  Montana :  Hattie,  at  home,  born 
June  25,  1 88 1.  The  mother  was  a  member  of  the 
Congregational  church.  Mr.  Dodson  is  a  Method- 
ist. While  his  wife  was  living  she  was  at  the  head 
of  the  Sunday  school  in  her  church  at  Kennewick. 
Mr.  Dodson,  politically,  favors  the  doctrines  of  the 
Democratic  party,  and  is  a  representative  member 
of  the  community,  respected  and  liked  by  all. 


CHARLES  J.  BEACH,  a  real  estate  owner 
and  dealer  of  Kennewick,  Yakima  county,  Wash- 
ington, was  born  in  Potsdam,  St.  Lawrence 
county.  New  York,  in  1845.  His  father,  Elisha 
W.  Beach,  was  a  native  of  the  Green  Mountain 
state,  and  born  in  1814.  He  followed  the  trade  of 
millwright,  marrying  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
where  he  moved  when  a  small  boy.  In  1853  he 
went  to  Minnesota  and  later,  in  1856,  brought  his 
family  there,  being  a  pioneer  of  that  state.  Seven 
years  later  he  removed  to  Nebraska,  there  fol- 
lowing his  trade  and  dying  in  1867.  Hi-  paren'1 
were  English  people.  His  wife,  Lucinda  Doro- 
thy Beach,  was  born  in  St.  Lawrence  county, 
New  York,  her  parents  coming  from  New  Hamp- 
shire. She  was  married  when  twenty-four,  and 
is  still  living  in  San  Francisco.  California.  She 
is  also  of  English  parentage.  Her  son  first  at- 
tended the  common  schools  of  New  York  state, 
and  later  the  schools  of  Minnesota,  taking  a 
course  in  the  high  school  of  that  state,  and  at- 
tending the  first  normal  school  opened  in  the 
state.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  took  up  his 
father's  trade  of  millwright,  and  followed  that 
business  throughout  Minnesota,  Nebraska,  Iowa 
and  other  states,  his  father  working  with  him  un- 


MRS.  CHARLES  J.  BEACH. 


CHARLES  J.  BEACH. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


til  his  death  in  1S67.  After  his  father's  death 
he  removed  to  Chicago,  and  made  that  place  his 
headquarters,  but  in  1871  he  suffered  with  the 
rest  of  the  inhabitants,  being  burned  out  by  the 
big  fire  that  devastated  the  entire  city.  Soon  after 
this  misfortune  he  migrated  to  California,  and 
was  in  the  employ  of  Whittier  Fuller  Company, 
in  San  Francisco,  for  a  year  and  one-half,  occu- 
pied in  building  paint  works  for  the  firm.  Fie 
spent  altogether  six  years  in  California,  going  to 
Portland,  Oregon,  in  1878,  and  again  taking  up 
his  trade,  and  also  engaging  in  the  contracting 
business.  In  1881  he  left  Oregon  and  went  to 
Ainsworth,  Washington,  putting  in  a  sawmill  in 
that  town  ;  the  mill  later  being  removed  to  the 
Sound.  He  spent  three  years  in  Ainsworth,  and 
in  1883  filed  on  a  homestead  on  the  present  site 
of  Kennewick.  He  moved  to  Kennewick  a  year 
after  filing  on  his  land,  bringing  his  family  with 
him,  and  living  on  his  place  for  the  next  five 
years.  In  1889.  in  order  to  give  his  children  bet- 
ter facilities  for  their  education,  he  moved  to 
Ellensburg.  Washington,  living  there  until  1892. 
He  then  returned  to  Kennewick,  and  has  since 
made  that  place  his  home. 

He  was  married  in  Brownsville,  Nebraska, 
in  March,  1S67,  to  Miss  Hattie  Harbidge,  of  Chi- 
cago. Her  father,  Joseph  Harbidge,  was  an  Eng- 
lishman by  birth,  and  a  rope  and  cordage  maker 
by  trade,  lie  passed  most  of  his  life  in  Chicago, 
Illinois,  dying  in  that  city.  Her  mother.  Alice 
(Jakeman)  Harbidge,  was  also  of  English  parent- 
age. His  wife,  Hattie,  was  born  in  England  in 
1845,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1856,  being  edu- 
cated at  Chicago,  and  married  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two.  The  children  born  to  this  family 
are  as  follows:  Hattie,  born  in  Nebraska  and 
died  in  Chicago;  C.  Fred  Beach,  born  in  Chicago, 
passed  away  in  Walla  Walla,  Washington ;  Daisy 
( limigh)  Beach,  born  in  San  Francisco.  Califor- 
nia, living  in  Kennewick.  Washington  ;  Harry  E. 
Bench,  born  in  Portland,  Oregon,  in  1880.  is  now 
conducting  a  livery  stable  in  Kennewick.  Mr. 
Beach  is  fraternally  connected  with. the  Independ- 
ent (  Irder  of  ( )dd  Fellows,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Congregational  church.  Fie  is  a  Democrat  in 
politics.  He  organized  the  first  school  district  in 
the  community,  and  served  on  the  board  of  di- 
rectors until  two  years  a<jo.  Ten  acres  of  his 
land  are  given  to  a  splendid  orchard.  His  land 
is  all  within  the  city  limits;  thirty  acres  have  al- 
ready been  platted  and  the  balance  of  the  prop- 
erty will  soon  be  sub-divided  by  the  owner  into 
two  and  rive-acre  tracts.  Mr.  Beach  is  one  of  the 
representative  business  men  of  the  town,  and  has 
done  a  great  deal  towards  making  Kennewick  a 
rising  town  of  this  western  countrv. 


DE  WITT  OWEN,  a  resident  of  Kennewick. 
Yakima  county.  Washington,  is  a  farmer  by  occu- 


pation, and  was  born  in  the  state  of  Massachu- 
setts, in  the  year  1831.  His  father,  Eleazar  Owen, 
was  born  in  1792  and  was  brought  up  in  Con- 
necticut. When  twenty-nine  years  old  he  moved 
to  Massachusetts,  marrying  there  the  same  year. 
He  became  the  proprietor  of  a  woolen  mill,  which 
he  operated  for  a  number  of  years,  and  died  in 
1837.  Clarissa  (DeWitt)  Owen,  his  mother,  was 
lorn  in  Massachusetts,  July  I,  1798,  of  French 
parentage.  She  was  the  mother  of  seven  children, 
and  died  in  the  year  1882.  The  subject  of  this 
article  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state,  leaving  home  when  he  was  very 
young.  He  at  the  age  of  sixteen  years  went  to 
Connecticut,  and  was  employed  for  two  years  by 
F.  Curtis  &  Company  as  a  burnisher  of  silverware. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  service  with  that  firm  he 
went  to  Philadelphia,  and  worked  at  the  same  trade 
for  the  succeeding  eleven  months.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Connecticut,  and  entered  the  employ  of 
Hall  &  Eltar,  working  for  them  two  years.  The 
following  two  years  were  spent  in  the  service  of 
another  firm  located  in  the  same  place.  From 
there  he  went  to  Massachusetts,  and  after  a  short 
stay  in  that  state  removed  to  Kansas.  He  was 
among  the  second  party  of  free  state  Democrats 
to  land  in  that  territory,  where  he  remained  'for 
a  space  of  eighteen  months.  His  next  place  of 
residence  was  New  York,  where  for  two  years  he 
made  his  home.  He  then  went  to  Michigan,  and 
from  there  to  Chicago,  his  stay  in  that  city  being 
of  only  six  months'  duration.  His  next  stopping 
place  was  Wisconsin.  He  here  engaged  in  mill- 
wright work,  devoting  the  ensuing  eighteen 
months  to  that  occupation.  From  Wisconsin  he 
went  to  Iowa  and  took  up  a  farm,  staying  there 
until  1877.  He  then  moved  westward,  and  located 
at  Goldendale,  Washington,  where  for  two  years 
he  made  his  home.  Removing  to  Ainsworth, 
Washington,  he  in  1881  took  up  a  homestead, 
where  he  remained  until  1894.  at  which  time  he 
crossed  the  Columbia  river  and  settled  at  Kenne- 
wick. Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Kennewick  he 
bought  his  present  home,  for  which  he  has  re- 
cently refused  a  very  flattering  offer.  Mr.  Owen 
is  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  this  fast-grow- 
ing town.  He  is  devoting  considerable  of  his  land 
to  fruit  growing,  and  has  a  fine  orchard  of  choice 
standard  varieties.  The  remainder  of  his  land  is 
set  to  alfalfa,  the  great  hay  crop  of  that  district. 


CHARLES    H.    PUTNAM,  a  dairyman   and 

farmer  residing  two  miles  cast  of  Kennewick. 
Washington,  was  born  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  Febru- 
ary 2,  i860.  His  father.  Henry  Putnam,  a  de- 
scendant of  the  old  colonial  Putnam  stock,  was 
born  in  Warsaw.  Xew  York,  in  1832.  and  was  a 
veterinary  surgeon,  and  a  molder  by  trade.  When 
twelve  vears  old  he  crossed  the  line  into  Canada. 


782 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


He  returned  to  this  country  again  in  1844,  and, 
settling  on  a  farm  in  Illinois,  lived  there  for  ten 
years.  He  then  removed  to  the  city  of  Rockford, 
and  for  the  next  five  years  followed  his  profession 
and  trade  in  that  place.  The  next  five  years  were 
spent  in  visiting  places  of  interest  in  this  country 
and  abroad,  four  years  of  this  period  being  spent 
in  Europe.  He  died  at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1886. 
His  mother.  Miranda  (Wilcox)  Putnam,  was 
brought  up  in  New  York,  her  parents  being  pio- 
neers of  that  state.  She  was  born  in  1833,  and 
died  at  the  age  of  seventy.  Her  son  received  his 
education  in  York  State  and  Illinois ;  his  parents 
moving  to  New  York  when  he  was  nine  years 
old.  At  the  age  of  twenty  he  returned  to  Illinois, 
and  served  three  years  as  an  apprentice  at  the 
molder's  trade.  He  then  took  up  service  with 
the  United  States  Express  Company,  and  was 
with  them  for  four  years  as  driver  and  express 
messenger  on  the  Chicago-St.  Paul  run.  His  next 
venture  was  the  furniture  business,  taken  up  in 
Rockford,  Illinois,  which  he  successfully  con- 
ducted for  three  years.  Having  satisfactorily  dis- 
posed of  his  furniture  business  in  1894,  he  came 
to  Washington  and  located  at  Kennewick,  buying 
considerable  land  there.  Later  he  took  up  a  home- 
stead of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  has 
been  his  home  since. 

He  was  married  at  Belle  Plaine,  Iowa,  on  Julv 
5,  1886,  to  Margaret  E.  Creller.  Her  father,  La- 
fayette Creller,  was  a  resident  of  Illinois.  In  1862 
he  enlisted  in  one  of  the  regiments  forming  in 
his  native  state,  and  served  eighteen  months  in 
the  Civil  war,  when  he  was  taken  sick  and  died 
in  one  of  the  army  hospitals.  He  was  of  German 
parentage.  Her  mother,  Mercie  (Robinson) 
Creller,  was  the  daughter  of  an  Illinois  farmer, 
and  was  again  married  after  her  first  husband's 
death  in  1863,  and  moved  to  Iowa,  dying  in  that 
state.  Mrs.  Putnam  was  born  in  Cherry  Valley, 
Illinois,  in  1861,  and  after  receiving  her  education 
in  the  high  school  and  State  Normal  followed 
teaching  for  several  years.  She  was  married  at 
the  age  of  twenty-four.  To  this  family  have  been 
born  two  children,  among  the  first  in  Kennewick : 
Calvborne.  the  youngest,  August  26,  1888,  and 
Stanley  R.,  May  10.  1887.  Mr.  Putnam  is  fra- 
ternally connected  with  the  Red  Men  and  .the 
Royal  Arcanum.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  church.  His  real  estate  consists  of  two 
lots  with  a  house  in  Kennewick  and  one  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  land  watered  by  the  Kenne- 
wick ditch.  In  connection  with  his  dairy  he  has 
twenty  head  of  fine  stock.  He  is  one  of  the  en- 
terprising business  men  of  his  locality. 


WILLIAM  A.  MORAIN,  section  foreman  for 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  at  Kennewick, 
Washington,  was  born  in  Dallas  county,  Iowa,  in 


the  year  1870.  His  father,  John  Morain,  was 
brought  up  in  Illinois,  later  removing  to  Iowa,  where 
he  was  married.  He  became  an  extensive  land 
owner  in  that  state,  and  after  a  continuous  residence 
there  of  some  fifteen  years  he  removed  to  Osborne 
county,  Kansas.  He  is  at  present  a  resident  of 
Oklahoma.  His  mother,  Hannah  (Daily)  Morain, 
was  born  in  Iowa  in  1845,  and  became  the  mother 
of  three  children.  Our  subject  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Iowa  and  Kansas,  to  which  latter  state 
he  removed  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of  fifteen. 
He  remained  at  home  until  twenty-four,  following 
farming.  Upon  reaching  his  majority,  however,  he 
engaged  in  farming  for  himself,  pursuing  this  for 
three  years.  He  was  a  resident  of  Oklahoma  for  a 
number  of  years,  in  which  territory  he  met  and  mar- 
ried his  wife.  In  1895  he  came  to  North  Yakima, 
Washington,  entering  the  employ  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad,  which  position  he  held  for  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  this  period  he  removed  to 
Kennewick,  in  the  same  county,  and  again  entered 
the  railroad's  employ,  this  time  as  section  foreman, 
which  position  he  still  retains.  He  was  married  in 
Oklahoma  November  30,  1893,  to  Ida  M.  Bowman. 
Her  father,  John  Bowman,  who  was  an  English- 
man by  birth,  came  to  the  United  States  when  a 
young  man,  having  been  married  shortly  prior  to 
leaving  England.  He  is  at  present  engaged  in  busi- 
ness at  Mulhall,  Oklahoma,  where  he  conducts  a 
music  store.  Mrs.  Morain  was  brought  up  in  Indi- 
ana, and  after  receiving  her  education  at  Harper, 
Kansas,  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty.  To  this 
union  two  children  have  been  born :  Frank,  the  eld- 
est, in  Oklahoma  in  1895,  an<l  Lolo,  the  youngest, 
in  North  Yakima,  two  years  later.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Morain  is  connected  with  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America,  and  politically,  he  is  a  stanch  Repub- 
lican. Mrs.  Morain  has  the  distinction  of  holding 
the  position  of  postmistress  of  Kennewick,  to  which 
office  she  was  appointed  January  I-,  1902.  Mr. 
Morain  is  one  of  the  fortunate  ones  who  has  secured 
a  holding  of  land  under  the  Kennewick  canal.  He 
is  a  good  citizen,  a  genial  man,  and  is  well  esteemed 
by  all. 


JOHN  STUIBLE,  a  Yakima  county  farmer, 
lives  three  miles  south  of  the  town  of  Kennewick, 
Washington.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  in 
YYurtemburg  in  the  year  1842.  His  father,  Fred- 
rick Stuible,  was  of  German  birth  and  came  to  this 
country  in  1854,  locating  in  the  northwestern  part 
of  New  Jersey,  and  following  his  trade  of  wagon 
making.  He  afterwards  removed  to  Ontario,  Can- 
ada, where  he  farmed  for  eleven  years ;  then  moved 
to  Minnesota,  passing  away  there  some  years  later. 
His  mother.  Barbara  (Schuesler)  Stuible.  was  also 
descended  from  German  stock.  Our  subject  re- 
ceived part  of  his  education  in  his  native  land,  being 
only  twelve  years  old  when  his  parents  immigrated 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


783 


to  this  country.  After  a  year's  stay  here,  they  re- 
moved to  Ontario,  Canada,  and  were  there  for  a 
number  of  years.  As  a  young  boy  he  learned  the 
cooper's  trade,  and  while  in  Ontario  followed  farm- 
ing part  of  the  time,  also  completing  his  edu- 
cation in  the  Canadian  schools.  From  Ontario  he 
removed  to  Michigan,  and  in  that  state  spent  the 
two  succeeding  years ;  then  again  moving  to  the 
central  part  of  Minnesota,  where  he  followed  the 
cooper's  trade  for  an  additional  four  years.  In 
1868  he  returned  once  more  to  Ontario,  and  for  six 
years  took  up  farming  again.  Returning  to  the 
States  in  1875,  he  bought  land  in  Minnesota,  and 
farmed  there  for  a  period  of  nineteen  years.  He 
removed  to  Washington  in  the  fall  of  1894,  buying 
his  present  place,  which  was  at  that  time  but  a  waste 
of  sage-brush.  At  present  writing  he  has  it  fully 
improved  and  under  cultivation. 

He  was  married  to  Maria  B.  Beck,  in  Ontario, 
in  1869.  Her  father,  George  Beck,  was  a  German 
farmer,  born  in  1819,  and  immigrated  to  the  United 
States  in  1848.  Soon  after  he  crossed  the  boundary 
into  Canada,  and  settled  in  Ontario.  Here  he  mar- 
ried and  continued  to  reside  until  his  death.  Mrs. 
Stuible's  mother.  Rosina  (Schmidt)  Beck,  was  of 
German  extraction,  coming  to  this  country  when  a 
young  girl,  and  later  moving  to  Ontario,  where  she 
was  married.  She  passed  away  at  a  good  old  age. 
Mrs.  Stuible  was  born  in  Ontario  in  1849,  received 
her  education  in  the  schools  of  her  native  town,  and 
married  when  twenty.  She  is  the  mother  of  eight 
children,  two  sons  and  six  daughters :  Annie,  born 
June  24,  1870,  living  in  Oregon ;  Mary  S.  Stuible. 
born  in  Ontario  May  26,  1872,  deceased ;  Martha  K., 
Ontario,  July  25,  1874,  deceased;  Emma  E.,  Minne- 
sota, October  15,  1877,  at  home;  Bertha  C.  Gihr- 
ing,  February  21,  1880,  Portland,  Oregon;  George 
F.  and  John  H.,  in  Minnesota,  July  13,  1882,  and 
January  9,  1885,  respectively ;  Wilhelmina  E.,  Feb- 
ruary 12,  1888.  lives  at  home.  Mr.  Stuible  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  a  devoted  ad- 
mirer of  Roosevelt.  He  is  at  present  school  direc- 
tor in  district  No.  17,  and  is  one  of  the  influential 
members  of  the  community. 


ANALDO  H.  RICHARDS,  one  of  the  largest 
land  owners  in  eastern  Yakima  county,  lives  ten 
miles  south  and  three  west  of  the  town  of  Kenne- 
wick.  He  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1868,  the 
son  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Henderson)  Richards. 
His  father  was  a  farmer  of  Ohio,  to  which  state  he 
came  from  Pennsylvania  with  his  parents  in  the 
early  days.  He  was  of  German  descent.  The 
mother  of  our  subject  was  also  born  in  Ohio,  and 
died  when  Analdo  H.  was  a  boy.  The  subject  of 
this  article  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state.  He  remained  at  home  until  he 
reached  the  age  of  twenty-two.  then  came  west  and 
located  in  the  lower  Horse  Heaven  country,  where 


he  began  to  work  on  his  brother's  farm.  He  was 
thus  employed  for  the  next  two  years,  then  he 
bought  in  with  his  brother,  and  they  continued 
operations  together  for  four  years,  after  which  the 
brother  sold  to  a  third  brother,  John,  with  whom 
Analdo  has  ever  since  been  associated  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  farm.  In  1895  they  increased  their 
acreage  by  buying  two  sections  of  railroad  land,  and 
from  time  to  time  since  they  have  added  to  their 
holdings,  until  they  now  own  'three  thousand  acres, 
and  hold  an  additional  three  thousand  under  lease 
for  a  term  of  years,  devoting  all  their  land  to  the 
production  of  wheat.  They  are  the  largest  pro- 
ducers of  this  commodity  in  their  district,  a  fact 
which  speaks  volumes  for  their  ability  and  push. 

Analdo  was  married  in  Ohio  in  the  year  1892, 
to  Elva  V.  Dick,  whose  father,  George  Dick,  was  a 
farmer  in  Ohio,  to  which  state  his  parents  had  come 
from  Germany  in  the  early  days.  Her  father  is  still 
living  at  the  old  homestead  there.  Sarah  (Wolf) 
Dick,  her  mother,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Ohio 
pioneers,  was  married  at  the  early  age  of  eighteen ; 
she  also  still  lives  in  the  state  of  Ohio.  Mrs.  Rich- 
ards was  born  in  Ohio  in  1871,  and  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  her  native  state.  She  and 
Mr.  Richards  have  three  children,  all  living  at  home, 
namely:  George,  born  in  Ohio,  March  28,  1896; 
Charles  and  Elsie,  both  born  in  Washington,  April 
11,  1898,  and  December  20,  1900,  respectively.  Mr. 
Richards  is  a  strict  adherent  to  the  Methodist  faith, 
and  in  politics,  he  is  a  devotee  of  Republicanism. 
He  holds  at  present  the  position  of  road  supervisor 
in  his  district.  Besides  his  large  and  valuable  farm, 
he  has  nearly  three  hundred  head  of  stock,  his  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  horses  being  needed  to  harvest 
the  immense  crop  of  wheat  each  season.  Thor- 
oughly businesslike,  he  has  already  achieved  the 
success  in  material  things  of  which  many  an  older 
man  would  feel  proud,  and  youth  and  energy  are 
still  his  with  which  to  win  still  greater  victories  in 
the  future. 


FRED  CRESSWELL.  a  well-to-do  farmer  of 
Yakima  county,  residing  ten  miles  south  and  three 
west  of  the  town  of  Kennewick,  is  a  native  of  Ore- 
gon, born  in  the  Willamette  valley  in  1865.  His 
father,  Donald  C.  Cress  well,  a  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, was  born  in  Illinois  in  1830.  In  1835,  he  ac- 
companied bis  parents  to  Iowa,  where  he  lived  for 
seventeen  years ;  then  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Ore- 
gon, settling  in  the  Willamette  valley.  After  thirty 
years  residence  there,  he  moved  to  the  Horse 
Heaven  country,  in  Washington ;  he  is  now  living 
in  the  city  of  Walla  Walla.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject, Mary  A.  (Rush)  Cresswell,  was  born  in  Iowa 
and  also  married  there,  crossing  the  Plains  with  her 
husband  in  1852.    She  is  still  living. 

Mr.  Cresswell  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Oregon.    At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  started  out  in 


784 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


life  for  himself,  going  first  to  Umatilla  county, 
Oregon,  where  he  remained  for  more  than  a  year. 
Coming  thence  to  Washington,  he  rode  the  ranges 
for  Switzler  Brothers  in  Klickitat  and  Yakima  coun- 
ties for  the  ensuing  twelve  years,  but  in  1894,  he 
went  to  Utah.  A  year  later,  however,  he  returned 
to  Yakima  county,  where  he  again  rode  the  range 
for  two  years ;  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  bought 
land  in  the  Horse  Heaven  country  and  engaged 
energetically  in  the  Wheat  raising  industry.  That 
he  has  been  abundantly  successful  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that  last  season  he  harvested  fourteen  hun- 
dred acres  of  wheat.  Furthermore  he  cultivates  his 
wife's  homestead  of  a  hundred  and  sixty  acres.  He 
is  also  a  successful  stock  raiser,  owning  at  this  writ- 
ing two  hundred  and  fifty  head. 

In  1889.  in  Klickitat  county,  Mr.  Cresswell  mar- 
ried Birdie,  daughter  of  Peter  and  Mary  Xoyer, 
residents  of  Oregon.  She  was  born  and  educated 
in  the  Willamette  valley,  but  came  to  Washington 
the  year  of  her  marriage.  She  was  not  long  to  be 
Mr.  Cresswell's  partner,  however,  and  in  February, 
1903,  he  was  again  married,  the  lady  this  time  being 
Airs.  Louise  Bush.  Her  father,  Jesse  F.  Bush,  a 
native  of  Indiana,  came  to  Washington  in  1888  and 
took  up  farming  as  an  occupation.  He  is  now  living 
in  Oregon.  Her  mother,  Sarah  (Falconer)  Bush, 
was  a  native  of  Ohio,  but  was  married  in  Iowa  and 
died  in  Nebraska.  The  present  Mrs.  Cresswell  was 
born  in  Iowa,  January  3,  1853,  but  received  most  of 
her  educational  discipline  in  Nebraska,  to  which 
state  her  parents  moved  when  she  was  nine  years 
old.  In  1884  she  married  P.  W.  Bush  and  to  this 
union  three  children  were  born :  Roy.  Mattie  and 
Clyde,  the  first  two  natives  of  Nebraska,  the  third 
born  in  Washington  in  1897.  To  the  union  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Cresswell  one  child,  Anna  B.,  was  born 
in  1004.  Mr.  Cresswell  holds  the  office  of  school 
director  and  clerk  of  the  board,  also  is  road  super- 
visor of  his  district.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican. 
A  capable,  industrious  man,  he  is  achieving  a  splen- 
did success  in  his  farming  and  cattle  raising  enter- 
prises, at  the  same  time  contributing  his  full  share 
to  the  general  development  of  the  community  of 
which  he  is  an  esteemed  citizen. 


DONALD  F.  CRESSWELL.  a  well  educated 
farmer  of  Yakima  county,  Washington,  lives  on  his 
ranch  about  ten  miles  south  and  a  trifle  west  of  the 
town  of  Kennewick.  He  was  born  in  the  Webfoot 
state,  in  Marion  county.  May  11,  1854,  the  son  of 
Donald  C.  and  Mary  (Rush ) Cresswell.  His  father 
was  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  1830,  and  moving  to 
Iowa  with  his  parents  six  years  later.  In  1852  he 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  and  settled  in  the 
Wi'lamette  vallev,  living  there  for  a  space  of  thirty 
years.  From  1882  to  1901,  he  resided  in  Klickitat 
county,  then  sroing  to  Walla  Walla,  where  he  is  now 
living  with   his  daughter,   Mrs.   Eagen.     He   is  of 


Scotch-Irish  parentage.  His  wife  Mary,  Don- 
ald*s  mother,  was  lorn  in  Iowa,  of  German  parents, 
her  people  being  pioneers  Of  that  state.  She  was 
married  when  sixteen,  crossing  the  Plains  with  her 
husband  in  the  early  fifties.  Our  subject  first  entered 
the  Willamette  University,  located  at  Salem,  Ore- 
gon, and  after  completing  a  course  there,  attended 
the  Pacific  University,  at  Forest  Grove ;  also 
being  a  scholar  at  the  State  University  at 
Eugene.  For  a  period  of  four  years  he  taught  in 
the  Oregon  schools,  next  taking  up  the  study  of 
mining,  and  traveling  throughout  the  states  of  Idaho 
and  Montana  for  a  further  space  of  three  years. 
He  then  joined  a  government  surveying  party,  and 
was  with  them  for  six  months,  making  extensive 
surveys  throughout  Utah,  Montana,  and  parts  of 
Idaho.  The  next  year  was  spent  in  the  employ  of 
the  Oregon  Short  Line  Railroad  Company  as  a  field 
engineer,  and  the  following  four  years  in  the  service 
of  the  locomotive  engineering  department  of  the 
Central  Pacific  Railroad  Company  in  Oregon.  The 
ensuing  six  months  were  passed  in  California,  in  the 
same  line  of  work.  From  railroading  he  now 
branched  out  into  the  steamboat  service,  devoting 
six  months  to  that  in  the  city  of  Seattle,  there  be- 
coming  connected  with  the  Seattle,  Lake  Shore  & 
Eastern  Railroad  Company,  and  remaining  in  their 
employ  two  years.  It  was  during  this  time  that 
Seattle  was  devastated  by  the  big  fire,  and  Mr. 
Cresswell  was  engineer  of  the  first  train  moved  over 
the  burnt  district  of  the  city.  He  then  removed  to 
Salem,  Oregon,  and  accepted  a  position  at  the  State 
Insane  Asylum,  remaining  there  two  years,  then  re- 
turning to  Seattle,  and  engaging  in  the  lodging 
bouse  business  for  a  year.  His  next  move  was  to 
Umatilla,  Oregon,  there  leasing  the  ferry,  and  1]  cr- 
ating it  with  success  for  two  years.  In  1895  he  came 
to  Yakima  county,  buying  his  present  place,  and  en- 
gaging in  stock  raising,  and  later  in  raising  wheat. 
He  was  married  at  Salem.  Oregon,  in  1892,  to 
Eva  Allmer.  Her  father,  John  Allmer.  a  native  of 
Sweden,  born  in  1838,  came  to  this  country  in  1885. 
He  lived  for  two  years  in  Minnesota,  thence  going 
to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  later  to  f  owell's  Yalley, 
Oregon,  some  fifteen  miles  from  Portland,  where 
he  still  resides.  He  is  a  minister  of  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  Her  mother,  Christinia  (Johnson) 
Allmer,  was  also  a  native  of  Sweden,  in  which  coun- 
try she  was  married,  and  is  now  living  in  Oregon. 
Airs.  Cresswell  was  born  in  Sweden  in  1868.  and 
was  there  educated.  She  immigrated  to  this  coun- 
try when  eighteen,  and  was  married  five  years  later. 
There  have  been  two  daughters  born  to  this  union  : 
Edna,  at  Seattle,  October  20,  1892.  and  Ruth,  at 
Kennewick,  January  23,  1899.  Air.  Cresswell  is 
affiliated  with  the  Masons  fraternally,  and  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Congregational  church.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and  has  served  three  years  as 
road  supervisor,  and  two  years  on  the  school  board. 
His   farm   consists  of   one   thousand   four  hundred 


LIuGRAPHICAL. 


785 


acres  of  land,  nine  hundred  acres  under  cultivation. 
He  also  has  leased  one  thousand  four  hundred  and 
forty  acres,  nearly  half  of  this  tract  being  culti- 
vated. He  is  quite  an  extensive  stock  raiser,  mak- 
ing- a  specialty  of  O.  I.  C.  hogs.  As  a  public-spirited 
citizen  and  progressive  farmer,  he  takes  high  rank 
in  his  community. 


WILLIAM  W.  MASIKER,  a  Yakima  county 
farmer  and  dairyman,  resides  on  bis  property  five 
miles  and  a  half  from  the  town  of  Kennewick  in  a 
westerly  direction.  He  was  born  in  Kane  county, 
Illinois,  February  10,  184S.  the  son  of  George  and 
Falmira  E.  (Trumble)  Masiker.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  York  state,  and  removed  to  Illinois  in 
1840,  and  later  married  in  that  state.  He  crossed 
the  Plains  in  1852.  and  wintered  at  Fort  Boxelder, 
the  site  of  the  present  city  of  Ogden,  L'tah.  The 
following  spring  he  journeyed  to  Oregon  and  set- 
tled in  Polk  county,  and  a  few  months  after  his 
arrival  took  up  a  donation  claim,  residing  in  that 
locality  for  seven  years.  From  i860  to  1862  he 
made  his  home  in  Wasco  county,  and  thence  re- 
moved to  Sherman  county,  in  the  same  state,  where 
he  passed  away  in  the  year  1863.  His  mother  is 
likewise  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York,  and 
removed  to  Illinois  with  her  parents  in  1840.  She 
was  married  there.  Her  husband  dying,  she  was 
in  1^65  again  married,  to  Mr.  Price,  with  whom 
she  still  lives.  Her  son  attended  the  common 
schools  of  Oregon,  and  as  his  father  died  when  he 
*as  fifteen,  he  took  care  of  the  family  for  two  years, 
at  which  time  his  mother  was  again  married.  He 
remained  at  home  with  his  mother  and  stepfather, 
until  he  was  slightly  over  twenty-two  years  old, 
when  he  engaged  in  riding  the  range  for  a  period 
of  eleven  years.  He  also  attended  to  the  stock,  and 
learned  a  great  deal  about  the  business.  The  two 
succeeding  years  were  spent  in  the  sheep  business, 
and  in  the  fall  of  1882,  he  moved  to  Klickitat  coun- 
ty. Washington,  and  bought  a  fruit  ranch  near 
Columbus,  devoting  the  ensuing  six  years  to  that 
business,  in  which  he  met  with  success.  Disposing 
of  his  place  to  advantage,  he  moved  nine  miles 
northwest  of  Goldendale,  where  he  lived  for  eleven 
years.  His  next  home  was  in  the  Moxee  valley,  and 
after  two  years'  residence  there  he  moved  to  his 
present  place  near  Kennewick. 

.Mr.  Masiker  was  married  to  Laura  A.  Hender- 
son, at  Columbus.  Washington,  in  1876.  Her  father, 
Joseph  C.  Henderson,  a  native  of  Indiana,  was  born 
in  Clark  county  in  1827.  He  is  a  farmer  by  occu- 
pation, and  a  Civil  war  veteran,  enlisting  in  1S62 
in  Company  I,  Seventieth  regiment  Indiana  volun- 
teers, and  serving  throughout  the  entire  war.  He 
left  Indiana  after  the  war  and  settled  in  Missouri,  in 
1873  moving  westward  to  Columbus.  Washington, 
where  he  still  resides.  He  is  of  Scotch-Irish  parent- 
age.    Mrs.  Henderson's  maiden  name  was  Lucy  A. 


Stark.  She  is  also  a  native  of  Clark  county,  Indi- 
ana, born  in  1834.  Her  daughter  Laura  was  born 
in  Johnson  county,  Indiana,  in  1857,  attended  the 
schools  of  both  Indiana  and  Missouri,  and  was  mar- 
ried at  the  age  of  twenty.  She  has  two  sisters 
and  two  brothers  now  living:  Mary,  the  eldest,  in 
Oregon ;  a  married  sister,  Mrs.  Ida  Sanders,  and  a 
brother,  Ira  L.  Henderson,  at  Columbus,  and  (  tscar, 
near  Portland.  Oregon.  This  union  was  blessed 
with  seven  children,  four  of  whom  are  now  deceased. 
The  eldest.  Amos  ()..  now  living  in  Yakima  county, 
was  born  in  Klickitat  county.  September  16,  1877; 
Effie  (  ).,  born  in  Sherman  county,  Oregon.  Decem- 
ber 13,  1879,  's  deceased;  Walter  O..  born  in  Sher- 
man county,  Oregon,  December  24.  1881.  and 
Palmyra  E.,  born  in  Klickitat  county,  April  21, 
1889.  Albert  E.,  Omar  and  Lulie  are  deceased. 
Mr.  Masiker  is  an  Adventist  in  religion,  and  a  Re- 
publican in  politics.  He  was  school  director  in 
Klickitat  county  for  a  number  of  years.  His  prop- 
erty consists  of  nearly  a  hundred  acres,  all  watered 
by  the  Kennewick  ditch,  and  his  residence  is  a  com- 
modious nine-room  house.  He  is  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  Jersey  cows  for  his  dairy.  He  is  success- 
ful in  business,  an  energetic  man  and  has  a  good 
future  before  him. 


WILLIAM  F.  MARTIN,  a  Yakima  county 
farmer  and  stockman  living  on  the  banks  of  the 
Columbia  river,  about  three  miles  west  of  the  town 
of  Kennewick.  is  a  native  of  Oregon,  born  in  Lane 
county,  on  Christmas  Day,  in  the  year  JS54.  His 
father,  Evin  Martin,  was  of  Welsh  parentage,  and  a 
native  of  Green  county,  Ohio,  born  in  the  year  1828. 
He  followed  farming  as  an  occupation.  He  re- 
moved to  Missouri  in  the  early  days,  and  in  1853 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  by  ox-team,  the  trip 
consuming  six  months.  Locating  in  Lane  county, 
he  there  took  up  a  donation  claim,  upon  which  he 
made  his  home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1900.  Our  subject's  mother,  whose  maiden  name 
was  Mary  A.  Turpin,  was  a  native  of  Missouri. 
She  married  in  her  native  state  and  crossed  the 
Plains  with  her  husband  to  Oregon,  in  Lane  county 
of  which  state  she  died  when  William  was  quite 
young.     She  was  of  English  and  Irish  descent. 

(  hir  subject  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Oregon,  and  worked  for  his  father 
on  the  farm  until  he  became  nineteen  years  of  age. 
then  began  to  ride  the  range  for  various  stockmen, 
an  occupation  which  he  followed  for  a  period  ex- 
tending over  five  years.  At  the  expiration  of  this 
time  he  took  up  farming  and  stock  raising  on  his 
own  account,  and  in  1890,  some  ten  years  before  his 
father's  death,  he  moved  to  Yakima  county,  settled 
;it  Kennewick  and  there  continued  in  the  stock  busi- 
ness. Shortly  after  his  father's  death  in  1900.  he 
bought  eighty  acre*  of  land  three  miles  west  of  the 
town,  on  the  Columbia  river,  and  he  has  since  made 


786 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


his  home  on  this  land.  The  same  year  he  also  pur- 
chased six  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  railroad  land 
in  the  Horse  Heaven  district,  and  he  has  two  hun- 
dred and  ten  acres  of  this  tract  now  under  cultiva- 
tion and  the  entire  property  well  fenced. 

Mr.  Martin  was  united  in  marriage  in  Union 
county,  Oregon,  in  1878,  the  lady  being  Martha  E. 
Jasper,  a  native  of  Oregon.  Her  father,  Merrill 
Jasper,  was  born  in  the  Blue  Grass  state,  and  was 
by  occupation  a  farmer  and  stockman.  He  crossed 
the  Plains  in  the  early  fifties,  and  located  near  the 
town  of  Corvallis,  Oregon,  where  he  took  up  a 
donation  claim.  He  then  removed  to  Union  county 
in  the  fall  of  1868,  which  county  he  served  one  term 
as  state  senator  some  years  later.  He  died  there  in 
1885.  Her  mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Nancy 
Means,  was  married  at  fifteen  years  of  age;  she 
died  in  Benton  county,  in  1870.  Mrs.  Martin  was 
born  near  Corvallis  on  the  28th  of  February,  1862. 
She  attended  the  schools  of  Union  county,  and  was 
married  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  She  was  one  of  a 
family  of  seven  children,  her  brothers  and  sisters 
being :  Terrell  J.,  deceased ;  Mrs.  Ella  Bernough,  de- 
ceased ;  George,  William  J.,  Mrs.  Viney  Grey  and 
Mrs.  Rodie  Morton,  all  residents  of  Oregon.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Martin  have  a  family  of  six  children :  Jes- 
sie, who  died  when  quite  young;  Clarence  E.  and 
William  M.,  born  in  Oregon ;  Mrs.  Ella  McClem- 
ans,  who  now  lives  at  Mission.  Washington ;  Eliza- 
beth and  Van  Buren,  living  at  home  with  their  par- 
ents. Elizabeth  was  born  in  Kennewick.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  in 
politics,  an  active  Democrat.  He  owns  over  a  hun- 
dred head  of  cattle.  Mr.  Martin  is  one  of  the  pros- 
perous farmers  and  stockmen  of  the  county,  and 
stands  high  in  the  esteem  and  regard  of  his  neigh- 
bors. 


JAMES  N.  SCOTT,  a  prosperous  merchant  of 
the  town  of  Kennewick,  in  Yakima  county,  Wash- 
ington, is  a  native  of  Missouri,  and  was  born  in  Bar- 
ton county,  in  1872.  He  is  the  son  of  Robert  and 
Sarah  A.  (Moorehouse)  Scott,  his  father  being  of 
Scotch  birth,  a  contractor  by  trade,  and  at  present 
living  in  North  Yakima.  Their  biographies  will  be 
found  elsewhere  in  this  volume.  His  mother  is  a 
native  of  Illinois,  and  the  mother  of  a  family  of 
eleven  children,  three  of  them  now  deceased.  Her 
son.  James,  received  his  early  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Missouri  and  later  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  in  North  Yakima,  Washington.  At  the 
age  of  fourteen  he  started  to  learn  the  carpenter's 
trade,  and  worked  with  his  father  during  this  time. 
This  occupation  did  not  turn  out  to  his  liking,  and 
two  years  later  he  took  up  the  trade  of  a  painter 
and  thoroughly  learned  the  duties  in  connection  with 
this  following.  For  a  period  extending  over  almost 
nine  years  he  continued  at  the  painter's  trade,  work- 
ing for  various  people,  also  engaging  in  business  on 


his  own  account,  and  prospered.  During  the  Span- 
ish-American war  he  enlisted  in  the  First  Washing- 
ton volunteers;  in  1898  his  regiment  was  ordered 
to  Manila,  and  on  reaching  that  country,  was  en- 
gaged in  numerous  encounters  with  the  Filipinos. 
Mr.  Scott  was  promoted  to  a  sergeantcy,  was  taken 
sick  on  the  Islands,  and  after  a  nine  months'  stay, 
was  sent'  home  with  others  of  his  regiment,  and 
mustered  out  of  the  service  in  San  Francisco.  He 
then  came  to  Washington,  and  once  more  took  up 
his  trade  of  painting.  In  1901  he  branched  out  into 
the  retail  business,  and  opened  a  clothing  store  in 
Everett,  Washington.  He  continued  in  business 
in  that  place  fourteen  months,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1893  came  to  Kennewick  and  opened  a 
clothing  and  gents'  furnishing  goods  store, 
which  business  he  still  follows.  He  carries  a  large 
and  well-assorted  stock  of  furnishings,  is  an  up-to- 
date  and  progressive  business  man,  and  is  doing  a 
lucrative  business,  which  is  expanding,  with  the 
town,  in  a  rapid  manner.  Mr.  Scott  still  remains 
single,  and  has  seven  brothers  and  sisters  now  liv- 
ing. His  brother  Walter,  the  eldest  of  the  family, 
died  in  1898,  and  his  brother  John  passed  away  at 
the  age  of  six  months.  Margaret,  a  sister,  likewise 
died  when  an  infant  of  six  months.  Robert  W. 
Scott,  another  brother,  born  in  Canada,  is  living  in 
the  Naches  valley,  and  Charles  E.  Scott,  born  in 
Missouri,  also  lives  in  that  locality  with  his  brother 
Thomas  H.,  likewise  a  native  born  Missourian. 
Harry  H.  Scott,  a  Missouri  boy,  lives  in  North 
Y-kima.  The  other  three  brothers  and  sisters,  by 
names :  Amy  K.,  Bert  E.  and  George  R.  Scott,  now 
live  in  Yakima  county.  James  N.  Scott  is  an  Elk, 
and  also  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  Amer- 
ica. In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  young 
business  man  of  strict  integrity,  and  is  popular  with 
his  fellow  citizens. 


AUGUST  E.  TIMMERMANN,  a  prosperous 
Yakima  county  stockman,  resides  on  his  ranch  situ- 
ated eight  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Pasco,  Wash- 
ington. He  is  a  native  born  German,  and  born 
in  the  year  1857.  William  Timmermann,  his  father, 
was  likewise  born  in  Germany,  in  the  year  1825. 
He  followed  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  and  died  in 
his  native  land  during  the  latter  part  of  the  year 
1871,  his  son  being  fourteen  years  old  at  the  time. 
His  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Christina  Holler, 
was  also  of  German  parentage,  and  passed  away  in 
her  native  country  some  years  ago.  Her  son  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
home  town,  and  at  the  age  of  eighteen  took  service 
in  the  army,  and  for  a  period  of  three  years  was  a 
soldier;  at  the  expiration  of  that  time  he  returned 
home  for  a  stay  of  twelve  months.  In  May,  i8Kr. 
he  immigrated  to  the  United  States  and  located  in 
Nebraska,  only  remaining  there  for  six  months,  and 
then  removing  to  Denver,  Colorado.     He  made  his 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


787 


home  in  Denver  for  almost  four  years,  following 
various  pursuits,  and  then  made  a  trip  to  his  home 
in  the  old  country,  crossing  the  ocean  to  America 
once  more  after  a  five-months'  visit  with  his  mother 
and  friends.  On  his  return  he  came  west  and  locat- 
ed in  Washington,  at  Washtucna  Lake,  residing 
there  for  nearly  ten  years.  He  built  the  Columbia 
Cable  Ferry  across  the  Columbia  river  at  Pasco, 
during  the  year  1894,  and  the  following  year 
brought  his  family  to  Pasco.  Since  coming  to  the 
state  of  Washington,  he  has  followed  the  stock 
business  principally,  and  at  present  writing  has  a 
band  of  three  hundred  cattle,  and  is  making  a  spe- 
cialty of  Herefords. 

Mr.  Timmermann  was  married  in  Walla  Walla, 
Washington,  in  1890,  to  Mary  M.  Sohl.  Her  fath- 
er, Claus  Sohl,  was  of  German  birth,  and  by  occu- 
pation a  farmer.  He  died  in  Germany  a  number  of 
years  ago.  Her  mother  belonged  to  a  German  fam- 
ily by  the  name  of  Slechting,  and  also  passed  away 
in  Germany  some  years  after  her  father's  decease. 


Mrs.  Timmermann  was  born  in  Germany  in  1868, 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  that 
country,  marrying  at  the  age  of  twenty-two.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Timmermann  have  a  family  of  five  chil- 
dren :  Walter  E.,  the  eldest,  born  in  Walla  Walla, 
December  31,  1892;  Annie  J.,  born  in  Franklin 
county,  Washington;  Edna  M.,  born  in  Pasco,  No- 
vember 28,  1896;  Christal  A.,  born  in  Yakima  coun- 
ty, January  10,  1901,  and  Norbet  C,  born  in  Yakima 
county,  June  3,  1904.  The  father  of  this  family  is 
fraternally  connected  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  is  also  a  Mason.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics,  a  Demo- 
crat. He  has  served  two  terms  as  county  commis- 
sioner in  Franklin  county.  His  property  consists 
of  fifty  acres  in  Yakima  county,  and  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  near  Pasco,  in  Franklin  county,  his 
residence  being  across  the  river  from  Pasco,  and  in 
Yakima  county.  He  is  an  agreeable  gentleman, 
making  a  success  in  his  work,  and  is  well  liked  by 
his  neighbors  and  friends. 


KITTITAS  COUNTY 

BIOGRAPHY 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 

KITTITAS   COUNTY 


PATRICK  J.  CAREY.  Although  not  a  native 
of  the  United  States,  P.  J.  Carey  is  thoroughly 
American  in  his  ideas  and  is  among  the  most  suc- 
cessful ranchmen  of  Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Carey 
was  born  in  Ireland  in  1839,  and  came  with  his 
parents  to  New  York  in  1847.  He  is  the  son  of 
John  Carey,  who,  after  twelve  years'  residence  in 
ATew  York,  became  a  pioneer  of  Minnesota,  settling 
in  Freeborn  county  in  1859.  His  homestead  here 
consisted  of  a  half-section  of  land,  on  which  he 
lived  until  his  wife's  death,  in  1879.  P.  J.  Carey's 
mother,  who  came  after  her  husband  to  New  York 
ill  1847,  was  Mary  (O'Mara)  Carey.  She  died  in 
Minnesota  in   1875. 

Mr.  Carey  was  fourteen  years  old  when  his 
parents  moved  from  New  York  to  Minnesota,  and 
here,  for  a  number  of  years,  he  worked  with  his 
father  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  common 
schools.  When  still  a  young  man  he  returned  to 
New  York,  and  in  1859  enlisted  in  Company  E, 
Second  Dragoons  (now  termed  cavalrymen),  reg- 
ular army.  After  drilling  at  Carlisle  barracks  for 
nearly  a  year,  he  was  mustered  into  the  service  at 
Salt  Lake  in  November,  i860.  In  1861  his  regi- 
ment crossed  the  Plains  to  Leavenworth,  and  was 
sent  on  to  Washington,  D.  C.  Mr.  Carey  served 
in  a  regular  brigade  throughout  the  Civil  war  under 
Generals  Buford,  Merritt  and  Pleasanton.  He  was 
in  the  battles  of  Bull  Run,  Manassas  Gap,  Manas- 
seh,  Gaines'  Mill,  Whitehouse  Landing,  Malvern 
Hill,  Winchester  and  the  famous  Sheridan  ride, 
the  Wilderness,  through  the  Maryland  and  Penn- 
sylvania campaign  to  the  battle  of  Gettysburg,  and 
in  other  important  engagements.  He  was  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  the  Wilderness  and,  while  attempt- 
ing to  assist  a  wounded  comrade  named  Wilsie 
from  the  field,  was  taken  prisoner,  May  8,  1864. 
After  spending  eleven  months  in  the  Richmond 
hospital  and  in  prison,  he  was  paroled  and  ex- 
changed. He  rejoined  his  company  later  at  Win- 
chester. In  1863  he  was  made  a  sergeant  for  mer- 
itorious conduct.     During  two  years  of  his  service 


he  was  field  messenger,  carrying  dispatches  from 
one  commander  to  another,  both  on  the  field  of 
battle  and  during  encampments.  At  one  time  he 
captured  a  rebel  spy  and  thirteen  Confederates,  who 
were  temporarily  housed  in  a  building  outside  of 
Gen.  Kilpatrick's  lines,  known  as  the  "Yellow  Tav- 
ern." The  spy  was  clothed  in  the  blue  uniform 
and  was  addressed  by  the  members  of  the  party 
as  "Major  Jones,"  but  proved  to  be  a  woman. 

Mr.  Carey  received  his  discharge  at  Winchester 
May  3,  1865,  and  went  to  Washington,  D.  C, 
where  he  was  employed  for  a  time  in  the  Bureau 
of  Freedmen  under  Gen.  O.  O.  Howard.  The  pe- 
riod intervening  between  1867  and  1872  was  spent 
at  his  old  home'  in  Minnesota,  in  the  latter  year 
returning  to  Washington,  D.  C,  where  he  remained 
in  the  employ  of  the  government  until  1874,  going 
this  year  to  California,  making  his  home  for  three 
years  in  San  Francisco.  In  1876  he  came  to  Old 
Yakima  and  shortly  afterward  took  up  a  homestead 
in  the  Kittitas  valley.  During  the  Indian  troubles 
in  1877  he  carried  the  news  of  the  supposed  up- 
rising to  the  people  of  Wallula  and  other  settle- 
ments. 

December  13,  1878,  Mr.  Carey  married  Mrs. 
Anna  (Jullong)  Frederick,  a  native  of  Ohio.  The 
wife  died  in  1897. 

April  14,  1899,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Clara 
Schroeder  of  Sprague,  Washington.  Mrs.  Carey 
died  September  II,  1900.  There  is  one  child  of 
the  second  union,  Essie  L.  Carey,  now  three  years 
old.  Mr.  Carey  has  two  stepchildren,  who  make 
their  home  with  him:  Jacob  C.  and  William 
Schroeder.  His  sisters,  Mary  and  Alice,  live  in 
Sabley  county,  Minn.  He  also  has  a  sister,  Sarah 
Moore,  in  St.  Paul,  and  another,  Hannah  Doyle, 
in  Montana.  A  brother,  David,  lives  in  Kansas 
City,  Mo. 

Mr.  Carey  is  a  Republican,  and  is  always  in- 
terested in  the  success  of  the  party.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Stephen  Post,  No.  1,  G.  A.  R. ;  also  of  the 
Hibernian  Society.     He  owns  160  acres  of  land  in 


7?Q 


790 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Kittitas  valley  and  80  acres  in  Lincoln  county, 
Washington.  He  has  made  a  success  of  farming 
and  stock  raising,  and  ha.s  a  comfortable  and  well- 
appointed  home. 


MRS.  JOHN  C.  ELLISON  is  engaged  in 
farming,  a  mile  and  a  half  south  of  Thorp,  Wash- 
ington. Her  husband,  the  late  John  C.  Ellison,  was 
born  in  Missouri,  November  11,  1853.  and  spent 
his  boyhood  days  in  Kansas.  He  lived  in  Nevada 
and  Oregon  before  locating  in  the  Kittitas  valley. 
His  father  was  Thomas  Ellison,  a  Kentuckian  and 
a  farmer,  who  came  to  Washington  in  1880,  and  his 
mother,  Mary  (McCubins)  Ellison,  was  likewise  a 
native  of  Kentucky.  They  both  died  after  the 
family  moved  west.  Mr.  Ellison  was  married  Jan- 
uary 9,  1884,  to  Amy  A.  Childs,  who  survives  him, 
he  having  passed  away  a  few  years  ago.  He  had 
the  distinction  of  having  served  at  one  time  as 
assessor  of  Kittitas  county. 

Mrs.  Ellison  was  the  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Mary  M.  (Daniels)  Childs.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Virginia,  but  moved  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
met  and  married  his  bride.  Mrs.  Childs  was  born 
in  the  latter  state  in  1841.  Mrs.  Ellison  is  likewise 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  August  7,  1867. 
When  she  was  an  infant  her  parents  moved  to  Iowa 
and  later  to  Nebraska,  where  she  received  her  early 
education.  Though  only  sixteen  years  old  when 
she  came  to  Washington  with  her  parents,  in  the 
fall  of  1883,  the  succeeding  January  she  became 
the  wife  of  the  late  John  C.  Ellison.  Her  brothers 
and  sisters  are:  Elsworth  Dannels,  born  in  1863, 
living  in  Pennsylvania ;  Martha  J.  Abbott,  born 
February  9,  1866,  living  at  Fairhaven,  Washington; 
Isidore  M.  Bailey,  born  in  18S5,  a  resident  of 
Idaho;  Warren  J.  Childs,  born  in  Nebraska,  in 
1870;  Frances  Frederick,  born  in  1871,  a  resident 
of  Washington;  Hannah  E.  Stazer,  born  in  1873, 
now  residing  at  Spokane. 

Mrs.  Ellison's  children  are:  John  W.,  born 
February  10,  1886;  Rosa  E.,  born  March  13,  1889; 
Dora  M.,  born  December  13,  1890;  Alice  P.,  born 
March  17,  1892;  Olive  M.,  born  September  18, 
1894;  Mary  E.,  born  June  6,  1896;  Mabel  H.,  born 
October  8,  1884;  Lydia  A.,  born  May  22,  1887— 
the  last  two  deceased. 

Mrs.  Ellison  belongs  to  the  Church  of  Christ, 
in  which  also  Mr.  Ellison  was  an  elder  at  the  time 
of  his  demise,  and  she  is  a  member  of  the  Order  of 
Rebekahs.  She  has  four  hundred  acres  of  land,  of 
which  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  are  in  the  home 
place.  She  is  a  thorough  business  woman,  well 
thought  of  and  highly  respected  bv  all  who  know 
her. 


JOHN  ALDEN  SHOUDY,  son  of  Israel 
Shoudy,  was  one  of  the  honored  pioneers  of  Ellens- 
burg  and  of  the  Kittitas  valley.     He  was  born  in 


Paw  Paw,  Illinois,  December  14,  1842,  and  died  at 
his  home  in  Ellensburg  May  25,  1901.  Mr.  Shoudy 
was  the  eighth  in  a  family  of  nine  children.  When 
three  years  old  his  father  settled  with  his  family 
in  Lee  county,  Illinois.  Here  he  attended  the  com- 
mon schools,  and,  while  assisting  his  father  on  the 
farm,  saved  money  enough  to  pay  for  a  full  course 
of  study  in  a  business  school  at  Rockford,  Illinois. 
Shortly  after  completing  his  studies  he  enlisted  for 
service  in  the  Civil  war  in  Company  K,  Seventy- 
fifth  Illinois  infantry,  and  was  sent  to  the  front. 
At  the  end  of  three  years,  during  which  he  took 
part  in  many  of  the  hard-fought  battles  of  the  war, 
he  received  an  honorable  discharge,  and,  in  com- 
pany with  a  brother-in-law  (Dexter  Horton)  and 
others,  came  to  California  by  way  of  the  Isthmus. 
He  afterward  went  to  Seattle,  where  he  was  em- 
ployed by  Mr.  Horton  in  a  general  merchandise 
store.  He  remained  in  Seattle  until  1867,  then  went 
to  Heildiburg,  California,  again  accepting  a  posi- 
tion with  Mr.  Horton  in  a  store  at  that  place. 
While  at  Heildsburg  he  met  and  married  Miss 
Mary  Ellen  Stuart  of  Oakland,  California.  After 
his  marriage  he  returned  to  Seattle,  and  from  1868 
to  1871  engaged  in  the  transfer  business.  In  1871 
he  sold  out  and  crossed  the  mountains  into  the  Kit- 
titas valley  as  the  representative  of  Seattle  citizens 
who  desired  the  construction  of  a  road  through  the 
mountains  to  the  settlers  and  Indians  in  the  valley, 
that  they  might  secure  their  trade.  Arriving  in 
the  valley  and  realizing  that  a  well  equipped  trad- 
ing post  was  a  much  needed  institution,  and  one 
that  must  prove  a  profitable  investment,  he  pur- 
chased of  Jack  Splawn,  in  1872,  a  small  log  hut, 
fourteen  by  twelve  feet  in  dimensions,  located  on 
the  present  site  of  Ellensburg.  The  hut  had  been 
used  by  Mr.  Splawn  as  a  small  trading  post,  but, 
as  he  had  interests  farther  down  the  valley  requir- 
ing much  of  his  time,  it  did  not  become  a  trading 
point  of  importance  until  after  Mr.  Shoudy  took 
possession.  Mr.  Shoudy  sent  thirteen  pack  trains 
across  the  mountains  the  first  season  he  was  in  the 
valley.  In  1872  a  second  log  house  was  built,  in 
dimensions  sixteen  by  twenty-four  feet  and  two 
stories  high.  Mr.  Shoudy  then  sent  for  his  family, 
who  came  by  way  of  Portland  and  The  Dalles,  de- 
termined to  make  this  his  permanent  home.  From 
1872  to  1878  there  were  occasional  Indian  scares 
throughout  the  valley,  and  Mr.  Shoudy  took  an 
active  part  in  quieting  the  Indians  and  restoring 
peace.  While  on  a  mission  of  this  character  to- 
Chief  Moses  in  1872  he  narrowly  escaped  death  at 
the  hands  of  a  band  of  renegade  Indians,  his  life 
being  saved  by  the  timely  interference  of  Moses. 
In  1875  he  laid  off  into  town  lots  a  portion  of  the 
land  he  had  taken  up  about  the  trading  post,  and 
sold  the  lots,  those  for  residences  at  two  dollars 
each,  and  those  for  business  buildings  at  ten  dol- 
lars each.  He  named  the  town  Ellensburg,  in  honor 
of  his  wife.  He  erected  the  third  building,  a  large 
two  story  frame,  in    1876,  on  the  corner  of  what 


HON.  JOHN  A.  SHOUDY. 


MRS.  JOHN  A.  SHOUDY. 


PATRICK  J  CAREY. 


MRS.  HANNAH  D.  DOTY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


791 


are  now  known  as  Third  and  Main  streets.  This 
building  was  eventually  removed  to  be  replaced  by 
a  more  substantial  and  commodious  brick,  which 
was  in  turn  destroyed  by  the  great  fire  of  1889. 
Mr.  Shoudy  is  known  as  the  founder  of  Ellensburg. 
He  constructed  the  first  wagon  road  from  the  Kit- 
titas valley,  over  the  Cascade  mountains,  to  Seattle. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  territorial  legislature  in 
1883,  and  it  was  through  his  instrumentality  that 
Kittitas  county  was  formed.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  state  constitutional  convention  in  1889.  Po- 
litically, he  was  a  Republican,  but  was  not  an  office- 
seeker.  He  many  times  refused  the  nomination  for 
office,  but  served  as  mayor  and  councilman  of 
Ellensburg  and  was  several  times  a  member  of  the 
school  board.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent  business 
qualifications,  of  strictest  integrity  and  most  gener- 
ous impulses.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic.  No  pioneer  of  the  Kittitas  valley 
is  held  in  more  respectful  remembrance  than  John 
Alden  Shoudy,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
borne  to  his  last  resting  place  by  his  pioneer  friends, 
J.  H.  Smithson,  Thomas  Haley,  John  Olding,  R.  P. 
Tjossem,  J.  L.  Vaughn  and  W.  A.  Conant.  His 
wife,  the  partner  of  his  pioneer  trials  and  triumphs, 
still  lives,  a  resident  of  Ellensburg  and  one  of  its 
most  respected  citizens. 


HON.  JOHN  H.  SMITHSON.  The  present 
mayor  of  Ellensburg  is  John  H.  Smithson  who  has 
teen  a  resident  of  the  city  continuously  since  June 
29,  1879.  Mr.  Smithson  has  led  a  busy  and  honor- 
able life  and  his  history  demonstrates  what  may  be 
accomplished  by  a  man  who  starts  life  in  the  right 
way,  whose  methods  and  ambitions  are  worthy, 
whose  principles  are  unassailable,  and  who  has  the 
perseverance  and  determination  to  meet  and  master 
difficulties  of  great  magnitude. 

London,  Canada,  was  Mr.  Smithson's  birthplace 
and  the  date  of  his  birth  was  September  29,  1856. 
His  father,  Thomas  Smithson,  a  native  of  the  same 
town,  was  born  in  1823  of  English  parents  and  was 
by  trade  a  miller.  Leaving  London  in  1861,  the 
elder  Smithson  went  to  the  Cariboo  mines,  where 
he  died  in  1867.  The  mother,  Charlotte  (Siddall) 
Smithson,  of  English  descent,  was  also  a  native  of 
London,  Canada,  where  she  died  in  1870.  At  the 
time  of  his  father's  death,  the  son  was  attending 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  town.  In  addi- 
tion to  the  training  received  in  these  schools  he 
spent  two  years  in  the  schools  of  Park  Hill,  Can- 
ada. At  the  age  of  fourteen,  both  father  and 
mother  were  dead  and  young  Smithson  found  it 
necessary  to  assume  the  duties  of  life  unaided  by 
rich  inheritance  and  unsupported  by  the  advice  of 
elders.  In  two  years  he  left  school  and  began  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account,  following  this  occupation 
until  twenty-two  years  old.  At  this  age  he  left 
Canada  and  removed,  first  to  San  Francisco ;  thence 


to  The  Dalles,  Oregon;  thence  to  Ellensburg  on 
the  date  previously  given.  Mr.  Smithson  arrived 
at  Ellensburg  practically  penniless,  having  but  fifty 
cents  in  pocket,  but  he  at  once  engaged  himself  to 
a  stockman  at  thirty-five  dollars  a  month,  spending 
the  first  few  months  of  his  residence  in  Kittitas 
county  on  the  adjacent  stock  ranges.  At  that  time 
stock  raising  was  the  chief  industry  of  the  valley, 
but  little  hay  and  almost  no  grain  being  grown; 
there  were  no  fences ;  irrigation  was  in  its  infancy, 
and  stock  grazed  unrestrained  over  the  whole  coun- 
try. In  Ellensburg  there  were  five  residences,  one 
store,  one  blacksmith  shop,  two  small  frame  hotels, 
and  a  saloon. 

In  1882  Mr.  Smithson.  opened  a  meat  market 
on  a  small  scale.  The  following  year  the  'Northern 
Pacific  railroad  survey  was  made  up  the  valley,  and 
in  furnishing  the  employees  of  the  company  with 
supplies,  Mr.  Smithson  accumulated  sufficient  cap- 
ital to  place  his  business  on  a  solid  foundation.  By 
the  year  1887  he  had  become  extensively  interested 
in  stock  and  each  year  since  has  added  materially 
to  his  holdings  in  this  industry.  For  two  years, 
from  1887  to  1889,  Mr.  Smithson  was  principal 
stockholder  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  meat  supply 
company  which  he  organized  in  the  former  year, 
and  from  which  he  retired  in  the  spring  of  1889, 
devoting  his  time  thereafter  more  exclusively  to  his 
stock  and  land  interests.  In  the  disastrous  fire 
which  visited  Ellensburg  July  4,  1889,  his  business 
building  was  destroyed,  but  fortunately  it  was  well 
protected  by  insurance  and  his  individual  loss  was 
nominal.  In  the  severe  winters  of  1889-90  and 
1890-91  Mr.  Smithson  lost  most  of  his  stock,  but 
he  continued  in  the  business,  eventually  recovering 
his  losses  and  in  future  years  adding  materially  to 
his  investments.  In  1889  he  purchased  from  the 
railroad  company  160  acres  of  land,  one-half  of 
which  he  platted  into  the  Smithson  addition  to 
Ellensburg.  This  property  he  sold  in  1890  to  an 
eastern  company  for  $18,000,  afterwards  re-buying 
it  at  greatly  reduced  figures.  In  1882  he  entered 
into  partnership  with  F.  A.  Williams  in  the  hard- 
ware business,  the  company  being  organized  under 
the  name  of  the  Williams-Smithson  Co.,  the  name 
being  still  retained  and  the  business  continued. 
Mr.  Smithson  was  one  of  the  few  business  men 
who  weathered  the  financial  storms  of  1893  and 
succeeding  years.  He  has  continued  to  invest  in 
land,  now  having  under  irrigation  400  acres  ad- 
joining town  and  7,600  acres  in  other  portions  of 
the  county.  He  is  president  of  the  Washington 
State  Bank  of  Ellensburg,  of  which  he  was  one  of 
the  charter  members.  As  one  of  the  promoters  and 
stockholders  of  the  Ellensburg  Irrigation  Co.,  he 
has  done  much  to  enhance  the  value  of  real  estate 
throughout  the  valley  and  invite  new  settlers  to 
become  residents  therein.  He  was  one  of  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Cascade  canal  and  is  now  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  company. 

Mr.  Smithson  has  been  twice  married;  the  first 


792 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


wife,  whom  he  married  in  1882,  together  with  her 
infant  child,  died  within  a  year  from  that  date.  In 
1S85  he  was  again  married,  on  this  occasion  to  Miss 
Jennie  Goodwin,  daughter  of  David  and  Cathrine 
Goodwin,  of  Bureau  county,  Illinois,  where  Miss 
.Goodwin  was  born  in  1861.  In  1884  she  came  to 
Ellensburg  with  her  father  and  brother,  meeting 
and  forming  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Smithson 
shortly  after  her  arrival.  Mrs.  Smithson  has  three 
brothers  and  one  sister,  one  of  the  brothers  living 
in  Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Smithson's  immediate 
relatives  who  are  living,  are  three  sisters,  Eliz- 
abeth, Emaline,  and  Tressa.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Smithson  have  been  born  four  children,  William, 
Frankie,  John,  and  Alice,  all  of  whom  are  with  the 
parents  in  Ellensburg.  The  family  attends  the 
Episcopal  Church  of  which  the  parents  are  mem- 
bers. Mr.  Smithson  has  served  the  city  either  as 
councilman  or  mayor  for  twelve  consecutive  years, 
and  has  also  represented  the  county  in  the  state 
legislature.  In  1893  he  was  nominated  in  the  Re- 
publican convention  and  was  elected.  In  the  fol- 
lowing session  of  the  legislature  he  worked  untir- 
ingly for  the  location  at  Ellensburg  of  the  State 
Normal  school  and  was  active  in  the  passage  of 
the  bill  which  has  given  to  Ellensburg  deserved 
prominence  as  an  educational  center.  Mr.  Smith- 
son  is  recognized  at  home  and  throughout  the  state 
as  a  progressive  and  public  spirited  citizen ;  he  is 
respected  for  those  sterling  qualities  which  have 
made  his  life  a  success  both  from  a  moral  and  a 
financial  standpoint,  and,  by  all  who  are  honored 
by  his  personal  friendship,  he  is  esteemed,  not  alone 
as  a  public  officer  and  a  representative  citizen,  but 
also  for  those  personal  traits  of  character  which 
have  given  him  the  prominent  station  in  life  he  now 
occupies  and  which  have  made  of  him  a  man  among 
men. 


HARVEY  J.  FELCH,  M.  D.,  a  physician  and 
surgeon  of  Ellensburg,  Washington,  is  a  striking 
example  of  what  the  inborn  pluck  and  enterprise  of 
a  western  boy  will  accomplish  even  against  the 
most  adverse  conditions.  Dr.  Felch  never  wavered 
in  his  purpose  to  become  a  physician  and  triumph- 
antly overcame  every  obstacle  in  his  way.  He  was 
born  near  Eugene  in  Lane  county,  Oregon,  in  1865. 
His  father,  a  native  of  New  York,  David  C.  Felch, 
now  70  years  old,  and  his  mother,  Mrs.  Sophronia 
(Killingsworth)  Felch,  who  was  born  in  Missouri 
in  1843,  are  hoth  living  and  now  reside  in  Califor- 
nia. The  father  went  to  Wisconsin  before  the  days 
of  the  telegraph  or  the  steam  railway  and  moved  to 
California  and  later  to  Oregon  ahead  of  these  mod- 
ern necessities.  He  was  chief  of  police  at  Eugene 
City,  Oregon,  for  a  term  of  years,  and  in  1872 
moved  to  Washington,  and  settled  at  Colfax,  about 
fifteen  years  prior  to  the  advent  of  railroad  and 
telegraph.  He  engaged  in  farming  and  the  raising 
of   fine  stock.     During  the   Indian  war  in   1877  a 


fort  was  erected  by  neighbors  at  the  family  farm 
for  mutual  protection.  The  elder  Felch  was  enti- 
tled to  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  person  to 
prove  up  on  a  timber  culture  claim  in  the  United 
States,  the  claim  being  located  near  Colfax.  His 
papers  were  in  the  land  office  at  Colfax  ready  to 
place  on  record  when  they  were  destroyed  by  fire. 
By  the  time  they  had  been  rewritten  a  delay  had 
occurred  so  that  the  filing  took  the  number  7. 

Dr.  Felch  was  but  seven  years  old  when  his  par- 
ents took  a  homestead  in  Whitman  county.  There 
he  lived  on  the  farm  and  attended  country  school 
and  later  finished  his  literary  education  at  Colfax 
College.  His  early  ambition  was  the  study  and- 
practice  of  medicine,  a  "notion"  which  was  not  en- 
couraged by  the  members  of  his  family.  Yet  the 
dream  of  youth  was  never  lost  sight  of.  but  ever- 
remained  a  cherished  hope.  With  this  purpose  in 
view  (a  subject  little  discussed  in  the  family  cir- 
cle, as  the  boy  felt  that  his  desires  in  the  matter 
were  little  appreciated),  he  began  the  study  of 
Latin  while  he  was  working  on  the  farm,  copying 
his  lessons  on  slips  of  paper  which  were  carried  in 
his  pocket,  and  often  referring  to  them  while  at 
work.  He  thus  began  the  study  of  the  higher 
branches.  After  graduating  from  Portland  Busi- 
ness College,  at  Portland,  Oregon,  he  succeeded  his 
father  in  the  nursery  business  at  Colfax,  which  he 
later  abandoned  to  follow  his  ambition.  He  went 
to  Kansas  City  and  entered  the  Kansas  City  Med- 
ical College,  where  he  took  the  regular  course,  and, 
one  year  previous  to  graduation,  practiced  medicine 
in  Kansas,  going  to  Saxman,  Rice  county,  and 
meeting  with  great  success.  Following  graduation 
in  1900  he  came  to  the  coast  and  spent  four  months 
at  Roslyn,  where  he  practiced  as  company  physi- 
cian for  the  Roslyn  Coal  Co.  He  then  moved  to 
Ellensburg  and  opened  an  office,  where  he  now  re- 
sides. He  has  built  up  a  fine  practice  and  now  has 
a  good  home  and  a  well  appointed  office. 

He  was  married  at  Colfax  in  November,  1892, 
to  Ida  Lewis,  a  native  of  Missouri.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  L.  Lewis,  for  years  associate 
editor  of  the  Baptist  Flag  of  St.  Louis  and  a  min- 
ister of  high  standing  with  his  people.  He  is  now 
residing  at  Missoula,  Montana.  He  is  a  branch  of 
the  same  family  tree  as  that  of  Capt.  Meriwether 
Lewis,  the  famous  explorer.  Mrs.  Felch's  mother 
was  Martha  (Surface)  Lewis.  Dr.  Felch  has  one 
brother  and  two  sisters :  Charles  Felch,  a  traveling 
man;  Anna  Ballaine,  wife  of  J.  E.  Ballaine,  secre- 
tary of  the  Alaskan  Central  railway  system ;  and 
Emma  Chestnut,  wife  of  a  prosperous  farmer  at 
Colfax.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Felch  have  two  children, 
Elaine,  born  at  Colfax  in  1893,  and  Lewis,  born  at 
Ellensburg  in  1901.  Both  Dr.  Felch  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Baptist  church,  of  which  he  is 
a  trustee.  He  is  a  Republican,  and  on  that  ticket 
was  elected  coroner  of  Kittitas  county  in  1902 ;  he 
is  also  county  physician  and  health  officer  of  Kit- 
titas county.    He  is  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Order 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


793 


of  United  Workmen ;  Royal  Tribe  of  Joseph,  and 
of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World;  also  of  the  Whit- 
man County  Pioneers'  Association.  He  is  a  strong 
advocate  of  good  schools  and  educational  progress, 
as  is  attested  by  his  own  efforts  for  higher  educa- 
tion. 


CARROLL  B.  GRAVES.  Carroll  B.  Graves, 
senior  member  of  the  firm  of  Graves  &  Englehart,  is 
an  Ellensburg  lawyer  of  marked  ability  and  ad- 
dress, whose  profound  knowledge  of  the  law  and 
acumen  in  its  practice  are  well  known,  not  only  in 
his  county,  but  throughout  the  entire  Northwest. 
He  was  born  at  St.  Mary's,  Hancock  county,  Illinois, 
November  9,  1862.  His  father,  John  J.  Graves,  born 
in  Kentucky,  of  English  descent,  is  still  living  in 
Spokane  at  the  good  old  age  of  eighty-two.  His 
grandfather,  Reuben  Graves,  settled  in  the  state  of 
Illinois  in  the  early  days  of  that  commonwealth.  He 
took  a  prominent  part  in  the  early  struggles  with 
the  Indians  of  that  section,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
death  of  the  illustrious  Tecumseh  he  was  serving 
as  aid-de-camp  on  the  staff  of  Gen.  Johnson.  The 
mother  of  Carroll  B.  Graves,  Orilla  Landon 
(Berry)  Graves,  was  born  in  Vermont,  and  died 
at  her  home  in  Spokane  in  1894.  Her  father, 
Johnathan  Berry,  M.  D.,  was  a  surgeon  in  the 
army  during  the  War  of  1812,  serving  on  Lake 
Champlain  under  Commodore  McDonough. 

When  a  boy,  Judge  Graves  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  until,  at  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  he 
entered  Carthage  College,  Carthage,  Illinois.  During 
his  college  course  he  assisted  in  defraying  his  ex- 
penses by  teaching,  and  at  one  time  he  was  principal 
of  the  public  schools  of  Vermont,  Illinois.  Upon  his 
graduation  from  college  he  began  the  reading  of  law 
with  the  firm  of  O'Harra  and  Graves,  the  latter 
named  member  of  the  firm  being  his  brother,  Frank, 
now  a  leading  member  of  the  Spokane  bar.  At  the 
law  as  well  as  in  his  course  in  college,  young 
Graves  was  an  apt  student,  and  at  the  early  age  of 
twenty-three  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  at 
once  came  west  to  North  Yakima,  where  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Judge  James  B.  Reavis,  late 
justice  of  the  supreme  court  of  Washington,  and 
Austin  Mires  of  Ellensburg,  with  offices  in  both 
cities  named.  This  partnership  continued  until  the 
fall  of  '89,  when  Mr.  Graves  was  elected  judge  of 
the  superior  courts  of  Kittitas,  Yakima  and  Klick- 
itat counties,  on  the  Republican  ticket.  In  this  ca- 
pacity he  served  until  1897,  he  having  been  re- 
elected for  a  second  term.  Upon  his  return  to 
practice  he  formed  his  present  partnership  with  I. 
P.  Englehart,  of  North  Yakima.  The  first  years 
of  Judge  Graves'  tenure  of  office  were  the  years  of 
the  transition  of  Washington  from  a  territory  to  a 
state.  Naturally,  during  these  years  many  perplex- 
ing questions  of  law  and  equity  came  up  for  deci- 
sion. Thus  it  fell  to  Judge  Graves,  together  with 
the  other  superior  court  judges  of  the  state,  to  in- 


terpret the  technicalities  of  the  newly  made  stat- 
utes. These  unusual  duties  furnished  a  severe  test 
of  the  legal  capabilities  of  the  judges,  and  upon  no 
occasion  when  called  upon  for  a  decision  was  Judge 
Graves  found  wanting.  It  was  during  his  encum- 
bency,  too,  that  the  "boom  days"  of  the  state  were 
on.  The  depression  following  in  the  wake  of  the 
inflation  caused  more  property  to  pass  through  the 
courts  than  had  done  during  any  prior  periods  in 
the  state's  history.  Especially  was  this  the  case  in 
Ellensburg,  nearly  all  of  the  business  property  of 
that  town  passing  through  the  channel  of  mortgage 
adjustment.  While  these  were  trying  times  for  the 
judge,  they  furnished  him  with  a  wealth  of  experi- 
ence that  will  stand  him  in  good  stead  to  the  end 
of  his  career  ai  the  bar. 

Mr.  Graves  has  been  twice  married.  In  1888  he 
was  married  to  Ivah  Felt  of  Iowa,  who  died  in 
August,  1892,  leaving  two  children,  Marion  and 
Florence,  without  a  mother.  He  married  again  in 
June,  1898.  His  bride  was  Catherine  Osborn  of  El- 
lensburg, a.  native  of  Chicago,  Illinois.  Her  mother, 
Mrs.  Sarah  J.  Osborn,  is  still  living.  Mr.  Graves 
has  one  child  by  his  second  marriage,  Carolyn  L.r 
now  four  years  of  age.  Judge  Graves  has  three 
brothers :  Frank  H.,  who  was  mentioned  previously 
in  this  sketch  as  being  an  attorney  of  Spokane, 
Washington;  Jay  P.,  a  wealthy  mining  man  of 
Spokane  and  part  owner  of  the  Grandby,  B.  C, 
smelter ;  and  Will  G,  also  an  attorney  of  Spokane. 
The  first  and  last  named  are  of  the  law  firm  of 
Graves  &  Graves.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  fraternities.  He  is  not  connected 
with  any  church,  but  his  family  are  Episcopalians. 
Politically.  Mr.  Graves  is,  as  has  been  intimated,  a 
stanch  member  of  the  Republican  party,  in  the 
councils  of  which,  ever  since  entering  politics,  he 
has  been  an  active  and  predominating  spirit.  With 
the  exception  of  one  or  two  he  has  been  a  member 
of  every  state  convention  of  his  party  since  Wash- 
ington was  admitted  to  the  Union,  and  is  univer- 
sally conceded  to  be  one  among  the  ablest  and  most 
eloquent  campaign  orators  of  the  state.  Judge 
Graves  prefers  rather  to  adhere  to  the  practice  nf 
his  profession  than  to  devote  his  time  and  energies 
to  politics.  Since  leaving  the  bench  he  has  been 
identified  with  most  of  the  prominent  cases  in  the 
courts  of  Central  Washington.  During  this  time 
he  has  defended  five  cases  in  which  his  clients  were 
charged  with  murder  in  the  first  degree,  which,  in 
each  instance,  resulted  in  acquittal. 


AUSTIN  MIRES.  One  of  the  most  success- 
ful pioneer  lawyers  of  the  Northwest  is  Austin 
Mires.  The  events  of  his  life  form  an  interesting 
record  of  intellectual  and  material  advancement 
well  worthy  a  place  in  the  annals  of  county  and 
state  history.  Born  near  Burlington,  Iowa,  in  1852, 
when   scarcely  one  year  old  he  was  taken   by   his 


794 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


parents  on  the  long  overland  journey  across  the 
Plains  to  Oakland,  Oregon,  where  his  father  lo- 
cated on  a  half-section  of  land  donated  by  the  gov- 
ernment as  an  inducement  to  settlement,  and  which 
became  the  home  of  the  family  until  the  death  of 
the  father,  which  occurred  in  1888.  In  the  common 
schools  of  Oregon,  in  the  Umpqua  Academy,  and 
at  Monmouth  College,  Mr.  Mires  received  his  early 
education,  spending  several  years  thereafter  as  a 
school  teacher  and  printer,  and  as  mail  route  agent 
in  the  railway  postal  service.  Resigning  his  posi- 
tion as  mail  route  agent,  he  entered  the  law  depart- 
ment of  the  Ann  Arbor  university,  Michigan,  from 
which  institution  he  graduated  in  1882.  Returning 
to  Oregon,  he  practiced  law  for  one  year  with  W. 
R.  Willis  in  Roseburg;  at  the  close  of  this  period 
coming  to  Ellensburg,  where  he  formed  a  partner- 
ship with  J.  H.  Naylor  in  June,  1883.  In  later 
years  he  became  a  partner  with  Reavis  and  Graves, 
the  firm  name  being  Reavis,  Mires  &  Graves,  and, 
in  1894,  formed  a  new  partne-ship  with  C.  V.  War- 
ner, now  county  attorney.  Mr.  Mires  was  the  first 
mayor  of  Ellensburg,  serving  two  terms  in  this  ca- 
pacity, and  has  ever  since  been  prominent  in  the 
affairs  of  the  city  and  county.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  state  constitutional  convention,  and  in  1900 
was  supervisor  of  the  United  States  census  bureau 
in  the  second  district  of  Washington,  was  president 
of  the  state  bar  association  in  1902 ;  was  for  six 
years  vice-president  of  the  Ellensburg  National 
Bank,  now  defunct,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  Re- 
publican state  central  committee.  As  an  expression 
of  their  appreciation  of  his  services  as  a  working  and 
active  member  of  the  local  Republican  organization, 
the  county  central  committee  recently  presented  to 
Mr.  Mires  a  "cane  crowned  with  gold  from  the 
Swauk  district  and  engraved  with  an  appropriate 
inscription.  When  Mr.  Mires  wishes  to  vary  with 
pleasure  the  business  cares  of  life,  he  goes  to  the 
mountains  for  a  hunt,  in  which  pastime  he  is  an 
expert,  having  already  to  his  credit  six  bears  and 
several  other  specimens  of  "big  game."  John  H. 
Mires  was  the  father  of  the  Ellensburg  attorney 
and  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1823,  a  descendant  of  the 
Bates  and  Livingston  stock  of  New  Englanders. 
The  grandfather  was  Solomon  Myers,  the  family 
name  having  been  changed  by  later  generations :  he 
was  of  German  extraction.  He  was  with  William 
Henry  Harrison  in  1811  when  he  fought  the  famous 
battle  of  Tippecanoe.  The  mother  of  Austin  Mires 
was  Anna  (Deardorff)  Mires,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1818  and  whose  brother  came  to  California 
with  the  Argonauts  of  1849;  sne  cuecl  m  Spokane, 
Washington,  in  1894.  Her  mother  was  a  descend- 
ant of  the  Harshburgers,  a  Swiss  family  tracing  its 
ancestry  back  for  hundreds  of  years.  • 

Mr."  Mires  was  married  March  5,  1884,  to  Miss 
Mary  L.  Rowland,  daughter  of  J.  and  Hester  E. 
(Simmons)  Rowland,  pioneers  of  Oregon,  to  which 
they  immigrated  in  the  forties,  and  where  the  wife 
was  born  May  24,  1862.     Mrs.  Mires'  mother  and 


stepfather,  H.  H.  Davies,  were  among  the  first  set- 
tlers in  Yakima  county.  She  has  one  sister,  one 
brother  and  three  half-sisters  in  the  Northwest. 
Mr.  Mires  has  two  brothers,  one  half-brother,  two 
sisters  and  three  half-sisters:  W.  Byars,  Benton 
Mires,  of  Drain,  Oregon,  John  S.  Mires,  of  Repub- 
lic, Washington,  Anna  Bonham.  of  Tyler,  Wash- 
ington, and  Addie  Cole,  of  Spokane.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mires  are  Anna  W.,  age  seven- 
teen, John  R.,  age  sixteen,  and  Eva  H.,  age  ten 
years.  Mr.  Mires  is  prominent  in  the  lodges  of 
Ellensburg,  being  a  Mason,  an  Elk  and  an  Eagle. 
He  is  a  man  of  pleasing  address  and  possesses  rare 
social  qualities,  making  friends  of  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact.  His  success  in  Jife  is  due  to 
thorough  education,  excellent  business*  capacity,  in- 
domitable energv,  and  in  all  his  dealings  with  oth- 
ers, courage  and  uprightness. 


FREDERICK  D.  SCHNEBLY.  Thirty-three 
years  ago,  in  1870,  F.  D.  Schnebly  came  from 
Walla  Walla  to  the  Kittitas  valley  and  took  up  a 
homestead;  since  which  time  he  has  been  closely 
identified  with  the  public  affairs  of  Ellensburg  and 
of  Kittitas  county.  In  1878,  when  Yakima  county 
extended  from  the  Klickitat  line  to  British  Colum- 
bia, Mr.  Schnebly  was  elected  sheriff  on  the  Dem- 
ocrat'c  ticket.  It  was  just  previous  to  his  first  term 
of  office  that  the  massacre  of  the  Perkins  family 
and  the  subsequent  Indian  scare  occurred ;  he  was 
instrumental  in  the  capture  of  the  Indian  murder- 
ers, executed  three  of  their  number,  and  assisted  in 
the  killing  of  the  remainder.  A  detailed  account 
of  this  massacre  and  of  the  capture  and  execution 
of  the  Indians  will  be  found  in  the  chronological 
history  of  the  county.  Before  coming  to  the  Yak- 
ima valley  Mr.  Schnebly  was  variously  engaged 
in  different  parts  of  the  west,  having  immigrated 
from  Maryland  to  California  in  1854,  after  the 
completion  of  his  collegiate  education  at  the  Frank- 
lin and  Marshal  college,  at  Lancaster  city,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  remained  in  California,  mining  and 
trading,  until  1858,  when  he  organized  a  company 
and  went  to  the  Frazier  river  district.  After  spend- 
ing some  time  in  the  mines  of  this  section  he  went 
to  Walla  Walla  and  engaged  in  farming  and  trad- 
ing; also  in  driving  stock  to  the  British  Columbia 
mines.  During  the  severe  winter  of  1862-63  all  of 
his  stock  perished  and  he  was  forced  out  of  the 
mine  supply  business.  The  five  vears  intervening 
between  1865  and  1870  were  spent  in  Helena,  East 
Bannock  and  other  Montana  mining  camps,  where 
he  followed  both  mining  and  trading  returning  to 
Walla  Walla  and  coming  to  the  Kittitas  valley,  as 
previously  stated,  in  1870.  In  the  fall  of  1872  he 
stocked  his  Kittitas  rnnch  with  cattle  and  during 
his  residence  here  brought  all  his  supplies  by  wagon 
from  Walla  Walla  and  from  The  Dalles. 

At  the  close  of  his  second  term  as  sheriff  he 
returned  to  Ellensburg  and  for  a  number  of  vears, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


795 


until  1898,  dealt  in  real  estate,  buying  and  selling 
lands  in  various  parts  of  Kittitas  county.  Some 
time  previous  to  this  D.  J.  Schnebly,  a  cousin  of 
our  subject,  who  had  for  years  been  editor  and  pro- 
prietor of  the  Spectator  at  Oregon  City,  Oregon, 
established  at  Ellensburg  a  weekly  newspaper  which 
he  called  the  Localizer.  In  1898  F.  D.  Schneb- 
ly quit  the  real  estate  business  and  became  editor 
and  proprietor  of  the  Localizer,  which  he  con- 
ducted for  several  years  as  the  only  Democratic 
paper  in  Kittitas  county.  Although  he  has  retired 
from  active  participation  in  political  and  business 
affairs,  he  has  always  been  a  leader  of  the  local 
Democratic  forces,  declining  since  his  terms  as  sher- 
iff to  become  a  candidate  for  other  offices,  but  al- 
ways taking  part  in  local  conventions  and  several 
times  representing  the  county  in  state  conventions. 
He  has  four  times  been  a  delegate  to  national  edi- 
torial conventions  and  has  for  the  fifth  time  been 
elected  to  serve  in  that  capacity.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  members  of  the  city  council,  serving  in  that 
body  for  many  years ;  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
fraternity ;  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all  public  meas- 
ures and  is  highly  esteemed  as  a  man  of  intellectual 
worth,  excellent  business  judgment  and  commend- 
able principles. 

Mr.  Schnebly  is  a  native  of  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land, where  he  was  born  June  27,  1832.  His  father 
was  Daniel  H.  Schnebly.  a  farmer,  born  at  Ash- 
ton  Hall,  on  the  Pennsylvania-Maryland  state  line. 
He  was  of  German  stock,  his  ancestors  coming  to 
this  country  from  Switzerland  several  generations 
ago,  his  great-grandfather,  a  physician,  settling  on 
the  homestead  in  Cumberland  valley.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  Anna  M.  (Rench)  Schnebly, 
a  native  of  Maryland.  Both  parents  have  been  dead 
many  years.  Among  the  pioneers  of  Kittitas  county 
and  of  the  Northwest  there  is  none  who  has  ex- 
perienced more  fully  the  ups  and  downs,  the  hard- 
ships and  crude  comforts  of  frontier  life  than  has 
Mr.  Schnebly,  who  began  life  in  Kittitas  valley 
with  few  neighbors  and  no  conveniences,  with  little 
capital  and  with  markets  far  removed  from  the 
field  of  his  endeavors.  That  he  has  been  successful 
is  due  a'one  to  that  courage,  perseverance  and  hon- 
orable dealing  so  characteristic  of  many  who 
braved  the  perils  of  the  early  sixties  in  the  North- 
we-t  and  opened  the  way  for  the  later  march  of  the 
forces  of  civilization. 


BRIGGS  F.  REED.  The  first  successful  cream- 
ery man  in  Ellensburg  and  in  Kittitas  county,  and 
an  exceptionally  successful  business  man,  is  B.  F. 
Reed,  the  subject  of  this  article.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  president  of  the  Ellensburg  Creamery 
Company,  director  of  the  State  Dairymen's  Associa- 
tion, chairman  of  the  business  men's  committee 
hiving  in  charge  the  proposed  Highland  caml  for 
irrigating:  purposes,  president  of  the  Miller-Reed- 
Peas  Company,  of  Seattle,  dealers  in   dairy   prod- 


ucts, and,  in  addition  to  the  performance  of  his 
duties  in  these  various  capacities,  he  buys  stock  for 
shipment  to  Seattle  and  speculates  to  a  considerable 
extent  in  lands,  besides  keeping  up,  for  his  own  use, 
several  ranches  that  are  well  stocked  with  cattle, 
dairy  cows  being  made  a  specialty.  Mr.  Reed  oc- 
cupies with  his  family  a  beautiful  residence  on  the 
outskirts  of  Ellensburg,  adjoining  which  is  one  of 
h's  stock  ranches.  He  was  born  in  Warsaw.  Hii- 
ro's, December  28,  1863.  His  father,  W.  H.  Reed, 
was  a  stockman  and  merchant,  a  native  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, born  in  1830.  and  whence  he  removed  in 
1850  to  Warsaw,  Illinois,  laying  out  in  later  years 
Reed's  addition  to  that  city.  The  elder  Reed's 
father  and  grandfather  were  physicians  and  sur- 
geons. Our  subject's  mother  was  Elizabeth  Davis 
(Bliss)  Reed,  a  native  of  Watertown,  New  York, 
where  she  was  born  in  1833;  her  family  was  closely 
connected  with  that. of  the  noted  evangelist  singer, 
P.  P.  Bliss,  and  she  was  the  descendant  of  a  long 
line  of  professional  men  and  women  In  1869, 
when  Mr.  Reed  was  six  years  old,  his  parents 
moved  from  Warsaw,  Illinois,  to  Topeka,  Kansas, 
and  here  he  spent  the  earlier  days  of  his  youth  and 
manhood,  in  the  schools  of  the  city  and  in  the 
bit  iness  house  conducted  by  his  father,  commenc- 
ing his  business  career  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  After 
spending  his  seventeenth  year  in  the  mines  of  Gun- 
nison county,  Colorado,  he  returned  to  Topeka,  re- 
entering business  with  his  father,  and,  a  year  later, 
came  west  via  San  Francisco  to  Portland,  where 
he  entered  the  service  of  the  Northern  Pacific  rail- 
road as  private  secretary  to  an  official.  He  continued 
for  several  months  in  the  employ  of  the  railroad  as 
check  clerk,  yard  agent,  shipping  clerk  in  handling 
material  for  the  line  from  Tacoma  to  Seattle,  and 
in  other  capacities,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  having 
under  his  direction  ninetv  of  the  company's  men. 
Leaving  the  employ  of  the  railroad  he  next  spent 
two  year-  in  travel,  endeavoring-  to  recover  his 
health,  which  had  for  some  time  been  poor.  He 
went  first  to  British  Columbia ;  from  there  by  water 
to  San  Francisco,  during  the  voyage  narrowly 
escaping  shipwreck;  thence  to  Old  Mexico;  to  St. 
Louis,  and  at  the  end  of  two  years  back  to  Topeka, 
where  he  aeain  went  into  business  with  his  father, 
who  carried  the  largest  stock  of  furniture  111  the 
city.  He  remained  in  full  charge  of  this  business 
until  his  twenty-sixth  year,  when  he  again  found  it 
necessary  to  travel  that  he  might  regain  lost  health. 
After  two  years  of  wanderin?,  having  exchanged 
his  interest  in  the  Topeka  business  fn-  bank  stock 
at  Manhattan,  Kansas,  he  came  to  Ellensburg  in 
1891,  purchasing  what  is  now  the  Grand  Pacific 
hotel.  Shortlv  afterward,  however,  he  associated 
himself  with  C.  I.  Helm,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Helm  &  Reed,  and  dealt  for  a  time  in  imported 
blooded  horses  and  cattle ;  organized  the  Okanogan 
Stage  Companv,  which  operated  a  continuous  line  of 
stages  from  Wenatchee  to  Virginia  Citv  and  Brit- 
ish Columbia,  conducting  at  the  same  time  a  num- 


796 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ber  of  stock  ranches.  The  financial  panic  of  1893 
ruined  the  business  of  the  firm,  but  Air.  Reed  event- 
ually recovered  lost  ground,  and  by  the  year  1895 
was  well  established  in  the  creamery  business,  hav- 
ing purchased  the  Ellensburg  station  and  placed  it 
on  a  solid  financial  basis ;  with  its  cheese  factories 
and  various  separating  plants,  it  is  now  one  of  the 
best  systems  in  the  state. 

Mr.  Reed  was  married  in  1890  to  Miss  Harriet 
Burbank,  a  daughter  of  Joseph  Burbank,  of  To- 
p?ka,  Kansas.  Mr.  Burbank  was  a  native  of  Can- 
ada; the  mother  of  Mrs.  Reed  was  a  Washing- 
ton. The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reed  are 
Rainier  F.  and  Winona  B.  Mr.  Reed  is  a  promi- 
nent Mason  and  a  member  of  Knights  Templar 
Commandery,  No.  5,  of  Topeka,  Kansas.  He  is 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  successful  business 
men  of  Ellensburg,  and,  because  of  his  stock  and 
creamery  interests,  is  perhaps  the  most  widely 
known  business  man  in  the  county. 


EDWARD  PRUYN.  Among  the  professional 
men  of  Ellensburg,  and  indeed  of  the  state  of 
Washington,  Attorney  Edward  Pruyn  is  one 
of  the  highly  respected  and  most  successful. 
Receiving  his  early  education  in  the  common 
•schools  of  Iowa,  he  next  took  a  collegiate  course 
at  Iowa  College  and  followed  this  with  a  post- 
graduate course  in  the  Iowa  State  University, 
where  he  secured  a  degree.  He  was  admitted  to 
the  practice  of  law  in  the  supreme  court  of  Iowa 
in  1867  and  continued  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  that  state  until  1878.  when  he  came  west, 
locating  first  in  Yakima  and  remaining  there 
until  1886,  the  date  of  his  settlement  in  Ellens- 
burg. During  his  residence  in  Yakima  he  was 
associated  for  a  time  in  the  practice  of  law  with 
Attorney  Reavis,  removing  eventually  to  Ellens- 
burg in  the  hope  of  benefiting  his  health  by  the 
change  of  climate.  He  was  in  attendance  upon 
the  first  term  of  court  held  in  the  new  county  of 
Kittitas  in  1886  and  has  ever  since  attended 
strictly  and  exclusively  to  the  practice  of  his 
profession  in  this  and  other  county  and  district 
courts  and  in  the  supreme  court  of  the  state. 
Mr.  Pruyn  has  had  cases  in  nearly  every  session 
of  the  supreme  court  held  in  the  past  fifteen 
years,  some  of  them  involving  most  important 
principles,  and  in  the  majority  of  cases  has 
secured  decisions  favorable  to  his  clients,  in 
many  instances  reversing  the  finding  of  the 
lower  court  on  appeal.  A  few  years  ago  Mr. 
Pruyn  became  interested  in  the  Red  Mountain 
mines,  looted  between  the  Yakima  and  Cle- 
Elum  rivers  in  the  northwest  part  of  the  county, 
was  in  fact  the  promoter  of  the  company  which 
has  done  considerable  development  work  in 
opening  the  mines.  Although  these  mines  are 
not  yet  on  a  paying  basis  from  a  miner's  point 
of  view,  there  is  an   abundance  of  ore  in  sight 


assaying  good  values  and  thus  far  eighteen 
claims  have  been  taken  on  the  mountain.  There 
is  reliable  evidence  that  the  mines  will  event- 
ually develop  into  paying  properties,  thus  adding 
materially  to  the  wealth  of  the  individual  own- 
ers and  indirectly  to  the  wealth  of  the  county. 

Edward  Pruyn  was  born  near  Troy,  New 
York,  in  1844.  His  father  was  Samuel  Pruyn, 
a  merchant,  who  was  born  near  Troy,  New 
York,  in  1794  and  died  in  1889.  The  father's 
ancestors  came  from  Holland  in  1617  and  settled 
at  Albany.  New  York,  they  being  among  the 
first  sixteen  settlers  locating  in  this  part  of  the 
state.  The  paternal  grandmother,  Maria  Van 
Ness,  was  given  a  grant  of  land  by  George  III. 
near  Hoosic,  and  on  this  old  homestead  the 
father  and  a  brother  were  born.  The  father  was 
in  the  War  of  1812.  The  mother  of  our  subject 
was  Mary  (Sears)  Pruyn,  who  was  born  in 
Saratoga  county,  New  York,  and  died  in  the 
early  sixties;  hers  was  a  family  of  note  at  Sears- 
port.  Maine;  she  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  the 
noted  Richard  Sears,  an  Englishman  who  came 
to  the  United  States  early  in  the  seventeenth 
century  and  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the 
old  colonies.  When  Mr.  Pruyn  was  twelve  years 
old  his  parents  moved  from  Troy.  New  York,  to 
Iowa,  where  were  spent  the  earlier  years  of  his  life. 
At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  entered  the  army, 
serving  in  the  Civil  war  with  Company  K,  139th 
Illinois  infantry,  the  regiment  being  engaged 
during  the  greater  portion  of  its  service  in  Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee  and  Missouri. 

In  1882  Mr.  Pruyn  was  married,  in  Ellens- 
burg, to  Mrs.  Nellie  (Chandler)  Brooks,  a  native 
of  Auburn,  New  York.  Her  father  was  Win- 
throp  Chandler,  whose  mother  was  of  the  Win- 
throp  family  of  Massachusetts.  Mrs.  Pruvn's  mother 
was  Elizabeth  (White)  Chandler,  also  native  of 
Auburn,  New  York.  Mrs.  Chandler's  grandfather, 
White,  built  the  Auburn  penitentiary  and  other 
state  buildings,  and  later  built  a  female  seminary 
at  Auburn  in  which  his  daughters  became  in- 
structors, Mr.  Pruvn's  mother  being  one  of  them. 
Mr.  Pruyn  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  all  campaigns ;  he  has  not  been  an  office 
seeker,  but  has  represented  the  part}-  as  candi- 
date for  county  attorney.  As  a  member  of  the 
law  firm  of  Pruyn  &  Slemmons  he  is  meeting 
with  marked  success  in  his  profession. 


WILLIAM  EDWARD  WILSON.  Prof. 
William  E.  Wilson,  principal  of  the  state  nor- 
mal school  at  Ellensburg.  and  recognized  as 
one  of  the  ablest  educators  in  the  Northwest, 
was  born  March  26,  1847.  among  the  hills  of 
western  Pennsylvania,  in  Beaver  county,  near 
the  town  of  Zelienople.  He  is  the  son  of  Francis 
Thomas  and  Mary  Ann  (Morrison)  Wilson. 
His  ancestors  on  both  sides  came  from  the  north- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


797 


ern  part  of  Ireland  early  in  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury. The  Wilson  ancestry  lived  for  a  time  in 
Northampton  county,  afterward  in  Centre 
county,  and  in  1803  his  grandfather  crossed  the 
Alleghanies  with  a  pack  train  and  settled  in 
Beaver  county.  Mr.  Wilson  was  brought  up  on 
the  farm  that  had  been  cleared  by  his  grand- 
father and  father,  his  early  life  not  differing 
widely  from  that  of  the  average  country  youth, 
just  prior  to  the  War  for  the  Union.  His  boy- 
hood schooling  was  gained  in  a  log  house  stand- 
ing at  the  edge  of  a  wood,  which  building  was 
later  replaced  by  a  less  primitive  one  of  brick. 
From  the  beginning  young  Wilson  was  an  apt 
student,  and  with  no  higher  school  education 
than  that  given  by  the  common  schools  of  the 
day,  he  began  teaching  at  the  age  of  eighteen, 
during  the  winter  time  in  the  country  schools. 
The  money  thus  gained  he  spent  in  his  educa- 
tional advancement,  attending  the  state  normal 
school  at  Edinboro,  Pennsylvania,  and  subsequently 
the  West  Virginia  state  normal  school  at  Hunting- 
ton, and.  having  prepared  himself  for  college  in 
an  academy  at  Jamestown,  Pennsylvania,  he  entered 
Monmouth  College,  Illinois,  where  he  took  a  clas- 
sical course,  and  was  graduated  in  1873.  He  was  at 
once  appointed  teacher  of  the  natural  sciences 
In  the  state  normal  school  at  Peru,  Nebraska,  to 
succeed  Prof.  H.  H.  Straight.  In  this  position 
lie  labored  for  two  years,  a  part  of  which  time 
he  was  acting  principal  of  the  institution. 

In  1875.  Prof.  Wilson  went  abroad  to  see  the 
world  and  to  study.  He  took  a  course  in  lit- 
erature and  history  at  Edinburgh  University, 
and  later  toured  on  the  continent  and  studied 
the  educational  systems  of  France,  Germany, 
Switzerland  and  Belgium.  Upon  his  return-  to 
the  United  States  he  taught  in  Morgan  Park 
academy,  Chicago,  and  subsequently  became  in 
turn  principal  of  the  high  schools  of  Tekamah, 
North  Platte  and  Brownville  in  the  state  of 
Nebraska.  In  1881  he  accepted  the  chair  of  nat- 
ural science  in  Coe  College,  at  Cedar  Rapids, 
Iowa,  an  institution  just  then  chartered  as  a  col- 
lege under  the  synod  of  Iowa.  He  contributed 
largely  to  the  work  of  establishing  the  institu- 
tion upon  a  broad  and  progressive  basis,  and  also 
entered  actively  into  educational  work  in  the 
state  at  large.  In  1884  he  was  invited  to  the 
state  normal  school  of  Rhode  Island,  upon  the 
recommendation  of  his  former  associate  and 
friend,  Gen.  T.  J.  Morgan,  who  had  become  prin- 
cipal of  that  institution.  He  taught  physics  and 
the  biological  sciences,  and  assisted  in  admin- 
istrative work,  and  later  became  teacher  of 
pedagogy.  In  1892  he  was  advanced  to  the  prin- 
cipalship.  During  the  six  years  of  his  admin- 
istration the  school  passed  through  the  period 
of  its  most  rapid  development.  A  training  de- 
partment was  established  upon  a  unique  plan, 
which  continues  to  be  characteristic  of  the  school 


system  of  the  state.  A  new  building  for  the 
school  was  erected  during  the  years  from  1895  to 
1898,  which  cost  more  than  $300,000,  and  which 
was  at  the  time  of  its  erection  regarded  as  the 
most  complete  and  suitable  for  its  purpose  in 
this  country.  In  connection  with  .his  work  as  an 
educator,  Prof.  Wilson  has  held  the  office  of 
superintendent  of  schools  both  in  Nebraska  and 
in  Rhode  Island,  and  has  worked  for  the  cause 
of  higher  education  both  with  the  pen  and  on  the 
lecture  platform ;  in  each  capacity  he  has  been 
eminently  successful. 

On  June  30,  1881,  Prof.  Wilson  was  married 
in  Ceredo,  West  Virginia,  to  Miss  Florence  May 
Ramsdell,  a  native  of  Abington,  Massachusetts.  In 
1858,  she  was  taken  by  her  parents  to  the  place 
where  she  later  met  and  married  Prof.  Wilson. 
Here  she  attended  the  grammar  school,  and 
afterwards  the  state  normal  school  at  Hunting- 
ton, West  Virginia.  She  then  taught  for  a  time, 
after  which  she  finished  her  education  at  Hillsdale 
College,  in  Michigan.  Her  father  was  Zophar 
D.  Ramsdell,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Maine,  and 
by  occupation  a  shoe  manufacturer.  His  pater- 
nal ancestor  came  from  England  in  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  ship  on  which  he  came  was 
wrecked  off  the  Massachusetts  shore,  and  Mr. 
Ramsdell  was  forced  to  swim  to  land.  He  set- 
tled on  the  coast,  north  of  Plymouth,  and  froiti 
this  point  his  descendants  spread  to  other  parts 
of  Massachusetts,  and  to  Connecticut,  and  later 
to  Maine,  where  Mrs.  Wilson's  father,  Zophar  D. 
Ramsdell,  was  born.  When  grown  to  manhood, 
Mr.  Ramsdell  removed  to  Abington,  Massachusetts, 
and  began  manufacturing  shoes.  In  1858  he  re- 
moved with  his  family  to  West  Virginia,  settling  on 
the  Ohio  river  at  Ceredo.  He  took  an  active  part  in 
the  heated  political  discussions  of  the  time,  and 
with  ardent,  loyal  citizens  of  W'ayne  county, 
conducted  a  vigorous  and  successful  campaign 
to  prevent  the  county  from  voting  for  secession. 
His  father  had  served  in  the  Continental  army, 
under  Washington,  and  also  in  the  War  of  1812, 
and  he  was  among  the  first  to  enlist  in  the  War 
for  the  Union  in  1861.  He  served  throughout 
the  war,  first  as  quartermaster  of  the  Fifth  Vir- 
ginia infantry  ami  afterward  as  a  brigade  quar- 
termaster in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac ;  he  was 
among  those  who  witnessed  the  surrender  of 
Gen.  Lee  at  Appomattox.  After  the  war  he  was 
appointed  by  President  Grant  to  establish  post- 
offices  in  the  reconstructed  states,  and  afterward 
as  a  postal  detective,  in  which  capacitv  he  trav 
eled  widely  throughout  the  central  and  southern 
states.      He    died    at    Ceredo,    West   Virginia,    in 

issr>. 

Mrs.  Wilson's  mother,  Almeda  (Alden) 
Ramsdell.  was  the  daughter  of  Chandler  Alden, 
who  was  eighth  in  descent  from  the  immortal 
John  Alden.  She  still  lives  in  Ceredo.  Mrs. 
Wilson  has  one  brother,  William  Ramsdell,  who 


798 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


likewise  lives  at  Ceredo,  and  three  sisters,  Mrs. 
J.  H.  YVhorton,  Lake  City,  Florida;  Mrs.  Cowley, 
Ceredo,  West  Virginia,  and  Mrs.  Blood,  Ports- 
mouth, Ohio.  Prof.  Wilson  has  one  brother,  Charles 
Cist,  and  four  sisters,  Mrs.  Anna  Scott,  wife  of  Rev. 
T.  L.  Scott.  D.  D.,  Jhelam,  India;  James  Leiben- 
dorfer,  Elwoocl.  Pennsylvania ;  Mrs.  J.  W.  Max- 
well, of  Celia,  Pennsylvania,  and  Mrs.  Samuel  Mc- 
Kinney,  Zelienople,  Pennsylvania.  To  Prof,  and 
Mrs.  Wilson  have  been  born  five  children :  Ralph, 
born  April  28,  1882;  Florence  Alden,  born  August 
5,  1883 ;  Stanley  Ramsdell,  and  Francis  Thompson, 
born  August  23,  1887,  and  Carrie  Lucile,  born  Sep- 
tember 1,  1889.  The  eldest  son,  Ralph,  died  July 
27,  1882. 

In  1898  the  board  of  trustees  offered  to  Prof. 
Wilson  the  principalship  of  the  state  normal 
school  at  Ellensburg.  This  offer  he  accepted,  and 
left  Rhode  Island  at  once  to  assume  charge  of 
that  institution.  His  superior  capabilities  were 
soon  felt  in  the  school  and  recognized  in  the 
state.  The  prosperity  of  the  school  continued 
and  increased,  the  faculty  was  strengthened,  the 
course  of  study  was  revised  and  lengthened,  and 
the  accommodations  improved.  In  1899  the  state 
legislature  passed  an  act  providing  for  opening 
the  normal  school  at  Whatcom,  and  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  one  at  Cheney.  Naturally,  these  two 
institutions  located  near  the  centers  of  popula- 
tion, and  at  the  opposite  ends  of  the  state,  drew 
from  the  attendance  at  the  Ellensbure  school.  It 
has  maintained  its  prestige  and  grown  in  favor 
as  one  of  the  leading  normal  schools  of  the 
Pacific  slope.  Prof.  Wilson  holds  membership 
in  the  Beta  Theta  Pi,  and  in  the  Temple  of  Honor 
fraternities.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  social 
leaders  in  their  chosen  citv. 


R.  LEE  PURDIX.  Among  the  citizens  of  Kit- 
titas county  who  are  filling  positions  of  honor  and 
trust,  none  is  held  in  higher  esteem  than  the 
county  treasurer,  R.  L.  Purdin.  Mr.  Purdin  has 
been  in  the  treasurer's  office  since  January,'  1897, 
first  serving  as  deputy  under  C.  H.  Flummerfelt. 
In  1900  and  in  1902  he  was  the  regular  nominee 
of  the  Democratic  party  for  the  office  of  treasurer 
and  was  both  times  elected.  In  1896  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  postmaster  at  Ellensburg  and 
served  in  this  capacity  until  his  appointment  as  dep- 
uty treasurer  of  the  county.  Previous  to  this  period 
he  was  a  teacher  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
county,  having  received  his  education  in  the  State 
Normal  at  Ellensburg  and  in  the  common  and  high 
schools  of  North  Yakima,  to  which  place  he  came 
with  his  parents  from  Walla  Walla  in  1875.  Mr. 
Purdin  was  born  in  Walla  Walla  in  September, 
1873.  His  father  was  James  H.  Purdin,  a  native 
farmer  and  horse  dealer  of  Boone  county,  Missouri, 
where  he  was  born  in  1835.  The  father  was  of 
Irish    extraction,    his   parents    having    immigrated 


early  in  the  eighteenth  century  direct  from  the 
Emerald  Isle.  During  the  Civil  war  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  home  guards,  having  been  rejected  from 
the  regular  army  on  account  of  physical  disabili- 
ties. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  crossed  the  Plains 
10  Idaho,  and  after  a  few  years  spent  about  the 
mining  camps  of  that  region,  still  in  the  horse  busi- 
ness, he  eventually  settled  in  Walla  Walla.  The 
wife  and  mother,  Adaline  (Cleman)  Purdin,  who 
still  lives,  was  born  in  northwest  Missouri,  in  1846, 
her  ancestors  being  of  English  descent. 

In  November,  1897,  R.  L.  Purdin  was  married 
in  Ellensburg  to  Miss  Mary  Huss,  a  daughter  of 
Harvey  Huss,  who  crossed  the  Plains  with  Mr.  Pur- 
din's  father  in  1864.  Mr.  Huss  was  born  in  Ohio 
in  1840  and  the  daughter  in  Canyon  City,  Oregon, 
in  1876.  Mrs.  Purdin's  mother  is  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri. The  mother's  name  is  Jane  (Graham)  Huss. 
The  parents  now  live  in  the  Kittitas  valley.  Mrs. 
R.  L.  Purdin  has  nine  brothers  and  sisters,  all  liv- 
ing in  Kittitas  valley:  William  S.,  Katherine,  Ed- 
ward, James,  Naomi.  Oscar,  Frank,  Bird  T.  and 
Anthony.  Mr.  Purdin  has  seven  brothers  living  in 
North  Yakima:  Hugh  B.,  Owen  E.,  Lloyd  W., 
Walter  J.  and  Wallace  A.,  twins,  Charles  J.  and 
Ralph  N.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Purdin  have  two  children, 
Edith  and  "Baby."  The  family  is  identified  with 
the  Presbyterian  church,  of  which  the  parents  are 
members.  Mr.  Purdin  is  a  past  chancellor  com- 
mander of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  for  four 
years  has  been  clerk  of  ihe  local  camp  of  the  Wood- 
men of  the  World.  He  has  always  been  an  active 
participant  in  both  local  and  state  politics  and  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  state  central  committee  of 
th;  Democratic  party.  He  was  for  several  years 
secretary  of  the  county  Democratic  committee,  and 
since  he  has  been  old  enough  to  vote,  has  at  all 
times  been  a  hard  working  and  an  influential  mem- 
ber of  this  party.  He  was  a  member  of  the  city 
council  for  a  time,  but  was  compelled  to  resign  this 
position  because  of  the  press  of  other  duties.  Hav- 
ing grown  to  manhood  in  the  Yakima  and  Kittitas 
valleys,  and  being  a  close  student  of  affairs,  Mr. 
Purdin  is  familiar  with  the  history  of  the  settle- 
ment and  development  of  this  section  of  the  coun- 
try, with  which  he  has  become  thoroughly  identi- 
fied. Besides  having  invested  in  farm  lands  here, 
he  is  an  operator  in  the  oil  fields  of  California. 
Mr.  Purdin  has  had  a  successful  past  and  has  a 
promising  future. 


SAMUEL  T.  PACKWOOD,  whose  home  is 
two  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Ellensburg,  came 
to  the  Kittitas  valley  in  1874.  He  was  born  in 
Platte  county,  Missouri,  July  4,  1842,  and  previous 
to  coming  to  Washington  resided  in  Barry  county, 
the  same  state.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and  Abigail 
(Tinder)  Packwood,  the  former  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia. The  elder  Packwood  was  born  February  22, 
1804,  and  moved  from  Virginia  to  Jackson  county, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


Indiana,  in  1825.  He  was  married  here  in  1S31 
and  in  1836  moved  to  Platte  county,  Missouri.  In 
1845  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  his  family,  passing 
through  the  Willamette  valley  and  locating  on 
Puget  Sound.  From  the  Sound  country  he  re- 
moved in  1849  to  California  and  in  1853  returned 
to  Barry  county,  Missouri,  where  he  died  in  1879. 
His  wife,  who  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  died  in 
1852,  during  their  residence  in  California,  and  was 
buried  near  Salmon  Palls.  Her  parents  were  pio- 
neers of  Indiana.  Samuel  T.  Packwood  accom- 
panied his  parents  across  the  Plains,  both  to  and 
from  the  Northwest,  and  continued  in  the  Missouri 
home  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  working 
on  the  farm  and  attending  the  common  schools  of 
his  nat've  county.  In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Shelby's 
division  of  Gen.  Price's  army  and  served  until  the 
spring  of  1863,  when  he  was  captured  by  the  Fed- 
erals and  taken  to  the  government  prison  at  Rock 
Isbnd,  Illinois.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Company 
K,  Lecond  U.  S.  volunteers,  serving  with  this  regi- 
.ment  until  his  honorable  discharge,  November  22, 
1865,  participating  in  the  battles  of  Wilson  Creek, 
Pea  Ridge  and  many  other  noted  engagements  of 
the  war.  At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to 
Missouri,  settling  in  Barry  county  and  engaging  in 
farming  and  kindred  pursuits.  In  1874,  by  mule 
team  conveyance,  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  his  fam- 
ily, settling  in  West  Kittitas  valley,  on  what  is  still 
known  as  the  S.  T.  Packwood  homestead.  In  1901 
he  removed  to  the  S.  R.  Geddis  place,  also  in  West 
Kittitas,  where  he  still  resides.  Mr.  Packwood  was 
married  in  Rocky  Comfort,  Missouri,  December  24, 
i860,  to  Miss  Margaret  F.  Holmes,  daughter  of 
Oliver  and  Midia  (Jones)  Holmes,  the  father  a 
native  of  Virginia  and  the  mother  of  Mississippi. 
Both  parents  are  dead.  Mrs.  Packwood  has  two  sis- 
ters living  in  Ellensburg  :  Mrs.  Modina  Russell  and 
Mrs.  Ann  Murray.  Mr.  Packwood  has  six  sisters 
liv'ng:  Mesdames  Margaret  Shaser,  Lucinda  Proc- 
tor, Melinda  Smith,  Elvira  Lee,  Elizabeth  McClure, 
and  Miss  Mary  Packwood.  One  brother,  Isaac, 
and  one  sister,  Ann,  are  dead.  The  children  of  Mr. 
rnd  Mrs.  Packwood  are:  John  I.,  born  September 
29,  1861,  living  in  Cle-Elum ;  Airs.  Colly.  Brad- 
shaw,  born  June  4,  1874,  now  in  Ellensburg;  Oliver 
Franklin,  born  January  11,  1878,  living  in  West 
Kittitas  valley;  William,  born  September  23,  1879, 
residing:  on  the  old  homestead ;  Harvey  and  Harry 
(twins),  born  April  28.  1880,  living  at  home.  Sam- 
uel T.,  Jr.,  Farnetta  and  George  W.  (twins),  and 
another  daughter,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Hollenbeck.  are 
dead.  Although  making  his  home  in  the  country, 
Mr.  Packwood  is  identified  with  numerous  business 
interests  and  maintains  offices  in  Ellensburg.  He 
has  been  prominent  in  the  political  as  well  as  in 
the  industrial  history  of  the  county ;  has  served  two 
terms  as  justice  of  the  peace  for  West  Kittitas ;  was 
active  in  securing  legislation  providing  for  the  cre- 
ation of  Kittitas  county,  and,  in  1883.  was  appointed 
one  of  the  commissioners  for  the  new  countv.     At 


the  fi  st  election  held  in  Kittitas  county,  18S4,  he 
was  chosen  sheriff ;  resigned  as  commissioner  in 
December,  1884,  and  served  as  sheriff  until  1889. 
For  many  years  he  has  devoted  his  energies  and  his 
capital  to  the  construction  of  irrigation  canals 
throughout  the  county  and  he  is  a  recognized  leader 
in  this  field  of  enterprise.  He  has  been  closely 
identified  with  the  construction  of  every  canal  of 
importance  in  the  county,  from  the  Tanum  ditch,, 
built  in  1875,  on  which  he  worked  for  $1.50  per 
day,  to  the  Cascade  canal  now  building.  Of  the 
company  having  this  great  work  in  charge,  he  is 
president  and  principal  stockholder.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Ellensburg  Canal  Company  and  of  the 
West  Side  Canal  Company.  Mr.  Packwood  figured 
prominently  in  the  pioneer  life  of  the  county ;  was 
chosen  captain  of  the  home  guards  during  the  Indian 
troubles  of  1878  and  has  ever  been  an  active  factor 
in  the  development  of  the  county's  resources.  Be- 
sides his  extensive  canal  holdings,  he  is  heavily  in- 
terested in  valley  lands  and  in  livestock,  and  owns 
one  of  the  most  comfortable  homes  in  the  valley. 
Politically,  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Democratic 
party.  He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason  and  also 
belongs  to  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  influential  and  highly  esteemed 
pioneers  of  the  Kittitas  valley  and  of  central  Wash- 
ington. 


JOHN  C.  McCAULEY,  M.  D.  Prominent  in 
the  medical  fraternity  and  among  the  business  men 
of  Ellensburg  is  John  C.  McCauley,  physician  and 
surgeon,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch.  He 
was  born  March  29,  1861,  in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa, 
w  here  the  first  four  years  of  his  life  were  spent.  His 
father,  Samuel  D.  McCauley,  from  whom  the  son 
evidently  has  inherited  his  choice  of  a  profession, 
was  born  in  Scotland,  in  1820,  and  at  the  advanced 
age  of  eighty-three  is  spending  his  declining  years 
at  the  home  of  his  son  in  Ellensburg.  From  young 
manhood  the  father  has  followed  the  medical  pro- 
fession, practicing  first  near  Mansfield.  Ohio,  then 
in  Cedar  Rapids,  Iowa;  in  iS65  he  emigrated  from 
Iowa  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Portland.  Pie  has  ever 
been  an  active  man  in  political  affairs,  being  iden- 
tified with  the  Republican  party,  first  as  one  of  its 
founders  and  subsequently  as  one  of  its  most  ardent 
and  influential  supporters.  Bathsheha  (Smith) 
McCauley,  the  mother,  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Iowa.  1829.  and  died  in  Cedar  Rapids  in  1815.  She 
was  of  German  and  English  extraction,  her  parents 
having  been  pioneers  of  Iowa  and  also  of  Oregon. 
Fer  father  founded  the  Oregon  Pottery  Company 
of  Portland,  which  his  son,  A.  M.  Smith,  oper- 
ated until  the  year  1901,  when  he  died,  leaving  the 
valuable  property  in  the  hands  of  his  son,  A.  M. 
Smith,  Jr.  This  polterv,  the  oldest  in  Oregon,  was 
established  at  Buena  Vista,  with  headquarters  in 
Portland.  Shortly  after  comine  to  Portland  the 
e'dir  McCaulev  removed  his  family  to  Salem,  where 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the}-  lived  until  1872;  at  that  time  the  family  took 
up  its  abode  at  Staten.  There  the  subject  of  this 
biography  grew  to  young  manhood,  receiving  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools.  From  the 
public  schools  he  went  to  the  state  university  at 
Eugene  and  later  attended  the  Willamette  Univer- 
sity, from  the  medical  department  of  which  he  was 
graduated  in  1884.  Following  his  graduation,  the 
•young  physician  began  the  practice  of  his  chosen 
profession  at  Brownsville,  Oregon,  where  he  was  a 
successful  practitioner  for  three  years.  .  Leaving 
Brownsville,  he  went  to  Seattle,  where  he  remained 
a  year,  then  became  a  resident  of  Ellensburg.  Be- 
sides pursuing  his  profession  with  creditable  suc- 
cess. Dr.  McCauley  has  operated  extensively  in  real 
estate  since  coming  to  Ellensburg.  and  is  at  the 
present  time  prominently  identified  with  the  mining 
interests  of  the  state. 

Dr.  McCauley  and  Miss  Maria  Elizabeth 
Sprague,  the  daughter  of  Edward  J.  and  Elizabeth 
(Lafferty)  Sprague,  of  Portland,  Oregon,  were 
united  in  marriage  in  1885,  the  ceremony  taking 
place  in  the  city  mentioned.  Mr.  Sprague  is  a 
native  of  England.  He  came  to  Portland  in  1878 
and  for  many  years  filled  the  responsible  position  of 
superintendent  of  the  Portland  Iron  Works  ma- 
chine shop.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sprague  are  now  living 
in  Washington.  Dr.  McCauley  has  only  one  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  E.  B.  Sellwood,  who  resides  in  Portland. 
Mrs.  McCauley  was  born  in  Youngstown,  Ohio,  and 
came  west  with  her  parents  in  1878.  One  son, 
John  W.,  fifteen  years  of  age,  has  blessed  the  mar- 
riage of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McCauley.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Episcopalian  faith.  Since  coming 
to  Ellensburg,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  McCauley  have  been 
closely  connected  with  the  social  life  of  the  city  and 
have  gathered  around  them  a  wide  circle  of  loyal 
friends.  Fraternally,  the  doctor  is  affiliated  with 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Odd  Fellows,  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  the  Elks.  Politically,  he  is  an  influ- 
ential and  active  Republican  and  has  been  honored 
by  his  fellow  men  with  the  offices  of  mayor  and 
councilman  of  Ellensburg.  Probably  no  man  in  the 
city  has  been  more  interested  in  and  closely  allied 
with  the  upbuilding  and  advancement  of  his  com- 
munity than  Dr.  John  C.  McCauley. 


WARREN  A.  THOMAS.  Among  the  educa- 
tors of  central  Washington,  Warren  A.  Thomas, 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  in  Kittitas 
county,  is  one  of  the  most  successful,  both  in  the 
work  of  the  schoolroom  and  in  the  organization 
of  teachers  and  schools  for  the  most  effective 
work  in  the  advancement  of  educational  matters 
toward  a  higher  degree  of  perfection.  The  fact 
that  he  has  been  twice  elected  to  the  same  posi- 
tion is  conclusive  evidence  of  his  special  qual- 
ifications as  an  educator.  Mr.  Thomas  came  to 
Kittitas  county  in  1888  and  settled  in  Ellensburg, 
since    which    time    he   has    been    almost    contin- 


uously in  school  work.  At  one  time  he  left  the 
county,  going  to  Port  Orchard,  on  the  Sound, 
where  for  eighteen  months  he  was  engaged  in 
editing  a  weekly  newspaper.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  this  short  period,  however,  he  has  lived 
in  Ellensburg,  where  his  time  has  been  spent  in 
school  w'ork.  In  1896  Mr.  Thomas  was  the  reg- 
ular candidate,  on  the  Fusion  ticket,  for  county 
superintendent  of  schools  and  was  elected.  Two 
years  later  he  was  again  the  Fusion  candidate, 
but  was  this  time  defeated.  During  his  first  term 
he  became  convinced  that  the  country  schools 
should  and  could  be  graded ;  that  it  would  make 
the  work  of  the  teachers  and  the  advancement  of 
the  pupils  in  every  way  more  effective  and  satis- 
factory-. In  the  work  of  grading  these  schools 
he  met  with  a  great  deal  of  opposition,  the  coun- 
trv  school  boards  not  being  in  sympathy  with  the 
movement,  believing  it  to  be  an  innovation  that 
would  prove  a  hindrance  rather  than  a  help. 
This  opposition  is  believed  to  have  been  respon- 
sible for  his  defeat  in  the  second  campaign.  In* 
1900  he  became  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic 
party  for  the  same  position  and  was  elected  by 
a  good  plurality.  For  the  second  time  he  took 
charge  of  the  office  in  August,  1901.  During  this 
term  he  has  graded  all  the  country  schools  of  the 
county  and  has  had  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing 
the  complete  success  of  his  efforts  and  of  receiv- 
ing the  approval  of  all  the  county  boards.  King 
county  is  the  only  other  county  in  the  state 
where  the  country  schools  have  been  successfully 
.graded,  and  the  superintendent  of  Kittitas 
county  is  certainly  deserving  of  great  credit  for 
the  accomplishment  of  this  difficult  task.  His 
second  term  of  office  expired  August  31,  1903. 
Mr.  Thomas  was  born  in  Brown  county,  Illinois, 
December  28,  1861.  James  R.  Thomas,  his 
father,  also  a  native  of  Brown  countyr,  now  lives 
at  Thorp,  Washington.  The  father  is  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war;  was  a  soldier  of  the  115th  Illi- 
nois infantry,  which  was  with  General  Thomas 
at  Resaca,  and  in  many  other  of  the  famous  bat- 
tles of  the  rebellion.  The  grandfather  before 
him  was  a  pioneer  of  Illinois  and  was  in  the 
War  of  1812.  James  R.  Thomas  was  a  pioneer 
of  Nebraska,  the  family  having  moved  to  Ham- 
ilton county,  that  state,  in  1873.  Warren 
Thomas'  mother  was  Rachel  A.  (Cline)  Thomas, 
a  native  of  Indiana,  where  she  was  born  in  1836; 
she  is  still  living  in  Kittitas  county.  The  parents 
of  our  subject  first  moved  from  Illinois  to  Mis- 
souri during  his  infancy ;  thence,  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  to  Iowa,  near  Monroe,  where  the  father 
operated  a  sawmill  for  a  number  of  years. 
When  the  family  moved  to  Hamilton  county, 
Nebraska,  in  1873,  the  father  took  a  homestead, 
and  here  the  son  Warren  grew  to  manhood, 
working  on  the  farm  and  attending  the  common 
schools,  beginning  his  career  as  a  teacher  at  the 
age  of  nineteen.     A  few  years  later  he  learned 


JULIUS   CESAR    HUBBELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


telegraphy  and  worked  for  a  time  as  an  operator, 
but  eventually  took  up  his  life  work  as  a  teacher. 
In  1887  Mr.  Thomas  was  united  in  marriage 
to  Miss  Bertha  E.  Shears,  a  daughter  of  George 
N.  and  Charlotte  (Storrs)  Shears,  of  New  York, 
where  Mrs.  Thomas  was  born  in  1869.  Her 
parents  are  living  at  Norman,  Oklahoma,  the  father 
being  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business,  tie 
is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war ;  is  a  skilled  mechanic 
and  a  successful  inventor.  Mr.  Thomas  has  three 
brothers  living;  James,  at  Cle-Elum ;  Ira  E.,  an 
Oregon  farmer,  and  Charles,  a  teacher,  who  lives 
at  Thorp.  His  sisters  are  Ella,  Anna  (deceased), 
Alice  and  Nora.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thomas,  all  of  whom  are  at  home,  are  Francis, 
Myrtle,  Florence  I.,  Sylvan  and  Frances  I.  Mr. 
Thomas  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Brotherhood 
of  America  ;  is  independent  in  his  political  views ; 
is  public  spirited  and  keeps  well  posted  on  educa- 
tional and  other  matters  that  occupy  the  minds 
of  the  thoughtful  and  progressive  men  of  the  day. 
He  is  the  editor  and  publisher  of  the  School 
Bulletin,  which  was  established  in  1901,  and  is 
devoted  to  educational  affairs  purely.  Mr. 
Thomas  is  esteemed  by  all  as  a  man  of  learning 
and  especial  executive  ability,  and  is  one  of  the 
foremost  citizens  of  Ellensburg, 


JULIUS  CAESAR  HUBBELL,  manager  of 
the  Ellensburg  Water  Supply  Company,  dealer 
in  real  estate  and  insurance  agent,  is  one  of  the 
unique  characters  of  his  town.  He  was  born  in  Clin- 
ton county.  New  York,  June  4.  1863.  His  father, 
John  W.  Hubbell,  is  still  living  in  New  York, 
his  native  state,  at  the  age  of  seventy-five.  Mr. 
Hubbell.  Sr.,  at  one  time  held  the  office  of  colonel 
in  the  Thirty-second  New  York  infantry.  The  sub- 
ject's grandfather  and  namesake  was  once  num- 
bered among  the  wealthiest  men  of  New  York; 
and  his  great-grandfather  has  the  honor,  during 
the  Revolutionary  war,  of  marching  and  serving 
under  Gen.  George  Washington's  command.  The 
line  of  ancestors  numbers  Richard  Hubbell,  one 
of  the  famous  Mayflower's  passengers.  J.  C.  Hub- 
bell's  mother  was,  before  her  marriage,  Miss  Mar- 
garet Beckwith,  daughter  of  Judge  Beckwith  of 
the  county  of  Clinton.  Xew  York,  and  she  as  well  as 
her  husband  boasted  a  good,  patriotic  family,  for 
her  mother's  father  was  Gen.  Benjamin  Moores, 
a  commander  at  the  battle  of  Pittsburgh  in  the 
War  of  1812.  J.  C.  Hubbell  passed  his' boyhood 
in  the  state  of  his  birth.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  he  was  graduated  from  Williams  college, 
vyhereupon  he  assumed  the  position  of  chemist  of  the 
Crown  Point  Iron  Company.  Later,  he  occupied 
a  like  position  in  the  emplov  of  the  Chautauguay 
(Oregon)  Iron  Company.  In  the  spring  of  '93 
Mr.  Hubbell  came  to  Ellensburg  under  engage- 
ment to  take  the  management  of  the  Ellensburg 
Water    Supply    Company,    which    position    he    still 


holds.  Besides  his  work  for  the  water  com- 
pany, Mr.  Hubbell  has  carried  on  an  extensive 
insurance  business.  That  his  executive  ability 
and  capacity  for  business  are  recognized  by  his 
constituents  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  upon  the 
Kittitas  Valley  National  Bank's  becoming  in- 
solvent he  was  appointed  by  the  court  to  act  in 
the  capacity  of  receiver,  July  10,  1896,  and  in 
a  creditable  and  satisfactory  manner  he  closed 
up  the  business  of  that  defunct  institution. 

June  11,  1889,  Julius  Caesar  Hubbell  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Carrie  L.  Loomis.  a 
member  of  a  prominent  old  Massachusetts  family. 
Mrs.  Hubbell  was  born  in  Springfield,  Massachu- 
setts, and  is  a  college  graduate.  She  is  a  niece 
of  Judge  Hoyt,  a  widely  known  jurist  of  St. 
Albans,  Vermont.-  To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hubbell 
have  been  born  four  children :  Wolcott,  Francis, 
Beckwith  and  Ruth.  The  father  himself  is  a 
member  of  a  family  of  eleven  children.  The  re- 
ligious connections  of  the  family  are  with  the 
Congregational  church.  In  politics  Mr.  Hubbell 
has  always  taken  an  active  interest.  He  is  allied 
with  the  Republican  party.  Durin"-  his  residence 
in  Ellensburg  the  subject  has  accumulated  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  valuable  property,  being  the 
owner  of  the  Geddis  block  and  the  Brick  Bank 
building,  the  only  brick  building  left  from  the  fire 
of  1889  in  Ellenburg,  and  several  hundred  acres 
of  choice  valley  land,  besides  one  of  the  hand- 
somest homes  in  the  city. 


THOMAS  F.  MEAGHER.  The  proprietor 
of  the  People's  meat  market  at  Ellensburg, 
Washington,  has  had  an  adventurous  career.  Son  of 
Nicholas  Meagher,  a  California  pioneer  who 
crossed  the  Plains  at  the  time  of  the  gold  excite- 
ment, Mr.  Meagher  started  out  to  battle  with  the 
world  when  but  ten  years  of  age.  His  father  was  a 
resident  pioneer  of  Shasta,  California,  where 
Thomas  Meagher  was  born  March  16,  1853.  His 
mother  died  when  Thomas  was  a  small  child  and 
he  was  taken  to  raise  by  outside  people  and  has 
never  been  with  his  own  folks  since.  He  worked 
on  a  farm  and  when  he  had  a  chance  he  attended 
school.  When  he  was  eighteen  years  old  he 
went  to  work  for  wages,  the  first  he  ever  re- 
ceived, and  from  that  time  on  was  independent. 
His  father,  in  the  meantime,  had  located  at  Port 
Angeles,  Washington,  and  owned  nearly  the  whole 
town,  so  he  went  there  for  a  year.  He  remained 
at  different  places  on  Puget  Sound  for  about 
eight  years,  and  in  1877  he  moved  to  Ellensburg. 
That  was  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  war.  In  part- 
nership with  Mr.  Kenneth  lie  ran  a  threshing- 
machine  in  Kittitas  county  for  three  years  and 
look  up  a  farm.  Later  he  spent  several  years 
riding  the  range  and  then  went  into  part- 
nership with  J.  H.  Smithson  in  the  butchering 
business.       They    were    partners    for    seven    years, 


802 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  supplied  meat  to  the  railroad  contractors  at 
the  time  the  road  was  built  into  Ellensburg.  In 
1S85  he  sold  out  to  his  partner  and  started  min- 
ing in  the  Swauk  district.  He  was  the  discoverer 
of  Williams  creek.  The  town  of  Meagherville 
was  named  in  his  honor.  He  took  out  about 
$65,000  from  the  Discovery  and  Teresa  claims, 
which  he  worked  until  1898,  when  he  sold  them 
at  a  good  price.  He  still  owns  a  part  of  the 
Bigney  mine  and  the  town  of  Meagher.  He  re- 
turned to  Ellensburg  and  engaged  in  copper 
mining  at  Mount  Stuart.  He  was  also  in  the 
fish  business  for  a  year,  and  disposed  of  it.  Then 
he  started  up  his  present  butcher  business.  Wil- 
liam Rhempke,  his  partner,  died  a  few  days  after 
they  started  out,  and  Mr.  Meagher  bought  the 
interest  of  the  estate  and  has'  since  conducted  it 
alone. 

Mr.  Meagher  was  married  in  1885  to  Eliz- 
abeth Mitchels,  a  native  of  Minnesota.  Her 
parents,  Martin  and  Margaret  Mitchels,  are  na- 
tives of  Germany,  and  are  pioneer  residents  of 
the  Kittitas  country,  owning  a  farm  near  Ellens- 
burg. They  have  four  children,  Martin  and  Mar- 
guerite, who  are  attending  school,  and  Louis 
and  Agatha.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Catholic  church.  Mr.  Meagher  is  a  Republican 
and  an  active  party  worker.  He  attends  cau- 
cuses and  conventions  and  is  at  present  a 
member  of  the  Ellensburg  city  council,  repre- 
senting the  second  ward.  In  addition  to  his 
butcher  business  he  has  large  mining  interests 
and  owns   considerable   farm   and   city  property. 


FREMONT  L.  CALKINS  is  the  principal 
of  the  public  schools,  at  Ellensburg,  Washing- 
ton, a  position  he  has  filled  with  conspicuous 
success  since  1901.  Since  his  graduation  from 
the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  school  at  Val- 
paraiso, in  1882,  Mr.  Calkins  has  been  constantly 
engaged  in  his  profession  with  unvarying  suc- 
cess. The  high  reputation  of  the  city  schools  of 
Ellensburg  is  a  testimony  to  his  ability  as  an 
educator.  Mr.  Calkins  was  born  in  Knox 
county,  Illinois,  February  12,  i860.  His  father, 
Albert  Calkins,  born  in  New  York  in  1808,  was 
a  pioneer  Illinois  farmer,  having  bought  land 
from  the  government  and  settled  in  that  state  in 
1836.  He  was  of  English  descent  and  traced  his 
ancestry  back  to  1636.  He  died  in  1896.  Mr. 
Calkins'  mother,  Lois  M.  (Park)  Calkins,  was 
born  in  Massachusetts  in  1815  and  died  in  1887. 
She  was  of  Welsh  extraction.  Her  ancestors 
were  early  settlers  in  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Calk- 
ins grew  to  manhood  in  Illinois,  working  on  his 
father's  farm  and  attending  the  common  schools. 
He  graduated  from  the  normal  school  in  1882 
and  was  in  turn  principal  of  the  Chatsworth,  Illi- 
nois, schools  for  four  years;  of  the  Chenoa,  Illi- 
nois,  schools  for  two  years ;  at   Gilson,   Illinois, 


for  a  year ;  at  Washington,  Illinois,  for  five 
years,  and  at  Delavan,  Illinois,  for  seven  years, 
beiore  coming  to  Washington  to  accept  his 
present  position.  He  has  four  brothers  living: 
Calvin,  of  Mount  Pleasant,  Iowa ;  Leonard,  of 
Oneida,  Illinois ;  Leroy,  of  Galesburg,  Illinois, 
and  Dwight,  of  Cambridge,  Nebraska. 

Mr.  Calkins  was  married  in  1895  to  Hellen 
P.  Parker,  a  native  of  Fredonia,  New  York,  who 
was  educated  in  that  city  and  in  the  State  Nor- 
mal school  there,  and  who  taught  for  a  number 
of  years.  Mrs.  Calkins  was  the  daughter  of  J.  J. 
and  Mary  (Wheelock)  Parker.  Her  father  was 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Parker  &  Co.,  large  seed 
dealers  of  Fredonia.  Her  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  Rev.  Dr.  W'heelock,  a  noted  divine 
of  the  Baptist  church  and  an  extensive  traveler. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calkins  have  five  children,  named 
Frederick  Park,  Forrest  F.,  Frances  Mary,  Julius 
Brown,  and  Norman  Floyd  Calkins.  Husband 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  Mr.  Calkins  is  a  Mason  and  a 
Knight  Templar  and  belongs  to  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  owns  a  fine  ranch  near 
Ellensburg:. 


CAPTAIN  ALFRED  C.  STEINMAN.  One 
of  the  substantial  business  houses  of  Ellensburg  is 
that  of  Stelnman,  Bros.,  grocers,  which  was  estab- 
lished in  1898.  Alfred  C.  Steinman,  of  this  firm, 
has  had  an  interesting  history,  which  we  take  pleas- 
ure in  publishing  in  this  volume.  Born  in  Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin,  July  2,  1862,  he  was  taken  by 
liis  parents  when  two  years  old  to  Waubashaw 
county,  Minnesota,  where  until  his  sixteenth  year 
he  worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  district 
schools.  At  this  age  he  entered  the  city  schools, 
completing  eventually  the  high  school  course  and 
teaching  one  term  after  graduation.  He  then  went 
into  a  general  merchandise  store,  clerking  for  seven 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  period  he  came  to  the 
Pacific  coast,  settling  soon  afterward  in  Ellensburg, 
where  for  eight  years  he  was  associated  with  Mr. 
Stowell  in  the  dry  goods  and  grocery  business.  In 
1898  the  partners  dissolved,  Mr.  Steinman  taking 
the  groceries,  and  with  his  brother,  William,  estab-  I 
lishing  the  business  in  which  the  two  have  since 
been  engaged.  He  has  been  connected  with  the 
National  Guard  since  1890,  a  good  portion  of  the 
time  as  the  captain  of  the  Ellensburg  company,  and 
in  1858,  the  entire  company  offering  its  services  to 
the  state,  it  was  mustered  into  the  United  States 
forces  as  Company  H,  First  Washington  infantry, 
XJ.  S.  volunteers,  Mr.  Steinman  remaining  the  cap- 
tain of  the  company  during  its  period  of  service 
in  1he  Spanish  war.  October  28  he  shipped  with 
the  company  from  Presidio,  California,  reaching 
Manila  December  1st.  The  force  spent  two  hun- 
dred and  thirty-six  days  on  the  firing  line  and  took 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


803 


part  in  engagements  around  Manila,  at  Laguna  de 
Bay,  Pasig,  Petaros,  Morong,  Tay  Tay,  Monta- 
loupe,  Calamba.  Santa  Cruz  and  other  places.  For 
nine  months  Captain  Steinman  commanded  a  bat- 
talion as  acting  major,  on  a  major's  pay,  while  in 
the  field.  The  company  left  Manila  September  3d, 
arriving  at  San  Francisco  October  11,  1899,  and, 
taking  advantage  of  Senator  Levi  Ankeny's  gener- 
ous offer,  sailed  for  Seattle  on  the  vessel  Queen, 
which  the  senator  had  chartered  for  this  purpose. 
Arriving  again  at  EHenburg,  Captain  Steinman  re- 
entered business  with  his  brother  at  the  old  stand, 
where  they  are  enjoying  a  prosperous  trade.  Mr. 
Steinman  is  now  captain  of  Company  C,  Washing- 
ton National  Guard,  organized  under  his  directions 
at  Ellensburg  May  27,  1903. 

Mr.  Steinman  was  married  in  1887  to  Jennie 
Reynolds,  a  native  of  Winona,  Minnesota,  where 
her  mother  is  still  living,  her  father  having  died 
many  years  since.  Mr.  Steinman  has  two  brothers 
and  three  sisters :  Christian  John.  Mary  and  Lucy, 
living  in  Minnesota:  Anna,  living  in  Washington, 
and  William,  the  partner,  at  Ellensburg. 

The  parents  of  Alfred  Steinman  are  Christian 
and  Mary  ( Wheeler )  Steinman,  both  natives  of 
Switzerland,  where  the  father  was  born  in  1829. 
They  were  married  in  their  native  land  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  185 1,  settling  in  Minnesota  and 
engaging  in  farming,  the  father  also  working  for 
a  time  at"  his  trade,  that  of  a  wagon  maker.  He 
cleared  a  farm  here,  which  he  conducted  with  the 
assistance  of  his  older  sons.  The  ancestors  of  the 
mother  were  educators  in  Switzerland  for  several 
generations  through  which  she  traces  her  lineage. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Steinman  are  members  of  the 
Method:st  chu-ch.  Mr.  Steinman  is  a  Republican 
and  keeps  well  posted  on  the  varied  issues  of  the 
day ;  he  was  the  candidate  of  the  Republican  party 
for  county  treasurer  in  1900,  but  failed  of  election. 
He  is  president  of  the  board  of  education  and  has 
been  connected  with  that  body  for  the  past  twelve 
vers.  He  believes  in  affording  the  best  possible 
educational  facilities  to  the  youths  of  city  and  coun- 
try and  is  untiring  in  his  efforts  for  advancement 
in  this  direction.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steinman  own  a 
pleasant  home  in  Ellensburg  and  are  held  in  high 
esteem  by  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  neighbors. 
One  pleasant  event  in  Captain  Steinman's  life  which 
he  remembers  with  pride  i-  the  visit  of  President 
Rcosevelt  to  Ellensburg  on  his  tour  of  the  west  in 
the  summer  of  1903.  With  that  feeling;  of  comrade- 
ship which  one  brave  soldier  holds  for  another, 
President  Roosevelt  upon  alighting  from  the  train 
called  for  Captain  Steinman,  and  after  a  hearty 
greeting  and  complimentary  remarks  insisted  upon 
his  being-  seated  upon  the  platform  while  he  made 
bis  address. 


HARRY    S.    ELWOOD.     The   Elwood    phar- 
macy is  too  well  known  to  the  citizens  of  Ellens- 


burg to  require  mention  in  this  volume  for  com- 
mercial reasons.  It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  arti- 
cle to  make  special  mention  of  the  business,  but  to 
write  biographies  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elwood  as  rep- 
resentative citizens  of  Ellensburg.  Harry  S.  El- 
wood was  born  April  4,  1866,  in  Leesburg,  Ohio. 
His  father  is  Clark  Elwood,  who  was  also  born  in 
Leesburg,  Ohio,  in  1839;  he  is  now  a  resident  of 
Ellensburg  and,  like  his  sen,  has  been  in  the  drug 
business.  The  paternal  grandfather,  Robert  El- 
wood, was  a  pioneer  of  Ohio.  He  had  three  broth- 
ers in  the  Civil  war,  one  a  private,  one  a  surgeon 
and  the  third  a  captain.  The  mother  of  Harry 
Elwood  was  Charlotte  (Hiskay)  Elwood,  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1839;  her  parents  were 
natives  of  the  same  state  and  were  pioneers  of  Jas- 
per county.  Iowa ;  she  had  one  brother,  Jehu,  in 
the  Civil  war.  Her  father  still  lives,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six.  The  subject  of  this  biography  spent 
his  early  life  in  the  public  schools  of  Leesburg, 
Ohio ;  attended-  school  later  at  Cincinnati,  taking  a 
regular  course  in  pharmacy,  and,  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  returned  to  Leesburg,  where  he  established 
himself  in  the  drug  business.  After  a  short  time  he 
moved  to  Washing-ton  Court  House,  continuing  in 
the  same  business.  In  1887  he  came  west,  settling 
in  Ellensburg,  and  accepting  a  position  in  the  drug 
sto-e  of  G.  B.  Henton,  remaining  in  his  employ  for 
several  years.  In  1895  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  W.  V.  Stephens,  but  in  1897  purchased  Mr. 
Stephens'  interest  in  the  firm  and  has  since  been 
sole  proprietor;  he  has  built  up  an  excellent  trade 
and  enjoys  the  patronage  of  the  best  citizens. 

In  1888  Mr.  Elwood  married  Miss  Florence  Kin- 
zer,  a  native  of  Ohio,  who  died  in  1892.  In  1898 
he  married  Miss  Elvira  Marquis,  a  native  of  Pu- 
laski, Pennsylvania.  Mrs.  Elwood  was  educated  in 
the  high  schools  and  in  the  Normal  of  her  native 
state  and  at  once  became  an  instructor ;  was  for  six 
years  a  teacher  in  the  State  Normal  at  Beaver  Falls, 
and  for  five  additional  years  in  the  Indiana  (Penn- 
sylvania) Normal.  She  came  to  Washington  to 
accept  a  position  as  instructor  in  the  State  Normal 
at  Ellensburg  and  continued  for  five  years  in  charge 
of  the  department  of  literature.  She  has  served 
two  years  as  recording  secretary,  and  two  years  as 
president,  of  the  Washington  State  Federation  of 
Women's  Chilis;  she  is  also  an  active  worker  in  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Mrs.  Elwood  is  the  daughter 
of  Andrew  Marquis,  a  farmer  and  a  native  of  Law- 
rence county,  Pennsylvania;  he  was  of  the  Nccrar 
stock,  of  Pennsylvania,  oi  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and 
died  when  the  daughter  was  a  child.  Her  mother 
was  Saphronia  (Dickey)  Marquis,  a  native  of  Sha- 
ron, Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania;  she  died  in  De- 
cember. 1898.  The  mother  was  descended  from 
the  \dams  family  of  Massachusetts,  Captain  Ben- 
jamin Adams,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  being  an  an- 
cestor. The  maternal  grand  father.  John  Dickey, 
was  a  prominent  politician  of  Pennsylvania,  a  mem- 
ber  of   the   state   constitutional   convention,'  of   the 


804 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


state  legislature  and,  in  later  years,  a  member  of 
congress  for  several  terms  from  western  Pennsyl- 
vania. At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  United 
States  marshal  for  the  state.  His  son,  Oliver  J. 
Dickey,  was  a  law  student  under  Thad.  Stevens 
and  eventually  succeeded  Mr.  Stevens  in  congress. 
Another  son,  Charles  Dickey,  organized  a  company 
and  served  as  its  captain  in  the  Civil  war  under 
General  Logan,  and  was  breveted  major  at  the  close 
of  the  war.  Andrew  Marquis'  brother,  D.  C.  Mar- 
quis, is  now  professor  of  Hebrew  in  the  McCormick 
Theological  Seminary  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Elwood 
has  a  brother,  Charles,  living  in  Philadelphia,  and  a 
a  sister,  Mrs.  Lydia  Brothers,  in  Tacoma.  John  L. 
Elwood,  a  physician  of  Tygh  Valley,  Oregon,  and 
Robert  W.  Elwood,  a  farmer  near  Ellensburg,  are 
brothers  of  Harry  S.  Elwood.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Elwood  have  one  daughter,  Lucile.  Mr.  Elwood 
holds  membership  in  the  fraternal  orders  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  a 
Republican,  but  not  an  active  politician.  By  close 
attention  to  business  and  by  adherence  to  honorable 
methods  in  all  his  dealings  with  others,  Mr.  Elwood 
has  made  a  success  of  life  and  has  earned  the  last- 
ing friendship  and  esteem  of  all  his  associates. 


DAVID  MURRAY,  a  pioneer  and  son  of  a  pio- 
neer, having  done  his  share  and  more  toward  the 
"winning  of  the  west,"  had  retired  from  active 
business  to  devote  his  entire  attention  to  caring  for 
his  large  interests,  at  his  home  in  Ellensburg,  Wash- 
ington, when  the  death  message  called  him  from 
the  scene  of  action  June  8,  1904.  Mr.  Murray  was 
born  in  Montville,  Waldo  county,  Maine,  in  Octo- 
ber, 1 83 1.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Maine,  where 
he  was  a  farmer  and  merchant.  He  was  a  pioneer 
in  Iowa,  moving  to  Dallas  county  in  1856,  where 
he  died  in  the  early  nineties.  He  was  an  active  Re- 
publican and  a  temperance  man,  and  had  served  as 
selectman  of  the  town.  His  wife,  Rhoda  (Clifford) 
Murray,  was  a  native  of  New  Hampshire.  She 
died  in  the  early  nineties,  also  after  fifty-six  years  of 
married  life.  David  Murray  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Maine  and  learned  the  trade  of 
stone  cutter.  He  left  there  and  came  around  the 
Horn  to  California  in  1852-3,  traveling  in  the  ship 
Queen  of  the  East,  on  which  the  dry  dock  was 
Drought  to  the  Mare  Island  navy  yard,  where  he 
worked  for  a  time.  Later  he  engaged  in  mining, 
lumbering  and  farming.  At  the  time  of  the  placer 
gold  excitement  he  joined  in  the  rush  to  the  Frazier 
river  fields  in  1862.  His  business  instincts  induced 
him  to  take  up  a  farm  on  the  banks  of  the  Frazier 
river,  from  which  he  furnished  supplies  to  the 
miners.  When  he  disposed  of  the  ranch  in  1868 
he  had  made  about  $10,000.  After  a  visit  east  he 
came  to  the  Yakima  valley  and  settled  in  Parker 
Bottom  and  engaged  in  stock  raising.  Having  the 
necessary  means  to  engage  ir  the  business  exten- 
sively, he  ranged  his  cattle    on    the   hills  as  far  as 


Kittitas  county.  He  was  living  on  his  ranch  there 
at  the  time  of  the  Indian  uprising  in  1877,  when 
his  neighbors,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perkins,  were  mur- 
dered by  Indians  at  Rattlesnake  Springs,  only 
twenty  miles  away.  In  1883  he  moved  from  Parker 
Bottom  to  Ellensburg.  Here  he  made  his  head- 
quarters until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  suc- 
cessful stockman,  ranging  as  high  as  four  thousand 
head  of  cattle  at  one  time  and  branding  as  many  as 
one  thousand  head  of  calves  in  a  season.  He  sold 
out  the  cattle  business  about  ten  years  ago. 

Mr.  Murray  was  married  in  1878  to  Minnie 
May,  who  died  in  1883.  His  present  wife  was  Miss 
Catharine  Mayer,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and 
raised  at  Elmira,  New  York,  who  was  employed 
for  a  number  of  years  as  bookkeeper  in  a  large 
Elmira  drygoods  store.  Mr.  Murray's  only  brother, 
Alfred,  is  a  retired  merchant,  living  at  Rockland, 
Maine.  One  sister,  Mrs.  Eliza  Peppard,  lives  in 
Iowa  and  the  other,  Mrs.  Ella  O'Dell,  is  a  resident 
of  North  Dakota.  Mr.  Murray  was  an  active  and 
energetic  Republican  and  served  as  a  member  of 
the  Yakima  county  board  of  commissioners  for  sev- 
eral years  and  was  also  a  member  of  the  Ellensburg 
city  council.  He  was  progressive  in  his  educa- 
tional ideas  and  had  much  to  do  toward  securing 
fine  school  buildings  for  the  city  where  he  lived. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  owned  in  real  estate  a 
2CO  acre  farm  adjoining  town,  and  also  the  Mur- 
ray addition  to  Ellensburg,  which,  in  addition  to 
looking  after  numerous  loans  and  investments,  oc- 
cupied his  time.  He  was  an  enthusiast  concerning 
the  Kittitas  country,  particr.'arly  regarding  its  ad- 
vantages for  stock  raising  and  farming,  in  which 
pursuits  he  acquired  his  fortune,  and  always  con- 
tended that  it  was  the  best  country  on  earth  for  an 
industrious  poor  man  to  get  to  the  front  in. 


REV.  WILLIAM  PARK,  the  pastor  of  the 
First  Methodist  Episcopal  church  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington,  determined  when  a  youth  to  become  a 
merchant.  For  five  years  he  was  in  business  as  a 
druggist,  becoming  thoroughly  qualified  as  a  phar- 
macist and  studying  medicine,  when,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  he  determined  upon  religious  work, 
feeling  that  he  was  called  to  this  higher  walk  in 
life.  He  was  born  in  Windsor,  Ontario,  March 
18,  1865,  being  the  son  of  Joseph  and  Isabella  (St. 
Clair)  Park,  both  natives  of  Scotland.  His  father 
was  a  marine  engineer  and  for  thirty-three  years 
prior  to  his  death  in  1899  was  chief  engineer  of 
the  car  boats  running  between  Detroit  and  Wind- 
sor. Mr.  Park  first  engaged  in  evangelistic  work 
in  Canada  and  later  extended  his  field  to  the  New 
England  states.  For  eleven  years  he  labored  in  this 
line,  seeing  hundreds  of  souls  brought  to  Christ 
through  his  efforts. 

'  Mr.  Park  was  married  in  1890  at  Windsor  to 
Jennie  Nister,  daughter  of  James  and  Anna  M. 
(Boise)   Nister,  both  natives  of  Holland,  in  which 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


country  Mrs.  Park  was  born.  Her  parents  came  to 
this  country  when  she  was  an  infant  and  her  father 
was  a  successful  merchant  at  Grand  Rapids,  Michi- 
gan. Mrs.  Park  was  converted  at  the  age  of  sev- 
enteen years  and  at  once  began  active  Christian 
work.  Three  years  later  she  was  engaged  in  evan- 
gelistic work  in  Michigan  and  Indiana.  She  fol- 
lowed this  line  of  endeavor  four  years  with  much 
success.  She  then  met  Mr.  Park  and  they  united  in 
a  double  sense,  joining  in  heart  and  hand  and  in  a 
common  effort  for  Christ's  cause.  The  ill-health 
of  Mrs.  Park  brought  their  labors  in  the  evangelistic 
field  to  a  close.  Rev.  Air.  Park  was  first  admitted 
to  the  Northern  Minnesota  conference  and  took  his 
first  charge  at  Ada,  a  county  seat  in  the  Red  River 
valley,  where  the  church  had  been  abandoned.  In 
his  three  years  there  he  built  a  fine  church  for  the 
congregation  and  restored  and  built  up  the  member- 
ship. He  then  took  a  three  months'  vacation,  trav- 
eling in  California,  and  then  in  March,  1902,  took 
up  the  work  at  Ellensburg,  which  he  has  since  pros- 
ecuted with  untiring  vigor.  The  work  has  grown 
under  his  ministrations  and  he  never  fails  of  a  hear- 
ing when  he  preaches,  a  large  attendance  being  the 
rule  at  his  preaching  and  prayer  service,  as  well  as 
on  all  other  occasions.  He  is  a  man  of  ability  and 
has  ever  been  a  consistent  and  vigorous  fighter  of 
sin  in  high  places.  He  has  been  agitating  the  ques- 
tion of  open  saloons  on  Sunday  and  vigorously  de- 
nouncing it  from  the  pulpit.  The  congregation  of 
the  church  not  only  meets  all  its  own  bills  promptly, 
but  is  a  liberal  contributor  to  outside  work.  Air. 
Park  has  two  sisters  and  two  brothers  living  at  the 
old  home  town,  Windsor,  Ontario.  The  sisters  are 
Mrs.  Jonathan  Robson  and  Miss  Alary  Park.  The 
brothers  are  James  Park,  an  engineer,  and  Albert 
Park.  Mrs.  Park's  parents  are  dead.  Four  sisters 
survive.  One,  who  by  adoption  bears  the  name  of 
Miss  Elizabeth  Jones,  is  a  deaconness  at  St.  James' 
M.  E.  church  in  Chicago.  Mrs.  J.  C.  Long,  another 
sister,  is  also  a  resident  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  E.  L. 
Knowlton,  who  resides  in  Connecticut,  and  Mrs. 
Jessie  Wiseman,  of  Oregon,  are  the  other  sisters. 


JERRY  W.  VANDERBILT.  Kittitas 
county  is  distinctively  a  stockman's  country, 
and  many  of  the  pioneers  of  the  county  are  in- 
debted for  the  comforts  of  life  they  now  enjoy 
to  the  profits  of  the  stock  raising  industry,  in 
which  they  have  been  engaged  for  many  years. 
Prominent  among  the  stockmen  of  the  county, 
and  one  who  has  been  especially  successful  in 
the  business,  is  J.  W.  Vanderbilt,  who  has  had 
cattle  and  sheep  on  the  Kittitas  ranges  for  sev- 
enteen years.  First  engaging  in  the  business  in 
Oregon,  where  he  bought  a  band  of  sheep  in 
1885,  he  came  with  his  stock  to  the  Kittitas  val- 
ley in  1887  and,  until  1901,  devoted  his  time 
almost  exclusively  to  stock  raising,  at  the  same 
time  adding  yearly  to  his  landed  possessions  in 


various  parts  of  the  county.  Before  coming  to 
Washington  Air.  Vanderbilt  had  been  a.  resident 
of  Oregon,  Illinois  and  New  Jersey.  He  was 
born  at  Rocky  Hill,  Somerset  county,  New  Jer- 
sey, in  1852.  His  father  was  Peter  Vanderbilt, 
a  farmer  and  carpenter,  who  was  born  in  1822, 
at  Flatbush,  Long  Island,  and  who  died  in  1901. 
The  paternal  grandmother  was  a  member  of  the 
noted  Beekman  family  that  settled  on  Long 
Island  generations  ago.  The  mother  of  J.  W. 
Vanderbilt  was  Sarah  (Hutchinson)  Vanderbilt, 
a  native  of  New  Jersey  and  of  Scotch-Irish  an- 
cestry. J.  W.  Vanderbilt  spent  his  boyhood  and 
early  manhood  days  in  New  Jersey,' where  he 
attended  the  common  schools  and  worked  on 
the  farm.  At  seventeen  he  began  doing  for  him- 
self, conducting  at  this  time  a  large  farm  on  the 
Raritan  river  belonging  to  a  cousin,  a  lady  of 
considerable  property  and  a  descendant  of  the 
Beekman  family.  This  farm  was  the  old  home- 
stead of  the  Beekmans  and  Air.  Vanderbilt  was 
the  seventh  generation  to  live  on  the  place.  He 
continued  here  seven  years,  then  went  to  Illi- 
nois, expecting  to  remain  away  for  a  few 
months  only,  but  prolonging  his'  stay  to  two 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  period,  instead  of 
returning  to  New  Jersey,  he  went  first  to  Califor- 
nia ;  then  to  Portland,  Oregon ;  then  to  The  Dalles, 
where  for  several  years  he  worked  on  stock 
ranches,  eventually  investing  in  sheep  and,  as 
has  been  stated,  coming  to  the  Kittitas  valley  in 
1887.  Among  other  landed  possessions,  he  owns 
a  fine  farm  east  of  Ellensburg,  which  he  pur- 
chased in  1892  and,  in  addition  to  this,  in  1900, 
he  became  the  owner  of  the  Vanderbilt  Hotel, 
in   Ellensburg. 

Air.  Vanderbilt  was  married  in  1902  to  Airs. 
Henrietta  English,  a  native  of  Iowa.  For  six 
years  previous  to  the  marriage  she  had  been 
engaged  in  the  millinery  business  in  Albanv, 
Oregon.  Her  father  was  Warren  Lucore.  'a 
stonemason  and  a  native  of  Pennsylvania :  he 
was  among  the  Argonauts  of  '49  in  the  Califor- 
nia mines  and  was  for  several  years  a  successful 
miner;  he  died  of  dropsy  in  Sacramento.  In  his 
earlier  days  he  did  considerable  mason  work  on 
the  Capitol  building  at  Washington,  D.  C.  Airs. 
Vanderbilt  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  mother 
to  Virginia  City.  Alonlana.  in  1865.  The  mother 
of  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  was  Alary  (Wright)  Lucore, 
a  native  of  Washington,  D.  C. :  the"  vear  of  her 
death  was  1888.  Mrs.  Lucore's  father  was  a 
soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  died  at  its  close 
while  on  his  way  home.  Mrs.  Vanderbilt  has 
one  brother  living:  Warren  Lucore.  of  Minne- 
apolis,  Minn.,  and  four  sisters:  Alillissa  Wil- 
liams, Eliza  Stuart,  Truelove  AlcCarthv.  and  Lvdia 
Gleason.  Air.  Vanderbilt's  brothers  and  sisters  are : 
Samuel,  Summerville,  New  Jersey;  Elizabeth  Ab- 
bott; Cornelius.  Kittitas  county;  Aaron  R..  Amster- 
dam.   New    York:    Eflna    Cliase,    Princeton.   New 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Jersey;  Edward,  Kittitas  county.  William,  an 
elder  brother,  is  dead.  Airs.  Yanderbilt  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Politically, 
Mr.  Vanderbilt  is  a  Republican,  but  does  not 
take  active  interest  in  politics.  His  straight- 
forward methods  and  correct  principles  have  won 
'for  him  the  respect  of  friends,  and  his  energy  and 
business  capacity  have  enabled  him  to  accumu- 
late a  fair  share  of  this  world's  goods ;  in  addi- 
tion to  the  Vanderbilt  hotel  and  to  his  extensive 
holdings  in  livestock,  he  owns  700  acres  of  land 
in  trie  valley.  He  is  one  of  the  very  successful 
stockmen  of  Kittitas  county. 

SEVERIX  C.  BOEDCHER.  No  higher 
compliment  can  be  paid  American  institutions 
than  that  which  is  implied  in  the  fact  that  many 
of  the  more  intelligent  men  of  foreign  birth  find 
in  these  institutions  much  that  is  conducive  to 
the  higher  development  and  to  the  rapid  ad- 
vancement of  the  individual  in  commercial  and 
in  professional  pursuits.  Severin  C.  Boedcher 
was  born  in  Denmark  in  1868  and  remained  in 
his  native  land  until  his  twentieth  year ;  his 
boyhood  days  were  spent  in  the  primary,  normal 
and  high  schools  of  that  country,  and  when  they 
were  completed  he  became  a  teacher,  continuing 
in  this  profession  only  a  short  time,  however, 
when  he  entered  the  army  in  compliance  with 
the  provisions  of  the  military  laws  of  the  coun- 
try, remaining  in  the  service  the  allotted 
number  of  years.  His  military  career  ended  and 
he  received  his  discharge  from  the  army  in 
December,  1888.  He  had  always  held  liberal 
views  regarding  the  relations  that  should  exist 
between  the  government  and  the  governed  and 
believed  the  United  States  offered  better  oppor- 
tunities to  the  young  man  seeking  preferment 
than  were  offered  in  his  native  land.  January 
11,  "1889,  he  started  for  America,  coming  direct 
to  Olympia,  where  he  eventually  took  out  nat- 
uralization papers.  After  his  arrival  in  this 
country  he  spent  five  years  in  the  logging  camps, 
studying  diligently  during  leisure  hours  tc 
master  the  language  of  his  adopted  country.  In 
this  he  was  remarkably  successful ;  not  satisfied, 
however,  with  the  superficial  knowledge  he  was 
able  to  acquire  by  intercourse  with  his  daily 
associates,  he  sought  more  accurate  scholarship 
in  the  schools,  going  first  to  the  Los  Angeles 
Normal  in  189^  and  attending  one  term.  In  1897 
he  entered  the  State  Normal  at  Ellensburg,  remain- 
ing a  student  during  two  terms,  following  which 
he  taught  school  for  one  term.  In  ^S^he  was 
appointed  deputy  auditor  of  Kittitas  county,  hold- 
ing the  position  until  June.  1902,  at  which  time 
he  determined  to  engage  in  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness and  resigned  his  deputvship  for  this  pur- 
pose. He  has  found  the  real  estate  business 
congenial  and   remunerative  and   continues   one 


of  the  most  active  and  successful  agents  in  the 
valley.  He  holds  a  commission  as  a  notary  public. 
The  parents  of  S.  C.  Boedcher  are  Peter  and 
Anna  (Brogger)  Boedcher,  the  former  born  in 
1843,  tne  latter  in  1847,  and  both  still  living  in 
Denmark.  The  Ellensburg  townsman  was  mar- 
ried in  1897  to  Mary  A.  Crew,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois  and  grew  to  womanhood  in  Iowa.  Mrs. 
Boedcher  received  her  education  in  the  common 
and  high  schools  of  Iowa,  finishing  with  the 
regular  course  in  the  Cedar  Falls  Normal.  She 
holds  a  life  teacher's  certificate  and  was  for  ten 
years  engaged  in  school  work.  Her  parents  are 
both  dead.  Christen,  Mary,  Christina,  Carrie, 
Christian,  Peter  and  Doratha  are  brothers  and 
sisters  of  Mr.  Boedcher  living  in  Denmark ; 
James  Boedcher  is  another  brother  living  in  El- 
lensburg. Hazel,  Laverna  and  Florence  are 
the  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Boedcher.  The 
fraternal  instinct  is  strong  in  Mr.  Boedcher,  and 
he  holds  membership  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  M. 
W.  A.,  and  the  B.  A.  Y.  and  the  Royal  Neighbors. 
Air.  and  Mrs.  Boedcher  are  members  of  the  M. 
E.  church.  Aside  from  his  real  estate  business 
Mr.  Boedcher  has  varied  interests ;  he  is  one  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  Ellensburg  Steam  Laun- 
dry ;  he  is  interested  in  the  Western  Coal  &  Iron 
Company  of  Tacoma ;  he  is  secretary  of  the 
Ellensburg  Business  Men's  Club;  he  also  owns 
a  small  tract  of  land  adjoining  town.  He  is 
actively  progressive  in  all  public  and  private 
affairs,  being  especially  interested  in  the  educa- 
tional institutions  of  the  community,  believing 
firmly  in  education  as  the  foundation  of  all 
progress. 


JOHN  A.  SHOUDY,  JR.  Not  many  of  the 
business  or  professional  men  in  any  of  the  towns 
of  the  Yakima  valley  have  the  distinction  of 
having  been  born  in  the  valley.  Although  set- 
tlements were  made  here  in  the  sixties  thev  were 
not  as  a  rule  by  men  who  became  permanent 
residents,  and  the  period  of  active  and  perma- 
nent settlement  did  not  commence  until  a  decade 
later;  it  is  not  therefore  surprising  that  but  com- 
paratively few  now  live  in  the  valley  who  claim 
it  as  their  place  of  birth.  J.  A.  Shoudy  is  one  of 
the  few  business  men  of  Ellensburg  who  are 
native  residents:  he  was  born  here  July  26, 
1873,  and,  with  the  exception  of  three  years 
spent  away  at  school  and  a  short  time  spent  in 
Roslyn  and  Cle-Elum,  he  has  been  a  life-long 
resident  of  this,  his  native  town.  In  his  boy- 
hood days  he  attended  the  Ellensburg  public 
schools,  following  this  later  with  a  course  in  the 
old  academy  and  then  entering  the  State  Uni- 
versity at  Seattle,  where  he  took  a  three  rears' 
course  from  1893  to  1896.  In  the  fall  of  the  vear 
18^6  he  became  agent  fo.-  the  Northern  Pacific  Coal 
Company   at    Ellensburg,   a  year  later  going  to. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


807 


Roslyn  and  afterward  to  Cle-Elum  and  taking 
charge  of  the  company's  stores.  Returning  to 
Ellensburg  October  1,  1900,  he  purchased  Frank 
Bossong's  interest  in  the  bakery  and  grocery 
business  and  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
brother-in-law,  Earnest  Koepke,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Koepke  &  Shoudy,  in  which  firm  he  is 
still  the  junior  member.  From  the  beginning 
they  have  had  an  excellent  trade  and  they  have 
developed  into  one  of  the  substantial  business 
houses  of  the  city.  The  father  of  the  subject 
of  this  article  was  John  A.  Shoudy,  Sr.,  who  is 
commonly  spoken  of  as  the  father  of  Ellensburg. 
He  was  born  in  Pawpaw,  Illinois,  in  1842,  and 
died  in  Ellensburg  in  1901.  He  was  a  veteran 
of  the  Civil  war,  serving  as  sergeant  of  Com- 
pany K,  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  infantry.  At  the 
close  of  the  war  he  came  by  way  of  the  Isthmus 
to  Seattle  in  1865 ;  going  later  from  Seattle  to 
California  and  in  1870  coming  to  Ellensburg. 
At  that  time  the  town  had  no  distinctive,  legit- 
imate name,  but  was  known  among  cattle  men 
and  miners  as  "Robbers'  Roost";  for  what 
reason  we  are  unable  to  state.  The  town  was 
eventually  named  for  Ellen  Shoudy,  the  wife  of 
J.  A.  Shoudy,  Sr.,  and  the  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject. Here  in  1870  Mr.  Shoudy,  Sr.,  bought  out 
Jack  Splawn,  who  had  some  years  before  estab- 
lished a  trading  post  at  the  present  site  of  the 
town,  and  during  that  fall  made  six  trips  back 
and  forth  to  and  from  Seattle,  bringing  in  goods 
for  the  store.  The  business  was  conducted  under 
the  firm  name  of  Shoudy  &  Dennis,  Mr.  Den- 
nis being  the  partner.  Mr.  Shoudy,  Sr.,  was  a 
prominent  figure  in  the  early  history  of  Ellens- 
burg and  of  Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties.  He 
was  postmaster  for  several  years ;  represented 
old  Yakima  county  in  the  legislature  in  1883  at 
the  time  of  the  formation  of  Kittitas  county, 
being  elected  on  that  issue ;  was  a  delegate  to 
the  constitutional  convention ;  was  for  two 
terms  mayor  of  Ellensburg;  was  prominent  in 
the  settlement  of  the  Indian  troubles  in  1877.  As 
an  inducement  to  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad  to 
build  through  Ellensburg,  he,  with  others,  bought 
and  deeded  to  the  company  120  acres  of  land  in 
Shoudy's  second  and  third  additions  to  the  town, 
with  200  feet  additional  right  of  way  and  a  block 
for  machine  shop  purposes.  He  also  gave  to  the 
company  one-half  of  his  town  property.  The 
mother  of  J.  A.  Shoudy,  Jr.,  is  Mary  Ellen 
(Stuart)  Shoudy,  a  native  of  Kentucky,  where 
she  was  born  in  1846.  With  her  brother,  Mrs. 
Shoudy  crossed  the  Plains  in  an  early  day  to  Cali- 
fornia :  she  is  still  living. 

J.  A.  Shoudy,  Jr.,  was  married  December  17, 
1898,  to  Ollie  Davis,  a  native  of  Missouri  and 
a  daughter  of  Addison  H.  and  Hattie  A.  |  Um- 
ber) Davis,  both  now  living  in  Seattle.  Mr. 
Davis  is  a  retired  Methodist  Protestant  minister. 
Dexter  Shoudy,  a  brother  of  our  subject,  is  general 


sales  agent  for  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Com- 
pany at  Spokane;  another  brother,  Chester,  also 
lives  in  Spokane;  Loyal  is  in  school  in  Seattle. 
He  has  three  sisters :  Laura  Armstrong  and  Etta 
Koepke,  of  Ellensburg,  and  Lillie  Jenkins,  of  St. 
Louis.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoudy  have  one  son,  John 
Addison,  three  years  of  age,  and  one  daughter, 
Helen.  The  father  and  mother  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Shoudy  is  an 
active  Republican.  In  addition  to  his  Ellensburg 
business  he  has  mining  interests  at  Blewett  and 
recently  sold  one  claim  for  $6,000 ;  he  also  owns 
a  fine  farm  five  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 
town.  He  is  one  of  Ellensburg's  most  respected 
citizens. 


DEXTER  SHOUDY,  proprietor  of  the 
Palmerston  hotel,  Spokane,  was  born  in  Seattle, 
Washington,  August  21,  1868.  He  is  the  eldest  son 
of  John  A.  and  Mary  Ellen  (Stuart)  Shoudy, 
the  former  a  native  of  Illinois,  where  he  was 
born  December  14,  1842,  and  the  latter  a  native 
of  Kentucky,  where  she  was  born  in  1846.  John 
A.  Shoudy,  Sr.,  died  in  Ellensburg  May  25,  1901. 
His  wife  was  a  pioneer  of  California,  as  well  as 
of  Washington,  having  crossed  the  Plains  with 
her  parents  in  early  days,  and  is  still  living. 
John  A.  Shoudy,  Sr.,  was  one  of  the  most  hon- 
ored and  respected  pioneers  of  the  Kittitas  val- 
ley and  his  biography  will  be  found  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  In  1870  he  purchased  of 
Jack  Sphwn  the  log  cabin  and  trading  post 
located  on  the  present  site  of  Ellensburg  and 
engaged  in  trading  with  the  Indians  and  cattle 
men.  Two  years  later,  in  1872,  he  moved  his 
family,  consisting  of  wife,  his  son  Dexter  and 
his  daughter  Laura,  from  Seattle  to  the  trading 
post,  and  here  Dexter  Shoudy  grew  to  man- 
hood. He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Ellens- 
burg and  at  a  very  early  age  began  clerking  for 
his  father  in  the  store,  at  times  also  looking 
after  his  father's  herd  of  horses  on  the  range. 
In  later  years  he  acquired  a  practical  knowledge 
of  bookkeeping  and  assumed  management  of  his 
father's  business.  In  1888,  at  the  age  of  twenty, 
he  became  half  owner  of  the  Ellensburg  electric 
light  plant  and  also  of  the  city  flouring  mills, 
taking  an  active  part  in  the  management  of  both 
enterprises. 

In  1890.  Mr.  Shoudy  was  married  in  Seattle 
to  Miss  Hattie  A.  Johnson,  a  native  of  Rock- 
land. Washington,  where  she  was  born  September 
3,  1868.  Mrs.  Shoudy  is  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Anna  (Connell)  Johnson,  the  father  now  a 
citizen  of  Cle-Elum.  Thomas  Johnson  was  a  pio- 
neer of  Goldendale,  Washington,  and  came  to  El- 
lensburg many  years  ago,  engaging  in  the  mer- 
chandise business.  Mrs.  Shoudy's  mother  was  a 
native  of  Canada.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Shoudy  were 
schoolmates    in    Ellensburg.      Mrs.    Shoudy    has 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


one  sister  and  two  brothers :  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Dickson  of  Ellensburg;  Edward  and  William 
Johnson  of  Cle-Elum.  Mr.  Shoudy  has  brothers 
and  sisters  as  follows :  Mrs.  Laura  Armstrong, 
John  A.  Shoudy,  Jr.,  and  Mrs.  Etta  Koepke,  res- 
idents of  Ellensburg ;  Mrs.  Lillie  Jenkins  of  St. 
Louis,  Missouri;  Loyal  Shoudy  .of  Seattle,  and 
Chester  P.  Shoudy  of  Spokane.  When  Mr.  Shoudy 
returned  from  his  wedding  trip  in  1890,  he  found 
the  old  signboard  over  his  father's  place  of  busi- 
ness removed,  and  in  its  stead  was  a  new  one 
bearing  his  own  name,  telling  Trim  that,  as  a 
wedding  present,  his  father  had  turned  over  to 
him  the  stock  of  merchandise  and  all  outstand- 
ing accounts.  He  at  once  took  charge  of  the 
business  and  remained  in  charge  until  1894, 
when  he  was  elected  county  treasurer.  He  filled 
this  office  in  an  acceptable  manner  until  Jan- 
uary, 1897.  In  March  of  this  year  he  went  to 
Portland  as  agent  for  the  Northwestern  Im- 
provement Company,  and.  later  in  the  same 
year,  was  transferred  to  Spokane,  where  he  es- 
tablished the  present  agency  at  that  place.  In 
189S  he  was  made  general  agent  of  the  company 
and  retained  this  position  until  March,  1904, 
when  he  assumed  management  of  the  Palmer- 
ston  hotel,  Spokane.  Previous  to  his  connection 
with  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Company, 
Mr.  Shoudy's  life  having  been  spent  in  Ellens- 
burg, no  one  of  the  pioneers  of  that  city  is  more 
conversant  with  its  history  or  with  the  reminis- 
cent incidents  connected  with  its  early  days. 
He  has  in  his  possession  the  first  money  order 
issued  by  the  Ellensburg  postoffke.  It  is  dated 
September  4,  1883,  and  was  drawn  on  the  Chi- 
cago postoffice  for  forty-seven  cents.  Mr. 
Shoudy  is  a  blue  lodge  Mason  and  also  belongs 
to  the  Elks,  the  Sons  of  Veterans,  the  uniform 
rank,  K.  of  P.,  the  D.  O.  K.  K.,  the  Junior  Order 
of  American  Mechanics,  and  the  W.  of  W.  He 
is  an  active  Republican  and  always  takes  a  lively 
interest  in  the  success  of  the  party.  Although 
not  now  a  resident  of  Ellensburg,  he  is  classed 
with  the  earliest  pioneers  of  the  city  and  of  Kit- 
titas county  and  is  one  of  the  most  highly  es- 
teemed of  those  who  were  factors  in  the  settle- 
ment and  development  of  both  city  and  county. 


EDWIN  A.  WILLIS.  One  of  the  popular 
trading  places  of  Ellensburg  is  the  Willis 
Bazaar,  where  is  kept  a  general  stock  of  mer- 
chandise and  an  extensive  assortment  of  imported 
notions.  The  business  was  established  in  Ellens- 
burg in  1898,  having  gradually  developed  from 
a  very  small  beginning.  When  Mr.  Willis  first 
came  to  Ellensburg  he  opened  an  auction  store, 
building  up  a  good  business  which  was  totally 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1889.  Although  left  by  the 
fire  practically  penniless,  he  had  previously  or- 
dered a  small  stock  of  lamp 'chimneys,  fruit  jars, 


etc.,  which  he  stored  in  a  shed  back  of  the 
Durgan  house  and  sold  from  the  sidewalk. 
That  he  has  developed  his  business  from  this 
beginning  to  its  present  proportions  is  highly 
creditable  to  the  proprietor,  showing  as  it  does 
that  he  possesses  rare  qualifications  for  commer- 
cial pursuits. 

Mr.  Willis  is  an  Englishman  by  birth.  His 
parents,  Robert  and  Ann  Willis,  died  in  England 
a  few  years  after  the  birth  of  their  son  Edwin  in 
1833.  After  the  death  of  his  parents  Edwin 
lived  with  his  maternal  grandparents  until  their 
death,  during  which  time  he  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  coun- 
try. In  1854,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  came 
to  the  United  States,  joined  the  regular  army  as 
a  dragoon,  later  became  a  member  of  the  Third 
Artillery  band  and  was  afterwards  transferred 
to  Company  G  of  this  regiment ;  in  the  following, 
year  he  settled  in  California.  In  1858  he  went 
"to  Oregon  with  the  regular  army  and,  at  his  own 
request,  was  sent  with  the  regiment  to  join 
Colonel  Wright  in  his  famous  campaign  against 
the  Indians.  Mr.  Willis  was  in  the  battles  of 
Spokane  Plains  and  Four  Lakes  and  assisted  in 
the  work  of  collecting  and  killing  the  1.500 
horses  belonging  to  the  Indians,  in  the  execution 
of  bad  Indians  on  the  Spokane  and  on  Hang- 
man's creek,  and  in  the  peace  councils  which  fol- 
lowed the  cessation  of  hostilities.  After  the  close 
of  the  Indian  war  Mr.  Willis  engaged  for  some 
years  in  the  hotel  and  restaurant  business,  first 
in  The  Dalles,  then  at  Vancouver  and  later  at 
Portland.  In  1861  he  sold  his  Portland  business 
and  passing  up  the  Yakima  valley  by  the  present 
site  of  Ellensburg,  went  on  through  Okanogan  to 
the  mines  of  the  Similkameen  and  Kettle  rivers 
in  British  Columbia.  At  this  time  the  interna- 
tional boundary  was  being  surveyed,  and  Mr. 
W7illis  assisted  in  the  construction  of  the  British 
commission  quarters  at  the  mouth  of  the  Kettle 
river  on  the  American  side  of  the  boundary.  In 
the  spring  of  1862  he  went  to  Orofino,  Idaho, 
and  became  a  partner  in  the  Big  Bend  Mining 
Company.  The  following  winter  and  summer 
he  spent  in  the  Florence  mines,  returning  in 
1863  by  way  of  Lewiston  and  Walla  Walla  to 
Vancouver,  and,  after  a  short  period  spent  in 
sleamboating  on  the  Columbia  and  in  mining  at 
Ringold  near  White  Bluffs,  he  returned  to  The 
Dalles,  working  there  at  the  Umatilla  House 
and  afterwards  for  several  years  in  the  O.  R.  & 
N.  machine  shops,  later  taking  charge  of  a  bar 
on  a  boat  plying  between  The  Dalles,  Cascades 
and  Portland.  Quitting  the  boat  he  again  went 
to  Portland,  where  he  became  interested  with 
Captain  Foster  in  a  steam  ferryboat  plying  be- 
tween Vancouver  and  the  Oregon  side  of  the 
Columbia.  He  afterwards  sold  this  business 
and  for  a  time  prospected  in  southern  Oregon 
and  at  Gray's  Harbor  for  Portland  people,  going 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


then  to  Vancouver,  where  he  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business,  the  venture  proving  a  failure,  a 
prospective  boom  for  the  town  collapsing  and 
resulting  in  serious  financial  loss.  Returning  to 
Portland  he  was  employed  for  a  while  in  the  Wil- 
lamette Iron  works,  but  eventually  came  to 
Yakima  just  prior  to  the  building  of  the  railroad, 
and  there  secured  the  contract  for  clearing  sage- 
brush from  a  tract  of  land  within  the  present 
limits  of  North  Yakima,  receiving  therefor  $3 
per  acre.  After  a  year  spent  in  the  Yakima 
country  Mr.  Willis  came  to  Ellensburg  and  has 
since  made  it  his  home.  Mrs.  Anna  Manners 
and  Mrs.  T.  Liddell  of  Ellensburg,  are  sisters  of 
our  subject.  Mr.  Willis  is  independent  in  poli- 
tics, has  declined  to  hold  office  and  spends  his 
entire  time  in  looking  after  his  business  affairs, 
which  are  constantly  growing  in  magnitude. 


PROFESSOR  J.  H.  MORGAN.  Among  the 
leading  educators  in  the  Northwest  none,  per- 
haps, enjoys  a  more  enviable  reputation  than 
does  Professor  J.  H.  Morgan,  vice  principal  of 
the  state  Normal  school  of  Ellensburg,  Washing- 
ton. Born  on  the  9th  of  September,  1852,  in 
western  North  Carolina,  he  began  at  an  early- 
age  the  pursuit  of  letters,  taking  his  first  lessons 
in  private  schools.  His  secondary  education 
was  obtained  in  Mills  River  Academy,  in  which 
for  a  number  of  years  he  was  a  student.  Upon 
leaving  this  institution,  he  engaged  in  teaching. 
The  wages  of  his  two  and  a  half  years  of  work 
in  this  occupation  enabled  him  to  take  a  course 

Furman  University,  of  South  Carolina,  from 
which  institution,  after  four  years  of  faithful 
work,  he  received  the  degree  of  A.  M.  in  1879. 

The  call  to  the  west  had  been  sounding  in 
his  ears  for  some  time,  and  he  had  not  long 
bidden  farewell  to  his  alma  mater  before  he.  be- 
came a  citizen  of  the  territory  of  Washington. 
For  three  years  after  his  arrival  he  labored  in  the 
country  schools  of  the  Walla  Walla  valley.  Then 
he  accepted  a  position  as  principal  of  the  Dayton 
public  schools.  Having  taught  there  during  the 
school  year  of  1882-83,  he  accepted  a  call  to  the 
principalship  of  the  Waitsburg  schools,  which 
position  he  held  for  four  years.  During  this 
time  the  electors  of  Walla.  Walla  county  gave  a 
substantial  testimony  of  their  faith  in  his  abil- 
ities by  electing  him  county  superintendent  of 
common  schools  and  from  January,  1885,  to  Jan- 
uary, 1887,  he  combined  the  duties  of  that  office 
nth  those  incident  to  the  principalship  of  the 
Yaitsburg  schools. 

Professor  Morgan's  connection  with  the  cause 
jf  education  in  Ellensburg  dates  back  to  the 
spring  of  1887,  when  he  became  principal  of 
the  public  schools  of  that  town.  In  the  mean- 
time, however,  he  had  been  appointed  by  Gov- 
ernor Eugene  Semple  to  the  important  office  of 


superintendent  of  public  instruction.  In  the  fall 
of  1889  he  was  nominated  for  that  office  on  the 
Democratic  ticket,  but  though  he  secured  many 
more  votes  than  did  the  other  Democratic  nom- 
inees for  state  offices,  no  personal  popularity 
could  overcome  the  Republican  majority  of  that 
year  and  he  was  defeated.  Soon  after  the  state 
election  lie  was  chosen  principal  of  the  public 
schools  of  Montesano,  but  his  work  in  Ellens- 
burg had  been  eminently  satisfactory  and  after 
he  had  taught  in  Montesano  for  a  year  he  de- 
cided to  yield  to  the  pressure  which  was  brought 
to  bear  upon  him  by  citizens  of  Ellensburg  and 
to  accept  again  the  principalship  of  the  schools 
of  that  town.  During  the  fall  of  1890  he  was 
called  by  the  franchises  of  the  people  to  the 
superintendency  of  the  common  schools  of  Kit- 
titas county  and  in  the  summer  of  1891  he  re- 
signed the  principalship  of  the  Ellensburg 
schools  that  he  might  give  his  undivided  atten- 
tion to  the  duties  of  his  office.  In  the  spring  of 
1892  he  was  for  the  third  time  called  to  the  prin- 
cipalship of  the  Ellensburg  schools  and  before 
the  close  of  that  year  was  elected  vice  principal 
and  head  of  the  department  of  mathematics  in 
the  Washington  State  Normal  school,  which  po- 
sition he  still  holds.  His  abilities  as  an  educator 
have  been  frequently  recognized  in  the  highest 
educational  circles  of  the  state.  In  the  fall  of  1892 
the  Democratc  party  again  made  him  its  can- 
didate for  the  superintendency  of  public  instruc- 
tion, but  it  was  again  unable  to  elect  him.  From 
March,  1897,  to  March,  1899,  he  served  by  ap- 
pointment of  Governor  John  R.  Rogers  as  a 
member  of  the  state  board  of  education.  In 
April,  1889,  when  the  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion was  organized  at  Olympia,  Professor  -Mor- 
gan took  an  active  part  in  the  councils  of  that 
body  and  at  the  close  of  the  first  session  the 
association  bestowed  upon  him  the  honor  of 
serving  as  its  president  for  the  ensuing  year. 
He  has  always  been  interested  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  schools  of  the  state,  attending  most 
of  the  meetings  of  the  State  Teachers'  Associa- 
tion, of  the  executive  committee  of  which  body 
he  has  twice  served  as  chairman.  He  attended 
the  first  territorial  institute  held  in  eastern  Wash- 
ington and  all  subsequent  ones,  and  he  has  the 
unique  distinction  of  having  labored  as  an  insti- 
tute worker  in  twenty  counties  of  this  state,  lie 
has  been  an  active  member  of  the  National  Educa- 
tional .Association  since  1898. 

In  bis  present  position  he  has  been  eminently 
successful  and  without  doubt  the  excellent  rep- 
utation of  the  school  is  due  in  part  to  his  labors. 
His  popularity  and  efficiency  as  a  teacher  are 
attested  by  his  long  tenure  of  his  position  and 
by  the  uniform  kindliness  and  respect  which  the 
graduates  and  other  students  of  the  normal  uni- 
formly manifest  toward  him. 

Unfortunately,   during   the    summer   of    1888, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


while  traveling  in  the  interests  of  the  schools  of 
Washington  territory,  Professor  Morgan  met 
with  a  serious  accident  in  a  runaway  stage  and 
was  permanently  crippled,  though,  except  for  a 
period  of  one  year,  not  to  the  extent  of  interfer- 
ing with  his  school  duties. 

Fraternally,  the  professor  is  identified  with 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  the  first  two  of  which  orders  he  has  rep- 
resented in  the  grand  lodges.  On  the  25th  of 
February,  1891,  he  married  Margaret  B.  Hawk- 
ins, then  of  Tacoma,  and  to  their  union  has  been 
born  one  daughter,  Nessa  H.  Morgan,  born 
October  28,  1893. 

ALANSON  T.  MASON.  It  is  a  noticeable 
fact  that  many  of  the  successful  pioneers  of  the 
Northwest  are  men  who  have  assumed  the  re- 
sponsibilities of  life  at  an  early  age,  and  who 
have  learned  its  valuable  lessons  in  the  school 
of  experience,  unaided  by  aught  save  their  indi- 
vidual energies  and  resources.  Such  is  the  his- 
tory of  the  man  whose  name  stands  at  the  head 
of  this  article.  A.  T.  Mason  was  born  in  Cay- 
uga county,  New  York,  in  1822.  His  father, 
Martin  Mason,  a  farmer  and  lumberman,  was  a 
native  of  Vermont,  where  his  English  ancestors 
settled  several  generations  ago.  He  was  a  sol- 
dier in  the  War  of  1812,  participating,  among  oth- 
ers, in  the  battle  of  Plattsburg;  his  father  before 
him  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution.  The  mother 
of  our  subject  was  Polly  (Grizwold)  Mason,  also 
a  native  of  Vermont. 

A.  T.  Mason  spent  his  early  life  in  James- 
town, New  York,  where  he  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  schools,  associating  himself 
later  with  his  father  in  the  lumber  business.  At 
the  age  of  twenty-one  he  began  life  as  a  lumber- 
man on  his  own  account,  at  first  in  New  York 
and  afterwards  in  Forest  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  remained  for  twelve  years.  At  the 
end  of  this  time  he  went  to  Michigan,  settling  in 
his  former  business,  in  Big  Rapids,  Mecosta 
county,  when  there  were  only  six  voters  in  the 
township  and  only  two  teams  of  horses  in  that 
part  of  the  state.  After  clearing  a  large  farm 
of  a  dense  growth  of  timber  he  became  both 
farmer  and  lumberman,  making  his  home  here 
for  twelve  years.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Civil  war  Mr.  Mason  was  temporarily  in  Mew 
York  ;  returning  in  1862  to  Michigan,  he  enlisted 
in  Company  I,  Eleventh  Michigan  cavalry,  un- 
der General  Stoneman ;  this  regiment  was  aft- 
erwards known  as  Stoneman's  Raiders,  was  at- 
tached to  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland  and  was 
engaged  in  the  battles  of  Lookout  Mountain, 
Stone  River,  and  many  others.  Mr.  Mason  served 
throughout  the  war  and  was  mustered  out  the 
last  of  June,  1865.     During  the  various  engage- 


ments in  which  he  took  part,  he  had  three  horses 
killed  under  him  and  experienced  many  other 
narrow  escapes ;  on  one  raid  during  the  winter 
of  1864-65  the  troopers  were  out  four  months, 
during  which  time  they  were  without  tents  and 
without  change  of  clothing,  subsisting  the  while 
on  whatever  could  be  found  in  the  way  of  provi- 
sions. Returning  to  Michigan  at  the  close  of 
the  war,  Mr.  Mason  continued  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness until  1876,  when  he  moved  to  California, 
and  in  May,  1877,  came  to  Kittitas  valley  and 
took  up  land  near  the  present  town  of  Thorp. 
He  was  just  in  time  to  assist  in  the  protection 
of  the  settlers  against  the  Indians,  who  were  sup- 
posed to  be  planning  a  general  massacre ;  he  as- 
sisted in  the  construction  of  a  fort  and  did  con- 
siderable scouting  for  the  purpose  of  investigat- 
ing numerous  rumors  of  massacres  and  forming 
bands  of  Indians.  Although  the  Indians  were 
restless  and  there  were  many  indications  of  a 
general  uprising  Mr.  Mason  brought  his  family 
to  his  ranch  in  August  and  prepared  to  make  it 
his  permanent  home.  This  he  did  and  they  were 
not  molested  by  the  Indians.  He  remained  with 
his  family  on  the  ranch  until  1893,  when  he  moved 
to  Ellensburg,  purchasing  grounds  and  erecting 
a  substantial  residence,  where  he  has  since  resided, 
in  the  meantime  renting  the  farm  until  1899,  when 
it  was  sold. 

Mr.  Mason  was  married  in  New  York  in  1843 
to  Miss  Nancy  Hollenbeck,  a  daughter  of  Dan- 
iel and  Phoebe  (Lonsdale)  Hollenbeck,  both  na- 
tives of  New  York,  the  former  being  of  German 
and  English  extraction.  Mrs.  Mason  died  De- 
cember 23,  1900.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Mason  are  Martin,  living  in  West  Seattle; 
James,  a  citizen  of  Whatcom,  and  Mrs.  Luna 
Packwood,  of  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Mason  is  a 
stanch  Republican ;  he  has  never  been  an  office- 
seeker,  but  has  served  the  party  as  county  com- 
missioner and  as  a  member  of  the  city  council 
of  Ellensburg.  Since  the  death  of  his  wife  he 
has  traveled  a  great  deal,  visiting  among  other 
places  his  old  homes  in  Michigan  and  in  New 
York  and  attending  the  Buffalo  exposition.  He 
is  an  honored  and  highly  respected  pioneer  of 
the  Kittitas  valley. 


CARLOS  S.  BULLARD.  Among  the  young 
business  men  of  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Bullard  occu- 
pies an  enviable  position  as  a  man  of  energy 
and  correct  business  principles,  who  is  winning 
deserved  success  in  the  commercial  pursuit  to 
which  the  best  efforts  of  his  life  are  now  being 
applied.  The  same  activity  that  characterizes 
his  management  of  business  affairs  enters  into 
all  the  doings  of  every-day  life  and,  as  this  trait 
is  coupled  with  a  jovial  and  at  the  same  time 
earnest  disposition,  he  makes  personal  friends  of 
all   with    whom    he    comes    in  contact    and    com- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


mands  their  lasting  esteem  and  confidence.  Al- 
though a  resident  of  Ellensburg  but  little  more 
than  two  years,  he  is  already  recognized  as  one 
of  the  most  progressive  and  enterprising  citizens 
of  the  town. 

Air.  Bullard  is  a  native  of  Ashtabula  county, 
Ohio,  born  January  4,  1872.  His  father,  Wal- 
lace H.  Bullard,  was  one  of  the  pioneer  settlers 
of  Ashtabula  county,  coming  in  the  very  early 
days  from  Massachusetts,  where  he  had  for  years 
been  engaged  in  the  agricultural  and  stock  busi- 
ness and  where  he  was  born  January  6,  1823.  At 
Cherry  Valley,  Ohio,  he  built  the  first  woolen 
mill  in  that  part  of  the  state,  a  building  that 
still  stands,  a  monument  to  the  venturesome  and 
progressive  spirit  of  the  pioneer  of  the  then 
"Northwest  Territory."  The  elder  Bullard  was 
a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  having  served  for 
three  years  and  four  months  as  captain  in  the 
Sixth  Ohio  cavalry.  In  his  Ohio  county  and 
district  he  was  a  prominent  and  influential  Re- 
publican, was  a  Knight  Templar  and  a  man  re- 
spected by  all  for  his  sterling  qualities  of  mind 
and  heart  and  for  the  motives  by  which  he  was 
actuated  in  every-day  intercourse  with  his  fel- 
lows. He  was  of  Scotch  descent,  his  ancestors 
coming  to  Massachusetts  before  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century. 

The  mother  was  Mrs.  Sallie  (Slater)  Bullard; 
born  in  Connecticut  in  1830,  she  died  in  Ohio 
in  1896  after  a  long  exemplary  life  of  devotion 
to  husband  and  family.  The  Massachusetts  Sla- 
ters, of  whom  she  was  a  descendant,  were  voya- 
geurs  with  the  Puritans  in  the  Mayflower,  and 
her  line  of  descent  is  traced  directly  back  to  the 
pilgrim  sojourners  near  Plymouth  rock. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood 
in  Ohio  and.  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  had  com- 
pleted the  high  school  course  after  having  spent 
his  earlier  years  in  the  common  schools  of  Jef- 
ferson end  Salem.  His  early  education  com- 
pleted, he  learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  after 
which  he  removed  to  Wisconsin.  Here  he  again 
entered  school,  completing  a  two-years  course  at 
the  State  University.  Following  this,  he  en- 
gaged for  a  few  months  in  the  creamer}-  business 
in  Wisconsin.  Disposing  of  his  creamery  inter- 
ests in  1879.  he  came  to  Spokane,  where  he  re- 
mained in  the  employ  of  the  Hazlewood  Cream- 
ery Company  and  in  that  of  Ryan  &  Newton 
until  1901,  when  he  came  to  Ellensburg.  Here 
he  owned  for  a  time  a  half  interest  in  the  Ellens- 
burg Creamery,  of  which  he  was  assistant  man- 
ager. A  few  months  ago  he  disposed  of  his 
creamery  property  and  bought  a  half  interest  in 
the  hardware  establishment  of  G.  W.  Hornbeck, 
with  whom  he  is  still  associated. 

Mr.  Bullard  was  married  at  Spokane  April 
18,  1899,  to  Miss  Etta  Belle  Hitchcock,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Alvin  and  Mary  Hitchcock  of  Jefferson. 
Ohio.      Miss    Hitchcock    received   a    careful    and 


thorough  education,  adding  to  the  usual  train- 
ing a  post-graduate  course.  For  several  years 
she  taught  in  her  native  state,  where  her  name 
was  well  known  in  educational  and  literary  cir- 
cles. 

Mr.  Bullard  has  three  brothers  and  one  sister; 
Rolland  is  assistant  manager  of  the  Bell  Telephone 
Company  at  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania;  Henry  is 
a  citizen  of  Salem,  and  William  of  Richmond 
Center,  Ohio;  Charlotte  Russell  resides  at 
Cherry  Valley,  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bullard  are 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Bull- 
ard is  prominent  in  Masonic  circles,  is  an  active 
Republican  and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  the 
caucuses  and  conventions  of  the  party.  In  addi- 
tion to  his  hardware  business  he  is  interested  in 
real  estate  to  some  extent,  and  in  all  respects  he 
is  public-spirited  and  has  progressive  ideas,  and 
he  is  destined  to  become  an  influential  factor 
in  the  advancement  of  Ellensburg  and  of  Kitti- 
tas county. 


SUSAN  E.  COOKE,  widow  of  the  Hon. 
Charles  P.  Cooke,  was  born  in  Waterford  county, 
four  miles  from  Troy,  New  York,  in  1832.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Amelia  (Van 
der  Cooke)  Brewster.  Abraham  Brewster  was 
a  merchant  at  Waterford,  New  York.  Mrs. 
Brewster  was  born  in  New  York  state  in  1803. 
She  was  a  member  of  one  of  the  old  Holland 
families  which  settled  in  that  state  in  the  early 
days. 

At  the  age  of  three  years  Mrs.  Cooke  was 
left  an  orphan,  whereupon  she  was  taken  and 
reared  till  twelve  years  of  age  by  her  maternal 
grandfather,  then  at  Sandusky,  Ohio.  She  was 
given  a  good  education,  first  in  the  grammar 
schools,  finishing  in  the  Methodist  university  at 
Norwalk,  Ohio.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  she 
crossed  the  Plains  in  company  with  her  aunt  and 
uncle,  the  Hon.  E.  N.  Cooke,  late  state  treas- 
urer of  Oregon.  The  entire  journey  was  made 
by  wagon.  On  October  29,  1851,  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Charles  P.  Cooke,  at  Salem,  Oregon.  The 
couple  moved  to  Polk  county,  settling  on  a 
homestead  near  Independence.  Here  they  re- 
mained until  1867,  when  they  took  a  pre-emp- 
tion claim  in  the  Moxee  valley  east  of  Yakima, 
where  they  lived  until  the  spring  of  1870.  Their 
next  and  final  change  of  location  brought  them 
to  the  farm  where  Mrs.  Cooke  now  resides,  in 
the  northeast  part  of  the  Kittitas  valley  on  Cooke 
creek.  This  stream  is  known  to  the  Indians  as 
Put-chem-mee  creek,  in  English  meaning  "plen- 
ty." Here  they  lived  and  reared  a  family  of 
nine  children,  as  follows:  Clara,  now  Mrs.  Charles 
Coleman.  Orilla.  Washington;  Edwin  X.,  min- 
ing near  Wenatchee  ;  Morand  D..  stockman  and 
fanner.  Ellemsburg;  Edward,  dairyman,  Ellens- 
burg:    Eliza     F.,    now     Mrs.     P.    H.    Schnebly; 


812 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


George  B.,  stockman,  Ellensburg;  Rufus,  stock- 
man and  farmer,  Ellensburg;  Nellie  R-,  now 
Mrs.  Al  Whitson,  and  Jay  Cooke,  a  farmer  and 
stock  raiser. 

Airs.  Cooke  was  a  member  of  the  old  and  his- 
toric Dutch  family,  Van  der  Cooke,  which  set- 
tled in  New  York  on  the  Hudson  river  during 
the  seventeenth  century.  Air.  Cooke  was  a  cous- 
in of  the  widely  known  New  York  railroad  pro- 
moter and  financier,  Jay  Cooke,  who  offered  to 
float  the  United  States  government  bonds  dur- 
ing the  Rebellion.  Charles  P.  Cooke  was  a  vet- 
eran of  the  Mexican  war,  having  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  First  Ohio  regiment,  under  Captain  Brad- 
ley and  Colonel  Waller.  This  regiment  was  at- 
tached to  General  Hammer's  command.  He  was 
a.  participant  in  the  battles  of  Monterey,  Cerro 
Gordo  and  Buena  Vista,  serving  in  the  same 
army  corps  with  General  Grant,  then  a  captain, 
and  Jefferson  Davis.  In  1868  Air.  Cooke  was 
appointed  auditor  of  Yakima  county,  which  of- 
fice he  held  until  1872,  when  he  was  elected  to 
the  legislature.  This  office  he  held  two  consec- 
utive terms.  In  1876  he  served  as  county  com- 
missioner, and  later  he  was  made  county  super- 
intendent of  schools.  In  1884  he"  was  again 
elected  to  the  legislature  and  served  until  1887. 
He  afterward  served  in  the  territorial  council. 
He  was  always  a  stanch  Democrat,  and  was 
each  time  elected  to  office  as  a  candidate  of  that 
party.  He  was  the  first  county  commissioner 
for  the  new  county  of  Kittitas,  receiving  his  ap- 
pointment through  the  efforts  of  John  A.  Shcu- 
dy,  who  at  that  time  was  a  member  of  the  leg- 
islature. Air.  Cooke  was  an  Odd  Fellow  and 
Mason  of  high  standing,  and  an  honorarv  mem- 
ber of  the  G.  A.  R.  He  died  in  the  fall  of  1888, 
leaving  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and.  no  known 
enemies.  Airs.  Cooke  is  a  member  of  the  Re- 
bekah  fraternity.  She  was  reared  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Like 
that  of  her  deceased  husband,  her  reputation  and 
standing  in  the  community  are  of  the  best.  She 
is"  a  woman  of  more  than  ordinary  intellect  and 
refinement,  is  honest  and  straightforward  in  all 
affairs,  social  or  financial. 


WILLIAM  H.  KIESTER,  one  of  the  Kitti- 
tas valley's  successful  and  most  widely  known 
farmers  and  a  pioneer  of  1869,  lives  on  his  val- 
uable ranch  eleven  miles  northeast  of  Ellens- 
burg. He  was  born  in  Butler  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  24,  1839,  ar,d  is  the  son  of  Jesse, 
a  native  Pennsylvania  farmer  of  German  descent, 
and  Alargaret  (Wolfard)  Kiester,  of  German  ex- 
traction, also  born  in  Pennsylvania. 

Air.  Kiester  received  his  early  education  in 
the  district  schools  of  his  native  county.  In 
1861  he  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Eighteenth 
Ohio     volunteers,     Company     I,     under     Colonel 


Timothy  R.  Stanley  and  Captain  John  J.  Hoff- 
man, and  saw  his  first  service  in  West  Virginia 
as  a  guard  along  the  railway  lines  of  that  state. 
He  was  honorably  discharged  from  this  regi- 
ment after  a  service  of  ninety  days,  being  mus- 
tered out  in  Jackson  county,  Ohio.  He  re-en- 
listed, however,  as  a  second  lieutenant  in  the 
One  Hundred  and  Third  infantry,  under  Colonel 
T.  F.  Laehmann,  attached  to  the  Fourth  army 
corps  under  General  Keys,  and  with  that  com- 
mand fought  in  the  battles  of  Williamsburg,  Fair 
Oaks,  the  Seven  Days'  battle  before  Richmond, 
Jones's  Ford,  the  four  Blackwater  fights,  at 
Kinston  December  16,  1862,  Whitehall  on  the 
17th,  Goldsboro  on  the  18th,  and  Little  Wash- 
ington, besides  many  other,  less  important  bat- 
tles. He  was  taken  prisoner  by  the  Confeder- 
ates under  General  Hoke's  command  at  Ply- 
mouth, North  Carolina,  and  with  2,300  other 
captives  was  sent  to  Andersonville  prison.  He 
was  transferred  to  Alacon,  Georgia,  thence  to 
Charleston  and  finally  was  ordered  to  Columbia, 
South  Carolina.  While  en  route  to  the  last 
named  prison,  Air.  Kiester  with  two  companions 
leaped  from  the  train  and  temporarily  made 
their  escape,  avoiding  recapture  for  twelve  days. 
During  this  freedom  they  passed  the  Confeder- 
ate lines  by  means  of  guessing  the  passwords,  but 
were  finally  retaken  at  Rutherfordton,  North 
Carolina,  and  taken  to  the  prison  at  Salisbury. 
From  this  prison  they  were  removed  to  Dan- 
ville, Virginia,  where  they  were  kept  all  winter, 
and  then  sent  to  the  famous  Libby  prison.  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1865,  Lieutenant  Kiester  and  his  com- 
rades were  paroled.  Upon  returning  to  his  com- 
mand, Lieutenant  Kiester  was  granted  a  thirty 
days'  furlough,  after  the  expiration  of  which  he 
returned  to  his  regiment,  then  stationed  at  Roa- 
noke Island.  His  final  discharge  from  the  army 
took  place  in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  July  12, 
1865.  During  his  career  as  a  soldier,  Air.  Kies- 
ter served  under  Generals  Keys,  Foster,  Pack, 
Butler,  Casey  and  McClelland,  saw  some  of  the 
hardest  fighting  of  the  war,  suffered  the  agonies 
of  confinement  in  rebel  prisons,  and  frequently 
distinguished  himself  by  skill  and  bravery  un- 
der fire.  He  rose  to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant. 
His  war  record  throughout  is  one  of  credit  and 
honor. 

He  came  west  in  1865,  via  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama,  to  Puget  Sound,  settling  near  Seattle. 
There  he  lived  until  1868,  when  he  assisted  Till- 
man Houser  to  establish  a  home  across  the  Cas- 
cades in  the  virgin  Kittitas  valley.  Late  in  the 
fall  he  returned  to  the  Sound  and  wintered  on 
the  western  slope,  but  the  beautiful,  grassy  val- 
ley proved  too  irresistible  an  attraction  to  the 
pioneer  and  in  1869  Air.  Kiester  settled  upon  a 
pre-emption  claim  in  the  Kittitas  valley,  found- 
ing a  permanent  home.  He  was  preceded  in  the 
valley  by  only  four  white  settlers  and  their  fain- 


HON.   CHARLES   P.   COOKE.  MRS.   CHARLES  P.   COOK  1-1. 


WILLIAM    H.    KE1SI  Ik 


TILLMAN    HOUSER. 


MRS.   TILLMAN    HOl'SER. 


WILLIAM   A.   CONANT. 


JOHN  G.   OLDING. 


MRS.  JOHN  G.  OLDINGi 


VALENTINE  C.   WYNEGAR. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


8i3 


ilies :  Fred  Ludi,  of  Ellensburg,  John  Goller, 
now  living  on  the  Wenatchee,  William  Wilson, 
formerly  of  Missouri  and  Oregon,  and  Tillman 
Houser,  still  a  resident  of  the  county.  Mr.  Kies- 
ter  has  one  brother,  Winfield  S..  a  farmer  living 
in  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania;  and  two  sisters, 
Mrs.  Emma  Boyles,  'living  in  Grove  City,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  Mrs.  Amelda  Mortland,  of  Indian- 
apolis, Indiana.  With  characteristic  generosity  and 
loyalty,  Mr.  Kiester  has  reared  two  boys,  sons 
of  an  old  friend,  W.  A.  Bull,  a  Kittitas  pioneer. 
They  are  still  living  with  him  and  are  both 
prominent  young  men  in  the  community.  Mr. 
Kiester  is  a  man  of  truth  and  honor,  prominent 
in  all  affairs  of  his  county,  and  every  man  who 
knows  the  brave  old  veteran  and  doughty  pio- 
neer, it  is  safe  to  say,  is  his  friend. 


TILLMAN  HOUSER.  One  of  the  earliest 
settlers  to  come  into  the  valley  with  his  family 
was  Tillman  Houser,  a  pioneer  of  1868.  After 
having  farmed  for  about  six  years  in  the  Puget 
Sound  country  he  arrived  in  Kittitas  valley  June 
16,  1868,  pre-empting  a  claim  ten  miles  north- 
east of  Ellensburg.  Upon  his  arrival  he  found 
but  three  others  settled  here,  Fred  Ludi,  John 
Goller  and  Bell  Wilson,  the  latter  a  transient 
who  left  the  same  fall.  After  erecting  a  cabin 
Mr.  Houser  returned  to  Renton,  Washington, 
for  his  family  and  with  them  at  once  began  per- 
manent improvements  on  his  place  with  a  view- 
to  making  it  his  future  home.  In  1870,  however, 
he  sold  to  Walter  A.  Bull  and  shortly  afterward 
took  a  homestead  in  the  same  neighborhood. 
After  living  on  the  second  claim  four  years  he 
again  sold  and  this  time  invested  in  land.  He 
a!  first  took  sheep  on  shares,  but  found  the 
business  unprofitable  owing  to  losses  from  dis- 
ease and  other  causes.  Rigid  economy  was  nec- 
essary in  the  early  days  that  the  wolf  might  be 
kept  from  the  door,  and  Mr.  Houser's  experi- 
ence in  the  Kittitas  valley  was  as  trying  as  it 
could  well  be.  Nothing  was  known,  at  that 
time,  of  irrigation  and  in  one  instance  Mr.  Hou- 
ser secured  eight  bushels  of  wheat  for  seed  at 
Old  Yakima,  sowing  it  on  his  place  with  re- 
sults scarcely  in  keeping  with  his  expectations. 
He  had  hoped  that  the  crop  would  relieve  him 
from  some  of  the  hardships  that  were  falling  to 
the  lot  of  himself  and  family,  but  when  the  har- 
vest came  the  yield  from  the  eight  bushels  of 
seed  was  only  seven  bushels  of  grain.  Wheat 
flour  was  a  luxury  in  those  days,  and  Mr.  Houser 
tells  of  grinding  corn  in  a  coffee  mill  for  family 
use;  making1  coffee  from  peas,  and  in  other  sim- 
ilar ways  battling  with  the  difficulties  of  pio- 
neer life.  But  better  times  followed  and  by  the 
early  seventies  Mr.  Houser  had  accumulated 
quite  a  herd  of  stock,  which  proved  highly  profit- 
able  and   which   became   in   fact  the   foundation 


upon  which  he  has  built  the  successes  of  the 
past  twenty-five  years.  By  the  year  1890,  in 
addition  to  his  stock  interests,  Mr.  Houser 
owned  several  tracts  of  land  in  the  north  part 
of  the  county.  Selling  these  about  this  time,  he 
bought  a  place  seven  miles  southeast  of  Ellens- 
burg, and  in  1899  another  small  tract  just  east 
of  town.  He  resided  by  turns  on  these  two 
farms  until  September,  1901,  when  he  settled  in 
Ellensburg.  Mr.  Houser  was  born  in  Monroe 
county,  Pennsylvania,  March  31,  1840.  His  father, 
Charles  Houser,  a  Pennsylvanian,  was  born  in 
1803  and  died  in  1883.  He  moved  into  the  in- 
terior of  that  state  when  it  was  an  unsettled 
wilderness,  and  during  the  Mexican  war  became 
an  officer  of  the  militia.  He  was  of  Swiss  par- 
entage. The  mother,  Mary  C.  (Eyer)  Houser, 
also  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  died  in  1890.  Till- 
man Houser  grew  to  manhood  in  Pennsylvania, 
alternately  working  on  the  farm  and  attending 
school.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  took  charge 
of  his  father's  farm,  conducting  it  for  three  years, 
until  1861,  when  he  became  a  soldier  of  the  Civil 
war,  serving  for  three  years  under  Captain  Kin- 
ney in  the  Seventeenth  Pennsylvania  cavalry. 
At  the  close  of  his  military  service,  he  went  to 
California;  thence  to  the  Sound  country,  from 
which  he  came  to  the  Kittitas  valley. 

He  was  married  in  i860  to  Miss  Louise 
Werkhiser,  a  daughter  of  John  and  Sallie 
(Boyer)  Werkhiser,  both  natives  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, where  the  father  was  born  in  18.12.  The 
mother  died  in  1861  and  the  father  in  1901.  Mrs. 
Houser's  parents  were  of  German  descent.  She 
has  five  sisters  and  four  brothers  now  living  in 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Houser  has  one  brother,  Jo- 
siah,  and  one  sister,  Susan,  living  in  Nebraska. 
Children  of  Mr.  .and  Mrs.  Houser  are  Sarah 
Messerly,  Harrison,  Clarence,  Pernina,  Alva, 
and  Amelia  C.  Churchill.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Houser 
are  members  of  the  Presbyterian  church  and 
are  prominent  in  church  and  social  circles.  Mr. 
Houser  is  Republican  in  politics;  he  is  a  sub- 
stantial and  influential  citizen ;  holds  the  esteem 
and  respect  of  all,  and  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  most  successful  of  the  pioneer  citizens  of 
the  valley. 


WILLIAM  A.  CONANT,  farmer  and  stock- 
man, living  some  six  miles  west  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington,  is  one  of  the  most  progressive 
farmers  of  the  county.  Into  his  vocation  he 
throws  the  same  enthusiasm  which  as  a  soldier 
in  the  Union  army  during  the  Civil  war  won 
him  the  distinctive  appellation  at  the  hands  of 
the  Confederates  of  the  "Red  Shirted  Devil." 
As  a  farmer  Mr.  Coriant  is  as  successful  as  he 
was  as  a  soldier.  He  was  born  in  Bainbridge, 
Chenango  county,  New  York.  July  -'4.  1832.  His 
father.  Elihu  C.  Conant,  was  a  lineal  descendant 


814 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


of  Roger  Conant,  of  Salem,  Massachusetts,  of 
Mayflower  fame.  His  mother,  Jennett  E.  (John- 
son) Conant,  also  from  old  colonial  stock,  was 
born  in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  in  1807  and  died 
in  Kittitas  county,  Washington,  at  the  ripe  age 
of  ninety-one  years.  The  Conant  family  traces 
its  lineage  directly  to  Captain  W.  E.  Walker,  a 
prominent  tactician  who  drilled  General  George 
Washington's  officers.  Mr.  Conant  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Saratoga 
county  and  in  the  academy  at  Glens  Falls,  New 
York.  When  he  was  fourteen  years  old  his  par- 
ents moved  to  Lee  county,  Illinois,  and  there  his 
father  bought  land  with  warrants  secured  from 
Mexican  war  veterans.  Mr.  Conant  left  home 
when  he  was  twenty-one,  remaining  in  Lee 
county  until  the  outbreak  of  the  war,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  Seventy-fifth  Illinois  volunteer 
infantry,  commanded  by  Colonel  George  Ryan, 
in  the  Fourteenth  army  corps  under  command 
of  General  Jefferson  C.  Davis.  He  engaged  in 
the  battle  of  Perryville,  Kentucky,  and  later,  Oc- 
tober 8,  1862,  was  wounded  in  the  left  arm.  This 
wound  caused  his  confinement  in  the  hospital  at 
New  Albany,  Indiana,  some  time  before  he  re- 
joined his  regiment  at  Edgefield,  Tennessee.  He 
served  under  General  Rosecrans  in  the  battle  of 
Stone  River,  known  as  the  "five  days  fight," 
against  General  Bragg,  and  was  in  the  capture 
of  Liberty  Gap.  He  was  also  at  the  battle  of 
Chattanooga,  doing  provost  duty,  and  assisted 
in  the  capture  of  Atlanta,  serving  on  the  skir- 
mish line  as  a  crack  shot.  He  was  mustered  out 
at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  June  30,  1865,  and  dis- 
charged and  paid  in  Chicago.  He  arrived  at 
home  July  4,  1865,  after  having  fought  in  sev- 
eral of  the  most  severely  contested  engagements 
of  the  Rebellion.  He  again  engaged  in  farming, 
and  in  1876  began  breeding  thoroughbred  Dur- 
ham cattle,  making  a  specialty  of  them.  He 
has  continued  to  raise  this  breed  of  cattle  ever 
since,  although  not  to  the  exclusion  of  all  other 
breeds.  He  now  has  on  his  farm  some  of  the 
finest  pedigreed  Shorthorns  in  the  west,  and  has 
in  his  home  a  complete  series  of  the  American 
Shorthorn  Herd  Book.  In  February,  1889,  Mr. 
Conant  left  Lee  county  for  Washington,  think- 
ing to  thus  obtain  relief  from  asthma,  from 
which  he  was  a  great  sufferer.  He  brought  all 
0/  his  livestock  and  farm  implements  with  him, 
settling  first  on  the  "Voice"  place,  five  miles  east 
of  Ellensburg,  but  after  a  short  stay  there  moved 
to  his  present  home.  His  farm  is  one  of  the 
best  in  the  county,  consisting  of  160  acres  of 
farm  land  with  640  acres  of  pasture. 

Mr.  Conant  was  married  at  Dixon,  Illinois, 
in  1S55,  to  Miss  Charlotte  L.  Erwin,  a  native 
of  New  York.  She  died  May  29,  1882.  Her 
father.  Elder  Burton,  of  German  descent,  is  a 
resident  of  Battle  Creek,  Michigan.  Her  mother, 
A.    S.    (Lovell)    Burton,   was   a    native   of   New 


York.  Mrs.  Conant  had  one  sister,  Mrs.  Sarah 
J.  Richardson,  a  resident  of  Iowa.  To  this  union 
were  born  three  children,  Mary  E.,  in  Paw  Paw, 
Illinois,  December  4,  1856;  Sarah  J.,  November 
8,  1858,  and  William  T.,  October  26,  1873.  Mr- 
Conant  is  a  member  of  David  Ford  Post,  G.  A. 
R.,  at  Ellensburg.  In  political  matters  he  has 
always  been  a  stanch  Republican. 


JOHN  G.  OLDING  is  a  successful  farmer,, 
whose  farm  is  located  four  east  and  two  miles  north 
of  Ellensburg,  Washington.  Here  he  took  up  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  as  a  homestead 
in  1 87 1,  and  the  following  year  hewed  out  the 
logs  and  built  the  first  house  on  the  place.  Mr. 
Olding  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  July  24,  1844,. 
and  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  until 
he  was  nineteen  years  of  age.  During  the  follow- 
ing three  years,  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade, 
which  he  followed  for  three  years.  Upon  leaving 
Nova  Scotia  he  settled  at  Virginia  City,  Nevada, 
where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  four  years,  and' 
later,  for  a  short  time,  in  Walla  Walla,  Washing- 
ton. After  this  he  ceased  carpentering,  as  a  voca- 
tion, and  moved  to  the  homestead  above  men- 
tioned. His  father,  a  farmer  and  also  a  native  of 
Nova  Scotia,  was  born  about  1819.  The  mother, 
Jenny  (Roy)  Olding,  was  born  in  Scotland,  in'the 
year  1819.  Both  are  now  deceased.  Besides  John 
G,  our  subject,  there  were  children  as  follows: 
Pirdon  Olding  and  Anna  Olding,  both  now  dead; 
James  W.,  twin  brother  of  John  G.,  now  a  carpen- 
ter at  Fall  River,  Massachusetts;  Liza  J.  Olding, 
deceased  at  the  age  of  three:  Daniel  Olding.  now 
living  on  the  old  homestead  in  Nova  Scotia ;  Mich- 
ael Olding,  now  deceased,  and  Robert  Olding,  a 
contractor,  who  resides  in  Nova  Scotia.  All  of 
the  children  were  born  in  Nova  Scotia. 

Mr.  Olding  was  married  at  Virginia  City, 
Nevada,  February  9,  1869,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Love, 
who  was  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  April  29,  1844.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Cameron) 
Love.  Both  parents  died  when  Elizabeth  was  a 
young  girl.  Her  only  brother.  John  C.  Love,  mw 
lives  at  San  Francisco.  Flora,  the  eldest  sister, 
is  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oldine  are  the  parents  of 
the  following  children :  Mrs.  Eva  (Olding)  Shaw, 
wife  of  a  farmer,  born  January  5.  1875  ;  Mrs.  Net- 
tie (Olding)  Galvin,  born  November  15,  1876,  wife 
of  a  butcher,  now  residing  at  Nome,  Alaska :  Eliza 
J.  Olding,  born  October  23,  1878,  who  was  edu- 
cated to  be  a  teacher;  Mrs.  Anna  (Olding)  Mitch- 
ell, born  May  23,  1880,  wife  of  a  farmer:  Margaret 
Olding,  born  August  16,  1882,  now  residing  at 
Ellensburg,  and  Mary  Olding,  born  November  6, 
1884,  who  graduated  from  the  Ellensburg  high 
school  in  1003.  All  of  the  children  are  natives  of 
Kittitas  countv. 

Politically,  Mr.  Olding  affiliates  with  the  Re- 
publican party,    and    fraternally,    with    the    Inde- 


THOMAS   W.    FARRELL. 


BIOGRAPHICAL 


pendent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  By  industry  and 
integrity  he  has  built  up  property  interests  which 
give  him  an  enviable  position  among  the  well-to-do 
citizens  of  this  county.  He  owns  two  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  acres  of  land,  fifty  head  of  range  cat- 
tle, twenty-two  milch  cows,  nine  horses,  and  is  a 
stockholder  in  a  co-operative  creamery.  He  has  an 
elegant  ten-room  house  and  a  large  barn  on  his 
farm,  and  has  property  in  Ellensburg.  He  has  done 
well  in  the  education  of  his  children,  and  is  con- 
sidered to  be  one  of  the  most  substantial  residents 
of  his  communitv. 


VALENTINE  C.  WYNEGAR,  whose  home 
is  in  Ellensburg,  Washington,  is  one  of  the  pioneer 
farmers  of  the  Kittitas  valley.  He  was  born  in  Union, 
Ohio,  June  19,  1843.  His  father,  John  Wynegar, 
was  born  in  Virginia  in  1803,  and  died  at  the  age 
of  ninety-four  years.  His  mother  was  Elizabeth 
(Dilsaver)  Wynegar  and  she  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1818,  and  died  in  1896.  Mr.  Wynegar 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Illinois, 
and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-one.  He  was  a  member  of  Company  C, 
146th  Illinois  volunteers,  during  the  war,  and  was 
mustered  out  July  7,  1865.  He  then  returned  to 
Illinois  and  engaged  in  farming  until  1871.  He 
spent  two  years  each,  farming  in  Osage  and  Morris 
counties,  Kansas,  and  in  1875  mc,ved  to  Kittitas 
valley,  Washington,  where,  December  17th  of  that 
year,  he  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim.  He  later  lost 
tills  claim  and  took  up  a  homestead,  but  rented  a 
farm  some  four  years  before  taking  up  his  resi- 
dence on  his  homestead  in  1880.  He  lived  there 
eighteen  years  and  still  owns  the  land.  In  1S98  he 
removed  to  Ellensburg,  where  he  has  continued 
to  reside.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Mary  A. 
Kenney,  born  in  Ohio  in  1839,  now  living  in  Ne- 
braska ;  Peter,  born  in  Ohio  in  1845,  a  resident  of 
Kansas ;  David,  born  in  Ohio  in  1847,  in  Nebraska ; 
Samuel  P.,  a  native  of  Ohio,  a  resident  of  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa;  Joseph  A.,  born  in  1S51.  a  resident  of 
Nebraska ;  Jane  Anderson,  born  in  1853,  living  in 
Illinois;  Carry  L.  Wynegar,  born  in  1855,  in 
Alaska ;  Pauline  Humphrey,  born  in  1857,  a  resi- 
dent of  Washington,  and  John  F.  Wynegar,  born 
in  1863,  a  resident  of  Nebraska.  These  five  last 
named  are  natives  of  Illinois. 

Mr.  Wynegar  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  May 
14,  1890,  to  Miss  Octavia  E.  Newman,  who  was 
born  in  Farmington,  Iowa,  March  26,  1851.  Her 
father,  Abner  M.  Newman,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
June  12,  1825,  and  came  from  an  old  pioneer  family. 
His  ancestors  came  to  America  in  1632.  He  died 
March  13.  1879.  His  wife,  Mary  A.  (James)  New- 
man, was  born  in  Virginia,  September  26,  1825. 
Mrs.  Wynegar  was  educated  in  Iowa  and  taught 
school  in  that  state  and  in  Colorado.  She  came  to 
Washington  in  the  spring  of  the  year  previous  to  her 
marriage.    Her  sisters,  Gertrude  M.  Clinesmith  and 


Roberta  E.  Newman,  are  dead.  A  brother,  Theo- 
dore R.  Newman,  born  in  Iowa,  June  12,  1855,  is 
living  in  British  Columbia.  Mrs.  Wynegar  is  the 
mother  of  one  child,  Rosa  O.  Wynegar,  who  was 
born  March  22,  1891.  Mr.  Wynegar,  by  his  in- 
dustry and  thrift,  has  acquired  a  competency  which 
assures  himself  and  family  from  want.  He  owns 
a  fine  farm  of  380  acres  in  one  body  and  also  has 
about  fifty  acres  in  the  city  of  Ellensburg.  He  is  a 
Republican  and  takes  considerable  interest  in  politi- 
cal matters.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army   of   the  Republic. 


THOMAS  W.  FARRELL,  manufacturer  of 
harness  and  saddles,  of  Ellensburg,  was  born  in  Still- 
water, Minnesota,  March  1,  1863.  He  is  the  son 
of  James  Farrell,  a  native  of  Ireland,  a  mechanic, 
who  came  to  America  when  a  young  man,  settled 
in  Minnesota,  and  died  in  1863.  The  mother  is 
Elizabeth  (Downie)  Farrell,  who  still  lives  on  the 
homestead  at  Stillwater,  Minnesota.  Mr.  Farrell 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  and  in  St. 
John's  university,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in 
1886,  having  taken  a  business  course.  He  followed 
bookkeeping  for  a  number  of  years  in  Minnesota, 
also  for  Ames  &  McCarthy,  at  Ellensburg.  He 
I  was  next  engaged  with  W.  P.  Mason  in  canal  and 
railroad  surveys.  For  seven  months  he  again  kept 
books  for  J.  E.  Farrell,  and  bought  out  the  busi- 
ness in  1891.  He  has  been  exceptionally  successful, 
handling  more  goods  in  his  line  than  any  other  firm 
in  the  county.  Air.  Farrell  was  married  April  15, 
1 891,  to  Louisa  Manners,  daughter  of  Henry  and 
Elvira  (Wilks)  Manners,  both  natives  of  England. 
The  father  was  a  live  stock  dealer,  born  in  1S35; 
he  died  in  1887.  After  the  death  of  her  husband, 
the  mother,  with  her  nine  children,  came  to  the 
United  States,  the  family  now  residing  at  Ellens- 
burg. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thomas  Farrell  have  three 
children,  Morris,  Stanley  and  Eugene,  all  at  home 
Mr.  Farrell  belongs  to  the  W.  of  W.  fraternity, 
and  is  an  active  Democrat,  having  fur  several  years. 
served  on  the  county  central  committee.  He  at- 
tends county  and  statV1  conventions,  usually  as  a 
delegate. 

Mr.  Farrell  has  an  uncle,  a  brother  of  his 
mother,  whose  Civil  war  record  was  filled  with 
intensely  interesting  incidents,  and  he  is  well  worthy 
a  place  in  this  work.  We  refer  to  Col.  Mark  W. 
Downie,  who  was  born  .March  15.  1836,  at  Chatham, 
New  Brunswick,  and  moved  to  Minnesota  when  a 
lad  of  nineteen  years.  At  the  breaking  out  of 
the  Civil  war  he  was  cashier  of  a  bank  at  Still- 
water, Minnesota.  He  was  captain  of  the  Still- 
water ( iuards  and  eventually  became  colonel  of 
the  First  Minnesota  regiment  of  volunteers.  Dur- 
ing a  series  of  battles  about  Richmond.  General  Lee 
had  cut  off  the  retreat  of  General  McClcllan,  and 
i»-  becime  necessary  to  build  a  hridee  over  the 
Chickahominy  river  in  a  single  day.     The  Federal 


8i6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


engineers  said  it  could  not  be  done.  Gen.  Sully 
sent  for  Maj.  Downie,  who  was  fever-stricken  in 
his  tent.  He  arose  promptly,  however,  and  reported 
for  duty,  saying:  "General,  give  me  a  thousand 
lumbermen  from  the  Northwest,  and  the  bridge 'shall 
be  built."  The  task  was  performed  and  McClellan 
released  from  his  trying  situation,  but  the  builder 
was  at  once  taken  to  a  New  Haven  hospital,  where 
he  was  confined  by  a  wasting  fever  for  two  months. 
At  Atlanta,  a  few  years  ago,  a  Federal  officer,  on 
hearing  Col.  Downie's  name  mentioned,  said  of  him: 
"Mark  Downie  was  the  bravest  soldier  in  the  army." 
Capt.  McGill,  a  Southerner,  replied :  ""Well,  he 
was  surely  the  kindest,"  and  related  the  following 
occurrence :  After  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  the 
hdies  had  entreated  permission  to  take  the  Con- 
federate wounded  to  their  homes,  and  were  refused 
by  the  commanding  officer.  Two  hours  later  Col. 
Downie  became  commanding  officer  and  at  once 
revoked  the  refusal,  and  released  a  prisoner,  Capt. 
McGill,  who  was  a  surgeon,  to  assist  in  the  care 
of  the  wounded.  Capt.  McGill  reported  the  facts 
to  Gen.  Lee,  who  said:  "Col.  Downie  is  a  soldier 
and  a  gentleman;  send  his  name  to  the  adjutant 
general's  office  at  Richmond,  and  if  ever  he  is  taken 
prisoner,  let  him  be  released  at  once  on  parole." 
Such  is  an  unadorned  narrative  of  some  of  the 
characteristic  events  which  make  the  record  of  a 
gallant  and  brave  soldier  and  a  kind,  patriotic  and 
honorable  citizen. 

Mr.  Farrell  has  the  sword,  presented  to  Col. 
Downie  by  the  citizens  of  Stillwater,  Minnesota,  and 
which  he  carried  throughout  the  rebellion.  Mr. 
Farrell  is  prominent  in  business  circles  and  a  most 
successful  and  respected  citizen  of  Ellensburg. 


ROBERT  A.  TURNER.  The  editor  and 
founder  of  the  Dawn,  Ellensburg,  Washington,  as 
might  be  inferred  from  the  vigorous,  manly  charac- 
ter of  his  editorials,  comes  from  a  family  which 
never  feared  to  battle  for  the  right.  His  father, 
Ephraim  Turner,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Civil  war, 
as  were  his  four  uncles  on  his  mother's  side.  His 
mother,  Sarah  (Hukel)  Turner,  like  his  father,  was 
of  English  descent  and  a  native  of  Kentucky.  They 
moved  to  Audrain  county,  Missouri,  about  1839, 
at  a  time  when  there  were  but  three  other  white 
families  in  the  county.  Mr.  Turner  was  born  in 
that  county,  October  30,  1859.  His  father  died 
in  1881  and  in  1896  his  mother  passed  away.  His 
parents  had  moved  to  Bates  county,  Missouri,  when 
he  was  seven  years  of  age.  He  worked  on  the 
farm  and  attended  school,  when  a  boy,  walking 
from  three  to  seven  miles  to  school.  At  twenty  he 
went  to  do  for  himself,  working  on  a  farm. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  was  married  to 
Minerva  C.  Brownfield,  a  native  of  Missouri, 
daughter  of  John  J-  and  Mary  Brownfield.  both  of 
whom  are  now  dead.  Mr.  Turner  and  his  bride 
began  married  life  on  a  farm,  but  after  five  years. 


Mr.  Turner,  who  had  a  natural  turn  for  news- 
paper work,  embarked  in  that  business.  He  pur- 
chased a  plant  and  established  the  W'estern  Farm 
Journal  at  Lone  Oak.  He  ran  that  publication  for 
five  years,  establishing  it  on  a  firm  and  paying 
basis,  then  sold  it  and  established  Turner's  Emanci- 
pator, at  the  same  place.  He  ran  this  for  five  years, 
when  failing  health  decided  him  to  move  west,  to 
see  if  the  change  would  benefit  him.  He  moved  his 
plant  to  Seattle,  but  failing  to  secure  a  building 
there  he  moved  it  to  Phinney,  Island  county,  and 
resumed  publication  of  the  Emancipator.  After 
eleven  months,  September  6,  1891,  he  moved  the 
plant  to  Ellensburg,  where  he  conducted  it  under 
the  same  name  for  two  years.  Then  he  sold  out, 
deciding  to  quit  the  business. 

In  August,  1894,  the  old  liking  for  the  business 
proved  too  strong  and  drew  him  back  to  work, 
and  he  established  his  present  paper,  the  Dawn.  It 
was  started  as  an  ardent  defender  and  promulgator 
of  Populism  pure  and  simple.  The  party  failing  to 
establish  itself  as  an  active  factor  on  the  platform 
originally  advocated  by  it,  the  Dawn,  in  1900,  was 
changed  to  an  independent  paper  and  turned  its 
undivided  efforts  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  town  of 
Ellensburg  and  county  of  Kittitas  by  every  legiti- 
mate means  in  its  power.  Mr.  Turner  purchased 
some  property  in  Ellensburg  when  he  first  arrived 
there  and  later  bought  twenty  acres  additional,  which 
has  become  quite  valuable.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Central  Christian  church  of  Ellensburg,  of  which 
he  is  an  elder.  He  has  been  a  candidate  for  office 
several  times.  In  1884,  in  Missouri,  he  ran  for 
coroner  on  the  Greenback  ticket,  and  polled  twice 
as  many  votes  as  any  other  man  on  his  ticket.  In 
1892,  he  was  nominated  for  county  clerk  on  the 
Populist  ticket,  after  but  one  year's  residence  in  the 
county.  The  whole  ticket  was  defeated.  Two  of 
his  brothers  and  two  sisters  are  living.  One  brother, 
John  A.  Turner,  is  a  resident  of  Enid,  Oklahoma, 
and  the  other,  James  Turner,  lives  at  Eugene,  Ore- 
gon. A  sister,  Celia  Brownfield,  makes  her  home  at 
Toppenish,  Washington,  and  the  other  married  sis- 
ter, Narcissa  Wix,  is  a  resident  of  Pryor  Creek, 
Indian  Territory. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Turner  are  the  parents  of  two 
sons,  John  Ephraim  and  Joseph  Leslie,  and  two 
daughters,  Mary  Elizabeth  and  Ida  May.  The 
latter  died  while  quite  small. 

The  Dawn  printing  office  is  one  of  the  best  in 
Central  Washington  and  The  Dawn  enjoys  the 
splendid  reputation  and  distinction  of  being  the 
most  widely  read  paper  published  in  the  county. 
The  plant  is  worth  perhaps  $3,000. 


EUGENE  E  WAGER.  Twice  elected  to  the 
office  of  prosecuting  attorney  of  his  county,  and 
held  in  high  esteem  by  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  the 
name  of  Eugene  E.  Wager  stands  out  prominently 
as  a  member  of  the  Kittitas  countv  bar.     The  son  of  a 


ROBERT   A.    TURNER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


leading  lawyer  of  Virginia  and  veteran  of  the  Civil 
war,  he  was  born  in  Culpeper,  Virginia,  in  i858. 
The  boyhood  of  Mr.  Wager  was  spent  at  the  place 
of  his  birth,  where  he  was  given  the  benefit  of  a 
common  school  education.  He  then  attended  the 
University  of  Virginia,  from  which  institution  he 
was  graduated  in  1890.  Coming  to  Ellensburg  the 
same  year,  he  at  once  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his 
chosen  profession,  the  law.  For  the  first  seven  years 
of  his  practice  he  was  with  Will  G.  Graves,  when 
the  parnership  was  dissolved  and  since  that  time 
Mr.    Wager  has  practiced  alone. 

His  married  life  dates  back  to  the  year  1896, 
when  he  was  married  to  Miss  Byrd  Avard,  of  Cov- 
ington, Kentucky.  Her  parents  died  in  her  infancy 
and  she  was  reared  by  an  aunt.  Her  guardian  was 
Richard  Ernst,  one  of  the  ablest  attorneys  of  Ken- 
tucky. Mr.  Wager  is  also  an  aggressive  Demo- 
crat and  stands  high  in  the  ranks  of  his  party.  He 
was  elected  to  the  office  of  prosecuting  attorney  for 
the  first  time  in  1892,  shortly  after  coming  to  the 
county.  In  1894  he  was  elected  to  succeed  himself 
in  office,  enjoying  the  distinction  of  being  the  only 
Democrat  elected  to  office  in  the  county  that  year. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  it  was  during  his  en- 
cumbency  the  famous  Roslyn  bank  robbery  and  the 
subsequent  trial  of  the  robbers,  Tom  McCarthy  and 
Ray  Lewis,  took  place.  This  affair  formed  one  of 
the  interesting  items  of  the  county's  history. 


CHRISTOPHER  A.  GRAY.  Himself  a  pio- 
neer, Christopher  A.  Gray,  farmer  and  stock  raiser 
of  Ellensburg,  Washington,  is  descended  from  a 
hardy  family  of  pioneers  accustomed  to  the  untried 
frontier  and  famous  in  the  annals  of  Indian  wars. 
The  date  of  his  birth  was  September  14,  1852.  An 
early  frontiersman  of  Indiana,  Werley  Gray,  the 
subject's  father,  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1823.  He  is 
Still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty,  engaged  in 
stock  raising  at  Britton,  Oklahoma.  Giristopher 
Gray's  grandfather,  Jesse  Gray,  a  determined  and 
relentless  Indian  fighter,  was  the  first  white  man 
to  cut  a  trail  into  the  wilds  of  what  is  now  the 
state  of  Indiana.  Jesse  Gray's  hatred  of  and  bit- 
terness toward  the  savages  was  brought  about  by 
their  cold-blooded  massacre  of  his  father's  family. 
By  the  side  of  his  dead  relatives  the  bereft  son  and 
brother  registered  a  solemn  vow  to  wreak  revenge. 
So  faithfully  did  he  carry  out  this  vow,  that,  in 
1 79 1,  he  had  become  a  noted  character,  so  vigorous 
in  his  destruction  of  the  Indians  and  so  active  in 
the  development  of  the  country  and  the  protection 
of  the  whites,  that  a  monument  has  been  erected 
over  his  grave  at  Camden,  Indiana,  by  his  Eellow 
citizens  as  a  mark  of  their  appreciation  and  honor. 
Besides  his  participation  in  desultory  Indian  fights, 
Jesse  Gray  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  and  was 
under  Gen.  William  Henry  Harrison  at  the  battle 
of  Tippecanoe. 


Christopher  Gray's  mother,  Elizabeth  (Huey) 
Gray,  born  of  Scotch  parentage  in  1823,  died  in 
1857.  Her  parents  were  among  the  first  to  tempt 
the  wilderness  of  Indiana.  Her  father  took  part  in 
the  War  of  1812.  In  the  early  sixties  Werley  Gray 
removed  to  Kansas,  settling 'at  Fort  Riley,  where 
border  ruffians  were  almost  as  plentiful  a's  buffalo 
and  Indians.  Here  Christopher,  growing  to  man- 
hood, hunted  buffalo  with  his  father  and  other 
plainsmen,  being  inured  to  border  life  thus  pre- 
paring him  for  the  trail  which  he  later  followed 
from  the  fort  to  Texas.  In  1872  he  crossed  the 
Plains,  through  the  Kittitas  valley  and  on  to  Seattle. 
Here,  for  three  years,  he  engaged  in  the  meat  mar- 
ket business  and  lumbering,  when  he  went  to  Xew 
Castle,  where  he  continued  in  the  meat  market  busi- 
ness. Unfortunately  for  himself,  he  came  to  Ellens- 
burg and  went  into  the  sheep  business  in  1880. 
The  winter  of  that  year  is  remembered  by  pioneers 
as  being  the  severest  ever  experienced  in  the  North- 
west. All  species  of  live  stock,  sheep,  horses  and- 
cattle,  died  almost  by  thousands  on  account  of  the 
exceptionally  deep  snow  and  extreme  cold.  Like 
nrny  another  stockman,  Mr.  Gray  lost  so  heavily 
that  he  failed.  .  In  the  spring  he  returned  to  the 
CDast  and  again,  entered  the  logging  business.  In 
this  he  was  so  successful  as  to  soon  be  able  to  re- 
establish himself  in  the  stock  raising  industry  in 
the  Ellensburg  country :  this  time,  however,  he  in- 
vested in  cattle  instead  of  sheep,  and  has  since  con- 
tinued in  the  business  coupled  with  farming  and 
butchering. 

Mr.  Gray  was  married,  September  25,  1880.  in 
Seattle,  to  Mary  A.  Agnew,  a  native  of  Van  Buren 
county,  Iowa.  Mrs.  Gray's  father,  Peter  Agnew,  a 
miner,  born  in  Ireland  in  1826,  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1844.  Her  mother,  Mary  (Dolan)  Agnew. 
also  of  Irish  birth,  spent  the  first  fifteen  years  of 
her  life  in  England.  In  1844  she  was  married  and 
she  came  to  America  with  her  husband  the  day 
following  her  wedding  day,  continuing  their  event- 
ful wedding  journey  westward  with  a  Mormon  ex- 
cursion. She  has  five  brothers :  James.  John, 
Michael,  Joseph  and  Thomas,  and  one  sister.  Alice 
Williams.  Mr.  Gray  has  one  brother,  George  Gray, 
of  Miltonville,  Kansas,  and  one  sister.  Dorothy 
( .entry,  Clay  Center,  Kansas.  His  only  child  is  a 
son,  Arthur  W.  Gray,  who  lives  on  a  farm  in 
Kitt'tas  count)-.  Washington.  Although  a  Repub- 
1  can  most  of  his  life,  so  far  from  seeking  office 
for  himself.  Mr.  Gray  has  always  refused  all  nomi- 
nations for  public  office. 

As  has  been  stated.  Mr.  Gray  is  at  present  en- 
gaged in  the  meat  business  in  Ellensburg,  being  a 
member  of  the  Ellensburg  Meat  Company,  with 
Tin imp-nii  and  Weed  as  partners,  and  in  stock  rais- 
ing, devoting  his  attention  to  the  Hereford  breed 
of  cattle,  of  which  he  owns  a  herd  of  five  hundred 
head,  some  of  the  finest  in  the  state.  His  farming 
lands  number  about  three  thousand  acre-. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


A.  H.  STULFAUTH.  The  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  The  Capital,  Ellensburg.  A.  H.  Stulfauth, 
was  born  in  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois,  August  2, 
1857.  His  father,  John  Stulfauth,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, came  to  the  United  States  in  the  forties  to 
avoid  compulsory  army  service  in  his  native  land. 
That  the  senior  Stulfauth  did  not  lack  courage  and 
devotion  to  country  when  enjoying  the  freedom  of 
exercising  his  own  will  and  acting  in  accordance 
with  the  dictates  of  his  own  conscience  is  evidenced 
by  his  record  in  the  Civil  war.  When  this  conflict 
began  he  enlisted,  August  14,  1861,  in  Company  F, 
Ninth  Illinois  infantry.  He  was  twice  wounded  at 
Shiloh,  was  in  Corinth,  Fort  Donelson,  and  other 
battles  fought  by  Grant  in  his  memorable  campaign. 
He  was  discharged  from  service  August  20,  1864. 
His  death  occurred  in  1873,  his  life  having  been 
shortened  by  wounds  received  on  the  battle-field. 
His  wile,  the  mother  of  A.  H.  Stulfauth,  was  born 
in  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  and  died  in  1874. 
Though  of  Irish  descent,  her  ancestors  had  for 
generations  lived  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  United 
States. 

Mr.  Stulfauth*s  parents  removed  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  Illinois  in  1855,  tw0  years  before  his  birth. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  they  again  moved  west- 
ward, this  time  settling  in  Franklin  county,  Kansas, 
where  the  boy  received  his  early  education,  remain- 
ing there  until  his  seventeenth  year.  At  this  age 
he  went  to  Salt  Lake  and  entered  the  employ  of 
The  Tribune,  at  first  in  the  mechanical  department, 
afterwards  on  the  telegraph  and  reportorial  staffs. 
At  the  end  of  ten  years,  1884,  he  went  to  Portland 
to  take  charge  of  a  partner's  interest  in  the  Port- 
land Daily  News.  For  three  years  he  made  Port- 
land his  home,  but  spent  the  greater  portion  of  the 
time  in  San  Francisco,  as  special  correspondent  of 
hi 5  Portland  paper.  Removing  to  San  Francisco 
la.er,  he  occupied  the  telegraph  desk  on  The  Even- 
ing Tost  and  for  a  time  was  a  reporter,  both  with 
The  Chronicle  and  The  Examiner.  In  1889  he  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  The  Capital  with  A.  N.  Ham- 
ilton, his  former  partner  at  Portland.  In  1899  ne 
bought  out  his  partner's  interest  and  has  since  con- 
tinued editor  and  sole  proprietor  of  that  publica- 
tion, which  ranks  among  the  best  and  most  suc- 
cessful periodicals  in  the  valley.  Thoueh  originally 
an  independent  sheet,  under  Editor  Stulfauth's  man- 
agement it  became,  in  1892,  stanch  in  its  support 
of  Republican  principles. 

In  the  fall  of  '83  Mr.  Stulfauth  was  married 
to  Blanch  Henry,  of  Mattoon,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Stul- 
fauth's father,  a  physician  of  Mattoon,  and  a  former 
surgeon  in  the  army,  was  a  native  of  Kentucky.  He 
was  a  lineal  descendent  of  Patrick  Henry.  Her 
mother,  Elizabeth  (Stoddert)  Henrv,  who  wns  born 
in  Maryland,  was  a  granddaughter  of  Richard 
Stoddert,  first  secretary  of  the  navy.  Mrs.  Stul- 
fauth is  a  member  of  the  Congregational  church. 
Mr.  Stulfauth  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  A.  Rivers, 
who   resides   in   New  York   City. 


Fraternally,  Mr.  Stulfauth  is  associated  with 
the  Ancient  Order  of  United  Workmen.  He  is  an 
ardent  Republican  and  naturally,  by  virtue  of  the 
position  he  holds  in  the  community,  is  active  in  the 
councils  and  campaigns  of  his  party.  He  is  an 
acknowedged  success  as  a  journalist  and  The  Capi- 
tal is  well  patronized  by  the  citizens  of  Ellensburg 
and   the   Kittitas  valley. 


SIMON  P.  WIPPEL.  One  of  the  chief  sources 
of  wealth  in  the  Kittitas  valley  is  the  creamery  busi- 
ness and  one  of  the  most  successful  companies  in 
the  county  is  the  Kittitas  Creamery  Company,  of 
which  S.  P.  Wippel  is  one  of  the  proprietors.  In 
writing  Mr.  Wippel's  biography  it  is  interesting 
to  note  that  he  learned  the  dairy  business  in  this 
county  and,  by  close  attention  to  its  details,  has 
built  up  and  is  now  a  partner  in  one  of  the  most 
extensive  concerns  of  this  character  in  the  county. 
Mr.  Wippel  is  a  native  of  Ripley  county,  Indiana, 
where  he  was  born,  March  17,  1871.  His  father, 
Frank  Wippel,  is  a  farmer,  native  of  Germany. 
He  was  born  there  in  1843  an^  was  brought  to  the 
United  States  by  his  parents  when  three  years  old, 
in  1846.  He  still  lives  in  Indiana,  which  has  been 
his  home  for  fifty  years.  The  mother  of  Simon 
Wippel,  Gertrude  (Zinser)  Wippel,  was  born  in 
Germany  in  1845  and  came  with  her  parents  to  this 
country  when  an  infant.  Until  his  nineteenth  year 
Mr.  Wippel  remained  on  the  Indiana  homestead 
with  his  parents,  working  on  the  farm  and  attend- 
ing the  district  schools.  In  his  young  manhood  he 
was  a  great  reader  and  values  highly  the  general 
store  of  information  he  accumulated  in  this  way. 
Leaving  Indiana  when  nineteen,  he  went  to  Kansas, 
settling  near  Topeka  and,  in  a  short  time,  becoming 
manager  of  a  ranch  and  an  extensive  herd  of  thor- 
oughbred Shorthorn  cattle.  At  the  end  of  three 
years  he  left  Kansas  and  came  to  Kittitas  county, 
in  the  spring  of  1893,  entering  the  employ  of  Helm 
&  Reed,  who  at  that  time  were  engaged  extensively 
in  the  stock  business  on  a  ranch  of  several  hun- 
dred acres ;  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  was  made 
manager  of  this  ranch  and  continued  in  this  posi- 
tion for  three  years.  The  firm  of  Flelm  &  Reed 
dissolving,  Mr.  Wippel  became  the  emplovee  of  Mr. 
Reed  in  operating  a  skimming  station  in  connection 
with  the  Ellensburg  •Creamer v.  One  year  later  he 
bought  an  interest  in  the  business.  In  1900  he  sold 
his  interest  in  the  Sllensburg  Creamery  and,  with 
his  brother,  Fred,  established  the  Kittitas  Creamery 
Company,  erecting  and  equipping  buildings  in 
which  to  operate  the  business.  In  the  fall  of  1901 
the  brothers  bought  the  Cloverdale  Creamery  of 
John  Goodwin  at  Thorp  and  have  since  operated 
the  two  plants.  The  business  is  each  year  becoming 
more  extensive,  the  principal  product  being  butter, 
large  quantities  of  which  are  shipped  to  the  Sound 
country. 

■In  April,  1902,  Simon  Wippel  and  Gertrude  E. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


819 


Miller  were  united  in  marriage.  Mrs.  Wippel  is  a 
native  of  Minnesota  and  is  the  daughter  of  Nicholas 
and  Isabelle  (Schwingler)  Miller,  the  former  a 
native  of  Germany  and  the  latter  of  Minnesota. 
Nicholas  Miller  was  a  teacher  in  his  native  country ; 
he  came  to  Kittitas  county  in  1886.  The  father 
and  mother  are  still  living.  Mr.  Wippel's  brothers 
and  sisters  are :  Fred,  his  partner  in  business ; 
Katherine,  Marguerite,  Peter,  Anna,  Elizabeth, 
Frank  and  Gertrude.  Raymond  Wippel  is  the 
infant  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wippel.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wippel  are  members  of  the  Catholic  church. 
In  politics  Mr.  Wippel  is  a  Republican.  With  his 
brother,  Fred,  he  owns  a  section  of  land  in  the 
valley.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wippel  have  an  attractive 
and  comfortable  home  in  Ellensburg  and  are  enjoy- 
ing the  fruits  of  years  of  industry  and  successful 
management. 


FREDERICK  WIPPEL.  Kittitas  county  has 
produced  many  successful  stockmen  and  dairymen. 
Its  extensive  ranges  make  of  it  an  ideal  stock  coun- 
try and  the  inclination  of  the  later  settlers  to  en- 
gage in  diversified  industries  led  to  experiments  in 
dairy  farming  which  proved  wonderfully  success- 
ful and  which  resulted  in  the  opening  of  many 
•dairy  farms  and  the  establishment  of  creameries 
in  various  parts  of  the  county.  The  Kittitas  Cream- 
ery was  established  in  1900  bv  Frederick  Wippel 
and  his  brother,  Simon.  In  this  year  Frederick 
Wippel  came  to  Kittitas  county  from  Kansas,  in- 
duced to  make  the  change  in  location  by  the 
encouraging  reports  concerning  the  advantages  of 
the  country  sent  him  by  his  brother,  Simon,  who 
had  been  a  resident 'of  the  county  for  several  years. 
On  his  arrival  here  Mr.  Wippel  went  to  the  State 
Agricultural  College  at  Pullman  and  took  a  thor- 
ough course  in  the  dairy  department,  after  which 
lie  took  up  the  work  as  butter  maker  in  his  own 
creamery  at  Ellensburg  and  is  still  so  engaged. 
With  his  brother  Mr.  Wippel  has  built  up  a  very 
extensive  business,  both  at  Ellensburg  and  at  Thorp, 
having  purchased  at  the  latter  place  in  1900  the 
Cloverdale  Creamery,  owned  by  John  Goodwin. 
Frederick  Wippel  is  a  native  of  Ripley  county,  Indi- 
ana, being  born  there  in  1868.  He  is  the  son  of 
Frank  and  Gertrude  (Zinser)  Wippel,  both  natives 
of  Germany,  the  father  born  in  1843  and  the  mother 
in  1845.  The  father  was  brought  to  this  country 
by  his  parents  when  three  years  old,  in  1846;  the 
mother  also  came  to  America  with  her  father  and 
mother  in  her  infancy ;  both  attained  maturity  in 
Indiana.  The  grandparents  settled  in  Ripley 
county.  Indiana,  and  there  the  father  and  mother 
of  the  subject  of  this  article  hive  lived  for  fifty 
yeirs.  Frederick  Wippel  spent  his  boyhood  days 
on  the  homestead  farm  in  Indiana  :  he  worked  on 
the  farm  with  his  father,  attending  the  country 
schools  during  the  fall  and  winter  months,  until 
seventeen   vears  of  age.     At   this  age  he   went   to 


Kansas  with  his  grandfather,  Michael  Wippel,  in 
1885,  in  quest  of  a  new  farming  location.  The 
grandfather  not  being  suited,  returned  to  Indiana, 
but  the  grandson  remained,  settling  near  Topeka. 
Here  he  engaged  in  farming  and  raising  stock, 
finding  the  business  reasonably  profitable  and  con- 
tinuing in  it  for  fourteen  years,  until  1900.  In 
this  year,  as  has  been  previously  stated,  he  came  to 
Kittitas  county  and  to  Ellensburg,  where  he  has 
since  made  his  home  and  which  has  become  the 
permanent  field  of  his  business  activities.  In  it  he 
has  won  success  and  has  established  himself  as 
one  of  the  reliable  and  substantial  citizens  of  the 
community; 

June  4,  1901,  Mr.  Wippel  was  married  in  To- 
peka, Kansas,  to  Kate  Renyer,  a  daughter  of  John 
Renyer,  a  carpenter,  of  German  extraction :  the 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Boley,  she  also  being 
of  German  descent.  Mr.  Wippel  has  three  brothers 
and  five  sisters  :  Simon,  his  business  partner ;  Peter, 
Frank,  Katherine,  Marguerite,  Anna,  Elizabeth,  and 
Gertrude.  In  religious  faith  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wippel 
are  Catholics.  Mr.  Wippel  holds  membership  in 
the  fraternal  order,  A.  O.  U.  W.  Heretofore  Mr. 
Wippel  has  been  a  Democrat,  but  he  is  now  a  Roose- 
velt Republican,  believing  firmly  in  the  man  and 
his  public  policies.  He  is  a  partner  with  his  brothe'- 
in  the  possession  of  640  acres  of  valley  lands,  and 
owns  the  home  in  which  he  and  Mrs.  Wippel  reside. 
He  is  progressive  and  energetic,  and  wins  success 
in  whatever  enterprise  he  engages. 


CHARLES  S.  BAKER,  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  the  Putnam  Grocery  Company  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington,  was  engaged  for  many  years  in  the 
profession  of  teaching  before  he  entered  business 
life.  He  is  a  native  of  Illinois,  having  been  born 
in  Adams  county,  May  7,  18  35.  He  grew  to  young 
manhood  thee,  working  on  a  farm  and  attending 
school,  finishing  his  education  at  Quincy  ( Illinois ) 
college.  At  twenty  he  began  the  work  of  teaching, 
his  first  school  being  in  Adams  county.  After  six 
years  as  teacher  in  Illinois  Mr.  Baker  moved  to 
Klickitat  county.  Washington,  in  1 891,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  same  profession.  He  was  selected 
principal  of  the  Centerville  schools,  which  position 
he  held  four  years.  In  1898  he  moved  to  Ellens- 
burg and  engaged  in  teaching  in  the  country  schools 
and  also  was  bookkeeper  for  the  Ellensburg  Grocery 
&  Commission  Company.  June  1st  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  James  J.  Putnam  and  took  over 
this  business,  changing  the  firm  name  to  that  under 
which  the  business  is  now  conducted.  Mr.  Baker 
has  been  most  Fuccessful  in  his  business  undertak- 
ings. He  is  the  owner  of  the  Webb  building  in 
Ellensburg;  has  property  still  in  Klickitat  county 
and  owns  bus:ne;s  property  at  Waterville,  Wash- 
ington. He  is  a  Republican  and  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  politics,  beiner  now  secretary 
of  the  county  central  committee.     During  his  resi- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


dence  in  Illinois  he  was  alderman  and  city  clerk 
at  Loraine,  having  been  elected  on  the  anti-saloon 
ticket.  Both  of  Mr.  Baker"s  parents  are  living  and 
are  residents  of  Ellensburg,  Washington,  having 
moved  west  in  1902.  His  father,  James  Baker,  was 
born  in  Maryland,  in  1834,  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry. 
He  was  a  pioneer  farmer  in  Illinois,  settling  there  in 
1850.  Mr.  Baker's  mother,  Roxanna  F.  (Hecox) 
Baker,  like  her  son,  was  a  native  of  Adams  county, 
Illinois,  where  she  was  born,  in  1844.  She  was  the 
mother  of  seven  children.  Mr.  Baker's  three  broth- 
ers are :  John  L.,  in  the  real  estate  business  at  Ho- 
bart,  Oklahoma  Territory ;  Marcus  F.,  railroad 
agent  for  the  M.  K.  &  T.,  at  Tibbitts,  Missouri,  and 
Rufus  A.,  a  resident  of  Ellensburg,  Washington. 
His  sisters  are :  Laura,  now  Mrs.  J.  B.  Roley,  of 
Denver,  Colorado;  Minnie,  now  Mrs.  L.  W.  Tay- 
lor, of  Edmunds,  Washington,  and  Pearl,  now  Mrs. 
Clyde  Williams,  of  Tacoma,  Washington. 

Air.  Baker  was  married  in  Illinois  in  July,  1891, 
to  Gertie  Reece,  who  was  born  in  Adams  county, 
Illinois,  in  1S69.  She  taught  in  Illinois  from  1887 
to  1 89 1,  at  which  time  she  was  married  and  came 
west,  locating  at  Centerville.  Washington,  where 
she  taught  in  the  city  schools  with  her  husband. 
She  graduated  later  from  the  Washington  State 
Ncrmal  school  at  Ellensburg.  and  is  now  teaching 
at  Cle-Elum,  Washington.  Her  father,  Richard  M. 
Reece,  was  born  in  Adams  county,  Illinois,  and  fol- 
lowed farming  and  was  for  many  years  postmaster 
at  Loraine.  He  now  resides  in  Chicago.  Her 
mother,  Sarah  (Hooper)  Reece,  is  dead.  She  has 
three  sisters  living  in  Chicago.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Baker  have  three  children,  Ronald  Franklin,  Gladys 
Frances  and  Lessie  Luella.  Mr.  Baker  is  promi- 
nent in  a  number  of  fraternal  orders,  being  an  active 
member  of  the  K.  of  P.,  I.  O.  O.  F..  Women  of 
Woodcraft  and  Royal  Tribe  of  Joseph.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  county  board  of  education  and  a 
member  of  the  eighth  grade  examiners. 


ALFRED  M.  WRIGHT,  a  successful  business 
man  of  Ellensburg,  has  the  honor  of  having  built, 
with  his  brother,  the  first  saw  mill  erected  in  his 
city.  Born  in  New  York  City.  March  22.  1864,  he 
was  the  son  of  Ezra  W.  Wright,  who  operated  a 
saw  mill  on  Staten  Island  and  one  in  central  New 
York.  Of  French  descent,  the  father  was  born  in 
Herkimer  county,  New  York,  in  1827.  Being  in 
ill  healtb,  he  came  west  and  settled  in  Kittitas 
county.  Washington,  jn  the  vain  hope  of  improve- 
ment, dying  here  in  1891.  Two  brothers  of  Ezra 
W.  Wright  gave  up  their  lives  in  the  cause  of  the 
Civil  war,  one  of  whom,  serving  as  aid  on  the 
staff  of  Gen.  Sheridan,  was  killed  in  the  Shenan- 
doah valley.  The  mother  of  Alfred  M.  Wright, 
Emma  Cuttrell.  of  Scotch-English  ancestry,  was 
torn  in  Jersey  City,  1829,  and  died  in  1873.  Her 
father  was  proprietor  of  a  shipyard  in  her  native 
city,  where  members  of  her  family  even  now  con- 


tinue to  build  ships.  The  boy.  Alfred,  grew  up  in 
the  Empire  state,  working  in  his  father's  mill  until 
reaching  the  age  of  twelve,  when  he  removed  with 
his  father  to  a  farm.  Here  he  worked  for  two 
years,  when  he  left  his  country  home  to  learn  the 
machinist's  trade.  In  1883  he  sought  health  in 
Dakota,  where,  for  three  years,  he  followed  his 
trade,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he  came  to  Ellens- 
burg, entering  at  first  into  carpentering  and  con- 
tracting work.  The  year  1892  found  him  with  his 
brother,  William,  engaged  in  the  lumber  milling 
business,  in  which  success  has  rewarded  their  efforts. 
At  the  present  time  they  .  joint!-"  own  two  mills, 
one  at  Cle-Elum  and  one  at  Teanaway,  together  with 
a  half  interest  in  a  third. 

Mr.  Wright  was  married,  June  21,  1886,  in 
New  York  state,  to  Miss  Bertha  R.  Georgia,  an  old 
school-mate,  a  native  of  Otsego,  New  York.  Being 
a  woman  of  finished  education,  before  her  marriage 
she  was  engaged  in  teaching.  Her  father,  Orrin 
Georgia,  and  her  mother,  Susan  ( Murray )  Georgia, 
both  were  born  in  the  state  of  New  York,  where 
she  has  three  brothers  and  three  sisters  now  living. 
The  father  died  some  years  ago.  Mr.  Wright  was 
a  member  of  a  family  of  seven,  three  sisters  and 
one  brother,  Ezra  H.,  beinsr  dead.  Of  his  two  sur- 
viving brothers,  Frank  C.  Wright  is  living  in  Cali- 
fornia and  William,  Mr.  Wright's  business  partner, 
makes  Ellensburg  his  home.  To  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wright  six  children  have  been  born :  Nellie,  Doris, 
Charlotte,  Luvern,  Acenith  and.  Alfred.  By  the 
death  of  Mrs.  Wright,  September  30,  190 1,  this 
family  of  growing  children  were  left  motherless 
and  since  that  time  have  been  cared  for  solely  by 
the  father.  Though  the  subject  was  in  Ellens- 
burg at  the  time  of  the  great  lire,  he  was  fortunate 
enough  to  e:cape  with  little  loss.  Mr.  Wright  has 
ever  taken  a  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of  his 
city,  and  has  served  eight  years  as  a  member  of 
its  council.  He  is  a  wide-awake  Republican,  sel- 
dom being  absent  from  a  caucus  or  a  convention 
of   his  chosen  party. 


MALCOLM  McLENNAN.  Malcolm  McLen- 
nan, a  widely  known  sheep  raiser,  and  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  sheep  commissioner  of  his  county, 
which  position  he  still  holds,  was  born  in  Scotland, 
in  the  northern  part,  during  the  month  of  Septem- 
ber, 1866.  His  parents,  Murdock  and  Anna  Mc- 
Lennan, were  both  born,  reared,  and  both  died  in 
Scotland ;  the  mother  dying  in  1887  and  the  father 
in  1896.  The  first  sixteen  years  of  his  life  Mal- 
colm McLennan  spent  in  his  native  country  on  his 
father's  farm,  where  he  received  a  common  school 
education.  Regarding  the  LJnited  States  as  a  coun- 
try offering  better  inducements  for  a  man  of  limited 
means  than  any  other  of  v*hich  he  had  any  knowl- 
edge, he  chose  this  country  as  his  future  home ;  and 
in  1886  he  made  his  advent  in  The  Dalles,  Oregon. 
Being  somewhat  familiar  with  the  sheep  business, 


B-IOGRAPHICAL. 


and  desiring  to  learn  more  of  it  as  it  is  conducted 
in  this  country,  young  McLennan  hired  out  as  a 
herder  to  one  of  the  extensive  sheep  men  of  eastern 
Oregon.  This  vocation  he  followed  until  he  became 
thoroughly  acquainted  with  all  the  details  con- 
nected with  the  management  of  a  sheep  ranch.  He 
then  invested  his  savings  in  a  small  flock  of  sheep 
and  went  into  business  on  his  own  account.  With 
this  as  a  nucleus  he  continued  to  add  more  sheep 
as  he  was  enabled  to  do  until  at  the  present  time 
he  owns  flocks  numbering  between  nine  and  ten 
thousand  head.  After  four  years  in  eastern  Ore- 
gon, he  brought  his  sheep  to  Kittitas  county,  pas- 
turing them  among  the  hills  and  making  his  head- 
quarters in  North  Yakima  and  Ellensburg.  In  the 
fall  of  1898  Mr.  McLennan  was  married  in  Yakima, 
to  Mary  Ledfield,  a  native  of  southern  Oregon,  born 
in  1880.  •  Her  life  spent  in  the  Yakima  valley  dates 
frcm  her  first  year,  when  her  parents,  Thomas  and 
Metta  (Davis)  Ledfield,  removed  to  the  town  of 
Yakima,  where  Mr.  Ledfield  worked  at  his  trade, 
that  of  jeweler.  Mrs.  McLennan's  father  and 
mother  both  were  born  in  Oregon,  and  the  parents 
of  both  were  early  pioneers  of  that  state.  Mr.  Mc- 
Lennan has  one  brother,  Ewen,  and  two  sister*. 
Maggie  and  Jessie,  all  of  whom  live  in  Scotland. 
To  Mr.  and  Mrs.  McLennan  has  been  born  one 
son,  Malcolm,  now  aged  four  years.  Mr.  McLennan 
is  an  enthusiastic  worker  in  the  Republican  party, 
is  a  wide-awake,  energetic  business  man.  and  is  a 
living  example  of  the  success  which  can  be  brought 
about  only  through  hard  work  and  assiduity, 
coupled  with  found  business  judgment.  His  opinion 
of  the  country  in  which  he  lives  is  that,  while  it 
has  been  a  great  stock  region,  the  business  is  now 
somewhat  overdone,  and  he  further  opines  that  the 
day  is  close  at  hand  when  the  large  stockmen  will 
be  forced  to  reduce  their  herds,  in  order  that  the 
business  may  be  divided  more  equally  among  ihe 
masses  and  not  practically  controlled  by  a  few  ex- 
tensive dealers,  as  is  the  present  state  of  affairs. 
He  also  considers  it  not  so  good  a  country  for 
cattle  as  for  sheep,  owing  to  the  overstocked  con- 
dition of  the  range  where  they  pasture. 


CARL  A.  SAXDER.  One  of  the  finest  ranches 
in  Kittitas  valley  is  owned  by  Carl  A.  Sander,  who 
unites  farming  and  dairying  with  the  rearing  of 
stock  one  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Ellens- 
burg. Mr.  Sander  began  life  in  Berlin,  Germany, 
in  1840.  His  father.  Christian  Sander,  was  bora 
in  Boyton  on  the  Oder,  in  1818,  and  died  in  1895. 
His  mother  was  Elizabeth  (Wilach)  Sander,  also 
a.  native  of  Germany ;  she  died  the  same  year  that 
her  husband  died. 

Mr.  Sander's  early  life  was  spent  in  his  native 
land.  At  twenty-one  he  entered  the  German  army, 
remaining  in  the  service  two  years,  during  which 
period  was  fought  the  war  between  Germany  and 
Denmark.     He  was  severelv  wounded  by  the  burst- 


ing of  a  shell  in  an  engagement  between  the  oppos- 
ing forces,  and  was  compelled  to  retire  to  private 
life.  After  having  learned  the  miller's  trade  he 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1864  and  for  two 
years  followed  the  milling  business  in  Florida, 
removing  at  the  end  of  this  time  to  Salina,  Kansas, 
and  later,  across  the  Plains  to  New  Mexico  and 
Arizona,  in  which  territories  he  worked  in  the 
quartz  mills.  Going  to  Seattle  a  few  months  later, 
he  joined  twenty  companions  in  the  purchase  of  a 
boat,  in  which  they  sailed  to  Alaska  in  search  of 
gold.  In  this  venture  he  lost  all  the  accumulations 
of  former  years  and  on  one  occasion  barely  escaped 
with  his  life.  Returning  from  Alaska,  he  settled 
first  in  Portland,  Oregon,  and  afterward  in  The 
Dalles,  where  he  operated  The  Dalles  flour  mill, 
during  the  years  1870-71,  coming  to  Kittitas  county 
April  20,  1871.  He  at  once  took  up  160  acres  of 
land  and  began  clearing  it,  succeeding  in  making 
25,000  rails  the  first  winter.  Leaving  the  farm  in 
the  spring  he  went  to  Yakima,  and  for  two  years 
worked  there  in  a  flour  mill,  later  he  bought  the 
plant,  afterwards  dividing  his  time  between  the  mill 
and  the  farm.  In  the  meanwhile  he  had  acquired  a 
small  herd  of  cattle  which  was  growing  into  money 
on  the  range.  At  the  end  of  ten  years,  with  his  sav- 
ings, added  to  the  profits  from  his  cattle,  he  bought 
the  mill,  becoming  thenceforth  its  owner  and  oper- 
ator. At  the  same  time  he  purchased  one-half  inter- 
est in  300  additional  acres  of  land.  In  1880  he  sold 
his  mill  interests  at  a  considerable  profit,  and  also  his 
land  in  Yakima  county,  at  once  erecting  on  his  own 
land  a  large  flour  mill,  which  unfortunately  was 
destroyed  by  fire.  This  was  the  fifth  mill  to  be 
built  in  the  county,  Fort  Simcoe  claiming  the  first. 
Mr.    Sander    was   married    in    Old    Yakima,    in 

1881,  to  Olive  Cleman,  born  in  Oregon  in  iSfio. 
Mrs.  .Sander's  father  was' Charles  Augustus  Cle- 
mrn,  a  teacher,  farmer  and  stockman,  born  in  Ten- 
nessee. He  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  during  the 
early    Indian    troubles,    and    died    in    that    stale    in 

1882.  Fie  was  a  hard  working  and  prosperous 
man.  His  wife,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Sander,  was 
Rebecca  (Griffith)  Cleman.  a  native  of  Missouri. 
She  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  with  Iter  parents 
in  early  life  and  died  in  iqo2.  After  their  marriage 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sander  lived  for  a  number  of  years 
in  a  log  cabin,  until  fortune  so  favored  them  as  to 
enable  them  to  build  their  present  sumptuous  home. 
Prior  to  their  marriage  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sander  were 
inured  to  the  privations  of  j  ioneer  life.  Mr.  Sander 
lad  had  experience  in  grinding  wheat  tor  flour  in 
a  coffee  mill  and  in  taking  lonely  and  hazardous 
journeys  through  the  untrodden  forest  to  The  Dalles 
for  provisions.  Mrs.  Sander  was  a  pioneer  of 
Oregon  as  well  as  of  Kittitas  county.  Her  husband 
assisted  in  the  construction  of  the  stockade  at 
Yakima  in  1877  and  she  was  one  of  the  first  to  seek 
refuge  behind  its  walls.  Mr.  Sander  has  a  brother, 
Frederick  \V..  and  two  sisters.  Pauline  and  Anstina, 
living  in  Berlin.  Germany.     Mrs.  Sander  has  three 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


brothers:  Perry  and  Jacob,  of  Ellensburg;  John, 
of  North  Yakima;  also  a  half-brother,  Clifton  Cle- 
man,  of  Yakima  county.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sander  are:  Frederick  William,  Anna  and 
Clara  Edith,  who  are  students  in  the  State  Normal 
at  Ellensburg,  and  a  younger  daughter,   Mabel. 

When  Mr.  Sander  settled  here  there  were  but 
ten  families  in  the  valley,  the  work  of  development 
having  scarcely  begun.  He  had  faith  in  the  future 
of  the  country  and  events  have  proven  that  his 
faith  was  well  grounded.  He  has  accumulated 
twelve  hundred  acres  of  land,  about  nine  hundred 
in  one  body,  and  all  supplied  with  water,  improved 
with  house,  barn,  granaries,  etc.,  and  stocked  with 
dairy  cows  and  other  live  stock.  The  first  water 
system  of  Ellensburg  was  installed  by  Mr.  Sander 
in  1887  and  sold  to  a  New  York  company  in  1891. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sander  are  connected  with  the 
Lutheran  church.  Mr.  Sander  is  Republican  in 
politics,  though  not  an  active  partisan.  He  has 
ever  been  an  active,  enterprising  man  and  his  name 
must  always  be  prominent  in  the  history  of  the 
growth  and  development  of  the  country  in  which 
he  has  made  his  home. 


PERRY  CLEMAN.  A  man  of  thrift  and  busi- 
ness capacity  is  Perry  Cleman,  native  Oregonian  and 
sheep  man  of  Ellensburg,  born  near  Eugene,  Ore- 
gon, in  1857.  He  was  the  son  of  a  veteran  printer, 
farmer  and  stockman,  Augustan  Cleman,  born  in 
Tennessee,  who  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  and 
settled  in  the  Willamette  valley,  dving  in  1882. 
Rebecca  A.  (Griffith)  Cleman,  Perry  Cleman's 
mother,  was  born  in  Missouri,  and  crossed  the 
Plains  in  the  early  fifties,  when  she  met  and  was 
married  to  Augustan  Cleman,  and  with  him  s<ttled 
at  Salem,  Oregon.  She  passed  away  November  10, 
1902. 

When  Perry  Cleman  was  eight  years  of  age  his 
parents  brought  the  family  to  make  its  home  in 
the  Yakima  valley.  The  father  later  removed  to 
the  Kittitas  valley,  where  he  bought  land.  Perry 
remained  in  the  Yakima  valley,  where  he  made  his 
home  until  1883,  when  he  also  settled  in  the  Kit- 
titas valley.  However,  he  had  visited  the  valley 
many  times  prior  to  making  his  home  there  and 
was  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  country  and  was 
firmly  convinced  as  to  its  advantages  for  his  chosen 
vocation — that  of  handling  stock.  Since  arriving  at 
the  age  of  eighteen,  Mr.  Cleman  has  had  charge  of 
his  own  affairs,  and  his  boyhood  days  having  been 
spent  among  stockmen,  he  naturallv  took  up  that 
line  of  business  for  himself.  As  early  as  die  age 
of  twenty  he  had  accumulated  a  small  herd  of 
cattle  of  It's  own  and  for  years  continued  to  add 
to  the  number  until  he  became  known  as  a  pros- 
perous cattle  raiser.  Subsequently  he  began  to  till 
the  soil,  and  to  his  live  stock  interests  he  added 
a  flock  of  sheep.  He  continued  business  in  this 
way  unt'l  about  the  year  1900,  when  he  disposed  of 


his  cattle  and  devoted  his  attention  almost  entirely 
to  the  rearing  of  sheep. 

Perry  Cleman  was  married  in  1883  to  Anna 
Lewis,  also  a  native  of  Oregon,  in  which  state  her 
parents  were  pioneers.  Her  father,  William  Lewis, 
came  from  Missouri,  the  state  of  his  birth,  in  an 
early  day  and  settled  in  Oregon.  He  was  an  Indian 
fishter  in  the  war  of  1855-56,  and,  in  civil  life,  a 
farmer  and  stock  raiser.  He  now  makes  his  home 
in  Okanogan  county,  Washington.  Mrs.  Cleman's 
mother,  Ruth  McCallister  in  her  maiden  days,  was 
born  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  She,  too,  crossed  the 
Plains  and  settled  in  Oregon  early  in  the  history  of 
that  state,  where  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Lewis. 
She  is  still  living. 

Mr.  Cleman  has  two  brothers :  John,  a  stock- 
man and  farmer  of  the  Yakima  valley,  and  Jacob,  of 
E  lensburg,  and  five  sisters,  Caroline  Wagnon, 
North  Yakima ;  Ruth  Pressy,  Areas  Island,  near 
Victoria ;  Olive  Sanders,  Ellensburg ;  Flora  Small, 
Seattle,  and  Rosa  Olson,  two  miles  from  Ellensburg. 
His  children  are:  Virgil,  the  eldest,  aged  nine- 
teen; Barney,  Flora,  Stanley.  Alice.  Otho,  Edith 
and  Charles.  With  the  exception  of  the  latter  two, 
who  are  under  school  as:e,  all  are  attending  school. 
In  lodge  circles  Mr.  Cleman  is  known  only  as  a 
member  of  the  K.  of  P.  and  Ancient  Order  of 
United  Workmen.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat. 
His  principal  holdings  in  the  stock  business  con- 
sist of  about  three  thousand  five  hundred  sheep, 
which  number  he  is  continually  increasing.  Since 
making  his  home  in  the  Yakima  and  Kittitas  val- 
leys, Air.  Cleman's  life  has  been  closely  connected 
with  the  history  of  those  sections.  At  the  time  of 
the  memorable  Indian  outbreak  he  was  instrumental, 
with  others,  in  protecting  the  settlers  from  the  fury 
of  the  savages,  and  some  of  the  stockades  he,  with 
his  father  and  brother,  erected  on  their  farms  until 
recently  were  conspicuous  landmarks  of  the  country. 


WILLIAM  B.  LEYERICH.  He  is  the  super- 
intendent of  the  electric  light  department  for  the 
city  at  Ellensburg,  Washington,  a  position  he  is 
filLng  with  great  success.  He  comes  of  famous  old 
New  York  ^tock  and  was  born  in  New  York  City 
in  i852.  His  father,  Benjamin  Leverich,  was  born 
in  New  York  in  1828  and  died  of  cholera  in  186^ 
His  mother,  Mary  (Hopson)  Leverich.  was  also  a 
native  of  New  York,  her  ancestors  being  among 
those  Hollanders  who  made  the  first  settlement  at 
New  Amsterdam.  His  father  died  when  William 
Leverich  was  but  a  few  years  old,  so  he  knew 
little  of  his  parent.  His  mother  was  left  some 
mean;.  The  boy  attended  the  common  schools  and 
started  to  learn  the  trade  of  boiler  making.  He  did 
not  take  kindly  to  that  employment  and  ran  away, 
coming  west  when  seventeen  years  old  and  locating 
in  California.  He  joined  the  navy  and  served  three 
years,  during  which  time  he  visited  China  and  Japan 
and  South  America.    He  decided  he  could  do  better 


JACOB   P.    BECKER. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


823 


in  other  lines  and  left  the  navy  and  secured  employ- 
ment with  the  General  Electric  Company  at  San 
Francisco.  This  line  of  work  he  has  followed  since 
with  great  success.  He  was  in  Astoria  for  seven 
years  in  the  electrical  business  and  moved  to  Ellens- 
burg,  Washington,  December  28,  1898,  to  accept 
the  position  he  now  occupies. 

Mr.  Leverich  was  married  in  Astoria,  Oregon, 
in  1886  to  Mary  Miller,  a  native  of  St.  Johns,  New 
Brunswick.  She  died  in  1897.  Thev  had  one  child, 
a  daughter,  Pearl,  who  was  sixteen  years  old  Octo- 
ber 16,  1903,  and  who  is  living  with  her  father  at 
Ellensburg.  Mr.  Leverich  has  seven  sisters  and  one 
brother  living  in  New  York.  They  are  named 
respectively :  Ada,  Emma,  Ella,  Lydia,  Sofia,  Min- 
nie and  Lillie  (twinsf,  and  George.  Mr.  Leverich 
is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party  and  takes  con- 
siderable interest  in  political  matters.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 


JACOB  P.  BECKER,  the  well-known  and  pro- 
gressive citizen  and  blacksmith  of  Ellensburg,  was 
born  in  the  state  of  California,  October  16,  1861. 
His  father,  Jacob  Becker,  was  a  native  of  Germany, 
where  he  was  born,  January  23,  1826.  He  was  a 
blacksmith  by  trade,  and  also  served  in  the  army 
of  his  native  land  for  three  years.  At  the  age  of 
thirty-two  he  started  for  the  United  States,  passing 
around  Cape  Horn  and  landing  at  San  Francisco. 
He  at  once  resorted  to  his  trade  for  a  livelihood, 
opening  up  a  shop  on  his  own  responsibility.  He 
remained  in  California  for  three  years,  doing  well, 
when  he  decided  to  verify  the  favorable  reports 
from  the  north  in  Oregon,  making  The  Dalles  his 
first  stopping  place.  Here  he  remained  for  nine 
years,  at  the  end  of  which  period,  1872,  he  came 
to  Ellensburg,  where  he  opened  a  shop  and  con- 
tinued to  work  at  his  trade  until  his  death,  Decem- 
her  12,  1890.  His  wife,  Josephine  (Guisse)  Becker, 
was  a  native  of  Germanv.  Tacob  P.,  our  subject, 
came  to  Ellensburg  with  his  parents  at  the  age  of 
eleven,  and  has  grown  right  up  in  the  blacksmith 
shop,  which  in  some  measure  accounts  for  his  me- 
chanical skill  for  which  he  is  reputed  in  Kittitas 
county.  But  while  naturally  proud  of  his  name  as 
a  mechanic,  Mr.  Becker  has  manv  regrets  that  his 
time  as  a  youth  was  so  wholly  taken  up  in  the 
shop  that  his  education  was  to  some  extent  neglect- 
ed. The  Beckers  can  trulv  be  termed  the  "pioneer 
blacksmiths"  of  Kittitas  county,  as  thev  have  been 
continuously  at  the  business  since  1872.  Fifteen 
years  ago  he  associated  himself  w:*^  Martin  Stiren, 
which  partnership  has  since  continued,  and  it  can 
be  said  without  fear  of  contradiction  that  thev  today 
have  the  most  up-to-date  sho"  in  the  county,  and 
there  is  nothing  in  their  line  that  they  do  not  suc- 
cessfully undertake.  All  the  machinery  of  the  shop 
is  operated  by  a  gasoline  engine. 

Mr.  Becker  was  united  in  marriage  April  9, 
1882,  to  Miss  Lottie  H.  Preston,  a  native  of  East- 


port,  Maine,  where  she  was  born,  April  23,  1863. 
Her  father,  Neumier  Preston,  a  teamster,  was  like- 
wise a  native  of  Maine,  in  which  state  he  also  died. 
Her  mother,  Charlotte  Preston,  lives  in  Ellensburg 
with  her  son.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Becker  have  one  son, 
Chester  F.,  who  is  now  in  Portland  studying  dental 
surgery.  Mr.  Becker  has  two  brothers  and  four 
sisters,  all  of  whom  are  living.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
B.  is  connected  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  of 
which  he  is  a  zealous  and  consistent  member.  He 
is  an  ardent  Republican  and  active  in  the  councils 
of  his  party.  He  is  a  public-spirited,  enterprising 
citizen,  ever  interested  in  promoting  the  best  inter- 
ests of  his  town  and  community,  and  holds  in  a  high 
degree  the  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


MARTIN  MEEHAN  is  a  retired  stockman 
living  in  Ellensburg,  Washington.  He  has  had 
many  ups  and  downs  in  his  business  undertakings, 
hut  misfortune  never  disheartened  him,  and  he  has 
pluckily  started  in  again  at  each  reverse  to  win 
Lack  what  he  had  lost.  He  was  born  in  New  York 
February  15,  1S38.  His  father,  John  Meehan,  was 
born  in  Ireland  in  1801,  came  to  America  in  1821 
and  died  in  1885.  His  mother,  Mary  (Crahen) 
Meehan,  was  also  a  native  of  Ireland  and  died  in 
1893.  Mr.  Meehan  went  to  country  school  and 
worked  on  a  farm  until  1852,  when  he  secured  em- 
ployment in  the  lumber  industry,  in  the  woods  of 
Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  until  June,  1875. 
He  then  moved  to  Franklin  county,  Iowa,  and  set- 
tled on  a  farm  for  a  short  period,  then  came  west 
and  spent  six  months  traveling  through  California, 
looking  for  a  location.  He  arrived  in  Seattle,  Wash- 
ington, November  20,  1875,  and  the  following  year 
engaged  in  logging  on  Lake  Washington,  adjoining 
that  city.  In  August,  1877,  he  went  to  Ellensburg, 
which  then  consisted  of  four  small  shacks  and  a 
log  store  building,  took  up  a  farm  across  the  river 
from  that  village  and  engaged  in  stock  raising.  In 
1879  he  lost  most  of  his  horses,  moved  to  Ellens- 
burg. and  in  1881  commenced  buying  cattle.  That 
fall  he  built  the  first  rustic  house  ever  built  in 
Fllensburg,  with  lumber  brought  from  Wenas. 
During  the  severe  winter  of  1881-2  he  lost  nearly 
one  thousand  head  of  stock,  having  but  sixteen  head 
left  of  his  large  herd.  He  then  engaged  in  the 
timber  business,  making  enough  money  to  pay  every 
dollar  of  debt  he  owed,  and  selling  his  house  began 
buying  calves  at  $3  and  $4  a  head,  thus  accumulat- 
ing about  one  hundred  forty  head.  On  account  of 
rheumatism  he  sold  out  and  went  east.  He  returned 
the  following  spring,  built  a  house  on  his  farm  and 
again  went  into  the  stock  business.  He  accumu- 
lated about  two  hundred  fifty  head,  which  he  sold 
in  1895,  and  the  following  year  he  drove  his  herd 
of  37s  head  of  horses  to  Seattle  and  disposed 
of  them.  In  1897  he  went  to  Alaska,  where 
he  remained  until  the  summer  of  1899.  He 
was  at  Dvea,  built  boats  on  Lake  Bennett  and  went 


824 


CENTRAL     WASHINGTON. 


to  Dawson,  thence  to  Seventy  Mile  creek ;  but  found 
no  gold.  On  his  return  to  the  Sound  he  engaged  in 
the  real  estate  business  in  Everett  for  two  years, 
with  considerable  profit.  October  10.  1901,  he  re- 
turned to  his  own  property  near  Ellensburg  and 
has  now  retired  from  business.  Mr.  Meehan  was 
married  in  1869  to  Miss  Alice  Benigon,  who  was 
born  in  upper  Canada  in  1840,  and  died  November 
10,  1872.  They  had  one  daughter,  Alice,  who  is 
the  wife  of  J.  J.  Carpenter,  of  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin. Mr.  Meehan  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic 
church.  He  is  a  Democrat  and  while  he  takes  much 
interest  in  politics  has  never  held  office  nor  been 
a   seeker  after  political  preferment. 


EDWARD  C.  FERGUSON.  Edward  C.  Fer- 
guson is  one  of  the  happy  characters  of  Ellensburg. 
He  is  an  all-round  sportsman,  and  in  business  life 
is  a  plumber  and  steam  fitter.  He  was  born  in 
London,  England,  August  31,  1852.  His  father, 
Mark  Ferguson,  was  born  in  England,  1814,  and 
in  business  was  a  wholesale  and  retail  liquor  dealer 
and  manufacturer.  He  died  in  1859.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother  was  Elizabeth  (Coxon)  Ferguson, 
also  a  native  of  England,  born  in  1S14,  dying  in 
1869.  Mr.  Ferguson  has  one  brother,  Henry,  a 
merchant  of  London.  Edward  C.  Ferguson  received 
a  college  education  in  his  native  country,  and  later 
took  a  technical  course  in  plumbing:  and  sanitary 
engineering,  which  he  completed  in  his  twenty-first 
year.  He  was  in  business  for  himself  in  London 
and  Liverpool,  which  he  followed  successfully  for 
fourteen  years.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he  came 
to  New  York  City  and  entered  the  employ,  as  fore- 
man, of  Murhead  Bros.,  plumbers.  He  later  took 
contracts  on  his  own  account  in  New  York,  con- 
tinuing thus  for  seven  vears.  His  next  move  was 
to  Boston,  where  he  remained  a  like  period  in  the 
plumbing  business,  and  in  1888  he  came  to  Seattle. 
While  in  Seattle  he  took  a  contract  to  do  a  piece 
of  work  in  Ellensburg  and  was  so  favorably  im- 
pressed with  conditions  here  that  he  decided  to  re- 
main. He  has  since  resided  in  the  city  and  is  now 
doing  a  thriving  business  in  his  line.  In  politics 
Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  Republican.  He  has  ever  been 
an  active  and  aggressive  party  worker,  representing 
his  constituents  in  many  of  his  party's  caucuses  and 
conventions,  but  has  never  held  elective  office.  For 
three  years  he  was  chief  of  the  Ellensburg  fire  de- 
partment, and  was  the  organizer  of  the  present 
department.  It  was  he.  too,  who  was  instrumental 
in  the  purchase  of  the  first  sprinkler  for  Ellensburg's 
dusty  streets.  He  is  a  member  of  good  standing  in 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  order,  in  which  he  displays 
the  same  spirit  and  energy  that  have  characterized 
him  in  all  other  institutions  with  which  be  has  been 
allied.  Mr.  Ferguson  is  a  Protestant  in  religion, 
but  belongs  to  no  particular  denomination ;  how- 
ever, he  is  ever  ready  and  generous  when  called 
upon  by  any  chu-ch  for  aid.     He  owns  no  small 


amount  of  valuable  real  estate,  besides  his  busi- 
ness. As  was  initially  stated  in  this  sketch,  Mr. 
Ferguson  is  an  all-round  sportsman.  He  is  passion- 
ately fond  of  fishing  and  hunting;  especially  does 
he  take  delight  in  the  pursuit  of  "big  game."  He 
is  an  expert  shot  with  a  rifle  or  nistol  and  is  well 
known  throughout  the  Northwest  as  being  a  thor- 
ough athlete.  An  ardent  lover  of  dogs  and  birds,  he 
has  one  of  the  first  best  kennels  of  Gordon  setter 
dogs,  and  as  fine  a  pen  of  game  chickens  as  is  to  be 
found  in  this  state.  His  genial  and  generous  nature, 
combined  with  his  industry  and  honor,  has  made 
for  him  an  enviable  reputation  among  his  people. 


WILLIAM  O.  AMES'  Ellensburg's  first 
school  was  taught  in  the  winter  of  1881-82  by  W.  O. 
Ames,  who  came  here  from  Goldendale,  Klickitat 
county,  where  for  two  years  he  had  engaged'  in 
teaching.  In  1882,  abandoning  his  profession  as 
teacher,  he  began  work  in  Ellensburg  as  a  carpen- 
ter and  builder  and,  during  the  past  twenty  years, 
has  erected  a  good  portion  of  the  city's  business  and 
residence  buildings.  He  has  twice  erected  the  North- 
ern Facific  roundhouse,  it  having  been  destroyed 
by  fire.  At  the  time  of  the  general  fire,  when  Ellens- 
burg was  almost  totally  destroyed,  he  and  his  part- 
ner, Jack  McCarthy,  met  with  considerable  loss  by 
the  partial  destruction  of  several  large  buildings 
which  they  had  under  construction  at  tnat  time. 
Later  they  sustained  a  heavy  loss  by  the  total 
destruction  of  their  planing  mill.  In  this  mill  and 
in  their  various  other  milling,  lumbering  and  build- 
ing enterprises  they  employed  at  one  time  upward 
of  two  hundred  men.  During  his  long  residence 
in  Ellensburg  he  has  followed  steadily  his  business 
as  contractor  and  builder,  and  has  become  thor- 
oughly identified  with  the  city's  business  life.  Mr. 
Ames  was  born  in  South  Tamworth,  Carroll  county, 
New  Hampshire,  January  3,  i860.  His  father  was 
William  P.  Ames,  a  lumber  manufacturer  of  South 
Tamworth,  New  Hampshire,  where  he  was  born  in 
1824.  The  father  came  to  Klickitat  county,  Wash- 
ington, in  1879  and  died  there  in  1892.  He  served 
during  the  Civil  war  in  a  New  Hampshire  regiment 
as  army  surgeon  and  during  an  engagement  at 
Burwick's  Bay  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner, 
returning  after  his  release  and  recovery  to  New 
Hampshire.  The  mother  of  W.  O.  Ames  was  Ada- 
line  M.  (Locke)  Ames,  also  a  native  of  New 
Hampshire,  where  she  was  born  in  1824;  she  died 
November  22,  1897.  Her  father.  Elisha  Locke,  was 
a  man  of  great  intellectual  attainments  and  was  a 
leading  citizen  of  his  community,  both  in  educa- 
tional and  other  matters.  When  W.  O.  Ames  was 
eleven  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Mahaska 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  grew  to  vouns;  manhood, 
working  on  the  farm  and  attending  the  common 
schools.  After  finishing  the  common  school  course 
he  entered  the  Mitchelville  Seminarv,  from  which 
he  was  graduated,  going  thereafter  direct  to  Golden- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


825 


dale,  Washington,  where  he  became  a  teacher  in 
1879.  His  Ellensburg  school  in  1881  consisted  of 
forty-nine  pupils  that  were  crowded  into  one  small 
room;  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  magnificent 
educational  institutions  of  the  city  of  today. 

Mr.  Ames  was  married  March  27,  1884,  to  Sal- 
lie  Houghton,  who  was  born  in  San  Francisco  in 
1863.  Like  her  husband,  she  was  for  some  time  a 
teacher.  Her  father  was  Joseph  B.  Houghton,  born 
in  Maine  in  1832  and  died  in  Tacoma,  Washington, 
in  1895.  He  went  to  California  with  the  immi- 
grants of  '49  and  in  1877  settled  in  Goldendale.  He 
was  a  contractor  and  builder;  was  active  in  politics 
and  for  many  years  served  as  city  councilman  in 
Tacoma.  He  was  a  public  spirited  man  and  was 
a  wise  counselor ;  his  ancestors  were  English.  Mrs. 
Ames'  mother  is  Abbie  F.  (Caldwell)  Houghton, 
a  lady  of  Scotch  descent,  who  was  born  in  Maine 
in  1837  and  who  now  resides  in  Tacoma.  Mrs. 
Ames  has  three  brothers  and  three  sisters  living. 
H.  F.  Bean,  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  is  a  half- 
brother,  and  Ida  F.  Baker  is  a  half-sister  of  Mr. 
Ames ;  Stanley  L.  Ames  is  a  brother  and  Kate  E. 
Shoemaker  and  Carrie  M.  Henton  are  sisters.  Six 
children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ames : 
Earnest  W.,  a  graduate  of  the  high  school ;  Willis, 
Hazel,  Helen,  Adelyn  and  Houghton.  Mrs.  Ames 
is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Ames 
holds  membership  in  the  Woodmen  of  the  World 
order.  Both  are  prominent  in  social  and  church 
circles  and  are  esteemed  and  respected  by  all.  Mr. 
Ames  is  a  great  admirer  and  firm  supporter  of 
Fresident  Roosevelt.  He  is  among  the  successful 
picneers   of    Ellensburg. 


WILLIAM  D.  KILLMORE.  It  has  fallen 
to  the  lot  of  but  few  men  to  have  experienced 
a  more  varied,  eventful  and  romantic  career  than 
that  of  William  D.  Killmore.  Born  in  Syra- 
cuse, New  York,  October  15,  1832,  he  is  of  a  race 
of  forerunners  of  the  history,  industrial  life  and 
development  of  the  United  States.  His  father, 
Luke  Killmore,  was  a  native  of  Dutchess  county, 
New  York,  born  in  1796  and  died  in  1867.  By 
trade  Luke  Killmore  was  a  contractor  and 
builder,  and  he  enjoyed  the  distinction  of  having 
built  thirty  miles  of  the  old  and  famous  Erie 
canal.  At  the  time  when  the  Canadian  forces 
moved  upon  Black  Rock,  William  D.  Killmore 
was  a  volunteer  in  the  army  organized  to  repel 
that  invasion.  He  was  of  Holland  Dutch  an- 
cestry, originating  from  the  old  stock  of  Philip 
Kulmuer,  who  came  to  the  colony  of  New  York 
in  1710,  the  name  having  since  been  changed  to 
Killmore.  The  subjects  grandfather,  Henry 
Killmore,  was  a  colonel  in  the  Continental  army 
during  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  died  at  the 
extremely  old  age  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen 
years.  William  Killmore's  mother  was  Axey 
(Rathburn)    Killmore.     She  was  born  in  Amer- 


ica, and  while  acquiring  her  eaily  education  was 
a  schoolmate  of  Millard  Fillmore,  who  subse- 
quently became  president  of  his  nation.  This 
was  in  the  little  town  of  Sodus,  near  Auburn. 
Her  father  invented  and  made  the  first  stove, 
at  Albany,  New  York. 

The  first  fifteen  years  of  Mr.  Killmore's  life 
were  spent  in  the  state  of  his  birth.  He  then 
went  to  work  out  the  difficult  problem  of  exist- 
ence for  himself.  His  first  employment  was  in 
the  capacity  of  "cub"  pilot  on  the  steamers  Al- 
ida  and  Frances  Skidder,  plying  the  Hudson  be- 
tween Albany  and  the  sea.  Leaving  the  river  he 
entered  railroad  life,  and  for  two  years  fired  a 
locomotive  on  a  line  in  New  York  state.  Later 
removing  to  Chicago,  he  became  an  engine  driver 
on  the  Northwestern  railroad,  which  position  he 
held  for  seven  years.  In  1859  he  crossed  the 
Plains  to  Pike's  Peak,  being  attracted  thither  by 
the  gold  excitement  which  had  recently  come 
over  that  section.  He  had  been  in  this  locality 
but  two  years  when,  in  1861,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany F,  First  Colorado  cavalry,  commanded  by 
Captain  Cook,  to  fight  the  Indians.  With  his 
company  he  waged  war  against  the  hostile  tribes 
all  winter,  then  the  following  spring  went  south 
to  encounter  the  daring  Sibley  and  turn  him 
back.  The  little  army  succeeded  in  doing  this, 
but  not  until  four  engagements  had  been  fought 
Detween  "Pigeon  Ranch"  and  Galestheo,  fifteen 
miles  from  Santa  Fe,  New  Mexico,  the  last  named 
being  the  bloodiest  battle  of  the  four.  At  the 
battle  of  "Pigeon  Ranch"  Killmore  with  sev- 
enty followers  attacked  a  force  of  three  hundred, 
and  captured  it.  During  the  fight  he  received  in 
all  seven  bullets,  and  suffered  the  loss  of  two 
fingers.  But  three  weeks  afterward  he  was  out 
of  the  hospital  and  doing  duty.  With  his  regi- 
ment he  marched  back  to  Denver,  and  was  there 
discharged  after  the  surrender  of  Gen.  Lee. 
After  being  mustered  out  he  was  employed  near 
Denver  for  a  time,  starting  with  the  army  and 
going  thence  to  the  City  of  Mexico  after  the  gold 
excitement  at  the  Palo  Alto  mines.  He  did  not 
reach  the  mines,  but  was  with  the  army  in  Mex- 
ico at  the  time  of  the  capture  of  Maximilian,  and 
was  an  eye-witness  of  that  famous  leader's  tragic 
death.  For  five  years  he  was  an  engineer  on 
the  Mexico  &  Alpasaco  railroad,  after  which  time 
he  returned  to  his  old  home  in  New  York.  After 
one  summer  there  he  aeain  came  west,  this  time 
to  Harrison  county.  Missouri,  and  bought  a 
farm.  Two  and  one-half  years  were  spent  on 
this  farm  when,  in  1873,  he  sold  out,  and  in  May 
of  that  year  he  landed  in  Seattle.  He  at  once 
came  to  the  Kittitas  valley  on  a  tour  to  rpy  out 
the  land,  and  while  on  this  trip  he  met  with 
an  old  surveyor  named  Andrews,  who  had  made 
a  survey  of  the  valley,  and  who  recommended 
the  land  as  being  desirable  for  the  making  of  a 
home.     Mr.   Killmore  himself  was  pleased   with 


826 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  country,  so,  on  June  8,  1873,  he  filed  a  home- 
stead on  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  With 
him  on  this  tour  were  J.  H.  Stevens  and  Morris 
Bell,  each  of  whom  also  took  land.  When  Mr. 
Killmore  left  Missouri  it  was  with  $r,200  in  his 
pocket;  when  he  arrived  in  the  Kittitas  valley 
he  had  hut  twelve.  The  provisions  the  three 
families  brought  with  them  were  reduced  to  $1.00 
worth  of  sugar,  the  same  amount  of  coffee,  and 
a  little  tea,  salt,  soap,  etc.,.  which  they  had  car- 
ried in  on  the  back  of  a  pack  animal  previously 
hired  by  Messrs.  Killmore  and  Stevens  for  $5.oo. 
Mr.  Killmore  at  that  time  had  a  wife  and  babe, 
and  this  meager  supply  of  groceries  was  all  the 
three  families  had  during  the  following  sixteen 
months,  when  Mr.  Killmore  bought  in  Ellens- 
burg  the  first  sugar  since  coming  to  the  country. 
The  supplies  at  that  time  came  in  almost  exclu- 
sively from  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  Mr.  Killmore 
made  some  trips  to  that  station  for  provisions, 
and  as  there  was  then  no  money  in  circulation 
he  took  his  pay  in  goods.  But  ten  men  had 
preceded  him  in  the  valley,  and  it  truly  was  a 
pioneer's  life  which  they  led.  He  was  in  the 
valley  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  uprising  in  1877, 
and  assisted  in  building  fortifications  to  protect 
the  families. 

The  date  of  his  marriage  was  Feb.  18,  1872, 
while  he  was  on  his  farm  in  Missouri.  His  bride 
"was  Josephine  Rego,  of  Indiana,  the  daughter  of 
John  B.  Rego,  a  native  of  Metz,  France ;  and 
her  mother  was  Katherine  (Freedley)  Rego, 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  of  German  parentage.  Mr. 
Killmore  has  three  sisters  and  one  brother, 
■George  B. ;  the  brother  lives  with  him  near  El- 
lensburg.  His  sisters  are :  Katie  Downer,  who 
owns  the  Downer  block,  Syracuse,  New  York, 
for  which  she  was  once  offered  $250,000  by  the 
government  as  a  site  for  a  postoffice  building ; 
Rosetta  Bragdon,  of  S}rracuse,  whose  husband 
was  manager  of  a  plank  road  thirteen  miles  long, 
and  Jaqueline  Seeley,  wife  of  the  Albany,  New 
York,  depot  master,  Hyrem  Seeley.  Children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Killmore  are:  John  S.,  Ida  Bull,  Lot- 
tie, Clara  Wason,  Katie  and  Effie.  The  first  and 
second  named  and  Clara  Wason  reside  a  few 
miles  south  from  Ellensburg,  while  Lottie,  Katie 
and  Effie  are  at  home.  Mr.  Killmore  has  been  a 
lifelong  Republican,  though  not  an  active  party 
man.  He  is  at  present  a  trustee  of  the  Tanum 
ditch  owned  by  the  farmers  of  his  locality.  Al- 
though he  came  to  the  country  with  a  capital  of 
but  $12,  he  is  now  worth  between  $40,000  and 
$50,000.  His  farm  consists  of  two  hundred  acres 
of  choice  land,  well  improved,  well  stocked  and 
watered,  and  is  looked  upon  as  being  one  of 
•the  best  farms  in  the  valley.  He  has  been  a 
good  stockman  and  a  good  manager  generally. 
His  present  high  standing,  social  and  financial, 
is  the  outgrowth  of  spotless  integrity,  industry 
and  rare  business  capability. 


WILLIAM  J.  PEED.  Prominent  among 
the  business  men  who  began  operations  in  El- 
lensburg in  an  early  day  and  whose  faith  in  the 
city's  future  has  never  wavered  is  W.  J.  Peed, 
the  man  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this 
article.  For  twenty  years  he  has  been  identified 
as  a  business  man  with  the  interests  of  Ellens- 
burg and  has  had  much  to  do  with  the  progress 
not  only  of  Ellensburg  but  of  Kittitas  county. 
Mr.  Peed  is  a  native  of  Tippecanoe  county,  In- 
diana, where  he  was  born  in  1861.  His  father 
was  William  Peed,  a  native  of  Kentucky ;  he 
died  in  1872.  The  mother,  now  living  in  Den- 
ver, Col.,  is  Alary  (Hickson)  Peed,  a  native  of 
Ohio,  where  she  was  born  in  1822;  her  father 
was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  serving  directly 
under  General  Washington.  When  W.  J.  Peed 
was  eleven  years  old  his  mother  moved  to  Illi- 
nois, and  two  years  later,  in  1874,  to  Arkansas 
City,  Cowley  county,  Kansas,  where  our  subject 
learned  the  trade  of  a  harness  and  saddle  maker 
with  a  half-brother,  Mitchell,  who  was  then  en- 
gaged in  the  business.  After  working  for  some 
time  in  the  brother's  establishment,  he  bought 
out  the  business  and  conducted  it  alone  until 
1879,  when  he  sold  out  and  went  first  to  New 
Mexico  and  later  to  Colorado,  where  he  remained 
antil  1882.  In  this  year  he'came  to  the  Pacific 
coast  and  in  1883  to  Ellensburg,  at  once  going 
to  work  at  his  trade.  After  a  few  months  he 
established  a  business  of  his  own  and  for  a  time 
conducted  it  alone.  At  a  later  period  he  joined 
a  partner  in  the  establishment,  but  for  some 
time  past  has  operated  alone  and  has  built  up 
and  is  enjoying  a  good  trade. 

Mr.  Peed  was  married  in  Ellensburg  in  1894 
to  Lizzie  Shortill,  who  was  born  in  New  Bruns- 
wick, Canada.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Richard 
Shortill,  deceased.  Her  mother  is  still  living. 
Mr.  Peed  has  one  sister,  Linnea  Thompson,  liv- 
ing in  Denver,  Colorado,  and  two  half-brothers, 
James  I.  and  Robert  Mitchell,  living  in  Kansas 
City,  Kansas.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Peed  are  Clarence,  Thresa  and  Vern,  all  at  home 
in  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Peed  is  a  Republican  and 
has  always  been  an  active  worker  in  the  ranks. 
He  is  at  present  a  member  of  the  city  council 
of  Ellensburg  and  has  before  served  in  that  ca- 
pacity. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  school 
board  and  has  always  contended  for  the  best  ed- 
ucational advantages.  He  has  been  active  in  the 
work  of  securing  for  the  valley  a  perfect  system 
of  irrigation  and  takes  a  lively  interest  in  all 
public  enterprises.  He  has  investments  in  lands 
in  the  valley  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  its  sub- 
stantial and  progressive  citizens. 


JOHN    G.    ALDRICH.      Among    the    young   j 
men  of  Ellensburg  there  is  none  better  fitted  by 
education  and  by  personal  traits  of  character  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


827 


a  successful  business  career  than  the  subject  of 
this  article,  J.  G.  Aldrich.  Although  he  has  been 
a  resident  of  Ellensburg  scarcely  three  years,  he 
has  already  built  up  a  good  business  as  one  of 
the  proprietors  of  the  Hotel  Vanderbilt,  and  has 
established  a  reputation  as  an  energetic  and  pro- 
gressive citizen.  Mr.  Aldrich  was  born  in  Sum- 
mit, Benton  count)',  Oregon,  August  10,  1876. 
His  early  life  was  spent  in  the  Willamette  val- 
ley and  his  education  began  in  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  town;  continuing  his  stud- 
ies he  completed  full  high  school  courses  and  in 
1895  entered  the  Oregon  State  Agricultural  Col- 
lege at  Corvallis,  graduating  therefrom  June  30, 
1899,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  S.  Until  the 
time  of  his  graduation  he  lived  in  the  Willam- 
ette valley,  with  the  exception  of  three  years 
spent  in  Phcenix,  Arizona,  the  change  of  resi- 
dence being  made  on  account  of  his  father's 
health.  After  the  completion  of  his  collegiate 
course  he  took  the  state  teachers'  examination 
and  was  granted  a  certificate  authorizing  him  to 
teach  in  any  school  in  the  state  of  Oregon  for 
a  term  of  six  years.  It  being  his  original  inten- 
tion to  follow  school  work,  he  came  to  Yakima 
county  in  August,  1899,  and  taught  a  six-months 
school.  At  the  close  of  this  term  a  change  was 
made  in  former  plans  and,  quitting  school  work, 
he  became  connected  with  the  Bartholet  Hotel 
in  North  Yakima,  remaining  there  as  clerk  for 
two  years,  until  January  II,  1902,  when  he  left 
North  Yakima  and  came  to  Ellensburg.  Being 
greatly  pleased  with  climatic  conditions  and 
business  prospects  he  determined  to  locate  here 
and,  forming  a  partnership  with  F.  S.  Jackson, 
he  joined  him  in  taking  a  lease  on  the  Vander- 
bilt Hotel;  they  took  possession  February  1, 
1902,  and  have  since  conducted  this  popular  hos- 
telry in  a  manner  highly  satisfactory  to  the  pub- 
lic, making  of  it  also,  from  a  financial  stand- 
point, a  paying  property. 

The  father  of  our  subject  is  James  H.  Al- 
drich, now  a  resident  of  Portland ;  he  is  a  pio- 
neer of  the  Willamette  valley,  having  settled 
there  in  the  sixties.  Born  in  1848,  his  early 
manhood  was  spent  in  the  middle  west,  a  por- 
tion of  it  in  Iowa  and  Missouri.  On  the  break- 
ing out  of  the  Civil  war  he  enlisted  in  the  For- 
ty-fourth Missouri  volunteers,  going  into  the 
service  as  a  drummer.  His  regiment  was  under 
General  Pope ;  his  term  of  service  lasted  three 
years,  during  which  he  was  once  captured  by 
the  enemy  and  for  a  time  held  prisoner,  securing 
his  release  eventually  in  an  exchange  of  pris- 
oners made  by  the  opposing  forces.  James  H. 
Aldrich  is  of  Scotch  and  German  extraction,  his 
father  being  of  German  and  his  mother  of  Scotch 
descent.  Before  entering  the  army  he  had  ed- 
ited a  newspaper  in  Iowa.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  ox  teams,  settling 
in  Benton  county,  Oregon,   where  he  again  en- 


tered the  newspaper  field,  publishing  and  edit- 
ing first  the  Newport  News  and  later  the  Cor- 
vallis Times.  He  is  an  active  Democrat  and 
was  a  firm  friend  and  supporter  of  Sylvester 
Fenoyer,  ex-governor  of  the  state.  The  mother 
of  John  G.  Aldrich  was  Ida  (Stoughton)  Al- 
drich, a  native  of  Michigan;  she  died  in  1881. 
E.  B.  Aldrich,  a  merchant  of  Fossel,  Oregon, 
is  a  brother  of  the  Ellensburg  townsman.  He 
has,  besides,  two  half-brothers  and  two  half-sis- 
ters. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Aldrich  is  an  active  Republic- 
an, and  is  deeply  interested  in  the  success  of  the 
party ;  attends  conventions  and  keeps  posted  on 
the  political  situation.  He  is  a  man  of  acknowl- 
edged good  judgment  and  in  all  things  allows 
his  better  judgment  to  dictate  the  course  he  pur- 
sues. In  addition  to  the  hotel  he  is  interested 
in  the  mines  near  Mount  Stuart,  having  a  good 
claim  in  the  best  section  of  that  mining  region. 
Having  been  graduated  from  college  as  a  lieu- 
tenant of  cadets,  he  is  at  all  times  interested  in 
the  military  affairs  of  state  and  nation.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Yeomen  fraternal  order,  is  pub- 
lic spirited,  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of 
all  and  has  before  him  a  most  promising  future. 


FRANK  S.  JACKSON.  Although  not  a  na- 
tive of  the  Yakima  valley,  in  the  sense  of  hav- 
ing been  born  here,  the  young  man  whose  name 
stands  at  the  head  of  this  article  has  lived  in 
the  valley,  at  first  in  Yakima  county  and  later 
in  Kittitas  county,  since  his  twelfth  year  and 
may  consequently  be  said  to  have  been  raised 
here.  He  has  witnessed  the  wonderful  develop- 
ment of  the  country  and  has  become  thoroughly- 
identified  with  its  commercial  and  political  life. 
F.  S.  Jackson  is  a  native  of  San  Diego,  California, 
where  he  was  born  December  6,  1869,  and  has  the 
distinction  of  being  the  first  American  boy  baby 
born  in  that  city,  whither  his  parents  moved 
from  Mendocino  county,  the  same  state,  in  1867. 
In  1869  the  family  moved  to  Napa  county,  Califor- 
nia, making  it  their  home  for  eight  years,  and  here 
our  subject's  school  days  began.  Another  move 
was  made,  this  time  to  Old  Yakima  in  1881 ;  here 
F.  S.  Jackson  worked  for  a  number  of  years 
with  his  father  on  the  farm  and  in  other  pursuits, 
in  the  meanwhile  attending  the  public  schools 
during  the  fall  and  winter  months  until  eighteen 
years  of  age,  when  he  began  doing  for  himself, 
at  first  engaging  in  the  cultivation  of  hops  and 
other  farm  products  and  eventually  opening  a 
store  of  confectioneries,  in  which  business  he 
continued  until  the  time  of  his  coming  to  Ellens- 
burg. when  he  formed  a  partnership  with  J.  G. 
Aldrich  in  leasing  and  conducting  the  Vander- 
bilt Hotel,  February  1,  1902.  His  business  career 
has  thus  far  been  in  a  true  sense  successful,  and 
in    the    management   of    the   hotel    he    has    gained 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  approval  not  only  of  the  traveling  public 
but  of  Ellensburg  patrons  as  well,  and  has  made 
the  business  financially  profitable. 

The  father  of  our  subject  was  John  Jackson, 
a  merchant  and  speculator,  who  was  born  in 
Jefferson  City,  Missouri,  in  1812  and  died  in 
Old  Yakima  in  1886.  At  the  time  of  the  war 
with  Mexico  he  was  a  resident  of  Texas,  and 
during  that  war  served  two  years  as  a  ranger 
under  Sam  Houston.  After  the  war  he  re- 
mained for  a  time  in  Red  River  county,  Texas, 
in  mercantile  pusuits,  but  eventually  went  to 
Old  Mexico,  where  he  lived  two  years,  witnessing 
the  siege  of  the  City  of  Mexico  by  the  French. 
From  Mexico  he  went  to  Mendocino,  California, 
in  1865,  removing  two  years  later  to  San  Diego, 
where  he  organized  a  company  and  took  up  all 
the  tide  land  about  that  city,  engaging  for  a 
time  in  land  speculations.  In  1867  ne  moved 
to  Napa  county,  California,  and  engaged  in  fruit 
raising  and  wine  making  until  1881,  when  he 
settled  at  Old  Yakima,  continuing  until  his  death 
in  the  production  of  hops  and  cereals.  He  was 
married  April  22,  1846,  to  Mary  Bowman,  a  na- 
tive of  Kentucky,  where  she  was  born  in  1831, 
the  wedding  taking  place  in  Hopkins  county, 
Texas.  The  maternal  grandparents  were  Lin- 
nerus  and  Elizabeth  (Cheatham)  Bowman,  the 
latter  of  English  parentage.  Mary  left  the  sem- 
inary at  the  age  of  fifteen  to  become  the  wife 
of  Mr.  Jackson,  and  was  through  all  of  the  Texas 
border  troubles.  In  coming  to  California  in  1865 
she  walked  ninety  miles  across  the  Colorado  des- 
ert and  was  with  her  husband  in  many  hazard- 
ous and  exciting  experiences.  The  elder  Jack- 
son was  a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  delivered 
many  lectures  on  Masonry. 

Frank  S.  Jackson  has  eight  brothers  and  sis- 
ters living:  Samuel  H.,  on  the  Sound;  Maxey, 
a  cattle  man  of  North  Yakima;  John  B.,  a  hop 
raiser.  North  Yakima ;  Cleopatra,  the  wife  of 
Dr.  McCormick,  San  Francisco ;  Philip,  a  clerk, 
North  Yakima ;  Ida  Stewart,  in  Idaho ;  Ella 
Stout,  Seattle;  and  Anna  Jackson,  living  in 
Whatcom. 

Mr.  Jackson  is  independent  in  political 
thought  but  is  an  avowed  supporter  of  President 
Roosevelt.  He  is  in  sympathy  with  all  public 
movements  of  a  progressive  nature  and  takes  a 
lively  interest  in  all  measures  proposed  for  the 
general  advancement  of  the  town  and  surround- 
ing country. 


GEORGE  E.  FORD.  A  general  rule  of  life 
is  that  a  man  chooses  the  business  in  which  he 
engages,  suiting  his  own  inclinations  as  far  as 
possible  and  taking  into  consideration  his  adapt- 
ability to  the  pursuit  chosen.  Another  general 
rule  is  that  a  man  is  rarely  successful  in  a  busi- 
ness into  which  unusual   circumstances  have  in 


a  certain  sense  forced  him.  Neither  of  these  gen- 
eral rules  has  applied  to  George  E.  Ford,  who 
has  for  ten  years  been  successfully  engaged  in 
the  fruit  and  confectionery  business  in  Ellens- 
burg, a  business  in  which  he  engaged  as  the 
result  of  a  railroad  accident,  and  not  altogether 
from  choice.  Mr.  Ford  was  born  in  Lyman,  New 
Hampshire,  in  1863,  and  after  the  usual  number 
of  years  spent  in  the  common  and  high  schools 
of  his  native  state,  began  railroading  at  the  age 
of  eighteen.  He  followed  the  work  in  New 
Hampshire  until  twenty-one  years  old,  when  he 
became  a  brakeman  on  the  B.  &  M.  R.  railroad 
in  Nebraska,  working  up  in  a  short  time  to  a 
position  as  conductor.  After  four  years  service 
on  this  road  he  came  to  Washington  and  was 
for  four  years  a  conductor  on  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific railroad.  In  1892  he  met  with  a  serious  ac- 
cident at  Prosser  while  on  duty,  the  breaking  of 
a  pilot  bar  causing  him  the  loss  of  one  limb, 
which  was  cut  off  between  the  knee  and  hip. 
Being  a  man  of  iron  constitution,  he  recovered 
in  a  remarkably  short  time  from  this  injury,  which 
would  have  killed  a  man  with  less  vitality  and 
nerve  force ;  he  did  not  go  to  the  hospital,  but 
was  brought  direct  to  Ellensburg,  where  the 
limb  was  amputated  and  the  wound  dressed.  In 
twelve  days  he  was  able  to  be  up,  and  in  eight- 
een days  he  was  sufficiently  recovered  to  be  re- 
moved to  another  residence.  The  loss  of  his 
limb  incapacitated  him  for  the  train  service  and 
he  entered  the  office  of  the  company  at  Ellens- 
burg as  a  clerk.  One  year  later  he  resigned  this 
position  and  established  himself  in  his  present 
line  of  business,  in  which  he  has  since  continued 
and  which  has  proven  successful ;  he  has  con- 
tinuously enjoyed  a  profitable  trade.  The  rail- 
road company  treated  him  fairly  and  generously, 
allowing  him  damages  on  account  of  the  acci- 
dent without  even  the  threat  of  a  suit.  The 
father  of  George  E.  Ford  is  Samuel  P.  Ford,  a 
native  of  New  Hampshire,  where  he  was  born 
in  1833  and  where  he  still  lives ;  he  is  a  farmer 
by  occupation  and  is  of  English  extraction,  his 
parents  being  among  the  earliest  settlers  at  Low- 
ell, Massachusetts,  from  which  place  they  afterward 
moved  to  Haverhill,  New  Hampshire,  where  Sam- 
uel was  born.  The  Ford  family  was  one  of  the  old- 
est and  most  distinguished  in  the  early  history  of 
Massachusetts,  the  grandfather  serving  as  a  cap- 
tain in  the  Revolution.  Jane  E.  (Kelsea)  Ford 
is  the  mother  of  the  Ellensburg  townsman  ;  she 
is  still  living  in  New  Hampshire,  where  she  was 
born  in  1835.  Her  ancestors  were  also  of  the 
very  early  settlers  in  the  New  England  states. 

Mr.  Ford  was  married  in  1890  to  Josie  May- 
berry,  a  school  teacher  and  a  native  of  Maine. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  J.  H.  Mayberry.  Her 
mother  was  a  Morrison,  an  old  New  England 
family.  Both  father  and  mother  were  natives  of 
Maine.     Mr.  Ford  has  one  brother  and  one  sis- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


ter :  Lawrence  K.  Ford,  living  in  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  Mary  A.  Ford,  a  resident  of  Hamp- 
ton, Virginia.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ford  have  four 
children — Reginald,  Jane,  Lawrence  and  Wen- 
dall.  Mr.  Ford  is  a  Republican ;  although  not 
an  active  partisan  in  the  sense  of  being  a  pro- 
fessed politician,  he  is  always  deeply  interested 
in  results.  He  has  faith  in  the  future  of  his 
home  town  and  county  and  is  one  of  the  relia- 
ble, substantial  and  respected  citizens  of  Ellens- 
burg. 


DR.  ROY  A.  WEAVER.  Coming  to  the 
Kittitas  valley  at  the  age  of  two  years  with  his 
parents,  before  a  railroad  brought  modern  ad- 
vantages to  the  doors  of  settlers,  Dr.  Roy  A. 
Weaver  is  a  typical  western  young  man,  prac- 
ticing the  profession  of  dentistry  with  success 
and  taking  a  prominent  part  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  town  in  which  he  has  grown  to  young 
manhood.  Dr.  Weaver  was  born  in  Joplin,  Mis- 
souri, August  29,  1880.  His  father,  John  N. 
Weaver,  is  a  mechanic  and  farmer  by  occupa- 
tion, and  was  born  in  Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  in 
1841.  In  1882,  taking  their  children  with  them, 
the  father  and  mother  came  to  the  Kittitas  val- 
ley, where  they  took  up  a  home  on  the  west  side 
of  the  river  near  Ellensburg.  There  was  little 
of  a  settlement  in  this  section  at  that  time,  and 
pioneer  life  meant  hardship  and  some  privation. 
Mr.  Weaver  had  poor  health  in  Missouri,  and 
came  west  in  the  hope  of  bettering  it.  He  is 
still  living  in  the  valley.  He  is  of  German  de- 
scent. He  had  a  brother  in  the  Civil  war.  Dr. 
Weaver's  mother,  Anna  M.  (McDowell)  Wea- 
ver, is  from  an  old  Scotch-Irish  family,  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  early  settlement  of 
Illinois  and  Indiana.  Four  of  her  uncles  were 
in  the  Civil  war  and  one  ancestor  fought  in  the 
War  of  1812.  She  traces  her  ancestry  to  Gen- 
eral McDowell.  Dr.  Weaver  attended  the  com- 
mon school  and  later  the  high  school  in  Ellens- 
burg, graduating  in  1899.  He  then  began  study- 
ing dentistry  in  Dr.  Fishburn's  office.  At  the 
end  of  an  eighteen  months'  apprenticeship  he 
went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  where  he  took  a  year's 
course  in  a  dental  college.  He  then  went  to 
Indianapolis  in  the  fall  of  1901  and  attended 
dental  college  there  for  two  years,  graduating 
May  2,  1903.  After  taking  a  brief  vacation  and 
visiting  relatives  in  the  east  he  came  to  Ellens- 
burg and  opened  an  office. 

Dr.  Weaver  is  independent  in  political 
thought,  but  holds  allegiance  to  Roosevelt  and 
his  administration.  He  is  not  married.  He  has 
two  brothers  and  one  sister.  Cora  Weaver  and 
Lafayette  Weaver  live  at  Sultania,  California. 
Victor  V.  Weaver  is  a  native  of  Kittitas  county, 
born  in  1883.  He  is  attending  the  Washington 
Agricultural  college. 


AMASA  S.  RANDALL.  Among  the  well 
established  and  substantial  weekly  newspapers 
published  in  the  Pacific  Northwest  the  Ellens- 
burg Localizer  maintains  a  prominent  position. 
This  sketch  has  to  deal  with  its  editor  and  man- 
ager, Amasa  S.  Randall.  Associated  with  his 
brothers,  U.  M.  and  M.  E.  Randall,  working 
under  the  firm  name  of  The  Cascade  Printing 
and  Publishing  Company,  Mr.  Randall  has  a 
chain  of  three  weeklies,  the  one  named,  the  Cas- 
cade Miner  and  the  Cle-Elum  Echo,  the  two 
latter  being  published  at  Roslyn  and  Cle-Elum, 
respectively. 

Amasa  S.  Randall  was  born  at  Sharon,  Minne- 
sota, December  28,  1869,  the  son  of  Thomas  J.  Ran- 
dall, a  farmer.  He  spent  the  first  eighteen  years 
of  his  life  in  working  on  his  father's  farm 
and  attending  district  school.  He  graduated 
from  the  grammar  school,  then  went  to  Adel, 
Iowa,  where  he  spent  two  years  in  the  high 
school.  At  that  time  Mr.  Randall's  intention 
was  to  follow  the  trade  of  contractor  and 
builder,  but  he  decided  to  waive  that  ambition 
for  the  present  and  come  to  Ellensburg,  whither 
his  father  had  preceded  him.  He  started  for  the 
West  with  a  herd  of  dairy  cows,  thinking  to  en- 
ter the  dairy  business,  but  in  crossing  the  Yel- 
lowstone his  train  was  wrecked  by  the  giving 
way  of  the  bridge  caused  by  the  heavy  pressure 
against  it  of  ice  and  water.  His  cattle  were  lost, 
and  indeed,  but  for  the  timely  aid  of  the  fireman 
at  the  last  moment,  Mr.  Randall  himself  would 
have  been  drowned.  Subsequently  he  obtained 
from  the  railroad  company  about  one-half  the 
value  of  the  cattle.  Mr.  Randall  pushed  on  to 
Ellensburg,  however,  but  on  account  of  his  loss 
had  to  change  his  plans  throughout.  In  Ellens- 
burg he  worked  for  a  time  with  his  father  at 
contracting,  then  entered  the  mechanical  depart- 
ment of  the  Ellensburg  Capital.  After  serving 
four  years'  apprenticeship  he  secured  a  more  re- 
munerative position  on  the  Localizer,  working 
as  a  printer. 

He  remained  with  the  Localizer  but  six- 
months,  however,  then  worked  for  a  time  on  the 
Ellensburg  Register,  after  which  he  left  the  state 
to  establish  a  publishing  office  of  his  own  at 
Woodland,  California.  Here  his  purpose  was  to 
publish  a  string  of  newspapers  on  contract,  and  in 
this  business  he  was  so  successful  that  he  later 
removed  to  Sacramento,  where  he  could  have  bet- 
ter facilities  than  were  to  be  had  in  Woodland. 
After  a  year  at  Sacramento  he  sold  out  and  re- 
turned to  Woodland  to  accept  the  position  of 
business  manager  with  the  Home  Alliance,  a 
weekly  published  there.  His  health  failing  him, 
he  then  came  to  Washington  to  recuperate 
among  the  mountains,  remaining  several  months. 
He  next  went  to  Hollister.  California,  where 
with  his  brother,  LT.  M.,  he  resurrected  and  for 
three  years  successfully  published  a  defunct  pa- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


per.  Disposing  of  this  publication  the  brothers 
came  to  Roslyn  and  purchased  the  plant  of  the 
Miner,  then  a  bankrupt  sheet,  and  January  I,  1899, 
they  resumed  its  issuance.  The  brothers  later 
incorporated  under  the  firm  name  of  Randall 
Bros.,  and  in  1901  established  the  Cle-Elum 
Echo.  They  purchased  the  Localizer,  April  15, 
1903,  from  Mr.  Schnebly,  and  admitted  another 
brother,  M.  E.  Randall,  to  the  firm,  when  the 
firm  name  was  changed  to  The  Cascade  Print- 
ing and  Publishing  Company. 

Mr.  Randall  was  married  January  1,  1893,  in 
Ellensburg,  to  Minnie  Shull,  at  native  of  Albany, 
Missouri,  who  came  to  Washington  with  her 
parents  about  the  same  time  Mr.  Randall  came. 
Her  father,  Calvin  T.  Shull,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
was  for  years  a  government  scout  on  the  Plains. 
During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Shull  was  in  the  west 
in  the  government  secret  service.  He  is  of  Ger- 
man descent,  and  is  now  seventy-five  years  of 
age.  Mrs.  Randall's  mother,  China  Shull,  was 
a  native  of  Illinois,  born  during  the  sixties.  Mr. 
Randall  has  two  brothers,  whose  names  are  given 
above,  and  five  sisters :  Alice,  Lizzie,  Ida,  Mary 
and  Emma.  He  has  one  child,  Merwyn,  seven 
years  of  age. 

In  social  life  he  is  a  member  of  the  W.  O. 
W.,  the  Foresters  of  America  and  the  Fraternal 
Aid  Society  of  San  Francisco.  Both  Mr.  Ran- 
dall and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church.  Mr.  Randall  politically  is  a  Republican, 
though  not  an  active  partisan. 

In  his  newspaper  work  Mr.  Randall  has  an 
able  and  efficient  assistant  in  his  wife,  who  is 
thoroughly  familiar  with  all  the  details  of  the 
profession  from  beginning  to  end.  Through  the 
combined  efforts  of  the  Randall  Bros.,  the  Lo- 
calizer has  gained  the  reputation  of  being  a 
clean,  fearless  and  ably  edited  journal,  and  a 
power  for  good  in  the  community. 


JACOB  BOWERS,  one  of  Kittitas  county's 
prosperous  farmers,  resides  seven  miles  north  of 
Ellensburg.  He  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  Decem- 
ber 26,  1853,  the  son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Shel- 
burg)  Bowers.  The  former  was  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, and  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  settled 
in  Pennsylvania  in  an  early  day,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death.  The  mother,  also  a  na- 
tive of  Germany,  was  married  in  Pennsylvania, 
and  died  there  when  our  subject  was  a  lad  of  six 
years.  Jacob  was  educated,  in  his  earlier  years, 
in  the  state  of  his  birth,  and  later  in  the  state 
of  Illinois,  where  he  had  removed  in  1867.  He 
farmed  for  five  years  in  the  latter  state,  then 
went  by  rail  to  California.  He  followed  farm- 
ing in  the  Golden  state  eight  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time,  in  1879,  he  came  to  Ellensburg 
and  took  a  homestead.  In  1891  he  purchased 
what  is  known  as  the  Wold  ranch,  a  farm  of  two 


hundred  acres,  and  seeded  the  entire  tract  to  al- 
falfa, timothy  and  clover.  He  is  still  farming 
this  land,  and  has  it  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. His  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Elizabeth 
Larson,  living  in  Pennsylvania ;  John  F.,  Penn- 
sylvania; Frank,  Kansas;  Mary,  Pennsylvania, 
and  Michael,  also  of  Pennsylvania.  Two  broth- 
ers, Henry  and  Philip,  are  now  deceased.  Those 
living  were  all  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  the  years 
1839,  1841,  1843,  I845,  and  1847,  respectively. 

Mr.  Bowers  was  married  in  California,  No- 
vember 5,  1875,  to  Miss  Ella  V.  Read.  Mrs.  Bowers 
was  born  in  Fall  River,  Massachusetts,  January  17, 
1852,  and  at  three  years  of  age  removed  with 
her  parents  to  Illinois,  where  she  received  her 
education  in  the  common  schools.  At  the  age 
of  twenty  she  removed  to  California,  and  three 
years  later  was  married  to  Mr.  Bowers.  Her 
father,  Frank  B.  Read,  was  born  in  Massachu- 
setts in  1819.  He  was  a  farmer,  and  died  in 
Washington.  Her  mother,  Angeline  (Grenell) 
Read,  was  born  in  Rhode  Island  in  1832,  and 
now  lives  in  California.  Mrs.  Bowers'  brothers 
and  sisters  are :  Walter  G.  Read,  born  in  Mass- 
achusetts in  1854,  now  living  in  California; 
Lizzie  Newland,  born  in  Illinois,  now  of  Cali- 
fornia; Henry,  born  in  Illinois,  living  in  Wash- 
ington ;  Frank  J.,  born  in  Illinois,  now  of  Wash- 
ington, and  Delia  M.  Dempsy,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, now  living  in  California.  Two  sisters, 
Carry  C.  and  Hattie  H.  Read,  both  born  in  Illi- 
nois, are  deceased.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bowers  are :  John  F.,  Walter  W.,  James  H., 
Frank  M.,  Jacob  L.,  Anna  E.,  Carrie  C,  Joseph 
R.  and  Roy  R.  Bowers.  The  two  first  named 
were  born  in  California  and  the  others  in  Wash- 
ington. The  first  named,  and  eldest,  was  born 
in  1877,  and  the  youngest,  whose  name  is  given 
last,  in  1895.    All  are  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Bowers  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  for 
two  years  (1901-02)  held  the  office  of  county 
commissioner  of  Kittitas  county.  His  present 
property  interests  consist  of  1,522  acres  of  land, 
100  head  of  horses,  driving  and  draft  stock,  and 
300  head  of  cattle.  He  is  a  well-to-do  farmer 
and  a  good  business  man.  He  takes  an  active 
interest  in  all  public  affairs  in  his  county,  and 
is  recognized  as  an  honorable,  industrious,  con- 
scientious man,  and  one  to  be  trusted  and  re- 
spected for  his  sterling  qualities. 


DR.  JOHN  ROBBINS,  a  retired  physician, 
now  living  on  Springfield  Farm,  near  the  city 
of  Ellensburg,  Washington,  is  a  native  of  Birm- 
ingham, England,  born  May  21,  1834,  the 
son  of  John  and  Elizabeth  (Benton)  Robbins, 
both  of  English  nativity.  His  father,  born  in 
the  year  1810,  in  Birmingham,  England,  was  a 
carpenter  and  builder,  and  a  Christian  gentle- 
man.    He  died  in  the  country  of  his  birth  in  his 


JACOB   BOWERS. 


THOMAS    HALEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


831 


seventieth  year.  Elizabeth  Benton,  who  was 
born  two  years  later  than  her  husband,  was 
married  to  John  Robbins  in  1833,  and  died  in 
Birmingham,  England,  in  1850.  Dr.  Robbins  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land school,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  became 
apprenticed  to  a  noted  engraver.  He  worked 
in  this  capacity  for  seven  years,  during  which 
time  he  became  a  thorough  master  of  the  en- 
graver's art.  He  next  took  a  partner,  and  went 
into  business  for  himself,  in  which  he  continued 
for  a  number  of  years,  during  which  time  he  en- 
graved guns  and  silverware  for  the  World's  Ex- 
hibition at  London,  which  were  awarded  prizes. 
All  his  spare  time  for  a  number  of  years  was  de- 
voted to  the  study  of  medicine,  and  he  received 
instruction  from  the  late  Dr.  Hastings,  R.  C.  S. 
E.,  and  Dr.  Lawrence,  S.  M.  B.  Finally,  from 
overwork  and  study,  his  health  failed  and  he 
was  compelled  to  seek  a  country  life.  He  then 
went  to  farming,  which  he  followed  until  June, 
1872,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States,  set- 
tling in  Lincoln,  Nebraska.  From  there  he  went 
west  and  took  up  a  homestead  near  where  Has- 
tings, Nebraska,  now.  stands,  which  he  gave  up  and 
returned  to  Lincoln,  and  later  to  Omaha.  Here 
he  remained  for  about  three  years,  during  which 
time  he  engraved  the  first  map  of  Nebraska, 
published  in  the  Omaha  Bee.  He  next  went  to 
San  Francisco,  and  after  a  brief  stay  went  to 
Portland,  where  he  remained  three  years.  In 
May,  1878,  he  moved  with  his  wife  and  fourteen 
children  to  Kittitas  valley  and  settled  upon  the 
land  now  known  as  Springfield  Farm,  Ellens- 
burg,  Washington,  where  he  has  since  remained. 
The  first  two  or  three  years  he  followed  the 
practice  of  medicine.  But  as  he  came  to  farm 
he  retired  from  practice  as  soon  as  other  phy- 
sicians came  to  stay. 

In  1854  he  was  married  to  Mary  Ann  Gar- 
rett, born  in  Leamington,  England,  March  1, 
1830.  She  died  in  Birmingham,  England,  March 
18,  1859,  ar,d  on  August  29,  1859,  he  was  married 
to  Elizabeth  Benton  in  Leamington,  England, 
where  she  was  born  March  7,  1839,  and  received 
her  education  in  the  Church  of  England  school. 
She  died  at  her  home,  Springfield  Farm,  Ellens- 
burg,  Washington,  on  December  3,  1902,  in  her 
sixty-fourth  year.  She  was  the  only  child  in  the 
family  and  lived  at  home  until  her  marriage.     Her 

k father  was  William  Benton,  who  for  a  part  of  his 
life  was  valet  to  an  English  nobleman ;  later  in  his 
career  he  kept  a  general  store.  Mrs.  Robbins' 
mother  was  Elizabeth  Oilier,  the  daughter  of  a 
farmer.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benton  died  in  the 
country  of  their  birth.  Dr.  Robbins  lias  been 
the  father  of  seventeen  children,  two  by  his  first 
and  fifteen  by  bis  second  marriage.  Their 
names,  dates  and  places  of  birth  are  as  follows : 
Walter  John,  born  in  Birmingham,  England,  Jan- 
uary 6,   1856,   now  of  Ellensburg,   Washington; 


Ernest  Arthur,  born  in  Birmingham,  England, 
March  3,  1858,  and  died  at  Springfield  Farm, 
Ellensburg,  Washington,  October  25,  1895;  Fan- 
nie Oilier  Thomas,  born  in  Birmingham,  England, 
November  30,  i860,  now  of  the  Kittitas  valley; 
Bertha  Elizabeth  Vradenburgh,  born  in  Bir- 
mingham, England,  April  9,  1862,  now  living  in 
Puyallup,  Washington ;  William  von  Essen,  born 
in  Birmingham,  England,  September  26,  1863, 
now  of  Ellensburg;  Frances  Annie  Zwicker,  born 
in  Birmingham,  England,  September  25,  1864, 
died  in  Kittitas  valley,  Washington,  March  14, 
1900;  Harry  Edward,  born  in  Birmingham,  Eng- 
land, August  27,  1865,  now  of  Ellensburg;  Min- 
nie Emily  Sellwood,  born  in  Birmingham,  Eng- 
land, December  8,  1866,  now  living  in  Enum- 
claw,  Washington;  Charles  Oilier,  born  in  Bir- 
mingham, England,  February  13,  1868,  now  of 
Ellensburg;  George  Benton,  born  in  Birming- 
ham, England,  February  24,  1869,  now  living  in 
Butte,  Montana;  Blanche  Agnes,  born  in  Kings 
Norton,  near  Birmingham,  England,  May  13, 
1870,  now  living  at  home ;  Nellie  Edith  Craig, 
born  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  November  25,1872,  now 
living  in  Puyallup,  Washington ;  Lillie  Alice, 
born  in  Omaha,  Nebraska,  August  24,  1S74,  now 
living  in  Ellensburg;  Daisie  Ella,  born  in  Port- 
land, Oregon,  April  28,  1876,  died  November  14, 
1891 ;  Mary  Burton,  born  in  a  log  cabin  in  Kittitas 
valley,  Washington,  August  24,  1878,  now  living 
at  home ;  Clara  Amie,  born  on  Springfield  Farm, 
Ellensburg,  Washington.  February  17,  1883, 
now  living  at  home,  and  Laura  May,  born  on 
Springfield  Farm,  Ellensburg,  Washington,  Feb- 
ruary 23,  1885,  also  living  at  home.  In  the  fall 
of  1878,  during  the  Indian  outbreak,  Dr.  Rob- 
bins' home  was  a  popular  refuge  for  the  fami- 
lies round  about.  Some  of  them  remained  in 
this  retreat  for  several  weeks.  Dr.  Robbins  has 
one  brother,  Francis,  born  in  England  and  now 
living  in  Omaha,  Nebraska.  He  also  has  three  sis- 
ters— Elizabeth,  Eliza  and  Emily,  all  born  in 
England,  where  they  still  live.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Robbins  were  members  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land. The  doctor  has  been  a  good  and  tender- 
hearted physician,  always  responding  to  calls 
alike  from  rich  and  poor,  and  many  incidents  are 
told  by  his  friends  and  neighbors  of  the  early 
times,  when  he  ministered  to  the  needs  of  those 
afflicted  and  in  straitened  circumstances,  with- 
out hope  of  reward  and  at  great  personal  incon- 
venience and  sacrifice.  He  has  made  a  success 
of  farming  and  stock  raising,  and  now,  in  his 
old  age,  is  comfortably  situated  in  this  world 
with  all  the  needs  of  life,  surrounded  by  his  chil- 
dren, and  respected  and  esteemed  by  his  neigh- 
bors and  by  a  host  of  friends.  He  is  known  as 
a  Christian  man  of  generous  impulses,  of  good 
business  judgment,  fair  and  honorable  in  all  his 
dealings.  His  course  in  life  commends  itself  to 
the  rising  generations  and  all  good  citizens,  and 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


when  he  passes  from  their  midst  it  will  be  as 
one  of  the  honored  pioneers  and  beloved  citizens 
of  the  Kittitas  valley. 


KARL  O.  KOHLER,  who  started  in  the 
sheep  business  as  a  herder  in  the  later  eighties, 
has  built  up  the  business  until  he  is  now  consid- 
ered one  of  the  leading  sheep  raisers  in  the 
Northwest.  His  home  is  in  Ellensburg,  Wash- 
ington. Mr.  Kohler  was  born  April  14,  1861,  in 
Switzerland,  his  ancestors  being  farmers.  His 
father,  John  Kohler,  was  born  about  1818,  and 
served  as  a  sergeant  in  the  army  of  1848,  during 
the  religious  wars.  The  mother,  Anna  Barbara 
(Thorny)  Kohler,  was  born  about  1818.  Both 
parents  were  natives  of  Switzerland.  They  had 
ten  children.  Beside  Mr.  Kohler,  these  children 
were :  Mrs.  Lizzie  Zumastein,  now  a  widow ; 
John,  now  farming  in  Lewis  county,  New  York; 
Mrs.  Rosa  Kreps,  now  in  the  dairy  business  in 
Shelbyville,  Indiana;  Mrs.  Mary  Schnebli,  who 
owns  a  candy  factory  in  Baden,  Switzerland; 
Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Hunsiker,  a  widow;  Fred,  a 
merchant  in  his  native  land ;  Alfred,  a  cheese- 
maker;  Amel,  a  farmer  living  in  Wasco  county, 
Oregon,  and  Arnold,  now  herding  sheep  in  Kit- 
titas county,  Washington.  All  were  born  in  Switz- 
erland. Karl  O.  was  educated  in  Switzerland  until 
sixteen  years  of  age,  when  he  learned  the  cheese- 
making  trade,  which  he  followed  until  he  was 
twenty  years  old.  He  then  served  in  the  army 
■eight  weeks,  when  he  came  to  the  United  States 
and  settled  in  Lewis  county,  New  York.  He 
there  worked  on  farms  four  years.  In  the  spring 
of  1885  he  went  to  Kansas,  and  later  to  Ne- 
braska, and  after  a  stay  of  about  eight  months 
he  came  west  and  went  to  work  on  a  milk  ranch 
near  The  Dalles,  Oregon.  Shortly  afterward  he 
engaged  in  herding  sheep.  He  took  charge  of 
a  band  of  3,000  on  shares,  with  such  success  that 
at  the  end  of  five  years  he  had  a  half-interest  in 
4,200  head  of  sheep  and  a  good  bank  account.  In 
1895  ne  disposed  of  his  real  estate  holdings  in 
Wasco  county  and  shipped  a  trainload  of  sheep 
to  the  Chicago  markets.  He  moved  about  2,500 
head  of  sheep  to  Kittitas  county,  which  has 
since  been  his  headquarters.  In  June  of  that 
year  he  went  back  to  Switzerland  on  a  visit  and 
returned  October  20,  1895,  since  which  time  he 
has  given  his  attention  to  his  sheep  business  and 
has  also  engaged  in  raisins:  considerable  hay. 

Mr.  Kohler  was  married  May  28,  1900,  in 
Columbus,  Nebraska,  to  Miss  Anna  R.  Stauffer, 
born  in  that  city,  September  9,  1877.  Mrs. 
Kohler's  father,  a  native  of  Switzerland,  born 
about  1848,  was  a  farmer  and  merchant.  He 
held  public  office  for  eleven  years  after  he  moved 
to  the  United  States,  having  served  as  county 
clerk  of  Piatte  county,  Nebraska,  during  that 
period.      Mrs.    Kohler's    mother,    Elsie    (Plaser) 


Stauffer,  was  born  in  Switzerland  and  came  to 
this  county  when  fifteen  years  old.  Mrs.  Kohler 
has  one  brother  and  three  sisters.  The  brother, 
John  Stauffer,  born  in  Columbus,  Nebraska, 
August  1,  1875,  is  now  living  with  her.  Two 
sisters,  Bertha  and  Martha,  still  reside  in  Colum- 
bus, and  the  other  sister,  Rosa,  lives  in  Ellens- 
burg, Washington. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kohler  have  one  child,  John 
G.,  born  in  Ellensburg,  June  28,  1901.  The 
father  is  an  active  member  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  and  his  wife  are  Protestants.  Their 
home,  a  fine  brick  house  of  thoroughly  modern 
construction,  occupies  one  of  the  finest  locations 
in  Ellensburg,  the  site  including  ten  lots.  Mr. 
Kohler  has  180  acres  of  hay  land.  He  is  run- 
ning about  6,100  head  of  sheep  and  owns  about 
twenty-five  head  of  horses.  He  is  the  owner  of 
fifty  shares  of  stock  in  the  Pacific  Oil  Company 
and  250  shares  in  a  Texas  company,  and  carries 
a  $5,000  life  insurance  policy  in  the  Northwest- 
ern  Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company. 


THOMAS  HALEY,  residing  two  miles  north 
and  a  mile  and  one-half  east  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington,  has  been  engaged  in  the  live  stock 
business  in  that  locality  since  1879.  He  is  now 
arranging  to  engage  in  the  hay  and  dairy  busi- 
ness because  of  the  shortage  of  range.  He  has 
680  acres  of  land,  about  250  head  of  horses  and 
cattle,  and  an  up-to-date  creamery  plant  with  an 
output  of  about  3,000  pounds  per  month.  He 
has  a  large  and  thoroughly  modern  home  on  the 
place  and  is  considered  one  of  the  most  thrifty 
and  successful  farmers  of  the  county.  He  was 
born  in  New  York,  January  8,  1847.  His  father, 
Michael  Haley,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1810,  and 
died  May  3,  1882.  His  mother,  Bridget  (Pheney) 
Haley,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1819,  and  has  since 
passed  away.  Thomas  was  one  of  a  family  of 
nine  children,  as  follows  :  John,  living  with  him  ; 
Michael,  a  farmer  in  New  York;  James,  farming 
in  Michigan ;  William  and  Martin,  both  farmers 
of  New  York;  Peter,  a  cattle  raiser  of  Minot, 
North  Dakota ;  Kate  Cross,  wife  of  a  New  York 
merchant,  and  Mary  Goram,  the  wife  of  a  New 
York  hotel  man.  Mr.  Haley  left  the  schools  of 
his  native  state  when  he  was  fifteen  years  old 
and  worked  on  a  farm  three  years.  For  the  suc- 
ceeding two  and  one-half  years  he  worked  in  the 
Pennsylvania  oil  fields.  In  1867  he  went  to 
Omaha,  Nebraska,  and  ran  a  stationary  engine 
in  a  foundry.  Later  he  was  employed  on  the 
construction  of  the  L^nion  Pacific  railroad  be- 
tween Cheyenne  and  Laramie  City.  He  came 
from  LTtah  to  Kittitas  county,  Washington,  July 
5,  1869,  and  filed  on  160  acres  of  desert  land.  He 
devoted  particular  attention  to  stock  raising  in 
all  its  branches,  doing  much  buying  and  ship- 
ping.    He  soon  transformed  his  desert  land  into 


SIMEON    WALKEK    MAXEY. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


833 


a  beautiful  home,  but  in  October,  1896,  a  fire 
started  which  wiped  out  the  house  and  well-filled 
barns,  and  everything  he  had  accumulated,  ex- 
cept the  live  stock.  By  indomitable  pluck  and 
perseverance,  however,  he  has  regained  a  greater 
fortune  than  that  lost  by  the  severe  fire,  and  is 
now  counted  one  of  the  most  substantial  men  of 
the  county. 

Mn  Haley  was  married  April  10,  1878,  to 
Miss  Yancha  Hackett,  daughter  of  John  and 
Ellen  (Johnson)  Hackett.  Her  father  was  born 
in  Illinois  in  1827,  and  is  dead.  Her  mother, 
bom  in  Indiana  in  1834,  is  now  a  resident  of 
Oregon.  Mrs.  Haley  was  born  in  Oregon  City, 
Oregon,  May  4,  1857.  Her  brothers  and  sisters 
are:  Erwin,  a  school  teacher  in  Oregon  City; 
Mary  Knox,  wife  of  an  Oregon  farmer;  Stella 
Hackett,  of  Oregon  City;  Alvin,  in  the  real  estate 
business  in  Mississippi,  and  Mrs.  Florence  Wolf, 
of  Sunnyside,  Oregon. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Haley  have  two  children,  both 
of  whom  are  at  the  family  home.  Katie,  the 
eldest,  was  born  April  27,  1879,  ar>d  Allie,  Sep- 
tember 11,  1880.  Their  father  belongs  to  the 
royal  arch  degree  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
and  is  also  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows,  and  has  been  through  all  the 
chairs  in  that  order.  He  is  a  public  spirited  and 
progressive  citizen  and  is  highly  respected. 


SIMEON  WALKER  MAXEY,  now  residing 
near  Ellensburg,  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Illinois,  August  9,  1832.  His  father,  William  Mc- 
Kendery  Maxey,  was  a  physician  and  minister, 
born  in  Tennessee,  January  18,  1812,  and  died 
February  4,  1885.  The  mother,  Eddy  (Owens) 
Maxey,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  March  2,  181 1, 
and  died  January  5,  1880,  Her  father  was  Peter 
Owens,  a  farmer.  Simeon  W.  received  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  Jefferson 
county,  Illinois,  and  remained  with  his  father 
until  he  reached  his  majority.  Then,  in  1853,  he 
borrowed  money  and  purchased  forty  acres  of 
government  land,  which  he  devoted  exclusively  to 
horticulture.  He  set  out  an  orchard  which  later 
took  the  premium  as  the  best  selected  and  ar- 
ranged orchard  in  the  county.  At  county  fairs 
he  was  a  frequent  exhibitor,  and  invariably  cap- 
tured some  of  the  best  prizes.  He  served  as 
county  superintendent  of  the  Mount  Vernon,  Illi- 
nois, fair,  and  was  one  of  the  members  of  the 
awarding  committee.  Mr.  Maxey  has  now,  for 
over  half  a  century,  been  an  enthusiastic  and 
successful  horticulturist.  In  1882  he  sold  out  his 
property  holdings  in  Jefferson  county,  Illinois, 
and  moved  to  Washington,  where  he  bought  land 
in  Kittitas  county,  where  he  has  since  resided. 
In  1889  he  sold  this  place  and  bought  a  brick 
block  in  Ellensburg,  now  known  as  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  hall.     He  was  appointed  by  Governor  Ferry  as 


commissioner  of  horticulture  for  the  fourth  dis- 
trict, and  after  serving  for  three  years  and  a  half 
he  was  reappointed  by  Governor  McGraw,  and 
Luniiuueu  '.,1  trie  urhLc  until  the  law  creating  it 
was  abolished.  He  was  superintendent  of  the 
state  fruit  exhibit  at  the  World's  Fair  in  1893, 
and  was  county  inspector  of  horticulture  from 
1902  till   1904. 

During  the  Civil  war  Mr.  Maxey  served  with 
honor  and  distinction.  He  enlisted  in  the  110th 
volunteer  infantry  of  Illinois  in  1862,  in  Com- 
pany B,  under  Captain  C.  H.  Maxey,  and  was 
assigned  to  the  14th  army  corps,  commanded  by 
General  Jefferson  C.  Davis,  Second  division,  com- 
manded by  General  John  M.  Palmer,  and  19th 
brigade,  commanded  by  General  W.  B.  Hazen. 
He  was  in  the  battle  of  Perryville,  Kentucky, 
against  General  Bragg,  which  forced  the  Confed- 
erates through  Cumberland  Gap,  and  later,  as 
first  duty  sergeant,  was  in  charge  of  a  detach- 
ment of  six  men  which  made  a  hazardous  sixty- 
mile  trip  in  taking  sixty-eight  prisoners  to  Dan- 
ville, Kentucky.  He  took  part  in  the  battles  of 
Stone  River,  Chickamauga,  Missionary  Ridge 
and  Atlanta,  and  was  with  Sherman  on  the  march 
to  the  sea.  In  the  chase  after  General  Johnston 
he  was  engaged  in  one  of  the  last  battles  of  the 
war,  which  was  at  Bentonville,  North  Carolina. 
On  this  occasion  army  orders  were  issued  to 
prevent  any  foraging  ahead  of  the  command. 
Notwithstanding,  on  the  morning  of  the  battle  of 
Bentonville,  Mr.  Maxey  started  out  before  day- 
light and  got  in  advance  of  the  army.  Near  sun- 
rise he  fell  in  with  six  other  soldiers  and  the  party 
shortly  afterward  encountered  a  picket  reserve  of 
the  enemy  and  were  promptly  fired  upon.  By 
good  fortune  no  one  of  them  was  hit,  due  likely 
to  the  closeness  of  the  range.  He  was  mustered 
out  of  service  at  Washington,  D.  C,  and  received 
his  discharge  at  Chicago,  in  1865. 

Mr.  Maxey  has  brothers  and  sisters  as  fol- 
lows: Samuel  T.,  born  August  29,  1834.  who 
served  through  the  war  and  was  discharged  as  a 
captain;  John  V.,  born  in  1836,  also  in  the  war; 
Harriet  J.,  born  in  1838.  now  the  widow  of  Frank- 
lin J.  Centerfield;  William  C,  born  in  1843,  who 
was.  during  the  war.  first  sergeant  of  the  80th 
Illinois  regiment;  Sarah  C.  born  in  1847,  now 
the  wife  of  Sanford  Hill,  and  Hardy  X..  born  in 
1850.  Mr.  Maxey  was  married  at  Richview,  Il- 
linois, to  Miss  Manevia  T.  Whftenberg,  daughter 
of  Daniel  T.  and  Polly  A.  (  Hill )  Whitenberg. 
She  was  born  in  Tennessee,  March  26,  1838.  and 
died  in  Ellensburg.  January  25,  1002.  Their 
children  were  Brovahtus  A.,  born  January  17. 
1859;  Morton  M..  born  July  4.  t8(V>,  and  died 
September  24.  1897;  Franceska  D.,  born  January 
18,  1862,  William  C.  born  April  18,  1863.  and  Sina 
C,  born  October  15,  1866.  Mr.  Maxey  is  a  mem- 
ber of  David  Ford'  Post,  G.  A.  R..  at  Ellensburg, 
;:iid  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


834 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


MRS.  REBECCA  N.  BULL  was  born  in  Nor- 
way. Her  father,  Nels  H.  Gran,  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, December  15,  1815,  and  died  in  Nebraska. 
He  was  a  farmer  and  the  inventor  of  a  threshing 
machine.  The  mother,  Sophia  Graverholt,  was 
born  in  Norway,  near  Christiania,  in  1816.  Mrs. 
Bull  received  her  early  education  in  the  district 
schools  of  Norway  and  was  fourteen  years  old 
when  her  parents  came  to  the  United  States. 
Upon  their  arrival  they  settled  in  Dixon  county, 
Nebraska,  in  1870,  where  the  father  took  up  gov- 
ernment land.  She  finished  her  education  in  the 
schools  at  Omaha,  and  later  in  the  normal  school, 
after  which  she  taught  in  the  district  schools  of 
Nebraska  and  also  after  she  came  West  on  the 
Sound.  She  came  to  Ellensburg  in  1879,  an<^ 
lived  with  her  brother  until  her  marriage,  May 
26,  1881,  to  B.  W.  Frisbee,  when  she  began  her 
residence  on  her  present  farm  home.  Mr.  Fris- 
bee was  by  profession  a  photographer  and  also  a 
teacher.  He  taught  one  of  the  first  schools  in 
the  valley  near  Ellensburg.  He  was  a  native  of 
New  York  and  was  active  in  building  up  educa- 
tional interest  where  he  resided.  His  death  oc- 
curred on  February  21,  1888.  By  this  marriage 
two  children  were  born :  Leroy  W.,  September 
15,  1882,  who  was  educated  in  the  Ellensburg 
high  school  and  is  now  attending  the  university 
of  Washington,  with  a  view  to  becoming  an  elec- 
trical engineer,  and  Emma  F.,  April  12,  1884. 
She  was  also  educated  in  the  Ellensburg  high 
school. 

February  6,  1889,  Mrs.  Frisbee  married  Walter 
A.  Bull,  who  was  born  in  Albany,  New  York, 
June  20,  1838.  Mr.  Bull  was  a  descendant  on  his 
mother's  side  of  the  old  Fish  family  of  New  York. 
His  forefathers  were  of  English  extraction  and  of 
a  seafaring  inclination.  Mr.  Bull  spent  his  early 
days  at  Racine,  Wisconsin,  and  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  war  became  government  commissary  clerk. 
During  his  service  he  was  superintendent  of  com- 
missary and  later  was  superintendent  of  the  Freed- 
man  bureau.  At  one  time  he  was  charged  with 
the  care  and  feeding  of  twenty-eight  hundred 
negroes.  After  his  discharge  from  the  govern- 
ment service  he  engaged  in  the  construction  of 
the  Union  Pacific  until  1869.  When  on  a  tour  of 
the  west  he  was  attracted  to  the  Kittitas  valley 
and  settled  on  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  nearly  south  of  Ellensburg,  which  he  im- 
proved and  added  to  until  he  accumulated  nearly 
1,700  acres.  This  he  put  in  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation. He  devoted  much  attention  to  raising  of 
fine  stock.  He  introduced  Holstein  cattle  into  the 
valley  and  had  a  fine  herd  of  Polled-Angus.  He 
was  an  Odd  Fellow  and  Mason  and  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.;  was  the  first  probate 
judge  of  Kittitas  county,  under  appointment  by 
the  commissioners,  and  served  two  years ;  de- 
signed the  probate  court  seal — a  bull's  head;  and 
was  also  president  of  the  Snoqualmie  toll  road  to 


Seattle.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Bull  had  two  children :  J. 
A.  Evadore  Bull,  born  September  10,  1891,  and 
Leland  L.  Bull,  born  September  15,  1893,  both 
on  their  father's  farm.  Mrs.  Bull's  brothers  and 
sisters  are :  Caroline,  now  Mrs.  Andrew  Hia,  in 
Norway;  Halvor  Nelson,  in  Ellensburg;  Andrew 
N.,  in  Nebraska;  Mrs.  Mattie  Gilbertson,  in 
Washington  county,  Nebraska,  and  Juliana,  now 
Mrs.  Christian  Johnson,  in  Dixon  county,  Ne- 
braska. Mrs.  Bull  came  to  Kittitas  valley  after 
the  Indian  troubles  were  over,  but  she  often 
talked  with  the  late  Chief  Moses  concerning  the 
strenuous  pioneer  days.  She  has  many  valuable 
records  of  the  early  history  of  the  Kittitas  coun- 
try, and  is  a  ladv  of  intelligence  and  culture. 


PHILIP  H.  SCHNEBLY,  who  lives  in  an 
elegant  home  eleven  miles  northeast  of  Ellens- 
burg, was  born  in  Washington  county,  Oregon, 
October  8,  1852.  His  father,  David  J.  Schnebly, 
was  born  in  Maryland,  and  came  to  Oregon  in 
1850.  He  was  a  man  of  finished  education,  and 
during  his  lifetime  followed  the  vocations  of 
teacher  and  editor.  He  was  of  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  descent.  The  subject's  mother  was  Mar- 
garet A.  (Painter)  Schnebly,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, and  came  west  with  her  father  during  the 
early  days. 

Mr.  Schnebly  received  his  education  in  the 
state  of  Oregon  in  the  district  schools,  and  came 
to  the  Kittitas  valley  in  1872.  After  coming  here 
he  at  once  engaged  in  the  stock  business  and  has 
made  that  branch  of  industry  his  business  since 
that  time.  He  owns  one  of  the  finest  farms  in 
the  county,  and  lives  in  an  elegant  home.  He 
has  "cattle  on  a  thousand  hills."  in  all  about  fif- 
teen hundred  head,  most  of  which  are  Hereford 
and  Shorthorn  Durham  stock.  He  has  one 
brother  and  one  sister :  Charles  P.,  born  in  Ore- 
gon, and  who  is  now  a  farmer;  and  Mrs.  Jean  C. 
Davidson,  native  of  Walla  Walla,  and  now  living 
in  Ellensburg.  He  was  married  November  II, 
1877,  to  Eliza  F.  Cooke,  the  daughter  of  Hon. 
Charles  P.  and  Susan  E.  (Brewster)  Cooke.  Mr. 
Cooke  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Kittitas 
valley,  and  was  a  man  much  in  public  life.  A 
sketch  of  his  life  is  to  be  found  elsewhere  in  this 
history.  Mrs.  Cooke  was  born  in  New  York 
state,  in  1838,  and  was  a  descendant  from  the  old 
Vander  Cooke  family,  historic  in  the  state  of  New 
York.  Mrs.  Schnebly's  brothers  and  sisters  are, 
Mrs.  Charles  Coleman,  Edwin  N.,  Morand  D., 
Edward  W.,  George  B.,  Rufus,  Mrs.  Al  Whitson, 
and  Jay  Cooke. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schnebly  are  the  parents  of  ten 
children,  as  follows:  Lillian  M.,  born  January  16, 
1879;  Fred  C.  November  12,  1881  ;  Philip  D., 
July  19,  1884:  Joseph  J.,  April  20,  1885;  Jean, 
February  14,  1887;  Frank,  October  5,  1890;  Edith, 
February  8.   1892;  Edna,  February  28,   1894,  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


835 


Rufus  and  Robert,  March  30,  1897.  All  were 
born  in  Kittitas  county.  lhe  eldest  daughter, 
Lillian  M.,  was  educated  in  the  State  Normal 
school,  and  has  traveled  extensively.  She  has 
marked  ability  and  taste  in  a  literary  way,  and 
has  contributed  some  high  class  articles  to  the 
magazines.  She  was  a  delegate  to  the  National 
1'ress  Association  in  1895  and   1900. 


MELVIN  C.  SPRAGUE.      Melvin   Sprague, 

dealer  in  paints,  oils,  and  glass,  is  one  of  the 
rugged  pioneers  of  the  Pacific  states.  Born  in 
Barry  county,  Michigan,  July  14,  1842,  he  is  the 
son  of  Nelson  and  Lucinda  (Barnum)  Sprague. 
His  father  was  a  farmer  and  saw  mill  operator, 
born  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  died  in  1844, 
when  Melvin  was  a  child  ot  two  years.  His 
mother,  also  a  native  of  New  York,  was  born 
November  7,  1807,  and  upon  the  death  of  her 
husband  was  left  a  widow  with  five  small  children. 
She  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years  and 
twenty  days. 

Melvin  C.  Sprague's  life  from  the  beginning 
has  been  one  of  strenuousness  and  toil.  From 
early  boyhood  and  until  sixteen  years  old  he 
worked  during  six  months  of  the  year,  the  re- 
mainder being  spent  in  the  common  schools. 
Giving  up  this  mode  of  life  at  that  time,  he  started 
to  walk  from  Hastings,  Michigan,  to  Nebraska 
City,  Nebraska.  Arriving  there,  he  joined  an  un- 
cle and  started  on  an  overland  jonrney  to  Pike's 
Peak,  in  sea-ch  of  gold.  On  the  way  thither, 
however,  they  met  so  many  returning  prospect- 
ors that  they  became  discouraged  with  their 
Pike's  Peak  venture,  and  decided  to  abandon  it 
and  push  on  to  California.  This  they  did,  arriv- 
ing in  the  Golden  state  in  1859.  Here  our  sub- 
ject entered  the  mining  camps  and  became  in  time 
a  full  fledged  miner  and  prospector.  In  1863  he 
went  to  Granite  creek,  in  eastern  Oregon,  thence 
to  Canyon  City,  Oregon,  where  he  wintered.  In 
the  spring  he  once  more  went  to  Granite  creek, 
thence  to  the  Owyhee  mines,  and  shortly  after 
started  for  Idaho.  The  party  with  whom  he 
started  on  the  trip  encamped  for  a  week  near  the 
big  bend  on  the  Snake  river,  in  order  to  rest 
their  pack  horses:  the  night  before  they  started 
to  move  the  Indians  stampeded  the  animals  and 
it  was  with  difficulty  that  they  recovered  three  or 
four  horses  out  of  the  original  band  of  a  large 
number.  After  some  time  spent  on  a  hard  trail 
the  party  finally  reached  their  destination  in 
Idaho,  and  Mr.  Sprague  shortly  after  left  for  the 
mines  near  Bannock  City,  Oregon,  where  he  worked 
some  time.  He  then  removed  to  Auburn,  in  the 
same  state,  and  with  an  old  California  partner  of 
his,  worked  a  claim  on  Gimlet  creek.  Here,  it  is 
interesting  to  note,  he  found  a  nugget  valued  at 
some  $355.  While  in  Oregon  he  followed  for  a 
time  the  vocation   of  carrying    express     between 


Canyon  City  and  Baker  City;  in  summer  on 
horseback  and  during  the  winter  months  on  snow- 
shoes.  He  has  many  interesting  incidents  to  re- 
late regarding  his  experience  among  the  mining 
camps  and  mountains  of  California,  Oregon  and 
Idaho,  where  he  encountered  wild  Indians  in 
plenty.  In  1S76  he  returned  on  a  visit  to  his  old 
home  in  Michigan.  Later,  he  came  to  Seattle 
and  from  there  went  again  on  a  prospecting  trip 
in  the  vicinity  of  his  present  home.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Ellensburg  he  bade  farewell  to  his  former 
life  and  went  to  work  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  In 
1887,  in  partnership  with  P.  Pressy,  he  built  a 
carpenter  shop  and  planing-mill.  This  he  later 
sold,  and  again  paid  a  visit  to  his  Michigan  home. 
Upon  returning  to  Ellensburg  he  bought  an  in- 
terest in  the  store  of  Harvey  Barton,  dealer  in 
paints  and  oils.  From  that  time  his  business  has 
continued  to  grow;  his  place  of  business  having 
increased  from  a  mere  shack  to  a  first  class  paint 
store.  Mr.  Sprague  has  never  married.  He  is 
an  Odd  Fellow,  having  been  a  member  of  that 
order  for  the  past  twenty-seven  years.  During 
his  life  he  has  seen  hardship  and  misfortune  in 
plenty,  and,  like  all  pioneers,  has  had  his  quota 
of  ups  and  downs.  He  is  now  comfortably  situ- 
ated and  is  regarded  by  his  fellow  townsmen  as  a 
valuable  man  in  the  community. 


PHILIP  H.  ADAMS,  a  farmer  and  stockman, 
living  twelve  miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg,  was 
born  in  Walla  Walla,  Washington,  February  12, 
1876.  His  father,  F.  F.  Adams,  now  a  merchant 
of  Seattle,  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  where  his  early  life 
was  spent.  He  is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  hav- 
ing served  in  an  Ohio  regiment  of  infantry.  The 
mother  of  Philip  H.  Adams  was  Mary  V.  (  Schne- 
bly)  Adams,  who  was  born  in  Oregon  and  who 
died  there  March  31,  1887.  When  Philip  was  ten 
years  old  his  parents  immigrated  to  California  and 
here  he  was  educated  in  the  public  schools.  Fin- 
ismng  the  public  school  course,  for  two  years  he 
engaged  in  the  study  of  law,  but  decided  eventu- 
ally that  there  were  better  opportunities  for  suc- 
cess in  other  fields,  and  abandoned  the  law  for 
agriculture  and  stock  raising,  establishing  himself 
en  the  ranch  he  now  occupies  in  1898.  This  ranch 
consists  of  480  acres,  over  one-half  of  which  is 
'11  a  good  state  of  cultivation.  Mr.  Adams  has 
had  as  many  as  400  head  of  stock  on  the  farm  at 
one  time,  and  at  lhe  present  is  caring  for  about 
250  head,  feeding  them  alfalfa,  timothy  and  clover, 
all  of  which  are  raised  in  abundance  on  the  culti- 
vated portions  of  the  estate.  Mr.  Adams  has  one 
brother  and  two  sisters:  Herbert  H.  Adams,  an 
electrical  engineer  of  New  York  ;  Mrs.  James 
Ramsey  of  Ellensburg,  and  Mrs.  H.  E.  P.oyrie  of 
Seattle.  Mr.  Adams  was  married  in  Ellensburg 
February  27,  1809.  to  Bertha  K.  Stephens,  daugh- 
ter of  W.  V.  and  Kate  Stephens.     The  father  is  a 


836 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


railway  train  dispatcher;  the  mother  is  deceased. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Adams  have  one  child,  Frederick  D. 
Adams,  born  June  16,  1901.  Husband  and  wife 
are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Adams 
is  independent  in  politics  but  rather  favors  the 
doctrines  of  the  Democratic  party.  He  is  among 
the  successful  agriculturists  and  stockmen  of  the 
valley  and  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  all 
who  know  him. 


GEORGE  W.  SALLADAY,  living  twelve 
miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg,  has  for  a  number  of 
years  been  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising 
and  has  met  with  good  success  in  the  business. 
His  farm  consists  of  600  acres;  400  acres  in  culti- 
vation, and  the  remainder  pasture  land.  The  prin- 
cipal crop  raised  in  this  part  of  the  valley  is  hay, 
for  which  there  is  always  a  ready  market  at  good 
prices,  much  of  the  crop,  however,  being  consumed 
at  home  in  wintering  the  flocks  and  herds.  Mr. 
Salladay  settled  here  in  1900,  having  been,  for  a 
short  time  previous  to  this  date,  engaged  in  stock 
raising  near  Ellensburg.  Before  going  into  the 
business  on  his  own  account,  he  received  a  liberal 
education  in  the  public  schools  and  in  the  high 
school  of  Ellensburg,  thus  preparing  himself  for 
the  successful  career  he  has  since  had.  George 
W.  Salladay  is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary  A.  (See- 
rest)  Salladay,  both  natives  of  Ohio  and  both  still 
living,  retired  from  the  more  active  duties  of  life, 
in  Ellensburg.  The  subject  of  this  article  has  two 
brothers,  L.  Elmer  Salladay,  a  hardware  merchant 
of  Nez  Perce,  Idaho,  and  S.  O.  Salladay  of  Ellens- 
burg. He  has  eight  sisters :  Anna  and  Letta, 
both  school  teachers  of  Kittitas  county;  Minnie 
Spiker  of  Nez  Perce;  Ida  Pease  of  Seattle;  Opha, 
Flora,  Loretta  and  Gladys,  attending  the  Normal 
school  at  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Salladay  was  born  in 
Sonoma  county,  California.  Combined  with  the 
energy  of  youth  he  has  natural  and  acquired  busi- 
ness ability  and  is  making  for  himself  an  enviable 
position  among  the  successful  men  of  the  valley. 
Politically  he  affiliates  with  the  Democratic  party. 
He  is  progressive  and  public  spirited  and  has  the 
respect  of  a  large  circle  of  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances. 


THOMAS  J.  RANDALL,  a  retired  Christian 
minister  and  carpenter,  was  born  in  Jennings  county, 
Indiana,  in  1827.  His  father,  John  Randall,  a 
farmer  and  blacksmith,  was  a  native  of  Tennessee, 
of  Scotch-Irish  ancestry.  He  was  a  pioneer  in 
Indiana,  where  he  died  in  1830.  The  mother,  Fan- 
nie (Glover)  Randall,  was  born  in  Indinna.  Her 
parents  settled  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  river, 
below  Madison,  at  the  mouth  of  Saluda  creek,  in 
days  when  the  settlers  had  to  live  in  stockades  to 
protect  themselves  from  Indians.  Thomas  J.  Ran- 
dall grew  to  manhood  in  his  native  state.    When  he 


was  only  three  years  old  his  father  died.  He 
worked  on  a  farm  and  attended  district  school. 
When  he  was  fourteen  years  old  he  went  to  live 
with  his'  sister.  When  seventeen  he  worked  out 
and  went  to  school.  It  was  a  struggle  in  those  days 
to  secure  education,  for  all  schooling  had  to  be  paid 
for,  but  he  never  faltered  in  his  efforts  after  knowl- 
edge. Even  while  he  was  learning  the  trade  of  a 
carpenter  he  continued  his  schooling.  Later  he 
alternated  as  a  teacher  and  working  as  a  carpenter. 
In  1856  he  moved  to  Le  Sueur  county,  Minnesota, 
and  took  up  a  pre-emption  claim  and  worked  as  a 
carpenter  and  millwright.  He  was  there  through 
the  whole  of  the  Sioux  Indian  troubles  and  mas- 
sacres and  has  a  lively  recollection  of  pioneer  expe- 
riences in  that  country.  In  those  days  they  had 
to  take  the  lumber  from  the  rough  and  make  every- 
thing by  hand.  He  was  converted  in  Indiana  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  years  and  united  with  the  Chris- 
tian church.  He  was  a  faithful  student  of  the 
Bible,  reading  late  into  the  night,  after  his  hard 
day's  work,  and  finally  became  noted  for  his  famil- 
iarity with  the  Great  Book.  From  speaking  at  social 
gatherings  he  had  become  a  fluent  talker,  so  he  took 
to  preaching  and  making  appointments  which  he 
filled  acceptably.  He  preached  for  seventeen  years 
for  one  congregation,  working  all  the  time  at  his 
trade  and  farm.  He  continued  to  live  in  the  same 
neighborhood  until  1888,  when  he  moved  to  Ellens- 
burg. His  family  followed  shortlv  afterward.  He 
bought  his  present  home  then,  where  he  has  since 
resided. 

He  was  married  in  1850  to  Julia  A  Thomas, 
who  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1834.  She  was  the 
daughter  of  John  M.  Thomas,  a  native  of  Kentucky, 
and  of  Ellen  (Buckles)  Thomas.  Thomas  J.  Ran- 
dall has  four  daughters  and  three  sons.  The  sons 
are  all  newspaper  men.  Amasa  S.  Randall  is  the 
editor  of  the  Cascade  Miner,  Cle-Elum  Echo  and 
Ellensburg  Localizer,  upon  which  his  brother,  Elroy 
M.  Randall,  is  also  employed.  The  other  son,  U.  M. 
Randall,  is  an  editor  of  the  Cascade  Miner.  Two 
of  the  daughters.  Alice  A.  Wright  and  Lizzie  M. 
Denton,  live  at  Vackerville,  California.  Another, 
Ida  M.  Craig,  is  a  resident  of  White  Bluffs,  Yakima 
county,  Washington,  and  the  fourth,  Mary  B.  Har- 
r'man,  resides  in  Minnesota.  In  matters  of  politics 
Mr.  Randall  has  associated  himself  with  no  party. 
It  has  ever  been  his  custom  to  vote  for  the  man. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Central  Christian  church,  at 
Elknsburg. 


WILLIAM  F.  DOUGHTY,  a  man  of  diversi- 
fied business  interests,  ice  dealer,  stockman  and 
horticulturist,  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  foremost 
citizens  of  his  town,  Ellensburg.  He  was  born  in 
Oakland  county,  Michigan.  June  4,  1859.  His 
father,  Samuel  Doughty,  was  a  native  of  England, 
but  came  to  America  when  qmte  vouns-  and  settled 
in  Canada.     Later  he  crossed  the  border  into  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


837 


state  of  Michigan,  where  he  is  remembered  as  a 
pioneer  of  that  state.  While  in  Canada  Samuel 
Doughty  followed  the  occupation  of  lumber  dealer. 
He  died  in  1876.  The  mother  ot  William  F. 
Doughty  died  when  he  was  a  mere  infant,  so  it  is 
but  little  he  knows  of  her  history.  After  the  death 
of  his  wife,  Samuel  Doughty  married  again  and 
removed  to  Washington  county,  Kansas,  where  he 
settled  on  a  homestead  in  1871.  Here  it  was  that 
the  son  grew  to  young  manhood,  laboring  on  the 
homestead  during  the  summers  and  attending  coun- 
try school  during  thewinters.  Since  he  was  nineteen 
years  of  age,  soon  after  his  father's  death,  Mr. 
Doughty  has  fought  his  way  in  the  world  unaided. 
In  1 88 1  he  came  west  as  far  as  Colorado,  where  he 
obtained  employment  as  a  railroader.  This  occupa- 
tion he  followed  for  two  years,  being  in  that  time 
engaged  in  work  for  the  Denver  and  Rio  Grande 
and  the  Oregon  Short  Line  companies.  In  1883 
he  went  to  Walla  Walla,  wher.e  he  obtained  employ- 
ment. After  a  short  sojourn  in  the  Walla  Walla 
-country,  however,  he  again  removed  to  Spokane, 
thence,  being  moved  by  the  Coeur  d'Alene  excite- 
ment of  i88q,  to  the  Coeur  d'Alenes.  Leaving  the 
mines  in  1886  he  spent  a  year  in  Yakima,  then,  upon 
the  building  of  the  Northern  Pacific  extension, 
found  his  way  to  Ellensburg:  coming  as  an  em- 
ployee of  the  above-mentioned  company.  Soon  after 
coining  to  Ellensburg,  Mr.  Doughty  established 
himself  in  the  truck  and  drayage  business,  combin- 
ing with  it  in  1889  that  of  dealing  in  ice.  In  1900 
he  sold  out  his  drayage  business  in  order  to  devote 
his  entire  time  to  his  many  other  interests  which 
had  accumulated  since  his  advent  in  Ellensburg. 
Mr.  Doughty  has  never  been  married,  and  his 
only  near  relatives  are  two  step-brothers,  Samuel 
and  John  William,  and  one  step-sister.  Mary 
Doughty.  Though  not  a  wealthy  man,  Mr.  Doughty 
is  in  comfortable  circumstances  and  is  in  a  position 
now  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  past  life  of  activity 
and  toil.  Besides  some  city  property,  which  includes 
his  home,  he  has  two  farms  adjacent  to  Ellensburg. 
These  are  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  with  good 
orchards,  and  are  well  stocked  with  imported  Short- 
horn Durham  cattle,  in  the  breeding  of  which 
Mr.  Doughtv  is  greatly  interested.  He  carries  on 
quite  an  extensive  trade  in  hay.  He  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  yet  gives  such  matters  very  little  serious 
consideration.  The  confidence  reposed  in  him  by 
his  fellow  townsmen  is  reflected  in  the  fact  that 
for  four  vears  he  has  served  as  a  city  official. 


GEORGE  WRIGHT.  Among  the  successful 
stockmen  of  the  thriving  region  surrounding  Ellens- 
burg and  North  Yakima  may  be  noted  the  name 
of  George  Wright,  of  the  firm  of  George  Wright 
&  Son,  who  was  born  in  Colchester.  Eneland.  1838. 
His  father,  James  Wright,  also  a  stockman,  was 
born  in  Colchester  in  1805.  came  to  the  United 
States   in    1871,    where   he   died   seven    vears   Inter. 


Jane  (Miller)  Wright,  George  Wright's  mother, 
also  was  of  English  birth  and  died  in  that  country 
in  1863.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  the  boy  George 
was,  after  the  manner  of  those  times,  apprenticed 
to  a  butcher,  with  wages  at  a  pound  a  year.  Dis- 
satisfied with  his  duties,  as  well  as  with"  his  salary, 
he,  at  the  end  of  a  year,  ran  away  from  his  bondage, 
coming  to  Chicago  with  a  companion,  about  the 
ye:<r  1857.  With  a  capital  of  some  $500  he  began 
in  a  small  way  dealing  in  stock.  To  him  belongs 
the  distinction  of  having  made  the  first  shipment 
of  cattle  and  horses  from  Montreal,  Canada,  he 
having  gone  to  that  country  in  1876.  His  business 
venture  was  so  marked  with  prosperity  that  at  the 
end  of  three  years  he  found  himself  in  a  position 
to  return  to  his  mother  country  for  a  year's  visit, 
and  while  there  was  married  to  Emma  Springet, 
i860.  Upon  his  return  to  Amenca  he  settled  in 
London,  Canada,  later  moving  to  Watford.  In 
both  these  cities  he  dealt  in  live  stock,  and  while  at 
the  latter  made  several  shipments  to  England.  The 
allurements  of  the  West  and  the  opportunities  it 
held  forth  to  stockmen  attracted  him,  and  in  '82  he 
came  to  Portland,  Oregon,  and  thence  to  Tacoma. 
At  Tacoma  he  became  president  of  the  Puget  Sound 
Pressed  Beef  and  Packing  Company.  With  this 
company  he  was  connected  for  five  years,  or  until 
1887,  when  he  removed  to  Yakima  and  engaged  in 
his  present  business  of  sheep  raising.  Mrs.  Wright 
was  the  daughter  of  Robert"  and  Charlotte  Springet, 
both  natives  of  England,  where,  in  Westboghalt, 
Mr.  Springet  owned  and  operated  a  grist  mill. 
Both  are  dead.  Air.  Wright  is  without  brothers 
or  sisters.  Has  three  sons:  James  M..  F.  G.  and 
Albert.  The  first  two  named  are  business  partners 
with  Mr.  Wright,  the  former  at  Yakima  and  the 
latter  in  Seattle.  The  third  son.  Albert,  resides  at 
Rochester,  not   far  from  Olympia. 

Although  in  the  main  Mr.  Wright's  course  in 
the  business  world  has  run  smooth,  he  has  had 
his  misadventures,  like  all  other  successful  men. 
One  of  these  in  particular  lingers  vividly  in  his 
memory.  This  was  in  the  year  1879.  when  he  made 
a  shipment  of  four  hundred  and  sixty-three  head  of 
cattle  from  New  York  to  Southampton,  England. 
En  voyage  a  severe  storm  threatened  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  ship;  in  order  to  save  the  vessel  and  the 
human  lives  on  bonrd  it  was  necessary  to  consign 
the  greater  portion  of  her  cargo  to  the  sea.  Thus 
Mr.  Wright's  entire  herd  was  thrown  overboard. 
Aside  from  the  original  loss  of  the  cattle,  the 
rnfortunate  owner  expended  approximately  the  sum 
of  $35,000  in  a  futile  effort  to  recover  damages  from 
the  owners  of  the  ship.  As  a  young  man  in  Chi- 
cago. Mr.  Wright  was  a  contemnornrv  with  the 
famous  packer,  Philip  D.  Armour. and  in  matters  of 
finance  he  was  at  that  time  rated  above  him.  Politi- 
cally. Mr.  Wright  is  known  as  a  Republican,  of 
pronounced  convictions.  His  propertv  interests  con- 
sist of  a  home  in  North  Yakima,  as  well  as  one 
in  Ellensburg,  and  thirty  thousand  acres  of  grazing 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


land,  where  the  firm  pastures  its  sheep,  of  which  it 
has,  in  round  numbers,  about  forty  thousand. 
George  Wright  &  Sons  has  just  recently  signed  a 
contract  calling  for  a  shipment  of  five  thousand  head 
of  sheep,  which  number  on  an  average  they  ship 
each  month.  Mr.  Wright  lives  principally  in  North 
Yakima,  but  at  the  present  time  is  occupying  his 
Ellensburg  home.  In  each  of  these  cities  he  is 
counted  as  one  among  its  leading  and  most  public 
spirited    citizens. 


_  RASMUS  P.  TJOSSEM,  proprietor  of  the 
Tjossem  mill,  two  and  one-half  miles  south  from 
Ellensburg,  claims  Stavanger,  Norway,  as  his  birth 
place.  •  The  year  of  his  birth  was  1841.  His  father, 
Peder  Tjossem,  also  was  born  in  Stavanger,  1813. 
Peder  Tjossem  inherited  the  old  farm  that  had 
been  in  the  family  several  hundred  years,  exhibit- 
ing deeds  on  parchment  over  three  hundred  years 
old  in  proof  of  the  rightfulness  of  his  inheritance. 
He,  however,  left  the  home  of  his  fathers  to  try 
his  fortunes  in  a  new  country,  settling  in  Iowa, 
where  he  died  in  1892.  His  wife,  Anna  (Iverson) 
Tjossem,  the  mother  of  Rasmus,  came  of  an  old 
Norwegian  family,  and  herself  was  born  in  Nor- 
way. Rasmus  Tjossem  finished  his  education  be- 
fore coming  to  America.  In  1862  he  came  first  to 
Quebec,  afterward  spending  two  years  on  a  farm  in 
Illinois,  when  he  went  to  Marshall  county,  Iowa,  to 
engage  in  farming.  The  profits  of  nine  years  of 
toil  were  eaten  up  in  the '  great  Chicago  fire,  he 
losing  a  heavy  shipment  of  grain.  The  years  '73, 
'74  and  a  part  of  '75  were  spent  in  the  Sound 
country  and  in  Walla  Walla.  He  came  to  Kittitas 
county  in  May,  1875,  and  took  up  government  land, 
upon  which  his  mill  now  stands.  He  worked  his 
land  until  he  was  enabled  to  erect,  in  1881,  a  small 
mill  on  the  river.  He  built  also  a  saw  mill  on  Wil- 
son creek.  These  mills  he  operated,  together  with 
his  farm  and  a  small  herd  of  cattle  until  1889,  when 
be  abandoned  the  saw  mill  business.  In  1887  with 
John  Shoudy  he  built  the  City  Mill  at  Ellensburg, 
soon  afterward  selling  his  share  to  Mr.  Shoudy  and 
building  the  mill  he  now  owns.  Mr.  Tjossem  was 
at  Ellensburg  at  the  time  of  the  Indian  outbreak. 
Unlike  the  majority  of  his  fellow  townsmen  he 
did  not  seek  protection  behind  the  stockade,  deem- 
ing it  a  safer  plan  to  keep  his  family  in  a  convenient 
sheltered  retreat  near  his  house. 

In  1865  he  was  married  to  Rachel  Heggem.  a 
native  of  Norway,  who  had  come  with  her  parents 
to  America  previous  to  his  comHr.  Her  people 
were  known  to  him  in  the  old  country.  Mr.  Tjos- 
sem has  three  brothers:  Thomas.  Ole  and  Jonas, 
all  of  whom  are  farmers  in  Iowa.  Mrs.  Tjossem 
has  a  brother,  Thore  Heg;S'em,  who  also  lives  in 
the  state  of  Iowa.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Tjossem  are:  Albert,  who  is  interested  with 
his  father  in  the  mill ;  Rebecca,  who  was  married 
to  George  Donald ;  Torene,  married  to  Errick  Moe ; 


Lena,  wife  of  Harl  Ruthven ;  Peder,  who  is  a  civil 
engineer  in  Spokane,  and  Anna,  who  remains  at 
home  with  her  parents.  Mr.  Tjossem  is  a  member 
in  good  standing  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  his 
religious  belief  is  in  the  doctrine  promulgated  by 
the  Society  of  Friends  of  the  Quaker  church.  He 
affiliates  with  the  Republican  party  and  prides  him- 
self in  the  fact  that  he  cast  his  vote  for  Abraham 
Lincoln  for  president  in  1864.  Besides  his  flour 
mill,  which  he  owns  and  operates  jointly  with  his 
son,  he  has  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  choice 
land,  well  stocked,  comfortably  improved  and  con- 
taining a  fruit  orchard  of  select  and  productive 
trees. 


WILLIAM  H.  CAROTHERS.  William  H. 
Carothers  is  one  of  the  substantial  business  men  of 
Ellensburg.  He  was  born  in  Shelby  county, Missou- 
ri, in  1850,  the  son  of  John  C.  and  Louisa  M.  (Hen- 
ninger)  Carothers,  both  of  old  and  historic  families. 
His  father  was  a  farmer  by  occupation,  born  in 
Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  about  the  year  1820,  and 
died  in  1902.  John  C.  Carothers  was  a  pio- 
neer of  Shelby  county,  Missouri,  settling  there 
with  his  father,  James  Carothers,  in  1828. 
The  Indians  were  numerous  there  at  that  time 
;'nd  the  pioneer  Carothers  family  had  many  a 
narrow  escape  from  massacre.  Before  leaving  the 
state  Mr.  Carothers  improved  three  farms  from  raw 
and  uncleared  land.  He  came  to  Oregon  with  his 
family  in  1874,  and  settled  in  the  Willamette  valley.' 
He  was  a  soldier  all  through  the  Mexican  war,  and 
later  in  the  Rebellion.  He  served  in  the  nth  Mis- 
souri Infantry  in  the  first  enlistment,  and  in  the 
2d  Missouri  M.  S.  M.  in  the  second.  Starting  in 
as  a  lieutenant  he  was  brevetted  major  before  the 
close  of  the  war.  His  father,  William's  grand- 
father, was  a  soldier  in  both  the  War  of  1812  and  the 
Black  Hawk  war.  Louisa  M.  (Henninger)  Car- 
others  was  born  in  Virginia  of  old  Jamestown 
Dutch  stock,  tracing  her  ancestry  back  to  colonial 
times.  Both  her  grandfather  and  great-grand- 
father were  soldiers  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  as 
was  also  the  paternal  ancestry  of  the  subject.  Her 
grandfather  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age  at  the  time 
of  bis  enlistment  in  the  Continental  army.  She  still 
lives  with  her  son.  William,  at  Ellensburg.  Wil- 
liam H.  Carothers  grew  to  manhood  in  the  state 
of  his  nativity,  where  he  was  educated  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  in  the  state  normal  school  at  Kirks- 
ville.  In  his  early  life  be  was  a  school  teacher  by 
profession,  teaching  a  year  in  Missouri,  and  after 
coming  to  the  Willamette  valley,  in  1873,  he  fol- 
lowed the  profession  there  for  several  years.  Later 
he  anl  his  brothers  combined  their  capital  and  in- 
vested it  in  stock' — cattle,  sheep  and  horses.  They 
pastured  their  stock  in  the  John  Day  country,  in 
Grant  county.  Oregon,  whither  the  subject  went  in 
1876,  his  brothers  having  preceded  him  there.  He 
sold  out  there  in  1880  and  removed  to  what  is  now 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


839 


Gilliam  county,  where  he  remained  until  1888,  en- 
gaged in  the  stock  business.  He,  with  his  brother 
John  and  his  father,  then  came  to  the  Kittitas  valley, 
bought  land  and  again  entered  the  stock  business. 
In  1890  they  sold  the  farm  and  removed  to  Ellens- 
burg,  still  continuing  to  manage  a  flock  of  sheep 
until  1895,  during  which  time  they  were  the  heaviest 
shippers  of  sheep  and  wool  in  the  valley.  Since  the 
year  last  mentioned  the  firm  has  been  gradually 
closing  out  the  sheep  business  and  turning  its  atten- 
tion more  to  mining.  The  brothers  have  some 
promising  mining  interests  about  twenty-five  miles 
west  from  Ellensburg  on  what  is  known  as  Tanum 
Creek,  where  they  are  developing  some  encouraging 
deposits  of  gold,  copper  and  coal.  The  coal  beds 
they  are  operating  are  of  the  semi-anthracite  qual- 
ity, and  of  the  finest  grade. 

"William  H.  Carothers  was  married  in  1893,  in 
Missouri,  to  Lucy  Samuels,  born  in  Adair  county, 
Missouri.  'Her  father  was  Marcius  Samuels,  a  native 
of  Kentucky  and  one  of  the  first  three  men  to  settle 
in  Adair  county.  The  townsite  of  Kirksville  was  a 
pirt  of  his  original  farm.  Her  mother  was  Emily 
(Boone)  Samuels,  born  and  reared  at  Boonesboro, 
Kentucky,  and  was  a  direct  descendant  from  Daniel 
Boone,  from  whom  the  town  derived  its  name.  Air. 
Carothers  has  two  brothers,  Andrew  A.,  of  Olex, 
Gilliam  county,  Oregon,  and  John  H.,  of  both  Ore- 
gon and  Ellensburg.  He  also  has  two  sisters,  Mrs. 
Anna  M.  Knight  and  Mrs.  Ella  Kocher,  both  of 
Canby,  Oregon.  His  children  are:  Warren  E.,  Cal- 
vin M.  and  Lillian. 

He  is  a  Republican,  and  an  active  one,  attending 
all  meetings  and  conventions  of  his  party. 

At  the  time  of  the  Snake  and  Bannock  Indian 
wars  of  1878,  Mr.  Carothers  was  in  the  upper  John 
Day  country  and  was  uncomfortably  near  the  seat 
of  t'ouble.  He  recalls  hearing  the  boom  of  General 
Howard's  guns  when  he  engaged  the  hostile  foe  as 
it  crossed  the  John  Day  river.  The  settlers  fortified 
their  homes  and  stood  ready  for  a  conflict  which 
they  expected  would  take  place  at  any  moment. 

During  the  nineties  the  Carothers  brothers  met 
with  serious  business  reverses,  but  they  stood  their 
ground  and  later  prospered  again.  They  are  re- 
garded as  men  of  honor  and  integrity  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  thev  live. 


HEXRY  C.  ACKLEY.  Probably  no  one  in 
Ellensburg  is  better  known  in  industrial,  political 
and  fraternal  circles  than  is  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Henrv  C.  Ackley.  Born  in  Tioga  county, 
Penn-ylvania,  May  16,  1859,  he  was  the  son  of 
George  M.  and  Susan  M.  (Yale)  Ackley.  His 
father  was  a  contractor  and  builder,  and  for  a  time 
a  farmer.  Born  in  Tompkins  county.  New  York,  in 
1822,  he  died  in  1901.  George  M.  Ackley's  father 
was  born  in  the  state  of  New  York  and  settled  in 
Pennsylvania  at  an  early  day.     George   M.   was  a 


soldier  in  the  Civil  war,  being  a  member  of  Com- 
pany M,  Forty-ninth  Pennsylvania  infantry,  was 
wounded  in  battle  and  was  also  taken  prisoner  by 
the  enemy  on  one  occasion.  All  through  his  army 
life  he  served  under  General  Kilburn.  He  was  of 
English  ancestry.  Mr.  Ackley's  mother  was  of  Hol- 
land Dutch  descent,  born  in  Cortland  county,  New 
York,  1825,  and  still  lives  in  the  state  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  Ackley  grew  to  the  age  of  seventeen  in 
h  s  native  state,  living  on  the  farm  with  his  parents. 
In  the  meantime  he  had  mastered  the  stone  cutter's 
trade,  and  after  leaving  the  farm  went  to  Paw  Paw, 
Lee  county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade 
for  a  year,  then  removed  to  Stockton,  Kansas.  Here 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  two  years,  in  which  time 
he  built  some  of  the  finest  buildings  in  that  town. 
His  next  move  was  to  Shelton,  Buffalo  county, 
Nebraska.  Here  he  engaged  in  carpenter  work  and 
followed  it  in  Shelton  for  four  years,  after  which 
time  he  came  to  Washington,  settling  at  Tacoma, 
where  he  followed  contracting  and  building  for  four 
\ears.  In  1889,  just  after  the  memorable  fire,  he 
erne  to  Ellensburg.  In  Ellensburg  he  was  for  the 
first  two  years  connected  with  the  sewing  machine 
and  music  business ;  then  he  resumed  his  old  trade 
of  contractor  and  builder,  in  which  vocation  he  is 
engaged  at  the  present  time.  His  line  of  work  is 
for  the  most  part  confined  to  building  residences,  of 
which  he  has  built  a  large  proportion  of  those 
erected  in  the  city  since  he  went  into  business. 

His  married  life  dates  from  the  year  1882,  when 
he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Wicker.  By  this  marriage 
he  has  two  children,  Fred  and  Harry.  Later  he 
was  again  married,  to  Mrs.  Laura  J.  Burchard,  a 
native  Washingtonian,  born  in  Chehalis,  Lewis 
county,  October  20,  1861.  Since  the  age  of  eighteen 
Mrs.  Ackley  has  been  in  the  dressmaking  and  mil- 
linery business,  which  she  still  continues  to  follow. 
Her  father  is  Timothy  R.  Winston,  a  contractor  and 
builder,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Virginia.  He  is  of 
Scotch-English  descent,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  this 
state.  He  still  lives  in  Satsop.  Washington,  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four.  Mrs.  Acklev's  mother  is  Lu- 
anda (Moore)  Winston,  born  in  Texas  of  German 
parents.  She,  too,  is  still  living  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
seven.  Mrs.  Ackley  has  five  brothers  and  five 
sisters.  Her  children  by  her  first  marriage  are: 
Alice  St.  Clair.  Mamie  Burchard  and  Eva  Burchard, 
nil  of  whom  reside  in  Spokane.  Mr.  Ackley  has 
two  brothers  and  four  sisters.  Both  he  and  Mrs. 
Ackley  are  members  of  the  Rival  Neighbors,  be- 
longing to  the  Royal  Tribe  of  Joseph.  Mrs.  Ackley 
belongs  to  the  Degree  of  Honor  and  to  the  M.  E. 
church.  Mr.  Ackley  is  a  member,  in  addition  to 
the  Royal  Neiehbors.  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Car- 
penters and  Toiners  of  America  and  of  the  Sons  of 
Veterans.  He  is  a  firm  believer  in  the  principles 
of  the  Republican  party  and  is  an  active  man  in 
politics.  He  at  one  time  served  bis  town  in  the 
capacity  of  c'ty  marshal.  Mr.  anil  Mrs.  Ackley 
are  doing  well  in  their  separate  callings  in  Ellens- 


840 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


burg,  and  are  living  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  trust 
and  good  will  of  their  neighbors. 

CHRISTEN  EIDAL  is  well  known  among  the 
farmers  and  stockmen  of  Kittitas  county.  He  first 
saw  the  light  of  day  in  Norway,  May  15,  1864.  His 
father,  Ole  Olsen  Eidal,  a  farmer  and  millwright, 
was  born  in  1832,  in  Norway.  He  was  an  active 
public  man,  enjoying  the  trust  and  esteem  of  his 
contemporary  townsmen,  and  died  in  the  land  of 
his  birth  in  1902.  Gullaig  (Christensdatter)  Eidal, 
Christen  Eidal's  mother,  still  lives  in  Norway  at 
the  ripe  age  of  eighty-one.  Mr.  Eidal  enjoyed  the 
advantage  of  being  educated  in  one  of  the  military 
schools  of  his  native  land.  Hearing  of  the  oppor- 
tunities America  offered  to  energy  and  pluck,  he 
came,  in  1886,  to  Minnesota,  which  state  he  left  the 
following  year  to  push  farther  to  the  west,  choosing 
Kittitas  county  as  his  location.  He  prospered  in 
his  work  to  such  an  extent  that,  in  1895,  he  was 
enabled  to  buy  his  present  farm,  a  tract  comprising 
about  seventy  acres  of  well  irrigated  land  four  miles 
northwest  of  Ellensburg. 

September  2,  1893,  ^T-  Eidal  and  Segried  M. 
Digen  were  married  in  Ellensburg.  Mrs.  Eidal  is 
a  Norwegian  whose  date  of  birth  was  1874.  Her 
father  and  mother  are  still  living  in  Norway :  the 
father,  Michael  Digen,  having  been  born  in  1835, 
the  mother,  Marguerite  (Dalen)  Digen,  in  1845. 
Mrs.  Eidal  has  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Sarah  Wold,  near 
Ellensburg,  and  Mrs.  Juliette  Thompson,  living  in 
Minnesota;  two  brothers  and  one  sister  living  in 
Norway.  Mr.  Eidal  has  one  sister,  Ingeborg 
(Eidal),  now  Mrs.  Ole  Bjore,  living  in  Minnesota, 
one  brother  and  two  sisters  in  the  old  country.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eidal  have  been  born  four  children : 
Elmer  Oliver,  Otto  Clarence,  Elna  Marguerite  and 
Sarah  Elizabeth. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eidal  belong  to  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  he  belongs  to  the  Ellensburg  camp, 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  In  politics  he  is 
independent,  belonging  to  no  party  but  casting  his 
ballot  for  the  man  best  fitted,  in  his  judgment,  for 
the  office. 

When  Christen  Eidal  settled  in  Kittitas  county 
he  did  so  almost  without  a  dollar,  but,  full  of  hope 
and  energy,  by  the  dint  of  relentless  toil  and  per- 
severance his  farm  is  now  one  of  the  garden  spots 
which  cover  the  valley.  His  annual  crops  consist 
in  the  main  of  timothy  hay ;  he  also  conducts  a  small 
dairy. 

He  is  optimistic  of  the  valley's  future,  being  of 
the  opinion  that  any  intelligent  man  who  is  willing 
to  work  jointly  with  his  head  and  hands  can  here 
live  a  happy  and  prosperous  life.  Mr.  Eidal's  own 
experience  here  seems  to  have  exemplified  the  truth 
of  these  deductions. 


PETER  A.  WOLD.     Peter  A.  Wold  is  one  oi 
the  picturesque   characters   of   the   Yakima   valley 


He  began  life  at  Druntenie,  in  northern  Norway,  in 
1835.  His  father  was  Arnt  Lorsen  Wold,  a  farmer 
in  Norway,  who  died  while  still  a  young  man,  and 
his  mother  was  Barbora  (Rusmus )  Wold,  also  a 
native  of  Norway,  who  died  in  1883. 

Mr.  Wold's  boyhood  days  were  spent  in  his 
mother  country,  where  he  was  given  advantage  of 
a  good  education.  While  a  youth  he  learned  the 
trade  of  shoemaker,  which  he  followed  at  home  for 
nine  years.  In  the  meantime  he  read  a  great  deal 
regarding  the  United  States,  and  of  the  opportu- 
nities it  held  forth  to  young  men  of  meager  means 
with  push  and  energy,  with  the  result  that  he  de- 
cided to  try  his  fortunes  here.  He  settled  in  Chi- 
cago in  1862,  and,  being  an  expert  shoemaker,  had 
no  difficulty  in  securing  work  at  his  trade.  After 
two  years  he  went  to  California  and  located  in  San 
Francisco,  there,  too,  working  at  making  shoes.  He 
was  so  pleased  with  the  country  that  he  induced  his 
two  brothers,  Lors  and  Ingelbregt,  to  join  him,  and 
together  they  three  lived  in  San  Francisco  for  two 
years,  going  thence  to  Seattle,  where  the  subject 
opened  a  shop  and  started  in  business  for  himself. 
Before  leaving  Chicago,  however,  Mr.  Wold  be- 
came the  owner  of  eighty  acres  of  land  not  far  from 
the  city,  which  later  brought  him  quite  a  snug  sum. 
When  he  arrived  in  Seattle  that  city  was  a  mere 
hamlet,  not  exceeding  three  hundred  inhabitants. 
He  purchased  a  block  of  lots  near  where  the  Occi- 
dental hotel  now  stands,  and  these,  too,  turned  to 
money  in  the  course  of  time.  Later  he  purchased 
a  farm  near  Giltman  and  tried  the  hop  raising  busi- 
ness, but  this  venture  proved  a  failure ;  so  after  four 
years  he  sold  out  for  $800  and  came  to  Yakima 
county  and  settled  in  the  Kittitas  valley.  This  was 
in  the  spring  of  1871.  Here  he  leased  two  hundred 
head  of  cows  and  took  up  two  pieces  of  land,  in  all 
four  hundred  acres.  He  did  well  in  the  cattle  busi- 
ness and  made  money.  As  the  country  developed 
he  began  to  irrigate  his  land  and  raise  hay.  Here  it 
might  be  well  to  note  that  Mr.  Wold  was  one  of 
the  first  to  lead  off  in  the  great  scheme  of  irrigation 
in  the  Yakima  and  Kittitas  valleys ;  he  with  A.  A. 
Munsen,  in  1881,  making  a  ditch  heading  at  First 
Creek  to  carry  the  water  fifteen  miles  down  to  their 
farms.  Two  years  later  the  Ellensburg  ditch  was 
begun,  and  the  railroad  was  constructed  through  the 
country. 

He  was  in  Ellensburg  at  the  time  of  the  1889 
fire,  and  also  was  on  the  scene  during  the  Indian 
troubles,  so  historic  in  central  Washington.  He 
recalls  how  at  night  time  the  hostile  red  men  kindled 
fires  on  the  summits  of  the  surroundine  hills,  sup- 
posedly as  signals  to  the  Snake  tribe,  which  they 
evidently  were  expecting  to  arrive.  Mr.  Wold 
assisted  in  the  erection  of  block  houses  near  the 
Catholic  cemetery  by  Ellensburg:.  and  a  log  house 
where  Mr.  Olsen's  place  now  stands. 

He  was  married  May  2.  1801,  to  Mrs.  Sarah 
(Digen)  Belgum,  who  was  born  in  Norway  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1881.     She  came  alone 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


to  join  an  uncle  who  lived  in  Minnesota.  Her 
father,  Michael  Digen,  born  in  Norway,  September 
21,  1835,  still  lives  in  the  old  country  on  his  farm. 
Her  mother,  Marguerite  (Dalen)  t)igen,  also  a 
Norwegian,  lives  in  her  native  land.  Mrs.  Wold 
has  two  sisters,  Julia  Thompson  and  Segried  Eidal, 
both  of  Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Wold  had  two  sisters, 
Carrie  Anderson,  living  in  Seattle,  and  Mary  Chris- 
topher, now  deceased.  He  has  also  two  brothers 
whose  names  were  mentioned  earlier  in  this  sketch. 

He  is  a  member  cf  the  Lutheran  church.  He 
is  an  admirer  and  supporter  of  Roosevelt,  but  be- 
longs to  neither  of  the  parties,  and  in  no  sense  is  he 
a  politician. 

Mr.  Wold  has  leased  his  land  and  his  cattle,  and 
is  now  living  in  retirement  from  active  work.  He 
now  owns  onlv  sixty  acres  of  land,  but  he  is  rated 
as  being  well-to-do.  He  likes  his  country  and  con- 
siders it  an  ideal  location  for  the  man  with  limited 
means. 

Of  Peter  A.  Wold  it  can  in  truth  be  said  that 
no  man  has  done  more  for  the  upbuilding  and  ad- 
vancement of  his  chosen  locality  than  has  he.  He 
has  planted  a  number  of  orchards,  and  has  improved 
and  developed  four  good  farms,  where  families  are 
now  living  in  happiness  and  prosperity.  He  has 
toiled  hard  and  suffered  many  reverses,  but  is  now 
receiving  the  reward  of  an  honest,  industrious 
career,  in  the  enjoyment  of  the  comforts  of  life  and 
the  respect  and  good  will  of  his  neighbors. 


MRS.  HANNAH  D.  DOTY,  the  present  pro- 
prietress of  "The  Albany,"  a  popular  lodging  house 
of  Ellensburg,  began  life  in  Winnebago  county, 
Illinois,  in  1838.  Her  father,  George  Seaton,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  was  born  in  Oneida  county, 
New  York,  in  the  year  1802,  and  died  in  1855.  He 
was  a  pioneer  of  Illinois,  settling  on  government 
land  in  Winnebago  county,  in  1837.  His  son,  John 
Seaton,  now  owns  and  resides  upon  the  old  home- 
stead. Being  an  active  man  in  politics,  he  was  during 
his  time  more  or  less  in  public  life.  He  was  of 
Scotch  descent  on  his  father's  side,  while  his  mater- 
nal ancestors  were  German.  Abigail  (McKinster) 
Seaton,  Mrs.  Doty's  mother,  was  of  Irish  descent, 
and  was  born  in  Connecticut,  in  1805.  She  was 
a  member  of  one  of  the  oldest  Connecticut  families, 
and  through  her  mother  she  traces  her  lineage  back 
to  the  well  known  Baldwin  family.  The  first  thirty- 
five  years  of  Mrs.  Doty's  life  were  spent  in  the  state 
of  her  birth.  Early  in  life  she  learned  the  trade  of 
dressmaking,  which  vocation  she  plied  for  a  number 
of  years  in  Rockford,  Illinois,  later  opening  parlors 
in  Chicago,  where  she  remained  in  business  for  seven 
years.  She  was  married  in  1874  to  Morgan  Nor- 
dyke.  Thev  removed  to  Iowa,  where  they  settled 
on  a  stock  farm  nine  miles  west  from  Des  Moines. 
By  the  death  of  her  husband  one  year  after  he  en- 
tered the  stock  business,  our  subject  was  left  a 
widow  with  one  child,  Pearl.    This  little  daughter. 


however,  was  not  destined  for  a  long  life,  and  her 
death  followed  shortly  after  that  of  her  father.  In 
1S77,  Mrs.  Nordyke  was  married  to  Milo  Doty,  a 
tanner  by  trade,  and  four  years  later  moved  to 
Utica,  Nebraska,  where  Mr.  Doty  established  a  tan- 
nery, which  he  successfully  operated  for  two  years. 
He  then  sold  it  and  established  himself  in  the  same 
business  in  Omaha.  Later,  wishing  to  change  his 
vocation,  he  sold  this  business  and,  with  his  wife, 
removed  to  the  state  of  Iowa,  where  they  conducted 
a  fruit  farm.  In  1888  Mrs.  Doty  came  west  to 
Ellensburg  to  join  her  brother,  Leonard  Seaton, 
who  had  preceded  her  and  established  himself. 
With  her  she  brought  her  adopted  daughter,  Ger- 
trude, who  has  subsequently  married  and  lives  in 
Mrs.  Doty's  old  home  in  Illinois,  where  she  is 
widely  known  as  an  active  and  persistent  tem- 
perance worker.  Especially  to  this  trait  in  her 
daughter's  character  does  Mrs.  Doty  revert  with 
pride.  Two  years  after  coming  to  Ellensburg  Mrs. 
Doty  suffered  the  loss  of  her  brother,  whereupon 
she  established  herself  in  the  rooming  house  busi- 
ness in  the  Davidson  block.  This  building  she 
occupied  for  nine  years,  removing  to  her  present 
quarters  in  1902.  Mrs.  Doty  has  one  brother  sur- 
viving, John,  and  three  sisters :  Dorothy  Clover, 
Missouri  Valley,  Iowa ;  Laura  Wilcox,  Redfield, 
Iowa,  and  Adeline  Pomeroy,  whose  home  is  in 
Illinois. 

Hannah  D.  Doty  is  an  ardent  member  of  the 
Woman's  Relief  Corps  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  as  well  as 
of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  Of  the  latter  society  she  has  held 
the  offices  of  treasurer  and  of  president,  and  has 
ever  been  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  generous 
and  active  members  of  the  organization.  Indeed, 
she  is  known  in  her  city  as  an  aggressive  and  en- 
thusiastic temperance  worker  along  all  lines.  Her 
church  home  is  with  the  Baptist  faith.  Besides  her 
business  establishment  Mrs.  Doty  owns  consider- 
able mining  stock,  and  holds  a  block  of  shares  in 
the  Equitable  Loan  &  Trust  Company,  of  Portland, 
Oregon.  Her  ability  in  matters  of  business  is  dem- 
onstrated by  the  fact  that,  venturing  forth  with 
practically  no  capital,  she  has  prospered,  and  at  the 
present  time  owns  her  up-to-date  establishment  in 
Ellensburg,  besides  other  holdings  of  value. 


FREDERICK  LUDI.  It  is  most  fitting  and 
pleasing  that  among  the  builders  of  the  great  Amer- 
ican republic  are  to  be  found  in  large  numbers 
former  citizens  of  the  little  Swiss  republic  across 
the  sea.  Nor  is  it  strange  that  among  these  Swiss 
pioneers,  one,  the  subject  of  this  biography,  should 
have  been  so  attracted  by  the  Kittitas  valley,  with 
its  scenery  so  dear  to  the  heart  of  the  mountaineer, 
as  to  tarry  and  become  its  first  permanent  settler. 
As  he  stood  on  the  lofty  Umptanum  divide  and 
gazed  across  at  the  Alpine-like  mountains  forming 
the  Cascade  range  and  looked  down  upon  a  virgin 
valley  resplendent  in  its  colored  garb  of  foliage  and 


842 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


silvery  streams  rimmed  with  green  forest,  it  seemed 
to  him  a  magnified  reflection  of  his  native  land,  he 
says,  and  then  and  there  he  made  a  firm  resolve  to 
spend  the  rest  of  his  days  in  the  Kittitas  land — a 
resolution  yet  unbroken. 

Born  in  Switzerland,  in  the  year  1833,  he  is  the 
scion  of  a  Swiss  family,  his  parents  being  Frederick 
and  Elizabeth  (Schonuer)  Ludi,  both  of  whom 
died  years  ago.  Until  he  was  nineteen  years  old  he 
attended  school ;  then  crossed  the  sea  to  America 
with  his  brother  Jacob,  who  had  previously  estab- 
lished himself  in  business  at  Rock  Island,  Illinois. 
For  a  few  years  Frederick  remained  in  Illinois,  then 
worked  at  his  trade,  that  of  a  cooper,  in  Iowa  and 
Missouri,  and  in  1861  entered  the  mines  of  Colo- 
rado. A  year  later  he  formed  one  of  a  party  that 
went  north  from  Denver  to  the  Salmon  River  mines 
of  Idaho.  Thence  he  and  others  prospected  farther 
east  and  discovered  the  Bannock  mines  of  Montana, 
paving  the  way  for  the  building  of  another  state. 
Mr.  Ludi  remained  in  Montana  until  1867,  when, 
having  accumulated  a  few  hundred  dollars  and 
being  anxious  to  find  a  permanent  home,  he  and 
John  Goller,  better  known  as  "Dutch  John,"  started 
for  Puget  Sound.  As  previously  stated,  when  they 
reached  the  Kittitas  valley  in  August,  they  found 
their  journey  ended,  for  before  them  was  the  Mecca 
sought.  Mr.  Ludi  first  settled  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river,  but  in  the  spring  of  1868  he  and  his 
partner  removed  to  the  east  side  and  commenced 
improving  a  farm,  which  is  now  embraced  in  the 
southern  portion  of  Ellensburg.  Elsewhere  in  this 
book  will  be  found  Mr.  Ludi's  story  of  his  early- 
experiences  in  the  country.  Goller  moved  away  in 
later  years,  but  the  Swiss  pioneer  could  not  be 
tempted  to  leave  his  Kittitas  home ;  he  remained  to 
assist  in  the  subjugation  of  the  fertile  valley  and 
became  one  of  the  founders  of  a  new  county.  Those 
early  years  were  fraught  with  hardship  and  crude 
living,  but  perseverance  and  energy  overcame  every- 
thing. In  1882  Mr.  Ludi  sold  his  farm,  which  had 
then  become  valuable,  to  George  Smith,  and  later 
it  was  bought  by  David  Murray  and  platted  into 
city  property.  Since  that  time  he  has  lived  with 
his  old  friend,  Carl  A.  Sander,  at  the  latter's 
home  just  northeast  of  the  city,  enjoying  the  peace 
and  comforts  of  a  retired  life.  Two  years  ago,  in 
the  summer  of  1902,  after  an  absence  of  half  a  cen- 
tury, Mr.  Ludi  made  a  trip  to  his  old  Swiss  home. 
There  he  found  of  his  immediate  family  only  four 
living,  two  brothers,  John  and  Goodlive,  and  two 
sisters,  Mary  and  Catherine.  Upon  his  return,  he 
brought  with  him  his  nephew,  John  Ludi,  who  re- 
sides with  his  uncle.  The  venerable  pioneer  still 
retains  much  of  his  youthful  vi?or  and  when  he 
talks  of  early  experiences  and  pioneer  life  in  the 
days  gone  by,  the  kindly  eyes  light  up  with  enthu- 
siasm, and,  despite  his  silvery  locks  and  seamed  face, 
he  appears  in  the  imagination  to  be  again  the  hope- 
ful miner,  the  skilled  woodsman,  the  wary  trails- 
man  or  the  doughty  pioneer  ranchman.     His  friends 


are  countless  and  their  respect  and  good  will  un- 
bounded ;  in  the  years  to  come  the  memory  of  Kit- 
titas valley's  first  settler  will  be  perpetuated  by  those 
who  enjoy  the  fruits  of  a  pioneer's  planting,  and  the 
name  Frederick  Ludi  will  fill  a  niche  in  the  wall  of 
the  Yakima  country's  history. 


MIDDLETON  V.  AMEN,  M.  D.  Ellensburg's 
pioneer  physician,  perhaps  the  earliest  permanently 
established  physician  in  Kittitas  county,  is  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biography,  who  is  still  a  resident  of  the 
beautiful  valley,  to  which  he  came  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago.  Born  in  Licking  county,  Ohio,  Novem- 
ber 14,  1835,  he  is  the  son  of  Ralph  and  Corrilla  D. 
(Welsh)  Amen,  pioneers  of  that  state.  The  elder 
Amen  was  a  stockman  and  farmer,  and  was  a  native 
of  Ohio ;  he  died  in  1853.  Mrs.  Amen  was  born  in 
Maryland;  she  died  in  1857.  When  Middleton  V. 
was  two  years  old  his  parents  removed  to  Wiscon- 
sin; thence,  in  1837,  to  Missouri,  where  the  family 
resided  until  1854.  He  received  an  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  Missouri,  and  in  1853  was  grad- 
uated from  Dr.  McDowell's  Medical  College,  of  St. 
Louis.  The  following  year,  the  fatherless  family 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon,  settling  in  Marion 
county.  There  the  young  physician  practiced  his 
profession  and  farmed  for  five  years,  being  the 
principal  support  of  his  mother,  brothers  and  sisters. 
When  the  Rogue  River  mines  were  discovered  in 
1859,  he  joined  the  rush  and  the  next  year  opened 
one  of  the  pioneer  drug  stores  of  Jacksonville.  This 
business  he  successfully  conducted  until  1864,  when 
he  sold  out  and  went  to  Portland.  In  1865  he  en- 
listed with  the  Oregon  volunteers  as  an  assistant 
surgeon ;  subsequently  he  went,  in  the  same  capac- 
ity, with  the  Fourteenth  United  States  infantry, 
under  General  Lovell,  to  Arizona,  and  for  three 
years  fought  the  Indians  of  the  Southwest.  Return- 
ing to  Marion  county,  he  remained  on  the  home- 
stead a  year,  then  visited  Pu°:et  Sound  and  was 
engaged  in  various  occupations  until  the  fall  of  1878. 
At  that  time  he  was  attracted  to  the  Kittitas  valley 
bv  the  fine  mining  prospects  opened  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Cascades  and  came  nrepared  to  spend 
a  time  in  the  Swauk  district.  However,  friends 
prevailed  upon  him  to  remain  i'i  Elbnsburg,  then 
a  hamlet,  and  practice  his  profession,  as  the  two 
young  doctors  then  in  the  valley,  Drs.  Reed  and 
Walk,  were  preparing  to  leave.  Dr.  Amen  con- 
sented and  for  twelve  years  was  the  only  permanent 
physician  in  the  county,  though  many  came  and 
went.  His  practxe  grew  st^adilv  and  across  the 
valley,  over  the  hills,  into  the  mountains,  every- 
where he  went,  allaying  human  suffering  as  best 
he  could.  With  the  exception  of  five  years  spent  in 
traveling  through  California  and  Oregon  in  1890-5, 
he  has  lived  in  Ellen=bur"-  since  1878.  But  the 
burdens  of  old  age  and  sickness,  hastened  onward 
by  too  great  exertions  in  his  earlier  years  and  later 
pioneer  life,  have  broken  down  his  health  so  that  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


843 


recent  years  he  has  been  unable  to  continue  his 
practice  or  engage  in  any  exacting  work.  He  has 
two  brothers,  Ralph,  a  Methodist  minister  living  in 
Los  Angeles,  California,  and  William  R.,  a  fruit 
grower  at  Waitsburg,  Washington ;  also  a  sister, 
Mrs.  Mary  E.  Hunt,  living  in  Marion  county, 
Oregon. 

Several  times  Dr.  Amen  has  been  elected  coroner 
of  the  county,  but  never  qualified  but  once.  Of  one 
phase  of  his  professional  life  he  is  justly  proud,  the 
fact  that  in  all  his  long  years  of  experience  not  once 
has  he  required  financial  credentials  before  attend- 
ing a  patient  nor  has  he  ever  presented  a  bill  for 
services.  Though  this  idealist's  action  has  prob- 
ably lost  him  the  financial  independence  that  might 
now  be  his,  still  such  sacrifice  has  not  been  without 
its  rewards;  his  name  and  deeds  will  ever  be  in- 
separably connected  with  the  settlement  of  Kittitas 
valley. 


MICHAEL  ROLLINGER.  Michael  Rollin- 
ger  has  been  a  resident  of  the  Kittitas  valley 
since  1883.  He  was  born  in  Luxemburg,  be- 
tween Belgium  and  Lorraine,  in  1848.  George 
Rollinger,  his  father,  was  a  native  of  the  same 
country,  as  were  also  his  ancestors  as  far  back 
as  the  family  record  extends.  George  Rollinger 
followed  farming  all  his  life,  and  died  in  1899,  in 
the  country  of  his  nativity,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
four.  Michael  Rollinger's  mother  was  Anna 
(Waggoner)  Rollinger,  also  a  native  of  Luxem- 
burg, where  she  died  in  1878.  The  subject  grew 
to  the  age  of  nineteen  years  in  his  mother  coun- 
try and  was  given  such  education  as  the  common 
schools  there  offer,  when  he  went  to  France,  re- 
maining there  two  years.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1869,  and  settled  in  Illinois.  After  re- 
maining there  four  years  he  removed  to  Waton- 
wan county,  Minnesota,  bought  land  and  en- 
gaged in  farming,  which  means  of  livelihood  he 
followed  but  one  year  in  this  place,  when,  being 
eaten  out  by  grasshoppers,  he  gave  up  his  farm 
and  went  to  railroading.  He  worked  in  a  round- 
house and  car  shop  for  eight  years,  then  gave  up 
work  for  the  railroad  company  and  came  to 
Ellensburg.  Here  he  bought  a  settler's  right  to 
the  land  he  now  owns  and  again  entered  the 
business  of  farming.  When  he  came  to  the  Kit- 
titas valley,  Mr.  Rollinger  had  about  $1,000,  and 
with  what  remained  of  this  sum  after  paying  for 
the  right  to  his  land,  he  at  once  commenced  to 
improve  and  stock  his  farm.  Later,  as  he  be- 
came enabled  to  do  so,  he  invested  in  more  land, 
inaugurated  a  small  dairy,  purchased  water 
rights  and  planted  an  orchard,  so  that  now  he 
has  five  hundred  acres  of  well  improved  land  in 
the  valley :  his  dairy  is  stocked  with  a  herd  of 
highly  bred  Durham  cows,  and  he  has  forty  head 
of  cattle  on  the  range.  Two  hundred  acres  of 
his  land  are  under  ditch  for  irrigation.     Mr.  Rol- 


linger was  married  in  May,  1878,  in  Minnesota, 
to  Frances  Haberman,  a  native  Austrian,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  with  her  parents  in 
1873,  when  she  was  fourteen  years  of  age.  Her 
father  was  Frank  Haberman,  who  was  born  in 
Austria  and  died  in  Minnesota  in  1901.  Her 
brother,  August  Haberman,  is  a  farmer  and  fruit 
grower  near  Ellensburg.  He  owns  the  largest 
fruit  farm  in  the  vallev.  Mr.  Rollinger  has  one 
brother,  Nicholas  Rollinger,  a  farmer  also  near 
Ellensburg,  and  two  sisters,  Katie  Lordung  and 
May  Rollinger,  both  in  the  old  country.  His 
children  are:  Sitia  Beiren,  Lena.  Nicholas, 
Katie,  Jacod,  Angeline,  August  and  Dora,  all  of 
whom  are  at  home,  with  the  exception  of  the 
first  named.  He  belongs  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  He  is  deeply  interested  in  educational 
matters  and  has  repeatedly  held  office  on  the 
school  board  of  his  district.  He  was  for  a  time 
a  director  of  the  District  Irrigation  Ditch  Com- 
pany, of  his  county.  In  his  opinion  the  Kittitas 
valley  is  the  poor  man's  haven,  as  he  is  con- 
vinced from  his  own  experience  that  any  man, 
however  poor  financially,  who  is  willing  to  work, 
can  not  only  produce  a  living  here  but  can  accu- 
mulate monev. 


FRANK  SCHORMAN.  Frank  Schorman 
was  born  in  Denmark,  November  2,  1864.  His 
father,  Carl  Schorman,  a  brick  maker  by  trade, 
was  born  in  Germany,  in  1839,  and  came  from 
that  country  to  settle  in  Denmark  in  1854.  He 
has  in  the  past  held  public  office  in  the  country 
of  his  adoption,  and  still  lives  there,  one  of  its 
esteemed  and  trustworthy  citizens.  Anna  (Fred- 
ericks) Schorman,  the  subject's  mother,  born  in 
Denmark  in  1843,  with  her  husband  continues  to 
make  that  nation  her  home.  Frank  Schorman  was 
reared  to  manhood  in  his  native  land,  and  was 
blessed  by  his  father  and  mother  with  a  liberal 
education  in  the  lower  schools  and  in  the  Univer- 
sity of  Copenhagen.  His  education  qualified  him 
to  teach,  and  in  fact  he  has  taught,  only  as  a  sub- 
stitute teacher,  however,  but  he  did  not  choose 
to  follow  that  profession;  he  chose  rather  the  trade 
of  jeweler,  which  he  learned  in  the  old  country, 
beginning  his  apprenticeship  at  the  tender  age  of 
fifteen  years.  Young,  hopeful  and  full  of  ambition 
to  get  on  in  the  world,  and  knowing  the  great 
opportunities  offered  in  the  United  States,  he  de- 
cided to  cast  his  lot  in  this  country.  Acting  upon 
this  decision  in  1889  he  came  across  the  ocean, 
and,  having  a  friend  in  the  vicinity  of  Ellensburg, 
came  directly  here.  Upon  his  arrival,  being  rather 
short  of  funds,  he  shunned  no  honorable  means  of 
earning  money,  so  temporarily  he  worked  at  any 
labor  he  could  find  to  do,  but  later  found  a  position 
working  at  his  trade.  He  soon  found,  however, 
that  the  confinement  was  undermining  his  health 
and  that  he  needed  more  out-of-door  exercise,  so, 


844 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


being  handy  with  tools,  after  three  years  in  the 
jewelry  shop,  he  went  to  work  at  carpentering.  He 
has  continued  to  follow  this  vocation  more  or  less 
ever  since.  By  the  year  1897  he  had  accumulated 
sufficient  capital  to  enable  him  to  buy  a  farm.  He 
still  owns  the  farm,  and  rents  it  out,  preferring  to 
follow  carpentering  rather  than  to  lead  a  farmer's 
life.  Although  he  came  to  Ellensburg  the  year  of 
the  great  fire,  he  was  not  a  loser,  in  fact,  as  has 
been  inferred,  he  had  little  at  that  time  to  lose. 

November  28,  1891,  Mr.  Schorman  was  mar- 
ried in  Ellensburg  to  Susie  Peterson,  also  a  native 
of  Denmark,  born  near  Aarhus,  in  1863.  Her 
father  was  a  carpenter,  born  in  Denmark,  1833, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1889.  Mary 
(Jensen)  Peterson,  Mrs.  Schorman's  mother,  a 
native  of  Denmark,  born  in  1836,  died  in  1869. 
Mrs.  Schorman  has  but  one  sister,  Anna  Peterson, 
who  lives  in  California,  and  no  brothers.  Frank 
Schorman  has  two  brothers  and  one  sister  living  in 
Kittitas  county ;  Frederick,  Michael  and  Hannah 
Jacobson,  and  one  sister,  Mary  Schorman,  who 
makes  her  home  in  Spokane.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schor- 
man have  three  children,  Ernest,  Mary  and  Alfred, 
aged  respectively,  twelve,  eight  and  two  years. 
Mr.  Schorman  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World  fraternity,  and  belongs  to  the  Democratic 
party,  in  which  he  takes  a  working  interest.  His 
farm  consists  of  eighty  acres  six  miles  southeast  of 
Ellensburg,  all  under  cultivation  and  well  improved. 
Besides  this  farm  he  owns  his  residence  in  town,  a 
pleasant  home  and,  like  his  farm,  in  good  condi- 
iion  as  regards  improvements. 


NICHOLAS  MUELLER.  Apart  from  being 
a  prominent  farmer  and  stock  raiser,  Nicholas 
Mueller  stands  high  as  an  advocate  of  good  schools 
and  liberal  education,  contributing  generously  to 
their  support,  making  possible  the  boast  'that  more 
pupils  from  his  district  have  entered  the  county 
high  school  than  from  any  other  district  in  the 
county.  Mr.  Mueller  was  born  in  Prussia,  Ger- 
many, in  the  month  of  November,  1843.  His 
father,  Peter  Mueller,  born  in  Prussia,  181 7,  came 
to  the  United  States  in  1873  and  settled  in  St. 
James,  Minnesota,  where  he  became  an  extensive 
property  owner,  and  where  he  died  in  1890.  Nich- 
olas Mueller's  mother,  Anna  (Thiel)  Mueller,  also 
born  in  Prussia,  1819,  still  lives  in  the  old  Minne- 
sota home.  Mr.  Mueller  was  educated  in  his  native 
country,  fitting  himself  for  teaching,  which  voca- 
tion he  followed  in  Prussia  for  three  years.  In 
1866  he  came  to  the  United  States,  making  his 
home  in  Wisconsin  for  two  years,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  which  time  he  again  took  up  his  profession 
of  teaching  in  Minnesota,  teaching  for  four  years 
in  succession.  Changing  his  occupation,  he  for 
eight  years  worked  in  the  car  shops  of  the  St.  Paul, 
Sioux  City  &  Omaha  Railroad  Company.  Again 
changing  his  work  he,  for  two  years,  conducted  a 


butcher  shop  and  a  boarding  house,  to  his  financial 
advantage.  In  1883  he  came  west  to  Portland, 
Oregon,  where  he  lost  in  misplaced  investments 
the  sum  of  $1,700.  Two  years  later  he  came  to  the 
Kittitas  valley  and  invested  in  a  farm  which  he 
later  sold  for  $6,000,  when  he  bought  his  present 
home,  one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  valley.  His 
wife,  Isabella  (Schweingler)  Mueller,  to  whom  he 
was  married  in  1871,  was  born  in  New  York  state, 
1852.  Her  father,  Jacob  Schweingler,  a  native  born 
Prussian,  was  a  soldier  in  the  old  country  four 
years  prior  to  his  coming  to  America.  He  also 
served  four  years  in  the  United  States  army  fight- 
ing Indians  in  Minnesota  and  the  more  remote 
West.  He  had  learned  in  his  native  land  not  to 
falter  at  the  smell  of  powder,  nor  in  this  country 
did  he  fear  the  poisoned  arrow  and  scalping  knife, 
as  was  attested  upon  the  uprising  of  the  hostile 
tribes,  when,  leaving  his  farm  in  the  keeping  of  his 
children,  he  "went  in  to  clean  them  up."  He  was 
quite  a  literary  man,  well  educated,  and  through- 
out his  life  was  prominent  in  all  public  matters. 
Kate  (Metz)  Schweing-ler,  her  mother,  deceased, 
was  born  in  Germany.  Mrs.  Mueller  has  a 
brother,  Herman  Schweingler,  a  farmer  in  the  Kit- 
titas valley,  another  brother  living  in  Minnesota, 
and  a  sister  who  lives  in  Iowa. 

The  family  of  Peter  Mueller,  besides  Nicholas, 
consists  of  Michael,  a  railroad  engineer  with  the 
St.  Paul  and  Omaha  Railroad  for  the  last  thirty 
years;  Peter,  Jr.,  railway  engineer,  Portland,  Or- 
egon ;  Jacob  Mueller,  who  came  to  Kittitas  county 
in  1881,  where  he  first  held  the  office  of  county 
treasurer  and  later  was  postmaster  at  Ellensburg 
under  Cleveland's  administration,  dying  in  1889; 
Nicholas  N.,  engineer  for  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road at  Portland  for  fourteen  years ;  and  John,  also 
a  railway  engineer  and  merchant  for  over  twenty- 
five  years ;  and  daughter,  Lena  Sander,  at  St 
James,  Minn. 

The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mueller  are : 
Laura,  Anna,  Jacob,  Gertrude,  now  Mrs.  Simeon 
Wippel;  Marie,  Kate.  Delia,  Viola,  Emma  and 
Verna. 

The  family  is  Roman  Catholic  in  religion,  and 
occupies  a  prominent  position  in  that  church. 

Mr.  Mueller  owns  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  farming  and  eighty  acres  of  timbered  land.  His 
farm  is  considered  one  of  the  best  improved  tracts 
in  the  valley,  with  a  splendid  house,  barn  and  other 
outbuildings  which  demonstrate  care  and  thrift  on 
the  part  of  the  farmer.  At  the  present  time  he  is 
managing  on  his  farm  a  choice  herd  of  dairy  cows, 
furnishing  quantities  of  milk  to  the  Ellensburg 
creamery.  

MARTHA  A.  WOOD.  In  the  year  1872,  when 
the  ground  upon  which  now  stands  the  city  of  El- 
lensburg was  marked  only  by  a  lone  log  cabin,  Mrs. 
Martha  A.  Wood  made  her  advent  in  the  valley  and 
settled  upon  a  claim. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


845 


Born  in  Warren  county,  Illinois,  1845,  sne  was 
the  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Matilda  (Johnson) 
Welty.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania,  born  in  1802.  He  emigrated  to  Illi- 
nois when  Warren  county  was  a  dense  and  uncivil- 
ized wilderness.  He  did  service  in  the  Black  Hawk 
war,  and  was  a  typical  hardy  frontiersman.  In  1871 
he  removed  to  California,  where  he  remained  until 
his  death  four  years  later.  Matilda  (Johnson) 
Welty  was  born  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  in  181 3,  and  died 
in  Ellensburg  in  1893.  Her  father  was  a  pioneer  of 
Illinois,  and  a  veteran  of  the  War  of  1812. 

The  subject's  parents  moved  from  Illinois  to 
Fremont  county,  Iowa,  in  1856,  and  here  her  girl- 
hood days  were  spent.  She  received  what  education 
the  common  schools  of  those  days  could  afford,  and 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  she  was  married  to  Benjamin 
Frisbee.  To  them  was  born  one  son,  Walter,  now 
a  resident  of  British  Columbia.  She  was  married 
to  George  Wood  in  February,  1901.  He  is  a  native 
of  Minnesota,  and  came  to  Ellensburg  in  1890.  He 
is  a  musician,  and  it  was  he  who  organized  the 
Ellensburg  band. 

For  seven  years  after  coming  to  Ellensburg, 
Mrs.  Wood  continued  to  live  upon  her  farm.  In 
1885  she  was  thrown  upon  her  own  resources, 
whereupon  she  opened  a  hotel  and  lodging  house. 
In  this  venture  she  has  prospered,  and  continues  in 
the  same  business  at  the  present  time. 

Although  she  was  in  Ellensburg  at  the  time  of 
the  threatened  Indian  uprising,  she  was  among  the 
few  who  refrained  from  seeking  shelter  in  the  stock- 
ade. She  also  was  in  the  town  at  the  time  of  the 
fire  of  1889,  and  was  so  fortunate  as  to  escape,  by 
a  narrow  margin,  any  loss.  She  relates  some  inter- 
esting narratives  of  her  early  experiences  here — of 
how  the  settlers  were  compelled  to  go  about  on  shoe- 
less feet  during  the  summer  months — to  grind  their 
flour  in  the  kitchen  coffee  mill,  and  at  times  were 
forced  to  subsist  almost  solely  upon  salmon  from 
the  river.  During  a  part  of  the  pioneer  history  of 
the  place,  the  supplies  for  the  settlement  were 
brought  in  on  wagons  from  the  trading  post  that  is 
now  known  as  Umatilla  Junction,  Oregon,  though  a 
few  provisions  were  packed  across  the  Cascades 
from  Seattle.  Her  husband,  Mr.  Frisbee,  was  in  the 
country  a  year  earlier  than  she. 

Mrs.  Wood  has  five  brothers :  George  Welty,  a 
farmer  of  Stafford  county,  Kansas ;  Johnson,  a  hotel 
keeper  of  Riverside  county,  California;  Joseph,  a 
machinist,  of  Los  Angeles,  California;  Zachariah, 
farmer,  Lake  county,  California,  and  Albert  Welty, 
a  dairyman  of  Ellensburg. 

When  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frisbee  arrived  in  the  coun- 
try they  were  without  funds.  They  found  affairs 
in  general  controlled  largely  by  a  few  wealthy  cattle 
men,  while  the  poorer  portion  of  the  population  had 
only  what  they  could  produce  in  a  small  way.  Prac- 
tically all  business  at  that  time  was  done  in  trading, 
such  as  the  settlers  "swapping"  potatoes,  and  other 
farm  products,  to  the  Indians  for  salmon,  and  such 


other   commodities   as    they    had    that    the   whites 
needed. 

Though  Mrs.  Wood  has  had  her  share  of  ill 
fortune  and  adversity,  she  is  a  woman  not  easily 
crushed  and  has  risen  above  them,  so  that  now  she 
has  a  thriving  business,  and  is  a  woman  of  high 
standing  in  the  financial  circles  of  her  city. 


FRANK  E.  TAYLOR  is  a  representative  cit- 
izen of  Ellensburg,  his  occupation  being  that  of  a 
carpenter  and  builder.  He  is  a  native  of  Bureau 
county,  Illinois,  born  April  19,  18^.  His  parents 
moved  to  Minnesota  when  he  was  three  years  old 
and  here  he  grew  to  manhood,  working  on  the  farm 
with  his  father  until  his  eighteenth  year,  when  he 
began  doing  for  himself.  He  continued  on  the  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-five,  then  learned  the  carpenter 
trade,  also  engineering,  following  the  latter  occupa- 
tion for  six  years,  after  which  he  again  took  up  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter.  The  family  was  in  Minnesota 
during  the  Sioux  Indian  troubles,  the  father  being 
in  the  three  days  battle  at  New  Ulm,  and  the  family 
narrowly  escaping  the  general  massacre  preceding 
the  battle.  Prior  to  his  leaving  the  parental  roof 
to  assume  the  duties  of  life  unaided,  Mr.  Taylor 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools  of  the 
country,  thus  wisely  preparing  himself  for  the  ac- 
tive life  he  has  since  led.  Leaving  the  farm  in  1882 
he  went  to  Minneapolis  and  for  six  years  was  con- 
nected with  the  harvester  works  of  that  city.  In 
1888  he  decided  to  try  the  west,  so  came  to  Ellens- 
burg and  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade  for  one 
year,  going  then  to  Wenatche,  where  he  continued 
at  the  same  work  for  seven  years.  In  1896  he  re- 
turned to  the  Kittitas  valley  and  for  a  time  followed 
both  farming  and  carpenter  work,  eventually 
buying  a  quarter-section  of  land  near  Thorp,  on 
which  he  resided  for  two  seasons.  In  1901  he 
moved  to  Ellensburg,  where  he  has  made  a  per- 
manent home  for  himself  and  family.  He  still 
owns  the  farm  at  Thorp,  where  his  sons  reside  and 
look  after  its  management.  While  working  at  the 
carpenter  trade  Mr.  Taylor  built,  among  many  other 
structures,  a  church  at  Thorp  and  several  of  the 
residences  and  business  buildings  of  Ellensburg. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  married  February  22,  1880,  to 
Edith  Smith,  who  was  born  in  Maine  October  6, 
1859.  Her  father,  Amos  Smith,  a  native  of  Massa- 
chusetts and  a  wagon  maker  by  trade,  served  in  the 
Civil  war  with  a  Vermont  regiment  and  came  west 
to  Ellensburg  in  1888.  Her  mother  is  Asenith 
(Gibson)  Smith,  a  native  of  Massachusetts.  Mr. 
Taylor  has  one  sister,  Elmira  Ingles,  living  at  Hast- 
ings, Minnesota.  The  following  are  the  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor:  Amy  C,  Zelia,  Floyd, 
Hazel,  Percy  and  Loyal. 

The  parents  of  Frank  E.  Taylor  were  Elias  F. 
and  Nancy  M.  (Sloan)  Taylor.  Elias  F.  Taylor 
was  a  farmer,  born  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 


846 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


October  8,  1828.  He  was  a  pioneer  both  in  Illinois 
and  in  Minnesota,  residing  but  a  short  time,  how- 
ever, in  Illinois,  whence  he  moved  to  Rice  county, 
Minnesota,  in  1856.  He  died  in  1891.  He  was  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war,  serving  three  years  and 
three  months  in  the  Third  Minnesota  infantry.  The 
mother,  Nancy  Taylor,  had  three  brothers  in  the 
Civil  war. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  E.  Taylor  are  members  of 
the  M.  E.  church.  In  politics  Mr.  Taylor  is  a  Re- 
publican ;  he  is  progressive  in  his  ideas  and  is  espe- 
cially interested  in  the  maintenance  of  good  educa- 
tional institutions. 


ARTHUR  M.  HALL,  agent  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Express  company  at  Ellensburg,  was  born 
in  Cook  county,  Illinois,  not  far  from  the  city  of 
Chicago,  in  the  year  of  1865.  Henley  Hall,  his 
father,  a  native  of  Virginia,  was  born  April  1,  1837, 
and  died  fifty-five  years,  to  the  day,  later.  Orig- 
inally Mr.  Hall,  Sr.,  was  a  farmer  in  the  state  of 
his  birth  and  at  an  early  age  chose  Cook  county, 
Illinois,  for  his  home.  Here  he  ranked  as  a  prom- 
inent man  in  political  and  public  circles,  being 
elected  in  turn  to  the  offices  of  assessor,  collector 
and  commissioner  of  his  county.  Throughout  his 
life  he  was  an  ardent  Republican.  Arthur  M.  Hall's 
mother,  Elizabeth  (Marshall)  Hall,  was  a  descend- 
ant of  English  stock  and  a  native  of  the  state  of 
Illinois.  Her  parents  were  among  the  early  settlers 
of  Illinois,  coming  direct  from  the  mother  country 
to  that  state.  She  had  a  brother  who  participated 
in  the  Civil  war.  Mr.  Hall  grew  to  manhood  in 
Cook  county,  Illinois,  where  as  a  boy  he  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  grammar  schools  and  later  took  a 
course  in  the  Bryant  &  Stratton  business  college  in 
Chicago.  Following  his  graduation  from  this 
school  he  paid  a  brief  visit  to  his  old  home,  then 
entered  upon  the  life  which  he  has  since  followed — 
that  of  railroading.  He  began  his  railroad  career 
as  an  express  messenger,  running  between  St.  Paul 
and  Helena,  Montana,  and  later  was  transferred  to 
the  run  between  Helena  and  Portland,  Oregon.  In 
1892  he  left  this  road  to  accept  the  position  at  El- 
lensburg which  he  now  occupies.  The  fact  of  his 
having  held  the  same  position  for  eleven  years  is  an 
eloquent  testimonial  of  the  confidence  and  trust  re- 
posed in  his  ability  and  honor  by  the  company  which 
employs  him.  Of  his  family  two  brothers  and  two 
sisters  are  living:  William  B.,  in  Chicago  with  the 
Merchants'  Loan  &  Trust  Company;  Herbert  H.,  of 
Des  Plaines,  Illinois;  Minnie  Gary.  Wheaton,  Illi- 
nois, and  Clara  Pate  of  Arlington  Heights,  Illinois. 
Mr.  Hall  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
order,  and  is  'an  outspoken  and  ardent  member  of 
the  Republican  party. 


GEORGE  W.  CARVER.     To  the  agricultural 
and  dairying  resources  of  its  surrounding  country 


Ellensburg  stands  greatly  indebted  for  its  past  and 
present  condition  of  thrift  and  prosperity.  A  his- 
tory of  these  prolific  industries  would  be  incom- 
plete without  prominent  mention  being  made  of  the 
one  of  whom  this  sketch  treats,  George  W.  Carver. 
He  is  a  native  of  Lickine  county,  Ohio,  where  he 
was  born  June  15,  1840.  His  paternal  ancestors 
came  originally  from  Scotland,  where  his  grand- 
father, Seth  Carver,  was  born,  emigrating  to  the 
state  of  Ohio  to  be  numbered  among  the  earliest 
pioneers  of  that  state.  In  the  year  1810  William 
Carver,  father  of  George  W.,  was  born  in  the  county 
which  afterward  became  the  birthplace  of  his  son. 
He  served  in  the  Mexican  war,  and  after  that  strug- 
gle was  over  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Illinois, 
where  he  died  in  August,  1887.  Susan  (Living- 
stone) Carver,  George  W.  Carver's  mother,  was  a 
woman  of  German  parentage,  born  in  1812  to  die  at 
the  ripe  age  of  eighty  years.  Her  father  was  a 
soldier  throughout  the  War  of  1812.  By  a  com- 
parison of  dates  mentioned  above  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  subject  was  a  lad  of  twelve  years  at  the 
time  of  his  removal  from  the  state  of  Ohio  to  Mc- 
Lean county,  Illinois.  Here  he  grew  to  manhood, 
working  on  his  father's  farm  and  attending  district 
school.  Emanating  as  he  did  from  a  fighting  ances- 
try it  was  only  to  be  expected  that,  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  he  would  be  among  the 
first  to  offer  his  services  in  the  Union's  cause.  This 
he  did  August  7,  1862,  enlisting  in  Company  E, 
Ninety-fourth  Illinois  infantry,  and,  during  a  part 
of  the  war,  was  under  command  of  Gen.  Curtis 
Fremont.  He  participated  in  many  prominent  bat- 
tles and  skirmishes  while  in  service  and  was  pain- 
fully wounded  during  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge. 
With  his  company  young  Carver  was  mustered  out 
of  service  November  17,  1865.  At  the  close  of  the 
war  he  returned  to  Illinois,  to  remain  there,  how- 
ever, only  one  winter,  at  the  break-up  of  which  he 
traveled  westward,  stopping  at  Leavenworth,  Kan- 
fas.  Here  he  engaged  as  a  stage  driver  across  the 
Plains  to  LJtah.  For  two  years  he  drove  on  lines 
lei  ding  out  of  Salt  Lake  City,  carrying  the  United 
States  mails.  As  would  be  supposed,  while  engaged 
in  this  frontier  occupation  Mr.  Carver  experienced 
many  hardships  and  many  a  "brush"  he  had  with 
hostile  Indians,  sometimes  barely  escaping  with  his 
life.  One  among  many  interesting  adventures  Mr. 
Carver  relates  is  of  a  time  when  the  Indians  suc- 
ceeded in  capturing  his  stage  at  Pine  Bluffs,  Wyo- 
ming, and  burning  its  load  of  mail. 

In  1869,  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  he  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Rose  H.  Curtis,  a  native  of  Michigan. 
The  couple's  first  year  of  married  life  was  spent 
in  Dodge  county,  Nebraska,  after  which,  in  1870, 
thev  immigrated  to  Clackamas  county,  Oregon,  and 
settled  on  a  farm.  Here  they  remained  until  the 
year  1876,  directly  preceding  the  threatened  Indian 
outbreak  of  '77,  when  they  came  to  Washington  and 
took  up,  as  a  homstead,  their  present  home,  near 
I  Ellensburg,    on    which    they    have    resided    contin- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


847 


uously  since.  During  the  Indian  trouble  referred  to 
Mr.  Carver  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the  stockades 
in  the  valley  for  mutual  protection.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Carver  have  been  born  eleven  children,  six  of 
whom  are  living:  William,  Rosa  B.,  Susan,  James, 
Elizabeth  and  Nellie.  Mr.  Carver  is  one  of  a  family 
of  eleven,  of  which  but  three  members  besides  him- 
self survive:  Mary  I.  and  Elizabeth,  both  living  in 
Illino.s,  and  Susan,  whose  home  is  in  Canada. 
George  W.  Carver  is  well  known  as  an  upright, 
straightforward  citizen  as  well  as  a  prosperous  busi- 
ness man,  possessing  some  two  hundred  and  eighty 
acres  of  choice  land.  Until  recently  he  operated  one 
among  the  largest  dairies  in  the  county.  His  politi- 
cal affiliations  are  with  the  Republican  party.  In 
lodge  circles  he  is  well  known  and  popular,  holding 
membership  in  the  Masonic  and  Odd  Fellows  fra- 
ternities ;  he  is  also  an  influential  charter  member 
of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  David  Ford 
Post,  No.  11. 


JAMES  H.  THOMPSON  is  engaged  in  the 
butcher  business  at  the  People's  market  at  Ellens- 
burg,  Washington.  He  started  to  earn  his  living 
when  a  boy  of  thirteen,  when  he  secured  a  job  with 
a  freighting  outfit  in  Montana.  He  has  been  all 
over  the  Northwest,  even  to  Caoe  Nome,  Alaska. 
He  was  born  in  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsylvania, 
May  22,  1862,  and  went  when  a  baby  with  his 
parents  to  Minnesota.  His  father,  Joseph  Thomp- 
son, was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania  and  died  in  1893. 
He  was  a  Minnesota  pioneer  and  hotel  keeper  at 
Minneapolis.  Mr.  Thompson's  mother,  Catherine 
(Branthoofer)  Thompson,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania of  German  parentage  and  died  in  1866.  Fol- 
lowing his  mother's  death,  the  boy  was  cared  for  by 
foster  parents  in  Carver  county,  Minnesota.  He 
lived  on  a  farm  and  attended  country  school  until 
he  was  thirteen,  when  he  struck  out  for  himself.  He 
landed  at  Miles  City,  Montana,  and  went  to  freight- 
ing for  the  Diamond  R.  Freighting  Company,  which 
had  the  government  freighting  contract  in  Mon- 
tana. Later  he  was  corral  boss  for  this  company  for 
three  years.  He  moved  to  Helena,  Montana,  en- 
gaging there  in  the  butcher  business  and  subse- 
quently located  near  Missoula,  where  he  furnished 
meat  to  the  contractors  who  were  building  the 
Northern  Pacific.  He  followed  the  construction  of 
the  road  to  Ellensburg,  continuing  to  furnish  the 
meat  supplies.  In  1887  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  H.  A.  Bull  at  Ellensburg,  in  the  butcher 
business,  but  sold  out  after  one  vear  and  worked 
on  a  salary  until  1899.  Then  he  joined  in  the  rush 
to  the  Cape  Nome  gold  fields  of  Alaska,  where  he 
remained  three  years  and  did  well.  In  January, 
1903,  he  returned  to  Ellensburg  and  again  engaged 
in  the  meat  business. 

He  was  married  in  1888  at  Ellensburg  to  Mrs. 
Mamie  Ammond,  a  native  of  Webster  City,  Iowa. 
They  have  one  child,  a  daughter,  named  Mary  Con- 


st mce.  Mrs.  Thompson  is  a  member  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  at  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Thompson  is  a  Re- 
publican and  takes  an  active  interest  in  party  work. 
He  makes  it  a  point  to  be  present  at  caucuses  and 
primaries  as  well  as  at  the  conventions,  but  has 
never  been  a  candidate  for  office. 


WILLIAM  B.  PRICE.  The  Grand  Pacific 
Hotel,  Ellensburg,  has  been  under  the  management 
of  William  B.  Price  for  three  years,  during  which 
time  it  has  continued  a  first  class  hostelry,  well 
patronized  by  the  traveling  public  and,  to  a  consid- 
erable extent,  by  citizens  of  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Price 
has  been  in  the  restaurant  and  hotel  business  in  this 
city  for  seventeen  years,  or  since  1886.  Prior  to 
that  date  he  had  a  varied  experience,  well  worth 
relating  in  a  work  of  this  character,  that  has  to  do 
with  the  personal  histories  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
business  and  industrial  institutions  of  Kittitas  coun- 
ty. Mr.  Price  was  born  in  Cloverdale,  Sonoma 
county,  California,  July  24,  1857.  When  five  years 
old,  in  1862,  he  was  "packed"  into  Canyon  City, 
Oregon,  on  a  mule,  his  parents  being  among  the 
first  to  go  to  that  place  during  the  mining  excite- 
ment of  those  early  days.  Two  years  later  the  fam- 
ily went  to  Portland;  in  1866,  to  Boise,  Idaho;  in 
1867,  to  the  Salmon  river  mines;  in  1868,  to  Mis- 
soula county,  Montana;  in  1870,  to  Big  Hole,  to 
Bannock,  later  to  Utah,  eventually  locating  in  San 
Bernardino,  southern  California.  But  the  settle- 
ment here  was  not  permanent ;  the  next  move  was 
to  Mason  county,  Washington,  where  the  father  re- 
ceived a  government  appointment  as  physician  and 
surgeon ;  from  this  place  the  family  went  overland 
to  Missoula  county,  Montana,  where  the  mother 
died  in  1873.  Two  years  later,  in  1875,  the  father 
and  son  went  with  a  pack  train  to  Seattle,  passing 
through  the  Kittitas  valley.  W.  B.  Price  remained 
on  the  Sound  for  four  years,  when  he  came  to  El- 
lensburg, in  1881,  and  began  operations  in  the 
Swauk  mining  region  with  his  brother  Richard ; 
he  has  been  interested  in  mines  ever  since.  In  1883 
he  returned  to  Montana,  remaining  there  seventeen 
months,  arriving  again  in  Ellensburg  December  31, 
1885.  In  iSS"!  he  opened  a  restaurant  and  has  since 
been  continuously  in  the  restaurant  and  hotel  busi- 
ness, at  the  same  time  looking  after  extensive  min- 
ing interests  in  various  sections.  He  took  charge 
of  the  Grand  Pacific  hotel  in  1900  and  has  found 
it  a  profitable  investment.  The  father  of  William 
B.  Price  was  Joseph  B.  Price,  a  physician  and  sur- 
geon, born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania. 
November  3,  1818.  He  crossed  the  Plains  in  1851, 
engaging  in  mining  in  California  and  also  becom- 
ing one  of  the  most  extensive  live  stock  owners  in 
that  state.  He  was  a  progressive  man  and  intensely 
active :  he  practiced  his  profession  while  engaged  in 
the  other  pursuits,  served  four  years  as  sheriff  of 
Mendocino  county,  and  took  a  prominent  part  in 
the  political  affairs  of  the  state.    He  was  of  Welsh 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


descent,  tracing  his  ancestry  to  colonial  times;  he 
died  in  1900.  The  mother  of  our  subject  was  Mar- 
tha M.  (Huff)  Price,  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in 
1830  and  died  in  1873.  She  was  the  widow  of  Dr. 
Arnold  of  colonial  stock.  She  was  a  pioneer  of 
California,  crossing  the  Plains  in  the  early  fifties. 
\V.  B.  Price  was  married  August  19,  1882,  in 
Ellensburg,  to  Mary  Etta  McDonald,  a  native  of 
Oregon,  born  in  1863.  Her  father  is  Jesse  W.  Mc- 
Donald, a  native  of  Missouri,  who  crossed  the 
Plains  in  the  fifties  and  came  to  the  Kittitas  valley 
in  1872.  He  has  served  four  years  as  county  com- 
missioner, has  been  school  director,  and  in  other 
ways  has  been  active  in  public  affairs.  Mrs.  Price's 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Perry;  she  died  in  1873. 
Eugene  C.  Price  of  Oregon ;  Richard  Price  of  Latah 
county,  Idaho,  and  John  M.  Price  of  Montana,  are 
brothers  of  W.  B.  Price;  he  also  has  three  half- 
brothers — Benjamin,  Leonard,  and  Wenn.  The 
children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Price  are:  Guy  H.,  Hoi- 
dee  C,  Joseph  C,  Rubv  B.,  and  Harry.  Mr.  Price 
is  a  member  of  the  Elks  and  of  the  M.  W.  A.  In 
political  matters  he  is  a  Republican,  attends  county 
and  state  conventions  and  takes  an  active  part  in 
all  campaigns,  assisting  his  friends  but  not  asking 
for  office  himself.  He  confines  his  business  ambi- 
tions to  his  hotel  and  mining  interests,  and  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  successful  and  substantial 
citizens  of  Ellensburg. 


WILLIAM  PACKWOOD.  William  Packwood 
is  one  of  the  promising  and  energetic  young  farm- 
ers of  the  Kittitas  valley.  He  is  a  native  Washing- 
tonian.  having  been  born  on  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives,  September  23,  1879.  His  father,  Samuel  T. 
Packwood,  was  born  July  4,  1842;  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war,  who  came  to  Washington  four  years  prior 
to  the  subject's  birth.  His  mother  was  Margaret 
F.  (Holmes)  Packwood,  a  native  of  Missouri,  in 
which  state  she  was  born  January  27,  1843,  and 
grew  up  to  the  age  of  sixteen,  when  she  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Packwood.  The  first  twelve  years  of 
William  Packwood's  life  were  spent  on  his  father's 
farm,  where  he  received  his  early  education  in  the 
district  school.  At  the  age  mentioned  he  enrolled 
in  the  Ellensburg  academy,  where  he  took  a  three 
years'  course.  Leaving  school  he  came  back  to  the 
farm  and  worked  for  his  father  for  seven  years 
after  which,  at  the  age  of  twenty-two,  he  went  into 
the  agricultural  business  on  his  own  account. 

November  29,  1899,  he  was  married  to  Ten- 
nessee Harrell,  born  in  the  state  for  which  she  was 
christened,  February  17,  1876.  Until  she  had  at- 
tained womanhood  she  attended  school  in  her  native 
state.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  she  came  to  Ellens- 
burg, where  later  she  was  married.  Her  father  was 
Thomas  A.  Harrell,  born  in  Tennessee,  in  Hawkins 
county,  1843.  He  is  a  farmer  by  profession,  and 
still  lives  in  the  county  of  his  birth.  During  the 
Civil  war  he  was  a  Union  soldier,  and  saw  active 


service  throughout  that  struggle.  Julia  (Derrick) 
Harrell  was  Mrs.  Packwood's  mother.  She  too, 
was  born  in  Hawkins  county,  Tennessee.  In  1855, 
at  the  age  of  sixteen,  she  was  married  to  Mr. 
Harrell. 

Mr.  Packwood's  brothers  are:  John  I.,  born  in 
Missouri,  1862,  now  living  at  Cle-Elum ;  Oliver  F., 
born  in  1878,  and  Harvey  and  Harry,  twins,  born 
in  1881,  and  Samuel  T.,  Jr.,  and  George  W.,  now 
dead. 

He  had  three  sisters,  Colorado,  Elizabeth  and 
Farnetta,  the  latter  two  of  whom  are  dead.  Colo- 
rado, now  Mrs.  G.  R.  Bradshaw,  was  born  in  the 
state  of  Colorado,  June  4,  1874,  while  parents  were 
en  route  to  Washington. 

Mrs.  Packwood's  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Edith,  Edwin,  Julia  A.,  Rachel  E.,  Thomas,  Luther 
S.,  Laura  M.,  Stephen  and  Herbert  D.  Harrell — ■ 
all  natives  of  Tennessee,  and  all  living  in  that  state 
at  the  present  time  with  the  exception  of  Edwin 
and  Julia  A.  Harrell,  who  came  to  Ellensburg  in 
1902,  and  are  now  living  in  the  vicinity  of  that 
place. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Packwood  have  one  child,  Delphia 
by  name. 

Mr.  Packwood  was  reared  in  the  faith  of  the 
Christian  church,  but  has  no  definite  religious  con- 
nections. In  politics  he  is  a  Roosevelt  Repub- 
lican. One  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  farm  land, 
with  some  stock,  comprise  his  principal  property 
holdings.  He  is  making  a  specialty  of  raising  tim- 
othy and  clover  hay,  of  which  he  produces  about 
three  hundred  tons  per  year. 


CHRISTIAN  HOLM  resides  some  three  miles 
west  and  half  a  mile  north  of  Ellensburg,  Wash- 
ington, and  is  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing. He  was  born  in  Denmark,  November  25, 
1861,  being  the  second  son  of  Peter  Nelson  and 
Elizabeth  K.  (Skou)  Holm.  His  father  was  a 
Danish  farmer  born  in  1813,  and  now  deceased. 
His  mother,  who  still  survives,  was  born  in  1823. 
Mr.  Holm's  eldest  brother,  Hans  P.,  born  in  1853, 
and  his  sister,  Elizabeth  M.  S.  Holm,  born  in  1868, 
live  in  Denmark.  Mr.  Holm  received  his  early 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  land 
and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  up  to  the  time  he 
was  fourteen  years  old.  He  then  studied  a  year 
with  the  pastor  and  spent  the  succeeding  year  on 
the  farm.  For  eighteen  months  he  was  occupied 
in  learning  the  trade  of  a  turner  and  then  farmed 
once  more  until  April  14,  1879,  at  which  time  he 
left  home  and  embarked  for  the  United  States.  He 
arrived  in  New  York,  May  3,  1879,  and  from  there 
went  to  Nevada,  where  he  was  employed  a  year  and 
one-half.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  drove  a  four  horse 
team  from  Nevada  to  Washington,  the  trip  con- 
suming two  months.  He  worked  for  various  peo- 
ple the  first  year  after  his  arrival  in  Kittitas  valley, 
then  took  up  farming  and  stock  raising.     He  has 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


849 


been  very  successful  in  his  business  enterprises 
and  now  owns  six  hundred  head  of  cattle  on  the 
range  and  fourteen  head  of  horses.  He  is  a  frugal, 
hardworking,  and  successful  citizen.  He  belongs 
to  the  Lutheran  church  and,  politically,  is  a  Repub- 
lican. 


CHARLES  H.  DUNNING,  who  is  engaged 
in  farming,  about  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of 
Eliensburg,  Washington,  was  born  in  Canada  No- 
vember 24,  1866,  and  was  there  educated.  He 
worked  on  the  farm  until  he  was  fifteen  years  old 
and  then  engaged  in  teaming  in  the  mining  dis- 
tricts. In  the  fall  of  1886  he  went  to  Minnesota 
and  engaged  in  logging.  The  next  spring  he 
moved  to  Washington  and  took  up  a  pre-emption 
claim  which  he  made  his  home  for  four  years.  He 
bought  a  band  of  sheep  and  for  twelve  years  en- 
gaged in  that  industry.  In  the  fall  of  1899  he 
bought  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of  land  where 
he  now  makes  his  home  and  "follows  farming.  He 
is  the  son  of  Lewis  T.  Dunning,  a  Canadian  farmer 
who  has  resided  near  Eliensburg  since  1891.  His 
mother  was  Margaret  (Pearson)  Dunning,  a  native 
of  Canada.  The  other  children  were  Eliza  B.,  born 
in  1863 ;  Abel  B.,  born  in  1868 ;  John  P.,  born  in 
1870,  and  Melinda  L.  Dunning,  born  in  1874,  all 
natives  of  Canada  and  now  living  in  Kittitas  county, 
Washington. 

Mr.  Dunning  was  married  in  Eliensburg,  Au- 
gust 24,  1893,  to  Miss  Elizabeth  R.  Snow,  daughter 
of  Walter  and  Elizabeth  (Parmeter)  Snow.  Her 
parents  are  both  dead.  Mrs.  Dunning  was  born  in 
Devonshire,  England,  June  30,  1864,  and  comes  of 
a  family  which  traces  its  descent  back  to  William 
the  Conqueror.  She  came  to  Washington  in  1890 
and  made  her  home  with  her  brother  until  her  mar- 
riage. Her  brother,  Nicholas  Snow,  lives  near 
Eliensburg,  and  another  brother,  Walter  J.,  is  also 
in  the  United  States.  A  sister,  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Tapp, 
lives  in  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dunning  have  two 
children:  Colas  G,  born  July  12,  1894,  and  Lillian 
B.  Dunning,  born  September  21,  1902.  Both  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Dunning  are  church  members.  Mr.  Dun- 
ning is  an  active  Republican.  He  is  an  intelligent, 
honest  and  successful  farmer,  and  his  240  acres  are 
under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  also  owns 
forty  acres  of  timber  land.  He  has  just  completed 
a  fine  eight-room  house  on  the  place,  as  a  residence 
for  the  family.  He  is  a  public  spirited  citizen  and 
ranks  as  one  of  the  solid  farmers  of  the  countv. 


OLA  PETERSON.  Born  in  Sweden  March 
22,  1853,  Ola  Peterson  came  to  the  United  States 
June  8,  1870,  and'  is  now  a  well  established  mining 
man  and  liquor  dealer  in  Eliensburg.  His  father 
was  Swan  Peterson,  a  farmer  of  Swedish  birth, 
who  died  in  1883.  His  mother,  Precilla  Peterson, 
also  born  in  Sweden,  died  in  1891.    The  first  eight- 


een years  of  Ola  Peterson's  life  were  spent  in  his 
native  country  on  his  father's  farm,  and  fourteen 
years  of  this  time  was  spent  principally  in  school. 
Upon  coming  to  America  he  landed  in  New  York, 
and  soon  afterward  going  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  he 
secured  employment  as  a  deck  hand  on  one  of  the 
river  steamers.  This  work,  however,  proved  too 
heavy  for  his  constitution,  necessitating  his  giving 
it  up  after  a  trial  of  two  months.  His  next  work 
was  on  the  railroad  in  the  capacity  of  contractor  in 
construction  work.  From  his  first  day  in  his  adopt- 
ed country  Mr.  Peterson  diligently  applied  himself 
to  the  study  of  the  English  tongue,  which  he  found 
not  difficult  and  soon  mastered.  Coming  to  Port- 
land, Oregon,  in  the  fall  of  1876,  he  worked  as  a 
longshoreman  until  the  railroad  between  Tacoma 
and  the  Wilkeson  coal  mines  was  almost  completed. 
He  did  some  contracting  on  this  road,  and,  upon 
its  completion,  went  prospecting  for  mineral  in  the 
Swauk  country.  Mr.  Peterson  ran  the  first  quartz 
mill  in  this  region.  In  all  he  spent  seven  years  in 
the  mountains  before  coming  to  Eliensburg  in  1885, 
when  he  opened  a  liquor  store  in  that  city ;  he  still 
continues  in  the  same  business.  During  his  career 
as  a  prospector  he  found  a  number  of  gold  nug- 
gets, the  largest  of  which  was  valued  at  $68.  While 
he  was  in  the  Swauk  country  the  Nez  Perce  In- 
dian war  broke  out.  Upon  the  outbreak  of  the  war 
the  families  of  almost  all  the  men  in  camp  came  to 
Eliensburg  for  safety.  Only  six  of  the  miners  re- 
mained in  camp,  they  being  supplied  by  the  United 
States  government  with  guns  and  ammunition  with 
which  to  defend  themselves.  Although  they  were 
repeatedly  threatened  by  the  hostile  tribes  of  Joseph, 
the  miners  were  not  molested. 

May  19,  1886,  Mr.  Peterson  was  married  to 
Augusta  Strigler,  born  in  Sweden  November  12, 
1868,  who  came  to  America  with  her  parents  in 
1 87 1.  Her  father,  John  Strigler,  also  a  native  of 
Sweden,  was  formerly  a  lieutenant  in  the  Swedish 
army.  Bengta  (Neuman)  Strigler,  Mrs.  Peter- 
son's mother,  came  to  America  with  her  husband, 
with  whom  she  still  lives  in  the  Kittitas  valley.  Mr. 
Peterson  has  four  brothers  and  three  sisters,  all 
of  whom,  with  the  exception  of  one  brother,  who 
is  a  tailor  in  New  York  City,  reside  in  the  old  coun- 
try. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peterson  have  no  children.  He 
is  an  active  worker  in  the  rank  and  file  of  the  Re- 
publican party  and  in  1890  was  that  party's  can- 
didate for  the  office  of  county  treasurer,  but  was 
defeated  by  the  small  margin  of  twenty-eight 
votes. 


JOHN  T.  GILMOUR.  Mr.  Gilmour  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Eliensburg,  Washington,  and  is  following 
the  same  trade  that  his  father  followed  before  him 
— that  of  a  blacksmith.  He  was  born  in  Hancock 
county,  Illinois,  November  5,  1840.  His  father, 
John  W.  Gilmour,  was  born  in  Kentucky.  Septem- 
ber   13,    1813,    and    passed    away    in    Eliensburg, 


850 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


November  7,  1903,  at  the  age  of  ninety.  The  elder 
Gilmour  crossed  the  Plains  with  ox  teams  in  1851, 
and  the  following  year  settled  on  a  homestead  in 
Linn  county,  Oregon,  where  he  lived  for  thirty-three 
years.  He  then  moved  to  the  forks  of  the  Santiam 
and  resided  there  some  eight  years,  after  which 
time  he  lived  with  his  children  until  his  death  last 
fall.  His  wife,  Jane  (Brounaugh)  Gilmour,  was 
born  in  Kentucky  in  1812  and  died  in  1884.  Mr. 
Gilmour,  the  subject  of  this  article,  attended  school 
in  Illinois  until  he  was  eleven  years  old,  at  which 
time  he  crossed  the  Plains  with  his  parents.  He 
helped  them  all  he  could  until  August  24,  1862,  and 
then  took  up  a  claim  near  Albany,  Oregon,  where 
he  lived  over  a  quarter  of  a  century.  While  there, 
in  1870,  he  took  his  father's  place  at  blacksmithing, 
with  whom  he  had  learned  his  trade,  and  continued 
to  work  at  the  trade  ten  years,  then  moved  to  Ellens- 
burg  and  entered  into  partnership  with  Willis 
Thorp.  After  six  months  Mr.  Gilmour  bought  out 
his  partner  and  has  since  continued  to  conduct  the 
business  alone.  He  was  married  October  26,  1862, 
to  Virginia  Lineberger,  who  was  born  April  29, 
1845,  in  Washington  county,  Oregon.  Her  father, 
Louis  L.  Lineberger,  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
in  181  o,  and  was  a  farmer  and  frontiersman.  He 
came  to  Oregon  in  1843  and  died  in  1884.  Her 
mother,  whose  maiden  name  was  Jane  Henderson, 
was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1808  and  passed 
away  in  1882.  Mr.  Gilmour  was  one  of  a  family  of 
ten  children,  and  two  brothers  and  two  sisters  are 
still  living.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilmour  have  been  the 
parents  of  eleven  children,  of  whom  five  are  de- 
ceased. The  surviving  children  are  named :  Fanny, 
Lena,  Maud,  Ona,  Fred  and  John  L.  Their  father 
was  formerly  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows  and  has  passed  through  the  entire 
lodge,  but  in  recent  years  has  given  up  his  member- 
ship. He  is  an  ardent  believer  in  the  principles  of 
the  Democratic  part} ,  but  has  never  been  a  seeker 
after  political  preferment. 


BURT  PEASE.  A  prosperous  and  contented 
agriculturist  of  the  Yakima  valley  is  Burt  Pease, 
whose  farm  lies  three  miles  west  and  one-half  mile 
north  of  Ellensburg,  on  rural  delivery  route  No.  I. 
He  is  a  native  of  Douglas  county.  Minnesota,  born 
June  12,  1865.  His  father,  Benjamin  S.  Pease,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania  of  Welsh  extraction,  was 
born  in  1826,  in  Tioga  county.  Always  an  ardent 
hunter  and  lover  of  pioneer  life,  Benjamin  Pease  left 
the  state  of  his  birth  while  yet  a  youth  and  made  his 
home  for  a  time  in  the  state  of  Wisconsin,  then  later 
in  Iowa,  always  keeping  in  the  vanguard  of  civ- 
ilization. He  was  married  in  1852  to  Roxy  L.  Wil- 
liams, born  in  Steuben  county,  New  York,  in  1832. 
Burt  Pease  came  to  Ellensburg  in  1877,  being  then 
a  lad  of  twelve  years.  Until  he  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen  years  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm,  re- 


ceiving, the  while,  his  education  in  the  district 
school.  The  following  six  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  in  riding  the  range  and  caring  for  the  stock 
of  his  father  and  other  employers.  Seven  years  ago, 
during  1897.  ne  purchased  the  farm  where  he  now 
lives.  His  marriage  took  place  July  7,  1889,  when 
he  wedded  Miss  Emma  R.  Poynor,  a  resident  of 
Ellensburg  since  1888.  Mrs.  Pease  was  born  in 
Stockton,  California,  February  3,  1873.  She  at- 
tended school  in  that  city  until  her  fifteenth  year, 
when  she  came  to  Ellensburg  with  her  family. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Jesse  B.  and  Frances 
A.  (Hall)  Poynor,  who  crossed  the  Plains  to 
California  in  1859.  Her  father  was  born  in 
Tennessee,  October  27,  1837,  was  married  in  1859, 
two  weeks  prior  to  starting  for  the  west,  and 
died  in  Stockton,  California,  November  9,  1875. 
He  was  of  German-Scotch  descent  and  his  wife,  a 
native  of  Missouri,  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish  par- 
ents, July  29,  1842.  She  died  April  28,  1901.  The 
journey  of  Jesse  Poynor  and  his  bride  across  the 
Plains  was  an  eventful  and  at  times  a  hazardous  one. 
The  start  was  made  from  the  state  of  Missouri, 
where  the  couple  was  married,  and  five  months  was 
consumed  before  the  journey  ended  in  Stockton. 
On  one  occasion,  while  fording  a  stream,  several 
members  of  the  party  were  drowned. 

Mr.  Pease's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Edgar, 
born  in  Iowa,  now  living  near  Ellensburg ;  Perry 
L..  native  of  Minnesota,  present  address  Cle-Elum, 
Washington ;  Ella  I.  Wagoner,  born  in  Minnesota, 
living  near  Thorp.  Washington,  and  Clara  L.  Bur- 
lingham,  who  was  born  in  Minnesota  and  now  lives 
in  Ellensburg.  Mrs.  Pease  has  two  brothers  and 
one  sister;  Samuel  H.  Poynor,  who  was  born  in 
Stockton,  California,  November  28,  1864,  and  is  now 
in  business  in  Seattle  ;  Rachel  G.  Frederick,  who  was 
born  in  Stockton  May  15,  1867,  and  who  now  lives 
near  Ellensburg,  and  Mathew  S.  Poynor,  who  was 
born  January,  23,  1875.  in  Stockton,  and  is  now  a 
railroad  man  and  has  his  home  in  Tacoma.  To  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Pease  have  been  born  six  children :  Leon- 
ard W.,  Merton  C,  Ethel  E.,  Fred  G.,  Everett  S. 
and  Calvin  S.,  the  eldest  of  whom  is  eleven  years  of 
age  and  the  youngest  a  little  over  one  year  old. 

Mr.  Pease  has  membership  in  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  society,  and  politically  is  a  stanch  Re- 
publican ;  especially  strong  in  his  support  and  ad- 
miration of  President  Roosevelt.  He  is  at  the 
present  time  secretary  of  the  West  Side  Irrigation 
Company.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of 
the  Congregational  church.  Burt  Pease  is  a  man 
who  believes  in  the  advantaee  of  diversified  farm- 
ing, and  he  makes  it  pay.  Of  his  farm  thirty  acres 
are  under  irrigation.  Five  acres  of  this  are  in 
orchard,  one  acre  is  in  strawberries  and  on  the  re- 
mainder he  grows  various  other  crops  which  thrive 
in  the  valley.  Besides  being  a  farmer,  in  the  com- 
mon sense  of  the  term,  he  is  a  fruit  grower,  poultry 
raiser  and  dairyman.     He  devotes  especial  attention 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


8?T 


to  the  latter  branch,  and  has  his  dairy  stocked  with 
a  well  selected  herd  of  Jersey  cattle.  He  has  a  good 
farm  and  conducts  it  successfully. 


JOHN  N.  BURCH,  farmer  and  dairyman,  re- 
siding two  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Ellens- 
burg,  began  life  in  Michigan  May  15,  1858.  His 
father,  Levi  Burch,  a  native  of  the  state  of  New 
York,  served  as  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  181 2,  and 
died  in  Michigan  in  1862.  John  N.  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Lenawee 
county,  Michigan,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  went 
out  to  work  among  the  farmers  of  his  neighbor- 
hood. When  twenty-one  years  of  age,  in  1879,  he 
came  west  to  the  state  of  Washington  and  hired  out 
as  a  hand  on  what  is  known  as  the  Smith  ranch, 
eighteen  months  later  going  to  work  on  the  N.  T. 
Goodwin  farm,  where  he  continued  until  his  mar- 
riage, April  8,  1883.  He  then  went  in  the  employ 
of  W.  D.  Killmore  for  one  year,  and  in  1884  rented 
the  N.  T.  Goodwin  farm,  cultivating  it  for  himself. 
Later  he  took  a  homestead,  where  he  lived  until  the 
spring  of  1888,  when  he  purchased  the  old  J.  B. 
Rego  place,  which  he  has  since  made  his  home. 
Mrs.  Burch's  maiden  name  was  Anna  Belle  Rego. 
She  is  a  native  of  Harrison  county,  Missouri,  where 
she  was  born  April  30,  1867,  and  removed  to  Wash- 
ington with  her  parents  in  1874.  She  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  Klickitat  county,  was  married  to 
John  Burch  April  8,  1883,  and  has  since  continued 
to  reside  upon  the  farm  where  she  snent  the  greater 
part  of  her  childhood.  She  has  four  sisters  and  one 
brother,  as  follows :  Mary  C.  Stevens,  born  in  In- 
diana, now  living  near  Ellensburg;  Josephine  Kill- 
more,  a  native  of  Indiana,  living  near  Ellensburg; 
J.  E.  Rego,  a  native  of  Missouri,  now  a  land  owner 
near  Ellensburg;  Emma  R.  and  Effie  F.  Stevens, 
both  natives  of  Missouri,  now  living  near  Ellens- 
burg. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burch's  children  are:  L.eroy, 
Winfred,  Dora  E.  and  Clara  C.  the  eldest  born  in 
1885,  and  the  youngest  in  189}.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Burch 
are  members  of  the  M.  E.  church,  identified  with 
the  local  organization  near  their  phce.  Fraternally 
Mr.  B.  is  a  Woodman  of  the  World,  and  politically 
is  a  zealous  Republican ;  being:  of  the  gold  standard 
Democrats  who  supported  William  McKinley  in 
1896,  since  which  time  his  faith  in  the  Republican 
principles  has  never  wavered,  nor  his  loyalty  been 
brought  into  question.  Mr.  Burch  has  followed 
both  cattle  and  sheep  raising  during  his  life  in 
Washington,  but  it  is  as  farmer  and  dairyman  he 
is  best  known;  and  he  is  the  owner  of  a  valuable 
farm,  a  choice  herd  of  cows  and  a  flock  of  registered 
Shropshire  sheep.  He  is  a  man  who  stands  well 
with  his  ne'ghl  ors  and  is  recognized  as  one  of  the 
substantial  citizens  of  the  community. 


W.  A.  STEVENS.    Born  in  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania, December  3,  185 1,  W.  A.  Stevens  is  now 


a  prosperous  farmer  living  some  four  and  one- 
half  miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Stevens' 
father,  John  H.  Stevens,  a  native  of  New  Brigh- 
ton, Ohio,  born  January  12,  1829,  served  in  the 
Civil  war  from  1861  until  he  was  mustered  out 
of  service  in  the  fall  of  1864.  Twelve  years  fol- 
lowing his  discharge  from  the  army  he  came 
west  to  Oregon,  where  the  next  eight  years  of  his 
life  were  spent,  after  which  time  he  returned  east 
as  far  as  Kansas  City.  He  later  came  to  Wash- 
ington and  took  up  a  homestead  where  the  town 
of  Roslyn  now  stands  and  still  later  removed  to  a 
farm  south  of  Cle-Elum,  where  he  remained  seven 
years.  His  last  move  was  to  his  son's  home,  where 
he  lived  until  his  death  recently.  His  wife,  Har- 
riet _  (Lockwood)  Stevens,  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1825.  Mr.  Stevens  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  Clay  county,  Illinois.  At  the 
age  of  nineteen  he  adopted  the  trade  of  cooper, 
which  he  followed  a  year  and  six  months  in 
Graysville,  Illinois.  In  1873  ne  started  west.  On 
reaching  Missouri  he  joined  a  party  of  three  fam- 
ilies, and  with  them  pushed  westward  by  team  as 
far  as  Omaha,  Nebraska.  On  account  Of  danger 
of  encountering  hostile  Indians,  the  party  deemed 
it  the  better  part  of  valor  to  sell  the  teams  and 
pursue  their  course  by  rail.  This  they  did,  arriv- 
ing in  San  Francisco  June  10,  1873.  Mr.  Stevens 
and  party  shipped  from  San  Francisco  to  Vic- 
toria, British  Columbia,  thence  to  Seattle,  arriv- 
ing there  June  27th  of  the  same  year.  Seattle 
was  then  a  small  town,  and  the  only  paper  then 
published  was  the  Seattle  Intelligencer.  The 
entire  party  was  stricken  with  the  measles  while 
in  the  city.  After  working  at  various  callings 
some  three  months,  Mr.  Stevens  came  to  the  Kit- 
titas valley  and  filed  on  land  which  has  since 
been  his  home.  His  farm  is  now  in  a  high  state 
of  cultivation.  At  the  time  of  the  Indian  uprising 
lie  started  out  with  a  party  of  companions  in  an 
endeavor  to  capture  the  wily  Chief  Moses,  but 
Moses  had  been  taken  into  custody  by  another 
party  previous  to  their  arrival  on  the  scene.  He 
assisted  in  the  building  of  stockades  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  settlers  in  those  days  of  Indian 
scare  and  sleepless  nights.  Mr.  Stevens  was  mar- 
ried in  1876  to  Emma  R.  Reg;o,  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri, born  May  17,  1859.  She  at  the  age  of  fif- 
teen came  west  with  her  parents  to  Washington, 
and  two  years  later  became  the  bride  of  W.  A. 
Stevens.  Her  father.  John  B.  Rego,  was  born  in 
France  in  1825.  and  now  lives  near  Ellensburg. 
The  mother,  Kathren  B.  (Friedly)  Rego,  is  a  na- 
tive of  Indiana.  Mrs.  Stevens'  brothers  and  sis- 
ters are:  Mary  C.  Stevens,  Josephine  Killmore, 
J.  E.  Rego,  Anna  Belle  Burch  and  Effie  F.  Stev- 
ens. The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mr.  Stevens 
are:  Joseph,  born  in  Ohio,  now  in  California; 
Charles  G,  born  in  Illinois,  now  residing  near 
Ellensburg-;  Alice  N.  Davidson,  of  Portland; 
George  M.  of  Chicago  and  II attic  Steele  of  Ros- 


852 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


lyn.  all  natives  of  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stev- 
ens* children  are :  Joseph  Edward,  Arthur  L. 
and  John  Leo ;  the  eldest  born  in  1877  and  the 
youngest  in  1892,  the  two  last  named  still  being 
at  home.  Joseph  Edward  was  married  July  10, 
1902,  to  Miss  Georgia  L.  Blake,  of  Winlock, 
Washington,  daughter  of  George  and  Louisa  Blake, 
and  a  teacher  in-  the  Ellensburg  school  at  the 
time  of  her  marriage.  They  live  on  a  farm  near 
the  husband's  parents.  W.  A.  Stevens  is  an  en- 
thusiastic Odd  Fellow  and  his  wife  is  an  active 
worker  in  the  Rebekahs.  They  have  each  passed 
through  the  chairs  of  their  respective  orders  and 
have  represented  their  orders  as  delegates  at  the 
grand  lodges.  Politically,  Mr.  S.  is  a  zealous 
Republican  and  enthusiastic  admirer  of  President 
Roosevelt.  He  held  the  office  of  county  assessor 
from  1893  to  1897,  and  has  also  served  as  deputy 
in  the  same  office.  He  is  an  active  member  and 
officer  in  the  M.  E.  church,  and  in  addition  to 
farm  lands  owns  stock  and  a  small  dairy.  He  is 
one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  Kittitas  county. 


JACOB  E.  REGO.  On  rural  delivery  route 
No.  1,  not  far  from  Ellensburg,  lies  the  farm  of 
Jacob  E.  Rego,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Missouri, 
born  November  24,  1856.  He  is  the  son  of  John  B. 
and  Kathren  B.  (Friedly)  Rego,  the  former  born 
in  France,  1825,  and  the  latter  in  Indiana,  1830, 
now  living  near  Ellensburg.  Jacob  E.  Rego  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  district  school 
of  northern  Missouri,  and  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen years  he  left  the  state  and  came  with  his 
parents  to  the  Kittitas  valley,  Washington.  Here 
he  worked  on  his  father's  farm,  attending  school 
in  the  meantime,  until  he  reached  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  at  which  time  he  started  out  to 
make  his  way  in  the  world,  unaided.  The  follow- 
ing two  years  he  lived  in  an  old  pioneer  log 
house,  later  erecting  a  small  frame  dwelling,  in 
which  he  lived  during  the  succeeding  seventeen 
years.  In  1902  he  built  a  modern  eleven-room 
house  on  his  farm,  which  he  now  occupies.  After 
living  in  this  county  nine  years,  Mr.  Rego  re- 
turned to  his  native  state  and  was  there  married 
to  Miss  Emma  I.  Ross,  September  2,  1883. 
Shortly  after  the  ceremony  was  performed  he 
returned  to  his  farm  with  his  bride,  coming  via 
railroad  and  stage  to  The  Dalles,  where  they 
were  met  by  teams  and  escorted  to  the  Kittitas 
valley. 

Mrs.  Rego  was  born  in  Harrison  county,  Mis- 
souri, October  9,  1864.  Previous  to  her  mar- 
riage, she  lived  on  her  father's  farm,  where  she 
attended  the  public  schools  and  received  a  good 
grammar  school  education.  Her  father,  Branson 
M.  Ross,  was  born  in  Ohio,  1833.  His  father  and 
mother,  both  natives  of  England,  died  when  he 
was  a  child.  Mr.  Ross  now  lives  in  Post  Falls, 
Idaho.     Mrs.   Rego's  mother  is  Susan  A.    (Ter- 


hune)  Ross,  born  in  Indiana,  1843,  in  which  state 
she  was  educated.  She  later  removed  with  her 
parents  to  Missouri,  where  she  was  married  to 
Mr.  Ross,  with  whom  she  now  lives  in  Post 
Falls.  Mr.  Rego's  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Mary  C.  Stevens,  Josephine  S.  Killmore,  Rosa  L. 
Stevens,  Anna  Belle  Burch  and  Effie  Frances 
Stevens.  The  two  first  named  were  born  in  In- 
diana, the  three  latter  in  Missouri.  They  all  are 
now  living  in  the  vicinity  of  Ellensburg.  Airs. 
Rego  is  one  of  a  family  of  ten  children,  all  born 
in  Missouri,  and  her  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Stanton  Ross,  who  came  west  twenty  years  ago, 
and  now  lives  in  Post  Falls ;  Nora  N.  Carder,  of 
Elgin,  Oregon;  Susan  S.  Stockell,  Rathdrum, 
Idaho;  Naomi  C.  Ludington,  now  of  Post  Falls; 
Wm.  S.  Ross,  now  with  his  parents;  Osie  Stew- 
art, Ellensburg;  Effie  Royce,  Rathdrum;  Robert 
J.  and  Bessie  M.  Ross,  the  former  now  in  Spokane 
and  the  latter  in  Post  Falls.  The  children  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rego  are:  Zeffa  E.,  born  February 
5,  1885;  John  B.,  Jr.,  born  March  31,  1890;  Ruby, 
born  October  5,  1893,  and  Ruth  A.,  born  December 
24,  1895,  all  living  at  home  with  their  parents. 
Mr.  Rego  is  a  stanch  Roosevelt  Republican.  He 
has  four  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  well  improved 
land,  his  crops  consisting  largely  of  alfalfa, 
timothy  and  clover.  Of  the  latter  crop  he  an- 
nually bales  about  two  hundred  tons  of  hay.  He 
handles  a  herd  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  head  of 
well-bred  Durham   cattle. 


GEORGE  MINIELLY.  George  Minielly  is 
a  prosperous  and  energetic  farmer  living  not  far 
distant  from  Ellensburg.  He  is  a  native  of  On- 
tario, Canada,  which  country  is  also  the  birth- 
place of  his  father,  mother  and  the  other  mem- 
bers of  his  immediate  family.  His  father  and 
mother  are  still  living  in  their  native  country, 
as  are  also  his  brothers,  William  and  Albert,  and 
his  sisters,  Eliza  Price,  Clara,  Laura  and  Rozina. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  other  than  those  men- 
tioned are  :  James,  a  farmer  residing  near  Ellens- 
burg ;  Ellen  Bryan,  Lansing,  Michigan ;  Alice, 
Detroit,  Michigan.  One  brother,  John,  passed 
away  in  Canada.  Mr.  Minielly  received  his  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  coun- 
try, working  in  the  meantime  on  his  father's 
farm.  When  he  reached  the  age  of  fifteen  he  left 
home  and  entered  the  employ  of  various  farmers 
in  his  neighborhood,  working  by  the  day,  until 
he  was  nineteen,  when  he  came  west  to  Fair- 
haven,  Washington.  He  worked  in  different  log- 
ging camps  thereabouts,  and  also  spent  some 
time  on  Orcas  Island.  In  1893  he  left  the  island 
and  went  to  Indian  Territory,  later  going  to 
Oklahoma  and  thence  to  Kansas  City.  He  re- 
mained in  the  city  three  months,  then  came  west 
once  more  and  settled  temporarily  in  Tacoma. 
After  teaming  there  a  short  time,  he  crossed  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


85  = 


Cascades  to  Yakima  valley  and  spent  the  sum- 
mer laboring  on  a  ranch  ;  the  following  two  years 
he  worked  on  a  hay  baler.  In  1896  he  came  to 
Ellensburg  and  purchased  a  hay  press,  which  he 
has  since  run  during  haying  seasons.  In  1899 
he  bought  forty  acres  of  land,  four  and  one-half 
miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg,  and  has  since 
made  his  home  on  the  property. 

He  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  December  25, 
1898,  to  Miss  Addie  Ellen  Ferguson,  a  native 
of  Washington,  who  was  born  on  a  farm  near 
where  she  now  lives.  Her  father,  James  Fer- 
guson, a  farmer  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  was 
born  in  Illinois,  May  II,  1839,  and  still  lives  near 
Ellensburg.  Mrs.  Minielly's  mother  is  Elizabeth 
(McEwen)  Ferguson,  born  July  3,  1857,  in  Kan- 
sas, and  still  lives  with  her  husband  on  the  farm. 
Mrs.  Minielly  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  of  Kittitas  county  and  was  married  in 
her  eighteenth  year.  She  has  four  brothers  and 
a  like  number  of  sisters,  all  of  whom,  with  the 
exception  of  J.  M.  and  Mrs.  Montgomery,  are 
native  Washingtonians.  They  are :  John  M., 
native  of  Iowa;  Margaret  O.  Montgomery, 
James  H.,  Lottie  R.  E.  Harris,  George  H.,  Lillie 
D.,  Benjamin  F.  and  Bessie  L.  Ferguson.  The 
first  named,  and  eldest  of  the  family,  was  born 
in  1870;  the  last  named,  and  youngest,  was  born 
in  1889.  All  reside  near  Ellensburg.  The  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Minielly  are  :  Myrtle, 
born  October  13,  1899,  and  Stanley,  born  March 
20,  1900.  Both  were  born  on  the  farm  near  El- 
lensburg. Mr.  Minielly  is  fraternally  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  His  wife 
is  a  Baptist.  In  politics,  he  is  a  Republican, 
though  not  active  in  the  councils  of  his  party. 
His  principal  property  interest  is  the  valuable  farm 
where  he  makes  his  home. 


EDGAR  PEASE.  Edgar  Pease  is  engaged 
in  the  farming  and  stock  raising  business  about 
five  miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg.  He  was 
born  in  Woodhull,  Steuben  county,  New  York, 
September  5,  1853.  His  father,  Benjamin  S. 
Pease,  was  born  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  in 
1827.  Edgar  Pease's  grandfather  was  a  native 
of  Vermont,  and  his  grandmother  of  Massachu- 
setts. His  grandfather,  John  Olives  Pease,  was 
an  ardent  Methodist,  and  for  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury was  a  ruling  elder  in  that  church.  He  was 
married  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  and  died 
in  that  state  at  the  age  of  eighty-four.  His  wife 
followed  him  to  the  grave  five  years  later,  leaving 
a  family  of  fifteen  children,  of  whom  Benjamin 
was  second  in  age.  His  mother's  name  was 
Roxy  L.  (Williams)  Pease,  and  she  was  born  in 
New  York  in  1832.  Benjamin  S.  and  Mrs.  Pease 
removed  with  their  family  from  the  state  of  New 
York  to  make  their  home  in  Iowa,  near  Mason 


City,  in  the  old  pioneer  days  while  the  Indians 
still  claimed  mastery  of  the  country.  In  1857 
they  again  removed,  this  time  to  Douglas  county, 
Minnesota,  at  a  time  when  their  nearest  neigh- 
bor lived  twenty-five  miles  distant,  and  the  near- 
est grist  mill  was  at  a  distance  of  seventv  miles. 
The  country  was  rapidly  settled,  however,  and 
three  years  later  a  school  was  established,  where 
the  children  received  their  early  education.  In 
1861  the  Sioux  Indian  outbreak  occurred  and 
most  of  the  settlers  were  driven  out  of  the  county. 
Some  attempted  to  erect  a  stockade,  but  on  ac- 
count of  a  few  faint-hearted  ones,  who  became 
frightened  and  deserted,  the  attempt  was  a  fail- 
ure. Mr.  Pease  then  removed  in  turn  to  Sauk 
Centre,  Stearns  county,  and  to  St.  Cloud.  In 
the  latter  place  the  winter  of  1861  was  spent,  and 
here  again  Edgar  attended  school.  In  the  fol- 
lowing spring  the  family  returned  to  the  east, 
and  here  one  of  Edgar's  uncles  died.  The  fall 
of  1862  found  the  family  again  in  Sauk  Centre, 
Minnesota,  and  in  February,  1863,  they  returned 
to  Douglas  county. 

In  1867  the  father  sold  out  and  started  for 
Washington,  but  on  account  of  an  insurrection 
in  the  party  of  emigrants  the  journey  was  post- 
poned after  Fort  Ransom  had  been  reached,  and 
the  Pease  family  returned  to  Parke's  Prairie, 
Minnesota,  and  there  settled  on  land.  Here  they 
lived  until  1884,  at  which  time  they  came  to  Kit- 
titas county,  Washington.  Upon  arriving  in 
this  state  Edgar  purchased  a  quarter  section  of 
land,  to  which,  two  years  later,  he  added  two 
hundred  and  forty  acres.  Two  years  ago  he 
sold  his  old  homestead  to  his  son  and  bought 
his  present  farm.  His  surviving  brothers  and 
sisters  are :  Perry  L.,  Cle-Elum ;  Ellia  I.  'Wig- 
oner,  Thorp;  Burt,  Ellensburg;  Clara  L.  Bur- 
lingham,  Ellensburg,  and  they  are  all  natives  of 
Minnesota. 

At  Parke's  Prairie,  November  4,  1874,  Mr. 
Pease  was  married  to  Miss  Rebecca  L.  Logan, 
born  April  25,  1854,  in  Sparta,  Wisconsin.  She 
received  her  education  at  first  in  the  grammar 
school  and  later  in  the  high  school,  of  her  native 
town,  and  for  several  years  following  her  gradu- 
ation taught  in  schools  of  her  state.  Her  father 
was  Samuel  Logan,  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in 
1824.  He  came  to  America  when  a  boy,  and 
later  engaged  in  the  merchandise  business  in 
Sparta,  Wisconsin.  During  the  Civil  war  he  held 
the  rank  of  sergeant.  He  died  in  1879.  Her 
mother  was  Harriet  Jane  (Buessey)  Logan,  born 
in  Massachusetts,  1830.  Mrs.  Pease's  sisters 
are:  Margaret  E.  Heath,  Portland,  Oregon; 
Sarah  Jane  Gordon,  Thorp,  Washington,  and  Eva 
J.  Knoke,  Bemidji,  Minnesota.  All  were  born 
in  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pease  have  three 
sons  and  one  daughter,  whose  names  and  ad- 
dresses are:  Clarence  M.,  Ellensburg;  Ernest 
B.,  Ellensburg;  Louisa  H.,  at  home,  and  Hugh  L., 


854 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


also   living  with   his   parents.     The   first   named 
was  born  in  1876,  and  Hugh  in  1885. 

Mr.  Pease  is  an  active  Odd  Fellow,  having 
passed  all  the  chairs  in  the  subordinate  lodge  of 
that  society  and  represented  it  in  grand  lodge, 
and  his  wife  is  an  equally  active  Rebecca.  He 
has  been  a  life-long  Republican,  and  is  now  hold- 
ing the  office  of  county  commissioner,  being 
elected  in  1903  to  the  four-year  term. 


THOMAS  MEEK  owns  and  tills  a  farm  two 
and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg. 
Born  in  Durham  county,  England,  in  1846,  he  is 
the  son  of  Thomas  and  Hanna  (Willis)  Meek, 
both  also  of  English  birth.  His  father  was  a 
farmer,  also  born  in  Durham  county,  in  1797, 
and  died  in  the  old  country  in  1880.  His  mother 
was  born  in  1803,  and  became  a  highly  educated 
woman.  During  the  first  twenty  years  of  his 
life,  Thomas  Jr.  worked  on  the  farms  of  his 
father  and  others,  in  the  meantime  attended 
school,  and  in  this  way  obtained  a  good  practical 
education.  At  twenty  he  left  the  farm  and  fol- 
lowed teaming  some  twenty  years,  then  opened 
a  store.  After  three  years  in  the  merchandise 
business  he  left  England  to  try  his  fortune  in 
America.  He  arrived  in  New  York  in  1881,  and 
almost  immediately  came  west  to  Bismarck,  North 
Dakota.  He  there  entered  the  railroad  service, 
in  which  he  continued  five  years.  His  next  move 
was  to  the  state  of  Montana.  He  tarried  in  that 
state  but  three  months,  however,  then  oushed  on 
westward  and  settled  in  Roslyn,  Washington. 
At  that  point  he  became  an  employee  of  the 
North  Pacific  Coal  Company,  and  remained  with 
the  firm  fifteen  years,  then  settled  on  the  farm 
near  Ellensburg,  which  he  still  owns  and  where 
he  has  since  lived. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Hodson, 
1878,  in  Durham  county,  England.  Mrs.  Meek 
was  born  in  Yorkshire,  England,  September  8, 
1856.  She  was  brought  up  in  her  native  country 
and  received  a  common  school  education.  Her 
parents  were  George  and  Mary  (Dent)  Hodson, 
both  born  in  England,  the  father  in  1826,  and 
the  mother  in  1827.  Both  were  well  educated 
in  their  mother  country,  came  to  America  in 
1881,  and  are  now  living  in  Roslyn.  Mr.  Meek 
has  three  brothers  and  the  same  number  of  sis- 
ters. His  brothers  are:  John,  born  in  England, 
where  he  now  lives ;  George  W„  also  living  in 
England,  where  he  was  born,  and  Harry  W.,  who 
was  born  in  England,  crossed  the  ocean  in  1881 
and  now  lives  in  Roslyn.  His  eldest  brother, 
Nicholas,  now  deceased,  was  also  born  in  Eng- 
land. His  sisters  are :  Jane  Anderson  and  Mar- 
garet Deacon,  who  were  both  born  and_  still  re- 
side in  England,  and  Elizabeth  Jackson,  also 
born  in  England,  came  to  this  country  in  1893, 
and   is  now  living  in    Roslyn.     Mrs.   Meek  has 


two  brothers,  Thomas  and  Frank  Hodson,  both 
natives  of  Britain.  The  former  lives  near  Ellens- 
burg, and  the  latter  makes  his  home  in  Colorado. 
Mr.  Meek  had  one  uncle,  George  Willis,  who 
was  accidentally  killed  while  working  on  his 
farm  in  England.  An  aunt,  Margaret  Jewett,  is 
still  living.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Meek 
are:  Isaac,  Hanna,  Frances,  Thomas,  Joseph, 
John  B.  and  George.  Isaac  was  born  in  1880, 
and  George,  the  youngest,  is  now  five  years  of 
age.  The  family,  while  in  the  old  country,  were 
allied  with  the  Church  of  England,  but  belong 
to  no  religious  denomination  at  the  present  time. 
Mr.  Meek,  in  politics,  takes  little  more  than  a 
thinking  part,  execpt  at  election  time,  when  he 
freely  votes  for  the  man  of  his  choice.  He  is 
an  ardent  admirer  of  President  Roosevelt,  how- 
ever, and  will  support  him  for  another  term,  he 
says,  if  given  the  chance.  He  owns  two  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  farming  land  in  the  Kit- 
titas valley,  all  well  stocked  and  under  cultiva- 
tion. He  has  a  dairy  on  his  farm  which  is 
supplied  with  the  milk  of  fifteen  cows ;  he  also 
has  a  small  herd  of  cattle  on  the  range.  Among 
forage  crops  Mr.  Meek  has  made  a  specialty  of 
alfalfa,  of  which  he  has  the  finest  field  to  be 
seen   anywhere   in   the  valley. 


JOSEPH  J.  HANLON  is  a  prosperous  farmer 
residing  near  Ellensburg,  on  rural  delivery  route 
No.  1.  He  was  born  in  Canada,  May  17,  1866. 
His  parents,  John  and  Kate  (Mallon)  Hanlon, 
were  both  born  in  Ireland  and  later  emigrated 
to  Canada.  His  mother  died  while  he  was  a 
small  boy.  As  a  boy,  Joseph  Hanlon  attended 
the  district  schools  of  his  native  country,  and 
when  between  twelve  and  thirteen  years  of  age 
he  went  to  Pretoria  with  his  father,  during  the 
oil  excitement  in  that  place.  In  1888  he  returned 
to  the  United  States  and  spent  a  short  time  in 
Rochester,  New  York.  From  there  he  went  t© 
Manitoba,  Canada,  and  thence  to  Kittitas  county, 
Washington,  July,"  1889.  Here  he  purchased  two 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  has 
since  lived  upon  and  cultivated.  He  has  four 
brothers,  James,  John,  Thomas  and  Peter,  and 
two  sisters,  Mary  and  Kate  Hanlon ;  all  of  whom 
were  born,  and  are  now  living,  in  Canada. 

Mr.  Hanlon  was  married  February  4,  1894,  to 
Miss  Hattie  Hatfield,  then  a  resident  of  Ellens- 
burg. She  was  born  in  Texas,  July  27,  1878. 
While  she  was  yet  a  young  girl  her  father 
brought  his  family  to  Ellensburg,  where  she  at- 
tended school  until  arriving  at  the  age  of  six- 
teen, when  she  was  married.  Her  father  was 
Ephraim  Hatfield,  a  native  of  Arkansas,  and  her 
mother  was  Kathren  (Smith)  Hatfield.  She  has 
two  brothers  and  one  sister:  Charles  and  John 
Hatfield  and  Gertrude  Barnett,  all  of  whom  were 
born  in  Texas  and  now  live  near  Thorp,  Wash- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


855 


ington.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanlon 
are:  John  Oliver,  Minnie  L.  and  Ernest  E.  Han- 
lon, all  living  at  home.  They  were  born  in  this 
state,  October  15,  1895,  May  23,  1897,  and  March 
29,  1899,  respectively.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Hanlon 
is  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows.  He  was  originally  a  Democrat,  but  is 
now  an  ardent  supporter  of  President  Roosevelt. 
Neither  Mr.  nor  Airs.  Hanlon  at  the  present  time 
has  any  church  affiliation,  although  Mrs.  Hanlon 
was  brought  up  in  the  Baptist  denomination.  Mr. 
Hanlon's  property  interests  consist,  in  the  main, 
of  two  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  choice  farm 
land,  with  the  usual  amount  of  stock  found  on 
an  up-to-date  farm.  His  crops  are  principally 
large  quantities  of  hay,  and  he  is  rated  as  one 
of  the  substantial  farmers  of  his  county. 


GEORGE  ROBERT  BRADSHAW.  Since 
July  17,  1893,  George  Robert  Bradshaw  has  been 
closely  identified  with  the  agricultural  progress 
of  the  Kittitas  valley.  His  farm  lies  on  rural 
delivery  route  No.  1,  and  not  far  from  the  city 
of  Ellensburg.  Born  in  Hawkins  county,  Ten- 
nessee, he  is  the  son  of  Benjamin  W.  and  Alary  J. 
(Larkin)  Bradshaw,  the  former  born  in  Hawkins 
county,  Tennessee,  January  4,  1844,  and  the  lat- 
ter in  Virginia,  December  18,  1846.  The  Brad- 
shaws  for  at  least  three  generations  back  have 
been  born  in  the  county  of  our  subject's  birth, 
where  Benjamin  W.  Bradshaw's  father  still  owns 
and  conducts  a  farm  and  a  country  store.  He 
has  been  a  lifelong  Republican,  and  a  member 
of  the  Presbyterian  church.  Mrs.  Bradshaw, 
mother  of  George  Robert,  was  the  daughter  of 
a  shipping  merchant  in  Virginia.  Her  father, 
while  accompanying  a  shipment  of  hogs  from 
Bristol,  Tennessee,  to  Baltimore,  was  caught 
beneath  a  railroad  wreck  and  his  lower  limbs 
were  horribly  mangled.  He  was  pinioned  beneath 
the  wreckage  for  four  hours,  during  which  time 
he  made  his  will.  His  daughter,  upon  being 
notified  of  the  accident,  mounted  a  horse  and  rode 
eighty  miles  to  where  Mr.  Larkin  lay,  only  to  find 
him  dead.  She  was  educated  in  the  state  of 
Tennessee,  and,  with  her  husband,  is  now  living 
in  Wild  Rose,  in  that  state.  George  Robert 
Bradshaw  up  to  his  twelfth  year  attended  the 
district  school  at  the  place  of  his  birth,  later 
spent  four  years  in  the  academy  at  Churchill, 
and  finished  his  education  at  Okolona  College 
in  Tennessee.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  left 
school  and  removed  to  Russell  county,  Kansas. 
But  four  months  were  spent  here,  however,  when 
he  decided  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  state  of  Wash- 
ington. He  arrived  in  Ellensburg,  July  17,  1893, 
and  has  been  here  ever  since,  with  the  exception 
of  a  five-months'  visit  to  his  old  home  in  the 
east.  Mr.  Bradshaw  has  three  sisters:  Laura 
L.   Hollenbeck,  Lizzie  Packwood    and    Elsie    Pat- 


terson, all  of  whom  are  living  near  Ellensburg, 
save  the  last  named,  who  lives  at  her  father's 
home.  All  were  born  in  Tennessee,  in  1867,  1869 
and    1878,   respectively. 

On  January  12,  1898,  near  Ellensburg-.  Mr. 
Bradshaw  was  married  to  Miss  Colorado  Pack- 
wood,  a  native  of  Colorado  Springs,  Colorado. 
She  was  born  June  4,  1874,  and  came  to  Ellens- 
burg with  her  parents  at  an  early  age.  She 
there  received  her  education,  and,  at  the  age  of 
sixteen,  was  married  to  W.  S.  Sewell,  but  the 
match  proved  to  be  not  a  happy  one,  so,  after 
three  years,  the  two  were  separated.  During  the 
next  four  years  Airs.  Sewell  lived  with  her  parents, 
and  then  she  became  the  wife  of  Air.  Bradshaw. 
Her  father  is  Samuel  T.  Packwood,  born  in 
Alissouri,  July  4,  1844,  and  now  a  farmer  in  the 
vicinity  of  Ellensburg.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Confederate  army  during  the  Civil  war,  and  spent 
a  year  of  his  war  service  in  the  Little  Rock  mili- 
tary prison.  Airs.  Bradshaw's  mother,  Martha 
F.  (Holmes)  Packwood,  was  born  in  Mississippi, 
1845.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  she  removed  with 
her  parents  to  Alissouri,  where  she  obtained  her 
education.  She  married  Air.  Packwood  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years.  Airs.  Bradshaw's  broth- 
ers are:  John  R.,  Oliver  F.,  William,  Harry  and 
Harvey  Packwood.  The  children  of  Air.  and 
Airs.  Bradshaw  are:  Alartha  Farnetta,  born  near 
Ellensburg,  November  18,  1892:  Lizzie  J.,  born 
near  Ellensburg,  October  18,  1899.  and  Lucreta 
T.,  born  in  Hawkins  county,  Tennessee,  Novem- 
ber 28,   1 901. 

Air.  Bradshaw  belongs  to  the  Alodern  Wood- 
men of  America,  and  to  the  Republican  party. 
He  is  active  in  politics.  His  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Church  of  Christ.  He  owns  400  acres  of 
grazing  land  and  190  acres  of  land  in  cultivation. 
His  specialty  is  the  production  of  timothy  and 
clover  hay.  He  owns  the  handsome  registered 
Percheron  stallion  Alarquis,  weighing  nineteen 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds — one  of  the  finest  draft 
horses  in  the  valley. 


PHILIP  FREDERICK  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing his  own  lands  five  miles  west  and  one  mile  north 
of  the  city  of  Ellensburg,  rural  free  delivery 
route  No.  1,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Rich- 
ardson county,  Nebraska,  January  8,  1869.  His 
father,  Henry  Frederick,  was  born  in  Germany 
in  1835.  He  followed  farming  in  Nebraska, 
served  during  the  Civil  war.  in  the  Ohio  Na- 
tional Guard,  moved  to  Kittitas  valley,  Wash- 
ington, in  1876  and  died  in  1877.  His  mother, 
Anna  (Goulong)  Frederick,  was  born  in  Ohio, 
July  26,  1840,  and  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
years.  Her  son,  Philip,  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  native  state  and  also  those 
of  Washing-ton.  LTntil  fifteen  years  old  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  and  later  on  other 


856 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


farms.  In  1894  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  land, 
which  he  has  since  farmed.  He  was  married  in 
Ellensburg,  May  8,  1895,  to  Mrs.  Rachel  G.  Ad- 
ler,  daughter  of  Jesse  B.  and  Francis  A.  (Hall) 
Poynor.  Her  father  was  born  in  Missouri  in- 
1837,  crossed  the  Plains  by  ox  team  in  1859  and 
located  in  San  Joaquin  county,  California,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  until  his  death,  during 
November,  1875.  Her  mother  was  born  in  Greene 
county,  Missouri,  July  29,  1842,  and  was  married 
at  the  age  of  sixteen.  She  died  in  Washington, 
April  28,  1901.  Mrs.  Frederick  was  born  in  San 
Joaquin  county,  California,  May  15,  1867.  She 
was  educated  in  the  Golden  state  and  when  nine- 
teen years  old  moved  to  Washington  with  her 
aunt,  Mrs.  S.  M.  Prater.  She  was  married  Au- 
gust 11,  1886,  to  Joseph  Adler,  who  died  in  1891. 
By  this  union  there  were  three  children :  Nettie 
A.,  born  September  3,  1887;  William  H.,  born 
August  7,  1889,  and  Josie  A.  Adler,  born  August 
5.  1 891,  all  natives  of  Ellensburg.  Mrs.  Fred- 
erick had  three  brothers  and  two  sisters.  Wil- 
liam Poynor  and  Martha  J.  (Poynor)  Frederick 
are  dead.  Samuel  H.  Poynor  lives  in  Seattle, 
Ritta  E.  (Poynor)  Pease  lives  near  Ellensburg, 
and  Mathew  A.  Poynor  lives  in  Tacoma. 

Mr.  Frederick's  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Martin,  born  in  Nebraska,  December  13,  1864, 
now  a  resident  of  Kittitas  county;  Maggie  (Fred- 
erick) Beck  (deceased),  born  in  Nebraska,  March 
20,  1869;  Anthony,  born  in  Nebraska,  March  17, 
1871,  now  living  in  Natchee,  Yakima  county, 
Washington ;  Mary  (Frederick)  Snipes,  born 
September  n,  1874,  a  resident  of  Toppenish, 
Washington,  and  Jacob,  born  October  26,  1877, 
a  resident  of  the  "Kittitas  valley.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Frederick  have  two  daughters,  Hazel  M.,  born 
February  9,  1897,  and  Bertha  V.,  born  June  2, 
1902.  The  parents  are  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church  and  Mrs.  Frederick 
is  third  vice-president  of  the  Epworth  League. 
Mr.  Frederick  is  a  Republican  and  takes  consid- 
erable interest  in  politics.  He  has  an  excellent 
farm  of  eighty  acres,  with  about  twenty  head 
of  cattle  and  nine  milch  cows  and  runs  a  dairy 
on  a  small  scale.  He  is  a  prosperous  and  much 
esteemed   citizen   of  this   locality. 


MARTIN  FREDERICK  has  been  engaged 
in  farming  in  Kittitas  county,  Washington,  since 
1876.  His  home  is  near  Ellensburg,  Washington, 
on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1.  He  was 
born  in  Nebraska,  December  13,  1864,  and  came 
to  Washington  with  his  father  and  mother,  Henry 
and  Anna  (Goulong)  Frederick,  when  twelve 
years  old.  His  father  died  the  year  after  he 
took  up  his  farm  in  Kittitas  valley  and  Martin, 
as  the  eldest  son,  took  charge  of  the  farm.  He 
ran  the  place  for  two  years  until  his  mother 
remarried    and    then    until    he    was    twenty-four 


years  old,  worked  for  other  farmers.  He  pur- 
chased his  present  farm  in  1889  and  has  since 
made  his  home  on  the  property.  His  eldest 
sister,  Maggie,  is  dead.  Mary  (Frederick) 
Snipes,  the  surviving  sister,  and  his  brothers, 
Philip,  Anthony  and  Jacob,  reside  in  Washing- 
ton. Mr.  Frederick  was  married  November  18, 
1888,  to  Miss  Martha  J.  Poynor,  who  died  De- 
cember 9,  1891.  He  was  again  married,  Decem- 
ber 24,  1896,  to  Mrs.  S.  Francis  Goss.  Her 
father,  Isaac  O.  Childs,  was  a  native  of  Virginia 
and  died  in  Nebraska  in  1890.  Her  mother, 
Mary  M.  (Daniels)  Childs,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania February  15,  1840,  and  was  married 
when  eighteen  years  old  to  Mr.  Crane,  by  whom 
she  had  one  child.  A  year  after  their  marriage 
Mr.  Crane  went  to  the  war  and  was  never  heard 
of  again.  She  was  later  married  to  Mr.  Childs, 
by  whom  she  had  six  children.  Mrs.  Frederick 
was  born  in  Nebraska  March  20,  1872.  In  1884 
she  came  to  Washington  with  her  parents,  by 
wagon,  and  after  a  year  in  this  state  returned 
with  them  to  Nebraska,  in  like  conveyance,  mak- 
ing the  return  trip  by  way  of  California.  She 
came  to  Ellensburg  when  eighteen  years  old  and 
in  1891  was  married  to  Edward  F.  Goss,  from 
whom*  she  separated  after  two  years.  Three 
years  later  she  married  her  present  husband. 

Her  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Ellen  E.  E. 
Daniels  and  Martha  J.  Abbot,  of  Pennsylvania; 
Amy  A.  Allison,  of  Kittitas  valley;  Dora  I. 
Bailey,  of  Indiana;  Warren  G.  Childs,  of  Idaho, 
and  Hannah  E.  Stager,  of  Spokane.  Her  chil- 
dren are:  Etta  R.  Goss,  born  December  7,  1891, 
and  Jessie  C.  Frederick,  born  February  5,  1897. 
Mrs.  Frederick  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
church.  Her  husband  is  a  member  of  Tanum 
lodge,  No.  155,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, and  also  a  member  of  the  Order  of  Wash- 
ington. He  is  an  active  Republican  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr. 
Frederick  owns  eighty  acres  of  land,  which  he  has 
brought  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He 
is  a  practical  and  experienced  farmer  and  a  valu- 
able citizen. 


HADDEN  HAMTON  SPIER,  a  Western 
product  in  the  full  sense  of  the  term,  lives  six 
and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington,  on  rural  delivery  route  No.  1.  He 
was  born  in  Linn  county,  Oregon,  June  1,  1877. 
His  father,  William  S.  Spier,  was  born  in  Ten- 
nessee in  1830,  and  was  a  farmer  and  miner.  He 
died  in  1882.  Mr.  Spier's  mother,  Hanna  E. 
(Asher)  Spier,  was  born  at  Marshalltown,  Iowa, 
in  1853.  When  she  was  eleven  years  old  she 
moved  to  Indiana  and  there  at  the  age  of  seven- 
teen she  married  Mr.  Spier.  Two  years  after 
his  death   she  married  Robert  Wallis,  who  died 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


857 


in  igoi.  Mrs.  Wallis  lived  continuously  on  one 
farm  from   1880  to   1895. 

Mr.  Spier  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Kittitas  county  until  he  was  fourteen  years 
old,  living  at  his  mother's  home.  Later  he  has 
been  engaged  at  various  kinds  of  work  until  he 
bought  his  present  forty-acre  farm  on  the  Yakima 
river,  where  he  has  since  resided. 

His  eldest  sister,  Carrie  O.,  wife  of  John 
Lynn,  lives  at  Rosa  station,  Kittitas  county.  His 
brother,  William  O.  Spier,  is  the  fireman  at  the 
power  house  at  Roslyn,  and  his  other  brother, 
Frank  Spier,  is  in  Lane  county,  Oregon.  A 
brother,  O'Shea  Spier,  is  dead.  His  sister,  Min- 
nie Hannen,  lives  at  Cle-Elum.  His  half-sisters 
and  half-brothers  are :  Anna  Wallis,  living  at 
the  family  home;  Robert  Wallis,  working  in  the 
Roslyn  mines  with  his  brother,  Claud  Wallis, 
and  Ella  Wallis,  born  in  1891,  who  is  living 
at  home. 

Mr.  Spier  is  an  active  Republican.  He  was 
raised  in  the  Baptist  faith.  He  raises  some  stock. 
The  chief  product  of  his  farm  is  hay.  Mr.  Spier 
has  a  wide  circle  of  friends  and  is  one  of  the 
most  popular  and  energetic  farmers  of  the  valley. 


CARY  A.  SNYDER  is  engaged  in  farming 
near  Ellensburg,  Washington,  on  rural  delivery 
route  No.  1.  He  was  born  in  Illinois  May  24, 
1858.  His  father  was  Andrew  Snyder,  a  farmer, 
who  was  born  in  West  Virginia  in  1824.  His 
mother,  Manervia  (Edie)  Snyder,  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1827  and  passed  away  at  Olympia,  Wash- 
ington, January  5,  1889.  The  subject  of  this 
sketch  was  one  of  a  family  of  six  children.  His 
sister,  Sarah  S.,  born  in  Ohio  in  1850,  is  dead. 
Benjamin  F.  was  born  in  Ohio,  August  17,  1851. 
Joseph  H.  Snyder  was  born  in  Illinois,  June  4.  1856, 
and  is  living  on  Puget  Sound.  Fred  A.  Snyder 
was  born  in  Illinois,  October  11,  1863,  and  lives  at 
Whatcom,  Washington.  Louis  A.  Snyder,  the 
youngest  brother,  was  born  in  Nebraska,  July  23, 
1869,  and  lives  at  Olympia,  Washington. 

Mr.  Snyder  received  his  first  education  in 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  state.  When 
he  was  eleven  years  old  his  parents  moved  to 
Nebraska,  where  he  went  to  school  in  the  winter 
months  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and  for 
other  farmers.  In  1882  he  left  Nebraska  and 
went  to  the  coast,  where  he  secured  work  in  a 
logging  camp  near  Olympia.  After  one  year  he 
came  to  Kittitas  county  and  for  the  succeeding 
four  years  was  employed  on  the  J.  H.  Stevens' 
ranch.  Then  he  bought  land  and  started  to  farm- 
ing on  his  own  account. 

He  was  married  April  3,  1887,  to  Florence  M. 
Stevens,  who  was  then  sixteen  years  old.  She 
was  the  daughter  of  James  H.  and  Mary  C. 
(Rego)      Stevens.        Her     father     was     born     in 


Pennsylvania  in  1842,  and  was  a  soldier  in  the 
Civil  war.  Her  mother  was  born  in  Indiana, 
October  28,  1850,  and  became  a  bride  when 
twenty  years  old.  Her  brother  and  sister  are: 
Robert  H.  Stevens,  born  February  23,  1876; 
Nellie  I.  Stevens,  born  October  19'  1886,  both 
natives  of  Washington  and  living  near  Ellens- 
burg. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snyder  have  five  children : 
Elsie  L.,  born  June  26,  1888;  Arthur  E.,  Decem- 
ber 27,  1890;  Walter  L.,  February  8,  1895;  Kath- 
leen, November  9,  1896,  and  Dorothy  H.,  No- 
vember 3,  1897.  Mrs.  Snyder  belongs  to  the 
Christian  church.  Mr.  Snyder  has  passed  through 
all  the  chairs  in  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd 
Fellows  and  his  wife  has  filled  all  the  chairs 
in  the  Rebekahs.  He  also  belongs  to  the 
camp  of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  He 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Republican  party. 
Mr.  Snyder  is  a  thrifty  and  energetic  farmer.  To 
his  original  farm  of  eighty  acres  he  has  added 
thirty  acres  and  has  a  place  that  is  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  He  is  also  the  owner  of 
fourteen  and  three-fifths  shares  in  the  West  Side 
irrigation  ditch  and  is  rapidly  increasing  his 
property  interests. 


MERTON  L.  THOMAS  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, three  miles  west,  and  a  like  distance  north, 
of  Ellensburg,  Washington.  Like  his  father  and 
mother,  Loring  and  Juletta  (Adams)  Thomas, 
he  is  a  native  of  the  state  of  New  York,  born 
July  11,  1862.  His  father  was  born  in  1829,  and 
his  mother,  who  is  still  living,  is  six  years 
younger.  Her  son  Merton  spent  his  boyhood 
days  in  Minnesota  and  Iowa,  where  he  was  edu- 
cated. He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and  also 
for  other  farmers  nearby.  In  1891  he  drove 
overland  from  Iowa  to  Kittitas  county,  Wash- 
ington, and  the  next  summer  engaged  in  farming 
a  rented  place.  He  spent  one  summer  teaming 
in  Okanogan  county.  June  5,  1903,  he  took 
charge  of  the  county  poor  farm  and  still  retains 
that  position.  His  brothers  and  sisters,  Mrs. 
Lodema  R.  Andrews,  George  A.,  John  W..  Mrs. 
Etta  M.  Francis  and  Mrs.  Nellie  A.  Hewer,  all 
reside  in   Kittitas  county. 

Mr.  Thomas  was  married  October  29,  1902, 
to  Miss  Nellie  English,  who  was  born  in  Stock- 
ton, Kansas,  February  7,  1885,  and  was  educated 
in  the  common  and  high  schools  at  Ellensburg. 
Her  father  was  Albert  English,  a  native  of  New 
York.  Her  mother,  Sarah  J.  (Nelson)  English, 
was  born  in  Missouri  in  1868  and  died  in  1894. 
Mrs.  Thomas  Ins  one  sister,  Eva  Ethel  English, 
born  in  Colorado  and  now  living  in  Washington. 

Mr.  Thomas  is  an  industrious  and  successful 
farmer  and  good  citizen,  and  is  esteemed  by  his 
neighbors  and  acquaintances  for  his  many  good 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


qualities.  In  politics,  he  is  an  earnest  supporter 
of  President  Roosevelt.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Christian  church  and  a  progressive  farmer,  of 
modern  ideas. 


JOHN  LINCOLN  GREEN,  engaged  in 
farming  near  Ellensburg,  Washington,  is  a  stone- 
mason by  trade.  He  was  born  in  Owen  county, 
Indiana,  June  27,  i860.  His  father,  John  William 
Green,  was  born  in  Indiana,  February  22,  1832, 
and  served  with  distinction  during  the  Civil  war. 
He  was  confined  in  Libby  prison  for  a  time,  hav- 
ing been  captured  by  the  Confederates.  Mr. 
Green's  mother,  Elizabeth  E.  (Gregory)  Green, 
was  born  in  North  Carolina,  October  10,  1821, 
and  was  married  January  31,  1850.  She  died  in 
Kansas  in  1887.  Her  son  was  educated  in  Indi- 
ana, Illinois  and  Kansas,  and  in  the  latter  state 
worked  for  various  people  until  he  was  twenty- 
two  years  old,  then  began  trading  in  stock.  He 
left  Kansas  in  1888  and  drove  a  span  of  mules 
from  there  to  Kittitas  county,  Washington, 
where  he  bought  the  eighty  acres  of  land  he  now 
owns.  The  first  winter  in  the  west  was  spent  in 
the  coal  mines,  and  since  that  time  he  has  been 
living  on  his  farm.  His  brother,  Joseph  William 
Green,  and  his  sister,  Mrs.  Margaret  E.  De 
Schager,  are  now  deceased.  Richard  E.,  born 
April  26,  1852,  and  James  F.  Green,  born  in  In- 
diana, November  24,  1857,  are  surviving  brothers 
and  reside  in  Douglas  county,  Illinois. 

He  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  June  12,  1890, 
to  Miss  Dora  M.  Adams,  daughter  of  Jesse  and 
Mary  S.  (Ellison)  Adams.  Her  father  was  an 
Illinois  farmer  and  her  mother  a  native  of  Mis- 
souri ;  both  reside  in  Ellensburg.  Mrs.  Green 
was  born  April  2,  1874,  in  Baxter  Springs,  Kan- 
sas, and  was  nine  years  old  when  she  came  to 
Washington  with  her  parents.  She  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  the  Evergreen  state,  and  was 
sixteen  years  old  at  the  time  of  her  marriage. 
She  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Icea  Fullen,  living  in 
Ellensburg.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Green  have  five  chil- 
dren now  living:  Mary  Ellen,  born  January  12, 
1891 ;  Jesse  William,  born  October  26,  1892 ;  Ray 
D.,  born  November  17,  1895;  John  D.,  born  De- 
cember 22,  1897,  and  Dora  L.,  born  November 
27,  1899.  A  daughter,  Elizabeth,  born  December 
16,  1894,  died  January  5,  1895,  and  Mrs.  Green 
passed  away  March  13,   1901. 

Mr.  Green  is  a  prominent  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  active  in 
politics  and  a  member  of  the  Republican  party. 
He  attends  the  Baptish  church.  His  holdings 
include  eighty  acres  of  fine  farming  lands  and  a 
number  of  head  of  cattle  and  horses.  He  is  mak- 
ing a  specialty  of  raising  English  coach  horses. 
He  is  well  known,  and  a  highly  respected  mem- 
ber of  the  community. 


ARTHUR  F.  CURRIER  is  a  native  of  Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts,  born  February  19,  1857.  He 
lives  on  his  well-improved  farm,  situated  about 
two  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington.  His  father,  Gideon  Currier,  was 
born  in  Maine,  April  6,  1817,  and  removed  to 
Boston  when  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  and 
there  learned  the  trade  of  a  stonemason.  He 
subsequently  became  one  of  the  leading  contractors 
of  Boston,  and  erected  some  of  the  finest  build- 
ings in  the  city.  Mr.  Currier's  mother,  Jane 
(Safford)  Currier,  was  born  in  New  York  state, 
May  23,  1819.  She  died  in  1895,  after  fifty-five 
years  of  married  life.  Her  other  children,  beside 
Arthur,  are:  Francis  E.,  born  March  18,  1842, 
now  living  in  Brooklyn,  New  York ;  Alfred  H., 
born  February  6,  1846,  now  living  in  Boston,  and 
Anson  H.,  born  August  7,  1854,  now  of  Nash- 
ville, Oregon.  The  children  were  all  born  in 
Boston.  Mr.  Currier  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Boston  and  graduated  from  the  high  school. 
He  worked  for  four  years  for  the  Little  Rock  & 
Fort  Smith  Railway  Company,  in  Arkansas, 
after  his  graduation,  and  in  1883  was  married  to 
Miss  Leora  Brumfield,  who  was  born  in  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  September  2,  1861.  Her  father, 
Erastus  Brumfield,  was  born  in  New  York  Sep- 
tember 28,  1820,  and  died  when  she  was  twelve 
years  old.  Her  mother,  Amy  (Brockway)  Brum- 
field, was  also  born  in  New  York,  April  4,  1822, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Kittitas  county. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Currier  went  to  San 
Diego,  California,  and  engaged  in  fruit  raising  for 
four  and  one-half  years.  In  1888  he  moved  to 
Ellensburg  and  bought  a  farm  ten  miles  north  of 
the  city.  He  made  that  his  home  for  ten  years, 
then  sold  it  and  purchased  his  present  place.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Currier  have  three  children.  The  eld- 
est child,  Emma  J.,  was  born  in  San  Diego, 
December  7,  1885,  and  is  now  attending  the 
Ellensburg  high  school.  Florence  was  also  born 
there  on  August  26.  1887.  Velma  A.,  the  young- 
est child,  was  born  in  Washington,  August  12, 
1890.  Mr.  Currier  is  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  the  county  and  very  popular.  Politically,  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  and  his  wife  belong  to  the 
Baptist  church. 


JESSE  C.  POLAND  is  engaged  in  farming  his 
well-improved  ranch,  situated  about  one  mile  north- 
west of  Ellensburg,  Washington.  He  was  born  in 
Montgomery  county.  Illinois,  July  20,  1876.  His 
father,  George  C.  Poland,  was  born  in  Illinois  Feb- 
ruary 10,  1844,  was  a  farmer  and  served  three  years 
in  the  Civil  war.  He  died  March  25,  1901.  His 
mother,  Ruth  C.  (Barringer)  Poland,  was  like- 
wise born  in  Illinois,  December  27,  1849,  and  ^s 
now  a  resident  of  Ellensburg.  Her  son  came  to 
Washington  with   his  parents  when  he  was  six 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


859 


years  old.  They  located  near  Ellensburg,  where 
he  attended  the  public  school  and  the  high  school 
and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old.  He  then  began  farming 
his  own  land  and  has  continued  to  do  so  with 
great  success.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Clarence  E.,  born  in  Illinois,  October  19,  1869, 
now  a  resident  of  Ellensburg;  Cortus  O.,  born  in 
Illinois,  March  14,  1871,  now  a  resident  of  Puy- 
allup,  Washington,  and  Mrs.  Clara  J.  Litterer, 
born  in  Illinois,  March  12,  1873,  ar>d  a^so  a  res'~ 
dent  of  Ellensburg. 

In  Ellensburg,  March  24,  1901,  Mr.  Poland 
was  married  to  Miss  Cora  C.  Grim,  daughter  of 
William  and  Anna  (Bailes)  Grim.  Her  father 
was  born  in  Ohio,  March  7,  1840,  and  is  engaged 
in  farming  five  miles  east  of  Ellensburg.  Her 
mother  was  born  in  Missouri,  October  19,  1852. 
Mrs.  Poland  was  born  in  Ellensburg,  July  23,  1882, 
and  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Kittitas 
county.  She  was  one  of  ten  children.  Her  sis- 
ters, Jane,  Ida  and  Dora  E.,  are  dead.  The  sur- 
viving children  are:  Jacob  A.,  born  September 
19,  1872;  Bird  O.,  born  Ma}'  20,  1877;  ^XY  A., 
born  July  1,  1878;  Minnie  G.  Walker,  born  No- 
vember 11,  1880;  William  Harry,  born  March  I, 
1885,  and  John  E.  Grim,  born  May  30,  1887,  all 
living  near  Ellensburg.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Poland 
have  two  children :  Arthur  M.,  born  January 
17,  1902,  and  Elmer  E.,  born  October  30,  1903. 
Their  home  place  consists  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  acres  of  fine  land.  Much  of  the  place  has 
been  seeded  to  timothv  and  clover. 


CHARLES  HERBY  WILSON  lives  on  his 
farm  two  miles  west,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  north,  of  Ellensburg,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio,  August  1,  1866,  being  the  son  of 
Charles  and  Angie  (Teppie)  Wilson.  His  father 
was  an  Ohio  farmer  and  died  in  that  state.  His 
mother  lives  in  Ellensburg.  The  family  moved 
to  Missouri  when  he  was  a  small  boy,  and  after 
residing  there  five  years  crossed  the  Plains  in 
1874  by  wagon  and  located  in  the  Willamette 
valley,  Oregon.  He  lived  there  one  year,  and 
passed  a  year  in  Pendleton,  then  went  to  the 
Kittitas  valley.  In  1884  he  engaged  in  freighting 
out  of  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  which  he  followed  for 
nine  years.  He  then  rented  a  farm  two  years, 
and  in  1895  filed  a  homestead  on  his  present  farm. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Ira,  of  Kittitas 
county;  Grant,  of  Roslvn.  Washington  ;  Mrs.  L. 
C.  Preston  (deceased)  ;'Mrs.  Tillie  Stout,  of  Col- 
fax; Herman,  of  Roslvn;  Ernest,  of  Ellensburg) 
and  John  S.,  of  the  Kittitas  valley,  Washington. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  married  June  10,  1886.  to 
Miss  Mary  Marsdon,  who  was  born  in  England, 
May  12,  1866,  and  educated  in  private  schools  in 
her  native  land.  She  came  to  Ellensburg  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  and  married  two  years  later.     Her 


father,  Peter  Marsdon,  a  native  of  Scotland,  and 
her  mother,  Debron  (Jolly)  Marsdon,  born  in 
England,  died  when  she  was  a  young  girl.  She 
has  two  brothers,  John  and  Thomas,  both  in 
England.  Air.  and  Mrs.  Wilson  have  one  child, 
Phoebe  Jane,  born  December  30,  1897.  The  fam- 
ily are  members  of  the  Church  of  England.  The 
husband  is  a  Republican  and  fraternally,  is  a 
member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  has 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  well  improved 
land,  one  hundred  and  eighty  head  of  cattle, 
mostly  high  grade  Durham  stock,  and  plenty  Qf 
horses.  He  is  a  prosperous  farmer  and  a  man 
of  pleasant  address  and  esteemed  by  all. 


JOHN  S.  WILSON  was  born  in  Oregon,  Janu- 
ary 13,  1881,  and  lives  at  Ellensburg,  Washington. 
He  is  the  son  of  Charles  and  Angie  (Teppie) 
Wilson.  His  father,  an  Ohio  farmer,  is  dead ;  the 
mother  lives  at  Ellensburg.  One  of  the  children, 
L.  C.  (Wilson)  Preston,  is  dead.  The  surviving 
brothers  and  sister  are :  Ira,  Grant,  Herman, 
Ernest  and  Charles  H.  Wilson,  all  residents  of 
Washington,  and  Tillie  (Wilson)  Stout,  of  Col- 
fax,  Washington. 

Mr.  Wilson  was  educated  in  Kittitas  county 
and  has  earned  his  own  living  since  he  was 
twelve  years  old.  He  has  at  times  farmed  and 
worked  in  the  mines,  and  for  about  a  year  has 
been  engaged  in  teaming.  He  was  married  June 
15,  1903,  to  Mrs.  Myrtle  Pountain,  whose  maiden 
name  was  Jones.  Her  father  is  engaged  in 
farming  near  Ellensburg.  Mrs.  Wilson  was  born 
in  Missouri,  November  23,  1879,  and  came  to 
Ellensburg  with  her  parents  when  she  was  an 
infant,  and  was  educated  there.  She  had  two 
children  by  her  first  husband :  Roy  Pountain, 
born  in  November,  1896,  and  Melvin  Pountain, 
born  in  1898.  Her  brothers,  Charles,  Oray  and 
Lloyd  Jones,  live  in  Ellensburg,  which  is  also 
the  residence  of  her  sister,  Gertrude.  Mr.  Wil- 
son is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party.  He 
has  a  nice  bunch  of  cattle  in  addition  to  his  well- 
equipped  teaming  outfit  of  hacks  and  horses.  By 
strict  attention  to  business  and  courteous  treat- 
ment of  all  patrons  he  is  winning  enviable 
success. 


WILLIAM  JONAS,  one  of  Kittitas  county's 
successful  farmers,  lives  two  miles  north  and  a 
mile  and  a  quarter  east  of  Ellensburg.  Wash- 
ington. His  father,  Hubert  Jonas,  was  born  in 
Germany,  in  1814,  and  came  to  the  LTnited  States 
when  thirty-six  years  old,  and  farmed  in  Michi- 
gan. Nebraska  and  Washington.  His  mother, 
Katherine  ( Shoemaker)  Jonas,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many, in  1S15,  and  died  in  America,  in  1880. 
Their  other  sons  are:     Frank,  who  lives  in  Spo- 


86o 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


kane  dounty,  and  Joseph,  a  resident  of  Thorp, 
Washington. 

Mr.  Jonas,  of  this  article,  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Michigan,  and  followed  farming  in 
that  state  until  he  was  twenty-seven.  Then  he 
operated  a  farm  in  Nebraska  for  five  years  and, 
beginning  in  1885,  he  was  engaged  in  railroad 
work  for  one  year.  In  1886  he  came  to  Wash- 
ington and  took  up  one  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  as  a  homestead,  and  later  bought  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  which  he  has  since  farmed. 
He  was  married  in  Nebraska  in  March,  1879,  to 
Emma  Schner.  who  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1855.  She  is  now  deceased.  The  children  which 
survive  her  are:  Anna,  born  August  15,  1881  ; 
Hubert,  born  November  13,  1883;  Lizzie,  born 
April  15,  1885;  Katie,  born  May  29,  1887;  Wil- 
liam F.,  born  July  13,  1890;  Emma  J.,  born  June 
11,  1892;  George,  born  March  8,  1898,  all  of  whom 
are  living  at  home. 

Mr.  Jonas  is  a  member  of  the  Catholic  church. 
He  takes  an  active  interest  in  political  affairs, 
affiliating  with  the  Democratic  party.  His.  hold- 
ings consist  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres  of 
land,  which  he  farms  admirably,  forty-five  head 
of  cattle  and  five  head  of  horses.  He  devotes 
about  twenty  acres  to  clover,  the  rest  of  his  cul- 
tivated land  to  grain. 


WILLIAM  W.  SPURLING,  engaged  in 
farming  on  his  place  two  miles  north  and  one 
mile  west  of  Ellensburg,  Washington,  was  born 
in  Marion  county,  Iowa,  January  17,  1851.  His 
father,  Noah  Spurling,  a  farmer,  died  when  the 
son  was  three  years  old.  The  mother,  Emeline 
(Higgins)  Spurling,  married  again,  but  died 
when  William  was  ten  years  old.  He  lived  with 
his  stepfather  until  he  was  eighteen,  attending 
the  common  schools  of  Iowa,  then  engaged  in 
farming  with  his  brother-in-law,  until  he  was 
twenty-one.  He  then  ran  his  own  farm  for  nine 
years,  and  in  the  fall  of  1880  moved  to  Oregon 
and  spent  one  winter  in  Weston.  In  1881  he 
moved  to  Kittitas  county  and  worked  for  the 
Standard  Mill  Company,  that  fall  taking  up  a 
pre-emption  claim,  which  he'  later  commuted. 
This  land  is  his  present  home.  His  sisters  are: 
Mary  Jane  Myers,  Laura  M.  Davis  and  Louisa 
M.  Thorp,  all  natives  of  Indiana.  The  two  first 
named  live  in  Iowa  and  the  latter  in  Oklahoma. 
A  half-brother,  George  W.  Kee,  lives  in  Colo- 
rado. 

Mr.  Spurling  was  married  July  31,  1873,  to 
Miss  Amanda  Stephens,  daughter  of  C.  and 
Sarah  J.  (Riddlen)  Stephens.  Her  brothers  and 
sisters  are :  Elizabeth  Chambers,  of  Iowa  ;  Wil- 
liam, of  Iowa ;  Virgil  A.,  of  Oregon ;  George  W., 
of  Iowa ;  Mary  Jane  Myers,  of  Iowa ;  Green 
Stephens,  of  Iowa ;  Martha  De  Vore,  of  Oregon ; 
Nancy  E.  Rose,  of  Iowa,  and  Ada  Jones,  also  of 


Iowa.  Mrs.  Spurling  was  born  in  Iowa,  Febru- 
ary 9,  1853,  and  was  educated  in  that  state.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Spurling  have  eieht  children :  Virgil 
A.,  born  in  Iowa,  June  25,  .1874,  and  now  en- 
gaged in  the  lumber  business  on  Puget  Sound; 
Mrs.  Lola  J.  Poland,  born  in  Iowa,  September 
28,  1874,  lives  in  Puyallup;  Cecil  E.,  born  in 
Oregon,  January  28,  1881 ;  Seth  I.,  born  in  Kit- 
titas county,  July  15,  1883;  Ada  E.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 11,  1885,  now  taking  the  normal  course  in 
Ellensburg;  Grover  A.,  born  February  13,  1888, 
and  Amanda  A.,  born  December  25,  1891.  Mr. 
Spurling  is  an  active  member  of  the  Democratic 
party.  On  his  present  farm  of  two  hundred 
acres  he  has  fifty-five  head  of  cattle,  mostly  Dur- 
hams,  of  which  breed  he  makes  a  specialty;  fif- 
teen horses  and  other  live  stock.  He  is  an  ener- 
getic and  successful  farmer  and  deserves  the 
prosperity  which  has  come  to  him. 


HOWARD  EBERT,  a  successful  farmer  one 
and  one-half  miles  west,  and  five  miles  north,  of 
Ellensburg,  Washington,  was  born  in  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania,  March  7,  1839.  His  father,  Phil- 
lip Ebert,  was  a  Pennsylvania  farmer.  His 
mother,  Mary  A.  (Slaybaugh)  Ebert,  died  in 
Illinois,  to  which  state  the  family  moved  when 
Howard  was  eleven  years  old.  He  was  educated 
there  during  the  seven  years  residence  of  his 
family.  In  1858  he  went  to  Missouri  for  a  year. 
In  the  spring  of  1859  he  started  across  the  Plains 
with  ten  other  men,  in  charge  of  the  Cook  and 
Miller  drove  of  six  hundred  cattle.  They  arrived 
on  the  Carson  river  after  a  trip  of  about  four 
months,  and  he  there  went  to  work  in  the  mines. 
He  later  visited  San  Francisco,  and  went  to  Men- 
docino county,  where  he  became  the  owner,  for 
the  first  time,  of  cattle  and  horses.  He  remained 
in  California  until  1863,  when  he  moved  to  Ore- 
gon. He  was  in  the  produce  business,  and  dur- 
ing the  war  he  was  a  member  of  the  First  Ore- 
gon infantry.  He  took  up  a  homestead  in  Benton 
county,  and  lived  there  twenty  years.  In  1884 
he  moved  to  Kittitas  county,  took  up  a  timber 
culture  claim,  and  bought  railroad  land.  His 
brothers  and  sisters  are:  William,  of  Kansas 
City;  Daniel,  of  Illinois;  Mrs.  Sophia  Golds- 
berry,  of  Illinois,  and  Mrs.  Jane  S.  Long,  of 
Iowa. 

Mr.  Ebert  was  married,  in  Oregon,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Johnson,  who  died  in  1873.  He  later 
married  Miss  Jane  Porter,  daughter  of  Andrew 
Jackson  and  Elizabeth  (Lee)  Porter,  both  of 
whom  are  dead.  Mrs.  Ebert's  brothers  and  sis- 
ters are :  James  T.,  of  Oregon  ;  Florence  Hale, 
of  Michigan;  Elizabeth  Dunn,  of  Oregon;  Alva 
Chapman,  of  Oregon,  and  Rose  Price,  likewise  of 
Oregon.  Mrs.  Ebert  was  born  in  Ohio,  April 
18,  1855.  and  crossed  the  Plains  with  her  parents 
when  very  young.     To  the  first  marriage  were 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


8(5 1 


born  two  children,  Ernest,  born  May  5,  1865,  and 
Marcus  D.,  born  June  3,  1872.  By  the  second 
marriage  there  were  five  children :  Varena  J,., 
born  November  15,  1874;  George  A.,  born  July 
15,  1877;  James  T.,  born  May  18,  1879;  Amy 
Ann,  born  December  9,  1889,  and  Josie  M.,  born 
October  27,  1891.  Mr.  Ebert  is  a  member  of  the 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  and  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  attends  the 
Christian  church.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Republican  party.  He  now  has  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  and  twenty-one  head  of  horses. 
When  it  is  remembered  that  at  a  time  when  he 
was  but  twelve  years  old  he  began  breaking  sod 
with  an  ox  team,  it  is  not  strange  that  his  ability 
as  a  successful  farmer  should  be  generally  recog- 
nized. 


PARISH  A.  DICKEY,  a  well-to-do  farmer, 
living  seven  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Ellens- 
burg,  Washington,  was  born  in  Fayette  county, 
Indiana,  February  8,  1830.  His  father,  John 
Dickey,  was  a  Kentucky  farmer,  who  moved 
later  to  Indiana,  where  he  died  in  1855.  His 
mother,  Susan  (Parish)  Dickey,  was  born  in 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  died  in  Indiana  at  the  age 
of  forty-five  years.  They  had  nine  children,  in- 
cluding Parish  A.,  as  follows :  Robert,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Ward,  John,  Benjamin,  James,  Mrs.  Dor- 
cas Smiley,  Mrs.  Nancy  Johnson  and  Oliver. 
Mr.  Dickey  was  married  in  Fayette  county.  In- 
diana, November  2,  1854,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Rem- 
ington, daughter  of  Martillo  and  Anna  (Lyons) 
Remington.  Her  father  was  a  blacksmith  and 
carpenter  in  New  York,  and  crossed  the  Plains 
to  California  in  1855,  where  he  later  died.  Her 
mother  passed  away  at  the  age  of  sixty  in  Indi- 
ana. Mrs.  Dickey  was  born  June  6,  1838,  in 
Indiana,  where  she  was  educated.  She  is  one  of 
a  family  of  twelve  children,  all  of  whom  are  now 
deceased  with  the  exception  of  her  brother, 
Moses,  and  herself.  The  brother  still  lives  in 
Indiana,  and  is  a  man  of  public  affairs,  having 
served  two  terms  in  the  state  legislature.  Mr. 
Dickey  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Indiana, 
and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  twenty- 
four  years  old.  Later  he  engaged  in  farming  in 
various  parts  of  his  native  state,  until  March, 
1886,  when  he  moved  to  Washington  and  took 
up  as  a  homestead  the  land  upon  which  he  now 
resides.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dickey  have  seven  chil- 
dren, as  follows:  Mrs.  Ollie  Birdsall,  of  Chi- 
cago; Mrs.  Lucv  M.  Horney  (deceased),  born 
Inly  16,  1857;  Henry  D.,  born  May  3,  i860,  in 
Richmond,  Indiana ;  Edward  V.,  born  February 
12,  1870,  at  home;  Mrs.  Mary  Phillips,  born  April 
7,  1872,  now  residing  in  Harrison,  Idaho;  Mrs. 
Mattie  M.  Hubbard,  born  July  3,  1873,  at  home, 
and  Maurice  W.,  born  February  18,  1883.  Mr- 
Dickey  was  raised  under  strict  church  influences, 


his  parents  being  members  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  He  is  a  pronounced  Democrat  polit- 
ically, and  takes  an  active  part  in  the  councils  of 
his  party.  He  is  an  up-to-date  farmer  and  has 
one  of  the  best  places  in  the  valley,  a  splendid 
orchard  of  choice  fruits  being  one  of  the  attrac- 
tions of  his  well-appointed  place. 


THOMAS  SWANN  is  engaged  in  farming 
three  and  one-half  miles  north,  and  one-naif  mile 
west,  of  the  city  of  Ellensburg,  Washington. 
He  is  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia,  having  been  born 
in  Colchester  county,  May  16,  1854.  His  father, 
James  Swann,  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  born  in 
1812,  and  is  deceased.  His  mother,  Elizabeth 
(Graham)  Swann,  was  a  native  of  Nova  Scotia, 
and  died  in  Olympia,  Washington,  December  30, 
1890.  Her  son  was  educated  in  his  native  land, 
and  until  he  was  twenty-one  worked  in  his 
father's  sawmill  and  on  the  parental  homestead. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  the  spring  of 
1875,  locating  in  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  After 
six  months,  he  went  by  rail  to  Sacramento,  Cali- 
fornia, and  from  there  to  San  Francisco,  by 
steamer;  thence  to  Port  Townsend,  Washing- 
ton. He  then  worked  two  years  in  the  Port  Dis- 
covery sawmills  and  later  spent  nine  months  logging 
in  Thurston  county.  In  the  spring  of  1880.  he  drove 
logs  in  the  Yakima  river,  then  returned  to  the 
Sound  and  bought  a  ranch  at  the  head  of  Mud 
bay,  where  he  logged  and  farmed  nearly  eighteen 
years.  In  the  summer  of  1898  he  returned  to  the 
Kittitas  valley  and  took  up  as  a  homestead  the 
land  he  now  occupies.  His  eldest  sister.  Mrs. 
Mary  S.  Mcintosh,  and  another  sister,  Margaret, 
are  now  deceased.  The  surviving  brothers  and 
sisters  are:  George  G.,  living  on  the  Sound; 
Robert,  of  this  state;  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Vincent,  of 
Nova  Scotia;  Mrs.  Jeanette  J.  Azels,  of  Berke- 
ley, California,  and  Daniel  C,  of  Palouse  City, 
Washington. 

Mr.  Swann  was  married  Jannary  4,  1881,  to 
Miss  Margarett  Ann  Forbes,  who  died  Novem- 
ber 18,  1883.  November  8,  1884,  he  married  Miss 
Minnie  L.  McLane,  and  was  divorced  in  1892. 
February  12,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Adda 
(Hodges)  Forbes.  Her  father  and  mother,  Wil- 
liam and  Nancy  (Dunlap)  Young,  are  both  dead. 
Mrs.  Swann  was  born  in  Oregon,  February  14, 
1866,  was  educated  in  that  state  and  in  Wash- 
ington, and  is  a  graduate  of  the  Olympia  high 
school.  After  teaching  school  one  year,  she  was 
married  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  to  John  Forbes.  Her 
half-brothers  are  Mortimer,  William  and  James 
Hodges.  Mr.  Swann  has  one  child  by  his  first 
wife,  now  Mrs.  Audrey  L.  Sisk,  born  April  1, 
1882,  and  now  living  in  Kittitas  county.  By  his 
second  marriage  he  has  the  following  children  : 
Ruby  V.,  born  December  26,  18S5 ;  Martha  P. 
(deceased)  ;  Torance  M.,  born  February  8,   1888, 


862 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  James  W.,  born  March  9,  1889.  Mr.  Swann 
is  an  ardent  supporter  of  President  Roosevelt, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Fraternal  Order  of 
Eagles.  He  has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  in 
the  home  place,  which  is  well  improved.  He  also 
owns  a  twelve-room  house  and  two  lots  in  Olym- 
pia.  He  is  well  liked  in  the  community  and  is 
prominent  in  all  matters  tending  to  the  upbuild- 
ing of  the  Kittitas  valley. 


CHARLES  W.  JONES  lives  on  a  farm  eight 
and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Ellensburg.  He 
was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Illinois,  December 
30,  1861,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  L.  and  Elvira 
(Quick)  Jones,  both  of  whom  are  at  the  present 
time  living  on  a  farm  four  miles  west  of  Cen- 
tralia,  Clinton  county,  Illinois. 

Charles  L.  Jones  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1829,  and  came  to  Illinois  as  a  pioneer.  He 
secured  ownership  of  a  large  tract  of  land,  on  a 
part  of  which  he  and  his  wife  make  their  home. 
Mrs.  Jones,  the  subject's  mother,  is  a  native  of 
Ohio,  born  in  1871. 

Charles  W.  Jones  received  his  education  in  a 
common  country  school  of  his  native  state,  and 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  arriving  at  the  age 
of  twenty,  when  he  was  married  to  Martha  J. 
Maxey,  February  12,  1880.  After  his  marriage 
he  farmed  on  his  own  account,  in  Illinois,  for 
a  brief  period,  then,  in  1884,  came  to  the  Kittitas 
valley  and  bought  a  relinquishment  on  a  hundred 
and  sixty  acre  homestead.  He  immediately  be- 
gan improving  his  land,  and  in  the  allotted  time 
made  final  proof  upon  it.  He  now  has  it,  for  the 
most  part,  in  grain. 

He  has  one  brother  and  two  sisters  living, 
Edward  M.,  Mrs.  Eliza  L.  _  Garretson  and 
Mrs.  W.  Atwood  Gerry.  They  were  born  re- 
spectively, in  1870,  1862,  1868,  and  are  all  living 
on  or  near  the  old  home,  in  the  state  of  their 
birth. 

His  wife  was  the  daughter  of  Henry  N.  and 
Nancy  J.  (Downs)  Maxey.  Henry  N.  Maxey 
was  born  in  Illinois  in  1827.  He  was  an  old 
soldier  in  the  Civil  war.  He  enlisted  in  1865,  in 
Company  G,  Forty-ninth  regiment,  and  served 
until  the  close  of  the  war.  He  then  returned  to 
Illinois  and  continued  farming.  He  came  to  Kit- 
titas in  1884,  where  he  lived  until  his  death,  in 
1894.  Mrs.  Maxey  is  now  living  at  Ellensburg. 
Mrs.  Martha  Jones  was  born  in  Illinois  in 
1859.  She,  too,  was  educated  in  the  Illinois 
common  schools.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are : 
Thomas  M.,  William  N.  and  James  H.  Maxey, 
and  Alma  Watts,  all  natives  of  Illinois.  Two 
brothers  are  living  in  Kittitas  valley  and  Mrs. 
Watts  and  James  are  still  in  the  state  of  their 
birth. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tones  are : 
Thomas   L.,  Inez,   Ira  S.   and   N.   Evaline.     The 


dates  of  their  births  are:  1883,  1888,  1890,  1893, 
respectively.  All  are  living  at  home,  and  with 
the  exception  of  the  first  named,  who  was  born 
in  Illinois,  all  are  natives  of  Washington. 

Mr.  Jones  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party  and  is  wide-awake  in  all  enterprises 
launched  for  the  benefit  and  upbuilding  of  his 
community.  With  a  fine  farm,  stocked  with 
herds  of  well-bred  cattle  and  horses,  an  enviable 
reputation  as  a  neighbor  and  business  man, 
Charles  W.  Jones  is  universally  rated  as  a  sub- 
stantial and  valuable  citizen   in  his  community. 


ALEXANDER  MADDUX.  Alexander  Mad- 
dux, a  prosperous  farmer  whose  home  is  nine  miles 
northwest  of  Ellensburg,  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Illinois,  December  25,  1852.  His  father  was 
Benjamin  Maddux,  a  native  of  Georgia  and  of 
Irish-German  parentage.  He  removed  with  his 
father  to  Illinois  when  a  boy  of  ten  years.  Subject's 
mother  was  Malinda  (Smith)  Maddux,  a  native  of 
Illinois.  She  passed  away  when  he  was  a  babe  of 
three  weeks.  As  a  boy,  Alexander  attended  the 
common  schools  until  seventeen  years  of  age.  His 
father  died  and  left  him  an  orphan  in  his  seventh 
year,  and  from  that  time  until  he  was  eleven  he 
was  given  a  home  with  his  uncle.  From  his  elev- 
enth to  his  seventeenth  year  he  worked  in  different 
places  for  his  board  and  schooling.  After  leaving 
school  he  worked  out  by  the  month  until  he  arrived 
at  his  majority,  when  he  began  farming  independ- 
ently. In  1879  he  went  to  Vernon  county,  Missouri, 
where  he  followed  agricultural  pursuits  for  some 
twelve  years.  In  1891  he  came  to  the  Kittitas  valley 
and  took  up  a  forty  acre  farm,  to  which  he  has 
since  added  eighty  acres,  which  comprise  his  present 
real  estate  holdings.  He  has  one  brother,  George, 
born  in  Illinois,  185 1,  and  now  residing  in  Missouri. 
In  Vernon  county,  Missouri,  January  7,  1885, 
Mr.  Maddux  was  married  to  Miss  Mary  E.  Trimble, 
born  in  Kentucky  in  1859.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
David  F.  Trimble,  a  Kentuckian  by  birth  and  a 
farmer  and  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  Mrs.  Trimble, 
whose  maiden  name  was  Fox,  was  born  in  Ken- 
tucky, and  is  now  living  in  Virginia. 

Mrs.  Maddux  Jias  brothers  and  sisters,  as  fol- 
lows :  John  H.  Trimble,  living  in  Indiana ;  George 
W.,  deceased ;  Marion,  Frank  and  Leander,  of  West 
Virginia;  Mrs.  Emily  J.  Knox,  of  Nebraska,  and 
Mrs.  Sarah  A.  Stamper,  a  resident  of  Minnesota. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maddux  have  one  daughter,  Ruby  P., 
born  November  16,  1896.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maddux 
both  affiliate  with  the  Free  Methodist  church;  the 
husband  is  an  active  worker  in  the  Republican  party. 
Few  men  have  been  thrown  against  the  sharp  cor- 
ners of  life  harder  and  more  roughly  handled  by 
Fate  than  has  Alexander  Maddux,  and  equally  few 
have  overcome  besetting  obstacles  and  borne  re- 
verses with  greater  fortitude  and  bravery  than  has 
he.     Being  left  an   orphan   at  a  critical  period   in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


life,  he  was  compelled  to  work  out  the  problem  of 
success  practically  alone  and  unaided,  and  he  may 
justly  feel  proud  of  his  achievements,  since  he  now 
has  a  comfortable  and  happy  home,  and  is  regarded 
by  the  world  at  large  as  a  trustworthy  and  hon- 
orable man. 


•  WILLIAM  B.  LASSWELL,  living  on  his  farm 
near  Ellensburg,  was  born  in  California,  March  16, 
1861,  the  son  of  William  and  Ellen  (Williams) 
Lasswell,  the  former  of  English  descent,  the  latter 
a  native  of  Scotland.  William  Lasswell  was  born  in 
Illinois  in  1833,  and  at  an  early  age  removed  with 
his  parents  to  Indiana.  In  1852  he  came  to  Cali- 
fornia in  a  wagon  drawn  by  oxen,  and  has  lived  in 
that  state  since.  Mrs.  Lasswell,  our  subject's 
mother,  came  from  Scotland  to  Ohio  during  her 
first  year,  remained  there  until  grown  to  woman- 
hood, then  came  to  California,  where  she  is  now 
living.  Her  son,  William  B.,  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  state  until  fourteen  years  of 
age,  and  then  began  driving  a  four-horse  express 
wagon  over  the  mountain  roads.  He  followed  this 
vocation  until  in  his  sixteenth  year,  when  he  went 
to  Contra  Costa  county,  California,  remaining 
there  three  years.  In  the  spring  of  1880  he  came  to 
Ellensburg  and  worked  on  various  farms  for  five 
years,  during  which  time  he  filed  a  pre-emption  on 
a  piece  of  land,  upon  which  he  later  made  final 
proof.  He  disposed  of  his  claim  to  good  advantage, 
rented  land,  and  followed  the  cattle  business  two 
years.  He  purchased  his  present  farm  in  1899,  and 
has  constantly  improved  it  si.nce  that  time  until  he 
now  has  it  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has 
four  brothers  and  four  sisters :  Anna,  Carrie,  Rob- 
ert, Ida,  George,  Alice,  Edward  and  Albert,  all  of 
whom  were  born  in  California,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  Anna  and  George,  who  have  passed  away, 
are  still  living  in  their  native  state. 

Mr.  Lasswell  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  Oc- 
tober 8,  1886,  to  Miss  Nancy  Garrison,  who  was 
born  in  Chehalis,  Washington,  June  29,  1870.  She 
received  her  early  education  in  the  town  of  her 
birth,  and  came  to  Kittitas  county  at  the  age  of 
thirteen  years.  Her  father,  Calvin  Garrison,  is  a 
native  of  Oregon,  and  is  now  living  in  Centralia, 
Washington.  Her  mother  is  Pollie  (Phelps)  Gar- 
rison, born  in  Iowa,  and  is  now  living  with  her  hus- 
band in  Centralia.  Mrs.  Lasswell's  brothers  and 
sisters  are :  Hurley,  living  in  British  Columbia ; 
Albert,  British  Columbia;  Lillian  Huntington, 
Washington ;  William  G.,  Washington ;  Subenia 
English,  British  Columbia;  May  Huntington,  Cal- 
ifornia; Frank,  British  Columbia;  Joseph.  Centralia, 
Washington,  and  Myrtle  Garrison,  living  in  Cen- 
tralia. All  were  horn  in  the  state  of  Washington. 
One  brother,  George,  born  in  Washington,  is  now 
deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lasswell  have  three  chil- 
dren:  Pearl,  born  January  27,  1889;  Mabel,  born 
September  7,  1895.  and  Minnie,  born  April  16,  1899. 


All  were  born  in  the  Kittitas  valley.  Besides  thesej 
five  children  have  died.  Their  names  and  dates  of 
birth  were:  Lillie,  July  29,  1887;  Ewing,  January 
27,  1889;  Maud,  September  6,  1893;  Lottie,  October 
7,  1894,  and  Delia,  September  6,  1902. 

The  father  of  the  family  is,  fraternally,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.  Politically,  he  is  a  Republican.  Both 
he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  M.  E.  church. 
Mr.  Lasswell  owns  eighty  acres  of  choice  land,  forty 
head  of  cattle  and  a  sufficient  number  of  horses  with 
w^hich  to  successfully  cultivate  his  land.  He  makes 
a  specialty  of  dairying  and  is  operating  a  modern 
and  well  appointed  dairy  on  his  ranch.  He  is  an 
enthusiast  in  matters  pertaining  to  education  and 
for  the  past  three  years  has  been  a  member  of  his 
local  school  board.  He  is  counted  a  trustworthy 
and  valuable  citizen  of  his  countv. 


BENARD  HANSON,  born  in  Norway,  Octo- 
ber 10,  1844,  is  now  a  farmer  residing  on  an  ex- 
tensive tract  of  land  near  Ellensburg.  His  father, 
Charley  Hanson,  a  farmer,  lived  and  died  in  Nor- 
way, the  country  of  his  birth.  Our  subject's  mother 
was  Bertha  (Beran)  Hanson,  also  born  in  Norway. 
Benard  rlaiison  left  home  at  the  tender  age  of  eight 
and  worked  for  his  board  and  clothing  until  four- 
teen, when  he  adopted  the  life  of  a  sailor.  He  fol- 
lowed the  sea,  covering  the  greater  part  of  the  globe, 
until  October  5,  1867,  when  he  landed  at  San  Fran- 
cisco, and  went  to  work  in  the  state  of  California. 
He  remained  there  for  ten  years,  then  came  to  the 
Kittitas  vallev  and  worked  among  the  mills  there- 
abouts for  five  years.  In  the  meantime  he  had  filed 
a  timber  claim,  and  later  purchased  437  acres  of  rail- 
road land.  On  this  tract  he  made  his  present  home. 
He  has  his  land  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  a 
select  orchard,  forty  acres  of  alfalfa  and  twenty-five 
acres  of  timothy.  The  remainder  of  his  land  is  in 
grain  and  native  grass.  His  brothers  and  sisters 
are:  Hans,  Ole,  John.  Bardenes,  Brendler  and 
Agnes.  All  were  born  in  Norway  and  are  still  liv- 
ing in  that  country.  Besides  these,  two  brothers, 
Charles  and  Jacob,  are  dead. 

Mr.  Hanson  was  married  in  the  Kittitas  valley, 
December  25,  1882,  to  Miss  Sophia  Bell  Jones,  born 
in  California,  November  29,  1865.  Her  early  girl- 
hood was  spent  in  school  in  her  native  state,  when, 
at  the  age  of  thirteen,  she  came  to  the  Kittitas 
valley  with  her  parents,  where  she  finished  her  ed- 
ucation. At  the  ape  of  eighteen  she  was  married 
to  Mr.  Hanson.  Her  father  is  John  B.  and  her 
mother  Martha  L.  (Brown)  Tones;  the  former 
born  in  Kentucky  and  the  latter  in  Illinois.  Mr. 
Jones  was  born  in  183S.  was  a  farmer  and  came  to 
this  state  in  1877.  He  is  now  living:  on  Wilson 
creek,  five  miles  from  Ellensburg.  Mrs.  Jones 
crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in  an  early  day. 
Her  father  was  a  Canadian,  and  lived  in  California 
for   a   number   of  vears.     Mrs.   Hanson's  brothers 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  sisters  are :  Mary  F.  Coble,  California,  born 
in  1864;  Mattie  R.  Waycott,  born  in  California  in 
1867,  now  of  Washington;  Narcissus  Needham, 
born  in  California  in  1870,  now  of  Washington ; 
Johnie,  born  in  California  in  1872,  living  in  Wash- 
ington; Henrietta  Washburn,  born  in  Washington 
in  1878  and  still  a  resident  of  Washington ;  Waiter, 
born  in  Washington  in  1882,  living  on  Wilson 
creek,  and  Alpha  Fetters,  born  in  Washington  in 
1884,  and  still  living  in  this  state.  The  children 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanson  are :  Bertha  Taylor, 
born  in  Kittitas  count}',  1883,  now  living  in  the 
valley ;  John  Henry,  Kittitas  county,  1886,  at  home ; 
Martha  E.,  Kittitas  county,  1888,  at  home;  Jacob 
W.,  Washington,  1891,  at  home;  Mary  F.,  Kittitas 
county,  1893,  at  home;  Ora  Bell  Hanson,  Kittitas 
County,  1895,  at  home;  Charles  Richard,  Kittitas 
county,  1897,  at  home;  Narcissa,  Kittitas  county, 
1899,  at  home,  and  Theodore  R.,  born  in  the  Kitti- 
tas valley,  1902,  and  now  living  with  his  parents. 
Mr.  Hanson  is  a  Republican,  and  both  he  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  has 
a  good  farm  and  a  large  number  of  cattle,  horses 
and  hogs.  He  is  a  well-to-do  and  a  good  citizen, 
held  in  high  esteem  by  his  neighbors. 


MARCUS  M.  CAHOON.  Marcus  M.  Cahoon 
was  born  in  Benton  county,  Oregon,  August  29, 
1849.  and  now  lives  on  a  farm  nine  miles  northwest 
of  Ellensburg.  His  father  was  Mark  Cahoon,  born 
in  Virginia,  November  16,  1810.  He,  too,  was  a 
farmer,  and  removed  from  his  native  state  to  Ohio, 
thence  to  Indiana,  and  later  to  Missouri.  During 
1847  he  came  to  Oregon  in  the  capacity  of  captain 
of  a  wagon  train,  having  in  line  one  hundred  and 
fifty  wagons.  In  1858  he  went  to  Jackson  county, 
Oregon,  and  in  the  spring  of  i860  went  to  Yolo 
county,  California,  and  from  that  state,  in  1865, 
came  to  Lewis  county,  Washington  Territory.  In 
1877  he  removed  to  Yakima  county,  and  in  the 
spring  of  1878  he  came  to  the  Kittitas  valley,  where 
he  died  in  1890.  He  was  of  Irish  descent.  Our  sub- 
ject's mother,  Ann  (Modie)  Cahoon,  was  born  in 
Ohio,  of  Scotch  and  German  parents,  and  died 
May,  1S52.  The  first  eleven  years  of  Marcus  M. 
Cahoon's  life  were  spent  in  school  in  Oregon,  in 
Benton  and  Jackson  counties.  In  i860  the  family 
removed  to  Yolo  county,  California,  and  thence, 
August  8,  1865,  to  Lewis  county,  Washington,  and 
engaged  in  farming.  November,  1877,  Marcus  left 
Lewis  county  and  came  to  Yakima  county.  In  the 
spring  of  1878  he  removed  to  the  Kittitas  valley, 
and  in  May  pre-empted  a  quarter  section  of  land, 
which  he  later  homesteaded.  He  has  been  improv- 
ing this  land  ever  since,  and  now  has  the  major 
portion  of  it  in  cultivation.  His  brothers  and  sisters 
are:  Adaline  E.  Simmons,  born  in  Missouri,  1837, 
now  of  North  Yakima;  Jenette  Ford,  Liddie  A. 
Ford,  Cynthe  J.  Hawkins,  and  J.  W.  Cahoon,  of 


Ellensburg,  all  born  in  Missouri,  and  only  the  first 
and  last  named  are  now  living. 

In  Lewis  county,  Washington,  December  6, 
1875,  ^r-  Cahoon  was  married  to  Miss  Emma 
Barton,  daughter  of  Jackson  and  Belinda  (Calvert) 
Barton,  die  former  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  in  1824, 
and  the  latter  of  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1833.  Mrs. 
Barton  died  in  1873.  Jackson  Barton  was  a  farmer 
who  crossed  the  Plains  in  1853  and  settled  in  Lewis 
county,  Washington,  where  he  still  lives.  Here 
Mrs.  Cahoon  was  born,  December  6,  1857,  and  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  of  her  native 
county.  She  was  married  in  her  eighteenth  year. 
Her  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Effie  Kieth,  born  Sep- 
tember 6,  1864;  Grant,  June  14,  1867;  Alvin,  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1870;  Clinton,  October  17,  1874;  Mary 
Sidel,  born  in  Missouri,  July  16,  185 1 ;  Clark,  born 
in  Umatilla  county,  Oregon,  en  route  from  Mis- 
souri, July  24,  1853 ;  Amelia  Davis,  July  4,  1855 ; 
Harvey,  January  7,  i860,  and  Ella  Harrison,  June 
13,  1862.  They  were  all  born  in  Lewis  county, 
Washington,  with  the  exception  of  Mary  and  Clark, 
and  all  but  Clark,  Harvey  and  Alvin,  who  are  now 
deceased,  reside  in  the  Evergreen  state. 

The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cahoon  are :  Clin- 
ton M.,  born  in  Yakima  county,  January  3,  1878; 
Effie  A.  Moen,  born  in  Kittitas  county,  September 
5,  1882;  Marcus  E.  and  Nora  E.,  both  born  in  Kit- 
titas county,  June  22,  1884,  and  February  19,  1886, 
respectively.  The  children  all  live  in  the  vicinity 
of  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Cahoon  has,  besides  his  land, 
forty  head  of  cattle,  and  a  sufficient  number  of 
horses,  implements,  etc.,  to  successfully  cultivate 
his  farm.  He  is  an  active  worker  in  the  ranks  of 
the  Republican  party,  is  a  foremost  leader  in  all 
movements  put  on  foot  for  the  betterment  of  sur- 
rounding conditions,  and  is  universally  respected 
and  regarded  as  an  industrious  and  conscientious 
citizen. 


SIMEON  EVANS.  Originally  from  Ozark 
county,  Missouri,  born  March  9,  1853,  Simeon  Evans 
is  now  a  prosperous  farmer  residing  twelve, miles 
north,  and  four  west,  of  Ellensburg.  His  parents 
are  Jesse  and  Bertema  (Welch)  Evans,  the  former 
.1  farmer,  born  in  Indiana,  1815,  coming  from  one 
of  the  early  pioneer  families  of  that  state.  Simeon 
received  his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
of  his  native  state,  and  at  the  age  of  nineteen 
launched  out  upon  an  independent  career  to  make 
his  own  way  in  the  world.  His  father,  as  a  result 
of  the  Civil  war,  met  with  financial  disaster,  and 
this  made  it  extremely  difficult  for  the  son  to  ac- 
quire an  education.  He  persevered,  however,  and 
succeeded  in  becoming  proficient  in  the  branches 
taught  in  the  grammar  schools  of  his  day.  After 
leaving  home  young  Evans  farmed  in  the  state  of 
his  birth  until  1882,  then  departed  for  the  state  of 
Washington.  He  bought  a  farm  soon  after  his 
arrival,  but  later  sold  it  and  purchased  the  property 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


where  he  makes  his  present  home.  He  has  forty 
acres  of  his  land  in  timothy  and  clover  meadow. 
His  two  brothers  and  one  sister  were  born  in  Mis- 
souri, and  are  named :  Robert,  living  in  Missouri ; 
Jane  Piland,  born  in  185 1,  now  living  in  Yakima 
county,  and  James,  born  1855,  now  0I  Kittitas 
county. 

Mr.  Evans  was  married  to  Miss  Malinda  Mc- 
Donald, in  September,  1872,  in  his  native  state.  She 
died  in  June,  1884,  and  six  years  later  he  married 
Miss  Florence  J.  Ellison,  the  daughter  of  William 
and  Mrs.  (Fleek)  Ellison,  the  former  a  farmer. 
Mrs.  Evans  was  born  in  Kansas,  1870,  and  educated 
in  the  grammar  schools  of  her  native  state.  She 
came  to  Washington  with  her  father  in  1889,  and 
was  married  the  following  year.  To  this  union 
have  been  born  fourteen  children,  as  follows :  Born 
in  Kansas  and  now  living  in  Kittitas  county,  Charles 
Ellison,  Eugene,  Lewis,  Minnie  Baugh  and  Roy ; 
Elizabeth  Fletcher,  born  in  Missouri,  March  9, 
1870.  living  in  Yakima;  Robert,  born  in  Missouri, 
April  24,  1882,  now  in  Kittitas;  Sarah  S.  Cahoon, 
born  in  Missouri,  now  in  Kittitas ;  Rolla,  born  in 
this  state;  Ruth,  Henry  and  May,  all  born  in  Kit- 
titas county;  Leonora  and  Verna,  also  natives  of 
Washington.  The  last  six  named  children  live  with 
their  parents  in  the  Kittitas  valley. 

Mr.  Evans  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  He  owns 
160  acres  of  land,  thirty  head  of  cattle  and  three 
horses,  besides  farm  equipage.  He  is  rated  a  well- 
to-do  farmer  and  a  peaceful,  law-abiding  citizen. 
He  is  liberal  and  enterprising  whenever  called  upon 
for  co-operation  in  any  undertaking  for  the  better- 
ment of  surrounding  conditions,  and,  as  a  conse- 
quence, stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  his  fellows. 


BARTHEL  ZWICKER.,  a  prosperous  farmer 
residing  near  Ellensburg,  Washington,  is  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  February  19,  i860.  His  father, 
Cornelias  Zwicker,  was  a  German,  and  died  while 
Barthel  was  a  small  lad.  His  mother,  Anna  M. 
(Meier)  Zwicker,  was  born  in  Germany  in  1823. 
She  came  to  the  United  States  in  1874  and  settled 
in  Michigan,  dying  in  1896.  Mr.  Zwicker  received 
his  education,  up  to  his  fourteenth  year,  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  country,  coming  to  this 
country  with  his  mother  in  1874.  He  was  in  Mich- 
igan ten  years,  most  of  which  time  was  spent  as  an 
employee  in  a  copper  stamp-mill.  In  1884  he  came 
to  the  Kittitas  valley,  and  for  four  years  worked 
by  the  month  for  various  farmers,  then  took  a 
homestead  of  his  own  and  added  to  it  by  a  purchase 
of  160  acres  of  railroad  land.  He  has  been  farm- 
ing this  property  from  that  time  until  the  present, 
and  has  it  all  under  cultivation,  his  crops  being 
principally  grain  and  grass.  He  has  four  sisters, 
all  natives  of  German)-,  and  all  living:  in  the  state 
of  Michigan.  Their  names  are :  Anna  Mertes, 
Mary  Peck,  Thersia  Gleseuer,  and  Clara  Molton. 

Mr.   Zwicker   was   married,    May   20,    1891,   to 


Miss  Frances  A.  Robbins,  a  native  of  England. 
She  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  also  educated  in 
the  Kittitas  valley,  Washington,  and  was  married 
at  the  age  of  twenty-six.  Her  father,  Dr.  John 
Robbins,  was  born  in  Birmingham,  England,  in 
1834,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1872.  In 
1878  he  came  to  Washington  Territory,  and  was  a 
pioneer  of  the  West.  He  is  now  living  in  the  vicin- 
ity of  Ellensburg,  on  Springfield  farm.  Her  mother, 
Elizabeth  (Benton)  Robbins,  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England,  1812,  and  was  married  in  1833. 
Mrs.  Zwicker's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Walter  J., 
born  January  6,  1856;  Earnest  A.,  March  3,  1858; 
Fannie  Thomas,  November  30,  i860;  Bertha  Vra- 
denburgh,  April  9,  1862;  William  Von  E.,  Septem- 
ber 26,  1863 ;  Harry  E.,  August  27,  1865 ;  Minnie 
E.  Sellwood,  December  8,  1866;  Charles  O.,  born 
February  13,  1868;  George  B.,  February  24,  1869; 
Nellie  E.  Craig,  November  25,  1872;  Blanche  A., 
May  13,  1870;  Lillie  A.,  August  24,  1874;  Daisie 
E.,  April  28.  1876;  Mary  B.,  August  24,  1878; 
Clara  A.,  February  17,  1883,  and  Laura  M.  Rob- 
bins, February  23,  1885.  Mrs.  Zwicker  died  May 
14,  1900,  leaving  two  children,  Anna  E.  and  Clara 
M.,  both  born  in  the  Kittitas  valley,  May  8,  1897, 
and  August  6,  1899,  respectively.  Both  live  at 
home  with  their  father.  Mr.  Zwicker  is  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  In  addition  to  the  land  previously 
mentioned  in  this  biography,  he  has  one  hundred 
head  of  well  bred  Durham  cattle  and  twelve  head 
of  horses.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  all  public 
affairs  of  his  locality.  He  is  a  man  of  high  morals, 
excellent  social  and  financial  standing,  and  is  de- 
termined and  aggressive  in  furthering  all  public 
enterprises  which  his  conscience  tells  him  are  for 
the  best  advantage  of  the  community  at  large,  and 
equally  so  in  opposing  those  which  he  considers  to 
be  detrimental  to  the  best  interests  of  the  citizens. 
In  all,  he  is  a  leading  man  in  the  valley. 


CHARLES  H.  McDONALD.  Charles  H.  Mc- 
Donald is  a  native  of  Portland,  Oregon,  born  Sep- 
tember 9,  1852,  and  is  now  a  farmer  living  in  the 
Kittitas  valley.  His  father,  Halley  McDonald,  was 
born  in  Providence.  Rhode  Island,  in  1819,  and  was 
an  architect  by  trade.  He  crossed  the  Plains 
to  California  in  1S47.  and  three  years  later  made  his 
home  in  Portland,  dying  there  March  10,  1901. 
Elizabeth  (Sampson)  McDonald,  mother  of  Charles 
H.,  is  also  a  native  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
born  in  1S21.  married  at  the  age  of  twenty,  and 
now  living  in  Portland,  Ore.  The  school  life  of 
Mr.  McDonald  was  spent  in  the  grammar  and  high 
schools  of  his  native  city.  He  finished  his  course 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  and  began  farming.  He  fol- 
lowed this  vocation  four  years,  then  went  to  eastern 
Oregon  and  engaged  in  the  stock  raising  business, 
which  he  pursued  some  six  years.  In  iS82  he 
turned  his  attention  to  mining,  and  followed  that 
branch  of  industry  for  a  similar  length  of  time.     In 


866 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


1888  he  came  to  Ellensburg,  entered  the  field  as  a 
stockman  and  creamery  operator,  and  still  remains 
in  that  business.  He  has  a  brother,  William  H.,  born 
in  Providence,  now  a  business  man  in  New  York 
City.  His  other  brother,  John  C,  born  in  Port- 
land, Oregon,  is  still  living  in  his  native  city,  en- 
gaged in  the  insurance  business.  His  sisters  are: 
El. a  Hinman.  born  in  Portland,  now  of  Ellensburg; 
Burtie  G.  inies,  a  native  and  resident  of  Portland, 
and  Anna  McDonald,  of  like  place  of  birth  and  resi- 
dence. 

Mr.  McDonald  was  married  in  Ellensburg, 
June,  1889,  to  Miss  Carrie  Cannon.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  this  union,  Henry  Earl  and  Nel- 
lie; both  born  in  the  Kittitas  valley,  the  son  on 
September  14,  1889,  and  the  daughter  February  14, 
1893.  Both  children  are  living  at  home.  Mr.  Mc- 
Donald is  an  active  and  aggressive  Republican,  tak- 
ing a  deep  interest  and  a  foremost  part  in  the  county 
organization  of  his  party.  Besides  his  farm  and 
dairy  he  has  seventy  head  of  cows  and  a  sufficient 
number  of  horses  to  carry  on  the  business  of  farm- 
ing. Few  men  are  better  posted  on  the  early  history 
of  the  Northwest,  in  which  he  has  taken  an  active 
part,  than  is  Mr.  McDonald.  He  is  a  substantial 
business  man  and  a  good  citizen. 


WILLIAM  WALTERS  lives  one  and  one-half 
miles  west  of  Ellensburg,  Washington,  on  rural 
free  delivery  route  No.  1.  He  owns  twenty  acres 
of  excellent  land  watered  by  the  big  irrigation  ditch 
and  expects  to  make  this  place  his  permanent  home. 
He  is  also  a  stockholder  in  the  Lagoon  cannery, 
which  is  being  successfully  operated  in  Nelson, 
Ah  ska.  and  has  other  investments  and  securities, 
ample  evidences  of  his  business  ability  and  pros- 
perity. He  was  born  in  Granola,  Elk  county, 
Kansas,  April  14,  1874.  His  father,  David  Walters, 
was  of  Dutch  descent  and  a  native  of  Kentucky. 
He  served  in  the  Mexican  war  and  died  when  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  an  infant.  William's 
mother,  Alice  (Williams)  Walters,  was  also  a  native 
of  Kentucky.  Her  father  was  of  an  English  family 
and  he  served  during  the  war  with  Mexico.  Mr. 
Walters  attended  various  schools  in  his  native 
county  until  he  was  sixteen.  In  1890  he  got  the 
Washington  fever  and  moved  west,  locating  in  El- 
lensburg. He  invested  his  money  in  the  sheep  busi- 
ness, in  partnership  with  his  brothers.  In  the  fall 
of  1901  he  sold  his  interests  and  purchased  the  small 
irrigated  farm  that  is  now  his  home.  He  has  three 
brothers.  Hubbard,  born  in  Illinois  in  1868,  is 
now  a  resident  of  Owyhee,  Oregon.  The  second 
brother,  Jefferson,  was  born  in  1871.  and  lives  in 
Ellensburg.  David,  born  in  Kansas  in  1876,  is  a 
resident  of  North  Yakima.  Washington.  Nellie 
Walters,  a  half-sister,  born  in  Kansas  in  1884.  now 
lives  in  Granola,  that  state. 

Mr.  Walters  was  married  in  Howard,  Kansas, 
August   15,   1900,  to   Miss  Cora   Gulick,  who  was 


born  in  Elk  Falls,  Kansas,  February  22,  1880,  and 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  her  native  town.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Gilbert  and  Mary  Gulick,  both 
natives  of  Champaign,  Illinois,  and  was  one  of  a 
family  of  thirteen  children.  Her  brothers  and  sis- 
ters were  as  follows  :  Warren,  Fredenburg,  Edward 
S.,  Harvey  L.,  Charles  J.,  Rose  E.,  Nettie  and  Ret- 
tie  (twins),  Grover  C,  Hattie  (deceased),  Judd  S. 
and  Josie  F.  Gulick. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walters  have  one  child,  William 
D.,  who  was  born  September  29,  1901. 


HENRY  TONER  was  left  an  orphan  when  but 
a  mere  lad,  and  has  had  to  struggle  for  himself 
since  he  was  thirteen  years  old.  He  is  to-day  one  of 
the  leading  farmers  of  central  Washington,  having 
by  application  and  business  acumen  accumulated 
a  property  that  assures  a  steady  income.  He  re- 
sides two  miles  west  and  one-half  mile  south  of 
Ellensburg.  Mr.  Toner  was  born  in  Lonesdale, 
Rhode  Island,  March  18,  1857.  His  father,  Henry 
Toner,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  his  mother, 
Mary  (McCartan)  Toner,  was  born  in  Scotland. 
Mr.  Toner's  educational  opportunities  were  limited 
on  account  of  the  death  of  his  parents,  but  he  re- 
ceived a  few  years'  instruction  in  the  public  schools 
of  his  native  county  before  he  went  to  Marysville, 
California,  when  fourteen  years  old,  and  began  farm 
work.  He  continued  that  employment  until  18S0, 
when  he  moved  to  Kittitas  (then  Yakima)  county, 
Washington.  He  rented  a  farm  and  established  the 
foundation  for  his  fortune.  He  was  most  success- 
ful on  the  rented  place  and  later  purchased  his 
present  farm.  He  has  acquired  a  property,  the  in- 
come from  which  will  keep  him  and  his  family  com- 
fortably, without  the  hard  labor  which  usually  ac- 
companies farm  life.  He  now  rents  the  farm,  ex- 
cept die  home  and  garden.  He  owns  280  acres  of 
farm  lands,  1,440  acres  of  grazing  land,  100  head  of 
horses  and  cattle  and  about  3.000  head  of  sheep. 
Mr.  Toner  was  one  of  a  family  of  four  children. 
His  eldest  brother,  John,  was  an  engineer  on  a  man- 
of-war.  His  sister,  Alice,  and  brother.  Barney,  are 
dead.  The  voungest  sister,  Kittie.  is  a  resident  of 
Lonesdale.  Rhode  Island.  He  was  married  in  the 
city  of  Old  Yakima,  December  24.  1880,  to  Miss 
Katinka  Coleman,  who  was  born  .in  Santa  Rosa, 
California,  October  14.  1859.  Fler  father.  William 
Coleman,  was  born  in  Kentuckv  in  1822,  and  died  in 
Ellensburg.  April  7,  1888.  "Her  mother,  Mary 
(Neardan)  Coleman,  was  born  in  Kentucky  and 
died  when  her  daughter  Katinka  was  very  young. 
Jnmes.  born  in  1849,  and  Mrs.  Angeline  Brown, 
Mrs.  Toner's  eldest  brother  and  sister,  are  now  de- 
ceased. Elias.  bom  in  1853.  now  a  resident  of 
EHensburg.  and  Orangre  Coleman,  born  October  10, 
1SS7,  and  now  living  in  Oreeon,  are  her  brothers. 
Mrs.  Toner  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church 
and  both  husband  and  wife  are  among  the  most  re- 
spected citizens  of  the  valley. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


PETER  J.  NORLIXG,  a  native  of  Sweden, 
where  he  was  born  November  16,  1848,  has  been 
a  resident  of  Washington  since  18S3.  Pie  is  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  stock  raising,  on  his  farm 
two  miles  southwest  of  Ellensburg,  on  rural  free 
delivery  route  No.  1.  He  is  the  son  of  John  and 
Elsie  (Peterson)  Nelson,  both  natives  of  Sweden. 
His  father  died  when  he  was  but  twelve  months 
old,  and  his  mother  passed  away  five  years  later. 
Mr.  Norling  was  educated  in  Sweden  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1871,  locating  in  Chicago. 
He  was  there  employed  as  a  carpenter  until  1875, 
when  he  went  to  Colorado  to  accept  a  position  as 
millwright  in  a  mine.  May  1,  1883.  he  arrived  in 
Ellensburg  and  was  employed  by  State  Senator 
T.  P.  Sharp,  for  whom  he  worked  three  years.  Mr. 
Norling  then  purchased  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
sixty  acres  of  land,  which  he  worked  for  five  years 
and  then  disposed  of.  He  then  purchased  the  ranch 
upon  which  he  now  resides.  He  has  two  sisters 
and  one  brother:  Hannah,  born  in  1841 ;  Angie, 
born  in  1843,  an^  Nels  Nelson,  born  in  1845. 

He  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  July  3,  1894,  to 
Annie  Marie  (Magnuson)  Swanson,  a  widow,  who 
was  born  in  Kalma,  Sweden,  March  2S,  1858.  She 
has  two  brothers  and  three  sisters,  all  natives  of 
the  old  country.  They  are :  Otto  W.  Magnuson, 
born  in  i860  and  now  a  resident  of  LTtah ;  Augusta, 
born  in  1865.  a  resident  of  Stockholm;  Mrs.  Ame- 
lia Johnson,  born  in  1873  and  dwelling  in  Africa; 
John,  born  in  1878,  and  Annetta,  born  in  1880,  and 
now  living  in  Stockholm.  Mrs.  Norling  had  three 
children  by  her  first  marriage :  Augusta,  born 
February  4,  1887:  John,  February  11,  1889,  and 
Oscar  Swanson,  February  27,  1891.  Mr.  Norling 
is  the  father  of  one  child.  George  \Y.,  who  was 
born  May  14,  1896.  The  parents  are  members  of 
the  Swedish  Lutheran  church,  and  Mr.  Norling's 
political  affiliations  are  with  the  Republican  party. 


GEORGE  P.  JAMES  followed  coal  mining  in 
many  of  the  states  of  the  union  until  he  secured 
his  present  land  holdings  and  settled  down  as  a 
farmer  on  his  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  farm 
five  miles  southwest  of  Ellensburg.  Washington. 
He  was  born  in  Newcastle-upon-Tyne,  England, 
October  13,  1850.  His  father,  John  James,  was 
noted  as  the  inventor  of  the  first  tubular  boiler  ever 
used  in  England,  but  was  defrauded  out  of  the 
profits  of  his  patent.  The  mother,  Jane  Ann  (Gra- 
ham)  James,  was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland, 
October  21,  1823,  and  was  a  direct  descendant  of 
Graham,  the  famous  Scot,  who  was  chief  lieuten- 
ant for  William  Wallace.  Mr.  James  received  his 
early  education  in  England  and  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1876.  He  has  traveled  extensively  on 
this  continent  and  has  followed  coal  mining  in  every 
state  where  the  "black  diamonds"  are  found.  He 
was  one  of  a  familv  of  nine  children,  named  as  fol- 


lows:      Susanna,    John,    William,    Annie,    Daniel, 
Mary,  Thomasma  and  Hanna. 

He  was  married  in  Jellico,  Tennessee,  to  Miss 
Mary  L.  Bolton,  June  19,  1890.  His  wife  is  the 
daughter  of  Tandy  and  Sarah  M.  (Hansard)  Bol- 
ton. Her  father  was  born  in  North  Carolina, 
served  as  a  blacksmith  in  the  Civil  war,  on  the 
Union  side,  and  died  in  Texas.  Her  mother  was 
a  native  of  Virginia,  of  English  parentage,  and  died 
in  Kentucky.  Mrs.  James  was  born  in  Knox 
county,  Tennessee,  May  II,  1847.  Her  brothers 
and  sisters  were  also  natives  of  that  county.  They 
are:  Nellie  Ann,  Betsie  Jane,  John  Thomas,  Wil- 
liam J.,  Margaret  A.,  Mary,  the  wife  of  R.  L.  Mun- 
day,  married  in  1862,  and  the  mother  of  two  chil- 
dren, both  of  whom  are  dead;  and  Sarah  J.  Mun- 
day,  now  living  in  Whitman  county,  Kentucky. 
Mr.  James  has  sixty-five  acres  of  his  land  under  a 
high  state  of  cultivation.  He  has  ten  head  of  cattle 
and  five  horses.  Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  and  the  husband 
is  a  member  of  the  Republican  party. 


JOHN  N.  WEAVER  is  a  progressive  and  suc- 
cessful Kittitas  farmer,  living  on  the  place,  on  rural 
free  delivery  route  No.  1,  out  of  Ellensburg,  Wash- 
ington. There  he  has  his  original  homestead  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  acres,  of  which  the  greater  part 
is  under  irrigating  ditches,  and  he  is  now  arranging 
for  the  construction  of  a  reservoir  which  will  pro- 
vide water  to  irrigate  the  remainder  of  the  place. 
His  place  is  well  equipped  with  farming  imple- 
ments and  he  owns  a  half  interest  in  a  steam 
thresher.  He  has  a  comfortable  home  and  fine 
barn.  His  live  stock  includes  forty-five  head  of 
range  animals  and  twenty  milch  cows. 

Mr.  Weaver  was  born  in  Clinton  county,  Indi- 
ana, January  22,  1850.  His  father,  James  M. 
Weaver,  was  born  in  Sandusky,  Ohio,  in  1822. 
His  mother,  Ann  (Hupp)  Weaver,  was  born  the 
same  year  in  Pennsylvania,  of  German  descent. 
Air.  Weaver  was  educated  in  Illinois,  Indiana  and 
Missouri  and  in  1870  began  work  on  his  father's 
farm  in  Cherokee  county,  Kansas.  In  1871  he 
rented  a  farm  adjoining,  which  he  worked  four 
years,  but  met  with  poor  success  on  account  of 
droughts  and  grasshoppers.  He  then  moved  to 
Joplin,  Missouri,  where  he  was  engaged  in  lead 
mining  for  two  years.  He  took  a  course  in  engi- 
neering and  for  the  succeeding  seven  years  ran  an 
engine  and  was  later  master  mechanic  for  the 
Pitcher  Lead  &  Zinc  Company  at  Joplin.  In  1883 
he  moved  to  Ellensburg  and  look  up  the  land 
where  he  now  resides. 

Mr.  Weaver's  eldest  brother.  William  W. 
Weaver,  was  born  in  Indiana  in  1845.  an'l  served 
during  the  war.  being  present  at  the  fall  of  Rich- 
mond. Mary  Ann  I  Weaver)  McDowell,  a  sister, 
was  born  in  Indiana  in  1847  and  lives  at  Roslyn, 
Washington.       She    is    a    widow.       Elizabeth    E. 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


(Weaver)  McDonell,  born  in  Indiana  in  1848, 
died  in  Kansas  in  1875.  George  W.  Weaver,  a 
brother,  born  in  Indiana  July  4,  185 1,  is  farming 
near  Ellensburg.  Charles  W.  Weaver,  the  next 
brother,  was  born  in  Indiana,  April  20,  1853,  and 
lives  at  Grand  Junction,  Colorado.  James  H. 
Weaver,  born  in  Indiana,  November  1,  1854,  lives 
at  Joplin.  Amanda  V.  (Weaver)  Kennedy,  born 
August  12,  1859,  resides  in  Cherokee  county,  Kan- 
sas. Joseph  W.  Weaver,  born  November  15,  1858, 
and  Pheba  A.  (Weaver)  Reynolds,  born  Septem- 
ber 25,  i860,  live  at  Joplin,  where  Mr.  Reynolds 
owns  an  automobile  factory.  Roda  A.  Weaver,  who 
was  born  February  12,  1862,  died  March  9,  1866. 
Indiana  I.  Weaver,  born  April  12,  1864,  passed 
away  June  9,  1869.  Franklin  M.  Weaver,  who  was 
born  November  30,  1867,  died  December  21,  1872. 

Mr.  Weaver  was  married  at  Columbus,  Kansas, 
May  18,  1871,  to  Anna  M.  McDonell,  who  was  born 
in  Tippecanoe  county,  Indiana,  November  14,  1852. 
Her  father  was  James  T.  McDonell,  who  was  born 
in  Virginia  August  14,  1827,  now  a  resident  of 
Ellensburg.  Her  mother,  Mary  Ann  (Warner) 
McDonell,  was  a  native  of  Indiana.  Mrs.  Weaver 
has  one  brother,  Albert  G.,  born  December  24,  1850. 
Her  sisters  are  Mary  M.,  born  August  26,  1855 ; 
Adda  A.,  born  Tune  20,  1858;  Carrie  L.,  born  July 
12,  i860,  and  Emma  J.,  born  March  23,  1862. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weaver  have  had  five  children, 
four  of  whom  survive.  The  eldest  daughter,  Cora 
B.  Weaver,  was  born  June  3,  1872.  She  was  edu- 
cated at  the  Ellensburg  state  normal  school  and 
graduated  in  1898.  She  received  a  life  diploma  in 
1902  and  is  engaged  in  teaching  at  Ellensburg.  The 
eldest  son,  Leffa  M.,  was  born  December  23,  1874, 
and  is  married  and  living  in  California.  Roy  A. 
Weaver,  the  second  son.  was  born  August  29.  1880, 
graduated  from  the  Indiana  Dental  college  April  2, 
1903,  and  is  practicing  his  profession  at  Ellensburg. 
Victor  M.  Weaver,  who  was  born  December  28, 
1883,  is  taking  a  course  in  agriculture  at  the  State 
Agricultural  College  and  School  of  Science  at  Pull- 
man, Washington.  Ina  M.  Weaver,  born  January 
17,  1893,  died  March  17,  1895. 

Mr.  and  Airs.  Weaver  are  members  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Weaver  has  never 
taken  an  active  interest  in  politics. 


CHARLES  F.  STOOPS,  a  substantial  farmer 
and  stock  raiser,  living  on  his  place  some  four  and 
one-half  miles  southwest  of  Ellensburg,  Washing- 
ton, was  born  in  Dallas  City,  Illinois,  March  5,  1856. 
Plis  father,  John  Stoops,  was  of  Dutch  descent  and 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  July  11.  1835.  He  served 
three  years  in  the  "Union  army  under  General  Bucha- 
nan. The  mother,  Elizabeth  (Kenard)  Stoops,  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  July  II,  1S38,  of  Scotch  parent- 
age. Her  father  took  an  active  part  in  the  extermi- 
nation of  the  Mormons  in  Nauvoo.  Illinois.  Mr. 
Stoops  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of  Du- 


rand,  Wisconsin,  but  on  account  of  his  desire  to  help 
support  his  parents  he  left  before  graduating  from 
the  high  school  and  went  to  work  on  a  farm,  where 
he  labored  until  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 
He  then  moved  to  Blaine,  Washington,  where  he 
engaged  in  the  sawmili  business  for  about  seven 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Kittitas  county  and  lo- 
cated some  prospects  on  the  Man-as-lash  river.  Fail- 
ing to  secure  returns  he  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising,  to  which  he  has  since  devoted  his  en- 
ergies and  ability. 

He  was  married  in  Ellensburg  March  29,  1893, 
to  Miss  Marian  H.  Williams,  daughter  of  Thomas 

D.  Williams,  a  native  of  Canada  and  pioneer  of  Illi- 
nois. Her  mother,  Margaret  E.  (Crawford)  Wil- 
liams, was  born  June  26,  1848,  near  Canton,  Illinois. 
The  Crawford  family  made  the  trip  across  the  Plains 
from  Illinois  to  Oregon,  in  1851,  by  wagon  and  were 
among  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
arriving  there  August  2,  1851.  Charles  F.  Stoops 
had  four  brothers  and  five  sisters,  as  follows :    Mary 

E.  Ottly,  born  June  2,  1859,  the  wife  of  John  Ottly 
of  Custer,  Washington ;  Mrs.  Amanda  Mercer,  liv- 
ing in  Pierce  county,  Wisconsin,  her  native  state; 
William,  born  January  31,  1850,  in  Dunn  county, 
Wisconsin,  his  present  residence,  where  he  has 
served  three  terms  as  justice  of  the  peace;  Jesse  E., 
born  August  31,  1866,  died  in  Walla  Walla,  Wash- 
ington, July  11,  1899;  Mrs.  Alice  Hays,  died  June 
17,  1898;  Mrs.  Irene  G.  Robertson,  living  in  Seattle; 
Herbert  P.  and  Archibald,  residents  of  Blaine,  Wash- 
ington, and  Clara  A.  Stoops,  the  youngest,  born 
September  19,  1876,  now  living  in  North  Yakima, 
Washington.  Mrs.  Charles  F.  Stoops  was  born  in 
Santa  Rosa,  Sonoma  county,  California,  June  13, 
1869.  She  has  three  brothers  and  one  sister.  The 
brothers  are  :  John  H.,  residing  in  Rexburg,  Idaho  ; 
Thomas  A.,  living  in  Ellensburg,  and  Ralph,  a  resi- 
dent of  Wasco,  Oregon.  The  sister,  Mrs.  Margaret 
E.  Sharp,  is  living  in  Seattle. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stoops  have  one  son,  Roy  T.,  born 
December  21,  1893.  They  are  both  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  The  husband  has  120 
acres  of  state  school  land  leased  for  five  -years  from 
August  2,  1902,  and  they  have  a  comfortable  house 
on  the  place.  The  farm  has  an  ample  barn,  is  well 
stocked  with  horses,  cattle  and  swine,  and  is  a  mod- 
ern, well-cultivated  ranch. 


CHARLES  M.  RICHARDS,  a  successful  farm- 
er and  owner  of  a  well-improved  ranch  six  and  one- 
half  miles  west  of  Ellensburg.  Washington,  has  been 
a  farmer  all  his  life.  Born  November  7,  i860,  in 
McLean  county.  Illinois,  Mr.  Richards  received  his 
education  in  the  common  schools  of  that  state  and 
of  Iowa,  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he 
was  twenty-two  years  old.  His  father,  Albert  Rich- 
ards, was  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  1829,  and 
died  in  Waterville.  Washington,  in  1896.  The 
mother,  Elizabeth  (Cooper)  Richards,  was  born  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


869 


Ohio  in  1835,  and  is  now  a  resident  of  Nebraska. 
Her  son,  Charles,  has  three  brothers  and  two  sis- 
ters. Allen,  born  February  22,  1858,  is  living  in 
Sunset,  Washington.  Oliver,  born  July  3,  1865,  re- 
sides in  Thorp,  Washington,  and  the  youngest  broth- 
er, William,  born  in  March,  1873,  is  a  resident  of 
Ponca,  Nebraska,  where  both  sisters  live.  They  are : 
Mrs.  Fannie  Jones,  born  in  1867,  and  Mrs.  Jennie 
Tucker,  born  in  1869.  In  1884  Mr.  Richards  came  to 
Kittitas  county,  Washington,  where  he  worked  one 
year  on  a  farm  and  later  rented  the  same  place  for  a 
like  period.  He  then  moved  to  the  Big  Bend  coun- 
try, remained  there  until  the  spring  of  1898,  then 
returned  and  purchased  the  farm  he  is  now  working 
with  so  much  success.  He  owns  400  acres  of  farm 
land,  and  the  ranch  is  equipped  with  all  necessary 
implements.  There  are  two  large  barns  and  a  com- 
fortable home  on  the  place,  and  he  owns  about  sixty- 
two  head  of  cattle,  fifteen  head  of  horses  and  thirty 
hogs. 

Mr.  Richards  was  married  in  Thorp,  Washing- 
ton, October  5,  1885,  to  Miss  Salena  M.  Southern, 
daughter  of  Braxton  D.  and  Nancy  J.  (Veach) 
Southern  ;  the  former  a  native  of  Virginia,  the  latter 
of  Michigan.  Mrs.  Richards  was  born  in  Cedar 
county,  Iowa,  December  28,  1868,  and  was  one  of 
nine  children.  Her  brothers  were :  Leroy,  born  in 
Iowa;  Eli  C,  who  died  in  1892;  Seward,  Festes  E. 
and  Edward  E.  Southern.  The  last  named  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Thorp.  One  sister,  Clara  J.,  passed  away 
May  28,  1898,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five.  A  married 
sister,  Anna  E.  Ross,  died  in  North  Yakima.  The 
other  sister,  Mrs.  Corinne  Beck,  born  in  1865,  is 
a  resident  of  North  Yakima. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Richards  have  one  child,  Leroy  D., 
born  in  Waterville,  Washington,  November  17. 
1892.  The  father  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  and  his  wife  belongs  to  the  Women  of 
Woodcraft.  Mrs.  Richards  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Her  husband  is  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  active  in  party  work. 


JAMES  T.  HAYES,  a  well-known  resident  of 
Kittitas  county,  is  at  present  residing  on  a  farm  five 
miles  east  and  five  miles  south  of  Ellensburg.  He 
was  born  in  Iowa,  May  23,  1856,  the  son  of  San- 
ford  and  Rebecca  (Fry)  Hayes,  both  of  whom  are 
now  residing  in  Kittitas  county.  Sanford  Hayes 
is  a  native  of  Vermont,  born  in  1827.  After  at- 
taining manhood  he  farmed  for  several  years  in  his 
native  state,  and  later  went  to  Iowa,  this  state  then 
being  in  the  earliest  stages  of  settlement.  After  re- 
siding in  Iowa  for  several  years,  during  which  time 
he  was  married,  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Washing- 
ton Territory,  his  newly  wedded  wife  accompany- 
ing. This  journey  was  made  in  the  latter  fifties. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hayes  settled  in  Olympia.  then  a 
pioneer  town  of  Washington.  Later  they  proceeded 
to  Oregon,  and  thence  to  California,  where  they  re- 
mained for  several  years.     The  West  at  this  time. 


however,  was  a  bit  too  wild  to  suit  Mr.  Hayes  and 
his  wife,  so  they  returned  to  Iowa,  but  eventually 
found  that  they  had  seen  too  much  of  the  West  to 
be  satisfied  to  live  permanently  in  the  East.  In  1881 
they  came  back  to  Washington,  this  time  to  stay, 
and  are  now  residing  in  Kittitas  county.  Mrs.  Re- 
becca Hayes  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1835,  and 
when  a  child  moved  with  her  parents  to  Iowa.  She 
grew  up  in  pioneer  Iowa,  and  after  marriage,  as 
mentioned,  crossed  the  Plains  to  the  Pacific  coast 
states,  thus  more  than  keeping  pace  with  the  west- 
ward march  of  settlers.  She  shared  with  her  hus- 
band all  the  hardships  incident  to  the  journey  west- 
ward, then  returning  with  him  to  Iowa.  James  T. 
spent  the  greater  part  of  his  boyhood  in  Iowa,  the 
state  of  his  nativity.  He  lived  with  his  parents  at 
the  Iowa  home  till  twenty  years  of  age,  then  going 
to  Missouri,  where  he  was  engaged  im  farming  for 
one  year.  Farming,  however,  did  not  prove  entirely 
to  his  taste,  so  he  went  to  Colorado  and  for  a  year 
was  employed  as  a  freighter.  Next,  he  went  to  the 
vicinity  of  Nebraska  City,  Nebraska,  where  he 
farmed  for  two  years,  after  which  he  moved  to 
Cherokee  county,  Iowa,  there  farming  for  a  year. 
His  final  move  was  to  Kittitas  county,  Washington, 
in  1882.  For  eleven  years  after  his  arrival  he  fol- 
lowed freighting,  the  greater  part  of  the  time  be- 
tween The  Dalles  and  Ellensburg,  and  from  Ellens- 
burg into  the  Salmon  river  country.  He  acquired 
his  present  farm  in  1890,  first  renting,  and  later  pur- 
chasing it. 

On  April  25,  1876,  in  Cedar  county,  Missouri, 
Mr.  Hayes  married  Miss  Nancy  Fortney,  a  native 
of  Iowa,  born  March  14,  1858.  Her  parents  were 
David  and  Neta  E.  (Cox)  Fortney,  early  settlers  in 
Missouri.  David  Fortney  was  born  in  Kentucky  in 
1828,  and  in  after  life  was  a  farmer.  He  was  among 
the  early  settlers  in  Missouri,  residing  there  all  his 
life  except  a  short  time  spent  in  Iowa,  during  which 
time  Nancy  was  born.  Neta  E.  (Cox)  Fortney  was 
born  in  Indiana  and  died  in  Cedar  county,  Missouri, 
in  1898.  She  was  the  mother  of  ten  children.  Chil- 
dren that  have  been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hayes  are:  Elsie,  in  Colorado,  February  21, 
1877,  deceased  at  the  age  of  five  years;  Johnthan, 
February  22,  1880,  George,  January  30,  1881,  both 
in  Nebraska;  Abraham.  July  3L  1883;  Maria,  May 
24,  1S85  :  Dora,  August  25,  1889;  Clarence,  Decem- 
ber 13,  1892;  Samuel,  May  28,  1894;  Harry,  June 
16,  1897,  and  Cora,  September  8,  1899,  all  in  Kitti- 
tas county.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Hayes  is  affiliated  with 
the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  a  man  of  high 
standing  socially  and  in  a  business  way.  undoubtedly 
being,  as  he  is  reputed,  one  of  the  leading  men  of 
his  community. 


CHRIS  JACOBSON  is  a  hale  and  hearty  ranch- 
er, residing  at  present  on  his  farm  four  miles  east 
and  five  miles  south  of  Ellensburg.  He  was  born 
in  Denmark,  August  14.  1869,  the  son  of  Jacob  and 


870 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Else  (Larsen)  Jacobson,  both  now  deceased.  The 
elder  Jacobson  was  born  in  Denmark  in  1823,  and  in 
after  years  was  a  farmer.  His  death  occured  in 
Denmark  in  1894.  Else  (Larsen)  Jacobson  was 
also  a  native  of  Denmark,  and  is  now 'deceased  as 
mentioned.  Young  Chris  received  in  his  Denmark- 
home  the  parental  training  usual  to  Danish  lads, 
such  being  conducive  to  his  development  into  a 
young  man  respectfully  obedient  to  the  wishes  of 
his  elders,  rather  than  a  young  "tinder-head"  who 
strikes  out  during  the  pin-feather  staare  charged 
with  fervor  to  set  the  world  on  fire  with  his  achieve- 
ments, to  the  utter  demoralization  of  all  filial  ties. 
His  home  training,  however,  did  not  prevent  his 
being  seized  with  a  desire  to  come  to  America  when 
he  had  reached  the  age  of  eighteen.  He  managed 
to  work  his  way  across  the  broad  Atlantic,  landed 
at  New  York,  and  after  divers  experiences  in  the 
New  World, — utterly  new  to  him — sometimes  pros- 
pering and  frequently  the  reverse,  finally  drifted  into 
Nebraska.  Here  he  found  farming  congenial  to  his 
desires,  so  he  tried  it.  Two  years  satisfied  him  with 
farm  life  in  Nebraska ;  then  he  hied  himself  west- 
ward, and  the  year  1889  found  him  in  Ellensburg. 
Here  he  accepted  employment  of  the  Northern 
Pacific  Company,  first  as  a  section  workman  and 
later  as  oiler  in  the  yards  at  Ellensburg.  After  a 
year  thus  spent  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
car  inspector,  and  acted  in  this  capacity  until  1894, 
then  quitting  the  railroad  for  good.  Since  that  time 
he  has  farmed  to  the  exclusion  of  any  other  regu- 
lar vocation,  and  at  present  possesses  a  neat  little 
farm,  one  of  the  most  attractive,  perhaps,  in  the 
community  of  which  he  is  a  resident. 

On  August  8,  1 891,  Mr.  Jacobson  married  Miss 
Johne  Shorman,  then  a  resident  of  Kittitas  county. 
She  was  born  in  Denmark,  November  16,  1866,  and 
in  the  land  of  her  nativity  grew  to  womanhood  and 
was  educated.  In  1890  she  came  with  her  brother 
from  the  old  country  to  the  United  States,  her  ob- 
jective point  being  Kittitas  county,  and  a  year  later 
married  Mr.  Jacobson.  Carl  Shorman,  her  father, 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1838,  and  when  seventeen 
years  of  age  went  to  Denmark,  where  he  was  married 
later.  He  came  from  Denmark  to  the  United  States 
in  1904,  and  on  May  10th  of  that  year  landed  in 
Kittitas  county.  Annie  (Fredricksen)  Shorman, 
the  mother,  was  born  in  Denmark  in  1843.  At 
present  she  is  residing  in  Kittitas  county.  Children 
born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacobson  are : 
Annie,  in  Klickitat  county,  October  13,  1893,  now 
living  at  home;  Carl,  November  5,  1894,  and  Emma, 
November  30,  1899,  the  latter  two  being  natives  of 
Kittitas  county.  Fraternally  Mr.  Jacobson  is  affili- 
ated with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  and  in 
religion  with  the  Lutheran  church.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican and  ardently  in  favor  of  the  Roosevelt  admin- 
istration. Though  not  one  of  the  most  extensive 
farmers  of  his  neighborhood  he  is  one  of  the  most 
worth v,  and  what  his  farm  lacks  in  size  it  makes 


good  in  being  extremely  well  cultivated  and  neat  in 
appearance. 

JENS  SORENSON  is  a  sturdy  son  of  Den- 
mark, residing  on  a  well-cultivated  farm  four  miles 
east  and  four  miles  south  of  Ellensburg.  He  was 
born  in  Hourup,  Denmark,  June  29,  i860,  the  son 
of  Soren  C.  and  Mary  (Nelson)  Sorenson,  both  now 
deceased.  Soren  C.  Sorenson  was  born  in  Denmark 
in  1823,  and  in  after  life  was  a  farmer.  He  died  in 
Denmark  in  1897.  Mary  (Nelson)  Sorenson,  also 
native  of  Denmark,  was  born  in  1828,  and  died  in 
1887,  having  lived  in  the  land  of  her  nativity  all 
her  life.  Jens  lived  with  his  parents  till  he  was 
twenty-one  years  of  age,  during  boyhood  receiving 
as  good  an  education  as  was  to  be  had  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Denmark.  At  the  age  mentioned, 
in  1881,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  his  objective 
point  being  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa.  Here  he  was  a 
railway  employee  for  five  years,  the  last  two  of 
which  he  was  in  the  car  repairing  shops.  Upon  dis- 
continuing this  employment  he  went  to  Nebraska, 
where  he  farmed  for  three  years.  Then,  in  1888, 
be  came  west,  settling  at  Ellensburg,  where  he  ac- 
cepted employment  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Com- 
pany in  the  car  repairing  shops.  He  was  thus  en- 
gaged for  five  years,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
bought  a  tract  of  fine  hay  land,  on  which  is  his  pres- 
ent home.  This  was  in  1892.  The  next  vear  he 
moved  his  family  upon  the  place,  making  prepara- 
tions to  reside  there  permanently.  The  house  they 
occupied  at  the  time  was  an  unpretentious  "shanty" 
answering  only  the  purpose  of  a  shelter,  but  well  in 
keeping  with  the  worldly  means  of  its  occupants. 
Since  then,  however,  the  prosperity  due  to  hard 
work  and  capable  management  has  enabled  Mr.  Sor- 
enson to  build  a  fine  seven-room  house  on  his  farm, 
as  well  as  an  equally  good  barn  and  divers  other 
farm  buildings  necessary  for  the  protection  of  stock 
and  crops. 

Mr.  Sorenson  has  been  married  twice.  The  first 
marriage  occurred  June  10,  1885,  in  Nebraska.  Miss 
Mary  Jacobson  was  the  bride,  twenty-two  years  of 
age  at  the  time  of  her  marriage.  She  was  born  in 
Denmark  in  186^,  and  when  a  young  woman  came 
to  the  United  States.  Her  parents,  Jacobed  P.  and 
Else  (Larsen)  Jacobson,  were  natives  of  Denmark, 
the  former  born  in  1823,  and  dying  in  1896;  the  lat- 
ter born  in  1833,  and  passing  away  in  1889.  The 
first  Mrs.  Sorenson,  at  the  time  of  death,  was  the 
mother  of  five  children.  The  present  Mrs.  Sorenson 
was  Miss  Sinea  Jacobson  before  her  marriage.  She 
was  born  in  Denmark,  August  18,  1879,  an<^  m  ner 
native  land  grew  to  womanhood  and  was  educated. 
She  came  to  the  United  States  in  1896,  and  her  mar- 
riage occurred  seven  years  later.  Children  born  to 
the  first  marriage  are:  William,  in  Nebraska,  and 
deceased  when  a  child;  Clara,  May  17,  1888;  Amel, 
March   31,    1890;   Mary,   December    10,    1892,   and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


Elga,  January  i,  1894,  all  but  the  first  born  near 
Ellensburg.  The  present  Mrs.  Sorenson  has  one 
child,  John,  who  was  born  February  1,  1904.  In  re- 
ligion Mr.  Sorenson  adheres  to  the  Lutheran  church, 
aiid  in  politics  he  is  a  Republican.  He  is  a  native  of 
the  old  country,  a  Dane  throughout,  but  notwith- 
standing is  now  thoroughly  imbued  with  the  politi- 
cal and  social  principles  of  newer  America  and  fully 
in  sympathy  with  the  national  spirit  of  the  country 
of  which  he  is  a  citizen. 


GEORGE  W.  WEAVER  is  the  owner  of  a  fine 
grain  and  stock  ranch  of  600  acres,  located  on  rural 
free  delivery  route  No.  1,  northwest  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington.  He  was  born  July  4,  185 1,  in  Clinton 
county,  Indiana,  and  received  his  early  education  in 
Tippecanoe  county,  that  state.  He  left  school  when 
he  was  about  sixteen  years  old  and  followed  farm- 
ing, the  nursery  business  and  mining,  until  1875, 
when  he  purchased  a  farm  in  Cherokee  county,  Kan- 
sas. He  resided  there  and  conducted  the  place  until 
1S83,  then  sold  out  and  moved  to  Washington,  ar- 
riving in  Yakima  county,  June  18,  1883.  He  bought 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  from  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Railroad  and  engaged  in  farming  and 
stock  raising,  which  pursuits  he  has  since  followed 
with  abundant  success.  His  home  is  modern,  and 
the  place  is  supplied  with  well  built  barns  and  all 
the  necessary  farming  implements.  He  owns  about 
one  hundred  head  of  horses  and  cattle. 

August  2,  1876,  during  his  residence  in  Cherokee 
county,  Kansas,  Air.  Weaver  was  married  to  Miss 
Eulia  E.  McDowell.  Her  father,  Calvin  C.  Mc- 
Dowell, a  native  of  Virginia,  was  born  September 
30,  1820.  He  was  a  practicing  physician  in  Wir- 
tonia  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1883.  During 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion  Dr.  McDowell  was  a  cap- 
tain of  Company  G,  26th  regiment  Indiana  infan- 
try, which  was  one  of  the  last  regiments  to  return 
after  peace  was  declared.  His  wife,  mother  of  Mrs. 
Weaver,  was  Nancy  A.  (Strain)  McDowell,  born 
in  Ohio,  May  6,  1835,  and  now  a  resident  of  Ellens- 
burg. Washington.  Mrs.  Weaver  was  born  in  In- 
diana, January  27,  1855.  and  was  one  of  a  family 
of  six  children.  Her  eldest  brother,  J.  Frank  Mc- 
Dowell, born  in  Indiana,  April  11,  1843,  is  living 
in  Gray  county,  Kansas.  Samuel  O.,  born  March  3, 
1848,  is  also  a  resident  of  Kansas.  Andrew  W.,  the 
youngest  brother,  born  October  8,  1856,  is  a  resident 
of  Missouri.  Mrs.  Eliza  J.  Coleman,  born  Aueust 
18.  1867,  and  Mrs.  Clauda  J.  Hall,  born  July  7,  1871, 
live  in  Ellensburg,  Washington.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Weaver  have  five  children.  Clyde  C,  the  eldest, 
was  born  May  7.  1877.  Clyne  E.  was  born  Novem- 
ber 27,  1879.  Velma,  the  eldest  girl,  was  born  May 
22,  1884,  Vera,  November  1,  1886.  and  Hazel,  born 
April  30,  1893,  passed  away  July  6,  1901.  The  par- 
ents are  active  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
churcb.  Mr.  Weaver  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  matters  of  political  importance. 


OLIVER  R.  GEDDIS  is  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  residing  near  Ellensburg,  Washington,  on  his 
well-improved  farm  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of 
that  city.  Always  a  hard  worker  and  ambitious,  the 
panic  of  the  early  nineties,  which  swept  away  the 
bulk  of  his  property,  did  not  dismay  him.  Starting 
in  with  a  few  horses  in  1893,  he  pluckily  determined 
to  achieve  success.  In  1900  he  purchased  his  pres- 
ent farm  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres.  By  close 
attention  to  business  he  has  accumulated  a  property 
valued  at  about  eight  thousand  dollars.  Stock  rais- 
ing, to  which  he  devoted  much  attention  in  former 
years,  he  is  abandoning  to  a  considerable  extent. 
He  lias  sold  most  of  his  stock  and  is  devoting  his 
farm  to  hay  and  grain,  for  which  he  finds  an  excel- 
lent and  profitable  market.  It  is  quite  natural  that 
Mr.  Geddis  should  achieve  the  success  that  has 
come  to  him,  as  he  is  the  son  of  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser,  and  for  many  years  was  his  father's  right 
hand  man.  He  was  born  in  Albany,  Oregon,  March 
30,  1864,  and  came  to  Kittitas  county,  Washington, 
when  but  seven  years  old,  so  he  might  almost  be 
considered  a  native  of  that  county.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of  this 
county.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  left  school  and 
began  to  ride  range  for  his  father,  which  he  con- 
tinued for  twelve  years.  He  and  his  father  accumu- 
lated a  large  amount  of  property,  consisting  of  live 
stock  and  land,  which  was  almost  all  swept  away, 
during  the  hard  times  following  the  panic  of  1893. 
His  father,  S.  R.  Geddis.  was  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
February  12,  1837,  of  Scotch  descent.  He  served 
in  the  Rogue  River  war  during  his  residence  in 
Oregon.  He  is  now  a  resident  of  Alaska,  where 
be  is  engaged  in  mining.  The  mother,  Emma 
(Tureman)  Geddis,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  1844.  of  Dutch  descent.  Oliver  R.  was  one 
of  a  family  .of  ten  children.  His  sisters,  Mrs.  Alel- 
inda  Barnes  and  Mary  Geddis,  and  brother.  Charles 
B.,  were  born  in  Oregon  and  are  now  deceased. 
The  surviving  brothers  and  sisters  all  live  in  Ellens- 
burg. They  include  Fred  L.,  Jessie  A.,  and  Lott  O. 
Geddis,  all  born  in  Yakima  county.  Washington ; 
Mrs.  Emma  C.  Van  Geisen.  Mrs.  Pearl  Wilson  and 
S.  R.  Geddis,  all  born  in  Kittitas  county. 

Air.  Geddis  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  Wash- 
ington, March  25,  1897,  to  Miss  Minnie  Charlton, 
daughter  of  Charles  A.  and  Permelia  (Newland) 
Charlton.  Her  father  was  born  in  West  Virginia, 
March  23,  1829,  was  a  farmer  and  served  in  the 
Rogue  River  war  in  Oregon.  Her  mother  was 
born  in  Missouri,  December  12,  1843,  the  daugbter 
of  a  lumber  merchant.  Both  parents  were  of  So  itch 
extraction.  Airs.  Geddis  was  born  in  Lebanon, 
Linn  county,  Oregon,  November  11,  187^,  and  had 
six  sisters  and  five  brothers,  as  follows:  Airs.  Fran- 
cis S.  Turner  of  Colville.  Washington:  Airs.  Eliza- 
beth J.  Burrell.  a  widow,  of  Denison.  Texas;  Mrs. 
Alary  E.  Smithson,  and  James  AI.  Charlton,  both 
dead;  Airs.  Cbarlotte  A.  Burke,  a  resident  of  the 
Kittitas    valley;   Joseph   H.,    living   in    Wenatchee; 


872 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Mrs.  Margarette  H.  Clifton,  a  widow,  of  Kittitas 
county;  Charles  H.,  of  Seattle;  Mrs.  Iva  M.  Hol- 
brook,  of  Tacoma;  William  L.,  a  traveling  sales- 
man with  headquarters  in  Ogden,  Utah,  and  Alfred 
H.  Charlton,  of  Ellensburg,  Washington.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Geddis  had  one  child,  born  June  12,  1899,  who 
passed  away  March  4,  1900.  Mrs.  Geddis  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  she  and  her 
husband  are  regular  attendants.  Mr.  Geddis  is  an 
active  Republican.  He  does  not  believe  in  fraternal 
insurance  and  for  that  reason  is  not  a  member  of 
such  orders. 


CHARLES  W.  MOFFET,  living  on  his  place 
two  miles  west  of  Ellensburg,  is  a  skilled  butter 
maker,  a  calling  followed  by  his  father  and  fore- 
fathers. He  was  practically  raised  in  the  business 
of  butter  and  cheese  making  and  relatives  are  today 
still  operating  the  plant  in  Ohio  that  his  grandfather 
started  in  1832.  In  1890  Mr.  Moffet  came  to 
Ellensburg,  Washington,  where  he  commenced  work 
for  the  Ellensburg  Creamery  Company,  as  butter 
maker  and  manager,  which  position  he  has  filled 
so  successfully  that  he  has  finally  consummated  a 
deal  for  its  purchase.  Mr.  Moffet  was  born  in 
Shawnee  county,  Kansas,  August  17,  1856.  His 
father,  Orlando  Moffet,  was  a  native  of  New  York, 
of  Scotch  descent,  born  in  February,  1818.  The 
mother,  Catherine  (Beam)  Moffet,  was  a  native  of 
Iowa. 

Charles  W.  received  his  education  in  the  schools 
of  his  native  state  and  when  seventeen  years  old 
commenced  work  in  his  father's  dairy,  where  he 
learned  his  trade.  He  worked  there  four  years  and 
then  engaged  in  the  dairy  business  for  himself,  in 
the  same  county,  at  which  he  continued  ,six  years, 
with  much  success.  He  then  sold  out  and  moved 
to  Topeka,  Kansas,  where  he  learned  the  trade  of 
a  brickmason  and  followed  that  for  sixteen  years 
in  that  state,  and  in  Oregon;  but  later  returned  to 
butter  making  in  the  Ellensburg  creamery.  He  has 
three  sisters  and  two  brothers,  as  follows :  Mrs. 
Margaret  Cruese,  now  residing  in  Tecumseh,  Kan- 
sas ;  William,  now  living  near  Topeka,  where  he 
has  been  operating  a  dairy  for  thirty  years ;  Mrs. 
Susan  Howey,  whose  husband  has  been  engaged  for 
man}-  years  in  breeding  fancy  swine  and  has  taken 
many  first  premiums  at  state  and  county  fairs  in 
Kansas,  Missouri  and  Nebraska;  Isaiah,  a  farmer 
near  Topeka,  and  Mrs.  Laura  Beam,  wife  of  a  car- 
penter living  near  Topeka- — all  being  residents  of 
Kansas. 

He  was  married  in  Shawnee  county,  Kansas, 
February  4,  1877,  to  Miss  Fanny  Burbank,  daugh- 
ter of  Samuel  Burbank,  a  native  of  Canada,  since 
deceased,  and  Margaret  (Washington)  Burbank,  a 
native  of  Illinois  and  now  a  resident  of  Kansas. 
Mrs.  Moffet  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Illinois, 
April  19,  1857,  and  has  the  .following  brothers  and 
sisters:    Mrs.  Ellen  Moffet,  born  February  7,  1854; 


Ottis  Burbank,  born  August  2,  1859,  and  now  re- 
siding in  Shawnee  county,  Kansas;  Mrs.  Mary 
Tavis,  born  January  1,  1861,  and  residing  in  Kan- 
sas; Mrs.  Hattie  Reed,  born  April  5,  i865;  Mrs. 
Jane  Foust,  born  December  12,  1870;  Mrs.  Anna 
Middendorf,  born  February  12,  1871,  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Scott  county,  Illinois,  and  Joseph,  born  in 
Kansas,  October  8,  1872,  and  now  living  at  home. 
With  the  exception  of  the  first  and  last  named,  they 
were  all  born  in  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moffet  have 
four  children,  all  born  in  Kansas.  Their  eldest 
daughter,  Minnie  I.,  born  February  15,  1880,  is  now 
keeping  books  for  the  Ellensburg  creamery ;  Edith, 
born  December  7,  1882,  died  the  following  spring, 
and  Calley  O.,  born  Julv  21,  1883,  died  May  19, 
1885.  Frankie  M.  was  born  March  29,  1886.  The 
father  of  the  family  has  been  most  successful  in  his 
business  undertakings  and  has  accumulated  a  com- 
fortable property.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  of 
the  National  Union.  Mr.  Moffet  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


EVEN  T.  STRANDE  was  born  in  Christiania, 
Norway,  March  20,  185 1,  and  came  to  the  United 
States  when  he  was  but  eighteen  years  old.  He  was 
one  of  the  first  settlers  in  Kittitas  Valley,  Washing- 
ton, having  freighted  for  twelve  years  from  The 
Dalles,  Oregon,  before  there  was  any  railroad.  His 
home  is  on  rural  free  delivery  route  No.  1,  one  mile 
south  and  four  miles  west  of  Ellensburg,  Washing- 
ton, where  he  is  engaged  in  farming  four  hundred 
acres  of  land  which  he  owns.  He  has  fifty  head  of 
cattle  and  fifteen  head  of  horses  on  the  place,  which 
is  fitted  up  with  a  nice  home.  He  is  now  building  a 
large  barn. 

His  father,  Thorston  L.  Strande,  was  born  in 
Norway  about  1821.  He  was  a  stone  mason,  but 
for  fifty  years  just  previous  to  his  death,  about  two 
years  ago,  he  was  foreman  of  a  glass  factory  at 
Christiania.  Mr.  Strande's  mother  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, about  1822.  Her  maiden  name  was  Bertha 
Evens.  Mr.  Strande's  elder  brothers,  Engon  and 
Lars,  are  also  in  this  country,  residing  respectively 
in  Iowa  and  South  Dakota.  Senard  Strande,  born 
in  Norway  in  1854,  took  the  father's  place  in  the 
glass  factory.  The  other  brother,  Andrew,  who  was 
born  in  1863,  is  living  in  Norway.  The  sister, 
Mary  Strande,  is  a  resident  of  Iowa. 

Mr.  Strande  was  educated  in  the  land  of  his 
birth,  where  he  also  learned  the  trade  of  a  stone 
mason,  which  he  followed  seven  years  after  his 
arrival  in  this  country.  After  freighting,  Mr. 
Strande  in  the  spring  of  1874  filed  a  pre-emption 
on  eighty  acres  of  land.  He  was  married  at  Ellens- 
burg, February  14,  1875,  to  Rebecca  Anderson,  and 
they  have  made  their  home  since  on  the  farm.  The 
original  eighty  acres  has  greatly  increased.  Mr. 
Strande  used  his  homestead  right  on  eighty  acres 
of  railroad  land,  which  he  had  to  contest,  and  secured 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


873 


another  eighty  by  purchase,  making  him  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  in  his  home  farm.  He  has  also 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  grazing  and  timber 
lands.  Mrs.  Strande  was  the  daughter  of  Andrew 
Anderson,  a  native  of  Norway,  who  died  in  Iowa 
in  1879.  She  was  born  in  Norway,  June  6,  1846. 
She  has  had  six  brothers,  John,  Michel,  Isaac,  farm- 
ers in  Minnesota;  Mangus  and  Arne,  in  Norway, 
and  Albert,  deceased,  all  natives  of  Norway.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Strande  have  four  children.  Their  eldest 
child,  Melinda  Strande  Nelson,  was  born  at  Ellens- 
burg,  November  19,  1875,  and  is  the  wife  of  a 
farmer  living  near  there.  The  other  children  are : 
Theodore,  born  June  26,  1880;  Matilda,  born  De- 
cember 11,  1884,  and  Oscar,  born  August  20,  1887. 
Mrs.  Strande's  mother,  Mrs.  Anderson,  who  was 
born  June  15,  1812,  is  still  living,  a  resident  of 
Minnesota. 

Mr.  Strande  is  a  Republican  and  takes  an  active 
interest  in  political  matters.  He  and  Mrs.  Strande 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 


WILLIAM  A.  RICE,  now  engaged  in  farming 
his  home  place,  two  miles  south  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington,  is  considered  one  of  the  best  forest 
rangers  in  the  state.  He  received  an  appointment 
as  forest  ranger  in  1899  and  served  until  1901,  when 
he  resigned.  Since  that  time  the  national  depart- 
ment has  tried  earnestly  to  induce  him  to  re-enter 
the  service,  for  the  performance  of  the  duties  of 
which  he  has  shown  conspicuous  ability.  There  is 
a  position  open  for  him  in  the  forest  reserve  force 
at  any  time  he  wishes. 

Mr.  Rice  was  born  in  Monteomerv  county,  In- 
diana, January,  19,  1856,  and  is  one  of  a  family  of 
seven  children.  His  father,  James  M.  Rice,  was 
born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  in  1S23,  and  was 
the  leading-  Republican  of  the  county.  Mr.  Rice 
received  his  early  education  at  Waveland  Collegiate 
Institute,  in  Indiana,  for  about  six  years,  when  sick- 
ness required  him  to  leave  school  and  his  native 
state.  He  went  to  Colorado  in  search  of  health  in 
1877.  and  there  spent  ten  years  in  farming  and 
freighting.  He  then  moved  to  Ellensburg,  invested 
in  city  property  and  engaged  in  carpentering  for 
about  four  years.  He  then  bought  one  hundred  and 
ten  acres  of  raw  and  partially  uncultivated  lands. 
He  has  now  brought  about  seventy-five  acres  under 
cultivation  and  has  built  a  home  on  the  place  that 
is  one  of  the  finest  farm  residences  in  the  county. 
It  contains  nine  rooms,  and  bath  and  modern  con- 
veniences are  to  be  put  in  at  once. 

Mr.  Rice  was  married  April  4,  1882,  in  Rock- 
ville,  Indiana,  to  Miss  Mary  Ellen  McCampbell,  a 
native  of  the  state,  born  May  18,  1856.  She  is  one 
of  a  family  of  eleven  children,  and  her  father,  John 
H.  McCampbell,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  about  1818, 
and  died  in  1881.  Her  mother,  Sarah  A.  (Gris- 
more)  McCampbell,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1820 
and  died  in  1892.     Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rice  have  three 


children :  Emma  V.,  born  April  6,  1883 ;  James  L., 
April  23,  1886,  and  Thomas  H.,  December  8,  1892. 
The  eldest  two  were  born  in  Buena  Vista,  Colo- 
rado, and  the  youngest  boy  in  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Rice 
is  a  Republican  and  served  three  consecutive  terms 
as  councilman  in  Ellensburg,  where  he  was  the 
leading  advocate  of  good  sewerage  and  was  to  a 
large  extent  responsible  for  the  installing  of  the 
system  which  has  made  that  city  one  of  the  most 
healthful  in  the  country.  He  was  nominated  for  a 
fourth  term,  but  declined  to  run,  being  averse  to 
office  holding.  Both  he  and  Mrs.  Rice  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


EDWIN  P.  EMERSON  is  a  successful  agricul- 
turist residing  at  present  four  miles  south  and  five 
miles  east  of  the  thriving  town  of  Ellensburg.  He 
was  born  in  Stetson,  Maine,  thus  being  of  that  popu- 
lar class  of  American  citizens  known  as  Yankees. 
His  parents  also  were  Yankees,  both  being  natives 
of  Maine.  Cyrus  W.  Emerson,  the  father,  was 
born  in  1825,  and  died  February  22,  1903,  having 
lived  his  entire  lifetime  in  his  native  state.  The 
mother,  Hannah  (Hammonds)  Emerson,  was  born 
in  183 1,  and  attained  womanhood  and  was  married 
in  the  Pine  Tree  state,  but  resides  at  present  in 
Seattle.  Edwin  P.  lived  with  his  parents  on  the  farm 
in  Maine  until  he  reached  his  nineteenth  year,  dur- 
ing boyhood  acquiring  a  fair  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools.  At  the  age  mentioned,  he  migrated 
to  Minnesota,  this  being  in  1882.  He  remained  in 
Minnesota  only  ten  months,  however,  then  came 
west  to  Kittitas  county,  where  for  four  years  fol- 
lowing his  arrival  he  was  employed  as  a  lumber- 
man. In  1877  he  went  to  the  Puget  sound  region 
and  for  the  ensuing  three  years  logged  on  Skagit 
river.  After  this  time  he  went  to  a  point  near 
Tacoma,  there  logging  for  four  years.  In  1894  he 
discontinued  this  vocation  permanently,  having  filed 
a  desert  entry  on  his  present  farm  eight  years  previ- 
ously. Water  was  first  put  on  the  place  in  1889, 
since  which  time  eighty  acres  have  been  put  under 
cultivation,  the  other  eighty  being  left  as  a  salt 
grass  pasture. 

On  January  11,  1898.  Mr.  Emerson  married 
Miss  Maggie  Bollman,  a  native  of  Yakima,  born  in 
1875.  Her  parents,  Mose  and  Susan  (Funk)  Boll- 
man,  are  at  present  residing  in  Kittitas  county. 
Mose  Bollman  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1837, 
and  since  attaining  manhood  has  been  a  contractor 
and  farmer  mainly.  When  the  gold  fever  in  Cali- 
fornia was  ;it  its  height  he  crossed  the  Plains  with 
a  wagon  train,  like  thousands  of  others  at  that  time, 
bent  on  the  acquiring  of  fortune  at  whatever  hazard 
to  life  or  health.  After  following  divers  occupa- 
tions for  a  number  of  years  in  that  state  he  came  to 
Kittitas  county,  arriving  in  the  early  seventies.  He 
is  of  German  descent.  Susan  (Funk)  Bollman  was 
born  in  Missouri  in  1851,  and  when  a  young  woman 
came  west,  afterwards  being  married  in  The  Dalles, 


874 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Oregon.  As  mentioned,  she  is  at  present  residing 
with  her  husband  in  Kittitas  county.  Children  that 
have  been  born  to  the  marriage  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Emerson  are:  Cyrus  M.,  born  April  n,  1901 ;  Roy, 
born  June  5,  1902 ;  Fred,  born  April  25,  1903.  All 
are  natives  of  Kittitas  county.  In  religion  Air.  Em- 
erson is  an  Adventist,  and  in  politics  he  holds  to 
the  Republican  views.  He  is  a  good  representative 
man,  popular  wherever  known,  and  possessed  of 
industry  and  integrity. 


NIELS  LARSEN  is  one  of  the  many  Danish 
settlers  who  live  in  the  Ellensburg  country,  his  home 
being  four  miles  south  and  four  and  one-half  miles 
east  of  the  city  of  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Larsen  was  born 
in  Denmark,  August  21,  i860,  the  son  of  Anders 
and  Mary  (Nelson)  Larsen,  the  latter  deceased  and 
the  former  at  present  residing  in  Denmark.  The 
elder  Larsen  was  born  in  1834,  and  now  at  the  age 
of  seventy  years  is  residing  in  the  old  country,  farm- 
ing, as  he  has  ever  been  since  attaining  manhood. 
The  mother  was  born  in  1834  and  died  in  1901,  hav- 
ing lived  all  her  life  in  Denmark  and  raised  a 
family  of  six  children.  Niels  grew  to  manhood  and 
was  educated  in  the  land  of  his  nativity.  He  lived 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-seven  years  of 
age,  from  his  twenty-first  year  till  that  age  being 
in  partnership  with  his  father  on  the  farm.  When 
twenty-seven,  he  came  to  the  United  States,  his 
objective  point  being  Duluth,  Minnesota,  where  for  a 
year  and  a  half  after  arrival  he  followed  occupations 
of  a  diverse  nature.  Then  he  came  west  to  Wash- 
ington, arriving  at  Ellensburg  in  1889.  Here  he 
was  first  employed  in  a  brick-yard  for  three  months, 
after  which  he  accepted  employment  from  the 
Northern  Pacific  Company  as  a  section  workman. 
For  three  years  he  was  thus  engaged,  during  the 
time  his  wages  being  one  dollar  and  sixty  cents  per 
day.  Quitting  the  section  gang,  he  went  into  the 
round-house  as  an  engine-wiper,  following  the  voca- 
tion for  a  year  afterwards.  The  big  strike  of  1894 
compelled  him  to  cease  his  work  with  the  railroad 
company,  so  he  tried  the  life  of  a  farm  hand.  A 
year  of  this  was  sufficient,  however,  and  the  strike 
being  then  settled,  he  returned  to  his  old  vocation  on 
the  railroad  section.  He  continued  at  this  work  for 
four  years  following,  and  during  that  time  accumu- 
lated enough  money  to  purchase  his  farm.  During 
the  last  nine  months  of  his  work  with  the  railway 
company  he  was  employed  in  the  car  repairing 
shops,  having  been  promoted  from  the  section  gang. 
He  bought  the  farm,  as  mentioned,  in  1901,  and 
since  then  has  made  the  place  his  home. 

December  22,  1891,  Mr.  Larsen  married  Miss 
Christena  Somesen,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hans  C.  Somesen,  who  came  not  many  years  ago 
from  Denmark  to  the  United  States.  The  parents 
are  now  residing  in  Wisconsin,  their  home  having 
been  there  since  1898.  Miss  Christena  was  born  in 
Denmark,  August  27,  1863,  and  in  her  native  land 


grew  to  young  womanhood  and  was  educated.  She 
came  with  her  parents  to  the  United  States  when 
a  young  woman,  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Larsen  occur- 
ring later  when  she  was  twenty-seven  years  of  age. 
The  event  was  solemnized  in  Ellensburg.  Children 
that  have  been  born  to  this  marriage  are:  Harry, 
July  17,  1892;  Myers,  July  18,  1894;  Daniel,  Sep- 
tember 29,  1896,  and  Betena,  July  22,  1898.  All 
were  born  near  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Larsen  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  in  politics  a  Re- 
publican. He  is  an  honest,  hard-working  man,  who, 
as  did  many  of  his  Danish  neighbors  in  this  locality, 
came  from  the  old  country  with  neither  money  nor 
experience,  his  sole  reliance  being  a  determined  will. 
He  is  worthy  of  respect  for  his  patient,  persevering 
industry,  to  which  quality  he  is  mainly  indebted 
for  his  success. 


ERICK  A.  MOE.  Among  the  numerous  ranch- 
ers of  the  Ellensburg  country  who  by  industry  and 
capable  management  have  acquired  comfortable 
homes  and  well  improved  farms  none  is  more 
worthy  of  mention  than  Erick  A.  Moe.  Mr.  Moe 
is  a  native  of  Norwav.  He  was  born  in  this  land 
of  noble  traditions,  November  26,  1871,  and  was 
the  son  of  Anders  A.  and  Mary  (Erickson)  Moe, 
the  former  now  living  in  Norway,  and  the  latter 
deceased.  The  elder  Moe  was  born  in  Norway  in 
1843.  since  his  birth  having  resided  there  continu- 
ously. The  mother,  Mary  Moe,  likewise  a  native 
of  Norway,  was  born  in  1853,  and,  as  mentioned,  is 
now  deceased.  Erick  A.  resided  at  home  with  his 
parents  till  his  seventeenth  year,  at  that  age  coming 
to  America.  This  was  in  1888.  He  came  at  once 
to  Tacom:i  and  was  immediately  employed  on  a 
steamboat  plying  on  Puget  Sound.  He  was  thus  en- 
gaged for  a  year.  His  next  employment  was  with 
the  railroad  company  between  Tacoma  and  Steila- 
coom,  here  spending  nearly  a  year.  Next  he  came 
to  Ellensburg,  where  he  was  employed  for  six  years 
in  the  mill  of  that  place,  owned  by  R.  P.  Tjossem, 
during  which  time  he  married  the  daughter  of  his 
employer.  In  1897  he  gave  up  his  position  in  the 
mill  and  rented  a  form,  shortly  afterwards  buying 
his  present  farm.  He  moved  onto  this  ranch  with 
his  wife  in  1898,  and  since  then  has  resided  there 
continuorslv. 

On  April  2-j,  1897,  Mr.  Moe  married  Miss 
Torena  Tjossem,  then  residing  with  her  parents  in 
Ellensburg.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Rasmus  P. 
and  Rr.chel  (Heggem)  Tjossem,  the  former  a  mill- 
owne-  and  one  of  the  prominent  business  men  of 
the  Ellensburg  country.  Rasmus  P.  Tjossem  was 
born  in  Norway  in  1841  and  came  to  the  United 
Stites  in  1S76,  first  visiting  the  eastern  states.  He 
arrived  in  Ellensburcr  in  the  early  eighties,  and 
before  becoming  a  mill-owner  was  a  farmer.  Rachel 
(Heggem)  Tjossem  was  born  in  Norwav,  and  when 
a  young  woman  nme  to  the  United  States.  She 
married  the  elder  Tjossem  in  Iowa,  and  later  came 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


875 


west  with  him,  settling  at  the  present  location  near 
Ellensburg.  Miss  Torena  was  born  in  Marshall 
county,  Iowa,  in  1872,  and  when  a  child  came  west 
with  her  parents.  She  married  Mr.  Moe  when  twen- 
ty-four years  of  age.  Children  that  have  been  born 
to  this  marriage  are:  Rachel,  born  March  25,  1898; 
Mary  A.,  born  January  27,  1900,  deceased  at  the 
age  of  thirteen  months ;  Dollie  T.,  born  October  24, 
1903,  all  born  near  Ellensburg.  In  religion,  Mr. 
Moe  is  a  Presbyterian,  and  in  politics  he  espouses 
the  Republican  cause.  From  the  point  of  view  of 
property  interests  he  is  undoubtedly  one  of  the  most 
substantial  citizens  of  the  county  in  which  he  re- 
sides, and  he  is  no  less  worthy  in  all  the  manly 
attributes. 


WILLIAM  T.  SHELDON  is  a  wealthy  farmer 
and  stockman  residing  five  miles  south  and  four 
miles  east  of  Ellensburg.  He  was  born  in  Clinton 
county,  Iowa,  February  4,  1862,  the  son  of  I  ram 
and  Catherine  (Ellis)  Sheldon,  the  former  now 
deceased.  I  ram  Sheldon  was  born  in  New  York 
state  in  1847  and  when  a  youth  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Iowa,  in  which  state  he  grew  to  man- 
hood and  was  married.  He  died  when  thirty-three 
years  of  age.  Catherine  (Ellis)  Sheldon  was  born 
in  Illinois,  and  when  a  girl  moved  with  her  parents 
to  Iowa,  in  this  state  marrying  the  elder  Sheldon, 
as  mentioned.  She  was  of  Scotch-Dutch  descent 
and  her  husband  of  English.  William  T.  grew  to 
manhood  and  was  educated  in  Iowa.  His  mother 
married  a  second  time,  and  William  lived  until  nine- 
teen years  of  age  with  this  parent  and  his  step- 
father in  Cherokee  county,  Iowa.  At  the  age  men- 
tioned, he  took  up  the  carpenter's  trade,  but  worked 
at  it  only  a  short  time,  then  returning  to  his  former 
vocation  of  farming.  After  a  year  of  farming  in 
Iowa  he  came  west,  his  objective  point  being  Kit- 
titas county,  where  he  settled  near  Ellensburg.  For 
five  years  following  his  arrival  he  teamed,  generally 
out  of  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  to  tributary  points.  Then 
he  went  to  the  Palouse  country,  where  he  spent 
three  years  at  farming,  after  which  he  returned  to 
Kittitas  county  and  bought  an  eighty-acre  tract  of 
land,  which  property  he  owns  at  present.  He  is 
now  farming  and  raising  stock,  as  mentioned,  and 
in  addition  operates  a  threshing  machine  and  hay- 
baler  every  fall. 

Mr.  Sheldon  was  married  September  8,  1881,  to 
Miss  Viola  Hayes,  who,  at  the  time  of  marriage, 
was  residing  in  Nebraska.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Sanford  and  Rebecca  (Fry)  Hayes,  who  were 
among  the  pioneer  settlers  of  Washington.  Sanford 
Hayes  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1827.  After  reach- 
ing manhood  he  farmed  for  a  few  years  in  his  native 
state,  later  moving  to  Iowa,  which  was  then  being 
settled  up.  He  lived  in  Iowa  several  years,  marry- 
ing during  this  period,  then,  with  his  bride,  crossed 
the  Plains,  his  objective  point  being  Washington. 
He  first  settled  in  Olympia,  but  later  visited  Ore- 


gon and  California,  traveling  at  a  time  when  the 
"prairie  schooner"  and  pack-train  were  the  only 
means  of  transportation  and  the  settler's  rifle  the 
only  protection  from  hostile  Indians  and  animals. 
Eventually,  however,  he  settled  in  Kittitas  county, 
where  he  is  residing  at  present.  Rebecca  (Fry) 
Hayes  was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1835,  and  when 
a  child  moved  with  her  parents  to  Iowa,  in  which 
state,  as  stated,  she  was  married.  Her  present  resi- 
dence is  in  Kittitas  county.  Viola  Hayes  was  born 
near  Olympia,  April  15,  1865,  and  accompanied  her 
parents  during  their  travels  in  Oregon,  California, 
Iowa,  Nebraska  and  Missouri.  In  the  three  latter 
states  she  received  her  education.  While  in  Ne- 
braska, as  mentioned,  she  married  W.  T.  Sheldon, 
being  seventeen  years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her 
marriage.  Children  that  have  been  born  to  this 
marriage  are :  Villy,  born  in  Whitman  county,  June 
9,  1885 ;  William  B„  April  10,  1891 ;  Clara,  Septem- 
ber 19,  1893;  Milo  F.,  July  25,  1897;  Iram,  August 
12,  1899,  and  Howard  M.,  July  26,  1901,  all  in  Kit- 
titas county.  Mr.  Sheldon  belongs  to  the  Reorgan- 
ized Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints.  He  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  ardent  in  hi«  support  of  the  Roosevelt  ad- 
ministration. His  property  holdings  are  extensive, 
comprising  slightly  over  thirteen  hundred  acres  of 
land,  two  hundred  and  fifty  head  of  cattle,  and 
numerous  other  possessions  in  line  with  the  busi- 
ness which  he  conducts.  It  is  worthy  of  mention 
that  Mr.  Sheldon  owns  the  largest  apple  orchard  in 
Kittitas  county.  It  is  twenty  acres  in  extent,  almost 
all  the  trees  being  in  full  bearing. 


WILLIAM  D.  CARTER,  a  transfer  man  at  El- 
lensburg, Washington,  is  a  Virginian,  as  his  father 
and  mother  were  before  him.  Born  in  the  famous 
old  Shenandoah  Valley,  August  19,  i860,  he  left 
home  July  4,  1887,  to  come  west  and  eventually 
located  at  Ellensburg.  His  father,  John  L.  Carter, 
who  was  a  farmer  and  a  native  of  the  Shenandoah 
valley,  saw  service  during  the  war.  His  mother 
was  Virginia  E.  (Rawlings)  Carter,  born  in  Vir- 
ginia in  1839.  Mr.  Carter  has  two  brothers  and  a 
married  sister.  Marge  L.  (Carter)  Kinchloe,  the 
sister,  and  Shelby  H.  Carter,  the  younger  brother, 
live  in  Virginia.  J.  P.  Carter,  the  elder  brother,  re- 
sides in  Washington,  District  of  Columbia. 

Mr.  Carter  was  educated  in  the  Shenandoah 
?cademy  at  Winchester,  Virginia,  and  when  eighteen 
years  old  went  to  Charleston,  West  Virginia, 
where  he  handled  wheat  stocks  successfully  for  two 
years.  He  then  moved  to  Millwood,  Virginia,  and 
clerked  in  a  general  merchandise  store  two  years, 
after  which  he  spent  a  vear  at  home  before  moving 
west.  He  arrived  at  Ellensburg  July  12.  1887,  and 
went  to  work  in  a  flour-mill  owned  by  R.  P.  Tjos- 
sem.  With  a  blacksmith  from  his  old  home  he 
formed  a  parnership  and  engaged  in  blacksmithing, 
but  sold  out  next  spring  and  engaged  in  the  trans- 
fer and  livery  business.     He  sold  out  in  1894,  but 


876 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  purchasers  failing  to  make  payments  he  resumed 
control  in  1896.  Two  years  later  he  closed  out  the 
livery,  went  into  partnership  with  Mart  Mason  and 
secured  a  lease  on  three  hundred  acres  of  Yakima 
Indian  reservation  lands,  the  first  ever  sanctioned 
by  the  government.  He  was  engaged  in  farming 
until  1900,  during  which  time  he  purchased  six  car- 
loads of  horses  and  took  them  to  North  Dakota  for 
sale.  December  15,  1900,  he  bought  an  outfit  and 
started  his  present  transfer  business.  He  has  now 
two  outfits  running,  thoroughly  equipped,  has  a 
nice  five-room  house,  two  lots  and  a  good  barn. 

Mr.  Carter  was  married  at  Ellensburg.  Decem- 
ber 6,  1888,  to  Miss  Anna  Hardwick,  daughter  of 
Hugh  M.  Hardwick  and  Fannie  (Gridder)  Hard- 
wick, both  natives  of  Tennessee.  Mrs.  Carter  was 
born  at  Decatur,  Texas,  was  educated  as  a  school 
teacher,  and  taught  for  a  time  in  her  native  state. 
Her  mother  and  three  sisters  and  four  of  her  broth- 
ers live  in  Oklahoma.  One  sister,  Cora  (Hardwick) 
Ewing,  is  dead.  The  others  are:  Mattie  (Hard- 
wick) Culbertson,  Jennie  (Hardwick)  Smith,  Jes- 
sie (Hardwick)  McBee,  Lee,  Hugh,  Roy  and 
Homer  Hardwick. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  have  one  child,  Phelma  V. 
Carter,  born  at  Ellensburg,  June  22,  1900.  Both 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carter  are  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  Mr.  Carter  is  a  Republican  and  has 
served  five  terms  in  the  Ellensburg  city  council. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  has 
been  through  all  the  chairs,  also  has  the  distinction 
of  having  been  elected  a  delegate  to  the  grand  lodge 
session  held  at  Seattle,  Washington. 


CATHERINE  MORRISON  is  a  successful 
farmer  and  stock  raiser,  whose  home  is  one  mile 
south  and  seven  miles  east  of  Ellensburg,  Wash- 
ington. She  is  one  of  the  few  women  who  have 
displayed  business  ability  and  sagacity  in  the  suc- 
cessful conduct  of  such  enterprises  in  the  Northwest. 
Her  ability  in  this  line  is  possibly  due  to  the  fact 
that  she  comes  from  a  race  of  successful  tillers  of 
the  soil. 

Mrs.  Morrison  was  born  in  Pierce  county,  Wash- 
ington, April  17,  1859— a  time  when  the  residents 
of  the  Northwest  were  few  in  number.  Her 
father,  Charles  Wheeler,  a  native  of  Illinois,  was  a 
farmer  and  moved  from  the  coast  to  Kittitas  county 
in  1870.  Her  mother,  Maria  (Fry)  Wheeler,  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1832,  her  father  being  also  an 
agriculturist. 

Mrs.  Morrison  received  her  education,  though 
it  was  a  meagre  one,  in  the  schools  of  Pierce  county, 
Washington.  She  was  but  twelve  years  old  when 
her  father  moved  to  Kittitas  county.  July  15,  1876, 
she  was  married  to  William  Morrison.  Her  broth- 
ers and  sisters  include  the  following:  Samantha 
(Wheeler)  Curtice,  now  a  resident' of  Okanogan 
county,  Washington ;  George  Wheeler  and  Abe 
Wheeler,  residents  of.  Kittitas  county,  Washington ; 


Virenda  (Wheeler)  Cook,  also  a  resident  of  Kittitas 
county,  and  Carrie  (Wheeler)  Harper,  now  resid- 
ing in  Iowa. 

Mrs.  Morrison  is  the  mother  of  seven  children. 
Her  son,  Thomas  J.  Morrison,  was  born  May  II, 
1877;  Mary  V.  (Morrison)  Roberson,  born  May  11, 
1879,  died  May  1,  1903;  Charles  W.  Morrison  was 
born  September  16,  1881 ;  Abraham  Morrison  was 
born  January  9,  1884;  Georgie  Morrison  was  born 
February  13,  1886,  and  died  December  9,  1899; 
Grant  Morrison  was  born  February  9,  1888;  Anna 
Morrison,  the  youngest  child,  was  born  March  22, 
1 891.  Mrs.  Morrison  has  one  grandchild,  John  T. 
Roberson,    born   April   21,    1901. 

Mrs.  Morrison  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and 
seven  acres,  of  which  she  has  thirty  acres  in  cultiva- 
tion. She  also  has  about  sixty  head  of  good  cattle 
and  horses. 


CHARLES  W.  C.  PANSING  is  a  successful 
farmer  and  stock  raiser,  and  personally  does  much 
of  the  labor  on  his  place  despite  the  unfortunate 
accident  which  robbed  him  of  both  his  feet.  He  has 
eight  hundred  acres  of  farm  land,  half  a  mile  south 
and  seven  miles  east  of  Ellensburg,  Washington, 
well  supplied  with  farm  buildings,  implements  and 
machinery.  He  also  owns  about  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  head  of  cattle  and  twenty  head  of 
horses.  Mr.  Pansing  is  a  native  of  Hanover,  Ger- 
many, born  March  20,  1846.  His  father,  Edward 
Pansing,  and  his  mother,  Margaretta  (Ameshoff) 
Pansing,  natives  of  the  same  country,  are  both 
dead.  Mr.  Pansing  was  educated  in  Germany  and 
left  school  when  he  was  fourteen  years  old  to 
work  on  his  father's  farm.  He  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1868  and  located  in  Montgomery  county, 
Ohio,  where,  for  ten  years  following,  he  worked 
on  a  tobacco  farm.  Leaving  Ohio,  he  moved  to 
Yamhill  county,  Oregon,  but  left  there  after  a  stay 
of  eleven  months,  on  account  of  his  health,  and 
moved  to  Yakima  county  in  the  spring  of  1877. 
He  worked  for  Mr.  Sanders  for  about  three  years. 
It  was  during  this  period  that  he  had  the  misfortune 
to  have  both  his  feet  so  severely  frozen  that  it  was 
necessary  to  amputate  them  at  the  instep. 

He  had  four  brothers  and  one  sister,  all  born  in 
Hanover,  as  follows:  Henry,  born  about  1842; 
Sina  (Pansing)  Bultman,  born  in  1833;  William, 
born  in  1835,  and  Plerman,  born  in  1839 ;  are  now 
dead.  The  surviving  brother,  Frederick  Pansing, 
born  in  1837,  is  a  resident  of  Ohio,  where  he  is 
engaged  in  farming  and  raising  tobacco.  Mr.  Pan- 
sing does  not  take  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  party 
politics,  but  is  an  ardent  admirer  and  supporter  of 
President  Roosevelt.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ger- 
man Lutheran  church. 


S.  NEWELL  BANISTER,  a  farmer  residing 
some  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Ellensburg, 


CHARLES   W.    C.    PANSING. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


877 


Washington,  is  of  Scotch-Irish  descent.  He  was 
born  in  Pierpont,  Saint  Lawrence  county,  New 
York,  November  5,  1831.  His  father,  Benjamin 
Banister,  was  born  in  Virginia,  and  enlisted  in  the 
American  army  in  the  War  of  1812.  The  mother, 
Bethirah  (Axtel)  Banister,  was  born  in  Virginia 
about  1800.  Mr.  Banister  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  New  York  and  Illinois,  and  when  about 
seventeen  years  old  left  school  and  began  working 
on  a  farm.  Three  years  later  he  started  for  Cali- 
fornia, by  wagon,  and  arrived  in  the  Golden  state 
in  1852.  He  engaged  in  placer  mining  one  year. 
For  two  years  following  he  was  engaged  in  freight- 
ing and  then  moved  to  the  northern  part  of  the 
state  and  bought  a  farm,  which  he  cultivated  for 
three  years.  He  was  a  member  of  an  independent 
company,  organized  to  fight  Indians,  and  had  a 
number  of  narrow  escapes  from  death  at  the  hands 
of  the  wily  savages.  In  1862  he  left  Crescent  City 
valley  and  located  in  Umatilla,  Oregon,  where  he 
engaged  in  freighting  for  six  years.  In  1869  he 
filed  on  a  homestead  in  Vancouver,  Washington, 
and  farmed  there  nearly  seven  years.  He  then 
moved  to  Kittitas  county  for  the  winter,  the  next 
spring  went  to  Walla  Walla  and  engaged  in  farm- 
ing for  another  period  of  seven  years.  He  then  re- 
turned to  Kittitas  county,  where  he  has  since  made 
his  home.  His  brothers  and  sisters  include  the  fol- 
lowing: Mrs.  Mandena  Otis,  of  Spokane,  Wash- 
ington ;  Jason,  living  in  Idaho ;  Robert,  an  Oregon 
farmer;  Lindon,  killed  while  serving  in  General 
Sherman's  army  during  the  Civil  war;  Mrs.  Sarah 
Isum,  a  widow,  who  resides  in  Illinois ;  Salmira 
Banister,  who  died  when  six  years  old ;  William, 
died  at  the  age  of  eight;  Daniel,  died  at  the  age 
of  three,  and  Nathan,  who  has  also  passed  away. 

Mr.  Banister  was  married  in  Vancouver,  Wash- 
ington, May  5,  1868,  to  Miss  Martha  Dixon,  who 
was  born  March  31,  1841.  Her  father,  Elija  Dix- 
on, born  in  Virginia  in  1806,  was  a  farmer.  Her 
mother,  Sarah  (Cadwalader)  Dixon,  was  born  in 
North  Carolina  in  1804.  Both  were  of  Dutch-Irish 
descent.  Mrs.  Banister  had  four  brothers  and  five 
sisters,  as  follows:  John,  of  Kittitas  county;  Mrs. 
Melinda  Wigle.  a  widow,  living  in  Yakima  county, 
Washington ;  Charles,  Drusella,  Ruth  and  Isaac,  all 
dead ;  Mary  Hardester,  wife  of  a  retired  farmer  of 
Walla  Walla,  Washington ;  Sarah  Cross,  wife  of  a 
farmer  of  Vancouver,  Washington,  and  Joseph 
Dixon,  deceased.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Banister  have  five 
children:  Sarah  (Banister)  McEwen  was  born 
March  28,  1870,  and  lives  in  Kittitas  county;  Mrs. 
Melinda  Dixon,  born  February  6,  1872,  lives  in 
Ellensburg ;  Airs.  Mamie  Smith,  born  October  28, 
1874,  is  dead ;  Mrs.  Belle  Lewis,  born  February  4, 
1879,  lives  in  Yakima  county,  and  Lindon,  born 
June  23,  1885,  makes  his  home  with  his  parents. 

Mrs.  Banister  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
church,  while  the  husband  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Republican  party.  His  farm  place  consists  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  of  which  he  has  about 


sixty  acres  under  cultivation.  The  farm  is  well 
equipped  with  all  needed  machinery  and  is  stocked 
with  thirty-five  milch  cows,  horses  and  hogs. 


EDD  A.  ERICKSON  is  a  farmer  and  stock 
raiser  who  lives  four  miles  east  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington.  He  was  born  in  Kittitas  county,  June 
5>  x875>  a°d  has  resided  there  ever  since.  His 
father,  Erick  Erickson,  and  his  mother,  Carrie 
(Larson)  Erickson,  were  natives  of  Norway.  Edd 
A.  acquired  an  education  in  the  common  schools, 
and  when  eighteen  years  old  began  to  work  on  his 
father's  farm,  where  he  remained  for  four  years. 
Then  he  rented  a  farm,  which  he  worked  with  suc- 
cess for  three  years.  During  one  summer  following 
he  worked  for  others,  and  then  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty  acres,  which  he  has  since  cultivated, 
and  which  is  now  his  home.  The  place  is  well 
stocked  with  all  necessary  farming  appurtenances, 
and  supports  sixty-five  head  of  horses  and  some 
cattle.  Mr.  Erickson's  brothers  were  all  born  in 
the  valley,  and  are  farmers.  His  sisters,  also  natives 
of  Kittitas  county,  are  all  married  to  farmers.  The 
names  of  the  latter  are:  Mrs.  Mary  (Erickson) 
Burroughs  and  Mrs.  Laura  (Erickson)  Sherrill. 
The  brothers  are :  William  Erickson,  John  Erick- 
son and  Lewis  Erickson.  The  subject  of  this  biog- 
raphy was  married,  June  30,  1897,  to  Miss  Dora 
Dolsen,  who  was  born  in  Detroit,  Michigan,  June 
14,  1877.  Her  father,  William  Dolsen,  was  born 
in  Canada,  April  17,  1843,  and  is  now  living  in 
Seattle,  where  he  follows  the  carpenter  trade.  The 
mother,  Bertha  (Chase)  Dolsen,  was  born  in  New 
York  city,  April  7,  1853.  The  brothers  of  Mrs. 
Erickson  are:  Edward  A.  and  William  R.  Dolsen, 
both  bom  in  Michigan,  and  now  teamsters  in  Seat- 
tle. Her  only  sister,  Estella  A.,  is  deceased.  To 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Erickson  has  been  born  one 
child.  Loyal,  born  February  22,  1901.  In  politics, 
Mr.  Erickson  is  a  decided  Republican.  He  is  a 
hard  worker,  and  one  who  makes  his  labor  count. 
Beginning  with  practically  nothing,  he  has  built  up 
a  home  and  property  interests  of  which  he  may 
justly  be  proud. 


DAVID  H.  LYEN  is  engaged  in  blacksmithing 
three  and  a  half  miles  east  and  one-half  mile  north 
of  Ellensburg,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Wash- 
ington, about  eighty  miles  from  Portland,  June  2, 
i860.  His  father  was  Ezekiel  W.  Lyen,  a  native  of 
Kentucky,  and  moved  from  this  state  to  Washing- 
ton, settling  in  the  Kittitas  valley,  where  he  raised 
thoroughbred  racing  stock.  At  one  time  he  owned 
the  fastest  running  mare  in  Kittitas  valley.  He 
was  treasurer  of  Yakima  county  for  four  years,  his 
term  of  office  being  from  1869  to  1873.  The  mother 
of  David  H.  was  Nancy  Jane  (Ballard)  Lyen,  born 
in  Illinois,  at  Whitehall  Fern.  Her  father  was  a 
farmer. 


CENTRAL   WASHINGTON. 


Mr.  Lyen  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Yakima  and  Kittitas  counties  until  he  was  six- 
teen years  old,  at  which  time  he  went  to  work  on 
his  father's  farm,  devoting  his  attention  chiefly  to 
stock  raising.  In  1883  he  filed  on  a  homestead  in 
the  Kittitas  valley  and  farmed  it  for  five  years 
with  more  than  ordinary  success.  Then  his  father 
died  from  a  paralytic  stroke,  leaving  an  estate 
valued  at  forty  thousand  dollars.  His  mother  was 
appointed  administratrix,  but  she  gave  the  manage- 
ment of  the  trust  principally  to  Mr.  Lyen.  He  gave 
a  mortgage  on  his  farm  to  secure  money  to  probate 
the  estate.  Then,  on  account  of  his  trusting  to  hired 
advice,  practically  nothing  was  realized  from  the 
estate,  and  Mr.  Lyen  lost  his  farm  under  a  mort- 
gage. After  this  reverse,  beginning  in  1891,  Mr. 
Lyen  engaged  in  sheep-shearing  during  the  spring 
months,  and  in  running  threshing  machines  in  the 
fall.  This  work  he  followed  for  several  years,  and 
at  different  times  has  owned  partnership  interest  in 
three  different  threshing  outfits.  During  the  sum- 
mer and  winter  months  he  worked  in  blacksmith 
shops  till  he  mastered  the  trade.  Within  the  last 
two  years  he  has  learned  horseshoeing  under  the 
best  experts  in  the  state.  With  experience  thus 
acquired,  in  March,  1902,  he  opened  up  a  black- 
smith shop,  and,  in  his  work,  has  met  with  the 
success  to  be  expected.  His  increasing  trade  now 
makes  necessary  the  building  of  a  larger  shop.  The 
new  shop  will  be  built  at  a  point  more  convenient 
to  patrons. 

In  1852,  Mr.  Lyen's  parents  crossed  the  Plains 
and  came  to  Oregon.  They  came  with  ox  teams, 
and  suffered  the  well-known  hardships  incident  to 
such  a  journey.  Besides  David  H.,  the  children  in 
the  family  were:  John  F.,  born  in  1855,  now  farm- 
ing in  Kittitas  county ;  Margaret  C.  and  Mattie, 
both  now  dead;  Mrs.  Lavina  (Lyen)  Fowler,  born 
in  1857,  now  living  at  Oakland,  California,  and 
Leander  J.  S.  A.,  born  in  1862,  now  a  farmer  of 
Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Lyen  is  a  Democrat,  and  an 
active  worker  in  politics,  but  has  no  desire  to  hold 
public  office.  Fraternally,  he  is  a  member  of  the 
T.  O.  T.  E..  and  in  religious*  matters  inclines  to 
the  Christian  church.  He  is  recognized  as  a  man 
worthy  of  public  trusts,  but  he  is  not  an  office- 
seeker. 


CASPER  E.  REED  resides  five  miles  east  and 
three  miles  north  of  Ellensburg,  Washington,  where 
he  is  eng">g;ed  in  farming  and  stock  raising.  He  was 
born  in  Norway,  December  30,  1871.  His  father, 
Jacob  Reed,  was  a  native  of  Norway,  born  in  1845, 
and  was  a  tailor  in  the  old  country.  He  is  now 
engaged  in  farming  near  Tacoma.  His  mother, 
Ann  (Flolo)  Reed,  was  born  in  Norway  in  1846, 
of  a  family  of  farmers.  Mr.  Reed  received  his  edu- 
cation partly  in  Norway  and  in  Tacoma.  He  was 
graduated  from  the  McCaulay  Business  college  at 
Tacoma  in  the  fall  of  1889  and  then  engaged  in  the 


transfer  business  for  about  three  years.  He  learned 
the  printing  trade  when  young.  He  sold  out  his 
transfer  business  and  took  charge  of  the  estate  of 
his  father  in  Tacoma,  valued  at  one  hundred  and 
twenty-five  thousand  dollars,  prior  to  the  panic  of 
1893.  He  spent  three  years  in  disposing  of  the 
property  and  closing  up  the  estate.  Then  he  moved 
to  Kittitas  county,  June  15,  1897,  and  worked  that 
summer  for  P.  H.  and  C.  P.  Schnebly.  For  the 
following  three  years  he  followed  the  stock  business 
and  then  leased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
school  land.  This  he  has  since  purchased  in  part- 
nership with  E.  G.  Marks  and  has  been  cultivating 
it  successfully.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Anna 
(Reed)  Foss,  born  in  Norway,  now  the  wife  of  a 
boat  builder  at  Tacoma ;  Nels  Reed,  born  in  Norway 
and  engaged  in  the  mining  business  at  Portland, 
Oregon;  Carrie  (Reed)  Skibnes,  wife  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  yardmaster  at  Tacoma ;  Harold  Reed, 
born  December  25,  1873,  a  tailor  at  San  Francisco; 
Christine  (Reed)  Greenlaw,  wife  of  a  farmer  near 
Tacoma;  John  Reed,  in  the  logging  business  at 
Tacoma;  Eilert  Reed,  a  shingle  bolt  contractor  of 
Everett ;  Jennie  Reed,  who  is  dead,  and  Albert  Reed, 
a  Tacoma  druggist.  Mr.  Reed  is  a  Democrat  and 
a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen. 
He  has  accumulated  a  half-interest  in  one  hundred 
and  thirty  head  of  cattle,  owns  ten  horses,  seven- 
teen milch  cows,  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  and  a  good  house  and  barn.  He  is  a  breeder  of 
blooded  Poland-China  hogs,  one  of  which  cost  four 
hundred  dollars. 


JOHN  CROCKER  is  engaged  in  stock  raising 
and  farming  three  miles  east  and  three  and  one- 
half  miles  north  of  Ellensburg,  Washington.  He 
was  born  in  Mecklenburg,  Germany,  December  11, 
1844.  His  father,  Otto  Crocker,  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1797.  He  was  quite  wealthy,  but  his  for- 
tune was  consumed  in  trying  to  regain  his  father's 
estate,  which  was  long  in  litigation.  Mr.  Crocker's 
mother,  Mary  (Pastor)  Crocker,  was  born  in  1807, 
and  was  the  daughter  of  a  noted  Lutheran  preacher. 

Mr.  Crocker  was  educated  in  Germany,  and  at 
the  age  of  sixteen  left  the  common  schools  and 
took  a  year's  course  in  an  agricultural  college.  At 
the  age  of  eighteen  he  engaged  as  foreman  on  a 
farm,  where  he  remained  five  years  He  then  came 
to  the  United  States  and  learned  the  cabinet-mak- 
ing trade,  which  he  followed  one  year.  Afterward, 
for  five  years,  he  farmed  in  New  York  state,  and 
then  moved  to  Kansas  There  drought  and  grass- 
hoppers caused  the  loss  of  all  he  had  accumulated, 
and  in  March,  1888,  he  moved  to  Kittitas  county, 
Washington.  Here  he  worked  in  sawmills  and  on 
farms  one  year,  leased  a  farm  for  a  year  and  then 
filed  on  a  homestead  twenty  miles  from  Ellensburg. 
To  get  supplies  to  this  place  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  build  seven  miles  of  road.  He  cultivated 
forty  acres  for  six  years,  and  then  leased  four  hun- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


879 


dred  and  eighty  acres,  which  he  worked  for  six 
years,  during  which  time  he  purchased  his  present 
farm.  He  has  two  brothers  and  three  sisters,  all 
born  in  Germany,  as  follows:  Mary  (Crocker) 
Rabe,  wife  of  a  New  York  blacksmith ;  Sophia 
(Crocker)  Costorf,  wife  of  a  farmer  in  New  York; 
Dora  (Crocker)  Holz,  also  the  wife  of  a  farmer  in 
New  York;  Henry  and  Frederick  Crocker,  farmers 
in  Germany. 

Mr.  Crocker  was  married  in  New  York,  Novem- 
ber 20,  1870,  to  Miss  Minnie  Willet,  who  was 
born  in  Germany,  November  3,  1850,  and  who  died 
November  iq,  1902.  Her  father  died  when  she  was 
six  months  old.  Her  mother,  Dora  (Ilet)  Willet, 
was  born  in  Germany  and  died  in  New  York  at  the 
age  of  seventy-four  years.  Mrs.  Crocker  has  one 
sister,  Hanna  (Willet)  Fell,  the  wife  of  a  farmer 
in  New  York. 

Mr.  Crocker  is  a  member  of  the  Republican 
party  and  belongs  to  the  German  Lutheran  church. 
On  his  well  improved  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre 
farm  he  has  a  splendid  home  and  commodious  barn. 
He  owns  ninety  head  of  cattle  and  sufficient  num- 
ber of  horses  and  machinery  to  operated  the  farm 
with. 


JAMES  A.  HOLCOMB,  a  farmer  and  dairy- 
man living  seven  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of 
El'ensburg,  is  a  typical  Westerner,  born  in  San 
Benito  county,  California,  June  7,  1874.  His 
parents  were  James  A.  and  Mary  (Rader)  Hol- 
comb.  Soon  after  the  birth  of  James  A.,  his  parents 
came  to  the  Kittitas  valley,  and  here  the  boy  at- 
tended school  until  fourteen  years  of  age.  At 
the  age  indicated,  he  left  school  and  for  five  years 
following  worked  for  divers  farmers  in  his  neigh- 
borhood, and  then  embarked  in  the  creamery  busi- 
ness, assuming  charge  of  the  first  creamery  operated 
in  the  Kittitas  valley.  He  continued  in  this  capac- 
itv  for  two  years,  then  returned  to  his  native  state 
(California)  and  engaged  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  Fort  Bidwell.  After  spending  two  years  at  that 
point  he  sold  out  his  interests  and  returned  to  the 
Kittitas  valley,  arriving  in  the  fall  of  1898.  The 
return  journey  was  made  by  wagon,  and  consumed 
seventeen  days.  He  spent  his  first  year  after  re- 
turning in  touring  the  surrounding  country  with  a 
photographic  outfit,  which  venture  netted  him  a  con- 
siderable sum.  At  the  end  of  the  year  he  sold  his 
photographic  outfit  and  embarked  once  more  in  the 
creamery  business,  which  he  ran  in  connection  with 
an  eighty-acre  farm.  On  this  farm  he  still  makes 
his  home.  Over  one-half  of  his  land  is  in  the  high- 
est state  of  cultivation  and  has  natural  irrigation. 
Mr.  Holcomb  was  married  at  Cedarville,  California, 
September  9,  1896,  to  Miss  Elmira  Richardson, 
born  in  California,  April  18.  1877.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  James  and  Sardinia  (Himes)  Richard- 
son, both  of  whom  are  now  living  in  California, 
the  state  of  Mrs.  Holcomb's  nativitv.    Mr.  Richard- 


son, her  father,  was  born  June  15,  1830,  in  the 
siate  of  Maine,  and  by  trade  is  a  carpenter.  In  the 
year  1892  he  was  granted  a  patent  by  the  govern- 
ment on  a  hay  loader,  which  was  manufactured  in 
Stockton,  California.  Mrs.  Richardson  was  born  in 
New  York  state,  and  is  of  Scotch  extraction. 

Mr.  Holcomb,  of  whom  we  write,  has  one  sis- 
ter, Maggie  (Holcomb)  Coon,  born  in  California, 
1872,  who  is  now  living  in  Washington.  Mrs.  Hol- 
comb's brothers  and  sisters  are :  Perley  Richardson 
and  Satira  (Richardson)  Peck,  both  born  and 
now  living  in  California.  Besides  these  she  has 
two  half-brothers  and  ten  half-sisters.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Holcomb  have  four  children :  Leota,  born 
September  29,  1898;  James  L.,  March  26,  1899; 
Melisie  M.,  August  30,  1900,  and  Rubbie  Holcomb, 
March  14,  1902.  Leota  was  born  in  California,  and 
the  remaining  three  in  Kittitas  valley.  Mr.  Hol- 
comb is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  American 
Yeomen,  and  is  a  Republican  in  politics.  Both  he 
and  Mrs.  Holcomb  attend  the  First  Christian 
church.  He  has  eighty  acres  of  first  quality  land, 
a  commodious  dwelling  and  all  necessary  stock  and 
implements  to  operate  his  farm.  He  is  a  man  not 
afraid  to  toil,  and  all  his  efforts  are  characterized 
bv  a  degree  of  enthusiasm  and  perseverance  that 
makes  work  pay.  He  is  a  man  of  sterling  worth 
and  honor,  a  valuable  man  in  the  community,  and 
it  may  be  said  with  truth  that  he  has  as  many 
friends  as  he  has  acquaintances. 


ISAAC  F.  CARLTON,  who  for  many  years 
resided  on  a  farm  five  miles  northeast  of  Ellens- 
burg,  was  born  in  Atkinsville,  North  Carolina,  Feb- 
ruary 15,  1827.  He  was  the  son  of  Bloom  Carlton, 
who,  before  the  war,  was  a  slave-holder,  and  the 
mother  was  a  native  of  North  Carolina.  Isaac  F. 
graduated  from  the  Atkinsville  college  at  the  age 
of  nineteen.  Immediately  after  graduation  he  came 
west  to  the  state  of  Missouri,  where  he  served  for 
a  number  of  years  as  overseer  on  a  large  farm.  He 
left  Missouri  in  the  employ  of  the  United  States 
government  as  wagon-master  of  an  expedition 
bound  for  Salt  Lake  City.  Upon  the  outbreak  of 
the  Rebellion  he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Fourteenth 
Kansas  cavalry,  and  fought  throughout  the  war, 
receiving  at  the  battle  of  Poison  Springs  a  saber 
wound  on  the  shoulder.  He  was  mustered  out  at 
Fort  Gibson,  Cherokee  Nation.  After  being  dis- 
charged from  the  army  he  went  to  Kansas,  where 
he  was  employed  for  a  time  as  a  sawyer  in  a 
large  mill.  He  left  Kansas  in  1868  and  went  to 
Arkansas,  thence  to  Nevada  by  mule  team  about  the 
time  of  the  Custer  massacre.  From  Nevada  he 
moved  to  Los  Angeles,  California,  thence  to  Ari- 
zona, and  again  to  Nevada,  in  which  state  he  en- 
gaged in  mining.  This  business  he  followed  for 
nearly  two  years,  after  which  he  leased  a  hay  ranch, 
which  he  worked  for  two  years.  His  final  move 
was  from  Nevada  to  Oregon,  thence,  in    1881,  to 


8So 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  Kittitas  valley.  Here  he  filed  on  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  and  at  once  launched  upon 
the  business  of  fanning  and  stock  raising.  After 
eleven  years  of  this  pursuit  he  died  on  his  Kittitas 
farm  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  seventy-five.  He  had 
three  sisters,  Liza,  Mary  and  Jane,  all  of  whom 
are  now  dead. 

Deceased  was  married  at  Fort  Scott,  Kansas, 
July  10,  1863,  to  Miss  Rose  H.  Rollet,  the  daughter 
of  Peter  and  Grace  (O'Conner)  Rollet,  the  former 
a  native  of  England,  and  the  latter  of  Dublin,  Ire- 
land. Both  are  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Carlton's  broth- 
ers and  sisters  were :  John,  Richard,  Thomas,  Mrs. 
Amelia  (Rollet)  Earl,  Elizabeth  and  Mrs.  Man- 
Ann  Clark.  The  last  named,  the  only  one  of  them 
now  diving,  resides  in  Canada  and  is  one  hundred 
and  four  years  old.  All  were  born  in  England. 
Mr.  Carlton  was  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellow  and 
Masonic  fraternities.  His  wife,  who  survives  him, 
is  a  member  of  the  Eastern  Star  and  Rebekah  orders. 
He  was  a  man  of  indomitable  energy,  sterling  integ- 
rity and  generous  impulses.  Though  a  gallant 
soldier  and  a  patient  sufferer,  it  was  in  civil  life 
that  his  courage  and  magnanimity  were  most  mani- 
fest. The  malady  to  which  he  succumbed  was  one 
of  long  standing  and  which  he  spent  a  small  fortune 
in  combating.  His  patient  forbearance  during  the 
years  of  harrowing  pain  to  which  he  was  subjected 
won  for  him  the  regard  and  esteem  of  all  who 
knew  him,  and  set  an  example  of  heroism  worthy 
of  emulation  by  those  who  survive  him. 


WILLIAM  H.  RADER,  one  of  the  well-known 
farmers  of  Kittitas  county,  resides  on  a  farm  lying 
three  miles  east  and  five  miles  north  of  Ellens- 
burg.  He  is  the  son  of  Andrew  J.  and  Margarett 
(Chance)  Rader,  both  natives  of  Indiana.  The 
elder  Rader  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Rebellion  en- 
deavored to  go  to  the  front  as  a  cavalryman,  but 
at  the  last  moment  was  debarred  from  service  on 
account  of  physical  disability.  William  H.,  our 
subject,  received  his  education  in  his  native  state 
and  in  California.  When  twenty  years  of  age,  he 
left  school  and  returned  to  his  father's  farm,  where 
he  worked  for  about  five  years,  till  he  came  west  to 
Oregon.  After  spending  a  year  in  that  state,  he 
came  to  Kittitas  county,  attracted  thither  by  the 
attractive  opportunities  offered  in  the  new  country, 
such  as  it  was  then.  Upon  his  arrival,  in  1879,  he 
at  once  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
railroad  land,  which  has  furnished  him  a  home  and 
livelihood  from  that  day  to  this.  The  farm  is  small, 
but  extremely  well  cultivated. 

On  July  11,  1880,  Mr.  Rader  was  united  in 
marriage  to  Miss  Ellen  B.  Bailes,  who  was  born 
in  Oregon,  September  26,  1864.  Her  father, 
Heathly  Bailes,  is  well  known  among  the  pioneers 
of  the  west.  He  was  born  in  the  year  1828,  and  is 
a  minister  of  the  Christian  faith.  The  greater  part 
of  his  life  has  been    devoted    to    religious    work 


throughout  the  states  of  Oregon  and  Washington. 
He  now  lives  near  Tillamook,  Oregon.  The  mother, 
Sarah  (Marshall)  Bailes,  spent  the  greater  portion 
of  her  life  laboring  beside  her  husband.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Rader  have  nine  children,  whose  names  are : 
Blossom,  Floyd  W.,  Bessie,  Virginia,  Benjamin, 
Ruth,  Lena,  Larem  and  Jay.  All  were  born  in  'the 
Kittitas  valley — Blossom,  the  eldest,  in  1881,  and 
Jay,  the  youngest,  in  1902. 

Mr.  Rader  is  a  stanch  Republican,  but  never  ac- 
cepted office  at  the  hands  of  his  party,  preferring  to 
assist  his  friends  rather  than  to  be  elected  to  office. 
Both  he  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Christian 
church,  and  are  active  workers.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Rader  is  associated  with  the  Modern  Woodmen.  He 
is  an  enthusiast  in  matters  of  education  and  for 
sixteen  years  has  held  the  office  of  director  in  his 
school  district.  It  was  principally  through  his  per- 
sonal efforts  that  his  district  is  now  able  to  boast 
one  of  the  finest  school  houses  and  equipages  of 
the  country  district  in  the  county.  As  thrifty  in 
business  as  in  public  matters,  he  has  acquired,  be- 
sides his  home  farm,  a  section  of  farm  land  in 
Douglas  county,  half  of  which  he  purchased  from 
his  father.  The  farm  which  he  makes  his  home  is 
well  stocked  in  every  way.  Successful  in  business, 
honest  and  public-spirited,  he  has  risen  to  an  envi- 
able position  in  his  community. 


AUGUST  HABERMANN  is  a  farmer  residing 
three  miles  east  and  five  miles  north  of  Ellensburg. 
He  was  born  in  Germany,  October,  1854,  and  is 
the  son  of  Frank  and  Annie  (Linsner)  Habermann, 
both  natives  of  Germany.  August  attended  school 
in  his  native  country  until  he  was  thirteen,  when 
he  went  to  work  on  his  father's  farm.  Three  years 
later  he  entered  the  employ  of  others,  giving  his 
wages  to  his  father.  In  this  work  he  continued  two 
years,  when  he  decided  to  cast 'his  lot  in  America. 
He  came  direct  from  the  old  country  to  Minne- 
sota, and  there  worked  on  a  farm  for  two  years, 
after  which  he  went  to  Nebraska.  As  that  country 
was  not  to  his  liking  he  went  to  Kansas,  and  there 
filed  on  a  homestead.  He  cultivated  his  land  for 
four  years,  but  during  the  time,  lost  so  heavily 
from  storms  and  drought  that  he  left  and  came  to 
this  state.  He  stayed  for  a  while  in  the  Palouse 
country,  and  then  pushed  on  to  Seattle,  where  he 
worked  a  short  time  at  the  carpenter's  trade.  His 
next  and  final  move  was  to  Kittitas  valley,  whither 
he  came  in  July,  1883.  Here  he  purchased  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  railroad  land,  which 
he  has  since  farmed.  To  this  original  tract  he 
has  added  from  time  to  time,  till  now  he  has  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  land  all  under  cultiva- 
tion. 

Mr.  Habermann  was  married,  in  1879,  in  the 
state  of  Kansas,  to  Miss  Anna  Luisner.  He  has 
nne  sister  living,  Mrs.  Frances  (Habermann)  Rol- 
linger,  a  native  of  Germany,  now  residing  in  the 


: 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


Kittitas  valley.  Another  sister,  Cicily  Habermann, 
is  now  deceased.  Airs.  Habermann  knows  but  little 
of  her  family,  since  her  parents  both  died  when 
she  was  an  infant.  Nine  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Habermann,  as  follows :  Ru- 
dolph, the  eldest,  was  born  in  Seattle,  February 
14,  18S1 ;  Othilla.  in  Kansas,  on  October  21,  1882; 
Frank,  in  Kittitas  county,  December  25,  1884;  Rosa, 
May  6,  1887;  William,  July  3,  1891 ;  Nicholas,  Au- 
gust 15,  1893 ;  Albert,  October  6,  1895  ;  John,  Octo- 
ber 16,  1900,  and  Martin,  who  is  the  youngest  of 
the  family.  Excepting  Rudolph  and  Othilla,  all 
the  children  were  born  in  the  Kittitas  valley.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Habermann  are  members  of  the  Catholic 
church.  The  former  is  a  Republican,  and  a  stanch 
supporter  of  President  Roosevelt.  He  has  one  of 
the  most  desirable  farms  in  the  valley,  on  which  is 
a  modern  ten-room  house,  and  two  large  barns. 
The  placed  is  stocked  with  thirty-two  head  of  cat- 
tle, and  horses  and  farming  implements  sufficient 
to  carry  on  all  agricultural  pursuits.  Mr.  Haber- 
mann is  regarded  by  his  neighbors  as  a  man  whose 
word  is  as  good  as  his  bond.  He  is  energetic  and 
enterprising,  and  well  endowed  with  the  qualities 
which  go  to  give  a  man  weight  in  his  community. 


WILLIAM  PREWITT,  a  farmer  living  four 
and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg,  was 
born  in  Missouri,  March  27,  1864.  He  is  the  son 
of  Joseph  and  Catherine  (Harris)  Prewitt,  the 
former  born  in  Missouri,  the  latter  in  Kansas,  and 
both  now  living  in  the  first  named  state. 

William  Prewitt's  life  up  to  the  time  when  he 
was  sixteen  years -of  age  was  spent  in  the  common 
schools  of  Texas.  After  leaving  school  he  was  three 
years  in  the  employ  of  various  farmers  in  Texas,  but 
the  fall  of  1883  found  him  in  the  Kittitas  valley. 
He  was  employed  on  farms  and  in  sawmills  in 
the  valley  for  about  eight  years,  during  which  time 
he  purchased  a  farm.  He  then  went  to  Okanogan 
county  and  "squatted"  on  a  piece  of  land.  After 
eight  years  he  sold  his  claim  and  returned  to  his 
Kittitas  valley  farm,  where  he  has  remained  con- 
tinually since.  He  was  married  in  Kittitas  county, 
November  4,  1885,  to  Miss  Amanda  Coon,  a  native 
of  Texas,  born  August  II,  1866.  Mr.  Prewitt  has 
one  brother  and  one  sister,  Robert  Prewitt,  born  in 
Missouri,  May  18.  1858,  who  is  now  a  farmer  in 
the  Kittitas  valley ;  and  Catherine  Ross,  also  born 
in  Missouri.  February  12,  1861,  and  now  living  en 
a  farm  in  that  state.  Mrs.  Prewitt's  father,  Wil- 
liam Coon,  a  native  of  Ohio,  born  May  2,  1837,  was 
a  farmer  and  a  Civil  war  veteran.  He  is  now  dead. 
Her  mother,  Edna  (Freeman)  Coon,  was  a  native 
of  Indiana,  born  February  5,  1839,  to  parents  of 
Irish  lineage.  Mrs.  Prewitt's  brothers  and  sister 
are :  John,  David,  Thomas  and  Martha  Coon,  all 
natives  of  Texas,  born  January  26,  1862,  February 
23,  1864,  January  23,  1879,  and  May  30,  1883,  re- 


spectively. John  and  David  are  at  present  living 
in  the  state  of  Washington. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Prewitt  have  six  children,  as  fol- 
lows:  Rose  Reynolds,  born  in  Kittitas  county, 
October  1,  1886;  Clara,  born  in  Kittitas  county, 
April  28,  18S8;  Eunice,  born  in  Okanogan  county, 
May  29,  1890;  Joseph,  born  in  Okanogan  county, 
July  29,  1892;  Bee,  born  in  Kittitas  county,  August 
20,  1894,  and  Grace  Prewitt,  born  in  Kittitas  coun- 
ty, March  11,  1900. 

Mr.  Prewitt  is  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of 
America,  and  politically  is  an  active  Democrat.  He 
has  a  good  two  hundred  and  forty  acre  farm,  well 
stocked  and  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  is  a 
well-to-do  farmer  and  a  man  of  high  honor,  and 
occupies  an  exalted  position  among  his  neighbors. 


W.  R.  THOMAS.  W.  R.  Thomas  is  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade,  though  he  is  now  an  extensive  land 
owner  and  stock  raiser  in  the  Kittitas  valley.  He 
was  born  in  Transylvania  county,  North  Carolina, 
January  9,  1859.  His  father,  William  A.  Thomas, 
born  in  North  Carolina,  1821,  was  a  farmer  and 
stockman.  He  was  a  successful  breeder  of  fancy 
trotting  horses.  The  mother,  Anthaler  V.  (Mc- 
Call)  Thomas,  was  the  daughter  of  a  North  Caro- 
lina merchant  and  ante-bellum  slave-holder.  She 
was  born  in  North  Carolina  in  1839,  at  Albert,  a 
famous  summer  resort. 

Mr.  Thomas,  after  receiving  a  good  education 
in  Roan  college,  Tennessee,  at  the  age  of  eighteen 
learned  the  carpenter's  trade,  which  he  fol- 
lowed for  some  fifteen  years  in  the  states  of 
Ohio,  Kentucky  and  Washington.  He  came  to  the 
Kittitas  valley  in  1889  and  worked  at  his  trade  for 
three  and  a  half  years  in  the  employ  of  the  North- 
ern Pacific  Company,  at  the  end  of  which  time  he 
purchased  eighty  acres  of  land  from  this  company, 
lying  seven  miles  east  of  Ellensburg.  This  he 
cultivated  for  four  years,  when  he  sold  at  a  good 
figure  and  purchased  his  present  farm.  He  was 
married  in  his  native  state  in  1880,  to  Harriet  Hart, 
who  subsequently  died,  leaving  two  children.  Mr. 
Thomas  afterward  was  married  to  Miss  Bessie 
Cleveland.  To  this  marriage  six  children  have 
been  born.  Mr.  Thomas  has  one  sister,  Laura  L. 
Rhodes,  a  native  of  Georgia,  whose  husband  is  a 
farmer  now  living  in  North  Carolina. 

Mrs.  Thomas  was  born  in  Illinois,  June  22,  1881, 
and  is  the  daughter  of  Benjamin  and  Elizabeth 
(Lewis)  Cleveland,  both  natives  of  Illinois.  The 
former,  now  deceased,  was  born  in  1830  and  was  a 
Baptist  minister  of  note.  The  latter  was  born  in 
1842,  and  now  lives  at  North  Yakima. 

Mrs.  Thomas  has  one  sister  and  one  brother, 
Josephine  Smith,  born  in  Illinois,  October  19,  1868, 
now  living  at  Portland,  and  Charles  Cleveland,  na- 
tive of  Illinois,  now  living  in  North  Yakima.  She 
had  six  brothers  and  sisters,  now  deceased.  Mr. 
Thomas'  children  are :    Anna,  born  in  North  Caro- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


lina,  now  living  in  Tacoma;  Tillie,  deceased;  Ger- 
trude, born  in  1896;  Wilburn,  born  in  1897;  Emma, 
born  in  1899;  Harry,  born  in  1900;  Teddy,  born 
in  1902,  and  Veta,  born  in  1903 ;  the  latter  six 
natives  of  Kittitas  county.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Masonic  order,  and  for  twelve  years  was  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity.  He  has 
always  been  an  active  Republican,  but  has  ever  re- 
fused to  accept  office  at  the  hands  of  his  party. 
He  is  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  his  cc?unty, 
having  accumulated  nine  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  head  of 
horses  and  cattle,  a  good  house  and  commodious 
outbuildings,  a  carpenter  shop,  and  holds  shares 
in  a  co-operative  creamery  plant. 

He  is  truly  a  self-made  man.  When  but  twelve 
years  of  age,  subject's  father  died,  and  a  little  later 
the  mother  departed  this  life ;  the  care  of  the  entire 
family  devolving  upon  him,  which  responsibility  he 
met  faithfully.  By  self-sacrifice  and  hard  work  he 
has  educated  his  younger  sisters,  and  cared  for  all 
the  needs  of  the  family.  He  has  from  his  earliest 
manhood  been  a  public-spirited  and  energetic  man, 
and  has  made  a  success  of  every  undertaking. 


E.  B.  WASSON  lives  on  a  farm  southeast  of 
Ellensburg.  He  was  born  in  Vernon  county,  Mis- 
souri, April  7,  1 87 1,  the  son  of  John  and  Amanda 
(Elackwell)  Wasson.  His  father  was  born  in  Bel- 
fast, Ireland,  and  died  in  1874.  The  mother  was 
a  native  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and  died  when 
E.  B.,  our  subject,  was  but  six  months  old.  He 
attended  school  until  he  was  sixteen,  and  then  was 
forced  to  go  to  work  at  whatever  he  could  find  to 
do  in  order  to  earn  a  living.  He  came  to  this  state 
from  Missouri  in  1889,  and  found  employment 
among  various  mills  and  mines  for  a  period  of 
eight  years,  till  he  purchased  his  present  farm 
in  Kittitas  valley.  His  sister  and  two  brothers  are : 
Lillian,  Richard  A.  and  R.  Lee,  all  three  born  in 
Missouri.  Besides  these,  two  sisters,  Mrs.  Nancy 
(Wasson)  Colin  and  Jennie  Wasson,  are  dead. 

On  April  20,  1899,  Mr.  Wasson  married  Miss 
Clara  D.  Killmore,  a  native  of  Kittitas  valley,  born 
October  20,  1878.  She  is  the  daughter  of  William 
D.  and  Josephine  (Rego)  Killmore.  The  mother 
was  born  in  Indiana,  and  the  father  in  New  York 
state.  Her  brother  and  sisters  are :  Tohn  S.,  Mrs. 
Ida  Bull,  Lettie,  Effie  and  Kate.  Two  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wasson,  Josephine, 
born  February  7,  1900,  and  Delos  J.,  born  February 
20,  1903.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Wasson  is  associated 
with  the  Knights  oT  Pythias  and  the  Woodmen  of 
the  World  orders,  and  in  religious  matters,  though 
reared  in  the  Presbyterian  faith,  he  at  present  has 
no  church  connections.  In  politics,  he  is  a  stanch 
Republican.  He  owns  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  of  land,  which  is  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. The  property  is  well  stocked  with  all  neces- 
sary farming  implements  and  stock  with  which  to 


carry  on  agricultural  pursuits.  Left  an  orphan  at 
an  early  age,  and  thrown  upon  his  own  resources 
to  make  his  way  in  life,  he  has  faced  all  adversities 
with  a  courage  that  conquers,  and  is  now  counted 
one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  the  Kittitas  valley. 


JOHN  S.  KILLMORE  is  of  the  well-known 
pioneer  family  of  Kittitas  county  headed  by  Wil- 
liam D.  and  Josephine  (Rego)  Killmore.  He  was 
born  in  the  state  of  Missouri,  February  3,  1873,  and 
now  lives  some  four  miles  southeast  of  Ellensburg. 
His  father  was  born  in  New  York  state,  and  his 
mother  in  Indiana.  Mr.  Killmore  came  to  the 
Kittitas  valley  during  his  infancy,  and  he  has 
grown  up  here,  receiving  his  education  in  the  gram- 
mar schools  of  the  county,  and  in  the  state  normal 
school  at  Ellensburg.  His  original  intent  was  to 
fit  himself  for  the  profession  of  teaching,  but  aban- 
doning that  idea,  he  left  school  when  twenty-four 
years  of  age  and  went  to  Alaska.  For  some  four 
months  there  he  operated  a  freighting  outfit  between 
Dyea  and  Sheepcamp,  with  headquarters  at  the 
former  station.  At  first  he  was  successful  in  this 
venture,  but  later  on  as  business  began  to  decrease, 
he  sold  his  outfit  and  returned  to  the  Kittitas  val- 
ley, where  he  purchased  one  hundred  and  thirty 
acres  of  land,  which  has  since  furnished  him  a 
home  and  livelihood.  He  was  married  in  the  valley, 
April  20,  1899,  to  Catherine  Younger,  a  native  of 
Germany,  born  October  5,  1876.  Her  father,  Peter 
Younger,  is  of  German  birth,  born  July  10,  1842. 
He  is  a  machinist  and  farmer  by  occupation,  and 
was  a  veteran  of  the  German  army.  He  now  lives 
in  Washington.  The  mother  is  Marie  (Coleman) 
Younger,  born  in  Germany,  March  10,  1850,  now 
living  in  this  stale.  Mr.  Killmore  has  five  sisters, 
as  follows :  Mrs.  Ida  Bull,  Lettie,  Mrs.  Clara  Was- 
son, Kathenne  and  Effie.  Mrs.  Bull  and  Mrs.  Was- 
son are  living  in  Kittitas  valley,  and  the  others  with 
their  parents.  Mrs.  Killmore's  brother  and  sisters 
are :  Marie,  Jacob,  Pauline  and  Bertha  Younger, 
all  of  whom  are  living  in  Washington.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Killmore  have  three  children,  William,  born 
May  27,  1900;  Marie  and  Margerite,  twins,  born 
October  10,  1901.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Killmore  is 
connected  with  the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Brotherhood 
of  American  Yeomen  and  the  Masonic  orders.  In 
politics,  he  is  a  strong  Roosevelt  man.  His  farm  is 
well  stocked  and  improved,  and  is  among  the  best 
in  the  valley.  He  bears  a  spotless  reputation  among 
his  neighbors,  and  socially,  as  well  as  financially,  he 
is  ranked  among  the  foremost  men  of  his  com- 
munity. 


MARY  S.  RUGG.  Mary  S.  Pugg,  proprietress 
of  the  Moore  lodging  house,  is  one  of  the  thriving 
business  women  of  Ellensburg.  She  was  born  in 
Tuscumbia,  Miller  county,  Missouri,  in  1846,  the 
daughter  of  Thomas  and'  Mary   (McCubbin)   Elli- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


son.  Her  father  was  born  in  Kentucky,  in  1815, 
and  died  in  1888.  He  was  a  pioneer  of  Missouri 
and  Kansas,  and  for  three  years  was  a  soldier  in 
the  latter  named  state.  Crossing-  the  Plains  in  the 
early  fifties,  he  settled  first  in  California,  then  in 
Oregon,  and  finally  in  the  Kittitas  valley,  Washing- 
ton, in  the  year  1880.  Mary  (McCubbin)  Ellison 
was  born  in  Greer  county,  Kentucky,  in  1818.  She 
crossed  the  Plains  and  with  her  husband  endured 
the  hardships  attending  pioneer  life,  dying  in  Kit- 
titas  county   in    1887. 

The  first  fifteen  years  of  Mrs.  Rugg's  life  were 
spent  in  the  state  of  Missouri.  In  i85i-her  par- 
ents emigrated  to  Kansas  and  settled  in  Law- 
rence, where,  and  at  other  points  in  Kan- 
sas, they  lived  a  number  of  years.  She  was  mar- 
ried in  Kansas  to  Jesse  Adams,  in  1868.  She  re- 
moved to  Washington  in  1883,  and,  being  at  that 
time  a  widow  with  two  small  children,  she  experi- 
enced for  a  time  great  difficulty  in  supporting  her- 
self and  family.  She  engaged  in  the  restaurant 
business  first  of  all,  and  later,  in  1890,  she  opened  a 
lodging  house  in  her  present  quarters.  With  the 
lodging  house  she  conducted  a  dining  room,  only 
temporarily,  however,  as  she  found  the  work  too 
heavy  for  the  good  of  her  health,  and  dispensed  with 
the  boarding  house  feature,  confining  her  business 
exclusively  to  keeping  roomers.  Pier  first  hus- 
band, Mr.  Adams,  was  a  native  of  Illinois,  born  in 
1840.  His  father  was  a  farmer.  When  Mrs. 
Rugg  came  to  Ellensburg  she  was  completely  with- 
out means  for  the  support  of  her  children, 
but  by  dint  of  hard  and  persistent  effort  she  suc- 
ceeded in  not  only  raising  her  children  in 
comfort,  but  bought  and  paid  for  the  property  in 
which  she  conducts  her  business,  and  has  furnished 
her  house  in  the  most  up-to-date  style.  Fortunately 
she  lost  nothing  in  the  fire  of  1889,  although  she 
was  here  at  the  time  it  occurred.  In  i885  she  was 
married  to  James  Moore,  being  a  widow  at  that 
time.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Lydia  Parkinson, 
Indian  Territory;  William  Ellison.  Lookout  Moun- 
tain, near  Cle-Elum ;  Delaine  Ellison,  and  Henry 
Ellison,  Oregon;  Mattie  Ripley.  Idaho;  Lewis  F. 
Ellison,  who  lives  on  the  old  homestead,  near 
Thorp,  and  owns  a  sawmill  on  Tanum  creek ; 
Geo-ge,  California.  Death  robbed  her  of  one  brother 
and  one  daughter:  John  Ellison  and  Dora  Green. 
John  Ellison  was  once  assessor  of  Kittitas  county. 
Her  daughter.  Mrs.  Icia  Fullen.  lives  in  Ellensburg. 

In  November,  1898,  Mrs.  Adams  was  married 
to  Daniel  D.  Rugg,  a  printer  and  book-binder  by 
trade,  who  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1849,  and  came 
to  Ellensburg  in  1890.  His  father  was  Daniel  B. 
Rugg,  a  mtive  of  Vermont,  and  a  veteran  of  the 
Civil  war.  being  a  member  of  the  Fifty-third  Massa- 
chusetts infantry,  and  died  in  the  army.  Amelia  C. 
(Thompson)  Rugg.  mother  of  Daniel  D.,  was  a 
mtive  of  Massachusetts.  Mr.  Rugg  grew  to  man- 
hood in  his  native  state.  Learning  the  printer's 
trade,   he   subsequently   followed   it   as  a   means  of 


livelihood  for  the  greater  part  of  his  life.  He  came 
west  in  1878  and  settled  at  Blue  Hills,  Nebraska. 
Later  he  went  to  Colorado,  where  he  followed  rail- 
roading for  a  time.  He  also  followed  railroad  work 
to  some  extent  after  coming  to  Ellensburg  in  1890. 
He  tried  ranching  for  a  while,  but  that  venture  not 
proving  a  success,  he  again  took  up  work  in  town. 
He  was  married  to  Mary  S.  Moore  in  1898,  and  has 
since  continued  with  her  in  the  lodging  house  busi- 
ness. He  has  a  brother,  William  W.  Rugg,  and  a 
sister,  Amelia  A.  Rugg.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Odd  Fellows  fraternity,  and  in  political  matters 
gauges  his  standard  by  the  man,  irrespective  of 
party.  Mrs.  Rugg  belongs  to  the  Christian  church. 
She  owns  four  lots  in  Ellensburg  and  eighty 
acres  of  timber  land  on  Tanum  creek,  for  which 
she  has  been  offered  twice  the  price  she  paid  for  it. 
She  also  loans  money  and  holds  some  mortgages  on 
town  property.  Her  lodging  house  business  has 
grown  from  comparatively  nothing  to  one  that  pays 
one  hundred  and  sixty  dollars  per  month. 


_  GEORGE  DAVIS  HOGUE,  farmer  and  stock 
raiser,  owns  a  fine  one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  fanri 
about  seven  miles  west  of  Ellensburg,  where  he 
resides.  The  farm  can  all  be  irrieated  and  is  well 
set  with  fruit  trees.  Mr.  Hogue  was  born  in  Knox 
countv,  Illinois,  January  8,  i860,  the  son  of  George 
and  Mary  (Killen)  Hogue.  His  father,  a  carpen- 
ter by  trade,  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  June  23, 
1813,  and  moved  to  Ohio  in  1850.  He  went  from 
Ohio  to  Ill'nois  and  from  there  to  Nebraska,  where 
he  died  in  1883.  The  mother  was  a  native  of 
Pennsylvania:  she  died  in  Illinois  in  i860,  at  the 
age  of  thirty-three.  They  had  seven  children :  Jen- 
nie D.,  wife  of  John  A.  Wilson,  Oakland,  Cali- 
fornia; Hester  A.,  wife  of  H.  A.  Brown.  Brock, 
Nebraska;  Emily,  wife  of  T.  F.  Jacobs,  Montezuma. 
Iowa;  Matthew,  who  died  in  Oakland,  California, 
in  1902,  and  Mary  and  Grace,  who  died  in  infancy. 
Mr.  Hogue  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Nebraska  and  attended  the  state 
normal  at  Peru  in  1878.  Subsequently  he  engaged 
in  farming  near  Peru,  which  pursuit  he  followed 
until  the  spring  of  1881,  when  he  came  to  Seattle. 
Washington,  and  the  same  fall  walked  over  the 
Snoqualmie  pa^s  to  the  Kittitas  valley.  He  returned 
to  the  east  in  1889.  but  realizing  that  the  west  was 
preferab'e  as  a  home,  he  came  back  the  same  year 
and  settled  on  his  present  place. 

He  was  married  at  Ellensburg,  Washington. 
October  25,  1885,  to  Sina  C.  Maxey,  a  daughter  of 
Smion  W.  and  Minerva  T.  ( Whitenburg)  Maxey. 
Her  father  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Illinois, 
August  9,  1832,  and  is  a  well-known  Kittitas  farmer 
and  fruit  grower.  He  settled  in  Kittitas  valley  in 
1882.  Mr.  Maxey  served  as  one  of  the  fruit  com- 
missioners at  the  world's  fair  held  in  Chicasro.  and 
is  now  the  county's  fruit  inspector.  Mrs.  Hogue's 
mother    was    born    in    Blount    countv,    Tennessee, 


884 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


March  26,  1838,  and  died  in  Ellensburg  in  1902. 
Mrs.  Hogue  was  born  in  Jefferson  county,  Illinois, 
October  15,  1866,  and  was  the  youngest  of  six 
children,  her  brothers  and  sisters  being :  Brovahtas 
A.,  born  January  17,  1859;  Franceska  D.,  born  Jan- 
uary 18,  1862;  Morton  M.,  born  July  4,  i860;  Wil- 
liam C,  born  April  18,  1863 ;  Alzora  M.,  born 
January  12,  1857,  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hogue  are1  the  parents  of  four  children :  Maxey  G., 
born  December  3,  1886;  Letah  G.,  born  February  6, 
1889;  Glenn  H.,  born  October  21,  1891 ;  and  Rhea 
E.,  born  December  8,  1896,  all  of  whom  are  na- 
tives of  Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Hogue  and  family 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  is  independent  in  his  political  views,  a  modest 
and  successful  man,  and  well  liked  in  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  resides. 


MRS.  ANNA  M.  (STEVENS)  PEASE,  widow 
of  the  late  John  Merchant  Pease,  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing on  the  homestead  three  and  one-half  miles  south- 
west of  Ellensburg,  Washington,  where  she  and  her 
husband  settled  in  1878.  She  is  a  worthy  woman 
and  commands  the  esteem  of  all  who  know  her. 
She  was  born  in  Miama,  Ohio,  March  9,  1846.  Her 
father,  James  H.  Stevens,  was  born  in  Virginia, 
in  181 5,  of  English  parentage,  and  died  Novem- 
ber 2,  1893.  Fie  was  a  contractor  and  builder. 
Her  mother,  Ann  F.  (Glass)  Stevens,  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1820  and  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Pease  crossed 
the  Plains  with  her  parents  in  an  ox  wagon  in  1852. 
They  left  Miama  in  April  and  arrived  at  Santa 
Cruz,  California,  the  following  September.  Later 
the  family  moved  to  lone,  Amador  county,  Cali- 
fornia, where  Mrs.  Pease  received  her  early  educa- 
tion. 

Mrs.  Pease  was  married  April  6,  1864.  J-  M. 
Pease,  her  husband,  was  born  in  Maine,  Septem- 
ber 20,  1830,  and  learned  the  cooper  trade.  When 
he  was  twenty-two  years  old  he  left  home  for  the 
west  and  came  to  California  by  the  water  route, 
around  the  Horn.  He  was  engaged  in  the  butcher- 
ing business  at  lone  at  the  time  of  his  marriage.  In 
1865,  he  moved  to  Gold  Run,  California,  and  en- 
gaged in  mining  there  until  1878,  when  he  moved 
to  the  present  family  home  in  Washington.  Mrs. 
Pease  has  the  following  brothers  and  sisters  :  James 
B.  Stevens,  now  engaged  at  the  United  States  cus- 
tom house  at  San  Francisco:  Mrs.  I.  B.  Leach,  of 
Los  Angeles,  who  died  August  12,  1903 :  Mrs.  C.  H. 
Willard,  of  Santa  Paula,  California:  Mrs.  Hellen 
McPhail.  of  Reno,  Nevada  ;  Mrs.  Lizzie  Doulton,  of 
Santa  Barbara,  California,  and  Thomas  C  Stevens, 
also  of  Santa  Barbara.  She  is  the  mother  of  six 
children.  The  eldest,  Edgar  B.,  born  January  4, 
1865,  is  a  native  of  lone.  California.  The  others 
were  born  in  Gold  Run,  California.  They  are: 
Henry  W.,  born  October  28,  1868:  William  M., 
born  January  28,   1871  ;  Carmi  R.,  born  February  | 


24,    1873;   Sherwood   O.,  born   June  6,    1875,   and 
Helen  B.,  born  January  20,  1878. 

Mr.  Pease,  deceased,  was  a  member  of  lone 
lodge,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  in  Cali- 
fornia. He  was  a  stanch  Republican,  but  was  not 
active  in  matters  of  politics.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
were  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  passed  away  May  31,  1899,  and  is  interred  in  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  cemetery  at  El- 
lensburg. Since  his  death  Mrs.  Pease,  our  subject, 
has  continued  to  reside  on  the  farm,  and  has  mani- 
fested her  ability  as  a  manager  and  business  woman. 
The  place  has  been  greatly  improved  and  enhanced 
in  value  by  her  energy  and  business  tact. 


CLARENCE  WILLIAM  PEASE  is  a  farmer, 
residing  six  miles  and  a  half  northwest  of  Ellens- 
burg, Washington.  Farming  has  been  his  voca- 
tion since  he  attained  his  majority,  and  he  makes 
a  specialty  of  wheat  and  small  grain.  He  was 
born  in  Parker  Prairie,  Ottertail  county,  Minne- 
sota, June  2,  1876.  His  father,  Edgar  Pease,  was 
born  in  Iowa  in  1853.  The  mother,  Rebecca  L. 
(Logan)  Pease,  was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  1855. 
Clarence  W.  attended  the  common  schools  of  his 
native  county  until  1883,  when  his  father  moved 
to  Kittitas  county,  Washington.  There  he  was 
permitted  to  complete  his  education  in  the  public 
schools.  When  he  was  twenty  years  old  he  left 
home,  bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
land,  and  engaged  in  farming.  He  now  lives  on 
this  place  and  has  about  ninety  acres  of  it  under 
plow.  His  two  brothers  are  Ernest  B.  and  Hugh 
L.  Pease.     He  has  one  sister,  Louisa  L. 

On  March  11,  1903,  Mr.  Pease  married  Miss 
Mabel  Barker.  Miss  Barker's  father  died  when 
she  was  an  infant  and  she  called  her  step-father, 
John  Taylor,  her  father.  Her  mother,  Hatty 
(Bridgham)  Taylor,  was  a  native  of  Minnesota. 
Mrs.  Pease  was  born  June  2,  1883,  and  has  one 
brother,  Frederick,  born  in  1888.  Mr.  Pease  was 
a  member  of  the  Washington  state  militia  from 
1895  until  he  received  an  honorable  discharge  in 
1898.  He  has  been  prosperous  and  now  has 
three  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  He  is  well 
thought  of  wherever  known,  and  is  of  that  type 
of  men  who  make  manv  friends  and  few  enemies. 


JAMES  ANDERSON,  engaged  in  the  dairy 
business  one  mile  south  of  Ellensburg,  Washing- 
ton, is  a  native  of  Denmark.  His  father  and 
mother  were  both  natives  of  that  country. 
Andrew  Anderson,  the  father,  was  a  farmer. 
Carrie  (Olson)  Anderson,  the  mother,  was  born 
in  1804.  Mr.  Anderson  has  been  in  the  LJnited 
States  since  1879.  He  landed  in  New  York  and 
thence  proceeded  to  Webster  City,  Iowa,  where 
he  secured  farm  work.  This  vocation  he  fol- 
lowed for  nine  years,  but  on  April  5,  1888,  started 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


west  and  located  on  his  present  home.  He  owns 
seventeen  acres  of  excellent  land  near  Ellensburg 
and  a  herd  of  good  dairy  cows.  His  brothers 
and  sisters  are  Matthew,  Olie,  Annie,  Lena  and 
Mary  Anderson.  Such  education  as  is  his  he 
obtained  in  his  native  land  before  he  came  to  this 
country.  He  took  out  his  naturalization  papers 
at  Webster  City,  Iowa,  in  1880.  Mr.  Anderson 
was  married  in  Denmark,  November  1,  1877,  to 
Bertha  M.  Swanson,  who  was  born  in  Helmstadt, 
September  21,  1S47.  Her  father,  Swenuhan  J. 
Swanson,  was  a  farmer  and  a  native  of  Sweden. 
The  mother,  Ellen  (Croft)  Swanson,  also  a 
native  of  Sweden,  was  born  in  1S19,  and  is  now 
living  at  Webster  City,  Iowa.  She  has  two  broth- 
ers, Charlie  and  Albert,  and  a  sister  named  Anna. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  three  children.  The 
eldest,  Andros  Edward  Anderson,  was  born  in 
Denmark,  March  10,  1879,  and  is  a  locomotive 
fireman.  The  eldest  daughter,  Carlyn  Sylvie,  was 
born  in  Webster  City,  Iowa,  December  29,  1880, 
and  is  teaching  school  in  Okanogan  county, 
Washington.  The  youngest  child,  Lillian  El- 
freda  Anderson,  was  born  near  Ellensburer, 
Washington,  October  11,  1890.  All  of  the  family 
are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church.  The 
children  are  attentive  to  the  well-regulated  stand- 
ards under  which  they  have  been  reared  and  now 
make  complete  a  family  circle  of  which  their 
parents  are  justly  proud.  Wherever  known  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Anderson  are  highly  esteemed. 


ERNEST  THEODORE  SANDMEYER  is  a 
successful  farmer,  living  three  miles  and  a  half 
southeast  of  Ellensburg,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Basel,  Switzerland,  March  5,  1874,  and  is 
the  son  of  John  H.  Sandmeyer,  also  a  native  of 
that  country,  and  a  descendant  of  a  family  com- 
pelled to  flee  from  Germany  to  Switzerland  at 
the  beginning  of  last  century,  for  the  sake  of  lib- 
erty and  freedom  of  thought.  The  elder  Sand- 
meyer invented  the  machine  which  is  used  for 
stamping  out  watch  cases,  for  which  he  has  a 
patent  in  the  United  States.  He  was  a  watch- 
maker and  patented  a  number  of  other  inven- 
tions, which  the  family  now  own.  The  mother 
of  Ernest  T.  was  Mary  (Tschudy)  Sandmeyer, 
a  native  of  Switzerland. 

Mr.  Sandmeyer  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Switzerland,  which  included 
a  two  years'  course  in  a  high  school.  He  sailed 
from  Havre,  France,  in  August,  1887,  and  landed 
at  New  York,  proceeding  thence  to  Columbus, 
Nebraska,  where  he  joined  his  uncle.  There  he 
engaged  in  farming  until  1S93,  when  he  moved 
to  The  Dalles,  Oregon,  and  made  investments  in 
the  sheep  business.  Two  years  later  he  moved 
to  his  present  home,  the  "Lowden"  place. 

Mr.  Sandmeyer's  brothers  and  sisters  are: 
Marv.  now  Mrs.   Graber,  of  Basel,  Switzerland  ; 


Matilda,  now  Mrs.  J.  O'Neil,  of  Chicago;  Max, 
an  electrical  engineer  in  Chicago ;  Henry,  a 
student  at  the  Chicago  university ;  Arthur,  a 
machinist,  and  Olga,  a  student,  both  residents  of 
Chicago.  He  was  married  in  Prineville,  Oregon, 
July  16,  1899,  to  Miss  Emma  Yaisli,  who  was 
born  near  Columbus,  Nebraska,  September  11, 
1878.  Her  father,  John  Yaisli,  was  born  in 
Switzerland,  of  aristocratic  parentage,  and  moved 
to  Nebraska,  there  to  engage  in  farming.  The 
mother,  Mary  (Rickli)  Yaisli,  was  also  a  native 
of  Switzerland.  Mrs.  Sandmeyer's  brothers  and 
sisters  are  Ida,  now  Mrs.  F.  Souers,  of  Akron, 
Ohio;  John,  Otto,  and  Lena,  now  Mrs.  Jacob 
Kesser;  Peter  and  Benjamin,  both  sheep  raisers. 
All  of  them  reside  in  Oregon.  Mrs.  Kesser  lives 
at  Antelope,  and  the  others  at  Cross  Keys.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Sandmeyer  have  two  daughters  and  one 
son:  Nellie  Mary,  born  August  21,  1900;  Isabelli, 
born  December  1,  1901,  and  Theodore  Otto,  born 
August  20,  1903.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sandmeyer 
are  members  of  the  Dutch  Reformed  church. 
Thev  have  a  neat  home,  and  a  well  tilled  farm, 
which  comprises  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of 
fertile  land  which  is  all  under  irrigation.  The 
place  is  peculiarly  well  adapted  to  the  growing 
of  hay.  The  farm  buildings  are  commodious  and 
convenient.  Property  interests,  good  character, 
and  industry  have  given  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sand- 
meyer a  standing  creditable  in  any  community. 


JOHN  BULL,  engaged  in  farming  and  the 
raising  of  stock  on  a  fine  two  hundred  and  forty 
acre  farm  seven  miles  southeast  of  Ellensburg, 
Washington,  has  been  a  resident  of  Kittitas 
county  all  his  life,  having  been  born  in  that  county- 
May  12,  1873,  of  pioneer  parents.  His  father,  Wal- 
ter A.  Bull,  was  born  in  Albany,  New  York,  July  20, 
1838,  and  was  in  the  commissary  department  and 
Freedman  bureau  during  the  war.  He  later  en- 
gaged in  the  construction  of  the  Union  Pacific, 
and  subsequently  was  a  pioneer  resident  and 
prominent  citizen  of  Kittitas  county  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  Mr.  Bull's  mother  was  Jenny 
Olmstead,  daughter  of  J.  D.  Olmstead,  who  came 
to  Washington  from  Ottawa.  Illinois,  in  1871, 
and  at  one  time  was  in  the  mercantile  business. 

Mr.  Bull  received  his  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  of  Kittitas  county  and  remained 
with  his  father  until  the  latter's  death.  lie  was 
one  of  a  family  of  five  children.  His  brothers 
and  sisters  arc  :  Cora,  now  the  wife  of  Charles 
S.  Wright  of  Woodmeare,  Long  Island:  Lewis. 
Charles  and  Grant  Bull,  the  last  two  named  being 
residents  of  Kittitas  county.  He  was  married 
November  1,  1899,  to  Miss  Ida  Killmore,  daugh- 
ter of  William  D.  and  Josephine  (Rego)  Kill- 
more.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are:  John  S., 
Lettie  V.,  Clara  D.,  now  Mrs.  E.  B.  Wasson; 
Katie  M.  and  Effie  R.     Mrs.  Killmore.  mother  of 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


the  above  named,  was  born  in  Kittitas  county, 
November  8,  1874.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bull  have  two 
children.  M.  J.  Jessie,  the  eldest,  was  born  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1 901,  and  M.  Lorine  was  born  Novem- 
ber II,  1502. 


MICHAEL  T.  SIMMONS  is  one  of  the  most 
successful  farmers  of  eastern  Washington  and 
lives  about  five  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of 
Ellensburg,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Mason 
county,  Washington,  October  8,  1862,  and  it  was 
in  that  county  he  did  his  first  farming.  Thereby 
hangs  a  tale,  which  Mr.  Simmons  relates  with 
considerable  amusement.  In  planting  his  first 
vegetable  garden  he  devoted  some  of  the  space 
to  beans.  Shortly  after  they  had  been  planted 
Mr.  Simmons  was  surprised  to  see  the  seed  beans 
coming  out  of  the  ground  on  top  of  the  stalk,  and 
naturally  decided  they  were  growing  upside 
down,  and  he  promptly  proceeded  to  put  them  in 
the  ground  again.  But  he  has  since  learned  more 
of  the  science  of  farming,  in  which  calling  he  has 
been  so  successful  that  today  he  is  considered 
one  of  the  best  agriculturists  in  the  county. 
Within  the  past  five  years  he  has  brought  his 
present  farm  from  a  badly  run-down  condition 
to  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  well  equipped  with 
a  fine  house,  barn  and  other  buildings. 

Mr.  Simmons  is  the  son  of  Michael  T.  and 
Elizabeth  (Kindred)  Simmons.  The  father  was 
born  in  Kentucky,  August  14,  1814.  He  crossed 
the  Plains  by  ox  team  in  1844  and  was  one  of 
the  first  settlers  in  Oregon.  At  Deschutes  falls 
he  erected  the  first  mill  in  the  Northwest,  and 
also  established  the  town  of  Newmarket,  now 
known  as  Tumwater.  He  took  a  prominent  part 
in  engagements  against  the  Indians  in  pioneer 
days.  His  death  occurred  in  1866,  and  that  of 
his  wife,  on  March  23,  1891.  She  was  born  in 
Indiana,  February   15,   1820. 

Michael  T.  was  educated  in  the  pioneer 
schools  of  Mason  county,  and  when  nine  years 
old  began  work  in  a  logging  camp.  When  seven- 
teen he  learned  the  shoemaking  trade.  After- 
ward he  was  employed  on  the  preliminary  survey 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  and  from  1881  to  1884 
was  engaged  at  various  labors  in  Kittitas  county. 
Then  he  engaged  in  logging  on  Puget  Sound, 
until  1891,  when  he  begran  farming  on  Oyster 
bay.  Mason  county.  He  moved  to  Kittitas 
county  in  1896  and  rented  land  until  1898,  when 
he  bought  his  present  farm.  His  brother,  Chris- 
topher C,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the 
western  part  of  Washington.  The  other  brothers 
and  sisters  are:  George  W.,  David  K.,  Enos  F., 
a  physician;  McDonald,  Benjamin  F.,  Charlotte 
E.,  Douglass  W.,  Mary,  Catherine  and  Charles 
Mason.  Mr.  Simmons  was  married  in  Lewis 
county,  Washington,  October  II,  1885,  to  Miss 
Louise  F.   Gavitt,  daughter  of    Peter  and  Eliza 


(Rosecrans)  Gavitt.  Her  father  and  mother 
were  natives  of  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. The  father  was  born  in  1827,  and  was  of 
French  descent,  but  his  mother  was  a  lineal  de- 
scendant of  Roger  Williams.  His  wife  was  born 
in  1836,  and  was  the  mother  of  six  children, 
Polly,  Ruby  Annabell,  Eliza  Jane,  Richmond 
Lee,  Peter  M.  and  Louise  F.,  wife  of  Mr.  Sim- 
mons. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simmons  have  two  chil- 
dren, Lee  Gavitt,  born  in  Mason  county,  August 
13,  1886,  and  Ruby  Elizabeth,  born  in  the  same 
county,  May  8,  1891.  Mr.  Simmons  is  a  stanch 
Republican,  and  is  one  of  the  leading  farmers 
and  most  active  citizens  of  the  county. 


JAMES  WATSON  is  one  of  the  first  citizens 
of  the  county  and  owns  and  farms  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres  of  level  valley  land,  all  under 
irrigation,  three  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of 
Ellensburg,  Washington.  The  place  is  well 
stocked  with  cattle,  horses,  etc.,  and  Mr.  Watson 
is  considered  one  of  the  most  substantial  and 
prosperous  citizens  of  the  valley.  He  was  born 
near  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  1849,  the  son  of  James 
Watson,  a  machinist,  and  Jennette  (Walker) 
Watson,  both  of  whom  were  born  and  died  in 
Scotland.  He  has  two  brothers  and  an  uncle  liv- 
ing in  San  Francisco.  Peter  Watson,  one 
brother,  is  in  the  wool  business  there.  The  other, 
Benjamin  Watson,  and  the  uncle,  William  Wat- 
son, are  machinists.  Mr.  W^atson  received  his 
early  education  in  Scotland.  At  the  age  of  fifteen 
he  be<jan  his  apprenticeship  as  a  machinist  and 
served  five  years  and  one-half  at  the  forge  and 
lathe;  then,  in  1869,  he  moved  to  Canada,  where 
for  a  time  he  was  employed  by  a  brewery  at 
Lachene.  In  the  spring  of  1870  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago, where  he  remained  two  years.  Later  he 
traveled  considerably  throughout  the  Northwest, 
visiting  San  Francisco  and  points  in  Arizona 
and  British  Columbia.  He  finally  settled,  in 
June,  1877,  upon  his  present  farm.  At  that  time 
his  nearest  neighbors  were  George  W.  Carver, 
R.  P.  Tjossem,  and  the  "Robbers'  Roost,"  where 
John  A.  Shoudy  and  John  Stewart  conducted  a 
store.  This  store  was  the  only  source  of  sup- 
plies at  that  time,  hut  later  J.  D.  Olmstead  estab- 
lished another  store  about  seven  miles  southeast 
at  a  place  now  known  as  the  Nolan  farm.  In 
1877  Mr.  Watson  acted  as  courier  for  the  settlers 
during  the  time  when  Chief  Joseph  and  the  other 
Indians  were  on  the  warpath.  Air.  Watson  went 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Wenatche  and  had  a  meeting 
with  Chief  Moses,  the  purpose  of  which  was  to 
urge  Moses  to  remain  friendly  to  the  whites  and 
not  to  join  the  Joseph  band  of  marauders,  and 
in  accomplishing  this  object  he  was  entirely  suc- 
cessful. Mr.  W'atson  took  out  his  first  citizen- 
ship papers  in  Arizona  in  187=;  and  the  second 
papers  in  Yakima  county.     He  cast  his  first  vote 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


887 


for  Glover  Cleveland  for  president.  He  has  al- 
ways been  a  Democrat  in  politics,  and  in  religion 
is  an  adherent  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 


JOHN  WILLIAM  GERMAN  is  a  farmer 
and  stockman,  living  eleven  miles  northeast  of 
Ellensburg;  was  born  in  McClennan  county, 
Texas,  November  7,  1864,  and  is  the  son  of  Grand- 
erson  F.  and  Maranda  (Davis)  German,  born  in 
Chatham,  North  Carolina,  March  20,  1819,  and 
Anderson  county,  Tennessee,  August  13,  1823,  re- 
spectively. The  father  died  in  Kittitas  county,  May 
20,  1902;  the  mother  is  still  living  with  the  son. 
Granderson  F.  German  was  a  physician,  widely 
known  throughout  Kittitas  county,  and  a  veteran 
of  the  Seminole  and  Mexican  wars.  In  the  lat- 
ter named  war  he  served  under  Col.  Thomas  Jes- 
sup  and  General  Scott.  His  service  was  princi- 
pally on  the  Pacific  coast.  Mr.  German  received 
his  early  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
Wise  county,  Texas.  He  came  to  Kittitas  county 
October  20,  1884,  in  company  with  his  father.  Set- 
tling near  his  present  home,  he  embarked  upon 
his  career  as  a  stockman  and  farmer.  He  went 
to  Okanogan  county  later,  and  remained  in  the 
stock  raising  business  there  for  five  years,  when 
he  returned  to  the  Kittitas  valley  and  purchased 
the  old  Tillman  Houser  homestead,  1892,  consist- 
ing of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  and  this 
tract  has  furnished  him  a  home  since  that  time. 
His  principal  crop  is  hay.  The  sisters  and  broth- 
ers of  Mr.  German  are:  Elizabeth  Pendegast, 
Atoka,  Indian  Territory ;  Rachel  Johnson, 
Bridgeport,  Douglas  county,  Washington ;  Frances 
F.  Prigmore,  Kittitas  valley;  Maranda  Gage.  Kitti- 
tas county;  Robert  D.,  M.  D.,  Kennedy,  Indian 
Territory;  and  Malisie  Bushon,  Childress  coun- 
ty, Texas.  Mr.  German  was  married  in  the  Kit- 
titas valley,  November  15,  1888,  to  Miss  Pernina 
Houser,  born  in  Kittitas  county,  near  Ellensburg, 
December  27,  1869.  She  enjoys  the  distinction  of 
having  been  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  Kit- 
titas valley.  Her  father  was  Tillman  Houser, 
the  oldest  settler  in  the  valley,  and  Louisa  (Wor- 
kiser)  Houser,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  a  sketch 
of  whose  lives  appears  elsewhere  in  this  history. 
The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mrs.  German  are: 
Sarah  Messerly,  Wenatchee ;  Harrison,  who  lives 
on  the  old  Fulton  ranch ;  Clarence  J.,  Kittitas 
county ;  Alvy,  North  Yakima,  and  Amelia  Chur- 
chill, "Kittitas  county.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  German 
have  one  son,  Grover  Cleveland,  born  April  15, 
1892,  near  Ellensburg.  The  former  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  Brotherhood  of  American  Yeo- 
men, Fairview  Lodge,  969.  He  has  always  voted 
the  Democratic  ticket,  and  was  brought  up  un- 
der the  influence  of  the  Baptist  church.  Mr. 
German  has  large  stock  interests  throughout  the 
Kittitas  valley,  and  extensive  tracts  of  grazing 
land  leased,  upon   which  he  pastures   his   stock. 


He  is  rated  in  financial  circles,  and  is  among 
the  most  prominent  and  highly  respected  citi- 
zens of  his  county. 


AUGUST  NESSELHOUS  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  April,  1838,  and  is  now  a  farmer  resid- 
ing eleven  miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg.  His 
father  was  Xaver  F.  Nesselhous,  born  in  1806, 
of  German  parents,  and  during  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  was  a  grape  grower  on  the  Rhine. 
Elizabeth  (Echer)  Nesselhous,  the  mother,  was 
born  of  German  parents,  in  1808.  Mr.  Nessel- 
hous came  to  the  United  States  with  his  father 
in  1847,  settling  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  What 
education  he  has  he  acquired  in  Germany,  not 
having  had  an  opportunity  to  attend  school  in 
this  country.  By  the  time  he  had  reached  the 
age  of  twenty  he  had  become  master  of  the  coop- 
er's trade,  and  in  that  capacity  worked  steadily 
until  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  war,  when  he 
enlisted  in  the  First  volunteer  infantry  of  Iowa, 
Company  D,  under  Captain  Mathius.  He  was 
in  the  battle  of  Wilson  Creek,  and  saw  General 
Lyon  fall  mortally  wounded.  Besides  this  fight, 
he  was  a  participant  in  many  other  skirmishes. 
He  was  mustered  out  of  service  in  September, 
1861,  at  St.  Louis,  having  received  a  severe 
wound  in  the  hip  which  disqualified  him  for 
further  duty.  Returning  home,  he  engaged  in 
farming  until  in  1862,  when  he  crossed  the  Plains 
with  an  ox  outfit  and  settled  at  Baker  City,  Ore- 
gon. After  a  brief  sojourn  there  and  in  Boise 
he  went  to  Portland  and  resumed  the  work  of 
cooper.  There  he  followed  his  trade  until  1866, 
when  he  returned  east,  via  the  Panama  route, 
going  direct  to  Burlington,  Iowa,  where  his 
father  then  lived.  In  July,  1870,  he  came  west 
to  the  Kittitas  valley  and  took  a  homestead  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which  he  at  once 
began  to  improve,  leading  the  life  of  a  bachelor 
for  over  twenty  years.  In  1890  he  returned 
east  again,  and  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss 
Anna  Weidemeier,  October  15,  1890.  Mr.  Nes- 
selhous' brothers  and  sisters  are:  Robert,  So- 
phie, now  Mrs.  Frank  Coozs,  Davenport,  Iowa ; 
Mathias  and  Mrs.  Amie  St.  Croix,  Moline,  Illi- 
nois. The  parents  of  Mrs.  Nesselhous  were  Fer- 
dinand and  Gertrude  (Stienkule)  Weidemeier, 
both  natives  of  Prussia,  the  former  born  in  1824 
and  the  latter  in  1826.  They  were  married  in 
1852,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1856,  and 
settled  at  St.  Louis.  Mrs.  Nesselhous  was  born 
in  Burlington,  Iowa,  July  20,  1863.  She  has  four 
brothers — John  E.,  George  H.,  Adolph  and  Jo- 
seph, all  residing  in  Burlington,  Iowa,  except 
George  H.,  who  lives  at  Ellensburg.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nesselhous  are:  Gertrude 
M.,  born  October  24,  1891 ;  Ida  E.,  born  Febru- 
ary 7.  1893;  Robert  F.,  born  October  3,  1895; 
Matilda   A.,  born    May    12,    1898;   and   Clara    E., 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


born  October  5,  1900.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nes- 
selhous  are  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church.  Mr.  Nesselhous  is  a  member  of  David 
iFord  Post,  No.  11,  G.  A.  R.,  and  in  national 
politics  is  a  Republican,  but  in  local  matters 
places  the  man  before  the  party.  He  is  an  ex- 
tremely active,  public  spirited  citizen,  and  gen- 
erous to  a  fault;  is  a  good  neighbor  and  stanch 
friend. 


WILLIAM  DENNIS  is  by  trade  a  turner, 
but  is  now  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  raising 
in  the  Kittitas  valley,  twelve  and  one-half  miles 
northeast  of  Ellensburg.  He  was  born  Novem- 
ber 26,  1849,  m  New  York  City,  and  is  the  son 
of  George  and  Mary  (Eurbert)  Dennis,  both  na- 
tives of  Germany.  George  Dennis  was  a  tailor, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
man. 

The  early  life  of  Mr.  Dennis  was  spent  in 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  and  there  he  received  his 
education.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he  ran  away 
from  home  in  order  to  take  part  in  the  Civil 
war.  He  served  first  in  the  Sixth  West  Vir- 
ginia cavalry,  being  a  member  of  Company  A. 
After  six  months  with  this  command  he  enlisted 
in  Company  B  of  the  same  regiment  under  Cap- 
tain Clark.  He  was  stationed  at  Clarksburg, 
West  Virginia,  the  regiment  being  divided  among 
other  regiments.  Next  he  was  attached  to  the 
Eighth  Ohio  in  1863,  when  he  saw  service  at  the 
battle  of  Antietam.  He  also  fought  in  the  bat- 
tles of  Martinsburg,  Cedar  Swamp,  and  others 
of  minor  importance.  At  Martinsburg  he  was 
captured  by  the  enemy  under  General  Mosby. 
In  company  with  a  negro.  Private  Dennis  had 
wandered  away  from  his  command  on  a  foraging 
expedition,  and  was  surprised  by  the  enemy, 
with  the  result  that  both  he  and  his  colored  com- 
panion were  taken  prisoners  of  war.  However, 
they  escaped  while  passing  through  a  wooded 
country,  and  made  their  way  to  the  army  of  Gen- 
eral Sheridan,  who  saw  them  safely  back  to  their 
regiment.  Mr.  Dennis  was  discharged  from  the 
army  at  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  and  returned 
to  his  home  in  Newark.  From  Newark  he  went 
to  Texas  and  located  in  Dallas.  Afterward  he 
engaged  in  driving  cattle  up  the  James  Chris- 
holm  trail  in  the  employ  of  Colonel  Anley.  After 
six  years  of  this  life  he  went  to  Nebraska  and 
farmed  for  three  years.  With  a  team  and  wagon 
he  then  started  on  the  long  journey  across  the 
Plains  to  Baker  City,  Oregon,  arriving  at  his 
destination  just  six  weeks  later,  having  made  the 
quickest  trip  on  record.  He  came  to  Kittitas 
county  in  1882,  and  settled  on  the  place  where 
the  slaughter  house  now  stands.  He  lived  there 
one  year,  when  he  located  on  his  present  place 
of  residence  at  the  mouth  of  the  Coleman  can- 
yon. 


In  the  state  of  Nebraska,  1873,  Mr.  Dennis 
married  Miss  Matilda  Bartelt,  a  native  of  Wau- 
sau,  Wisconsin,  born  January  1,  1854.  She  was 
the  daughter  of  John  and  Matilda  (Lust)  Bart- 
elt, both  of  Germany.  The  father  was  born  in 
Hamburg,  and  was  a  farmer  and  wagon  maker. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1844,  bringing 
with  him  his  family,  among  whom  was  Matilda, 
then  a  child,  and  afterwards  the  wife  of  Mr.  Den- 
nis. The  two  were  married  in  Madison,  Wis- 
consin, in  185 1.  Mrs.  Dennis'  brothers  and  sis- 
ters are:  William,  living  at  Waverly,  and  sta- 
tion agent  at  Fairfield;  Charles,  Fairfield;  John, 
Waverly,  a  merchant;  Herman,  a  farmer  near 
Fairfield ;  Lenna,  now  Mrs.  Walter  Swan,  Ken- 
newick,  and  Tennie,  now  the  widow  of  Charles 
Morris,  near  Fairfield.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Dennis  are :  Edward  William,  born  in  Har- 
land  county,  Nebraska,  May  2,  1875 ;  Laura  Mes- 
serly,  born  in  Walla  Walla  county,  October  9, 
1878,  now  of  Wenatchee;  Mary  Shelton,  born 
June  2,  1880,  in  Walla  Walla  county ;  Ollie  Joyce, 
born  March  10,  1883,  Ellensburg;  Jesse,  born 
January  5,  1886,.  at  home;  Harry,  born  February 
20.  1888,  at  home;  Jennie,  born  November  13, 
1892;  and  Lena,  born  April  13,  1894,  now  living 
at  home.  For  three  years  Mr.  Dennis  served  as 
United  States  deputy  marshal  in  Harland  county, 
Nebraska.  He  was  raised  in  the  Catholic  faith, 
but  has  no  marked  religious  connections  at  pres- 
ent. In  1901  he  was  so  unfortunate  as  to  lose 
his  house  and  contents  by  fire ;  his  total  loss  be- 
ing about  $2,000,  partially  covered  by  insurance. 
His  present  land  holdings  amount  to  eight  hun- 
dred acres,  most  of  which  is  in  a  high  state  of 
cultivation.  He  is  living  a  peaceful  and  pros- 
perous life ;  his  children  have  the  advantage  of 
a  first-class  school,  and,  taken  altogether,  the 
family  is  comfortably  and  happily  situated.  Mr. 
Dennis  is  an  active  worker,  and  is  highly  es- 
teemed by  his  neighbors. 


FRANK  C.  BARNHART.  Twelve  miles 
northeast  of  Ellensburg  lies  the  farm  of  Frank 
C.  Barnhart,  farmer  and  stockman.  His  birth- 
place and  date  of  birth  are  Webster  county,  Mis- 
souri, May  28,  1858.  He  is  the  son  of  Thomas 
H.  and  Mary  (Letterman)  Barnhart.  His  father 
was  born  in  Tennessee,  July  15,  1835,  of  Ger- 
man parentage,  and  the  mother  was  born  of 
English  parents,  in  Indiana,  June  14,  1835.  She 
died  August  5,  1902.  Mr.  Barnhart  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  his  native  state.  He 
came  to  Yakima  in  1876  and  went  into  the  dairy 
business.  In  1877  he  came  to  the  Kittitas  val- 
ley, took  up  the  homestead  in  which  he  still 
lives,  and  engaged  in  farming  and  the  raising  of 
stock.  In  1883  he  went  into  the  sheep  business, 
continuing  in  it  for  three  years,  when  he  sold 
out,  but  later  was  forced  to  take  his  sheep  back. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


He  continued  to  farm  and  run  sheep  until  1899, 
when  he  found  the  work  too  heavy  for  his  health 
and  again  parted  with  the  sheep,  and  has  since 
confined  himself  to  farming.  During  his  career 
as  a  stockman,  he  made  a  specialty  of  Spanish 
Merino  sheep  and  Durham  cattle,  and  his  flocks 
and  herds  were  among  the  finest  in  the  valley. 
Mr.  Barnhart's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Wil- 
liam Frederick,  a  commercial  traveler,  Califor- 
nia; George  W.,  a  farmer  in  the  Methow  valley; 
Mrs.  Hily  Ann  Rader,  Methow  valley;  Addie 
(Mrs.  J.  P.  Rader)  Methow;  Mrs.  Sarah  Jane 
Witheral,  Yakima  valley;  and  Ivy  Johnson, 
whose  husband  is  a  farmer  and  stockman  of  the 
Methow  valley.  Mr.  Barnhart  was  married  in 
the  Kittitas  valley,  June  29,  1879,  to  Miss  Ma- 
tilda L.  Bailes,  born  in  Umatilla  county,  Ore- 
gon, August  26,  1862.  She  is  the  daughter  of 
Keathley  and  Sarah  Ann  (Marshall)  Bailes,  the 
former  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  182^,  of 
English-Dutch  descent ;  and  the  latter  born  in 
Missouri,  about  1832,  of  Dutch  extraction.  The 
parents  are  now  living  at  Tillamook,  Oregon. 
The  fathers  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnhart  crossed 
the  Plains  together  from  Missouri  to  Oregon  in 
1861.  They  started  with  a  herd  of  cattle,  which 
was  stolen  by  thieves  en  route.  The  sisters  and 
brothers  of  Mrs.  Barnhart  are :  Mrs.  Mary  Ann 
Pedigo,  Cowlitz  county ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Jane 
Brown,  Ellensburg ;  Mrs.  Emmaline  Royse,  Oregon  ; 
Andy  Bailes,  a  farmer  of  the  Kittitas  valley ;  Mrs. 
Parthina  C.  Grissom,  Ellensburg;  James  W.  Bailes, 
Ellensburg;  George  W.  Bailes,  Tillamook,  Oregon, 
and  Mrs.  Mattie  I.  Jackson,  Cowlitz  county,  Wash- 
ington. The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnhart  are: 
Pleasant  Frederick,  born  October  7,  1881,  now 
a  farmer  and  dairyman  ;  Sarah  Estella,  born  luly 
9,  1885;  Lizzie  May,  born  October  18,  1887;  Wal- 
ter T.,  born  February  10,  1889;  Ernest,  born  No- 
vember 7,  1890;  Albert  B.,  born  August  18,  1892; 
Jesse  W.,  born  October  4,  1894;  Theresie  Fran- 
ces, born  February  10,  1899 ;  and  Mildred  Ann, 
born  October  29,  1900.  All  were  born  in  the  Kit- 
titas valley,  and  all,  with  the  exception  of  the 
first  named,  are  living  with  their  parents.  Mr. 
Barnhart  was  reared  under  the  Christian  faith, 
but  is  not  a  member  of  any  particular  denomina- 
tion at  present.  He  has  membership  in  the 
Brotherhood  of  American  Yeomen,  Fairview 
lodge,  No.  969.  He  has  one  of  the  choice  alfalfa 
farms  of  the  valley,  and  is  in  easy  circumstances. 
As  a  citizen  and  neighbor  he  is  well  and  favor- 
ably known  throughout  his  county. 


WILLIS  F.  ZETZSCHE  is  a  contractor  and 
builder  of  Ellensburg.  His  father,  Frederick 
Zetsche,  was  born  in  Saxony,  Germany,  in  1839, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1847,  and  set- 
tled in  Washington  county.  Illinois.  Here  he 
followed  farming  and  carpentering.    The  mother, 


Margaret  J.  (Beckham)  Zetzsche,  was  a  native 
of  Tennessee.  Besides  Willis  there  were  four 
children  in  the  family.  Of  these  Julius  F.  is  now 
a  merchant  of  St.  Louis;  Thomas  C.  is  superin- 
tendent of  the  iron  works  at  the  union  depot, 
St.  Louis;  Mae  J.,  now  Mrs.  H.  Davenport,  is 
a  minister;  and  William  L.  is  a  paper  hanger  of 
Ellensburg. 

Mr.  Zetzsche  received  his  early  education  in 
the  state  of  his  parents'  adoption.  He  then  learned 
the  carpenter  trade  under  his  father  and  also 
mastered  the  trade  of  tinsmith.  His  first  venture 
in  a  business  way  was  in  the  opening  of  a  hard- 
ware store  in  Okawville,  which  he  conducted  for 
a  period  of  two  years.  He  afterward  went  into 
a  general  merchandise  business  and  continued  in 
that  line  for  nine  years ;  when  he  sold  out  his 
interests  and  came  to  the  Kittitas  valley,  Sep- 
tember 11,  1888.  He  first  settled  on  theMaxey 
ranch,  south  of  Ellensburg,  and  remained  there 
for  one  year,  during  which  time  he  lost  his  house 
by  fire.  His  next  move  was  to  Ellensburg,  and 
there  he  began  his  career  as  a  carpenter  and 
builder.  He  had  the  distinction  of  completing 
the  first  store  building  erected  in  the  city  after 
the  memorable  fire  of  1889.  He  was  married  at 
Okawville,  Illinois,  January  26,  1882,  to  Miss 
Mary  A.  Downes,  who  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Illinois.  Her  father  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, of  English  parentage,  and  at  different  peri- 
ods of  his  life,  was  a  farmer,  a  teacher  and  a 
veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  The  mother  was  An- 
geline  (Owens)  Downes,  a  native  of  Washing- 
ton county,  Illinois,  and  was  of  English  parent- 
age. 

Mr.  Downes  served  as  a  private  with  distinc- 
tion throughout  the  entire  Civil  war.  L'pon  the 
outbreak  of  hostilities  he  enlisted  in  Company  B, 
One  Hundred  and  Tenth  Illinois,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  Thomas  Casey,  and  Captain 
Charles  Maxey.  He  was  mustered  into  state 
service  August  14,  1862,  and  later,  on  September 
23d  of  the  same  year,  was  mustered  into  the 
United  States  service.  He  was  discharged  Feb- 
ruary 13,  1863,  on  account  of  sickness.  On  the 
19th  of  September,  1864,  he  was  drafted  to  serve 
one  year  or  longer.  On  this  occasion  he  entered 
Company  K,  Second  Illinois,  Second  brigade, 
Third  division.  Fourth  corps  of  the  Army  of  the 
Cumberland.  At  Victoria,  Texas,  he  was  dis- 
charged, October  29,  1865.  at  which  time  he  was 
serving:  under  Colonel  Swain  and  Lieutenant 
James  McClellan. 

Mr.  Zetzsche  is  a  member  of  the  carpenters* 
union  in  Ellensbunr.  Both  he  and  his  wife  were 
raised  under  the  influence  of  the  Methodist  Epis- 
copal church.  He  is  said  to  be  an  expert  work- 
man, and  sustains  an  enviable  reputation  for  in- 
dustry  and  honesty.  Socially  and.  in  business 
circles,  he  is  one  of  the  most  popular  tradesmen 
of  his  city. 


890 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


LEANDER  F.  LYEN  was  born  in  Cowlitz 
county,  Washington,  May  19,  1862,  and  is  now 
a  prosperous  farmer  and  stockman  residing  ten 
miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg.  His  father,  also 
a  farmer  and  stockman,  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, born  in  that  state  about  1823;  and  his 
mother  was  Nancy  J.  (Ballard)  Lyen,  born  in 
Whitehall,  Tennessee,  in  1819.  Writh  his  father 
Mr.  Lyen  came  to  Yakima  county  in  1866,  and 
settled  in  the  Moxee  valley.  Later  they  moved 
to  what  is  now  North  Yakima,  and  remained 
there  about  a  year ;  the  next  move  was  to  Kit- 
titas county.  Leander  F.  received  his  education 
in  the  public  schools,  which  were  conducted  in 
the  primitive  log  cabins  of  that  day.  His  father 
crossed  the  Plains  in  an  ox-wagon  in  1852,  and 
thus  became  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  West. 
Mr.  Lyen,  of  this  biography,  came  to  the  Kit- 
titas valley  in  1870,  and  engaged  in  the  cattle 
and  sheep  business,  which  he  has  since  followed. 
On  December  15,  1889,  he  married  Miss  Mollie 
E.  (Reed)  Prigmore  at  Ellensburg.  Miss  Prig- 
more  was  born  in  McClellan  county,  Texas, 
March  20,  1866.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Eze- 
kiel  I.  and  Frances  (German)  Prigmore,  the 
father  a  native  of  Texas,  born  in  1847,  and  the 
mother  born  in  Missouri,  in  1851.  Mr.  Prigmore 
was  a  farmer  and  came  to  this  county  in  1887. 
His  wife  is  still  living  here.  The  other  children 
of  the  family  besides  Mrs.  Lyen  are:  Mrs.  S. 
E.  Mullin,  of  Whatcom,  Washington ;  John  R. 
Prigmore,  of  Seattle;  Mrs.  A.  B.  Jewett,  of 
Whatcom  ;  Samuel  Prigmore,  of  Kittitas  county  ; 
Gertrude  Prigmore,  now  resident  in  Kittitas 
county.  Two  others — D.  Y.  Prigmore  and  Leh- 
roy  Prigmore — are  deceased.  The  latter  died  in 
Alaska. 

Mr.  Lyen  was  reared  under  the  influence  of 
the  Baptist  church.  In  politics  he  is  a  Demo- 
crat, although  he  is  now  a  stanch  supporter  of 
President  Roosevelt.  Being  raised  in  the  west, 
he  is  very  conversant  with  the  early  traditions 
of  the  Indians,  as  well  as  the  pioneer  history 
of  the  state  in  general.  He  is  comfortably  sit- 
uated in  his  home,  and  is  one  of  the  well-to-do 
farmers  of  the  Kittitas  valley.  He  is  everywhere 
regarded  as  being  public  spirited,  and  an  hon- 
orable, law-abiding  citizen,  and  counts  his 
friends  by  the  score. 


ALBERT  TJOSSEM.  Albert  Tjossem,  a 
miller  residing  three  miles  southeast  of  Ellens- 
burg, was  born  in  LeGrand,  Iowa,  July  16.  1867. 
He  is  the  son  of  Rasmus  P.  Tjossem  and  Rachel 
(Heggem)  Tjossem,  both  natives  of  Norway. 
Mr.  Tjossem  received  his  early  education  in  the 
district  schools  of  his  native  state,  and  came  to 
Kittitas  county  with  his  father  in  September, 
1877,  settling  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Kittitas 
valley.     He  at  once     began     working  with   his 


father,  and  together  they  built  a  flour-mill,  which 
they  jointly  operated.  In  1889  the  second  mill 
built  by  them  was  burned  to  the  ground,  but 
was  rebuilt  in  1900,  and  equipped  as  few  rural 
mills  are  with  the  most  modern  of  machinery. 
Its  daily  capacity  is  about  one  hundred  barrels ; 
its  machinery  is  driven  by  a  ten-foot  head  of 
water  conducted  to  the  mill  by  a  ditch  having 
its  head  just  below  the  south  bridge.  A  spur 
has  been  built  by  the  railroad  at  the  mill,  and 
the  place  is  known  as  Holmes  Station.  The  pro- 
prietors of  the  mill  are  in  partnership  under  the 
firm  name  of  R.  P.  Tjossem  &  Son.  A  ready 
market  is  found  for  all  the  mill  products,  prin- 
cipally along  the  Japan  coast,  while  a  portion 
finds  sale  in  the  local  markets.  The  grain  is  for 
the  most  part  imported  from  outside  the  county, 
only  about  one-third  being  locally  grown.  The 
mill  of  R.  P.  Tjossem  &  Son  is  well  known 
throughout  the  interior  of  Washington,  and 
bears  the  reputation  of  turning  out  some  of  the 
best  grades  of  flour  milled  in  the  Northwest.  Mr. 
Tjossem's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Rebecca 
Donald,  Torena  Moe,  Lena  Ruthven,  Anna  and 
Peter  R.  Tjossem.  The  last  named  is  a  draughts- 
man living  in  Spokane ;  the  remaining  four  are 
residents  of  Kittitas  county. 

Mr.  Tjossem  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  June, 
1899,  to  Olive  Rutledge.  Mrs.  Tjossem  died  in 
June,  1901,  and  in  Sept.  17,  1902,  Mr.  Tjossem 
was  married  a  second  time  to  Laura  E.  Cooper, 
daughter  of  John  A.  and  Mary  L.  (Prose) 
Cooper.  Mrs.  Tjossem  was  born  in  Pesotum, 
Champaign  county,  Illinois,  April  15,  1872.  tier 
father  was  born  in  1839,  of  Virginia  stock,  was 
a  soldier  in  the  rebellion,  and  is  now  a  farmer 
living  near  Tuscola,  Illinois.  Mary  L.  Cooper  is 
a  native  of  the  state  of  Ohio,  born  May  17,  1837. 
Mr.  Tjossem  is  a  member  in  good  standing  of 
the  Masonic  lodge  of  Ellensburg,  and  is  an  ad- 
herent to  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  is  liberal 
and  public  spirited.  Few  men  have  done  more 
for  the  advancement  and  upbuilding  of  his 
county,  and  few  enjoy  the  esteem  and  good  will 
of  a  wider  circle  of  social  and  business  friends. 


FREDERICK  SCHORMANN,  one  of  the 
substantial  farmers  of  Kittitas  valley,  resides  on 
his  farm  seven  and  one-half  miles  southeast  of 
Ellensburg,  where  he  devotes  his  time  to  farm- 
ing and  the  breeding  of  fine  horses.  Mr.  Schor- 
mann  is  a  native  of  Denmark  and  was  born  in 
the  prosperous  little  citv  of  Aarhus,  January  3, 
1869.  His  father,  Carl  Schormann,  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  born  in  1838.  At  the  age  of  sixteen 
he  moved  to  Denmark,  where  he  met  and  mar- 
ried Anna  Fredericksen,  who  was  a  native  of 
Denmark,  born  in  the  year  1843.  They  still 
make  Denmark  their  home.  Mr.  Schormann  has 
filled  a  number  of  important  offices  in  the  com- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


munity  where  he  lives,  and  is  held  in  high  es- 
teem as  a  citizen.  The  son  Frederick  grew  up 
and  was  educated  in  the  land  of  his  birth,  but, 
upon  reaching  his  majority,  began  to  cast  about 
him  for  a  field  of  labor  that  promised  more  than 
a  simple  livelihood.  Letters  at  this  time  com- 
ing from  his  brother  Frank,  who  had  immigrated 
to  the  United  States  in  1889,  telling  of  this  land 
of  liberal  laws  and  wealth  of  resources,  deter- 
mined him  to  try  the  new  land  of  promise  and, 
in  1890,  he  crossed  the  sea  and  shortly  after- 
wards located  in  Ellensburg.  He  engaged  at 
general  work  for  a  time  but,  in  1894.  settled 
down  on  his  present  farm,  where  he  has  since 
resided,  and  where  he  has  continued  to  prosper. 
He  is  the  third  child  in  a  family  of  five.  Frank, 
the  oldest,  is  a  resident  of  Ellensburg.  Michael 
and  Johanna  Jacobson  live  in  the  Kittitas  val- 
ley, and  Mary  resides  in  Spokane. 

Mr.  Schormann  was  married  in  Ellensburg, 
November  16,  1894,  to  Mary  P.  Miller.  Her 
father,  Peter  Jensen,  was  born  in  Denmark, 
where  he  still  resides.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the 
war  of  1864.  The  mother,  Christina  Jensen,  was 
also  a  native  of  Denmark.  Mrs.  Schormann  has 
one  brother,  Jensen  Petersen,  living  in  Denmark. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schormann  have  one  child,  Olga 
S..  born  Aug.  20,  1899.  Mr.  Schormann  is  affili- 
ated with  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America, 
with  membership  in  the  Ellensburg  camp.  He 
and  wife  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  church. 
He  is  a  thrifty,  prosperous  farmer  and  a  breeder 
of  fine  French  Percheron  horses,  of  which  he 
makes  a  specialty.  He  has  a  well  improved 
farm  and,  with  his  demonstrated  business  abil- 
ity, it  is  not  presuming  too  much  to  predict  a 
prosperous  future  for  him. 


MARGARET  E.  CLYMER  was  born  in 
Crawford  county,  Ohio,  December  6,  1848.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Andrew  P.  and  Hanna  (Shoemak- 
er) Smith,  both  natives  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Smith 
was  born  about  the  year  1825,  coming  of  old 
Quaker  stock.  Early  in  life  he  was  a  builder 
and  contractor,  but  later  turned  his  energies  to 
farming.  He  moved  to  Crawford  county,  Ohio, 
when  a  child,  and  spent  the  major  portion  of 
his  life  there.  He  is  of  German  ancestry.  Mrs. 
Clymer  received  her  early  education  in  the  dis- 
trict schools  of  her  native  state,  and  on  March 
31,  1864,  was  married  to  Joseph  C.  Clymer.  Mr. 
Clymer  served  his  country  during  the  Rebellion, 
principally  in  the  regimental  band  of  the  Sixty- 
foiiTth  Ohio  volunteer  infantry,  in  which  he  en- 
listed in  1862,  and  in  the  hospital  corps.  It  was 
his  desire  to  serve  as  a  regular  soldier,  but  he 
was  incapacitated  on  account  of  defective  eye- 
sight. His  war  record  was  replete  with  deeds 
of  kindness,  patience  and  daring,  and  in  every 
particular  was  a  credit  to  himself  and  to  his  country. 


Following  his  discharge  he  settled  and  remained 
for  seven  years  at  Gabon,  Ohio,  where  he  had 
charge  of  a  nursery  belonging  to  his  father.  Sub- 
sequently he  removed  to  Lima,  Ohio,  where  he 
conducted  a  nursery  of  his  own.  After  four 
years  in  this  business  he  abandoned  it  that  he 
might  take  up  work  on  the  railway.  He  began 
his  railroad  career  as  a  fireman  on  the  B.  &  O. 
railroad,  which  station  he  filled  three  years,  then 
to  engage  with  the  Erie  &  Western  as  engineer, 
remaining  in  this  position  for  about  five  years. 
He  came  west  as  far  as  Fargo,  North  Dakota, 
to  attend  the  convention  of  locomotive  engineers 
held  in  that  city.  Being  favorably  impressed 
with  the  country,  he  decided  to  remain,  at  once 
securing  a  position  with  the  Northern  Pacific 
railroad,  in  the  construction  department.  He  re- 
mained so  occupied  until  the  line  was  completed, 
his  last  construction  work  being  done  on  the 
bridges  spanning  the  Columbia  at  Pasco.  He 
left  the  Northern  Pacific  in  1894,  and  three  years 
later  died  near  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Clymer  was 
born  in  Ohio,  1840,  and  wras  a  descendant  of  the 
Clymer  family  of  Revolutionary  fame.  This  fam- 
ily included  the  Hon.  George  Clymer,  a  signer 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  one  of  the 
first  to  settle  in  the  colony  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
afterwards  closely  identified  with  the  history  of 
that  commonwealth.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
Mr.  Clymer  was  a  member  of  David  Ford  Post 
No.  11,  G.  A.  R.,  at  Ellensburg.  He  was  sur- 
vived by  Mrs.  Clymer  and  two  sons — John  P., 
born  in  Gabon,  Ohio,  1868,  and  who  is  now  a 
conductor  on  the  Northern  Pacific  railroad,  and 
Albert  B.,  also  a  native  of  Gabon,  born  in  1870, 
and  now  inspector  for  a  transcontinental  rail- 
road. Mrs.  Clymer  is  a  member  of  the  Woman's 
Relief  Corps,  David  Ford  Post  No.  19,  of  Ellens- 
burg, which  post  she  has  served  several  times 
as  president.  She  also  holds  membership  in  the 
Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  25,  and  in  the  Women  of 
Woodcraft.  Her  church  home  is  with  the  Pres- 
byterians. She  is  an  ardent  lover  of  flowers,  of 
which  she  has  probably  the  finest  collection  in 
the  valley.  She  is  a  lady  exceptionally  well  in- 
formed on  all  leading  topics,  is  energetic  and 
public  spirited,  and  as  a  consequence  is  re- 
spected and  loved  by  all  who  know  her. 


HENRY  M.  BRYANT,  the  subject  of  this 
biography,  is  a  native  of  South  Bend,  Indiana, 
where  he  was  born  September  13.  1841.  His 
father,  Alfred  Bryant,  was  one  of  the  early  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Presbyterian  church  to  northern 
Indiana  and  southern  Michigan.  The  father  was 
a  man  noted  for  his  piety  and  for  his  effective 
preaching  as  well  as  for  his  literary  ability,  the 
fifth  edition  of  some  of  his  books  being  now  in 
circulation.  His  ancestors  settled  in  Sprin^held. 
New  Jersey,  about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 


892 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


century.  His  father  was  a  captain  in  the  War 
of  the  Revolution.  He  was  born  in  New  Jersey 
in  1808.  During  his  missionary  life  he  built  thir- 
teen churches  in  southern  Michigan  and  north- 
ern Indiana.  He  spent  many  years  in  that  sec- 
tion, and  was  esteemed  both  by  Indians  and 
whites  for  his  sterling  qualities  as  man  and  min- 
ister. He  died  in  1882.  The  mother  of  our  sub- 
ject was  Adrianna  (Greene)  Bryant,  a  native  of 
Hanover,  New  Jersey.  Her  ancestors  went  from 
England  to  Holland  on  account  of  religious  per- 
secution, and  eventually  came  to  America  that 
they  might  enjoy  religious  freedom.  She  died 
in  1854  at  the  age  of  forty-four.  The  early  life 
of  Henry  M.  Bryant  was  spent  in  southern  Mich- 
igan, where  his  education  was  received.  At  the 
age  of  twenty-one  he  enlisted,  in  1861,  in  Com- 
pany F,  Twelfth  Michigan  infantry,  under  Captain 
Reeves,  as  third  sergeant,  his  company  serving 
with  the  Army  of  the  Cumberland,  in  Tennessee. 
At  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing  he  was  taken 
sick  and  was  sent  to  St.  Louis,  where  he  was 
reported  dead;  when  his  father  went  for  the 
body,  however,  he  was  found  still  living  and  was 
taken  home.  His  physical  condition  was  such 
that  he  could  not  return  to  the  army,  and  until 
1864  his  time  was  spent  in  various  efforts  to 
recover  his  health.  For  a  while  he  conducted  a 
store  for  a  lumber  company  near  Fillmore,  New 
York.  In  the  year  named,  after  visiting  home,  he 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Salt  Lake  City,  leaving 
Atchison,  Kansas,  in  the  spring  with  a  freight 
outfit  and  an  ox  team,  which  he  drove  through 
without  serious  loss,  occupying  ninety  days  on 
the  journey.  Here  for  a  time  he  was  associated 
with  Bernard  Gray,  a  son  of  Captain  Thomas 
Gray,  of  the  quartermaster's  department,  Wash- 
ington, District  of  Columbia,  in  the  newspaper  busi- 
ness. Disposing  of  his  interests  in  this  business  he 
went  to  East  Bannock,  Montana,  in  April,  1865 ; 
from  there  to  Virginia  City,  and  thence  to  Helena. 
At  Virginia  City  he  was  connected  for  a  while 
with  the  Montana  Post  as  collector  and  solicitor. 
In  October,  1865,  he  entered  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Helena,  becoming  one  of  the  firm  of  Gil- 
patrick  &  Bryant,  dealers  in  books  and  notions, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  writing  for  the  local  pa- 
pers. At  this  time  flour  sold  in  Montana  for 
one  dollar  and  twenty  cents  per  pound  and  news- 
papers at  from  one  dollar  to  three  dollars  per 
copy.  In  1867  the  building  and  stock  of 
merchandise  were  destroyed  by  fire ;  the  busi- 
ness was  re-established  but,  a  few  months  later, 
was  closed  out.  December  4,  1870,  he  took  up 
a  homestead  in  the  Kittitas  valley  which  he  com- 
muted in  1872.  During  this  period  he  was  vari- 
ously engaged  as  hotel  clerk,  assistant  postmas- 
ter and  proprietor  of  a  notion  store;  acting  also 
as  agent  for  the  Lewiston  and  N.  W.  Stage" Com- 
pany at  Walla  Walla.  Mr.  Bryant  came  to  Kit- 
titas county  in  1874,  where  he  had  previously  be- 


come interested  in  stock ;  from  here  going  to  Se- 
attle and,  while  en  route,  casting  a  vote  at  Van- 
couver for  Hayes  for  president.  Until  1879  he  acted 
as  Wells,  Fargo  &  Company's  agent  at  Seattle; 
returning  at  this  time  to  Ellensburg,  where  he 
formed  a  partnership  in  the  merchandise  busi- 
ness with  Austin  A.  Bell  of  Seattle.  He  put 
up  the  second  trading  post  in  Ellensburg,  selling 
out  to  Thomas  Johnson  in  1882  and  going  to 
his  ranch. 

In  the  fall  of  1883  Mr.  Bryant  was  married  to 
Miss  Lillie  May  Peterson,  a  daughter  of  W.  H. 
Peterson,  county  auditor.  Mr.  Peterson  and 
daughter  are  natives  of  West  Virginia,  where 
the  latter  was  born  in  1863.  The  father  is  a 
pioneer  of  the  county  and  has  held  several  county 
offices.  Mrs.  Bryant  died  in  1885.  ^r-  Bryant 
has  been  prominent  in  business  circles ;  was 
county  auditor  one  term ;  is  a  member  of  the  K. 
P.  lodge  and  of  the  G.  A.  R. ;  is  an  active  and 
influential  Republican,  and  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful and  respected  citizens  of  Kittitas  county. 


GEORGE  E.  SAYLES,  police  judge  and  city 
clerk  of  Ellensburg,  was  born  and  reared  in  the 
west,  and  has  seen  a  great  country  develop  in 
the  past  thirty  years.  Educated  for  the  profes- 
sion of  a  teacher,  he  turned  to  law  and  politics, 
which  he  finds  more  congenial.  He  was  elected 
city  clerk  of  Ellensburg  in  1900  and  has  twice 
been  re-elected  to  the  office.  He  is  also  justice 
of  the  peace  and  police  judge,  the  latter  appoint- 
ment coming  from  the  city  council.  Mr.  Sayles 
was  born  in  Olympia,  Washington,  December  20, 
1872.  His  father,  Oscar  Sayles,  was  an  Illinois 
farmer,  and  crossed  the  Plains  into  Oregon  at 
an  early  day,  settling  in  the  Grande  Ronde  val- 
ley. Later  he  moved  near  the  capital  city  of 
Washington.  He  was  exempt  from  duty  as  a 
soldier  on  account  of  disability.  His  ancestors 
fought  for  America  in  the  Mexican  war  and  were 
Scotchmen  of  sturdy  stock.  Mr.  Sayles'  mother, 
Sarah  (Mills)  Sayles,  is  of  Irish  descent  and  a 
native  of  Illinois.  Her  father,  George  Mills,  lives 
in  Olympia.  Her  brother,  Jesse  T.  Mills,  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  con- 
trol under  Governor  McBride,  and  also  served 
as  sheriff  of  Thurston  county.  Her  father  held 
a  captain's  commission  in  the  federal  army  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war.  George  Sayles  grew  to  man- 
hood at  Olympia.  He  received  a  thorough  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  and  high  school, 
finishing  with  a  course  at  the  state  normal  in 
Ellensburg  after  a  preparatory  course  in  the  El- 
lensburg high  school,  which  he  entered  at  the 
age  of  sixteen  years.  After  completing  his  edu- 
cation he  went  to  Montana  and  tried  his  hand 
at  mining,  traveling  over  much  of  the  state  dur- 
ing his  stay  there.  A  severe  attack  of  sickness 
made  him  an  invalid  for  eighteen  months.    After 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


893 


recovering  he  returned  to  Ellensburg  and,  find- 
ing the  genial  Washington  climate  much  more 
conducive  to  good  health,  he  has  since  made  El- 
lensburg his  home.  Mr.  Sayles  is  a  Republican 
and  a  most  active  worker  in  the  party.  He  is 
a  well  known  figure  in  primary  work,  also  in 
conventions.  He  holds  membership  in  the  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks  and  the 
Eagles.  He  has  two  brothers  and  two  sisters : 
Anna  Sayles  Poland  resides  at  Ellensburg;  Alta 
and  the  brothers,  Roy  and  Chester,  live  in  Seat- 
tle. Mr.  Sayles'  uncle,  George  G.  Mills,  is  a 
prominent  business  man  and  politician  of  Olym- 
pia.  He  recently  married  a  daughter  of  Judge 
J.  M.  Gordon,  supreme  court  justice,  retired. 
Mr.  Mills  was  in  the  government  land  office  at 
Seattle  for  a  number  of  years,  afterwards  en- 
gaging in  business.  Two  other  uncles  of  Mr. 
Sayles — James  Mills  and  John  Mills — are  prom- 
inent farmers  of  Thurston  county,  which  is  also 
the  home  of  his  three  aunts — Fannie,  Mary  and 
Laura  Mills.  In  political,  fraternal  and  social 
life  Mr.  Sayles  is  a  representative  citizen  of  El- 
lensburg, and  it  is  not  presuming  greatly  to  pre- 
dict that  the  future  holds  for  him  a  successful 
career. 


JOHN  H.  CAROTHERS,  born  in  Shelby 
county,  Missouri,  in  1859,  the  son  of  John  C.  and 
Louisa  M.  (Henninger)  Carothers,  is  a  leading 
stock  raiser  and  mining  man  of  Ellensburg.  His 
father,  a  native  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
born  in  1820  and  was  a  pioneer  of  Shelby  county, 
Missouri,  where  he  settled  with  his  family  as 
early  as  1828.  Here  he  lived  and  labored  quietly 
on  his  farm  until  the  outbreak  of  the  Mexican 
war,  when  he  joined  the  army,  with  which  he 
remained  until  peace  had  been  declared  between 
the  two  warring  nations.  Again,  in  i860,  he  en- 
listed in  the  army  as  a  private  and  went  forth 
to  do  battle  with  the  Confederate  forces.  He 
was  a  good  soldier,  and  his  valor  was  rewarded 
by  his  being  commissioned  a  captain  before  the 
end  of  the  war.  During  the  latter  part  of  his 
service  Captain  Carothers  served  under  the  com- 
mand of  General  McNeil.  In  1874  he  removed 
to  the  far  west  and  took  a  stock  ranch  in  eastern 
Oregon,  where  he  with  his  sons  engaged  in  the 
cattle  and  sheep  business,  making  his  home  the 
while  in  the  Willamette  valley.  He  also  acquired 
land  in  the  Kittitas  valley,  where  he  brought  his 
family  to  live  in  1888,  and  where  in  1902  he 
passed  away.  Louisa  M.  (Henninger)  Carothers 
was  born  in  Gordon  City,  Virginia,  in  1827.  She 
numbers  among  her  direct  ancestors  some  of  the 
earliest  pathfinders  and  history  makers  of  that 
state.  She  now  is  living  with  her  sons  in  Ellens- 
burg. 

At  the  time  of  his  advent  in  Oregon,  John 
H.  Carothers  was  a  youth  of  sixteen  years,  hav- 


ing spent  his  boyhood  in  the  state  of  his  birth, 
where  he  had  acquired  a  grammar  and  high 
school  education.  Having  been  raised  to  the 
stock  business  he  took  to  it  naturally  upon  com- 
ing west,  continuing  in  it  with  his  father  and 
brothers,  William  and  Andrew.  They  turned 
their  attention  to  sheep  principally,  though  they 
kept  a  large  herd  of  cattle.  The  brothers  still 
own  the  old  farm  in  eastern  Oregon,  which  is 
being  operated  by  Andrew.  It  was  upon  this 
farm  that  was  grown  the  fruit  thirteen  varieties 
of  which  took  prizes  at  the  Omaha  Exposition. 
The  brothers  exhibit  with  warranted  pride  a  $200 
gold  medal  as  the  prize  awarded  them  upon  this 
occasion.  For  years  after  coming  to  Kittitas 
county  the  Carothers  were  the  most  extensive 
raisers  and  shippers  of  sheep  in  that  section  of  the 
country,  during  which  time  they  held  almost  the  ex- 
clusive trade  in  mutton  of  the  entire  coast  line 
of  Oregon,  Washington  and  British  Columbia. 
Their  shipments  of  mutton  at  times  amounted 
to  eight  and  ten  train  loads  in  a  single  consign- 
ment. About  the  year  1900  the  Carothers  broth- 
ers began  to  close  out  their  sheep  business,  since 
which  time  they  have  confined  themselves  to 
buying  and  selling  sheep  and  of  late  years  turned 
their  attention  largely  to  mining.  Their  mining 
interests  consist  of  gold,  copper  and  coal  mines 
in  the  vicinity  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington.  Here  they 
are  developing  what  promises  to  be  one  of  the 
most  valuable  semi-anthracite  coal  mines  in  the 
Northwest,  for  from  this  deposit  has  been  taken 
some  of  the  highest  grade  coal  ever  found  in 
the  state.  Mr.  Carothers  has  two  brothers  and 
two  sisters — William  H.,  of  Ellensburg;  Andrew, 
of  Olex,  Oregon ;  Anna  M.  Knight,  living  in  the 
Willamette  valley,  and  Ella  Kocker,  of  Canby, 
Oregon.  He  was  for  a  number  of  years  a  mem- 
ber and  an  officer  of  the  Sons  of  Veterans  order, 
but  is  now  out  of  that  society  altogether.  He 
is  a  stanch  Republican,  and  takes  an  active  part 
in  the  caucuses  and  conventions  of  that  party. 


LEANDER  W.  BELDIN,  member  of  the 
firm  of  Beldin  &  Beldin.  painters  and  paper 
hangers,  was  born  in  Rockford.  Illinois,  in  1872. 
His  father,  Leander  W.  Beldin,  also  a  painter, 
was  born  in  1846.  He  was  an  early  pioneer  of 
Comanche  county,  Kansas,  and  was  in  the  woolen 
mill  business  for  thirteen  years  in  Iowa,  Wis- 
consin and  Illinois.  Mr.  Beldin  Senior's  grand- 
father was  a  Frenchman,  his  mother  a  German,  his 
father  a  Yankee.  The  mother  of  L.  W.  Beldin, 
Junior,  Harriet  (Varona)  Beldin,  was  born  in  New 
York  state,  in  1850,  and  was  of  Yankee  parent- 
age, her  ancestors  being  originally  English. 
When  Leander  W.  Beldin  was  two  years  of  age 
his  parents  began  a  series  of  migrations,  Erst 
to  Wichita,  Kansas,  then  to  Colorado,  and  thence 
to  Comanche  county,  Kansas,  establishing  them- 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


selves,  in  1884,  at  Harper,  Kansas,  where  Mr. 
Beldin  grew  up  and  received  his  education.  In 
the  year  1890,  when  he  was  eighteen  years  of 
age,  his  parents  removed  to  Tacoma,  Washing- 
ton, where  Mr.  Beldin  learned  the  painter's  trade, 
which  he  followed  there  for  seven  years.  He 
then  went  to  Portland,  Oregon,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years,  and  in  1901  came  to  El- 
lensburg.  Here  he  has  established  a  good  busi- 
ness and  bought  a  home.  Subject  was  married 
in  May.  1902,  to  Charlotte  Belle  Wright,  a  na- 
tive of  Nebraska.  Her  father,  Archibald  Wright, 
died  in  1892.  Her  mother,  Ida  (Randall) 
Wright,  was  born  in  Iowa,  and  still  survives. 
Her  uncle,  Amasa  Randall,  is  the  editor  of  The 
Localizer,  published  at  Ellensburg.  Mr.  Beldin 
has  one  brother,  Fred  Grant  Beldin,  of  Portland, 
Oregon. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the 
World,  this  being  the  only  organization  he  is 
connected  with.  He  belongs  to  no  political  party, 
preferring  rather  at  elections  to  be  free  to  vote 
for  the  man  irrespective  of  the  candidate's  party. 


CYRENUS  E.  STEVENS  is  a  farmer  and 
stockman  living  seven  miles  northeast  of  Ellens- 
burg. Illinois  is  his  native  state,  where  he  was 
born  in  Kane  county,  August  25,  1866.  His 
father,  D.  W.  Stevens,  a  farmer,  was  born  in 
Onondaga  county,  New  York,  in  March.  1843. 
D.  W.  Stevens  was  an  early  settler  in  Illinois. 
He  served  three  years  and  nine  months  in  the 
Civil  war  in  a  New  York  regiment.  At  the 
second  battle  of  The  Wilderness  he  was  severely 
wounded  by  being  shot  in  the  arm,  on  account 
of  which  he  receives  a  heavy  pension  from  the 
government.  He  is  originally  of  English  de- 
scent. One  of  his  ancestors  was  a  member  of 
the  historic  "Boston  Tea  Party,"  and  for  his 
services  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of  freedom  re- 
ceived a  larg^e  grant  of  land  in  the  state  of  New 
York.  Amelia  (Hayden)  Stevens,  mother  of  Cy- 
renus  E.,  is  a  native  of  New  York,  born  in  1843, 
of  Holland  Dutch  parentage.  Both  D.  W.  and 
Mrs.  Stevens  are  still  living  in  the  state  of  New 
York.  Subject  was  reared  in  Illinois,  working 
on  the  farm  and  attending  the  common  schools. 
At  the  age  of  twenty-two  he  decided  to  "go 
West,"  and  the  spring  of  1889  found  him  located 
in  the  Kittitas  valley.  Here  he  bought  and  cul- 
tivated a  farm  in  partnership  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  H.  Ames.  This  partnership  continued 
until  the  fall  of  ninety-two,  when  he  bought  his 
partner's  interest  in  the  farm,  since  which  time 
he  has  conducted  it  alone.  He  was  at  Ellensburg 
at  the  time  of  the  great  fire,  but  was  not  a  loser. 
In  1894  he  assumed  the  management  of  the 
county  poor  farm,  and  for  six  years  he  conducted 
that  in  connection  with  his  own  place,  giving  it 
up  only  in   1900.     In  the  year  1887  ^r-  Stevens 


was  married  to  Katie  Ames,  daughter  of  Avery 
A.  and  Esther  (Davis)  Ames,  born  in  Illinois  in 
the  year  1870.  Her  father,  a  Civil  war  veteran, 
was  born  in  Vermont,  in  January,  1828.  He  is 
now  living  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  Mrs.  Stevens' 
mother  was  born  in  Vermont,  1837,  and  died  in 
1890.  Mrs.  Stevens  has  one  sister,  Annis  McDiar- 
mid,  and  four  brothers :  H.  Ames,  a  farmer  of 
Kittitas  county;  Edwin,  of  South  Dakota;  Charles 
and  Fred,  both  of  whom  are  living  in  Illinois.  Mr. 
Stevens'  brothers  and  sisters  are :  John  and  Perry, 
of  Illinois;  Fred,  of  Wisconsin,  and  Mabel,  Edith, 
Lottie  and  Clara,  living  in  Illinois.  To  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Stevens  have  been  born  six  children,  only 
three  of  whom,  Amy,  Avery  and  Margaret,  are 
living.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern  Woodmen 
of  America  and  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternities ;  of 
the  latter  he  was  a  charter  member  of  the  lodge  at 
Thorp.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stevens  are  members 
of  the  Baptist  faith.  In  politics  he  votes  for  the 
man  of  his  choice,  not  confining  himself  to  any 
party's  candidates.  However,  he  is  an  ardent  ad- 
mirer and  supporter  of  Theodore  Roosevelt.  His 
holdings  in  real  estate  consist  of  eighty  acres  of  im- 
proved and  cultivated  land  all  under  irrigation, 
upon  which  he  has  a  valuable  orchard,  and  has  filed 
a  claim  to  a  tract  adjacent  to  his  home  place. 


SAMUEL  W.  FARRIS,  a  farmer,  stock  raiser 
and  dairyman  of  the  famous  Kittitas  valley,  is  lo- 
cated two  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Ellensburg. 
He  was  born  in  San  Jacinto  county,  California,  in 
1863,  the  son  of  Franklin  and  Sarah  M.  (Hall) 
Farris.  The  father,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war, 
farmer  and  teamster  in  early  days,  was  born  in  the 
state  of  Missouri  in  1829,  and  died  in  Kittitas 
county,  Washington,  December  24,  1902.  Subject's 
grandfather  played  an  important  role  in  the  reclaim- 
ing of  the  vast  wilderness  out  of  which  have  grown 
the  populous  central  states,  and  the  subduing  of 
the  hostile  tribes  of  aborigines  that  then  inhabited 
it.  With  no  less  a  personage  than  Daniel  Boone 
he  helped  blaze  a  trail  through  the  wilds  of  what 
is  now  Missouri,  and  together  they,  with  other 
pioneers,  built  the  town  of  Boonesboro,  Kentucky. 
Later  in  his  career  he,  with  a  brother  and  one  other 
companion,  a  young  boy,  was  captured  by  Indians 
on  the  Plains  between  Leavenworth  and  Santa  Fe. 
For  fifteen  days  they  were  held  prisoners,  when  he 
and  the  boy  companion  managed  to  escape  and 
found  refuge  in  an  Indian  mission.  Franklin  Far- 
ris crossed  the  Plains  to  California  in  1850,  where 
he  followed  farming  and  teaming.  In  1898  he  came 
to  the  Kittitas  valley  to  join  his  son,  Samuel.  The 
mother  of  Samuel  Farris  was  born  in  Missouri  and 
still  lives  in  Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Farris,  of  this 
article,  spent  his  younger  days  in  California,  where 
he  worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  school  as  a 
boy,  and  later  worked  some  at  the  blacksmith's 
trade,  though  in  the  main  he  followed  farming  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


895 


stock  raising.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one  he  formed 
a  business  partnership  with  his  father,  in  which 
relation  they  continued  until  the  son  was  twenty- 
eight.  In  the  fall  of  1892  he  came  to  the  Kittitas 
valley,  where  he  farmed  for  five  years  on  the  west 
side  of  the  river.  In  1897  he  removed  to  the  south- 
eastern section  of  the  valley,  where  he  again  con- 
ducted a  farm  for  four  years,  then  located  on  his 
present  farm,  which  is  known  as  Poplar  Grove.  In 
190 1  he  was  married  in  Kittitas  county  to  Frankie 
Neona  Fuller,  born  in  Illinois,  in  1872.  Being  a 
woman  of  education,  she,  for  a  number  of  years, 
taught  in  the  public  schools  of  the  state  of  her 
nativity,  and  in  Douglas  and  Kittitas  counties, 
Washington.  She  is  the  daughter  of  A.  A.  and 
Frankie  (Ballard)  Fuller,  both  natives  of  Illinois, 
in  which  state  her  father  followed  the  vocation  of 
blacksmith.  She  has  two  brothers,  Alonzo  and 
Milo  P.  Fuller,  and  one  sister,  Sarah  Bittinger. 
Mr.  Farris  has  one  brother,  George  W.,  and  two 
sisters,  Mrs.  Clara  J.  Noel  and  Mary  E.  Prater, 
all  of  whom  reside  on  farms  in  Kittitas  county. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Farris  have  but  one  child,  Lavina 
Ruth,  one  year  old. 

Mr.  Farris  holds  membership  in  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  and  the  family  belongs  to 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  A  Republican  in 
politics,  he  has  been  in  times  gone  by  an  active 
party  worker,  but  in  recent  years  he  has  devoted 
but  little  time  to  the  affairs  of  his  party.  He  owns 
forty  acres  of  choice  irrigated  land,  which  yields 
large  quantities  of  excellent  fruit.  He  also  con- 
ducts a  dairy  of  a  dozen  well-bred  Holstein  and 
Jersey  cows.  He  finds  a  ready  market  for  the 
products  of  his  orchard  and  dairy,  from  which  each 
vear  he  derives  a  substantial  income. 


THOMAS  B.  GOODWIN,  living  one  and  one- 
half  miles  west  of  Thorp,  is  among  the  most  suc- 
cessful farmers  and  stockmen  in  the  Kittitas  valley. 
As  a  pioneer  of  the  county  and  of  other  portions  of 
the  west,  he  has  experienced  all  the  hardships  inci- 
dent to  the  development  of  a  new  country  and  has 
lived  to  triumph  over  all  difficulties  and  force  from 
his  surroundings  a  degree  of  success  that  comes 
only  to  the  courageous  and  determined  few  who 
found  the  country  in  its  primitive  state  and  braved 
its  dangers  and  crude  conditions,  with  unchanging 
faith  in  its  future.  Mr.  Goodwin  has  realized  his 
expectations  and  now  has  one  of  the  most  valuable 
ranches  in  the  county.  Born  in  Putnam  county, 
Indiana,  July  24,  1846,  he  was  taken  by  his  parents 
to  Iowa  when  he  was  six  years  old  and  there,  until 
he  was  seventeen,  he  attended  school  and  worked 
on  his  father's  farm.  In  1864  he  joined  a  brother 
and  a  neighbor  in  a  trip  with  ox  teams  across  the 
Plains.  Reaching  Omaha,  the  party  continued  up 
the  Missouri  river  through  Nebraska  and  Montana. 
mining  for  a  short  time  in  the  latter  state,  Mr. 
Goodwin   also  herding  cattle   for  a   few   weeks  in 


the  Galiton  valley.  He  then  joined  a  return  party 
for  the  states  and,  after  a  long  and  toilsome  jour- 
ney, during  which  they  suffered  many  privations, 
he  succeeded  in  reaching  the  homestead  farm  in 
Iowa.  After  two  years  on  his  father's  farm  he 
bought  a  home  in  Wayne  county,  sold  it  later  and 
invested  in  cattle,  losing  eventually  all  that  he  had. 
Returning  again  to  his  father's  place  he  remained 
until  1873,  when  he  went  to  California,  arriving 
there  with  a  family  of  four  children  and  with  eight 
dollars  in  cash.  He  afterwards  spent  some  time 
in  Portland,  going  thence  to  the  Washington  side 
of  the  Columbia,  and  engaging  in  the  dairy  business, 
but  eventually  settling  in  the  Willamette  valley, 
where  he  remained  until  1877,  coming  then  to  Kitti- 
tas county.  With  his  cousin,  Thomas  Goodwin,  he 
brought  from  The  Dalles  the  first  header  used  north 
of  the  Columbia  river.  From  W.  D.  Killmore  he 
bought  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land,  pay- 
ing $16  an  acre  for  the  quarter  section,  erected 
a  house  in  1877  and  the  following  year  had  eighty 
acres  fenced  and  twelve  acres  in  wheat.  He  paid 
Charles  Freeman  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars 
for  a  team  of  mules,  giving  his  note  at  twenty-four 
per  cent  interest;  bought  water  rights  of  Herman 
Page  and  at  once  went  to  work  improving  his  farm. 
Later  he  bought  two  hundred  and  forty  acres  of 
George  O'Hair,  going  in  debt  for  the  full  value, 
ten  thousand  dollars,  besides  borrowing  three  thou- 
sand dollars  to  pay  on  the  first  farm  purchased, 
and  following  this  by  a  purchase  of  two  additional 
farms,  one  of  two  hundred  and  eighty  acres,  par- 
tially under  a  ditch,  and  another  of  three  hundred 
and  twenty  acres,  the  latter  pasture  land.  In  twelve 
years  all  his  obligations  were  canceled  and  he  had 
quite  a  sum  of  money  in  the  bank. 

Mr.  Goodwin  is  the  son  of  Rolley  and  Hanna 
(Gardner)  Goodwin,  both  natives  of  Kentucky,  the 
former  born  in  1805  and  the  latter  in  1806.  The 
elder  Goodwin  was  a  pioneer  both  of  Indiana  and 
Iowa,  moving  to  the  last  named  state  in  1852.  He 
was  of  English-Irish  descent  and  was  a  farmer  and 
stockman.  The  mother  and  father  died  in  Iowa. 
Thomas  B.  Goodwin  was  married  in  Iowa  in  1865 
to  Sarah  Cumberlin,  who  was  born  in  Indiana  in 
1841.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Moses  and  Manda 
(McClung)  Cumberlin,  natives  of  Indiana.  The 
wife  has  been  dead  for  a  number  of  years.  Mr. 
Goodwin's  children  are  :  Elmer  E.  Goodwin,  Launa 
I.  Burns,  Jennie  B.  Osborn,  Norman  L.  Goodwin, 
all  born  in  Iowa  ;  Oce  V.  Goodwin,  born  in  Oregon  ; 
Lillian  M.,  Olive  O..  Stanley  E.,  and  Aubrey  C. 
Goodwin,  born  in  Washington.  As  an  active  Demo- 
crat Mr.  Goodwin  has  always  been  prominent  in 
local  politics,  and  in  190 1  was  chosen  representative 
to  the  state  legislature.  The  fact  that  he  has  ac- 
cumulated one  of  the  most  extensive  and  valuable 
estates  in  the  valley  is  evidence  of  the  possession 
of  those  sterling  qualities  which  have  brought  suc- 
cess to  so  many  of  the  pioneers  of  the  West.  He 
is  recognized  as  a  man  of  superior  judgment,   of 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


sterling  integrity  and  correct  principles;  he  is  es- 
teemed and  respected  by  all  with  whom  he  comes  in 
contact. 


ELMER  E.  GOODWIN  has  been  a  landholder 
since  he  was  twenty-two  years  old,  and  is  now  en- 
gaged in  farming,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
southwest  of  Thorp,  Washington.  He  was  born  in 
Iowa,  March  25,  1866,  being  the  eldest  son  of 
Thomas  B.  and  Sarah  E.  (Cumberlin)  Goodwin. 
His  father  was  born  in  Indiana,  July  24,  1846,  and 
has  resided  in  Washington  since  1887.  In  1901  he 
was  representative  from  Kittitas  county  in  the  state 
legislature.  His  mother  was  born  in  Indiana  in 
1841.  She  is  a  graduate  of  an  Iowa  high  school, 
and  taught  school  several  years  before  her  marriage. 
She  was  the  mother  of  the  following  other  children : 
Laura  I.  Burns,  Jennie  B.  Osborn,  Norman  L., 
Lillian  M.,  Oce  V.,  Olive  O.,  Stanley  E.  and  Aubrey 
C.  Goodwin,  all  living  near  Thorp,  Washington. 
Elmer  E.  Goodwin  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Kittitas  county,  and  worked  on  his  father's  farm 
until  he  was  twenty-three  years  old.  When  twenty- 
two  he  took  up  a  claim  in  Douglas  county,  and  a 
year  afterward  he  rented  his  father's  farm  for  a 
period  of  two  years.  Since  his  marriage,  Jan- 
uary 20,  1897,  to  Miss  Nancy  L.  White,  he  has  been 
farming  his  present  holdings.  His  wife  was  born 
in  Texas,  April  17,  1877,  and  was  there  educated. 
Her  father,  James  F.  White,  was  born  in  Tennessee 
and  now  lives  in  Texas.  Her  mother,  Matilda 
(Hatfield)  White,  was  also  born  in  Tennessee.  Mrs. 
Goodwin  has  ten  brothers  and  sisters:  Walton  W., 
Mrs.  Fannie  King,  John,  Perry,  Amy,  Ava,  Ollie, 
Luther,  and  Clint  C.  White,  all  born,  and  still  living, 
in  Texas,  and  Mrs.  Etta  Garlinton,  born  in  Texas 
and  now  residing  in  Oklahoma.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Goodwin  have  two  children :  Thomas  F.,  born  No- 
vember 9,  1897,  and  Lantie  L.,  born  February  25, 
1899. 

Mr.  Goodwin  is  a  prosperous  young  farmer ;  his 
holdings  consist  of  eighty  acres  of  farm  land,  of 
which  he  has  more  than  half  in  orchard,  and  seven 
hundred  acres  of  timber  land.  He  has  numerous 
horses  and  cattle  and  all  the  necessary  farming  im- 
plements. He  is  a  loving  husband  and  father  and 
good  neighbor,  and  is  well  respected  in  the  com- 
munity. Politically,  he  affiliates  with  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 


JOHN  C.  GOODWIN,  living  on  his  farm  one 
mile  south  and  one-quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  Thorp, 
Washington,  was  born  in  Illinois,  June  22,  1848. 
He  was  there  educated  in  the  common  schools  and 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  sixteen  years  old, 
when  he  enlisted  in  the  army.  His  father  was  David 
Goodwin,  born  in  New  York,  of  English  parentage, 
in  1818,  and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-two 


years.  His  mother,  Kathren  (McArthy)  Goodwin, 
was  born  in  York  state  in  1828,  and  is  now  living 
in  Ellensburg,  Washington.  Mr.  Goodwin  entered 
the  army  as  a  member  of  Company  F,  Fifty-seventh 
Illinois  volunteers.  He  saw  service  under  Generals 
Sherman,  Logan,  McPherson  and  Howard;  also 
under  General  Oscherhouse,  of  the  department  of 
Tennessee.  He  was  in  the  battles  of  Chattanooga 
and  Resaca,  and  was  with  Sherman  on  his  famous 
march  to  the  sea.  After  the  fall  of  Savannah 
his  company  went  to  Columbia,  South  Carolina. 
After  the  surrender  of  Lee  the  company 
was  sent  to  Washington  for  general  review, 
and  was  later  mustered  out  in  Louisville, 
Kentucky.  Mr.  Goodwin  then  went  to  Chi- 
cago, and  returned  home,  where  he  remained 
three  years,  attending  school  part  of  this  time.  In 
1868  he  went  to  Missouri,  where  he  resided  three 
years.  The  succeeding  seven  years  he  worked  in 
the  mines  near  Denver,  Colorado,  and  later  visited 
the  Big  Hole  country,  Wyoming ;  Butte,  Montana ; 
Corinne,  Utah ;  San  Francisco ;  and  Portland,  Ore- 
gon. Later  he  came  to  Yakima  (now  Kittitas) 
county,  Washington,  where  he  bought  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  of  land  from  the  railroad,  which  he 
his  since  placed  in  excellent  cultivation.  His  brother 
David  lives  in  Iowa;  a  married  sister,  Anna  Sim- 
mons, lives  in  Montana ;  another  sister,  Mary  J. 
Smithson,  is  the  wife  of  the  mayor  of  Ellensburg, 
and  the  youngest  sister,  Ella  (Goodwin)  Park,  is 
a  resident  of  Texas,  and  his  youngest  brother,  Wil- 
liam H.,  resides  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Goodwin  was  married  December  24,  1882, 
to  Miss  Josephine  Stevens,  who  was  born  in  Ohio, 
February  19,  1855.  Her  father,  Benjamin  Stevens, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  December  4,  1804,  and 
died  in  Illinois,  where  the  family  had  located  when 
Mrs.  Goodwin  was  four  years  old.  Her  mother, 
Elizabeth  (Hecker)  Stevens,  was  born  in  the 
Quaker  state,  January  30,  1810,  and  came  to  Wash- 
ington with  her  daughter  in  1881.  She  passed  away 
in  the  Evergreen  state,  and  she  was  the  mother  of 
seven  children  :  Elizabeth  Green,  living  in  Illinois  ; 
John  H.  Stevens,  residing  in  Washington;  Benja- 
min F.,  living  in  Oklahoma;  Adam  M.  and  James 
H.,  living  in  Washington ;  Myra  Richards,  living  in 
Tacoma,  and  Emily,  in  Kittitas  county.  Mr.  Good- 
win has  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  well  im- 
proved land,  stocked  with  forty-five  head  of  cattle 
and  numerous  horses,  and  is  one  of  the  substantial 
farmers  of  the  valley.  He  is  past-grand  of  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  an  active  member 
of  the  Congregational  church,  and  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Republican  party  in  his  county.  When 
Yakima  county  was  divided  and  the  officers  for 
Kittitas  county  were  elected,  Mr.  Goodwin  was 
chosen  sheriff,  and  served  with  great  success.  He 
has  been  actively  connected  with  county  affairs  ever 
since,  and  has  served  two  terms  as  county  commis- 
sioner. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


897 


CHARLES  T.  HATFIELD,  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful farmers  of  Kittitas  county,  resides  a  short 
distance  west  of  Thorp.  He  is  a  native  of  Texas, 
horn  January  8,  1873,  but,  since  he  was  ten  years 
old,  has  lived  the  greater  portion  of  the  time  in 
Kittitas  county,  Washington.  He  is  the  son  of 
Ephraim  and  Katie  (Smith)  Hatfield.  Ephraim 
Hatfield  was  born  in  Tennessee  in  1847;  moved  to 
Texas  when  a  young  man,  and  from  that  state  came 
to  Washington  by  wagon  in  1873.  He  afterwards 
returned  to  Texas,  where  he  is  still  living.  His  wife, 
the  mother  of  our  subject,  died  when  the  son  was  a 
small  boy. 

Charles  T.  Hatfield  was  educated  in  Kittitas 
county.  When  he  left  school  he  engaged  in  farm- 
ing with  his  father,  on  the  home  place,  until  his 
twenty-first  year.  At  this  time  he  rented  the  place 
of  his  father,  and  has  ever  since  continued  in  charge, 
excepting  a  period  of  six  years,  from  1894  to  1900, 
during  which  he  was  engaged  in  mining  and  stock 
raising  in  Idaho.  Mr.  Hatfield  is  one  of  a  family 
of  two  boys  and  two  girls.  His  brother,  John  Hat- 
field, lives  near  Thorp.  His  sister,  Mrs.  Gertrude 
Bennett,  lives  on  Thorp  prairie,  and  the  second  sis- 
ter, Mrs.  Hattie  Hanlin,  resides  near  Ellensburg. 

Charles  T.  Hatfield  and  Miss  Minnie  Meadows 
were  married  in  Ellensburg  in  1892.  Mrs.  Hatfield 
is  the  daughter  of  Perry  Meadows,  now  deceased. 
She  is  a  native  of  Missouri,  born  May  16,  1863. 
When  a  child,  her  parents  moved  to  Texas,  and 
there  she  received  her  education  in  the  public 
schools.  In  1884  the  family  moved  to  Washington. 
She  has  two  brothers,  John  and  Elijah  Meadows, 
natives  of  Missouri,  now  living  in  Kittitas  county. 
A  sister,  Mrs.  Jane  (Meadows)  Jones,  died  some 
years  ago.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hatfield  have  four  chil- 
dren living ;  their  names  follow :  Lolo,  born  in  Kit- 
titas county,  December  22,  1892;  Katie,  born  in 
Idaho,  July  16,  1896;  Sylvanus,  born  in  Idaho,  No- 
vember 21,  1898,  and  Charles  R.,  born  in  Kittitas 
county,  March  2,  190 1.  Two  children  have  passed 
away:  Iva  M.,  born  September  22,  1894,  and  Hazel 
M.,  born  September  24,  1902.  In  politics,  Mr.  Hat- 
field supports  the  Democratic  party.  He  and  Mrs. 
Hatfield  are  members  of  the  Methodist  church.  In 
general  farming  and  in  stock  raising,  Mr.  Hatfield 
has  met  with  good  success,  and  now  has  on  his  place 
twenty  head  of  Hereford  cattle  and  six  head  of 
Percheron  horses.  He  is  a  man  of  influence  in  the 
community  in  which  he  lives  and  commands  the  re- 
spect and  confidence  of  all  who  know  him. 


QUINTON  E.  CROSS,  living  on  his  farm,  six 
miles  west  and  two  north  of  Thorp,  Washington, 
was  born  in  Kentucky,  July  2,  1874.  His  father, 
Joseph  C.  Cross,  was  also  born  in  Kentucky,  May 
28,  1849;  m  which  state  his  mother,  Sarah  A. 
(Slater)  Cross,  was  also  born,  March  28,  1850. 
Both  are  residents  of  Kittitas  county. 

Mr.  Cross  was  married  in  Kittitas  county,  No- 


vember 9,  1902,  to  Callie  Mattox,  who  was  born  in 
Missouri,  September  27,  1886.  Her  father,  William 
Mattox,  was  a  native  of  Indiana  and  a  farmer,  with 
an  honorable  Civil  war  record  to  his  credit.  He  is 
now  living  in  Kittitas  county.  Her  mother  was 
Martha  (Maynard)  Mattox.  They  came  to  Wash- 
ington when  their  daughter  Callie  was  very  young, 
and  she  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Kittitas  county.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are  Clif- 
ford Mattox,  Mary  Mornser,  Elmer  Mattox,  Eva 
Hatfield  and  William  Mattox,  all  residents  of 
Washington. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cross  have  one  child,  Lelle  Cross, 
who  was  born  in  Kittitas  county,  August  18,  1903. 
Mr.  Cross  is  a  Republican  and  is  much  interested 
in  politics.  In  fraternal  connections,  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  He  is  a  hard- 
working, ambitious  and  successful  young  man,  and 
is  building  a  comfortable  home  on  his  hundred  and 
twenty  acre  farm. 


CHARLES  A.  SPLAWN,  who  is  engaged  in 
farming  and  stock  raising  three  miles  west  of 
Thorp,  Washington,  was  born  in  Missouri,  Septem- 
ber 13,  1831 ;  is  a  pioneer  and  the  son  of  a  pioneer. 
His  father,  John  Splawn,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  in 
1810,  and  was  a  farmer  and  school  teacher.  He 
was  a  pioneer  of  Missouri,  and  was  in  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  He  died  in  1848.  Mr.  Splawn's 
mother,  Nancy  (McHaney)  Splawn,  was  born  in 
Virginia,  and  was  married  when  fifteen  years  old. 
She  resides  in  Ellensburg  at  the  ripe  age  of  ninety. 
Mr.  Splawn  was  educated  and  lived  in  Missouri, 
working  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty. 
Then  he  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  by  ox  team 
in  185 1.  He  was  at  Brownsville  and  in  the  Willa- 
mette valley  for  a  while,  and  went  thence  to  the 
Gallice  creek  mines,  where  Indians  ran  him  out. 
He  ran  a  pack-train  from  Winchester,  Oregon,  dur- 
ing 1852  and  1853,  and  for  thirty  days  served  under 
Captain  Martin  in  the  war  against  the  Rogue  River 
Indians.  Later  he  was  at  Coos  Bay.  Williams  creek 
and  Grave  creek,  mining.  He  struck  a  good  prop- 
erty, but  Indians  drove  him  away.  He  ran  a  pack- 
train  for  a  time  for  himself,  and  later  for  the  gov- 
ernment, and  at  times  had  fights  with  Indians. 
Then  engaged  in  logging  and  cattle  selling.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1S61,  he  located  in  Yakima  county  and  ran 
cattle  until  i8r>8,  when  he  moved  to  Kittitas  valley 
and  engaged  in  stock  raising  and  mining,  which  he 
has  since  continued.  His  brothers,  George,  Mose, 
Williams  and  Andrew  J.  Splawn,  were  all  born  in 
Missouri,  and  live  in  central  Washington.  Mr. 
Splawn  was  married  at  Fort  Simcoe  in  1863  to 
Dulcina  H.  Thorp,  who  was  born  in  Missouri  in 
1844,  and  started  across  the  Plains  with  her  parents 
when  she  was  only  nine  days  old.  She  was  eighteen 
years  old  when  married,  and  died  in  1869.  Her 
parents  were  Fielding  M.  and  Margaret  (Bounds) 
Thorp.     The  lives  of  these  respected  pioneers  will 


8g8 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


be  found  in  the  biography  of  L.  L.  Thorp.  In  1873 
Mr.  Splawn  married  a  sister  of  his  first  wife,  who 
was  born  in  Oregon  in  185 1,  and  was  twenty-two 
years  old  at  the  time  of  the  wedding.  Her  brothers 
and  sisters  were  Mary,  now  dead;  Adelia  E. 
Crocket,  of  Northwest  Territory;  Julia,  Olive 
O'Hare,  of  Seattle;  Leonard  L.,  of  North  Yakima; 
Willis  W.,  of  Seattle;  Bales  B.,  deceased,  and  Mil- 
ton A.  Mr.  Splawn  was  the  father  of  two  children. 
That  by  the  first  marriage,  Viola  V.  (Shadle)  is 
dead ;  by  the  second  marriage,  Flora  H.  Splawn, 
living  with  her  parents.  She  was  born  in  Yakima 
county,  March  14,  1875.  Mr.  Splawn  is  a  Democrat 
and  has  filled  a  number  of  offices  with  marked  abil- 
ity. He  was  appointed  auditor  of  Yakima  county, 
but  resigned  and  was  appointed  sheriff  by  the 
county  commissioners.  The  next  term  he  was 
elected  sheriff,  and  served  two  terms.  He  was  also 
elected  probate  judge,  and  served  two  years.  Later 
he  was  elected  county  commissioner,  and  served  two 
years,  and  for  seven  years  he  occupied  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace.  He  is  one  of  the  leading  land 
owners  of  the  county,  owning  1,640  acres  of  farm 
and  grazing  lands.  He  has  two  hundred  head  of 
cattle  and  forty  head  of  horses.  He  is  a  thorough 
business  man,  of  unquestioned  character,  and  is 
highly  respected  throughout  the  county. 


MILFORD  A.  THORP,  the  original  founder  of 
the  town  of  Thorp,  Washington,  where  he  now  re- 
sides, was  born  in  Independence,  Oregon,  in  1857. 
His  father,  Alvin  A.  Thorp,  was  born  in  Missouri, 
in  1820,  crossed  the  Plains  in  1844,  and  took  up  a 
donation  claim  of  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
in  Oregon.  He  next  went  to  California,  and  was 
there  during  the  first  gold  excitement  in  1848.  He 
now  resides  in  Baker  City,  Oregon,  and  is  eighty- 
three  years  old.  The  mother,  Esther  (Eddy) 
Thorp,  was  born  in  New  York,  and  crossed  the 
Plains  to  Oregon  with  her  parents  when  she  was  a 
small  girl.  Milford  was  nine  years  old  when  his 
parents  moved  to  Moxee  valley,  Washington.  After 
four  years  they  moved  to  the  Henry  Schnebly  ranch 
in  Kittitas  valley-  His  mother's  health  declining, 
the  family  returned  to  the  old  home  in  Oregon, 
where  the  mother  died  the  following  year,  1872. 
For  the  next  five  years  our  subject  divided  his  time 
between  his  stock  interests  in  Washington  and  the 
family  home  in  Oregon.  In  1879  he  moved  to  the 
Kittitas  valley,  and  for  six  years  rode  the  range  for 
different  parties.  In  1885  he  bought  James  Mc- 
Murray's  claim,  which  he  pre-empted  and  has  since 
made  his  home.  He  platted  the  town  of  Thorp,  the 
first  postoffice  being  established  in  1890.  His 
brothers  and  sisters  are  :  Mrs.  Eva  Butler ;  Emma 
C.  (deceased)  ;  Rosa  L.  Hale ;  Ida,  Andrew  and 
Harvey  (deceased),  and  Ezra.  The  three  living 
reside  in  Oregon. 

He  was  married  in  1877  to  Miss  Ella  Russell, 
who  died  in   1878.     By  this  union  there  was  one 


child,  Winfred  E.,  born  November  25,  1878.  In 
1886  he  was  married  to  Miss  Maggie  Grant,  who 
was  born  in  Missouri,  June  18,  1864.  Her  parents, 
Benton  and  Elizabeth  (Lindsay)  Grant,  were  also 
natives  of  Missouri,  and  crossed  the  Plains  in  1866. 
Mrs.  Thorp's  brother,  Walter,  and  sister,  Jessie,  are 
dead.  She  has  one  child,  Zola  Ouida  Thorp,  born 
February  3,  1887.  Mr.  Thorp  is  a  prominent  Odd 
Fellow,  having  occupied  all  the  official  chairs.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  Mrs. 
Thorp  is  a  member  of  the  Rebekahs  and  of  the 
Women  of  Woodcraft,  in  both  of  which  she  is 
prominent.  Mr.  Thorp  is  a  Democrat  and  one  of 
the  leaders  of  the  party  in  his  section  of  the  state. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  progressive  and  successful 
farmers  in  Washington.  He  owns  nine  hundred 
and  eighty  acres,  of  which  two  hundred  acres  are 
in  tame  grass  and  the  balance  in  timber  and  grazing 
lands.  He  has  fifty  head  of  good  cattle,  and  his 
farm  is  thoroughly  equipped  with  all  necessary  im- 
plements. 


JAMES  L.  MILLS,  a  lumber  manufacturer  in 
Thorp,  Washington,  has  been  engaged  in  the  mill- 
ing business  since  a  boy.  He  was  born  in  Canada, 
August  11,  1845.  H's  father,  Barnabas  Mills,  was 
born  in  Nova  Scotia,  and  was  a  pioneer  of  western 
Canada,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He  died 
in  Michigan  in  1893.  Mr.  Mills'  mother  was  also 
born  in  Nova  Scotia;  she  died  in  Canada  in  1853. 
She  was  the  mother  of  twelve  children,  as  follows : 
Nelson,  Hamilton,  Barnabas,  Reuben,  Mrs.  Jane  E. 
Griffith,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Edwards,  all  living  in  Mich- 
igan; Mrs.  Mary  Arnold  and  Mrs.  Margaret  A. 
Arnold,  of  Canada ;  Mrs.  Sarah  Conger,  of  New 
York ;  George  K,  native  of  Canada,  now  of  Michi- 
gan ;  Mrs.  Alice  E.  Smith,  of  Canada,  and  James  L., 
the  subject  of  this  biography.  Air.  Mills  was  edu- 
cated in  Canada  and  Michigan  and  is  graduated 
from  a  commercial  school  in  Detroit.  When  a  boy 
he  started  to  work  in  the  lumber  mills,  and  in  1868 
he  took  charge  of  a  lumber  yard  in  Toledo,  Ohio, 
for  his  brother.  In  1874  the  business  was  moved  to 
Cleveland,  and  he  continued  in  charge  until  1878, 
when  he  went  to  Colorado  for  his  health.  In  1879 
he  came  to  Thorp,  bought  out  a  homestead  and  pre- 
empted the  land,  and  that  fall  started  work  on  a 
water  ditch  for  his  mill.  He  commenced  to  operate 
•the  mill  in  1880.  He  bought  the  J.  E.  Bates  farm 
in  1884,  and  later  secured  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  of  railroad  land,  all  of  which  he  has  under 
cultivation. 

Mr.  Mills  was  married  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in 
1877,  to  Miss  Marie  L.  Cannon,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio.  June  15,  1850.  She  is  highly  educated,  and 
taught  school  previous  to  her  marriage.  Her 
father,  James  H.  Cannon,  was  born  in  Massachu- 
setts in  1821,  and  died  in  Washington.  Her  mother, 
Lydia  G.  (Babcock)  Cannon,  born  in  Massa- 
chusetts in  1827,  and  now  lives  with  her  son-in-law 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


899 


in  Thorp.  She  is  the  mother  of  four  children:  Her- 
bert ).,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  Page  (deceased); 
James  H.,  of  Cleveland,  and  Mrs.  Mills.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Mills  have  four  children :  Nelson,  born  April 
27,  1881  ;  James  H.,  born  July  25,  1882,  and  died 
when  five  years  old;  Ada  V.,  May  27,  1885,  and 
Paul  L.,  January  26,  1890.  The  husband  and  wife 
are  Good  Templars  and  members  of  the  Methodist 
church.  Mr.  Mills  is  a  leader  in  the  church  work, 
is  one  of  the  trustees,  and  has  been  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  school  for  a  number  of  years.  He  is 
an  honest,  upright  and  industrious  man.  His  prop- 
erty holdings  include  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  of  land,  besides  the  sawmill  and  site. 


JOHN  M.  NEWMAN,  farmer  and  blacksmith, 
in  Thorp,  Washington,  was  born  in  Missouri,  Au- 
gust 10,  1851.  His  father,  Michael  P.  Newman, 
was  born  in  Virginia,  in  1821,  of  Irish  parentage. 
He  was  a  blacksmith  and  a  pioneer  in  Missouri ; 
crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  in  1864,  and  died  there 
later.  Mr.  Newman's  mother  was  Olive  (Thur- 
low)  Newman,  a  native  of  Missouri,  who  passed 
away  when  her  son  John  was  but  five  years  old. 
She  was  the  mother  of  six  children  as  follows : 
Mrs.  Laura  Prescott,  of  Oregon;  James  W.,  of 
Palouse  City,  Washington ;  Richard,  of  Asotin, 
Washington;  Mrs.  Viola  Alexander,  of  Yakima; 
Charles  M.,  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  and  John 
M..  the  subject  of  this  biography.  All  but  Laura 
are  half  brothers  and  sisters.  Mr.  Newman  crossed 
the  Plains,  with  his  father,  when  thirteen  years  old, 
was  educated  in  Silverton,  Oregon,  and  lived  at  his 
father's  home  until  he  was  twenty-one.  He  then 
opened  his  own  blacksmith  shop  in  Kings  valley, 
Oregon,  and  remained  there  until  the  fall  of  1878, 
when  he  moved  to  the  Kittitas  valley.  He  bought 
thirty  acres  of  land  near  Thorp,  which  he  later  sold. 
He  also  purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  near 
the  present  town  site,  which  is  still  his  home.  He 
has  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  part  of  the  time 
during  his  residence  in  this  place. 

He  was  married  in  Oregon,  in  1873,  to  Miss 
Isabella  Forgey,  who  died  in  1896,  leaving  eight 
children.  He  was  again  married,  in  1901,  to  Mrs. 
Edna  Hurlbut,  daughter  of  John  and  Lucinda 
(Clawson)  Hay.  Her  father  was  born  in  Ohio  in 
1829,  and  is  now  a  retired  farmer  living  in  Arkan- 
sas. Her  mother  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1830,  and 
was  educated  as  a  school  teacher.  Mrs.  Newman 
was  born  in  Wisconsin,  January  11,  1867,  and 
taught  school  previous  to  her  marriage  to  W.  F. 
Hurlburt  in  1889.  Her  brothers,  Milton  and  Frank, 
and  her  sister.  Daretta  Hay,  are  now  deceased.  The 
surviving  sisters  and  brother  are :  Mrs.  Ida  Crow, 
of  Iowa ;  Eugene,  of  Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Lulu  Buse- 
ler,  of  Arkansas.  Mr.  Newman's  children  are : 
Mrs.  Olive  Wilcox ;  Mrs.  Lillie  V.  Simpson  ;  James 
O..  Mrs.  Minnie  M.  Shull.  Fred  P..  Jacob  M., 
John  A.,  Lena  and  Ada  (both  dead)  ;  Tessie  R.  and 


Esther  Hay  Newman ;  the  last  named  by  the  second 
marriage.  Mr.  Newman  is  a  leading  member  of  the 
Indenendent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  promi- 
nent Democrat,  and  was  commissioner  of  Kittitas 
county  four  years.  Mrs.  Newman  is  a  member  of 
the  Christian  church.  Mr.  Newman  owns  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  acres  of  land  adjoining  Thorp,  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  on  Thorp  prairie. 
He  has  eight  head  of  cattle  and  fifteen  head  of 
horses  and  has  the  only  livery  stable  in  the  town. 
He  is  both  prosperous  and  popular. 


LORENZO  KELL1CUT  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  8,  1852,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farm- 
ing some  two  miles  west  of  Thorp,  Washington. 
\\  hen  he  was  two  years  old  his  parents  moved  to 
Wisconsin,  where  he  secured  his  education  in  the 
common  schools.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm 
until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  and  for  the  succeed- 
ing ten  years  was  employed  by  other  farmers.  In 
the  spring  of  1883  he  started  for  Washington,  and 
on  June  nth  of  that  year  arrived  in  the  Kittitas 
valley.  For  two  years  he  worked  at  day  labor,  and 
then  bought  a  tract  of  railroad  land.  He  later  sold 
that  property  and  took  up  his  present  farm  under 
the  homestead  act,  where  he  has  since  made  his 
home.  His  father,  David  Kellicut,  born  in  New 
York,  was  a  fanner  and  blacksmith.  He  was  one  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Wisconsin,  locating  there  in 
1854.  and  died  in  Missouri  in  1898.  Lorenzo's 
mother,  Juda  (Kelley)  Kellicut,  was  also  born  in 
York  state,  and  died  some  twenty  years  ago.  The 
children,  besides  Lorenzo,  are :  Edward,  Ansel, 
Erastus,  Filander,  Adelia  (Hutchinson),  Alice 
(Young),  Viola  (Widmer),  Lancel  and  David. 
Mrs.  Hutchinson  lives  in  Thorp;  Mrs.  Young  re- 
sides in  the  Big  Bend  country,  and  David  is  a  resi- 
dent of  Kittitas  county.  Erastus  resides  in  Mis- 
souri, and  the  others  all  live  in  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Kellicut  was  married  in  the  Kittitas  valley, 
October  18,  1884,  to  Miss  Ida  E.  Hutchinson,  who 
was  born  in  Monroe  county,  Wisconsin,  Septem- 
ber 17,  iSfo.  She  was  educated  in  her  native  state 
and  in  Minnesota,  and  came  to  Washington  with 
her  parents  in  1873.  Her  father,  Oren  Hutchinson, 
lorn  in  Massachusetts.  August  2^,  1819.  was  a 
farmer.  He  died  December  2,  1886.  Her  mother, 
Ann  J.  (Marlet)  Hutchinson,  was  born  February  4, 
1S22.  and  was  married  at  the  age  of  twenty.  She 
was  the  mother  of  nine  children,  including  Mrs. 
Kellicut.  They  are:  Mrs.  Adeline  Bacon  (de- 
ceased); Horris  Hutchinson,  of  Thorp;  Clara. 
Fliza  A..  Jerome  and  Albert,  all  of  whom  have 
pissed  away ;  Mrs.  Fldora  L.  Briggs,  of  North 
Yakima,  and  Oscar  E..  of  Thorp.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Kellicut  have  four  children,  as  follows:  Hallie  E., 
horn  in  Kittitas  county,  June  \~.  1887,  and  died 
June  18,  1890:  Carrie  V.,  October  22.  1892;  Ray- 
mond L..  September  2,  1894.  and  Ivyl  O..  March  4. 
1900.     Mr.   Kellicut  is  a   Mason,  an  Odd   Fellow, 


900 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  a  member  of  the  Woodmen  of  the  World.  His 
wife  is  a  member  of  the  Rebekahs.  Both  attend  the 
Methodist  church.  Mr.  Kellicut  is  a  Democrat  and 
takes  considerable  interest  in  politics.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  industrious  and  successful  farmers  of  the 
valley.  His  farm  is  all  under  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation, about  one  hundred  acres  being  in  tame  grass. 
He  has  thirty-six  head  of  cattle  and  all  the  needed 
horses,  as  well  as  a  complete  outfit  of  farming  im- 
plements. His  home  is  a  modern  ten-room  house, 
and  he  has  a  commodious  barn  and  outbuildings. 


MARTIN  A.  GORDON,  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, one  mile  west  of  Thorp,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Indiana,  April  27,  1839,  and  received  his 
education  in  Minnesota,  to  which  state  his  parents 
moved  when  he  was  a  small  boy.  He  remained  at 
home  until  he  was  twenty-one,  then  engaged  in 
farming.  For  thirty  years  he  lived  in  Minnesota, 
and  part  of  this  time  he  was  engaged  in  running  a 
sawmill.  He  then  moved  to  Dakota,  and  again  took 
up  farming  for  a  period  of  nine  years.  In  1889  he 
came  west  to  Washington  and  purchased  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  acres  of  Northern  Pacific  railroad 
land,  which  he  has  been  since  cultivating.  His 
father,  Wheeler  Gordon,  was  born  in  North  Caro- 
lina, but  went  to  Wisconsin  in  pioneer  days,  when 
the  present  state  was  a  territory.  He  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  and  died  in  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Gor- 
don's mother  was  Mary  (Draper)  Gordon,  a  na- 
tive of  New  York  state.  She  died  in  Washington. 
Mr.  Gordon  was  one  of  a  family  of  five  children. 
His  brothers  were:  James  Madison  Gordon,  born 
in  Indiana,  and  died  in  Minnesota,  in  1877;  Francis, 
born  in  Indiana,  now  living  near  Thorp;  George, 
born  in  Wisconsin,  residing  with  Martin,  and 
Thomas,  born  in  Indiana,  now  deceased.  Mr.  Gor- 
don has  sold  forty  acres  of  his  original  holdings, 
but  has  the  remaining  one  hundred  and  forty  acres 
in  an  excellent  state  of  cultivation.  He  is  a  first- 
class  farmer  and  is  meeting  with  great  success. 


ROBERT  BARNETT  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools  of  Ohio,  in  which 
state  he  was  born  May  12,  1839.  Since  1892  his 
home  has  been  on  his  farm  of  forty  acres  located 
one  mile  west  of  Thorp,  Washington.  His  parents, 
David  and  Mary  A.  (Stewart)  Barnett,  were  both 
born  in  Ohio,  and  also  died  in  that  state,  the  mother 
at  the  age  of  eighty-one  years.  His  father  was  a 
farmer.  Robert  was  one  of  four  children,  all  born 
in  Ohio.  His  brother,  Marcellus,  is  living  in  Ev- 
erett, Washington,  and  his  sisters,  Nancy  J.  Wolf 
and  Margaret  Bowers,  live  in  Ohio.  From  the  time 
he  was  thirteen  years  old  until  he  was  twenty-three, 
Mr.  Barnett  engaged  in  logging,  and  worked  in 
various  sawmills.  In  1864  he  crossed  the  Plains  to 
Virginia  City,  Montana,  where  he  spent  two  years 
in  the  mines,  and  then  went  home,  going  down  the 


Yellowstone  river  on  a  flatboat.  He  was  sick  one 
year,  and  in  1868  went  to  West  Virginia  and  sold 
books  for  three  months.  The  succeeding  three 
years  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Illinois,  and  subse- 
quently farmed  in  Iowa  for  fifteen  years.  He  then 
moved  to  Thorp,  Washington,  and  resided  there 
three  years  before  going  to  his  present  farm,  which 
he  bought  in  1892. 

He  was  married  in  Illinois,  in  1870,  to  Miss 
Henrietta  Aurand,  daughter  of  Joel  and  Susan 
(Getgen)  Aurand,  both  of  whom  are  now  dead. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnett  have  seven  children,  as  fol- 
lows: Marvin  E.,  born  October  9,  1870;  Oren  U., 
August  11,  1873;  Ernest  G.,  December  9,  1875; 
Myrtle  M.  Lord,  January  7,  1878;  David  J.,  March 
9,  1880;  Myra  L.,  May  22,  1883,  and  Eliza  R., 
April  5,  1885.  Mr.  Barnett  is  a  man  of  first-class 
character,  industrious  and  well  liked.  His  forty- 
acre  place  is  well  cultivated  and  the  surroundings 
homelike  and  comfortable.  The  place  is  productive 
and  yields  a  liberal  competency. 


BRAXTON  DUNCAN  SOUTHERN,  a  pio- 
neer of  1877  in  the  Yakima  valley,  is  now  residing 
in  Thorp,  having  retired  from  active  labors  as  an 
agriculturist.  Mr.  Southern  was  born  in  Giles 
county,  Virginia,  May  3,  1833.  He  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Elizabeth  Southern,  both  born  in  North 
Carolina,  the  former  in  1817.  They  were  the 
parents  of  eighteen  children,  of  whom  B.  D.  South- 
ern is  the  youngest;  his  only  surviving  brother, 
Charles  W.  Southern,  is  an  Illinois  farmer.  Be- 
sides the  eighteen  children,  the  aged  parents  of  the 
subject  of  this  article  possessed  before  their  deaths, 
eighty-eight  grandchildren,  three  hundred  and 
eighty-seven  great-grandchildren,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-six  great-great-grandchildren,  and  eleven 
great-great-great-grandchildren.  It  is  told  of  the 
mother  that  she  at  one  time  remarked  to  her 
daughters,  who  were  gathered  about  her:  "You 
may  each  of  you  well  be  proud,  for  your  daughter's 
daughter  has  a  daughter."  She  died  at  the  age  of 
eighty-seven,  and  her  father  lived  to  be  ninety- 
two.  The  family  settled  on  the  "Black  Hawk 
purchase"  in  Iowa  in  1839.  The  father  died 
in  1840,  and  at  a  very  early  age  our  subject 
was  forced  to  assume  the  burdens  of  life,  his 
early  education  depending  entirely  upon  his 
own  efforts ;  and,  there  being  no  free  schools, 
it  was  necessary  for  him  to  earn  money  with  which 
to  pay  tuition  fees.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  quit 
school,  and  for  a  year  clerked  in  a  wood  yard  on 
the  Mississippi  river,  following  this  with  a  period 
of  two  years  as  clerk  on  the  river  steamer,  Kate 
Kearney.  In  185 1  the  cholera  became  epidemic  in 
the  Mississiooi  valley,  and  Mr.  Southern  moved  to 
Lagrange,  Illinois,  remaining  about  two  years,  a 
portion  of  the  time  in  a  cooper  shop,  one  summer 
on  a  farm,  and  then  moved  to  Iowa,  where  he 
rigged  up  a  five-yoke  team  of  oxen  and  for  a  time 


THOMAS   L.    GAMBLE. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


901 


engaged  in  breaking  prairie  at  three  dollars  per 
acre.  He  followed  farming  until  1870,  moving 
then  to  Solano  county,  California,  whence  he 
removed  in  one  year,  on  account  of  his  wife's  health, 
to  Linn  county,  Oregon,  where  he- purchased  land 
and  farmed  until  1877.  when  he  moved  to  Yakima 
county,  Washington,  locating  four  and  one-half 
miles  west  of  Old  Yakima.  On  account  of  the  In- 
dian troubles,  nothing  was  accomplished  the  first 
-year  on  the  farm.  The  family  spent  some  time  in 
the  sod  fort  on  Ahtanum  creek  during  the  crisis 
of  excitement,  Mr.  Southern  being  chosen  a  cap- 
tain of  the  gathered  forces.  Full  details  regarding 
this  fort  and  the  Indian  troubles  will  be  found  in 
the  chronological  chapter  of  the  history.  In  1880 
Mr.  Southern  sold  a  portion  of  his  Yakima  farm 
and  purchased  land  in  the  Kittitas  valley,  where, 
until  1900,  he  engaged  in  farming  and  stock  rais- 
ing. At  this  time  he  sold  out,  and  for  two  years 
farmed  in  Klickitat  county,  in  turn  selling  out  here 
and  retiring  to  his  present  home  in  1902. 

Mr.  Southern  was  married  October  6,  1853,  in 
Michigan,  to  Nancy  J.  Veach,  daughter  of  Eli  W. 
and  Lucretia  (Robinson)  Veach.  The  father  was 
born  in  New  Jersey  in  1803  and  died  in  1855.  He 
was  a  talented  and  an  educated  man ;  taught  school 
for  many  years,  and  for  fully  half  his  life  was  in 
public  office.  The  mother  was  a  native  of  Ken- 
tucky, born  in  1806.  Mrs.  Southern  was  born  in 
Cass  county,  Michigan,  July  3,  1835.  David  Veach, 
of  Thorp,  and  William  W.  Veach,  of  Buckley,  are 
brothers  of  Mrs.  Southern.  The  children  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Southern  are:  Anna  Rosa,  born  July  31, 
1854  (deceased)  ;  L.  Roy,  born  April  6,  1856,  living 
in  Goldendale;  Eli  C,  born  February  24,  1858  (de- 
ceased) ;  Seward,  born  July  10,  1862,  living  in  Kit- 
titas county ;  Corinne  Beck,  born  August  4,  1864, 
living  in  North  Yakima ;  Selena  M.  Richards,  born 
December  28,  1866,  living  in  Kittitas  county ; 
Earnest,  born  July  29,  1870,  living  in  North 
Yakima;  Clara  J.,  born  July  21,  1872  (deceased)  ; 
Edward  E.,  born  April  27,  1875,  now  a  merchant  of 
Thorp.  Edward  went  to  the  Philippines  as  lieu- 
tenant of  Company  H,  First  Washington  Volun- 
teers, and  led  his  company  through  the  first  battle. 
Mr.  Southern  is  a  prominent  Mason,  having  organ- 
ized the  Ellensburg  lodge,  of  which  he  is  now  past 
grand  master.  He  and  Mrs.  Southern  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  church.  Politically,  Mr.  Southern 
is  a  Republican.  He  is  prominent  and  influential  in 
all  circles,  and  is  honored  and  esteemed  as  one  of 
the  most  substantial  and  successful  pioneers  in  the 
valley. 


THOMAS  L.  GAMBLE,  the  mayor  of  Cle- 
Elum,  Washington,  and  a  heavy  property  owner, 
was  born  in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania. 
March  27,  1827.  His  father,  William  Gamble,  was 
born  in  Dublin,  Ireland,  in  1774,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1795,  when  twenty-one  years  old,  | 


locating  in  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
died  July  13,  1865.  In  1813  he  was  sent  out  by 
Colonel  Craig,  United  States  Army,  of  Pittsburg, 
with  $10,000  to  pay  the  soldiers  in  the  west,  who' 
were  about  to  mutiny  because  they  had  not  been 
paid.  Mr.  Gamble  made  the  perilous  journey  alone 
and  successfully,  being  guided  part  of  the  time  by 
friendly  Indians.  Mr.  Gamble's  mother  was  Mary 
(Sherrard)  Gamble,  who  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1797,  and  died  February 
21,  1870.  Mr.  Gamble's  parents  lived  on  a  farm 
in  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  grew  up  to  manhood.  He  at- 
tended subscription  school  three  months  in  the  win- 
ter and  the  rest  of  the  time  he  worked  on  the  farm. 
He  remained  at  home  until  the  death  of  both  his 
parents,  then  took  charge  of  the  place  himself.  In 
1878  he  left  Pennsylvania  with  barely  money 
enough  to  get  west  and  pay  for  filing  on  his  present 
farm  at  Cle-Elum,  where  he  arrived  April  13, 
1883.  He  was  the  first  settler  on  the  township. 
Across  the  river,  on  the  old  Walla  Walla  and  Seattle 
wagon  road,  was  another  settler,  and  there  were  a 
few  below  him  on  the  Teanaway  river.  Roslyn  was 
not  known  then,  but  soon  afterwards  prospectors 
found  indications  of  coal,  and  the  Northern  Pacific 
sent  in  others,  and  three  or  four  years  later  began 
to  develop  the  property.  This  coal  discovery  had 
probably  much  to  do  with  bringing  the  railroad  over 
its  present  route,  as  the  intention  had  been  to  fol- 
low the  survey  up  the  Naches  river  and  across  the 
Cascade  mountains  at  Cowlitz  pass. 

Walter  Reed,  a  former  Pennsylvania  acquaint- 
ance, through  correspondence,  was  induced  to  locate 
a  claim  adjoining  that  of  Mr.  Gamble.  Mr.  Reed, 
May  17,  1888,  filed  the  plat  of  the  townsite  of  Cle- 
Elum,  and  a  few  weeks  later  Mr.  Gamble  filed  his 
plat  of  Hazelwood.  He  laid  out  one  hundred  acres 
at  first,  but  afterwards  thirty  acres  were  withdrawn 
from  the  town  for  the  use  of  the  coal  company's 
outside  works.  He  has  recently  made  several  addi- 
tions, amounting  to  some  thirty-three  acres,  since 
the  town  began  to  grow,  three  years  ago. 

As  soon  as  twelve  families  located  in  the  dis- 
trict, Mr.  Gamble  and  Mr.  Reed  formed- a  school 
district,  of  which  Mr.  Gamble  was  the  first  clerk. 
In  1894  he  entered  into  a  contract  with  men  who 
wanted  to  prospect  for  coal  on  his  farm.  Coal  was 
discovered  in  1894,  and  shipments  began  the  follow- 
ing year.  The  Northwestern  Improvement  Corn- 
pan}-  now  operates  the  property,  and  pays  Mr. 
Gamble  a  royalty  on  the  output. 

Mr.  Gamble  has  occupied  public  office  on  a  num- 
ber of  occasions,  with  much  credit.  He  was  elected 
county  commissioner  in  1889  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  He  was  road  supervisor  for  his  district,  and 
served  as  clerk  of  the  school  district  from  the  time 
of  its  organization  continuously  up  to  1897.  In 
February.  1902,  he  was  elected  mayor  of  Cle-Elum, 
which  office  he  now  holds.  Under  his  administra- 
tion the  city  has  been  bonded  and  a  fine  waterworks 


902 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


system  is  being  put  in.  Sewerage  plans  are  being 
made  and  other  civic  improvements  are  under  way. 
He  was  United  States  commissioner  for  four  years' 
term,  and  was  justice  of  the  peace  for  a  number  of 
years. 

Mr.  Gamble  is  a  bachelor.  He  has  one  sister, 
Mary  Gamble,  who  is  now  a  resident  of  Allegheny 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a  man  of  discernment 
and  business  tact,  with  a  high  sense  of  justice  and 
fairness,  which  is  carried  into  his  business  transac- 
tions, making  him  both  respected  and  trusted  by 
the  public. 


ROBERT  E.  KERMEN  is  the  fire  boss  at  the 
coal  mines  in  Cle-Elum.  Washington,  and  is  a  miner 
of  long  experience.  He  was  born  on  the  Isle  of 
Man,  October  15,  1867.  His  parents,  Robert  and 
Annie  J.  (Logan)  Kermen,  were  natives  of  the  Isle 
of  Man,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1886. 
They  now  reside  in  Cle-Elum.  His  father  was  born 
in  1845,  and  his  mother  five  years  later.  Robert 
was  one  of  four  children.  The  others  are :  Fred, 
of  Cle-Elum;  Mrs.  Lydia  Dwyer,  of  Chicago,  and 
Edward.  Robert  E.  was  educated  in  the  extreme 
northwestern  part  of  England,  where  he  lived  until 
he  was  sixteen  years  old.  He  then  worked  three 
years  in  the  iron  mines  before  coming  to  the  United 
States,  in  1886,  with  his  parents.  On  his  arrival  in 
this  country  he  worked  two  years  in  the  coal  mines 
in  Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  and  also  worked  in  other 
coal  mines  in  various  parts  of  the  same  state  and  in 
Arkansas  and  Kansas.  He  worked  on  a  salt  prop- 
erty in  the  latter  state,  and  for  the  Rock  Island 
railroad.  After  visiting  New  Mexico,  Arizona  and 
California,  and  putting  in  considerable  time  in  the 
mines  of  those  states,  he  came  to  Washington  and 
began  work  on  the  Great  Northern  switchback. 
In  1892  he  moved  to  Roslyn  and  became  shift  fore- 
man in  the  mines,  where  he  was  employed  two 
years.  He  then  went  to  the  Peshastin  district,  en- 
gaged in  quartz  mining,  and  later  prospected  in 
Idaho.  For  the  past  three  years  he  has  been  in  the 
Cle-Elum  mines  as  fire  boss. 

Mr.  Kermen  was  married  in  Roslyn,  August  y, 
1895,  to  Mrs.  McClennan,  who  was  born  in  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  March  27,  1864.  She  is  the  daughter 
of  David  and  Elizabeth  (Simpson)  Smith,  both  de- 
ceased. Her  brothers  and  sisters  are:  James  (de- 
ceased) ;  Kittie  Herring;  Jenett  Hare;  Mary  A.  and 
Isabella  Littlejohn,  and  David  Smith.  Mrs.  Ker- 
men has  three  children  as  a  result  of  her  first  mar- 
riage. They  are:  Pearl,  born  November  3,  1886; 
Nina,  July  15,  1887,  and  Kelso  McClennan,  born 
March  4.  1800.  Her  children  by  her  present  hus- 
band are:  Ernest,  born  May  7,  1890,  and  Edward 
Kermen,  born  February  6,  1901.  The  father  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  has  been 
through  all  the  chairs  of  the  order.  He  and  his 
wife  are  members  of  the  Rathbone  Sisters.  Mr. 
Kermen   is   an   active    Republican;    in     189 1     was 


elected  a  member  of  the  city  council.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist  Episcopal  church. 
He  has  been  very  successful  in  his  business  under- 
takings and  has  accumulated  considerable  property, 
including  two  city  blocks  and  his  residence.  He  is 
an  active,  energetic  business  man,  of  ability  and 
judgment,  and  is  highly  respected. 


OSCAR  JAMES,  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  is 
a  practical  geologist,  and  has  had  years  of  experi- 
ence in  nearly  ever)'  character  of  mining.  He  was 
born  in  Logan  county,  Ohio,  December  28,  1863. 
His  father,  Eli  James,  born  in  Ohio,  in  1832,  was 
killed  during  the  Civil  war.  His  mother,  Anna 
(Elliott)  James,  was  born  in  Ohio,  March  18,  1833, 
and  now  lives  at  Seattle,  Washington,  as  does  also 
his  brother,  Eli  E.  James.  Mr.  James  was  educated 
in  Iowa,  to  which  state  his  parents  moved  when 
he  was  five  years  old.  When  thirteen  he  started  to 
work  in  the  mines  as  a  driver.  From  1878,  when  he 
went  to  work  in  the  coal  mines  in  Missouri,  he  has 
mined  in  many  states  for  many  different  metals. 
At  various  times  he  has  been  in  the  Scranton  coal 
mines  in  Kansas,  the  Trinidad  coal  mines  in  Colo- 
rado, quartz  mines  in  Old  Mexico  and  Arizona, 
quicksilver  and  coal  mines  in  California,  and  gold 
mines  in  Nevada.  He  opened  the  first  coal  mine  in 
Gallatin  county,  Montana,  which  was  later  sold  to 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company  for  $20,000. 
In  1887  he  came  to  Roslyn,  then  almost  unknown, 
and  prospected  extensively.  With  some  friends  he 
secured  a  property,  which  they  later  sold  to  the 
Honolulu  Coal  Company  for  $90,000  cash.  In  1894 
he  leased  Thomas  Gamble's  land,  and  with  three 
partners. began  development  work,  sinking  the  first 
coal  shaft  in  this  state.  This  lease  was  later  sold 
to  the  Northern  Pacific  Company.  He  then  operated 
the  Hauser  property  in  Montana  for  two  years,  and 
later  acted  for  the  manager  of  the  Portland  Devel- 
opment Company  a  similar  period.  Of  late  years 
he  has  been  living  in  Cle-Elum,  locating  timber  and 
mining  claims. 

Mr.  James  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  Novem- 
ber 5,  1894,  to  Miss  L.  E.  Lewis,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois,  September  5,  1873.  She  graduated  from 
the  Baptist  university,  Indian  Territory,  when  six- 
teen, and  a  year  later  moved  to  Whatcom,  Wash- 
ington, where  she  engaged  in  the  millinery  business 
four  years  immediately  prior  to  her  marriage.  Her 
father,  William  Lewis,  born  June  3,  1830,  was  a 
Welsh  miner,  who  was  superintendent  of  the  Bir- 
mingham coal  mines  in  Alabama  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  Melvina  (Smith)  Lewis,  her  mother,  was 
born  in  Prussia.  March  28,  1831,  and  is  now  resid- 
ing in  Minneapolis.  Mrs.  James  has  two  brothers 
and  one  sister:  Henry,  of  Whatcom,  Washington; 
John,  of  Montana,  and  Anna  (Lewis)  McGregor, 
living  near  Minneapolis.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  have 
one  ?on,  Cecil,  who  was  born  in  North  Yakima, 
April    12,    1896.     Mr.   James   is  a   member  of   the 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


903 


Blue  Lodge  of  Masons,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Order  of  the  Eastern  Star,  and 
the  husband  is  an  active  member  of  the  Republican 
party.  He  owns  a  home  at  Cle-Elum,  and  is  inter- 
ested in  coal  lands  and  mining  properties.  Mr. 
James  is  considered  to  be  better  posted  on  the 
geological  formation  of  the  Cle-Elum  district  than 
almost  any  other  person  in  the  state. 


WILLIAM  W.  TUTTLE.  the  wide-awake 
transfer  man  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  was  born 
in  Newport,  Ohio,  September  2,  1850.  His  father, 
Hiram  C.  Tuttle,  born  in  1818,  was  a  soldier  dur- 
ing the  Civil  war,  and  died  in  Nebraska.  His 
mother,  Sarah  (Terrel)  Tuttle,  is  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  is  now  living  in  Iowa.  Mr.  Tuttle  went  to  In- 
diana with  his  parents  when  a  child,  and  was  there 
educated.  He  later  lived  in  Iowa  two  years,  and 
in  1867  moved  tc  Missouri,  where  he  worked  on  a 
farm  a  like  period,  and  was  also  employed  in  a  mill 
for  five  years.  He  then  moved  to  Illinois  and  en- 
gaged in  railroad  work  some  six  years  and  a  half. 
He  was  next  employed  five  years  in  the  manufac- 
ture of  farming  implements,  at  the  expiration  of 
which  period  he  moved  to  Wichita,  Kansas,  and 
worked  in  the  railroad  shops  until  1888;  then  he 
moved  to  Tacoma,  Washington.  He  remained  in 
that  city  three  years,  working  as  a  carpenter  and 
also  as  an  employee  in  the  Northern  Pacific  shops. 
In  the  fall  of  1892  he  began  to  work  for  the  railroad 
at  Cle-Elum,  running  the  pump  station,  and  at  the 
end  of  four  years  engaged  in  his  present  transfer 
business.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Sidney,  of 
Illinois ;  Hiram  C.  and  Theron,  of  Oklahoma ; 
George  W.,  of  Almira,  Kansas  (deceased)  ;  Mrs. 
Helen  Doney,  of  Tacoma,  and  Romaine,  Estella, 
Ellenora  and  Emma,  all  deceased. 

Mr.  Tuttle  was  married  in  Sterling,  Illinois, 
June  16,  1872,  to  Miss  Jennie  Moores,  daughter  of 
John  and  Rebecca  (Shier)  Moores,  both  now  dead. 
His  wife  was  born  in  Illinois.  February  22,  1853, 
and  was  educated  in  her  native  state.  Her  brothers 
and  sisters  are:  George,  of  Iowa;  Wright  (de- 
ceased) ;  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stafford,  of  California,  and 
Mrs.  Maribah  Reece,  of  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Tuttle  have  five  children,  as  follows:  William  W., 
born  in  Illinois,  as  was  Leroy  L. :  Lyle  D.,  a  native 
of  Kansas:  Mrs.  Maud  E.  (Tuttle)  Simpson,  born 
in  Illinois,  and  Mrs.  Mabel  (Tuttle)  Williamson, 
born  in  Kansas.  The  children  all  live  in  Cle-Elum. 
Mr.  Tuttle  and  his  family  belong  to  the  Presby- 
terian church.  He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  has  been  road  supervisor  for  two 
years.  He  has  a  comfortable  five-room  home,  has 
built  up  a  lucrative  business,  and  is  prosperous  and 
progressive. 


RALPH    HARRISON    resides    in     Cle-Elum, 
Washington,  and  is  a  mining  man,  as  was  his  father 


before  him.  He  is  the  son  of  Ralph  and  Mary 
(Cartridge)  Harrison,  both  natives  of  England. 
His  father  died  in  1893,  and  his  mother  passed 
away  ten  years  later.  Mr.  Harrison  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  January  21,  1864.  He  was  educated 
in  that  state,  where  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade, 
and  also  mined  with  his  father.  In  1877  the  family 
moved  to  Illinois  and  he  there  followed  mining.  In 
1882  he  went  to  North  Dakota  and  engaged  in  coal 
mining  and  prospecting  for  two  years.  The  follow- 
ing two  years  were  spent  in  Montana  and  in  1886 
he  came  to  Roslyn.  In  1900  he  opened  up  the 
properties  of  the  Summit  Coal  Mining  Company, 
and  during  his  seventeen  years'  residence  in  Kit- 
titas county  he  has  been  engaged  in  prospecting 
and  mining.  His  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Mrs. 
Anna  Graham,  of  Whatcom.  Washingston ;  Edgar 
and  Robert,  of  Cle-Elum,  and  Airs.  Mary  Jorgeson, 
of  Washington. 

Air.  Harrison  was  married  in  Roslyn,  to  Aliss 
Carrie  Welch,  who  was  born  in  Ohio,  August 
30,  1874.  Her  parents,  Jacob  and  Alary  E.  (  Daw- 
son) Welch,  were  natives  of  Ohio  and  moved 
to  Kansas  when  she  was  a  small  girl.  She  was 
there  educated  and  came  to  Washington  with 
her  parents  in  1889.  Her  sister,  Agnes  (Welch) 
Piper,  lives  in  Cle-Elum,  and  her  brother,  John, 
is  a  resident  of  Ohio.  Mr.  and  Airs.  Harrison 
have  three  daughters:  Jessie  AL,  born  May  22, 
1891 ;  Blanch  A.,  born  September  20.  1893,  and 
Verna  V.,  born  November  16,  1896.  Air.  Harrison 
is  a  fraternal  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias. 
He  is  an  active  member  of  the  Republican  party 
and  he  and  his  family  are  members  of  the  Episcopal 
church.  He  is  a  thorough  prospector  and  miner, 
has  large  interests  in  coal  deposits  in  the  Cle-Elum 
district,  and  is  now  pushing  development  work  on 
the  Summit  property. 


WILLIAM  B.  SIDES,  of  Cle-Elum,  Washing- 
ton, is  engaged  in  the  butchering  and  packing-house 
business.  He  was  born  at  Bainbridge,  Pennsylva- 
nia, June  24.  1864,  and  is  the  son  of  Jacob  Sides, 
who  was  born  in  the  same  county,  March  20,  1838. 
His  mother,  Alary  E.  (McAllister)  Sides,  was  horn 
in  [848,  and  died,  October  27,  1875.  Air.  Sides 
has  three  brothers  and  two  sisters.  They  are  Mamie 
(Sides)  Roller,  of  Pennsylvania:  Lizzie  (Sides) 
Bell,  of  Pennsylvania;  Alfred  C.  a  shoe  salesman 
in  Pennsylvania,  and  John  H..  of  Roslyn.  Wash- 
ington. William  B.  was  educated  in  his  native  state 
and  when  twelve  years  old  began  to  learn  the 
butcher  trade.  After  spending  six  years  in  a  shop 
he  nuncd  to  Illinois  and  for  two  and  a  half  years 
engaged  in  farming.  Later  he  took  up  his  trade  in 
Kansas  for  a  short  time;  at  Walla  Walla  for  a  year; 
at  Ellensburg  another  year,  and  at  Waterville, 
Washington,  for  four  years.  He  sold  out  at  Water- 
ville and  moved  to  Roslyn,  where,  in  partnership 
with  Air.  Hartman,  he  opened  a  market  in  which 


904 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


he  is  now  interested.  The  firm  has  its  own  shop 
and  slaughter-house  and  packing-house  at  Roslyn 
and  its  own  buildings  at  Cle-Elum.  Of  the  Cle- 
Elum  interests  Mr.  Sides  is  manager. 

Mr.  Sides  was  married  at  Waterville,  Washing- 
ton, July  7,  1891,  to  Miss  Alice  May  Whaley,  who 
was  bom  in  Sioux  City,  Iowa,  July,  15,  1871.  Her 
father,  Joseph  Whaley,  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1839,  and  served  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
war.  The  mother,  Nancy  (Harvey)  Whaley,  was 
born  in  Illinois  in  1843.  Mrs.  Sides  has  three 
brothers  and  two  sisters.  The  brothers  are  Henry 
E.  Whaley,  a  locomotive  engineer ;  Otis  J.  Whaley,  a 
machinist  and  Mervin  E.,  an  express  messenger  at 
Seattle.  One  sister,  Miss  Myrtle  V.,  of  Kalispell, 
is  a  stenographer,  and  the  other,  Mrs.  Frankie 
(Whaley)  Knemeyer,  resides  at  Waterville.  The 
three  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sides  are  Cecil  M., 
born  in  1892;  Mervin  H.,  born  in  1894;  and  Alfred 
C,  born  in  1896.  Mr.  Sides  is  an  Odd  Fellow,  fra- 
ternally, and  in  politics  is  a  stanch  Democrat.  He 
was  elected  mayor  of  Roslyn  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  in  1900,  but  after  serving  one  term  he  de- 
clined renomination.  In  business  affairs  he  has 
been  creditably  successful,  and  from  the  part  he 
has  taken  in  public  affairs  and  his  manner  of  serv- 
ing he  has  come  deservedly  to  be  one  of  the  highly 
prominent  citizens  of  his  community. 


ARTHUR  JARRED,  a  farmer  living  three 
miles  southeast  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  was  born 
in  Fountain  county,  Indiana,  July  18,  1837,  the 
fourth  child  in  a  family  of  seven.  His  father, 
Arthur  Jarred,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  his  mother, 
Galila  (Nugent)  Jarred,  a  native  of  North  Caro- 
lina, are  deceased.  George  W.  Jarred  is  the  only 
brother  of  our  subject  that  is  now  living.  Those 
deceased  are  Mrs.  Synthia  Ann  (Jarred)  Justus, 
Alma,  Mack,  Lucretia  (Jarred)  Darouch  and 
Henry.  Mr.  Jarred  attended  school  in  Indiana  and 
Illinois  until  he  was  twenty  years  old,  and  then  en- 
gaged in  farming  in  partnership  with  his  father. 
This  occupation  he  followed  for  thirteen  years.  In 
1865  he  moved  to  Kansas  and  remained  a  year,  and 
then,  after  a  few  months  in  Iowa,  he  located  on  a 
farm  in  Missouri,  where  he  engaged  in  stock  raising 
for  four  years.  On  account  of  ill  health  he  went  to 
Utah  and  afterwards  located  near  Bozeman,  Mon- 
tana, where  he  took  up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  land.  Fie  followed  stock  raising  with  success  for 
twelve  years  and  then  sold  out.  He  spent  a  year  in 
Klickitat  county,  and  then  in  1884  moved  to  Yak- 
ima county,  where  he  again  took  up  stock  raising. 
After  a  residence  of  thirteen  years  there  he  took 
an  overland  trip  by  wagon  to  California.  Return- 
ing after  a  brief  stay,  he  made  his  home  at  North 
Yakima  for  four  years.  He  went  to  Alaska  in  1889 
and  on  his  return  moved  to  Kittitas  county  and 
bought  his  present  farm  of  eighty  acres,  of  which 
he  has  made  a  most  desirable  home.     He  also  owns 


forty  acres  in  Thurston  county.  Mr.  Jarred  was 
married  in  Paris,  Illinois,  December  29,  1859,  to 
Miss  Sarah  Jane  Wallace,  who  was  born  in  In- 
diana, March  25,  1841.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Edward  and  Sarah  J.  (Carson)  Wallace.  Mrs. 
Jarred  has  two  brothers,  James  and  Clark,  and  five 
sisters,  Mary,  Margaret,  Rebecca,  Laviha  and  Mrs. 
Caroline  Wallace.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jarred  have  had 
six  children,  of  whom  but  two  survive.  These  are 
Capitola  (Jarred)  Stoner,  of  Walla  Walla,  and 
Henry  M.  Jarred,  of  Kittitas  county.  In  politics 
Mr.  Jarred  is  a  Democrat,  and  as  a  citizen  is  a 
credit  to  his  community,  having  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  all. 


W.  F.  HENSELEIT  is  engaged  in  farming 
three  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of  Liberty,  Kit- 
titas county,  Washington.  His  postoffice  address  is 
Cle-Elum.  Mr.  Henseleit  is  a  native  of  Russia, 
born  September  6,  1870.  He  is  the  son  of  August 
and  Frederica  (Winkler)  Henseleit,  natives  of 
Prussia,  of  German  extraction ;  the  father  was  born 
September  30,  1834,  and  the  mother,  July  26,  1840. 
The  subject  of  this  biography  is  one  of  a  family  of 
eight  children,  five  of  whom  are  still  living;  their 
names  follow :  Louis,  a  machinist  living  in  Seattle, 
born  in  Russia  September  2,  1863 ;  Mrs.  Julia 
(Henseleit)  Hartman,  living  in  Kittitas  county, 
born  in  Russia  April  15,  1865;  Mrs.  Alidia  (Hense- 
leit) Duerrwaechter,  wife  of  a  Seattle  brewer,  born 
in  Russia  April  18,  1875;  Martha  Henseleit,  born 
in  Russia  June  30,  1883.  One  brother  and  two  sis- 
ters, John,  Emma  and  Ella,  are  dead. 

Mr.  Henseleit  spent  his  early  life  in  the  country 
of  his  birth  and  there  received  his  education.  In 
1888,  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  with  his  parents,  who  settled  in  Roslyn. 
Here  for  six  years  he  worked  in  the  coal  mines.  In 
1891  his  parents  moved  from  Roslyn  to  a  farm  and 
in  1894  he  followed  their  example,  settling  in  his 
present  location,  where  he  has  since  farmed  and 
made  his  home.  Both  have  been  very  successful  in 
agricultural  pursuits  and  their  farms  are  among 
the  best  in  the  county.  The  father  has  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres  and  the  son  five  hundred  and 
sixty  acres,  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  acres  of 
the  son's  ranch  having  been  brought  under  a  high 
state  of  cultivation.  From  its  primitive  state  it  has 
been  transformed  into  an  ideal  home  and  a  valuable 
property.  Besides  a  good  dwelling  house  and  a 
large  barn,  the  farm  is  equipped  with  all  necessary 
machinery  and  stocked  with  fifty  horses  and  cattle. 
Fraternally  Mr.  Henseleit  is  connected  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  politically  with  the  Social- 
ists. His  parents  are  members  of  the  German 
Lutheran  church.  He  is  one  of  the  successful 
farmers  of  Kittitas  county,  respected  by  friends 
and  neighbors  as  a  man  of  industry,  honor  and  in- 
tegrity. 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


905 


JOHN  ROSEBURG,  deceased,  who  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  was  one  of  the  successful  farmers  in 
the  Cle-Elum  district,  passed  away  in  1896,  after 
three  years  of  suffering  from  a  cancer  of  the  stom- 
ach. Deceased  was  born  in  Sweden,  February  27, 
1854,  and  was  the  son  of  Andreas  H.  Roseburg, 
born  in  1802,  and  Katherina  (Anderson)  Rose- 
burg, born  on  March  18,  1818.  Both  parents  are 
now  dead.  He  was  educated  in  his  native  land  and 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  Then  he  came  to  the  United 
States.  Here  he  railroaded  for  five  years,  and  then, 
after  a'  trip  through  British  Columbia  and  the 
Sound  country,  settled  on  a  farm  three  miles  south- 
west of  Cle-Elum,  at  which  place  the  family  now 
resides.  He  had  started  to  cultivate  the  place,  and 
had  built  a  nice  home  when  death  overtook  him. 

Mr.  Roseburg  was  married  in  Sweden,  April  6, 
1880,  to  Miss  Brita  Justine  Asmundson,  who  was 
born  in  Sweden,  March  1,  i860.  Her  father,  Chris- 
tian Asmundson,  was  born  on  March  18,  1823,  and 
the  mother,  Christina  (Johnson)  Asmundson,  was 
born  April  24,  1824.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  were 
Anna,  born  in  Sweden;  Edward,  in  Norway,  Jose- 
phina,  Hedda,  Tickla  and  Otto.  Of  these,  all 
but  Anna  and  Edward  are  now  dead.  Carl,  another 
brother,  is  now  residing  in  Sweden.  The  brothers 
and  sisters  of  Mr.  Roseburg  are  Andrew  E.,  Au- 
gust and  Magnus,  all  farmers,  who  reside  in  Kittitas 
county,  six  miles  southwest  of  Cle-Elum ;  Gustaf , 
now  in  Seattle,  Jonas  A.  and  Carolina  M  (Rose- 
burg) Modh,  both  now  dead;  Hedda  S.  (Roseburg) 
Johnson,  now  in  Sweden.  Mr.  Roseburg  was  the 
father  of  the  following  children :  Hartvig,  born  in 
Sweden,  July  13,  1881 ;  Charlie,  born  in  Washing- 
ton, February  1,  1889;  Henry,  born  November  19, 
1891 ;  Herrman  W.,  born  August  19,  1893;  and 
Clara  Matilda,  born  October  4,  1894.  Deceased 
was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church,  and  a  Re- 
publican. Since  his  death  his  widow  and  eldest 
son,  Hartvig,  have  been  running  the  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  with  more  than  ordinary 
success.  They  have  also  bought  and  paid  for  fifty- 
one  acres  of  cultivated  land  adjoining  the  old  place. 
She  has  all  necessary  farming  implements,  live 
stock,  and  substantial  farm  buildings.  Like  her 
husband  she  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
and  is  notablv  a  woman  of  much  executive  abilitv. 


WILLIAM  MORRISON,  engaged  in  farming 
three  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of  Cle-Elum, 
Washington,  comes  of  good  old  Scottish  ancestry. 
He  was  born  in  Scotland,  December  31,  1S55.  His 
father,  Norman  Morrison,  was  born  in  Scotland  in 
1825  and  was  a  farmer.  His  mother,  Jennette 
(Graham)  Morrison,  now  deceased,  was  also  a  na- 
tive of  Scotland.  Mr.  Morrison  left  school  in  his 
native  land  when  twelve  years  old  to  engage  in  coal 
mining,  which  he  followed  twenty-six  years,  both 
in  Scotland  and  America.     He  came  to  the  United 


States  in  1870,  and  worked  in  Iowa,  Colorado  and 
Illinois  before  coming  to  Roslyn,  Washington,  in 
1887.  He  mined  there  four  years  and  for  the  fol- 
lowing seven  years  was  in  the  furniture  and  hard- 
ware business,  during  which  time  he  purchased  his 
present  farm.  He  sold  out  his  stock  after  moving  it 
to  Cle-Elum  and  in  1901  located  on  the  farm.. 

Mr.  Morrison  was  married  in  Kittitas  county, 
July  19,  1902,  to  Miss  Mary  Bostock  Weightman, 
who  was  born  in  England,  November  22,  1870. 
Her  parents,  George  and  Martha  (Fletcher) 
Weightman,  were  natives  of  England  and  are  dead. 
Her  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Elizabeth,  Eliza, 
Emily,  Robert,  Phoeba,  George  and  Jasper.  Mr. 
Morrison's  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Norman,  of 
this  state;  Jennette  (Morrison)  Dilley  of  Seattle; 
Alexander,  deceased;  Mrs.  Mary  (Morrison)  Jones, 
of  Ohio,  and  a  half  brother,  John  Davidson,  of 
Idaho.  Mr.  Morrison  is  a  member  of  the  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  does  not  affiliate 
with  any  particular  political  party.  He  has  two 
hundred  and  fifty-eight  acres  of  fine  land,  a  nice 
farm-house  and  three  good  barns.  He  is  well-to-do 
and  industrious  and  he  and  family  are  respected 
and  well  liked  in  the  community.  The  Morrisons 
have  large  estates  in  chancery  in  England,  but  ow- 
ing to  the  loss  of  papers  are  having  difficulty  in 
proving  the  validity  of  their  claims. 


FELIX  PAYS  is  a  farmer  residing  one  and 
one-half  miles  south  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington.  He 
was  born  in  Belgium,  September  28,  1843,  ancl  at" 
ter  a  meager  education  began  working,  when  ten 
years  old,  in  the  coal  mines  of  his  native  land.  In 
1883  he  immigrated  to  Illinois,  where  he  spent  three 
years  in  the  coal  mines.  He  worked  four  years  in 
mines  in  Iowa,  and  in  Nebraska  for  ten  years. 
Then,  on  May  1,  1897,  he  started  from  Nebraska  to 
Washington,  his  objective  point  being  Cle-Elum, 
with  a  wagon  and  team.  Upon  arriving  he  at  once 
bought  his  present  lands  from  the  railroad. 

Mr.  Pays  was  married  in  Belgium.  January  2, 
1867,  to  Miss  Leona  Rolland,  who  was  born  De- 
cember 4,  1846.  She  was  the  daughter  of  Andrew 
Rolland,  born  in  1816  and  Catherine  (Carney)  Rol- 
land, born  in  1817,  both  natives  of  Belgium.  Mr. 
Pays  has  two  sisters.  One  of  them,  Mrs.  Matilda 
(Pays)  Delpart,  now  resides  in  Belgium,  and  the 
other,  Mrs.  Orilla  (Pays)  Burgman.  is  living  in 
Kansas.  The  two  sisters  of  Mrs.  Pays  are  Mrs. 
Pauline  (Rolland)  Cocher,  of  Belgium,  and  Mrs. 
Alexander  (Rolland)  Gillamd,  also  in  Belgium. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Pays  are:  Mrs.  Fel- 
ecie  (Pans)  McDonald,  born  in  Belgium,  Decern- 
ing [868,  now  living  at  Thorp;  Benjamin  Pays, 
born  November  1.  1871.  now  residing  in  Cle-Elum; 
Leopold  Pays,  born  September  4,  1878;  Polly  Pays, 
born  October,  1879;  Johnnv  Pays,  born  September 
9,  1884,  and  Emma  Pays,  born  May  17.  1886.  Both 
are  members  of  the  Catholic  church.     Fraternally, 


go6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Mr.  Pays  is  associated  with  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  United  Workmen.  In  matters  of  politics 
he  favors  the  Democratic  platform.  By  industry 
and  frugality  he  has  acquired  a  fine  farm  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  with  a  good  house  and 
barn,  and  all  necessary  farming  implements.  He 
also  has  property  interests  in  Cle-Elum.  His  rating 
among  acquaintances  is  that  of  a  strong  character. 


ELEAZAR  B.  MASON,  familiarly  known  as 
"Colonel  Mason,"  is  a  farmer  residing  ten  miles 
east  of  Cle-Elum.  He  was  born  in  New  York  state, 
September  3,  1838.  His  father  and  mother,  Samp- 
son and  Polly  (Hamilton)  Mason,  were  likewise 
born  in  the  state  of  New  York.  Sampson  Mason 
was  a  farmer.  The  mother  died  March  29,  1842, 
and  the  father  September  25,  1878.  Sampson 
Mason  was  twice  married,  the  second  wife  and  the 
step-mother  of  Eleazar  B.  Mason  being  Maria 
(Yaw)  Mason;  she  passed  away  September  13, 
1889.  The  public  schools  of  Hamilton  county,  New 
York,  furnished  Mr.  Mason  his  education.  He  at- 
tended school  till  he  was  fourteen  years  old,  and 
then  came  west  and  settled  in  Kent  county,  Mich- 
igan. Here  he  followed  lumbering  until  1861,  when 
he  enlisted  in  Company  E,  Second  Michigan  cav- 
alry, and  went  to  the  war.  His  war  record  is  one 
of  bravery  and  daring.  At  Jackson,  Michigan,  he 
was  mustered  out  of  service,  in  1865,  having  par- 
ticipated in  eighty-five  battles,  among  which  were 
the  hard  fought  engagements  at  Nashville,  Frank- 
lin and  Perryville.  Remarkable  as  it  may  seem,  in 
all  these  struggles  Mr.  Mason  received  no  wound, 
barring  a  saber  cut  across  the  hand,  although  on 
different  occasions  his  uniform  was  perforated  with 
balls.  His  career  as  a  soldier  ended  when  he  re- 
ceived an  honorable  discharge,  as  above  mentioned. 
In  1892  he  was  granted  a  pension  on  the  grounds 
of  disability.  Upon  leaving  Michigan,  Colonel 
Mason  went  to  California,  where  he  followed  farm- 
ing for  five  years,  after  which  time  he  spent  two 
years  on  Puget  Sound.  He  left  Washington,  again 
to  make  his  home  in  California,  and  after  six  years, 
in  1880;  he  came  to  the  Kittitas  valley  and  took  a 
homestead,  where  he  is  now  living.  He  has  his 
farm  in  a  good  state  of  cultivation,  and  equipped 
with  all  modern  conveniences. 

In  Kent  county,  Michigan,  September,  1861,  he 
married  Miss  Cordelia  I.  Maxim,  daughter  of  Al- 
fred and  Lucretia  (Colm)  Maxim,  the  former  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  latter  of  New 
York ;  the  parents  are  dead.  Mrs.  Mason  was  born 
in  Michigan,  in  1844.  Mr.  Mason  has  five  broth- 
ers, John  Hw  born  April  27,  1828;  Albert  C,  born 
December  2,  183 1  ;  William  H.,  born  November  27, 
1833;  Sampson,  born  December  23,  1835;  and 
Loren  A.,  born  October  27,  1847.  His  sisters,  four 
in  number,  are  Amanda  P.  Lawton,  born  December 
29,  1826;  Margaret  R.  Wright,  born  December  7, 
1829;    Charlotte   E.    Stanton,   born   September   23, 


1841 ;  and  Mrs.  Polly  M.  Creevey,  born  June  15, 
1850.  Of  these,  all  are  deceased  save  John  H., 
William  H.  and  Mrs.  Creevey.  To  Mrs.  Creevey, 
and  to  Loren  (deceased),  Mr.  Mason  is  but  a  half- 
brother.  All  were  born  in  the  state  of  New  York. 
The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mason  were 
Elmore  E.,  born  in  New  York  state,  June  29,  1862, 
now  living  in  Seattle ;  Lucretia,  born  in  Michigan ; 
and  Albert,  born  in  California ;  the  two  last  named 
passed  away  in  infancy. 

Politically,  Mr.  Mason  is  a  Jeffersonian  Demo- 
crat, and  is  decided,  as  well  as  logical,  in  his  views. 
He  tills  his  farm  sufficiently  to  bring  him  a  com- 
fortable living  in  connection  with  his  pension,  and 
is  passing  the  declining  years  of  his  life  in  easy  en- 
joyment, of  which  his  life's  work  has  made  him 
deserving.  Colonel  Mason  is  widely  known  and  is 
universally  respected  as  an  honest,  upright  man. 


OTTO  GASSMAN  is  a  blacksmith  and  farmer 
living  seven  miles  east  of  Cle-Elum.  He  was  born 
in  Germany,  September  13,  i860,  and  is  the  son  of 
John  and  Hermina  (Banke)  Gassman.  The  father 
was  born  in  Germany  in  1828,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1871.  He  located  in  this  country 
in  1 88 1,  and  has  maintained  a  continuous  residence 
here  since  that  date.  The  mother  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1824,  and  is  still  living  in  her  native  coun- 
try. Mr.  Gassman  received  his  education  and 
learned  the  blacksmith's  trade  in  Germany.  He 
came  to  the  Cle-Elum  country  in  1888,  and  engaged 
in  the  blacksmithing  business  for  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific company  at  Roslyn,  at  which  place  he  remained 
for  a  brief  time.  From  there  he  went  to  Ellens- 
burg,  where  he  opened  a  shop.  He  worked  here 
for  a  year  at  his  trade,  and  then  went  to  Tacoma, 
and  for  a  time  ran  an  engine  for  a  brewery  com- 
pany. From  Tacoma  he  went  to  Ellensburg,  and 
there  remained  the  following  year,  after  which 
time  he  came  to  his  present  location  and  purchased 
forty  acres  of  land  from  the  railroad  company.  Of 
this  land  he  has  but  nine  acres  cleared,  but  is  doing 
well  at  the  blacksmithing  business,  which  he  carries 
on  in  connection  with  his  farm  work. 

Mr.  Gassman  was  married  in  Germany,  March 
17,  1885,  to  Miss  Anna  Ziman,  a  native  of  Ger- 
many, born  November  2,  1852.  Both  her  parents, 
John  and  Francisco  ( Kuns )  Ziman,  were  natives 
of  Germany,  and  are  now  deceased.  Mrs.  Gassman 
lias  one  sister,  Rosa  Ziman,  now  living  in  Germany, 
the  land  of  her  nativity.  Mr.  Gassman  has  a  sister, 
Airs.  Emma  (Gassman)  Reimer,  who  was  born  in 
Germany.  September  20,  1862,  and  is  still  living  in 
her  native  country,  where  she  has  a  position  as  a 
mail  clerk.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gassman 
are:  Mrs.  Ella  (Gassman)  Deroux,  born  in  Ger- 
many, August  27,  1886,  living  in  Kittitas  county, 
her  husband  being  a  miner ;  and  Emel  Gassman, 
born  in  Ellensburg,  September  17,  1889.  His  per- 
sonal property  consists  of  a  small  herd  of  cattle, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


907 


and  several  head  of  horses,  besides  his  blacksmith- 
ing  outfit,  and  farming  implements.  His  reputation 
is  that  of  a  man  of  honor,  and  he  is  respected  by 
all  who  know  him. 


MILES  H.  STOREY.  Miles  H.  Storey,  a 
farmer  and  stockman,  living  nine  miles  northeast 
of  Cle-Elum,  was  born  in  Cass  county,  Michigan, 
August  10,  1851.  His  father,  Chauncey  Storey, 
was  born  in  New  York  state,  in  181 1,  and  was  a 
farmer.  The  mother,  Louisia  (Williams)  Storey, 
was  born  in  Richmond  county,  Indiana,  in  1837. 
Both  parents  are  now  dead.  During  the  first  eight- 
een years  of  Mr.  Storey's  life  he  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  of  his  native  state.  After  leaving 
school  he  engaged  in  farming  and  lumbering,  which 
he  followed  for  eight  years  in  Michigan,  when  he 
went  to  Illinois  and  leased  a  farm.  He  remained 
there  for  three  years,  and,  while  he  was  successful, 
he  disliked  the  heavy  storms  prevalent  in  that  sec- 
tion. On  this  account  he  left  Illinois  and  came  to 
Washington,  settling  near  Vancouver,  where  he 
farmed  for  about  two  years.  Meeting  with  poor 
success  at  this  location,  he  came  to  Kittitas  county 
in  May,  1885,  and  lived  two  years  on  the  Teanaway, 
after  which  time  he  filed  claim  to  a  homestead  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  where  he  now 
lives.  He  has  about  one-fourth  of  his  land  under 
cultivation,  raising  principally  hay  to  feed  his  herd 
of  cattle.  During  the  summer  of  1885-86  he  fol- 
lowed freighting  from  Teanaway  to  Ellensburg  and 
North  Yakima.  August  6.  1886,  he  hauled  lumber 
across  the  present  site  of  Cle-Elum  before  a  foun- 
dation had  been  laid.  September  10th  of  the  same 
year  he  hauled  to  Ellensburg  one  of  the  first  five 
loads  of  coal  mined  at  Roslyn,  before  a  building 
had  been  completed  in  that  town. 

Mr.  Storey  has  one  sister.  Viola  (Storey) 
Wager,  the  wife  of  a  farmer  living  in  Michigan ; 
and  one  brother,  Charles,  living  in  Kansas.  Both 
were  born  in  Michigan,  the  sister  in  1855,  and  the 
brother,  August  1,  1867.  He  was  for  a  number  of 
years  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity,  but 
recently  withdrew  from  the  order.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  has  his  farm  well  improved, 
and  is  rated  as  being  well-to-do.  He  was  an  early 
pioneer,  as  is  noted  above,  and  has  played  an  im- 
portant part  in  the  history  and  development  of  his 
county.  He  is  a  man  of  sound  judgment,  good 
reputation,  and  is  a  worthy  citizen. 


MICHAEL  C.  MILLER,  a  prominent  sawmill 
owner  of  the  Cle-Elum  and  Ellensburg  countries, 
was  born  in  Port  Arthur,  Canada,  January  17,  1S64. 
He  was  the  son  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Frost)  Mil- 
ler, both  natives  of  France,  who  came  to  Canada  in 
the  early  days.  Mr.  Miller's  life  has  been  one  of 
such  activity  that  he  has  had  very  little  time  in 
which  to  acquire  an  education.     However,  by  hard 


experience  with  the  world,  and  by  his  wide-awake 
nature,  he  has  gained  sufficient  knowledge  of  af- 
fairs and  men  to  enable  him  to  successfully  carry 
on  his  business,  and  render  him  an  intelligent  and 
interesting  conversationalist.  When  twelve  years 
of  age  he  came  to  the  United  States,  stopping  at 
Duluth,  Michigan,  and  there  launched  upon  a  career 
of  independence.  He  began  by  herding  cattle,  and 
doing  any  other  work  he  could  find  to  do.  At 
seventeen  he  went  to  Louisiana,  where  he  worked 
on  a  rice  plantation  near  Lake  Charles  for  two 
years.  Then  he  moved  to  Texas  and  there  worked 
for  eighteen  months  at  odd  jobs  which  came  in  his 
way.  After  leaving  Texas  he  worked  at  various 
callings  in  the  territories  of  New  Mexico  and  Ari- 
zona. Next  he  went  to  California  and  engaged  in 
the  wood  business.  In  this  venture  he  was  com- 
paratively successful  and  remained  so  occupied  for 
about  eight  years,  till,  upon  the  opening  of  the 
Oklahoma  strip,  he  sold  out  and  turned  his  steps 
eastward  in  search  of  land.  Joining  one  thousand 
other  land-seekers  at  Caldwell.  Kansas,  he  made  a 
rush  for  the  coveted  strip,  but  was  too  late  for  suc- 
cess, as  all  the  land  had  been  taken.  From  Okla- 
homa he  made  his  way  to  Washington,  stopping  at 
Farmington,  Whitman  county,  and  working  there 
the  following  summer  for  the  railroad  company. 
His  next  move  was  to  Spokane,  and  finally  he  came 
to  this  county  and  secured  employment  in  and  about 
Ellensburg.  Upon  the  opening  of  the  big  irrigat- 
ing ditch  he  took  a  position  with  the  ditch  company 
and  remained  with  it  until  its  dissolution.  Upon 
the  failure  of  the  company  Mr.  Miller  was  left  with 
but  forty-five  cents  in  money,  and  no  home.  Un- 
daunted, he  again  started  out  to  work  up  from  the 
bottom.  Eventually  he  obtained  a  start  in  the  lum- 
ber milling  business,  and  after  a  year  he  began 
work  for  William  Thompson,  of  Roslyn,  in  a  saw- 
mill. In  1894  the  Cooley  mill  burned,  whereupon  Mr. 
Miller  purchased  a  half  interest  in  the  business,  and 
at  once  began  to  rebuild  the  plant.  He  operated  the 
mill  for  two  years,  and  then  bought  his  partner's 
interest  and  moved  the  mill  to  its  present  site  at 
Cle-Elum.  The  plant  now  turns  out  between  twelve 
and  fifteen  thousand  feet  of  lumber  per  day.  and  is 
well  equipped  for  manufacturing  all  kinds  of  lum- 
ber for  building  purposes.  It  is  operated  under  the 
firm  name  of  Wrisrht  Bros.  &  Miller,  and  a  ready 
local  market  is  found  for  all  its  products. 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  at  Cle-Elum.  September 
9.  1899.  by  Justice  of  the  Peace  T.  M.  Jones,  to 
Miss  Lillie  Davis,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Mar- 
garet (Reese)  Davis.  Both  of  Mrs.  Miller's  par- 
ents were  born  in  Wales,  and  came  to  America 
about  thirteen  years  ago.  The  father  was  killed  in 
the  memorable  explosion  in  the  Roslyn  mines  in 
1892,  where  forty-seven  miners  met  a  similar  death. 
Mrs.  Miller  was  born  in  Ballaclava,  Wales.  July  17. 
1882.  and  came  to  Washington  with  her  parents. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Miller  have  one  child.  Ethel  Taimer, 
born  at  Cle-Elum,  August  8,  1900.    Mr.  Miller  was 


908 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


reared  under  Catholic  and  Baptist  influence,  though 
he  has  no  direct  church  connections  at  the  present 
time.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
and  the  Royal  Neighbors  fraternities,  and  is  highly 
esteemed  by  all  his  acquaintances. 


LOUIS  CASS  KENNEDY,  a  merchant  of  Cle- 
Elum,  was  born  in  Streator,  Illinois,  March  28, 
1870.  William  P.  Kennedy,  his  father,  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania  in  1832,  of  Irish  parentage.  The 
elder  Kennedy  served  in  the  army  for  four  years 
during  the  Civil  war,  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
G.  A.  R.  The  mother,  Sarah  M.  (Thatcher)  Ken- 
nedy, is  of  German  stock,  born  in  Ohio,  in  1834. 
When  a  boy,  Louis  Cass  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  birthplace,  and  in  later  years  mas- 
tered the  machinist's  trade.  This  vocation  he  fol- 
lowed in  Illinois  until  he  became  nineteen  years  of 
age,  when,  in  1890,  he  came  to  Washington.  He 
settled  at  Roslyn  and  engaged  in  coal  mining,  which 
he  followed  for  about  ten  years.  After  leaving 
this  occupation  he  spent  four  years  in  the  employ 
of  the  firm  of  Carollo  &  Genasci.  Next  he  went 
into  business  with  his  brother  under  the  firm  name 
of  Kennedy  Bros.,  at  his  present  place  in  Cle-Elum. 
The  firm  carries  a  $15,000  stock  of  groceries  and 
miners'  supplies,  and  is  doing  a  prosperous  business. 
Mr.  Kennedy  has  five  brothers:  Francis  M.,  a  city 
-employee;  William  P.,  miner;  Martin  L.,  miner; 
Edward  H.,  miner,  all  of  Streator,  Illinois,  and 
Richard  E.,  junior  partner  of  the  firm  of  Kennedy 
Eros.,  of  Roslyn. 

Before  coming  to  Washington,  at  Streator,  Illi- 
nois, Mr.  Kennedy  was  married  to  Miss  Matilda 
Frame,  daughter  of  John  and  Matilda  (Dunlope) 
Frame,  both  of  whom  were  born  near  Glasgow, 
Scotland.  John  Frame  was  a  miner,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1871,  settling  in  the  state  of  Illinois. 
Mrs.  Kennedy's  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Ruth  H. 
.Paton,  whose  husband  is  a  miner  at  Roslyn ;  Marga- 
ret Maxwell,  whose  husband  is  a  miner  at  Roslyn, 
and  Robert  Frame,  a  teamster  living  in  Roslyn. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kennedy  are  parents  of  two  children, 
Matilda  Mae,  born  July  15,  1890,  in  Streator,  Illi- 
nois, and  Ruth,  born  in  Roslyn,  February  22,  1900. 
Mr.  Kennedy  was  reared  under  the  influence  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  is  a  member  of  Welcome 
lodge,  No.  30,  Roslyn  Knights  of  Pythias.  During 
the  years  1901  and  1902  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Roslyn  city  council  under  Mayor  Morgan,  and  re- 
signed his  office  in  order  to  take  up  business  at  Cle- 
Elum.  He  is  now  one  of  the  substantial  and 
trusted  citizens  of  his  town,  public  spirited  and 
enterprising,  and  awake  to  every  opportunity  for 
the  advancement  of  his  community. 


1869,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1890.  He 
is  the  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  Schober,  both 
born  in  Austria,  where  they  are  still  living,  en- 
gaged in  agricultural  pursuits.  Mr.  Schober 
acquired  a  good  common  school  education  in  his 
native  land  during  his  youth.  Upon  coming  to  this 
country  he  settled  at  Blocton,  Alabama,  and  en- 
gaged .in  mining  coal.  This  business  he  followed 
at  Blocton  for  nine  years,  during  which  time  he 
mastered  the  English  language.  Leaving  Alabama 
lie  went  to  California,  where  he  followed  gold  min- 
ing one  year ;  thence  to  British  Columbia,  again  to 
engage  in  coal  mining.  Here  he  remained  for  two 
years,  then  came  10  his  present  location,  formed  a 
partnership  with  John  Giacomine  and  entered  the 
field  of  mercantile  pursuits.  From  its  inception  the 
business  of  Giacomine  &  Schober  has  been  one  of 
profit  and  growth.  Mr.  Schober  began  with  a  capi- 
tal of  about  $1,200,  which  sum  he  has  since  more 
than  doubled.  The  Hazelwood  bakery,  which  is 
owned  and  operated  by  the  firm,  turns  out  daily 
four  hundred  loaves  of  bread,  exclusive  of  the  other 
products  of  the  bakery,  and  runs  a  wagon  to  all 
the  surrounding  towns  and  through  adjacent  rural 
districts.  Mr.  Schober  has  three  brothers;  Jacob, 
John  and  VeroniKa,  the  latter  of  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  the  others,  miners,  of  Blocton,  Alabama. 

In  1895,  m  tne  state  °f  Alabama,  Mr.  Schober 
was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Lusher,  whose 
parents  are  living  in  Austria.  Mrs.  Schober  was 
born  in  Austria,  and  came  to  the  United  States  in 
1893.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schober  are  parents  of  three 
children:  Joseph,  Albert  and  Frank,  all  of  whom 
were  born  in  Alabama.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Schober 
are  members  of  the  Roman  Catholic  church,  and 
are  social  leaders  in  their  town.  Mr.  Schober  has 
ever  been  an  industrious  and  energetic  man,  honest 
in  all  his  dealings,  and  public  spirited.  He  is  now 
reaping  the  rewards  of  his  busy  and  straightfor- 
ward life  in  the  confidence  and  patronage  of  the 
public  which  he  serves. 


JOSEPH  SCHOBER,  of  the  firm  of  Giacomine 
&  Schober,  a  leading  grocery  and  bakery  firm  of 
Cle-Elum,  is  an  Austrian  by  birth,  born  in  October, 


CHARLES  SMALLWOOD  is  a  prosperous 
miner  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington.  He  was  born  in 
Whitehaven,  Cumberland,  county,  England,  June  7, 
1856,  and  is  the  son  of  Charles  Smallwood,  a 
farmer,  and  Elizabeth  (Dockery)  Smallwood,  both 
natives  of  England.  Mr.  Smallwood  attended  the 
common  schools  until  twelve  years  of  age,  and  then 
began  working  on  a  farm.  When  sixteen  years  old 
he  went  into  the  mines.  In  1886  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Rich  Hill.  Missouri, 
where  he  remained  for  five  years.  From  there  he 
moved  to  Roslyn  and  began  his  work  for  the  coal 
company,  and  has  since  continued  in  that  employ- 
ment. His  home,  since  1901,  has  been  at  Cle-Elum. 
He  was  married  in  the  town  of  his  birth,  March  14, 
1879,  to  Margaret  Nicholson,  who  was  born  in  the 
same  place,  May  1,  1859.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Smallwood 
now  have  two  children :    William  R.,  now  a  miner, 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


909 


born  in  Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  June  22,  1886,  and 
Mar)'  Jane,  born  in  Roslyn,  March  20,  1892.  Mr. 
Smallwood  is  a  member  of  Welcome  lodge,  Knights 
of  Pythias,  of  Roslyn.  He  has  passed  through  all 
the  chairs  of  that  order.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Episcopal  church.  He  takes  much  interest  in 
educational  matters,  and  has  served  as  a  school 
director.  He  has  considerable  property  holdings, 
including  several  houses  and  lots  in  Cle-Elum,  one 
hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  farming  land  in  the  El- 
lensburg  valley,  and  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
of  coal  land  just  west  of  Cle-Elum.  On  March  28, 
1888,  three  years  prior  to  his  coming  to  Roslyn, 
he  was  badly  burned  in  an  explosion  in  the  mines 
at  Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  where  forty-two  miners  lost 
their  lives.  In  Roslyn,  February,  1892,  he  suffered 
a  similar  accident,  again  being  badly  burned.  Since 
the  last  accident  Mr.  Smallwood  has  been  more 
fortunate,  and  now,  from  the  property  his  labor  and 
good  judgment  have  and  are  accumulating,  he  ex- 
pects to  derive  values  that  will  safely  assure  the 
well-being  of  himself  and  his  family. 


PETER  YOUNGER,  engaged  in  farming  three 
miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  was  born  in 
Germany,  July  28,  1843,  being  the  son  of  Zilvesta 
and  Gertrude  (Spindle)  Younger,  both  natives  of 
the  Fatherland  and  both  now  dead.  Mr.  Younger 
was  educated  in  Germany  and  when  fifteen  years 
old  began  work  in  the  quartz  mines.  After  eight 
years  he  entered  a  machine  shop,  where  he  labored 
about  twenty  years.  In  1880  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  located  in  Pittsburg,  and  worked  in  ma- 
chine shops  four  years.  He  then  came  to  Cle-Elum 
and  bought  seventy-two  acres  of  land,  on  which  he 
has  since  resided.  He  had  two  brothers,  Jacob 
and  Nicholas,  the  last  named  being  deceased.    " 

Mr.  Younger  was  married  in  Germany,  Novem- 
ber 9,  1872,  to  Miss  Marie  Kloumann,  daughter  of 
John  and  Mari  (Bur)  Kloumann.  She  was  born  in 
Germany,  March  10,  1848.  Her  sister,  Gertrude 
Bloome,  and  brother,  Joseph,  still  live  in  the  old 
country.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Younger  have  the  follow- 
ing children :  Maria,  born  October  6,  1873 ;  Mrs. 
Cathrena  Killmore,  born  October  5,  1874,  of  El- 
lensburg;  Jacob,  December  6,  1876;  Pauline,  Au- 
gust 15,  1881,  and  Bettie,  February  2,  1890.  Mr. 
Younger  is  a  Democrat  and  belongs  to  the  Catholic 
church.  He  is  industrious  and  saving  and  besides 
his  seventy-two  acre  farm,  owns  a  good  home  and 
thirteen  head  of  cattle. 


JAMES  S.  DYSART,  living  five  miles  east  of 
Cle-Elum,  Washington,  on  his  farm,  was  born 
March  22,  1839,  m  New  York  state,  where  he  re- 
ceived his  early  education  and  worked  on  a  farm 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  In  1855  be  came 
to  the  coast  and  spent  the  next  six  years  in  Califor- 


nia, being  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business.  He 
spent  about  five  years  in  Nevada,  and  in  i860  came 
to  Washington.  After  prospecting  a  year  he  took 
up  a  pre-emption  claim  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  in  Yakima  county,  near  Ellensburg,  and  later 
bought  an  adjoining  tract,  of  similar  size,  from 
the  railroad.  He  sold  the  railroad  land  in  1901. 
In  1876  he  put  in  the  first  sawmill  on  Yakima  river, 
which  he  ran  four  years.  He  has  devoted  much 
time  to  raising  cattle  and  horses.  Mr.  Dysart  is 
the  son  of  Duncan  and  Elizabeth  Dysart.  His 
mother's  maiden  name  was  Shaw.  Both  parents 
were  natives  of  Scotland,  and  died  in  New  York 
state.  Their  other  children  were  Euphemia,  of 
Nebraska,  and  Elizabeth,  now  deceased.  Mr.  Dy- 
sart is  a  .member  of  the  Blue  lodge  of  Masons,  and 
belongs  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  Politically  he 
is  a  Republican  and  is  active  in  all  matters  of  im- 
portance. He  served  four  years  as  county  commis- 
sioner of  Kittitas  county  and  was  the  only  Repub- 
lican elected  at  that  time.  His  present  home  is  on 
his  well-improved  farm  of  eighty  acres. 


JAMES  M.  McDONALD,  who  is  farming  five 
miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  was  born  in 
Missouri,  Franklin  county,  December  31,  1843.  His 
father,  William  McDonald,  was  a  farmer  in  Mis- 
souri and  started  across  the  Plains  in  1852  and  died 
on  the  trip.  The  family  came  on  and  located  in 
Willamette  valley,  Oregon.  His  mother,  Jane  (Cal- 
well)  McDonald,  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-four 
years.  Mr.  McDonald  was  nine  years  old  when  the 
family  reached  Oregon.  He  went  to  school  there 
and  worked  on  his  mother's  farm  until  he  was 
twenty-two  years  old.  In  June,  1874,  he  moved  to 
Washington  and  engaged  in  farming.  In  1882  he 
spent  some  time  in  the  mines  and  then  took  up  a 
homestead  on  Swauk  prairie,  where  he  lived  seven- 
teen years.  He  sold  out  and  in  1890  bought  the 
Seaton  place,  on  the  Teanaway  river,  where  he  now 
lives.  His  brothers  and  sister  are:  Jess  W.,  of 
Ellensburg;  F.  S.  McDonald,  of  California;  O.  R. 
McDonald,  of  Spokane;  Fenton  R.  McDonald,  of 
Spokane  Indian  reservation,  and  Mary  Hanna,  of 
Ellensburg.  Mr.  McDonald  was  married  in  Oregon 
in  1870  to  Sarah  Davis,  who  was  born  in  Silverton, 
Oregon,  July  14,  1851.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Leander  and  Mary  (Cox)  Davis,  who  had  the  fol- 
lowing other  children :  Albert,  Emma  Montgomery, 
Clinton,  Lucinda  McClure,  Clorinda  Ames,  Forrest, 
Grant,  Lincoln,  Valina  and  Albin  Davis,  all  living 
in  Oregon,  and  Armilda  Philbrick,  who  is  dead. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDonald  have  two  children,  Jessie 
Wright,  born  October  26.  1872,  and  La  villa  Hoxie, 
born  January  18,  1881.  Mr.  McDonald  is  a  Demo- 
crat. He  has  a  fine  ranch  of  one  hundred  and  sixty 
acres  under  a  high  state  of  cultivation,  much  of 
which  is  devoted  to  grass.  He  is  a  prominent  and 
prosperous  farmer,  well  liked  and  highly  respected. 


910 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


GEORGE  S.  PRIEST,  who  was  born  in  Little- 
ton, Massachusetts,  in  1833,  is  now  engaged  in 
farming  two  miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington. 
He  is  the  son  of  Nathan  and  Mercy  (Robbins) 
Priest,  natives  of  the  Bay  state,  both  of  whom 
passed  away  at  the  age  of  ninety-three  years.  His 
three  sisters  are:  Lucy  Johnston,  of  Troy,  New 
York ;  Mrs.  Sarah  Gilson  and  Ellen  Priest,  of  Mas- 
sachusetts. Mr.  Priest  was  educated  in  his  native 
state  and  worked  with  his  father  until  sixteen  years 
old.  He  spent  four  years  in  the  shoe  business  and 
then  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  machinist.  After 
three  years  in  the  car  shops  of  Troy,  he  went  to 
California  in  1858,  by  way  of  Panama.  He  spent 
six  years  mining  in  the  Golden  state  and  in  Nevada, 
and  in  1864  went  to  Montana  with  a  pack-train. 
He  then  returned  to  California  to  look  after  the  es- 
tate of  his  brother  and  next  year  went  home  by  the 
steamer  route.  He  later  moved  to  Chippewa  Falls, 
Wisconsin,  and  bought  a  half-interest  in  a  planing 
mill.  He  sold  out  after  nine  years,  moved  to  Texas 
and  engaged  in  the  sheep  business.  He  then  came 
west  to  California  once  more,  bought  a  schooner 
and  went  to  Cocos  Island  in  search  of  buried  treas- 
ure, but  without  success.  He  returned  to  Califor- 
nia, made  some  mining  investments  and  lost  his 
money.  He  then  mined  for  three  years  in  Arizona 
before  moving  to  Grays  Harbor,  Washington, 
where  he  engaged  in  the  sawmill  business.  He  next 
moved  to  Ellensburg  and  ran  a  planer  for  the  mills 
and  in  1886  located  the  place  that  has  been  his  home 
for  over  seventeen  years. 

He  was  married  in  1867  to  Miss  Harriet  Beers, 
who  died  nine  years  later.  He  was  again  married, 
in  1884,  to  Mrs.  Ella  Benjamin,  a  native  of  York 
state  and  daughter  of  Charles  and  Sarah  (Groat) 
Perkins.  His  wife  was  a  school  teacher,  and  was 
the  widow  of  L.  J.  Benjamin.  She  has  two  sisters, 
Jennie  and  Mary,  both  married.  She  has  one  child 
by  her  first  marriage.  Estella  Harvey,  born  August 
16,  1871.  His  child  by  his  first  marriage  is  Willie 
H.  Priest,  bom  November  5,  1871.  Mr.  Priest  is 
a  Mason,  and  politically,  a  Republican.  Mrs.  Priest 
belonged  to  the  Presbyterian  church.  She  died 
August  II,  1903.  Mr.  Priest  has  eighty  acres  of 
land  in  alfalfa,  a  modern  home  in  Roslyn,  and  is 
highly  spoken  of  by  all. 


J.  C.  O'CONNER,  a  farmer,  near  Cle-Elum, 
Washington,  is  a  native  of  New  York,  born  Octo- 
ber 18,  1846.  His  father,  Chester  O'Conner,  came 
of  Irish  parents,  but  was  himself  a  New  Yorker  by 
birth.  He  was  a  farmer  and  miller  and  lived  and 
died  in  his  native  state.  The  mother,  Laura  (Par- 
sons) O'Conner,  died  in  New  York  when  her  son 
was  but  three  years  of  age.  Mr.  O'Conner  was 
reared  in  New  York  until  he  was  seventeen,  when 
he  struck  out  for  himself,  going  to  Wisconsin,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  for  a  year.  He  then  en- 
listed and  served  in  the  Civil  war  until  its  close; 


then  returned  to  Wisconsin  and  the  same  year  went 
to  Minnesota,  where  he  engaged  in  farming.  He 
remained  in  the  state  seven  years,  then  started  for 
the  west,  landing  in  Seattle  in  1872.  He  rented  a 
farm  on  Lake  Washington,  and  the  next  year  pre- 
empted a  tract  of  land  on  the  .same  lake,  where  he 
also  farmed  for  a  brief  period.  He  worked  for 
the  New  Castle  Coal  Mining  Company  for  a  time, 
and  then  bought  another  farm  on  the  lake,  where 
he  made  his  home  for  sixteen  years.  In  the  mean- 
time, in  1884,  he  bought  a  steamer,  which  plied  on 
the  lake  for  a  number  of  years.  In  1893  he  removed 
to  Snohomish,  where  he  continued  steamboating 
until  1897.  He  then  sold  the  steamer  and  built  a 
shingle-mill,  which  was  later  destroyed  by  fire. 
After  this  disaster  he  returned  once  more  to  Lake 
Washington  and  three  years  later  traded  his  farm 
for  his  present  place  near  Cle-Elum,  on  which  he 
settled  in  June,  1902. 

He  was  married  in  Minnesota,  September  19, 
1869,  to  Miss  Eva  K.  Tannehill,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
born  February  8,  1850,  and  a  resident  of  the  state 
until  seventeen  years  of  age.  Her  father,  William 
Tannehill,  was  a  Virginian  by  birth,  born  in  1809. 
The  mother.  Sarah  (Harner)  Tannehill,  was  born  in 
Ohio  in  1816.  Both  parents  are  now  dead.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  O'Conner  have  had  eight  children,  five  of 
whom  are  still  living:  George  L.,  in  Seattle,  and 
Henry,  Maude,  Clarence  and  Catherine  at  home. 
Fraternally,  Mr.  O'Conner  is  affiliated  with  the 
G  A.  R.,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  A.  O.  U.  W.  and  Knights 
of  Maccabees.  Religiously,  he  is  a  Spiritualist,  and 
politically,  a  stanch  Republican.  His  diversified 
business  pursuits  have  given  him  an  extensive  ex- 
perimental education,  and  a  wider  conception  of 
men  and  things  than  most  men  enjoy. 


EDMUND  TAYLOR,  an  Englishman  by  birth, 
but  an  American  by  choice,  both  in  spirit  and  prin- 
ciple, is  one  of  the  well-to-do  and  respected  farmers 
residing  in  the  Cle-Elum  country.  He  was  born 
November  4,  1845.  His  father,  Charles  Taylor, 
who  departed  this  life  when  our  subject  was  but  a 
small  boy,  was  a  farmer  in  England,  which  was  also 
his  birthplace.  The  mother,  Sarah  (Holt)  Taylor, 
was  likewise  of  English  birth,  and  died  in  that 
country.  Edmund  resided  in  England  until  twenty- 
seven  years  of  age.  His  education  was  acquired  in 
his  native  country  while  he  worked  upon  the  home 
farm,  where  he  continued  until  eighteen.  At  that 
time  he  en^rged  in  railroading,  which  line  of  occu- 
pation he  followed  continuously  for  ten  years,  when- 
he  decided  upon  a  change  of  scenes  and  occupation. 
In  1872  he  took  passage  for  the  United  States,  lo- 
cated in  Pennsylvania  and  engaged  in  farming, 
which  he  followed  with  success  for  some  fifteen 
years.  He  then  became  possessed  with  the  desire 
to.  try  the  much  talked  of  Pacific  coast  country,  and 
disposing  of  his  holdings,  he.  in  1889,  settled  in  the 
Puyallup  valley,  Washington,  where  he  resided  for' 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


three  years.  In  1892  he  came  to  Kittitas  county, 
and  after  looking  about  for  a  time,  purchased  of 
the  railroad  company  his  present  farm  of  two  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres,  located  five  miles  east  of 
Cle-Elum,  on  the  Teanaway.  Air.  Taylor  has  one 
brother,  James,  living  in  Pennsylvania. 

He  was  married  in  England,  January  2,  1868, 
to  Miss  Alice  Woods,  a  native  of  England,  in  which 
country  she  was  brought  up.  Her  father,  Charles 
Woods,  was  also  of  English  birth,  and  died  in  his 
native  land  at  the  goodly  age  of  seventy-seven.  He 
was  in  the  employ  of  one  firm  for  fifty-two  years. 
The  mother,  Ann  (Pierpoint)  Woods,  was  born  and 
died  in  England,  where  she  lived  to  see  eighty-four 
summers  come  and  go.  Their  other  children  are : 
Joseph,  John,  James,  Elizabeth  and  Samuel,  all  re- 
siding in  England.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Taylor  have  .three 
children :  Sadie  A.  Robar,  born  in  England,  Novem- 
ber 2,  1871,  now  a  resident  of  Colorado.  She  has 
two  bright,  winsome  children,  of  whom  their  grand- 
parents are  justly  proud:  Alice,  born  in  Cripple 
Creek,  Colorado,  February  28,  1897,  and  Grace  I., 
born  in  same  place.  October  5,  1901.  Charles  W., 
the  eldest  of  the  children,  was  born  in  England,  Jan- 
uary 6,  1869,  and  now  lives  on  the  farm,  and  Kate 
H.  Hall,  the  youngest,  was  born  in  Massachusetts, 
and  is  now  a  resident  of  Cle-Elum.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Taylor  are  connected  with  the  Episcopal  com- 
munion. The  husband  is  an  avowed  Republican, 
and  is  at  present  serving  his  community  as  road 
supervisor.  He  is  recognized  as  a  public-spirited 
citizen,  and  an  enterprising  business  man. 


RICHARD  WALSH,  one  of  the  prosperous 
farmers  of  Kittitas  county,  resides  on  his  farm  six 
miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  where  he  owns  six  hundred 
and  forty  acres  in  a  body.  His  father,  Richard 
Walsh,  Sr.,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  born  in  1820. 
In  early  life  he  went  to  Liverpool,  where  he 
learned  the  trade  of  shipwright,  and  had  the  dis- 
tinction of  having  assisted  in  building  the  first  iron 
ship  constructed  in  that  place.  He  is  now  a  resi- 
dent of  Philadelphia.  Mary  A.  (Bovard)  Walsh, 
his  wife,  was  born  in  Scotland,  and  died  when  her 
son  Richard,  Jr.,  was  but  an  infant.  He  was  born 
in  Liverpool,  England,  August  13,  1849,  and  after 
attending  school,  he,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  en- 
gaged as  solicitor  on  a  newspaper,  which  position 
he  held  for  two  years.  He  then  started  to  learn 
the  trade  of  shipwright,  at  which  he  served  four 
years.  In  1869  he  took  passage  for  the  United 
States.  He  landed  at  New  York,  and  after  working 
for  a  brief  time  in  the  shipyards  of  that  city,  went 
to  Philadelphia,  where  he  and  his  father  engaged  in 
the  business  for  themselves,  in  which  Richard,  Jr., 
continued  for  three  years.  He  then  entered  the 
employ  of  the  great  ship-building  firm  of  Cramps, 
and  continued  with  them  for  seven  years.  In  1880 
he  went  to  Texas,  there  built  a  cotton  mill  and  gin, 
which    he   continued    to   operate    for   several   years 


with  success.  In  1889  he  came  to  Washington,  set- 
tling first  in  the  town  of  Roslyn,  where  he  remained 
for  one  year,  and  then  purchased  his  present  place. 
He  has  made  this  place  his  home  continuously  for 
thirteen  years,  improving  and  developing  it,' and, 
incidentally,  prospering.  He  makes  a  specialty  of 
alfalfa,  of  which  he  has  some  two  hundred  acres. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  are:  William,  Francis, 
Mary  E.  O'Brien,  and  Alice  Walsh,  all  of  whom 
make  their  homes  in  Philadelphia. 

He  was  married  in  Philadelphia,  May  20,  1879, 
to  Miss  Elizabeth  Gibbs,  a  native  of  Chester,  Eng- 
land, born  June  17,  1849.  She  learned  the  dress- 
makers' trade  at  the  age  of  fourteen  and  followed 
it  for  sixteen  years.  Her  father,  Thos.  Gibbs,  was 
a  railroad  man,  and  was  in  the  employ  of  the  Lon- 
don &  Northwestern  Railroad  Company  for  thirty- 
six  years.  He  died  in  1901,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
three.  Her  mother,  Fannie  (Davis)  Gibbs,  was  a 
native  of  England,  where  she  died  in  1877  at  tne 
age  of  fifty.  Mrs.  Walsh  has  one  sister,  Alice 
Hartley,  living  in  Roslyn.  Their  living  children 
are:  Joseph  F.,  Thomas  A.  and  Richard  J.  The 
father  of  the  family  is  fraternally  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  his  wife  with  the  Rath- 
bone  Sisters.  Politically,  he  is  a  Democrat :  relig- 
iously, a  Catholic.  He  is  interested  in  educational 
matters  and  has  held  the  office  of  school  director 
for  thirteen  years  continuously. 


AUGUST  HASSE  is  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the 
Cle-Elum  country,  where  he  filed  upon  his  present 
farm  May  24,  1883,  and  has  since  made  it  his 
home.  He  is  a  native  of  Germany,  born  February 
3,  1843.  His  father,  Charles  Hasse,  was  also  a 
native  of  Germany,  and  a  soldier  in  the  German 
army,  serving  forty  years  and  making  a  record 
unsurpassed  for  faithfulness  and  soldierly  qualities. 
He  died  in  that  country  at  the  age  of  sixty-five. 
The  mother  died  when  her  son  was  quite  young 
and  he  has  a  very  indistinct  remembrance  of  his 
maternal  parent.  Mr.  Hasse  started  out  for  him- 
self very  early  in  life,  and  has  continued  to  make 
his  own  living  ever  since,  taking  the  ups  and  downs 
nf  life  in  a  philosophical  manner.  At  the  age  of 
fourteen  he  engaged  to  learn  the  harness  maker's 
trade,  at  which  he  served  four  years'  apprenticeship, 
and  then  started  out  on  a  three  years'  tour  over  the 
country,  traveling  almost  constantly.  At  the  end 
of  this  time  he  settled  down  and  worked  at  his 
trade  for  seventeen  years  in  his  native  land.  The 
spirit  of  roving  once  more  possessed  him.  ami  he 
this  time  crossed  the  ocean  to  the  United  States. 
landing  in  Buffalo.  New  York,  in  1878.  He  here 
worked  one  vear  and  then  moved  west  to  Denver. 
Colorado,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  for  two 
year?.  In  1882  he  went  to  Ellensburg.  and  one  year 
later  pre-empted  his  present  farm.  Mr.  Hasse  has 
one  sister.  Lena  Hadden.  who  lives  in  Germanv. 

He  was  married  in  Germany  in  1872,  to  Miss 


912 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Eliza  Schultz,  born  in  1847,  and  a  native  of  that 
country,  where  she  was  reared  and  educated.  Her 
parents  were  John  and  Areka  (Able)  Schultz,  her 
father  being  a  German  farmer.  They  were  the 
parents  of  four  children :  Ernest,  in  Whitman 
county,  Washington  ;  Johanna  Carstan,  in  Germany  ; 
Mary  Calf,  Germany,  and  Mrs.  Hasse.  His  first 
wife  died  in  1877,  and  he  was  again  married,  in 
June,  1886,  to  Miss  Louise  Schlomann,  a  native  of 
Germany.  This  wife  passed  away  on  December. 20, 
1902.  To  this  second  marriage  were  born  the  fol- 
lowing children  :  Augusta  Rosner,  in  Germany  ; 
Karl;  Johanna;  Ernest,  and  Mary  (deceased).  Mr. 
Hasse  politically,  is  an  ardent  Republican,  and  he 
and  his  wife  are  connected  with  the  Lutheran 
church. 


EMERY  L.  TUBES,  owner  and  operator  of  a 
sawmill  five  miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  October  3,  1853.  His  parents,  Hiram 
and  Altheda  (Segears)  Tubbs,  were  also  natives  of 
the  Quaker  state.  In  1862  the  husband  enlisted  in 
the  service  of  his  country,  and  was  killed  at  Peters- 
burg, in  the  early  part  of  the  war.  The  widow  and 
family  moved  to  Minnesota,  and  here  Emery  grew 
to  man's  estate,  receiving  his  education  at  the  dis- 
trict school  house.  When  he  was  eighteen  his 
mother  also  passed  away  and  he  was  left  an  orphan 
in  the  world.  He  continued  to  follow  farming  in 
the  state  until  he  was  twenty-three.  He  then  cut 
loose  from  the  old  moorings  and  started  out  to  see 
the  country,  going  first  to  Texas  for  one  year, 
where  he  worked  at  carpentering;  then  to  Kansas, 
and  a  year  later  he  returned  to  Minnesota.  Here  he 
located  and  remained  for  ten  years,  working  at  the 
carpenter's  trade  and  also  operating  a  shingle-mill. 
He  finally  came  west  to  Spokane  and  went  to  work 
in  a  sash  and  door  factory,  and  later  became  fore- 
man in  the  construction  of  various  buildings  in 
the  city,  at  which  he  was  employed  two  years.  See- 
ing an  opportunity  to  buy  a  sawmill  in  Mead,  he 
took  advantage  of  it  and  moved  to  that  place,  where 
he  operated  the  mill  for  two  years,  then  moved  it 
to  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  selling  it  shortly  after 
getting  it  well  established.  He  bought  his  present 
mill  in  1894,  has  continued  to  run  it  ever  since,  and 
has  built  up  a  good  business.  Mr.  Tubbs  has  one 
sister,  Mrs.  Nellie  Cheesman,  who  resides  in  Penn- 
sylvania, her  native  state. 

He  was  married  in  Minnesota,  December  19, 
1876,  to  Miss  Evaline  Pace,  who  was  born  in  Min- 
nesota in  1 86 1,  and  there  grew  to  womanhood.  Her 
father.  William  Pace,  was  a  native  of  Ohio  and  a 
farmer  by  occupation.  He  served  through  the  Civil 
war  with  credit,  and  at  its  close  again  took  up  his 
residence  in  Minnesota,  where  he  continued  to  re- 
side until  his  death  in  1901.  Mrs.  Tubbs  has  two 
brothers.  Charles  and  Newton,  living  in  Minnesota, 
and  two  sisters,  Elizabeth  Nichols  and  Alice  Skin- 
ner, living  in  Nebraska.    Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tubbs  have 


the  following  children:  Elma  Taylor  and  Nellie 
Davidson,  living  near  Cle-Elum ;  Hazel  and  Bertha, 
the  latter  deceased.  Their  father  is  an  active  Re- 
publican, and  deeply  interested  in  the  success  of  the 
principles  of  his  party,  for  which  end  he  is  ever 
ready  to  exert  his  influence.  Fraternally,  he  is 
affiliated  with  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  and  his  people  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  church. 


WILLIAM  H.  H.  KNIGHT,  born  in  Harrison 
county,  Ohio,  March  8,  1841,  is  now  a  farmer  re- 
siding nine  miles  east  of  Cle-Elum.  His  father, 
Immur  L.  Knight,  born  in  Virginia  in  181 5,  was  by 
trade  a  farmer  and  miller.  He  was  a  pioneer  in  the 
state  of  Ohio,  and  from  there  removed  to  Missouri. 
From  the  latter  named  state  he  removed  to  Ne- 
braska, where  he  was  a  frontiersman.  In  1857  ne 
made  his  home  in  Kansas,  where  he  later  died.  He 
was  of  French  descent,  and  his  wife,  Rachel  (Ross) 
Knight,  was  also  a  native  of  Virginia,  born  in  1820, 
and  married  at  the  age  of  sixteen.  Mr.  Knight 
removed  to  Nebraska  with  his  father  while  in  his 
fourteenth  year,  and  there  received  his  education 
in  the  common  schools.  Until  arriving  at  the  age 
of  twenty  he  worked  on  the  parental  farm,  then 
enlisted  November  20,  1861,  in  Company  G, 
Kansas  volunteer  cavalry,  under  Captain  A.  W. 
Mathews.  He  fought  with  this  company  all 
through  the  Civil  war,  and  was  mustered  out  of 
service  in  Fort  Leavenworth,  January  13,  1866.  He 
then  returned  to  his  Nebraska  home  and  again  fol- 
lowed farming  until  1877,  when  he  emigrated  to 
Washington.  After  a  year  in  the  Evergreen  state, 
he  removed  to  Umatilla  county,  Oregon,  where  he 
took  up  land  and  remained  four  years.  After  sell- 
ing his  interests  there,  he  came  to  Kittitas  county, 
August  5,  1880,  and  located  on  the  farm  he  now 
owns.  He  has  his  ranch  in  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation, has  one  hundred  and  twenty  acres  in  grass, 
and  his  land  is  watered  by  six  miles  of  irrigation 
ditch.  In  all,  he  has  three  hundred  and  twenty 
acres  in  one  body.  Mr.  Knight  has  three  brothers 
and  one  sister:  Thomas  P.,  of  Kansas,  born  in 
Ohio,  1843  I  James,  of  Nebraska,  born  in  Missouri ; 
George,  now  of  Oregon,  born  in  Nebraska,  1851, 
and  Milisa  A-.,  now  living  in  Kansas,  born  in  Ne- 
braska. Besides  these  named,  he  had  five  brothers 
and  two  sisters  who  are  now  deceased.  They  were : 
Albert,  born  in  Ohio,  1839;  John,  also  in  Ohio; 
Amos  I.,  in  Missouri ;  Amos,  Martha  J.,  Mary  K., 
and  Benjamin  F.,  all  born  in  Nebraska. 

He  was  married  in  Nebraska,  1867,  to  Miss 
Marv  B.  Skeen,  and  to  this  union  four  children  were 
born:  Dora,  March  24,  1868;  Nellie  J.,  June  2, 
1870;  Alexander  L.,  January  5,  1873,  and  Lulu  E. 
Vanwinkle,  born  in  1876,  and  now  living  in  Cali- 
fornia. They  were  born  in  Nebraska,  and  only  the 
latter  two  are  now  living.  On  Swauk  Prairie,  Sep- 
tember 18,  1884,  Mr.  Knight  was  again  married,  his 
bride  being  Miss  E.  E.  Kessler,  daughter  of  Wil- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


913 


Ham  and  Diantha  (Sharp)  Kessler.  Her  father 
was  an  architect,  native  of  Virginia,  and  died  in 
1870.  Her  mother  was  born  in  Indiana  and  died  in 
Tacoma,  Washington.  Mrs.  Knight  was  born  in 
Wabash  county,  Indiana,  May  17,  1867,  and  re- 
ceived her  education  in  various  localities,  owing  to 
the  roving  nature  of  her  step-father,  by  whom  she 
was  raised.  Her  parents  came  to  Washington  in 
1883,  and  settled  on  Swauk  Prairie,  where  she 
taught  the  first  school  to  be  held  on  the  prairie. 
She  was  married  at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Mrs. 
Knight  had  one  sister,  Luella,  born  in  Indiana,  now 
deceased.  The  children  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Knight,  with  dates  of  birth,  are:  Dora  M.,  July 
13,  1885;  Edna,  August  19,  1S87;  Edith,  May  17, 
1889;  Bessie,  February  22,  1891  ;  Vesta  Z.,  May  27, 
1893 ;  Glenn,  July  25,  1895  >  Nellie  K.,  January  3, 
1898;  Gertie,  July  21,  1900,  and  Rachel  D.,  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1903.  All  were  born  on  Swauk  Prairie, 
and  are  now  living  at  home,  with  the  exception  of 
Vesta  Z.,  who  passed  away  January  6,  1900,  of 
typhoid  fever.  The  family  are  members  of  the 
Christian  church,  and  Mr.  Knight  belongs  to  the 
Republican  party.  He  is  a  prosperous  farmer,  and 
universally  respected  for  his  many  sterling  qualities. 


JOHN  HANSON.  John  Hanson  is  a  prosper- 
ous farmer  living  ten  miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  Wash- 
ington. He  was  born  in  Sweden,  November  18, 
1850,  the  son  of  Hans  Peter  and  Johan  (Stevens) 
Hanson,  both  natives  of  Sweden.  His  father  was 
born  in  1813,  and  died  in  the  land  of  his  birth. 
Until  reaching  his  majority  the  son  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  and  attended  common  school.  He 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1872,  locating  in  San 
Jose,  California,  where  he  worked  in  a  tannery  one 
year  and  in  a  paper-mill  a  year  and  one-half.  He 
also  farmed  in  the  state  for  nearly  eight  years.  In 
1883  he  came  to  Yakima  county,  took  a  pre-emption 
claim,  upon  which  he  resided  for  a  year,  and  then 
came  to  the  Teanaway  district,  in  Kittitas  county. 
He  remained  here  four  years,  after  which  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  upon  which  he  still  lives.  When 
he  became  the  owner  of  this  farm  but  four  acres 
were  under  cultivation,  but  he  now  has  every  acre 
in  crop,  and  his  land  improved  with  the  most  mod- 
ern and  convenient  buildings.  Mr.  Hanson  has  one 
brother.  Nelson,  living"  in  Sweden,  and  two  sisters : 
Ellna  Jenson  and  Tilda  Hanson,  also  living  in  the 
same  country.  Besides  these,  a  sister,  Christena 
Jenson,  is  dead.    All  were  born  in  Sweden. 

Mr.  Hanson  was  married  in  Ellensburg,  Octo- 
ber 12,  1888,  to  Miss  Sarah  Piland,  who  was  born  in 
Missouri,  March  20,  1867.  She  was  educated  in 
the  common  schools  of  her  native  state,  came  to 
Washington  in  1888  with  her  brother,  and  located 
on  Swauk  Prairie.  She  is  the  daughter  of  Joseph 
and  Nancie  (Peden)  Piland;  the  former  born  in 
North  Carolina,  1828,  and  the  latter  in  South  Caro- 
lina, in  the  same  year.     Her  father  was  a  farmer, 


and  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War,  dying  in  Missouri 
in  1884.  Mrs.  Piland  preceded  her  husband  to  the 
grave  in  1881.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of  .Mrs. 
Hanson  are:  Martha  E.  (deceased)  ;  Elisha  T.,  of 
Missouri;  James  A.,  Yakima  county;  Samuel  R., 
living  in  Missouri;  Mary  J.  Clark  (deceased)  ;  Per- 
necia  B.  Blankenship  (deceased)  ;  Joseph  P.  and 
William  H.,  twins,  living  in  Missouri ;  John  S.  and 
Nancy  A.  (both  deceased,  the  latter  dying  in  in- 
fancy). All  were  born  in  Missouri.  The  children 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanson  are :  Lillie  C,  born  Octo- 
ber 28,  1889;  Walter  C,  September  29,  1891 ;  Al- 
fred J.,  January  28,  1884,  and  Beulah,  March  31, 
1896,  all  born  in  Kittitas  county.  Their  father,  po- 
litically, is  a  Republican.  He  is  greatly  interested 
in  matters  pertaining  to  education,  and  has  held  the 
office  of  school  director  almost  continuously  since 
coming  to  the  county.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  church,  while  Mrs.  Hanson  is  a  Baptist. 
He  is  one  of  the  substantial  and  nrominent  citi- 
zens of  his  locality. 


MARTHA  A.  PILAND.  Mrs.  Martha  A.  Pi- 
land, who  lives  on  a  farm  ten  miles  east  of  Cle- 
Elum,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1844.  She  is  a 
daughter  of  William  and  Elizabeth  (Stiner)  Ruth- 
erford. Mr.  Rutherford,  a  native  of  Virginia,  was 
a  blacksmith  by  trade,  and  a  veteran  of  the  Indian 
wars  of  1835  and  of  the  Civil  war.  After  the 
former  struggle  he  assisted  in  putting  the  Indians 
in  Indian  territory.  He  was  of  English  stock,  his 
father  having  come  from  England,  as  a  boy  of 
seventeen,  in  company  with  General  Howe,  during 
the  Revolutionary  war.  His  father  died  in  1850. 
Mrs.  Rutherford  was  born  in  Germany  in  1822  and 
received  her  education  in  Berlin,  marrying  soon  af- 
ter completing  her  course,  or  to  be  more  specific, 
in  the  year  1840.     She  passed  away  in  1864. 

Mrs.  Piland,  whose  life  record  forms  the  sub- 
ject of  this  review,  received  her  school  training  in 
Athens,  Tennessee,  whither  her  parents  had  taken 
her  when  she  was  one  year  old,  and  where  she  lived 
for  thirteen  years,  going  then  to  Missouri.  In  this 
state  she  lived  for  thirty-five  years,  and  here  she 
was  married  to  Mr.  Piland. 

In  1890,  Mrs.  Piland  came  to  Seattle,  and  the 
next  year  found  her  in  Kittitas  county,  where  she 
soon  purchased  her  present  home,  consisting  of  a 
one  hundred  and  sixty  acre  farm,  one  hundred  and 
five  acres  of  which  are  under  cultivation.  Besides 
this  farm  she  has  a  house  and  lot  in  Springfield, 
Missouri. 

Mrs.  Piland's  husband  was  born  in  Hopkins 
county,  Kentucky,  January  30.  184s.  His  father's 
family  were  from  Windsor,  North  Carolina,  whence 
they  had  moved  to  the  Blue  Grass  state.  Soon  after 
his  birth  they  again  moved,  going  to  Missouri,  and 
here  he  gained  his  education,  working  betimes  on 
the  parental  farm.  When  eighteen  years  old  he  en- 
listed  for  service  in  the  Civil  war,  and  from  that 


914 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


time  until  the  close  of  hostilities  he  lived  the  life  of 
a  soldier  in  active  conflict.  He  was  mustered  out 
of  service  May  12,  1865,  and  immediately  returned 
home,  where  he  died  in  1871. 

The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Piland  are : 
John  O.  Rutherford,  born  in  Tennessee,  now  living 
in  Indian  territory;  William  T.  Rutherford,  born 
in  Missouri,  now  in  Wyoming ;  Mrs.  Malinda  Mc- 
Coulah,  born  in  Tennessee,  now  in  Missouri;  Mrs. 
Sarah  Bowls,  born  in  Missouri,  now  in  Texas ;  Mrs. 
Celia  Pattie,  born  in  Missouri,  now  a  resident  of 
Indian  territory.  The  children  of  Mrs.  Piland  are 
Mrs.  Mary  Walker,  born  in  Missouri,  February  17, 
1867,  now  living  in  Springfield,  that  state,  and  Mrs. 
Millie  Manning,  born  in  Missouri,  April  18,  1869, 
and  now  in  Seattle. 

An  active  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
and  a  leader  in  the  social  life  of  her  community, 
Mrs.  Piland  is  well  and  favorably  known  in  the 
neighborhood  where  her  lot  has  been  cast. 


MARION  J.  EVENS  is  a  farmer  residing  ten 
miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington.  He  was  born 
in  Arkansas,  April  9,  1857,  the  son  of  William  and 
Jane  (Gray)  Evens.  His  father  is  of  English  ex- 
traction, born  in  Tennessee,  July  24,  1827.  He  is  a 
farmer,  now  living  in  Ozark  county,  Missouri,  and 
is  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  war.  Jane  (Gray)  Evens 
was  likewise  born  in  Tennessee,  1834,  and  was  mar- 
ried at  the  age  of  seventeen.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evens 
moved  to  Missouri  in  1852,  and  there  Marion  was 
born  and  received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  he 
became  twenty-two  years  of  age ;  then  commenced 
farming  on  his  own  account.  He  followed  agricul- 
ture in  his  native  state  for  three  years ;  in  1882  came 
to  Washington  and  settled  in  Kittitas  county,  taking 
a  homestead  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres,  which 
farm  is  still  his  home.  He  now  has  the  entire  home- 
stead under  cultivation,  and  well  improved.  Be- 
sides his  home  place,  Mr.  Evens  has  six  hundred  and 
forty  acres  of  grazing  land,  stocked  with  800  head 
of  sheep.  He  also  has  a  sufficient  number  of 
horses  to  carry  on  the  work  about  the  farm.  Mr. 
Evens  has  brothers  and  sisters  as  follows :  Levi 
(deceased)  ;  William  J.,  Martha  Stone,  Jamima, 
Mifford,  Cyntha  Scott,  Wayne,  Joby  (deceased), 
Nancy  E.  Prim,  and  Everette  (deceased),  all  living 
in  Missouri ;  Edward  and  Silas,  of  Seattle,  and 
Matilda  George,  living  on  Lookout  mountain.  The 
four  first  named  were  born  in  Arkansas ;  the  oth- 
ers in  Missouri. 

Mr.  Evens  was  married  in  Ozark  county,  Mis- 
souri, February  2,  1879,  to  Miss  Nancy  A.  Evans, 
daughter  of  Tesse,  a  farmer  of  English  extraction, 
born  in  North  Carolina,  181 5,  and  died  in  Wash- 
ington; and  Bartema  (Welch)  Evans,  a  native  of 
Indiana,  who  was  married  when  quite  young  and 
died  in  Missouri.  Mrs.  M.  J.  Evens  was  born  in 
Ozark  county,  where  she  grew  to  womanhood,  re- 


ceiving her  education  in  the  common  schools.  Mrs. 
Evens  had  four  brothers  and  one  sister,  all  bora 
in  the  state  of  Missouri.  Their  names,  and  present 
residences  are:  Robert,  Missouri;  Peter  (de- 
ceased); Jane  Piland,  Washington;  Simeon  and 
James  M.,  Washington.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Evens  have 
brought  up  seven  children,  all  of  whom  are  living  at 
home.  Their  names,  with  state  and  date  of  birth  in 
each  instance,  are :  William  J.,  Missouri,  December 
30,  1879;  Thomas,  Washington,  October  3,  1882; 
Matilda  J.,  Washington,  September  9,  1885;  Clara, 
Washington,  August  8,  1887 ;  Benjamin  H.,  Wash- 
ington, September  11,  1890;  Mamie  B.,  Washing- 
ton, May  15,  1894,  and  Marion  A.,  Washington, 
February  2,  1896.  Politically,  Mr.  Evens  is  a 
Roosevelt  Republican,  and  in  religion  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Seventh  Day  Advenist  denomination. 
He  is  regarded  as  being  a  man  of  sound  financial 
standing,  liberal  hearted  and  of  sterling  integrity. 


HARRY  S.  FIELDING,  now  deceased,  was  a 
progressive  farmer  residing  twelve  miles  east  of  Cle- 
Elum,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Ontario,  Jan- 
uary 9,  1859,  ar,d  passed  away  September  3,  1903. 
His  father  was  Thomas  Fielding,  also  a  native  of 
Ontario,  in  turn  a  farmer  and  a  hotel  man,  who 
crossed  the  Plains  in  the  early  days,  and  was  a 
frontiersman  all  his  life.  Margaret  (McCutcheon) 
Fielding,  mother  of  Harry  S.,  was  born  in  Ontario, 
and  is  now  living  in  British  Columbia.  Until  ar- 
riving at  the  age  of  twelve,  Mr.  Fielding  attended 
the  common  schools  of  his  native  country.  At  the 
age  mentioned  he  began  making  his  own  way  in 
the  world,  and  one  year  later  went  to  Manitoba. 
He  remained  but  a  short  time,  however,  then  re- 
turned to  Ontario.  He  removed  to  Dakota  later  on, 
and  there  engaged  in  agriculture  for  a  period  of  six 
years,  when,  in  1887,  he  pushed  on  to  Seattle,  where 
he  engaged  in  teaming.  After  three  years  in  that 
city  he  went  to  Westminster,  British  Columbia,  and 
remained  there  twelve  months,  engaged  in  the  same 
business  he  followed  while  in  Seattle.  He  spent 
the  four  years  following  on  a  ranch  near  Blaine, 
Washington,  at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he 
came  to  Swauk  Prairie,  Kittitas  county,  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  railroad 
land.  On  this  farm  he  lived  until  his  death ;  and 
succeeded  in  placing  seventy-five  acres  of  his  land 
under  cultivation.  His  ranch  is  well  improved,  and 
equipped  with  ample  buildings.  Mr.  Fielding  had 
three  brothers  and  one  sister,  all  born  in  Canada, 
whose  names  and  present  residences  are:  Thomas, 
British  Columbia;  Hugh  and  Stewart,  Canada,  and 
Mary  Culburt,  Dakota. 

In  Dakota,  June  22,  1884,  Mr.  Fielding  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Laura  Ryckman,  daughter  of  Elija  and 
Elizabeth  (Wardell)  Rvckman,  both  of  whom  were 
born  and  died  in  Canada.  Her  father  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  and  died  in  1891.  Mrs.  Fielding 
was  born  in  Canada,  August  16,  1858.    She  received 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


9'5 


her  education,  and  also  learned  the  trade  of  dress 
making,  in  her  native  country.  She  has  one  sister 
and  two  brothers,  all  born  and  still  living  in  Can- 
ada; Frances  Little,  John  and  Thomas  Ryckman. 
Mrs.  Fielding  is  the  mother  of  seven  children,  whose 
names  and  dates  of  birth  are :  Henry  E.,  born  in 
Dakota,  May  3,  1885 ;  Maud,  in  Dakota,  October  9, 
1886;  Melvin  F.,  in  British  Columbia,  July  5,  1889; 
Edna,  in  British  Columbia,  April  14,  1891 ;  Chester 
B.,  also  in  British  Columbia,  September  29,  1892; 
Claud  L.,  in  Washington,  September  22,  1896;  and 
Clarence,  likewise  in  Washington,  May  4,  1898. 
Mr.  Fielding,  during  his  life,  was  a  member  in  good 
standing  of  the  Odd  Fellows  fraternity,  and  polit- 
ically, was  a  Democrat.  The  only  office  he  ever 
held  was  that  of  road  overseer,  which  position  he 
filled  for  four  years.  Mrs.  Fielding  has  a  small  herd 
of  choice  cattle,  and  a  number  of  horses.  Her  hus- 
band was  considered  one  of  the  substantial  and  pros- 
perous farmers  of  his  community,  and  was  regarded 
as  a  man  of  honesty  and  integrity,  which  estimable 
qualities  made  him  a  man  of  prominence  and  pres- 
tige among  his  fellow  citizens,  and  his  loss  is  greatly 
to  be  regretted. 


DAVID  W.  GRAVES,  living  on  his  farm,  nine 
miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  was  born  in  Lincoln  county, 
Missouri,  January  21,  1845,  the  son  of  John  P.  and 
Maria  (Glover)  Graves,  the  former  a  native  of  Vir- 
ginia and  the  latter  of  Missouri.  John  P.  Graves 
was  born  in  1824,  and  has  been  a  farmer  during  his 
entire  life.  He  crossed  the  Plains  in  1849  by  ox 
team  conveyance,  and  took  a  donation  claim  of  six 
hundred  and  forty  acres  in  Marion  county,  Oregon, 
where  he  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Graves,  the  mother  of 
David  \V.,  was  born  in  1826,  and  was  married  at  the 
age  of  sixteen.  By  a  comparison  of  dates  it  will  be 
seen  that  David  was  a  lad  of  four  years  when  his 
parents  removed  to  Oregon.  ,  In  this  state  he  re- 
ceived his  education  in  the  common  schools.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  went  into  the  mines  near  Baker 
City,  where  he  worked  for  a  period  of  seven  years, 
and  then  removed  to  the  Willamette  valley.  He 
there  engaged  in  agriculture  as  a  means  of  liveli- 
hood, and  continued  to  reside  in  the  Willamette 
valley  for  a  period  of  seventeen  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  time  he  came  to  Kittitas  county  and  pur- 
chased one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  from 
the  railroad  company.  He  later  sold  this  tract,  and 
took  an  equally  large  tract  as  a  homestead.  This 
he  also  sold,  and  then  purchased  forty  acres  in  the 
Teanaway  valley,  where  he  still  makes  his  home. 
Mr.  Graves'  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Philip  M., 
born  in  Missouri ;  Sarah  J.  Daily,  born  while  cross- 
in?  the  Plains,  en  route  to  Oregon;  Franklin  T. : 
Edward;  John  M. :  Flora  Hobart ;  Wilbur,  and  Dol- 
lie  Johnson,  all  born  in  Oregon,  except  the  two  first 
named.  The  brothers  and  sisters  are  all  living  in 
Oregon  with  the  exceptions  of  John  M.,  Wilbur 
and  Mrs.  Johnson,  who  reside  in  Montana,  Spokane. 


Washington,  and  Idaho,  respectively.  Besides  these 
whose  names  are  given,  one  brother,  Lorenzo,  born 
in  Oregon,  is  deceased. 

Mr.  Graves  was  married  in  Salem,  Oregon, 
1870,  to  Amanda  E.  Shepherd,  who  was  born  in 
Nodaway  county,  Missouri,  November  22,  1850,  and 
as  an  infant  crossed  the  Plains  to  Oregon  with  her 
parents.  She  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
of  Oregon,  and  learned  the  dressmaker's  trade,  at 
which  she  worked  five  years,  previous  to  her  mar- 
riage, which  event  took  place  in  her  twentieth  year. 
Her  father  was  Andrew  Shepherd,  born  in  Illinois 
in  1815  ;  a  farmer  by  occupation.  He  was  a  veteran 
of  the  Indian  war  of  1855,  having  crossed  the 
Plains  in  an  ox  wagon  in  1852,  and  settled  in  Marion 
county,  Oregon.  He  was  of  Scotch-German  ances- 
try, and  is  now  deceased.  Clara  (Lanham)  Shep- 
herd was  her  mother,  and  was  born  in  Missouri  in 
1817,  and  married  when  seventeen  years  of 
age.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Graves  are : 
Francis  M.  and  Martha  J.  Dent,  born  in 
Illinois,  and  now  residents  of  Oregon  and  Walla 
Walla,  Washington,  respectively ;  James  B.  and 
DeCalb,  born  in  Missouri  and  residing  in  Oregon; 
Jasper  and  Newton,  both  born  and  now  liv- 
ing in  Oregon,  and  Mary  L.  Cooper,  born  in  Ore- 
gon, i860,  now  living  in  Kittitas  county, 
Washington.  Besides  these  named,  Margaret  A., 
Jacob  and  Lucinda,  all  born  in  Missouri,  and  Cur- 
tis, born  in  Oregon,  are  now  deceased.  The  chil- 
dren of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graves  are:  Florence  Zeek, 
born  in  Marion  county,  Oregon,  January  30,  1871 ; 
Jett.  September  23.  1873.  a  seamstress  and  milliner 
of  Spokane:  George  M..  March  27,  1877;  Burton, 
February  21,  1881 ;  Clara  G.,  March  13,  1885:  and 
Ralph,  October  21,  1886,  all  born  in  the  Webfoot 
state.  In  religion,  the  parents  are  Seventh  Day  Ad- 
ventists,  and  in  politics,  Mr.  Graves  affiliates  with 
the  Republican  party.  He  owns  a  modern  home, 
and  his  farm  is  well  improved  and  amply  stocked. 
He  is  prosperous  and  energetic,  bears  a  good  reputa- 
tion and  has  a  host  of  friends. 


CHARLES  R.  BEXSOX.  engaged  in  farming 
five  miles  south  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  was  born 
in  Hancock  county,  Maine,  March  19.  1869.  His 
father,  Freeland  H.  Benson,  was  also  a  native  of 
that  state.  His  mother  was  Elizabeth  H.  (  Sadler ) 
Benson.  Besides  Charles,  their  children  were:  Ed- 
win F..  of  Tacoma:  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Bettinger,  of 
Seattle:  Edna  L.  (deceased), and  Harry  C.  of  Seat- 
tle. Charles  R.  Benson  was  educated  in  Maine  and 
graduated  from  the  grammar  school  at  the  age  of 
fourteen,  at  which  time  his  parents  moved  to  Lin- 
coln county.  Washington.  He  spent  one  year  in  the 
high  school  in  Sprague.  and  when  seventeen  years 
old  secured  employment  in  the  railroad  shops  locat- 
ed in  that  place.  '  After  one  year  of  that  work  he 
returned  to  his  father's  farm  for  two  years.  He 
was  then  in  the  railway  mail  service  one  year;  for 


gi6 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


twelve  months  he  was  a  fireman  on  the  Seattle  & 
Lake  Shore  road,  and  was  engineer  of  the  White 
Star  steam  laundry  for  a  period  of  eight  months. 
In  1892  he  went  to  Yakima  county,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  and  contracting  for  four  years. 
The  succeeding  two  years  were  spent  in  Douglas 
county ;  he  then  returned  to  Yakima  county,  and  for 
two  years  was  in  the  fish  business  with  his  father. 
The  following  two  years  he  was  engaged  as  land 
examiner  bv  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany. In  1900  he  bought  his  present  farm  and 
moved  there  in  1902.  He  was  married  in  North 
Yakima,  July  28,  1899,  to  Miss  Leona  Vandermost, 
who  was  born  in  Holland,  October  7,  1879.  She  is 
the  daughter  of  Frank  and  Anna  J.  (Bushman) 
Vandermost,  both  natives  of  Holland  and'  now  farm- 
ing in  Oregon.  Her  brothers,  Cornelius  and  Henry, 
and  sister,  Marie  C,  live  in  Oregon;  her  brother 
Frank  lives  in  Washington.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Benson 
have  one  child,  Edna  L.,  who  was  born  in  North 
Yakima,  March  14,  1901.  The  father  is  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  church.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics  and  belongs  to  the  Modern  Woodmen  of 
America  fraternity.  He  is  a  prosperous  and  suc- 
cessful farmer,  has  200  acres  of  hay  and  grazing 
land  and  160  acres  of  range  land. 


SAMUEL  L.  BATES,  one  of  the  men  who  con- 
structed the  first  irrigation  ditch  in  Kittitas  county, 
Washington,  is  now  engaged  in  farming,  three  and 
one-quarter  miles  south  of  Cle-Elum.  He  was  born 
in  Jefferson  county,  Missouri,  March  5,  1830,  the 
son  of  James  C.  Bates,  a  native  of  Virginia,  who 
went  to  Missouri  at  the  age  of  four,  when  that  ter- 
ritory was  under  Spanish  control.  He  there  lived 
and  died.  Samuel's-  grandfather,  Elias  Bates,  was 
married  to  a  Miss  Austin,  daughter  of  the  Austins 
who  had  a  Spanish  concession  at  the  site  where 
Austin,  Texas,  is  now  located,  and  who  built  a 
smelter  in  the  Missouri  lead  mines  for  the  Spanish 
government.  Mr.  Bates  is  self  educated.  When 
fourteen  he  became  an  apprentice  at  the  blacksmith 
trade  and  after  three  years  moved  to  Keokuk,  Iowa, 
and  conducted  a  shop  for  a  year  and  one-half.  He 
then  made  the  ocean  trip  to  San  Francisco,  engaged 
in  gold  mining  twelve  years ;  in  farming  and  team- 
ing eight  years,  and  with  his  brother  ran  a  store  at 
the  mines  for  an  additional  four  years.  In  1873  he 
went  to  the  Swauk  mines  in  Kittitas  county,  Wash- 
ington, where  he  remained  two  years  and  then  locat- 
ed a  ranch  near  Tanum  creek,  where,  with  others, 
he  constructed  the  first  irrigation  ditch  in  the  county. 
He  lived  there  four  years,  running  a  blacksmith  shop 
part  of  the  time,  then  sold  out  and  rented  a  farni 
a  year.  Later  he  bought  railroad  land,  on  which  he 
lived  nearly  four  years,  trading  it  for  property  in 
Cle-Elum.  After  five  years  in  the  latter  place,  he 
bought  his  present  farm  from  an  Indian,  where  he 
has  since  made  his  home.     His  brothers  and  sisters 


are:  James  (deceased),  Clara  A.  Sanford,  Mary  C. 
Christy,  Edward,  William  and  Vincent  (deceased). 

He  was  married  in  Kittitas  county  in  1890,  to 
Miss  May  Stewart,  born  in  Maine,  November  3, 
1867,  daughter  of  Hiram  I.  and  Mary  E.  (Stewart) 
Stewart.  Her  mother  is  dead.  Her  sister  is  Mrs. 
Phedora  C.  Barnes.  Her  only  brother,  Hiram  H. 
Stewart,  is  dead.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bates  have  one 
child,  Lewis  S.,  born  June  30,  1894.  Mr.  Bates  has 
been  a  faithful,  active  Odd  Fellow  since  1863.  Po- 
litically, he  is  a  Democrat,  and  served  as  county 
commissioner  for  one  term.  He  has  161  acres  of 
productive  land. 


ROBERT  SIMPSON,  outside  foreman  of  the 
Cle-Elum  coal  mines,  has  worked  in  and  about  dif- 
ferent mines  ever  since  he  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1881.  He  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  Jan- 
uary 1,  1871,  his  "father,  Alexander  Simpson,  having 
also  been  a  miner.  The  father  was  born  in  1829  and 
died  in  1876.  Mr.  Simpson's  mother,  May  (Little) 
Simpson,  died  about  1887.  When  Mr.  Simpson  was 
a  boy  of  ten  years  he  came  to  the  United  States  with 
his  uncle,  Archie  Reed,  and  went  to  Rockville,  Colo- 
rado, ten  miles  from  Canyon  City,  where  both  found 
employment  in  the  coal  mines.  The  boy  went  to 
work  on  top  of  the  ground  and  the  uncle  down  in 
the  mine.  He  remained  there  five  years  and  then 
went  alone  to  Wyoming  and  secured  employment  in 
the  mines  at  Rock  Springs.  There  he  remained 
three  years,  driving  mules  in  the  mines,  when,  in 
1890.  he  moved  to  Roslyn,  Washington,  and  went  to 
work  as  a  driver  in  the  mines.  After  one  year  he 
went  to  Wellington,  British  Columbia,  where  he 
worked  two  years  as  driver  in  the  mines.  He  re- 
turned to  Roslyn  a  few  months  prior  to  the  strike 
of  1894,  and  drove,  as  before.  May  5,  1894.  he 
began  work  sinking  the  first  shaft  on  the  Cle-Elum 
mines  on  ground  which  James,  Smith,  Hamer  and 
Davis  had  leased  from  Thos.  L.  Gamble.  At  a  depth 
of  240  feet  a  four  and  one-half  foot  vein  of  bitumi- 
nous coal  was  struck,  of  the  same  grade  as  in  the 
Roslyn  mine — the  best  coal  on  the  coast.  He  then 
went  to  digging  coal  in  the  mines  and  has  since 
continued  to  work  in  the  same  properties.  In  1898 
he  was  promoted  to  fire  boss,  but  later  quit  the  job 
and  engaged  in  track  laying  in  the  mines.  After 
two  years  he  was  made  outside  foreman,  a  position 
he  has  since  continued  to  fill  admirably. 

Mr.  Simpson  was  married  May  24,  1896.  to 
Maud  Tuttle,  who  was  born  in  Illinois  in  1874.  Her 
father,  William  W.  Tuttle,  is  engaged  in  the  trans- 
fer business  at  Cle-Elum.  Mrs.  Simpson  has  three 
brothers  and  one  sister,  all  of  whom  reside  at  Cle- 
Elum.  They  are  William  W.,  Roy,  Mabel  and  Lyle 
Tuttle.  Mr.  Simpson  has  three  sisters,  all  residing 
in  Scotland.  They  are  Mary  Simpson,  Annie  Simp- 
son and  Maggie  Simpson.  He  is  the  father  of  four 
children — Orra  Simpson.  Mabel  Simpson,  Margaret 
Simpson  and  Jennette  Simpson.   Mr.  Simpson  is  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


917 


member  of  the  Foresters.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Republican  party,  but  does  not  take  an  active  inter- 
est in  politics. 


CHARLES  CONNELL.  the  weighmaster  for 
the  coal  mines  at  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  was  born 
in  Ontario,  Canada,  April  13,  1872,  and  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  parents  when  but  a  year  old. 
His  father,  Edward  Connell,  was  a  native  of  Ire- 
land, and  was  formerly  engaged  in  the  hotel  busi- 
ness, but  has  now  retired  and  is  making  his  home 
at  Cle-Elum.  Mr.  Connell's  mother,  Jennie  (Geg- 
gie)  Connell,  is  of  Scotch  descent.  She  was  born 
in  1853  and  still  survives.  When  Mr.  Connell  was 
an  infant,  his  parents  moved  from  Canada  to  Wil- 
bur, Nebraska,  where  the  father  engaged  in  the 
hotel  business  for  fourteen  years.  There  Charles 
attended  common  school  and  the  high  school.  The 
family  had  relatives  at  Cle-Elum,  and,  after  a  visit 
to  this  state,  they  became  much  impressed  with  the 
country  and  moved  to  Cle-Elum,  which  has  since 
been  their  home.  The  father  engaged  in  the  general 
merchandise  business  for  three  years.  The  subject 
of  this  sketch  worked  at  the  depot  as  car  clerk  for 
about  five  years  and  then  was  appointed  to  a  posi- 
tion of  clerk  in  the  postoffice,  when  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Smith  was  postmistress.  He  had  charge  of  the 
office  for  some  time  after  F.  Seldon  was  appointed 
postmaster.  Mr.  Connell  then  began  work  with  the 
Cle-Elum  Coal  Company  as  weighmaster,  and  con- 
tinued in  the  same  position  when  that  company  was 
absorbed  by  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Com- 
pany, his  present  employer.  He  was  married  in 
1893  to  Miss  Maud  Willis,  daughter  of  Samuel  and 
Mary  Willis.  Mrs.  Connell  was  a  native  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Her  father  was  formerly  a  telegraph  oper- 
ator, but  is  now  engaged  in  farming  near  Cle-Elum. 
Her  mother  is  dead.  Mr.  Connell  has  two  brothers, 
Russell  H.  Connell,  a  plumber,  and  Frederick  Con- 
nell, also  a  plumber,  and  one  sister,  Daisy  M.  Con- 
nell, all  of  whom  reside  at  Cle-Elum.  He  has  one 
child,  Lester  W.  Connell,  eight  vears  old.  While 
Mr.  Connell  was  elected  justice  of  the  peace  of  Cle- 
Elum  precinct  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  succeeding 
Thomas  Gamble,  he  does  not  believe  in  blindly  vot- 
ing a  straight  ticket.  He  always  votes  for  whom  he 
considers  the  best  man,  irrespective  of  party  affilia- 
tions. Mr.  Connell  is  a  prominent  and  active  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  has  been  through 
all  of  the  chairs  and  is  now  past  chancellor.  He 
owns  considerable  property  at  Cle-Elum  and  is  an 
active  and  popular  citizen. 


JOSEPH  T.  CLARK,  engineer  at  the  Cle-Elum 
coal  mines,  Cle-Elum,  is  a  native  of  Washington  and 
learned  engineering  on  Puget  Sound.  His  father, 
Thomas  J.  V.  Clark,  a  merchant,  was  born  in  Bal- 
timore, Maryland,  in  1848,  and  died  in  his  native 
state  in   1892.     The  elder  Clark  was  a  pioneer  on 


Puget  Sound,  and  in  an  early  day  owned  twenty 
acres  of  land  now  in  the  heart  of  Seattle.  He  served 
during  the  Civil  war  and  was  wounded  near  the 
heart,  but  recovered.  Later  he  served  as  a  scout  on 
the  Plains  for  several  years  for  the  government. 
When  he  first  went  to  Seattle  it  was  a  small  village. 
He  moved  to  North  Yakima  in  1884  and  started  the 
first  store  there,  where  he  remained  in  business  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  was  the  first  mayor  of  that 
city.  Mr.  Clark's  mother,  Maggie  (Mann)  Clark, 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania  in  1852,  and  is  now  a  res- 
ident of  Elgin,  Illinois.  Mr.  Clark  was  born  in 
Skagit  county.  Washington,  September  2,  1876,  and 
was  six  years  old  when  his  parents  moved  to  Yakima 
county.  He  was  educated  in  the  common  schools 
there  until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  Then  he  re- 
turned to  the  Sound  and  went  to  steamboating  and 
learned  engineering,  which  he  followed  at  intervals 
until  1900,  farming  between  times.  He  then  moved 
to  Cle-Elum  and  accepted  the  position  he  now  fills 
so  capably  and  well. 

Mr.  Clark  was  married  July  10,  1899.  to  Jennie 
Lindsey,  who  was  born  in  North  Yakima,  Septem- 
ber, 1879.  Her  father,  William  Lindsey,  who  was 
born  in  Missouri  in  i8ai,  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers in  the  Yakima  valley.  He  served  in  the  Civil 
war  and  then  moved  to  Yakima  county  in  the  late 
sixties,  and  is  now  engaged  in  farming  there.  Mrs. 
Clark's  mother,  Ada  (Wright)  Lindsey,  was  born 
in  1842  in  Ohio  and  is  still  living.  Mrs.  Clark  has 
two  brothers  and  four  sisters :  Edward,  Willis, 
Viola,  Maud,  Margaret  and  Delia  Lindsey.  She  is 
the  mother  of  one  child,  Erman  Clark,  who  was  born 
in  September,  1900.  Mr.  Clark's  eldest  brother,  Da- 
vid Clark,  is  a  brick  mason  and  resides  at  Yakima, 
which  is  also  the  home  of  two  married  sisters,  Grace 
Grant,  wife  of  Sheriff  Grant,  and  Mamie  Simpson. 
Sarah  McKivor,  another  sister,  lives  at  Seattle.  Ida 
Clark  lives  with  her  mother  at  Elgin,  Illinois,  and 
Anna  Livingood,  lives  near  Yakima  City.  Mr.  Clark 
is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party  and  takes  an 
active  interest  in  politics,  attending  all  the  conven- 
tions. He  has  been  successful  in  business  affairs 
and  owns  a  nice  home  at  Cle-Elum,  and,  in  addition, 
has  some  property  at  Yakima. 


TAMES  C.  BALL  is  engineer  at  the  coal  mines 
of  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Company  at 
Cle-Elum.  and  is  an  experienced  miner,  having 
worked  in  the  coal  mines  since  he  was  eleven  years 
old.  His  father,  Robert  Ball,  born  near  Manchester. 
England,  in  1843,  was  a's0  a  miner.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  born  in  Manchester.  England.  July 
22.  1865.  and  came  to  the  United  States  with  his 
parents  in  1868.  His  mother,  Eliza  (Dale)  Ball,  was 
born  in  England  in  1S45  and  still  survives. 

The  family  settled  at  Des  Moines.  Iowa,  where 
the  father  found  employment  in  the  mines.  The  boy 
was  the  eldest  child  and  secured  but  a  limited  educa- 
tion up  to  the  time  he  was  eleven  years  old,  at  which 


9i8 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


time  he  started  to  work  in  the  mines  to  help  support 
the  family.  He  continued  to  work  there  until  1894, 
when  he  moved  to  the  Indian  Territory.  After  he 
had  been  there  a  short  time  he  began  firing,  and 
worked  from  that  time  on  to  become  an  engineer, 
which  he  followed  for  seven  years  at  Coalgate,  In- 
dian Territory,  and  returned  to  Iowa,  where  he  re- 
mained at  Des  Moines  for  three  years.  In  1899  he 
moved  to  Cle-Elum  and  took  his  present  position. 

Mr.  Ball  was  married  March  1,  1890,  in  the 
Indian  Territory,  to  Retta  V.  Hicklin,  who  was 
born  in  Warren  county,  Iowa,  in  1865.  Her  father, 
Francis  M.  Hicklin,  a  farmer,  was  born  June  21, 
1832,  and  died  August  22,  1903.  Her  mother, 
Marion  (Roberts)  Hicklin,  was  born  in  Indiana, 
June  8,  1829,  and  died  January  5,  1899.  Mrs.  Ball 
has  three  brothers,  Nelson,  a  carpenter;  Newton, 
who  is  engaged  in  the  livery  business,  and  Nathan, 
all  of  them  living  in  Iowa.  Mr.  Ball  was  one  of  a 
family  of  eight — four  boys  and  four  girls.  His  sis- 
ters are  Ida,  Minnie,  Frances  and  Mabel ;  his  broth- 
ers Robert,  an  engineer;  Samuel  and  Leonard,  both 
farmers,  all  of  whom  live  in  Iowa.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ball  have  two  children,  Leonard  L.,  born  February 
5,  1891,  in  the  Indian  Territory,  and  Uressa  Pearl, 
born  May  18,  1892. 

Mr.  Ball  is  a  member  of  the  Democratic  party, 
but  does  not  take  an  active  interest  in  politics.  He 
owns  his  home  at  Cle-Elum. 


ELMER  E.  SIMPSON  is  engaged  as  engineer 
at  the  coal  mines  at  Cle-Elum,  Washington,  and  is 
a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  having  been  born  at  Pitts- 
burg, December  7,  1864.  He  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  of  his  home  city,  and  when  about 
seventeen  years  old  went  to  work  in  the  rolling 
mills  there.  Later  he  went  to  the  oil  diggings  and 
worked  in  the  wells  from  1888  until  1893.  During 
that  time  he  was  a  member  of  the  state  militia  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  came  west  in  1893  and  engaged 
in  farming  for  three  years  and  then  went  to  work 
for  the  Cle-Elum  Coal  Company,  and  after  the  first 
year  became  engineer,  which  position  he  has  con- 
tinued to  fill.  When  he  first  started  there  were  but 
few  improvements  at  the  mines,  and  there  was  only 
one  small  engine  used.  The  company  now  uses  two 
large  engines,  in  addition  to  the  large  electric  plant. 
Mr.  Simpson's  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  in  1858.  The  ship  in 
which  he  made  the  voyage  was  nearly  wrecked,  and 
consumed  three  months  in  making  the  passage.  He 
located  first  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  lived  two 
years.  Then  he  moved  to  Pittsburg.  He  was  a 
farmer,  and  in  former  years  was  an  iron  worker.  He 
belonged  to  the  Home  Guards  of  Pennsylvania  for 
a  time.  Mr.  Simpson's  mother,  Louisa  (Steiner) 
Simpson,  was  a  native  of  Pittsburg  and  of  German 
and  Scotch  descent.  '  Her  grandparents,  on  the 
mother's  side  belonged  to  the  Robbins  family,  which 
trace  their  ancestrv  back  to  Mavflower  davs.     Mr. 


Simpson  has  one  half-brother  and  three  half-sisters, 
named,  respectively,  John,  Hannah,  Mary  and  Bes- 
sie, all  of  whom  still  reside  in  Pennsylvania.  In 
1890,  at  Camden,  New  Jersey,  Mr.  Simpson  was 
married  to  Mollie  A.  Porter,  who  was  born  in  Butler 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1872.  Her  father,  William 
Porter,  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter,  and  was  born 
about  185 1,  and  still  resides  in  Pennsylvania,  his  na- 
tive state.  His  wife,  mother  of  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Rachel  (Wilson)  Porter,  was  born  in  Penn- 
sylvania in  1850,  and  died  in  1897.  Her  mother  was 
Mary  Ann  Small,  a  descendant  of  a  Revolutionary 
family.  Mrs.  Simpson  has  four  sisters,  named,  re- 
spectively, Eudora,  Estella,  Elizabeth  and  Clara,  all 
of  whom  reside  in  their  native  state,  Pennsylvania. 
She  is  the  mother  of  five  children :  Muriel,  born  at 
Mars,  Pennsylvania,  September  20,  1892;  Walter, 
born  at  Teanaway,  Washington,  October  21,  1894; 
died  December  24,  1901 ;  Porter,  born  March  31, 
1897,  at  Teanaway,  Washington ;  James  and  Bar- 
bara, born,  respectively,  February  7,  1900,  and  Sep- 
tember 4,  1902,  at  Cle-Elum,  Washington. 

Mr.  Simpson  is  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Cumberland 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  his  wife  is  a  member  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Simpson 
is  a  Republican,  and  takes  great  interest  in  party 
matters,  attending  all  conventions.  He  owns  forty 
acres  of  timber  land  and  property  at  Cle-Elum. 
His  parents  are  very  well-to-do. 


G.  P.  SHORT,  a  lawyer  and  notary  public  of 
Cle-Eium.  Washington,  drew  the  papers  for  the  in- 
corporation of  that  town,  and  was  its  first  city  attor- 
ney. He  is  a  native  of  New  York.  He  was  born  in 
Honeoye,  October  8,  1875.  His  father,  Spencer  B. 
Short,  was  born  in  the  Empire  State  in  1832  and 
comes  of  an  old  English  family  which  settled  in  that 
state  in  the  seventeenth  century.  His  mother,  Lor- 
inda( Pitts) Short,  was  born  in  Honeoye,  New  York, 
in  1842,  and  came  from  the  old  Pitts  stock  of  that 
county.  Her  grandfather  was  the  original  owner  of 
Pittstown,  since  changed  to  Honeoye,  which  was 
named  after  him.  His  brother,  Captain  Peter  Pitts, 
was  in  the  Revolutionary  war.  G.  P.  Short  grew  up 
to  manhood  in  his  native  state.  He  was  educated 
in  the  Genesee  Wesleyan  seminary  at  Lima,  New 
York,  at  Williams  College,  and  at  Cornell  University 
and  in  the  law  schools.  He  graduated  in  1899  and 
came  West  to  the  coast.  He  later  went  to  Ellens- 
burg,  and  was  for  two  vears  with  Kaufman  &  Frost. 
In  1902  he  moved  to  Cle-Elum  and  engaged  in  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  Mr.  Short  was  married 
at  Seattle,  Washington,  November  16,  1900,  to  Mary 
Bostwick,  also  a  native  of  Honeoye  and  a  school- 
mate of  hi?.  Her  father,  William  Bostwick".  was  a 
farmer  of  New  York  State,  of  English  descent.  He 
died  in  180A  His  wife  died  when  Mrs.  Short  was 
a  small  child.    Mrs.  Short  was  educated  in  the  Gen- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


csee  Wesleyan  academy  and  at  Mount  Holyoke, 
Massachusetts.  She  taught  in  New  York  and  at  St. 
Catherine's  College  in  Canada,  just  across  the  line 
from  Buffalo.  She  has  two  sisters  and  two  brothers 
in  New  York.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  G.  P.  Short  are  the 
parents  of  two  interesting  children.  The  older, 
Spencer  D.,  was  born  November  14,  1901 ;  baby  of 
the  family,  Catherine  Short,  was  born  December  4, 
1902.  Mrs.  Short  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church.  Mr.  Short  is  a  Republican,  and  takes  a 
leading  part  in  political  matters,  attending  all  con- 
ventions of  his  party.  In  addition  to  his  law  prac- 
tice, he  finds  time  to  devote  to  the  real  estate  busi- 
ness. 


JOHN  H.  CASH,  head  blacksmith  at  the  coal 

mines  of  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Company 
at  Cle-Elum,  learned  the  trade  with  his  father  and 
brothers  at  Lone  Jack,  Missouri,  his  native  state. 
He  was  born  at  Kansas  City  in  1861.  His  father, 
William  Cash,  a  blacksmith,  was  born  in  North 
Carolina  in  1832,  and  was  raised  in  Kentucky.  He 
died  June  13,  1891.  The  mother,  Elizabeth  (Dun- 
can) Cash,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1841,  and  died 
November  5,  1891.  Her  ancestors  were  Kentucky 
pioneers,  and  her  father,  Thornton  Duncan,  was  a 
veteran  in  the  Mexican  war.  Mr.  Cash  was  ed- 
ucated in  the  common  schools  of  Missouri,  and 
when  seventeen  years  old  began  to  learn  his  trade. 
The  following  year  he  became  self-supporting,  and 
added  to  his  knowledge  the  trade  of  horseshoer.  He 
worked  at  Kansas  City  and  did  track  shoeing  for 
a  number  of  years.  He  continued  to  work  near 
Kansas  City  and  at  Lone  Jack  until  October,  1900, 
when  he  moved  west  and  located  at  Cle-Elum,  where 
his  brother  Oscar  had  previously  settled.  He 
opened  up  a  shop  and  operated  it  for  about  eighteen 
months.  Finding  shoeing  too  hard  on  him,  he  en- 
gaged with  the  coal  company,  where  he  has  since 
remained.  December  17,  1895,  at  Wheatland,  Mis- 
souri, Mr.  Cash  was  married  to  Ella  Shields,  who 
was  born  in  Hickory  county,  Missouri,  July  16, 
1869.  Her  father,  Jacob  Shields,  a  native  of  Illi- 
nois, was  a  stage  driver  in  Missouri  in  early  days, 
running  between  Springfield  and  Sedalia.  He  was 
born  in  1845  and  is  still  living  in  Missouri.  Mrs. 
Cash's  mother,  Melissa  (Bird)  Shields,  was  born 
in  Missouri  in  1847  and  d'ed  m  1894.  Mr.  Cash  has 
one  brother,  Oscar  Cash,  now  a  resident  of  Port- 
land, Oregon.  He  has  two  sisters,  both  of  whom 
are  married — Ella  (Cash)  Koons  and  Mollie 
(Cash)  Sapp.  Mrs.  Cash's  only  brother,  Edwin 
Shields,  lives  at  Cle-Elum.  Her  married  sisters, 
Jennie  (Shields)  McLean  and  Cora  (Shields) 
Simms,  reside  in  Missouri.  Mrs.  Cash  is  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  Church.  She  and  Mr.  Cash  have  an 
adopted  daughter,  Opal  Cash.  Mr.  Cash  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Brotherhood  of  America.  He  is 
a  thorough  Democrat  and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
the  success  of  his  party  and  in  matters  political.    He 


has  been  quite  successful  and  owns  his  home  at  Cle- 
Elum. 


WILLIAM  M.  ADAM,  now  serving  his  third 
term  as  mayor  of  Roslyn,  Washington,  is  a  contract- 
or and  builder,  and  comes  from  a  family  of  carpen- 
ters. It  is  worthy  of  note  that  during  his  fourteen 
years'  residence  at  Roslyn,  he  has  worked  but  four- 
teen days  outside  of  his  trade.  He  was  born  in  St. 
Croix  county,  Wisconsin,  January  6,  1859.  His 
father,  Christopher  Adam,  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1825  and  came  to  the  United  States  when  a  young 
man  to  follow  his  trade  of  cabinet  making.  He  served 
as  a  member  of  the  Thirtieth  Wisconsin  regiment  for 
three  years  and  four  months  during  the  Civil  war, 
and  was  wounded  and  later  was  granted  a  pension. 
The  mother,  Catherine  (Deal)  Adam,  was  a  native 
of  Germany,  but  came  to  the  United  States  with  her 
parents  when  she  was  a  small  child.  Mr.  Adam 
secured  a  good  education  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state  and  when  but  a  small  boy  began  to 
work  at  the  trade  of  carpenter  and  cabinet  maker 
with  his  father,  and  virtually  grew  up  in  the  busi- 
ness. He  remained  at  home  until  he  was  twenty- 
one,  but  had  begun  taking  outside  work  from  the 
time  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  He  worked  more 
than  two  years  at  Burkhardt's  on  one  job,  putting 
in  a  dam  and  building  a  large  flour-mill  and  elevator 
plant  and  planing-mill.  He  worked  at  St.  Paul  also 
for  a  long  time,  and  in  1889  he  moved  West  and 
opened  up  in  the  contracting  business  at  Roslyn, 
which  he  has  followed  with  marked  success  ever 
since.  Mr.  Adam  was  married  in  Wisconsin  in 
1882  to  Mary  E.  Packingham,  who  died  in  Jan- 
uary, 1889.  There  were  three  children  born  to 
them :  James  H.,  who  is  following  the  trade  of  a 
carpenter ;  Jane  G.,  living  in  St.  Paul,  and  William 
T.,  who  lives  with  his  father  at  Roslyn.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1893,  Mr.  Adam  was  married  to  Frances 
Alexander,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin  in  1861. 
She  was  the  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Bessie  (Kelley) 
Alexander.  Both  of  her  parents  are  still  living.  By 
this  marriage  there  is  one  child,  Georgia,  ten  years 
old.  Mr.  Adam's  brothers  and  sisters  bear  the  fol- 
lowing names :  Helen,  Louis.  Mary,  Charles,  Jacob, 
Christopher,  Lottie  and  Hattie.  Three  of  the 
brothers  are  carpenters.  Mr.  Adam  is  an  active 
Republican,  and  is  county  committeeman,  a  posi- 
tion he  has  filled  for  years.  During  his  residence  at 
Roslyn  he  served  a  term  as  city  councilman.  Then 
he  was  elected  mayor  for  two  consecutive  terms. 
After  a  rest  he  consented  that  his  name  should  be 
used  again  last  fall,  and  he  was  chosen  mayor  for 
the  third  time  over  James  Herron,  a  first  class  cit- 
izen, who  had  the  endorsement  of  the  coal  com- 
pany. Mr.  Adam  is  a  firm  advocate  of  public  own- 
ership of  public  conveniences.  He  was  instrumental 
as  mayor  in  having  the  first  water  works  system 
installed  at  Roslyn.  The  growth  of  the  town  having 
made  further  improvements  necessary  to  the  system, 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


these  will  be  made  under  his  directions.  He  has 
given  this  matter  much  thought  and  study,  and  his 
advice  on  water  systems  has  been  sought  by  other 
municipalities.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Woodmen 
of  the  World.  Air.  Adam  has  been  very  successful 
in  his  business  undertakings.  He  is  one  of  twelve 
men  who  own  the  property  of  the  Sampson  Mining 
Company  in  Skagit  county.  The  mine  is  a  copper, 
gold  and  silver  proposition,  and  is  considered  one 
of  the  best  in  the  Northwest.  Mr.  Adam  owns 
considerable  town  property  in  Roslyn,  and  is  a^art- 
ner  with  A.  Stoves  in  the  undertaking  business. 


WILLIAM  P.  MORGAN,  station  agent  at  Ros- 
lyn, Washington,  a  position  he  has  filled  since  July 
3,  1891,  was  born  in  Brecon,  south  Wales,  October 
16,  1864.  His  father,  William  Morgan,  was  a 
farmer  in  that  country,  born  in  1837.  and  came  to 
the  United  States  in  1876,  locating  in  Mifflin  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  died  February  8,  1903.  The 
mother,  Annie  (Parry)  Morgan,  was  born  in  Wales 
in  1838  and  died  September  30,  1869.  Mr.  Morgan 
attended  the  national  schools  in  Wales  until  he 
was  sixteen  years  old.  He  took  up  the  study  of 
telegraphy  when  he  was  thirteen,  and  soon  had 
charge  of  an  office.  He  came  to  the  United  States, 
Januarv  15.  1881.  and  found  that  he  had  to  learn 
telegraphy  all  over  again.  He  went  to  Pittsburg  and 
secured  employment  under  Andrew  Carnegie,  car- 
rying pig  iron,  and  was  paid  one  dollar  and  twenty- 
five  cents  a  day.  He  was  also  employed  by 
the  Pittsburg  Steel  Company  and  the  Graff- 
Bennet  Steel  Company.  Later  he  went  to  Wis- 
consin, where  his  brother,  David  E.  Morgan, 
was  employed.  There  he  worked  on  a  farm  and 
learned  telegraphy  on  the  Milwaukee  railroad  at 
North  Prairie.  A  few  months  afterward  he  secured 
regular  employment  as  a  telegraph  operator.  He 
was  operator  at  Janesville,  Wisconsin,  for  three 
years,  and  for  two  years  at  Darlington.  In  1890 
he  came  West  and  located  at  Easton,  on  the  North- 
ern Pacific,  as  operator.  He  moved  to  Roslyn  that 
September  and  engaged  as  operator  and  bill  clerk, 
from  which  he  was  promoted  to  his  present  position. 

Mr.  Morgan  was  married  at  Roslyn,  August  21, 
1900,  to  Emma  W.  Blunt,  daughter  of  George  and 
Ellen  (Martin)  Blunt.  She  was  born  in  Maryland 
in  1877.  Her  father  was  a  native  of  England  and 
a  coal  miner.  He  is  dead.  Her  mother  was  of 
Scotch  parentage  and  still  resides  at  Roslyn.  Mr. 
Morgan  has  one  brother  and  two  sisters ;  Madge  is 
wife  of  Thomas  France;  Ada  M.  and  David  E., 
the  latter  living  in  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Mor- 
gan have  one  child,  Eleanor  Louise,  who  was  born 
June  5,  1901.  Mr.  Morgan  was  mayor  of  Roslyn 
for  two  terms,  and  his  administration  was  most  sat- 
isfactory. Three  miles  of  sewers  were  put  in,  a 
road  grader  was  purchased,  and  all  the  streets  were 
graded,  and  other  improvements  were  made  during 
his  terms.     He  is  a  stanch  Republican.     He  is  sec- 


retary of  and  a  stockholder  in  the  Imperial  Mining 
Company  and  has  other  mining  interests.  He  is  the 
chairman  of  the  Roslyn  board  of  education,  which 
position  he  has  held  for  three  years.  He  has  been 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  since  1888.  He 
is  a  genial,  pleasant  gentleman,  and  has  a  host  of 
friends. 


ELIJAH  BROOKS  is  the  fire  boss  at  the  Cle- 
Elum  mine  No.  2,  and  was  born  in  England,  Sep- 
tember 14,  1 865,  where  he  lived  until  he  was  four- 
teen years  old.  His  father,  Samuel  Brooks,  was  a 
railroad  man,  and  was  killed  in  1871  while  crossing 
a  bridge  at  Lye,  near  Storbridge,  when  the  subject 
was  then  but  five  years  old.  Two  years  later  young 
Brooks  went  to  work  in  a  brickyard.  In  1873  he 
started  to  work  in  the  coal  mines,  and  continued  that 
employment  until  1880,  when  with  his  mother,  Eliz- 
abeth (Hill)  Brooks,  and  the  rest  of  the  family,  he 
came  to  the  United  States.  The  mother  returned  to 
Emgland  in  1894,  and  still  lives  there.  Mr.  Brooks 
secured  employment  in  the  mines  at  Knightsville, 
Ind.ana,  where  he  remained  until  1888.  In  that 
year  he  went  to  the  Indian  Territory  coal  mines  at 
Cribbs  for  the  Osage  Coal  Mining  Company,  and 
was  in  McAlester  until  1891.  At  the  time  of  the 
great  explosion  in  No.  11  there  were  one  hundred 
and  five  men  killed  and  fatally  injured.  Mr.  Brooks 
was  one  of  the  few  who  escaped  by  the  exercise  of 
coolness  and  presence  of  mind.  He  and  the  others 
who  escaped  made  their  way  to  safety  through  the 
old  workings  of  the  mine,  after  being  imprisoned 
four  and  one-half  hours  after  the  explosion.  Mr. 
Brooks  then  went  to  Coalgate,  where  he  worked 
until  1898,  when  he  moved  to  Vancouver  Island, 
B.  C,  and  worked  in  the  mines  there  until  March, 
1 90 1.  Then  he  moved  to  Cle-Elum  and  worked  for 
a  time  in  the  mines,  until  he  took  up  the  duties  of 
fire  boss.  It  is  his  duty  to  enter  the  mines  and  in- 
spect them  every  morning  before  the  workmen  come, 
to  see  there  are  no  gases  or  other  threatening  indi- 
cations. 

Mr.  Brooks  was  married  in  1887.  at  Knightsville, 
Indiana,  to  Mary  A.  Davison,  who  was  born  in 
England,  July  16,  1869.  She  was  the  daughter  of 
Martin  and  Elizabeth  (Proud)  Davison.  Her 
father,  an  English  miner,  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1881  and  died  in  1898  on  Vancouver  Island.  Her 
mother  is  still  living  at  Cle-Elum,  Washington.  Mrs. 
Brooks  has  two  brothers  and  two  sisters,  named,  re- 
spectively. Frank,  Elizabeth  A.,  Martin  and  Isabella. 
Mr.  Brooks  has  two  brothers.  Samuel  and  Matthew, 
both  of  whom  are  miners.  The  former  lives  in  In- 
diana and  the  latter  in  Indian  Territory.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Brooks  have  three  children :  Elijah,  born  July 
31,  1888;  Martin,  born  August  8,  1891,  and  Frank, 
born  October  12,  1893.  ^r-  Brooks  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Red  Men  and  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  Republican  and  has 
been  twice  nominated  for  membership  in  the  city 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


921 


council.  He  owns  his  own  home  and  lot  at  Cle- 
Elum.  The  house  is  a  neat  one  and  well  furnished. 
Mrs.  Brooks  attends  the  Presbyterian  church. 


GEORGE  SLOAN,  M.  D.,  physician  and  sur- 
geon at  Roslyn,  Washington,  is  of  Scotch  ancestry. 
He  is  the  son  of  Alexander  and  Sarah  (Percy) 
Sloan,  both  natives  of  Scotland.  The  elder  Sloan 
was  a  mine  owner  and  manager  in  Allegany  coun- 
ty, Maryland.  He  traces  his  ancestry  back  to  the 
sixteenth  century.  Dr.  Sloan  was  born  at  Pom- 
pey  Smash,  Allegany  county,  Maryland,  June  20, 
1856.  He  worked  in  his  father's  coal  office  and 
attended  the  common  schools  in  his  native  state.  He 
finished  the  high  school  in  1875  and  went  to  Belle- 
vue  Hospital  and  Medical  College,  New  York  City, 
where  he  was  graduated  in  medicine  in  1878,  at  the 
age  of  about  twenty-one  years.  He  first  practiced 
his  profession  at  Moinogonia,  Iowa,  and  then  was 
appointed  surgeon  for  the  coal  company  at  the  Fort 
Dodge  mines.  After  four  years  in  that  position  he 
took  a  vacation  of  one  year  and  settled  at  Des 
Moines,  Iowa.  In  November,  1888,  he  moved  to 
Roslyn,  where  he  became  surgeon  for  the  employees 
of  the  Northern  Pacific  Coal  Company,  now  a  part 
of  the  mining  department  of  the  Northwestern 
Improvement  Company,  with  offices  and  interests 
at  other  points  of  the  state  and  elsewhere.  His 
business  is  to  look  after  the  employees  of  the  com- 
pany and  their  families,  supplying  all  medical  and 
surgical  attention  they  require. 

Dr.  Sloan  superseded  Dr.  W.  H.  Harris  as  mine 
physician,  and  has  filled  the  position  ever  since.  Dr. 
J.  H  Lyon  was  for  a  time  associated  with  him,  and 
later  Dr.  L.  L.  Porter  and  Dr.  A.  C.  Simonton  also 
became  associated  in  the  work. 

Dr.  Sloan  was  married  in  1890,  in  Maryland,  to 
Elizabeth  A.  Bell,  who  was  born  in  Lonaconing, 
that  state,  in  1857.  Her  father,  John  Bell,  was  a 
native  of  Scotland,  a  mining  engineer,  and  died  in 
1877  at  tne  a&e  °f  forty-seven  years.  Her  mother, 
Margaret  (Hutchinson)  Bell,  was  a  native  of  Nova 
Scotia.  Dr.  Sloan  had  five  brothers  and  five  sisters, 
as  follows :  Agnes  Whelan,  Duncan  J.,  Margaret 
R.,  Sarah  M.,  and  Jean  McF.  Sloan,  living  in  North 
Baltimore,  Ohio;  Matthew  H.,  of  Cumberland; 
Alexander  D.,  of  North  Yakima,  'Washington ;  Ed- 
win R.,  residing  in  Jackson,  Mississippi ;  Judge  D. 
W.  Sloan,  of  Cumberland,  now  deceased,  and  Mrs. 
Helen  P.  Schaidt,  who  has  also  passed  away. 


JAMES  LANE  came  to  the  United  States  from 
England  when  twenty-two  years  of  age,  believing 
that  better  opportunities  were  offered  here  than  in 
his  native  country  to  men  of  ambition  and  energy 
whose  success  in  life  must  depend  upon  their  indi- 
vidual efforts  and  resources.  Prior  to  coming  to 
this  country  he  received  his  education  in  English 
schools,  and  after  the  completion  of  his  studies  spent 


a  number  of  years  in  coal  mining.  After  reaching 
the  United  States,  he  continued  in  the  same  occu- 
pation, settling  in  Braidwood,  Illinois,  July,   1879, 


whence  he  removed  to  Streator 


inois,  remaining 


there  some  ten  years,  or  until  his  settlement  in  Ros- 
lyn. in  1889.  Here  he  at  once  commenced  to  work 
in  the  mines,  and  continued  in  this  employment  until 
August  22,  1898,  when  he  was  appointed  postmaster 
by  President  McKinley.  In  the  past  five  years  the 
office  has  advanced  from  fourth  class  to  the  presi- 
dential grade,  the  annual  receipts  now  amounting  to 
$3,900,  and  the  money  order  receipts  being  greater 
than  those  of  any  town  in  the  state  having^  like 
population.  Mr.  Lane  was  born  in  Clearwell.  Dean 
Forest,  Gloucestershire,  England,  during  Novem- 
ber, 1857.  He  is  the  son  of  Emanuel  and  Mary 
(Jones)  Lane,  his  father  being  a  native  of  England, 
where  he  died  in  18Q9.  The  mother  was  of  Welsh 
descent ;  she  died  in  May.  1864.  Emanuel  Lane  was 
a  metal  miner,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  a 
contractor  in  the  mines  at  Dean  Forest.  James  Lane 
has  one  brother,  Thomas,  a  farmer  living  in  Iowa. 

Mr.  Lane  was  married  in  Wigane.  Lancashire, 
England,  in  June,  1876,  to  Miss  Anna  N.  Clark, 
daughter  of  Henry  and  Mary  (Cole)  Clark,  both 
natives  of  England,  born,  respectively,  in  1835  and 
1839.  Mrs.  Lane's  father  was  a  miner  in  his  native 
country :  crossed  the  water  in  1870.  and  engaged  in 
mining  for  a  time  in  Pennsylvania :  he  is  now  a  res- 
ident of  Roslyn.  His  wife  died  August  22,  1906. 
Mrs.  Lane  has  two  brothers,  William  H..  of  Roslyn, 
and  Charles  Clark,  of  Seattle.  She  also  has  two  sis- 
ters, Agnes  Ellis,  a  resident  of  Illinois,  and  Mary 
A.  Doer,  living  in  Roslyn.  The  children  of  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lane  are:  James  Lane.  Junior,  Florence  Mor- 
rison and  Cora  McCullock,  all  living  in  Roslyn.  Mr. 
Lane  is  prominent  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  society,  having 
occupied  all  the  chairs  and  being  past  grand  of  the 
order.  He  has  been  an  active  Republican  ever  since 
coming  to  this  country ;  was  nominee  for  county  as- 
sessor in  Kittitas  county  in  189ft,  nut:  was  defeated 
with  his  party,  the  entire  ticket  failing  of  election. 
Mr.  Lane,  however,  came  out  second  on  the  ticket. 
He  has  served  here  four  years  as  a  county  central 
committeeman,  and  was  last  year  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  state  convention ;  he  was  the  first  coun- 
cilman at  large  in  Roslyn  and  served  four  successive 
terms  in  this  capacity.  The  city  hall  and  city  jail 
were  built  while  he  was  a  member  of  the  council. 
Mr.  Lane  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  substantial  and 
most  successful  citizens  of  Roslyn,  and  is  an  in- 
fluential member  of  his  political  party.  He  enjoys 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  know  him. 


SIMON  R.  JUSTHAM,  a  painter  and  paper- 
hanger  of  Roslyn  and  deputy  game  warden  of  Kit- 
titas county,  Washington,  is  a  native  of  Northum- 
berland county,  England,  born  February  5.  1868. 
He  is  the  son  of  Samuel  R.  and  Laura  (Tipitt) 
Justham,   both   natives   of   England,    his    father,   a 


922 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


butcher,  born  in  Devonshire,  in  1834,  now  living  in 
Pennsylvania,  to  which  state  he  came  from  England 
in  1889.  Simon  R.  Justham  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  England  and  spent  some  time  afterwards 
in  the  mines,  coming  to  the  United  States  at  the 
ago  of  eighteen,  on  account  of  an  extensive  strike 
among  the  miners  of  his  locality.  He  was  first  em- 
ployed in  a  tannery  in  Reynoldsville,  Pennsylvania, 
going  at  the  end  of  six  months  to  Ishpeming,  Mich- 
igan, where  he  was  employed  a  like  period  in  the 
iron  mines.  Leaving  this  locality,  he  went  to  the 
Sound  country,  and  worked  eighteen  months  in  the 
Black  Diamond  mines,  coming  at  the  end  of  this 
time,  March,  1899,  to  Roslyn,  where  he  has  since 
made  his  home.  After  one  year  spent  in  the  mines, 
he  entered  the  painting  establishment  of  J.  H.  Cal- 
hoon,  remaining  there  three  years,  during  which 
time  he  learned  the  trade.  He  then  went  into  busi- 
ness for  himself,  and  has  been  successful  in  building 
up  an  extensive  trade;  he  has  been  longer  in  the 
business  than  any  one  now  living  in  the  town,  and 
practically  controls  the  local  trade.  Mr.  Justham 
has  two  children,  Frederick  and  Laura,  now  attend- 
ing the  Roslyn  public  schools.  He  has  brothers  and 
sisters  living  in  the  eastern  states,  as  follows: 
Thomas,  James,  William,  Grace,  Charlotte,  Susan 
and  Malora.  Mr.  Justham  holds  membership  in  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  fraternity  and  in  the  Painters' 
Union  of  Seattle.  He  is  an  active  worker  in  the 
Democratic  party  and  a  leader  in  the  local  party 
organization  as  well  as  a  member  of  the  county  cen- 
tral committee.  In  1902,  he  was  a  candidate  for 
county  auditor,  being  defeated,  with  his  party,  by 
only  seven  votes.  He  is  at  present  a  bailiff  and  has 
also  served  as  constable.  An  enthusiastic  sports- 
man, he  takes  a  deep  interest  in  the  work  of  pre- 
serving the  game.  He  is  interested  in  the  "Huckle- 
berry" and  other  quartz  mines  of  this  section,  and 
is  a  successful  business  man,  popular,  and  highly 
•esteemed  as  one  of  the  substantial  citizens  of  Roslyn. 


ARCHIBALD  S.  PATRICK  has  been  a  res- 
ident of  Kittitas  county,  Washington,  almost  con- 
tinuously since  1886,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
time  a  citizen  of  Roslyn.  In  the  year  named,  Mr. 
Patrick  came  here  from  Montana,  where  for  three 
years  he  had  been  in  the  service  of  the  Northern  Pa- 
cific Coal  Company,  and  during  this  period  located 
some  of  the  best  coal  veins  in  that  state.  In  1886, 
he  was  sent  to  Kittitas  county  by  the  same  company, 
now  known  as  the  Northwestern  Improvement 
Company,  and  located  for  them  the  Roslyn. mines, 
the  finest  coal  fields  in  the  great  Northwest.  Until 
1890,  he  remained  with  the  company  as  a  mining 
engineer,  going  at  this  time  to  British  Columbia, 
where  he  made  an  unsuccessful  effort  to  locate  coal 
fields  for  another  company.  He  returned  later  to 
Kittitas  county,  and  until  1898  was  variously  em- 
ployed, at  first  spending  some  time  prospecting  in 
his  own  interests,  and  afterwards  entering  the  serv- 


ice of  the  Roslyn  water-works  as  a  plumber,  becom- 
ing at  the  same  time  general  plumber  for  the  city 
and  looking  after  the  city  contracts.  In  1898,  Mr. 
Patrick  and  A.  D.  Hopper,  of  Spokane,  organized  the 
Roslyn  Coal  Company,  now  operating  coal  mines 
two  miles  northwest  of  the  city.  Mr.  Patrick  is  an 
expert  coal  prospector  and  mining  engineer,  and  has 
located  and  now  owns  extensive  areas  of  coal  lands 
in  the  Roslyn  district,  which  are  yearly  becoming 
more  valuable.  Mr.  Patrick  was  born  in  Lannerick- 
shire,  Scotland,  October  28,  1862.  He  is  the  son 
of  James  and  Jane  (Stewart)  Patrick,  both  natives 
of  Scotland,  and  both  born  in  1827.  His  father 
came  to  Pennsylvania  in  1868  and  engaged  in  the 
mercantile  business  in  the  mining  district  about 
Pittsburg,  also,  at  a  later  period,  engaged  in  min- 
ing; he  died  in  1901.  The  subject  of  this  biography 
came  to  the  United  States  with  his  mother  in  1869, 
his  father  having  preceded  them.  He  spent  his 
early  manhood  in  Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  and  here 
received  his  education  in  the  common  schools.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  a  machinist,  and  until  1881 
spent  his  time  at  that  trade  and  in  mining  in  Ohio. 
In  1881,  he  began  life  on  his  own  account,  removing 
to  Boone  county,  Iowa,  and  engaging  in  mining  and 
the  real  estate  business.  His  next  move,  in  1883, 
was  to  Montana,  where  he  became  associated  with 
the  Northern  Pacific  Coal  Company,  locating  three 
years  later  in  Kittitas  county,  as  has  been  previously 
stated. 

Mr.  Patrick  was  married  January  1,  1891,  to 
Euphemia  Simpson,  who  was  born  in  Scotland  in 
1870,  came  to  this  country  in  1871,  and  was  ed- 
ucated in  Ohio,  where  the  marriage  took  place.  She 
is  the  daughter  of  Henry  and  Jennie  (Burrell) 
Simpson,  both,  natives  of  Scotland;  her  father  is 
a  millwright.  Both  father  and  mother  still  live 
in  Ohio.  The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Patrick  are : 
Jennie  Burrell,  Mary  Stewart,  Nellie  Simpson, 
James  and  Harvey  Simpson  Stewart.  Mr.  Patrick 
is  a  prominent  member  of  both  the  Knights  of 
Pythias  and  Masonic  fraternities;  is  past  master  of 
the  latter  order  in  Roslyn.  The  family  belongs  to  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Patrick  is  an  enthusiastic 
Republican,  attends  local  and  state  conventions,  and 
has  served  as  chairman  of  the  local  precinct  commit- 
tee. He  takes  considerable  interest  in  school  mat- 
ters and  was  for  several  }rears  a  member  of  the 
school  board,  his  term  expiring  in  1902.  He  is  ex- 
tensively interested  both  in  Roslyn  and  in  valley 
real  estate,  has  one  of  the  finest  residences  in  Ros- 
lyn and  takes  special  interest  in  the  development 
of  town  and  country.  He  is  public  spirited  and 
progressive,  holds  the  respect  and  confidence  of  all, 
and  is  known  as  one  of  the  influential  and  substan- 
tial residents  of  central  Washington. 


ALLEN  C.  SIMONTON,  M.  D.,  the  subject 
of  this  article,  was  born  in  Wabash  county,  Indiana, 
in    1 841.     His   father,  Jacob  Simonton,  was  born 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


923 


in  Ohio  in  1810.  He  followed  merchandizing  for 
years  and  died  in  Iowa  in  1894  at  the  ripe  old  age 
of  eighty-four.  His  mother,  who  was  L.eah  Cal- 
houn in  maiden  life,  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  1812,  and  died  in  185 1.  Dr.  Simonton  grew 
to  young  manhood  in  the  land  of  tall  sycamores  and 
acquired  his  education  in  the  Wabash  high  school. 
It  was  at  the  time  when  the  seething,  boiling 
caldron  of  national  politics  was  bubbling  over  with 
hate  and  murderous  thought,  and  the  young  man 
had  imbibed  the  spirit  of  the  time.  He  was  in- 
doctrinated with  pronounced  anti-slavery  views, 
and,  having  the  courage  of  his  convictions,  it  is  not 
surprising  that  he  promptly  responded  to  the  first 
call  "to  arms"  of  his  government.  He  enlisted  in 
the  War  of  the  Rebellion,  April  19,  1861,  and  served 
until  1864,  holding  a  commission  as  a  lieutenant. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  army  service,  he  at  once 
began  the  study  of  medicine,  attending  a  course  of 
lectures.  He  entered  the  Chicago  Medical  College, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  186S,  and  for  a 
time  followed  the  practice  of  his  profession  amid 
the  scenes  of  his  boyhood  in  Wabash  county,  In- 
diana. He  then  migrated  to  Iowa,  where  he  lived 
and  practiced  medicine  for  twenty-one  years  with 
excellent  success.  In  1890,  the  tidal  wave  westward 
loosed  him  from  his  old  moorings  and  landed  him 
on  the  Pacific  Coast  in  the  state  of  orange  blossoms 
and  gold.  He  resided  in  California  seven  years, 
following  his  profession;  then  removed  to  Seattle, 
where  he  practiced  for  two  years.  He  established 
a  permanent  home  in  Seattle,  where  his  family 
still  resides.  Four  years  ago  he  came  to  Roslyn, 
formed  a  partnership  with  Drs.  Sloan  and  Porter, 
and  has  remained  here  since.  The  firm  is  known 
as  the  "company  physicians,"  for  the  reason  that 
they  hold  almost  the  exclusive  practice  among  the 
mining  men  and  their  families.  The  doctor  has 
brothers  and  sisters  living,  as  follows :  Robert, 
Huntington,  Indiana;  Martha  Butler,  Iowa;  Jennie 
Ward,  Iowa ;  Olive  Moore,  Missouri,  and  Alice 
Townsend,  Texas. 

He  was  married  in  Iowa  in  1871  to  Miss  Lillian 
Brandt,  a  native  of  Huntington,  Ind.,  born  Feb- 
ruary 4,  1852,  and  educated  in  the  city  of  her  birth, 
being  a  graduate  of  the  high  school.  Her  father, 
Martin  B.  Brandt,  was  of  German  descent,  born  in 
Pennsylvania  in  1808.  He  was  a  business  man  of 
ability,  following  merchandizing  for  years,  and  was 
a  county  official  for  sixteen  years.  He  died  in  1892. 
The  mother,  Nancy  (Free)  Brandt,  was  of  German 
extraction,  and  died  in  Indiana  at  the  age  of  fifty- 
two.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Simonton's  children  are :  Edith, 
born  in  Iowa,  May  24,  1872,  and  Helen,  also  born 
in  Iowa,  May  29,  1882. 

Fraternallv,  the  doctor  is  affiliated  with  the  Ma- 
sonic, A.  O.  U.  W.  and  the  G.  A.  R.  orders.  Politi- 
cally, he  is  an  active  Republican,  and  has  rendered 
valuable  assistance  in  the  defense  of  the  principles 
of  his  party  in  many  a  heated  campaign,  being  an 
exceptionally  good  public  speaker.    In  former  years 


he  taught  chemistry  and  physiology  in  eastern 
schools,  and  later  held  the  chair  of  surgery  in  the 
Iowa  College  of  Physicians,  at  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
In  the  practice  of  his  profession  the  doctor  ranks 
high,  but  it  is  as  a  surgeon  that  he  takes  pre-emi- 
nence, and  his  counsel  and  advice  are  often  called 
for  in  the  consultation  chamber  of  the  professional 
brotherhood,  and  his  conclusions  are  usually  de- 
ferred to. 


DR.  ROSCOE  N.  JACKSON,  of  Spokane,  is 
president  of  the  Fortune  Mining  and  Smelting  Com- 
pany, whose  properties  are  located  in  Kittitas  and 
Chelan  counties,  Washington.  The  valuable  mines 
owned  by  this  company  are  fully  described  in  the 
portion  of  this  volume  devoted  to  the  resources  of 
Kittitas  county. 

Dr.  Jackson  is  a  native  of  Boonville,  New  York, 
born  in  1856.  His  ancestors  were  Scotch-Irish  and 
came  to  this  country  before  the  Revolutionary  war; 
"Old  Hickory"  was  one  of  the  family.  The  doctor 
obtained  his  medical  education  in  New  York  City, 
graduating  in  1880.  For  twenty  years,  he  had  an 
extensive  practice  in  New  York  and  Minnesota,  but 
for  the  last  three  years  has  devoted  his  time  to  the 
Fortune  and  to  other  mining  interests,  including 
the  Gilt  Edge  mine,  of  which  he  is  manager.  Dr. 
Jackson  is  a  man  of  method  and  energy,  who  be- 
lieves in  seeing  things  go,  and  is  doing  all  in  his 
power  for  the  company  he  represents. 


M.  A.  DEHUFF,  a  resident  of  Spokane,  is  sec- 
retary of  the  Fortune  Mining  and  Smelting  Com- 
pany, whose  properties  are  destined  to  add  very 
materially  to  the  wealth  of  Kittitas  and  Chelan 
counties,  Washington,  where  they  are  located.  A 
description  of  the  mines  belonging  to  this  company 
will  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

Mr.  Dehuff  was  born  in  Ottawa  county,  Ohio, 
in  1854.  He  is  of  German  parentage  and  received 
his  education  in  the  German  Wallace  College,  a 
suburb  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  In  1895,  he  came  to 
Spokane,  and  was  for  several  years  principal  of  the 
Spokane  School  of  Assaying,  connected  with  the 
Spokane  Business  College.  Graduates  from  this 
school  are  now  in  all  the  principal  mining  camps  of 
the  Northwest.  Mr.  Dehuff's  connection  with  this 
institution  afforded  him  unexcelled  opportunities  to 
acquaint  himself  with  the  mining  region  of  the 
Northwest,  and,  as  a  natural  consequence,  his  min- 
ing interests  have  compelled  him  to  abandon  school 
work.  For  a  number  of  years  his  entire  time  has 
been  devoted  to  the  business  of  mining,  and  he  is 
now  actively  and  successfully  connected  with  sev- 
eral large  companies. 


GEORGE  W.  DAINES,  of  Spokane,  is  treas- 
urer and  general  manager  of  the  Fortune  Mining 


924 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  Smelting  Company,  which  has  large  mining 
interests  in  Kittitas  and  Chelan  counties,  Wash- 
ington ;  these  are  described  in  another  portion  of 
this  volume. 

Mr.  Daines  is  a  native  of  Indiana,  born  in  1846. 
His  early  education  was  received  in  the  district 
schools  of  Indiana  and  Illinois.  In  later  years 
he  was  for  a  time  connected  in  a  business  way 
with  the  Standard  Oil  Company;  afterwards 
building  and  operating  large  hominy  mills  at 
Danville,  Illinois.  During  his  school  days  he 
made  a  special  study  of  the  science  of  geology, 
and,  being  of  an  investigating  turn  of  mind,  he 
very  naturally  became  interested  in  the  mining 
business.  In  December,  1899,  he  connected  him- 
self with  the  Fortune  Company,  becoming  one  of 
the  trustees.  Since  January  4,  1900,  he  has  served 
as  treasurer  and  general  manager  of  this  com- 
pany. Besides  his  connection  with  the  Fortune 
Company,  he  is  actively  associated  with  the  Sure 
Thing  and  the  Daines  Companies. 


CLARENCE  E.  CURTIS,  D.  D.  S.  Well 
up  in  the  list  of  professional  names  accredited  to 
the  city  of  Roslyn  is  found  that  of  Dr.  Curtis,  the 
young  and  popular  dentist.  While  not  an  old 
resident  of  the  city  nor  an  old  practitioner  who 
has  grown  gray  in  his  profession,  he  has,  by  his 
skill,  tact  and  unfailing  courtesy  and  gentlemanly 
bearing,  won  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the 
citizens  of  that  community  during  his  residence 
there;  which  regard,  it  is  reasonable  to  predict, 
will  continue  to  increase  with  the  years. 

Dr.  Curtis  was  born  September  16,  1875,  in 
Menomonie,  Wisconsin,  and  was  there  educated 
in  the  rudimentary  branches,  assisting  a  portion 
of  the  time  in  the  mercantile  establishment 
owned  by  his  father.  But  not  taking  kindly  to 
merchandizing,  he  determined  to  study  dentistry 
and,  with  that  decision  well  fixed  in  his  mind,  at- 
tended the  Ann  Arbor,  Michigan,  University, 
from  which  institution  he  was  graduated  with 
credit  and,  losing  no  time,  he  at  once  began  the 
practice  of  the  profession.  He  selected  West 
Superior,  Wisconsin,  as  the  field  of  his  labors ; 
there  opened  an  office  and  began  work.  He  re- 
ceived much  encouragement  and  his  business 
prospered;  but  the  Western  fever  was  in  his 
veins  and  he  eventually,  at  the  end  of  a  year, 
1902,  determined  to  locate  on  the  Pacific  coast, 
and  selected  Roslyn  as  the  point  of  venture,  where 
he  still  resides. 


WALTER  STEELE  is  a  mining  man  of  Ros- 
lyn, Washington.  Although  he  was  born  in 
Yorkshire,  England,  June  15,  1876,  he  has  lived 
in  the  United  States  since  he  was  three  years  old. 
He  was  educated  in  Illinois,  where  he  did  his  first 
labor    in  the    bottle    works.     In    1890  he  came    to 


Washington  and  went  to  work  for  the  Northern 
Pacific  Coal  Company,  trapping  and  switch 
throwing.  At  the  time  of  the  dreadful  explosion 
in  1892,  in  which  his  father  and  uncle  were  among 
the  victims,  he  luckily  happened  to  be  outside 
and  beyond  danger.  He  worked  in  the  yards 
two  months  following  the  accident  and  then  be- 
gan driving  a  mule  in  the  mine.  After  a  year 
at  that  work,  he  met  with  an  accident  and  was 
placed  on  outside  labor.  In  September,  1893,  he 
went  to  work  on  the  tipple.  For  the  last  two  years 
he  has  been  weighmaster. 

His  father,  Winyard  Steele,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, April  17,  1850.  His  mother  was  Agnes 
(Hale)  Steele.  Both  are  dead.  Their  other  chil- 
dren were  Emily  Mansel,  of  Castle  Rock,  Wash- 
ington, born  in  England  in  1878;  Sarah  Steele, 
born  in  Illinois  September  17,  1883;  Winyard, 
born  in  Illinois  in  1884,  and  Albert,  born  in  Illi- 
nois, February  28,  1886,  all  of  Roslyn;  Alice,  of 
Castle  Rock,  born  in  Illinois  April  16,  1897;  Ag- 
nes, born  in  Illinois,  October,  1889;  Washing- 
ton, born  in  Roslyn,  September  11,  '1891,  and 
Roslyn,  deceased.  George  and  Claude  Gaze  are 
subject's  half-brothers. 

Mr.  Steele  was  married  at  Pineridge,  Wash- 
ington, December  28,  1898,  to  Hattie  Stevens, 
then  nineteen  years  old,  a  native  of  Illinois.  Her 
parents  were  John  and  Ruth  (Deems)  Stevens, 
born  respectively  in  1830  and  1838,  both  natives 
of  Ohio,  now  residing  near  Ellensburg.  Her 
brothers,  Thomas,  Edgar  and  Willard,  are  dead. 
Her  half-sister  and  half-brothers  are  William 
Stevens,  Charles  Stevens,  George  Stevens  and 
Alice  Davidson.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Steele  have  two 
children :  Walter  A.,  born  December  18,  1899, 
and  John  W.,  born  January  8,  1903.  Mr.  Steele 
is  a  member  of  the  Foresters  of  America  and 
of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  an  active 
Republican  and  belongs  to  the  Baptist  church.  He 
is  a  hard-working  and  well-liked  man. 


JOSEPH  F.  MENZIES  is  a  mechanical  en- 
gineer of  Roslyn,  Washington,  born  in  Portland, 
Oregon,  September  10,  1870.  His  father,  James 
Menzies,  was  a  Scottish  navigator,  and  came  to 
Portland  in  the  fifties;  he  died  in  1885.  The 
mother,  Lucy  (Taylor)  Menzies,  was  born  in 
New  York  in  1830,  and  is  still  living  in  Portland. 
Her  son,  Joseph  F.,  was  educated  in  Portland 
and  when  seventeen  vears  old,  began  work  for 
the  Albina  Light  and  Water  Company.  Four  years 
later,  he  was  employed  by  the  Portland  General 
Electric  Company,  and  when  twenty-five  years 
old  was  appointed  receiver  for  the  La  Grande 
Electric  Light  and  Power  Company  in  La 
Grande,  Oregon.  He  held  that  position  three 
years,  and  was  then  appointed  general  erecting 
engineer  in  Oregon  of  the  General  Electric  Com- 
pany  of   Schenectady,    New   York.      He   remained 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


925 


with  that  firm  for  three  years  and  put  in  one  year 
with  the  Cornucopia  mines  in  Eastern  Oregon. 
Since  his  arrival  in  Roslyn,  in  1901,  he  has  been 
master  mechanic  for  the  Northwestern  Improve- 
ment Company.  His  brother,  John  W.,  lives  in 
Lebanon,  Oregon  ;  his  sister,  Mrs.  Harriet  Davis, 
resides  in  Alaska. 

Mr.  Menzies  was  married  in  Portland,  April 
2~,  1893,  to  Miss  May  Billings,  born  in  the  Ever- 
green state,  January  1,  1870.  Her  father,  Fred 
Billings,  is  a  native  of  England,  and  has  been 
sheriff  of  Thurston  county,  Washington,  many 
years.  His  home  is  in  Olympia.  Her  mother 
was  Mary  (Candle)  Billings,  a  native  of  Ohio, 
and  is  deceased.  Her  brothers,  William,  Grant, 
Fred  and  Jake,  reside  in  Olympia.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Menzies  have  three  children :  Norman  W.,  born 
in  La  Grande,  January  28,  1898;  Helen,  born  in 
La  Grande,  August  10,  1900,  and  Roderick,  born 
in  Roslyn,  October  22,  1902.  Mr.  Menzies  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  a  Re- 
publican, and  during  his  residence  in  La  Grande 
served  two  years  as  member  of  the  city  council. 
He  and  his  wife  attend  the  Methodist  church. 
He  is  a  thoroughly  capable  and  experienced  en- 
gineer and  has  acquired  considerable  property  in 
Seattle  and  Portland. 


IRA  A.  KAUTZ  is  a  photographer  of  Roslyn, 
Washington,  and  was  born  in  Jefferson  county, 
Pennsylvania,  January  21,  1861.  He  is  of  Ger- 
man-Scotch ancestry.  His  parents,  Peter  and 
Louisa  (Preston)  Kautz,  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  Kautz  was  educated  in  the  common 
schools  and  Corsica  academy  of  his  native  state, 
and  when  nineteen  years  old  became  a  teacher. 
He  followed  that  profession  four  years  in  his 
native  state  and  three  years  in  Minnesota.  Dur- 
ing vacation  periods,  he  studied  photography, 
serving  an  apprenticeship  in  a  gallery.  In  1888 
he  established  a  studio  in  Winnebago,  Minne- 
sota, and  remained  there  a  year.  In  the  fall  of 
1889  he  went  to  Tacoma,  Washington,  and  after 
six  months'  work  in  that  city  moved  to  Seattle. 
He  was  in  business  in  the  latter  city  until  Feb- 
ruary, 1886.  He  then  spent  three  years  in  travel, 
revisiting  his  Pennsylvania  home.  He  returned 
to  Seattle,  went  from  there  to  Ellensburg,  thence 
moved  to  Roslyn  and  established  his  present 
husiness. 

He  was  married  in  Tacoma,  June  8,  1899,  to 
Mrs.  Eva  D.  Everman,  daughter  of  Dr.  George 
B.  and  Frances  (Poppleton)  Dana.  His  wife  was 
born  in  Iowa  in  i860,  was  there  educated,  and 
after  graduating  from  the  normal  school  became 
a  teacher  for  several  years.  By  her  first  mar- 
riage, Mrs.  Kautz  had  two  children :  Claud  Ever- 
man, of  Seattle,  and  Frank  D..  of  Roslyn.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Kautz  have  one  child,  Homer  D.  Kautz, 
"born  April  9,  1900.     The  husband  is  an  Odd  Fel- 


low and  Woodman  of  the  World,  and  has  been 
clerk  if  the  W.  O.  W.  camp  two  years.  He  is  a 
Republican,  politically,  and  was  elected  to  the 
council  to  fill  a  vacancy.  He  owns  stock  in  sev- 
eral mines,  has  a  growing  business  and  is  con- 
sidered one  of  the  best  photographers  in  the 
state. 


JOHN  H.  O'NEIL  is  engaged  in  the  diamond 
drill  business  in  Roslyn,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  August  11,  1865,  and  is 
the  son  of  Peter  and  Rose  (Reihel)  O'Neil,  both 
natives  of  Ireland.  His  father  is  dead  and  the 
mother  still  resides  in  Ottawa.  Mr.  O'Neil  has 
two  half-sisters :  Lizzie  Bories,  who  was  educated 
at  a  convent  and  is  teaching  in  Ottawa,  and  Mary 
Cooper,  a  resident  of  Jackson,  Michigan.  Mr. 
O'Neil  was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
his  native  state,  and  when  a  boy  learned  the 
trade  of  blacksmith,  which  he  followed  until  he 
was  twenty-one  yrears  old.  He  then  took  up  dia- 
mond drilling,  and  opened  a  large  field  of  coal 
at  Tonica,  Illinois.  He  moved  to  Vancouver 
Island,  British  Columbia,  in  1888,  where  he  pros- 
pected one  year.  In  1889,  he  moved  to  Roslyn, 
and  has  since  made  that  place  his  headquarters. 
In  1902  he  made  a  trip  to  South  Africa,  twelve 
months  being  consumed  on  the  journey.  He  is 
at  present  engaged  in  drilling  for  the  Northwest- 
ern Improvement  Company. 

Mr.  O'Neil  was  married  in  Roslyn,  September, 
1891,  to  Miss  Agnes  Wilmot,  who  was  born  in 
Illinois  in  1873.  Her  father,  James  Wilmot,  was 
bom  in  Louisiana,  where  he  lost  his  parents  when 
a  young  boy.  They  were  killed  by  the  Indians. 
An  uncle  took  him  to  England,  where  he  lived 
with  his  grandparents.  He  was  there  educated, 
and  remained  with  them  until  arriving  at  man- 
hood. He  now  resides  in  Seattle.  Mrs.  O'Xeil's 
mother,  Eliza  (Brown)  Wilmot,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land. Mrs.  O'Neil  has  one  brother  and  three  sis- 
ters :  Arthur  and  Grace,  of  Seattle :  Mrs.  Anna 
Lindth,  of  Seattle,  and  Mrs.  Clara  Bignay,  of  Ari- 
zona. Mr.  and  Mrs.  O'Neil  have  four  children: 
Zeta,  born  July  26,  1892;  John,  born  in  1896; 
Charles,  born  in  1897.  and  Helen,  born  in  1900. 
The  father  is  a  Catholic  and  his  wife  is  an  Epis- 
copalian. He  belongs  to  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and 
is  a  Roosevelt  supporter.  Mr.  O'Neil  is  a  well- 
posted  and  capable  mining  man,  an  expert  in  his 
peculiar  calling.     The  family  home  is  at  Seattle. 


ROBERT  MONTAGUE  is  engaged  in  farm- 
ing, one  mile  west  of  Roslyn,  Washington.  He 
was  born  August  16,  1840,  in  England,  being 
the  son  of  John  and  Jane  (Quay)  Montague,  both 
now  dead.  His  father  was  of  English  and  his 
mother  of  Scotch  parentage.  Their  other  chil- 
dren were:  James,  John  and  Margaret,  who  are 


926 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


dead;  Hugh,  living  in  Australia,  and  Mrs.  Mary 
J.  Kane  of  Roslyn.  Robert  was  educated  in  the 
English  schools,  and  when  nineteen  began  work 
as  a  machinist.  When  twenty-one,  he  took  up 
coal  mining  and  worked  in  the  coal  mines  of  his 
native  land  until  1888,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States  and  settled  in  Roslyn,  Washing- 
ton. He  worked  in  the  Roslyn  mines  five  years, 
and  then  took  up  the  farm  upon  which  he  has 
since  made  his  home.  He  was  married  in  Eng- 
land, October  21,  1873,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Arm- 
strong, who  was  born  in  Durham  county,  Eng- 
land, April  20,  1854.  Her  parents  were  James 
and  Jane  (Scott)  Armstrong,  and  her  father  is 
dead.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Jane  Hall 
and  Isabella  Smith,  of  Australia;  Rachel  Lons- 
dale, Jessie  and  William  Armstrong,  all  of  Eng- 
land. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Montague  have  two  chil- 
dren. John  was  born  in  England  December  14, 
1874,  and  lives  in  Roslyn.  Mary  J.  Glynn,  born 
March  25,  1876,  lives  near  Roslyn.  The  father 
is  a  Red  Man  and  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
England.  He  is  a  supporter  of  President  Roose- 
velt. He  owns  a  productive  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  forty-five  acres,  including  some  coal  lands, 
and  has  about  forty-five  head  of  cattle.  He  is  of 
high  standing  in  the  community  as  a  man  of  good 
judgment  and  probity. 


JERRY  GLYNN  is  a  native  of  Ohio,  born 
March  24,  1868,  and  lives  on  a  farm  one  mile  west 
of  Roslyn,  Washington.  His  parents,  Pat  and 
Hanora  (Crow)  Glynn,  were  born  in  Ireland. 
Both  are  dead,  the  mother  passing  away  when 
Jerry  was  but  three  years  old.  He  was  educated 
in  the  common  schools  of  Ohio,  and  when  a  boy 
started  to  work  in  the  coal  mines.  When  he 
was  nineteen  years  old,  he  came  to  Roslyn  and 
worked  some  twelve  years  in  the  mines ;  then 
went  to  California  for  a  year.  On  his  return  he 
located  on  his  present  farm.  Mr.  Glynn  has  four 
brothers  :  Dan  and  John,  of  Tennessee ;  Denny,  of 
Ohio,  and  Pat,  of  Washington.  He  was  married 
in  Roslyn,  June  3,  1902,  to  Mrs.  Mary  J.  Just- 
ham,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Mary  (Armstrong) 
Montague.  Mrs.  Glynn  was  born  March  25, 
1876.  She  had  two  children  by  her  first  mar- 
riage: Fred,  born  February  21,  1892,  and  Laura, 
born  October  18,  1894,  both  living  with  their 
mother.  Her  only  brother,  John  Montague,  lives 
in  Roslyn.  Mr.  Glynn  is  a  Catholic,  and  his  wife 
belongs  to  the  Episcopal  church.  He  is  a  Dem- 
ocrat, politically.  In  addition  to  his  farm,  he  has 
property  in  Tacoma  and  a  timber  claim  in  Kitti- 
tas county.  He  is  a  hard-working,  industrious  man, 
respected  by  his  fellow  citizens. 


EDWIN  L.  SIMMONS,  foreman  of  mine  num- 
ber five,  in  Roslyn,  Washington,  was  born  in  Akron, 


Ohio,  April  15,  1863.  His  father,  Adam  L.  Sim- 
mons, is  a  native  of  Pennsylvania,  and  a  prac- 
tising physician  for  forty-three  years.  His  moth- 
er, Margaret  (Scheidler)  Simmons,  is  deceased. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  are:  James  B.,  Erwin, 
Louise  Wilson,  Mary  Weaver,  Ellen  Mathews 
and  Effa  B.,  all  natives  and  residents  of  Ohio. 
After  studying  in  the  common  schools  and  one 
year  in  the  normal  school  of  his  native  state,  Mr. 
Simmons,  when  nineteen  years  old,  went  to  Lead- 
ville,  Colorado,  where  he  found  employment  in 
the  quartz  mines.  He  later  worked  in  the  mines 
of  Utah  and  Wyoming,  and  in  1888  came  to  Ros- 
lyn. After  three  months,  he  returned  to  Utah, 
where  he  remained  until  1891 ;  then  came  to  Ros- 
lyn once  more.  He  was  employed  in  Roslyn  one 
year  and  then  spent  eight  months  prospecting  in 
Okanogan  county.  He  then  came  back  to  the 
Roslyn  mines  and  remained  until  April  15,  1896, 
at  which  time  he  returned  to  Park  City,  Utah,  to 
develop  a  mine  in  which  he  was  interested.  In 
January,  1898,  he  again  returned  to  Roslyn  and 
has  since  engaged  in  his  present  work. 

He  was  married  in  Grass  Creek,  Utah,  in 
1884,  to  Miss  Flora  Murchie,  who  was  born  in 
Scotland  February  27,  1865,  and  there  educated. 
She  is  the  daughter  of  Daniel  M.  and  Anna 
(Calderwood)  Murchie,  both  Scotch,  and  now 
residents  of  Salt  Lake.  Her  brother  and  sisters 
are:  Thomas,  Mary  Jones  and  Lizzie,  all  living 
in  Utah.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Simmons  have  the  fol- 
lowing children:  Anna,  born  May  6,  1886;  Edwin 
A.,  May  31,  1890;  Flora,  August  23,  1892;  Effie 
B.,  November  11,  1896,  and  Pearl,  April  3,  1899. 
Mr.  Simmons  is  a  Mason  of  the  blue  lodge,  and 
has  been  through  all  the  chairs  in  the  Odd  Fel- 
lows order.  He  is  an  active  Republican,  has 
been  fairly  successful  in  his  business  undertak- 
ings and  owns  a  nice  home  in  Roslyn.  He  is  a 
thorough  mining  man  and  is  filling  his  present 
position  successfully. 


WILLIAM  REES  is  a  prosperous  farmer  of 
Roslyn,  Washington.  He  was  born  in  Wales, 
October  8,  1859,  and  he  was  educated  in  his 
native  land,  his  instructor  being  his  maternal 
grandfather.  When  fifteen  years  old,  he  engaged 
in  mining  and  followed  that  until  1881,  when  he 
came  to  America.  He  engaged  in  mining,  in 
turn,  at  Ratton,  New  Mexico,  in  Indian  Terri- 
tory, Illinois  and  Texas,  and  in  1883  moved  to 
Renton,  Washington.  From  there,  he  went  to 
the  mines  at  Black  Diamond,  and  in  1887  estab- 
lished himself  in  Roslyn.  In  1893  he  opened  a 
paint  and  oil  store,  but  continued  at  mining, 
adding  to  his  stock  from  time  to  time,  until  1899, 
when  he  purchased  a  complete  line  of  stoves  and 
hardware  and  gave  his  entire  attention  to  his 
mercantile  business.  Mr.  Rees  is  the  son  of  John 
Rees,  a  native  of  England,  born  in  1827,  now  de- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


927 


ceased,  and  of  Elizabeth  (Bowen)  Rees,  who  was 
born  in  England  in  1830,  and  is  also  now  dead. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Katherine,  who  is 
married  and  living  in  England ;  Mary  (Rees) 
Evans,  of  England,  and  David  Rees  and  Jane 
Rees.  Mr.  Rees  is  a  member  of  the  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  has  gone  through  all 
the  chairs,  and  was  elected  a  representative  to 
the  Grand  Lodge  in  1897.  He  is  very  popular,  as 
is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  in  1883  he  was 
elected  to  the  council  on  the  citizens'  ticket  and 
refused  renomination.  For  five  consecutive  terms, 
he  has  been  appointed  water  commissioner,  a  po- 
sition he  now  fills  most  acceptably.  He  has 
been  very  successful  in  his  business  undertak- 
ings. One  of  his  two  stores  is  rented,  the  other 
well  stocked.  He  owns  twenty-seven  lots  in  Se- 
attle, and  is  a  stockholder  in  the  Pacific  Paint  and 
Oil  Company  of  Tacoma,  and  in  the  Dutch  Miller 
and  the  Yakima  Canning  Companies.  He  is  also 
the  owner  of  two  lots  in  Ellensburg,  and  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Unity  Hall  Associa- 
tion, in  which  he  is  a  heavy  stockholder,  and  for 
fifteen  years  has  been  manager  of  the  local  opera 
house.  In  addition  to  these  property  interests 
he  owns  fourteen  residences  which  are  rented.  As 
will  be  seen,  Mr.  Rees'  property  holdings  are  ex- 
tensive, and  to  his  credit  it  may  be  said  that  all 
has  been  accumulated  largely  through  his  energy 
and  business  ability. 


EDWARD  K.  HERON  is  in  the  bakery, 
confectionery  and  ice  cream  business  at  Roslyn, 
Washington.  He  was  born  in  Allegany  county, 
Maryland,  July  14,  1878.  His  father,  James  Her- 
on, was  born  in  Edinburgh,  Scotland,  in  1842, 
and  has  been  in  Kittitas  county  since  1886.  He 
was  for  many  years  weigh-master  at  the  coal 
mines,  and  is  now  deputy  county  assessor.  Mr. 
Heron's  mother,  Mary  C.  (Michal)  Heron,  was 
born  in  Maryland  of  German  parentage,  Novem- 
ber 15,  1852.  She  was  the  mother  of  the  follow- 
ing children:  John,  Charles,  George  and  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biography,  all  living  in  Roslyn.  Ed- 
ward K.  Heron  was  educated  in  Kittitas  county, 
and  worked  two  years  in  the  company  store  be- 
fore taking  a  business  course  in  college,  which 
he  completed  in  1895.  He  then  started  for  Butte, 
Montana,  but  met  with  an  accident  en  route,  by 
which  he  lost  his  right  arm  and  left  leg;  they 
were -crushed  by  a  train  of  cars  under  which  he 
fell.  After  a  season  in  the  hospital  and  some 
time  spent  at  home,  where  he  was  tenderly  cared 
for,  he  went  East  and  secured  artificial  limbs. 
Returning  to  Roslyn,  he  engaged  for  a  time  in 
the  printing  business;  then  went  to  Alaska  for 
a  period,  eventually  returning  to  Roslyn,  and 
starting  his  present  business  in  which  he  has  been 
very  successful.     A  feature  of  his  place  of  busi- 


ness is  an  ice  cream  factory  with  a  capacity  of 
eighty  gallons  per  day. 

Mr.  Heron  was  married  in  Tacoma  July  8, 
1899,  to  Miss  Lavina  Harrison,  daughter  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  (Buxtom)  Harrison.  Her 
father  was  born  in  England  May  1,  1850,  and  was 
drowned  in  Cle-Elum  lake  August  II,  1895.  Her 
mother  was  born  in  England,  July  1,  1851,  and 
lives  in  Seattle.  Her  brothers  and  sisters  are 
Florence  (Harrison)  Brown,  of  Tacoma;  Hannah 
(Harrison)  Smith,  Jennie  (Harrison)  Goss, 
George  and  May,  all  residents  of  Seattle.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Heron  have  one  child,  Clifford  M.,  who 
was  born  in  Roslyn  September,  22,  1900.  Mr. 
Heron  is  a  supporter  of  President  Roosevelt,  al- 
though a  Democrat.  He  was  reared  a  Method- 
ist, and  Mrs.  Heron  belongs  to  the  Presbyterian 
church.  Mr.  Heron  has  established  a  fine  busi- 
ness, which  is  rapidly  growing. 


ASHER  ALLEN,  engaged  in  the  dairy  busi- 
ness in  Roslyn,  Washington,  was  born  in  York- 
shire, England,  August  18,  1847.  His  father, 
Thomas  R.  Allen,  was  born  in  England  in  1820,  and 
is  now  residing  in  Decatur  county,  Iowa.  The 
mother,  Betty  (Hollows)  Allen,  was  born  in  Eng- 
land about  1823,  and  is  now  dead.  The  other  chil- 
dren include :  Joseph  Allen,  who  was  killed  during 
the  Civil  war;  Hannah  (Allen)  Green,  John  R.  Al- 
len and  Mrs.  Mary  (Allen)  Taylor,  all  now  resi- 
dents in  Iowa.  Mr.  Allen  is  self-educated,  and 
has  derived  much  of  his  knowledge  from  the  pe- 
rusal of  newspapers  and  scientific  publications. 
Though  the  benefits  of  higher  education  have 
been  denied  him,  to  his  credit  it  may  be  said  that 
he  is  able  to  converse  intelligently  upon  almost 
any  leading  topic.  At  the  early  age  of  nine,  he 
began  work  as  a  coal-miner  in  Illinois  and 
worked  in  mines  until  he  was  thirty-two  years 
old.  By  this  time  he  had  learned  engineering 
and  took  charge  of  an  engine  in  St.  Clair  county, 
Illinois.  He  followed  that  vocation  until  he 
came  to  Roslyn  in  June,  1889.  After  spending 
a  year  in  the  mines  he  went  to  Salt  Lake  and 
was  employed  as  conductor  and  motorman  on 
an  electric  road  for  four  years.  His  last  move 
was  back  to  Roslyn,  where  he  worked  in  the 
mines  until  March,  1899,  then  establishing  himself 
in  his  present  business. 

On  September  17,  1881,  Mr.  Allen  married 
Miss  Elizabeth  Kinghorn,  who  was  born  in  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  October  22,  1857.  Her  father, 
William  Kinghorn,  was  born  in  Scotland,  De- 
cember 8,  1829,  and  died  in  1903,  at  Roslyn.  The 
mother,  Margaret  (Campbell)  Kinghorn,  was 
born  in  Scotland,  November  22,  1833.  The  broth- 
ers and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Allen  are  George,  James, 
John  and  Isabell  (Kinghorn)  Grieve,  and  two 
sisters   and   three   brothers  who   are   dead.     Mr. 


928 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


and  Mrs.  Allen  have  two  daughters,  Mrs.  Sarah 
J.  (Allen)  Fram,  born  in  Illinois,  October  15, 
1883,  and  Mabel,  born  August  30,  1900.  They 
also  have  an  adopted  son,  William  Kinghorn  Al- 
len, whom  they  have  raised  since  infancy.  Mr. 
Allen  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  on 
all  national  issues  is  a  thorough  Democrat.  In 
religion,  Mrs.  Allen  is  affiliated  with  the  church  of 
the  Latter  Day  Saints.  They  have  a  fine  home, 
have  accumulated  property  which  safely  assures 
a  livelihood  to  the  family,  and  take  a  well-directed 
interest  in  social  and  business  affairs  of  a  public 
nature,  which  makes  them  valuable  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  they  reside. 


GEORGE  FORSYTH,  foreman  at  the  Ros- 
lyn  coal  mine,  is  an  Englishman,  born  in  the  old 
country,  September  21,  1851.  His  father,  George 
Forsyth,  also  native  of  England,  was  born  in 
1818,  and  is  living  in  the  land  of  his  nativity.  He 
is  a  farmer.  The  mother,  Ellen  (Thompson) 
Forsyth,  was  born  in  England  in  1828,  and  is  now 
deceased.  Mr.  Forsyth  had  three  sisters  and  one 
brother,  all  now  deceased.  They  were  Job  For- 
syth, Mrs.  Sarah  (Forsyth)  Gillia,  Mrs.  Mary 
(Forsyth)  Atkinson,  and  Airs.  Ellen  (Forsyth) 
Watson.  When  a  lad  of  twelve,  George  left 
school  and  began  work  on  his  father's  farm.  This 
occupation  he  followed  for  two  years.  The  fol- 
lowing seven  years  he  was  employed  in  making 
fire-brick,  and  for  the  next  ten  years  worked  in 
a  coal  mine.  After  coming  to  the  United  States, 
he  followed  mining  in  Illinois  for  eight  years,  and 
in  1889  came  to  Roslyn,  there  for  a  time  to  act  as 
superintendent  of  mine  No.  3.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  to  enter  the  mine  after  the  great  accident 
to  help  take  out  the  forty-five  dead. 

Mr.  Forsyth  was  married  at  New  Castle,  Eng- 
land, February  7,  1871,  to  Katherine  Shipley,  who 
was  born  in  England,  September  25,  1851.  Her 
father,  Edward  Shipley,  was  born  in  England 
about  1823,  and  died  in  1901.  The  mother,  Mary 
(Mounsey)  Shipley,  was  born  in  England  about 
1823,  and  now  lives  there.  Mrs.  Forsyth  has 
two  brothers,  Edward  and  Robert,  who  are  liv- 
ing in  England.  Wrilliam,  the  other,  is  deceased. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Forsyth  have  had  two  children, 
Mrs.  Mary  S.  (Forsyth)  Charlton,  the  one  living, 
was  born  in  England,  December  21,  1871,  and 
now  resides  there.  Edward,  the  other,  died  in  in- 
fancy. Fraternally,  Mr.  Forsyth  is  associated 
with  the  Masons  and  the  Odd  Fellows,  and  in 
politics,  is  a  Republican.  His  wife  is  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  is  energetic,  and  as 
follows  when  energy  is  well  directed,  is  success- 
ful. Besides  his  interests  in  Roslyn,  he  owns  three 
lots  in  Seattle,  and  has  property  interests  in  San 
Francisco. 


WILLIAM  MILBY  was  born  in  England, 
February  22,  1845,  and  is  now  a  mining  man  of 
Roslyn,  Washington.  His  father,  James  Milby, 
was  born  in  England  near  the  year  1824.  He  was 
killed  by  a  mine  explosion  in  England  in  1848.  The 
mother,  Jane  (Woodward)  Milby,  was  born  in 
England  about  1825,  and  is  now  dead.  There 
were  but  two  children  in  the  family,  John  and 
William,  the  former  of  whom  is  deceased.  Will- 
iam, our  subject  left  school  when  he  was  ten 
years  old  and  for  the  subsequent  ten  years 
worked  in  an  iron  mine.  He  then  came  to  Calu- 
met, Michigan,  and  engaged  in  coal  mining  for 
four  years,  later  working  in  the  coal  mines  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Maryland  for  four  years.  He 
worked  in  Illinois  a  few  years,  and  later  spent 
eighteen  months  in  lead  mining  in  Missouri.  He 
then  went  to  England  and  mined  for  three  years. 
Thence  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and  again  went  to 
England,  from  there  to  go  to  France,  where  he 
stayed  for  four  years.  Following  this,  he  was  em- 
ployed for  a  year  as  a  mining  expert  in  Spain  by 
an  English  company.  When  the  year  was  up  he 
rested  for  a  year,  and  then  came  to  the  United 
States,  remaining  a  short  time  in  Illinois  and  in 
Iowa,  thence  coming  to  Roslyn.  He  mined  here 
until  1900,  and  since  has  been  engaged  in  pros- 
pecting, and  has  located  claims  on  Swauk  creek, 
which  he  intends  to  develop  extensively. 

Mr.  Milby  was  married  in  England,  October 
4,  1871,  to  Miss  Dinah  Leece,  who  was  born  in 
England,  February  5,  1850.  Her  father,  John 
Leece,  and  her  mother,  Deborah  (Head)  Leece, 
are  dead.  Her  brother  and  sisters  are :  Anthony, 
Mary,  Anna,  Jane  and  Hannah.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Milby  have  six  children.  They  are:  Marion  J. 
(Milby)  Bowen,  born  July  31,  1872;  William  G., 
born  October  3,  1874;  Hannah  D.  (Milby)  Booth, 
born  July  3,  1877;  Mary  Ann  (Milby)  McDonald, 
born  February  11,  1881  ;  Samuel  Milby,  born  July 
24,  1882;  and  Fanny  (Milby)  Adams,  born  March 
24,  1884.  Mr.  Milb\r  is  a  member  of  the  Feder- 
ation of  Labor  and  of  the  Improved  Order  of  Red 
Men.  He  is  a  Democrat,  and  has  served  three 
terms  as  justice  of  the  peace  at  Roslyn.  He  and 
his  wife  are  members  of  the  Episcopal  church. 
His  property  consists  of  an  elegant  residence, 
and  five  houses  and  lots  in  Roslyn.  Besides  these 
holdings  he  owns  four  lots  in  Seattle.  Where- 
ever  known,  he  is  well  spoken  of,  and  by  industry 
and  good  business  judgment  has  accumulated 
property  interests  of  no  inconsiderable  value. 


JOHN  W.  HOLMES,  a  miner  and  black- 
smith, whose  home  is  in  Roslyn,  Washington, 
was  born  in  Hartford  City,  West  Virginia,  March 
10,  1864.  His  father,  Richard  Holmes,  was  born 
in  England  November  26,  1826,  and  his  -mother, 
Donna   (Singer)   Holmes,  was  born  in   England 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


929 


March  21,  1835.  He  was  the  sixth  of  a  family  of 
twelve  children.  The  others  and  the  dates  of 
their  birth  follow:  Mary  A.,  July  24,  1856;  Bar- 
bara E.,  January  5,  1858;  Ralph,  January  7,  i860, 
now  dead;  Susan  }.,  January  24,  1861,  deceased; 
Thomas  S.,  June  20,  1862;  Ella  M.,  March  26, 
1866;  Donna  M.,  April  21,  1869;  Enoch  H.,  Feb- 
ruary 2,  1871,  dead;  James  R.,  January  7,  1872; 
Edward  F.,  October  3,  1876,  and  Etta  I.,  March 
22,  1880.  After  receiving  an  education  in  the 
schools  of  Illinois  Mr.  Holmes,  when  thirteen 
years  old,  began  work  in  the  mines.  This  he 
followed  seven  years.  Then  he  went  to  Mis- 
souri and  ran  pumps,  fired  and  mined  about  five 
years.  From  there  he  moved  to  Roslyn  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  company  as  a  miner,  in 
which  work  he  has  since  been  engaged. 

He  was  married  in  Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  August 
15,  1888,  to  Miss  Mary  D.  Strokes,  born  in  Michi- 
gan, May  9,  1866,  and  who  died  October  14,  1899. 
Her  father  was  John  Strokes,  native  of  Germany. 
The  first  wife's  brother  and  sisters  were :  Anna, 
Fred,  Lena  and  Bessie  Strokes.  By  the  first 
marriage  there  was  one  child,  J.  Richard  Holmes, 
who  was  born  in  Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  June  4, 
1889.  Mr.  Holmes  was  married  again  at  Taco- 
ma,  June  24,  1901,  to  Aimee  D.  Cole,  by  whom  he 
had  one  child,  Edris  F.  Holmes,  born  February 
28,  1902,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mr.  Holmes  is  a 
Democrat,  and  in  religion  supports  the  orthodoxy 
of  the  Reorganized  Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints. 
He  is  industrious  and  frugal,  and  has  accumula- 
ted property  interests  which  include  a  nice  five- 
room  house  and  a  lot  in  Roslvn. 


THOMAS  G.  McDOWELL,  deceased,  was 
postmaster  at  Ellensburg,  Washington,  for  five 
years,  up  to  within  two  years  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  December  6,  1895.  Mr.  McDowell  was 
born  in  Indiana  September  4,  1840.  His  father, 
James  McDowell,  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1800, 
and  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  His  mother,  So- 
phia (Hall)  McDowell,  was  a  native  of  Virginia. 
Thomas  G.  attended  school  and  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  until  1861,  and  then  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  Company  G,  Twenty-sixth  regiment  of 
Indiana  infantry.  He  served  a  little  over  three 
years,  and  was  in  active  service  throughout  that 
time.  Following  his  discharge  he  farmed  in  In- 
diana and  Kansas  for  seventeen  years,  and  in 
1882  came  overland  to  Kittitas  county,  taking  six 
months  to  make  the  trip.  Here  he  engaged  in 
farming.  When  Harrison  was  elected  president 
Mr.  McDowell  left  his  farm  to  become  postmaster 
at  Ellensburg,  where  he  remained  five  years.  Then 
he  was  stricken  with  ill  health  from  which  he 
never  recovered.  He  was  the  youngest  of  a  fam- 
ily of  eleven.  W.  W.,  J.  L.,  Mrs^Martha  Wil- 
son and   Mrs.   Anna  Harland  are  those  surviving. 


Deceased  was  married  in  Springfield,  Missouri, 
September  30,  1870,  to  Miss  Mary  A.  Weaver, 
who  was  born  in  Indiana  January  16,  1847.  Her 
father,  James  Weaver,  was  born  in  Ohio  August 
15,  1822,  and  her  mother,  Anna  (Hupp)  Weaver, 
was  also  born  in  Ohio,  May  19,  1822.  Her  broth- 
ers and  sisters  were  William  and  Elizabeth,  both 
dead;  J.  N.,  G.  W.,  Charles  W.,  James  H.,  Aman- 
da (dead),  Joseph  H.,  Alice  Reynolds,  Rhoda 
and  Jane,  both  dead,  and  Franklin,  also  deceased. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  McDowell  had  seven  children,  as 
follows:  Franklin  E.,  William  T.,  Archie  H.,  and 
Elmer  L.,  all  dead;  Harry  M.,  born  October  28, 
1877,  now  a  shoe  clerk  at  Roslyn  ;  Mable  H.,  born 
in  Kansas,  September  16,  1881,  a  stenographer, 
and  Martha  A.,  born  January  31,  1883,  living  at 
home.  Deceased  was  a  Republican  and  an  Odd 
Fellow.  He  and  his  wife  were  members  of  the 
Alethodist  Episcopal  church.  He  was  a  well  re- 
spected and  honorable  man. 


ADOLPH  LISKA,  owner  of  the  soda  pop  fac- 
tory and  bottling  works  at  Roslyn,  Washington, 
was  born  in  Germany,  June  15,  1855,  and  was  ed- 
ucated there.  At  sixteen  years  of  age  he  began 
learning  the  trade  of  machinist,  which  he  after- 
ward followed  until  1885,  at  which  time  he  came 
to  America  and  located  near  Chicago.  He  en- 
gaged in  mining  in  Michigan  and  Illinois,  and  in 
December,  1886,  moved  to  Roslyn  and  accepted 
employment  in  the  mines.  In  1890  he  was  in- 
jured in  a  mine  accident,  and  the  year  following 
conducted  a  confectionery  business.  In  1895  he 
established  his  present  business.  His  father  and 
mother,  Fabian  and  Paulina  (Bohalick)  Liska, 
were  natives  of  Germany,  and  are  now  deceased. 
Adolph,  our  subject,  was  the  second  child  of  a 
family  of  seven.  The  others  are  Paulina  Lusz, 
Mary  Gabel,  Bromslina  Baritzky,  Franciska  Ful- 
ton and  Joseph.  Another  .  brother,  Franz,  is  de- 
ceased. 

Mr.  Liska  was  married  July  22,  1888,  to  Miss 
Emma  Harmann,  who  was  born  in  Russia,  June 
17,  1863.  Her  parents.  Martin  and  Mollie  (Bar- 
hardt)  Harmann,  were  natives  of  Russia.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Liska  have  two  children,  Martha,  born 
in  Roslyn,  June  3,  1889,  and  Olga,  born  in  Roslvn. 
September  17,  1892.  Mr.  Liska  is  a  member  of 
the  Foresters  of  America  and  of  the  Improved 
Order  of  Red  Men.  In  religion  he  belongs  to 
the  communion  of  the  Catholic  church,  and  on 
national  issues  is  a  Republican.  Mrs.  Liska  is  a 
member  of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  Be- 
sides his  bottling  works  and  soda  pop  factory, 
Mr.  Liska  owns  an  elegant  residence  in  Roslyn. 
He  has  forty-one  lots  in  Seattle,  three  in  Fair- 
haven,  and  owns  a  half  interest  in  the  bottling 
works  in  Cle-Elum. 


930 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


GEORGE  SIDES,  proprietor  of  the  leading 
meat  market  at  Roslyn,  Washington,  is  a  native 
of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  born  August  10, 
1866.  His  father  and  mother,  Jacob  and  Mary 
E.  (McAllister)  Sides,  were  natives  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. George  attended  school  in  Mechanics- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  but  was  taken  out  when  thir- 
teen years  old,  and  engaged  as  clerk  in  a  grocery 
and  clothing  store.  When  sixteen  he  began  to 
learn  the  butcher  business,  which  he  has  since 
followed.  He  came  to  Roslyn  in  1887,  and  in 
1898  entered  into  partnership  with  his  brother 
and  Frank  Hartman.  They  have  a  profitable 
business  now  with  a  meat  market,  sausage  fac- 
tory and  slaughter-house  plant  at  Roslyn  and  a 
meat  market  at  Cle-Elum.  The  plants  are  well 
equipped  and  they  also  do  a  large  packing  busi- 
ness. 

Mr.  Sides  was  married  at  Roslyn,  Washington, 
November  5,  1895,  to  Miss  May  Bell,  who  was 
born  in  Pennslvania  May  5,  1879.  Her  father, 
Duncan  Bell,  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1851.  Her 
mother,  Sarah  (Squires)  Bell,  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, September  25,  1855.  Her  brother,  Duncan 
Bell,  was  born  March  25,  1875.  One  other  brother, 
James,  is  deceased.  Mr.  Sides'  brothers  and  sis- 
ters were  Mary  Kohler,  William,  Alfred,  John, 
Elizabeth  Bell,  Jacob.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sides  have 
two  children,  Alfred,  the  eldest,  was  born  March 
n,  1898,  and  Sarah,  was  born  September  21,  1902, 
and  died  July  22,  1903.  Mr.  Sides  is  a  member  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  a  Mason.  He  is  an 
active  Republican,  but  has  refused  to  accept  the 
nomination  for  Mayor.  He  is  an  honest,  indus- 
trious and  successful  business  man,  and  com- 
mands the  respect  of  all  who  meet  him. 


JAMES  J.  FALKNER,  a  mine  engineer,  whose 
home  is  at  Roslyn,  was  born  at  Catlettsburg,  Ken- 
tucky, May  21,  1873,  at  which  place  he  received  his 
early  education.  He  afterwards  took  a  course  in 
engineering  at  Scranton  and  in  the  Hawkins  school, 
New  York,  and  when  eighteen  years  old  entered  the 
machine  shops  as  apprentice.  This  occupation  he 
followed  for  two  years,  and  then  went  back  to 
school  for  a  year.  He  has  since  followed  the  en- 
gineering profession  in  Colorado  and  Old  Mexico. 
On  October  13,  1896,  he  enlisted  at  Mare  Island, 
California,  in  the  United  States  navy,  and  served 
in  the  Asiatic  squadron  as  water  tender.  He  en- 
gaged in  battles  against  the  Filipinos  and  served 
with  the  land  forces  part  of  the  time.  He  received 
an  honorable  discharge,  October  13,  1899,  with  a 
standing  of  4.95  as  against  a  maximum  possible 
standing  of  five.  Then  he  came  to  Roslyn  and  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Northwestern  Improvement 
Company  as  engineer,  a  position  he  has  since  re- 
tained. James  Falkner,  the  father  of  James  J.,  was 
born  in  Hamburg,  Germany,  in  1832,  and,  after 
coming  to  the  United  States,  served  during  the  Civil 


war  in  the  navy.  The  mother  was  Georgia  (Moore) 
Falkner,  who  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1838,  and  is 
now  dead.  Besides  James  J.,  the  other  children 
were :  John,  a  lawyer ;  Samuel,  a  farmer ;  Henry,  a 
physician ;  William,  a  stock  raiser ;  Fred,  who  is  in 
South  Africa;  Mrs.  Lizzie  Fullingham,  wife  of  a 
merchant;  a  half-brother,  Frank,  now  living  in 
South  America,  and  a  half-sister,  Mrs.  Ella  Arrnit, 
living  in  Kentucky.  Mr.  Falkner  was  married  at 
Ellensburg,  June  2,  1881,  to  Miss  Clara  Morgan, 
who  was  born  in  Germany,  November  10,  1881. 
Her  father,  Frank  Morgan,  was  born  in  Germany, 
October  1,  1852,  and  was  a  farmer.  The  mother, 
Anna  (Hoffman)  Morgan  was  born  in  Germany, 
July  11,  1856,  and  is  dead.  The  brothers  and  sisters 
of  Mrs.  Falkner  are  Frank,  Anna,  Emma  and  Will- 
iam Morgan,  all  residents  of  Kittitas  county.  Mr. 
Falkner  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and 
Woodmen  of  the  World,  and  in  politics  stands  for 
the  Democratic  platform.  He  is  well  educated  and 
is  said  to  be  a  master  of  his  profession.  Besides 
his  property  in  Roslyn,  he  has  valuable  holdings  in 
California. 


JOHN  ADAMS  is  a  well  known  miner  of  Ros- 
lyn, Washington.  He  was  born  in  Iowa,  February 
24,  1882,  and  is  of  Scottish  parentage.  His  father, 
Peter  Adams,  was  born  in  Scotland  in  1853,  and 
is  now  a  resident  of  Roslyn.  The  mother,  Agnes 
(Mather)  Adams,  is  also  a  native  of  Scotland,  and 
now  residing  with  her  husband  at  Roslyn.  They 
are  the  parents  of  ten  children,  of  whom  John  is 
the  fourth.  When  but  five  years  of  age,  our  subject 
came  to  Roslyn  with  his  parents.  Up  to  the  age 
of  twelve  he  attended  school  in  Kittitas  county,  and 
at  that  age  began  to  work  in  the  mines.  This  voca- 
tion he  has  followed  since  with  no  deviation  to  any 
other  line  of  employment.  He  was  married  at  Ros- 
lyn, July  29,  1903,  to  Miss  Fanny  Milby,  who  was 
born  in  England,  March  24,  1884.  She  is  the 
daughter  of  William  and  Dinah  (Leece)  Milby. 
Her  father  was  born  in  England  in  1845,  and  is 
now  engaged  in  mining  at  Roslyn.  The  brothers 
and  sisters  of  Mrs.  Adams  are  Marion  J.  (Milby) 
Bowen,  William  G.  Milby,  Hannah  D.  (Milby) 
Booth,  Mary  Ann  (Milby)  McDonald  and  Samuel 
Milby.  Mr.  Adams  is  a  young  man,  of  energy,  and 
has  formed  habits  of  industry  which  are  certain 
to  meet  with  commensurate  reward,  and  wring  from 
Dame  Fortune  more  than  ordinary  success. 


JAMES  Y.  PATON,  a  well  known  resident  of 
Roslyn,  Washington,  is  a  miner.  He  was  born  at 
Mary  Hill,  Glasgow,  Scotland,  August  19,  1864. 
His  father,  George  T.  Paton,  was  a  native  of  Scot- 
land, born  in  Lenoxshire,  September  13,  1841,  and 
came  to  the  United  States  March  7,  1868.  He  was 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Captain  John  Paton,  who  was 
executed  in  Edinburgh,  May  8,  1684,  and  of  Adam 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


931 


Duncan,  the  famous  Scotch  admiral  of  the  eight- 
eenth century.  His  mother  was  Margaret  L.  (Wil- 
son) Paton,  who  was  born  near  Glasgow,  April  24, 
1838.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of  Mr.  Paton  are: 
Marion,  now  Mrs.  John  Notman,  wife  of  a  deputy 
sheriff  at  Joliet,  Illinois ;  Jean,'  now  Mrs.  Henry 
Moneypenny;  Elizabeth  W.,  now  Mrs.  G.  F.  Howk- 
ly,  and  George,  an  adopted  brother,  who  was  born 
in  Illinois  in  1864.  Mr.  Paton  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  at  Streator,  Illinois,  and  further 
took  a  course  in  mining  in  the  International  Cor- 
respondence school  of  Scranton,  Pennsylvania.  He 
came  to  Kittitas  county,  October  21,  1891,  and  went 
to  work  in  the  mines.  He  was  made  fire  boss  after 
several  years  of  faithful  work.  He  was  married 
April  21,  1887,  m  Streator,  to  Miss  Ruth  Fram, 
who  was  born  in  Clopperhowel,  Scotland,  April  15, 
1 865.  The  bride's  father,  John  Fram,  and  her 
mother,  Matilda  (Dunlop)  Fram,' were  natives  of 
Scotland.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paton  now  have  two  sons, 
Walter  Grant  Paton,  born  March  16,  1888,  in  Strea- 
tor, and  James  Earl  Paton,  born  in  Roslyn,  March 
16,  1893.  Both  husband  and  wife  are  members  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  Mr.  Paton  is  an  Odd 
Fellow,  and  was  for  years  secretary  of  the  Roslyn 
lodge;  he  also  holds  membership  in  the  Knights 
of  Pythias.  Mrs.  Paton  has  membership  in  the 
Rebekahs,  and  is  Mistress  of  Correspondence  of  the 
Rathbone  Sisters.  Mr.  Paton,  by  frugality  and 
hard  work  and  the  able  assistance  of  his  wife,  has 
accumulated  considerable  property,  including  a  nice 
home  in  Roslyn.  During  his  residence  there  he  has 
served  as  night  marshal.  He  is  unassuming  and 
well  spoken  of  by  all  his  acquaintances. 


JAMES  ASH,  fire  boss  at  shaft  No.  4  in  the 
Roslyn  coal  mine,  was  born  near  Albert  mines,  New 
Brunswick,  Canada,  in  1863.  His  father  and 
mother,  Peter  and  Sarah  (McCann)  Ash,  were 
natives  of  Scotland.  His  father  was  a  mine  owner 
and  was  president  of  the  co-operative  mines  at 
Neelyville,  Illinois.  Mr.  Ash  has  two  brothers  and 
two  sisters,  Patrick  and  John  Ash,  who  are  coal 
miners  at  Roslyn.  Ellen,  now  Mrs.  W.  Halpin,  is 
wife  of  a  railroad  man,  and  Rose  A.  is  the  wife  of 
William  Marshall,  of  Mystic,  Iowa.  Mr.  Ash  was 
educated  at  Neelyville,  and  remained  there  until 
1883.  when  he  moved  to  Centerville,  Iowa,  where 
he  mined  coal  five  years.  Then  he  moved  to  Roslyn, 
and  after  two  months  as  nurse  in  the  company  hos- 
pital, accepted  employment  in  the  mines.  In  1892 
he  engaged  in  the  saloon  business,  but  two  years 
later  resumed  mining.  After  two  years  he  went  to 
Cokedale  and  was  employed  by  the  Skagit  Coal  and 
Coke  Company  for  twenty-one  months.  In  April, 
1898.  he  returned  to  work  as  a  miner  for  the  com- 
pany at  Roslyn.  In  August,  1900,  he  was  appointed 
timber  man,  and  the  following  November  was  pro- 
moted to  his  present  position  of  fire  boss. 

Mr.  Ash  was  married  in  Centerville,  Iowa,  Tunc 


4,  1885,  to  Miss  Minnie  C.  Norris,  who  was  born 
in  Tuscarora,  Pennsylvania,  March,  1866.  Her 
parents,  Samuel  and  Marcia  (Lord)  Norris,  were 
natives  of  England,  but  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1863.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ash  have  the  following 
children:  Simon  H.,  born  May  18,  1889;  Mai7  C., 
born  June  20,  1890;  James  "E.,  born  January  7, 
1892;  Annie  M.,  born  September  20,  1897,  'and 
Sarah  E.,  born  August  2,  1900.  Annie  was  born 
in  Cokedale  and  the  others  in  Roslyn.  Mr.  Ash  is 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  Roslyn  Lodge,  For- 
esters of  America.  He  has  served  two  terms  as 
city  councilman.  He  is  enterprising  and  successful. 
He  has  taken  a  course  in  mine  engineering  in  the 
Scranton,  Pennsylvania,  correspondence  school,  and 
has  a  diploma  of  graduation,  dated  December  17, 
1901.  His  library  is  well  stocked  with  works  on 
mine  engineering,  written  by  standard  authors.  He 
has  accumulated  considerable  property,  including  a 
fine  home,  and  is  well  deserving  of  the  success  by 
which  he  is  now  favored. 


JOHN  GRAHAM,  of  Roslyn,  holds  the  respon- 
sible position  of  fire  boss  in  mine  No.  2.  He  is  a 
native  of  Cumberland  county,  England,  born  Jan- 
uary 22,  1859,  the  son  of  John  and  Mary  (Small- 
wood)  Graham,  both  of  England,  where  the  elder 
Graham  followed  mining.  John  Graham,  of  whom 
we  write,  received  a  common  school  education  in 
his  native  country,  beginning  his  attendance  in 
school  at  the  age  of  twelve.  Later,  in  1883,  coming 
to  the  United  States,  he  entered  the  mines  at  Lucas, 
Iowa,  remaining  there  for  four  years.  He  then 
came  to  Roslyn  and  accepted  employment  with  the 
Northwestern  Improvement  Company.  He  has  now 
been  with  this  company  for  sixteen  years,  having 
held  different  positions  in  and  about  the  mines, 
from  night  foreman  up  to  his  present  station.  His 
appointment  to  the  latter  dates  from  April  8,  1895. 
His  service  has  invariably  been  satisfactory.  During 
his  tenure  as  fire  boss,  it  has  seldom  been  necessary 
to  close  any  portion  of  the  mine,  and  not  an  acci- 
dent has  occurred  since  his  assuming  the  position. 
Robert  Graham,  brother  of  John,  our  subject,  was 
lost  in  the  memorable  explosion  of  1892.  Mr.  Gra- 
ham was  a  member  of  the  committee  appointed  to 
enter  the  mine  after  the  explosion. 

John  Graham  was  married  at  Lucas,  Iowa, 
April  25,  1885,  to  Miss  Emily  Howell,  a  native  of 
Cumberland  county,  England,  born  January  27, 
1861.  She  is  the  daughter  of  John'  C.  Howell, 
native  of  London,  a  mine  carpenter.  Jane  (Farrah) 
Howell,  the  mother,  was  also  a  native  of  Britain. 
The  children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Graham  are :  Robert, 
born  in  Lucas,  Iowa,  January  26,  1886:  Mary,  born 
January  7,  18S8;  John  C,  born  January  10.  1890: 
William,  born  April  22.  1892:  and  Beatrice  E.,  born 
October  31,  1895.  All  save  the  first  named,  Robert, 
were  born  in  Roslyn.  Mr.  Graham  is  a  member  of 
Welcome  Lodge.  No.  30.  Knights  of  Pythias.    Both 


932 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


he  and  his  wife  were  reared  under  the  influence  of 
the  Church  of  England,  though  at  the  present  time 
they  claim  membership  in  no  particular  denomina- 
tion. They  believe  in  education,  and  have  given 
their  children  the  advantage  of  the  best  the  gram- 
mar school  affords.  Mary,  the  eldest  daughter,  was 
graduated  from  the  Roslyn  schools ;  she  is  at  present 
the  organist  in  the  Presbyterian  Sunday  school  of 
her  home  town.  The  family  is  one  of  the  best 
known  and  worthiest  of  any  in  its  community. 


EDWARD  HOLLAND  is  a  resident  of  Ros- 
lyn, Washington,  where  he  is  employed  as  engineer 
in  the  coal  mines,  shaft  No.  4.  He  was  born  in 
Yorkshire,  England,  July  29,  1858.  When  he  was 
three  years  old  his  parents,  John  and  Anna  (Sligh- 
ton)  Holland,  moved  to  the  United  States  and 
located  in  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois,  where  Edward 
attended  school.  When  he  was  fourteen  years  old 
he  began  to  learn  engineering  under  his  father  at 
Huntsville,  Missouri.  He  remained  there  eight 
years,  then  removed  to  Alma,  Illinois,  where  he 
engaged  in  general  engineering  for  eleven  years. 
His  next  move  was  to  Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  and 
there,  for  seven  years,  he  was  employed  by  the  Rich 
Hill  Mining  Company.  In  1890,  he  moved  to  Ros- 
lyn, and  there  accepted  a  position  as  engineer,  which 
he  has  now  filled  without  an  accident  for  thirteen 
years. 

Mr.  Holland  was  married  in  Alma,  Illinois,  Sep- 
tember 9,  1882,  to  Miss  Ella  M.  Holmes,  who  was 
born  in  Hartford,  West  Virginia,  March  26,  1866. 
Her  parents  were  Richard  Holmes  of  England,  and 
Donnev  M.  (Singer)  Holmes,  of  Pennsylvania. 
Mrs.  Holland's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Mary,  now 
Mrs.  T.  F.  Richey;  Barbara,  now  Mrs.  F.  Fitter, 
of  Roslyn ;  Thomas  S.,  of  Snohomish  county.  Wash- 
ington, a  millman ;  John  W.,  a  miner  at  Roslyn ; 
Donney  M.,  wife  of  H.  P.  Hansen,  a  grocer;  James 
R.,  a  trackman  in  the  Roslyn  mines ;  E.  Frank,  mine 
driver  at  Roslyn,  and  Etta  I.,  wife  of  Mr.  Owens, 
a  butcher.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holland  have  five  chil- 
dren:  Annie  M.,  born  September  20,  1883;  Donna 
M.,  now  Mrs.  A.  R.  Smith,  wife  of  a  Roslyn  miner 
and  farmer;  John  E.,  born  October  17,  1887,  a 
graduate  from  the  Roslyn  grammar  school ;  Barbara 
E.,  born  December  10,  1892,  and  Selma  M.,  born 
October  29,  1894.  Mr.  Holland  is  an  Odd  Fellow 
and  a  Knight  of  Pythias.  He  has  occupied  all  the 
chairs  in  both  lodges.  He  and  his  wife  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Rebekahs  and  Rathbone  Sisters,  and 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
Mr.  Holland  served  four  years  as  city  councilman 
and  resigned  after  another  election.  He  is  one  of 
the  most  popular  laboring  men  in  Roslyn  and  is 
highly  esteemed  by  his  employers.  His  home  is 
comfortable  and  well  adapted  to  the  needs  of  one 
of  his  calling.  Besides  owning  his  present  dwell- 
ing, he  has  property  holdings  in  Seattle,  and  con- 
siderable money  now  on  deposit. 


AUGUST  KLAVON  is  a  native  of  Prussia, 
Germany,  born  August  8,  1853.  He  is  a  blacksmith 
and  resides  in  Roslyn,  Washington.  His  parents, 
Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Mehl)  Klavon,  were  natives 
of  Prussia.  In  the  country  of  his  birth  Mr.  Klavon 
attended  school,  and,  when  fourteen  years  old,  began 
learning  his  trade,  serving  a  four  years'  apprentice- 
ship. He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1871,  and  for 
a  time  worked  as  a  farm  hand  in  Belleville,  Illinois. 
Following  this  he  worked  at  his  trade  until  1887, 
when  he  moved  to  Roslyn  and  engaged  with  the 
coal  company.  He  now  has  nine  men  under  his 
supervision,  and  with  this  force  does  all  the  work 
for  the  different  mines,  at  Roslyn,  Cle-Elum  and 
Ravondale. 

Mr.  Klavon  was  married  in  Belleville,  Illinois, 
November  8,  1877,  to  Annie  Rockmann,  who  was 
born  in  Michigan,  October  31,  1858,  and  who  died 
at  Roslyn,  December  26,  1889.  Her  parents  were 
Christopher  and  Annie  Rockmann.  Louisa  D. 
Diener,  a  sister  of  the  deceased  wife  of  Mr.  Kla- 
von, is  the  wife  of  C.  F.  Diener,  living  near  East- 
on,  Washington.  The  two  sisters  of  Mr.  Kla- 
von are  Bertha  (Klavon)  Ross,  of  Belleville,  Illi- 
nois, and  Nellie  (Klavon)  Selna,  of  Milwaukee. 
Mr.  Klavon  has  four  children:  Annie,  now  Mrs. 
Theo.  Chadwick,  of  Lowell,  Washington;  Augus- 
ta, born  October  5,  1880,  who  is  keeping  house  for 
her  father;  Louisa,  now  Mrs.  P.  H.  Adams,  of 
Renton,  Washington;  August  W.,  who  is  learning 
the  trade  of  blacksmith  under  his  father  in  the 
company  shops,  and  Charlie,  who  was  born  in 
Roslyn,  October  28,  1888.  All  the  children  have 
been  educated  in  the  Roslyn  schools.  Mr.  Kla- 
von was  brought  up  as  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  During  his  sixteen  years  of  continuous 
service  with  the  company  he  has  accumulated 
a  comfortable  home  and  landed  property  in  Seattle, 
with  a  s:ood  bank  account  held  in  reserve. 


SAMUEL  E.  CRAIG  is  a  brickmason,  who  re- 
sides at  Roslyn,  Washington.  He  was  born  in 
Grant  county,  Wisconsin,  September  6,  1861.  His 
father,  William  H.  Craig,  was  born  in  England, 
and  came  to  the  United  States  when  young.  He 
was  just  in  time  to  serve  in  the  Civil  war,  fol- 
lowing which  he  fought  against  the  Indians  of 
the  Southwest.  The  mother  of  Samuel  E.  Craig 
was  Jane  (Cox)  Craig,  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 
There  were  six  children  in  the  family,  namely, 
Britton  E.,  who  now  operates  a  ferry-boat  on  the 
Columbia  river;  Edward  W.,  now  farming  in 
Yakima  county;  William  H.,  a  bricklayer  of  Spo- 
kane; Hortense,  now  Mrs.  Arthur  San  ford  of 
South  Dakota ;  Augusta,  now  Mrs.  William  Al- 
sop,  wife  of  a  contractor  and  builder;  and  Samuel 
E.,  of  whom  this  article  is  written.  Mr.  Craig 
was  educated  in  Webster  City,  Iowa,  where  he 
began  to  learn  his  trade  when  eighteen  years  old, 
I   under  the  instruction  of  his  father.     He  moved 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


933 


to  Washington  in  1888,  and  settled  in  Ellensburg, 
where  he  remained  eight  years,  there  helping  to 
rebuild  the  city  after  the  great  fire  of  July  4,  1889. 
Thence  he  moved  to  Roslyn  and  has  since  worked 
with  the  coal  company.  He  is  mason  for  the 
camp  and  city,  and  has  charge  of  the  company 
brickyard.  In  1883  he  married  Miss  Agnes  Rose, 
who  died  in  1888,  leaving  two  children,  Robert, 
born  January  17,  1886,  and  Gertrude,  born  January 
7,  1888.  Robert  is  a  graduate  of  the  Ellensburg 
high  school.  He  was  again  married  in  1903  to 
Miss  Carrie  George,  who  was  born  in  Little  Rock, 
Iowa,  February  23,  1872.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Ellis  and  Deboreah  (Pickering)  George,  residents 
of  Kittitas  county,  Washington.  Her  brothers 
and  sisters  are,  John  G.,  a  miner ;  Julia,  now  Mrs. 
Charles  Duark ;  Eva  E.,  now  Mrs.  Thomas  Early, 
of  Ballard,  Washington  ;  Rachel  E.,  wife  of  John 
C.  Barton,  a  civil  engineer  with  the  Santa  Fe 
railroad.  This  sister  is  now  on  the  stage  as  Mrs. 
George.  Two  others,  a  brother  and  a  sister,  are 
Enos  George,  a  farmer  of  this  county,  and  Lucy 
J.,  now  Mrs.  Charles  Bridgeham,  of  Kangley. 
Mr.  Craig  is  a  member  of  the  Congregational 
church.  He  owns  a  neat  home  in  Roslyn,  and 
possesses  other  property  in  Cle-Elum.  He  is  en- 
ergetic and  progressive,  and  said  to  be  a  master 
of  his  trade. 


FRANK  X.  KARRER,  of  Roslyn,  was  born 
in  Kufstein,  Tyrol,  Austria,  in  1852,  and  was  ed- 
ucated in  his  native  land. v  Before  coming  to  this 
country  he  served  in  Franz  Joseph  Empire  regi- 
ment, of  Austria.  For  two  years  he  was  a  private, 
and  the  last  year  a  sergeant.  He  took  a  two-year 
course  in  field  telegraphy  in  Innsbruck,  Tyrol. 
In  1878  he  came  to  Bartow,  Pennsylvania,  and 
after  staying  a  few  years  in  that  place  moved  to 
Weir  City,  Kansas.  Later,  in  1881,  he  married 
Miss  Theresia  Braun,  who  was  born  in  Belleville, 
St.  Chir  county,  Illinois.  Her  parents  were  John 
and  Theresia  Braun,  natives  of  Germany,  who 
came  to  the  United  States  when  young.  After 
marriage  Mr.  Karrer  moved  to  Rich  Hill,  Mis- 
souri, in  1884,  and  thence  to  Kittitas  county,  in 
1890,  where  he  accepted  employment  with  a  coal 
company  as  carpenter.  He  is  now  carpenter  boss 
for  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Company,  at 
Roslyn.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Karrer  are  now  the  par- 
ents of  eight  children,  of  whom  they  are  deserved- 
ly proud.  Anna  M.,  the  elder,  was  born  October 
16,  1883;  Frank  X.,  Jr..  born  November  27,  1884. 
and  Matilda  W.,  born  January  31,  1886.  Matilda 
graduated  from  the  Ellensburg  high  school  in 
1902,  and  Frank,  upon  graduation,  was  valedic- 
torian of  his  class.  The  two  girls  are  now  attend- 
ing the  State  Normal  School,  at  Ellensburg,  and 
their  brother,  Frank,  is  taking  a  collegiate  course 
in  Seattle.  The  younger  children  are :  Enoch, 
born  May  23,  1887,  Sebastian  S.,  born  April  10, 


1889,  both  of  whom  are  now  in  attendance  at  the 
Ellensburg  high  school ;  Clara  Z.,  born  Novem- 
ber 25,  1892 ;  Hannah  V'.,  born  May  20,  1895,  and 
Roselia,  born  August  9,  1897.  Mr.  Karrer  is  a 
member  of  the  Foresters'  court.  He  possesses 
a  fine  residence  in  Roslyn.  He  is  giving  his 
children  every  advantage  of  education  and  the 
results  are  most  satisfactory  to  him.  One  and  all, 
his  children  are  studious  and  appreciative  of  the 
help  he  is  giving  them.  Both  he  and  his  family 
are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  wherever  known. 


PETER  BAGLEY,  foreman  in  the  North- 
western Improvement  Company's  coal  mines  at 
Roslyn,  was  born  in  the  County  of  Armagh, 
Ireland,  December  26,  1862.  His  father,  James 
Bagley,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  as  was  also  his 
mother,  Catherine.  The  father  came  with  his 
family  to  the  United  States  in  1863,  and  settled 
in  Illinois.  Thence  he  moved  to  New  Castle, 
Washington  Territory,  there  to  engage  in  mining, 
and  in  1869  sent  for  his  family.  He  later  met  his 
death  by  an  accident  in  the  mines.  Peter  Bagley, 
of  whom  we  write,  after  attending  the  public 
schools  for  a  time,  followed  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father,  and  at  the  age  of  sixteen  began  work  in 
the  mines  near  Seattle.  After  five  years  he  en- 
gaged with  a  civil  engineering  corps  in  surveying 
lines  for  the  railroads  from  Renton  to  Black  Dia- 
mond, and,  two  years  later,  entered  the  Seattle 
bottling  works,  where  he  was  employed  for  some 
time.  He  was  engaged  in  the  liquor  business  for 
a  time  at  New  Castle,  but  this  not  being  to  his 
liking,  he  returned  to  mining,  engaging  with  the 
Northwestern  Improvement  Company,  at  Ros- 
lyn. Since  then  he  has  held  steadily  to  this  oc- 
cupation, rising  from  a  coal  digger  to  the  fore- 
manship,  which  position  he  now  holds.  Mr.  Bag- 
ley  has  brothers  and  sisters  as  follows:  John,  Mrs. 
Mary  Wood,  Rosa,  Agnes  and  James,  all  living 
in  Seattle;  Mrs.  Kate  Cameron,  Westminster, 
British  Columbia;  Thomas,  Nellie  and  Lizzie,  liv- 
ing in  Alaska. 

Mr.  Bagley  was  married  in  1887,  at  New 
Castle,  Washington,  to  Mary  Barrett,  living  near 
Renton,  where  her  father  is  now  engaged  in  farm- 
ing. Mrs.  Bagley  has  three  sisters:  Kate,  wife 
of  a  railroad  conductor,  William  McGuire.  of 
Tacoma ;  Maggie,  wife  of  William  Wadham,  West- 
minster, British  Columbia,  and  Mrs.  Ella  King,  of 
Seattle.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bagley  have  six  children : 
Nellie.  Maggie,  Rosa,  Katie.  Mae  and  Edward  J. 
Mr.  Bagley  is  a  member  of  Lake  Valley  Lodge  No. 
112,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  the 
Foresters  of  America.  He  was  raised  under  Cath- 
olic influence  in  church  matters.  The  position  he 
holds  in  the  mines  is  one  of  responsibility,  and  he 
is  said  never  to  have  violated  the  confidence  placed 
in  him  by  his  princpals. 


934 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


ISAAC  M.  SALLY,  who  has  held  a  position  of 
trust  with  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Company 
for  many  years,  having  served  the  company  as  en- 
gineer in  the  mines  since  1888,  was  born  in  Ches- 
terfield county,  Virginia,  June  16,  1852.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  his  native  state,  and 
was  then  employed  in  a  sawmill  for  two  years. 
Afterwards,  for  a  year  he  worked  in  the  coal  mines 
at  Murphysboro,  Illinois,  and  still  later  worked  for 
a  time  on  the  river  steamer  A.  J.  White,  plying 
on  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio  rivers.  Not  liking  this 
employment,  he  returned  to  the  mines  at  St.  Johns, 
Illinois,  and  there  secured  a  position  as  fireman, 
which  he  held  for  eight  years.  He  also  worked  at 
other  points  in  Illinois  mining  districts  until  1888, 
when  he  came  to  Roslyn,  and  engaged  in  the  mines 
as  coal  loader.  Being  trustworthy,  he  was  soon 
advanced  to  the  position  of  fireman,  and  in  Janu- 
ary, 1889,  to  that  of  engineer.  This  position  he  has 
held  ever  since.  Mr.  Sally  was  married  in  1889, 
at  Roslyn,  to  Miss  Lucy  Clark,  of  Manchester,  Ken- 
tucky, who  was  born  in  Clay  county,  that  state,  in 
1858'.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sally  are  members  of 
the  Baptist  church.  They  own  their  home  in 
Roslyn  and  have  property  holdings  in  Seattle.  They 
suffered  the  loss  of  one  house  by  fire  since  living  in 
Roslyn,  but  by  frugality  and  economy  have  since 
then  quite  recovered  from  this  reverse.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Sally  are  highly  esteemed  members  of  the 
community. 


CARTER  NICHOLAS,  who  holds  the  position 
of  engineer  in  the  Roslyn  mines,  was  born  in  Char- 
lottesville, Virginia,  April  29,  1865,  and  was  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  of  that  state.  Later,  he 
went  to  Illinois  and  accepted  employment  in  the 
roller  mills  at  Joliet,  where  he  remained  for  a  num- 
ber of  years,  and  during  which  time  he  learned  the 
trade  of  engineer.  In  1889  he  came  to  Roslyn  and 
at  once  secured  charge  of  an  engine  in  the  coal 
mines  of  the  Northwestern  Improvement  Company, 
which  position  he  has  held  continuously  for  four- 
teen years.  He  commenced  working  here  at  a  wage 
of  two  dollars  per  day,  but  as  a  result  of  faithful- 
ness and  proficiency  in  his  work,  has  had  his  salary 
materially  increased.  Mr.  Nicholas  was  married  in 
Illinois  in  1883  to  Miss  Levia  Jones,  who  was  born 
in  Manchester,  Clay  county,  Kentucky.  Five  chil- 
dren have  since  been  born  to  them :  Bertha,  Nettie, 
Mary,  Estella  and  Albert.  The  father  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order,  and  also,  with  his  family, 
has  membership  in  the  Baptist  church.  He  has 
been  honored  by  his  fellow  citizens  with  election  to 
the  office  of  city  councilman,  which  position  he  now 
holds.  He  owns  property  in  Roslyn,  and  takes  a 
patriotic  interest  in  the  upbuilding  of  the  city. 


MATT.  COLLET,  employed  in  the  Roslyn  coal 
mines  as  a  "shot-lighter,"  is  a  native  of  Germany, 


where  he  was  born  in  1876.  When  he  was  nine  years 
old  he  came  with  his  mother  to  the  United  States, 
and  the  two  took  up  their  residence  in  Fayette, 
Missouri.  Here  young  Collet  grew  to  manhood, 
during  the  period  attending  the  public  schools  of 
that  town.  After  a  residence  there  of  twelve  years 
he,  in  1897,  decided  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  far 
Northwest  and  made  Roslyn,  the  great  coal-mining 
center,  his  objective  point.  At  this  place  he  secured 
employment  in  the  company  mines,  and  has  since 
been  given  the  position  of  shot-lighter.  His  duty 
is  to  fire  the  charges  of  powder  set  by  the  miners, 
and  examine  whether  or  not  gas  has  accumulated 
in  the  mine  before  the  shots  are  fired,  thus  by  care 
avoiding  a  general  explosion.  He  was  married  in 
Roslyn,  January  21,  1902,  to  Margaret  Renton, 
daughter  of  William  Renton,  a  Roslyn  miner,  and 
Martha  (Watson)  Renton.  They  have  one  child, 
Mildred  lone,  born  November  15,  1902.  Two  broth- 
ers of  Mr.  Collet  are  now  living,  John  in  Renton, 
and  Frank  in  Montana;  both  are  miners.  Mrs. 
Collet  has  one  brother,  George  W.,  who  is  now  liv- 
ing in  Roslyn.  The  subject  of  this  biography  was 
raised  under  the  influence  of  the  Catholic  church. 
He  owns  a  home  in  Roslyn,  and  though  a  young 
man,  is  making  good  progress  in  life. 


WILLIAM  HARRISON,  a  Roslyn  miner,  is  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  born  at  Mansfield,  that 
state,  November  17,  1868.  His  father,  Ralph  Har- 
rison, miner  and  horticulturist,  was  born  in  England 
and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1861.  His  mother, 
Mary  Harrison,  also  a  native  of  England,  came  to 
this  country  with  her  husband.  She  died  at  Cle- 
Elum,  July  12,  1903.  William  Harrison  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of  Illinois,  where 
his  parents  moved  when  he  was  six  years  old.  He 
made  that  state  his  home  until  1883,  at  which  time 
he  and  his  parents  moved  to  Dakota.  He  engaged 
in  mining  at  Sims,  for  what  is  now  known  as  the 
Northwestern  Improvement  Company.  Later  he 
went  into  Montana  and  was  employed  in  the  com- 
pany's mines  in  that  state.  In  i885  he  moved  to 
Roslyn  and  began  work  in  the  mines  at  that  place, 
where  he  has  continued  ever  since.  He  has  now 
been  with  the  company  at  various  places  for  almost 
twenty  years.  He  has  five  brothers,  namely :  Ralph, 
Edward,  Robert,  James  J.  and  George,  all  now  re- 
siding at  Cle-Elum,  Washington.  His  only  sister, 
Mfs.  Annie  Graham,  is  living  in  Bellingham. 

Mr.  Harrison  was  married  at  Roslyn,  in  1894, 
to  Mrs.  Mary  (Turner)  Wright,  whose  husband 
lost  his  life  in  the  Roslyn  mine  explosion  in  1892. 
Mrs.  Harrison  is  a  native  of  England.  Her  father, 
William  Turner,  died  there  several  years  ago.  Her 
mother,  now  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Cloughlyn,  of  Silver 
Plume,  Colorado,  is  also  of  English  nativity.  By 
her  first  marriage  Mrs.  Harrison  had  three  chil- 
dren :     Sidnev  H.,  Willie  and  Albert.     Children  by 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


935 


her  second  marriage  are  Robert  W.,  Frank  E.,  Net- 
tie E.,  Edward  A.  and  Bertha  F.  Fraternally,  Mr. 
Harrison  is  affiliated  with  Welcome  Lodge  No.  30, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  with  the  Improved  Order 
of  Red  Men.  He  was  raised  under  the  influence  of 
the  Church  of  England.  He  owns  town  property 
both  in  Roslyn  and  in  Cle-Elum,  and  is  a  respected 
citizen  of  the  former  town. 


ARTHUR  W.  HODDER,  connected  with  the 
Roslyn  coal  mines  in  the  capacity  of  fire  boss,  is 
a  native  of  England,  born  October  3,  1868.  One 
year  after  his  birth  his  parents  immigrated  to  the 
United  States,  and  thus  young  Hodder  grew  up  on 
American  soil.  He  has  imbibed  the  ideas  and  prin- 
ciples of  this  country  completely,  since  he  knows 
nothing  of  his  birthplace  excepting  such  knowledge 
as  he  has  acquired  by  reading,  and  through  family 
traditions.  His  father,  Jacob  Hodder,  and  his 
mother,  Anna  (Barnes)  Hodder,  were  born  in  Eng- 
land, and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1869,  settling 
in  Iowa,  where  the  father  is  now  engaged  in  the 
coal  business.  Arthur  Hodder  grew  to  young  man- 
hood in  Iowa,  where  he  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Oskaloosa.  At  the  age  of  six- 
teen he  began  work  in  the  coal  mines  of  that  state, 
and  this  occupation  he  followed  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1898,  hearing  of  the  attractive  opportu- 
nities offered  to  coal-miners  in  the  great  North- 
west, he  came  to  Roslyn  and  accepted  employment 
with  the  coal  company  of  that  place  in  the  capacity 
of  a  common  miner.  He  has  since  been  promoted 
to  his  present  position  of  fire  boss,  one  duty  of 
which  is  to  daily  inspect  the  portion  of  the  mine 
under  his  supervision  to  see  that  there  is  no  accu- 
mulation of  gases  or  other  unfavorable  condition 
existing,  endangering  the  lives  of  the  miners.  He 
has  one  sister,  Elsie,  who  is  living  in  Norris,  Illinois. 

On  June  24,  1903,  at  Roslyn,  Mr.  Hodder  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Hannah  Stewart, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Stewart,  both 
natives  of  England  and  now  residing  at  Roslyn, 
where  Mr.  Stewart  is  engaged  in  mining.  Mrs. 
Hodder,  the  bride's  mother,  was  born  in  Deerham, 
England,  July  17,  1877,  and  came  to  this  country 
with  her  parents  when  she  was  but  four  years  of 
age.  She  has  three  sisters  :  Eliza,  living  in  Roslyn  ; 
Maggie  and  Mary,  in  Streator,  Illinois ;  a  brother, 
Joseph,  also  lives  in  Streator.  Mr.  Hodder  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  of  the 
Improved  Order  of  Red  Men.  While  he  has  fol- 
lowed mining  for  a  number  of  years  he  has  met 
with  none  of  the  accidents  common  to  those  of  his 
calling,  which  exemption  is  due  largely  to  his  pro- 
ficiency and  good  judgment.  He  owns  property  in 
Roslyn,  acquired  through  the  industry  and  careful 
management  characteristic  of  the  man.  He  is  one 
of  the  trusted  employees  of  the  mining  company  and 
a  respected  citizen  of  the  town. 


JOSEPH  J.  HARTLEY  was  born  in  Bradford, 
Yorkshire,  England,  in  1857,  where  he  grew  to 
manhood  and  was  educated.  He  served  his  appren- 
ticeship as  a  printer  and  worked  at  that  trade  until 
he  left  England.  His  father,  Joseph  Hartford 
Plartley,  was  a  printer  and  a  dealer  in  stationery. 
His  mother,  Sarah  (Gill)  Hartley,  was  a  native  of 
England.  After  arriving  at  manhood's  estate  the 
younger  Hartley  decided  to  leave  the  tight  little 
island  of  his  nativity  and  seek  a  wider  field  of 
action.  Accordingly  he  took  passage  to  the  United 
States.  In  June,  1881,  he  reached  this  country  and 
settled  in  Bandera  county,  Texas.  Here  he  engaged 
in  the  stock  business  until  1890,  when  he  deter- 
mined to  try  the  Pacific  coast  country.  After  one 
year  in  Oregon  he  came  to  Kittitas  county,  settling 
on  Teanaway  creek,  where  he  bought  a  half-interest 
in  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land.  After  one 
year  he  sold  and  homesteaded  another  quarter  in 
the  same  vicinity.  This  he  improved  and  farmed 
for  five  years.  An  opening  then  offered  itself  with 
the  Northwestern  Improvement  Company,  which  he 
accepted,  and  later  became  stock  boss  at  the  com- 
pany stables,  having  the  management  of  all  the 
stock  used  in  and  about  the  mines.  This  position  he 
now  holds,  having  several  helpers  under  him.  He 
has  one  sister,  living  in  Bandera  county,  Texas. 

Mr.  Hartley  was  married  in  Kittitas  county, 
November  22,  1891,  to  Alice  Gibb,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Fannie  (Davis)  Gibb,  both  natives  of 
England.  Mrs.  Hartley  has  one  sister,  Mrs.  Rich- 
ard Walsh,  living  in  Kittitas  county.  Husband 
and  wife  are  of  the  Episcopal  communion.  Mr. 
Hartley  is  an  active  member  of  Welcome  lodge,  No. 
30,  Knights  of  Pythias,  in  which  he  now  holds  the 
office  of  treasurer.  Mrs.  Hartley  is  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Rathbone  Sisters,  having  passed 
through  all  the  chairs  of  that  order.  Mr.  Hartley 
owns  a  home  in  Roslyn  and  while,  for  the  time 
being,  he  has  abandoned  agricultural  pursuits,  he 
still  owns  a  farm  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres 
on  the  Yakima  river.  He  enjoys  the  confidence  and 
respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 


CHRISTOPHER  F.  DIENER  is  a  retired  car- 
penter, now  engaged  in  farming  about  three  and 
one-half  miles  east  of  Easton,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Wurtemberg,  Germany,  July  7,  1849.  His 
parents,  John  and  Elizabeth  (Schiverle)  Diener, 
were  both  Germans  and  are  dead.  Mr.  Diener  was 
educated  and  learned  his  trade  in  Germany,  and  in 
1868  came  to  the  United  States  and  located  in 
Stratford,  Fairfield  county,  Connecticut,  working  as 
gardener.  Later  he  worked  at  his  trade  at  Pitts- 
burg for  five  years ;  then  resided  for  a  time  in 
Youngstown,  Ohio,  and  in  St.  Clair  county,  Illinois. 
He  was  in  the  mines  at  the  latter  place  and  also  in 
Kentucky.  Later  he  revisited  Illinois.  Pennsylvania 
and  Ohio,  and  located  again  in  Illinois  for  nine 
years.     From  Illinois  he  moved  to  Roslyn,  and  for 


936 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


sixteen  months  was  employed  by  the  coal  company, 
qu'tting  at  the  end  of  this  period  and  locating  on 
his  present  farm,  which  he  took  up  as  a  homestead 
in  18S8.  He  was  married  November  13,  1880,  at 
Belleville,  Illinois,  to  Miss  Louisa  Rockmann,  who 
was  born  in  Michigan,  April  25,  1863.  Her  par- 
ents were  Christian  and  Annie  (Dressier)  Rock- 
mann. Her  brothers  and  sisters  are:  Frank,  of 
St.  Louis;  August,  Mrs.  Caroline  Herr,  Mrs.  Min- 
nie Walter  and  William  Rockmann,  the  last  five 
named  all  living  in  Belleville,  Illinois.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Diener  have  four  children :  John  H.,  born  March 
25,  1883;  Fred,  born  December  26,  1890;  Susie  E., 
born  November  10,  1895,  and  Maudie,  born  Sep- 
tember 26, 190 1.  Mr.  Diener  is  a  Knight  of  Pythias. 
He  was  brought  up  under  the  influence  of  the  Lu- 
theran church.  He  has  a  fine  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  sixty  acres  and  as  much  more  pasture  lands. 
He  is  a  well  posted  and  prosperous  farmer,  well 
esteemed  by  his  neighbors. 


CARL  ENENKEL  is  the  manager  and  part 
owner  of  the  Swauk  Creek  Mining  &  Development 
Company.  His  home  is  one  mile  east  of  Liberty, 
Kittitas  county,  Washington.  He  was  born  in 
Vienna,  Austria,  June  8,  1864.  His  father,  Carl 
Enenkel,  was  also  a  native  of  Vienna,  born  May  10, 
1834.  The  elder  Enenkel  served  eleven  years  in 
the  Austrian  army  as  a  corporal,  and  took  part  in 
the  battles  of  Mantua,  Badna  and  Solferino,  receiv- 
ing a  very  bad  wound  in  the  chin  and  breast  from 
shrapnel,  which  would  have  killed 'him  instantly  had 
it  not  been  for  the  protection  afforded  by  a  breast- 
plate that  he  wore.  This  wound  prevented  his  fur- 
ther service  and  he  received  an  honorable  discharge. 
Mr.  Enenkel's  mother,  Julia  (Schindler)  Enenkel, 
was  born  in  Austria,  February  20,  1845.  Her  father 
has  been  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  woolen, 
linen  and  tapestry  for  the  past  thirty  years.  Mr. 
Enenkel  received  his  early  education  in  Vienna,  and 
took  a  three  years'  course  in  the  textile  branch,  at 
Gumpendorf  Textile  Institute.  He  graduated  in 
1884  and  afterwards  took  charge  of  the  factory  of 
Phillip  Haas  &  Sons.  He  served  one  year  in  the 
Austrian  army  and  December  20,  1885,  received  an 
honorable  discharge.  He  then  moved  to  the  United 
States  with  the  intention  of  following  his  profes- 
sion, but  found  so  much  competition  that  he  aban- 
doned that  idea.  He,  with  a  fellow  countryman, 
then  started  a  spinning  and  weaving  establishment 
in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  but  met  with  poor  success. 
Mr.  Enenkel  sold  his  interests  in  the  business  to  his 
partner  and  moved  to  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  engaged  in  designing  for  tapestry  and  up- 
holstery. In  1898,  he  received  the  appointment  of 
assistant  manager  for  the  mining  company  with 
which  he  is  now  connected,  and  moved  to  Wash- 
ington. Buying  a  group  of  quartz  and  placer  claims 
and  locating  another  group,  the  company  operated 
the  placer  properties  for  about  three  years  and  then  I 


sold  them  to  Hans  Weniger,  a  member  of  the  com- 
pany. Since  this  sale  he  has  been  in  charge  as 
manager  and  part  owner.  Mr.  Enenkel  has  a 
brother  and  sister,  both  natives  of  Austria,  where 
they  reside.  The  brother,  Herman,  born  Novem- 
ber 29,  1868,  is  manager  of  a  factory.  The  sister, 
Julia,  was  born  in  May,  1880. 

Mr.  Enenkel  was  married  in  Philadelphia,  No- 
vember 30,  1899,  to  Miss  Eva  Krupp,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Anna  (Hens)  Krupp.  Her  father,  born 
in  Germany  in  1843,  was  a  butcher.  Her  mother 
was  born  in  Bavaria.  Mrs.  Enenkel  was  born  in 
Bavaria,  May  12,  1873,  ar>d  was  educated  in  that 
country.  She  was  one  of  four  children,  and  her 
eldest  brother,  Jacob,  was  born  in.  Bavaria,  in  1868. 
Her  other  brother,  William,  born  in  Bavaria  in 
1870,  is  now  a  resident  of  Philadelphia,  as  is  also 
her  sister,  Mrs.  Barbaria  Muhler,  born  in  Bavaria 
in  1878.  Mr.  Enenkel  was  brought  up  in  the  Cath- 
olic church,  of  which  his  wife  is  also  a  member. 
In  matters  of  politics,  he  is  a  Democrat.  He  is 
achieving  success  as  manager  of  the  mining  inter- 
ests under  his  control,  and  is  a  well  known  and 
respected  citizen.- 


THOMAS  CADWELL,  until  recently  engaged 
in  business  in  Roslyn,  Washington,  as  a  jeweler 
and  watchmaker,  was  born  in  England,  Febru- 
ary 6,  1850,  and  received  his  early  education  there. 
He  worked  in  the  mines  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  old,  when  he  entered  upon  an  apprenticeship 
at  Durham,  England,  in  the  trade  of  jeweler  and 
watchmaker.  He  later  opened  a  store  in  Leadgate, 
England,  which  he  conducted  until  1881,  when  he 
came  to  the  United  States.  He  found  employment 
in  the  mines  at  Riverton  and  Barton,  Illinois,  and 
Rich  Hill,  Missouri,  for  about  two  years,  and  moved 
then  to  Roslyn,  Washington.  In  1890  he  opened  a 
jewelry  store  here  and  conducted  it  until  1903,  when 
he  retired  from  the  business.  He  is  now  devoting 
his  attention  to  his  farm  on  the  Yakima  river,  near 
Cle-Elum.  Thomas  Cadwell  is  the  son  of  Joseph 
and  Jane  H.  (Thompson)  Cadwell,  both  natives  of 
England,  and  both  deceased.  He  is  the  fourth  in 
a  family  of  eight  children. 

Mr.  Cadwell  was  married  in  England,  April  19, 
1873,  to  Miss  Mary  Ann  Burrill,  who  was  born  in 
England,  November  4,  1851.  Her  parents  were 
Francis  and  Jane  (Gaines)  Burrill,  both  natives 
of  England.  Her  only  brother,  Thomas  Burrill,  is 
an  English  farmer.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cadwell  have  the 
following  children :  Joseph  Cadwell,  born  April  17, 
1876;  Thomas  Henry,  born  October  1,  1880;  Jane 
Hannah  Cadwell,  born  December  22,  1886;  John  G. 
Cadwell,  born  December  17,  1889,  and  Laura  M. 
Cadwell,  born  April  20,  1891.  Husband  and  wife 
attend  the  Episcopal  church.  Mr.  Cadwell  is  an 
ardent  Republican.  For  thirteen  years  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows. 
He  is  an  industrious,  capable  and  successful  busi- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


937 


ness  man  and  has  accumulated  considerable  prop- 
erty. He  owns  two  business  blocks  in  Roslyn  in 
addition  to  his  residence,  and  has  a  fine  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  sixty-two  and  seven-tenths 
acres  on  the  Yakima  river. 


GEORGE  D.  VIRDEN  is  a  farmer  and  min- 
ing- man,  who  lives  at  Liberty  postoffice,  twelve 
miles  east  of  Cle-Elum,  Washington.  He  was 
born  in  Illinois,  February  23,  1847.  His  father, 
Oscar  Virden,  was  born  in  Kentucky,  June  19, 
1819,  and  is  now  farming  in  Iowa.  The  mother, 
Love  C.  (Powel)  Virden,  was  born  in  Vermont 
in  1821,  and  is  still  living.  In  addition  to  the  son 
George,  there  are  in  the  family  one  son  and  two 
daughters:  Charles  Virden,  an  Iowa  farmer; 
Lizzie  (Virden)  Blye  and  Emily  (Virden) 
Coons,  wives  of  Minnesota  farmers.  George  D. 
Virden,  of  whom  we  write,  attended  the  schools 
of  Black  Hawk  county,  Iowa,  until  he  was  nine- 
teen years  old,  and  then  spent  two  years  on  his 
father's  farm.  He  afterwards  moved  to  Kansas 
and  engaged  in  farming  for  himself  for  five  years, 
but,  on  account  of  drought  and  grasshoppers, 
again  moved,  this  time  to  Washington.  He  ar- 
rived in  Kittitas  county  in  September,  1876,  and 
two  years  later  moved  on  his  present  farm. 

Mr.  Virden  was  married  in  Iowa,  April  9, 
1868,  to  Miss  Rebecca  Walker,  who  was  born  in 
Ohio,  April  20,  1849.  Her  father  and  mother, 
David  and  Leah  (Mohl)  Walker,  were  natives 
of  Pennsylvania  and  of  German  descent;  both 
are  now  deceased.  The  brothers  and  sisters  of 
Mrs.  Virden  are  as  follows:  Sarah  (Walker) 
Wakeman  and  Lizzie  (Walker)  Zartman,  both 
deceased ;  John  Walker,  a  farmer,  now  residing 
at  Frederick,  Kansas ;  Frank  Walker,  a  Kansas 
carpenter;  Tosiah  Walker,  Hattie  (Walker) 
Rugg,  and  Jennie  (Walker)  Saunders,  the  three 
last  named  now  deceased ;  David  Walker,  of 
Kansas  City,  Missouri;  Clara  (Walker)  Rugg 
(deceased)  and  Milton  Walker,  a  farmer  of  Kan- 
sas. Another  sister,  Mrs.  Johanna  (Walker) 
Schufell.  is  now  residing  in  Ohio,  and  a  brother, 
Byron  Walker,  is  a  music  teacher  at  Hutchin- 
son, Kansas.  Eight  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Virden.  Mabel,  the  first  child, 
died.  Tbe  others  are:  William,  born  Novem- 
ber 6,  1871 ;  Delia  (Virden)  Piland,  born  Sep- 
tember 17,  1873,  both  of  Kittitas  county;  Leah 
(Virden)  Crowley,  born  March  24,  1875,  °f  El- 
lensburg;  Ida  (Virden)  Lundberg,  born  April  10, 
1880  (deceased)  ;  George  Virden,  born  May  15, 
1883;  Norman  Virden,  born  September  18,  1887, 
and  Chester  Virden,  born  September  7,  1892. 
Mr.  Virden  was  intimately  associated  with  pioneer 
mining  in  the  county.  He  took  out  the  first  sack  of 
coal  from  Roslyn,  and  brought  it  to  Ellensburg, 
where  a  blacksmith  test  showed  its  value.  He  located 


one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  coal  land  and  intend- 
ed to  file  on  it,  but  found  the  land  was  unsurveyed, 
so  let  it  go.  He  now  has  one  of  the  most  valuable 
coal  deposits  in  the  county.  He  also  hauled  the  first 
wagon  load  of  coal  from  the  Roslyn  mine  for  use  in 
his  own  blacksmith  shop.  He  was  one  of  the  early 
locaters  in  the  Swauk  Creek  gold  district,  where  he 
now  has  three  mines,  the  Gold  Hill,  Summit  and 
Gold  Bug.  He  has  three  hundred  and  twenty  acres 
of  land,  of  which  one-third  is  under  cultivation.  His 
farm  is  equipped  with  stock  and  machinery  neces- 
sary for  its  proper  cultivation,  and  in  addition,  with 
a  good  barn,  machinery  sheds,  and  a  comfortable 
nine-room  dwelling  house.  Mr.  Virden  is  one  of 
the  leading  farmers  of  the  county,  and  has  a  wide 
circle  of  friends. 


GUSTAF  NILSON  is  a  mining  man,  living 
four  and  one-half  miles  southwest  of  Liberty,  Wash- 
ington. He  was  born  in  Sweden,  April  5,  1839.  His 
parents,  Nils  Nilson  and  Engebord  (Gro)  Nilson, 
were  born  in  Sweden  in  1817  and  1818,  respect- 
ively, and  are  now  both  deceased.  Mr.  Nilson  at- 
tended school  in  his  native  land  until  he  was  seven- 
teen years  old.  He  then  engaged  in  railroad  work 
and  mining,  which  occupations  he  followed  until  he 
was  twenty-two  years  old.  Next,  he  followed  a  sea- 
faring life  for  two  years  and  a  half.  When  the  life 
of  a  sailor  was  no  longer  to  his  liking  he  came  to 
the  United  States,,  where,  in  Illinois,  he  engaged  in 
farming.  Later,  feeling  a  revival  of  nautical  tend- 
encies, he  worked  on  a  Mississippi  river  steamboat, 
after  which  he  railroaded  until  1889,  since  which 
time  he  has  devoted  most  of  his  attention  to  mining. 
He  has  been  a  resident  of  Washington  since  1870. 
He  was  the  first  postmaster  at  Liberty,  and  took 
out  the  first  copper  and  silver  ore  from  the  Fish 
Lake  country.  He  located  placer  claims  on  Liberty 
bar  and  took  out  $19,000  before  selling  his  holdings 
in  1899.  He  now  owns  quartz  properties  in  the 
Swauk  district.  Mr.  Nilson  has  two  sisters  and 
two  brothers.  The  sisters  are  Mrs.  Engelborg 
(Nilson)  Swanson,  of  Cle-Elum.  and  Mrs.  Anna 
(Nilson)  Anderson,  of  Klickitat  county;  the  broth- 
ers are  Axel  Nilson,  a  minister  in  Sweden,  and  Olaf 
Nilson,  a  manufacturer,  also  in  the  old  country.  Mr. 
Nilson  is  the  owner  of  about  four  hundred  acres 
of  farm  land,  upon  which  is  a  good  house  and  a 
large  barn.  He  has  plenty  of  live  stock  and  farming 
implements.  Fraternally,  he  is  associated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and,  in  religion,  he  is  an  ad- 
herent of  the  German  Lutheran  church.  He  is  a 
prosperous  and  well-informed  mining  man  whose 
success  is  fully  merited. 


THOMAS  LIVINGSTON  is  a  native  of  the 
state  of  Washington,  born  in  Seattle,  March  1,  1874. 
He  is  engaged  in  mining,  and  resides  a  half  mile 
southeast  of  Liberty,  Washington.     He  is  a  son  of 


938 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


Jacob  Livingston,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  state. 
His  mother,  Elizabeth  (Brown)  Livingston,  was 
born  in  Washington,  in  1853,  and  died  when 
Thomas  was  but  two  years  old.  The  father  is  of 
Holland  Dutch  and  Scotch  descent,  and  was  born 
in  Pennsylvania,  June  22,  1837.  Thomas  Living- 
ston studied  in  the  common  schools  of  Ellensburg 
until  he  was  eighteen  years  old.  He  then  engaged 
in  prospecting  and  placer  mining,  which  he  has 
since  followed  with  considerable  success.  His  two 
brothers  reside  in  this  state.  They  are  James  Liv- 
ingston, born  in  Seattle,  June,  1876,  now  engaged 
in  mining  in  Kittitas  county,  and  George  W.,  born 
at  Liberty,  March  23,  1881.  Mr.  Livingston  was 
married  in  Everett,  Washington,  November  17. 
1898,  to  Miss  Estella  King,  who  was  born  in  Illi- 
nois, February  18,  1883.  The  parents  of  the  bride 
were  William  and  Alice  King,  who,  with  their  three 
other  children,  Robert,  Rosie  and  Mary,  now  reside 
in  Loomis,  Washington.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Livingston 
have  one  child,  Ruby  M.,  born  in  Neighborsville, 
Washington,  October  2,  1901.  Mr.  Livingston  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  posted 
mining  men  of  the  county  in  which  he  resides,  and 
is  the  owner  of  a  number  of  paying  mining  proper- 
ties. He  is  one  of  the  progressive  citizens  of  the 
county. 


TORKEL  TWEET  is  a  mining  man  whose 
home  is  one  mile  north  of  Liberty,  Washington.  He 
was  born  in  Norway,  February  14,  1855,  and  has 
been  in  the  United  States  since  he  was  thirteen 
years  old.  His  parents  were  John  and  Anna 
(Frolin)  Tweet,  both  born  in  Norway  about  the 
year  1812.  The  elder  Tweet  is  now  deceased. 
Torkel  Tweet  attended  school  in  his  native  land 
and  later  finished  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  Minnesota  and  Wisconsin.  When  seven- 
teen years  of  age  he  engaged  in  farming  in  Minne- 
sota, and  was  thus  employed  ten  years.  Then  he 
took  up  railroad  contracting  in  Wisconsin,  Minne- 
sota and  Montana.  From  1883  to  1885  he  pros- 
pected in  the  Coeur  d'Alene  mining  district  of 
Idaho.  Thence  he  moved  to  the  Liberty  district, 
where  he  has  since  prospected  and  mined,  except- 
ing two  years,  during  which  time  he  was  in 
Alaska.  He  is  now  operating  the  Selma  mine,  which 
is  owned  by  Mr.  Jenzer  and  himself.  The  two  part- 
ners have  extracted  about  $14,000  worth  of  ore 
from  other  mining  property  they  own,  which  claims 
are  the  Phoenix  and  Little  York.  Mr.  Tweet  has 
two  brothers  and  one  sister,  natives  of  Norway. 
The  brothers  are  Thomas  and  John  Tweet,  and  the 
sister  is  Mrs.  Borney  (Tweet)  Knutson.  The  two 
last  named  reside  in  Minnesota.  Mr.  Tweet  is  a 
Republican,  and  in  religion,  is  connected  with  the 
German  Lutheran  church.  His  mining  properties 
are  considered  among  the  best  in  the  state,  and  he 
handles   them   to  the   best   advantage,   being   thor- 


oughly  skilled   in    mining.      He   is   well-to-do   and 
popular,  a  substantial  citizen. 


JOHN  JENZER  is  a  mining  man  living  at  Lib- 
erty, Washington.  He  is  a  native  of  Switzerland, 
born  in  Melchnan,  Canton  Berne,  August  15,1860, 
and  is  the  son  of  Andreas  and  Elizabeth  Jenzer, 
natives  of  Switzerland,  both  born  in  the  year  1831. 
The  parents  are  dead.  The  son  John  spent  his  youth 
and  early  manhood  in  his  native  country,  coming  to 
the  United  States  in  1887,  in  his  twenty-seventh 
year.  Upon  arrival  in  this  country  he  located  first 
in  California,  where  he  followed  mining  in  various 
parts  of  the  state  for  a  number  of  years.  He  went 
to  Alaska  prior  to  the  rush  of  miners  to  that  place, 
and  while  there  met  with  fair  success,  facing  the 
dangers  and  enduring  the  hardships  of  the  earliest 
pioneer  days.  He  also  spent  seven  winters  and 
eight  summers  in  the  Yukon  country.  Returning 
to  the  slates  in  the  fall  of  1902,  he  settled  at  Lib- 
erty, Kittitas  county,  Washington.  Since  that  time 
lie  has  purchased  a  half  interest  with  Torkel  Tweet 
in  five  mines  which  promise  excellent  returns  when 
thoroughly  developed.  Like  all  prospectors  and 
miners,  he  has  experienced  many  "ups  and  downs" 
in  the  search  for  the  hidden  treasures  of  the  earth, 
but  with  the  true  grit  and  determination  of  the 
native  mountaineer,  he  has  persevered,  has  faced 
many  dangers  and  overcome  many  difficulties,  and 
has  faith  that  the  future  will  yet  crown  his  efforts 
with  success.  Born  among  the  mountains  of  his 
native  country,  he  is  nowhere  more  at  home  than 
among  the  mountains  of  his  adopted  land.  Mr. 
Jenzer  was  third  in  a  family  of  five  children,  two 
of  whom  have  passed  away.  In  political  matters, 
he  adheres  to  the  principles  of  the  Republican  party 
and  takes  an  active  interest  in  political  campaigns. 
He  was  reared  in  the  German  Lutheran  church.  He 
is  energetic  and  ambitious,  and  is  working  hard  to 
make  his  mining  properties  take  rank  with  the  great 
producers  of  the  Northwest.  He  is  a  man  highly 
respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  know  him. 


JOHN  BLOMQUIST,  a  mining  man  and  miller 
of  Liberty,  Washington,  was  born  in  Sweden,  June 
12,  1840.  He  is  the  son  of  Carl  and  Elizabeth  Blom- 
quist,  both  born  in  Sweden,  where  his  father,  a 
farmer  by  occupation,  died.  Mr.  Blomquist's  career 
has  been  one  of  work  and  activity,  during  which, 
as  a  sailor,  he  managed  to  see  a  goodly  portion 
of  the  world.  He  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and 
-ittended  the  common  schools  of  his  native  count- 
until  seventeen  years  of  age.  In  1858  he  came  to 
the  United  States,  landed  at  Boston,  and  from  that 
port  shipped  as  a  sailor  on  a  vessel  bound  for  China. 
During  the  voyage  his  ship  was  wrecked,  her  cargo 
lost,  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  the  crew  were 
saved  from  watery  graves.  After  four  years  spent 
as  a  seaman,  he  came  to  California,  in  1861.   Deter- 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


939 


mined  to  leave  the  sea,  he  secured  employment  in  a 
shipbuilding  yard,  where  he  remained  four  years, 
at  the  expiration  of  which  time  he  again  shipped  for 
China.  In  that  country  he  remained  three  years, 
then  came  to  Puget  Sound  and  again  took  work  'in 
a  shipbuilding  yard.  In  1871  he  came  to  Kittitas 
county  and  took  up  a  ranch  eight  miles  from  Ellens- 
burg.  He  was  the  first  settler  to  make  filings  on  a 
homestead  in  the  Yakima  land  office.  He  lived  on 
this  claim  for  a  number  of  years,  a  portion  of  which 
time  he  also  ran  a  brewery.  In  1873  he  removed 
to  Swauk  Prairie  and  opened  a  mine  near  the  Dis- 
covery claim.  Seven  years  ago  he  established  a 
sawmill  on  the  prairie,  and  has  made  this  his  home 
up  to  the  present  time.  His  firm  is  styled  the  Blom- 
quist  Mining  &  Milling  Company. 

Mr.  Blomquist  was  married  in  Seattle,  in  1871, 
to  Miss  Eliza  Jordan,  to  which  union  four  children 
were  born  :  Gustave,  August  28,  1875  ;  Emma  White, 
July  6,  1877;  Charley,  June,  1879,  and  Frank,  April, 
1882;  all  were  born  in  Kittitas  county,  and  are  still 
living,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  named.  Mr. 
Blomquist's  first  wife  died  sixteen  years  ago,  and 
ten  years  subsequent  to  her  death  Mr.  Blomquist 
was  married  to  Mrs.  Mortsen,  who  was  born  in 
Norway  in  1863,  and  educated  in  that  country.  To 
this  union,  also,  four  children  have  been  born : 
Francis,  Victor,  Cisciel  and  Helmer,  all  natives  of 
Kittitas  county,  and  born  in  1897,  1899,  1900  and 
1902,  respectively.  Mr.  Blomquist  is  a  Democrat 
in  politics,  but  not  a  rabid  partisan.  He  has  a  saw- 
mill on  Williams  creek,  which  is  doing  a  profitable 
business.  He  is  also  interested  in  a  number  of 
mines,  and  is  opening  up  some  promising  quartz 
properties  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home.  He  is  one  of 
the  well-to-do  business  men  of  his  county,  and  one 
of  the  most  popular  citizens,  both  in  business  and 
social  circles. 


R.  A  BARRY  lives  one  and  one-half  miles 
north  of  Liberty,  Washington,  where  he  is  engaged 
in  mining.  He  was  born  in  Olympia,  Washington, 
April  18,  1875,  being  the  son  of  Jerome  and  Hellen 
(Mereen)  Barry.  Both  of  his  parents  were  natives 
of  Maine,  where  the  father  was  born  in  1829  and 
the  mother  in  1848.  Mr.  Barry  is  now  deceased. 
R.  A.  Barry,  of  whom  we  write,  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  and  high  school  at  Olympia  until  he 
was  seventeen  years  old.  Then  in  July,  1892,  he 
moved  to  Liberty  and  engaged  in  prospecting  and 
mining.  He  has  charge  of  mining  work  for  several 
companies.  The  Getchell  Mining  Company  was 
organized  to  develop  some  of  his  prospects  in  July, 
1 901,  and  Mr.  Barry  is  now  in  charge  of  the  work 
as  manager,  and  is  also  one  of  the  heaviest  stock- 
holders of  the  company.  The  company  has  four 
claims  on  a  contact  lead,  and  four  on  a  fissure  vein, 
the  prospects  in  view  being  most  flattering.  Thus 
far  about  twenty  thousand  dollars  has  been  ex- 
pended  in    development    work,   and    it  is  claimed 


there  are  ten  million  dollars  in  ore  in  sight  in  the 

main  tunnel.    This  tunnel  taps  the  ledge  at  a  depth 

of  two  hundred  feet.    The  ledge  is  sixty  feet  wide. 

Mr.  Barry  was  married  in  Olympia,  January  5, 

1902,  to  Miss  Fanny  Early,  who  was  born  in  Kan- 
sas City.  July  21,  1882.  Her  father  is  William 
Early;  the  mother  died  when  Mrs.  Barry  was  three 
years  of  age.  She  has  but  one  brother,  Robert, 
born  in  1880.  Mr.  Barry  also  has  but  one  brother. 
Earl,  now  residing  at  Olympia.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Barry  have  one    child,  Wallace,  born    August    7, 

1903.  Politically,  Mr.  Barry  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  fraternally,  with  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  By  economy  he  has  accu- 
mulated considerable  property  in  addition  to  his 
mining  interests.  The  Getchell  mine  was  located  in 
1900.  A  complete  two-stamp  mill  has  been  erected 
and  will  start  steady  operation  this  year.  Mr.  Barry 
is  president  and  general  manager  of  the  company, 
which  is  capitalized  at  one  million  dollars.  He  is 
one  of  the  successful  and  respected  citizens  of  the 
county. 


EDGAR  McCALLUM  is  a  farmer  who  lives 
five  and  one-half  miles  south  of  Liberty,  Washing- 
ton. He  was  born  in  Iowa,  September  7.  1878.  He 
is  the  son  of  Peter  and  Sarah  B.  (Harrison)  Mc- 
Callum.  His  father,  born  in  Scotland,  January  12, 
1849,  is  at  present  located  at  Cle-Elum,  Washing- 
ton. The  elder  McCallum  was  the  son  of  Robert 
and  Annie  (McKay)  McCallum,  both  natives  of 
Scotland.  Robert  McCallum  was  foreman  ship 
carpenter  for  Dewey  Brothers  for  twenty-one  years. 
He  died  in  1863.  Peter  McCallum  accompanied 
his  parents  to  Canada  when  he  was  an  infant.  His 
father  died  there  and  his  mother  then  moved  to 
Iowa,  where  Peter  was  educated,  and  where  he 
worked  on  farms,  thus  supporting  his  mother  until 
1872,  when  he  went  to  California.  After  two  years 
spent  in  farming  and  mining,  he  returned  to  Iowa. 
where  he  was  married,  in  1874,  to  Sarah  B.  Harri- 
son, daughter  of  W.  H.  and  Milla  (Strowbridge) 
Harrison.  He  lived  in  Iowa  six  years,  going  at 
the  end  of  this  period  to  Olympia,  Washington, 
where  for  nine  months  he  engaged  in  logging.  In 
August.  18S2.  he  moved  to  Kittitas  county,  took 
up  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  as  a  home- 
stead,  and  bought  as  much  more  railroad  land 
eighteen  miles  north  of  Ellensburg.  He  lived  on 
this  place  fifteen  years  and  broueht  the  land  into 
a  high  state  of  cultivation.  He  still  owns  this  land. 
;:s  well  as  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  adjoining, 
which  he  purchased  in  1891.  In  1897  he  went  to 
Seattle  and  engaged  in  the  grocery  business.  In 
February,  1002,  he  sold  out  and  returned  to  Cle- 
Elum.  which  lias  since  been  his  home.  His  first  wife 
died  after  they  had  lived  together  many  years.  His 
second  wife  is  Julia  Eldrcd.  daughter  of  Henry  W. 
and  Julia  (Ryan)  Eldrcd.  now  of  Ellensburg.  Mrs. 
McCallum  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  and  was  edu- 


940 


CENTRAL    WASHINGTON. 


cated  there  and  in  Iowa.  She  was  twenty-two 
years  of  age  at  the  time  of  her  marriage  to  Mr. 
McCallum.  A  brother,  George,  lives  in  Ellens- 
burg,  and  Leslie,  another  brother,  is  dead.  Mr. 
McCallum's  brothers  and  sisters  are :  Mrs.  Anna 
Shaw,  of  Pennsylvania ;  Mrs.  Margaret  McCon- 
nell,  of  St.  Louis ;  Catherine  and  Rebecca,  both  of 
Dakota ;  of  the  two  brothers,  Lewis  resides  in 
Dakota,  and  Robert  has  passed  away.  By  his  first 
wife  Peter  McCallum  had  five  children :  Edgar, 
the  subject  of  this  article;  Jessie  (McCallum)  Dun- 
ford,  Lewis,  Peter  and  William.  He  is  a  Demo- 
crat. For  sixteen  years  he  was  postmaster  at 
McCallum,  Washington,  and  for  two  years  was 
county  commissioner.  He  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  In  addition  to  his  four 
hundred  and  eighty  acres  of  farm  land,  he  owns  a 
large  amount  of  valuable  property  in  Cle-Elum. 

Edgar  McCallum  was  educated  in  Kittitas 
county,  and  when  nineteen  years  old  began  farm 
work,  which  he  has  since  followed.  He  was  mar- 
ried in  Ellensburg,  April  12,  189Q,  to  Miss  Jessie 
Lundberg,  who  was  born  in  Wisconsin,  March  8, 
1878.  He  has  been  working  his  father's  farm, 
which  he  has  leased  for  five  years,  and  has  been 
very  successful.  He  has  some  live  stock  and  all 
needed  farming  implements,  and  is  recognized  as 
one  of  the  most  competent  young  farmers  of  his 
locality. 


ELLING  OLSEN,  a  farmer  living  six  miles 
south  of  Liberty,  Washington,  was  born  in  Nor- 
way, October  6,  185 1.  His  parents  were  Ole  and 
Ingebor  (Johnson)  Elefson,  both  natives  of  Nor- 
way. The  father  is  now  dead,  and  the  mother  re- 
sides in  this  country.  Mr.  Olsen  was  educated  in 
Norway,  and  when  twenty-two  years  old  came  to 
the  United  States  and  located  in  Michigan.  There 
he  worked  in  the  iron  mines  for  three  years.  Later 
he  visited  Wisconsin  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
came  to  Washington,  arriving  at  Tacoma  in  the 
fall  of  1876.  There  he  stayed  for  two  years,  and 
in  July,  1878,  came  to  Kittitas  county.  After  a 
few  years  spent  in  prospecting  and  mining;  he 
bought  the  farm  where  he  now  lives.  He  moved 
on  the  place  in  1886,  and  has  since  cultivated  it. 
His  brothers  and  sisters  are :  John  Olsen,  of  this 
state;  Martin  Olsen,"  of  Norway;  Gust  and  Lasse, 
twins,  who  are  farmers;  Mrs.  Cecelia  (Olsen) 
Johnson,  of  Minnesota,  and  Julia  Olsen,  of  this 
county.  Politically,  Mr.  Olsen  affiliates  with  the 
Republican  party,  and  in  religion,  with  the  German 
Lutheran  church.  He  has  eighty  acres  of  land, 
sixty  acres  of  which  are  well  cultivated.  In  addi- 
tion to  this,  jointly  with  his  three  brothers,  he  owns 
a  section  of  grazing  land.  He  has  a  good  house 
and  barn,  and  of  cattle  and  horses  about  thirty-five 
head.  He  is  doing  well,  is  a  capable  farmer,  pro- 
gressive in  his  ideas  and  well  esteemed  by  his  fellow 
citizens. 


GUST  and  LASSE  OLSEN,  living  six  miles 
south  of  Liberty,  Washington,  are  twin  brothers, 
born  in  Norway,  September  9,  1859.  They  are  the 
sons  of  Ole  and  Ingebor  (Jensen)  Elefson,  both 
natives  of  Norway,  Mr.  Elefson  having  been  a 
farmer.  The  father  died  in  Norway,  while  the 
mother  is  still  living  with  her  sons.  She  was  born 
August  6,  1827,  and  was  married  when  twenty-one 
years  of  age.  Until  their  tenth  year,  Gust  and 
Lasse  Olsen  attended  the  common  schools  of.  Nor- 
way. At  the  age  mentioned  they  were  hired  out 
to  herd  sheep  and  cattle,  and  continued  in  that 
•  vocation  until  fifteen  years  old.  At  sixteen  they 
took  men's  places  in  the  field  and  followed  agricul- 
ture until  their  twenty-second  year,  when  they  came 
to  the  United  States.  Arriving  in  this  country, 
they  went  to  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  where  they 
worked  in  a  sawmill  for  seven  years.  They  then 
removed  to  Blewett,  Chelan  county,  Washington, 
where  for  a  period  of  three  years  they  worked  in 
the  mines  of  that  region.  In  the  fall  of  1893  they 
purchased  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  land  in 
Kittitas  county,  where  they  are  now  living,  and 
afterwards  added,  by  purchase,  three  hundred  and 
eighty  acres  to  their  holdings.  Since  1893  they  have 
been  farming;  their  land  is  in  a  high  state  of  culti- 
vation and  at  the  present  time  they  have  eighty 
acres  in  grain.  Elling  and  John  Olsen,  living  in 
this  state,  are  their  brothers,  and  Julia,  living  at 
the  home  place,  is  a  sister.  There  is  also  £  brother, 
Jens,  and  a  sister,  Cecelia  Johnson,  living  in  Min- 
nesota, and  another  brother,  Martimus,  resides  in 
Norway.  All  were  born  in  Norway.  Gust  and 
Lasse  Olsen  are  Republicans  in  politics,  and'  mem- 
bers of  the  Lutheran  church.  Their  farm  is  one  of 
the  best  in  the  county,  being  well  stocked  with 
blooded  Durham  cattle  and  with  a  sufficient  number 
of  horses  to  carry  on  their  work  successfully.  The 
brothers  are  doing  exceptionally  well  in  a  business 
way,  they  enjoy  the  esteem  and  confidence  of  all, 
and  are  surrounded  by  a  large  circle  of  social  and 
business  friends. 


SAMUEL  I.  RHODES,  a  mining  man  living 
two  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Liberty,  Washing- 
ton, was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  January  7,  1863. 
He  is  the  son  of  Christ  C.  and  Elizabeth  (Upinge) 
Rhodes,  both  born  in  Pennsylvania,  1831  and  1834, 
respectively.  Mr.  Rhodes'  father  is  a  lumberman 
in  business  life.  He  is  of  English  descent,  and  is 
still  living  in  the  state  of  his  birth,  as  is  also  the 
mother.  Until  arriving  at  the  age  of  twenty,  Sam- 
uel worked  on  the  home  farm  and  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Pennsylvania.  He  then  went  to 
work  running  a  sawmill,  doing  contract  work,  fol- 
lowing this  vocation  until  the  fall  of  1889,  when 
he  came  to  Washington.  In  this  state  he  located 
in  Gray's  Harbor,  where  he  followed  the  lumbering 
business  for  two  years.     His  next  move  was  to 


BIOGRAPHICAL. 


941 


Prosser,  where  he  engaged  in  ditch  work,  which 
he  followed  until  the  spring  of  1896,  at  which  time 
he  came  to  the  Swauk  mining  region,  where  he 
came  into  possession  of  a  promising  placer  and 
quartz  claim.  On  one  of  his  claims,  the  Red 
Jacket,  he  has  about  seven  hundred  feet  of  tunnel 
and  shaft  work  completed,  and  the  group  is  one  of 
great  promise,  and  has  been  bonded  for  a  large 
sum.  Mr.  Rhodes  has  three  brothers,  all  born  and 
still  living  in  Pennsylvania.  Their  names  are: 
Evert  H.,  Nathan  T.  and  Wilbert  E.  Rhodes. 

In  Ellensburg,  August  28,  1902,  Mr.  Rhodes 
was  married  to  Mrs.  May  B.  Haas,  daughter  of 
Emery  and  Kathren  (Patterson)  Carter.  The 
father  of  Mrs.  Rhodes,  born  in  Kentucky,  was  a 
railroad  man,  and  died  in  1872.  Mrs.  Carter  was 
born  in  Ohio,  in  1837,  and  is  now  living  in  Batavia, 


Illinois.  Mrs.  Rhodes  was  born  in  Springfield, 
Ohio,  August  4,  1865.  She  received  a  finished  edu- 
cation in  the  Ohio  schools  and  later  took  a  musical 
course  in  Oberlin  conservatory.  She  taught  music 
for  eight  years,  and  in  1881  was  married  to  C. 
Haas.  By  this  union  three  children  were  born. 
Mr.  Haas  died  in  1S93,  and  in  1902  Mrs.  Haas 
was  married  to  her  present  husband.  She  has  one 
brother,  John  P.  Carter,  born  in  Ohio,  1858,  now 
living  in  Chicago.  Fraternally,  Mr.  Rhodes  is  a 
member  of  the  Odd  Fellows  and  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  Both  he  and  his  wife  be- 
long to  the  Protestant  church.  Both  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rhodes  are  social  leaders  in  their  locality.  Her 
husband  is  doing  well  in  business,  and  is  rated  as 
being  one  of  the  leading  business  men  of  Kittitas 
county. 


.vn:" 


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